Turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter
1. Mike's going to sing us a special,
but I, after looking at the message, I asked him if he would do that
at the end of the service. But 2 Timothy chapter 1, and we'll begin reading in verse
8. 2 Timothy 1, verse 8. Paul writing to Timothy, he says
this, he says, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God. Paul tells Timothy, and in doing
so he tells the church to prepare himself, to prepare themselves
to endure those afflictions that will come upon him for preaching
the word. Not just him, but those that
he preaches to. There's going to be afflictions.
You know, we preach and we believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's the gospel of peace. And yet, man's depravity Our
depravity often brings about trouble, brings about division,
brings about persecution. And Paul says this, don't be
ashamed of this gospel. Don't be ashamed of this gospel
or me. Consider that. You know, you
think about we're persecuted for what we believe. Paul was,
he was in prison for it. He was placed in prison for what
he declared, for what he believed. In 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 3,
Paul wrote to the church of Thessalonica and he said this, your faith
groweth and your love aboundeth. And we glory in your patience
and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which you endure.
And he goes on to say, this is a manifest token, this is evidence
of the righteous judgment of God that you might be counted
worthy to suffer. God's people can expect trial. God's people can expect trouble. God's people can expect Tribulation. It's just so. It's written in
God's Word. But he goes on to say this, it's
a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them
that trouble you. Who's going to recompense it?
What's our desire? I'll take care of this, right?
Who's going to recompense it? God's going to. God's going to. God's going to repay men for
the evil that they do to God's sheep. God will. We probably ought to
write that down somewhere, shouldn't we? We need to be reminded. God
will take care of it. Self-righteous men and women
all the way back to Paul's time, and we can even go further back
into the Old Testament, have always persecuted his messengers,
have always persecuted his church. They seek a preeminence. They
have a desire to be one of those that's, I guess, in charge and
making decisions. But even worse, even worse than that, Those that would do that think
they know better than God. That was seen over and over in
the Old Testament. Remember that when God delivered
the children of Israel? What did they do? They do what
we do today. They murmured and they complained
and they found fault. They complained about Moses.
They complained about Aaron. I ask you this, who called Moses
to lead the people? Was it Moses that said, let me
lead? No, Moses said, I can't even
speak. Who called Moses? God did. God raised up Moses. That's just
so, isn't it? That's what happened. So listen,
not only when the children of Israel complained against Moses, They were questioning Almighty
God. They were questioning His sovereignty.
They were questioning His will. So if that's the case, why would
we expect anything different in our day? And if you read on
in 2 Thessalonians 1, listen in verse 7. Title of the message will come
from this passage of scripture here. It says this, 2 Thessalonians
1 verse 7, and to you who are troubled, listen to these three
words, rest with us. 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 the Lord Jesus Christ. Rest. Rest with us. We worry about
the enemy sometimes, don't we? Often. What do we read here? God will
take care of the enemy. in his time. Well, again, I believe
this is a good title for the message this morning. Rest With
Us. Now, turn back to 2 Timothy 1
8. 2 Timothy 1 8. Look beginning with this verse
here, and I believe there's five reasons. I know there's many
more reasons than that, but for sake of time, five reasons that
we can rest. Five reasons to rest. Verse eight,
be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,
nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel, according to the power of God, who has saved us
and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given in
Christ Jesus before the world began. Verse 10, but is now made
manifest by the appearing of our Savior who hath abolished
death and brought life and immortality through the gospel. Five reasons. He saved us. He called us, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. Fourth, he's given in Christ
from before the world began, eternal. And then fifth, this
has been made known through the gospel, through the preaching
of his word. Well, let's look at these quickly
here this morning. First, He saved us. We could probably just stop right
there, couldn't we? He saved us. God, Almighty God,
who hath saved us. Who did? He did. God did. Almighty God saved us. Can you rest in that? Can we
take comfort and rest in that? God, who hath saved us, clearly
written in God's Word, salvation is of the Lord. There's nothing in us that would
merit salvation. Listen, when we've done all,
let's just say we've done everything we can do, what are we considered? What's God worth? We're still
unprofitable servants, huh? We've done no more than what
our duty is to do. He said, when we've done all,
we're still unprofitable servants. Man says, I've heard people,
you've heard people say this, huh? I know him. I know this
person. He has a good heart. We might in the sight of man,
but not in the sight of Almighty God. Jeremiah wrote this, this
heart, it is deceitful above all things. It is desperately
wicked. Who can know it? Who can know
it? Listen to just a few of these
scriptures. Psalm 14.1 says, The fool hath
said in his heart, there is no God. No God. They are corrupt. They have done
abominable works. There is none that doeth good. None that doeth good. Psalm 53,
verse 3, every one of them is going back. They are all together
become filthy. There is none that doeth good. And he finishes it, no, not one. Romans 3, 12, we read the same
thing. They're all going out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that
doeth good, no, not one. Isaiah 1, verse 6, from the sole
of the foot, even unto the head, there's no
soundness in it. What is it? Wounds? Bruises? Putrefying sores? They've not
been closed. They've not been bound up. They've
not been mollified with ointment. I ask you, does that sound like
a description of anyone that could save themselves? Just like that infant, back there
in the Old Testament, that infant cast out into the open field. We remember that. We remember
that story, don't we? Laying there, that child lays
there dead, polluted in their own blood. That's us. We'll lay there and
we'll die, polluted in our own blood, apart from the master
passing by. Passing by in mercy and saving
us. He must speak life. He must cover
my nakedness. He must wash me and clothe me."
