The content of Christ's Message

Matthew's gospel.

We're going to be going forward in Matthew

some as well looking a little bit at a couple of passages in the 16th chapter and then the

19th and 20th chapter and maybe a little bit in the 21st

chapter.

Now that's not a neither a promise nor a warning

nor an expectation for you to assume that we're going to be here for an hour and a half or two hours longer

unless we are.

Also, by the way, with that disclaimer having been given, go ahead and turn over to 2

Thessalonians and mark your spot there.

I feel that it's very important this morning I do not want to get ahead of myself or

get ahead of the Lord in any way.

I do want to take

time in going through the text of Scripture this

morning, but the theme of the message, if you want to write this down,

take note of this, the theme of the message today is this.

Simply, we're going to look at the content of Christ's message.

The content of Christ's message.

What made up the message that Jesus Christ himself preached and proclaimed.

What we have preserved for us in the text of Scripture.

And so before we begin reading in Matthew chapter 4 this morning, let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father, as I come this morning,

I come first and foremost with thanksgiving, thanking you for

the truth of your word.

Thank you for illuminating your truth unto your people.

Thank you God today for the power

in the gospel.

Lord, little by little, day by day as it goes by, I understand a little bit better what Paul

meant when he said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God unto

salvation, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Lord, help me this morning not to get ahead of myself or ahead of you.

Help me this morning,

Lord, to

preach in such a way that all who are in this place

would hear and know the

content of your message and that we might

be salt and light in the world in which we live to proclaim your

truth to those who are lost, who are dying, who stand

in need of salvation, Lord.

It is in the name of Jesus I pray.

Amen and amen.

For myself, that truly is one of the, from the time I got

saved, is how do I communicate the message?

What do I say to people when I try to witness to people?

And over the years I've learned more and more the more time that you spend, the more time that you study, the more

time that you pray, the more time you're seeking God in his word, the

more his word gets in you.

The more his word gets in you and I, it is as though when we are like a sponge that you

stick down in water, it just absorbs it and the trials and the troubles and the persecutions

in this life are like the wringing out of a sponge.

I would ask you this, is the Word of God being wrung out of you?

Because if the Word of God is being wrung out of you in your troubles, in your trials, in your persecutions,

in your tribulations, in your problems in this life, then those around you are

going to see the power of God taking place and being

actuated in your life.

So this morning let's read Matthew chapter 4.

Let's actually read beginning in verse 12 and we'll read down to verse 17 to begin with here.

Now when Jesus had heard that John had been put in prison, he departed Galilee and

leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum

which is by the sea in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali that it might be fulfilled which was spoken

by Isaiah the prophet saying, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali

by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people

who sat in darkness and have seen a great light.

And upon those who sat in the region and the shadow of death, light has

dawned.

And from that time Jesus began to preach and

to say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is

at hand.

So the content of Christ's message was one, a

call to repentance in our world,

in our lives, in our families.

It may even be in you that there is such a rebellious

attitude so as that when you are called and you are commanded particularly by the Word of

God to obedience unto Christ that your initial response is to bow up.

Your initial response is to refuse.

Your initial response is to reject and your initial response is to cast

it away from you.

My friends, I want you to know that we are called unto

repentance first and foremost.

Contrary to what some of the hyper grace teachers teach nowadays

and I'll just I'll call his name Joseph Prince is one of the hyper grace preachers.

He is one who will say that repentance is a change of mind and

he'll kind of leave it at that.

I want you to know that the gospel idea of repentance is more, it's the word metanoia in

the Greek, it's more than the idea of simply changing your mind.

What if as a parent your mom said to you Debbie go clean your

room.

Your initial response is to say I don't want to clean my room right Natalie when your mama

says go clean your room.

Your initial response again is I can see it in your eyes now, I don't

want to clean my room.

That is not the proper response nor is the

proper response to say all right I've changed my mind mom I'm

gonna go clean my room and yet you stay sitting on the couch or you stay sitting in your chair

or you stay doing what you were doing you say your mind has been changed and your body

is not demonstrating that you have genuinely repented of that sin.

