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You can turn in your Bibles to 
the book of 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. I'll begin reading in verse 1 
and we'll read all of the chapter again. This is 2 Thessalonians 
chapter 2. This is the word of the living 
and true God. Now, brethren, concerning the 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to 
Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either 
by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the 
day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any 
means, for that day will not come unless the falling away 
comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 
who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God 
or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple 
of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember 
that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And 
now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his 
own time. For the mystery of lawlessness 
is already at work. Only he who now restrains will 
do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless 
one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath 
of His mouth, and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of 
Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all 
unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did 
not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. and 
for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they 
should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who 
did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks 
to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because 
God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification 
by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you 
by our gospel for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast 
and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word 
or our epistle. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ 
himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us 
everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts 
and establish you in every good word and work. Amen. Well, let's pray. Heavenly Father, 
we thank you again for the reading of this scripture. We thank you 
for this revelation, for what Paul says with regards to those 
who are brethren, those who are beloved of the Lord. We pray, 
Lord God, as we preach concerning this passage, that you would 
help us in this exercise of worship. Lord God, that you would grant 
aid to the preacher. that you would also bring swift 
aid to those who give an ear, Lord God, that those who are 
yours would be instructed, encouraged, equipped, and Lord God, those 
who are outside of Christ would, by the Spirit and Word, believe. We long, Lord God, to see salvation 
in our midst. We long to see those who, prior 
to coming in, were living according to their own works, according 
to the madness of their own hearts, and according to the bondage 
that they find themselves in sin. and to leave these doors 
by grace singing the praises of Christ Jesus our Lord. We 
do just pray that you'd be active as we worship Lord God unto the 
praise of your glorious name that you might receive all honor 
and praise. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. 
Well the portion of the text that we read that we're going 
to be looking at in fact morning and evening is verses 13 to 17. And it's interesting there in 
verses 13 to 17 we have if we take time to consider it, we 
have an epistle or a letter in condensed form. If you read the 
New Testament epistles, you'll find a common pattern among them. There will be an address or an 
identification and an address to the audience, an identification 
of the audience and an address to them. You'll find usually 
a rehearsal of divine grace through Jesus Christ in salvation, you'll 
find an exhortation based upon that rehearsal of theology, and 
then you'll find a benediction that closes out the letter. Well, 
notice that's exactly what we see here. We see an identification 
of the audience, a rehearsal of glorious theological truth, 
we see an exhortation beginning at verse 15, therefore brethren, 
and then we see a benediction at verse 16, Now may our Lord 
Jesus Christ, etc. We have condensed in those verses 
an epistle, if you will. And once again, and it's said 
a lot, but in here we have a lot of theology. You see, every verse 
of the Bible is just as God-breathed as the next. There are not God-breathed 
verses and non-God-breathed verses. All Scripture is God-breathed, 
is profitable, etc. We don't have verses that are 
more God-breathed, though, among the God-breathed verses. However, 
we do have verses that contain glorious theology. Acts 17.1, 
Acts 17.1, now when they had passed through Amphipolis and 
Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of 
the Jews, is just as God-breathed as 2 Thessalonians 2, 13 and 
14, But I hope you would agree that in 2 Thessalonians 2, 13 
and 14, there is a lot of theology packed in there that we can avail 
of, and hopefully with God's grace, we will avail of this 
morning. And so we're going to look at 
verses 13 and 14 this morning, 15, 16, and 17 this evening, 
but 13 and 14 this morning, under the title of the Thanksgiving, and under three points. And those 
three points are as follows, and then we'll get into this. 
First off, the persons identified in the thanksgiving. Secondly, 
the direction of the thanksgiving. And thirdly and lastly, the theological 
content of the thanksgiving. A three-point sermon. Threes 
are good in Christianity. The triune God. Holy, holy, holy 
is the Lord of hosts. And so the preacher preaches 
a three-point sermon in that scheme and in that flavor. So 
first off, the persons identified in the thanksgiving. Notice here 
what we have in the persons identified, verse 13. But we are bound to 
give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved by the 
Lord. You see, it shouldn't be the 
case that when we address each other as brothers or when We 
call, when we call Christians, our fellow Christians, brethren, 
that it is just customary, and it's just a tradition, and it's 
just a label. There is theology to it, there 
is importance to it, there is much to be had by a study of 
what brethren means. And very simply, it means that 
we are children of the living and true God. Contrary to the 
spiritually ambiguous out in the world, we are not all children 
of God. regardless of race, creed, and 
whatever else, sexual orientation, whatever it may be. Behold what 
manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we could 
be called the children of God. Being the children of God is 
a privilege bestowed on us by that God. It is not something 
we have by nature. It is something that God in his 
condescending mercy grants to sinners according to the wisdom 
and the counsel of His own will. Just to see this, let's turn 
to John for a moment. That is, the Gospel of John. 
