I asked our sister Robin to pick
the hymns for today. She picked all of those and I
was on the road, Mindy and I were on the road yesterday. These
ladies like to get the hymns ahead of time so they can practice.
She read the passage and that was well chosen. Martin Luther
wrote that. He wrote the hymn, the music,
the words and the music. Lord greatly bless Martin Luther.
But Martin Luther stood alone, practically, against a whole
world of false religion. The Roman Catholic world was
predominant, and the Lord used him to open the eyes of so many.
I love Martin Luther. So thankful for him. And that's
a good hymn. He said, though the world with devils filled
should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through it. It's a fitting choice because
Paul speaks to the Thessalonians in both letters. He comforts
them in the tribulation, the persecution that they were going
through because of the truth, which all of God's people will
go through. It's evidence that you have the
truth, and you believe the truth, and you are the true people of
God. if you've experienced persecution from the world around you, especially
from religion. That's both of these letters,
okay? 2 Thessalonians, you remember
the letter to Philippi. We looked at that last Sunday.
Remember? If there be any consolation,
any comfort of love. In that letter, Paul says, given
unto you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe, but to what?
suffer for his name's sake, for the truth's sake. Both these
letters were close by. Paul went to Philippi, Acts 16. He went to Philippi, as you know,
and you know the story, and the Lord raised a church up through
his preaching. It started with three people,
Lydia, and the woman who was possessed with demons, and the
Philippian jailer, okay, and the Lord But Paul was thrown
in jail in Silas for preaching the truth. Just for preaching
the truth. Who God is, who Christ is, what
man is, what salvation is. The truth. He was thrown in jail
because men don't love the truth. They hate the truth. Well, but
God raised up a church there, people who believed the truth.
And the people at Philippi, they experienced trouble too. And
then he went from Philippi to Thessalonica. Right after that. This is actually the first letters
he wrote to any churches, Thessalonica 1 and 2. But he went there and
the whole city rose up in anger and wrath against Paul for preaching
the truth, declaring who Christ is. It was the Jews, it was the
devout women, it was the religious people. But God, rich in mercy,
saved Many people there and raised up a church there. And they drove
Paul out of town, Paul and Silas. They had to leave. Their lives
were in danger, so they left. So that's the basis of these
letters, okay? He wrote these letters. And look
at verse 1. Paul and Silas and Timothy unto
the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Grace unto you. and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is written to the
church. And the churches didn't have
denominations back then, they just were location. The church
at Thessalonica, the church at Philippi, the church at Sardis,
Smyrna, the church at Philadelphia, the church, the church, the church.
One church. Do you know how many so-called
Christian denominations there are in the world? Would you like
to make a guess? Are you ready for this? 45,000. You thought there was Methodists,
Baptists. Oh no. Every little Tom, Dick and Harry and Mary
raises up a little group in front of an empty store building and
calls themselves a church. And they denominate it with something.
Something unusual. Their particular little niche
or what they believe. The church is one. The church believes the same
thing, the same one. The church. You know what the
word church means? Called out. That's what the word
church means. Called out. Ecclesia. Called
out. Romans 8. You know these, but
I want you to look at it. Romans 8. Look at it again. Peter
wrote to the people He said, seeing you know these things
already, I'm going to tell them again. Don't we love Romans 8? 28 and 29 and 30 and 31. Don't we, Brother John? Many
people love verse 28, don't know what it means. That's as far
as I get. I heard Jerry Falwell one time
completely skip over verses 29 and 30 and 31. Completely skipped
over it with Patrick. Like it wasn't even there. Verse 28, we know, who's he talking
to? Paul wrote to the people at Rome, to those in Rome, called
to be saints. The called of God. We know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to His purpose. Paul said to Timothy, His purpose
and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus, when? Before the world began. All right? This is the truth.
I'm preaching the truth. And this is what all the church
knows and believes. And they will be hated for it.
