2 THESSALONIANS 3:1-52007 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2007. It's all about the Lord. You know, some amazing things happened in Thessalonica, but it was not because of the Thessalonians. It was because of the Lord. The Thessalonians were enduring some great hardship and persecution as Paul was writing this.

But it wasn't because of themselves, their strength and their ability and what they had that they were able to endure. It was because of the Lord. Everything that we have, all that we have accomplished, all that we will ever do, it's all from the Lord. It's His work in our lives, starting with salvation.

Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 tell us, By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Salvation is not because of us or what we've done, how good we are, or what we can accomplish. Paul tells us,

It's by grace that you've been saved through faith. And that faith is not even your own. It's not of yourselves. It's a gift of God. It's not of works. Lest anyone should then boast, look at what I've done. Look at how I've saved myself. Look how great I am. Look how much the Lord favors me. Our salvation, our faith is not of ourselves. It is from the Lord. We do not have anything to boast about.

Except for the Lord. We can boast about him, but there's nothing else. We don't have anything to offer. Paul spends these verses here reminding us that it's all about the Lord and not about us. And so let's take the next few moments and remember these things for ourselves as well. As we look at these four times that Paul references the Lord and remember in our lives our need,

For the Lord. The work of the Lord. That it's all about him. And not about us. The first time he makes reference to the Lord. Is found in verse 1. As he's asking them for prayer. He says pray that the word of the Lord. May run swiftly and be glorified. Just as it is with you. Pray that the word of the Lord. May run swiftly and be glorified. You know the word of the Lord. Is.

is very powerful. It works mighty things. Incredibly powerful. The word of the Lord produces faith. We saw that last week in Romans chapter 10 verse 17. So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The word of the Lord is what produces faith in a person's life. If you are born again,

Then you have experienced this. You heard the word of the Lord. It produced faith and you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so you can testify and agree the word of the Lord is powerful. It produces faith. The word of the Lord is likened to a fire and a hammer in Jeremiah chapter 23 verse 29.

They're quoting God. It says, is not my word like a fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. Have you ever been smacked upside the head by the word of God? I don't mean by someone swinging a Bible at you, but you know how it is when the word of God just knocks you down. Feels like you've been hit with a two by four because of the word of God. That's like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.

In those areas in your life, in those things that you've gone through where the word of God smacks, beats down, breaks in pieces, or like a fire, burns and purges as it cleanses our hearts. If you're a believer, you've experienced that. You can testify the word of the Lord is powerful. It's like a fire. It's like a hammer. The word of the Lord is also powerful.

Living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword. Hebrews 4.12 For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Have you ever been pierced by the word of the Lord? Have you ever had the word of the Lord reveal to your own heart or reveal to you your own heart?

Reveal to you your own motives and intents. Reveal to you some things about yourself that even maybe you didn't want to know. If you're a believer, you have. You've experienced the power of the Word of God producing faith, being like a fire and like a hammer within you. And you've experienced that it's living and active and sharper than a double-edged sword. The point is that there is no deficiency in the Word of the Lord.

It is sufficient and effective for every person, for every life without exception. The word of God is powerful. It's not lacking. It's not deficient. But it is the word of the Lord. The Thessalonians knew this. They had experienced a radical movement as a result of the word of the Lord. But what about you?

Paul says, pray that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified just as it is with you. Is the word of God running swiftly and being glorified in your life? If the rest of the world was impacted by the word of God the same way that you are, what kind of world would it be? If the rest of this church was

spent as much time in the word of God as you do, what kind of church would this be? If the word of God was working in everyone else like it's working in you, what kind of work of God would be taking place? Is the word of God running swiftly and being glorified in your life? Now, this is what I find very interesting, because Paul is telling them, pray that the word would work in them and those that we're ministering to as it is in you.

Now, is Paul just using an example here of how they should pray for the Lord to work? Lord, do the exact same thing over there that you've done here. Or is something else going on? I suggest to you there is. Here's what I suggest to you. Paul's saying, look, you cannot pray for the word to work in them more than you allow the word to work in you. You can't pray for God to be working there when you're not allowing God to work within your own heart.

You know, as Christians, sometimes we can have that type of attitude. Personally, for me as a pastor, sometimes this is one of those areas that can be the most difficult. As I share a message with you, I cannot ask God to work in your hearts with the word unless I have first asked him to work in my heart with the word.

