The Future According to GodSample

2 THESSALONIANS 1: Persevere

Today, we begin 2 Thessalonians. We will look at my English Standard Version Study Bible book introduction as we look at 2

Thessalonians. As in 1 Thessalonians, Paul is the writer of 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians was probably written shortly after 1 Thessalonians, from Corinth, in about 50-51 A.D., because Paul had received a report that the situation in Thessalonica had taken a surprising turn.

The church had accepted the strange claim that the day of the Lord had already come. As a result, they were shaken and frightened. They were also suffering persecution, which may have contributed to their confusion about the end times.

Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians to reassure those terrified by the thought that the day of the Lord had come, that it certainly had not. He also addressed some of the lingering issues of his first letter, persecution, and some still refused to work.

The overriding theme of 2 Thessalonians is the second coming of Jesus, much like the first letter. 2 Thessalonians is the only book in the Bible written to correct a misunderstanding of a previous book, 1 Thessalonians. Paul also gives a graphic and frightening view of Jesus’s return and a very clear statement about what makes hell so horrific. Heaven is real, but so is hell. Please read or listen to 2 Thessalonians 1.

COMMENTS

To help us through 2 Thessalonians, this short little book, I selected the three journals we used in 1 Thessalonians, 1992, 1993, and 1994. Let’s see if there are differences in reading the same book three years in a row.

Let’s start with my journal entry from 1992, “The Thessalonian example, big faith, according to verse 3. Growing love for each other, again according to verse 3. Perseverance in persecution, verse 4. ‘Worthy of the kingdom of God’” (2 Thess 1:5 NASB). I finished with, “For me, count me worthy, fulfill goodness, work in faith, and power.” The next year, 1993, while looking at the journal, I discovered something very interesting. On the weekend, I was reading 2 Thessalonians, and I was at a men’s retreat in Fairplay, Colorado. By looking at the notes in my journal, this was the weekend of the first message of the Ezra Project, ever.

I was asked by a friend to speak at a men’s retreat. I told him, “No, I don’t speak at men’s retreats.” He persisted, and I ended up speaking. I remember, in the preparation ahead of time, wondering what in the world I would share with a bunch of men. I got some advice from a friend who spoke at men’s retreats. He suggested sharing about being husbands and sharing about being fathers. But his real advice was to share something really, really important to me. Because the Word of God was really, really important to me, I developed the first “Ezra Project message” for this retreat in 1993.

This was before the Ezra Project even existed; it started in 2002. Looking back on some notes leading up to that weekend, I had one note that said, “For Sword Ministries,” my own ministry of the Word of God. So it was not even called the Ezra Project. It had no name. It was Sword because the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. Another note I wrote leading up to the retreat was, “For each man attending the men’s retreat, for their needs and expectations, for an anointing on me as I share with them, for God’s will at the retreat.”

On Saturday, I made this note about Friday night, “Nineteen men are here. Lord, You were easy on me for this humble beginning. Last night went well. I spoke for about forty minutes on ‘Seek: Seeking God through His Word.’ I shared my testimony and my journals, had a discussion, and had a time of prayer afterwards. Brought ten journals, gave away seven. Have three left. Today is ‘Find’.”

Then I wrote my prayer, “For the nineteen men here that God’s will be done in each life here. That these men would become daily Bible readers. That their needs will be met here at this retreat.” Yes, this was the precursor message to the Ezra Project, which started almost ten years later. This retreat was in 1993; the Ezra Project started in 2002.

On that day, I read 2 Thessalonians, the whole book in one day, all three chapters. I summarized the whole book in this journal entry, “‘stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught’ (2 Thess 2:15 NASB) because there will be a deluding influence so that they may believe what is fake. Work so we won’t be a burden to others. And live a disciplined life. ‘Do not grow weary of doing good’” (2 Thess 3:13 NASB).

The next year, 1994, I read the first chapter of 2 Thessalonians on one day and wrote, “‘give thanks because your faith is greatly enlarged’ (2 Thess 1:3 NASB), you love one another, persevere in the midst of persecutions.” Then, “There will be a righteous judgment. God will repay those who affect us. He will deal out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel. The penalty will be eternal destruction.”

Let’s take a look at 2 Thessalonians 1. We notice in the very first verse, like in 1 Thessalonians, Paul takes a team approach to writing this letter, saying, “Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy” (2 Thess 1:1 ESV), all of whom had visited and preached in Thessalonica.

Paul begins with a compliment in verse 3, “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” (2 Thess 1:3 ESV). Could that be said about your Christianity? Is your faith growing abundantly, and your love for everyone increasing? Growing faith and increasing love should be evidence of our Christianity, just like they were for the church at Thessalonica.

He goes on to compliment them for their steadfastness and their faith in spite of the persecutions and afflictions they were enduring. Again, can that be said of your Christianity? Though you may have faced persecutions, you may have faced afflictions, were you steadfast? Did you endure? In verse 5, Paul tells them they are considered worthy of the kingdom of God because they persevered through suffering and persecution.

He addresses the persecution we learned about in the introduction of this book. He says God will repay those who are persecuting them with a mighty hand, “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” (2 Thess 2:8-9 ESV).

We conclude chapter 1 with this powerful encouragement, “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” (2 Thess 1:12 ESV).

DIGGING DEEPER

Does your Christian life glorify the Lord? Let’s close with a couple of applications from this short chapter:

•Grow in your faith

•Increase in love for people

•Stand steadfast in persecution and affliction

Does your Christian life give glory to God in all you do and say?

PRAYER

Father, it is good to see what Paul sees in the Thessalonica church: growth and maturity. He sees them growing in their faith, growing in their love, standing firm against persecution and affliction, and glorifying You in their lives. May we, as Christians, never be stagnant but always be growing in the same way.

Holy Spirit grow us up in You. May those around us, 1) know we are Christians, 2) see our faith growing, 3) see our love increasing, 4) see us stand firm against persecution and affliction, and finally, 5) glorify You in all we do. Help us, Holy Spirit, do these things. In Jesus’ name, amen.