Now we're turning this morning in our Bibles to Second
Thessalonians chapter 2. And we're going to read from
verse 15 right through to 3:5. So 2nd Thessalonians 2:15 for
those who have just joined us. Let's hear the word of the Lord.
Reading, of course, from the authorized version. 2nd
Thessalonians 2:15. Therefore brethren.
Stand Fast and hold or Traditions, which you have been
taught whether by word or are a pestle.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even Our Father
which of loved us and given us everlasting consolation and
Good. Hope through Greece Comfort,
your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work.
Finally, Brethren pray for us that the word of the Lord may
have free course, and be glorified even as it is with
you, that ye may be delivered from unreasonable, and wicked.
Man, for all men have not Faith, but the Lord is faithful.
Who shall stablish? You and keep you from evil, and
we have confidence in the Lord touching you.
That ye both do and will do the things, which we command you and
the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the
patient wedding of Christ, a mammal of the Lord will stomp
with his own approval. And blessing, this reading of
his own precious and in fallible word, My text this morning has
taken from 2nd Thessalonians and chapter 3 and verse one that
reads. Finally Brethren pray for us
that the word of the Lord by a free course, and be glorified
even as it is with you. Now, I've entitled the theme for
today, praying for the man on the message of the Gospel.
This morning, I want to say Lord bless all the missionaries of
the gospel and the message of the Cross.
Now, it's lovely. Of course to hear the children.
Pray their bedtime prayers. And when they often say their
bedtime prayers, they often in their NSA, offers such prayers
as God bless Mommy and God bless Daddy, and God bless John and
Jimmy, and God bless Jian and And Judith, they name them.
God bless the minister, God bless all the missionaries are
met and I know your Swan derful and I believe that God hears the
prayers of the children and these prayers that were going to
call blanket prayers are okay. There may be short and specific
individual requests but they are blanket prayers and they're
asking God's blessing on these individuals on door.
Groups of individuals. Now if you look at 2nd
Thessalonians chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, the Paul is making
what. I'm calling an overall blanket
request. If you look at verse 1, he says
finally Brethren pray for us and then he gives us three specific
reasons that we can pray for the man and the message of the
Gospel. One, pray that the word of the
Lord may have free course to that.
The word of the Lord, It would be glorified as it runs into the
hearts and minds of men and women just like a dead in the
hearts and lives of the Thessalonians 3, that the
Thessalonians of the Lord's. People would stand strong in the
spiritual battle that they would rely on God's faithfulness.
Why for all man of not fear that you would be delivered from
unreasonable and wicked man. Is he Paul knew that the
born-again believer in thessalonica would Fierce
opposition would in Fierce intense persecution.
He was also fully aware of the presence and power of false
teachers whose teaching was spiritually damaging the church.
And so having exhorted them to stand firm, he directs them to
focus on praying for the man of the Gospel.
I'm for the message of the Cross these men need protection and
help from these. Unreasonable and evil, man,
unless I thought of this tax which could easily be another
motto tax following on from last week, I want to open it up a
little bit. I want to break it into
component constituent parts and I want us to learn the following
things. One there, a prayer request that
his sincere look. The words, finally Brethren pray
for us. The word finally means last of
all, it can mean that, but it also can mean in addition to
you, in other words, Paul is saying to I have said a lot of
things, but here's another thing or here's one more thing,
finally Brethren, you see, he's addressing those who are born
again. Those who are genuinely
converted to Christ, brothers and sisters.
Sisters in the family of God, who have God as their Heavenly
Father, you have Jesus Christ as their lord and savior who are in
dwelt on Born Again by the Holy Spirit.
And it's to these individuals that Paul makes this prayer
request. And I believe this prayer
request and sincerely meant Brethren pray for us.
He repeated that if you look at first Thessalonians chapter 5
verse 25, he says Thessalonians chapter 5, 25 Brethren pray for
us. This is the second time he had
this request and two years, the number of wetness, the Apostle
Paul is asking for prayer for himself, us includes n But it
includes the man with them Silas and timotheus and others.
They're involved in the work of the Lord.
