Good evening. Tonight's message
is called In God and Christ. Tonight we'll start a new series
in 2 Thessalonians. Now last year we finished our
study in 1 Thessalonians and it was a great joy to go through
that book and I hope it'll be a joy to go through this second
book that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians as well. So open your Bibles
if you would to the book of 2 Thessalonians and we'll read the first 10 verses
which includes The Greeting of Paul to the Saints at Thessalonica
2 Thessalonians 1-10 Paul and Savannas and Timotheus unto the
Church of the Thessalonians, in God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank
God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your
faith groweth exceedingly. and the charity of every one
of you all toward each other aboundeth, so that we ourselves
glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and
faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God,
that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which
ye also suffer, seeing it is a righteous thing with God to
recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. And you who
are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance
on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory
of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints,
and to be admired in all them that believe. because our testimony
among you was believed in that day. Now this second letter to
the churches in Thessalonica was penned about six months after
the first. And the first was designed to
comfort the brethren in their tribulations and persecutions
and to fix their mind upon Christ and his glorious return. We saw
that in chapter four and five of the first letter of Paul to
the Thessalonians. And Paul wrote this letter from
Corinth and Timothy and Silvanus were with him. John Gale brings
this forth from his commentary. This second epistle was written
not from Athens, as the superscription testifies, nor from Rome, but
from Corinth, from whence was sent the former letter, and where
the Apostle and Timothy and Silas met, which was sent about a year
after the other. And some commentators believe
that this second letter is a response to that letter if that was so.
And that would make sense being at about a six month time in
between. and they didn't have the mail
service like we have nowadays. It took months for a letter to
go from one place to another. So just keep that in mind as
well. And beloved of God, the design of this letter is to comfort
and support the Thessalonians under the afflictions and persecutions
that they endured for the sake of the gospel and to address
a mistake that they had gone into which had been addressed
in Paul's first letter to them concerning the second coming
of Christ. So this is some more clarification for them on the
Second Coming of Christ in this letter as well. Can you imagine?
Can you imagine the excitement that must have stirred the hearts
of these Thessalonian saints when news had been received that
there was a letter from Paul the Apostle which would be read
in their next worship service? Could you imagine the excitement?
that they would have. And I believe all of us are guilty
of taking for granted today's modern technology that enables
us to communicate with one another even if we're thousands of miles
away. I study with three other brethren
in three different states each once a week and the technology
that we have to be able to do that is absolutely wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. And I was
thinking about that last night after we had finished our study,
that the Apostle Paul and Timothy and Peter, what would they have
thought if they had this kind of technology that we had? Well,
they'd be glorifying God and excitingly talking to one another
about the gospel just as we do. when we meet together through
the technology that the Lord has provided for us for this
day. And not only are we privileged to hear one another's voice over
the phone, but we can sit on the computer or on a tablet and
see one another's face as we enjoy conversation, even if our
loved ones are on the other side of the world. And this is truly
amazing. I've often talked to Jean-Claude,
he's a missionary to Africa who lives in France, and we get to
talk face-to-face through the modern technology, and it's just
amazing. Now, that technology didn't exist
until recently, when you consider the ages that have passed where
there was not this kind of technology. And during the Apostolic Age,
they didn't have the Pony Express to speed up the mail service.
A letter was hand-delivered by those who walked to the destinations
that they were heading to. or they hired someone to take
a letter to someone in another city. And there's no telling
how long it took for this epistle to get to Thessalonica. But we
trust that God inspired Paul to write these words to the Thessalonians,
and that they are for our learning today, just as we're learning
our study in the book of James, these words are relevant for
us today. They transcend time and they
transcend culture and it's absolutely incredible. And this letter is
timeless for God's people, for his elect. And God also not only
ordained that it would be read to his chosen blood-bought people
at Thessalonica the first time it was read, but by his sovereign
will and by his sovereign power, It was included in the canon
of Holy Scriptures. And here we are, the born-again,
blood-washed people of God today in 2021, and we're studying that
same book, that same letter that was sent by Paul to the Thessalonians. It's truly amazing. And some
people say, well, how can you know it was Paul's? Because God's
preserved his word. Because it's the letter that
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians being preserved by God, God who
holds all the universe together. Can he not preserve a letter?
