2 THESSALONIANS 1-3 WE SHALL BE CAUGHT UP2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Thessalonians 1-3 We Shall Be Caught Up

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 2014.

And for the rest of us, we're going to be here in 1st and 2nd Thessalonians this evening as we review and look at the chapters that we read this week going through the Bible in three years. We start out in 1st Thessalonians and both of these books are written by the Apostle Paul.

They're letters to the church that was located in a place called Thessalonica. And he wrote these letters around 51 AD, which makes them the earliest of his letters. And I'll show you that in just a moment. But as he writes this first letter to them, the purpose was to urge them to worthwhile conduct or conduct worthy of the gospel.

He also wrote to comfort them regarding those who had died in Christ and then also to instruct them on how to live in a godly manner. The theme that you see throughout the book of 1 Thessalonians is the coming of the Lord. It's something he refers to pretty much in every chapter. It's a reference to the looking forward to the return of Jesus.

As you look at the timeline, again, he wrote it around 51 AD. The context for that is what you find in Acts chapter 16, 17, and 18. It's part of Paul's second missionary journey that he visits Thessalonica and establishes the church there. And then he moves on from there. He goes down to Corinth.

And it's in Corinth that he's writing this letter back to the church in Thessalonica. And so here's what that looks like on the map. There you see the purple arrows. That's the whole overview of Paul's second missionary journey in Acts chapter 16, 17, and 18.

But as part of that, he visited Thessalonica. He was there for three weeks or three Sabbaths he was ministering. And then there was, you know, some trouble, some distress. And so he was rushed out of the city. He went on to Berea. He had some trouble there as well. And so then he went down south to Athens and then to Corinth where he stayed for a year and a half.

And it was during that time that he was in Corinth that he was writing this letter and 2 Thessalonians back to them to address the situations that were going on in the church there in Thessalonica. But you can understand Paul's concern for them because he was only there for three weeks. And so they were brand new believers, just barely established. He had to leave because of the trouble that was stirred up.

And so as he's writing back to them, he's reminding them of the things that he shared and encouraging them to press forward in the new life that they have in Christ.

Well, we get started in our chapters in chapter 1 of 1 Thessalonians, and verse 2 is the key verse. It says, Here Paul introduces himself in verse 1 as he usually does. Paul says,

to the church of the Thessalonians. In verses 2 through 4, he says, we give thanks and mention you in our prayers. This is a consistent pattern that we see in the Apostle Paul as he's been writing to the different churches. He writes,

Make sure to let them know that he has been praying for them. And it's following this pattern that we encourage you week after week to connect with our missionaries and letting them know, you know, that same type of thing that we are praying

praying for them, that we are thanking God for them, that we are with them in the battle and in the ministry, that we want to see them succeed. And so we are lifting them up in prayers continually. And it's an encouraging thing that Paul is writing to them. He's letting them know

You guys are on my heart. I had to leave because of the trouble that was there. And so I had to leave. But it's not because, you know, I don't care about you. I'm always thanking God for you. I'm always praying for you.

Now, one of the things that you see in verses 2 through 4 is the mention of faith, hope, and love. And this is a theme that you will see throughout this letter and 2 Thessalonians as well. Check out verse 3. He says, "...remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father."

He talks about their work of faith, their labor of love, and their patience of hope. These are three characteristics that are essential in the life of a believer.

Now faith, I would kind of give the summary definition as obedience to God at his word. And their work of faith, it is their obedience. They're living it out. They're acting out obedience to what God has declared. And so they have this work of faith that Paul is able to rejoice over. But they also have the labor of love.

Now, labor, this idea is the toil or the sacrifice that goes into a work. And so the work that they do is a work of love. And love, I would give a summary definition as love is doing what is best for others.

That's what Jesus did for us, right? He died upon the cross for our sins. It's not necessarily what we would have asked for if we had the opportunity, but it was what was best for us and that's what he always does for us is what is best.

And so that is the manifestation of love. And so they were laboring, they were sacrificing, they were toiling, they were exhausted from their labor, but it was because of love. And so they were working and laboring in love and faith.

But then also they had patience of hope. Now patience is the idea of endurance. And so they're in the midst of suffering. And Paul will talk about that as well. And yet they're enduring in the midst of that suffering because they have hope now.

And I would give a summary definition of hope as it's the confident focus on eternity. You guys are focused on eternity and it's helping you to endure the affliction and the suffering and the hard times that you're going through. And so Paul says in this faith, hope, and love, I'm remembering that you guys are established in that, that you're carrying on in that. You have faith, you have love, you have hope. And so I would give a summary definition of hope as it's the confident focus on eternity.

