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A God Glorifying Reputation

SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 (ESV)

DATE: 1-30-22

Happy 20th Birthday Gateway Church — it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend as we celebrate our birthday together. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

This year — as a church — we’re focusing on the idea of “belonging.” Something the last few years have revealed is how desperate we all are to know that we belong somewhere. Isolation isn’t good for anyone because we’re created to be part of a community — we’re created to belong. 

And we’ve started off this year of belonging with a short series that we’re finishing this week — a series we’ve titled “Prayers for the Church” — a series based on prayers that I pray regularly for us as a church. These prayers have circulated among some of you who pray these prayers along with me and — hopefully — many more of you will join me in praying these prayers for us. So what do I pray for when I pray for us as a church? I pray…

  • That God’s glory would be what’s most important to us.
  • That we would live under the authority of God’s Word and by the power of his Spirit.
  • That we would have unity.
  • That we’d be concerned about the interests of others.
  • That we’d be known for our love and faithfulness.
  • That our identity would be in Christ.
  • That the next generation of Christians, pastors, missionaries, and church leaders would be raised in our church.
  • I ask God to help us to be a praying church; dependent upon him for all things.
  • I pray that his message will echo forth from us. That reports of our faith in him would spread and be an encouragement to others (not for our glory; but for God’s glory). 
  • And I pray that God — from his glorious, unlimited resources — would empower us with the inner strength of his Spirit. That Christ would make his home in our hearts as we trust in him. That our spiritual roots would grow deep down into God’s love and keep us strong. And that we would have the power to understand how wide, long, high, and deep God’s love is for us. I ask God to help us to know, experience, and trust in the love of Christ. 

These are the prayers that I — your pastor — pray for you — pray for us — daily. And — today — we’re looking at the final three prayers that we’ve yet to look at more closely in this series. So let’s turn to our first passage for today.

If you have your Bible please turn with me to First Thessalonians chapter 1. We’ll be looking at verses 2-10. 

SERMON INTRODUCTION

And — while you’re finding First Thessalonians — if this is your first week with us — as you heard me say earlier — this is the final week of this series focusing on prayers that I’ve been praying for Gateway for some time as I’ve been watching the cultural climate around us change and seeing what kind of times we’re living in. The illustration I’ve been using is the nation of Israel from the Old Testament. 

In the Old Testament — the people of Israel lived primarily in two places. The Promised Land — what became the nation of Israel — and the other place they lived was in exile — in foreign lands. And I’ve had us consider which location is most like what it’s like being a Christian in the United States in 2022. 

To be like the Israelities — living in Israel — would mean we’re living in a land where our Christian faith is interwoven with the values and culture of our nation. Whereas — to be the Israelites living in exile — would mean we’re living in a land where our Chrsitian faith is found to be in opposition with the values and cultures of the land in which we’re living. And — to help you think more deeply about our current situation — I’ve reminded you that…

In Israel, the people had a king who shared their faith. And even when a king was evil and rebellious there was hope that the next king might use his authority to turn the entire kingdom back to God. That’s how interwoven the Jewish faith and the nation was — the king had the authority to turn the whole nation towards the Jewish faith.

But — in exile — the king and those in authority did not share their faith. And — when one king was replaced by another — there was no reason to expect that the next king would lead the kingdom towards God. Why? Because the nation they were living in and their Jewish faith were not interwoven together.

When living in Israel, the culture was highly influenced by the Jewish faith and — even when the people strayed and rebelled — even when an evil king was on the throne — the Jewish religion still had a strong influence on society. The religious holy days meant something to the people both — when they were being religiously faithful — and even when they weren’t.

But — in exile — the culture was primarily influenced by other faiths and religions and values — in fact — the Jewish faith wasn’t much of an influence at all. And the people of God had to learn how to live in a culture that leaned away from their faith and tried to pull them away from their religious beliefs and practices.

