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“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, ² and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1–2 (ESV)

Twice in 2 Thessalonians the Apostle Paul, Silas and Timothy offered prayers on behalf of the Thessalonian believers in Christ (1:3-4; 2:13-17). It is certainly appropriate for pastors and elders to pray for the congregation wherein they serve as overseers. Paul and his companions did so. So, should church leaders today.

At the church where I serve as an elder, we pray for the congregation individually collectively and regularly. We also observe an annual Elders’ Prayer Retreat the first, or second, weekend in June. For this extended time, we pray for all requests presented to us beforehand: individually and collectively.

However, how often do believers in Christ pray for their pastors and church elders? How much time and consideration are given by the membership to praying for those individuals who shepherd their local church? Perhaps someone may reply it is the elders’ and pastors’ job to pray for the church, not the other way around. This perspective is not only short sided, it is also unbiblical.

Today’s text supports the need for believers in Christ to pray for those who minister to them as church leaders. It matters little if those leaders are evangelists, missionaries, elders, or pastor/teachers. All leaders need prayer and all believers need to pray for their leaders.

Paul strikes a biblical balance between the sovereignty of God in salvation and the responsibility of believers in Christ to share the Gospel. Additionally, it is appropriate for believers to pray for the effectual ministry of the Gospel in the conversion of sinners.

“One of the most striking things about the Bible’s teaching on divine sovereignty and human responsibility is that while we might be inclined to set them in opposition, the biblical authors never do so. Commentators note that Paul’s request for prayer in 2 Thessalonians 3:1–2 is connected to his conviction of divine election in 2:13–17 through his use of the word “finally.” Paul saw the certainty of God’s electing grace as making it more necessary to pray for the gospel’s success, not less. While there is some mystery here, this connection is not wholly inexplicable. If we are confident that God has His people all over the world and that His gospel will certainly save them, then we are encouraged to pray because we know that all prayers for the salvation of His elect will be answered in the affirmative,” states Dr. R.C. Sproul.

In bringing his second letter to a conclusion with the phrase “Finally, brothers,” Paul said, “pray for us” (προσεύχεσθε περὶ ἡμῶν; proseuchesthe peri hemon). This phrase is a present, middle or personal, imperative, plural verb. Paul was not presenting a casual request. The apostle was commanding the church to pray for him, Silas and Timothy. These were strong words filled with apostolic authority. Why was Paul so adamant about the Thessalonians praying for him and his partners in ministry, and by implication, all believers praying for their church leaders?

The first reason Paul gave was “that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you.” Paul was not requesting prayer for any personal peace of affluence. Rather, his prayer request was for the advancement of the Gospel. The phrase may speed ahead (τρέχῃ; treche) was for the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to spread rapidly and to grow quickly. To be honored (δοξάζηται; doxazetai) refers to people respecting and glorifying the Gospel. By doing so, God is glorified.  

“Paul sets much store by the intercession of fellow-believers for himself and his fellow-workers (see on 1 Thess. 5:25; cf. Rom. 15:30–32; 2 Cor. 1:11; Phil. 1:19; Col. 4:2; Philem. 22). It is not improbable that here the present tense has continuative force: “Continue to pray for us,” or “Pray constantly for us.” Note, however, that the prayer is not so much for personal blessings as it is for the progress of the gospel by means of the work of the missionaries, though the latter does not exclude the former,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

“Paul prays that the word of the Lord (called thus because it proceeds from him and refers to him, that is, to the Lord Jesus Christ) may run (or may run its race) without hindrance and constant interference from the side of the enemy. That this is the meaning is shown by the immediate context. The apostle adds: and be crowned with glory (or simply: “and be glorified”). The fact that he is here employing a figure is evident at once, for in the literal sense of the term “the word of the Lord” does not “run.”

“It is surely entirely in line with Pauline usage to suggest that, as in many other passages so also here, the apostle is borrowing a metaphor from the race-track (cf. Rom. 9:16; 1 Cor. 9:24–27; Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Phil. 2:16). The author of Hebrews makes use of the same figure (Heb. 12:1, 2). However, the verb “and be glorified” which can be somewhat freely translated “and be crowned with glory” also indicates that in his mind the reality emerges out from under the figure. The word of the Lord is glorified when it is accepted by true faith, so that it begins to adorn the lives of believers. Now this “word of the Lord” had been successful in Thessalonica.”^[1]

The second reason was “that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.” To be delivered (ῥυσθῶμεν; rhysthomen) means to be rescued from danger. The danger was from wicked (ἀτόπων; atopon) and evil (πονηρῶν; pomeron) individuals. These were they who possessed respectively improper behavior and immoral natures. In other words, they were people without faith in Christ. They were the unconverted.

