Letters: 2 Thessalonians 2 & 3

Panic spreads faster than truth, especially when it comes wrapped in spiritual language. We pick up in 2 Thessalonians and talk about what happens when a church gets rattled by claims that the day of the Lord has already arrived. Barb opens with a relatable picture of Y2K style fear and then drives straight into Paul’s warning: don’t get quickly shaken, don’t get played by rumors, and don’t let anxiety shape your choices.

From there we zoom out to the bigger challenge for Christians right now: discernment. We unpack how deception can travel through whispers, “someone said,” and even messages that look legitimate, and why testing what we hear against Scripture protects our peace and our intimacy with God. We also talk about vigilance without obsession, including the idea of the Holy Spirit as the restrainer and what it means for the church to “hold the wall” together by praying, standing, and shining light in ordinary places like our homes and workplaces.

Gage then brings it home with hope: God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. We dig into what sanctification actually means, why the gospel can’t be replaced by good intentions, and why good works are the fruit of salvation, not the price of admission. Dave closes with two practical marching orders from 2 Thessalonians 3: pray and serve, plus a real invitation to volunteer with Mercy House and our back to school outreach.

If you want clearer faith in a noisy world, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.

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Transcript

Welcome And Life Group Challenge

Angus MacLeod 0:00

Fantastic. We're almost awake. Well, I want to welcome you to Cornerstone. My name is Pastor Angus, and I am so thankful to have all of you here today. Before we get into our speakers today, I just want to let you know that we here at Cornerstone, we see ourselves as people on a journey with Christ. And we use this imagery all the time of the disciples walking with Jesus because we see ourselves just like them. None of us have arrived, all of us are in process, none of us are perfect, and we are all trying to be just a little bit more like Jesus. And so here we acknowledge that we aren't Jesus, we just want to be more like him. And so we do that in multiple ways, but we do that through loving God, making disciples, and reaching the world. And uh, and that's how Jesus calls us to do it is to go and love people around us. And um and one of the best ways for us to do that is in our life groups. Um it's it's outside of our normal Sunday meetings, and right now we're currently on our summer break, but in a few weeks here we're going to be signing up and starting our new life group semester. And so I would challenge and encourage all of you to uh get involved in the life group, connect, grow, or serve alongside the brothers and sisters who are in this room and in the next service and who are joining us online. And so we just we thank you so much for being here and being a part.

Letters Series And Today’s Passage

Angus MacLeod 1:27

Well, today we're excited to continue our series on letters. These are the letters that the early uh fathers of the church wrote back and forth uh to encourage the new church as it was growing. And so um, in that there's a lot of instruction that happens, and and so what we want to do is we want to take that instruction and apply it to our own lives. And so today we're going to be hearing from three separate voices on the letters from 2nd Thessalonians. Our first speaker is Barb. She's um she's our women's director. She works in the office, keeping us all in order and making sure that air conditioning stays running. Uh so we're very thankful for Barb. Amen. So I would like to welcome Barb to the stage.

Y2K Fear And False Alarms

Barb Burke 2:21

Good morning. Air conditioner is a great thing.

Gage Lee 2:26

Amen.

