Standfast: Persevere in hard times
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Introduction
Introduction
It’s good to know a background, have some ground work done before delving into a study of another book of the Bible. So here is some brief things to know before we go.
1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.
1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Author: Paul (2The1:1; 2The3:17)
17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write.
Recipients: Church of the Thessalonians (2The1:1; Act17:1-9; 1The1:6, 1The1:8; 1The3:1-8)
The passage tells us about the trip to Thessalonica in the establishing of the church and the time frame of only 3 Sabbaths for it to happen.
Even though it was in 3 short weeks a strong church was born, born in tribulation (1The1:6) and they became well known (1The1:8)
8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
Paul encouraged them through the persecutions that they were staying strong (1The3:1-8)
Place of writing: Most likely Corinth (Act18:11)
Going from the assumption that Paul spent 3.5 years in Corinth and the short person it seems between the letters a deduction can be made that it was written from Corinth
Date: About 53AD- towards the end of Paul’s stay in Corinth
Paul had arrived in Corinth between 50-52AD; so this letter is not long after the first one.
Purpose: Misunderstanding of the return of the Lord (2The2:1-2; 2The3:11-12)
Many had misunderstanding about the return of the Lord, they were being troubled by false reports from false teachers giving false prophesy, so Paul writes to them to
Encourage them
To correct them
To instruct them.
Content
Encouragement in persecutions (2The1:1-12)
Enlightenment about the return of the Lord (2The2:1-17)
Exhortation to right Christian living (2The3:1-18)
Key passage for book (2The2:15-17)
15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
There is some great truth, great application in this book as we wait for the return of Christ for His church, may it help us to be steadfast in and through all things, including the hard times which we all face from time to time.
Hard times come
Hard times come
There is no avoiding it, Jesus told us in this life you will have tribulation (Jn16:33) and in trouble, in tribulation, in persecution this church was born and Paul comes in with this second epistle to them to encourage them to standfast, to persevere in hard times.
(Born For Adversity Picture)
Seems they were born in adversity and it still continued. It is like Satan was working overtime on them
Like a roaring lion (2Pt5:7-8)
Like a deceiving serpent (2Cor11:3)
Some seem to be born to run when adversity hits, some are born free and have been graced to not face any adversity, but as a Christian who is actively serving the Lord I don’t think adversity, hard times, are avoidable as a whole. Look at the words Paul uses in prayer about perseverance in hard times.
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; 4 therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
2
Paul gives thanks to God for them, why?
Because of their faith, their love for and toward one another
Paul loves to brag on them that in the midst of persecutions and afflictions they persevere and endure!
In spite of the pain they were enduring they were praising and proclaiming God and it was apparent everywhere (Act17:1-9; 1The1:2-7)
(in adversity picture)
The church born in adversity, seems to be born for adversity too and even in the hard times, which are to be expected they were persevering and doing it with faith!
Suffering or adversity not only helps us grow, it is an example to help others grow too.
Trials, pains, tribulations, adversities work for us not against us
You do not become patient and persevere by reading a book or listening to a sermon you do it through the things you endure.
In the hard times that we learn to persevere the Christian reaches upward towards God and outward towards the people of God
In you were too look at Heb11, the people of faith there were born through adversity, each was tested, tried and found true and walked by faith.
Jesus warned about hard times, tribulations (Jn15:19;20; Jn16:33)
Jesus told the Apostles that they persecuted him and they too would be persecuted. But go by example you have kept my word, and they will keep yours if you persevere through the persecutions, tribulations or hard times.
Jesus reminds them that He has overcome the world, so they may have peace in the midst of hard times (paraphrase Jn16:33)
The Apostles warned too (Act14:22; 1The3:4; 2Tim3:12)
The Apostles warned and encouraged the disciples then, and by the inspired words can encourage us too.
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
We are not spared from hard times, trials, tribulations in this world. We cannot and are not promised that we will avoid sickness or disease even. In this world we may suffer due to our own choices or choices made by the hands of other.
We can anticipate persecution because we are Christians, from our families, friends, employers and the like. Remember that adversary who is like a roaring lion looking whom he can devour? He is powerful, he is determined, but you can persevere through your faith as well as lead others because of your tested faith.
Faith that cannot be tested is faith that cannot be trusted; their faith was growing and abounding faith (ref to v.3)
Tested faith, it can bring perfected faith (1The3:10) from the author of our faith (Heb12:1-2); and this is faith that is abounding faith (2The1:3; 1The3:10)
10 as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?
If your faith has not be tried, tested, put under fire, praise God, but be prepared for it to happen one day and now that brings us some example of how to be prepared to stand fast in the hard times.
Stand fast in: Faith, Love and Patience
Stand fast in: Faith, Love and Patience
Exampled faith, we know that the Thessalonians have it but now Paul has a concern for them but an encouragement too.about what they need to have to continue in the faith.
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; 4 therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.
I have to start with this, look at these verses, Paul loved to brag on them, loved to share with other churches of God about them, about their perseverance and faith in the midst of persecutions and afflictions.
2The1:3-4
Wouldn’t you like to have someone brag on you about how you handle the hard times, how you standfast in your faith?
