Title: Glorious, Abounding Grace Text: Ephesians 1:4-6 FCF: We often struggle praising God for His glorious grace. Prop: Because The Father elects and predestines people to be His children in Christ, we must praise the Father for His grace. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Ephesians chapter 1. In a moment we’ll read verses 4-6 from the New English Translation. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. As I said last week, verses 3-14 are one sentence, one prayer, one thought of Paul’s. And it is this one thought that governs the rest of the letter both in teaching and in application. As such, it is incredibly important not only to get the meaning of every single word correct, but then to see how those words relate to each other. Don’t expect too many short sermons as we move forward, and definitely expect to have grammar lessons every week… this week included. So let’s get to it. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Sovereign and infinite Father, You sit on a throne above all things. You created time, matter, space, light. You brought order from chaos. You have formed and shaped all that is and all that will be. You have decreed what is Your will and published it. And not one decree or purpose You have made, can be altered or thwarted by any being. You are in absolute control over all things in Your creation, including the salvation of Your people. I pray that You would help us to see and understand this, so that we, as Your children, may praise You rightly for Your glorious grace. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “All objections to predestination proceed from the wisdom of the flesh” Martin Luther “The reason for the predestination of some and the reprobation of others must be sought for in the goodness of God.” Thomas Aquinas [Slide 3] “To get rid of predestination we have been willing to degrade our God into a godling.” B.B. Warfield “Let a man go to the grammar school of faith and repentance before he goes to the university of election and predestination.” George Whitefield And with Mr. Whitfield’s comment, the bell has rung and class in the University of God the Father has begun. Let us set out to study God’s Spiritual blessing to us of election and predestination. I.) God, in His love, chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be justified, so we must praise Him for His grace. (4) a. [Slide 4] 4 - For he chose us in Christ i. The first word in the sentence here is an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs and answer questions concerning the words or phrases they modify. ii. In this case, the question being answered is “to what degree” or “in what way specifically” iii. Paul has just said that God is to be praised because He has favored believers with every Holy Spirit benefit by uniting us to Christ. iv. Now Paul moves on to explain to what degree God has blessed us with Holy Spirit benefits in Christ. v. He begins by telling the Ephesians that He, meaning God the Father, chose them. vi. The word chosen means selected or elected out of many alternatives. The Greek word is also in the middle voice which indicates that the action of choosing is being done to or for the one doing the choosing. vii. This means that the choice being made is for God’s own reasons and to God’s own purposes. viii. Now some Christians oppose or take issue with the doctrine of election and predestination. They have interpreted these passages differently to assuage their discomfort with God choosing individuals for salvation. In this, they see God’s choice as a choice of a group or a kind of people rather than individuals. 1. They would say that God predestined the church, believers, whoever they may be. 2. They would say that God selected the cruise ship to get us to salvation, ie Jesus Christ, but not who specifically would board that cruise ship. It is up to each of us to decide whether we want a ticket or not. 3. The phrase “in Christ” in this text seems to support their point. And even what we’ve said last week puts that spin on it. God only gives these promises to Christ and we inherit them by being united with Him. 4. Ironically, although these Christians use Ephesians 1:4 to support corporate, non-individual election, Ephesians 1:4 is actually very challenging to such a view. 5. Not because of the words “in Christ” but because of the little pronoun, “us.” 6. In the context, the word “us” cannot refer to the universal church as a whole. 7. It can APPLY to the universal church, but the only people to whom Paul has referred in this letter so far are himself and those who are saints in EPHESUS. 8. That is a very specific collection of individuals. 9. Furthermore, if we are to assume that the Spiritual blessings mentioned in verses 3-14 are applied to each individual saint and not simply to the church as a whole, then we must understand this choosing to have been done individually and not just corporately. 10. Additionally, it is impossible to think about a group of people without also meaning, to some degree, individuals who make the group. 11. Taking the cruise ship example, any who are on the cruise ship get to go on the cruise. But to be on the cruise ship you must have a ticket. And how are tickets distributed? Individually. Even if you get a “group rate” how are those tickets dispersed? Individually. 12. Added to this, the word for God’s choosing here is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament almost exclusively when God chooses individuals. 13. Therefore, the only consistent understanding of God’s election of people is on an individual level which produces as an effect, a corporate body. 14. In other words, we must think of it as BOTH individual and corporate and not merely corporate. 15. God has chosen individuals to be in Christ forming His universal church. ix. Why should God the Father be praised? Because He chose us, every believer, individually, by name, in the lamb’s book of life. x. And He did this in Christ. xi. But rather than seeing “in Christ” as though God only chose Christ and not individuals… xii. The preposition “in” here refers to location, meaning that Him choosing us is choosing us TO BE united to Christ. xiii. God did not choose us when He chose Christ… instead He chose us to be united to Christ, to be inside the covenant in which Christ is the mediatorial head. xiv. All the blessings of the New Covenant come to Christ alone. But we as individuals, are chosen to be in Christ which means we are chosen to receive those same blessings. xv. When did God choose this for us? Was it when we believed? xvi. No. Long before that. b. [Slide 5] before the foundation of the world i. The preposition simply introduces something that occurs before something else. ii. Foundation here means establishment or laying of a foundation of a house. iii. This phrase foundation of the world then, establishes that God’s individual election of each believer to be united to Christ occurred before God created the world. iv. Before Adam fell, God already chose individuals to be united to Christ through faith and create a group of people that would be His kingdom of priests. v. Taking the cruise ship example, did God choose to put our names on our tickets when we decided we wanted one? No. He purchased the ticket with our name on it before the foundation of the world. vi. The scriptures speak of a book called the lamb’s book of life. vii. In it are recorded all those INDIVIDUALS who are part of God’s Kingdom and in Revelation 13 the scriptures teach us that those names written in this book have been there since before the foundation of the world. viii. This utterly destroys the corporate election idea. It is simply not what the scriptures teach. At least not in isolation. God thinks individually and corporately for both sinners and His elect. ix. This also cripples the argument that God assigns our names upon our confession of Christ. It is simply not true. God has assigned our names to the lamb’s book of life before the foundation of the earth. Before we did any good or evil. Before we had any capacity to believe or not, God chose us to be united to Christ. x. Some object and say, that God looked into the future to see who would believe and chose them. 1. Not only does this add significantly to the definition of the word foreknowledge, but it also creates more problems and doesn’t solve the problems it tries to. 2. The problem it tries to solve is that God punishes people for sin when He had not elected them for salvation. But if God looks ahead to see who would choose Him, and chooses them, why then would God create the people who wouldn’t choose Him. By creating people who He knew would not choose Him, isn’t He just as culpable for their punishment? Isn’t that election for reprobation too? 3. Furthermore, it is hard to see how God electing us to salvation because we would choose Him, is NOT works based salvation. Does God ever tell us that He make these choices based on the qualities He sees in us? Is that what the scriptures teach? And if He does, how is salvation a work of God and not of our doing? xi. No. As difficult as it may be, we must see it as the apostle Paul sees it here. God chooses who He will put into Christ and He does so before the foundation of the world without considering any worth we may have. xii. But for what purpose? Why did God do this? c. [Slide 6] that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight i. God the Father chose this for individuals, not simply so that they would be saved, not simply that they would inherit the blessings of the covenant relationship between the Father and the Son… ii. But so those who inherit these blessings would also be His true people. A people who He sees as holy and unblemished. iii. Again, this hints at both individual and corporate election. iv. God chose individuals in Christ so that we might be something collectively… namely… a holy and unblemished people who accurately image Him. v. There is some scholarly debate as to whether Paul refers to justification or sanctification. Is this talking about God’s declaring us righteous or is this talking about becoming more holy and blameless? vi. In favor of the justification view, 1. The words “In His sight” might hint at this being about justification. 2. Being holy and unblemished in His sight could mean something different than actually being holy and unblemished. And I think if we are honest, it kinda has to. For none of us are holy and unblemished. Not really. 3. But in Christ… because Christ is holy and unblemished and we are chosen to be in Him, we inherit that status legally. We are as good as our covenantal head, even if we as individuals are still sinners. God sees us as holy and unblemished. And Christ will present us holy and unblemished to the Father. 4. This also keeps the focus on God and His work rather than moving to our works. vii. However, in favor of the sanctification view, 1. This actually sets up the rest of the letter in that Paul will urge the Ephesians to actually live holy and blameless lives. 2. Holy meaning different by loving righteousness and blameless meaning lacking a love for sin. 3. Why must they live these lives? 4. Because they have been called by Christ’s name. They have been chosen to be something that they should live up to. viii. I think I slightly favor the justification view, but really, you can pick either one, both are biblically sound. d. [Slide 7] in love. i. It is difficult to know how to interpret the final two words of this verse. ii. It largely depends on what it modifies. Is it referring to God choosing in love, for us to be holy and blameless in love, to be before him or in his sight in love or could it go with what follows in verse 5? iii. What’s the difference? iv. Well, if God elects, predestines, or if we are justified in His sight in love, then this is emphasizing God’s motive in His sovereign role in salvation. That it is not a mindless, random, or cold choice but one done in love toward those He chooses, predestines, or justifies. v. If it goes with holiness and blamelessness then it would emphasize how God’s electing of us produces a holy and blameless living person who is also loving to others. vi. I slightly favor the view that this deals with God’s sovereign role in salvation. Mainly because that seems to be Paul’s point through this. It is giving glory to God for His role. It also fits a pattern that is repeated in verse 5 where God does something for a purpose from a certain motive. vii. But in reality, either view is biblically true. e. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Paul recounts just one of the Holy Spirit blessings that the Father has given to us. Namely that in love, God chose each believer individually, before the foundation of the world, to be put into Christ for the purpose that they would be holy and unblemished in His sight. As far as blessings go… Paul starts with a banger. Can you think of a greater blessing to start with? That, if you are truly a Christian here today, God chose you before time began, to be His possession and secured under His covenant which He made in His Son, so that you would receive the benefits of that covenant and be seen as though you were as holy and unblemished as the head of that covenant… which is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. Wow. If we are in the right frame of mind, I can think of two responses this should produce in us. First… is the question why me? And second is the need to praise the Father for His divine election. [Slide 9 (blank)] Transition: But this is only the first part of God the Father’s Spiritual Blessings that He gives to us. He has chosen us. But wait… there’s more! II.) God, by His mere good pleasure, predestines to adoption those whom He chooses in Christ, so we must praise God for His grace. (5) a. [Slide 10] 5 - He did this by predestining us i. The words “He did this by” are not actually in the Greek text. ii. But the NET actually does us an interpretive favor, because we might wonder what the relationship is between God’s choosing us in Christ and His predestining us. iii. Predestining is a circumstantial participle. Circumstantial participles tell us the circumstances under which another action occurs in the sentence. iv. Since the only action that has occurred in this sentence so far has been God’s choosing us, predestining us must provide the circumstances under which His choosing occurred. v. When circumstantial participles are in the aorist tense, like it is here, most of the time this means that the participle occurs prior to the verb and in some way necessitated or led to the main verb happening. vi. Ok, after all that Grammar gobbledygook, what does that mean? vii. God chooses us because or after, or according to His predestining of us. Meaning He predestines us and then He chooses us, all occurring when? Before the foundation of the world. viii. But what does it mean to be predestined? ix. The Greek word breaks down into two words. Marked out-beforehand. Or we could say, predetermined. x. The idea here then, is that God chooses us to be holy in His sight because He has predetermined for us… a destiny. xi. God does not give us a choice… He gives us a destiny. xii. Jesus says that those who believe in Him will not be condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already because only Christ can save. xiii. In other words, we all start as condemned. We all start as unbelievers. We all start with one destiny. xiv. It is only those whom God the Father has predestined that are given a different destiny than condemnation. xv. And what is that destiny? b. [Slide 11] to adoption as his sons i. The preposition “to” is a preposition of purpose. ii. God has predestined us for the purpose that we would be adopted as His sons. iii. Our destiny is that we would become children of God by adoption. iv. Once again, this destroys the idea that God predestines and then elects a corporate entity. The metaphor of adoption makes absolutely no sense if this is not seen as individuals. v. In fact, the metaphor of adoption proves that God elects and predestines from individual to corporate. You are adopted individually to become part of a family. This is exactly what Paul is saying. It doesn’t work the other way. Whether you look at Greek, Roman, or Jewish adoption law, all three emphasize the paternal authority to adopt individual children. vi. How does He accomplish this? c. [Slide 12] through Jesus Christ, i. The preposition through here is a preposition of means. ii. Christ is not the instrument or tool to accomplish our adoption. Rather Christ is the path or the process for us to be adopted as sons of God. iii. Again, this emphasizes the Father’s role in adoption and the Son as the mediatorial head of a new covenant. He is the means to being made to be fellow sons and daughters of God with Him. iv. The NET here omits two words which are in the Greek. It was difficult picking a translation to use for this sermon. All had their pros and cons. This is a big con here for the NET. v. The two words omitted are “to Himself” vi. To is a preposition of direction, indicating for us that this adoption as sons through Jesus is a path that leads to God the Father. Essentially this is John 14:6 again, where Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father but by me” vii. Or perhaps another way we could say, “No one gets to call Him Father except through me.” viii. Well, how did God go about predestining and choosing us for this? d. [Slide 13] according to the pleasure of his will i. God chooses and predestines individuals in Christ to be holy by giving them a destiny for the purpose of making them His family members… and He made those decisions before the foundations of the world according to the pleasure of His will. ii. What does that mean? iii. According to is a preposition of reference. It is used to mark out the source of information, a plan, or an agreement. iv. What follows then answers the question, from what source did God consult to make these decisions. v. Pleasure here is actually good pleasure. It is a delightful intention or fixed intention of benevolent favor. vi. Will is the attitude of the mind to favor or choose one alternative over another. vii. The source God consulted to predestine and choose us, is His favorable will. viii. Again, this indicates that God did not predestine and choose in a cold, random way. Rather in a loving and benevolent way. ix. I’ve said this several times before but I’ll say it again. God doesn’t leave us guessing why He predestined and elected us to salvation. He tells us. We just don’t like the answer because it doesn’t tell us enough. x. God predestines and elects according to His good will. And that is it. xi. It is pure grace. Man has no part in any of this. e. [Slide 14] Summary of the Point: Paul’s second point here on this blessing of the Father is connected by the word “predestining.” His predestining is what led to the action of Him choosing us in Christ. As the firstborn Christ inherits all from the Father, and Christ has shared all with those whom the Father has adopted according to His good will. God didn’t give a choice – heaven or hell. He gave us a destiny. We were born with a destiny of condemnation. But because of His predestination and election before the foundation of the world – He gave us a new destiny. A new family through Christ’s atonement. A path carved out for our adoption. So, what should we do with this knowledge? What should this doctrine produce in us? Praise. Praise to the Father for His sovereign plan. [Slide 15 (blank)] Transition: So, we have seen what God has done. He has chosen us in Christ to holiness and blamelessness in His sight in love, by predestining us to adoption though Jesus according to His benevolent will. But why? What is His goal in all this? What is His purpose? III.) God graces us with grace in Christ, so we must praise Him for His grace. (6) a. [Slide 16] 6 - to the praise of the glory of his grace i. To is a preposition of purpose. And it marks out the purpose of this destiny of sonship. ii. It is to gain for Himself sons and daughters who praise Him. iii. But for what? iv. The glory, which means the majesty or the honor, or the esteem, or the fame of… v. His grace. vi. Not only is grace something that we should be wishing to others. Not only is grace the lifeblood of the Christian walk. vii. His Grace being big in our eyes and worthy of great praise, is the purpose of our election and predestination. viii. God elects and predestines us so that we will praise Him for His MATCHLESS GRACE! ix. It is so important for us to empty election and predestination of anything of men. Why? Because only then can we see the grace of God as truly matchless and glorious. x. A grace that predestines and elects based on what we will do or who we are… is no gift of grace at all. It is merely a reward for work. xi. But a grace that elects us out of pure favor and love, is a grace that is glorious indeed. xii. But how much grace has God given to us? b. [Slide 17] that he has freely bestowed on us i. The Greek word means to bestow grace. But several translations add the word freely or lavishly. ii. This is because it would literally be translated, “He graced us with grace.” Which forms an idiom of abundance. iii. To freely or lavishly bestow is to do so without end or without limit. That God gives grace without stopping. iv. God freely and lavishly bestows His glorious grace on us in our election and predestination. And we must praise Him for it. c. [Slide 18] in his dearly loved Son. i. Again, this is a preposition of location. ii. It refers to our unity to Christ. iii. We are one with Christ and therefore, just as Christ received unlimited blessing and giftings from the Father through the Spirit, so also, we are given unlimited grace through the Father choosing and predestining us to be adopted children who praise Him for His glorious and abounding grace. d. [Slide 19] Summary of the Point: Paul finishes the first stanza of His doxological eulogy about God the Father. He has told us that God has chosen us in Christ by predestining us to be adopted through Christ. He has told us that this is because He loves us and has good will toward us. He has told us that He has done all this before the world was created and without any consideration on who we are or what we might be or do. All of this sets up the Father’s glorious purpose in our predestination and election. And it is so we, as adopted members of His family, would accurately worship Him for His glorious grace which He has lavished upon us in Christ. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 20] In Paul’s opening words of his good word of praise to God the Father, he told us that God has blessed us with every Holy Spirit benefit and kept them for us in the heavenlies in Christ. Now Paul expands on what some of those Spiritual blessings are and how they lead to all other Spiritual blessings. And he opens with one of the most perplexing and unfortunately one of the most controversial doctrines in the scriptures. Yet Paul clearly has no intention of starting a fight or argument. He wants his readers to be swept away by the magnitude of God’s grace. So, however we understand this passage, we must see God’s grace loom as large as possible. And that means taking the most straight forward reading of the text, which is that God predestines and elects those who will be adopted as sons and be part of His family and He does this according to His own good will without consulting anything about who we are or what we’ve done. God doesn’t give us a choice; He gives us a destiny. A destiny we weren’t born with and one we’d never see if He did not give it to us. THAT indeed, is glorious grace. And we should praise Him for it. But let me break this down and, unfortunately, defend these doctrines which are so plain in the text this morning. 1.) [Slide 21] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God chooses before the foundation of the world who will inherit the blessings Christ purchased in His atonement. a. A clear and straight forward reading of this text brings us to this exact conclusion. b. God lovingly chooses before the foundation of the world individuals who will become holy and blameless in His sight both in their justification and in their sanctification. c. Who He chooses is a mystery and the individuals He chooses certainly form a corporate group of people who all have been chosen together… d. But with those caveats aside, whether we want to or not, we cannot help but confess that this doctrine is 100% true. e. It is by God’s Sovereign choice in electing individuals that they inherit the blessings of the New Covenant. f. And when we go back to the passages about the New Covenant, passages like Ezekiel 36 and Jeremiah 31, we read about this. God gives them a new heart not as a nation, but as individuals within the nation. God guarantees that they will follow Him. He guarantees that each individual will not need to be taught about Him because they will know Him. God tells them it isn’t for them He will do this but for His name, or for His posterity. For His family. He tells them He will make them unblemished and cleanse them from their uncleanness. g. Then in Ezekiel 37 directly after this, He illustrates the New Covenant to the prophet by having him preach to the valley of dry bones. Bones cannot hear, much less respond to preaching. Yet Ezekiel preached and the bones came to life, took on flesh, and fled. h. Whatever God does in the New Covenant, it is clear from the Old Testament passages, that God does it by Himself. Why? Because WE are dry bones. We have 1 destiny. i. God chose, before He created the world, who He would unite to Christ. 2.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God chooses based on His predestining us to be adopted into His family. a. Because of the relationship of the words in the text, we must understand that predestination precedes or in some way contributes to God’s choice before the foundation of the world. b. This means that God’s plan to give a destiny of adoption into His family preceded or contributed to who He would choose to be in Christ. c. This helps us to understand why predestination and election seem to have a corporate feel to it. d. Because God began with the intention to gain for Himself and family by adoption, He then chose individuals to be in Christ to form that family. e. There is an unmistakable corporate nature to this plan of God’s but it is accomplished through individual names put in the book of life before the foundation of the world. f. And we must recognize that this plan of God’s for His elect is not merely to save us from sin and death. It is to save us TO adoption. To be in God’s family, bear His name, and to be holy and blameless in His sight. g. God has a plan for us first and then puts names to it. h. He is truly sovereign over all – including salvation. i. Because these things are true, we must… 3.) [Slide 23] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God chooses and predestines us based on something we are or something we have done or will do. a. God tells us what source He used to predestine and choose us. b. It was the good pleasure of His will. c. Now this answer doesn’t satisfy us. We kinda want to know more. d. But what this answer refutes, and what the scriptures refute, is that God determined these destinies and choices based on something He saw in us. e. God did not look ahead to see who would believe before he made their destiny to adoption and chose them in His Son. f. He consulted His good will and predestined and chose according to it. g. To say otherwise endangers the very core of the gospel being not of works and not of man. For if God chose us because of something we are or will do… is there no room for boasting? I see a lot of room for boasting. h. Instead, if God chose me because He is good and delighted to choose me… I have nothing but praise to offer. 4.) [Slide 24] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God chooses and predestines a group and not individuals. a. I came into this text fully resolved against the idea that God predestines and elects corporately. b. Through this text, I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong. God most certainly predestines and elects those who are saved in a corporate way. He predestines a group. A family. c. But He doesn’t predestine and elect empty spots in his family. He elects individuals to adoption into His family. d. Based on this text and the rest of the New Testament, this must be how we see this. e. Because the blessings of the New Covenant are given to Christ individually, and because each of us must express individual faith in Christ for God to unite us to Him, and because God will give new hearts to individuals within that New Covenant, and because God has written individual names in the book of life who will not be cast into the second death and who will not be blotted out… f. We must come to the conclusion that this election and predestination is of individuals to a corporate destiny found in and through Jesus Christ. g. We must deny that God only elects a non-individual group to salvation. For this does not hold up to the scrutiny of the entire New Testament’s teaching on the matter. h. Based on all we’ve discussed this morning… There is one thing we must stop doing. 5.) [Slide 25] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop fighting these doctrines and submit to them instead. a. Notice I did not say we must stop fighting OVER these doctrines, although that is also true. We must certainly stop fighting each other over these things. And I think I know how we can do that… b. Emboldened by this text, I exhort all of us to stop fighting these doctrines. Full Stop. c. Now, even when we lay aside all the caricatures and false representations of these doctrines, it does not make them easy to swallow. d. They are uncomfortable. I’ll give you that. It is uncomfortable to put all of our salvation in the hands of God and leave nothing for us. e. It is uncomfortable to think that there are many people God has not predestined and elected to salvation. f. But the scriptures rarely call us to believe what is comfortable. Most of the time the scriptures call on us to believe things that are quite uncomfortable. g. Paul makes it quite clear. God alone predestines and chooses who will be part of His family. In the same way God alone chose Seth, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David. God predestines and chooses. And we just need to yield to that teaching. h. It is ONLY when we yield to that fully that we can obey the true command of this text. i. Which is what? 6.) [Slide 26] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must praise God for His glorious grace in predestination and election. a. God planned to adopt sinners into His family through Christ’s path. b. If you are a believer today… c. God then picked you before time began to be united with His Son and in the New Covenant. d. God did all this because He loves you and in accordance with His good and favorable will. e. He put your name in the lamb’s book of life. f. He chose Seth to produce a line that would lead to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and eventually to the Messiah who would be your new covenantal head. g. He sent His Son in the fullness of time to pay for your sins. h. His Son was the firstborn of many brothers so you would be adopted into the family of God through His atonement. i. He did all of this… for you. For me. j. Why? k. So, we would praise the wonder, the power, the majesty, the glory… of His grace. l. God’s grace, his powerful favor to make you what He predestined and elected you to be. m. Your application from this text is not to go home and fight these doctrines. It is not to go home and argue with God thinking you are arguing with me. n. Your application is to praise the Father for the wonder of His grace! o. If you leave here and do anything less – it is disobedience to the scriptures. 7.) [Slide 27] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God didn’t just choose to save us from sin. He has appointed us to be in His family, inherit His name, and live like He wants us to live. a. I know we’ve mentioned this already but let me just draw attention to it one more time. b. God designed a destiny first and picked our names for that destiny second. He decided what He would do and then to whom it would apply. c. This is FAR BEYOND escaping hell. d. We were sons and daughters of Satan my friends! We were like our father the devil. e. But God didn’t give US a choice, HE chose us for a DESTINY. One He marked out before the foundation of the world. f. Do you not feel loved? Do you not feel comfort of the good pleasure of God’s will? 8.) [Slide 28] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Even though God predestines and elects those who He will save, God does not reveal to us the individuals for whom He has done this. Therefore, the invitation to repent and believe is given to all. And that means you! a. One of the dangers of preaching the doctrines of predestination and election is that it is largely an intramural discussion. b. As Whitfield said, one should start with grade school teachings before moving to university teachings. c. The gospel call is for people to repent and believe. Only after someone has done this will they come to recognize that their repentance and faith were gifts of God given to make sure they become what He chose them to be before time began. d. But a danger in preaching these things is that unbelievers become quite fatalistic. They conclude that if God has already decided this… then no matter what I choose, it doesn’t actually matter. I’m not going to change my destiny. e. But that is the thing… God doesn’t offer a choice; He offers a new destiny. And one piece of information God conceals from us… is to whom He offers this destiny. f. If you are here today and you are not a believer, then you know the destiny you have. That is condemnation. It is death. It is the wrath of God for your sin. g. But perhaps for the first time you’ve been made aware of another destiny in the family of God. One that God provides to all whom He unites to His Son by true faith. h. How do you know you have that destiny offered to you? i. By receiving it. Turn from your sin. Trust in Jesus as your new representative. Both to take away your guilt of sin and to give you holiness and blamelessness. j. Walk in a new family and live up to the family name. k. If you do this, then you know that God has destined you for it. l. It is kinda the way we always determine destiny isn’t it? How do you know you were destined to be a great singer? You sing. How do you know you were destined to be a great baseball player? You play. m. How do you know God has destined you for His family? You turn from your sins and you trust in Jesus as God’s Son and your new representative. In short, you trust what your Father says. n. Is that you today? [Slide 29 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer from the English reformer Henry Airay. Set apart and dedicate our hearts, Lord, with the touch of your Holy Spirit, so we may worship you in spirit and in truth, and so we may rejoice in your Son Christ Jesus our salvation. Teach us to renounce all confidence in anything that does not include him! Purge us daily more and more from all overdone affections, and from all those unbridled desires which may draw us away from you or hinder us from serving you. Renew in us a right spirit, so we may worship you-not in a comfortable way that we dream up on our own, but in spirit and in truth, according to your holy word. Set us apart and make us holy through your Holy Spirit, so that as we completely abandon all worldly confidence, we may wholly and only rejoice in Christ Jesus forever and ever, amen. Benediction: Now may your rising soul survey The mercies of your God; May you be lost in wonder, love and praise, So that through every period of your life His goodness you will pursue, Until our Lord Comes again. Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.