The Gospel of John and chapter 1. We see there the blessed privilege 
it is to be a child of God and that that privilege, that standing 
as being in the family of God comes to us by way of divine, 
amazing, and victorious grace. John 1, verse 10. He was in the 
world, speaking of Jesus, and the world was made through him, 
and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own 
did not receive him. But as many as received him, 
to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those 
who believe in his name. who were born, not of blood, 
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of 
God." That's a place to oft return to to humble us and to stir us 
up to praise our great God, isn't it? Because we see as believers, 
as believers who are the children of God, we see that this comes 
by way of infinite and eternal and divine condescension. We 
are born of God. We're not born of our virtue, 
we're not born of our ability, we're not born of something innate 
in us that causes us to merit divine blessing, but surely and 
truly we are those who are born not of the will of the flesh, 
nor of the will of man, not of blood, but of God were we born. Nicodemus, you must be born again 
before you can see, that is, before you can understand, before 
you can traffic in an apprehension, the glorious truths of redemption 
in the kingdom of God. We are children of God, not by 
physical birth, but by divine birth. And as children of God, 
we are to treat each other in a manner that we are of the family 
of God. Brothers treat each other as 
brothers, sisters treat each other as sisters, etc., etc. We recognize our standing and 
that is we recognize what we were before we were made children 
of God by divine grace. Trafficking in every manner of 
wickedness. We were children of wrath just 
as the others. We were those who ordered our 
lives and conducted ourselves according to the prince of the 
power of the air, according to the flesh and the darkness of 
our minds. If there is a brother in Christ 
Jesus with you here this morning, it is because he has been saved 
by divine grace just as you have. And if we are brothers in Christ, 
we love each other, we recognize our standing in the children 
of God, in the family of God, and we engage with each other 
in a manner recognizing our standing. where we were before, where we 
are now, and what the difference is, divine and amazing grace. Not only are we brethren, not 
only are we children of God, but Paul goes on to write that 
we are beloved. That we are beloved. And the 
language here is, again, but we are bound to give thanks to 
God always for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord. Remember 
what John says in his epistle. He says, it is because, and I'm 
paraphrasing, but he says, it is because God loved us first 
that we now love Him. We love God because He first 
loved us. We are brethren beloved by the 
Lord. And this is, again, one of those 
things, brethren, that is to cause us to fall on our faces 
in humility before a God who loved us when we were unlovable. 
who loved us, even though we were in that state of depravity 
and sin, dead in our trespasses and sins, and wholly opposed 
to a God, wholly opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ, in an act 
of rebellion against the living and true God. Jesus, in John 
chapter 8, pulls no punches. He says to the unbelieving audience, 
you are of your father, the devil, and the desires of your father. 
You're forced to do? No, you want to do. You're of 
your father the devil and the desires of your father you want 
to do. You're in bondage and if you 
want to be free, it is the case that the son makes you free. 
I should word that better. They don't want to be free, they're 
in bondage, they're in slavery. To be free, it is the case that 
the Son must make them free. And we see that, that the freedom 
and the liberty that Christians have is owed to divine grace 
that most certainly and necessarily precedes human reciprocation 
of love. We love God because He first 
loved us. He changed our hearts in divine 
and conquering grace and made us to love Him, to love His precepts, 
to love His truth. and to sing His praises. We are the objects of God's love. Secondly, so we have the persons 
identified, and if we can say to sum this up, they're Christians. 