Barb Burke 2:29

So, letters, letters of Paul, we're talking 2nd Thessalonians. We're starting in chapter two today, but I want to ask you a question. Have you ever read something or heard something and you got all worked up? Only to find out it wasn't real. You got all worked up for nothing. Something that was maybe so blown out of proportion that afterward you're wondering, now why was I so anxious about that? What was it about it? Why did I let that get in there and do so much turmoil inside? Think Y2K. Now, I know there's several in the room that just went like, what? You don't remember the Y2K thing. But I remember, I remember where I was when I was watching the clock. Um, I was actually on a freeway going to an emergency vet at the moment. But um the year Y2K gripped a lot of people because the consensus was computers wouldn't be able to handle the change to the year 2000 because they were operating on double digits. So 1996 was just 96 in the computer system. So when it went to 2000 and became zero zero, it would send us back to the dark ages of the 1900s techno technology-wise. And thinking about all that our our culture runs on in technology: power grids, microchips that it uses, our water systems that use all kinds of technology, everything. Um bank accounts. You could have loans or money in your account just wiped out, or balances, payments, I mean, just utter chaos. So there was this fear about an infrastructure collapse, and people were just like crazy, stockpiling goods, which happened not too long ago, as a matter of fact, but stockpiling things, they were um all kinds of doomsday stuff going on. Y2K was all the talk. Now it's a distant memory, and like I said, many of you in here are like, I don't, I okay, I'll take your word for it. But it was a deal, it was a thing. And something, sometimes someone tells you something and you realize maybe they had their own spin on it, or maybe their own agenda, or maybe they were trying to persuade you into something, so it wasn't totally accurate, or maybe just made up entirely. But we get that stuff in us when we listen to that, and it just kind of roils us up, right? Rils us up inside. Here we're gonna take a look at the Thessalonian church. This is where we find this is happening to them, right? They received a report stating that the Lord, the day of the Lord, was happening. Now, that's bigger than any Y2K scare. This would mean that the rapture of the church had already happened. Remember, Pastor Jay talked about it a couple weeks ago, the rapture of the church, and they all looked for Pastor Cindy. Are you still here? Okay, then we're good. We're good, it hasn't happened yet. Um, but they thought they had missed it, and they were gonna be now in the tribulation and the day of the Lord, which brings judgment. And so they were quite shaken. And so um they could have been labeled as the original OG left behind crew. They thought we got left behind. They were the first ones, right? So let's take a look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 1 and

Discernment Against Spiritual Misinformation

Barb Burke 6:05

2. And it says, Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together with him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. They were fearful, they were shaken. Um, but Paul is reminding them, what have you been taught? Now, this isn't his first letter to them. This isn't a brand new church he's setting up for the first time. They had been taught, they had already received some instruction, right? Um, so he's telling them, be discerning. We have to be discerning. And what does that mean? We have to be able to distinguish between truth and a falsehood. We have to discern those things that are spoken to us, those things that we read, and before we get all caught up, and pretty soon we're down at the store stockpiling and trying to figure out how to make our own doomsday preparations, we need to stop and just discern, God, is this you? And He wouldn't call us to be anxious or fearful anyway, right? We have that peace, that that peace of God, the leading of God. But we have to be discerning because in our humanness, when we hear things, it tends to take us off course. I don't know about you, but I can go down that rabbit trail pretty easy if I'm not constantly being intentional to be like, okay, is this true? Is it of God? And if not, what does it matter? So they gave heed to false reports and what other people had said. So Paul is writing to set the record straight, speaking to them and reminding them what they had been learned, what they had been told. They were playing a spiritual game of telephone. Remember that game when you were a kid? You someone whispered something to you and you whispered it to someone else, the exact same thing. They whispered it to someone else, and at the end, invariably, it was totally changed and not the same. They were playing a spiritual game of telephone. The whispers, the gossip, the did you know, the fear was just going down the line. We have to be discerning, be careful and intentional about who we let speak into that place that we take hold of. We have to look to God because once we take it in and follow it, we form decisions, do we not? We form perceptions based on something that could not even be true. We waste a lot of time based on things that aren't true. Too much time. We ruin relationships with others based on perceptions that aren't healthy. But it's not based on truth. We risk our intimacy with the Lord because we form conclusions about how we think he sees us or how we think he doesn't see us. We form perceptions based on other things than the direct response of God. We have to be intentional with what or who we listen to and discern the truth. In 2 Thessalonians, it continues in verse 3 and 4, and it says, Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Whoa. So there's a lot here that we don't have time for this morning. Um, but I want to focus on the fact that Paul is reminding the Thessalonians what they had been taught. They were being deceived. He's saying, Don't be deceived. Stop listening to those reports. It's not in line with what you've been taught, it's not in line with the things of God. So he's reminding them of some things that have to come to pass because remember, they were thinking they missed it. And he's like, No, these things have to happen first before the day of the Lord, the judgment day will come, right? Because in verse 5, he continues and says, Do you not remember that when I was with when I was still with you, I told you these things? How many times do we have to be told again and again something? Again and again. I can come here to the altar and receive from God, and I walk out and I'm floating, I'm this, I'm that, and the next morning, or sometimes that night, I'm like, oh, woe is me. Where is God? Did he not listen to me? Was that just hype today, or was it God? You know, the doubts, the things that we let into our heart, we have to be very careful with. But it he's not talking about the rapture here. He's talking about where we go to meet Jesus in the air. He's talking about the second coming when he comes down, right? So he returns for his church the first time when we meet him, and he returns with his church at the second coming, which will be uh the rap the judgment. So he's saying there's two things to look for.