Title: Bless the Blesser for Every Spiritual Blessing Text: Ephesians 1:1-3 FCF: We often struggle appreciating all that the Father has done for us. Prop: Because the Father has given us every Spiritual blessing in Christ, we must praise God. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to the book of Ephesians chapter 1. In a moment we’ll begin reading from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1317 or in whatever version you prefer. I’ll take this opportunity to remind you again of the outline that is available to you in the foyer. This is my outline which I have prepared for you and myself as we study the book together. It is subject to change as we go through the study, but I will endeavor to keep it current and supply a corrected copy, if necessary, at the end of the study. I also create sermon notes each week for those who do better listening by taking notes. There will be fill in the blank, multiple choice, and true false questions each week to help keep your ears engaged as you listen. Let me start this book by simply saying I had a whale of a time deciding how to begin this letter. Let me explain. Verse 3 through verse 14 are not only one thought of Paul’s… they are also one sentence in Greek. As such, it was very difficult for me to try to decide what verses to pick to begin this letter. To capture Paul’s thought, I’d have to preach a sermon on verses 3-14… but the only way to accomplish that would be to move forward summarizing on a high level all that Paul is saying in each verse. We could do that. I could give you just an overview… But what Paul is saying is so earth shattering, and even to some Christians today, so controversial, and so full of theological language, that the only way for us to even get a true overview of what Paul is saying, is to dissect each phrase in this 202-word sentence. It is quite a catch-22. Here is my solution. Today, we will get through the greeting, which is rich in and of itself, and simply open up the sentence of Paul’s first thought to the Ephesians. Fortunately for us, verse 3 serves as a summary statement of all that he will say in verses 4-14. In the coming weeks we will move slowly through each verse, defining each theological term, dissecting exactly what Paul is saying. And at the end of that, when we make it to verse 14, the following week I will preach a sermon over verses 3-14 having defined and looked at each verse specifically. In that sermon we will put it all together to arrive at exactly what Paul is saying. As you can imagine, being a 12 verse sentence, it is probably an important opening thought to the letter. Indeed, it is THE main theological point of the letter. So today, to merely crack open Paul’s point, let’s look to the text. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Good and Gracious Father, we come before You today to marvel at Your generosity. You have given Your people all Spiritual blessings in Your Son. We turn to You for grace and peace. We look to You for every help and every fortification we need against the enemy. May we be even more convinced of our need to not only look to You for all things… but to praise You for Your generous and constant supply. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “God’s giving deserves our thanksgiving.” Anonymous “God is never less than generous, even when we are less than grateful.” John Blanchard “God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning [Slide 3] “He who feeds His birds will not starve His babes.” Matthew Henry “God’s goodness is the root of all goodness; and our goodness, if we have any, springs out of His goodness.” William Tyndale “God is ever giving to His children yet has not less.” Thomas Watson Let these words help to prepare our heads and hearts to hear from the Lord today. I.) God gives grace and peace to His saints, so we must praise God. (1-2) a. [Slide 4] 1 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, i. If you missed last week, you can, of course, go back and listen to the sermon via the various means we have for recording sermons. ii. We have a Facebook page that saves the services we live stream for several weeks. We also record the video of the sermon on our YouTube channel and post the audio of each sermon on our website and to our podcast channel as well. iii. Paul claims to be an apostle or sent one of Christ Jesus. iv. We saw when we studied Acts 9 that Paul indeed was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. v. Christ met him on the road to Damascus in a vision. He threw Paul from his horse, rebuked him for opposing the second person of the Godhead, and commanded Paul to go to Damascus and submit to proclaiming the same gospel he was opposing to Jews, Gentiles, Kings and beggars. vi. Paul was not given a choice. He was given a destiny. Could he have chosen to ignore it? vii. In his opening words here, it seems as though he doesn’t think so. For it was by the will of God that he became a sent one of Jesus Christ. viii. And as the Scriptures teach, none can thwart the will of God. Not even Paul. b. [Slide 5] To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: i. Since this is a greeting, we might expect there to be some kind of statement addressing the letter to a particular church. ii. Paul addresses this to the saints are at Ephesus who are faithful in Christ Jesus. iii. We are met with somewhat of a dilemma. Saints is a term the New Testament and Paul specifically apply most often to those who have professed faith in Christ. But here we see that he is addressing this letter to saints who are at Ephesus and faithful in Christ. iv. So, does this imply that there are saints that are not faithful in Christ? v. Rather than seeing this as two descriptions of the same people, we should see this as one description. vi. One way we could translate this is, “To the saints who are at Ephesus, that is, the faithful (or believers) in Christ Jesus. c. [Slide 6] 2 - Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. i. This is Paul’s standard greeting and I have tried to incorporate this in my conversations with other believers. ii. Grace of course is what? iii. [Slide 7] God’s power which He grants to people according to His free will, to enable them to be, receive, or do something which they are unable and unwilling to be, get, or do on their own. iv. Grace is the lifeblood of the Christian. Grace is what enables us to continue to live in obedience to God. v. This is why the historical church spoke of the means of grace or the ways in which God has set forth to communicate or give grace to His people. vi. God gives grace through His Word, read, studied, memorized and preached. God gives grace through prayer, fellowship with other believers, and through the sacraments or ordinances. God enables us to be, receive, or do what He wants through these means. vii. [Slide 8] And what is peace? viii. Peace is much more than the cessation of hostility between God and man, although that is certainly part of it. Peace is much more than the cessation of hostility between unbelieving men and Christians. ix. Peace is wholeness. Completeness. Peace is the setting to right of what has been thrown into chaos. Peace is all things being brought back into the dominion of God. x. As such peace is something only God can give. It is something only God can bring. xi. And so, Paul gives the Ephesian Christians the greatest wish he can. The greatest wish any Christian can give to another Christian. xii. Grace and peace to you. xiii. From God, the Father of Jew and Gentile, and from our one Lord – Jesus Christ. d. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: Paul begins his letter the same way he begins most of his letters. He desires his recipients to be constantly supplied on the grace and peace of God. Paul also subtly acknowledges that God the Father is not only his Father and the Jews’ Father but the Father of all who are in Christ who is also the one Lord over all the church. These are themes he will continue to develop through the rest of the book of Ephesians. God takes center stage. His grace begins the work in them and His peace is the effect produced to greater and greater degrees in them. As such, there is no better hope Paul could have for his readers. What response should the Ephesians have to this? They must praise the Lord for His relationship to them and supply of grace and peace. We must do the same. Transition: [Slide 10 (blank)] Paul, leaving his greeting, now embarks on two prayers. The first forms a doxological eulogy, or a good word of praise, where Paul feverishly praises God for what He has done. The second is Paul’s prayer that his readers would understand the depths of what he says in the first prayer. Verse three serves as a great summary of the first prayer. Let’s look at it. II.) God gives every blessing from the Spirit to us in Christ, so we must praise God. (3) a. [Slide 11] 3 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, i. Paul begins with what will be his primary and governing theological thought of the entire book. ii. We will actually see him address each member of the godhead in this prayer, but Paul begins with the first person of the Godhead, God the Father. iii. The word blessed can have different meanings based on context. iv. If someone has been blessed, it means they have been favored or given a gift. v. If someone blesses, it means they have good hopes or wishes for someone, or gives someone a gift. vi. If God blesses it has more of the idea of grace and favor. vii. But here the word blessed is an adjective. And it is describing God. viii. God does not need favor from anyone, nor does God need good hopes or wishes. God needs nothing so it isn’t a gift being given to God. ix. So, in this case, “blessed” inherits the meaning of praiseworthiness. x. God the Father, as a characteristic of His being, is praiseworthy. xi. But what could it mean that the first person of the Godhead is both God and Father of Jesus? Isn’t Jesus God? Certainly, He is. xii. [Slide 12] There are actually two things happening here that we must address. 1. First is that Paul is not writing this to deny or downplay Christ’s deity, instead Paul writes this to affirm Christ’s humanity. a. In pagan mythology, the idea of demigods is actually quite common. b. The gods could take on human form and appear to be humans. The gods could be a certain percentage of god and the rest of men. c. But to get pagans to understand that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man, would be quite the challenge. d. Indeed, to teach Christians this truth today is very challenging. e. And so, that God is Christ’s God and the Father is Christ’s Father, would emphasize a unique relationship between God and the MAN Jesus Christ. 2. The second truth this is alluding to is that this is the common way God is addressed in other good words of praise throughout the scriptures. a. Statements like “Blessed be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Or “Blessed be the God of Israel.” b. This is covenantal language. c. So what covenant is on display with the statement, “Blessed be the God and Father of Jesus Christ?” Certainly, Paul would be referring to the New Covenant. d. A covenant that subsumes all previous covenants. e. The importance of God being the God and Father of Jesus is that Jesus becomes the new representative, the new source of all the covenant blessings from God. f. Israel, the patriarchs, and Adam all failed. g. Christ is the last Adam. Christ is greater than the patriarchs including Abraham. Christ is the King of Israel, making Him all of Israel’s head. Christ is the new and final representative of this new covenant of redemption. h. He is responsible for us to make sure all the covenant blessings and promises continue to flow from God the Father. i. And he is a representative who will never fail. xiii. Paul then is expressing the praiseworthiness of God the Father who is both the God and Father of Jesus Christ, who is our Lord. xiv. But why? Why is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ praiseworthy? b. [Slide 13] who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing i. God is praiseworthy because He has blessed us. ii. So, the definition of the word needs to shift. God isn’t praising us. iii. What is God the Father doing? iv. He is favoring us. v. How? How is God showing us favor? vi. By giving to us every spiritual blessing. vii. Again, the word blessing needs to take on a new meaning. It isn’t praiseworthiness or favor. Now blessing takes on the meaning of a gift given to promote the prosperity of the recipient. viii. And Paul adds the word “spiritual” here. ix. He makes it clear that he is not talking about physical blessings. x. Sometimes Christians talk about hitting every green light on the way to work and getting a job promotion, after which they might say something like “God is really blessing me.” xi. That isn’t the kind of blessing to which Paul is referring. xii. Paul is specifically calling out the blessings God has given to us which are spiritual in nature. xiii. But that is just what these gifts aren’t. They aren’t physical. But what ARE they? xiv. We must see these blessings from God as those from the Holy Spirit. xv. Spiritual in the sense that they originate from the third person of the Godhead. xvi. God the Father is to be praised because He has given us every Holy Spirit blessing. c. [Slide 14] in the heavenly places i. This phrase can be difficult to understand. ii. Because Paul talks about heavenly places in this book several times, and in each he talks about how those places are inhabited by holy and fallen angelic creatures, we must assume that this is a location. A plane of existence if you will. iii. Specifically, this is most likely referring to where spiritual beings dwell. iv. Is Paul saying that this is where these blessings come from? Probably not. v. Instead, this seems to indicate to us that every Holy Spirit blessing given to us is kept for us, or deposited for us in the heavenly realms, safe and secure against any incursion by physical and spiritual attack. vi. Our Holy Spirit benefits are sealed in a place where God not only dwells but also protects. vii. Does this mean that we experience none of these Spiritual blessings before we enter the Kingdom of heaven? viii. No. They are gifts of the Holy Spirit, meaning He has brought them to us, He transmits some of these blessings in growing ways now. ix. But one day we will experience every Spiritual blessing in full. x. How has the Father accomplished this for us? d. [Slide 15] in Christ, i. Christ is the instrument that the Father chose to communicate every single Holy Spirit blessing to us. ii. Christ is the vehicle God the Father has used to give to us every Holy Spirit blessing to ensure that we spiritually prosper. iii. In Acts we discussed how Jews and Gentiles alike were called to believe on Christ and how the only path to remaining a true Jew was to believe on Jesus the Messiah. iv. Those who did not believe on Jesus, ceased being a true Israelite and were dead branches cut off from the tree. v. Paul, in a sense, argues the same point here. vi. God the Father gives every Spiritual blessing for Spiritual prosperity through Christ alone. There is no other instrument the Father has or will use to give these blessings to us. vii. Even the Spirit Himself only came to indwell believers when Jesus ascended and He and the Father sent the Spirit to us. viii. Christ is the chokepoint. ix. But we should know that already since Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but through Me.” x. The only way to inherit Spiritual blessings, preserved for us until we enter His Kingdom, is by being united to Christ by faith. xi. And the God and the Father of Christ is praiseworthy for giving these blessings through Him. e. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Now we might be wondering what exactly those Holy Spirit blessings ARE and what parts of them we have received today and will receive when we enter the Kingdom of heaven. But that will take the rest of the sentence on to verse 14 to explain. We’ll get there. For now, it is enough to recognize that God the Father has given those who are saints, namely those who are believers in Christ, every blessing from the Holy Spirit and preserved them for us in the heavenly realms where He sits alone as Sovereign over all. He is the God and Father of Christ and just as He sent His Spirit and all the blessings of His Spirit to Christ, He will also send these blessings to those who are united to Christ. So, what should be our response? The very first word of verse 3. We must praise God the Father for this. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] God is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called Jesus His Beloved Son in whom He is perfectly pleased. Jesus Christ is the mediator of a new covenant. He is the last and final human representative of a new cosmic reconciliation plan. In this, God the Father has given every blessing from the Holy Spirit to those who are united to Christ by true faith. Not only has He given these blessings to us, but they are kept secure for us until the consummation of that Kingdom of heaven… when Heaven comes to earth and God dwells with us. What response should God’s people have to these great truths? Simply, praise God! Amen? Let’s get a little more specific then on what we’ve learned and how we can live differently. 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God the Father gives every Spiritual blessing to us who are in Christ. a. There are a few layers to this truth that we need to understand. b. First, we must see the glory of the Father as a loving and caring Father that provides all His children’s needs. i. In the scriptures it is shown that Fathers, even the wicked ones, know how to give good gifts to their children. ii. Christ says, “what father when their child asks for fish the father gives them a snake? What father when their child asks for bread, gives them a rock?” iii. Now that isn’t to say that there aren’t crummy fathers out there. All Jesus is saying is that you don’t have to have God help you be kind to your own children. iv. In this our Heavenly Father is the best possible Father that could ever be. v. He provides all that we would need and abundantly more than we would ask or think. vi. God, as Christ’s Father, and Christ as Our Lord, ensures that God is also OUR Father and that He will give us all that He has given to His Son. c. A Second layer of this teaching is that there is nothing lacking in Christ. i. There are many brands of Christianity that disagree with this either by implication or by explicit teaching. ii. Some brands of Christianity insist that Christ has accomplished everything, but in order to access it, we must work hard or do something to get it. iii. Some brands of Christianity insist that without our effort we cannot be justified. iv. Some brands of Christianity insist that once you are converted, there is a second step YOU must take to experience a greater spiritual life, inherit more Holy Spirit blessings, and be closer to God. v. All of these fundamentally disagree with what this passage teaches us. vi. God has given Every blessing of the Holy Spirit to us who are in Christ. If you are a true believer, He has given every blessing to you. vii. That is not to say that you won’t grow or progress. But it is to say that there is nothing lacking in you, from the moment you believe to the moment Christ returns. Your Spiritual blessings are given to you and they are secure in heavenly realms. d. A third layer to this is the assertion that grace and peace are included in these Spiritual blessings. i. Grace is how God enables His people to do and be what He wants them to do and be and peace is the result. ii. Therefore, we can confirm that the grace and peace we wish to one another is from God the Father, who has given all Spiritual blessing to us in Christ. iii. So when we wish these things to a true believer, we can rest assured that it is not an empty wish. God will grant our hope for them to have grace and peace. iv. So let’s say grace and peace to you instead of “take it easy” “see ya later” or even worse “good luck”. Ugh! Grace and Peace to you! 2.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the blessings God gives are given from His Spirit and by the mediatorial role of Christ as our covenantal head. a. God does not give us Holy Spirit blessings because we have earned it. b. God does not bless us because we pray or because we read His Word. c. In fact, nothing we do has any impact on what God has given to us in Christ. d. We aren’t even in the equation. e. God the Triune has done this. By Himself. f. And we would do well to remember this. g. God the Father gives it from the Spirit through the Son. h. So, what are we? i. Well, we will get to it later, but we are made to be an inheritance given to Christ. We are Christ’s reward for His obedience to the Father. And the Spirit is the seal upon that reward to ensure it gets to Him. j. Our salvation, our sanctification, our glorification… is God’s gift to His Son sealed by His Spirit. k. We need a HUGE adjustment to how we see salvation. l. So many churches, so many worship songs, so many Christians continue to amplify and expound on how much God loved US to save us. m. This is true… But to say this without the other half… that God saved us because He loved His Son and desired a people who would praise Him for His grace forever… is to misrepresent what salvation is. n. Our salvation is primarily FOR God. It is secondarily FOR us. o. And we would do well to remember this. p. When we do… there are two responses we should have, one negative and one positive 3.) [Slide 20] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop boasting in any blessing God gives to us, much less any Spiritual blessing. a. What room is there to boast? b. If nothing I’ve done contributes to God’s blessing me, and God’s blessing me is primarily to bring praise and glory to the triune God, and if my salvation is simply a reward, an inheritance given to Christ for His obedience… c. Then what do I have to boast about? Is there any room to think highly of me? Am I special? d. The only reason I’m special is because God has made me special. The only value I have is because God has given me value. e. Even my image bearing of God is broken by sin! It is not an image that accomplishes the purpose for which it was formed. It is worth preserving only because of Who made it – but it is not special. In fact, it is so broken, it either needs to be destroyed or to remade. f. There is no room for boasting as a Christian. True Christians don’t boast in anything save knowing Christ in His death and resurrection. g. And even that is knowledge we were shown. We did not have it of ourselves. h. Upon Peter’s confession of Jesus’ Messiahship, Jesus said “Blessed are you Simon Bar Jonah because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my FATHER who is in heaven.” i. What is the second response we should have to understanding God’s gift of every Spiritual blessing in Christ? 4.) [Slide 21] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must praise God the Father for blessing us. a. There is only one good response. b. It is to praise the God and Father of Jesus our Lord. c. It is to praise the Father for His provision to us to give us every Spiritual blessing from His Spirit and to give those blessings through our union to His Son which He provided as our atonement. d. Praise is a simple application for us, but it is not always easy. e. We often neglect to praise God in our day to day. Not usually because we refuse to, but most often because we forget to. And oftentimes we forget because we live ignoring God’s active part in our every day lives. f. We live in blissful ignorance of the Creator in the world created by the One we are ignoring! g. But even more devastating than ignoring God and not praising Him for common things – is to ignore God and not praise Him for Spiritual blessings. h. When we have the fortitude to resist temptation, when we have opportunities to love others, when we teach, help, and serve, when we have the opportunity to gather with God’s people, when we have the pleasure of partaking of the sacraments, when we sing to God, when we give the offering, when we read the word, when we pray to God, WE SHOULD BE PRAISING GOD ALL THE WHILE. i. Not just on Sunday and not just through song. j. He is worthy of praise and worship for all things, especially the Spiritual blessings He has given us in Christ. k. Don’t live your life as if He doesn’t exist or that he owes you what He gives. l. Every breath and every Spiritual blessing is a gift. From a God who loves you BECAUSE He loves His Son. 5.) [Slide 22] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Every Spiritual blessing in the Kingdom of Heaven awaits those who are in Christ. a. We do not inherit all the blessings of the Holy Spirit in this life. b. There are blessings we have yet to know. There are blessings we have yet to receive in full. c. But these blessings are not stored on earth where thieves break in and steal or where moths and rust destroy. d. They are not kept in lower plains of spiritual reality either, open to demonic attack. They are kept in the heavenly realms. A place in which God dwells and rules from. e. Although there are enemies of God that exist in this realm, they operate by the permission and the command of God the Father. f. As Martin Luther so astutely put it… Even Satan is God’s Satan. No being, even in rebellion, has the ability to do something that would thwart or topple God’s purposes or decrees. g. God has decreed that our Spiritual blessings are secure in the heavenly realms. There they will be preserved for us until that day that we die and come to heaven to be with the Lord or until heaven comes down to earth and the Kingdom of God arrives. h. No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck us from His hand. We are sealed until the day of redemption by the Holy Spirit. i. What can we say to this except… Hallelujah! 6.) [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Christ is the only path to Spiritual blessings. a. God has compassion and love for those who are not followers of His Son. b. He gives rain and sunshine to those who are wicked. He allows people who hate Him and reject Him to live relatively fulfilling lives, have families, and enjoy all the benefits of His creation. c. But Spiritual blessings – blessings that come from the Holy Spirit, NEVER flow to anyone who is not in Christ. d. Holy Spirit blessings are only given to those whom God has chosen in Christ. We’ll get to that next week. e. If you want forgiveness of sins, if you want acceptance into God’s family, if you want to be an inheritance for Christ, if you want a destiny in the Kingdom of God, the only path to any of that is through Jesus Christ. f. It is not sincerity to a belief. It is not works of righteousness. It is not church attendance. It is not offerings given. It is not the people you’ve helped. It is not the poor you’ve rescued. It is not in religious ritual or practice. g. The only path to Spiritual blessings is in Christ Jesus. That is it. Because Christ alone is the only man with whom the Father is pleased. h. You can’t follow Mohammed. You can’t follow Budda. You can’t follow Plato. You can’t follow Paul the apostle. i. It is only in Christ that these Spiritual Blessings are given. j. Christ called everyone He preached to, to repent or turn from their sin and to believe or hope in the gospel which is that He died to save sinners and that He is the Lord of Glory. k. Christ is Savior. Christ is Lord. This is the gospel. l. Do you want Spiritual blessings – including a destiny in His eternal Kingdom of light and life? m. It is only in Christ that you can have it. n. So repent and believe on Christ. [Slide 24 (end)} Let me close with a prayer by the church father Polycarp. Father of Your beloved and blessed Son, Jesus Christ, we have come to know You through Him. You are the God of angels, powers, creation, and the entire race of the righteous who live in your presence. I praise You for everything. I bless and glorify You through the eternal high priest, Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, through whom and with Him, in the Holy Spirit, be glory unto You, both now and for the ages to come. Amen. Benediction: May grace, the well-spring of all mercies And peace, the crown of all blessings, be bestowed upon you from God our Father. Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to You.

