Patiently Preserve through Trails and Tribulations

Patiently Preserve through Trails and Tribulations

2 Thessalonians 1-3-4

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. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

Paul, Patiently Preserve through Trails and Tribulations, gave thanks to God for what He was doing in the lives of the Thessalonians believers in growing their faith, it is God who works in us and gives us the desire and power to do what pleases Him.  He acknowledged their growth in the knowledge of God was evident by their love for God’s word and for one another. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. Jesus said: “If you keep my commandment, you will abide in my love just I have kept my father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Paul commended the Thessalonians believer’s faith in God despite the hostility toward the gospel in their environment,he admonished their obedience to God-(i) when they turn from idols to serve the living and true God, (ii)when they abstain from sexual immorality and(iii) for their growth in the knowledge of Christ return. He told them their perseverance in the midst of persecution served as a testimony that encouraged believers to preserve in trails and tribulation, knowing the greater one lives in us ; God of peace will sanctify us spirit, soul and body and preserve us until the day of our Jesus Christ.

Jesus said: In this world, you will have trails and tribulations, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Pause &think

• How does persecution grow your faith?
• What is the purpose of the persecution?
• What were the evidences of the Thessalonians spiritual growth?

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

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. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled. 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 glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled among all those who have believed.

All those who are godly in Christ will suffer persecution. A servant is not greater than his master, or a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Jesus said: Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they keep my word, they will keep yours also.”  However, the Helper, the Spirit of truth who abides in you forever, will guide you in all truth, He will endowed you with power, sanctified you to be my witness, and sanctified you to belief in truth.

Paul admonished the Thessalonians believers to continue to have faith in God and be patient in persecution and tribulation-which are temporary, knowing we serve a God who is righteous and upright in His ways, executing loving kindness, justice and righteousness in the earth- The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord. Paul reminded the Thessalonians church in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ, they were being persecuted because of gospel of truth they preached in a pagan society:

• But even after we had suffered before and were spite fully treated at Philippi. As you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict (1 Thessalonians 2:2)
• For you brethren, became imitators of the churches of God, which are in Judea in Christ Jesus .For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from Judea’s.(1 Thessalonians 2:14)
•  That no one should be shaken by these afflictions for you yourselves know that are appointed to this. For in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened and you know. (1Thessalonians 3:3)

• And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you into eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strength and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10)

• — the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trails and to hold the unrighteous for punishment until the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:9)

• The righteous cry out and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their trouble…. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us again. On Him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us (Psalm 34:17, 2 Corinthians 1:10, Acts 5:19, Acts 12, Acts 16)

Paul,Patiently Preserve through Trails and Tribulations, admonished the beloved brethren in Thessalonian, they were counted worthy of God’s kingdom for which they suffered, and they should commit their soul to God who will conformed them to the obedience of Christ, comfort and strengthen them by the Holy Spirit .God is also able to delivered them from persecution and evil according to His righteousness.

Paul, when persecuted said, I know this will turn out for my deliverance through prayer and the supply of the spirit of Christ.” He prayed: The word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified and that He may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for not all have faith”- And the Lord delivered Paul out of them all.  

“Jesus prayed: Our Father lead us not into temptation but delivered us from evil. Jesus gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil, according to the will of God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul also asked the Lord to delivered him from the torn in his flesh but the Lord said to him” My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. The Lord perfected the things that concerns us as He did with Paul gloriously in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produce perseverance, character to give us hope to look forward to the blessed return of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who God raised from the dead.

• But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:13-18)

• Say to the righteous it will be well with them they shall enjoy the fruit of their deeds. The Lord will comfort your heart and establish you in every good word and work.(Isaiah 31:10, 2 Thessalonian 2:17)
• That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying: He himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17)
• Jesus said: Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble at heart and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

 There are various kind of suffering we may encountered in this world at different times – suffering for righteousness sake, suffering in the name of the Lord, suffering due to the nature of the world, or suffering due to bad decisions, regardless of the type of suffering we encountered, we should not be afraid nor dismayed, the Lord God is with us wherever you go or in whatever we face to accomplish His purpose and plan through sanctification, perfection, provision, healing, deliverance, and rest, in order to grow our faith in Him, develop the character of Christ in us to bring Him glory, honor and praise in all the earth.

