Like Joe just said to me, you
better be standing on a rock. Not any rock will do, but that
rock of ages. All right, 2 Thessalonians will
be our text this morning. 2 Thessalonians chapter one. Years ago, a preacher made this
statement that has really stuck with me. He said, I preach as one who
may never preach again. I wish I could preach that way.
I wish I could preach as if this may be my last message with such
urgency and fervency and sincerity and with such heart concern. He said, I preach as a dying
man to dying men. And truly, it may be the last
time this man preaches. It may be the last time you hear
a man preach. It'd be a good motto. It'd be
a good motto for any preacher. and any hearer, we ought to always
consider, we ought to always listen to the message in light
of death, judgment, and eternity. I don't know why, but I've had
this on my mind for some time, for several months now. It keeps
popping into my head. I keep thinking, who's the first
funeral I'm going to preach? I keep thinking about different
people. I keep thinking about Henry, or Joe, or some of the
old ones. Or some of the sick ones. Sickly
ones. We have some sickly people here, not in good health. I keep thinking, who's going
to be the first funeral? I don't want to preach it. I
really don't. I don't look forward to that
time. I don't look forward to be every time, every time the
phone rings at 11 or 12 at night or early in the morning, I think,
oh, no, I do. That's the first thing that runs
through my mind. Oh, no. Who is it? Somebody's died. Now, it'll be a glorious thing. I mean, it'll be a departure
of a believer. We won't, we won't sorrow as
those who have no hope. We'll rejoice. The death of a
believer precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his
saints, and there's a sense in which it'll be precious and a
time of rejoicing for the church, too, when one of us, one of us
goes to see him whom we all want to go see. But each opportunity to address
you people For me, it ought to be a time of preparing you to
meet God as if it will be the last message you ever heard.
That would rightly regulate what I say and perhaps how I say it. It ought to always be a time
of great seriousness. The reason I don't open this
thing up by cracking some joke like some of these fools do,
you know. Any time we meet together ought to be a time of seriousness
and sobriety. Because somebody may hear this
gospel, not only for the last time, somebody in here, by God's
grace, may hear it for the first time. And boy, you're talking
about rejoicing now. If a child, son or a daughter,
a parent, a spouse would hear the gospel for the first time,
you're talking about some rejoicing going on. So this thing is serious,
isn't it? And I look about me when I preach. I look about me and see all manner
of people, young teenagers. So that's a perilous time in
18, 19 years. It's a perilous time. It's a
scary time, especially in our generation. Wouldn't want to
be one. My generation was bad enough.
And this was worse. Teen, young, old, I see people
right on the edge of eternity. I mean a short, rasping breath from eternity. One weak, faint heartbeat away
from meeting God Almighty. It's a serious business. We ain't
playing games here, are we? I look and see saved people,
and I think it's evident. I think it's quite obvious with
some people. And I see unsaved people. It's
not infallible. Nobody knows anybody's heart.
You don't even know my heart. But it's obvious that some people
don't have any interest in the gospel. I look in their faces
right now. It's quite obvious. It's not
funny. I laugh out of nervousness or
whatever for them. What are we going to do? I see people who are uninterested.
I see people who are quite interested. People sit on the edge of their
seats. People who can hardly sit on the seat for falling over
asleep. I want to reach them both. I
want to reach that man who obviously has no interest. I want the Word
of God to lay like a sledgehammer and just bust him between the
eyes. And I want to take that one who's
so interested, and I want to comfort, comfort, speak peace
and encouragement, blessing. I want to bless them like they've
never been blessed before. I want to reach both. I want
to warn the believer. This is the title of this message,
Promises and Warnings. I want to warn the unbeliever,
that is. I want to warn the unbeliever.
I want to comfort the believer. I want to reprove, like Paul
said to young Timothy, you reprove, you rebuke, you exhort. With
long-suffering, I want to do it with compassion and with doctrine. You can't leave that out, that's
what he told young Timothy. My pastor once said, the scriptures
are full of warnings. were hedged about on two sides.
The Scriptures are full. On one side, there are warnings.
Warnings, lest a man presume. Full of warning. And then on
the other side their promises. Lest we despair. And they're
set one over against the other warnings lest you presume and
take for granted the mercy the grace the gospel of God and presume
upon you salvation your statement and then their promises lest
you despair. Blessed blessed promises. I want
to give both. I don't want to be, I want to
be faithful to give both. Promises. The Scriptures are
full of promises to seekers now. If you seek God with all of your
heart, not body, heart. If you seek God with all of your
heart, the Scriptures promises you, you'll find him. Now a man
or a woman or a young person who's really interested, start
seeking. Seek. Just promise God you'll
find, as some who have found. In the Scriptures are promises
to believers, those who really and truly from the heart believe
Christ. Oh, we're full of unbelief. Yet when asked, do you believe,
do you trust Christ? Yes, Lord, I do believe, but
help my unbelief. The promise comes of eternal
life. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
All right, I will. The promises are to the disciples
of Christ, those who follow Christ. Promises are of joy. This world seems to think there's
no joy in religion or Christianity. I have to admit, what I hear
and what I see today, there wouldn't be much joy in it for me either.
