This is the second chapter of Paul's first
letter to the Thessalonians.
First Thessalonians, chapter two.
If you have been reading through the book
this week, you will have already noticed this,
that this chapter gives us some of the
past performances of the great apostle and his
labors at Thessalonica.
Some of the past performances of Paul at
Thessalonica.
And then if you have looked carefully at
the chapter, you'll know it doesn't only deal
with past performances, but it deals with past
problems that Paul met at Thessalonica.
Not only national, but satanical.
Not only external, but internal.
Past problems Paul met at Thessalonica.
And then if you look carefully at the
chapter, you'll notice that it doesn't only deal
with Paul's past, but it gives us a
little glimpse of Paul as he sends the
letter to the Thessalonians, Paul's present.
How his heart was filled and filled with
joy as he saw his children walking in
the truth.
And of course you must have noticed that
not only does the chapter deal with Paul's
past and Paul's present, but Paul's looking into
the future in this chapter.
And he's anticipating that day when the Lord
Jesus will come again.
And he can see clearly by faith, we
Thessalonian converts standing glorified, faultless before the throne.
My, he said, ye shall be in that
day our crown of rejoicing.
So you'll see that this chapter deals with
some of Paul's performances in the past, shows
you some of Paul's problems, gives you a
little hint of Paul's pleasure as he's paying
this letter to the Thessalonians, and it deals
with Paul anticipating the future.
Now let's look at some of these past
performances of Paul.
We get some wonderful pictures of the Apostle.
To me it's almost like a picture book
of the Apostle as he turns verse by
verse.
You see some wonderful pictures.
Let's begin at the first verse.
Verse 1, For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance
in unto you, that it was not in
vain.
You know, I can almost see Paul penning
these words.
It was not in vain.
You know, as he's putting this down, he
must be looking back, isn't he?
He remembers how he went into Thessalonica with
the gospel.
He remembers that multitude that we looked at
last week, a great multitude believed.
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17, 16,
17th verse.
Yes, in chapter 17 it's told us that
a great multitude believed when Paul preached at
Thessalonica.
And you know, he's penning this.
It was not in vain.
Here we see him rejoicing of a reaper,
or of the reaper.
You know, he's rejoicing now of the wonderful
things that took place.
I wonder how many of us can look
back down to our service for the Lord
Jesus, and we can rejoice like this.
It was not in vain.
Why, I can look back in so many
places.
I remember so many years ago when I
pitched a tent at Holmes' Corner, at Tillie
Gomeen, and there's Mr. Corbett and I were
late, Mr. Harry Corbett, and I went out
alone one day and walked round the fence.
He said, I think we should pitch the
tent here, wouldn't we?
And I looked for the houses.
There were none there then.
It's pitch, nothing built.
I said, well now, if you think that
the Lord's leaving, we'll put the tent here.
And you know, friends, I look back now,
and I can see the tent crowded.
I can see the nights when we took
down the sides, when the people sat out
in the grass, when night by night people
were saved.
In fact, so many were saved that as
soon as we took the tent down, six
weeks later, they began to build the church
that's there now.
And I went and pitched when there were
only bricks put up the sides, and it
was still crowded.
And when they hadn't got a roof on
and only girders, I was still pitching.
And God blessed the work.
It was not in vain.
How lovely to look back.
Why, I can remember going so many places
and seeing the hand of God in so
many ways.
It was not in vain.
And can't I say that about this place
more than any other?
I remember the day when three men came
from this very assembly to ask me to
come.
And I blessed God again and again from
the day I came.
It was not in vain.
Can you say this?
I can remember the first time I went
to preach at Queen's University.
Poor little, small, insignificant thing that I was.
And still am.
And as I walked up that front aisle
and down the corridor and faced all the
masters and the boys and men and girls
and women, how I secretly inside trembled.
And then at the end of the meeting
that day, a doctor of the university came
and got my arm and said, Let's go
and have a chat together.
