 The title of the sermon is fight the good fight of faith We are in part two and we're working through this paragraph in 1st Timothy chapter 6 verses 11 through 16 today We'll be focusing primarily beginning at verse 13 Where the Bible says I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things and before Christ Jesus who witnessed The good confession before Pontius Pilate that you keep this commandment without spot Blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ appearing which he will manifest in his own time He who is the blessed and only potentate the king of kings and Lord of lords who alone has immortality Dwelling in unapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see to whom be honor and everlasting power Amen October 14th 1735 John and Charles Wesley set sail on the Simmons from Graveson and Kent Bound for Savannah, Georgia in the American colonies where John Wesley had planned to be a pastor on the four-month journey to cross the Atlantic Wesley observed the faith of 25 Moravian settlers traveling with him it was an observation that Wesley would later report as Convicting him that he had no genuine saving faith of his own Wesley writes in his journal on Sunday, January 25th in 1736 He says at seven. I went to the Germans. I had long before observed the great seriousness of their behavior of their humility they had given a continual proof by performing those servile offices for the other passengers Which none of the English would undertake for which they desired and would receive no pay saying it was good for their proud Hearts and their loving savior had done more for them and Every day had given them occasion of showing a meekness which no injury could move if they were pushed Struck or thrown down they rose again and went away, but no complaint was found in their mouth There was now an opportunity of trying whether they were delivered from the spirit of fear as well as from that of pride anger and revenge In the midst of the psalm where with their service began the sea broke over Split the mainsail and pieces covered the ship and poured in between the decks as if the great deep had already swallowed us up a Terrible screaming began among the English the Germans calmly sung on I asked one of them afterwards Were you not afraid and he answered I thank God no I Asked again, but were you not your women and your children afraid and he replied mildly no our women and children are not afraid to die From them Wesley says I went to their crying Trembling neighbors and pointed out to them the difference in this hour of trial Between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not and at 12 the wind fell and this was the most glorious day Which I have hitherto seen Have you ever asked yourself I have many times How people without a view of God? Without a view of his power Without a view of his sovereignty Without a view of his grace without a view of his mercy without a view of his kindness How they make it through the many storms in this life This life is full of storms How does a lost person manage the loss of a child the loss of a loved one a battle with cancer a horrific accident a Horrific divorce all without hope all without God without a view of his grace Without a view toward faith in Christ The Christian life itself is often a storm the battle of sin The chastening with God chastening of God often it seems like one trial after another one Difficulty after another and we're reminded that Paul says we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God But there is a difference brothers and sisters There is a difference in the hour of trial between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not It is all the difference in our battle Is the grace of God And the glory of God in our view It is the grace of God. It is the glory of God. It is the majesty of God It is our knowledge of him. It is his mercy his kindness It is his patience with us All of that it is his sovereignty his providence His ultimate and complete control over all things that come to pass It is our hope in him. It is our faith in Christ that gets us through the tribulations of this life In first Timothy chapter 6 verse 12 We received a charge from paul to fight the good fight of faith In that fight we are to flee sin We're to pursue righteousness We are to lay hold of eternal life and lay hold of that for which christ jesus has laid hold of us Isaac watz writes sure i must fight if i would reign So increase my courage lord I'll bear the toil endure the pain supported by thy word Thy saints in all this glorious war Shall conquer though they die They see the triumph from afar by faith's discerning eye In verses 13 to 16 in our text today Our eyes of faith are lifted above the scarred landscape of the battlefield that we're in Above any self-centered side of our own circumstances. We are lifted today to stunning heights in the word of god carried If you will on eagles wings To behold a majestic display of the glory of god in our circumstances The glory of god in which the christian life finds its chief end in its chief purpose To a staggering view of joy and hope in the christian life that is only possible When the lord of glory increases as john the baptist says and we decrease When you humble yourself and exalt christ when you see yourself as unworthy even to unloose the strap of his sandal When you focus on him in the midst of the battle When you fully trust him in your circumstances when you behold his glory his majesty his grace his mercy Only then you will agree With the prophet isaias who said those who hope in the lord will renew their strength They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary and they will walk