Title: Introduction to The Prison Epistles and The Book of Ephesians Text: Ephesians Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to the book of Ephesians. In a few moments I will ask 6 readers to come to the front to read a chapter of this amazing book. At any time during this intro, if you would like to volunteer to read, you may come up to the front and have a seat. You don’t have to wait until the end to do so. Today we begin a lengthy series covering the Prison Epistles. Let me get the preliminary questions out of the way before we dive in. What are the Prison Epistles? Hey, that’s a great question! The Prison Epistles are a group of letters written by Paul so named because they all are written while Paul is in prison. In fact, based on who Paul sends with the letters, we assume they were all written during the same imprisonment. Which one? We’ll save that for our introduction to the book of Ephesians. But for now, that is why these books are called the Prison Epistles. What books are included in the Prison Epistles? Another amazing question! The prison epistles include four letters. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Hey wait, didn’t you already preach through Philemon? Wow! You remember that long ago? Yes! I did. While I was candidating to be the pastor here, I preached a two-part series on the book of Philemon. Since it was not recorded and since I wasn’t officially the pastor yet, I thought it might be cool to preach through the book again 10 years later. 😊 So, 4 books, how long is this gonna take? Again, you have some great questions! I’m not a prophet, but after preaching through 15 New Testament books in my 10 years here, you can gather the data points to get an idea of about how long I usually take to preach thought by thought through a book. I am estimating that this entire series will take anywhere from 50-75 sermons to complete. Which puts us at probably a year and a half to complete it, give or take a month. So, why the prison epistles? You all are on fire with the questions today! I actually really wanted to study the prison epistles right after we finished the book of Acts but because the prison epistles contain many of the same themes and because it would be another lengthy study, I felt the Lord lead me to something else which is why we studied 1 and 2 Thessalonians. But my initial desire to study the Prison Epistles after Acts stemmed from the date discussion we will have in just a moment concerning the book of Ephesians, so I’ll save those details until then. I think that is most of the initial questions before we actually dive into the series and the book intro. But before we do – let’s take a moment to ask the Lord to be with us this morning. [Slide 2] Series or Four Independent books? This morning I have been, perhaps, a little unclear on what exactly we are doing. I am talking about a series and also about a book study. So, the question arises, are these four letters independent of one another or are they a series? Well because they are written to four distinct audiences, I have to say that this is really more of four independent books than a true series. However, the themes of Ephesians and Colossians are so similar it is hard to imagine that there is no connection between the books. Philemon and Philippians are outliers though. Philippians is very different from Ephesians and Colossians thematically and Philemon isn’t written to a church at all but to one person… a man named Philemon. Nevertheless, because Paul probably wrote these in such a short time, I can’t help but see them together, even if they are probably more of 4 independent studies. So, we will loosely introduce this as a series and preach through them accordingly. I plan to cover them in canonical order. There is some debate over which letter is sent first. But thematically, if we go through Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and then Philemon – the topics we address will never get stale. I say that because Ephesians and Colossians are remarkably similar. Although Colossians is a good deal shorter and much more argumentative than Ephesians, it is estimated that a little over half of what is said in Ephesians is also found in identical expressions in Colossians. Separating our study of Ephesians and Colossians with Philippians will be a good break between them. But this point about Ephesians and Colossians being so similar is what brings us to the debate over authorship. [Slide 3] Authorship: Really until the Enlightenment and the modern era, no one in the history of the church questioned whether or not Paul wrote the book of Ephesians. It has been only recently that many have supposed that a person posing as Paul took up the style and content of Paul’s letter to the Colossians and endeavored to write a letter that seemed like it was Paul’s but it actually wasn’t. There are, of course, MANY difficulties with assuming that this is the case with the book of Ephesians. First, Paul is named directly. He identifies himself as the author. Although this doesn’t dismiss the possibility of someone pretending to be Paul, it does change the argument from one of authorship to one of canonicity. If someone claims to be someone they aren’t… what do we call that? Yes. A lie. And if this letter is supposed to be inspired of God, can God lie? No. So if Paul is not the author of this book, this book doesn’t belong in the bible. Plain and simple. Second, if Paul wrote Colossians and Ephesians at the same time, we might expect him to have similar themes and expressions distributed in these letters. In fact, Tychicus is identified as the messenger delivering Ephesians and Colossians, almost assuring us that they were sent together. Colosse is actually fairly close to Ephesus, so the issues that Paul is addressing in Colosse could be just as pertinent to the Ephesians too. So why not write the same things to two different churches? But one of the biggest challenges to Pauline authorship is identifying who exactly the audience is for this book we call, Ephesians. [Slide 4] Original Audience: Astute readers will see the name of the book and read verse 1 of the first chapter and wonder why this is uncertain. It says Ephesians and Paul addresses this to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus. Case closed! Well, not exactly. There are three big challenges to this letter being written to the church in Ephesus. First, the words “at Ephesus” do not appear in the earliest manuscripts we have of this letter. It says, “To the saints who are and faithful in Christ Jesus”. Second, Marcion, a second century gnostic heretic, who made waves trying to control what books were included in the canon and what books weren’t, wrote about this letter that Paul wrote, only he said that Paul wrote it to the Laodiceans. Finally, as we scour the book of Ephesians, it is quite interesting to discover that Paul never once names anyone, nor does he call out any particular problem or issue that he is addressing that is unique to Ephesus. In fact, Ephesians is the only book in the entire Pauline corpus that we can look at and say – there is no reason that Paul HAD to write this. There is no issue he is addressing or heresy he is correcting. Because of this, some modern scholars doubt the Pauline authorship of Ephesians and attribute it to a cunning imposter who doesn’t say anything specific so he won’t get caught. But one main problem with this line of argumentation is that the early church did not look highly upon works pretending to be written by apostles or other famous people in the church. From the earliest records we have, no one, not even Marcion the heretic, doubted that Paul wrote this book. This is because, typically, Paul sent his letters WITH people who vouched for the letter as having been written by the person who signed it. Although that might put to bed the uncertainty about the authorship, it still doesn’t answer our questions about who is the original audience of this book? Well, let’s go back to the manuscripts that omit the phrase “at Ephesus”. See the problem with that is that syntactically, that Greek sentence, although technically correct, is quite awkward. [Slide 5] I have put the two possible ways to translate it on the screen here. Keep in mind that the Greek word “and” can also be translated “also” “To the saints who are and faithful in Christ Jesus” is really awkward both in English and in Greek. Paul is talking about their existence and their faithfulness… If he just mentions their faithfulness, he need not mention their existence. “To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus” is also really awkward in Greek and also Theologically. This isn’t normally how we’d see the word “also” used in Greek and for Paul to express that they are saints and that somehow in addition to that, they are also faithful in Christ Jesus, is problematic to say the least. How can you be a saint and NOT be faithful in Jesus Christ? What does this mean? It could mean that “at Ephesus” was omitted on accident, or, that those words were NOT present in the original letter that Paul sent, but a blank space was. Most scholars conclude that Ephesians was a circular letter. Ephesus, like many modern cities, had many villages and suburbs surrounding the city where the gospel had no doubt spread in the five years that Paul had been absent from them. Ephesus is also very close to several other city churches mentioned in the New Testament. Cities like Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Miletus among others a little further away. The thought is that since the book of Ephesians is not addressing a particular problem or issue in a church, that it was probably copied several times and sent to Ephesus first and also various cities surrounding Ephesus, and Tychicus was instructed to simply write in the name of the city he brought the letter to. This view is not without its problems though. It is difficult to believe that with the cost of scrolls and the risk of sending letters to various churches, that Paul would have written the several copies of the same letter to several churches. It would have cost him a fortune and put Tychicus at great risk. Furthermore, if Paul knew what cities he was sending these letters to, why didn’t he simply fill in the name of the city prior to sending it with Tychicus. And why do almost all of our translations still call it Ephesians and have the words “at Ephesus” in the text? Although a few early manuscripts omit “at Ephesus”, the VAST majority and some of them quite early, HAVE the phrase. Furthermore, several early church fathers, many of whom are second generation disciples, name Ephesus as the destination for this letter. [Slide 6] Which leads me back to an improbable but perhaps most sensical conclusion. The early manuscripts omitted the phrase “at Ephesus” on accident or were copied from a source that omitted the phrase on accident. But God has preserved for us, by tradition and broader manuscript evidence, the actual intended audience of this book as the church in Ephesus. If that is the case, why is Paul not writing any specifics? Perhaps because he intended to send it to the villages surrounding Ephesus as well as the church in the city too. This would mean that although some would read it whom he knew, many would read it whom he did NOT know. Or perhaps because Paul didn’t have any occasion to write to them, but did wish to convey to them the message of this book. [Slide 7] So, now that we’ve talked through that – Where is Ephesus and what is the culture like there? Ephesus is situated at the mouth of the Cayster river on the east side of the Aegean Sea. [Slide 8] The city was best known for the temple to Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. [Slide 9] Of course, when Paul visited many of the converts to Christ gave up their witchcraft and burned their spell books, putting a mighty dent in the economy. So religiously, Ephesus is a very dark place with ties to paganism and the occult. [Side 10] Ephesus was also an important political, educational, and commercial center sitting on a port giving access to the greater part of Asia and Galatia. When Paul arrived, the church was already established. Pricila and Aquila had helped Apollos discover that the Christ he was preaching had already come, and His name was Jesus of Nazareth. Apollos then went to Corinth to continue the work in that church. So, the church of Ephesus was not initially founded by Paul, but was certainly expanded under his 3-year apostolic ministry. [Slide 11] Of course, we know that Paul left to go to Jerusalem and was arrested and kept in prison for quite some time before being shipped to Rome to stand before Caesar. [Slide 12] We also know that Timothy eventually is called to pastor the church there at Ephesus and deal with some problems that were arising there – Female leadership, heresies, and fights over myths and genealogies being a few of them. And thirty years later the church at Ephesus is again mentioned by the apostle John in the book of Revelation, as one that although it had not succumbed to heresy, had unfortunately left its first love and allowed its love for Christ and His church to grow cold. Many scholars think that prior to John being sent to the prison island of Patmos, he was in Ephesus after the fall of Jerusalem. So, he would be uniquely positioned to write about the state of Ephesus and what the church had become in about 1 generation from its founding. [Slide 13] Ephesus and the church founded there were central to the first century spread of Christianity. And as a church positioned where it was in the Roman Empire, there is, perhaps, no better church to send the letter of Ephesians to. More on that in a minute. So, when does Paul write this to the Ephesians? [Slide 14] Date: Since Paul ministered at the church in Ephesus on his third missionary journey, we can easily rule out any imprisonments that occurred before that. However, Paul was imprisoned by the Jews, Felix, Festus, was a prisoner aboard a ship, then on the island of Malta, and then again under house arrest in Rome, was then released and imprisoned again before he was executed. All this occurred in a span of about 10 years. So, we must wonder, when is the most likely time that he would have had a chance to write to the churches of Ephesus, Colosse, Philippi and to a man named Philemon. Due to the time, provisions, and freedoms that would be necessary to write such letters, the relationship of these letters to other Pauline letters, as well as tradition of the church, it seems best to see this letter written during the period that he was under house arrest in Rome. He had many freedoms to have visitors, he had access to materials to send letters as well as people who could transport them to where he sent them. This is why I wanted to study these books after Acts. Because it would pick up right where Luke left off. That would put the date of Ephesians between AD 60-62. Because the themes of Ephesians and Colossians line up and the belief that Philemon was an Ephesian, these three letters seem to have been written and sent simultaneously while Philippians could have occurred later or earlier. [Slide 15] Occasion: As we’ve said already, Ephesians is an odd duck since Paul is not specifically addressing any problem, heresy, issue, or occasion unique to the Ephesian church. But that DOESN’T mean that the letter of Ephesians is sent for no reason. In fact, many scholars deem this letter to be Paul’s crowning achievement, even above Romans. So much so that some scholars argue, albeit unconvincingly, that Ephesians was written as a preamble or a cover letter to the entire collection of all Paul’s letters. Again, this is unconvincing for several reasons. But it does go to show you just how rich this book is. And indeed, after reading it through several times this past week, I can already tell there are some absolutely HUGE themes. My guess for the occasion of this letter is that Paul, being aware of Luke’s two-part tome on the gospel of Jesus and the beginning of the church, wrote Ephesians as a sermon to proclaim the same teachings Luke was saying in his narrative history. That being said, what is the purpose of the book of Ephesians? [Slide 16] Purpose: Paul’s main doctrinal point happens immediately in the first chapter. He proclaims that God the Father has a cosmic plan to reconcile all of creation to Himself and that plan centers on the glory and headship of Jesus Christ, His Son. His application, which occurs in the second half of the letter, is how specifically the church must participate in that cosmic plan. 1.) Paul attacks his main point with feverish doxology praising God for His absolute monergistic and sovereign role in the salvation of a people to Himself through His Son so that His Son would be over all. 2.) He progresses this idea by teaching that God not only individually reconciled Gentiles and Jews to Himself through His Son, but that in Christ He is also reconciling two men (Jew and Gentile) into one new man. 3.) Then Paul begins to apply this plan of God to how the church must participate. He speaks of unity, growth, separation from the world, rejecting our former ways and imitating God. 4.) Then Paul talks about the need of the church not only to grow and expand but to stand firm against the forces of darkness. Paul warns that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. The enemy of the church is not human… it is ancient, malevolent, and powerful. But he leaves no doubt… if we take up God’s armor… we will stand. And when we stand, we play our part in God’s cosmic plan to reconcile every dimension of His creation… to Himself through Christ as its Head. This… is a POWERFUL book. And if you leave this study thinking that the church today, or our church specifically, is living up to the place God gives it in this plan… then I will have failed you as a preacher. My friends… this one is gonna hurt. So, what are some key themes that will bring the pain? [Slide 17] Key Themes: 1.) All mankind, Jew or Gentile, born in false religious homes or born in Christian homes, all mankind is BY NATURE, meaning who we are naturally from conception, spiritually dead, transgressors of the law, under the rule of Satan, and deserving of the wrath of God. 2.) God monergisticly (by Himself) saves His church by predestining, electing, drawing, and regenerating them by pure grace, so that through faith we might be saved in Christ to do the good deeds He has designed for us to do and be His body on earth. 3.) God’s salvation of His church is into the New Man Jesus Christ. There is no Jewish church and Gentile church. There is one church which inherits all the promises of God given to the commonwealth of Israel. Christ is the New Israel. Not that Israel is replaced by the church or that there is no room for Mosaic law practicing Jews in the church. But that there is no divide in Christ. 4.) The church must be a reunified humanity that is reconciled to God, the House of God, the body of Christ, the Heirs of the commonwealth of Israel, the bride of Christ, the Army of God, and the wisdom of God displayed to angelic rulers. 5.) [Slide 18] Even though called a house of God, this temple must continue to grow and expand. 6.) The church must separate from the world and imitate God in all they do including in every relationship they have with other human beings. 7.) The church must weather the assault of ancient evil beings with God’s armor as He continues to put all things under His feet. Indeed, God will crush Satan under our feet. [Slide 19] Words and concepts to keep an eye out for: 1.) The phrase “In Him” or “In Christ” is mentioned more times in this book than any other letter of Paul’s. 2.) Look for the images or pictures Paul points to of the church. 3.) Look out for the word mystery. 4.) Look out for cosmic language such as heavens and dominions and principalities and powers. [Slide 20] Theological Challenges and Spicy Topics 1.) The first chapter is going to be VERY heavy. If you have not submitted to the teaching of predestination and God’s sovereign election of those whom He will save… the first chapter is gonna be a bumpy ride for you. But, maybe it will be what finally convinces you that God is sovereign over who He saves. I hope it does… because that is exactly what it teaches. 2.) Are we sinners by nature or must we sin to become sinners. This book will strongly affirm the ancient doctrine of original sin. Original meaning pertaining to the origin of our sin. Which is what the Greek word “nature” means. 3.) We will argue about what is a gift of God in chapter 2. Is it faith or grace or salvation? 4.) We will struggle through the implications of Gentiles inheriting the promises of Israel and what that might mean for Israel today. 5.) [Slide 21] We will seek clarity at what it means that there is only one baptism. 6.) We will wonder what it means that Jesus descended to the lower parts of the earth. 7.) We will endure the toe smashing of the put off put on principle. 8.) We will address submission of wives and love of husbands and what that means and doesn’t mean. 9.) [Slide 22] We’ll talk about principalities and powers and how we don’t wrestle against human beings. At least not ultimately. [Slide 23] Outline of Ephesians 1.) The Father’s plan of cosmic reconciliation: The Glory and Headship of Christ (1:1-1:14) a. Greeting and recipients (1) b. Prayer for grace and peace from God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2) c. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing of heaven in Christ (3-14) 2.) [Slide 24] Prayer that all believers may know this plan, God’s power to bring it about, and their place in it. (1:15-23) a. Paul thanks God that he has heard that the Gentiles there have believed on Jesus and are loving like Jesus (15-16) b. Paul prays that they’d be given spiritual wisdom to understand even more about God’s plan of cosmic reconciliation. (17-23) 3.) [Slide 25] How God is accomplishing His plan of cosmic reconciliation (2:1-3:21) a. God saves individuals by grace (2:1-10) b. Christ reconciles two men in to one man (2:11-18) c. Christ unifies Jew and Gentile into one House, one temple, one family. (2:19-22) d. God’s wisdom is revealed through the church He has made (3:1-13) e. Paul is continually praying that all believers would have a deeper understanding of God’s power and love to be filled with the fullness of God (3:14-19) f. Paul prays to God who is able to do this and gives glory to Christ, closing out his doctrinal section (3:20-21) 4.) [Slide 26] How the church must participate in God’s plan for cosmic reconciliation (4:1-6:20) a. The church must practice unity in love (4:1-6) b. The church must grow in spiritual maturity (4:7-16) c. The church must put off the ways of the world and put on God’s ways. (4:17-5:21) d. The church must practice relational submission and love. (5:22-6:9) e. The church must stand firm against the forces of darkness in the strength of God (6:10-20) 5.) Conclusion, Greetings, and Benediction (6:21-24) a. Tychicus has been sent to inform them how Paul is doing (21-22) b. Peace and love and Grace is hoped for by Paul to them from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (23-24) Read Ephesians [Slide 27 (end)] As I said already, this book, is gonna hurt. There is a lot in here that has already kicked me in the teeth and I can’t wait to study it further with you. Let me pray and ask the Lord’s blessing on our study for the next several weeks. As I pray, the six readers can queue up to read the text this morning.

