And please take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. That's in the New Testament. And if you find your New Testament, you'll find the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and then the book of Acts. And then you find the 13 Pauline epistles, that is 13 letters written by the Apostle Paul, nine to the church, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and then 1 and 2 Thessalonians. After that, he wrote four letters to individuals, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. We've just begun our exposition and study through 1 Thessalonians. And we're going to read the first chapter again. And as we work our way through this chapter this week and in the weeks to come, I want you to consider how their lives were changed by the power of God in the gospel. Don't just read this not understanding that these are souls who at one point did not know the gospel, did not understand the gospel, and did not believe the gospel. Many of them were pagan idolaters, whom we'll read of, turned to God from idols to serve a true and living God. These are those who were the recipients of the grace of God. A long time ago, so we might think, oh, this is something so long ago. We're detached. But we understand this. We see this. For Christ was building His church. He is building His church. And we see the power of the gospel here in the city of Thessalonica. And we see it today, even here. As I read through the chapter, be looking for ways that you see that their lives were affected by, changed by, and indeed transformed by the power of the gospel. Hear the Word of God in 1 Thessalonians 1. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace. 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 and labor of love and 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. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction, just as you know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth. so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you and how you turn to God from idols to serve a living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. Last week we considered some background to this letter. We turned last week to Acts 17, verses 1-10, where we read of how the gospel came to the city of Thessalonica on the Apostle Paul's second missionary journey. And we read there in Acts 17, verses 2 and 3, that the apostle Paul brought the gospel to them as he reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. And he was saying to them, this Jesus, whom I am proclaiming to you, is the Christ. So the Apostle Paul dialogued and discussed these things with them. He would take questions as he explained it from the Scriptures, and he would give answers from the Scriptures. This is what it means when it says he reasoned, he explained, he gave evidence from the Scriptures. And so he opened up the Old Testament Scriptures to them that they might understand and be convinced. First, that the Christ came to suffer. that first he had to come and suffer, to die, to shed his blood for the redemption of his people, to die to indeed bear the wrath that his people deserved. He came to suffer, but then he would be raised on the third day on account of our justification. And he set out this evidence before them from the scriptures. And then specifically Paul proclaimed to them that there was this one, I'm sure who most of them had at least heard his name, Jesus. He said, this is the Christ. And some who heard it believed on the Lord Jesus and were saved. And so a church was born and established in the city of Thessalonica. But we saw that the gospel did not come to Thessalonica without opposition, particularly from Jewish people who persecuted the apostle Paul and these new believers. But this opposition did not impede the gospel. It did not stop God's gracious work of saving sinners in Thessalonica. Opposition and persecution could not stop the gospel from coming in power. Opposition and persecution could not stop the work of the Holy Spirit. For the unstoppable gospel did its work. The gospel will always be met with a measure of opposition. And yet the church needs boldness to proclaim the gospel, no matter what the response is. For this is the means by which Jesus builds his church. A church which will not be overpowered by the gates of Hades. And the gospel didn't just come with saving power. It didn't just justify these sinners before God. But it came with the power to sanctify them. The gospel is not just to be preached. It didn't come in word only. It is to be believed and it's to be lived out as we await the coming of King Jesus. So the Gospel bears fruit. It bears fruit when it's preached. God's sovereignly at work. The Holy Spirit at work. And that's what we see here in Thessalonica. It bore fruit. Some believed and were saved, reconciled to God through faith in Jesus. And then it continued to bear fruit in their lives. For those who believe, it brings salvation from the wrath to come, as he mentions in verse 10. But it also bears the fruit of sanctification in the lives of those who believe. That is, those who believe are changed by the power of the gospel. As the apostle Paul remembers their reception of the gospel, as he recalls how they received his preaching and his teaching, He now recalls how their lives were changed by the gospel. And that's what we have really in the first three chapters. He's recalling, he's bringing to mind how their lives were changed by the gospel. Just look at the fruit that the gospel was bearing in this church. In verse three, there was the fruit of faith