Grace at Rock Bottom (2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 Jeff Kliewer)

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Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org Grace at Rock Bottom

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Will you join me this morning and we'll sing a few songs together. There is a light that overwhelms the darkness.
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There is a kingdom that forever reigns.
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There is freedom from the chains that bind us.
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Jesus, Jesus. Who walks on the waters.
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Who speaks to the sea. Who stands in the fire beside me.
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He roars like a lion. He fled as the lamb.
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He carries my healing in His hands.
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Jesus. There is a name
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I call in times of trouble. There is a song that comforts in the night.
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There's a voice that calms the storm that rages.
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He is Jesus. Jesus.
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Who walks on the waters. Who speaks to the sea.
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Who stands in the fire beside me. He roars like a lion.
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He fled as the lamb. He carries my healing in His hands.
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Jesus. My Savior, my
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Savior. There is power in your redeemer.
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There is power in your name. In your name.
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You walk on the waters.
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You speak to the sea. You stand in the fire beside me.
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You roar like a lion. You fled as the lamb.
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You carry my healing in Your hands.
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God, You walk on the waters. You speak to the sea.
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You stand in the fire beside me. You roar like a lion.
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You fled as the lamb. You carry my healing in Your hands.
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Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
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Oh hail the power of Jesus' name. Let angels prostrate fall.
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Bring forth the royal diadem.
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And crown Him Lord of all.
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Bring forth the royal diadem. The chosen seed of Israel's race.
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He ransomed from the fall. Hail Him who saved you by His grace.
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And crown Him Lord of all.
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Hail Him who saved you by His grace. And crown
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Him Lord of all.
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Every kindred, every tribe. On this terrestrial ball.
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To Him all majesty ascribe. And crown
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Him Lord of all. To Him all majesty ascribe.
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And crown Him Lord of all.
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Lord, we stand before you this morning.
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Only because you saved us. Because you redeemed us. Lord, there's nothing that we can do.
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To replace or repay the gift that you've given us. Our savior, our redeemer.
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Nothing we can do. Nothing we'll repay.
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But we sing your praises this morning. And every day. Hallelujah, hallelujah.
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We give our lives to you. When I hear the story.
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Of a God of mercy. Who shared humanity.
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And suffered by our side. Of the cross they nailed you to.
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That could not hold you. Now you're making all things new.
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By the power of your risen life.
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What can I do but thank you. What can
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I do but give my life to you. Hallelujah, hallelujah.
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What can I do but praise you. Every day make everything
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I do. Hallelujah, hallelujah.
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Hallelujah. What can
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I do but thank you. What can I do but give my life to you.
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Hallelujah, hallelujah. What can
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I do but praise you. Every day make everything
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I do. Hallelujah, hallelujah.
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Hallelujah. Thank you for the opportunity to sing praises to your name.
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May you have all the glory and praise in everything that we do. Amen. You may be seated.
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Let's pray. God as we come now to open your word.
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We pray for your grace in the congregation. Lord that those who have come here riddled with sin and racked with guilt.
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Lord that your gospel would come like a flood of fresh living water over their souls.
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That they would know that there is grace. That flows from the throne of grace.
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That God you are a gracious and merciful God. Abounding in loving kindness.
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We pray for those who don't yet know you that they would believe in your message of grace.
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Through Jesus Christ and for all of us who have believed. Remind us again today of your grace towards us who believe.
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We thank you for your word and pray that it would sound forth now like a trumpet. Trumpet Lord that you would take over in my preaching.
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And that those who hear would have ears to hear in Jesus name.
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Amen. I thought my friend was the strongest
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Christian in the world. He was a pastor and pastored a wonderful church.
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He had a great family. He was prominent on the internet.
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With a certain blog and podcast. He wrote articles that were read by millions of people.
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I looked up to him as one of the strongest men of God. Faithful with the gospel.
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Strong in doctrine. A gift of discernment. He saw through the church lockdowns.
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When the government took authority over the church. He encouraged the churches to stand.
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When critical race theory came into view. He was speaking about it before almost anybody else knew what it was.
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But a couple years ago in this culture war. As a truth warrior fighting for the cause of Christ.
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He began to get depressed. As depression took over he had trouble climbing out.
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And before long he tried to medicate his way out. He sought peace in Xanax.
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And that became a part of his life. Looking for it to help. But before long it took over.
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And it became an addiction. And within the last couple months his online ministry crumbled.
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And his pastorate crumbled. And his family is in tatters. It breaks my heart.
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In fact when I wrote the book Woke Free Church. He sent it to his mailing list of everybody.
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So he encouraged me in this fight. So it hurts to see a brother fall.
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But let me tell you this. Every podcast I ever heard him speak on.
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He began with the gospel. He started every time by telling about our righteousness.
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Being nothing more than filthy rags. And he told about the Son of God who came and lived a perfect life.
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Obeying the law at every point. His active obedience. And he told about the passive obedience of Christ.
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How Jesus laid down on a cross and was nailed to the tree. And lifted up to bleed and die for the forgiveness of sin.