Sermon from Columbus Baptist Church's Podcast

Sermon from Columbus Baptist Church's Podcast

Title: A Song for The Repentant Text: Psalm 51 FCF: We often struggle knowing the depth of our sin and our hope only in God for mercy. Prop: Because God alone is the only hope for sinners, we, being sinners, must seek Him alone. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Psalm 51. In a moment we’ll read the psalm from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 629 or in whatever version you prefer. One Puritan writer compared the preparation and delivery of a sermon on Sunday as the preacher going to the market and grocery shopping for the congregation. He provides the raw materials for the flock to prepare for themselves spiritual meals for the remainder of the week. I have found this illustration to be accurate. For the last nine months we’ve been eating from one particular diet together. But sometimes it is good to take a break from the normal and shop in different aisles of the store. As a pastor I am commanded to preach the whole counsel of God’s Word. And so, for the next three weeks we’ll get some variety to our spiritual diet. Today, we will approach a rather well-known but theologically rich and incredibly relevant psalm. Psalm 51. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy and infinite God, you are unlike all that is in Your creation. You are perfect and pure. You are right and just in all Your ways. Yet we are sinners. We fall short, miss the mark, and transgress Your ways. Yet You are merciful none the less. You are kind and gracious. You have made provision to forgive and to restore those who are broken and contrite. You have made a way for the repentant to be set free. I pray that You would help us to see, through the anguish of the psalmist, the path to mercy and forgiveness. I pray that you would help us to understand how repentance is not only the first word of the gospel but is the path to receiving mercy from You. Teach us in this song Lord, we pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “When we truly comprehend our own nature, repentance is no dry doctrine, no frightening message, no morbid form of self-flagellation. It is, as the early church fathers said, a gift God grants which leads to life.” Charles Coleson [Slide 3] “Every man feels more comfort and spiritual joy after true repentance for a sin than he had in that innocence before he committed the sin.” John Donne “Real repentance produces confession and forsaking of sin, reconciliation and restitution, separation from the world, submission to the lordship of Christ and filling of the Holy Spirit.” Vance Havner [Slide 4] “Upon the two hinges of faith and repentance do all the promises of the Bible hang.” George Swinnock “The grief of repentance is never loss in any way; not to experience this grief, that is loss indeed.” R.C.H. Lenski Let these words wash our minds to prepare us for the exposition of this psalm this morning. I.) God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must confess the depth of our sin and look to God for cleansing and a restored relationship to Him. (title – 5) a. [Slide 5] For the choir director. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. i. Scholars agree that although the titles of the psalms are very old, they are not original to the text of the psalm itself. ii. Although not inspired by God, they still can serve as a contextual commentary for the occasion of the psalm by an ancient commentator. iii. We should read this title then, as we might read the writings of Polycarp, Irenaeus, or Clement of Rome. iv. With those caveats, there really is no reason to doubt the title given to Psalm 51. v. Everything in the psalm seems to fit the context described which occurs in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. vi. After Nathan the prophet comes and confronts David for his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite, David realizes his sin and repents. vii. What is noteworthy however, is the personal nature of the repentance voiced in this psalm but knowing that David submitted this into the psalter for all of Israel to sing. viii. Most often we don’t think of personal repentance as something that is public. In fact, due to shame we wish it to be private. Indeed, David tried to hide his sin with Bathsheba by killing her husband. ix. But now David makes his repentance public to all of Israel. Why? x. Two reasons. First, his sin had become public. And second, he is the King of Israel. That is what leaders do. xi. So now, let us explore this song for the repentant. b. [Slide 6] 1 - Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the abundance of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. i. David begins his song of contrition, with a plea for God to be gracious. ii. That God would give him favor and compassion that is consistent with His loyal love. iii. The word “lovingkindness” is one of the most important words in the Old Testament. It is used almost 250 times and each time there is some difficulty bringing it into English. Why? Because it has many ideas rolled into it. 1. There is the aspect of covenant loyalty where there have been promises made to be loyal. 2. Faithfulness 3. Love 4. Goodness 5. Graciousness 6. Kindness 7. All of these are bound into this word. Therefore, it is difficult to come up with a good English word to encapsulate all of it. 8. Lovingkindness is often used, I think I prefer Loyal love. iv. In any case, David pleads with God to be gracious to him in a way that is consistent with that covenant love and faithfulness that God has. v. We can understand even more about this as David writes the second half of this verse. vi. In the psalms there are often relationships between phrases. The second phrase can reword, explain, expand on, or be set in contrast to the previous phrase. vii. David’s second phrase here helps us to understand what God dealing according to His loyal love would look like. viii. It is according to God’s abundant compassion, and the graciousness he desires of God is specifically to blot out his transgressions. ix. Blotting out here means to forgive but it carries with it a destructive or punitive component. To blot something out means ink must be scrapped off the page or the tablet record must be smashed. c. [Slide 7] 2 - Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. i. David continues begging God to wash and cleanse him. ii. David wants to be free of the sin he has committed. iii. And notice that David has used three different words to describe his failure. Why? iv. Iniquity, transgression, and sin are different words that when combined together serve to paint the whole picture of sinfulness. Whether it is a minor misstep or outright rebellion, whether it is accidental or purposeful, the full scope of sin is encompassed with these three Hebrew words. v. But why does David desire to be washed? d. [Slide 8] 3 - For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. i. He is fully aware of his failures. ii. He knows them, why? Because they are ever before him. iii. He is haunted by what he has done. e. [Slide 9] 4 - Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, i. Is David’s statement here true? ii. In one sense it isn’t. He certainly sinned against Uriah, whom he had murdered. He certainly sinned against Bathsheba with whom he fornicated. He certainly sinned against the people of Israel by failing them as their King. iii. But in a very real sense, every sin is ultimately against God. And sinning against God is far more egregious than sinning against another human being. iv. David’s statement here is not to excuse himself from the hurt he caused others… rather, it is to recognize that ultimately his sin against others is a sin against God first. v. He has done evil. vi. In fact, sins against other humans can easily be dismissed. We often justify our sins against others because they deserve it. It is a twisted sense of justice that we come up with. vii. But when all sins are against God – who never earns our sins against Him… we are without hope for justification. viii. And that is what David goes to next. f. [Slide 10] so that You are justified when You speak and pure when You judge. i. David confesses that God is right to speak against him and to judge him. ii. There is no shadow of doubt in David’s mind… God can and should punish him for his sin. iii. And then David says something even more astounding. g. [Slide 11] 5 - Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. i. Some have tried to interpret this verse to say that David is confessing that he was conceived as a result of some adulterous or sexually immoral behavior by his mother. ii. Although grammatically that is possible, there is no justification contextually to interpret the verse this way. iii. It is just as grammatically possible that David is talking about his own sinful condition and its origin. iv. David has been begging for God’s gracious and loyal love, recognizing his own sin and even saying that God is just to judge him. v. If David was conceived by an act of sin, that is his mother and father’s sin… not his. And that has no real bearing on what he is saying in the psalm so far. vi. The only real possible interpretation, which is almost universally accepted by Old Testament scholars, is that David is talking about his own sinful condition and when it infected him. vii. Now I won’t say that this verse outright teaches the doctrine of original sin – but it certainly accords with it. What is the doctrine of original sin? viii. [Slide 12-16] Turn with me to Romans 5 and we will read not just verse 12 which is the supposed proof text of this doctrine… but let us read 12 through 21. 1. The doctrine of original sin is important (though it is under attack today) primarily because Paul sets Adam and Jesus up as two representatives. Jesus is actually called the last Adam by Paul in 1 Corinthians. 2. He specifically calls Adam a Type of Christ. Meaning that what Adam has done is like what Christ has done. It is actually what we’d call an anti-type. 3. Just as Jesus secures life, righteousness, and acceptance from God, our former representative Adam doomed us to death, sin, and condemnation from God. 4. It is by Adam’s failure that all men die, inherit a sin nature, and are condemned before God earning His wrath. And this is all before they ever commit a sin themselves. 5. Paul says that though the law had not yet come to reveal sin, men still died… why? Because they were sinners already even if they didn’t know they had committed sins against God. 6. Paul says in Ephesians that we are children of wrath… by nature. Naturally. We are born that way. 7. It has been expressed this way, “We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners.” 8. This is the doctrine of original sin. And what David says here is right in line with that doctrine. ix. [Slide 17] At his very conception… he was ALREADY a sinner. At his birth he was brought forth in iniquity. Before David ever committed any sin willfully, he was already a sinner in his heart. x. This serves as further proof that God is just and pure to judge him for his sin. xi. David does not see his sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah as a rare blemish in a long history of otherwise righteous behavior. Instead, he confesses, that this sin was borne out of his very nature. h. [Slide 18] Summary of the Point: As a song for the repentant this psalm focuses on one primary truth. And that is that God alone is the only hope for sinners. In the opening stanza, David explains why that is. Why is God alone the only hope for sinners? Because we are all sinners by nature. The depth of our sin is great and the stain of sin is impossible for us to remove. And worse still, every sin is ultimately a sin against The Creator and Judge of the universe. He will rule in justice. He will never pardon the guilty. In that economy, in that legal climate to where else can we run than to the judge? Indeed, we must confess our sinfulness before God and seek Him alone for mercy and to cleanse us and to restore us to a proper relationship with Him. [Slide 19 (blank)] Transition: But what is the solution to David’s problem? II.) God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must seek God for a change from the inside out. (6-12) a. [Slide 20] 6 - Behold, You delight in truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. i. Now David moves to the solution of his sin problem. ii. Although he is a sinner by nature, he knows that God delights in the innermost person. Who we are inside. But David has already said that who he is naturally, inside, is a sinner. iii. So, if God is to grant mercy and restore the relationship, God must act in his innermost being and must give him truth and wisdom. iv. David isn’t going to find it on his own. b. [Slide 21] 7 - Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. i. David speaks now of a cleansing. ii. Hyssop is a plant used in ritual cleansing ceremonies performed by the priest. It would be dipped in the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled on things and people to make them ritually pure. iii. David is asking for God, as his priest, to spiritually, morally, cleanse him and make him cleaner, purer, and whiter than he has ever been. To truly make him righteous. c. [Slide 22] 8 - Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which You have crushed rejoice. i. Daivd begs for joy and gladness even from the same bones which God has crushed in shame and guilt. ii. David desires to be free of the anguish of sinning against God. iii. He wants to be vindicated. He doesn’t want this sin to be synonymous with him any longer. d. [Slide 23] 9 - Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. i. Most often in the Old Testament, God hiding his face is a bad thing. ii. Here, however, David doesn’t want God to look on his sin. iii. He wants it ignored, gone, separated, expiated, atoned for. e. [Slide 24] 10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. i. David asks God to give him a new heart. One that is clean. ii. To actually create (not recreate) a new heart within him. iii. We see striking similarity to David’s plea and God’s promises concerning the new covenant where he will give a new heart of flesh to those whom He is saving. iv. David then asks for a steadfast spirit. A spirit that is able to endure temptation again and choose righteousness. f. [Slide 25] 11 - Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. i. As we saw in 2 Thessalonians, no one can truly go out from the presence of God. Why? Because God is everywhere and He is every when. ii. But, to be cast from His “face” presence, which is the Hebrew word here, is to be put away from his favor and his compassion. iii. Disagreement abounds on how the Holy Spirit interacted with Old Testament saints. Did He merely come upon them? Did He regenerate them? Did He indwell them? iv. We certainly do know that the Spirit came upon Old Testament people to empower them to do things. Much like the Holy Spirit fell upon people in the New Testament to produce sign gifts. v. And this could, perhaps, be what David is referring to. He doesn’t want the Spirit to be taken from him as the King of Israel. vi. However, we could see this as hyperbolic language where David is basically asking that the Spirit not be grieved. vii. We have already said that the presence referred to previously is the benevolent presence of God. So, taking the Spirit away could simply mean, grieving Him or experiencing a dryness or farness from God’s presence. viii. In any case, David’s plea, really, is to return to a right relationship with God. ix. And that is what he says next. g. [Slide 26] 12 - Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. i. David wants to go back to the days when he rested in the joy of God’s deliverance and saving grace. ii. He wants God to give him a spirit which desires to obey God, and that obedience to God will be what sustains him. iii. David wants to walk in right standing with God. iv. Such is the desire of all who are truly repentant. h. [Slide 27] Summary of the Point: This song of repentance shows us that God alone is the only hope for sinners. So not only does David seek God to cleanse him from sin, but He seeks God to change him from the inside out. He seeks God to make him a new creation. He seeks God to help him to never be this way again. We too must seek God to change us. Transition: [Slide 28 (blank)] The repentant heart does not just want to be washed, restored, and changed. A repentant heart also wants to warn others who might fall into the same traps. III.) God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must teach sinners of Him and His ways. (13) a. [Slide 29] 13 - Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You. i. David moves on to the result of the restoration of his relationship with God. ii. Only when he is restored will he be able to teach others who are sinners God’s ways both by command and demonstration. iii. Only when he is free from these things will he be able to instruct others of God’s ways and see them convert to following God. iv. David sees his relationship with God as the foundation of his evangelistic efforts. b. [Slide 30] Summary of the Point: David is beginning to widen his focus. He begins with God, expands to himself and God, and now he expands to himself and God and others who are sinners and do not worship God. David recognizes that after his restoration he can once again turn to sinners and point them to God. He has just come to God for mercy. He can point them there also. We too must teach by command and example that sinners must seek God alone for mercy and forgiveness. [Slide 31 (blank)] Transition: But there is yet another aspect of his life that has been affected by his sin. David must now seek deliverance so that he can properly worship God. IV.) God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must be repentant of sin if we are to worship God. (14-17) a. [Slide 32] 14 - Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. i. Worship of God is harmed by his status. ii. He is guilty of murder. iii. Although there are no external standards set for worshipping God, our sin makes us unworthy to worship Him. This is why a sacrifice was required for the Israelites and this is one of the reasons Jesus had to die. So that an atonement could be made for us so we could be brought near to God. iv. David reveals that only when he is delivered from murder can he sing, joyfully, about God’s laws and righteousness. b. [Slide 33] 15 - O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise. i. With guilt and shame, we are often chased into silence. We hang our heads and we close our mouths. ii. With guilt comes great sorrow and despair. iii. David asks the Lord to open his mouth so that he can worship Him and praise Him. Why? iv. Because when we sin against Him, praising Him is far from our minds. v. When you feel like a wretch you feel unworthy to speak to Him, let alone sing to Him. vi. But God again is the one David turns to. Though God is the one offended, David again turns to the One He offended for help to praise Him. c. [Slide 34] 16 - For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. 17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. i. A sacrifice is required to worship God, to bridge the gap between sinners and a Holy God we need a sacrifice. ii. However, ritual sacrifices without true repentance is repugnant to God. iii. Mere confession of truth and belief in a Savior without genuine repentance and obedience is equally as repugnant to God. iv. The real sacrifice, or might we say, the effective sacrifice is one that brings a broken spirit and contrite heart over sins committed. v. A person who comes in this way, God will surely show mercy to. d. [Slide 35] Summary of the Point: David is relentless. God is the only hope for him. He recognizes his murder guilt. He knows that only God can deliver him from it. And until God does, he is not able to sing in joy or praise to Him. David would gladly offer every sacrifice under the sun to rid himself of his shame – but a broken spirit and contrite heart is the sacrifice that is necessary. And that is what he has come with. For us also, if we are to worship God properly, we must be continually repentant of sin. Transition: [Slide 36 (blank)] The final two verses widen David’s focus to all of God’s people. V.) God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must trust the Lord that He will one day gather His people together to worship Him perfectly, forever. (18-19) a. [Slide 37] 18 - By Your favor do good to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. i. David now expands even further his view to the people of God. ii. He has seen how his sin has alienated him from God. iii. He has seen how his sin prevents him from speaking to sinners about the Lord. iv. He has seen how his sin prevents him from worshipping God. v. But now he sees how his sin has affected all of Israel. vi. He asks God to be favorable and gracious to Zion, and to build the walls of Jerusalem. vii. Zion is often interchangeable with Jerusalem but definitely has an eschatological, new Kingdom layer to its meaning as well. viii. Zion is not simply the physical city of Jerusalem it represents the future hope of a future kingdom governed from a future version of Jerusalem that is perfect. ix. Zion speaks not just of the kingdom itself but to its holy citizens. x. We know that David is referencing this future Kingdom because at this time the walls of Jerusalem were already built. They don’t need to be rebuilt. xi. David asks that God fulfills his promises to His people. b. [Slide 38] 19 - Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then young bulls will be offered on Your altar. i. There are a few points we need to see in his final statement here. ii. When this future Zion comes, this perfect Kingdom that God has promised His people, at that time God will delight in righteous sacrifices. iii. Righteous sacrifices is an interesting term. Before he said that God doesn’t delight in sacrifices and that His sacrifices were a broken spirit and contrite heart. iv. But in this new Kingdom, God delights in sacrifices that are up to the standard that God has set. They are perfect. They are complete. v. And God will delight in righteous burnt offerings where all that was acceptable was completely burnt up. vi. Furthermore, at that time, young bulls will be offered on His altar. vii. What is this saying? viii. I think we could at very least say that at this time the sacrifices will be perfect and they will be filled with thanksgiving and peace with God. ix. But I think we could take this even further to suggest that David is looking ahead to a time when sacrifices are no longer performed to deal with sin. x. Perhaps David looks ahead to a time when sacrifices mean something completely different. Looking back… instead of looking forward. c. [Slide 39] Summary of the Point: A song for the repentant ends with a look to the future, which is what all repentant people should look to. We trust the promises of God that He is near to the contrite. We don’t dwell on our past failures, but we continue to turn from them and to what God commands of us. God alone is the only hope for sinners. And Christ died for sinners. So, we look and trust in the promises of God through His Son that one day He will return and bring us into His Kingdom… forever. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles. Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 40] After Nathan confronts David and exposes his sin, David is cut to the heart. This song he has written after those events, are no doubt an accurate representation of his pleas to God for restoration. Entering this song into the psalter, David invites all of God’s people to worship the Lord with a song of repentance. A song of contrition. For that is what repentance is. It is an act of worship. It is an act of faithfulness to God. Turning from sin and to God is the first word of the gospel that Jesus proclaimed. And this song is a paradigm, a template, a pattern for all who would repent of their sin and turn to God. It could be a wrote prayer we pray to God concerning our own sins. It could be a song we sing in our heart as we seek the Lord for restoration. Psalm 51 is a gift to us from a broken man. We too must be broken and repentant. We must seek God alone, because he is the only one who can help sinners in their plight. And we must seek Him to forgive, restore, and bring us safely to His Kingdom. But let’s get a little more specific on what this psalm teaches us. 1.) [Slide 41] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God alone is the only hope for sinners. a. Why is this true? Why must we affirm this? b. Let’s start where David started. c. God alone is the only hope for sinners because He alone is gracious, compassionate, and loyally loving. i. God is able to cleanse and deliver us. ii. God is concerned about our inmost parts and who we are at our very core. Not just our thoughts and emotions, not just our bodies, but our very souls. iii. God as our Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. He formed us and shaped us in the womb. He has fearfully and wonderfully made us. iv. God can create new hearts. He can create a new steadfast spirit in us. v. God can sustain us. God gives favor, love, grace, kindness, goodness, and salvation. d. But this only tells us that God is the best hope for sinners. Why must we conclude that God is the ONLY hope for sinners? i. Because all mankind are sinners by nature. All mankind are children of wrath by nature. ii. All men, through Adam, inherit death, condemnation, and sin. iii. God is right to judge every single human ever born who are born with Adam as their representative, because through Adam, all men inherit this sin status before God. iv. And regardless of what men do in this life… they begin as sinners. And because they are sinners… they will… indeed, they must… sin. v. Sinners cannot save themselves. They cannot work hard enough to restore a relationship with God on their own. vi. David even said that if there was a sacrifice that God would have accepted, he would have given it. But God desired a broken spirit and a contrite heart. vii. God desires all of us to come to that one conclusion – that we are hopeless without Him. e. All sinners have only one hope. And it is God. f. That is awkward… why? g. Because God stands in judgment over them as a righteous judge. h. But this just illustrates the desperate condition of sinners. We are so hard up for help that our only recourse… is to ask the judge who just sentenced us… the judge who wrote the law we broke… for mercy. i. It is a good thing… He is near to the contrite. 😊 2.) [Slide 42] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must see this Psalm as a pattern for those who are repentant. a. There are many kinds of repentance out there. b. Paul speaks of a repentance that leads to death. Just like James speaks of a faith that leads to death. c. Remarkably they are similar. d. Both faith without works and repentance without works lead to death. e. A repentance that stops at “I’m sorry” but then continues to do the same thing over and over again – is not repentance. f. A repentance that produces sorrow because you were caught but not because you have sinned against God… that leads to death too. g. 2 Corinthians 7 is a great passage in which to turn for a good description of genuine repentance… but if you want an even clearer prayer or song of repentance… I can show you nothing better than Psalm 51. h. This is what genuine repentance looks like. i. And it begins with… j. [Slide 43] Confession of sinful condition and plea for cleansing i. Notice that David confesses his sinfulness. ii. He doesn’t make excuses. He doesn’t blame anyone else. iii. He doesn’t try to justify his actions. iv. He doesn’t try to excuse himself. v. He doesn’t even treat this as something that came out of nowhere. vi. He confesses that he has been a sinner from conception. He confesses that he is worthy of God’s just judgment. vii. But he pleads that God would act in his compassion, loyal love, and priestly role to cleanse him. viii. We too must confess our sinful condition without caveat and without excuse and seek Him to cleanse us. k. [Slide 44] Plea for change from the inside out i. It is not enough to simply be cleansed of wrong doing… no. ii. We must be made new. iii. We must seek to be different. iv. We must seek to have the sin completely disassociated from us. To the extent that no one would believe that we had ever committed such a sin before. v. We must be changed from the inside out – not by following a list of rules, but conforming ourselves to Christ by faith. vi. We must seek closeness with God through His Spirit who lives in us and submit to the Spirit’s guidance in our own sin’s eradication. vii. Repentance cannot stop with forgiveness… it must continue to change. We must turn from sin, not simply be ashamed of it. Many people are ashamed of what they do and who they are… but that doesn’t stop them from doing and being that very thing. viii. Repentance moves on to change. ix. But it isn’t change in a vacuum. l. [Slide 45] Desire to be a beacon to other sinners of God’s righteousness i. There is a purpose to holy living. ii. Jesus said let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify God in heaven. iii. We are a city on a hill which cannot be hidden. iv. We are a light in the dark which cannot be concealed. v. Indeed, when we are repentant people being cleansed and conformed to God’s righteousness, we are in a perfect position to point sinners to our God. vi. If we are sinning the same way everyone else is… why would they heed our pointing them to a God of righteousness? vii. But if we are changed and new people – when we tell them we are being conformed to God’s standard, they must take note. viii. But repentance isn’t just for evangelism it is also for worship. m. [Slide 46] Desire to worship God with a clear conscience i. We cannot worship God with a clear conscience when we know that we are actively pursuing sin that He detests! ii. We cannot intentionally pursue sin on Saturday and come to worship God on Sunday! iii. I know the trite phrase “Come as you are” is very popular today. And in some ways it is true. You don’t have to put on airs to worship God. You don’t have to wear a tuxedo or do your hair all up. iv. You don’t even have to come to God as a perfect person in order to worship Him. v. But you certainly cannot worship God and be unrepentant of sin at the same time. vi. Worthy worshippers of God are not those without sin, but they are those who HATE their sin. vii. But a truly repentant person longs for the day… that we are without sin… n. [Slide 47] Desire to see and join with the future Eternal Kingdom of righteousness and thanksgiving i. Some people who claim to be Christians rarely think of heaven. ii. Some people who claim to be believers, if they were honest with themselves, when they hear of the coming kingdom they can’t believe how boring it sounds. iii. But those who are truly repentant. Those who have been given the gift of repentance and faith unto life… those people look at a Kingdom built of righteousness and thanksgiving… and they can’t… wait… to be there! iv. The purging forever of sin and the dawn of righteousness and thanksgiving forever… that is what that New Kingdom will be. And if that doesn’t sound very good to you… perhaps you only have a repentance that leads to death? 3.) [Slide 48] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Repentance is the first word of the gospel. a. When Jesus began his ministry on earth the gospel writers record that his message was generally to repent and believe the gospel. b. The gospel, of course, was the good news that the One that the prophets had spoken of was here and with Him the New Covenant which gives new hearts to God’s people. c. But the first word… before believing the gospel. Before trusting in Christ. Before surrendering to Him. Before claiming Him as Savior and Lord… d. Is Repent. e. Repent means to turn from sin. And if you have even vaguely been listening during this sermon… you know that Psalm 51 is what repentance look like. f. No one can believe the gospel until they first confess their own miserable status as sinful and hopelessly guilty before a holy God. No one can believe the gospel until they understand that there is absolutely nothing they can do to make themselves right with God. No one can believe the gospel until they abandon hope in anything else saving them except in what God offers IN THE GOSPEL. g. Until you see Christ as your only hope, you cannot possibly believe the gospel. h. And so my friends… if you are here today and you have never turned from your sin… may this be the day of your salvation. i. Repent and believe the gospel. j. Turn from your sinfulness and cry out to God in desperation to save you and deliver you. k. And whether you do that today for the first time… or you are a believer who continually is turning from sin and believing the gospel… be comforted by this… 4.) [Slide 49] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God is merciful to the truly repentant. a. God is always merciful to truly repentant people. b. He doesn’t have to be. c. He isn’t obligated to be. d. But He is like no other god real or fictitious. e. He is near to the broken hearted. He is close to the contrite. He is ready to hear your pleas for mercy and He is ready to forgive, cleanse, restore, and change you. f. Repent is not a bad word. It is not an aggressive word. It is a word of worship. It is a word of hope. You can turn from all the hopeless dead ends… and you can cry out to the only hope you have for life… Mercy from a Holy God. [Slide 50 (end)] Let me close in a prayer by the Reformer Lancelot Andrews Son of David, you have found a ransom for me. Have mercy on me. Lord, help me! Even the dogs may eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Have patience with me, Lord. I confess I do not have the ability to pay. Forgive me the entire debt, I beg you. Will you forget me forever, Lord? How long will you hide your face from me? For how long can I seek answers in my own soul, and yet be so frustrated in my heart, day and night? For how long will my enemies triumph over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God. Flood my eyes with light, so I will not fall asleep in death. For if you cast me down, those who trouble me will celebrate. But my trust is in your mercy which I seek in Jesus’ name, Amen. Benediction: May you dwell under the shadow of God's throne, Where saints have dwelt secure, Where His arm is sufficient and your defense is sure. Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.

