Go with me, if you would, back
to 1 Thessalonians 2. 1 Thessalonians 2. Our text will
begin with verse 13. But I want to start with what
the Apostle Paul said in verse 19. He said, For what is our hope? Or joy? or crown of rejoicing,
are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His
coming. For you are our glory and joy. I believe I mean this. I believe
I mean this. I really do. There are a lot
of things that I desire. A lot of things. Just like we
all do. Many, many things. There are
a lot of things that I hope for. There are a lot of things that
I hope to see happen. There are a lot of things that
I desire for my family. There's a lot of things that
I desire for my children. There are a lot of things that
I rejoice in. There are many, many things that
make me happy. Lots of things. But I believe
I mean this in sincerity. I want to. I really do want to. I believe that I desire the most. I believe what would bring the
greatest joy to me, my greatest hope, would be to see with these
eyes right here in that day it would be to see
myself and my wife and my children and you and your children our
loved ones standing in the presence of the Lord on the day that He
comes back. I believe, I do believe, that
that would be my greatest joy. I mean physically standing there,
seeing Him, seeing us, like He said so many times in
the Old Testament, you and your little ones, Standing in the
presence of the Lord on the day that he comes back There is a
day that he has purposed a Day just like today There is a day
that has been selected written down it is a given day exactly
like today and It's going to be a day when we all think not. We are going to wake up that
day and think not. We are going to get dressed.
We're going to start our day. We're going to start going about
our day like normal. Get in our car, go to work, do
whatever it is on whatever day that is, just like normal. And
then all of the sudden, there he is. There he is. Oh, how we will give him thanks
on that day. When that day comes and as soon
as it sinks in, it's today. Today is the day. We will give
him so much thanks. for all of His kindness and all
of His mercy to us in just allowing us to stand in His presence. We just get to stand there with
Him in His presence. Robed in His righteousness. At
that exact moment, as soon as it registers with us, we will
be standing there physically robed in His righteousness. covered
in his blood, made worthy, made acceptable in him. Paul is thanking God right here. This is what he is saying and
what we just read a moment ago. He's thanking God for what he
sees God doing in and for these precious believers, his brethren.
And I'd like to join him in that thanks. I want to personally
side with Him in this thanks. In verse 13, He said, For this
cause also thank we God without ceasing. Thank we God. We thank God. All of the glory
goes to God, doesn't it? All of it. Any good work that
is performed in a center or for a center, the glory goes to God.
It goes to God. Start to finish, it goes to God.
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because
when you received the word of God, which you heard of us, you
received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the
word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Thank God he brought the gospel
to you and me. Thank God. Thank God. He brought the gospel to us.
The message of Christ crucified. We could be without the message
of Christ crucified right now. So easily. So easily. But he gave us the message of
the Lamb slain. And He gave us a heart to receive
that message as it is in truth, the Word of God. And He caused
us to believe it. He caused us to believe Him. It is Him. And He caused us to
confess Him. And He caused us to preach Him
and hear Him. And witness Him and cling for
dear life to Him. We're clinging to him. And verse
14 says, for you brethren became followers of the churches of
God, which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. You denied your former
religion. All of it. Paul said, I'm so
thankful. Everything that I'm seeing in you, I'm so thankful. You denied all of your works. You denied all of your decisions,
all your morality. And you associated yourself with,
you joined yourself to every church, every congregation that
preaches in Christ. If that congregation, if that
congregation preaches in Christ, I'm with them. Where is salvation found? In
Christ. How can God be pleased with me?
In Christ. Where is all of His love and
His favor and His blessing and His choice found? In Christ. Now why did He choose me again?
Because He put me in Christ. Verse 14 says, For you, brethren,
became followers of the churches of God, which in Judea are in
Christ Jesus. For you also have suffered like
things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews
who both killed the Lord Jesus. Killed the Lord Jesus Christ.
