A Labor of Faith, Love and Endurance
A LABOR OF FAITH, LOVE AND ENDURANCE (1 Thess 1:3)
Carlos Cardona
080618
INTRODUCTION:
I am really thankful to be witness of the movement of God, specially the blessings that he has coming for FCC and Brevard County, The FIRE of God is burning, and we will have that fire in us, and the revival will come to Brevard County, and I want to be an active participant of the manifestation of Gods Glory, I do not want to be just an spectator, I want to be right in the middle of it. I want to be touched by his presence, empowered by his anointing and transformed by his Glory.
And this is an invitation that I want to extend to everyone here tonight, God is looking for workers he is looking for Faithful, totally in love and inspired laborers to collect the harvest, and to receive the manifestation of his Glory.
And that is why I named tonight’s message: A labor of Faith, Love and Endurance.
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. NIV
Father I thank you for this is the day that you have meant for your word to touch our hearts, Holy spirit you are the reason why we gather here tonight, we give you praise and we ask that you will open our hearts and that you will be the one speaking here tonight, so that we can become those faithful soldiers, those faithful laborers that you are asking us to be for your Glory to be manifested, Father I say to you, HERE IAM, HERE I AM, HERE WE ARE FATHER, Glorify yourself, GLORIFY YOUR SELF, LET YOUR KINGDOM COME AND YOUR WILL BE DONE, we ask this in Jesus name. Amen
1. What is the labor we are talking about: and I am not talking only to the body here at Freedom: This is for every believer.
2. Col 1:24-25 For the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness NIV
3. Mark 16:15 THE GREAT COMMISION "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. NIV
So God is not looking only for the Pastors or the Elders, or the body of Christ to do this labor, he is asking all of us to do it, at the work place, at the mall, at the supermarket, as you go, where ever you go.
4. WHAT KIND OF WORKER IS GOD LOOKING FOR?
This is Paul, Silas an Thymoty writing to the church of the Thessalonians, so let’s read this again: 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. NIV
a. And what they are saying is ¨We thank God for you; we thank God for your work, which is produced by your faith, your Love and your endurance.
SO WE SEE IN THIS PASSAGE THAT GOD IS LOOKING FOR A WORKER, WHO DOES HIS WORK BY FAITH, PROMPTED BY HIS LOVE TO GOD AND OTHERS AND BY HIS ENDURANCE IN THE PROMISE OF JESUS CHRIST.
So what I want to show you tonight is that in order to be a good laborer for God, we need to have these 3 characteristics? And I want to encourage you, to press in to these three, because I am sure that when you have all this 3, the Glory of God will be manifested in your life on a way that you never imagine possible.
So let’s start with Faith:
b. Faith: We all know what faith is:
i. Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. NKJV
That is Faith, but how do we get the Faith?
ii. Rom 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God
We all know this passage right?, but let’s go back a little and start reading from verse 14: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" NKJV
iii. Same Passage from the Message:
iv. Rom 10:14-17 But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? 15 And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims, A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God! 16 But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" 17 The point is, Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to. THE MESSAGE
That is when Love comes to the stage:
c. So what is love: we all think we know what love is, I thought I knew what love was when I was a little kid, when I got married I thought wow I am really in love now, but just to realize that I had no clue on what real love was.
d. And that is when I understood that you cannot say that you have love until you have received the love of Jesus Christ, you will not be able to love freely if you do not have an intimate relationship with God. And this is something that you do not have to believe in, or to have faith in, this is something that you can feel something that you will see grow as you draw near him, not because God will love you more, but because you will aloud more of his love to fill you as you open your heart to him.
e. John 14:19-21 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
This is the promise of God, let’s read vs 21 again whoever has my commands what do you think that means? Anyone? (OBEDIENCE church)OBEDIENCE God is telling us whoever obeys my commands he is the one who loves me: Carlos Johanna give away everything that you posses, except your clothes, I will take you to a far country, to spread the good news, and help grow the new generation that will reclaim that land in my name.
OBEDIENCE CHURCH: 21 Whoever obeys my commands.
