Living Evidence of God’s Grace

Transcript

GR 1114
11/18/1984
Living Evidence of God’s Grace
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4
Gil Rugh

The Book of I Thessalonians in your Bibles. I Thessalonians and the first chapter. In our last study together we looked into the background of this letter with the founding of the church at Thessalonica in Acts chapter 17. The church founded by Paul and Silas on the second missionary journey. The background for the founding of the church is important because it gives us some appreciation for what Paul is writing and why he is writing to the church. The church was founded in the midst of persecution as Paul went in and shared in the synagogue at Thessalonica over three Sabbath days the opposition to his message and ministry built and the end result of the ministry at Thessalonica was Paul had to flee and he went to Berea, 40 or 50 miles away from Thessalonica but the opposition was so strong at Thessalonica, when word reached the people in Thessalonica that Paul was ministering in Berea, they sent individuals down to Berea to stir up opposition to Paul's ministry there and they were successful in having Paul driven on to another city. And this background of persecution and opposition is throughout the letter.

Paul writes back to them. He only had a short time there, anywhere from three weeks maybe to three months duration was all his ministry was at Thessalonica. Then he sent Timothy back to find out how things were going and he received a good report from Timothy that believers were standing firm and true in the Word proclaiming the gospel and Paul is filled to overflowing with joy and appreciation at God's work in their life so he writes this epistle and expresses that joy and thanksgiving for their firmness and steadfastness in the midst of persecution and opposition. There are also some charges that he needs to refute. These will come up as we move through the letter, but I'll just mention them to you. Paul evidently was charged with being motivated by personal gain. There were many itinerant traveling kinds of speakers in Paul's day and some were accusing Paul of being one of these speakers whose prime motivation was personal gain. Paul will refute that and show that he worked for his living with his own hands while he was at Thessalonica. He didn't profit from the Thessalonians. Some may have charged him with being a coward for you remember Paul left quietly at night at Thessalonica when trouble had brewed to the point that it was not wise for him to be there any longer and some of what Paul writes to the Thessalonians indicates that some of his opponents may be charging him with being a coward.

He came here. He stirred up all this problem. He stirred up this hatred, this division and this animosity. Then he snuck out in the middle of the night and left you here to bear the brunt of the problem. Paul will speak to that.

And then there are just certain needs that will come up that he wants to address. That was only a short time to be with the Thessalonians. Now there's a church established there. There are things they need to understand in how they are to function as believers. What God expects of them. How God desires them to function in their service for Him.

A key theme in both the first and second letters to the Thessalonians is the theme of the caning of Jesus Christ. It's going to be a dominant strong theme in both of the letters to the Thessalonians. We'll see this later in our study together but I just mentioned it now. And the first letter to the Thessalonians the central thrust of the coming of Christ seems to revolve around the Rapture of the church. That Jesus Christ is coming in the air and in chapter 4 he'll unfold that very clearly that we have a hope of seeing Jesus Christ face to face and seeing our loved ones that precede us in death face to face in the presence of Jesus Christ in the air. We meet Him in the air then He'll take us personally to the presence of His Father in glory.

When you get over to II Thessalonians he develops more fully the -theme of the
second coming of Christ to earth and what will be entailed in the events surrounding the coining of Christ to earth, the events that take place with the nan of sin, the man of lawlessness, the coming tribulation and the return of Christ to set up His kingdom. In the first verse of chapter 1 of the first letter Paul identified himself with Silvanus which is another word for Silas, and Timothy. Two men who had joined him in the founding of the church at Thessalonica they joined with Paul in writing back to the church there.

We noted it's the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Word of encouragement to them that they are the church, those that God has called apart and called out for Himself as a special unique body. When we get down to chapter 4 he's going to talk about them being the elect of God. Those sovereignly and specially chosen by God for Himself. They comprise the church at Thessalonica which is in God the Father and in Jesus Christ the Lord. So they have the security and comfort in the midst of opposition and persecution of knowing that they are a group called out from the world to now live as God's people in a personal intimate relationship with God as their Father which means that He is responsible for their care and protection. The relationship speaks of security and love and they are under the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is sovereign and in control of their lives and in control of all the events and situations going on around them.

