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Thank You, Brethren

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Thank You, Brethren

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Thank You, Brethren

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Thank you for your calling. Thank you for your obedience. Thank you for your example. Thank you for your words. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your love. Thank you, brethren.

Transcript

[Gary Antion] When I was in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1983 for the Feast of Tabernacles I heard this sermon by Mr. Bill Cowan, and it struck me because of the title of it, and the title was, “Thank You, Brethren”. And he proceeded in that whole sermon to thank the brethren. I had never heard a sermon like that before. Where he actually took time to thank the brethren for being there. Thank the brethren for what they do, who they are, what they are. And so the other day I was reading and studying – and I didn't even think of that sermon initially – and I was going through, looking at some of the epistles of Paul and noting how many times – in fact, ten out of fourteen books – the apostle Paul begins with…he gives thanks to God in every prayer for the wonderful brethren he has to serve. I was struck with that and I thought maybe I could give a sermon…and then I thought about the sermon that Mr. Cowan gave. I don't have the notes on it, so I am not duplicating his sermon. These are all my notes. But I wanted to tell you, “Thank you, brethren.”

And because the apostle Paul did so much and he thanked God for His people, and he did it very directly. So I wanted to just give you a sampling of a few of the scriptures, because I'm not going to go through all of them. There are ten out of fourteen books he thanks God for the brethren and in some of them he actually thanks the brethren, such as in Romans 16, where he mentions about 28 people who had helped him. He did thank some of them for their prayers, thanked them for helping save his life. So take a look at Colossians 1:3-4 and then we are going to see what I want to thank you for. What we, as a church organization, want to thank you for. So in Colossians 1:3-4 we will see an example of what Paul begins, in many of these he begins exactly the same way, in which he thanks God's people for their manner and their way. Colossians 1:3 says: We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. So he was in a thankful attitude for God's people, always remembering them. Notice what he said in Colossians 1:4: Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have to all the saints. So he thanks them, and he thanks God for them, because of the faith and love they show.

You will find him thanking for the faith and love in several places. In 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4. We read this again from the pen of the apostle Paul to the brethren in Thessalonica. He says: We give thanks to God always for you all. We give thanks to God always for you all making mention of you in our prayers. So he thanked God for His people, God's people. Remembering without ceasing here your work of faith, your diligence, you are out there doing something, your work of faith, remember faith without works is dead anyway, and labor of love. You don't just feel it, you do it. Your labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord, Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father. 1 Thessalonians 1:4 he says: Knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God. You have been called. You have been chosen by God. So he thanks them for their faith, their patience, their love, and the patience of hope that they have.

Ephesians 1:15-16. He adds this: Therefore, I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love to all the saints. I hear of how you love God's people. I hear how you love each other. I hear how the love that you share and also the faith that you have in Jesus Christ, faith to keep on going, faith to practice God's way of life. Ephesians 1:16. He says: And I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. So the apostle Paul must have had a prayer list that long. It must have stretched because he's prayed for all these churches. He prayed for all these brethren. He prayed for all these ministers. So, what I'd like to do is say, first of all, thank you, brethren. And I want to show you what I'm thanking you for. Thank you for the following:

Thank you for responding to your calling.

You see, many are called but few are chosen. And oftentimes in the church we say you are called, we really mean you are called and chosen. Because when you're called the message goes out and hey, and you can say what is that? I hear a sound but I'm not going to respond. You don't turn back and look. But God calls and you responded. You looked and said is He calling me? He's calling me. Maybe I need to do something about this. So you responded to that calling. I want to thank you because not many people do.

Many are called. They hear the message of God, they hear the word going out, but few are chosen because many of them don't turn back. Many of them turn back initially and turn aside. Many of them get sideways with it and walk away. Many of them give up. Many of them go on fire for it for a little while like a plant in ground that's not real deep, it's fertile, but not real deep, it's on rock or whatever, they wither. They have no root that they stand. So thank you brethren, for responding to that calling. 1 Corinthians 1:26, we read this: For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. The mighty and noble and wise after the flesh that I have seen have been wonderful in the church. Men who have been rich, who are rich toward God, too. One wonderful man in Florida used to take the entire church out to dinner on the Night to Be Observed. We had the whole restaurant. He used to give such huge offerings that they asked him not to do that. To send his big offering to home office because when they would go to the per person per offering they would be hundreds and hundreds of dollars per person because of his one huge offering. He was generous.