They want you to notice the specifically he's requesting
prayer. First of all, that's personal
Brethren, pray for us. It includes himself.
They Paul's a great mom. A man with tremendous ability
and intellectual giant apar for leader.
A man who knows the Lord man, who knows the book amount is
gripped with the gospel amount of courage and tenacity, A Good
Man 1. That's true and state hearted to
the cause of Christ. Am I on of tremendous e,
Holiness Vision energy. Amount of prayer and yet he
knows in his heart that he cannot do without the prayers of
others. To me, that's real and amazing.
Paul is a real wonderful amazing man of God.
And yet in humility and honesty, he asked others to pray for him.
It's like he's saying, remember me in prayer.
I don't believe it was a false humility.
This man realizes that he needs personal help.
He needs help off the Lord, he knows the Lord doesn't help him
and intervene and bless them. Nall Paul that attempted to do
all his efforts would be in vain.
You see, it's the spirit that quickeneth.
It's the spirit that gives life. And true godliness does not lie
in a man's ability. True godliness is rooted in
total, dependence on the Lord, and the spirit of the Lord to
work on to bless. So, this is a very personal
prayer. It's also a belief, a partial
request. Notice the word, pray.
He knows. The power of prayer Devane
blessing and help. Only comes as we pray.
Someone has rightly said we can do nothing without prayer.
You see the Lord when he bless us and helps and ground
sustenance. As we pray, he only blesses and
helps and grunts assistance to us and direct proportion. in
regard to True prayer even though the Apostle Paul was a
great Apostle and even though the Thessalonians are just new
converts Paul needed their prayers, he he didn't, As it
were-- rest on toss gifts, he didn't rest and past successes.
He knew that he had to depend on the lord to bless and the Lord
bless through prayer. So this is a powerful request,
isn't it? So sad.
It's sinful. There's a lot of half-hearted
praying today in relation to the work of God Believers.
Sadly who pray and unbelief and they are forgotten, no prayer,
no blessing, little prayer, little blessing, much prayer,
much blood. That's what Andre Murray stood
for and saith Africa, a great revivalist.
You see the more we practice pray, the more God will bless.
That's a Biblical principle. God's blessing and help only
comes an answer to prayer. If I could use a Biblical
illustration and second Kings, chapter 13, we read about King
Josh. Elisha, the prophet had come
into his room. He told him to take his bow and
his quiver of arroz. A talk to birthday arroz of the
Lord's deliverance and he said to Joe eyes, the Lord is able to
give and Grant, you total Victory and they have
opportunity to express your belief in this total Victory and
seized hold of the promise. I want you to shoot a number of
arroz out your window. How many did you wash?
Should you only shot three? He stopped at three.
He should have emptied, the quiver of six or seven but he
didn't know. We only Stopped at three.
And what did King Joe eyes, get against the enemy.
He got a partial Victory. Why did he only she'ii?
Because he was only half hearted.
He didn't fully believe in the need and the power of God
himself. His heart was not fully in it,
and he only received a partial Victory.
And this year 2023, I won't miss self and I want you to learn the
lesson that the more we pray, the more we will receive the
Blessing of God's divine intervention and help.
Rid of course and his Sovereign, Grace and Mercy.
You see, we need to get a raise in God's ability.
On God's suffering, on God's power on God's Authority.
The prayer meeting. Is the PowerHouse of the church.
We were talking at the week of prayer about the church
gathering for prayer and the church that gathers for prayer
is the True Church of Jesus Christ yet.
So often when we gather for prayer or half-hearted We don't
take the word of God. Seriously, we read these
wonderful promises, but we don't take them seriously.
We don't trust them sufficiently.
And we engage in a little bit of her, we're like the children, a
blanket prayer, Lord bless the missionaries.
Lord bless the minister, Lord blessed, the church, Lord bless
the families. Now that's good too.
As far as it goes, but we need to go further and need to go
deeper. We need to launch out into the
deep though. This year and release into
prayer and ReDiscover the power of Prayer.
I'm going to read again a book written by am binds.
That was lent to me by brother, Ryan.
That's it, volumes bound, and one.
