How is it that you are here as a believer today? Really? Is it just your background? Thousands had your background and have rejected it completely. Why not you? Is it just your friends? Thousands have had friends like you and never come to a living knowledge of Christ? Never underestimate the miracle of your salvation. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick and I think that’s something Colin that a lot of us do. We just think, oh, okay, I’m saved, not really thinking about what it means that Christ has saved us. Yeah, and that’s the key phrase. Paul says to Titus, God saved us. Not just he made it possible for us to be saved as if, you know, he opened a way and then it was good little me that found my way onto that way and ultimately, therefore, I saved myself. It was merely that a facility was kind of opened by God. No, that’s not what it is. He saved us, was an act of God that led to me being in Jesus Christ. And there’s another side that should give a lot of hope for their unbelieving friends and family members. Yeah, if he saved me, he’s able to save others. We believe in a God, the Bible teaches a God who is able to intervene in people’s lives. He’s free to do this. He takes initiatives. He doesn’t wait for us. If he had waited for us to get to him, none of us would ever come. No, he comes to us. He finds the one who’s not yet seeking. It’s a wonderful thing. And therefore, if you’re praying for someone who at this moment shows no interest in the things of Christ at all, here’s your hope that Christ is the one who saves. He’s able and free to intervene in that person’s life. And that’s the reason why you can sustain praying. You can ask of this and you can put your hope in a saviour. Well, that is good news. And we’re going to look at that a bit deeper in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verses 13 to 17. As we continue our message, the family of God standing firm. Here’s Colin. In Jesus Christ, believer, you are loved by the Lord. Slow down for a moment and try with me to take this in as I’ve tried to take it in this week. God loves you. Spurgeon points out, I find this so helpful. He says, this is more than pity. It is a wonderful truth that God pities us. He feels sorry for us. But this is more than pity. God loves you. This is more than compassion. This is more than benevolence. It is a wonderful truth that the heart of God is moved by our plight, that God acts in relation to our plight and does something about it. But this is more than compassion. God loves you. Brothers, sisters, loved by the Lord. Try and take this in. The quality of love that you experience in this life is determined by the capacity of the people who love you. Now it’s simply a reality that some people can only love at a shallow level. And other people have a capacity to love very deeply. If you are loved at all, it is a great blessing. If you are loved deeply, it is a marvelous gift. Now think about this. Think about the capacity of Almighty God to love. God loves you. Brothers, loved by the Lord. Friends, you will spend eternity trying to take in the marvel of this love that fills you with joy for all eternity. So start loving God. Start loving God. Start savoring it now. And never better than on the darkest day of your life. Second, he says, in Christ you are chosen. Look, I’m just reading what he says here. Brothers, loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you. Now he’s writing to ordinary Christians in this town of Thessalonica. Folks just like us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. From the beginning of time, he says. You’ve only been Christians a few months, but he says, from the beginning of time God chose you. And here is something to make us worship and to make us wonder. It is something that the Christian knows not only from the Bible where it is stated so often, but also from his or her own experience. See, when you lay hold of Jesus Christ, it will not be long before you come to the conclusion that he has laid hold of you. You’ll begin to experience what Jesus said to the disciples when he said, you did not choose me, but I have chosen you. And what’s very striking to me here is that these Christians knew that they had been chosen. And they knew that they had been chosen because they believed. That’s the sign of it. And Paul reminds them of this marvelous truth because it is a truth given to believers precisely because we need it in the darkest of days. See, when I face the toughest times of my life, my confidence is not on my grip on God because my faith is sometimes very feeble. In the darkest days of my life, my confidence is based on the grip of the hand of God on me. That’s the basis of Christian confidence. He has laid hold of me. The strength of his hand holding mine, not the strength of my hand holding on to his. Then he says, in Christ you are saved, you are loved, you are chosen. You are saved, chosen from before the beginning of time to be saved. We saw last time that this world is deceived and perishing and refusing to love the truth and delighting in wickedness and under a powerful delusion and believing the lie and ultimately condemned. And Paul says, but God loved you and he has chosen you and he has saved you. He has saved you from all of this. You say, well now how has God done this for me? This fourth jewel here, in Christ you are sanctified. How have I been saved? Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Now, whenever the word sanctified comes up, I think for many, many Christians we immediately say, ah, that’s one thing I’m not, right? Because it’s like saintly and we immediately and rightly associate the use of the word sanctified with holiness and purity and so forth and so on. That’s one of two meanings that it can have. And so I want to just remind you of the other one, which is the one that is being used primarily, I believe, here today. The word sanctified can mean made holy or it can mean set apart. It can mean set apart. And just so that you always remember the lesser known meaning of the word sanctified, I’ve brought along some of the very best British candy. Maltesers. Now, if you folks haven’t discovered these, this is a great, great discovery, I’m telling you. They are really good. Chocolate covered malt. There we are. And I’d like to give them to you, or at least to whoever would like them. I’m just going to claim a few for myself. These ones are mine. The rest you can have. This doesn’t work very well on the video, by the way. Very sad in that regard. Thank you, Pastor Matt. Do you know what I just did? I sanctified these maltesers. I laid hold of them for myself. I claimed them. I set them apart from the others. That’s the meaning of the word. It can mean made holy as well. But its primary meaning here is exactly what we’ve just seen in that very, very simple little illustration. This is what God has done for you in Jesus Christ. He has said, I’m claiming you for my own. I’m going to reproduce the very image of my son in you. And what greater privilege could there be than that? And you say, now, wait a minute. Of whom is this true that God claims them for his own answer? Sanctified by the Spirit through belief in the truth. So here’s the fifth wonderful, wonderful truth and reality. In Christ, you are believing. These people believed. These things are true of everyone who believes. What’s true of you as you believe? You are loved by Christ. You are chosen by Christ. You are saved by Christ. You are sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. To those who believe, Paul says, know this. You are saved by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. You say, now, how did they come to believe? How did any of us come to believe? He gives us this next answer, number six. In Christ, you are called. He called you to this through our gospel. And the gospel is simply the good news that Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins. That he rose again to bring us new life. And God calls people to himself through the gospel. That’s what it says here. That’s why the gospel almost must be at the center of the life and ministry of the church. As you believe the gospel, these gifts are yours. And you will find that, indeed, you are loved. You will begin to experience and know that you are chosen, that you are saved, and that you are sanctified through believing the gospel by which Jesus Christ lays hold of you. And all of this is so that in Christ, you will be glorified. That you might have, verse 14, the share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here’s the ultimate outcome of God’s redeeming purpose. Not only that you will see his glory, but as we saw earlier, that you will share his glory, that you will be glorified in him forever. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and the message, The Family of God Standing Firm. It’s part of our series, How to Stay the Course When We’re Tired of the Battle. And don’t forget, if you ever miss one of our programs, or if you joined us late and you want to go back and listen again, you can always come online. Go to openthebible.org.uk and find any of our previously broadcast messages there. You can also find them as podcasts. Go to your favorite podcast site, search for Open the Bible UK, and subscribe for regular updates. Back to the message now, here’s Colin. Now friends, the whole magnificent range of God’s redeeming purpose in Christ is set out here for us in just two verses. Isn’t it marvelous? James Denney calls this a system of theology in miniature. And I think that’s what it is. Think of the word salvation as being like the treasure chest in which God places the priceless jewels of justification and sanctification and forgiveness and adoption and reconciliation and glorification. Salvation is the chest that holds them all. It’s the big word that contains all of these great blessings that are ours in Jesus Christ. And how are we saved? Our salvation, Paul says right here, comes through the gospel. God calls us through the gospel, the good news of Jesus crucified and risen. But what lies behind the gospel? Why is there a Christ who was crucified? Why is there a Christ who is risen? The answer is that God set his love on you. The answer is that God chose you from the beginning of time. Why did Jesus come into the world? There is only one explanation. The love of God who has chosen to redeem a people for himself. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. This is why Jesus came into the world. This is why he died on the cross. This is why he rose from the dead. And if we are to think forward, what comes from this gospel? What is the fruit of this gospel? As this gospel was proclaimed to these folks in Thessalonica, what happened in their lives? Two things happened. The Spirit sanctified them and they as sinners believed. This is what has happened in your life, Paul says. This is the miracle that has happened to you. This is your salvation in Jesus Christ. And this is what is true of you on the darkest day of your life if you belong to Jesus Christ today. It’s marvelous. Never underestimate the miracle of your salvation. How is it that you are here as a believer today? Really? Is it just your background? Thousands had your background and have rejected it completely. Why not you? Is it just your friends? Thousands have had friends like you and never come to a living knowledge of Christ. No, your faith in Christ is the visible fruit of an amazing work of God that began in eternity, rolled through the cross of Calvary and through the empty tomb, and is being put into effect by the Holy Spirit in your life, even on the darkest day that you face right now. That is marvelous. Do you see the wonderful glimpse here of the three persons of the Trinity, all utterly engaged in your salvation? The Father loves you and has chosen you. The Son died for you and rose again for you. The Spirit sanctified you and the Spirit brought you to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And all of this has been done, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit acting as one together from eternity past through the cross right now in your life for what purpose? That for all eternity you might share the glory of Jesus Christ. I want us to get hold of this marvelous truth together, so will you say this with me? In Christ I am loved, chosen, saved, sanctified, believing, called, glorified. Say it with me again, will you? In Christ I am loved, chosen, saved, sanctified, believing, called, and glorified. Then, then, Paul says in verse 15, stand firm, stand firm. Now, do you see the importance of that? If you took out the massive truths of verses 13 and 14 that we’ve just looked at together, if you took these verses out and the message was just, well, the world is getting worse, Satan’s rampant, godless people are deceived, Antichrist is coming, it’s up to you to stand firm, we would all go home feeling completely hopeless, wouldn’t we? And maybe that is how you feel. You’ve come here today and what you’re up against is making you feel completely helpless, you feel surrounded by darkness, the battle is so intense, and you came here feeling overwhelmed. Now, drink in, then, the very truth that you need to know about yourself in Jesus Christ, because this is how you’re going to stand in this battle. Nourish your soul here. Find strength to stand firm here. You are loved by God. You are chosen in Christ. You are saved by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, by believing the truth, and God has called you into this through the gospel that your eternity should be to reflect the glory of Jesus Christ. Stand firm. Now, much more briefly, this is my way of application. If you’re going to stand firm on the darkest, hardest day of your life, remember who you are in Christ, and receive what you need from Christ. Receive what you need from Christ. And you see, that’s what he says after this exhortation to stand firm, This is a prayer. You see, Paul, he moves from teaching to praying. He’s establishing truth, and then he’s praying truth. He’s saying, this is the reality, and therefore, in the light of it, this is what I must come to Christ, my living Savior, and ask for. Since all this is true of you, that God loves you, and he chose you, and he saved you, and he sanctified you, and he called you through the gospel, and he’s brought you to faith, and he’s destined you for glory, since all this is true of you, come to him with confidence, and receive what you need. And as you come to him with this confidence, knowing who you are in Jesus Christ, remember who it is that you are coming to. Pray in the light of the truth, so that you may experience its power. And notice what you can pray. You could use just these very verses in a few moments around the Lord’s table. May the Lord Jesus, he says at the beginning of the verse, and then the request comes at the end. He says, may the Lord Jesus encourage or comfort your hearts. And then he says, may the Lord Jesus strengthen you, verse 17, in every good deed and word. Do you notice the personal involvement of Jesus Christ here? May the Lord Jesus Christ, verse 16, himself comfort you. May the Lord Jesus Christ himself strengthen you. That’s