ACORDANDONOS SIN

CESAR. 1 TES. 1.3

1.Podemos ver en estas
palabras de Pablo dirigidas
a los creyentes, nuevos en
la fe, en Tesalnica, una
serie de verdades que nos
convendr recordar, para
que sean de aplicacin a
nuestra vida en Cristo.
Si bien el Seor nos salv y
nos apart para l, lo hizo,
no slo para que heredemos
el beneficio de Sus
promesas en materia de
salvacin y glorificacin,

sino tambin para que, en

esta vida, andemos de
acorde a Su voluntad, lo
cual implica tener un previo
entendimiento acerca de
ello. Algo de esto estaremos
viendo en este estudio.
(Vv. 2, 3)
Damos siempre gracias a
Dios por todos vosotros,
haciendo memoria de
vosotros en nuestras
oraciones, 3 acordndonos
sin cesar delante del Dios y
Padre nuestro de la obra de
vuestra fe, del trabajo de

vuestro amor y de vuestra

constancia en la esperanza
en nuestro Seor
Jesucristo:
Lo primero que dice Pablo
acerca de la buena
conducta de aquellos
cristianos, mayormente de
origen gentil, son tres cosas:

La obra de la fe de ellos.
El trabajo de su amor.
Su constancia en la
esperanza en Jesucristo.

Si nos damos cuenta, Pablo

menciona la triple

combinacin de virtud y obra

cristiana:

La fe
El amor
La esperanza

Veamos algunas otras

escrituras al respecto:
(1 Co. 13: 13) Y ahora
permanecen la fe, la
esperanza y el amor
(Col. 1: 4, 5) habiendo odo
de vuestra fe en Cristo
Jess, y del amor que
tenis a todos los santos,
5 a causa de la esperanza

que os est guardada en los

cielos, de la cual ya habis
odo por la palabra
verdadera del evangelio
(1 Ts. 5: 8) Pero nosotros,
que somos del da, seamos
sobrios, habindonos
vestido con la coraza de fe y
de amor, y con la esperanza
de salvacin como yelmo
Basados en esas tres
virtudes esenciales aqu y
ahora, aquellos
tesalonicenses nos dan
ejemplo de cmo hay que
servir al Seor.

1) La obra de la fe de los
de Tesalnica
3 acordndonos sin cesar
delante del Dios y Padre
nuestro de la obra de
vuestra fe:
(Gl. 5: 6) porque en Cristo
Jess ni la circuncisin vale
algo, ni la incircuncisin,
sino la fe que obra por el
amor:
Pablo da gracias a Dios por
la obra de los
tesalonicenses, porque tal

obra era fruto de una fe

ciertsima.
Una fe viva produce una
obra verdadera, porque tal
obra es dirigida por Dios y
auspiciada por el poder del
Espritu Santo.
No es necesariamente una
obra grande y poderosa
segn el baremo humano,
sino que, aunque pudiera
ser insignificante ante los
hombres, es valiosa para
Dios, porque es genuina en
l.

Esa fe que obra, lo hace

basada, no en la obligacin
o en la bsqueda del mrito
propio, sino en el amor. Por
eso seguramente ser
despreciable a los ojos del
hombre natural, porque tal
obra, no busca lo suyo.
(1 Corintios 13: 4-7) El
amor es sufrido, es benigno;
el amor no tiene envidia, el
amor no es jactancioso, no
se envanece; 5 no hace
nada indebido, no busca lo
suyo, no se irrita, no guarda
rencor; 6 no se goza de la

injusticia, mas se goza de la

verdad. 7 Todo lo sufre, todo
lo cree, todo lo espera, todo
lo soporta
Ese tipo de amor, que es el
verdadero, es
menospreciado a los ojos
del incrdulo; en todo caso
slo asumira algn aspecto
de l, pero slo hasta el
punto en que no represente
una incomodidad.
La fe que salva, es tambin
la fe que acta, y lo hace
conforme al que salva, que
es Dios. Por lo tanto, esa

obra en s misma, constituye

un buen fruto.
Por otra parte, no se puede
concebir una fe verdadera,
sin una obra conforme a esa
fe. Van de la mano.
No significa que la obra de
nuestra fe sean todas las
obras que realizamos, sino
solamente las que son
inspiradas y dirigidas por el
Espritu Santo. De otra
manera, pensaramos que el
creyente es un ser ya
perfeccionado de hecho en
esta vida, y no es as.

2) El trabajo del amor de

los de Tesalnica
del trabajo de vuestro
amor:
La palabra que se traduce
por trabajo del griego, es
kpos, e indica siempre un
trabajo pesado, molesto,
fatigoso. No es un trabajo
fcil, exitoso y agradable,
sino difcil, no siempre
valorado y a menudo
desagradable.
Ese era el tipo de trabajo del
amor de los de Tesalnica.

Siempre es as cuando se
trata con las personas; ms
an en el contexto del
Evangelio y sus
particularidades en cuanto a
lo pastoral.
Cada vez que se levanta
uno haciendo ondear la
bandera de la doctrina de la
verdad, se levantan cientos
de bandera contrarias, y el
trabajo es siempre penoso;
jams fcil.
Ahora bien, los de
Tesalnica se distinguieron
en ese trabajo duro y

fatigoso, motivado por el

amor, en cuanto a llevar la
palabra del Evangelio. En
esto, se
constituyeron imitadores
de nosotros y del
Seor (1 Ts. 1: 6)
Estos tesalonicenses eran
imitadores de Cristo, y de
Pablo y de sus
colaboradores en la obra de
propagacin del Evangelio,
de tal manera que, haban
sido ejemplo a todos los de
Macedonia y de Acaya que
haban credo (1: 7)

En cuanto a que padecieron

por causa de su trabajo
hacia la extensin del
Evangelio, lo vemos en la
misma Biblia en el libro de
los Hechos de los apstoles:
(Leer Hechos 17: 1-9)
Aquellos tesalonicenses, de
origen gentil a los cuales
Pablo les escribe, haban
sido testigos de primera
mano de los padecimientos
de Pablo en su tarea de
propagar el evangelio por
sus tierras.

