If you will, let's open our Bibles today to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. and Silvanus 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 or love of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth, so that we ourselves glory in you and 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 you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. Seeing it as a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels and 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. Wherefore also we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you notice in reading through that chapter, how many times the Apostle Paul referred to Jesus, but always as the Lord Jesus Christ. Did you notice that? And you will find that in all of the letters that the Apostle Paul was inspired to write. He always referred to not just Jesus, That's the name of his humanity, that's true. But the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord, he's God, God Almighty, the Eternal, one with the Father and one with the Holy Spirit. Christ, yes, Jesus was the name that the angels gave him at his birth, for he shall save his people. from their sins, Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah, the one who had been promised all through the Old Testament, all those many prophecies, and they all were fulfilled in Christ, pointing him out so that there can be no doubt and no question that, yes, this man, Jesus of Nazareth, is the Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, the first letter of Thessalonians was the first inspired letter that the Apostle Paul wrote. And we do not know how much time lapsed between the writing of the first epistle, first letter of Thessalonians to this second letter that we are reading this morning. But we do know this, no matter how much time had intervened between the writing of the first letter and the second letter, there was something that had not changed about these Thessalonians. What was it?

Persecution. Persecution. If you will, look back in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, or chapter 2 rather, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. And verse 14, the apostle said, for you, brethren, became followers of the churches of God, which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. For you also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews. In other words, those believers, those Jewish believers in Judea, they had suffered from the Jews, from their countrymen. But Paul says, you too, brethren, you Gentile believers in Thessalonica, you have suffered from your brethren just like those in the churches in Judea. Well, notice now in our text in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 4, so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which you endure.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the night before he was crucified, alone with his 11 disciples, he said, in the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. But God's people, those who are followers, disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, believers, Christians, may expect tribulation in this world. In fact, the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 14, visiting some of the churches that had been raised up on his first missionary journey, he told the people, encouraged the people that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God.

In his letter of Philippians, the first chapter, he said, it's not only given unto you to believe, and it is. Faith is a gift. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God. But Paul, writing to those believers at Philippi, said it's not only given unto you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but also to suffer for his sake.

Tribulation, persecution in this world is to be expected by believers. The reason being, of course, we live in an evil world. In Galatians 1, the first chapter of Galatians verse 4 Paul wrote concerning Christ who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God our Father.

We live in an evil world. Someone said a fallen world and yes it is. It is a world that is fallen. It is a world that was created in perfect holiness and righteousness and justice and yet because of man's sin. Now, we come into this world as sinners and we come into a world that is under God's curse because of God's cursing man for his disobedience.

When we look at this world, There's many beautiful, I mean beautiful sights that we see. Someone showed me just recently a picture of a sunset that he had on his phone and it was beautiful. You can't even begin to describe the beauty of that sunset over a lake. But think of the fact that even in a world that's cursed, we see this beauty. What must God's creation in the beginning been like? Before sin entered and before man, animals, and all of creation came under a curse. We live in an evil world. And so we can expect tribulation in this world.

But notice something that had changed. That was something I noticed as I was preparing this message, something that hadn't changed between the writing of the first letter to the writing of the second letter. They were suffering persecution when he wrote the first letter. They were continuing to experience persecution, tribulation in this world.

But now, I want to point out something that had changed and was changing. Now, God doesn't change. I know that. You know that. He is immutable. That's one of his glorious attributes, isn't it? One of his characteristics that make him so lovely and adorable. God never changed. He never needs to change. Never makes a mistake.

We were singing one of the hymns just now and after I had typed that hymn up and I read through it, asked my wife to read over it, proofread it, but I still saw as we were singing there was a mistake there. I did not capitalize God on one of those lines. I mean, isn't it so easy? We live in a world where mistakes are so common. It's just part of this fallen world.

But one thing that had changed that Paul points out to these believers is that their faith was growing. Notice that, if you will, in verse 3. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is me. because that your faith groweth exceedingly."

The graces of the Holy Spirit that are put in believers are to grow. We grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And every grace that God puts in a believer, it is to grow. And Paul could tell these believers at Thessalonica, your faith, it's not just growing, it's growing exceedingly. And I thought about how faith grows. What I could say to myself and say to you this morning, I know we all desire that our faith grows. How does faith grow?