Patiently Preserve through Trails and Tribulations, brethren count it all joy when you face various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produce patience, but let patience have it perfect work that you may be complete lacking nothing.  If you lack wisdom and do not know what to do ask God in faith and He will give you wisdom liberally and without reproach. Remember, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We overcome trail, tribulation for whatever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith-

                                    The deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord. 

• Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms – As you put on the garment of praise to lift up the spirit of heaviness. (James 5:13)

• He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live in righteousness, by his wounds you are healed. (Isaiah 53: 4-5 & 1 Peter 2:4)

• But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
• You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.(1 John 4:3)

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ faced persecution – He was accused of blasphemy when he healed on the Sabbath, His character was defamed when accused of casting out demon by the prince of demon, as if Satan can cast out Satan, and at other times He was ridiculed, when He pronounced the dead as “asleep.” In the midst of all these persecutions, Jesus went about preaching the gospel of the kingdom, healing every kind of diseases among the people, healing unclean spirits, raising the dead and providing bread for the hungry in cities and villages. Christ also on the cross show compassion and care for those who persecuted Him and ask our Father, “if it is your will, take this cup away from me, nevertheless not my will but yours be done.” He also asked our “Father to forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus said: You have heard that it was said, “You should love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you.(Matthew 5:43-44)

Jesus said: But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins – then He said to the paralytic, “arise take up your bed and go to your house” (Matthew 9:6)

Jesus: Then took the child by the hand and said to her “Talitha cumi” which is translated ,little girl, I say to you arise.”(Matthew 9:25, Mark 5:41)

It is a just thing for a righteous God to repay tribulation to those who trouble others, He rewards each me according to his work for there is no partiality with God.  When the Lord return with His mighty angels He will punish those who do not believe God’s testimony that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son, He who has the Son has life, and He who does not have the Son does not have life – He who believe in the Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. However, if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness. (1 john 1:19)

Paul encouraged the brethren in Thessalonian, when Christ return there will be an eternal separation between believers and non believer –who will go away to everlasting punishment and be shut from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, while believers will become one with Christ -in a glorified state, the corruptible put on the incorruptible and the mortal will put on the immortal-Christ will save them from the wrath of God.  This is why we implore all men to repent from sin, turn to God and believe :Jesus is the Son of God, who God raised from the dead and He has the words of eternal life. Therefore, brethren let’s pray the Lord of the harvest send laborers- sowers and reapers- into His harvest field. (Matthew 9:38) because It is the will of God that all men should repent and come to the knowledge of truth.

2 Thessalonian 1:11-12

That is why we always pray for you. We ask our God to make you worthy of the life he has called you to live. May he fulfill by his power all your desire for goodness and complete your work of faith. In this way the name of our Lord Jesus will receive glory from you, and you from him, by the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Patiently Preserve through Trails and Tribulations, when he prayed the brethren walked in lowliness and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. As they endeavor to keep the unity of peace, aspire to live a quite life, work with their own hands and walk in wisdom to those who are outside, this would empower them to walk worthy of the Lord and please Him. He encouraged them to partake of the power of Christ resurrection :which justifies us to have life, fellowship in His suffering: learn obedience and grow in faith, and be conformed to His death: die daily to sin .

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh arm yourselves with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his life in the flesh for the lust of men but for the will of God. "For the death He died, He die to sin but the life He lives, He live to God. (Romans 6:11)

Pause & think?

• What is the will of God for all men, particularly the Thessalonian believers?
• In what way did God expect the Thessalonian believers to walk worthy of their calling?
• What should a church be commended for in terms of spiritual growth?
• How can we walk worthy of the father’s calling?
• How can we cultivate growth in faith and true love for one another?

Paul asked our Father to endued the brethren with power of the Holy Spirit to do what pleases Him as they engaged in good works produced by faith as witness of Christ in everyplace. In doing this, they would bring glory to Christ by honoring Him in their words and deeds and Christ will be glorified in them according to the grace of God. “And whatever you do in word or deeds, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”- so that the Father would be glorified in the Son, and the Son glorified in us that we may be one just as the Father and the Son are one.  (John 17:21-23)

So we say:

Thanks be to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue. In Jesus name, Amen.