SERMON NOTES
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
So that the Name of Jesus May Be Glorified in You
Author- This book is thought to be written by Paul.
Date the book was written- It is believed to be written in AD 49-51.
Theme- Jesus is coming back.
When Jesus comes, He will defeat this rebellious world ruler, bring justice to the oppressed Christian, and wrath to their persecutors and to unbelievers in general.
Vs 1-2 These three missionaries are together just as they were in 1 Thessalonians. As Christians, our mission is simple: ask Christ to take control of our lives, ask forgiveness of our sins, glorify God with our hearts and actions, and make disciples of others. These three men (Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy) are simply carrying out what Jesus did with His disciples in His ministry. They were obeying Matt 28:19-20.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This book was written to believers in Jesus.
We are given unmerited favor from God because of our faith in Christ and repentance of our sins.
We are given peace now because of our faith in Christ, and we are given peace in Christ for eternity because of our relationship with Christ.
Vs 3-4- God has given us an awesome gift; that gift is the church. He gives us a community of diverse backgrounds and gifts with which to serve. This community is with us in life; the church lives life together. God wants all believers to belong to a local church.
At Church we:
Worship God together
Serve together
Learn the Bible together
Pray together
Take the Lord's Supper and Baptize together
Share the good news together
Use our gifts for God and others together
Rest together
Make disciples together
Love God, each other, and the lost together
We have Christ, and each other, in common no matter what happens in each of our lives. We should grow in our walk with Christ and in our walk with each other.
If you have been here for an extended amount of time, you should be growing in your love for each other.
It is not good to brag. It is good to boast about godly people living life in a godly way.
As the church we must not lose heart! We must keep our faith, tell others about our faith, worship with those in our faith, and look to the second coming of Jesus.
Vs 5-10 As we discussed in Nahum, Christ will come back and gather the saved for eternity in heaven, and He will justly judge those who rejected Him.
As the church and as Christians we must tell others about Jesus so that they can be saved.
The only way we can be worthy of God is if we have been covered in Jesus by faith.
We can, and will, suffer for our faith in Christ, but living for Him now is worth it.
God knows if someone is making us suffer for our faith, and He will rescue us and punish our persecutors.
It's nice to know that we will be relieved of our difficulties and suffering.
The Bible constantly tells us we will suffer, and reminds us that Christ will come back and help us. We need to keep that at the front of our minds no matter what happens.
God knows if you know Him, obey Him, and live for Him.
It is amazing that when God created us, He created us as eternal creatures; we will either spend eternity in perfection with Christ, or spend eternity separated from Christ in torment.
If that is true, what does that mean for our lives right now?
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Just because God does not wish for any to perish, does not mean that many won’t perish.
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus!
Vs 11-12 We should pray for each other!
We should pray that:
God will make us worthy of His calling
That we should be good and do good
That we should do works of faith by His power.
We do all of these things so that Jesus may be glorified in us now and for eternity.
Are you growing in Christ?
Are you steadfast in your faith?
Do you live for Jesus now and look forward to His return, or do you live for the world?
Do you pray a lot?
Are you living in a way that glorifies Christ, and are you living so that Christ will work in you?
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Do Not Be Quickly Shaken in Mind or Easily Alarmed
God promised us He would send us a Messiah. He did.
God promised us that He would send His Spirit to indwell those that trust in Christ as Lord. He did.
God promises us that Jesus will come back to gather the elect. He will do it.
Matthew 24:1-44
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
We know Jesus is coming back. Paul tells the Thessalonians that Jesus has not yet come. Be ready.
We are told that we are to be ready, patient, and not be fooled.
How can we be ready for Jesus’ return? Repent of sins. Ask Jesus to be our Lord. Live for God now. Tell others about Jesus so they too can be ready. Don’t fall asleep and seek the world. Live for Jesus.
Vs 1-12 We often forget what we are created for. We are created for God. We are created to worship Him and give Him glory with our lives. We are a part of His plan for others to know Jesus.
When our circumstances are difficult, we must remember our Savior Jesus. He saved us from our sins and He will save us from this world. He will come back and gather the elect and take us to heaven with Him. This should give us peace now.
People will try to deceive us by saying that this won’t happen, and some will claim to be the Messiah.
The antichrist will claim to be our savior, but he is not King Jesus. King Jesus is the Savior of the world.
Jesus will kill the antichrist.
We will know when Jesus comes back, because He will kill the antichrist and He will take His people up into heaven.
There are two things that must take place before Jesus returns:
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An all out rebellion by men and women against God. (The rebellion or apostasy)
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The antichrist will declare that he is the savior of the world and then Jesus will come and kill him.
