WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.000 So let me summarize, give a brief summary of the first letter of Thessalonians. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:17.000 So this was an important city, actually was the capital of Roman province of Macedonia. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:27.000 And everything started in Acts chapter 17, when we have Paul and his friends preaching the gospel in this community. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:32.000 So we have conversions from the Jews, but also from Gentiles. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:39.000 And the result of this is that we have people like against Paul and his preaching. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:46.000 So we have conversions. That's really good, but also we have afflictions. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:52.000 So Paul and his friends, these missionaries had to leave that place. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:58.000 And after that, Paul sends Timothy to get some report of this church plant. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.000 And the report is really good, actually. 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:10.000 However, there was an important issue in that church that some Christians had died. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:16.000 So the main question here in this letter, well, this is the summary of the summary. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:23.000 But it is what is the hope for the Christian, both in life and death? 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:28.000 What is the hope for the Christian, both in life and death? 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:32.000 And the answer of that is that we belong to Jesus. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:40.000 To the Jesus who lived and died for that church, for this church, for us. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:50.000 That we belong to that Jesus, but also that that Jesus is coming for a second time. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:59.000 So the coming of the King, the Savior and the Redeemer is the main theme of Thessalonians. 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:09.000 Why? Because we as Christians, and I mean like every people, need assurance, security in life. 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:14.000 But in fact, assurance about eternity. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:25.000 Eternity when we die, assurance 30 seconds before we die, assurance right now when maybe everything is okay. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:35.000 Assurance in the best moment, but also assurance of this reality of the gospel in the very worst moments. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:46.000 So the first question that I would like to ask is, do we have a view of the eternity of the second coming of Christ? 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:50.000 In the context of suffering and persecution? 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.000 So that's first Thessalonians. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:59.000 And second Thessalonians, again, is about the importance of the second coming of Jesus. 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:08.000 First Thessalonians was that Jesus is coming, so this is our hope, but second Thessalonians is about Jesus is coming, but not yet. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:13.000 So we have these two implications about this. 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:19.000 First is about the importance of good teaching, the importance of good doctrine, 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:25.000 but also the importance of good practice from good and sound doctrine. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:32.000 It's not mainly or simply about doctrine, but good and sound doctrine. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:44.000 And it is not also about having good teaching, but also at dispositions, sorry, that is rightly understood. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:51.000 So it's about receiving with a good heart the good teaching or doctrine of the Bible. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:04:02.000 Why? Because this doctrine of the second coming of Christ was misunderstood by some Christians according to second Thessalonians. 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:12.000 So a bad understanding of good doctrine led to these Christians to live in a bad way. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:22.000 That's the reason why we have in the third chapter of this letter Paul preaching against this idleness in the Christian life. 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:35.000 So in summary, doctrine matters, but also how we do we receive doctrine in order to live according to what we confess and what we believe. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:42.000 Because otherwise we can just live according to our own ideas or thoughts. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:46.000 So that was one of the issues in that church. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:56.000 Actually, some Christians, they thought that it doesn't matter. Jesus is coming, so it doesn't matter if we live like this idleness. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:02.000 It doesn't matter. Please do not work. Your earthly vocation doesn't matter because Jesus is coming. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:12.000 But Paul is preaching against that because Jesus is coming because our view is fixed on eternity. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:18.000 We don't need to be idols because Jesus is coming. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:27.000 We are faithful in our earthly vocations, in our job, in our families, whatever you are because Jesus is coming. 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:31.000 We have to live according to that confession. 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:37.000 So that's a brief summary of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:41.000 And today I would like to just look at these four verses. 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:44.000 And I would like to focus about this. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:47.000 And actually this is the title of the sermon. 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:53.000 It's about growing abundantly when it seems impossible to grow. 00:05:53.000 --> 00:06:00.000 Growing abundantly when it seems impossible to grow. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:06.000 Many of you, maybe you don't know, but I'm not from Scotland or from the UK. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:09.000 I am from Chile, South America. 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:16.000 And every time that I preach I have to say something about my country because I love my country. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:19.000 But in Chile it's very important to harvest. 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:26.000 The harvest is key for our economy, for food. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:33.000 For economy the harvest, wines, whatever, it is important. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:36.000 So everything depends on the good harvest. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:46.000 However, when we have a storm or bad weather, all this harvest can be destroyed in just a couple of minutes. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:49.000 So all the work, everything is just... 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:58.000 It's really sad to see people working hard during a whole year, then you have a storm, everything is destroyed. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.000 Why I'm talking about this? 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:05.000 Because this church, they were living something very difficult moments. 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:11.000 And even now in our society we see that things are not going well sometimes. 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:16.000 Maybe in terms of economy, what is going on right now in Latin America. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:21.000 It's really bad, politics, morality, so on. 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:25.000 We think, oh, this is not going well. 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:31.000 And sometimes we think that it's impossible to see a good fruit even in the church. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:36.000 Maybe you think it is impossible to see a good fruit because I am so weak. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:41.000 I am being persecuted even by my own temptations or sins or whatever. 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:50.000 So the question is, how can we grow in the midst of adversity when things are going pretty bad? 00:07:50.000 --> 00:08:02.000 So how can we grow when things are going bad only because of our faith in Jesus Christ? 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:11.000 And as I will say, even it's not about faith itself, but about the object of our faith, Jesus Christ. 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:16.000 So let me just briefly talk about two points here. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:24.000 The first one is about the heart in the midst of bad times, and that is steadfastness and faith. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:32.000 And secondly, the second point is the fruit of that heart, of that steadfast heart full of faith, 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:38.000 and that is growing abundantly in faith and love. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:43.000 So the first point is the heart in the midst of bad times. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:50.000 We can read in verse 4, sorry, I don't know if you can put it on the screen, 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:59.000 but we read here that Paul says, therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:09.000 for your steadfastness and faith in all your good times, no, in all your persecutions, 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:14.000 and in the afflictions that you are enduring. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:22.000 But think about this, these people are growing faith and love when they are being persecuted. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:29.000 And this kind of persecution is a really strong term or word, 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:36.000 because it means pain, death, sentences, because of their faith. 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:41.000 It was a persecution with the objective of having people, Christian people, 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:45.000 but just saying you have to renounce, you have to give up your faith, 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:50.000 you have to renounce everything if you want to live, because if not, we're going to kill you. 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:54.000 That was persecution. It was a punishment there. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:59.000 And also afflictions, every kind of afflictions, not just a physical affliction, 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:06.000 but also emotional afflictions, like afflictions in your mind, in your head, stress, 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:14.000 economical afflictions, social afflictions, because they were being persecuted, 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:23.000 because of their faith, because they were committed with this message of the gospel. 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:31.000 So think about this, this is the context of a church that is growing faith and love. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:38.000 We can think, yes, we are suffering, maybe we are being afflicted by things that we see, 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:45.000 and it's easy to identify bad things outside of the church, outside of us. 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:54.000 But let me tell you this, our worst enemy is not outside, it's here, 00:10:54.000 --> 00:11:01.000 and it's our simple heart, that's our worst enemy, 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:09.000 because every day this old Israel, this old hunter, the old Derek, or whatever, 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:14.000 is going against us, against the faith, against living by grace, 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:18.000 and in different ways, the old man, the flesh, whatever you call it, 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:24.000 or the body of death, as Paul used to call it, in different ways, 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:33.000 is leading us to renounce our faith by creating idols, maybe, by distorting sound doctrine, 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:40.000 I don't know, but we are being persecuted not by the things mainly outside of us, 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:46.000 but because of our flesh, because of our sin. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:53.000 But in the midst of this suffering, if we read this, Paul and his fellows and his friends, 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:57.000 they boast about this church, about them, why? 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:06.000 Because of this heart, the heart of this church, and its steadfast heart, full of faith. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:15.000 So, yes, they were being persecuted, they were experiencing afflictions, 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:24.000 but this church, these people, they had this steadfast heart, full of faith. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:30.000 So, let me just think about this word, this steadfastness. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:36.000 Today, I preach about this, but in Spanish, and in the Spanish version, 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:44.000 we read this, but not as steadfastness, but as patience, patience, sorry. 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:50.000 So, some versions actually translate this word, the original word, as patience, 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:57.000 like something passive, maybe, but that's not actually the idea of this word. