The following is a sermon transcript from our Sunday Service at The Rock Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Each week, we gather to worship, learn from God’s Word, and grow together. This transcript is provided as a free resource to encourage and equip you in your walk with Christ. While you’re welcome to read and share this content for personal use, we kindly ask that it not be redistributed or published elsewhere without prior written consent from The Rock Church.
Remember when your first child was born? Remember when you got married? Remember when you first learned how to ride a bike? How about when you came to faith? There’s something very powerful about remembering the past. It stirs up emotions. It brings about gratitude. But for others, there is pain. I’d rather not think about it. It’s just too much.
Why is it so important to remember? Well, we would, of course, forget our past mistakes if we fail to remember. And you know what happens when we do that? That’s right. We’re destined to repeat those. And what would happen if we forgot about what God’s word says and all that He has done in our lives? Of course, we would live terribly. We would live by lies. It’s whatever the media tells us or whatever we tell ourselves. It’s the great danger of isolation, only hearing the voice of self. That’s never a good thing.
And so remembering is so much more than maintaining a cultural identity and the world around us. It’s when you face a trial or difficulty that you have a choice in that moment: Will I remember what the Lord has done and what He says? Or am I going to blame God for my pain and my suffering? These are choices that we make, and they all stem from remembering the right thing. It’s training your mind and your heart to remember what is true, what is lovely, what is pure, what is from above. But sadly, it’s all too easy to remember what is false, what is the worst-case scenario, what is impure. Why? Because the world system under the ruler of the prince of darkness is thoroughly corrupt.
And so we must remember that our current state of living is more like virtual reality than it is actual reality. Why? Because this life is passing away. And that is where we find the Apostle Paul as he writes his second letter to young Timothy. Paul is in prison, awaiting his certain death. But did Paul do anything wrong? No, of course not. He preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. He preached that there was no Lord but Christ. And that very much has been and always will be a threat to this world’s system of thinking and living.
It was rough for Paul. Can you imagine? Here you are at the end of your life. There’s not much ahead of you. You’ve been abandoned by those believers you trusted—Demas, how dare you? And so what do you naturally do? Of course, you begin to remember. You remember God’s call on your life, how it was all of Christ and none of you. You remember how God brought you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. You remember all the ups and downs of your Christian life. And of course, you remember all the people that God has brought into your life. This is a powerful exercise.
And sadly, we’re so busy looking forward. What’s next, Lord? What do you have for me? That we forget to look back and remember. I pray that as you remember, your faith will be strengthened and your joy will be elevated. And so if you’re taking note, if you have the Church Center app, go to sermon notes. You’ll see it all there. But if not, write down this one thing: Remember all that Jesus has done for you and others. I like to keep things simple. So let’s do that. Remember all that Jesus has done for you and others.
1. Remember That the Origin and Object of God’s Call Is Christ
Let’s look at number one. Remember the origin and object of God’s call is Christ. We’ll see that in the text. Read verse one of 2 Timothy chapter one. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. As we begin this first verse of 2 Timothy, it’s important that we understand and clearly see that Paul is a capital A apostle. In simplest terms, an apostle, lowercase, is a sent one. It’s an ambassador of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Another reference says it is a commissioner of Christ. All of these are certainly true of every believer in Christ. We have been sent by God to go into the world to proclaim this gospel of Jesus Christ. This is an important thing. As we gather on Sunday mornings, as we prepare for the great scattering, the dispersion into your community, school, workplace, and home, it’s to bring the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It’s that we in turn would invite people into our lives. That’s right. I said it. Being hospitable, being lights that so shine. We do all these things because God first loved us. So we love Him, and then we love one another. And we care about lost souls. We care about deep darkness that hangs over the youth of America, over broken families, over hopelessness and loneliness. And we live our lives as local missionaries, not turning people into projects, but instead looking at people with compassion, with love, with a deep burden for them to know Christ. Why? So they can be set free from the penalty of sin and death, and all the while knowing that salvation is of the Lord. It’s God’s job to save. It’s our job to proclaim. So as we gather and scatter, we do so prayerfully, looking up to Christ. We do so expectantly that God can do exceedingly more than we can ask, think, or imagine because it’s His power and it’s not ours.
