Amen. Returning to the book of Thessalonians again, returning to 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. At this time we welcome you, thank you for joining with us. Good to see you here at the house of God this evening, those who join with us at home. And we know that there are those joining with us at home who want to be here, who have made contact with us, even today they would love to be here, but well, The circumstances in our nation just doesn't permit that to happen every week. And so we welcome you in our Saviour's name and also those who faithfully come to the house of God out there in the church car parks. 2 Thessalonians 2, and we'll read from the verse 13 again. From this chapter it says, but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. Amen. And we'll end our reading at the end of the verse number 17. Now, it's not my intention this evening to rehash or repeat at length what we studied last Wednesday night in our Bible study. Needless to say we considered last Wednesday evening Paul's first petition for these people in Thessalonica in the verse number 17. When God's servant pray that God would comfort their hearts. And we considered last week where that comfort would be derived from. We thought about all involved in their salvation and how those great doctrines are presented to us in the verses 13 through to 14. How we thought about their predestination, their election, their effectual calling, salvation, sanctification, and eventually their glorification. And then we focused then on the details of the verse number 16. And we thought about those four sources of comfort for the child of God. We thought about the great comfort that can be derived with the thought that God loves me. The love of God we thought about that last Wednesday evening then we thought about the everlasting Consolation of God and the good hope of God and the grace of God all of which are mentioned in the verse number 16 and I did say last week that we would return in the Lord's day we would return and finish this particular verse and the second petition That's what we want to do briefly this evening before we get down to a time of prayer. Paul prays on behalf of these much beloved, yet much tried believers, that God would establish them in every good word and in every good work. And so we have in these two petitions, when we bring them together, we have the thought of solace in the first part, and then establishing them in the second part, comfort, the first part constancy in the second part. As children of God we should not only find comfort in God and we should not only be comforted by God but that comfort then should lead us to abound in every good word and work and be established or established therein. It is from the comfort that we derive from God that then our good works spring Fourth one reformed preacher put it like this comfort of the heart aids in the establishment of the soul in service and so these two components if we could put it like this the two components of comfort and Constancy are brought together by Paul because one helps the other when the child of God is comforted then they will be established in every good word and in every good work Now the word established in our text has various meanings attached to it. It can mean to set fast or to turn resolutely in a certain direction, to confirm or to fix, to establish, to make stable, to steadfastly set or to strengthen. And all of those words can be applied literally and justly to this word, establish you in every good work. Now, Paul prays. two petitions here, two particular matters he deals with when he speaks about these saints being steadfastly set and established. The first matter that he speaks of is that they would be steadfastly set or established or established in what they believed, in what they believed. Now our Lord Jesus Christ, he said, and God even our Father establish you in every good word. Now the word word or the term word here is the word doctrine that's how it is literally translated by the translators there in hebrews chapter 6 in the verse 2 of the doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands and of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment. So this is the same word, Hebrews 6 verse 2, doctrine is the same Greek word that we have for your word. in verse 17 of 2 Thessalonians and the chapter number two. Now we live in an age, and I don't need to tell you this, within the professing church of Jesus Christ, when even the mention of the word doctrine causes people to bulk and to run in the opposite direction. The cry from the pure in most evangelical churches today is that we want living experience. and not dry Doctrine. Many see doctrine as simply a cold set of propositions that are debated simply by scholars and by theologians. A matter that really has no daily relevance to a person's living in this world. Others, they view doctrine as being divisive. And so they wish to avoid it like the plague. But is that really the case with regard to doctrine? Well, brethren and sisters, doctrine is simply the teaching and the instructing of divine truth. It is the teaching and it is the instruction of divine truth. Now, we need to remember that the New Testament believers were marked by their adherence to doctrine. In Acts chapter 2 and the verse number 42, after the day of Pentecost and those 3,000 