Grosey's Messages

Psalm 112,  1 Thess 3:1-4:8  "Stand fast in the Lord And Walk Worthy!"

Professor Ron Laura of the University of Newcastle wrote "Surviving the High Tech Depersonalization Crisis" and "Hidden Hazards: The Dark Side of Everyday Technology".  Highly technological machines are invading our lives and separating us from personal relationships. The balance between the use of technology for human advantage and developing valued human relationships has yet to equal, and we continue to subject ourselves to a rapidly growing sense of depersonalization. The New Social Disease is that we personalize our computers and associated technologies while depersonalizing others and ourselves. The increased use of technology-mediated communications has affected the way in which we live our lives, resulting in loneliness, depression, social isolation, and ultimately a rise in uncivil behaviours based upon frustration hopelessness and the devaluation of human life.  We live in a high tech world, but even the best technology is no replacement for relationship. We can be high tech, but we need high touch to grow spiritually. We in the church need real intimacy, and that only comes through authentic touch. Our big problem is that we can now substitute electronic media for Relationship with God, Relationship with others. And these things don't meansure up when Afflictions come on us, nor when we really look into ourselves. We are as CS Lewis said, "Hollow men" - with hollow lives because we have hollow hearts!  Who knows? Our spouses do. They know whether we are more addicted to the mobile phone than we are to them!

Today show.  Monday.  Depersonalisation and lack of mateship in younger generations. 56% of premobile phone have friends over 40 years. Friendships in person over a meal, open and honest, reliable and people we can have fun with.  But the substitutes offered by technology have depleted that for younger generations.

Stand Firm  Anchor down!

2:13 The first anchor of your soul is God's Word. Paul thanks God because the Thessalonians recognized his message for what it was—not a human message but the word of God. Only having Scripture within can sustain you when there is trouble without. If you don't have anything cooking on the inside, don't be surprised if you fall apart on the outside. They received the Word  Respect God's Word, reverence it, embrace it, take it in to give it out. Like people enjoying a good meal, not only taste it digest it.

Psalm 112 For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. 7 He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. 8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

The second anchor: fellowship with other believers. The Thessalonians suffered the same things from people of [their] own country, just as the Jewish churches did from the Jews (2:14). The Thessalonians' own people had turned on them! But, in the midst of that betrayal, the Thessalonians became imitators of God's churches in Christ Jesus . . . in Judea (2:14). God created churches so that you would not have to be a Christian alone. You are part of a body (cf. 1 Cor 12), and no body part works unless it is attached to the whole. These churches could look to each other in tough times, offering support They had become family—brothers and sisters (2:17)— blood is thicker than water.

2:19-20 AN Anchor that which will carry us through the difficult times is a vision of the glory of God. Paul mentions the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming yet again. You are our glory and joy! (2:20).

Standing Firm is not being grumpy

Standing Firm is not being afraid

Standing Firm is Trusting in the Lord

Standing Firm is Looking Ahead

1Th 3:3,4   3:1-2 Paul was so devoted to authentic touch that he let his closest ministry partner go so that the Thessalonians could receive it. Long distance contact was just not enough. Paul sent Timothy . . . God's coworker in the gospel of Christ (3:2), because Paul knew that the Thessalonians needed flesh and blood. They needed someone to strengthen and encourage them in person (3:2). The Greek verb Paul uses for "encourage" is parakaleō. It shares a root with the noun (paraklētos) that describes the Holy Spirit in John 14:26 ("Counselor") and 1 John 2:1 ("advocate"). When God wants to encourage a believer, he uses his Holy Spirit to do it, but he often does that through another believer. You and I are to function like the Holy Spirit with skin on.

3:3 Why did Paul think authentic touch so important? Well, Paul knew something that we often forget: life is full of suffering. He wants us to have our eyes open to the reality of suffering so that no one will be shaken by . . . afflictions. Paul was concerned that the Thessalonians' spiritual lives would prove fickle—going up and down, back and forth, just like a dog's tail. He wanted them to be consistent and unshaken when trouble came.