One of the things that I think wall be striking as we study this letter is how much doctrine Paul pours in. Here you have people that are relatively new believers. The oldest would be numbered in terms of months old as a believer in Jesus Christ. You see the kind of material that Paul has already shared with them and shares further. Going to talk about doctrines like the doctrine of election, the second coming of Christ, and related kinds of matters. Sometimes we maybe drag our feet. The Thessalonians are on the run but they have the advantage. They had the pressure of persecution and opposition which matures you much faster and much more quickly.

Grace to you and peace. God's provision for their every need in grace. And the peace of God which passes all understanding. Surpasses all understanding, It is God's provision for them.

You come to verses 2, 3 and 4. Paul's theme is one of thanksgiving. He's going to develop the matter of being thankful and offering thanks to God on behalf of the Thessalonians and there are going to be three phrases. Three participial phrases. We identify them usually ending in English in "ing." Note what he says in verse 2. We give thanks to God always for all of you making mention of you in our prayers constantly bearing in mind your work of faith, labor of love, steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. Knowing brethren, beloved by God, His choice of you." And the three phrases at the end of verse 2. "Making mention of you in our prayers." Beginning in verse 3. "Constantly bearing in mind" and then down to verse 4 "knowing His choice of you." It's Paul's practice in all of his letters addressed to churches with the exception of the church at Galatia, to begin by offering an expression of thanks. He was concerned that they understand that he had his gratitude directed toward God for what had been accomplished in their lives. He recognized that what the church at Thessalonica was in evidence of the grace of God. And Paul says he offers his thanks to God on their behalf.

We considered recently the theme of being thankful and thanks as a characteristic of believers. We're not going to develop it as fully as we otherwise might of. But important to note here that Paul has a stress on that, a stress as he addresses his letter to the Thessalonians. I'm thankful to God for you. And he is concerned that this quality be developed in them.

Look over in chapter 5 of Thessalonians. Chapter 5:18. "In everything give thanks." And he has set the pace by beginning on that level and that plane. We, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, give thanks to God for you. And you are to be giving thanks to God in everything. In the midst of the difficulties and trials
in which they find themselves.

Turn back to II Corinthians chapter 4. II Corinthians chapter 4. And verse 15. "For all things are for your sakes that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God." Key verse. God's grace operates which results in thanks being given to God which the end product is the glory of God. You see how key our thanks is in that process where the grace of God is operating and that will be anywhere there are believers. Thanks ought to be the characteristic of those people because the purpose of our lives and our existence is that we might bring glory to God. And the giving of thanks by more and more people abounds to the glory of God. You begin to understand why Satan works so hard to undermine this element of thanksgiving among us as believers. If our ultimate purpose and goal as believers on earth is to give glory to God and that is accomplished through the operating of God's grace in producing thanks in us, we have a people who are grumblers and complainers. Disgruntled, dissatisfied and unthankful. Then we do not have God being glorified as He intends to be glorified and as His purpose is in us as believers.

Come back to I Thessalonians chapter 1. You have to note a couple of words and expressions here. Paul says we give thanks to God always. That's a key word. Always. Paul's thanksgiving wasn't a sporadic thing. It wasn't an off and on type of thanks depending on the flow of the moment. It was constant appreciation expressed to God.

Note the next statement. "For all of you." His thanks included all of the believers at Thessalonica. Now we'll study the letter. We'll find out they are a church with imperfections. One of the older commentators wrote and said there is no reason to expect that this church was not made up of the same kind of collection of characters that the churches today are. And that means it had all kinds of people with their backgrounds, their personalities, their characteristics, their problems. Yet Paul starts out and says, "I always give thanks for all of you." And the key in it is that little phrase "to God." We give thanks to God always for all of you. He constantly viewed them in light of the relationship with God. His thanks was directed towards God. They are the product of the grace of God and the fact that they have come to salvation in Jesus Christ means there are abundant reasons for Paul to offer thanks to God on their behalf. Now that's key. When I stop seeing you in light of the marvelous work of God’s grace in your life then I focus on what you are not, what is not desirable and as soon as we stop looking at one another in the context of our relationship to God through Jesus Christ, then dissatisfaction breaks out.

When I'm looking at you and you're looking at me in this dimension and we're taking one another into God's presence I want to be careful about complaining to God about His work. And I see you in that light, then I say Lord you've done a marvelous work of grace in spite of all the imperfections, in spite of all the shortcomings. Your grace is overwhelmingly marvelous and I can offer thanks always for all of you in that context. And we become disgruntled, complaining mumbling and murmuring about one another, that's an indication that the problem is we've begun to stop looking at one another in the context of God's work in our lives. So Paul offered his thanks to God always on behalf of them all.

