1 00:00:00,760 –> 00:00:04,720 Well, I hope you have your Bibles open at 2 Thessalonians in chapter two 2 00:00:04,720 –> 00:00:10,400 as we continue our series, Staying the Course when you are tired of the battle. 3 00:00:10,720 –> 00:00:13,960 We’ve been looking at the first chapter of 2 Thessalonians 4 00:00:13,960 –> 00:00:17,040 and discovering their strength for staying the course, 5 00:00:17,040 –> 00:00:20,520 and then in the last couple of weeks, looking at the second chapter 6 00:00:20,520 –> 00:00:24,879 in which we are gaining wisdom for discerning the battle. 7 00:00:24,879 –> 00:00:27,680 We’re coming to the end of chapter two today. 8 00:00:27,680 –> 00:00:29,799 This has been a tough chapter, 9 00:00:30,680 –> 00:00:35,560 It is one of the toughest chapters I think in all of the New Testament. 10 00:00:35,560 –> 00:00:41,040 We’ve been learning about Antichrist, the man of lawlessness, 11 00:00:41,040 –> 00:00:46,119 a person who will appear on the scene shortly before the day of the Lord. 12 00:00:46,119 –> 00:00:50,400 We’ve been seeing that human evil is going to come to its ugliest 13 00:00:50,400 –> 00:00:54,680 and most horrible climax in this person, 14 00:00:54,680 –> 00:00:58,160 that he will exalt himself over all religion, verse four, 15 00:00:58,279 –> 00:01:02,340 that’s over everything that is called God, everything that is worshipped. 16 00:01:02,340 –> 00:01:05,360 In other words, he will say as he emerges on the public scene 17 00:01:05,360 –> 00:01:08,419 at some point in the future, he’ll say, 18 00:01:08,419 –> 00:01:10,739 Religion is the problem. 19 00:01:10,739 –> 00:01:12,360 That’s the problem in the world today. 20 00:01:12,360 –> 00:01:17,720 He’ll say, religion produces intolerance and intolerance produces violence. 21 00:01:17,720 –> 00:01:22,720 Religion in itself, is the nut that we have to crack if we are to have world peace, 22 00:01:22,720 –> 00:01:26,199 and therefore, he will exalter himself over everything that is worshipped. 23 00:01:26,199 –> 00:01:28,279 He will exalt himself over Islam. 24 00:01:28,279 –> 00:01:30,199 He will exalt himself over Christianity. 25 00:01:30,199 –> 00:01:33,400 He will exalt himself over Judaism, over all religion. 26 00:01:33,400 –> 00:01:36,000 He will say, a plague on all your houses. 27 00:01:36,000 –> 00:01:40,400 When he says that, millions will flock to him. 28 00:01:40,400 –> 00:01:46,320 I think we agreed as we pondered this together earlier in this series, 29 00:01:46,320 –> 00:01:49,320 that as we look at the world situation today 30 00:01:49,320 –> 00:01:54,680 and there are millions of people who would long to be released 31 00:01:54,680 –> 00:01:58,839 from the shackles of their repressive religion, 32 00:01:58,839 –> 00:02:02,480 that a man who came with that message would immediately attract 33 00:02:02,480 –> 00:02:06,480 a transcultural following on a massive scale. 34 00:02:06,480 –> 00:02:09,320 And that is exactly what is being described here 35 00:02:09,320 –> 00:02:12,320 in 2 Thessalonians 2. 36 00:02:12,320 –> 00:02:15,839 It will not be difficult therefore, for him to set himself up, 37 00:02:15,839 –> 00:02:19,800 verse 4, In God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God. 38 00:02:19,800 –> 00:02:23,960 The whole world will go after him. 39 00:02:24,000 –> 00:02:29,080 Now after that grim look at the work of antichrist, 40 00:02:29,080 –> 00:02:32,679 we looked last week at the desperate position of a man 41 00:02:32,679 –> 00:02:36,000 or a woman who is without Jesus Christ. 42 00:02:36,000 –> 00:02:40,600 We saw in verses 10 through 12 of this chapter, 43 00:02:40,600 –> 00:02:44,639 these seven descriptions deceived, perishing, 44 00:02:44,639 –> 00:02:48,440 refusing to love the truth, delighting in wickedness, 45 00:02:48,440 –> 00:02:52,360 under a powerful delusion, believing the lie 46 00:02:52,440 –> 00:02:56,960 and ultimately outside of Jesus Christ condemned. 47 00:02:56,960 –> 00:02:58,500 So put these two things together. 48 00:02:58,500 –> 00:03:00,179 This is a grim chapter. 49 00:03:01,039 –> 00:03:02,600 It is about the devil. 50 00:03:02,600 –> 00:03:04,580 It is about his works. 51 00:03:04,580 –> 00:03:07,220 It is about the perversity of sin. 52 00:03:07,220 –> 00:03:09,880 It is about the darkness of this world. 53 00:03:09,880 –> 00:03:14,539 And it is about the future culmination of evil. 54 00:03:15,520 –> 00:03:16,399 No question. 55 00:03:17,759 –> 00:03:20,179 How would you expect that chapter then to end? 56 00:03:20,199 –> 00:03:22,979 Well, antichrist coming. 57 00:03:24,020 –> 00:03:25,979 The whole world is going to be deceived. 58 00:03:26,880 –> 00:03:28,380 The spirit that animates him 59 00:03:28,380 –> 00:03:30,419 is already at work in the world. 60 00:03:31,460 –> 00:03:34,000 What then is the conclusion to Christians? 61 00:03:36,139 –> 00:03:41,139 See, there’s a certain kind of view of the world 62 00:03:41,139 –> 00:03:43,059 that looks at world events 63 00:03:43,059 –> 00:03:45,740 and then says to Christians something like this, 64 00:03:45,740 –> 00:03:48,039 well, it’s all down to you. 65 00:03:49,559 –> 00:03:51,380 You’re the last line of defence. 