God-centered Resolve (2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 Jeff Kliewer)

we are gonna be treated this morning I wanted to say good morning as people filter in and find a seat well while you're doing that one one other announcement that I want to make real quick is if you don't know

I'm gonna keep reminding you until I have everybody here on our Church Center app that is going to give you everything you need to know about our church all the events the signups because that spring picnics coming up we need to have you sign up for that different signups that you can give through the app all the information about small groups and Bible studies are happening throughout the week all that information is at the

Church Center app you can download the app search for Cornerstone Church put a little bit of information in and then you're in so feel free

Jeff sermon notes are also up there so we are excited to hear from the stones cry out this morning they're gonna begin our worship you thank you so much what a great job amazing amen

God I I could see some of the moms singing with the kids

I think you've heard them practice this at home to be able to give these kids the gospel message in song is something that I think they can carry with them during the day so so effectively and and Kathy Appleton thanks so much did you guys see the little piano player that walked out

I think it was the second song was no you're not a little piano player Psalms and it says but the

Lord of hosts him shall you honor as holy I think how appropriate that passage is for what we just saw for the pure faith that you can see for children when they sing praise to the

Lord I have some announcements I want to bring to your attention next Sunday after the second service we are having a fellowship luncheon please stick around plan to stick around some of the details will be in Jeff's pastor

Graham but there will be food certain amount of beverages you can bring stuff but please come after second service probably around 12 ish

I guess we'll start depending on how long pastor preaches right okay this is a little bit of an advanced warning but I want the women to know about this to be planning for it maybe to be signing up for the women had just gone out to sight and sound and saw the

David and I don't know that's what drove them to this but the women are going to have an outing in about three weeks on May 14th they're going to go back out to Lancaster and they're going to tour the biblical tabernacle an amazing opportunity for the women that be a sign up I guess on the app see

I can say app okay they'll be a sign up on the app Jeff's pastor Graham will give you direction women plan for that the one of our missionary families is coming into town in a couple of weeks on May 8th so please come back for sure on that Sunday they're going to give us a brief overview of their ministry in Portugal and continue to think about pray about our baptism in June for those of you who desire it we are going to hold the class late

May to prepare you for let myself pastor Jeff know for those of you who are not necessarily going to be baptized wherever we haven't decided the venue but come and celebrate with us we're considering having a little bit of a hymn sing along with it so it'll be a time of rejoicing but rejoicing with those who are proclaiming their faith in baptism please come back tonight for our prayer meeting we're getting a really good group turning out it's an awesome time in prayer six o 'clock here at the building the men have the apologetics class the women's the precepts growing deeper in their faith and in their spiritual walk our small groups

Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays I do need to make an announcement or to let you folks know we have been praying for a couple of weeks now for Fred Murray who had a horrific accident on a bicycle

Friday he went home he went home to the

Lord and so he's in a glorified body now Bonnie will be going through that period of time are her prayer our prayers for her support but also for the entire family who may not know

Christ that even through this period of time they may have understood the importance of making that decision that all important decision let's turn to prayer father

God we lift the more family to you rejoicing that Fred is completely healed and he's with glory he's in glory for Bonnie who knows that her life mate isn't with her now but is in a much better place we support her

Lord in that time of grief and for the entire family we pray that through this there would be a way that they would hear the true gospel and also turn so we lift that family to you

Lord father this past week we had so many come here were invited heard the word pray father that that seed that was planted would have grown into a plant of faith we pray father that they heard that they professed we pray

Lord that there would be continuing support for them pray for those who made the invitation to neighbors friends family co -workers that they would have

Lord they would feel the need to follow up and to encourage and if there is new faith to disciple them

Lord we are in awe of the blessings that you have given us here at this local church here in Mount Laurel but father we do pray for wisdom and for discernment we pray for love and compassion we're increasing in numbers we give you the glory

God it's for your kingdom but we pray father that we would be always discerning aware that the evil one will send wolves in sheep's clothing so father we ask for your wisdom and discernment but Lord we need your love your compassion we pray for our missionaries who are out on the field facing these issues every day protect them their word for those

Lord within our fellowship that need your prayer support for sickness illness for bereavement Lord we call on you

Lord we think of those throughout the world that are suffering physical conflict or faith persecution protection