Title: 1-2 Thessalonians: Finale Text: The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians FCF: Prop: The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians is about God’s people, saved, growing, and enduring until Jesus returns. Sermon Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. For the last 9 months over the course of 34 sermons, we have covered all 136 verses of the canonical letters of Paul to the church in Thessalonica. Though they are two distinct letters, having been written only months apart and having several common themes, they could be observed as two chapters of one book. Today will be a different kind of message. Instead of looking at a particular text, we are instead going to assume the role of systematic theologians. Rather than sitting back and allowing one thought to pour over us from the text – we will instead fit together all we have learned into categories of truth. Although Paul doesn’t outline for us what the main or primary purpose of each letter is – it is not difficult to gather the themes of each and come to a synopsis of what exactly Paul wanted to get through to the Thessalonians. I have printed an outline for each book. Some of them are available in the back still, but if you need a copy of either, let me know and I’ll be happy to provide them. It is also worth noting that every sermon from this series is available in audio format on our website and almost all of them are available in video format on our YouTube channel. So, if you ever want to go back and review, or listen along with your own personal study, that is available for you. And that goes for every series I have preached here since I preached through Galatians, which was, believe it or not, 10 years and 2 days ago. We will begin this finale study by looking over the general timeline of the two books’ composition and what each book touches on broadly. Then we will analyze the two books together for major themes and look for how those themes lace together with the rest of the scriptures and how they continue to be applicable for us today. Then we will put all those themes together to form a single yet dense sentence of the main theme of these two books. But first let me pray to get us started this morning. [Slide 2] The Timeline: · Paul, Silas and Timothy teach for a few months in Thessalonica · Paul is chased out of Thessalonica by the Jews · Paul goes to Corinth · Paul sends Timothy to check on them [Slide 3] The Reason · Timothy has reported back · They are being shunned by unbelievers in Thessalonica · They are confused on eschatology. They don’t want any in the church to miss it, living or dead. · They have some lingering areas which need growth, including sexual immorality, love of one another, and working to provide for themselves. There are some unruly busy bodies causing some issues too. [Slide 4] The Content of Letter 1 · Thanksgiving for what God did in their hearts · Encouraging growth in faith, love, and hope. · Correction of eschatology · Hope in identity in Christ · Labor in love, work out faith · Need for peace from God [Slide 5] The Timeline: · Paul sends the first letter with Timothy · Paul continues work in Corinth with increasing persecution · Paul anxiously awaits Timothy’s report · Paul sends second letter [Slide 6] The Reason · Timothy has reported back · Now being persecuted · Now deceived on eschatology thinking it has already come because some preachers and a letter that said it was from Paul said so. · The unruly are still a problem [Slide 7] The Content of Letter 2 · Thanksgiving for what God continues to do in their hearts · Encouragement for persecution · Correction of Eschatology · Hope in being chosen by God · Correcting the unruly · Need for peace and grace Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] So now that you can remember at least broadly what Paul has written, let’s synthesize all that information into some major themes across both 1 and 2 Thessalonians. I have narrowed it down to 7 major themes that all feed into the primary theme which we will dissect last of all. So, let’s get started. I.) [Slide 9] Discipleship = Imitation a. Paul mentions imitation in both letters. b. Paul talks about the Thessalonians successfully imitating his example. He also talks about he and his companions’ example being one worth imitation. c. And by extension, Paul indicates that because the Thessalonians have imitated him and his companions, they themselves are worthy of imitation. d. In this we see that in Paul’s mind the heart of discipleship is one person following Jesus and encouraging others to follow them as they follow Jesus. e. In that sense if we simply follow the person who is closer to Christ than we are, we will always be following Christ. f. [Slide 10] So how does this theme relate to the rest of the New Testament? Well Paul addresses this in the Pastoral epistles where he tells Titus to have the older men teach the younger men and the older women teach the younger women. He doesn’t just say teach them Christ’s commands, although that is certainly part of it. He tells them to teach by example and produce those who imitate them. Peter lifts himself up as an Elder as an example to other Elders. In Acts the church first devotes themselves to the apostles’ teaching. That is interesting. They were contemporaries of Christ, yet the apostles were the ones they were imitating. Why? Because the apostles were imitating Christ. g. [Slide 11] How does this theme work itself out in the whole counsel of scripture? As we look to the Old Testament, God continually raised up men who served as examples. The Patriarchs in general were examples to Israel. When a King was a godly King, he was said to follow in the footsteps of David. When he was ungodly, he was said to follow in the footsteps of Jeroboam. Here we see that godliness is taught and demonstrated through imitation. And so is ungodliness. Proving the axiom that more is caught than taught. h. [Slide 12] What impact does this concept have on us today? There are literally thousands of curriculums, courses, books, seminars, and philosophies surrounding the idea of discipleship. Some churches have pastors of discipleship. My point is not to say that these are foolish or a waste of time, necessarily. But the long and the short of it is, if you think of discipleship as a 12-week course to graduate from and not imitating those who are godly around you – you might have missed it. Imitation is much simpler and much more accessible. We might not be able to attend a 12-week course, but anyone can observe someone they know loves Jesus and is a godly person and endeavor to live like they live. This doesn’t eliminate the need for intentional discipleship. But even when we intentionally disciple we must be someone who is worthy of imitation. All the while we continue to point ourselves toward imitating Christ. [Slide 13 (blank)] Transition: What is another piece of puzzle helping us form the primary theme of these books? II.) [Slide 14] True believers have nothing to fear regarding the Day of the Lord a. In both letters Paul addresses some fear or anxiety concerning the Day of the Lord. b. Have those who died missed it? c. Will it be so subtle we’ll miss it? d. Are you sure because we have heard preaching saying we missed it? e. Paul not only informs them that they can’t possibly miss the Day of the Lord – but he also, in both books, assures them that those who are truly God’s people, have nothing to fear about the Day of the Lord. f. They might experience hardship and difficulty – but they won’t be judged with the wicked. And they won’t miss out on the kingdom. It doesn’t work that way. God saved them FOR this Kingdom… and nothing can change that. g. [Slide 15] How does this theme present itself in the New Testament? In every entry of the New Testament concerning the end times and the Day of the Lord they serve both as a warning to those who are wicked and a comfort to those who are righteous. Those who have been made righteous in Christ should be comforted, not frightened, concerning the Day of the Lord. And those who are wicked should be warned. A third group exists as well. Those who claim to be righteous but are bearing no fruit, are warned that unless they do bear fruit, they will be swept away with the unrighteous. Not because they didn’t bear fruit… but because they were never actually righteous. h. [Slide 16] Do we see this theme in the Old Testament as well. Perhaps even more so. The Prophets especially speak often of the Day of the Lord. And in those texts we also have three groups of people addressed. The wicked are warned of their judgment, the righteous are promised their coming reward, and those who live disobediently but claim to be God’s people, are warned to obey lest they be swept away with the wicked too. i. [Slide 17] What does this theme mean for us? There is a lot of variety when it comes to eschatology. There are many different views and most of them are quite valid from the scriptures. But a view of eschatology that does not give comfort to God’s true people, is a view that must be denied. Any view that denies the eternal punishment of the wicked, must be denied. Any view that allows you to live however you want, unchanged, and inherit God’s Kingdom still, must be denied. And unfortunately, that eliminates several false teachings that are running rampant today. Be wise and understand that only the righteous will enter that Kingdom and only the righteous have nothing to fear on the Day of the Lord. [Slide 18 (blank)] Transition: That’s two themes down. What is the next piece of the puzzle? III.) [Slide 19] True believers stand firm in and hold fast to the Christian Tradition a. We defined Christian tradition as the doctrines and lifestyles that Christ gave to His apostles to give to the church as it grew and expanded. b. In this, we see the first theme overlap a bit into this one. c. Since discipleship is imitation, true disciples of Christ should be imitators of Him and all who imitate Him. d. In that they will continue to hold fast to the doctrines Christ taught through His apostles and they will continue to stand firm in the lifestyles that Christ and his apostles taught and demonstrated. e. This is why when professing believers stop confessing truths or stop living in ways that conform to Christ, we begin to doubt or lose confidence in their profession of faith. f. [Slide 20] This concept is found in the rest of the New Testament as well. When we studied 1 and 2 Peter, James, Jude, 1-3 John, Galatians, Acts, and Matthew we saw this theme on repeat. True believers, true followers of Christ… follow Christ. They conform to what the master taught and lived. That is the nature of following Him. Meaning that any who don’t… have lost all assurances that they are indeed His follower. g. [Slide 21] How does this theme present itself in the whole counsel of God? In the Old Testament God kept pointing back to what He had done. He kept pointing back to positive and negative examples of people following Him and being blessed and not following Him and being cursed. It becomes clear that those who are truly His remnant are those who consistently obey what He tells them to do. They consistently worship Him exclusively and live uprightly. The ones who are God’s are those who conform to His standard and not to the nations around them. h. [Slide 22] How does this theme impact us today? We cannot love the world and God at the same time. If we love the world the love of the Father is not in us. It is so easy to let values of this world creep in. It is easy to let lifestyles of this world overtake us. But we must constantly be comparing our beliefs and lifestyles to the examples of Christ and his apostles through the Word of God. We who are true children of God must and ultimately will stand firm in and hold fast to the Christian Tradition. [Slide 23 (blank)] Transition: Three down four to go. IV.) [Slide 24] True believers grow in faith, love, and hope. a. This is a theme that Paul overtly developed in his first letter, but certainly was present in the second letter. b. In many ways it is part of their keeping the Christian traditions in that these three cardinal Christian graces are only possibly to true believers who are in Christ and following Him. c. They are called graces because each of these are given by God to His people as gifts. d. Faith speaks to not only what we believe but how firmly we hold to it. Love speaks to not only our love for God but for one another. And hope is rooted in the promises and atoning work of Jesus Christ. e. [Slide 25] Analyzing this theme in relation to the rest of the New Testament we observe that, they are called Cardinal graces because throughout the New Testament we see these graces mentioned most among all the gifts we should seek from God in increasing ways. Nearly every New Testament writer mentions these graces as gifts of God to His people to help them walk in His ways. f. [Slide 26] In the Old Testament we see these graces too although less explicitly stated. Certainly, faith in what God says, love for Him and others, and hope in His promises are included in everything taught and commanded of the children of Israel. g. [Slide 27] What does this mean for us? Since they are graces, we cannot work them up or conjure these on our own. We must seek the Lord for a steady and increasing supply of these as we endeavor to live for him in a fallen world. Of course, because our God is faithful and good, He continues to supply His grace to us in these ways through various means. [Slide 28 (blank)] Transition: More than half way there. V.) [Slide 29] True believers will endure great suffering before the Lord returns. a. Well, this one is a little less encouraging, isn’t it? b. Paul mentions this overtly in both letters. He tells them that as believers in Jesus Christ they have been “appointed for affliction.” c. And he warns them of the coming apostasy and man of lawlessness who will bring great persecution upon the church. d. There is really no way to get around it, if we are followers of Christ, and the world crucified Christ, we shouldn’t expect to be friends of the world. e. [Slide 30] Throughout the New Testament we see this theme expounded. Indeed, several letters in the New Testament are written to Christians who are suffering for the sake of Christ. Jesus addresses this and not only says that His followers will have trouble in the world, but also that suffering for His name is a blessing. And John affirms that the persecution of the man of lawlessness upon the saints in the last days will be quite successful. He says that the man of lawlessness will be granted power over them. f. [Slide 31] But the people of God in the Old Testament were exactly the same. Able was killed out of jealousy because he was righteous and Cain wasn’t. Noah was despised though he spoke the message of truth and judgement. The children of Israel were enslaved to the Egyptians for 400 years. The Assyrians abused them, the Babylonians tried to assimilate them. God’s prophets were hunted and killed, many times by the Israelites themselves. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, was usurped by his own son. Following God and obeying Him has never been a safe path. It has always guaranteed trouble. g. [Slide 32] What does this mean for us? We are still enjoying relative freedoms in this country to worship God the way He tells us to. But the tide is turning. The voices of a godless or anti-Christian cause are rising up. And no amount “getting out the vote” is going to stop them. People have long rejected the bible and the God of the bible… it is only a matter of time before they reject the people of the God of the bible. Let’s not get too attached to our comfort Christians. Very soon, it will cost you something valuable to follow Christ. You will have to give up freedoms, possessions, and even family to follow Christ. Are you ready? [Slide 33 (blank)] Transition: Only a couple more themes now. VI.) [Slide 34] True believers should be excellent in labor and giving. a. In both letters Paul desired them to work with their own hands, quietly, and earn a living for themselves. b. If they aren’t willing to work, then they shouldn’t be allowed to eat. c. Meaning no one should give them food if they just don’t want to do anything. d. Furthermore, they should be doing good with their wealth by supplying the needs of those who are truly destitute. e. [Slide 35] This theme is repeated in the New Testament both by outright command in some of Paul’s other letters and by example in the gospels and Acts. James describes the destitute as those who truly are unable to provide for themselves like widows and orphans. But even some widows are not truly destitute since they can remarry or be sustained by their family members. f. [Slide 36] In the Old Testament we see God putting in His law the care of those who are destitute, even reaching beyond the children of Israel to the stranger and foreigner among them. Not the fact that they are foreigners alone but that they are unable to provide for themselves. God’s heart is near to those who are truly destitute. And therefore, He expects His people, if they are able, to work hard and earn enough to provide for their own family and a little extra to help others. g. [Slide 37] What does this mean for us? My friends, Christians should be the example every employer holds up as a hard worker. Christians should provide enough to care for their family’s needs (not wants) but needs. And Christians should be known for their compassionate and joyful giving to alleviate real need first from their fellow believers and then to those outside the household of faith. This is a particularly difficult thing for younger believers to hear, since some generations coming into the workforce right now, are notoriously entitled and think they should be handed a paycheck that provides all their needs and wants for little to no work. To that, you must heed the teaching of Paul. Work hard and have enough to provide your needs and a little extra to provide for others who cannot provide for themselves. [Slide 38 (blank)] Transition: One final major theme of these books remains, and we needed to see all we just did for it to make sense. VII.) [Slide 39] The church is made of true believers a. After spending all this time discussing what true believers look like, we recognize that Paul spends a good deal of time defining what the church looks like. b. He also indicates that those who do not look like this should be marked out for disassociation. c. Meaning they shouldn’t be treated as part of the community any longer. d. That is because the true church only consists of true believers and true believers do all that we’ve been talking about all morning. e. [Slide 40] As we look at the whole of the New Testament generally, we find this to be the message of the apostles to the churches they write to. There is an ontological change, a change in the core of your being when you come to Christ. It is not merely a change of mind; it is a change of nature. You become a new creation. You can change your mind about whether or not you like to fly… but you can’t decide to grow wings and fly away. But when we are converted, we are given the Holy Spirit and we are changed from the inside out. This means that conformity to Christ is not only required… it is assured of all those who are truly saved. When someone professes to be of Christ but falters on conforming to Him, that is when the New Testament speaks of disassociation and excommunication from the church. f. [Slide 41] While we certainly can’t see the church in the Old Testament, there was a covenant community of Israel and there were strict rules, moral, ceremonial, and civil that guarded entry into and purity within that covenant community. There were certain things that if you did them, you would be removed forever. Cut off. There were others that if you made a practice of them, you’d be cut off. g. [Slide 42] What does this mean for us? There has always been a safeguarding of God’s people. Within the covenants that God establishes He sets the rules for who are within and without the covenant community. He also gives us paradigms to determine whether someone needs to be confronted or even removed from that community, even if it is only for a time. Yet the law of God’s love permeates the New Covenant in that we continue to warn people disassociated from us, expected them to eventually repent and return. Why? Because they have confessed Christ. And we have hope that they will repent if they truly are believers. Transition: [Slide 43 (blank)] So what is the primary theme in these two books? What theme do all these themes feed into? Conclusion: [Slide 44] God has chosen from the beginning a people whom He will save from sin and death, whom He is continually conforming to His Son, whom the world will hate, who will endure until Jesus returns to save them to His Kingdom, forever! Let’s break this down line by line. 1.) [Slide 45] First, God is the one doing this. a. As with all things, God is the primary mover in all things. b. As creator, He is always acting so that His creation can respond. 2.) [Slide 46] God has chosen from the beginning. a. This is, essentially, the sovereignty of God. b. God is not responding to things in real time as if He has just come to know them now. c. That would necessarily mean that there were things that God did not know which directly contradicts scripture. d. And because mankind is so lost, it requires God to act first to save them. e. We are told in Scripture and in II Thessalonians directly, that God chose before time began. From the beginning God chose to act. f. But what did He choose? 3.) [Slide 47] a people He will save from sin a. This is the doctrine of predestination. b. God chose, according to the counsel of His own will, who He would elect and redeem before time began. c. He chose because without choosing none would be saved. d. He chose not based on what those He was choosing would be or do, but according to His own desires. e. God chose a people, individuals from every tribe and nation, to save from sin through Christ’s death and resurrection. f. Saving them from sin not only includes sin’s penalty but even sin’s power over them and eventually even sin’s presence in their lives. 4.) [Slide 48] and death a. Of course, what good is it to be saved from sin if you still die with no hope of being raised? b. So, God chose not only to save from sin but also to deliver this chosen people from death and into eternal life. c. Christ is the firstborn of many brothers who die but will be raised again. 5.) [Slide 49] whom He is continually conforming a. But after saving them from sin and before they are rescued through death, God has also chosen to continually mold this people. b. He will not simply save them but will change them. He will conform them… to what? 6.) [Slide 50] To His Son a. It is in Christ that God has ever said He was well-pleased. b. Christ obeyed the whole law and pleased the Father perfectly. c. And so, God has chosen a people to continually conform to the perfect human, our new representative, Jesus Christ. 7.) [Slide 51] Whom the world will hate a. Of course, in conforming them to His Son, it will mean they inherit all that Jesus inherited, including the hatred of the world b. If we are chosen in Christ, we will be a new creation and opposed to the world which is allied against God. c. We too will be hated like Christ was d. And the more we look like Him, the more that hatred will grow. 8.) [Slide 52] Who will endure a. Even though we are appointed to be afflicted for Christ’s sake, we are equally appointed to endure to the end. b. Our faith, if it is genuinely given by God, will endure to the end. c. Our obedience and love to God will also endure. d. Until when? 9.) [Slide 53] Until Jesus returns to save them a. Although we are saved from our sin upon conversion, we are not saved fully until the Lord Jesus returns. b. When He does, our enduring will come to an end and our eternal rest will begin. c. But how will we rest? What are we saved to? 10.) [Slide 54] To His Kingdom forever! a. We will be given new bodies to dwell in a New Kingdom where all will be made whole and complete. b. He will bring order and peace. He will bring us into perfect rest. c. And we will never have to be separated from Him ever again. d. God has chosen a people to obtain the glory of Christ. [Slide 55 (end)] Why are the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians so uplifting to true believers? Because this is the primary theme. God has chosen us for marvelous things. Wonderful and glorious things. So, hold fast and stand firm. Endure to the end. And then, you will know true rest in Him. Let me pray and thank the Lord for His Word. Until we meet again – Grace and Peace to you.