And there was a doctor saying, It was
not in vain.
Mr. Russell and I have gone through the
prison and faced all the prisoners.
Rattled out the seams poorly.
And it was not in vain.
And I'll go tomorrow to Queen's Island.
And I trust it will not be in
vain.
This is the reaper.
And he's looking back with rejoicing.
I wonder how many of us here this
evening, we can look back at our service
for God and we can say from our
hearts, It was not in vain.
Not in vain.
That's Paul rejoicing of the reaper.
But watch the next verse.
Verse two.
But even after that we have suffered before
and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at
Philippi.
My, you remember how Paul was shamefully entreated
at Philippi.
He was put in the prison.
We were bold in our gods to speak
unto you the gospel of God with much
contention.
I'd like all the young preachers to take
their time here with me.
Because just now we are looking up Paul
the picture.
Very good to look up Paul rejoicing of
the reaper.
But where we have learned most this evening
is looking up this picture of Paul's purpose
as a picture of God.
Watch what he said.
We were bold in our God to speak
unto you what?
The gospel of God.
My, I wish I could thunder that out
of the weight of the thunder.
You know, I want you young fellows to
get the hold of this.
If you're going out to take meetings where
I'm saved or brought in, remember you're expected
to preach the gospel of God.
You're not expected to ridicule the ministers.
That's not the gospel of God.
You're not expected to criticize anything.
If I settle modernist synods meeting, I'm teaching
the word here.
But when I go to Lisbon, I'll be
going to preach the gospel of God.
I'll be going speaking for synods.
Paul said, I was bold to preach unto
you.
Get the hold of that phrase, young fellow.
The gospel of God.
Do you know what it is?
It's God's good news for the world.
You know, God has good news for the
world.
My, you young fellows, if you're going out
preaching the gospel of God, get the hold
of this.
You're going out preaching good news.
And it's God's good news.
Do you know what it is?
I hope you know what the gospel of
God is.
It's the good news that God so loved
the world.
Why, how wonderful to get all kinds and
classes and creeds and colors of sinners and
just hold them in your arms and say
God loves you.
You know, I can remember not so very
long ago that a Roman Catholic came into
the little inquiry room and sat down very
silently and she said, Mr. Mullen, you know,
I'm a Roman Catholic.
I said, dear, keep quiet about that sort
of thing.
You're a sinner and God loves you.
Let's get the hold of that sort of
thing.
We're bringing good news to sinners and the
good news begins here that God loves them.
God loves them.
You're in this meeting, unsaved friend, tonight.
I want you to get the hold of
the good news.
God loves you.
God so loved you that He gave His
only begotten Son.
Oh, that we could get that over to
every unsaved man and woman in the meeting
tonight.
That God so loved you, sir, that He
gave His only begotten Son and He didn't
only give Him down to earth, you know.
He gave Him up to the death of
the class of Calvary.
He said, son, go down and lay down
your life as a ransom whereupon I must
stand justly and hold out my arms in
grief and justify every one that will accept
your faith.
It's the good news of God's love that
He so loved He gave His Son.
It's the good news that His Son went
to Calvary and gave Himself a ransom for
all.
It's the good news that the one who
came and died rose again.
And it's the good news that tonight for
every unsaved man there is a living Savior.
And it's the good news that grace makes
salvation in these times.
Whosoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life.
That's the gospel of God.
You young fellows, stick to it.
Leave the criticism to those who are able
for it.
If you're on the streets preaching the gospel,
don't start throwing stones into the water where
you're fishing.
Say, you'll never catch fish like that.
You see, when you're dealing with God's people,
that's a different thing.
They're not fish, they're sheep.
You know, when a fellow goes out to
round up sheep, he's a dog with them.
And that's different.
But when a fellow goes out to fish,
he doesn't take the dog with him, does
he?
He's got a bit of...
He doesn't stand two stones in the water,
you know.
He wouldn't catch any fish like that.
