I'll begin reading at verse 1 and read down through verse 7. 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 God, our God and Father, knowing Brethren beloved by God, his choice of you. For the 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 Acadia. And we'll stop our reading there. The last time we were together in this book of 1 Thessalonians, what we heard together is Paul's expression of thanksgiving to God for the work that God is doing in the lives of the individuals that make up this work. The gospel has come to this church, to this town, and there are individuals whose lives were transformed by the gospel so that the Apostle Paul could say that what he has seen in them and what he has heard about them is that they were a people that displayed in their lives work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope. They were a people who lived in faith, love, and hope. And he thanked God for that reality in their lives. He goes on to say that the foundation of these things in their lives come with the fact that he knows they've been chosen of God. How does he know they've been chosen of God? Because the Apostle Paul knows that the doctrine of election has consequences. And when God calls a man to himself, their life is transformed. Old things pass away and all things become new. And then the apostle, and this is where we are this morning, starting in verse five, the apostle then goes on and speaks about the event or the time in history when this transformation took place in the lives of the believers at Thessalonica. And what he sets before them is the reality of this transformation and he gives to us a thorough explanation Then secondly, he gives to us an observable confirmation followed finally by practical application. These three things is what's taken place there in the lives of these believers. So first of all, he gives to us a thorough explanation as to how the gospel came and transformed their life. We read, for the gospel did not come to you in word only, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. The gospel came to you. What has happened to you is wrapped up in the gospel. That is the good news that has been brought to them by the Apostle Paul. He tells them even later on in his second letter, he says about their salvation, it was for this he called you through the gospel. The gospel was central. Mr. Green in his commentary says this, this is the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ and his salvation. This gospel, which came to them, focused on the person and work of Jesus Christ. This gospel, the Apostle Paul says, was delivered over because of our transgression. And it is through this gospel, the work of Jesus Christ, that men are justified, Romans chapter four and verse 25. So the gospel is central to what's happened in the lives of these believers. Now notice with me several things that Paul says concerning this gospel, four things in particular. First of all, The gospel came to them in word. Now, someone may say, wait a minute. It says here, the gospel did not come to you in word. Only. Only. Paul's not saying that the message did not come to them by way of words. The point Paul is making is that the gospel comes not only as a message, but also is accompanied with something else. But the message needs to be proclaimed. Remember in Acts 17, When Paul goes to Thessalonica, what does he do first? Well, we read, as was his custom, he went to them for three Sabbaths, reasoning with them from the scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, this Jesus, who I am proclaiming to you, is the Christ. When Paul was in Thessalonica, he went into the synagogue and he spoke and explained and reasoned with them from the scriptures. The gospel must be proclaimed. I don't know if you ever heard the saying, And I think it's a saying that is attributed to St. Francis, even though we're not sure he truly said it, but he's given credit for it. And that is, preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words. Wrong. Now, I understand the truth involved in that. so live that they might see it lived out in your life, but the gospel needs to be proclaimed. The good news concerning the person and work of Christ needs to be expressed. In Romans chapter 10 and verse 17, so faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Paul tells us that the words leads to hearing, and hearing leads to believing. It is these believers, even later on, that were told they sounded forth the words of the Lord. Verse eight tells us that. The word must be proclaimed. The apostle Paul says to us, preach the word. In the parable of the sower, the seed is what? The word. And so we see that the gospel came to the Thessalonicans by word, by word. And even think about this, the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6 in verse 19, he makes this request that prayer would be made on his behalf. And he says this, that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may speak boldly as I ought to speak." We need to declare the gospel. The gospel came to them in word, but not only that, Paul says, the gospel also came in power. It came in power. The message of the gospel came to you, not only in words, but also in power. When the apostle Paul opened his mouth, and declared the good news of the gospel, it may have seemed very ordinary. It was perhaps for some people another man standing up and giving a speech. But what was unseen is