And — you can go back and listen to my previous sermons — where I give some specific examples — but my conclusion is that we’ve not been living in “Israel” for decades. We’re in spiritual exile and need to shift our thinking and our focus so we learn how to live as faithful Christians in a foreign land. Yes, this is still the United States of America. But we’re fooling ourselves if we think we’re not living in spiritual exile. 

And all of this has shaped how I’ve been praying for us as a church. And — this series — is meant for me to help you see the times in which we’re living while also letting you know how your pastor is praying for you. And — for all who belong to Gateway — consider this an invitation to join me in praying these prayers for us. 

But — let’s begin — with Paul’s words in 1st Thessalonians.

ECHOES FROM US

We’re in First Thessalonians chapter 1. Beginning in verse 2. 

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 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, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 

9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 ESV)

The first prayer of mine — that we’re looking at today — is my prayer that God’s message will echo forth from us. That reports of our faith in him would spread and be an encouragement to others (not for our glory; but for God’s glory). Again my prayer is that God’s message would echo forth from us and that reports of our faith in him would spread and be an encouragement to other Christians — not for our glory, but for God’s glory.

Don’t you just appreciate the affection that Paul has for the Christians in Thessalonica? He tells them that he’s always giving thanks to God for them. He’s constantly praying for them and — as he does so — he remembers their faith, love, and hope in Jesus Christ. He encourages them by telling them that he knows that God’s chosen them to be part of his people based on the gospel message having come to them in word and in the power of the Holy Spirit — and with great conviction — which has resulted in them having great joy. He also praises them for the example they are for other Christians — which leads to my prayer for us.

For — as Paul tells the Thessalonians — how word has spread everywhere about their faith in God — my prayer for us is that God’s message will echo forth from us and reports of our faith in him will spread and be an encouragement to other Christians  — in our community, in our denomination, in our country, and around the world. And I pray that all of this would be — not for our glory — but for God’s glory. 

But what exactly was being said about these believers in Thessalonica? What was being spread about them — in regards to their faith? Paul mentions three things. How they welcomed him and his companions. How they turned to God from idols and are now serving God. And how they’re waiting for Jesus to return. Let’s talk about each of these.

What would we need to do — all of us who belong to Gateway — what do we need to do to be a church where others can’t help but talk about how welcoming we are to those who visit us? 

We’ve got a great group of folks who help people get parked, open the doors when you arrive, serve you a cup of coffee in the cafe, help you get your kids checked in and so on. And I don’t want to downplay what you all are doing who serve in these areas — thank you so much for welcoming others! Yet — I can’t help but think that what Paul’s talking about — regarding the Thessalonian Christians — isn’t something that a few of them were doing — it’s too big of a reputation to be the work of only a few folks volunteering in the congregation. 

What he’s describing is a spirit of welcoming that the whole church has — where — all those who belong to the church watch out for — not only each other — but for those who are guests among them. 

  • That individual sitting all alone who’s wondering if we’ll be a place where he belongs. 
  • The single mom who brought her young kids to church — no small task all on her own — but could use some help getting them to their classrooms. 
  • The widower who lost his wife recently and is feeling lost and isolated. 
  • How can we — all of us — help others know that they’ve found a place where they can belong — a people who connect to one another? 
  • What can you do to help us be a congregation — a group of people — that others can’t help but talk about how welcoming we are? Where — the atmosphere is — as our worship leaders say — “as you’ve been welcomed by Christ — welcome those around you” — not only during that brief time in our worship services that’s been programmed — but during the entire time someone is among us?
  • This is a responsibility — not just for Connect team staff to program — or the welcome team volunteers to do — helping others feel welcome is all of our responsibility. How are you helping or hindering us from being a welcoming community? 

Paul also mentions that their turning from idols to God is news that’s been spreading and encouraging others. Now — back in Paul’s day — idols were different Greek gods that people worshiped — usually in the form of a small statue in their home — though some folks might go to a temple to worship an idol. 