Signs Of The Times And Vigilance

Barb Burke 11:39

Two things to look for: a great falling away or apostasy of mankind. And the revelation of the man of sin or the lawless one. So these two things have to happen first. So the great apostasy. Apostasy is just a falling away from a belief system in Christianity, it's a departure from the relationship with Christ. So a first sign is that falling away, not having a relationship with Christ. And look at our world today, look at our churches today. It's alarming. We can see the sign of the times that things are on the move. There's so many things that we stand for and contend for that God set up that there are churches that are just pushing that out the window because it's not seeker-friendly. You can be whoever you want, you can do whatever you want, you can live whatever lifestyle you want. God is okay with it because we just want to love people. And yes, we do love people. We want to love God's people, but there is a way and a lifestyle of God that He set forth. And we throw off the yoke and we just start living how we want to. And that is happening. We see it starting to happen, but there should be a great falling away first, right? The next verse we're gonna talk about shows we have to be vigilant in these

The Holy Spirit As Restrainer

Barb Burke 13:06

times. There's a vigilance that we have to take up. So we say, okay, so what do I do about this? Well, I need to be vigilant, I need to be mindful. In verses six and seven in Second Thessalonians 2, it says, And you know, they've already been taught, right? And you know what is restraining him now, so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. So the lawless one we know is the Antichrist, right? One who is set against God. Who's the restrainer? And we would say, well, that's the Holy Spirit, right? Keeping the flow of evil at bay. But the Holy Spirit also is here. He's there, he's in each of us. So the Holy Spirit working through the church is a restraining force against the tide of evil that would flood in. There is a plan and an enemy, and every day they're straining and straining and trying to take over. And there is a uh restraining of the power of the Holy Spirit in the church that keeps it at bay when they say, Not on my watch. I'm taking up this place on the wall and I'm interceding for my family and my friends. I'm looking to take a stand. We heard Pastor Celeste talking about taking a stand. I'm taking a stand at my place, and I'm not abdicating my place and my calling so that the evil flow can just get right past me to my family, my friends, whosoever. Right? There is a restrainer. And it reminded me of um, I know we've all seen movies where there's a flood coming in this town, uh, a levee breaks or something, and they're all rushing together and they stand together, putting sandbags, putting a putting something to brace the onslaught of the torrential flood. And they're working hand in hand, arm in arm. No one's arguing about their place on the wall. No one's saying, My place isn't good enough, I want that place. They're all taking their place, whether they're filling bags, whether they're carrying bags, where they're placing bags, where they're bracing them up. Everyone in their position and their calling is doing their job. And it's keeping the floodwaters at bay. It's keeping the flow back. Now, there is still flood waters, but it's keeping it back. It's restraining it. And Lord, that we not take our place off the wall and say, I'm tired. Peace out. I'm going over here to do this other thing. What happens to that place where I was standing on the wall? We are a restraining force against the times of evil in this day. Because not because I'm all that and I got a little card in my pocket or whatever, it's because the Holy Spirit resides in me, the same power that resides in each and every one of us. That restraining power on your job, you say, not on my watch. You may not be able to change your company policy, but you can stand. You can stand as a believer in your family, in the marketplace, when you're standing in line and you hear something going on, you can speak to it. Or I just recently experienced where someone came in to my home. And they're like, wow, there's such peace. It's because there's prayer in that home. There's intercession in that home. And may that home continue in peace. The peace of God. And it's just so important that we not abdicate our place on the wall. We are a restraining force, that restraint against the lawless one.