66 00:03:52,679 –> 00:03:53,960 Hope you’re up for this. 67 00:03:55,720 –> 00:04:00,720 That kind of preaching rolls onto the Christian shoulders 68 00:04:01,039 –> 00:04:04,639 an intolerable burden, a burden you cannot bear. 69 00:04:07,000 –> 00:04:11,399 I want you to see as we look at how this chapter does end, 70 00:04:11,399 –> 00:04:13,580 that very wonderfully, 71 00:04:13,639 –> 00:04:17,019 what God does through the apostle Paul here, 72 00:04:17,019 –> 00:04:21,160 he does not roll the intolerable burden 73 00:04:21,160 –> 00:04:24,380 of the evils of the world onto the church. 74 00:04:24,380 –> 00:04:27,799 What he does is, he brings to us 75 00:04:27,799 –> 00:04:32,019 the most marvellous statement of confidence 76 00:04:32,019 –> 00:04:33,140 in almighty God. 77 00:04:33,140 –> 00:04:34,739 Remember that the whole of this chapter 78 00:04:34,739 –> 00:04:38,040 is about wisdom for discerning the battle. 79 00:04:38,040 –> 00:04:40,339 Most of it we’ve been seeing the dark forces 80 00:04:40,339 –> 00:04:42,640 that we are up against that are already at work 81 00:04:42,660 –> 00:04:44,980 in the world, now God wants us to know 82 00:04:44,980 –> 00:04:49,980 how we are to stand firm in the darkest days of our lives. 83 00:04:50,899 –> 00:04:52,940 That’s the point of verse 15 which is right 84 00:04:52,940 –> 00:04:55,859 at the centre of the passage before us today. 85 00:04:55,859 –> 00:04:59,059 So then brothers, stand firm. 86 00:04:59,059 –> 00:05:02,059 Well that’s clear enough, the question is how do you do it? 87 00:05:02,059 –> 00:05:04,220 And there are two answers to that question, 88 00:05:04,220 –> 00:05:06,739 how are we to stand firm in the darkness 89 00:05:06,739 –> 00:05:09,179 of this world, sanguished either side 90 00:05:09,179 –> 00:05:11,579 of verse 15, verse 13, and 14, 91 00:05:11,640 –> 00:05:14,779 we are to remember who we are in Jesus Christ 92 00:05:14,779 –> 00:05:17,399 and then verse 16 and 17 that we’ll look 93 00:05:17,399 –> 00:05:19,700 at much more briefly, we are to receive 94 00:05:19,700 –> 00:05:23,859 what we need from Jesus Christ. 95 00:05:23,859 –> 00:05:25,160 So that’s the conclusion of the chapter 96 00:05:25,160 –> 00:05:27,660 that we’re going to look at today 97 00:05:27,660 –> 00:05:29,859 and I hope that it will come as refreshment 98 00:05:29,859 –> 00:05:32,899 and as encouragement to your soul 99 00:05:32,899 –> 00:05:35,459 if indeed you are a Christian believer 100 00:05:35,459 –> 00:05:38,019 and belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. 101 00:05:38,019 –> 00:05:41,260 Let’s look then at verse 13 and 14. 102 00:05:41,320 –> 00:05:45,779 Remember who you are in Christ. 103 00:05:46,739 –> 00:05:49,480 But, says Paul, verse 13, after all this 104 00:05:49,480 –> 00:05:53,359 catalogue of darkness and the satanic work 105 00:05:53,359 –> 00:05:55,600 that’s going on and the perversity 106 00:05:55,600 –> 00:05:58,500 of the unbelieving world, but, he says, 107 00:05:58,500 –> 00:06:03,500 we ought always to thank God for you, brothers. 108 00:06:08,779 –> 00:06:10,760 Now what does Paul do when he sees 109 00:06:10,760 –> 00:06:13,519 the secret power of sin at work in the world? 110 00:06:13,519 –> 00:06:17,880 Answer, he gives thanks for the church. 111 00:06:18,839 –> 00:06:20,600 We give thanks for you, brothers. 112 00:06:20,600 –> 00:06:22,760 He’s writing to the church in Thessalonica. 113 00:06:23,820 –> 00:06:28,279 And why does he give thanks to God for the church? 114 00:06:28,279 –> 00:06:31,959 Answer, because while Satan is working, 115 00:06:31,959 –> 00:06:35,220 Jesus Christ is also at work, 116 00:06:35,220 –> 00:06:37,720 and what is the work of Jesus Christ in the world? 117 00:06:37,720 –> 00:06:42,720 He states it clearly, I will build my church, 118 00:06:42,839 –> 00:06:47,839 and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. 119 00:06:48,079 –> 00:06:51,480 So don’t miss this, when you sit around the television, 120 00:06:51,480 –> 00:06:53,079 and you’re hearing news, 121 00:06:53,079 –> 00:06:54,959 and the world seems to be getting darker, 122 00:06:54,959 –> 00:06:58,880 and the conversation in the family goes gloomy. 123 00:06:58,880 –> 00:07:01,480 Oh dear, what’s next? 124 00:07:01,480 –> 00:07:03,640 When you see the world get darker, 125 00:07:03,640 –> 00:07:05,679 here’s what you do, verse 13, 126 00:07:05,700 –> 00:07:08,519 you give thanks for the church. 127 00:07:08,519 –> 00:07:12,720 You savor more deeply what Jesus Christ is doing, 128 00:07:12,720 –> 00:07:14,779 while Satan’s work gets darker, 129 00:07:14,779 –> 00:07:18,600 so Jesus Christ also is at work in the world. 130 00:07:18,600 –> 00:07:21,480 Value what Christ is doing among His people, 131 00:07:21,480 –> 00:07:23,279 that’s the point of verse 13. 132 00:07:23,279 –> 00:07:26,320 But in all this darkness, 133 00:07:26,320 –> 00:07:27,880 we ought to give thanks for what? 134 00:07:27,880 –> 00:07:29,959 For you, for the church. 135 00:07:31,399 –> 00:07:33,920 So now out of this dark and difficult passage 136 00:07:33,920 –> 00:07:35,920 and the mystery of sin in the world 137 00:07:35,920 –> 00:07:38,760 and the works of Satan, 138 00:07:38,760 –> 00:07:43,239 Paul launches into one of the most wonderful expressions 139 00:07:43,239 –> 00:07:45,579 in all of the New Testament, 140 00:07:45,579 –> 00:07:48,760 of thanksgiving and praise 141 00:07:48,760 –> 00:07:52,359 for the redeeming work of God in Jesus Christ, 142 00:07:52,359 –> 00:07:54,540 and we’re gonna savor it together. 