The meaning is: “Most people have and show in their conduct the very opposite of faith, namely, unbelief, vicious opposition to the truth.” Lack of faith explains the hostile attitude to Christ, his gospel, his ambassadors,” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.^[2]

May we not only pray for those who minister and lead our local churches, but also for the spread of the Gospel. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

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^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of I-II Thessalonians, vol. 3, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 194.

^[2] Ibid.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (ESV)

A SERMON DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON ON THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 15, 1888.

There is only one more expression upon which I will say a sentence or so. God has given us “good hope through grace.” It is of grace, and therefore it is a gift, and He has given it to us through the operation of His grace upon our hearts. It is a hope, a good hope, a “good hope through grace.” We have a good hope that God’s love will never fail us, and that, when life dies out on earth, we shall enter into His rest forever, and behold His face with joy, we have a good hope that, when days and years are past, we shall meet in heaven, we have a good hope of dwelling throughout eternity with our God, “forever with the Lord.”

O Father, after You have done so much for us, and given so much to us, it is but little we ask of You now, when we pray You to comfort our hearts, and to stablish us in every good word and work! I cannot understand what those do who have no God, I cannot comprehend the condition of those who have no “good hope through grace.” What can they do?

They have to work very hard from Monday morning to Saturday night, on Sunday, they have no day of rest, no thought of a world to come, no rising to a purer atmosphere. They lie in bed, perhaps, in the morning, and then get up, and lounge about in their shirtsleeves, there is nothing for them to get but what is found beneath the moon, and very little of that. It is better to be a dog than a man if there is no hope of a hereafter. It is better not to live at all than to live such a dead, good-for-nothing life as that man lives those lives without God, and without hope. Surely, you who are without God and without Christ, have your sinking, your mourning, your dull times, have you not? What do you do then? Perhaps you try to drug yourself with strong drink. Alas, some do that, and this is mischievous indeed, to try to poison conscience, and silence the best friend you have within you!

Do not so, but think about God, and about “our Lord Jesus Christ.” This way lies hope, where stands that cross, and He pleads who received there those five wounds for sinners, this way lies your only hope. Oh, that you would think of it, and consider it! If God Himself comes down from heaven to save men, it must be worthwhile for man to look and understand what God did for him in that wondrous sacrifice. Look, for— “There is life for a look at the Crucified One;” look now, for— “There is life at this moment for thee.”

Especially is their life for you who came in here troubled, downcast, almost wishing you were not alive at all, but fearing that, when life came to an end, it might be worse for you than ever, for you have “the dread of something after death.” Oh, that you were reconciled to God through the death of Jesus Christ! That being done, He would comfort your hearts, and you would be led into every good word and work through gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, and His grace would save you, and preserve you to the end. May this be the very moment when you shall seek and find the Lord! “If thou seek him, he will be found of thee.” God grant it, for His dear son’s sake! Amen.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (ESV)

A SERMON DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON ON THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 15, 1888.

The third point, with which I close, is this. WHAT DOES PAUL MENTION IN HIS PRAYER AS PLEAS? He mentioned several facts for the strengthening of the faith of those for whom he prayed, and gave arguments which they should use while pleading with God for others. Let us speak of these arguments very briefly, there are six of them.

First, Paul says that Jesus is ours. He is asking for comfort and establishment, and he begins his prayer, “Now, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.” Do, if you can, get the sweetness of this expression, “Our Lord Jesus Christ.” Why did not Paul say, “The Lord Jesus Christ”? Why did he not say, “My Lord Jesus Christ”? No, here is a plural possessive pronoun, “Our Lord Jesus Christ.” Is it so, then, that God has given us the Lord Jesus Christ Himself to be ours? Can we not only call His blood ours, and His resurrection ours, and His kingdom ours, but is He Himself ours? Oh, can we get a grip of Him as “My Beloved”? Is He my Husband, my Covenant Head, my Jesus, and my all?

Come, then, beloved, I was going to say that you hardly need pray for comfort, because you have it already, you have it in Jesus. Here is a solid mass of the pure gold of comfort in the fact that Jesus Christ Himself is yours. You are Christ’s, but Christ is also yours. As the husband belongs to the wife, and the wife belongs to the husband, so there is a mutual possession between Christ and you who are believers in Him. Are you poor, then? What! And yet Christ is yours? Do you say that you are helpless and friendless? How is that when you can say, “Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself”? No, here is a well opened in the desert for you, come and say to it, “Spring up, O well!” Sing ye unto it, drink of its living water, and fill your earthen vessels to the full. There is comfort enough for all saints in “Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.”

The second plea in Paul’s prayer is that God is our Father, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father.” I have already shown you what a mine and mountain of delightful consolation lies in the fact that the God who made the heavens and the earth, the omnipotent and unchangeable JEHOVAH, is “our Father.”