There is a difference between saying you are repenting and repenting of sin.

What Christ calls for is repentance.

It's not only having your mind changed but it's having your body affected by the change of your

mind.

It's doing, it's stopping doing what is wrong and doing what is right.

Christ's call was to repent, to turn from sin and

to turn unto the Savior and his message was repent

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

This is very very important.

This is showing great importance and great value and great stress upon the statement.

Notice this and I want to read you a few things that Matthew Henry said.

Let me go back to it here.

Some things that Matthew Henry has said concerning preaching and really what

preaching is and what it means to do.

Matthew Henry said this, Christ had lain in the bosom of the Father and could have preached

sublime notions of divine and heavenly things that should have alarmed and amused the

learned world but he pitches upon this old, this plain text,

repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

It is important when we study the scriptures to know what the words mean.

I went through the meaning of what the Bible refers to as biblical or what is biblical

repentance but I want you, I want us to look also very quickly at the word preach there.

From that time Jesus began to preach.

To preach can be defined by to publish or to proclaim

openly something which has been done.

Another portion of the definition is this, preaching is always to be done with

the suggestion of formality, with the suggestion of gravity and

authority which must be listened to and obeyed.

Christ's call to repent of your sins, to believe the gospel of

Jesus Christ is not something that he's just throwing out there nonchalantly but it is a

command of God.

We are taught this in the book of Acts when Paul preaches at Mars Hill and he

presents the gospel there at Mars Hill.

He said but now God has commanded all men everywhere

to repent, to turn from their sin, to believe the gospel of

Jesus Christ.

So it means to suggest with formality and with gravity sometimes,

many times, most times nowadays it seems like that the gospel is preached so

nonchalantly and people are called to repentance with such flippancy that folks

come into the church thinking it don't matter if I listen or I do what the Word of God has said

I'll still gonna get by with what I'm doing.

Friends I want you to know the gospel call to repentance is a serious thing that you

must deal with.

May hope to God that you never ever leave this place

thinking that the preacher preached the message that you can do with or without it don't matter.

Oh well I'm telling you the Word of God says to repent of our

sins and if we don't do that we are disobedient to the God of the

Word, to Jesus command.

Jesus command was authoritative.

Jesus command had a very grave tone.

It was a very formal statement and it was spoken with authority.

As a matter of fact Jesus spoke one time and it was stated of him he does not speak

like the Pharisees or the scribes but he speaks with authority because the

authority does not come from the volume of the preacher's voice nor with the sweat from the

preacher's brow the authority comes from God himself and there

is a day coming by the way and we're gonna move into this but as we see it later on in the message I

want you to know that the day of the Lord is coming that you must be ready for that so

in looking at the content of Christ's message as we move forward in the gospel here of Matthew

I just wanted to share with you a few examples of how the kingdom of God the kingdom of heaven

is constantly brought forth constantly brought out by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now let's begin if you want to jump over to chapter 16 very quickly

chapter 16 of Matthew and verse

let's go to

verse

13.

Jesus is questioning the disciples and he asked the disciples this question it the

Bible says this when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples

saying who do men say that I the Son of Man am.

So they said some say John the Baptist some Elijah and others Jeremiah or one

of the prophets and he said to them but who do you say that I am Simon.

Peter answered and said you are the Christ the Son of the Living God.

Jesus answered and said to him blessed are you Simon bar Jonah for flesh and blood

has not revealed this to you but my father who is in heaven

now that may be that may be the past one of the passages scripture that you have read may be a

passage of scripture that you hear quoted quite a bit it is a very important passage of

scripture.

But going on and understanding that Jesus the content of Jesus message was

repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand or the kingdom of God is used.

Those two terms are used interchangeably throughout the scriptures.

He says this.

He goes on here in verse 18.

And Jesus says.

And I say to you that you are Peter referring to Peter's confession of faith.

And on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against

it.

And listen to what Jesus said.

And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

And whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in

heaven.

Then he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

Now I want you to make note of this particular passage right here when Jesus said

I give you the keys to the kingdom whatever you loose on bind on whatever you bind on earth will be bound in

heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

There is a tremendous misapplication and a misunderstanding and a miss

misappropriation of this particular verse in many of the church world today.

