Paul
writes two letters to the Thessalonian Christians. The theme of 1 Thessalonians
is how to keep growing in the faith, how to keep growing in love, and how to
keep growing in hope. Consider the circumstances in which we are now living,
this is a very timely message.
1
Thessalonians 1:1
Paul,
Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
The
things Paul, along with his companions Silvanus and Timothy, desires for these
Christians are grace and peace.
Grace:
God’s unmerited favor and love
Grace
is the truth that God’s love for us is not deserved and cannot be earned. God
loves us and blesses us based on Him and who He is, and not on us.
Peace:
It is the reality being joined or weaved together
Peace
is not just the absence of strife and hostility – it expresses the desire for
harmony with God and with other people.
God
desires that we experience grace and peace.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the grace and peace of God in
our daily lives.
1
Thessalonians 1:2
We
give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our
prayers.
Paul
wants the Thessalonian Christians to know that he is constantly praying for
them and giving thanks for them. In Ephesians 6:18 Paul says that we are to
pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication, to that end,
keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Just
as Paul prayed for the Thessalonian Christians, we are to pray for each other as
fellow followers of Jesus.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is praying continually for our brothers and
sisters in Jesus.
1
Thessalonians 1:3
Remembering
before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul
remembers three things about these Thessalonian Christians.
Their
Work of Faith
Faith
is not just an intellectual acknowledgment of truth. Faith is having trust to
the extent that you are incorporating what you trust into your everyday life.
Faith in Jesus is believing not just in Jesus, but believing Jesus - who He is
and what He says. And then living your life based on those truths.
These
Thessalonians Christians lived their lives and worked based on their faith in
Jesus. We are not saved by works but we are saved to works.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living daily based on our faith in Jesus.
Their
Labor of Love
Love
is not just an emotion. It is not a mushy feeling, an inability to eat, or
obsessively thinking about a person. Love is action.
God
loved so He gave His one and only Son.
Jesus,
the Son, loved so He gave His life on the cross for our sin.
These
Thessalonian Christians loved so much that they labored to show that to others
daily. Their labor of love flowed out of their being committed to their first
love – Jesus. Our labor of love has to also flow from our commitment to our
first love – Jesus.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is loving others in the way that Jesus loves
us.
Their
Steadfast Hope
Biblical
hope is not the same as wishing. Biblical hope is a confident assurance that
God is and will fulfill His promises. It is total dependence on God and His
Word. Hope in God and His word is the key to allowing the Holy Spirit to set
you apart for God’s purpose and for God using you for His honor.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living daily based on the promises of God.
Their
work of faith, their labor of love, and their steadfast hope is all done in
Jesus as their Lord. Everything we do has to be done in and out of the truth
that Jesus is Lord.
We
need to remember that:
No
joy without peace,
No
peace without grace
No
grace without Jesus
In
fact, without Jesus there is nothing of real value.
With
the Presence of Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Hebrews
12:1-2
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
We
are living in a time when the normal is not the normal right now.
We
are living in a time of uncharted courses.
We
are living in a time of many unknowns.
Because
of these realties we are facing a weight in many of our lives: fear.
Fear
of nothing being normal and maybe it will never be normal again.
Fear
that the uncharted courses are leading to destruction.
Fear
that the unknowns will never become known.
I
understand each of those fears because I have experienced them over the last
two weeks. I have gone from great hope and confidence to great discouragement.
Following God’s call on my life to teach and proclaim the gospel and caring for
the emotional and physical heath on my faith family has proved challenging. So,
yes, I am not immune to a feeling of fear.
The
passage in Hebrews gives us a way to deal with the fear: look to or focus on
Jesus.
This
week I have done three things to focus myself more on Jesus.
#1:
Spend more time in scripture – letting God speak to my fears through His word
which is truth.
#2:
Listen to more God-focused music – God uses the powerful format of music to
apply His truth our spirits.
#3:
Share with and serving others more – getting the focus off my fears and helping
others with theirs.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is focusing our lives on Jesus.
Why
focusing on Jesus relives our fears:
Because
Jesus is the founder of our faith – He initiated our faith (it originated and
is centered in Him).