Oh no, you see, in days gone by,
David took a swing.
Because if a sheep was swaying way up
yonder, he'd just bump a stone beside it.
Boy, that would rake in the gospel.
You can do that with sheep.
But you can't do that with fish.
I wish I could teach you.
Sometimes I scream at the least to teach
you.
But you don't seem to get it.
Paul said, you know, I was born to
preach unto you, how quick, the gospel of
God.
Stick to that.
Stick to that and God will bless you.
Go and learn what the gospel of God
is.
God of this world hath blinded the minds
of them that believe not.
Lest the light of the glorious gospel should
shine in.
My, the thing that the devil...
No wonder so many of the young preachers
are missing.
I remember years ago going to a very
large meeting.
Over a thousand people were there.
Two of us were preachers.
I was looked upon as sort of old
-fashioned.
And the other young fellow, this was his
first real big meeting.
He said, I'll go first.
He preached on the hands of Jesus.
Said some wonderful things about the hands of
Jesus.
He said the things so very well that
he really moved the audience with all that
he had to say.
Then he came into the little back room
and we were putting our overcoats on and
nobody else there.
He shut the door.
He said, well, they tell me honestly.
How did I do?
I said, you were hopeless.
That's what's wrong with you.
Hopeless.
I said, look, I want to be your
friend and I'm talking to you in love.
Where on earth was the gospel of God
in that message?
No gospel enough.
He said a lot of wonderful things, you
know.
And he said them wonderfully well.
You never put a spark of gospel in
it.
You were hopeless.
That taught him a wee thing or two.
He never missed a mark from that day
till now.
I'm trying to do the same with some
of you young fellows here.
Would to God that I could get you
on the bullseye.
The gospel of God.
What you need to be up to.
Gospel of God.
So watch again.
He goes on about this preaching.
He said, for all exhortation.
Was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor
in guile.
You see, the gospel of God, this good
news.
My, there's nothing deceitful about it.
There's no delusion about it, you know.
There's nothing twisted about the gospel of God.
On to your friend.
Let me get this over to you.
That straight from the very pumping heart of
God tonight.
Comes the good news.
That he loved you.
And gave his son for you.
Who died and rose again.
And there's a wonderful savior for you tonight.
If you'll only trust him.
And there's no question of it, you know.
There's no deception in this.
God is...
You know, if you'd only believe God.
You'd be saved.
My, there's no twist in this wonderful message.
But watch this preacher.
Look at the next verse.
For as we were allowed of God to
be put in trust with the gospel.
Isn't that a lovely bit?
You know, God really sends some people specially
equipped to preach the gospel.
And you know, all the real evangelists.
All the men that God has gifted to
preach the gospel.
And you know you can't preach except you
pretend.
Indeed you can't.
But it means this.
That the day they trusted God.
That day God trusted them.
Trusted us with the gospel.
And you know, there's a movement afoot tonight.
For to try to stop us.
Or let them try.
Mind you, there's an ecumenical council in this
land of ours.
And I'll give you the whole truth now.
And go and search it out for yourself
and see if I'm right.
There are certain bodies who'd like to get
together tonight.
And they're going to try to get bishops
over all these bodies.
And if they can get bishops, then the
fellow who can't get a license from the
bishop won't be allowed to preach.
And one of them looked into our faces
the other day and said, where will the
baptists and the brethren be then?
Well I'll tell them where they'll be, where
the covenantals were.
And we'll be going on preaching.
For the Parliament of Pugency.
Of Peace.
Of Hope.
Of Passion.
God sent us.
And I'd like to see who'll turn us
back.
I would like to see.
My will raise an army round us in
no time at all.
We'll give them fun.
Friend, men who are tempted by God can't
be stopped.
They can't be stopped.
But a bit of them who were tempted
by God.
Wouldn't the Jewish council try to stop Peter
and James and John?
Wouldn't Nero try to stop the great apostle?
Wasn't the Spanish Inquisition for the same thing?
