I've got a couple of messages
that I want to bring, the first one tonight and the next one
next Wednesday night. The first message this evening
and the second message next Wednesday. And I'll be using as a text tonight
the first chapter of 2 Thessalonians. And next Wednesday, 2 Thessalonians,
the second chapter. Now this will be of interest
to you. Paul came to Thessalonica from Philippi. You remember he
determined to go to a certain place and preach, and the Spirit
of God told him not to go to that place. And he thought about
going to another place, and the Spirit of God told him not to
go there. And finally, in a vision that night, a man of Macedonia,
which is the chief city of Philippi, appeared to him and said, come
over into Macedonia and help us. So Paul went to Philippi,
and he preached there, and the church of Philippi was born.
The three first converts, you remember, were Lydia, and then
the young woman possessed of demons that followed Pearl down
the street, and then the Philippian jailer. That was the beginning
of the church at Philippi. Well, he labored there a while,
and then he went down here to Thessalonica, and he only stayed
here the first visit three weeks. preaching the gospel of Christ.
But his ministry was powerfully and wonderfully blessed of God
among these people in Thessalonica. And many Jews and Greeks were
brought to knowledge of Christ. And the Church of the Thessalonians
was established. But Paul had to flee from there
again because of persecution on the part of the Jews. And
he went from there to Berea. That's where those noble Bereans
were that searched the scriptures. And he went down to Berea. But
he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica. Timothy was generally with Paul. He was with him a great part
of the time. And he sent Timothy back to the
church at Thessalonica to comfort them and to establish the believers
there. And Timothy came back to Paul,
who was now in Corinth, and told Paul how God had blessed that
church down there in Thessalonica, brought the good news of their
steadfastness, of their faith and their love and their patience.
And Paul wrote the first epistle to the Thessalonians, and I'm
told that that was the first book The first epistle, the first
time that Paul wrote to a church, the first time God used him to
write a letter to a church was not to Rome, not to Corinth,
not to Philippi, but to Thessalonica. This was the first epistle that
God used Paul to write of the 14 that he wrote. And tonight,
I'm going to look, tonight and next Wednesday night, second
epistle, which was written about six or eight months after the
first one. The second epistle followed the
first one within months. And it was written from Corinth,
where Timothy brought the good news to Paul about the blessings
of God on this church. And the purpose of these two
chapters, 2 Thessalonians, and you'll be interested in this,
because this is what what caught my interest in studying it and
preparing it for you. There's a three-fold purpose
in this second epistle to the Thessalonians. And the first
one is this, to strengthen them in the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And that's what we meet together
to exhort one another and to encourage one another and to
preach to one another and to strengthen us in the faith of
Christ. And that's the first reason for
this epistle, is to strengthen that church in the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And then the second purpose or
reason for this book is to encourage them in the faith, to encourage
them because of the persecution to which they were submitted.
The affliction that they received. and the harassment from religious
people, from those religious Jews in particular. These people
were besieged on every hand by persecution and affliction. And
Paul writes to encourage them. And I believe if we read this
chapter tonight, and I bring you some things that I believe
the Lord revealed to me, taught me, that it will encourage you
too. It will encourage you. Strengthen
faith and encourage you in your faith. And the third reason,
we'll get into that next Wednesday night, Paul writes this book
to correct a mistake that some of these people have fallen into
concerning the second coming of Christ. And that they got from somewhere
the idea that his coming was at hand back then, back 1900
years ago. that his coming was imminent,
right now. And Paul, fearful that this persuasion
would lead some of them to neglect their business, to neglect the
duties of family and work and farms and other things. And then
it would give the enemies of God, the enemies of the gospel,
room to ridicule when it didn't come to pass. And this is what
happened out there In that meeting, when I was in California in 1994,
when Mr. Cantling was so certain that
the Lord was going to come in September, and he wrote a big
thick book, 1994, The Coming of the Lord. And many
people out there who loved his ministry and profited from his
ministry through the years believed him. And it was reported to me
that some sold their property and gave away their money and
got ready to leave here on September the 6th, 1994. And it didn't
happen. And a lot of people were devastated.
They were stunned. Their leader, in whom they had
such confidence and had such high regard, he had them in such
high regard, had been wrong and the Lord didn't come and the
enemies laughed and that's what's sad that's what's sad and this
is what Paul in next Wednesday night yeah I'm going in the next
Wednesday night but Paul wants to warn them that he'll be coming
he'll be coming and be alright for this tomorrow I'd be thrilled
to death I don't know anything to make us more happy but It
gives the enemies of Christ room to ridicule when we make prophecies
and set dates and do things like this. I love the signs on the
highway, Jesus is coming, I wish they leave one word out, soon.
