"Stand Firm" [Matt's Messages]

“Stand Firm”

Eternal Encouragement - 1&2 Thessalonians

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

September 14, 2025 :: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-15  

The main idea and title of this message is drawn from the last verse of our passage for today, verse 15. And it’s very simply this: 

“Stand Firm.”

Paul wants the Thessalonians to be stable and steadfast. He wants them to stand upright and not fall down or back down in their Christian faith. “Stand firm.” That’s Paul’s encouragement to the Church of the Thessalonians, and I believe that we need to hear it for ourselves today.

Lanse Free Church, stand firm. There are many things flying at us every single day as a Christians that threaten to knock us off balance and off course. Many trials and temptations that imperil our stability. You know that feeling like you’re going to fall over?  This is often us.

Paul sees that potential fall for his beloved baby church plant back in Thessalonika, and he comes out and tells them, “Don’t let that happen to you. Stand fast. Don’t fall over. Stand firm.”

Now, there are lots of things that might cause a follower of Christ to get off balance, but the particular thing in this case had to do with a false doctrine about the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We’ve seen over and over again that these two letters are full of important teaching about the return of Christ. Paul has mentioned it at least once in every single chapter! And this chapter says more about it than many other places in the rest of the whole New Testament. But there are a lot of details in this chapter that are unclear, at least to me  and to many other Bible scholars throughout the history of the church. Just about every sentence has a phrase whose meaning has been disputed and debated by faithful Christians through the years. 

And I’m smart enough to know that I will not solve all of the eschatological debates of the last 2,000 years in this message today! And yet, the main point of this chapter is crystal clear and the application is unmistakable: “Stand firm.”

So before we get into the details, we should probably practice our little phrase that we used so often as we studied the prophecy of the wiseman man Daniel earlier this year.

With some questions about eschatology (the doctrine of the end times), the right answer is, “I don’t know...and that’s okay.”

Now, for some questions, that’s a bad answer. There are some things we must know and hold fast to. “Stand firm!” But there are some details that are less clear, and humility is the order of the day.

So, let me ask you this question: When is Jesus Christ going to return?

“I don’t know...and that’s okay.” In fact, it’s better than okay, right? It’s good and right and best that we don’t know so that we can stay constantly ready. How many times have we said that this year?

But how about this question: Has Jesus Christ already returned?

Don’t you dare say, “I don’t know, and that’s okay!” The right answer is, “I know that Jesus has NOT returned.” 

But that’s not what the Thessalonians were hearing! Let’s start up in verse 1 of chapter 2.

Paul writes, “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come” (vv.1-2).

I’ve got just two points this morning, and here’s number one:

#1. DON’T BE SHAKEN BY DECEPTION.

Paul says, “We’re asking you brothers and sisters in Christ, to (v.2), “not become easily unsettled or alarmed...”

They were going, “Yee! Yikes! Aaahooga! Aaahooga!” They were in danger of panic. They were getting wigged out. They were afraid. 

Paul says, “We’re asking you not to do that. Don’t get unsettled. Don’t get alarmed. Don’t be troubled by this thing you’re hearing.” Apparently, there was some kind of rumor going around that (v.2), the day of the Lord had already come.

Now, you and I hear that, and we say, “I don’t think so. That’s obviously false. That’s bizarre and ridiculous.” 

And maybe they would, too, if they thought about it. But Paul wanted them to not get knocked off balance by this deception.

In first Thessalonians, Paul said that the Day of the Lord was going to come like a thief in the night. And take, especially, unbelievers by surprise. But that we are “Children of the Day,” and so we look forward to it and stay ready for it with faith, love, and hope.

But it sounds like somebody has come along and told the Thessalonians that they missed it!

And if I believed that, I’d be scared, too.

The Thessalonians didn’t want to miss out. If you remember in first Thessalonians, they were worried that their loved ones who had already died before Jesus returned were going to miss out on either the resurrection or the rapture or maybe even the great reunion to be with the Lord forever. But Paul assured them in 1 Thessalonians 4 that the dead in Christ had not missed out. They would, in fact, be first in line.

Now here, he’s assuring the alive in Christ that they have not missed out on those things either. Jesus Christ has not yet returned.

It’s not clear how the rumor got started. Paul gives three different possible scenarios in verse 2, “...some prophecy (or Spirit), report (or word), or letter supposed to have come from us...” So there might have been a forgery, a fake letter from Paul circulating around. Perhaps written by artificial intelligence. (Well maybe not that yet.) But some fake letter or perhaps somebody saying, “The Spirit has revealed to me that what Paul really meant in his preaching or his letter is this...” (see Jeffrey Weima, pg. 506, for that helpful suggestion). 

“The Day of the Lord has already come!”

Now, this happens a lot. Not this particular deception (though the Jehovah Witnesses have historically taught that Jesus Christ came back secretly and invisibly in 1914). But there are lots of different false teachings out there about the return of Christ that threaten to unsettle and alarm us. Don’t let them!

Good teaching, healthy teaching about the end times will comfort and encourage you. It will include sad, shocking, and scary things (and we’re going to see some sad, scary, and shocking things in verses 4-12), but the upshot will always be encouraging for the genuine follower of Jesus Christ. Don’t fall for the fear-mongering.

And don’t fall for the deceptions. Verse 3.

“Don't let anyone deceive you in any way...”

The Lord Jesus said the exact same thing, didn’t He? He warned us that there would be many deceivers.

In Matthew 24 Jesus said, “At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. ‘So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:23-27).

It will be obvious. Not invisible. It will be visible. Not secret. Like like lightning that everybody can see. And genuine followers of Jesus Christ will not miss it!

Now, Paul goes on to say that there are some particular things that must take place before the Day of the Lord. And because they have also have not happened yet, the Thessalonians could be assured that the Day of the Lord has not yet come. Look at verse 3.

“Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”

Two things (at least, and there’s probably more) that must happen before the Day of the Lord.

Number one: The rebellion will occur.

Number two: The man of lawlessness will be revealed.

Now, what are those?

I’m not sure, and that’s okay. 

I am sure that they are going to be painfully obvious to the church when it’s time. But I’m less sure that I can positively identify them right now.

The Greek word for “rebellion” in verse 3 is “apostacia.” Some of your versions may even have the derivative English word “apostasy” there. It means “to depart” or “to defect.” But it doesn’t say who is departing or what they are defecting from.

It could be a wholesale defection from the Christian faith. Those who seemed like Christians but then departed from Christianity. That happens. And it may happen in great numbers in the future. Jesus said that the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12).

Or this could be a great rebellion against law and order around the world, especially because it’s tied here to the man of lawlessness.

But I tend to think it’s a defection from the truth. That nearly everybody everywhere rejects the truth wholesale and that has all of the downstream effects you might imagine. And, you might say, “I think that’s happened already,” and it might have, there’s a lot of falsehood out there, but my guess is that we ain’t seen nothing yet.

And I am sure that the Man of Lawlessness has not yet been revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

Who is this? Well, here are some things we know. He is a man. A human. He is not a demon. He is not Satan. He’s a man. But he declares that he is God! Look at verse 4.

“He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” 

Wow! How scary is that?!  

This “Man of Lawlessness” sounds a lot like some things we read back in the Book of Daniel, doesn’t it? In fact, I quoted this chapter several times as we studied Daniel together. 

Remember that one little horn with the big mouth on the fourth and terrifying beast in Daniel chapter 7?

“He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time” (Daniel 7:25).

Or the evil king at the end of Daniel chapter 11? 

