Spiritual growth is hard. It doesn’t just happen. It takes effort.
Spiritual maturity takes time. The usual experience is slow growth over a long period of time. This is often frustrating to us, but when we come to realize that it’s the usual pattern for almost all believers, we can relax a little.
While he’s excited that they’re standing firm, Paul also acknowledges the reality of the need for much spiritual growth to happen in the Thessalonians church. He’s not frustrated at their lack of growth.
In this passage, we see three practical principles in Paul’s life that help us to live faithfully in the midst of whatever situation the Lord has us in.
1. Be Thankful
We want to see BIG things, MAJOR growth, huge dynamic changes. But most of the time, change doesn’t happen that way. So iwhether things are moving at a snail’s pace or rocketing forward, always be thankful for what the Lord is doing,. For the growth you’re seeing in yourself and in others. When you’re thankful, it changes your heart.
Five ways thankfulness changes your heart.
1. It acknowledges God’s sovereignty.
You’re saying - you’re in control and you deserve my thanks. When I’m not thanking God
It’s easy to fall out of the attitude of gratitude
And forget (James 1) that everything good & perfect gift comes from God.
2. It acknowledges God’s goodness
God is good. All the time.
All the time. God is good.
God cannot do anything that’s not good.
When I’m not thanking God, I can easily forget about His inherent goodness
3. It promotes my humility
Matthew 7 tells us that we’ll be judged by the standard we use to judge others.
We need to be thankful for even the little things in life.
4. It confesses my own inadequacy
I’m in need of His grace, mercy, tender care, guidance, provision… on and on…
The more I thank God - the more I remember how much I need Him.
5. It helps me submit to His will
When I’m thankful to God, it helps me to be submissive to His will because
I’m remembering that He is sovereign, He is Good, He’s working for me,
so I can follow His will for my life.
Paul is absolutely overwhelmed:
For what thanksgiving can we return to God
This is a rhetorical question
He’s saying:
I just can’t be thankful enough
There’s no way to be adequately thankful for what God is doing in your lives.
There’s no way to be adequately thankful for what God is doing in your lives.
2. Passionate Prayer
Two things about Paul’s prayer:
The How:
“most earnestly”
How passionate is your prayer life?
Are you driven to pray like what we see in Paul? Most earnestly, day and night
Or do you do it because you know you’re supposed to? To check it off your “to do” list?
What is the attitude of your heart when you pray?
We need to live as if it all depends on us and pray as if it all depends on God.
Paul also prays night and day
Pointing to two things:
• a pattern of life - overflowing from the earnest, fervent, passionate prayers
• a system - He was disciplined, organized, and intentional in his prayer life.
The WHAT of Paul’s prayer life
Verse 12 – may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,
The foundation of effective ministry is found in both personal relationships (involvement in one another’s lives), and in love. Not generic affection, but agape love
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 expands on this
3: Gospel Transformation
v 13 - the end goal: to be established in holiness
It is not until we come to Christ and abide in Him that any of this makes sense.
The Bible says
You were dead in your sin… disobedient, led astray, hateful, envious, slaves to various passions and pleasures…
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (pointing us to the cross - Jesus Christ crucified, dead, buried and risen again) 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, (salvation is not something you can earn, no matter how hard you try) so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Paul’s prayer for them is that they be created in Christ Jesus
That they be established with blameless hearts
That they be holy before God
When we repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus Christ, we’re radically changed and we will grow.
And that is something to be excited about
We need to be on the lookout for growth in one another’s lives
Thankfulness must be a primary goal
When we constantly complain and are consistently critical, it’s poison in our mind and heart.We have to recognize it as sinful behavior and stop it.
Ephesians 4:29 – Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
God has given me much grace
How can I not turn around and give that grace to others? (not just Christians - but ALL)
Remembering that I was a great sinner
But HE is a greater Savior
Read the lyrics to the song “How Deep the Father’s Love”
How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make this wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons and daughters to glory
Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
How can we not be thankful?
John 15:13-14 – Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Rob
Here's the link to the sermon on the church website: http://fellowshipjoplin.org/media/305766-1180564-2192322/pauls-practical-theology
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