Verse 29, Whom He did foreknow. That's forelove. set His love
upon, sovereign love, long before they were ever born, the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God, according to election, might stand. That's
the next chapter. What do you say to these things? The church. The church doesn't
believe different things. The called out are all called
the same way by our gospel. That's 2 Thessalonians 2. Moreover, whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate. Well, the gay was preaching and
said, boy, people hate the P word, don't they? They sure do. What
do you think about that? How could anybody that claims
to love God, believe God, worship God, hate anything written in
God's Word, especially if it's written four times. Predestinate,
that's predetermine their destiny. Aren't you glad? I'm so thankful. Predestinate to be conformed
to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Listen, look at verse 30. Moreover,
whom He did predestinate, them He also called. How? By the gospel. Whom He called, them He also
justified. They gave them faith, justified
by faith, the faith of Christ that they believed. And whom
He justified, them He also glorified. Now, who's doing all this? Who
did all this? Are you in the equation? Whom
he did foreknow, whom he called, he justified, he glorified. The church means called out.
Turn over to 1 Corinthians, just a few pages. And you can find
this on any page, just stop anywhere. This being called, called of
God. I love Romans 10, 13. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. I love that. If you don't call,
you won't be saved. But here's the glory of God,
you see. Here's who gets the glory for
the call. If God doesn't call you, you
won't call. It's the remnant whom the Lord our God shall call,
Joel 2.32. That's where that came from.
But look at 1 Corinthians. This is about as basic a message
as you'll ever hear. You want to hear it? I do. Mindy said, are you looking forward
to the message? Yes! This is the book. The glory
and grace of God. In calling out sinners. Causing
them to call. They won't call. You won't call,
Christ. You will not come unto me. But he said, I am come that they
might have life. Big billboard down on 220. They're
everywhere in the Bible Belt, aren't they? I hate them. They're
lying on God. Here's what one said, Jesus offers
you a new life. That's not in the Bible. God
doesn't offer life, He gives life. He raises you, He quickens
you from the dead. From darkness to life, from death
unto life. You don't offer a baby life,
you give it life. Right? Christ said, I am come
that they might have life. I give unto them eternal life.
Isn't that what the Scripture says? You believe that? You hate those lies? The whole
world believes that Jesus offers you a new life. We don't believe
that. We hate that. That's blasphemy.
That's the highest form of blasphemy. And you believe that and the
world is going to hate you for believing the truth. Paul, verse 1, called to be an
apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God. Whose will?
His will. Who called who? God called Him. Verse 2, the church of God at
Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ called to be saints. To all in every place that called.
Who called who first? God called. Look down in verse... Verse 4, I thank God always on
your behalf for the grace of God given you by Jesus Christ.
Amen. And in chapter 1, it goes on
to say, you see your calling, don't you, brethren? You see
your calling. I do. You do. Do you remember
when God first called you by the Gospel? Do you? Were you calling on Him? Were
you seeking Him? No? None of God's people were. Saul
of Tarsus wasn't. He hated his wife. He's one that wrote but God. Go back to our text in 2 Thessalonians
1. The church. I hope you hear this,
but I hope somebody that's never heard it hears it. Because this
is the truth. I'm preaching the truth. The
church. The church. And, brothers and sisters, I
want you to change your vocabulary. I want you to quit calling these
places churches. Okay? I've done it. It's hard
to do. It's like getting the word lucky
out of your vocabulary. Don't use that ever again. There's
no such thing as luck. In that Roman Catholic place
down there, there ain't a church. Neither is the First Methodist.
That's not the church. Neither is the Southern Baptist.
That's not the church. If it's the church, they're going to
preach this message. And if the man is called of God
and he's the ruler, he's the preacher in that church, everybody
in the community will hate him and go against him. Nobody hates
that false priest. Nobody hates the pastor so-and-so,
the rector. I said it right. Nobody hates, there will be a
woman preacher here, nobody hates her. You let a man stand up and just
preach God's Word, preach it to everybody, turn against them.
Go anywhere. They'll tell you go anywhere
but there, where they're preaching that Calvinism. That's bad. Well, this is what
the church believes. Always have and always will.