Lord and for those who are believers who are being persecuted we pray Lord for your Holy Spirit to bring them into a realm of endurance and standing true to your faith and so Lord this morning now as pastor

Jeff will come and talk to us about endurance out of second Thessalonians anoint him with your

Holy Spirit to speak the words and prepare our hearts we pray these things in your name

Amen with thunder there is no you are the one the one

Jesus the one

Jesus there is no other

I can't compare to you you are the one

Oh Jesus you are the one the one forever

Jesus Oh you're the one true

God and we have seen the glory the one and only son

Yes, we have seen the glory the one and only son

You are the one alone Greatness the one who never changes

Jesus you are The one

Jesus the one true God God That's a great song

I love the part when it says in the in the chorus The one that never changes the one who rose in power the one who reigns forever

And we can sing to him that one true God Because he redeemed us we celebrated his resurrection last week

And that should be exciting time every week for us And he is risen from the dead

Let's sing together Christ the true

Son of God and son of man Intended Never Yielded never said

He who makes Many righteous brings us back to life again

First the curse then rising crushed up Christ the

Jew Humble son of sacrifice

Who would climb Beautiful mountain There to offer up his life

Laid with faith upon the altar Father's joy and only son

Their salvation was provided Oh what full and boundless love

Amen, Amen From beginning to end

Christ the story His the glory Hallelujah Amen Christ the true and better Moses Called to lead a people home

Standing bold to earthly powers God's great glory to be known

With his arms stretched wide to heaven See the waters parted in two

See the valleys torn forever Cleansed with blood he passed now through From beginning to end

Christ the story His the glory Hallelujah Amen Christ the true and better David Holy shepherd mighty king

He the champion in the battle Where oh death is now thy sting

In our place he bled and conquered Crown him lord of majesty

He shall be the throne forever We shall air his faithful deeds

Amen From beginning to end

Christ the story His the glory Hallelujah Amen From beginning to end

Christ the story His the glory Hallelujah Amen Christ the story

His the glory Hallelujah Amen I hope the

Lord opens your eyes and opens your hearts To the things that he has in store for you

As he opens his holy word Know that this is the truth planted deep inside of us

If we just have eyes and ears to open To listen to the message Not from him

But from the Holy Spirit From God and God alone Let's sing this song together Speak oh

Lord As we come to you To receive the food

Take your truth Planted deep in us

Shape and fashion us In your likeness

That the light of Christ Might be seen today

In our acts of love And our deeds of faith

Fulfill in us All your purposes

For your glory Teach us

Lord Full obedience Holy reverence

True humility Test our thoughts

And our attitudes In the radiance

Of your purity Cause our faith to rise

Cause our eyes to see Your majestic love

And authority Words of power

That can never fail Let the truth prevail

Speak oh Lord And renew our minds

Help us grasp the heights Of your plans for us

Truths unshamed From the dawn of time

That will echo down Through eternity

And by grace we'll stand On your promises

And by faith we'll walk As you walk

In all your glory

Please be seated. Let's pray together. Let's pray.

So Father this morning we want to open by Lord make us rooted and grounded

Lord having done all to stand Stand firm thus in the

Lord Not carried away with the error of lawless people We will reap if we do not give up Love bears all things

Endures all things Suffering produces endurance

Keep alert with all perseverance The one who endures to the end will be saved

Lord make us steadfast Immovable Always abounding

In the work of the Lord In Jesus name. Amen. The church has been persecuted throughout the 2 ,000 years of our existence but it often comes in waves.

So in the Roman Empire there were 10 great waves of persecution culminating in the persecution under Diocletian at the start of the 4th century.

Around the time of the Reformation there was another great outbreaking of persecution against the church.

In the 1550s in particular when Bloody Mary became the Queen of England there was a bishop in London whose name was

Edmund Bonner. He was a bishop from 1539 to 49 and then again from 53 to 59 and he was violently opposed to the

Protestant church. At that time there was a pastor whose name was John Ruff and he led a church underground.

Now that doesn't mean physically under the earth but in hiding they would meet and often the

Roman Catholic church would capture some of them. In fact in all 22 of his church were captured and tortured.

Here's the story of three of them. One was Thomas Hinshaw. Only a young teenager but so zealous for the gospel preaching in the streets that he himself was captured and brought and put in the stocks and kept overnight by the bishop.

