Gratitude and Sadness. Suffering and Reward.
1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

Paul returns to an introduction made in the opening verses of the first chapter. He is grateful. His gratitude was directed at the fruit among them in chapter 1, but here it is directed at the work of God through the message of God, which was received by them as the words of God. The connection with the preceding is clear: Paul’s ministry and message among them had been called into question and attacked by the Thessalonian synagogue. Paul is thankful for the simple acceptance that the believers evidenced.

The Received Word of God (13)
This first verse teaches us an important progression and understanding about the Word and message of God. His subject is the preaching of God’s Word (13a) and Paul describes its reception among the Thessalonians. He distinguishes two actions: their hearing (initial objective reception) and their accepting (subsequent personal welcoming). This makes an important point about the gospel: God has spoken and man has received it. What man chooses to do with that which they have received is an important question, which we will deal with next.
But God has spoken. He speaks through the words of men and His message is effective (energetic) in the heart of the believer to affect change.
I have heard too often the accusation that “not everyone has heard the message of salvation,” levied against the evangelist as if that is to make the message irrelevant. This simply will not do. God has spoken and His Word has been translated for everyone to read and study. The problem is not on God’s end - the problem is the hearer’s.
In Romans 10 Paul addresses this reception of God’s gospel: there is the sending of a preacher, the preaching, a hearing, a believing, and a resulting calling upon the Name of the Lord (10:11-13).

The Opposing Responses to God (13-16)
James speaks of receiving with meekness the engrafted Word of God (1:21) -- it is already present, but must yet be welcomed. Paul delineates two responses to the received Word of God in this text: welcoming it - as the Word of God. Paul even goes on to strengthen this with “which indeed it is.” (13) This Word of God works faith among those who believe. The verb chosen here is that of opening a door to welcome one into a home. God’s Word is received by all, but not everyone welcomes it into their home.
The other response is graphically attested by the opposing Jews. We will deal with verse 14, but at the end he introduces the Jews, who have not accepted the Word of God as the Word of God. The have levied against Paul that His message is man-made philosophy and motivated by greed and adulation.
Paul’s indictment is thorough, presented in five participles, beginning in the past and moving to the present:
- They killed the Lord Jesus,
- They killed the prophets,
- They persecute us,
- They do not please God, and
- They go against all people.
This has been the pattern of Israel throughout her history. They received God’s Word, but they did not welcome it into their hearts. They fashioned a religion, rather than forging personal faith.
Paul’s next word is key: they hinder. There is the second response. You can receive God’s Word and welcome it or you can receive God’s Word and hinder it.
God’s judgment of such hindering is apparent and here slated in a past tense to indicate its sureness. Hindering God’s received Word brings eternal doom. Not allowing God’s Word entrance into your heart leaves you unchanged and in fact turned against Him. The final eternal doom of all who oppose Him is sure. Hindering the effect of His Word leads to hell. Not a popular truth to hear today, but nonetheless true.
The choice, however, is our’s. How do we respond to the message He has already given us?
Welcoming it - giving you a glimpse into next week’s sermon - brings glory and reward (verse 19).

The Unavoidable Suffering for God (14-15a)
Paul points to the suffering the Thessalonian Church endures as a proof of God’s work in them. In fact he uses the term mimic. You are imitating the Churches in Judea - suffering is the expected pattern. Whenever God’s Word accumulates a believing remnant, Satan’s opposing work ramps up in the form of persecution and suffering.
In most of the world this is the pattern. It is here in the West that Satan’s tactic has been to lull the Church into a false sense of security and prosperity. The norm throughout all of human history is that the man of God suffers for the message of God.
These days are coming in the West - and in many ways are already here. The freedom to preach the Word of God as the Word of God and not man is vanishing. Pretty soon it will be hate speech to call sin sin.
So when suffering comes… how will you respond?

God has spoken.
You have heard.
Do you welcome it?
Or do you hinder it?
And will you suffer for it?

