HOW TO SERVE THE LORD GLADLY!
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Wednesday, October 15, 2024
(Psalm 100:2, NASB) “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.”
Being glad is a decision of my will, not an expression of my emotions. – Liz Curtis Higgs, Marriage Partnership, Vol 13 #2
(2 Thessalonians 1:11–12, NLT) “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
1. Keep on praying. – “We keep on praying for you…”
(1 Thessalonians 5:17, NLT) “Never stop praying.”
a. Yourself
(Philippians 1:6, NLT) “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
b. One another
(Psalm 90:17, NLT) “May the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!”
c. Your Pastor
(1 Thessalonians 5:25, NLT) “Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.”
(2 Thessalonians 3:1–2, NLT) “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.”
2. Ask God to enable you. “asking God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call.”
a. To live fully
(Isaiah 41:10, NLT) “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
b. Live worthy of God’s call
The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. – Fredrick Buechner
(Ephesians 4:1–3, NLT) “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
If you’re honest, you know your calling–to serve God–before the lights are turned on and after they’ve burned out. – Phil Keaggy
3. Serve with God’s power. “May he give the power…”
a. All the good things
(Psalm 37:4, NASB) “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
b. Prompted by faith
(Ephesians 2:10, NLT) “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
c. The power of the Holy Spirit
(Acts 1:8, NLT) “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”
(1 Corinthians 3:16, NLT) “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”
(Romans 8:11, NLT) “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.”
4. Serve the Lord for his glory and honor!
(2 Thessalonians 1:12, NLT) “Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.”