Optimistic Truth in a Pessimistic World

Living in the Last Days  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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There is no doubt whatsoever that much of the last days can be looked at as discouraging. After all 2 Timothy 3:1 says:
2 Timothy 3:1 NKJV
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
He goes on to describe the peril of the last days this way, 2 Timothy 3:2-5
2 Timothy 3:2–5 NKJV
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Here in 2 Thessalonians Paul is reminding the church that even though they live in Pessimistic Times, there are some OPTIMISTIC TRUTH they need to hold on to!
The first truth I want to point you to is...

Focused Faith Flourishes in the Last Days (vv. 3-4)

Note with me 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
2 Thessalonians 1:3–4 NKJV
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
As Paul begins this letter he shares with them how thankful he is for their growing faith and their expressive love. The Randall House Commentary notes that the phrase, “faith grows exceedingly” could be literally translated “SUPER GROWTH” or “VIGOROUS GROWTH.”
Their faith wasn’t just growing, it was FLOURISHING!
This must mean that they were experiencing all kinds of good things in their life right? WRONG!
Verse 4 reminds us that they are undergoing PERSECUTION and TRIBULATION. The word Paul uses for PERSECUTION literally means “TO BE PURSUED.” These believers were being CHASED and HOUNDED because of their faith in Jesus!
Not only were they undergoing persecution, but also TRIBULATION. The word Paul uses here for tribulation literally means “TO PRESSURE.” They were being PRESSURED by AFFLICTION, TRIALS, and TROUBLES. It’s as if they were living in a PRESSURE COOKER!
Their faith is not growing in the perfect environment of a “spiritual greenhouse” but rather in the midst of difficulty, trouble, discouragement, and persecution.
There are many people who seem to have the mentality that the reason people aren’t living for Jesus today is because it’s “just too hard.” We live in an environment that is HOSTILE to Biblical Christianity, it seems that everywhere we turn, the media, the gov’t, our neighbors, and sometimes even our own family are hostile to BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY...
Dear friend, it is extremely doubtful that ANY of us in this room has been in the PRESSURE COOKER for our faith the way the Thessalonians had. It is doubtful that any of us in this room have been CHASED and HARASSED and HOUNDED for our faith like the Thessalonians were...
YET THEIR FAITH DID NOT SHRINK, but RATHER it GREW and MULTIPLIED and FLOURISHED in this environment.
The persecution and the tribulation served as FERTILIZER to enable their faith to multiply!
Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
2 Corinthians 4:7–12 NKJV
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NKJV
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul reveals to us the SECRET of having FLOURISHING FAITH in the midst of persecution and tribulation…It all has to do with our FOCUS.
He tells us to FOCUS on God’s power, not ours!
He tells us to FOCUS not on our impending suffering or death, but Christ’s death and victorious resurrection!
He tells us to FOCUS not on our perishing outer man, but rather on the INWARD man that is being RENEWED!
He tells us to FOCUS not on our momentary afflictions, but our ETERNAL reward!
He tells us to FOCUS not on the temporary things that are seen, but rather to FOCUS on the ETERNAL things that are not seen!
Where is your FOCUS? If you want your faith to flourish during these last days, your FOCUS needs to be back on what really matters, and on WHO really matters!
The second things we see from this passage is...

Genuine Hope Remains Steadfast During the Last Days (vv. 5-7, 10)

