Rout 66: 2 Thessalonians - Faith Under Pressure

you to take your Bible and turn over to the book of 2 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians.

We're continuing our Route 66 series one message per book of the Bible.

We'll be wrapping this series up mid-December, so we have a few more months left, but we're delighted to be able to progress through and all of us to get an overview of all of Scripture.

My sons and I enjoy something together.

We enjoy reading outdoor exploration books, and one of the books that my son Ben particularly enjoys reading about are some of the adventures of Ernest Shackleton.

And Shackleton was known for his Antarctic expeditions and he was delighted to receive on Christmas a gift from my son Matt, which was the same company that made the sweater for Shackleton for his expedition in the Antarctic, is still in business and still makes those sweaters, and so my son Matt gifted Ben the same sweater that Shackleton wore when he was crossing the Antarctic.

But a little over a century ago Ernest Shackleton and a group his crew boarded the ship Endurance and they sought to cross the continent of Antarctica, and yet they didn't make it.

Their vessel was sort of blocked in by sea ice and then eventually trapped by sea ice, and as they sat there for days feeling the pressure of the ice pushing against the ship.

It eventually burst the ship and they couldn't sail it any longer, and so they abandoned their ship and they sought to find survival.

Eventually, they were able to make their way to a desolate rock called Elephant Island, and there Shackleton left about 22 of his crew, while he and another five men got into a small boat and tried to make their way to South Georgia.

You imagine those 22 men stuck on Elephant Rock with no communication, no radio whatsoever, they enduring the bitter cold and the hunger and the isolation, and they were there for four and a half months until Shackleton was able to make his way to South Georgia.

He was able to secure a ship that would go back to Elephant Island and rescue those men.

And rescue those men.

Shackleton's leadership was marked by a calm resolve and an unwavering hope that he could make it to South Georgia and he would be able to return to Elephant Island and carry his men to safety.

The journey didn't end with triumph for a successful expedition, but it did end with survival.

It was a survival that was brought by way of endurance, metaphorically.

Sometimes we go through difficulties in life as we transverse the seas of this world, hoping to be able to cross over whatever lies ahead of us.

And we might find ourselves trapped in by sea ice, pressured by its forces, sometimes brushing up or even encapsulating our ship.

And then sometimes we can feel like the pressure is so tight and so strong that it literally bursts our ship in two.

And we're wondering can we survive this?

As we deal with those kinds of pressures, there are particular temptations that can come our way Chronic disappointment and discouragement, spiritual weariness or even confusion about what is true and what isn't.

And this is exactly where the church at Thessalonica is at.

They were caught in a storm of persecution and of confusion.

They were seemingly misled by some people, persecuted by outsiders and weary in well-doing, and they had a lot of questions and they needed a steady voice that would help them to continue down the pathway of endurance.

And Paul meets them with this letter, 2 Thessalonians, and he offers them not just sympathy but a spirit-filled strength in the letter to equip them to endure all things until the time comes when they would be in the presence of the Lord.

And across these three chapters he gives them and here's the outline of what we're going to look at In chapter 1, he helps them, and here's the outline of what we're going to look at In chapter one.

He helps them to have courage in the middle of persecution, to have clarity in the middle of deception and to have confidence in their daily life In a world that's shaken by affliction, shaken by deception and filled with weariness.

The ancient words that Paul gave to the church at Thessalonica can also help us, to energize us to endure in our generation.

So let's take a look at this letter.

We'll begin with courage amid suffering or affliction.

We start right out there, right from the gate.

After an entrance, paul speaks to the Thessalonian believers about the suffering they're facing, and he doesn't sidestep it at all.

In fact, he actually honors it.

He opens in verse 3 with a commendation of their growth in faith and love and he declares to them that he sees it as increasing, despite what they're facing.

We thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each of you has for one another is increasing.

Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God's churches and about your perseverance and faith.

You know, we often think that we need a calm place or a safe place in order to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

But that's not what Paul brings up here.

In fact, in verse 4, he begins to introduce that subject of suffering, the perseverance that they have and the faith that they have in all the persecutions and afflictions that you're enduring.

These adverse external circumstances were not hindering their fellowship in the gospel.

In fact, if anything, the persecution might have been promoting their love for one another and their faith in God.

They were showing, in the midst of this difficult time, an active trust in God's care.

In verses 5 to 7, paul brings this into view by helping them see the bigger lens, and he doesn't minimize their suffering, but he locates it in the arc of redemption.

Take a look at these verses.