Be The Light Where You Stand

Barb Burke 17:09

You might remember some of the things that distract us, the left behind series. I got all caught up in that craze. I had to know the timeline. I had to know. It's like this happens and then that happens. Wait, what do I got to look for? And I I had charts. I had books. Of course I had charts. Anyone who knows me is like, yeah, yeah, she probably did. So I wanted to figure it out. I'm watching all the movies, I'm watching everything, but I got so heavenly minded in trying to figure out the things of God. You hear that that quote that someone said, you get so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good. My relationship in the here and now took a hit. Because I I don't want to hear about that. I was so focused on this, and it's a good thing to learn. I'm not saying don't learn, don't look it up, look it up. You're in for a study. But don't get so caught up in the goodness that you missed the greatness. And the greatnesses are here and now today as we stand on the wall. Stay vigilant and be the light. Be the light. That's our job. Be the light. I don't care if I'm packing sandbags proverbially, proverbially, or standing against the wall, be the light. Be the light. Matthew 5, 14 and 16 says, You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. It's far too important a time for us to not be the light. We have to pay attention to what we let in, what leads us, what guides us. We have to stay vigilant and not let our guard down picking clovers in the backfield somewhere doing some like little whatever we think to do. Stay the course. Don't give up in growing, don't grow weary in well-doing. And stay the course. Be the light. Because the times are going to come. They will come. There is a truth in that. But our readiness is not in wringing our hands trying to see the sign. Our readiness is standing today in our relationship with the Lord.

Angus MacLeod 19:46

Amen.

Chosen By God And Held By Grace

Angus MacLeod 19:47

Thank you so much, Barb, for sharing that word with us, man. It is such uh that is such a timely message in this culture that we are in today. Would you not agree? We definitely need to be vigilant. We need to be aware of who and what we are allowing to pour into our lives. We need to be aware of what truth is. And so with that, we're going to continue on this theme. I'm going to introduce our next speaker, which is Gage. He's one of our brothers here. He uh co-hosts with us on the Cornerstone Collective podcast. And I'm just very excited to hear what he has to share with us today.

Gage Lee 20:27

Thank you. Good, good morning. All right. Forgive me if I look like I'm pooping bricks. I am. All right. So I'm going to continue on in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Um, first, I just want to say thank you so much. Um thank you to Jesus, right? That in the end, whenever I am presented before my heavenly Father, that I'm not going to be seen in the filth and the darkness that we tend to collect here on earth, but rather being washed in the blood of Jesus, I'll be presented as righteous and holy in that bright light. So, amen. Amen. All right. Uh, another another thing I want to say thank you to Pastor Celeste. Such an encouraging message last week on standing firm and standing against the current of the ever-changing world, um, and how important it is to stay grounded in the Word of God and to be grounded in a Bible-believing community, which I'm so grateful to have here. Um, as we move forward, uh, I just want to lay out my goal for today is to go through just the portions of this letter, uh, kind of break it up into smaller chunks so we can analyze it together. Um, we'll also cross reference plenty of scriptures um for some reiterations and encouragement. So moving on to 2 Thessalonians 2 13 through 17, it says, But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord. Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which he called you by our gospel for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions with which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now, may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. Amen. Amen. God is good, right? I'll be the first person to tell you that I miss the mark constantly. I am in no way, shape, or form a perfect representation of Christ or what it looks like to follow after Christ. Although I try and I strive, right? Thank the Lord that his mercies are new every morning because I miss the mark. And you know, I'm sure people here can even attest to that. You know, we all we all live life and it gets difficult, but you know, we have to lean on the Lord in those times and trust that, you know, just like following Jesus, the picture that we show, sometimes I may not be shoulder to shoulder with him. I'm a little bit in the back, but I can still see him, right? I'm following after and I'm striving hard, but sometimes that walk gets hard. Let me encourage you that his grace is sufficient and that he loves you. Um so the God that I serve is a God of restoration and a God of grace. So many times in my life I've made it out of situations that logically I probably never should have. Uh circumstances that I have put myself in, that I have put myself in, that in a worldly point of view should have left me either in jail or likely dead. Um, after every one of those situations, I wondered to myself how on earth I made it out. And a lot of people, as I've walked through this after the fact, have said, you know, it's because God had a plan for your life or he had a purpose for you that you haven't fulfilled yet. And it's not until I really started walking out that relationship with Christ that I could see that not only in the scriptures, but also in my my seasons that I got to experience with the Lord. Um, so the God that I serve is good, right? And he had a plan and a purpose for me, and I promise that he has a plan and a purpose for everybody in here. So let me encourage you, walk in alignment with that plan and that purpose and keep it in mind. Stay focused. Okay, let's start breaking up the scripture.