of huge importance. In other words, he’s saying to us, remember who it is that you’re asking. As you come to him in the dark days of your life, you need comfort. You’ve been shedding tears. Your heart is breaking. Now remember who you’re coming to. This Lord Jesus Christ. Lift up your eyes and see who he is. Picture him on the cross. See him there in his darkest day. See him with all these evil forces around him, and they’re mocking him. This is the man of sorrows. He’s acquainted with grief. He knows sorrow like Jesus. Now you think about his cross and think what comfort you could find in him. And then you say, I need more comfort. I need strength. That’s the other prayer. Well, look at the empty tomb. Look at the empty tomb. This Lord Jesus Christ has endured. He has conquered. He has risen. And so think what strength you could find in him. You see what he’s saying in this prayer? May the Lord Jesus himself, this Jesus who suffered unspeakably more than any other, may he himself comfort you. No one else can comfort you like he can. May this Lord Jesus who rose from the dead and has power like no one else you know, may he bring strength to you. Well, you see, when you know that you are loved by him and you’re chosen by him and you’re saved by him and you’re sanctified by the Spirit and you have been brought to faith through the gospel and your eternal destiny is to share his glory, then as we receive the bread and the wine today, you can ask of him. You can say, I’m in great darkness, Jesus, but you have been a darker place than this. Comfort this heart. Strengthen this life. That as you have laid hold of me and called me to be your own, I may find what I need on this darkest day in you. That’s really a great prayer for all of us. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and the message The Family of God Standing Firm. It’s part of our series, Staying the Course When We’re Tired of the Battle. If you’ve missed some of the series, you can always go online. Come to openthebible.org.uk. There you can find any of our previously broadcasted messages in the series. You can listen for free. You can also find our broadcasts as podcasts now on all your favourite podcasting sites. Just go and search for Open the Bible UK and subscribe for regular updates. Also available on the website and as a podcast is Open the Bible Daily, a series of short two to three minute reflections, one for every day, written by Pastor Colin Smith and read in the UK by Sue MacLeish. It’s a great way to hear Pastor Colin’s teaching in small bite-sized chunks. Open the Bible is supported on this station and on the Internet by regular donations from our listeners and we’d like to thank you for that. If you don’t already donate to the work of Open the Bible but you feel it’s something you’d like to do, we have an offer for you. This month, if you’re able to set up a new donation in the amount of £5 per month or more, we’d love to send you two copies of a book. It’s called More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. Colin, give us an idea of what’s in this book. Well, the first thing to say is that it has stood the test of time. This book has been around for more than 40 years and God has used it in the lives of many people. It’s sold more than 15 million copies. That is remarkable. Now, someone might say, well, a book that was written 40 years ago is hardly going to be relevant to today. So here’s the good news. It has been updated to speak to some of the questions that we are facing today and that work has been done by Josh McDowell’s son, Sean McDowell, and it’s been done really well. So this new edition is going to bring a time-tested book to a new generation. And it’s a marvellous story. Josh McDowell started out by asking some fundamental questions of his own life and these are questions that never change. Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? And he was challenged by some friends to make a serious investigation into the claims of Christianity. He started out on that thinking that he was going to disprove Christianity and what he found was that the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ laid hold of his mind and of his heart and that story is told very wonderfully in this book. So this is a very useful book, both for believers, so that we will be better equipped to testify to Christ and also for anyone who has serious questions about Christianity and is looking for answers more than a carpenter, updated after 40 years for a new generation. This is really a special gift and I’m delighted that we have the opportunity of sharing this book this month. We’d love to send you two copies of this book if you are able to set up a new donation to the work of Open the Bible in the amount of £5 per month or more. Full details of the offer and to give online go to openthebible.org.uk. For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able to join us again soon. Whatever pressures we face and whatever difficulties the church encounters, we have one priority. Find out what it is next time on Open the Bible.