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So, the question I want to start
with is, is our suffering pointless? Is our suffering pointless? It's
an important, perhaps even controversial question, because suffering is
something that we'll all experience at one point or another, and
we have to learn how to cope with it. You might recall the
first time your family faced real pain, or maybe when your
children reacted the first time to seeing a movie or a show where
there was maybe a death or somebody getting injured. And whether
you were ready for it or not, you witnessed that weight of
pain settle on them. The reality is we live in a world
that's broken by sin. So suffering comes in many different
forms. Sometimes it's a result of our
own mistakes. I can't tell you how many times
conflict in our marriage, Michaela's over there, she's my wife. She's
great, but we have conflict, like any marriage. And a lot
of the times it's caused by me, or things that I fail to do,
and that's my fault. Other times, suffering comes
out of nowhere, like disease or natural disasters, things
that we didn't cause, but we still have to endure. Then there's
another kind of suffering, when others sin against us. Maybe
it's from people you know, like family, or complete strangers.
And sometimes these hurts seem random, but for Christians, the
Bible warns us that we will experience a particular kind of suffering
more than others, suffering for our faith. And because of the
exclusive nature of Christianity, the fact that Jesus is the only
way to God, there are things that we can't agree on with the
world. There are conflicts that we have to embrace as Christians
because we can't accept everything the world tells us. And then
our allegiance to Christ has to be above everyone. And oftentimes
we face challenges with that because there are other things
demanding our allegiance. so the world doesn't understand
or accept Christ's rule. The church in Thessalonica knew
this well. They're scattered because of
persecution for their faith, so how do we see Paul encouraging
them? Does he pray that their suffering
would end immediately? No, he actually doesn't. Does he start a movement to overthrow
their oppressors? No. Instead, he reminds them
that suffering for them is not meaningless. Paul tells them
that God's justice is at work, even in their trials, and that
one day he will repay their enemies. You see, he shifts their focus
from the present, what's right in front of them, and points
it to the future hope of Christ's return. And this brings us back
to this theme we've been discussing as we've read First Thessalonians
and now Second, living in the already not yet kingdom. You see, we're citizens of his
kingdom right now, presently, but the fullness of that kingdom
reality has not yet come. We haven't seen the kingdom come
to earth. And it's this certain future
that gives us hope today, even in the midst of our suffering.
So today we're looking at 2 Thessalonians 1, 5 through 12, and it speaks
to us about God's justice and how it shapes our lives. So I've
titled the sermon, Trials Today, Glory Tomorrow, Trusting in God's
Justice. And the main idea is this, because
God's justice is both present and future, we can trust him
in our trials, await his judgment, and live in hope of his glory.
Once again, because God's justice is both present and future, we
can trust him in trials, await his judgment, and live in hope
of his glory. And there are three calls that
we see to trust God throughout this passage. So if you're following
along with notes, I'd encourage you to write those down. The
first call is trust God's justice in your trials. Trust God's justice
in your trials. So Paul highlights that the Thessalonians'
endurance and suffering is actually evidence of God's righteous judgment. That God uses our trials to demonstrate
our worthiness for his kingdom. Worthiness here meaning that
we have endured, not that we earned our place, but it's a
truth of Christians, that they endure and therefore they are
worthy. And to understand where we pick
up in verse five, we should look back at verse four first, because
the verse five starts with this, and the this that he's referring
to is what he talks about in verse four. So verse four, read
it with me. It says, therefore, we ourselves
boast about you and the churches of God for your steadfastness
and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you
are enduring. So the this that he's referring
to, their endurance in faith, Paul explains, are evidence of
God's righteous judgment. And we'll see more of what that
judgment actually looks like in the verses that follow. So
how does enduring persecution through judgment, through others
afflicting us, how does enduring that affliction show us that
God's judgment is right? The fact that believers persevere
through afflictions show us that God is just and ultimately repaying
those who caused their suffering. In his justice, he rewards those
who endure and brings justice to those who inflict harm. One
commentary explains it like this. A careful reading of verse five
reveals that our suffering, God's judgment, and our worthiness
to enter his kingdom are inseparably linked together. Paul writes,
it is a clear evidence of God's righteous judgment that you will
be counted worthy of God's kingdom, for which you are also suffering.