Touch not, taste not, handle not, it might damn you. I'd walk
on eggshells too. My soul, I'm walking on a rock.
Like Paul said, let no man bother me. You can't disturb me. I'm resting. You can't disturb
me with what you think. I got right here where it says
what God says. You can say what all you think.
Give me your interpretation all you want. I got the book right
in front of me. We saw it this morning. All things
are yours. The promises are to disciples
of Christ of joy, peace, comfort. I got a little bit of that in
reality. Yeah, I did. I didn't make it
up. I used to have a whole lot more
fun with a bottle than I did with this book. I'll admit it. But now, I'll tell you what,
I wouldn't trade you. I sure wouldn't trade a bottle
for this book. Warnings, though. Scriptures
are full of warnings, young and old. Stephen, you're not exempt
from these warnings. I know you're very young. You
may or may not have your whole life ahead of you. I don't know.
The Scriptures are full of warnings to young and old, those who do
not No, Jesus Christ. The Scripture says over in 1
Corinthians, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let
him go to hell. And he will. The uninterested. The Scriptures
are full of warnings to the uninterested, a man who'd rather be anywhere
else than worshiping God. The Scriptures are full of warnings
of reprobation. The Scripture says there'll come
a time to some people that keep hearing the gospel over and over
again. It's coming a time when finally God says no more. Leave
him alone. Didn't he say that to the Pharisees?
He said to his disciples that Christ kept answering their questions.
The Pharisees would come and ask him questions. He'd deal
with them. He'd talk to them. He'd tell a parable. And finally
he said leave him alone. Just leave him alone. No more.
It's coming a time when somebody in here may leave and not come
back ever again. reprobate, no possibility of
bringing them back. There's warnings to the unbeliever.
The scriptures are full of warnings to the unbeliever that there's
condemnation on the horizon. There's damnation. The only thing
that awaits an unbeliever, one who does not know Christ, does
not believe and trust the gospel of Christ, there's promises or
warnings of condemnation. He that believeth not is condemned
already." There's warnings of a wrath of God, like a large
guillotine hanging over the head of those who do not believe Christ. Our heads are on the chopping
block. I know that sounds old-fashioned and doomsday-type preaching,
but that's so. The wrath of God, the Scripture
says, abides upon the ungodly, just waiting to fall. in God's
good time, like a giant rock. Scriptures are full of those. Is what I'm doing serious or
not? But I can't make anybody believe
this. I can't impress that upon somebody.
Well, let's look here in this passage of Scripture. All of
these things are contained in this passage of Scripture right
here. There's blessed promises. There's some comfort to be had,
Barbara. If you're a believer, there's some comfort right here.
I have every confidence that you are. There's some warnings
to be had in here. There's some people that obviously
are not interested. Some real warnings. And this
was written by a faithful preacher of the gospel. There ain't many
of them. If you can find one, you better
listen to him. Paul was one such man. He was a man who didn't
care about the things of this world. He was a man who didn't
care about a name for himself. He was a man who wasn't taken
up with personal recognition, but he was in it for the glory
of God. He was consumed with the glory of God, and he really
had his heart set, his affection, his care, his concern upon the
people he preached to. He said in Romans 9, verse 1,
he said, I could wish myself a curse for my brethren. He said, if there's some way
that my brethren, my people could be saved, I'd go to hell in place
of them. Now, does that sound like one of these modern day
preachers? Now, that's a man who really
and truly has a people at heart. He said in Romans 10, he said,
oh, my heart's desire and prayer to God, I want it more than anything,
is that they might be saved. And Paul and Silas and Timothy
were in on this. They were two men, two young
men evidently. They were men who were in the
ministry for God's glory and for the good of the people. Now
look at it. They write this letter back to the Thessalonian church
who were going through some real trials and tribulations. You
remember Paul went down and preached to them and there was a great
uproar and they had to sneak Paul out of there. There's a
lot of people believe of the Jews and the women. A great number
of people believed the gospel Paul preached there at Thessalonica,
but there was a big uproar. The Jews, many Jews, railed on
him and sought to take him and kill him, but they snuck him
out of there. But Silas and Timothy, they came back and stayed a while
there and preached to these people. And they're writing this letter,
look at it, verse 1 of chapter 1, Paul and Silas, that's who
that is, Silvanus, Silas. And Timothy is under the church. Of the Thessalonians. Under the
church, or at least he was writing this general letter. To everybody
that was in attendance. And I'm preaching this morning
to everybody sitting here this morning. Have a bad habit. Young
men old to. Have a bad habit of preaching
to people that aren't there. You ought to come to church.
