to establish you and to comfort
you concerning your faith. That's what it's about. It's not to make sure the music
program's going well or the programs for the young people
or things like that. It has to do with believing God
and looking to Him. That's what we do. These are written that you might
believe. And that believing, you might have life through his
name. And so in order to establish
them and to comfort them concerning their faith in Christ, we'll talk about this a little
bit, but you remember how it was the sun, the seed that fell
on stony ground, it was when the sun came out. And he's talking
about his afflictions. Here we'll see in verse three
and there's that, when that happened, the seed
dried out and withered. It sprung up in that shallow
ground, but the heat caused it to wither. And that's what he's
saying here. I wanna comfort and establish you that no man,
for this reason, verse three, that no man should be moved by
these afflictions. For yourselves know that we are
appointed thereunto. Now, is that a reason to be comforted in your afflictions, just to
know that they're inevitable? If you're a believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ, it's a great, great comfort. So I wanna speak to you on the
subject of appointed afflictions. The importance of this subject
can be seen in verse five. Look at verse five. For this
cause, what I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your
faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, tried
you. Can our labor be in vain? That's
what's at stake. That's why it was important to
him to send somebody he could trust to find out about them,
to see how these afflictions were affecting them. And you
see this situation, you see specifically what was going on with Paul and
Timothy and these people. These believers in Thessalonica. Can you hear the lessons for
us? Affliction, trouble, trial. What's important? Faith. Faith. Under the authority of
God's providence, many are moved away from the gospel and Christ
when they realize it's going to cost them something. Sometimes
that's in the form of affliction. Sometimes it's just simply in
the form of when somebody sits under the gospel for a while
and they realize they're not getting any glory out of it.
It's gonna cost me all my bragging rights. I'm out. So many. So many. And so Paul sends Timothy to
see whether this was the case, whether due to the affliction
suffered by or threatened upon these Thessalonians, or due to
their knowledge of what Paul had been through. That could
be a discouragement too. The man that we listened to,
he's not successful. It doesn't look like the Lord's
blessing him that much. They needed to be educated about
that, didn't they? He wanted to see if they were
being moved. That word is disturbed, troubled,
and even to the point, verse five, of the gospel having come
to them in vain. So you see what was at stake
here and why it was important to Paul. Now let's see if the
Lord has a lesson or two for us this morning. Remember our
Lord's parable in Mark chapter 16. This is what he said in Mark
4, 16, and these are they likewise, which are sown on stony ground,
who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it
with gladness and have no root in themselves. We don't have
anything in ourselves, but this reveals that. And so endure but for a time.
How long? Sometimes years, sometimes a
visit. Afterward, when affliction or
persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. Now, we don't suffer for the
word's sake like these believers, not in the same sense. as these
believers in Thessalonica. But there is in us all the nature
which harbors the sincere belief that we're God. Think with me, that everything
revolves around us. Is that the way we live? Everything
revolves around me. Nothing wrong with taking care
of your affairs But the Lord said, those that
acknowledge me in all their ways, that's the ones that are blessed
of the Lord. Everything revolves around us,
that our will is inviolable. You ask somebody that's religious,
not even God can thwart your will. What does that sound like
to you? Sounds like you're trying to be God. that everything is up to us, that everything hinges upon our
decisions and that we control our own destiny. Afflictions,
trials, tribulations, and troubles do not sit well with that belief. And that's where we have a problem.
Our nature is to be angry with God because he's not catering
to our way. He's not catering to our will.