This is not speaking about us what we do or what we bind or what we loose.

What Christ was speaking about was the truth of the confession that Peter made that he

is the Christ the only begotten Son of God come into this world to

save sinners.

So Peter's confession or I want to read you this note here the Apostles are

foundational to the church.

They've been given binding and loosing powers or quote -unquote keys which lock and

unlock doors.

The Apostles open the kingdom to those who share Peter's confession and exclude those

who will not receive the testimony to Christ.

The apostolic foundation of the church is laid in the written Word of God in the

scriptures themselves which are now the keys of Christ.

Authority in the church.

On what authority do we proclaim the opening of the kingdom of God.

We proclaim the opening of the kingdom of God on the authority of the Word of God.

God came to save that which was lost.

So and on what authority are men bound or shut out of the kingdom.

On the authority of the Word of God.

Alistair Begg said what does a man need to know in order to be saved.

And his answer was simple and it's this.

This is good if you want to take note of this.

What does a man need to know to be saved.

He needs to know that he needs to be saved.

If you don't know that you need to be saved you are shut out of the kingdom of God.

You are dead in your trespasses and sins.

But if you have been made aware of your sin you have been made aware of your circumstance.

If you have been made aware of your standing before a holy God that is the evidence of

the effectual working of God in your life.

So it is important that our authority and this message or the message repent

for the kingdom of heaven his hand is based upon the Word of God.

If we go in a little bit further in that same chapter to verse 24 or actually verse 21

notice what the word says.

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and

suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be

raised the third day now imagine how encouraging that must have been to the disciples there.

Look guys it's about over one of these days before long I'm gonna have to go to Jerusalem.

I'm gonna suffer under under under the hands of evil men.

I'm gonna be killed but I'm gonna be raised again the third day.

Then the Bible says then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him

saying far be it from you Lord this shall not happen to you.

I'm sure if we all wanted to we could place ourself in Peter's place and say we might likely

have the same same leaning same thought process going on we want to try

to do all we can to protect the Lord.

That's what Peter was doing.

He had determined he was gonna die for him but we know later that he wouldn't even deny he

wouldn't even go without denying but the Bible says here that Jesus turned to him in verse 23

and he said to Peter get behind me Satan you are an

offense to me for you are not mindful of the things of God but of the

things of men.

Very powerful statement very important statement not only then but also for

us now if we are going to proclaim the message that Jesus proclaimed

if we 're going to proclaim the message that was prophesied should be proclaimed in the Old Testament we're gonna

we're going to proclaim the message that John the Baptist proclaimed repent for the kingdom of heaven is at

hand with urgency if we're gonna proclaim the message that Jesus preached repent for the kingdom

of heaven is at and with great urgency, then we must,

we must, we must not be mindful of the things of this world, but be

concerned about what God has said.

Because no matter what the world tells you, no matter what the world tells me, the

world is a fallen world, amen?

That means this, from the time of Adam and Eve, the world has been in a downward

spiral since Adam and Eve's sin.

And the downward spiral will continue until God stops it and makes all

things new.

Now the urgency of Jesus' statement, note this, the urgency of Jesus' statement

ought to be recognized from the context in which we read it.

Jesus Christ was the Son of God, fully God and fully man.

So when he said the kingdom of heaven is at hand, he meaning right then and right

there.

It wasn't something that was gonna be down the road necessarily, but it was to the people at that

time, for them at that time, and for us in our time as well, simultaneously all at

the same time.

Jesus said you're an offense, you're not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of

men.

We must be mindful of the things of God.

We must be concerned about the things that God is concerned about.

We must be proclaiming the message that Jesus proclaimed.

Verse 24, there in that same chapter, Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone

desires to come after me, and let's just, let me just take a breath here because I want you

to grasp what's being said.

Jesus is not giving a what if, leading into this statement.

He's not saying, and if this happens down the road, maybe things won't be as

bad as they seem.

Jesus says this, if anyone desires to come after me,

simple statement, let him deny himself.

