There are several times in scripture where faith, love and hope appear together.
• 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
• Colossians 1:5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel
• 1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
Our Main Verse
• 1 Thessalonians 1:3
– We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Faith Produces Work
2. Love Prompts Labor
3. Hope Inspires Endurance
What is Faith?
• Hebrews 11:1
– Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
I hope the Lords definition for Faith hasn’t become cliché in our lives.
Faith is believing in what you do not see.
Part of the definition for faith is the concept of visionary leadership.
– Many people have sight but they don’t have vision. They can’t see a better, brighter future and take the necessary daily steps to make it a reality.
1. Faith Produces Work
• 2 Corinthians 10:15b Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand,
Paul knows what every minister knows who’s leading people. He only has as much influence in the lives of the people he’s leading as they will allow. Faith in the hearts of the people in Paul’s ministry gives him more influence as God’s man to work and perform in the ministry.
• Even Jesus could be limited by peoples lack of faith.
– Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
• As faith Grows, ministry activity or ministry works also greatly expand.
– This applies on a personal level and together it applies on a corporate level.
– More hands come on board to shoulder the work of the ministry. More gets accomplished when we’re all walking in an increasing faith.
• James 2:22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
• Completed works are the fruit or expression of faith!
2. Love Prompts Labor
• 2 Corinthians 5:14a 14For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, (sunecho)
• Controls - to exercise restraining or directing influence over
• Urge - to undertake the accomplishment of with energy, swiftness, or enthusiasm
• Impels - to urge or drive forward or on by or as if by the exertion of strong, internal moral motivation.
A fuller understanding of 2 Co. 5:14
• For the Love of Christ exercises a restraining or directing influence over me, His love causes me to undertake the accomplishment of his Will with energy, swiftness, and enthusiasm. Christ’s love urges and drives me forward and drives me on by the exertion of strong, internal moral motivation.
• Constrain - sunecho"to hold together, confine, secure, to hold fast" (echo, "to have or hold"), "to constrain,"
• Luke uses the word 9 times out of it’s 12 occurrences in the New Testament
Constrain
• Acts 18:5
– 5When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively (sunecho) to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
Constrain
• Luke 19:43
– 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. (sunecho)
Constrain
• Luke 22:63
– Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody (sunecho) were mocking Him and beating Him,
Hope
• Hope – a favorable and confident expectation, hope has to do with the unseen and the future, hope is the happy anticipation of good.
3. Hope Inspires Endurance
• This makes sense because if you have an anticipation of something brighter and better going through challenges can kill your hope if you don’t have a strong determination to see it fulfilled.
• Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Endurance + Scripture = Inspired Hope
• Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
• Maybe you’re not seeing what you want to see in your life, in your family, in your job or in your ministry. Hope will carry you through the difficult times so you can endure them until your vision comes to pass.
• How many fights does a fighter have to fight and win before he gets noticed by big fight promoters?
• How many fights does he have to fight and win before he becomes a contender?
• How about before he gets a shot at the champ.
• How many hours does he spend in the gym? How many punches does he receive to his face and abdomen?
• He does all this because he hopes he can be the champion!
• God has made you to be successful in your God ordained endeavors! God has called you to be a champion for Him!
• Deuteronomy 28:13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
• The “secret” is getting into the Lord’s presence.
– The Word
– Worship
– Prayer
Let's take some time today to pray and seek the Lord to infuse into us His faith, love and hope.
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