I cannot decide, Lord, I know you're speaking to me about this. I know you want to work in this area, but you know, I'm just not ready to deal with it or surrender that to you. However, I'm going to share it, God. I will share it. I'll give it to the people because it is right. It is best. And I know it's your word. So please do the work in those who hear. But but what I'm not ready for you to do that in my life yet. I can't do that. And neither can you.

Paul says, pray for them that the Lord would be working in them, that the word of the Lord would be running swiftly and being glorified just as it is in you. Do you want the word of God to work powerfully in your children, in your family, in your co-workers and neighbors? You want the word of God to work powerfully in the missionaries and those that God has sent out from here? Then first, the word of God must work powerfully in you.

You cannot say, I'm going to be rebellious, but Lord, help them to be obedient. It doesn't work that way. Is the word of God running swiftly and being glorified in your life? See, God wants your primary attention to be upon him. Let me put it this way. God wants you to be more concerned about your own relationship with him than other people's relationship with him.

Now there's probably somewhat of a reflex that takes place inside you when I say that. Did he say what? What is he saying? That can't be right. Let me say it again. God wants you to be more concerned about your own relationship with him than other people's relationship with him. Jesus, in Matthew chapter 7, verses 3 through 5, says before you go to your brother and deal with that speck in his eye, first you need to deal with the plank first.

In your own eye. First, you need to get right with the Lord. You need to get set straight with God. You need to get your heart in line with the things of God. And then once that's been taken care of, then you can minister to your brother who has a speck in his eye. First things first, Jesus says, you get right with God. You be where he wants you to be. You do the things that he's called you to do.

Think about Joshua as he's ministering to the children of Israel. He says, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24, 15. We will serve the Lord. You guys need to serve the Lord. But first things first, for us, we're getting right with God. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. You make your own decision. You make your own choice. Is the word of God running swiftly and being glorified in your life?

There's no deficiency of the word of the Lord. It's not lacking. It is sufficient. It is effective for every purpose, for every life. So is the word of God running swiftly and being glorified in your life? If the word isn't lacking, yet it's not running swiftly and being glorified in your life. Well, what's lacking? See, I suggest to you that Paul's saying, look,

God's doing a work in you guys, and that's awesome. And so be praying for others as well. But you can't pray for God to do more in them than you're willing to allow him to do in you. You need to get right with God. You need to allow God to work in you through his word. In 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13, as Paul is writing the first letter, just a month or so prior to the letter we're reading now,

He says, look, when the word of God came to you, you received it as it really is. The word of God. And he described it saying this. He says, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. See, the word of God is effective. It is sufficient. But it works effectively in those who believe. It works effectively in those who believe. The word of God runs swiftly and is glorified.

And those who believe. It requires faith. Belief. I like how one pastor described what it means to believe the word of God. To believe the word of God is to be living the word of God. That's how you know what you believe. How do you live? What do you put into practice? It's not the word of God that's deficient, but it's our belief.

If it's not running swiftly and being glorified in our hearts. The word of the Lord. Get into the word of the Lord. Believe the word of the Lord and let it work effectively in you. And then pray that God, that his word would work in the lives of others as much as it works in you. The second thing that Paul makes reference to regarding the Lord is found in verse 3. It says this.

But the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. The second thing that we see, the phrase that Paul uses regarding the Lord is he says the Lord is faithful. The Lord is faithful. That phrase alone deserves a praise the Lord and a hallelujah. So how about it? Amen. Praise the Lord. He is faithful.

The Lord is not wishy-washy. He is faithful. You can trust him. You can depend upon him. He will never fail. He is our solid rock, our strong tower. He does not change. He's perfect in all his ways. He will keep his word. The Lord is faithful.

Numbers chapter 23, verse 19. Deuteronomy 7, 9.

Deuteronomy 32, 4. Psalm 89, 34. Lamentations 3, 22, 23.

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Who is faithful? The Lord is faithful. Now, Paul tells us two things that he will do in the life of a believer, and he will do it. Do you know why? Because he's faithful. He says, the Lord is faithful who will establish you.

That would establish means to make stable, to strengthen, to make firm. Who will establish you? How can you be sure he'll do it? Because he's faithful. Look, if you need to be established, if you need to be made firm, if you need to stand strong, who do you look to? Do you look to yourself?