What may appear at first to be a confusing statement is actually
one of the most comforting statements you will find in the Bible. Only
God can take the concepts of suffering and judgment and turn
them into words of comfort and expectation. That is exactly
the point Paul is conveying to the Thessalonians. Their suffering
was not what secured their salvation. Their suffering was evidence
of their salvation, which already occurred when they believed in
Jesus Christ. Remember talking about that in
1 Thessalonians, they believe the word as it was preached to
them. That's what secured their salvation,
not them living through suffering. That just shows that they are
worthy of this call. Stated another way, they were
not made worthy of the kingdom because they suffered. They were
counted worthy of the kingdom because they suffered. So think
about it this way. There's a difference between
being a guest in someone's household and being a part of the family.
When you're a guest, the host might cater to your every need.
He might set up the table, make sure the place is clean, looking
all nice. and spotless, but once you become a part of the family,
the responsibility of this housekeeping and contributing is now shared. So if you become a part of a
family and you walk in expecting the same treatment as a guest
without contributing, it will lead to a lot of frustration,
to say the least. But the deeper joy, even though
now you're part of the family and you have more responsibilities
and it's harder for you, the deeper joy is in knowing you
belong to the family. So in the same way, undergoing
the persecution of unbelievers is a sign that you're a part
of God's family. That's what Paul is trying to
communicate to these Thessalonians. Their persecution and suffering
wasn't a sign that God left them, that he was absent. No, it was
a sign that he was with them and that they were children of
God. So though it's harder, the joy of being counted worthy to
suffer for Christ surpasses any hardship. So this has to do with
direct persecution coming from unbelievers, but how does this
apply to our trials that we experience just as a result of living in
a broken world? So I want to share a quote from
Tim Keller. He was asked about the highlights and lowlights
of his life with cancer, which he dealt with until he passed,
I think in 2023. He says this, I was diagnosed
with stage four pancreatic cancer in May of 2020. That's a very
deadly kind of cancer. And yet I've just celebrated
my third Christmas with my family. I had two years of chemotherapy,
and now I'm in immunotherapy drug trial, and that is working
too. So my cancer is still there.
Pancreatic cancer can break out any time and take you. And yet
we've been able to keep it somewhat at bay for a pretty long time.
So we're very grateful. You have to constantly have scans
and tests. We have a word, scansiety. Because you know that it doesn't
matter how good the last one was, this one could show that
it's out of control. So the lowlights are every time
you're waiting for the test results. That's obviously one. And the
other is that every little ache and pain that, for the most of
your life, you say, well, that's probably nothing. Now you say,
is that the cancer? The highlights are, and this
is going to sound like an exaggeration, but my wife and I, and this is
why I put this quote here, he says, my wife and I would never
want to go back to the kind of prayer life or spiritual life
we had before the cancer. I really thought I had a good
prayer life. And when I broke through into
another dimension, I realized that frankly, my prayer life
wasn't very good. C.S. Lewis wrote, God whispers
to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts
in our pain. It is his megaphone to rouse
a deaf world. God whispers to us in our pleasures,
speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is his
megaphone to rouse a deaf world. So you can see how God was using
this megaphone of suffering for the Thessalonians, this megaphone
to say, I am doing something in your life. Their pain was
proving their legitimacy as his people. By enduring faithfully,
they demonstrated their worthiness for God's kingdom. God could
have stopped the persecution. Do you believe that? God could
have stopped the persecution. but chose instead to use it as
a tool to prepare them for the glory that was to come. And this
is a theme we see throughout scripture. Philippians 1, 27
through 29, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel
of Christ, not being frightened in any way by your opponents.