Sanctification And Belief In Truth

Gage Lee 24:43

First, it starts with, but we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation. So God from the beginning chooses us. He chose us from the very beginning. The text doesn't say after you stopped making poor decisions, or once you finally got your life together, right? The scripture doesn't read once you learned enough about the scriptures, and it doesn't say, you know, once you did enough good works, he chose you. It says, from the very beginning, God chose each and every one of us. And he chose us for salvation, right? He chose us to draw near and close to him. Such an amazing reminder for all of us that in our past or our present life, there's never been a point where we've been too far lost or gone that his hand is away from us because from the very beginning the Lord has chosen us for salvation. Now I think it's important to kind of reiterate what Barb was talking about, that this collection of letters to the Church of Thessalonica was designed by Paul to be a loving reminder and to be a comforter and an encouragement to a broken and hurting yet strong and beloved people. So the persecution of the church in Thessalonica at the time was at its highest. And if the persecution of their flesh wasn't enough, it's just like Barb was saying, there were lies being spread through the communities, a lot of the time being faked as being the writings of Paul, that the second coming of the Lord had already happened, while they, the Church of Thessalonica, were left behind. Now, this is why in the beginning of the chapter, like uh Barb breaks down, Paul doubles down. He doubles down, reminding the church that when the second coming of the Lord happens, to know exactly what it'll look like, so they can stay sober-minded and clear-headed. In John 15, 16, this is Jesus talking to us. He says, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. That whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you. Amen? Amen. Also in Matthew 22, 14, it says, Many are called, but few are chosen. Right? Everybody in this room has been called. You've heard the message of the gospel of Jesus. What matters is surrendering and becoming a chosen member of the body of Christ. Because God designed it for all of us to be chosen. He wants that relationship. What matters is laying down your life and giving it up to Christ, surrendering and being a member of the chosen family of God. So I want to say, you know, testimonies, right, are powerful and transformative. They can help to reach someone who may be where you were in the past, or even be an example of the power of restoration and healing that is found in Jesus. There's no question that testimonies are important. And sometimes those are the call. However, they will never supplement the true and pure gospel message, which we learn is what it means to be chosen, right? The gospel message will always be the foundation. Will always be the foundation. Our testimonies are just an encouragement and an example, but it will never supplement the true and honest gospel message. So the text goes on to read that salvation comes through the sanctification by the Spirit and the belief in truth. So the definition of sanctification is the state or process of being made holy, set apart, or purified. To be sanctified by the Spirit is to be washed and to be set apart and righteous and holy before our Lord and Father. In Ephesians 1:4, it talks about for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. And this is just to reiterate that we are from the beginning chosen, and that chosen comes from being set apart and sanctified to be made holy. In 2 Corinthians 7 1, it reads, Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, right? The beginning of wisdom, right? We have to do these things out of reverence for our Father, understanding who he is and who we're called to be in him. So at the end of the talk, or at the end of the text, it talks about the belief in truth. And it's such an encouragement, right, to believe in the word of God and to really put ourselves in a community of fellow Bible believers. God's word is accurate. God's word is full of wisdom, it is the truth, and it is our guide. It is incredibly important that we treat the word as such. Right? It is our lamp unto our feet. It is our guide. Treat it like it like it's called to be. So it continues here saying, to which he called you by our gospel for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have been called to salvation, sanctification, and belief in the truth through the gospel message of Jesus, and that message alone. In Romans 10, 14, it tells us, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Thank you, Lord, for choosing me, for sanctifying me, and for leaving the 99 to come get me. And to bring the good news of the gospel through somebody. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And all of these things that come with being in relationship are to accumulate into one thing: being in the eternal presence of the Father for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our eternal reward is the glory of our Lord Jesus. And it's not a glory that we deserve or that we earn, right? But it is a gift through grace that we now have the opportunity to dwell in. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions with which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Stand Fast And Reject Works Based Saving