and love and hope. He speaks of their work of faith, their labor of love, their steadfastness of hope. Their faith was producing good works to the glory of God. Their love for God and others was manifested by their labor, their toil for God's glory. And their hope in the promises of God in the gospel was yielding endurance, steadfastness, perseverance until the coming of Christ in all His glory. In verse 6, they're bearing the fruit of true discipleship. They became imitators. They were imitating the apostle Paul on his faith and Silas and Timothy. But more importantly, they were imitators, he says, of the Lord Jesus Christ. So they were disciples and they were imitating the Lord and following Him. Their lives were changed by the gospel. In verse 9, we see that they turn to God from idols to serve a true and living God. I mean, imagine it. Here are those who are pagans serving false gods, idols. And God plucks them out of that, saves them by His grace, that they might turn to the true living God. This is a picture of repentance toward God. It's also a picture of their service to the one and true God. They turn to God to serve Him, it says. And in verse 10, we see that they walked in light of the gospel. They had their eyes toward the coming of Christ, walking with Christ while they were waiting for Christ. And all of this would be an example to other churches. Their faith was sounding forth to other churches. Word was brought to other cities about what God was doing in Thessalonica. Others would be encouraged. And they would seek to follow the example of the church in Thessalonica. They were changed by the power of the gospel. Our lives should also be changed. Our lives should be those that are continuing to change because of the power of God and the power of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 says, if anyone is in Christ, if you've been united with Christ by faith, and you are in Christ, it says He is a new creature. or a new creation. The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come. And that's what we're reading here in the church at Thessalonica. They were new creatures in Christ. Have you been changed by the gospel? Are you a new creature in Christ? What evidence do you see in your life that you are a new creation? Is the word of the Lord sounding forth from you? Is it sounding forth from our church? Do people hear, not of you just saying, oh yeah, that's what I believe, but they are hearing of how the grace of God is operative in your life. The gospel is at work to transform you and change you more and more into the image of Christ. For if you are in Christ, There will be change that will continue until you are with Christ. And that's what we see in this church in Thessalonica. And that's really what we see in chapter one as the apostle Paul remembers how they received the gospel, how they believed on Christ and the effects of that, how their lives were changed and were continuing to be changed. Now look at verse one. And consider those who were changed by the gospel. This letter is written by the apostle Paul. He is the author, but Silvanus and Timothy are with him and are co-labors for the gospel. And so it says, Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace. Again, Paul is the author. Silvanus and Timothy accompanied him for part of his second missionary journey. But even as we read these first words, here are three men who were changed by the power of the gospel. First, we have the apostle Paul, the author of this letter. You remember what the Scripture says of him before he became a believer. He was once called Saul. He was a devout Jew. We first hear of him in Acts 7, verse 58. It says, When they had driven Stephen out of the city, they began stoning him, and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. So that's the first time we hear of Paul, whose name was Saul at the time. And it tells us in Acts 8 that Saul was in hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death. And there arose this great persecution of the church, so that the church would then be scattered throughout the region. Judea, Samaria. And it tells us in Acts 8, verse 3, that Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house and dragging off men and women. He would put them into prison. And it tells us in Acts chapter 9 that Saul, still breathing threats and murders against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. This is who the Apostle Paul was, very zealous, as he says in Philippians 3, verse six, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church. That's who he once was. In 1 Timothy 1, verse 13, he says, I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. He once hated Christ. He hated those who were disciples of Christ. But we see his conversion to Christ in Acts chapter 9. How on the way to Damascus, Jesus appeared to him. It tells us when he was traveling, there was a light from heaven that flashed around him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And Saul said, who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. but get up and enter the city and it will be told to you what you must do. He gets up, he's blind. His eyes have scales on them. Through this event, God, in a very miraculous way, brings him to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he describes it in this way in 1 Timothy 1, verse 13, I was shown mercy. And the grace of our Lord was more than abundant with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And he said, of whom I am foremost. Foremost of all, the chief of sinners. See, Paul once sought to be