In the Holy Spirit

I Thessalonians 1:4-6

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I invite you to take your Bibles, turn with me to First Thessalonians in chapter one. We get began a study there a couple of weeks ago with the express purpose of arriving where we do today, namely a couple of verses that mention the Holy Spirit. As again we're celebrating Pentecost today and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. I gave some background on the book last time that has not been posted yet. I'll hopefully get to that today. But if you do get into that kind of historical information, which I often do, I like to know about how it came to be the book was written and when they think it was written and how it came. I didn't talk as much about how it was canonized, other than um it was believed pretty universally early on as one of Paul's earliest writings. So they there were copies of it. There was not much question that it was under Paul's authorship, even though there's three writers given he he was the primary impetus for it. So anyway, there's that kind of historical information. If you want to listen to that, you can do that. As far as today, we're going to focus on a couple of things. One one, of course, is the Holy Spirit, uh, but the other is on this idea of being chosen because it's mentioned in the text. So we're going to only make it through three verses today, verses four through six. I will just reset the context a little bit. We're breaking because we're breaking in midstream of the writers of Paul, Silas, and Timothy. They're expressing thankfulness to God for the Thessalonians. And since verse 2, they've been given reasons for that thankfulness. And covered three of them last time. They're mentioned specifically in verse 3. Now, in verses 4 through 6, we'll see some additional reasons for thanksgiving. And so let's go ahead and pray and then we'll read. Father in heaven, thank you again for your word. Please help us as we study together. Please, Holy Spirit, uh, enlighten us and help us. For clearly, Father, if it's just me speaking, nothing will be done. So we ask for your guidance and for your wisdom in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, first Thessalonians 1 and verses 4 through 6. For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you for your benefit, and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. Now, again, before we consider the references to the Holy Spirit in more detail, we are confronted out of the gate with this thankfulness the writers express for the Thessalonians that they have been chosen by God, it says. One of the meanings of chosen is in the salvation sense, and it is in that definition which spills into the doctrine of election, which if you've been here for the last couple of years, you may be painfully aware. I have labored to let you know that it is the doctrine of election that I believe has so been so mischaracterized from the Calvinistic point of view and often from the Reformed perspective, uh, that being mainly a Reformed Baptist. Uh, I I've submitted the Calvinistic doctrine of election or being chosen actually leads to a let's call it an incoherent view of salvation. And we've talked about this, but I I just when I have opportunities like this, I feel like given the just the culture of Christianity right now, this needs to be dealt with, especially in evangelicalism. And more and more are dealing with it, but we we want to do our part as small as we are, we want to make mention of it. The the doctrine of election for the Calvinists is the idea that God predestines those who are saved and in effect predestines those who are damned. Now, that can either be through what is referred to as double predestination. I don't know if you've heard of that, but where God basically predestines some to be saved and predestines some to go to hell, or it can be what is called passive predestination, which basically means what what they're saying is we're all destined for hell, and God in his mercy elects some to save and just lets the others go on their path. And so that's what's happening, that's their belief. What that has the effect of doing, and what I've tried to stress, is rendering or trusting in Christ merely the product of God's election. In other words, if God has chosen you for salvation, you will believe. If he has not, you cannot, you won't, and again, indeed you can't. So the idea of Romans 10, 13, which says, Whosoever will may call on the name of the Lord and will be saved, that from their perspective is not to be taken literally. That's only a condition of you being chosen in eternity past. Now, the only way you would ever call on the name of the Lord is if you were chosen. That's what they're saying. Okay. Um, as you would immediately recognize, there's no free will involved whatsoever. Indeed, not only can you not receive salvation without God electing you first, you can't reject God if He has elected you. Okay, so it all comes down to that. Now, there can be various ways this is presenting, but I assure you that's what they're saying. And if you press them hard enough, that's where you'll end up. Now, there's not enough here, and it's not my purpose today to get into the details of all this. What we can say from the text is that the language is reminiscent of Deuteronomy 7 and verses 7 through 9. And I was just going to read it for you, but I think it'll be good if we turn and look at it together. So if you have your Bibles, I would recommend you turn there. Deuteronomy 7. And scholars