19 I Thessalonians 5:23-28 Abandoned, But Not Alone

April 12, 2026

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: Abandoned, But Not Alone Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 FCF: We often struggle feeling alone while we strive for wholeness. Prop: Because God gives all we need to make us whole, we must grow in holiness. Scripture Intro: LSB [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. In a moment we’ll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 23 and going to the end of the book. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Today we will wrap up the book of 1 Thessalonians. Paul has, essentially, finished what he desired to say to the fledgling church in Thessalonica. He has encouraged them. He has rebuked them. He has corrected them. He has instructed them. We’ll save our final overview of the book until after we complete 2 Thessalonians. There are so many themes that overlap that it is wiser to just wait until we have completed both letters to draw final conclusions. Now, he finishes his letter to them with the second wish-prayer to God for them. He concludes with a benediction. So, what does Paul pray for? Let’s find out. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: God of peace. You are our everything. In You we have life and hope. In You alone we have wholeness and holiness. In some ways You have already made us holy by setting us apart as Your people. In other ways You are still making us holy by continually pressing us into the mold of Christ and conforming us to His standard. And yet in other ways You must and will make us perfectly holy and blameless when we shed this body and are given new, glorified bodies for Your eternal kingdom. But what is clear to us Father… is that without You we are without hope. I pray that you would refine us with Your word today and teach us the helps we have in this life to be holy and blameless. May we see the promises of Your word and take comfort and assurance to press on toward the prize of our Savior. We pray this in His name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “When our holiness is perfect, our happiness shall be perfect; and if this were attainable on earth, there would be but little reason for men to long to be in heaven.” Thomas Brooks “Many of us would pursue holiness with far greater zeal and eagerness if we were convinced that the way of holiness is the way of life ad peace. And that is precisely what it is; there is life and peace no other way.” J.I. Packer [Slide 3] “The ethical demand for holy living is inseparable from what is freely given in the gospel.” Geoffrey B. Wilson “Christ comes with a blessing in each hand: forgiveness in one, holiness in the other.” A.W. Pink “There is no holiness without a warfare.” J.C. Ryle “The beauty of holiness needs no paint.” Matthew Henry Let these words prepare your mind for the exposition of the text this morning. I.) God, who called us, will completely sanctify us at Christ’s return, so we must grow in holiness. (23-24) a. [Slide 4] 23 - Now may the God of peace Himself i. Paul now hastens on to the end of his letter to the Thessalonian believers. ii. But far from being a throw away goodbye, let me just take you through the richness of this benediction. iii. First, let’s start with the title Paul gives to God. 1. As he does in three other benedictions, Paul uses the title “God of Peace” to govern this benediction to the Thessalonians. 2. This title is exclusively used by Paul and the writer of Hebrews a total of 8 times in the New Testament. It is always used in a context where the writer addresses a group of believers who are being persecuted or afflicted for their faith or experiencing trouble or disorder. 3. Since Paul was Jewish, and the writer of Hebrews obviously has strong roots to Judaism, we might expect there to be an Old Testament connection. 4. Curiously, the title “God of Peace” is not found in the Old Testament. 5. The closest we might find is “The Lord is Peace” or “The Lord is our Peace” which is the name Yahweh Shalom. 6. Now the word Shalom is a rather theologically rich word. a. It is used over 350 times in the Old Testament and is often translated peace. b. However, the semantic range of this word – and its theological implications do not merely mean the cessation of hostility. c. Rather, this word in the Old Testament means… wholeness or completeness. d. Shalom means, to be restored to proper order, to be perfectly put back together, and to be reconciled to a right relationship. e. In fact, it might be entirely appropriate for us to say that Shalom… means salvation, restoration, and redemption. f. God, The Lord, is the bringer of… Shalom. He is the God of… Shalom. g. He alone brings order, He alone makes someone complete or whole, and He alone reconciles relationships. 7. Let’s keep the theological significance of Shalom in mind as we proceed in this context. 8. May this God of peace… b. [Slide 5] sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. i. What is clear here, is that God being a God of peace is not simply God stopping people from afflicting the Thessalonian church. ii. That is certainly part of it. iii. Actually, as we get to 2 Thessalonians, Paul will assure them that those who are persecuting them and rejecting God will be destroyed by being cast away from the grace and mercy of God. iv. But the focal point of God being a God of peace, is not actually toward those who are afflicting these believers. v. It is toward the Thessalonian church. vi. They are not complete. They are not whole. They are not put together. They are not fully sanctified or holy. They are not perfectly blameless. vii. But the God of Shalom… The God of wholeness. The God of completeness. The God of order… viii. Paul prays that that God would sanctify them entirely or make them complete in their