This is the truth. The Church. The Church. Look at verse
1. In God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Verse 2. Grace unto you and peace
from God our Father. It doesn't say The Father, it
says Our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. How is God our
Father? Did we let Him be our Father?
Oh no, it's not of blood, it's not of the will of man, it's
not of the will of flesh, they're born of God. Of God are you in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us all things. It's of God. Salvation is of God. It's the
gospel of God. It's for God, His glory. It's
for Christ, His glory. Now, I need to smile while I'm
preaching this. Do you believe this? Do you know how blessed
you are? I'm telling you the world positively
hates this. And this is how you know. The
church at Philippi was persecuted for the truth. The church at
Thessalonica was persecuted for the truth. Every single prophet
was killed. Every single true prophet was
killed. While the false prophets were
just doing fine, getting fat and rich on the payroll of the
government. Grace unto you. Church in God. Don't you love that? I knew I'd
get stuck right there. It's all right. Grace in God. You know these things. But in
His covenant, in His purpose, in His will, in the Lamb's book
of life, in His heart, His love. God doesn't love everybody. He
loves His people. It's sovereign love. In His mind, in His thought,
in His care, in His kingdom, in His family, in His will, in
His inheritance, in His hand. In God. In Christ. Chosen in
Him. Blessed of God in Him. Chosen
in Him. Accepted in Him. Redeemed in
Him. Gathered in Him. Seated in Him. Sealed in Him. Kept in Him. In
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, salvation is in that
little word, in. Salvation is not in you, but
it's in God. It's in His will, in His purpose,
in His Son. And you're in Him. How did you get there? How did
Noah get in the ark? Look at verse 2. It says, Grace
and peace unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is a two-fold meaning. Saving grace and peace and ruling
grace and peace. in the heart, in the mind, in
the church. Grace. Grace is not an offer. Grace
is an act of God. Grace is the power of God. Grace
is the purpose of God. Grace is the will of God. The
purpose of God. The power of God. It's the work
of God. Grace is a work. God's work, not ours. God's work.
Work of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. By grace are
you saved through faith. That's not your... That's not...
You didn't do that. It's according to the what? Working
of His mighty power, Ephesians 1.19. That's just Bible. There's another blasphemous billboard all over the South
in bold black sign with great big white letters, Jesus is not
God. Big, bold letter. Jesus is not God. And underneath
it says, Scripture says He did not exist in Heaven before. That's
the Jehovah Witnesses. It's everywhere. You haven't
seen it? Boy, it put a dagger in your heart when you see it.
It angers me. It's an absolute lie. Absolute
lie. Scripture does say He existed
before they came in. That's what the Pharisees, and
that's what religion said, and that's what they hated about
Him then. And they hate Him now. What do you think about that?
Jesus is not God. What does that make you feel?
What does that do to you? They're taking away your hope
and your salvation. They're taking away God's glory,
Christ's glory. I may deal completely with that
in another message. But, oh, the church believes,
alright, that Jesus Christ is God. And we're in Him. That's what the last thing John
says, doesn't it? 1 John 5. The Son of God has
come and given us an understanding. We might know Him that's true,
and we're in Him that's true. This is the true God in eternal
life. Who is it? God or Christ? Yes. Now what? Didn't Christ say that? Well,
grace unto you. Grace and peace. And I listened
to my father preach from this. It was so wonderful. It just
blessed me. But he used, I remember him saying
this, the law of first mention. When you see a word in Scripture,
go back when it's first brought up. And it's carried that on
all the way through the Scripture. The law of first mention. Okay? You know when the word grace
was first found in the Scripture? It's in Genesis 6, when Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That's the first mention
of grace. And what Noah found, or that
is, what God did for Noah, is carried on throughout the rest
of the Scripture. Alright, here's what God says
about mankind. All of them. God saw the wickedness
of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart is only evil continually, from the moment
he wakes up to the minute he goes to bed, and starts all over
again the next day. And it repented the Lord that
He had made man, mankind, earth. It grieved Him. The Lord said,
I want to destroy man whom I have created from the face of the
earth, man and beast. It repenteth Me that I have made
them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God chose Noah. God called Noah. God set His love on, His mercy
upon, His grace upon. Here's grace. Here's grace, Exodus
33. He says, I will be gracious to
whom? Those accept it? Not what it said. Brother Bruce
always says, read your Bible. I will be gracious to whom? I will
be gracious. That sovereign grace means it's
not something He offers you for you to accept. It means it's
something He does to you according to His will. What do you think
about that? I said I wasn't going to holler, but man, does this
world ever need to hear that. This is sovereign grace. What
do you believe, Teresa Patterson? Sovereign grace? Anybody you
work with? Anybody out there? Do they believe
that? No, they don't. Why? God sovereignly chose you,
sister. Before the world began, before
you were ever born, God said, I'm going to love that woman.