are the ones that tell us it appears that Paul is using the language, the way that he uses it, he's reflecting it in the same way it's used here. Deuteronomy 7 and verse 7. The Lord has his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of savory, slavery, from the power of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands. Okay? So if Paul is thinking in terms of Deuteronomy when he writes, as scholars indicate that he is, they believe, what we can learn from this idea of being chosen here in this Deuteronomy passage is that it's certainly not a reference to individual salvation. So it's not here. That's clear unless you think Moses means that every Jew is going to be saved, and not and Calvinists don't believe that. So what is meant here is that God chose the nation of Israel for blessings as they followed him in the old covenant. Now, here it's not a reference to salvation, and it does not even mean that each individual who is in the nation of Israel will receive those blessings who are part of Israel if they don't follow God. What Moses is saying is that God's choice of Israel shows vividly that God has set his love on them. And again, not because they were somehow more valuable than anybody else, but or more worthy of love than other people's. Ultimately, God has his purposes, and those are revealed as we go through scripture. But the reasons for God's great love were found in the Lord, not in Israel. And verse 9 again actually provides conditions to God's covenant loyalty. He keeps his gracious covenant loyalty. Full stop? No. Read the rest of verse 9. For a thousand generations with whom? With those who love him and keep his commands. So there's a condition on the old covenant. And clearly, here the idea of being chosen is not at all referring to individual salvation, but rather to the corporate choosing of Israel as a nation. And they were chosen to receive God's blessings that other nations did not receive. And the people, what's interesting is that people of other nations could come into Israel and be chosen because they could adopt Judaism. Ruth is a prime example of that. And there's stipulations. I believe it's in Exodus 12. I should have looked it up. I should have looked it up, but I believe it's in Exodus 12 where it talks about how someone can proselytize. Is that the word? Proselytize and become part of the nation of Israel, and therefore they would then be chosen. So when we think about the terms chosen and elect in the New Testament, we also have to bring some of these ideas forward of what God is conveying to us. It doesn't mean it's an exact parallel, but we do have to think about it. Um, in this instance, it clearly, again, was not referring to a fixed fate. And to be chosen in Christ and to be elect does not mean that God chose you for salvation before the world began. You will never find that in any text. Ever. Now, I think it has to be read into the text, and in fairness, I think it's somewhat understandable why people do that. Part of it is the way that we just naturally read things. It happens this way with prophecy, too. We'll probably talk a little bit about that before we get completely out of this chapter. Um, and our society tends to read things very individualistic. That's just the way we roll. America was built that way to some extent. But in Israel, more things are thought of in the corporate sense or in the sense that we are as a church in a body. So that's more of what is being referred to. The problem, even though it is understandable somewhat that some of these doctrines have arisen, the problem is it's in direct contradiction with how we are actually saved. We are saved by believing that Christ died for our sins. That's how we're saved. And upon salvation, we are elect and chosen. Because to be elect and chosen means that God has predetermined many, many blessings for those that are in that group, those that are in Christ. The people you may listen to, I don't know if anybody still listens to radio. Do y'all still do that? 6.9, that sort of thing. A lot of those folks are Calvinistic or Reformed. And what is strange if you listen to them is that they won't present the gospel in this way, that they believe election is fundamental. It's only, and John MacArthur, who's such a great Bible teacher, is notorious for this. He he never presented it in this way until he did a passage. If he was doing a passage and there's not that many on election, but if he was doing one of those, then he presented it totally different. It was bizarre, and people have noted it before. Um so when any of these pastors are trying to get someone to trust in Christ, they don't present it like we're just trying to find out if you're really chosen or not. Because if you trust in Christ, that proves you are. And if you don't, then you never were. They don't put it in that way because the Bible never presents any person trying to save someone, present it in that way. The issue is you have to be born again, and the offer is to whosoever will. The preaching of the gospel and the Holy Spirit are what opens the mind. People are not born again before they believe. That's clearly unbiblical, and that's what's being taught. When you bring election in as an unconditional election determined from eternity past, you cannot escape the fact that mankind has no libertarian free will whatsoever to receive grace or to love God or to reject grace for that matter. None of this is what the gospel is meaning. So I hope you can get some grasp of this. When you put scripture with scripture, the