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Weekly sermons and Bible studies led by a retired pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Episodes
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
Last week, we studied 2 Thessalonians 1 and heard Paul reassuring the people of the Thessalonian church that their eternal future was secure, whenever Jesus returned, as they continued to trust not in themselves and their goodness and efforts, but in the grace of God and what He had already done for them in Christ Jesus their Savior. In contrast, those who lived and died without faith, apart from Christ, would continue always apart from God and all His blessings in Christ.
As Chapter 2 begins, Paul spoke about “the coming or our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him.” Apparently, some people were confused and thought that Jesus had already come back again and they had somehow missed Him. Some may have thought that they had received a direct message from some sort of “spirit” who told them this. Others may have have heard this from someone claiming to be a Christian disciple like Paul. Still others may have heard this from a letter claiming to be from Paul and yet which was not genuine or true (2 Thess. 2:1-2).
Paul told the Thessalonians “not be be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed" by such messages. “Let no one deceive you in any way,” he said. The return of Christ has not yet come, and “That day will not come” until other things have taken place (v.3). Paul also reminded the people that when he had been with them before, he had told them “these things” (v.5). There would be “rebellion” against God and “the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction” would be revealed. This one would “oppose and exalt himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (v.3-4).
Something was “restraining him," this evil one, at the time Paul wrote. However, “the mystery of lawlessness” was already at work in the world (v.6-7). All of this seems to be a reference to the work of sin and Satan in what are called in other places “antichrists” - people rejecting Christ Jesus and God’s plan of salvation through Him, revealed in God’s Word.
Such opposition to God and His will was prophesied in the Old Testament and in the rebellion of many of God’s own chosen people against Him. See passages in Ezekiel and in Daniel, for example. (See Daniel 7:23-27, 8:23-25, 9:27, 11: 31,36-37, 12:11, etc. If you want to study this more, go back in the podcasts to the study of Daniel and see comments there.)
Jesus also had predicted such troubled times ahead and opposition to Him and His Gospel. See Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, where there are predictions of weeds being planted among wheat, where Satan will try to do his evil work among believers. See also the predictions in Matthew 24:4-5,15-16,24-25. Paul was likely quoting from Jesus in 2 Thess. 2:2-3, for he uses some of the same words that Jesus uses in Matt. 24. See predictions that the Apostle John also made in 1 John 2:18-20 and 4:1-6, about “antichrists” and “antichrist” and “false prophets."
Go back to 2 Thess. 2:6-7 now. We do not know just what Paul meant by someone or something “restraining” the lawlessness for a time. Some think it was the power and control of the Roman Empire, until it collapsed. The Romans persecuted Christians at times and were very opposed to them. The Romans also did some good, too, with good roads and some peace and stability in the Empire, allowing Christianity to spread to many places, through the witness of Christian people about Jesus and His Word.
In the Dark Ages and Medieval times that followed, much power became concentrated in the Roman Catholic Church in the Western world. Popes grew in power and many traditions and new teachings were added that went far beyond Scripture and contradicted the Biblical teaching of salvation through Jesus and what He did for us. By 1302, Pope Boniface VIII declared in Unam Sanctam that “It is altogether necessary to salvation for every human creature to be subject to the Roman pontiff” (the Pope). One could not be saved without following what the Pope said, whether it agreed with Scripture or not.
By the time of the Reformation in the 1500’s, Luther and others concluded that the Office of the Papacy (the Pope) sounded a lot like what Paul warned about in 2 Thess. 2:4: “he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself” almost “to be God” and taking on powers that belong only to God and making laws and decrees that are not Scriptural and making salvation dependent upon our works, in addition to the grace of God.
Since that time, there have been changes in the Roman Church, but still concerns about mixing faith and works as the means of salvation and about other teachings. Sadly, some Lutherans and other Protestant groups have drifted away from God’s Word, too. Note what Paul warned about in 2 Thess. 2:8-12, as well, in describing this “lawlessness." “Sin is lawlessness,” John wrote (1 John 3:4). This does not refer to breaking the laws of our government, though that can also be sin. This passage refers to breaking any of the laws and will of God and anything God tells us and wishes for us in the Scriptures.
