Modeling our Faithfulness (pt.3)

Not only can we model our faithfulness by imitating and announcing our Savior, but we can model our faithfulness by turning to our Savior. (v.9)

Look at verse 9: In order to serve God, we have to turn from our old ways. The Greco-Roman world at this time had all sorts of idols that they worshipped as gods. Neighboring Athens even prayed to “the unknown God.” (Read Acts 17). These neighboring people had even told Paul how the Thessalonians were not like the world. Perhaps they had told Paul: “They don’t worship idols anymore. They worship the Lord. They confess this Jesus person.” Read on…Paul says the “living and true God.” All of these other idols are not living, they are dead! We all have idols in our lives today. For some of us, our idols are our jobs. We worship our jobs. Some of us worship alcohol. Some of us worship pornography. Some of us worship the television. Some of us even worship sports. We all have tensions in our lives that keep us from turning to our Savior. Do you know another pet peeve I have about driving? If I’m going the wrong way, I hate to turn around. If I’m on the beltline and I miss my exit sometimes I even convince myself it would be easier to just keep going and make the loop then to get off the exit and turn around. Turning around and admitting you’ve made a mistake is not an easy thing to do. But in order to model our faithfulness to Jesus, we have to keep turning to Him.. The Thessalonians had successfully turned from these idols and people knew it – it was evident in their lives.

Finally, we can model our faithfulness by waiting on our Savior. (v.10)

Look at verse 10… “to wait for His Son from Heaven.” In this phrase exists the reason why we place our faith in Christ. Jesus is coming back! This is the part where the Thessalonians faltered. They were so ready and so willing to imitate Christ that they had quit their jobs and literally waiting on Jesus to come back. We don’t need to do that, but we should wait on Him. Look what else Paul writes...Jesus is in Heaven. He is not in the grave. God raised him from the dead. Every other religion knows where their ‘leader’ is buried. One’s buried over here, one’s buried over there. The pope has even been buried. But praise God that we don’t know where Jesus is buried! Why? Because Jesus’ body is in Heaven with the Father! This is the hope of our salvation. Finally, look at the last part of the verse… “Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come.” When God made man, Adam sinned. Since Adam, every man has sinned. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The only problem is that in order to be in Heaven with God we have to be cleansed from sin. Jesus came to die for us and is our substitution, our propitiation for our sins! Because of Jesus taking our sins and making them His, we are able to live in Heaven as if we never sinned!

Relationships take work. We have a special relationship with the Father that requires us to confess him as savior and Lord. But just like all other relationships, we have to work on ours. Jesus has rescued us from our sins and given us eternal life with Him. One day we will be with Him in Heaven, but right now we’re like that friend who lives miles away that we never get to see. One day we’ll see him, but until then we have to make it a priority in our lives to make to model our faithfulness, the faith that we have in Jesus our Lord.