If you read your history, over the bridge
that brought it down, didn't they throw the
old Presbyterians years ago, because they preached the
gospel, and there's some of the Presbyterian ministries
have forgotten it.
My, my heart.
But there's a lot of other boys who
haven't forgotten it.
Why, some of us read history as well
as we're Bible users.
And remember, that pagan, popish, Babylonian scum has
burned the best men that ever stood in
Shulevah, and they would do it again.
But whether they burn or not, we're going
on with the gospel.
We were saints.
We were saints, and you can't turn men
back to saints.
God has trusted us.
Wonderful God trusting us with the gospel.
Although some of us wouldn't let them down.
Once again, here's the bit that's most important.
Wherefore, but as we were allowed of God
to be put in trust with the gospel,
even so we speak, not of pleasing men.
No, no, no.
But God.
Look, here's the bit I want you to
get this.
You see, we're looking at the picture of
the purpose of the great picture.
Here was called real purpose in life.
That I may preach the gospel to please
God.
Well, that puts a new face on it,
doesn't it?
It doesn't just mean getting a few headings,
you know.
That doesn't mean just being eloquent or trying
to chew off your oratory.
That means that each Sunday evening and right
through this mission in this world, that night
after night I've been making to preach the
gospel to please God, not men, to please
God.
Well, that would put a new step into
some of your service if you started to
preach the gospel to please God, not men.
Please God.
That's what Paul said.
What a wonderful man he was.
How much we can learn if we take
our time.
Look at this again.
He says, Not as pleasing men but God
which trieth our hearts.
For neither at any time do we flattering
words.
As you know, isn't that lovely?
No, he just wanted to bring the old
fashioned message without any frills or varnish.
The old fashioned story that God loved the
world and gave his son who died and
rose again that there was a savior for
the whosoever was.
And he said, you know, we never use
gospel preaching for to get something out of
you.
There's too many baggers in this job.
Thank God that I can stand and look
round this country and all the businessmen in
this place do this.
I never loved what they did to me.
And I never will.
Never will.
I can go to any part of this
country of ours and I have preached in
every town and almost in every village.
And never once have I dared to sponge
on God's people.
And I never will.
Never will.
When I'm not afraid of women.
I'm trusting God.
And my eyes are toward the hills.
And I don't give a snap of my
fingers.
You think that I will drop off again
here for a pound, your honor.
You're on a false plank, it'll let you
down.
And real men of God never use the
gospel for a cloak of covetousness.
Never.
My, if you get them at that, you
can pass them by.
They're not sent of God.
They're only after money.
They'll be found out sooner or later.
The great apostle was a great man.
Now look at him.
That's it.
For, verse 5, for neither has any time
used re-flattering words, as you know, nor
a cloak of covetousness.
God is witness.
Nor of men shall be glory.
Neither of you.
You know, they didn't preach to please parties.
Oh, you know, some of the preachers, my,
they know who am to say certain things.
And they know who am to say them.
And you know, when they're in a certain
kind of hall, they say certain kinds of
things and they get hallelujah.
And then when they go to another place,
they know exactly what to say there, don't
they?
Well, friend, I just say what's in that
book and I'm never out of trouble, you
know.
I get into trouble every week on this
Bible class, but I always get out of
the trouble again.
I'll be saying what's in that book, whether
it troubles you or whether it doesn't.
I'm not here as a tool of a
party.
I keep it very tight in my own
consciousness that I'm here to teach what's on
the page of that book, whether you like
it or whether you don't.
Isn't this the way that Paul went?
Neither of men shall be glory.
Neither of you nor yet of others.
When we might have been burdensome as the
apostles of Christ.
Now, in those six verses, you have two
pictures.
You have the picture of Paul rejoicing as
a reaper.
You have the picture of Paul's purpose as
a preacher.
He preached to please God and not men.
And now if you come to a different
picture, the picture of the reaper, the picture
of the preacher, now you come to the
picture of the nurse.