That's a tremendous work on prayer and we need to
ReDiscover, yes, there's a personal request to prayer, but
there's also a powerful request, the word, pray.
Or that we could understand that word.
Praise our God, remission of our sins, ask for specific things
yield ourselves to him because that's what the word pray means.
Could I tell you something else as a practical aspect to this
request? Have you think of the word
brethren? Brethren, pray for us.
Did Paul not pray for himself? Yes.
The prayers of Paul are found in the Bible.
One such wonderful prayer is Ephesians chapter 3 verses 14 to
21. Encourage you to read it.
Study it prayer for yourself, make it your own prayer, and
that's what he once such prayer recorded of Paul in the Bible.
So he didn't pray for himself, but twice, he makes this request
brethren Pray for us. He's asking for the prayers of
the people in thessalonica, and the people in thessalonica.
He was in Corinth, they're just unique inverted, sugar ordinary
Christians, new converts man, woman, young people, boys, and
girls, and as if Paul is saying I'm dependent on you people, To
pray for me. And as you pray, you'll share in
my work. And you'll bring my burdens and
needs before the Lord. And you remember my men astray
as I go forth to spread the word of God.
I'm teach the gospel. Is that not great encouragement?
Ordinary prayers? Do you can't?
The prayers of the children. The prayers of the young people,
the prayers of the mummy and the kitchen at the sink or hanging
out the washing. The prayers of the Liebherr in
the field or in the factory. Lord bless me today in my
family, Lord bless the house of God, the work of God.
Is he your prayers? Too kind and I earnestly Cree of
your prayers for me and my family.
I'm the work of God. Here, we should treasure the
prayers of one another. We should pray for one another
and I attempt to do that on a Sunday morning, we've got the
prayer of adoration And then just before the offering our
after the offering we got the prayer of intercession including
Thanksgiving for the offering and that's very important that
we remember in the in nimes before the Lord.
One after another, not just in a Wednesday night.
But but in a Sunday morning as part of our worship service
because the command of the scripture as Brethren, pray for
us, Now, that's the prayer requests and see her notice.
If you look at our text The Practical reasons that is
significant and he gives three reasons.
Here's the first reason that the word of the Lord may have free.
Course, the word. That is a demonstrative.
If he makes a request, here's the reason for the request, the
chief reason, I'm notice. The reason that he gives It
describes the gospel that the word of the Lord may have free
course. Here's the specific special
mater that he has in mind, the word of the Lord is a reference
to the gospel. I want you to notice what it's
called. The word of the Lord.
What does that mean off the Lord?
It means god is the author of the word.
Coach the producer. The gospel comes from the lord.
It's not a must message that Paul me it up.
It's not a message that other man concoct it.
Together is not something. A kind of books are eight of a
university or eight of some particular Library.
No, it's the word of the Lord, he's the author and the producer
and the maker of that word. And in fact, he calls it in
Romans chapter 1, the gospel of God because it originated with
him, the gospel didn't originate with mount.
It's the gospel of God. If you also think about the word
of the lord, it's not only the word of the Lord, but it's a
word about the Lord. You see, this message, this word
of the Lord centers, and God's Eternal son.
The Eternal Lord Of Glory. Our Lord Jesus Christ.
He came to Earth. Is Incarnation virgin birth, he
took on him, human flesh. A real true Humanity.
He was born in the fullness of time he lived a sinless life, he
Dade an atoning death in the cross.
Bearing the guilt and Punishment of all who would trust him as
Lord. And Savior bearing, the guilt
and punishment that our sins deserved he died.
He shed his blood and we can come to God and the ground of
the finished work, a substitutionary.
Blood atonement Hebrews, 10 and 12 but this man after he had
offered one, sacrifice for sins. Forever shot down in the right
hand of God. And on the cross.
As he shed his blog, he satisfied Devane Justice.
Do you see him today as your profit the one to teach and tell
you the way of Salvation? Do you see him as your priest?
The one who offered a once and for all sacrifice in your
behalf, the one who know lives in the power of an endless life,
making intercession for you. Do you see him as your king?