Do not think that this is a mere metaphor, that God is only set forth to us under the image of a father. There is no doubt that He is our Father, it is a matter of fact, if we are trusting His Son. “Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.” We have been begotten again by God, our new birth is from His power and His divine energy, we belong to His family, and shall never be cast out of it. Dear friends, what a plea this is in prayer! “My Father, wilt thou not comfort my heart? My Father, wilt thou let thy child despond? My Father, wilt thou not relieve me in the hour of my distress? Jesus Christ, my Lord Jesus Christ, do this for me, and great God, my Father, fail not to cheer my heart.”

Then the apostle goes on to remind us that God has loved us. Kindly look at the text, and remember it, “God, even our Father, which hath loved us.” You do not expect me to preach from those words, do you? “Which hath loved us.” I cannot comprehend this truth, I can very well understand God pitying us, as we pity a beggar in the streets, but God’s loving us always deprives me of the power to explain it. There was nothing in us to love, there was everything in us loathsome, and nothing lovable, yet the Lord loved us ere the world began, He has loved us without bound, so as to give His only-begotten Son to die for us. Is not that a powerful plea in prayer? “Lord, comfort my heart; stablish me in every good word and work, for thou hast loved me, therefore go on to love me. If You have given me Your love, surely You will not deny me the comforts of Your face, and the consolations of Your word.”

Then Paul adds, “Who hath loved us, and hath given us.” God has given us much, and all His past gifts are pleas for more gifts. Men do not plead so. The beggar in the street cannot say, “Give me a penny today because you gave me one yesterday,” else we might reply, “That is the reason why I should not give you anymore.”

But when dealing with God, this is a good plea. “O flowing Fountain, thou hast long been flowing, flow on still! O blessed Sun, thou didst shine yesterday, shine still today!” God loves us to make His past mercies arguments for obtaining future blessings, so the apostle says, “God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us.” But what has God given us? God has given us “everlasting consolation.”

Catch at that expression, for it reminds us of everlasting love, the everlasting covenant, the everlasting promises, everlasting redemption, and the everlasting heaven. Men nowadays clip this word “everlasting” round the edges, we do not, we take it as we find it. That which is everlasting lasts forever, be you assured of that. And God has given us consolation which will last us in life, and last us in death, and last us throughout eternity. Well, if He has given us “everlasting consolation,” we may well plead that He would graciously enable us to lay hold upon it, that our hearts may be comforted and cheered, and that we may be established in every good word and work.

More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

Our current weekly study from Scripture concerns the subject of holiness. This week’s essay continues to examine the holiness of God from Isaiah 6:1-7.

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:1-5)

“The holiness of God is traumatic to unholy people.” – Dr. R. C. Sproul

The result of the Seraphim’s antiphonal praise of the LORD was “the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.” Inanimate objects possessed the sense to quake at the sound of this worship and in the presence of the God who is holy, holy, holy. The scene within the temple also symbolized the wrath and judgment of God upon sinners (cf. Ex. 19:16–20; Rev. 15:8).

What hope does any sinner have before the awesome holiness of God? There is no hope in ourselves. The LORD is holy, holy, holy. He remains sacred, set apart, consecrated, uncommon and uniquely different from sinful humanity. Sinners, on the other hand, are secular, profane, and all to commonly acquainted with all manner of sin. This applies to sinners like you, me and the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah’s response to what he witnessed was profound. “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5)

Isaiah may have been one of the most righteous individuals the nation of Judah had in the 8^th century B.C. He was a prophet par excellence. He was the quintessential spokesperson for God. The priest of God spoke to the LORD on behalf of the people of God. The prophet of God spoke to the people of God on behalf of the LORD.

The prophet’s primary message was called the oracle. An oracle is an authoritative and wise declaration from God through a spokesperson. It is a divine announcement prefaced by the phrase, “Thus says the LORD.”

The Old Testament oracle existed in two forms. There was an oracle from the LORD of joy, approval and blessing upon the people. This oracle was often prefaced by the word “blessed” (Psalm 1:1; Matt. 5:1-12). There was also an oracle from the LORD of judgment, wrath and condemnation upon the people because of their sin (Psalm 1:4-5). This oracle of judgment was accompanied by the word “woe” (Matt. 23:13-36).

Upon seeing the glory of God, and witnessing the resounding praise from the Seraphim, Isaiah cries out ““Woe is me!” Isaiah pronounced judgment upon himself. He became a broken man. For the first time Isaiah saw God for who He truly was and is: holy. Concurrently, for the first time Isaiah saw himself for who he truly was: unholy. In light of this startling recognition, Isaiah pronounced judgment: not upon the kingdoms of Israel or Judah, but rather upon himself.  