And so I'm rejoicing in that and I'm continuing to pray for you as I give thanks to God for these things in your life. These are things we'll kind of touch on throughout our time together this evening because they are essentials to the Christian life and they are repeated throughout this epistle. Well then in verses 5 through 10, Paul says, "...you became examples to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia."

Now you can see here as we're here in chapter 1, I mean this is not Paul trying to write some theological, you know, document. He is, he's writing a letter. He's saying, hey guys, you know, I had to go. I couldn't stay very long, but I'm thanking God for you. And I want to let you know that you became examples to all the region for those who believe.

He says in verse 9, he says, They themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Verse 10, And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. Paul reminds them of the transformation that took place as they received the word of God.

And he says, as you believed, you turned from idols to serve the living and true God. You repented. You began to follow the true and living God. And the change is so remarkable.

That in that whole region they've heard about it. Macedonia is the region where Thessalonica is. And then Achaia is the region south of that where Athens and Corinth is. And so the testimony of this story.

or these people who had believed in Jesus and turned from idols and turned to God, it was so great that it was, well, the word got out and people knew. And so when Paul showed up into a place, they would,

Connect the dots and realize, oh, you are the one who is in Thessalonica. And it was like they didn't even have to preach the gospel. It had already been preached for them by the testimony of what had happened in Thessalonica. It's a great witness that they have to the region around them.

The kind of witness that you and I really should desire to have and aspire to have. That the testimony of what God has done in us would be spread. You know, that we wouldn't have to like tell everybody, look what has happened. But that it would be evident and that others, you know, would deliver the message. It would be clear and evident to the people around us. Now, how can you...

correct a witness if it's not so great? If your witness isn't matching with the Thessalonians, how do you correct that? Well, again, let's go back to what Paul established in them and what he rejoiced in them was their faith, hope, and love. He says, I remember without ceasing in verse three, your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope.

And so I want to encourage you this evening that these are three things that you should seek God for, that you should pay attention to in your life. Faith, again, it's obedience to God at His word.

That is to read his word and to put it into practice. To understand what God is speaking to you personally and what that means for your life. As you understand the context of the passages, as you understand the things that are going on. But then you also through that hear from the Lord about your own life.

And faith is not not knowing what to do and just, you know, selecting something at random to do. Faith is hearing God at his word and then doing it, putting it into practice, believing him and doing what he says. And so as he speaks to you from his word or as he speaks to you directly to your heart that you know the Lord is speaking to you, then we are to be obedient to

to his word. And that's what faith is all about. James tells us not to be hearers only of the word because then we just deceive ourselves. But we are to be doers of the word. We're to put these things into practice and seek to live them out. And that should always be our goal and our objective as we get into the word of God. That we are looking for those things that God wants to speak directly to us. That we could live them out.

Again, the summary definition is it's doing what is best for others.

Again, that's what Jesus did for us. And it's to be the motivation for all that we do, that we would have a great love, the same love that God has towards us, that we would have that for one another within the body of Christ, but then also for those who are outside of the body of Christ, that we would love them and that our actions and our decisions would be based upon this, well, what is best for

For the people that I am ministering to, the people that I'm serving, the people that I'm working for, what is best for them? And so that is what I'm going to do. And so that's the idea here of love. And it's to be labors of love in our lives where we give of ourselves, that we sacrifice. We are weary and exhausted as a result of our giving in love to others in what is best for them.

But then we also have hope. And this hope is essential as well. This is the confident focus on eternity. This isn't like maybe hopefully we're going to enter into eternity or maybe hopefully we'll make it to heaven. But that confidence recognizing I will be in eternity with Jesus. I will be with him forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. And that's what I'm going to be focused on. And in the midst of that focus, we're going to be in eternity.

Well, we can endure all kinds of affliction and difficulty because we know what lies ahead for us in eternity. Like Paul told us last week in Colossians, we are to set our minds on things above. And sometimes...

we are not such great examples of Christ because we're consumed with this life. We're really focused on what's going on here and we're not as focused on what is going on in eternity and what it is that we are looking forward to.

And so we need to have this confident focus on eternity. And that helps us to endure and to be a good witness and to, well, then to be able to do the labor of love and the work of faith that we just talked about. And so these are three essentials for us as believers and areas that God desires for us to grow and to develop and to abound more and more in these things.