One man in Toronto that I remember very well, he had sold a lot of property that he had which was far north of the city, he decided to move down into the city, with the money that he got he was very generous. He helped people. One time a family of about seven needed a car. Their car just went kaput. And he gave them his car and bought another one for himself. The people that I have known who have been wise, or noble, or mighty have been very humble and giving, too.

So he says: But God has chosen the foolish, in general, we aren't the elite of the world. God has called the foolish ones of the world to confound the wise. God has chosen the weak ones of the world to confound the ones which are mighty. And one day, when God comes back, when Jesus Christ sets up His kingdom, you as a blue collar worker at this factory, and the boss, or the big manager whoever it is, the foreman. You made it? You're in the Kingdom of God? Well then I can make it too, yeah, he did. You made it, I can make it too.

He called us to confound the mighty because, you know what? When you study and know the scriptures, when you make good sense, people understand and respect you. You don't have to learn from all the elite universities to know. As one professor said, “I'd rather have a thorough knowledge of the Bible than a college education. Because knowing the Bible prepares me for life. A college education might prepare you for a job.” I'd rather have a thorough knowledge of the Bible. That was a professor at Yale who said that.

You can study God's word and you can have wisdom that exceeds the wisdom of those who are in the think tanks of this country because God gives you good sense. He gives you a sense of right and wrong. He gives you a sense of what truth and a deal in truth and not in error. Not in falsehoods. So he tells them, thank you brethren for your calling.

Take a look also at 2 Thessalonians 2:13 where you find Paul in this section, and by the way, I also want to thank you children for hanging in there. Now I know, for most of you sermons go by, although you quiz some of your children afterwards, they will have heard. They will have heard. You don't have to make them take notes. If that's what you want you want to do, that's your choice. But they will hear. And it will make a dent on them. But, most importantly, our example as parents living God's way will make a huge impression on our children. Thank you teens. You could be doing a lot of things that a lot of teenagers do on Saturday. Thank you young adults. Because it's not fashionable to believe in the Bible. To be really churched, or really Christians in this day and age. Thank you for responding. Maybe you're not baptized yet, but thank you for responding.

2 Thessalonians 2:13. We read this: But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren. Why? Because I'm beloved of the Lord. God loves you. Because God has, from the beginning, chosen you. To what? To salvation. Through the setting apart of the Spirit, and the belief of the truth.

Thank you, brethren, that you are chosen and called through the Holy Spirit working in your mind, working with your mind, working in you to help you do the right thing. But also because you have the truth. You have the belief of the truth. So thank you, for your response to God's calling.

Thank you for your obedience.

You are obedient to God. Thank you for that. You know the carnal mind, the natural mind is not obedient to God. The natural mind is not subject to the law of God. Neither, indeed, can be. It's enmity toward God. They don't like what God says. The natural, normal, carnal mind resists God. Resists His ways. Thank you for your obedience. Obedience to God. Obedience to His way.

Notice in the scriptures, in Philippians 2:12. A lot of my scriptures will come out of the epistles of Paul. Here's what Paul wrote to the church that he loved. He really did love the church at Philipi, who knows I have a few quotes out of that one. He really loved that church. Philippians 2:12. He says: Wherefore, my beloved, again he calls them his beloved, as you have always obeyed, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, you know you don't just obey when I'm around, oh the minister's coming, quick, let's put away our stuff that might be objectionable. Here comes the minister. No, be you. Be you. So he says: As you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, because I'm in prison. I'm in prison. But I know you obey. He says: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. So, thank you, brethren, for your obedience to God. Thank you for being willing to stand out there and stand up there for God's way of life. Whatever trials, whatever difficulties you have to go through to obey God to follow His way, thank you. 

Now we know obedience does not earn you salvation. Let me put that out there for people out in the webcast-land. We can't earn salvation. But there is a standard that God has for us. And if we are on the path of salvation, what path are we walking in?  The path of righteousness. And what is righteousness? Want a Biblical definition? Psalms 119:172. All Thy commandments are righteousness. You're walking in God's ways. And those who are Christians and those who are called and brethren you are, and chosen and thank you for responding and thank you for obeying.