Teniendo ese clarsimo

ejemplo, no dudaron en
reproducir la misma obra
que Pablo, con la misma
motivacin: Trabajo del
Seor, por el amor al
Seor.
El ejemplo de Moiss
Aunque siempre hemos de
orar que Dios nos siga
capacitando con Su gracia
en todos los trminos, no es
menos cierto que debemos
actuar conforme a lo que
Dios nos ha dado ya. Esto lo

vemos en el caso clarsimo

de Moiss junto al Mar Rojo:
(xodo 14: 15,
16) Entonces Jehov dijo a
Moiss: Por qu clamas a
m? Di a los hijos de Israel
que marchen. 16 Y t alza
tu vara, y extiende tu
mano sobre el mar, y
divdelo, y entren los hijos
de Israel por en medio del
mar, en seco
Hay un momento en el que
hay que actuar, como fue el
caso de Moiss; como fue el
caso de los de tesalnica,

en su trabajo en el amor de
Dios.
Muchos dicen que Dios les
ha de dar ms gracia, ms
fe, ms de Su Espritu,
como que nunca es
suficiente para andar como
hijos de Dios. Lo cierto es
que Dios ya nos ha dado
todo lo que requerimos para
vivir una vida agradable a
l. Lo cierto tambin es, que
es la carne (nuestro hombre
exterior), la que se opone a
Cristo, y esa carne hay que
seguir crucificndola.

Podemos hacerlo? S,
pues todo lo podemos en
Cristo que nos fortalece (Fil
4: 13).
Venzamos con el bien el
mal! (Ro. 12: 21) con el
poder que Dios ya nos ha
dado en Cristo.
3. La constancia en la
esperanza en Jesucristo
y de vuestra constancia en
la esperanza en nuestro
Seor Jesucristo:
Esta expresin de Pablo
denota un entendimiento

escatolgico sin lugar a

dudas. Los tesalonicenses
son exaltados por Pablo, por
el hecho de que eran
constantes acerca de la
esperanza de la venida de
Jesucristo.
En otras palabras, vivan
esperanzados en la venida
del Seor Jess. Sus vidas
estaban basadas en dicha
esperanza.
La esperanza implica por s
misma espera. El que vive
esperanzado, vive en
espera. La espera de la que

hablamos, tendr su
cumplimiento cuando se
produzca la venida de
Jess. De ah que la
esperanza tendr su fin,
cuando cumpla su finalidad.
La esperanza aludida de los
tesalonicenses, debera ser
por mayor motivo, la forma
de entender la vida para
nosotros, los creyentes del
final de esta dispensacin.
4. El por qu del creyente
y su obra para Cristo

Hay quienes sirven a Dios,

en realidad, sirvindose a s
mismos; y hay quienes
sirven a Dios. Punto. Este
ltimo fue el caso de
aquellos de Tesalnica.
Aquellos tesalonicenses
vivan sus vidas
entusiasmados por Cristo,
en medio de hostilidad y
adversidad.
Muchos perdieron sus
labores, por negarse a
consagrar su trabajo
cotidiano al dios vinculado a
su oficio, negndose de ese

modo a seguir la costumbre

pagana de sus
conciudadanos.
Muchos fueron expulsados
de sus familias, acusados
de ser ateos! por negar
los dioses.
Pero en medio de tal
adversidad, prevaleca su
gozo y su entusiasmo por el
Seor, y Su obra.
Todo ello pudo ser as, no
porque ellos fueron
especialmente mejores que
el resto de los hombres, sino

por causa de la eleccin

divina: Porque conocemos,
hermanos amados de
Dios, vuestra eleccin, pues
nuestro evangelio no lleg a
vosotros en palabras
solamente, sino tambin en
poder, en el Espritu Santo y
en plena certidumbre (Vv.
4, 5)
Dios elige a sus santos para
la obra Suya.
El evangelio ha de ser
predicado a todos, pero a
muchos slo les llegan las
palabras, mientras que a los

escogidos, les llegan esas

palabras con poder de lo
Alto.
De ah que la obra del
evangelio, solamente se
realizar cabalmente por
parte de aquellos que estn
entusiasmados por Cristo, y
estos ltimos slo son
aquellos que han sido
elegidos para tal accin y
forma de vida.
Simplemente, apliqumonos
a ello, aquellos que somos
de l.

2.
Tres Virtudes
Fundamentales
para ESCUCHAR ...hag
a clic aqu...
La Fe acepta la
gracia y el perdn que
Dios ofrece, se apoya en
la obra cumplida por
Jess en la cruz y se
alimenta de la Palabra de
Dios para conocer mejor
a aquel que nos es
revelado en ella, es
decir, a Jesucristo. Una

fe viva no se manifiesta
mediante palabras, sino
mediante hechos. Sin las
obras que resultan de
ella, la fe es muerta
(Santiago 2:17, 20).
La Esperanza es
un estimulante para la
vida, porque nos hace
mirar hacia delante,
hacia la meta, hacia
Jess glorificado.
Despus de su
resurreccin, Cristo
ascendi al cielo y entr

en l como nuestro
precursor y garante de
que somos aceptados
ante Dios (Hebreos
6:19-20; 7:22). La
esperanza alienta a la
fidelidad, sabiendo que
todo ser puesto a la luz,
y entonces cada uno
recibir su alabanza
de Dios (1 Corintios
4:5).
El Amor tiene su
fuente en Dios Padre; es
dado al creyente y

mantenido por la accin

del Espritu Santo
(Romanos 5:5). La obra
de amor de los
tesalonicenses se
manifestaba en varias
esferas que siguen
siendo actuales: seguan
las pisadas de Jess y
las del apstol, quien se
las haba enseado (1
Tesalonicenses 1:6);
haban recibido sus
enseanzas como lo que
es en verdad, la
palabra de Dios

