 So, today we're here in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Let's begin reading together at verse 1. We'll read verses 1 through 5. We'll get into our study and what we're going to do is we'll take a few minutes to look at verses 16 and 17 as I introduce chapter 3 verses 1 through 5 because I want to go over a couple things with you and then move into chapter 3 verse 1. But we'll read verse 1 through verse 5 in chapter 3 and get into our study. All rights finally brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you both that you do and will do the things we command you. Now, may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. And so what we're going to be looking at is we're going to be looking at Paul's prayer and we'll be seeing that in just a moment. But I want to remind you of verses 16 and 17. Now when we look at verses 1 through 5, the thing I want to point out is that one of the things about prayer is when people pray, it gives us great insight into things that are most important to them because as they're praying, well, their prayers are revealing what is most important. And so that's what they're praying about. We're going to look at what is very important for the apostle Paul when we look in chapter 3. But in order to do that, we need to remind ourselves of what we saw last time we were together. So when we were in our last study, when we closed it, Paul was offering up prayer for the Thessalonians. And the prayer that he offers up gives us insight into his heart for the church. Remember in verses 16 and 17 of chapter 2, he had said, Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and our God and Father who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. So he had prayed that God, the God who loves us and consoles us, would be the one who brings them comfort. Now as we look at this, I want to develop a couple things. One I want to point out that in his prayer, he made it very clear that God loves us. And God does love us. He made it very clear to us. In 1 John chapter 4, verses 9 and 10, and John said it like this. He said in this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. And this is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. So the suffering and death of Jesus Christ demonstrates to us the depth of God's love for the world. And the church needs to remember how deeply God loves us, especially a church that's going through hard times. The Thessalonians were going through affliction, they were going through tribulation. And in the midst of that, they could begin to think that they were not loved by God. And so Paul in his prayer is praying for them to know that God loves them deeply. But secondly, he wants them to know that God has given everlasting consolation. When it speaks of everlasting consolation, it speaks of an ever-present source of comfort, both now and forever. And the comfort that he provides reveals, again, the depth of his love for us. This internal sense of comfort strengthens us to endure difficult times. It comes from the confidence that God will never leave us and God will never forsake us. One of the promises Jesus gives in Matthew 28, verse 20, is when he says, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. And so they're enduring hardship. But they're confident that God is still with them. They trust that he's working things out on their behalf. Paul said in Romans chapter 8, verses 38 and 39, I'm persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And so he's praying for them to know that, but he's also praying that God would grant them this understanding. He's also stated that God has given to them good hope by grace. He has given us consolation. He's given us comfort, but he's also provided hope. And he does that by his grace. And all of our hope is founded on his grace, which imparts the strength to overcome. In Romans 5, too, Paul said, Through him we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. And so as he's praying, verse 17, he also prayed that God would establish them in every good word and work. May he confirm you, may he strengthen you in your belief of every good word. When he speaks of every good word, he's speaking of teaching or doctrine. He also says, may he also strengthen you in the way that you live. In genuine and well-informed belief in Christ when acted upon produces a fruitful life. And so his desire is for people to produce the fruit of the spirit. When you're in Christ, Jesus Christ is called the true vine. When you're in the true vine, you're going to produce good fruit. Because abiding in Christ produces spiritual fruit that evidences that you're saved. In John 15, verse 5, Jesus said, I'm the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. In verse 8 of the same chapter, he said, by this my father's glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. And so spiritual fruit is the natural result of being connected to Christ. So when you're connected to Christ, the fruit that you have is spiritual, like goodness and righteousness and truth. That's all referred to in Ephesians 5-9 as the fruit of the spirit. You have moral excellence. Galatians 5, 22 and 23 speaks of the fruit of the spirit. And he says it is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such. There is no law. When you have good works, that's producing fruit. In Colossians 1-10, Paul said that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God. But works alone don't save us. Obviously, we're saved by faith, but we're going to produce works. And finally, evangelism, sharing your faith is an activity that produces fruit. In Romans 1-13, he said, I don't want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often