It is clear evidence of God's righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God's kingdom, for which you are also suffering, since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you.

What is he doing?

He's showing them the ark of redemption.

He's saying to them yes, you're suffering now, but there's going to come a day when you will suffer no more.

And this is, as we read Scripture, quite the focus of the gospel.

Our Lord Jesus suffered and then entered into His glory.

Philippians 2 says he humbled Himself and suffered and then received glory.

Paul in 2 Corinthians talks about suffering and then entering in to an understanding of glory.

And here the Thessalonian believers are following that same arc.

Because of Jesus Christ, they stand in the place where the new creation sits at odds with the old.

The fallen world is antagonistic to Christ and the gospel and God's people, and therefore in this world, until all things are made new, there will be a conflict.

The Spirit will wrestle against the flesh and the flesh against the Spirit, as Paul says in the book of Galatians.

And so Paul locates them in the middle of this redemptive arc that God has in invading this dark kingdom with the gospel of light and showing that until that day comes, when it will fully blaze in full glory and victory, that hardships and trouble will continue.

And so, instead of being unsettled by their persecution, the believers here were to see that as an evidence that God had truly worked in their hearts to deliver them.

This is quite the opposite of your best life now kind of theology that flies around in different places in our country.

Paul says that the Thessalonians are not only persevering and trusting amid the persecution, but are increasing and growing in love and faith, and all of that was a sign of God's blessing on them.

Yes, it was difficult, but he would carry them into glory later and they will be a part of that.

And so their perseverance and their faith was a demonstration that they were indeed numbered among God's people.

And so Paul takes a moment just to show them what kind of relief that they're going to have.

In verse 8, or verse 7,.

This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord's presence and from his glorious strength.

Here we don't see justice rashly given in a mad flash of anger, but a determination of justice against those who have opposed God and do not love and obey the gospel.

They're not given to a gentle fading away or a falling into death and finding it nothing, but they are awaiting a day, at Christ's return, when there will be an eternal destruction and judgment for them.

But on the positive side of that, in verse 10, paul says this he said On that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed.

What he's saying is you may suffer now unjustly, but the justice of God will act and will separate those who have acted unjustly from those who trust in God's justice, and you will be participants in that glorious day when righteousness reigns and you will be not only marveling at the justice of God but included in the glory that will come.

You will face not just safety and rescue but glory in that coming day.

And in verse 10, he says this because our testimony among you was believed, the Apostle Paul brings it directly down to their hearts.

In case there was any misunderstanding or any confusion or any hopelessness in their heart in the middle of this deep and complex and difficult season of persecution and suffering.

He wanted to let them know with specificity that he counted them as those who were included in this glorious day of Christ's return and glorification.

And it gives us a sense of encouragement that whenever we see someone demonstrating a life of true godly fruit coming out of salvation, it's imperative for us to personalize those statements, to go up to one of our brothers and sisters and say I've been watching you go through this difficulty and, I have to say, the way that you're settled in God's trust gives me hope and gives me encouragement that you truly know the Lord, and I just wanted to say that to you as a word of encouragement, because that's exactly what Paul's saying here.

He doesn't end with an explanation, though.

He goes directly to prayer, and this is something in this small letter that Paul does quite frequently.

In the last couple of verses of chapter 1, he asks that the hardships won't harden them, but that every trial might bring them to understand their calling as it shines brighter and brighter, and that every grace might echo in mercy that they've received.

He wants them to know that their pain isn't being wasted.

It's part of the story, and this is perhaps something we need to hear tonight.

We don't always face dramatic persecution like the church at Thessalonica did, but we may walk through chronic sufferings ourselves, and they could be small, episodic periods of persecution in the most intimate places of our lives by our family, or it might be some distress that we find at work or in our neighborhood, or even in society and the general press of the world the flesh and the devil, or even in society and the general press of the world, the flesh and the devil, and we might find ourselves feeling bombarded emotionally, physically, relationally and certainly spiritually.

And here the Lord is telling us that when he comes, he's doing more than just rescuing us.

He is going to glorify us as we walk patiently through these difficult days.

Let's go to the second chapter.

Not only does he want to help them have courage amid their sufferings and persecution, he wants them to have clarity amid the deception.

And from the furnace of suffering, paul steps into the fog of confusion.

For some reason, at the church at Thessalonica, a rumor was spreading that Jesus had already returned and that the day of the Lord, of His judgment, was already here.

