Buffalo City Church

Caleb Drahosh \\ God tells the idols to speak, to make a case. He tells them to speak about the future. But they can't. God pursues His people with simple reason: there is no substitute for Him. Nothing or no one can speak in the way that He speaks; nothing or no one can do the things that He does.

John Baumgartner \\ God continues to lift up valleys and bring down mountains. He contends with the nations to bring down their pride, and He comforts His people to lift them up again from their humiliation. God promises His humble people that He will use them for this work. God miraculously refreshes His people as they wait for Him to accomplish His purpose.

Caleb Drahosh \\ After clearing away the obstacles that stand in the way of His people seeing Him clearly, God challenges the comparisons that His people rebelliously make. Nations and nature and idols cannot compare to God. And for His people who are wondering where He is, God reminds them that He didn't get tired or fail to understand their situation. Rather, He reminds them to patiently wait fo...

Caleb Drahosh \\ By disciplining His people through exile, God removes obstacles for His people to behold their God. He levels out all earthly positions and highlights the fallibility and fickleness of men. God’s Word endures forever and we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; Christ alone is our confidence. Those who behold their God, herald their God.

Caleb Drahosh \\ In Isaiah 40-55, Israel has been carried off to exile in Babylon. They broke covenant with the Lord and God used the hand of their enemies to bring discipline upon them. But now that Jerusalem had been emptied, God speaks comfort to His people. True and lasting comfort can only come from God; peace and security may be temporarily lost, but the comfort of the Lord remains for His p...

John Baumgartner \\ In the Tenth Commandment, God tells us not to covet anything that is our neighbor’s. This means we cannot look at anything another person has and wish it were ours instead of theirs. Covetousness is not a small sin that can be taken lightly. God has given us this commandment, as well as the others, to teach us our need for forgiveness and how we are to live in the new life he h...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jesus, along with His disciples and His mother, attend a wedding in Cana. When the wine ran out at the wedding, Jesus used the opportunity to express that the Messiah had arrived by turning water into wine. The master of the feast exclaimed, “You have kept the good wine until now.” In this way, Jesus revealed His glory; He is the reason for celebration.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jesus, along with His disciples and a large crowd, came upon a funeral. Jesus had compassion on the widow who lost her only son. Jesus spoke to the man, telling him to arise, and the dead man was restored to life. The crowd exclaimed better than they knew, "God has visited his people!"

John Baumgartner \\ Early in Jesus’ ministry, a leper came to Him to be cleansed. Lepers were social outcasts. The disease prevented them from coming to God in His Temple. But when this leper came to Jesus, he was nearer to God than the Temple ever was. Jesus is compassionate to come and heal all sinners like this leper. Come to Jesus.

Caleb Drahosh \\ The disciples go ahead of Jesus, crossing the Sea of Galilee by boat. But after Jesus goes up the mountain to pray, the boat is now a long ways off. He catches up to the disciples by walking on the sea. Jesus, the Lord of creation, patiently deals with the skeptical Peter showing Himself to be the Son of God.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul concludes this letter with a benediction. God is bringing about His purposes in His people according to His faithfulness. God preserves and protects His work through the end and into eternity.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul continues to outline the duties of church members. At the heart of his directives to the Thessalonians is the exhortation to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. To adhere to these things is to do good to one another.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul now begins closing the letter in earnest. He reminds the Thessalonians to respect and love their pastor/elders and to do the work of ministry among themselves which is to patiently urge, encourage, and help their brothers. There is no member of the local church who is not vitally important to the body.

Caleb Drahosh \\ The full revelation of God's redemptive plan has been revealed in Jesus Christ. Those who are in Christ are children of light because they are the inheritors of salvation. Christians live in light of God's plan of redemption and therefore have nothing to fear and are able to effectively encourage one another.

Caleb Drahosh \\ The Thessalonians were concerned. Will we see family and friends who are believers again after they die? Paul tells them on the die that Jesus returns, those who have died will be raised and then those who are alive will ascend to meet Jesus in the air. Be encouraged that you and your brothers and sisters will be together with Christ in eternity.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul says that the Thessalonians should continue to love one another and live lives of everyday faithfulness by living a quiet life, minding one's own affairs, and working with one's hands. We must know and live like every moment we experience, all the work we do, and everything we’ve been given is designed to be applied toward loving one another.

Caleb Drahosh \\ In chapter 4 Paul turns to instruction. Everyday faithfulness includes living in holiness in areas of sexual purity. Following the ways of the world in these matters opposes God's good design and His plan to set people apart for His purposes. We joyfully believe God’s ways are better than our and live according to those ways because of the freedom that we have in Christ in order t...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul continues expressing his gratitude to God for the love that the Thessalonians have for one another. And now Paul looks forward: the Thessalonians will be established blameless in holiness when Jesus returns if they continue and increase in faith and love for one another.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul loved the Thessalonians. But because he and Silas were forced to flee Thessalonica, he wanted the Thessalonians to know that his love for them was not diminished. He longed to be back with them; they were his joy and glory. The local church is full of brothers and sisters for whom we should feel deep affection and desire to be together in person.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul writes that the Thessalonians did not receive the word as the word of men, but as the Word of God. This was evidenced in the way that they suffered. A clear mark of genuinely receiving God's Word is patient endurance in the face of opposition.

John Baumgartner \\ Words are powerful. We can wound with a word and heal with a word. The Ninth Commandment is put in place to protect us from the power of false words. God is the Truth and cannot lie, but in the fallen world humans lie frequently by what we say and by what we leave unsaid. This commandment forbids lies, gossip, slander, and flattery. It also requires us to defend the truth by sp...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul reminds the Thessalonians of the way he intends to approach them. His aim is not to please man, but God. He didn't come to the Thessalonians flattering them, in a greedy manner, or glory-seeking. Rather, like a gentle mother and an encouraging father, Paul approaches the Thessalonians, calling them to walk in a manner worthy of God.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul continues to commend the Thessalonians and in these two verses he highlights their repentance. He writes that they turned from idols to serve God. Repentance is one movement: turning away from sin and turning to God. Their turning to God includes service rendered unto Him and hopeful anticipation of Christ's return.

Caleb Drahosh \\ The Thessalonians followed the example of Paul and Silas, receiving the word with joy in the midst of suffering. Their joyful reception of the gospel became a great witness and example across the region. A church that suffers like Christ suffered is poised for gospel impact in its community.

Caleb Drahosh \\ After expressing gratitude to God for the Thessalonians, Paul assures them of their status as those chosen by God. Paul is fully confident that the message of Jesus Christ was effective in the lives of the Thessalonians because the Holy Spirit was powerfully at work in and among them. The gospel message is much more than just words.