(2:13); su conducta
agradaba a Dios; su
amor fraternal era
manifiesto en toda la
regin (4:9-10). Esto no
va ms all de nuestro
alcance: vivamos la fe,
la esperanza y el amor,
tomando a Jess como
modelo.
3.
a. Remembering
without ceasing your
work of faith: There
were things about the

Christians in
Thessalonica that Paul
simply could not forget.
He always remembered
them. What he
remembered about
them made him
thankful.
i. Pauls gratitude
didnt come because
all the Christians in
Thessalonica thought
so highly of him.
Later, Paul used a
whole chapter

defending himself and

his ministry against
slander and false
accusations.
ii. Pauls gratitude
didnt come because
the Thessalonian
Christians were
morally impeccable.
Later in the letter,
Paul strongly warned
them against the
failings in regard to
sexual impurity.

iii. Pauls gratitude

didnt come because
the Thessalonian
Christians were
completely accurate
in all their doctrine.
He had to correct
some of their wrong
ideas in that area
also.
b. Your work of faith,
labor of love, and
patience of hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ:
Despite the problems,

Paul was so grateful to

God for the
Thessalonians because
there was an
undeniable work of the
Holy Spirit and a
marvelous change in
their lives. The three
great Christian virtues
were evident among
them: faith, love,
and hope.
i. Here for the first
time, chronologically,
in Pauls writings we

have this famous

triad:faith, love, hope.
But Pauls stress is
not on these virtues
alone, but rather upon
what they produce.
(Hiebert)

Therefore,
their faith produced
work as is the
nature of true faith.

Their love prod

uced labor. There
are two different
ancient Greek

words for
work: ergon and ko
pos. Ergon may be
pleasant and
stimulating,
but koposimplies
toil that is
strenuous and
sweat-producing.
(Hiebert)

Their hope pro

duced patience,
which is the longsuffering enduranc
e needed to not
only survive hard

times, but to
triumph through
them.
4.Eltemadeestasemanaes:
La obediencia a la verdad.
Deacuerdoconlarevelacin
bblica,lasalvacincompleta
de Dios incluye la salvacin
de nuestro espritu, alma y
cuerpo. Con respecto a la
salvacin de nuestro espritu
estamosconscientesdequeya
laobtuvimosyqueparaesto,
slonosbastcreer(Ro8:10).
La salvacin de nuestro
cuerpo ser en la segunda

venida de Cristo. l
transformar nuestro cuerpo
corruptible en un cuerpo
espiritual,incorruptible(1Co
15:5154). En otras palabras,
este cuerpo material que an
hoyestsujetoalaaccinde
la gravedad, la fuerza
gravitacional proviene del
centrodelatierra,dondeesta
el Hades. No obstante, el
cuerpo que recibiremos en el
momentodelasegundavenida
deCristonosufrirlaaccin
de la gravedad pues ser
redimido, es decir, ser

transfigurado,llegaraserun
cuerpoespiritual.
Adems, la salvacin de
nuestro cuerpo corresponde a
nuestra esperanza; nuestra
esperanza es que nuestro
cuerpo ser redimido.
Tambin deseamos que sea
redimido lo ms pronto pues
queremosqueelSeorvenga
pronto. Esta es nuestra
esperanza.
En 1 Tesalonicenses 1:3
leemos: Acordndonos sin
cesardelantedelDiosyPadre
nuestrodelaobradevuestra

fe,deltrabajodevuestroamor
ydevuestraconstanciaenla
esperanza en nuestro Seor
Jesucristo. En este versculo
podemos destacar tres
expresionesqueevidencianla
salvacincompletadeDios:1)
Laobradefe;2)Eltrabajode
amorolalabordeamor;3)La
perseveranciaenlaesperanza
o la constancia en la
esperanza. Todos los salvos
poseenestostrespuntos.
Laobradefeserefiereala
salvacin de nuestro espritu.
Por causa de esta obra de fe

nuestro espritu fue

regenerado. Por tanto, la
salvacin de nuestro espritu
esunasuntototalmentedefe.
Creemosquetodoaquelloque
el Seor realiz fue por
nuestra causa. l muri y
resucit por nosotros, fue
santificado y justificado por
nosotros y tambin fue por
nosotros que lleg a ser el
Consolador para llevarnos
delantedeDiosPadreafinde
reconciliarnos con l. Todo
estoestenlaesferadelafe.
Por tanto, la obra de fe est

relacionada con la salvacin

denuestroespritu.
El trabajo de amor
correspondealasalvacinde
nuestra alma e incluye la
totalidad de nuestra vida de
iglesia.Enlavidadelaiglesia
elpuntomsimportanteesla
vida divina. Sin embargo,
cuandovivimosestavida,sta
se vuelve la expresin del
amor. En otras palabras, la
vidadelaiglesiarealmentees
un asunto de amor. Y este
amor necesita del trabajo. A
veces un hermano no logra

aceptar nuestro amor y

sufrimos por esto. Pero no
podemosdejardeamarloslo
porquelnonosama.
En nosotros hay una vida
que es amor, por tanto
necesitamos amar! Aunque
no se agraden de nuestro
amor, an amamos. Si les
gusta, tambin amamos.
Aunque hayan enemigos aun
as necesitamos amarlos (Mt
5:44). Sin embargo, no es
nada fcil. Para esto es
necesario el trabajo, el

sufrimiento, que ser visto

msadelante.
5.
PARALLEL PASSAGES
WORK, LABOR,
STEADFASTNESS
1Thessaloni 1Thessaloni
ans 1:3
ans 1:9-10
You turned
Work of faith to God from
Idols
To serve a
Labor of love living and
true God
Steadfastnes To for His

Son from
s of hope
Heaven
6. Where love is the
motive,
labor is light.
1.