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How he was buried and how he rose on the third day. And this friend of mine would call the listener to repentance and to faith.
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And so now he's been hurt in the war. But I would say to him what
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I want each one of you to hear. Whenever you hit rock bottom in this life.
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And you will hit rock bottom. That's different for every person. But definitionally all of us will at some point hit a low point.
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Whatever that is for you. Whenever you hit rock bottom. As a Christian you will find grace there.
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There's grace for the preacher. Just like there's grace for you. At rock bottom.
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When everything else falls out and you have nothing left. Let's say you were stripped of everything like Job. And all he had left was
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God. There you have the rock of your salvation. After everything else.
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Grace at rock bottom. Under circumstances that threaten to steal our peace.
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In a world where counterfeits abound. We have grace at rock bottom.
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Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Did you guys ever think we were going to get here?
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The end of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. We've been here for more than six months in these books.
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And today is the day we wrap it all up. If you didn't get one of these green or blue sheets.
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Jay and John here are passing them out. Make sure you have these. Because today we'll read these final verses.
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But I don't want to just charge off to the next territory. I want us to take some time reviewing what we've learned.
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Some of you can sing a song from the 1960s. Or 70s.
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And not miss a word. How is that possible? Maybe you haven't heard the song for 10 years.
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It's because that song is so deeply ingrained in your brain. You've cut such a path in your memory.
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That you'll never forget it. In the same way we need to spend time as students of God's word.
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Cutting paths in our memory. Let's read. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verses 16 to 18.
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We'll close it out. Then we'll review the books. And focus on these final three verses. Now may the
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Lord of peace himself. Give you peace. At all times.
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In every way. The Lord be with you all. I Paul. Write this greeting with my own hand.
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This is the sign of genuineness. In every letter of mine. It is the way
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I write. The grace. Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Be with you all. So we'll get to that verse. Grace at rock bottom. Paul always ends his letters with a reference to grace.
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With the exception of Romans. The other 12. We'll look at that in a minute. But let's begin actually this day.
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We're going to fly. It's going to be like drinking from a fire hose. Does it sound appealing? Somebody's going to get a tooth knocked out.
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But listen. As students of the word. We want to spend time in the word. Not just to hear.
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And let it just go through one ear. And out the other. Our minds can be like a sieve.
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Right? But we want to capture the good water of the word. So turn back with me.
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To 1st Thessalonians chapter 1. That's back to the first book. And we're going to go through the main ideas today.
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To try to drive it home. To try to cut a path in the brain. That these things that we've heard. Become a part of our memory.
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And the first is. It's a green sheet. Faith. Hope.
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And love. Are the biggest pursuits of the Christian life. You want to major on the majors.
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And minor on the minors. Make sure according to verse 3. You're remembering. Before our God and Father.
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The work of faith. The labor of love. The steadfastness of hope. In our Lord Jesus Christ.
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How many of you had a wedding. Where the pastor read. 1st Corinthians chapter 13. The love chapter.
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Love is patient. Love is kind. Faith. Hope. And love. These three. But the greatest of these is.
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Love. This is where. We major. We focus on these things. And this is our prayer.
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That we would grow. In these ways. Number 2. The outward call.
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Plus the inward call. Yielding fruit. Indicates that one is chosen by God.
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Have you ever wondered. How do I know. If I'm one of the elect. How do
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I know. That I'm chosen by God. Look at chapter 1. Verse 4. For we know.
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Brothers. Love by God. That he has chosen you.
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Well how do we know that. Well the next verse. Because. Says. Our gospel came. Not just with word.
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But. With power. And the Holy Spirit. And conviction. Goes on to say.
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That you receive this word. With joy. In the midst of tribulation. Listen. This is how you know.
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That you are a child of God. The gospel came to you. You didn't make this story up.
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You didn't come up with it. In the brilliance of your own mind. But someone came telling you.
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That Jesus is the Christ. Who died on a cross. And rose from the dead. Offering forgiveness of sin.
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In his name. You heard these words. And the words came. With power.
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With conviction. With the Holy Spirit. Such that.
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You received these words. Even in the midst of tribulation. The outward call.
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Is when. The gospel itself is spoken. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the word of God.
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You cannot be saved. Unless somebody tells you. What Jesus has done. On the cross.
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And how he rose from the dead. You also cannot be saved. Unless the spirit. Opens your heart.
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Like a flower. The inward call. The spirit at work inside of you.
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Such that you receive it. With joy. It comes in the Holy Spirit. Not just with outward.
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Words. So this is how you know you're chosen. Your heart leapt for joy.
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In believing. The message of Jesus Christ. Faith came by hearing.
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And hearing by the word of God. And it bears fruit. Their reputation had gone out.
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Through the world it says. In verse six and seven. So the third point.
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As we move into chapter two. Is about the believers work. The believers work.
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Includes laboring to earn. A living. Is that a dirty word in our culture anymore?
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Work. Get out there and work. When is a little boy in his glory?
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When he's got dirty hands. He's got mud on his face. And he's building something. With rocks and sticks.