Well, now we go on to chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians. Verse 8 is the key verse. It says, In verses 1 through 6, Paul says,

Paul reminds them of his time there in Thessalonica. He says in verse 2, even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. Now if you'll look back later on to Acts chapter 16, you'll remember what happened to Paul in Philippi.

There he met up with Lydia and some ladies there by the river and got to lead them to the Lord and tell them about Jesus. And that was exciting. But then as God is doing this work, well, Paul gets thrown in prison and

He gets beaten unjustly. He didn't do anything wrong. And so he's there imprisoned. He's been beaten for doing nothing wrong. And then there's the earthquake and all the chains are loosed and the doors are opened and they refuse to run. And the jailer says, hey, there's something different about you guys. What do I need to do to be saved? I've heard your testimony. I've heard your message and I want to receive that.

And so Paul had some persecution, some difficulty. And so he says, I came from Philippi to you guys. I wasn't allowed to stay in Philippi. There was persecution as a result of the message. But even though I had experienced that persecution, when I came to Thessalonica, I remained bold. I made sure to be bold and clear in the witness of testifying to you the gospel. And there was great conflict there.

At the same time though, not just in Philippi, but then also in Thessalonica. And you can look at Acts chapter 17 verse 5 where it talks about the Jews who did not believe Paul's message and they were envious of the followers who were believing in Jesus. And so they gathered a mob and set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason where Paul was staying and teaching the gospel.

And so there in Acts chapter 17, you see Paul is really run out of Thessalonica by this mob of Jews who were in an uproar. And then Paul went to Berea after that and the same thing happened. The mob from Thessalonica followed him to Berea and then ran him out of Berea as well. And so Paul is reminding them of all these things that happened and saying,

He says in verse 4, he does this because he's not trying to please men, but he's trying to please God who tests our hearts. And so he says,

I was seeking to please God and so I was bold in presenting the gospel. He's providing himself as an example to the Thessalonians so that they can remember even in the midst of affliction and difficulty and attacks on the ministry that they are to seek to please God and not man and to be bold in the message of the gospel.

In verses 7 through 12, he says, we were gentle among you as a mother nourishes her children. It's nice to see the contrast here where Paul is talking about this great attacks that are against him and he stood up against those attacks and he's bold. But that didn't mean that he turned around and then beat the Thessalonians. No, he says, I was gentle with you as a mother nourishes her children. And so I fought against

against those attacks. I stood against those attacks and I made sure I was bold to preach the gospel. And then as I dealt with you, I also made sure that I was gentle, that I wasn't harsh, that I wasn't too rough or I didn't beat you with the message, but that I was tender and I took care of you just like a mom nourishes her children.

He says in verse 9, Paul says,

So that it wasn't a burden that you had to like, you know, come up with some money to put me up in a room and provide food for me. No, Paul worked. He was a tent maker. And so he labored. He worked. He provided for his own needs and then also preached the gospel so that he would be gentle to them and would be able to minister to them without being a burden.

Well, then in verses 13 through 16, Paul says, you received the word from us as the word of God. You received the word from us as it really is. That it wasn't just my word. And again, he's reminding them and they're in the midst of difficulty and affliction. And so he's reminding them, remember how when you heard the word, you recognize that this is the word of God.

And it's not just something that is man-made. You recognized that when I shared it there. And let me remind you of that fact. Then in verses 17 through 20, he says, Again, Paul is here just writing a letter. He's just encouraging this church that he recently visited and established. And he was only there for a few weeks. And he says, you know, I really want to see you guys with great desire.

In verse 18 he says, I've wanted to come back but Satan has hindered us and so I'm not able to go back to visit you. But I want you to know that I want to visit you. I care for you. And he's expressing this love and concern for the Thessalonians. Well now in chapter 3 verse 6 says,

He says, but now that Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news of your faith and love and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us as we also to see you. Here, Paul is really continuing on the thought from the previous chapter in verses 1 through 5. He says, we sent Timothy to establish and encourage you.

He really wanted to go back and visit the Thessalonians, but he was unable to. And so instead he sent Timothy to them.

And he sent Timothy, he says, because he is able to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith. And so I sent Timothy to help you, to establish you. I wasn't able to be with you for very long. And so he's able to spend some time with you and build you up in the faith and give you the foundation that you need.

And he's also able to help you then to not be freaked out about the trials and the persecution. That you won't be stressed out or confused whenever things are difficult because you are believing in Jesus. And so I sent Timothy to help you through that. I sent Timothy to establish you that you could be able to withstand those trials that come.