A good testimony and a shared soul
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

The first half of chapter two of 1 Thessalonians is more of a challenge to the preacher. Not that it is difficult to understand or preach, but that Paul defends his ministry among these believers and in doing so gives us insight into the kind of man, teacher and preacher Paul was. These a very personal words and as one writer puts it: “I am thankful for the accusations against Paul, for otherwise we may not have read this description of Paul’s ways of being with people. These verses teach me much about the man I want to be in this pulpit and among you.

A good Testimony (1-6)
Paul’s defense is masterful. Rather than an overt defense against the accusations, Paul appeals to shared experiences and calls the reader to remember what they know about him. Six times he says “you know” (verses 1, 2, 5, 9, 10 and 11).
One can only appeal to such shared experiences if you have a good testimony.
Paul often instructs leaders to have such a testimony. To be above reproach and friendly (cf. 1 Tim. 3).
The accusations against Paul are evident from his defense:
> He is teaching an incorrect theology
> He has impure motives for ministry
> He manipulates people into his traps
> He tries to please people
> He speaks with empty flattery
> He is aiming for your wallet
> He is living and ministering for people’s praise

I asked myself how I would have defended myself against such accusations and came to the conclusion that Paul’s defense is by far the best: let your life and way with people speak for itself.
But Paul not only appeals to his testimony among the believers in this Church, he also appeals to God’s testimony of him in verses 4-5 and 10. He calls God as a witness to their proper motives, way of life and call to ministry. Paul views this ministry as “God entrusting the gospel to him.” We are entrusted with God’s message, which is a sobering and awesome truth.

A Proper Behavior (7-11)
In his defense Paul exhibited a high level and quality of behavior among these believers. In Paul’s defense he calls them to remember how they behaved among them and lists seven behaviors:
> He invested despite the risk to his own life 2
> He was sincere in his doctrine, conviction and free from sexual perversion 3
> He was laboring for God’s approval not man’s 4, 6
> He was not concerned with financial gain 5
> He didn’t appeal to his authority, but was motherly 6-8
> He was above reproach in what he did 10
> He behaved like a father in guiding their walk 11-12

These seven behaviors are easily turned into questions, such as: am I willing to invest despite risk? Do I keep myself free from sexual perversion and do I labor for God’s approval? Am I motherly and fatherly and do I labor and toil deep into the night, so that God’s will may be accomplished among people?
Illustration about witnessing the different roles between father and mother with Willem and Saskia when Joas fell after Church and hurt himself. Willem tried to console him, but all the while his eyes were on Saskia. He wanted his mommy, because she’s the comforter. Moms just do that better than dads.
Paul is an example to us in his conviction and commitment to God.
Verse 8 is incredible. Not only sharing the gospel, but sharing our - and the text literally says - souls. It isn’t wrong to translate it life, but leaving the original word there gives us the extent of the sharing. There was a mingling of souls for the sake of the gospel. This gives us an impression of the impassioned way that Paul ministered to these believers. He loved them dearly.

A Growing Faith (11-12)
Paul finishes this passage with his vision for ministry. He acts like a mother and father to his children in the faith, but verse 11 draws our attention to what His goal in this parenting imagery is: to keep walking in a manner that is worthy of God - the King, who has called us into His own kingdom and glory. Walking worthy of your calling (cf. Eph. 4). Become who God wants you to be.

Again... this is a challenge to the preacher to consider what my aim is, how my behavior is among you and whether my testimony will stand the test of accusation. But not only for me, also for us all to consider. When sharing the gospel with my co-workers… do they just hear words or do they see a life that supports those words and a willingness to share and commit? What is your behavior among others and how will your reputation hold up?
These are significant questions and Paul teaches us that a good testimony, proper behavior and growing faith are essential to any kind of ministry.

Prayer and Preservation
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

This letter from Paul is written to encourage the Church. In his introduction he doesn’t even feel the need to underscore his apostleship, as he does in his letters to the Galatian, Philippian and Ephesian Churches. He simply introduces the letter as from “Paul, Silvanus and Timothy”. This letter does not contain major correction or reprimand like the Corinthian and Galatian letters. This letter does not center on theological discourse like the letter to the Romans. This is a letter of encouragement to a young Church that is doing things right. Paul acknowledges there is much they need to learn yet (2:10) and he encourages them to continue doing what they are already doing (5:11).