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Because it's built into him. To work. Of course all culture. Our culture pushes kids.
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In the opposite direction. And would never let a boy. Get dirty fingernails. Right. But Christians we know better.
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Work is a good thing. And Paul. Modeled work. For the Thessalonians. He worked night and day.
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With his hands. He was a. Tent maker. He was working with his hands.
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Sharing not just the gospel with them. Witnessing to them. But also his very life as well. He's working alongside of them.
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Sharing life. Number four. A true. Minister. Is tied to the people he loves and serves.
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His heart is for them. Remember how when Paul. Left Thessalonica.
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He had to leave. In a rush. They kicked him out. Not the church. But the culture. Drove him away.
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And so he went on to the next place. But if you look at chapter three. Verse one. He says.
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Therefore. When we could bear it no longer. We were willing to be left behind.
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At Athens. Alone. What does this indicate? Well. Once Paul had left
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Thessalonica. They were still on his heart. He was still near to them. In his heart.
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He was praying for them. Continually. So what he decided to do. Was to send Timothy back around.
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To where he came from. To sneak back into town. And find out how is the church doing. And Timothy did that.
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And came back to him. And brought a good report. Of their faith. And their hope. And their love. And Paul says.
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That his heart was set at ease. Because his heart was with them. Listen.
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My job as a preacher. Is not. Restricted to this pulpit. If I faithfully handle the word of God.
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I'm a true preacher. But if I faithfully. Go. To the bedside of the dying.
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Then I'm a pastor. And likewise. Brothers and sisters.
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If you carry one another's burdens. If you're the one. That somebody can call when they're hurting.
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When their marriage is crumbling. And they need a friend. When they've developed an addiction.
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That they didn't see coming. When you can be the one there for them. Faith. Hope. Love.
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Paul's heart just comes through. The first three chapters. He goes on and on. The first three chapters.
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Of first Thessalonians. Are about his love for them. How deeply he cares for them. And it just bleeds out.
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Of everything he says. So don't miss that. It instructs you of.
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What a Christian does. Not share the word only. But your life. As well.
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To call a friend. To minister to other people. This. Is love. And that's ministry.
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Next we get to chapter four. And it becomes very practical. In chapter four. Kind of takes a turn.
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You don't see it coming. But he addresses sexual immorality. Beginning at verse three.
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It is really a function of love. Not to defraud a brother. But it says in chapter four.
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Verse three. For this is the will of God. Your. Sanctification. That you abstain.
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From sexual immorality. That each one of you know. How to control his own body.
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In holiness. And honor. Many young people. When I was a youth pastor.
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Would ask me the question. Why do I have such strong sexual desires. If it's so far.
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Until I'm able to get married. Why would God do that? How can he expect me.
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To remain pure. Well the answer. Is that God never makes a mistake.
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Listen. God has given you. A strong sex drive. To motivate you.
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Toward godliness. Young man. If you're burning with passion.
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Control. The flesh. And let it motivate you. To grow up and be a man.
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All that energy. All that aggression. In you. Is good and God given. Become a worker.
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Who can support a wife. And a child. Let that energy.
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Drive you. Towards your goal. You want to get married. That's good. You want to have children.
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Wonderful. That sex drive. Is an engine. Toward your own productivity.
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It's a good gift from God. Same thing applies to young ladies. I think. Teenagers. Your goal.
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Should be. Not to get married by age 20. Necessarily. But that by age 20.
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You're mature enough. To get married. Pretty good goal. I think that would eliminate.
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So much of the sexual immorality. That's rampant in our culture. Because this culture. Has created shortcuts.
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Towards sexual gratification. That actually undermines. The life of a believer.
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In total. And so I think Paul knew it. Even back then. You see how important. This practical subject is.
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Look at verse 3. This is the will of God. The first thing he says. About sanctification. Abstain.
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From sexual. Immorality. Becomes prominent. In all of Paul's writing. First Corinthians 5 and 6.
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And most letters. He'll make a reference. To the subject. Because he knows. How practically important it is.
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That believers. Walk in purity. And in love.
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He goes on to say. In verses 9 to 12. Now look with me at verses. 13 and following.
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We take another hard shift. We're talking practical stuff here. Right? The Christian life. Sanctification.
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Then all of a sudden. He gets very doctrinal. Some of you are going to be lost. Because you haven't necessarily.
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Been with us. Through this teaching. So what on earth. Is Pastor Jeff talking about? But from verses 13.
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To 18. He tells about the rapture. Of the church. Believers are dying.
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And being buried in the ground. And some think. Well what's going on? What happened to the promise? And Paul says listen.
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Those believers. That you buried in the ground. Are going to rise. And they're going to be caught up.
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Into the clouds. To meet the Lord in the air. And we who are still alive.
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At the return of Christ. At the rapture of the church. Will likewise be caught up.
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Will be changed in an instant. And we will meet the Lord in the air. At his appearing.
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This word is the rapture. We get it from the Latin. And from the
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Greek Harpazo. To be caught up. Look at verse 17. It's not a man -made doctrine.
