Written ~ 08-31-2023
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
“As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation – a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His Grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.”
This passage comes from a letter that Paul, Silas, and Timothy wrote to the church in Thessalonica. In chapter one, they were providing much needed encouragement for the church; it had been going through constant harassment. So, in this letter, they reassured the church that the Lord would cause great destruction and judgment on those who were doing the harassing. They were also helping to restore their confidence in the Lord, and that the Lord would give them His Power to do the things He had called them to do. Even though this church was suffering greatly, this letter says in verses 1:3 and 4,
“…we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering.”
We all should have wonderful mentors, friends, that will bring encouragement as life’s difficult circumstances come our way. What we see here in verses 1:1-12, is encouragement from Paul, Silas, and Timothy, what we don’t see them saying is that all will be well, and that God will take away their hardships. It’s important to understand that when we make the decision to believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior that it’s not a guarantee of an easy life with no more difficulties. What Salvation brings is forgiveness of sin and causes righteousness to enter our hearts and souls, Salvation brings the Hope of eternal life. The difference too, and it may be a whole new way of thinking, is realizing God may not take away suffering, grief, sorrow, and pain, but what He does promise is that He will be right there beside you to help you get through whatever difficulties are thrown your way. The church in Thessalonica was suffering, their persecution was great, no one would blame them if they cried out to the Lord to have Him remove this hardship. But that’s not what they were doing, no, we see them pursuing the work of the Lord, spreading the Gospel message, loving one another and in that, their faith was flourishing. Their encouragement came by knowing God would bring judgement on those who were causing this great persecution, and that God would bring destruction to those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 2 verses 1-12 tells us there is a great evil coming to this world. We see glimpses of it already. There will be a tremendous deception that sweeps the earth. One will either hold fast to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and stay true to their faith or there will be those who refuse to accept the truth, the truth that Jesus died on the cross for the sin of the world and brought Salvation to those who believe, repent, and accept.
This brings us to our passage for today. The church in Thessalonica was one of the first churches to be ministered to, the letter says in verse 2:13 that they were “…among the first to experience salvation…”
Salvation – comes through the Holy Spirit of God Almighty who makes you holy through your belief in the truth.
The letter that’s being written here is a reminder that whatever we are going through, it is imperative we stand firm and keep a strong grip on what we learn in the Scriptures. There might come a time that it’s all we will have to grasp on to. We draw strength, comfort and joy from the words written in the Bible. That’s why I encourage you to set a time to dig into the Scriptures as often as you possibly can. As the world continues to become thick with darkness and evil, we need to know how to be the Light of Jesus. We need to hold steady in our faith. Don’t be the one that becomes deceived and refuses the truth that could save them. Instead, encourage one another, love one another, and build each other up so your faith might flourish, even in hardship.
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His Grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
~AMEN~