There is much that we can learn from this letter. As I was pondering what to study during the summer months, I really wanted to encourage you to continue to do what you are doing. Our Church has no need of correction or reprimand, there are no problems lurking and there is a welcoming atmosphere. Then 5:11 caught my attention: Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. This summer we will delve into this letter and be reminded of some basic truths that encourage our faith, stimulate our love and strengthen our hope. We ought to resolve to continue as we are doing.

Paul offers his customary greeting, a hybrid of Greek (blessings to you) and Jewish (shalom) greeting, which drips with gospel truth: grace precedes peace and it is through grace that we have peace with God. This grace has come through Christ Jesus and God the Father.

BOUND TOGETHER IN PRAYER (1:2)
This letter is probably one of the first letters penned by Paul. The date of its writing is most likely 51 AD. In Acts 17 we read of Paul’s second Missionary Journey. A number of doors had closed in Asia Minor and Paul had a vision of a man calling until him to come over to Macedonia (modern Greece). Thessalonica was one of the first cities to be evangelized. It was a bustling city center in those days with an estimated 200.000 inhabitants. It was located on the major Roman trade route called the Via Egnatia that connected Rome with the East. It also was a prime harbor location, that offered a more quiet haven from weather. The city had been granted freedom to govern itself by the Roman empire and so it retained a Greek culture. There was a strong Jewish presence that became jealous at the successes of Paul and his companions. They instigated a riot in Thessalonica and ran them out of town. We are not sure how long Paul spent in Thessalonica, but it was shorter than he would have liked. The Church was young and would have to mature among a hostile city.
This is what lead to his exuberant declaration of continual prayer for these believers. He thinks of them often, remembers them fondly and prays for them a lot. I would simply like to pause here and encourage you in this spiritual discipline. Do you pray for one another? Can you describe it as continual? During the summer months we all end up going our separate ways wherever our vacations take us. Will you remain bound together in Prayer? Will you pray for each other as you travel? Will you remind your children to pray for the other kids in the Sunday School classes? Stay fervent and faithful in praying for one another.

EXEMPLARY IN GROWTH (1:3)
Paul remembers their spiritual growth. There is some debate as to the placement of “continually”. Does it belong with prayer (praying continually) or with remembering (continually think of). Since the thought belongs together, I’m not sure it matters per se. Since Paul often speaks of praying unceasingly, I place it with the preceding.
As Paul thinks of these young believers it is their rapid spiritual growth amid persecution that sticks in his mind. He combines his thoughts into a triad that will pop up more often in his letter: faith, hope and love.
He attaches these nouns to specific verbs that describe their nature.
Work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope. I love this.
Paul agrees with James that Faith that does not result in works is dead and useless. It is because we believe that works, actions, doings should proceed. Not for salvation, but because of salvation. When we come to faith our lives change.
Love causes us to labor. The word here carries the idea of intense exertion to the point of weariness. Because of love we labor and toil for one another. Willing to work hard and invest in each other’s lives.
Hope produces steadfastness. It is the future expectation of Christ’s return that awakens in us a willingness to endure difficulties and persecution.
Someone has said: faith looks back at Christ’s sacrifice, love looks up for Christ’s approval, and hope looks forward to Christ’s return.
What is your plan to continue to develop and exercise your faith, hope and love this summer? It is a solemn reminder that life is lived under the watchful eye of God the Father.