The one behind all lawlessness is Satan himself. Jesus said to those who opposed Him, ”You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me” (John 8:44-45).
Satan wants to keep unbelievers in unbelief and draw believers away from the truth of God and His Word and from Jesus and pull them into error and unbelief.
Paul put it this way: The coming of the lawlessness is by the activity of Satan, “with false signs and wonders and all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thess. 2:9-10). Paul also gave the sober warning that if people “do not believe the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness," they can eventually have “strong delusion” and really “believe what is false,” ending up in “condemnation” (2 Thess. 2:11-12).
Other Scriptures warn about the same dangers. See Romans 1:18-32. People “suppress” the truth of God and His Word and begin to “worship and serve things in the created world, rather than the Creator.” Over time, “they become futile in their thinking," though, “claiming to be wise.” They “do what ought not to be done.” (Here is one of the strongest Biblical condemnations of homosexual behavior, with its possible consequences. But, if you read on, Paul mentions “all manner of unrighteousness," and all of us can find our own sins and struggles in the list, for which we too need to repent and return to our Lord for His mercy and forgiveness. Verse 32 warns that if we follow down the wrong path, away from our Lord, we continue to do much wrong and even “approve of those who practice” the wrong things. Doesn’t that sound too much like our own society today?)
See 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 to see what Satan and “the man of lawlessness” want to do - to blind people to the truth and try to pull them away from God. But read also what God continues to do, in 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 and 5-6. God provides His Word, and the Holy Spirit working through that Word, to give us the truth, as we keep reading and studying it, as we are doing right now. And He provides teachers like Paul, “who proclaim not themselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord,” with the eternal “light” He brings us, “out of the darkness.”
As we go back to 2 Thess. 2, then, remember what Paul also said in v.8. The "lawless one will be revealed,” but Jesus has already won the ultimate victory for us, as our Savior, and when He returns on the last day, He will “kill” all this evil “with the breath of His mouth” and “bring it to nothing” and “gather” us and all believers, living and dead, to Himself in everlasting life and joy (v.1 and 1 Thess. 4:16-18). That is our hope and confidence in Christ.
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
Sermon for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost, based on:
Sermon originally delivered October 21, 2012
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
The Old Testament reading, Ecclesiastes 5:10-20, focuses on a theme we heard last week - the danger of the love of money. “He who loves money will not be satisfied.” There never seems to be enough, others want more from us, we lose sleep and can have bad ventures and can take none of it with us when we die, and on and on. Rather, we are called to do our work, whether rich or poor, and find joy in the gifts God gives us.
Those gifts of God are evident as we listen to and meditate on His Word, the psalmist tells us in Psalm 119:9-16. The teachings of the Lord are better than “all riches” and guard us from evil and guide us into what is best for us. We say, “Blessed are You, O Lord.”
In the Gospel lesson, Mark 10:23-31, Jesus talks about “how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God” when we are depending on our riches or anything we are or have or can do on our own. That path of self-reliance can never save anyone. “With man it is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God,” Jesus says. Trust then in God and His Good News in Christ!
Our only hope is in Christ, our Epistle lesson, from Hebrews 4:1-16, tells us. The Word of God is “a sharp, two-edged sword” which shows us our sins and our need for a Savior. The Word also shows us Jesus, “Who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet was without sin.” Through His perfect life in our place, and His sacrifice to pay for all of our sins, we can approach God “with confidence” and find His “mercy and grace in every time of need.” We “rest from our works” and trust in the work of Jesus for us; and one day, we will have eternal rest and peace in heaven. “We who have believed enter that rest.”
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Monday Oct 11, 2021
This week, we begin a study of 2 Thessalonians, Paul’s second letter to the church at Thessalonica, a city in the Roman province of Macedonia and today a city in the northern part of Greece. I will not repeat background information already covered in the introduction and study of 1 Thessalonians. You can look back in the podcasts to see that information if you have joined us after we started 1 Thessalonians. You can also read Acts 17:1-14 and 18:1-11 again. It was likely from Corinth that Paul wrote both letters to the Thessalonians.