the power of the age to come that awakens men to the truth of the message. And so the message received was not just spoken by human lips, but the message was accompanied with power. This power is connected to the word of God. The writer of the book of Hebrews says this, that some have tasted the good word of God and the power of the age to come. When the word of God goes forth, we pray that it would be accompanied by power that will change a man's life. When we gather together and we hear the word of God, we ought to be praying as we hear that word that we would not simply have the eardrums vibrated with noise, but the power of God would come and make that word effective. And how does he do that? Well, Paul says that the gospel not only comes with power, but he says, as well, the gospel came in the Holy Spirit. It came in the Holy Spirit. Remember, the apostle Paul says in Romans 1, verse 16, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of God. Why? for it's the power of God under salvation for everyone who believes. Through the work of the Spirit, the power of God takes the word of God and makes it effective in hearts and lives as they hear that word. The Apostle Paul tells the church at Corinth these words, my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the spirit and of the power so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. We live in a time and in a day when men are intoxicated with the wisdom of man. Men are enamored with certain people that can speak with such flowery language that it's almost a performance. He has this pearly white teeth and he's able to say things in such a way that it tickles your ears and keeps your attention. And someone may say of that man, oh, he's such a wonderful speaker. And maybe he is. And maybe we can become enamored with that sort of performance or with that sort of wisdom that comes from men. But what we ought to pray is for men who will preach the word of God to the end that the power of God through his spirit would come and have dealings with us. How many of us walked in this morning with this thought, Lord, bring your word to my heart today. Come by your spirit and do not allow me to leave in the same way I walked in. Paul said what happened at the church at Thessalonica wasn't that they heard a good message and went home, but as the word of God was preached, God's power came by the work of His Spirit. And so worked in hearts and lives that men and women left that place transformed, now living by faith, willing to be spent and looking to the future and the hope they have of Christ's return. They weren't the same person. The gospel came, it came by word, it came by power, and it came in the Holy Spirit. And finally, it says it came in full conviction, in full conviction. The thought is that this message came with full, deep persuasion that these truths are real. That these truths mean something to my life and how I live. This points to the effectiveness of the spirit and the power coming to the Thessalonians through the gospel, where they become convinced that the words spoken were truly the word of God. It is God who speaks to us and it has a bearing upon them and it changes them. We often come to the word of God with the thought of learning something different. But how often do we come to God's word with the thought How does this change who I am? What effect does that have upon me? You see, the truth of the matter is there are some who've sat here for year after year after year, and the word of God goes forth, and there's never been a change in your life. The truth of the matter is, I believe we can say that from this pulpit, the Word of God is preached week after week after week. And there are some of you that sit here week after week after week, and you go through those double doors and nothing changes. And maybe it's our fault. because we haven't pleaded with God to come through his word by the work of his spirit and change hearts and change lives. Could it be? Could it be that we're content just to hear the word of God? Pastor, we'll give you 40, 45 minutes. Give us what you got. Let's close in prayer and let's go home. How often have we pleaded with God to do something in my life and in others' lives when they hear the Word of God that they would be awakened to the reality that there is sin and sin must be punished and sin will be punished. It'll either be punished on the cross through Jesus Christ or one day it'll be punished for all eternity under the wrath of Almighty God. Oh, that God would awaken men to that reality and cause them to cry out, what must I do to be saved? Where's that day? And is it possible today? Is it real today? When Paul and those with him spoke, What came out of their mouths were simple words, words. But it had a radical effect upon the lives who heard. And that effect came about because of the power of the Holy Spirit taking that word and using it in their lives so that their lives are so affected now, their behavior is marked by living by faith, that their life is marked by a love that is willing to spend and be spent for the glory of God, and they want to persevere and endure to the very end. That was their behavior and displayed in their life as they lived in the culture where God had them. Oh that we would see it in our day. Oh, that God would so, so convict us that we would not be content simply coming week after week, having a 45 minute message and going home. But we would not