Just leave the word soon, Jesus is coming soon. Have you seen
that ad along the highway? Just leave that word out, he's
coming, that's the message. But not today, maybe. And maybe
it is, but you don't have to make a prophecy. All right, tonight,
let's start with verse 1 of chapter 1. And let's just go through
here and listen to Paul. Paul and Silvanus, that's Silas
and Timothy, through the church of the Thessalonians. Now, you
turn back to chapter 1 of 1 Thessalonians. His greeting, his salutations,
the same thing. Paul and Silas and Timothy under
the Church of Thessalonians. Now Paul was the author of this
book. God used Paul to write it. I'm just confident of that.
I don't believe this is a committee book. I don't believe that God
used three men to write this. It's the epistle of Paul to the
Thessalonians. But Paul had such a warm and
kindred spirit and love for his brethren and comrades in the
gospel that he included them in his ministry. He didn't hesitate
for a moment in writing to this church of Thessalonica to say,
Paul and Silas and Timothy greet you. Paul and Silas and Timothy
send this message to you. Paul and Silas and Timothy greet
you and love you and present this gospel to you. He included
the other preacher brethren in the ministry. It's not my ministry. It's the Lord's ministry. Now
let me show you that over in 1 Corinthians 3. And this is
something that all preachers need to be warned about. Promoting
themselves, promoting their ministry, promoting their program, promoting
their effort, promoting their ideas. It's his gospel we're
preaching. It's his church to whom we're
preaching. It's his message of grace. It's
his gospel. It's not mine. It's his. Ours,
too. And here in 1 Corinthians 3 verse
4, while one says, well, I am of Apollos, and another says,
I am of Apollos. Are you not carnal? And the people,
this doesn't all originate with them. The preachers bear some
responsibility for this. There's some heavy responsibility
for this. Divisions, and the people's favorite
preacher, and all this. Who is powerful? He says. Who
is the powerless? We're just ministers by whom
you believe. We're just the voice in the wilderness.
Even as the Lord gave to every man. There's no high-ranking
minister and low-ranking minister. We're ministers of God. He says,
I've planted, Apollos has watered, God gave the increase. So then,
neither is he that planteth anything and owns I'm nothing, neither
is he that watereth, and Apollos is nothing. But God, he's everything. Now verse 8, he that planteth
and he that watereth, they're one. They're one. Every man shall receive his own
reward according to his own labor. But that's the first thing I
noted when I looked at this at this chapter here, Paul and Silas
and Timothy. Paul's a writer. Paul's the one
God's speaking to and through. But he reached out and took hold
of his brother and said, this is from all of us. We're in this
thing together. It's his ministry. And then he
says, unto the church. Unto the church of the Thessalonians
in God. in God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Today, those who take great pride
in naming a church the Church of God, the Church of Christ,
there's a sense in which that's true, that it is the Church of
the Lord Jesus Christ, but it's the Church in Christ. That's
the important thing. The Church is not a building.
The Church is not even an organization. The church is his body. The church
is his kingdom, and it might be regarded as a general, universal
church, including all believers of all generations in heaven
and earth, the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is his
body. It may be a local church of believers,
but it's in Christ. Let me show you that over in
Ephesians 1. That's the key word. Paul writing
to the church in God. the Church in God the Father
and in Christ Jesus the Lord. And this is what it's all about,
the Church in God. Ephesians 1 verse 3, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ,
in Christ, according as he chose us in Christ. before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love, having predestinated us under the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will,
to the praise of the glory of his grace when he hath made us
accepted in the beloved. That's where we dwell, that's
where we are blessed, that's where we are accepted, that's
where we are loved, that's where we are regarded in Christ. He's the head, we're the body.
You know I was looking down at Lexington and Brother Todd's
put some pictures on the wall of the study and there are no
feet up there on the wall. No pictures of feet, no pictures
of hands, no pictures of torsos, there are pictures of heads.
But when I saw the head, I knew who the whole body belonged to. The head and the body are one.