143 00:07:54,540 –> 00:07:57,559 He gives us seven-fold description 144 00:07:57,559 –> 00:08:02,160 of who we are in Jesus Christ. 145 00:08:02,160 –> 00:08:04,500 And there is nothing that will do you more good 146 00:08:04,500 –> 00:08:06,640 in the darkest days of your life 147 00:08:06,640 –> 00:08:09,679 than to take this in, and to savor it 148 00:08:09,679 –> 00:08:12,540 and to own it for yourself. 149 00:08:12,540 –> 00:08:14,760 Look at these verses with me again, please. 150 00:08:14,760 –> 00:08:15,839 Verse 13 and 14. 151 00:08:15,839 –> 00:08:19,600 We are to always to give thanks for you brothers, 152 00:08:19,600 –> 00:08:21,859 loved by the Lord, 153 00:08:21,859 –> 00:08:24,920 because from the beginning God chose you 154 00:08:24,920 –> 00:08:29,459 to be saved through the sanctifying work of the spirit, 155 00:08:29,459 –> 00:08:31,640 through belief in the truth, 156 00:08:31,660 –> 00:08:34,940 he called you to this through our gospel 157 00:08:34,940 –> 00:08:38,039 that you might share in the glory 158 00:08:38,039 –> 00:08:40,080 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 159 00:08:40,080 –> 00:08:41,599 Let’s take a few moments just to ponder 160 00:08:41,599 –> 00:08:44,520 that wonderful, wonderful sentence. 161 00:08:45,599 –> 00:08:48,260 In Jesus Christ, you are loved, 162 00:08:51,179 –> 00:08:54,799 no matter how dark it is around you. 163 00:08:54,799 –> 00:08:58,219 In Jesus Christ, believer, you are loved. 164 00:08:58,700 –> 00:08:59,780 You are loved. 165 00:09:00,820 –> 00:09:03,820 He says brothers, loved by the Lord. 166 00:09:06,900 –> 00:09:09,159 Slow down for a moment and try with me 167 00:09:09,159 –> 00:09:13,340 to take this in as I’ve tried to take it in this week. 168 00:09:13,340 –> 00:09:14,500 God loves you. 169 00:09:18,340 –> 00:09:20,580 Spurgeon points out, I found this so helpful. 170 00:09:20,580 –> 00:09:23,500 He says, this is more than pity. 171 00:09:23,500 –> 00:09:25,640 It is a wonderful truth that God pities us. 172 00:09:25,659 –> 00:09:28,859 God feels sorry for us, but this is more than pity. 173 00:09:28,859 –> 00:09:30,340 God loves you. 174 00:09:31,780 –> 00:09:33,619 This is more than compassion. 175 00:09:33,619 –> 00:09:36,580 This is more than benevolence. 176 00:09:36,580 –> 00:09:38,580 It is a wonderful truth that the heart of God 177 00:09:38,580 –> 00:09:42,099 is moved by our plight, that God acts in relation 178 00:09:42,099 –> 00:09:44,619 to our plight and does something about it. 179 00:09:44,619 –> 00:09:46,440 But this is more than compassion. 180 00:09:47,559 –> 00:09:49,760 God loves you. 181 00:09:49,780 –> 00:09:54,780 Brothers and sisters, loved by the Lord. 182 00:09:56,419 –> 00:09:57,679 Try and take this in. 183 00:09:59,760 –> 00:10:03,219 The quality of love that you experience in this life 184 00:10:03,219 –> 00:10:07,640 is determined by the capacity of the people who love you. 185 00:10:08,640 –> 00:10:11,099 Now, it is simply a reality that some people 186 00:10:11,099 –> 00:10:13,780 can only love at a shallow level 187 00:10:13,780 –> 00:10:18,059 and other people have a capacity to love very deeply. 188 00:10:18,679 –> 00:10:22,640 If you are loved at all, it is a great blessing. 189 00:10:22,640 –> 00:10:26,359 If you are loved deeply, it is a marvelous gift. 190 00:10:27,619 –> 00:10:29,179 Now think about this. 191 00:10:30,020 –> 00:10:35,020 Think about the capacity of almighty God to love. 192 00:10:37,580 –> 00:10:38,599 God loves you. 193 00:10:40,859 –> 00:10:44,020 Brothers, loved by the Lord. 194 00:10:44,880 –> 00:10:47,940 Friends, you will spend eternity 195 00:10:47,940 –> 00:10:51,380 trying to take in the marvel of this love 196 00:10:51,380 –> 00:10:54,099 that fills you with joy for all eternity. 197 00:10:54,099 –> 00:10:59,099 So start savoring it now and never better 198 00:10:59,140 –> 00:11:00,979 than on the darkest day of your life. 199 00:11:02,799 –> 00:11:05,580 Second he says, in Christ you are chosen. 200 00:11:05,580 –> 00:11:07,940 Look, I’m just reading what he says here. 201 00:11:07,940 –> 00:11:10,020 Brothers loved by the Lord 202 00:11:10,020 –> 00:11:15,020 because from the beginning, God chose you. 203 00:11:15,080 –> 00:11:16,719 He’s writing to ordinary Christians 204 00:11:16,719 –> 00:11:18,340 in this town of Thessalonica. 205 00:11:18,340 –> 00:11:21,840 Folks just like us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 206 00:11:21,840 –> 00:11:23,880 From the beginning of time he says, 207 00:11:23,880 –> 00:11:25,479 you’ve only been Christians a few months, 208 00:11:25,479 –> 00:11:28,640 but he says, from the beginning of time, God chose you. 209 00:11:30,099 –> 00:11:32,380 And here is something to make us worship 210 00:11:32,380 –> 00:11:33,859 and to make us wonder. 211 00:11:34,919 –> 00:11:36,619 It is something that the Christian knows 212 00:11:36,619 –> 00:11:39,719 not only from the Bible where it is stated so often, 213 00:11:39,780 –> 00:11:43,460 but also from his or her own experience. 