Most likely, Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians within 6 months or so after he wrote his first letter. He had somehow heard that some people had misunderstood or were reacting in wrong ways to what he had written in the original letter. Some seem to have heard that they were to be “blameless” on the day of Jesus’ return and thought they had to live perfect lives and knew they were far from perfect and unprepared. (See 1 Thess. 3:12-13 and 5:23-24. Paul had already said that they were counted “sanctified” and holy, “blameless” through what God did for them, in Christ, and not through their own efforts. He wanted to emphasize that grace of God even more, though, in this second letter, as we will see.)
Others seemed to be thinking that maybe Jesus had already come back, and they had somehow missed Him. Still others seemed so sure that Jesus was coming back very soon, that they might as well quit their jobs and other responsibilities and just sit and wait for Him. Paul responded to these false ideas, too, and told a little more, as God inspired him to write about what would still happen before the return of Jesus and what God’s people were to be doing in the meantime, as they waited for Him.
2 Thessalonians begins with almost the same words as 1 Thessalonians (2 Thess. 1:1-2). Paul identified himself as the author of this second letter, along with his co-workers, Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy. The people of the church existed “in” and “from” “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” All Christian believers, including Paul and us today, have come to faith only through “grace” - the undeserved love and favor and saving work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (spoken of in 2:13). This grace from God gives believers the blessing of peace with God and helps us to live in greater peace with one another, as well. (Again, I will not repeat all that was already said in my notes on 1 Thess. 1:1-2. Go back to that for more detail.)
In 2 Thess. 1:3-4, Paul said that he was “obligated” to give thanks to God for the believers in Thessalonica, “as is right” and proper, because of their growing faith and love for each other, even in the midst of continuing “persecutions” and “afflictions." Note that Paul did not boast about himself or even about the believers themselves. He gave thanks to God, because God was enabling all of this. It was by God’s love and work in these believers that they were remaining “steadfast” in faith. For that, Paul is thankful to God.
These verses are still a reminder to us today that God is also at work for our good, even in our troubled times, and can help our faith in Him to grow stronger. See other Scriptures, such as Romans 5:2-5 and 8:17-18, 28, and 2 Corinthians 4:17. (If you have the latest version of a Lutheran Study Bible, you will find a great description on p. 2061, in comments on 2 Thess. 1:4, of what we can learn from our Lord in times of difficulty. If you would like me to include those words in the next study, let me know.)
In 2 Thess. 1:5-7, Paul also said that these tough times will not last forever. As Jesus suffered in this earthly life, so we will also “suffer” some trouble in this life, as we seek to follow Him. This is “evidence” and points out that we are still in “the kingdom of God“ as we continue to trust our Lord even in hard times. (See also Romans 8:14-17 and Philippians 1:27-30.) There will be “relief,” in God’s good timing, and for sure at the return of Jesus, when we will have perfect peace and rest in eternal life, with our Lord. (See, for example, Hebrews 4:9-10 and Psalm 30:5.)
Paul went on to talk about another aspect of the second coming of Christ, that he had said little about in 1 Thessalonians. The return of Christ will also be a time of judgment for those who “afflict” believers and continue in unbelief and oppose God and His will in Christ. Jesus will return "with His mighty angels in flaming fire” (2 Thess. 1:7-8). Fire can be a symbol of God’s good presence, as in Exodus 3:2 and the Holy Spirit’s work in Acts 2 and the angels in Psalm 104:4 and Hebrews 1:7. But the Scriptures also speak of the “consuming fire” of judgment for those apart from the Lord. (See Isaiah 66:15-16 and Hebrews 10:26-27 and Jesus’ own words in the Gospels. See Luke 16:22-24 for example.)
There can be consequences of sin in this life. See Romans 1:18 and 1:24,26,28. The worst consequences, though, are after this life, in “hell.” God wants no one to end up there. (See 1 Timothy 2:3-4.) That is why the warnings of hell are in the Scriptures and why Jesus speaks about hell more than anyone else in the Scriptures.
There is still time to be brought to faith, as long it is “today,” before the return of Christ. See Hebrews 3:12-15. But if one dies in unbelief, without Christ, that is how one will be for eternity. See Paul’s words in 2 Thess. 1:8-9. People will not be eternally destroyed, in the sense of being annihilated. They will be “away forever from the presence of the Lord” and all His blessings. Literally, they will be away from “the face of the Lord”.
