Alright, go back to Philippians
chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1. Paul said for him to live is
Christ. To die is gain. He said he had
a desire to depart and be with Christ. Well, that's every believer's
desire. He said it's my earnest expectation,
my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed. That's every believer's
earnest or sincere hope. And he says, I want to magnify
Christ in my body whether I live or die. That's every believer's
desire, isn't it? When Paul said we preach Christ,
when he said Christ is my life, he meant it. I want you to notice
something with me. Just in this first chapter, 30
verses, and I think 16 or 17 times he mentions Christ. Look at it. Just browse through
it. His name pops out at you. To the saints in Christ Jesus.
Verse 1. Verse 2. It's all from our Lord
Jesus Christ. Verse 6. I'm confident that you'll
perform this work until the day of Jesus Christ. Verse 8. How long after you're all in
the bowels of Jesus Christ? Verse 10. Oh, that you might
be sincere without offense until the day of Christ. Verse 11.
filled with the fruits of the Spirit by Jesus Christ. Verse
13, my bonds in Christ are manifest everywhere. Verse 15, some indeed
preach Christ. Verse 16, one preach Christ of
contention. Verse 18, whether in pretense
or truth, Christ is preached. Verse 19, it is a year of prayer
and a supply of the Spirit of Christ. that Christ might be magnified
in my body. Verse 21, to me to live is Christ,
to die is gain. Verse 23, to be with Christ is
far better. Verse 26, you are rejoicing in
Jesus Christ for me. Verse 27, let your conversation
become the gospel of Christ. Verse 29, it is given unto you
on behalf of Christ to suffer. So he talks about it all the time.
That's what he's writing about, isn't it? When he said, Christ
is my life, he can't speak ten words without mentioning it. It's like married people. If you're talking to somebody,
your spouse is going to come up on you. Isn't it so? Especially
the longer you're married. The more attached to them you
are. But it's true of everyone that's in Christ. It really is.
It's life in Christ. Alright, I want you to notice
with me some things that just stood out to me, and we're in
no hurry as we study this book. Like Luke, how much we've seen
in the first chapter. I want you to notice that he said to live as Christ, and
he speaks of the believer's conversation in verse 27. The believer's conflict
in verse 30. Chapter 2, the consolation in
Christ and the comfort of love. That's as far as we'll get. So
this study, this text is about the believer's conversation,
his conflict, his consolation and comfort in Christ. And I
didn't make all that up. That's the way it's written.
It's wonderful. It's poetic. And the Lord did
that. in an English language. He says in verse 27, let your
conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. Conversation,
that term is an old obsolete, or at least the dictionary calls
it obsolete. It's not obsolete to us. It's a Bible term. Not obsolete at all. It may be
to modern man, but I like it. It means behavior. That's exactly
what it means. It means behavior. Paul speaks
of 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Timothy,
Hebrew. James speaks of it. Peter speaks
of it in both epistles. Very important. Very important. The believer's behavior and character
and conduct. That involves our speech, our
walk, our talk, our actions, our attitude, everything. Is
it important? Oh my. Is it important? Did you parents not tell your
children all the time, behave yourself? Why did you tell them
that? Because of whose child they are.
Because of whose child they are. Who they represent. Whose name
they bear. And for their own good. For their own good. He says, let it be becoming the
gospel of Christ. Our conversation. Our behavior.
Our character. Our Lord Jesus Christ. He was altogether, he is, but
as a man, he was altogether loved in his character, everything
about him, everything. He was very becoming to his father,
express image of God in every way. He was gracious in his speech,
yet seasoned with salt. He was holy, harmless, separate
from sin, pure. Blameless, wasn't he? We admire that about him, don't
we? That's the way we want to be, isn't it? His walk before God and man was
holy and right, righteous. He glorified God in his mind,
soul, and his body, didn't he? And those who love him want to
do just that. For his honor, for his glory. You remember 1
Thessalonians 5? Paul prayed this for us. We just studied that. He said,
I pray that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless to the coming of Christ. And so Paul said in verse 20,
go up there, he said, I want to magnify Christ in my body. in my body, in my life here on
earth, what I do. My walk, my talk. I want to act
like a son of God, not a son of Belial. I want to act like
Jesus Christ. Go back a page to Ephesians 5. Look at some of these Scriptures.
We've looked at so many times. Notice with me how much the Word
of God, how much the Lord tells us, how often, how we ought to
walk. Ephesians 5 verse 1, Be therefore
followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ. You
see, he's the motive and he's the example. He's the motive
and he's the source of this love. As Christ also hath loved
us and given himself for an offering, a sacrifice to God for a sweet
smelling savor, but fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness,
let it not be want's name among you as becoming the saints."