APPOINTMENTS IN AFFLICTION

1Th 2:14-16 John 16:33 – "In the world ye shall have tribulation."  Acts 14:22 – "We must through much tribulation, enter the kingdom of God."

And Paul knew that trouble would come. Believers, in fact, are appointed to this. In other words, Christians are elected, chosen, destined for trouble. That's probably not what you were hoping for! But it's true. As soon as we start following Jesus, trouble starts following us. We don't have to find it. It knows our address; it will arrive (see John 16:33). But the good news is that God intends to use it for our good.

3:4-5 Trouble comes at us in myriad ways. Paul knew, for instance, that he was going to experience affliction (3:4). The only way to avoid affliction in this world, in fact, is to leave it. Everyone suffers. But when you come to Jesus, you get double trouble, because then you have a target on your back. You're a target for the world and for the devil.

Many of us think of the devil as a silly guy in a red jump suit with horns who carries a pitchfork. We aren't worried about him. But Paul was. When Paul thought of the devil, he didn't have in mind some ridiculous caricature. He knew that the devil is an evil spirit who hates God and seeks to tempt God's children and destroy their faith. Paul was concerned that the tempter might have tempted the Thessalonians and that his own labor might be for nothing (3:5). Satan is real, and he is after you and me. We need authentic touch to overcome his schemes.

Don't Be Grumpy             Don't Be afraid

Trust in the Lord             Look Ahead

STAND FIRM "Now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord."    

DON'T DECLINE IN GRACE.

DON'T BE DIVERTED FROM THE WORK

DON'T SHIFT FROM YOUR DOCTRINES

BE STEADFAST IN YOUR SERVICE

Everybody loses faith. Everybody falls down. We need somebody to pick us up again. Paul had the Thessalonians. Whom do you have? Connectivity with a solid, biblically centered local church is indispensable for properly progressing in the Christian life.

3:8 What Paul says here is a statement about how inextricably connected we are in the church. For now we live, Paul says, if you stand firm in the Lord. This is staggering!

Stand Firmer In spiritual growth. He wants the Thessalonians to increase and overflow with love for one another (3:12). Love is the hallmark of true spiritual growth. Love is a choice to serve someone for his or her good. It is a decision of the will, which is why we can—and should—love people even if we do not like them. We choose to love, and then we ask God to help our emotions catch up.

Stand Firmer in spiritual unity. We ought not just to love for each other, but also for everyone (3:12). Love and unity go hand-in-hand. If this were easy, Paul would not need to pray for it! Some of us need to take a hard look at our lives. If the only people we love are just like us, Paul may have some harsh words for us.

Stand Firmer In holiness. He asks that God would make their hearts blameless in holiness because Jesus is coming back (3:13). Paul simply cannot stop mentioning the return of Christ! He wants us all to live in light of Jesus's second coming, and that means living in holiness. If Jesus came back today—in the next hour—would he find you doing kingdom work? Would he say to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt 25:23)?
"Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone.  Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own."  ― Adam Lindsay Gordon

The previous chapter closed with a prayer for their growth in love, with a view to their establishment in holiness. The prayer of a good man avails much in its working; but his prayer of intercession cannot secure the result it seeks without the cooperation of those for whom it is made. Paul, who has besought the Lord on their behalf, now beseeches the Thessalonians themselves, and exhorts them in the Lord Jesus, to walk as they had been taught by him. 

Λοιπὸν ⸀οὖν, ἀδελφοί,  Finally.. "As to what remains."  Not the preacher's finally, meaning another ten minutes.. but CSB additionally.. or finally, here is the bottom line.. the application to it all.

1Th 4:3,4  

"Sexual immorality" refers to any form of illicit sexual behavior outside of what is prescribed by God in His Word. This encompasses both the actions of the body and the thoughts of the heart (Matt 5:28). Sex according to God finds its perfect fulfillment only in the marriage relationship between a man and woman (Heb 13:4). Since sex was God's idea (Gen 1:28), it follows that you should not deviate from the parameters that He has established concerning it. Christianity had come to Thessalonica, but the city had not yet come to Christ. Now, we assume we are the only generation that has had to deal with porn addiction.  If you go to Pompeii near Rome, you can see that the people of that day struggled with porn addiction.

