The conversion of the Thessalonian believers is explored, highlighting their turning from idols to serve the living and true God, and their patient waiting for Christ's return. This transformation is evidenced by their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope, which made them an example to other churches. The sermon emphasizes that genuine conversion involves a radical shift in allegiance and a life lived in active service and hopeful expectation of Jesus. Ultimately, this foundational chapter demonstrates how true faith is manifested through tangible actions and a transformed life, delivering believers from future wrath.
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on the Lord Jesus and then the other time would take up both expository from the first epistle to the Thessalonians there's only five chapters so we'll just spend one message on each chapter so that means we'll only be skimming the surface but we trust we'll get enough of this for all of us to get something from the Lord to our souls now reading first Thessalonians chapter one Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus, under the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. Remembering without seizing your work of faith and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father. Knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God, for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit.
So that ye were an example to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God is spread apart so that we need not speak anything. For they themselves show upon us what men of ending in we had unto you. and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the last to come.
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his holy words. Now, as you notice, this is a wonderful Epistle regarding the Lord's coming. The coming of the Lord is mentioned in all five chapters. Chapter one and the end of the chapter have to do with their conversion, how they turn to God from idols to serve the living and the true God. In chapter two, it has to do with the crown, the soul winner's crown. The end of verse two, what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. In chapter three, at the end of it, it has to do with their conduct.
So at the end, you may establish your heart unblameably in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. And then in chapter four, it has to do with all comforts, comfort one another with these words. And in chapter five, it has to do with the consecration. And the very God of the peace sanctify your holy. And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved nameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now the background for this is found in Acts chapter seventeen. Seventeen chapter of Acts. We'll find a little bit about the background of Paul came on his second missionary journey with Silas. You remember they had been beaten and persecuted at Philippi, thrown in the inner dungeon. Then they were left loose, and we read how they came to Thessalonica in Acts chapter seventeen verse one, where was the synagogue of the Jews, telling us it was Quetta, a Jewish community there that had a full established synagogue.
Verse two of chapter seventeen, and Paul, after his manner, went in unto them, and tree Sabbath, days reasoned with them, out of the scriptures. So the time was very short there, opening and alleging that Christ would need have suffered, and listened again from the dead, and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ. So there you see something about their message, and some of them believe, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the cheap women, not a few. But the Jews who believed not moved within these, took unto them certain rude or vile fellows of the base of swords, what a description, and gathered the company and set all the city into an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring out the people.
So you see, the gospel came to them in all its clarity with persecution. That's how the gospel came there to that city of Thessalonica. At that time it was the capital of Macedonia, a population of some two hundred thousand. It was situated on the great Ignatian road. And of the first called Therma, because there was many hot, or because of his hot springs, Cassander enlarged it and changed it to Thessalonica in honor of his wife, who was half-sister of Alexander the Great. Now it's so-called Salonica.
Now then, as to the theme of the epistle, I think the Notes of the Schofield Bible give that very, very nicely. If you have a Schofield Bible, it points out it was to confirm these young converts in the foundational truth taught them, to exhort them to a light of personal holiness, to please the Lord, to comfort them concerning those that have died, and also to teach them regarding the Lord's coming again. Now as to the authors, as you say, there's three. You notice in chapter one, there's five sets of triplets here.
I might just mention these two. Those are the threefold authorship. Paul, you know there's great men of God who were formerly Saul of Tarsus, how he's converted, how God revealed his son to him and in him, and then commissioned him to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Silas, one of the chief among the brethren, you remember, who had endangered his life, the great man of God. And Timotheus, his son in the faith, he could speak of him as having no one like-minded like him. We read about it in Philippians chapter two. The great man of God is Timotheus. So you have a tree full of authorship, and then you have a tree full subjection experience here in verse three, work of faith, labor of love, patience of hope.
And then you have a threefold reception of the message in verse five. For gospel came not unto you in word only, but in power, Holy Spirit, and in much assurance. And then threefold result, verse six and seven. They became followers of God and the Lord. They went samples in verse seven to all that believe in and they became witnesses from you started out the word of the gospel. Threefold result. And then you have a threefold call in nine and ten. Verses to the past, they turned to God for not their idols.