And for the Thessalonian believers, who were already scorched by persecution, this brings them into spiritual vertigo.

They are just reeling with confusion and anxiety is rippling through this congregation and questions are arising in their hearts.

Have we missed the Lord?

Are we left to judgment?

Has our pain been for nothing?

Is our present suffering a sign that we have been left behind?

Paul doesn't fuel that speculation.

He silences it with gospel clarity and he talks about the coming of the Lord and the day of the Lord.

And he continues to beat that drum to help them understand that, no, you don't need to be disturbed by these things that have happened.

But in a very sober way Paul speaks.

He's not trying to be sensationalistic, he's not trying to grab headlines, he's not trying to gender conspiracies.

Here he wants to act as a spiritual watchman and lift the lantern of truth to these hearts who are stumbling because of the dark rumors that have come against them.

And he tells them in verse 2, I don't want you to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed.

You feel the compassion in that right Going to some troubled believers and saying let me say some things to you so that you won't be disturbed any longer.

So keep that in mind when you go through this chapter, because Paul is not trying to address every question of our curiosity about end-time events.

What he's trying to do is settle these believers so that they would no longer be troubled by the rumors that they're facing.

He recognizes how this doctrinal confusion is wounding them and giving them anxiety, and so he wants to dispel this rumor first of all that seemingly has come from him.

In verse 2, he says this I don't want you to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, Whether there was some statement going around the church at Thessalonica that Paul had received a supernatural revelation that the day of the Lord had already come, or some report that Paul had preached a sermon somewhere that had said that, or that there was some letter that might have been forged with Paul's name at the bottom.

Paul is vehemently saying I am not the source of this message, it didn't come from me, and the message was this that the day of the Lord has come, and he uses a specific word there.

The day of the Lord has come, meaning that it's already present, that the unfolding of the last days have already begun to occur in God bringing judgment upon a disobedient people, and so Paul is distinguishing this as the day of the Lord, this time when God would begin to enact His final retribution against a sinful humanity.

And obviously the Lord hadn't appeared yet.

But the day of the Lord is a big word, it's a phrase that includes a complex of events, it's not just a single 24-hour period, and so he's telling them in the midst of this that there's some things that need to happen that haven't happened yet, and they shouldn't trouble themselves because those things have not yet occurred, and so he doesn't sensationalize it, but he offers a sober spirit-led clarity.

Sensationalize it, but he offers a sober spirit-led clarity.

And he lays out, in verses 3 to 8, a sequence of events to help settle their hearts.

And the first thing he talks about in verse 3 is that there is an apostasy.

In the ancient world this word apostasy was used for a political revolt, an anarchy in which a military leader or a political leader would enact a coup against the established government or leader.

And Paul is saying in the last days that there would be something like that about to occur, that there would be a sweeping uprising, a surge of evil forces that would seek to usurp the Lord and His glory.

It's almost as if Satan was knowing that his time is short and throwing everything that he's got in one final push against the front in order to take God out.

Paul says you haven't seen that yet.

Yes, you're troubled, but you haven't seen that yet.

And then he says to them that there will be a revealing of the man of lawlessness.

He said that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

And here.

He's saying that this human will that will rise up in this rush against God will have a leader who will stand in opposition against God, and he will do so by trying to usurp God's authority, claiming himself to have that authority In this bold attempt to dethrone God.

He will rise, but Paul says look, those things haven't happened yet because there's a, presently, a presence that God is exerting that is holding things back until that day.

Verses 5 to 7.

Don't you remember that when I was with you still, I used to tell you about this and you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he's taken out of the way.

What is Paul saying there?

In short, he's saying evil is on a leash, and it's a short leash.

Evil is not running rampant as if it controls the things that are happening in this world.

God is exhibiting a force in this world and Paul doesn't describe exactly what that is, but he's saying that God is exhibiting a force in here that is holding evil back from being as widespread and as energetic as it could be.

But there will come a day when God will withdraw that restraining force and then evil will swiftly move into the void in order to stage an uprising against God under the leadership of this man of lawlessness.

But that's not the end of the story, because Paul tells us here that this mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one that's now restraining will do so until this person is taken out away and the lawless one is revealed.

And the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearing of his coming.

Evil is on a short leash, and when evil is given a longer leash to do its short work, the Lord will return and will demolish that evil.

And how will he do it?

By the simple breath of his mouth.

Calvin put it this way there won't even be a struggle.

The word of God alone is enough to destroy Satan and his forces.

That's the kind of confidence that Paul is trying to push the church to Again.