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Daniel 11:36-37
“And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. 37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.
The antichrist is a poor excuse for the savior of the world. Jesus will destroy him easily. He will destroy the antichrist with a breath.
Those who reject Jesus are without excuse. God sent Jesus, the Messiah. Those who accept Him will be saved. Those who reject Him will be eternally punished by being separated from God.
A sign of someone who does not believe in Jesus is that they enjoy sin and wickedness.
Vs 13-16 Always give thanks to God because He loves us, forgives us, helps us, and saves us.
If God chose us, if God sent us a Savior, if God saves us, we should live for Him in love, obedience, and worship.
As Christians we can obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, so we must stand firm now! We must continue to church together and live for Him. Don’t be discouraged or misled.
May God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who loves you, comfort you and give you hope through His grace and establish you in good work and deeds for Him in worship. Stand firmChristian and be ready!
2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
The Lord is Faithful
God knows what we need. God helps us, but He also gives us commands to assist us in our life.
In this passage God says:
Pray
The Lord is Faithful
God will help guard you against satan
Love God and be devoted to Him for your whole life
Don’t be lazy, and don’t hang around people who are lazy, but call themselves Christians
Don’t grow weary of doing good
Vs 1-5 Paul is on a mission for God. His heart is that others hear the Gospel, repent, and believe in Jesus. His heart is also that the church models and matures those in their spiritual walk. Paul asks the church to pray for him and this mission.
Do you care about the Word of the Lord? Do you know the Word of the Lord? Do you listen to the Word of the Lord?
-Scripture is God's finished special revelation of Himself to His people.
-It comprises the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, written by about 40 different authors
over 1,500 years, on three different continents, all conveying one message: God's redemptive
plan for His creation from beginning to end.
-Scripture is inspired, authoritative, inerrant, infallible, necessary, sufficient, and clear.
“Scripture is inspired” means that every word in the original manuscripts, recorded by human
authors, constitutes God's intentional words.
“Scripture is authoritative" means that as God's Word, it carries God's authority.
To disobey Scripture is to disobey God.
“Scripture is inerrant” means that it is truthful in every way, and there are no errors in anything
and everything the Bible affirms and teaches.
“Scripture is infallible" means that it does not fail and can be completely trusted.
“Scripture is necessary” for understanding anything of God's plan of redemption through the
person and work of Christ, as well as how to live a life in pursuit of holiness and godliness.
“Scripture is sufficient” means that nothing needs to be added to it. It provides everything we
need to know, love, and serve Jesus.
“Scripture is clear” means that it is understandable and reveals God to people clearly, regardless
of age, experience, education, or cultural background.
We are called to have faith. We are called to be faithful to God. We sometimes fail God and we always need Christ's forgiveness through faith. God is always faithful, even when we are unfaithful.
God is the one who establishes us. He gives us a firm foundation in Jesus and helps us in life.
May the Lord direct your hearts to Himself, His word, and His actions. May the Lord direct your heart to love. May the Lord help you to be steadfast. Keep living and working for Him, and don’t give up.
Vs 6-12 Paul instructs the church to put lazy people in the church under church discipline.
This could be because people quit work and were waiting on Jesus, or this could be because lazy Christians in the church were taking advantage of rich people in the church and the church’s generosity and help. In either case, Paul tells these Christians to get to work and live in a way that honors God.
Paul and his men are not lazy. He tells the church members to follow their example and work hard for the Lord and work hard to provide for themselves.
Vs 10 says this very strongly. If you are a Christian and you refuse to work, then you should not eat.
Not only were some not working, but they were actually gossiping and stirring up trouble in the church. Paul addresses this directly. He tells them to do their work quietly and earn their own living.
Vs 13-15 Paul also encourages the church members who are working hard and ministering not to grow tired of working hard and serving the Lord. He tells them to continue on.
Though some might be less mature in their walk with the Lord, we are there to help them and encourage them to do right. We all go through times of sin. We need to show grace and love even when we rebuke someone not walking with the Lord.
These disobedient Christians are not our enemy, but we are not to treat them as if everything is normal and okay. If we truly love them, we should encourage them to do right.
Vs 16-18 Our true peace only comes from the Lord. We cannot satisfy ourselves, and the world will never satisfy us.
In this passage, God tells us:
Pray
The Lord is Faithful
God will help guard you against satan
Love God and be devoted to Him for your whole life
Don’t be lazy and don’t hang around people that call themselves Christians, but they are lazy
Don’t grow weary of doing good