It speaks about their salvation. And then to serve the living and through God, that's their occupation. That's a great occupation, isn't it? To serve the living and the true God, and in the expectation and the weight for his Son from heaven. So you have these five triplets in chapter one. Now in connection with the readers, of course they were the Thessalonians, notice five things just briefly about them. In one, in verse nine, chapter nine, you have their births.
They were born. They turned to gone from idols. Secondly, in chapter two, verse seven, they were nursed, and Paul was the nurse. He was a nursing mother to them. And number three, they were standing. Verse eight, now we live, ye stand. Isn't that the order, but we're born, then we're nursed, then we stand, And then next we walk, chapter four and verse one. In this black Bible verse, how you ought to walk to please God.
Verse twelve, that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without on the outside. That's the walk. And then fifthly, fight. Verse eight of chapter five. For let us who of the day be sober, putting on the blessed plate of faith and love, and for on helmet the hope of salvation. Five things mentioned in connection with these readers. These Thessalonians, you'll notice the wonderful safety of these believers. I like the way it's put there. and in the Lord, it says, speaks about them, there were in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isn't that a wonderful place to be? In God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a position. It is ours, a place of security, satisfaction, safety. Reminds me of John chapter ten. I give unto my sheep eternal life. No one is able to pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which is good, although also his hand. In God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, what a place of security we have in God. And this is the only time I think in connection with the Thessalonians that this is mentioned. You have the same in second epistle and the first verse, I believe it is.
You have the very same thing. The in God the Father... and in the Lord Jesus Christ, the living in Thessalonica, for the real place was in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's how it's due. John says, truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Opposition leads to our fellowship in him, in the heavenly in Christ. to have it, isn't it? And then there's the wonderful greeting, and it's again a twofold greeting from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First he says, grace beyond his view, and he, grace is one of Paul's great verses.
He was the apostle of grace. He taught the doctrine of grace, and it's the grace of God that bringeth salvation. Grace is the source. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for you safety became poor, that he, through his poverty, may be made rich. All the grace that drew salvation from man. Isn't that right? It was grace that brought it down to man. Mighty, wonderful grace, sovereign grace of our God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. We read, being justified, we read, by grace.
by his grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus Romans three twenty four Titus two eleven says for the grace of God that bringeth salvation had appeared and then of course it teaches us certain things that's the source and then the effect of that grace is peace peace remember the Lord Jesus bequeathed his peace before he left peace I give unto you my peace Not as the world give way unto you. Does not your heart be troubled? Neither let it be afraid. Yes, we have peace. The word was preached peace by Jesus Christ.
Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. And we not only have peace with God, but God wants us to have the peace of God. You know, the Word of God calls him as the source, the God of all grace. And he's called the God of peace. That's the source of the... My we're rich people tonight. You know, there should be a lot of just worship and love and adoration and praise and thanksgiving going up to him all the time. When you think of who we were, what he became and what his grace has brought in and through us and in our hearts and made us meet the partakers of his glory.
Oh, the grace and wonderful peace. May I ask you a question, do you have that peace tonight? Do you have peace with God tonight? You say, yes, thank God I'm saved. Well, do you have the peace of God? That settles quiet peace, that peace that has at all understanding, living in the midst of times of turmoil and trouble and agitation and so on, to your peace. So many times Christians get troubled, you know. They start raising their voices and they get all excitable. That's not peace. That's not the peace of God.
God wants us to have that quiet, victorious peace. And rest like a bird sitting in the cleft of the rock with the storm raging on their side. She's at peace. That's what we have from God. Peace. And then it goes on through many wonderful things. And I'm not worried. Notice in verse two this, thanks. Thanksgiving. We give thanks to God always for you all. How often? How much? Always he says. The Bible says in everything give thanks. giving thanks for all things. You know, thanksgiving is close to thanks living and it produces holiness and the light.
