2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 will
begin reading at verse 13. As Mike said in his reading from
Ephesians chapter 2, we begin with the word but. But. A big word. A big word. Because it speaks
of God's intervention on the behalf of helpless needy sinners.
And Paul says, but we are bound to give thanks. The psalmist
asked, what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits
toward me? But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. whereunto he called you
by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast
and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether
by word or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and hath given
us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort
your hearts establish you in every good word and work. Many, many years ago, Job asked a question. In light of who God is, considering
who God is, just, holy, Altogether so, altogether just and holy. And then on the other hand, in
light of who man is, all men, all men by nature, full of sin, no exceptions, none
righteous, none seeking after God, all gone out of the way,
altogether sin, In light of these two truths, these two facts,
God as he is, not brought down, not brought down to man's level,
no, but God as he is, high, lifted up, holy, pure, righteous, just. And man as he is, not lifted
up, not to be made more than he is. Job, in the light of those
two facts, asked this question. Considering who God is, so high,
so holy, and who man is, so sinful, so fallen, Job said, in the light
of those two things, how should man be just with God? What a question. What a question. How can man, considering who
he is, what he is, how can such a being be just, be declared
right, not guilty, in the sight of such a God? How can it be? Men, women, go through life,
their entire lives, They ask themselves, how can I get more
of this world? How can I accumulate more? How
can I have a better home, another car, more of this world's pleasures? Others say, how can I acquire
fame? I want to be known. I want to
be somebody. They go through life asking such
trivial questions as that and never consider, never ponder,
they leave this world having never asked the question, how
should man be just with God? Peter, John referred to it in
his lesson this morning, said, be ready believer, be ready always
to give an answer to anyone that should ask you the reason of
the hope that's in you. The reason of the hope that's
in you. What can give a sinner, really give a sinner a good hope? A good hope. A well-grounded
hope. A hope with this foundation of
forgiveness, of salvation, of heaven. People answer today if
you would ask them that. They would answer, I hope to
go to heaven because, and they would give various reasons, but
they would all start in the same way. I hope to go to heaven because
I, I. Wrong. That's the wrong place
to start. Wrong place to begin. But, but,
there is a way by which a sinner can have a hope. of these things. A good hope, we read. A God-given
hope. Everything other than this is
a baseless hope, worthless. Look at the answer again in verse
16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself,
our Lord Jesus Christ himself, not preacher, not priest, not
church, but the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father,
which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation
and good hope through grace." Good hope through grace. There's
the answer. There's the answer. By grace
alone in Christ alone. That's the title of my message.
A good hope through grace. In the previous verses, we didn't
read them, but beginning at verse 3 through 12, Paul is describing
that these believers at Thessalonica, he's speaking of a time of a
general falling away from the truth. The truth about who God
really is. Paul says there'll come a time
when people won't believe that. The truth about God, the truth
about Christ, the truth about salvation. How does God save
sinners? How can man be just with God?
He speaks of a universal turning away from the gospel of God's
grace and a deliberate forsaking of God's word and willfully embracing
a lie. That's now. John, that's now. We don't have to wait for that
day to come. We're living in that day. That's
now. Turn, if you will, to 2 Timothy
chapter 4. He speaks in his last epistle,
his last words to his beloved Timothy. Paul mentions this time
again. And he says, Timothy, in verse
2, preach the word of chapter 4, 2 Timothy 4 verse 2. Preach
the word. Be instant in season and out
of season. When's the best time to preach?
In season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with
all long-suffering and doctrine. Timothy, stay the course. Don't be deterred. For the time
will come, verse 3, when they will not endure sound doctrine,
but after their own lust, according to their own thoughts, their
own imaginations, their own ideas, shall they heap to themselves
teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away from
their rather they will turn away their ears from the truth and
shall be turned unto fables. That's what Paul talked about
in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. When I first, 25 years ago, began working at the University
of Kentucky. I was going to say UK, but someone
might think I'm thinking of United Kingdom, which I'm not. University
of Kentucky. There was a man in the shop where
I worked. He'd heard me preach a few times.
