Go with me back to 2 Thessalonians
1. I have something tonight that
I pray the Lord will enable me to convey to you. I've been deeply begging the
Lord to allow me to show my sincerity. Monday morning is usually a moment
of both reflection and anticipation for me. When I come into the
study, a lot of times I'll just take
a minute and think about the day before. It's a big day for
me. It's a big day for us. And I
just think about Sunday. Think about the things the Lord
gave me to say to you. We're in such need of his spirit. We're in such need of his spirit.
If we're truly gonna worship, we must have his blessing, the
blessing of his spirit. So a lot of times I get there
on Monday and it's just a time for me to give thanks. for worship. He allowed us to worship. And usually I end up thinking
about this congregation. Monday morning is generally a
time when I think about each one of
you. I mean literally each one of
you. It takes some time, but I go
through each one of you. I try to pray for each one of
you, from the oldest to the youngest, I don't care how young. And I try to pray for you all
the time. I try to pray for you as often
as the Lord brings you into my mind, but Monday seems to be,
that's just one of those specific times that I think about you
and I pray for you. I think the reason is because
I'm coming in reflecting on what I just said and wondering what
I'm about to say. I immediately go to Wednesday
and I'm wondering what is the Lord gonna give me to say to
him now? Where I'm going with all of this
is I love you. I love you. I love gathering together
with you. I love worshiping the Lord with
you. I honestly do. I believe with
all of my heart that I do. I give thanks to the Lord for
you. I give thanks to the Lord for
you. And tonight's message is a reflection
of that. This is sincerely from my heart
to yours, just like the apostle Paul wrote sincerely from his
heart to this congregation. This is from my heart to you.
Let's read the first five verses here. Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus
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. We are bound to thank God always
for you, brethren, as it is meat, because that your faith groweth
exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward
each other aboundeth. so that we ourselves glory in
you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all
your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is a manifest
token of the righteous judgment of God that you may be counted
worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. Now, let me summarize all of
that in one line. Do you see the parentheses at
the end of verse 10? At the end of verse 10, there's
a line in parentheses. He's saying, we are so thankful
because our testimony among you was believed. That's what he's
saying. We're so thankful. I am so thankful. that I believe,
and I am so thankful that you believe. I am so thankful that
you believe. I'm so thankful for the fact
that all of us believe God. Sincerely, I mean sincerely,
my heart to yours right now, currently, this congregation,
I am so overjoyed and I'm so thankful for the fact that you
believe. It blesses my heart every time
I see you walk through those doors still believing. Now, a story like this could
be told about every person here. I have a lot of stories and a
story just like this could be told about every person here.
I just selected one. One that I like quite a bit.
This reminds me of just how thankful I really am. This reminds me
of just how thankful I really am. A few years ago, there was
a girl in this congregation who worked at a bank in Knoxville. And she liked a boy who worked
at the same bank. And one Sunday morning, she brought
him to hear the gospel. And I remember it. I remember
it being a pretty straightforward message. I don't remember exactly
what it was, but I remember it being a pretty straightforward
message. And the reason is because I remember saying in my mind,
he'll never come back. I had no choice. I had to preach
what God gave me. That was the message God gave
me. And I had to preach it as the oracles of God. But I remember
thinking the whole time, it was rolling through my mind the whole
time, you'll never be back. But is it now four or five years
later? There he sits. I thank God for the fact that
you believe. I thank God for the fact that
His testimony among you was believed. I mean it. I mean it. I am bound to give thanks for
you. What that means is I can't help
it. I have to. I have to. I love you. I love every one of you. I love
every one of you. There are some people in this
room that I've known for 35 years. There are some people in this
room I've known for six or seven years. There are some people
in this room I've known for six or seven months. The time frame
is completely irrelevant. It is totally irrelevant. I believe that God has put a
love in my heart for you and it has everything to do with
the fact that God has united us together in Christ. It has everything to do with
the fact that we all sit here together in Christ. We are drawn to one another.
And we thank God for one another, all because of the testimony
that God has caused us to believe, the testimony of His Word, the
testimony of Christ. Now, let's look at it here in
verse one. It says, Paul and Silas and Timothy,
unto the church, He's writing to the church. One man said many
years ago, a true church, a true church is more than a
group of people banded together for religious and social functions. A true church is the work and
building of God the Father in Christ. He chose us. He adopted us. He called us. He redeemed us. He regenerated
us. And He has received us in Christ. All of it is in Christ. A true
church is in Christ. In the body of Christ, in the
mind of Christ, in the spirit of Christ, in the favor of Christ,
in the blood of Christ, in the faith, love, and hope of Christ. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30 says,
of God are you in Christ Jesus. And we're bound to give thanks
for every soul who is. We're just bound to. We're bound
to. We have to. Can't help it. We just cannot help it. Verse
one says, Paul and Silas and Timothy unto the church of the
Thessalonians, in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In
God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. How glorious is
that thought? Turn with me over to John chapter
10. I love this chapter. John chapter 10, verse one, this
is our Lord speaking, he said, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth
up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he
that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and
he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when
he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the
sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will
they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the
voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto
them, but they understood not what things they were which he
spake unto them. He preached that parable to the
religious Jews, but they just couldn't see it. They couldn't
hear it. They couldn't enter into it.
