The Suffering Church at Thessalonica - part 1
001 “The Suffering Church at Thessalonica”
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 (1-2)
May 15, 2011 pm
Tonight we kick off our next book study,
And because we finished the first letter Paul wrote to the Thessalonians,
It seems only fitting that we move straight into the second letter.
As you know it was on Paul’s second missionary journey
That he traveled to Thessalonica.
Paul had just been beaten and flogged in Philippi
For casting a demon out of a slave girl.
This event ultimately led to his arrest and incarceration,
But an earthquake that night arranged for Paul to witness to the jailor,
Who was saved, and the next day Paul and Silas were released.
It was from there that Paul traveled to Thessalonica
Where he started preaching in the synagogue that Jesus is the Christ.
And the immediate reaction was a good one.
Acts 17:2-4 “And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ." And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.”
However, as is common, it didn’t take long
Before the Jews were enraged over the success Paul was having.
Acts 17:5-9 “But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them.”
And the result to all of this was that Paul and Silas
Were immediately sent away to Berea.
Later on that trip Paul would arrive in Athens,
But it was out of intense concern for the Thessalonians
That he would send Timothy back to find out about their faith.
While Paul was at Corinth he received word that they stood strong,
He was so encouraged that he wrote 1 Thessalonians
To encourage them to continue.
Well, now it has been a few months since that first letter,
But Paul is still extremely concerned about this young congregation,
And so from Corinth he pens a second letter.
And tonight, before we get into the specifics too much,
Lets sort of get the feel for the entire letter,
And this will make it easier to understand the individual parts.
Being reminded of the culture surrounding the Thessalonian church,
We understand again that they worshiped in a very difficult location.
One today might liken it to going and planting a church in Turkey,
Or Indonesia, or some other Islamic nation.
It’s safe to say this church had not been well accepted by its community.
They were persecuted.
And if that were all we knew about the Thessalonians
We would understand why Paul wrote a second letter.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Aside from their persecution, the Thessalonians had also been lied to.
READ: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
While it is not clear exactly how it happened,
It is apparent that somehow someone had told the Thessalonians
That they had missed the rapture and their suffering was actually
Them under God’s punishment in “the day of the Lord”
In other words, someone chose to explain their suffering to them
As evidence that they were under God’s wrath.
We aren’t sure if this information came by way of a false vision,
A false prophet, or a forged letter from Paul,
But however it came, it was upsetting the Thessalonians.
It is bad enough to suffer, but to be told that your suffering is occurring
Because you are under the eternal judgment of God is really upsetting.
That is reminiscent of the type of encouragement Job was receiving.
Eliphaz told Job
Job 4:7-8 "Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? "According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it.”
Zophar told him
Job 11:13-20 "If you would direct your heart right And spread out your hand to Him, If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents; "Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect, And you would be steadfast and not fear."For you would forget your trouble, As waters that have passed by, you would remember it. "Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning."Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely."You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would entreat your favor."But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last."
That is what was happening to the Thessalonians.
Someone told them that they missed the rapture and were now caught
In the middle of the judgment of the day of the Lord.
Paul obviously answers that.
READ: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-5
So Paul gives them sound theology to set their hearts and minds at ease, They did not miss the rapture, and they are not under the wrath of God.
Furthermore Paul takes opportunity in this letter
To help give them some perspective in the midst of their suffering.
Here are some of the themes that really stand out.
WE THANK GOD FOR YOUR SUFFERING
READ: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
GOD WILL DEFEND YOU
READ: 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8
THIS SUFFERING WILL END IN GLORY NOT JUDGMENT
READ: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
And then after explaining the truth about the end and the day of the Lord Paul reassures the Thessalonians about God’s true plan for them.
READ: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
And then I suppose we have the verse
That sort of stands as the theme of the book.
It is Paul’s encouragement to this battered congregation.
READ: 2 Thessalonians 2:15
And then Paul gives them a blessing of comfort.
READ: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
What we then find in chapter 3 stands
Almost as a sort of “additional writing”.
