2 Thessalonians 3 The Lord is faithful // INTRO Before we get going with our text this morning in 2 Thessalonians 3, I wanted to let you know what’s coming next (if the Lord tarries, and I always add that because I am very excited to see Him face-to-face - and you should be, too!) The Scriptures tell us that “Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him!” But next week, if that hasn’t happened, then we’re planning on transitioning to the book of Hebrews I have loved and trembled at this decision Hebrews is a great book, but it’s also a book that requires a little bit more from those who read it or hear it or teach it, so I’m asking you now to be prayerful over the next week as we transition to Hebrews, and take time to reflect on your walk with the Lord Of course, that’s something we all ought to be doing regularly, but this affords us some opportunities to be even more thoughtful about what we are reading and studying But this morning, we’re in 2 Thessalonians 3 2 Thessalonians was likely written in AD 51 or 52 by the Apostle Paul And this book (actually another letter to the Believers living in and around Thessalonica) is filled with information that explains the End Times, and we’ve already seen a good bit of that in our reading and studying in chapters 1 and 2, and also going back to 1 Thessalonians before that But it also also exhorts us not to be idle, and tells us that we are to work for what we have And to that end, I want to encourage you to come to WED NIGHT POTLUCK if you can make it! We’re back to the discussion question format, like we do in Lifegroups, and those who have been able to make have been having a great time! I really hope you can make it this Wednesday! Don’t choose idleness at home when you can fellowship with the Saints (which is NOT to say that you might have a good reason that you can’t make it!) Join us if you can! As I’ve been reading and studying this week, there are some great prayers in 2 Thessalonians that can be an example for us in how to pray for other believers today And I hope that as we wrap up this book today, that you might find yourself going back to it again and again to use some of those prayers that Paul prays as a springboard for your prayer life So now, as we come to the end of Paul’s series of letters to the Thessalonians, we see that he is focused on faithfulness and encouraging that faithfulness in other believers, regardless of their origin, history, or context So let’s pick it up this morning in 2 Thessalonians 3 // TEXT & EXPOSITION [1] Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, [2] and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. [3] But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. Every single born-again Christian is either our brother or our sister in Christ There was an old Christian song that I heard year and years ago The name of the song was, “God ain't never had grandchild” which isn’t good grammar, but it was a great song Let me give you some of the lyrics… Little Johnny was raised In a church-going way Well, he wanted to find his pew And just 'cause Mommy And Daddy were saved Little Johnny thought he was too Well, he went to revival Had a great big Bible Was the pride of all the youth But God ain't never had a grandchild Only a child will do CHORUS: God ain't never had a grandchild Only a child will do If you're not a joint heir Then you ain't goin' there To the land He's build for you No cousin, niece or nephew Will be among the chosen few God ain't nevеr had a grandchild Only a child will do That’s not good grammar, but it IS good theology! And we don’t always act like it, but we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and God is our Father It grieves me (Grieves Him more) when our brothers and sisters withdraw from one another, or withhold from one another One of the signs of our times is that the Church is atrophying It’s a function of our ferociously independent spirits Oh, there are still MEGA-churches you can go to, but the smaller churches are trying to hang on To that end, I ask for prayers for Emmaus Road! Pray that the Lord would revitalize this church and give us vision and passion for reaching the lost and loving our neighbors all around us! And that He would supply all our needs according to His riches in glory But back in V1, the Word of the Lord sped along to others and was received and even honored by others That’s something we need to be continually praying for as well We must ask the Lord for strategies that will draw others in (believers and non-believers) We need to be daily praying for one another We should be asking our great God every day to be delivered from evil people in our lives, and asking Him to change and save those who would come against us And we must be vigilant with the well-meant Gospel message Not all have faith, which is why we must go and tell We must preach that message whenever we can Even if it’s a short conversation, or just handing someone a Gospel tract God is faithful to do the things that we can’t do on our own And the Lord’s faithfulness to us is great indeed! It is He who is the One who establishes and guards us And even though Christians do experience hardship, pain, and sorrow, I’d still say that we’re in good hands Yes, we have to endure what comes in THIS life, but also know what awaits us in the NEXT life And the thought of being with Jesus urges us on! [4] And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. [5] May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. Confidence - CON FIDE = With faith So confidence is having faith, specifically in Jesus and His great and precious promises to His children That confidence in the Lord is what drives and directs our hearts to love And He supplies all that we need for life and godliness Paul and Co. were confident in the Lord and His provision in all things, and also that the Thessalonians were listening to and adhering to what was commanded So what were some of those things?? Well, Paul prays that the Lord would direct their hearts to the Love of God - to AGAPE - and to the STEADFASTNESS of Christ! If you don’t already know, AGAPE is God’s perfect love for us It is not something that can be earned or merited in any way But it is His prerogative to love all people, and especially those who are of the true faith Psalm 145:8-9 - The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. [6] Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. [7] For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, [8] nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. This was a new command (at that time) to keep away from any brother or sister in Christ who is walking in idleness, meaning that he or she was not really doing anything of substance or importance, or serving anyone other than him or herself Just wandering along day to day, making little to no impact on the lives of others is not what God calls us to He gives us opportunities, if we have eyes to see them, and ears to hear Him speaking to us And the incredible thing is that He really wants us to join Him in His working He wants co-laborers in the fields with Him We are those co-laborers, if we’ll go The pagans in our culture aren’t going to do it, or take the Gospel message to the world - that’s our job! The same reality was true of anyone who was not in accord with the traditions (teachings) of Paul and the other Apostles Paul had not been idle with them, but had taught them well They were so careful around the pagans, so as not to be a stumbling block, that they did not eat anyone else’s food without payment or some form of reciprocation They worked hard, night and day so that they would not be a burden on anyone, and thereby malign the Name of Christ May we also have that level of care and nurture in our relationships with those who do not YET (operative word) know Jesus As a quick aside - this is why the Health and Wealth “gospel” is