214 00:11:43,460 –> 00:11:46,340 See, when you lay hold of Jesus Christ, 215 00:11:46,340 –> 00:11:49,440 it will not be long before you come to the conclusion 216 00:11:49,440 –> 00:11:52,500 that he has laid hold of you. 217 00:11:52,500 –> 00:11:53,979 You’ll begin to experience what Jesus 218 00:11:53,979 –> 00:11:56,039 has said to the disciples when He said, 219 00:11:56,039 –> 00:11:59,979 you did not choose me, but I have chosen you. 220 00:11:59,979 –> 00:12:01,919 And what’s very striking to me here 221 00:12:01,919 –> 00:12:06,760 is that these Christians knew that they had been chosen. 222 00:12:06,760 –> 00:12:08,280 And they knew that they had been chosen 223 00:12:08,400 –> 00:12:11,159 because they believed, that’s the sign of it. 224 00:12:11,159 –> 00:12:14,000 And Paul reminds them of this marvelous truth 225 00:12:14,000 –> 00:12:16,320 because it is a truth given to believers 226 00:12:16,320 –> 00:12:20,960 precisely because we need it in the darkest of days. 227 00:12:20,960 –> 00:12:24,039 See, when I face the toughest times of my life, 228 00:12:24,039 –> 00:12:28,679 my confidence is not on my grip on God 229 00:12:28,679 –> 00:12:31,640 because my faith is sometimes very feeble. 230 00:12:33,239 –> 00:12:35,000 In the darkest days of my life, 231 00:12:35,000 –> 00:12:37,460 my confidence is based on the grip 232 00:12:37,460 –> 00:12:39,599 of the hand of God on me. 233 00:12:39,599 –> 00:12:41,559 That’s the basis of Christian confidence. 234 00:12:41,559 –> 00:12:43,960 He has laid hold of me, 235 00:12:43,960 –> 00:12:46,039 the strength of His hand holding mine, 236 00:12:46,039 –> 00:12:50,159 not the strength of my hand holding on to His. 237 00:12:51,840 –> 00:12:54,039 And then He says, in Christ you’re saved. 238 00:12:54,039 –> 00:12:57,260 You’re loved, you’re chosen, you are saved, 239 00:12:57,260 –> 00:13:00,179 chosen from before the beginning of time to be saved. 240 00:13:01,479 –> 00:13:04,700 We saw last time that this world 241 00:13:05,559 –> 00:13:07,880 is deceived and perishing and refusing to love the truth 242 00:13:07,880 –> 00:13:10,460 and delighting in wickedness and under a powerful delusion 243 00:13:10,460 –> 00:13:13,140 and believing the lie and ultimately condemned. 244 00:13:13,140 –> 00:13:15,500 And Paul says, but God loved you 245 00:13:16,580 –> 00:13:19,020 and He has chosen you 246 00:13:19,020 –> 00:13:21,059 and He has saved you. 247 00:13:21,059 –> 00:13:23,440 He has saved you from all of this. 248 00:13:24,460 –> 00:13:26,900 You say, well, now how has God done this for me? 249 00:13:26,900 –> 00:13:31,859 This fourth jewel here, in Christ, you are sanctified. 250 00:13:32,820 –> 00:13:34,059 How have I been saved? 251 00:13:34,059 –> 00:13:38,179 Through the sanctifying work 252 00:13:38,179 –> 00:13:40,820 of the Spirit. 253 00:13:42,159 –> 00:13:45,859 Now, whenever the word sanctified comes up, 254 00:13:45,859 –> 00:13:49,059 I think for many, many Christians, we immediately say, 255 00:13:49,059 –> 00:13:51,580 ah, that’s one thing I’m not, right? 256 00:13:51,580 –> 00:13:55,299 Because it’s like saintly and we immediately 257 00:13:55,299 –> 00:13:58,940 and rightly associate the use of the word sanctified 258 00:13:59,380 –> 00:14:02,580 with holiness and purity and so forth and so on. 259 00:14:02,580 –> 00:14:05,140 That’s one of two meanings that it can have. 260 00:14:05,140 –> 00:14:08,299 And so, I want to just remind you of the other one, 261 00:14:08,299 –> 00:14:10,539 which is the one that is being used primarily, 262 00:14:10,539 –> 00:14:12,260 I believe, here today. 263 00:14:12,260 –> 00:14:16,619 The word sanctified can mean made holy 264 00:14:16,619 –> 00:14:20,700 or it can mean set apart. 265 00:14:20,700 –> 00:14:22,119 It can mean set apart. 266 00:14:23,020 –> 00:14:24,460 And just so that you always remember 267 00:14:24,460 –> 00:14:27,739 the lesser known meaning of, 268 00:14:27,739 –> 00:14:28,820 the word sanctified, 269 00:14:28,820 –> 00:14:32,539 I’ve brought along some of the very best British candy. 270 00:14:34,020 –> 00:14:35,619 Malt-eezers. 271 00:14:35,619 –> 00:14:37,500 Now, if you folks haven’t discovered these, 272 00:14:37,500 –> 00:14:40,380 this is a great, great discovery, I’m telling you. 273 00:14:40,380 –> 00:14:41,380 They are really good. 274 00:14:41,380 –> 00:14:44,059 Chocolate covered malt. 275 00:14:44,059 –> 00:14:44,900 There we are. 276 00:14:46,239 –> 00:14:47,820 And I’d like to give them to you 277 00:14:47,820 –> 00:14:50,219 or at least to whoever would like them. 278 00:14:50,219 –> 00:14:52,460 I’m just gonna claim a few for myself. 279 00:14:52,460 –> 00:14:56,960 And these ones are mine. 280 00:14:58,659 –> 00:15:01,239 The rest you can have. 281 00:15:01,239 –> 00:15:04,979 This doesn’t work very well on the video, by the way 282 00:15:04,979 –> 00:15:07,039 very sad in that regard. 283 00:15:07,039 –> 00:15:08,340 Thank you, Pastor Matt. 284 00:15:08,340 –> 00:15:09,700 Do you know what I just did? 285 00:15:09,700 –> 00:15:14,700 I sanctified these malt-eezers. 286 00:15:16,919 –> 00:15:20,020 I laid hold of them for myself. 287 00:15:20,020 –> 00:15:22,419 I claimed them. 288 00:15:22,419 –> 00:15:25,599 I set them apart from the others. 