While the intention and purpose of the letter is to enlighten and comfort,
There is also some other issues that need to be addressed,
And so Paul adds them to the end of this letter.
Namely they have some there who are living unruly lives.
You may remember Paul’s admonition from his first letter.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 “and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”
It’s apparent some of the Thessalonians had disregarded this command
And so Paul addresses it again, only this time much more forcefully.
And then Paul closes the letter with a mark of authenticity.
READ: 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18
And so you kind of see the overarching theme of this letter.
Written to a church that was confused about their persecution.
And tonight let’s get started studying through it.
The first chapter really works together as an individual thought, and deserves to be taken together. (Even though we won’t make it all at once)
There are four points to this first chapter.
#1 OUR PURPOSE
2 Thessalonians 1:1-2
This letter opens with again with a standard greeting from Paul.
But you know that this is not something that we just casually overlook.
The statement is common, but it is not insignificant.
This statement sets the stage for the letter.
And in this introduction we find out why
We should give our time to study this letter.
1) IT IS WRITTEN BY AN APOSTLE
“Paul and Silvanus and Timothy,”
Now certainly Silas and Timothy were fellow ministers,
But Paul was indeed an apostle.
And because of this Paul carries the absolute authority of the Lord.
In fact you may remember what he told them in his first letter.
1 Thessalonians 2:5-6 “For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed — God is witness — nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”
Paul did not lord his authority over people, nor did he dominate them.
Certainly this is not the way of a servant of God.
Jesus told us in
Matt 20:25-26 "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. "It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.”
Peter told elders to:
1 Peter 5:2-3 “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.”
And so being an apostle did not mean that Paul flaunted his power.
He didn’t bully people or brow beat them, he worked among them,
He proved to be an example, and he led through service.
But just because he did not assert his authority
Does not mean he didn’t have it.
He spoke with full authority, for he spoke the very words of God.
And if you want a picture of how far this authority goes...
When Paul wrote his pastoral epistle to Titus,
He laid out for Titus some clear cut commands for the church.
And then he said:
Titus 2:15 “These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”
Paul might not of asserted his authority, but believe you me he had it.
In fact he had so much, that he could tell Titus
Not to let anyone go against the things he had written.
He was an apostle.
And that means that since Paul wrote this letter,
We must stand up and pay attention.
· This is not some writing of some great philosopher.
· This is not the hope of some great thinker.
· This is not a result of man’s logic.
What we study here is nothing short of the very words of God,
And regardless of the content of this letter,
That alone makes it invaluable to us.
Our God is speaking here, and we must listen.
So the fact that it is written by and apostle is significant.
2) IT IS WRITTEN FOR THE CHURCH
“To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:”
I get really sickened, discouraged, and at times irate
With the abusive liberties that the church of God tries to take today.
Back in the 70’s you are aware that a struggle arose in Baptist life
Surrounding the inspiration and authority of the word of God.
We could call it the Inerrancy Debate.
Liberals refused to call the Word of God infallible,
Conservatives demanded that it be considered so.
The fight literally split our convention.
(Both national and at the state level)
And those who resisted the notion of Biblical inerrancy and literal application determined to champion other ideas.
Two concepts became very popular to them.
Priesthood of the Believer
The Autonomy of the Local Church
Priesthood of the believer = every believer is a priest with access to God.
Autonomy = churches don’t operate under a hierarchal government system.
Each church has the right and ability to seek God and determine His will
And then to implement that will in their local congregation.
AND THAT IS A TRUE AND GOOD THING.
But they have also been abused.
Churches have actually carried the concept of autonomy so far
That not even God has a say in the operation of His church.
I have seen it more times than I care to mention,
Where in a church someone will open the word of God to seek God’s will
And someone else completely disregard it.
We must all come to the conclusion that the church
Belongs to God and He alone is the church’s authority.
We are autonomous in that no man tells us what to do,
But we do not rule ourselves.
Matthew 16:18 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
Jesus is the builder of His church.
He dictates not only its size, but also its design.
