Okay. All right. Turn to first
Thessalonians chapter one. One thing I didn't, I forgot
to mention is as soon as we're done here, let's all gather up
as quickly as possible and go down to little beaver so we can
have the baptize. First Thessalonians chapter one.
Now I'm going to, make five statements by way of
introduction as I read this first chapter. And as we read this first chapter,
when we get to verse 10, we will see this phrase, and to wait
for His Son from heaven. Everything in this first chapter
leads up to that phrase. First of all, here's the first
five things by way of introduction. Our union with one another is
found in God. First part of verse 1, Paul and
Silvanus and Timotheus, under the church of the Thessalonians,
which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. I've
said this over and over again, our union together is not in the things of this
world, though there may be some things of this world that some
of us are united in. David, some folks like sports.
That unites people. But others don't care too much
for sports or whatever it might be. You understand what I'm saying?
Yet that which unites us together, our union is in God and in the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's what unites us together.
This is why we stay together. Apart from God's providence moving
someone away, this is why God's people stay together. None other
reason than the fact that we are in God and in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Secondly, in the last part of
verse 1, we see this, that there is no peace apart from constant
grace. Grace being to you and peace. And it's always that order. Grace
be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. But who's he writing to? He's
writing to people that's already experienced the grace of God.
Right? But yet he says grace be unto
you. He's not talking to a bunch of
reprobates or a bunch of unbelievers. He's talking to the church, those
who are already in God. So there is no peace apart from
constant, constant grace. We know this. Judicially, peace
has been established. It's done. Christ came and made
peace. But we as the people of God don't
experience that peace until we experience His free and sovereign
grace. That's number two. Number three. Where grace and peace exist,
thankful prayers stream forth. We give thanks. Verse 2. Verse
2 and 3. We give thanks to God always
for you all. If you're not thankful for the
people of God, you don't know God. I'm not being angry there. It's just a fact. If you're not
thankful for the people of God, you don't know God. We give thanks
to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. remembering without ceasing your
work of faith. Now, not work to get faith, but
genuine God-given faith is active. It's active. James says dead
faith doesn't have any works. It has no action. It has no obedience. And dead faith is of no value
whatsoever. Remembering without ceasing your
work of faith and labor of love. And love causes you to labor.
And patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of
God and our Father. So where grace and peace exist,
thankful prayers stream forth. God's people are a praying people.
And that's just the way it is. God's people pray. God's people
pray. Number four, these things, all
of these things that Paul talks about are not human institutions. They don't bring about human
results. They don't bring about worldly
results. Look at the divine institution of it. Verse 4 and 5, Knowing,
brethren, beloved, your election of God. How do we know that?
The election took place before the foundation of the world.
And when the world was created, the election was already done.
God is not electing a people. He chose us, past tense, in Christ,
when? Before the foundation of the
world. So it's not a human institution.
He says, knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. And somebody
said, we don't know who the elect are. That's true. That's true up to a point. But you've got to be careful
that you don't use that theological truth to deny a part of God's
truth. Knowing, brethren, beloved, your
election of God. How do you know that? For our
gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and
in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner
of men we were among you for your sake. That's the divine
institution of it. And God Almighty, in time, in
this world, through the preaching of the Gospel, is making manifest
who the elect are. Everybody predestinated, every
one of them is what? Called. Isn't that what the Scripture
says? For you see your calling brethren,
how that not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called.
But those who are predestinated, those who are chosen, are being
called. And let me tell you, they're
being called by the Gospel. God has to give life. But that
life is manifest through the preaching of the Gospel. And
in no other way. And in no other way. So it's
a divine institution and it has spiritual results. Look at it,
verse 6. And ye became... Do you see that? Like Joseph, it's real and it's
personal. And ye became followers of us
and of the Lord. Don't let it ever, anytime you
have the thought, well at least I follow the Lord, it doesn't
matter about people, you're dead wrong. You're dead wrong. I mean it's this old phrase,
I don't have to go to church to be saved. That's another theologically
true statement, but people use it to twist the truth of God.
Because when God Almighty saves a person, they become followers
of God's people and of the Lord. And specifically, you became
followers of us. What's Paul talking about? Those
that God used to declare unto us His inspired Word. John said if they don't believe
us, they don't believe God. You know what John said? 1 John
chapter 4. You became followers of us and
of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction with
joy. You see that? and much affliction
with joy of the Holy Ghost, so that you were in samples to all
that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded
out the word of the Lord." In other words, this thing is reciprocal.
