Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind: The Unbroken Bond of the Church

• The Heartache of Separation 00:35:02 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains Paul's emotional pain and sense of being 'orphaned' from the Thessalonian believers due to forced separation, highlighting that physical distance does not diminish spiritual love.
• The Nature of the Church as Family 00:37:17 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines the church as a family where believers are brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers in Christ, emphasizing that this bond is formed quickly through faith and is deeper than natural relationships.
• Pastoral Leadership and Shepherding 00:41:21 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor contrasts professional ministry with shepherding, asserting that leaders must have the heart of a parent who is burdened by the flock's needs, illustrated by Paul's life being 'tied up' in his fellow believers.
• Active Fellowship and Community 00:40:02 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to desire face-to-face fellowship with other believers, warning against the sadness of disconnected churches and encouraging participation in various church gatherings.
• Satanic Hindrance 00:46:14 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that Satan actively obstructs Paul's return to Thessalonica, using the Greek term for 'hindering' to describe digging trenches or cutting in on a race.
• Discernment of Hindrance 00:50:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor distinguishes between hindrance from Satan, self-hindrance due to sin, and divine redirection by the Holy Spirit, urging reliance on the indwelling Spirit for discernment.
• Satan's Limitations 00:52:11 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that Satan is not omnipotent or omniscient and works only within limits allotted by God, citing Job as an example of God using Satan's affliction for His glory.
• Spiritual Warfare and Identity 00:53:40 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor warns that serving God places one on 'hell's hit list' and encourages believers to ensure Satan knows who they are, indicating their impact for Christ.
• Spiritual Warfare and Influence 00:54:42 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses the importance of having impact and influence in sacrificial service, noting that Satan attacks living Christians rather than 'dead horses,' and encourages believers to know that God is greater than the enemy.
• Perseverance Through Affliction 00:55:33 ▶️ 📄
  > Using the historical example of Martin Luther at Wartburg Castle, the pastor illustrates how believers must fight daily against Satan's obstruction to accomplish God's tasks.
• Hope in Christ's Return 00:58:10 ▶️ 📄
  > The sermon shifts to the hope of Jesus' coming, referencing Paul's joy in the Thessalonian believers as his 'crown of exaltation' and emphasizing that this hope sustains believers through separation and hardship.
• The Judgment Seat of Christ 01:00:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains the doctrine of the Bema seat, clarifying that it is not for determining salvation but for reviewing believers' lives to determine eternal rewards and compensation.
• Categories of Heavenly Rewards 01:02:16 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor outlines three types of rewards: praise/commendation (radiance), positions/co-ruling, and privileges/crowns, distinguishing between redemption (free, past) and rewards (earned, future).
• The Crown of Rejoicing 01:07:11 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies the 'crown of rejoicing' mentioned in the text as a soul-winner's crown, encouraging the congregation to share the gospel and live righteously in view of Christ's return.
• Evangelism and Discipleship 01:07:44 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor outlines practical ways to lead others to Christ, including sharing testimony, inviting people to church, contributing to ministries, and speaking up for Jesus.
• Eternal Joy in Heaven 01:10:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the concept of 'two heavens' to illustrate that seeing loved ones in heaven increases one's joy, urging the congregation to bring others to Christ.

• Sermon Illustration 00:33:32 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the proverb 'out of sight, out of mind' and a humorous quote about a spider disappearing in a bedroom to illustrate that physical absence does not mean mental absence, applying this to Paul's constant care for the Thessalonians.
• Sermon Illustration 00:42:18 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the story of John Fawcett and his wife Mary, who turned down a prestigious call to London to stay in their poor rural Yorkshire church for 54 more years because they could not bear to leave their congregation.
• Sermon Illustration 00:42:18 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the story of John Fawcett and his wife Mary, who abandoned a prestigious call to a London church to remain with their poor rural congregation in Yorkshire for 54 years, illustrating deep pastoral love and commitment.
• Sermon Illustration 00:44:10 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the hymn 'Blessed Be the Tie that Binds,' written by John Fawcett, to emphasize the emotional bond between a pastor and his flock.
• Sermon Illustration 00:47:52 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor cites A.W. Tozer's statement that 'this world is not a playground it's a battleground' to characterize the spiritual reality of the Christian life.
• Sermon Illustration 00:54:07 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor mentions the story of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19, where demons rejected them because they did not know Jesus or Paul, contrasting this with the desire for Satan to recognize believers' influence.
• Sermon Illustration 00:55:21 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a story about Martin Luther being kidnapped by Frederick the Wise and taken to Wartburg Castle, where he translated the New Testament while allegedly facing personal obstruction from Satan.
• Sermon Illustration 00:55:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the story of Martin Luther at Wartburg Castle, where he was allegedly attacked by Satan (symbolized by throwing an inkwell at the wall) while translating the New Testament, illustrating that spiritual obstruction accompanies significant spiritual work.
• Sermon Illustration 00:59:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his friend Johannes Vogel in Germany, who hugged him and said, 'We'll see you here, there, or in the air,' illustrating the Christian hope of reunion with believers at Christ's return.
• Sermon Illustration 01:03:13 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses an analogy of a chandelier with bulbs of different wattages (75, 40, 20 watts) to explain that while all believers will shine in heaven, some will have a greater capacity to radiate God's glory than others.
• Sermon Illustration 01:03:23 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references Warren Wiersbe's illustration that 'everyone's cup will be full, but some people's cups will be larger than others' to explain varying degrees of reward and capacity for glory in heaven.
• Sermon Illustration 01:08:50 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the story of Samuel Rutherford, a 17th-century Scottish pastor banished from his flock, who loved them until death. His dying words, 'glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land,' inspired Anne Cousin to write the hymn 'Emmanuel's Land,' which the pastor uses to illustrate the joy of seeing those we've led to Christ in heaven.

• Pastoral Charge 00:38:24 ▶️ 📄
  > Trust in Jesus Christ and receive Him as Savior to become part of God's family.
• Pastoral Charge 00:44:25 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to research and read the lyrics of the hymn 'Blessed Be the Tie that Binds' during the week.
• Pastoral Charge 01:08:05 ▶️ 📄
  > Actively seek opportunities to evangelize and spread the gospel message.
• Pastoral Charge 01:07:54 ▶️ 📄
  > Share Christ, invite others to church/outreach, contribute to ministries, share testimony with family, speak for Jesus, and spread the word.
• Pastoral Charge 01:10:55 ▶️ 📄
  > Bring loved ones and strangers to Christ through personal witness, mission trips, and financial giving.

[00:03:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:03:14] We're excited to worship the Lord with you guys this morning. If you're new here and you have any questions about who we are, what we believe, how you can get involved after the service through these middle doors and to the right, there's a welcome desk. They can guide you, answer any questions you have, guide you to the next steps to maybe a membership or an ABF classroom or opportunities we have for next generation, the youth and kids ministry as well. A couple of announcements we have. First of all, we have our first extending faith mobilizing meeting tonight at six o'clock.