You see that? It's becoming. Look at 1 Timothy
chapter 2. 1 Timothy chapter 2. Paul says, behavior that's becoming
the gospel, becoming to God's 1 Timothy 2, and oh, it's from
start to finish. It says in verse 9, in like manner
also, women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefaced
sobriety, not with broidered hair, gold, pearls, or costly
array. It's not forbidding those things,
but saying that's not the adornment that we're talking about. But
here's the adornment he's talking about, verse 10. which becometh
women professing godliness, good works. Becoming the women professing
godliness. It's becoming to them good work. An ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit. You remember reading that? It's
a great price. Look at Titus, the book of Titus. This book is filled with these
exhortations. Titus chapter 2 verse 1, speak
the things which become, that are becoming, fitting, sound
doctrine, that the aged men be sober, brave, temperate, sound
in faith, and charity, and patient. Aged women likewise, they be
in behavior as becometh holiness. Do we need to bring this up?
Would anyone dare ask that question? This is God's Word. Becoming. Your behavior becoming. You know
why he tells us this so much? It's for God's glory. Our Lord
said, herein is the Father glorified, that you bear much fruit. And
because we've got such a problem with flesh. And so we need to
be told this, don't we? We need to be told this over
and over again. Verse 11, the grace of God. Titus 2.11, the
grace of God that bringeth salvation at the peer to all men. This
teaches us, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world,
looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearance of the
great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for
us. Why? That he might redeem us
from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar And the
worse this world gets, and the longer it goes, the more peculiar a godly people will be. The more
strange they will be. Zealous of good work. These things
speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise
you. How could you? If you want to
be like Christ, you want to hear these things, don't you? I need
that. I need that. So he said that. Let your conversation
be becoming to the gospel. Now go back to Philippians chapter
1. A believer's conversation in
Christ. Verse 27, it says, whether absent
or with you, I may hear of your affairs, the affairs of your
life. And here it is. Here's what we're all about.
That you stand fast in one spirit, one mind, one heart, One love,
one purpose, one great cause. Here it is, the cause of Christ.
With one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
Not striving with each other, but striving together. In the
next chapter he says, let nothing be done in strife, but striving
together. for this one goal, this one purpose,
the faith of the gospel, building up one another on this most holy
faith, and contending, like Paul said, in defense of the gospel,
contending for the faith delivered to the saints. So Paul said,
that's for me to live. And so it should be and is for
all of God's people, this life in Christ, for Christ, for His
cause, All right, which brings me to the believer's conflict.
Look at verse 30. Verse 29, he says, it's given
to you on behalf of Christ. It's given to you. It's a gift. In verse 28, he said, it's a
token. It's a token of salvation that you're going to suffer for
the truth. Verse 30, you'll have the same
conflict you saw in me, and now here to be in me. You're going
to have the same conflict. This is the believer's conflict.
Our Lord said, if you were of the world, the world would love
its own. But you're not. You're not. Not of this world. Our Lord said
to His disciples, and He says to all of His disciples, I send
you forth as sheep among wolves, didn't I? Be harmless as dove,
wise as serpent, harmless as dove, but I'm sending you out
among wolves. Light and darkness. Our Lord
said, you're the light of the world. He said, the light reproveth
darkness. Ephesians 5 says that. It reproveth
the darkness. Our Lord did. His very life did. His very life did. It was called
Strangers and Pilgrims. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 3 with
me. 1 Peter chapter 3. The whole
book of 1 Peter talks about the believer's conflict in the world
for his stand for the truth. He said, you're going to suffer.
And he said, you will even suffer for well doing. The worse this world gets, the
more perverted it becomes. Those that turn from wickedness,
Isaiah said, will be a prey. They'll be the enemy. People will look down on them,
will speak evil against them as evildoers, just for contending
for what God's Word says. And it's there, we're at that
point. You take a stand for the truth,
the defense of the gospel, there will be a conflict. And even
good conduct will bring that. Look at chapter 3, verse 13.
