The Focus of the Faithful - 2 Thess Lesson 4

CTW Hebrews 11:32-12:3

2 Thessalonians 1:10-12

The Focus of the Faithful

 Stand together with me as we read 2 Thessalonians 1 for the last time. We will finish this chapter in our study today. Read the chapter.

The Holy Spirit of God inspired the Apostle Paul to write this second letter to the Thessalonians with a purpose. It was written for God’s purpose. It was written to fulfill God’s intent. The purpose of 2 Thessalonians 1 is encouragement of these beleaguered followers of Christ who were enduring persecution and afflictions for the sake of Christ. In spite of these struggles, this was a church in which their faith was greatly enlarged, their love for one another grew stronger and stronger, and Paul was speaking proudly of them among the other churches because of their perseverance and faith in the midst of all the persecutions and afflictions they endured.

 To encourage these believers, Paul told them, in verse 5, that their perseverance and faith in the midst of persecution and affliction was a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment. Their perseverance and faith was the plain indication that they were counted worthy of the kingdom of God. What could be more precious and valuable to a persecuted Christian than knowing that we are worthy of the kingdom of God. This is an encouragement. This would motivate us to face the persecution with faithfulness.

 To further encourage the Thessalonians, Paul reminded them in verses 6-9 that God was not unconcerned about their suffering. A good God is a just God. A just God would not let injustice go unpunished. So Paul writes in verses 6-9 to tell the Thessalonians that God is just, and that He will repay with affliction those who afflict, and that He would deal out retribution to all who do not know God or obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are going to pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

 These truths are helpful. It is good to know that God considers us worthy of His kingdom. It is good to understand God’s justice in the face of the injustice of persecution. But those who are being persecuted, those who are being fed to the lions, or facing the sword, or in chains and imprisoned, or being stoned as was Stephen, or being threatened with the saw, or those who are having to go about in sheepskins or goatskins, being destitute, ill-treated, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground, these persecuted followers of Christ need more encouragement than what has been given in verses 5-9. They need the encouragement of verses 10-12.

 People who are threatened with death or imprisonment or impoverishment because of their faith in Christ need to know how to remain faithful to the end. If the day comes that they threaten to kill us if we do not renounce faith in Christ, and we are literally looking down the barrel of the gun, what will it take for us to persevere? What did the Thessalonians need to continue to endure the persecution and afflictions they were enduring?

 Paul tells them. We can benefit from what Paul wrote to them. Paul tells them how to continue to persevere with a rather abrupt change of themes right in the middle of his sentence. Paul seamlessly transitions from the topic of divine retribution to the theme of divine rewards. Paul switches gears, if you will, and transitions quickly from divine retribution to divine rewards because this is what the focus needs to be on if we are to stand faithful when we look down the barrel of the gun. Focusing on the divine rewards reminds us that no matter what we suffer, it will be worth it in the end.

 You may say, “Ok, Brad, but we are not looking down the barrel of the gun.” You are right. I firmly believe that some day we may, if the Lord tarries. So what is the benefit of this to us? Well, the goal of our lives is not to persevere in persecutions. The goal of our lives is to live for the glory of God by living faithfully. We must be committed to living faithfully whether in the face of persecution or peace and prosperity. Faithfulness is the goal. These principles Paul gave to the Thessalonians to encourage them to remain faithful in persecution will help us, and encourage us to remain faithful in life. If we are faithful in our current state of peace and prosperity, we can remain faithful in persecution, but only if we learn to focus on the very things Paul told the Thessalonians.

 Do you ever wonder if you will be faithful if persecution comes? I have considered it often. One of the best indicators of faithfulness in persecution, is faithfulness in any trouble. If I am faithful in any trouble, I have great hope that I will be faithful in persecution. If I am not faithful in lesser trouble than persecution, I will not likely remain faithful in persecution. Our goal is faithful living in every circumstance of life. The things taught in verses 10-12 will help us remain faithful.