Title: All We Need Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 FCF: We often struggle lacking what is necessary to continue following Jesus. Prop: Because the Lord Jesus supplies all, we must seek the Lord for all we need. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we will read the concluding benediction of the letter starting in verse 16. I will read from the Legacy Standard Bible but you can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week, Paul officially buttoned up his main application to the church there in Thessalonica. He wants the issue of the disorderly among them dealt with and has laid out exactly how it should be handled. In the last three verses, Paul introduces three new thoughts which all have one basic application. Seek the Lord. It is perfect way to end this letter and for us to finish our study of 2 Thessalonians. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Loving and Merciful Father, You have given Your people Your Son and with Your Son’s ascension You have sent Your Spirit. You have given us, You. And You are all we need. The things of this world are often a distraction to us. We pursue all manner of earthly concerns and use earthly means to make our way through life. We know that this ought not to be. Help us Father to see that You alone are what we need. Convince us through this text that we must seek You. We pray this in Jesus’ name… amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “Christ is wisdom for your ignorance, strength for your weakness, righteousness for your guilt, sanctification for your corruption, redemption from all the thralldom of apostasy.” Richard Fuller “Christ is not only the Savior but the salvation itself.” Matthew Henry [Slide 3] “In His life Christ is an example showing us how to live; in His death, He is a sacrifice satisfying for our sins; in His resurrection, a conqueror; in His ascension, a king; in His intercession, a high priest.” Martin Luther “He who thinks he has no need of Christ has too high thoughts of himself. He who thinks Christ cannot help him has too low thoughts of Christ.” J.M. Mason [Slide 4] “Everything that is really worthwhile in the morality of today has come to the world through Christ. Dismiss His standards of right and wrong and try to draw up your own ethical code and see where you will be!” G. Campbell Morgan Let these thoughts prepare our hearts for the exposition of the text this morning. I.) The Lord of peace brings peace, so we must seek the Lord for all we need. (16) a. [Slide 5] 16 - Now may the Lord of peace Himself i. In the closing verses of 1 Thessalonians, Paul asked that the God of Peace sanctify them and preserve them complete and holy for the coming return of Christ. ii. When we dissected that title that Paul gave to God, as the God of Peace, we recognize that only Paul and the writer of Hebrews use this title in the New Testament. And they use it exclusively to people who are being persecuted. iii. Because the writer of Hebrews and Paul are what we might call experts in the law of Moses – or Old Testament Scholars, we understood that Paul was probably referencing the name of God Yahweh Shalom. iv. We then recognized the theological significance of the word Shalom. It not only means a cessation of hostilities between two warring parties, but it also means completeness, wholeness, or bringing what was disordered back into order. v. With the ending of 1 Thessalonians it made sense to see Paul’s use of this title to refer to the ongoing work of sanctification in the church, that they would be made whole and complete for the Lord Jesus’ return. vi. But in 2 Thessalonians, we might see the word peace used in another way. vii. Certainly, Paul is hoping and praying for the Thessalonians to gain peace from those who are persecuting them. viii. But, two other ides from this letter seem to be at the forefront in their need for peace. ix. First, the anxiety caused by the false teaching that the Day of the Lord had come. Paul hopes that Christ will use this letter to assuage that anxiety and lead them to peace and comfort in the truth. x. And after his most recent discussion Paul may want peace to bring them back into order. xi. We have already noted that the disorderly among them are still causing problems because they are not working and mooching off the church while using their free time to be busy bodies. xii. To the disorderly Paul has commanded them to get a job and mind their business and stop mooching off the church. xiii. Paul has called the church as a whole to avoid them and if they persist in this disorderly conduct to mark them out for disassociation with the hope that they would repent and return to fellowship soon. xiv. Now Paul is seeking the Lord of Peace… the Lord of bringing order from chaos… to b. [Slide 6] continually give you peace in every circumstance. i. Ultimately it is the Lord Jesus Christ that has the power to bind us together and bring order to His church. ii. When disorderly or unruly brothers and sisters arise in the church, we have been told to do certain things, we have been given instructions on what to do and how…. But ultimately, it is the Lord Jesus who brings order from chaos. iii. When false teaching arises and tempts us to waffle on core doctrines of our faith and practice, Jesus’ presence and teaching brings us back into order. iv. It is always Jesus who brings us back into order. He makes us whole. c. [Slide 7] The Lord be with you all! i. Paul’s last comment here is directed at what could be a fractured community. ii. He is not requesting that Jesus be with the orderly, as if all of them are against the disorderly. iii. Nor is he requesting that Jesus be with the disorderly as if in a punitive or corrective way. iv. He is requesting that Jesus be with… all of them. v. The ordered and the disordered alike. vi. Christ will bring them peace. From without and from within. He is our hope. d. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Paul has three final thoughts in this benediction to close out what is the last canonical letter to the Thessalonian church. The first of these is a prayer that the Lord of peace would continually give them peace. The truth behind this, of course, is that the Lord Jesus is the Lord of peace. A title given to him by the prophet Isaiah, is that He will be the Prince of Peace. He will bring all chaos into order. He will bring all brokenness into wholeness. He will make all things new. He is doing that right now for His church. And one day, He will do that for the whole world. By application then, the apostle Paul is pointing the Thessalonians to this Lord of peace. We too must trust Him completely to bind us up and make us whole. He will bring us into order. He will set us right. We must seek Him to do that and all else we need. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] Paul’s first thought was a hope that the Thessalonians would be given order and peace from their persecution, their anxiety, and their disorder. What is Paul’s second thought he wishes to leave with the Thessalonians. II.) The Lord has given His instruction to us through His apostles, so we must seek the Lord for all we need. (17) a. [Slide 10] 17 - The greeting is in my own hand— i. The second point Paul raises in his final thoughts to the Thessalonians is one that is somewhat difficult to ascertain at first. ii. We know that Paul used amanuensis (uh-man-yoo-EN-suhs), which was the use of a writer to take down and relay his thoughts in a letter. Probably Silas wrote for Paul in this case, and perhaps he and Timothy also contributed or helped to edit the letter. All of this is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to convey the exact words of God to the Thessalonians and later to us. iii. Scholars also speculate that this was done primarily because Paul’s eyesight has been problematic. Both from his interaction with Christ and the scales forming over them, and then later with a possible bout of Malaria he contracted on his first missionary trip in Cyprus. iv. In any case, Paul takes the pen from whoever is writing on his behalf and chooses to write the words that follow. v. What we have to speculate on, is exactly why Paul calls this out in this letter. He did not do this in his previous letter to them, and he only does this in 5 of his 13 letters in the New Testament. vi. So, what is the significance of his calling out his greeting written in his own hand? vii. Let’s keep reading and see if there are more clues. b. [Slide 11] Paul, which is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. i. Here we find out that Paul puts his handwriting in every single letter he has written, whether he calls attention to it or not. Meaning it also appeared in 1 Thessalonians. ii. What is the purpose of him writing a greeting in each letter? iii. He says it is a “distinguishing mark” which is the word sign. As in “signs and wonders.” iv. Now, having studied the book of Acts, we know that sign gifts like tongues, miracles, healings, and prophesy, were used at the foundation of the church to authenticate that those who spoke the gospel were sent by God or to authenticate that people had actually received the gospel. v. In that same vein, we see that Paul’s mark, or his handwritten message serves as an authentication that he himself is sending this letter. vi. He identifies himself by his handwriting. vii. Because it is truly from Paul, it bears the authority of an apostle of Jesus Christ, which carries the weight of Christ Himself. viii. So, why is Paul pointing to this letter being authentic and authoritative? ix. Well, way back in chapter 2, remember that Paul was dealing with the Thessalonians receiving teaching, preaching, prophesy, or even letters that were confusing the Thessalonians and convincing them that the Day of the Lord had already come. x. He even mentions that the letter supposedly came from him and his companions. xi. In this letter, Paul has directly contradicted that false teaching about the Day of the Lord. xii. Therefore, he calls out his personal greeting to remind the Thessalonians that unless a letter bears HIS handwriting in some location in the letter – it is NOT FROM HIM. xiii. They are to compare any letter supposedly from him, with this one to verify its authenticity and authority. c. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Paul’s second thought he wishes to convey to the Thessalonians is the rubric for determining whether something is authentic and authoritative. Of course, we know that the teachings of Paul are not Paul’s own invention but are rather handed down from Christ, verified by the rest of the apostles, and then passed on to the churches Paul founded in his missionary journeys. Therefore, this teaching that is being authenticated is teaching that is from Christ Himself. And it is important for the Thessalonians to be clear on that point. In this, they are to trust and obey anything that does come from Christ through His apostles and dismiss or at least treat less authoritatively anything that does not bear those signs or marks. For us then, we must trust what the Lord has said and obey it without question. Again, we are to seek the Lord for all we need including what is true. [Slide 13 (blank)] Transition: Paul now has only one thought left he wants to leave with the Thessalonian’s. What could be the last thought Paul wants to leave with them? What else could it be… but the grace of God. III.) The Lord gives grace to His church, so we must seek the Lord for all we need. (18) a. [Slide 14] 18 - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ i. Paul’s final hope or wish for them is that they receive and live in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. ii. What is grace… C’mon CBC... You should know this by now. iii. [Slide 15] God’s Grace is God’s power which He grants to people according to His free will, to enable them to be, receive, or do something that they are unable and unwilling to be, get, or do on their own. iv. Grace from God, is what is truly needed by all believers as they endeavor to obey God’s commands. v. And Paul has called the Thessalonian church to do some difficult things in obedience to Christ’s commands and the Christian tradition. vi. If they are going to obey, they must have the grace of God. There will be no hope without it. vii. Paul has also called them to trust in God’s future provision and protection of them from those who are persecuting them, knowing that one day Jesus will judge the living and the dead. viii. If they are going to keep believing that, they will need God’s grace. ix. But again – who is the grace for? Is it for just the orderly to do what he has commanded them to do? b. [Slide 16] be with you all. i. Paul asks for Christ’s grace to be given to all of them. ii. Even though he has had some harsh words for the disorderly, he believes that with Christ’s grace, they can turn from their sin and get back in line and conform to the Christian tradition again. iii. No matter what God calls us to be or do, we too need His grace to see us to and through it. c. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: Paul’s final thought again revolves around the Christian’s absolute need of Christ. He hopes that the Lord Jesus will give grace to them all to enable them to be and do all that Christ commands them to be and do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I can think of no greater hope, wish, prayer that could be offered for a Christian brother or sister than to wish them the grace of God. Don’t wish them a great day. Don’t wish them to have fun. Don’t wish for them to be blessed. Grace to you. It is the best hope and wish you could give to a believer. Because Christ is always what they need. And grace is Christ’s power to effectively help them. The Thessalonians are once again told to look to Christ. Christ for Peace. Christ for truth. Christ for grace. Christ for everything. Because Christ said, without me you are nothing. So, we must seek the Lord Jesus for grace to help us be His followers. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 18] Paul’s primary point of this closing benediction is to turn the attention of the Thessalonians onto Christ Jesus their Lord. He is their source for peace. Peace with unbelievers, peace from doctrinal dismay, and peace among each other. He is their source for truth, to hold fast to and believe. He is their source for grace to provide God’s Power to do all that He has commanded of them. The Lord Jesus Christ is their source for everything. And so, the implied application to them is… look to and seek Jesus for all they need. Do they need peace? He is peace. Do they need truth? He is truth. Do they need grace? He gives grace! We too must understand that this is what it means to be a believer. This is what it means to be a Christian. This is what it means to follow Jesus. It is to see Jesus Christ as our source for all we need. Not money. Not fame. Not family. Not power. Christ. And Christ alone. So how does this impact us today? What applications endure into the 21st century here? 1.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that Jesus is the Lord of peace. a. Every single human being on the planet is looking for peace. b. By peace I do not mean world peace necessarily. I don’t mean the cessation of war, necessarily. c. I mean order. I mean unity. I mean wholeness. I mean completeness. d. All human beings want this kind of peace. e. This is the reason that those who preach tolerance cannot tolerate someone who is intolerant. f. This is the reason that mob mentality and echo chambers exist. g. This is the reason that political parties have been polarized into two broad factions, but both parties can’t seem to keep infighting from happening. h. Everyone wants wholeness on their terms. Everyone wants their own definition of order. i. And conservative or liberal, homosexual or heterosexual, pro-life or pro-choice, everyone wants the other people to change and be conformed into their image. j. Jesus, as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace… will make everything new. What does that mean? k. He will fundamentally conform all things to His will. Some by loving guidance, some by forceful rescue, but most by insurmountable power and glory. l. Jesus came as a meek human to die to save His people from their sin. The next time He comes, He will save the world from sinners. m. He will not come in meekness. He will come in power. And He will have peace. n. Blessed are those who seek the peace He offers now. For they will inherit the Kingdom He brings. o. Cursed are those who fight for their own version of order, for they will be part of the chaos He puts down to consummate His Kingdom. p. Jesus is the only path to peace. Continually growing peace in our lives today and perfect and complete peace in the Kingdom that is to come. q. Peace today won’t mean the lack of violence, hatred, and hostility. But it does mean completeness, wholeness, and order. The peace of Jesus conforms us to His life, His commands, His ways. In this we are brought into HIS order. We are expected to conform to Him. And as each of us are brought into conformity to HIM – We have peace with one another. r. But peace in His Kingdom will be perfect and it will be complete. We will never have a reason to shed tears again. We will know no sorrow. We will know no war. We will know no failure. s. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. And in Him alone we will find growing peace for today and perfect peace forever. 2.) [Slide 20] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that Jesus is the source of truth. a. Have you noticed that those who desire conformity and peace to their own standard MUST, by necessity, alter or deny the clear teaching of the word of God? b. Why do you suppose that is? c. Why is there a bible called The Queen James Bible where all “confusing” passages that seem to indicate that God does not approve of the LGBTQIA+ lifestyles have been removed? d. Why did Thomas Jefferson remove portions of the bible he didn’t agree with? e. Why do churches bend over backward to explain how when Paul says that no woman should preach and exercise authority over men in the church… that that means women should preach and exercise authority over men in the church? f. Because they have no desire to conform themselves to Christ. So, they must conform Christ to them. g. The Reformation sought to reform the Roman Catholic church in five separate ways. The Reformers argued that if these five things changed in the Roman Catholic Church, they would make progress to go BACK to what the apostles taught, which is what Christ taught. h. And, arguably, the pinnacle of these 5 reforms was the Latin words “Sola Scriptura” i. Officially the Roman Catholic church teaches that the wisdom of church theologians down through the ages, and the traditions and conclusions of church councils, should be held in equal authority to what the Scriptures Teach. j. The Reformers argued, correctly, that the Scriptures alone should have the FINAL authority on faith and practice of every single person in the church. k. In essence, this is EXACTLY what Paul is teaching in this text. The Thessalonians had heard from prophets, letters, and preachers that the Day of the Lord had come. Paul, an actual apostle of Jesus Christ, bearing the teaching directly from Christ, says NO! That is not the truth. It is contradictory to what is the truth. l. Paul does not tell them to hold in equal balance what the others taught and what he taught. Paul does not tell them to find the truth in the middle somewhere. Paul doesn’t say that both must be true some how. Instead, Paul says, they are wrong and Jesus is right. m. This doesn’t mean that church tradition and church scholars, theologians, creeds, and councils should be eliminated. Far from it. Church tradition, scholars, creeds, councils should be consulted as a secondary source to help put up guardrails on our own personal interpretations of the scriptures. n. BUT… where the Scriptures, which is the Word of God, which is another name for Jesus Himself, where the Scriptures disagree with any human… Pope, priest, scholar, church doctor, saint, or otherwise… We are to trust the scriptures and deny the human’s wisdom. For if it disagrees with or contradicts the clear teaching of the scriptures… it is not wisdom at all. It is foolishness. o. This is what the Reformers taught. And it is what Paul is teaching here. p. Jesus is our source for truth. The inspired Word of God in 66 books, is our guide for what we must believe and how we must live. q. We are told to approach the scriptures like they are a mirror. How foolish to approach a mirror and see something off or out of place in the reflection and conclude that the mirror must be broken? How foolish to think that perhaps if we viewed the mirror from a different angle, it would make our reflection better? r. But people who disagree with the clear teachings of the scriptures in order to support their own beliefs or lifestyles are approaching the mirror and concluding that the mirror is faulty. s. Or they stand in front of a mirror in such a way that all the things wrong with them don’t appear, and they conclude that they are fine. And they leave the mirror the exact same as they always had been. t. My friends, if you cannot remember the last time the Word of God challenged you to change what you believe or how you live… something is wrong! 3.) [Slide 21] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that Jesus gives us grace. a. The definition of grace today in the church has become so watered down and so empty that it means little more than kindness. b. Preachers, even in evangelical protestant circles, preach a grace that is spread so thin that it has no power to do anything unless men add something to it. Without men helping it… it lies dormant, powerless, and ineffective. c. But Paul doesn’t tell the Thessalonians to make sure to receive and act on Jesus’ grace. He simply asks for Jesus’ grace to be given to them all. d. Grace… God’s grace… is POWERFUL. It is ALWAYS effective. e. It is not grace to give potential to help us. It is grace TO HELP US. f. When God gives us grace… IT WILL DO what it is given to do. g. [Slide 22] That is why I have tried, so very hard, to get you all to memorize this definition of God’s grace. Because I think it accurately and effectively teaches a biblical definition of God’s grace. A grace with teeth. A grace with power. A grace that is what the biblical authors claim it is. h. God’s Grace is God’s power which He grants to people according to His free will, to enable them to be, receive, or do something that they are unable and unwilling to be, get, or do on their own. i. And when we have this definition of grace, we recognize that the greatest thing we could pray for a fellow believer and even for unbelievers, is that God would shed His grace on them. j. Unbelievers need His power to see their own sin and to enable them to believe on Christ. k. Believers need His power to be and do all that He has commanded them. l. Humans in general exist by the grace of God. m. I challenge you all to BEEF UP your view of the grace of God. Make it as powerful as Paul makes it here. That the hope and strength for the Thessalonians doing and being all that he has told them to be and do… is the grace of Jesus Christ. n. When we combine the last three truths we must affirm together… 4.) [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” This is the gospel. The gospel is seeing Jesus as our source for everything. If Jesus is anything less to you – you are missing the gospel. a. His words and lifestyle teach us truth. b. His sacrifice and power bring us peace. c. His advocacy and Authority give us grace. d. With the summation of all three of these truths, we conclude that Jesus is everything. e. And my friends… this is the gospel. The gospel is that Jesus is everything. Not just our hope for forgiveness. Not just our substitute. Not just our atoning sacrifice. f. But Jesus is… EVERYTHING. g. To the extent that our whole lives are reoriented around who He is and what He has commanded of us. h. If you are here today, and you either claim to be a Christian, or you desire to be a Christian… this is what it means to be a Christian. It is to have all your life ruled by Jesus Christ. i. He is your hope for peace. j. He is your source for truth. k. He is your supplier of grace. l. He is… your… everything. m. That is what it means to follow Christ. n. If you claim to be a Christian… but Christ isn’t your everything and never has been. I don’t know what gospel you believed… but I do know that it was false. o. If you have never claimed to be a Christian but want to follow Jesus… You need to speak with someone… right now… that you know is a Christian. They will show you what followers of Christ look like. p. Don’t wait for me to get done preaching. Go now… our Elders are prepared to talk to you. q. If you remain, I’ll assume that you claim to be someone who is following Christ as best you can. So, what does that mean as we look at this text? 5.) [Slide 24] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must continue to seek the Lord for all we need. a. There are a lot of sources that we can be tempted to look to provide peace, truth, and even power. b. What do we need to feel whole? Complete? Ordered? i. For many people we look for earthly things to make us feel complete. 1. We look for possessions or things. Things and possessions are not bad in and of themselves. But when we seek them to feel whole… they will not satisfy. 2. We look for family. Family can certainly fill up our lives and make us feel part of something bigger. But family fails. Life is fleeting. And sometimes people don’t do what you want them to. 3. We look for a tribe or group of likeminded people. This creates a sense of belonging. All of us are the same. We see the world in the same way. But ultimately you will find something to disagree on… or that unity will not produce the wholeness that you desire. ii. In the end, the only thing that can bring us wholeness, completeness, or order… is the God who created us. He knows exactly what we need and how to put us back together. He watched us break apart and He knows the pieces we are missing. Pieces… we assumed were there… He supplies. iii. Without Christ, you will know no peace. c. What do we need to rest in truth? i. For many people they look to earthly things for truth. 1. Rationalism and reason, materialism, and postmodernism point to contradictory paths to truth. Who is right? Everyone, or no one? We just don’t know. 2. Human wisdom, settled science, has long been shown to be anything but wisdom and anything but science. 3. History books are always written by the people who win. Are we sure their telling the whole story? 4. Hospitals and medical schools tell us what is best for us… but they also get paid well to tell us one answer and paid nothing to tell us other answers. 5. What is truth? Does truth even matter? ii. Christ is the truth. He alone provides a foundation, a bulwark of something solid and unshakable. iii. For a true Christ follower, we shouldn’t start our sentences with “I think” or “I feel like” we must start our sentences with… “turn with me to…” d. What do we need to get more power? i. Again… people often turn to earthly things. 1. Money is power. 2. Fame is power. 3. Influence is power. 4. Secret knowledge is power. 5. And we can’t deny that to a certain degree, all of these gain power for people in this life. ii. But true power, comes from God who gives grace to His people freely. The power to live the way our creator desires us to live, comes from the creator Himself. All other powers are failing and fleeting and will be destroyed when He comes again. e. So, Christians… all we need is found in Jesus Christ. Don’t be distracted by lesser sources. He is all we have and He is all we need. 6.) [Slide 25] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Jesus will never fail. a. The story has been written. b. The end has already been told. c. Jesus is… right now… reigning over the world. d. He has conquered sin and death. And one day soon He will conquer all sinners, angelic and human alike. e. My friends, Jesus wins. Always. f. Take comfort in this as believers… g. But if you are still in the room and not a believer… this shouldn’t comfort you at all – but it is a warning. h. Jesus wins. i. Blessed are those who repent and serve Him now. [Slide 26 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the early church father Methodious of Olympia I long for you, Lord of mercy and Lord of my fathers. You have stooped down in grace as a mediator, bringing peace and harmony between heaven and earth. I seek you, great author of all. With longing I expect you who embrace all with your Word. I wait for you, Lord of life and death. I look for you, giver and successor of the law. I hunger for you, the one who makes the dead come back to life. I thirst for you, who refreshes the weary. I desire you, creator and redeemer of the world. You are our God, and we adore you. You are our holy temple, and we pray in you. You are our lawgiver, and we obey you. You are God of all things, the first. God the Father has begotten no other god, and there is no other son who is of one substance and one glory with the Father. To know you is perfect righteousness, and to know your power is the root of immortality. For our salvation, you were made the headstone of the corner, precious and honorable. All things are placed under you as their cause and author, as he who brought all things into being out of nothing. You steer the universe with your wise and steady hand. You are the principle of order and the bond of unity and peace. In you we live, and move, and have our being. So, I will glorify you, my Lord and God. I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things. From ancient days your wise counsel is faithfulness and truth. You are clothed with majesty and honor. What is more magnificent than for you, the King, to assume our humanity, illuminating those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death? Your servant, King David, rightly once sang of you as the King Eternal, saying "you are the most excellent of men" (Psalm 45:2). Coming to the earth, you took on righteousness and faithfulness. Yes, you are righteousness and truth, the joy and praise of all. So, we rejoice this day, along with the heavens, for you have shown mercy to your people. Let the clouds drop the dew of righteousness upon the world, and let the earth sound a trumpet blast, for the resurrection is come. I am filled with comfort, and I am overflowing with joy, O Savior of the world! We pray this in Your name. Amen. Benediction: May the Lord prosper your work and defend you, May his goodness and mercy attend you, May you ponder anew what the Almighty will do, That you may rejoice with all your heart and never again fear any harm. Until we meet again, as Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, Grace and Peace to you.

