Standing Fast in the Lord

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2026 – DAVID ANDERSON

1 THESSALONIANS 3 – STANDING FAST IN THE LORD

 

Now, when you come to Paul's first epistle to the church of Thessalonica, First Thessalonians, one of the major themes that that flows through this whole epistle is the coming of the Lord. And you'll see that in each chapter, you'll see that Paul refers to the coming of the Lord right through the epistle. Chapter 1 verse 10, he talks about “waiting for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come.” Chapter 2 and verse 19 “Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” Chapter 3 verse 13 “At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” Chapter 4, it talks about the return of the Lord. There's that great section from verse 13 through to verse 18 about the coming of the Lord.  Then in chapter five again there is reference to the coming of the Lord in the opening verses of that chapter. So the whole way through 1 Thessalonians, there's an emphasis upon the coming of the Lord.

But whenever you come into this central chapter, chapter 3 of First Thessalonians, I think it's important to recognize not just that setting, not just that overriding theme that there is through First Thessalonians, but also how Paul structures the letter in a practical way to the believers. The coming of the Lord, there's a prophetic truth there. It's also practical because we're to live our lives in light of the coming of the Lord. But there's a practical structure to the letter. In chapter one, the emphasis is upon encouraging the church in Thessalonica. In chapter 2, there is a focus upon exhorting the church. And then in chapter 3, Paul returns to encouragement for the Thessalonian believers. And that's the chapter that we have read. We have read a chapter which focuses upon how they are to be encouraged and how he desires that they would be encouraged. It sort of flows out of the end of chapter 2. At the end of chapter 2 verse 18 and verse 19, Paul makes two very clear statements in those verses. in chapter 2 verse 18 and verse 19. First of all in chapter 2 verse 18 Paul reminds them that there is a spiritual enemy and that that spiritual enemy is powerful. He says “even I Paul once and again but Satan hindered us.” So there was a spiritual enemy and that enemy was able to hinder the apostle Paul. Even though Paul was being led by the Lord, the enemy had power certainly in one level to put obstacles in the way of the believer. And Paul's emphasizing that point that there's a spiritual enemy and that spiritual enemy has power. But then verse 19, as we've touched on, Paul deals with a second reality. And the second reality is this that as believers our hope is in the coming of the Lord. He says, "What is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" What is Paul saying to the believers there in verse 19 of chapter 2? Paul is saying that his joy, his hope is bound up in the fact that when the Lord returns, the Lord will be taking Paul to be with himself. But he's also emphasizing this great joy that you, ye, the church in Thessalonica, you will be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. Paul would be there, but so would they. And that brought joy to the heart of the apostle. And so there's a point that's being made at the very start, I suppose, of what we're trying to say as we are flowing in then to chapter 3. And the point is this, that the apostle Paul had a heart for the church. Do we have a heart for the church? We all should have that heart for the church. Yes, there's a there's a personal element to the fact that we are redeemed and there's a personal element to the fact that the Lord is coming again and we will be with him. But the apostle Paul here as he's thinking about this great truth and thinking about the fact that the Lord will come and Paul will be with the Lord. But he then says, "For ye are our glory and joy." There's this joy that they would be there too. And so in light of that then that's where Paul brings us into chapter three where he starts then to encourage the believers.

Again, the two chapters are linked together by one word, and it's the opening word of chapter 3, the word “wherefore.” Why is that word there? Well, it's there to link chapter 2 and chapter 3 together. It's a conjunction. It’s linking what is about to be said with what has just been said. So we might say if we were thinking about this word “wherefore” if we were saying it today we might say “well because of this because of this truth this is what I'm going to say to you next.” It presents the reason for what is about to be said. Paul says in chapter 2 verse 20 “ye are our glory and joy wherefore when we could no longer forebear.” And so what Paul has at the very start here of chapter 3 and the end of chapter 2 is there's this positive message about how he feels for the church, how he has a desire for the church, how he has a joy about the church. He has encouraged them in chapter 2 to keep pressing on in their faith. He has encouraged them to hold on to God's word, the word of God that they had received. And Paul now continues as he has exhorted them and encouraged them to hold on to these things. He now continues to encourage them. And there's three things in these nine verses of chapter 3 that we can draw out of this which I hope will benefit you, which I hope will be a blessing to your heart and perhaps even encourage you to press on whether things are easy, whether things are difficult. And we don't always get it easy. Sure, we don't. Life's not always easy. Sometimes there's challenges, sometimes there's difficulties, there are trials. But the Bible tells us about that and the Bible encourages us that even in those times, even in those difficulties, that the Lord is there and that we can depend upon him and we can hold on to his promises. And that's what Paul is getting across here.