Well, I need to work harder. I need to try harder. I need to be more committed. I just need to spend more time in the word. I need to do that. Are you looking to yourself to establish you? If you are, you're looking in the wrong place. Again, what do you have to boast of? Absolutely nothing. Do you think that'll ever change? Absolutely not.

You have nothing to boast of. You cannot establish yourself. You can't try harder. You can't be more determined. You can't work. It's not about you. The Lord is faithful. He will establish you. And so we look to him and say, Lord, I need to be established. I am shaky. I do fail. I stumble and fall. Lord, you establish me. And then when he does, he gets the glory and it's his work.

Then we can't look at others and say, yeah, I used to be like you. I used to be shaky. I used to have those doubts. I used to stumble in that area. But then I... No. But then the Lord, then God, He establishes. Not me. The Lord is the one who establishes. And He is faithful. He will do it. So keep looking to Him. Keep trusting in Him.

He will do it. He is faithful. David expressed this in Psalm chapter 40, verses 1 and 2. He says, I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps. The Lord established him.

The Lord brought him out of the miry clay. The Lord set his feet upon the rock. What did David do? He waited patiently. Wait patiently. He will do it. He will set your feet upon a rock. Wait patiently for the Lord. He is faithful. He's faithful to establish you. But he's also faithful, Paul says, to guard you from the evil one. Who will guard you from the evil one?

How can you be sure he'll do it? He's faithful. The Lord will guard you from the evil one. Now, some might be quick to object at this point. What about the bad things that happen to people? You know, what about the Christians who are murdered or beaten? First, we must understand what Paul means when he says that the Lord will guard us from the evil one. This word guard, it means to keep a person that he may remain safe.

It means to keep from being snatched away, to preserve safe and unimpaired. And it means to guard from being lost or perishing. Yes, it's true. Bad things do happen to Christians. If you need an example of that, look at our example, Jesus Christ. He was crucified. Many of you might say that that was a bad thing. Some would call it evil, but God was faithful to him.

And he guarded him from the evil one. See, Psalm chapter 16 is quoted in the Gospels at the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Psalm chapter 16, verse 10, a reference to the Messiah says, For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. The Lord, God the Father, was Jesus' guard. And he did not leave his soul in

In Sheol or Hades. He did not allow his Holy One to see corruption. Now, understand the goal and the purposes of the evil one. Satan's goal is not to make you have a bad day. His goal is not to ruin your career. His goal is not to make your life miserable. His goal is not even to kill you. The devil's goal is to bring you with him to eternal damnation.

The scope always needs to be on eternity. The Lord is faithful. He will guard you from the evil one. It doesn't mean that you won't have bad days. It doesn't mean that sometimes you won't wake up on the wrong side of the bed. It doesn't mean that things won't be difficult. You should expect your life to be like the life of Christ.

You should expect there to be persecution and difficulty. Paul said all who desire to live godly will experience persecution. But the scope needs to be on eternity. Sure, things are difficult now. We have pain. We have heartache. We have sorrow. The devil destroys lives. But the Lord will guard you from the evil one. He guards you from the clutches of the enemy.

John 10, verse 29, Jesus says, My Father who has given them, that is the people, his disciples, My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. The Lord guards you from the clutches of the enemy. He cannot snatch you out of the Father's hand. The Lord guards you from the purposes of the enemy.

Romans chapter 8 verse 28, we know it very well. Paul says, All things. The things that Satan means for evil, God works together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

The Lord guards you from the purposes of the enemy. He guards you from the clutches of the enemy and he guards you from the temptation of the enemy. 1 Corinthians 10, 13, no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

He is faithful to guard you from the temptation of the enemy. He won't allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able. And he'll always provide for you and escape a way out. Temptation, attacks, discouragement, oppression. These things do happen. But God will guard you from the evil one. He is faithful.

I love Paul's question in Romans 8.31. What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? God is for you. He is for you. And He is faithful. He will guard you from the evil one. He will establish you. So trust Him and don't lose heart. Continue to cling fast to the Lord. First, we saw the Word of the Lord.

Then we saw the Lord is faithful. The third reference to the Lord that Paul uses found in verse 4 is confidence in the Lord. Verse 4 says this, Now, looking at verse 4, who does Paul have confidence in? The Lord.

Paul doesn't tell the Thessalonians, hey guys, I have confidence in you. You know you're good people and you've been really great and the Lord's done a great work. And so I have confidence in you that you're going to obey these commands. Again, we find that it is the Lord's work, his accomplishments, not our own. It's his word that works effectively in the hearts of those who believe.

