Last Couple of Things

Last Things

Last week Sara went down to spend a few days w/ her parents in Tucson.

She tries to go down every month or two.

As she gets ready to head out the door there’s always a list of things she needs to remember to do and things to tell me to do.

She made a quiche, remember to take it.

Take Diamondbacks clothes.

She’s ordered some thing for VBS and the house that will be delivered while she’s gone. I need to watch.

She called me as she was in the car heading out of town, like she always does, saying she had a couple things she needed to tell me.

1st, I needed to water her garden. W/ specific instructions.

Every day, not wide open, 10 minutes.

If I don’t water, the plants will die. If I open the valve too much it will blow the ends off her watering lines and wash out the seeds.

I needed to water her garden. Important if it doesn’t rain or else her plants will die.

Then, the 2nd thing. She couldn’t remember.

10 minutes later she called me. She remembered.

She left a window open I needed to know about to close at night.

Hopefully, not that important.

Important last minute things to remember. We’ve got to get these things right.

Important last minute things to remember. We’ve got to get these things right.

When you’re getting ready to close your house in the valley for the summer and head up to MP what are the important things you have to do?

Cut off the water so no leaks all summer.

Or, irrigation so your plants don’t die.

Trash collection.

Get the trash out so it doesn’t rot in the trash can all summer in the heat.

Are your windows closed? Doors locked?

Or, when you close your cabin and head down for the winter.

Or, when you get ready to leave on vacation.

You know that list you always have. And, once you’re on your way you always get that feeling you forgot something.

Usually, you didn’t. But the feeling is always there.

This morning we’re wrapping up the first part of this series, Significant Lessons from Second Letters.

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We don’t know if Paul ever wrote any more letters to the Thessalonian church. He probably didn’t. If he did, they weren’t preserved for our bible.

We have two of them. And, this is the last chapter of the last letter he wrote that we have.

That list, the last couple of important things to make sure they get. This could be it from him forever.

That list, the last couple of important things to make sure they get. This could be it from him forever.

They’ve got the HS. But this might be it from Paul.

The last couple of things on his list of all the important things they need to be encouraged to do

1 and 2 Thess include a list of things he wanted to remind them of, that they needed, in their lives

He had already taught them when he was there but now they are getting some things wrong.

Be watchful for Jesus’ return.

Be strong and stay faithfully ob to God’s word.

And, the HS preserved them for us. So, it’s a list we need to be encouraged to do, too.

This was important to them and it is to us.

The last couple of things he needed to make sure he encouraged them to do.

Loading up the Caravan w/ the fake wood paneling on the side, or maybe it was a Ford Country Squire station wagon, getting ready to be done w/ it all.

The back seat that face backward, no one wore a seat belt.

If anyone was going to get car sick it was the kid facing backward w/ the wagon rocking and rolling down the highway.

It was a vomit wagon if ever there was one.

Anyway, Paul saying his good-byes...

Oh yea, don’t forget to do these 2 things:

What are they?

Let’s get into them.

The first important last thing he reminded them to do was pray!

Pray

2 Thessalonians 3:1–5 NIV

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

As for other matters… A Greek phrase that could also be translated, “And, finally...”

He’s wrapping it up. Final thoughts. Making sure he finished the list of things he wanted them to get.

The first of these last 2 things: Pray

In general, how we view God determines how we pray.

How I view you determines how I talk to you.

I talk to Sara differently than I talk to anyone else.

I talk to my kids differently than I talk to other 20 year olds.

W/ Sara, we talk intimately.

I tell her things I don’t tell anyone else.

I ask her about things and for things I don’t ask anyone else.

I talk to her more than I talk to anyone else.

Contrast a stranger walking down the sidewalk.

We might make eye contact. At most, say “Hi.”

Why bother saying anything else. We may never see each other again. And there’s nothing we could do for each other.

Is there anyone in your life who, when you speak to them, all they ever do is ask you for stuff or only talk about themselves, their lives, their issues? They take no interest in you, ask you about what’s important to you, what you’d like to see happen?

So, how do you view God?

Do you only talk to him when you need something?

Only talk about yourself, like He doesn’t already know, and never complement Him, thank Him, or ask Him what He’d like to see done?

When you were a child, how did you speak to Santa Claus?