Well, who are you talking to? The ones that aren't there, they're
not going to hear you say that. We've got a bad habit of that,
I admit. But at least those who are visible,
and I'm preaching this morning that everybody's here right now,
nobody else. And Paul is writing to the visible
church, the Thessalonians, all those who were in attendance
in the meetings there at least. in God. You see that? The church
of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. You know what it is to be a member
of the church? It ain't to have your name on
a roll. I wish we'd do away with it. Somebody asked me that the
other day. How many you got on your roll? I don't have any idea. I don't
even know where the roll is. Where's the roll, Ellen? You
got a roll? I don't have any idea who's on the roll. I don't have any idea who are
charter members of this church. I'm really not concerned. I'm
concerned with who are present members in the body of Christ.
I'm concerned with who is right now in love with, trusting, looking
to, following, worshiping Jesus Christ. Somebody's not here right
now. Yeah, I'm concerned with them,
but I'm more concerned with you right here, right now, right
at the sound of my voice. You're listening to the gospel
right now. To me, a member of the church is to be in God, to
live, to abide in God presently, present faith, present faith,
in Christ by faith. And I might add, it's heart faith,
it's heart faith and knowledge, not just your bodily presence.
Some of you have grown up here, the Sheasley boys and others
have grown up here in this church. That doesn't mean you're a member
of the church. There's a job. Of mom or daddy or your husband
or wife or your your. Son or daughter's member members
that I mean you're a member of the church and it doesn't mean
they're a member of the church it doesn't mean John you're a
member of the church because you know you don't know that I don't mean
you've got to be in Christ by faith don't you that's a member
of the church be in the body of Christ and you're not going
to get in and you're not going to get in the church because
mom and dad are injured. You're going to have to know
and trust Christ yourself, and you're getting to the age where
you better be seriously thinking about it. Right, Nancy? Not just your bodily presence.
Salvation is to know, believe, trust, worship, become acquainted
with Jesus Christ. It's not just to attend a religious
service. You don't go to church. You are the church. You don't go to church. If you're
in Christ, you are the church. The church is called the temple
of God. We saw that this morning in first
Corinthians three. It's where God, the Holy Spirit
dwells. It's called the body of Christ. The body of Christ. The body
of Christ, the body like my body, I have a head and I have a body. I know it ain't much, but it's
what I smile. I got a body. I got a head. My
body, everything about my body, every movement, every action,
down to my little toe, moves, lives, has its being according
to what? The head. The head. You take one blow to this head,
this will be a vegetable. The head is in control of the
whole body. If you're a member of the body, that means you live,
you move, you have your being, you abide in, you're totally
dependent upon, looking to, trusting in, taking your orders from,
following after, who? Listening to, who? The head. Christ. So to be in the church
is to be in God our Father by and through the Lord Jesus Christ
by faith in him. Intimately joined to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Christ the head, church is his
body. You're no member of the church unless Christ is your
head. What is the head? The head is
the highest, isn't it? The head is lifted up above.
The head is the most beautiful part of, in some cases, the most
beautiful part of It's the glory, it's the honor of the body, right? The head. You're no member of
the church unless Christ is your head. That is, unless Christ
is uppermost, is foremost in your love, your affection, your
esteem, your life. He's your life. You live off
of him. You're not a member of the body.