Why did Isaiah respond in this manner? Why did he acknowledge he was a broken man, lost or undone before God? It was because he understood, perhaps for the first time, he was a man with a heart filled with sin, and God was holy. Isaiah particularly identified his speech.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “If the lips are unclean, so is the heart. This vision of God’s holiness vividly reminded the prophet of his own unworthiness which deserved judgment. Job (Job 42:1-6) and Peter (Luke 5:1-8) came to the same realization about themselves when confronted with the presence of the LORD (Ezekiel 1:28:2:7; Revelation 1:1-7).”

Jesus said in Mark 7:14-23. “And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus, he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

The Prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9). The prophet was not only speaking of the individual, but also of the entire nation of Judah. See Jeremiah 17:1-8.

Dr. R. C. Sproul explains, “Isaiah is astonished by the glory of God; like Peter, he becomes afraid (Luke 5:1-8). He pronounces an oracular curse upon himself. His conviction of sin is specific: he has unclean lips. The fact that others around him suffer from the same condition compounds his sin rather than alleviating it.”

“… for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Often when we consider the holiness of God, and by consequence our sin, we tend to evaluate ourselves either by ourselves or by others. We dismiss our sin by saying it is not so bad. Or we look to others and favorably compare ourselves by saying we are not as bad as they are.

Isaiah would have none of this. He compared himself to the thrice holy God and became a broken man; a man “lost” or “undone.” Isaiah was no longer a man who had it altogether, but rather a man who was falling apart.

To truly know God is to recognize and understand He is holy, holy, holy, and we are not. He is set apart from sin, while we belong and revel in sin. He is uncommon sacred and we are all to secular and worldly. He is holy and we are profane.

How then can sinful creatures ever hope to eternally be in the presence of this God who is holy, holy, holy? Our only hope or confidence is in the gracious redemption of the LORD. We need the LORD to touch us in order to purge away our sin so we can become holy as He is holy (Lev. 11:44; I Peter 1:16). This is what Isaiah needed. It is what unconverted sinners need. It is also what believers in Christ continually need.

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (ESV)

A SERMON DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON ON THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 15, 1888.

As I look at my text, a second question comes to my mind. WHY DOES THE APOSTLE SO SPECIALLY ADDRESS THIS PRAYER? Notice to whom he addresses it, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father…comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” Why is this?

It seems to me that, in the first place, in this prayer the whole Trinity is supplicated. When the apostle is desiring comfort to be given, he does not mention the Comforter, for that is needless, it would occur to every Christian mind that the Holy Spirit was necessary, since in comforting and quickening He is only exercising His special office, but the apostle does mention “Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father,” so that, to the mind of the thoughtful reader, the prayer for comfort and establishment is directed to the ever-blessed Three-in-One.

Oh, that we oftener remembered the distinction of the Divine Persons without dividing the divine substance! It becomes instructed believers to remember that one blessing comes from the Father, another blessing from the Son, and a third blessing through the Holy Spirit. There are times when it would seem as if the one blessing must come through the three Divine Persons, that there must be a manifestation of the whole Trinity to produce the result. I cannot help noticing that truth, and reminding you how the Savior is especially placed here side by side with “God, even our Father,” that we may see that equal reverence is to be paid to Him with the Father, and equal prayer to be offered to Him with that presented to the great Father of spirits.

But then, I think next, that mention is here made of “Our Lord Jesus Christ himself” because, as the prayer is for consolation, He is “the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, but Christ Himself is the comfort, the Holy Spirit gives the consolation, but Jesus Christ is the consolation. Beloved, we are never so comforted as when we turn to our blessed Lord Himself. His humanity, His sympathy with us, His griefs, His bearing our infirmities, His putting away of our sins, His pleading for us at the right hand of God, His everlasting union with His people—all this makes us turn our eye to Him. He is the Sun that makes our day, from Him flows that “river of the water of life” which quenches our thirst.

So you see why the “Lord Jesus Christ himself” is mentioned in this prayer for comfort, since He is the every essence of the believer’s consolation. But then we are reminded of “God, even our Father,” and is not this expression brought to our mind that we may derive comfort from the relation which God bears to His people? O ye children of God, does not the recollection that He is your Father comfort you? Children of the heavenly King, is not the fact of your relationship to Him a well of unceasing consolation? What more do you require to lift your spirits out of the dust, than to know that this manner of love has been bestowed upon you, that you should be called the children of God, “and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ”?

I do believe that, if the Holy Spirit only lays home to the heart the fact of our new birth, and our adoption into the family of God, we have enough comfort to make us swim through seas of trouble without fear, and also enough motive for the most constant, diligent service, when we know that it is for our Father who is in heaven that we are spending the strength that He Himself gives us.

Do you not see, therefore, why the apostle thus addresses His prayer to “God, even our Father,” and to “our Lord Jesus Christ himself”? And is not this another reason why Paul thus prayed, because he would remind us that it requires the direct action of the Godhead upon our hearts to produce comfort and constancy? This is especially evident at certain times.

