Take our Bibles together, please, and turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 as we continue our study through the book of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians, we'll be looking at chapter 2 and verse 13, just one verse today. As we've considered the conduct of an authentic minister in this chapter, we want to today see how an authentic minister of the gospel would handle the Word of God. Have you ever seen some ridiculous labels on some products? Labels that are given so that people would use the product in the way intended and yet they're so ridiculous but the manufacturers have to put them on because of lawsuits. I saw some written recently, one said that this was put on a cardboard windshield sunshade. Warning, do not drive with sunshield in place. I like this one that was put on a blender, not for use as an aquarium. In some countries on the bottom of Coke bottles, open other end. You say this is ridiculous, and it is. But isn't it interesting how that manufacturers have to put these things there for fear of a lawsuit. This was on a handgun, not recommended for use as a nutcracker. On a wetsuit, capacity one. On Sainsbury's peanuts, contains nuts. Here's the one I like, it was on a child's Superman costume. Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly. We look at those ridiculous labels and we say, that's absurd. But the same absurdities take place in how people use the Bible. And you almost have to state the obvious when it comes to the word of God. For example, do not use only in time of crisis, because when is it that people will just open their Bibles? Well, when things get really hard, then I'm gonna start reading my Bible. Or must be read daily. To a believer, you should already know that, and there shouldn't have to be something written on there that says, you know, you need to read this every day. But there's three more obvious, often forgotten facts about the Bible that we're gonna see in verse 13 here this morning that I would like to point out. Here are the three. Here's an obvious thing that sometimes people need to be reminded of. The Bible is God's word, not man's. Number two, the Bible is used by the Holy Spirit to communicate what God wants us to know and to energize us. Number three, The Bible's energizing is available to those who access it by faith. Three obvious, often forgotten facts about the Bible that Paul points out to the Thessalonian believers as being true of them. New believers, let's read it. 1 Thessalonians 2.13, for this cause also thank we God without ceasing. Here's Paul's thankfulness and it is given on behalf of having received some benefit. Whenever you give thanks, it's because you've received some kind of a benefit. What kind of a benefit did the apostle Paul receive when he says, for this cause also thank we God without ceasing? Well, he tells you because the next word is because. When ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." So how these Thessalonian believers treated God's word is instructive for you and for me today. I want you to see the three issues to consider in your treatment of God's Word, even as these Thessalonian believers treated God's Word. God's Word will have an effect in your life when it is used as directed. How many times can you read in the Bible where the Bible says about itself something that is powerful? For example, the Bible says that it is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. Do you think that's effective? It says that the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of sunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Do you think that's effective? Use as directed, and the Bible is gonna tell you everything you need to know about yourself. because it's a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of your heart. Don't go to a psychologist, folks. Open your Bible and begin to read it and meditate on it, and you'll get some advice free. It may not be what you wanna hear, but it's the truth because it is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of your heart. So the question is, how is the Bible to be treated? And I'm not talking about how you should carry it. I'm not talking about where you should lay it. I'm talking about how should it be used in your life as you read it and as you meditate upon it. How should it be treated? Same way the Thessalonian believers treated it. So we have here a wonderful example. of how the Bible, God's word, should be treated. And there's three issues that are addressed here in 1 Thessalonians 2.13. They all begin with the letter A, and here's what the first one is. It's the issue of authority. The issue of authority. Notice that Paul says to this church, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God. This is not the word of men, this is the word of God. Folks, your treatment of God's word is seen in how you respect it. Do you respect this as the authority? It must be accepted as the word of God, not the word of men. It shouldn't be that you say to other people, well, my preacher says, You know what, it doesn't matter what your preacher says. What matters is what God says. Now, if what the preacher says is what God says, then you can say that. But we ought to be getting used to the fact that you know what the Bible says. Sometimes I'll hear preachers say, well, I believe. And I say, I don't care what you believe. I want to know what does the Bible say. It cannot be treated like any other book. It is God-breathed. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. It is God-breathed. Many seek to discredit the Bible by saying, well, this is just the words of men. It's full of contradictions. You may have seen that response to my article a few weeks ago. Well, the Bible's just full of contradictions. No, it's not. God doesn't contradict himself. 