1.1.Here is again Pauls

3 ingredients to the
Christian Life:
1.1.1.Faith rests on
the Past; Love acts
in the Present;

Hope looks to the

Future.
1.2.Work of Faith
1.3.(Barclay) We learn a
lot about someone
on how they work.
1.3.1.Some work in
fear of the whip;
some for hope of
gain; some in sense

of duty; & others are

inspired by faith!
1.3.2.Faith? - Faith
that your work has
been given &
entrusted to you by
God, & that you are
specifically working
for Him!
1.3.3.Someone said,
The sign of true

consecration is when
a man can find Glory
in drudgery!
1.4.Labor of Love
1.4.1.The storks are so
strong is their affection for
their young, they are not
afraid even to die for them.
There have been
instances of forest fires, in
which they flew to and fro,
with water in their beaks,
to save their nests upon
the burning houses. Nay, it

once happened at Delft in

Holland, that, finding it
impossible to preserve
their brood, they placed
themselves upon the nest,
spread over them their
wings, and so perished
with them in the flames.
(That is what is a labor of
love)
1.4.2.Someone once
asked Susanna Wesley
which one of her 11
children she loved the
most. She wisely replied,
"I love the one who's sick

until he's well, and the one

who's away until he
comes home."
1.5.Patience of Hope

1.5.1.Always in the
Christian context
Hope has an air of
certainty about it.
1.5.2.When Alex. the
Great was setting out
on his campaigns, he

divided all his

possessions among
his friends. Someone
said, but you are
keeping nothing for
yourself. O yes I
am, he said, I have
kept my hopes.
1.5.3.A man can
endure anything so
long as he has hope,

for then he is walking

to the night, but to
the Dawn!
7.
First Thessalonians is the
Apostle Pauls first letter
to the church at
Thessalonica.
Thessalonica was a
Greek city in a land filled
with false gods; and
even though Paul met
strong opposition he

dared to preach the

gospel. Even though
many who had accepted
Jesus
as Lord suffered severely
and were persecuted,
they welcomed the
message of salvation
with joy. They had given
Paul a loving reception:
A reception with open,
loving hearts and minds.
Their growth in Christ
and their acceptance of
Paul and his other
associates, Silas and

Timothy, was such a

miracle, that the love
and faith of the
Thessalonican believers
had become famous
throughout the area.
Paul wrote
Thessalonians(Probably
from Athens.) to
encourage the church.
Today is my first
opportunity to share a
sermon with you, and to
share the Sacrament of

the Lords Supper,

Communion with the
Danvers Church of the
Nazarene--My new
church--My Forever
Family. Last Sunday,
Installation Sunday, you
opened your arms and
hearts to Joan and to me
in a gracious way. You
worked hard painting the
parsonage and had the
pantry stocked
with food. (May I say:
Not only were your arms
and hearts openSo

were your eyes! Every

time that I looked up
someone was looking at
me or at Joan. Guess
what? We were doing the
same thing! We too were
checking you out. And
we liked what we saw
and heard.)
For several years this
church has been in my
prayers. While I was a
college student at
Eastern Nazarene

College, I pastored the

Reading Church of the
Nazarene.(About 12
miles away.) My first
District Ministers
License was signed by a
former pastor of this
church, Ross Cribbis.
(When the church was
then located in Peabody.
He was the New England
District Secretary.) While
at Reading, Joan and I
visited the Peabody
church and enjoyed a
gospel music concert by

the Spear Family. Ken

Mills, my former college
roommate, my former
District Superintendent,
and my friend served as
your pastor for eighteen
years.
Just over ten years ago,
after pastoring in
Pennsylvania, New York,
and Florida, I returned to
New England to pastor
the Falmouth Church of
the Nazarene. At that

time, they were a church

in deep trouble. Spiritual
trouble, financial trouble,
relationship trouble,
reputation trouble
During the ten years that
I was pastor, God
blessed in wonderful
ways,
scores of souls were
saved, the church grew
and the mortgage was
paid off many years
early. Plans were
developed to expand the
church for the growing

congregation. When I
moved, a few weeks
ago, the church was on a
good and strong
foundation. Reports are
coming here to me that
the church is functioning
well and good things are
happening. Of that, I am
happy!
I thought I would
probably pastor
Falmouth until I retired.
Why leave a good thing?

But over the past ten

years God began to
place a burden on my
heart for this church. At
District Assemblies, I
heard and read the
reports. Each year the
Danvers reports pointed
out more declines in
almost every area. To
make a long story short:
Just as verse two of
todays Scripture tells us
that Paul prayed for the
Thessalonica church
and loved them, God

turned my prayers into a

burden, and then the
Holy Spirit, District
Leadership, the Danvers
Church Board, your
example as a church that
held on through out
multitudes of trials, and
my desire for a new
challenge, resulted in my
acceptance of your call
to become your new
pastor.
For far too many years

this church, you, have

suffered. Perhaps not in
the same ways that the
Church of Thessalonica
suffered and was
persecuted. The Devil
used other trials to try
and cause you to give up
your faith in Jesus Christ
the Messiah and Soon
Coming King. When I
read todays Scripture
passage, I immediately
thought of you, the
Church at
Danvers. Please notice

with me, three

similarities: 1. "Your
WORK produced by
FAITH." 2. "Your LABOR
prompted by LOVE." 3.
"Your ENDURANCE
inspired by HOPE in our
Lord Jesus Christ." Let
us compare.
I. "Your WORK produced
by FAITH."
Why have you hung on

and kept working when

so very many have, for a
multitude of reasons,
given up, moved on to
other churches, or
completely given up an
active, working faith in
Jesus Christ? A few of
you hardy souls are new
to this church and even
though the church was in
crisis, you choose to join
this crowd of Nazarenes.
Why? Why did you stay?