In verses 6 through 10, he says, And so Timothy went to Thessalonica for Paul. He came back and brought the news of what had happened while he was there. And as he brings back this news, he lets Paul know that

specifically about their faith and about their love now again this is two of the three things that we'll see repeated throughout this letter the the faith the love and the hope they're obedient to god at his word they're sincerely caring for others and doing what is best for them and so timothy has brought back this word and we've been comforted he says in verse 7 because of your faith

We've been comforted because you're doing well and you're steadfast in that. And so verse 8 he says, for now we live if you stand fast in the Lord. He says, what a relief it was for us to hear the news back from Timothy about how well you're doing and how established you are and that you are continuing in the things of God and not being swayed from it. Then in verses 11 through 13, Paul describes

gives his prayer for them. He says, may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another. And so they're continuing in love. They're continuing in faith. And Paul says, and my prayer is that you would continue to grow in those things. That you would, in verse 12, he says, may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you. And so he's

asking God to help them to continue to grow, to abound, to increase, to more and more love one another and the world around them. He says in verse 13, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. And so he's pointing them back to

To the things that are to come. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so they're to increase more and more to be established. So that they're able to stand before the Lord blameless in that day. And again that's the hope. That confident focus on eternity. That expectation of what is to come. And the return of Jesus. And so Paul is praying for them. That they would continue to increase and be steadfast. Until they are with the Lord.

Well now chapter 4 verse 17 is the key verse. It says,

Here Paul is going to be dealing with the rapture of the church. But before he gets to that in verses 1 through 8, he explains to them that the will of God is that they would be sanctified. Your sanctification, he says, is the will of God. This is God's will. Specifically in verse 3, he says that you should abstain from sexual immorality.

Sexual immorality was a prominent issue there in the Greek culture. It was something that, you know, they were proud of their stance. You know, they were proud of their condition where they had their prostitutes, they had their mistresses, and they had their wives. And each had their role and their purposes and they rejoiced and reveled and celebrated in that situation.

And that was the culture that they lived in. But Paul says, I want you to know, here's the will of God for you, that you abstain from sexual immorality. That God has given specific instructions about sexual relationships and that it is to be between a husband and a wife within a marriage relationship. And that is the limits and that is the boundaries for that sexual relationship. And so I

the will of God is for you to abstain from all other types of sexual relationships. And that's a message that is, of course, pertinent and appropriate for our culture and community as well. That it's God's will for you, it's God's will for those who will turn to him to abstain from sexual immorality.

To stop sleeping around outside of marriage. To stop engaging in pornography. To stop in homosexual activity. To stop the things that are not of God. And to be faithful only to one man, one woman within the confines of marriage. And within that there's freedom. And you know there is the blessing upon the sexual relationship. But outside of that it's God's will that you abstain.

Paul says in verse 8, Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God who has also given us his Holy Spirit.

Paul says, look, this is God's will for you. And if you reject this, you don't reject man. Paul says, this isn't like I decided to make up. Okay, here's what you need to do. Abstain from sexual immorality. And that's Paul's rule. No, he says, this is God's law. God has established this. And if you reject that, then you reject God who's given us his Holy Spirit.

God is speaking to us, or through us, to you, Paul says, by his Holy Spirit. It's his law that he's established. And so if you decide, well, you know,

I think, you know, God is loving and so I can engage in any kind of sexual activity that I want because God loves me. Paul says that's rejecting God. You're not rejecting man's rules that man has made up, but you're rejecting what God has established. Your sanctification, specifically regarding sexual immorality, is the will of God. That you would be set apart and committed to the types of relationships that God has established.

Well, then in verses 9 through 12, Paul says, Now, consider the contrast there.

He says, you don't need for me to write you about brotherly love. But he did have to just talk to them about sexual immorality. So you can maybe get a picture here. There was some issues. There was some things that they were wrestling with. Again, coming out of a culture that celebrated sexual immorality. It was something that they had to grow into sanctification. They had to grow into, you know, the right understanding of the proper relationships as believers in Jesus.

But he says now about brotherly love and your love for one another, I don't need to write to you about that. You've got that. You're loving one another. And yet, he says in verse 10, he says, we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more.

And so don't just kind of, you know, kick back and think, well, we've arrived. We have perfect love for one another. No, increase in that and grow in that and learn to love each other better as you continue to walk with the Lord. He also gives them a little bit more instruction in verse 11. He says that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands as we commanded you.

Now he's going to deal with this again in his second letter to the Thessalonians. And so apparently this was, you know, some specific things that were happening within their midst. That there were those who were not minding their own business.