Let him take up his cross and follow me.

There's no need for complicating the message.

There's no need for convoluting the message.

There's no need for confusion in that message.

It's a simple statement.

Jesus said, if you want to be my disciple, if you want to come after me, you must deny

yourself.

Take up your cross and follow me.

They understood what the cross depicted.

For whoever, Jesus said, whoever desires to save his life

will lose it.

He didn't leave any gray area.

If you want to save your life, if you want your life to be saved, and he's speaking this in the context

of the tribulation and the trouble and the trials and the persecutions that these

disciples themselves were about to face.

Jesus said, if you truly want your life to be saved, you

must lose it.

You must give it up.

If you, whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses

his life for my sake, the same will find it.

Just as certainly as there is a cost to godly living,

there is a benefit to godly living.

Some may say gathering together on Sundays.

Much of the world will say this today.

It's an exercise in futility.

Why do you go and you gather?

Why do you sing songs?

Why do you pray?

Why do you listen to preaching?

Some would say it's an exercise in futility.

I want you to know the Bible says for the Christian, it is an exercise in faithfulness.

How faithful are you?

Jesus goes on to say this, for what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole

world and loses his own soul?

Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

There is gravity in that statement.

It is not a nonchalant thing.

It is not a passive words, that's words that are spoken.

It is meant to be thought about and meant to be comprehended.

It's meant for you to latch on to and take a hold of and to know that your life is

but a vapor and it's passing away.

What are you spending your life on?

Are you mindful of the things of this world or are you

mindful of the things of God?

And so Jesus here in verse 27, moving down there, he says this, for the son of man

will come in the glory of his father.

There is a great day coming.

There is a day.

Some are so skeptical, even some Christians are skeptical.

They say, I've been hearing that since I was a little child.

Miss Lincoln's been hearing it since Abe Lincoln was president.

But it doesn't matter how long you hear it,.

It's still the truth.

He's coming.

There is an imminent return of Christ.

Not only an imminent return, but of Christ.

And we're gonna read about that here shortly.

But Jesus said, the son of man will come.

Remember the content of his message, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

For the son of man will come in the glory of his father with his angels and then

he will reward each according to his works.

Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the

son of man coming in his kingdom.

If we went on just a little bit further, I want you to notice the emphasis that Christ placed

on the kingdom of heaven moving forward.

If you go over to chapter 21, very quickly, chapter 21,

beginning in verse 23, Jesus

has cleared out the temple.

Jesus has come into town and the people, the men, the women and the children are

praising him.

They are saying Hosanna to the son of David.

They are casting down their branches before him in the road.

They're lifting his name up.

And then the Bible says, he speaks some things.

The Bible says here in verse 23, now when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders

of the people confronted him as he was teaching and said, by what authority are you doing

these things and who gave you this authority?

So in relation to our responsibility to be able to communicate the truth of the

gospel message to those in which we work with and those who we come in contact with at the

store, those who we are family with, those who are our friends, our casual

acquaintances or our even close acquaintances, we feel, I don't know about you,

but there are times where I feel compelled that I have to give them an answer.

But notice what Jesus does here.

They said, Jesus, by what authority do you do these things and who gave you this authority?

And Jesus answered and said to them, I'll ask you one thing, which if you tell me,

I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

So he said, look, I'll tell you what, you answer my question and I'll answer your

question.

They were seeking an answer from Christ.

Christ says, okay, if you answer my question, I will certainly answer your

question.

And so Jesus said this, the question to them that Jesus asked was the

baptism of John, where was it from?

From heaven or from men?

And the Bible says here, they reasoned among themselves saying, they began to think it out

and began to conversate and began to try to be wise.

And they said, if we say it's from heaven, he'll say to us, why then did you not believe him?

So we can't tell him that.

But if we say from men, then we fear the multitude for all count

John as a prophet.

So they answered Jesus and said, we do not know.

So their answer was that they were afraid to give an answer because they knew no matter what answer they

gave, that they were going to be accountable for the answer that they gave.

Catch 22, darned if you do, darned if you don't

situations.