Well, first of all, I thought about the fact that the apostles asked the Lord, increase our faith. Well, that's certainly part of it, isn't it? Ask and ye shall receive. If we want our faith to grow, well, let's begin first of all by asking, Lord, increase my faith.

I believe. Yet, help my unbelief. Yes, my faith is weak. But don't let it stay here. Let it increase. Let it grow. And let it grow exceedingly like these believers here in the church at Thessalonica. And a second thing that came to my mind about faith growing is this.

Don't concentrate on the promise. God has given us, as the scripture says, exceeding great and precious promises. So many promises we have in the word of God. But let's not focus so much on the promise as the promiser. A promise is only as good as a person who makes the promise. If a man is a liar, no matter what he promises you, that promise is no good. Why? Because he's a liar.

We should think more and meditate more on these attributes about our God. As I've already mentioned, that attribute of immutability. To think about that. I am the Lord. I change not. That's what he says about himself. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. When we read in the Gospels, the four Gospels that we have in our Bible, and we see that no matter who came to the Lord for whatever need it was, they found in him a compassionate, tenderhearted being. who heard their plea, who helped them, who answered them. He's the same today. He hasn't changed.

Think about, meditate upon the promiser more than the promises. Think about his love. Yea, the scriptures reveal unto us that God's love is eternal. so that I can stand before all of us here today and I can say to myself and to you and to anyone else who might be interested, if God loves you today, he's always loved you and he will never not love you. His love is eternal. I was especially blessed reading a couple of weeks ago A few comments on that verse in 1 Peter that says we are elect according to the foreknowledge of God. And I thought about the fact that God foreknew me. He foreknew every evil thought that I would ever have. He foreknew every evil deed that I have ever done, every sin that I've committed, whether in thought, word, or deed.

And yet, he loved me. He loved me. Knowing, he knew all about me. And yet, knowing what I would be. and the many evils and wicked things that I would be guilty of. He loved me. That was just such a blessing to me. That just warmed my heart. Wasn't as if I hadn't heard that or read that or known that or preached that before, but it just really came home to me that morning. What a blessing that God loves me in spite of all that I've been and all that I am." His love is not going to change. Meditate. Think upon the promisor.

Well, I've got to move on, but not only did Paul say that their faith grew exceedingly, but their love of everyone toward each other abounded. This grace of love, read through the first 1 Corinthians 13, that chapter on love, their love abounded. And not only that, faith, love, but their patience, their hope, these three cardinal graces that always go in the heart of a believer. Faith, yes, no one is saved apart from believing in Christ. It's a faith that worketh by love, yes, the Apostle Paul says. And we love him who first loved us. And we are begotten again unto a living hope, patience. These graces grow, and may they in us grow exceedingly.

But now, I want to get to my message. This is what attracted me to this passage of scripture. For the last several weeks I could not get this out of my mind that those words in verse 10, to be admired in all them that believe. I've entitled a message that day from those last two words in verse 10, that day. And what day does it refer to? It refers to that day that is given to us in verse 7, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven. In other words, that day concerns the day of our Lord's second coming, His return.

And the apostle speaks of that day in reference to two groups of people. And that just reminds us this morning that there are only two groups of people in this world. There are only two groups of people here in this room this morning, the saved and the lost, the sheep and the goats, the believers and the unbelievers. There's only two groups of people in this world. Those who are in a kingdom of darkness that is under the dominion of Satan and those who by the grace of God have been translated out of that kingdom. That awful, awful kingdom of darkness over which Satan reigns and has translated us into the kingdom God did. into the kingdom of the son of his love. There are only two groups of people in this world. And he speaks of our Lord's return in relation to these two groups. I'm going to follow his order because he speaks, first of all, of our Lord's return in relation to unbelievers and then to believers.

So let's look first at his coming. He's coming again, isn't he? This same Jesus, the angels told those disciples, this same Jesus that you see go up into heaven so shall come in like manner. He's coming again. The scriptures speak of His coming. But I want us just to read here what Paul the Apostle in this place wrote about His coming, that is, the Lord's second coming in relation to unbelievers.