Title: “The Christian’s Labor and Giving” Part 2 Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15 FCF: We often struggle having a Godly perspective on labor and giving. Prop: Because godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, we must work quietly to provide needs or face corporate correction and disassociation. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we will begin reading in the Legacy Standard Bible in verse 6 and read through verse 15. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week, Paul the primary topic of application in this second letter to the Thessalonian church. It is not a new topic. It is one he addressed already in the first letter to them. But it is a problem that hasn’t gone away. In fact, it doesn’t seem like his advice or commands in the first letter have made much of a change in the church. So, Paul is going to press the issue. He has commanded those who are orderly to keep away from or avoid the disorderly in the church. He has also pointed to he and his companions’ example and to his outright teaching on the matter of laboring to provide for your own needs and the needs of others. Last week we stopped short of Paul actually addressing those who are unruly. Today, Paul will clearly define who he considers unruly and why, and will command them to do something. Paul will then follow up with commands, once again, to the orderly church members and how to conduct themselves going forward. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy Father, You have made it clear that it is only in Your Son whom You have ever been well-pleased. He is the only human who has ever obeyed You perfectly, having kept Your whole law without one single violation despite enduring all the trials and testings of this life. And though Christ fulfills the law for us, He does this so that we may be declared righteous in Your sight, not so that we may continue to sin. In fact, as part of Your transforming work in us, You put Your Spirit in us to conform our wills to Yours. We, as your people, no longer desire to live in sin but rather desire to observe all that Your Son has commanded and demonstrated to us. I pray that You would use Your Word today to conform us to the image of Your Son. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “The most deeply felt obligation on earth is that which the Christian feels to imitate the Redeemer.” Albert Barnes “The universal command of the gospel that comprises all our duties is to walk as Christ walked.” William Bates “The gospel does not make us like Adam in His innocence – it makes us like Christ, in all the perfection of His reflection of God” Sinclair Ferguson [Slide 3] “None can know their election but by their conformity to Christ, for all that are chosen are chosen to sanctification.” Matthew Henry “Putting on Christ is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity. Christianity offers nothing else at all.” C.S. Lewis Let these words prepare us for the exposition on the text of scripture this morning. I.) Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must work in quietness, provide for ourselves and keep providing for other believers in need. (11-13) a. [Slide 4] 11 - For we hear that some among you are walking in an unruly manner, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. i. Paul finally outlines exactly what the disorderly brothers are doing. ii. We’ve pieced it together, but here it is, clearly stated. iii. Paul has heard, probably from Timothy’s report brought back to Corinth, that there are still people in the church who are not working. iv. So, what do they fill their time with? v. Meddling in other people’s affairs, gossiping, and generally causing problems in the church. vi. There is actually a play on words here in the Greek that isn’t easily brought into English. Something like “they are busy about everyone’s business but their own.” But even that doesn’t quite do it justice. vii. There is an old saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground” or “workshop”. Either one conveys the truth that this passage seems to affirm. viii. Because they are not laboring hard to provide for themselves, and are living off the provision of others, they have time to involve themselves in everyone else’s lives. And not in a helpful way. ix. It is difficult to know exactly why this was happening. x. Biblical scholars debate what exactly prompted these people to not work at all. xi. But perhaps the Holy Spirit has left this vague so that we might draw the greater principle without being too entangled by the specifics. xii. Paul has already addressed how the church at large is supposed to treat these unruly brothers. xiii. But what about the unruly ones? What about these lazy busybodies? What must they do? b. [Slide 5] 12 - Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, i. Paul issues another command in this text. It is the exact same word he used to command that the orderly keep away from the disorderly. ii. It is clear however, that although Paul is commanding the disorderly, he is doing so publicly to the whole church by saying “such persons we command” iii. And not only does Paul command them, he exhorts them as well. This means to urge or implore them to action. iv. Paul wants to see change. He wants to see movement. v. And notice he commands them in “the” Lord Jesus Christ. vi. This is again appealing to the authority of Christ Jesus as Lord of all of His creation. vii. But notice also, that before when Paul commanded the orderly brothers, he said in the name of “our” Lord Jesus Christ. viii. Here Paul omits the possessive pronoun “our” and simply says “the” Lord Jesus Christ. ix. We shouldn’t make too much of this, but perhaps, although calling them brothers before to the rest of the church, Paul, now speaking to them, doesn’t want to give them the same assurances he gave the orderly believers in the church. x. But what does he command of them? c. [Slide 6] that working with quietness, i. Paul is commanding them to work. ii. Go get a job and work hard. iii. And then Paul adds some clarity to that with the prepositional phrase, “with quietness.” iv. Quietness here is a noun and it refers to being in a state lacking uproar or causing disturbances. v. Paul is commanding them to work hard and while they are doing that, they must also be sure to dwell in a state of not involving themselves in things that do not pertain to them. vi. Shut up and go back to work. 😊 That is may be a bit harsh of a paraphrase – but it gets the point across doesn’t it. vii. But not only that… d. [Slide 7] they eat their own bread. i. This phrase is placed in the sentence as a result of the command above being followed. ii. When they stop causing problems because they are too busy working hard, they will then eat their own bread and not the bread of others. iii. Bread here is idiomatic to express any kind of provision of basic needs to live. iv. Essentially Paul is commanding them to work hard, provide for their own needs, stop causing problems, and stop living off the charity of others when you could provide for yourself. e. [Slide 8] 13 - But as for you, brothers, do not lose heart in doing good. i. Paul has now shifted back to the general assembly of those in the church of Thessalonica who are working hard and providing for themselves. ii. Notice also how he shifts back and calls them brothers. Again, a subtle clue that Paul is withholding assurances to the disorderly about their spiritual status. iii. Paul’s command here is designed to not stifle the giving nature of the Thessalonians. iv. Perhaps people knew that these disorderly brothers were being lazy and mooching off the church. But they kept giving them provisions because they asked for them. v. Paul now forbidding the disorderly from continuing to take from the church, the rest of the church might get a little gun shy about giving to believers in need. vi. Should we stop giving and tell them to get a job and stop causing problems? vii. Paul advises the rest of the church to not lose heart or to become discouraged at doing good. viii. Paul says don’t shy away from giving to believers in need. It is better to be compassionate and give to other believers and assume they are truly in need, than to pendulum swing the other way and assume they are just being mooches. ix. This is a principle in scripture that of God’s people, it is best that we assume the best of them and not the worst. f. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: So again, by command and by demonstration, Paul teaches the Thessalonians what is the will of God regarding the Christian’s labor and giving. He commands two groups two different things. The first group, the unruly busybodies, he commands to get a job, work hard, earn their own provision, and stop meddling. The second group, the orderly, he commands to not be discouraged in their giving, but to continue to do so trusting believers at their word. We should see this as one big command. And it is essentially the same application we saw last week. We should work hard to earn enough to provide for ourselves and a little more for the needs of other believers. Added to this, we can throw the extra comment about not being a busy body. Work hard, mind your business, earn your keep, give to those in need. Transition: [Slide 10 (blank)] Paul has finally addressed the disorderly brothers and he makes no bones about what he is expecting them to do. By the authority of Christ, he has commanded them to get back to work, stop causing problems, and stop taking handouts from the church. Paul has also addressed the other members to not shy away from being giving just because of a few abusers of their generosity. But the question remains… what happens if the unruly do not listen to Paul’s command… again? II.) Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must lovingly mark and disassociate with professed believers who continue in unrepentant sin. (14-15) a. [Slide 11] 14 - And if anyone does not obey our word in this letter, i. Now although Paul says “does not obey our word in this letter” when we scour the letter for the commands of Paul there aren’t actually that many to consider. ii. More than likely the word to which Paul is referring is none other than the most recent command that he gave to the disorderly brothers. iii. Paul gets ahead of what is, unfortunately, a possibility going forward here. iv. What if they don’t listen? v. What if the disorderly brothers continue to not work and mooch and cause problems? vi. They’ve already ignored the first letter. What if they ignore this one too? b. [Slide 12] take special note of that person to not associate with him, i. Paul has already commanded the church to keep away from the disorderly brothers. ii. He has commanded them to avoid the disorderly brothers as you might avoid certain danger or some kind of infection or disease. iii. How is this command different? iv. First, Paul commands them to take special note of that person. What does this mean? v. It means to mark them, stamp them, label them, or write down their names. vi. This seems to be an official procedure by the church. It is almost like their names are entered into a ledger and they are branded or marked as someone to disassociate from. vii. And what does it mean not to associate with them? How is that different than keeping away from them? viii. To not associate means to not mix with them. It means to not entangle yourselves with them or be connected to them or affiliated with them. ix. The subtle difference is this… x. Before, Paul said that these people were brothers but they were sick. He still referred to them as being part of the community… and within that community the shunning would be effective. They should be quarantined. xi. However, if they will not listen, they are officially marked and separated from fellowship. xii. Scholars debate whether or not this is official excommunication or if this is some prior step before that. xiii. In my view, it is hard to imagine a church keeping away from and marking out and disassociating with someone that is NOT excommunicated. Because that is what excommunication is. xiv. Those who disagree point out how Paul does not “devote them to Satan” as he mentions in another context. They say this indicates that this is not actually the final step. xv. There are two key factors that differ from the example Paul gives in 1 Corinthians and the case here. 1. First, the Corinthian church was pridefully accepting the behavior of believers living in sin as an act of distorted love toward them. But there is no indication that the Thessalonian church was doing the same for these busybodies. 2. Second, the issue in the Corinthian church was concerning a sin that was so egregious that even non-Christians would have considered the activity to be taboo or unacceptable. In contrast, the laziness and busybody activity of these Thessalonians would have been a much more culturally accepted sin. xvi. In my estimation, this is at very least the beginning of excommunication. Paul doesn’t need to discuss yet the end of excommunication or the spiritual ramifications of that official church act, because I think Paul is confident that the unruly ones will respond to these initial applications of excommunication. xvii. But some may say, “isn’t their greatest hope found in the covenant community? Why do this?” c. [Slide 13] so that he will be put to shame. i. Excommunication is a necessary step in church discipline because it instills fear into the whole community that unrepentant sin will not be tolerated. ii. Removing them from fellowship shames them, in that they are no longer seen as part of the community. iii. They are not to be included in worship. They are not permitted to take part in the sacraments or ordinances. They are not permitted to mix with us. iv. At all. v. This will bring shame upon them and hopefully stir their hearts to repent. vi. But Paul has some final guidelines he wants to place on this to make sure the Thessalonians don’t go too far. d. [Slide 14] 15 - And yet do not regard him as an enemy, i. As humans we tend to pendulum swing and when someone says, don’t associate with them, it may be tempting to go farther and be antagonistic against them. ii. We live in the extremes of if you aren’t for us, you are against us. iii. First, Paul doesn’t want the Thessalonian church to deem or determine that the disorderly are your enemy. iv. What does this mean? v. Although they are outside the covenant community and have been removed from fellowship, that doesn’t mean that they are, necessarily on Satan’s team. They aren’t necessarily opposing anyone personally or the church corporately. vi. And we should not treat them as though they are our enemies. vii. In other words, don’t put them in the same category as those who are persecuting you. viii. Ok… so how do we see them? What category are they in? e. [Slide 15] but admonish him as a brother. i. In stating this, Paul says two things, one overtly and the other implicitly. ii. Overtly Paul is telling the Thessalonians that they should admonish, counsel, rebuke and warn them as they would a brother in Christ. iii. What does this mean? iv. Expect them to respond to the teaching of the Word of God. v. Natural man doesn’t respond to the teaching of the Word of God. Why? Because it is spiritually revealed and without the Spirit they will not hear it. vi. Paul says expect them to listen… eventually. vii. When we preach to unbelievers, we give them the gospel and if they don’t listen, we say, well I planted a seed, and we keep watering it. But until it starts to grow – we don’t expect to go beyond the teaching of the gospel. viii. But when we are telling Christians to do things… we keep telling, and pleading, and telling, because we expect them to change. ix. Why? x. Because the Spirit of God is within them helping them to change. xi. Paul says to keep rebuking them expecting them to change. xii. But implicitly Paul says something else here. If Paul is still sure that they are believers, why would he have to tell the Thessalonians to admonish them like brothers? Why wouldn’t Paul have said, “Admonish them because they are brothers.” xiii. Paul subtly suggests that there is no longer confidence that they are believers if they do not heed his commands in this letter. xiv. This harmonizes precisely to what the rest of the scriptures teach us about church discipline. xv. When we excommunicate someone, they are removed from mixing with us. We mark them and disassociate with them. It is official. It is definitive. xvi. But… there is always hope that they will repent and return before the Lord returns. xvii. Paul even hoped that the man in 1 Corinthians would repent and return, even after devoting him to Satan for destruction. xviii. We don’t give up on them. We may not be sure they are truly believers… but we are hopeful that they are. And we expect them to respond to the scriptures. f. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Once again Paul teaches and demonstrates the will of God for His people in explaining what to do with professed believers living in unrepentant sin. In this he commands the church to mark them to disassociation. To not mix with them and exclude them from the normal functions of the church. This is to shame them and prompt them to understand that they must submit to the teaching and instruction of Christ. However, in this process, the church must not do this with animosity or vindictiveness as a punishment, but should instead see this as restorative and hope to receive them back into fellowship soon. We too must lovingly mark and disassociate with professed believers who continue to live in unrepentant sin, hoping that they will repent and return to fellowship. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] Once again, we see the authority of Jesus used by His apostles to teach and even demonstrate what it means to live in accordance with the Christian tradition. Christ’s command to his disciples was to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the triune God and teaching them to observe all that He has commanded. This is exactly what all godly people and especially godly leaders do. They teach by command and example what it means to follow Christ. Although there are a lot of moving parts to each, Paul essentially commands two things in this passage. First, that all of Christ’s followers should quietly work hard to provide for themselves and a little extra for those who are truly in need. Second, that professing believers who live in unrepentant sin should be marked and disassociated from the community. This should be done in love with the hopeful expectation that they will repent and return to fellowship. But how does this affect us today in the 21st century? 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that we must make disciples and teach them to observe ALL that Christ commanded. a. Paul is the pattern for us here. b. In the grand scheme of things, how big of a deal is it that there is a faction of people who are being lazy and meddling in other people’s business? c. I think if we fairly and without bias compared this sinful practice with that of doctrinal heresy, sexual immorality, sowing discord, or fractionizing, we’d come away thinking that this is probably not that big a deal by comparison. d. And I think by reasonable inference we could see that Paul also didn’t treat this as a primary point of doctrine that he spent a lot of time teaching on while he was with the Thessalonians. e. So why does Paul use, what is arguably the most prominent portion of the letter, where you would put your main message, to address this issue in the church? f. Because they aren’t listening. g. This gives us a principle we must understand. h. All of Christ’s commands are to be observed. Even if they are relatively smaller issues. i. And as is always the case, it is not the sin itself that seems to escalate Paul’s tone to commanding instead of advising. j. It is, instead, the unrepentant heart of those he has corrected and asked others to correct several times. k. They will not listen. l. There is a difference between having difficulty mortifying a sin, and not even trying. m. We have no indication that those who are unruly are actually trying to change their lifestyles. They are simply ignoring Paul and their Elders and the rest of the church. n. This is the concerning behavior. Christ followers, follow Christ. So, when they stop struggling, battling, warring with their flesh to follow Christ, and just lean into doing what they want… that is when things escalate. 2.) [Slide 19] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that it is unloving, or unrealistic to expect professed believers to live like Christ. a. In our culture we face two distinct opponents of making disciples who observe all that Christ commands. b. The first is the critique that correction is unloving. i. This is largely found in the world, but has snuck its way into many churches and was even present in the Corinthian church when Paul wrote to them in 1 Corinthians. ii. The idea is that to correct someone and to not be tolerant of or accepting of their lifestyle choices is unloving or unchristian. iii. This stems from a philosophy which equates acceptance and permittance as love. And this philosophy invades theology when it deems Jesus to be a loving and accepting Lord who asks nothing of His followers except that they also be loving and accepting. iv. But straight from Christ’s lips comes the command to make disciples by teaching them to observe all that He has commanded. 1. And Christ whipped people out of the temple because they were turning His Father’s house into a den of thieves. 2. Christ called a rich man to give up his riches. 3. He called a tax collector to stop stealing. 4. He called adulterers to go and sin no more. 5. He told people to listen to the Pharisees when they are teaching the law of Moses, and the Pharisees demanded that people follow the 10 commandments and several applications of those commands that are repeated in the rest of the Mosaic law. v. The long and the short of it is that Jesus never rejected or denied anything the Old Testament taught as holy living. In fact, he said, that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. vi. My friends, there is nothing unloving about correcting sinful behavior in another person. You can correct in an unloving manner… but the act of correction is, in itself, not unloving. In fact, I would say, because sin is so destructive and separates us from God… correction is love. c. The second critique is that correction is unrealistic. i. Unfortunately, we see this found not only in the world but also often in the church. ii. It is ultimately a defeatist attitude that says, that it is just unrealistic to call Christians to obey Christ’s commands. This attitude makes little of God’s grace and minimizes the work of the Spirit and His ability to form and craft someone into the mold of Christ. iii. Some of examples include: 1. With current fashion trends it is unrealistic to expect men and women to dress modestly and not draw attention to themselves. 2. With current accessibility it is unrealistic to expect people to avoid pornography. 3. With current relationships it is unrealistic to expect people to remain abstinent until marriage. 4. With current culture it is unrealistic to expect children to be obedient to their parents. 5. With current attention span it is unrealistic to expect children to memorize scripture and doctrine, or to sit though a sermon, or to cherish the teaching on the scriptures. 6. With my aging joints and bones, it is unrealistic to expect me to continue to minister to younger Christians. iv. The long and the short of it is, if there is a command of Christ and teaching from the scriptures and you are truly a believer, His commands are not burdensome to those who have His Spirit. v. That doesn’t mean they are easy. That doesn’t mean you will never have to struggle to obey them. vi. But with the Spirit of God in you – No Christian can ever truly say to a command of Christ… I just can’t do it. 3.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must work hard to provide for ourselves and others in need. a. We won’t spend a lot of time here, especially since this was a main application of last week’s sermon. b. But one key identifier of every Christian is that they work hard to provide for their needs and have a little extra to give to those who cannot do the same. c. With this we have to determine what our needs truly are. Some Christians work hard but have nothing left to give to others because they are either miserly and hoard their wealth or because they are selfish and spend their wealth on what they do not need. d. Certainly, buying things that you do not need is not forbidden in the scriptures. But if you do so to the extent that you are not able to give to others in need, then you are disordered. e. Certainly, saving for your future is wise and the scriptures affirm this. But if you do so to the extent that you are not able to give to others in need, then you are unruly. f. Christian people provide for themselves and other believers who cannot do the same. This is one aspect of being a Christ-Follower. g. And when you do not do this because of laziness or selfishness – you are in sin. 4.) [Slide 21] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop meddling in other people’s business. a. Certainly, in this text, this is presented as a byproduct of not being busy with work. b. Idle hands truly are a foothold to allow the devil to tempt you with sinful pastimes. c. However, I think we can actually address the idea of meddling as its own separate problem. d. Because we live in a 1st world country, some jobs that pay very well do not demand enough time to keep our hands busy. e. Someone could be providing for themselves so well that their needs are met with the vast majority of their time being idle. f. Or perhaps they are retired, and their income is passive. g. Or perhaps they are a stay-at-home parent while their spouse works to alleviate the needs of the family. h. So, I see this de-exhortation as an issue we should address by itself, since there are so many avenues beyond laziness that could lead us to meddle. i. What is meant by the term meddling? j. This is people adding input, advice, instruction, or their own perspective on matters that they have no business adding. The issue has nothing to do with them. It was a question or problem presented to someone, and they interjected their opinion when it wasn’t asked for. k. This could be someone attempting to influence a decision or aspect of teaching. l. I am reminded of Absalom, David’s Son. While David was in his palace, Absalom went to the city gates and claimed that the King was too busy to handle their disputes and that he would be happy to do so. m. Of course, his motivations were to undermine David and overthrow his monarchy. n. A meddler may not have such extreme motives, but the action is still the same. o. If someone asks for your opinion, give it humbly and with grace. If not… stay out of it. p. But we live in the age of influencers, where we think, pridefully, that our opinion not only matters but that others will definitely want to hear about what we think. q. In the church the only influencers should be those who command and demonstrate a Christlike example. 5.) [Slide 22] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must mark and dissociate from unrepentant believers. a. Flowing from the thought that it is completely appropriate for us to expect Christ followers to observe Christ’s commands… b. We must, eventually, take special note of those who are not doing so… and if they continue to not obey despite many corrections and warnings… we must disassociate with them. c. This works itself out in what is known as Church Discipline. d. As I pointed out last week, the primary goal of church discipline is to keep the church pure. To be sure that those who are still striving to follow Christ are those who are in fellowship. e. Not perfect… but still trying to be. f. But when it becomes obvious that a professing believer has given up trying to change, trying to obey Christ, that is when the church must take action to communicate clearly that unrepentant sin will not be tolerated in the church. g. Why? h. The gospel is at stake. Since Christ followers, are pressed into His mold to observe His commands… it means we can’t have a bunch of Christ followers not being pressed into that mold. It is the opposite message of the gospel. i. However, the way in which we do church discipline is very important. 6.) [Slide 23] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not apply church discipline vindictively or punitively. a. Church discipline, although called discipline, is not a punishment for the sinner. Ultimately speaking, Christ is the judge and will punish sin or has paid for sin on the cross. b. The church neither has the authority to forgive sin nor does it have the authority to punish sin. Those roles belong and have always belonged to God. c. And church discipline is not an opportunity to get back at someone for sinning against you. d. Again, this comes back to the idea that church discipline isn’t about the sin in question… at all. e. Therefore, it is not the sin itself that is being addressed. It is the unrepentance of someone who claims to be a follower of Christ. f. This is why it is important from the Elders, all the way down to the person who was personally sinned against, and everyone in-between, to make sure their hearts are right before God and that they are not seeking vengeance or even justice on those who sinned. g. If that is the motive, we have missed the goal of church discipline completely. h. For if we are truly concerned about the purity of the church… 7.) [Slide 24] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must apply church discipline in love and in hope for restoration. a. While restoration is not THE goal of church discipline… it is certainly THE goal of disciplining a person in the church. b. The goal of discipline from a good parent is correction of behavior not inflicting pain or hardship. And the same is true in Church Discipline. c. Ultimately, we must tread the line between disassociating with them and still loving and hoping that they will repent and return to fellowship. d. If we enter into church discipline secretly hoping that they don’t show up or that they never come back to our church – it is a clear sign that we are not doing this in love and in hope for restoration. e. And that hope should endure while the person draws breath on the earth. f. Even of the man in 1 Corinthians, Paul expresses his hopeful confidence that before the judgment, the man will repent and be restored. g. We should have that same hope and confidence that even if we have to wait decades – if they are truly believers – God will bring them back to repentance. 8.) [Slide 25] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” When the church does church discipline right, hatred of sin and love of God’s law are encouraged. a. It is not comfortable to enter into church discipline. b. We have done 3 formal church disciplines and a couple informal ones in my tenure here. c. And each time – it was NOT comfortable. Not very many people actually like confrontation. And if you do, you are probably just contentious. d. But Jesus Himself and His apostles have laid down for us the method, manner, and motive of church discipline. And that should be enough for us to be obedient. e. But God also says that when we do church discipline, people fear sin more and love God’s law more. f. That is comforting. Even if a person is not immediately restored. Even if they are never restored. There is still great benefit to the church to doing church discipline when they must. g. And that should be a comfort to us. Even in such a difficult thing – God gives grace. 9.) [Slide 26] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Followers of Christ are expected to follow Christ, which means they conform to His teaching and example and not to the world. a. With the Second great awakening and Charles Finney, the modern evangelistic method of manipulation and coercion took shape. b. The foundation of easy believism, saying a prayer, and living the same way you always have, became the norm for many ministries. c. As long as you prayed a prayer you were saved no matter what. d. Such teaching produced a nation that 20 years ago was around 75% Christian. e. So how does a country that is 75% Christian, become the country that it is now 20 years later? f. It is actually quite simple. g. About 70% of that 75, think they are Christians but are not being conformed to Christ. They are not observing His commands. h. The gospel is very clear. Those who are genuinely saved continue to turn from their sin and continue to strive to observe Christ’s commands. Until they die. Their entire life has changed to reflect Jesus Christ. i. Not perfectly… but progressively and perpetually. j. The gospel is… that God saves and God changes you. That is the gospel. k. Jesus did all the work so God could make you into what He wants you to be. l. Perhaps you’ve always thought you were a Christian. But you have never really observed what Christ commands. m. Perhaps you see what Christians are supposed to be and you want to follow Christ and observe what He has commanded. n. If that is you – be sure to talk to me or another person you know is a Christian before you leave today. [Slide 27 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer by the Puritan Richard Alleine. Now speak, Lord, and I will hear. Now call, Lord, and I will answer. Now command me, impose on me what you will, and I will submit. None but the Lord, none but Christ, no other lord nor lover. I am yours, Lord, your own. Do with your own, demand of your own, whatever you please. What will you have me be, Lord, what will you have me do? That is what I will do and be. No longer what I will, but your will be done. To this all God’s true people say, Amen. Benediction: May the great Creator whose power is displayed day by day by an unwearied sun, Create in you a pure heart and renew in you a steadfast spirit. Until we meet again, Grace and peace to you.