be content until we see the power of God through the spirit of God work in each one of us to make it effective for his glory. are the days of Acts chapter 16 gone, where we read concerning that woman named Lydia. She was listening and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. Have the days gone by as we would read in Acts chapter two, once Peter had preached We read these words, and when they heard this, they were pierced in the heart, and they said to Peter and the other apostles, brethren, what shall we do? We need to preach the word. We need to proclaim the gospel. But we need to pray that God would make it effective, that God would change hearts, and that we would be convinced of the truth. Again, there are some who sit here, and you know, you can tell me the truth, you know the truth, you know. If I were to ask you who has sinned, you would be able to say, all of us have sinned. And if I were to say, are you a sinner? You would say, yes, I am a sinner. I don't think any of us would say, no, I've never broken God's law. Are you a sinner? Yes, you're a sinner. Will sin be punished? You would say, yes, I've heard that all my life. Sin will be punished. Is there any hope? You would know the answer. Yes, there's hope. It's found in Jesus Christ. But that truth has never gotten deep down in your heart and become a conviction that you believe that changes you from what you once were. And that's what happened to this church at Thessalonica. No, we long to see it happen at Reformed Baptist Church of Lenawee, don't we? I pray we do. There's the thorough explanation of what happened to this church. Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. But then Paul moves on to what I've called an observable confirmation. An observable confirmation. Paul says, just as you know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. The believers at Thessalonica not only embrace the message, but also the messengers. And once they had received the message from us, they became attached to us, Paul would say. Our hearts were knitted together. And what they observed, what they saw in us, confirmed the gospel. it confirmed the truth that we proclaimed. We did not proclaim a truth to them and then have a life that lives contrary to what we proclaimed. The individuals at Thessalonica not only heard what we said, but they did watch how we live and what they saw in our behavior was that this gospel has an effect not only with regard to eternity, but this gospel has an effect of what I am as a Christian man, as a Christian husband, as a Christian citizen. They noticed how we lived. Now this will be opened up more when we come to chapter two and the first 12 verses. The character and the conduct and the method that these Thessalonians had observed that had an effect upon them. But what we learn here is that there is a wonderful union that existed between the message and the character of those who preached it. I imagine most of us long to see our children walking with God. We long to see them come to faith in Jesus Christ. And we give them the gospel. We set before them, we make sure they're in Sunday school, we make sure they're in church so they can hear about the person and work of Jesus Christ. But I wonder if sometimes the reason that falls upon deaf ears is because of what they see lived out in our lives. We say we believe this. But is it demonstrated in how we live? So that. If my children aren't walking with God, Or if those that I work with in the workplace want nothing to do with Jesus Christ, they would at least have to say this. It is real to that man. It is genuine to that woman. You can tell by the way he or she lives that the gospel they proclaim has an effect upon their lives. That the gospel that the Thessalonians heard. Could be seen. And observed. By how the messengers lived. How the messengers lived. So Paul says to them. You know. What kind of men we proved to be among you, and we did this for your sake. So what kind of an example does my life portray to others about the genuineness of my faith? What do people see in my life demonstrating the genuineness of my faith? Can we say to others, you know what kind of people we prove to be among you. You know this is real. You know I'm sincere. with regard to the gospel that I've set before you. So they've heard the word, and the word has come with power through the Holy Spirit to bring full conviction, but also they saw it lived out in the life of another. That's quite a challenge for us. is the effects of the gospel, and maybe that's what whoever said it meant, preach the gospel, but use words if necessary. Well, it is necessary, so use words. But the confirmation that the gospel is real may only come by what they see in your life and your behavior. Remember what Peter says? Be ready to give an answer to those that ask of the hope that lies within you. What would make someone ask? I mean, people don't go up to strangers and say, hey, tell me about the hope that lies within you, huh? What is that? Because if you just go up to a stranger and say that, that stranger man says, I don't know what you're talking about. but they so live that others can see, man, there's just a difference. There's a difference in the way they talk. There's a difference in the way they think. There's a difference in which they behave themselves. I've watched the way that that woman treats her husband. And oftentimes they find something very appealing about