Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.onetwentysixfive.com/sermons/48237/2-thessalonians-11-12/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] So, second Thessalonians verse one says, Paul and Silvanus and Tumotius under the church of the Thessalonians and God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[0:16] We are bound to thank God always for you brethren as it is meat because that your faith growth exceedingly and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.

[0:27] So that we ourselves glory in you and the churches of God for your patience and faith and all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which he also suffered.

[0:47] Seeing you as a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels and flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power and when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired and all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day.

[1:28] Wherefore also we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and he and him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[1:47] And that wraps up the first chapter of 2 Thessalonians. So again Paul here he begins his letter of course writing to the church at Thessalonica but he begins his letter saying hey it's me brother Paul, it's me brother Silvanus and it's me brother Tumotius or Timothy as we call him commonly.

[2:11] He says it's us, you all know us, you all believed us when we came there and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and he's commending them on a report that he's gotten from this church, he's commending them on the love that they have for one another commending them that their faith is continuing to grow.

[2:30] But Paul obviously had also gotten some news that the church at Thessalonica had come under persecution and this church I'm not sure what the persecution was exactly but nevertheless it had come under persecution from outside sources but he's saying you all stand strong, you all stand just as you are right now.

[2:54] Your faith has continued to grow even since we've left you there at Thessalonica you stand strong on the word, stand strong on your faith, let it continue to grow let it continue to lead you, let God continue to make the calls in your life.

[3:11] Paul is writing this letter encouraging them to do these things but Paul is also addressing some things here. He says it's kind of a funny verse to read, he says so that we ourselves glory and you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulation they endure which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which he also suffered.

[3:45] In short Paul here is saying yes you're going through some persecution right now yes you're going through some suffering right now and he calls it a manifest token of the righteousness of Almighty God folks that tells me that the first persecution and the suffering that the church at Thessalonica was going through was sent directly by God it was allowed by God to come into that church to do what not to punish them they were believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ too many times we as Christians we have problems coming to our lives death comes, sickness comes, financial problems come all these things come in our lives and we see these as punishment from Almighty God but the Bible plainly says here at the end of this chapter that these things come in your life that you can bring glory to God so when these things come in don't think that it's punishment and sometimes we need to get off that little rail that we ride sometimes saying boy the devil's working overtime sometimes it ain't the devil folks sometimes it's Almighty God allowing you the Bible plainly says it was a manifest token of God's righteousness that this persecution came on a group of believers in the city of Thessalonica he may have allowed Satan to do some things he may have allowed Satan to send persecutors into the church he may have allowed some things to happen he may have allowed Satan to cause suffrage upon his people but all in all when it's all bowed down it came directly from God and it was to do nothing more than to bring glory unto God many times Christians will say I beat this, I snap this, I get this and I get that and they don't give glory to God shame on us for having that attitude

[5:56] God lets these things come in our lives to bring Him glory to bring Jesus Christ glory bring the name that name that's above all names the name of Jesus Christ to bring that name glory not glory unto ourselves when you look in the Old Testament at the old man the man of old Job God lets some things come in his life God lets some things happen to him the man lost every bit of livestock that he had he lost his family, lost his children I'm persuaded that he lost his wife even though the scripture doesn't say so he lost everything but this man was still able to say and the Lord taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord he lost everything that he had Satan, people say God and Satan were playing ping pong with Job I don't buy that for a second why did God allow these things to happen to bring glory unto God he didn't hate Job he didn't have any problems with Job now listen he had to straighten Job out later on in the book

[7:03] Job had some self righteousness about him he did you read it over and over in the book now listen he held on to his integrity and he had every right to do so when his buddies came when they came they said if you'll just repent of this sin God will lift up these problems up on you if you'll repent of your wrong God will make this good with you and Job kept the hope of his integrity saying I have a community sin I've done nothing against God I have nothing anything to deserve this and both in all and all according to the scripture Job had not but God won a glory brought down to his own name that's why he allowed these things to happen and that's the only reason folks maybe in the hard time for coming to your life because God wants glory brought to him and I ain't saying that you don't give God glory I'm just saying God will get glory from where God will get glory from you and I being the little weasel human beings that we are and no right to question God's motives and no God right to question God's ashes he is sovereign he is holy he is righteous he can do with us what he pleases and we have no right to question it we can't question it folks

