Read 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul goes to great lengths to demonstrate two great works of Jesus and God in the Thessalonian churches lives—their regeneration and their sanctification
It appears that Paul wrote this second letter very soon after the first—perhaps even within a few weeks. Consider 2 Thessalonians as a sort of “emergency follow-up” letter. We learned earlier that the believers in Thessalonica are being put through a great deal of persecutions and trials for their faith. In this letter we see that they are also being frightened and confused by false teachers trying to convince them that they missed the return of Christ.
The thought that they missed the return of Christ has thrown them into turmoil, with some church members giving up their vocations or abandoning their families because of their mistaken belief that the end of the age had come.
Paul writes this letter to encourage them to stand fast in the midst of their trials.
Paul begins his letter with his customary encouragement to his readers.
And then in verse 4 he gives his reasons for boasting in them and to call them to stand firm—standing fast in the middle of trials. The same thing had happened to Paul and Barnabas in Antioch was happening to the believers at Thessalonica. They are suffering the same kind of “persecution” where they are getting chased down by angry mobs. It wasn’t enough for them to “keep their heads down” and stay out of trouble; trouble was starting to come looking for them. What would you do if you were faced with this kind of persecution?
This is the question before us this morning—how do you keep going in light of the continuing animosity of this world against your faith?
Christians are not actually being chased down and driven out because of our commitment to Jeus. Or are we?
I don’t know about you, but watching or listening to or reading any kind of news these days is an exhausting endeavor—you’re always on edge; always waiting for the ax to drop, as it were. And it is more than the news, it is in the ads, the shows, everywhere.
Is this going to be the day when HR sends around the form that I have to sign stating that I will use people’s preferred pronouns? Is this going to be the day that Congress passes legislation forcing abortion on demand on all 50 states? Is the next mass murder going to take place in our area? Is the IRS really going to send out an army of new agents to try to shut down churches over alleged tax law violations?
There is always some new threat to religious liberty, some new way that believers are slandered as bigots and idiots, some new reason why Christianity is a danger to society. And always politically correctly stated.
And over time, the constant tension of living under these things takes its toll. You begin to succumb to anxiety and fear, you begin to give in to unbelief that says there is no place for Christ in this world.
But here is what Paul aims to show his readers who were suffering persecution.
The Scriptures today give us hope and relief.
Jesus promises RELIEF to those who REVERE Him and RETRIBUTION to those who REJECT Him
This is how Paul answered the fears and anxieties of the believers in Thessalonica who were suffering the hatred and animosity of the culture around them—first, by pointing to
I. A HOPEFUL future for the FAITHFUL (2 Thess. 1:6-7, 10-12)
In the midst of all the stress and tension and anxiety of the days you live in, Christian, see that Christ will bring you RELIEF (1:6-7a)
In the middle of being hounded down, take heart, knowing that God will be pleased to make your enemies suffer in the same way!
When you are being pressed upon because you won’t go along with the way this society rebels against God’s decrees; when you are excluded or ridiculed or threatened because you are standing firm on what God’s Word says, remember that the day is coming when all of your steadfastness will be vindicated!
The Day is coming when there will be no more opposition to God’s decrees, because all of those who have opposed Him will themselves be afflicted. Not with the affliction that comes from mere human opposition, but afflicted by the very hand of God Himself! Take heart—God sees your affliction!
God is the HOPE for those who are faithful to Him. He will bring REST from your SORROWS.
Our prayer for The Wilderness is based on Luke 4:14 “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about him spread to the whole countryside.”
Let us pray: God, breakthrough with your dunamis power in all choices to accomplish your highest good. Amen