First, and we see this in the last part of verse 7 and verse 8, When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. Don't be deceived by this idea of a secret rapture. The Bible doesn't teach that. No, when he comes again, every eye shall see him. Now, the scripture here tells us that when he is revealed from heaven, he will be revealed with his mighty angels and flaming fire.

Now, our Lord, he himself spoke of coming again with the angels several times. One example is in Luke chapter 9. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, And my words of him shall the son of man be ashamed when he shall come in his own glory and in his father's and of the holy angels. Our Lord spoke often of the fact that when he comes again, the angels, the holy angels of God will accompany him. The angel sang at his first coming into this world, remember, when he was born, a host of heavenly angels singing and praising God in the highest. So when he returns, when he comes again, he will be accompanied by myriads, thousands, if not millions or billions of angels.

He is coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The second thing we see here, not only will he be accompanied with angels, but with fire. Notice the scripture says in flaming fire. Now some people, and there are several thoughts as to what is meant by this. Some people believe that the flaming fire just means the angels. Remember when Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. That is, he was escorted, wasn't he, by the angels. And every time one of God's children leaves this world, we know that angels come to escort that soul into the very presence of God. Others think, no, this flaming fire has reference to what Peter tells us in 2 Peter.

Let me read you this. Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat when our Lord comes again. that this world is going to be burnt up and a new world. We look for a new world and new heavens.

And then others say, no. You know, our Lord in Matthew chapter 24, when he was asked about the signs of his coming, he gave this one sign. He said his coming would be like the lightning. And as I thought about that, the lightning, how sudden. On a stormy night when you see the lightning or they have some pictures, you see some pictures or film of lightning and how quickly it moves.

That's what's going to take place when the Lord comes again. It's going to happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. The dead in Christ shall rise and they which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the air to meet the Lord. Yes. But lightning not only reminds us of how sudden our Lord's going to be, but the brightness of his coming. Heaven is just, I mean, it'd be pitch dark and then a lightning and all's light for just a moment. Just a brief moment, but yet it's light.

Oh, yeah. But notice the second thing. Not only do we read that when he's revealed from heaven, his holy angels will accompany him in flaming fire, but it says, taking or yielding, if you have a marginal reading, yielding vengeance on them that know not God. and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We might say for these people that day is payday. Payday. The wages of sin is death. Most of us, when you work on a job, I'm sure most all of us here have and do, you look forward to payday, don't you?

I was thinking about this a few minutes ago when I was in the Air Force. I think two times a month we got paid and, you know, you had presents yourself before the paying officer and salute and give your name and your identification number. And I thought after all these years, I can still remember that number. AF 18-532-457. Why? Because I want to make sure when I stood before that paying officer that I got that right. I wanted my payday. But this is speaking about a payday that no one's looking forward to.

It's a day when God will render retribution, the scripture here says, to those who know not God, and those who obey not the gospel of the Lord Jesus. To know God is to have eternal life. The Lord Jesus Christ said this in his prayer in John chapter 17 and verse 2. This is life eternal. To know thee, the only true God. and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

But those who do not know God and those who have not obeyed the gospel, what does it mean to obey the gospel? It means to believe the gospel, to hear the gospel, and the gospel calls for surrender. The gospel calls for obedience, to obey. is to believe the gospel, believe the message. This is God's message. God who cannot lie, who does not change.

This is his gospel, how he sent his only begotten son into this world and gave him to die on a tree and bleed and suffer. that men might be saved. And men hear that and, oh, I'll think about that sometime. I'll pay attention to that when I have a more convenient time. Oh, that's nothing to me. Surely preacher. You don't still believe that, do you? Yes. Yes. I believe the Bible, don't you? For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Oh, I know that's true, but I don't have any interest in those things. Now, the third thing here is that the scripture says they will be punished with everlasting destruction. Now, destruction, listen, is not an Annihilation. Destruction is not annihilation. I read a few months ago about this Hollywood actor turned evangelist to now after several years said he no longer believed in eternal punishment for the wicked. Well, whether he believes it or he doesn't believe it, Let God be true and every man a liar. This is what the word of God says.

Now there is degrees of punishment, I understand that. And this is brought out to us by our Lord when he said, that servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared not Neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. Yes, I believe there will be degrees of punishment.