Gage Lee 31:40

There are so many messages through scriptures about standing fast. And Barb, what an encouragement, right? To stand at the wall, stand ready to know your place and to serve, to do the right thing. Such an encouragement from Celeste last week, right? Of standing firm, standing against the current of the world that's constantly battering the wall. Stand against it and stand strong and firm in your relationship with Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 6, 13, it says, Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, and having done all to stand. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ. This is Galatians 5.1, stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Amen. We don't as much live by the words or traditions of man, right? But rather we live through the words and traditions that were established by the Father and presented and communicated to us by man. Now, what Paul is saying is not to steer away from the teachings of the early church that he was establishing. It's not to be led astray by the false teachings of some of those in Thessalonica. In Ephesians 4.14, it words it like this that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of man and the cunning and craftiness of deceitful plotting. Now the text closes by saying this. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. Now I just want to close by saying and stressing that salvation is never going to be a byproduct of your good works. You can never do enough to earn it. We are filthy. Our works are presented before the Father as filthy rags. They are nothing. But rather, good works are found in our salvation. They are a byproduct of our salvation and our relationship with Christ. Like so many people in the world like to think, I've been a good person, I'll be fine, it's gonna be okay. But our good works are strictly a byproduct of our salvation that is found in Jesus alone. So stand firm, know that you have been chosen, surrender to the one true God, and understand that salvation comes through a relationship with Him, and that good works will never get you there. But you are loved. Amen.

Pray For Leaders Under Pressure

Angus MacLeod 34:36

Man, I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that it didn't depend on me to get saved. It didn't depend on my works and what was good in me to be able to come to Christ. I'm so thankful that He did leave the 99 and came to find me. And I know that with every believer in here, that you all feel the same way because we all know that none of us are perfect. And so we are so thankful for the love of Christ that he loved us when we were unlovable. Our next speaker is Dave Henderson. He is uh he helps us out with the mercy house and the food pantry, and he's he's just a great encouragement to me. I love uh going with this guy to get food. Uh so I'll just hand it over to you.

Gage Lee 35:17

All right.

