Message October 1, 2006

Introduction:

A)     Paul gives a great thought of his favorite church

B)     Paul must have been from the south "We give thanks to God always for You All"

C)    This model church was in the wickedest of cities.

I)       THEY WERE AN ELECT PEOPLE

A)     THE CHURCH"EKKLESIA" ¬CALLED OUT GROUP 1 Pet 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”

1)     These people heard the Gospel…

2)     They Believed – They were Saved…

B)     HOW DID PAUL KNOW THEY WERE SAVED?

1)     1st By their works of Faith

(a)   They Worked – Vs 3 “Remembering…Your work of faith” 

(a)   Jms 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so without works is dead also”  

(b)   Heb 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

(c)   Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

2)     2nd – They were dying for the cause of Christ.

3)     Yet – Nothing was separating them from the cause of Christ

II)     THEY WERE AN OBEDIENT PEOPLE

A)     THE HEARERS BECOME FOLLOWERS. Vs 6 “And ye became followers of us..”

1)     They Heard the Word…

2)     They Welcomed the Word…

3)     They Believed the Word…

4)     Then they Suffered for the cause of Christ.

B)     THEY WERE A SUFFERING PEOPLE.

1)     1 Thess 2:14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

2)     If you live long enough for Christ you will suffer for Him.

III)   THEY WERE AN ENTHUSIASTIC PEOPLE Vs 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God¬ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

A)     THIS CHURCH WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD

1)     In Vs 7 They witnessed by their Walk. “Ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia.”

2)     In Vs 8 They witnessed by their Talk. "From you sounded out the word of the Lord"

B)     THEY WERE BLOWING CHRIST’ TRUMPET NOT THEIR OWN TRUMPET. Vs 8 “in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”

IV)   THEY WERE AN EXPECTANT PEOPLE Vs 9¬10 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. A)

A)     THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST IS THE THEME OF THIS BOOK

1)     The saved are Serving the Living God.

2)     The saved are Rejoicing in the Living Hope.

B)     WE ARE TO BE WORKING WHEN HE COMES.