2 Thessalonians 1
Bro David Petersen
Counted Worthy Of The Kingdom
1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul and other New Testament writers used their letter greetings to to highlight the greatness and goodness of God. The greetings often include theological as well as cultural aspects.
Silas (Silvanus) and Timothy had accompanied Paul on his 2nd missionary journey when he established this church.
The term "church of the Thessalonians" provides some insight as to the nature of a New Testament church. Specifically that it is a local assembly. The word church comes from the Greek word "ekklesia" which means a called out assembly. The Greek understanding of an assembly was a group of people who were called out for a specific purpose. See Acts 19:32, 39-41. There were political assemblies, assemblies for professional associations and for other purposes. The idea of a universal invisible assembly would have been nonsense to a Greek because to them an ekklesia was always local and visible.
The church is in God the Father means that the church was included in his purposes and belonged to him in a special sense. It was in the Lord Jesus Christ in that its members gathered in his name and were in his service.
In using the terms grace and peace, Paul combined common salutations that relate to the New and Old Testaments respectively. Grace is especially associated with the New Testament even though the word appears several times in the Old Testament.
Grace refers to God's unmerited, undeserved favor and his love toward mankind. In Romans 6:14 Paul wrote: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." So grace characterizes the mode under which the church serves God in the New Testament age.
The term peace was a common Jewish term of both greeting and farewell and today many Jews still use the word Shalom in their greetings. Biblical peace includes the ideas of wholeness an well-being. When we are saved we have peace WITH God (Rom 5:1) and once saved when we are serving him faithfully we have the peace OF God in our lives (Phil 4:7).
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
Paul cared for the Thessalonian church as a father would care for his children. He considered himself obligated (bound) to give thanks to God for them and saw this as appropriate (meet).
They were experiencing "super-growth" in their faith. Their love for one another was overflowing.
How can we grow our faith?
- Read God's word
- Prayer
- Fellowship with God's people
- Work for the Lord
- Experience persecution for your testimony
- Trust in the Lord
Faith grows through experience. As the Lord brings us through trials we learn that he will always come through and our faith grows.
huperauxano (hoop-er-owx-an'-o); from NT:5228 and NT:837; to increase above ordinary degree.
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
The young church had already endured persecution. In Acts Chapter 17, some Jews who were jealous of Paul rounded up a mob of gangsters and went looking for Paul at the home of one of Jason. When they could not find Paul, they dragged Jason and some of the other brothers out and made false accusations of rebellion against Caeser against them in court. Jason had to post bond. Paul escaped to the town of Berea, but the gangsters even chased him down there and so he was forced to move on to Athens.
Paul boasted about the Thessalonians to the other churches in the region. He says that he boasted about their endurance and faith in persecutions.
I could imagine his boasting:"The Thessalonians are holding up under persecution." "Not only are they not losing faith in the face of persecution; their faith is even growing!" "We didn't even teach them for very long before we had to run from the gangsters; but they are taking a stand for the Lord."
5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
"Manifest token" means a plain indication. The fact that they had endured under persection, growing their faith and abounding in love was a clear indication of their relationship with God.
Notice that in verse 6 Paul mentions being "counted" worthy of the kingdom; not being "made" worthy of the kingdom. The word "worthy" comes from a Greek word "axioo" which means "to think or count worthy". It contains two ideas: to deserve and to recognize.
God made us worthy through his grace. The worthiness of the believer is not based on what we do, but on what God does for us through Christ.
There are qualifications for being in the kingdom of God. If someone came forward for church membership, we would ask them if they are saved and if they had scriptural baptism. If they had both, we would count them worthy of the kingdom of God. Our counting them worthy does not make them worthy. We are simply recognizing the fact that God already made them worthy through their faith in Christ and obedience to his command.
The Day Of Vengeance
6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
God's judgment is an unpopular topic these days. But God's people who are being persecuted should actually look forward to judgment because it will be the time where the Lord will make everything right.
Some of the Thessalonians may have been wondering how God could allow unbelievers to persecute them. "How could God let them mistreat us in this way?" "Why doesn't he do something about it."
Here Paul assures them that he will do something about it.
"And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." Heb 9:27 27
The death rate among humans is 100%. Then we will all face God on the Day of Judgment. Judgment is as certain as the fact that we are going to die. A fiery hell awaits those who die in their sins.
When Jesus comes back to this earth it will not be as the meek and lowly Jesus. Instead he will come with power and great glory.
In The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, chapter 19 he is described as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS:
"15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:15-16.
Jesus will execute the righteous wrath of God on all of his enemies. He will take no guff when he struts his stuff.
Worthy Of His Calling
11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you should know that the Lord did not just save you for your own personal benefit. The Lord saved you to bring glory to himself. He deserves all the glory.
My salvation is not about me. It is about Him. My salvation is His salvation. Jesus did not call anyone to a life of mediocrity. He calls us to dedicated service. If we are willing to serve him God's grace will enable us to fulfill our calling. Each Christian has a calling from God to serve. My calling may not be the same as yours, but we all have one. Whenver someone prays and says "Lord please send workers into the field" or points and says "Lord send him", there are 3 fingers pointing back at them.
1 Thessalonians
Chapter 1 |
Chapter 2 |
Chapter 3 |
Chapter 4 |
Chapter 5