In contrast, the believers in Thessalonica and all believers who continue in faith will have eternal life and joy and enjoy God’s presence and blessings always. A benediction we often use in worship says, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance (His face) upon you and give you peace” (Leviticus 6:22-27).
We have the blessings of God already, as we trust in Him. His promises are sure for us. At the same time, as sinners, we can only “see” God indirectly, through His Word (which tells us all that we need) and in our baptism (the water with the Word, blessed by the Holy Spirit to bring us to faith) and the Lord’s Supper (where we still see only bread and wine, but know by faith that Jesus actually is with us, in His very Body and Blood, in this Holy Meal, for our forgiveness and strength). See 1 John 3:1-2. We are God’s children, and in heaven “we shall see Him as He is.” The psalmist says, “I shall behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).
In the final verses of chapter 1, Paul went out of his way to try to make clear again to the Thessalonians that those who will be in heaven will be there, not by their own “blameless” living, but by the blameless work of God in Christ and His perfect blessings earned for us. The “saints” are not especially holy people who merited eternal life. The saints are simply “all who have believed” the “testimony” of the Scriptures about God and Jesus as Savior (2 Thess. 1:10).
Paul prayed, too, that the Thessalonian believers would know by God’s grace through faith that God “makes us worthy of His calling." He calls us and “fulfills every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power" - not by our power and goodness. The One Who is glorified is Jesus and His perfect life, death and resurrection for us. Only indirectly are we glorified and counted blameless, in and through Him (2 Thess. 1:11-12).
Isaiah trusted, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10). Paul wrote, near the end of his life, “I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). That includes the believers at Thessalonica, and you and me, too. May Paul’s prayer be answered in our lives also. That is “the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:12). “He will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:24).
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Sermon for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost, based on:
Sermon originally delivered October 14, 2012
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday is from Amos 5:6-7, 10-15. Amos had been sent to warn the Northern Kingdom of Israel to repent and return to the Lord. Things seemed to be going well under King Jeroboam, but there was much evil and corruption and refusal to follow the one true God faithfully. Amos preached, “Seek the Lord and live.” but also warned of coming judgment, if apart from the Lord. God still wanted to “be gracious to the remnant” of His people - as He was with the coming of Jesus as Savior.
The Psalm is a psalm of Moses, Psalm 90:12-17. In the opening verses, Moses warned of the shortness of life and the consequences of sin (Romans 6:23). Then he prayed, “Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” That wisdom only comes from God and seeing His steadfast love and forgiveness and favor for us, as we repent and rejoice in Him.
The Epistle is from Hebrews 3:12-19 and is another warning for people not “to fall away from the living God" into “evil, unbelieving hearts.” We “have come to share in Christ” and by His grace we can “hold our original confidence firm to the end.” The greatest danger for us or anyone is “unbelief.” (See Mark 16:16.)
In the Gospel lesson, Jesus meets a rich man who trusts in his own goodness and his wealth. Jesus challenges him to give up his tight hold on his possessions. “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said. Instead, the man “went away” from Jesus, still in false trust in himself. (That is still a danger. See Luke 12:32-34 and 1 Timothy 6:16-21.)
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Paul had finished answering questions raised by some of the believers at Thessalonica and assured them all of the certainty of their eternal future through the salvation earned by our Lord Jesus Christ. Even the loved ones who had died in faith were taken care of, in Jesus.
In 1 Thess. 5:12-13, Paul asked those in the Thessalonian church to respect and esteem very highly their leaders. (Likely, Paul had Timothy make sure that they had such leadership when he had visited them. See again 1 Thess. 3:1-2.) These leaders should be respected and loved, not because they were perfect, but because of their work among and over the congregation and their important responsibilities in teaching and sometimes admonishing the people in the will of the Lord, according to His Word. (See again the way Paul himself did such work in this letter in 2:11-12 and 4:1ff. and 4:9-12.)
