Sermon Tone Analysis

That the Word of the Lord May Progress

God is doing a work, not just in our generation, but in all of creation and time.

That work is to show himself as the God of love, of life, of goodness and mercy.

People in the world are lost and without hope.

Left only to the joy or sorrow of the moment.

There was a time when we also were lost.

But we have come to know Jesus Christ and the power of his blood, his life given for us that we could be reconciled to God.

We are accepted by God

Now, we are accepted by God.

The moment we accept Jesus Christ, we are made right with God.

This is because God prepared the way for us.

He wanted us to come to Him.

He wanted us to step into His plan for our lives.

You can see this by looking at what God said about Jesus.

Of course there were prophecies of his coming and angels spoke of his birth and he grew in wisdom and knowledge.

But I am talking about when Jesus came of age and was baptized.

Jesus came to John and John said no, you baptise me and in

Then, the Spirit of God descended and before Jesus moved to do any work of ministry in

Jesus did go on to preach the gospel of the kingdom and was even obedient to death.

But right here, Jesus was accepted by God.

God, the Father, wasn’t anymore pleased with Jesus on the cross that he was on that first day, the day when Jesus, as a man, believed God and acted on His word and was baptised.

The point here is, that we are accepted by God the moment we accept Jesus Christ.

That You May be Considered Worthy of the Calling

2 Thessalonians 1:1–12

As we come into 2 Thessalonians Chapter 1, Paul prays for them, but his prayer for them was not that they be saved

They are saved

Paul’s prayer for them has two parts.

That in Christ, in

Worthy of the Calling

The calling here is not merely the first actual call, but the whole of God’s electing act, originating in His “purpose of grace given us in Christ before the world began,” and having its consummation in glory.

It is God doing the work in us, but there is an expected response from us to allow him to do the work.

Fulfill every desire and work of faith

This second part is based on us cooperating with God to accomplish his plans and purpose.

The good, well pleasing, and perfect will of God in

Equip you in

The one who began a good work in

Now, as we read in

2 Thessalonians 1:11 “he (the Lord) might fulfill every desire for goodness and work of faith with power".

That the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified

We don’t have any problem with reading this first part of verse 12, “that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you”, and let me go back to verse 11 and say this happens as he “fulfill every desire for goodness and work of faith with power".

When we are successful in the work God has called us to, Jesus Christ is glorified in us.

Now, lets read the second part of verse 11.

“and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ”

and you what in him?

“and you (glorified) in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ”

God wants us to shine like light.

Paul is recognizing that there is in them the fruit of faith and endurance that others can see, even in the midst of suffering in

They Did Not Accept the Love of the Truth

2 Thessalonians 2:1–12

The Thessalonian church understood that there was opposition, affliction.

Paul explains the spiritual force behind it in

There is one, Satan, that brings “lying wonders”, “unrighteous deception” in

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

But every person still has the ability to choose.

There are those that in

2 Thessalonians 2:10 “did not accept the love of the truth, so that they would be saved” and in

2 Thessalonians 2:12 “who did not believe the truth, but delighted in unrighteousness”.

For these who refused the truth, in

We will always have these with us, until Christ returns.

They are not only not interested in the things of God, they are completely blind, completely deceived.

These refused the truth.

Pray for Us

2 Thessalonians 3:1–5

Paul asks them to pray two things for him in

That the Word of the Lord May Progress

But why would he ask this?

Isn’t the Lord able to do whatever he wants?

We sometimes forget that Satan has dominion in the earth (see Jesus temptation in

see the response of the demons in

So there is an authority that the devil and his demons have in the earth.

Jesus respected their territory, but refused to allow them to usurp people, he cast them out.

Jesus taught his disciples how to pray in

In Christ, we have dominion on the earth and can invoke God’s will “on earth as it is in heaven” and we can invoke that will now.

This is why Jesus said in

and this is why Paul asks them to pray “that the word of the Lord may progress and be honored”.

Paul also asked them to pray

That we may be delivered from evil and wicked people

But God tells us in

There are those that resist the Holy Spirit: "You always resist the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51); do not quench the Spirit (1 Thess.

5:19); why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?

(Acts 5:3); you have not lied to men but to God (Acts 5:4); why have you agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?

(Acts 5:9); they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit (Isa.

63:10); do not grieve the Holy Spirit by whom you were sealed (Eph.

4:30); a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit (1 Cor.

2:14); blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven (Matt.

12:32; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10)".

Day, A. C. (2009).

Collins Thesaurus of the Bible.

Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

It is necessary for you to live and to please God

This began with his prayer for them in

and included his admonition to them in

and again in

Paul admonishes them first to care for their Christian leaders in

Then he says care for one another in

And finally he tells them each individually in

Paul puts three thoughts together here that are important for us to recognize.

He says:

"Do not quench the Holy Spirit"

"Do not despise prophecies"