Look at Revelation 14:12. And we will see, at the end time will people still be obeying God or will they be saying, “hey, that's out of fashion to obey God, to say God will make a difference in my life, that God can cause me to alter the way I live? That's not fashionable!”.  Revelation 14:12 there still will be people, Revelation talks about the end time. He says: Here is the patience of the saints. Who are the saints? You can look up in 1 Corinthians, the first few verses and in 2 Corinthians he calls the church saints. Not somebody who has done a lot of good deeds, just people who are converted, he calls them saints. Saints are somebody set apart. He said: Here is the patience of the saints. It's here that they are who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Here are people who hold on to God's way of life. And why do they keep the commandments of God? Because they believe in Jesus Christ. And what did Jesus Christ say? Why do you call me Lord, Lord? Do you want the scripture? Luke 6:46. And do not the things that I say? Why do you call me Lord if you're not going to listen to Me? God's people obey. They obey their Lord. They obey their Master. They obey the scriptures. They are dedicated to following the way of God. By themselves they can't do it. They need God's Spirit and God's strength to give them that extra boost to walk in His ways. So thank you for your obedience.

Thank you for your example.

Thank you for being an example. Not to each other. Although maybe that's good, we can model for each other some examples. But, most of the time your example is for the world. Thank you for your example. Thank you for letting people who work around you, who work near you, your neighbors that are next door, thank you for letting them see the Gospel in action. Thank you for letting them see God's way works. Thank you for your example.

Matthew 5:14. Since you are called and you are obedient your example is going to be sterling. And when it isn't you are can get polished up by repenting. You don't have to carry that scuffle, whatever, dirt, or that tarnish very long. You can get out the silver polish and take the tarnish off by repenting. Matthew 5:14. Jesus Christ's words. He said: You are the light of the world. And what was Jesus Christ when He came into the world? Light. And how can you be light in the world? By Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit living His life in you. That light shines brighter and brighter as you yield to Him and let Him live His life. And that doesn't mean you sit back on your hammock, “OK, Jesus, live life!”. You have everything to do with it. You've got to believe as if it depends on God, you've got to do as if it depends on you, you've got a part in that, of being an example. You've got a part in making that light shine brighter by how you yield to God and how you serve Him.

So he says: You are the light of the world. The city that is set on the hill cannot be hid. Yet the tendency is that not very many people keep these Holy Days. Not many people take their children out of school a few weeks after it begins saying they are going on a vacation, they are going on a religious convention. And some teachers would say, “Why can't you go to a religious convention in the summertime?”. Well, because God's Holy Days don't come in the summertime. And so we take that time off. Be a light. Stand up. Let them know. And it doesn't mean we go out there and try to be awkward. We're not trying to be awkward. We're not going out there and trying to be odd so people say, “Oh, those people are odd!”. We're not trying to do that. Although God does call you a peculiar people. But He doesn't mean a special treasury calls you. God does want us to be a light. Doesn't want us to be a floodlight. Doesn't want us to put our high beams on at someone's eyes so that we blind them. He does want us to be a light. Some of us may start out being a nightlight, not very much, but it does make a difference in darkness. Total darkness; it makes a difference. Some of us may graduate to a 10 watt, or a 5 watt, finally a 25 watt. Oh, I'm really shining now, but then you bring in a 100 watt, oh, I'm shiny. But God wants us to be a light. And as we grow and become yielded to God and grow in the character of God, our lights shine brighter and brighter. And they ought to. Jesus Christ said don't hide it under a bushel. He said put it on a candlestick and it gives light to all that are in the house. When you have a power outage and you get your candles out. All of our candles are close by with matches near them so I can light them quickly to get some light. Really does make a difference. But if I took that candle and lit it and got a bushel basket and put it over the top, well, I'd probably burn the bushel basket eventually, but the point being, if I put it over the top of it I'm not going to see much. Don't be ashamed to let your light shine. Don't put such a big lampshade on it that people can't see the light. Because, after all, you can do what the Bible teaches. You are walking according to the Bible. As my granddaughter said: “Whoever heard of a fat man dressed in red coming down through a chimney, and he never gets soot or ashes on his suit?”. Whoever heard of that? When I was a kid, and my family kept Christmas, I thought I could go out there, we had snow, we lived on a farm out there in western Pennsylvania, by the way, I've been in western New York, too, when we had three feet—three feet in monumental to move—eight feet? You look at it and go back in and turn on the TV and wait for the sun to melt it which will take weeks and months!