You see, when we say, brethren, beloved by the Lord, that is 
a synonym for Christian. One who has been saved, one who 
is the recipient of the saving benefits and the perfect redeeming 
work of Jesus Christ. Christians are those addressed 
here brethren beloved by the Lord and in fact before we move 
on it's important to note here that Paul is setting them in 
contrast with Those who are unbelievers those who will be? Judged by 
God those who are perishing and will ultimately perish he finishes 
off Verses 10 to 12 before he gets to 13. He says this and 
with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because 
they did not receive the love of the truth that they might 
be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion 
that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned 
who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 
And Paul transitions now with that important word, but. He 
is separating the recipients of his letter from those who 
are marked by unbelief. They did not believe the truth, 
but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Calvin writes this with regards 
to this difference that Paul brings here, or this separation 
of two sorts of people. Thus we must contemplate the 
judgments of God upon the reprobate in such a way that they may be, 
as it were, mirrors to us for considering his mercy towards 
us. For we must draw this conclusion 
that it is owing solely to the singular grace of God that we 
do not miserably perish with them. You see, the Thessalonian 
Christians were not to say, oh, you see, I am much better than 
those who do not believe the truth. I'm much better than those 
who have pleasure in unrighteousness because I... and then follows 
a litany of various virtues and perfections of their majestic 
human being. No, Calvin writes here, for we 
must draw this conclusion that it is owing solely to the singular 
grace of God that we do not miserably perish with them. The difference 
between those in Thessalonica who would perish and those in 
Thessalonica who are brethren beloved by the Lord is the conquering 
and amazing and victorious grace of God in the salvation of sinners. And that is why Paul, our second 
point, gives the direction of the thanksgiving God-word. Secondly, 
the direction of the thanksgiving, it is not man-word, is it? We search the scriptures for 
instances of where the apostles, where the inspired writers go 
off on an elaborate and drawn-out thanksgiving that is manward 
for their various virtues and their various perfections and 
whatever else, and we search in vain. We search the Scriptures 
but for a minute and we'll find one instance among multitudinous 
others where the writer of Holy Scripture renders thanksgiving 
to God, instance upon instance upon instance. And that is what 
we have here in the Apostle Paul. But we are bound to give thanks 
to God always for you. But you see, on this idea that 
God's, or that Paul's, the direction of Paul's thanksgiving is not 
manward, we need to know first, though, that we are good at thanking 
others. Well, sort of. Maybe we're not 
actually good at thanking others. But we tend to do, we tend to 
thank others more than we thank God. I think, don't we? We give 
a lot of thanks to people. We give a lot of congratulations 
to people. Sometimes we might mean it. Often 
we mean it, but more often than not, it's just customary. It's 
just traditional. Oh, thanks. Oh, thanks. Congratulations. And then we just, you know, go 
and forget about it and whatever else. Hopefully I'm not giving 
you a picture of, you know, redeemed humanity that is causing you 
to you know, to be sorrowful. But by nature, men without grace 
are not thankful to God. They might be thankful towards 
men, but usually it's customary and traditional. But even in 
the redeemed individual, we can have this horizontal nature to 
our thankfulness where we'll thank people, we'll thank ourselves. You see, we think very highly 
of ourselves, don't we? Even as redeemed Christians. 
We're not like the unbeliever, thank God. We're not like those 
other so-called Christians who, you know, believe X, Y, and Z, 
thank God. We're good at puffing ourselves 
up and thinking something of ourselves. But you see, Calvin 
was right when he wrote on Philippians 2, 6, when he said, our humility 
is seen in our not assuming to ourselves more than we ought. 
We should never be patting ourselves on our backs and thanking ourselves. Our thanksgiving is not to be 
manward. It is not to be selfward. It 
is to be Godward. Because as we note in the scriptures, 
thanksgiving is always rendered in that direction. Paul's thanksgiving 
here in 2 Thessalonians 2 is Godward. The good and proper 
direction of thanksgiving is toward God. But again, it seems 
to be the normal practice that we are thankless. We are thankless 
until something good happens to us. Can you relate with that? 
We tend to be thankless until something good happens to us. 
In other words, our thankfulness is never connected to historical 
retrospect. That means thinking back to things. 
Our thankfulness is almost always connected to future blessings. You see, we're all ready, we're 
all in the prone position, ready to thank God for future blessings. We're ready to thank God for 
the alleviation of our present woes and our present, you know, 
our present heartaches. But you see, what Paul does here, 
and now, just a moment, we should, when we get future blessings, 
be thankful. If God alleviates present heartache, 
We should certainly be thankful. But you see, Paul's thanksgiving 
here is for things done. And first and foremost, and primarily, 
that is what Christian thanksgiving is. Christian thanksgiving is 
for God's perfection of redemptive work done in the past. We can 
be so eager for future blessings and relief from present heartache 
that we neglect what the Bible most often calls us to do, dwell 
on the rich mercies of God. You see, we should self-condemn 
ourselves for that fact, that we rarely reflect on the mercies 
of God done for us in the past, because we're always expecting 
in the, you know, in the remaining corruption of our regenerate 
hearts, future blessings and reprieves from present heartache. 
The psalmist, and the psalmist throughout the Psalms, and the 
Apostle Paul here, thank God for mercies, they dwell on mercies 
given by God to His people in time past. We've used that term 
before, historical retrospect. You've probably heard it from 
me too many times, but you're going to hear it a lot more. 
