A Dependent Church

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you’d go ahead and keep your Bibles open to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, we’re gonna look at that in just a moment. But before we do that, let’s recite our mission verse together…Matthew chapter 28, verses 19 and 20. I’ll get us started, you finish us up.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

[Prayer]

Alrighty…if you were with us last week, we started this second letter written to the Thessalonian church…and what we looked at was the idea of being a fruitful church, despite who we are or what our culture looks like…and what we determined was that when our faith’s rooted…our love for each other increases…and we’ll begin to have a deep hope in the power of Christ and His promises. Our faith, it’ll produce fruit…it’ll allow us to be fruitful.

This week, as we finish up chapter 1…we’re gonna see what it means to be a dependent church.

Listen, our culture, it’s a mess. Morality’s been tossed out the window. God’s image, it’s been stepped on. Truth’s just an afterthought now. The people of our day, they’re very much the same as the people of Noah’s day. They do what’s right in their own eyes. Which, if you were with us last week, we talked about this. Jesus said the end would look like this, right? And listen, the closer we get to the return of Christ, the worst things will get. And we have to ensure, especially as we face whatever the future throws our way, we have to ensure we place our dependency on Christ and Christ alone. We can’t fear our culture…we can’t fear those in our culture. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:28:

Matthew 10:28 (ESV)

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

And so, as believers, as a church…we have to constantly place our dependence on Christ.

Now, that’s hard for us sometimes. And it’s hard because it’s so easy for us to lose sight on the thing that bridges the gap between us and God…grace! And what happens is we begin placing confidence back in ourselves and our own ability to save us from whatever situation we’re going through. We’re terrible at this.

Someone asked me recently, “Why is it that you’re so open about your failures or your ability to fail as a pastor and as believer?”…Well, guys I’ve traveled to several different continents and I’ve had the privilege to visit all these different countries. I’ve been to the Middle-East where Islam’s at its peak…I’ve been to parts of Asia where Buddhism’s the primary religion. I’ve been all over the place. And the one constant opinion throughout the world, it’s that Christian’s are hypocrites…we wear chips on our shoulders…we make others feel that we think we’re better than them…that we’re perfect or good or whatever, right? And guys, that’s all over the world. That’s the perception we’ve given. And you can argue, you can disagree…but even surveys, they prove this perception of us. We make others feel that we’re better than them. And because of that, we cause them to lose sight of what’s in front of us…the future God’s promised. Our actions, it causes others to reject the good news about Jesus.

Guys, Christianity…it starts with humility. That’s exactly how it started with Jesus, who stepped into this world…God becoming the thing He created. Dying a death He didn’t deserve. That’s humility, right?

And for us, we’re called to do the same. The only way for us to truly see Jesus for who He is…the only way to receive salvation its to humble ourselves and see us for who we are. It’s to recognize that we’re all sinners…sinners who deserve to die and who deserve God’s wrath for all eternity. Every single one of us, we deserve an eternity in hell. And not because of God, but because we’ve all chosen to rebel against His goodness. You understand? We’re all united in this. Believer, unbeliever, we’ve all made the same decisions…and we’re all unworthy to stand in the presence of a good and gracious God. And the only way to truly repent and believe, the only way to receive salvation, its to recognize this. To recognize you’re a sinner that deserves death and separation. And there’s nothing different about you and the person that doesn’t know God, minus Jesus. That’s the only thing different…its Jesus in you. You take Jesus away, and you’re the exact same as everyone else around you. Guys, we can never lose sight of that. We can never stop painting that picture. I’m honest about my failures and my ability to fail, because it points you to Jesus and not myself. I want people to know I’m imperfect because I want them to know about a perfect God that can change everything for them. A God that can give them a hopeful outlook on the future…because if we’re honest…that’s what’s always on our minds…how much longer…how much longer do we have? How much longer will I have to walk through this…How much longer?

It’s three simple words…but man are they powerful. It’s these three words that seem to captivate us and enslave us more than any other statement. “How much longer?”