I called Marcus Regord who is the elder up in the Buffalo area, how are you doing? He lives south of the city. Well, we only had a foot and a half or so, or maybe two feet, but he was expecting another foot. But in the city itself right where they meet for services, about eight feet they will have. Six to eight feet. That is monumental! They will have to get these trucks, these high lifts, to load up the trucks and they dump it in the river over there, in the lake. That's how much they have. They're good but they're overwhelmed now. They are good at keeping the roads clear but they are overwhelmed with how much snow there is. If they could push it across, push it to the side of the road, but again then it accumulates so much it's so difficult to get by. I lived up in that area for four years and I know what it's like to shovel and I was in a big one, one time. I don't care to be in big ones any more if I can help it. In a minute I'll like it and enjoy it. But let your light shine. Let your light shine to people. They may see your good works. He said in Matthew 5:16: That they may see the good you do. You don't go out and parade it in front of them do you? It's just your way of life to do the good and they will see it and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.

In Ephesians 5:8. You see, we were sometimes darkness. We read this: You were sometime darkness. You used to just blend in with the darkness. That's nice. Just blend in. Nobody will know. If I just keep my light turned off. If I keep this bushel basket over me, nobody will know I'm a Christian. I know, in early years we used to dodge it. I used to get a haircut, the guy would say “What do you do?”. I would say I'm in adult education. Well, it was true, but it was a dodge. Why did I do that? Because I didn't want them to feel all super, oh, I'm cutting this minister's hair and I can't say much here. I just wanted them to feel free to talk about whatever they wanted to talk about. But afterward I began to realize, you know what? I'm not ashamed of being a minister. So they ask me—I'm a minister. And they say, “Oh, you are? Are you born again?”. I said, “What do you mean?”.  If you mean, have I been changed from physical to spirit as in John 3, no. If you mean, do I have a new life because God's Holy Spirit dwells in me, yes. And that was the end of that story. Don't be ashamed of being a Christian. We can let our light shine. He said: You were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord, now walk as children of light. So thank you brethren for your example.

Thank you for all the people that will never hear the Beyond Today program, maybe never get our literature, but they will see the truth lived by you. They will know, one day, there was a Christian working beside them. They will know one day that was the way of life that they should have been walking in to. Your neighbors will, as well. So, thank you for your obedience. Next point:

Thank you for your words.

Thank you for your words. Yes, your words to each other, your words of encouragement, your words at church, whatever it might be. The words to each other, the words of encouragement that you offer. The good cheer. The notes that you might write. And I remember in Toronto, when my brother Dave had just been, and there was a big falling out in Pasadena at that time, and my brother was gone. They were all worried that something is going to happen to me. You know what the church did? In Toronto. They got what was almost amount to a toilet paper roll—that's what it was, but it wasn't toilet paper—it was paper, and they all signed it. Hang in there. We're for you. We're praying for you. We're thinking about you. I opened that roll up, it was a whole roll like toilet paper roll but it wasn't toilet paper, of encouragement. Hang in there. I will always remember that. All signed by the church. God's people share words. Thank you for them. Thank you for those words of encouragement.

Malachi 3:16 talks about God's people sharing words with each other, and God is an eavesdropper. He's a lurker. He lurks when you write. Malachi 3:16: Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another. Just that word of encouragement. Just that hello. Just, hey, I'm here for you. Hey, if you need anything give me a call. I want to help you. If I can help you, please let me know. Just that little bit of encouragement. How are you doing? It goes a long way. And if somebody has an issue one week, and you come back the next week and you say “how's that going?”. You know what that tells them? You thought about them all week long! That encourages them. Malachi 3:16. They spoke often to one another and the Lord listened. God was lurking. He listened in. And a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the Lord and the thought upon His name. He's hearing what they say. He's listening in. How are your words to each other?