289 00:15:25,599 –> 00:15:27,320 That’s the meaning of the word. 290 00:15:27,340 –> 00:15:29,179 It can be made wholly as well, 291 00:15:29,179 –> 00:15:32,239 but its primary meaning here is exactly what we’ve just seen 292 00:15:32,239 –> 00:15:34,919 in that very, very simple little illustration. 293 00:15:36,299 –> 00:15:40,739 This is what God has done for you in Jesus Christ. 294 00:15:40,739 –> 00:15:44,320 He has said, I’m claiming you for my own. 295 00:15:44,320 –> 00:15:48,239 I’m going to reproduce the very image of my Son in you 296 00:15:48,239 –> 00:15:51,179 and what greater privilege could there be than that? 297 00:15:52,200 –> 00:15:54,320 And you say, now, wait a minute, of whom is this true 298 00:15:54,320 –> 00:15:57,640 that God claims them for his own answer, 299 00:15:57,640 –> 00:16:02,280 sanctified by the Spirit through belief in the truth. 300 00:16:02,280 –> 00:16:04,880 So here’s the fifth wonderful, wonderful truth 301 00:16:04,880 –> 00:16:06,479 and reality in Christ. 302 00:16:06,479 –> 00:16:09,419 You are believing, these people believed, 303 00:16:09,419 –> 00:16:12,039 these things are true of everyone who believes. 304 00:16:12,039 –> 00:16:14,080 What’s true of you as you believe? 305 00:16:14,080 –> 00:16:15,679 You are loved by Christ. 306 00:16:15,679 –> 00:16:17,479 You were chosen by Christ. 307 00:16:17,479 –> 00:16:19,039 You are saved by Christ. 308 00:16:19,039 –> 00:16:22,880 You are sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. 309 00:16:23,320 –> 00:16:25,739 To those who believe, Paul says, 310 00:16:25,739 –> 00:16:30,460 know this, you are saved by the sanctifying work 311 00:16:30,460 –> 00:16:31,460 of the Holy Spirit. 312 00:16:31,460 –> 00:16:33,400 You say, now how did they come to believe? 313 00:16:33,400 –> 00:16:35,179 How did any of us come to believe? 314 00:16:35,179 –> 00:16:36,979 He gives us this next answer. 315 00:16:36,979 –> 00:16:39,200 Number six, in Christ, you are called. 316 00:16:39,200 –> 00:16:43,700 He called you to this through our gospel. 317 00:16:43,700 –> 00:16:45,580 And the gospel is simply the good news 318 00:16:45,580 –> 00:16:48,539 that Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins, 319 00:16:48,539 –> 00:16:51,479 that he rose again to bring us new life. 320 00:16:51,719 –> 00:16:55,500 And God calls people to himself through the gospel. 321 00:16:55,500 –> 00:16:56,580 That’s what it says here. 322 00:16:56,580 –> 00:16:59,260 That’s why the gospel always must be at the center 323 00:16:59,260 –> 00:17:01,380 of the life and ministry of the church. 324 00:17:01,380 –> 00:17:04,160 As you believe the gospel, these gifts are yours. 325 00:17:04,160 –> 00:17:06,339 And you will find that indeed, you are loved. 326 00:17:06,339 –> 00:17:09,099 You will begin to experience and know that you are chosen, 327 00:17:09,099 –> 00:17:11,579 that you are saved and that you are sanctified 328 00:17:11,579 –> 00:17:13,140 through believing the gospel 329 00:17:13,140 –> 00:17:15,839 by which Jesus Christ lays hold of you. 330 00:17:16,780 –> 00:17:20,699 And all of this is so that in Christ, 331 00:17:20,699 –> 00:17:24,219 you will be glorified that you might have verse 14, 332 00:17:24,219 –> 00:17:29,219 the share in the glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 333 00:17:29,599 –> 00:17:32,900 Here’s the ultimate outcome of God’s redeeming purpose. 334 00:17:32,900 –> 00:17:35,459 Not only that you will see his glory, 335 00:17:35,459 –> 00:17:39,199 but as we saw earlier that you will share his glory, 336 00:17:39,199 –> 00:17:43,859 that you will be glorified in him forever. 337 00:17:43,859 –> 00:17:47,880 My friends, the whole magnificent range 338 00:17:47,880 –> 00:17:51,339 of God’s redeeming purpose in Christ 339 00:17:51,339 –> 00:17:55,699 is set out here for us in just two verses. 340 00:17:55,699 –> 00:17:57,500 Isn’t it marvelous? 341 00:17:57,500 –> 00:18:02,500 James Deney calls this a system of theology in miniature, 342 00:18:02,979 –> 00:18:05,300 and I think that’s what it is. 343 00:18:05,300 –> 00:18:07,739 For those who are visual learners 344 00:18:07,739 –> 00:18:10,199 and prefer diagrams to lists, 345 00:18:10,199 –> 00:18:12,660 let me try and help you just a little bit 346 00:18:12,900 –> 00:18:14,760 to see how all these things fit together 347 00:18:14,760 –> 00:18:17,479 in the miracle of your salvation. 348 00:18:17,479 –> 00:18:19,400 See, if we start in the middle here, 349 00:18:19,400 –> 00:18:23,000 God chose you to be saved, verse 13. 350 00:18:23,000 –> 00:18:23,920 That word saved. 351 00:18:23,920 –> 00:18:26,560 Salvation is the overarching word 352 00:18:26,560 –> 00:18:29,020 of God’s great redeeming work. 353 00:18:29,020 –> 00:18:34,020 Think of the word salvation as being like the treasure chest 354 00:18:34,380 –> 00:18:38,359 in which God places the priceless jewels 355 00:18:38,359 –> 00:18:41,280 of justification, and sanctification, 356 00:18:41,319 –> 00:18:43,459 and forgiveness, and adoption, 357 00:18:43,459 –> 00:18:45,959 and reconciliation, and glorification. 358 00:18:45,959 –> 00:18:48,680 Salvation is the chest that holds them all. 359 00:18:48,680 –> 00:18:50,880 It’s the big word that contains 360 00:18:50,880 –> 00:18:52,439 all of these great blessings 361 00:18:52,439 –> 00:18:54,560 that are ours in Jesus Christ. 