Wait Till Your Father Gets Home!

Respect

I have tremendous respect for mothers.

Mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, aunts

Every woman who plays a role in raising kids in the family.

I have a special place in my heart for single moms.

I was raised by the women in my family.

My parents divorce was final the week of my 2nd birthday. My sister was 5, going on 6.

My dad split. No involvement, no financial support.

He had several affairs during their 10-yr. marriage.

He had his issues and moved on.

We moved back to Wichita to be close to my grandparents.

My mom went to work as a secretary at a TV station.

She never made much money. We depended on help from my grand parents, financial and otherwise.

We lived in a little 2-bdrm apt at first, then a little cracker-box of a house where I grew up.

On her way to work she’d drop me off at my grandparents house. Breakfast then off to school.

My grandfather was still working and gone a lot.

My great grandmother was still alive and played a role in parenting us. My great grandfather had died shortly after we moved back to Wichita.

My mom handled pretty much everything. She had to.

She’d pick me and my sister up after work, fix dinner, it was very basic, she didn’t have the time or energy.

Homework, favorite TV shows, brushing our teeth, and bedtime were all on my mom.

And, one other thing. Discipline.

There was no, “Wait till your father gets home!”

There was no father getting home.

She did a good job w/ us, not perfect, but who is?

She was tired. Sometimes disciplined us out of fatigue and anger and it wasn’t pretty. Wasn’t abusive. Just intense.

and anger and it wasn’t pretty. Wasn’t abusive. Just intense.

W/ our kids, when we made them wait to discipline them they tell us the waiting was almost as bad as the spanking.

Yes, we spanked our kids. We are advocates of loving discipline like that.

W/ Sara and me, she almost always handled whatever discipline she needed to handle. She didn’t need to wait for me.

Once in a rare occasion she did. There were some times that dad needed to be dad.

So, they had to wait.

One time, our daughter had to wait but it wasn’t intentional.

Sara and Alyssa were out shopping and Alyssa did something, got in trouble, and Sara told her that was going to get spanked when they got home.

Sara wasn’t going to do that in public.

So, they get home, Alyssa goes to her room to wait while Sara goes to unload the groceries.

After a relatively short time, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, Sara was like, “Where’s Alyssa?” She forgot.

What parent hasn’t?

She goes to look for her and finds her in her room, on her bed waiting for mom to come in and spank her.

Sara felt bad that she forgot. But, still had to punish her.

I’m sure Alyssa was wondering. Maybe hoping mom forgot the whole thing.

To a child, 15 or 20 minutes is forever.

Maybe mom got busy and has forgotten the whole thing.

Maybe she didn’t mean it. Maybe I’m not in that much trouble. Maybe she changed her mind. Maybe she was wrong to threaten me. Maybe,...

Then here comes mom.

Did your parents ever forget to punish you?

A long time ago, God promised to punish, once and for all, all unfaithful disobedience. Again, a long time ago.

Maybe He forgot. Maybe He didn’t mean it. Maybe He changed His mind. Maybe the men who said He would do this, and wrote that He would, misheard Him, or made it up on their own and they were wrong.

If that’s true, then they are wrong about other things they wrote about. And, if that’s true, then we shouldn’t believe anything that’s in the bible. Nor, waste our time trying to obey it.

It’s been a long time and nothing has happened toward God doing what Jesus, Paul, Peter, Luke, John, Matthew, Mark, and others communicated to us.

Maybe it’s not going to happen. So, then, maybe it’s not so important that we stick so tightly to what the Bible says.

Maybe...

God hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t changed His mind. Paul and the others didn’t get it wrong.

God’s timing is always perfect. While we wait it is important for us to maintain our faithful obedience to everything in the Bible.

Nobody is getting away w/ anything.

There are benefits to being a member of God’s family. There are also responsibilities.

Don’t become impatient and abandon your responsibilities as part of God’s family looking for the benefits of other families.

He will deliver on everything He has promised.

For the church members in the Thessalonian church, they had their own reasons for thinking maybe Paul had been wrong.

A number of influential ppl around them were encouraging them to abandon their faith in and obedience to Jesus.

This letter had been written by Paul in the early 50s, just 20 years after Jesus’ death and res.

From that moment forward they believed they were living in the end times and Jesus would return any day to take them to Heaven.

But, there they were. The persecution was intense. The temptation to give up on the fledgling organization was strong.

Maybe it had happened and the had missed it. That was their fear.

We Missed It

2 Thessalonians 2:1–2 NIV

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.

The bible teaches that there are 3 days of the Lord.

2 are in the past and one in the future.

All are characterized by God’s wrath (severe anger) on unfaithful and disobedient people then the faithful and obedient end up in paradise.

The 1st was when Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God delivered them out, but b/c of their unfaithful disobedience the entire nation, except 2 ppl, died while wandering in the wilderness before their children and grandchildren got to go into the PL.

The wrath of God on disob then paradise for the faithful.

The 2nd was when Israel was exiled by Babylon b/c of their disob. Then, 70 years later God let them return.