And so Jesus said,.

Jesus said,.

Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

But Jesus did not leave off there.

Preaching the gospel means that we ought to pursue men and women

with the truth.

We need to learn how to do it wisely.

Jesus pursued them and he goes on to say this, but what do you think?

A man had two sons and he came to the first and said, son, go work today in my vineyard.

And he answered and said, I will not.

But afterward he regretted it and went.

Then he came to the second and likewise said, and he answered and said, I go, sir, but he did not go.

Which of the two did the will of his father?

They said to him, the first.

Jesus said to them, assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom

of God before you.

The content of Christ's message was what?

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Jesus says here to the Pharisees, I'm telling you that the tax collectors

and the harlots are gonna see and enter the kingdom of God before you do.

What a statement that he makes there.

The Bible says, they said to him, assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots, Jesus said to them,

assuredly, I say to you, tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you for John came to you in the way of

righteousness and you did not believe him, but tax collectors and harlots

believed him.

And when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

Repentance is not only the changing of your mind, but it's the changing of your

actions.

Your actions will demonstrate the reality of salvation.

He said this, hear another parable.

There was a certain land owner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it and dug a wine press in it and built a

tower.

And he leased it to vine dressers and went into a far country.

Now, when vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the vine dressers that they might receive

its fruit.

And the vine dressers took his servants, beat one, killed one and stoned

another.

Again, he sent other servants more than the first and they did likewise to them.

Then last of all, he sent his son to them saying, they will respect my son.

But when the vine dressers saw the son, they said amongst themselves, this is the heir,

come and let us kill him and seize his inheritance.

So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine dressers?

They said to him, he will destroy those wicked men miserably and leave his

vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him fruit in their seasons.

And Jesus said to them, have you never read in the scriptures that the stone which the

builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone?

This was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our

eyes.

Therefore, listen to what Jesus said.

Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and

given to a nation bearing the fruit of it.

Now, this is contrary to the popular Christian message of do what you want, decide

when you want.

When you're ready, turn over a new leaf.

This is absolutely contrary to that message.

It is this, if you do not repent of your sin, the opportunity will be taken from you

and you will forever be lost.

Men and women, boys and girls alike are dying and

entering eternity.

And they're doing it because the church of the Lord Jesus Christ has not stood and

proclaimed the message of Jesus Christ as it was proclaimed by Christ

himself.

He's speaking to these Pharisees when he makes this statement.

I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you.

These who were born into the right families, who had done the right

things.

This is not, he was not saying that they'll be saved and then they'll be lost.

What he was saying is that they never were saved in the first place, though they thought they were.

Jesus said, the kingdom of God will be taken from you.

And the one who has the authority and the power to bind, to shut the doors of

the kingdom of God unto men is God himself.

And the one who has the authority to open the doors of heaven is God himself.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Let's just, we'll close into the 22nd chapter here.

Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said, the kingdom of

heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son and sent his

servants to call those who were invited to the wedding and they were not willing to come.

Again, he sent out other servants saying, tell those who are invited.

See, I have prepared my dinner.

My oxen and fatted cattle are killed and all things are ready.

Come to the wedding.

But they made light of it and went their ways.

One to his farm, another to his business and the rest seized his servants, treated them

spitefully and killed them.

But when the king heard about it, he was furious.

By the way, Jesus is speaking to them in this parable.

Know this, he is the king.

And he sent out his armies, the Bible said, destroyed those murderers and burned up their city.

Then he said to his servants, the wedding is ready.

But those who were invited were not worthy.

Therefore to his servants, he said, go into the highways and as many as you find,

invite to the wedding.

So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both

bad and good.

And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a

wedding garment.

So he said to him, friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?

And he was speechless.

He did not have an answer.

Then the king said to the servants, bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast

him into outer darkness.

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

For many are called, but few are chosen.

Jesus' reference to the kingdom of God, to the kingdom of heaven throughout his preaching

was the prominent message that he

proclaimed.

And the only way that we as God's people in this world

are able to rightly proclaim the message of the gospel is this,

to know what the word of God says.