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It's explicitly taught. In verse 17. Then we who are alive.
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Who are left. Will be caught up. Snatched. Like Enoch.
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Who walked with God. And was no more. Or Elijah. Who was going about his business. In a chariot of fire. Just grabbed him.
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And brought him up to heaven. That's going to happen to us. You guys believe it?
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I do. We're going to be caught up together. With them in the clouds. To meet the
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Lord. In the air. And so we will always be. With the Lord. This is the doctrine of the rapture.
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That the church is going to be caught up into the clouds. In the twinkling of an eye.
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Without warning. Unexpectedly. Now. The only question brings us into the next point.
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Will it look like an upside down yo -yo? As in.
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When you're yo -yoing. You throw it down. And it pops right back up. Will the church go up into the clouds.
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And then upside down. Come right back down. With the Lord. As he sets his foot in Jerusalem.
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Is that the nature of the rapture. And then the second coming. Of the Lord. Let's read it. Chapter 5.
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Verses 1 to 3. Before I read it. The answer is no.
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There will be a gap. A time gap. I think it's seven years. Other people think it's three and a half years.
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Or somewhere thereabouts. But there will be a gap. For this reason. Let's read it. Now concerning the times.
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And the seasons. Okay. We're talking about time. About. Seasons.
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Brothers. You have no need. To have anything written to you. For you yourselves.
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Are fully aware. Because he had taught them. That the day of the
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Lord. Will come. How? Like a thief in the night. A thief in the night.
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This doctrine. Very important. Is called. Imminency. Imminency.
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The return of Christ. For the church. Is imminent. That means. Do you believe this? That before this day is over.
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Jesus could come back for us. If you believe that. Say amen. Amen. So most of this church does.
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Now listen. If you don't believe. In a pre. Wrath. Or pre -trib rapture.
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You cannot say amen. To that. You can't. It wouldn't be imminent.
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It wouldn't be like. A thief in the night. Catching you by surprise. In fact. There are certain. Signs. That have to take place.
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It's called. Predictive prophecy. In the Old Testament. Micah told us. Of the birthplace. Of Christ. The details.
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Of the suffering. Of Christ. On the cross. Zechariah said. He comes riding in.
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On a donkey. If Jesus. Didn't do. Each of those things. He could not have died.
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On the cross. For our sins. Let God. Be true. In every man. A liar. In the same way.
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The second. Coming. Is preceded. By prophecies.
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When we get. To second Thessalonians. We learn. Three of them. There must be an apostasy.
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The revealing. Of the antichrist. And the abomination.
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Of desolations. When we get. We'll get to that. In a minute. What those are. But for now.
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Notice the point. Imminency. At any moment. Like a thief.
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In the night. The Lord. Could appear. You see it. Verse three. While people are saying.
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There is peace. And security. Once. The bowls.
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Of God's wrath. Are being poured out. On the earth. There is no peace. And security. I mean.
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Even by the seal. Judgments of the book. Of revelation. Everything is ruined. A third of the earth.
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Is dead. By the time. Of the trumpets. More. Supernatural. Things are happening.
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With the bowls. Of wrath. There are hailstones. Falling from heaven. Everything is dark. The sun is dark.
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People are groveling. And heading to Jerusalem. To try to kill the Jews. The last thing.
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That they're saying. Is this. There is peace. And security. So how can it be imminent? Well. It's a very simple solution.
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The Lord will. Catch us up. To meet him in the air. That could happen. At any second.
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And that event triggers. The seven years. Of tribulation. Amen.
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Imminency. It could happen. At any second. We'll get back to that. In second current. In second Thessalonians. But let's move on.
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To point number eight. The church. Is not.
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Destined. For wrath. Look at verse. Nine. God has.
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Not. Destined. Us. For wrath. In the preceding context here.
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There's a distinction made between the children of light and children of darkness. The children of darkness.
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Well. They will be taken. By surprise. When. The day of the
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Lord. Arrives. Right? When all of these judgments come. They're not expecting it.
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It's like the days of Noah according to Jesus. They're eating and drinking and carrying on. Marrying.
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Given in marriage. And then this flood. Comes and takes them away. The day of the
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Lord will be like that for them. But the distinction of first Thessalonians five. Is that God does not treat his bride.
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That way. And you church. Are the bride of Christ. The groom doesn't beat the bride before taking her home.
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The wrath of the great day of his wrath. Revelation six seventeen describes the tribulation.
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As the day of his wrath. This period of wrath. Is for the world.
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Who has rejected Christ. Not for. The bride. You see it.
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In verse nine. God has not destined us. For wrath. But to obtain salvation rescue.
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Through our Lord Jesus. Christ. It's a beautiful. Thing. By the way guys. You guys know
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I'm kind of into the culture war right. I love to fight these battles.
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How is it that I don't get depressed. In life. I mean sometimes it looks like we're losing right.
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I mean here's a room full of believers that are strong in the truth. But we're vastly outnumbered in this culture.