Do you view God like he brings gifts to good boys and girls? He has a nice list and a naughty list?

Do you view him as aloof, impersonal, no relationship.

Then prayer is like meeting the stranger on the sidewalk.

Why bother.

James 4:2–3 NIV

You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James

You don’t have b/c you never bother asking. Or, all you do is ask and you ask w/ the wrong motive. Selfish. For you, not what God may want.

How do you know what God may want?

Psalm 37:4 NIV

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

“Delight yourself in God.” Pursue a relationship w/ Him. Ask good questions. Want to get to know Him better.

Do that, then your desires will change. You will find that you will want for yourself what God wants for you.

Then, He will grant you those desires which are now your own heart’s desires.

That’s what it means when you pray “in Jesus name.”

Not a 3-word magic formula or incantation.

It’s an attitude, or perspective.

To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray what you believe He would pray or do for you if He were right here to do it.

Pray for the right things, w/ the right motives by pursuing and developing a close and dynamic relationship w/ Jesus.

So, you’ve done that, now, what does Paul want them to pray for?

Pray that Paul would succeed in his ministry, his mission.

The rapid spread of the good news about Jesus.

We don’t know how long we have beyond someone’s life here on earth. Their chance to accept Jesus ends the moment their life here ends.

Pray that the message would be honored, that is, accepted and believed.

Many people would be saved.

Jesus is their only hope. Pray that they recognize it.

There is opposition from wicked and evil ppl.

PPL in positions of authority who have the power to slow, or stop the spread of the story of Jesus.

Pray that they won’t succeed.

Pray that Paul will remain free and able to preach, debate openly and represent Jesus everywhere.

God will respond when we pray and ask for things He wants.

Paul doesn’t just ask for their prayers, he prayed for them.

He said, “Remember, God is faithful to us even when we struggle in our faith.”

God believes in you. He invested in you. You can do whatever you need to do w/ the resources God gives you.

He doesn’t say God might protect us from the Evil One, but God does protect us from Him.

In a reference to the wicked and evil ppl he was dealing w/, remember, the ppl aren’t the problem.

Satan is the problem and there are people who don’t realize they have given Him more control than they know.

We are praying for these people. They are the ones we hope will honor the gospel and accept. Don’t curse them.

For the person in your life who is a thorn in your side, don’t pray their destruction. Pray their salvation.

Satan does not win in the end. We do. We win b/c Jesus won. Satan hopes to take as many people w/ Him as He can.

Satan can’t take your life. He can’t take the life of a believer, he can only mess it up.

God will strengthen us and protect us so we can continue to represent Him well even when ppl around us are unknowingly representing Satan to us.

He has confidence, a conviction, no just a strongly held opinion, that we can do this. We can be faithful to Jesus because He is more faithful to us.

The Lord will direct our hearts, where our courage comes from.

And, He will give us perseverance, that is strength to follow thru and experience more of God’s love so we can share more of his love with those who worship w/ us and those who trouble us.

And, we can stay faithful to God’s word when other believers around us are not.

Which brings us to the last thing Paul wanted to encourage them, and us, to do.

Self-Discipline

2 Thessalonians 3:6–13 NIV

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

2 Thess 3:6-

Obedience to God’s word is essential.

He doesn’t mince words. Avoid other Christians who lack the self-discipline to stay faithfully obedient.

It is disruptive, divisive when fellow believers give in to peer pressure in culturally sensitive areas and do what the bible says not to do.

These are believers. Church members.

Jesus was always harder on people who should have known better. The Jewish leadership who had the OT but missed Him. He was brutal. Brood of vipers.

Jesus was much more patient w/ pagans.

Paul said, don’t socialize w/ believers who should know better and their behavior is bad.

Remember, what makes you Christian is what you believe not what you do.

So, doing wrong things does not mean you do not believe the right things.

Paul is talking about people who believe the right things but regularly do the wrong things.

The word he uses, idle, means lacking self-discpline. Not necessarily lazy.

The do not discipline themselves to take care of their obligations and responsibilities to God and their family.

They didn’t have jobs, lived off the generosity of others, we not busy working, taking care of their own business. . But, they stuck their noses in everyone else’s business.

Made them disruptive.