It's him that is faithful to guard, to establish, and it's him that we have confidence in for obedience. We have nothing to boast of and we never will. Paul is confident in the Lord concerning their obedience, both now and in the future. We can't take credit for our obedience to the Lord.

Just like Paul, we should not have confidence in ourselves to obey the Lord or confidence in others to obey the Lord. Our confidence needs to be in the Lord. Philippians chapter 2 verse 13 tells us, For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. It's God who works in you.

It's not your work. It's not your strength. It's not that great character and integrity that you have. It's God who works in you both to will and to do the willingness, the desire and the ability. Now, there are commands and God does expect us to be obedient.

But how are we obedient? By our own strength? By our own power? By our own determination? No. Our confidence must only be in the Lord. You know, you cannot live the Christian life unless you are born again. You can't live it on your own power. You need the Lord working in you to will and to do. Your willingness to obey.

Your ability to obey is not from you. It's from the Lord. You cannot make yourself willing, nor can you give yourself the strength to obey. It's from the Lord. Paul says, we have confidence in the Lord concerning you. That you will do, and that you're already doing the things that we command you. Our confidence must be strong.

Now, we can easily think, we so easily think that obedience brings us closer to the Lord. But it's not true. The law, God's commands are there so that we can see our need for the Lord. So Paul said the law was the schoolmaster that brings us to Christ. We can hold up the commands of God and use that to examine our lives and realize, man,

I need the Lord. I fall short. I don't measure up. If you can look at God's commands and say, hey, I'm doing pretty good. I'm all right. Got that taken care of. Check that one. Taking care of. Check that one. Taking care of. Check if that's your attitude and your mentality toward the word of God and the commands of God, then let me tell you that you are blind.

That was the attitude, the mentality of the Pharisees. They felt we've got it all taken care of. We've got we're even stricter than the word of God. That means we must be really close to the Lord. We keep every detail. We do pretty well. Now, that's not what God's commands are for. It all comes back to relationship with God. God's not impressed with legalism. He's not impressed with a person forcing themselves to keep his commands. It doesn't impress him at all.

What impresses him? A broken spirit, a contrite heart, one who recognizes I need the Lord. See, God's plan, God's will is for you to have relationship with him. And from that relationship, through that relationship, he will work in you from the inside out to will and to do for his good pleasure.

His will is not for us to have all of these outside rules and regulations and try to keep these commands and be legalistic so that we can be close to the Lord. No, his desire, his plan. Jesus Christ paid the price for the penalty of our sins at the cross so that we can have perfect, close, intimate relationship with him. That's his plan. And from that relationship with him, he works within us.

to will and to do for his good pleasure. Our confidence needs not be in ourselves, in our rules, in our system, in our religion, but in the Lord. To do, present tense, and will do, future tense. Our confidence needs to be in the Lord, that we would be obedient now and that we will be obedient in the days to come to his commands. You and I break God's commands.

Not only that, we're not willing to be obedient. So what do we do? Try harder? Work more fervently? Be more determined? No. It's not try harder. It's stay closer. You don't need more rules. You need more relationship. You can't fix it by being more legalistic. You go back to the relationship with the Lord. Stay close to Him. Draw close to Him. It's through relationship with God that

That he works the will and the to do in us. In John chapter 14, Jesus is talking to his disciples and he's explaining to them the relationship that exists between the keeping of the commands and love. He says in John 14, 23, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Verse 24 of John 14, He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. There's a relationship that exists. If you love God, you will keep his commands. That doesn't mean if you love God, then you'll be legalistic and you'll force yourself and be real strict. No. No, no. See, if you love God,

If you have a loving relationship with him, then he will work in you the will and the to-do, and you will keep his commands. It's based on a relationship with him. But if you do not love God, then you won't keep his commands. Even if you're legalistic, and even as hard as you try, you won't be able to. You'll be lacking, because it's not found in rules and regulations. It's not found in legalism, but it's found in a relationship with him.

Paul says our confidence is in the Lord. And this morning, you and I need to have the same confidence in the Lord that as we draw close to him, as we grow in our relationship with him, then he works in us the desire and the ability to keep his commands. Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

The fourth reference to the Lord that Paul gives in this passage is found in verse 5. He says, The fourth thing we see is that the Lord directs your hearts. Who directs our hearts? Can we direct our hearts? No. This is something that only God can do.