Very frequently, when I have to comfort mourners, cases will occur in which a young husband has been taken away, leaving a large family of little children unprovided for, or else, two persons have been together for many years, till their lives have grown into one, and on a sudden, the wife or the husband has been taken away, I have said, and I cannot help saying it often, “My dear friend,  I cannot comfort you as I should like to, I have never been exactly in your circumstances, and therefore I cannot enter into your peculiar grief, but I would remind you that one Person of the Divine Trinity has undertaken the office of Comforter, and He can do what nobody else can.”

You must sometimes have felt the power of a single text of Scripture laid upon a wound in your heart, it will staunch the bleeding, and heal by a sort of heavenly magic. Have you not at times felt in a flutter of distress, so that you could not rest? Christian friends have spoken kindly to you, but they only seemed to mock you, then, in a moment, a soft, calming influence has stolen over your spirit, and you have felt that you could bear ten times the weight which had almost crushed you an hour before?

God can comfort to purpose, hence the apostle did not say, “I hope you will enjoy the comfort I have given you, or that, peradventure, your minister next Lord’s-day may give you,” but this was his prayer at this particular juncture, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”

It is grand in your prayers to fall back upon your God, and upon a God whom you know as your Lord Jesus Christ, and your Father, and to feel, “The case is beyond me, but it is not beyond my God. The trial overwhelms me even in my sympathy with the tried one, how much more does it overwhelm the actual bearer of it, but I put you and your sorrow into hands quite equal to the emergency, and leave you there.”

More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (ESV)

A SERMON DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON ON THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 15, 1888.

Now let me turn the text around the other way. I think that these two things are put together because establishment in word and work is so necessary for our comfort. I said we must be comforted that we might be constant in the service of God, now I put it that we must be constant in the service of God that we may be comforted. God does not give His dainties to idlers. He has choice secrets into which He does not admit everybody, or even all of His own family.

When we are diligent in His service, and all our powers are fully consecrated to Him, then He gives us gracious rewards, not of debt, but according to the discipline of His own house, wherein He honors the faithful, and chastises those who are negligent. Now, beloved, you will miss your comfort when you begin to neglect your work.

I know how it used to be with the boys at home. In cold weather they huddled round the fire, almost sat on the fire, it was so cold that they could not tell how they would live through the bitter winter, but when Father came in, he said, “Now, you boys, set to work, and clear away that snow, don’t sit here idle, go and do something,” and they came in with ruddy cheeks, and somehow or other the temperature seemed to have altered considerably, for they were quite warm from their exercise.

I do think the best thing that could happen to some men would be that they might have something to do. I do not find much about depression of spirit in the journals of Mr. Wesley, or Mr. Whitefield, and men of that sort, who spent themselves in the Lord’s service. The fact is, the Lord seemed to carry them on from one work to another, and from strength to strength in their service, and they were comforted as to their hearts because they were established in every good word and work.

These things act and react one upon another, the comfort makes us work, the work brings to us a fresh measure of comfort. See how even the Savior puts it. He says, “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” That is the first rest, pardon of sin. What next? “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” That is another rest over and above what Jesus gives. “Through bearing my yoke, you shall find in my service rest unto your souls.” God grant us grace to seek that rest which we are to find, now that we have received the rest which Jesus gives to those who come unto Him!

I have not yet fully answered this question—Why is there the conjunction of these two things, comfort and constancy? I think it is because the two blended together serve a very useful purpose. We are in this world to bear witness, and by our bearing witness we are to bring others to faith in Christ through the operation of the Holy Spirit. Now, there are some people who are only to be won for Christ by the holy confidence and comfort of believers. I am sure that, if a Christian woman, in the time of affliction at home, is calm, patient, resigned, and happy, she is more likely to see her husband converted by the comfort that religion brings to her own heart than by taking him to hear a sermon. By her Christian character, she will preach to him, and supply him with evidence of the power of grace which he will not be able to gainsay.

I have known persons, in a storm at sea, exercise great influence over all in the vessel by the way in which they have been able to live above the storm, resting patiently in God, and in times of personal sickness, what a wonderful influence there is about holy patience! Some members of the family, who never have been moved by the external services of religion, have been deeply impressed by the patience of great sufferers, and especially by the serenity of dying saints. They have said to themselves, “There is something in this religion, after all, there is no mistake about it, the grace which could support and calm the heart at such a time as this, must be the gift of God.”

Now, if this were accompanied by idleness, it would lose much or all of its force, but when this holy calm comes over one who, in days of health, was full of active service for the Master, then the two things together become powerful arguments which gainsayers are not able to resist. Do seek to have this blessed blending, this comfort, like a light that burns within the lamp, and then this establishment in word and work, like the rays of light that stream from the lantern at the head of the lighthouse, that all may see, both far and near. And I should like to give one other answer to this query, which is this. Paul in his prayer puts the two things together, because there is great need for both.