And I want you to notice this, verse
7.
But we were gentle among you, even as
a nurse cares for her children.
Now, that's towards the unsaved.
You know, when Paul went in among them,
he went in to fish.
He went in to preach the gospel.
He went in to win swords.
And he that winneth swords is wise.
And the way that the gospel preacher should
go in among the unsaved is as a
nurse that cherishes her own children.
The reference should be...
Why, that's a very beautiful thing, isn't it?
You can see the gentleness of the evangelist,
can't you?
You can see the carefulness, even as a
nurse cherishes her children.
And then it goes on, watch it.
Verse 8.
So being affectionately desirous of you, can't you
see the devotedness of the apostles?
We were willing to have imparted unto you
not the gospel of God only, but also
our own souls, because ye were dear unto
us.
Why can't you see the sincereness here?
This is the kind of gospel preachers we
need.
Gentleness, carefulness, devotedness, sincereness.
Here's the picture of the gentleness of a
nurse.
Can't you see the joyfulness of the reaper?
Can't you see the portrait of the preacher?
Can't you see the gentleness of the nurse?
But watch, it goes just a bit further
with these pictures.
For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail,
for laboring night and day, because we would
not be chargeable unto any of you, we
preached unto you the gospel of God.
Ye are witnesses unto God also.
How wholly, gospel of God,
ye are witnesses unto God also.
How wholly, and justly, and unblameably, we behaved
ourselves among you that believe.
He's talking about the believers now.
You see, of the old warrior, you can
see him rejoicing as a reaper, can't you?
It was not in vain.
Then you can see his purpose as a
preacher.
I'm here to preach God.
Then you can see his gentleness as a
nurse.
That's among the unseers.
Now do you see his holiness as a
saint among the leavers.
He said, how wholly, and justly, and unblameably,
we moved among you believers.
Why sometimes when I look at those three
words, I feel that I've failed in the
whole three of them.
I'm not unblameable as I did.
I try to be just.
My Paul could say, ye know, how wholly,
how separate he lived, how sanctified he was,
a holy man of God, a just man,
an unblameable man.
Only that some of us couldn't raise their
shoes.
We're looking up a saint now.
Did you see the reaper?
Did you see the preacher?
Did you see the nurse?
Did you see the saint?
Wholly, just, unblameable.
There's another picture here yet.
Did you see the eleventh verse?
As ye know how we exhorted, and comforted,
and taught every one of you, as our
fathers taught his children.
My, you're looking up the faithfulness of the
Father now.
You see, Paul was one of the rulers
in the assembly.
You know, when we come to talk about
rules in the house of God, some people
don't understand what we're talking about.
You know, every true assembly of God's people
has got rules, and the book says, you
should know them that have a rule over
you.
I happen to be one of the rulers
in this place.
Just one of them.
And a ruler is here to exhort you.
Some people don't like exhortation.
Of course, a ruler is here to comfort
you, isn't he?
And a ruler is here to charge you.
A ruler is here to act like the
father of the family.
Paul says that's how we reacted.
My said, we comforted you when you needed
it.
And we charged you, we rebuked you when
you needed it.
And we exhorted you.
Very beautiful, these pictures, you know, they come
out one by one.
You see the joyfulness of the reaper, how
he rejoices.
You can see the purpose of the preacher.
You can see the tenderness and gentleness of
the knight.
You can see the holiness of the saint.
You can see the faithfulness of the father.
Very beautiful pictures.
Now those are pictures of Paul's past performances
among the Thessalonians.
I want you to notice that as a
father he exhorted them and charged them always
for his purpose.
That ye would walk worthy of God.
My all our preaching and all our exhortation
ought to be to this end, that the
saints would walk worthy of God who has
called you unto his kingdom and glory.
Now the next little bit we needn't bother
very much with, because he's just going over
what we went over last week.
But I'll read it at any rate, verse
thirteen.