Daniel wrote this “...king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all” (Daniel 11:36-37). That sounds a lot like verse 4 to me.

The name that we often give to this person is “The Antichrist.” The Bible tells us there have been are lots of antichrists in the world, but there will be one Antichrist who will outstrip them all. [We learned earlier this year how Antiochus Epiphanes IV was vying for the role!]

Okay. How about this question? When will the Man of Lawlessness be revealed?

On one level, I’d say, “I don’t know, and that’s okay.”

Some faithful Christians believe that he will be revealed after the church is raptured. I was taught that in Bible school, and it’s a definite possibility. [In fact, some think that the “apostasy” of v.3 is the “departure” of the church which is possible but unlikely,  and very few pre-tribulational scholars take it that way].

I tend to think that he will be revealed before the church is raptured or else Paul would probably mention it here. 

Either way, we do know that he will be revealed before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because that’s what Paul is saying here. Because the Man of Lawlessness has not yet been revealed, that means that Jesus has not yet returned!

So don’t be shaken.

Now how about this question: Who is the Man of Lawlessness? What is his name?

I don’t know, and that’s okay. Christians have speculated about who this man is for the last 2,000 years. I’m not going to waste very much time trying to figure that out. You can, but I’m not going to join you. I’m on the watch for him. I think he’s probably the same person we saw in Daniel 7 and 11 (and maybe 9). I think he’s probably the same person as the Beast coming out of the sea in Revelation chapter 13.

But is he on the world scene right now? I have no clue. His name is not in 2 Thessalonians 2, so I have no idea what it is. 

I hate him and everything he stands for. But I’m also not that scared of him, because I’ve read what is going to happen to him in 2 Thessalonians 2. This chapter is not here to scare us but to comfort us! Look at verse 5.

“Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?”

Paul says, “I explained all of this to you back when I was planting the church there. Remember? This shouldn’t scare you. You shouldn’t be knocked off your pins. You shouldn’t be teetering on the edge. You have nothing to be scared of if you belong to Jesus.”

In fact, the Man of Lawlessness is being held back right now. Restrained. Look at verse 6.

“And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.”

Sadly, I don’t know what is holding him back. Apparently, Paul told the Thessalonians, but he didn’t include it here in this letter. And neither do any of the other writers of the New Testament tell us clearly either. Here, Paul just tells us that it’s happening. Verse 7.

“For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.”

The spirit of antichrist is already at work throughout the world (see 1 John 2 and 4 and 2 John 7), but it’s not anything like what it’s going to be when the Antichrist is fully revealed. His power to deceive and to lead people into pure lawlessness is being restrained by something and someone.

And who is the one who holds it back?

I don’t know, and that’s okay. There has been perhaps more speculation about who that person is in verse 7 than who the Man of Lawlessness is throughout the last 2,000 years of church history. And I’m not going to solve it for you this morning. You may have been taught a certain thing, and you might be pretty sure you have a good idea, and if so, I’m happy for you. I know of seven leading theories about Who and What this Restrainer is. And they all have strengths and weaknesses. 

In my study this week, I came to lean towards the idea that is the archangel Michael whom we learned about in Daniel chapters 10 and 12. I’m not at all sure about that, but I can see how it might fit the biblical data.

What’s important to know is that God has a perfect plan, and it’s perfectly on track. The secret power of lawlessness is being held back. And the one who holds it back will continue to do so until and up to the moment that God says differently. And then he’s going to be taken out of the way. And then (and only then) verse 8.

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”

He’s not been revealed yet so Jesus has not returned yet. One day, it will be painfully obvious who the lawless one is. He’ll be unleashed.

And then, soon after that, it won’t matter! Because he’s going down.

People are so consumed by “Who is the Antichrist? Who is the Antichrist?” Who really cares?! What we should really focus on is the fact that the Antichrist is going to be defeated by Jesus Christ!

And so easily! It says, “With the breath of his mouth” (see Isaiah 11:4) I don’t know if that means with a word? Or with a little puff of breath? Goodbye, Man of Lawlessness!

Paul says he’s going to be destroyed by the splendor of Jesus’ coming. He will not survive the glory that will be revealed. 

The evil king of Daniel 11, “...will come to his end, and no one will help him” (Daniel 11:45).

The terrifying fourth beast with its boastful little horn will be slain and its body destroyed and thrown in the fire that flows from the throne of the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:11).

The King of Kingdoms will ride down from heaven on a white horse and throw the beast into the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Revelation 19:11-21).

Whatever ever else those images mean, they certainly mean the overthrow and destruction of the Man of Lawlessness. He’s doomed to destruction. Justice will be done. He is going to Hell.

And no...this has happened yet. I don’t know when it’s going to happen. I don’t pretend to know! But I know that it’s going to happen. So I don’t have to be scared. I can stand firm. 

Church, don’t lose your head. When the Bible talks about the end times, it always stresses that we should keep calm and carry on. That we should wait patiently and actively loving our neighbors including our enemies. To be clear-minded and prayerful.  Not excited and fretful. And wigged out and worried.  As if our Lord doesn’t have a perfect plan, and it’s not going according to plan perfectly. He does, and it is. 

Yes, these things are sad, and shocking, and scary. But not too sad, shocking, or scary! Don’t fall for the fear. Don’t be shaken by deception. Because there’s a lot of that, and it comes from Satan. Look at verse 9.

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (vv.9-10).

Paul says there are two comings. There’s the coming of the Christ and the coming of the Antichrist. The second one is an evil echo of the first. Jesus comes in true miracles, signs, and wonders and everything good that comes with the truth from God. The Antichrist comes with counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders and every sort of evil that deceives and is powered by Satan.

It’s going to get hard for some people to tell the difference. We must be careful when confronted with miracles, signs and wonders because even Pharaoh’s magicians could do them! The Man of Lawlessness will be very persuasive. He will not be boring. He’ll be very interesting. He’ll be very attractive and powerful. You and I will probably be tempted to follow him. Don’t think you’re “too smart to fall for that.” And he will tell people what they want to hear. Not what they need to hear, but what they want to hear. And they will believe the lie because they want to.

Verse 10 says, “They perish because they [refuse] to love the truth and so be saved.” They want to be deceived! And eventually God says, “Okay. You can be deceived.” Look at verse 11.

“For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (vv.11-12).

That’s about the scariest thing in this whole chapter. That God would send a powerful delusion. Not that he tempts them to evil. Keith showed us in James that He never does that. But He does turn them over to their preferred deception (see Romans 1). And it leads to condemnation. If someone continues to believe the lie until they die, they will go to hell.

As Paul wrote in chapter 1, “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power” (2 Thessalonians. 1:9).

Don’t be shaken by deception! Because the end of that is condemnation.

But that’s not us! Paul says that verse 12 does not describe the Thessalonians. Verses 13 and 14 do! Look at verse 13.

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv.13-14).

Isn’t that wonderful? That must have been so encouraging for them to read. 

And that’s you and me. That’s every genuine believer who has heard the good news about Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the Cross and at the Empty Tomb and put our faith and trust in that truth. This is what’s happened to us.

We’ve be chosen to be saved by the electing love of God the Father.

We’ve been called through the gospel of God the Son Who loved us. “Brothers and sisters loved by the Lord.”

We’re being sanctified, made holy, by God the Spirit.

So that we might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The same glory that will destroy the Man of Lawlessness will be ours to share forever!

That’s you, Church! Not because you deserve it, but because we’re been loved by the Lord Jesus Christ with a love as vast the the ocean. Yes, we ought to give thanks for that forever! And we need to believe it and hold onto it forever.