and not be faint There is hope. There is joy. There is strength. There is encouragement. There is power For the battle and it is a view of the glory of god This morning i want you to find hope in the battle whatever trial you face whatever difficulty you're in Find hope in the battle If you have grown faint and weary Faint and weary in your battle with sin faint and weary in your circumstances I want you to consider christ and renew your strength If you're plotting along in the dirt of your own circumstances In the mud of your own filth and sin I want you to consider the lord the lord calls you to soar on wings like eagles Do not grow weary in doing will doing well. You will surely reap if you faint not You've been given a charge christian You've been given a commandment today paul calls you to consider the source Paul calls on timothy and down through the ages you and i to fulfill our duty based on who god is And today we'll examine the charge that you've been given you've been given the charge to fight the good fight of faith We'll see that charge in view of god's power We'll see that charge point two in view of his example the example of christ We'll see that charge in view of his authority In view of his appearing and point five in view of his glory First in view of god's power the call to salvation Is a call to fight the good fight of faith to wage the good warfare To flee sin to pursue righteousness to lay hold of eternal life This charge has been given to you by almighty god who gives and preserves life Point two we have this charge in view of the example of christ the call to salvation Is a call to follow christ Christ said that he who does not give up all that he has Cannot be my disciple and christ freely laid down his life for the good confession And that's a confession that you and i are charged to make ourselves Third we'll see our call in view of his authority The call to salvation is a call to submit to his lordship The grace of god that brings salvation teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust Point four we'll see our charge in view of his appearing Those effectually called to salvation Look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great god and savior jesus christ And lastly we'll see our charge this commandment in view of his glory You are to say with paul the lord will deliver me from every evil work And preserve me for his heavenly kingdom to him be glory forever and ever Amen It's for the glory of god Let's begin with point one where to see our charge our commandment This war this battle in view of his power in verse 13 paul says i urge you timothy I urge you in the sight of god who gives life to all things Timothy was in the midst of a great trial in emphasis. He was facing Opposition tremendous opposition from false teachers They were wreaking havoc on the lives of the people and timothy was charged with protecting them He was looked down on for being young and remember he was in his 40s There was a lack of experience timothy had a lack of experience in pastoral ministry and life for timothy and emphasis was very difficult He faced a great trial a great difficulty so much though that he had to be reminded in second timothy chapter 1 Verse 7 that timothy god has not given us a spirit of fear Christian god has not given us a spirit of fear if you're in difficulty if you're in trial God has not given us a spirit of fear But of power and of love and of a sound mind If you're in christ you have power that has been given you You have access to the means of grace you have an access to power and you have love the love of god The love of christ the love of your brother and you have a sound mind because you have the wisdom of god in your hands God has not given us a spirit of fear timothy here needed strength He needed an urging he needed an encouragement He needed a refreshed view of his charge and he needed a fresh view of almighty god who gave it to him Paul begins verse 13 with parangelo. I urge you and it's used here of an authoritative announcement an authoritative command And with those words. I urge you following here paul then snaps timothy's head out of the dust and ashes of his present circumstances and Urges him ushers him into the very presence of god in the sight of god who gives life to all things now He places him here Before the sight of god you want to renew your strength in your circumstances You want to soar on wings like eagles then catch a glimpse here of the glory of god With isiah look upon god the lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filling the temple Above it stood the seraphim each one had six wings with two he covered his face with two He covered his feet and with two he flew and one cried to another and said holy Holy holy is the lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory And when it came time for the charge, how did isiah respond? Here am i lord send me He got raptured in a glimpse of god's glory and it beefed him up for the charge Here am i lord send me There's only one source of hope in the christian life. There's only one source of strength in the christian life There's only one source of wisdom in the christian life. There's only one source of courage in the christian life There's only one source of blessedness in the christian life. That is the omnipotent god who gives life to all things God's ultimate and unlimited power is seen in the fact that he gives life to all things we know from Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. However the word here for created for gives life is present and active which means that this is also the power of God demonstrated in providentially preserving and sustaining all things that he's