holiness. ix. That their whole person might be kept or preserved completely or entirely blameless at the Lord Jesus’ coming. x. Most likely the triad body, soul, spirit, is an idiom to express the complete person rather than to try to make a doctrinal point about the composition of the being of man. xi. God’s peace is always about the putting down of His enemies. But the first enemy on that list, is the ordering of His people who have been disordered. The completing of His people who are not whole. xii. God being a God of peace… is first… reconciling us into a right relationship with Himself. Which is far more than simply forgiving our sin. xiii. It is making us… holy. Blameless. Righteous. xiv. Paul prayed for this in chapter 3 and he told them it was God’s will for them in chapter 4. xv. And it is God’s will for all His children. xvi. God does NOT save us simply to populate His Kingdom with people who are forgiven sinners. xvii. God saves us to populate His Kingdom with Christ-like, Righteous Lawkeepers. xviii. God doesn’t just calm the storm in us… He brings us to shelter. xix. God takes what is broken, incomplete, and chaotic. And He not only stops it from breaking, losing pieces, and being chaotic. He also fixes, completes, and orders us. xx. Because, make no mistake, to be what God created us to be, and to not be a broken image bearer, we must be holy and blameless. xxi. And just in case we wonder if this is up to us or if there is any possibility that this may not happen for those who are His elect… Paul continues. c. [Slide 6] 24 - Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it. i. The call to which Paul refers here is the effectual call of the Holy Spirit. It is the call that convicts us of our sin, enlightens our minds to know of Christ and His work, it renews our wills, and persuades us and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel. ii. The same God who calls His people to salvation in the first place… is faithful and will make sure that the work of renewal, ordering, and completing… is finished. iii. Paul is about to write the letter of Romans. He is a few years away from writing it. iv. But in Romans he says that the God who calls us, justifies us, and the God who justifies us, glorifies us. v. This is essentially saying the same thing. vi. In Philippians, which he will write about a decade from when he wrote this, he says that the same God who began the work of salvation in us by calling us… will eventually finish the work of salvation in us by glorifying us. vii. As Jude says… He will present us faultless before the throne of God. viii. It is upon these teachings that we arrive upon the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. That since it is God who saves us and not ourselves – God is faithful to keep us and preserve us. ix. This doesn’t deny that we have a responsibility to live holy and blameless lives. x. Nor does it deny that there are some who might appear to be genuine believers who eventually fall away. xi. But it certainly does eliminate anyone on that day standing before the throne and claiming that they were holy because of their own efforts. xii. God forbid! xiii. All who stand before that throne, on that day, who are presented holy before God – they will all throw their crowns at Jesus’ feet… why? Because they know He… and He alone… completed them. He reconciled them to God. He, the Prince of Peace, brought them to the God of Peace. d. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: The church in Thessalonica was the poster child of what the gospel could do. It took a bunch of pagans who were worshipping idols and caused them to abandon them all to follow Jesus and live very different and holy lives. But the cultic superstition and city loyalty that permeated the Roman Empire at the time led their friends, families, and their community to abandon them because of their allegiance to Jesus. Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians are largely encouragement. He expresses His thankfulness to God that they are continuing to walk in a way that pleases God. But he also calls them to continue in this life. To pursue holiness and blamelessness. Something they knew would be quite difficult. And so, in this final wish-prayer that Paul offers for them, he pleads with the God of Shalom… The God of Wholeness to make them whole. The God of Order to order them. And he reminds them that because God is faithful… and has called them… He will surely do this. Though abandoned by men… they are not alone. God will make them complete in holiness and blamelessness at Christ’s return. This does not encourage complacency or laziness though. Instead, it encourages them to do what Paul has said and continue to live holy and blameless lives, knowing that God will do this in them. Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] But God is often so difficult to see in these matters. When we are feeling alone and desperate, sometimes it is difficult to feel His watch care over us. What a comfort to know that although He is all we truly need, He has also supplied the church to help us… II.) Believers are used of God to disciple one another, so we must grow in holiness. (25-28) a. [Slide 9] 25 - Brothers, pray for us. i. Paul up to this point has had his eye on the future kingdom. ii. He prays that God would get them ready for the return of Christ. iii. This is a theme that features heavily in this letter, literally occurring, in some form, in every single chapter. iv. But as any good pastor should do, and as Paul has done throughout this letter, he also needs to leave them with some practical and specific applications for the here and now. v. He begins by exhorting them to pray for them. For the evangelists. For Paul, Silas, and Timothy. vi. If you remember, Paul began the letter letting the Thessalonians know that they