It's a good two-word term, historical retrospect, thinking back to 
things. You see, that's what Paul, or 
that's what David did and does in Psalm 107. You read Psalm 
107, it is, that refrain is repeated time and time again, O give thanks 
to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercies endure forever. His mercy endures forever. And 
in the rehearsal, and that's exactly what it is, in the writing 
of that Psalm, The psalmist rehearses mercy upon mercy, grace upon 
grace. The nation of Israel in the Old 
Covenant, God's people in the Old Covenant, are called on, 
are commanded to remember. Deuteronomy 4.9, they're commanded 
to meditate within their hearts upon what God has done for them. The redemption from out of bondage 
in Egypt. They're to reflect upon God's 
historical dealings with them. And we come to the New Testament 
and we find not God changing. We don't find the inspired authors 
shifting the thrust of thanksgiving, but rather they reflect upon, 
and it's a Godward thanksgiving, they reflect upon the mercies 
of God in Christ Jesus. Noticeably absent, noticeably 
absent from the thanksgiving is the ethical virtue of the 
brethren beloved by the Lord. You see, the thanksgiving is 
God word, and it is good that thanksgiving is rendered God 
word. But it's also important that 
the thanksgiving has the content that is God word. In other words, 
the content of the thanksgiving is not the virtue and the polishness 
of the brethren beloved by the Lord, but it is the perfect saving 
work. of the Lord, the perfect redeeming 
work of God. Just turn with me. Again, it's 
good to rehearse this so that we can see and so that we can 
guard against a Christian version of this. Turn with me to Luke 
18. Turn with me to Luke 18. You 
see, we're very quick to write off the Pharisee and to exercise 
some wholesome severity against this praying Pharisee. We need to make sure that we 
don't have a baptized Christian version of what the Pharisee 
engages in. Luke chapter 18 beginning at 
verse 9. Luke 18 beginning at verse 9. 
Also he spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves 
that they were righteous and despised others. Two men went 
up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax 
collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed 
thus with himself, Notice here, he thanks God. God, I thank you 
that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, 
or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes 
of all that I possess. You see, his prayer, if we can 
call it that, his prayer is Godward. God, I thank you. But the content 
of his prayer is all about him, all about the polished Pharisee, 
all about how good and virtuous this Pharisee is. I thank you 
that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, etc., like 
this tax collector standing near me. He fasts twice a week. He gives tithes of all that he 
possesses. In other words, God, thank you 
for me. Thank you for me. Thank you that I'm so great. 
Thank you that negatively I'm not like this wretch. And you see, I believe as Christians 
we can very often write off this Pharisee as a horrific individual, 
but in our own Christian religion, Lord, thank God I'm not like 
that man. His troubles and his sins. Thank God I'm not like that woman 
who does X, Y, Z. who wears ABF, who engages in 
these things. Thank you, Lord God, that I'm 
not like other men. You see, our disposition and 
what's going on, if we do that, if we have this Christianized 
version of the Pharisees' prayer, we really don't know sin, we 
don't know ourselves, and we really don't know God. We just 
don't. You see, because we are to be 
this prototypical prayer, Again, verse 13, not again, now, verse 
13, and the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as 
raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, 
be merciful to me, a sinner. You see, in our prayer, that 
is to be A, Godward, it is to be B, filled with the content 
that gives God the praise renders us humble and makes us needing 
the grace of God and resting upon the mercies of God in Christ 
Jesus. Our prayers are to be Godward. 
And now, thirdly and lastly, the content of our Godward prayers 
as we find it in 2 Thessalonians 2. You can move back there with 
me. As we get back to our text, 2 
Thessalonians 2, and we note the theological content of the 
Thanksgiving. Notice first, generally, that 
the theological content of the Thanksgiving, we find the reason 
for the Thanksgiving is the saving activity of the Triune God. That's 
what the content of the Thanksgiving is. I thank you, Lord God, for 
your saving activity in, in Paul's case, these Thessalonian Christians. 
I thank you for the work that you have done upon their hearts. Thanksgiving, the Thanksgiving 
here, the reason for it is the saving activity of the triune 
God and let's look at that in its various parts and portions. 
First off, we see here that God, or sorry, that Paul thanks God 
for sovereign election. Notice here, But we are bound 
to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by 
the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation." 
Are you afraid to rejoice in sovereign election? It's a strange 
question, but it's a pointed question. You see, very often, 
I don't know if I can say very often, The hearts of some Christians 
don't want to talk about sovereign election sometimes, even when 
they believe in it. It's a hard, mysterious doctrine. 