that. There's a way in which they watch how the husband treats his wife. And they come up to you and say, man, I don't know what you got, but I want it. How can I have it? Because I don't think you're just doing this when we're around. This is how you live, man. You have a peace about you. You have a contentment about you. You have a calmness about you. Where does that come from? Well, it's just my disposition. I'm just a laid back guy. What can I say? Some of you may be able to say that. I don't know. But what's changed my life is the one who is my master and who's my Lord. I live for him. So we see here a thorough explanation, an observable confirmation, and then finally what I've just called a practical application, a practical application For we read these words, and you also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit. In verse five, we have the work of the gospel. In verse six, We have the work of a changed life. How do we know the gospel became effective in the lives of these believers? Paul says, we know this. How? Because you became imitators of us and of the Lord. Now, when I first read that, I'm thinking, do you have the order correct, Paul? Shouldn't it be you become imitators of the Lord and with that you became imitators of us? But what Paul is recognizing is that as we follow Christ, you're following us, which leads you to following Christ. You became imitators. when you received the word. And that's an interesting phrase there. Having received, it's really emphatic. It's you've received the word. It carries the idea of embracing the word, believing the word. It's the same terminology that's used to the Bereans when it says that they received the word with great eagerness. But receiving that word brought about a change in a life and the change is that of imitation. I didn't realize this till this week, but in the Gospels and in the book of Acts, the term disciples is used several times. In the epistles, You don't hear about disciples. You hear about imitators. You imitated. So when Paul says, you imitated us and our Lord, Paul is saying you've become disciples, followers of Christ. Just listen. Philippians 3 in verse 17. Paul says, brethren, join in following my example and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. Philippians 4 in verse 9. The things you have learned and received of those who through faith and practice, I'm sorry, I went down the wrong verse, 4.9, the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice. Become an imitator. 1 Corinthians 4, verse 16, therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 1, be imitators of me just as I am of Christ. Ephesians 5, verse 1, therefore be imitators of God. Hebrews 6 and verse 12, that you may not become dull, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promise. See, these people saw the life of Christ in these men, and so in imitating these men, they were imitating Christ. They were disciples of Christ. Follow my example. Can we say that to others? We probably more often than not say, don't follow my example. Or we have this cute little saying that says what? Do as I say, not as I do. Where if we're living for Christ, we can be able to say, do as I do. But I'm not perfect. Oh, there's a big announcement. Wow. Of course you're not perfect. And they can also imitate that so that when you do things wrong, they can hear you say, I'm sorry, will you forgive me? So Paul could say. You have become. Disciples of Christ. And he does that when he says you have, you also became imitators of us and of the Lord. Having received the word, embrace the word, and how would that go? He said you embrace the word how? With much tribulation. There's a cost in following Christ. There's a cost in being a disciple of Christ. Not all that long ago, you know, my life revolves around our buildings. We're the only church that's lived in six buildings, I think. And so I know it's not that long ago, because I preached the message here in this building about the cost of discipleship. And there's a cost in following Christ. I mean, I don't know what these prosperity so-called preachers do with this passage. You receive the word and things just got wonderful for you. You receive the word with tribulation. With persecution, remember Acts 17, what happened? When the gospel penetrated the hearts and lives of the people there in Thessalonica, jealousy rose up and they even went to the house of Jason, remember? And they take him out and they put him before the council and he's scared for his life. I mean, that's a reality. It was real tribulation that came and followed, receiving the word of God. In this world, you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. Those who live godly, what? Will suffer persecution. We don't know anything about that, really, unfortunately. But it's a reality. I trust we're somewhat sobered On most Wednesday nights when we pray for the persecuted church and we realize what our fellow brothers and sisters are going through. I can't even imagine. These people realize that reality. Because Acts 17 tells us that when they receive the gospel, Tribulation followed because men were jealous. An angry mob rises up and goes to Jason's house. I don't know about you, I've given no thought to the reality that when I go home this afternoon, an angry mob's gonna follow me to my home and rip me out of my house. Not even crossed my mind. We're soft. We think about how their brothers