362 00:18:54,560 –> 00:18:56,219 And how are we saved? 363 00:18:56,219 –> 00:18:57,920 Our salvation Paul says right here 364 00:18:57,920 –> 00:18:59,699 comes through the gospel. 365 00:18:59,699 –> 00:19:01,280 God calls us through the gospel, 366 00:19:01,280 –> 00:19:05,199 the good news of Jesus, crucified and risen. 367 00:19:05,199 –> 00:19:08,140 But what lies behind the gospel? 368 00:19:08,140 –> 00:19:10,939 Why is there a Christ, who was crucified? 369 00:19:11,000 –> 00:19:12,660 Why is there a Christ, who was, 370 00:19:12,660 –> 00:19:14,520 who is risen? 371 00:19:14,520 –> 00:19:16,900 And the answer is that God said His love on you. 372 00:19:17,880 –> 00:19:19,640 The answer is that God chose you 373 00:19:19,640 –> 00:19:21,719 from the beginning of time. 374 00:19:21,719 –> 00:19:23,880 Why did Jesus come into the world? 375 00:19:23,880 –> 00:19:26,239 There is only one explanation. 376 00:19:27,180 –> 00:19:29,319 The love of God, who has chosen 377 00:19:29,319 –> 00:19:31,479 to redeem a people for himself. 378 00:19:32,359 –> 00:19:35,780 God so loved the world, 379 00:19:35,780 –> 00:19:38,000 that he gave his one and only son. 380 00:19:39,000 –> 00:19:40,660 This is why Jesus came into the world. 381 00:19:40,660 –> 00:19:42,260 This is why he died on the cross. 382 00:19:42,260 –> 00:19:44,459 This is why he rose from the dead. 383 00:19:45,859 –> 00:19:47,780 And if we are to think forward, 384 00:19:47,780 –> 00:19:50,339 what comes from this gospel? 385 00:19:50,339 –> 00:19:52,699 What is the fruit of this gospel? 386 00:19:52,699 –> 00:19:55,020 As this gospel was proclaimed 387 00:19:55,020 –> 00:19:56,619 to these folks in Thessalonica, 388 00:19:56,619 –> 00:19:58,180 what happened in their lives? 389 00:19:58,180 –> 00:19:59,540 Two things happened. 390 00:19:59,540 –> 00:20:04,099 The Spirit sanctified them and they as sinners, believed. 391 00:20:04,099 –> 00:20:07,099 This is what has happened in your life, Paul says. 392 00:20:07,099 –> 00:20:09,699 This is the miracle that has happened to you. 393 00:20:09,699 –> 00:20:12,619 This is your salvation in Jesus Christ. 394 00:20:12,619 –> 00:20:14,420 And this is what is true of you 395 00:20:14,420 –> 00:20:16,219 on the darkest day of your life, 396 00:20:16,219 –> 00:20:18,900 if you belong to Jesus Christ today. 397 00:20:20,699 –> 00:20:22,780 This marvelous, never underestimate 398 00:20:22,780 –> 00:20:24,979 the miracle of your salvation. 399 00:20:26,380 –> 00:20:29,540 How is it that you are here as a believer today, really? 400 00:20:30,540 –> 00:20:32,300 Is it just your background? 401 00:20:33,979 –> 00:20:36,099 Thousands had your background 402 00:20:36,099 –> 00:20:38,500 and have rejected it completely. 403 00:20:38,500 –> 00:20:39,339 Why not you? 404 00:20:40,579 –> 00:20:41,900 Is it just your friends? 405 00:20:43,180 –> 00:20:45,140 Thousands have had friends like you 406 00:20:45,140 –> 00:20:48,540 and never come to a living knowledge of Christ. 407 00:20:50,180 –> 00:20:54,420 No, your faith in Christ is the visible fruit 408 00:20:54,420 –> 00:20:58,660 of an amazing work of God that began in eternity, 409 00:20:58,660 –> 00:21:01,219 rolled through the Cross of Calvary 410 00:21:01,219 –> 00:21:05,219 and through the empty tomb and is being put into effect 411 00:21:05,219 –> 00:21:07,380 by the Holy Spirit in your life, 412 00:21:07,380 –> 00:21:10,180 even on the darkest day that you face right now. 413 00:21:10,180 –> 00:21:11,459 That is marvelous. 414 00:21:13,140 –> 00:21:16,099 You see the wonderful glimpse here 415 00:21:16,099 –> 00:21:18,660 of the three persons of the Trinity 416 00:21:18,660 –> 00:21:22,479 all utterly engaged in your salvation. 417 00:21:23,900 –> 00:21:26,500 The father loves you 418 00:21:27,619 –> 00:21:29,140 and has chosen you. 419 00:21:30,660 –> 00:21:34,500 The Son died for you and rose again for you. 420 00:21:35,859 –> 00:21:38,979 The Spirit sanctified you 421 00:21:38,979 –> 00:21:41,520 and the Spirit brought you to faith 422 00:21:41,520 –> 00:21:44,060 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 423 00:21:45,040 –> 00:21:46,859 And all of this has been done, 424 00:21:46,859 –> 00:21:48,660 father, son, and Holy Spirit, 425 00:21:48,660 –> 00:21:51,199 acting as one together 426 00:21:51,199 –> 00:21:53,859 from eternity past, through the cross, 427 00:21:53,859 –> 00:21:55,400 right now, in your life, 428 00:21:55,400 –> 00:21:56,540 for what purpose? 429 00:21:56,540 –> 00:21:57,979 That for all eternity, 430 00:21:57,979 –> 00:22:01,500 you might share the glory of Jesus Christ. 431 00:22:03,079 –> 00:22:05,060 I want us to get hold of this marvelous truth 432 00:22:05,479 –> 00:22:06,979 so will you say this with me? 433 00:22:08,099 –> 00:22:11,739 In Christ I am loved, 434 00:22:11,739 –> 00:22:14,839 chosen, saved, sanctified, 435 00:22:14,839 –> 00:22:17,800 believing, called, glorified. 436 00:22:17,800 –> 00:22:19,479 Say it with me again will you? 437 00:22:19,479 –> 00:22:22,780 In Christ I am loved, 438 00:22:22,780 –> 00:22:25,859 chosen, saved, sanctified, 439 00:22:25,859 –> 00:22:29,300 believing, called, and glorified, 440 00:22:29,300 –> 00:22:34,140 then, then Paul says in verse 15. 