In our day and age — we’ve sophisticated and modernized our idols. We idolize wealth and beauty and youthfulness. We idolize political parties and leaders. We idolize athletes and celebrities and musicians. We idolize the lives we see being lived on social media by others. And idols — all of them — are a worship issue. And this land of exile — we’re living in — has many idols — idols that demand to be worshiped — idols our culture demands we worship. And — to be faithful in exile — we must choose to worship the One true God and reject the idol worship that surrounds us.

And Paul praises the Thessalonians because — word has spread — about how they’ve turned from the idols of their culture — the idols their society worshiped — to worship the One true God. And this was countercultural. This gave them obvious different values as a people. This was a marker of what it meant to belong to the Christian community. What everyone else in society was worshipping, idolizing, and giving their lives to — these Thessalonians had turned from because they had discovered the One who created them and had given them life. And idols look unbelievably puny compared to the God who gives life. 

And this is my prayer for us. That we’d be a people who see the idols of our culture for what they are — and turn from them as we turn to God — because you can only be looking in one direction at a time. We think that we can worship Jesus and have some idols on the side, but — what inevitably happens — is that we worship the idols and have a little Jesus on the side — until keeping Jesus on the side isn’t worth it anymore. Thus the fastest growing religious category in our nation is called the “nones” — not “n-u-n-s” but “n-o-n-e-s” — meaning “I have no religion.” And most of these “nones” previously identified as Christian — but the idols of our culture have won their worship.

Thus, we’re living in an age ripe for Christians to be distinct — to be so different — because we’ve turned from the idols of our culture and turned to worship the living God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And — if we do this — if all who belong to this faith family would turn away from our culture’s idols and turn to God — word would spread. It couldn’t help but spread because — it’d be obvious that we’re not participating in the dominant religion of this land of spiritual exile. 

Though they call themselves “nones” — they do have a religion — and there’s an ever growing pressure to abandon the Christian faith and join the religion of none. But we have an opportunity to be an encouragement to other communities of Christians who may feel like they’re all alone in this land of spiritual exile. We can show them that there are others who’ve not given their lives in worship to the idols of culture. 

What can you do to help us be a congregation where it’s obvious that we’ve turned from the idols of culture and worship the living God? What idol — or idols — do you need to turn away from? And — I know, I know — idol worship isn’t a problem for you — or at least that’s what we all tell ourselves — so I’ll ask the question another way. How has Jesus been pushed to the side — in your life — or maybe been pushed out of your life altogether? You know — not me — you know the answer. Those close to you — who you’re willing to hear honest feedback from — may be able to help you see if the direction you’re facing is towards God or not.

Finally, Paul mentions how the Thessalonians are waiting for Jesus to return. They’re not waiting idly by. They’re not huddled up in their homes. They’re actively waiting for Jesus to return. How do I know? Because of what Paul writes about them in the rest of this letter as he praises them for living in a way that’s pleasing to God and commends their love for one another. He encourages them to live in peace with each other, to admonish those among them who are undisciplined, to comfort the discouraged, to help the weak, and to be patient toward all. He tells them not to pay back evil with evil but to always pursue good for others. And on and on Paul goes describing the kind of community they’re to be while they wait for Jesus to return. 

Much of what Paul says to them are characteristics that I’m praying for us — as we’ve already seen in this series. Where we’re all striving to live in a way that’s pleasing to God — living in peace with each other — loving one another — comforting those who are discouraged and so on. 

What would we need to do to be a congregation that’s known for these characteristics — again — not for our glory — but for God’s glory — for his praise? Can you imagine belonging to a community like this? What are some ways that we’re already this kind of community? What are some things you can be doing to help our congregational life be pleasing to God? How might you help God’s message echo forth from us?

EMPOWERED AND ROOTED IN GOD’S LOVE

Now — if we turn to Ephesians chapter 3 — these are the verses we looked at last week that I said we’d come back to — in Ephesians 3 we find the verses that are the foundation for my next prayer for us. I pray that God — from his glorious, unlimited resources — would empower us with the inner strength of his Spirit. And that Christ would make his home in our hearts as we trust in him. And that our spiritual roots would grow deep down into God’s love and keep us strong. And that we would have the power to understand how wide, long, high, and deep God’s love is for us. God, help us to know, experience, and trust in the love of Christ.