So the first thing we notice here in verse one and verse two of 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 is that there's an encouraging message for the believers. He says, "Wherefore, when we could no longer forebear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow labourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith." So notice here in this opening phrase that it's not just Paul who has this hard attitude towards the believers because Paul talks in the plural in verse one and I want you to see there's a we contrast here in this section whenever we read it and I'll point it out when we come to it. And in verse one, Paul says, "Wherefore, when we could no longer forebear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone and sent Timoththeus, our brother and minister of God and our fellow labourer." So, it's not just Paul who has this hard attitude towards him. Paul is with Silas. Paul is with Timothy. And Paul and Silas and Timothy together, they're reflecting upon what's been happening in Thessalonica. They're reflecting upon their time there. Paul had been in Thessalonica after the church had been planted. He'd been there for at least 3 months teaching the believers and then he was run out of the region. He's now in the city of Corinth. And you read about his experiences in the city of Corinth in Acts 18. But here he speaks in the plural in verse one “when we could no longer forbear.” But run your eye down to verse five. And after Paul has outlined all of this, then he says, "For this cause when I could no longer forebear, I sent to know your faith." So there is the sense that Paul has this heart attitude towards him. But there is also the picture, the truth that it's not just Paul, but it's also those who are with him. It's Silas and it's Timothy in the city of Corinth. And they're concerned about the believers in Thessalonica. Paul had left the city of Berea. He had gone to Athens. Timothy and Silas had been with Paul, but they had remained in Berea for a short time. Paul had to leave Berea. He had to leave Macedonia because they were constantly harassing him. He was essentially forced to leave Macedonia. And he was a forced to leave Macedonia because of his devotion to the truth of God's gospel. So Paul has gone to Athens and then he sent for Silas and Timothy to leave Berea and to come to him in Athens and they've come to that place and there they are fellowshipping together and they are reflecting during that season of time upon the work that has been done in Macedonia and Thessalonica is one of the places that they were in in Macedonia. But then after a period of time, when you read in Acts chapter 17 and Acts chapter 18, you see that Paul sends Timothy and sends Silas away again. Scripture doesn't tell us explicitly where Silas was sent. Some commentators believe that he went to Philippi, but I can't see for certain that that's the case. So, I'm not going to say that he went to Philippi. We can't be definitive about it. What we do know is that Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica because that's what Paul tells us here in the letter in verse two. He says, "And sent Timotheus or Timothy our brother and minister of God." So Paul here has sent Timothy away. He sent him back to Thessalonica. Timothy could still come. There wasn't the same threat upon his life as there was in Paul. And so Paul has sent Timothy after their discussions and with their concern and with their heart towards the church. Timothy has come to Thessalonica. And Paul has reasons why Timothy has come. And those reasons are important. Paul's appetite for the gospel hasn't changed just because he's been run out of Macedonia and he's in Athens. You know the story in Acts chapter 17 where Paul goes up to Mars Hill and he has the debate with all the great minds and the thinkers in the city of Athens and he talks to them about the statue that they have to the unknown god and he talks there and he opens up the gospel  beginning right back at Moses and bringing it right through to the birth and the life and the death of Christ. And so Paul points the listeners to Christ alone. But while he's preaching the gospel in Athens, he still has a heart for the church in Thessalonica. He wasn't able to visit them. And because he wasn't able to visit them, he still could pray for them. He still could cons be concerned about them. Paul loved them. He loved the believers. He loved them wherever they were. And he was concerned for their growth. And he was concerned about the danger of no growth in their individual lives. And that is seen in these opening words when it says, "When we could no longer forebear," he couldn't hold it back any longer. Maybe Paul and Silas and Timothy had been discussing the different places that they visited in Macedonia. Maybe they were discussing how much of a difficulty had come whenever they were in Thessalonica. and as you read through Paul's ministry when he was in Thessalonica, there had been trouble from the synagogue in Thessalonica. But not only had there been trouble from the synagogue, within the city of Thessalonica, there was a cult. And that cult was involved in emperor worship. It was worshiping the emperor of Rome. And so therefore, that was really a big thing in the city of Thessalonica. So the church, a small church, a new church was operating and functioning in a place where there were difficulties, in a place where there were challenges, in a place where all around them there was opposition. And Paul really had this burden on his heart to know what the church was doing and how the church was doing. He wanted to know, are you continuing in your faith? Are you holding on to the faith? Are you holding on to the things that you've been taught? Do you remember the truth? And so because of this burden on his heart that they would grow in their hearts and in their lives, that they would grow to know that they were grounded upon Christ, Paul sends Timothy. Why did he send Timothy? He sent Timothy because he loved the church of Jesus Christ. He had a concern for their spiritual life. 3But in verse two here, we see who Timothy was. He says, "Timothy, our brother and minister of God and our fellow labourer in the gospel of Christ." Paul knew all about Timothy. Timothy was his son in the faith. And Paul gives this wonderful description of who Timothy is. He's a brother. He's a minister of God. And he's our fellow labourer in the gospel of Christ. Paul didn't see Timothy as a rival. Timothy was gifted, but Paul didn't see him as a rival. Paul didn't see Timothy as someone who was getting in his way in the ministry. Paul saw someone Timothy as someone who was a fellow labourer. And he sent Timothy because Timothy could still go to Thessalonica. And he sent him because he loved him and he loved the church. Timothy was willing to go. He was a servant of God. That's the implication of the word translated as minister there. The word is translated as minister of God. It literally means one who carries out the commands of another. So in Timothy's case, he was willing to go back to Thessalonica, a place where there was trouble, a place where there were challenges, a place where they had been run out of in the past. He was prepared to go there and he was prepared to serve God and serve the church. Paul sees Timothy as a fellow labourer. The word is synerg. It's where we get the word synergy from today. It's a joint labour working together for the sake of the gospel. Paul might not have been there, but Timothy knew when he went there that Paul would be praying for him. He knew that he would have him on his heart. He knew that he would have a concern for him and he'd be bringing him before the throne of grace and prayer because this labour was for the sake of the gospel. And as Paul has put this in the letter, Paul's encouraging the believers about labouring alongside one another. You see, there's a deeper meaning here than just the fact that Paul and Timothy were fellow labourers. The underlying point that Paul was making here was that in the work of God, in the church of God, as we work alongside one another, there ought not to be preference to one of the other, putting one above another, but there ought to be this sense of being fellow labourers, labouring alongside one another for the sake of the gospel. Yes, there is an order in the church. Yes, there is a structure for with regard to church government, but in terms of the everyday ministry and function and preaching of the gospel, there is a need to labour together for God. Timothy had two roles to fulfill. He was to establish them and he was to comfort them.  Paul had spent time teaching them and they were exceptional in their faith after such a short time. It's believed Paul was only there about 3 months so he only had 3 months of ministry teaching. They were a young church and it was small yet they were pressing on. As you read on through these verses and First Thessalonians, you'll see that they were pressing on. But the point that Paul is making or maybe it's better to say actually the point that God is making through his inspired word. Paul's a human author, but the Holy Spirit is the one who has authored the text. And if we want to get to the intent of the author, the point is this that the Christian life and being built up in the Christian life in our faith is an ongoing process. It wasn't enough that they had Paul there for 3 months and then that would do them for the rest of their lives. That wasn't what it was all about. They needed to keep growing. We all need to keep growing in our faith. What they needed now was stability in their walk. That's why Timothy was there - to be established, to be built up. Why? Because trouble's never far away. We live in a world that's full of trouble. We live in a world with many challenges. And we live in a world where things are getting darker and darker. We see the legislation that's being passed, the things that are being debated. Just this past week, we had this legislation about the conversion therapy and that's a cover up for putting pressure upon Christians and stopping the preaching of the gospel. And we've seen the legislation that thankfully last week in the houses of parliament, the assisted suicide bill was voted down, but not by much. We are in a country which once was blessed with the gospel, which once was blessed of God, which once had churches that were bunged. That's not the case anymore. Why? I wonder. Is it because the church wasn't built the way it should have been and believers weren't built and they weren't established in their faith and just went through the motions? Paul sends the church in Thessalonica, Timothy, why? To establish you, to build you up. Literally, the word means to set fast. I think if we want to look for a biblical example of this or a picture of this word in in Psalm 51 and verse 12. We know that great psalm of David where he confesses his sin. and he confesses his backsliding and he calls unto the Lord in Psalm 51 verse 12 and he says to the Lord, “Lord uphold me.” Well, that little phrase uphold me in Psalm 51 verse 12 is the Hebrew equivalent of this word to establish. In Exodus 17, there's another similar picture. Aaron and Hur are on either side of Moses and they hold up or they stay up Moses' hands. It's the same word. And if they hadn't have been upheld, do you remember what happened? Every time Moses' hands would have fallen, the enemy would have taken control of the battlefield. But when the hands were stayed up, the children of Israel, they had control and they would win the victory. They were in a battle. They needed that support. They needed to stand fast. They needed to be steadfast. Paul sends Timothy here to the church in Thessalonica. He's been sent to set fast their faith. How's he going to do that? Is he going to do that by all sorts of programs and activities? No. He's going to do that by teaching them the word of God. That's how our faith is set fast today. We ought to be people who love the word of God, who know the word of God. He's going to do that by praying for them, by leading them in prayer. He's going to uphold them before the throne of God because that is how our faith is set fast today. Are we a praying people? Timothy hadn't been sent back by Paul to set up a secret sensitive movement. He hadn't been sent by Paul to satisfy the world. He'd been sent by Paul to establish the church. And as the church is established in the church's power and as the church has power, then the gospel has power. He wasn't just to establish them, but he was to comfort them. Verse two, “concerning your faith. “This is a practical matter now. This is a practical need. He was assuring them of the reality of their faith. That's really the point here. He was really there to establish them in their faith and to comfort them, to assure them that what they believed was sure, what they believed was true. That what they believed would carry them through the difficulties that they would face. They were being persecuted. They were a small church in a large city, a major trading city. Thessalonica, now today known as Thessaloniki, sat right on the Thermaic Gulf. It was one of the major trade routes that ran from east to west across the world, the known world at that time. And Thessalonica sat right on that trade route. A major trading city, a melting pot of religions, a melting pot of sin. And here's this small church just established. Paul has sent Timothy to comfort them that even in their difficulties that God was with them. William McDonald, the commentator, says this was a critical time for this young church, Satan was probably dropping subtle suggestions that maybe they were wrong in becoming Christians. And perhaps to some of them as they looked around, it looked like the enemy had won. Think about this for a minute. Paul has come in, he's preached the gospel, Timothy and Silas have then come and they've been there and they've preached and people have believed and the church has started to be built up. Remember now in those early days that it was a house church. It was meeting in someone's home. But then Paul is chased out of the city and Silas and Timothy follow him and they wonder if there's power in this, why is this happening? And then at that time of doubt struggle, as they are pressing on here comes Timothy and he's come back with an assurance that God's gospel is true, that God's word has power and that God's Holy Spirit is present to bring them through everything. There was assurance here for them as the children of God. Whatever challenges we face, there is still assurance for us. There's encouragement for us to know that we can be established in our faith, that we can be comforted because of our faith because our faith is in a God who answers prayer. So the first thing was the encouraging message. 