441 00:22:34,239 –> 00:22:36,060 Stand firm. 442 00:22:36,060 –> 00:22:36,900 Stand firm. 443 00:22:38,060 –> 00:22:39,819 Now, do you see the importance of that? 444 00:22:39,819 –> 00:22:44,619 If you took out the massive truths of verses 13 and 14 445 00:22:44,619 –> 00:22:46,380 that we’ve just looked at together, 446 00:22:46,380 –> 00:22:48,660 if you took these verses out 447 00:22:48,660 –> 00:22:50,699 and the message was just, 448 00:22:50,699 –> 00:22:53,140 well, the world is getting worse, 449 00:22:53,140 –> 00:22:56,400 Satan’s rampant, godless people are deceived, 450 00:22:56,400 –> 00:22:59,819 Anti-Christ is coming, it’s up to you to stand firm, 451 00:22:59,819 –> 00:23:00,939 we would all go home feeling 452 00:23:00,939 –> 00:23:02,939 completely hopeless, wouldn’t we? 453 00:23:05,020 –> 00:23:06,800 And maybe that is how you feel. 454 00:23:08,359 –> 00:23:09,520 You’ve come here today 455 00:23:09,520 –> 00:23:10,819 and what you’re up against 456 00:23:10,819 –> 00:23:12,619 is making you feel completely helpless, 457 00:23:12,619 –> 00:23:15,180 you feel surrounded by darkness. 458 00:23:15,180 –> 00:23:16,660 The battle is so intense 459 00:23:16,660 –> 00:23:19,339 and you came here feeling overwhelmed. 460 00:23:21,380 –> 00:23:23,660 Now drink in the very truth 461 00:23:23,660 –> 00:23:26,300 that you need to know about yourself in Jesus Christ 462 00:23:26,300 –> 00:23:28,939 because this is how you’re gonna stand in this battle. 463 00:23:30,319 –> 00:23:32,020 Nourish your soul here, 464 00:23:32,020 –> 00:23:36,800 find strength to stand firm here. 465 00:23:38,880 –> 00:23:41,000 You are loved by God. 466 00:23:42,339 –> 00:23:45,560 You are chosen in Christ. 467 00:23:47,219 –> 00:23:51,479 You are saved by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit 468 00:23:51,479 –> 00:23:53,380 by believing the truth 469 00:23:53,380 –> 00:23:56,599 and God has called you into this through the Gospel 470 00:23:56,599 –> 00:23:59,459 that your eternity should be to reflect 471 00:23:59,500 –> 00:24:02,599 the glory of Jesus Christ. 472 00:24:04,180 –> 00:24:05,020 Stand firm. 473 00:24:06,900 –> 00:24:11,900 Now much more briefly, this by way of application. 474 00:24:14,939 –> 00:24:17,459 If you’re going to stand firm on the darkest, 475 00:24:17,459 –> 00:24:19,619 hardest day of your life, 476 00:24:21,119 –> 00:24:24,020 remember who you are in Christ 477 00:24:24,699 –> 00:24:29,680 and receive what you need from Christ. 478 00:24:31,579 –> 00:24:34,619 Receive what you need from Christ. 479 00:24:35,719 –> 00:24:36,780 And you see, that’s what He says 480 00:24:36,780 –> 00:24:39,020 after this exhortation to stand firm. 481 00:24:39,020 –> 00:24:41,079 This is a prayer. 482 00:24:41,079 –> 00:24:44,540 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself 483 00:24:46,500 –> 00:24:49,900 and God our father who loved us 484 00:24:49,900 –> 00:24:52,939 and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement 485 00:24:52,959 –> 00:24:53,959 and good hope. 486 00:24:53,959 –> 00:24:57,060 May He encourage your hearts and strengthen you 487 00:24:57,060 –> 00:25:01,319 in every good deed and word. 488 00:25:02,420 –> 00:25:07,420 You see, Paul he moves from teaching to praying. 489 00:25:07,859 –> 00:25:11,520 He’s establishing truth and then he’s praying truth. 490 00:25:12,380 –> 00:25:13,979 He’s saying this is the reality 491 00:25:13,979 –> 00:25:15,660 and therefore in the light of it, 492 00:25:15,660 –> 00:25:17,699 this is what I must come to Christ, 493 00:25:17,699 –> 00:25:20,520 my living savior, and ask for. 494 00:25:21,400 –> 00:25:23,760 Since all this is true of you, that God loves you 495 00:25:23,760 –> 00:25:26,119 and he chose you and he saved you and he sanctified you 496 00:25:26,119 –> 00:25:27,400 and he calls you through the gospel 497 00:25:27,400 –> 00:25:28,479 and he’s brought you to faith 498 00:25:28,479 –> 00:25:30,099 and he’s destined you for glory. 499 00:25:30,099 –> 00:25:32,020 Since all this is true of you, 500 00:25:32,020 –> 00:25:36,819 come to him with confidence and receive what you need. 501 00:25:38,640 –> 00:25:41,359 And as you come to him with this confidence, 502 00:25:41,359 –> 00:25:44,040 knowing who you are in Jesus Christ, 503 00:25:44,040 –> 00:25:48,119 remember who it is that you are coming to, 504 00:25:48,119 –> 00:25:50,400 pray in the light of the truth 505 00:25:50,560 –> 00:25:54,079 so that you may experience its power. 506 00:25:55,520 –> 00:25:56,819 And notice what you can pray, 507 00:25:56,819 –> 00:25:59,400 you could use just these very verses in a few moments 508 00:25:59,400 –> 00:26:00,739 around the Lord’s table. 509 00:26:01,839 –> 00:26:04,660 May the Lord, Jesus, he says at the beginning of the verse 510 00:26:04,660 –> 00:26:07,000 and then the request comes at the end, 511 00:26:07,000 –> 00:26:08,560 he says, May the Lord, Jesus, 512 00:26:08,560 –> 00:26:13,160 encourage or comfort your hearts. 513 00:26:13,160 –> 00:26:14,839 And then he says, May the Lord, Jesus, 514 00:26:14,839 –> 00:26:19,000 strengthen you, verse 17, in every good deed 515 00:26:19,040 –> 00:26:24,040 and word, do you notice the personal involvement 516 00:26:25,199 –> 00:26:26,859 of Jesus Christ here? 517 00:26:28,800 –> 00:26:33,800 May the Lord Jesus Christ, verse 16, himself comfort you, 518 00:26:35,760 –> 00:26:40,579 may the Lord Jesus Christ himself strengthen you, 519 00:26:40,579 –> 00:26:42,319 that’s of huge importance. 