I'm going to love her freely. I'm going to bring her. I'm going
to call her. I'll give her to Christ. Come save her and send the Holy
Spirit through the gospel. She's going to believe it. Nobody
around her is going to believe it. She's going to. Fetch her. He sends mercy and grace and
truth. Fetch that woman. Bring her to
Me. She belongs to Me. That's salvation. Grace and peace came to you.
You didn't come to it. It came to you in the form and
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel. Peace
from God. How do we have peace with God? How do guilty sinners have peace
with an angry God? Accepting it. Letting Him. Can you imagine that? A hardened,
guilty criminal, death row, coming up to the judge and saying, I've
decided that you've pardoned me. What would the judge do? He'd laugh. He that sits in the
heavens laughs. Let me pardon you. You, Billy Graham, and I keep
bringing this up, because that imposter needs to be He said,
what you do with Christ here and now determines where you'll
spend eternity. That billboard is all over the
South. Signed Billy Graham. What you
do with Christ here and now determines where you'll spend eternity.
That's the opposite. It's the opposite of the truth.
What Christ does with you determines where you'll spend eternity. Can you imagine God, somebody
saying that? Well, what are you going to do
with my son? Well, I've decided to accept him. Now you owe me
heaven. You're going to go into God's kingdom because you did
something with his son? I'll tell you what men did with
his son. They hated him and they killed him. What's God going
to do with us? That's the question. And he says, don't read those
signs. If men are so blatantly blasphemous
against God, somebody needs to speak the truth loud and clear
and tell them this is a lie. And anybody that preaches it
is a liar and those who believe it are lost. We've got a smaller group this
morning, some people out of town, some people not well and all
that. But we, brother and sister, we just don't realize how blessed
we are in a world full of iniquity. That's 1 John. He talks about
the Spirit. You heard there's anti-Christ.
There's many anti-Christ. Many false prophets gone. Christ
said many false prophets. Let a man come in His own name
and everybody will receive Him and love Him and just laud Him
and make Him rich. And let a man come in the name
of God for the glory of God, the glory of Jesus Christ, telling
people the truth to keep their souls out of hell, and they'll
hate Him. It's always been that way. All the prophets. All the
apostles. All of God's preachers. Why do you love the truth? Why
do you love the truth of God? Why do you love me? Aren't you
tired of hearing this? Because God chose you. Because
God had mercy on you. In this same book, the Lord says
they didn't receive the love of the truth, so God sends them
strong delusions that they believe a lie. He won't let them believe
the truth. The truth came and they hate
it. Don't love it? Why do you love it? We're so
blessed. We've received the love of the
truth. God shed abroad. His love in your heart. God did
that. God gave you a love for Christ.
God gave you a love for the church. God did all that. John, God did
this to you. You had nothing to do with it.