Hebrews 3:13. I'm going to read this out of a different translation. You can turn there. I'll read it out of Amplified Version. Because it says exhort. It almost sounds like you're correcting. You know, correction. Come on in, I'm going to correct you this time. He puts it this way: But instead warn, admonish, urge and encourage. Other translations put it: Encourage one another. Everyday. Living God's way of life is not easy. Remember, we walked through the twisting, winding, narrow gate. The road to eternal life is not easy to navigate. It's nice to have an encouraging word. He said: Encourage one another everyday, as long as it is called today. As long as it's this time, this day. It's not the world tomorrow yet. But won't it be wonderful when the world tomorrow is called the world today? Then everybody will be on our side. Everybody will be encouraging you. But he says: Call today that none of you may be hardened. That is, he says, into settled rebellion by the deceitfulness of sin, or by fraudulence or by the stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamour of sin may play on him. Encourage one another lest they fall into traps of this world. And each one of us has the ability to be able to share words, kindness, to help others, and it doesn't cost much. In fact, it's good for you to exhale. Get rid of some of that carbon dioxide as you say those words, then you have room to breathe in some oxygen, well mostly oxygen, some oxygen, some smog, maybe some germs, whatever, but you will have a chance to breathe in if you get it out. So when you talk, you are actually expelling some of that. So it's actually good for you.

Proverbs 15:23. I won't read it. I won't turn there. I'll just share it with you. It says: A word fitly spoken, how good it is. A word fitly spoken in a right time and a right season, how good it is. And brethren, you do that to each other. With each other. For each other. Thank you for your words.

Thank you for your service.

Thank you for your service. I think about how many people, and I probably let them out there, set-up people, food, kitchen, usher, security, piano accompaniment, song leader, sermonette, volleyball set-up, socials, music, special music, security, I already mentioned security, flowers, technical-making sure people out on the internet can get this webcast, and by the way, today is my daughter's birthday which is my daughter Jan, and I want to say “Hi” out there to her. She's sitting there drinking coffee in her pajamas. She told me if she didn't make it today she'd be sitting home, she had a pretty rough week, last week and so on. So she's probably not going to be able to make it out today. But when Thanksgiving comes around I always think of a very special time because our daughter, our first child we were able to have after four years of being childless and thinking we were going to be childless for the rest of our lives. She was born November 22, Thanksgiving came about four days after that. So my parents, my dad and mom, and my brothers and sister all came up to our house for Thanksgiving and helped prepare and all that. But our daughter was only like five days old, and they got to see her. Their first granddaughter was born. Then fifteen months later, God was gracious and gave us another daughter. So we had two daughters in fifteen months. But when I think of Thanksgiving I think of that blessing that came just before it for me to be extra thankful for her. But thank you for your service.

Thank you for looking after each other. Thank you for the songbooks. Collecting them. Giving them out. Thank you for the cards. Thank you for the announcements that you put in and prepare. Thank you for serving. Many of you serve in ways that others don't even see. Thank you, again, for service.

The apostle Paul was grateful for Stephen's family. Or Stephanas. 1 Corinthians 16:15. He says: I beseech you, brethren. You know the house of Stephanas. Or Stephen's. That is the first fruits of Achaia. These are the first ones that came into the church. And that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. They were, you know what? We're addicts. We're service addicts. We love to help people, we do everything we can to help. And look. I know many of us have been pastoring out in the areas that are not here at home office where we have students who set this up for us every week, and then the brethren take it down and set it up for the students because this same room we use for Ambassador Bible College. So that's great, thank you for the set-up. But in many church areas they have to grab the chairs, set them out, take them down, sweep the floor, do all these things to get church ready to set up the sound system. Some of them carry the sound system with them. Some of them bring all their kitchen items they need to church so they can have a nice display for brethren afterwards to have some snacks. That's so awesome. They are dedicated to serving. Ask yourself how much do you serve. But thank you for what you do.

He says in 1 Corinthians 16:16, that you submit yourself to some. That you show respect and honor to them. To everyone that helps with us and labors. Helps with us. It's so awesome to read it from New Living Translation. He says: You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece and that they are spending their lives in service to God's people. I urge you dear brothers and sisters to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. Thank you. Thank you for all you do.

Larry Griffith down here does the tape duplicating and he even called me at 7 o'clock this morning, because he didn't get my email with my title. But that's okay, he's doing his job. I want him to do his job. I'm glad he does his job. And so thank you for all the service that you do. It's so awesome that you reach out.