What’s the obvious application?  

Stand firm!  Verse 15.

“So then, brothers [and sisters], stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”

#2. HOLD TIGHT TO THE TRUTH.

You might think that (after verses 13 and 14) we should just relax because God is doing all of that. And we should rest in it. But we also should firmly grasp it and hold onto it like our lives depended on it. Because they do.

“Hold to the teachings [Paul and his team] passed on to you, whether by word of mouth [when they were there in person] or by letter.”

Like this one that we hold in our hands. Hold tight to this letter! Hold tight to this book! Those who are perishing refused to love the truth and so be saved (v.10). But we love the truth and so are saved!

Do you love the truth?

Jesus Christ is the truth! And the way and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. But everyone who does come through Him gets to the Father!

Have you turned from your sins and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and what He did you and me on the Cross? He loved you enough to carry your sin on His shoulders, the wonderful merciful Savior.

Turn from your sins and embrace Him. And don’t let go. Stand firm. Stand fast. Hold tight. Cling to Jesus.  Because He is stable, we can be stable forever. 

Don’t worry about what the world is going to throw at you this week. Stand firm.

Don’t worry about where the world is headed. It’s headed to hell in a handbasket. Stand firm.

Don’t worry about the identity of the Antichrist or the timing of his revelation or whatever the Rebellion is. It will all become obvious, and then it will be over. Focus on the Truth of Jesus. Hold tight to that. And you will stand firm.

***

Messages in this Series:

1 Thessalonians

01. "To the Church of the Thessalonians" - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
02. "We Loved You So Much" - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
03. "You Are Our Glory and Joy" - 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
04. "Do This More and More" - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
05. "Encourage Each Other With These Words" - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
06. “We Belong to the Day” - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
07. "To Each Other and To Everyone Else" - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15
08. "This Is God's Will For You" - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28

2 Thessalonians

09. "In Every Good Deed and Word" - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
[Bonus Historical Message: "Forever: Hell" - 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, October 30, 2005]
10. "God's Judgment Is Right" - 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10

11. "We Constantly Pray for You" - 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

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“We Constantly Pray for You” [Matt's Messages]

“We Constantly Pray for You”

Eternal Encouragement - 1&2 Thessalonians

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

August 17, 2025 :: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12  

Here are some of the most encouraging words in the English language for any Christian to hear. Six of the most encouraging words to hear: “I have been praying for you.” 

Has somebody said that to you recently? “I have been praying for you.”

This morning, we prayed for those who are going to back to school. I miss those days myself. Most years, I loved to go back to school. I wish I could do it again! I’d love to do another degree. It’s not going to happen, but I’d love that. 

But I wouldn’t want to do it without somebody praying for me. So many people prayed me through my education, all those many years!

Like we gathered up around the kids, and we prayed for the teachers and the administrators and the aides and the drivers and the support staff and everybody else at the school.

And we’re telling them, “We are praying for you.”  Kids, we are praying for you. Teachers, we are praying for you. And we won’t stop! We believe in the power of prayer, amen? That is we believe that our God is powerful to answer prayer. Our God loves to listen to His people pray, and He loves to answer those prayers.

That’s why it’s so encouraging when we tell each other that we’ve been praying for each other.

And look what we have here in verses 11 and 12?! Paul, Silas, and Timothy write to the church of the Thessalonians in verse 11, “We constantly pray for you.”

Your version may say something like, “We pray always for you” or “We always pray for you.”

Paul says that he and his ministry team were constantly, regularly, perpetually lifting up this beloved baby church in prayer before the Lord.

That must have been so encouraging for the Thessalonians to read! To be told that the Apostle Paul was not only thinking about them and trying to teach them and cared about them, but that he was constantly praying to God for them.

Paul sure loved this church, didn’t he? Paul had a dozen pictures of this church up on his fridge! Verse 3 above said that he was always giving thanks for them. And verse 4 said that he was always boasting about them to the other churches. And now verse 11 says that he was always praying for them.

Paul was practicing what he preaches! Remember this from 1 Thessalonians 5? Paul said that this was God’s will for them, that they “Pray continually.” That they put their prayer life on speaker-phone? Dial the Lord in the morning, hit “speaker,” and talk to God all day long. Don’t hang up.

Paul says he does that, and when he does, he’s praying for the Thessalonians all the time!

“Lord, remember the Thessalonians. I’m so thankful for them. Thank You, that their faith is growing more and more and their love for each other is increasing more and more–even though it’s getting harder there in Thessalonica.

Lord, You know how the Thessalonians are being persecuted and troubled by their neighbors. Hounded and pounded by the government and their hostile neighbors, both Jew and Gentile.

Lord, I’m praying for them again. And again. And again. Here I am, Lord. I’m praying for the Thessalonians. Morning, noon, and night.”

Paul keeps coming back to God on behalf of the Thessalonians.

That must have been so encouraging for them to read when they got this letter. And it must have also kind of made them want to be the answer to those prayers, too, right? Like whatever Paul was praying and praying and praying, the Thessalonians were probably led to want that same thing for themselves, too.

And maybe pray that same thing for themselves, too. And I think it’s right and good for us to pray these things for ourselves and for each other. I think this prayer report is set down in holy Scripture so that we can get our prayer priorities from it. If Paul constantly prayed these things for the church of the Thessalonians, maybe we should co

Now before we see what Paul actually prays for, we need to think a little bit about those first four words in verse 11. “With this in mind...” 

Because this prayer report does not appear in a vacuum. It doesn’t show up out of the blue. Paul prays these things in view of what he’s just written to them. “With this in mind...”

What did Paul have in mind?

The justice of God.

Remember last week, we saw that God’s judgment is right. His justice is perfect. He doesn’t ever decide something wrongly. He never gets fooled by appearances or take the wrong factors into account. God judgment is always right and righteous and holy.

We learned last week that in God’s perfect justice, God’s true people will receive His eternal kingdom. Verse 5, “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.”

And then we also learned last week that in God’s perfect justice God’s true enemies will receive their eternal destruction. Verse 6. “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and 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. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 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” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).

God’s justice is perfect and is coming when Jesus returns.

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you...”

With the return of Christ in mind, with the glorious day of His return in mind, Paul constantly prays for the Thessalonians. It hasn’t happened yet. We have to wait for God’s perfect justice to come. But, in the meantime, we pray for each other. And we pray more for each other. Regularly. Perpetually. Constantly.

Now, what did Paul ask? He was doing all this praying. What was he actually praying for?

I’d like to summarize his requests in three points. Here’s number one. “We constantly pray for you...

#1. THAT OUR GOD WOULD COUNT YOU WORTHY OF HIS CALLING.

That’s exactly what he says in verse 11.

“With this in mind [the return of Jesus Christ], we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling...”

Notice it says, “our God.” I love that. Paul is saying that they have the same God, they share the same God. And that he’s asking that same God to count them worthy of God’s calling.

Now that sounds a lot like verse 5, right? Up in verse 5, Paul said that the Thessalonians were going to be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. Not because they were so great, but because God was at work in them which was obvious because of their persevering faith and increasing love.

God was clearly doing His saving and sanctifying work in their life. They believed and they continued to believe even in the face of persecution.

And here Paul says that he prays that this would continue! He said it would happen in verse 5, and now he prays that it would happen in verse 11.

We often think that if God has promised something, then it doesn’t make sense to pray for it. I mean, God already promised it! So why pray? But that’s not how the Bible thinks. The Bible says that if God has promised something, then we ought to pray for it because we know it’s something God has promised!