There ain't no toes. Ain't nobody got any toes out
here in limbo. Do we? We're bodily joined. You cut this finger off, it's
no longer a member of the body, right? You cut off the source. That toe goes out there. Is he
going to make it on his own? If I cut off a toe, is there
a good possibility he might find a body somewhere else to attach
to? No. To be a member of the Church
is to be vitally joined to in love and affection and desires
toward the Lord Jesus Christ, who is your head. Verse 2, Grace
unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. These two words, comprehend,
or that is, make up. They tell it all, John. If you
want to begin to witness to somebody, Two words will spark it all,
grace and peace. Grace and peace. He begins every
single epistle but one with grace and peace. Why is it that important? That important. These two words
comprehend the whole gospel. You see, here we go. The carnal mind, the natural
man, The natural human being, the scripture says, is enmity
with God. The natural man, Romans 8, 7,
the natural man and woman is an enemy of God Almighty. Know what it says, Terry? Head
to head. Man or woman left to their own
self, their own nature, they won't have anything to do and
wanted and I want to God the rule says no God I want to go. I want to be a God. Adam he's
the first man he's one that started off all this. He finally said
I want to be God. I want to be my own God. I don't
want a God capital G over me. Oh he can be equal with I want
to be I want to be in control. And the natural man will not
seek to know God is not concerned with God. Does not thank God. Does not
know God or love God, but rather love self. It's obvious, isn't
it? The natural man, because he devotes
everything he has and does and says to himself, doesn't it? Isn't it interesting, God? You
mentioned the name God, and it'll put a, it'll cast a a shadow
of Paul on them. Oh, my, what did you do that
for? A man can curse with his name, but you let somebody bless
with his name, oh, you put a really sour in the situation, don't
you? Man loves self. Man, woman, children
despise all authority and dominion, despise it, especially absolute
authority, sovereign authority and dominion of a God, a God
and a Lord. The natural man fights the notion
of a sovereign God. You can preach God in any aspect
you want to, but don't talk about Him as being sovereign. It will
incur the wrath of everybody you face. Why? The natural man
doesn't like a God in every sense of the word, creator, ruler. This is the reason even so-called
Christians are believing in some kind of scientific creation. Right, Jerry? Because if somebody
made you, the Scripture says, cannot I do with my own what
I will? In other words, you make something,
John Davis, it's yours in it. Nobody can tell you what to do
with it. I'm right now making a table out of wood. I bought
the wood. I worked on the wood. I'm building
the table my own. I can make it pretty and all
that and set it up there, and I can use it for as long as I
want to. If I want to get me an axe and tear that thing to
smithereens, that's my business. Can I not do with my own what
I will? And God's the creator. You take away his creatorship,
Joe, that means we've got nobody to answer to that. That means
he can't do it. I'm just a being, you see. I
just came into being. I'm not a creature. I'm an evolutionary
product. That means God doesn't own me,
right? That's where the error starts. God is creator, though. Make no doubt about it. We're
not going to compromise here. He's creator. That makes us creatures. Totally in His hand. To crush
or to exalt the stars. Or bless. He's the creator. God is the ruler. If God is all-powerful,
ruling over all, that means what about me and
you? That means we're ruled, doesn't it? That means we're
being ruled, and we ain't got no say. Do we, John? No say. Clay has no say. God provides all. Deborah, the reason that child
is in subjection to you is because you give her the clothes on her
back. You give her the food she eats, don't you? You pay every
dime. She is not capable of getting
a job. Jennifer, you're not capable
of getting a job. You couldn't make it one day without your
mama. This is the reason your mother
has you. You are under her control. She
gives you everything you've got. You couldn't make it without
Mama and Daddy. Couldn't do it. She provides. He provides everything
you have. You ought to be so thankful.
You ought to be so obedient. Mama doesn't have to do that. We ought to be so thankful. We
ought to be so obedient. Why? God provides all. Everything
we've got. The clothes we wear. You say,
no, I bought this at Leggett's. Where'd that come from? God grows
the cotton. What's the best shirt money can
buy? 100% cotton. Where'd that come from? God just
grew it. My soul. The wool, what's the
warmest thing you can wear in the wintertime? Wool. Goose down. Might help you. God grew a goose
so you can pluck his belly and be warm in the wintertime. God
gives me everything. Now, best food? My boy, He provides
all. Yet the fool, yet the natural
man says what? He know God. And God, the Scripture says,
is angry, rightfully so. The Scripture says God is angry
with the wicked every day. Them who do not acknowledge Him,
them who are not thankful. That means you if you're not
thankful. That means me if I don't acknowledge him in everything.
He's angry, rightfully so. How long would you put up with
it, Henry Sowell? If you raised some old good-for-nothing, worthless,
no-good, wretched, ungrateful son who lived 40 or 50 years,
60 years, lived with you under your roof for 60, 70 years and
never gave you a word of thanks, never even acknowledged you,
as a matter of fact, made demands on you. Dad? When will I suffer? Mom?" That's what teenagers all
do, don't they? How long would you put up with
it? How long is God going to put up with some people? Oh, boy. Death and judgment is coming.
Barnard used to say, oh, some people better be glad I'm not
God. Eternal condemnation awaits some
people, unless, unless God in mercy opens those
blind eyes, opens those stopped up ears. If God in mercy would
take their fingers, those people's fingers out of their ears who
are saying, I don't want to hear that. If he'd just take their
fingers out of their ears and make them hear the gospel. Open up their eyes, these eyes
that are so clouded with this world. All we can see is right
here. If God would just pull back the
veil and let us see God, see himself. Pull back this veil,
Joe, right? Open this up and let us look
in just for a little while. Salvation. If God in grace would
reveal the gospel, grant repentance, Now you see, this is the way
I started out. We're enemies. God is angry. We're not at peace with God.
There's a war going on. How are we going to be at peace
with God? How is a natural man going to be at peace with God?