Each of you have your

own reasons. Maybe you
live nearby and it takes
to much effort and gas
to drive to another
Church of the Nazarene.
Maybe you were brought
up in the church and
your roots go very
deeply into the past
days(Way back to 1899.)
where God blessed for so
many good years. Maybe
you gave funds to
purchase something in
this building and you

have an emotional
attachment and to leave
would be too hard to do.
Maybe you thought you
could outlast a pastor
that you did not
particularly like.(And
some of you did)
Maybe you are just plain
stubborn. Maybe
because of friends.
Maybe you are asking
yourself, "Yes Pastor,
why did I
stay?"

I like to think that you

stayed and kept
WORKING and PRAYING
because you LOVED your
church. That your FAITH
was in Jesus, who
promised in Matthew
16:18 "on this rock I will
build my church, and the
gates of Hades will not
overcome it." This kept
you true to Jesus and
your commitment to the
Church of the Nazarene
in Danvers. It is

essential that our faith

be securely grounded in
Jesus Christ and not in a
pastor. Pastors come and
go, perhaps to help us
keep our faith in God
and not in a man.
If we want to see our
church grow, there is
much to do and each one
of us, working with our
spiritual gifts, is needed.
"As long as it is day, we
must do the WORK of

him who sent me. Night

is coming, when no one
can
WORK."(John 9:4) Paul
used First Thessalonians
to warn the church that
Jesus was coming again.
Each of us know of souls
that we love who are in
danger of Hell. Our
FAITH must keep us
WORKING for Jesus.
II. "Your LABOR
prompted by LOVE"

Sad to say, but I have

know far too many
people who have loved
the church more than
they have loved Jesus-More than they have
loved the sinners and the
saints in the church.
Pastors have told me of
Sunday School
classes in their churches
that were not growing,
refusing to vacate a
room where they had

met for several years in

order to give another
growing Sunday School
class room enough to
continue to grow. They
have
told me of long time
members who were bent
out of shape because a
visitor dared to sit in
their favorite seat or
pew.(Personal pew tax
and reserved seats
should only live in New
England history.) I have
heard of and knew

people who had refused

to allow someone new to
take over a job that they
had held, even though
they had not done a
good job, because they
liked the title and
prestige of the office or
job that they had
obtained. There is plenty
of LABOR for everyone
and we must share.(But
be sure not to overload
new attendees.)
Everyone is needed, new
and old, and needs to be

LOVED and allowed to

use their gifts.
There is a sad and
almost universal formula
at work in churches, civic
clubs, and other
organizations. The rule
is, " That 20% of the
people do 80% of the
LABOR." Another that
says, "That 20% of the
people give 80% of the
money." In which
percentage category do

you stand or sit? Souls

depend upon us doing
our best. Paul told the
Corinthians, "Now it is
required that those who
have been given a trust
must prove faithful."(1
Corinthians 4:2)(I am
thankful for you who
celebrate, along with
me, the joy of bringing a
tithe of the fruits of your
LABOR and give it to the
Lord each Sunday.)

As your new pastor, I am

thankful that most of
you have LABORED for
Jesus and not because of
selfishness or pride.
Jesus has promised that
what we do for Jesus will
bring rewards in heaven.
James wrote, "Blessed is
the man who perseveres
under trial, because
when he has stood the
test, he will receive the
crown of life that God
has promised to those
who LOVE him."(James

1:12)
III. "Your ENDURANCE
inspired by HOPE."
The King James Version
translates "ENDURANCE"
as "PATIENCE." Are you
tired of waiting for
something better to
happen? Do you want
our church to grow with
new, maturing
Christians? Do you have

loved ones, even

enemies, whom you long
for and pray for them to
be saved from sin and
from Hell? Here is a real
brilliant statement. THE
PAST IS OVER! I for one
do not want to relive the
past. I have never
wanted to relive my
childhood.(Ill get that
chance if I live long
enough to start my
second childhood.) I
have always wanted to
see what new things God

had in store to bless me

and my churches. The
good old days, when we
really think
about them, were not
really that good. They
are the past. God has
given this church a new
chance to again be a
holy and relevant force
in the North Shore area.
One of my favorite
Psalms is Psalm 34.
Listen to part of this "1

Psalm Of David. When

he pretended to be
insane before Abimelech,
who drove him away,
and he left. I will extol
the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be
on my lips. 2 My soul will
boast in the LORD; let
the afflictedhear and
rejoice. 3 Glorify the
LORD with me; let us
exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD,
and he answered me; he
delivered me from all my

fears. 5 Those who look

to him are radiant; their
faces are never covered
with shame. 6 This poor
man called, and the
LORD heard him; he
saved him out of all his
troubles. 7 The angel of
the LORD encamps
around those who fear
him, and he delivers
them. 8 Taste and see
that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who
takes refuge in him. 9
Fear the LORD, you his

saints, for those who

fear him lack nothing."
GOD IS GOING TO
BLESS.
As I was interviewing
with our Church Board
about coming to
Danvers, the number
one thing that got my
attention and got Joans
attention, was that every
member of the Church
Board was not ready to
give up, to throw in the

towel. They had stood by

the Lord and the church
through deep, deep
trials. They had
ENDURED. They had
been PATIENT. They had
worked and
prayed. They had tried to
do their part. And every
last one of them had
HOPE that God would
again bless the Danvers
Church and make it a
lighthouse to the greater
North Shore community
and to the world.