Sovereign election, this idea that God chose us from the beginning 
for salvation. I don't want to scandalize. I 
don't want to offend in the immaturity, perhaps, of my own heart. I see it a mystery. And I'm not sure what to do with 
it. But you see, in the Scriptures, you see, in Ephesians 1, what 
does Paul do? Does Paul, in Ephesians 1, say, 
Ephesian Christians, I want you to remind you that you were foreordained 
the end? That's not what Paul does, does 
he? What does he say with sovereign election in view? Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. who has given us every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ just as He chose us 
in Him before the foundation of the world. Blessed be the 
triune God for sovereign predestinating grace. In cold mechanistic fashion, 
He predestined us. Period. In love. In love. having predestined us 
to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to 
the counsel of His own will. You see, the authors of Holy 
Scripture aren't cold and dry dogmatists when it comes to the 
doctrine of sovereign election. The authors of Holy Scripture, 
recognizing their standing as men before a thrice-holy God, 
bless that thrice-holy God for the fact and reality of it. Because 
were it not for that, we would miserably perish. So do not be afraid to rejoice 
in sovereign election. Oh sure, the doctrine of the 
high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special 
prudence and care. That's what our confession says. But you see, recognizing the 
biblical data such as apostolic praise, it goes on to say, but 
also, so shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, 
and admiration of God. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us 
in Him before the foundation of the world. sovereign election. Again, if one thing that we are 
to exercise as Christians is no doubt a good handling and 
a prudent care of the doctrine, but rightfully and truly we are 
with apostolic pattern as our guide to rejoice in it, to sing 
the praises of God for his saving and redeeming activity. Paul 
thanks God for the fact that these Thessalonians were from 
the beginning chosen for salvation. Notice, secondly, the theological 
language continues. Because God from the beginning 
chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit. 
through sanctification by the Spirit. Gill, writing on this, 
says, in this, what is going on in this lies in, or rather, 
sanctification lies in the principle of spiritual life in the soul 
and in a principle of spiritual light on the understanding. Now, 
I'll read that again in a second, but he's writing in opposition 
to the idea that sanctification is, first and foremost, or maybe 
solely and alone to be seen in the good works done by the individual 
Christian. That is a reflection, that is 
a result, to be sure, of sanctification. But in opposition to the idea 
that it is solely and alone, that sanctification is solely 
and alone to be seen in good works, Gill says it lies in the 
principle of spiritual life in the soul and in a principle of 
spiritual light on the understanding. And we could say this, Or we 
could flesh this out by asking the question, are you proud of 
yourself with regards to sanctification? Are you proud of yourself? Because you don't do X, Y, and 
Z anymore because you're sanctified. Now, to be sure, we're thankful 
for the fact that God has changed our heart, that God has caused 
us to walk in a manner worthy of His gospel. God forbid that 
I should boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Where 
is boasting then? It is excluded. Because at all 
points in the economy of salvation, in all points of the order of 
salvation, we are to see the working of a triune God who, 
to repeat something, works from midst to last and throughout, 
from beginning to end, without human assistance. It is God who 
is at work in you, both to will and to do, for His good pleasure. Sanctification, first and foremost, 
is a divine grace. It is a divine grace. And by it, and as a result of 
it, we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. But when you think aright, when 
you think aright, that means when you think rightly. We don't 
use aright anymore. But when you think aright, and 
when you perform your duties well, are you proud of yourself? 
Or are you thankful to God for the fact that He called you from 
darkness to light? And really, do you ever, or should 
you ever shine a spotlight on your own good works? The Bible 
says no. Very often this comes in the 
form not of shining the spotlight on ourselves, but of turning 
the spotlight to shine on other people's sins. You know, first off, to shine 
the spotlight on other people's sins, to perhaps think in your 
own heart, just like that Pharisee, what a wretch of a man that is. 
In that, you're saying you're proud of yourself, you're self-righteous, 
just like the Pharisee. Sometimes, not only do you think 
about the fact of other people's sins in order to sort of be proud 
of your sanctification, but you tell others of other people's 
sins. God forbid. God forbid. And usually in that, there is 
rarely a recognition of your own transgressions and your own 
sin. Oh, sometimes you'll throw the 
bone out of, yeah, I'm a sinner too, but X, Y, Z, 45 minutes 
later, this person. We've been saved not by works 
of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, 
he saved us. through the washing of regeneration 
and renewing of the Holy Spirit. You see, there we see sanctification 
in its proper lenses. Sanctification is seen in the 
washing of regeneration and renewing by ourselves, engaging in all 
manner of virtue. No! The washing of regeneration 
and renewing by the Holy Spirit. That's sanctification. We don't 
trumpet our own virtue by shining spotlights on other people's 
sins, whether inwardly or outwardly. We don't trumpet ourselves by 
saying, I've done X, Y, and Z, I've tithed, I've fasted, I've 
done this, Facebook, Twitter, I'm awesome because I'm godly 
and I'm a Christian and I do X, Y, and Z. No. We shine the 
spotlight like Paul does on the grace of our triune God. We shine the spotlight like Paul 
does by pointing his finger, if you will, to the triune God 
and calling on everyone to follow the finger to that place where 
they cast their eyes of faith upon the fount of all Christian 
blessings and all spiritual blessings because they all come from that 
fountainhead, the triune God who saves without a helper and 
dispenses grace with immense mercy and loving kindness. Sovereign election, our sanctification 
is seen in the theological content of this Thanksgiving. Thirdly, 
our faith is seen. Notice the language continues. 