Yes, he can, by his almighty power. So let's go back to the
Thessalonians. Think of the anticipation that
these saints would have when they heard that there was a letter
written to them from the Apostle Paul and that they were going
to read it at the next worship service. Oh, I believe that these
saints at Thessalonica, they anticipated rich blessings from
the Lord Jesus Christ through the reading of the letter of
Paul. Believing that they would be
instructed by God himself as they gathered together to hear
this epistle read. Because we know that God speaks
to us through his word. And is this not true today? Just
as it was back when the born-again blood-washed saints of God at
Thessalonica gathered together to hear this letter read? Is
it not the same for we, who are the born-again blood-washed people
of God? We have the same Holy Spirit,
and we assemble together, and we desire to hear the Holy Scriptures
preached and proclaimed, don't we? We desire to hear God's Word. We desire to hear about the Lord
Jesus Christ, our Savior. our Redeemer, who purchased our
precious souls with His precious blood at Calvary's cross. And we desire the Holy Spirit
of God to teach us the things of Christ. We hunger and thirst
after righteousness. We want to be instructed by God. So let us come before the Scriptures
with a humble spirit. Let us come before the Scriptures
with a teachable spirit, seeking to be instructed seeking to be
taught by our great and glorious God. And our prayer is, Lord,
please give us teachable spirits as we look at your word. Listen
to the first two verses in this chapter again. Paul in Savannas
and Timotheus unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We see In these words,
Paul's greeting to the saints, the church, the ekklesia, the
called-out ones in Thessalonica. It says, unto the church of the
Thessalonians in verse 1. And notice, he doesn't declare
his apostleship because there's no opposition to that fact with
the church at Thessalonica. Now when he had to declare that,
there was usually opposition within the church to his apostleship,
but not so with the church at Thessalonica. It had been established
by the grace of God by Paul and Silvanus and Timothy through
the preaching of the word. And so there's no opposition
to the fact that Paul is an apostle. And take note in this greeting
that Paul again, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, uses
certain prepositions in this greeting. In verse 1, as Paul
speaks of the church, he declares that they are in God the Father
and in Christ. Oh, what assurance can be found
here for the born-again blood-washed saint of God. What assurance
on many levels. Not the least of which is the
assurance of eternal life. in the eternal love of God in
His purpose and His grace towards His people in Christ. Listen
to these words in John 17 verses 21 to 24. That they all may be
one as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee. That they also
may be one in us. That the world may believe that
Thou hast sent me, and the glory which Thou givest me I have given
them, and they may be one even as we are one. I in them, Thou
in me, that they may be perfect in one. and that the world may
know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast
loved me. Father, I will, that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may
behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me
before the foundation of the world. Now, in verse one, we
see that Paul writes unto the church of the Thessalonians,
In God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, listen to
this verse in these two verses in John chapter 17, verse 21
and 22, that they all may be one as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee. That they also may be one in
us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. In the
glory which thou givest me, I have given them, that they may be
one, even as we are one. So what assurance of salvation
can be found into this verse of God's people? To see the fact
that all that is involved in the salvation of the soul is
secured the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit of God, which
is clearly brought forth in the first chapter of the book of
Ephesians, if you read that. Because we're chosen by the Father
in Christ, we're redeemed and accepted and adopted in the Son,
and then we're sealed by the Holy Spirit of God, beloved.
Praise be to God, salvations of the Lord. We see that here
in the text, it says Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus under
the church of the Thessalonians. We see that Silvanus and Timothy
are also brought forth as the companions of Paul, just as in
the first letter to the church at Thessalonica. Paul traveled
with these men and they ministered with Paul and they preached the
gospel. Both Silvanus and Timothy were trusted companions of Paul.