40 different authors, men, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, over a period of 1,400 to 1,600 years, 66 different books. And there are no contradictions. The contradictions are seeming, but that's to people who don't study their Bible. I read this in Psalm 19 verses 7 and 8, the law of the Lord is perfect. Converting the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. A preacher once said the way a Christian treats his Bible shows how he regards Jesus Christ. And the reason he said that is because this is the Word of God that you have in your hands here this morning. But Jesus Christ is also called the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. Jesus Christ is the Word. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Who was that? That was Jesus Christ. So how you treat your Bible is really how you treat Jesus Christ. You say, I would like to hear what Jesus has to say on this. Then listen to His Word. Read His Word. Study His Word. The Bible says being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. It is living. Can you lose your Bible during the week and not miss it? That says something about your Christianity. That says something about your relationship with Jesus Christ. If you can lose your Bible, and think nothing of it. It's interesting, I'll find Bibles sometime in the church during the week. And I know it's usually not a problem here because you probably have more than one copy of the Bible, don't you? How many of you have more than one copy of the Bible? Almost everybody. So hopefully, that's not an indication of your devotions during that week and your Bible reading. Hopefully, you can say, oh, I left my Bible at the church. Well, I'll just go get my other one out of the 10 that I have. It ought to be searched. We're talking about this Thessalonian church. Remember we were looking at Acts chapter 17 to give us a background to this Thessalonian church? Because it's Acts chapter 17 that talks about where Paul, Silas, and Timothy entered into the city, began to preach in a synagogue. But then when they were persecuted, they fled to another city. Do you remember what city they fled to? They went to a city called Berea. They went into the synagogue there, and in Acts chapter 17, the 11th verse, it says, now, these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they searched the scriptures daily to see whether those things were so. Now, many people say that those were the Berean believers. They were not yet believers when they were searching the scriptures. But they searched the scriptures daily to see if the things that Paul, Silas, and Timothy were preaching were true. Then it says in verse 12, therefore they believed. You know what's gonna happen if you search the scriptures daily? You're gonna believe. You're gonna come to the point where you say, you know what, I cannot refute this. And they couldn't refute it. Is it so what your teacher is teaching you about the Bible? Is it so, as the Berean believers later found out, is it so what you're hearing on the radio when some radio preacher is preaching? Is it really so when you hear somebody open their Bible and start saying, here's what I believe? Does it really match with what God says in His Word? The question is, how authoritative is God's Word to you? And I think you could ask yourself some questions. Would I rather have the word of God or food? What is more important to you? Would you rather have the word of God or would you rather have food? Job said in Job 23, 12, I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. Matthew 4.4, Jesus, quoting the book of Deuteronomy, said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. So would you rather have the word of God or food? Would you rather have the word of God or money? Go with me to Psalm chapter 19 to answer this question. Would you rather have the word of God or would you rather have money? Psalm 19, follow as I read verses seven to verse 11. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure. making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgment of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Now, note verse 10, more to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward. You see, the reward comes in keeping God's word. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. A preacher was giving this illustration. He said, I recall a young couple I sought to help in one of my churches. They had a lovely little son, but they were very careless about attending church and Sunday school. The little boy was not getting the Christian training he needed. I visited their home, and that visit to their home told me why. The father wanted more money, and so he worked on Sundays to make double time. He did not have to work on the Lord's Day, but he wanted the money rather than God's word. Oh, he earned more money, but he was never able to keep it. The little boy became ill, and the extra money went to the doctors. What do you desire more, the word of God or money? I find it that the American dream is becoming so attractive today that people will miss church in order to work when they don't have to. Whether it's Sunday morning or Sunday night, they'll rather go try to make money. You know what? You will never get ahead. You will never get ahead. You may make money, but you may lose your family. And I warn you about that today. Do you desire the word of God more than money? Thirdly, would you rather have the word of God or sleep? The psalmist says this in Psalm 119, 148, my eyes anticipate the night watches that I may meditate on thy word. In other words, the psalmist gave up sleep to spend time meditating in God's word. You'll read this in Psalm 1, verse 2, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate, how often? Day and night. Would you rather have God's word or sleep? Some won't get out of bed on Sunday