Title: “The Christian’s Labor and Giving” Part 1 Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10 FCF: We often struggle having a Godly perspective on labor and giving. Prop: Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must follow their example and work to care for ourselves and others. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians 3. In a moment we’ll read verses 6 through 15 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. As Paul approaches the end of his letter, he has a few things he wishes for the Thessalonians to do. First, to pray for them that the gospel would continue to make progress in Corinth and that the enemies of the gospel might be held at bay. But today, Paul comes to, what is most assuredly, the main command he wishes to give to the Thessalonian church. It isn’t new. In fact, he mentioned it less plainly in the previous letter. But it is quite important that they address the issue immediately. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy God, you demonstrated to us what it means to labor. You labored for six days to create your world and rested on the seventh day. And you declared that all you made was very good. Though we are finite and fallen, we have been given Your Spirit within us and Your Son has taught us to work hard to earn what we need. And to earn enough even to be generous and to give to others who are in need. We thank you for the example of Christ and His apostles in this. And we ask that You would reveal from Your word what it means for Christians to labor and to give and protect us from examples we should not follow. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “Too many Christians worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship.” Anonymous “One of the greatest blessings of humanity is that divine law which requires men to work for their livelihood.” David Thomas [Slide 3] “No labor is servile when the Lord’s approval is the paramount consideration.” Geoffrey B. Wilson “God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into the nest.” Josiah G. Holland Let these words prepare us for the exposition of the text this morning. I.) Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, but we must keep away from disorderly brothers. (6) a. [Slide 4] 6 - Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, i. What is obvious here is that this is the primary application that Paul has in mind for the Thessalonians. ii. After spending a good deal of time comforting them about the persecution they were enduring and correcting them on the teaching of the Day of the Lord, Paul turned his attention to application. iii. However, the first application was, somewhat of a softball. iv. Not in the sense that it is unimportant, but in the sense that it is not corrective. Most likely the Thessalonians were already praying for Paul and his companions and most likely they were already trying to imitate God’s love and Christ’s steadfastness. v. What we notice here though is that Paul’s next application begins with a command. He is not asking… he is telling. vi. The tone of the letter has shifted. vii. I wouldn’t say Paul is angry or irritated. But Paul is certainly becoming more forceful on the issue to which he will speak about next. viii. But notice that he doesn’t command by his own authority. ix. Instead, he calls on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. x. Once again Paul enters into solidarity with them as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Paul considers Jesus Christ to be OUR Lord. Not just the evangelists’ but the Thessalonian church’s too. xi. But this command coming in the name of that Lord, is by His authority. xii. This only serves to further amplify the necessity of the Thessalonians following the command which he is about to give. xiii. So, what is the command? b. [Slide 5] that you keep away from every brother who walks in an unruly manner i. There are four REALLY big words in this text that we need to understand if we are going to grasp the importance of what Paul is saying. ii. The first is the verb “keep away”. 1. The word means to avoid, steer clear from, to shun, to have nothing to do with, or to stand aloof. 2. This form of the verbs is in the infinitive which completes the command of Paul. This is what Paul is commanding. To keep away. 3. This is also in the middle voice. In English we don’t have middle voice. But Greek does. 4. Middle voice is an action you do that inherently has consequences, results, or benefits to yourself. It is reflexive. 5. The keeping away then, is not just an action being done for the person who is unruly, but it is also an action being done to protect yourself. 6. Keep yourself away from them… 7. Avoid like the plague lest you contract the disease- would be a rather loose paraphrase but it gets the idea across. 8. The Puritan commentator Johnathan Trapp said this, “That ye shun them as studiously as the [sailor] doth a rock or shelf.” 9. In an honor/shame culture such as this, shunning was quite effective to render results. Added to this, the church was already being gravely mistreated by those outside the church. To shun them now, after suffering together for the sake of Christ, would leave them quite alone. iii. The second word we should discuss is the noun “brother”. 1. Even though Paul is not going to discuss the person they should avoid in glowing terms, Paul remains convinced that such a person is still a brother. 2. This will feed into something we will discuss later in this passage concerning church discipline and what it means to treat someone like a tax collector and gentile while at the same time admonishing them like a brother. But we’ll get to that next week in Part 2 of this sermon. 3. But it is important for us to recognize that Paul is advising avoiding these folks, but still thnks of them as believers. iv. The third word we should discuss is the participle “walks”. 1. Etymologically the word begins with a prefix which means “around” or “concerning” and ends with the verb form of the Greek word which means to walk. 2. So “to walk around” something. 3. But this isn’t giving us the idea of a person who is aimlessly wandering. 4. Instead, this is a person who is circling or hovering over something. 5. In this we get the idea that this is something they live in or have made a practice of. 6. This being a participle, it is describing the character of a brother whom the Thessalonians are to avoid. 7. But what is that character and lifestyle? v. That brings us to the fourth word here which is the adverb “unruly”. 1. No doubt because of this passage and the associations of the people to whom Paul is referring, this word is translated in some versions as idle or lazy. 2. However, as we saw in 1 Thessalonians, we should not conflate these two ideas together. 3. They are certainly unruly because they are idle, but idleness is not the sum total of unruliness. 4. To be unruly is to be out of order. It is to be irregular, different, not conforming to a standard, sticking out, or independent. 5. The church is not a group of individuals it is instead a body or organization that when broken apart is less than what it was together. 6. When we are together – we are stronger, better, more alive. When we are broken apart, we are less, weaker, and more prone to temptation and despair. 7. No one in the church should try to stick out, to not conform, to rebel, or to make their own way. 8. The church should function as ONE in as many areas as possible. And you can’t function as one when you are not doing what everyone else in the church is doing. You can’t function as one when you are not like the rest. 9. Paul’s point is that a person whose lifestyle it is to stick out and not conform, that is a person the Thessalonians should avoid. 10. You can’t be a rogue operative; you can’t be a maverick. You can’t do you own thing. vi. But that brings us to a question… how the same must we be? Is there no room for individuality in the church? vii. Paul answers this by further defining what divides orderly from disorderly. c. [Slide 6] and not according to the tradition which they received from us. i. Although this begins with an “and” we should probably see this not as a second characteristic of the brothers that should be avoided but rather an explanation of the disorderly lifestyles of brothers that should be avoided. ii. Specifically, a person becomes disorderly or unruly when they live in such a way that is out of step with the Christian traditions that have been passed down from Christ, to His apostles in the Scriptures, and now to the church. iii. Failure to conform to what the Scriptures teach whether by explicit statement or good and necessary inference, is what Paul is saying. iv. This divides into two categories. Doctrine and practice. 1. Let me give you an example of Doctrine both explicitly stated and inferred by good and necessary conclusion when considering the whole of scripture. a. The bible explicitly tells us that God created the universe by speaking it into existence. In order to not be disorderly, every Christian MUST confess this as truth. b. The bible teaches several things that if we added them together, we must by good and necessary inference, arrive at the conclusion that God is three persons in one eternal being and essence. In order to not be disordered, you must confess the doctrine of the trinity. 2. How we live also comes down to Christian tradition. It too is stated in explicit and inferred ways. a. The bible explicitly tells us that we must honor our earthly fathers and mothers in the Lord. It even tells us why. For this is right. So much so that a child who is disobedient to their parents is excluded from the Kingdom of God. Any brother who makes a lifestyle of not honoring or obeying their parents is someone we should avoid. b. The bible teaches in several passages that it is right for Christians to submit to governing authorities because their authority has been granted from God to punish the guilty and protect the innocent. Therefore, by good and necessary inference we can conclude that Christians must endeavor to obey the traffic laws of our government. Anyone who makes a lifestyle of disobeying traffic laws should be avoided. v. But rather than just avoiding them or shunning them, shouldn’t we say something to them? Shouldn’t we warn them of their disorderly conduct? vi. Paul already has actually. 1. In 1 Thessalonians Paul told the Elders to admonish the unruly. He also told the church as a whole to make it their ambition to lead a quiet life and work with their hands to supply for themselves. 2. At the end of the letter Paul implored them by the Lord that they would read the letter to the whole church. 3. And so, Paul has already told the Elders to admonish these brothers. vii. So, what is different here? 1. Paul is approaching the final step of church discipline but hasn’t quite gotten there yet. 2. He commands that the church keep away from these people and then he will move on to rebuke them publicly. We’ll get to that public rebuke and what should happen if they continue to be unruly next week. viii. But it is instructive that Paul first addresses the danger posed on the other believers in the church concerning these disorderly people. They must be avoided to prevent the disorder from spreading. ix. Paul’s priority is on the church as a whole and not on the ones being disorderly. They will be addressed and their actions rebuked – but the first priority is getting those who are still in order to avoid those who are not. x. Some have said that THE goal of church discipline is the restoration of the sinning believer. That is A goal… but it is not THE goal of church discipline. xi. Paul gives us THE goal of church discipline… and it is the purity of the church. A church purely adhering to the Christian tradition which Christ gave to His apostles. d. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Paul predicates the command he makes on the authority of Christ. As a godly leader he must teach God’s will for His people. And in this, he issues a command directly from the throne of God and the Lord Jesus who sits at His right hand. That command is simply to not be in intimate fellowship with those who are living a lifestyle that is out of step and out of order with the Christian traditions that have been passed down from Christ to His church. The doctrines that Christ taught and the commands Christ demonstrated, should be conformed to by every single member of the church. Therefore, they should not associate themselves with those who are out of order. We too must distance ourselves from brothers and sisters who continue to live a lifestyle that is not conforming to the doctrines and commands Christ and His apostles taught and demonstrated. We must do this primarily so that we are kept safe from their disorder, but also so they may feel the isolation and return and conform. [Slide 8 (blank)] Transition: Of course we have to ask, what kind of disorderly behavior is Paul talking about? Certainly, people aren’t conforming to the teaching and commands of Christ – but what specifically is happening there in Thessalonica that needs to be addressed and how should they protect themselves from becoming disorderly in the same way? II.) Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must work hard to provide for ourselves and brothers in need. (7-10) a. [Slide 9] 7 - For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we did not act in an unruly manner among you, i. When we understand that to “keep away” from the disorderly brothers is an action we do with a benefit for ourselves, the “for” connects overtly to the command to keep away. ii. Why must we keep away for ourselves? iii. Because we might start to imitate the unruly ones. We might start to follow their example. Sin tends to spread. Like cancer in the body or worms in a bushel of apples. iv. Therefore, the Thessalonians need to keep away from and avoid these disorderly brothers because they know that they are supposed to be imitating the evangelists instead. v. And Paul, Silas, and Timothy did not give them an unruly example. vi. They not only told them what the Christian traditions were, but they believed and obeyed them also. They taught and demonstrated those traditions to the Thessalonians. vii. But how specifically were the evangelists NOT unruly? b. [Slide 10] 8 - nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, i. Here we start to get to the specifics of the way in which these brothers are being unruly. ii. Up to this point Paul has spoken mostly in generalities. Disorder and lack of conformity to belief and practice. iii. But now Paul outlines how he and his companions acted among them and… how they didn’t act. iv. His first example is that they did not eat anyone else’s bread without paying for it. v. At this time, there was an expectation to financially support traveling preachers and prophets. vi. This tradition stretched beyond Judaism and across all faiths, even paganism. vii. Of course, this led to traveling preachers and prophets peddling nonsense or strange ideas primarily to fleece people. viii. Because of this, Paul, throughout his ministry, continued to refuse to be supported by the generosity of the city in which he was preaching. ix. His effort was to divorce the idea of paying him money for the gospel message. The gospel was already difficult enough to believe, even without a cover charge. x. And so, Paul is not talking about being rude here… he is merely pointing out that he did not take from people when he could have paid for it himself. xi. Not only that… but Paul and his companions had a great work ethic too… c. [Slide 11] but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; i. Paul points out that he and his companions labored not only in the giving of the gospel and the teaching of the Christian tradition, but even in earning a living for themselves while they were in Thessalonica. ii. They did this because they did not want to put financial strain on those to whom they were sharing the gospel. iii. Paul and his companions were not only hard workers but were also loving and compassionate to their brothers and sisters to whom they were ministering. iv. They did not want to strain them or burden them with financial pressure while they taught them the scriptures. v. Well, that is probably because it is ethically wrong to be financially provided for by those to whom they minister, right? d. [Slide 12] 9 - not because we do not have the authority, i. It is not ethically or morally wrong for someone who ministers to a group of people to seek to have their needs met by those to whom they minister. ii. Indeed, as Paul points out in 1 Timothy, it is good and right that an Elder who labors long in preaching and leadership should be provided for. iii. As evangelists and Paul as an apostle, he is well within his rights to ask for compensation for his labor to bring the word to the Thessalonians. iv. So, why didn’t Paul do that? e. [Slide 13] but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would imitate us. i. Paul and his companions endeavored to be hard working and compassionate teachers toward this fledgling church so that they could provide an example to follow. ii. The Thessalonians also should be both hard working and seeking to give to other believers and not take from other believers. iii. This is the example the evangelists gave and it is still one they know they should follow instead of the example of the disorderly ones. f. [Slide 14] 10 - For even when we were with you, we used to command this to you: i. Paul now reminds the Thessalonians that it was not by mere demonstration that they had received this instruction. ii. It wasn’t merely the evangelist’s example, although that should have been enough. iii. Instead, it was a command that they had given to them. iv. What was the command? g. [Slide 15] if anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat. i. The word “willing” is a very important word in this command. ii. The word means to wish or be inclined or disposed to do something. iii. It does not speak of ability. iv. Paul is not saying that regardless of whether you are able to work or not, you must work or you should not eat. v. Instead, Paul is aiming at those who are not disposed to work. They aren’t inclined to work. They are idle. Lazy. They are averse to hard work and earning a living. vi. Therefore, I think we could say that anyone who is able to work but doesn’t would fall into this category of “unwilling”. vii. Such a person should not be allowed to eat. They should not be supported financially by anyone. The government, the church, the family. Paul commands that a person who is able to work but simply unwilling, should starve. That is proper motivation for that person to work hard for their own living. viii. What about those who are able but cannot find work? 1. If you are able to work but truly cannot get hired by someone to take care of your needs, then this command would not apply to you. 2. However, sometimes when people are not being hired it is because they are not wiling to accept a job that pays less than they would like or has them working harder than they’d like. In that case, I believe that this command would apply. At some point if you are able to work, you should take whatever job or jobs you can to provide for your needs. ix. Does this mean that retirement is unbiblical? 1. Retirement that includes the plan to live off of other people’s wealth instead of living off your wealth, I would say, would fall into this category. 2. But retirement that is based on living off the wealth that you have accumulated… that fits right in to what Paul is saying here. x. The main disorderly and unruly conduct that Paul is driving at, is the ability to work coupled with the unwillingness to work and the willingness to take provisions from others when you do not truly need it. xi. We see this in 2 Timothy when Paul addresses the support of widows. What did he say there? 1. If a widow is young, she should get married and have her husband support her. 2. If a widow has family, she should get them to support her. 3. Only when a widow is truly destitute, that is when the church puts her on the list for support. xii. In the same vein, a person who is able to work… must work hard to have enough for himself and also enough to help those who are truly in need. h. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Again, Paul has taught and Paul has demonstrated all that he is expecting of the Thessalonian church. He has commanded them that they should work hard to provide for themselves and those who are truly in need. He demonstrated it by working hard so he could provide the Christian tradition to the Thessalonians. So not only must the Thessalonians keep away from the influence of the disorderly but they should also follow the example of Paul and his companions and work hard to provide for their needs as well as for others who are unable to care for themselves. We too must work hard and provide for ourselves and others. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] Godly leaders can say, as Paul says here, imitate me. Why can they say that? Because they are imitating Christ. Certainly, following men can turn into hero worship and lead to many catastrophes. We must be careful of that. But insofar as a man calls you to imitate him in the ways he is imitating Christ, you can go ahead and assume it is safe to imitate him. Paul demonstrated what orderly churchmanship was. He demonstrated what it meant to work hard and provide for yourself while also caring for others. And he commands the Thessalonians to do as he did. We too must obey two commands from this text. We must keep away from those who are living out of step and not setting Christlike examples, and we must instead imitate a Christlike lifestyle regarding labor by working hard and providing for ourselves so that we have enough to give to others who are truly in need. But what does this mean for us today? How can we apply this in the 21st century? 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that discipleship is creating others who imitate us as we imitate Christ. a. This isn’t the first time we spoken of this in the study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. b. Paul makes it very clear that his view of discipleship is essentially creating others who are like him. c. He can do this because he is imitating Christ. d. Certainly, the goal is Christlikeness. But we often get a little befuddled when we try to implement that. e. What does it mean to be like Christ? Sometimes that is difficult to answer. f. Not only that, but godless people in our day and others who have no intention of obeying what Jesus said, have often spoken about being like Jesus. Usually, they speak this way to try to pass some kind of legislation or political agenda that relies on a distorted sense of love and compassion over what is legal, wise, or best for the country. g. “Jesus would love them no matter what they choose.” “He gets us.” And other empty and trite ideas of who Jesus was without any intention to obey the other things Jesus said. h. But imitation of your mentor… imitation of a godly leader… imitation of someone whom you know loves Jesus and lives in accordance with His ways… that is much more accessible to us. i. And I think Paul knew this. j. It is highly unlikely that any Thessalonian church member had ever met Jesus. k. Paul was Jesus to them. Not in a heretical way or an idolatrous way – but the way the Thessalonians knew who Jesus was, was by observing Paul and his companions. l. Parents… the first real example of Jesus that your children will observe… is you. i. Now answer truthfully… ii. Do you want them to follow your example? Is your example one that leads them to be like Christ? Are your priorities, your passions, your pursuits… are they what Christ would prioritize, pursue, or be passionate about? m. Elders, we must be blameless and above reproach. We must be in Paul’s position as being Christlike. A church lead by men who are phoning it in or living to build their own kingdoms or beating their own hobby horses – is a church that is sure to crumble. We must teach all of what Christ taught and demonstrate what it means to be like Jesus. n. Elderly in our congregation – God has preserved you to now. You have not yet been called home. What does that mean? You still have a responsibility to teach and demonstrate Christlikeness to your families, and to those in the church who are younger than you. o. All of us are called to make disciples. Which means all of us are called to imitate Christ and tell others to imitate us. p. If your example isn’t worth following… then you are unruly and you need to be avoided. Don’t stay there! It is time to conform to the Christian tradition. It is time to be pressed into Christ’s mold. 2.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that although Christ’s church is diverse, conformity to Christian tradition is not an option. a. Although Jesus calls and unites all kinds of people in His church, ultimately, He is conforming them to one image. His own. b. While we may have different skin tones, ethnicities, socio-economic positions, views on certain non-moral political issues, interests, hobbies, personalities, and priorities – ultimately, we have the same standard for faith and practice. c. That standard is the standard of the apostles… which is the standard of Christ. d. Our diversity is important. It is what gives God the most glory for this entity known as the church being united though we are so diverse. e. But there is no room for diversity in core doctrine and clear biblical commands. Doctrine and lifestyles must be brought into conformity to the Scriptures which are ultimately an explanation of the teachings and commands of Christ. f. The church won’t thrive with diverse opinions on primary doctrinal issues. The church probably won’t thrive with diverse opinions on a large number of secondary issues. g. We must be conformed to the Christian tradition. There is no room for novelty in doctrine or revolution in practice. h. We must keep going BACK to what the church has always taught. That will lead us to what the apostles taught. Which will lead us to what Christ taught. And the Scriptures are the road to get us there, with historical church creeds and confessions being that road’s guardrails. 3.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must keep away from those who do not conform to Christian tradition. a. So what do we do when we find someone who is unruly? b. What do we do when people believe teachings that are new and different than something we’ve been taught? c. What do we do when we see people living contrary to what we’ve been taught to live? We must keep away from them. d. They are still a brother or sister. We aren’t declaring them to be unbelievers. We aren’t even treating them like unbelievers. Not yet anyway. e. But we are treating them like they are diseased. Sick. Infected. f. When someone in the family contracts a highly contagious disease, we don’t disown them or kick them out of the house. But we do distance ourselves from them or take precautions when treating their illness. g. This is what Paul is commanding. We must be very cautious around professing believers who are believing or living in ways that are out of step with what the Scriptures teach. h. We should avoid them to protect ourselves, but also as an isolation exercise. When they see the rest of the church disengage from their teaching and/or lifestyle, and they find themselves on an island all alone – to a true believer, that is a HUGE red flag. i. We know novelty in doctrine is always bad. And we know that most of the time, when our lifestyle is unlike anyone else – that isn’t good either. j. Separation from a disordered Christian is a warning to them… its time to get back in line and conform to what everyone else is doing. 4.) [Slide 21] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must work hard to provide for ourselves and those who are truly in need. a. This is the heart of the message Paul wants to get across not only to the church as a whole but more specifically those believers who are disordered. b. He has already discussed it in his first letter. But here he gets much more to the point. c. He and his companions’ example was to work hard, earn what you eat, and keep burdens off of other believers. d. The goal behind this is to ensure that you are at least a neutral draw on church resources, if not a positive giver to it. e. The church in Acts is said to never have had anyone in need because they shared what they had with one another. Not by compulsion as socialism and communism teaches. It isn’t forced wealth distribution. It is just as anyone had a need, the church came together to meet it. f. What does this require? g. It requires everyone working hard to earn enough to care for themselves and a little extra to help care for one another. h. If God blesses you with more, He is most likely prompting you to help even more than others. God is faithful to equip His people for what He is calling them to do. i. But when you could work and don’t, or when you earn more than enough but never give to the work of the church or to the needs of other believers – you are out of order. You are failing to keep the Christian traditions. j. Some Christians believe that the tithe is a mandate in scripture. i. Since we are not Israelites, and since the New Testament never teaches it, we recognize that the strict 10% temple tax is not something that we need to observe as New Testament believers. ii. But the New Testament does teach us to give cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the church and the needs of believers. iii. What does that mean? iv. Although the 10% temple tax is not mandated, I’m not sure we can say that the New Testament teaches us to give less. In fact, I think I could make the argument that it implies that, at least at times, we give much more than 10% of our gross income. v. This is a concept that I have found many young believers don’t quite grasp. Many young believers think that by giving a few hundred dollars to the church every year, they are giving sacrificially. vi. And they would be doing just that if they only earned $5,000 that year. vii. But in reality, a few hundred dollars a year when God has given you 50 to 100 thousand dollars that year in income – it is hard to say that that giving is sacrificial. k. Let me just say I am very uncomfortable talking about this. I also want to make clear that our family is well-provided for, and I am in no way angling for a raise. l. With those two caveats, we all must understand what the Christian tradition is on labor and giving. m. Christians have been taught by Christ and His apostles, since the beginning of the church, to work hard to provide for yourself, and to give cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the ministry and to the alleviation of believers in need. n. So how are you doing on that front? o. If you struggle to give sacrificially, or have just realized that you haven’t been giving sacrificially at all… p. Perhaps, for you, 10% is a good place to start. Not as a rule or law… but as an easy entry into this concept. q. And the nice thing about 10% is that is scales to what the Lord gives you. Those with less, give less. Those with more, give more. 5.) [Slide 22] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Jesus has given gifts of godly leaders to teach and demonstrate Christlikeness. a. We live in an era of mistrust. And I don’t think we are called to trust leaders unconditionally. b. But I’ve seen the pendulum swing both ways. c. I’ve seen godly pastors bullied, abused, ganged up on, belittled, ridiculed, and treated more like a church’s slave than its servant leader. d. I’ve also seen ungodly pastors revered, followed, and obsessively supported to the point that no matter what they do wrong – everyone sees them through rose colored glasses. e. But Christian, Jesus didn’t design either of these to be His church. f. He gave gifts to the church. Apostles first to get the church off on a good foundation. He gave prophets to keep the church physically safe and on the correct path in doctrine. He gave the church Shepherds in the office of the Elder to teach and spiritually care for the flock. And He gave the church evangelists to leave their gathered assembly to take the gospel message to people who have never heard. g. The purpose of these gifts was to equip the church for ministry. The church does the ministry and the leaders teach and demonstrate it. h. That should be a great comfort to us but it is also a rebuke to us who may be tempted to see the church or the Elders as something different than I have just described. 6.) [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The goal of salvation is for you to conform to the Christian tradition, not getting out of hell. a. Certainly, talking about the lake of fire and the eternal punishment for sin, is a message we need right now. b. Especially because our culture largely views God as a big soft teddy bear that doesn’t judge you, and just loves you for who you are. c. God does love His creation – but that won’t stop Him from justly judging all who are not made perfect in Christ. d. And that is just it… God never says anywhere that the goal of salvation is to save men from His own judgment. In fact, the Scriptures teach that the goal of salvation is first, to bring Him glory, and He does that by carving out a people who love, honor, worship, and obey Him progressively in this life and perfectly in His Kingdom. e. Christ perfectly loved, honored, worshipped, and obeyed God while He was on earth. f. He died for the sins of His people. g. He was raised to defeat death and He now has the keys to that realm. h. And He sends His Spirit to be with and help those who are His to become more and more like Him until He finally saves them in the end and perfects them for His kingdom. i. My friends, salvation isn’t about getting out of hell. It is about making a people who are no longer fit to be there. A people who are holy. A people who reject the lies of sin and Satan and submit to their Lord and King, Jesus. j. Perhaps you’ve come to Christ to get you out of hell – but not to rule your life. k. Perhaps you’ve never come to Christ at all. l. Those who turn from their sin and trust in Him alone… will be saved. Which means that they will be conformed to Him. m. What will you do with this Jesus? n. Let me or another Christian know if you would like to start being conformed to Jesus today. [Slide 24 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer from the reformer John Calvin. Almighty God, you see how your Church today is miserably torn by many conflicts. You see how there are so many traitorous ministers who continue to plague it. Help us to experience what you have promised in Scripture by your prophet: That you will be the perpetual guardian of your chosen people—people you have received and embraced so they can move ahead with courage through any conflict and emerge as conquerors. Would you also now stretch out your hand against the sin you have denounced? Reduce to nothing not only those who oppose you and your servants and your children, but also those serpents who harass and torment your church through intrigue, fraud, and other indecent means. Do this until at last we see a full triumph in your kingdom, together with Christ Jesus, our Lord and head. For it is in His name we pray this… Amen. Benediction: Now may He who is the mystery of godliness, He who appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, and taken up in glory; May He humble you under His mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time. Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.