Well this evening we've just
come to the end of this first chapter so we'll just speak tonight
on verses 11 and 12 in this first chapter of the second epistle
of Paul to the Thessalonians. We'll just read these last two
verses. Wherefore also we pray always for you that our God would
count you worthy of this calling and fulfil all the good pleasure
of his goodness and the work of faith with power, that the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye
in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus
Christ. Well, the Apostle again brings
to our attention And also, of course, to the Thessalonians,
the great importance of prayer. In the last chapter of the first
epistle, we had that word, pray without ceasing. Paul was clearly
a man of prayer, and indeed the Church of God should also be
men and women of prayer. And the Apostle's able to declare
here as he writes to them, wherefore also we pray always for you. It wasn't just an occasion, it
wasn't something that they just thought upon now and again, but
it was that which the Apostle continued to pray for the Thessalonians. And they were, from what we read
in the first epistle and now in the second, a blessed people,
a godly people. And yet you see, they still needed
prayer. And we need prayer. And the brethren
need prayer. And therefore we should recognise
the relevance of such a simple and yet really profound statement. Wherefore also, we pray always
for you. And let's not forget that word
always in this context. in relation to Thessalonians
and also to us. He says that there was a specific
reason that our God would count you worthy of this calling. And of course they had been called
by God, called by his grace to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
they were called. And again, how relevant such
a statement is for us today in this dark age in which we find
ourselves living, to realise the importance of it. For you
that our God would count you worthy of this calling. Well, we're only worthy, aren't
we? As we're called by God and as
we walk in his paths and obey his voice, What a blessing it
is to be counted worthy, worthy, not because we've done anything
ourselves, but all that the Lord has done for us. and to be able
to recognise it and acknowledge it and thank God for it would
count you worthy of this calling. It means to pray, it means to
walk worthy in accordance with the will of our God, not pleasing
ourselves but following the gracious and blessed example of the Saviour
who pleased not himself and He says, and fulfil all the good
pleasure of his goodness. Well, we know the Lord is good
and how mindful we should be of his great goodness to us.
It's good sometimes to sit and to ponder, to think upon our
lives and to look back, perhaps from the time we were born, to
realise his goodness toward us. They are many blessings which
the Church of God receive and how unworthy we are of any notice
and yet to realise that God is good, God is kind, God is compassionate
and God is gracious and therefore as we read here and fulfil all
the good pleasure of his goodness toward us, well it's much to
ponder and much to think upon, we have not time this evening
to go in any length, but just remember the basic outline here. The good pleasure of his goodness
and also the good pleasure of his work of faith with power. Faith is the gift of God. How essential it is that we possess
living faith. We can't produce it ourselves. It's not something that we can
conjure up. And yet, as we have read recently
in that 11th chapter of Hebrews, the wonderful blessing of faith
that God gave to so many in such a wonderful way. And they were
able to do great things because of the faith in God the Lord
gave to them. that our God is the same today,
yesterday and today and forever. And what a blessing, therefore,
if God gives us faith. Essential, isn't it? Remembering
what the apostle, when he wrote to the Ephesians, that wonderful
verse that we read of in the Ephesians, for by grace are you
saved through faith. And not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God. This is a very relevant and important
verse in the whole of scripture. It's the one place where it joins
these things so wonderfully together. Saved through faith and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. So may we praise
God and thank him if he has given us faith to believe and faith
to follow his example. and faith to do his will. And so the apostle says, his
goodness and the work of faith with power. God gives power,
power in that faith to believe, power to follow him in faith. It all emanates from almighty
God. Without him, we can do nothing. Without him, we are poor, lost
and ruined sinners. But through him, the apostle
says, I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me. And what a great promise and
secret that is. And then he says, that the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in
him. And again, how necessary it is
for us to remember and that our lives on this earth are, if we
are the children of God, are for one divine purpose, and that's
for the glory of God. And so as we examine ourselves
in our little lives, in the various things we're able to do, do we
do them for the glory of God. And the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ may be glorified. He is worthy. He's worthy of
all exaltation. He's worthy of all our praises.
He's worthy to acknowledge. He is our Lord and master. He is our savior, the great and
glorious God. Well, may this be true in our
lives, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified
in you and ye in him. How very humbling it is to realize
that great truth according to the grace of our God. and the
Lord Jesus Christ, again, the free and merited favour that
the Church of God receive. And because of that, we receive
this living faith. Because of that, we receive the
power of faith. And it's all because of his grace. Oh, what a mercy then to be a
partaker of the grace of God and to truly rejoice in what
he's done for us. And never forget, to thank him. We are often unthankful. We need
to be more thankful for all his mercies, all his favours and
especially his great grace.