That the impression we get is that there was this such expectation for the return of Jesus Christ that people kind of like stopped living life, stopped like preparing or planning ahead or doing anything like that. And then they had all this time on their hands because they're like, well, Jesus is coming. So why bother farming? Because, you know, we're not going to get to harvest those crops.

And so we're not going to bother doing that. But then now, well, what do we do? And so then they kind of became busybodies and they got in each other's business. And so it became, you know, an issue of gossip. It became an issue of backbiting and slander. It became an issue of people being lazy and not wanting to do anything and just receive everything and let other people do the work for them.

And so Paul here is encouraging them, no, lead a quiet life. Don't be going around stirring up trouble and, you know, stirring the pot and getting everybody all upset about their Android phones just because you like the iPhone 6, Jake. Just kidding. But lead a quiet life and mind your own business, you know. Hey, you don't have to get involved in everybody's business, but...

But you've got enough to be concerned with. With your own life. And so you. You know. Focus on your relationship with God. And then also work with your own hands. That is.

do something with your life and earn a living and do what you can to to be able to provide for yourself and he says that's our command he says our command is if a man won't work he he shouldn't eat that that's the rule that's the principle that's the guiding line that that we are to be you know doing what we can with the resources that we have to provide for ourselves

Sometimes we fall short and that, you know, we're able to minister and bless with one another. But this idea of just like, you know, throwing up our hands, not doing anything, occupying ourselves with other people's business and expecting other people to feed us. Paul says that's not what God's designed for you.

The ultimate purpose of this in verse 12. He says. That you may walk properly towards those who are outside. And that you may lack nothing. And so this is the objective. That you would walk properly towards those who are outside. That you would walk properly towards those who are outside.

that you are to do these things, mind your own business, work with your own hands, live this kind of life so that you can be a good witness to those who are outside of the body of Christ, that you can have opportunity to share the gospel with them, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that also that you may lack nothing.

And so Paul deals with those two things. And then now he talks about the rapture of the church. In verses 13 through 18, he says, "...the dead in Christ will rise, then we who are alive shall be caught." He starts out this section in verse 13 saying, "...I do not want you to be ignorant concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as those who have no hope."

The Thessalonians were with Paul again for only about three weeks. And so they knew about the return of Jesus and they knew about being caught up, but they weren't completely understanding all the details of that. And so they began to wonder, well, what about the Christians who die? Are they going to miss out? And maybe there was even some Christians in their midst who had died at this time. And so they're wrestling with, well, what happens to them?

Did they miss out because Jesus came back after they died? And so did they miss out on the kingdom of God? Did they miss out on the return of Jesus?

And Paul is writing here in chapter 4 to correct this and help them understand better the role of those who are dead and those who are alive regarding the return of Jesus. And so he says, look, don't be ignorant on these things so that you don't sorrow as others who have no hope.

So that when a believer dies, we sorrow. David Guzik likens it to the sadness of seeing someone off on a long trip. You know you're not going to see them for a long time and there's this sadness and that's the kind of sorrow that we have for those who are believers who die. But we also have that hope of seeing them again as we understand the doctrine that Paul is declaring here in chapter 4 of 1 Thessalonians.

Now instead of trying to describe that for you, I want to just walk you through some timelines here to help us understand and picture what Paul is talking about. In verse 14, he says,

Paul refers to those who have died in the faith as those who sleep in Jesus because it's not a permanent condition and so it's more likened to sleep, although it's not soul sleep like some will try to teach. But the ultimate point is that the dead in Christ are with Jesus. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, Paul tells us to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.

And so ever since Jesus was crucified and resurrected around 32 AD, all throughout what we call the church age, when a believer dies, they're with the Lord. They go into the presence of the Lord.

And then he goes on in verse 16 to say, the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. And so the dead in Christ are with Jesus, but then there's also a point in the future where Jesus is going to descend from heaven with a shout, he says here in verse 16. And at that time, the dead in Christ are,

are going to rise first. And so when Jesus descends, then the dead in Christ are going to rise. Now, this is sometimes confusing for people as well. And so the idea here and the understanding is that the dead in Christ are with Jesus, but

But that's referring to most likely their spirit. That they are with Jesus. Their spirit is with Jesus. They are with him and in his presence. But they get a resurrected body in verse 16 when Jesus descends with a shout. And so when he descends, he's bringing them with them. And at that point, at that moment, they receive their resurrected body. Now,

Now, this is the passage, you know, that we're looking at. And so, obviously, there's not all of these details. There's many more questions that we could ask, right? And so we don't understand all these things completely and in total to every last detail. But this is what we gather from the things that Paul is sharing. And so the dead in Christ are with Jesus when he descends. They descend with him. And the dead in Christ, their bodies are resurrected at that point, right?