CHOSEN IN LOVE (5-6)
The original strongly connects verse four with verse five. The verb `knowing` is placed in first position. It is verb in the perfect tense signifying completed action. This is something that they know, because it is already completed. He identifies them as beloved by God. Lovely words for a Church dear to Paul´s heart. They are beloved by God. This beloved status underscores their election. There is not a single more divisive theological term than this one. Honestly, this is due to some very wrong interpretive thoughts and the influence of philosophical thinking on Scripture. And because of this, a very dear and positive and encouraging truth of Scripture is stolen from the believer.
Their election of God is certain. Did you notice that? Paul knows it and he says they know it. That is how this doctrine of election is supposed to work. As you remember, which is what Paul is doing, he thinks back to when the gospel was preached and the affect it had on these people. They believed. The preaching was powerful, lead by the Spirit and thorough. And they believed it. But as you remember, you must also connect this verse with the preceding and as you look back on your life you look for the fruit of God’s work in your life… faith, hope and love… what has it produced?
Every single time Paul speaks of election in (cf. Eph. 1, Rom. 8) it is a source of encouragement to the believer. Why? Because as you hear the gospel and are convicted of sin, acknowledge your lost estate and throw yourself upon the mercy of God and the work of Christ on your behalf, you choose to accept His grace and you might think that your salvation was due to your acceptance. It is once you are saved and study Scripture you discover that you love, because He first loved you. His chose you. He elected you before the foundation of the earth… and it is encouraging the first time you fall into sin again, that you salvation is not lost, because it is His sovereign grace that keeps you saved. God’s loving choice to elect is a doctrine to be cherished not feared.
Where people go wrong is they philosophically start wondering if God then also chooses who will spend eternity in hell. And if these things are true… did we really have a free choice?
Scripture does not warrant this thinking… it simply gives us the security of knowing that in love God sovereignly chose us… and He will keep us.

Does your life show forth faith, hope, and love? Do others see your way of life and conclude: He is loved by God... you can see it!

Do I listen when Scripture warns?
Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 9

We’re going to finish this series by studying two very short letters today and next week. Perhaps you could call them “postcards from John.”
Second John taught us to be weary of false teachers. Do not just let anyone come into your home. Fulfill the command to love your neighbor, but don’t sacrifice truth in order to show love - love by its definition is obedience to the truth.

Third John takes us in the opposite direction and John writes perhaps his most personal letter. He names three men and employs kind, direct speech to commend two of these brothers and strongly reprimand the third. These three men are Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius. The problem is between Gaius and Diotrephes and this letter brings home a problem that we still face in the Church: pride gets in the way of ministry.
I want to draw three lessons from the way John speaks to these three men.

ENCOURAGE BELOVED BROTHERS THAT WALK IN THE TRUTH (1-8)
He is addressed as “beloved”. He was loved by John and by others. He had a good reputation, which is required of anyone that serves the Church (1 Tim. 3:7). He had soaked up truth (“his truth”) like a sponge and made it his own. And here also Gaius is one of those that walked in truth. He was honest, trustworthy and someone you could count on. Even the traveling preachers had testified to Gaius’ love and service to them.
Gaius was one of those men that every Church should have. He turned the Church into a welcoming place, where strangers could feel at home.
Gaius teaches us how to balance truth and love and put deeds to our words. These are the men that we should encourage in ministry.

CONFRONT HAUGHTY BROTHERS THAT HINDER THE TRUTH (9-10)
What a contrast in the verses that follow. John doesn’t mince words and succinctly puts his finger on the sore spot in the Church. Diotrephes likes to be first. Now there is a fine indictment to many Church problems, isn’t it? He just wanted to be first. Never unlearned that childish behavior of thinking the world revolves around his wants and desires. The Church serves him! His name means “reared by Zeus” and somewhere along the way this man heard the gospel. Let’s not assume this man is unregenerate and in the Church… that could be, but perhaps this man just has a lot of growing to do… God is still at work… the Church put him in a place of authority before he was ready. Who knows? But he has a pride problem and it is not serving the Church well.
Where his problem is most notable is that he does not submit to authority. John has apparently written him a letter… it was confiscated and ignored. He even spoke evil of John and his traveling preachers. Now that’s a problem… he’s rejecting apostolic authority. This happens today all the time, by the way. We ignore the authority of what has been written to us. We don’t submit to what Scripture says. Sometimes preachers censor the Bible… some passages are just not so popular to the modern audience. “Let’s gloss over them.”
Diotrephes closed the Church doors to men of truth. Here is someone who is the opposite of the elect lady in 2 John. She opened her door to false teachers. Diotrephes closed the door to truth teachers. Strong words too, because apparently Diotrephes threw them out of the Church and anyone that stood against him.

John warns Gaius not to go along with Diotrephes. Don’t be influenced by him. Don’t let distrust slip into the Church. Men like Diotrephes are not needed in the Church.