You don't put a picture of a foot up there. You wouldn't even recognize
the person. But you put the head, that's
Christ. That's Christ. And we're in Christ. You see
what I'm saying? We're in Christ. He is the head. We're the body. And they're one. And that's so clear. Look at
verse 10. That is the dispensation here
in Ephesians 1. of the fulness of time, he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, which are on earth, even in him." Moses is in heaven,
I'm on the earth, we're both in Christ. Jacob is in heaven,
Barnabas is on earth, they're both in Christ, they're one in
him. And in chapter 2, verse 6, he
said he's raised us up together and made us sit together in the
heavenly, where? In Christ. So that's such an
important word there. Paul and Silas, in our text again,
and Timothy under the church of the Thessalonians in God,
our Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he says grace unto
you. Grace unto you. And peace. from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. There are two ways in which I
believe he's dealing with this grace and peace. First of all,
there's got to be the grace and the peace in salvation. When's the first time that the
word grace is mentioned in the Bible? Well, turn to Genesis
chapter 6. Genesis 6, the first time the
word grace is mentioned in the Bible. And I've told you so often,
in the event there's someone here that hasn't heard me say
it, there's such a thing as the law of first mention. Find out
how a word is mentioned first in the Bible, and if that's the
general meaning all the way through. And here in Genesis chapter 6,
it says in verse 5, And God saw the wickedness of man was great
in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
were evil, only evil continually. It repented the Lord that he
made man on the earth, grieved him at his height. And the Lord
said, I destroy man whom I have created. I destroy him from the
face of the earth, both man and beast and creeping thing and
the fowls of the earth. It repenteth me that I have made
them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. There was
a man there named Noah. that God Almighty bestowed his
grace and love and mercy and chose him. He passed by all the
others, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And
that's the very same thing that's true in my life and your life
here tonight. Our world is evil. The thoughts, the imagination
of every heart in this world, ours too, is evil continuously. wicked, wretched, unclean, the
sons of Adam, children of wrath, even as others. But God, who
is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ,
and we found grace in God's Son." That's the reason you're saved.
That's the reason you're preserved. And that's the reason you're
delivered. And that's the reason you're redeemed. is because of
his grace and his mercy. And Moses said to him, Lord,
show me your glory. And he said, Moses, I'll cause
my goodness to pass before you, and I'll show grace. I'll be
gracious to whom I will. I'll be merciful to whom I will.
So then, it's not of him that willeth or of him that runneth,
it's of God that showeth grace and mercy. That's right. The
scripture tells us this, that election is the election of grace. Let me show that to you now,
Romans 11 verse 5. Election is the election of grace.
It's not the election of merit, it's not the election of works,
it's not the election of human choice. It says here in Romans
11 verse 5, even so then at this present time, there's a remnant
according to the election of grace. That's right. Election is the
election of grace. Justification, we're justified
by grace. Look at Titus, that's just over
a couple or three pages from where we are in Thessalonians.
Titus chapter 3 verse 7, listen to this. Now, to be justified is to be
free from sin. To be justified is just as if
I had never sinned. It's to be pardoned, forgiven,
and your sins washed away. Therefore, being justified, how? By his grace. Elections, election
of grace. Justification is being justified
by grace. They have found grace in the
eyes of the Lord. whom he foreknew, he predestinated
to be conformed to the image of his Son, whom he predestinated,
he called." What is the calling? Look with me at Galatians 1.15. This is very important, Galatians
1.15. The scripture says here, this
is Paul recounting his conversion. Here is Paul talking about when
God redeemed him, delivered him, in Galatians 1.15, but when it
pleases God. What does a man say when it pleases
God? What does a man convey when it
pleases God? Not when he wills it, or I will
it, or the preacher, or his mama wills it, it's when God wills
it. But when it pleases God. He said to me in my mother's
womb, This is something that God did in ancient times. This
is something that God did before I was born. He separated me. The word separated is sanctified. He separated me from the others.
Noah found grace in the house of the Lord. Everybody else perished,
but Noah found grace. God separated him. Did he make
that decision the day he sent the flood? No, sir. He separated
him before the world began. He pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace. By his grace. So Paul, Silas, Timothy, to the
Church of the Thessalonians, in God, our Father, and in our
Lord Jesus Christ, grace be unto you. and peace. What kind of peace? This is peace
with God. That we are being justified by faith, we have peace with
God. Christ made peace with God through
the blood of his cross. That's what Colossians says.