When the Lord told one

hundred year old
Abraham and ninety year
old Sarah that they were
going to have a baby,
they were asked a
rhetorical question, "Is
anything too hard for the
LORD?"(Genesis 18:14)
God had
promised Abraham that
he would have a son,
that he would have
children that no one

could count, and that

from his seed a
son(Jesus) would come
in whom all the world
would be blessed.
Through out all the years
of
living in a tent and
longing to see fulfillment
of that promise,
Abraham and Sara
endured and never gave
up their hope. Forty
years in the Wilderness
did not destroy Moses
HOPE. Today, we are

blessed because
they remained faithful.
God will give this church
a way out of the
Wilderness.
For 104 years this
church has lived on the
North Shore of Boston.
God blessed in the past.
Jesus is our HOPE for the
future. God will do His
part. We must be
obedient to the Great
Commission. We must

continue to,
or begin to, WORK and
to have FAITH. We must
continue to, or begin to,
LABOR and to LOVE. We
must continue to, or to
begin to, ENDURE or to
show PATIENCE and to
HOPE in our Lord Jesus
Christ!
CONCLUSION
The Apostle Paul used

the last two chapters of

1 Thessalonians to
remind the church that
Jesus was coming again
and that they needed to
be ready. Today we will
share together for the
first time, as Pastor and
Congregation, the
Sacrament of the Lords
Supper/ Communion.
Jesus told us to do this
until he comes again. We
do it in remembrance of
him. The same Jesus
who has blessed the

church for over two

thousand years will bless
us and our church if we
live in FAITH, LOVE, and
HOPE.
To the Church at Corinth
and to us Paul wrote,
"And now these three
remain: FAITH, HOPE
and LOVE. But the
greatest of these is
LOVE." (1 Corinthians
13:13) Will you LOVE
God, sinners, and the

church enough to do
your best?
8.
Introduction:
*Don was having trouble
with his printer. Even
with a new cartridge the
print was barely readable
and very smudged. So
he called a local
computer repair shop
where a very friendly
man informed him that
the printer probably only

needed to be cleaned.
Don winced as the man
at the store told him the
cost of cleaning his
printer would be about
$50. I could almost buy
a new printer for that
price! Don said. Well
you could try reading the
printers manual and try
doing the job yourself,
the man at the store
said. Don was pleasantly
surprised by his candor,
and asked, "Does your
boss know that you

discourage business like

this?" "Well, actually its
my bosss idea," the
employee replied. "We
usually make more
money on repairs if we
let people try to fix
things themselves first."
-Many of us are fixers,
we like to find ways to
fix things, to make
things work better, but
when it comes to our
Christian walk and our
church we end up doing

a lot more screwing up

then fixing.
-Christianity is more
about relationships that
produce works and less
about works that
produce relationships.
*Frances Bacon said; It
is not what men eat, but
what they digest that
makes them strong; not
what we gain, but what
we save that makes us
rich; not what we read,
but what we remember
that makes us learned;

not what we preach or

pray, but what we
practice and believe that
makes us Christians.
Today I want to share
with you the three marks
of effective Christianity.
Our text is 1
Thessalonians 1:2,3
We always thank God
for all of you, mentioning
you in our prayers. We
continually remember
before our God and

Father your work

produced by faith, your
labor prompted by love,
and your endurance
inspired by hope in our
Lord Jesus Christ. (1
Thess. 1:2,3)
-Paul continually prayed
for the church of
Thessalonica and not
only that but, he
thanked God for their
faith, love, and hope;
which produced a very
dynamic church.

I. Faith would Work

-The first mark of a
Christian is having the
kind of faith that
produces good works.
-Faith is focused upon
the work that God did in
the past through Jesus
Christ, the fact that
Jesus went to the cross
for our sins.
-The Greek word used
for work in the phrase
work produced by faith

is the word (ergon).

-Ergon focuses on the
product of our efforts,
the fruit that is
produced, not how we
arrived at the fruit or the
effort that went into
producing the fruit.
*Let me give you an
example. Im going to
pick on Dean Cleveland
this morning, remember
last year Dean did a
wonderful job of working
on the lights in the

basement of the church.

He made it so much
brighter. And although it
took much time and
effort on Deans part, if
you ask him he would
just shrug it off and say
that it was nothing at all,
and that he was happy
to do it.
-Therefore faith is more
focused on the product,
then the effort it took to
get there.
A. Works do not produce

Faith.
-Unfortunately there are
many in the churches
who think that by getting
involved in a church
project or doing
something kind for
someone, that they will
either grow their faith or
show that they have
faith in God.
*Because I know the
kind of person Dean
Cleveland is, I know that
it is his faith in God that
motivates him to help

others. He does not do

things so that people
think him a Godly
person, but he is
motivated by his trust or
faith in God.
-Those who work to
produce faith, or to show
off their faith are like
candles with very short
wicks, they burn out
quickly, and they are too
focused on doing, or
earning their way to
heaven.

-When they fail to get

praised or recognized for
their efforts, when
adversity befalls them,
or church becomes a
burden they simply fall
away.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is
by grace you have been
saved, through faith-and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift
of God--not by works, so
that no one can boast.

-Nothing we can do, no

product that we can
make can earn our
salvation, which comes
through our faith, or our
trust in Jesus Christ and
in what He has done.
-Salvation is a free gift
given to those who hand
over their lives over to
Jesus Christ.
B. Faith does however
produce Work.
-Faith however should
move us to action.

