God’s Justice and the Persecuted Church: Part 2

I. The Goal of the Persecuted Church (vs. 3-5)

A. God’s Glorious Justice is on Display

B. Endurance is the sign of God’s Grace

II. The Hope for the Persecuted Church (vs. 6-10)

A. The Temporary Rest and and the Eternal Suffering

….Continued…..

B. The Eternal Rest and the Temporary Suffering

2 Thessalonians 1:7 “7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,”

As we continue this passage, today, we are going to focus on the timeline of this moment of redmeptive history. We are going to look at the purpose of the Day of the Lord

1. What Is the Day of the Lord?

The judgment that we looked at last week and the relief that we are about to look at for the church is distributed “on that day” as v 10 states. It is appropriate to start here with a focus on what is known as the Day of the Lord.

Paul says in v 8,

2 Thessalonians 1:7 “7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,”

Now we should know that this refers to the end, the second coming of Christ. Therefore, there is a eschatalogical focus to Paul’s message. Remember as well, that what Paul will reveal in chapter 2 is that he already had addressed the return of the Lord Jesus with the Thessalonians in his first letter and false teacher came in teaching lies that the Lord Jesus had already come. You can hear the message of hope from Paul to this church when we think about Jesus coming again. Friends, if you belong to Christ through faith as His follower, the 2nd coming is Christ is a time to look forward to and not to fear.

No matter your view and interpretation of the end times or eschatology, we all believe that Jesus is returning. This passage is not really addressing the tribulation, the rapture or the millenial reign of Christ. All that is more of where Chrisitans differ in their interpretations. We won’t really go there this morning.

Nonetheless, we all can say Jesus is returning and therefore we can focus on… the purpose of the Day of Lord according to v 10

2 Thessalonians 1:10 “10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.”

When Jesus returns his main goal is not salvation, not judgment. It is his preeminent glory as Lord and King. He comes again to be glorified by his saints and all the world and he accomplishes that glory not only by who he is but what he will do in his return. His salvation of the elect and his judgment of sinners are cause for the whole world to glorify Jesus.

Notice in v 10 that when Jesus comes again, the response of the believers on the earth will be one of celebration. Their celebration will not be “we finally made it. Look how tough we are. Look how we faithfully endured. We made it when others didn’t.”

Instead, their celebration is fixated on Jesus Christ and his glory. They will marvel or be amazed in Him.

I said this before and I will say it again, earthly weddings have it all wrong. But regardless, I will illustrate the Day of the Lord. Men, how distracted were you when the love of your life, adorned in all her beauty walked the aisle. You would have never checked your text messages waiting on her to get down front. You would have never been caught waving to your family or friends in the audience. You would have never been checking the scores for the football games you were missing. You were fixed….paralyzed in that moment by the beauty and splendor of your bride. You couln’t take your eyes off her. But culturally, the Jewish wedding had it more appropriate than ours today. The Bride was at home…expectant and ready for her Groom to show up and take her to the wedding feast. She waited and at his arrival, she marveled!

Consider the amazement that the church will expereince when Jesus returns in all his glory. Yes, there will be relief from our sufferings but our minds will be on Christ in such a way that we have never experienced before. Do you know those moments where you are just a living in the pit of suffering and despair. In those moments, you think, “man I wish I could just see Jesus with my own eyes right now.” On that day, you will see Him. Its what we long for.

Hebrews 9:28 “28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Now listen, if we are honest, we are not eager for that day like we should be. We eagerly wait for packages in the mail. We eagerly wait for graduations and promotions in life. We eagerly await children to be born. We eagerly await football season. We need a reconditioning of our eagerness in waiting for Christ. Persecution does this!

With that persecution then takes us back to 2 Thessalonians for there is a promise of relief.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 “7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,”

Now although it is not the primary purpose, the relief that comes with tehe 2nd coming of Christ is a motivation for the church to press on. Paul would not use this word “relief” which also means refreshment if it is not a blessing of the return of Christ.

Thinking about this relief or rest as we might say we can conclude that it is the end to our suffering and persecution. It will be the end to us facing hatred from the world. It will be a conclusion to facing the torture of our physcial bodies and the ridicule of our emotional lives. It will also be a end to the struggle with sin within ourselves. There will no longer be conflict with one another or conflict in the world.

With the swift and merciful arm of the Lord, he will put and end finally and completly to: sin, suffering and death by eternally destroying His enemies and eternally saving his people. This relief then is both physical and spiritual relief for all eternity.

