Highland, Satan has been raging against us lately. With us being on the front-lines and being in a position of seeing such great advancement for His Kingdom and Name in this next chapter, we must attune our hearts to remaining steadfast and stewarding well the power and the name of Jesus!
I want to us to firm our grip on God’s Word and maintain our posture as a people of prayer and press on! Let us hold fast to His goodness, His faithfulness and His purposes throughout this season of suffering! May we only continue to increase in our fruitfulness even as the persecution remains immense — especially as the persecution persists! He will see us through, Highland!
Sunday’s Sermon was unable to be recorded and posted, so I am writing a recap for us so that we can continue to cultivate our understanding of 2nd Thessalonians.
We started by getting a grip on the tone of this letter. Imagine that Paul has received an alarming email from those who make up the leadership of the Thessalonian Church. Their, perhaps, fretful email would consist of two concerns:
The church is experiencing suffering from surrounding people-groups.
There is confusion about the second-coming.
This letter is Paul’s response to their concerns. In summation, his initial response in chapter one is two-fold:
He opens their eyes to see the work that Christ is doing in them, both personally and collectively.
He points them toward the holy-nature of God as Lord and Judge, drawing them away from the pressing issues.
Let’s start looking at the text:
““We must always thank God for you, brothers. This is right, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing. Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God’s churches — about your endurance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you endure. It is a clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, since it is righteous for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along with us.””
Along the lines of the first point, Paul’s explaining to them: “You who belong to Christ Jesus; you belong to the family of God.” Then he tells them that their faith and their love for one another is producing an evidence of Christ’s righteousness among them, resulting in God finding them worthy of His Kingdom.
Diving into the second point a little deeper, we tend to want to dismiss God as Judge, but He certainly is the One who sits on the throne. Though we often think of judgment as negative or condemning, remember that a judge can render a righteous judgment, too. He therefore also sets free. Not only does He have the capability to set free, but it is His desire to do so. God’s Word tells us that He is just, yet merciful - meaning that, though He sits on the bench, He celebrates the opportunity to impart mercy.
Jesus speaks to His role and heart as Judge in John 5. See below:
““The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.””
Paul then echoes this in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10…
“This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from His glorious strength; in that day when He comes to be glorified by His saints and to be admired by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.”
During this new covenant-age, those who reject the gospel of Christ Jesus render judgment upon themselves. Christ Himself will be revealed and render judgment on those who remain unrepentant. Therefore, Paul directs those who are part of the church of Thessalonica to leave vengeance in the hands of the Lord - rather, he tells them to continue to produce the healthy, gospel-flavored evidence of their salvation. Those who taste of the Lord’s testimony that come to believe that Jesus is Lord benefit from the goodness of God in the worst of times! Paul then directs them back to ‘stewardship and steadfastness.’
“And in view of this, we always pray for you that our God will consider you worthy of His calling, and will, by His power, fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Considering the future-hope we have in Christ, continue to produce, Highland, a steady faithfulness that is abounding in gospel-flavored fruit. In so doing, like these believers, Highland, no matter what persecution we are facing - we will continue to be good stewards of His calling; of His Name. Let our good be found in His glory, Highland!
I love you, Highland.
Gratefully,
Rob