Galatians 5:13. When it's done out of love, it's done out of a right attitude. He says: For brethren you've been called to liberty. But don't use your liberty for an occasion of the flesh. But by love serve one another. Thank you for your service and your prayers. Don't discount those because...”oh I can't carry things anymore, my legs hurt me, my back hurts me, I can't lift things or throw chairs around like I used to.” That's okay. Romans 16:6. In this chapter where Paul was thanking so many people, I thought it was interesting, one little verse, Romans 16:6 you can read over it. Notice what he says, he had already thanked Priscilla and Aquila, he said: They laid down their lives for me. They gave their lives for me. But notice what he says in Romans 16:6. Greet Mary who bestowed much labor on us. Greet Mary who bestowed much labor on us. Now I don't know who that Mary is. Do you know that Mary? She probably never comes up again in the whole Bible. But Paul calls her out, as he does twenty-eight people, I think it is, in this chapter and thanks them. Basically thanks them for what they did for him. He says likewise the church, he talks to Luke, might well be well of Epaenetus  first fruits of Achaia, and so on. Salute this one and salute that one and show honor to them and show respect for what they have done. Thank you, brethren for your service. Thank you for your prayers. You do make a difference.

The next one is: Thank you for your support.

Thank you for your support. Similar to service but let's look at it differently this time. 2 Timothy 4:9. See, Timothy was in jail for the second time. Probably close to the end of his life. He does say “I've fought a good fight”. He probably knew that his martyrdom was coming up. But, he still kept contact with some and in 2 Timothy 4:9 he says to Timothy: Do your diligence to come shortly to me. Come to me quickly. Come to me as soon as you can. And then notice in 2 Timothy 4:13 he says, here's what Paul writes: The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus—Carpus must have been a faithful church member. He left his cloak with him—when you come, bring it with you. Apparently when you are captured by the Romans they take everything that is yours. So whatever he had at that time whatever he considered valuable he left behind so they didn't take anything of value. Clothing or parchments, maybe scriptures, maybe his own writings, maybe his own letters that he had. He said he left those behind. So Carpus, he said, look Timothy, go to Troas, see Carpus, get my coat, because in a dungeon with wintertime approaching it was cold. And a cloak, some translate cloak as a briefcase or a cloth with which you can wrap things. Others say it was a cloak, just like a toga. It had no arms, but it was a coat that could go over the top of you that would be good to wear and keep you nice and warm. So he said: Go to Troas to see Carpus. When you come, bring with you the books, and especially the parchments. Parchments may be the scriptures. Bring those to me. I want to have those here with me. They thought that since his martyrdom was coming up that probably commentaries theorize that he wanted these so he could give at least the parchments and some of these letters, books to other people. To God's people who came to visit him. Remember when he was in his house? So he said, “Bring those with you, too.”  They were valuable to him. So, again, service.

We also, in Philippians 2:25-30, we learn of another man who served and supported the apostle Paul. You see, the people in Philippi loved Paul. Paul loved them, but they couldn't all go see him. So they selected Epaphroditus

to take these goods and items, maybe care package, who knows what it was. Maybe  letters. Maybe a toilet roll, who knows? People encouraging him to hang in there in prison. And this is another prison epistle, the first prison epistle. But in Philippians 2:25 he says this: Yet I suppose it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus. I'm going to send him back. He said: my brother, and companion, and laborer and fellow soldier, but your messenger. He was your messenger. But he ministered to my wants. He came and he brought what I wanted, what I desired. For he longed after you all. That was his home area where he was coming from in Philippi, for he longed after you all and he was full of heaviness because that he had heard, because you heard that he had been sick. Now imagine; this guy is sick. He's nearly deathly sick and he's worried that the brethren in Philippi are going to worry about him. What a heart and attitude that he had. He said, Philippians 2:27; for indeed, he was sick near unto death but God had mercy on him and not only on him only, but also on me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I sent him there for the more carefully that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less sorrowful. For receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold such in reputation because for the work of Christ, serving Paul and helping him to be able to perform whatever he could in doing his duties, even in prison, Epaphroditus was an aide coming over there to him, he says, because of the work of Christ, he was near to death, not regarding his life to supply your lack of service toward me.