Notice 2 Thessalonians 1:5-7
2 Thessalonians 1:5–7 NKJV
which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
Paul makes a statement that was confusing to me the first few times I read it. He mentions that the persecutions and tribulations that they were enduring were “manifest evidence of God’s righteous judgment, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God...”
I looked to the Randall House Commentary for help and it seemed to help me understand what Paul was saying...
the fact that Christians have enemies who persecute them is an evidence of their different destinies, destinies to be assigned by God in the judgment associated with the day of the Lord, a judgment that will make all wrongs right.
The writers of the commentary go on to compare what the Thessalonians were experiencing to what had happened to Peter and John in Acts 5:41
Acts 5:41 NKJV
So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
These believers, because of their flourishing faith and steadfast hope had been “counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ name.”
We know, of course from the rest of Scripture that this worthiness did not come from themselves, but rather came from the ONE who had made them worthy through His sacrifice—the Lord Jesus.
As a result He had been working in their lives, by His grace to “fit them for the kingdom.” As a result the PERSECUTION and TRIBULATION they were facing was EVIDENCE of their faith and hope.
Notice again 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7
2 Thessalonians 1:6–7 NKJV
since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
God reminds the Thessalonians that those who are causing their suffering are going to have to face Him and His wrath. Paul wants them to know that this suffering and difficulty will not last forever, they can continue to have HOPE because God is still on the throne!
We are also reminded of this in...
Romans 12:19 NKJV
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Hiebert says,
“A world in which justice was not done at last would not be God’s world at all”
We also see in this passage WHEN this final justice will take place… “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.”
The word “revealed” carries with it the idea of an “uncovering.”
Many believe this “revelation” is referencing the event that Paul mentions in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
1 Thessalonians 4:15–18 NKJV
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
This is why we can have HOPE in the last days instead of being HOPELESS!
Notice now 2 Thessalonians 1:10
2 Thessalonians 1:10 NKJV
when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
This is a reminder of what Jesus mentioned in Luke 9:26
Luke 9:26 NKJV
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
He will come in His glory and Paul says in verse 10 that He will be glorified in us!
Once again I go to the RH commentary:
The clear implication is that those who are Christ’s will share in, participate in that glory that is rightly His alone....Like sunbathers warmed by the sun’s bright rays, so when He is glorified among His own they will marvel at His radiance and bask in the glory of Him whose “countenance is as the sun shines in its strength” (Rev. 1:16). The saints “are the mirror in which His glory shines. His infinite perfections are reflected in those finite beings exalted and purified through Him” (Lightfoot 104). If the wicked are eternally separated from that glory (v. 9), the righteous forever enjoy it.
Notice the following verses that remind us of this...
John 17:22–24 NKJV
And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Colossians 3:4 NKJV
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
1 John 3:2 NKJV
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Romans 8:17 NKJV
and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
No wonder HOPE can and should remain steadfast in the last days. Think about all that we have to look forward to!
For those who do not know God we are also reminded...

Judgement is Sure After the Last Days (vv. 8-9)

2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 NKJV
in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
God will one day bring His holy vengeance to bear upon sin. He’s already done that once, when Christ was crucified on the cross.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
While Jesus gave His life on the cross He took upon Himself the wrath of God that all of humanity (past, present, and future) deserved and became our substitute.
Hebrews 2:3 NKJV
how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
In this passage before us Paul uses two things to summarize the coming judgement upon sinners who have rejected Christ:
In flaming fire (eternal pain and misery)
Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from His glorious power (final separation from God)
He also lets us know who will experience this wrath:
Those who do not know God. In other words those who haven’t been brought into a personal relationship with Him through faith in Christ.
They don’t know God because they haven’t surrendered to the truth of the Gospel. The word “obey” in regards to the Gospel could also be translated “submit.” They have not submitted to the truth and the authority of the Gospel.
Those who do not know Jesus by faith in the Gospel will face everlasting destruction. Jesus Himself warned of this time and time again, even in His conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. He said Matthew 7:13
Matthew 7:13 NKJV
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
This is the same concept Paul alluded to in 1 Thessalonians 5:3
1 Thessalonians 5:3 NKJV
For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
Randall House puts it this way:
Paul’s point is that the wicked will be finally and irrevocably separated from the presence and glorious power of God. That, in fact, is their eternal ruin. They are forever out of His reach, doomed without hope.
As we conclude this passage take a look at 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 NKJV
Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God Will be Glorified Through the Last Days (vv. 11-12)

Paul reminds them that his prayers are with them. That as they undergo the persecution and affliction, they would live their lives in a way that reflect their redemption and the change that Christ has made in their lives.
Finally he prays that God will be glorified in and through them!
Sometimes it’s difficult to comprehend how God can be glorified through difficulties and problems. However, we have this promise in Romans 8:28-30
Romans 8:28–30 NKJV
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
To glorify God is to give a accurate representation of who God is and what God is like through our lives. Though our reflection of God will never be perfect, His LIGHT should shine through us as we live for Him each and every day.
As we close out this message let’s take a look at some final applications...

Because Some will Depart from the Faith in the Last Days it is Vitally Important to Keep Your Faith Focused on Christ and His Word

1 Timothy 4:1 CSB
Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,

Stay Focused on the Unseen HOPE, not the Visible Circumstances

2 Peter 3:10–13 NKJV
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

You Will Face Judgment With Christ or Without Him…The Choice is Yours

Matthew 25:31–34 NKJV
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Matthew 25:41 NKJV
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
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