2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 Be Found Worthy

Good morning, everyone! We finished 1 Thessalonians last time and starting on 2 Thessalonians today. It’s a short book of the Bible with only three chapters. Paul felt compelled to write to the church in Thessalonica again to clarify some doctrinal issues. As we will study in the next chapter, apparently there was a false letter sent to the church there that was not penned by Paul. In this false letter, it was written that the day of the Lord had already come. These were false and heretical teachings by some false writer masquerading as Paul. The real writer, Paul, had to address this serious issue. But in his opening chapter he thanks God of their growing faith and love, in spite of the persecutions and false teachings that they were receiving. Because of this, Paul prayed that they would be found worthy of God’s calling. We will study more today about what it means to be worthy in the sight of God. So, my title for today’s message is:

Be Found Worthy of God’s Calling
(Subtitle: Jesus may be Gloried in you)
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
Key Verse: 11:
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.”

Look at verses 1-2. “Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Though Paul was the founder and main pastor of the church in Thessalonica, he always recognized his faithful coworkers Silas and Timothy. Silas was also known as Silvanas and he suffered along with Paul on their missionary journeys. Once in Philippi, Paul and Silas were put in jail for healing a demon-possessed girl because she was making money for her masters. But Paul and Silas rejoiced for suffering for Christ. Acts 16:25 reads, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Timothy was a young believer with a Greek father and Jewish mother. Though Timothy was much younger than Silas, Paul was impressed by his faith and he was very useful in the gospel work. Paul was also discipling him to be his successor in the gospel ministry. They were both good coworkers because they were not afraid of suffering and risking their lives for the promulgation of the gospel. The Thessalonian believers knew Silas and Timothy because they were there in its pioneering stages. When Paul wrote this second letter, they were together in the city of Corinth. As you might have remembered from 1 Thessalonians, Paul had sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to check on their spiritual progress. How blessed it is to have good gospel coworkers who share in God’s vision to pioneer the whole world with the gospel! God’s work is not a one-man show, but done by many faithful gospel coworkers.
In his greetings, Paul also included “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Look at verses 1b-2 again. “…in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” In these verses, Paul gives equal status to God and Jesus Christ, in other words, he is confirming the Trinity that Jesus is God. He also blesses them with the grace of God and peace that goes beyond human understanding. The grace, of course, that the Thessalonian believers received was that God the Father, sent his one and only Son, to forgive their sins and give them eternal life. Before they were enemies of God, as in a spiritual war, but now they had a permanent eternal peace treaty with God that can never be broken. And this grace and peace comes from both “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” If Jesus is not God, then he cannot give us the grace and peace that God gives. Thus, we know and believe that Jesus is the incarnate God, who humbled himself to dwell among sinners in order to save them from their sins. Then, in the next few verses Paul commends the Thessalonian believers for their growing faith and love.

Look at verses 3-4. “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.” As mentioned, Paul was thankful for the Thessalonian believers for several reasons. First, for their growing faith. It is easy to say that we are a Christian or a believer, but the genuine believer is one whose faith is growing more and more. Last week, we learned from Paul how God wants to sanctify his people through and through. Here Paul wants our faith to grow more and more. Isn’t our faith in Jesus’ salvation enough? Yes, it is enough for our personal salvation. When we are born again, which is God’s miraculous work in believers, we still just have baby faith. We learned and accepted by faith that salvation is found in no other name, but the name of Jesus. But we can’t stop there. Our faith needs to grow into maturity. Paul once wrote that new Christians are like babies who drink spiritual milk, but need to grow in faith until they could eat meat (or vegetables for our vegetarian brothers and sisters). We need to mature in faith that after salvation God has called us to obedience to his will. Faith to grow that we no longer belong to ourselves, but to him who bought us with his precious blood. It is easy for Christians to judge other Christians whose faith seems not to be growing. We can see them stop going to church or stop going to Bible study or stop having fellowship with other believers. But what about our faith? Can others say, “I praise God because his or her faith is growing?” There has to be clear evidence that our faith is growing also.
Second, for their growing love. The Thessalonian believers had love that showed others that they were real disciples of Jesus. John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another as a sign to unbelievers that they are his disciples. Interestingly, Jesus said that this was a new command. What was the old command? In the Old Testament, the old command was “Love your neighbor as yourself.” At that time, the highest love people understood was love for themselves. It’s not too difficult for our understanding either because we all love ourselves. Some love themselves more than others do. But in Jesus’ new command he said, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Jesus raised the standard of love, which was his own standard. Jesus loved others who did not deserve to be loved by anyone. He loved the outcasts of society and sinners. He loved the unlovable. He loved us so much that he died on the cross for our sins. This is how Jesus wants us to love others, with a sacrificial and willing heart. Jesus had warned his disciples that in the last days the love of many would grow cold. We have to check the temperature of our love. Is our love growing colder towards others or warmer? If it is getting colder, then we must repent and ask God to give us his love. If it is getting warmer, like the love of Jesus, then this is a love that is growing more and more.