He did this making mention of you in our prayers. This is how Paul expressed his thanks. He constantly when he went to prayer remembered them in prayer before God. That doesn't mean that Paul never stopped praying about the Thessalonians. There were many churches and many people Paul was praying about. But every time Paul mentioned the Thessalonians, brought them before the Lord in prayer, it was in the context of being thankful for them. And that excites me because as you study Paul’s letters you are aware that Paul was well aware of the shortcomings and the failures and the inconsistencies and the problems in the churches and among the believers that he was writing to. Yet he could still start out by saying, I am thankful to God for you. Because in spite of their problems, in spite of their shortcomings, in spite of their difficulty, they were still the handiwork of God. That certainly is something to be thankful for.

Three areas are brought to our attention in connection with the Thessalonians and Paul's thanks for them. And you find it all in verse 3, work, labor and steadfastness. Those are the three things that Paul is particularly focusing in on as he remembers them in prayer. The work of the Thessalonians, the labor of the Thessalonians and the steadfastness of the Thessalonians and that will link to three of the traits that characterize them as believers. Faith, love and hope and as the people of God with faith, love and hope, there is a product in those things. The product is work, labor and hope.

He starts out by saying we give thanks to God, constantly bearing in mind first your work of faith. Now I appreciate. Paul would be thankful because he constantly kept in mind their work of faith and that expression simply means the work which is a result of their faith. Because they have come to believe in Jesus Christ, have their faith settled in Him, the result of that is activity, is work. They are doing something. Now that's a key element. We sometimes go around expressing concern that people get too busy or overly busy in the work of the Lord and I appreciate that concern and if I'm functioning biblically I won't be allowing any family to suffer because I am shirking my responsibility there while I am doing something else. But I also have a concern that Paul says here that one of the characteristics of faith is it produces work. Word that means "work", activity, doing things, things that really count. Now we're not just talking about busyness. We're talking about those things that come out of our faith in Jesus Christ. My faith is producing something. Here Paul is agreeing with James in James 2:26.

Why don't you turn over to James? Toward the back of your New Testament. Going a little further. James chapter 2. The last verse in James chapter 2 puts it very concisely. "For just as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead. You see a living, saving faith produces activity, works, because true living faith in Jesus Christ brings about a transformation of life. And so just as when you're born into the human family there are certain activities that are a result. You breathe. You do other things that characterize your being born into the human family. So also it is when you're born into God's family. If you've had a life-transforming faith, saving faith, the result of that will be activity, a life that is lived in submission and obedience to the Word, the example he has just given was Abraham. Up at verse 21 of James 2. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works?" Say, my word, justified by works. I believe Paul in Romans when he says we're justified by faith. He says Abraham was justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar. You note the key in that. Abraham didn't offer up his son, Isaac on the altar until 20 years, 22 years, later. God declared him righteous in Genesis 15:6 when Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness. Over 20 years later after Isaac has been born and grown then he offered him on the altar. God had already saved him by faith but that faith was acting, it was doing something. Abraham was obeying God. So the first tiling Paul says that he is thankful for among the Thessalonians and causes him to give thanks is their faith is working. The work that is produced by their faith. Something was happening in their lives. You could look and see what they were doing, evidence that they were a people who had their faith in Jesus Christ.

Come back to I Thessalonians chapter 1. The second area that causes Paul and reminds Paul to be thankful for the Thessalonians is their labor of love. Now this word "labor" goes beyond the work. The word "work" meant activity. The word labor carries the idea of the cost that's involved in the activity and the idea in the word is strenuous toil, exertion, fatigue. It's a strong word, a word that has the idea of labor. We can be working and say,