He's not trying to satisfy their curiosity, he's not trying to outline some graphic scheme of eschatological events in detail, eschatological events in detail.

He's trying to remove from them a troubling rumor in which they have mistakenly understood themselves to be under the judgment of God because of the trouble that they're facing.

And so he gives them a few little pointers not the whole scheme that would help them understand that those things haven't yet occurred.

In fact, when they do occur, god will take care of it swiftly and completely.

And so, after discussing this, paul returns back to them in verse 13.

He said we thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning, god has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

He called you to this through our gospel so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, instead of being chosen for destruction, instead of being swept up in the rebellion and swamped by the evil.

God loves you, he's saying to the church.

God has chosen you, god has called you to himself and set you apart for his use and purposes, and he's going to bring you to glory.

And the way that he signified that to be true is because you believed the gospel.

And so he's basing the stability of their Christian experience on the moment of their belief of the gospel of Christ, not to look at the momentary weakness and wavering that they might be feeling because of the rumors that are spreading, but that they might go back and look back at their life and go yeah, we did believe the gospel, we did trust in the Lord, we have been transformed by Him, and so they shouldn't mark the stability of their spiritual life based upon this momentary question or the trouble of the persecution, but upon the dramatic event of God transforming them through the gospel proclamation.

In our day, rumors run faster than truth, don't they run faster than truth, don't they?

From theological YouTube videos, conspiracy-laden social media confusion multiplies.

Mike brought to me a few weeks ago some YouTube videos that AI has taken John MacArthur's voice and has turned it into a bunch of messages that John MacArthur never preached.

And so I wrote to Phil Johnson and to Jay Flowers and I said are you guys aware about this?

Do you know what's happening there?

And they said, yes, we do, but those that are in charge of these media places won't take them down.

So rumors and false teaching can abound and we have to be very careful about what we're listening to and who's even publishing the things that we're listening to.

But here Paul is telling them that biblical clarity, gospel clarity, will settle and stabilize the community of faith because they can flourish when God is actively bringing people to himself.

And so this passage invites us to be careful about our theological precision and to hold to it strongly, because when we're anchored in Scripture, we're stabilized and not disturbed.

And the last thing Paul wants to speak to them about is having confidence amid the daily grind, whether it's persecution or confusion or just weariness and well-doing.

They needed some encouragement in all three of those places, and so Paul addresses this third one, and he shifts gear to shape them as disciples.

And one of the ways that he does that is by opening up with a humble request of his own In verses 1 and 2, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored as it was with you, and that we might be delivered from wicked people.

Not all have faith.

Paul is saying the troubles that you're facing.

I also face the opposition against the gospel.

I see it every day too.

And not only am I praying for you, but I request that you might pray for me as well, because we're in this battle together.

And so, with just a request of prayer, paul lifts the body of Christ out of their own difficulties into a season of care and praying for someone else who's also dealing with the troubles that they're facing.

It reminds us of 2 Corinthians 1, doesn't it that we can comfort those who are in any affliction by the comfort we ourselves have received from God?

And so Paul is calling upon a church that resonates with the suffering, who can also enter into prayer knowingly and compassionately.

But then, in later verses, the Apostle Paul says that the Lord is faithful and that he will establish you and guard you from the evil.

One verse 3.

And we have confidence in the Lord, about you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.

May the Lord direct your hearts to God's love and Christ's endurance.

Paul always brings them back to the person of the Lord, jesus Christ.

This isn't about them mustering endurance on their own, or even looking to Paul as an example of that endurance, but able to see Christ pressing forward as he moved in his ministry and life toward Jerusalem and suffered in order to bring salvation to us.

And he says may you understand the endurance of Christ to go through the ministry, enduring the cross, despising the shame for the glory that was set before him.

There's that arc of redemption again suffering and then glory.

However, there was some disturbance in the church in verse 6.

We command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother and sister who is idle and does not live according to the tradition received from us Apparently.

With such an overemphasized focus on eschatology, some people had twisted this understanding to disengage from the world.

This understanding to disengage from the world, and Paul tells them that waiting is a verb that is active, not passive, that we wait for the Lord's return actively, not in withdrawing, but by stepping into the things that we need to do day by day.

I was talking to my sons just a few months ago about a lady in their church who didn't want to have any children because she didn't want to raise a child in the troubling world that she saw coming.

And so her answer to seeing the world as it is was to try to withdraw away from it without any sense of trust and understanding of the truth of God that he could secure not only her but even her children in the gospel, no matter what might happen.