plan to come to you, but was hindered until now, that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. So we know that genuine faith is always demonstrated by a transformed life. You're not instantly mature, but the change is obvious and the changes continue over time. You're not what you once were, and you're not what you're going to be, but you're different than what you were when you got saved. If the Holy Spirit is working in your life and transforming you, it's a daily process. None of us has arrived to full maturity, but each one of us is on the journey towards transformation. And so he's pointing this out. He's saying, these are the things I'm praying for for you. He says, because I want you to be established in every good word and work, because that's the response to actual Bible teaching. You see, false teachers, as we know, have been infiltrating the church there in Thessalonica. They were given a corrupt word, and a corrupt word that they were giving was producing a faithless life. But true teaching that Paul is giving to them produces a life that honors God, and it will transform you when it is received and put into practice. And so as he's been sharing these things, he now in verse one of chapter three continues and he's asking for prayer for himself. He says, finally brethren, pray for us in verse one, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified just as it is with you. After lifting up prayer for them, he requests prayer on his own behalf. We need to remember that Paul was an apostle. And if anyone knew what truth was, Paul knew. But why would he request them to pray for him? Well, Paul was well aware that his strength came from the Lord and it didn't come from his own resources. So he needed prayer as much as any other person that he might be faithful and effective. He knew what it was like to endure persecution. He knew what it was like to be in danger. He had often been pushed to the limits. He knew how difficult it could be to stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ in a world that hates him. In second Corinthians one, eight through 11, he said it like this. He said to the Corinthian church, we do not want you to be uninformed brothers about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. You know it's been said that the Christian is in hand to hand combat. We saw last night, some of you saw, I didn't, I heard, I looked at the newsfeed on it, this big fight, you know, between Conor McGregor I think his name and a Russian guy whom I cannot pronounce his name. But they were having this big old brawl and this and that and they were in combat and a lot of us are aware of combat. And I don't know if you realize it, but we Christians are also in hand to hand combat. But the hand to hand combat that we have is this hand clasping this hand. Our combat comes through prayer and we need to understand that the combat that we have is spiritual in nature. And the warfare that we're involved in is a spiritual war. And sometimes we fail to realize that. Sometimes we don't understand that. Sometimes we think that through our efforts we can change things. But I've discovered and so have you that man doesn't change. Simply by outside pressures. Man changes when they recognize who they are, ask God for help, seek forgiveness, receive God's power, then they're transformed. And that's what Paul is speaking about. He's saying, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified just as it is with you. Pray for us that we can take the word of God out and we can share it with the world because it's through the word of God that people's lives are transformed. That doesn't come any other way. The way transformation comes is through receiving Christ as Lord and Savior, receiving His word as the guideline for your life and being empowered by the Holy Spirit to transform you and then living a life that gives honor and glory to God. And that's what Paul is asking for. He's saying I need prayer so that I might do the work of the Lord so that transformation can come. Yesterday I posted something on Facebook. Some of you, perhaps, are Facebook friends. You may have read this. But I posted this yesterday. I read something that spoke to me. Research reveals that focusing on politics makes us feel helpless and depressed because we focus on things beyond our control. Some feel politics is the only way to keep evil in line, but it is the small everyday deeds that ordinary people do that keeps darkness at bay. As a Jesus freak, I came to realize that politics control evil, but Jesus overcomes it, which is why I vote my conscience but live and preach the gospel because it's the gospel when received that chains life. The gospel will change our lives. And so I can't legislate righteousness, but I can preach it because Jesus Christ can bring it. And that's something we, the church, need to understand. We're living in a very divisive moment in history. It affects all of us. It's affected me. I have shared. I was sharing recently. Some of you might remember. I was sharing and as I was sharing about things that were, I thought were of scriptural content, I thought it was application, there was something that hadn't happened in the many years. I've been teaching the word for 45 years. And in 45 years, this has never happened, but it did. And I was sharing in this service here how that sometimes when we don't agree, we simply just make up our mind just to interrupt and to argue our point and we don't listen to one another. And I was trying to point that out as someone would call me a liar and somebody was saying things and I have, I'm confessing to you and asking for your