Not to get our methodologies, not to get our means from worldly

ideas or worldly patterns or worldly principles, but to take

the word of God and to become immersed in the word of God so that when we communicate to those

outside the church, we are communicating with them the truth of the word of God.

Because if Jesus' words were efficient and effective,

then you better know if they were efficient and effective then they are efficient and effective now.

And they are the only means of salvation to this world.

So Jesus clearly gives this example of the king

inviting the people to the wedding.

He clearly gives the example and the illustration of those who rejected the call, which men

do every single day.

But he also gave a clear explanation and a clear word

to his hearers and to us as we have it preserved in the word of God today that our

responsibility is to go and to preach the content

of the message that Jesus Christ preached.

And we are to preach it unto all men.

Now will all men, let me, don't normally do this, but let me ask you this, are all men gonna be

saved?

No.

Do we know who's gonna be saved?

No.

We cannot, we do not know.

As Charles Spurgeon said, if it were possible that God should paint a yellow stripe on the back of everyone who's

left, he would make our job as preachers a lot easier.

We could just go lifting up shirttails and see who had a yellow stripe and say, amen, you're good to go.

But we don't know.

I don't know your heart and I don't know your mind, but God knows your heart and God knows your

mind and God knows the condition of your soul.

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

41 minutes, I'm gonna do it.

2 Thessalonians, please, 2 Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians is written of, it goes without saying that the book of 1

Thessalonians, the letter to the Thessalonian church, the first letter was written a little beforehand.

They were probably written within about a year of each other.

Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonian church is speaking to them about the coming of

Christ and that one day after a while, the trumpet will sound and Christ will come.

And in that letter, in that letter of encouragement to the church, he's reminding the Christians of the

hope that we have of looking forward to the day of Christ coming.

Nevertheless, there were men and women within the church who were telling a untruth

saying that the coming of Christ had already happened and apparently nobody was aware of it.

Friends, I want you to know when Christ comes, all will be aware of it.

From this corner of the earth to that corner of the earth.

Wait a minute, we don't live on a flat earth, do we?

North, east, south and west, all will know.

Although in this letter, listen to what he says.

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 are bound to thank God always for you brethren as it is fitting because your faith grows

exceedingly.

And the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other so that we ourselves

boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all, listen to what he says, in all

your persecutions and tribulations that you endure.

It is a certainty that if we proclaim the

gospel as it is given to us in the scriptures as we communicate the gospel in

love, in love to those who are outside of the grace of God,

if we communicate the gospel even in love, we are going to make some people

upset.

Some people are gonna become so offended at the doctrines taught in the word of God that

they will refuse to even hear anything.

Nevertheless, our responsibility is to stand upon the word of

God.

Paul says your persecutions and the tribulations that you endure, he said this,

verse five, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God.

I sent a few of the men last night to a question that had been rolling around in my

mind.

If our preaching of the gospel does not offend men, are we proclaiming the gospel rightly?

And the short answer is this, no, because the gospel is an offense.

The gospel will put off men and women.

The gospel is an offense, but Paul said this, he said, he

referred, he uses their tribulations and their persecutions, and he says, which is manifest evidence

of the righteous judgment of God.

God is righteous in his judgment.

Men who, he said that you may be counted worthy of what?

The kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.

Since, and here's, we're gonna move to the close here, and

I mean this, and I know, listen, I've got a timer on myself.

It's been 45 minutes since we've started, but if you can just bear with us

throughout this text, this is very, very, very important

because what I'm about to read to you might make some of you cringe.

You might make some of you do that, you know, where you close your teeth.

And you suck spit through them, and I don't know about that.

It might make some in the church world somewhat uncomfortable because all that

people want to hear is the love of God, but friends, I want you to know the kingdom of

heaven is at hand, and it will be a grim, sad

day for the lost.

When Jesus comes.

It will be a great day for the saved, but it will be grim for the lost.

For listen how the apostle Paul encourages them.

This is, you remember a few weeks ago, we talked about in Precatory Psalms where the psalmist prays that God

would have justice on these people, where God would do this.

And God would do that.