WELCOME TRUSTWORTHY BROTHERS THAT PREACH THE TRUTH (11-12)
We don’t know much about Demetrius. He just had an excellent reputation and may have carried this letter from John to Gaius. Everyone speaks highly of his commitment to truth. The truth itself is a witness to this man… that means his doctrine and teaching is thoroughly Scriptural. John himself testifies to this man’s trustworthiness and commends him.

A threefold witness to this brother. May this be said of us… may the Truth testify of us.


This brings us to a conclusion that is very practical in the context of the Truth and our relationship to the Bible.
Second John teaches us that Truth must never be sacrificed on the altar of Love
Third John teaches us that Love must never be sacrificed on the altar of Truth.

My favorite part of these letters are the verbs that are attached to Truth:
Walk in truth
Love in truth
Correct in truth
Invest in truth

Jesus said it clearly: Thy Word is Truth. (John 17:17)

Do I listen when Scripture warns?
Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 8

We’re going to finish this series by studying two very short letters today and next week. Perhaps you could call them “postcards from John.”

These letters are succinct, but they are no less potent in their instruction and warning as the rest of Scripture. Second John is addressed to the “elect lady” and various interpretations have been suggested. Most think it is just a special way of referencing the Church. It could also be a reference to a woman - and since no husband is mentioned perhaps a widow - whom John knows. The words elect lady are Elekta Kuria… perhaps that is a woman’s name.
Third John is addressed to Gaius - clearly an individual (and elder) in the Church, so it seems likely that 2 John is written to an individual, but both are intended to be read to the Church.
2 John ends with John’s intention to visit in person, explaining that there is much he wants to communicate. Apparently everything else he wants to say can wait until a face-to-face meeting. What he has written in this letter could not wait.
The second half of the letter contains a warning and ends with a very practical admonition: If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting. verse 10 It seems likely then that this is a widow who was hospitable to traveling preachers and opened her home to them. John may have been one of those preachers that has lodged with her. This letter warns against deceivers and how to deal with them and maintain the command to love one another.
This letter’s instruction is both timely and relevant and I’m looking forward to studying it together. Back to verse 1.

An Explanation of the new old commandment of Truth and Love 1-6
Reading the first six verses you will be struck by two words. And I think that is John’s point. Those words are Truth and Love. There is loving in the truth 1a, knowing the truth 1b, truth abiding in and with us 2, in truth we received grace, mercy, and peace 3, and walking in truth 4. Truth is an important subject for John and it should be to us as well.
The second word is just as significant to John: we love those who are in and know the truth 1-2, in love we received grace, mercy, and peace 3, loving one another is a new and old command 5, love is defined as walking according to His commandments 6.
Truth and love are presented as harmonious in 2 John and yet so often they are pitted against each other in practice. The Church has too often emphasized one at the expense of the other. John names two Churches in the second chapter of Revelation: Ephesus, which stood withstood false teaching (they knew the truth), but they lost their first love. Thyatira, on the other hand, was known for their love and good works, but they allowed false teaching to creep into the Church and lost Truth.
Today too many Churches sacrifice Truth on the altar of love. They have redefined Scripture to allow things that Scripture plainly teaches against.
John gives us a the very clear command: we are to love one another. This is not a new idea… The Old Testament taught us to love… love the Lord your God. Love your brother as yourself. That’s what Jesus quoted. Loving one another is not a new concept. But on the other hand… Jesus was a perfect representation of that love… and that was new. Mankind had never seen God’s love so clearly as when Jesus walked the earth and loved people unconditionally. So when Jesus commanded us to love one another - it was like a new commandment. It’s a new old command! We are to love one another.
Now verse 6 is great… because love is defined as obedience to His commands. Here is the balance that is taught in the first six verses: God’s truth teaches us to love one another. Loving one another is to obey God. We walk in truth and love those that walk in truth. We received love and truth from God. We delight in those that walk in truth and love them. It work, right? This is what we aim for.