You were in that false religion. That same place, not a church,
that same place is still preaching that same false gospel that you
were sitting there and believing. You too, Earlene. Nancy was there. Right? Stephen, you grew up there,
didn't you? Why are you here? Why aren't
you still over there? Because God did this. So blessed grace to you. Oh God, our Father. He's not
the Father of all mankind. That's Romans 9. It says clearly
He's not the Father. Because the children of flesh
are not the children of God, but the children of promise. And peace from God. By the blood
of Jesus Christ crossed one way. Philippians, Ephesians, says
He came and preached peace to you. He did it all. I'll never forget, John, when
you first heard about this passive righteousness. Do you remember
that? God said, I'm going to make that
fellow righteous. I'm going to impute my righteousness to him.
I'm going to cover him in my righteousness. That no good,
worthless son, bring the best robe and put it on him. Don't
offer it to him. Put it on him. Kill the fatted calf. Kill the
sacrifice. Shed the blood on his behalf
to make peace with God. Put that ring on him, that token
of my eternal love. Put it on him! Take those rags off of him and
put that robe on him. I said, put it on him. Cover
him. There's nothing I love more than
this. I hope it shows. I'm going to die. Lord willing,
God help me to die preaching this. Loving this. So all the
church. Three, we're bound to give thanks.
Maybe I ought to continue this Wednesday. Look who he thanks for all this.
We're bound to thank God always for you. Brethren, it's spitting,
it's meat, it's spitting. Why? Because he did it all. He
did nothing at all but sin, but rebel. Weren't that the children
of Israel? And your faith groweth exceedingly.
What faith? Where did it come from? Where
did you get faith? By grace you say through faith. Where did
it come from? Well, it's not of yourself. It's a gift of God. Gift bestowed. Your faith groweth exceedingly.
Meaning, now, and I believe we're in here that doesn't bemoan their
lack of faith and their little faith. But do you remember, do
you have any? Do you have any consolation? Do you have any faith? Do you? What is faith? It believes God
is God. Faith believes God is God. You
don't believe God if you let Him be God. No, no, no, no. No. Faith believes God is God. Do
you believe God is God? How long has He been God? Bonnie,
how long has He been God? Long before man was created.
Who made everything? God. Who does everything? God. Do you believe that? Who
orders all things? Who does everything according
to His will? Who has free will? God. Worketh all things at the
counsel of His own will. Do you believe that? Boy, you've
got a lot of faith. You've got a God-given gift of
faith that the world doesn't have. Ain't nobody believes that
but God's people. Do you believe you're... And
they say these things generically. Do you believe you're a sinner? What kind of sinner? They say this. Do you believe
you're a sinner? Do you believe Jesus died for
a sinner and now he's going to heaven? What do you mean a sinner? What do you mean by that? You mean that God ought to Make you
a spectacle. Hang you up before all to see. And strip you naked. And hang
you up before everybody to see. And expose all your thoughts
and everything you've ever said and done. Right now. Not this
morning. Expose your thoughts right now. I'm preaching God.
Preaching Christ. Glorifying God in Christ. And
if your mind is wondering, think about other things. God
ought to expose us all, shouldn't He? That's what they did to Jesus
Christ. Stripped Him naked. But He had
no shame. He clean hands, pure heart, pure mind, sinless perfection. Why God do that to him? Because
that's what we deserve. Hell deserves a sinner. God ought
to forsake us all. God should have killed Adam and
Eve right there, shouldn't He? Right there. He's ungrateful. Rebels? What has God done? And he says that in Jeremiah.
What have I done to you to make you do this to me? Doesn't it?
That's what he said. Isaiah, Jeremiah, what have I
done to you to make you rebel against me such like rebellious
children to their parents who gave them life, who fed them
and washed their butt and their ears and all their life and cleaned
them and provided and provided and provided and finally raised
up their fists. I'm leaving. I don't like you. What have I
done to make you turn on me? I've done nothing but love you
and care for you and provide for you. And here you turn against
me. Kill him. Like in that story
in Deuteronomy. Stone him. He's a worthless son. Dig up that tree. Cumber in the
ground. Shouldn't that? That's what a sinner is. And you still are one. Oh, I'm
better. Who are you? Let's open up the
minds and hearts. Do you want anybody to see it?