James 2:14-18 What

good is it, my brothers,
if a man claims to have
faith but has no deeds?
Can such faith save him?
Suppose a brother or
sister is without clothes
and daily food. If one of
you says to him, "Go, I
wish you well; keep
warm and well fed," but
does nothing about his
physical needs, what
good is it? In the same
way, faith by itself, if it is
not accompanied by

action, is dead. But

someone will say, "You
have faith; I have
deeds." Show me your
faith without deeds, and
I will show you my faith
by what I do.
-On one side of the fence
you have those who do
good works to show that
they have faith, which is
wrong, and on the other
side of the fence there
are those who come to
church, but do nothing,

they dont get involved,

they dont reach out to
others, and in the
ministry we call those
kind of people pew
warmers, or dead wood.
-A strong faith should
produce a desire to
serve, because that is
what God created us to
do, as new creations in
Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10 For we
are Gods workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to

do good works, which

God prepared in advance
for us to do.
-A good gauge of the
depth of your faith can
be the extent of your
charity.
-The more diverse your
involvement in the
Kingdom of God at large,
the greater your faith
generally is.
-Why, because you are
willing to risk and go
where God wants you to

go.
-You have not limited
your service to God out
of fear as to where that
investment of your time,
energies, and money will
take you.
*A story from Our Daily
Bread devotional says;
"For 30 years, I had
assumed that to swim I
must constantly struggle
to keep from sinking.
One day an expert
swimmer watched me for

a few minutes and then

shouted, Stop fighting
the water and trust it to
hold you up. He was
right. Under his
direction, I lay flat in the
water without moving
hands or feet and, to my
delight, it held me up.
Why didnt someone tell
me that years ago?" "So
many people constantly
struggle to become
Christians. If they would
only trust Christ, they
would realize that He

does the saving."

-Our faith, or our trust,
is not based on works
done by our own hands,
but upon the actions, the
end product of what
Jesus has already done
upon the Cross.
-It is out of that
relationship with Jesus
that we are moved to
action and serve our
Lord through our good
works, our producing of
fruit.

II. Love would Labor

-The second mark of
Christianity is love that
causes us to labor for
others.
-Love looks to our
present relationship with
Jesus and expresses
what it means to be in
Him.
-Here we have a second
work related word, the
Greek word kopos
translated labor in the

English.
-The phrase your labor
prompted by love
focuses on effort, the
word kopos means to
beat ones chest, to toil,
or expend great painful
effort.
*For example last
summer the weeds were
taking over my garden.
So one afternoon I went
out with my hoe and
worked like a mad man.
I attacked those weeds
until my shirt was

ringing wet, sweat

poured from my brow,
and my heart was
racing. I put some sweat
equity into that garden, I
worked hard hoeing and
raking those weeds up,
almost to the point of
exhaustion.
-How many of us put
that kind of effort into
showing Christ like love
for others?
A. Without Love we
Labor in Vain

-If we love other but put

not effort into our love
for them, then what
good are we to Christ,
and conversely if we put
great effort into being
Christians, but we do it
without love, then again
what good are we
1. Our Love first Begins
in Christ Jesus
-Our love for others
should first begin with
our love for Jesus
-To the church of
Ephesus we read in

Revelation 2:2-4 I know

your deeds, your hard
work and your
perseverance. I know
that you cannot tolerate
wicked men, that you
have tested those who
claim to be apostles but
are not, and have found
them false. You have
persevered and have
endured hardships for
my name, and have not
grown weary. Yet I hold
this against you: You
have forsaken your first

love.
-If we do not have the
love of Christ within,
then we draw from an
empty well.
*Have you ever tried
pumping from an empty
well. You can pump as
fast and hard as you
can, but your still going
to get nothing.
-Some in the church do a
lot for the church, but
they have lost that
passionate love for

Christ and so they are

drawing from an empty
well.
-They have a hard time
showing love to other
people, they tend to be
critical of others, always
looking for peoples
faults, they have
forgotten that Jesus
loved them faults and
all, just because.
2. That Love then must
fill us.
-When we are filled with

Christ love it is easy to

look past peoples
mistakes.
-We are more concerned
with how our actions will
effect other people, then
just getting the job
done.
*Megan came in one
summer soaking wet,
her and Colby had got
into the garden sprinkler.
Megans jeans had
soaked up so much
water, that were ever
she walked she left

puddles of water on the

floor all the way to the
bathroom.
-When we are filled with
Gods love, we are like
soaking wet sponges
that cant help, but leak
the love of God,
wherever we go.
B. From the Abundance
we Love others in Action
-It is often very easy to
fall into a legalistic mind
trap.
-Paul, a Pharisee among

Pharisees reminds us in
Galatians 5:6 For in
Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor
uncircumcision has any
value. The only thing
that counts is faith
expressing itself through
love.
-Sometime the best way
to express our faith is
through specific,
concrete, and practical
works.
*When John Wesley was

six-years-old the
parsonage in which he
lived with his family
caught fire. The alarm
was given and the
parents thought
everyone was out of the
house safely. But when
they started counting,
they discovered that one
of the children was
missing. And, to their
horror, they saw young
John Wesley at an upper
story window, caught in
the burning building. The

father, a devout,
scholarly Anglican
minister, immediately
dropped to his knees,
praying that God would
save the boy. His mother,
who not only was a
person of great faith but
also a very practical
woman, immediately ran
next door, got a neighbor
with a ladder and,
working with the
neighbor, rescued her
son from the flaming
house. There are times

when the best way to

express your faith is to
get off your knees, go
get a neighbor with a
ladder, and do what has
to be done in a given
situation. Apart from
works of love, your faith
is dead -- as "lifeless as
a corpse."
-When we begin to get
actively involved in
loving our neighbors, our
community and the
world around us then

they doors of this church

will swing wide open as
we begin doing what God
has called us to do.
-Loving people into the
Kingdom and teaching
them Gods truths.
-Our love for others and
the efforts that are
produced by that love
toward other people is a
result of the relationship,
the love, which we have
for Jesus Christ.