souls added into the church of Jesus Christ, we read these words, and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. Their adherence to doctrine, their love for doctrine was evidence by them continuing steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, their teaching or their instruction. Now Paul speaks in Ephesians chapter four in the verse 14, of those who were tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive and Paul aware of that and aware of false doctrine that was being purported and preached within certain churches and in specific areas not wanting these Thessalonian saints to be carried about with false doctrine he now comes to pray that they would be established in every good word or in every good doctrine of God. You know, sadly, the church, and let's not place the reason elsewhere or at some other doorstep, but sadly, the church has bred a generation of Christians that cannot endure sound doctrine anymore. We have bred Christians like that. We have bred a breed of Christians that cannot endure sound doctrine anymore. Now, we shouldn't be surprised by that. We shouldn't be surprised because Paul warned that there was going to come a day when people would not endure sound doctrine. Writing to Timothy there in 2 Timothy, and the chapter number four, having told Timothy to preach the word to be instant in season and out of season, Paul then, states his reasoning why such a preaching ministry, a ministry based on doctrine, should be exercised by Timothy. He says, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own lusts will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned on to fables. And sadly today that is what we have in the evangelical church. We have today people who chase after preachers, who yes have eye-catching sermon titles, But really, with regard to the content of their message, it has no biblical warrant or foundation to it. And so many are gullible, gullible and are being captivated by such ministries. You see, the problem today is that people want to hear the sensational. They want to hear the sensational, rather than being thrilled by that which is sound. and that which is solid, I am that which is simply scriptural. They want to hear the sensational." Well, Paul prays here that these people would be established, fixed in sound or in good doctrine. Now, whether you like it or not, doctrine matters. Doctrine matters. What we believe about God, what we believe about his word, what we believe about the gospel, what we believe about the nature of man, what we believe about the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and every other teaching and every other major truth And minor truth addressed in scripture it filters down what we believe filters down into how we conduct our lives And we need to be then established in every good Doctrine because if we are not then we're going to find ourselves carried about with every wind of doctrine And so we need to immerse ourselves in the word of God. Not only that, but we then need to expose ourselves to sign doctrine in the form of the preached word. And so when we come to hear God's word preached elsewhere or by others, then we come to assess whether or not that individual is preaching biblically, is preaching scripturally. We need to be then grounded in the word of God. We need to affirm our beliefs in the doctrines of grace and the doctrines and the teaching that is revealed within holy scriptures. We not only need to believe the truth, but we need to know why we believe the truth and be so sure of it and so certain of the truth that we cannot be shaken from it. This is what Paul is praying, that you the child of God might be grounded, might be founded upon good doctrine, the good word of God. Now I want you to notice the extent to which we are, the extent of what we are to believe and what we are to be established in. We are to be established in every good word. Now we're not to be established in every word. Because not every word is to be believed. Not every word that a man who claims to be a preacher is to be believed. We need to be discerning Christians, not gullible, but discerning Christians when it comes to what is being preached from pulpits today. And so we need to come with questions in our minds when the preacher is preaching the word of God. Questions such as this, do the scriptures back up what this preacher is saying? That's a good question. the minister, is he rightly dividing the Word, or is he resting, twisting the Scriptures in order to back up his own beliefs? Also, am I actually listening to the Word of God? It's amazing how little Bible is preached today in evangelical circles. It seems to be that the newsletter or the Belfast Telegraph or some broadsheet newspaper or some scientific journal is being preached with regard to things in our nation today. And there seems to be very little Bible being preached. But Paul prays here that these people would be established in every good word, in every good doctrine. It is the good word that we are to be established in. And notice that it is every good word. It is every good doctrine. The full spectrum of biblical doctrine that is found within the pages of Holy Scripture is to be embraced by the child of God. We are not to be lopsided Christians. In other words, we're not to major on a few doctrines in the word of God to the expense of others that