[00:03:44] and so as you know we have a new a new campus uh in oklahoma city and so there'll be a mobilization meeting tonight at six o'clock also i think we're going to hear a little bit more not not i think we
[00:03:54] are going to hear a little bit more about extending faith later on in the service also next sunday afternoon we have our agape feast at 5 p.m and then we'll have a worship night here uh following
[00:04:05] that as well so we want to want you guys to be a part of that we're actually if you guys have signed up for the sing devotionals that are sent every morning we're going to actually do some of
[00:04:14] those um live at the worship night next sunday night as well so that'd be really cool for you guys to come and and just have some fellowship together as a church with that let's go ahead
[00:04:23] and stand up and meet and greet one another let's go ahead and remain standing for the call to worship our call to worship today comes from psalm 29 psalm 29 1 and 2 verse 1 and 2 ascribe to the
[00:05:03] Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory to his name. Worship the Lord in holy array. Let me pray for us. God, this morning as we prepare
[00:05:14] our hearts and our minds to worship you, we want to ascribe to you the glory and the strength as do your name. The glory and the strength that you have made visible to us. The glory and the strength
[00:05:23] of the salvation you've given us through Christ. God, I pray that our hearts and our minds would just be in awe and wonder of who you are, what you've done in our lives this morning. In your
[00:05:32] son's name. Amen. Well, let's start our time of singing by declaring the gospel again this morning.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:38] All praise to the Holy Spirit Our God has overcome The King who was and is And makes us mighty He's returned Our provider

[00:10:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:10:04] So let's sing this great hymn of praise Together and do just that

[00:10:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:10:08] Almighty the King of creation Oh my soul praise Him For He is your health and salvation.
[00:10:29] Come all who hear.
[00:10:32] Out to His temple.
[00:11:23] His dream.

[00:17:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:17:14] My name's Pastor Jay.
[00:17:15] I'm one of the, or my name's Jay.
[00:17:17] You don't have to call me Pastor Jay.
[00:17:19] I'm one of the pastors here at Faith Bible Church.
[00:17:23] And you have an insert in your bulletin this morning.
[00:17:25] I just want to direct your attention to that.
[00:17:28] It's been, I think, 10 years since the start of our last capital campaign here at Faith Bible Church.
[00:17:34] I remember that because we launched a little booklet that had fall 2016 written on the bottom of it.
[00:17:41] And that was the Greater Things Campaign.
[00:17:42] And the Greater Things Campaign funded the remodeling of this room, which this room used to be a gym.
[00:17:47] I don't know how many of you knew that, but it did used to be a gym.
[00:17:50] It also funded the remodeling of the lobby space out here.
[00:17:53] And most importantly, it added 35,000 square feet of children's space and youth space.
[00:18:00] And Greater Things, it lived up to its name, most definitely.
[00:18:02] It accomplished greater things than really we could have ever imagined.
[00:18:05] Because over the last several years, our church has doubled in size.
[00:18:09] We thought that the Greater Things capital campaign would allow us to be a church of, you know, 21, 2200 people that are attending on a Sunday.
[00:18:17] But today, we're closer to 3,000, which has just been incredible to see happen.
[00:18:21] And as this growth was taking place, the leadership along the way had been praying and working through a dozen or so different ideas and solutions.
[00:18:31] And that same time, we made a number of incremental moves to create space.
[00:18:36] But as it stands today, through much prayer, through consideration and deliberation, the elders have settled on a vision that we've been referring to as extending faith.
[00:18:45] And you've been hearing about this since May.
[00:18:48] But let me just repeat again the desired outcome of extending faith.
[00:18:53] The extending faith vision is to, if you can go to the next slide, I think I have it memorized, but I want to read it, to extend the gospel reach of Faith Bible Church by mobilizing our people
[00:19:04] to strengthen our Coltrane congregation and establish new congregations in Edmond, Oklahoma City, and to the ends of the earth.
[00:19:14] That's where we're headed as a church.
[00:19:16] And so, Joel, unpack the strategic plan that gets us there, if you would.

[00:19:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:19:20] Yeah, embedded in what Jay just read to you, there really is a three-part strategic plan.
[00:19:26] And that is for us as Faith Bible Church to expand, to plant, and to multiply.
[00:19:32] So that first part, the expand part, really has to do primarily with this congregation right here on Coltrane, here in Edmond.
[00:19:40] And Lord willing, we want to expand in some really significant ways that will maximize our space and our ministry here on this property for the future.
[00:19:52] So how would we do that?
[00:19:53] Let me tell you a couple ways.
[00:19:55] We want to expand our parking, first of all.
[00:19:58] We're going to add, everybody knows parking is an issue around here, so no question there.
[00:20:03] We're going to add 85 additional spaces out towards Coltrane onto our existing lot.
[00:20:09] And hopefully, Lord willing again, that can happen within the next couple months.
[00:20:14] We secondly are going to expand our facility with a 20,000 square foot addition right here out to the west on our campus that will really tie seamlessly into our current buildings.
[00:20:28] And it's going to give us some much needed space to address some needs and give us some vital opportunities.
[00:20:34] First, it's going to provide classrooms downstairs in our Faith Kids Junior area.
[00:20:40] You know that that area is overrun Sunday after Sunday.
[00:20:43] So we would gain some classrooms downstairs for our toddlers, for our pre-K.
[00:20:49] We would gain multi-purpose space upstairs that would serve our elementary kids and our faith student ministry in some great ways.
[00:20:58] We'll also gain some additional ABF classrooms.
[00:21:01] So we're excited about that, too.
[00:21:02] A big part of this project is building offices for our pastoral, our ministry, and our support staff that will bring them back onto this site where they can work together really efficiently and also be accessible to you, our church family.
[00:21:20] So we're very excited about those offices being built as a part of this.
[00:21:24] When you look at this rendering that's on screen right now, that is a perspective from Coltrane, kind of as you would enter our middle entryway into our parking lot.
[00:21:35] And so a few things that you can see there is that we would add a covered walkway that would connect the north parking lot to a brand new entrance facing Coltrane.
[00:21:45] really attractive entrance there and then it would kind of run right into a brand new inside corridor that would lead right into our lobby right out here so we're excited about the fact that we can
[00:21:58] connect our building even more to our parking make that easier for everyone but also in this expansion there are two children's playgrounds that will go in our courtyard out here one for preschoolers and one for elementary age kids in a in a really safe and secure area but i want you
[00:22:16] to hear me on this we are passionate about this because this strategic piece isn't just about building a bigger building or adding space or adding parking parking it is about strengthening our commitment to our mission to make and mature and mobilize disciples of jesus and it is about
[00:22:37] strengthening our commitment to serve the Lord by serving the individuals and the families that have planted their lives here and will continue to worship here as a part of this congregation and the individuals and the families that God has yet to bring here. We believe he's going to bring
[00:22:54] more and more over the years. So we're excited about strengthening our ability to extend the

[00:23:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:23:00] gospel to our community for years to come. Yeah, the next piece of that plan is to plant. So as many of you know we are planting, or the word I like to use is establishing, a new congregation
[00:23:10] at 3201 Quail Springs Parkway. So there's a slide there behind me. That's the front elevation of the building as well as an image of the proposed worship space. This property is 11 acres. It has
[00:23:23] 862 dedicated parking spaces. It has four roads, four or five roads that connect it to May Avenue, to 150th to the north to Memorial Road to the south, so all kinds of ways to get in and out
[00:23:36] of that property. It has 128,000 square feet, and initially, we're going to be remodeling the main 78,000 square foot building. If you could go back to those pictures, that would be great.