were always praying for their church and their faith. vii. Now Paul seeks that the Thessalonian church continue to follow their example and pray for their ministry as it continues in Corinth. viii. For the next 18 months or so, Paul will continue in Corinth with many challenges and ultimately the Lord will bless and establish a thriving church in one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. ix. They need prayer. x. Indeed, all God’s people need prayer in every context that they continue to walk in His ways and bear witness to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. xi. If we are to endure in this life, with all the trials and troubles we face, we must pray for one another and seek the Lord to sustain us. b. [Slide 10] 26 - Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. i. Now we come to one of the best pick up lines in scripture for single Christian men. ii. You know… the bible says to greet all the brothers with a holy kiss 😊 iii. Seriously though, we should wrap our heads around what, exactly, Paul is commanding here. iv. First, the command to greet actually sheds light on what a holy kiss really is. v. No doubt this is a standard form of greeting that close friends or family would give to one another in the Roman Empire at this time. vi. Probably something similar to the cheek to cheek kisses we observe in Italian and Spanish cultures today, although it could include kisses to the forehead as well. vii. More than likely, the kiss would not be given to the opposite gender. There are actually some early writings about church order that expressly refer to this kiss being the kiss of peace only offered to those of the same gender. viii. The fact that Paul calls this a holy kiss is most likely meaning that it is a kind of expression of love that would not be common among people who are not of close blood relation. Therefore, making it extremely different that people of various backgrounds would use this expression of deep love toward one another. ix. There is really no need for us to follow this command literally in our context today. We do not share the cultural implications of a kiss shared among close family. x. This is, however, one defense of an element we continue to keep in our worship services… the greeting or fellowship time. xi. This does not preclude us from fellowshipping, shaking hands, hugging, or even kissing outside of the worship service – but I think the argument could be made that each of these final exhortations could and perhaps should be viewed in a worship setting. xii. Certainly, corporate prayer for the evangelists could and perhaps should be the scope of what Paul means and it would not cut against what he commands. xiii. And although we haven’t gotten there yet – certainly reading Paul’s letter would be appropriate in a worship setting – since it is scripture. xiv. So, in a worship service it is entirely appropriate and, even, expected to have a time of fellowship and sharing of the mutual love we have in Christ. xv. Of course, a kiss in our culture is not always an expression of deep familial love. Indeed, a kiss could communicate a completely different and often inappropriate message today. xvi. But a handshake in our culture is not considered crossing any lines of appropriateness. And even hugging in mutually agreed upon contexts and manners is relatively innocuous. xvii. Still – the holy kiss is an excellent command of Paul that demands the church love each other like family, not just in words but in outward expressions of love – and what a wonderful thing for the Thessalonian church to be commanded. They have felt abandoned by friends and family. So, Paul encourages them to seek that level of intimacy among those who share the blood-bond in Christ. xviii. Paul is commanding them to find those connections among their fellow worshippers. c. [Slide 11] 27 - I implore you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. i. The third and final command Paul leaves them with in the letter is that they have this letter read aloud to all the brothers. ii. This is, of course, meant for all the church. iii. Certainly, the Elders would have been the primary recipients of the letter and it is assumed that they would read it to all. But Paul makes it explicit. iv. Some commentators suggest that since the pronoun switches to I instead of we that Paul writes this in his own hand. However, nothing in the text suggests this. In fact, other places Paul does this, he actually calls it out that he is writing in his own hand. v. It could be him writing it – but we might never really know. vi. Paul may or may not have known his words were inspired by God at the time of his writing them. I don’t think he gives this command with the weight of “this is the Word of God – read it to everyone.” vii. But I do think that Paul very much wishes every single person in the church to know what he has written. Especially because the tone of the letter is so positive. viii. But also, because there are some groups of people, like the unemployed mooches, who need to hear his rebuke in a public worship setting. ix. Finally, Paul ends his letter with another bookend. d. [Slide 12] 28 - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. i. Paul began his letter praying that God gives them grace and peace. ii. And lo and behold, he ends his letter wishing them peace and grace. iii. Grace, according to Paul, is the heart beat, the lifeblood, the energy, the fuel that produces a Christian who grows in holiness and godly character. iv. In Philippians Paul says that God works in us to desire to do His will and to be able to do His will. v. That is a long way of saying that God’s grace is what makes it possible for us to work out our salvation. vi. There is no greater wish or hope you can express toward a believer, that God gives them grace. vii. We should