What does God want to do in your life?

Please read the verses below, ( which deal with the Church of Thessalonica ) and then let's look together at the answer found right after these verses.

1 Thessalonians 1:6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,

1 Thessalonians 1:7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.

1 Thessalonians 1:8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.

1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

I believe, the answer to the question is found in the model and the example of the church of Thessalonica, the church that Paul the apostle founded, and in the 8 things that are said in the verses listed above.....

1. They became followers of the Lord

2. They became examples to their nation.

3. They were used to get the Word of God out.

4. They had faith in God which was evident

5. They had turned to God away from idols.

6. They were serving the living and true God.

7. They were waiting for the coming of again of Jesus Christ.

8. They were delivered from the wrath of God

Not much comment is needed here, or much by way of explanation. What they were stands out very clearly. What they were was the direct result of 3 things by the way, They received the Word of God, the Holy Spirit was at work in their lives, and they did not allow present trials or difficulties keep them from becoming what God wanted them to be.

Let's just go back over the list again, quickly.....followers of Jesus, examples to other believers, used by God to get the Word out to others, their faith was very evident to others, they had turned away from idols, they were serving the living and true God, they were waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ, and they were also delivered from the coming wrath, or judgement of God.

I would say to myself, and to anyone reading this devotional, that these are things we can pray for in our lives. This tremendous example that is given to us, is not unusual, in terms of this ought to be the normal christian life. These are the kinds of things that God does in the life of any persons who are open to Him, to His Word, and to the work of the Holy Spirit, and are receptive to God's Word, and are responsive to God's Word.

Let's pray right now. Lord, my heart may be yearning to grow and to move on into what You have for me. You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Your own way. I know that with and in Christ, I can do all the things that You want for me, and I know that You give us the power of the Holy Spirit, when asked for.......You will do that for any who ask. We ask today, to be Baptized Freshly in the Holy Spirit. Begin making us more and more in what You want us to be. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promise

1. God can do it.

2. God will do it.

3. God may already be starting to do it in your life.

4. God calls us to believe Him.

5. God calls us to act upon His Word.

6. God has a life for you to live.

7. God will finish the work that He has begun in you.

8. God can be served today.

9. God has delivered you from coming judgment.

10. Jesus will return someday, and take you to heaven.

What to remove, and what 2 receive.

There are 2 things to remove from our lives, and then there is 1 thing to take into our lives. The 1 will do us more good than we can ever imagine, and more good than anything in the whole wide world.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

What to get rid of, and what to receive.....

James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.

The Lord tells us here, to be done with, to get rid of 2 things ( that may be in our lives ) One, is all filthiness, and the other is what is called, overflow of wickedness. These are impurities, and every other evil thing that can touch the lives of others.

What's being said in this verse, is of course in a context, and that is, that in the previous verse, 1:20, we were told what the wrath of man does not accomplish. So, there are things that can come out of us that do not are not in line with what God wants, and do not contribute to what God wants, and it's these kinds of things we are to be done with, and to just put them out of our lives.

Now, on to receiving something into our lives, and that is God's life giving, life changing Word. We are even told how to receive it, and that is, with "meekness"....meaning with a gentle, modest, and humble spirit. We are to welcome it.

The Word of God here, is said to be able to "save your souls" Which means, that it's able to save you, to keep you safe and sound, and to rescue you from danger and destruction.

God's Word contains power. It's the power of God unto salvation. God's Word is so powerful, that by receiving it into your life, it not only brings you into that place of being completely innocent before God, ( Justification ) but, it then goes on to transform your life ( sanctification ) and then eventually, will bring you right into glory, ( glorification ) which is the final and complete future state all believers will find themselves in.

Wow. God's Word. And, Yes Lord, let's get these other things out of our lives, Let's live Lord in this 2 pronged way if you will. Let's consistently be about removing what ought not to be there, and regularly, in a daily bread way, be accepting, receiving Your precious and eternally blessed Word. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promise

1. We may have these things ( evil things ) in our lives.

2. We do not have to keep them with us.

3. We can put them out of our lives.

4. We can then accept and receive God's Word

5. God's Word will have a profound effect on us.

6. God's Word can do as nothing else will for us.

7. God's Word is alive and powerful.

8. God calls us to humility and gentle reception.

How does God change us?

How Does God change us? He does it through His Word.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

How can I be changed?

James 1:18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

There are three things that James says here, and one in particular I'd like to comment on today.

First of all, we are told that It was "Of His own will ......" meaning, that the the Lord is the one who by His will and His love has saved us. We owe our salvation to Him.

Secondly, "He brought us forth by the Word of Truth " that is, He took us from death to life, from darkness to light, from the kingdom of satan to the kingdom of God. He brought us into life, and He did this through His Word.