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And the culture seems to be getting farther and farther away from the truth. Here's why
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I don't get discouraged in the battle. Because I know that our God is with us in the battle.
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We will fight. We will be the salt. We will be the light. We will fight. Until the death. But I know.
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That any second now. Our Lord is coming for his church. Because I believe in the rapture of the church.
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And I'm looking for it. And I'm expecting it. It could happen today. And I'm not scared. I know he's good.
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I know he's going to rescue us. So however bad this culture gets. We're going to fight. We're going to fight.
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But we don't fight like those who have no hope. We fight like a people that are waiting on the king who will make it right.
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We know the church won't usher in the millennium. We know the church won't make the world right.
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But we'll preserve it until the time. So we fight like that.
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And yet with hope that the one who can do it. The champion. The victor.
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It's not us. It's him. And he'll be here soon. And that's how you can have both peace and truth.
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Make sense? You keep your eyes to the sky. Next. Number nine.
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This is the plaque on our wall. I mentioned in a sermon that my wife went to Hobby Lobby. And got this plaque that we put right by the front door that says rejoice always.
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Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances. You see that?
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Chapter 5 verses 16 to 18. In fact, verse 16 is the shortest verse in the
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Bible. Somebody says, I thought it was Jesus wept. That's because you're reading the
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English. In the Greek, this is the shortest. So if you want to remember one verse and just cut that path in your brain, let it be this.
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Rejoice always. The joy of the Lord is your strength. If you can wake up and remember that Christ already paid the price of your sin, he already rose from the dead, he's triumphed, he is king, he is
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Lord, why not rejoice that day? That sure sets a good course for your day, doesn't it?
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So see that first thing in the morning. Memorize these three verses. Pray continually.
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Give thanks in everything. Cultivate a grateful heart. Just count the blessings.
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Thank him for your air conditioning. Ours went out, but it makes you appreciate it on a hundred degree day, doesn't it?
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Thank you, Lord, that most days we have air conditioning, Lord. Be thankful. Cultivate a thankful heart of gratitude.
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Lastly for this book, then we have another one. Lastly for this book, don't quench the spirit.
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Verses 20, 19, 20, and 21, do not despise prophecies, test everything, hold fast what is good.
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We need the Holy Spirit in our church. I need him when I preach, you need him when you teach your children, when you go about your day, when you work with your hands in everything we do, we need the help of the spirit of the living
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God. Don't quench him. Let him be that fire in your bones.
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Don't quench the spirit. We need the empowering presence of God in the church.
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Do you think all of this has happened by our self -effort? No. All those baptisms in June, missionaries to the end of the earth, you think this is us?
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No, it is the spirit at work among us. And we need more of his presence and his power in the church.
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Amen. We're only halfway done. Now we go to the blue sheet and the second book.
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In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world, says the
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Lord. Chapter one of second Thessalonians is about tribulations.
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It's about difficulty, struggle. The Thessalonians are being thrown in jail. They're losing their jobs.
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Everything seems to be falling apart around them. They are suffering. Guys, just because we won't go through the day of the
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Lord, the wrath of the Lord, doesn't mean you won't suffer. This world will have suffering.
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It's a part of the Christian life. Chapter one is about that. But listen, here's how you endure and have confidence and resolve and steadfastness in the midst of suffering.
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You want to know? Look at chapter one. How many times
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Paul says God or Jesus? He has a
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God -centered worldview. He's thinking about God all the time. So look, follow along with me. Chapter one, verse one, the church in God and the
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Lord. Verse two, peace from God and the Lord. Number three, give thanks to God.
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Verse four, the churches of God. Guys, we have a buzz here on the monitor in the back.
01:04:09
If somebody could fix that. Number five, the judgment of God, the kingdom of God. Number six, it's
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God that considers it just to repay. Verse seven, it's the
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Lord Jesus. Verse eight, to know God in the gospel of Jesus. Verse nine, the presence of the
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Lord. Verse 10, marveling at him, not at us.
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And verse 11, our God will make you worthy of his calling. And verse 12, the grace of our
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God. You guys catch the point? Every verse references
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God. When you wake up in the morning, it's
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Jesus. Just give me Jesus. When you go about your day, is God on your mind or is he just a subcategory of life?
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You see, for Paul, God is at the center of his thinking all the time. The world would kick
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God out of everything. The truth is God is in everything. A God -centered worldview creates resolve.
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When your eyes are on God, when you're thinking of God, praying continually to God, when you're crediting
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God with everything that you have, thanking him, you endure. God -centered worldview.
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Now we get into the next section, chapter two, and again we take a shift back to doctrine.
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These are things that we're supposed to think and believe. Now concerning the coming of our
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Lord Jesus Christ, that's the parousia, the second coming, and our being gathered to him, that's the rapture, 1
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Thessalonians 4 .17. These are the categories that we're to start thinking in. We're talking about doctrine, eschatology.
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Notice what happens in verse two. Very interesting. Somebody wrote a counterfeit letter.
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Somebody came preaching that the day of the Lord was already here. Look, it's the mark of the beast.