A person that says, thankful Christian are usually a godly Christian. You remember one of the very objects of thanksgiving is murmuring. And one of the great sins of Israel that were murmured. And when God dealt with them, they were because of their murmurings. My brethren and sisters, we have nothing to murmur about. We have nothing to complain about. We are to be thankful, praising the Lord. Sometimes we meet Christians that just long to see you so they can unload their burdens on you, unload their sicknesses, unload their pain, unload all their handicaps, unload them all on their fellow Christians. That's not what it teaches here.
He's giving thanks all the time. And that's one of the greatest way to overcome it. Be thankful. Giving thanks to God. And it's to him always. Thank him for your difficulties. Thank him for your pain. Thank you for the troubles and all these. They all bring us closer to him. Thank him for bread and then rub you the wrong way even. Sure, they rub the rough corners off, you know. You never saw rough stones along the ocean. They're all nice and smooth there through the waves. Make them rough against one another. Rough all those rough corners are. Thank God for the Christians that rough is the wrong way, you know.
And agitate it. Take it to the Lord. Thank God for them. Their ministers sent to your life to rough all some of these rough edges. to make your smooth stone meet for the master's use. And then he's praying, along with thanksgiving, first prayer, making mention of you in all prayers. He's asking God for them. It tells the different places about Paul night and day praying. You wonder when did the man ever sleep? He's just, as it seemed, a ball of spiritual energy.
night and day praying, giving thanks to God always, laboring night and day, all the time abounding in the work of the Lord. Filling to read the life of Paul, isn't it? I was almost contemplating, speaking a little bit about his life. And then there's remembering. Remembering what? Without ceasing. Remember one, all their faults and their shortcomings. We seem to remember that sometimes better than the good point, don't we? But he says, I'm remembering three things about you, and they're wonderful things.
First, they're work of faith. In the sense, this is the work of God. Do you believe in him whom God has sent in John six through twenty-eight and twenty-nine? Remember, the work of faith was evident by Abel who offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, nor who built a mask to the saving of his house, the evidence of his faith. Abraham leaving the earth to call these going out for a country that he'd ever seen in faith. The evidence of faith. We have who let down the scarlet cord and the evidence of the faith.
James, he went down to his aspect. He says, now you show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works. Work of faith is evident in what we do. When you really believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the evidence is seen in the new light. When you exercise faith after you're saved, the evidence is seen in the result of that faith being evident in what it produces. And then there's the labor of love. Now this is service motivated by love. Love that shows us not an empty word but in action. Love that expresses itself in labor.
Toil, wheeliness, exhaustion, sweat, blood and tears. Christianity is not a life to be endured for duty's sake. with that person to be served for love's sake. That's Christianity. The love of Christ can strain us. And when we really show our love to the Lord, we then also love to serve His people. Love serves. It doesn't always look what it can get, but rather what can it get. And then there are patience of hope. This sheer dogged indulence, indulence of hope. because of the knowledge of Christ that he's going to fulfill his promise, I will come again.
In the midst of their persecution, they knew the Lord said, I'm going to come again. The church was ever expecting the Lord from heaven. And so should we. And this is what proved their election. But once before I mention that, notice then in the sight of God our Father. These things were all before God. Everything we do is open and naked to him with whom we have to do. Paul says in second Corinthians five, nine, that I may be accepted of him. Doing it all unto God and the Father, this is the great thing.
Do everything as heartily unto the Lord. That's the great motive. And that's how they did these things. Then we see their election. Notice that in verse four, knowing your election. What's it based on? He knew their election because they produced in their life what was in accordance with faith. If a man is truly born again, it will be evidenced by how he lives. If any man be in Christ is a new creation, all things, that's the way, all things become new. And actually that's why he knew they were elected.
There was that wonderful work of faith, labor of love, patience of hope. These were the marks of their election. Notice these endearing terms that he uses here, brethren, beloved. Now that's the greatest title you can have. Paul in Philippians, too, speaks about tickets. And he says, My brother. Wouldn't you like to be called that by Paul the Apostle? My brother. That's better than Reverend Dr. So-and-so. My brother.