And he was going to a church in Lexington who was looking
for a pastor. And he asked me, would I be their
pastor? He said, Larry, we'll give you $40,000 a year. He said,
you'll never make that here. He was right about that. And
a home, and a car, and an expense account. And I said, I'm sorry,
Kenneth. I can't. I can't do that. And
he just looked bewildered. He looked, why not? Why not,
he said. And I said, because the gospel
that I preach and what you believe are not the same thing. The gospel
that I preach and the gospel that is preached at your church
or has been are two different messages. They're not the same. One of them must be wrong. They
can't both be right. It's impossible. Because one
says salvation is by man's will, by man's worth, by man's effort,
by man's work. But the message of the gospel
is this. Salvation is by God's will, and
God's merit, and Christ's grace, and Christ's work. They're not
the same message. I remember years ago, I was a
young fella, much younger than I am now. But I was sitting where
you are, listening to Brother Henry Mayhem. And he said, if
there's one place, if there's one place where you dare not
preach the gospel, he said, it's not in the brothels, but it's
in the average church. And I'll be honest with you,
I scratched my head because I thought, really? Really? But as the years
have gone by, I have found by experience, experience, I have
preached the gospel in church, a church where my family went,
a church where my sister attended, mom attended, and I stood one
day having been asked to preach and I preached the gospel of
God's free grace and was told, don't let the door bump you on
your way out. So sad, so sad. But I found Henry's words to
be exactly true. And that's the backdrop of what
Paul writes here. These words beginning at verse
13. Can you imagine? Can you imagine
the very first time this letter was read to the believers at
Thessalonica? Can you imagine? because they
come together to listen. They have an epistle, a letter
especially to them from their great beloved Apostle Paul. That one from whom they first
heard the gospel of God's free grace. That instrument used of
God to sound forth with clear distinction, the gospel of God's
grace and salvation and many of them have believed and they
have a letter now, a second letter from Paul and they gather to
hear it. And Paul has already spoken of
that time of great deception, that time when many people will
be deceived believing the lie And then in verse 13, Paul says,
but I'm not talking about you. Can you imagine how their hearts
must have soared? There must have went up, oh,
blessed be God. There must have went up a hallelujah. There must have went up a few
glories when they came to this and the man read, but we are
bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren, Beloved of the
Lord, because God has not left you in darkness. God's not left
you to your will. God's not allowed you to be deceived. No, God's not allowed you to
believe the lie. No, God loves you. God loves
you. God's loved you with an everlasting
love. And God's proven it. God loved
you, therefore God chose you. God chose you to salvation, imagine
that. And God revealed his truth to
you. And God called you out of darkness. He called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light. God fetched you to himself. by His marvelous grace. God revealed
to you of all people, God revealed to you His Son, Jesus Christ,
whom to know is life eternal. What a time of rejoicing it must
have been. But God. But God. That changes everything, Mike.
That changes everything. But God be thanked. Why? because he didn't leave me to
myself. He didn't leave me to myself.
I'm so thankful that salvation is not by man's will. None would
be saved. None would be saved. If God leaves
any sinner alone, just leaves them where they want to be, leaves
them to their will, they're bound to perish. This is what Paul
concluded. In Romans 9, God said to Moses,
I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. It's my mercy. It's my compassion. It's a gift. I'm not obligated
to give it. If I give it, it'll be a free
gift of my grace. Paul says, then in light of that,
if that's so, that being the case, so then, it's not of him
that willeth, it can't be, that can't be the reason, nor him
that runneth, but it's of God that showeth mercy. Salvation
is not my doing. That's what most people believe
today. But throughout scripture, the
message is salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is God's doing. It's God's work. Does that matter? God doing? But God, does that
matter? Such a question is evidence of
the spiritual darkness of our day. Because we hear on every
hand, God wants to, God wants to, but God can't. My eighth
grade teacher used to sit on the front of his desk and if
we'd be a little rowdy, he'd take the heel of his shoe and
hit the desk and say, all right, enough. Stop, stop, stop. Hold the fork, I think is what
he'd say. Stop. Think about what was just
said. God wants to but can't? That doesn't jive. That doesn't
click, John. God wants to but can't? I read in the scriptures, God
Himself speaking, and He says, I shall do all my pleasures,
saith the Lord. Where is your God, David? Oh,
my God's in the heavens. And He does whatsoever He hath
pleased. God can't. We're told God tries. God tries, but He's often frustrated
in His purpose, in His will. It's turned aside. Really? How? Who has the power to do that?