chosen are those who are in Christ, but we are in Christ when we come to believe in him. That's only when we're in Christ, when we come to believe in him, and we believe in him because God opens our minds through the gospel and through the Holy Spirit to understand our need, and we can then receive grace. But to be chosen does not mean that God has predetermined we will be saved, and then comes to re and then we come to realize that's what's happening. Being chosen or predestined or elected in the salvific sense is meant to convey that God is fully guaranteeing all the benefits of being in Christ. It is not meaning that those things are what put you in Christ. You are not chosen to be in the new covenant. You are chosen because you are in the new covenant of grace when you receive freely what is offered by God to you. Just a kind of trivial example, one sense, but maybe it'll make the point. Mariah is my chosen bride. But you can rest assured, I didn't say to her, you're gonna marry me and you're gonna like it. That didn't happen. So, no, and she loved me and I'm her chosen husband. And so the Lord operates in really the same way, which is understandable. We're all made in his image, and so for us to freely love him, we have to have some element of free will. Everybody understands that, but we do have elements of free will, and certainly receiving the gospel is one of those. Now, one reason we know this is groupthink on the writer's part, is properly conveyed in the CSB version I read from. I have complained, y'all may remember, about the NIV sometimes translating male references as mixed references. But it is true that the word used for brother in the Greek is certainly better translated in some contexts as brothers and sisters, especially in our current English usage. And this is one of those times, and some have even suggested the word really should be translated sibling, because the purpose of it is to suggest a very powerful family reference. God is our father, we're truly brothers and sisters in the faith. We are chosen in that. God has linked us together, and some of us have physical family members here, but we are all spiritual family, okay? And immediate family members in our local body here. And note the phrase love by God or beloved by God. The Jews applied that only to great men like Moses or Solomon and the nation of Israel itself. So Barclay says, Now the greatest privilege of the greatest men of God's chosen people has been extended to the humblest of Gentiles. This is a foundational truth. God's choosing indicates he is determined that we will have a family. I don't know if any of y'all experienced this. It's not unusual for a person's earthly family to grow distant, or somebody in that family to grow distant when a person comes to faith in Christ, because it you change. So especially if you hadn't, if you weren't a Christian for most of your life, or maybe you became a Christian when you got a little older. And so your relationships can change with those you're closest to. And they may be resentful of that to some extent. And uh of course, when that happens, there is pain. And it's none of us like family discord or friend discord and that sort of thing. And God understands all that, which is why He's given you a whole new family, a whole host of brothers and sisters. Jesus said, you may remember, I'm paraphrasing here, I didn't look at it up, but it goes something to this effect. He said, in effect, if you give up your mom, your dad, your brothers, your sisters, your houses, your lands, your clothes, your food, your money, for me and my kingdom, I'll give you much more back in the present age and in the age to come. Now he wasn't advocating for you just to alienate people. What he was saying is if you are following me and these things happen to you, then you can rest assured you're gonna get back a lot, not only in the next age, but in this one. So if any of lost loved ones, because of Christ, God is God will make it up to you now. And if any of you have had that experience, you probably already could attest to that. Now, of course, he's not gonna necessarily fill that void or that ache that we have for the broken relationship until heaven, but he does give us a whole new family. When when we partake of communion here in just a bit, remember that each person partaking with you is a member of your family. And that's very true, and we're gonna be together a long time, so we might as well be nice to each other now. Of course, we are, we are nice here, and uh but we should be nice even when we're around each other more than just on Sunday, as some of us are. Um anyway, as we move into verse five, the CSB starts with because I don't know what yours starts with. That sounds like a connective word. It is, it starts a two-part, two-part explanation of why uh Paul, how Paul knows that they have been chosen. Thessalonians have been chosen. Verse 6, I guess, is really how he knows. Verse 5 is really more how Paul and his colleagues have presented the gospel. This is um Paul says the gospel was presented not only in word but also in power. Now, again, just another reference to the chosen part here. This is important. As far as the order, Paul is saying he knows they're chosen because it's clear they've received the gospel. He's not saying you received the gospel because you were chosen, and that can be difficult for people to grasp there, but that's the how he's presenting it. Um as far as what else we learn here, he does say it was presented not only in word, but also in the