Because
Jesus is the perfecter of our faith – He provides our desire to experience
salvation and the means of our salvation.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is giving our lives to Jesus and experiencing
Him as the founder and perfecter of our faith.
Jesus
endured the shame of the cross so we would experience the joy of knowing Him, trusting
Him, and overcoming the things that hinder us. Fear is a hinderance to us
fully, joyfully, and faithfully following and obeying Jesus. So, we are told to
get rid of it by giving it to Jesus.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the power to follow Jesus
fully, joyfully, and faithfully.
Psalm
123:1-2
To
you I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the
eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till He has
mercy upon us.
God
impressed this passage on me this week. We are to look to God as our Master and
cry to Him for mercy and fully expect God to pour out His mercy on us.
Our
fears are not relieved based of explanations but our fears are relieved based
on God’s promises.
May
you and those you love experience the peace of God!
Looking
to Jesus and Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
Psalm
11:3 asks a question, “If the foundations are being destroyed, what can the
righteous do?”
It
is a good question to ask based on the national and global situation we face.
The situation is not just the effect of the coronavirus but the unknown of who
I might get it from. That unknown can cause us to be fearful. So, the question
is not how to deal with the coronavirus, but how to deal with fear.
The
Bible gives us much counsel and help when it comes to dealing with fear. Let’s
look at four.
Psalm
56:3-4
When
I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I
trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
First,
we have to trust God. Real trust comes when we come to know someone and can
rely on them. Trust only comes over time and by learning to turn our fears over
to God because we truly know that He has us.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is trusting God no matter what the fear is.
2
Timothy 1:6-7
For
this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you
through the laying of hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power
and love and self-control.
Next,
we have to recognize that fear does not come from God. God gives us His Spirit
which imparts to us:
His
Power
His
Love
His
Mind
God
works in us as His children to enable us to live a life that is characterize by
power, love, and common sense (God-sense). It is not characterized by fear that
comes from the devil.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is recognizing that fear does not come from
God.
1
John 4:4
There
is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with
punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Next,
God’s love is perfect and His love casts out fear.
This
virus and any other threatening thing in our lives is not God punishing us. It
is not Him being angry at us and causing bad things to happen to us. God is
love and His love overcomes all the things that bring fear into our lives.
Raise
the Roof and the Remove the Walls is allowing God’s perfect love by the filling
of His Spirit to overcome our fears.
Philippians
4:6-7
Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally,
turn the anxiety or fear over to God by prayer and petition and thanksgiving,
and God will flood peace into your life protecting your heart and mind (the two
places where fear attacks).
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is turning everything in our lives over to God.
Zach
Williams has a song called Fear is a Liar. The chorus says:
Fear
he is a liar
He
will take your breath
Stop
you in your steps
Fear
he is a liar
He
will rob your rest
Steal
your happiness
Cast
your fear in the fire
Cause
fear he is a liar
We
live in a time of unknowns. The truth is people have always lived in a time of
unknow. God is not calling us to be fearful or blame others. He is calling us
to show trust in Him, to live by the power of His Spirit, let His love enable
us, and turn everything over to Him in prayer.
And
one last thing God is calling us to be gracious to those who are fearful.
We
are the body of Christ, so let’s be His hands and feet in a time of great fear
in our world.
In
Trust, Not Fear, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
Psalm
42:1-2
As
the deer pants for flowing streams, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul
thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
What
is the real desire of my heart? That is what the Psalmist is taking about in
this psalm. His soul, the real him, desires God just as a deer who has been
running and exerting himself desires to drink water from a flowing stream. The
question you and I have to answer is: To what extent to I really want to know
God?
There
are two different words translated know in the New Testament. One word means to
know something or someone from a theorical viewpoint. I know something because
I read about in a book or studied a manual or I know about a person because I
have read about them. The other word means I know something or someone because
I have experienced it or them. It is knowledge that comes through experience.
Jesus
wants us to know Him because we have experienced Him in our lives.
In
the book of Acts, we see examples of people wanting Jesus for selfish motives
and examples of people really wanting to know Jesus.
First
are the examples of people wanting Jesus for selfish reasons.
In
Acts 5 we meet Ananias and Sapphira who were part of the church in Jerusalem.