How? By grace. God's got to grant the peace
offering. You remember that illustration
of old, I forgot his name already, God removed him so fast, Saddam
Hussein? Remember when he saw that his
army was in trouble and things were going pretty bad and all,
and he finally decided, I'm going to negotiate. Remember that?
We had him surrounded and all, about to topple that old boy,
about to crush him. What did he say? Yeah, we'll
just negotiate. I've decided to negotiate. Well,
he got real smart, didn't he? The state he didn't have anything
to do with. Criminal prisoners have no right
to the job. And people everywhere are going
to finally realize too late that they're in trouble, and they're
going to try to negotiate. A man gets on his deathbed, and
what do they say about him? As soon as he dies, what do they
say? He made his peace with God, didn't he? Don't they? Same about
every man. He could live his whole life in rebellion to God
for himself, not darken the church door, not give a flip for the
things of God. And all of a sudden, in the hospital,
some wolf comes down there. Some preaching wolf comes there
and jerks a decision out of it. You believe on Jesus? No. Well,
I guess. You want to die, you know that.
You're going to face God. You want to know God. You want
to go to heaven when you die, don't you? Yes, sure I do. I want to go
to hell, but well, repeat after me, all right, if that's what
it takes. And he's made his peace with God. It's going to take something
a whole lot more than that, isn't it? It's going to take blood. God's going to have to cut our
heads off. He's going to shed our blood. Without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission of sin. You know what Scripture says?
Doesn't it say, the soul that sinneth shall surely die? Doesn't
it say the wages of sin is death and we've lived all our lives
in sin? We, I say, we. How are we going to just up and
just block the record clean? How are we just going to up and
live all of our lives in rebellion and unthankfulness to God and
in gratitude and love on our deathbed and say, I accept you?
Aren't you pleased? It's going to have to take somebody. It's going to have to take the
Son of God Himself to come down. It's going to have to take God
in mercy. I ain't going to kill that old boy. He deserves it.
But I ain't going to do it. I'm going to show my glory in
that old boy. I'm going to show the exceeding
riches of my grace. One of these days, that old ungrateful
wretch who thinks he's something, he's going to realize he's nothing
and he needs everything from me. One of these days, he's going
to shout hallelujah to me. I'm going to send my son down
there. I'm going to send my altogether lovely, holy, spotless, well-beloved,
only begotten Son down there as a man. And he's going to walk
this earth as a man in perfection. Love to God, love to his neighbor,
magnifying, exalting the law of God, establishing righteousness. These ain't doctrinal truths.
This is life. Christ's going to walk this earth,
God said. This is a covenant. This is what
God decided in mercy. He decided this. Didn't have
to. Sent his son down here to walk this earth as a man. And
when God sees a man, the only man who ever lived, God's going
to see him and say, now there you go. I'm well pleased with that man.
Now, anybody who wants to live better get to that man fast.
He's the only one who's coming through my gates. That man right
there, yes, that God man, that holy, spotless, sinless son of
man is the only one who's going to come through my holy gate
and sit down with me and enjoy fellowship with me. Only one.
And the only way you're going to get in is by his coattails.
You better, like Maurice says, hug up to him fast. Isaiah 1 says this, come now. I didn't say come, I said, but
you better come now. The psalmist says he has wet
his sword. He's prepared his instruments
of death. He's bent his bow. He's made his sword ready. Oh yeah. See, there's a blessed
promise. All who come—anybody, whosoever
will—anybody who wants Christ can come to Him. It doesn't say anything to the
contrary in Scripture. It does say anybody who doesn't
want Christ, God made them willing. He gives all the glory for their
want to. But it does say, and it does say, though, come unto
me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, and he'll give you rest. He'll give you peace. You see,
the only way we can have peace with God is by Jesus Christ declaring
it, John, making peace through the blood of his cross. You see,
when Christ went to the cross and hung there, God saw me, a
no-rebel, a no-good, worthless, God-hating sinner saw me hanging
there. Sin, all of my sins on Christ.
And he said, you deserve to die, boy. And he killed Christ. I died.
Nevertheless, I live now. With the life I now live, I live
by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself
for me. I have the righteousness now,
the holiness, the acceptance with God, all of my standing,
God accepts me not because of anything in me. I'm dead. And you know, when He laid His
bodies down, I'm really going to be dead. Right now, there's
still a little bit of semblance of me hanging around. And it
smells to high heaven. It smells bare of sin. But one of these days, God's
going to lay me up in the grave for good. Get that old boy out
of the way. We sometimes we like to brag
on our heritage and all that. I don't, I want me gone out of
the picture, don't you? I hate everything about me. That's what, was it Isaiah said,
I abhor myself, or Job. Both of them said it. I hate
myself in light of the holy spotless son of God. And God sure doesn't
love anything about me. He only loves me in Christ when
he sees me in Christ. Grace is the only way you're
going to have peace with God. Grace and peace. All right, verse
3. Boy, that'll make you bound to
give thanks to God. Oh, it'll bind your heart in
thanks to God. And Paul says this, and I'll
hurry. We're bound to thank God always
for you, brethren. It's meat. It's your fit. I do.