eliminate the expressions “good luck, take care, take it easy” or any other trivial well wishes we give to Christians. Instead, we should say… “Grace to you” or “Grace and Peace” viii. And with that – Paul concludes his first letter to the Thessalonians. e. [Slide 13] Summary of the Point: Certainly, the Lord’s faithfulness in completing us in holiness and blamelessness is all we truly need. But even Paul recognizes his need of fellow believers. Certainly, all of this includes The Lord. Who are we praying to for other believers? Who binds us so closely to one another? To whom has Paul consistently pointed in this letter? But there is an unmistakable and welcome element here of mutual Christian discipleship and care that the Lord has given His people. As the writer of Hebrews says, we must spur one another to love and good works. So, we have flesh and blood around us, indwelled by God’s Spirit, who care for us and strive to help one another be holy and blameless. Therefore, since we all have one another, helping us to grow in holiness, we have no excuse. Let us grow in holiness… together. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC that refines our beliefs and orders our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 14] As Paul closes out his first letter to the Thessalonians, in recognizing all that he has called them to do, he expresses a prayer, a benediction, seeking the God of peace… of wholeness to make them whole. This is the universal testimony of the New Testament for all those who are elect of God. God’s desire, and God’s plan for His people, is that they be glorified. That they be made completely whole in holiness and blamelessness. It isn’t just about sins we’ve committed… it is about being a people who are truly righteous. Christ has purchased this for us from a legal standpoint – but God is still making us into this and will complete that when Christ returns. In this, Paul tells us that we are not alone. The God who has called us to this… will do it. Why? Because He is faithful. He has also given us a community of people who are experiencing the exact same completing. And indeed, He has commanded the church to disciple each other and be His instrument to make each other whole. With the church around us, and God with us, that is all the confidence we truly need to step out and be different from the world and live a blameless and righteous life toward godliness. But what does all this mean for us today? How then shall we live? 1.) [Slide 15] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God is faithful to complete the work He began in us. a. One major doctrine of the reformation that is still being discussed today is whether or not salvation is by faith alone or by works plus faith. b. Although it is somewhat unfair to say that Roman Catholic dogma teaches that salvation is faith plus works – when you boil it down, that is essentially what it is teaching. c. Some within the Roman Catholic church may disagree with that or bristle against it – but you don’t actually have to look far to prove the point. A simple reading of the council of trent will prove this out quite easily. d. The entire Roman Catholic system is really based on this idea that Christ provides an atonement for sin, but access to that atonement, that bank of merit, is given to those who perform outward works of righteousness. e. The discussion actually flows out of whether the bible teaches that at conversion we are made righteous or whether we are declared righteous. f. When we are converted are we put in a state of perfection and it is up to us to keep ourselves there, or are we declared to be perfect legally as God continues to make us more righteous? g. Today’s passage is one of many in the New Testament that puts quite a large stumbling block in the way of Roman Catholic teaching. h. I contend that you cannot read this text and come away thinking that all of God’s people are made righteous at conversion and must simply maintain that status by the way they live. i. Instead, what I think is clear in this text, is that God will eventually save all His people and perfect them. And it doesn’t depend on them doing anything at all. j. This conforms to the New Testament as a whole placing the entire redemption of His people squarely on the shoulders of God. k. Faith then, is the means by which God connects a person to the work of redemption that Christ completed in His obedience to the law and His death and resurrection. l. Faith unites us to the headship or representation of Christ. And preceding this faith is the call of God upon someone who lacks it. The effectual call of the Holy Spirit regenerates us and persuades and enables us to receive faith in Christ. m. Both the Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrines desire the same thing. They want people who live holy lives. n. But Roman Catholicism sees the living of a holy life in conjunction with faith, as means to salvation. The reformers stood on the scripture alone to assert that Christ alone saves us, and we access Him by grace, through faith. Living holy lives is what necessarily follows from someone who has received faith in Christ. o. All of this to say that doctrine matters. p. What you believe has necessary consequences to how you live. q. Believing that faith and works is what saves you leaves a person with little hope that they will actually be worthy enough to enter heaven… a place that only people who are perfect as God is perfect… will enter. r. I’m convinced that is how the doctrine of purgatory came about. It wasn’t until the 1200s that this teaching was formalized and I think it came about because people were convinced that they were doing quite a poor job at completing their faith with their works. So, they had to have a back up plan for people who did really well – but not good enough. s. In fact