And then beloved. In Romans one, seven we'll read, Beloved of God. Isn't it great? Like Daniel, greatly beloved. God reminded him he was greatly beloved. Well, so are we. so near, so very near to God, nearer I cannot be. For in the person of his son, I am as dear as he. So near, so very nearer to God, nearer I cannot be, for in the person of his son, I am as nearer as he. Beloved. Precious to be beloved of the Lord. And then in verse five, Note of the manifestation of the power of God here, first from the negative side.
He says, our gospel came not to you in word only. It wasn't just a lot of talk, but from the apostle that died of a forceful preaching, but also in power. In Acts fourteen one, it says about the apostle, they so spake that many believe. And when the word of truth goes forth in power, it'll have results. They so spake that many believe. And they came forth in power, in the Holy Spirit. That was the power, and in much assurance, that's the resource. You know, when you get healthy parents, you get healthy children.
And here you have healthy parents, as we'll see now as we go into that, and you get healthy children. Notice it goes on to say, As she know what manner men we were among you for your sake. The greatest servant that can be preached is that godly light. The man of his message. You cannot respect the man's message if you know the man that's speaking is nothing but a hypocrite. If you know he's a cook and he's a cheater, he may say the knight of things in the world, but as you're listening to him, he doesn't have much effect on you.
Paul, as you know what kind of men we were, they were holy like their master. They were followers of Christ. They were self-denying. They were self-emptying. They just poured out themselves for others. That's the key. And that's the thing that spoke so loudly. Do you think they would have knocked and fell apart and they would have gone home with their tail between the legs? But no, they kept on. Why did they go to Bethlehem like it? Nothing but the love of Christ constrained them. That's what we need, brethren and sisters. And as a result of that, he says, ye became followers of us.
Notice that's the order here. They first became followers of us. Young people, young converts, usually become sort of followers of the people that lead them to Christ first, and then they get weaned from them and then to Christ. And then of the Lord. Notice the order there. He became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction and joy. Notice the contrast here. Great persecution and great joy. And one thing that marked the book of Acts was joy, joy, joy. You'll find out there was much joy, great joy. It's all true, the book of Acts.
It says in Acts, and the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Verse, Romans, fourteen, seventeen, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy. in the Holy Spirit. And you could go on and on that time would permit me. Acts eight says, and there was great joy in that city. Do you know something of that joy? That joy unspeakable and full of glory? Do you have joy unspeakable in your heart? The fruit of the Spirit is love.
Joy. Do you have it, brethren, and sisters? Does anyone here tonight you're not saved? You'll never have joy. You'll never have peace until you know the Lord Jesus Christ. It's impossible. There's no joy outside of him. Everything in this world vanishes away. You may have a good time tonight, like a man says, you'll have champagne tonight, and you'll have real pain in the morning. That's about it. Nothing to it. A bubble that soon vanishes away. Now notice the process here by which these Thessalonians became reproducing.
First they had the example of Paul and his companion. You know what men and men we were among youth as Paul. Secondly they followed. They followed them. Thirdly, they became imitators of the apostles, it says here. You became followers or imitators of what and of the Lord. And then the next thing you eat, so that you end samples. See the growth. There's development of the Christian life, there's growth. And that's how they became strong and healthy because they were born in affliction by healthy parents.
And that's how he gets strong in the Lord. And then you have there the entering in, or firstly in verse eight, the testimony enlarged. Don't call the local sword from you. From you. What was from them? From their power of God and their lives, they sounded out the gospel. It was sort of the re-echoing of the apostles and their lives and their message, re-echoing out. From you sounded out the word of the Lord. And notice the scope of that.
Not only in Macedonia and Achaia, all over Greece there. Oh no, this, they sounded out. Not only that the media there. Yeah, notice what it was that sounded out. the word of the Lord. From you sounded out, this wasn't God talking about themselves and what God had done for them. That was evidence in their new lives and completely transformed from heathenism. People that did not know God now, they were in God the Father. They had a heavenly Father being adopted into his family, and now they were sounding it out. The word of the Lord.