The bishop Bonner then sent his deacon to try to convince him to stop preaching this Protestant gospel and to return to the

Roman Papist church but he refused to do that and so in a fit of rage

Bonner took him out into the garden and caused him to kneel down in front of a bench and he took a rod made of birch wood and beat him mercilessly so long until he ran out of breath.

Not the man being beaten but the man doing the beating. The young man

Thomas Hinshaw was unflinching in persecution. That is endurance.

He never turned from the gospel. A second was named John Willis. He was scourged at the hand of Bonner and returning to the church in which they were his wife showed up.

Now this was a young man and just recently married. His wife was nine months pregnant and she came and pled with Bonner to release her husband.

He refused to do it and so he learned that she was not only nine months pregnant but was already experiencing contractions.

So she said to him unless you let us go I'm going nowhere

I'm going to have this baby right here and right now and the bishop let him go.

So all he had to do was say in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But the last of the three named

Cuthbert Simpson was put to death and martyred for the gospel. Few professors of Christ possess more activity and zeal than this excellent person.

Those are the words of John Fox. Anybody here familiar with Fox's Book of Martyrs? All of these stories that I'm sharing today came from Fox's Book of Martyrs.

You can actually get it for free online. Just go to Bible Study Tools and look up Fox's Book of Martyrs and it's important to do this from time to time to read the stories of martyrs who have given their lives for the gospel.

Well, Cuthbert Simpson I won't share the details of the torture that he underwent because there's children in the room but he suffered greatly on the rack and in ways that I won't describe.

What I will describe is what he said before being put to death.

He said this in his own words, These were the words of a martyr who had been beaten and tortured mercilessly and then died for the sake of the gospel.

Now, notice his words. They sound a lot to me like Stephen, the first martyr.

Father, forgive them. And Jesus, Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.

He was not cursing those who were persecuting him. He was asking for God to forgive them.

And in all of these things he never broke. He endured to the end and he continued to confess

Christ even at the cost of his own life. Even the wicked Edmund Bonner took note.

He said these words. You see what a personable man he is. And then his patience

I affirm. If he were not a heretic he is a man of the greatest patience that I have ever seen.

Thrice in one day he has been racked in the Tower of London and in my house he felt sorrow and yet never

I saw his patience broken. The words of the persecutor.

Where does endurance like that come from? Where does perseverance in the

Christian life come from? How do you overcome the afflictions and the pressures of this life?

The answer is not what the world says. The world will tell you it comes from willpower.

It comes from within. Look inside yourself. Look in your heart. You can do it.

The strength is with you. The power is in you. Find your authentic self.

Dig deep. You need the eye of the tiger. This is the world of the message.

This is the message of the world. But the truth is that power like this to endure to the end will not come from you.

This is a God -centered resolve. A power that comes from God only.

It is not by strength nor by might but by my spirit says the Lord of hosts. Today we are going to learn from 2

Thessalonians chapter 1 a lesson that all of us will need and already do need.

A reminder to some but to all of us we need to hear 2

Thessalonians chapter 1. The Christian life requires strong resolve but a resolve centered on God not on willpower.

So let's read it. We're going to read 2 Thessalonians opening the book. I was going to try to just take it one verse at a time, you know,

MacArthur style but the problem was I noticed that this whole unit from verses 1 to 12 flow together and you only get the sense of what

Paul is saying when you take all 12 verses together. The thrust of this passage is

God -centered resolve. We have to see that they're under persecution. Here's the context. The Thessalonians are now being attacked.

They're being persecuted. Some of them thrown in prison, maybe some martyrs at least losing their jobs.

Being kicked out of the trade guilds. They're suffering. Persecution. And so Paul is now writing to them.

It's about 3 months after his first letter. He's writing from Corinth around the year 51 AD. And he's writing to build them up, to strengthen them that they would endure persecution.

But what I want you to notice as I read these 12 verses is that Paul will mention the name of God or God's Son 18 times in 12 verses.

Every single verse mentions God. This is no mere willpower to endure.

This is God -centered thinking. A worldview that has God not just on the margins as in I prayed a prayer to accept

God and now I live my life and do the best I can. No. It's thinking of God all day long.

Centering your life on Him. And so let's read. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the

Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God our

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you brothers as is right because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God. For your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are also suffering.

Since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us.

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire inflicting vengeance on those who do not know

God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the

Lord and from the glory of his might. When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed because our testimony to you was believed.