He picks the bricks and He lays them where He wants
And He uses the structure for whatever He wants.
He is Lord of the Church.
In fact Scripture actually refers to Him as the Head.
Colossians 1:17-18 “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
So let me tell you what all this means.
The church is not a club.
The church is not a lodge.
The church is not a shrine.
The church is not an auxiliary.
The church is distinct from any and every other gathering
That this world has ever seen.
And the thing that makes the church distinct from every other group
Is that THE CHURCH IS OWNED BY GOD.
Acts 20:28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
God purchased the church with the blood of Christ.
And that means that we do not govern ourselves.
· We do not seek out our own will.
· We do not follow our own “gut” instincts.
· We do not insert our own desires, or logic, of wisdom.
Our sole purpose is to seek out the will of the Head of the Church, who is Christ, and the owner of the church, who is God.
We simply want to know what He wants us to be.
And if at any point, we find that what He wants and what we want
Are two different things, then we must immediately change our course.
Our only objective is to walk in the will of the One who rules the church.
I tell you all that because that makes this letter very valuable.
For this is a letter from God “to the church”
There is absolutely no confusion as to whether or not
We should apply what we read here.
This is what God wants for His church.
Specifically it was a letter written “to the church of the Thessalonians”,
But it is a letter “to the church” none the less.
WHAT MAKES THEM A CHURCH?
They are “in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:”
There are many groups and organizations in our world,
And some of those groups even claim to follow God.
That is fine, that is good.
But again the church has a distinction.
The church is “in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:”
Because of Christ’s work on our behalf, we (and no other group)
Are actually partakers of the divine nature.
2 Peter 1:3-4 “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
Before Jesus died He said:
John 14:16-17 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”
Paul told the Colossians:
Colossians 1:26-27 “that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
It is our intimate association with Christ
That makes us unique from every other gathering.
As His church, we are in Christ, and Christ is in us.
So we are seeing what makes this letter so significant.
It was written by an apostle (the very word of God)
It was written to the church (given to us)
The third reason we read this letter:
3) IT’S INTENTION IS GRACE AND PEACE
“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And this is why we call the first point “Our Purpose”
So not only is this a letter from God to His church,
But we should be even more eager to read it when we find that
Through this letter God wants for us is that we have “Grace…and peace”
This letter is not to harm us.
This letter is not to ruin us.
This letter is not to make us miserable.
This intention of the letter from our great God
Is that we receive His grace
And that we gain the result of His grace, which is peace.
“Grace” has often been defined as God’s unmerited favor.
We see that most clearly at the cross,
Were God sent His Son to atone for our sin.
But in reality God’s grace sweeps wider than that.
It is the absolute grace of God that He would take the time
To associate or communicate with us at all.
For which of us deserves to get a letter from God?
Who among us deserves to have God hear their prayer?
Whom among us deserves to be able to know God’s will?
None of us deserve that.
And certainly none of us can force that to occur.
Romans 11:33-35 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?”
None of us could know God’s will.
Yet it is by His grace that we do.
1 Corinthians 2:11-12 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,”
It is the very grace of God that He would choose to speak to us.
He could have left us in the dark.
And after we receive His will and walk in it, the outcome is…
“peace”
Many of you can attest to this, but I tell people this all the time,
Especially when they are walking in a difficult situation.
That no matter what, we should walk in accordance with the word of God,
For even if all blows up around them,
There is nothing more valuable than to lay your head on your pillow
Knowing that you are right with God.
Give me the peace of God and conflict in every other relationship, but don’t let me lose the peace of God.
And the beauty is that God wants you to have peace.
He wants you to have it so badly
That He sends instruction into your life and mine
So that we might know His will, obey His will, and thus have peace.
In fact that is how this letter closes as well.
2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
God gives us grace and desires for us to have peace.
And that is the third thing that makes this letter so valuable.
God wrote it.
He wrote it to the church.
And He wrote it that in the midst of all their suffering, they might have peace.
I can’t think of any better reason to study this letter than that.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!”