It just keeps on going. When God saves somebody, their
life changes. And they begin to love to be
around God's people, to be with God's people, and to rejoice
in and openly proclaim the person of work. of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that you were in samples.
For from you sounded out the Word of the Lord, not only in
Macedonia, but in Chaos, but also in every place. Your faith,
the God Word, is spread abroad so that we need not speak anything. In other words, as Earl used
to say, Joe said it during the conference when Joe preached,
when God Almighty does a work of grace in you, it's going to
leak out on you. even when you try to hide it sometimes. Even when you try to keep silent,
somewhere along the line, God's going to drag it out of you.
He's going to drag it out of you. And you know what? You'll
be glad for it. You'll be glad for it. That's the fourth thing. Our union is in God. That's where
our union's at. There is no peace apart from
constant grace. Where grace and peace exist,
There is thanksgiving to God. There's thanksgiving to God.
And these are not human institutions. But now notice, here's number
five. Notice here. All of this has an ultimate goal.
This what? This election? This gospel calling? This thankfulness? This prayer? This work of faith? This labor
of love? It all has a ultimate goal. And look at what he says, verse
10. And to wait. That struck me. I knew it. I've
known it for 30 years, but it just all of a sudden, David,
struck me in its reality. And to wait, look at what it
says, and to wait for His Son from heaven. You see that? That is the ultimate goal. And
to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered, past tense, which delivered us
from the wrath of God. This is the ultimate goal. The
ultimate goal of our salvation is not just to miss hell. It's
not just to go to heaven. It's to wait. It's to wait for
His Son from heaven. The ultimate goal is wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. What's the goal? Wait. That's the goal. Let me
give you three observations before we look at that, to wait for
His Son from heaven. Contrary to popular belief, the final
end of all humanity is neither heaven nor hell. Did you know
that? It's neither heaven nor hell.
Turn to the book of the Revelation. And remember, it is the book
of the Revelation. I wish I were more eloquent.
I wish I had the words to express it more deeply. It just don't
seem as though I have the words, but yet the book is the book
of the revelation. It's not hid. And the problem,
in fact, has never been with God's book. The problem's always
in here. That's where the problem's at.
But remember, it's the book of the revelation. and concerning
the condemned. What about the condemned? Is
it just hell? Everybody goes to hell. Everybody's
talking about hell. It's like hell's going to be
forever. That's not so. Verse 11 of chapter 20, and I
saw a great white throne. Now somebody said, well, is there
really a great white throne? I've got no reason to believe
any other thing otherwise. David, I'm not sure what it's
made of. But I think the throne is real.
I think the books are real. I think the book of life is real.
I've got no reason to think anything else. I don't believe it's simply
metaphorical for God's sovereignty. He is sovereign, but he will
sit on a great white throne. And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it, I saw him too, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place
for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened,
which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books according to their
works. And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it. And death and hail delivered
up the dead which were in them. And they were judged every man
according to their works. And death and hail were cast
into the lake of fire. There's the ultimate end of the
condemned. What that all is, I do not know, but I know it's
a place of torment and great sorrow. Hell's not the end, the
lake of fire is the end. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death and
whosoever, now there's a whosoever as well, isn't it? And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire. But what about the saved? What
about them? What about the redeemed? Most
people think that salvation is just so we get to go to heaven.
But that's not true. As a matter of fact, the ultimate
end of the redeemed is that God will leave heaven and come down
to a new earth and God will dwell with us. Look at what he says. And I saw chapter 21. And I saw
a new heaven and a new earth. I believe that means exactly
what it says. I've got no warrant to say it means anything else.
I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. I, John, saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride, adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them." Do you see that? We're not all
going up there to be with Him eternally. He is going to come
down here and dwell with us eternally. God, the tabernacle of God is
with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people
and God himself shall be with them and be their God." And you
can go on and read the last of it. So contrary to popular belief,
the final end of all humanity is neither heaven nor hell. Is
it? But also, there's a second observation. Contrary to our groans, We may groan because of tribulation
from without, because of trouble from without. We may groan because
of the assaults of the enemy, the fiery darts of the wicked.