created. God not only gives life initially but he preserves and sustains life as well. Listen Christian, he has given you life and he sustains you. If you are outside of Christ he has given you life and he sustains you even now. Take a deep breath with me. Glory beats a God, right? He has given you life and sustains you and it is him that I proclaimed to you this morning. Go with me to Acts chapter 17. Acts chapter 17. Let's catch a glimpse of this. This is the omnipotent, almighty God who creates all things, give life to all things and sustains that life, preserves that life, sustaining all things. In Acts chapter 17, look beginning in verse 24. There are some of you here this morning who claim the name of Christ but you worship him as if you don't know him. There are those of you here this morning, many of you that don't know the Lord of glory. You've never turned from your sin, you've never repented and put your faith and trust and reliance in him alone to save you from sin. And you worship one you don't know, the one whom you worship you worship without knowing and it's him that I proclaimed to you as Paul did in Acts 17. Beginning in verse 24 the Bible says God who made the world and everything in it since he is Lord of heaven and earth does not dwell in temples made with hands nor is he worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything since he gives to all life and breath and all things. He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings so that for the purpose that they should seek the Lord. If you've been given life, you've been given breath, you've been given all things, the Lord has made you, the Lord has created you, the Lord has given you life and now sustains you and preserves you. It is for the purpose that you should seek the Lord of glory and worship him and is done in the hope that they might grope for him and find him though he is not far from each one of us. For and listen to the sustaining power of God for in him we live and we move and we have our being as also some of your own prophets have said for we also are his offspring. Therefore since we are the offspring of God we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone something shaped by art and man's devising. We shouldn't also think that it's by man's wicked and depraved reasoning apart from the scriptures. You may think to yourself that you can live as you want to and that God is simply going to forgive you. That is a God of your own making. You've created a figment of your own imagination. Verse 30, God says, truly these times of ignorance God has overlooked but now commands all men everywhere to repent and that is based on the authority of God who gives life to all things and that is because he has a point of the day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained and he has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. Our omnipotent God gives life to all things. If our omnipotent God sustains and preserves life then certainly the omnipotent God can raise the dead to eternal life and this thought that God raises from the dead is both at the same time unimaginably glorious and unimaginably terrifying. Daniel chapter 12 verse 2 says, those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some of them will awake to everlasting life and some will awake to shame and everlasting contempt. The same God who is perfectly glorious, completely full of power, omnipotent in and of himself is the same God who will raise you from the dead to everlasting torment if you are outside of Christ is a terrifying thought. He says in verse 3, those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. What does it mean? What is it to turn someone to righteousness? That's the gospel, that's evangelism, that is the great commission to turn people to righteousness to worship the Lord. Listen, you will live eternally in heaven or in hell in Christ now in view of God who created you, who gave you life and breath in view of God who even now sustains you and in view of God who can raise the dead to life in Christ or will raise the dead to everlasting shame and contempt now calls to you. Christ calls to you now, come to me. Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-layed and I will give you rest. Humble yourself even now. Will you continue? Knowing this of God, will you continue in your rebellion against him? Some of you even now with the preaching of God's word and hearing truth from God's word are hard-hearted toward his word and it is like a seed. He's in a tile floor. His word can't even pierce your stony, prideful, wicked, rebellious heart. Will you not humble yourself even now? This is the omnipotent God who created you and this is his word. Will you not soften your heart and repent from your sin? Will you not turn to him? Remember me, Lord, you cry out. Be merciful to me, the sinner. Will you not turn to Christ now for forgiveness, for pardon, for that pride and that rebellion? Will you not turn to him for pardon, from sin, for a new heart, for removal from guilt, for cleansing? Flee the wrath of God. Do you imagine somehow that God is pleased with how you're living your life? Can you imagine even now how God is pleased with your hard heart? Flee the wrath of God. There will be an accountability. You will stand before God and give an account of your life, both small and great in judgment and he will judge each one according to his works. He'll judge you according to the condition of your heart. Even now, find refuge in Christ. Abandon your wickedness. Abandon your pride. Abandon your sin. Commit to follow him now and you'll find rest for your soul, for he is rich in mercy, abounding in grace. If you will turn to him, if you