this passage flies directly in the face of the teaching of purgatory. Because Paul does not mention… in any way… that God will sanctify them at Christ’s return through pain and suffering. In fact, such a statement would have been completely deflating to people who were ALREADY suffering. How much suffering does God require to pay for our sins? He crushed His Son, allows us to be put through trials on earth and then we must also be purified in a place of torment? Is this really what the scriptures teach? t. I think not. Instead, the scriptures teach that Christ’s atonement is sufficient for all the sin of His people. Every single one. It covers all our sin. Not most. Not many. All. u. Believing that faith alone is what saves, leaves us with infinite hope that by Christ’s perfection we will inherit His Kingdom. But it also inspires us to pursue holiness since we know that since God called us and will surely make us holy at Christ’s return… we should pursue holiness now. v. If God gave you a vision that in 10 years you would be the best baker ever – wouldn’t that assurance give you the confidence to go and bake to the best of your ability? w. If God gave you a vision that the girl you liked would be your wife and that you would have many children and grandchildren and live a long and happy life together… would you then sit in your home and wait for her to come to you? x. NO! You would go to her and ask her out immediately! y. God is the one who calls. God is the one who justifies. God is the one who will complete us. And that spurs us to live in obedience to Him. 2.) [Slide 16] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the church is a community of people given by God to disciple one another toward holiness. a. So, we have seen that just because God will do something at Christ’s return doesn’t mean we can sit on our hands and wait for Him to do it. b. And certainly we understand that He will help us right now. c. But it still feels like we are alone sometimes. d. God has not left us alone though. e. In fact, the whole community of the church is given to us to spur one another to holiness. f. We exist to pray for, love, and teach each other to obey all that Christ commanded. g. We are truly not alone. h. And although God promising to perfect us and make us whole should be enough… i. We are weak. We often need flesh and blood to help us. j. And God has given His church, a community of beggars showing each other where they have found bread. k. No, we are not alone. l. We are instruments in the Master’s hand, designed to help each other. 3.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must be holy and blameless. a. So since the God of wholeness will make us whole and since He uses His church to help each other live holy and blameless lives… b. No believer has an excuse for willfully sinning or conforming to the world. c. We all must kill sin in our lives and come out from the world and be separate from it. d. We must be odd. We must be different. We must be blameless and righteous. e. The helps we have been given by the faithful God of peace and His church only propel us toward this end. f. We must pursue living lives that are holy. g. From what we watch and wear all the way to what we cherish and value and everything in between. We should be different. h. If godless people are passionate about it – there is a good chance we should be fleeing it. i. If everyone is doing it – we should probably advocate that no one, does it. j. We must live our lives according to the revealed will of God found exclusively in His Word. k. We must be honest. We must value life. We must be content with what God has given us. We must be generous, even to those who hate us. We must pray for those who despise us. We must love and honor even those who desire our demise. We must be satisfied with our spouses and not long for lustful passions. We must work hard for God’s glory and not a paycheck. We must pursue peace – even with those who want to war with us. We must not strive to make a name for ourselves but for Christ and Christ alone. We must put His Kingdom above any other. We know we can’t serve God and money. We must fight for change first in our hearts and then in other believers and then finally in the world. l. My friends… do you understand? m. We must take everything this world values, filter it through the scripture and throw out everything that doesn’t make it through the sieve. Which I daresay would be most of it. n. Jesus has told us, Be holy as I am holy. Be blameless. o. Are you blameless? Probably not yet. p. There is more work to be done. 4.) [Slide 18] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must encourage one another toward holiness and blamelessness. a. This isn’t just something we do in our own lives. We must also strive to do this in one another. b. Through prayer, brotherly love, and teaching and preaching of the scriptures we must spur one another toward holiness and blamelessness. c. But this isn’t the American way. d. We just mind our own business, keep to ourselves, and everything is fine. e. Oh my friends – let this never be said of us at CBC. f. Your holiness is my business. And mine is yours. g. Your blamelessness is my business. And mine is yours. h. We ought to commit ourselves in service to one another, not to constantly find fault, but rather to patiently encourage and help each other to live lives pleasing to our King. i. That is what the church is for. j. We are surrounded by enemies. But so often the church eats its own. k. Now I’m not talking about ignoring doctrine to form some silly union that won’t last. The only thing that binds us together for any length of time… is sound doctrine. l. But let us focus on discipling each other. In love. In gentleness. In meekness. 