Now Silvanus, also known as Silas, was a long and experienced companion
of Paul. He traveled with Paul on his
second missionary journey and was imprisoned in set free with
Paul in the Philippian jail you'll find that in Acts chapter 16
verses 19 to 24. When Paul first came to Thessalonica,
Silas came with him. You'll find that in Acts chapter
17 verses 1 to 9. So the Thessalonians knew Silas
well. He's also mentioned in the first
letter to the Thessalonians in verse 1. And Timothy was a resident
of Listeria, a city in the province of Galatia. You find that in
Acts chapter 16 verses 1 to 3. He was the son of a Greek father,
found in Acts chapter 16 verse 2, and a Jewish mother named
Eunice. which is found in 2nd Timothy
chapter 2 verse 5. And from his youth, Timothy had
been taught in the scriptures by his mother and grandmother.
That's in 2nd Timothy 1.5 and 2nd Timothy 3.15. So Timothy
was a trusted companion of Paul, and he accompanied Paul on many
of his missionary journeys. Paul sent Timothy to the Thessalonians
on a previous occasion, and he was also mentioned in Paul's
first letter to the Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse
1 says Paul, Savanus, and Timotheus unto the church of the Thessalonians
which is in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you
and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So
let's read our text again. Let's read verse 1 again in 2
Thessalonians. Paul and Savanus and Timotheus
unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. So we see that Paul is the inspired
writer of this epistle. And again he brings forth that
his fellow faithful ministers, his brothers and companions,
Silas and Timothy, are with him. Letting the Thessalonians know
also that they are safe with him and that all was well with
them as they had with Paul ministered to the spiritual needs of the
church at Thessalonica. They had preached the gospel
of the complete finished sin atoning work of the Lord Jesus
Christ on Calvary's cross. that by His precious, precious
blood we are redeemed, purchased, and all our sins are forgiven.
And by the power of God the Holy Spirit, they were quickened,
or regenerated, born again, and granted faith to believe the
words that Paul and Timothy and Silas preached and proclaimed.
And by the power of God they were turned from serving dead
idols to serve the living and true God. They were brought out
from darkness into light and they were being persecuted because
of it. And we see that they're still
being persecuted. We're going to see that clearly.
We saw it in our reading when we read the first 10 verses that
they're still going through persecution. and Paul writes them to comfort
them during this persecution. Look at who the letter is addressed
to. Again, Beloved of God, it's addressed unto the church of
the Thessalonians. Now the Greek word for church
is ekklesia, which means a calling out. So these are the called
out ones and never forget that every enlightened, born-again,
blood-washed saint of God in the Church of the Thessalonians
had been called with a holy calling from God Himself under the preaching
of His Gospel. They had been called out of darkness.
They had been called out of the prison house of unbelief. They
had been called out of false religions. They had been called
out of a lifestyle of sinful pleasure. And this, beloved,
this applies to all of God's born-again, blood-washed saints.
We are a called-out assembly. We're called out of this world.
Think of this, that the time they met together and every time
we meet together for public worship, it's a calling out. It's a calling
out from our busy lives in this world. It's a time when we set
aside our worldly concerns to assemble together to worship
and praise the one true living God. And what an honor that God
has bestowed upon His people to allow us to meet together
to worship Him in spirit and truth. And as I mentioned earlier
in the study, we see in verse 1, that Paul tells the Church
of the Thessalonians, and never forget that this applies to all
of God's called-out saints, that we're in God, our Father, and
the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at this. Paul then savannas
and Timotheus unto the Church of the Thessalonians, in God,
our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here, listen to these
words. I hope this blesses your souls,
beloved of God. Oh, in the Father's eternal purpose
in the salvation of His elect. In the Father's promise of a
particular people to Jesus Christ, His dear Son, we were included.