He said, Who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of
that which is good? But, and if ye suffer for righteousness
sake, happy are ye. Be not afraid of their terror,
neither be troubled. What righteousness? Well, first
and foremost, Christ's righteousness. Right? We contend for Christ's
righteousness that man has none. That man has none. And all our
righteousness are filthy rags, we say. That nothing, you know,
we contend strongly for this. Man's good works don't save him. Nothing of man's works plays
any part in his salvation. You tell that to people. Nothing
you've ever done will merit any favor with God. Will commend
you to God. Nothing. Nothing. Only what Christ
has done. You tell men that. And self-righteous
people, people who like their Righteousness. Who think God
is well pleased with them. They'll get mad at you for that.
That's why Paul got, that's what Paul didn't like about it. He
said concerning the righteousness of the law, I was blameless.
Until he heard what real righteousness is. God looks on the heart, absolute
perfection. He said, just slew my righteousness. We contend for holiness and righteousness and
godliness, which God's Word speaks about. Let God be true in every
man of life. We contend for whatever God says
is right and holy and just and true. We contend for that. We
call sin, sin. Don't we? Whether it be homosexuality
or whatever it may be. drunkenness and so forth. It's
sin. That's what God says. And we
contend against that and call it like it is. And you'll be
hated. Because as time goes by, there's
no right, there's no wrong. Right? People even blame, if
there is a God, they say, I was made that way, so it's okay. Right? We contend, if you suffer
for righteousness sake, contending for what's right, contending
for Christ's righteousness, as opposed to man, and contending
for everything that God says is right and holy and just and
true, they're going to hate you. It's just so, isn't it? It's
just so. But verse 15, look at this. 1
Peter 3. Sanctify the Lord God in your
heart. Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks
you a reason of the hope that's in you with meekness and fear.
And having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil
of you as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse
your good conversation in Christ. See that? It just comes up all
the time. It's better, verse 17, if the
will of God be so, that you suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing.
Christ also hath once suffered for sins that justly and unjustly
might bring us to God, and put to death in the flesh, quickened
by the Spirit. So, we can count on it. As I said, as this world becomes
increasingly wicked and evil, like in the days of Noah, Remember,
as the population grew and there were more and more people, sin
wasn't worse, it was just more people. Until it covered the
world, until God said, the whole earth is corrupted in my way.
What way? Every way, everything, He says. It's corrupt through
and through. The whole head is sick, the heart
is pained. The soul, the feet, the top of the head. God looks
if there is none among the sons of men. Sons of men. He's got a people. that He purified,
washed peculiar people. They become more and more peculiar
as the world gets more and more vile. And the world treats them like
aliens, because that's what they are. So be it. They didn't want Christ on this
earth. They didn't want him around. Why? He reproved them. And though he was a friend of
sinners, yet he reproved them, didn't he? His very life did
so. Well, we want to be a friend of sinners, but we want people
to be saved. We want to be like Christ. Look
at chapter 1 here. Look at 1 Peter 1. Look at verse
14. He says, As obedient children,
not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts and your
ignorance. And as he which hath called you
is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. All manner
of behavior. Because God said so. That's why.
If you call him your father, we bear his name, don't we? You
bore your father's name, didn't you, Jeanette? You didn't want
to dishonor him, did you? You didn't want to bring shame
to your father's name. Now you bear that man's name
on you. And you don't want to dishonor his name. Why? Love. Love. My wife told me that that used
to be the greatest restraint to her as a young person. is
that her dad, she did not want to bring shame upon her father
whom she knew loved her so much. That's good, isn't it? Well,
that's the way it is with God's people. Love, love, love, love.
And look at chapter 2 of 1 Peter. I've got to get out of 1 Peter,
don't I? But look at chapter 2. No, why do I have to get out
of it? Verse 9, he says, you're a chosen generation. 1 Peter
2 now here, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy, a
peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of Him
who has called you out of that. Called you out of that. Verse
11, Dearly beloved, I beseech you, strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly love which war against the soul. Having
your conversation You see how many times it talks
about that? Should I teach this? Oh, I'm
not a preacher or a teacher if I don't. So, and listen to Paul, what
Paul said, let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity. That's what he said. That's what I want to do. Don't
you? Why? So I can be proud of myself? So God will be pleased with it?
No. Love and honor. That's why. All right? We want
to have a conflict. If I have a conflict with the
world, if you've got a conflict with Satan, we just sang that
song about this fight the good fight. We have a conflict with
the God of this world. Who's determined to keep us out
of the kingdom of God. We have a conflict with this
man within us, this sin within us. We have a constant conflict
to the day we die with these three things. How are we going to get through
it? Well, here's your consolation. Okay? Chapter 2. Philippians. Look at chapter 2. You will have
this conflict. Paul said, you have the same
conflict you saw with me. Not only be hated by the world,
but opposed by Satan, the God of this world. And you have this
conflict within, like Romans 7. Paul said, what I want to
do, I can't do. What I don't want to do, that's what I do.