[00:23:47] The phase one remodel will have a generous lobby space with a secure first floor children's space that's just adjacent to the lobby. It's going to have, I think, 11 ABF classrooms initially, and also a dedicated student space.
[00:24:00] So our church here spent about 30 years without a dedicated student space.
[00:24:04] We're gonna have one on day one over there.
[00:24:06] So that's exciting.
[00:24:08] We'll have a worship center that seats over 800 people.
[00:24:11] And you can see that it's there on the right side of your screen.
[00:24:15] Just gonna be a beautiful setup to that room as well.
[00:24:19] This building is an amazing opportunity.
[00:24:21] If you came to the business meeting, you learned a little bit how we got into that building.
[00:24:26] It's a dozen or so miles away from where we currently sit, which is gonna serve really well our members that currently drive about 25 minutes across town to get to this campus.
[00:24:36] But also it's gonna serve as what I'm referring to as a gospel outpost to reach further west than our current location really allows us to.
[00:24:45] Which really brings us to the third piece of this strategic plan, which is multiply.
[00:24:49] We want to multiply our gospel footprint across our community.
[00:24:54] In the year 2000, Edmond had about 60,000 people.
[00:24:59] Today, it has close to 100,000 people, and that's not gonna slow down anytime soon.
[00:25:04] North OKC, West Edmond, East Edmond, all these areas need churches that teach and preach the Bible.
[00:25:10] So establishing a new congregation isn't something we just wanna do once, but that we hope to do two or three times over the next five or 10 years.
[00:25:18] And we're not multiplying because, you know, we think we're just so good at doing church.
[00:25:22] we we we think that we have to replicate ourselves and that's not really it at all we're doing it because we we want people to hear the gospel and they need a church home where they
[00:25:35] can hear the scriptures preached and they can fellowship with other believers and they can serve christ together and in a community our size we need a multitude of churches that are doing that so we're excited about what's happening here what's going to happen in the congregation
[00:25:50] in the Quail Springs area, North OKC, Faith Bible Church, North OKC is what we're referring to that as. And then we're excited about the next several years, five to 10, as God multiplies us two or

[00:26:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:26:01] three times over. So through our planning over the last six months with architects, construction teams, planning teams here, we expect the total cost for both of these projects combined, the expansion here at the Edmond campus and also the remodel of the North Oklahoma City campus
[00:26:19] to be somewhere in between 25 and 30 million dollars now that's a large expense no matter how you look at it but here's an amazing blessing from the Lord that I am really excited to share
[00:26:32] with you today because of the faithful and really incredibly generous way that you all have given over the last five or six years especially and because of our church's commitment to stewardship and saving over these years we already have available cash and some other assets that get
[00:26:50] us 14 to 16 million dollars down the road to that total goal they can be applied to that total so we're already almost halfway there which is exciting very exciting and if you're looking at

[00:27:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:27:03] that going 14 to 16 that's a big range well we've got some land holdings and things like that that we're not exactly sure the liquid value of, so we're just putting that available cash in the
[00:27:14] range of 14 to 16. So the goal then for us as a church is over the next three years, really till the end of 2028, so two years and change, is to raise $12 million as a church. And this amount
[00:27:28] sets us up to borrow little or nothing and paired with our typical annual surplus for the years of 26, 27, and 28, it actually sets us up to begin the work of establishing, like I mentioned,
[00:27:41] a third congregation within the next three to five years. Missions as well is going to be a part of this. So in our last capital campaign, we earmarked 10% of all capital campaign gifts to missions. We're wanting to do that again. So this is the possibility for an additional $1.2
[00:27:59] million distributed to missions to expand missionary partnerships, to plant churches amongst the least reached and unreached and to multiply disciples amongst the nations.
[00:28:11] So what to do next?
[00:28:12] First of all, we're calling everyone to pray.
[00:28:15] We want you to pray for this project.
[00:28:17] We want you to pray how you can participate with it.
[00:28:19] We submitted cards early in the summer.
[00:28:22] We're gonna be distributing a prayer guide here in the next couple of weeks for you to work through.
[00:28:27] We really want you to pray about what this looks like for your family and what this looks like for our church.
[00:28:33] This is the boldest move I think we've ever made as a leadership and as a church, and we want to bathe it all in prayer. And then how to give? You can just begin earmarking your gifts to
[00:28:44] Extending Faith. You can go to the drop-down menu. If you give online, there's an Extending Faith option that you can click on. We don't do pledges here at Faith Bible Church. You just start giving
[00:28:54] as the Lord leads, and that's the way we've operated all of our capital campaigns that have been fairly successful up until this point, and that's the way we're going to operate this one. And we're not going to talk about this constantly. We'll have some visuals and some
[00:29:06] things that you can reference or check the progress of the campaign. But we'll update you at important moments, but we're not going to overwhelm you with appeals or arm twisting or any of those things. That's just not how we operate. But we are today telling you, hey,
[00:29:22] the floodgate is open. Please begin to pray and to think about how you are going to participate with this project. Again, it's about mobilization. And tonight we're going to have our first of probably seven or so mobilization meetings about primarily the establishing of the new congregation
[00:29:41] at Quail Springs Parkway. So if you're interested in that, if you just want to learn more, if you're curious, if you've already decided because you live over there or some other reason that that's where you're going to end up, we invite you to come tonight at six o'clock.
[00:29:54] At the very least, it'll be a time of prayer, but we'll be able to learn a little bit more information and just kind of ask the Lord to connect our hearts in a meaningful way as we
[00:30:04] want to be a unified body seeking this vision that he's put in front of us. So thank you so much just for your attention this morning. I know this is a little bit unconventional, but we wanted to get
[00:30:14] this capital campaign in front of you. And if you have any questions, just invite you to ask me, ask Joel, ask any of our elders. We'd be happy to spend as much time with you as you need. Let's
[00:30:23] pray. Father, right now, we just want to acknowledge that we trust you. We trust you with everything. You call your people in Scripture to be people of faith. And so, by faith, we are just dependent upon your provision, your leadership, your guidance and direction
[00:30:45] for this vision that we're referring to as extending faith. Extend our faith so that you can grow us and draw us closer to yourself in this time.
[00:30:56] God, I pray that this vision that we've put forth today, it will be similar to the previous one, that it will accomplish more than we ever could have thought imaginable, that it will reach people with the gospel,
[00:31:11] that it will give people a church home, that it will connect people meaningfully to other believers and expand the kingdom impact that this church wants to have in our community and around the world.
[00:31:22] So we give this all to you.