I thank God for you all. My soul. Thank God for you, brethren. It's meat because your faith
grows. Not everybody. Some in here don't
even have faith. But many of the faith has grown. It's evident. It's evident. Many
of you I worry over. I lose sleep over. I really do. I really do. I only wish that you
lost sleep over yourself, so I'd go to bed. Paul says, I'm bound to give
thanks always for you, brethren. No, because your faith grows
exceedingly. It grows exceedingly. You know,
one great mark of And he says here, and your charity, your
charity of every one of you all toward each other abounds. This
is one great mark in the scriptures of discipleship. Christ himself
talked about it, preached it. One great mark of true regeneration,
discipleship and adoption in God's family and member of the
church is this love, love for God, certainly. That's what we've
been talking about. all along, but love for God's people. It's
an undeniable. It's an undeniable evidence.
It's something that can't be faked. Something that can't be
done without. If there's no evident love for
God's people, there's no love for Christ. No. Peter said, he said, you better
see that you have fervent love one towards another. John said
it all through the. First, John, he said, listen
to the first John three verse fourteen, he said, We know we've
passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. Boy, if
that's how you know. I better be found out if I love
you or not, Roberta. He that loveth not his brother
abides in death. Listen to this first John four verse. Nineteen. We love him. We love God because
he first loved us. But if a man say, I love God
and hates his brother, well, he's flat-lined. He that loveth not his brother
whom he does see, how in the world he's going to love a God
he's never seen, never heard his voice? Well, this is a commandment
that we have from him, that he who loves God better love his
brother also. He will. Well, my pastor preached down
there. He said, Christians ought to give. Christians ought to love one
another. They'd better do it. But you bottom down, every one
of them do. Christians ought to forgive and
forbear. They do. Every one of them do. You'd better
believe it. Scriptures make no bones about
it. Maybe not to the degree. Now, here's a little comfort.
Not to the degree you ought to. But it's there in principle.
It really is. And Paul said that we ourselves
glory in you and the churches of God for your patience and
faith and all your persecutions, tribulations and all. People
ask me wherever I go, how are things at Central Baptist? And
I don't say, well, so-and-so, he hadn't been to church and
he never comes on Sunday night. I don't say, so-and-so hadn't
been there in six weeks. I don't know what she's mad at. Or so-and-so is taking a grapevine. I don't say that. I could. It
happens. It's going on all the time. You
know what I say? I say, great. Everything's going
great. Couldn't be better. Couldn't be better. God's given
us people that love the gospel and love each other. They love
me. I love them. And I just wouldn't want to be
anywhere else. As a matter of fact, I can't wait to get home.
And this is what Paul is saying about the Thessalonians here.
Oh, he said that we glory in you in the churches of God, wherever
we go. You know, the Central Baptist Church is known all over.
Yeah, and known all over. Not like we ought to be, but
we are known. People know and love us. Pastors,
people are praying for us. They esteem us highly for the
work's sake here. and your patience and faith and
all persecutions and tribulations that you endure. Some people
in here have borne a good testimony under trials and afflictions.
Yeah, they have. Some people have. And he says
here in verse 5, this is a manifest token of the righteous judgment
of God that you might be counted worthy of the kingdom of God
for which you also suffer. Very often, the Scriptures talks
about God's judgment upon his people. But Sherry is quite different
from the judgment, the final judgment. He talks about, throughout
the Scriptures, Terry talks about judging his people. Let me quote
a verse of Scripture here. God will judge thy people with
righteousness and the poor with judgment. Now that means a lot,
there's a lot different meaning to that than wrath and condemnation. It means he'll Preferential treatment
is what it means. Preferential treatment, good
dealings. God will judge or deal well with
his people. And he says here he'll do it
by sending them trials. Wait a minute. Ain't this the
contrary? This is so contrary to modern
day preaching, isn't it? God loves you, therefore he's
going to send you a trial. Oh, but wait a minute, I want
a car! I want a new house! That'll prove
God's love for me." No, it might not. It might mean He left you
alone. It might mean He's turned you
over to the world and the devil, who would love to give you everything
your hearts desire. God loves you, therefore He's
taken your heart and your desire off of this world. Like a good
parent, Henry, a good parent won't give a child everything
they want. Case in point, right here. I'm a good example of a
spoiled, rotten child. A child given everything they
want. They did it out of love. They really did. They did it
out of frustration. I was the fourth. They were tired.