Again, salvation is of the Lord. It's of Him. You know, at the
cross, at the cross, we read this, there was none. All these men talking about how
they're helping the Savior. Where were they then? And where
are they now? None to help. He said, I've trodden
the winepress alone. And of the people, there was
none with me. Not one. Spurgeon once said this,
the whole of the work whereby a lost sinner is lifted from
the dunghill of sin, washed in the blood and made righteous,
exalted to eternal life and glory is of the Lord and of Him alone. He saved us. Second, He called us. He called us. He saved us and
then He called us. Our calling is the effect of
salvation, not the cause of it. Turn with me to Romans. Chapter
8, hold your place there and turn to Romans 8. Romans 8, verse 30. Moreover. Whom He did predestinate,
them He also called. And whom He called, them He also
justified. And whom He justified, them He
also glorified. Who called? Who did the calling? He did. He called. You know by
nature, by nature we do not love God. In fact, by nature, we hate
him. By nature, we will not come to
Christ. Who does man love? Me, right? He loves himself.
We love darkness. We love evil. We love sin. John
3, 19 says this, this is the condemnation. Light is coming
to the world. And men loved darkness rather
than light. Why? Because their deeds were
evil. Listen, if a man or a woman or
a young person is to come to Christ in repentance and faith,
they must be effectually called, huh? Convicted and made willing
to believe. Psalm 110 verse 3 says this,
His people are made willing, when? In the day of His power. Paul, writing to the Galatians,
he spoke of this calling. He said, When it pleased God
who separated me from my mother's womb and called me. He called me by His grace. Consider, Paul. What good thing
in Paul would have caused the Lord to call him? Consider him
in his rebellion and in his persecution of the church, nonetheless. He persecuted believers. He persecuted men who proclaimed
the word. He persecuted those who believed
the word. Yet God, in his own time, Stopped
him. He stopped Paul and he called
him to the Lord Jesus Christ. What? When it pleased God in
his time. He stopped him, that road of
rebellion that he was on, and he enlightened him and he called
him to himself. What about Lazarus? Consider
Lazarus. He laid in the grave. Lazarus
is helpless to do anything, yet the Savior speaks in power. Lazarus' body had laid in that
grave for four days. You see an animal lay by the
road for four days. You don't just see it, you smell
it, don't you? You roll the wind up when you go by. Martha said
that. She said, by this time his body
stinketh. It had began to decay. And yet
that stone was taken away and the Lord cried with a loud voice
and he said, Lazarus, come forth. Can a man that's dead come forth
from the grave? Not in man's power he can't,
but in God's power he can. Lazarus, come forth. That irresistible call, that
effectual call, he called him by name. It was a personal call.
And what happened? He said, Lazarus, come forth.
And he that was dead, he that was dead came forth. It was the
voice of the Lord that brought forth this dead man. And listen, it's by his word
and his power that he continues to call dead men forth to himself. Dead in trespasses and sin, spiritually
dead. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2.1,
you, you hath he quickened, which were dead, in trespasses and
sin. He saved us. He called us. Third, not according to our works,
but according to his own purpose and grace. Not according to our
works. We just repeat that over and
over again. Not according to our works. Our best works are
filthy rags in the sight of Almighty God. Scripture says we were without
Christ. We were aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no
hope, and without God in this world. Yet the Lord saved us. The Lord called us, again, not
according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. Now that does not tickle the
ears of men. The world wants a God that they
can control, that they can influence. They want a Savior that they
can help. that they can contribute something
to. They speak of a savior that died to take away the sins of
all, yet men are still in hell being
punished for sin. A God who wants to save, but
can't apart from the will of man. God's word says this, I kill.