 I am going to entitle this message, “The Focus of the Faithful.” Faithfulness in our walk with Christ really does depend upon our focus on the right things. Faithfulness depends on focus. Our focus must be on that which is truly important. If the same kind of persecution comes to us that the early Christians faced, and that is currently faced in many parts of the world, we will need to know these things if we are going to glorify God in the way we respond. If our focus is on ourselves, or on what we might leave behind or sacrifice of this world, or even if our focus is on the barrel of the gun, we will not respond faithfully. But if we learn to focus on these things, even in times of peace and prosperity, we will be equipped to persevere faithfully when any difficulty appears.

 There are four things I see in this passage that Paul was encouraging the Thessalonians to focus on as they continued to endure persecution. First, they needed to focus on the reality of our Lord’s return in glory. Paul seamlessly changes the conversation from those who will endure divine retribution to those who will participate in the glory of Christ at His return. He writes in verse 10, “when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed – for our testimony to you was believed.”

 The day of our Lord’s return is a day of great contrast. It will be the day of divine retribution, as we learned last week. It will also be a day of glory. Christ will be glorified in His saints on that day. He will be marveled at among all who have believed. I appreciate the contrast of verses 9-10. The Scriptures demonstrate a great commitment to balance. Divine retribution is clearly taught and will be on perfect display on the day of judgment. But so will the glory of Christ and divine rewards for all who have believed. Indulge me for a moment as I speak to the importance of this contrast.

 The previous focus of verses 6-9 on the wrath of God is a great motivation to flee to Christ. Those who do not believe need to know that Romans 1:18 is true. “The wrath of God will be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness…” Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:6 say clearly, “the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Jesus was clear in John 3:36. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John the Baptist called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” asking them “who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” The work of salvation rescues us from the wrath of God. 

 Balanced with the truth about wrath is the clear teaching on the love and compassion of God. John 3:16 is clear. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Romans 5:8 clearly states, “But God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Verse 9 goes on to say, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” Praise God for the balance between divine retribution and divine reward. The contrast is stark. That stark contrast is what ties these two truths together in our passage.

 I could have easily added a fifth point to this message. It could be said that a great motivation for faithful living is to remember that from which we have been delivered through salvation. We have been delivered from the wrath of God and we are not numbered among those who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power. If we do find ourselves looking down the barrel of the gun, we can always know that whatever is about to happen is far better than what would have happened if God had not rescued us from His wrath. Hell would be infinitely worse than death at the hand of persecutors.

 If we are to live faithfully we must learn to make the future glory of Christ, and our glory with Him, the object of our focus. He will come to be glorified. Paul does not say “if” He comes. Paul says “when He comes.” It isn’t a matter of “if” but “when.” When He comes He will be glorified among His saints on that day. Not just that day, but for eternity. If that is our focus, we will have a perspective on life that values the eternal over the temporal. That perspective will enable us to persevere.

 This was Paul’s perspective. He wrote in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed to us.” He wrote in 2 Cor. 4:17-18, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look (focus) not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” On a similar note, Paul wrote to the Colossians in 3:1-4, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind (focus) on things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” Peter shared the same conviction on this focus. He wrote in 1 Peter 4:13, “but to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”

 Our focus matters. We must not loose sight of the fact that on that day we will be among those who marvel at Him. All who have believed, all who have heard Paul’s testimony regarding the work of salvation and believed, will be among those who marvel at Him at His coming. The word “marvel” means to be struck with admiration and astonishment, to be amazed, to be astonished and astounded. The word was used to describe the response of the disciples when they were about to perish in the storm and Jesus was asleep in the bow of the boat. They woke Him up because they were terrified. It was so violent a storm that the waves were covering the boat. He spoke and stilled the wind and the sea. It became perfectly still. They were “amazed.” This is the same Greek word translated “marvel” in our passage. They said, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 9:8 translates this word “awestruck.” It was the response when Jesus healed the paralytic who had been lowered through the roof. This is the most common used word to describe the response to the miracles of Jesus.