Was it easy? No of course not, was everything we had, work, car, bed everything, and we went to live with my sister. Faith: Because we believed in him: Love- because we know who he is- but that wasn’t enough.
After 15 days from that word: He said, go in front of the congregation, and tell them that you will be leaving that ministry because of what I have told you I will do.
So we did it. And that wasn’t the hardest part either.
Listen to this: This is where it really becomes hard: after 2 months nothing happened. NOTHING.
So people starts asking you, hey when are you leaving? Are you really leaving? Do you have your papers already? The answer to those questions was always: He promised it, he will do it.
LOVE : 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. Then those closer to you start asking those same and other questions: why don’t you better go and look for a real job, that religious thing does not pay……..YOU DID WHAT? YOU GAVE EVERYTHING AWAY? ARE YOU CRAZY?
After three months it was a desperate situation. It was my wife and me alone and hanging to the promise of the Lord. I can say for true that those 3 months of my life and my wife’s life are those who set the foundations of the faith that we have today, the foundations of the Love that we have for and from God, the foundations of the love that we profess for each other now, the foundations of our life.
Three months and 9 days, we received the most difficult visa in the world (a working visa to the United States), three months and 10 days; we were in Miami’s international airport starting this new adventure that God has placed in front of us.
ENDURANCE CCHURCH …..endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
That was almost 3 years ago, and I cannot count all the blessings that we have received since that day, My parents received the lord more than 2 years ago, my brothers and sister are more spiritual than ever. Our marriage, Our ministry, Our relationship with God.
And we keep working for the kingdom, growing the kingdom of God.
But we can’t do it alone, Pastor Tim and Pastor Kelly can’t do it alone, they need us, but they need us to be committed, they need us to be accountable for, God is gathering his army and he needs strong, obedient, totally in love with him soldiers. I was talking to a friend last week, and we were just amazed how t God was on the move preparing his army, not only in church but on the world, uniting believers in strategic alliances, creating new profitable Christian based companies, Blessing Ministries with their finances, turning the hearts of entrepreneurs towards him so his kingdom can be growth while his will is being done. Look at that banner on my right: Men of Character, women of commitment. …..endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
Let’s take a look at these scriptures:
1 Tim 4:10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. NIV …..endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. NIV …..endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
You see this, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, His promises are still here: STAND FIRM, LET NOTHING MOVE YOU. Give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. …..endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
I do not know what is that situation in your life that is making you draw away from what God has called you to be, I do not know what are those words that you are hearing and are making you think that God will never do what he promised you. I do not know for how long you have been waiting for that word to become true.
But I can tell you this, HE WILL DO IT, HE WILL FULFIL HIS WORD, HE WILL GLORIFY HIS NAME IN YOU………….IF YOU ENDURE FOR HIM. IF YOU STAND UP FIRM IN YOU FAITH NO MATTER WHAT THE WORLD IS WISPERING YOU. IN THAT MOMENT HE WILL GLORIFY HIS NAME IN YOU AND HE WILL MAKE YOU A LIVING TESTIMONY OF HIS LIVING LOVE. AND IN THAT MOMENT YOU WILL BECOME A WORTHY WORKER, TO DO HIS WORK, TO ANOUNCE TO THE WORLD THAT HE IS REAL, AND THAT AS HE DID IT FOR ME, HE WILL DO IT FOR YOU, AD YOU WILL WANT TO TELL EVERYONE JUST AS I AM STANDING HERE TONIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY, LETTING YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE NEEDED, THAT GOD NEEDS YOU, BUT HE NEEDS YOU STRONG IN YOUR FAITH, TOTALLY INLOVE WITH HIM, AND PREPARED FOR THE BATTLE THAT IS COMING.
I feel that there are some of you here that are very close to throw the towel, that are on the edge of believing the lies of the world, that you have been fighting with God lately. God is saying to you today, I will do it, just out of love for you, and it will be sooner than you think, so if that is you that God is talking to you, I want you to lift your hands up to that good God, and …………..
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