This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your deliverance. And this is from God, for it
has been given to you on Christ's behalf, not only to believe in
him, but also to suffer for him. And then James 1, 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. And then one more verse to illustrate
this. 1 Peter 1 says, in all this you greatly rejoice. Though
now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all
kinds of trials, these have come so that the proven genuineness
of your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even
though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when
Jesus Christ is revealed. So how should we view our trials?
Don't see them as meaningless or that God is absent. Instead, view them as opportunities,
as God demonstrates his judgment and you're being molded for his
kingdom. So just as Keller's cancer led
him to a deeper prayer life, your trials can lead you into
a deeper relationship with God. So don't be surprised by trials
when they come. They're not a sign that you're
not blessed. They're not a sign that God is
far away. Instead, trials show that God
is shaping you for eternity. Yes, it's painful. And that's
why we need to remind ourselves of our hope that is coming. So
turn to God in your pain. Here's a prayer that you can
use that when I'm going through something hard and I'm in the
right headspace, I pray. I say, God, please use this season
to make me the person you want me to be. I don't like it, but
I trust you. And that's important. We can
say, we can proclaim, I don't like this. It doesn't feel good,
but I trust you, God. And I know you're doing something
with this. And remember, church, that you don't go through this
alone. Nothing you go through has to be in isolation. Invite
your church family into it, share your struggles, and let them
walk through these trials with you, trusting that God is preparing
you for the glory to come. So the first point was trust
God in your trials. The second point, trust that
God's judgment will be certain. So Paul makes it clear as we
move forward in this passage that those who oppose God will
face judgment. And this is meant actually to
encourage these believers that are undergoing the persecution
of these unbelievers. Because for those experiencing
suffering, they need to know that there's a day that God will
actually vindicate them, he'll avenge them, he'll bring justice
to them. And as Paul states, it'll bring
relief to God's people. and it brings judgment to those
who reject him. So for believers, this day that's
coming, this day that brings judgment, it represents ultimately
the greatest vindication we could ever ask for. Because while we
may not feel the constant pressure of persecution in the same way
that the Thessalonian believers did, There are believers around
the world, even right now as we're gathered here today, worshiping
God in this building, and we're safe for the most part, like,
everything's pretty good here. But on the other side of the
world right now, there are believers, brothers and sisters of ours,
who are undergoing persecution for their faith. And that's something
that's good for us to remember. As we pray for people groups
around the world, we need to remember that the few Christians
that are represented there, if there are any, are undergoing
intense persecution for their faith. Because they're wondering
if they're even going to make it the next day. They're wondering,
how do I worship Jesus in a place that is surrounded by persecution
and pressure to bow down to this God or that God? and it's constant
for them. So we need to remember that that
is happening right now and that their suffering actually amplifies
the significance of the coming of the Lord. They long for that
day and we should too. Now, verse nine, I wanna stop
and focus on this a little bit, because there's a couple different
ways that this verse can be interpreted. So let's read it. It says, they
will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from
the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.
So I paused because this second part that says away from the
presence of the Lord, if your Bible's like mine, has a little
number next to away from, and at the bottom where that number
is, the reference, it says or destruction that comes from.
So it would be or the destruction that comes from the presence
of the Lord. So it can be translated either way, so there's some interpretation
involved. So the two ways that it's being
translated, the first way is focusing on eternal separation
from God. This means being cut off from
the source of all joy, all life, everything that's good, and it's
a deep relational and spiritual loss. And this is our state apart
from God. This is our state when we're
born into a world as a sinful human being. We're born separated
because of sin. But the reality is, if we never
turn, if we never come to Him, we'll experience the full weight
of that separation after we die. And we refer to that as hell,
but the reality is it's not just some place that people who like
to smoke and drink go and do things that the good people aren't
allowed to do. No, it's a place of utter pain
and sorrow and misery, because God is the source of all joy.
And where God isn't, there is no comfort. We have to remember
that, because the seriousness of that teaches us. And then
secondly, you can view this as destruction coming directly from
the presence of God. And the reality is both these
translations would speak truths into the reality of who God is. Because God, the reality is he's
everywhere. His presence is everywhere. God's
presence is not necessarily absent from hell. He's still in hell
as he is everywhere else. but there you're experiencing
the presence of his wrath and his justice. So here, which we
also see throughout the Old Testament on the day that the Lord returns,
there will be an experience of God's full weight of judgment
and wrath for those who have not been saved by Jesus Christ.