So the Apostle Paul says here look, be active in what you're doing.

Look, be active in what you're doing, be consistent and forward-thinking about your work.

And he says look at how we were acting with you In the middle of these difficult times and Paul too faced trouble at Thessalonica.

He says we were not idle among you.

We did not eat anyone's food free of charge.

Instead, we labored and toiled, working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

And it's not that we don't have a right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you, so that you would imitate us.

In fact, when we were with you, that's what we were commanding If anyone isn't willing to work, he should not eat.

For we hear that there are some among you who are idle.

They're not busy, but busy bodies.

And now we command and exhort such people, in the Lord Jesus, to work quietly and to provide for themselves.

But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in what you're doing and in the doing of good.

There's a lot of catchy books out these days.

Some of them are titled Radical right, and we think that the Christian life is to be emblazoned with the word radical in front of all of us.

And you know how Paul describes the Christian life Consistent constant activity in the mundane.

What is he telling the church to do?

Get out of bed and go to work, and work hard when you're there and provide for your family and take care of each other in your needs.

Be able to have a little surplus to help those who might find themselves falling into more difficult places.

How radical is that?

Be a consistent worker, be a person who gets up every day and is securing the welfare of your own family and those around you in need.

That, frankly, in our generation, is a radical thing, and this is what Paul is calling the church to.

He's not telling them to jump on a plane and go halfway around the world and share the gospel with some tribe that's killed everybody who's been on the island.

He's saying get up and go to work and work hard while you're there and be consistent in doing good.

In an age of burnout and spiritual fatigue, paul is calling believers not to be rebellious, not to disengage, not to run away, not to fall back, but simply to stand firm.

To stand firm in the Lord Jesus and the gospel.

Not to live in the midst of grinding exhaustion, but to do so humbly and prayerfully so that you might receive divine empowerment that will help you get through the day-to-day.

You see, we're not just waiting for glory, we're living in the days where God can exercise His grace, and so we pray and depend upon that.

And that's one of these three chapters.

The Apostle Paul not only asks for prayer and not only prays, but he calls us to these statements.

May the Lord he brings us into these benedictory statements that really are prayers in their formation.

You'll see one in verse 16, at the end of this chapter.

May the Lord of peace give him you peace always, in every way.

The Lord be with all of you.

And then Paul leaves off by giving them an autograph, which he does with all of his letters, so that if there was any concern at all about a letter that showed up that contradicted the teaching that they'd already received from Paul, or contradicted the two letters that Paul had sent to the Thessalonians, they would be able to look at it and check the handwriting and say Babylonians, they would be able to look at it and check the handwriting and say that's not Paul's.

We know what Paul's handwriting looks like, and so he would mark his letters with his own hand in order to give a seal of testimony that this was an apostolic expression.

Shackleton's survival story wasn't one of triumph, but it certainly was one of endurance.

It wasn't one of glory but it was one of rescue, and it hinged on a resolve that didn't waver to keep pressing forward despite the hardship and the adversities.

The ice that crushed the ship endurance didn't crush the courage of those men.

And we serve the Lord Jesus amidst the pressing ice flows of the world's pressures.

And we don't do so simply to endure it or simply to survive it or simply to be rescued from it.

Thessalonians tells us that we enter in to a realm of eternal glory because we're Christ's, and that he will bring us not only to witness His victory, and that he will bring us not only to witness his victory but to be a part of it and to be exalted in it.

And so may the Lord help us by giving us courage amid our persecution and by giving us clarity amidst the deception, and by giving us constancy.

And consistency in the day-to-day grind.

So let's pray together.

And consistency in the day-to-day grind.

So let's pray together, father.

I pray that we would shape the storms and not be shaped by them, that we would stay the course and keep our eye fixed upon Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith, that we might be able to enter into the same hope that he had when he endured the cross and despised the shame because of the glory that awaited him.

And, father, we pray that you'd lift our eyes beyond our circumstances and beyond the voices that try to deceive, and beyond the weariness of the day-to-day tasks that demand our time and attention and energy, and to look to you and to what you're accomplishing and where you're bringing us, and that we'll enter into your presence and we'll do so with you, richly rewarding all who trust in you, not because of what we've done.

You richly rewarding all who trust in you not because of what we've done, but because you're a God of great grace and generosity who wants to lavish your people with love and glory.

So, lord, may we press forward, continuing on with our eyes fixed on Christ, and we pray this in his name Amen.