 If you have trouble focusing on the future glory of Christ, maybe you don’t have a clear enough picture of what you need to focus upon. I have a homework assignment for you. I want you to go home and read Revelation chapters 19-22. I want you to focus on the One who comes back riding the white horse, who is called Faithful and True, who will in righteousness judge and wage war. You will marvel at the sight. I want you to see Him clothed in His robe dipped in blood, whose name is called the Word of God, with His armies from heaven clothed in white linen, who follow Him on white horses. I want you to see the sharp sword coming from His mouth with which He will strike down the nations whom He will rule with a rod of iron. Marvel at the One who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I want you to read about His authority over the beast and the false prophet and marvel. I want you to see Him sitting in judgment on the great white throne. I want you to see the heavens and the earth pass away and the new heavens and the new earth and the heavenly city. I want you to see the river and tree of life and the Lamb on His throne. I want you to see that there will no longer be any need of the sun or the light of a lamp because the Lord is the Light of life. I want you to see Him as He who is coming quickly. Learn to marvel. It will help you in your focus on His coming in glory.

He is to be your focus in persecution or affliction or sorrow or trouble or any kind of suffering. Live faithfully by focusing on the glorious return of our Lord. I want you to be able to say with Paul, “I know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have entrusted to Him against that day.” To focus on Him in His glorious return is to marvel. 

The second thing Paul tells us to focus on is the sanctifying work of God in our lives. The emphasis in verse 10 is looking past the persecution. Looking past the persecution to the glorious return of Christ reminds us to focus on the eternal rather than the temporal. The emphasis in verse 11 is on looking inward to make sure we are focused on what really matters. What truly matters is the work that God is doing in us. So often our focus is on being happy while God’s focus is on us being holy. We tend to want to live a life that is satisfied. God wants us to be sanctified. Verse 11 calls us to focus on the sanctifying work of God. If we find ourselves looking down the barrel, we must remember that what is important is God’s work in us.

Paul writes in verse 11, “to this end…” What end? This refers to what comes before it. In order that it may be confirmed that we are among those who glorify Christ when He comes, that we are with those who marvel because we are among those who have believed, Paul says “to this end also, we pray for you always...” Paul cared. He wanted the people to know for certain that they were not among those who had been misled, deceived, and among the tares rather than among the genuine converts. So he prayed for them always, “that our God will count you worthy of your calling.”

I want you to notice how Paul brings this down to the personal level. In verse 5 Paul told them that their perseverance in persecution was proof of their worthiness of the kingdom of God. In this verse Paul is praying that “our God will count you worthy of your calling.” This is the personal calling of God to each believer. The focus in verse 5 is more general – worthy of the kingdom of God. The focus here is more personal – worthy of your calling.

The word “calling” is “klesis” (clay-sis) in the Greek. This call is God’s invitation to the kingdom of God and its privileges. It is a divine call by which Christians are introduced into the privileges of the gospel. This calling is God’s first act in the application of redemption according to His eternal purpose. Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Verse 30 tells us “those whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” 

Turn over to 2 Thess. 2:13-14. Read verses 13-14. Here, Paul reiterates the truth of Romans 8. God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this he called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. God chooses. God calls. God sanctifies. This He does for us individually. Our focus should never be removed from the sanctifying work of God in us. 

Paul goes on to say that he is praying not only for God to count them worthy of their calling, but that God would also fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power. This word “goodness” describes active goodness. It is “agathosune” in the Greek. God’s desire is to fulfill the work of goodness that reflects the work of salvation. God wants your life to look like the life of a devoted, faithful follower of Christ. He works in us to conform us to the image of His Son. The verb “fulfill” is an active voice verb. This means that the subject of this sentence is responsible for the action of the verb. The subject is “God.” God will count you worthy of your calling and God will fulfill His desire for goodness and the work of faith with power.