A Warning against deceivers and a practical application. 7-11
The John gets real pointed: There are many deceivers in the world. Can we just pause there? Today’s evangelical emphasis on love completely ignores this fact: there are MANY deceivers. Not just a few. They don’t pop up here and there, every once in a while. No… there are many deceivers. What do they do? They don’t confess, they are antichrist, and they go too far in their doctrine.
I find that first one to be insightful. Deceivers aren’t always identified by what they do say… sometimes it’s what they don’t say… they don’t believe a key doctrine. The second is shocking… they work against that which Christ wants to accomplish… since Christ is working in the Church, they are working against the Church (see verse 8). Finally, they are described as going too far in their doctrinal thinking. They develop theologies and teachings that seem inventive, but are no longer orthodox. They teach a doctrine that has gone too far.
Now how do you deal with such teachers? Scripture teaches us to love one another and we’re to obey that command, right?
Not in this case… John says to avoid them, beware of them, and then very practically: don’t be hospitable to them. Close your door to them. Do not fellowship with them. Don’t even greet them. Wow… how is that love?
It is loving to show them their abandonment of truth...
Truth divides… Jesus said that. And truth is serious business.

So:
Love one another in accordance with the new old command
Know the truth in order to recognize the deceiver
Walk in truth in order to separate from the deceiver and antichrist

FOR FATHERS ON FATHER'S DAY

We’re going to look at three passages this morning. Colossians 3:21, Ephesians 6:4, and Deuteronomy 6:7. The New Testament addresses fathers in two passages, written not too long after each other and sent to the same region. It is interesting to compare the two and draw out and important lesson for fatherhood. The outline is simply this morning and we’ll be looking at keywords in these verses.

DISCOURAGE Colossians 3:21
Do not discourage you son. The verse begins with a negative command to the father: don’t provoke him. One translation states: “do not exasperate your son.” The father’s actions and behavior lead to discouragement in the son.
And that’s it. The context of Colossians 3 is that of Christian attitudes and behavior in the home and at work. In verse 17 Paul declares that everything we do ought to be done in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Wives. Husbands. Children. Fathers. Being a dad ought to be done in the Name of the Lord Jesus. For His honor and His glory, pleasing Him and not ourselves. It is striking to me that each party addressed is given a positive injunction, except fathers… husbands and wives are told what they should do. Children are reminded of their responsibility to obey. Fathers are told what not to do.
Before we wrap this up and put a bow on top, I want to jump to Ephesians.

EMBITTER Ephesians 6:4
This is similar to the Colossians text. The context is roles at home and at work. In chapter 5 verses 19-21 Paul instructs the reader to walk in wisdom, to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to submit one to another. Wives. Husbands. Children. Fathers in 6:4. Again it is stated negatively in a list of positive instruction.
`Do not provoke` is a different verb here. This one carries the negative result of anger with it. The fathers actions and behavior arouse anger in his son. Do not provoke to anger. The result is that the child becomes bitter against his father’s instruction. Anger that is provoked quiclky turns to bitterness of heart.

Ephesians gives us a little more and instructs fathers to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph 6:4, ESV) Colossians gives us avoidance and Ephesians gives us building blocks

So comparing the two warnings and instructions, it is significant to know that in the Roman era the Father was the absolute authority in the home. He had the right to sell any of his children into slavery or mete out discipline as he saw fit - even to the point of death. Fathers were harsh with their children. When a child was born it was laid the feet of the Roman father. If he stooped down to pick it up, it signified his condescension to the child and his willingness to take care of the child. If on the other hand the father turned away from the child and walked away, the child was tossed into the river.
Into this cultural context fathers are instructed not to provoke their children in two ways: provoking to discouragement - through lack of attention - and provoking to anger - through harsh and sinful attention.
I have seen both extremes. Fathers are ignore their children and cultivate a sense that you are never good enough. Fathers that are angry and harsh with their children and call them all sorts of names and give a sense that anger is the currency of the relationship.

I get it… children can infuriate and frustrate beyond belief. Everything is a fight… I was stopped dead in my tracks once when a preacher used James 1:19-20 to talk to fathers. The wrath of man will never accomplish the righteousness of God. My angry response to my children will never result in their craving for God’s righteousness.
Discipline and instruction
The positive instruction in Ephesians follows two nouns: raise them (child-training) in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. These form two very important sides of pedagogy. Tell them what is expected...