Verse three through to verse 5. Paul maybe turns it around a little bit here because there's an encouraging message but then there is the expectation of suffering. “That no man should be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation, even as it came to pass and ye know. For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.” So in verse three and verse four, Paul really emphasizes the point that look, we told you there's going to be trouble. "It's not always going to be easy. You're not always going to get it your own way." As Paul was with them for those three months God was moving and souls were coming to faith in Christ and the church was being built numerically at least and there was growth and things looked good. Whenever those things were looking good then of course the enemy came and Paul had to leave. Following on from that Silas and Timothy had to leave and they've gone to Berea. And then they've gone on from there and the word will have come back from Berea that Paul has had to leave Macedonia. And maybe some of them are thinking to themselves, ‘well, if this is all happening, it doesn't matter about the short-term growth. Things are all going to fall apart now. We're not really on the winning side, are we?’ Maybe these thoughts are going through their mind. That's against this context that Paul is writing these words in verses 3 to 5. A context of affliction. But I want you to think about the main point in these three verses - that while there would be trouble, it's against the backdrop of that trouble that Paul has sent Timothy back to them. Timothy has come back with a message of hope and he's come back with a purpose and that purpose is to encourage them and to build them up. The language used in verse three paints a picture by one word. And there's one word that's translated here “as should be moved.” It's the word sino. It's only found this one time in the whole of the Bible. It speaks about the subtlety of the enemy. ‘That no man should be moved really by the subtlety of the enemy.’ The picture of this word is like a little dog wagging its tail. It's like a friend. It's like something that comes alongside and is very friendly. But in this context here, the picture is warning the Thessalonian believers of those who have come in with apparently innocent intent. They came in with the right words, flattering them, fawning over them, making them feel good about themselves. But their true intent really as time would go by would be to undermine the faith of the believers, to move them and to shake them. Maybe in the lives of some of the believers, their defences were down a little bit and maybe these enemies came in and said "Look, maybe we don't need to be so forthright. Maybe we don't need to stand on that. Maybe we can let this go a little bit. Maybe let's just take a softer approach. Let's be a wee bit quieter and keep our heads down." And Paul has sent Timothy to ensure that that doesn't happen, that no man should be moved by these afflictions. You know, afflictions sometimes come through being undermined. The reality is that trouble is always near in the Christian life. But the way that we respond to trouble and the way that we handle our troubles and our difficulties is by being established, by being comforted that even in trial our faith stands because our faith is in the God who's in control. Paul has experienced this. He's the one who's been chased out of the region. Remember who Paul was. Paul was one who had who had persecuted believers. Paul was one who had who had ravaged the church in the very early days. And then he'd met the risen Christ on the Damascus road and as he's met the risen Christ, then everything has changed in Paul's life. And now Paul's in a sense on the receiving end of what he used to do. He's been told to leave. and they're coming after him seeking his life. When Paul was in Thessalonica as verse 4 tells us, he told them to expect trouble. He told them to expect problems. But again, the heart of the apostle comes through in verse five when he says, "For this cause, because I know the trouble will come, because I know there'll be challenges. Because I know that you will face difficulties, you'll face tribulation. Because I know these things, when I could no longer forebear, I sent to know your faith.” And so Paul personally wanted to know how they were doing. He was anxious about them, anxious about their walk, anxious about their growth, anxious about their testimony. Isn't that a good thing to be anxious about? We can be anxious about many a thing, can't we? We can be worried and shaken and moved by all sorts of things that go on in this world and we can suffer from anxiety about all sorts of things. Here's what Paul was anxious about. He's anxious about believers that they're pressing on, that they're walking with the Lord and they're not being easily led astray by the tempter. Do you know there's a reference here about the devil. The word translated as “tempter” here in verse 5, “lest by some means the tempter have tempted you.” It's only used about the devil. It's only translated that way twice. You'll find it here and you find it in Matthew 4 verse 3 where the devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness. And he says, "When the tempter came to him," and Paul here says, "Lest by some means the tempter have tempted you." Do you know what that tells me? It tells me there's nothing that we go through that our Lord hasn't already been through. We can be tempted. Our Lord was tested. He was tested in the wilderness, but he was able to answer. How did Jesus answer the devil? He did it by the word of God. He did it by the word of God. That's where our ground is. That's what Paul wants us to know here. Paul knows all about the ways of the devil. Paul knows that the devil is the father of lies. Paul knows that he uses many snares and many nets to trap the believer and to cause them to fall and to cause him to slip and to cause him to step back and Paul was concerned here that if the trial came it would it would cause those who were walking with the Lord to fall back, to backslide, to lose hope. Not every trial comes from the devil. But some do. Whether they come directly from him, whether they come from another source, the believer's faith is not only tested, but the believer's faith is displayed for how we respond to trial. How we respond to trial shows us the depth of our walk with Jesus Christ. How deep is our faith in Christ today? There's the encouraging message and then there's the expectation of suffering.

Finally, verse 6 to verse 9, there's the expression of thankfulness. “But now, when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that you have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you. Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all affliction and distress by your faith. For now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you? For all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God.” What a blessing it must have been for Paul when Timothy reached him in the city of Corinth after having been back to Thessalonica. What's he saying here? Paul says, "I'm glad that you're not giving in. I'm glad you're pressing on. I'm glad you're seeking to stand for the Lord." In Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 25, we read these words  "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." That's exactly what Paul got here from Thessalonica. Good news from a far country. This report from Timothy would have brought that sort of experience to the apostle who had a love and a care and a concern for the church in Thessalonica. We all know what it's like to receive good news, to really receive that news that causes us to have joy, causes us to be happy. I was trying to think about the different things. It's a feeling of buying your first house, perhaps getting the keys in your hand, getting the keys for your first car. Maybe it's the joy or the blessing or good news of being successful in a job interview when you thought you had done terribly. Maybe it's a feeling that you hear about a birth of a new baby in the family. Maybe as believers, the great news is when we hear of someone coming to faith in Christ. That is news that's worth rejoicing about. There are many things that can bring good news, many things that can make us happy or joyful. The Apostle Paul had a heart for the gospel. He had a heart for those who had received the gospel. He had a heart for those in Thessalonica who he had ministered to for a short period of time, but he'd had to leave in a hurry. Yet, even after just a short time with them, he had them on his heart. Now, as he hears this news, it's a blessing to him. They were a burden to his heart. “But it was great to hear good tidings of your faith and charity, and that you have good remembrance of us always.” Do you know whenever you look down to verse eight here, you can see how Paul has moved from perhaps that concern in his heart for them towards this great truth in verse 8. “For now we live if you stand fast in the Lord.” You can see whenever you begin to look into those words what Paul meant, it was a bit of a burden on his heart because he wasn't sure how they were doing. And maybe he felt the weight of that because he was detached from them and away from them. Yet he wanted to know that things were going well with them. Now because he has heard this, he's comforted. It is a weight off the shoulders. Look back at chapter 2 verse 20. What does Paul say about the church in Thessalonica? “Ye are our glory and joy.” Now he knows that they're pressing on. Timothy has brought this amazing news, encouraging news, and it blessed Paul's heart as he reflected upon those people who he had been with, who he had seen come to faith in Christ, who he had taught the word of God, and they have taken the word of God to heart and have grounded their faith in Christ. But they have fond recollections of the man who's brought them truth. “Ye have good remembrance of us always.” There's an interesting position here that comes through at the end of verse two. There's almost like a contrast. Paul says that he had sent Timothy to comfort you. But now in verse 7, Paul says, "We were comforted over you." It's the same Greek word. It's the thought of being strengthened. It comes from the root word where we get the word comforter from paracelio. We know about the paraclete, the one who draws alongside the Holy Spirit. Jesus  told the disciples that he would send the comforter, the paraclete, the one who'll draw alongside. We know what that promise is for us today - when we struggle in our Christian life, we have the Holy Spirit who draws alongside. The Holy Spirit strengthens us. Paul here uses that same terminology to show how when he was in a season of affliction and distress, the news of their strength has strengthened him. That's the point he's making. Do we see here how as believers we can encourage one another? We can influence one another for good. We ought to have this heart towards one another. A heart to see that each one is pressing on. We ought to be those who seek to encourage each other in their faith by our faith. Sometimes our faith can help to encourage someone else. Sometimes just hearing that someone is pressing on is enough to lift a brother or sister. To know that they're pressing on in the faith and to know that they're depending upon the Lord perhaps in difficulty, perhaps in tribulation, just as these believers were facing the challenges of the world. Paul was in another godless place whenever he wrote this letter. He was in Corinth and he had met a lot of resistance in Corinth to the gospel. Whenever you read Paul's letters to the church in Corinth, 1 and 2 Corinthians, you can see that there were many difficulties in the church in Corinth that Paul was witnessing and Paul was ministering in. He had to issue many warnings and many admonishments to the church there. So it was a challenging place. But it's against that setting that Paul receives this encouragement through Timothy from the church in Thessalonica. Paul is thankful for what God has done in the lives of the Thessalonian believers. Paul has gone to them. He has been God's messenger for a season of time. But the establishment of their faith was not down to Paul. The establishment of their faith was down to the fact that God worked in them, that God had redeemed them. The joy that Paul felt was because God was working in them. Look what Paul says in verse 9. “For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God.” Who is he giving thanks to? He's not giving thanks primarily to the Thessalonian believers that they have held on to their faith. He's rendering thanks to God for them. It's the power of God working in them. Look at the emphasis of his joy. His worries, his anxiety about them, his concerns about them, the burden that he carried about them, it's all been turned into a deep joy.