They wanted to know Jesus enough to receive recognition and praise by looking
as if they had made a bigger sacrifice than they really had. They gave part of
a sum they received for selling some land and claimed they gave all of it. They
wanted Jesus for personal honor.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is wanting Jesus for His honor and glory.
In
Acts 8 we meet Simon. He wanted Jesus for personal power. Simon gave his life
to Jesus and was baptized. One day Simon observed Peter laying hands on some
people and they received the Holy Spirit. Simon offered money to Peter to get
the power to give the Holy Spirit to others. Peter tells Simon what he can do
with his money. Simon wanted power and he saw Jesus as a means to that power so
he could use it for himself and his desires.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is being filled with the Holy Spirit to be
empowered to accomplish the will and desire of Jesus, not our own will or
desire.
Then
there are the examples of people really wanting Jesus.
Also,
in Acts 8 we meet an unnamed Ethiopian eunuch. He has been to Jerusalem to
worship God. This man was a real seeker. On the man’s return trip home, he
encounters Philip. Philp shares with him about Jesus and the man wants to
experience the reality of Jesus so much that he believes, gives himself to
Jesus and even stops and has Philip baptize him.
Rise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is wanting Jesus so much that nothing will
stand in your way.
Then
in Acts 10 we meet Cornelius. He was a Roman centurion. He wants Jesus so much
that he sends people to ask Peter to come and share about Jesus with him and
his family and his friends. Cornelius and his family and friends are saved,
baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Cornelius wanted Jesus so much that
he went to extraordinary efforts to hear the gospel and get his family and
friends to hear it also.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is wanting Jesus so much that you want those
that you care about to experience Him also.
The
difference between those four examples is that the first two were motivated by
pride and selfishness and the second two were motivated by a soul-deep desire
to really experience the reality of Jesus in their lives.
I
have to be careful that I want Jesus to really experience Him because of what
He has done for me and not so my church will grow or that others will think I
am a great guy or that I am perceived as great spiritual leader or great
pastor.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is wanting Jesus for Jesus, not for myself.
Experiencing
Jesus By Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
This
last month I turned 68 and in May it will be my fiftieth high school reunion.
Those two things, among several more, remind me that I am growing older.
So,
one of the truths about who God is which is becoming more and more important is
that God is the God who stays with us through everything in life and renews us.
2
Corinthians 4:16-18
So,
we do not lose heart. Through our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is
being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for
us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparisons, as we look not to the
things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are
seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
We
are not to lose heart because although our bodies are wearing out, we are
getting older, but God is renewing our inner lives every day.
How
is God accomplishing that?
Enables
to see our struggles in life as light and momentary.
Focus
not on what is seen but on what is unseen, which is what is eternal.
I
have observed something very interesting in my life as I grow older. I don’t
have the physical energy I used to have, but have even more passion for Jesus
than ever. Outwardly wasting away but being renewed inwardly daily.
Raise
Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing that as we grow older, we are being made new in
our love for and devotion to Jesus.
Isaiah
40:28-31
Have
you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator
of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is
unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He
increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall
fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they
shall walk and not faint.
God
is the everlasting Creator. He never grows weary or grows tired. He gives power
to those who have no strength and no power of their own. He will even give to
old guys the ability to out-do younger guys by empowering us through faith in
Him. He gives the ability to run and not grow weary and to walk and not grow
faint to those who wait and trust Him.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the renewing strength of God
daily in our lives that empowers us to accomplish His will.
Isaiah
43:1-3
But
now thus says the Lord, He who crated you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O
Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are
Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the
rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall
not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
God
is our Creator and our Redeemer and our Savior.
God
created us to know and have fellowship with Him.
God
redeemed us to have an intimate relationship with Him.
God
saved us so that we could spend eternity with Him.
God
wants us so much that He will be with us through flood and fire.
God
wants us so much that He will not let the flood overwhelm us.
God
wants us so much that He will not let the fire burn us.
God
will be with us through everything, good and bad.
According
to Hebrews 13 God will never leave us or forsake us.
According
to Romans 8 nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from God’s
love.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the presence, power, love, and
grace of God every day.
God
is the God who renews us by His love and power every day.
God
is the God who preserves in His love for us.
God
is the God who strengths and sustains us to live and love Him.
Preserving
and Serving God by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