forgiveness because I'm a human being. I too can succumb to the pressures of the moment. Forgive me, but I got strong and said some things that I regret not because they weren't true, but because my heart was wrong. And not all of the words that I said were right. And so forgive me for that. Because I don't believe that I'm going to be changed by any political party or persuasion because I don't believe Jesus is a Republican, independent or Democrat. He's the savior of all men who come to him. I believe that and he changes lives. And the thing that matters to me is that we as pastors that I as a pastor continue to teach the truth of the gospel because political people come and political people go, but Jesus Christ abides forever. And his word is always true. And I don't have to worry about his character. It is impeccable and he is righteous and he is my savior. And that's what I really want to say because I'll tell you, Paul was saying here, listen, pray for me, pray for us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified just as it is with you. I need your prayers in order that he's saying, I need your prayers in order that the word may go forth that the word may run swiftly. We'll look at that in just a moment. You see contrary to what people might believe, sharing the gospel is not without pain. And Paul endured great opposition, physical attacks that needed their prayers. In Ephesians he had said to the church there in Ephesus in chapter six verse 19, pray for me that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. You see the key to a ministry that honors God complete dependence upon him. And this dependence on him is most often clearly revealed through our fervent prayer. The book of Acts records how resistance to the message of the gospel came out early in our history. After healing a crippled man, Peter and John were jailed for preaching the resurrection. The religious authorities spoke to them, ordered them, no longer preach this gospel message. But in Acts four 19 and 20 Peter and John answered and said to them, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So they threatened them, they released him and immediately they went to their fellow believers. Now how did they handle such treatment? Now the Bible tells us they gathered together and they prayed. In Acts four 29 and 30 they said now Lord, look on their threats, grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word by stretching out your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. So what did they do? They prayed, God give to us power that we might take this word out and see transformed lives, miracles occurring. You see ministry that glorifies God is always bathed in prayer by all of the believers. Sometimes the church is filled with consumers instead of communers. We need to be those who pray. And Paul's desire was that God would work through him and he needed their prayer. Charles Spurgeon, a great preacher of another day said this. He said, let me have your prayers and I can do anything. Let me be without people's prayers and I can do nothing. Paul's mission was for the world to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said to the Romans in chapter 15 verses 20 and 21 I have made it my aim to preach the gospel not where Christ was named lest I should build on another man's foundation but as it is written to whom he was not announced they shall see and those who have not heard shall understand. I want them to hear the gospel and that by the way is the mission of every one of us who believe in Jesus. Jesus taught his followers to see the world as it truly is, a dry and a lifeless wilderness and it was his goal to equip us that we might share his message of salvation. And that is what the Lord taught us to hunger for. In John 4.35 Jesus said, do you not say four months more and then the harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields they are ripe for harvest. In Luke 10 verse two he said, the harvest truly is great but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. So with that in mind, Paul asked for prayer that he might be able to go into the harvest and reap. Now Paul is asking for two things. One, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified. So that's a picture of a track athlete running freely, ultimately triumphing. So he's praying that God's word would triumph constantly that it would move from victory to victory. His desire was for the word of the Lord to spread rapidly and to be effective. The gospel is glorified when people receive Christ and live victorious lives in him. Transformed lives always resulting God receiving glory because he's the one who changed them. And the power of salvation is total transformation and that comes through the power of the Spirit and the application of God's word. In Psalm 19 verse seven, the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple. When he says the law of the Lord is perfect, that word perfect means to be complete, lacking nothing. God's word lacks nothing. It has everything within it that is necessary for anything I need. The law of the Lord is perfect converting. That word convert means to repair. My soul was in need of repair. It was a broken soul, broken man torn up inside. No love, no joy, no peace, nothing. Nothing but self-service and desire just to be fulfilled as a person but never caring about others. And the Lord by his word, when I heard it and received it, began repairing of my soul. It lacked nothing to do that and that's why I'm so strong in wanting to teach the word of God because it is complete. It does repair and the testimony of the Lord is sure. The word sure means to be certain and