He made peace with God through the blood of his cross. That's
the peace, with God. And that peace with God promotes
peace in the heart. I can't have peace in my heart
until I'm at peace with God. And I can't have peace with God
until Christ puts my sins away. That's right, and calls me. And
if Christ puts my sins away and calls me, I have peace with God
and peace in my heart. I ain't sleep at night. Don't
have to be afraid of dying and going to hell. I have peace with
God, peace in my heart. And I'll tell you the third thing
it does, it makes peace between brethren. And nobody got peace
like the man who's resting in Christ. Folks just don't trouble him.
Folks, it's going to be folks no matter what folks do. And
you're not going to change them. Only God can change them. So
you rest. You find great delight in the
fact that everything that's going on is in God's hands. And he's
in charge. And you're willing for him to
be in charge. And so you have peace. Peace with him, peace
in here, peace with everybody else, peace. Now here, he says grace unto
you, grace and more grace, peace and more peace. So what Paul
is talking about secondly is not only that salvation and redemption
and sovereign grace of God that chose us, but an increase of
grace. That's what he's talking about.
Let me show you some scripture on that. Turn to 1 Peter 1. 1
Peter chapter 1. Peter talks about this grace
and this peace. 1 Peter 1 verse 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge
or foreordination of God the Father, through sanctification,
separation of the spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you and peace." The same
thing Paul said, what? Be multiplied. Be multiplied. Peter says that in the next epistle
also, grace and peace be multiplied. And not only that, but Jews said
that. Listen, in Jude, it's verse 2. Mercy unto you and peace, mercy
is grace, grace and peace and love be multiplied. Now here's
what one of the old writers said, every grace in us is imperfect
in this life. And those who have the most grace
stand in need of more. And this is a growth in grace
and a knowledge of Christ and a growth in peace and love in
its degrees, in its acts, in its exercise. Desire to send some milk of the
word that you may grow. Grow how? In grace and the knowledge
of Christ. So that's what he's wishing for
that church, a growth in grace and peace. Then he says in verse
3, you know Paul loved this congregation He had a deep love for this congregation. He recognized that they were
an unusual congregation. They were an unusual people.
And he says here in verse 3, I'm bound, I'm bound to thank
God always for you, brethren, as it is me, as it is fitting.
It is fitting to thank God, isn't it? Giving thanks in everything. That's what he means, as it is
fitting. It's fitting to give thanks. And he gives thanks,
first of all, because your faith grows exceedingly. Your faith grows exceedingly. And not only your faith is growing,
but your charity, your love, your generosity. The love and
generosity of every one of you, all toward each other, is abounding. So it's fitting that I give thanks
to God. for you and for the fact that
your faith is growing and your love is growing for one another. But he reminds them of this,
it's from God. Turn to 2 Thessalonians 2, we'll
get into next week's message just briefly here, verse 13. But we're bound to give thanks
always and only to God for you brethren, beloved of the Because
God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Through separation,
that's that word again, sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel. I thank God. I'm bound to thank God for choosing
you, separating you, calling you, revealing the gospel to
you, saving you, and giving you a growing faith and a growing
love. That's what he's saying in that
verse. In verse 4, he says this, giving God all the glory. That's
fitting. You look at verse 4 a moment,
let me turn over here and read you a verse in 1 Corinthians
15. Paul talking about himself. Listen to this. 1 Corinthians
15.10. By the grace of God I am what
I am. By the grace of God I am what I am. Everything I am. have
and know and do is by the grace of God. And his grace, which
was bestowed upon me, was not in vain. It was exercised. It was applied. It was developed. It grew. And I labored more abundantly
than anybody, than all of them. I labored. Yet not I. I loved that. Yet not I. But
the grace of God which was with me. It's all of grace. And I'll tell you, you don't
learn heaven and language until you learn that word first, grace,
grace, grace, grace, all of grace. You don't learn the heaven and
language until grace supplants or takes the place of works. Begging, boasting, defending ourselves, promoting
ourselves. It's got to be grace. Paul says,
I've never tortured anybody. That's just facts. I know it
and you know it and scripture tells you that. But it wasn't
me. It wasn't me at all. It was the grace of God in me.
So don't even take credit for nothing. That's right. It's the
grace of God. So then verse 4, he writes on
about something else here too. There's faith. their love, and
then the third word, verse 4, so that we ourselves glory in
you in the other churches of God. The other churches, I tell
the other churches about you. This is the reason why I glory
in you among the other churches. Your faith, your love, and this,
your patience, your steadfastness, and your patience. and your perseverance,
even in all your persecutions and your tribulations which you
endure. Sunday night I saw a dear lady,
good friend of many years, and she told me Sunday night that's
the first time she'd been in the service since Labor Day.