He's not catering to what we see as our own self-interest. And we get angry. That's our
nature. Cain didn't suffer because of
the gospel. He suffered because of his sin. And it made him angry. with God. Pharaoh didn't suffer
persecution for the gospel sake. He suffered because of his rebellion
against the God of heaven and earth. And Pharaoh's suffering
caused him to rebel all the more. You see what we're saying? our
nature, believing that we're God. When God shows us that we're
not, by putting us on our heels or on our backs, like he did
a few soldiers one day, or on our faces before him, then we find out the truth about
who's on the throne. Tribulations and afflictions
try Faith. That's why Paul uses the word
faith. He goes back to their faith. We wanted to comfort you and
establish you regarding your faith so that you'll be steadfast. If a sinner has faith in Christ
given by God, that sinner will submit to God's will in afflictions, in trouble, in pain, in sorrow,
and not only so, not only will he bow, but even rejoice in them. For many reasons that we will
see in scripture today, he'll rejoice in them. If the Lord's
willing, if the Lord's merciful, if the Lord is gracious to you,
Notice that it is the establishment of faith which causes a sinner
to be unmoved by trials. Verses two and three. And God-given
faith has but one object, the Lord Jesus Christ. People talk
about faith like it's the power of positive thinking. Faith does
one thing. And we just quoted it a minute
ago. These are written that you might believe. What is it that
God would have you believe? That Jesus is the Christ, the
son of the living God. That's all that matters. Everything
else falls into place. If Christ is God and I'm his
and he's mine, what else is there? What else is there? To believe God is the remedy
to our natural reaction to the heat of affliction, which is
to burn up, to shrivel up and die fresh unto God, as in the
parable. Faith that is the gift of God,
not of works, lest any man should boast. Faith that is the fruit
of God's spirit. Faith of which Christ is the
author and the finisher. Plants a center on the rock so
that he shall not be moved. That's what Paul was worried
about. Don't be moved. How's that gonna happen? You're
gonna have to build on the rock. And that's faith. Faith does
that. Colossians 121. Let's turn to these together
because we'll just have one message today. I want us to see these verses if we can. I can't tell if I'm talking too
loud or not loud enough. I sound like I'm underwater to
myself. So if it's all right, it's all
right. If I need to turn it up or down,
just let me know. In Colossians 121. Oh, look at
this, look at it. You tell me if this is not a
brilliant light up on our text this morning. Don't be moved,
Paul said, don't be moved. I sent Timothy. I'm left alone
here, that's all right. I wanna know how you're doing.
I wanna know particularly about your faith in Christ. Are you
steadfast? Are you rooted and grounded in
the rock of ages? And here's how that happens.
Colossians 121, and you that were at one time alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unapprovable. In his sight, if you continue
in the faith. You see why he said it the way
he did? I want to find out about your faith. Did it come from
God? Is it that faith that God gives that he don't ever take
away? He took everything else away
from Job. Job was able to say with nothing,
not even his own body being sound anymore. He was able to say,
I know. that my Redeemer liveth. That's the faith God gives. If you continue in the faith
grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel which you have heard and which was preached to every creature
which is under heaven or of our Paul who made a minister.
What does faith look to? The faith, grounded and settled
in the faith. What does faith look to? The
hope of the gospel. We preach Christ to get crucified. I want you to see something out.
We're just gonna turn to a single verse, which I don't normally
do. Psalm 16, eight. Let's look at this together.
This is so beautiful. Psalm 16, eight. Sorry. Psalm 16, eight, I have set the
Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall
not be moved. Now you look at that verse. There are two reasons given why
I shall not be moved. And isn't that our text? Paul
said, I don't want you, that no man should be moved by these
afflictions. For yourselves, know that we
are appointed thereunto. We'll talk about that last part,
Lord will it. But listen to me. If you're not gonna be moved,
and don't take it for granted, don't assume, well, I've been
going to church for 20 years or 30, If God leaves you alone for a
second, you'll be moved away from the hope of the gospel.
And it wouldn't be the first time it's happened. Listen, I have set the Lord always
before me. What am I looking to? What's my hope? What am I waiting
on? What am I depending on? The Lord,
always. I've set Him before me all the
time. When I'm rejoicing, it's because the Lord is before me.
And when my face is in the dirt, I can yet rejoice because the
Lord is before me. But listen, there's another reason
why we're not moved. Because He is at my right hand. I'm looking to him, but that's
not my hope. My hope is that he shall never
leave me. He stays with me. He stands with me. He holds me
up by my right hand. The two reasons in this verse
that I shall not be moved are both Christ. Both of them are
Christ. Everybody's somewhat familiar
with Romans chapter 8. And perhaps the verse that you're
most familiar with in Romans 8 is verse 28. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. But most important to that verse
now is its context. We know that all things work
together for good. What are those all things? All
of them are Christ. I'm chosen in Christ. It's his image. I'm predestinated
to be conformed to his image. It's in Christ that I have everything.