[8:27] Job I'm sure some things are running through his mind I'm positive the man of old can you imagine he's doing everything right you read in Job chapter one he even offered up sacrifices for his children saying they may have sinned I'm going to offer up sacrifices on their behalf he was doing a priestly duty before a priest wherever he was brought up folks Job is the oldest pinned book in the scripture I ain't saying that Job happened before the book of Genesis or Exodus I'm saying that it was pinned down before Genesis and Exodus were so Job would have had no clue about what the law was what the priestly law was yet he was acting as a priest on behalf of his family saying I'm going to make an offering for my sons for my daughters for they may have sinned Job was doing all these things doing everything exactly as he thought that he should and yet he lost everything that he had he had the bulls come up on him had the swords come up from the top of his head to the soles of his feet the Bible says and yet he still did not accuse God he didn't wrongfully say anything against God his wife even encouraged him his wife invited him to say curse God and die and he said you speak as a foolish woman he kept his integrity folks we have got to keep our integrity when these things come sometimes sometimes that suffering happens simply because God wants glory folks and if God wants glory hey by all means give it to him if you're a born again child of God we should be giving it to him you deserve hell just like I do and if I ain't going to hell

[10:14] God deserves glory for it everybody sitting within these walls deserves hell everyone of us we ain't nothing but little walk and talk and vessels of sin that's all we are and the Bible backs that up the only thing that makes a difference between us and the lost people out there in the world is a man named Jesus Christ and the blood that he shed that's the only difference between me and them that's the only difference between lost and saved that's the only difference between hell down and heaven down is the blood of Jesus Christ and nothing else nothing that I have done nothing that I can't do it's everything that trust done on the cross at Calvary I need to quit meriting myself for the work that he's done I'll get that heaven by works alright by the works of Jesus and that's the only way I'll get to heaven is by his works but Paul here about the second Thessalonians Paul here saying that this suffering was a manifest token of the righteousness of God he goes on to say seeing that it is the richest thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you what do we want to do as human beings somebody kicks our cat we want to hop the fence go over and kick their dog don't we don't we that's what we want to do as human beings hey I'm as guilty as y'all are if you tell me you ain't guilty

[11:47] I'll tell you liar do you face that's our natural reaction is to take vengeance out on our neighbors to take vengeance out on our children or on our parents or whatever the case is if someone comes against us it is our natural reaction to want to take vengeance out upon them when the Bible plainly says in more than one occasion vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord I will recompense I will repay not you will repay Spencer not you will repay other church goer or other saved individual I will repay I will recompense that's what Paul here is telling these Thessalonians he sayeth no you keepin' your Christian walk you keep that faith you keep it with the knowing that God Almighty is going to have his vengeance on those which are persecuting you one of these days now folks I ain't sayin' someone comes to your house with a gasoline can in hand and a look of matches and the other kicks in your door that you're gonna stand there and let them burn down your house but you take the you have righteous indignation against that person you have a biblical authority to protect what's yours protect your family and protect these things but ain't no sense in cussin' them no sense in doin' some of these other ungodly things folks that's what Paul was encouraging the Thessalonians to do keep your faith vengeance is comin' folks it's a vengeance like no one knows it's a vengeance like I can't even comprehend and it's right here in the scriptures not only here in 2 Thessalonians but the Bible talks about the vengeance of God it talks about the wrath of God and the fury of God and I said the introduction to this whole thing this is the God this is the Jesus that no one wants to hear about everybody loves the Jesus in the manger everybody loves the Jesus that when we're all preachin' love and preachin' repentance and preachin' these wonderful things and everyone loves the Jesus that died and was buried and was resurrected the third day and everyone wants him to be their mediator but no one likes to think of him as the one that said behold I can quickly and my reward is with me to give unto every man according to his words no one wants to talk about that Jesus but it's the same Jesus that God for me and he is comin' back he is comin' back he said I'm he that liveth and was dead and behold I'm the life forevermore amen and hold the keys of hell and of death that's my Jesus that we're talkin' about that was Jesus that spoke those words to John and his business on the island of Patmos that's my Jesus that's comin' back as king my Jesus that's comin' back as judge and when he comes back as judge it will not be a pretty side for those that do not know him but it's happening it will happen one of these days and there's gonna be a world full of people that for some reason is caught by surprise and they've had this word the whole time they've had preaching the whole time they've had Sunday schools the whole time they've had Bible schools the whole time and yet these are they which are gonna go on off into perdition they're gonna go on off into perdition seen as the righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you folks it's a righteous token that God allows suffering to come our way it's just as righteous of a thing for God to punish those that do not accept Jesus cross the Savior it is just as righteous of a thing for God to cast those souls into hell because they haven't believed the report they haven't believed what they've heard they haven't believed the scriptures it is just as righteous for God to punish them