[00:31:23] We trust you with it.
[00:31:24] We thank you for this time together.
[00:31:26] Pray now as we go to the word.
[00:31:27] Lord, you would use it to just shape and minister to our hearts.
[00:31:31] In Jesus' name, amen.

[00:31:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:31:34] Amen.
[00:31:36] Well, I love these two men and they've been a great blessing to me for a lot of years.
[00:31:41] And I refer to them as my right arm, my left arm here in our ministry here at Faith Bible Church.
[00:31:45] I can't thank them enough for what they've done in all of this.
[00:31:48] I'm excited.
[00:31:49] I'm heading over to the Quail Springs Parkway tomorrow to see the progress over there.
[00:31:54] And, you know, we want to use the opportunities that God is giving to us as a church.
[00:31:59] God's given us a lot of momentum.
[00:32:01] We studied Ephesians.
[00:32:02] That passage says, you know, buy up the opportunities because the days are evil.
[00:32:06] These are evil days, and God's given us opportunity.
[00:32:09] And we want to seize those opportunities that God's given us to expand our reach further in Oklahoma City, and just have a real sense of urgency. These are exciting times. This is a big challenge for us as a church, but I believe God will help us to rise up and meet the challenge.
[00:32:25] And more than anything, what we need is we need the good hand of God to be upon us.
[00:32:29] We need the good hand and the gracious hand of God to be upon all that we do. And if we have that, we'll have great success in God's eyes. And so be praying for us for that God's hand will be upon us.
[00:32:41] If you're visiting with us this morning, we're currently in a study of 1 Thessalonians.
[00:32:45] We've titled it Today and That Day.
[00:32:47] And our text this morning is 1 Thessalonians 2, 17 to 20.
[00:32:51] So wonderful little paragraph here this morning, a beautiful text.
[00:32:56] Now take your Bible and turn there with me.
[00:32:58] It's a passage that's packed with a lot of emotion.
[00:33:01] Let me read these verses for us.
[00:33:03] Paul says, But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while in person, not in spirit, We're all the more eager with great desire to see your face.
[00:33:12] For we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, more than once, and yet Satan hindered us.
[00:33:17] For who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation?
[00:33:20] Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus it is coming?
[00:33:24] For you are our glory and our joy.
[00:33:28] May the Lord write his eternal word on our hearts this morning.
[00:33:32] I'm sure you're all familiar with that old saying, out of sight, out of mind.
[00:33:36] I mean, it first appeared in written English in John Haywood's 1562 collection of Proverbs.
[00:33:43] And the statement is a well-known proverb because it's generally true.
[00:33:47] You know, out of sight, out of mind.
[00:33:49] But I like this quote I ran across this week.
[00:33:52] Whoever said out of mind never had a spider disappear in the bedroom.
[00:33:58] I mean, out of sight, out of mind, it's a good proverb, but it's not always true.
[00:34:02] And it certainly wasn't true in the life and the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
[00:34:07] Paul founded the church in Thessalonica with his friends Timothy and Silas on his second missionary journey.
[00:34:15] But then you remember back in Acts 17, we read that they had to leave very quickly because of persecution.
[00:34:22] But from the moment he departed, the believers there were never out of Paul's heart and mind.
[00:34:28] For Paul, there was no good in the goodbye.
[00:34:32] that he said to that church.
[00:34:34] They were like a large spider that disappeared in Paul's bedroom.
[00:34:39] They were out of sight, but they were never out of his mind.
[00:34:43] Now to help us unpack this passage and its application this morning, I've got three simple points.
[00:34:47] You can see them there in your outline here on the screen.
[00:34:50] We have the heartache, we have the hindrance, and then we have the hope.
[00:34:55] It ends on a beautiful positive note.
[00:34:57] So the text opens here this morning for us with the heartache.
[00:35:02] And we get a glimpse here into the heart of the Apostle Paul.
[00:35:06] Paul wants these believers to know his love for them was not short on emotion or effort.
[00:35:13] He wants them to know that his heart is with them.
[00:35:16] And he tells them, basically, you're out of sight.
[00:35:18] You've been out of my sight since I left you, but you've never been out of my mind.
[00:35:23] In other words, his love spans this long distance between them.
[00:35:27] Paul's all the way down in southern Greece in Corinth, their way up in Macedonia in the city of Thessalonica, but the love of Paul spans that distance between them. So Paul's hasty and really premature departure and failure to return was being used probably by his critics there to claim
[00:35:49] that Paul had abandoned the church, that he kind of lost interest in them after he'd left. He hadn't come back to see them again. And so his critics, his enemies there would be saying, you know, Paul
[00:35:59] left, and he kind of lost interest in you guys. He doesn't really care about you anymore. And he wants them to remember that his departure wasn't voluntary, and his absence from them was forced.
[00:36:12] Notice he uses a very strong verb here. He says, but we, brethren, having been taken away from you.
[00:36:19] Now that word taken away, I've got it there in your outline, and it's ap orphanizo. You can see that the middle of that word is the word orphan. And so this was a word that was used of children
[00:36:30] deprived of their parents or parents who lost a child. It's used here in a metaphorical sense.
[00:36:37] But Paul says, we were literally orphaned from you. Now, Paul's already used earlier in chapter two, that the imagery of a mother and a child was his relationship to them, like a father and a
[00:36:51] child, to express his relationship to the Thessalonians. Paul was their spiritual father and their spiritual mother. See that back in chapter 2, verse 7 and verse 11. But Paul felt like a parent whose children were torn away, whose children were wrenched away from him,
[00:37:09] leaving him with a deep sense of loss and hurt and deprivation and separation.
[00:37:17] You know, one of the things this teaches us, we want to just pause for a moment and think about here is that the church is a family. Paul was a father, he was a mother, and notice he calls them
[00:37:27] brothers there in verse 17, but we brethren, you could translate that brothers and sisters.
[00:37:33] I mean, he even calls himself back in verse 7 of this chapter, of chapter 2, he calls himself an infant, and now he calls himself an orphan, a parent whose children have been taken away from
[00:37:46] Him. And this just reminds us that when we trust in Jesus Christ, we're brought into God's family.
[00:37:53] And that's what God wants us to be as His people. Remember in John 1.12, John writes, but as many as received Him, that is, who received Christ, as many as received Him, to them He gave
[00:38:05] the right to become the children of God, born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. So when we're born again, when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are
[00:38:16] born into God's family. We're brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers in Jesus Christ.
[00:38:24] And I hope every person here today is a member of God's family through your personal faith in Christ, trusting in Him, receiving Him to be your Savior. But Paul wanted the believers at Thessalonica to know that although his body was elsewhere, his heart remained with them,
[00:38:43] that he was burdened by their spiritual needs.
[00:38:48] He had a strong desire and passion to be with them.
[00:38:52] He wants to pastor them.
[00:38:53] He wants to love on them.
[00:38:56] Think about this for a moment.
[00:38:57] Paul and his friends were only in Thessalonica.
[00:39:00] We've mentioned this several times, but they were probably only there for about six to eight weeks.