What is needed is
(Growing faith picture)
Faith that grows exceedingly (2The1:3; Heb11:1; Rom10:17; Job19:25-27; Hab3:17-19)
(v.3) says faith that is greatly enlarged, and as a result so is their love.
Faith that believes the unseen things that we hope for (Heb11:1)
Faith that comes by hearing (Rom10:17)
May we remember the faith of Job
I thought about just telling you about Job’s faith and Habakkuk’s faith but they are too important scriptures to passover
25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. 26 “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
26 “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
And I know my redeemer lives! We sing it because we believe it, we believe it because someone told us and showed us in the Word and that brought faith. Faith that can be tested, tried and can be found true!
Even in the hard times like Habakkuk was facing look what he had to say (this too is a song)
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
Hab3:
Love that abounds (2The1:3; 1The4:9; 1Jn4:9-11; 1Jn3:16; 1The4:10; 1The3:12)
(Abounding love picture)
They were taught by God how to love and to abound in love (1The4:9)
God’s love abounds in us because God’s love was manifested for us and in us as our propitiation of sin, as He love us, we should love one another
12 and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;
This the kind of love that sustains us, as it did them, in hard times that we learn to persevere through. What more is needed?
Patience that hold up in the hard times or under trial (Rom8:25; Rom15:4; Heb10:36; Heb12:1-2; Jm1:3-4 and finally Rom5:3-4)
(Patience picture)
Patient is not just enduring it is enduring well, I don’t know about you, I can struggle with that, thanks be to God we have God’s Word and God’s spirit that helps with that.
It is with perseverance, patience we hold for hope that we have in Christ Jesus.
We have God’s word, that which was written in earlier times so that we can have hope through perseverance as noted in Rom15:4
Patience, endurance, perseverance are needed so that at the end we can receive what is promised (Heb10:36)
Run the race throwing off anything that hinders you so your faith maybe perfected through patient endurance (Heb12:1-2)
testing of your faith produces endurance
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
and similar to the James passage let me add this
3 There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, 4 and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.
To sum this up regarding patience, we have patience in the hope that we have comes from the scripture that is needed to reveal the promise as we look to the author and perfecter of our faith Jesus, that hope, that patience that endurance that makes us complete and lacking nothing which can strengthen our hope even more. Use these things in the hard times, difficult times, trying times!
Have faith! For you can also know our next point.
Recompense is coming
Recompense is coming
Great word, recompense, it means making amends for a harm suffered or to be compensated, rewarded for a harm suffered. We may not see it this side of our heavenly home, but we can find hope in the promise as we stand fast and persevere in and through the hard time. (See 2The1:5-7; Mt5:11-12)
5 This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. 6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
5 This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. 6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
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,
Who likes to suffer raise you hand? (Rhetorical questions; build on it for a minute) Suffering for Jesus sake is nothing new, Jesus said you are blessed if you do (Mt5:11-12).
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
So, even in the suffering in the hard times in which we are to stand fast and persevere through may we take some things from our passage today.
Recompense from God will be righteous (2The1:4-5; Col1:12; 1The1:6; 1Pt5:10; 2The1:6)
(Jesus his soon return picture)
Jesus is coming back, As the lamb he went to the cross, at the resurrection he proved he was God and man; at ascension he proved to be prophet, priest and king. At at the return He will prove He is just and the God of justice, the God of recompense that Jeremiah noted in Jer51:56.
Because of their faith that perseveres and is known to others they have the promise of God’s retribution and God’s recompense
Because God qualified them for the kingdom, counted them worthy through the Son (Col1:12) - eventhough they were suffering right then, then entered the kingdom in tribulation (1The1:6) Paul wants them to know God knows and God will bring about recompense.
Because of their known faith received in tribulation with joy of the Holy Spirit (1The1:6) - God the Lord of recompense will come and return with judgment for the wicked, dealing out retribution to those who do not obey the gospel (see 2The1:8)
But one more I want to highlight just for a moment
10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
Look at this verse, look at the promises you find just in this verse.
Called to His eternal glory
Perfected in Him
Confirmed in Him
Strengthened in Him and established.
Established, that is what the church, this young church, this faithful church, this known church is. In the midst of hard times, they standfast in what they know, what they were taught for they were taught by God ( 1The4:9)
God will bring recompence on those tho afflict His people (2The1;6; Rom2:4-11; 2The1:8-9)
God is just and God will bring justice to those who afflict His people (v.6)
If you were to look at Rom2 you would see that God is going to bring wrath and indignation to those who do not obey the truth. There is lots more good stuff in the passage, so be sure to check it out.
and finally The Lord of recompense is explained more in (vv8-9) and we will get more into that next week, but here is a preview.
8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
Lord of recompence will bring rest to the afflicted (2The1:6-7)
Same rest invited to share with Timothy and Titus (2The1:7)
This rest is the eternal rest to be received when Jesus comes for His church with His mighty angels (1The4:16-17)
(Invitation slide: Php3_9 Be Found in Him)
invitation (Invitation slide 2- Jesus His Soon Return Picture, again) Song (exit slides)