Now, as we come to a finish here, I want us to pause and think just for a moment. How encouraging are we? How thankful are we for what God is doing in people's lives? Sometimes it's easy to focus upon the difficult things and sometimes it's easy to focus our attention upon those who we think aren't doing the right things and we are better than them and we are doing better than they are. But what about those who are pressing on? How are we encouraging them? Yes, we are to exhort others to press on in the faith. And yes, we are to admonish in times of failing. But what about the many blessings that God has given as we look around us at our brothers and sisters? Just as Paul has been blessed here. If we could see how God has blessed and if we would fix our minds upon that, then how much more thankful we would be towards the Lord and how much more thankful we would be for each other. There's an encouraging message here. It's set against a backdrop of suffering, but it concludes with an expression of thankfulness. That's a lesson to the church of Jesus Christ today. Everything that Paul's saying here is because these people have believed in Christ because they have come to faith in Jesus Christ. It's because salvation is of the Lord. It wasn't simply because of Paul's message. Paul preached the message, but the message was that salvation is through the work of Jesus Christ. And it's the same today. Maybe you're not saved this morning. You know, it doesn't matter how obedient you are to what other people tell you. It doesn't matter how good you are. It's salvation that you need. It's Christ. It's a recognition of your sin and a recognition that Christ died to save you. You need to come to Jesus. You need to be saved. Need to be cleansed by his precious blood. And then we can rejoice with you. And we can rejoice for you. And we can be thankful to God for what he has done in your life. Let's be encouraged that God is working in lives, even in our difficulties and even in our challenges that we can see God's hand at work in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

 

 

 

 

The Scope of Salvation

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2026 pm – MR JASON CRUISE

JOHN 3 VERSES 1 TO 17 – THE SCOPE OF SALVATION

The third chapter of John's gospel is one of the best known chapters in all of the Bible. It contains most likely the best known verse of scripture in all of the world. John chapter 3 verse 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” These words came from the lips of the Lord Jesus to this man Nicodemus. John is the only one of the gospel writers who mentions this man Nicodemus. We read about him here in John chapter 3. We also read him in about him in John chapter 7 and then finally in John chapter 19 whenever Nicodemus along with Joseph of Arimathea lay the body of the Lord Jesus in the tomb. We see here that this man Nicodemus, the word of God tells us that he was a Pharisee. That word Pharisee in the original Greek means separated one. The Pharisees were known to be men that were proud and legalistic. They were men who sought to observe the law, sought to observe the commandments. They could quote the Pentateuch or the Torah. The Pentateuch is the Greek name whereas the Torah is the Hebrew name for the first five books of the Bible. That word "pent" means 5 and "teuch" means scroll. These men had a great knowledge of the scriptures, masters at memorizing scripture but they were known to be very very legalistic. Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews. He was in the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin. He was one of the rulers, one of the decision makers of Judaism. This man held a high position within Jewish society. This man most likely sought to live a morally right and upright life. This was an educated man and a man of influence. But this would never give this man entrance into heaven. This man would have to come to faith in the Lord Jesus. He would have to come to rest upon Christ in order to enter God's heaven. Maybe you're a little bit like Nicodemus. You have climbed the social ladder and you're a law abiding person. All your business dealings are fair and above board. You pay your taxes and you think that makes you good enough for a home in heaven. Y fall short of heaven's demands. We read there in Romans chapter 3 and verse 23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." You, just like Nicodemus fall short of the demands that God places upon you and I. You and I could never enter into heaven in and of ourselves. Because we can tell you in the authority of God's word that you're a sinner. Sin has entered into the world through one act of disobedience by Adam in the garden and through that one wilful act of disobedience by Adam in the garden, sin entered in to the line of humanity and it has come down through that line right up until this evening. You fall short because of your sin. Have you ever came to realize that you will never enter heaven in the state in which you are tonight? If you're still a Christ rejector will you come and put your faith and your trust in the risen Christ, to know him as your Savior and your lord. Perhaps you are saying “preacher, you don't know the good life that I have lived. You don't know the good things that I do for all of my neighbours and all of my friends. Oh tonight you can do all of the good acts that you want. You can do all of those good acts for your friends, your neighbours, all of your charitable acts, and you can mount them all up, but they will never give you access into heaven because tonight you're a sinner still in your sin. We read in Romans chapter 3 verse 10 "There is none righteous. No, not one.” There's not one tonight around the world that in and of themselves is good enough in order to enter heaven. Even one sin is enough to keep us out of heaven tonight. Your sin must be dealt with. The only one who can deal with your sin is God's eternal son, the Lord Jesus. Isaiah 64 verse six says, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." You can mount up all of your righteous deeds, all of your righteous acts, but in and through them, you will never enter into God's heaven.

John's gospel chapter 3 verse two. “The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him.” This man Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. 

I may have told the story here before of the Sunday school teacher and one Sunday morning she was teaching her Sunday school class and she was telling them the story of Nicodemus and how he came to Jesus by night. She asked her Sunday school class, "Why do you think that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night?" One little boy put up his hand and he said, "Miss, I think that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because he didn't want his friends to see him coming to Jesus and if he'd have came during the day, perhaps some of his friends would have seen him so he came at night.” The Sunday school teacher said, "That's very good. Perhaps you're right." Then she asked the question again, "Why do you think that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night?" Another little boy in the class put up his hand and he said, "Miss, I believe that the man came to Jesus at night because he was too busy during the day so he came at night.” The Sunday school teacher said, "That's very good. Perhaps you're right." She asked the question a final time and a little girl in the class put up her hand. She said, "Miss, I believe that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because the matter was so important it couldn't wait until the morning." 

The matter of your soul's salvation is so important, you dare not wait until the morning. Make sure that you come to close in with the message of the gospel and come to put your faith and your trust in Christ. Come to rest upon him and upon his finished work that he has done for you upon the centre cross at Calvary.

Notice here also in the verse 2 that Nicodemus says, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God." This man Nicodemus believed in the existence of God. Nicodemus was a religious man. Is that just like you? Maybe you're a religious man. You're probably found each and every Sunday morning in church. There's a pew somewhere in some church and you're very rarely missing on a Sunday morning. Each and every Sunday morning sees you in your place. You see, you're a religious man. You can perhaps take us tonight to your old book and there we could read your name on the church register. You can look back to a time whenever you were baptized and whenever you were confirmed and tonight you're catechized and you know the scriptures. Tonight you know about God, but you cannot call him your father. You know about Christ, but you've never confessed him as your Savior. You know about heaven but you cannot call it home. It's only whenever you come and put your faith and your trust in the finished work of Christ and rest upon him, come to him in repentance, acknowledging before him that you're born in sin and you're shapen in iniquity and acknowledging before him that your sin has mounted up and it will keep you out of heaven. Only whenever you come and you rest upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus will you be made right and made ready for a home in heaven. You're sympathetic to the gospel, but you're not saved. You are still on the broad road to a lost and a Christless eternity. Perhaps you're saying tonight, “preacher, I'm not yet saved tonight. But I'm going to get saved some night, just not tonight.” If you and I could lift back the cover on hell this evening, there's a multitude of people there. They said those very same words, "Not tonight, but some night I'll get saved." But that night never came. And just in an instant, death came and they were ushered out into eternity. Those people are in a lost eternity tonight. If they had all of this world's goods at their disposal, they would give it all up to sit in the very seat in which you sit. And they would not leave the gospel meeting until they came in repentance and put their faith and their trust in Christ.