Keeping God’s Word
Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 7

Two weeks ago we started a sermon that I didn’t finish. I spent more time in Psalm 1, to expound the richness of that very first Psalm. This morning we continue in the Psalms and consider the longest one. We will only scratch the surface of this magnificent poetic masterpiece.

The Scriptures is David’s focus and he clearly has a strong desire for God’s written Word. That is our question. How can I increase my desire for God’s Word. In Psalm 1 we considered the attention and time devoted to the Bible. We ought to meditate on God’s law day and night. Every moment of the day is an opportunity to think on Scripture. Psalm 119 opens by considering our walk and twice invokes the same blessing as Psalm 1.

Walk His paths with every decision Psalm 119:1-8
David opens by connecting the veracity of our walk with the law of the Lord. The ought to be a correlation between my decisions and the Word of God. This strengthens the point made in Psalm 1, that the blessed man is one who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. BUT… he delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. The blessed man now also will go in the way of the law of the Lord. Moving from meditation to activation. Doing something. Acting upon.
James drives this point home in His analogy of the man looking in the mirror (James 1:22-25). Don’t just hear… do.
The verses that follow contain verbs that require you to do something: seek God (verse 2), do not commit wrong (verse 3), keep His commands (verse 4).
Then we get to desire in verse 5. David expresses a wish that His paths were fixed, so that he would always do what God desires and has commanded.
God’s law impacts the decisions we make and we ought to look for His path in every decision.

Keep His Word for every opportunity Psalm 119:9-16
Perhaps one of the most important questions is the one David sets before us here. How? How is one supposed to keep His way pure? Again Scripture is the answer and then in verse 2 David connects seeking God with remaining close to His commands.
The verse I would like to zero in on this morning is here in verse 11: I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Here is a most significant and practical plan: hide God’s Word in your heart. The result is verse 16: I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. There is a connection between desiring God’s Word and keeping it and not forgetting it. We call this memorization.
This is echoed throughout Scripture.

Joshua 1:8
Proverbs 7:1-3
John 15:7-8
Colossians 3:16

Memorising Scripture is an essential Christian discipline because it directly impacts the metamorphosis of our thinking (Romans 12:2). How can you keep His Word if you don’t have it in your brain? How can you speak His Word, if it isn’t already in your heart. How can you meditate on it day and night, if it does not reside within you?

Now here comes the excuse… we have already stated the excuse in an earlier sermon. Most often we think we cannot memorize Scripture. That simply is not true. It may take you longer, but God created you with an incredible brain. The problem is desire… most often you don’t want to invest the time it takes to memorize Scripture. Let me quote the first sermon in this series:
Jesus loved His Bible and had great respect for the Bible. He knew it and quoted it literally and applied it to the situations of the people he encountered - whether a believing disciple or faithless Pharisee. And in His weakest moments - in the wilderness with the devil or being tortured on the cross - it was Scripture that He spoke.
Where did this Scripture come from? It wasn’t in his pocket or on His iphone. It was in His heart.
Christ kept the Word for every opportunity.

I read this in my preparations and I was to close with this:
Memorizing Scripture will…
Enrich your prayerlife
Scharpen you witness
Enlarge your confidence
Deepen your walk and
Beat your enemy.

To aid you in memorizing Scripture the Church is providing a bookmark with 20 passages that every Christian ought to know. I encourage you to start memorizing.

