Building Up the Church

2 Thessalonians 1 NASB95

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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; 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. 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. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 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, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed. To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

INTRO: Life can be hard sometimes. Truly, there are days when the things we face seem to be overwhelming. And the reality is that oftentimes as we strive to follow Christ, the shortcomings of life become all the more evident. And in the midst of these times, our attention, focus, and energy is displaced. We begin to linger on the negatives - our sins, the mistakes we make, the criticisms of others, and before we know it, we find ourselves in a rut. We wonder if we ever do anything right and whether or not our life is of any real value.

Have you ever been here? Perhaps you have seen this in the lives of others within the church. Soon enough, this discouragement can derail a person’s life. And when this happens, we as believers often need to have some help being built back up.

This is one great role in discipleship- the building up (edification) of the church.

This morning, we enter into the 2nd letter to the Thessalonians. As a reminder, the church in Thessalonica was a young church and was made up of mostly Gentiles- people who were Pagan idol-worshipers, but they turned to the true living God of the Bible. But in doing this, they faced persecution- both from Jews who condemned Christianity and from Pagans who chastised them over their new way of life.

It was written not too long after the 1st and shares the theme of discipleship especially related to the second coming of Christ. We can look at this as a part 2 to real-life discipleship.

Today, we will examine the 1st chapter and I really think that this is a pertinent and relevant message for the church today. In this chapter, we will see the Apostle Paul model for us 3 courses of action in building up this Thessalonian church. We are going to see that, taken together, these actions give us a picture of how we can come alongside one another. In your sermon guide, this morning, I have given you some reflection questions for further study. I pray that you will not only fill in the blanks this morning, but will take time to address these questions and commit to building up one another in the days, weeks, and months ahead. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and dig in as we learn 3 ways to Build Up the Church.

The first course of action we see the Apostle Paul take is to:

Affirm their Growth (3-5)

(READ)

As we look at these verses, the first thing that pops out to me is that world “ought”. Paul is not saying that he is obligated to thank God for them or that he is bound to say something nice.

No, Paul is saying that it is fitting to thank God for them because of their growth in Christ. I want you to notice how he points out specific areas of growth and applauds them- (Emphasize v. 3)

Now, if you were with us a few weeks ago, you might make the connection that these two areas- faith and love for one another, are the exact 2 areas that Paul urged them to grow in 1 Thess. 4:1, 10.

This is the written form of Paul putting his arm around those discouraged Christians and telling them that he can see God at work in their lives in specific ways. He’s assuring them that he can see their growth. He says that he is proud of them- they are an encouragement to churches that Paul speaks to around the country. Paul shares with a smile how this church in Thessalonica is pursuing the good things of God and God is growing them even amidst their struggles.

It’s really easy to find yourself in the shoes of the Thessalonians isn’t it? Sometimes all we can see are the missed opportunities and the failures in our life. Sometimes the only voices we hear are the voices of the critics- after all people these days are way more apt to share negative feedback than positive… It’s become somewhat of a disturbing trend with all of our internet and social media outlets. And this negative press will beat you up- cause you to want to give up, throw in the towel and maybe even walk away from the faith. You might think, “If I can’t beat em, I guess I’ll join em!”

Let me just say that this is exactly the opportunity for us as brothers and sisters in Christ to come alongside and build up those that are downtrodden. It is the role of a disciple-maker to put his or her arm around that person and help them to see that God is doing a work in their life. How are they becoming more like Jesus? Point it out and celebrate what God is doing!

These words of affirmation are important for every believer because the more you grow, usually the more you realize your need to grow. Sometimes you are so close to your faults that you can’t see the good things that God is moving you toward.

ILL: For me, I am determined to never stop growing and learning. Last year, one of my seminary classes required me to get critical feedback on my preaching and exposition of Scripture. I submitted a recording of one of my sermons to 6 fellow pastors- a couple of them have been mentors of mine for some time. As I waited to see their feedback, all I could see when I watched the video was all the mistakes I made. It’s pretty awful to watch yourself on camera… but when the feedback came in, there were some criticisms, but I’ll never forget that one of closest mentors called me before sending in his evaluation. What he said, in short, was that he could see the growth in my life- not only in my preaching, but in my walk with God. I really needed to hear that.

Friends, as we walk this path of discipleship, like Paul, let’s build one another up by affirming their growth in Christ.

Discuss/ Reflect: Has anyone encouraged you by affirming your growth in Christ? Who might you be able to build up this week by affirming specific growth in their life?