trustworthy. It makes wise the simple. See the heart of the movement that I come out of, the Jesus movement, we were taught very early that it's God who changes lives. It's God's word that guides our path. It's God's Holy Spirit who gives us strength and God is in the process and in the business if you will of healing broken people. God is the one who bends broken lives and that's what the word of God does and the teaching of the word is intended to repair people who are broken and when we receive what God has to say, our lives can be transformed. Our lives can be brand new. It's not just simply repaired, it is completely made new and that comes through the gospel and that's why the word of the Lord is so important to us and that's why we preach the word. In 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, Paul said all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. You see, Paul had seen God move mightily in Thessalonica and he wanted that kind of fruit elsewhere. In Colossians 4, verse 3, he said pray for us too that God may open a door for our message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ for which I am in chains. I wanna go forth and I wanna teach and preach. God had moved mightily and he wants him to continue to do so elsewhere. The second thing he says in verse 2 is that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for not all have faith. What does he mean unreasonable and wicked? The word unreasonable speaks of harmful, capable of outrageous acts against other people. The word wicked means to cause pain and trouble. It speaks of that which is wicked or bad. It's not uncommon for the gospel to be resisted by those who oppose God because this is true. Paul needs their prayer for him. He sincerely desires it and that causes others to join in their prayer with him and to share his burden. There's a resistance to the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 16 verse nine, he said a great and effective door is open to me. There are many adversaries. Ephesians 619, pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I may fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. So these unreasonable and wicked men were unbelieving Jews in the city of Corinth and he's saying I need to be delivered from this. While he was writing the letter, he had been involved in a problem in that city and in Acts 18, 11 and 12, he writes, Luke writes, Paul stayed for a year and a half teaching them the word of God. While Galileo was proconsul of Vacaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul, brought him into court and so resistance was occurring and notice what he's saying in verse two. Pray that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for not all have faith. Not all have faith in Christ and as a result they live lives that reject him. Pray for us, not all people are open to hearing about him, but he moves on, verse three. But the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. The Lord is faithful. In contrast to man's lack of faith, believers rely on God's faithful protection. God is faithful, God cares for us, God keeps his promises. We saw in 1 Thessalonians 5, 24, he who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. So he's saying this faithful God in verse three will establish you and guard you from the wicked one. He's gonna establish you. When he speaks of being established, that speaks of an inner strength. You're not gonna be left to the mercy of temptation. You're gonna have a strength from within. So when things are going against you, when you're being afflicted, persecuted, when you're going through trials and struggles, there's gonna be something within you that will give you an inner strength and determination and God is gonna do that. God is faithful, he will establish you. God by the work of his spirit within you will begin, continue and complete that work until the day of Christ Jesus. In 1 Corinthians in chapter 10, verse 13, Paul said there has no temptation taking you but such as his common demand. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. When you're there going through tough times, you may be thinking that you're all alone and left without power. But Paul says that's not true at all. There's no temptation taking you but such as his common demand. The things you're going through are things others have gone through. So the things that you're going through are things that there's a way of escape that's being made for you. Even though you're there in the midst of a trial and a struggle, don't think that you're left to its power because you're not. God is with you and he gives you an internal confidence. There's a sense that you'll have within yourself that though everything seems to be opposed to me, yet I'm going to be successful and victorious in Christ Jesus. In the early history of the church there was an error that was creeping in and being recognized by a variety of bishops throughout the world at that time, both in the Eastern and Western Empire. It was a doctrine that was stating that Jesus Christ was not God in the flesh. There was a bishop or an archdeacon by the name of Athanasius. And Athanasius was basically the sole voice in opposition when the church was beginning to flow in the direction of accepting the Arian heresy that had entered in. It was called the Arian heresy. It had come through a man by the name of Arius. And the church was beginning to move in the direction as the leadership to say Jesus Christ is not God in the flesh. But Athanasius stood in opposition to that and on one occasion he was being spoken to by one who held fast to the doctrine of Arius. And he said to Athanasius, Athanasius, Athanasius, the