In the Father's eternal love when He penned our names in the
Lamb's Book of Life. In the Father's covenant plan
when He predestinated us into the adoption of sons. In the
Father's perfect satisfaction in which Jesus Christ accomplished
for His elect when He met all the conditions of the eternal
covenant of grace when He died on Calvary's cross. in the Father's
full pardon of sin granted to all those who were redeemed by
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. in the blood of the everlasting
covenant, in the Father's will when He by His sovereign will
and power begot us by the word of truth, in the Father's comforting
concern for His enlightened saints when He shows unto the heirs
of promise the immutability of His counsel, when He gives us
this understanding that He cannot lie and that He cannot break
His promise to His Son. And His promise is to give us
strong consolation, a strong hope who have fled to Christ,
who is our refuge and our only hope and who has entered right
now into heaven. He is seated right now, the right
hand of the Father, and intercedes for us, beloved, to appear in
the presence of God for us. Hallelujah to his mighty name. And note that our text also says
that the Church of God is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's
read verse 1 again. Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus
unto the church of the Thessalonians. In God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Oh, chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world. In Christ when he was formed
in the Virgin's womb. In him when he came forth from
the Virgin's womb. In Christ when he perfectly obeyed
his Father's will, establishing the perfect righteousness for
all those he represented. In Christ, when He shed His precious,
precious blood for us at Calvary's cross, when He died enduring
the wrath of God for His promised children, satisfying the holy
justice of God for them. In Christ our Lord, when He fully
accomplished the salvation of His people as their great substitute,
dying on the cross to save them. Listen to these words of Paul
in the book of Galatians, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which
I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me and gave himself for me. Oh in Christ when he
was buried, in Christ when he arose from the grave without
sin, leaving all our sins in the sea of God's forgetfulness,
in Christ when he ascended into heaven, in Jesus Christ when
he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, in Christ
where he will allow absolutely nothing to separate us from his
love. Now let us read the second verse
and take note of the use of the preposition from. as this word
addresses the source of our grace and peace. 2 Thessalonians chapter
1 verse 2, Grace unto you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ. Our grace and our peace find
their source in God the Father and through the Lord Jesus Christ. And if we have These things,
they are from God. If we have grace and we have
peace, they're from God and from the Father. They're from God
the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Never forget that
everything we have is a gift from God. And this truth gives
power and weight to what Paul is proclaiming in this letter
to the Thessalonians. And note the order that is brought
forth. First grace, then peace. Grace unto you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, this is the
Biblical order. Grace always precedes peace. Beloved of God, if God does not
bestow His sovereign grace upon us, hell-deserving sinners, there
will not be, nay, there cannot be any peace from God in our
souls or in our innermost being. God's grace is sovereign grace. If it's not sovereign grace,
it's not God's grace. God will not allow one little
stitch of man's doing to be sewn into the perfect robe of Christ's
righteousness. Not one stitch of man's works. Those who teach that getting
baptized is what saves you, they're trying to sew a stitch of their
own doings into the spotless robe of Christ's righteousness,
therefore they have no peace with God. You add anything, you
or I add anything to the finished work of Christ and there is no
grace and there is no peace. And that is what those false
teachers out there say when they say such things as you must meet
on a Saturday to be saved. Again, they're trying to sew
a stitch of their own doings into the spotless robe of Christ's
righteousness. Therefore, they have no peace
with God. And those who teach that their
own free will, their decision for Christ has saved them, they
are too trying to sew a stitch of their own doings into the
spotless robe of Christ's righteousness. Therefore, they have no peace
with God. They say, peace, peace, but they have no peace. They
have a refuge of lies, beloved, because God's saving faith is
given to us, beloved. We're made willing in the day
of God's power to flee to Christ. He's not waiting for us. He don't
wait on no one. He's God. He's God, the all-powerful,
almighty God, and He don't wait on no one. He bestows His grace
and His mercy on whom He pleases, and we who are the receivers
of that grace, we cry out, O Lord, thank you for having mercy upon
me. Thank you Lord for your grace and your mercy. We're but mercy
beggars. And even after we're saved, we're
still mercy beggars. Sinners saved by the grace of
God in Christ. And the list of man's works and
salvation that comes from the lying lips of false preachers,
it profits them absolutely nothing. And it profits their hearers
nothing. It's all they're doing is trying
to cover their nakedness. with foolish, sinful fig leaves
of their own works, and they have no peace with God. Brethren, Jesus Christ is every
believer's peace, period. He is our only peace with God.
I'll tell you this, no Christ, no Christ equals no peace with
God. And this is not up for debate.