[15:49] as it is for God as it is for God to send seeming punishment or suffering our own ways either way is from a holy and a righteous and a just God so and when you are troubled and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels and flaming fires and conventions on them that know not God and then obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ there's two different groups of people here both of them being punished by God both of them being punished by God they said, now let's say it says in verse 7 again the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels and flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ well if they know not God they can't obey the gospel of Jesus Christ so we've got two different groups of people here we've got those that know not God you want to know about the ones that know not God turn to Romans chapter 1 and read it sometime that's the ones that Paul is addressing here these are the ones that don't know God out of ignorance these are the ones that don't know God because they were never taught about God these are the ones that never heard the scriptures but both according to my Bible and according to a holy and righteous God they are without excuse why is that because nature screams of creation nature testifies that it was created and it didn't just come to be by some big bang by something that you can't see with the naked eye out there in the universe somewhere nature screams that this thing was a design and if it was designed and it was there had to have been a designer therefore the entire world whether they've heard the gospel or not they are without excuse that's the ones that know not God that Paul is talking about here

[17:49] I said you read the first chapter of Romans sometime and that will open your eyes just a little bit more the second one and they that obey not the gospel that's the ones that have heard the gospel but they've chosen not to obey it what is the gospel if you read it in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 it's the death of birth the death the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1 through 4 but folks it goes so much more than that it's the entire life leading up to that death which is the death of that man Jesus and it's his entire life that he's living right now God's right hand making intercession and folks that's the gospel right there the gospel fits between Genesis and Revelation it's not just Matthew, Mark, Luke and John most of the gospel stretches so much further than that there does but these are the people that obey not the gospel the second group that Paul is referring to here and he says that Jesus is going up here and his mighty angels with him and they're going to come in a fire and they're going to pronounce vengeance on these people those that are ignorant of God and do not know God and those that obey not the gospel folks the scariest song in all of this this is the same Jesus that came here and preached love this is the same Jesus that preached forgiveness this is the same Jesus that died for the forgiveness of your sin and everyone that these angels will be casting into hell and he is the one coming to judge the second scariest song in all of this is the angels we think of the angels we think of naturally love we think of those that God sends to camp all about us and protect us we think of guardian angels we think of all these things

[19:43] I think of the share of them I think of all kinds of things what I think of angels but we think of these wonderful things folks I think of the angels that celebrate over one center coming to repentance I think of those kind of angels when I think of angels folks these are the same angels that we're reading about here hey Jesus when he comes back he will not be preaching penitence he will not be preaching for forgiveness he will be coming back as judge for those that did not accept the repenting way of the gospel he will come back as judge for those that did not accept him or his blood or the gospel he will come back for those that did not accept the will of the Father and these angels will be coming back with them and they're going to be in the fire according to what I read in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 right here and they're going to be seeking to bring vengeance on those that know not God and those that obey not the gospel same Jesus, same angels