Who's able to resist the power, the will of God? Who can stop
God? Who can stay His hand? Some folks
think the devil can. That he's a rival to God. That
he's an equal to God. When he said, the devil that
is, I will ascend to the throne of the Most High. I will be like
God. What happened? God booted him
out. No, you won't be. No. If that's true, if God only attempts
something but can't bring it to pass, then what difference
does God make? What difference does God make?
But when we come to such words as these, but God, but God, it's
a sweet note of hope. That gives this helpless, sinful
creature hope. But God, oh that sings of a certain
salvation. Because God does it. But God, He must triumph. He must triumph. Why not? Why not? Jeremiah Speaking of
this great and glorious God, this God that's in the heavens,
this God that saith above all, this God that rules over all,
always, all the time, everywhere, Jeremiah said, is anything too
hard for you? He was praying. And he said,
God, nothing's too hard for you. Nothing's too hard for you. Turn
if you will to Exodus chapter 15. This is the subject, God's
greatness, God's accomplishments. Not God's attempt, but God's
accomplishment. The subject of what God has done
is what they're singing about in this song of Moses at the
Red Sea. And in these 18 or so verses, You won't find one word about
man's will, except Pharaoh said, I will, and God said, no, you
won't. You won't find a word about man's merit, man's worth. It's all about God. It's all
about God. Because in the last few verses
of the previous chapter, chapter 14, verse 30, thus the Lord said
to Israel that day, The Lord saved them. The Lord did it all.
The Lord parted the ways. The Lord led them across. The
Lord destroyed Pharaoh and his mighty army. The Lord did it
all. Verse 31, and Israel saw that
great work. Oh, that sinners today would
hear that blessed news, that blessed glorious news, the gospel
of God's free grace, how that He saved sinners, that they would
see that great work which only the Lord could do. upon the Egyptians
and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and His
servant Moses. The subject is not of what God
attempted to do but what God accomplished. If I didn't even
know, if I didn't even know what the subject of the song was about,
I would know the outcome. If it's about God, if they're
talking about God, they're going to talk about something that
was done. Something that was accomplished.
Something that God Almighty did. Why? Because He's God Almighty. None can stay His hand or say
unto Him, what doest thou? God did it. That's why Paul in
Romans 8. He says, we know that all things
work together for good. We know that. How do we know
that, Paul? How can we know that? He tells
us how. We know that all things work
together for good to them who love God, to them who are thee
called according to His purpose. His purpose. God always succeeds. He always accomplishes His purpose. That's why Paul went on to say,
for whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate. And whom
He predestinated, them He also called. And those he called,
he justified. And those he justified, he glorified. From everlasting love to everlasting
glory. There's a chain of God's invincible
grace that can never be broken. That's why we know that all things
must work together for good. Here in Exodus chapter 15 verse
1. Then sang Moses and the children
of Israel this song unto the Lord. And spake, saying, I will
sing unto the Lord. For he tried, he did his best. Oh no, well that's not worth
singing about. Oh no, I will sing unto the Lord
because he triumphed gloriously, O child of God. Brothers and
sisters in Christ, this is the same song we're going to sing
one day when the great shepherd of the sheep brings all of his
chosen home. We're going to sing, we're told
in Exodus chapter 15, the song of Moses and of the Lamb, and
we're going to say, hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The Lord hath triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider hath
he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song
and He has become my salvation. He is my God. He's my God. He's my God. I'm His. I'm His and He's mine. He is
my God and I will prepare Him in habitation. My Father's God
and I will exalt Him. Attorney, if you will, we mentioned
this song of Moses that is in Revelation chapter 15 and of
the land. Look how much alike they are if you read Exodus 15
and then Revelation 15. But here in Revelation 15 verse
1, John says, And I saw another
sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven
last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And
I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire and them that
had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and
over his mark. God had not appointed you to
wrath but to obtain salvation but God. And over the number
of his name and stand on the sea of glass having the harps
of God and they sing the song of Moses The servant of God in
the song of the Lamb sang, great and marvelous are thy works,
Lord God Almighty. How great thou art. Just and
true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear
thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name, for thou art only art holy. For all nations shall come and
worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest. A true idea of God. A revelation
of himself does this. In verse 11 of Exodus chapter
15 of this song of praise at the Red Sea, we read these words.