Pompeii was a city where depictions of erotic themes were commonplace in art, including frescoes, sculptures, and even household items. Excavations have revealed the presence of brothels (lupanaria) and depictions of various sexual acts.

In 79 BCE, the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was buried in the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius, a volcano located in Italy's Gulf of Naples. The bodies of over 1,000 inhabitants have been frozen in the moment of its eruption 

Tourists continue to flock to the ruins of this once vibrant city, often finding themselves shocked by the number of stone phalluses carved into the pavement and walls (some even hanging invitingly above doorways and ovens). Prostitution was not only legally permissible but it was generally regarded as the social norm for men (and, in some cases, wealthier women) to frequent such establishment.

In our day  Porn addiction.  An old friend of mine Marshall Ballantyne-Jones, has made many representations to Parliament and is recognized as the leading expert world wide on the damage of porn addiction.   No Porn  ἀπέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς πορνείας  5.2 billion users,  42 billion visits per month, over 2 hours per month per person. 1Th 4:5,6 . 

Abstaining begins with "possessing" our own vessels, that is, knowing our own bodies—how our sex drives function, what weakens our self-control, and what strengthens it. Possessing our bodies involves admitting temptations we can't handle and avoiding those enticing situations. Certain conversations with coworkers may lure us, and friendly touches may be too personal—avoid those situations. Some films, books, or magazines may ignite lustful passions, and some settings may provide opportunities for compromise—stay away from them. No one remains pure by accident. (Swindoll, Contagious Christianity, 49)

We need to male a decisive break from old patterns of thinking and living.

At the root of sexual strongholds is not sex itself. Our lustful passions are not just bodily passions, and overcoming them is not just a matter of better discipline. When we succumb to sexual strongholds, we are worshiping the wrong thing. In committing acts of sexual immorality, then, we are not just making a mistake. We are proving that we are like the unsaved Gentiles, who don't know God. Sexual immorality is a fruit of an idolatrous root—of the worship of pleasure over God, something that should not be true of believers who possess the Spirit. And if we worship our way into sin, the only solution is to worship our way out of it. We are allowing something to meet our deepest needs.. something that is not God. It becomes a compulsive means of dealing with anxieties and stresses. Like a drug it becomes addictive. Make a decisive break!

No Perving 6,7  One of the most attractive lies about sexual immorality is that we can get away with the thrill and not experience negative consequences. But Paul reminds us that the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses. He sees what we are doing, even if no one else does. when we commit sexual sin, we disobey God's will and we disregard our brother's personhood. Pleasing God means saying "no" to the flesh. Simply stated, we must control our bodies and not allow our bodies to control us. We must therefore "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires" (Rom 13:14).  God has written 'No Trespassing' over every man or woman who is not one's own wife or husband. . . . He has also posted the warning 'Trespassers will be prosecuted'". When we commit sexual sin with another person we cross a boundary that God never intended to be crossed. We are taking from someone something that does not belong to us. In essence we are really saying to the other person, "I do not care about you." 

The Lord is an avenger of all these offenses" (4:6b). Stated plainly, God takes sexual sin very seriously. The Bible has much to say on this subject. Consider the following passages:

Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers. (Heb 13:4)

But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. (Eph 5:3)

Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God's wrath comes on the disobedient. (Col 3:5-6)

Don't you know that your bodies are a part of Christ's body? So should I take a part of Christ's body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! Don't you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh. But anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Run from sexual immorality! "Every sin a person can commit is outside the body." On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. Don't you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:15-20)

Walk Worthy…7,8. It starts with understanding who we are in Christ. God tells us who we are before telling us what he wants us to do. Thus, when Paul wants to give the Thessalonians motivation to stay sexually pure, he does not just say, "Watch out! God will get you!" He reminds them of their identity in Christ: God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. Though we do not stay pure to earn God's love, we are to stay pure because God loves us.