Sermon by Pastor Robert Green, 2nd End Times, Last Judgment, 11/6/16, No. 1215, Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church, Harrisburg, PA, based on 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Are you encouraged in life by trusting in God’s divine Judgement?
The thought of Judgment Day ought to terrify the unbeliever, but for us who believe it offers the greatest comfort not only at the end of life, but in the struggles of this life. This is especially so when in the weakness of faith, brought on by discouragement from suffering persecution or difficult trials, we wonder if God truly lovesus and if weindeed belong to his kingdom. Persecution and trials cry out, “God must not love me or he would not let this happen.” The Christians at Thessalonica had these thoughts as they endured fierce persecution and difficult trials at the hands of some Jews. In the reading for today, God encourages each believer to find comfort in the fact the face of persecution and trial by trusting his divine judgment. So, in times of persecution and trial ask yourself, “Am I encouraged in life by trusting in God’s divine Judgement?”
The persecution of the Christians at Thessalonica was part of a familiar pattern of persecution that arose almost wherever the Apostle Paul went. Recall, that while Paul was his on second missionary journey, the Holy Spirit called him to do mission work in Macedonia. Paul began his work in Macedonia, with Silas and Timothy, in Philippi, but he was met with fierce persecution with a beating and imprisonment. Once the officials found out he was a Roman citizen, whom they had no right to beat and imprison, the officials asked Paul to leave Philippi. Paul then went to Thessalonica and began preaching with great success. But after just three weeks, some Jews became jealous, instigated a riot by accusing Paul and his companions of treason by claiming Jesus was their king. They then drove Paul and his companions out of the area. Paul and his companions went to Berea and again boldly proclaimed the Gospel with success. Some of the disgruntled Jews came from Thessalonica and again persecution lead to Paul leaving for Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy behind.
A little later Silas and Timothy joined Paul in Athens and Paul, concerned over the new believers in Thessalonica continuing to face persecution, sent young pastor Timothy to Thessalonica to encourage the believers there. Timothy returned with a good report about how the Thessalonian Christians were remaining faithful in the face of persecution. Paul then wrote his First Letter to the Thessalonians to encourage the believers to continue in faith in the face of persecution. A few months later, Paul wrote his Second Letter to the Thessalonians. Among other things, Paul again addressed the fierce persecution the Thessalonian Christians faced and this time offered encouragement found in the coming Judgment of God when Christ returns. In the reading, Paul invites you to contemplate “Are you encouraged in life by trusting in God’s divine Judgement?”
Paul addressed this thought his Second Letter right at the start by saying, “Paul, Silas 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. 3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.” Like Paul, do you find joy in seeing the faith and love of others growing?
With just three weeks of Paul’s preaching and teaching, before the persecution drove him awaymisunderstanding of doctrine among the new converts was inevitable. One of the errors that arose among some of the Thessalonian Christians was that since they were suffering such fierce persecution and trials it must have meant that God was rejecting them and punishing them for their sins. To help all understand that God does not punish believers for sin, since he punished all sin in Christ, Paul speaks about the two sides of God’s judgment, his judgment of eternal death for the unbeliever, but eternal life for the believer.
Thus, in this reading, Paul assures the believers that contrary to their thinking, “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.”That God would punish the Thessalonica believers made little sense considering Paul having just commended them for their spiritual growth and love in the face of such persecution. Their sufferings could not be a punishment for sin. Rather, as Paul says,“all this,” referring to thefaithfulness of the believers in the face of persecution and trials, was evidence that God’s judgment is right. The persecution and trials were not evidence that God had rejected the believers, rather it was evidence they would be counted worthy of God’s kingdom. So, in the face of persecution and trial, “Are you encouraged in life by trusting in God’s divine Judgement?”
How is our suffering evidence that we belong to God? If we live as God's children, God tells us that the world will hate us. If the world hates us, then we will be persecuted. If we are not being persecuted, if we are not suffering, then perhaps it is because we are not living as we should. Do you and I live our lives as children of God or do we hide that fact? Peter expresses the same thought that faithfulness in the face of suffering is evidence of God’s judgment that the believer is indeed forgiven and a member of his eternal kingdom, saying, in his First Letter, 1 Peter 4:12–14 (NIV84),“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
In this corner of God’s kingdom, we do not face severe and serious persecution from others. Yet, all of us can experience persecution by simply trying to share the faith. One theologian once said, “if you have not experienced persecution from sharing the faith, maybe you should consider just how often you try.” Persecution is inevitable for the believer. We all have suffered trials in faith that arise from trying to live the Christian life as well as the struggles of keeping a small congregation going strong. Would any one boast or our perseverance and faith in the face of persecution and trials?
Paul commended the Thessalonian Christians faithfulness in the face of persecution because they held to faith in Christ for complete forgiveness of sins, trusting that Jesus has paid the full and complete penalty for all sin. Such faith casts out all fear of God’s punishment for sin, for since Jesus has paid the full price for sin and that payment is credited to the believer through faith, then there is no penalty left over for God to visit on the believer. Remember the divine punishment for sin is eternal death, but his divine judgment for all who believe is eternal life in Christ!
Take to heart that because God's judgment is just he will count you worthy of his kingdom! The verb here to be counted worthy is in the passive tense. That means that the action of being counted worthy is done not by you or I but to us. In other words, in his just judgment God will count us worthy by making us worthy to be in his kingdom. We are worthy of God's kingdom not because of anything we have done or because of who we are, but rather solely because of the merits of Christ. Christ merited salvation for us by living the perfect life and suffering hell for our sins. It is through faith that God then credits us with the perfect righteousness of Christ and so we have his merits to claim. That makes us worthy. God's judgment is just that we will be worthy of his eternal kingdom only because he has removed our sins and made us perfect and holy in Christ. To deny this judgment is to deny that Christ won the victory to save us.
Does it sometimes seem that it is the wicked who prosper and have the easy life while it is the Christian that struggles? When we look around us it seems that the wicked are the ones who prosper, who are being blessed not the believers! Indeed, it may seem that the believers have been abandoned by God. But make no mistake about it: The evidence is in and God’s judgment is justand so he will punish all unbelievers. Paul explains, “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you...”
Take to heart that in God’s just judgment he declares that you belong to him and that he will “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.” This relieve will be complete and fully realized in heaven where never again will trial or tribulation touch us, for we will have eternal bliss free from all pain, sorrow, pain, or hurt. Enjoy a taste of that great relief in knowing that even now all your sins have been forgiven in Christ.
Regarding the unbeliever, Paul then wrote, “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 majesty of his power 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.” To know God means to know him personally through faith. To obey the gospel of our Lord is to believe it. The unbeliever will suffer eternal punishment not because he did not have a Savior from sin, but because he did not believe. God will punish the wrongdoer by eternally shutting out from his presence and from all of his love and mercy.
The believer will not be shut out from the presence of the Lord for God will bring the believers into his glorious presence forevermore. As Paul says, “This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” Rejoice in God’s just judgment that through faith in Christ he will welcome you to eternal life! So, “Are you encouraged in life by trusting in God’s divine Judgement?” Only you can answer this and only you can find comfort by trusting in God’s judgment to come. To God be all glory, amen!