She'd been through three painful, devastating back surgeries. and
it's left her real frail and hurting, so hurting, heavy medication. But she had the sweetest expression
and the gladdest greeting and one of the most pleasant countenances,
as she spoke to me about this, she said, it's okay. Gave me
a big greeting and a big hug and said, I'm just glad to be
here to hear you preach tonight. Now that perseverance and trouble
and trial and patience in tribulation, and that's what he's talking
about. Not just persecution for the gospel's sake, a lot of that's
not too hard to bear. I consider the source, don't
you? But this pain of heart and body and misunderstandings and
disappointments and all these things, tribulations, sometimes
it's hard. He says here, I'm this gift thanks
to God. that your faith grows exceedingly,
and you love one another, and you're patient under trials and
tribulation, and you give God the glory. You're hurt in a very
blessed way, and you die in a very wonderful way, and you witness
patience. Let's just thank God for that. But back in 1 Thessalonians chapter
1, he thanks God for these same three things over here in chapter,
the very first epistle he wrote to this church. Verse 2, I give
thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in
my prayers, verse 2. Verse 3, remember without ceasing
your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of
hope in our Lord Jesus Christ and the sight of God our Father.
You're not going to quit, no matter what comes, no matter
what happens, to whom shall we go? And everything that comes
our way is ordered by our God and for our good. And this is
a manifest token, and I'll tell you what this says. Look at verse
5. Your faith, now here this will encourage every one of you,
because this is a church that believes God. This is a congregation
that loves one another. This is a congregation that has
persevered through the years in the gospel and the faith of
our Lord Jesus Christ. And that is a manifest token,
that is a clear evidence and 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. In other words, the very fact
that you identified with Christ. that he's given you faith and
love and perseverance. That's manifest evidence and
token that you're one of God's elect. That's right. That's what
he said. God's righteous. It's a manifest
token of the righteous judgment of God. God is righteous. God's going to do right. The
scripture says the judge of the earth will do right. And there's
nobody in here who believes on Christ who loves Christ and his
people and who perseveres in the grace of God that's going
to perish. God's not going to have that. He's righteous. He's
going to do right. He's going to do right for his
people. I don't care how weak your faith is and how many times
you stumble and fall. We believe God. Not a doubt in
my mind about it. We believe God. That's his righteous
judgment. He's going to do right. Turn
to Philippians 1. Listen to this. Philippians 1. Philippians 1.29. Philippians 1.28-29. Listen. Listen to verse 28, Philippians
1. And in nothing, terrified by your adversary, don't be afraid
of them, which is to them an evident token of damnation, but
to you salvation. In other words, when people come
at you and attack you for what you believe, and whom you believe,
and the grace of God in you, and the truth of the gospel,
that's a token of their damnation and a token of your salvation.
That's right. That's right. You know what he's
saying? Let nothing be terrified by your adversaries, which is
to them an evident token of perdition, The very fact that they hate
God's grace and hate his sovereignty and hate his gospel and hate
his people is a manifest token of their damnation. Evidence
of it. And the very fact that they persecute
you and see in you the gospel and the faith of God and the
faith of Christ is an evident token of salvation and that of
God. He's the one that taught you.
He's the one who gave you the grace that you demonstrate, and
the faith that you have, and the love that you show, and the
perseverance and continuation of that faith. It's of God. I
just love that scripture. You're nothing terrified by your
adversary without all within. All the adversaries aren't outside,
they're inside. We wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities and powers and rulers of the
darkness. And that little voice that whispers to you, you're
not saved, you're not child of God. You wouldn't have thought
that, you wouldn't have said that, you wouldn't have done
it. That's Satan. That's the adversaries within you. Principalities
and powers and rulers of the darkness and spiritual wickedness
in high places, they can't stand for you to rest in Christ. They
want you to rest in the church or your works or your profession
or something else. But don't you be terrified by
that at all. It's to them whatever that token of their perdition,
God will deal with every one of them someday. But to you,
it's a token of your salvation. But that's not of you, that's
of God. For, look at this verse 29, unto you it is given, it's
a gift of God, unto you it is given, in the behalf of Jesus
Christ. Not only to believe on him, but
to suffer for him. I think every one of you can
join with me and say that now. I believe this is God's will.