Now let me be clear. I’m not saying that all we need to do is pray more and we’ll see the great harvest. It’s not like that all we need to do is assemble a team to go into the streets and we’ll see revival. I’m saying that the most powerful vehicle for evangelism is the local church. As your life changes, your friends and loved ones want to know more, and then they come and hear the gospel. Faith arises. Some of you are here today for that very reason. And that is what we’re interested in, the ordinary means of grace, powerfully working in the life of the church, all the while drawing in God’s elect.
There are two things that we see in verse 1 that’s worth noting. First, it’s the origin of Paul’s apostleship. Was it according to Paul’s will? Did Paul or Saul, as he formerly was called, wake up one day and say, you know what? I think I was all wrong about how I was treating those Christians. I’m going to give Jesus a shot. No, of course not. You know the story. Saul, the great persecutor of Christians, was on this road to Damascus and Jesus appeared to him and said, Saul, why are you persecuting me? He then went blind, only later to receive his sight, and it was then that he received his call. What was that call? Well, according to the will of God, Acts chapter 9, Jesus referred to him as his chosen instrument to do what? Proclaim the name of Christ.
It’s so important that we remember we are God’s chosen instruments, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own possession. Why? Well, isn’t it obvious? Well, not always, especially as the things of the world, the desires of the flesh, and even Satan himself creep in. They begin to distort reality as we’re too focused on the physical and none of the spiritual. It’s ever so subtle. But again, we are a forgetful people. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t need to hear the Word of God and the power of His gospel. If we weren’t so weak, we would easily dismiss the things of the world and the desires of the flesh. Oh, nothing to see here. But that is not our frame. It’s a reminder that we need to remember that God has called us. And if God has called us, based on His character, He will keep us.
The will of God goes back to what we understand from Scripture as what’s called the covenant of redemption. What’s that? Simply that before the foundations of the world, the Father and the Son agreed to a plan. To a plan of redemption to save a people through the person and work of Christ. And so we see that our salvation is dependent upon all three members of the Trinity. It was the plan of the Father before the foundations of the world. It was the execution of that plan by the Son. And it was the Holy Spirit who applied that great salvation to our hearts and lives. We need to rest in that reality that nothing can change that. That even if the rest of your life goes terribly wrong, we still have this hope. We have this promise. It’s so much better than the passing pleasures of sin, the desires for comfort. We are secure in Christ. He’s called us. He sent us. It’s all according to the will of God, not the will of man.
So that’s the first part of the good news, that the origin of God’s call is Christ. It was Christ by the power of the Spirit that we came to understand our sin. That apart from the finished work of the cross, we were to be the most pitied of all men. And although we did not see the risen Lord in person and receive direct revelation from Him, we are still sent by Christ into the world. Remember that. You’re an ambassador of Christ, His representative. You’re a commissioner of Christ to go by the Great Commission to make disciples.
And we must always remember that the object of God’s call on our lives is Christ. It’s not hoping that our circumstances will change or we get that promotion or we find a better situation. Now don’t get me wrong. It’s okay to think about those things and even be hopeful that they happen. But the difference for the believer is where his ultimate rest, ultimate hope rests. And that is often revealed when all the things that we really wanted, well, they don’t happen. And it’s when we don’t get the job or the health condition does not improve. Where does that leave us? If our ultimate hope is in the things themselves, then we will, of course, be crushed when they don’t happen. And immediately we blame God or others. Rather than being reminded of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, that’s what we see in the text.
Hear me on this. This is no small thing. This is not a promise that you hope God keeps on His end of the bargain. And this is a promise that’s not contingent on you keeping your end of the bargain. This is the promise of God in Christ Jesus, that there is life in Him and Him alone. This is more than an offer. This is a declaration. This is an announcement of the best news ever. It’s a certainty. It’s a guarantee. It’s a trust. It’s a hope. That’s what Jesus said in John 14, verse 6: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father apart from me.
This is where we draw our strength amidst the hardest trials of life. This is how Paul was trying to encourage young Timothy because he knew how hard it was going to be. Brothers and sisters, we have fellowship with God through the person and work of Christ. Did you hear that? I’m not sure I heard you. I know, but I’ve heard you say that. Well, it doesn’t sound like it’s really settled in your head and heart. If it were, you would first remember that you used to be an enemy of God, a child of wrath, a son of disobedience, and now you’re a friend of God, a child of God, a son of God with all the privileges and rights that Jesus enjoys. These are all things, all the things that we run to in the face of hardship and trial. This is what we must always remember.