[20:49] Peter in 2nd Peter Peter says that God didn't have mercy on the angels that seen him and he cast them into hell and he did there was a big rebellion that's where Lucifer came from he was pretty much the head the head honcho of the angels he cast out of heaven him and about a third of the angels were all cast down that's why we have demons right now that's why demons roam this world because of that happening you want to read about that read Revelation chapter 12 you can also read something in Ezekiel and then Isaiah as well about the casting out of Lucifer but that's why we have demons but the Bible says 2nd Peter says that if God didn't have mercy on those angels and he cast them out of hell and he says in the days of Noah if he flooded the entire world save eight people and it goes on to say in Sodom and Gomorrah they were left as nothing but ashes

[21:51] God rained fire and windstorm that on those cities folks that was judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah that was punishment for Sodom and Gomorrah why was that? it's because they knew not God and they did not obey the law they were going against everything the nature screamed that they were supposed to go for God trust those cities, burn those cities with fire and windstorm but the Bible says that Loth, Abraham's nephew Loth, he was within those cities he sat at the gate making judgment going into Sodom and he said that he saved righteous Loth righteous Loth not sinful Loth not evil Loth whether you like it or not the Bible says Loth was righteous I know when him and Abraham were deciding on which way to go because their herdsmen couldn't get along I know they were trying to decide where to go and Loth chose those well watered plains and I would have to and you would have as well because that's what looked better

[22:53] Loth chose that, Abraham chose to go the rougher way he said I'll let Loth go do what he's going to, Loth went into those cities Loth became judge of that city he sat at the gate that's what the judges did they sat at the gate and they determined the rots and the roms and the business that took place in those cities but the Bible says that the people in those cities says their conversation meaning their life that they lived their conversation vexed Loth's righteous so it means that they were persecuting Loth with the lifestyle that they lived in front of Loth, hey folks this ain't just for the people at the end of the time this ain't just for people at the end of the age hey we're pre-persecuted every day we're persecuted with the sin that takes place out in the world we're persecuted with magazines we're persecuted with what we see on the internet we're persecuted with what we hear in the classrooms we are persecuted but God will have vengeance on those that come I guess is elect he will have vengeance on those that do not know him and those that do not obey the gospel that's what I'm dependent on not me in the meantime

[24:05] I go out and I spread the gospel in the meantime I'm a seed sower in the meantime I'm telling people hey you're living a sinful lifestyle that's great I did one time too but there's a man who can bring you out of that there's a man named Jesus Christ can forgive you of every ounce of sin that you've ever committed up to this point he can forgive you of every sin that you've ever committed in the future my Jesus does that my Jesus died so that he could do that and he'll sit at the Father's right hand bless God and he'll make intercession for me the Bible said that if we be saved through his death how much more shall we stay saved by his life that he lives now at the Father's right hand I'll stay saying it because of my Jesus he's a mediator he's the intercessor the folks all I can do is preach the gospel all you can do is preach and present the gospel we can herald the message we can herald the message it broke my heart to hear a young kid over here say whatever teaching this goes ain't no different when I was in school ain't no different it's just more frequent it's more consistent now what if the church has sat back and let it happen the church has sat back and kept its mouth shut that's why it's more frequent that's why it's more consistent that's why they say creation is a bunch of baloney though the world was formed 800 billion trillion years ago by some bang by something that came from nothing the only person that can do that is Almighty God it broke my heart do you know what breaks my heart most about it we got kids