On the ground of the finish work.
He now rules over us, he's a king of Greece.
A king of glory, a king of Peace, a king of righteousness,
the one who has power to subdue your enemies and as Prophet
priest and King, God raised him from the dead.
And, you know, lives in heaven and God's right hand in the
Parvin endlessly. And one day is going to return
to this earth and Rule and reign in glory.
So, when Paul talks about the word of the Lord is talking to
put the word about, The lord, it's about the Lord.
Jesus Christ. The Gospel message centers and
ham. And I'm saying this morning.
This beware of substitutions, beware of counterfeits.
Sometimes you'll get a knock on the door, you open it and it's
two men there and they'll tell you, they're from the church of
the Latter-Day scenes, or they'll put that was your
through the door from the see him.
Sooo cold Church. It might be notification about
The Seventh-Day, Adventists move.
Movement. It might even be about the
Jehovah Witnesses. It might even be information
about some new novel extreme Pentecostal church.
That's emerging, the emerging churches, flourishing, Don't
like this. Church will go down the road.
We'll start a new church and then will claim that there's
been a miracle. Some of these didn't realize
from the dead. Somebody who's blamed as myth.
The see that the theme of walked as in the days of Jesus, but you
investigate it and then you discover what's not all about
Christ. It's not christ-centered.
And as you pray a bit more, you discover, well, it's nothing to
do with the true gospel. It's not the word of the Lord,
that's all about him. And him alone.
You see the true gospel is not a perversion.
You see, I hear today this called believe in Jesus and
Jesus will make you healthy and Wealthy like a billionaire or a
millionaire believe in Jesus and be baptized.
As if baptism was the the Gateway into God's heaven.
Believe in Jesus and other good works to that belief.
It's a word about him and him alone exclusively.
As the only grind of Salvation Acts, 4:12 says, neither is
there salvation in any other? For there is no other name under
Heaven, given among men whereby, we must be sieved.
I'll tell you something else. It's a word for him.
It's called the word idea. See that, that the word of the
Lord, the word. That takes us back to God's
eternity. God the father and God the son,
and God, the Holy Ghost and The Trinity of their Parsons Before
Time began before the word was me and entered into a confident,
they agreed to Covenant. It's called The Covenant of
redemption and part of that Covenant between Father Son and
Holy Spirit involved promises that were made by the father.
I'm the spirit to Christ as a reward for has his coming into
the World. And his life of full obedience
and companies and have full Redemption.
And Christ was promised a people for his own inheritance of
people who be with him in heaven, one day, where he is a
people that would form the body of Christ, the bride of Christ,
the household of fear, I want to ask this, are you one of his
people? Well you the hope and assurance
that one day, you'll be with Christ where he is and Heaven.
Are you one of the brothers in Christ?
Are you? One of the sisters?
You see? This is all part of this.
Meaning the word of the lord, it's a word of the lord.
It's a word about the Lord, out of the word for the Lord.
Notice not only the gospel describe but notice the gospel
distributed. It says here in our text.
The word of the Lord may have free.
Course, what does that mean? I want you to think of a runner.
And he's got an open road in front of him. and there's no
obstacles, there's nothing to impede his progress, and it's as
if the gospel Had good legs and it was running into hearts and
Minds. Those are dead and send those
that are darkened and send with no thought.
Fear of God, those who are diseas'd in their factions,
you've no real love for God. And you've got to think of the
gospels, Robert progress in the first century.
I'm not prayer that the gospel, the word of the Lord, May our
free course, and be glorified. It was answered in.
Paul's day, the whole of Asia heard, the word of the Lord, the
whole of Asia was turned upside down. 94, Jesus Christ.
But even in that day there was those who were banned on,
impeding the gospel progress and even as the gospel was
distributed and spread abroad, there was those rules up by the
evil, one to oppose it. And what is true?
Then is true Knight the 21st century we have plenty to impose
and impede the gospel progress, let me illustrate.
I want you to think of homes and carried off fathers and mothers.
They say to the children in regard to some of this school.
No sun disk, don't name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in this
house. They'll be no Bible here.