Now, let’s not miss the hope of the church for it is the spiritual relief that we can experience now. Phyiscal relief will come but spiritual refreshment comes in the moment that sin is forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ. Shame is vanquiched. Guilt is buried. Hopelessness is destroyed when we put our trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Daily we come to the Scriptues and we find encouragment for that day. These words remind us all we have in Christ. The word reminds us that in Jesus there is hope everyday for His followers.

Martin Luther said he only had two days on his calendar—today and “that day.”

What great perspective!

Now as think in such ways, we always ask….

2. When is the Day of the Lord?

Now let’s look back to 1 Thessalonians for a moment to what Paul has already said about the expectation of that day for the church!

1 Thessalonians 5:1–9 “1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Paul tells the Thessalonians in his first letter that we are very informed of His coming and should expect it with readiness. 

But with that readiness comes a mystery. The mystery is that we are never given specific dates of the return of Jesus. Do not listen to the nutjobs that claim that Jesus is returning this day or that. Every year, it seems, he have some pastor trying to predict the return of Christ. They only thing these people reveal about themselves is that they don’t read their bible.

Matthew 24:36 (ESV)

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

What the Thessalonians knew and what we know as followers of Christ is that we cannot know when Jesus will come but we are given some warning signs to look for. We can however know with accuracy and confidence that He is coming!  This is a promise made by the messenger of God in Acts 1:11 (ESV)

11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus our Lord also promised that He will come again in John 14:3 (ESV)

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

3. How can we be prepared for that day?

1 Thessalonians 5:6–8 “6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

Paul moves to practical exhortation with two main commands:  Be alert and be sober.  Both are used in the sense of a sentry on guard protecting a city.  This was common in Paul’s day for guards who were positioned on the city walls to have to stay awake all night in order to protect the city and the people.  Their job was to stay alert and to be sober.  Staying awake and sober are antonymous to being asleep and drunk.  These positive commands call the believer in Jesus Christ to live with the mindset of Jesus Christ’s second coming on alert and steady in their faith.  Because we have this new life in Jesus Christ, we are called to action in light of his inaugural redemption and his future consummation.

Be watchful and alert:  This command is used throughout Scripture in relationship to the coming of Christ and the spiritual attack of the enemy.  It requires us to avoid a lackadaisical approach to living and to constantly live in the light of the gospel in every way.  Being alert is focusing our mind on our present reality of being the Kingdom of God on this earth until Christ comes again.  We represent his Kingdom and so our mind, heart and action must remain alert to the spiritual world to which we now belong.  

Luke 12:35–38

“35 “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 “Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 “Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 “Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.”

This preparedness leads us then to Paul’s prayer in v 11-12 of 2 Thess 1

III. The Prayer of the Persecuted Church(vs. 11-12)

2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 “11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul concludes with a prayer. He has already given a promise of what God will do and now his prayer is for the saints to be eagerly waiting while faithfully doing. This prayer reminds us that our eagerness for Christ returns and our soberness and alertness is a call to faithful action by the church.

Paul has already commended them on their faithful perseverance as a testimony of their faith. That preservennce proved they were already counter worthy of the kindgom. (v5) Now he prays that they would continue to living their lives faithfully, continually proving they belong to Christ. But how will they do this…how will they perservere? Look at teh subject matter of Paul’s prayer? Who is Paul asking to do the work in the church?

God…will count you worthy of your calling

God…will fulfill every desire for goodness

God …will do the work of faith with power

All three of these things are necessary for the church to endure to the end and endurance comes at the powerful and mighty hand of our Lord.

Gk Beale write this helpful commentary on these verses,

What is the basis of our happiness and self-image? Are we happy because we believe that God loves us as a result of finding something, innately valuable and worthy in us? Can we do anything by ourselves, apart from God, to deserve being considered worthy and honorable by him? Paul indicates in 1:11-12 that God counts us worthy and glorifies us in Christ because of what he is doing and will do in us. This is the biblical version of how Christians are to have a good "self-image." We need to trust God and not our own supposed power for doing "good works." Whatever our situation, we need to realize that we are unworthy apart from Christ and that our worthiness lies in being vessels that can reflect his glory by his empowerment.

Friends, the basis of our enduring to the end is the power of God within us. We have his power in us to complete the mission he has given because he called us to salvation before the foundation of the world. This is having a proper identity in the gospel. Not that we did anything but that he does everything through us for his glory.

2 Thessalonians 1:12 “12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

When you suffer, you are blessed because Christ is being glorified in you for his power on display. You represent a people with the power of God and resting in the grace of God that was applied to you at the death and resurrection of the Lord but it was authorized in eternity past at the predestination of the church.

Let us then celebrate the Lord Jesus for all that he has done and all he will do for the church.