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Look, the seal judgments have been broken and the four horsemen of the apocalypse are riding out already.
01:06:28
The trumpets, the seals, it's happening right now. Somebody said that, but they doubled down their effort.
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They actually wrote a letter saying what they taught, and they signed
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Paul's name. They tried to forge his John Hancock on the paper.
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You see that in verse two? It says, a letter seeming to be from us.
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Let no one deceive you in any way. Church, be aware and be wary.
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There will be false teachers among you. In the 1800s alone, we got the
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Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, and the Seventh -day Adventists. Charles Taze Russell came along teaching an end times theory and denying that Jesus was
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God. So the Jehovah's Witnesses. Joseph Smith said that he found some golden plates buried in a hill in New York, and these were another testament of Jesus Christ, which he would then translate for us.
01:07:35
And so you have the Mormon Church. Ellen White was believing the prophecies of one
01:07:41
William Miller. And when Jesus did not come back in 1844 as prophesied, she said, well, what really happened was he went from one part of heaven into another part.
01:07:54
And it was a spiritual return of Christ. And so we have the Seventh -day Adventists, especially with regard to end times and the things to come.
01:08:04
People get really weird about it. And you get some false teaching. Be on guard.
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There will be false teachers, false prophets among you. And you must be on guard all the time.
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If it was happening as early as the first letter in the New Testament, this is written in the late 40s, early 50s
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AD. Thessalonians, first, and then a few months later, second Thessalonians.
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If it was happening way back then, then, of course, it's still happening today. Be on guard and hold fast to the truth.
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So counterfeits are going to abound. Number three, underscoring the point we just made in first Thessalonians.
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Guys, the day of the Lord cannot come until three things happen first.
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The day of the Lord is a clear teaching in the Old Testament, isn't it? When's the last time you read
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Amos or Isaiah? Joel. The day of the
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Lord is a common theme in the Old Testament. It's a period of wrath. God has been storing up his wrath on this earth, reserving judgment.
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But the day is coming when he'll release that wrath on the earth. And it's going to be devastating.
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The prophets foresaw it. But the book of Revelation talks about it from chapter 6 to chapter 19.
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And it's very specifically called the day of the Lord's wrath. Revelation 6, 17.
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That is the day of his wrath. Now, it cannot begin until three things happen first. And what are they?
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The apostasy, the antichrist, and the abomination of desolation. You see it? Verse 3.
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The day of the Lord will not come unless the rebellion comes first.
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In the Greek, that word is apostasia. It means falling away, rebellion. Have you noticed that this might be starting right now?
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I mean, look at the continent of Europe, once the seat of Christendom, where everybody professed to be a believer in the
01:10:21
Bible. Now, less than 1 % of that continent claims to be an evangelical believer in the scriptures.
01:10:30
Look at our culture. Are you seeing it depart? The apostasy.
01:10:38
It's a sign. In the end times, it'll get worse and worse.
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But notice what it says. Then the man of lawlessness is revealed.
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Who's the antichrist? Anybody know? You might have a theory.
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And it's probably one of the politicians on Capitol Hill, right? Or somewhere over.
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Yeah, Soros, I heard somebody say. That could be. But what we don't know is who it is with certainty, right?
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It has not yet been revealed. The antichrist will one day come. And he will do something specific that indicates that the final days of wrath are on us.
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What will he do? Look again at verse 4. He's going to oppose and exalt himself against every so -called
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God or object of worship. So that he takes his seat in the temple of God.
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Which will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Proclaiming himself to be
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God. Simple. Daniel chapter 9. Referred to it.
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Verses 24 to 27. Jesus referenced it in Matthew 24. He said the abomination of desolation.
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Will trigger the last years of this earth. Before the parousia.
01:12:10
The glorious appearing. That being the case. It hasn't happened yet. So we're not yet in the tribulation.
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As bad as this world is. It's nothing like the tribulation. Once the day of his wrath happens.
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Nobody will miss it. So what's keeping it? That's the next point of teaching.
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The Holy Spirit working through the church. Is the restrainer who holds back the end times.
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Let's look now at 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 6 and 7. And you know what is restraining him now.
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So that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.
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Only he who now restrains it will do so. Until he is out of the way.
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There's only one. Person. Strong enough.
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To hold back the antichrist. In the world. And it's not your favorite politician.
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And it's not you or I. It's the Holy Spirit. Working in the church.
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Working through us like salt and light to restrain evil in the land. Yes. But there's coming a time where his ministry will change.
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He'll stop restraining evil. He'll release that spirit. Do you know there's always an antichrist ready to take over.
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The World Economic Forum. Those boys at Davos. They're ready for a one world government like yesterday.
01:13:44
But they're restrained. When God says go. He changes the ministry of the
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Holy Spirit. Concurrently taking the church. Safely. To meet him in the air.
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And then the rapture. After the rapture is this tribulation period. Where the antichrist is up to all of his shenanigans.
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And the next thing we know about. Counterfeit miracles. Chapter 2 verses 8 to 12.
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The antichrist is doing these bizarre things. There's a statue that can talk. An animated statue.