Look at verses 3 and 7 “Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Then verse 7 “Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.” Notice here that the Lord Jesus as he speaks to this man Nicodemus, he doesn't say it would be good for you if you were born again. He doesn't say it'll end better for you if you were born again. No he says ye must be born again. Ye must be born again. There is no other way. But unless you're born again of the spirit of God, unless you have came to put your faith and your trust in the in God's eternal son you're on that broad road. You'll never enter heaven. Ye must be born again. The Bible tells us in Jonah chapter 2 and verse 9, “Salvation is of the Lord.” The Lord is the source of salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. Whatever else you're trusting in it is futile. Unless it is Christ, unless you come to put your trust in him, heaven will never be your home. Look at verse 14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." Now the Lord Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus here about that brazen serpent that was lifted up upon the pole in the wilderness that we read about there in Numbers 21. The children of God had complained in the wilderness about the manna and so the Lord sent out the fiery serpents which bit the people so that they would die. But now the people they come to Moses who speaks to the Lord to take away the serpents from them. "And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole. And it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten when they looketh upon it shall live." And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole. And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Here we see now that in the wilderness God provided a remedy for those that were bitten by the serpents. But they had to come as individuals and look upon the brazen serpent. God had provided a way but each one had to come as an individual. The brazen serpent of course upon that pole it's a type of Christ and as we think about everyone there coming as an individual and looking upon the brazen serpent. Each and every one must come as an individual to the cross. It's got not good enough tonight that your father is saved. It's not good enough tonight that your mother is saved or your grandfather is saved or your brother or your sister is saved. Each and every one must come as an individual and come to the cross. Each and every one of us has this problem of sin and because of sin, we have that appointment with death. We read in Hebrews, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” We have that appointment with death because of sin. Paul tells us in Romans 6 verse 23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Just as God had provided the remedy there in the wilderness through the brazen serpent, he has provided the remedy in the person of his dear son, the Lord Jesus. And it's only whenever you come to the cross and come in repentance to put your faith and your trust in the finished work of Christ that you'll know salvation full and free. Would you not come and put your faith and your trust in him? We think of the hymn writer how they were able to say

The cross of Christ is all my boast

His blood my only plea.

My passport to the realms of bliss

Is Jesus died for me.

Have you ever came to realize that Christ died for you? That the sinless, spotless lamb of God hung upon a Roman cross, not for any sin or any wrongdoing of his own, but that he hung there for your sin and for mine.

Look at verse 16, the best known verse in all of the world. It says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Here we see the gospel wrapped up in a verse.

Henry Moorehouse was a young evangelist and one day he met with DL Moody in Dublin whenever D L Moody was preaching there. Young Henry Moorehouse spoke to D L Moody and he asked D L Moody if he could preach in Moody's church in Chicago in America. D L Moody agreed that he could come and preach there. But to be honest, D L Moody never ever believed that Henry Moorehouse would make his way to America. But you know, shortly after that, Henry Moorehouse did indeed make his way to America. He posted a letter to D L Moody informing him that he was there that he would like to come and preach in Moody's church. So Moody agreed. Moody was out of the city for a week and Henry Moorehouse preached each night throughout the week. Each night he preached upon the same text - John chapter 3 verse 16 “For God so loved the world.” DL Moody came back from his travels on the last day. Henry Moorehouse was due to preach his final sermon that night. D L Moody asked his wife, "How is the man doing that has come along to preach Henry Moorehouse?" His wife said “he's doing very well, but he doesn't preach like you. He preaches about a God who loves sinners. He has preached each night from John chapter 3 verse 16.”

D L Moody made his way along to the church that evening and he sat at the front and he watched as Henry Moorehouse made his way up into the pulpit. He said to the congregation there, "I have searched the scriptures all day for a new text for tonight, but I'm afraid that I love this message so much. We're going to turn again tonight to John chapter 3 and verse 16.” Even whenever Henry Moorehouse lay upon his deathbed as a young man of only 40 years of age, Henry Moorehouse said, "If God were to raise me up again, I would love to preach on that great text John 3 verse 16. ”For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

This the gospel wrapped up in a verse. 25 words, 12 about God and 12 about man and the son in the centre. The son of God is central to the gospel message. Without the son of God, there is indeed no gospel. But it's only in and through him and through his finished work that salvation is available. We notice here the source of salvation. It says “For God so loved the world.” You see a salvation began in the mind of God. He saw the need of humanity in eternity past and so he had this great plan of salvation where his son would die upon the cross for your sin and for mine. The source of salvation, God has provided it. Then we see the scope of salvation. It says “that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.” “Whosoever.” It doesn't matter tonight how rich you are or how poor you are. It doesn't matter tonight where you are in the social ladder. It doesn't matter tonight what you have achieved in life. You are included in this word whosoever. You could take out this word whosoever and put your name in here and you could enjoy this great gift of salvation that the Lord has freely provided for you. The source of salvation, the scope of salvation. And then we see the sureness of salvation. The verse says “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.” You can have it tonight. If you would simply come in repentance and come and acknowledge before the Lord that you're a sinner in need of his great gift of salvation. You could know that joy of sins forgiven. You could know that assurance of your name recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life and know the assurance of a home in heaven. This verse tells us about the love of God for a world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall. I often think about that little word “so”. I believe that the greatest minds, the smartest people in the world and the greatest universities could not explain to you and I the love of God that is wrapped up in this little word. How great is the love of God for a sinner like you and I that he would send his son to die upon a Roman cross as a sacrifice for your sin and mine. Maybe you're saying “preacher, is there no alternative?” Oh yes there is. There is an alternative. We find it here in the verse – “perish.” If you don't come and put your faith and your trust in Christ, you'll perish. Whatever else you're resting upon tonight, some idol, some good work, something that you or someone else has done, it is futile. You will perish. But God's gift of salvation is made available through the death of his son upon the cross. This man who spoke with Nicodemus, the eternal son of God, the Lord Jesus, one night as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, evil men came and they led him away and they brought him eventually to the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate condemned him to the death of crucifixion. He had been tied to the scourging pole and the Roman flagrum came down upon the back of the Saviour time and time again so that the words of the psalmist could be fulfilled. “The plowers plowed upon my back. They made long their furrows.” Then they led the Savior out through the city streets of Jerusalem, and they led him up to Calvary's hill and there they laid him down upon the cross, and they put the Roman nails through his hands and through his feet. There the son of God was raised between heaven and earth. The one who endured the whip, the thorn, the nail. He hung there for your sin and mine. In the darkness, the demands of a holy and righteous God were met for you and for I so that we could come and know this great gift of salvation. There in the darkness, my Saviour, the Lord Jesus, suffered agonies untold so that I can stand a sinner saved by grace.

We read about this man Nicodemus finally in John chapter 19 “And there came also Nicodemus which at first came to Jesus by night and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes about a hundred pounds weight. Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen cloths with the spices as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden. And in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid, there laid they Jesus. Therefore, because of the Jews preparation day, for the sabbath was nigh at hand.” Nicodemus has now come to know Christ as Saviour. He is identified with the people of God. It would be a great night for you if you would come like Nicodemus to rest upon Christ and to know him as your Saviour and your Lord.

I am thankful that the one who Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea laid in the tomb, the eternal son of God, he is no longer in the tomb. The scriptures tell us that after 3 days he arose again. He rose victorious over sin, over death, and over hell. And tonight, God's son, the Lord Jesus, is seated in heaven at the Father's own right hand. He calls unto you, “come onto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” There's enough in the death of Christ to save a world of sinners. There's enough in the death of Christ to save you tonight. Would you not come to him tonight? His word still declares to us, “ye must be born again.” I trust that you will be born again of the Spirit of God and know that assurance of sins forgiven.