justified by works of the law. He trusted in himself. But now he proclaims salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Paul, who once persecuted and hated the followers of Jesus Christ, hates Christ no more. He hates his church no more. But now he proclaims Jesus as Savior and he labors. He labors for the church of Jesus Christ. He was changed by the Gospel. And God not only saved Paul, but he put him in the service. He made him an apostle. And the apostles laid the foundation of the church. And one important way they did that was by penning sacred scripture. Ephesians 2 verse 20 says that the church, God's household, is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. How were the apostles foundational to the church? Well, they received and declared the revelation of God's word. and they wrote sacred scripture. So here's a man who once persecuted the church, who now is used by God as a foundation for the church. And now, as we see, encouraging the church to persevere under much persecution. Paul, saved by the grace of God and changed by the power of God. And then there is Silvanus, He's also called Silas in the Bible. We don't know anything about Silas before he believed on Christ. But we do know how he was used by Christ as a believer. In Acts 15 verse 22, he's called one of the leading men among the brethren. He's called a prophet in Acts 15 verse 32. He was a prophet at that time. And he, it says, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. I like that, don't you? A lengthy message. I find that interesting how that's, that adjective, not with a message, but with a lengthy message. Paul chose Silas in Acts 15 verse 40 to go with him on this second missionary journey. And so as a missionary and a preacher of the gospel, Paul suffered for the gospel. Remember, he was with the apostle Paul in Acts 16 in Philippi, when they were beaten and imprisoned, but then miraculously set free. He was a preacher of the gospel. Peter would call him a fateful brother in 1 Peter 5, verse 12. So here we have a leader in the church, Silas, Silvanus, a fateful brother, a missionary, a preacher, a prophet, who was willing to suffer for the gospel and for those who would believe the gospel. Silvanus, saved by the grace of God and changed by the power of God. And then we see Timothy. Timothy, mentioned here in verse one, with the Apostle Paul. His name, Timothy, means one who honors God. Timae is the word for honor. The comes from theos, for God, one who honors God. And thus he was named by a godly mother. His name proved to be true. Paul calls him my true child in the faith in 1 Timothy 1, chapter two, or verse two. It could mean that Paul led him to faith in Christ or that he discipled him in the faith. We're first introduced to Timothy in Acts chapter 16. And it's there that the Apostle Paul comes across Timothy on his second missionary journey. He was well spoken of, it tells us in Acts 16 verse 2. So Paul says, I want him to go with me. He's a man of good reputation, a man of godly character. People knew of him. He was well spoken of. And so Paul says, I want Timothy to go with me for part of this missionary journey. He gave his life to serve Christ. It tells us in Acts 16, verse three, Paul wanted this man to go with him and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts. For they all knew that his father was a Greek. His mother was Jewish, but his father was Greek. So on this occasion, the apostle Paul thought it wise to have Timothy circumcised so that that would not be in any way a hindrance to the preaching of the gospel as he traveled with the apostle Paul. And Timothy agrees. Can you imagine? To be circumcised as an adult? What a young man of dedication. He was willing to give of himself for the sake of the gospel and to be a servant of Christ. And he would prove to be faithful. He is called by Paul, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord in 1 Corinthians 4, verse 17. He is called God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ in 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 2. He is spoken of in Philippians 2, verse 20-22 as one who was genuinely concerned for the welfare of the church. One of proven worth who served with Paul in the furtherance of the gospel. So here is Timothy. A man of proven character, a godly young man, unselfish, faithful to the Lord, a worker, a laborer. Timothy, saved by the grace of God and changed by the power of the Gospel. See, don't just read over these names without giving praise to God to the glory of His grace. These are saints who are now with the Lord, just like saints who have gone on to be with the Lord from our congregation. Here are three sinners, sinners like you and me, sinners who were once lost, but they were sought after by the Savior. They were objects of His mercy and grace. And they were brought to faith in Jesus Christ, trusting in Him alone for the forgiveness of their sins. And they were transformed from darkness to light. They were transmuted, we might say, from death to life, justified and saved by the grace of God, changed by the power of the gospel. Praise be to God. And it's no different for those of us who are in Christ. We too have been changed by the grace and power of God through the Gospel. And so the first verse of this letter says, Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, and you should just think of the grace and mercy of God, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. They are identified here, not simply by their location, but by their spiritual location, you might say. He identifies