Here’s what we read in Ephesians chapter 3 — beginning in verse 14 — and you’ll see that my prayer is pretty much a direct quote of these verses. Paul writes…

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV)

Paul says that — because of the holiness and awesomeness of God — which he’s described in the previous two and half chapters — Paul says that he bows down — in humble worship — before his God. He bows down because…

  • His God is the Creator of everyone and everything. 
  • His God is the One who’s named each of our families — has even named each of us. 
  • And Paul asks his magnificent God to strengthen the Christians in Ephesus with the power of the Holy Spirit. 
  • Paul prays that Christ would dwell in them. 
  • He prays that they would be able to comprehend — that they would be able to understand — the love of Christ. The height and depth and width and length of Christ’s eternal and inexhaustible love for them. 
  • And Paul prays this because he knows that — if the Christians in Ephesus understood Christ’s love — and fathomed what it means to be loved by Christ — they’d be filled with all the fullness of God. 
  • What does that mean? It means that they’d have an unmatched and unwavering — we’re talking about a sure and solid foundation — of confidence and trust in God’s love for them. And this would change them — in fact — this would change everything. 

And I pray this for you — for us as a church — because if we understood what it means to be loved by Christ — not a superficial understanding — but an “I’m gonna keep climbing higher in my understanding of his love, and going deeper in his love, and I’m going to keep running until I’ve exhausted the length and breadth of his love for me — and for all people” — well — I bet you can see that this is a more energizing and awe-inspiring view of God’s love than what most of us walk around with — day in and day out — right? And I’m including myself here. 

It’s so easy — isn’t it — to be so easily distracted by the things of this world that we find ourselves not in awe of the fact that God loves us and has proven his love for us in Christ. And as I was thinking about this — I had the thought that the root of all of our failings and shortcomings — the root cause of conflict and division — the root cause of these prayers not being answered to their full potential — is us — all of us — not understanding the love God has for us in Jesus Christ.

  • We’d be better husbands and wives and children and parents and grandparents if we fathomed the love God has for us in Jesus Christ.
  • We’d be more generous givers — not owned by material things and our money — if we understood the love that God has for us in Jesus Christ.
  • We’d be less anxious for that call from the doctor — or whether or not we’ve gotten accepted into the school of our dreams — if we realized the love God has for us in Jesus Christ.
  • We’d treat all people with dignity and respect. There’d be no children waiting to be adopted. No people living on the streets. No one alone during the holidays…if we — God’s people — understood the love that God has for us in Jesus Christ.
  • We’d have to turn away volunteers if we understood the love God has for us. 
  • We’d have to plant more churches and start more worship services and more campuses if we understood God’s love for us in Christ Jesus because we’d be compelled to tell others about his life-changing and amazing love. 
  • We’d all feel better connected to others here at Gateway — because — it’d be God’s love that compels us to connect with each other and not any program or ministry model.
  • As I recently heard a pastor say, “You don’t have to beg people to do something they delight in.” And when you know you’re loved by God — you delight in turning from idols to worship God alone. When you know you’re loved by God — you delight in connecting to others in the church. When you know God loves you — you delight in serving, and giving, and being present for worship, and eager to go to your Life Group, and so on.

Dear church — for your soul’s sake — and for our sake as a congregation — search God’s love. Keep going higher and deeper and wider and farther into knowing his love for you and for all people. I pray that you would know — that we would know — and experience the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

GOD’S GLORY

And — if we stay in Ephesians chapter 3 — the final two verses transition us to my final prayer for us. In verse 20 we read…

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)

My final prayer for us is that God’s glory would be what’s most important to us. This is actually the first prayer that I pray for us every day. I pray that God’s glory would be what’s most important for all of us — most important for you and for me. For this is the umbrella under which everything else I pray for us falls. 