And, here, it’s the kingdom. God has promised the kingdom for His true children. Now, we pray for each other that we would be counted worthy of the kingdom. That God would fulfill His promise in us. The promise of His calling. His summons to the Kingdom and to Himself, the King.

God is calling His true people to Himself. And we pray for each of His children that that calling would be fulfilled! So that our lives would match our calling.  Some of your versions even say that Paul constantly asks that God might “make” the Thessalonians worthy of God’s calling. Not that they could ever earn it! No, but that their lives would more and more match what they are called to be and to do. That they would live more and more as citizens of the kingdom to come.

Do we pray that way? Do we pray for each other that our God would count us worthy of His calling?

Did any of us pray that for one of kids going back to school this week? Often we pray for safety and security and for peace and wisdom as people head back to school–and well we should! But we should also take a note from Paul and pray that Christians heading out into the world (whether its to school or not) would be counted by God as worthy of His calling! Headed back into the world like the citizens of the kingdom that we are called into.

And here’s what that looks like in practical terms. Number two. “We constantly pray for you...”

#2. THAT OUR GOD WOULD COMPLETE ALL YOUR GOOD WANTS AND GOOD WORKS.

Look at again at verse 11.

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”

Paul is perpetually praying for God’s power to be at work in their lives.

“By his power.” Not by their own power! They need God’s power at work in their lives. And so do we. If God doesn’t do it, we’re up the creek! 

Paul is perpetually praying for God’s power to “fulfill” two things, “every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”

Now that word “fulfill” means to bring to completion. It’s to take something that is in seed form and bring it to fruition. It means to fill something up to its potential. Like a glass being filled up with life-giving water. 

And Paul is constantly asking God to fulfill the potential of all of their “good purposes.” What does that mean? I think it means their good intentions. It’s the things that the Thessalonians want to do that they should do. It’s their good desires. It’s their good resolutions. It’s their “good wants.”

Do you have good wants? Do you want to do something good for the Lord today? This week?

Students and teachers going to back to school.

Employees and employers going back to work.

Family members going to family functions.

Neighbors headed out in the neighborhood.

Do you want to live like a citizen of the kingdom of God? I’m sure that many of us do.

Are we going to do it? That’s often a different question, isn’t it? We might want to, but are we going to? Are we going to walk worthy of our calling? Even in the face of persecution? Even if it’s hard?

Well, Paul prays for it. He constantly prays for the Thessalonians that by God’s power, God may fulfill every good purpose of theirs.

“Lord, I’m praying for the Thessalonians again today. I know that they so often want to do the right thing. Please give them the power to do it. Fulfill that good purpose, Lord! Bring it to fruition. Bring it to completion! Fill it up, Lord. Please, Lord.”

We should pray like that more often. We should pray for our Christian loved ones that they do the good thing that they want to do.

That they overcome a temptation and break an addiction.

That they speak to their co-worker about Jesus.

That they confront their loved one about their sinful behavior.

That they resolve a conflict.

That they give generously to the needy.

That they forgive that person who offended them.

“Lord, please by your power, fulfill every good purpose of your child.”

Every “good want.” Turn it into a good work. Turn this good want into a good work!

See how Paul goes from the inner desire to the outer action? He doesn’t just pray that they would want something good but that they would do something good and that it would be energized by their faith. Look at verse 11 again.

“...[W]e constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”

Notice that our good works come from our faith. The words here are literally something like, “every work of faith.” We do what we do because believe something to be true (see 1 Thess 1:3). Because we trust in something. And Paul prays that his Christian friends at Thessalonica would trust God and do the sorts of things that people who trust God do.

Like put on a Good News Cruise.

Like head off on a missions trip to Malawi or Kentucky.

Like talk to their neighbor about Jesus.

Like put food in a free fridge.

Like...what is it that you know you should do because you believe in Jesus?

Paul prays that these good works prompted by faith would be fulfilled.

I think that probably means that they would be done. But even more than that, that they would have an effect on the world. That God’s kingdom would come here on earth as it is in heaven.

We should pray like this for each other!

“Lord, I pray for Lanse Free Church that by your power, every act that was prompted by faith yesterday at the Good News Cruise would be fulfilled.”

That people would come know Jesus as their Savior!

That people would come to follow Jesus as their King!

I pray that as these precious people in front of me do the very things that you have called them to do; you would bring those good works to completion.”

This week, I messaged all of the teachers in our church family and asked how we could be praying for them as they headed back into school.

And one of the things Mary Beth wrote me was this. She says, “As a teacher, I ask that you might pray for me to live out Matthew 5:16 to ‘arise and shine’ with the love of Jesus each day...and finally, can you pray for my own children, and all the other students in our church as we transition back to the routine of school. Pray also for them to be kind, helpful, courageous, and shining like Jesus.” Amen!

Matthew 5:16 says, “[L]et your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (NIV 2011).

I pray that God would complete all your good wants and all your good works. To the glory of Jesus!

That’s where Paul goes next and last. Look at verse 12.

“We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Point number three and last. “We constantly pray for you...”

#3. THAT OUR GOD WOULD GLORIFY JESUS IN YOU AND YOU IN JESUS.

This in verse 12 is not so much a particular thing that he prays for as the reason why he prays the things he constantly prays for in verse 11. This is the purpose of it all.

“So that the name of our Lord Jesus...”

Remember that a name in the Bible often stands for the essence of the person. It’s his reputation. It’s his character.  It’s more than a label. The name is the person himself.

Paul perpetually prays these things for the church “so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.” So that when people look at us wanting something good and doing something good, they don’t think, “Oh, what a good person!”

They think, “Oh, what a good Savior! Oh, what a good Lord!”

“[L]et your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise [not YOU! But...] your Father in heaven” and His Son Jesus Christ. As you and I live worthy of His calling, Jesus gets more and more glory.

But catch this, we actually get to share in that glory, too. Did you see that in verse 12?

“So that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him.”

It’s a double glorification! Not that people say, “Oh look at that Jesus. He sure has a glorious Matt Mitchell in Him!” No, it’s more like this, “Matt Mitchell gets to have Jesus shine in Him. Matt Mitchell shines! Yes, but not with Matt Mitchell-ness. Matt Mitchell shines with Jesus-ness.” And not just Matt Mitchell, but every genuine Christian here. That’s what Paul prays! 

Put your name in verse 12. “We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in YOU[!], and [YOU!] in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Now that happens piece by piece right now. But one day, it will happen wholesale. Remember what he just said in verse 10 about that day when Jesus returns...

“...on the day he comes to be [what?] 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” (2 Thess. 1:10).

Jesus Christ is going to transform us so that we glorify Him in every way. And we will shine! Not because we are so great, but because He is so great and so gracious. Verse 12.

“...according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Our good works don’t make this happen. This is all of grace. This is all because of what God did for us when He gave His Son Jesus Who took our place at the Cross.  Have you placed your faith in Him? That’s the only way for Jesus to glorified in us and we in Him.

What if we prayed this way for each other?

What if we took 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 and prayed these words and ideas for each other every. single. day?

What might our God do?

He might count us worthy of His calling.

He might complete every good want and good work.

So that Jesus might be glorified in us and us in Him.

Let’s do it.

Let’s constantly pray for each other.

What could be more encouraging than that?

In fact, let’s do it right now.