God not sparing his son for me, how shall he not with me also
freely give me all things? Because Christ died for me, no
one in heaven, earth, or hell can lay any sin to my charge. That's everything working for
my good, and it's all God's Son and what he did for me. And nothing
or no one can separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus, our Lord. So you see how that verse is defined by its context. The whole
context shows the reason and the reality of all things working
together for our good. And it's God's Son believing
in him, trusting him. He said, you believe in God,
believe also in me. And believing on him, casting
all of our care upon him because he cares for us. Christ himself
is the rock upon which we stand unmovable. Because of Christ and all things
being for my good in him, I can say with David in Psalm 119.71,
it is good for me that I've been afflicted. Can you say that? It's good for me. It's good for me. Oh, that's not something you
just say because you think you're supposed to. Don't say it like
that. Know that because it's appointed
by God and that he does that for our
good, for his glory, He does that to
strengthen and increase our faith in Him, to cause us to look to
Him, to bring us to His side and hold us close. We can say,
it's good. The Word of God says that Christ
is a shelter in the time of storm. But for all our agreement with
that, we need a storm in order to know it. The Lord Jesus Christ brings
them and he calms them. And we say it's good. Why does he do that? Why would
the Lord bring a storm upon his child And this is not people
call a bit afflicted. I lost my job or something like
that happened. We're talking about a whole nother
level here. We're talking about the soul. We're talking about nighttime
falling on your soul. Why would he do that? And to
bring us to the place where we would say, What matter of man
is this? That even the winds and the seas obey his will. They obeyed his will before I
ever felt them. And they obey his will while
I'm bowed down underneath them. Are you still astonished at who
he is? What manner of man is this? What manner of savior is this? May God bring us back to the
place where we're still astonished at who he is. Nothing else in
this world can astonish you like that. If you get a glimpse of
the master, Everything else pales. The appointment of affliction
implies the necessity of a bookkeeper that appoints them. Beloved, this truth, faith from
God to believe this will plant in your feet when you need it
the most. Matthew 10, 28, don't be afraid
of them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul,
but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell. Now we're to reference God and
we're to realize that it's his will upon which we hang. It's upon his will that our eternal
destiny turns. But listen to what he said next.
Don't you fear anybody else. They can't do anything to you.
Don't fear anybody else now. But listen to what he said next.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing and one of them shall
not fall on the ground without your father. But the very hairs
of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore. I'm the one to fear. I'm the
one, I'm the only one. If somebody has the power to
kill you, that doesn't measure up. That don't bring them up on the
same level. I am the one to fear. But I'm saying to you, my little
sparrows, don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. That begs the question, what
is a sinner worth? We get some idea of that in John
15, six. Think about this. He said, if
a man abide not in me, he's cast forth as a branch and is withered
and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they're
burned. That's what a sinner's worth. Why then does the Savior say
we are of great value? Because to him who loves us,
we're precious. It's his love that makes us worth
many sparrows. We're not valuable because of
any intrinsic worth of our own. We're worse than worthless apart
from Christ, but because of the love of Christ, we are priceless
to him. Has he not proven that? And this
is the one whose thunder rattles our souls. This is the one whose
waters rise upon us, but he's promised they shall not overflow
us. They won't overflow you. First Corinthians 10, 13, there
has no temptation taken you, no trial, no trouble taken you,
but such as is common to man. But God is faithful. There's no power of positive
thinking, there's no you can bear up, just suck it up. God is faithful, that's your
hope when you're overwhelmed. God is faithful who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that you're able, but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. The Lord Jesus Christ will give
us ability that is more than a match for the suffering. We're not moved only if our trust
is not in the notion that everything's just gonna be all right. The
so-called power of positive thinking never stopped a single raindrop. We're not moved because our rock
is the son of God. And whether things are all right
or not, he's on the throne. And he's loved us with an everlasting
love. Not because God will do what
we want him to, but because God will do what he said he will.
We are not moved. And everything God has promised
us is bound up in his only begotten well-beloved Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ.