He is Coming! 2 Thessalonians 1

Intro

starting 2 Thessalonians

wanted to rewind to a point we glazed over last week

felt the Lord wanted us to take a closer look as we come out of the restrictions of COVID

1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Blessing on those who served

Paul was talking to people who refused to work and wanted the church to support them

Gets repeated in the second letter

with COVID, we scaled back at our gov’t request

some volunteers were relieved as they were tired and burnt out

20% of people doing 80% of the work

blessing on volunteers who continued to serve

Admonish the Idle

restrictions have lifted, and it is time to get back to work

those who needed rest, it is time to get off the bench and back into the game

those who have never served, it is time to stop being a spectator and be a participant

20% of the people have kept the church afloat. What would happen if 100% were doing 100% of the work? imagine the impact we could have

I don’t ask you to serve to make my job easier, but to be faithful with what God has entrusted to you

I don’t ask you to give to ensure I get paid, but because God has called us to be generous and to sow into his kingdom

not only that, idle hands are the devil’s playground

to the idle, the benchwarmers, the seat fillers, and the online numbers, I admonish, implore you to stop being idle and get to work.

onto the second letter

A Bad Report

Paul has received a second report about the church

its not good

persecution is worse, even violent

confusion about Christ’s return has increased

Idleness has become more prevalent

with this back drop Chapter 1

2 Thessalonians 1:1–4 ESV

Paul, 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 our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

Thankfulness to God for Their Endurance

the second letter starts the same way as the first

Paul is thrilled with how their faith has grown, love has increased, and they have been steadfast despite everything

how would we handle persecution?

I ask because of what Paul says in verse 5

2 Thessalonians 1:5 ESV

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—

Persecution is the Evidence of Worthiness

persecution is evidence they are part of Jesus’ story

Jesus said,

John 15:20 ESV

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Just like our Master

we have a spiritual enemy who wants to take down as many people with him as he can

he is going to make life miserable for those who are the biggest threat

How big of a threat are you?

persecution and trials are all scary words, which is why Paul offers this

2 Thessalonians 1:6–10 ESV

since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

God will Fight for You

Paul reminds the church, and reminds us, that when Jesus comes, he will enforce his justice on the world. It means that those who mistreated the innocent, refused justice to the needy, and accepted bribes against the undeserving, they will get theirs.

repeatedly, Paul writes in this letters that vengence belongs to God

on the flip side, the faithful will receive their reward. The peace, the relief. They will see Jesus in all his glory.

the persecution we experience on earth is nothing compared the glory we will experience for eternity

What about ‘Good People’

one of the oppositions is about God being good is sending people to ‘eternal destruction’ just because they didn’t believe in him. Why is that?

God will never force himself on anyone, though he never stops pursuing

however, if you don’t want a relationship with God now, then you’ll really hate heaven, because it is filled with his presence and people who love and adore Jesus

if you didn’t have relationship with him on earth, he’s not going to force it on you after death

However...

on that day, not only will the unbeliever be removed from God’s presence, they will also be removed from everything that came with it, and the result can only be described as destruction

this is why as believers, we tell people about Jesus so they can escape this horrible result

if you are not a believer, and you are listening to me right now, I implore you to make Jesus the Lord of your life. You hand over your whole life to Jesus, and in return you receive his forgiveness, he makes you into a new Creation, and he gives you the Holy Spirit to live a supernaturally empowered life.

It won’t be easy, because trials and persecution comes, but you don’t face any of it alone. You face it with the power of God, and with the family of God

Paul closes the letter with this prayer

2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 ESV

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,

so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Trial brings Strength

Paul ends the chapter right where he began it in verse 5

he prays the persecution they are facing will only make their faith stronger

like these weights

James says this

James 1:2–4 ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Be Made Worthy of Your Calling

May the trials, tribulations, and persecutions we face in this life make our faith stronger, and as such, may we grow into the calling that God has on each of our lives. May we grow in the gifts He has given us, and use them to His glory.

Let’s Pray