They meant that for evil. God meant that for our salvation. The salvation of our souls. His
death secured the victory. The death of his son was the
death of our sin. And he said, I give so much thanks
and I have so much hope because God has caused you to be followers
of the churches in Christ. And he said, you've suffered
for this of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews,
verse 15, who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets. And if persecuted us and they
please not God and are contrary to all men forbidding us to speak
to the Gentiles, that they might be saved. They hate this message. They hate this gospel to fill
up their sins always for the wrath is come upon them to the
uttermost. Paul said, I have so much hope
for you because God has caused you to follow Christ in spite
of all the persecution and all the opposition. All of the worldly. And mainly religious hatred. The religious hatred that comes
from believing and confessing before men the truth of God's
Word, the truth as it is in Christ. One of the commentary writers
said this about these verses. He said, wherever you find the
children of God, whether in Judea, Thessalonica, or America, wherever
you find the children of God, He said they have most things
in common. They agree on the depravity,
inability, and sinfulness of the flesh. They totally agree,
which the world hates to hear. But they totally agree. on the
depravity, complete depravity, inability, sinfulness of the
flesh. He said they ascribe all the
glory for salvation and providence to God alone. Who started all
this? He did. They rest in the person and work
of Christ alone for all things. Who accomplished the work? He
did. Who called us to himself? He
did. Their only rule for faith and
conduct is the Word of God. Christ is the object of faith,
the glory of God, their object in life. What do they want? What are they going for? The
glory of God. That's all we want. We want God to have all the glory. And he said, they endure persecution
and ridicule from unbelievers, both in religion and in the world. They always do. And Paul said,
I am so glad to see all that taking place with you. So glad. It gives me hope that we will
be standing together in the presence of the Lord on that day when
he comes back. Look with me, if you would, at
John 15. John chapter 15, verse 18, our Lord said, If the world hate you, you know
that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world,
the world would love his own. But because you are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Therefore,
the world hated you. And as I just read that verse
right now, it just hit me. What an amazing verse. Because you're not of the world,
I've chosen you out of the world. The world hates you. Verse 20,
he said, remember the word that I said unto you, the servant
is not greater than his Lord. If they've persecuted me, they
will also persecute you. If they've kept my saying, they
will keep yours also. But all these things they will
do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that
sent me. They will not have Christ getting
all the glory. If I had not come and spoken
unto them, they had not sinned. They had not had sin. But now
they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me, hateth
my father also. If I had not done among them
the works which none other man did, they had not had sin. But
now have they both seen and hated both me and my father. But this
cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written
in their law, they hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter
is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify
of me. And you also shall bear witness,
because you have been with me from the beginning. These things
have I spoken unto you, that you should not be offended. They
shall put you out of the synagogues. Once they find out you're in
a place and you start letting it be known that you now believe
Christ is all and His blood is the only thing that puts away
sin. Not our works added to it. Christ
alone. He said, get ready. They're going
to put you out of that church. They're going to kick you out
for it. Light and darkness cannot coexist. He said in verse two,
yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think he's doing
God's service. And these things will they do
unto you because they have not known the father nor me. But
these things have I told you that when the time shall come,
you may remember that I told you of them. I'm telling you
now. So when it happens, you can remember. I said, this is
exactly what would happen. Paul said, for this cause, because
of what I'm seeing take place with you, I'm thanking God without
ceasing. You may remember in our, we did
a Bible study on the intro to 1 Thessalonians. We set up some
of the history of that, how all of that went about. And that
city was in an uproar. Riots had broken out. Some lewd
fellows of the baser sort assaulted Jason's house. And the reason is because of
the message that was preached. That's the whole reason. The
message that was preached and the stance that was taken for
it. People started believing it. God's Spirit opened their
hearts and they started believing it. And Paul said, this, what
I'm seeing here is giving me so much hope. So much hope that
we're going to stand together in the presence of the Lord on
the day that He comes back. Just seeing what He's doing here
is causing me to thank God without ceasing. Look with me over at
1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter 4 verse 12 says, Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice inasmuch as you are
partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be
revealed, You may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be
reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you. For the spirit
of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part, he is evil
spoken of. But on your part, He is glorified. Even in all that persecution,
even in all that suffering, He is glorified. Look with me back
at 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 17. He said, But we, brethren, being
taken from you for a short time in presence, Not in heart. They had to flee. You may remember
with all that persecution, those lewd fellows, when they came
to Jason's house, they were dragging everybody out of his house. They
were looking for Paul, Silas, and Timothy. That's who they
wanted. And so knowing it was coming, they sent him away and
they had to flee to Berea for their life, to save their life.
That was of God. because they had to preach the
gospel to those noble Bereans. He was all of God, every bit
of it. But verse 17, he said, we brethren being taken from
you for a short time in presence, not in heart, Endeavored the
more abundantly to see your face with great desire Wherefore we
would have come unto you even I Paul once and again But Satan
hindered us through stirring up all of that uproar and stirring
up all of that persecution Which we need to realize That in him
doing that he was God's pawn every time he ran Paul off the
gospel went with him and another church was raised up and But
Paul told the Thessalonians, through all this, even though
I've been taken from you, even though I'm absent in body, I'm
not in heart. And he said, I'm endeavoring
more abundantly with great desire to see your face again. Verse
19, for what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing, are
not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His
coming. For you are our glory and joy."