Third, Paul was thankful for their perseverance. It is easy to say we have faith in God when everything is going our way. But genuine faith is to trust God when things are not going our way. God wants us to have genuine faith so he works in our lives, even using difficulties of life. Perseverance grows through enduring many hardships and trials. Romans 5:3-4 reads, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Probably, the majority of Christians in America do not face sufferings and persecutions, but in many parts of the world Christians are persecuted and even killed for their faith. We hear from time to time of Christians being killed in Africa, Syria and severe persecutions in North Korea, Russia, and China. According to some statistics, thousands of Christians a year are being killed for their faith around the world. While in a mostly Christian country, our faith is shaken when we don’t do well on a test or get a flu or small scratch on our car. Genuine faith is revealed by the fiery persecutions and trials that burn away all doubts and unbelief in our Almighty and sovereign God. Our faith also grows when we trust and believe in God’s righteous judgment.
Look at verses 5-7, “5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.” Due to our own doubts and sinful human nature, we can contemplate why bad things are happening to God’s people, especially persecutions and trials, on just a human level. Here Paul, like an investigator, shows that these are evidences that God’s judgement is right and we are worthy of the kingdom of God. If the Thessalonian believers had compromised with their society, they would not have received persecutions. If they said that Jesus was just one among many idols they would have no problem. In the book of Daniel, Daniel’s friends just had to bow down to a golden idol and nothing would happen to them. But if they didn’t, they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. In David’s message on Luke 4 (Who remembers?), if Jesus just bowed down to Satan one time he would not have to die on the cross. What about our times? Do we sell God’s grace for cheap? This term “cheap grace” was coined by the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This is what he said:
“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” [Pic 1]
The road to the kingdom of God is not lined with a bed of roses and flowers. It is not even a smooth road through a beautiful forest. Paul wrote that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:2) But we must not be disheartened because God will reverse the trend someday. God will give trouble to those who persecuted God’s people and give his people relief from their troubles.

Look again at verses 6-7. “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.” As we might wrongly think, God is not ignoring or doesn’t know about our sufferings and troubles that we are going through because of our faith. In our modern times, Paul is saying to believers not to have a victim’s mentality, but trust in God’s process of judgment. God is gathering up all the evidences against those who trouble God’s people. In God’s right time, there will be a spiritual payback. God will turn the table—those who gave trouble will receive trouble, and those who received trouble will get relief. When will this happen? It will happen at Jesus’ return from heaven in blazing fire. God is just because he will recompense God’s suffering people. Those who persecuted and killed God’s people will have no excuse before the judgment seat of God. They may even claim innocence, but God will show them exactly what they said, planned, and done to God’s holy people. Then they will be taken away by powerful angels to their final destination and eternal incarceration. God’s judgment is just because it is not subjective, but based on clear evidences, and against those who do not obey the gospel message.

Look at verses 8-10. “8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” These verses are to be connected with verses 6-7 because if separated it sounds like God punishes those who are ignorant of him. Actually, God punishes those who intentionally reject God’s love because they do not obey the gospel message. They do not know God’s heart. It is like people who may judge us by our outward appearance and think they know us. But they don’t know us because they don’t know our hearts. Those who do not know God can be people who are not persecuting or hating God’s people, but they hate to hear about Jesus and his death on the cross for their sins. Those who say they don’t know God are those who do not acknowledge that they are sinners, who need a Savior. They think what they do is fine because they have their own moral standard, not the absolute moral standard of God. They are like those who spit on the cross of Jesus. They do not accept the love of God found in the gospel message. Jesus had to die on the cross for the sin of the world as the innocent lamb of God. Jesus had to pay the atonement for our sins, otherwise, we would have to pay with our own lives. So, God does not condemn anyone, but people condemn themselves by not accepting the costly way of salvation that God himself provided for them. Sinners who do not accept the gospel shut themselves out from God’s presence and glory. This is why C.S. Lewis said this, “Hell is locked from the inside.” [Pic 2] It is the same when God had to shut the door to Noah’s ark. It had been open for all to come in, but they all refused except for Noah and his family, then the flood came. Also, another sign that our faith is growing is obedience to God. Romans 1:5 reads, “Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.” Actually, you can evaluate yourselves to see if you are growing in faith. You don’t need someone to tell you if you are or not growing in faith. You just need to ask yourself, “What word from the Bible or from Jesus am I obeying?” If you are not obeying any word from God, then you can kick yourself in the butt and say, “Come on, let’s get growing!” If you are obeying God’s word than you can be assured that your faith is growing. That’s why a yearly key verse is important because we may not be able to obey everything, but we must at least obey one word from God in a year. This is why Paul was praying for the Thessalonian believers to keep growing and be worthy of God’s calling.