and I make a life, I wound, and I heal. Neither is there any
that can deliver out of my hand. They want a God to save them
for what they've done rather than a God who saves for what
he has done in the person and work of his son. He saves us. He calls us. according to his own purpose
and grace. The purpose, the purpose of almighty
God. Aren't we thankful that he purposed
to save some? I tell you what, if he hadn't,
none would be saved. He made the Lord Jesus Christ
our mediator. He made His only begotten Son
our mediator. And to do so, He was made a man. He said, a body have I prepared
Him. And in the fullness of time,
He came. The Lord Jesus Christ came. God
in human flesh came to this earth and suffered and died in the
room instead of His people. And that suffering and death,
was purposed by Almighty God. It was determined by Almighty
God and according to His gracious will. Grace and salvation, those don't
come from man. No, they're from Almighty God. Fourth, He said they were given
us in Christ. before the world began. His purpose and grace given in
Christ before the world began. Given. Given. Listen to that
word. Given in Christ Jesus. Given. If something's given,
truly given, it's not earned. It's not merited. If it's given,
it's a gift. It's a gift, a free gift, not
something that's conditional. You do this and I'll do that.
No, listen, it's the sovereign will of Almighty God to save
His people. Ephesians 2 verse 8, For by grace
are you saved through faith, and that's not of yourselves.
What is it? It is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man
should boast. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them." The gift of God, purposed by
God, promised from all eternity. We say this often, before there
was a sinner, there was a Savior. Can you rest in that? Grace and
salvation are of God, not man. Listen to these words from Titus
chapter 3. Titus 3 verse 5, Not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy
He saved us. By the washing of regeneration
and the renewing of the Holy Ghost which shed on us, He shed
on us abundantly. through Jesus Christ, our Savior,
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Thanks. Thanks be unto God for
his unspeakable gift. It's an unspeakable gift. We
can't even describe it, can we? Can't even begin to enter into
it. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's the giver of every good
and perfect gift. He's the fountain of all blessings. He's the only savior of sinners. It's a gift that is indescribable. It's a gift that is inexpressible.
It's a gift that is beyond telling. In all of this, all of it, salvation
was done by God's purpose, by His grace in Christ Jesus before
the world began. Well, look back at our text,
2 Timothy 1, look at verse 10. He says, it's now made manifest
by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished
death and brought life and immortality to life through the gospel. Fifth point, this gift, this love, this mercy,
this grace is made known through the preaching of God's gospel,
the preaching of his word. This gospel, this savior, this
great salvation is made manifest. It's made known. It's revealed
through his incarnation. God was made a man. And it's brought to life through
the preaching of his word. He abolished death. He brought
forth life and immortality through the gospel. What are we saying? Salvation is of the Lord. It's all of Him. The preaching
of the Word which declares Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians
chapter 2. 2 Corinthians chapter 2, look at verse 14. Now thanks be unto God, which
always causes us to triumph in Christ. and maketh manifest the
savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto
God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in
them that perish. The one we're the savour of death
unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who, truly who is sufficient
for these things? We preach the word. We declare the gospel for the
glory of God and for the salvation of sinners. Read on in our text,
back in 2 Timothy. Paul says, whereunto I'm appointed
a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles, for
the which cause I also suffer these things." Again, it's hard
to believe a man would suffer for preaching the gospel. It's
hard to believe that people suffer for believing God's gospel. Paul was, again, he was in prison
for it. But he said this, nevertheless, I'm not ashamed. For I know whom
I believe, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that
which he has committed unto me against that day." Now, we began
the message reading 2 Thessalonians, to you who are troubled, rest
with us. And I'll say this in closing.
From time to time, I get tired. I grow like you, just like you.
I get tired and I grow weary. And when I do, I enjoy. I enjoy a good rest. I worked on a farm when I was
younger. And we would start the day. Old farmer, he'd take an envelope,
and he would just write down everything that needed to be
completed during the day. And when we were done, at the
end of the day, we'd pull up some five-gallon buckets, and
we'd sit on them. And he'd go through there, and
he'd scratch them off. And for just a little bit of
time, we'd rest. That was just so enjoyable. Even
as uncomfortable as a five-gallon bucket is just sit there and
rest. Why? The work was finished. To you who are troubled, what's
the command? Rest. How can I rest? Work's finished. The work is
finished. He saved us. He called us. not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, given us in Christ
Jesus from before the world began. He made known unto us through
the gospel, through the preaching of his word. What's left to do? Nothing. Rest. Rest in Him. He did it all. He finished the
work. Are you weary? Are you weary? Rest. Rest with us.