As a parent, you’ve certainly heard this on all your road trips. There’s this gap between where your kids are at and the fun that exists at the end of whatever trip they’re on. For sports teams, “How much longer,” it represents the only obstacle between their team and the final trophy at the end as they attempt to run down the clock. For parents paying for their kids’ education, “How much longer,” it represents the months left until graduation. Maybe for someone that’s ill, “how much longer” represents when they’ll be healthy again.

Guys, at some point in your life…you’ve asked that question, “How much longer?” It’s passed through your lips, its weighed heavy on your mind. Listen, that question, it relates to your inability to know if or when things’ll get better…when things’ll come to an end. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a believer here this morning or an unbeliever, we all struggle with that question over and over again, because the reality is, we’re finite beings. We never know “how much longer” anything has because anything unexpected can happen. And this is especially true for our lives, at least our fleshly lives…which as the Bible tells us, ends with God’s judgement. And we might know that Jesus is coming back but we certainly don’t know how much longer we have here on earth before He does. Its a question that captivates us.

But here’s what we do know…as believers, we know God promises a hopeful future for those that follow Him. A future where we receive relief from our enemies and one where we receive rest from our sorrows and one where we receive rewards for our faith…But listen, we also know that God promises a fateful future for those that reject Him. And as we read His Word and learn about this judgement, we understand its just…because remember, Christianity’s all about understanding who we are and who God is…we understand God’s judgement’s its fearful and absolute. And for those reasons, it should motivate us as believers to make little about us and our own abilities so that we can better communicate the certainty of God’s judgement to those around us. And it also helps us to remain confident because it doesn’t matter what we face, God’s in control…But as an unbeliever, it should motivate you to seek truth for yourself, because again…you don’t know “how much longer” there is.

And so with that, let’s look at this first point from the believers’ perspective about the future.

I. God Promises a Hopeful Future for Those that Follow Him

In thinking about the question, “How much longer?”…we’re to understand that God promises a hopeful future for those that follow Him. We can take that to the bank…it’s a guarantee. As believers, our future, its secure.

Now, to keep things in context…verse 7, it presents Paul’s main idea here. He writes, “…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven.” When Jesus is revealed, at the end of time, some things are gonna happen, right? And what Paul’s talking about here…its how this event, how its gonna impact two different sets of people. He talks about how it’s gonna impact those that follow Jesus and he talks about how it’s gonna impact those that reject Jesus.

Well, for those that follow Jesus…their future, it’s very hopeful. And as God’s people, we’re to trust in His certainty.

God says in Isaiah chapter 46:

Isaiah 46:9–10 (ESV)

I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

Through His Word, God’s graciously provided us with a preview of what’s to come. He’s armed us with the knowledge of His plans…And the future, while we’re still not in control, we get to face it with expectancy instead of uncertainty. And what Paul shows us here…its that while we might face very uncertain times, one where everyone seems to be against us…at Jesus’s return, He’s gonna bring us complete relief from our enemies…He’s gonna give us ultimate rest in Him…He’s gonna reward our faithfulness in the end. That’s our hope. For us, as believers, this world, this is as bad as its gonna get…because we’re walking up a peak. And when we reach the pinnacle of this mountain, at Jesus’s return…we’re gonna be able to look back and see how everything worked for God’s good…how everything bought Him glory.

Let’s look at each of these promises more closely.

Most of us have heard the expression, “Things aren’t always as they seem,” right? And through our personal experiences, I would even say most of us have learned that looks can definitely be deceiving. Right? I mean when you look at me you probably don’t see a professional soccer player…but the highlight of my one-hour career was scoring on a professional soccer player in Honduras. I took my cleats out and I hung them up all on the same day. I figured I’d finish on a high note.

But seriously…for some of us, we’ve learned the hard way that things aren’t always what they seem to be. And listen, as Christians, as we grow in our understanding of God and how He works, we begin to realize that He works in ways we just can’t comprehend…in ways we can’t see. And so, even when our eyes may tell us one thing when we view the world and turn on the news…we know that there’s so much more to the picture that we can’t see. That’s why Paul encouraged the Corinthians to not fix their eyes on the temporary things in his letter to them.