world is against you. And Athanasius said it is not the world against Athanasius, it is Athanasius against the world. Because when you have God's power and God's strength, you stand firm in God's word. And that's what Paul is praying for. He's saying God will establish you. Listen, the enemy will come like a lion and he'll come in opposition to you and he'll attempt to destroy you and he'll give things, a variety of things that may be provoking you to say God doesn't care, God doesn't love me. But the fact is he's already said, listen, the God of love has given his son Jesus Christ for you and he will not abandon you. And he was with you always and therefore hold fast to him. To the end, may God establish you and may God strengthen you. A second thing he's saying is may God guard you. That word guard means a military protection against a violent assault from the evil one. Psalm 61 verse three says it like this, you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. In first John 5 18, we know that those who have become part of God's family do not make a practice of sinning. For God's son holds them securely and the evil one cannot get his hands on them. The enemy wants you. Even as he wanted to destroy the life of the apostle Peter and Jesus was speaking to Peter and he said, Simon, Simon, Satan has desired you that he may sift you even as wheat is sifted. He says, but I have prayed for you that your faith fails not. And he said, and after you've been converted, strengthen your brethren. The enemy is after you, Peter. The way he was after Job, attempting to destroy this righteous man and the enemy is after you too. But I want you to know this, I have prayed for you. You will make it through. You will be strengthened and you will convert your brethren. You'll be strong on their behalf to help them to remain faithful also. And God still has one who's called Jesus Christ who is there making intercession for you. So when the enemy is coming in opposition, you have the one, your advocate who is saying this one belongs to me and you can have strength in Christ. You need to understand that today because the enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But God is there taking care of you. He is a shelter for us. He is a strong tower. And he says in verse four, we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. So he speaks of God's part that God is caring for us. But we also see man's part. You will obey, you will do. God protects, we obey. Somebody said Christian obedience is unlike every other kind of obedience. It is not the obedience of slaves or soldiers but essentially the obedience of lovers who know, love and trust the person who issues the command. The reason why you obey the Lord is because you love him. You love him because he first loved you. And because he first loved you, you respond in obedience. Listen, obedience, it's not something that we perfectly practice. Every one of us sins, of course. You more than me, I know. Every one of us sins, of course, we all do. But we have one who makes intercession for us. And he hasn't left us alone. And he has provided for us all that pertains to life in godliness. He has made us the temple of the spirit of God. The spirit of God dwells within us. He has given us the armor for warfare, the sword of the spirit, the helmet of salvation, our breastplate of righteousness, our loins are girded with truth. We have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We have what we need. And our weapons are not carnal but our mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds, the casting down of imagination in every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. You see, so though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. We have power from on high. The enemy whispers to us, you can't make it. But in Jesus, it's already written, I am victorious in Jesus Christ. My name is written in the Lamb's book of life. And so with that, I fight from the advantage of a sure victory, not a hopeful one. And that's what gives me strength every day. And so he says we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. You see, the strength of God's spirit gives him the ability to obey. And then he says finally in verse five, now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. He closes by praying first that God will direct them to the love of God, that they will know how deeply God loves you, how deeply God loves you. When I got saved almost 48 years ago now, I came from that background that many of you come from. I came from a background where I didn't know what the word love meant. I had no clue. My dad is a great man. I love my dad with all of my heart. My dad wasn't saved until I was 20 years old. My dad didn't come from the background of showing emotion or showing any kind of expressions of love. My father wasn't one who would say I love you. My dad wasn't that way. My dad wouldn't speak, he didn't talk. He would sit down and watch TV. And if I came in and interrupted his TV time, he didn't like it. So we didn't talk. So I grew up in a home where the father was absent emotionally. When I was 17 years old, I got in trouble and my father found out about it. And so I was standing in the front yard when my dad got home from work and he walks up to me and he says, I understand you and he began to share with me some things. He said, why didn't you come and talk to me? I would have helped you. And I looked at him. I said, are you kidding me? Now, I was in trouble at the, I was a troubled kid. I was already into drugs and alcohol. I was already speaking my mind in a way that was disrespectful. But I looked at my dad and I said, are