The Book of First Thessalonians:
Message Twenty Five
By Michael Guido,
D.D.
In the course
of his funeral comments a minister said, "Well,
he wasn't what you'd call a Christian who pleased
Christ, but he was a respected sinner." Which
are you? As we turn to 1st
Thessalonians 4:1 and think of pleasing Christ
Let's meet the
people. They're called "brethren."
"But," you ask, "aren't we all
brothers?" As you look around you'll see that
we're not, or else brothers aren't acting very
brotherly. While we are fellow-creatures, made of
God, we're not brothers. "But," you ask,
"what of the Fatherhood of God?" He is
fatherly, and He longs to be the father of everyone.
But He isn't. Jesus underscored this when He said to
some, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the
lusts of your father ye will do." How, then,
does one become a child of God and a brother to all
the children of God? There's only one way. The Bible
says, "As many as received Him, to them gave He
power to become the sons of God." It's only as
you receive Christ yourself and to yourself that you
become a child of God. A father was ill, and he was
anxious that his daughter become a child of God. One
evening he said, "Mary, bring me my
medicine." When she brought it, he said,
"Drink it for me." "But, father,"
she protested, "it won't do you any good if I
drink it." "No, Mary, it won't," he
admitted. "Just as you can't take the medicine
for me, so I can't take Christ for you. I can pray
for you, and speak to you; but remember, you must
take Christ for yourself."
Let's listen
to the plea. It's written in 1st
Thessalonians 4:1, "We beseech you, brethren,
and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have
received of us how ye ought to walk and to please
God, so ye would abound more and more." A man
was talking to a friend one day, and pointing to a
man that passed by, he said, "That man's a
soldier." "How do you know?" he asked.
"He's not in uniform." "I can
tell," he answered, "by the way he
walks." Judged by the practical test, not by
your talk, but by your walk, can others tell that
you're a child of God? There are some who talk well,
but they don't walk well. Such a person said, "I
believe everything in the Bible from Genesis to
Revelation." "Then," said the man of
God, "if you believe it, why don't you live
it?" It's not merely by your talk, but
especially by your walk that you reveal that you're a
child of God. Now the word "walk" refers to
your conduct and character. And it signifies motion
as well as devotion. There are other words that
indicate motion; such as creep, drift, float and
jump. But you can't substitute any of them for the
word "walk." The word "walk"
indicates a purpose, starting for the goal; it
indicates progress, steadily advancing step by step;
and it indicates perseverance, staying in the way
until you reach the goal. It's easier to float with
those who forsake the Father when the fighting gets
fierce; to drift downstream when you're discouraged;
and to creep with those who are carnal Christians.
But a consistent Christlike walk, that's progressing
and persevering - how hard! That takes courage! But
that's the thing that pleases God. Judson, that great
missionary of the Christ of the cross, walked on in
spite of weakness and weariness, through toil and
tears, in spite of persecution and pain. "I went
to Burma," he testified, "just for the sake
of pleasing the Lord Jesus."
Let's look at
the progress. It's found in the words of 1st
Thessalonians 4:1, "abound more and more."
It's good to abide, but it's better to abound. Don't
be content with being an ordinary Christian; be an
extraordinary Christian. You've let the Lord come
into your heart; now let Him control all of your
heart. You've started to serve Him with your lips and
your life; now stay with Him! H. M. Stanley went out
to seek Livingstone, and he found him at last in the
jungles. He asked him to go home with him. But he
refused. Then he begged him to go home with him, but
he said, "No!" When Stanley left,
Livingstone wrote in his diary, "O Jesus,
Master, my Lord, my Life, my All, I again dedicate my
whole life to Thee." Let's us do that now,
saying:
"Jesus,
see me at Thy feet, with my sacrifice complete,
I am bringing
all to Thee, Thine alone I'll be."
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
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to the next message in this Sower Scripture Study on
the book of First Thessalonians.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Mr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