[00:39:05] Then they were wrenched away from these new believers.
[00:39:08] So this deep relationship that Paul has with these people was just six to eight weeks in the making, and that shows how quickly that we can go deep with one another in Jesus Christ, forming an unbreakable bond. It's unlike any other relationship. We've
[00:39:24] all experienced that before. Maybe we've traveled somewhere and met some believers in another place and just known them for a few days, but there's a depth in that relationship that goes far beyond any relationship we can have with unbelievers, that there's a deep sense of affection between
[00:39:42] God's people, and it can be created and fostered very, very quickly. And that's what we see here with Paul and these believers. And you know, Paul says here, notice he says, we were all the more eager to see your face. He wanted to see him face to face. And I think it's
[00:40:02] good to ask ourselves, do we have that kind of desire to be with the people of God, to see the faces of God's people? Do you look forward to getting together with the people of God on Sundays,
[00:40:16] maybe on Wednesday evenings here, the Tuesday women's Bible study, or the men's group that meets the first Saturday of every month, or our man up, or all the various meetings throughout the week that take place? Do you look forward to being with God's people and seeing them face to
[00:40:35] face? Someone once said that many churches are nothing more than a group of disconnected people joined together by a common parking lot. And that's sad. Jesus didn't die for that.
[00:40:49] We're a lot more than that. We're a blood-bought community that's knit together in love.
[00:40:55] and this is a challenge here as well to the elders and pastors here at our church we see paul's heart here these people were his life look down in verse 8 we'll look at this in
[00:41:07] a couple of weeks of chapter 3 he says for now we really live if you stand firm in the lord paul's whole life was tied up in these fellow believers i'm in jesus christ and one of the
[00:41:21] things this tells us is that that Paul and Silas and Timothy and also Luke, you can add him in there, they were not just a bunch of professionals. They didn't see themselves as kind of, you know,
[00:41:34] CEOs over the church. Paul had the heart of a shepherd. And our leaders here in this church, we always have to remember that. The flock, the people here in this church don't exist to serve
[00:41:48] us. We exist to serve all of you here. And we want to be burdened by your burdens. We want to be broken by your brokenness. Paul's life was bound up in the welfare of those that he served. He
[00:42:04] loved them, and he felt for them, and he agonized over them. And he longed to be with them. And the separation from them was literally killing him. There's a story I love from church history.
[00:42:18] It's about a man named John Fawcett and his wife, Mary.
[00:42:22] John Fawcett, back in the late 1700s, served a small, poor, rural church in Waynesgate, Yorkshire, England.
[00:42:32] This church was poor.
[00:42:33] I read about it this week.
[00:42:35] The people in that area were pagan people, just godless people.
[00:42:40] Many of them were illiterate.
[00:42:42] They were very poor.
[00:42:43] and he was at this church and he pastored this poor rural church there and he earned a very very small salary and he got a call to a large prestigious church in london and he accepted
[00:42:59] this call to this large church and he packed his belongings to leave this church in yorkshire but as his wife this is back in those days they loaded up their wagon with all their belongings
[00:43:12] All the people from the community and the church came there to see John Fawcett and see his wife, Mary.
[00:43:18] The people were crying and weeping and saying their goodbyes.
[00:43:22] While they were doing that, Mary Fawcett turned to John and she said, John, I can't stand it. I can't leave.
[00:43:30] And he looked at her and he said, I've been feeling the same way.
[00:43:33] And so they unloaded their wagon and they stayed there for 54 more years serving the people there in Yorkshire.
[00:43:42] I kind of preach my sermons throughout the week to Cheryl a little bit, bit by bit.
[00:43:47] She really doesn't need to come on Sunday mornings.
[00:43:50] And by the way, she does just come once.
[00:43:52] She doesn't want to hear me more than once to speak.
[00:43:54] But I told her this story this week.
[00:43:58] I told her this story because it's a beautiful story.
[00:44:00] And she said, that's how I feel about the people at Faith Bible Church.
[00:44:04] And certainly that's the way I feel as well.
[00:44:07] But not long after this, John Fawcett wrote a song.
[00:44:10] You've heard it before, I'm sure, in church, called Blessed Be the Tie that Binds.
[00:44:15] It says, blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
[00:44:19] The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
[00:44:25] You can look it up this week.
[00:44:25] It's a beautiful song.
[00:44:26] Read the words of it.
[00:44:27] You just feel the pathos and the emotion of John Fawcett and the tie that he had with these people that he loved so much.
[00:44:35] We need to be like that.
[00:44:37] We need to get into one another's lives.
[00:44:38] we need to be in in one another's hearts and even when we're out of sight we're not out of one another's minds well the verse 18 we move from the heartache to the hindrance paul wants these
[00:44:53] thessalonians to know that he'd made a determined effort to return to see them he tried to get to them again and again he wants them to know that he's not disinterested he did all he could to get
[00:45:05] back there, and he wants them to know why he hadn't returned. Notice what he says in verse 18, for we wanted to come to you. Paul was eagerly endeavoring to get back there. His failure wasn't
[00:45:18] disinterest or a lack of desire or a lack of love for the people there. Notice what he says here in verse 18. He says, for we, that would be Paul and Silas and Timothy, we wanted to come to you.
[00:45:30] But then he uses the emphatic singular here, I, Paul.
[00:45:36] It's not just we wanted to come back.
[00:45:38] He wants them to know that he personally wanted to come back and to see them.
[00:45:42] The I here is highlighted.
[00:45:45] He wants them to know that he personally wants to come and see them.
[00:45:49] And then notice he says, more than once.
[00:45:51] So Paul had repeatedly tried to return back up to Thessalonica to see these believers, to encourage them and to disciple them.
[00:46:00] but notice what he says here the reason for his absence is satanic notice what he says in verse 18 and yet satan has hindered us he wanted to come see them but satan had thwarted them
[00:46:14] so this was a satanic setback so paul sees the sinister hand of satan behind this obstruction and in making his trip back to thessalonica paul knew that there was a sinister force that was at
[00:46:29] work against the gospel. I once read somewhere a man made this statement. He said, I know Satan exists because the Bible says he exists and because I've done business with him. And all of us have. He's real. Satan is real. He's relentless. The word Satan means adversary. We have an
[00:46:50] adversary, the devil, 1 Peter tells us, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to gulp down or to devour. Three times in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, we have Satan mentioned.
[00:47:04] By the way, that tells us that Paul, when he was there for six or eight weeks, must have taught these people about Satan. He must have told them about this enemy that they have. He's only with
[00:47:13] them a few weeks, but he taught them about their enemy, their adversary. Now, the word that's used here, hindered, Satan hindered us. This word was used back in that day in Greek of digging a trench
[00:47:25] or breaking up a road to make it impassable.
[00:47:29] In other words, tearing up a stone road so that the enemy couldn't traverse it.
[00:47:34] It was also used in an athletic sense of someone cutting in on someone else during a race.
[00:47:42] And that's what Satan does to us.
[00:47:44] He's a hinderer.