To this end we always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power so that the name of our

Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him according to the grace of our

God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Notice first as we look at God centered resolve.

Notice the example of the authors in chapter 1 verse 1 it says

Paul Silas and Timothy. Paul is writing to them to encourage them and to build them up in their most holy faith that they would have endurance under persecution but Paul himself has modeled this for him for them.

Five times he received the 40 lashes minus one. He had been stoned and left for dead.

He had been shipwrecked on multiple occasions whipped and scourged beaten. Everywhere he went a riot followed.

He would go to a city and be rejected and move on to the next. This was not the sign that God was displeased with Paul but rather God was pleased with Paul.

The suffering was a part of his mission and he lived out endurance faithfully till the end.

Silas likewise was an encourager. He was faithful to the end. Never quit. Suffered greatly right at Paul's side.

Suffered many of the same things and Timothy. What do we know about Timothy? Well in first Timothy Paul had sent him back to Thessalonica to see how they were doing and he brings a report back which greatly encouraged

Paul but this was Timothy. He was available to do whatever it was that Paul asked of him.

As a young man he saw Paul stoned and left for dead and he became a believer even as a teenager.

Some of you young people, kids, teens you believe and that faith is a gift from God.

Timothy is a model for you. Paul says don't let them look down on you because you are young but rather you set an example of faith for others.

Timothy even as a young man was a believer but here's the great thing about Timothy. He gets saved and begins to travel with Paul.

The year is about 51 AD when we read 2 Thessalonians but all the way until 97

AD when he breathes his last breath he never stops enduring.

He was faithful to the end. He became the pastor in Ephesus and when Paul died before the destruction of the temple in 70

Paul was gone. The weight of the church was shifted to Timothy's shoulders. He was the prodigy that Paul passed the baton to and he remained faithful.

He persevered right through to the end which raises a question for us. How will we persevere?

Where does perseverance, endurance come from? Well that's what this chapter is for. So Paul, Silas and Timothy they model it and now they call them to it but they don't say dig down deep.

Here's where they go. First of all look at the second half of verse 1. To the church of the

Thessalonians in God our Father and the

Lord Jesus Christ. Right away Paul directs their attention not to himself but to God.

Not to themselves but to God. Who they are not in and of themselves but in God.

In Christ. You will never find Buddhists or Muslims or Hindus talking about being in their founder.

A Muslim is not in Muhammad and a Buddhist is not in Buddha. But we are in Christ.

We have union with him. He died the death that we deserve and rose. We were raised with him into newness of life and now we are in him and he in us by the

Spirit. Now notice the emphasis here in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The reason Paul says and the Lord Jesus Christ is to underscore that Jesus himself is

God. He is a divine person. The Israelites and all the

Jewish people they would understand that there's only one God. Do you remember the

Shema of Israel? Deuteronomy 6 .4 Hear oh Israel the Lord our

God is one. Every Jewish person recited that every day of their lives.

Hear oh Israel the Lord our God is one. But Paul is teaching that Jesus is in fact

God in the flesh and that's the emphasis that we have. Which is why he often begins his letters this way.

To emphasize that Jesus is God. The church of the

Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1st Corinthians chapter 8 verse 6

Paul will use the Shema as a starting point but he will declare the deity of Christ under the title

Lord. So it says yet for us there is one

God. Sound like the Shema? The Father from whom are all things and for whom we exist and one

Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Paul's theology and where he begins now is to elevate Christ at the right hand of the

Father declaring him to be God. And which and that is why in verse 2 grace to you and peace comes from God our

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1st Thessalonians he had already said grace to you and peace.

Here he emphasizes from God our Father and the

Lord Jesus Christ. Why do the Thessalonians need grace and peace?

Well from verse 4 we're learning it's because they're enduring persecutions and afflictions.

But grace and peace come from God, from the Father. You will not be able to make it to 97

AD if you're Timothy unless God is with you and in you.

You will not be able to endure, faithful to the end holding on to the faith in the midst of persecutions and afflictions on your own.

You need grace. You need a good Father. And so this blessing, grace to you and peace from God our

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ is taking the attention off of us and our willpower and this is so important.

It is teaching you and I to have a God -centered worldview.

You see the repetition already? In verses 1 and 2 he's already mentioned the

Father twice and the Lord twice as well. So in verses 3 and 4 he says we ought always to give thanks to God for you.