There will be one more Day of the Lord in the future that will be much more severe than the first 2, beginning w/ the tribulation ending w/ faithful believers entering into New Heaven and New earth.

When Paul was there the first time he taught them all about this and they thought something had gone wrong and they had missed it. It had already happened, Jesus had returned, left again and they were left behind.

The persecution was severe. Shouldn’t it be going better for Christians.

We deal w/ this today. If God really loves me then why is my life so hard?!

I must have misunderstood something. Or, maybe I just missed something.

Life was harder than they though Paul had taught them it would be.

But, Paul had taught them accurately. He wasn’t wrong. And, they hadn’t missed anything.

Still, there were strong, influential ppl in their community, making very emotional arguments that they should abandon their faith and this new org. Quit trying to live the way Paul had taught them to live.

Life is not going to play out the way Paul said, or even Jesus said.

Doubt crept in. Had they made a mistake when they joined? Did they really have faith? Did they have the HS? Or, was it just a fleeting emotional high?

They thought they’d missed it.

More common today is many thing it’s not ever going to happen. Jesus didn’t return in my lifetime, my parents’, grandparents, and generation after generation.

Since it’s been so long, either someone was wrong or God changed His mind.

Maybe what we’ve been taught all along is wrong. The bible is wrong.

And, if it’s wrong on this, what else is it wrong on?

Totally undermines our spiritual and eternal security.

Did we make a mistake joining?

They needed, like we need, assurances from time to time.

Assurances

2 Thessalonians 2:3–12 NIV

Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Paul assured them they hadn’t missed it.

We haven’t missed it. And, yes, it’s still going to happen.

Many times throughout history things happen that resemble an event that has been predicted. But, those earlier events are not as severe or extreme and the ultimate event that had been predicted.

The bible describes some of these events like birth pangs.

Due respect to all the moms!

Early labor is irregular discomfort. The discomfort grows and becomes serious pain and these labor pains become regular. Then, the birth of the child makes all the pain worthwhile.

Mid-labor pains can be excruciating and can feel like the baby is right there ready to come out.

But, the nurse may say that you still have a ways to go.

At which time you may start cursing your husband for putting you here in the first place and thinking maybe you’ve made a big mistake and would like a do-over.

That’s where the Thessalonians were headed. Maybe they made a mistake. This hurt, bad. A do-over would be nice.

Paul reminded them, yes, he had taught them about this. It will be hard. People who reject Jesus will reject you, too. They will make your life miserable. But, don’t give up. It will all be worth it in the end.

Stay strong and stay faithful. And watch. 3 things will have to happen before the next Day of the Lord starts.

First, there will be a rebellion. The Greek word is apostasy.

That means there will be a desertion. The number of ppl in the church will drop dramatically. The number of ppl who believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God and do their best to live faithfully by its principles will be far fewer than in previous years.

Strong, emotional arguments will be made on culturally sensitive issues, like on same-sex marriage, causing ppl to question traditional teaching.

If this is wrong, what else is wrong?

This chips away at the foundation that biblical teaching provides believers and the church.

Eventually, so many issues will be handled like this and Christians who hold to traditional biblical teaching will be marginalized. Fewer and fewer will part of gatherings that hold to these teachings.

It will be a dramatic difference and obvious.

Second, The Man of Lawlessness will be revealed. He is a man who, at first will appear to be good. Then, be revealed for the extreme evil that he is.

Another name we use is the Anti-Christ.

He will have worldwide influence, not just the influence of an evil dictator of a country or region.

He will demonstrate miraculous power, not from God, but from Satan.

Remember, when Moses confronted Pharaoh to let Israel go out of Egypt. Moses threw his staff on the ground and it became a snake.

Then, Pharaoh’s spiritual advisors threw their staffs on the ground and they became snakes, too.

Same basic miracle but from different sources. And, another major difference. Moses’ snake killed and ate the snakes of Pharaoh’s advisors.

Not near as powerful or effective as God.

Many will be duped by this man of lawlessness and his power and think he is worthy of worship and following. But, he will lead his followers to their eternal death.

This world leader will be identified and exposed for who he really is.

For years there has always been speculation about who this man might be if the Day of the Lord were to begin at that time.

What Paul is saying is, it will be obvious who this guy is and Whom he represents. It won’t be God.

Then, 3rd. These are not in chronological order. B/C this event likely is the first of the 3 to occur.

The Rapture. The Gathering of all believers who are alive at the time. Jesus will come and every Christian will meet Him in the air.

This is not the 2nd coming. The rapture happens before the tribulation starts, or just after it starts, and before the 2nd coming occurs.

The HS is the restrainer. He limits the influence of evil like a leash limits the reach of your dog.

God will remove every believer from the earth who is indwelt by the HS and His influence beyond believers.

You see an angle on the first even. A mass desertion. The church will disappear over night and for a moment the only ppl left will not be Christian. Some will come to faith realizing what has just occured and they missed it at that time.