But listen, even when we understand this…its still hard for us to do. It’s hard for us to see beyond the here and now. It’s why most of our prayers are centered and directed toward the temporal aspects of our life. And while there’s nothing sinful in asking for good health or yearning for your physical needs to be met…Jesus taught that we should take our prayers to the next level. He knows we need certain things…He knows we need food and water and clothing and shelter and health…He expects us to seek Him in these things and trust that He’ll meet our needs. But Jesus also expects that our prayers be focused on much more significant matters like glorifying His name…expanding His kingdom…accomplishing His will. I mean that’s how He shows His disciples to pray in Matthew 6. We have to learn to view the temporary things through the lens of God’s eternal plans.

Because when we have a proper perspective on eternity, we’re able to recognize that what we see doesn’t tell the only part of the story. Yes, our culture, its terrible…and yes, in our culture, there’s sick people…people consumed by pride and lust and hate and anger…people that wish nothing more than for the church to fail. People that reject every aspect of God and how He created them to be. And listen, in this temporal life, these people they do trouble God’s people and the church…it looks like they have the upper hand a lot of times, especially as church attendance declines across our country…but guys, behind the scenes…God’s orchestrating human history to accomplish His purposes. And at Jesus’s return…God’ll bring relief to His people. He’ll bring relief to all those that suffered at the hands of the ungodly.

And in our passage this morning, even though these Thessalonians’ present adversaries seem so powerful, there’s One who’s mightier than all of ‘em…who’ll bring punishment on all of ‘em at His appearing. Listen, that’s what Paul says here: “since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.” And so, in the end…while it seems things are out of control now…while it seems the world’s winning on all accounts…while we might experience pain and suffering and persecution....God has the upper hand and He will bring us relief from our enemy.

And listen, I’ll say this before we move on…our enemy, its not our neighbor…its not our co-worker…its not even the person who mocks you and belittles you because you follow Jesus…Paul says, “12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Our relief isn’t from flesh and blood…our relief isn’t from those made in the image of God…it breaks God’s heart to have to punish those He made in His image. Our relief, its from sin and its grip on us. Now, yes…that includes people made in God’s likeness. We’ll talk about this in just a moment…but our relief, its from sin and the evil forces that stand against God.

But look at the rest of verse 7. Paul says, “7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us.” Not only does God promise us relief from our enemy…but He promises rest from our sorrows. Guys, we’ve all experienced the effects of sin. Maybe it was an illness…maybe it was a broken relationship…maybe it was the death of a loved one. We’ve all experienced the effects of this broken world…every one of us…and what Paul’s saying here, its that in the end, God’s gonna provide us rest from those things.

At the return of Jesus…as He’s revealed from heaven with His mighty angels…on that day, God’ll provide an eternal rest for His people. That’s why He promises to come back.

John actually gives us a glimpse of what this day’ll look like. He says in Revelation chapter 21:

Revelation 21:3–4 (ESV)

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

As Paul said last week, our sorrows…our afflictions…the effects of sin on our lives right now in this present day, its evidence of the righteous judgement of God…He’ll make it better. He’ll give us rest.

And so, as believers, we look past our sufferings, and we look toward the future God’s promised…

And then real quickly…before we look at this from the unbelievers’ perspective…God promises His people rewards for their faith.

Look at verse 10 with me again. Paul writes, “10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Guys, as hard as it may be to believe…relief from our enemy and rest from our sorrows, its not the greatest thing we’ll receive at Jesus’s return. Our present sufferings, they mean nothing without this last promise we see here…and when we learn to see the present through this set of lens, it becomes possible for us to see the good in our pain.

God’s gonna turn the tables completely. For those that face affliction, persecution, pain, suffering…to those people, God’ll grant the privilege of sharing with Jesus in the manifestation of His glory. We’ll be with Him when He comes. And Jesus, according to Paul here, He’s glorified through and in His people. We’ll reflect and we’ll radiate His glory…which if you were with us as we walked through the first eleven chapters of Genesis, that’s what God always intended.