You're not be going to the children.
Now these are good parents by and large.
They feed their children to close them, they educate them.
As far as school is concerned filling their minds with
information and they see to it that they have recreational
activities yet loads of Don't Starve and depraved the children
from hearing the Simplicity of the Gospel that Jesus loves
them, that Jesus died to see if the new Jesus calls them to come
unto him. So many Godless and heedless
mommies and daddies and they visit that Godless listeners and
that heedlessness upon the hearts and minds and lives of
the children. I heard a story recently of a
man of the house told us wife and children.
They couldn't get to the house of God, but they were receiving
CDs. They'd got a copy of the Bible.
They got other literature to do. Bible studies that were
listening online. This mom told him there'll be no
religion, here. There'd be no Bibles or Jesus
and the size is, he's a guilty man.
What's he guilty of impeding, the progress of the Gospel to
many young people and their teens Through school University,
went to the work please. And and there's those I'll poke
fun at them. You're a Christian, right?
You can't be serious. Are you?
You go to the free Presbyterian Church for sure?
They're a bunch of bigots their narrow-minded.
You need to be a bit more free-spirited you, you need to
two ways up. And you see the fear of mine
comes because the fear of man, brings a snare on peer pressure.
I'm wanting to be popular in one thing to be part of a group and
feeling a part of community. And and then they leave off with
the word of God. And the Christ of God in the
house of God, At what about University?
Godless professors educated man intelligent man knew Gordon new
grease about them. No gospel.
And they urge you to read the philosophies of Plato and
Aristotle and others, and they want you to take on their views
and adopt their lifestyle, but they're not beasts in the word
of God. They have a different worldview,
even the modern philosophies and they're destroying the lives of
Manning underworld, it's okay to go into a drink culture.
Or a drug culture or or adopt a party, pleasure hedonistic
lifestyle. But these young people, these
young people souls are being destroyed and murdered at the
hands of these Godless professors.
What about professing Christians?
With their lips. They say they love the Lord.
They've asked him to be their lord and savior.
Yet their life stage doesn't match up.
They're Hypocrites in the eyes of many others and that's a big
obstacle to some and if you love the Lord Jesus and that's love
them and truth. Let's love them indeed.
What a big man in the pulpit? You'll get Willy waffle, you'll
get morality. You told to be good, but it's
devoid of any call to repent of your sin.
It's devoid of a call that remission of sin is necessary to
enter Heaven on without the blood.
There's no remission of sin and there's no call to Redemption on
the ground of the savior's blood, unfaith and Christ, and a
call to be born again. You're not going to hear that.
It's Hobson from me and stream churches.
And there's not a squeak about the Evils and elves of today.
And yet the wonderful thing is this.
God can open doors despite the obstacles.
God can make a way where there isn't a way I think of Nepal
1960s, it was closed, radio Ministry key and I know there's
110, free Presbyterian, churches and Nepal.
I think of Muslim countries like Iran and Iraq and Babel chirping
distributed in those countries. Under their been read, their
been studied unpeople of got converted from a Muslim
background. You see the word of the Lord is
not brined. The word of the Lord has free
course, and those who attempt to hinder, the progress and Withers
manly. And the devil is busy, and they
put up barriers here and they are.
And that times, yes, it feels impossible.
But when it feels impossible, don't quit, don't give up what
we do. Supplicate God's Throne be
strong, be steadfast unmovable in the work of the Lord, pray on
pray three, because people need to hear it.
People need the Holy Ghost to work.
People need the Holy Ghost to apply the word of truth.
That they might be brought to faith in Christ.
The gospel described, the gospel, distributed, the gospel
dignified, notice the words and be glorified, it's not
tremendous, you see as the gospel wrongs forth here and
there, here's the character of The Gospel and brings honor and
glory to the Lord. He's not only the god of pace
from the god of Hope and the god of page, but he's the god of
Truth and he's revealed his word.
The Bible talks about the Glorious Gospel of our Lord, and
Savior. Jesus Christ, listen to what
Paul says, in Corinth, he says in.