In 1 Thess. 5:13-15, Paul also reminded the people that they, too, had ministry that they could do with and for each other within the church. Peter described this in 1 Peter 2:9-10, as what some call “the priesthood of all believers.” Pastors and teachers and others in leadership have unique callings, but every Christian has been called to faith in Jesus, “out of darkness into His marvelous light,” and has “received mercy” and forgiveness through Him. That means that every Christian can also “proclaim the excellencies” of the Lord and share His love with others.
That such love and mercy shared among members was also needed was clear from what Paul wrote next. “Be at peace among yourselves,” he wrote (1 Thess. 5:13). Evidently, the church was not always at peace; and no church is, because it is made up of forgiven sinners, who have ups and downs and struggles and need to encourage and be encouraged by one another. Note what Paul wrote, as he continued: “We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1 Thess. 5:14). The Greek word used for “the idle” literally means “the disorderly," those who are undisciplined and unruly and “get out of line” in some way or another. The word is a military word for those who can’t follow orders and can’t march properly. It may refer to people in the church who won’t work and take care of themselves. (We will hear more about that problem in 2 Thessalonians.) It can also refer to other kinds of disorder among people, though, for which people need to be called to account.
There are also in the church “faint-hearted” people who need encouragement. The word can be translated “small-souled” people - people who don’t have much courage in facing affliction from the Jewish synagogue leaders and others who are hostile to Christians. (How often do we still today back down, rather than stand up strongly for what we believe?) We all need encouragement, in those times.
There are also people in the church who are “weak” and need to be helped and supported in some way. This can refer to physical and emotional ills and other troubles, or to moral struggles, or to those who are powerless when confronted with seemingly impossible situations. (Who among us has not been “weak” in one or more of these ways, at times, too?) The verb for “helping” has the idea of “holding on to.” The author, Lenski, says that such people “are not be to let go and to be abandoned as persons who amount to little, but are to be held to and to be supported.
Paul ended this very challenging sentence with the words, “be patient with them all.” The word for “patience” can literally be translated as “long-suffering.” God is long-suffering toward us and our sins and weaknesses, and we have forgiveness through Jesus, as we come to Him in repentance and faith. Otherwise, none of us could survive and live. Knowing that, we are called to be patient with one another and especially with others in the church.
The church is a kind of hospital for sinners. (See the words of Jesus in Matthew 9:10-13. Think about how overwhelmed hospitals are right now, with the Covid situation. There are so many people in the church with problems, too. We as individuals cannot do something for everyone; but together, if we all pitch in, we can do something for many - to help and encourage.)
This “helping” can all be very challenging; and sometimes we are hurt by others, even within a church. Paul added a word of warning, “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seeks to do good to one another and to everyone” (1 Thess. 5:15). It is so easy to want to retaliate when we are wronged; but in the church, forgiveness should rule, as we think of what Jesus has done for us. Proverbs 20:22 says, “Do not say, 'I will repay evil'; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.”
This same advice and encouragement are found in many other places and in other letters of Paul. As I have mentioned before, some think that 1 Thessalonians may have been the first letter (epistle) that Paul wrote to a church. Others think the first may have been the Letter to the Galatians. Regardless, what Paul says very concisely to the Thessalonians, we see in much more detail in, for example, Romans 12:14-21 and in Paul’s description of Christian love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
How can such “patient” love and care grow in our churches? Paul went on to write, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Here again, Paul is very concise. We can look at other Scriptures that give us more help and direction. See Ephesians 5:20 and Philippians 4:4-13 and Romans 5:1-5, for example. The more we rejoice in God’s love and mercy for us, the more we talk things over with God in prayer and listen to His answers in Scripture, especially in Jesus, the more we can be thankful for all that we do have as God’s people, and can share that hopeful attitude from the Lord with others.
We cannot do any of this on our own, of course. Paul added, pointing us again to God and to the Scriptures, “Do not quench the Spirit, Do not despise prophecies; but test everything; hold to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:19-22). God often showed His presence with smoke and fire in the Bible, in the wilderness wanderings and at Mt. Sinai and other places. God’s Holy Spirit also showed Himself at Pentecost with tongues of fire that rested on all the disciples; and they were able to speak the Word in other languages to people. Don’t quench that fire of the Spirit, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Spirit works through the Word of God and gifts like baptism, where the Spirit comes through water and The Word. Use those gifts! See Acts 2:1-11 and 2:37-40 and John 3:1-6.