are presented within scripture. No, there must be a gathering together of every doctrine and there must be then the acceptance of every doctrine that is found within the word of God. If we only major on a few, then we are going to become imbalanced Christians, and we're never going to reach the place of spiritual maturity in our lives. Now, how does that come about? How does this come about, this non-lopsidedness? How does it come about, this being a balanced Christian? Well, it doesn't come about by people jumping from one denomination to the next. and one church to the next. And it doesn't happen by you just dipping into church every now and again, coming one week and then staying at home the next week. No, to become a well-balanced, well-rounded, mature believer, there needs to be a constant sitting under the expositionary preaching of the Word of God. Mr. Spurgeon, He said, believe all the truth. He said, many Christians, alas, believe only one truth or so. One man gets a hold of the doctrine of predestination, and he's like a child with a doll. It is all the world to him. Another man gets a hold of the doctrine of human responsibility, and he looks at it, as Luther says, like a cow at a new gate. He stands staring at it and can see nothing beyond it. But I would have you to see all the truth, Mr. Spurgeon said, and be always ready to receive anything that God has revealed. Be ye steadfast in every good word. And so I trust, child of God, that you're not a Christian that simply majors on one specific part of doctrine, but that there is a full compass and understanding of the doctrines of grace and the doctrines that are contained within the word of God, even those difficult doctrines, that you would have some grasp, that I would have some grasp and understanding of them. This is what Paul prays here, to be established in every good doctrine or every good word. The second matter that he prays about then is that they would be established in every good work. And that really is dealing not with what they believed, but then what they practiced. Not only what they believed that they would be established, fixed, set in that, but then in what they practiced in their lives. You see, brethren and sisters, what we believe cannot be divorced from what we do. And what we do cannot be divorced from what we believe. Harvey Newcomb, the 19th century American preacher, he said, there is an intimate connection between faith and practice. The principles which are believed and received into the heart govern and control the conduct. The principles, he said, that are believed and received into the heart govern and control the conduct. It's interesting that Paul knits these two together. the word and work, because he wants to show us the importance of both. Not just the word, but also the work. You see, there are many, and they love the word. They love it being preached. They rave about this preacher, and they go on about that minister, and they extol the greatness of the word preached by another speaker, but they never put into practice what they actually hear. They love the word. They would defend the word, but as to it working out in their lives with regard to the work aspect of it, these individuals, they never put into practice what they hear from the word as it is preached. They're quite happy to have the word preached, but the work, that ought to spring out of this preached word is left undone by them. And so these people, they are only but hearers of the word and not doers of it. They're like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. Those are they that are likened to those that hear the word and yet never put it into practice within their lives. And so Paul prays that the good word preached would then express itself in good works being practiced by those who heard the word preached and those who had received the word of God into their hearts and into their lives. So let me ask you, having said under, having said under God's word and the preaching of it, what about our good work? What about our good work in our homes? Are we established in that? Husbands and wives, are you fulfilling the good work that God has assigned for you to do about the home? Fathers, are you leading the home? Mothers, are you caring for the home? Children, are you involved in the good work of being obedient in the home? What about the catechizing of your children in the things of God? That's a good work. Are you established in that? Do you have a family altar? Do you take an interest in what your child is learning in our Sabbath school? Is prayer offered up to God in the home on behalf of the family unit, whether it's at morning or at nighttime? Do you read the scriptures to your children in the home? Are the songs of Zion? Are they heard? Are they played? Are they sung within the home? And what about the chastening and the disciplining of the children? It's a good work. Are you established in it? The good work in their homes? What about the good work in the church? Are you established in that? Am I? Are we reliable in our duties within the church as a church member? Are we frequently found at the means of grace? Are we faithful in giving to God's work at home and abroad by our tithes and by our offerings? What about our prayers for the work of God, for the minister, for the elders, for the deacons in Christ's church? Are you committed