Thirdly, "that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. In other words, the early christians that James was writing to, along with himself, were only the first ones to be saved, and their being saved, was an example of the many others that would be saved right on up through the closing chapters of this worlds existence. Many, many others would be saved.

But, to the phrase, "He brought us forth by the Word of truth" Meaning, more specifically, that God used His Word to save James and the others. And, He does the same thing today. Paul said Ro 1:16* For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

So, God used His word to bring out the born again, saved, justified, forgiven, adopted experience in their lives, and in ours as well.

By way of on-going application, it's still the same way, that is, God still uses His Word to "bring us forth" into the will of God, and into being conformed into the image of Christ, into fruit bearing, into christian maturity, and into all the things that God has for us. Look at what Jesus said about the power of God's Word.........

John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Sanctify, means to be made holy, to be set apart to God for His exclusive use. This is what Jesus was praying for, that His followers would be set apart to God, and He states how we are set apart, it's "by Your truth. Your word is truth" So, God uses His word, not only to save us, to accomplish the on-going work of God in our lives, to make us holy, and to bring us into what God has for us, becoming all that He intends for us to be.

Just as a human being needs food to grow and be healthy, God uses His word in our lives to bring us along into what He intends for us.

Thank You Lord for Your Word. And thank You for allowing us to have Bibles, and to have those who teach and preach the Word of God. May we never take those things for granted. And, we pray today, that You would indeed sanctify us. Set us apart Lord to You, for Your exclusive use.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promise

1. He saved us through His Word.

2. He continues to work in our lives through His Word.

3. He saved us to sanctify us.

4. He sanctifies us to use us.

5. He brings us into His will by His Word.

6. He teaches us His Word.

7. He calls us to be doers of His Word.

Can faith save you? Is there a dead faith? What does the saving kind of faith look like? James explains the difference in chapter 2:14-26

Can faith that does not have works save you?

Above is the question that James asks, and answers in chapter 2:14-26 of his letter. He not only asks the question, but to help answer it, he gives us an example of faith without works. He then says explicitly, that faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead. ( So, that kind of faith cannot save a person ) He continues to develop this thought through the next many verses, by giving examples of faith, or belief without works, ( mentioning as a matter of fact, that demons also believe, the point here is, that they believe but are not saved )

Then, James shows specific examples from the OT, of two people who were justified as he says, by their works. He closes out this section by stating again, that faith without works is dead. So, that's what James presents in this part of chapter 2. It's a fundamentally important matter in the Bible.

To be clear...........James is not saying that it’s our works that save us, but he is saying that the kind of faith that saves you, is a faith that is accompanied by works, or has works that evidence that faith. Some have called it a working faith. And some have said, we are not saved by our works, but we are saved to work.

It seems that in James’s letter, he was dealing with a problem that had arisen among the believers. Apparently, some were saying that “I’m saved, even though there are not any works, or seeming evidence of a changed life in my life” ... This was a concern, and a problem, that the Lord through James was seeking to correct. People were claiming to be saved, but there was nothing in their life to substantiate it. It was a faith without works. It was just a mere verbal profession.

It's as if they were saying, "Hey, I'm saved, but you would never know it by looking at my life. Nothing seems to have changed since I've come to have this faith. I'm pretty much like I used to be, and it would be hard to see me as different from those who claim to have no faith.

What James is saying, is that a person who is saved is going to have works that show themselves in their life.

Paul said something similar in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians

5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

As someone once said, “if there has been no change, then there has been no change” And, another said, “no fruit, no root, and no root, no fruit”

In fact, Paul’s letter to the Romans was designed to defend the truth that man is not saved or justified by his works, but rather by faith through the grace of God. He argues that man cannot save himself by his good works, it’s by grace, not works. James on the other hand was defending the truth that if you really are saved, there will be works in your life to prove you are saved.

Romans and James are not in opposition to each other, but they compliment one another. They are two sides of the same coin. Romans, works can't save you, only faith in God, by His grace. And, James's letter, true faith shows itself by the works in a person’s life.

The only work that truly saves anyone is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and our faith in Him.

John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. We are saved by believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ for our sins.

And, Paul said it this way in Ephesians Chapter 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:9not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Father, we thank You for Your saving grace in and through faith in Jesus Christ. All the credit for our salvation goes to You. You are completely and totally deserving of all praise, and of all honor. Thank You.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1. There is no way we can save ourselves.

2. Only Jesus Christ saves the person who believes.

3. True and saving faith shows itself by works.

4. We are not saved by our works, but we are saved to work.

5. May we serve God in these last days.

6. Let our works bring glory to God.