Coro Baptist Church

As we commence our preaching series through the Book of Daniel this week I encourage you to come prepared– prepared by having read the book itself; prepared by watching the helpful summary by The Bible Project; prepared by prayerful meditation and asking the Lord to show us his character and covenant faithfulness through this series; and therefore prepared to hear God speak to us. In the opening chapter we learn that in all Daniel had to face and accept in his exile in Babylon, knowing the favour of God, he resolved that he would not defile himself but would remain faithfully devoted to his Lord. May the Spirit and grace we have received in Christ evoke the same uncompromising resolution in our own hearts and lives.

We have come to the end of 2 Thessalonians. Throughout the letter, the church has been taught, corrected, encouraged and instructed in everything Paul believes they need for the Christian life. Yet, despite all this preparation, what lies ahead remains unknown. So Paul closes with a prayer that the Lord would give them a gift that would sustain them all the days of their lives. What is that gift? It is the gift of peace and the presence of the Lord. As we look to the future, with all its trials and blessings, what will hold us steady? What will keep us faithful to what we have been taught and have come to believe through seasons of anxiety, fear, guilt, loneliness, grief and suffering? It is the peace we have received from the Lord of Peace, Jesus Christ, and the abiding presence of God with us that will keep us. The peace that comes from Him, is found in Him and leads us to Him will guard our hearts and minds in every season, enabling us to stand firm until the day we see Him face to face.

Anyone who has been involved with schooling over the past few decades will have heard the 'No hat, no play' rule designed to protect the children from sunburn and skin cancer. In our passage this week Paul gives a similar command in order to protect the church from an ongoing issue of idleness: If anyone is not willing to work, let them not eat. More than sheer laziness, idleness can quickly develop into more sinister problems and Paul gives some strong and clear instruction on how the church is to address the matter. As we consider these things in our own homes and church family please pray that God might "fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power" among us.

In a letter full of encouragement, Paul now seeks to encourage the Thessalonian believers by applying the truth of Jesus' death, resurrection and return to one of the more trying of experiences for believers; grieving the loss of a beloved sister or brother in the Lord. He wants them to know that all believers will be raised up to be forever with the Lord, whether they have died ('fallen asleep') before his return or not. Those believers who have died before Christ's return will not miss out! Grief with this hope is very different to grief without hope. The hope that Paul is referring to is all the more wonderful because it is firmly based, not on sentimentality or wishful thinking, but in what Jesus has already done for us in dying and rising again. How fitting that we look again at the sure basis of this hope on Easter Sunday. In receiving this word of encouragement to the Thessalonians for ourselves, let our prayer be that our crucified and risen Lord Jesus so grips our hearts that even in times of bereavement we are full of thanksgiving for the hope we have in him of one day all being together with him forever.

The passage before us on Sunday is all about love. Paul, for three chapters, had spoken of what had happened during his brief stay with the Thessalonians. He's talked about how much love they had for him and each other. Knowing God chose them, they continued to show great care and hospitality to one another and broadly to all believers throughout Greece. Paul was desperate, like a loving parent, to see and encourage them so that he could help them in areas where they lacked understanding and address any concerns they may have. What mercy God has shown to call them out of their pagan worship, setting them apart for His glory. Paul urges them to continue in the teaching he freely shared while he was with them; that God's will for them (and us) is that they would be holy. He has made us holy in Christ, given us the Holy Spirit, so that we, who have been sanctified, are in Christ, and we continue to learn who we are in Him. As those in Christ, we do not live like the unbelievers in lustful passion, but we are to love and continue in love. But how? It is through the loving grace of the Father and His enabling of us in the command to love one another. We don't love one another to remain holy; we are holy because of Jesus, and we trust the Father's provision of love for one another.

In a world where it is easy to be cynical about the shady motives of some Christian leaders and preachers it is refreshing to see how openly Paul expressed his love for those he ministered to. He was not afraid of being vulnerable by opening his heart to them. He was not trying to manipulate through guilt and yet was not afraid of expressing how his sense of joy in ministry was bound up with how they were travelling in the faith. Here there is much to learn about how we relate to others with an open heart in the transparency of the gospel.

We resume our consideration of 1 Thessalonians 2 from verses 13-16. This is a pivotal passage that reminds the Thessalonians and us that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. Paul also reminds his hearers that this is the Gospel of God, not the word of man to be taken lightly. And as our Lord warned in Luke 8, we ought to be careful how we listen to His Word. Just as the Church at Thessalonica did, may we be strengthened to hear and embrace the Word of God, to stand firm in the faith, imitating these early saints and ultimately our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ.

For two reasons Paul is confident his work among the Thessalonians was not in vain. Firstly, there was visible evidence of the work of God in their lives. Secondly, and most significantly, they were chosen and loved by God, just as Paul, Silas and Timothy were. The first is the fruit and evidence of the second. For those in Christ, we too can just as sure and certain that our labours in life and faith are not in vain, for we too have been chosen and loved by God. Take a moment to look and see the work of God in your own life and give thanks to him for his grace and love towards you.