So, we all need people who can support. Not that you have to work yourself to death, but he did whatever he went through to get there, and he got there and gave the goods to Paul and he was sick, and they had gotten word back I guess, I don't know how, sent a messenger back or somebody sent a message back to them, and they were worried about him. He was upset that they heard because he didn't want them to worry. But here's a man who served. Here's a man who supported Paul, and how good Paul must have felt to know that that church cared for him enough to send these goods to help him. So thank you for your support.

Finally: Thank you for your love.

Thank you for your love. You can't quantify love. Of course, the Bible tells us: This is the love of God; that we keep His commandments. So, as we walk in His commandments we're going to be loving God, and we're going to be loving our fellow man, as the basis of it, the ten commandments teach us that. There are a lot more ways that you love each other. A cheery word, a kind word, a hug when a person is not feeling well. Kindness that you express. Concern that you show. Comfort that you give. But he says: By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another. Thank you for that love that you exude toward each other. And towards strangers. And toward visitors. And toward guests. Thank you. Thank you for giving out of your love to others.

In Philemon, a very rarely quoted book, Philemon, certainly not by me, I don't quote it much. Philemon 4-5. There's only one chapter. Philemon 4-5. We read this from the pen of the apostle Paul to this man. I thank God, making mention of you always in my prayers. I thank God for you, Philemon. And it's not wrong, brethren, to thank individuals for what they do. It's not wrong at all. Philemon 5, he says: Hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord, Jesus, and toward all saints. I thank God for you, for the love that you show, Philemon, toward God and toward all the saints. How about us? Do we do that too? Do we show that love? I thank you for it. I thank you for the love that you show by your actions.

2 Thessalonians 1:3. By your thoughts. Sometimes even thoughts that you don't quite get to say, but God knows. Boy, I wish I could do that but I can't quite get over there, I really would like to. God knows. God knows you felt that way. God knows you thought that way. And God gives you credit for that. Way to go. He listens in and He knows our thoughts.

2 Thessalonians 1:3. Again one of these thank you prayers found in there. We read this: We are bound to thank God always for you. Did I read this already? No I didn't. Good. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is proper, because that your faith grows exceedingly and the love of every one of you all toward each other abounds. Does you love toward each other abound? Is it growing or is it static? Do you have only a circle of people you love, or is that circle getting larger? Thank you, brethren, for your love. Thank you for your kindnesses, your kind words, your hugs, your concern, your comfort. And by the way, thanks to all those who work at the home office, thanks to all the ABC students who give up nine months out of their lives to come live here and take a very rigorous schedule, very rigorous schedule to try and learn God's word and try to be better to be pillars in their church areas when they're finished. To become better as individuals and lights. Thank you for them.

So, in summary. Thank you for your calling. Thank you for your obedience. Thank you for your example. Thank you for your words. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your love. Thank you, brethren.

Philippians 1:2-8. Let's let the words of the apostle Paul conclude our scriptures this time and I have it this time out of the NIV, New International Version. Here's how Paul puts it again to that church who he loves so much. Philippians 1:2-8. Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. May God grant you grace. May God grant you peace. I thank my God every time I remember you. Every time. In all my prayers for all of you. I always pray with joy. If you pray with joy you must be thankful and grateful for what they are doing. Or if you have to pray with sadness, remember he told the Corinthian church, how do you want me to come to you? Do you want me to come to you with love, or do you want me to come to you with a rod? How do you want me to come? When you read Corinthians he wasn't so joyful in dealing with many of the problems that they had. But he says here: I always pray with joy because of your partnership with the gospel from the first day until now. Being confident of this that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to the completion, until the day of Jesus Christ, or Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you since I have you in my heart. He probably didn't have any photographs back then, I don't know that Polaroids were out, and I don't know that they had digital cameras. But he remembered them. They were in his heart. He said: I have you in my heart for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the correction of Christ Jesus. So, the apostle Paul concludes by thanking them. And telling them that they're always going to be in his heart. Thanking them for being God's people.

So, with Thanksgiving coming up, let's remember to be thankful for our brothers and sisters in the church. Let's remember to thank also our marvelous Father and Jesus Christ who gave them to us. Thank you, brethren.