Oh, yes, I was working today. But you may have been enjoying what you were doing. You were busy. You have activity but it was enjoyable. Well, you'd use that first word—the work of faith. But when you use the word "labor" that's when you were really grinding it out. When you were toiling. Well, maybe you didn't like what was going on and it seemed every moment you just had to push and push and it was draining everything out of you. That's the labor here of love and what he is talking about is love producing this labor. Paul holds this up as an example for them as well. He said this characterized my ministry with you.
I was one who labored among you. Not just enough to be busy about the work of the Lord but there is toil and stress and strain in the work of the Lord. Note what Paul says to the Thessalonians over in chapter 2 verse 9. "For you recall brethren, our labor" That's our word there. Labor. Our labor and hardship how working day and night so as not to be a burden to any of you we proclaim to you the gospel. Paul says we sweated at Thessalonica. We worked hard. We were worn out. I take it when Paul was done at the end of the day he plopped down on his bed of straw or whatever he had and he was just worn out. I thought, the Lord gave you strength and you know, those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and they'll mount up with wings as eagles. And He does provide. That doesn't mean it's not toil. You're grinding along. He provides the strength and the energy to make the next step to do what he wants done.


Look over in chapter 3 verse 5. "For this reason when I could endure it no longer I sent to find out about your faith for fear that the tempter might have tempted you and our labor should be in vain. You know how Paul got a church of believers at Thessalonica? He toiled and labored to get it done. Now be careful of the theology of that. You do not build a church apart from the power of God. But the power of God was operating in the apostle Paul's life and he toiled and labored to exhaustion. And he says, I'm concerned that that all wasn't for naught because if he had left and then found out they hadn't stood for the Lord and gone on with the Lord, then could have said we wasted our time there. Nothing really came of that. It would have been a futile ministry.

Over in II Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 8. Nor did we eat anybody's bread without paying for it. But with labor [there's our word again] and hardship we kept working day and night," night and day so we might not be a burden to you. I think most of us would have been worn out to try to keep Paul's schedule. And Paul didn't do it because he was a superman. He did it because he drew upon the power of God and then as he wrote to the Corinthians he beat his body black and blue and disciplined himself to do what was necessary to be done to minister tire Word effectively to the Thessalonians and get them established as God would have them established.

Come back to I Thessalonians chapter 1. And you have to have extra motivation when you want to work like that. There's got to be a reason to do that. Now Paul is thankful in verse 3 of chapter 1 for their labor of love. This is a church that's only a few months old and Paul says as believers that if they're characterized by toiling and laboring, motivated by love. It's not personal gain. It's not personal profit. It's not—what am I going to get out of it and it amazes me how the world can drive themselves on for personal gain and personal profit. That characteristic is not unique to believers. We have what we call work-aholics hi the world and they'll drive themselves to an earthly grave to try to get rich or famous or powerful or whatever. What is different for the believer is what drives him and the reason he does it. The Thessalonians were doing it motivated by love and love is putting the interest and needs of others above ourselves. That's the key element and idea. Great example of this love. Here we're talking about agape love or agapao love, is self-sacrifice, demonstrated hi this is the great demonstration of love that God, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That’s a demonstration of God’s love. Romans chapter 5 and verse 8, Christ died for us. He gave Himself on our behalf. He put our interests ahead and then went and met them. Did what was necessary for us. He didn't need salvation. Quite frankly, He didn't need any friends. He wasn't lonesome. There was nothing lacking in God.

Gain. You say, what do you mean—He didn't have anything to gain. We're going to be with Him for all eternity. That's good for us but you know, He had everything He ever needed before He started but He went ahead and did what was necessary for us to provide our redemption.

Now this great love that He had for us is to become the pattern for how we live our lives as believers. Perhaps one of the most distressing things about us as believers is how selfish we really can be.
Look over in I John chapter 3. I John chapter 3. Verse 16. We're familiar with the gospel of John chapter 3 and verse 16 but we're in I John chapter 3 and verse 16. "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;” That’s how you really come to understand and grasp what this kind and quality of love is all about. That He was willing to die for me and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Just that simple. There do I have a handle on that kind of love—that He not only was willing but He did die for me and that pattern now is to be produced in me through the work of the Spirit. That I am to be willing to die for you and he's not talking in the context in I John 3, either, about having to die. He brings it back into a very practical matter about meeting the needs of fellow believers. Now sometimes it's easy to proclaim—I'd be willing to die for you if I had to but I wish you'd quit getting on my nerves or pestering me and we—wait, back up, wait a minute. What kind of love do I have? Well, you know I have the love out here. I'd do the ultimate. But it's the little things that I get irritated about having to do for you. Really that's where my love is demonstrated. When I see there is a lack. When I see there is a shortcoming. The goal of my life is not now to zero in and attack but to see how I might move in and be used of God to meet that need and to help in that area. You know I think sometimes we're more hypocritical than we'd like to say as believers. Oh, yes, I, I'd follow. I'd be willing to die for believers. But I'm not even willing even to spend my time in life on behalf of other believers.