So, When we see this in this passage, translators tend to
lean towards being separated from God's presence because it's
contrasting what believers will experience. Believers experience,
as we see, being glorified in his saints and being marveled
at because the testimony was believed. So we get to experience
the joy of his presence as believers. And if you're not a believer,
you're experiencing separation from that joy, separation from
his presence and everything that's good. So this should prompt us
to see the seriousness of rejecting God, but also recognize the beauty
of his grace, because through Christ, we are not separated
from God, but brought into his presence and mercy when we turn
to him. To illustrate how God's judgment
can help us in our lives, experiencing trials, I want to share about
Elizabeth Elliott. So you may have heard of Elizabeth
Elliott. She's a pretty famous missionary because of her testimony
that she has shared. She even wrote this book called
Suffering is Never for Nothing. And what she experienced was
when she and her husband traveled as missionaries to an indigenous
tribe that did not understand what they were doing there. They
didn't understand what they were saying to them. But their goal
was to go to this tribe and share Jesus with them, because they
were convicted to love these people and bring the gospel to
people without hope of knowing Jesus. And tragically, with them
being there in this place, the tribe ended up murdering her
husband. They took his life and slaughtered
him. And why I share this story of
suffering for her is because of her response. So understandably,
like many would, I would probably be running far away if I saw
that. I would be like, I'm never seeing
those people again. Just quite frankly, I don't want
to be around people who did something like that. But what did she do? She forgave them, and she actually
returned to that place to preach the gospel to them. Because she
knew that Jesus, who forgave her of all her sin, could forgive
those people of their sin. She chose love, showing faith
in God's ultimate justice and redemptive work. Because the
only way you can forgive somebody who would do something like that
is knowing that ultimately God is going to get the last word.
God is going to right all wrongs. So her faithfulness resulted
in many conversions in the tribe that took her husband's life.
She'll get to see those people on the day that Jesus returns
and be able to be worshiping Jesus with him, the ones who
turned to Jesus as a result of her faithful gospel work. So
this illustrates this key point. God's justice and judgment do
not negate his mercy. There is time now for people
to turn to him, just as these people in this tribe did. But
at the same time, we have to remember that judgment is coming,
and the day will come where God will right all wrongs. Now this
is both an encouragement because we experience the pain that comes
from people who are persecuting Christians, but it's also a warning
to us. It's also an encouragement that
these unbelievers who reject God, who don't experience his
grace and mercy, are going to experience that judgment one
day. So it should prompt us to share the gospel with unbelievers. So first, trust God's justice
and timing. Even when you face opposition,
we can trust God will bring justice. We can let go of our own internal
desire for revenge, knowing that God is going to settle all accounts
one day. And we can share the gospel while
there's still time. So Christ's coming judgment,
it's not just for those obvious opponents of God, like we saw
in that story, or the vocal atheist who would never be seen in a
church building and lives their lives trying to disprove Christianity. No, it's also for those who live
good lives by society's standards. They have families, they're just
like us, but they never acknowledge God. Romans 5 teaches us that
justification and peace with God come only through faith in
Jesus Christ. No amount of good works can save
anyone from God's judgment. It is by faith alone that we
are justified. So if you're sitting here this
morning thinking you're safe and you can come into God's presence
because of your good deeds, or maybe on the flip side, It was
hard for you to come here this morning because you're like,
oh, God only likes those people who do all the right things,
and I'm not one of those people. I can't be seen in this church
building this morning. Maybe that's you. I want you
to know this, salvation comes through faith. It's not because
of your works that you're allowed to enter into God's presence.