***

Messages in this Series:

1 Thessalonians

01. "To the Church of the Thessalonians" - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
02. "We Loved You So Much" - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
03. "You Are Our Glory and Joy" - 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
04. "Do This More and More" - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
05. "Encourage Each Other With These Words" - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
06. “We Belong to the Day” - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
07. "To Each Other and To Everyone Else" - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15
08. "This Is God's Will For You" - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28


2 Thessalonians

09. "In Every Good Deed and Word" - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
[Bonus Historical Message: "Forever: Hell" - 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, October 30, 2005]

10. "God's Judgment Is Right" - 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10

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Great Commentaries on the Book of Daniel

Preaching the prophetic book of the wiseman Daniel was an incredibly daunting task. Daniel is a nexus in the Bible where so many incredible elements come together–two ancient languages, multiple apocalyptic visions, beloved stories, counter-cultural and counter-intuitive applications, and so much more! 

I put off preaching Daniel for many years, but believed it was time to climb the summit in the first part of 2025. Our series was called “The King of Kingdoms” highlighting the central message and central character of the book.

To prepare, I spent a lot of time reading some wonderful commentaries by leading scholars. These were my favorites:

J. Paul Tanner, Daniel (Evangelical Exegetical Commentary)

Tanner’s commentary is “the total package.” This is the height of evangelical scholarship on Daniel at this moment. Tanner has clearly read everything, and I mean everything. No stone is unturned. He provides an extensive bibliography and painstaking text critical notes, translation notes, and footnotes.

At the very same time, Tanner’s book is incredibly readable. He writes straightforward, accessible sentences in clearly marked sections so you always know where you are in the flow of the argument. There are helpful charts. Tanner is judicious and fair with all of his scholarship. He points out the strongest arguments of his opponents and the weakest of his own. He comes to dispensational conclusions but does not presuppose them. And it’s is warm-hearted, as well! Every unit includes commentary that ties that section of scripture to the rest of biblical theology and offers personal application, too. This is the very best kind of evangelical scholarship!

Tanner’s big books is probably too much for most ordinary readers, but most pastors should have this one if they’re going to tackle preaching Daniel.

David Helm - Daniel for You: Helping You Live With Courage

David Helm’s little commentary is the overall best for most other readers. It has bite-sized chapters and reads like a great sermon full of relevant application. Helm’s scholarship is evident, but the book is light on footnotes. He does a great job of focusing on the main thing and not getting sucked into various secondary debates. I would recommend this to book to just about any reader who wants to understand Daniel.

By the way, if you want an excellent audio orientation to Daniel, make sure to listen to Nancy Guthrie’s interview with David Helm on the “Help Me Teach the Bible” podcast. I listened 3 times before tackling Daniel on Sundays!

John C. Whitcomb, Daniel (Everyman’s Bible Commentary)

I cut my teeth on Whitcomb’s little commentary back in my Bible School days in my “Dan/Rev” class. Revisiting it 30 years later, I was surprised at how readable and good it was. Concise, precise, helpful. Whitcomb is dispensational, but this book is not a defense of a system or a diatribe. It is a short commentary worth having and using.

George M. Schwab, Hope in the Midst of a Hostile World: The Gospel of According to Daniel

Schwab’s book was fascinating reading, full of so many insights. I didn’t always follow him (either in understanding him or in his decisions), but I was always was happy I’d read or re-read the chapter. My copy has sticky-notes plastered all over it at the most insightful (or entertaining) points, like when it says, “Perhaps it is a sign of the end times when scholars disagree on whether it is the Christ or the Antichrist spoken about in a text!” (pg. 144). I’m glad I read it.

Dale Ralph Davis, The Message of Daniel (The Bible Speaks Today)

Davis is one of my all time favorite Old Testament commentators. He’s always insightful and delightful, and this was no exception. Davis is not afraid to be controversial. I didn’t always jive with his more daring suggestions, but he’s always worth reading. 

Tremper Longman III, How to Read Daniel.

This book is just what the title page says. It’s not a commentary (though it has commentary in it), nor a compilation of sermons (though there are two long chapters of application and implications at the end) but an orientation to the book and an explanation of the appropriate hermeneutics for this unique genre. This kind of approach is especially important for Daniel as it is so wild and different from just about any other book. I re-read every chapter multiple times. 

Christopher J.H. Wright, Hearing the Message of Daniel: Sustaining Faith in Today’s World

Wright is one of my favorite authors, especially when he’s teaching through an Old Testament book (his commentary on Jeremiah was simply superb). He’s great at capturing the essence of a section of scripture and presenting it in a compelling way. Recommended.

Iain Duguid, Daniel (Reformed Expository Commentary)

Duguid’s commentary is a collection of sermons so it’s very readable and focused on devotion and pastoral application. At the same time, he’s clearly done his scholarly work to reach his conclusions so it’s valuable as a resource for interpretation, as well.

Probably the most helpful thing for me was to read how a non-dispensational amillennialist understands the book of Daniel. I was given my framework for reading Daniel at Moody Bible Institute and wasn’t exposed to other faithful positions from others who believed in inerrancy and had healthy hermeneutics. It was great to be given a different set of lenses–and also see how the applications ended up largely the same.

Larry Osborne, Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope, Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture

Osborne’s book is not a commentary on Daniel, per se. He doesn’t walk through the book of Daniel showing you what’s in each chapter. But he does provide trenchant thoughts on application of teaching in Daniel for daily living in a hostile environment.

I read Thriving in Babylon several years ago with our small group, and we had great conversations about it. A wrote a discussion guide for groups that continues to be one of the most-used items on my blog. 

Mitchell Chase, Daniel (TGC Bible Commentary)

Chase gets to the chase! In a similar fashion to a Derek Kidner, this free online commentary is chock full of blessed incisive concision.

I also profited greatly from the study notes in the CSB Study Bible (Michael Rydelnik), NIV Zondervan Study Bible (Tremper Longman), ESV Study Bible (Iain Duguid), and NIV Study Bible (Gleason Archer and Ronald Youngblood), Knowing the Bible: Daniel (Todd A. Wilson), and the NET Bible online.

I wouldn’t have wanted to preach Daniel without any of these books, but I probably could have gotten away with just Tanner, Helm, and Longman (and maybe Duguid) this time around. If your budget is tight and you have to pick 3, those would be my suggestions.

I am grateful to the Lord for providing these rich resources to understand His Word and grow in my faith and love and obedience to The King of Kingdoms!

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“God’s Judgment Is Right” [Matt's Messages]

“God’s Judgment Is Right”

Eternal Encouragement - 1&2 Thessalonians

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

August 10, 2025 :: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10  

Here’s a statement of truth to encourage your soul today: “God’s judgment is right.”

Those words are found in verse 5, and the Apostle Paul and his friends Silas and Timothy want to encourage the hearts of their Thessalonian friends with that assertion–“God’s judgment is right.”

What God decides is right and righteous. He always does what is right! He is never fooled by appearances, and He never makes the wrong decisions about anything or anyone.  God’s judgment is right. Isn’t that encouraging?! 

It’s even more encouraging when you think about how it doesn’t always feel that way. In fact, it often does not feel that way, because our world is not like it should be.

That we feel! We all have a longing for justice. For everything to be the way that it should be. Everything broken fixed. Every terrible thing made right again. Every wrong undone.

Is that what we see in the world? Justice, justice everywhere? Answer: Not yet.

But that does not mean that God is doing it wrong. God’s judgment is right. And it will be right. And will be right forever. Eternally! And that’s eternal encouragement for those who long for justice.

