Thriving in Chaotic Times: Why We Suffer: I Thess. 2:14-16
Notes
Transcript
I. Christians Redemptive Suffering vs. 14-15a
I. Christians Redemptive Suffering vs. 14-15a
A. The church at Thessalonica was suffering, just like every church was suffering. So they were imitators that is to follow the example of the other churches. who have gone before. The sad thing is, is that the church in America is so lazy, that when persecution does come, they won’t know how to handle it, because they don’t know anything about church history.
B. Scripture and church history show us that there are various reasons for suffering. John Piper whittled it down to 5. Any or all could play a factor into their suffering and ours.
C. “Repentance: Suffering is a call for us and others to turn from treasuring anything on earth above God”. Think of it, these people had treasured religion, and now they were repenting from it, and turning to Christ. We either did the same thing, or followed from a point of suffering from the results of our sins, and found peace in Christ.
D. “Reliance: Suffering is a call to trust God, not the life-sustaining props of the world” These people had been kicked out of the synagogue and had at least lost their former community, others lost family (as a result of their excommunication), livelihood. We often lose what we held too tightly (health, job, children, family etc.).
E. “Righteousness: Suffering is the discipline of our heavenly Father so that we come to share in his holiness”. When we suffer it can be to break a sinful pattern in our hearts and lives.
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
F. “Reward: Suffering is working for us a great reward in heaven that will make up for every loss here a thousand-fold” .
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
G. “Reminder: Suffering reminds us that God sent His Son into the world to suffer so that our suffering would not be God’s condemnation but His purification”. Sometimes we too get lazy and expect a bed of roses, but we forget that those too, will have thorns.
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
“So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
“Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.
II. The Lost’s Total Judgement vs. 15b-16
II. The Lost’s Total Judgement vs. 15b-16
A. These Jews were hostile toward anyone hearing the gospel, and therefore not pleasing to God. Paul would know since, he too had been one of them.
circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
B. This judgment was both occuring and would happen. 1) It was occuring because salvation was turning from the Jews how to the Gentiles. It would happen: 2) with the Jerusalem temple’s destruction and the nation of Israel being scattered again in 70 AD. 3) The punishment they would receive in hell.
He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;
Keep on looking, but do not understand.’
saying,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
For the heart of this people has become dull,
And with their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes;
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.” ’
“Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”
C. When Paul says that they are always filling up their measure of sin, it is the concept that Yahweh allows a person, or nation to only go so far and then judgement comes. This happened with Israel twice before; both being the instrument of judgment, and receiving judgment.
“Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
(Babylonian exile [Eze. 8-11]).
D. This happens when God judges an old nation and/or way of doing things and moves onto a new work.
Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”
He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
“But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
E. So let us suffer for Jesus’ sake, and not for judgement.