will turn to him, he not only has omnipotent power to give life, omnipotent power to sustain life, omnipotent power to resurrect the dead, but he has omnipotent power to keep you, to preserve you, to preserve you until the end that you might be saved. Jesus says this, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand. You know, omnipotent power of Almighty God to transform a heart, to save a wretched sinner like you and me and to preserve us by his grace in his mercy until one day he carries us home in glory. It's an awesome, awesome thought. This is the awesome power of God. Knowing that God has power over life and death, knowing that God can raise the dead and preserve the living should enable us. Christian, it should motivate you, empower you, strengthen you, exhort you to live life with great sacrifice, to live life with great courage, with great hope. It should exhort you, command you, compel you to lose your life for his sake and save it. Paul doesn't stop here with the power of God. He urges Timothy and you and I down through the ages to consider our charge, to fight the good fight of faith, point to in view of Christ's example. We're to consider our charge in view of Christ's example. Paul says, I urge you Timothy, before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate. In his first statement, Paul ushers Timothy, ushers us into the very presence of God, into the very throne room of God, that we live our charge in the sight of God who gives life to all things. With this next statement, he takes us by the hand and he leads us into the praetorium on the morning of Christ's crucifixion. Jesus Christ, having committed himself to the God who raises the dead, now faces death with unwavering resolve. He witnessed Christ did the good confession before Pontius Pilate, knowing that his confession would cost him his life, knowing that he was about to die. This is great courage and this is to be an example to us. Turn with me to John chapter 18. Let's see this scene unfold. John chapter 18, beginning in verse 33. And look at the example here of our Lord. Take encouragement from this Christian. If you want to live the Christian life, if you want to live out your charge, keep the commandment blameless and without spot or blemish, if you want to soar on wings like eagles, then get a view of the glory of God, the power of God, and take heed here to the example of our Lord. John chapter 18, beginning in verse 33, the Bible says, then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus and said to him, are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus answered him, are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning me? And Pilate answered, am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me. What have you done? And Jesus answered in verse 36, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here. And Pilate therefore said to him, are you a king then? And Jesus answering the good confession, witnessing, bearing witness to this great confession answered, you say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. And everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Jesus bore witness to the truth of his confession, that he was the Messiah, that he was the anointed one, he is the coming king. And he affirmed that truth with uncompromising faithfulness, even to the point of death, even death on the cross. That's why Revelation chapter 1, verse 5 calls him the faithful witness. Christ is a faithful witness. Having given witness to this confession, even unto death, Jesus Christ becomes the example, the chief example, to those who would bear witness to the same confession even until their death, if need be. He bore witness to the confession that he then passes on to us, and we are to take that confession, bear witness to that confession as he did. And it is a confession that our brothers and sisters throughout history have carried. Knowing God who gives life, who raised him from the dead as a seal of his approval, knowing that we also can keep his charge to give witness, to bear witness to the good confession even unto death. Knowing that, Christian, there will be a resurrection for us also. God has the power to give life. God has the power to sustain life. God has the power to preserve it. God has the power to raise life, to raise you from the dead. Knowing that there will be a resurrection for us as well should motivate you to live out your charge, to fight the good fight of faith. We've seen our brothers and sisters in history who've carried that witness, who have proclaimed that confession even unto death. We're to take encouragement from them. We're to look at their example, and we're to have the same confidence. It is said that James the Just, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and then stoned to death after making that confession. Stephen bears witness to that confession to his death in Acts chapter 7. Peter was crucified upside down bearing witness to that confession. Paul bearing witness to that confession was beheaded. Andrew bearing witness to that confession was crucified. Justin Martyr bearing witness to that confession said that we worship the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was preached in advance by the prophets. They foretold that he was about to visit the human race as the herald of salvation and the teacher of good disciples. And for that good confession Justin Martyr was scourged and beheaded. Walter Mill burned at the stake for having confessed that the death of Christ was a once-for-all sacrifice for sin. The morning star of the Reformation, John Wycliffe, went to the stake to burn to death for the confession that Jesus Christ is the head of his