Like the church of the Thessalonians. Let’s get into the letter to see how Paul is trying to encourage them. Starting in verse 1.

“Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Classic opening for one of Paul’s letters. Same three authors. Same team that helped plant the church. Same baby church in Thessalonica. 

And in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t forget that location that he points out. That church isn’t just in Thessalonica, just like our church is not just in Lanse. That church is in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s where we are! A genuine church is located in the Father and in the Son (and we know from the rest of the Bible IN the Holy Spirit).

And then he wishes upon them grace and peace from that same God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace.

And they are going to need it. Because things are not going very smoothly for this church! They are under attack. But that’s not where Paul starts. He starts by giving thanks for how the church is thriving where it really counts. Look at verse 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.”

Isn’t that great?! Paul not only says that he gives thanks to God for these precious brothers and sisters in Christ, but that he ought to! That it would only be right. 

There’s something good cooking at Thessalonica, and everybody who has eyes can see it!

“Your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing!”

This church is growing where it really counts: faith and love. Remember in 1 Thessalonians, there were 3 key words that kept showing up: faith, love, and hope. Right? Paul gave thanks for their faith, love, and hope. Well, here are two of the three once again. And we know that hope shows up in chapter 2, because it’s in our memory verse, 2:16-17.

They had faith and love in 1 Thessalonians, but he wanted them to grow in it more and more. Do you remember that from earlier this summer? In chapter 3 of the first letter, Paul prays, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you” (1 Thess. 3:12). So that makes verse 3 here an answer to Paul’s own prayer! 

Paul says, “I have to give thanks because you guys are believing more and more and loving each other more and more.” I’m so proud of you! Well done, you. Praise God! Praise God!

And I see the same thing happening here at Lanse Free Church. We’ve been praying ever since we started to grow in numbers that we would grow in faith and in love for each other. 

And I’m seeing it happening. One of the most encouraging things that the Kentucky Team said was that we got to know each other better and got knit together. And I see that happening in other groups in our church family right now. It’s one of the great things about the Fall Retreat to be able to spend unhurried time together and love one another more. It happened at Family Bible Week, too. And I expect the same thing out there this afternoon at our new pavilion.  

It’s great to grow in attendance, but what really counts is to grow in faith and love for one another.

Paul could see it! Paul was so encouraged. And he just had to give thanks for it.

And one of reasons that this was so encouraging was because they were trusting God more and more and loving each other more and more when they were being persecuted more and more. Look at verse 4.

“Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.”

This church was getting kicked in the teeth. They were in trouble with the authorities. They were in trouble with their neighbors. Some were probably losing their jobs. Some may have been taking beatings. Some may have been losing their lives. All because they were following King Jesus.

“Persecutions and trials.” Following Jesus is not always easy. Sometimes, it’s really painful. But the Thessalonians were not giving up. They were continuing to love each other and to trust God. Paul says they had, “...perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials [they were] enduring.” 

They were not giving up. They were not giving in. And it made Paul so proud! Do you see what he said in verse 4? “Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith!” Paul just loved to brag on these Christians. He was so proud of them. He gloried in God’s work in them.

He was telling the Corinthians, “Have you heard about the Thessalonians? I just love those folks. They are getting kicked in the teeth over there for Jesus, but they keep trusting Him. And they keep loving each other.”

He was telling the Philippians, “Have you heard about the Thessalonians?  When one of them loses their job because of persecution, the others feed him until he find the next job. When somebody gets thrown in jail, the church shows up to visit them. They love each other.”

He was telling the Galatians, “I am so proud of the Thessalonians. They don’t give up. They don’t give in. I am so encouraged by their faith and love.”

That must have been so encouraging for the Thessalonians to read.

"Paul is proud of us. He’s bragging on us to the other churches."

And you know what I’m going to say, right?

I’m proud of you. And I brag on you to other pastors. Just in the last year to send a team to Malawi across the ocean to support our brothers and sisters in Christ in the warm heart of Africa. And then to send a gift at our last church family meeting to help them buy a property to build a ministry center and school on. And here to build a pavilion for–not just us to use but–for the community to use at our community playground. Twenty five years later, we’re still giving it to the community.

And now we have the Lanse Free Fridge where we can share food with our community. And it’s getting used by and for the community. 

I’m so proud of you. Proud of you for loving our brothers and sisters in Haiti by sending enough money from Family Bible Week to pay the tuition for 9 students at the VOHM school! And then to send the 11 of us to Kentucky to help the folks in the hollers down there after their flood.

We are not being persecuted right now, but I still boast in your perseverance and faith and love. Well done, you. Praise God!

Paul was encouraged, and he was encouraging them. And that was important and necessary because it was hard. They were suffering. This wasn’t a walk in the park. It wasn’t fun.

But they were clearly genuine Christians who loved Jesus and trusted Jesus. And God was going to reward them. Because God’s judgment is right. Look at verse 5.

“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’s a strange sentence. It takes spiritual understanding to “get” that sentence. “All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right.”

What’s the “all this?” Is it all this persecution? I think there’s something to that. When we see genuine Christians being genuinely persecuted for their faith, it is evidence that God’s judgment is right because Jesus said that this was going to happen. He said that His followers will be persecuted. He said that in this world we will have “trouble” (see John 16:33). Greek word, “thlipsis.”

However, that trouble is not right. Should we be persecuted for following King Jesus? I don’t think so.

My guess is that the “all this” in verse 5 is all of this perseverance, not all this persecution. All this love for one another even when they’ve been getting pounded by the authorities and hounded by their neighbors. All this faith and more faith, even though they are being troubled. “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.”

Now, be careful here. Paul is not saying that they have earned the kingdom by being good little boys and girls. We know that’s not how it works. Our salvation is by grace and grace alone. Our eternal encouragement is because God loved us and, by His grace, sent His Son to die for us (see 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 and John 3:16). That’s the only way that we will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God.

But the only ones who will are those who have believed in the Son of God. And continued to believe in the Son of God even when the beatings come. It’s only real Christians with a real faith who enter the kingdom of God and are counted worthy of it. Worthy to inherit the kingdom of kingdoms!

I’ve only got two points this morning to summarize this passage, and here’s point number one: God’s judgment is right.

#1. GOD’S TRUE PEOPLE WILL RECEIVE HIS ETERNAL KINGDOM.

God will not fail to give the kingdom to His true people. He will not be tricked into thinking that someone is His who is not. And He will not miss anyone who truly is. God’s judgment is always right. 

God will see His true people’s faith and love grow even in the face of persecution and suffering and know that they are real. And He will allow even more suffering in some of their lives.

And they will rejoice, not in their suffering, but in that they were counted worthy of bearing His name.

That happened in the book of Acts, chapter 5. The Christians there were being persecuted, and they were even whipped, flogged. I can’t really wrap my mind around how much that would hurt and how unjust it would feel. But the Bible says that they went home rejoicing that they were counted worthy of suffering for the Name of Jesus (5:29).

Do you think that God’s going to mess up and not give those Christians the kingdom? No way. God’s judgment is right, and as a result they will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which they were suffering.

I don’t want to suffer for the kingdom of God, but I want to be willing to  because I want to be worthy of it. Because it is worth it.

How encouraging that must have been for them to read those words, “You will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God!” God’s true people will receive His eternal kingdom (see Daniel 7:14&27). 

But that’s not all. God’s judgment is right:

#2. GOD’S TRUE ENEMIES WILL RECEIVE THEIR ETERNAL DESTRUCTION.

Look at verse 6. 

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.”