power of the Holy Spirit. So, what we learn and what we know is that the gospel is not a matter of mere words. I I was thinking about this. Y'all feel like you I don't know. I'm pretty bad to read on my phone. I I don't get on social media har hardly ever. But um I just read stuff on the phone. So I feel like I'm bombarded with words. I don't know if y'all feel like that. Read a lot of stuff. Um anyway, it made me think of Nate Bargetse. I don't know if you all know him. He's a comedian. He's a clean comedian. He's really funny, but he says he's not good at reading. And he he says, like, the books are just too many words. It's page after page of words. I need a blank page just to take a break. Um and I kind of get the idea there. I think the point is we often remain in a real sense unaffected by what we're reading here. You know, I mean we're consuming information, but we're not really that affected. I uh again, for me, it's just mainly news and uh sports, stuff like that that I'm reading, unless I am reading something about scripture, but um, and trying to understand what's going on around us. But even if I'm moved by something that I'm reading about the news, it it's just, I don't know, call it a flash feeling or something, it doesn't last. Paul is saying that's not the case with the gospel, but the Holy Spirit is moving with power in the words. So when the gospel has taken hold of a person, it becomes evident that that person has been changed in some way, it's had a real impact on them. And we can't always explain it, but we can get an idea of how powerful God's word is when you think about creation, right? Um we know the power of the spirit is staggering. Um we can't even kind of grasp the power of creation, you know. It says, and God said, Let there be light. And you go through Genesis, and God said, and these things happen. I've it it really is hard to we can't even grasp it. I one reason I thought of this, I saw a Christian and atheist debate this week. It happened a few years back actually, but I just had seen it. And the atheist was complaining about the about the Genesis passage, but and he was saying, how in the world could all this be created by God's word? And I thought in sympathy to the guy, we don't really know that either. You know, we trust in it, but we what we know is he's very powerful. And the writers are indicating here that the Holy Spirit comes in power with the word of God. That's what has happened. And again, thinking along these chosen lines and the implications, the gospel has the power to change minds and hearts and lives. If God has determined all things, that's power, obviously, but it's definitely a different kind of power. It's just God making people believe in a certain way, kind of a robotic approach. And that's not what's being conveyed in scripture. The wondrous power of the gospel is that it persuades the sinner to say, Hey, I'm alienated from God here. I have sin in my life. I have a need to be restored to God and then experience God's love and assurance, it says here. We'll come back to that in just a moment. But that's the power of the gospel. That's the power of it. The word for power here includes miracles. And that is, we think of miracles a lot of times, of course, as you know, the big dynamic things that happen, but it also includes changes in the heart. You probably all experienced that even in your own heart or with others you know, and wow, how did that happen? How did they how did they change like that? Well, that's the power of God. It's the He He works in a person who's created in His image to more reflect that image. And they can recognize there's a longing for something more, and at some point people can realize, oh, that's only going to be in my creator. I I mean, he he knows it all, and he has the keys to eternity, and that's that's exciting. And I I want to be close to him, and and that's what Paul is telling us here. That power is in the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in us, Paul tells us elsewhere when we believe. The gospel is a message by the Holy Spirit. The Bible reveals the Holy Spirit is a person. I that's hard for us to grasp. I understand it's been hard for the church to grasp, but that's clearly what the Bible is revealing because he's constantly referred to as he. And uh, you know, scholars have made the point, I think I mentioned before, that the word that's used for spirit should have a pronoun of it. Well, concerned about pronouns now, but it's always translated he. The pronoun when it's used of the normal, what would normally be it, is always used the masculine pronoun. So it's conveying a person, just like, and then when Jesus said another paraclete, another comforter is coming after I go, he's referring to a person. So he works within the hearts of hears to convict, to comfort, to instruct. If it's only me speaking up here and he's not working with you, then it's just a matter of word only, and it's not going to um have any effect really. But when the Holy Spirit works through the word, a greater spiritual work, of course, is accomplished. That's why any of you can understand the fundamentals of scripture. And you don't have to have a PhD to understand God's word or discern it. I mean, there are certain things it's helpful to learn what was going on a little bit more, but you get the gist of it because God is the author. So he ultimately provides a spiritual discernment as you consider and study his word. There's a spiritual work of God's word that goes far beyond understanding the ins and outs