SUNDAY SERMON 05TH OCTOBER 2014 BIBLE LESSONS: FIRST LESSON – DEAUTERONOMY 28:1-13, SECOND LESSON – 2 THESSALONIANS 1:3-12 FIRST LESSON – TOPIC: BLESSING ON OBEDIENCE INTRODUCTION – Under the Law of Moses, the blessing of God for man is contingent upon man’s obedience to the commandments of God. The chapter is an exposition of two words, the blessing and the course, and it stipulates twenty one blessings for obedience and fifteen curses for disobedience. Moses describes the blessings that would come upon them (the Israelite) if they were obedient: personal, family and national. I shall limit myself to the first fourteen verses of the chapter. MAIN SERMON In the first lesson, Jehovah God gives three conditions upon which the blessing is promised 1.upon the condition that they diligently hearken to the voice of God (vv1, 2) 2.upon the condition that they observe and do all His commandments (v9) - not only to do them for once, but keep them forever, not only to set out in His ways, but walk in them to the end 3.upon the condition that they should not go either to the right or to the left, to superstition or to profanity, and particularly that they should not go after other gods (v14) which was the sin that of all others they were so prone to. EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSING It is promise that the providence of God should prosper them in all their outward concerns, several blessings were enumerated under the providence blessings of God, they are; 1.that they should be safe and easy – a blessing should rest upon their persons wherever they were, in the city or in the field (v3). This blessing should attend to them in their journeys, going out and coming in (v6), their persons would be protected and the affair they went about would succeed well 2.that their families would be built up in a numerous issues - “blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (v4)”, this was the promise made to father Abraham that his seed should be as the stars of heaven, this promise continued with the children of Israel but on the condition that they obey the commandments of God 4.that they should be rich and have abundance of all good things - a blessing made first on all they have without doors, that is, corn and cattle in the field (vv4,11), their cows and sheep which would be blessed for the owners’ sakes and made blessings to them. In order for this to be done, God would give them rain in due season, because with this river of God, the earth is enrich (Ps 65:9).Secondly, with all they have within doors, the baskets and the stores (v5), the store houses and the bans (v8), when it is brought home God will bless it 5.that they be successful in their employments – “ the Lord shall command blessing upon them , not only in all thou hast, but in all thou doest, all that thou settest thy hand to” (v8), this illustrates that even when they are rich, they must not be idle, but must find some good employments or other to set their hands on, and God would own their industry and bless the work of their hands 6.that they will have honour among their neighbours – “ the Lord thy God will set thee up high above all nations (v1)”, two things would help to make them great among nations, their wealth and their power, they will lend to nations with interest and the people of the earth will be afraid of them 7.that they will be victorious over their enemies (v7) – the force of enemies though entirely drawn against them, will be entirely rooted and flew before them seven ways. It is likewise promise that the grace of God should establish them a holy people (vv9,10), that all the people shall see and know that they are called by the name of the Lord, because people called by the name of God are no doubt the happiest people under the sun. CONCLUSION From the whole, we learn that under the Law of Moses, blessings were contingent upon man’s obedience to the commandments of God, yet, it is enough that our Lord has given us His word, that if we seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness thereof, all other things shall be added to us, so my beloved, let us seek His kingdom that all the blessings enumerated above shall all be ours. SECOND LESSON – TOPIC: GOD FINAL JUDGEMENT AND GLORY INTRODUCTION – Apostle Paul begins this Epistle with an account of his high esteem for the Thessalonians, He then comforts them under their afflictions and persecutions and tells them what his prayers were to God for them. MAIN SERMON Apostle Paul glorifies God on behalf of the Thessalonians, he chose rather to speak of what was praiseworthy in them in a way of thanksgiving to God rather than commendation. The matter of the Apostle thanking God on behalf of the Thessalonians were that their faiths have grew exceedingly, they were more confirmed in the gospel and also that their charity abounded (v3). There were many persecutions which the Thessalonians endured for the sake of righteousness as well as other troubles which they met with in this calamitous life, yet they were patient and they endured all. Having mentioned their persecutions, Apostle Paul proceeds to offer several things for their comforts under the persecutions and tribulations, they are as follows: 1. The present happiness and the advantage of their sufferings (v5) – their faiths been just tried and patience exercised qualifies them to be counted worthy of the kingdom of God and besides their patient suffering, according to the righteous judgement of God, they will be counted worthy of the glory of God. 2. The future reward/punishment that shall be given to the persecutors and the persecuted – persecutors – there will be a punishment inflicted on the persecutors, God will punish those who afflict His people, tribulation to those that trouble the saints, God will order punishment and trouble those who trouble His people - persecuted – God will reward the trouble of the persecuted with rest (v7), though many may be the affliction of the righteous now, yet God will deliver them out of them all, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed. 3. The certainty of this future reward/punishment – the certainty of this is proved by the righteousness and justice of God to render to every man according to his work. 4. The time the righteous reward shall be made – “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven”, the Lord Jesus shall appear from heaven , now the heavens retain Him, then, He would be revealed and made manifest, our Lord will be revealed with His mighty angels or the angels of His mighty power, He will come in flaming fire (v8), the earth and all the works that is therein shall be burnt up, this will be a trying fire, to try every man’s work, a purifying fire, to purify His servants who shall share in the purity and partake of the felicitation of the new heaven and new earth. The event of His appearance will be horrible to some and joyful to others, it will be horrible to those that sinned against the principles of the natural religion and against those that rebelled against the light of nature, that knew not God (v8), for those who believe, it will be a joyful day, and the day Apostle Paul’s testimony will be confirmed and believed (v10). In the last two verses, the Apostle informs the Thessalonians of his constant prayers for them, he prayed for the Thessalonians so that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified, and his prayers were that God will begin His good work of grace in them and that God will carry on the good work that He has begun and fulfills all the good pleasures of His goodness CONCLUSION As Christians who live for Christ and who are earnestly awaiting the coming of Christ, we will experience troubles because we are trying to be God’s people in a perverse world, Apostle Paul admonishes that this troubles are God’s plan designed to make believers strong and fit to be able to endure to the end. I pray that the grace of God will be sufficient to hold us through all our sufferings………………Happy Sunday.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 07:59:02 +0000