No. Do you want it covered? Do you
need it covered? Do you fear God? Do you fear
God in such a way that you think, He ought to cast me out? That's
the fear of the Lord. I don't know if God saved me
or not. I'm too sinful. Is that what
you believe? Grace and peace to you from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Your faith is growing exceedingly.
Faith is not what you think it is. You're doing great exploits.
It's believing more and more fully, the older you get, that
God is God, that Christ is your salvation, and if He doesn't
save you, you're a goner. That's what that means. Growing
exceedingly. I'm telling you, I believed it
in the beginning, and now I believe it more than ever. If God doesn't
save me, I'm lost. If God didn't choose me and give
me to Christ, if Christ didn't go to the cross, and if his blood
doesn't put away my sin, I'm a goner. Is that what you believe? Edwin, in your 80s, you believe
that more fully now than you did in the beginning? I know
you do. I know you do. Your faith groweth exceedingly. And your love? I love the charity
of every one of you, all toward each other, aboundeth. It shows. You're still here. People, I
am tired of my own voice. I really am. I really am. I really am. I so wish I didn't
have to stand up here every time. I really do. But most of you
are still here. That gives me some comfort. if
you're still listening to the same voice. John Sheasley Sr. comes up and says the same thing
to me every time. He says, I'm saying the same
thing, and he's saying the same thing. It's not grievous to me,
and it ain't grievous to hear you say it. John comes up and
says, I love that. I don't want to hear anything
else. He says it every time. Jill's mother used to say, that's
the gospel. Every time. That's the gospel. I want to know I preach the gospel,
and so Ellen, every time, would confirm that that's the gospel. Thank you, Ellen. Thank you so
much. You'll never know what that means
to me. Because I've got one thing to say. I've got one voice. I
am still sinful. railroader with no education,
and here I am still standing up here saying the same thing
over and over every week. I'm tired of my own voice, but
evidently your love toward me is still there. And I'm very
thankful. I thank God. I thank God. It sure ain't me. He says, we glory in you and
your patience, verse 4, and I'm going to quit. Your patience,
your faith, and all your persecution and tribulation that you do.
It's a manifest token, the righteous judgment of God, that you may
be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you suffer. That would be a good stopping
point because I've been thinking about this being worthy. And
I wrote down some bathroom notes. I didn't bring them. Mandy said,
don't you want your bathroom notes? I said, no, that's for
another message. So I'm going to bring it up again
later, maybe Wednesday. But this church is the church,
one of the churches throughout the land. This is one. I know
it is. Why? Well, the first letter said,
our gospel came unto you. Not in word only, but in what?
Power. Whose power? God's power. God's power. Knowing your election. That's how it starts. Knowing
your election, brethren and beloved. Our gospel, the gospel, came
unto you. Not in word only, not intellect, but in power. In the
Holy Ghost, what does the Holy Spirit do? I could ask everybody
in here and you could tell me what the Holy Spirit does. In
John 14 and 16, he takes the things of Christ and shows them
to you. He doesn't speak of himself.
He speaks of Christ. He brings to remembrance all
that he said. Holy Ghost and much assurance.
He gave you much assurance. Assurance in what? Yourself?
Oh, no. One thing you're all sure of,
and I'm sure of, is we're a bunch of sinners. But this much we're
sure of, salvation's in the Lord. It's in the hands of God. It's
all in Jesus Christ. You believe that? Helen, hope? Helen, is that your hope? Tom,
do you believe He's your Lord and your God? That Jesus Christ
is God? Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe
that, Thomas. And there are millions of them. Compassing sea and land
to try to get people to reject that. Do you reject that? Do
you bow the knee to Jesus? Every knee is going to bow. Well, why are you bowing now?
Because, smile, God loves you. and chose you, you would not
believe the truth. You'd hate it like everybody
else. And you'd run me out of town if you could. But there
you sit. There you sit. I tell you, we're
a blessed church, aren't we? We really are. All right, let's
stand and sing in closing number 268, How Firm a Foundation. We read our Bible.