morning to come to church to hear and to study God's word. So I ask you, is God's word your authority? Or is your authority the word of man? Because God's word is to be respected and revered. And I need to treat God's word as God's message to me, as my authority. They received it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth. The Word of God. Do you receive it in the same way? I don't know if you watched the Republican presidential debate Thursday night, but toward the end of that debate, they were reading questions that they received by Facebook, the Fox News moderators. And Megyn Kelly, Sadly, here we receive this question for the candidates. I want to know if any of them have received a word from God on what they should do and take care of first. Senator Cruz, start with you. Any word from God? I loved his answer. Well, I am blessed to receive a word from God every day in receiving the scriptures and reading the scriptures, God speaks through the Bible. Now that excites me when you've got a candidate who's looking to the word of God in that way. And I tell you, on my meter, it went real high when I heard that. He went on to say, I'm the son of a pastor and an evangelist, and I've described many times how my father, when I was a child, was an alcoholic. He wasn't a Christian, and my father left my mother and left me when I was just three years old. And someone invited him to Clay Road Baptist Church, and he gave his heart to Jesus. And it turned him around, and he got on a plane, and he flew back to my mother and me. I would also note that the scripture tells us, you shall know them by their fruits. We see lots of campaign conservatives, but if we're going to win in 2016, we need a consistent conservative. And he went on with what he said. But I noted how he kept bringing scripture in. You know, the Bible tells us, you shall know them by their fruits. And there were a lot of fruits on that platform that day, too. Would you rather have the word of God or food? Would you rather have the word of God or money? Would you rather have it or sleep? The first issue that needs to be considered in your treatment of God's word is that of authority. Is it really your authority? Secondly, the issue of ability. Note the phrase that Paul follows with. He says, which effectually worketh also in you. Your treatment of God's word is seen in how you practice it. Do you even practice it? It effectually worketh in you. Literally, it performs its work. Question, what kind of work does God's Word perform in you? It gives you ability. It effectually worketh in you. I wrote these things down just in going through the book of 1 Thessalonians. I'm not going to have time to have you read every verse, but just listen to the ability that God's word gives you just from the book of 1 Thessalonians. Number one, it gives you the ability to follow. Chapter 1, verse 6. Chapter 2, verse 14. It gives you the ability to rejoice. 1, 6 and 5, 16. It gives you the ability to lead. Chapter 1, verse 7. It gives you the ability to change. Chapter 1 and verse 9. It gives you the ability to wait. Chapter 1 and verse 10. It gives you the ability to suffer. Chapter 2, verse 14, the very next verse. It gives you the ability in comfort, chapter 3, verse 2, to endure, chapter 3, verses 3 and 4, to walk, chapter 4, verse 1, chapter 3, verse 12, to know God's will, chapter 4, verses 2 and 4, to know God's love, chapter 4, verse 9. It gives you the ability to work, chapter 4, verses 11 and 12. It gives you the ability to hope. I wanna point this one out. Go to chapter four, verse 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you, how? By the word of the Lord. So it is the word of God that gives us hope that what? Christ is returning soon. He is soon to return. So it has the ability. It effectually worketh also in you. Something else I want to point out about that little phrase, effectually worketh. We get a word from that. If you were to transliterate that Greek word, it is the word to energize. The Holy Spirit, folks, uses his word to energize us. Now, where do most people get their energy spiritually? Where do they think they get their energy? They say, well, I didn't get a lot out of that singing that day. It didn't really pick me up. Listen, it is God's word that energizes. It shouldn't be coming from music. It should be coming from God's word. There's a little motto that occurs on a commercial, it says, still going strong. That is having to do with what? Still going strong, help me out. Yeah, see, everybody's familiar with that commercial, the Energizer Bunny. Well, what is energizing that little bunny who's beating his drum? It's the Energizer batteries. So they're trying to sell you the Energizer battery because this is the one that keeps on going. You know what that helps a Christian to keep on going? It's the Energizer. What's the Energizer? What is it that effectually worketh also in you? What is it that works in you? It's the Word of God. And yet some Christians are dropping out. They're getting weak because they're running on the wrong battery. They're running on the flesh to energize. And that's why they rely upon some kind of a special music to get them going. And they may have it that day while they're listening to the music, but the next day, they're completely dropped out. They run on their emotions. Well, I'll do it if I feel like it. Well, then you're running upon your emotions if you're saying, when I feel like it. Or they're relying on their heart to energize them. They'll say something like this. You know, it doesn't bother me to do such and such, so it must be okay. What just told you what was okay? Your heart. And the Bible says, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Or they may say, well, to me, I don't see anything wrong with it. What are they relying upon again? They're relying upon