and sisters are going through. But notice what it says. It says they received. They received the word in much tribulation with joy of the Holy Spirit. Goes back to what we preached on last Sunday afternoon, doesn't it? Rejoice in the Lord always. And as I mentioned to you last Sunday afternoon, it doesn't mean that everything's working out hunky dory or whatever the saying is. We go through difficulties. We go through physical difficulties. We may go through financial difficulties. We may have personal difficulties, real trials that many of us face. How can Paul say rejoice always? Well, I say to you, he doesn't say rejoice always. He says, rejoice in the Lord always, because none of those things can separate me from the love of God. I can have a joy in the midst of tribulation in Christ Jesus. And again, think about it. Who's writing this letter? The Apostle Paul. and Silas. Does that sound familiar? Paul and Silas? Oh yeah, they were the guys in Philippi that were beaten, thrown in prison after being falsely accused of wrongdoing and they're in prison and they're there complaining and grumbling and wanting to petition the high courts because they weren't treated fairly and they're trying to, no. It's not the same story in the Bible. That was my made up story. Paul and Silas in prison were what? They were praying and singing hymns of praise to God. Paul knew what it was to face tribulation with joy. And even earlier, We read in chapter 5 of Acts that Peter and John, they went on their way, they're brought before the council and it says, they went on their way from the presence of the council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name. Tribulation and joy, we tend to think they're pulls apart. But for the believer, we can have both. Tribulation and joy, and that's what this church experienced. And because of all this, notice verse eight, and we'll open up more next week, God willing, it says, for the word of the Lord was sounded forth from you. You became a witness to others. not only in Macedonia, Benedicatia, but also in every place your faith towards God has gone forth so that we have need, we have no need to say anything. We don't need to say a thing. You guys have been such a witness in proclaiming the word and living this out. Well, here we see, we see the effects and how the gospel came to the church at Thessalonica. We've had a thorough explanation. It came not in word only, but in power and through the Holy Spirit and full of conviction. We've seen an observable confirmation. You've seen what kind of men we were among you and how we lived. And we see in the practical application, you became followers of Christ. And it's seen in the way you live. Well, in this passage, we see a picture, a powerful picture, of how the gospel works in the life of a believer. And we need to pray. I'm convicted. I need to pray. You may not. I need to pray. More often that we would see the work of the power of the spirit in transforming lives and transforming hearts that leads one to be a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see that in our day? God changing lives. I really think we've almost got to the point I keep saying we. I'll go with me. That we don't think it's even really feasible anymore, or we wouldn't know what to do if it happened. But oh, to long for that day. to see more men added to the kingdom of God and be found genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. And for some of you that sit here week after week and your lives have never changed, the gospels had no effect upon you. You're going to be, in my mind, the prayer that I have for you is this. That God's gospel would get a hold of your heart. And change your life. Let's pray. Father, we give you thanks. For the instruction that you give us from your word. And father, we would ask. That. As your word goes forth. That you would do the work that only you can do. We confess at best we can only plant and water the seed, but Father you must give the increase. And so we pray that as your word goes forth week after week from this pulpit, that Father it would come and by the work of your spirit have an effect upon each of our hearts. That we would find first of all ourselves growing closer to you, drawing nearer to you, being more sensitive to our sin and turning away from it, and pursuing righteousness and holiness. But Father, we would also pray that the word of God would come with power, that some who sit among us may run to the Savior, may come to that place where they cry out, what must we do? and hear the call and the challenge to believe, repenting of sins. And so Father, we rest upon you. Only you can make the word effective. We pray that you would do so for your glory and for your honor. We ask all these things, amen. In closing, take your hymns of grace Hymns of Grace, 316. Spirit of God, descend upon my heart. 316 in the Hymns of Grace. If you're able, please stand with me as we sing. ♪ All its roses bloom ♪ ♪ Soon to my weakness ♪ ♪ My tears will part ♪ ♪ Then may be love me as I ought to love it ♪ ♪ Our hope is high ♪ ♪ Teach me the struggles of a soul to bear ♪ ♪ Through jeopardizing the rebel's side ♪ ♪ That's the beginning of the end game ♪ ♪ I know soon my entry will be complete ♪ me. Amen. Well, we will be having lunch and then after lunch, the afternoon service will be around the Lord's table. So I trust you prepared your heart together around that as well. You are dismissed.