the church when he writes to them in these letters. He'll identify them as the church of the Thessalonians, the church in Philippi. But he quickly identifies them by their spiritual state or spiritual condition, by their relationship to God and the Lord Jesus Christ. It's interesting how people identify the church these days. We're just looking at some of the names of churches. even in our own area. I'm sure there's a reason why they picked these names, but there's Have Life Church, Next Level, Impact, The Well, Elevation, all these names. Paul says you're the church in God the Father and in Christ Jesus. Now we know we need to have nomenclature that distinguishes from churches, but how you even distinguish and name your church tells you something about the church, doesn't it? You usually know something about a church today by its name. I praise God that we're Grace Fellowship Church. For we are those who've been saved by the grace of God in Christ, We have fellowship with the Father and with His Son, 1 Corinthians 1 verse 9, and we have fellowship with one another. We are the church, the ecclesia, the assembled ones, called out of darkness into light, changed by the power of the gospel. So spiritually speaking, they are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. They've been united with the Father and the Son through salvation. Now notice how the Father and the Son are placed alongside of each other. And then when you read through 1 Thessalonians, the Holy Spirit is throughout this letter as well. The Holy Spirit is mentioned in this chapter in verse 5 and verse 6. In chapter 4, verse 8, and in chapter 5, verse 19. They had been reconciled to the Father through the saving work of the Son and the application of redemption by the Spirit. Our salvation is the work of the triune God. And that's why I can say with surety that if you have come to faith in Jesus Christ, you've been changed by the power of the triune God. And that was the case here. And so he says to them, grace to you in peace. How is it that they were in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, by grace alone. This is a very distinctive Pauline greeting. When you look through all of his letters to the churches and to individuals, he says either this, grace to you and peace, or grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, with some slight variations. He knew the grace of God very well, and this became a distinctive greeting. Now, there's one exception. He didn't give that kind of a greeting to the church at Galatia. Instead, it's a polemic because they were deserting the gospel, and he begins to warn them immediately. He says, grace to you and peace, for it is the grace of God that leads to peace with God. For we have been reconciled to him. Romans 5 verse 1, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So he reminds them, and it's really kind of a blessing as well. It's like a benediction at the beginning, grace to you and peace. It's a reminder of the gospel. It's a shorthand way just to say, remember, you've been saved by grace, now you have peace with God. But not only that, the grace of God was operable in their lives ongoing. Grace didn't just end at sanctification, that's why he ends the letter in this way, the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. You're saved by grace. The grace of God is operable in your life to sanctify you. May it be with you and be at work. So they needed the grace of God to love others, to love God, to obey Christ's commandments, to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. We're going to see that throughout this letter. And the objective peace they had with God led to the peace of God in the Christian life. In 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 16, he says, So Lord be with you all. So by peace, we know there's objective peace, peace with God. There is then subjective peace, we might call it, the peace of God in every circumstance. There's relational peace. Now the peace we have with God relationally flows into our relationships with others so that we're to live in peace with one another. And all this is by the grace of God. So here we see what is at the heart of this change that the gospel brings. It is the grace of God. So naturally that would lead to him to do what? What should you do when you think of the grace of God in your own life and in the life of others? You give thanks to God. You give thanks to God. So verse two, he says, we give thanks to God always for you all making mention of you in our prayers. So it leads to thanksgiving. This is also customary in Paul's writings to the churches. where he begins with a greeting but then gives thanksgiving to God for the grace of God in their lives. Paul expressed thanksgiving to God for the people of God. Thanksgiving should be expressed, shouldn't it? We don't do it enough, do we? Do you give thanks to God for the people of God and do you express that? You might think of it But how often do we express it? Do we say it to one another? I give thanks to God for you. It's important, isn't it? A good and godly marriage needs this. A good and godly marriage should have thanksgiving in it. It's good for a husband to express thanksgiving to God for his wife. It can encourage her to hear the genuine words, I thank God for you. I'm thankful for how you labor at home, how you care for the children, how you serve Jesus Christ through serving your family so faithfully. I thank God for you. Or a husband hearing from his wife, I thank God for you. I'm thankful how you labor to provide for our family, that you