Take note of how salvation in Christ alone is brought forth
in the Book of Romans. in chapter 5. Listen to this.
Romans 5 verse 1. Therefore being justified by
faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
No peace with God except through Christ. And Romans 5 verses 8
and 9. But God commandeth his love toward
us. Look at that. In that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being
now justified by his, that's Christ's blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him. Because that wrath that was due
us fell upon Christ. And that's Romans 5 verses 8
and 9. And then Romans chapter 5 verses
18 and 19. Therefore as by the offense of
one Adam, so when Adam fell, We all fell with him because
we were in him. We were in his loins. Judgment
came upon all men to condemnation. We're born dead in trespasses
and sins. We're born into this world under
condemnation in our natural state. Even so, by the righteousness
of one, this is Christ. The free gift came upon all men
unto justification of life. All who believe, all who are
granted faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's a
free gift. It's a free gift, and all who
believe are justified unto life. And then it says, For as by one
man's disobedience, Adam, many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. God's people
are made righteous in Christ, in Christ alone. Salvation is
in Christ, in Christ alone, without a stitch of our works. I'm telling
you, if you're counting on anything you did, anything, making a decision,
praying a prayer, Anything, your baptism, something you do to
merit favor with God, and even though you think you have peace
with God, you have no peace with God. Because peace with God only
comes through the finished, complete, sin-atoning work of the Lord
Jesus Christ in Him alone. And it's all His work, in His
work alone. We are justified by faith, and
that's God-given faith, remember. We don't seek it, we don't earn
it, we don't merit it. It's given to us by God the Father.
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
Not of yourselves. In no way. Not of yourselves
in any way. Nothing you do, nothing you speak,
nothing you think. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. Let that sink in. Not of yourselves.
It's a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. It's
a gift of God. You have compassion on whom you
have compassion, and you have mercy on whom you have mercy.
And when God the Holy Spirit gives us faith to believe the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified, we cease from
our labors. We cease from any way of trying
to justify ourselves before God. We cease from any kind of way
of trying to gain merit and favor with God by anything we say,
do, or think, and we rest in the finished work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And remember when he cried, he
cried, it is finished. That means there's nothing for
you and nothing for me to add to that finished work. It's finished.
He did it all. The believer simply looks to
Christ and Him alone. And that's when the wonderful
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ floods
into our souls and it generates true genuine praise to our great
God, to the God of all grace. And note in our text this all
comes from God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ in Him
alone. Look at verse 2 again. Grace
unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God is the source and Christ
is the conduit. And when the gift of faith is
given to us under the preaching of the true gospel, we see the
Lord Jesus Christ as the one who obtained eternal redemption
for us. As the one who by himself purged
our sins. As the one by himself who reconciled
us to God by his death. And that's when the wonderful
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ floods
our souls. and generates true, genuine praise
to our great God and Savior. When we see ourselves without
any righteousness of our own, in our natural state, and then
we see ourselves born again, blood washed, and dressed in
the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ after He
saves us, and that's what makes us acceptable to God, is the
righteousness, the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
the only thing that makes us acceptable in God's sight is
the perfect spotless righteousness of Christ. That's when the wonderful
peace from God our Father comes to us through the Lord Jesus
Christ. It floods our souls and again it generates true genuine
praise to our great God and Savior. Beloved of God, our great God
has forgiven us for Christ's sake, for His glory and for the
glory of His grace. Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness sanctification
and redemption that according to it is written, He that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses
30 and 31. Is it any wonder then that the
Holy Spirit moved Paul to write these words that apply to all
of us? Unto the church which is in God the Father and in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you and peace from
God our Father. and the Lord Jesus Christ. This
just makes us cry out with Jonah, salvations of the Lord. And we
delight in giving all the glory and all the honor and all the
praise to our great God and to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation is by the sovereign grace of God through the perfect
redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And any effort on man's
part to try and gain favor with God by any works absolutely destroys
the meaning of the word grace. Truly God's people have tasted
that the Lord is gracious. Praise His mighty name. Amen
and Amen.