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:05.000 It's more than that, it's not just like being patient, but it's just, it is not something passive, 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:17.000 but it's an active disposition of the soul, of your being, of being resolute about the things that we believe. 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:23.000 It is a disposition, the power to withstand difficult moments, 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:28.000 or even the stress of life, or in this case, persecutions and afflictions. 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:35.000 It is the power, the disposition to resist the adversities. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:44.000 It is not something that comes from us, but actually, it's a gift from God. 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:53.000 So, it is about, it is to have this resolution about like, stand firm through the storm, 00:13:53.000 --> 00:14:00.000 everything is going pretty bad, it's just a stand firm. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.000 But the question is, how can it be? 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:12.000 Because in human terms, it is impossible in any language, impossible, impossible, it's just, 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:17.000 how can we just stand firm when everything is going bad, 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:25.000 when we are being persecuted or like we are falling like every day in the same kind of sin? 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:28.000 How can we just stand firm? 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:34.000 Because of them, because of the Thessalonians, because they have something special? 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:36.000 No, the answer is not. 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:42.000 Because this steadfastness burns from faith. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:45.000 And faith here changes everything. 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:54.000 Because faith means this unconscious recognition that we are weak. 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:57.000 We are weak, that we are not strong. 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:05.000 So, how can we have this steadfast heart when we recognize that we are weak? 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:07.000 We are weak. 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:11.000 That we have nothing, that we are in bankrupt. 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:13.000 We don't have nothing to give. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:18.000 That's the reason why I love this definition of faith by some Puritans. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:25.000 It is like the empty hand of a poor man who has nothing to give, 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:28.000 but he wants to receive everything. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:31.000 That's faith. 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.000 That's faith. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:36.000 It's a thirst for God. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.000 It's a hunger for God. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:45.000 So, how can weak people stand firm through the storm, through problems, 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:48.000 through the circumstances? 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:57.000 Not because of faith itself, but because of the object of their faith, in the case of this church. 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:03.000 It wasn't because of then, but because of where they... 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:07.000 of where we are. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:15.000 Do you remember the first question that God asked to Adam after the fall? 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:17.000 What was the question? 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:20.000 Where are you? 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.000 Where are you? 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:25.000 So, the same question. 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.000 That question is for you and for me. 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.000 Where we are. 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:31.000 That's very important. 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:41.000 Because this church, it wasn't because of them, but because where they were. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:47.000 It was about the foundation, where they exercised their faith, 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:50.000 the place where they exercised their faith. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:55.000 And if we go to verse one, if you can just... 00:16:55.000 --> 00:17:03.000 if we can read that, Paul, Sylvainus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians. 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:05.000 This word changes everything again. 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:10.000 In God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:15.000 So, they have steadfast hearts because they are a church. 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:23.000 They were a church that is in God and Christ. 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:27.000 Not simply God, but Paul says here, 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:34.000 in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.000 So, where we are right now? 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:38.000 Where are you? 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:42.000 Are you in God or outside of God? 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.000 Where are you? 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:49.000 Because they were in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:56.000 That's the best place that we can stay and live and breathe and everything. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:01.000 When things are going bad, through the storm or whatever, 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:05.000 if we are grounded on the rock, 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:12.000 that's the best place where we can stay and live and die and everything. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:18.000 But it wasn't simple God, but our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:21.000 The God to whom they belong, 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:29.000 the God to whom we belong is infinitely bigger than the circumstances. 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:32.000 According to Romans 8, 18, 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:37.000 for I consider that the sufferings of this present time, 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:42.000 the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:47.000 with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:49.000 Can I tell you this? 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:51.000 Yes, pain is real. 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.000 Suffering is real. 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:56.000 The things that you are living right now, 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.000 the things that you are experiencing right now, 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:03.000 that maybe only you know, yes, it's real. 