follow Jesus Christ and you lead our family to follow him. I thank God for you. The household of God is not unlike our homes in this way. There should be genuine thanksgiving to God for the people of God. Too often, people are quick to complain. I don't like this. I don't like this. They grumble. Instead, we should be giving thanks to God. Listen, the Apostle Paul always had something, if he were to do so, to complain about regarding the church. Every letter he writes, there are issues that he has to deal with where the church needs to be strengthened or they have gone astray in some way. But he still gives thanks to God for them. Even the church at Corinth. Even the church here at Thessalonica. So he purposes to give thanks to God for the people of God. His thanksgiving was expressed. And it's continual. He says, we give thanks to God always for all of you. Now, this doesn't mean literally that he's always walking around saying, I give thanks to God for the church at Thessalonica. God, I thank you for the church at Thessalonica. It's the idea of he's frequently doing so. Every time he remembers them, and of course, he would purpose to remember them as well, he would begin with thanksgiving to God. And his thanksgiving was comprehensive, you might say. It was broad and it was corporate. He says, we give thanks to God always for all of you. But it was Godward. We give thanks to God. Now our thanksgiving can be directed to a person. It's okay to say thank you. But Paul's thanksgiving here and in other places in scripture is directed to God for them. And in this way, Paul, again, is very careful to give glory to God and to make much not of them, but of God. It's a reminder that anything good in us that's worthy of thanksgiving is because of the grace of God to us. So then he gives the reason for Thanksgiving. And really the whole chapter is that. But in verse three in particular, he says, constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. So he says, I'm constantly bearing something in mind. He frequently remembered them. He would go back to, it's like the good memories. When you purpose, I want to remember this. Constantly, his mind would go back to churches. And when he'd go into a place, here Thessalonica. Now he could bring to mind, and of course he did, and he prayed for the church in regard to this. He could bring to mind the persecution that they faced. He could have brought to mind in Philippi, for example, how he was beaten and imprisoned. But when he bears in mind on these missionary journeys, the preaching of the gospel, he bears in mind how the gospel was operable, how the spirit was at work in bringing them to salvation, and then bearing the fruit of salvation in their lives. So really, the first three chapters is him bearing in mind the gospel as it came to them, as it bore fruit among them, and as it was continuing to do so. And then, if you want to break it down in chapters four and five, he instructs them that they may continue to be changed by the grace and power of God in the gospel. But here in verse three, he's bringing to mind their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope. Now, make note of that phrase. Faith, love, and hope. Together in this one verse. How many times in the Bible do we find faith, love, and hope together in one verse? Well, this is one of those verses Another one you're familiar with that might come to mind is 1 Corinthians 13, verse 13. But now faith, hope, love abide these three, but the greatest of these is love. Other than that, you find it here in verse 3 and in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 8, where you find faith, love, and hope together. Here are three virtues of the Christian life which are brought about by the grace of God. Faith, love, and hope. Now, when we think of those things, we might think of them as just being passive in the Christian life, but they're operable. He doesn't just say, I constantly bear in mind your faith, love, and hope, but he says your work of faith, your labor of love, your steadfastness of hope. They were at work. So first we have faith. Faith is mentioned here. Now let me ask you a question. Does faith work? Does faith work? Well, it depends. to be saved, to be justified before God, we are to place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And in that sense, our faith does not work, our faith rests. We trust, we're resting. We're not saved by trying and by working, we're saved by trusting and resting in the Lord Jesus Christ. So we are saved by faith alone. and that saving faith and justification is the opposite of works. So that's why the Bible says for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not as a result of works. So in justification faith and works are opposites, they're mutually exclusive. In that sense, faith is not working but resting in the person and work of Jesus Christ. But having been justified by grace through faith, now faith that we walk in in the Christian life is operable and it does work. So in sanctification, faith and work are inextricably bound together. For faith produces work. namely good works. So as Ephesians 2 verses 8 to 10 go on to say in verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for what? for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." So true saving faith cast out works for justification, but faith produces works leading to sanctification. So he says it this way, and you can't just take this verse or this phrase and discount it. It's in the Bible, this is inspired scripture. He says, I am constantly bearing in mind your work of