I believe that anyone who has lived in the United States of America in the 20th and 21st century You can get a Bible at the thrift store. Persons can read. Just have no interest, no concern. Do in spite to all that God has done, all the goodness of God that man have received. And yet, man, I don't have any interest in those things. I don't care about hearing those sob stories. That's for women. That's for old women. That's not for men. Well, people don't obey the gospel. They're going to be beaten with many stripes. Well, let me move on, and very hurriedly.

There is a clock in here, and every once in a while I'll look at it. But I want us to think for a few minutes about his reference, his coming in reference to his saints, and if you notice in verse 10, It says, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe. Now we recognize his saints and them that believe are the same people. John Gill said these are convertible terms. No man can be a saint unless he's a believer in Christ. And no man can be a true believer in Christ and not be a saint.

I know false religions come along and they've got their lies. First of all, they pray to saints. That's contrary to the word of God. When you pray, enter into your closet and pray. to your father in secret. You don't enter into your closet and pray to the Virgin Mary or to pray to Saint Alina or any other so-called saint. Pray to God. Anyone who would pray A so-called saint surely doesn't realize that you're attributing omniscience to that being.

Only God is omniscient. Only he hears prayer. And isn't it a marvel? You can be praying in your house and someone across the world on the other side of the world is praying and you say, well, God, how can he listen to us both? Because he's God. Because he's infinite. Because he's omniscient, all-knowing, all-wise.

But they tell us, well, after a person's dead, then if we can assure that a couple of miracles can be attributed to him, then we will recognize him as a saint and put him on the calendar. You know, you've all heard me say this before, but Charles Spurgeon talked about that saint. I think his name was Damien. And at that time, at least, the so-called church was teaching that he had his head taken off, decapitated, and he picked up his head and he ran for two miles. You know what Spurgeon said?

If I could believe that he took the first step, I could believe he ran for two miles. But a person with his head cut off, he's not going to take the first step. And that's what's so foolish about preachers that tell people, you take the first step and God will take the second step. No, a person who's dead, trespasses and sins, he can't take a step.

How did I get there? I'm preaching to saints here this morning. You've been set apart. You've been set apart by God. That's what the word saint means, sanctified, set apart. You've been set apart by God in eternal election. And you've been set apart when Christ died for you on the tree. And you've been set apart when God the Holy Spirit quickened you, when you heard the gospel and you believed. You are a saint, a believer.

He shall be glorified. First of all, he shall be glorified in all his saints. Well, I think one way, one thing that comes to my mind when I think about him coming, and being glorified in all of his saints will be the number, the number of believers. We go through this world and we think we're just a small group and just a few people here and there, and we are. But my friends, when all of God's elect from all ages, all of the saved are joined together. There's going to be a multitude that no man can number. He's going to be glorified in all of his saints, the number of the saints, and not one of them, not one of them that the Father gave to him in that eternal covenant is going to be missing.

All are going to be there. And then I thought about him being glorified in his saints. He's coming in a glorified body. And we're going to have a glorified body. Our body is going to be changed. The only thing we really know about his body, thinking about it being glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration, we know this, that his face His face did shine as the sun.

His garments, yes, my friends, he's going to be glorified in all of his saints being there pure, holy. Not one blemish, not one wrinkle can be found in them. Why? Because they've all been washed in the blood of Christ. He's going to be glorified in his saints.

And this too occurred to me that when that time comes that all of the hosts of heaven, all of the believers from all ages will all join in unison singing, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, Thou art Lord. Thou art Lord, King of kings, and Lord of lords. And then it says, he will be admired, admired in all his saints.

Well, let me just give you these four things. The covenant, the everlasting covenant of grace in which he received his people. We're going to be, he's going to be admired in his part in that covenant. That he became the surety for all that the father gave to him. And then we see him as God man. His incarnation, he's going to be admired as incarnate God. He's going to be admired for keeping every one of his members.

You know, the church is said to be the body of Christ. Can you imagine a body that's not complete? A body that's missing a leg or maybe an arm, maybe a finger. And say that's the body of Christ? No. Every member. He's the head, but every member of his body is going to be present. And we're all going to look up to the head. Not going to look to the arm or to the leg or to the toe. Oh, no. To the head. To the Lord Jesus Christ. Unto him belongs all glory and all praise. May the Lord bless his word to you and me today. We're going to stand and sing this last