At Jesus’s return…who’s the source of glory…at His coming, His glorified people get to display that glory to its fullest. And guys, there’s so much we can talk about here. We receive glorified bodies…we receive a perfect purpose as we do the work Jesus calls us to after He creates a new heaven and a new earth. And notice what Paul says, “God makes us worthy of this calling.” Meaning He’ll finish the work in us. He transforms us into the likeness of His Son so that we can radiate His glory. And because of this, everything we do, it’ll fulfill every resolve for good. That’s the picture Paul gives us. That’s our hope…it’s a future we long for…a world without pain and sorrow and affliction. And as believers that’s what we’ll get.

II. God Promises a Fateful Future for Those that Reject Him

But let’s flip that and look at what God promises those that reject Him…its a fateful future.

Listen, there’s a story about a time when the Viceroy of Naples visited Spain. And as he was visiting in the harbor there in Spain, he came across this group of convicts aboard a large ship…and as punishment for their crimes, these men, they were required to pull the oars of the ship. Well, curious about what these crimes might’ve been, the Viceroy, he asked the convicts to explain their stories one by one. And so, one man, he begrudgingly said that this corrupt judge was bribed by other people to convict him. Another, he said other people gave false witness against him because they just didn’t like him. Another, he said he was innocent and deserved to the be set free. But listen, as the Viceroy got to the last man…of course expecting to hear the same story…the man said, “I’m here because I deserve to be here. I’m a thief…I’m a criminal. I committed a crime and I deserve my just punishment.” Immediately, the Viceroy turned to the captain and shouted, “How have you allowed this one wicked criminal to be in the presence of all these innocent men? Release him immediately, lest he corrupt the others!”

Guys, here’s the deal…we struggle, every one of us…admitting guilt, right? From our earliest years as a child…all the way into our adulthood, we have this innate tendency to claim innocence even when we know that we’re guilty. And no matter how guilty we might be, we’ll always be able to find an appropriate excuse to legitimize why we did whatever it is we did.

But here’s the deal…there’s a day coming when God’ll call the world to ultimate accountability. And while believers might receive relief and rest on that judgement day, the fate of unbelievers…those that still haven’t acknowledged their sin…those that haven’t expressed their guilt…those that haven’t turned toward a Redeemer…that day for them, it’s gonna look a lot different. And listen, Paul, in this passage, he details what this fateful judgement’s gonna look like.

First, he says this judgement, its just…its fair for God to judge you. Look at verse 6 again. Paul says, “since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.”

That word “just” here in this passage, it means “righteous.” Meaning, its righteous for God to judge those that sin and fail to acknowledge their guilt in that sin. God’s justice, it demands that He’ll always do what’s fitting and what’s right. And for that reason, God’s completely consistent when He promises to reward the righteous with rest and punish the unrighteous with wrath.

And so, going back to what I initially said, that all human beings are sinful and struggle admitting guilt…how can a just God reward one person and yet judge another? Well, it comes down to understanding His purpose in sending Jesus. That’s the key to this question. Listen, God doesn’t set justice aside when He redeems sinners. If God somehow sacrificed His justice to pardon us as sinners, then He’d no longer be God. There was actually this pastor who suggested that God broke His own law to save us…but that’s just not the nature of God and if God worked outside His nature…if God somehow became unfair…He’d no longer be God. That was Stephen Furtick…but we know, based on His Word, God is fair…He’s just…He’s a rule follower…which is why Jesus had to come and why He had to die. It’s through Jesus’s substitutionary death on the cross…His taking our place…its through that sacrifice, God provided a way to show mercy without doing away with His justice. Even though all human beings stand guilty before God’s perfect goodness and holiness, by His mercy He’s graciously offered us forgiveness and redemption through the death of Jesus…Jesus paid our bill…and by turning to Him, our bill, it’s cleared…its paid in full.

Paul affirms this idea in Romans 3:

Romans 3:23–26 (CSB)

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

Through Jesus, God was able to be both just and merciful by punishing His Son, who was Himself innocent of all sin. And so, before digging into God’s judgement, you have to understand that you’re guilty…and God’s future judgment, if you fail to turn to Jesus who’s willingly paid the penalty of your sin…that judgement, its fair…and its fair because its what you deserve. You chose to rebel…you chose to turn from God. You’re guilty just like every other person in this room this morning. And without turning to Jesus to be your substitute…you’ll receive a just and fair punishment.

