MPT: Paul thanked God for the example of holiness from the Thessalonian church.
MPS: What about the Thessalonians is exemplary for us? Their holiness.
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What is holiness?
“Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God’s judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He loves, and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word.” – J.C. Ryle, Holiness
“You can’t make sense of the Bible without understanding that God is holy and that this holy God is intent on making a holy people to live with him forever in a holy heaven.” – Kevin Deyoung
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How were the Thessalonians examples of Holiness?
1 Thessalonians 1:6–7 (ESV) – And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
1. They became of the Lord.
a. : God them and chose them.
b. : The Gospel came in ways.
i. The .
Acts 17:1-3 (ESV) – Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
ii. In .
Romans 1:16 (ESV) – I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…
iii. In the Holy Spirit and full .
“The union with Christ which produces no effect on heart and life is a mere formal union, which is worthless before God. The faith which has not a sanctifying influence on the character is no better than the faith of devils.” – J.C. Ryle, Holiness
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2. They had leaders who the Lord.
a. Character is observed through the crucible of .
b. Leaders were there with and empathy for the people and shared during times of .
Four Results of Holiness:
- Example of works of .
- Example of labor of .
- Example of steadfastness in .
- Example of a Gospel- church.
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So, what is it to be an imitator of the Lord?
Matthew 6:33 (ESV) – But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
So, how do we become of the Lord?
The answer is to .
John 15:4-5 (ESV) – Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Acts 4:13 (ESV) – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Be first. Do second.
Holiness matters most.
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