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:11.000 But the glorious reality of God, of the gospel, is even more real. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:14.000 Because this glorious reality of God, 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:18.000 not just any God, but it is the God of the covenant. 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:24.000 It is a glorious God, the infinitely happy as we learned this morning, 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:26.000 the blessed God, 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:31.000 that comes to us to say, 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:35.000 I am your Father. 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:41.000 You do not belong to your sufferings, 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:45.000 or circumstances, or temptations. 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:48.000 You belong to me, says God, 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.000 because He is our Father. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:57.000 In the midst of our diseases, losses, pain, or rebellion, 00:19:57.000 --> 00:20:01.000 God comes to us to tell us that He is our Father, 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:03.000 and we are His sons and daughters, 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:07.000 only by the grace of the Son, Jesus Christ. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:10.000 So if you have time this night, 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.000 please go and read the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:17.000 Beautiful, beautiful. 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:22.000 So we have a Father, and we have a Lord Jesus Christ, 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:27.000 and we leave according to the sanctification of the Spirit. 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.000 Chapter 2, verse 13. 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:31.000 So what's the fruit of this? 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:33.000 So now let's go into the second point. 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:38.000 What's the fruit of having this steadfast heart that is rooted in God? 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:46.000 It is growing abundantly in faith and love. 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:48.000 This was a living church, 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:53.000 because they were rooted in a living God. 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:58.000 An organism grows, 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:04.000 and because they have a living faith, 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:08.000 that living faith grows. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.000 So growing abundantly. 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:15.000 And the word here means to increase in great amount, 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:17.000 like maybe beyond the norm. 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:24.000 They were just growing and growing and growing abundantly in faith and love. 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:26.000 And it's like to flourish. 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:30.000 That's the meaning of that word. 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.000 And they were growing abundantly again in faith. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:37.000 So do you see like the connection again? 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:40.000 Faith and faith, they were just growing in faith. 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:43.000 So how can we grow in faith? 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:48.000 Because according to the word, faith comes from hearing, 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:54.000 and hearing through the word of Christ, Romans 10, 17. 00:21:54.000 --> 00:22:02.000 So this church, they were a church of the book of the Bible, 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:06.000 a church that loves the word of God. 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:14.000 If we can go quickly to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 1, 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:15.000 it says, 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:24.000 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:29.000 Again, pray for us that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:32.000 as happened among you. 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:34.000 This was a reality. 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:39.000 This was a church that honored the word of God in their daily life. 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:44.000 A church that deepens in this doctrine for life. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:46.000 Christ is coming. 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:50.000 So we have to live according to that reality. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:52.000 Martin Luther used to say, 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:58.000 we have to live as if Christ had died yesterday, resurrected today, 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:02.000 and he's coming tomorrow. 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:05.000 That's the Christian life. 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.000 And doctrine. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.000 Let me just briefly talk about this. 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:13.000 Paul talks again about the second coming. 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:15.000 And this is a doctrine for life. 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:20.000 To avoid idleness, I encourage earthly vocations. 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.000 So please don't see doctrine as your enemy. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:30.000 No, the only enemy is our sin that distorts doctrine, 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.000 or uses doctrine for our benefit. 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:40.000 So this church, they were growing in faith because they were growing in the word of God. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:50.000 And if we compare again 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 1 with 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 from verse 1 to 2, 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:53.000 do you have your Bibles there? 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:56.000 So there is 2 Thessalonians. 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:58.000 Just keep that. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:03.000 Again, let me read the first verse of the 1 Thessalonians, the first letter, 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:09.000 and just compare it with the first two verses of the second letter. 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:12.000 So I'm going to read the first letter. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:15.000 Paul, Sylvannus, and Timothy. 