God being glorified. God being praised. God being recognized as God. By us…yes! By people who don’t yet know him…yes! By people of all nations who don’t know that — the God the heavens are declaring the glory of — is Jesus Christ…yes! 

To glorify God means to declare that he is great. Greater than everything and everyone else. To glorify God means to say — with our words and our lives — God is the greatest! For there’s only One “greatest of all time.” 

And he’s not just the greatest of all time — our God is also the greatest outside of time — think about that! And — if we all would commit together — to intentionally strive to glorify God in all that we do — well I can’t help but imagine how unusual of a community we’d be. Unusual because — as Paul says — the God whose glory is most important to us — is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think or imagine. 

And here’s what’s mind blowing. The power we need — to do more than what we can even imagine is possible — is a power that’s already in us — the power of God’s Spirit and Son who are alive in his people — and that’s some power. Power ready to be used in you and in me — in us as a congregation — to declare the greatness of our God to a world that’s searching for where they belong. We have the answer to this universal question — the answer to where this desire to belong is satisfied — and it’s an amazing answer — you belong to God — the One who’s made you and loves you.

CONCLUSION

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at what I pray for us as a congregation — a pastor’s prayers for the church he’s been entrusted with. And as we continue into 2022 — a year where we focus on what it means to belong — a year where we fight against the loneliness and isolation that we’ve all been caught up in — as we focus on what it means to belong — my prayer is that to belong at Gateway means we commit to being a church where it’s obvious that…

  • God’s glory is what’s most important to us.
  • That we’re a people who live under the authority of God’s Word and by the power of his Spirit.
  • That we’d have unity and be concerned about the interests of others.
  • That we’d be a church known for our love and faithfulness. And that our identity — individually and corporately — would be in Christ.
  • That we’d commit to being a church that raises up the next generation of Christians, pastors, missionaries, and church leaders.
  • That we’d be a praying church; dependent upon God for all things.
  • Praying that God’s message will echo forth from us. And that reports of our faith in him would spread and be an encouragement to others (not for our glory; but for God’s glory). 
  • And that to belong here — means that — from God’s glorious, unlimited resources — we experience being empowered with the inner strength of his Spirit. That Christ would make his home in our hearts as we trust in him. That our spiritual roots would grow deep down into God’s love and keep us strong. And that we’d have the power to understand how wide, long, high, and deep God’s love is for us — so that we all would know, experience, and trust in the love of Christ. 

That — to belong to this faith family — would mean that we commit to praying these prayers for each other — and commit to being an answer to these prayers in our individual lives and as a church. For if we focus on these prayers — prayers based on Scripture — if we focus on being this kind of congregation — not only will we have found a sweet refuge from isolation and loneliness — but will have something to offer that’s soul-refreshing and life-giving to those who are still trying to find where they belong. For we know where they’re longing to belong will be satisfied. 

And there’s no greater or more fulfilling belonging than belonging to God. And a congregation full of people who know that they belong to God — who have a supernatural confidence that they are secure in Christ — and loved by him — will be an answer to your pastor’s prayers. Let’s pray together. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, you are glorious and deserving of all our praise — deserving of being the only One we praise. For there is no one and no thing — in all of creation — that loves us like you do. And no one and no thing can satisfy our longing to belong like you can. Help all who hear my voice to know that you love them and that they can find rest and security in belonging to you.

Holy Spirit, increase and deepen and broaden and heighten our understanding of your love for us. Expand — yes our knowledge of your love — but also increase our joy in being loved by you. Turn our eyes to Christ — and his love for us — so that — looking to the idols of our day — becomes repulsive and unsatisfying. 

And — Jesus — what love you have for us and for all people! Help us to be a people who spread the news of your love so that your message — your Good News — the gospel — would echo forth from us so that many might hear and respond to the eternal love you have for them. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go knowing that God loves you — having confidence that you belong to him. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.