Because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through 
sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. And 
belief in the truth. First off, believing is a gift 
from God. Believing is a gift from God. 
Oh, I believe because I was a little bit better, a little bit smarter. 
The other fellow didn't have his cornflakes in the morning. 
I did, so I was well-fed and disposed to believe in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Believing is a divine grace disposed 
by God to the believer, causing him to rest upon the truths of 
Scripture and to find all that he needs therein. Where do we 
find this in the Bible? We find it in Well, we find it 
in a lot of places, but two places that we're going to look at right 
now. Let's have a look first off. And you should, this should 
be a passage that is in your minds as one of those passages 
that you know and that you need not navigate to to read. But we're going to navigate there 
and read as a congregation because it's a good exercise. Ephesians 
chapter 2 and verse 8. This should be one of those texts 
you know. It is glorious. It shines the spotlight on God. 
It takes it away from us, it puts us in our place, it shows 
God to be rightly in His place, and it sings the praises of victorious 
grace. Ephesians 2.8, For by grace you 
have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it 
is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast, for 
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, 
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of 
yourselves, it is the gift of God." Paul thanks not the Thessalonian 
Christians for believing, but for God who gave them the gift 
of faith to believe in the truth. One other text, Philippians. You can turn to Philippians and 
chapter 1. Again, here we see, and we see 
it not as the primary point of the text, but we see it nevertheless. Philippians 1.27, Only let your 
conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I 
come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that 
you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together 
for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified 
by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, 
But to you of salvation, and that from God, now note, verse 
29, for to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only 
to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. You see, 
this is one of the many reasons why Paul can write, God forbid 
that I should boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Why he can write in Romans, where is boasting then? Where is boasting 
then for the human? It is excluded for the one saved 
by grace. It is excluded because he's saved 
by grace. All of the various aspects of 
the Christian's salvation, election, sanctification, belief in the 
truth, very briefly here, calling and glorification, all of these 
glorious parts that mark the Christian's salvation, thanksgiving 
can be rendered only to God because it is only God that dispenses 
them, that gives them. First, believing is a gift from 
God, but secondly, it is belief in the truth. That shouldn't, hopefully it 
doesn't, come as just a whatever, yeah, for us, brethren beloved 
by the Lord. It's belief in the truth. You 
see, the truth is so important here. First and foremost, what 
do we have here in this word truth? We have the sum and substance 
of it seen in Jesus Christ, don't we? What does he, or who does 
he, identify himself as in John 14 6? I am the way, the truth, 
and the life. He goes on to say in John, well 
actually he says before that in John 8, that the truth shall 
make you free. You see the importance of the 
truth, Jesus Christ being the sum and substance, the center, 
the glorious nucleus of truth, and the one who defines it, the 
one who is truth manifest. And then, of course, the teachings 
that we have by virtue of the capital T Truth coming into this 
world and disclosing, exegeting His Father, revealing His Father 
and the truths that we find in Holy Scripture. We believe in 
the truth. We don't believe somehow ambiguously. We don't believe emotively. We 
don't believe anything save for we believe in the truth. The 
importance of truth, the importance of that however many word, because 
I can't count them now, seven, eight, that eight letter word 
doctrine. D-O-C-T-R-I-N-E. That eight letter 
word doctrine. You see, some people lament it. It's not about doctrine, it's 
about divine encounter and emoting our Christianity by virtue of 
whatever. No, it's about the truth. It's 
about the Word. It's about what God has revealed in Holy Scriptures. 
The truth shall make you free. A warm feeling, you know, a liberating 
emotion, a fuzzy whatever felt won't set you free. If that's 
the case, I've been liberated three times this morning from 
a warm coffee. The truth shall set you free. 
The truth shall make you free. We have been saved by God for 
belief in the truth. Next, we have been called by 
God. We're almost done. If you can 
turn to Thessalonians 2. We'll close here in a moment. 