Then come down to chapter 4 verse 7. "Beloved1,' still in I John, "let us love one another, for love is from God;". That's the source of it. And Galatians 5:22 talks about the fruit of the Spirit. Starts out with love and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." You see the issue here is the character of God. His very character is love. Now if you have become a believer in Jesus Christ and now partake of the character of God it is to be expected that His character will be seen in you, will be seen in me. And God is love. I am a child of God. Therefore God's character is seen in me. It seems a rather simple process.

Verse 9. "By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation, the satisfaction, for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." That ought to do something for the way I live my life and invest my life. That He would be willing to do that for me. That He would be willing to do that for me. That He would be willing to die on my behalf and I should put restraints or constraints on my love and willingness to be given on behalf of someone else. Just look at I Corinthians 13. We can't look at all the details of this but I Corinthians 13 is the full development of this kind of love and I Corinthians 13 is very clear. No matter what else you do, if this quality of God's character does not characterize you, nothing else really matters or counts. He describes it, beginning in verse 4. "Love is patient, kind, not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It never fails." Now we can each be honest with ourselves and sit down and look at ourselves in light of that quality. Is that really true of me? I mean it leaps out there—believes all things. Do you ever notice how skeptical some believers are. You know, even talking about other believers. They'll say, Yes, I know what they gave. I know what they taught. I know what they did here. But you know, I really question their motive in that. Oh, you do? I thought you loved them. Well, I do. Well, love believes all things. Well, yes, it does. Well, I really love them. That doesn't mean love is gullible but love is open and that's why it's easy to be hurt in a love context. It's easy to be taken advantage of in a love context.

You open yourself up, so to speak, and there's a certain fear to do that. That's what drove the Thessalonians to labor and toil. That's what enables you to give of yourself in a sacrificial, sacrificing kind of way when there is not glory. There is not recognition. There is not honor, but I am doing it for their benefit because I love them and it’s necessary for their development and their well-being and spiritual health. And that's what drives me. What you need is the motivation for me. Your need before God as His child is what drives me on and that's what drove the Thessalonians on and that's what enables you to toil.
Say, isn't that job a grind? No, I'm doing it because I love them. You know, you see a parent giving of themselves for their child. You know, spending time. Perhaps they're ill. Perhaps they have been in an accident, in the hospital. You find them there. Giving of themselves all hours of the day, all hours of the night. You say, look, aren't you tired of that? What do you mean—tired of that? I love them. There's no restraint. There's no constraint. I don't hold back and say, well, look, you know, they may die but I'm going home. I got other things to do. You know, the ball game was yesterday. You know I... you say —that's ridiculous. That's foolish. But do I really function that way? You know, I am to have that kind of love for you and you for me and so, you know, it doesn't get too wearisome. That's the way Paul functioned with the Thessalonians. That’s the way the Thessalonians were functioning with one another. Come back to I Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 3.

You note one thing this does. It enables you to see. It makes the intangible tangible. Our faith. That's an intangible. You don't see my faith but you can see the work that my faith produces. My love. That is an intangible. You don't see my love but you see the demonstration of my love. You see the labor and the toil that my love produces in my life. And if we have true hope centered in Jesus Christ, that will produce the quality that is called here, steadfastness. Steadfastness of hope. That word "steadfastness", a good translation. Better than the word "patient." Patience sometimes gives you that idea of being passive. It's a stronger word than that. It denotes a strength of endurance in difficult situations. The word basically means "to abide under something." You're under pressure. Under difficulty. But there's a strength of endurance and that’s produced by hope. An unshakable confidence in Jesus Christ is coming and that produces steadfastness in my life. That enables me to stand in situations, stand in circumstances which otherwise I would run from. Which otherwise I would crumple under. That's important.

