Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. As the Apostle addresses the Church at Thessaloniki, a Church surrounded by pagan temples and Caesar worship, he exhorts the Church – every Christian in the Church – to do the right thing. This is a lengthy section, so I’m going to read a bit, then expound on that bit before I read onward. I pray that god the Holy Spirit would impart this great truth to your lives.

Our Introduction Is The Glorious Gospel

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: {Paul, Timothy and Silas had been told that the city of Thessaloniki was too corrupt, that a Church would never be built there. And yet, as God has promised, “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (ESV)} 2 But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, {it was at Philippi that Paul and Silas were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. Having suffered that, it would have been natural to avoid Thessaloniki lest it happen again!} we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. {Paul, Timothy & Silas preached the Gospel “with much contention”, πολύς polys ἀγών agōn, “as if in a great conflict or contest”. It was not easy to preach the Gospel, but they were resisted at every point, as Satan and every force of evil pushed against them} 3 For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: 4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, {To be “put in trust” is πιστεύω pisteuō, that is, their faith was in the Gospel, not in themselves} even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. 5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness: {Paul, Timothy, and Silas did not try and please the crowd, but preached the Gospel} 6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: 8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. {It was out of great love – not self seeking glory but love – that Paul, Silas, and Timothy spoke} 9 For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail: for laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. 10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: {Paul, Timothy and Silas not only preached the Gospel, but lived by the Gospel} 11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. {Not only did Paul, Timothy and Silas preach and live the Gospel, but they commanded God’s people “walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory”}

Humanity Has A Sin Problem

It shocks me, but doesn’t surprise me when the lost do terrible things. This past Tuesday, May 24, 2022 an 18 year old man named Salvador Ramos went into Robb Elementary School and killed nineteen children and two adults. Seventeen others were wounded. The young man earlier that day shot his own grandmother in the face, severely wounding her.

What creates such a horror? People are quick to blame guns, and call for gun control and additional laws, including enhanced background checks prior to the sales of guns. Sadly, there’s no easy answer that government can give us to the problems we face in our nation. The first murder in the Bible was not committed with a gun, but an unnamed weapon (Genesis 4:1-10). The horror is not in the weapon, but in the heart of the one who murders another.

Had Ramos gone into that classroom and killed 21 people with a machete, or a stick of dynamite, or a poison gas, it would be just as horrible. The horror is that his heart could yield a weapon to destroy lives made by God.

What are the first causes of this terrible behavior? Bloodshed, murder and mayhem are pushed through network media and the larger movie screens and streaming services, along with sexual perversity of every kind. Children are allowed to play video games where they participate in bloody mayhem. The Bible says:

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.

When children are raised up with little regard for life and little regard for God, they become adults who do horrible things. When the “heart departs from the Lord”, sin blossoms. What fixes sin? More laws? No, but the glorious Gospel of salvation. The human heart is born into this world filled with evil. The Scripture says:

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Our hearts need the Lord. Ramos needed the Lord. No law can force this, but this world desperately needs Jesus. It is Jesus Who, through the glorious Gospel, can fix the wayward heart. Our hope is in the Gospel.

1 Thessalonians 2:4-5 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, {To be “put in trust” is πιστεύω pisteuō, that is, their faith was in the Gospel, not in themselves} even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. 5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness:

Paul, Timothy and Silas put their trust not in themselves, nor in their abilities, but in the glorious Gospel of salvation. They did not speak with an eye to pleasing people, nor did they flatter the listeners. They told whosoever would hear that there is no grace nor peace without the Gospel of Christ. It is only by changing the heart – the rot at our core – that darkness is abated.

Sin Destroys What It Touches,
Like A Fire Out Of Control

When sin is given its head, it burns and spreads like a fire, consuming even the innocent in its path. When Jesus Christ – Eternal God become Perfect Man – came to this earth, it was with the intent of destroying sin. Jesus did not come to just cover sin, but to eradicate it. Pastor Kevin White in his book “Get To The Point” (page 60) wrote:

“Salvation is a MEANS to God’s Presence, and not a SUBSTITUTE for God’s Presence. Salvation is what makes it possible. God’s power is in His Presence. Without God’s Presence in our lives moment by moment, we remain powerless. Satan is the enemy of God. It is better for Satan if you flat out reject God, but it’s not a problem if you accept God as long as you don’t value God’s Presence. So salvation is the means to the point and is not the point. The point is God’s Presence. Salvation is what gives us access to God’s Presence within us.”

When Jesus Christ became flesh, became incarnate, and came into this world, He came to show us how to walk with God and for God. “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus loves His creation, but despises sin. The Bible says of God:

Psalm 5:5 (ESV) The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes {O Lord}; You hate all evildoers.

Psalm 11:5 (ESV) The Lord tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

God hates those who do evil, but loves His creation.

He loved His creation so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to this earth to pay for our sins. Jesus was often found with sinners, so much so that the self righteous Pharisees mocked Jesus, saying:

Matthew 11:19 (and Luke 7:34) (ESV) … ‘Look at Him {that Jesus}! A Glutton and a Drunkard, a Friend of tax collectors and sinners!

Jesus often sat with sinners, eating and drinking with them. But Jesus NEVER condoned sin. EVER. Those who proclaim Jesus looked the other way at sin are liars and antiChrists. Pastor and Theologian R.C. Sproul rightly said,

“the smallest sin is an affront to the holiness of God and brings down the thundering wrath of God upon us.”