Two more as we look at the saving benefits, the theological content 
of the thanksgiving. We have here belief in the truth 
and then notice verse 14, to which he called you by our gospel, 
the calling of God. We see this in our Bibles. We 
use the language of effectual calling. You see, there is that 
general call that goes out. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Well, actually, the call prior 
to that is the preaching of Jesus Christ, Him crucified, Him resurrected, 
His authority now ascended to the right hand of the majesty 
on high. Believe on this Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be 
saved. There's that general call in 
the proclamation of the word that goes out. With that, upon 
the elect, upon those foreordained unto salvation, we have that 
effectual call. God in His amazing grace changes 
the hearts of sinners and causes them by that victorious grace 
to come irrevocably to the fountainhead of all divine mercies and redemptive 
perfections. It is the calling of God to which 
He called you by our gospel. And it's important there again 
It was by the truth that we were called. It's we're called to 
believe in the truth, and it was by the truth that we were 
called. It's important to recognize that. 
You see, it is not experience that makes a Christian. Oh, you've 
heard this before, but there's a school of thought out there 
that it's encounter with a divine person that makes us Christians. The truth shall make you free. 
You were called by our gospel. It's somehow our emotional experiences 
that convert us. One man has rightly said, it 
wasn't the shining light or being knocked off the horse that had 
any meaning to the Apostle Paul. It was, I am the Lord Jesus Christ 
whom thou art persecuting. What does that mean? Paul wasn't 
saved by the shining light. He wasn't saved by being knocked 
off the horse. You know, sometimes we use that 
language of, you know, they need some sort of experience to save 
them. You know, they need to be hit 
by a car and then maybe they'll reform their ways and they'll 
believe. Well, being hit by a car and being injured does nothing 
for the soul. It brings no information to you 
that you can reject or by God's grace accept. It wasn't the light 
that saved Paul. It wasn't the knocking off of 
the horse that saved Paul. It was I am Jesus Christ whom 
thou art persecuting. The words of the capital T Truth 
was what Paul was saved by. Divine grace coming by the proclamation 
of the truth. They were saved through belief 
of the truth and to which he called you by our gospel. Calling comes by the preaching 
of truth. the truth shall make you free. 
And lastly, glorification. So we have sovereign election, 
sanctification, faith, calling, and glorification. Notice the 
language of the author continues. The Apostle Paul, verse 14, to 
which he called you by our gospel for the obtaining of the glory 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should see the, among many 
other things, we should see the harmony of scripture here. The 
harmony of the Holy Scriptures. The Apostles are united in this 
declaration that from foreordination and sovereign election to glorification, 
that is a presentation of the saving work of the triune God. 
Just very briefly, Romans 8. Romans 8. Remember what's going 
on in Romans 8. The end here, Paul is proclaiming 
sovereignty of God and the salvation of sinners as he gets more to 
that in Romans 9 but in Romans 8 at verse 29 for whom he foreknew 
he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that 
he might be the firstborn among many brethren moreover whom he 
predestined these he also called whom he called these he also 
justified and whom he justified these he also glorified now that's 
the same author as the second epistle to the Thessalonians, 
we see the same language from election to glorification. Notice 
also in 1 Peter, also in 1 Peter, a bunch of Bible flipping before 
we close with some application and prayer. In 1 Peter, we have 
harmony between Peter, the apostle, and Paul, the apostle. Notice 
in 1 Peter 1 at verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His abundant mercy 
has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection 
of Jesus from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and 
undefiled and that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you 
who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation 
ready to be revealed in the last time. The saint can look with 
certain expectation and assurance towards this glorious truth that 
there is an inheritance which cannot be corrupted, which cannot 
be defiled, which cannot fade away, which is reserved in heaven 
for us. We can long for that. The people 
of this world will trouble us. The trials of this world will 
trouble us. But we have, first off, the glorious 
content of the historical dealings of God in saving our souls. We can also look forward to that 
certain expectation of the bliss of Emmanuel's land. This glory 
that Paul speaks of in 2 Thessalonians 2, we can look forward as saints 
to that. It is the comfort of those who 
have lost ones who have died. Our deacon, Stephen Lawson, is 
comforted by the fact that this Lord God, who chose for salvation 
His Father, who sanctified Him by the Spirit, who gave Him the 
ability to believe in the truth, who called Him by His Gospel, 
has made it such that it is certain that He is now passed into the 
obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that 
a blessing? Isn't that a balm to the soul? 
For us and ourselves, when we endure trial, to be sure, for 
the persecuted Christians in other lands that we know nothing 
of, the body they may kill, God's truth abideth still. Whatever 
harm comes upon me, Lord God, I know this very truth. Not only 
have you saved me with present salvation, but you have obtained 
for me the glory of Emmanuel's land, the glory of heaven, the 
glory of paradise. With expectant minds, we can 
look forward to that. However, our minds are plagued 
by temporal travails and afflictions. We have the most certain truth 
of present and abiding salvation and the certain expectation of 
when those eyes of faith are removed and we see veil-less 
the glory of God in heaven and we sing his praises forever. 