You know why some believers don't have that quality of steadfast endurance. You say, they're like a rock. They don't have their hope fixed where it ought to be. Because if you have your hope fixed in Jesus Christ, you'll have the quality of life called steadfastness. You know, if my hope is fixed in Jesus Christ, it won't really matter a lot, will it, if I lose all my worldly possessions tomorrow? You knew if I come apart when that happens what that's saying? I didn't have my hope fixed singularly on Him. Because that hope produces steadfastness and the steadfastness is. . . .remember the word is, when you're under pressure, when you're under difficulty. When you're in persecution. When things aren't going right. That's where steadfastness is and that's produced by hope and the hope is the coming of the Lord. You know we said the pervading theme for I Thessalonians is the coming of the Lord. Every chapter in I Thessalonians ends with that theme. Now it pervades even more than the end of the chapter but just look at the end of each chapter with me quickly. See how he draws their attention to the fact that the Lord is coning. The Lord is coming. The Lord is coming. This hope controls you in all that you're doing and it will give you a steadfastness and enable you to stand.

At the end of chapter 1, verse 10. Some of these will be in the middle of a sentence, but that's all right. "To wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." Reminds them—we're waiting for His Son.

Down at the end of chapter 2, verse 19. "For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?" Again, a reminder of His coming. That's the blessed hope of the believer. The appearing in glory of the great God who is our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Over in chapter 3, verse 13. "So that He may establish your hearts, unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

Over in chapter 4, that great section on the Rapture of the Church. Just read verse 17. "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord."

Over into chapter 5, verse 23. "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." You see that hope that we have, that is our hope. It is the coining of Jesus Christ to take us to be with Himself. And when my attention is fixed on that hope, then I'll have a stability and a steadiness regardless of what goes on.

The world of these Thessalonians humanly speaking, was coming apart. Their friends were now their enemies. Their family were now opposed to them. Many of them evidently were losing jobs and so on. And Paul talks about them having steadfastness—believers that are only a few months old. You know it's remarkable. They're nuts. They haven't had 20 years to mature. Just a few weeks or a few months and he says, Boy, I thank God for your steadfastness produced by the hope that you have in Jesus Christ. And Paul shared with them the truth of the finished work of Christ and His caning again, the Thessalonians riveted in on that and it didn't matter. Everything else is going on and they are going through with steadiness. Is it any wonder that Paul writes back and says, Boy, was I thankful. Would you expect that from believers that are so young? You see how great the grace of God is. We sometimes say, Well, that'll take time and often it takes a long time. Part of the problem is we’re not as committed to it. You sound like the Thessalonians are—they bring about that transformation.

You see what he has brought together here. He has brought together the idea of work, labor and hope. It's in these three things are mentioned by Christ in the same order in writing to the churches in Revelation chapter 2 and verse 2. You could just jot it down. The other triad here that we're familiar with.
Faith, hope and love. Here he puts it in the more logical order. Faith, love and hope. And we're not going to take time. I jotted down a number of passages where again and again and again Paul brings these three concepts together. Our faith, our love and our hope. But they are life-transforming realities.
If I really have my faith fixed in Him you will see it in the activities that characterize my life. I'll have a full and active life but it will be in things that are characterized by a person who is motivated by faith in Jesus Christ.

You know some people who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ have busy lives. But you look at their activities. You say, well, I don't know that there's anything. I wouldn't characterize that as being motivated by faith. That's just like the world. Paul says when your life is fixed on Christ in faith, then the activities of your life ought to be characterized accordingly.

And you talk about the love of Christ. He had for us and we have for Him and we have for one another. That'll show itself in the toil. You know we have people that would give of themselves, wearing themselves out in the service of the Lord, giving of themselves for other believers. That's a testimony to how great their love is. They have put others above themselves. You see people standing steadfast, unshakable. Doesn't mean there are never any tears. Doesn't mean there are never any heartaches. It means just the opposite. That there are tears. There are heartaches. There are hard times. But with our hope fixed on Him, there is a steadfastness and a sureness that keeps us stable through all those times.

Wonder if Paul was going to write a letter to the Church at Indian Hills in Lincoln, Nebraska, would he be able to say, I thank God for the report I have received—that these qualities are true of you. Your work of faith, your labor of love, your steadfastness of hope. Paul's not done. He's going to move on to verse 4. We don' t have time to develop it. We' 11 pick it up in our next study. We are going to talk about that this all works in the context that he knows that they are the elect of God. And interesting to discuss the fact that Paul speaks of knowing of their election. People say you cannot know who the elect were. Paul writes and says I know you're the elect and he develops the qualities that make them the elect and demonstrate their election.

Let's pray together