Pentecost. the Church begins.
“Count 50 days after the seventh Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:16) That’s where this feast came from. The firstfruits of the Wheat harvest are brought to the temple and offered to the Lord. This offering was two loaves of bread (with yeast) to thank God for His care and provision at the beginning of the Wheat harvest.
In Exodus 19:1 we read that the Israelites arrived at Sinai in the third month after leaving Egypt. Rabbi’s have calculated that God gave His people the law on the Feast of Weeks. In synagogues Exodus 19-20 (the climb of Mt. Sinai and the giving of the law) is read along with Ezekiel 1-2 and Habakkuk 3 - the appearances of God to Ezekiel and Habakkuk. Ruth is often read because it deals with the harvest.
The Feast of weeks became a memorial to God’s giving of the law. It is with this Jewish background that we want to approach Acts 2 this morning. God uses this Jewish feast to underscore the newly revealed truth and grounding it in old truth. It is the same God that gave the law and gives the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
According to Jewish oral tradition at Mt. Sinai the people saw God’s voice as sound waves of fire, which flew over the camp and then rested above every Jew personally. God was also understood in many languages - 70 to be precise.
Now it is not important to determine whether or not it really happened this way, because the Bible does not say this. What is noteworthy is that every disciple and every Jew that was present in Acts 2 would have made this connection and when Peter gets up to preach the first Christian sermon, he roots his comments in the Old Testament and brings his listeners to Christ.
According to verse 37 the people are deeply moved and they ask: “What then ought we to do?”

The Church was introduced in Matthew 16, the Holy Spirit was promised in John 16 and again in chapter 20. Jesus taught His disciples to expect a comforter and even illustrated how He would come. And then at the beginning of Acts 2 the Holy Spirit comes powerfully.

But here is the question I was to delve into this morning: What happened next? Pentecost is often called the birthday of the Church or the beginning of the Church. In my preparations this week I kept coming back to this last part of Acts 2 and the pattern of development that clearly emerges from these verses. I want to share four principles in this text that lead us to five conclusions.
I want you to notice that Peter stands up and preaches in verse 14 and in verse 40 Luke tells us “with many other words”... sometimes I think I have preached long, but then I read a verse like that and I am encouraged that I’m being biblical.

1 Biblical preaching and teaching
Peter gets up to preach and immediately takes his listeners to Scripture. Later we read that those who come to faith are reading and studying Scripture. Biblical preaching is a central characteristic of the Church. From its very conception.

2 Awe-inspiring Worship
People worship God. It’s a proper response. But today it seems that worship has become an emotional high that leaves people swaying from side to side, with their eyes closed and music that really speaks to their heart. You know, I prefer what I read right here: people were brought to a proper fear of God. They were amazed at Him and driven to a response of repentance.

3 Radical repentance and witness
The right response to the preaching of God’s Word is that people repent of their sins. Repentance - turning from one things to another - is an essential ingredient in the Church. It is my job to tell you what the Bible teaches and states, so that you can continually be turning from sin to God. More and more in every aspect of your life.
The pattern that Scripture also teaches is that baptism follows repentance. They are two distinct events and yet they went hand in hand. You came to faith (watch the commas in Acts 2:38… forgiveness of sins is tied to repentance, not baptism) and then openly testified to what took place in your heart. This is where many Churches get it wrong today… children are baptized with the hope and expectation that they will one day repent and turn from their sins. No… that doesn’t work. Baptism is an open testimony to the work that God has done on the inside.

4 Growing belonging & involvement
I hardly ever preach on this, but the text takes me here. In these verses people are added. Added to what? It is an administrative term… to count. Who’s counting? Well… some say they are added to the Universal Church. But, that happens at the moment the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the heart of an individual. So not the Universal Church. We’re talking locally. These believers were added to a local Church. They became part of that Church. They belonged. And they got involved sharing, communing, celebrating the Lord’s Table, studying Scripture together.
Do you know that you need Church? It’s where much of your growth takes place as you rub shoulders with other believers. They encourage you, you encourage them. They confront you, you confront them. It is a beautiful thing when it works. But you need to be in it. You also need pastoral leadership...
We have such a thing called Church membership… now this is not a yoke placed upon your shoulders and any member here will tell you that. Membership is a declaration of belonging. You believe God has placed you here and then you get to hear the Church agree with you and welcome you into the fold. It is a wonderful thing and it helps me to know that you want to follow the leadership of this Church.
They were added to.

Five conclusions.
Right after the birth of the Church we learn:
> Biblical preaching and teaching is essential… it’s the first thing that happens.
> Worship should be awe-inspiring of who Christ is
> Honest repentance is the proper response to what Christ has done
> Surrender through public identification with Jesus Christ through baptism
> Seek to become part of a local Church for growth, support, communion, the Lord’s Table and leadership.