There is great need to pray that our Father would comfort the hearts of His people, for there is trouble enough in the land, there is trouble enough in every house, there is trouble enough for each one of us, we do need you to often pray for us, that God would comfort our hearts.

More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (ESV)

A SERMON DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON ON THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 15, 1888.

 THE Thessalonians had been a good deal fluttered by certain persons who had said that the coming of the Lord was immediately at hand. Paul therefore bade them be steadfast, and not be worried and perplexed by any such teaching, and then he presented this prayer to God for them, that they might have these two things, comfort and constancy, that God would comfort their hearts, and establish them “in every good word and work.” It is a very blessed and comprehensive prayer, and while we are thinking of it, let us be praying it for ourselves, and for one another, that the Lord may comfort our hearts, and establish us “in every good word and work.”

The first inquiry to be answered is this, WHY IS THERE THE CONJUNCTION OF THESE TWO THINGS IN THIS REMARKABLE PRAYER? Why is it put thus, “Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father…comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work”? I answer, first, the two things, comfort and constancy, are put together because comfort by itself is not enough.

We do not desire first and above all things that Christians should have comfort. It is a very great privilege to be comforted, especially by the Comforter, for such comfort is sound, and safe, and holy, but at the same time, they err who think that the first and chief reason for knowing God is that you may feel comforted and happy. I fear that there are many who are under that notion. They expect every sermon to comfort them, otherwise they think it is a wasted opportunity. Even when they are alone in prayer, their chief thought is that they want to be comforted by their own devotion.

But sometimes, rebuke is better than comfort, and spiritual quickening, and especially true sanctification, are more greatly to be valued than any measure of comfort whatsoever. If we were to confine ourselves to prayer for the Lord only to comfort His people, we should have a very imperfect form of intercession. No, it needs that we should not only be comforted by our religion, but that we should be led by it into holy activity, so as to abound in every good word and work, and be established therein.

I give another answer to the question. Why is there this conjunction between comfort and constancy? Because establishment in every good word and work is not enough if it is alone. We need to be comforted as well as to serve the Lord.

Our God is not like Pharaoh, who would not give to the children of Israel even a day in which they might have rest, and worship God. Pharaoh said, “Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let (or hinder) the people from their works? Get you unto your burdens,” but God does not speak so to us. The service which His children render to Him is quite compatible with rest. We are like certain birds that are said to rest on the wing, we never have a better rest than when every faculty is occupied in the service of our Lord. But work by itself, establishment in every good word and work alone, might tend to weariness, we might be jaded, if God did not minister to us divine consolation while we served Him.

Moreover, I am sure that we should never do the work well if God did not comfort us, for unhappy workers, those who do not love their work, and are not at home in it, those who feel no comfort of religion themselves, are generally very poor and unsuccessful workers.

The second blessing mentioned in our text is certainly a very necessary one, this establishing in every good word and work, but you also need the first one, that God may, “comfort your hearts.” When you get the two together, when you are up to your necks in holy service, and up to your hearts in divine comfort, then these two things cause you not to be barren or unfruitful, and at the same time they help you not to be weary in well-doing. You are made to be “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,” because you are comforted with the belief that “your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I see those two reasons for the conjunction of comfort and constancy in the text, first, because comfort alone is not sufficient, and secondly, because constancy without comfort will not suffice us.

And next, dear friends, it is because the comfort of the heart aids in the establishment of the soul in service. They are put together because the one helps the other. May the Lord “comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work!” He that is happy in the Lord will persevere in the service of the Lord. He that derives real support and comfort from his religion is the man who will not backslide from it.

I notice that it is usually thus with those who decline, they first of all lose the comfort and joy of religion, they have not the brightness and delight that they once had in the things of God, and then, of course, they drop first this particular service, and then the other, they begin to absent themselves from the means of grace, prayer meetings, and so forth, because they miss what is so material a stay to the establishment of their minds, that is, the comfort, and joy, and peace that true religion used to bring them.

Whenever you are not happy in the Lord, I urge you not to rest until you become so. It is no small evil to get out of the sunlight of God’s countenance. A dear child will not say, “If my father is angry with me, it does not matter, he will not kill me, I shall always be his child.” No, just in proportion as he enjoys his father’s love, it will be painful to him to come in the least degree under his father’s displeasure, and he will cry out to be fully restored, and to have again from those dear lips the kiss of forgiveness that will put away all his offenses.

So, dear friends, do believe that your lack of comfort is an evil thing, which may lead to your loss of industry and perseverance in the cause of your Lord. If your heart be not comforted of God, you are not likely to be “stablished in every good word and work.”

