Recent Sermons

God has specific instructions in his Word regarding His will for your life. A foundational element of His will for you is your sanctification. God wants you to live differently from the culture around you. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-12, Paul gives us specific ways in which we are to live in order to have lives that are pleasing to God.

Paul has just expressed his prayer for God to do a wonderful work in the Thessalonian believers. Now he turns to their responsibility. There is a way to live our lives that pleases God and we are expected to live that way. Sound Biblical instruction is not the end of the process, it is the beginning. What are you doing with the instruction that you receive from the Lord through his Word and his people?

When was the last time that you stood in awe and wonder as you considered who God is and all that God has done and will do? As Paul contemplated all that had happened, was happening and would continue to happen in the lives of the Thessalonians, he stood in awe of his great God and his Savior. Out of that spirit of awe and thanksgiving, Paul expresses his prayer for the Thessalonians, a prayer that would impact their lives and should change our lives as well.

In our culture we tend to view suffering, persecution and hardship as outside of the norm. Many Christians are frustrated or even angered when they experience any of these things. What is the biblical teaching and expectation when it comes to suffering and persecution? How should these things affect our lives and attitudes?

Will obeying and believing the gospel automatically lead to a life of ease without any difficulties? At times the gospel has been presented in this manner. However, Paul is going to remind us that Christians will encounter unexpected circumstances and unanticipated consequences at times, but God is at work in them for our good and his glory.

As Paul continues to defend his ministry to the Thessalonians, he gives us a unique picture of the appropriate way to give and to receive the Word of God. In a day and age when relative truth has replaced the absolute truth of the Word of God, it is critically important we share the gospel of God with people. Paul is going to beautifully illustrate in this passage that it is not only important what we tell people, but how we do it.