“God is just.” His judgments are right, and they are never wrong. Sometimes (often), it seems like they are wrong. Because people seem to get away with all kinds of things. Especially those who persecute Christians just for following King Jesus.

But Paul says, “They are not getting away with anything.” Nobody “gets away,” with anything. Those people who were hounding and pounding the Christians at Thessalonica? They were going to get hounded and pounded back.

“God is just: He will pay back trouble [thlipsis] to those who trouble you [thlipsis] and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.”

Nobody “gets away” with anything. When Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble,” He could have gone on to say, “And those who give you that trouble are going to get it on the rebound.”

There will be justice. Justice will be done, and it will be seen to be done.

And not only will they get the trouble coming to them, but you will get the relief from the trouble that you were longing for all along. You will have rest. 

That must have been so encouraging for the Thessalonians to hear. 

This trouble will not go on forever. And, in fact, it will fixed. 

Everything is going to be fixed.

Do you believe that?

Everything is going to be fixed. God’s judgment is right. And Paul says it’s not just going to be fixed for the Thessalonians, it’s going to be fixed for all of us, himself included.

When? How long, O Lord? When is this justice going to come? Verse 7.

“This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”

It’s going to happen at the Return of Christ!

Right now, He’s hidden in heaven, but one day soon, He’s going to be “revealed” [apokalupsis, same word as the name of the last book of the Bible]. Revelation.

Jesus Christ is going to return, not as a little baby in the manger, but the Lord of Justice, the Son of Man.

Remember what we read in that vision of Daniel chapter 7 (9-14)? When Daniel was having a terrible vision of a terrifying, frightening powerful beast with iron teeth and a little horn that made great boasts. 

It seemed like all was lost for God’s people, and then all of sudden Daniel looked and saw the Ancient of Days? Remember what His throne was like? Flaming with fire. And it’s wheels were on fire. And river of fire was flowing coming out from before him. And remember how He was surrounded by angels? Ten thousand times ten thousand. And the books of justice were opened.

And then the one like a son of man came coming with the clouds of heaven. And He approached the Ancient of Days.

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (see Daniel 7:9-14).

Verse 7. “This [justice] will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels." The King of Kingdoms is going to come, and He’s going to bring righteousness, holy justice, with Him. Verse 8.

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power...”

Those are some of the scariest words in the whole Bible. Those who should know God but refuse to know Him will be punished. Those who hear the good news about Jesus but rejected the good news about Jesus will be punished. And it will be right. God’s judgment is right.

Nobody will be judged for the wrong thing or to the wrong degree.

We see miscarriages of justice every single day. We participate in them, too, when we have to make judgments, and we get it wrong. But God’s judgment is always right.

God has revealed Himself in nature, but humans suppress that truth in unrighteousness. And those who do will be punished. God has revealed Himself most fully in Jesus and His death and resurrection, and that good news requires a response. That’s why we can say we need to “obey the gospel.” The gospel calls for a response. And those who disobey the gospel by rejecting the good news about Jesus will be punished. And they will be punished eternally.

God’s true enemies will receive their eternal punishment.

That’s the opposite of eternal encouragement, isn’t it? It’s scary. It’s horrible. And it’s right. God’s judgment is right.

Hell is real, friends. And worst part of it is not the unquenchable fire, it’s not the gnashing of teeth, it’s not the darkness, it’s (v.9) being “shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power...”

It’s being separated from the goodness of God for all eternity. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 that when the Lord returns, we will be caught up together with him in the clouds, and “And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

And that’s what makes heaven heaven. “Forever with the Lord!”

And that’s also what makes hell hell. Forever without the Lord.

It’s almost unthinkable. But it’s true. And it’s right. 

And it’s encouraging. Because we know that everything that is wrong will be made right. We know that everything that is broken will be fixed. We know that every punishment that is due will be meted out. Perfectly. Absolutely. Entirely. Beautifully.

Paul was telling this to the Thessalonians to encourage and comfort them.

Their tormenters will be tormented, appropriately. Their persecutors will feel the heat. “God is just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled.” You can count on it!

Not yet. Not quite yet. We have to wait. The Thessalonians had to wait. We have to wait. We’re learning a lot about waiting this year as a church, aren’t we? We have to wait for perfect justice to come.

We can work towards justice now. We can advocate for it. We can try to practice it. We can “act justly” as far as we can determine (Micah 6:8).

But we have to wait for God’s perfect justice to come when Jesus Christ is revealed. But what a day that will be! Look at how Paul describes it in verse 10.

 [They will be punished with everlasting destruction...] “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.”

What a day that will be! Jesus will be gloried in us. Because we will be transformed to be like Him! And He will be marveled at by us! We will worship and adore Him and praise Him for His justice.

Right now, I struggle with understand His justice. I struggle with the idea of Hell. But one day I won’t. One day, I’ll see the perfect justice of it when I see King Jesus judging justly. I’ll just marvel. And I’ll be eternally encouraged that God’s judgment is right.

And so will you, if you know Him and obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (v.8). 

And that’s true even if you’ve been persecuting the church! Think about that. The Apostle Paul was once a verse 6 trouble-maker. He persecuted the church of God. He was breathing out murderous threats against followers of Jesus. Hounding them and pounding them.

What did he deserve? He deserved payback. But Paul repented of His sins and put His faith and trust in Jesus and what He did at the Cross and the Empty Tomb. And he was forgiven and brought into the Kingdom of God. Paul didn’t “get away” with anything. He was forgiven by Jesus who paid for His sins in His body on the Tree.

If you ever wonder if God’s judgment is wrong, then just look at Jesus on the Cross. Because every sin will be righteously judged. Either at the Cross or in Hell. Jesus was going through our Hell for us. To give us His heaven.

If you have never turned from your sins and put your trust in Jesus, I urge you to right now. Because you are headed towards Hell.  You are barreling towards judgment. Eternal punishment, shut out from the presence of the Lord and the majesy of his power. But you don’t have to be shut out. You are invited to come in.

The Thessalonians believed the gospel. V.10 “This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” We are all invited to believe and be included today. And that’s what we want to tell people this Saturday. It’s the Good News Cruise. 

The good news that God’s judgment is right.

***

Messages in this Series:

1 Thessalonians

01. "To the Church of the Thessalonians" - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
02. "We Loved You So Much" - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
03. "You Are Our Glory and Joy" - 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
04. "Do This More and More" - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
05. "Encourage Each Other With These Words" - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
06. “We Belong to the Day” - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
07. "To Each Other and To Everyone Else" - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15
08. "This Is God's Will For You" - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28

2 Thessalonians

09. "In Every Good Deed and Word" - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Bonus Historical Message:

"Forever: Hell" - 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, October 30, 2005

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“In Every Good Deed and Word” [Matt's Messages]

“In Every Good Deed and Word”

Eternal Encouragement - 1&2 Thessalonians

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

August 3, 2025 :: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17  

Today, after a few weeks off, we are returning to our sermon series on First and Second Thessalonians. A few weeks ago, we finished Paul’s first letter to the church of the Thessalonians, and now we’re jumping into his second.

And, strangely enough, we’re going to start in the middle. Chapter 2, verses 16 and 17, which is a prayer nestled in the middle of Paul’s letter to that beloved baby church that he helped to start and cared so deeply about.

You may remember that it’s from these two verses that we get our title for this entire series, “Eternal Encouragement.” That’s in verse 16.