faith. And the construction of this means this, your work which comes from and is produced from your faith. Your work which is flowing from faith. So these believers had good works, the kind that's spoken of in Ephesians 2 verse 10, which found their source in their fate toward God. And then he mentions their love. In salvation, we are changed from haters of God to lovers of God. And as lovers of God, we're then those who love others and the people of God. And that is what is to characterize believers. But we're not talking about warm fuzzy feelings. We're talking about love that acts. Love is known by its fruit. So from their love flowed labor. So he bears in mind their labor of love. So there's faith, which produce work or good works. And then there was love that they were characterized by, which wasn't just a warm, fuzzy feeling, but it was known by its labor. You say work and labor, are they the same thing? Well, the word he uses for work in reference to faith, the focus is on the deeds done. that this faith produce very specific good deeds that they were doing to the glory of God. But by labor, he's speaking of and focusing on the effort spent. Their love led them to exert themselves, to serve. The Apostle Paul speaks of this himself in 2 Corinthians 12 verse 15 when he says, I will most gladly spend and be expended. Or your translation might say, be spent for your souls. We say that sometimes. I'm spent. At least that's what older folks say sometimes for younger folks. I'm spent. It means I'm exhausted. And the Apostle Paul is saying, I remember your Your labor that came from your love. Your love wasn't stagnant, it wasn't just a feeling, but you would then be spent. Labor to exhaustion for the good of the church. Love labors. And so here we see faith, love, but then hope. And what is hope? We sometimes say, well, I hope this happens. I hope the Tar Heels beat the Blue Devils, didn't happen. That's just wishful thinking, right? You think of those things. That's how we use it sometimes. That is not what it means here. Hope means confident expectation that God will do what He promised. So in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 8 it speaks of the hope of salvation. It's not, I hope, I hope I'm saved one day. I hope in the final day I'm going to be saved. No, that's not what it means. It's the hope, the confidence that we will be saved because God has promised it so in Christ Jesus. There is in Titus 3, verse 7, the hope of eternal life. It's not a wishing for it, it's the confident expectation that we have eternal life because God has promised it in Christ Jesus. In Galatians 5, verse 5, it speaks of the hope of righteousness. We're waiting for the hope of righteousness. We're waiting for the final day when sin will be removed and we will be completely righteous. We're waiting for that. It's not a wishful thinking. It's one day we will be made like him. Because we will see him just as he is. That's the kind of hope he's talking about here. And they had this hope. And flowing from that, the result, what it produced was steadfastness. The word means endurance. Perseverance. They were being persecuted. They would have many trials that they would face. But they were steadfast because of their hope. Their hope that the promises of God in the gospel were true. And this anchored them in the midst of every situation. And he says their hope was in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the presence of God the Father. All their hope was in the person and work of Christ. Again, this isn't me saying, hey, I believe, so I'm going to go do some work. I love you, so let me try to labor. And I have this hope. No, it's all in the Lord Jesus Christ. You're in Christ, and the hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. It all goes back to the person and work of Christ. So we're not talking about faith that we produce, or love that we produce, or hope that we produce. No, this is faith in Christ, then walking by faith. This is love. that is born out of his love for us and hope based on the promises of God in the gospel. And so he remembers they are changed by the grace of God. And this is one of the ways he describes it. Their work of faith, their labor of love, their steadfastness of hope. One translation tries to get the grammar here and what you might call the subjective genitive or the genitive of source where the faith, love, and hope is what produces these things. And it translates it this way. Your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. They were changed. And this is why Paul thanks God for them. The power of the gospel in salvation. Now, let me just make a few points of application. First of all, it's good to remember the power of God toward us when we were saved. It's good to bear in mind, to go back and remember, which is what that word means. It's translated bearing in mind, remembering, going back. He would go back and remember certain things about them when they were saved by God's grace, and then the continuing effects of that salvation. It's good to remember that. It's good to go back and remember God's grace when you were first saved. It is good, often I think of, when I sing certain hymns, when I read certain passages of scripture, of when God showed me mercy at the age of 17. When God changed me radically, made me a new creature, and then the fruit that began to be born by the Spirit in my life. It's good to remember the power of God toward us when we were saved. It's good to remember that in the lives of other people. And when you do, give thanks to God. Give thanks to God