David Henderson 35:18

Good morning. It's gonna be hard to follow those two and not step on any bricks. Um so you did good. You did good. Uh dear Heavenly Father, I just thank you for the opportunity to come up here and to share your word, Father. I pray that you'll open up my brother and sister's ears, Father, and their heart, that they could hear the words that you um have given me to speak to them, Father, Lord God. Father, we ask that your spirit would move in here greatly and mightily, Father, Lord God. Let us take this message home with us and dwell on it, Father, Lord God. In Jesus' name. Amen. Um, Paul has covered several issues concerning the Thessalonian church. He clears up false teaching concerning Christ's final return. Paul is happy to hear the good reports of the Thessalonians' faith. He encouraged them to keep seeking God and growing in the Lord. And how, in the face of persecution and tribulations, they are facing them honorably. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, Paul says, Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified just as it is with you. Paul's use of the word finally is a call to action. It's a call to do two things as we wait for the return to the Lord. The first one is pray. We all have an enemy who prowls around looking for who he can devour or destroy. Like all natural predators, they look for the proof perfect opportunity to strike. They aim to kill. Um, but our enemy knows that if he can't kill you or destroy you, as long as he can inflict the wound in you that'll keep you from becoming all you are in Christ, that can be successful. But thankfully, we have a God who can heal those wounds. And if you have one of those wounds, I encourage you to just stick with it. Keep seeking him, asking for healing, whether that that wound is physical or emotional. So we pray. We pray for our pastors, we pray for our ministry leaders, and we pray for one another. Every leader has a bullseye on him. Nothing would please the enemy more than taking out one of our leaders to scatter the sheep. So, what are some things leaders need prayer for? That they would have their quiet time with God, and that if they don't have that now, that they will. We pray that there would be an intimacy between them and God. We pray that God would reveal a deeper revelation of Himself to them, that they would be full of the Holy Spirit with a greater anointing. We pray for protection over them from all of the enemy's weapons. We pray for their health and their strength, their family, their kids, their finances, and whatever the Holy Spirit lays on your heart. So at this time, if we could, if I could, could I have all pastors and leaders, if you're a ministry leader, if you could stand up at this time. What I'd like to do is have all of us just place your hand towards anyone standing next to you, and we're just gonna pray for them all right now. Dear Heavenly Father, we lift our pastors up to you, Father. Our pastors and our leaders. Father, we pray protection over them and their family, Father, Lord God. We pray for our pastors that are traveling abroad, that you would give them traveling mercies and privileges, Father. We pray that your anointing is going to be upon them when they preach. And Father, we um pray that our pastors would have intimate time with you, that you would speak to them and guide them, Father, that you would give them a new message, that you would breathe into them fresh air and place on them a fresh anointing, Father. We pray over their kids, Father, Lord God, that their kids would be blessed, that your hand of favor would be upon them, and no weapon forced against them shall prosper. And we pray for our ministry leaders, Father, Lord God, that Father, when the enemy comes and whispers in their ear, Father, that you would silence that, Lord Jesus. That Father, you would put on them that they are a good leader. We pray that you would give them new ideas on how to lead ministry, Father. And we pray that you would put others around them to help support them, Father. We we we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Serving As The Cure For Idleness

David Henderson 40:09

The second thing we are to do as we wait for the return for Christ is serve. Paul warns us of being idle, about being idle. God didn't call us to sit around and wait for his return. Idleness will get us into trouble. If you're reminding somebody else's business, you've been idling too long. If you're gossiping about other Christians, brothers and sisters, you've been idling too long. If you're being judgmental and critical, you've been idling too long. If you're feeling lonely, get connected by serving. The idle uh the edit the antidote to idleness is serving. Can you guys put the list up here? You guys have the list? All these lists right here are serve teams. Um we have if if you're into making coffee, kids' church, greeters, if you feel like Dave, I don't have any gifts or talents, you do. Um if you're not sure where to serve, pray. There's also a spiritual membership class where they will help guide you, which maybe which one of these uh serve places would be for you, and try it out. If it isn't the one for you, no problem, no foul. Move on and try another one. I know when I was trying, I went to the teens and I found out real quick that was not for me. Um it's not that it's bad, it's just out of my element. But find out what does work for you. What are your interests, your hobby? Do you enjoy making coffee? Do you love the tech team? Do you love singing? Can you play an instrument? Even if you can't sing, they can disconnect your mic and your just be up here. Um and why should we serve? Jesus modeled serving for us, for even the Son of Man came not to serve, but to be served. Your growth spiritually, your increase in faith, and your help God grow his kingdom. Your grow in relationships through fellowship with other brothers and sisters. And I'm gonna leave with this. One of the greatest things about serving is seeing God work in others' lives. And with that, I'll that I'll pass. Actually, I would like to share one more thing.