Why does God despise sin so? Because sin is like a lit match I a barn filled with dry hay. Sin is never a little thing. Sin is a destructive thing. Sin destroys families. Sin plants wickedness in the heart, and then waters that wickedness until it becomes the horror of 21 deaths in Uvalde at Robb Elementary. The Apostle writes in another place:

Galatians 1:3-5 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Grace and peach come not from more man made laws, but “from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ”. Where salvation is, God is, God is PRESENT. Jesus Christ is LORD over His people. Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins”. Why? Was it just to get us into Heaven. No, though that is one result. But Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father”. The Christian is saved to walk in the Presence of God daily, moment by moment. The Christian is saved not to be part of this present darkness, but to be the light of God, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Sin in every form is a destructive force that must be eradicated by the Gospel of Salvation. The Apostle said:

1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: 11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

The Apostle said, “how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe”. As Paul, Silas and Timothy preached the Gospel, they were convicted in their own lives to live by the Gospel they preached.

Each Christian should ask themselves daily:

– Am I HOLY, that is, living my life as God’s possession.
– Am I JUST, that is, outwardly imitating Jesus in my life.
– Am I UNBLAMABLE, that is, casting my sin to the Cross of Christ.

With the horror of Uvalde Texas still a raw wound, we who are Southern Baptists were confronted by another horror this week.

Our leadership, those in the highest places in our Southern Baptist Convention, have allowed sin to fester and remain in their lives. Men that I looked up to and studied under, Johnny Hunt and Paige Patterson, have been exposed in sexual sin against the flock of Christ. In the 1990’s the Catholic Church had a number of Priests that were exposed in sexual sin. We are all broken. But those in leadership should not, must not allow themselves to capitalize in that brokenness. The Bible says,

Numbers 32:23 (ESV) … you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out

As humans, we may be adept at hiding our sins – but in time unconfessed sin and evil will be exposed. In 1998 our Convention passed a Resolution that stated:

“Tolerance of serious wrong by leaders sears the conscience of the culture, spawns unrestrained immorality and lawlessness in the society, and surely results in God’s judgment.”

As Paul, Timothy and Silas preached the Gospel, they did not do so self righteously. They recognized that sin is a fire, a destructive force. The Apostle Peter wrote that we who are Christians are to …

1 Peter 2:16 (ESV) Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants[a] of God.

Sin is not to be winked at, but rejected as a poison that leads unto death.

Romans 6:23 (ESV) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin always pays off or gives wages that are DEATH. Sin is deceptive. At first, it will seem as if that “sin” is nothing. A moment of pleasure. But it is sin that leads to greater horrors, like abortion. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 4:1-5 Furthermore then 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. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence {ἐπιθυμία epithymía, that which is “forbidden”}, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

A Christian is saved, not to walk in sexual sin (which is what “fornication” is), but to walk with Christ. We walk apart from sin. We do not pursue our lusts, but our Savior. We who are saved by Grace are to “walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory”. The Christian is not lost, but saved. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 5:8 (ESV) for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light..

and again,

1 Thessalonians 5:5 (ESV) For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness….

We belong to Christ. We belong to Jesus.

The Christian Is Not Drawn To Sin, But
To The Presence Of God And His Word

In this confusing world today, where do we look for direction? As Christians, we look toward Christ, toward what God’s Word says. We read:

1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

It is not the word of man nor the law of man that will fix what ails us, but the Word of God. The Word of God only works “effectually … in you that believe”. You can hear the Word of God spoken, but if to you it is only a word of man, then it has no effect on you. If you are saved by faith in Christ, then God is at work in you making you MORE like Jesus. If you are saved by faith in Christ, then you WILL NOT walk in darkness, but in the light of God’s love. You are as God’s children:

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) … called out of darkness into {God’s} marvelous light …

You cannot be a Christian and walk in darkness, for God never walks in darkness. As we come to the Lord’s Table today we as Christians remember what our Jesus did for us. The Apostle warned the Christians at Corinth against partaking of the Lord’s Table with active sin in their lives. He wrote:

1 Corinthians 11:26-32 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

God despises sin.

Another item from the news this week is that:

“The Catholic archbishop of San Francisco says that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is no longer allowed to receive Communion because of her vocal support for abortion rights.”

Though we are not “Catholics”, I believe that the Catholic Archbishop made a right call. God warns against taking the Communion of our Lord while you have active and unrepentant sin in your life. The Apostle told the Corinthians that to harbor sin while seeking the Presence of Christ in the Communion is to invite physical death. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” is a reference to physical death. Sin is abnormal. Sin is against God. I beg you, confess any open sin in your lives before taking of the Communion Table. The Table reminds us that Jesus’ Body was terribly broken because of sin. The Table reminds us that Jesus’ Blood was shed, bearing the Judgment of God in our place, as He hung on Calvary. You cannot come to the Holy Communion, the Lord’s Table with active sin in your lives. It is very dangerous.

Sin is very dangerous. Put it away from you, coming fully to Jesus Christ. Lean fully on Jesus for salvation. Heed the Gospel, which is to repent and turn from sin and to the Savior. Receive Jesus Christ as the Only Lord and Savior. And Commit to following Jesus and His Word one moment at a time, one day at a time. Believe that Jesus rose from the grave to lead you both now, and into eternity.

May God use this His Word to draw us all close to His Presence. In these latter days those who are Christians must stand firm on the truths of Scripture, rejecting godlessness and sinfulness as acceptable lifestyles. We cannot be divided in our allegiance to God in Christ.

In Christ’s name and for His glory I pray, stand firm. Amen and Amen!