church rather than the pope in Rome. These brothers and sisters went to the stake, went to the death, bearing the confession that Christ himself bore witness to in the Praetorium that morning. And we Christians, brothers and sisters, we are to carry the same confession even if it costs us our own life. He who does not give up all that he has cannot be my disciple. Do you love Christ that much? Do you value him? Is he that precious to you? Remember these stories, these stories of Christian martyrs are not met with mourning. The stories of the Christian martyrs are met with triumph, with victory. They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. These are those of whom the world is not worthy. Acts 1-8 says that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me. And you cannot properly call yourself a follower of Christ unless you are witnesses for him. William Boyd in 1864 said this, Fight the good fight with all thy might. Christ is thy strength and Christ is thy right. Lay hold on life and it shall be thy joy and crown eternally. If you are a witness of Christ and you're to expect suffering. If you're a witness of Christ and you're to expect trial, you're to expect difficulty, you're to expect persecution. That's when you look to the glory of God. You look to the power of God that only God can afford you. You look to the protection of God. You look to the enablement of God. You look to the encouragement of God. You look to the power of his spirit. You look to the example of Christ. You follow him by faith. You remember Isaac Watts again. Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas? Our faith comes to us on a sea of blood on a river of sacrifice. And do we expect that we'll enter the skies on flowery beds of ease? You must keep your charge. You must battle to keep your charge without blame, without spot. You're to do that in view of the glory of God, the example of Christ. But point three, we must keep our charge in view of his authority. We have this charge from God because he is authoritative over us. He has all authority. All authority has been given to the Son and now we have the charge that has passed along to us. In verse 14, Timothy is to keep this commandment without spot and blameless. Certainly the commandment here refers to those commands Timothy has just received in verses 11 and 12. He is to flee evil, flee wickedness. He is to pursue righteousness. He is to fight the good fight of faith and he is to lay hold on eternal life. But also this commandment has in view the charges that he's received throughout this letter to charge some. Timothy that they teach no other doctrine in chapter one. Timothy to take heed to yourself and to to your doctrine in chapter four. Timothy to guard the deposit that was entrusted to you in chapter six. And these commandments we are to keep. We're to keep them without spot and blameless. And these commandments to us come to us in the form of all the commandments that we see in Scripture. These commandments were given to us by our Lord in the pages of the Bible. And we are to obey from the heart with all our heart soul mind and strength. The word keep here means to watch over to guard or to protect. And we are to do that without spot, blameless, without stain, without reproach, such that when an accusation comes it has no ability to stick to you. People can flee false accusations all they want, but you are inviolable. There is no way for an accusation to stick. They can hurl and will hurl false accusations, but that's all that they can do. We're to keep our commandment blameless without spot. Peter says in second Peter chapter three, therefore beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace without spot and blameless. What is Peter talking about there? Looking forward to these things, those things that mark the end of the age, our view of Christ's imminent return, our inheritance in heaven, our citizenship in heaven, our eternal life with Christ, worshipping the Lamb who was slain from before the foundation of the world. We're to keep that in view as we fight the good fight of faith. So additionally here we are to keep our charge, we're to wage the good warfare, fight the good fight of faith in view point four of his appearing in view of Christ appearing. Paul says to Timothy that you keep this commandment until our Lord Jesus Christ appearing, which he will manifest in his own time. You have not fully, Christian, you've not fully kept your charge. You haven't finished the race until you stand before the Lord either in death or at his second coming from our glimpse of the throne room and the glory of God in heaven to our view of the Praetorium, the kangaroo court with Christ. Now we look forward to the second coming and a view of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. These views of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ should govern your view of your circumstances. All of your circumstances, no matter how difficult you imagine them to be, how difficult they seem to be to you, how frightened you are, how weak you feel, how inadequate you feel to face them, your circumstances, your view of your circumstances should be thrust through a view of God's glory, of God's power, of Christ's example. They should govern your view of your circumstances. Listen to this scene as described by Christ himself in Matthew chapter 24. For as the lightning comes, the Bible says, from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and the power of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with the sound of a great trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. The believer is to look forward to the imminent return of Christ with great