Ambassador Presbyterian

What Must Happen Before Christ Appears?

Passage: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-16

When it comes to big changes or significant life events, most of us don't like surprises. We like to have a heads up, some kind of sign or indication that something is on the horizon. The Bible tells us the most significant event still to come in history, in fact the final culmination of all of history, the second coming of Jesus, could come at any moment. And while in that sense it will be surprising, it need not catch us by surprise as God has given us a heads up as to how to be prepared. In addressing some questions about Christ's return, Paul reminds the believers at Thessalonica, and us today, that certain things must happen before that day that give us a heads up that the day is near. These signs are not meant to confuse us, but to confirm to us the truth of God's promises in the gospel and the confidence we have in that truth. Join us Sunday as we look at what must happen before Christ appears.

The Righteous Judgment of God

Passage: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

When we think of judgment, the first image that often comes to mind is negative. We think of being judged wrongly or with the idea of penalty often connected with judgment. Even as believers we'd sometimes would rather not think about God's judgement. But judgment actually has a very positive element as well when it involves clearing the innocent and exercising rightousness and justice. On the Day of judgment at Christ's second coming, both will be true. It will a righteous judgment that vindicates and releases believers from all suffering to glory, and that also unleashes the vengeance of God upon all who do not know him or believe in his Son Jesus. This week, we will move into Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians where he continues to instruct the church on the details of Christ's return, and in particular to help them see that trials and suffering they are facing are actually an indication of God's righteous judgment both in affirming their worthiness as his children and in anticipating his wrath upon those who oppose him and his church. Join us Sunday as we resume our study in 1 & 2 Thessalonians and consider the righteous judgment of God in Christ's return.

Kingdom Living in the Fallen World

Passage: Matthew 5:1-12

Paul's message to the Thessalonians tells us that these new, mostly non-Jewish believers, had experienced transformed lives. Paul is also clear that his instructions in how to live were grounded in what Jesus himself had revealed about kingdom living. This is why this week's excursion into the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes, provides a window into the characteristics Paul and the other apostles taught in terms of living lives that were to be pleasing to God. Join us this Sunday as we consider Kingdom Living in the Fallen World.

Jesus is Coming! Be Ready

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:11

There have been countless books, articles and pamphlets written and predictions made on when Jesus will return. To this day, they all have missed the mark. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they don't need anything written on this, because all we know regarding that time for sure is that Jesus is coming and it will be sudden. For believers, this is not a matter of speculation or, even in some ways, surprise, but one of certainty and assurance. We've been given the light of day to see this grand event clearly and to meet if confidently in Christ. So of all people, Christians should be ready when Jesus comes again. Join us Sunday as we continue in Thessalonians encouraging one another with the truth that Jesus is coming!

Resurrection Hope

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

We often associate advent with the season of Christmas and the anticipated, awaited hope of the birth of the Jesus. But because of Easter, we live in an ongoing season of advent hope, awaiting the coming of Christ again, at which time all those in Christ will be raised with him in glory to eternal life in his presence. And yet this second advent period is not without its grief, as we still face the trials of sin, the loss of loved one and the specter of death ourselves. Paul reminds us that when it comes to death, Christians do not grieve as those without hope, because we know Christ died and was raised from the dead. Therefore our hope is sure, and we will see him again. Join us this Easter Sunday as we celebrate our risen Savior and the resurrection hope that he will coming again so that we will always be with the Lord.

A Quiet Life of Love

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

As Jesus entered Jerusalem on what has become known as Palm Sunday, he did so knowing that the week ahead held forth incredible suffering and ultimately a painful death by crucifixion. The power by which he was able to enter into and endure such trials was that of love. Love for his Father and love for those whom his death would redeem. He taught and demonstrated this love to his disciples on the night before his death, and he commanded them, "as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John 13:34-35) This love would be the defining mark of his followers. In Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, he commends them for having learned this love from God, and having lived it out among one another, and then he exhorts them to do so more and more. And the way he encourages them to demonstrate that love is by living a quiet life and working hard so as to be a good witness to outsiders. Join us Sunday as we consider what it means to live a quiet life of love that labors well.

The Walk, the Way, the Warning

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

True Gospel Connection

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13

We’ve all had the experience on the phone when the voice on the other end begins to sound garbled and fades in and out, and we have to ask, “Are you still there?” A connection problem on the phone can easily hamper communication, cause misunderstandings, or literally leave us feeling cut off from the person on the other side. One of the more common concerns I hear from people about the church and about their own lives is that there is a connection problem. They just don’t feel connected to others in the body of Christ. When asked what they mean by this, the answers can vary all over the place, and what one person describes as being connected may be totally different than another person’s description. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul is writing to a group of believers from which he had been literally disconnected by distance and time. At the end of the second chapter, Paul opens up his heart and shares his deep longing and affection for the believers there, and in doing so, he demonstrates for us in his own life the nature and qualities of connection in the body of Christ that can help us to see what we should both seek to experience and strive to express in our own relationships. Join us Sunday as we hear what God has to say to us about true gospel connection.

The Word of God at Work

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 As Christians and members of the body of Christ, we pray that God would be at work in our lives and in the life of his church. We pray for God to do his saving, sanctifying and strengthening work in us and through us. And yet, we can easily neglect or even forget the primary way he does that work: through the hearing and receiving of his Word. We are right to place a high priority in the church on the preaching and teaching of God's Word, but do we place as much emphasis on how we hear and receive it? Are we praying not just for the Word preached, but the Word received such that it bears much fruit in our own hearts and lives. One of primary reasons Paul was thankful for the Thessalonian church was their growth in faith, love and hope, the cause of which he reminds them is that they received the gospel for what it truly was, the Word of God at work in them. Join us this Sunday as we come to hear what God has to say about the work of his Word, and pray for him to open our ears and hearts to hear and receive what he has for us.

The Marks of Faithful Gospel Ministry

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

We are all quick to defend ourselves from criticism and attack, especially when it is rooted in falsehoods and malice. But often our goal is to defend our reputation, our rightness, our record. Paul finding himself and his ministry under attack after leaving Thessalonica, writes back to defend himself. But he doesn't do so to prove his greatness as an apostle, but to show them Jesus and the power of the gospel at work in and through his ministry in the lives of the Thessalonians. In doing so, he helps us to see the true marks of a faithful gospel ministry. Join us Sunday as we continue our series in 1 Thessalonians and celebrate our union with Christ and one another in the Lord's Supper.