[00:47:46] He wants to trip us up.
[00:47:49] A.W. Tozer said it well one time.
[00:47:52] This is certainly true for us as believers.
[00:47:54] this world is not a playground it's a battleground we have to remember that we can think this world we live in just a big playground it's a battleground there's a cosmic struggle that's going on in the unseen world around us that's just as real as what we can see now how did satan
[00:48:14] hinder paul from coming back well we don't know the tech text doesn't tell us some believe it could have been some sin or some scandal at Corinth that was taking Paul's time, that Satan had caused the disunity there, and Paul wasn't able to get back because he was needed there in
[00:48:30] Corinth. Some people believe it was maybe a physical problem that Paul had. Remember in 2 Corinthians 12, he talks about a thorn in the flesh that he had, some physical problem. He said, it's a messenger
[00:48:42] of Satan to buffet me. Many believe it's a bond. Remember back in Acts 17, when Paul was there, and he left, there was a man there named Jason who was arrested, and Jason had to post a bond,
[00:48:56] a security. And many believe that if Paul went back there, that Jason would have to forfeit this bond or security, probably a large amount of money. Now, we do know, we'll see this next time in chapter 3, that Paul sent Timothy back there. So it may not have been this bond, or
[00:49:15] maybe the bond just had to do with Paul and not with Timothy. So Timothy was able to go back there, but Paul wasn't. But again, whatever the exact nature of the obstruction, it's clear that Satan
[00:49:28] threw up a roadblock. And he does the same thing in our lives and in our ministries and in our church and in our families. Satan tries to make our road impassable. He gets in the way. He tries
[00:49:41] to cut in on us and trip us up. He plants obstacles in our path. It could be health problems.
[00:49:50] You know, Satan can affect our health. Now, we'll talk about this in a moment, only with God's permission. But he gave Paul a thorn in the flesh. He certainly afflicted Job and his body physically. It could be relational struggles and disunity. It could be emotional issues.
[00:50:06] all kinds of ways that satan comes in and tries to to tear up the road in our life and make it impassable or cut in on us by the way let me just mention this i think it's important this new
[00:50:21] expansion and all the things that we seek to do by god's grace and with god's help satan's going to try to obstruct what we're doing i can assure you of that and we need to be ready we need to be
[00:50:32] ready to stand up and face the challenge look as we think about satan's hindrances though here's a couple of key points to remember. Not all hindrance is from Satan. Not all hindrance is from Satan. Sometimes we hinder ourselves. Most of the hindrances in my life are caused by me.
[00:50:51] Just not walking with God or not thinking rightly, not tapping into God's wisdom. So we can hinder ourselves. Sometimes the Lord closes doors. Remember in Acts 16, the Holy Spirit wouldn't let Paul go north and wouldn't let him go south and wouldn't let him go
[00:51:08] down far to the west. He had to go up to the north and to the west to Troas. So there it was the Holy Spirit not putting obstacles in his way, but funneling Paul to where he wanted him to be.
[00:51:22] You can ask, well, how do we know if it's the Lord closing a door or Satan blocking the way?
[00:51:29] We have to rely on the indwelling Spirit, I think, to help us discern that. Look, we don't want to be overly focused on Satan and demons. We have to be careful here. Some people have an obsession
[00:51:41] and a healthy fascination with Satan and demons. Some people are ignorant of his schemes and totally de-emphasize him, and that's the other extreme. Paul didn't go to either extreme, and we need to strike a balance when it comes to talking about Satan and demons. I like this
[00:52:00] thought from someone. Somebody said, blessed are the balanced, for they will not fall over.
[00:52:05] And I like that.
[00:52:05] We need to be balanced in all areas, but especially when it comes to Satan and demons.
[00:52:11] But here's a second thought, and that is Satan is not omnipotent.
[00:52:15] He's not omniscient, doesn't know everything.
[00:52:17] He's not omnipresent, but he's not omnipotent.
[00:52:20] He works only within the limits allotted to him by God.
[00:52:25] We see that in Job chapter one.
[00:52:27] He has to get God's permission to afflict Job.
[00:52:31] But God uses Satan's hindrances, even to accomplish his own will and purposes.
[00:52:37] Again, we see that in the book of Job.
[00:52:40] How God is glorified and God's purposes are fulfilled through Satan's affliction of Job.
[00:52:46] And we see it here in this passage.
[00:52:47] Think about this for just a moment.
[00:52:50] If Paul had been able to travel back up to see the Thessalonians in person, what two letters would be missing from our New Testament?
[00:52:59] First and second Thessalonians, right?
[00:53:01] We wouldn't have these books.
[00:53:03] So Satan's obstructing Paul to keep him from getting back up there and God uses Satan's obstruction to give us these two inspired letters that have blessed the church throughout the centuries.
[00:53:17] So Satan's hindrance served God's purpose.
[00:53:21] God's providence rules and overrules the obstructions of Satan.
[00:53:26] If Satan hinders and frustrates our lives and our ministries, we can be assured that God will ultimately use it for his glory and for our good. But we have to remember that when we seek
[00:53:40] to serve God, now this is a very, very powerful thought. When we seek to serve God, we will end up on hell's hit list. We can be assured of that. Our enemy is going to stir up trouble within
[00:53:52] and outside forces as well. We have to be up for the fight, armed with the armor of God.
[00:54:00] Remember back in Acts 19, some men there, the seven sons of Sceva, were going to cast these demons out.
[00:54:07] You remember that?
[00:54:08] Remember, what did the demons say?
[00:54:10] In fact, the demons end up coming out of this man and beating these men bloody, and they run out naked.
[00:54:16] But what did those demons say to those seven sons of Sceva?
[00:54:20] The demon says, I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?
[00:54:27] And it's a good thing to ask ourselves this morning, does Satan know who you are? Does he know who I am? We never want to act with foolish bravado or cockiness when it comes to spiritual warfare, but we should want Satan to know who we are
[00:54:42] because we're having impact and we're having influence in our sacrificial service for the Lord. There's an old saying, I think Charles Spurgeon may have said this first, but Satan never kicks a dead horse, but I can assure you he does kick living Christians and living churches.
[00:55:03] And when he kicks us, we can know that greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world.
[00:55:12] Now, last week I told a story about Martin Luther, and I promise I went to this trip on Germany a couple, to Germany a couple weeks ago. I won't tell a Martin Luther story every week, but another
[00:55:21] one does fit this morning well. Talked last week about when he was at the Diet of Worms, and you know, here I stand. He took his stand against the calls for him to recant what he was teaching.
[00:55:33] But when Luther leaves Worms in May of 1521, he's heading back across Germany, and Frederick the Wise, who was a man who loved Luther, had him kidnapped and took him to the Wartburg Castle, took him to this castle, and Luther was there for 10 months. And he was there for 10 months,
[00:55:51] and he translated the New Testament into German, which was just really a watershed moment in church history.
[00:55:58] But when you go to the Wartburg Castle, and again, I was there a couple weeks ago, you can see the room where Luther stayed there.