Second Corinthians, chapter 4 and the verse 4 listen to these
words in whom the God of this world, hath blinded the minds of
them, which believe not lest the light of the Glorious gospel of
Christ, is the image of God should shine unto them.
That's what I'm talking about. Impeding this progress of the
Gospel, blinding the minds of those that believe not and yet
thus message as the Glorious gospel of grace.
It Part of change part of transform lives.
It was this message. It turned, the ancient world
upside down. It was this message that Paul
advised Tate us whenever he wrote and Titus Chapter 2 and
verse 10. He says not purloining, but
showing all good Fidelity that they may Adorn.
The doctrine of God, our savior in all things, adorning, the
doctrine of God, adorning the gosh.
People and that word adorned has to do with beautifying yourself.
You think of a girl going to eat an idiot.
What'd she do she purifies yourself?
Think of a bride? Getting married or not wedding
day. She beautifies herself puts on
the best attire. Well that's what that word
adorned means I'm going to do that with the gospel be
beautified by the gospel Paul outs, even as it is with you.
Notice thirdly and lastly for of got communion this morning, The
powerful results that is special.
He says here, if you look back at our taxed even as it is with
you, do you understand that? Can you grasp out this morning,
even as it is, With you, it's important because he was
thinking about those investment, banker.
He was thinking about the police.
There's no - he was thinking about the people you Converse.
And it was easy and thessalonica.
The word of God had run into their hearts and Minds.
These Thessalonians were adorning.
The gospel. They had been beautified by the
gospel. Their lives have been changed
and transformed that. There was a difference 9, the
Bible says, therefore, If any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature, old things are passed away, and all things have become
new and all things are of God. Now I've already told you Paul
was in Corinth whenever he wrote to the church, that's asinine
Anka and this is what he says in Acts chapter 18.
He says this about himself thinking of Corinth Acts,
chapter 18, verse 9 and 10 and with us we finally stay and
speak the Lord to Paul in the Night by a vision.
Be not afraid. But speak in, hold, not thy
peace. For I am with thee and no man
shall set a need to hurt the French.
Much people in this city verse 11 and he continued there a year
and six Months teaching the word of God among you.
See, at that time, Paul wasn't discouraged.
It was the night time. Paul was depressed.
He was despairing. This is a city given over to
idolatry. And what am I going to do you?
Lord I feel like quitting. I want to leave this place.
I want to go home and the Lord comes and the Lord tells them
besides other things. I have much people in this city
and he stayed 18 months, and he saw many converts and a great
church that was raised up. What can I tell you that?
He wrote to the Thessalonians before he wrote first and second
Corinthians and I believe that the Lord answered the prayers of
the Thessalonians, it was not a waste of time for Paul to pray.
It was not a waste of time for Paul to encourage others to
prayer because there was the powerful result that a special,
even as it is with you, the word of God come to them.
And here was part of the That word brethren, pray for us, and
they gave themselves to prayer. And I say this, as we finished
this morning, We can all do that.
So if you're converted to Christ and you love the Lord Jesus,
then you can pray at home, you can pray in the prayer meeting.
We must pray. All we are praying people but we
must pray on. We must pray up and all and
don't give up. We must not slacken, do not
think that your prayers are not needed.
If I could say this morning as we finished Brethren, pray for
us. What are you going to pray for
this year for souls to be saved? Souls received last year?
But we need sold. See if this year.
We did you families brought and on these pews filter Again, we
lost 10 individuals last year, we can't afford to lose 10
board. This year, we need to attend to
be brought in and more We need our own families.
Converted pray for mine. Pray that the Lord will help us
to be faithful to the blood in the book.
Pray, the Lord will help in the children's ministry, the some
disc of the children's ministry. And when you come into the house
of God to pray, you know it's not complicated.
Think of the children as we finish the blanket prayers, Lord
bless the church, Lord bless the some of these God bless the
Children's Mercy. Lord bless that family plaster,
Sewell. That's what you need to pray.
Specific individual prayers. That God would do this because
much prayer results in much blessing.
I pray this morning. That we will get a hold of this
thought, under the Lord will encourage us as we go forward
this year.