We may groan under the stress of being rolled upon and hammered
upon by Antichrist and the minions of this world. We also may groan
because of the corruption that's within. I still have corruption within. I have to fight against it every
day. Sometimes, Mason, I lose the
battle. But thank God I will not lose the war. There are times, there are certain
battles I lose. We can sit here and We can't
talk about God's sovereignty in all of this. One thing about
it, we can't blame God for when we fail. We can't blame God for
when we fail. When we fail, we have to own
the failure as our own. But contrary, here's the second
observation. Contrary to our groans, whether
it's tribulation from without, from various sources, or the
corruption from within, or a combination of both, the ultimate goal of
our salvation is not, oh God, take me to glory now. Is it? The ultimate goal of our salvation
is to wait for His Son from heaven. You see that? That's where it's
at. And this just struck me. I don't
know if Penny and I at times talk about how glorious it would
be that God would take us on. And I understand that. Paul said
being with Him is far better. That's far better. But that's
not the point of our salvation. That's not the goal of our salvation
is just to get up there. The goal of salvation is to wait. To wait for His Son from Heaven. Oh God, take me now. No. God,
give me the spirit to wait. To wait. To wait. Now here's number three. While we all should be constantly
mindful of our mortality, and David, some of us have been faced
with that closer than others, that your mortality is real. I am a mortal being. And I have a corrupt body and
a corrupt nature even yet within me. And this mortal must put
on immortality. And this corruption must put
on incorruption. So I'm not talking about, as
Earl used to say, some people are so heavenly minded they're
of no earthly good. There are some people like that.
They think it's all about heavenly things, you know. And you basically
just turn your back to everything in this world in some stoic belief
that everything's fine and dandy in the world. Everything ain't
fine and dandy in the world. This world is filled with trouble
and turmoil from without and from within. While we all should
be constantly mindful of our mortality, Scott Richardson used
to put it this way, rehearse your death every day And then
maybe you'll be ready to live. I think that's a good statement. The reason that's a good statement
is because of, you know the passage, James. Turn to James. Right after Hebrews. James chapter
4. Listen to what he says, verse
13. Go to now ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such
a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain.
Just the other day, one of our members had someone tell them,
within two years, I'm gonna do this. Really? Who says so? Really? Well, I'll do this then. Listen,
whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. You don't even
know what tomorrow is going to bring, let alone a year from
now, or two years from now, or five years from now. You don't
know. I don't know. For what is your life? It is
even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth
away. So I'm not talking about living
up here. No, I'm talking about waiting
down here. That's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about waiting
in full understanding of the reality that many of us as God's
people, maybe even most, but I can't say. I don't know. I
have no idea what the numbers are. But many of us will go by
the way of death. But yet, though that be true,
the ultimate goal of our salvation is to wait for His Son from heaven. You see that? It's not just,
well, I'm waiting to die. That's not the proper attitude.
I'm waiting for His Son from heaven. So why we all should
be constantly mindful of our mortality. Why? For you ought
to say, James says, if the Lord will, and the first one is, I've
said it, if the Lord will, I'll do that tomorrow. That's not
what it says. If the Lord will, ye shall live. That's the first
thing. may not even be alive tomorrow.
As I said, some of you have got some very serious medical problems,
but that don't mean you're going to die before I do. We don't
know. Only God knows for sure about
that. This is why we're all saved and called to what? Wait for
his son from heaven. For you ought to say, if the
Lord will, we shall live and do this or that. But now you
rejoice in your boastings. All such rejoicing is, look at
that word, evil. Evil. Therefore to him that knoweth
to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So there's three observations.
While we all should be constantly mindful of our mortality, the
truth is we shall not all sleep. Somebody will be alive and remaining
when his son returns from heaven. Isn't that what it says? 1 Corinthians
15, 51 and 52. We shall not all sleep, but we're
all going to be what? Changed. in the moment, in the
twinkling of an eye. And even in our text, this epistle,
1 Thessalonians, you know it, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse
13, But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep. And the truth is, many of us
may sleep. I don't know. Only God knows that. But I would
not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no
hope." Remember, those who do sleep in Christ, they're battles
over with. Don't sorrow for them. If we're
going to sorrow, sorrow for ourselves. And that's what most of our sorrow
is really truly about. I mean, if it's a brother or
sister and they died, thank God for it! Really? Yeah, really? Yeah, really? The battle for them, it's done.
It's done. Why? For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus,
God will bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, Paul said, God Almighty gave me this. That
we which are alive and remain, and notice even Paul includes
himself. He had that constant expectation
even then. Now, unless you're a preterist,
you've got to deal with that the way it is. And I'm not even
going to go into preterism. That's basically people who believe
Christ came back in 70 A.D. and His return was not going
to be a physical return, but some kind of spiritual thing
and we're actually in the kingdom now. That's just not so. But even Paul knows that we...