 

Joseph in the house of Potiphar

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2026 – MR JASON CRUISE

GENESIS 39 VERSES 1 TO 15

JOSEPH IN THE HOUSE OF POTIPHAR

Back in chapter 37 of the book of Genesis we saw the relationship that Joseph had there with his father. Joseph was obedient to his father. We can see the love that Jacob had for Joseph. And of course, we see in the life of Joseph many pictures and similarities of the life of Christ. Jacob sent Joseph to seek his brethren to see how they were doing as they were looking after the flock. Joseph made his way to Shechem, but his brethren weren't there. They had went on ahead to Dothan. Joseph in obedience to his father goes on ahead to see about his brothers. He makes his way to Dothan. He goes all the way to seek the welfare of his brothers. Joseph was despised and hated and then betrayed by those that were close to him. They sold him for 20 pieces of silver. That reminds us of Judas and how the Lord Jesus was betrayed by those that were close to him. Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Judas had a great love for the material, a great love for the temporal. He betrayed the eternal son of God, the Lord Jesus, into the hands of wicked men. By the end of chapter 37, we read how that Joseph has been sold and he's brought down into Egypt there by these Midianite tradesmen. I often think about Joseph as he's making his way from Dothan down into Egypt, being taken away captive. He would have made his way south and out on his right hand side would have been the Mediterranean Sea and over to his left there would have came a time whenever he would have saw the mountains of Hebron and he would have known that over there is my father. I'm sure that Joseph's heart was breaking as he recalled those times of fellowship and the times of communion that he had with his father. You know, as I thought about that just last night, I thought about the words of the Lord Jesus in his high priestly prayer there in John 17. In John 17, the Lord Jesus says, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do, and now, oh father, glorify thou me, with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." I am sure Joseph could recall the days that he had spent with his father over in Hebron. In John 17, the Lord Jesus is recalling those days whenever the eternal son was with the eternal father before the formation of the world.

Here is Joseph now being taken down by these Ishmaelite traders down into the land of Egypt. And he's eventually going to end up here in the house of Potiphar. We read in verse number one “and Joseph was brought down to Egypt.” As you and I read this passage of scripture this morning, it'll be very easy for you and I to say that the whole thing is now out of control. The whole thing has now changed greatly. We think of the life that Joseph had enjoyed. That time whenever he wore the coat of many colours, whenever he enjoyed the love of the father back in Hebron. But here now he's down in Egypt and you and I could say the whole thing, it is now out of control. How is this thing ever going to end up? But you know, if we were to fast forward and come into Genesis 45, we would read there the words of Joseph to his brethren after he reveals himself to them. Genesis 45 verse 5, “now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that he sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life.” Joseph goes on to say in verse seven "And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance." You see, Joseph is saying here, "For God sent me before you."  In the background, God is sovereign and God is in full and absolute control. If you and I were to look on and we left what little Bible knowledge we had to the side, we would say the whole thing is now out of control, that it's a desperate situation. But no, my friends, God is in full and absolute sovereign control. And here he has had Joseph delivered down into Egypt for the welfare of his  brethren in a day to come. I think about these Ishmaelite traders as they came along. I wonder how long they had slept the night before. God has them in exactly the right place at the right time. They're just like the ram caught in the thicket in Genesis 22. They're just like young David in the valley of Elah. They're just like Esther in the palace of Ahasuerus.  They're just in the exact place where God needs them at the exact time whenever they are required. Now they take Joseph down into the land of Egypt and Joseph is there really part of God's divine plan and purpose.

Look at verses two and three. "And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian, and his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand." Four times in this chapter, chapter 39, we read this little phrase, "The Lord was with Joseph." Joseph is far away from all that he knew, all that he enjoyed, far away from family, far away from friends, and he's now in a land of idol worshippers. Eventually, he would even be cast into prison but even there the Lord was with him. The Lord doesn't say to Joseph, "Joseph, the thing is now so far out of hand. It has become so dark and so difficult that I no longer can be with you. You're now on your own. The thing is so far out of control." No the Lord never forsakes Joseph, but he's with him. continually. In the week that lies ahead, perhaps you have a doctor's appointment. Perhaps you've got an appointment in the post where you have to attend the hospital. Perhaps in the week that lies ahead, you have a problem. It's a health problem, a family problem, a financial problem. Can I tell you this morning, you're not alone. But that the God who inhabits eternity, the God of love and compassion, he is there already and he will be there with you. He will never forsake you. But you will know his presence with you day and daily. No matter what storm may come in upon you in life. We think of the words of the hymm writer

I trust in God for in the lion's den

On battlefield or in the prison pen

through praise or blame through flood or flame

my heavenly Father watches over me.

No matter what lies ahead for you and I in the week ahead, you and I can take comfort that we're not alone. The Lord is with us. We have that friend today that sticketh closer than a brother. We think of those words of Hebrews 13 and verse number five. “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” The God that you and I worship, he never leaves. He never fails. He never forsakes, but he's with us day and daily. Think of the words of the Lord to Joshua as the people of Israel are about to cross over the Jordan. Joshua chapter 1 verse number five, “as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” In verse nine of Joshua 1, the Lord goes on to say, "Have not I commanded thee? be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thy goest.” If Joseph was to go down into Egypt, if he was to go into the prison, the Lord was going to be with him.  We serve a God today who will never leave us nor forsake us. Through every trial, through every battle, through every difficulty, the Lord will be with you.

Not only was the Lord with Joseph, but those around him knew it. Look at the verse three. "And his master saw that the Lord was with him." His master saw that the Lord was with him.” I wonder, tomorrow whenever we're far away from the church and we're far away from other brothers and sisters, other believers, when we're far away from church elders, church oversight, with those that we come into contact with, whether it be down the street, whether it be in the school, the university, the office, the workplace, will those around about us know that there's something special about us? Will they know that the Lord is with us? Will they know that you and I are a child of God? I trust that those that we come into contact with day and daily, by our conduct and by and by our conversation, I trust that they will know that you and I are a child of God. Just like the master here knew that Joseph was a child of God, just as he knew that God was with him day and daily. I'm sure as this man looked on at Joseph, he would have said to himself, "There's something very different about this man. There's something very different about Joseph. Many slaves have been bought and brought to come into my home. Many slaves have worked for me, but none of them have been like this man. He's so different from all of the rest." Whenever we think about Joseph here in the house of Potiphar, what a change in circumstances from those that he enjoyed at Hebron with his father and the love and the compassion that he experienced there from Jacob. Philippians chapter 2 "Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” What a change in Joseph's life. Oh, but what a change in circumstances for the eternal son of God. The one who left the heavenly glory. The one who did condescend. The one who came down and veiled his glory in human flesh and tabernacled amongst us. Why? So that he would go all the way to the cross of Calvary and there suffer agony untold. So that you and I could be redeemed, made right, and made ready for a home in heaven. What a change in the life of Joseph. What a stoop that Christ did take, leaving the glory and the splendour of heaven and coming down into the sin cursed world. Joseph was different to all those around about him. But I also think there of the words of Peter in chapter 2 and verse nine "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." We are to be ambassadors for Christ. How are we serving our Saviour? Do those around about us know that there's something different about us?

Here we see Joseph and he pleases Potiphar well. In verse six it says "And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand." Potiphar is well pleased here as he looks upon Joseph. But you know, Potiphar's wife also looks upon Joseph, and her look is very different from that of her husband. For here, Potiphar's wife now comes to try and seduce Joseph, to tempt him into sin. Look at verses 7 down to verse 10 "And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, ‘lie with me.’ But he refused and said unto his master's wife, "Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. There is none greater

in this house than I, neither hath he kept back anything from me, but thee, because thou art his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And it came to pass as she spake to Joseph day by day that he h

hearkened not unto her to lie by her or to be with her.” Here now we see Joseph and Potiphar's wife comes not on one occasion but continually to try to seduce and to entice Joseph into sin. But we see here that Joseph, he stood strong. He stood steadfast. We read in verse nine. “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Each time that this woman came along, Joseph knew that to commit this vile act would have been great wickedness and would have been morally wrong. But ultimately, he knew that it would have been sin against God. One of the ways that the devil tries to bring down the believer is through what we call the eye gate, what we look upon. It's one of the most effective ways that Satan would try to bring down the child of God. We think of Genesis 3 and verse six “the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes.” We also read in Joshua chapter 7 and verse 21 concerning Achan "When I saw among the spoils a goodly garment and 200 shekels of silver and a wage of gold of 50 shekels weight. Then I coveted them and took them.” Quite often the devil tries to bring the believer down through the eye. We must be careful, but we cannot be careful on our own strength, but we must come day and daily and seek the help of God. Christ himself gives us great advice. The Lord Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 26 verse 41 "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” That little word there, “watch” in the original Greek means to be alert. To have the alertness of a guard on the night watch. To be continually aware and spiritually alert. We must come day and daily to seek the help of God in order to stand strong in the times of temptation. Joseph says “how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” That word sin in the original Hebrew means to fall short, to miss the mark. Without the help of God, you and I would fall so far short. We must come day and daily and seek the help of God.