More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (ESV)

Following his extensive treatise on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 3:1-15), the Apostle Paul invoked a prayer on behalf of not only himself, but also Silas, Timothy and the Thessalonians believers. It is a prayer in which the entire triune Godhead was involved. The Holy Spirit inspired the prayer (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), while God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father are the objects of the prayer.

The prayer contains two primary divisions. First, Paul expressed adoration and praise to God. Second, the apostle presented his petition and request before God. The order is significant. Prayer should always begin with adoration to be followed by supplication.

Paul’s adoration and praise to God in prayer focused upon the Lord’s love, comfort, hope and grace towards sinners like himself, Silas, Timothy and the Thessalonians. These attributes and actions by God dominated the apostle’s praise.

The phrase who loved us (ἀγαπήσας ἡμᾶς; agapesas hemas) refers to the Lord’s self-sacrificial love of the will. Paul described such love in I Corinthians 13:1-8). The Apostle John set forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the perfect embodiment of such love (I John 4:7-12). God’s love summarized the entire scope of God’s salvation (Rom. 3:21-26; 5:1-10; Eph. 2:1-10).

Comfort (παράκλησιν; paraklesin) is encouragement and consolation. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church describing the Lord as the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-7). This comfort is eternal (αἰωνίαν; aionian) or unlimited by time.

Hope (ἐλπίδα; elpida) refers to confident expectation because what God promises he will fulfill. Paul called this hope from God good (ἀγαθὴν; agathen). God’s hope is pleasant and nice.

God’s love, comfort and hope are by the means of His grace (χάριτι; chariti). This is the Lord’s unmerited kindness and favor towards those who deserve His wrath and judgment.

The apostle’s request before God was for continued comfort and establishment of the Thessalonian believers. To establish (στηρίξαι; sterixai) means to strengthen and make more firm. This comfort and strength would come from every good work and word.

Every good work (παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ; panti ergo agatho) refers to all the pleasant tasks the believers would accomplish for God. The word (λόγῳ; logo) means the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One commentator writes, “Having exhorted us not to be shaken by false teaching regarding the return of Christ and having called us to stand fast in the truth (2 Thess. 2:1–15), Paul prays that God, who has given us eternal comfort in Christ, will comfort our hearts and establish in them every good work and word. The Lord must bless the teaching of His Word if that Word is to bear fruit in the good work of obedience and trust in His truth.”

“Because of remaining sin, even we who believe in Jesus are constantly fighting against doubt and against desires that are contrary to the Lord. This would be a losing battle if it were not for God’s gracious work to keep us in the faith and to root out and destroy the remnants of our fallenness (Rom. 7:7–25). Without this, there is no hope. Sinners do not need merely more information about what is right and true but need new hearts that the Lord sustains in love of Him and His Word (Ezek. 36:26).”

John Calvin comments, “Unquestionably there will be but an empty sound striking upon the ear, if doctrine does not receive efficacy from the Spirit.”

“Divine grace is not something that we need only at the start of our Christian Walk but at every step of the journey. Thanks be to God, He not only brings us into the faith, but He also sustains our faith and will complete the good work He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6). Let us thank the Lord for His grace this day and admit our continual need of His sustaining work in our hearts,” concludes Dr. R. C. Sproul.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹³ But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ¹⁴ To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13–15 (ESV)

On the basis of God’s unconditional election of sinners unto salvation, which the Apostle Paul stated in vs. 13-14, what is to be the believer’s response?  Paul sets for the purpose and response for the believer in vs. 15 of today’s text. Believers in Christ are to stand firm in biblical doctrine. Our trust in, commitment to, dependence upon and worship of the Lord must be grounded in biblical truth (Psalm 1; 19; 119; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

“Regrettably, many believers today regard Christian doctrine as merely theoretical, having no practical value. For Paul and the other Apostles, however, theology was immensely practical. Just consider 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12. Why does Paul remind us of various doctrines regarding what must happen before Christ returns? Because he does not want us to be “shaken in mind or alarmed” (v. 2). He teaches doctrine so that readers will enjoy the practical benefits of emotional stability and confidence in Christ,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

So then, brothers (οὖν ἄρα; oun ara) can be translated “therefore.” This phrase indicates a conclusion, consequence or result. In other words, what is the consequential or resulting behavior of God’s people to His unconditional election of sinners unto salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone? The word brothers (ἀδελφοί; adelphoi) in the context refers to fellow believers in Christ or the church. (2 Thess. 1:1).

Believers in Christ are to stand firm and hold. To stand firm (στήκετε; stekete) is a present, active, imperative, plural verb. To stand firm is to be done presently, actively, obediently and collectively by the believing community. It means to have determination and steadfastness. To hold (κρατεῖτε; krateite) is also a present, active, imperative, plural verb. It means to seize and take possession. In what is the church to stand firm and hold?

