We live in an age of deception. The enemy of our soul uses the media, the marketplace, and the world to try and seduce us. Tragically, we even lie to ourselves. I heard of a school teacher that lost her life savings in a business scheme that had been elaborately explained by a swindler. When her investment disappeared and her dream was shattered, she went to the Better Business Bureau. “Why on earth didn’t you come to us first?” the official asked. “Didn’t you know about the Better Business Bureau?” “Oh, yes,” said the lady sadly. “I’ve always known about you, but I didn’t come because I was afraid you’d tell me not to do it.”
The folly of human nature is that even though we know where the answers lie—God’s Word—we don’t turn there for fear of what it will say. Let’s be honest with God, each other, and even ourselves by embracing Truth and rejecting the lies of this world.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12:
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In our text today, we’re going to see quite a command from John - we are called to not only love God, but to love our Christian brothers. How can I ever hope to keep a command like this?
I came across an illustration that explains how this can happen, that we are not under the Law when we’re in Christ, but we’re under a new law — the law of love, which makes this possible: Suppose there is a law stating a woman must take care of her child. Then let’s say an officer comes to a new mother’s home. He rings the doorbell and the mother answers the door, with her baby in her arms. He says to her, “Are you taking care of your baby? The law says you have to.” The woman, tenderly holding her baby, said, “I don’t need a law to make me take care of my baby.”
Why? Because she loves her baby! She feeds him, holds him, and changes him because she loves him. We’re no longer under the Law because we’re under Christ — and the law of love. Beloved, when we abide in our God and in His law of love, loving Him as well as our brothers and sisters around us, while being a command, can become a wonderful joy. So, let’s abide in His love today!
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In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.
Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.
For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work. Beloved, God’s power is available to us, but we have to stay connected. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12:
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Recently our nephew graduated from the United States Marine Corps. A week after, he was married, proudly wearing his dress blues. Certainly an occasion like a wedding called for such attire. But it seemed that when you least expected it, on rather casual occasions, he would still proudly wear his dress blues. I even recall one of his visits when he chose to wear them to his brother’s soccer game. There’s no doubt in my mind that our nephew is proud to represent the Marines, and he shows it every time he puts on the uniform.
Beloved, you and I may never have the privilege to represent the Marines and wear their dress blues, but we’re still called to represent Someone infinitely greater - our God and Savior Jesus Christ. As we abide in Him and He in us, we have the privilege of putting His love on display. Even though “no one has seen God at any time, if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us” (1 John 4:12). Through His love, may we make God visible to the watching world and faithfully represent Him and His coming kingdom.
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It’s been said, “Choose the behavior, and choose the consequences.” When you consciously choose a specific behavior or direction in life, you are choosing the outcomes and consequences. I am amazed that people choose to fight against God and His kingdom. Paul tells us that, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
I can’t imagine what it will be like on that day when Christ is revealed and the chickens come home to roost. I believe there will be a lot of regrets that day. The best way to avoid regrets is to choose a direction in life whose consequences are blessings rather than regrets. The choice is yours!
2 Thessalonians 1:1-10:
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Poetic justice is defined as a literary device in which virtue is ultimately rewarded and vice punished often by an ironic twist of fate intimately related to the character’s own conduct. We find these enjoyable in the movies, books, or short stories we watch and read and they are even more satisfying in real life. I heard of a thief who was surprised while burglarizing a house in Antwerp, Belgium. The burglar fled out the back door, clambered over a nine-foot wall, dropped down the other side, and found himself in the city prison. Oops! All I could do was smile after reading that.
One day, we will stand in awe as God metes out justice for all those things where people thought they got off scott free. One day we will all say, “Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments!” (Psalm 119:137)
Introduction to 2 Thessalonians:
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I heard of a story of some visitors to another country. A group of tourists asked an old man if any great men were born in his small town. He replied, “No, only babies!”
God produced great men and women through the process of growth and sanctification. Growth isn’t always easy though. The ups and downs of life can be painful, but God uses it all in the life of the Christian. He is able to use suffering and difficulty redemptively. According to an old Chinese proverb, “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” So we can embrace our difficulty knowing that God is working in us and making us more like Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28:
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We have all heard the saying, “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck.” We recognize that different cultures and even animals have certain attributes or characteristics that are dominant.
What would be the dominant characteristic of a Christian? Our culture would respond, “The dominant characteristics are narrow mindedness or a judgmental attitude.” The media does help perpetuate this stereo-type, but I’m convinced that we are largely responsible for this perception. What dominant characteristic did Christ say would distinguish us? “By this all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). I’m convinced that we have the power to change the perception and we can only do it through the power of the Spirit. So, let’s yield to the Spirit and truly love Him and each other!
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Happy Independence Day!
Over the past 234 years, freedom has been challenged by different weapons that demanded action by our countrymen - from muskets and cannons to advanced weaponry and even our own airplanes. Andrei Sakarov was the noted Russian physicist that helped contruct the Atomic Bomb for the Russians. He said in a speech, “I have been mistaken thinking that the most powerful weapon in the world was the atomic bomb. I have now discovered that the most powerful weapon in the world is not the bomb, but the truth.”
Remember that beloved - it’s the truth. Christ said, “You will know the truth and the truth shall make you free!” (John 8:32). Celebrate the freedom we enjoy in our country but more importantly the freedom we have through Christ.
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Paul instructed the Thessalonians to be “Joyful at all times” (1 Th. 5:16). Considering our reputation in the culture, I sense that we Christians are not too good at being joyful, rejoicing at all times. Of all people on earth, Christians have so much to rejoice about.
C.S. Lewis has been known to have said, “It is the job of every Christian to be as happy as they can possibly be.” Joy and happiness are so attractive. Maybe the reason why we are not so successful evangelistically is because we lack joy. We can be so angry and upset with the situation in our world that we push people away. Regardless of the headlines in the newspapers, God is on the throne, Christ is coming back, and heaven is our home. That’s a lot to be joyful about!
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22:
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