Secondly, Paul builds up the Thessalonians by

Counter the Condemnation (6-9)

When we understand that so much of the persecution of the church was born out of unbelief, we can recognize the heart of Paul’s message in these few verses. In short, Paul reminds the Thessalonians of the Justice of God.

It would be really easy for the Thessalonians to look out at the wicked and sinful people in their community- the ones who mocked the church and dealt harshly with them, and cry out to God as Jeremiah did (Jer. 12:1) “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?”

We might find ourselves in that spot- asking how it can be that people who celebrate evil- who peddle atrocious sins freely, seem successful- they are admired in the community while you feel as though you are condemned because of your faith. I honestly marvel sometimes at how celebrities will take part in the sex-saturated culture, make tons of money, and then lecture the public on morals and being on the right side of history… Friends this world is broken. And you and I cannot be concerned with how man writes history books, but rather whether our name is in the book of life.

Ultimately, Paul wanted them to realize that there is a judgment for all man, but that judgment will be made not by men, instead it will be by Almighty God- He alone is just.

The affliction and persecution facing the church was harsh- it was constant, and if not countered, it could be the loudest and most persistent voice the Thessalonians would hear.

But Paul says that those who are afflicted for Christ’s sake will find relief in the day of ultimate judgment. But those who refuse to believe the Gospel of Jesus will “pay the penalty of eternal destruction” (9)- separated for eternity from the presence and mercy of our Lord.

When the world around us seems to be prevailing over us- we must counter the condemnation. How can we do this?

By reminding one another about the character of God.

He is holy and just. Though this world is broken, God will one day make all things new.

By confessing our belief in the Gospel.

Because of the Gospel, we have a greater hope than this life. Our penalty has been paid by Jesus.

When we share our testimony of God’s Gospel, we revive that hope that perseveres.

By refreshing one’s perspective

We are in God’s presence- even when times are hard.

He gives beauty for ashes! Can these dead bones live again!?!

The condemnation of the world means very little in light of the power of holiness of Jesus Christ!!

We can build up the church by affirming growth and countering the condemnation.

Discuss/ Reflect: When have you been discouraged by looking at the apparent prosperity of the wicked? Who do you know that needs this countering of condemnation? How will you build them up?

Finally, Paul shows us to:

Call Out Their Calling (10-12)

Here, Paul brings the Thessalonian church to appreciate the big picture.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism (Explain what a catechism is) says it this way: “What is the chief end of man?” IN other words, why do we exist? Is it to be successful business men and women? To have as much fun as possible? Is it to entertain our personal lust?

No. the catechism response is “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever”

And this is what Paul is saying here as well. On that day- the day that Jesus returns, He will return being glorified by the saints.

Glorify simply means “honor”, - when we talk about glorifying God- we are talking about the reverence and honor due Him because of who He is. He is above all things and therefore receives honor from all things- No name can be higher, no admiration greater; there is no greater beauty to behold, no greater love to experience, no greater calling in this life than to glorify God.

After encouraging the Thessalonians by affirming their growth and after building them up through countering their condemnation, Paul draws their focus to their ultimate purpose and calling in this life.

He’s saying- Don’t forget why you are here! Don’t get pulled away by these distractions! Don’t forget that you are made in the image of God- to reflect the image of God on earth- to glorify Him.

And you might be thinking, “How?”

Paul gives us this answer in his written prayer in v.11- (READ v 11)

we glorify God as He fulfills our desires for goodness and the work of faith and power.

This is to say that as we pursue God- as we live out our lives in relationship with Him, reflecting His goodness to the world, we bring Him honor.

When you and walk in obedience to the commands of Christ out of a sincere heart, we glorify Him.

When we express love and compassion, we glorify God.

When we live and speak the truth of the Gospel, we glorify God!

When we build up one another in Christ, we honor Him.

And because we have trusted in Christ and we glorify Him through our lives, we are confident that we will be glorified in Him- that is, through the grace and mercy of Jesus, on the day of Jesus’ return, we will receive the honor due Christ - we stand in His righteousness! We stand in His love!

What marvelous truth!

As disciples and disciple-makers, we ought to build up the church by affirming growth in one another, countering the condemnation, and calling out our true calling.

Discuss/ Reflect: What does it mean for Christ to be glorified in me and I in Him? What steps will you commit to taking to build up the church in the coming weeks?

Friends, look around- we need one another. Let us build up this church for the glory of our Lord.

As we sing- maybe God has placed someone on your heart- GO TO THEM. Build them up.