Paul uses that same train of thought, and he kind of explains and

encourages the saints to remind them that their suffering is not in vain.

He says this, and to give you who are troubled, verse seven, to give

you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is

revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.

What was Paul proclaiming?

He was proclaiming the content of Jesus' message for Jesus said the Son of Man will come in the

glory of his holy angels.

Paul said this, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on

those who do not know God and on those who

do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus

Christ.

That's not a very loving message by the world standards, but it

is the truth of the word of God.

That God, when he comes, when Jesus comes back, he is gonna come in flaming fire,

taking vengeance upon those who do not know him.

Friends, I got people that I dislike greatly, but you know what?

They need to hear the truth.

Because no matter how bad I dislike them, I don't know if they're gonna be saved or lost.

I've still got a responsibility to proclaim, repent for the kingdom of heaven

is at hand.

For Paul goes on to say this, these shall be punished with everlasting destruction

from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when

he comes in that day.

For when he comes in that day, Paul said, he will be glorified in his

saints and to be admired among all those who believe because our

testimony among you was believed.

Therefore, we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this

calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power

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

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now brethren concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, he is coming, repent

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand in a very real sense,

in a very true sense, not in an imaginary sense.

Let me make that clear.

When Jesus came, the kingdom of heaven was among men

but in the same very real sense, he's coming again.

Brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together with him, we ask you not

to be soon shaken in mind or troubled either by spirit, by word or by letter as if from us

as though the day of Christ had come.

Let no one deceive you by any means for that day will not come unless

the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition who opposes

and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he sits as God

in the temple showing himself that he is God.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things?

Paul makes a very clear statement there.

Do you not remember when I sent the letter before and when I was there that I told you these things?

And now you know what is restraining that he may be revealed in his own time for the

mystery of lawlessness is already at work.

Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume

with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his

coming.

There is a great day coming.

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

You know what?

I wouldn't doubt if some of you.

Or anybody that may be even listening today had the idea flash across their mind of

the wacko with the big beard and the wild hair.

Standing out on the side of the road.

With the sign that says Jesus is coming soon.

Let me ask you something.

In light of the context of the passages of scripture.

That we've looked at, what's wrong with that?

He is coming.

Are you ready?

Are you prepared?

Is your heart right with God?

And Paul goes on to say, the coming of the lawless one is according to the

working of Satan with all power signs and lying wonders and with all

unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might

be saved.

I always thought that that reference there, Tam, was to save people falling away.

Paul was talking about the lost.

Remember what I told you earlier?

Since the fall, since Adam and Eve sinned, humanity is in a downward spiral.

How many of you have ever failed before by a show of hands?

Just get your blood flowing before we leave.

How many of you have tried to stop yourself.

While you were falling?

You want an exercise in futility.

Trying to stop yourself will make it worse.

Man has forever been trying to stop himself from falling, but I want you to know the only way to

be stopped from falling in sin is to be saved by the grace of God.

That is a gracious, gracious salvation.

Last of all, the Apostle Paul here in verse 16 said this, now may our Lord

Jesus Christ himself and our God and Father who has loved us and

given us an everlasting consolation.

Actually, I should have read 13, but we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, by the Lord because

God from the beginning chose you for salvation.

That's God's electing purpose.

Through sanctification, that's by the work of the Holy Spirit cleansing us, by the Spirit and the

belief in the truth to which he called you by our

gospel for the obtaining of the glory of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the

traditions which you were taught whether by word or by our epistle.

The traditions he's speaking about are not man -made traditions, but they are the word of God that

has carried throughout the ages.

They are timeless truths.

That's what's referred to as the tradition here.

And now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who has loved us and given us everlasting

consolation.

That means a consolation that is eternal.

Our consolation, our hope is in Jesus Christ, the

eternal, immutable Son of the living God who gave himself for our

sins, died on the cross, died on the cross, was buried and raised

again the third day.

He's given us an everlasting consolation and a good hope by grace.

And he said, comfort your hearts.

May he comfort your hearts and may he establish you unto

every good work.

The content of Christ's message was this, repent for the

kingdom of God.