[25:49] I go to Sunday school for, I ain't talking here I'm talking churches, all over we got kids that go to Sunday school for 20, 30, 40 minutes one time a week and they sit in the classrooms and they color a picture of Noah's Ark or they color a picture of Daniel in the lines there and the church states that that's going to combat the puke that they are learning in the classrooms out here in the world the church states that they want to learn something That's gonna come bad evolution. That's gonna come back combat that it's okay to be a transgender It's gonna come back. It's okay to be a homosexual. It's gonna come back Hey drugs are fine drugs are fine all over the state of Oregon now folks If you think it's gonna stay over there you wait and see it's making its way east to where we're at right now It's making the twig here. Both those things are not okay fornication is not okay or mongering is not okay Prostitution is not okay. None of these things are okay But these kids are going to classrooms that are saying differently and we think that they're coming in and making a cross and a popsicle sticks is going to make a difference

[27:00] Shame on us Shame on me Shame on everyone else Because it won't they need to be taught what the Bible says They've got to be taught what the Bible says that we are to combat that and We as a church may included failing to do that we are failing to do that and where's that going to put them?

[27:25] It's gonna put them in that group those that obey not the gospel because they've heard about God They've heard about God It's gonna put them in the group of they that obey not the gospel and God helped me if I stand before We were him one day and I've got the blood of some child Some child on my hands when I stand at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ God helped me if that's the case that I did not go out of my way to tell that child about Jesus Christ That I didn't tell them about forgiveness of sin that I didn't tell them that God was all sovereign creator of this universe Hey folks you read over you reading the New Testament when Paul was addressing a mainly Jewish audience He always went back to the law to begin this sermon He always went back to the beginning of the law to present that because his audience was mainly Jewish But when he was addressing Gentiles, he always always always went back to creation Because I do not think about the law

[28:26] But they lived in a world that God created. Yeah, so he always went back to creation And he started telling them about creation He started telling them in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was the next one in the world And the spirit of God and went across the face of the deep Hey, Paul went through all these things with the Gentiles because they didn't know what the law was I hope there was a time in my life when I didn't believe in God But I knew the Bible better than most Christians that I knew. I could quote more scripture I could tell them where something was in the Bible not even believing in God And I knew more Bible and I made fun of a lot of them for that too Make fun of a lot of them because me as an atheist knew more about what they called the holy scriptures and what they do Than these professing Christians now folks. I ain't saying that bragging on me. I'm ashamed of what I did now I wasn't ashamed then but I'm ashamed now because Christ brought it to my attention that I was wrong

[29:29] You know that praise God that he did the folks I was one of them that knew the gospel I was one of those that had hurt the gospel. I was raised in church. I was raised in Sunday school I went to every Bible school and my mama could get me through the doors full and yes when I was a teenager I decided that there was no God but praise God one day he came after me He came to where I was came to where I was in the middle of my sin in the middle of my filth in my blindness He reached out to me up set my feet on solid ground and established my goal That's my God that did that nothing to do me because I certainly wasn't looking for It takes God to do that folks. We've got to teach our children what the Bible says What what does say to word of God that way?

[30:19] When they go out here and they hear this vomit come out of classrooms. That's all it is I'll say it over and over it is vomit that comes out of their bed out of their bathrooms out of their classrooms and these schools When they hear that they'll have something with some substance They'll have something with some meaning in their mind and in their heart and they can combat it with that But not if we don't teach them what did God tell the Israelites over in the Old Testament He said you tie to your arm you wear this front look between your eyes He was talking about the wall that he had given his chosen people. He didn't give it to the heavens Didn't give it to the pagans or the haters. He gave it to his people His people aren't using it. We're the ones that are guilty. Yeah Who should be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord from the glory of his power Who should be punished with what kind of destruction?