Your version may say, “eternal comfort” which is a good translation. You may remember that encouragement comes in two basic flavors. There is exhortation like, “I encourage you to get your feet off of the coffee table, mister” and there is consolation like, “I am so encouraged to know that the Lord is at work in our church by hearing all of these things that God has been doing in our Kentucky Team.”  Exhortation and consolation are both kinds of encouragement.

If anything, I think this one is more comfort and consolation because in this context, Paul has been trying to encourage the Thessalonians since they are being persecuted for their faith. We’ll get into that more next week, Lord-willing, when we open up chapter one, but this church was hurting, and so Paul was reminding them once again about the return of Jesus Christ and the salvation that He will one day bring. He’s going to fix everything!

And that is the source of our “eternal encouragement.”

Eternal encouragement. Eternal! Forever! Unending. Inexhaustible. Unstoppable. 

Encouragement. Comfort. Consolation. Forever. 

Eternal encouragement. Doesn’t that sound good?!

Do you need some encouragement these days?

I don’t know about you, but I need encouragement these days. And not just a flaky encouragement that is based on something transitory and fleeting, but solid encouragement on something that doesn’t run out. Eternal encouragement.

And Paul knew that the persecuted Thessalonians needed that, as well, and so in the middle of his letter he pulls up and prays it for them.

And maybe the most encouraging thing that he says in is prayer is that they already have eternal encouragement!

Did you catch that? Paul prays to, “[O]ur Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us [past tense] and by his grace gave us [past tense, already] eternal encouragement and good hope...”

I have just two points this morning to summarize these two verses, and I hope they are both a great encouragement to us all. The first one is simply:

#1. THE LORD HAS GIVEN US GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT!

Paul begins his middle-letter benediction by reminding the Thessalonians what God has already done.

He invokes two of the Persons of the Triune God, “Our Lord Jesus Christ himself[!]” He names Jesus first, and then He names His Father which he points out is (by adoption) “our Father.” He just as well could have the named the Spirit here because anything the Son and the Father are doing includes the Spirit, as well. But he names the Son and the Father and then reminds us what this Triune God has done.

He has loved us. Church, He has loved us! Isn’t that encouraging?! 

How encouraging that must have been for the church of the Thessalonians to hear. Remember, they were being persecuted. It didn’t always feel like the Lord was loving them. But Paul says, “He loved us.” And he includes himself in there. Not just “He loved YOU,” but “He loved us.”

How? By choosing us. By sending His Son for us. By giving His Son for us. What that Table right there stands for.  “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).

That’s eternal encouragement! That never ends. The love of God!

And it’s a gift. It’s (v.16) “by his grace.” We don’t earn it. We can’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. We never could deserve it. We deserve the opposite of it.

Some people go out on missions trips to try to earn God’s favor. “If we just work hard enough and help enough people, then maybe God will save us.”

No, no, no, no, no! That’s not how it works. If that’s how it works, we are doomed. No, Paul says that the Lord loved us and "by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope.”

Remember, “hope” in this context is a good future guaranteed. Hope is faith directed into the future which is a sure thing because of God’s grace.

Last week on our trip, Pennie did one of the devotions for the group, and she shared her testimony of being encouraged by Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jer. 29:11). And just like God’s plan for the exiled Israelites was for their good future, God’s plan for us Christians is a good hope and a good future for all eternity because of God’s grace!

The Lord has given us great encouragement! That’s verse 16. And because of that, Paul is bold to pray that the Lord would give us even more. And that’s verse 17. "May the Lord who gave us eternal encouragement (v.17), encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

#2. MAY THE LORD GIVE US GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT!

Isn’t that interesting that in verse 16, Paul says God has done it, and then in verse 17 he prays that God would do it? Same basic root word, parakaleo, to encourage or comfort.

God has encouraged, may He encourage. If God is handing out eternal encouragement, I think we can turn to Him for daily encouragement, too. Amen?

May the Lord “encourage your hearts.”

May the Lord “encourage your hearts.”

May the Lord “encourage your hearts.”

How encouraging that must have been for the Thessalonians to read Paul praying that for them!

What a great thing for us to pray for each other! Yesterday, as I was preparing this message, I committed to praying these words for our church family every day for the rest of the year. And I’m going to begin praying these words for people all the time. I’m glad it’s our new memory verse for the next couple of months. Let’s pray these words for each other. Let’s put them in encouragement cards to each other.

May the Lord “encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” So that encouragement to our hearts is meant to give us inner strength to do whatever the Lord has called us to do.

The word for “strengthen” could also be translated “establish.” It means to give the inner stabilization that we need to do whatever the Lord is calling us to do. Paul prays that the Lord would “strengthen [us] in every good deed and word.”

Some of your versions says, “every work and word.”

Everything we do.

Everything we say.

That’s about everything, isn’t it?

Paul prays for grace to give the Thessalonians fortification to keep on keeping on even in the face of oppression and persecution. They were going to be tempted to give up. Some of them apparently already had (see 2 Thess. 3:10-13). But Paul prayed that deep down they would encouraged and beefed up to do and say whatever the Lord would have them do and say.

“Every good deed and word.” Every!

That means all the good deeds that we did back in Kentucky. And that means all the good deeds we are called to do right here in Pennsylvania. That includes the good deeds that need done for the Good News Cruise. That includes all the good deeds that need done at the Lanse Free Fridge.

And that includes the good deeds that need done at our homes and our jobs and in our neighborhoods.

I pray that God would strengthen you to get up and go to work tomorrow.

I pray that God would strengthen you to make dinner for your family.

I pray that God would strengthen you to give somebody a ride.

I pray that God would strengthen you to send somebody an encouragement card.

“Every good deed.”

And every good “word.”

Because some of our best deeds are things we say. Encouraging things. Gospel things. We need to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who haven’t heard it yet. So that they have eternal encouragement and good hope, as well.

What good deeds and good words are you being called to do and say?

Does anybody remember what our theme as a church is for 2025? 

It’s “Serving the King.” In 2025, as a church, we are focusing on stepping up and kneeling down to serve the King of Kingdoms.

A group of us did that in special ways in the “hollers” of eastern Kentucky. Maybe you’re supposed to go on a Crisis Response Trip yourself. Or maybe you’re supposed to sign up to park cars at the Good News Cruise. Or to walk around talking to people at the cruise-in. Getting outside your comfort zone.

How are you supposed to step up and kneel down to serve the King of Kingdoms?

The Lord has given us great encouragement–for eternity.

May the Lord give us great encouragement–for today that empowers our words and works for Him. 

***

Messages in this Series:

1 Thessalonians

01. "To the Church of the Thessalonians" - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
02. "We Loved You So Much" - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
03. "You Are Our Glory and Joy" - 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
04. "Do This More and More" - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
05. "Encourage Each Other With These Words" - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
06. “We Belong to the Day” - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
07. "To Each Other and To Everyone Else" - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15
08. "This Is God's Will For You" - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28

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"The Far Bank" by Zeke Pipher

The Far Bank: 40 Devotions for Anglers by Zeke Pipher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zeke Pipher knows about deep waters. In The Far Bank, Zeke has penned forty searching meditations on holy Scripture through the eyes and heart of a true fisherman. I’ve never been an angler myself (fishing always sounded more like work than rest), but my friend Zeke almost makes me want to tie a fly and wade into a river with his mesmerizing descriptions and meaningful tales.

The Far Bank is far from shallow. Zeke draws from some of the richest sources in Christian theology and plumbs some spiritual depths. I was personally encouraged by every insightful essay. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, and my honest opinion is that Zeke is a man of understanding who is always worth reading (see Proverbs 20:5).

View all my reviews

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