anticipation. The unbeliever should look forward to the imminent return of Christ in great fear, in great understanding of his danger with a certain fearful expectation of judgment because our God is a consuming fire. Paul near the end of his charge said this beginning in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 6. Paul said, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race and I have kept the faith. Would you like to be able to say that with Paul? Amen. He's kept the commandment. He's kept his charge. Listen to what he says in verse 8. Finally he says, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day. And not only to me, but to who? But to all those who have loved his appearing. If you're a Christian, you look forward with great anticipation to the return of Christ. Lord Jesus, come quickly. Come quickly. And when he comes, he comes to take his own with him. And he is prepared for you mansions in heaven. Prepared for you a glorious inheritance. But if you're not in Christ, in Christ comes. Christ does not come as the suffering servant. Christ comes next in judgment to execute judgment. There is great accountability with the charge that God has given. You are created for his glory, created to worship him. What have you done with your life? This is a commandment from God. Paul knows that our charge is authoritative. It comes from God who gives life to all things. He knows that our charge is demanding. We are to keep it without spot and blameless. And Paul knows that our charge is lifelong. With a view to either our death where we'll stand in the presence of God, or a view to the second coming of Christ, Christ appearing. Is there anything less that is required of the Christian today? Does God expect anything less? Is that not what the Word of God says? How should you be living your Christian life in view of these realities, in view of God, in view of the Lord Jesus Christ? We're to live our life in view of these depictions given us by the Word of God, the power of God, the glory of God, the example of Christ. In view of his imminent return. Lastly, we are to fulfill our charge in view of his glory, in view of his glory. We're to fight the good fight of faith, knowing whom we fight for. We're to wage the good warfare with a view of the glory of God in the battle. Verse 15, Paul goes on to say, this is God who is the blessed and only potentate, the king of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, who no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. In verse 15, we get a glorious view of the majesty of God. Philip Graham Reichen calls verse 15 a victory song. This is a view to the end, a view to our victory and a view of the glory of God. Though the charge is immense, though the battle is fierce, the God who calls you is far greater and more able to enable you for it and to see you through it. Verse 15 describes the matchless majesty and the incomparable greatness of God. He begins that God is blessed, the only potentate is blessed. The word means happy, means completely content within himself, coupled with the other adjective here only and blessed describe the potentate. This is God the Father and it is God alone who possesses within himself all that is necessary for perfect contentment, perfect satisfaction and complete happiness within himself. Some things, now think about it, some things may please God and other things may not please him but he is completely content. Why is that? Because God controls everything. God is completely sovereign. Things may please God, things may displease God, but God can be completely content, completely happy, completely satisfied within himself because God ordains all things to work for the end of his own glory, for the end of his own majesty in that sense, God working all things to the end of his own glory is that perfect peace. Now think about that for the believer, the implications of this. God alone possesses all within himself to be perfectly blessed, perfectly happy, perfectly content, perfectly satisfied. Knowing that God is sovereign and promises to work all things together for our good means that the believer himself can be at complete peace no matter what trial you're going through. Knowing that God is blessed in and of himself and controls all things to work according to his glory. Peace is not something that is grounded in our own circumstances. Happiness is not grounded in our own circumstances. Contentment, satisfaction is not grounded in our own circumstances but rather grounded in the reality that a wholly just, perfect and blessed God is a sovereign control of all things. He is in complete control. In him then, the believer can be blessed and the only source of blessing for a human being that God has created in given life, the only source of blessing is God himself. The only way that we can be truly blessed, truly content, truly satisfied is in proximity to God the Father. He is in complete control. No true happiness, no true peace, no true blessing is possible apart from him. He is in complete control because he is the only potentate, the only sovereign, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Many think that we're talking about Christ when the Bible says King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but this was the title for God, the Father in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy chapter 10. The Bible says for the Lord your God is God of Gods and Lord of Lords, the great God, mighty and awesome. Psalm 136 verse 3, O give thanks to the Lord of Lords for his mercy endures forever. It's interesting that Christ takes on this title as well. It's given to Christ in Revelation 17 and Revelation 19 where both call