for His grace. They were changed by the power of God, by the grace of God in the gospel. As we think about how this applies, listen, this is what should characterize the church. The church should be an assembly of people who've been changed by the power of God and continue to see the gospel operable in the lives of His people. So when people look for churches, what do they often look for? Well, what do you have for me? Do you have a children's ministry or youth ministry or program? People want to ask those kinds of questions. What do you have? What's your style of music? And I'm not saying those questions sometimes aren't good questions to ask. Sometimes people want to know how many bathrooms do you have? How long do you have to stay in line? Are the chairs comfortable? Is the parking optimal? May I remind you that The church at Thessalonica didn't have a building with plumbing and bathrooms and optimal parking. It didn't matter. They didn't have any youth ministries, children's ministries. It was the people of God gathering together. Those had been changed by the power of the gospel. Listen, they didn't want to know what hymnals do you use? I'm not saying that's not a bad question. But there wasn't a litmus test of do you have the blue trinity? Do you have social opportunities? Do you have opportunities for homeschoolers to get together? No, it was the gospel preached. Are these people's lives changed by the gospel? Have they been reconciled to God through faith in Christ? And are they bearing the work of faith and the labor of love? And is there the steadfastness that hope and the promises of God bring? They weren't concerned about the heat or the air conditioning. Now are there disciples of Christ who are imitating Him and following Him and who love Him? Is the Word being preached? Is there grace and peace in this church? You see, that's what matters. And may I just remind you, that's what matters to us. Now, it doesn't mean that we don't care. God has given us, we live in a different time, we have a building, we have a place to come to. We don't prefer to park on soggy grass. We want there to be more bathroom space. But does it really matter? In the end, are you gonna make a decision based on that? No, we want to make decisions based on is the gospel operable in the lives of these people? And have they been changed by the grace of God? Are they in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ? Again, we have all kinds of designations. Are you SBC? Are you PCA? Are you OPC? Are you ARP? All these different denominations. I understand there's a need to understand who you are. What is your doctrinal statement? What do you believe? But may I remind you, the first and foremost thing is, are you in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ? This is what should characterize the church. And this is what should be the characteristic of our church. Have you seen the power of God in the gospel in your life? Have you been transformed? Yes, you came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and now is that faith operable so that there are good deeds that God, the workman, who is at work in you, is producing in your life? Is there a labor of love? You say, well, you know, I love the people of God, but don't ask me to work copiously and labor to exhaustion, well, that's the work of the Spirit. That's what the gospel brings. Do you see that in your life? Where it's not about me, me, me, but it's about how can I serve a true and living God who has saved me by His grace and now serve His people? And is there hope, a hope built upon the promises of God in the Word of God? so that now there is endurance and perseverance, that it doesn't matter ultimately what happens. It doesn't matter what's going on in the world and what persecution may come our way. We are standing firm and anchored in the hope of the gospel. Do you see that in your life? Have you been changed by the power of the gospel? And do we see that in this church? The Apostle Paul saw this church and he gave thanks to God because of the power of God in the gospel. May it be so in us. This is something we can pray for. Pray that our faith would produce good deeds to the glory of God. Our love would then produce in us laboring for the building up of the body and that we would have hope that anchors us so that we're steadfast and immovable, persevering in every circumstance to the glory of God. Do you see this in your life? Let's bow our heads together as we pray for these things. Father, I pray that your word might be offerable even in our hearts as the Spirit uses the word to show us what you do when you save sinners. You do not simply save them from the wrath to come as glorious as that is. There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but you are at work in them and the Spirit is at work, the Word is at work to produce in us an ongoing change life and sanctification to your glory. And not just us as individuals, but together as the people of God. Lord, I pray that we as a church might make sure that our focus is on these things that are eternal. All the other things are not necessary. We just want to be those who are bearing fruit, the fruit of the gospel. So that our lives, as we'll see in this chapter, Father, our lives might be an example to others who believe. And that the word might sound forth from us. And that your grace and mercy in Christ might be evident so that all praise and glory and honor goes to you. for our salvation, for our sanctification, and for your work in the church. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.