Mercy House Needs Volunteers Now

David Henderson 42:51

Because I'm a member of the Mercy House, and uh me and my wife were in the pantry, and yesterday we had 70 families come through. So, why that is good, the Mercy House, we need more volunteers to teach, we need volunteers to work in the closed closet and the pantry, and we also need volunteers for this Saturday at a back to school outreach. Or I think last year we had five to seven hundred kids come through there. So if you can volunteer for that, um we'd love to have you. Thank you.

Angus MacLeod 43:36

It's always an encouragement to hear somebody else call call you to service and call you to serve because as as leaders, we are always looking for volunteers and people to help be on team with us. But it's good to hear our teammates say, no, come join the team. It's great to be on team. And so we're so thankful for everyone who has done that.

Invitation To Surrender To Jesus

Angus MacLeod 43:56

So today, before we go to the next thing, we're As we've allowed these words to wash over us and to minister to us, maybe you're here today and you realize that maybe you are one that you're being called. You know that you've been called to something, but you just haven't picked up the phone yet. And so what we do is we look to the cross and we see the cross is a symbol of hope, a symbol of life. It was intended to be a symbol of death and fear by the Romans. But Jesus, when he went willingly to the cross, he took all of our sin, all of our shame, and reunited us with the Father. And so it says in Romans 10, verses 9 and 10, because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one confesses and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. You see, if you're here today, God is calling to each and every one of us. Whether that's into a new relationship with him or in an existing relationship to be in a closer one with him. And with all heads bowed and all eyes closed, if that's you, and you recognize this culture's been pouring into me things that I des I definitely don't need in my life, if you've heard some words that speak life to you, that you recognize that you need a little more than what you currently have, this prayer is for you. There's nothing magical about this prayer, but it's the position of the heart that is so important. And so if that's you and you feel that you want to begin this new relationship with Jesus, I'm gonna invite you just to raise your hand really quick so that I can see you, and once I see you, you can put it back down just so we know how that we pray. I see that hand, thank you. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. And so if you would pray with me this prayer. Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sin. I surrender my life to you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Amen. Congratulations. We are so thankful to have you join the family. And now, as the worship team comes, I want to just open this altar for a time for us to come and just get closer with the Lord. Allow him to speak to us through these words. If, if, like Dave said, if if you're going through something and you need some wounds healed, come and receive that healing. Maybe you recognize that you need to serve someplace. Ask the Lord to guide you where that place of service should be. Maybe it's just to recognize that God is good and come and celebrate who He is and what He's done for you in your life. And today we just ask the Lord to help continue to pour into us those things that we need to hear that would combat what it is that our culture and our society speaks so loudly every day. Lord, we thank you for this opportunity. God, I just pray that as people come to this altar, you would minister to each and every one of us where we are. Speak to us as individuals and personally, speak over our situation. Lord, we pray for breakthrough in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Outreach Reminder And Final Blessing

Celeste Brown 48:08

All right, I'm gonna ask you to stand as we close today. Hey, I want to remind you this Saturday, we've been telling you again and again and again, but this Saturday is the Mercy House event, and we need you. The good thing is that it's indoors and it is air conditioned. Um, for years we've done it outside, and so we now have a school that has um collaborated with Mercy House and they're opening up the school. But there are going to be hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of kids who are in need of back-to-school supplies. So if you are available, we need you. You can go on the app, you can call the office, you can check in with one of the team from Mercy House. There are many things to do. Please do not think they do not need you. They do. And so if you can go and smile and love on these families and walk them through, you'll be so blessed when you see their eyes light up because they got something brand new for school. And so I just want to encourage you to be a part.

Angus MacLeod 49:04

Amen. I'll tell you, it is an it's an incredible thing to be a part of that event. Uh, I know that I'm blessed every year that we get to go and be a part, and so I want to encourage you, there is a spot for you somewhere at that event. So that we can never have too many hands. So please be sure to sign up and show up. But before we go, I want to pray this blessing over us. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, we pray this prayer upon your church and your people. That you would live your life, that we would live our lives empowered by your spirit. We pray these things in the mighty name that is Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Know this, we love you very much here at Cornerstone. Have a great week.