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee,
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. There's none like you. Free will,
the message of free will, the gospel according to man's free
will, that other gospel will never produce that. It will never
produce that. It will never cause that. It
will do the very opposite. It will never bow a sinner down. It will give him every reason
to stand up. Oh, but an idea of who God is,
When we remember it's only God's grace that's made us to differ.
Mike read it in Ephesians 2. We were children of wrath just
like everybody else. Well then, who made us to differ? But God. But God. Even when we were dead in sins,
have quickened us together by grace are ye saved. But God. Free grace will make us bow down
in true worship and cry, who is like our God? Who is like
our God? My soul. Why should God love me? Choose
me. Give me to Christ. Christ die
for me. Call this rebel. He did all that
for this worthless sinner. Who is a God like Him? Of Him. and through him, and to him are
all things. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. It will cause us to give
all the praise to that one from whom we receive all the grace. I like the old hymn that says
this. It was grace that wrote my name in God's eternal book. It was grace that gave me to
the Lamb who all my sorrows took. Grace taught my soul to pray,
made my eyes overflow. It was grace that's kept me to
this day and will not let me go. Grace has kept me to this day
and will not let me go. The multitude said concerning
our Lord's message, oh, that's hard, that's hard, we can't bear
that, we won't hear it, and they walked away. And the Lord looked
at the apostles and said, do you want to go? Do you want to
join the crowd? Most people do. And they said,
oh, we got nowhere else to go. Oh, thank God for grace that
makes us answer. We've got nowhere else to go
to. It's grace that's kept me to
this day and will not let me go. Paul tells them and every
believer, God has made you to differ. You have a good hope
through grace. Grace. Remember what that is. Grace, God's unmerited favor. Most people think of grace as
just a wish, just a desire on God's part. That's their idea
of grace. Oh, but grace is not God's desire. It's God's work. It's God's doing. God says, I will be gracious. Gracious is not an attribute
that I possess and I keep to myself. Grace is something that
I'm going to bestow upon sinners. Someone, a multitude of someone's
are going to experience my grace. Nothing in them that can attract
God's grace. And nothing in them will ever
make him take it away. Nothing in them that attracted
it and nothing in them can make God withdraw it. God's grace
is not an offer to save, but God's grace is an operation,
His mighty work that raises dead sinners to life. Will an offer
help Lazarus? Will an offer help Lazarus? Lazarus, dead Lazarus, I mean
Lazarus in the tomb. If Christ came before the tomb
of Lazarus, he said, Lazarus, if you'll take the first step,
can you imagine Martha looking at Mary and saying, did we hear
him right? Lazarus is dead. Our brother's dead. He's been
dead four days. He can't help himself. But that's
not what the resurrection and the life said. He said and did
what he does for every dead sinner. What he did for you, child of
God, he came to where you were, dead in sin, as Mike read, and
he said, And He infused into you the very
life that flows through Himself. The same life that's in our glorious
head is in every member of His body. Because I live, because
I live, ye shall live also eternal life. Grace is what God does. Look at what Paul says. God chose
you. But we are bound to give thanks
for you brethren because God has from the beginning chosen
you. Chosen you to salvation. Oh my
soul. Think about that. Get along. Turn off the TV. Push back from
the computer. Put the cell phone away. Get
along with God and ask, oh Lord, oh Lord my God, when I in awesome
wonder, you chose me. You chose me. Some of you met
my mother a few years ago. The Lord willing, she'll be spending
a few days with me the first week of December. If she's not
already told you so, ask her. Of her five sons, the one she
would consider most unlikely To ever be a Christian, much
