2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, Sanctification: It matters to God.
Theological Proposition/Focus: God is working to grow His people and this growth is evidence that His people are not subject to his just judgement.
Homiletical Proposition/Application: Spiritual growth is so important that it is worth our prayer time and when it happens we should give thanks.
Contents
- 1 Introduction:
- 1.1 Image: How do you know? What would be sufficient evidence? The burden of mathematical proof.
- 1.2 Need: We need to grow spiritually but only God can do the work.
- 1.3 Subject: Spiritual growth
- 1.4 Preview: In 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 we are going to see that spiritual growth is often rooted in faith and love as a work of God and that it is something that we should pray for in anticipation of the day when God's justice is metered out on the world.
- 1.5 Setting the Stage:
- 2 Body (Read the entire passage)
- 2.1 Spiritual growth is evidence of God's saving work (1:3-5).
- 2.1.1 Faith will often grow in the midst of persecution and trials.
- 2.1.2 Love for one another is critical for spiritual growth.
- 2.1.3 Image: Pruning a Tree, not just growth but meaningful growth.
- 2.1.4 Meaningful spiritual growth provides important evidence of salvation.
- 2.1.5 MTR: Ask yourself, how can I maximize my opportunities to grow in faith and love?
- 2.2 The coming just response of God provides hope for those who are growing spiritually (1:6-10)
- 2.2.1 God's relief from the persecution and trials is assured.
- 2.2.2 God is going to punish those who have rejected God.
- 2.2.3 Ultimately, God's people will participate in God's glory!
- 2.2.4 MTR: Carefully consider the fact that one day Christ will be glorified in what he has done through you!
- 2.3 Meaningful spiritual growth is a work of God (1:11-12)
- 2.3.1 God is the only one who can make you worthy of the calling He has placed on your life.
- 2.3.2 The power of God is the only power sufficient to bring goodness out of your life.
- 2.3.3 God is the only reason we can bring glory to God.
- 2.3.4 MTR: Pray that God would work in you to produce meaningful spiritual growth.
- 2.1 Spiritual growth is evidence of God's saving work (1:3-5).
- 3 Conclusion:
Introduction:
Image: How do you know? What would be sufficient evidence? The burden of mathematical proof.
In higher Mathematics, everything is about proof. Every claim you make has to be provable from some set of basic assumptions that everyone can agree upon. Simply showing that something happens a lot does not constitute proof. There were times when an excited undergraduate student would come into my office and tell me "I have found something really cool look every time you ... the result is ..." My response was always "every time? can you prove it to me?" Often the answer was no, and I would end up bursting their bubble by telling them to show me if it worked with the number one million two hundred sixty-four or something like that. With their head dropped they would walk away realizing that this really cool property they thought they had discovered was in fact just a coincidence.
Need: We need to grow spiritually but only God can do the work.
Subject: Spiritual growth
Preview: In 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 we are going to see that spiritual growth is often rooted in faith and love as a work of God and that it is something that we should pray for in anticipation of the day when God's justice is metered out on the world.
Setting the Stage:
One of the most important questions we can ask when considering an introduction to Second Thessalonians is why did Paul choose to write a second letter? The answer is threefold. It seems that Timothy returned to Paul and Silas after delivering the first letter to Thessalonica and now the team responds to the news Timothy has brought.
Apparantly news of the coming Day of the Lord caused some confusion and Paul worked to clarify.
The presence of persecution was still an area of major concern.
Paul needed to restate the notion that as Christians living on earth we should be diligently working.
We have spent a lot of time recently talking about the second coming of Christ. The second coming of Christ is one of the most important doctrines. Jesus is coming again and we need to live in light of that fact.
Body (Read the entire passage)
Spiritual growth is evidence of God's saving work (1:3-5).
In fact, spiritual growth is so important that it is not just that Paul gives thanks, he is obligated to give thanks. This is the real deal, this is what matters!
Faith will often grow in the midst of persecution and trials.
This is a central theme in all the New Testament
James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Christian growth, otherwise known as progressive sanctification is rooted in faith, and faith often grows when we are in trials.
Love for one another is critical for spiritual growth.
Paul had asked that their love increase in 1 Thess. 3:12, now he rejoices that it has.
Love is the fruit of faith, a core NT teaching is the fact that we are identified by our love.
John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
Colossians 2:2-3 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Image: Pruning a Tree, not just growth but meaningful growth.
Have you ever seen a tree that was poorly pruned? Trees that are poorly pruned look a lot like giant weeds. However, a properly pruned tree is a piece of art. It is growing in the right direction, it looks good, and it remains healthy.
"Faith is the root; love is the fruit" [1]
Meaningful spiritual growth provides important evidence of salvation.
Spiritual growth is not something we can will to happen it is something that God does in our lives. Now there are things we can do, we can practice spiritual disciplines, study the operation manual, talk with the master but ultimately, spiritual growth, progressive sanctification, is the work of God.
MTR: Ask yourself, how can I maximize my opportunities to grow in faith and love?
The coming just response of God provides hope for those who are growing spiritually (1:6-10)
Have you ever felt like the wicked prosper and the righteous face oppression? If you have ever done so you are not alone. Listen to Job
Job 21:7 Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?
Psalm 73:3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psalm 73:13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.
The fact is that
God's relief from the persecution and trials is assured.
One of the most important eschatological truths is that God will grant relief to those who experience trouble.
Moreover, the relief is assured to not just the Thessalonians but to Paul Silas and Timothy as well. We eagerly await the greatest reunion when we all experience relief.
God is going to punish those who have rejected God.
There are really two categories of people, those who accept God's offer of salvation and those who reject the message of the Gospel, hence not knowing God.
The future for those who reject God is a future of judgment! Unpopular, yes, but that doesn't make it any less true.
This entire phrasing is a reminder of Isaiah 66:14b-15 the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes. See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
The punishment that awaits those who reject God is eternal punishment.
Don't let anyone tell you that Hell is temporary, or Hell will be the place where all the good parties occur. The truth is plan, Hell will be a place of eternal punishment.
Ultimately, God's people will participate in God's glory!
Verse 9 is pretty gloomy, but that is not the end of the story. The more I study God the more I have begun to realize that God truly is making us joint heirs with Christ. Specifically, look at verse 10.
Christ is glorified in his people. We will not just observe Christ's glory, we get to be part of it.
What is it that guarantees our participation? The Gospel as taught by Paul and the Apostles and recorded in Scripture.
MTR: Carefully consider the fact that one day Christ will be glorified in what he has done through you!
Meaningful spiritual growth is a work of God (1:11-12)
God is the only one who can make you worthy of the calling He has placed on your life.
A central aspect of the Spiritual life is the notion that only God can bring about Spiritual maturity. Here we are reminded that God calls us.
God calls us to
His future kingdom as in 1 Thess. 2:12.
Moral Purity as in 1 Thess. 4:7
=To suffer for his sake 1 Peter 2:20-21
The power of God is the only power sufficient to bring goodness out of your life.
We must understand that in and of ourselves there is nothing righteous within us. Good comes from God! Good in our lives comes from God.
God is the only reason we can bring glory to God.
He, however, invites us to be part of his work!
MTR: Pray that God would work in you to produce meaningful spiritual growth.
Conclusion:
Image:
- ↑ Thomas L. Constable, “2 Thessalonians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 714.