To the traditions you were taught by us. Traditions (παραδόσεις; paradoseis) refers to doctrine or teachings handed down from one generation to the next generation. In this context, the traditions were the doctrines Paul, Silas and Timothy taught (ἐδιδάχθητε; edidachthete) and instructed the Thessalonian believers. This was done either by their spoken word (Acts 17:1-9) or by their first and second letter (I Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1).

John Calvin writes, “Some restrict this to precepts of external polity; but this does not please me, for he points out the manner of standing firm. Now, to be furnished with invincible strength is a much higher thing than external discipline. Hence, in my opinion, he includes all doctrine under this term, as though he had said that they have ground on which they may stand firm, provided they persevere in sound doctrine, according as they had been instructed by him.”

“I do not deny that the term παραδόσεις is fitly applied to the ordinances which are appointed by the Churches, with a view to the promoting of peace and the maintaining of order, and I admit that it is taken in this sense when human traditions are treated of, (Matthew 15:6.) Paul, however, will be found in the next chapter making use of the term tradition, as meaning the rule that he had laid down, and the very signification of the term is general. The context, however, as I have said, requires that it be taken here to mean the whole of that doctrine in which they had been instructed. For the matter treated of is the most important of all — that their faith may remain secure in the midst of a dreadful agitation of the Church.”

“In context, the traditions to which Paul refers are found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12, where Paul reminds his readers that what he says in writing is what he had told them face-to-face (v. 5). In other words, Paul did not tell the Thessalonians by mouth anything other than the traditions he puts into writing. There is no body of teaching that the Apostles wanted the church to have that can be found outside the Scriptures,” concludes Dr. Sproul. (See 2 Tim. 3:16–17).

Scripture reveals what sinners must believe in order to be saved and how then they must live to please God. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a God-honoring day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹³ But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ¹⁴ To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 (ESV)

A SERMON DELIVERED ON SABBATH MORNING, SEPTEMBER 2, 1855, BY THE REV. C. H. SPURGEON, AT NEW PARK STREET CHAPEL, SOUTHWARK.

And now, lastly, to the ungodly. What says election to you? First, you ungodly ones, I will excuse you for a moment. There are many of you who do not like election and I cannot blame you for it, for I have heard those preach election, who have sat down and said, “I have not one word to say to the sinner.” Now, I say you ought to dislike such preaching as that, and I do not blame you for it. But I say, take courage, take hope, O you sinner, that there is election.

So far from dispiriting and discouraging you, it is a very hopeful and joyous thing that there is an election. What if I told you perhaps none can be saved, none are ordained to eternal life? Would you not tremble and fold your hands in hopelessness and say, “Then how can I be saved, since none are elect?” But I say there is a multitude of elect, beyond all counting—a host that no mortal can number.

Therefore, take heart, you poor sinner! Cast away your despondency—may you not be elect as well as any other? for there is chosen an innumerable host. There is joy and comfort for you! Then, not only take heart, but go and try the Master. Remember, if you were not elect, you would lose nothing by it. What did the four lepers say? “Let us fall unto the host of the Syrians, for if we stay here, we must die, and if we go to them, we can but die.” O sinner! Come to the throne of electing mercy.

You may die where you are. Go to God, and even supposing He should spurn you, suppose His uplifted hand should drive you away—a thing impossible—yet you will not lose anything. You will not be more damned for that. Besides, supposing you are damned, you would have the satisfaction at least of being able to lift up your eyes in hell and say, “God, I asked mercy of You and You would not grant it. I sought it, but You did refuse it.” That you never shall say, O sinner! If you go to Him and ask Him, you shall receive, for He never has spurned one yet! Is not that hope for you?

What though there is an allotted number, yet it is true that all who seek belong to that number. Go you and seek, and if you should be the first one to go to hell, tell the devils that you did perish thus—tell the demons that you are a castaway, after having come as a guilty sinner to Jesus. I tell you it would disgrace the Eternal—with reverence to His name—and He would not allow such a thing. He is jealous of His honor and He could not allow a sinner to say that. But ah, poor soul! Do not think thus, that you can lose anything by coming.

There is yet one more thought—do you love the thought of election this morning? Are you willing to admit its justice? Do you say, “I feel that I am lost. I deserve it and if my brother is saved, I cannot murmur. If God destroys me, I deserve it, but if He saves the person sitting beside me, He has a right to do what He will with His own, and I have lost nothing by it.” Can you say that honestly from your heart?

If so, then the doctrine of election has had its right effect on your spirit, and you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. You are brought where you ought to be, where the Spirit wants you to be, and being so this morning, depart in peace. God has forgiven your sins. You would not feel that if you were not pardoned, you would not feel that if the Spirit of God were not working in you. Rejoice, then, in this. Let your hope rest on the cross of Christ. Think not on election, but on Christ Jesus. Rest on Jesus—Jesus first, midst, and without end.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!