less a preacher, I'll guarantee you, she'll say, Larry, he broke
my heart. He gave me more trouble than
the other four put together. And that's just the truth. And I'm not proud of it. Oh,
my soul. God Almighty chose this rebel
before he ever created the world. He loved me. And He chose me
in Christ. Oh, Paul said, Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according as He has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him. Oh, wow. That's about all I can say about
that. Wow. without blame before him? Exactly so. The only explanation
of that is grace. And Paul says in verse 14, because
he loved you and chose you, he called you. He called you. That's how we know we've been
elected. That's the only way we can know
because in time God comes to us and by his grace he calls
us out of darkness. This is exactly what the Apostle
Paul wrote in Galatians chapter 1. Let me read it to you. Paul
said, you've heard of my conversation, how I lived. In times past in
the Jews' religion, man, I was engulfed in it. I embraced it. How that beyond measure I persecuted
the church of God and I wasted it. And I thought I was doing
God a service. I thought that was God's will. That's how blind
Paul was. And I profited in the Jews' religion
above many my equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly
zealous of the traditions of my fathers. And Paul would have
lived and died a self-righteous Pharisee, and in hell lifted
up his eyes but God. And so would you, and so would
I, except this, but when it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's womb and called me by His grace, my sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. And grace will preserve us, grace
will keep us. Peter wrote, you are kept by
the power of God. This grace that's kept me to
this day and will not let me go. And Paul wrote on in verse
14 and said, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ. He prayed,
Father, I will also that all those whom thou hast given me
be with me where I am. Mike, we talked yesterday evening
while I was sitting on the phone about some of our ailments, our
weaknesses that come with age. Oh, but look what we've got to
look forward to. One day, one day, one day, Mike,
we're just gonna lay this old body down and we're gonna be
ushered into the presence of that one who loved us and gave
himself for it and behold his glory to be with Christ. No wonder Paul says we're bound
to give thanks again. Can you imagine, especially against
the backdrop that Paul wrote these words when he spoke about
that delusion and darkness and unbelief, deception, but he says,
oh, but not so with you. Not so with you. We're bound
to give thanks. No wonder Paul said we're bound
to do so. Turn, if you will, to Romans
chapter 11 and we'll bring this to a close. Romans chapter 11. Paul speaks about his kinsmen. whom he loved, whom he was burdened
for, whom he wanted to see saved, as every child of God does concerning
their loved ones. But he spoke of Israel seeking
that which they never found. In Romans chapter 5, I'm sorry,
Romans 11 verse 5, Romans 11 verse 5, even so then at this
present time There is a remnant according to the election of
grace. And if by grace, then it is no
more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be
of works, then it is no more of grace, otherwise work is no
more works. What then? What then? Israel
had not obtained that which it seeketh for, but the election
have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Israel had not
obtained. They looked in the wrong place.
They looked to their works, their religion, the law, but they didn't
find it. They didn't find acceptance with
God. They didn't find salvation. They didn't find grace. But here's
the sinner. Here's the sinner, looking only
to Christ, and in doing so, Paul says he's obtained a perfect
righteousness. Perfect righteousness. That's
grace that gives us a good hope. A good hope through grace. Now
let me send you home with this. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling and to present you faultless, faultless, before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God, our Savior,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Amen. God bless you. Thank you for your attention.