so damning The blab-it-and-grab-it crowd are firmly planted here in this life, not like the Saints who have one foot in Heaven already And Jesus spoke to this grievous error in Matthew 6:10-21 - Jesus said - 19“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” The health and wealth preachers and teachers continue to malign the Word, and take it out of context And whether they know it or not, they lead people astray from the Truth And if they do not repent, they will end up in the Lake of Fire forever! Paul had something to say about this (and we read this recently when we were in 1 Timothy) 1 Timothy 6:2–8 [2] Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things. [3] If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, [4] he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, [5] and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. [6] But godliness with contentment is great gain, [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. [8] But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. Getting back to 2 Thessalonians 3… [9] It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. [10] For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. [11] For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. [12] Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. The Apostles had the right to these things, but they set that aside to be gentle with these people, wanting them to come the knowledge of the Truth of the Gospel above all other things From Day 1 Paul had his eyes intently focused on the finish line, and seeing as many of these people as possible come to faith in Christ Jesus This is precisely why Paul HAD to call some of them out Had he not, the situation would have gotten worse [13] As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. [14] If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. [15] Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. The context here is the Believers in Jesus Paul is saying, “Keep going and don’t give up!” Don’t embrace the trash that the devil and the world throw at you! Keep doing good - it’s one of the reasons that Jesus has us still on the earth That, and to preach the Good News to those who need it (i.e. everyone) So count that as your job until you see Jesus face-to-face! Did you know that every person who has ever lived is going to see Jesus face-to-face?? It’s absolutely true! All the saints - those who’ve believed on Jesus and received salvation - will either die and see Him, or be raptured and see Him face-to-face But there are many who do not believe on Jesus Some of those do not know because the message has not come to them, and that is why we raise up missionaries and support them to go and tell But there is no excuse The Creation of God is itself a witness against those who would say there is no evidence of God It didn’t just POOF into existence by itself Every building has a builder - never forget that This life is temporary, but the Lake of Fire is forever I used to wish “bad” people would die and go to Hell, but I was young and didn't have a good perspective I don’t want anyone to be in Lake of Fire, but many will be whether I wish it or not The only ways we can impact and effect the eternal destinies of souls is to love the people around us and to share the gospel and the Word of God with them whenever we can And someone might disagree and say, “You’re just driving them away when you do that!” Where do you think they’ll be driven to? The 2nd Hell? No, they’re already “away” and will continue to be “away” until someone speaks the truth to them, and the Spirit brings them to life So Paul recommends not to treat that person as an enemy, but as someone the enemy has captured We should treat them warmly, but that also necessarily means that we have to tell the truth to them in love, and warn them of the wrath to come If we do not do that, then we are failing in our mission And we can be as loving and persuasive as possible, but we cannot choose salvation for anyone but ourselves So pray for those you know who need Jesus, and let Him use you! [16] Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. [17] I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. [18] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May the Lord of Peace give you HIS peace - that’s not a circumstantial peace at all It is a pervading peace that holds us close to Him despite whatever is going on around us or in us That’s the kind of peace you want - not the circumstantial type! Paul made sure that this letter was signed personally so that they would KNOW that it was from him He had a mark/sign that He used because of his loss of sight But it was the way that the recipients knew it was a genuine letter from him And he closes with a benediction: The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all! Grace - This word is CHARIS in Latin, but generally translates to “grace and kindness” So the closing prayer/benediction to this letter includes a very purposeful inclusion of this blessing And as we receive grace daily, we are bound by the love of Jesus to give it to others, and especially those that we, in our flesh, might want to skip over But Christ is our example in all things, so we obey Him, and imitate Him in the way that we live It’s not always easy, but it is what Jesus has called us to // APPLICATION The Lord is faithful because He can can’t be unfaithful And what He says, He WILL do! You can count on that! And when Paul implores the Thessalonians to pray for him and those who were assisting him, he knew that it was done, and that those who said they would pray would absolutely do so This was so that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored We need to be a people of integrity, doing what we say we will do, and walking in holiness And this is precisely why the text this morning tells us to keep away from any brother or sister in Christ who is walking in idleness, and I am sure there were many who were idle then, just as it is in the Church today But Jesus also reminds us to not grow weary in doing good And sometimes that is a hard thing to practice But we know that we have this promise from the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Paul: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way! Amen.” So be it! Let’s pray! // PRAY Heavenly Father, I come before You today with a humble heart I implore You to move in a mighty way in these closing days of the Church as we tarry in this world Things seem to be speeding up all around us, and there is deception on every side, along with wars and rumors of wars I pray that Your Gospel would continue to be effective for what you have sent it to do, and that it would spread rapidly throughout the rest of the world, bringing glory to Your name and salvation to the Lost Thank You for our brothers and sisters around the world who are spreading the Gospel, and teaching the Word of truth in their contexts We ask that You would empower them with strength and courage to continue proclaiming the good news of the Gospel of grace Equip each one (including us) with the resources we need to effectively reach out to the lost and hurting May Your Spirit move in a powerful way in the hearts of those who hear the gospel message in these days May they be drawn to it, and come to know your saving grace Thank You for the privilege of prayer, and we ask that You would draw us closer to Yourself as we stand firm in prayer, as we minister to others, and one another, for Your glory I ask all of this in your name, Jesus, AMEN. // SING // GO May Jesus give us the confidence to take God’s Word to the world around us, and especially to the least of these among us Our hope is in Jesus - no one else! Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! After service down front stick around if you’re at all interested in worship and worship team stuff Emmaus Road Church, YOU ARE SENT!!