So, brethren, in closing, just three very brief things. we need 
to reflect on our pre-Christian condition. These are aids to 
Thanksgiving. Aids to Thanksgiving. First, 
we need to reflect on our pre-Christian condition, don't we? Because 
if we don't do that, then the content of 13 and 14 don't sing 
as much to our soul, do they? When we reflect about what we 
once were before Christ Jesus came and conquered our hearts 
by amazing grace, we reflect upon that, not in some sort of 
sick way of dwelling too long upon our sins. But we remember 
that from that rock whence we were hewn and we remember that 
pit from which we were digged so that all the more we can then 
turn our gaze to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of 
the world and find all that we need in our blessed Savior. Secondly, 
we reflect on our remaining corruption. If we reflect on the fact that 
we're still sinning, we're not like we used to be. And we're 
not like we're going to be, but we are now, nevertheless, with 
divine grace being our lot, still found to stumble and fall. So 
when we stumble and fall, even as Christians, we're not to beat 
ourselves up and reflect, you know, for three weeks and lash 
ourselves with whips and, you know, drink dishwater. Some sort 
of, you know, some sort of Protestant penance. No, we immediately, 
in the recognition of our remaining corruption, and when we stumble 
as Christians, we fly immediately to the fount of all cleansing. 
Jesus Christ, who poured out his blood to save sinners. It 
is Jesus Christ who forgives, and it is to Jesus Christ that 
we immediately fly. We recognize our remaining corruption 
so that we can send Godward our thanksgivings for salvation by 
amazing grace. And thirdly and lastly, we reflect 
on the mercies of God in Christ Jesus. An aid to thanksgiving 
is always to reflect on the mercies of God in Christ Jesus. You see, 
if we hitch our thanksgivings, if we hitch our joy, if we hitch 
the peace of our mind to this temporal world, we're going to 
be perpetually disappointed, perpetually stressed, perpetually 
sorrowful. But if we hitch the caboose of 
our joy and our thanksgiving, our thankfulness to the mercies 
of God in Christ Jesus, we'll never be disappointed. We need 
to reflect daily and throughout the day on the mercies of God 
in Christ Jesus and therein find our everything, therein find 
what we need to endure in this lower world until we get to the 
glory that Jesus Christ has secured. where there's no more trial, 
affliction, and sorrow, but only perpetual bliss for the saints 
saved by that perfect Savior. And once again, the preacher's 
admonition, the preacher's call, the preacher's plea for those 
who don't know the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's just 
tack that on to the end of the sermon now. It's sincere, it's 
earnest, and it is most necessary. If you're here and you don't 
know the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, you're marked by those 
who Paul separated the Thessalonians from in unbelief. You will perish. Not just the cessation of life, 
but the destruction of your body in death, but the enduring and 
abiding in conscious reality that you rejected the Savior 
and you inherit an eternity in hell. because of your transgressions, 
because of your rejection of God, because of the daily living 
out, breaking His commandments and His precepts. But you see, 
there is a way to everlasting life. There is a way to be saved 
from the folly and the madness of your own depraved mind and 
your sinfulness. And that is in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. 
The simplicity of the Gospel message believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and be saved. It's not this unravelable, hard 
to navigate, meandering web of having to understand how we get 
to heaven that a lot of religions offer. God is holy. You're not. You're a sinner. But there is 
one who was holy and perfect, who lived a perfect life in the 
stead of all who believe, who died a perfect death in the stead 
of all who deserved it, who believe. and believe on him and you shall 
be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
who saves to perfection and who brings you to Emmanuel's land 
to sing his praises. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 
we thank you for the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank 
you for the realities that we see in this epistle. We thank 
you for the glory of salvation by the triune God. We pray that 
you would help us to be thankful, that you would help us to be 
thankful for the right things, that we would send our thanksgivings 
Godward, that Lord God, you would just cause us to be those who 
are daily thankful for the mercies that you give us through Christ 
Jesus, our precious Savior. And we pray that you would save 
those who are unthankful, who are marked by unthankfulness, 
that do not properly render unto you the glory that you deserve 
and the praise. You would conquer their hearts 
by divine grace, cause them to believe the truth, and to find 
all that they need in Christ Jesus, the Lord. We just pray, 
God, that you would now go with us, be with each and every one 
of these gathered here this morning, help each and every one of us, 
Lord God, as we leave this place to conduct ourselves in a manner 
worthy of the gospel of Christ, and that you would receive all 
the glory in our lives here in this lower world. We pray in 
Christ Jesus' name, amen.