[00:56:05] And there's a legend, a story, many believe it's true, but Luther believed that Satan personally was there trying to obstruct him and afflict him.
[00:56:14] And I believe that's true because Satan's not omnipresent.
[00:56:17] And if there was one place in the world he would want to be at that time, it was attacking this man who was changing the world, translating the Bible into the German language that would transform all of Europe. And he had bouts there where he would believe Satan
[00:56:32] was there personally obstructing him. And so the legend is that at one point in time, Luther picks up his inkwell that he's dipping his pen in, and he throws it over against the wall because Satan's
[00:56:43] there and drives him away. When you go to the Wartburg today and you look at Luther's, this is the room he was in. You can see that plaster wall, and they've actually got obstructions up
[00:56:54] now where you can't get into the room because people were taking chunks of that ink stain off the wall over there. So that plaster's gone over there. But Luther was being obstructed by the enemy. But he fought it. He fought it day after day. And he accomplished the task that God had
[00:57:13] for him. And he ended up, he changed the world. And it happened right there in that room. But That's where he was afflicted by Satan day after day after day, throwing up the roadblocks, trying to trip him up, throws that inkwell against the wall. Actually, there's a sign
[00:57:27] there nowadays. It's kind of interesting because people are looking for the ink spot.
[00:57:30] And there's a sign that says the ink spot is not there. Don't stand here in the doorway and take up other people's time so they can take pictures too. So everybody's standing there looking for
[00:57:39] this ink spot to take a picture of, but it's gone there now. But Luther stood strong. He stood strong against these hindrances. And so must we in our day if we're going to change the world in
[00:57:50] our time. Well, after all this talk about heartache and hindrance, this passage ends on a very positive, optimistic note, a very hopeful note. We come now to the hope. So having explained the reason for his present separation from them, Paul looks to the future in hope. And he lifts his eyes
[00:58:10] towards heaven and rejoices in the hope of the coming of Jesus Christ. He looks ahead to that day and imagines himself standing side by side with these Thessalonian believers who were his spiritual children that he'd seen born again into the family of God. And he rejoices that even if
[00:58:31] he never saw the Thessalonians again in this life, that he would meet them someday in the life to come. Look at verse 19. For who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you
[00:58:44] in the presence of our Lord Jesus that is coming? For you are our glory and our joy.
[00:58:51] Paul rejoiced, if I don't ever see you all again here on earth, I'm going to stand side by side with you someday before the Lord in heaven. You know, that's our hope really every day when we
[00:59:04] part every time we part with another believer remember i was over at the bible center there a couple weeks ago in germany my friend johannes vogel runs the place there he loves bible prophecy and uh as i left he's planning on being in the states in december and i'm going to see him
[00:59:20] hopefully down in dallas but as we left uh johannes he's a big old big old german guy gave me a big hug goes mark we'll see you he goes we'll see you here there or in the air
[00:59:30] and i love that's always the hope that we have we'll see somebody else we'll see you here we'll see you there or we'll see you in the air you know the coming of christ is mentioned in
[00:59:40] every chapter in first thessalonians that's why we've titled this series today and that day because we live today we live each day in light of that day where we will stand before the lord paul lived
[00:59:53] and he served with the coming of Christ and the coming day of our rewards in view. It's interesting he says in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, that word coming is the word parousia in Greek,
[01:00:09] and this is the first time Paul uses it in his writings. This is his second book, and it's the first time he uses it in his writings. It's the first of seven occurrences in these Thessalonian
[01:00:21] letters. So a lot about Christ's coming. But I think this looks to the coming of Christ at the rapture will be caught up to heaven, but also at the judgment seat of Christ. I think the first
[01:00:33] event in heaven, when we get raptured to heaven, will be the judgment seat of Christ. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, 10, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so we can be judged
[01:00:45] and receive in our bodies the things we've done according to what we've done, whether it's good or whether it's bad. As believers, we're going to appear before the Lord someday to be reviewed, have our life reviewed as a believer and rewarded. It'll take place right after the Lord comes.
[01:01:03] 1 Corinthians 4, 5 says, when the Lord comes, it's a sobering verse. When the Lord comes, He's going to bring to light the things hidden in darkness. He's going to expose the motives of men's hearts and each man's praise will come to him from God. All believers during this church
[01:01:23] age will appear there before the Lord. And the purpose against to review our lives as believers than to reward us. It's going to be a heavenly awards ceremony. And the reward here is pictured as a crown. You will be our crown of exaltation or crown of rejoicing. That's not a diadem crown
[01:01:45] like King's War. This is a Stephanos crown. It was just kind of woven of branches or leaves, oak leaves. Back in that day, it was a crown won in the athletic games of that day. It was
[01:01:59] the equivalent to kind of a gold medal in our modern Olympics. And I've talked on this before, and I'm not going to have time to do it in massive detail this morning. I did a whole series some
[01:02:10] years ago on the judgment seat of Christ. But there's three main categories of heavenly rewards.
[01:02:16] The one is praise or commendation. Just as I read earlier in 1 Corinthians 4-5, each man's praise will come to him from God. I mean, think about that. God is going to find something in your life
[01:02:28] and my life to praise. I mean, the creator of the universe, the shepherd of the stars, is going to praise us someday, a commendation. And I think also a part of that is one of our
[01:02:40] rewards will be a greater ability and capacity to reflect the glory of God, a greater degree of radiance. Some of us will shine brightly, more brightly than others. In Daniel 12, 3, it says, those who have insight will shine brightly. Those who lead the many to righteousness will shine
[01:02:59] like the stars forever and ever. I think it was H.A. Ironside that used the illustration of a chandelier and you have a 75 watt bulb and maybe a 40 watt bulb and a 20 watt bulb. I mean,
[01:03:13] everybody's going to shine, but some of us will have a greater capacity to shine and radiate the glory of God than others. Now, no one's going to feel ripped off. I mean, I like what Warren
[01:03:23] Wiersbe said years ago, everyone's cup will be full, but some people's cups will be larger than others. Some of us will have a greater capacity to show forth the radiance of God. We're going of praise and commendation and radiance. Another reward are positions or co-ruling. We're going to
[01:03:41] rule with Christ over this earth and then on into eternity. And this is training time for reigning time. And how we fulfill the responsibilities and the opportunities God gives us now will determine where we're slotted for all of eternity to serve the Lord. Our life here matters. What we do now
[01:04:02] will matter for all of eternity.
[01:04:04] Look, the judgment seat of Christ is not going to determine whether we get into heaven or not.
[01:04:08] We're a believer.
[01:04:09] That was decided here.
[01:04:10] It won't determine where we spend eternity, but it will determine how we spend eternity.
[01:04:17] And then the third kind of reward are privileges or crowns.
[01:04:21] We could call this recognition.
[01:04:24] Let me just say one thing here about this, though.
[01:04:26] Don't let the grace of God make you lazy.
[01:04:29] A lot of people say, well, I've been saved by grace and it doesn't really matter what I do in my life.