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I can't imagine AI pulling that off. Can you? Oh wait a minute. Yeah. They're trying to do that too. Create sentient beings.
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As they believe. It's all signs of the times. But it can't happen until the Lord says go. So before we move on from this eschatology section.
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Let me entertain the other possibility. Someone will read this text.
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And say wait a minute. In verse 1. It's referring to the coming of the
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Lord. That day of the Lord. Verse 2.
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Is when Christ comes and sets his foot in Jerusalem. So there is no rapture prior to the second coming.
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There's only that one event. The post tribulation rapture. Like a yo -yo. You meet the
01:15:06
Lord and then he comes back down. Let me entertain that theory for just a second.
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What would that look like in verse 2? The Thessalonian is quickly shaken in mind.
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Because the day of the Lord has come. If that were true. What would it mean? It would mean that Christ already came to Jerusalem.
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So what's the problem? If the day of the Lord has come. And Christ has returned in Jerusalem.
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Then all they have to do is go get on a train. We didn't have trains back then. Take a ship. Get on a mule.
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Ride a horse. Go to Jerusalem. Christ is there. Obviously that's not the case.
01:15:52
Because the day of the Lord has a specific meaning. It's that period of tribulation.
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The day of his wrath. Revelation 6 .17. And so why would they be confused about it?
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This is the truth. They're confused about it because they're suffering so much.
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Why did my mom just get taken to jail? Why did dad lose his job?
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Why am I running from my life? Well, the false teacher said the day of the Lord has come.
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You're in the tribulation. Your suffering is the tribulation. And Paul says, can't be.
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Not until the three signs have happened before. And again, that's why the rapture is imminent.
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There are no signs. Remember how this all ties together? The rapture, the second coming of Christ for the church, could happen before I'm done preaching today.
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And if you live with that view, this imminency, first of all, it gives me peace. Because I'm looking for him to come.
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I'm not waiting on the Antichrist. I'm waiting on Christ. It's a whole lot better perspective.
01:17:00
And not only so, waiting on Christ, I have courage.
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And I know that he wins without fear. This is how he's built us.
01:17:14
And this is what the passage teaches. So imminency is such an important doctrine. It could happen before I'm done preaching.
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Guys, when you believe that way, you're much less likely to fall into sexual immorality.
01:17:30
You're much less likely to give up and say, well, you know, we'll wait till the end times and I'll get right when bad things start happening.
01:17:40
No, if you're expecting that he could come back today, it's a motivator towards purity and sanctification.
01:17:46
It is a good desire, the coming of the Lord. So that's the doctrinal section.
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We're almost done. I didn't want us to go through Thessalonians and then just forget.
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What's the point, right? We spent six months on this book. I want you to take this and drive it home till you know it and remember it.
01:18:07
So number six, we were chosen to be saved.
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If anybody wasn't mad at me already because I'm teaching the pre -trib rapture, let me just teach this.
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You're chosen to be saved. Look at verse 13. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the
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Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved.
01:18:44
So if you're mad at me, talk to the author of this book. He said it.
01:18:52
There is an outward call of the gospel. It didn't come from you. God sent the gospel witness to you.
01:19:00
Moreover, he called you internally, the inward drawing of the spirit. Look at verse 14.
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To this he called you through the gospel. That call is an inward as well as an outward call.
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How do I know that? Because back in verse 13, it says, through the sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth.
01:19:25
Without the sanctifying work of the spirit setting you apart unto God, changing you from the inside out, there will be no belief in the truth.
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The sanctification of the spirit comes before belief in the truth. He must regenerate you unto belief.
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God at work in your heart. Guys, I can preach here until I'm blue in the face. I think I've done that before, right?
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And I would love to do it, but I cannot convince you to believe in my
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Lord. I love my Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength because he's revealed himself to me.
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And unless he comes and changes a heart of stone to a heart of flesh, giving you eyes to see, ears to hear, you cannot believe.
01:20:10
And you say, wait, that makes me helpless. It doesn't make me the controller of my own destiny. No, your control of your destiny brought you into sin, as it did me.
01:20:23
And in sin, you became a slave of sin, and slaves are not free. You became dead in sin, and dead men can't resurrect themselves.
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But God in his grace, for by grace you have been saved, sends his gospel.
01:20:42
And the spirit revives hearts, giving faith where there was none.
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This is the gospel of grace. I'll underscore that as my last point.
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We're almost done. Moving on. We pray and work for the whole council of God to be established in the place we're stationed.
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Chapter three, verse one. Yes, it's our goal that everybody would be
01:21:11
Christians like us. Agrippa said, would you convince me in such a short time to become a
01:21:18
Christian? And Paul said, yeah, I'd have you and everybody listening to me be just like I am, except for these chains.
01:21:26
Unabashedly, we seek for everyone to hear and believe the gospel, and not just the gospel, but the whole council of God, the word of God, that the culture would be built upon the principles of God's ethics.
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That's what we want. That's our goal. That's what we're trying to do. It's our mission, the great commission.