Come to God as you are and let him transform you from the inside
out. Because it's not righteousness
that we earn ourselves, it's righteousness that's exchanged
for us through Jesus Christ's righteousness. So Romans 3.23
reminds us of this essential truth. For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, but all are justified freely
by grace, by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus
Christ. And that requires us to come
to him in faith. So trust God's judgment. Thirdly, trust that God's future
glory will be yours. In these verses, Paul prays that
God will make the Thessalonians worthy of their calling, that
their faithfulness would glorify Jesus. And this prayer reflects
a fundamental truth. Our lives should reflect the
glory of Christ. As we walk through trials, our
faith and endurance showcase God's work in us, and they prepare
us for the day when Christ will be glorified in his people. So
I want to share one last story about another man who had a very
great impact on my life, mostly just through knowing his family,
but Michaela's uncle, Jay. Jay also went through the suffering
of cancer. But throughout that time, he
trusted in God even through the hardest moments. From the time
we heard about his diagnosis, we heard his family's devastation,
knowing that they were going to lose a father, a husband far
too soon. But as things progressed, it
became clear his time was short. And something incredible happened.
No, he wasn't healed of the cancer, but stories began to emerge of
Jay's life, story after story of him being a faithful servant
of God. And his faith stood firm, even
in the face of death. His hope in Christ remained unwavering. And at his funeral, we heard
story after story of Jay's kindness, his forgiveness, his daily Bible
reading, his love for his family. But more than anything, they
talked about his faith. His enduring trust in God through
the suffering left a lasting legacy. And it became clear that
God had been working throughout Jay's life, preparing him for
that moment when he would meet Jesus in glory. So like Jay's
faith in the midst of this suffering, Paul is reminding the Thessalonians,
and now he's reminding us today, that God is at work through our
suffering. Their perseverance in trials
is evidence of God's power, refining their faith and making them worthy
of his kingdom. Their lives were a testimony
to the justice of God, both in this world and the next. So one
day we will all experience Christ being glorified among us. It
will be a glorious day. This means when our suffering
is over, when we have endured in faith, it will not be meaningless. God is using all of our trials
to prepare us for the day that we will stand in his presence,
vindicated and glorified with him. The life of a faithful servant,
and this is what all of our aims should be, is at the end of our
lives, just to be called faithful. It's a powerful testimony to
the justice of God. So church, I want to encourage
you just to live in a way that glorifies Jesus. Focus on being
faithful in the little things, the everyday actions and decisions,
knowing that your life can bring honor and glory to God. And this
starts by spending time with Jesus. Because as John Owen said,
we must see Christ's glory in this world. We will never behold
the glory of Christ by sight in the next world if we have
not, in some measure, beheld it by faith here in this world. Christ's glory has been revealed
through the gospel. And we need to meditate on these
gospel promises and trust that God will bring them to pass soon. So when I say gospel promises,
those are real promises that we need to hold onto in our trials. When we go through those daily
frustrations that are right in our face, and that's all we can
see, and our emotions are welling up and getting the best of us,
we need to remind ourselves. We need to preach to ourselves. God is with me in this and he's
going to get me through this. This is not the end for me. This
is not the last thing that I'm going to experience in life and
God is going to use this. God is going to use this to shape
me and make his glory known through me. And we ask for God's help
because we all experience things, whether it's the death of a family
member, a dog or cat passing away suddenly. These things are
constant in our lives, whether we're experiencing this right
now and you're going through something or it's going to happen
at some point. We don't have to worry about
things that are to come because we know God is walking through
us every step of the way. He will be with us in our trials,
no matter how big and how small. But these are the things we need
to hold on to and preach to ourselves. Because I'm a child of God, I
know he won't forget me. I know he's not leaving me here
alone, but he's holding me every step of the way. So Paul's prayer
for the Thessalonians here brings our focus to an essential truth.
And this is how we get through our trials, because it's God
who is at work in you. He writes in verse 11, to this
end, we always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of
his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work
of faith by his power. He says, by his power. Notice that. It's by his power. This means the Christian life
is not about being the best person we can be just so that we can
go to the next level in our lives and be able to face things and
be a stronger person at the end of the day. It's not about us. It's about God himself actively
working in us, transforming our desires, and empowering us to
live out our lives in faith. It's God who makes you worthy. That's why Paul's praying that
God would do this. He says that God would make you
worthy of his calling. He's not challenging them. He's
asking that God would do it. God is the one doing the work.