And guys, that punishment…this judgement we’re talking about, its fearful. I mean Paul uses the words affliction and vengeance and destruction in these verses to describe it. It’s not some vacation. It’s not something you’re gonna enjoy. It’s not gonna be a party. God’s going to settle His accounts. God’s going to have the last word. And He’s gonna repay those that don’t know Him and those that didn’t obey the gospel. That’s what Paul says here. Just as we desire revenge for injustices done to us, God desires justice for injustices done to Him. And that’s where His vengeance is gonna flow from.

And listen, going back to the last point…vengeance, that word, it contains the root word that means “right,” which of course translates into “righteous.” God’s vengeance, its right and righteous. Now God’s doesn’t take pleasure in the death of the wicked…it actually brings Him great sorrow. We see that in Ezekiel 33:11…but God’s unlike you and me. God’s not on some egotistical “power trip” to put all His enemies in their place. He takes no delight in that. He does delight however in His Name being glorified…and His Word being vindicated…and when His Son’s exalted…and so, while He might not delight in the death of the wicked, He’ll hold those accountable who don’t honor Him, or His Word, or His Son…and its a fearful judgement.

And guys, that just and fearful judgement…its final. It’s a life sentence. Look at what Paul says here in verse 9, “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

Guys, I’m not sure if you know what that word eternal means…but it means forever…for life…and guys, when God created you, He created you to live forever…and so, you will. You can reject God and you rebel against God but you can’t run away from the way He made you. If you’re a woman and you transition into a man in this earthly life, you’re still a woman at your core because you can’t change your chromosomes. And so for that reason, you will live forever. You can’t escape the way God made you. And eternal, it means final…once the verdict’s been made, that’s it.

And listen, its not even the eternal destruction that’ll be the worst. Yes, hell’s gonna be awful…the darkness, the fire, the anguish, the pain…all that’s gonna make hell unbearable…but to face that with the total absence of God’s presence…that’s what makes hell really hell. Even in your worst moments now…even in your own rejection, God’s still here and present and you still have the ability to enter into that presence through Jesus…you still have the opportunity…you’re not completely cut off… but when that final verdicts been made…Paul says that’s it…you’re separated forever and ever from the goodness of God…truly alone in darkness and fire and anguish for all eternity. And it’s fair…and its absolutely fearful…and its final.

Closing

And so listen, as we close this morning…I just want you to reflect on the future.

Are you dependent on God and what He’s promised to do in you and through you? Are you dependent on the grace He’s offered?

Or listen, are you struggling…are you fearful of what the future holds? Are you fearful as we get closer to the return of Christ?

Every head bowed and every eye closed.

Guys, as a believer…you should be comforted as we get closer to Jesus’s promise. It means relief, it means rest…it means we get to fully reflect the image of God…where real purpose and fulfillment’s found. It should excite us…and everything going on right now…everything we see in our world, no matter how chaotic it might seem…it should cause us to depend and lend on the only One in control. And guys, we should live in that grace and humility…constantly remembering that we deserve what Paul lays out for unbelievers in this passage. Are you dependent on God and His grace this morning? Does it constantly humble you?

Listen, would you take some time this morning just seeking the Lord? Asking Him to do that for you? To humble you? Ask Him to cleanse your heart as we get ready to take communion together.

But listen, if you’re here…you haven’t placed your trust in Jesus…you haven’t acknowledged your sin…you haven’t repented and turned to Jesus. Guys, what’s holding you back? It’s a free gift…God’s demonstrating His great love for you…He’s showing you His desire for you. Don’t wait until it’s too late…Turn to Jesus…call out to Jesus…repent and believe…and guys, let Him give you new life. Let Him redeem you and restore you.

And so, if that’s you…you take this time to do that.

And listen, this time, it’s yours to respond to the Lord in whatever way He’s leading you…whoever you are this morning…whatever you’re struggling with…whatever the Spirit’s placing on your heart…you take these next several minutes and just respond to whatever that is…and we’ll close in just a moment.

[Prayer]

Matthew 26:26 (ESV)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

Matthew 26:27–29 (ESV)

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”