of the specifics of the text. Notice the end of the verse with full assurance. Um this is definitely off the cuff here, but I was watching Eastern Orthodox. I don't know if y'all are familiar with the Eastern Orthodox, but they're gaining traction in America now. There's different reasons for that, but uh I didn't know much about them. But I was watching a show last night, I was trying to describe some of their beliefs. A lot of it, the the biggest problems with them, I think, are you know the Catholic ideas of the veneration of Mary and praying to the saints. Those things are kind of weird. It's strange how they came up with that. But um anyway, another thing that they don't have a grasp of, I wouldn't think, is this idea of being assured in Christ and assured in your salvation. It's almost like they're so bent on making sure you're following God and trying to do the right thing that it's almost like they want to keep a level of fear. And I understand there is a healthy fear of God, and of course we do want to follow God, but it's clear here that Paul wants us to know we can have assurance, and he he wants us to know that. And that simply ask yourself, do you believe Jesus died for your sins? Well, the Bible indicates if you do, you can have an assurance in that. You're here worshiping, you have your brothers and sisters. So I would say also we have full assurance in what he's getting to here because the Holy Spirit lives in us, assuring us of God's love. God doesn't want us to be worried about our salvation, he loves us, and part of his loving us is letting us know we are truly his through the spirit and the word. Yes, there are warning scriptures. That's if we just take off pursuing something other than God. But he wants us to be assured if we're in him. Now, when we get to verse 6, we're told two specific reasons why the writers know the Thessalonians have been chosen by God. First, they became imitators of the writers. So the Thessalonians saw this Christian trio of writers, Christian trio, it's like a gospel group. But um, the Thessalonians saw how they live. And secondly, the Thessalonians not only lived that way, they were happy to do so. They welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit, indicating clearly that's a supernatural joy. And it was clear that it was supernatural, Paul says, because you're living it in severe persecution. So whatever the Thessalonians were following or imitating, they stopped doing that and followed the Lord and the examples of the riders. And do know the writers, and it's likely Paul here, isn't shy about saying follow my example. He does so because he knows who he follows. You know, we all know the same, uh, do as I say, not as I do. We understand there's some truth in that, right? Because we're walking in contradictions, partly truth and partly fiction. But generally, we would want to be going in a direction as Christians that other Christians can look at and say, yes, I can follow that. Not in the comparative sense. Paul warns against about he warns against that elsewhere, saying I should be doing what they're doing in the sense of you know what I'm working at. That's not what is meant. Um, but in the sense that someone can look at your life and say, I'd I'd be doing well to emulate that. Specifically here, what he's referring to is attitude, right? It's being joyful in the midst of difficulties, and not just difficulties, but severe difficulties. So how about that? How are you doing with that? He said to himself. I'm not very joyful in severe difficulties, and I didn't want to say that out loud because I don't want God to test me on it, but you can't lie to God, He knows that anyway. How do you do with this? Now, obviously, the the meaning is not to pretend to be happy when you're not, that's not what's being said. The word here for persecution is the word philipsis. You probably may not recall it, but it is the word that's used for tribulation when there's a reference to the Great Tribulation over there in Matthew 24. Um, the word outside the Bible normally denoted literal pressure, and also in the text, there's a word that means intensify, that just its base meaning is much. The CSB is translated as severe. So it's like they're under much pressure, severe pressure, severe persecution. The corresponding verb form of this noun was used to describe the pressing of grapes in the winemaking process till they burst asunder. So that gives you an idea of what kind of pressure this is. The noun came to mean very great pressure or trouble. And I'm not going to dwell on this at all. Like I say, we may come back to it in a few weeks, but we should never, ever, ever think that Christians will escape the Great Tribulation only so as not to suffer tribulation. Christians have and will continue to suffer Great Tribulation. So if they are raptured before the Great Tribulation, so called in prophecy, it will be for other reasons than escaping tribulation. But anyway, as far as the Thessalonians, this likely refers to a social and religious dislocation. The new converts were likely experiencing separation from loved ones in society because Christianity was a suspect religion. You just it's hard for us to grasp if you can put yourself there and you know, Thessalonica. It's Greek culture. We don't know a lot about Greek culture, but you may have read Greek mythology. Did you get Greek mythology growing up in school? I know I did, I hear about that. And um, I can't remember the names of was it Zeus, Greek god, and there's all kinds, is that it? Yeah, ransom