The origin, the object of God’s call is Christ. He called us. He sent us. He will keep us. He guarantees it.
2. Remember the Spiritual Blessings That Only Come Through Christ
Verse 2: To Timothy, my beloved child, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let’s remember one thing about this special relationship that exists between Paul and Timothy. Paul was the very human instrument that God used to bring him to faith. He was, in fact, a spiritual son of the Apostle Paul. This is certainly no small thing, and it’s indicative of how much he cares for him, as if he was his only son. In other words, Timothy is beloved, and if Paul, being an earthly spiritual father, loves him so much, how much more so does our Heavenly Father love us? How much more does God the Father care about us? This is where we draw our strength.
Never forget what has changed since you’ve come to faith. You see, before you knew the Lord Jesus and were saved, you had a relationship with God. Everyone has a relationship with God, but it was this: this relationship destined to wrath and punishment under His judgment and condemnation. You rightly should have lived under a fear of God that is very different from the fear of God you have today. But sadly, many believers take the fear as an unbeliever and bring it into their relationship with God as a believer. And others still understand God through the version of their earthly father. But the difference needs to be remembered. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is no longer dread and fear or punishment. No, it’s reverence. It’s awe. It’s wonder that a God could love me like He does. And out of that position of acceptance, we view our lives and the world very differently.
It’s God working out His eternal decree that even though things may go badly—and I’m not here to promise you health, wealth, and prosperity—God is still using all the bad for your good and His glory.
I used to view trials differently before. It used to be, okay, things are going pretty well right now. And in the back of my mind, I’m thinking, it’s coming. It’s coming. The trial is coming. I take a deep breath. I’m thankful. That’s certainly well and good. But now I see them as an opportunity to be more dependent on Christ, to be less likely to fall into sin, to cling to Christ. These are very good things. And while none of us enjoy trial, that’s not what I’m saying. We can all certainly see the good that comes from them. So remember that if you’re in Christ, you are a beloved child of God, even more than Paul loves Timothy. So remember that. And with that comes some benefits, man. We see some of them here. Look at them: Grace, Mercy, Peace.
I could just spend the whole day on each one. But let’s just briefly cruise through them. There’s some richness in them, but let’s look at them. It’s this concept of grace that we talk about in the faith. It’s grace that is greater than all my sin. It’s part of the new relationship that we have now with God. And there’s no longer anger, but the kindness of God. There’s no longer punishment, but the goodwill of God. There’s no longer an enemy of God, but now favored by God. And grace is something that goes all the way back to Genesis 3:15. Before that, it was works. In fact, we refer to it as the covenant of works that existed between God and Adam. If you obey my commands, you will live. If not, you will surely die. And we know how the story went. They ate of the forbidden fruit, resulting in their spiritual death. But grace is not something that’s only a New Testament principle. Genesis 3:15—the first gospel message. We can be so grateful that the saints of old are saved by the same grace that we’re saved today. So thankful that that grace has appeared to us, teaching us some very important things.
God’s grace teaches us not to sin, actually. It teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly passions. And grace continues to teach us as we see and experience the loving kindness of our great God and Savior. We don’t want to just talk about Christ. We want to see Him. That is the goal. That’s what I want to do every week. I want us all together to behold Christ and experience Christ. I said experience. That’s right. Yeah. It’s nice to hear about someone, but then to get to know them. It’s when you come out of a trial, there’s a sense of awe that Jesus has been with me. He’s never left me through it. No matter what happened or how hard it’s going to be, even if you try to let Him go, you try to push Him away, He will never let you go. And we could be walking in the deepest darkness for a season of our lives, but God is still with us. Even though it may feel like we are cursed of God, it is never the final destination.
So the wonderful grace of God in Christ is getting every spiritual blessing that you didn’t earn or merit. How about the spiritual blessing of Christ that comes in the form of mercy? Well, that’s something that we have talked about before. That comes in two forms, really: (1) The mercy of God, rich and abundant, not punishing you as your sins deserve. (2) The mercy that is needed for the believer.