Oh, I find the law in me. Deliver me. He said, well, thank
God there is. Thank God. I do have a Deliverer. Here it is, verse 1, chapter
2. There is a consolation in Christ. Our consolation is Christ Himself. Because of this constant conflict,
every child of God needs consoling. We need reproof, rebuke, correction,
instruction in righteousness. We need to be told because of
God's honor and our own temptations and so forth. But we need consoling,
because we feel such a failure. We feel so weak. We feel so helpless,
don't we, against this conflict. And Christ knows that. He said,
your spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And He said, without
Me, you can do nothing. But with Me, by Me, through Me,
looking to Me, all things. That's what Paul said, the life
I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.
He even said, I keep my body in subjection. Did he mean in
his own strength? No. Because he was in such constant
communion with Christ, that Christ was his strength. He says, when
I'm weak, he's strong. He said, who's weak and I'm not
weak? He's a man of like passions. He's got the same credit. But
here's the consolation. The word consoled. There's a
good word in it. We need consoling. The word console,
and this is why Bible language is so much better than our vulgar
language. The word console means to call
near with a purpose of exhorting and comforting. Like a father or mother would
say, come here, honey. To the chap, come here, come here, come
here. And put their arm around him. It's okay. It's going to
be alright. Console. Consolation. It's in Christ. Listen to our
Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to His words of consolation.
In the world, you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I own this
world. It's my world. I'm in charge
of it. Nothing and no one can do anything
that I don't give orders to. Be of good cheer. That's consoling,
isn't it? It's a consolation in Christ.
Listen to this. He said, All things are given
unto me of my heavenly Father. All power is given unto me in
heaven and earth. All things are given unto me by my Father.
He said, Come unto me. What do you need? Come unto me.
You'll be all right. You'll be all right. We need
consolation, don't we? Because of this conflict. Everything
in this world brings us down. Everything in this world discourages
us. Everything we hear, everything we see, it depresses us. That's
just why I don't watch the news much. Because there's nothing
good in it. The reason I read God's Word
more than I read the news. I find good news. I need to hear this good news. It all convicts us to it. Everything
convicts us and grieves us. Our consolation is in Christ,
from Christ. One time when John the Baptist
was beheaded, now John at that time was the chief spokesman
for everybody. He was the last of the Old Testament
prophets. Don't you know that the people
that believed God just loved John. He was a bold voice. And the people gravitated to
him and needed to hear him badly. Even his enemies came to hear
him because the Lord was using him so mightily. Well, you know,
when Christ came, John's work was over. But they loved John,
they esteemed him highly. Well, Herod took John and had
his head cut off. And the disciples went and got
his body and they buried it. Can you imagine how sad, how
traumatic it was, how fearful, how frightening that was for
all the church, for everybody. And the twelve apostles of our
Lord, disciples of our Lord, came and told the Lord about
that. They were heartbroken, weren't they? They were scared.
They were afraid. Lord, what's going to happen
to us? You know what he did? He said, come with me. Come with
me. And they went out of town. They
went out in a deserted place where nobody else was, just he
and them. What did he do? He said, listen,
it's okay. I purposed that. That didn't
just happen to John. I ordered it. In your patience. Remember when
he said this in Luke? We're going to get to it. Maybe.
In your patience. This was after he told them what
all was going to happen to them. He said, in your patience, possess
your souls. Understand that I, even I, am
here. That's consulting. David, Psalm
73. My favorite Psalm. Psalm 73. Remember David said,
envious of them. Prosperity of the wicked. Envious. It's almost like he's complaining
to the Lord. Lord, look at what they're doing. Have you ever
done that? Would you look at what they're
doing? Look at what false religion is doing. Look how they're prospering. Look at how they can't build
buildings big enough and fast enough. Get rid of all this money. Look at them lying on you, Lord. Why? Why? Look at all this prosperity. They're not in trouble as other
people. They just keep getting fat and prosperous. Just keep
getting bigger and bigger. They don't seem to have any problem.
And all God's people got is problems all day long. Remember that?
He said, I've washed my hands in vain. What good is my... He went in the sanctuary. And
God consoled him. A preacher got up, Nathan or
whoever, got up and consoled him and said, David, the Lord
is speaking through the preacher, David. Do you understand, David,
that I'm giving the world to the world? And David, you give me. You, David, get me. Like Abraham. He saw Lot get
all the well-watered plains of Sodom, not knowing what was going
to happen to Sodom. He was in this perhaps to death.