still man said, thank you. And there's other ones, you know, they had corresponding Roman names, but I just remember, yeah, we were taught that growing up. Well, they were taught it in the sense of this is reality, this is the god you're dealing with here, and so Christianity comes in, and it's a suspect religion, and the refusal of Christian converts to participate in normal family activities honoring these group gods, or societal activities on honoring these group gods, that left their family feeling offended, it left their friends feeling offended, and then there's the added problem if you think about it. If something was going wrong in the city, maybe it was having a drought, whatever it was, well, this is because of those Christians. They're not worshiping Zeus like they're supposed to, they're not doing what they need to do for the Greek gods. So that's the pressure he's referring to. They're being ostracized. Um, there's indications, there's even some of them being threatened physically or even being hurt. So, because people thought, you know, if there was anything going wrong, well, the gods are mad because the Christians are not doing what they should be doing. All this lends up to people viewing Christians just showing an appalling lack of concern for family and social responsibilities. Now, I doubt if any of us have faced anything like this. I got a small, small taste of it, albeit for the wrong reasons, when I started attending the Worldwide Church of God. Because I alienated friends, I would not do anything on the Sabbath anymore, quit that. So that was kind of stressful, but I didn't have to be around them. But I quit celebrating Christmas, and our family always went to my grandmother's on Christmas, about the only time we saw a lot of them. Uh, we might have on Thanksgiving too, but I quit doing that as well. And it was stressful and difficult. That I I mean, it was different for me because my family still loved me through it. They didn't like cast me out and they told me what they thought sometimes, but they didn't like throw me out the door. So that it wasn't that kind of stress. So we we know from the book of Thessalonians and history itself that they were dealing with severe relational issues with family members and society at large, again to the point they could be physically threatened or hurt. Yet, Paul says, they distinguish themselves because they receive the word even in the severe persecution. They received the word with joy. They didn't face it with what we might call a resigned whoa is me approach. Try to get through it. It's just miserable. Paul and Silas and Timothy knew that had to be because the Holy Spirit was moving with their spirit. That had to be of God. Now, they had to truly be born again with the spirit. But how do you get there? How do you get there? Well, all believers have the spirit, you have the Holy Spirit. Um, it's also realizing ultimately that God is in control, and all that matters is that you are right with him, and that you can trust him. And if that is the case, everything will work itself out. And no, it may not be pleasant getting there. We talked about that, but God will get you there, and he'll get you to where you need to be, and you can trust in that. You may recall last time we talked about um over there in Acts that just before Paul and Silas, we don't know about Timothy, but before Paul and Silas went to Thessalonica, they experienced this principle of having the joy of the Holy Spirit, even in the presence of much affliction. They, you know, they sang in the Philippian jail despite their change and their sufferings. And they probably told the Thessalonians about that experience. They probably said, you know, yeah, we've got a severe beating. We were put in jail, putting, you know, putting cuffs, and we sang songs at midnight to praise the Lord. And so at some point they probably said to one another, if that's the way you're supposed to deal with it, then that's how we're gonna deal with it. We may get family members screaming and cussing at us, but we're going to sing praises to the Lord. And so the Thessalonians became, Paul says, imitators of us and the Lord. And clearly, now this was not just a choice either on their part to be joyful. This came from the indwelling spirit. And yes, trusting in Christ, there is some volition there, but it's also comfort that's coming up from within and the Holy Spirit. And the Thessalonians were able to translate the writers' joy then into their own lives because they had that same spirit, and they had the trust and the truth, and they saw the effect on what had happened to Paul and the others, and knowing the difficulties they had been through, and they just said, Yeah, okay, that's how we got to do it. We we got to continue in Christ, we've got to pray and just trust in him and and move forward and sing songs of joy. And it's again, it's not just an objective thing, it's the Holy Spirit giving you that peace that transcends all understanding. And I know we've all experienced it at times. If you're in Christ and you've been through severe difficulties, even in the midst of like the struggle, you're there's something that as you look to the Lord, he will well that up from within you. Now, again, most of us have probably not been under that specific type of pressure, but we've all been under pressure and we've endured some tribulation. Whether it be the death of a loved one, some health issue, some work stress. It could be a longing for people, a longing for something that just never