Potiphar’s wife doesn't get her evil way. So she goes further. Look at verse 12. "And she caught him by his garment, saying, ‘lie with me.’ And he left his garment in her hand and fled and got him out.”He left his garment in her hand and fled and got him out. Joseph takes himself out of the situation, takes himself far away. He removes himself. How many testimonies have been tarnished, marred because a believer lingered whenever they should have fled? Joseph's actions here are in stark contrast to that of his brother Judah back in chapter 38. Judah yielded to temptation and wilfully committed sin when deceived by Tamar. But here, Joseph fled from the presence of sin. James 4 verse seven, “submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” I trust that each and every day you and I submit ourselves to the Lord. That we would come and surrender to his will. That we would come seeking his authority and his guidance and his direction. Back up in verse four, we read how Joseph found grace and the eyes of Potiphar. But he found grief in the eyes of Potiphar's wife.

Now the young Joseph is cast into prison. Look at verses 20 and 23. "And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound, and he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison. And whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand because the Lord was with him and that which he did the Lord made it to prosper.” Potiphar is described in verse one as the captain of the guard and because he had that role of captain of the guard, many Bible scholars and Bible commentators would believe that he was also the chief executioner. Potiphar very easily could have had Joseph executed. But many would believe in fact that Potiphar actually believe Joseph and didn't believe his own wife. He now has Joseph taken and thrown into the prison. Even there in the prison, Joseph excels and he finds favour with those around about him, including the prison keeper himself. Just like Potiphar back in verse three here, we see that this prison keeper sees that there's something very special about this man, this young Joseph. I trust that you and I will never be in prison. But that we will indeed be like Joseph, that whoever we come into contact with in the days that lie ahead, that they would all realize that there's something very special about us. And it is because we are a child of God.

We read here in this chapter about hands, no less than nine times. We read about the hands of the Ishmaelites once, the hands of Potiphar's wife twice and the hands of Joseph six times. The Ishmaelites were using their hands for their own financial gain. Potiphar's wife was using her hands to satisfy her own selfish desires. Whenever we think about the hands of Joseph, we see he was using his hands for the help and for the benefit of others. No matter who Joseph came into contact with, he was a blessing to all of those around him. I wonder is that like you and I? Are we a blessing to everyone around about us? How are you using your hands? Could it be said that we're using our hands like the Ishmaelite traders - that we are using our hands for our own financial gain? Could it be said that we're like Potiphar's wife - that we're using our hands for our own selfish desires? I trust this morning that it could be said of us that we are using our hands for the help and for the benefit of others and that we are using our hands for the Lord and for the extension of his kingdom.

 

We read in verse three, “and his master saw that the Lord was with him.” I trust that tomorrow that those that we come into contact with would realize that the Lord is with us.

 

The lame man at the gate Beautiful

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2026 pm – PASTOR HENRY CASKEY

Acts 3 verses 1 to 12

 

I want us this evening to consider this man, this man who's sitting at the gates of the temple there in Jerusalem, the beautiful gates as they're known as. I want you just to simply think tonight of a day in the life of this man because this was going to be a very different day from any other day because this was going to be the day that he would meet with two men that would point him to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a wonderful thing tonight. He was going to have a living encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. I wonder, can you imagine this man just for a moment or two with me this evening? Can you imagine what his home life must have been like? Here's a man, and the Bible tells us that he he was lame from his mother's womb. It tells us that in verse number two, “a certain man”, it doesn't give us his name, it just says he was lame from his mother's womb and he was carried daily at the gate of the temple. So, can you imagine this man for a moment or two? This man was born in such a manner that he couldn't walk. He couldn't walk from the day and hour that he was born. And in chapter 4, we realize because we're told there that he was a man now of about 40 years of age. So for 40 years, he suffered this fate. For 40 years, he couldn't put one foot past the other.  Can you imagine perhaps maybe an elderly mother now by this time or an elderly father in the house and they're caring for this young man and maybe they have to wash and dress this young man. There are many in our province tonight that have been reared in this country under Christian mums and dads. They have done so much for them but still they're not saved. Maybe this man's friends were thought of highly because they would maybe have come each morning before they went off to work themselves and would have lifted him up and carried him down to where he was at the temple gates because he wanted to sit there and he wanted to beg. He had a little bowling bowl in his hand and he would just beg for some coppers as the rich men would pass by and enter into the temple. Again, there are many young men and they've got many, many young friends. Sometimes we always say “we have to watch our friends because our friends can bring them down.” But here's a situation perhaps where these friends were doing everything for this young man. And there are many tonight who are inviting their young friends to gospel meetings and missions and they're sitting under the sound of the gospel but still not saved. Maybe you've been invited to gospel meetings. Maybe you know someone at the university or maybe someone at the high school, maybe someone in the workplace and they've been inviting you to go along to a gospel meeting and maybe you've been going and you've been hearing that great news of the Lord Jesus Christ and how he come into this world, how he came to seek and to save and my as you sat and as you listened to that word, you're unmoved. You're moved in the gospel. And a young man has invited you or a young girl has invited you to hear the gospel. What a privilege that has been. But still, you're not saved. I want us to think tonight about this day in the life of this man.

The first thing I want you to think about with me this evening is the place where he sat. He sat at the gate of the temple.  There he sat with his little begging bowl for money. But this was going to be the very place where he would receive healing and he would receive conversion. It was the very place that he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember how when Peter and John came down? Do you remember how he looked on them so differently and he asked for alms and Peter turned around to him and said, "Look at us." And you can see this man from the dust of the ground. and he lifts his eyes and he looks up. He just gets Peter in his view and this is the day that he's going to be totally transformed. What a place this was for this young man. I wonder tonight, have you got a place where we can look back and say, "That was the place where I was saved. That's the place where I met with God." I think of Zacchaeus. If you could go to him tonight and say, "Where were you saved?" He would take you out of his front door. He would take you down the main street and  to that little tree just at the end of the street and he would say, "That's where I was saved." He would never ever forget that tree in all of his days. This man at the beautiful gates, he could take you back to that place where he was sitting on this particular occasion when he met two men and these two men pointed him to the Lord Jesus Christ. It was there that he was healed. It was there that he was converted. It was there that he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. He could point to it. Isn't it good to have a place tonight where we might point? Zacchaeus could point to that little tree. He could say, "I was sitting up there in the foliage whenever the Lord Jesus Christ passed by." And he stopped just at the bottom of the tree and he called out my name. He didn't have to be introduced to him. He called out my name and he said “make haste and come down.” I come down the tree and I went with him. And that was the day that I was converted.  Zacchaeus would never forget that tree. It's hard to forget the place you were converted, isn't it? It's hard to forget. You might know some people who forget about the dates and times and others who when they get up to testify they can tell you the date and the very time. I had a good friend who was saved and he was saved at 5 to 12. He was standing in his bathroom shaving. As he looked into the mirror, he come under great conviction. He felt that if he took a step over the threshold of that door that somehow he'd be taken out into eternity. He stopped where he was and he called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to save him. I think of John chapter 4. Do you remember that woman Jesus met. The Lord Jesus Christ came through that place where that woman was. If you went to that woman and said, "Can you remember where you were saved?" She could take you by the hand and bring you to this place, this well, and she could tell you all about how when she come out that day and brought her vessel to fill it up with water. "I met the most wonderful man. He was the Messiah. He was the Saviour. As he spoke to me, he told me all about this living water that he would give to me that I would need not thirst again. I surrendered my life to him there and then.” She could point to that well. I think of Bartimaeus. If you were to ask Bartimaeus, “Bartimaeus,  where did you meet the Lord?” Bartimaeus could tell you, “I was sitting in the dust. I was sitting here. He could take you up the main street just out of Jericho. And he could say, “I was sitting there. That's the very spot when I heard the noise. And I heard what was happening up the way. And I asked someone ‘What's the meaning of this noise?’ And they told me ‘it's Jesus of Nazareth and he's passing by.’ I began to cry out ‘Lord have mercy upon me.’ They tried to silence me you know, they tried to tell me to be quiet but he said I shouted the more and just as Jesus was passing by he stopped and he called me to him. He said ‘what would you have me to do for you?’  I told him that I might receive my sight. And Jesus says, "Thy faith has saved you." Isn't it wonderful to have a place tonight that you can look back upon and say, "It was there that I was saved. It was there that I met the Lord Jesus Christ." Do you remember the testimony of the last person to be saved through the ministry of John Harper on the Titanic? If we could ask him, "Where were you at?” He can say “I was floating just on a little board when someone asked me, ‘Are you saved?’ It's wonderful tonight to have a place that you can look back to. I wonder tonight can we look back to that place? Does it bring a smile to our face?