We all love that. Someone telling us all about our business while not taking care of their own.

Paul sets himself up as an example.

Likewise, I feel responsible that if I am going to urge all of you to live a self-disciplined life, I have to first.

I’ve shared several times lately about my health journey this past few months.

Some of you have noticed I’ve lost a few lbs.

My PA told me in December that I had a few numbers that I needed to reduce.

The hub to each of these spokes was my weight.

I have no legitimate excuse why I could not do some things to positively affect my health.

God has given all of us all we need to be self-disciplined. He just doesn’t make us self-disciplined.

How could I tell you to do something I was unwilling to do myself.

Integrity.

When Paul was in town he spent a lot of hours in ministry among them. And, still took the time to work, earn the money, and pay his own way.

He had every right to ask them to support him. But, he didn’t. He was a tent-maker and paid for all the food he ate and the room he stayed in.

He wasn’t obligated, but he did it anyway. In contrast to those who were obligated but didn’t.

The principle he quoted was, no work, no eat.

Understand, he’s talking about believers who should know better. We will not support you. We will help you.

And, while there is application to immigrants and the homeless, be careful about universal application out of this context.

Settle down. Hold a job. Work quietly. Earn your way. Live on what you make. Don’t resent those who make more. Retire on what you were able to save. And, if you didn’t save enough go back to work.

Take care of your family obligations.

Do not expect the church or its members to support you.

Work is a gift from God. Time, energy, brain-power working to accomplish things.

When God created the Garden of Eden and put Adam and Even in it, he put them to work.

Before the fall it was their responsibility to work the garden.

After the fall, the curse introduced bugs and weeds. Work became toil.

The opportunity to work hard, maybe as a stay at home mom, maybe outside the home.

Be thankful God gave you the gift and opportunity to work.

Maintain the self-discipline to do what you need to do.

In v.14-15 he reiterates, take note of who doesn’t and don’t associate w/ them and tells us why.

So that they may feel ashamed. Shame is good when it’s appropriately placed. It will motivate a positive change.

Don’t destroy them or treat them like an enemy.

They are fellow believers, brothers and sisters, who believe like we do they just need to do things differently.

Then, Paul offers one last prayer for them.

Peace

2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

God is the source of peace and the giver of peace.

Inner-peace.

Peace w/in the church and your family, w/ ea other.

And, peace in the community among those who live their lives in faithful obedience, delighting themselves in Jesus, and pursuing a close, personal relationship w/ Him.

May we all have the courage in our heart, strength of perseverance to experience the unsurpassing love of God and be able to share w/ everyone, including those who oppose us.

We have everything we need t/b self-disciplined and the instruction to avoid those who do not use what God gave them to encourage them to change.

And, we can pray for each other.

Pray for success of the mission of this church. Protection of the leadership.

And, we will pray for all of you. That you see the evidence that God has more faith in your than you have in Him.

And you will be able to fulfill all your obligations to God, your family, this church and our community.

Applications

Pray

Maintain a big and humble view of God. Care enough about God to find out Who He is and what He thinks is important for your life.

Based on your close relationship, make big asks of Him.

Pray for me and pray for each other.

When you’re in a deep and difficult situation, that is not the time to recite the Lord’s prayer.

It can be worshipful and an important part of your spiritual discipline. But, learn how to converse w/ God and practice a lot.

People

Pray for the ppl in your life who are make your life difficult.

Family members, community members, even church members.

The people are not the enemy. Some allow themselves t/b more influenced by Satan than they realize.

Don’t pray for their destruction. Pray for their salvation.

As you experience greater love from God and deeper grace, then you will be able to treat these people w/ the same.

Pray for the problem people in your life and represent Jesus to them. Treat them the way Jesus would. Or, the way He treats you.

Friends

Choose your friends wisely.

Be self-disciplined and spend time w/ ppl who will challenge you to be better.

Spend less time w/ those are not and give them reasons to make changes in their lives so they can have more time w/ you.

Peer pressure affects more than our children.

A couple of last things. After a list of things that we need to know before he wraps up his letter, we need to make sure we are praying for each other and encouraging each other to live self-disciplined lives.

We have the courage in our hearts and strength of perseverance to do everything we need to do.

All that’s left is to know God’s word and do what He teaches us to do.