So you're not left somehow to make yourself worthy of God's
calling. Paul prays that God himself would
make you worthy. This is a work that God does
in your life, sanctifying you and shaping you more and more
into the image of Christ. So God fulfills every good intention
and it's God's power and not yours. So as you go about your
week, no matter what you face, remember that it is God who is
at work in you, making you worthy of his calling and empowering
you to live out your faith by his mighty power. Trust in him
and let this truth shape your daily walk with Christ. So as
we close, let's remember the three truths we've learned from
this passage. The first truth, trust God's
justice in your trials. We've seen that God's justice
is revealed in how he avenges the suffering and gives them
relief. So just as God worked in the
life of Tim Keller, every trial we endure is a testimony to God's
justice, making us more like Christ. So when you face trials,
let your hope be anchored in the promise that God is at work
in you, and let that hope fuel your longing for the day when
all trials will cease. Second, trust that God's judgment
will be certain. So remember, this is a harsh
passage we see of God's judgment coming on unbelievers, but this
was meant to be an encouragement to these believers and Thessalonians,
because knowing that we are in Christ, helps us remember that
we are free from God's wrath. And that is a glorious truth.
And he uses this as a comfort because the people who are making
life so difficult for these believers in Thessalonica one day will
experience the vengeance of God. And no matter who has wronged
you, no matter what you've gone through, no matter what hurt,
far too great for me to even know, God sees every wrong and
will set all things right. God sees every wrong and will
set all things right. So when you see or experience
injustice in the world, let it remind you that there is a day
coming when Christ will return and justice will be fully served. And let this fuel your desire
for his return, where perfect justice will reign. And the last
point, trust that God's future glory will be yours. So remember,
finally, we've seen that Christ's return will bring us into his
glorious presence, a hope that shaped the life of Michaela's
Uncle Jay as he longed to see Jesus face to face. and let this
promise shape your own life. So as you go about your days,
let your heart be filled with anticipation, like the biblical
authors, for that glorious day when we will all see Christ and
be with Him forever in glory. Now, I know you might be sitting
there, maybe you're thinking, Tim Keller and Elizabeth Elliott,
that's not me. Like, I could never measure up
to that standard. And I know that these examples
are extreme. But I promise you, these, these,
strong faith believers, they didn't get there overnight. They
had to exercise their faith by how they responded to every little
trial they experienced throughout their life so that when the big
trials came, they could walk through them in faith. So we
read about persecution in the church here. And in our context,
we might experience some, but we might also be thinking, how
am I supposed to apply this to my life? I'm not experiencing
this. But I believe God uses even the small trials that we
experience. every single day to grow us to
a point where even if we were to face persecution for unbelievers,
we can stand firm. No matter how small, even something
as simple as stubbing your toe, the most seemingly pointless
trial I can think of, let God use it. Turn to him in your pain,
and remember that one day you'll be given a body that won't accidentally
run into walls. Isn't that amazing? So let us
now take these truths and speak like the biblical authors, expressing
our deep longing for Christ. In your prayers, in your conversations,
in your heart, let these scriptures be the language of hope, anticipation,
and your life. So like Paul, we should eagerly
await the Savior, longing for the day when he will transform
our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. Like David, let
our hearts cry out that we may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of our lives, gazing upon his beauty. And like John,
may we look forward to the time when God himself will be with
us, wiping away every tear from our eyes, where death and pain
will be no more. And with the psalmist, let's
declare that there is nothing we desire on earth besides God,
for he is the strength of our hearts and our portion forever.
Trials Today, Glory Tomorrow, Trusting in God's Justice
Series 1 & 2 Thessalonians
| Sermon ID | 825241527496669 |
| Duration | 46:24 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday Service |
| Bible Text | 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 |
| Language | English |
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