Tired of dealing with, after the fourth one came along, give
him what he wants. But no, they withheld many things
for me. My dad instilled in me that he
never bought me cars and all. If you work for what you get,
you might take care of it. Things like that. But, you know,
a wise parent, a loving parent will not give a child everything
he wants. On the contrary, it'll take some things away. Hurtful
things. It won't let him go over to Jimmy's
house. Why? Jimmy will take him down
the gutter. Jimmy, I see things Jimmy's doing
that's going to take him. Jimmy's parents hate God. They'll give loving corrections
and gentle rebukes. That's what a wise parent does,
and God is infinitely wise. The Scripture says He sends these
trials to refine the gold. Strengthen the love and need
of Christ. Establish setting through affections
on the unseen. See, if He takes away things,
then where are our affections going to be? Where your treasure
is, that's where your heart is, right? Ain't many of us in here
really, really rich in this world, but most of us have about everything.
If we win the lottery, let's read, you're not going to win
the lottery if you're a child of God. Forget it! That'd be
the greatest curse ever put upon you. I know we say, well, I'll
do this, I'll do that. No, you won't. No, you won't. You'll forget God. Didn't Solomon
say that? Didn't he say that in his proverb?
Keep me from riches. I'll forget God. Solomon did,
didn't he? His heart went after other gods.
Why? He had everything. And that's
where his treasure was, and that's where his heart was. David, now, was a man after God's
own heart. He didn't have much. He lived
in a cave. God knows who to give what to,
by the way. He does give things. Abraham
was rich in his later days. David became rich, finally. And
God gives us all things richly to enjoy, but I tell you what,
if he's the faithful father and he'll not give you something,
it'll make you forget him. He might take something away
to make you remember him. and his goodness, he'll count
you worthy to suffer. That's scriptural language. That's
what Peter and the boys, they came back after getting a beating,
being whipped for the cat of nine tails. Peter, I think it
was Peter and, that'd have been James and John, I'm not sure
who was with him, but they came back after they preached the
gospel and a bunch took hold of them and beat them and whipped
them and said, you better not preach that again or you're going
to die. And Peter did, finally, crucified. But Peter came back
to everybody and said, guess what? What? They've whipped us, for
Christ's sake. Isn't that wonderful that we're
counted worthy to suffer shame for our Lord? Oh, wouldn't you like to think
that way? God sent me a trial. Oh, no. Oh, yes. God loves me. Isn't that contrary? Isn't that
so contrary to what you're hearing today? That's Bible. That's the
way God does things. I've given you that illustration
so many times, I know you're sick of it. Walter Guver's little
girl, it was adopted. She kept seeing all of her, all
of his real children being spanked and whipped because they were
mean. They deserved it. And she never got any whippings.
And finally, she just pitched to fit on purpose. And Walter
took her and wore her out, and she was crying, yeah, but she
was smiling while she was crying. And Walter said, what in the
world? He said, what's, Sheila, what's, what are you doing? She
said, now I know you love me. Now I know I'm one of the children.
I'm one of you. That's the way God does things.
I wish we could consider children aren't capable, though, of it.
They're just not capable of understanding that. They think, Mom and Dad
being cruel. They think, how could they love
me to do this? If they didn't love you, they
wouldn't. If they didn't love you, they'd give you everything
and turn you loose. Oh, folks, I'll tell you what.
We're going to look back. The Scripture says, and I've
got to quit. The Scripture says that the glory that shall be
revealed John, someday we're going to look back and we're
going to think that wasn't even worthy to be compared. The scripture
talks about a woman giving birth. While you're going through it,
Margaret, you think, why in the world did I get pregnant? This is the worst thing that
could possibly happen to a woman. I'm going to die, is what you
think. Cut my head off. When that baby's
born, what pain? Looking in the face of that child.
I'd do it over again, wouldn't you? Would you do it over again
for Davis? Oh, over a hundred thousand times. And someday we're
going to look back with perfect eyesight and see, why didn't
I act like a mature adult believing Christian? Oh, I'd like to do
it over again. Wouldn't you like to go through
school again and apply yourself accordingly? Wouldn't you like
to do it over again? Why act like a fool? Why cry
like a baby? God was blessing me. Oh, I'd
like to try it over. I'd like to live again for His
glory this time." Well, he says, and let's hurry,
the last few verses here, he says, Now you who are troubled,
rest with us. Rest with us. It's a righteous
thing that God has recompensed tribulation, then the trouble
you, verse seven, to you who are troubled, rest with us. I
know this will apply to somebody in here, I was talking to them
the other day. I'm going to look all around so you won't know
who I'm talking to. Trouble! Trouble is home. Trouble with
your husband, your wife, your mama, your daddy, your child.