[31:20] That blows a hole in what the Jehovah's Witnesses say That's another thing we've got to combat folks is false doctrine that's floating around everywhere Jehovah's Witnesses say well the grave is hell The grave is hell and that's where it is And different sex of girls with different beliefs on that just like different sex of Mormons believe that we go to hell for X amount of years X amount of days and then poof we're gone No more burden My Bible says that they are thrust from the presence of the Lord into everlasting destruction Folks that destruction doesn't mean that one day or another could be a year from now thousand years a million years from now That I will be completely destroyed. No, it means I will spend eternity being destroyed But I will never be completely destroyed when God created Adam and Eve. He created them Immortal they were created in his own minute in before they not God is the beginning God is the end God is Alpha God is Omega

[32:22] God's the first and the last he is immortal the Bible calls him the ancient of days He is immortal if Adam and Eve were created in his image. They were immortal You are not a human being that has a soul. You're a soul that has a human body Your soul is eternal and it will spend eternity somewhere Either being destroyed for all eternity or you'll spend it in heaven glorify Jesus Christ I'm going to heaven praise God not on my own merit. I'm going to heaven by the merit of Jesus Christ and nothing other than that I'm going to heaven But there are those that are going to be destroyed for ever Don't you let anybody tell you the hell only lasts for a little while Don't you let anybody tell you that you'll you'll burn for how many years you lived here on this earth and then poof You're gone. Hey folks. I ain't a bit of Bible. They ain't a verse They ain't a bit of scripture that backs that up the Bible says everlasting the Bible calls it everlasting Everlasting torment it calls it outer darkness. It calls it a bottomless pit. It calls it all kinds of things

[33:27] But either way it is an eternal punishment and it is eternally being separated from God That means every minute that goes by Every quarter hour that goes by every hour and every day that goes by you're being further further away from God Why is that?

[33:47] Because you chose the path that you did because you chose the path of unrighteousness You chose the path of wickedness. You were in that group You were part of that group that obeyed not the gospel That obeyed not the gospel and it is everlasting destruction Who will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power Who's About to close it if I send into the heavens though, aren't there and if I make my bed in hell Thou art there God is in hell. Oh, yeah In all of his fury all of his wrath all of his judgment one day Hell is gonna be filled in fact the bible says she enlarges their borders talking about hell Why would she enlarge in her borders if there wasn't more people?

[34:38] We'll be making their way in there Folks the bible also gives dimensions for heaven It's four square. I sung about just a little while ago that city that's built four square I don't see anywhere where heaven expands. No, I see nowhere where that where that kingdom is going to expand But hell enlarges their borders That'll open their eyes the bible says it's the way into Life everlasting in a straight and narrow way It's a narrow gate that gets there and it talks about the brawl path and the wide gate That's what leads to destruction. Why is that cause there's more people on that brawl path and there's more people to pass through that wide gate Why is that cause it's easier?

[35:16] It's easier to trans that path Jesus said if any man going to be my disciple let him deny himself Take up his cross and follow me that cross gets harder sometimes But when suffering comes your way christian when persecution comes your way believer Think of it as a cross Think of it as a cross that god has given you I preach don't talk on it both here Your cross will be different than mine and my cross will be different from yours I might have to suffer sickness you might have to suffer a death in your family And it might go vice versa But your cross is going to be different than mine and that's a daily changing cross that we bear But either way take up your cross that god puts on you and follow him Don't put one on yourself. Don't go out and find one Hope you're going to have loads to carry for Jesus. You're going to have loads to carry for your faith And you're going to have loads to carry to glorify god Don't put any more on yourself than god's already got planned for you Christians are awful for that That's why christians get burned out on church service

[36:19]  They get burned out on sunday school. They get burned out on teaching bake sales Your singings They get burned out. Why because they think they're doing it all for god And one day they wake up and say god I don't know why I feel this way I've done this for you. I've done that for you. I've taught sunday school I've done the past 50 bible schools at the church. I've been the director of them I've directed all the christmas plays and god looks down and says that I never asked you to do that I never put that on you You put that on yourself. We can't blame god when that's the case We can't blame god But when god puts a cross on us We need to bury it and we need to bury it Gratefully because folks according to what we just read in the first chapter second desolonians That glorifies god And it's something that he does to bring him glory and to glorify the name of jesus christ