Paul prays for them that God would direct their hearts in two areas. Number one, the love of God. And number two, the patience of Christ. Now, the way that this is worded is interesting. Paul could be talking about directing our hearts in two different ways. Directing our hearts in God's love for us and Christ's patience. Or directing our hearts in our love for God. In our having patience like Christ.

God's love or our love for God. Christ's patience or our patience like Christ. Now I say, Paul's talking about both. They both go hand in hand because as we have God revealed to us, we become more like him. As our hearts are directed toward the love that God has for us, then we will love God. 1 John 4, 19 says,

John tells us we love him because he first loved us. The more that we learn, the more that we understand the love that God has for us, the more love we will have for him. The better understanding of the patience of Christ, the more we will demonstrate that same characteristic. As our hearts are directed toward Christ's patience or his endurance is another word for patience.

then we will do the same. We will be patient. We will endure. Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. You're familiar with that verse, I'm sure. Paul says, let us run with endurance, with patience, the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. Let us run with endurance, looking at Jesus who endured.

As we see His patience, as we understand His patience, His suffering, what He went through for you and I, it will equip us and enable us to demonstrate that same characteristic in our own lives. His love produces love in us. His patience produces patience in us. May God direct your hearts, Paul says. May the Lord direct your hearts.

This morning, how could the Lord direct our hearts to the love of God and the patience of Christ? Being the first Sunday of May, I wonder how he could possibly direct our hearts towards his love and patience. See, the first Sunday of the month, we practice an ordinance given to us by Jesus Christ that he told us to do in remembrance of him. We partake of communion together.

And what better way for the Lord to direct our hearts towards His love and towards the patience of Christ than to remember Jesus Christ. Remember the cross. Remember the elements of communion. What do they stand for? Well, the cup, it represents the blood of Christ that was shed for us. The bread represents His body that was broken for us.

That one event demonstrates to us the love of God and the patience of Christ. For God so loved the world, He sent His only begotten Son. He gave His only begotten Son. That whoever would believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus on the cross was evidence of God's love. The scourging, the beating, the abuse that He endured being nailed to the cross.

He showed great patience, endurance, trust in the Lord, and a love for us. It's often said it wasn't nails that hailed him to the cross, but his love for you and I. This morning as we approach the communion table, it's a perfect conclusion to what Paul is talking about here in verses 1 through 5. Directing our hearts to the Lord, his work.

His accomplishments, His purposes, His word, His faithfulness. It's all about Him. He meant it when He said, It is finished, as He hung upon the cross. He did it. He accomplished it. The Lord is faithful. Our confidence needs to be in Him. His word will work effectively in us as we put our faith and trust in Him, as we believe Him.

As our hearts are directed toward Him. And we draw close in our relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm going to have the worship team come forward and the ushers make ready for communion this morning. And I want to encourage you as we approach this time of communion. This time of relationship with God. It's the word of the Lord running swiftly and being glorified in your life. Now's the time to make things right.

You want God to work in the lives of the people around you? You want His Word to be effective in your family and at the workplace? Then first, you must allow God, you must allow His Word to be effective in your life as you believe it. The faithfulness of God, He will establish you. He will guard you as your trust in Him. Are you looking to Him as your confidence in Him?

Or are you trying to live the Christian life on your own, in your strength? Trying to scheme and connive really of how you can be obedient and how you can make it work and how you can accomplish these things? Let your confidence be in the Lord. Let Him work in you the desire and the ability to obey His word. Let Him direct your hearts. You can't do it.

And so as we spend this time, if there's areas and issues in your life, if there's things that God is speaking to you, believe his word, let it be effective and take this time to allow God to direct your heart towards his love, towards his patience. Whatever you're dealing with, whatever you're struggling with, whatever you're going through, let this time be a time where you say to the Lord, Lord, you direct my heart.

Show me, teach me about your love and about your patience that I may learn those same characteristics, that your word may work in me, that I will trust in you because you are faithful and that my confidence will be in you to work in me the will and the to-do for your good pleasure. But Lord, it's all about you. Let's spend this time and allow God to work in our hearts today.

the way that He desires. They're going to pass out the bread and the cup. Hold both portions. At the end, we'll partake together as a family. Let's worship the Lord together.