For this cause also thank we God without
ceasing, because when ye receive the word of
God, which ye heard of us, ye receive
it not as the word of men, but
as it is in truth the word of
God, which is actually worthy also in you
that believe.
You remember last week I pointed out that
when Paul went to preach at Thessalonica, preached
the gospel not in words only, but in
power, you remember how these Thessalonians received the
word.
You see, that's what you must do to
get saved.
You must receive the message of the gospel.
If I preach God loves you, you must
receive it.
If I preach God loves you so much
that Christ came and died and shed his
blood and gave his life a ransom for
all, that's true.
If I say that Christ rose again and
tonight there's a real, what if I'm living
for your people?
When you receive the message, the word, you
receive the Christ.
And to as many as received him, to
them give it power to become the sons
of God.
But you know, there's something else after receiving.
You remember we noticed this last week, verse
14.
For ye, brethren, became followers.
Ah yes, you see, if you become receivers,
ye must of necessity become followers.
You know, this is one of the things
that marks out the sheep.
The Lord Jesus said, My sheep hear my
voice and they follow me.
Many of you heard him talking to you
about baptism.
Are you following on?
Mind you, he went down into the water
and he was baptized.
Are you following?
I'm a follower, yes.
Ah friend, remember if you really love him,
you'll follow on to know the truth.
Look again, ye became followers of the churches
of God, which in Judea are in Christ
Jesus, and then something more.
For ye also have suffered like things of
your own countrymen, even as they have of
the Jews, you see.
You become receivers, you become followers, you become
sufferers.
It must be like that, it can never
be any other way.
You see friend, if you receive Christ as
your Savior tonight, and you prepare to follow
him no matter what the cost, I'll tell
you this, you'll suffer, suffer.
My youth be called peculiar and narrow, and
God only knows what.
You should see some of the lovely letters
I get from the devil.
He writes to me now and again.
Never mind.
You know friends, if the Lord Jesus were
back here again, and in this pulpit, they
would turn from Him again.
Make no mistake about that.
We're living in the same world, and there's
a cloud of religious fanatics who hate the
truth.
It's a deal.
My dear friends, don't worry if you suffer.
You're following Christ and you must suffer.
You must suffer.
But we looked up the receiving and the
following and the suffering last week.
But notice this, that it says, Let ye
suffer of your own countrymen, even as they
have of the Jews.
Is there some wonderful thing here against the
Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus?
Mind you they did.
Make no mistake about that.
God will try Israel yet, for a murder.
Yes, son.
Was Jesus Christ an innocent man?
Was He a sinless man?
Was He a spotless man?
Was He a harmless man?
Was He a holy man?
They murdered Him.
Mind you, godly men have been murdered after
Him, and it will come again.
But God will knock it down.
Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.
I will repay.
And there's a day of vengeance coming for
this world.
Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their
own prophets, and have persecuted us.
And they please not God, and are contrary
to all men.
Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that
they might be saved.
That's what happened in the early days, and
I believe it will happen again in the
last days.
You see, these great men that God sent
to shape the world, they were forbidden.
Forbidden by the Sanhedrin, forbidden by the Jewish
council, forbidden by the leaders in the temple
of Jerusalem, forbidden to preach the gospel.
It may come again.
Why, this was one of Paul's problems.
He was forbidden by his own nation to
preach to the Gentiles.
And then he goes on in verse seventeen,
But we brethren, being taken from you for
a short time and peasants, not in heart,
endeavored the more abundantly to see your face
with great desire.
Wherefore we would have come unto you, even
I, Paul, once and again, but Satan hindered
us.
I think there's a lovely touch here, and
there's a great truth here.
You see, Paul was a great preacher, there's
no doubt about that.
And Paul was a holy man of God.
And Paul was a wonderful worker for Christ.
Paul was a marvellous evangelist and missionary.
But when you have said all that you
can say, remember he was just a man.
And you know he had wee ideas of
his own, just like all men have.
And he had plans to go back to
Thessalonica.