God -centeredness is a thankful disposition. It's thanking God. When you wake in the morning and when you lay down at night to give thanks for what he has done for you and how he's cared for you for yet another day.

He says brothers as is right because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Faith is enduring. Paul is happy about this. He's heard good news.

Their faith is remaining and let me tell you this about genuine faith. If young person you have been born again genuinely your faith is indestructible.

Genuine faith is indestructible. It's only false faith that can be destroyed by persecution.

Now sometimes false faith looks like genuine faith but the testing of it proves it false.

Matthew 13 parable of the soils. When the sun beats down it demonstrates that the plant withers.

It was never genuinely faith. It was a false faith. But genuine faith increases even in persecution.

That's what's happening in verse 3. Persecution has come and yet their faith only grows.

Can't snuff it out. You can't destroy it. Their love only grows and Paul writes to say in verse 4 therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God.

He's proud of them. He tells other churches how their faith is an example of endurance in the midst of persecution.

He's proud of them and here he's writing a letter to them to let them know how he boasts to others about them.

So they're to be encouraged and to hear Paul say I'm pleased with you.

You're doing well. Your faith is remaining even in the midst of persecution. Great job.

That's an important lesson. It's a lesson about our father in heaven.

What is our father like in heaven when we're suffering affliction? The words for persecution and affliction here in verse 4 are diagmos and flipseson.

That's just for free. Just threw that out there in the Greek. Persecution, diagmos means to be chased like a dog.

That's how I remember it when I was taking Greek. Diagmos. You're being chased by a dog. You're being persecuted. There are people who are after you.

They're trying to get you. Well that's what was happening to the martyrs and it might be your boss or it might be somebody in your family who hates your confession of Christ.

It's to be persecuted. Flipseson though affliction refers to any kind of pressure that you're under.

So Paul will say we are hard pressed flipseson. We're pressed.

We're under pressure but not crushed. Persecuted but not destroyed.

In this life there will be times when you are afflicted and it may be a daily experience although God does grant us periods of relief and rest as we look to him.

But life very often feels like a pressure cooker. Pressure from your job and from your family.

From the responsibility. Sometimes it will feel like the weight of the world is upon your shoulders. You're being afflicted but the

God -centered child of God looks to God in this and God is making your faith increase by it.

Now here's what he wants to say to you this morning. I'm proud of you. Look at it in verse 4.

None of you I think have met my father except my wife have met my father but he's a funny man.

He has a great sense of humor. One time I flew back to Florida and I took an

Uber to his house only I forgot the address so I just put in the Moe's Deli.

The Moe's Southwest Grill right quarter mile from where he lived. So I got dropped off there and I got out of the

Uber car and I had my suitcase and I was walking from Moe's to his house and he saw me coming in the distance.

And I had my suitcase like a traveler you know like the old guy with the knapsack over his shoulder. I'm just walking home and so my dad came out of the house and he went like this with his pants and then he started running and he ran to me and gave me this huge hug and he said the prodigal has come home.

He just saw me come and he thought it looked like a scene from Luke 15 and he was playing around. But the reason

I tell you this story this is important. I talk to my dad on the phone once or twice a week and almost every time

I talk to him he'll say this to me, son I'm proud of you. You're doing the kingdom's work.

I'm proud of you. I hear my earthly father say that and it does something to my heart to warm the heart and to strengthen me and to help me endure.

But then he always follows it up with a little joke. And the joke you won't get unless you understand this.

John Piper said that he never tells his kids I'm proud of you.

Because he wants to emphasize that it wasn't him that made them as they were. So nothing for me to be proud of.

It was grace. I get that point. But my father says Jeff I'm proud of you.

Then he always follows it up with I don't care what Piper says. For some reason when he hears

Piper he thinks of the Scottish accent for some reason. Which Piper doesn't have but the name Piper. In any case he's emphasizing the point

I'm going to say I'm proud of you every day that we talk on the phone.

Because you need to hear that. I don't care what Piper says. Now by the way I still like Piper. He's aired in some things.

I'm not trying to bash Piper here. But the point is our heavenly father in this verse is reminding us he boasts when your faith increases in the midst of suffering.

Now this gets to the main point in verse 5. And we're moving along here. It says this what?