I believe that God reigns in heaven, earth, and the seas and
all deep places and does his will. He's eternal, sovereign
God. Jesus Christ, he's a holy God
and a righteous God. And to redeem us, he had to send
his Son into this world to give us a righteousness which we didn't
have, which God must require. which we must have and die on
that cross to pay our sin debt. We're buried rose again and ascended
back to the Father where he sits at the right hand interceding
for us. He's our Redeemer. He's our salvation. He's our
hope. And God's given us a faith in him and a love for him and
a confidence in him and a perseverance in him. And I don't care what
anything outside me or inside me says, that's what I believe.
That's whom I believe. And I'm not going to be disturbed
by him. Because he gave me that faith. It's given unto you not
only to believe on him, but to sacrifice. It's not going to
be easy. If we suffer with him, we're
running with him. But I'll tell you what this is saying. Look
at verse 6 of our text. See, it's a righteous thing with
God, not only to save you and keep you and provide for you,
but to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. You
know, if God's righteous, he's going to have to save his people,
because he's righteous. And he's going to have to damn
the unbeliever, because he's righteous. That's what it said,
because he's righteous. Manifest token of the righteous
judgment of God. Christ is born out of judgment,
therefore there's no judgment and no condemnation in Christ,
because God's righteous. He can't lie. can't change his
mind. The gifts and calling of God
are without change. But also he's righteous and he's going
to recompense tribulation to everybody that troubles his church. And to you, listen, verse 7,
and to you that are troubled about that and have little doubts
about it, you just rest with us. Oh, he had some trouble. Don't look this way, let me just
turn to it and read it. He said we've got this treasure
in an earthen vessel. This faith, this grace, this
salvation is an earthen vessel. That the excellency, the power
might be of God and not of us. And we're troubled. He's talking
about himself. I'm troubled on every side. But
I'm not distressed. I'm perplexed. I don't understand
what God's doing. But I'm not in despair. I'm persecuted. I'm persecuted, hated, despised,
but I'm not forsaken. I'm cast down. I have to look
up to see a snake's belly. I'm that low, sometimes he said.
But I'm not destroyed. So you that are troubled, rest
with me. That's what he said. You that
experience these troubles and conflicts, rest! Because the
Lord Jesus, who? The Lord Jesus. shall be revealed. He's coming again. Where's he
coming from? Heaven. Who's he bringing with him? His
mighty angels. His mighty angels. How many of them? Hard to tell. What's he going
to do? In flaming fire. He's going to
take vengeance on some folks. Who? That's the church. Not on
your line. Not on your line. He's going
to take vengeance on them who know not God. Now we know God,
because the Son of God has come and given us an understanding
that we may know God, and that we're in him. And this is the
true God, this is eternal life. But these are people who know
not God. That's what Pharaoh said, I don't know God. Moses
said, God said, let my people go. He said, who is God that
I should obey him? John Wayne didn't know God. I
heard him say out of his own mouth, well God, he, she, it,
whatever's up there, he didn't know God. Most of the generation I live
in doesn't know God. But they wouldn't use his name
like they do. And they wouldn't allow the frivolity and foolishness
and the pulpit that they allow. And there'd be some reverence
and fear in worship. And there'd be some preaching
of the truth if they knew God. He's going to take vengeance
on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ. And there's just one gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the gospel of his grace.
The gospel concerning his son. The gospel of God. His son who
was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. and declared
to be the Son of God with power. That's the gospel that they had
obeyed. And what's the extent of their punishment? Verse 9,
they'll be punished with everlasting destruction. It's not a temporary
thing, this is it. Let the unrighteous be unrighteous
still. Let the wicked be wicked still.
Let the righteous who know God be righteous still. He will be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.
Think about that, cleared out of his presence. Where is that? And from the glory of his power,
totally removed from any presence or glory of God. But he shall
come to be glorified in his saints. He's going to vindicate you.
And he's going to be admired in all of them that believe.
They'll always have admired him. They're going to really admire
him then when they see him as he is, and they like him. Oh
boy, boy, we'll be able to sing then. Because our testimony among you
was believed. What is our testimony? It's the
gospel. Paul said all of this is your inheritance, and in certain,
because God's righteous. And it's yours because of what?
You believed the gospel! When I came to you, I have testimony
among you, in that day, back yonder when I first came and
preached the gospel, you believed it! And you still believe it. And that's the reason you're
going to be glorified in Him.