Look at verses 11-12. “11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]” Remember in our last study on 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul exhorted them to pray continuously. Paul practiced what he taught by constantly praying for the Thessalonian believers. We learn from these verses Paul’s prayer topics for them. First, that they be found worthy of God’s calling. In verse 5, Paul had written “be worthy of the kingdom of God.” Worthiness is a repeated theme in this chapter. As we may remember, not only in this chapter, but also in his 1 Thessalonian letter, Paul was like a proud spiritual father for the Thessalonian believers had faith, hope, and love in Jesus. One would think that they were the model Christians of the early first century. But as we have read, in Paul’s theology, there is always room for Christians to grow. That’s the beauty of being in Christ, we never stop growing spiritually. If we think we have already reached our limit of spiritual growth, then there is something wrong in our spiritual understanding. I believe that “worthy of his calling” means continuously growing in every aspect of our spirituality. The Bible says we should be perfect like Jesus. Who can say that they already are? So, to be worthy is to strive to be like Jesus more and more. Also, we cannot make ourselves worthy because in reality, we are unworthy of God’s mercy. Romans 1:32 in the ASV reads, “…who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them.” The only thing we deserve from God is death. God’s calling us out of the world to give us salvation is only his amazing grace upon sinners. We have a saying when we really appreciate someone who is valuable to us, we say, “you are worth your weight in gold.” Paul also encourages the Thessalonians to be valuable in the eyes of God.

Second, Paul prays that by God’s power every good purpose and every act prompted by faith to be fulfilled. God wants to fulfill our every desire, as long as it is in accordance to his will. Once, Jesus promised this to his disciples. John 14:13-14, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” When we pray in the holy name of Jesus, it should be in accordance to God’s will. Praying to win millions in the Lotto or for the Chicago Bulls to win the NBA championship is probably not in God’s will. So, we should pray not only for God’s purpose to be fulfilled in our lives, but also in the lives of all our brothers and sisters. When we have this prayer and mentality, then we will do acts of faith pleasing to God. We will act in ways that are in accordance to God’s calling upon our lives.

Third, Paul prays that Jesus may be glorified in us. Look at verse 12 again. “We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]” Here we find the ultimate motivation in being worthy to be called Christians—it is so that Jesus may be glorified in us. In the end times, Jesus will come again in great power and glory. But Jesus does not seek all glory for himself. Instead, he also reveals his glory in and through his people. This is why Paul wrote “glorified in you, and you in him.” Sadly, for the body of Christ, from time to time we hear of famous pastors or Christians caught in sinful and compromising situations. And of course, the media makes sure that everyone knows about it. Obviously, it does not bring glory to Jesus. But it neither diminishes God’s glory either. Jesus has already been glorified by God through his death and resurrection. In his high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed in John 17:4-5, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” Jesus brought glory to his Father God by finishing the work on the cross. He now sits at the right hand of God in glory. I thank God for saving me from an egoistic and self-glorifying life. I had used my youth to obtain glory for myself through sports. [Pic 3] But in reality, I only became miserable when I could not glorify myself. Then through Genesis Bible study I found my true purpose in life is to glorify God. Now, I am happy to do things that glorify God and the name of Jesus. May we each glorify our Lord by finishing the work he has given each of us in our lifetimes. Amen.

Worthy of God’s calling:
W: Weight in gold
O: Ought always to thank God
R: Recompense God’s people
T: Trouble to those who trouble you
H: Heaven with blazing fire
Y: You in him

Let’s pray: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus, who died to forgive our sins and give us new life. In today’s passage, we learn that the only thing we deserve is death, but Jesus gave his life for us. Help us to be worthy of God’s calling in our generation. Help each of us live for God’s glory every day. Thank God for Ed and Michelle’s birthdays yesterday. Please bless their lives and make them a blessing. Please give Noah a healthy heart and full recovery. Bless our prayer for our Easter weekend program coming up in two weeks. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen

2 Thessalonians 1 1-12 Presentation
Footnotes
a. 2 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
b. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13.
c. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 Or God and Lord, Jesus Christ

Be Found Worthy of God’s Calling

(Subtitle: Jesus may be Glorified in You)
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
Key Verse: 11:
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.”

1.Read 2 Thess. 1:1-2. Who were Silvanas and Timothy? Why were they his good coworkers for the gospel? What was Paul’s purpose for writing this letter? How can Paul give equal status to Jesus with God the Father?

2. Read 2 Thess. 1:3-4. What was Paul thankful about the Thessalonian believers? How can our faith and love increase? (Jn. 15:13) What was Paul so impressed about this church? How can our perseverance grow?

3. Read 2 Thess. 1:5-7. Why is God’s judgment always right? How can we be worthy of God’s kingdom? How does God deal with those who give trouble to God’s people? When and how will all our grieves in this world be relieved?

4. Read 2 Thess. 1:8-10. Who does God punish and why is his punishment righteous? What is everlasting destruction going to be like? Instead of punishment, what will happen to God’s people on Jesus’ return?

5. Read 2 Thess. 1:11-12. What was Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians in verse 11? What do these mean to you and all believers—“worthy of his calling”? “”Fulfill every good purpose”? “Every act prompted by faith”? How can Jesus be glorified in us?

1 Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]
Footnotes
a. 2 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
b. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13.
c. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 Or God and Lord, Jesus Christ