Now, could not God have let him know, David, Paul, you're not
going to be around when that happens. Right? But you know
what? God didn't even give inspired
men that knowledge. Because no man knows the day
or the hour. You see that? For we say unto
you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain
under the coming of the Lord shall not prevent, or that is
precede, is a better word, them which are asleep. For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of an archangel, the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever
be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. Even here Paul is saying we which
are alive and remain. That's the way we ought to be
thinking about it Waiting for his son from heaven We should be waiting not wanting We should be way I want this
I want I want to be done with this I understand the thought
But let me give you five proofs from God's Word concerning this
waiting. I'm sorry, I had five things
before. Just two things. First of all,
listen to these few spiritual realities in light of this waiting
for His Son from Heaven. Number one, being willing to
wait for His Son from Heaven takes the grace of Him who is
in Heaven right now. It takes that kind of grace.
This ain't something you can convince yourself to do. I'll
just do this. You'll find yourself wanting
instead of waiting. You know that? You will. How do I know
that? Because that's where we are. It seems as though when
you actually set your mind to say, I'm going to do this, God
will show you, no you're not. Until I work in you both to will
and to do of His good pleasure. being willing to wait for His
Son from heaven, takes the grace of Him who is in heaven. Grace
to wait provides peace while waiting. Wouldn't that be true? Grace
to wait provides peace while waiting. Look at it again. Knowing,
brethren, beloved, your election of God, why? Because the gospel
laid hold of you Now, I'm here to tell everyone, even in this
small group, there's about 20 of us here this morning, unless
God Almighty has laid hold of you by the gospel, you have no
reason to think you're one of the elect. And I'm not talking
about, well, I just believe this because I believe this. No! I'm
not talking about you just wake up one day and decide, I believe
this. I'm talking about the gospel of God comes to you, not in word
only, but in power, and it lays hold of your soul, and it arrests
you and brings you to Jesus Christ in joyful, willing love for Him. That's what I'm talking about.
That's what it has to be. Being willing. Look at it. For
our gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power,
and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. Not assurance
about yourself, but assurance concerning Him. I often wonder,
could I really be one of the elect? I mean, am I really supposed
to be a pastor? Come on now, I know me somewhat. And often times I have doubts
and fears that arise within my soul. But this one thing is true. I do not doubt the personal work
of Jesus Christ. Oh, my flesh hates it. But there's
a part of me that knows. I am assured, Joe, of who Jesus
Christ is. Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God. And I can't forget that now. Once your eyes, the eyes of your
understanding are open, they don't close up. That's the problem
with this saved and lost, saved and lost. That's stupidity. That's
stupidity. When God Almighty does the work,
it's real and it's forever. That which God doeth it shall
be, how long? Forever. So being willing to wait takes
the grace of Him who's in heaven. But let's look at waiting's mode.
Got to baptism, so I'll try to move through this. First of all,
look at it negatively. It is not sluggardness. Look
at 2 and 3, verse 2 and 3. Go back and read it. It's not
being a sluggard. Remembering without ceasing your
work of faith and labor of love. Joe, when you sweep up the 4-H
building after the conference, that's serving God. When you
go to the store to buy Dixie Cups to have Kool-Aid or whatever
Freshman's in, David, that's serving God. When you call someone
on the phone and just ask them, how are you doing today? How
did things go last week? That's serving God. And it's
not a matter of age. Well, that believer's too young
to serve. That believer's too old to serve. No. You don't find
anything like that. Well, I've retired from the Christian
service. It don't happen. You don't retire
from the Christian service. You're born into it and you die
or either he's going to come back and you're actually heightened,
Joe, into a greater state of it. It's not sluggerness. It's not
complacency. Look at the last part. How you
turn to God from idols. Do you see that? You turn to God from idols to
do what? To serve the living God. This waiting is not sluggardness.
This waiting is not complacency. But here's what it is positively. When I read this, I looked up
the word wait. And when you look up the word
wait, it basically, in Strong's at least, it will tell you wait.
But it says it's made up of two. It's a compound word, right?