There was the people that he met. For this man, it was just a day like any other. He was carried down. His friends brought him down to the temple gates and they got him positioned. They got him seated there. And this was the place. This was the main entry for the temple and all the Pharisees and religious leaders and everyone would come in through this way. This man knew where to sit and he was begging. He was looking for money. He's watching the crowds pass by. The Pharisees go in, the religious leaders, the scribes, and they look at him and they have no more concern about him. Never give him a second thought. He’s only a burden on society. But you know, to the Lord Jesus Christ, he was a lost soul. For any one of us tonight, that's how the Lord looked on us. We were just a lost soul. My we might have been a burden to society. We might not have been worth much to anybody else, but to the Lord Jesus Christ, we were worth something because he came into this world to save your precious soul. He came into this world via the womb of the virgin Mary. And there he grew up amongst men and when he came to adulthood, he was rejected of the religious leaders. He was rejected of men. And there he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, taken before the religious leaders, transported over to Pilate's judgment hall, beaten and tortured there, and then taken out and hung upon an old rugged cross at Calvary. And he was doing it all for you. Imagine that tonight. He was doing that for you tonight because you had sinned and I had sinned and we had come short of the glory of God. And all we like sheep had strayed. We had gone our own way. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ who knew no sin, he was made sin for us. He took your sin and my sin. He placed it upon his own body. And there on the cross of Calvary, he made that supreme sacrifice. The Bible tells us it pleased the Lord to bruise him there at Calvary for you and for me tonight. What a wonderful Saviour we have this evening. This man is watching the Pharisees pass by. He's watching the scribes pass by. And then something happens. He sees these two men coming, Peter and John. He sees them walking down the way. And somehow as he looks upon them, they're not like the Pharisees. They're not like the scribes. There's something just different about them. These two men were going to be signposts that God had brought before this man to point not to themselves, not to the temple, but to point this man to the one who could heal his body and convert his soul. They were going to tell him the wonderful news of grace. Isn't it wonderful the people that God brings across our pathway? You remember whenever you weren't saved and you look back on it now, you thought at the time ‘that man's mad or that woman's mad.’ You thought about it that way. Now when you look back upon it, you know that was just one of the links in the chain. That was just one of the little steps that that God brought someone across your pathway and my pathway. If you're saved in the meeting tonight, or maybe if you're watching online, maybe this very service is someone that God has brought across your pathway to hear the glorious message of the gospel. You see, these two men came across his pathway. The people that we met. I think of Philomen's young slave in the Bible. He went down into Rome and he got himself into a bit of bother there and he was cast into prison but whenever the prison cell door was open and there someone was sitting in the corner and who was it? Only the apostle Paul and Paul had the great joy of pointing him to Christ. The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish. God has people to meet us. This man met these two men on this particular occasion. You remember the eunuch in Acts chapter 8. He was traveling up from Jerusalem. He'd been down there worshiping and my he had the word of God open before him. He had the word of God open before him and he was reading it. He was studying it but he couldn't understand it and in his dilemma he lifted his head and Philip was standing at the very chariot where he was. Philip says “do you understand what you read?” He replied "How can I except some man would come and explain it to me?" And Philip got up and he opened up at the very same scriptures and he began to preach onto him Jesus and he saw that man gloriously saved. That man met Philip that particular day Do you remember Pilate? There he was standing with the Lord Jesus Christ before him and the door opens. The door opens and in comes his wife. The wife says, "Listen, have nothing to do with this just man. I have suffered much by the way of a dream about this man." Pilate was confronted with someone who brought the message of Jesus Christ to him. How many times have you been confronted with the claims of the gospel and God has brought people before you time after time after time and still you're not saved.

Notice with me here the poverty that he faces in verse number three. Look what the man does. He's sitting there in the dust and has his little begging bowls out. He sees Peter and John coming down and he's asking for alms. And then it says in verse number four, “and Peter fastening his eyes upon them with John said, ‘look on us.’ And he lifted up his eyes and he gave heed unto them expecting to receive something of them. Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none." He expected to receive money from them. You can almost imagine them flapping their pockets and saying, "We don't have any." This man must have felt disappointed. He thought to himself, "Here are two men that are so different." But now he found that they were of no help to him whatsoever because they said “‘silver and gold have I none.” The man himself was in total poverty. He was sitting begging and he thought here was the help that he needed. But sadly he was left again in limbo. He finds that Peter and John have no money either. But they would give him something which was far better. Peter has something more to give him. We realize the poverty that we are in. We realize our greatest need and that salvation can only be found in none other name other than the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where we come to. That's where this man came to. This man was looking something special of Peter and John. But Peter and John says, "Listen, we can't do anything for you. We don't have anything." And this man perhaps was disappointed. Peter spoke to this man about the Lord Jesus Christ. And this man placed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That was far better. That was far better than any monetary gift that Peter could give. It wasn't faith in Peter that healed this man, but in Christ and in Christ alone. Salvation is in none other name. “For there is no other name given amongst men under heaven whereby we must be saved.”  

There's the power now that he experiences. It tells us now in verse number seven it says “Peter said ‘silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give unto thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk.’ And Peter reached down and he took him by the right hand and he lifted him up and immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength.” This man put his hand in Peter's hand and Peter lifted him up. The help that this man needed didn't come from Peter or for John. In this world, we have been separated from God with our sin tonight. We were born in sin. We were shapen in iniquity. We were separated from God and heaven would never be our home. To die in our sin tonight would mean that we would go into a lost and Christless hell for all eternity.

An old preacher told the story one time of a man who was dying in hospital. The old preacher was asked by this man’s friend to call up and see him. So they went up to see the friend. They went in and the man in the bed is very weak and very ill. He just looked at him and said, "I'm glad to see you. I have been a church member all my days. I was born into that church, christened, confirmed, baptized. I've come now to the end of my days, and what have I found? I have found that the church has failed me. I sat at the Lord's table. I took communion, and now he says, I'm at the end of my life's journey. And the Lord's table has failed me. I've supported my minister and ministers all down through the years. And my ministers have failed me. Now you have come along. I'm glad you've come." And the old preacher looked at him in the bed and he says, "You've depended on so many things and they have failed you." He says, "That's right." And the old preacher said to “Well I'm sorry. I can do nothing for you." And with that, the man began to sob and cry on the bed. He said, "But I had heard so much about you, and I thought that you were the answer. I thought that you would come along and I would find help in you." The preacher said "I'm sorry I can do nothing for you, but I can show you one who can." He opened up the scriptures and took the man through the scriptures and showed him how he could be gloriously saved. That evening, lying on that bed, he realized the power of God coming into his life and saving his precious soul. Thank God.

We finish tonight with the praise that is rendered. Whenever this man got to his feet, what did he do? He went worshipping. He went praising. He went leaping. He went singing. He went into the house of God to give God the glory. And tonight if we're saved by the grace of God, we give him all the praise and all the glory because there's nothing of us. This man could say the very same thing as he sat there with legs that wouldn't support him. He could say, "To God be the glory, great things he hath done." He could do nothing for himself. But thank God that day, a day in the life of this man, a day that saw him being carried as any other day, but a day that saw him walking home to his mum and his dad. Can you imagine what it must have been like whenever he come home? Can you imagine the people seeing him walking down the street? What a testimony. Oh, this man offered all praise to God.