Trouble, trouble. Man that is born of woman is
a few days and full of what? Trouble. Oh, the unbelievers
don't have trouble. They're not in trouble as other
men, David said, Psalm 73. But the believer, the woman who
dares to follow Christ and who's got an unsaved husband, or the
man who dares to follow Christ, got an unsaved wife, or the parent
who dares to follow Christ, got an unsaved child, is trouble
to trouble you, doesn't it? You go home to trouble. You go
to work in trouble. Full of trouble all around you.
Trouble. What does he say? You in trouble?
Full of trouble. You're tired of the trouble.
He says, rest with us. To you who are troubled, rest
with us. Anybody getting any rest this morning? I am. I know I'm sweating. But
really and truthfully, I'm resting. I'm having a good time right
now. I really am. Are you? Rest with us. There's only one
place to rest. And it's what we're doing right
here. Gospel of Christ. Come. Come thou with us. We'll do you good. The only place
you're going to find any good. Ain't nothing but trouble out
there. You'd be here early. Come on. Rest with us. You suffer persecution. So did
the disciples and prophets before you. Bless God. Mock. They mock you. You're in loneliness. Son of God was more lonely than
anybody ever thought of being. Oh, you're in good company. Mighty
good company if you're lonely. Oh, boy. Rest with us. You're trying to know God. You're
trying to find out the truth of gospel. Know God. Are you
trying to find... Don't do a thing. Rest. Believe Christ. Yeah. What have I done? I've
done a thing. I've only been preaching for
a few short years. I believe God started dealing with me several
years ago. I didn't do a thing. I didn't
do a thing. I still ain't doing nothing.
When I've done all that's required of me in the Scriptures, I'm
still unprofitable. I'm still not doing all. I'm still an unprofitable
servant. I'm not doing a thing. God's
not pleased with what I'm doing. God's not pleased with this preaching,
Rick. If anything good comes out of this filthy mouth, it's
God doing it. It's the Holy Spirit. It's the
Word of God talking. I'm just resting. Trust in Christ. And I didn't
even do that myself. That's a gift of God. Lest any
man should boast. I want to worship and trust and
serve Christ. I do. I want to live for His
glory and all. But I tell you, I can't. I try. But I can't. I fail miserably. Then where do I go? I rest some
more. I rest some more. When I try
all that I've tried and fail miserably, then I get back to
where I started, resting, resting. All who are looking to know God,
come to Christ. Just rest. Believe Him. Don't
try to do anything. Don't try to be anything any
particular way. Just call upon Christ to save
you. And He will. He will. And He
said, and all who have come to Christ, you stay right there.
Don't go anywhere else. Don't try anything different.
You just rest. He said, come unto me, I'll take
care of you. Boy, I like that. You ladies, ladies who are housewives
and mothers and all, I know it's tough work, some of it, but to
have a loving husband who provides for your needs and all, boy,
that's a good place to be. And God said, I'm your husband. Thy maker is thy husband. Providing
all, taking all the cares and burdens, cast your care. You
don't have to worry about it. You ladies don't worry about
it. Let him worry about it. That's what he's for. Don't worry
about a thing. Let John worry about it. And
God says the same thing to us. I'm your husband. I said I'd
take care of it. When I made that vow, that covenant,
that oath, Sealed it in blood before the foundation of the
world, where I betrothed you to myself. I said I'd take care
of you, didn't I? Oh, what are you fretting for? Quit it. Trust me. Cast all your care on me. I care
for you. I love you. I sent my son down
for you. And the Lord Jesus Christ, the Scripture says, is going
to come. It's coming. There's a bunch of promises.
Boy, if you couldn't get any comfort out of that, there's
nothing else to be said. But here's some warning. Look
at it with me. We'll finish it up. In flaming fire, he's going
to be revealed to you who are troubled, rest with him. Because
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, punished with everlasting destruction from the presence
of the Lord, from the glory of his power. Oh, you better be restin' that
cryin'. But He's gonna become to be glorified
in His saints. And some people gonna be cryin'
under rocks and hills, and some people gonna be cryin' under
the rock of ages. Some people are gonna say, Oh
no, there He is! And some people, by His mercy
and grace, are gonna say, Oh yes, there He is! Been waitin'
on Him. when he shall come to be glorified
in his saints and admired in all them that believe, because
you believe the gospel, our testimony in that day. Wherefore also we
pray always for you. Oh, God forbid that I should
sin against my brethren and sisters. That's a mark of love, great
one, very saving, that I could love you and pray for you. I
said it before, you can't be mad at somebody without a pastor.
You can't be as mad as somebody you pray for. Oh, we pray for you that our
God would count you worthy of this calling. That is, count
you a part of it. Fulfill all the good pleasure
of His goodness and the work of faith with power. He's going
to take His power. That the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ might be glorified in you, and you in Him. And it's
all according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ,
His work. is work. I hope those who needed
the comfort got it and those who needed the warnings heard
of it. Stand with me.