He said, Lord, where are you going to get me? Abraham, you get me. See, the world gets the world.
And what have they got? Nothing. They're going to lose
it all. And we get the unsearchable riches of Christ. We'll lose
none. At His right hand are pleasures
evermore, unsearchable riches, so the Lord consoles His people.
When you think of a consolation prize, some reason years ago
we gave the name to the second place person that came in second
place, you know. in second place. We call it a
consolation prize. I remember coming in second place,
often, for third or fourth. Not a blue ribbon, either a red
one or a gold one. Anyway, we think of a consolation
prize, okay, I'll take it. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. The believer's consolation prize
is the chief prize. It's the great prize. Paul in
the next chapter calls it the prize of the high calling of
God in Jesus Christ. The high calling of God in Jesus
Christ. Oh, the world, the rich and the
famous, they call on each other and brag on each other and give
each other other this and that and the other, but what do they
have? Nothing when it's all over with. You know, I may never be
invited, you may never be invited to the White House, but you've been called to God's
house. Where would you rather go? I'm not sure I'd go if they
invited me. Honestly, I may never have an
audience with the Queen, but I can talk to the King of
Kings. Consolation? Second rate? No, it's the chief pride. Our
consolation in Christ. So, this conflict with the world,
we need consolation because of this conflict with the world,
this conflict with Satan, conflict with sin, conflict with doubt,
fears, unbelief. We too much live by sight and
not by faith, don't we? And we have this conflict. And
the Lord through His Word consoles us and says, all that you see
is not as it appears. All that glitters is not gold.
It's not real gold. Look with the eye of faith. Look
beyond this veil. Just look. Can you see? There's
the prize. This is just done. If you set
your affection on things above where Christ sits, all this other
stuff will fade. You will want it. Alright, now he talks about this
comfort. Comfort of love. A believer's conversation, a
believer's conflict, a believer's consolation in Christ, and a
believer's comfort. If there's any comfort of love,
he said. Any comfort of love. Look at
John 14. And I'll close with just a few verses here and another
in 2 Thessalonians. John chapter 14. Our consolation
in this conflict with the world, and conflict with sin and Satan
and everything, is the love of God in Christ. That God loves
us in Christ, has always loved us, will always love us, and
with loving kindness will draw us. And because He loves us,
He will love us always. He will never cast us out. Isn't that comforting? Isn't
that comforting? That's our greatest comfort,
actually. People bring up John 3.16 and tell it to everybody,
and it doesn't mean anything to most people. But to God's
true people, when they know something about the love of God, because
whoever God loves, He loves forever and He saves them. If God loves
you, if God is your Father and He loves you, and He does if
you're His child, you will always be loved and you will never,
ever, ever, ever, ever be cast out. Ever. God can't do it. His love does not fail. Never
quits. It's much greater than our love
for our own children. Much more. Much, much, much,
much. And this is our great comfort,
people, that God really loves us. Look at John 14, verse 1. The Lord just told Simon Peter. Simon got lifted up with pride
above his fellows, didn't he? How often do we do that? We've
done it and we'll do it again. And the Lord said, you're going
to deny me before the sun comes up. He said, I'll lay down my life
for you. No, Simon, you're going to deny
me before the sun comes up tomorrow. Tonight. In just a few hours. As soon as you leave me. Anybody? As soon as we walk out
this door. What's your hope? Chapter 14, let not your heart
be troubled. My sin and my denial of Christ
troubles me. Does it trouble you? My conversation
troubles me. This conflict just troubles. Well, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. You believe
in God. He's not asking a question there, is he? He's telling them,
you believe in God. I believe in God, don't you?
I do. I mean, I believe God is God. The true and living God. Well,
he said, believe also in me. Why? Because He is God. That's
what Philip went, Philip got maybe too familiar with the Lord
or something. He said, show us the Father,
Philip. And I've been so long time with
you. You haven't known me. You've seen me. You've seen the
Father. I am the Father. But verse 2, he says this for
our comfort. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Who's he talking to?
Well, Simon Peter. Simon, son of Jonah, me. Can you not relate to Simon more
than any other of the apostles? Can you not? I can relate to Simon more than
I can to John. Well, he's talking to Simon.