[01:04:33] man, it matters tremendously. Let grace motivate and energize your life. Don't go to heaven with a thin resume, with an empty portfolio. Here's something really important to remember. I'll put this chart up here. You can get this online later and look at it in more detail. But this is the
[01:04:51] difference between redemption and rewards. I want to make it clear, we're not saved by what we do.
[01:04:56] Redemption is based on Christ's works for us. Our rewards are based on our works for Christ.
[01:05:02] Redemption is received by belief.
[01:05:04] Rewards are received by behavior.
[01:05:07] Redemption determines our eternal destination.
[01:05:10] Rewards determine our eternal compensation.
[01:05:12] Our redemption's past if we're a believer.
[01:05:15] The rewards are future.
[01:05:17] Redemption is free.
[01:05:19] Rewards are earned.
[01:05:21] Redemption can't be lost.
[01:05:22] Rewards can be lost.
[01:05:24] And redemption is the same for all Christians.
[01:05:27] Rewards will differ among Christians.
[01:05:30] We're saved by grace through faith, but our rewards are based on our works after we become a believer. Randy Alcorn says it really well in one of his books. He says, at death, we put the
[01:05:42] signature on our life's portrait. The paint dries, the portrait's done, ready or not. Sooner or later, Christ is going to come. We'll leave this world. We're going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. I'm just going to touch on this quickly, but I believe that we're going to receive crowns
[01:06:01] in heaven as rewards. You can see this again. You can look it up online later, the incorruptible crown. 1 Corinthians 9.25, Paul said there, I buffet my body. Now, it's not I buffet my body,
[01:06:14] it's I buffet my body. And if I buffet my body, I discipline it, and I make it my slave, lest having preached to others, I should be disqualified. And he says, I'm going to receive
[01:06:27] that incorruptible crown someday, if I live a self-disciplined life. There's the crown of righteousness. Timothy, Paul says, you know, there's laid up for me in heaven, the crown of righteousness, and not for me only, but for all those who've loved his appearing. It's for people
[01:06:46] who look to the coming of Christ and live a righteous life in view of it. There's the crown of glory. That's a crown for elders and pastors who faithfully shepherd God's flock. There's the crown of life. It's mentioned in James 1.12 and Revelation 2.10 for those who patiently endure
[01:07:05] the sufferings of this life. A special crown and reward for them, the crown of life.
[01:07:11] But here in our text this morning, we see this crown of rejoicing, the crown of rejoicing. And I believe this is a soul winner's crown.
[01:07:20] Paul says, you Thessalonian believers, you're my crown of rejoicing.
[01:07:26] You're people that I had the privilege to bring to Christ and to bring to the knowledge of Him and see born again into God's family.
[01:07:33] You're going to be my crown someday, my crown of rejoicing.
[01:07:37] David Jeremiah says it really well here.
[01:07:40] He says, this crown involves leading others to Christ.
[01:07:44] This crown involves a team effort.
[01:07:46] Whenever I have the opportunity of leading others to receive Jesus, I always find that someone has already planted the seed of the gospel in their hearts.
[01:07:54] Watch for opportunities to share Christ, to invite someone to church or to an outreach event.
[01:08:00] Contribute to your church and to Christian ministries.
[01:08:02] Share your testimony with your children and grandchildren.
[01:08:05] Speak up for Jesus on every occasion.
[01:08:08] And sow the word far and wide.
[01:08:10] whenever you do so the lord himself is fitting you for the crown of rejoicing paul's looking to that day think what it'll be someday when we're caught up to heaven we're gathered there around the throne with god's people and paul says these believers are going to be the reward in his life
[01:08:30] that produces joy and exaltation before god's throne they're going to be the crown of rejoicing his life. I told this story a few minutes ago or a little bit ago about John Fawcett, a well-known pastor. Let me close this morning with a beautiful story about Samuel Rutherford.
[01:08:50] Samuel Rutherford was a pastor in the 17th century in Scotland. He pastored a church in a place called Anwath by the Solway for nine years, but he was banished from his flock by the government.
[01:09:02] Think about that. He was banished from preaching there because he was preaching the gospel.
[01:09:07] He was a banished minister, but the people at that church remained in his heart. He loved them the rest of his life. He never forgot them. They were out of sight, but they were never out of his
[01:09:18] mind. And about 200 years later, a Scottish pastor's wife named Anne Cousin, she wrote a song based on the life and the letters and the famous dying words of Samuel Rutherford. His final words, the word Immanuel means God with us. When Samuel Rutherford was dying, his last words were this
[01:09:42] as he looked up into heaven. He said, glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land. Speaking of heaven, he spoke that before he died in 1661. Well, again, about 200 years later, Ann Cousin, looking at, thinking about those words and how much he'd loved the people at that church that
[01:10:01] He'd been pulled away from and separated from.
[01:10:04] She wrote a song.
[01:10:05] I'm sure many of you have sung it over the years, Emmanuel's Land.
[01:10:08] But here's one verse from this.
[01:10:10] I'll close with this this morning.
[01:10:13] She wrote this, Fair Anwath by the soul way, to me thou still art dear.
[01:10:18] Even from the verge of heaven, I'll drop for thee a tear.
[01:10:22] Oh, if one soul from Anwath meet me at God's right hand, my heaven will be two heavens in Emmanuel's land.
[01:10:33] Look, your heaven and my heaven will be two heavens if other people that we've seen come to Christ and meet us there. It'll be two heavens, three heavens, four heavens, five heavens. Do you want heaven to be two heavens? Then bring your children, your grandchildren, your spouse, a friend,
[01:10:55] a co-worker, maybe a total stranger. Go on a mission trip and see people come to Christ.
[01:11:02] give so that people far away that you'll never ever meet are introduced to the Savior look there are many ways to be involved in leading people to Christ and seeing them grow in their faith
[01:11:14] but do you and I understand in this life what's really important it's the Lord and it's His people it's the opportunities we have to serve them to shepherd them and to love them to care for them
[01:11:28] let's pray together Father we thank You for Your love and Your care for us.
[01:11:41] That we can be born again into Your family through faith in Christ.
[01:11:46] Father, again, I pray if there's someone here outside of Christ, that they won't leave here today without receiving Jesus as their Savior.
[01:11:53] Being born into Your family.
[01:11:56] Father, I pray for us as a church family here at Faith Bible Church.
[01:12:00] That as new people come to our church, that we'll get to know new families in our church.
[01:12:05] That we'll welcome them.
[01:12:07] That You'll make us a family that loves each other and cares for one another.
[01:12:11] that share and bear one another's burdens and one another's broken hearts.
[01:12:17] Father, I pray for our pastors and our elders here, for myself especially.
[01:12:23] Have a true heart, Lord, for our people like Paul had, like Samuel Rutherford had, like John Fawcett had.
[01:12:31] Father, I pray that you'll help us to triumph over our hindrances.
[01:12:36] Father, we know that the enemy will come and put obstacles in our way and these things that we're trying to do as a church.
[01:12:42] Father, help us to trust you and put on the full armor of God and see Your hand even in the hindrances.
[01:12:49] Father, help us to work this day in light of that day, to work hard today.