And that's what they sounded out. Not only in Macedonia and the church, but what does it say in every place. There's a vibrant testimony. And for you, it speaks about in the singular. They, as a local church, I don't think Paul spoke anything as much. In chapter one, you have a model church. And this church is used as an example by Paul to all others. And you have the same in the secondary people. whether an example to others. Wouldn't it be grand if we as individuals and individual testimony were examples? You know, God has given us much truth.
He's given us the great truth of the unit and the oneness of the body of Christ. The great truth of gathering to His name alone. The great truth of the priesthood of believers. The great truth of worship and many kinder truth. Now are we sounding it all out. Does others know about it? Or we like a little secret society to meet in a little side street and sort of drive up there from miles away and then we'll have a meeting to go home again and people think, well, that's some kind of a secret club meeting over there. What's our testimony? Is it sounding? Is it re-echoing?
in every place. Just like you throw a stone in a quiet lake into the middle, you'll see the ripples satin around the stone and they keep on rippling right up till they reach the shore. And that's what the Thessalonica, those are Thessalonica, they pounded it out. The ripples reach everywhere for the testimony. Notice the entering of the the reception of the word of God here. He says that we need not speak anything. Superfluous for us to say anything. You have done such a good job of it.
What a testimony. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you. You meant for it was an affliction. with joy, with persecution, and rejection, they entered into them. Now you have three things here. First, conversion. Secondly, service. Thirdly, waiting or expectation. First, conversion. How ye turn to God from idols.
Now, in every conversion that's a turning, The Lord Jesus taught repentance. John the Baptist came preaching repentance. Repent, turn. Turn about. You're going down with your headings for a lost eternity. You're on the road to lead the destruction. He said, turn or you'll burn. There's a death and a turning. Ezekiel thirty-three says, Turn ye, turn ye. Why will ye die? Why will you die in your sins? I have no flesh in the dead of the wickedness of God. And my friend, if you have never had a real born-again experience, if you have never really received the Lord Jesus as your Savior, there has to be a turning in your life.
You have to turn to God from your sins. Jesus was called so because he shall save his people, not in their sin, but from their sins. And when he saves you, he saves you from your sin and from the power of sin in your life. He makes you a new person. I have never been the same since the day God saved me in nineteen forty-two. I've been a new man ever since. And I believe I'll never be the same again. Paul was never the same again. Great Apostle. He says in Galatians chapter one.
that these Judean churches who didn't know him, they only heard of this, and he, the who once persecuted, now he preached the faith that he once persecuted. And they glorify God in me. Those are turning. Has there been a turning in your life? The evidence of repentance is a new life. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creation, the old thing passed away. All things become new. That's what it means to be converted. You turn to that. Did you turn from your sin? Has you turned to the Lord Jesus with all your heart and trust in him? Someone say you're putting that backwards.
No, no, not necessarily. In Acts twenty-six, the gift is in that order. The main thing is you turn. And then the next thing to notice here, and that's to serve the living and the true God. First you have turning to God or looking to God. He and our service is looking on the fields. And I want you to notice the other conversion comes before serving. I mark something down here I just want to quote to you. If converted without the word, you are not converted.
James If confessing to receive it, you are not turned by it, that is by the word of God, you have not received it. If you claim to be converted and not serving God, you are not converted. If you boast of serving God without being converted, you are not serving Him. I think that's well put. And then you have waiting. Oh, this is good. Waiting for his son from heaven.
Notice the first one turning to God lines up with your work of faith. Serving the true and the living God lines up with your labor of love. And to wait for his son from heaven lines up with the patience of hope. Waiting. And the word waiting means to wait up, just like a person waiting up. You're waiting for somebody to come home. You're anxiously waiting for somebody. It's just like a bride that's waiting for the bride whom to come. Waiting for her beloved. I'll tell you if she's there waiting up with the light burning, waiting for him to come, she's not going to have some other man at our issue.
Oh no, she'll be expecting him. and in doing so she'll be longing and looking for him. And my friend, this is how the Lord wants us through. He wants us to be waiting up. The Lord says, I will come again. Three hundred and eighteen times, a new testament of the second coming. The new testament of the second coming has mentioned he is coming again. Blessed is he that watches. And why are you watching and waiting? Let's be working. And notice the person that's coming, his son. to wait for his son. The Lord Jesus, the one that died for us, the one that saved us by his grace.