He's talking to all of them. Simon, I go to prepare a place
for you. If it wasn't so, I wouldn't have told you that. And if I
go and prepare a place for you, Simon, you're not going to get
there. You're not going to prepare a place for yourself. You're
not going to get there. I'm doing it all for you. That's what he's
telling them, John. He kept telling them, I'm going
to the cross to die for you, to pay for your sins. I'm going
to pray to the Father to send a comforter to lead you and guide
you and keep you all the days of your life, teach you and direct
you. Let not your heart be troubled.
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. Where
I am, you may be also. Do you ever worry about being
left out in the kingdom? Do you ever worry that you might
not be a child of God after all? Well, Christ says, do you believe
Him? He said, if it were not so, I
would have told you. Like Manoah's wife told Manoah. Manoah said,
the Lord is going to kill me. I know He's going to kill me.
She said, no, He's not going to kill you. If He was going
to kill you, He wouldn't have told you these things. If He's
going to kill you, He wouldn't have showed you these things.
If He's going to kill you, He wouldn't have accepted the sacrifice. He's not going to kill you. He
loves you. But I'm such a bad child. He knows that. He knows
it better than you do. Not a thought in your head, He
doesn't know. Not a word in your mouth, He doesn't know. He knows
you. A couple of us were talking the other night after the service. God knows us and sees us. And that should produce two things.
Fear and comfort. He knows us better than we know
ourselves. Fear and comfort. Repentance and faith. That's
what that should give us. Look at verse 19. A few more
minutes, okay? This is good. where you're just
comforted all to pieces. Verse 19, yet a little while
the world seeth me no more, but you see me. Do you see Him, brethren? The world doesn't believe Him
because they can't see Him. Well, I can't see Him either, but I do see Him with the eye
of faith, don't you? I hear Him. He doesn't speak
out loud, but I do hear Him. He speaks to me. through His Word, doesn't He
use it? And here's what He said, because I live, you shall live
also. What He's saying is, I live for
you. Boy, that's love, isn't it? Isn't
that love? I gave my life for you that I'd
live the rest of my life for you to ensure that you're with
me. I'm coming back for you. Because I love you. Look at verse
21. Verse 21, he says, He that hath
my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.
He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love
him, and will manifest myself to him. Verse 27, peace I leave
with you. My peace I give unto you, not
as a world-giver give I unto you. My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be Afraid. Don't let it be afraid. Chapter
15, verse 9. Look at this. 15, verse 9. As
the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Man. God made everything for
His Son, for His glory and His honor because He loved Him so
much. Well, Christ just said that. I go to prepare a place
for you. made a whole new earth just for you and me. Like his
bride. Now I remind you, his bride,
they're all a bunch of gomers. They sure are. Verse 13, he says,
greater love hath no man than this, and a man lay down his
life for his friend, you're my friend. If you do whatever I
command you. See that? And if you don't, he's
going to Chasing in. They'll rebuke us and reprove
us. Verse 15, Henceforth I call you not servants. Servant knoweth
not what his Lord doeth. You know, you say, I called you
friends. When we preach the Gospel, we
talk about being mercy beggars. That's a term that men use all
the time. And it's okay. Mercy beggars. When we come to the Lord as sinners,
we come begging for mercy. That's how we first come to the
Lord. Beggars. Like blind Bartimaeus. Beggars. Pleading. Begging. A poor, poor person is a beggar. And we beg Him for mercy. But
once you're a son, you're not a beggar. You know that? If you're a son, you don't have
to beg the Lord for mercy. He delights to show mercy. You
don't have to beg Him for mercy. I asked him, well, where am I? In chapter 15, look at verse
15. He said, I call you friends, and everything I've heard of
my Father I've made known unto you. You haven't chosen me, I
chose you, and ordained you that you should bring forth fruit,
that your fruit should remain. I like that, don't you? Your
fruit's going to remain. If you abide in me, you'll bear
much fruit. Well, we will, according to his Word. Abide in him, and
he said, sin shall not have dominion over you. I'm not going to let
him. I'm not going to let him. Because he loves him. In closing,
this is the closing. I told you, 2 Thessalonians,
because this builds up to this conclusion. 2 Thessalonians,
in closing, look at this. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13. We're bound to give
thanks. You have it? 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 13. And he said this all after this
work of iniquity is going on. We're bound to give thanks always
to God for you brethren, beloved well-loved, for-loved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto
he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ, not only to behold His glory, but to be
with Him in glory and to have a glorified body like Him. Therefore, brethren, stand fast,
hold the traditions you have been taught, whether by word
or our epistle. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself
and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and given us everlasting
consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and
establish you in every good word and work. Conversation. Right
there it is. All those things.