The evidence of being counted worthy of our calling is the fact that this work God wants to do is happening. The word translated “fulfill” means “to fully perform, to fill out, to complete, to make perfect, to fully accomplish to the end.” God will fully perform His desire for goodness in you and me. He will perfect the work of faith with power. He will bring it to completion. He may choose to allow us to endure persecution, hardship, affliction, suffering, trouble, or sorrow to bring His good work to completion. We will only remain faithful if we focus on this good work of God to sanctify us.

The Thessalonians may have hoped to read in here somewhere that Paul was praying that the persecution would stop, or that they would be delivered from it somehow. Paul never prays for that because he understands that to pray for an end of persecution would be to pray for an interruption to the sanctifying work God is using the persecution to accomplish. He does not pray for the persecution to stop, or for it to be somehow avoided, because the most important thing is not the avoidance of trouble. The most important thing is always the work that God is doing to sanctify us in the middle of the trouble. 

So we must focus on what God wants to do in us rather than what we want God to do to deliver us from trouble. We should all be honest with God. He knows our hearts. Ask yourself a very personal question regarding your relationship with Christ. Do you want God to count you worthy of your calling, and to fulfill His desire for goodness and the work of faith with power? Or, would you rather just float downstream in the journey of faith being happy, living a sorrow free, trouble free life? As we consider how we would answer that question, we should understand that the answer says a lot about whether or not we are worthy of our calling.

The third object of our focus is to be the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 12. “So that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him…” “So that” tells us what the end result of God’s sanctifying work will be. We want to be counted worthy of our calling and we want the fulfilling of God’s desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, in order that, or so that “the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him.”

I am convinced that there is a common denominator among all who have been willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. All who are faithful in suffering for His name are all committed to His glory. They, like Moses, choose rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin. They, like Moses, consider the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures of this world.

We know He will be glorified when He comes back. But He is glorified now among His followers, so long as those followers are not focused on comfort and peace and prosperity. He is glorified now among those whose lives reflect the reality of God’s sanctifying work. If God’s desire for goodness is being fulfilled in us, and God’s desire for the work of faith in power is being fulfilled in us, then we will be among those whose sole desire is the glory of Jesus Christ. We will want nothing more or nothing less than for Him to be glorified in us, and us in Him.

Jesus Christ will be glorified. He is being glorified. God has highly exalted Him. God has given Him a name above every name. It has been decreed. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. The only question left for us to answer is whether He is being glorified in me now, and in you now.

What matters to you? Is your focus on living for the glory of Christ? If this is our focus, and it certainly should be, then we will stand and look down the barrel of persecution and we will say, “In life or death, may Jesus Christ be glorified in me.” This is the point of Peter’s words in 1 Peter 1:6-9. “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you rejoice greatly with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

If we are to live faithfully in every challenge of life, we must focus on the future return of Christ in glory, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, looking past the present circumstances to the time of His return in glory. This helps us keep an eternal perspective. We must also focus, not on the difficulty of our circumstances, but on the sanctifying work of God as He counts us worthy of our calling and fulfills His desire for goodness and the work of faith with power. We must focus on the glory of Christ, rather than on our own comfort, peace and prosperity. We must never forget that we exist for His glory.

So you say, “Brad, that sounds great, but it is a tall order. How do I do that? How do I take my eyes off of my circumstances and focus on the right things?” The answer is found in the last part of our text. Paul concludes with the key to success. He writes, “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I’ve said a lot about grace over the years as I have preached from this pulpit. There is nothing so vital to understand as grace to the work of God. Grace is a multifaceted doctrinal reality. We know it is undeserved kindness from God. We know it is “God’s riches at Christ’s expense” if you take the word and make an acronym from it. And we must know it as a divine power. God’s grace is a force. It is an enabling, empowering reality at work in the life of the true child of God. We are only able to focus on what we need to focus on if God’s grace is at work in us enabling and empowering us to take our eyes off of ourselves and put them on the things that will transform us.

God’s grace is sufficient.

As we close I will point you to the Cross, and the elements of the Lord’s Table. There is no clearer expression than the grace of God than what is found at Calvary. If you want to know what can be accomplished according to the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, look no further than the Cross.