you kidding me? Talk to you. Talk to you. I said, I haven't had five conversations with you in an entire lifetime. And now I'm going through something hard and you tell me I can talk to you. I can't talk to you, I don't even know you. Why would I tell you? Why would I say what's on my heart to you? And that's how I got. I was so angry. Some of you know what I'm saying. You might have said things like that or at least felt him. Why would I tell you? You don't care about me. You've never, I looked at my dad and my dad, a very unemotional man, began to weep and he grabs me and he draws me to himself and he holds me in his arms and he says, son, I love you. I love you. I still remember thinking, would you please let me go? I don't want you holding on to me. I had been so angry and so sensing of rejection for so long. The idea that I can come to you. My dad hadn't told me he loved me till I was 17. I'd never heard that from him before. My mother loved my mother with all my heart. My mom had some problems when I was young. My mom was diagnosed with various diseases when she was 24 years old and she lived her entire life until she died with one disease after another, was in pain all the time. So when she was 24, diagnosed with epilepsy, my mom began to take various medicines and my mom sometimes mixed them with alcohol and mama could be abusive and mama could be mean. My mom could be very mean. And I still have memories of her throwing me on the ground and kicking me in the ribs and telling me how much he hates me. Love, what is that? What is that? What is that? And then I'm told God loves you. Are you kidding me? When your dad doesn't and your mom doesn't. How can he? How can he if there is such a God? And I didn't believe it. For me, love was taking advantage of people. It was finding their weakness and exploiting it for myself, finding what was weak in them and using it, controlling because that's what love does, it controls, takes advantage of, gets for itself. That was me. And then I have friends who are going to Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa and they're changing and I'm watching this transformed life. Guys that I grew up with, guys that I got loaded with, guys that I got drunk with and now they're talking about God, carrying Bibles, wanting me to go to church. I'm watching this. And they're telling me, God loves you, David. And I'm saying right, yeah, sure he does. Sure he does. No, I'm telling you, he loves you. I hear the gospel. Doesn't make sense to me, but there's an emptiness in me. Nine inside. Tearing me apart. I'm drinking heavily, taking a lot of drugs, dropping lots of weight because they don't eat anymore. Starting to do crazy things. I walked into a store, a Broadway Macy now, Macy's. I walked up to a big rack of clothes. I selected the ones I wanted and lifted them up and walked between two sales ladies and stole hundreds of dollars worth of clothes. I was doing crazy things like that. Just taking chances, doing drugs, smoking dope, drinking. Then they took me again. And this time I heard, but I have to tell you, God is still teaching me how much he loves me. He still is because there are times when I wonder, do you? There are times, God didn't really love me and he always says the same thing. I love you so much that I gave my life up for you. Yes I do. But God helped me to know your incomprehensible love. That's why Paul would pray, oh my God, awaken you to the depth of his love for you. Paul knew it, Paul knew it. He breathed out, threatening against those who were followers of Jesus, hailed them into and took them and put them into prison. He oversaw their executions because he was at war with God and he says, and now I've come to understand the depth and the wonder of the love of God and that's why he prays for them. May God direct you to the love of God. In Ephesians 319 he said it like this, that you may know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. That was his prayer for them. It's his prayer for us and then secondly, may God lead you to the patience of Christ. Hold on, the steadfast patience and endurance of Jesus in the midst of your tough times, in the midst of your persecution. Remember Christ was steadfast, you remain patient also. By remembering Jesus as enduring, Paul intended to encourage them to endure also. In 1 Peter 221 through 23 he says to this, you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps, who committed no sin nor was there deceit found in his mouth who when he was reviled did not revile in return, when he suffered he did not threaten but committed himself to him who judges righteously, hold fast. May God give you direction into the patience of Jesus himself, hold fast. Some of you are having a tough time right now. Some of you are going through a tough time, hold fast. May you know how much God loves you. May we together, may we learn together how much he loves us. Listen, God loves you, he loves you deeply. He loves you more than anybody ever could. More than any man, more than any woman, more than anybody could. He loves you, he suddenly laid down his life for you. But he also rose the third day so that you would have hope, that you could endure and that you would have something awaiting you that is far greater than anything you'll ever experience here. And then one day he will hear, welcome in. Come into the joy of thy Lord which has been prepared from the beginning. Well done, my good, my faithful servant, enter in. This is yours. And that comes through Jesus Christ. We need to understand that today. May the Lord direct us into that. May God's love just overflow us and may we be individuals who learn how to love others.