How?
He would just have loved to go back
and wonder why he had had revival there.
A multitude had got saved.
He had seen the hand of God.
It was not in vain.
And he longed to go back.
But you know, the devil stopped Paul's plans.
But you know, the devil didn't stop God's
purposes.
Can you see that?
Sometimes our thoughts are not God's thoughts, you
know.
Sometimes our ways are not God's ways.
And Paul wanted to go back, but God
wanted him to go on.
And you know, the devil was working into
God's hands.
When Paul was sent out of Philippi, he
went down to Thessalonica.
When Paul was pushed out of Thessalonica, he
went to Belial.
When Paul was put out of Belial, he
went to Athens.
When Paul was put out of Athens, he
went to Cairo.
The devil pushed him further away from Thessalonica.
The gospel spread.
Multitudes were one for God.
You know, your disappointment might be his appointment.
I tell you, it's worth thinking about.
Some of us are disappointed at times, aren't
we?
It may well be his appointment.
And you'll find that your miss was your
mercy.
And that God's looking after you all the
time.
You know, I can see Joseph being sold
by his brethren.
And I'm sure he longed to get back
home.
And he's down in the pitch.
Then he's sold down into Egypt.
Then the woman told a lie and he's
put down into the prison.
And it seems this young godly fellow is
thinking more and more and more and more
from the prison.
And you know, it is from that very
deepest point, from the lowest door on the
keyboard of life, God brought him right away
to the throne.
My God was working things out.
Don't be too worried about the disappointment.
Place your life in the hand of God.
And let God pave the way.
And your way may not be God's way.
And your thoughts may not be God's thoughts.
These were Paul's problems.
But can't you see the last verse?
I'm not wanting to pass by the nineteenth
one, but I want you to see the
last one.
You know, as Paul looks back and thinks
of all that's been accomplished, he wished to
put these words down.
Ye are our glory and joy.
My, this is his present pleasure.
You know, his heart's throbbing now.
He's looking back, even in current, he's writing
this letter.
And he's looking back, he says, you know,
that was the best day's work I ever
did for God.
That's the crown of my life.
That's the joy of my soul.
You know, I would be compelled to say
that about Logan.
It's my joy.
I'm crying.
What a joy.
How his heart was thrilled.
He never forgets, says, oh my God.
It gave him present pleasure.
Do you see his past performance?
Do you see his past problems?
Do you see his present pleasure?
Have a look as he turns and looks
into the future.
Through verse 19.
What is our hope or joy or crown
of rejoicing?
Are not even ye in the presence of
our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
You know, he's turned right round from the
past and away from the pleasure to the
present.
And he's looking right into the future.
He's looking away down the ages past our
day to the moment when Jesus will.
And when Jesus comes to the air, the
bodies of the Thessalonians will rise to meet
the Lord in the air.
And Paul stands and there are hundreds that
he won for Christ.
Glory time.
Apocalypse before the Lamb.
He says, you know, that will be a
crown of rejoicing.
Wonder, wonder who you'll rejoice in.
You ever win a soul for the Lord?
Never you say, I can't preach and I
can't sing?
You ever give anything?
Would you ever help or arm a child?
Only when you pray.
My, I think you older folk, every one
of you ought to crawl out to the
fair and eat in one of the good.
I'm perfectly sure about this, you know.
I know the young fellows should be there.
You know, I believe the old people should
be there.
If there's one thing left for you to
do while you're living, get out and pray.
And if you can't pray, you can say
amen to somebody who can't.
Wonder, wonder who you'll marry.
Shall I empty-handed be?
When before the crestful sea, I shall stand
before the everlasting throne?
Will I hang my head in shame as
I answer to my name?
Not a thing that my Redeemer there can
own.
Will you rejoice?
Brethren and sisters, let's really leave the building
tonight to go in for soul-saving with
every fiber of our being.
And there'll be stars in your crown in
a coming day.
God bless you.