Christ Lord of Lords, King of Kings represents here the deity of Christ. God will not share his glory with another and yet both are called King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Here, God alone is sovereign. He is not sovereign to an extent. All authority is in him and any other authority is derived from him. All authority is given by him that we are familiar with. Any authority that you see is derived only from God. He alone is sovereign. He alone, he alone has immortality. He is one alone who is unable to die. Being unable to die, it means that he is untouched by sin. He is completely other, completely perfect, completely holy, untouched, unstained by sin. Being untouched by sin, he dwells in unapproachable light. The scriptures often connect God and his glory with light. But here, this light is unapproachable. In the same way that the sun gives warmth and life and light to the earth, but if you get too close, you'll be vaporized. God is in unapproachable light. And if we presume to encroach upon him, our God is a consuming fire. Our hope is to see God in Christ. Colossians says, he is the image, Christ is the image of the invisible God. First John 3, verse 2 says, Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. God alone is sovereign. God alone has immortality. He dwells in unapproachable light, but he is God whom no man has seen or can see, can, speaks of capability or power. It's in the middle voice. It means that there is nothing within us that enables us to be able to see God. God has said in Exodus 33 that no one shall see me and live. He is entirely other. And to him be honor and everlasting power. Honor speaks to the value of something. The word is team A. It's where we get our word, our name. Timothy. Timothy, man of honor. Honor here speaks of the value of something. Everlasting power speaks of God's dominion. God is in possession of such force, such strength that it affords God ultimate and complete supremacy. He is to be honored. He has everlasting power. And the phrase ends, amen. So it is, so let it be. That amen there calls every reader to respond to the truth of God's word. All God's people said, amen to him be honor and everlasting power. If you're here today and you're not a Christian, do you know who you're dealing with? You caught a glimpse of God's power. God has power to carry out justice, power to execute judgment, power to inflict punishment, power displayed in his eternal wrath against sinners. Have you caught a view of Christ's example? Christ's example and all that he has done for sinners should shame your rebellious heart. Should shame you into submission for all that Christ has done for sinners. Gave his own life on Calvary. God's authority condemns you. He made you. He has right to rule and reign over you. Christ appearing, if you're outside of Christ, should be terrifying to you. The thought of the imminent return, the fact that Christ could return at any moment, should terrify you and compel you to repentance, to put your faith in him, to save you from the wrath of God, and a view of God's glory. God will glorify himself in displaying his perfect attributes of power, his perfect attribute of justice, and his judgment against you for all eternity. But today, if you're here and you're a Christian, if you've repented, turned from your sin, put your faith in Christ and you have committed your heart, your resolve to follow him, relying on him, trusting yourself to him, putting your faith in Jesus Christ alone to save you, the new Christian, fulfill your charge. Fight the good fight of faith. Fight the good fight of faith in view of God's power being sustained and enabled by him. In view of Christ's example, being motivated by the example that Christ displayed in his life and on his way to Calvary, being motivated by our Lord's example. Fulfill your charge in joyful response to God's authority. All of our life is to glorify God, and it is great authority we joyfully commit ourselves to the charge to live for his glory alone. View your charge in light of Christ's appearing, in view of the end of our race, in view of the end of the battle where sin and death will be fully and finally vanquished when we are present with the Lord in paradise. In view your charge, execute the commandments for the majesty and splendor of the glory of God to whom be honor and everlasting power. And all God's people said, amen, let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you for this glorious text of scripture. Thank you Lord for the views that we have of your majesty, God, the throne room, you being high and lifted up majestic in power and glory and honor and praise and worship. Or thank you for the glorious example that we have in Christ. Thank you for all that he accomplished in his life and on the cross on behalf of wicked sinners like our brothers and sisters here like me. And thank you that he bore the penalty in his body on the tree that we might live for Christ, might live Lord for your glory. Thank you Lord for that view of your glory, the view of Christ appearing, the view of that end of our race where you will fully and finally glorify us God and take us home to be with you in paradise. God thank you for that glorious inheritance that you've given us. What an unimaginable and unspeakable gift to be in heaven with the saints in glory, worshiping and praising you for all eternity. Thank you God for all that you've done. It is absolutely amazing, lavished grace and we worship you God for it and we'll worship you for all eternity with the saints in heaven for you God to whom be power and honor and worship and praise and everlasting glory. It's in the name of Christ that we pray these things. Amen.