And you might ask, how so? I thought mercy was just in the person and work of Christ, sins forgiven. And while that is true and very important, we also need mercy in our suffering, in our trials, in our health problems, in our relational issues. And the prayer goes like this: Lord, have mercy on me in my suffering. Ease my pain, Lord, have mercy. Mercy is very similar to grace in that we’re still asking for God’s kindness and goodwill. But the context is different. The context of mercy in the believer’s life is always from that place of suffering, affliction, and even misery. There are believers that can go through seasons of misery. Let’s be clear, there are times when we are not joyful, when it’s hard to look to Christ, because everything around us seems to be crashing down. But we need to reach out for God’s mercy and seek relief in Christ to help us.
There’s that one last piece here called peace. And that is not simply the emotional state. Paul says grace, mercy, and peace, verse 2. It’s not simply that emotional state that we seek after. It’s primarily concerned with our relationship with God. Consider that you have peace with God, that that is no small thing, that you are no longer at war with the creator of the universe. There’s been a treaty signed with the very ink blood of Christ shed for our sins, tearing down the dividing wall of hostility, that we’re no longer enemies but friends, that we now live in the certainty of salvation through Christ. That should bring great peace to your heart. It settles your soul that you no longer need to be striving and wondering and just hoping, God, am I saved? No, you can say I am saved. It’s the Spirit that testifies to your spirit that you’re in fact a child of God. And if you are a child of God, then now you can cry out with all of your heart, Abba, Father, and He hears you. There’s now nothing to fear from God, from His judgment or condemnation. We can be content in whatever we have, knowing that the sovereign One rules over all. It’s grace, it’s mercy, it’s peace. It’s these spiritual blessings through Christ that need to be remembered, treasured, and loved. These all come from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn’t get much better than that.
3. Remember the Power in Praying for Fellow Believers
Verses 3–4: “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.”
Again, remember, it’s Paul close to death. What else is he remembering? Well, it’s Timothy. He’s praying and he remembers his tears. Why is it so important? Consider the catalyst that is to focus on praying for his spiritual son, remembering his tears. It’s a thankfulness to God. This is why he’s praying—because he’s thankful to God. He’s thankful for those that have gone before him. Remember that you are serving God as you pray.
Wait a minute. Serving God with my hands? Moving? Speaking? Serving God as you pray. God is using your prayers for your brothers and sisters as part of this ordinary means of grace. I’ll speak for myself when I say it’s very easy to forget about the importance of praying for others. Why? Because there’s so much to do. So many things to accomplish. I got my checklists and my meetings and my projects, my five-year goal, my ten-year goal, my one-year goal. But there’s power in praying for others. It’s especially important as we consider the family of faith, our brothers and sisters facing various trials and difficulties.
It’s when we say things like, “Oh, but if they just follow these easy steps, life would be so much better for them.” We look from afar and we say, “Oh, they’re just making poor decisions.” We forget about the spiritual battle—that the enemy of our soul seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. The enemy wants to steal our joy, kill our effectiveness, and destroy all that God has created as very good. He wants to destroy our families, our communities, our faithfulness, and our fruitfulness. And all the enemy has to do is help us to forget. That’s it. “Oh, dear brother, I told you I was praying for you, but I really wasn’t. Something came up. I got distracted. I became burdened. I’m overwhelmed.”
Now, does this mean that God depends upon us to accomplish His plan? In other words, “Oh, if I don’t pray, God’s not going to do what He has planned before the foundations of the world.” No, of course not. Nothing that God has ultimately planned will be thwarted. We are not more powerful than God, and He does not depend on us. But one thing is for sure—He loves to use us. As we pray prayers of faith, as He hears His beloved children crying out with simple prayers, interceding—especially significant when we think, “I’m so sorry for my brother or sister. There’s just no way out of this impossible situation that they’re in.”
Now that is the moment when we bow the knee and say, “Lord, thank You for the reminder that You’re our Maker, that You’re our Friend, that You’re our King, that You’re our Savior.” We say, “Oh Lord, may it be so on earth as it is in heaven. May Your will be done. May Your kingdom come.”
So much suffering, so much pain, so many impossibilities in this life. All these things serve as a reminder that we need the Lord Jesus now more than ever. That our heart’s posture is one of dependence, childlike faith, falling into the arms of our dear Savior. That constant need, clinging to Jesus, running to Him, finding shelter under the shadow of His wings. We serve the living God. And that means it’s more than what we do with our hands. We also serve Him with our hearts.