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:17.000 That's the same. 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:22.000 To the church of the Thessalonians, that's the same. 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:25.000 In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:28.000 Grace to you and peace. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:32.000 So can you see the development of the idea? 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:36.000 It is not only God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:41.000 but now is in God our Father. 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:46.000 They have the idea and they have the doctrine, but they want to know more about that. 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:48.000 Grace to you and peace. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:59.000 Yes, but now in the second letter is grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:07.000 So if they want to know more about the grace of God, if they want to know more about the peace of God, 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:11.000 if we want to know more about the grace and the gospel, 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:20.000 we have to learn more about the God that we worship, about the triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:25.000 They were growing in faith and in some doctrine. 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:29.000 And because of this, the affections were growing again, 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:33.000 because they were being imitators of Christ. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:37.000 And if we have to love our brothers as Christ did, 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:41.000 we have to know more about the heart of Christ. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:48.000 We have to know more about the person of Christ, about the person who actually died on the cross, 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:52.000 the God-men. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:26:01.000 So because doctrine is real, doctrine matters. 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:07.000 And Paul wishes in 1 Thessalonians again, 3 verse 12. 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:09.000 Here it is. 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:11.000 In the first letter, 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:17.000 May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another. 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:20.000 And now in 2 Thessalonians we have the idea, 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:25.000 that we are actually growing abundantly in love for one another. 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:28.000 So in the first letter we have Paul praying for, 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:32.000 May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:34.000 And we see the reality here, 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:36.000 because in the first letter was, 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:40.000 May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:46.000 at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:50.000 Can you see again the connection between doctrine and life? 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:56.000 Do you see the connection between doctrine and what we are going to experience right now 00:26:56.000 --> 00:27:01.000 in the Lord's Supper, this covenantal meal? 00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:08.000 Do we know, do you want to know more about this word that Derek used this morning 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:13.000 for baptism, this covenantal families, this child of the covenant? 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:21.000 This covenant is just this intimate relationship between the living God and us, 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:23.000 just to enjoy him. 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:27.000 Just to say, Psalm 73, 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:29.000 Sorry, you know this version is Spanish, but it's like, 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:36.000 Whom I have in heaven but you God, and there's no one in earth. 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:37.000 You know what I mean? 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:40.000 Psalm 73, just give me a second. 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:41.000 I have to read, sorry. 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:43.000 I can say in Spanish if you want. 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:45.000 I can't, I see it, I see it. 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:52.000 But it's like, Whom have I in heaven but you, 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:56.000 and there's nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:59.000 My flesh and my heart may fail. 00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:04.000 Yes, because of persecution, because of sin, because of a staff here, 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:09.000 he was just like saying God, why I see the prosperity in the evil persons? 00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:14.000 But here is, oh God, Whom have I, 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:17.000 Whom have I in heaven but you, 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:20.000 and there's nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:26.000 There's nothing here on earth that can satisfy our deepest desires, 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:29.000 because we were made to glorify God, 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:35.000 and never forget this, to glorify God means to enjoy him, enjoy him forever. 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.000 But not just you yourself, but you and your family, you with your friends, 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:44.000 you and I in our sufferings, in persecutions and afflictions, 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:51.000 because these afflictions means nothing compared with the glory of Christ, 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:55.000 with the one who right now is praying for us, 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:58.000 and he is coming for you and me, 00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:04.000 and for the saints that they were persecuted 100 years ago here in grass market. 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:09.000 Here's coming for us because he knows your heart and my heart, 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:14.000 so doctrine matters, and how we do receive doctrine matters, 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:20.000 and how we live according to what we confess and what we believe matters. 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:23.000 So let me finish with this. 00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:27.000 How can we grow again in the midst of suffering? 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:35.000 Because we believe that we have steadfast hearts, 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:38.000 because, hear this please, 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:43.000 because of the steadfastness of Christ. 