comes to pass. There are people that want to be married and are not. There are people in marriage that they just want peace in their relationship and it's not coming. There are people that want to have children and they can't. There are people who want reconciliation with just some family member, some sibling, whatever it is, and it's just never happened through many years. So, how do you deal with those things? Well, again, again, not the precise thing is the same as being persecuted, but we can look at our trials in that same sort of light. To have joy doesn't mean, again, we ignore the difficulties. The Bible writers never pretend or tell us to pretend there's not a difficulty when there is. We shouldn't lie to ourselves and say there's a real difficulty here. It is real. The wonder of it comes in with the full recognition, yes, I'm in a this is a rough circumstance. And the Bible acknowledges that, you know. But I can have inner peace and inner strength. Again, that transcends all understanding, inner joy and happiness. Because I know God loves me, God is working everything out for the good because I love God. There's a great saying that you've all probably heard this too shall pass. It's not a biblical statement, although some suggest that its roots are traceable to Solomon and some of his ideas. It's if you think about it, it's actually a true statement for everyone. Everything changes. Everything passes, says the man who walked off the job after 31 and a half years this week. It passes. And it's it's interesting, the older you get, the more you realize this. Things can seem so tough in the moment, and all of a sudden you look up one day and it's behind you. It's gone. And the good news for the Christian is God is going with us and bringing us to the place we can only imagine it will be so wonderful. And Christ said he would send the comforter before he comes back to set up his kingdom in its fullness. He would send the comforter, that's the Holy Spirit, that lives in each one of you, and in Christ, and he really does help us feel comforted, even in the most present, pressing times. So think about God's word, consider what he says, and the spirit will give you and help you have that joy, that sense of peace. It's not just a fake happiness, it's a sense of joy that things are going to be okay, may be difficult for a while. So let's seek to imitate the Thessalonians this regard as they sought to imitate Paul, Silas, and Timothy. You know, at some point the imitators can become the imitated as well. We first come into Christ, we're imitating a lot of people, and then we spend time with one another. And as you get older, those coming behind you can be looking to you. You might look over your shoulder all of a sudden and say, Oh, I think someone's copying me now. And it might be okay. We should hope it's okay for us to say, Okay, yeah. You can do as I do, at least part of the time. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you for your word. Thank you for your hope. Thank you for your mercy and loving us. Thank you that we can just experience relationship and life. But it's in those things that we have the most heartbreak as well, Father. And we know that you know these things and you give us each other, and we praise you for that. And what a comfort that is, and thank you for it. And um we also know, Father, you're working to bring you will bring your kingdom in the right time. And there will be no more tears. We are longing for that day, Father, and we thank you for the hope that we have in it. And in the meantime, as we go through trials, let us not forget that you are in control. You will bring it around. We are here but a vapor. And reality is a long time where we will be with you and worshiping you and be with our brothers and sisters together. So we praise you for that hope and that promise. And it's these stats that you will lead us as we go through the week. In Jesus' name. Amen. Right. You want to be turning to page three. Page three. You know, well, let's wait on that. I was going to do that, but I think we'll just do that at the end. We'll do a final song. Let's go ahead and do communion. I'm going to turn to Matthew 26 and just read. I'm not going to expound at all. Matthew 26 and verses 26 through 30. As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed, and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, Take and eat, this is my body. Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, Drink from it, all of you, for this is the blood of my covenant, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine. From now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. So let's go ahead and partake of the bread and wine and um go ahead and ask for blessing on it. Maybe let's do it as a group today, um, in honor of us celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church. Uh, Father in heaven, thank you so much for um this time. Thank you, Father. We reflect on time that you sent the Holy Spirit in more fullness to begin your church and to indwell as Father as we await Christ's return. We thank you so much for Christ. We know that it is in his death and resurrection that is possible that we have eternal life and that you give it to us as we know that he died for our sins, and we thank you so much for that. So we ask for your just uh blessings now and thank you for this time that we have to reflect and remember on what Christ has done for us. Pray this in Jesus' name. The great juice is in the middle on the outside. All right, turn to page three.