520 00:26:43,680 –> 00:26:45,219 In other words, he’s saying to us now, 521 00:26:45,219 –> 00:26:48,099 remember who it is that you’re asking, 522 00:26:49,520 –> 00:26:52,939 as you come to him in the dark days of your life, 523 00:26:54,219 –> 00:26:59,040 you need comfort, you’ve been shedding tears, 524 00:26:59,040 –> 00:27:00,459 your heart is breaking, 525 00:27:01,959 –> 00:27:05,000 now remember who you’re coming to, 526 00:27:05,000 –> 00:27:09,079 this Lord Jesus Christ, lift up your eyes 527 00:27:09,079 –> 00:27:10,880 and see who he is. 528 00:27:10,880 –> 00:27:15,239 Picture him on the cross, see him there in his darkest day, 529 00:27:15,239 –> 00:27:18,400 see him with all these evil forces around him 530 00:27:18,560 –> 00:27:19,939 and they’re mocking him. 531 00:27:19,939 –> 00:27:21,719 This is a man of sorrows, 532 00:27:21,719 –> 00:27:23,439 he’s acquainted with grief, 533 00:27:23,439 –> 00:27:26,479 nobody knows sorrow like Jesus. 534 00:27:28,160 –> 00:27:30,599 Now you think about his cross 535 00:27:31,839 –> 00:27:35,900 and think what comfort you could find in him. 536 00:27:38,420 –> 00:27:40,800 And then you say I need more comfort I need strength, 537 00:27:40,800 –> 00:27:42,000 that’s the other prayer. 538 00:27:43,719 –> 00:27:45,239 Well look at the empty tomb, 539 00:27:46,319 –> 00:27:47,520 look at the empty tomb. 540 00:27:49,180 –> 00:27:51,219 This Lord Jesus Christ is endured, 541 00:27:51,219 –> 00:27:54,199 he is conquered, he has risen. 542 00:27:55,900 –> 00:27:59,579 And so think what strength you could find in him. 543 00:28:01,280 –> 00:28:03,719 You see what he’s saying in this prayer 544 00:28:03,719 –> 00:28:06,739 may the Lord Jesus himself, 545 00:28:06,739 –> 00:28:11,420 this Jesus who suffered unspeakably more than any other, 546 00:28:12,459 –> 00:28:15,660 may he himself comfort you. 547 00:28:15,660 –> 00:28:17,680 No one else can comfort you like he can. 548 00:28:19,160 –> 00:28:21,920 And may this Lord Jesus who rose from the dead 549 00:28:21,920 –> 00:28:24,619 and has power like no one else, you know, 550 00:28:25,939 –> 00:28:27,680 may he bring strength to you. 551 00:28:29,680 –> 00:28:32,040 Well you see when you know that 552 00:28:32,040 –> 00:28:34,560 you are loved by him and you were chosen by him 553 00:28:34,560 –> 00:28:36,640 and you are saved by him and you are sanctified 554 00:28:36,640 –> 00:28:39,359 by the spirit and you have been brought to faith 555 00:28:39,359 –> 00:28:41,599 through the gospel and your eternal destiny 556 00:28:41,599 –> 00:28:43,239 is to share his glory. 557 00:28:43,239 –> 00:28:47,040 Then as we received the bread and the wine today, 558 00:28:47,119 –> 00:28:48,640 you can ask of him, you can say, 559 00:28:48,640 –> 00:28:50,560 I’m in great darkness, Jesus. 560 00:28:50,560 –> 00:28:53,599 But you have been a darker place than this. 561 00:28:55,400 –> 00:28:56,880 Comfort this heart. 562 00:28:58,640 –> 00:29:00,660 Strengthen this life. 563 00:29:02,560 –> 00:29:04,239 That as you have laid hold of me 564 00:29:04,239 –> 00:29:06,760 and called me to be your own, 565 00:29:06,760 –> 00:29:11,560 I may find what I need on this darkest day in you. 566 00:29:13,939 –> 00:29:14,780 Father, 567 00:29:14,859 –> 00:29:19,439 we bless you for the glories of the truth 568 00:29:21,020 –> 00:29:25,280 that we have tried to begin to open our minds to today, 569 00:29:27,660 –> 00:29:29,260 to love us, 570 00:29:29,260 –> 00:29:32,900 to have chosen us, that you have saved us, 571 00:29:34,380 –> 00:29:36,540 sanctified us to yourself, 572 00:29:39,619 –> 00:29:41,939 called us to faith through the gospel 573 00:29:42,880 –> 00:29:46,420 so that we may share the glory of your son forever. 574 00:29:49,819 –> 00:29:53,900 We thank you that on the hardest days of our lives 575 00:29:53,900 –> 00:29:54,839 we made drawn near, 576 00:29:56,459 –> 00:29:59,439 not to a remote or unknown God, 577 00:30:02,140 –> 00:30:04,099 but to you are loving heavenly father 578 00:30:04,099 –> 00:30:08,140 through the Lord Jesus Christ to knows what sorrow is, 579 00:30:12,319 –> 00:30:15,280 Lord, let us find comfort in him. 580 00:30:19,260 –> 00:30:21,920 And who rose triumphant from the grave, 581 00:30:21,920 –> 00:30:26,920 Lord let us find strength in him. 582 00:30:30,160 –> 00:30:31,520 Father grant that as you know, 583 00:30:31,520 –> 00:30:33,439 the need of every heart and every life 584 00:30:33,439 –> 00:30:35,719 as we gather around the Lord’s table today. 585 00:30:38,160 –> 00:30:41,400 May it be that you will minister by your Holy Spirit, 586 00:30:41,400 –> 00:30:44,060 speaking strength into our souls. 587 00:30:46,420 –> 00:30:48,020 That by the grace of our Lord, Jesus, 588 00:30:48,020 –> 00:30:50,319 and through his presence and through his power, 589 00:30:51,420 –> 00:30:55,239 we may be sustained and stand firm in the battle. 590 00:30:56,479 –> 00:30:58,420 Through Jesus Christ our Lord 591 00:30:58,420 –> 00:31:00,800 and all God’s people together said, amen.