And where's he coming from? From heaven. To wait for his son from heaven. Where? Why, that's where he's going to prepare a place for us. Oh, what a place that must be. It's beyond our wildest imagination. He's gone to prepare a plate for his bride. The bridegroom has gone to prepare a plate for it. There weren't many mansions up there, but he's gone to prepare a special plate for us. And we're waiting for that. We're waiting for him to come, to wait for his son from heaven. And the pledge is whom he raised from the dead. That's a guarantee. That's a pledge. He raised him from the dead.
Why without the resurrection? Of course, he couldn't come again. That's the pledge of his coming. This saying, Jesus, he shall come. Even that you've seen him go. He says, he that will come, he shall come. And he will not perish. He pledge his resurrection. Even Jesus has a precious name. Jesus is the sweetest name I know. Now we're going to see here. Jesus, who bears that precious name, and the prospect. Notice what it says. Even Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come.
The wrath is passed. There's no condemnation to them that encrides Jesus. And it also has to do with the great tribulation period, I believe referred to here. We'll be saved out of this place before the great tribulation comes. God has not appointed us to wrath to put up his salvation. by our Lord Jesus Christ. Know that to them that are in Christ. But my friends, if you're here tonight and you don't know just what I'm talking about, you've never had this experience of really being saved and really have that love and that peace and that joy in your heart.
Let me tell you something. There's nothing but wrath for those outside of Christ. When Jesus hung upon Calvary's cross, he beheld the wrath of God for you. He drained the cup of God's wrath till it bitters grave, left nothing but love for the believer. For if you neglect or you reject this Savior who died for you, who took you a place, died in your room and you were standing on Calvary's cross, If you neglect him or reject him, the very last of God to report out upon him will be poured out upon you. And the Bible says it's eternal.
He says that all these that know not the Lord Jesus, they're going to be cast into utter darkness where they're grieving and wailing and gnashing of teeth. They're going to be punished with eternal punishment, the Bible says. In the Revelation, they said, they'll rest. They'll not rest day nor night. There's no rest in hell. There's no peace in hell. There's no hope in hell. They'll never rest again. Hill is an awful place. It's far worse than anything we can describe. There's a glorious thing to be saved from the wrath to come.
And Jesus is coming to take us home. And it's there to deliver us from the wrath to come. If you're not saved tonight, I plead with you to say, Lord Jesus, I want to be saved. Save me tonight. Save me from the wrath to come. Come into my heart, Lord. And then, oh, there'll be no judgment for you. You say that's a low motive. Maybe it is. I'll tell you this. It's better to come anyway to the Lord. as long as you recognize your need and that you're sin and you cannot save yourself and you're afraid to die, you're afraid of coming judgment.
Whatever it is that may drive it to him, you come. Is your soul at that stage? Is your eternal welfare at that stage tonight? And I plead with you, come before it will ever be too late. So that's a little run over the first chapter of first Thessalonians. A wonderful chapter, a wonderful Lord. Think of it where in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Please, the result of his grace, may we be occupied in that work of faith, the labor of love, the patience of both, waiting up, expecting faith, working and waiting for Lord Jesus.
coming very very soon. He could be here tonight. Are you ready? If you're not ready, I'll be at the back entrance way. If you'd like to talk to us, we'll only be so happy to do so. Let's just find a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank and we praise you for thy word. We thank you most of all for the Lord Jesus. Thank you for the comforter, the Holy Spirit. We praise our Lord Jesus. Take the word tonight, apply it to every heart present to the Christians, all of us, we may be spoken to for those that are not saved and might realize they must turn and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and not be saved and not saved from the wrath to come.
We pray that if anyone here that's not saved tonight, let me say, Lord, I want to be saved tonight. I ask you to save me right now. Save me from my sin. Take all my life. and make me a new creation, help me to live a Christian life by thy power and by thy grace. We commit ourselves to thee now as in thy parting blessing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.