And then in verse 17, he says, And so there's this reunion that happens in the air. That when the Lord descends, he doesn't descend to earth. He descends to heaven.

into the air from the heavens and the dead in Christ rise first and then we who are alive and remain, we get caught up together and we join with those who are resurrected and we meet the Lord in the air. And so there's this reunion between those who are dead, who are resurrected, those who are alive and transformed, and then we meet with the Lord together in the air. And that's what he's describing there in verse 17.

From there, he says, we will always be with the Lord. And so we will be with Jesus. And then a little bit later on is another event called the second coming of Jesus, where he actually does return to earth. He establishes his kingdom here on the earth and he rules and reigns for a thousand years. And that's called the millennium.

And so that's a little overview picture of what Paul is talking about here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. The dead are with Jesus. They'll receive their resurrected body when Jesus descends. At the same time, we'll be caught up. We'll all meet together in the air with Jesus. And then we'll always be with the Lord.

And then in verse 18, very important verse, he says, And so this understanding, this understanding of the return of Jesus is meant to be comforting to us. It's meant to be, you know, something that we look forward to, something that helps us through

the difficulties that we face. And so comfort one another with these words. And so I would encourage you to learn these things well, so that you can comfort one another with these things as well. Well now chapter 5 verse 4 is the key verse. He says,

In verses 1 through 5, Paul says, the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. What is he talking about here, this day of the Lord? Well, one more chart for us to consider. In verse 2, when he talks about the day of the Lord, he's not talking about a twilight.

24 hour time period. But he's talking about a span of time. An age of the Lord if you would. And it begins around the rapture of the church. Includes the tribulation period. And then also could include the millennial reign of Jesus as well. And so it's this span of time or this age when he will establish his kingdom. When he will deal with sin and the evil on the earth through his wrath. And so he tells us.

that this day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. And the idea there is that it comes suddenly. It comes without warning. It comes as a surprise. In verse 3, he says the people are going to be saying peace and safety. They're going to be crying out for peace. They're going to be crying out for safety. They're going to think that they have it.

But then suddenly it's going to come upon them this destruction of what we call the tribulation period. Seven years of trouble of the wrath of God being poured out upon the earth.

But then verse 9 is important. He says, God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. And here we have again a reference to the rapture. And so we go to meet the Lord in the air because he's not appointed us to wrath that will be poured out in the tribulation period. And then verse 11, another key verse. He says, therefore comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. And so this

understanding of the future, understanding of God's plan of the return of Jesus with the rapture of the church and then the second coming. This is a doctrine to comfort us, to encourage us, to help us to be able to press on and to walk with the Lord and to look forward with excitement and expectation about God's plans for us.

And so he says the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night in verses 1 through 5. But then he says in verses 6 through 11, let us not sleep but watch.

So this is going to come as a thief, but let's not sleep. Let's be awake. Let's be alert. Let's watch. Let's pay attention to what is going on. And how do we do that? Well, verse 8, he says, but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. And here we see that theme again, the faith, the love, and the hope.

Faith, obedience to God at his word. How do we stay awake and watch? Well, we obey God at his word. We hear from him and we put it into practice. We also love others. That is, we have a concern, genuine concern for others around us and we do what is best for them. And then we have the hope of

salvation as well that confident focus on eternity and in these things we are able then to watch to be of the day to be ready and prepared for his return that it does not catch us off guard in verses 12 through 13 Paul says recognize those over you in the Lord we're going to spend the next 45 minutes looking at these two verses I'm just kidding

He says, look, there's spiritual authorities in your life. They're among you. They're over you. You are to recognize them. You're to esteem them highly for their work's sake. And this is, you know, what God has for you. And so recognize them. Pay attention to them. And that's what you are to do. Then verses 14 through 22. Paul says,

Paul says, warn the unruly, uphold the weak, and rejoice always. As well as a bunch of other things that he encourages them. He kind of gives a bunch of exhortations here. And so warn the unruly. Now again, this was a special problem in Thessalonica. And he'll address it again in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. So we'll touch on it when we get there. And then he concludes saying, the grace of Jesus be with you. In verses 23 through 28.

Well now we go into 2 Thessalonians. Also written by Paul. Written really about the same time. Maybe about six months or so later. Here he writes to them again. To encourage them in their persecution. Which is continuing. And then also to correct their misunderstanding. About the Lord's return. Now.

In 1 Thessalonians, he's correcting their misunderstanding about, you know, well, did the dead, the people who died, did they miss out on the return of the Lord? And then now they kind of go to the other side where maybe the return of Jesus already happened and we all missed out and now we're in the tribulation. And so Paul is helping them understand, again, the same things about the Lord's return, but helping them, you know, because they kind of went from one extreme to the other.

And so chapter 1 verse 11 he says, Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power.

He introduces himself as usual in verses 1 and 2, saying Paul to the church of the Thessalonians. In verses 3 through 5, he says, Again, the theme that we see throughout Paul's letters, his thankfulness for the saints, his prayers for them.

Then he encourages them in verses 6 through 10. He says, And so the Thessalonians are continuing to experience persecution.

And there are those who are troubling them. And he says, you know, I want you to know it's right for God. God is righteous and he will repay those who are troubling you. Those who are persecuting you. Those who are coming against you for the sake of the gospel. God is going to take care of them.

Also, he says in verse 7, it's right for God to give you rest. And so you can look forward to this. You can trust. God's going to deal with those injustices and he's also going to give you rest. And so he's encouraging them to hold on and to continue to trust in the Lord. In verse 9, he says, these shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.

Those who are troubling you shall be punished with everlasting destruction. And that's right. It's righteous for God to do that. You're his children and he will defend you.

Well then in verses 11 and 12 he says, we pray that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him. And so again his prayer for them that the Lord would be glorified. Again Paul's prayers throughout the New Testament are good prayers to consider and study as we lift up the people in our lives. Chapter 2 now verse 7 he says, the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.

Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Now here in chapter 2, Paul begins to deal with their misunderstandings about the return of Jesus. He says in verses 1 and 2, do not be shaken as though the day of Christ had come. Now again, in the first letter, they're thinking maybe those who died missed out. Now they're thinking, well, maybe we missed out. Maybe the day of Christ has already come.

In verse 1, he talks about the coming of Jesus and he talks about our gathering to him. And he's helping them to understand there's two events that are going to happen. The gathering or what we refer to as the rapture of the church and the second coming of Jesus. And he's helping them to understand how these things line up so that they would know that they hadn't missed out on the day of Christ.

And so he says, don't be shaken as though, you know, there was a letter from us. There were those who claimed that Paul wrote to them and said, you know, the day of Christ has already come. Or, you know, there are those who are speaking this message in Paul's name. And in verse 3, he says, let no one deceive you. This has not happened.

And he explains why in verses 3 through 5. He says, that day will not come unless the falling away comes first. So don't be deceived. It hasn't happened yet because there's an event

that has to take place before that happens. And that is what we have here in the New King James Version. It's described as the falling away. It might not be the best translation of the word there, and we'll talk about that in just a moment. In verses 6 through 12, he says, "...the lawless one will be revealed after he who restrains is taken out of the way."

Now in verses 6 through 12 again he says the lawless one that is the Antichrist will be revealed but that will not take place until after a specific event occurs and that is the one who restrains is taken out of the way.

This is, we believe, a reference to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit at work in the church is keeping the timing of God's plan in line and he's restraining the work of the Antichrist and the enemy.

But when the rapture of the church takes place, the Holy Spirit will still be present, but he will not be working in the world in the same way as, you know, as with the church. And so there's going to be that restrainer who's taken out of the way. And then he says in verse 8, the lawless one will be revealed.

And so he says in verses 13 through 17, stand fast and hold the traditions. So hold on. You're not, you didn't miss it, but press on and continue on. And he prays that God would comfort their hearts and establish them. But let's look at this again and again, the pictures. And so in verse two, as he's talking about the day of Christ, it's this time period to this tribulation and then on into the millennium. And he says, look, that can't happen again.

until the falling away comes first, and then the man of sin, the Antichrist, is revealed. And that's in verse 3. And so notice the pattern. There's this event that takes place. The falling away happens, and then after that event, then the man of sin is revealed. And I think that's important to understand that pattern. There's the event, the

and then the antichrist. The event, and then the antichrist. Because when Paul goes on in verses 7 and 8, I believe that he's just repeating himself using different words. He says there's an event, and then the antichrist is revealed. In verse 7, the restrainer is taken out of the way. That is the Holy Spirit. Again, a reference to the rapture of the church. And so this falling away that Paul talks about in verse 3, uh,

Throughout history, many have believed that this is referring to some great apostasy where people will abandon faith in Jesus Christ. And there's room for that understanding. And it's not that I'm saying it's dead wrong. Absolutely, I know all the truths and I reveal all things to you. I'm not trying to say that. But it makes sense that the word that's translated here, falling away, could simply also mean just departure. Right?