to the ministry that God has called you to within the church? Is it good work? Are you established in it? Do you fluctuate? Are you reliable? Are you trustworthy? What about the good work within our community? Are you established in that? Are you a good neighbor? Do you seek the salvation of your fellow man? Are you a law-abiding citizen? Do you live a life that engenders godliness in the neighborhood in which you live? Do you live a life that adorns the gospel of God? These are good works, but are we established in them? Are we established in them? the bringing up of children, and the nurture and admonition of the Lord, the lodging of strangers, the washing of the saints' feet, the relieving of the afflicted. They're all spoken in Scripture as being good works. And so we ask, are we established in these works? I believe the performance of good works by the Christian is of great importance for the following three reasons. First of all, God is glorified thereby. God is glorified there by Matthew 5 verse 16, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. God is glorified when we're established in these things, fixed, resolved, set in the direction of them. This is how I'm going to live my life in my home, in my church, in my community. I'm going to be an individual, a brother, a sister. I'm going to be a man, a woman who is faithful. one who is fixed in my resolve to be involved in the good works that lie to my hand within these spheres to which God has called me to, my home life, my church life, my community life. Oh, if only we would live out the Bible, would not God be glorified? I believe he would. Secondly, the mouths of our enemies are shut when we involve ourselves in such works. 1 Peter 2 verse 12, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Not only do we shut the mouths of our enemies, but our enemies have to then publicly declare themselves that such an individual is a child of God. They eventually find themselves glorifying God in the day of visitation when Christ appears. Thirdly, the third reason why these good works are to be performed is that the genuineness of our profession of faith is proven by them. We spoke about what are good works there in the book of James, James chapter two. Let me read just those verses 14 through to 17. What doth it profit my brethren, lo, a man say he hath faith, and hath not works? Can faith save him? Have a brother or sister be destitute, naked and destitute of daily food, and one say unto him, Depart in peace, and be warmed, and fill notwithstanding ye give not those things which are needful to the body? What doth it profit even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone? By our works we prove, we prove that the profession of our faith is genuine. practical righteousness, because that's really what is entailed in every good word and work, is the outcome of the comfort that God imparts to the child of God. Good words, good works, good principles, aye, and good practices should always go hand in hand together. What we do is guided by what we believe, and what we believe is guided by what we do. And shown by what we do is by what we believe. And God's people, we need to be established, fixed in these things. Doing them, not just hearing about them, but actually doing them. Living out the Bible, living our lives on the Bible. The principles of scripture need to be established in them, stabilized in them. There needs to be a stability. We live in a generation and a generation of Christians where people come and go and they're here today and they're gone tomorrow. They're never fixed in anything. Here's where we need to fix ourselves, brethren, in the good doctrine of God and in our good works. flood out and spawn out or burst out of what we believe. And therefore let's pray for such in our lives, praying that God would keep us right in what we believe. Because if we're kept right in what we believe, then I believe we'll be kept right in what we do. And so may God comfort our hearts. and may he establish us, may he fix us in every good word and work, because such is well-pleasing to our God. May God answer prayer, and may God help us to live this out in our lives in coming days, for Christ's sake. Amen and amen. Let's just briefly pray and seek the Lord. Together, our loving Father and our gracious God, We come before thee, the word has been preached. And now, Lord, we cry for grace to put it into practice, oh, to be established in the good word of God, to base our homes and our families and our conduct and our decisions on the principles and the truth and instruction and teaching of thy word. Lord, then we believe that the good work God will just naturally flow out of believing that which is right and that which is good and therefore we commit ourselves to thee show mercy Lord to us help me to live this out in my life help me to know thy word help me Oh God then to live it out and not to leave it simply at the bedside cabinet Lord, as we rise from our beds in the morning and forget what we've read about, O then to live out the truth that has been revealed to our souls. Lord, be then our great teacher, instruct us in the things of God we pray, and grant, dear God, our lives to demonstrate that we truly, truly believe what is taught within the word of God. Answer prayer. We now offer our petitions in and through Jesus' precious name. Amen and amen.