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:48.000 So it's not mainly about your faithfulness, 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:52.000 it's not mainly because your patience and endurance, 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:57.000 but it's mainly because of the faithfulness of Christ. 00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:03.000 So let's finally read this, 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3, 5. 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:04.000 Listen to this, 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:10.000 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:14.000 and to the steadfastness of Christ. 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:20.000 Verse 3, it was about the... 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:23.000 Verse 4, sorry about the steadfastness of this church, 00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:29.000 but 3, 5 about the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:31.000 So it's not mainly about us, 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:36.000 but about the faithfulness, the steadfastness of Christ. 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:38.000 And can you think about this? 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:41.000 If we talk about having this steadfast heart, 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:43.000 means you have this resolution in our heart, 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:46.000 can you think that before the eternity, 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:51.000 Jesus Christ was resolute about our salvation, 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:54.000 about His love toward us? 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:58.000 Can you think about His faithfulness right now, 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:03.000 that He's faithful and He knows our hearts? 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:05.000 He was resolute in the eternity, 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:08.000 but also on the cross, 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:10.000 because He loves you, 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:15.000 because He loves this church. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:19.000 We can love more our brothers and sisters 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:24.000 when we know more about the love of Christ, 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:28.000 about the heart of Christ. 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:30.000 It's about Christ. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:34.000 That's the reason why we are Christians, 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:37.000 not because of our morality, 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:41.000 but because we are united to Christ. 00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:45.000 And He's worthy, He's worthy of our praise. 00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.000 He's worthy of living for His glory, 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:52.000 because He lived and died for us, 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:54.000 because there is nothing better. 00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:58.000 Again, nothing can satisfy your heart, 00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:02.000 but only God Christ. 00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:04.000 Are you suffering right now? 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:07.000 Are you experiencing suffering? 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:12.000 This is the moment to receive an experience 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:16.000 according to this word, 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:19.000 grace and peace from God our Father 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:21.000 and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:27.000 This is the best moment to receive that grace from Christ. 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:31.000 Let's pray together. 00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:34.000 Oh God, 00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:37.000 we pray this night for, 00:32:37.000 --> 00:32:41.000 we pray for having a sense of, 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:48.000 in fact, what we are doing right now. 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:52.000 That we are in the presence 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:55.000 of the Almighty God. 00:32:55.000 --> 00:33:00.000 We are in the presence 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:07.000 of the One who is bigger than the Universe. 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:13.000 The Universe is just small dust 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:18.000 compared with the glorious Creator. 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:21.000 And at the same time, 00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:25.000 that Creator is here with us, 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:32.000 among us, within us. 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:37.000 Just to let us know 00:33:37.000 --> 00:33:40.000 that you are the only One 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:42.000 who can satisfy our hearts. 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:49.000 And we recognize and we acknowledge that, 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:52.000 Oh God, we need more about you. 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:56.000 We need to know you more 00:33:56.000 --> 00:34:00.000 in order to glorify your name. 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:02.000 While at the same time, 00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:05.000 we are loving our brothers and sisters 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:11.000 and growing abundantly in faith and love. 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:14.000 In the midst of bad times, 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:18.000 suffering, losses, diseases, 00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:20.000 or good times, 00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:22.000 but in every time, 00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:24.000 help us to remember 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:26.000 that you are coming, 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:28.000 that you are coming again. 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:30.000 And because of that, 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:32.000 we want to live for you, 00:34:32.000 --> 00:34:34.000 the One who died for us. 00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:37.000 And this is what we are going to celebrate today. 00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:39.000 So God, oh please, 00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:43.000 give us joy, joy, 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:47.000 the joy of your salvation. 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:50.000 Maranada, in Jesus' name we pray. 00:34:50.000 --> 00:35:19.000 Amen.