When we lift up our dear brothers and sisters in prayer, it’s so powerful to simply say, “Brother, I’m praying for you. I don’t have all the answers to what you’re going through. And I can’t imagine how painful it is. But the Lord sees, the Lord cares, the Lord looks upon you in compassion and mercy.”
Serving God is worshiping God with gladness and joy of heart. That’s what we’re doing. We’re singing together. We’re serving God. It’s a gift of God that our thankfulness would reach into every faculty of our mind and our spirit. It’s not some mechanical effort of the flesh, but the prompting of the Spirit.
Oh, so many times I sense in my spirit to pray and I forget. Oh, let us pray as if God was dependent upon us. Let’s pray with such urgency and fervency, knowing that our prayers in Christ are powerful and effective. The effective prayers of a righteous man accomplish much.
We spend so much time doing, planning, and strategizing. But what if the work was done in prayer? What if we knew and understood that the most important work is the prayer work? That if we forsake prayer, we might as well abandon any hope for God to work mightily.
I love what Hudson Taylor said, the great missionary to 19th century China. He came to the realization about this when it comes to prayer. He said, “When I work, I work. But when I pray, God works.” And that’s important. In other words, I can use all my human effort and strength and own wisdom only left ineffective in the kingdom of God. But when we pray, we express something important—that we are dependent on God. That knowing that apart from Christ, we can do nothing. That’s a powerful statement.
Surely there are things that I can do. What do you mean nothing? No, it’s only through Christ, through the power of His might, beseeching the God of heaven. And knowing that as I do, as we do, as we pray, the demons tremble, man. They quake. They fear. They say, “Uh-oh, those believers are praying again. There’s nothing that we can do. Uh-oh, the believers are praying for the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.”
You know when we sing together and it’s powerful? That’s an expression of unity. Guard that. And remember that. As you say, “Lord, this is powerful singing. This is unity of the Spirit.” And that’s what we have to fight for. For the enemy is seeking every opportunity to come into our fellowship, to divide from within. And it only takes a little tiny root of bitterness before it grows into full-blown destruction. We know this from God’s word. The very root of bitterness defiles many. It’s anger. It’s unforgiveness. It’s jealousy. It’s envy. Those things that get sown—it’s so much more. The forces of wickedness are waiting for the seeds of the flesh to be sown out into the church body. So they can cast those seeds and replicate them. And before you know it, there are factions resulting in ineffectiveness, fruitlessness, and powerless church.
Here’s Paul in prison. He’s got a clean conscience. Thinking about all the saints that have gone before him. Soon and very soon, he would meet all those that were saved by the very same grace as he was. And that produced a thankfulness in his heart toward God, and that thankfulness leads us to prayerfulness. Paul remembers the tears of his spiritual son, and it does something to his heart. He yearns for just one moment to be with his son. One more time, isn’t that true? How much we value relationships, and we don’t realize how valuable they are until that person is gone.
See, Paul’s in prison. He’s unable to preach the gospel. He’s unable to visit the churches. But just because he was in prison doesn’t mean that he stopped serving the Lord. No, his service in the Lord is now fully drenched in constant, unending, continual prayers for his beloved son, Timothy. What a comfort to the soul. You get this letter. You’re feeling discouraged. You read it. You say, “My father in the faith, he’s praying for me every day, every night.” What an encouragement.
You ever thank someone for praying for you? Do you ever say to them, “I knew you were praying for me because I could feel it”? Isn’t that powerful? It’s because we experience it. It’s not empty talk. “Yeah, man, sending prayers and good vibes. Praying for you.” The heck? It’s prayers being answered from the throne room of heaven coming down in real experience. How else could you experience joy amidst suffering, peace amidst trials, so much more because of the power of prayer?
So remember to pray for your fellow believers in Christ. It’s powerful. We forget.
4. Remember the Faithful Believers in Christ Who Have Passed
Verse 5: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
You know, we remember this past Monday we lost a great man of faith, John MacArthur. He ran that race and made it to the finish line. This is very uncommon today. Never did he allow a disqualifying sin to come into his life. There were no controversies that brought shame to the name of Christ. How did he do that? How did he stay faithful? I would say certainly by the grace of God, yes. I would also say by the prayers of the saints that kept him. I would say the protection of God, the person and work of Christ interceding, the application of the Spirit. Powerful.