5.) [Slide 19] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” If we are elect of God, the God of peace will make us whole at the return of Christ and will grow us toward that progressively until then. a. If I asked everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes and put their hands up if they felt like they were still broken, missing pieces, and not quite what God wanted them to be… I’d wager that almost every hand would shoot up. b. Indeed, any hand that wouldn’t go up… should. c. No one is perfect yet. d. There is one brand of Christianity today that believes that upon conversion you are perfected in Christ and that you no longer sin. This is a later development of a teaching that said that a Christian can grow into a state o perfection whereby they no longer sin. It is interesting to note that the founder of this belief readily admitted in his writings… all the way up to his death… that he never quite attained that next level of Christianity whereby he no longer sinned. e. Even those who would say that at salvation we no longer sin… take a very narrow view of sin indeed. The only thing they would count as sin are purposeful, intentional pursuit of sin. I think in that way, I would agree that Christians should not be people who pursue sin. However, I think we all can attest that it is still sin… even when we are ambushed and caught unawares and do unintentionally sin. David prayed that God would forgive… even the sins he did not know he committed. f. Oh we still sin. We hate it… but we do it still. g. And so a message today telling us to be holy and blameless can be quite disheartening. h. I’m sure the Thessalonians felt a bit downcast as Paul commends them but then tells them to keep going. They hadn’t gotten there yet. They hadn’t arrived. i. What a comfort to know… that the God who predestines us, the God who elected us before the foundation of the world, will complete us. He won’t leave us… unfinished. j. Wow. k. Take comfort Christian. The God who began this work in you will be faithful to complete it. 6.) [Slide 20] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” We are all broken, lost, and incomplete. Only the God of Peace can make you whole. Only the Prince of peace can reconcile you to God. a. This week, my girls all woke up at the same time. I got some coffee for Kadie, and we all sat in the bedroom and chatted about various things. b. At one point the conversation turned to the necessity of Christ paying for our sins. I pointed out that many people believe that they can earn God’s pleasure and peace with God by simply doing good things. c. We investigated that truth together. I asked them… what are sins against God? We arrived at the answer that all sin against God is rebellion. It is treason against God and His rule of His creation. d. When we lie, steal, have pride, or are mean to each other… these acts are directly opposed to God’s character and the order that God established in creation. e. Indeed, the scars of His ordering in creation continue to exist even in sinful men as we all have some semblance of what is right and wrong written on our hearts. f. After a quick explanation of what treason was, I asked them what they thought the penalty for committing treason against our nation should be. They said… death. g. Then I asked what it means to obey God. I quickly followed up with, Is obeying God extra credit or is it simply doing what He expects? h. They said – doing what He expects of us. i. So then I said… would it be right for God to forgive us of treason simply because we did many more things that He expected of us? They said no. j. I asked if I went before a judge and was convicted of murdering someone, and I plead with the judge to check my record and observe that I had given to the poor, was kind to my neighbor, paid my taxes, went to church, and read my bible… should the judge let me go even though I murdered someone? k. They said no. l. I said, this is why our good works will never be enough to please or appease God. God is a good judge. He will ALWAYS punish our sins. m. The only question… my friends… is will you be the one punished or has another been punished for you? n. Only God can save you from the plight you are in. God has taken the punishment of the sins of His people and has laid them upon His Son. The Prince of peace purchased their reconciliation. The God of Peace… is the only One who can make you… whole. o. And He unites you to that atonement… by grace, through faith, in Christ. p. Has the Spirit called you today? Have your eyes been opened to the truth of the gospel? q. I beg you… Turn from your sin and believe on Jesus Christ. Follow Him and endeavor to obey all He has commanded. And God will start putting you back together again. r. Don’t leave today without letting someone know that you are now a believing one. [Slide 21 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Reformer John Calvin. Almighty God, you fortified your servants the prophets with the invincible power of your Spirit. Now would you make us humble, knowing what they taught-that we may learn to willingly submit before you and so gladly receive and accept what you offer. Sustain us by your hand so that we rely on your power and protection, so we may be equipped to fight the world and Satan. May we all, in whatever position or job we find ourselves, rest in your power. May we not hesitate to expose our very life to danger, whenever necessary. And with courage may we fight and persevere in our battles to the end. Then, when we finish our course, we will ultimately come to that blessed rest which is reserved for us in heaven, through Christ our Lord. We pray this in His name… Amen. Benediction: May our God who has sworn by Himself Upon whose oath you may depend Who bears His own on eagle's wind; May He strengthen you and help you, May He uphold you with His righteous hand. Until we meet again… Grace and Peace to you.