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Next, number eight, we ought to walk in confidence. Why? Because he's faithful.
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In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul said, he's faithful, he will do it.
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And so we should have confidence that as we do God's will, we're going to be protected, we're going to be established.
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He's got us, he goes before us, he's behind us, he keeps his hand upon us, we're safe. Next, number nine, work ethic.
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Verses 6 to 15, we're about the lazy man who puts his hand in the dish and he's too lazy to even lift his own arm up to take a bite.
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But if a man will not work, let him not eat. And we shouldn't enable the slothful, is the point of that part of the passage.
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Lastly, we end where Paul always ends, with grace.
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Now the book of Romans ends with a reference to Jesus Christ himself, but five times in the
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Old Testament, we're told about the rock of our salvation, and that rock is Christ.
01:23:05
If we had time, and we don't, I would take you through the other 12 books that Paul has written.
01:23:13
So maybe thumb your way there, just real quick, look at any of them to make sure I'm not lying to you. Every single one of Paul's letters ends with grace.
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That's significant, isn't it? It's the thought he wants to leave us with. That after all else is said and done, all of these teachings have been established, there's one thing that rests at rock bottom.
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It's the beginning of your salvation, and it's what's going to bring you safely home. Grace. Grace, grace,
01:23:45
God's grace. All things that God does in the world redounds to the praise of his glorious grace.
01:23:56
Ephesians 1, 6. If you ask me what the gospel is, I'll tell you in one word.
01:24:04
It's grace. Does the Bible ever say that the gospel is love?
01:24:14
No. Is there a such thing as the gospel of faith? But if you read
01:24:24
Acts 20, 24, you'd see that the gospel itself is called the gospel of grace.
01:24:33
Because at the very rock bottom, this is where it all begins and ends, in the grace of God.
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I'm an unworthy sinner, and so are you. You have no resources in yourself to save yourself, but grace is
01:24:48
God extending favor to unworthy sinners like us. That's the gospel.
01:24:54
And that's your only hope of making it safely home to heaven. It's got to be by grace from beginning to end.
01:25:03
And so we close with those verses, let me just read them, and we'll be done after six months.
01:25:09
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.
01:25:16
The Lord be with you all. I can't help but preach. Listen, peace doesn't come from Xanax.
01:25:23
It doesn't come from working out all of your circumstances.
01:25:30
Peace comes from the Lord of peace himself, the prince of peace. Knowing Christ, the peace that he made with God, to know that you're right with him and if you have that squared away, you have everything you need.
01:25:43
That's peace. Verse 17 is truth. Make sure what you're reading is the true word of God.
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I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. He's using his own John Hancock here to make sure.
01:25:56
This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine. It is the way I write. These letters from Paul, he's entrusted with the gospel.
01:26:05
That's trustworthy. The book of Enoch, translated by Mormons in the 1600s, supposedly dating back, is not trustworthy.
01:26:14
Neither is the book of Mormon or any other newfangled thing. But every word that God has spoken in the 66 books of this revelation is genuine and trustworthy.
01:26:27
He preserves his word. Last verse and we're done. The grace of our
01:26:33
Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for these books, 1 and 2
01:26:40
Thessalonians. I pray for your church that you would establish us in the truth of your word.
01:26:48
Lord, there's too many things in there for me to pray each one over the church. I only ask,
01:26:53
Lord, that you would do it. That you would establish this church in these doctrines, the truth of your word, and grant us peace thereby.
01:27:09
Thank you, Lord, for grace, because at the bottom of it, at the end of the day, all of us stumble and fall short of your glory.
01:27:16
Even the most seasoned Christian is prone to fall, and we pray in Jesus' name that we would always find grace at the bottom.
01:27:23
And any who are here today beating themselves up because they've stumbled,
01:27:30
I pray that this day they would remember your grace. You are a gracious God, merciful, abounding, and loving kindness.
01:27:42
We thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. We who rejoice to know thee
01:28:30
Renew before thy throne The solemn pledge we owe thee
01:28:40
To go and make thee known Where other lords beside thee
01:28:57
Pulled their unhindered sway Where forces that defy thee
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Defy thee still today With none to heed their crying
01:29:16
For life and love and life Unnumbered souls are dying
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And pass into the night We go to all the world
01:29:36
With kingdom hope unfurled No other name has power to save But Jesus Christ We bear the torch that flaming
01:30:02
Felt from the hands of Lord Jesus Christ Ours is the same commission
01:30:22
The same glad message ours Fired by the same ambition
01:30:31
To thee we give our heart We go to all with kingdom hope unfurled
01:30:46
No other name has power to save But Jesus Christ Lord who sustained it
01:31:08
O spirit who inspired Savior whose love constrained them
01:31:17
To toil with zeal untired From cowardice defend us
01:31:27
From lethargy awake For Thine errant send us
01:31:37
To labor for love We go to all the world
01:31:46
With kingdom hope unfurled
01:31:51
No other name has power to save But Jesus Christ We go to all the world
01:32:05
With kingdom hope unfurled