Paul mentions Timothy’s mother and grandmother. Why do you think he did that? So that he could strengthen his own faith. So that he can remember that the gift of God was passed down—this faith. He was trained in the Scriptures by his mother Eunice. Even though Timothy’s father was a heathen, an unbeliever, a Greek.
What does it do to our faith when we hear stories of faithful believers who went before us, who made it? Well, it helps us to understand that it’s possible. Because I don’t know about you, I think sometimes, “How am I going to make it?” So many before us were fraught with weakness and frailty, just like us, and made it to the end. Maybe it wasn’t them that did it. And that should be our posture. Stirring one another up to love and good works.
It’s a hard thing, the Christian life. It’s an impossible thing. But God gives grace. He gives mercy. And He guards our hearts with His peace. He encourages us that He will surely finish the work that He started. Even when there are setbacks, discouragements, difficulties—God is still working in your life.
Think about the Protestant Reformers: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, who influenced those who came after them. It was the Puritans who kept that torch going—William Perkins, who would then influence Jonathan Edwards. You see how God weaved through history faithful men to carry the torch of the purity of the Gospel and sound doctrine. It’s crucial to the church.
And now we remember John MacArthur, and before him R.C. Sproul. And these men were influenced by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who was also influenced by Charles Spurgeon. These are so many that held fast. They didn’t give up.
And so let’s fan into flame the gift of God. Let’s read the works of these great preachers. Let’s be encouraged. Let’s be strengthened. Don’t grow weary in doing good. Remember all that Jesus has done for you and for others.
So as we close, we’re going to take a time to remember. You may want to pause and remember John MacArthur, considering all that he’s done to contribute to American evangelicalism. But most importantly, remember Christ. Remember His spiritual blessings—all the spiritual blessings that you have in Christ: His grace, His mercy, His peace.
And don’t forget to pray for your brothers and sisters who are in this room right now and for those that couldn’t be here today for whatever reason. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. Test God in this, may I say? Pray for your brother and sister and expect God to do something because of your prayer. You will be surprised by how mightily God works as a result of your prayers. Hudson Taylor said, “When I work, I work. But when I pray, God works.” Great reminder for the power of prayer—God using weak vessels like you and me.
So let’s go to the Lord now and confess our forgetfulness. I mean, I wake up in the morning, I’ve already forgotten. We confess our forgetfulness about Christ and about the power of prayer. Let’s ask Him to reignite the power in the promise and the power of the petition. Take a moment now to confess. I’ll offer an assurance to you, but let’s do that now in our moment to confess our forgetfulness and remember Christ. And then I’ll close us.
“Oh Lord, we confess our forgetfulness. We confess our dependence on ourselves, our dependence on the world. And we say, Lord, thank You that You hear our cries for mercy and You answer and work powerfully in our hearts and lives as we trust that Your mercy is more. Lord, we need You this hour. We need You every hour to turn our hearts and our affections back to Jesus, back to His beauty, His wonder, His power, His grace—that our Lord Jesus is here with us today. We’re so glad for that, that we have a little taste of the Kingdom right here on earth. We so desperately need it, Lord. Far too often, we just wander aimlessly, but You draw us in and You bring us back and You keep us all the way until the day of redemption when You transform these bodies of death into incorruptible and without decay. We long for that day, Jesus. We long for Your return when You come to make all things right.
But until then, Lord, we confess and we also receive this wonderful gospel that You came for us, that You suffered for us, that You died for us, that You rose for us, that You’re seated at the right hand for us, and that You’re interceding to the Father for us—and that You are coming back for us. Lord, come back for us soon, please. We pray in Jesus’ name.”
Before we stand, I want to read from a creed. Read from a creed. It’s the Athanasian Creed. It comes from the 5th, 6th century. It’s a few years ago, still a good one. It says this:
- The Father is almighty,
- The Son is almighty,
- The Holy Spirit is almighty, Yet there are not three almighty beings, but there is one almighty being. Thus, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God. Thus, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord, yet there are not three Lords, but there is one Lord.
Yet there are not three almighty beings, but there are one almighty being. Thus, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods, there is but one God. Thus, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord, yet there are not three lords, but there is but one Lord.
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