You see an angle on the 2nd event. W/ all godly restraint removed, the man of lawlessness has complete freedom to put himself in a position of worldwide influence as a god t/b worshiped.

All of these events will be unmistakeable when they occur. Those left behind, who sincerely believe something else will be left to explain them in humanistic terms.

But, the Thessalonians did not need to be concerned that they had missed anything. These 3 events had not happened, yet.

Likewise, we do not need to be concerned that we have been misled on these events. They will happen.

And, in the mean time, as we wait, generation after generation, what do we do?

Family Security

2 Thessalonians 2:13–17 NIV

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Paul concludes this part of his letter expressing thanks that no matter what happens to the Thessalonians or whatever choices they make right or wrong, he knows they are saved.

They believe. God is gracious so that even when believers make unfortunate decisions they will still be saved.

The HS is still changing them, growing them, maturing them in their faith.

Sara and I have the same thankfulness about our 3 children and daughter-in-law. No matter what happens to them or what they decide to do now with their lives, we are comforted and thankful that we are secure that they are secure in their faith.

Our 3 will always be our children. They can do nothing to change their status as our children. We are their parents.

Choices can be made by any one of us to distance ourselves from each other or draw us close. But, the fact of our relationship can never change.

The Thessalonians and the decisions they make in how to live their lives will not change the fact of the relationship they have w/ God, thru the blood of Jesus and sanctifying work of the Spirit.

In light of that, be strong. Be secure as a member of this family. God has provided all the power we need to do whatever God has called us to do.

Believe the Bible as it was intended when it was originally written.

Don’t give in to cultural influences around us on highly sensitive and emotional issues that would cause you to change what you believe about them.

We are now and always will be members of this family, the church.

My kids used to hate when I would say this. They say they hated it, but I bet they use it on their kids, too.

They’d come to us saying one of their friends was allowed by their parents to do something that we hadn’t let our kids do.

“But, they can do it! Why can’t I?”

What’s your last name? Bowyer

What’s my last name? Bowyer

What’s their last name? Whatever

There are benefits to being a Bowyer. Mom is always home. 3 meals a day. A warm house and loving support from each other.

We play baseball, football, basketball, soccer, and musical instruments.

We’ve been camping to Yellowstone, seen the Wind River Canyon, and swam in the single largest naturally heated hot spring pool in Thermopolis, WY.

We camped in Bath, ME. At lobster right out of the ocean. We ate clam chowder sitting by Boston Harbor.

We’ve been to Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.

And, there are responsibilities w/ being a Bowyer.

Be respectful to each other. Chores. Homework. Resolve conflict. And, above all, we believe in, serve, and worship Jesus together.

We love our kids, played w/ them and we disciplined them.

We kept our promises and never forgot discipline them or reward them for their behavior…eventually.

As imperfect as Sara and I are, God is that much more perfect in how He treats us as children.

God hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t changed His mind. Paul and the others didn’t get it wrong.

Jesus is going to return and reward the faithful and deal w/ the unfaithful once and for all.

In the meantime, stay strong and faithful while we wait patiently.

Applications

God’s timing is always perfect. While we wait it is important for us to maintain our faithful obedience to everything in the Bible.

Be patient

Nobody is getting away w/ anything.

We haven’t missed anything important nor has God changed His mind about what He promised to do.

There are benefits to being a member of God’s family. There are also responsibilities.

Patience!

Patiently be faithful to God’s word. Careful to obey all that it says.

Don’t wander away thinking God must not care because He’s waited so long to do what He said so I don’t have to care about being faithful to his word either.

Jesus is going to return and make everything right w/ us and everybody else.

Know what the bible says and stay faithful to it.

Don’t become impatient and abandon your responsibilities as part of God’s family looking for the benefits of other families.

Be watchful

He will deliver on everything He has promised.

Watch the skies. It could happen any day.

And, if a lot of days go by, don’t stop watching.

We don’t know the day or hour that it will happen. But, we will be able to recognize these events for what they represent when they happen.

It won’t be confusing.

Sometimes early labor, or false labor, is confused for the final labor.

Sara knew the difference when the time arrived for our kids to come into the world.

If we are still here, we will recognize what happening when Jesus meets us in the sky.

Watch for it.

Be thankful

By faith, you are a member of God’s family.

You can do nothing to change the status of your relationship w/ God.

You can distance yourself and you can draw close.

But, be thankful that God is gracious and not at the mercy of how we may feel on a given day about Him.

He has more faith in us than we do in Him.

And, as a member of God’s family, there are benefits and responsibilities.

Who’s name do you have?

What’s your Father’s name?

God hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t changed His mind. Paul and the others didn’t get it wrong.

God’s timing is always perfect. While we wait it is important for us to maintain our faithful obedience to everything in the Bible.

Nobody is getting away w/ anything.

There are benefits to being a member of God’s family. There are also responsibilities.

Don’t become impatient and abandon your responsibilities as part of God’s family looking for the benefits of other families.

He will deliver on everything He has promised.