What is the this? It's increasing faith and increasing love in the midst of persecution.

When you're growing, when your faith is growing even though you're under pressure. When a loved one dies and you cling closer to God.

Okay this is evidence you need to hear this of the righteous judgment of God.

Why are we concerned about the righteous judgment of God? Because you're a child of God and you're wondering

God if I'm your child and you love me why am I suffering?

Why do I have to endure this persecution? I think of my father the most godly man I know.

And yet for 10 years he sat by his wife, my mom, as she's deteriorated with Parkinson's.

And now she's trapped in this body and can't speak and recognize. Why does he endure that if our father loves us?

Where is the righteous judgment of God? Why these afflictions? Lord why are we still suffering here in the body?

If you haven't wrestled with this question yet you will. But good news this is the evidence of the righteous judgment of God.

You want to know what it is? That you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are also suffering.

Now that does not mean he's making you earn something or making you pay back something that you owed because Jesus paid it all.

He satisfied our sin debt in full on the cross. What this means is that he is fitting you, he's conforming you to the ethics of the kingdom.

When you are born again you are gold. You're made new, valued and treasured.

But guess what? There's still dross on your flesh. Gold with dross is treated in a certain way.

It's put into the fire and the furnace heats that gold and the dross melts away and what emerges from the fire is pure gold.

That's what he's saying in verse 5. Now you need to hear this. In the sufferings of this life, the afflictions, the persecutions, these pains come upon you and the weight of the world is on your shoulders.

The natural human, man -centered reaction to that is to blame the person who's persecuting you.

It's to blame the circumstance and it's to become undone and depressed and inward focused.

But the hope of these words is God -centeredness. When you, like Paul, are thinking of God at every verse, you stop saying, why is that guy doing this to me?

And you turn upward. God -centered in your afflictions, in your persecutions and you look to God and you trust

Him for what He's doing in that storm. And what is He doing? He's conforming you. That pressure is

His good gift to you even though it doesn't feel good. There's a purpose in it.

That diagnosis that was scary when you got it was

God's purpose to conform you into the likeness of God. God -centeredness is the key to joy.

It's the key to endurance. If you look at the circumstances it's overwhelming.

You can't endure. But when you turn your eyes and look full in His wonderful face, your faith is strengthened.

You can endure. And a supernatural, external work happens in you. He conforms you.

This is why, according to verse 5. In the remaining verses, Paul will oscillate between this thought of what

God will do in us and conversely, the justice that He will bring on those who do persecute.

So, where is justice? Well, Edmund Bonner who abused and murdered these

Christians he himself will be afflicted. It says in verse 7 unless he had repented before he died.

It says in verse 7, sorry, verse 6, since indeed

God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.

God will be just. There's coming a day of judgment. Then it goes back to us again in verse 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us.

When, when you ask the pressures of this life they just seem like they never stop.

One hit comes after another. There's no rest for the weary. When? He's telling you when.

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.

He's coming again. He's coming for us and when He does, He will rescue us out of these sufferings, these trials.

They do have an expiration date. When you're in the midst of this life and the pain and the struggle, it feels like it will never end, but we're being told there is a day of rescue coming.

These struggles are not forever. There will be a day when He will rescue us. He'll snatch us, rapture us out, and catch us up to Himself.

Then it says in verse 8, referring conversely now to those who do not know

God, in flaming fire the angels, He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.

These mighty angels in flaming fire inflicting vengeance on those who do not know

God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the

Lord and from the glory of His might. The idea here is that grace had an expiration date.

The offer of the gospel was made, but having rejected, time ran out.

They did not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus. And at the second coming of Christ, He comes in wrath and in judgment.

Verse 9 is a sobering verse, isn't it? It's the reality of hell.

It says they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction. Now this is not an annihilation where the person just becomes nothing, but rather a destruction that goes on and on eternally.

Because it says that in this destruction they're put away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might.

You and I were made to worship God and to be with Him. So hell is the opposite of that.

It is to be put away from Him. The horror of burning fire and outer darkness.

These physical images and realities. The worst part of it is to be away from God.

And that is the fate for all eternity of those who do not know Him. There will be justice one day.

We don't see it now. Doesn't it seem like the wicked prosper? You see the rise of this one world totalitarian government on the horizon?

Which by the way, next week we're going to talk about. It can't happen until the restrainer is taken out of the way.