So it's two words together. When I looked up those two words,
you know what it says? Intensely repetitious expectancy. Waiting is not this. That's not the waiting. Waiting
is this. That's what waiting is. We think
of waiting, we think of go back there and sit in the chair and
just hang around. No, that ain't what this is talking
about. Look at it now, this is positive now. Waiting is this
intensely repetitious expectancy. Number one, waiting for Christ
requires bowing to Christ in all that precedes what we wait
for. Doesn't it? If you're really going to wait,
He's going to have to give you grace to bow to everything that
happens in between the two. Whether it's by death or by His
return again. Because as long as you're here,
you're going to be under what God Almighty has ordained for
you whether you like it or not. You can kick all you want, but
you ain't going to get free of God Almighty's sovereign will.
And I do think that sometimes the more we struggle, the more
God will just apply the pressure till you quit struggling and
start submitting. That's the key. The key is not
struggling, though you will, the key is submitting. Waiting for Christ requires bowing
to Christ. In all that proceeds, what we
wait for is coming from heaven. Number two, waiting for Christ
includes trusting Christ to sustain us while we wait. But I don't
know if I can make it. Look around you. Look at the
world. Look at this country. Look at the state we are in.
But yet waiting for Christ includes trusting Him to sustain us while
we wait. There's a real sense in which
I wish my grandchildren didn't have to grow up in a society
and in a place like it. I mean, but yet I know God says
be fruitful and multiply. Even in the New Testament it
says the young women ought to bear children. That's what it
says. Does it not or does it? That's
what the book says. Now I know there are Extenuating
circumstances for some folk, but that's what God's book says
But yet as a believer seeing the corruption both in here and
out there it makes me think God I wouldn't want to have to bring
a child up in this But that's why waiting for Christ
includes trusting Christ to sustain us while we wait Number three, waiting for Christ
is made joyful when we acknowledge that God has purpose to fulfill
while we wait. We are still here for a reason. If there were no reason for us
to be here, we wouldn't be here. Right? There's real, genuine
purpose to be fulfilled. Now, I'm not going to stand here
and tell you, well, when the last ones saved were out of here. I actually
don't believe that. This book doesn't teach that.
There is going to be the coming of Christ and receiving up, but
there are still going to be people on this earth that are still
going to go through a living hell for at least seven years.
Well, that's what this book teaches. But even some of them are elect.
Even some of them are elect. See, the whole point is this,
waiting for Christ is made joyful when we acknowledge that God
has purpose to fulfill while we're waiting. I don't know what
it is. But it's not just to sit here
and fill up space for the next several years. If I'm still breathing
on this side of glory, God's got a reason for me still being
here. That's what real waiting for Christ is. Number four, waiting for Christ
is restful when we believe that Christ has delivered us from
the wrath to come. Whatever it might be. Now let
me tell you something, if God's purpose is to deliver one from
wrath and not another, that's His business. Did you know that? Go back and look at Job. Has
every believer suffered like Job did? If every believer suffered like
Job did, I think we'd probably be struggling a whole lot more,
don't you think so? I haven't struggled like Job
did. I sit around and I bellyache
and I murmur and I complain, and then I look and I think,
this ain't nothing compared to what I really deserve from God.
And even above that, even as one of His saints, He is God
Almighty. He owns me lock, stock, and barrel. And He has the right to do with
His own what He will. If it means to bring me down
in the dirt and to cause me pain just to acknowledge His honor
and His glory, that's what He'll do. That's what He'll do. So let me say again. And to wait for the Son from
Heaven, it ain't this. It's this. Watching. Expecting. Constantly. Oh God, as even John the Apostle
prayed out, even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. Right? Because that's when we know God's
beginning to wind this thing down. Right? When He comes back
the second time, we'll know for sure then He's beginning, Mason,
to wind this thing down. Right? Until then, that's the
next big thing on God's calendar as far as we're concerned. It's
what? Not my death. No, it's not my death. It's Him
coming back. You see it? It's Him coming back. Let me give you this. Oh, that Christ would light a
fire in my soul, afresh and anew, to wait. To wait. Remember, not sluggardly, not
complacently, not wantonly. Oh, if things were just different.
They're not going to be different. They are what they are. Bow to
God in it. You'll enjoy it more. You'll
enjoy it more. I'm saying it's all going to
be great and roses, but you'll enjoy it more whenever you submit
rather than struggle. I just know that to be a fact.
Oh God, lighten my soul of fire, anew and afresh by your gospel
and your truth to enable me to wait. To enable me to wait. Father,
as we continue on at the lake, Be with us. Give Emily that comfort,
that assurance that comes in believing You. We ask in Christ's
name, Amen.