It's used in another portion of someone departing from the temple. It's, you know, just the idea of leaving from one place to go to another.

And so Paul talks about the departure or the falling away. And he says that has to happen first and then the Antichrist is revealed. And then later he says the Holy Spirit has to be removed or the restrainer has to be taken out of the way and then the Antichrist is revealed. And so I suggest that he's saying the same thing in two different ways to help them get it, to help them understand that there is this rapture that takes place

There's this departure that happens. The restrainer is taken out of the way and then the Antichrist is revealed and that's in the midst of the day of Christ and the judgment that is to come. And so he's encouraging them, you're not in the tribulation period. You haven't missed out. Let no one deceive you in this. There's this departure that has to happen first.

And then the Antichrist will be revealed. And so you haven't missed it. So be comforted and encouraged in that. And be steadfast and faithful as you go forward. Well the final chapter, chapter 3, verse 6 is the key verse. He says,

In verses 1 through 5, he says, pray for us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly.

And so again, we see the example here. Paul is praying for them, but he also, as he often does, asks for prayer. And it's a good reminder. Listen, our missionaries, those who are in leaders, those who are pastors of churches or mega churches or whatever, those who are evangelists, they need our prayers as well. And we need to be praying for those who are in authority and leadership over us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified.

Then in verses 6 through 15, he says, withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly. In this portion, again, he's dealing with those who are disregarding their responsibilities in life. Disregarding the responsibilities that God has established. He says, there are some, in verse 11, who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.

And so they're not providing for themselves. They're not working. But instead they're just getting involved in other people's business. He says in verse 12, Now those who are such, we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

Stop talking, be quiet, work with your hands, provide for yourself, and eat your own bread. That's, Paul says, that's our command to you. It's strong exhortation.

God wants us to be working. God wants us to be providing. Now, there are some circumstances where people are unable to certain degrees or to great degrees. It depends on the situation. But as much as you are able, work. Provide for yourself. Mind your own business and lead a quiet life.

He says in verse 14, if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him that he may be ashamed. And so Paul says, those who are acting this way, guys, stop putting up with it. Stop, you know, supporting them in it or stop, you know, providing for them. Disassociate. He says, take a step back. Do not keep company with the person who disregards what God has said.

This is in line with what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 with the guy who is practicing sin. He says, you need to separate that man, kick him out because, well, he needs to learn that those things will destroy him as well as others. Now, Paul goes on in verse 15. This is an important verse. He says, yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

And sometimes in our dealings with one another in the midst of sin, we take it too far. And so he says, no, that brother, that sister, that's not your enemy. You're not, now you have to hate them and destroy their life. No, admonish them as a brother. You separate yourself and say, listen, I'm separating myself because you're living in sin and it's not good. And you need to understand this is an issue. This is a problem. And so withdraw from those who walk this way. Pay attention. Pay attention.

Now, Paul is not asking us to judge people's hearts and motives here, but he's asking us to pay attention to actions compared with the scriptures and what the Bible says.

And he gives us some strong exhortation here. Pay attention. If people are claiming to be believers in Jesus, but not walking according to the word of God, then do not keep company with them. Withdraw yourself, but not as an enemy. Don't start throwing stones, but admonish as a brother. Encourage. Call them to repentance. Call them back to right fellowship with God.

Well then in verses 16 through 18 he finishes up saying, May the Lord of peace give you peace always. Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you, God, that you care for us so much that you write even about, Lord, some of those little details of our lives, like getting a job and minding our own business. And so, Lord, we pray that you would help us to be faithful to your word, to be engaged in all that you've called us to. Lord, I pray that you would help us to increase and abound more and more in faith

love and hope, Lord, that we would be looking forward to and have confidence in the future that you have declared, the future that you have described, and us to be caught up together with you, to meet you in the air. Help us, God, to be ready and prepared for that. And in the meantime, I pray that you would help us to abound in the work of faith, Lord, believing you at your word and doing what you've called us to do.

But then also, Lord, laboring in love, Lord, that we would have great concern, compassion for one another and for the people around us. And that we would do what is best for them, even exhausting ourselves, Lord, that we would care for those around us, that we might represent you to them. And so, Lord, help us to press on, to continue forward, to be steadfast until we are caught up to meet with you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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