We also hear what we know is truly prophecy, what God wants to speak to us when we hear His Word, through the Scriptures. All of the Bible is God’s Word, and that Word is the means for testing anything else that claims to be a message from God. See 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and 2 Peter 1:16-21 and 1 John 4:1 and the way that the Bereans tested what Paul said by comparing it with Scripture in Acts 17:11, as they should have done. That is still the test for whatever we hear and read. Compare it with the Word of God. Then, as Paul said, “Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
This is the very high standard that God has for the church and for His people in the church, as Paul described it. Paul also knew that none of us lives up to this standard. We try, but none of us comes close to following God’s will as we should. That is why Paul gave the Thessalonians two more great promises from the Lord. The first, in 1 Thess. 5:23, is a prayer that “the God of peace” would bring us peace, through Jesus, and count us as blameless, forgiven and acceptable through what Jesus already did for us, until Jesus returns and declares us “not guilty” on that last day. See again 1 Thess. 1:9-10 and 3:12-13 and 5:9-11.
Paul added one more promise: “He Who calls you is faithful, and He will surely do it.” God will do what He has promised. See Old Testament passages such as Genesis 18:25 and Numbers 23:19. See also Philippians 1:6: “I am sure of this, that He Who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” See 2 Timothy 2:10,13, as well.
Paul knew that his own salvation depended not upon how perfectly he did things, but upon Jesus. He too needed prayer, so that he continued in faith and faithfully sought to do his work, in sharing the Gospel. So, he asked in 1 Thess. 5:26 for prayer for himself and his fellow workers. He also spoke of a greeting with a holy kiss, as an expression of Christian love and concern for others. See Romans 15:30, as another example of this. It would probably be the equivalent of a handshake or hug in our culture or the greeting of peace that some churches use in worship. In these Covid days, it might be a wave to someone from a bit of distance
Paul had one more serious request, which he asked the people to be sure to do in Thessalonica. This letter that Paul had written was to be read to all the people of the church. It was a Word from God, through Paul, and everyone should hear it and pay attention to it. The Jews had read Old Testament Scriptures in their synagogues and in the temple. Now the words of the New Testament were also to be read in the churches. That is what we still do, to this very day. God’s Word is vitally important for us all always.
Paul closed this letter with a blessing, as he did in his future letters. He wanted the people of the church to remember and be guided and blessed especially by “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is only through His undeserved love and favor for us that we have salvation and hope. Hang onto these and similar promises of God in Christ as you close this letter. See also John 10:27-28 and 2 Timothy 4: 8, 18.
Next week, the Lord willing, we will move on to a study of 2 Thessalonians.
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Sermon for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, based on:
Sermon originally delivered October 7, 2012
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Several of our Scriptures this weekend deal with questions about marriage. The Old Testament lesson, Genesis 2:18-25, is the foundation passage for God’s institution of marriage. God created the first man and then the first woman from a rib of the man to show how they would be just right for each other and compliment and help each other, in the lifelong commitment of marriage.
The Psalm, Psalm 128, gives the promise of the Lord’s blessings to His people and to families who fear and trust in Him and seek to walk in His ways. This is a tough passage, since in our sinful world, with so much trouble and temptation, things don’t always seem to work out so well. Yet we have God’s Word and His direction to guide and forgive us. Ultimately, we also have God’s peace and His promise: “You shall be blessed and it shall be well with you,” in the promises of eternal life.
Our Epistle lesson, Hebrews 2:1-13 (14-20), calls us to keep Christ and His saving work for us at the center of our personal and family life. “We need to pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it," the author says. If we neglect the "great salvation” of Christ for us, “how shall we escape” God’s judgment?
Jesus became a true man, lower than the angels, to suffer and die for us and defeat the power of death and Satan. Through His resurrection and ascension, He is now “crowned with glory and honor”, though it does not always look that way right now, in our troubled world. By God’s grace and faith we say, "I will put my trust in Him - I and the children God has given me.”