It's on God's timetable, but you can see that everything is teed up for it right now. It can happen.

It seems like the wicked prosper, but there's coming a day of judgment. And on that day, all wickedness will be punished.

And we who have found our refuge in Christ are safe in Him. Completely delivered.

No longer in a body of death. Verse 10, when He comes on that day to be glorified in His saints and to be marveled at.

That's when our faith becomes sight. All these days our faith is a kind of sight.

It's believing. It's the sight of faith. But one day our spiritual sight becomes physical sight.

You will marvel when you see Him. That's what it says, doesn't it? To be marveled at among all who have believed.

Because our testimony to you was believed. Those who have faith are seeing

Him spiritually, but only like through a glass dimly. One day, coming soon, we will see

Him face to face. And we will marvel. The sight of Him, the mere sight of Him, will make all the sufferings of this life appear light and momentary as Paul describes them.

These light momentary afflictions are achieving for you an eternal weight of glory that far surpasses them all.

So lastly, verses 11 and 12, let's put some meat on the bones here.

What does it really mean to be God -centered? How do you do that? How do you live a

God -centered life? It says to this end we always pray for you that our

God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power.

To this end, we always pray. The God -centered man prays in the midst of affliction, prays all day long, turns your heart and thinks of Christ rather than setting them on a shelf and trying to handle this on my own.

The prayerful man is trusting God to do what he can. Because ultimately, who is going to see you safely through to the end?

Are you going to hold on and never let your grip go? Are you going to do that?

No, He will do it in you. Remember Peter? Peter had willpower.

Remember his willpower? Even if all the rest deny you, I will never deny you,

Lord. I will never deny you. I will, says Peter.

His willpower to resist temptation failed three times and humbled him.

But then when the Holy Spirit came upon him and the power of God came into him, he stood with the boldness of a lion and he preached the gospel without fear even at the cost of his life and he ultimately did die preaching

Christ. The difference was verse 11. Who does it?

Wait, whose resolve is it? It's your resolve.

You've resolved to live for Christ. You've made this decision for every work of faith.

Guys, we have plans right now to build a new building over on Phillips Road.

And by God's grace we have the land now, it appears. All's coming together greatly.

If we try to build in our own strength, by the strength of our hands and our resolve, we'll fail.

But we do resolve to do it not in our power, but in God's power.

And there's a world of difference between these two things. If we take it to him in prayer, trusting him to provide what we need.

We're going to have an offering in June. If all of you could begin to prayerfully resolve to give what you can to the building fund.

A one -time offering. Maybe we settle this debt in a short amount of time.

If God works in me and in you, it'll be done.

In no time and without trouble. But if we try to, you notice

I don't stand and talk about money in the pulpit. We're not going to pass the plate 26 times in a church service.

If you try to drum this up and try to make it happen by our power, our resolve, nothing will happen.

But if we learn God -centeredness and we take it to the Lord in prayer, we trust him with it, we preach the gospel, he will do it.

And we'll see it done. This is what Paul is talking about. We must have this resolve, these works of faith, but to recognize it's

God, God, God who does it. We need the power of God in our church.

And you need the power of God in your life. It's not enough to will to do right.

You won't find the strength within. You must turn and pray and seek his face finally in verse 12, so that the name of our

Lord Jesus may be glorified. This is for his glory. In you and you in him.

According to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. So we end as we began with this dual reference to the

Father and the Son. It's him. We must develop a

God -centered worldview. In closing, I'll tell you about some resolutions that Jonathan Edwards made.

You guys remember Jonathan Edwards? First Great Awakening in America? It's really what gave birth to this great country.

The First Great Awakening and then the American Revolution came out of that. Well, Jonathan Edwards was

God -centered in his theology. He looked and believed God's providence over all things.

A high view of God and a low view of himself. And yet listen to a few of his resolutions.

Jonathan Edwards resolved. He wrote these over the course of his life and he lived them by the strength that God supplied.

You make the same resolution today. Resolved to study the scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently as that I may find and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

He resolved when he was a young man and it persisted through his life that he would study the scripture.

That resolution by God's power he did and it changed the world. Number 56, which can give you an indication of how many of these resolutions he had.

I'm only going to read five. Resolved never to give over nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions however unsuccessful

I may be. He resolved he was going to fight his flesh to the death however unsuccessful he may be.

