Be Ready No Rest to the Wicked II Thess. 1:1-12

The persecution at Thessalonica grew worse and the believers were thinking that they were living in the Tribulation period. Paul wrote the letter explaining that they were persecuted because of their faith. Paul showed three encouragements with his suffering friends: praise, promise, and prayer. The Encouragement of Praise (II Thess. 1:1-4) –Prayer changes people and situation and so does praise.

–“In everything give thanks (I Thess 5:18). Praise is one of the best weapons for fighting Satan. Job: “Blessed be the name of the Lord” –Paul gave thanks for the blessings and encouraged his friends. Their faith was growing (1:3a) –Tribulations and persecutions are God’s ways to strengthen their faith. It’s god’s way to test if our faith is real, or genuine. –An easy life lead to shallow faith. –Hall of faith in Hebrews 11 revealed those who suffered or faced obstacles where their faith grew –Paul prayed for those believers for their faith to be perfected (I Thess 3:10) & now thanked God for answered prayer (II Thes 1:3)

Their love was abounding (1:3b) Faith which worketh by love (Gal 5:6) Suffering can make us selfish unless if it is mixed with grace and faith it produces love. –When Christians suffer, their faith reaches upward to God and their love reaches outward to the fellow believers. –Suffering can help produce abounding love, especially toward others who suffer Their patience was increasing (1:4) –Patience in Greek means perseverance – Tribulation works out “endurance” (Rom. 5:3) To be patient and persevere you have to suffer. –What were believers enduring? »Persecution: attack from without (or outside) or trials

»Tribulation: pressures or afflictions resulting from the trials »Trouble: to be pressed into a narrow place –Trials work for us, not against us. (James 1:1-5, II Cor. 4:15-18) –Trials help build character in out life. If we trust god and yield in the midst of the trials we become patient and mature. Otherwise, we become immature and impatient. –Examples of mushroom and oak tree. Their testimony was helping others (1:4a) –Not only suffering helps us to grow, we help others to grow –In 1:3 74 faith can be translated faithfulness. So both faith and faithfulness go together for we show our faith by being faithful to God. –Paul gave thanks for love and faith. Hope? Let’s go to the next encouragement

The Encouragement of Promise (1:5-10) –Sufferings were an evidence, or a manifest token that God was righteous working out a great plan. Rewards (1:5) –“… that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer… –Easy life was never promised. Jesus promised a future reward for faithful servants (Matt. 5:10-12) Recompense (1:6-10) –To recompense is to repay –God will recompense afflictions to the lost and rest to the saved –Prosperity: wicked & saved

–Future for the wicked: tribulation, vengeance, flaming fire, punishment, & everlasting fire –Law of compensation: Pharoah, Haman, advisors of King Darius, Jewish leaders who sacrificed Jesus. –It’s righteous for God to judge sin and condemn sinners. –God is love (I John 4:8) and He is also Light (I John 1:5) –Vengeance: the purpose is to satisfy God’s holy law while the purpose of revenge is to pacify grudge. –Jesus will come to earth with His church and angels (1:7)

I Thess 4:13-18II Thess 1 Christ returns in the airChrist returns to the earth He comes secretly for the He comes openly with the church church Believers escape the tribulationUnbelievers experience tribulations and judgment Happens at an undisclosed timeHappens at the end of the tribulation period, the Day of the Lord Rest (1:7a & 10) –God recompenses rest to the saved. –Rest: relief, release, not under the pressure, opposite of the tribulation –On earth we are pressed out of measure (2 Cor. 1:8) –Future for the lost: punishment & eternal judgment (1:9)

“ Everlasting destruction” means everlasting judgment, not total annihilation or temporary suffering. The Encouragement of Prayer (1:11-12) –Paul prayed for his converts. Future hope motivated Paul to pray for his friends. –Future hope should encourage us to be faithful today not neglecting our responsibility –Paul’s concerns in prayer: Their worthiness (1:11a) –God’s calling was grace and love

–Trials reveal what we are made of. We do not know our hearts better than God even before we are tried. Their walk (1:11b) –“Fulfilling all good pleasures of His goodness, and the work of faith with power” –Character must lead to conduct –Obedience and service come from God’s grace as we trust Him, not from human talents and efforts. –Paul linked faith with love (1:3) and endurance with power (1:4) –Jesus Christ should be glorified in us today as He will be glorified in us when wee returns to earth with Him. –Jesus is “glorified in you, and you in Him” NIV –No rest for the wicked, but rest for the believers –“the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be in us” (Rom. 8:18)