their hearts. Or they'll say something like this, well God hasn't spoken to me about that. As if they're waiting for an audible voice. As Megyn Kelly was trying to get Ted Cruz to say. So again, I love his answer. And folks, God does not speak to you in an audible voice. You have his word. Read it, listen to it, study it, meditate upon it. It is the word of God that effectually worked in these Thessalonian believers to turn to God from idols. Chapter one and verse nine. And verse 14, to endure persecution. Look at verse 14, for ye brethren became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus, for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews. That verse starts off with for. The effectually working of God's word in their heart gave them the endurance to endure that persecution. Let me ask you something. Is it God's word that is effectually working in you? Or are you trying to operate in the energy of your flesh? Or giving in to your heart's desire? What is it that energizes you? I talked to my son, Benjamin, who's a candidate for the Special Forces. He's stationed in Fort Bragg right now in North Carolina. And this week, he sent me a text message with a photo. He was in the dining hall. He says, man, this dining hall is really something. But above the dining hall, he thought I'd be interested in the banner they have hanging above all the food that's given there. And above that banner, here's what it says. Your choice today affects your performance tomorrow. How would you eat if that was placed on your refrigerator door? Your choice today affects your performance tomorrow. I might say it this way. You know what? Your performance today is due to your choice yesterday. And the reason you're down and the reason you have lost faith and the reason you have given up is because you made some poor choices yesterday. You could have been feeding on God's Word, but instead you chose to feed the flesh. And now you're facing the consequences of what you fed upon yesterday. Your performance today is due to what you were feeding upon yesterday. God's word, folks, is to be practiced. Psalm 111 verse 10 says this, a good understanding have all they that do his commandments. People will sometimes say, well, I just don't understand this verse. I don't understand this passage. I don't understand how I could do that. And I would say to them, then do it. Well, no, I don't understand how doing this will actually help. Then do it. The Bible says, be careful for nothing. In other words, don't be worrying. How do I do that? By doing it. A good understanding have all they that do His commandments. So when God's Word is treated as your authority, and then you have the ability to work Then I want you to consider the last thing, it's the issue of activity. Notice the last part of verse 13, which effectually worketh also in whom? Why don't you give that to me verbally? Let me read it again. Which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Your treatment of God's word is seen in how you apply it. two action words, verbs that are used in this verse that show the issue of activity. when you received the word of God. You received it, not as the word of men, which affects the worketh also in you that believe. I wanna look at that word received, first of all, that you see occurring twice in that verse. Twice in this verse, the word received is used. Two different Greek words. The first Greek word for received, when it says you received the word of God, that means to accept something with favor. And the second means to welcome. So this was more than just hearing the Word of God. It was making it a part of their lives. That's what it means when it says they received the Word of God. It's not just that somebody walked up to them, handed them a Bible, and they opened it. It was not just a physical accepting or receiving the Word of God. They received it into their very lives. It wasn't just something that was outside and physical and tangible. It was something that was in their hearts. And that's why the Apostle Paul says, when you received the Word of God, you didn't receive it as the Word of men, you received it as the Word of God itself, which affectionately worketh also in you that believe. After preaching and teaching it, it became a part of their life. Jesus repeatedly warned about the wrong kind of receiving or hearing. If you have your outline there, You'll see that the first one has this blank, take heed, and then there's a blank, and then you hear. In Matthew 13, nine, Jesus said, who hath ears to hear, let him hear. So I would fill that blank in this way, take heed that you hear. Take heed that you hear. To the seven churches, In Asia Minor, in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus again says repeatedly, and once to every church, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. So I exhort you from the word of God this morning, take heed that you hear. Take every opportunity that you have to hear the word. Every opportunity you can come to a service to hear the word. Every opportunity you can come to a revival service is to hear the word. Take heed that you hear. Secondly, take heed what you hear. You'll find that used in Mark chapter four, verse 24. Be careful with what you hear. Hold on to it. Retain it. The writer of Hebrews says this in chapter two, verse one, therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Take heed what you hear. By the way, a good way to take heed what you hear so it doesn't slip is to memorize it. What erases the impression God's word makes on your heart? Avoid it. Eliminate it. So take heed that you hear. Take heed what you hear. Thirdly, take heed how you hear. Take heed how you hear. You'll see that in Luke chapter 8. in verse 18. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 5 verse 11 tells them that some are dull of hearing, too lazy to concentrate, too lazy to pay attention. How's your attention span doing right now? Everybody listening alright? See after a while you start thinking about something and that guy in front of me needs to comb his hair. And then your mind starts wandering. You know, this used to happen to me in class when it would get really boring. You start looking for things to look at to keep you from falling asleep. It's hard to pay attention. It's hard to concentrate. Take heed how you hear. Some don't like straight preaching because they have, as Paul tells Timothy, itching ears. Second Timothy 4.3, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. Religious entertainment. And by the way, that follows the verse that gives the responsibility of the preacher. Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Folks, we are to receive the word even when it rebukes or reproves us. Because we know something, faith cometh by hearing. And hearing by? It's by the word of God. What comes by hearing? Faith. And then, that gives us the next action word. You not only have the word receive, but you have the word believed. Faith. You say, well, faith is a noun. Yes, but it is a noun that implies action. For example, I says, that guy has a sense of humor. How do you know? It's by his actions or reactions. You may say, well, that guy has faith. How do you know? According to James chapter two, it's by what he does. Faith is always known by actions. Notice again in 1 Thessalonians 2.13, it is the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe. In whom? You that believe. In other words, the prerequisite to the energizing, the activity of point number two I made today, the prerequisite to the energizing is the action of believing. That is the operative word. That is a verb, an action word. Is God's word really active in your life? In other words, when you are aware of what the Bible says, do you act upon it? Do you obey it? If not, you really don't believe it, do you? Paul says, it affectionately worketh also in you that believe. Belief is necessary. If I'm counseling somebody, if I suspect that this counselee is just coming to me for my opinion and may or may not do what I'm saying, I will often start off this way. I will often say, listen, if I'm gonna counsel you, you must first agree that what I show you from God's word, you will do it even if you don't like it. Well, I'm not sure. You know what? We're done. I can't help you. You're looking for some kind of a little pill for me to give you, and it's not gonna work. You have first got to agree, yes, whatever God shows me in his word, I will do it. You see, that's the action of believing. A girl was once arguing with me about music. This was years ago. And to test her attitude, I just asked this question. I said, now, if I could show you from the Bible why what you're doing is wrong, will you change? She said, no. We're done. We don't need to talk. Jesus put it this way. Don't cast your pearls before swine. And don't give that which is holy to the dogs. Folks, perhaps the reason there's no energizing or effectual working in your life is because you do not actively demonstrate belief in God's word by your actions. It's the activity of application. It must be applied. And man, the Bible, God's word was effectually working in these people who were believing. You go to the Old Testament and you see how God used his word, his promises in the life of those who believed. And Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. And you get to the book of Hebrews chapter 11, and there it says that Abraham received the promise, but having never seen the promise, he kept going as if he was gonna get the promise. He believed God. Isaac did the same thing. Jacob did the same thing. You get to Moses in the book of Exodus. And Moses said, Lord, I cannot go unless you go with me. And God said, I'll be with you. And you've got a man who believed God. And you see a man who was energized by God's promise. To Joshua the Bible says, be of good courage. And Joshua took that promise, the word of God, and it energized him. How many more examples do we need to give of men and women who were energized by the Word of God because they believed it, acted upon it, and God used them in a tremendous way? And what we need today are men and women who will believe what God says, and you will see a great effectual working in their lives. And you'll see a great effectual working right here at Westside Baptist Church if, folks, we would believe what God says, act upon it, perform it, because we believe it. Literally, it says, in the ones who are believing, present tense. But you know what? We choose to worry instead of pray. The Bible says very clearly, Philippians chapter four, be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known unto God. And when it comes to our health, we worry instead of praying. You know what will energize you? taking God's promise, where he says, be careful for nothing, and think on these things, Philippians chapter four and verse eight. When it comes to financial matters, choosing to pray and trust in God, practice biblical stewardship instead of wasting money. So here in 1 Thessalonians 2.13, three issues regarding the word of God. It's authority, it's ability, It's application. Folks, if we don't use the Word of God as directed, the Holy Spirit will not do His work in our life as He could. What a commendation to these Thessalonian believers when you receive the Word of God. You received it not as the word of men. You didn't receive it as if we came up with this. You received it as the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. May we too also treat God's word with respect, our authority. Allow it to perform its work in our life, its ability, actively receiving and believing it by applying it. Would you bow your heads? as you.