They had no idea what he was saying. No idea. So he said,
let me say it this way. Verse 11, I am the good shepherd
and the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Verse 14, I am the good shepherd
and know my sheep and have known of mine. As the father knoweth
me, even so know I the father and I laid down my life for the
sheep and other sheep I have which are not of this fold. them
also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall
be one fold, one church, one church, God has one church, one
congregation unified, and one shepherd. There's one
shepherd. Verse 17, Therefore doth my Father
love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. There was a division therefore
again among the Jews for these sayings. They said, we just cannot
comprehend this. We cannot comprehend what you're
saying. We cannot get a grasp on this. The reality is they
could comprehend it. They just didn't want to comprehend
it. They understood what he was saying, they just did not believe
what he was saying and they couldn't believe what he was saying. Verse
24, then came the Jews round about him and said unto him,
how long dost thou make us to doubt? How long are you gonna
hold us in suspense? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you
and you believed not, The works that I do in my Father's name,
they bear witness of me. But you believe not, because
you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me." They believe my testimony. They hear my voice, and they
follow me. They hear it, and they believe
it. Verse 28, and I give unto them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. They are in me, and they're in
my father. They're in me and they're in
my father. They are completely safe, completely
protected from anything that could ever harm them. And he
said, I've given them eternal life. Now, dear church, as brother
Bruce Crabtree says, dear brothers and sisters, do you know what
that means? Go back to our text. Go back
to 2 Thessalonians 1. This is what it means. Verse
2 says, Grace unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Grace and peace from both of
them. Grace and peace from both of
them. He has given us grace is a gift
He has given us eternal life through him laying down his own
life and Nothing will ever be able to harm us Nothing will
ever be able to harm us grace and peace. I Grace and peace. Verse three says, we are bound
to thank God always for you, brethren. Where does the thanks
go to? Although he loves them with all
of his heart, he loves them with all of his heart, but he's not
thanking them for coming. He's thanking God for bringing
them. I thank God for bringing you. I thank God for bringing me. We are bound to thank God for
you. I thank God for doing this in
you. I thank God for doing the work
in me. I'm so, so thankful. Turn back
just a few pages to Philippians 1. Philippians chapter one. Verse three says, I thank my
God upon every remembrance of you. Always in every prayer of
mine for you all making request with joy for your fellowship
in the gospel from the first day until now. being confident
of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, even as it is
for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart.
inasmuch as both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation
of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace." And if you see
in the margin there, it says, you all are partakers with me
of grace. You're all partakers with me
of God's grace. It's all of grace. God started
this. God started this. God has already
finished it. And God will perform it until
the day he returns. We're bound to give thanks to
God. Bound to give thanks to God.
Go back to 2 Thessalonians 1. Verse three says, we are bound
to thank God always for you brethren, as it is meat. That means fitting,
right, good. It is, it's good. It's right. It's fitting to give thanks for
you because that your faith groweth exceedingly. And the love, charity
means love, of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth."
Paul said, not only did God initially give you faith to believe, He
said, I can see it with my own two eyes. He is increasing you
in it. You're trusting Him more and
more. And Paul said, it thrills my
heart. Not only is God increasing your faith toward Christ, He's
increasing the love that you have toward each other. Paul
said, I can see it. Verse four, he said, so that
we ourselves glory in you. Glory means rejoice. So that
we ourselves rejoice in you. He said, what I see God doing
in the hearts of this congregation, it causes me to rejoice so much.
And that's my sincere word to you. It causes me to rejoice
so much. So that we ourselves glory in
you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all
your persecutions and tribulations that you endure. He said, I see
what all is going on. I see All that you're having
to endure. I see what each one of you is
having to endure. All the things that God's people
on this earth have to endure. And Paul said, it blesses my
heart to see God strengthening your faith, strengthening your
patience, strengthening your love through it all. I see what
God's people have to go through. but it blesses my heart to see
him strengthen his people through it. They trust him more. Verse five says, which is a manifest
token of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted
worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. What
he's saying is every sinner on this earth will either be judged
by Christ or has already been judged in Christ. And he said,
I thank God for the fact that you show the evidence of already
having been judged in the righteous judgment that God poured out
on his son. I thank God for that. What is the evidence? What is
the evidence of that? He said, you believed the testimony. You believed the testimony. He
said, I thank God for the faith that he's given you. You believe
the testimony. I thank God for the love He's
given you, the love of the testimony. And I thank God for the patience
He's given you through all the trials, all the persecutions,
to trust Him. You look to Him. You wait for
Him. You believe on Him. You worship
Him. We're here to worship Him. Is
life easy street? No. What are we going to do?
Worship Him. We're going to worship Him. Through all things, we're going
to worship Him. He did that. We give thanks to
God for that. And Paul told them, he said,
I want to leave you with this word of comfort. And I wanna leave us with this
word of comfort. Verse six, he said, seeing it is a righteous
thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble
you. Those that persecute you and
afflict you. He said, it's a righteous thing
with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. And
to you who are troubled, those who are persecuted and afflicted
and troubled, rest with us. Come on in here and rest with
us. when the Lord Jesus shall be
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance
on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory
of his power, When He shall come to be glorified in His saints
and to be admired in all them that believe, He said, rest with
us. Rest in Christ. Rest in His grace. Rest in peace. Rest in safety. Rest with us because. Verse 10, in parentheses, because
our testimony among you was believed in that day. He said, I thank
God for that. I thank God for that. I'm bound
to thank God because he caused you and he caused me to believe
his testimony. Thank God. Thank God. All right,
let's all stand together.