III. Hope would Endure

-The last mark of
Christianity, which we
find the church of
Thesslonica struggling
with in 2 Thessalonians,
is hope.
-It is hope that pushes
us forward.
-Hope looks to the future
with confidence that
Gods promises will be
true for those who are in
Christ Jesus.
-Here is our third and
greatest form of work

in the Greek, the word

hupomone [hoop-om-onay] which means
ceaseless action under
great strain,
perseverance,
endurance, steadfast.
-The phrase your
endurance inspired by
hope in our Lord Jesus
Christ is about not
giving up or throwing in
the towel no matter how
hard life gets because of
our hope in Jesus Christ.
*My brother, Mark, and I

were hiking back to my

car after a weekend of
camping in the Cuhutta
Wilderness area of north
Georgia. We followed a
trail called penitentiary
trail and it was aptly
names, as it was all up
hill, with few sources of
water. We had stopped
at one point to run bug
infested water through a
coffee filter, and then
boil the water and drink
it with our last piece of
summer sausage. Trust

me when I say this, hot

water and summer
sausage, not a good
combination. The fat in
the sausage melts in
your mouth like a spoon
full of Crisco. We were
miserable after a less
then delicious meal, we
continued up the trail
with the scorching sun
beating down on us, and
our feet and backs
aching. We however kept
going knowing that at
the end of the trail was

my car and a Big-Mac

was calling our names,
along with an ice cold
soda. We had hope.
A. Without hope we fall
into the pit.
-Unfortunately many of
us live our lives defeated
rather then driven.
-The world around us
robs of our dreams,
people say it cant be
done, it never has been
done, or you are not the
one to make it happen.

-Heaven seem some far

off dream, a fairy tale to
comfort the dying, not a
present reality.
*An article in Psychology
Today said; The average
thirty-year-old American
male is ten times more
likely to be depressed
than his father and
twenty times more likely
to be depressed than his
grandfather. At any given
time in America, there
are between fifteen and
twenty million people

suffering from
depression. Fifteen
percent of these
depressed individuals will
commit suicide.
-So many of us fight
depression and thoughts
of worthlessness, we are
always worn out, sleepy,
and feel the weight of
the world upon us, all
because we have nothing
to hope for, nothing to
hope in.
Proverbs 11:7 When a

wicked man dies, his

hope perishes; all he
expected from his power
comes to nothing.
B. Hope inspires us to
endure.
-When we have hope in
something greater then
ourselves, when our
dreams exceed our
reality, then our spirit is
set free to soar on
angels wings.
Psalm 33:13-17 From

heaven the LORD looks

down and sees all
mankind; from his
dwelling place he
watches all who live on
earth--he who forms the
hearts of all, who
considers everything
they do. No king is saved
by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by
his great strength. A
horse is a vain hope for
deliverance; despite all
its great strength it
cannot save.

-The things of this world,

like armies, our own
strength, or a powerful
steed, cannot bring that
eternal hope and
security we desire.
Psalm 33:18-22 But the
eyes of the LORD are on
those who fear him,
[reverence; respect] on
those whose hope is in
his unfailing love, to
deliver them from death
and keep them alive in
famine. We wait in hope

for the LORD; he is our

help and our shield. In
him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy
name. May your unfailing
love rest upon us, O
LORD, even as we put
our hope in you.
-But the fact of Gods
unfailing love for us and
His power to deliver us
from the troubles of this
world and into the
blessings of eternity with
Him are guaranteed.
-So, placing our trust in

God, hoping in the things

of heaven makes for a
wise investment of our
energies and time.
*Richard Hogan told this
story at the North
American Christian
Convention in 1990. He
says; A few months ago
I took a sad journey
across Iowa to the little
hamlet of Lenox. Jack
Cutbirth, minister of the
Christian Church there,
was in his last hours of

life due to a fastspreading cancer. He had

served in World War II
as an army chaplain, and
had since ministered to
Disciple churches. We
met in the Theology
School of Drew
University and became
friends. He never
married, but cared for
his old mother until her
passing. His family was
his church and his
community. Both loved
him dearly. Now Jack

was terminally ill. The

doctors thought he had
the flu, but further tests
showed a malignancy.
They operated in the
spring, but sewed him
up, and told him he had
less than a month to
live. I had been calling
Jack and encouraging
him with scripture and
prayer. Now he wanted
to see me for the last
time this side of eternity
and I was soon by his
bedside in the

parsonage. We talked
together of old times and
happier days. He asked
about the convention.
"Jack," I said, "you will
soon be with Jesus and
all the saints in glory.
Will you greet those we
have loved for awhile
and lost for awhile? Tell
them well see them
again one day soon. Will
you do that?" He assured
me that he would. Then I
said, "Jack, is there
anything you want me to

tell your brothers and

sisters on opening night
at the [North American
Christian] convention?
Thousands of them from
all over the world will be
gathered to hear about
"AMAZING LOVE...Good
News for the 90s." The
old soldier of the cross
spoke with such a feeble
voice I couldnt make it
out. Then he said it
again. "Dick, tell my
brothers and sisters that
Jesus never fails." "Is

there anything else you

want me to tell them?" I
asked. "No, just tell
them that the love of
Jesus never fails."
-The Hope the causes us
to endure the hardships
of this life are found in
the promises of Jesus
Christ in a better life yet
to come for us who know
Jesus as both Lord and
Savior.
Conclusion:

-In our struggles to

overcome this world, we
must remember the
marks of a Christian;
-that of faith in Christ
which spurs us on to do
good works, because of
what Jesus did for us,
-that of love first for our
Savior and secondly for
the lost as we labor to
reach them for our Lord.
-and finally that of hope
which causes us to
endure the hardships of
this world because we

have a future in eternity

with Jesus Christ.
9.