No matter the losses he took, the failings he would never stop fighting to mortify the flesh.

To be crucified with Christ. To never slacken that battle. Number three of the five

I'll read. Resolved to think much on all occasions of my own dying and of the common circumstances which attend death and to think of the pains of martyrdom and of hell.

I know this sermon hasn't been particularly pleasant from beginning to end. It's been hard to think about martyrdom and death but Jonathan Edwards resolved to do that intentionally.

To think of his own dying, to think of martyrdom, to think of hell. Why? To set your mind on things above and when the trials of this life seem so painful, which they are, to recognize what it is you've been spared of.

Namely hell. And to compare that with what you're going through. To think of martyrs and what they've done.

To keep your mind on things above. To turn your eyes to Christ. Next. Two more.

Resolved after afflictions and this is the big idea here guys of why I'm preaching this message.

After afflictions to inquire what am I the better for them? What good have

I got by them? And what I might have got by them? You hear his resolution?

To be God -centered in your affliction. Everybody here has afflictions. You have pressures and it feels crushing.

But if you'll resolve to do this it will change your life. I promise you. Become God -centered and to say,

God what in your providence are you doing in this? What can I gain by this? What sanctification conforming to the image of Christ?

And if I listen to your voice in this what benefit would it be? That changes your life.

You don't have to fight back because vengeance is mine. I will repay. You don't have to resolve

I'm gonna go do this and do business in that city and then make a profit and come back but say if it be

God's will I will do such and such. It's a God -centered worldview to see everything through the lens of his providence not the outer circumstance.

You following? So important. This changes your life. A high view of God in his providence.

Lastly resolved when I fear misfortunes and adversities to examine whether I have done my duty and resolve to do it and let it be just as providence orders it.

I will as far as I can be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin.

I love this resolution because he's saying I'm not gonna try to figure out all of God's providences for why he does what he does.

I'm gonna look to what he's doing in me. I'll be concerned about my duty and my sin.

You will not figure out what God is trying to do. Now the world is the exact opposite of this worldview.

The world tells you to say I am such a victim. This would have you wake up and say

I am not a victim. I am not a victim. I am not a victim. You notice the martyrs

I talked about early on in this sermon. They were praising God and forgiving those who persecuted them.

That's only possible when you're trusting the hand of God in his providence over all things. But you don't know what it is.

You just do your duty and trust God with the rest. So important.

So in closing, this is a call for perseverance. Saints, persevere.

The sufferings of this life, especially those that come by persecutions, are to be expected.

No health and wealth gospel. We should expect sufferings. As the day approaches, expect these to increase because we're moving into the end times.

But under pressure, the God -centered churches will only increase in faith and in love, guarded by his grace and his peace.

Therefore, let's resolve to do God -sized works. Let's pray. So Father, we thank you for this heavy lift.

Your word on a very difficult subject. We thank you for the strength that only you supply.

Lord, I pray for myself that you would strengthen me to endure, faithful to the end. And I pray for this, our church,

Lord, your church, that you would strengthen and grant endurance to your people.

Help us to endure and not give up. Turn our eyes to you in prayer that we would not think that we have the power to carry these burdens.

Help us to carry one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. God, we pray that you would increase our resolve.

And Lord, I do want to pray for the children that sang today. So young.

Lord, I lift them up and pray that you would keep them to the end. You would keep them faithful to the end by your power and your grace.

And the same for all of us in this room now. You would keep us faithful to the end.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's stand and sing. A thousand stories of one day

I think you're like what I've heard A tender whisper of love in a dead of night

And you tell me that you're pleased and that I'm never alone

You're a good, good father It's who you are

It's who you are It's who you are

And I'm loved by you It's who I am It's who

I am It's who I am I've seen

Many searching for answers Far and wide but I know

We're all searching for answers You provide cause you know

Just what we need before we Say a word

You're a good, good father It's who you are It's who you are

It's who you are And I'm loved by you

It's who I am It's who I am It's who

I am You are perfect in all of your ways

You are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways

You are so undeniable

I can hardly speak Be so unexplainable

I can hardly think As you call me

Deeper still You call me Deeper still

As you call me Deeper still Into love, love, love

This is good, good father It's who you are It's who you are

It's who you are And I'm loved by you

It's who I am It's who I am It's who

I am Now, may our

Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word