What he's saying is, I love you. I love you. I want to be with
you on this earth. He said, I'm earnestly desiring
to come see your face right now. I want to be with you on this
earth. I want to be with you in glory. I want us to stand
together in the presence of our Lord on the day that He returns. Now, can you imagine that? Can you imagine that? Can you imagine what that's going
to be like? The answer is no. We cannot imagine. Never has
it ever entered into the heart of man. We physically cannot imagine,
but we can try. It's okay to try. On the day that our Lord comes
back, every eye shall see Him. On that day. On the day that
He comes back, every single eye shall see Him. All eyes. But
as soon as the eyes of His people see Him, all eyes will see Him. But as soon as the eyes of His
people see Him, they're changed. As soon as they see Him, it's
going to happen, and however it happens, and whatever we hear,
as soon as we look up, as soon as it happens, it's going to
happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, as soon as we look
up. All of his people are going to
be changed. That'll be the first time that
we get to see this corruption wearing incorruption. That'll be the first time. We've
heard about it. We talk about it. We glory in
it. We give thanks for it. That'll
be the first time at that exact moment, all of a sudden, in the
twinkling of an eye, boom! we'll get to see incorruption. Can you imagine
what incorruption is going to look like? The answer is no. In order to know what incorruption
is going to look like, we would have to know what He looks like.
Because we are all going to look just like Him. We are going to
see Him as He is. That very first glance will change
us into His image. His very image in corruption. Can you imagine what in corruption
is going to feel like? You know what it feels like to
be a sinner? Do you have any idea I know we don't know the
depths of it. I know we can't enter into the
fullness of it. But we have some idea of what it feels like to
be a sinner. To say, I'm a sinner. What are
you? I'm a sinner. I am incorruption. Can you imagine? I am corruption. Can you imagine
what incorruption is going to feel like? Can you imagine what our heart
is going to be filled with? Can you imagine what our mind
is gonna be filled with? I will say one word, Christ. Christ. We're gonna see him as
he is. And we're gonna be filled with
him. We are going to be standing in
the presence of God at this twinkle of an eye, Immediate moment at
this very moment on this given day We're going to be standing
in the presence of God And along with him we're going to be standing
in the presence of every believer who has gone before us Immediately
we're going to be back in all of their presence We have not lost them we haven't
lost the one of them and Just as sure as we are going to see
him again, we are going to see them again, as they are. Not only that, we're going to
be standing in the presence of every single angel he's ever
created. They're all coming. This is the
culmination of time. Everybody's coming. Nobody can
miss it. We're gonna be standing in the
presence of every single angel who watched over us all throughout
our lifetime here on this earth. While we are taking it all in,
in this moment, in this incredible moment, while we are standing,
while it's registering, while we are just taking it all in,
all of the sudden, Gravity is going to let us go We're just
going to be looking up taking it all in and all of a sudden
Sin will have no more hold The law will have no more hold the
earth this earth will have no more hold on us and Gravity is
going to set us free We are going to rise up and with all of our
brothers and sisters to meet the Lord in the air. And then
He is going to escort us to New Jerusalem. We are going to see
it. We are going to come upon it.
We are going to approach it. We are going to see Zion, the
beautiful city of God. We are going to say, oh, how
gorgeous it's situated. Beautifully situated. Look how
beautiful the walls are. Would you look at those walls? Look how beautiful the foundations
are. As we approach and enter into
the city, we're going to hear, lift up your heads, oh ye gates. Be ye lift up ye everlasting
doors and the king of glory shall come in Who is this king of glory
the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in battle Lift up
your heads. Oh you gates even lift them up
you everlasting doors and the king of glory shall come in Who
is this king of glory? the Lord of Hosts, He is the
King of Glory. Even though our bodies are now
incorruptible and our souls are filled with the Holy Spirit of
God, our hearts are still going to melt as we watch Him ascend His throne. We're all going to be able to
walk up and congregate together right there at his throne. That
will be the congregation. And I want to show you what Revelation
chapter 7 says we'll do and say. Revelation 7 verse 1 says, And
after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners
of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the
wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal
of the living God, and he cried with a loud voice to the four
angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till
we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. Don't destroy it until every
single one of them is safe. Verse 9, after this I beheld
and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all nations
and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before
the Lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands. and
cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth
upon the throne and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood
round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts,
and fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God,
saying, Amen. That's what everybody in heaven
is going to be crying. Amen. So be it. Everything, every word
that comes out of the throne, Amen. Blessing and glory and
wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our
God forever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes,
and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore
are they before the throne of God and serve Him day and night
in His temple. You want to know what we're going
to be doing for all eternity? Verse 15 says, Therefore are
they before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in
His temple. And he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them and they shall hunger no more." You'll
never have one ounce of hunger anymore. You're going to feel
so satisfied. How do you feel? Satisfied. Neither thirst anymore. Neither shall the sun light on
them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. This is my hope. I believe I
mean this. I believe I mean this. My hope,
and this would be my joy and my crown of rejoicing, it's that
every soul here, I mean every soul here, we have some little
souls here, Every soul here, I pray every
soul here might be standing in the presence of our Lord Jesus
Christ on the day that he comes back. On that day, I pray every
one of us. And I also pray that he might
come quickly. Come quickly, Lord. Come quickly. Could be today, could be tonight.
Come be with us. All right, let's all stand together. Turn with me to hymn number 37.