I Thess 1: 5-10 Turn toward God
To convince church that only by turning toward God
Can anything good be accomplished?
INTRO: Something happened in Thess. Something that
Everyone noticed. Its called CHRISTIANITY. Not
Only did this have an effect on Thess. But it had
an effect on the surrounding area and the region.
YOU SEE, all it takes is ONE church, doing what a
church is supposed to be doing to affect a whole
region.
What did they do? THEY TURNED TO GOD. They
looked to God for the answers. They did things
God's way and not man's. They didn't look to
their own reason and intellect to solve God's
problems. LISTEN. This is God's Church. ANTIOCH
BELONGS TO THE LORD NOT ME. THERE IS NO PROBLEM
or SITUATION TOO BIG FOR HIM TO SOLVE. HEY! why
don't we just turn to God. You are God's crea-
tion, He loves you. There is nothing going on in
your life he can't take care of. WHY DON'T YOU
JUST TURN TO GOD.
I. Turning Toward God means you turn FROM something.
A. Vs 9. They turned to God from Idols.
1. You can't turn from your sin, unless you
turn toward God. Just trying to turn
from your sin without turning to the
Powerful Lord only results in failure.
a. trying to turn over new leaf is a
waste of time. Your new leaf grows
out of the same rotten branch as
the old leaf.
2. Turning to God means you turn your back
on your sin.
a. The bible says REPENT! Repent
means to turn around. Repent means
to have a change of attitude, a
change in your mind. a change in
the direction you are looking and
going.
Heres how it works:
Here is a fellow going through life. His eyes are only
focused on Himself. He is occupied with his sin. His
baser desires rule him. Sin has rule in his life. He
decides he wants to change. So he turns over a new
leaf. He reforms. What happens? His new leaf soon
fades. Or it grows into another monstrous life
wrecking parasite.
One day Christ is introduced into his life. He
surrenders his life to Christ. He doesn't have to
reform, he doesn't have to turn over a new leaf.
Instead he turns TO CHRIST, repenting AND CHRIST MAKES
HIM NEW. He is not ruled by sin any longer. CHRIST
GIVES HIM THE POWER TO LIVE LIFE THAT PLEASES THE LORD.
b. Repentance for the lost sinner is turning
your life toward God, and away from the
things that are NOT OF GOD.
1. Some have to turn from lustful
lifestyle, some from adultry, some
from lying, some from stealing, some
from boozing, some from coveting and
greed some from self love, some from
self centeredness, WHATEVER RULES YOUR
LIFE THAT IS NOT OF GOD.
If you are not able to sincerely repent this means
that you have not turned toward God.
Illus. Witnessing to a fellow one time the fellow said
that he would be willing to get saved but he
wasn't going to even attempt to turn from his
sinful lifestyle. He had no attitude of
repentance. Now I don't believe he could be
sincere in praying for salvation.
The Christians at Thess turned FROM IDOLS by Turning
TOWARD GOD.
Acts 3:19 Repent, and be converted that your sins
be bloted out. Acts 26:20 Repent, and turn to God
and do works that give evidence of repentance.
II. Turning toward God makes you the witness you
should be. VS 8
When you repent, and the Lord saves you you will
want to tell others about your new found Life.
A. One of the evedinces that you are saved is
that you want to see others saved. You want
to be a witness.
B. They Sounded out the Gospel
Thessalonians were witnesses because they
stayed TURNED TOWARD GOD.
1. You won't be able to win souls until you
repent of your sins. If along your
Christian walk you begin to turn away
from God the first thing you notice is
you lose your desire to tell others
about jesus.
a. Sin in our life quinches the Holy
Spirits Power, quenches our desire
to tell others about the Lord. It
destroys our ability to share our
faith.
b. I John 1:9 If we confess our sin. .
C. When we are turned toward God we are bold in
witness. WHY? because you see HIM. Because
you realize that it isn't feeble human
efforts that cause a man to be saved it is
HIM! Because your eyes are on him YOU HAVE
NO FEAR, God will do his work of salvation.
III. Turning Toward God can make your life count.
(example, influence) vs 6 - 7
The Christians in Thessalonica made a difference
in their world. The pagans were effected by the
life of the Believers at Thess.
A. Your life becomes effective in its purpose.
1. God has a plan for your life.
2. God's purpose for your life can only
become reality when you let God have
control of your life.
a. Many Christians are ineffective,
and without purpose because you
have denied the Lord control.
B. Your life becomes influential by example.
1. Jesus said " Let you light so shine among men
that they may see your good works and gloryfy
your father which is in heaven."
You are only as eternally influential as you shine
forth for Jesus. 100 years from now it's not going to
matter that you were a wealthy man. But it will matter
if your children are in Heaven. 25 years from now no
one will care that you had the best boat, the best
house, the prettiest yard, BUT 25 YEARS FROM NOW THERE
WILL BE BOYS AND GIRLS IN SUNDAY SCHOOL HERE. THE
CHILDREN OF THOSE YOU LED TO THE LORD. who would not
otherwise have a good mommy and daddy. WHAT IF SOME-
BODY HAD TAKEN SERIOUSLY THEIR CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE 50
YEARS AGO. HOW MUCH DIFFERENT COULD THIS AREA BE. How
many less inmates in penetentury. How many less broken
homes. OUR COUNTRY IS ON A DOWNWARD SLIDE BECAUSE THE
CHRISTIANS TURNED AWAY FROM GOD AND LOST THEIR INFLU-
ENCE. Jesus said. Ye are the salt of the earth, if the
salt looses its savor wherewith will it be salted."
YOUR LIFE ONLY COUNTS AS MUCH AS YOU LIVE IT FOR THE
LORD.
C. Your life becomes a living Gospel.
You are writting the gospel a chapter each day
By deeds that you do and by words that you say
You preach with your life is it faithful and true
Oh, what is the Gospel according to you?
The only Good things in life are received by turning
toward God. A good salvation, a good witness, a good
influence.
Christian, are you a Godly influence at home? Is you
life one that draws people toward God or drives them
away? You can turn back toward god today
Ijohn 1:9
PRAY;
pray for Christians to repent.
I want you to look at you life now. Have you ever
repented of your sin. SINCERELY TURNED TOWARD THE LORD
AND AWAY FROM SIN. Trusting Jesus with your life.
not just joining a church, But asking Jesus to be your
Savior.