In the Gospel lesson, Mark 10:2-16, Jesus is asked if it is “lawful” to get a divorce. Jesus says that Moses allowed it because of the hardness of sinful human hearts. Jesus calls people back to the OT lesson in Genesis 2 and God’s high standard that He wishes for marriage - seeking a lifelong commitment of one man and one woman in marriage together. Jesus also highlights the importance of children, when the disciples do not want Jesus to be bothered by them. Jesus blesses children and calls for a childlike faith in Him and the Kingdom of God He brings.
Tuesday Sep 28, 2021
Tuesday Sep 28, 2021
You may have noticed that in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul talked only about what happens to believers, living and dead, when Jesus returns on the last day. He did that because he was writing the letter especially to encourage the church at Thessalonica, made up of believers. He wanted them (and us) to know that we would all be taken care of, whether living or dead, because of Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Because He lives, we also will live forever with Him
As Chapter 5 begins, though, Paul briefly reminded the church again that there was a whole world of difference between them and unbelievers. Believers trust in Jesus and the light and love and future He gives to them by His grace. Unbelievers may think they have “peace and security,” but it is a false sense of security in themselves and what they have and what they have done or in false “gods” who cannot help them in any real way.
They have their own “truth," but they are actually living in darkness. When Christ returns on the last day, they will face “sudden destruction” and “they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:1-3). (Paul used a Greek double negative for these words. It means, “They will not, they definitely will not escape” judgment.) If they choose to live their lives apart from God and their Savior, Jesus, in this life, they will live an eternity separated from Christ and His love and His goodness. (We will hear more about this in 2 Thessalonians.)
To make this point, Paul used the same words and picture images used by Jesus Himself and other Biblical writers. The last day and the return of Jesus is definitely coming, but no one knows when that will happen - what “the times and the seasons” will be (1 Thess. 5:1). See Scriptures like Luke 12:40 and 21:34, Matthew 24:3-4. 36-44, and Acts 1:7.
For images of the end coming like “a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2), see Matthew 24:43, Luke 12:39-40, 1 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3, 16:15. etc. The image of the end coming like “labor pains” for a pregnant woman simply emphasize the sudden and unexpected nature of the return of Jesus. His return cannot be avoided. It will come, though none of us knows when (1 Thess. 5:3). And it will be a time of great sorrow for the “sons of disobedience” whose nature is to follow Satan and the ways of this world instead of Jesus. See Ephesians 2:1-3 and 5:6-7 and Colossians 3:3-6, for example.
Paul quickly switched, then, to remind the believers in Thessalonica, “You are not in darkness… You are children of light and… of the day.” Believers know that they must continue spiritually “awake” and “sober," self-controlled by Jesus and His Word and will.
As we heard in 1 Thess. 4:11, believers still quietly carry on their own lives and work, but connected to Jesus and with His spiritual armor - “faith and love” and “the hope of salvation” as gifts of God provided by the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:4-8). See similar passages such as Romans 13:11-14, 1 Peter 1:13-14, and Ephesians 6:10-17.
Believers do none of this on their own, in their own power. As Paul said so clearly, “God has not destined us, appointed us, for wrath,” for judgment and punishment for all our sins. Rather, God has prepared us “to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This salvation comes to us because “Jesus died for us,” for our sins, in payment for them all; and He has brought us to faith in this Good News. The barrier of sin that separates us from God is taken away and now, “whether we are awake or asleep, alive or dead, we can live with Him.” That is the certainty of our eternal future, as well, because Jesus died and rose again for us (1 Thess. 5:9-10). See also Romans 14:8-9, John 3:16-18, 35-36, etc.
Paul encouraged the Christians of Thessalonica with these great promises of God and what He had done for them and given them in Christ Jesus. And, as we also heard last week, Paul called the believers to encourage each other also with these words of hope. In that way they could help build one another up in faith, as the Holy Spirit worked through that Word in them, too (1 Thess. 5:11). See also Ephesians 2:19-22.
Next week, we might be able to finish the closing words of this letter of Paul and then move on to 2 Thessalonians, which fits in so closely with and follows 1 Thessalonians.