In Conclusion, Pray

2 Thessalonians 3:”1 aFinally, brethren, bpray for us, that the word of the Lord †cmay have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:” [1]

I.   Unhindered

     A. Way

     B. Word

II. Unyielding

     A. Worshipped

     B. Worthy

III. Uncovered

     A. Welcome

     B. Wonderful

Introduction:   The world is going through birth pangs as we discussed.  Though God does not change, the only constant in this world since God conceived it is turmoil.  Throughout the Bible the theme of seeking His kingdom and His righteousness is reinforced because our purpose for being has not changed.

In the beginning God walked the earth in the Garden of Eden and there was a conversation between mankind and The Father God who created all that there is.  We had His word then.  Through our own decision we lost touch with His word.  Later we had His Word in the person of Jesus Christ when He descended to rip open the veil that shrouded the relationship and prevented us from having an open conversation with God.

Finally before Jesus ascended back into heaven the disciples made one of greatest requests to Jesus that has ever been made.  Teach us how to pray.  Before this in the Bible when a conversation began between God and mankind, God was the initiator.  God always was the one to start the conversation and many times the one who heard had to have proof of who God was.  Sometimes God was allusive as He was with Jacob during the wrestling match.

Now we have no blinders with whom we are communicating.  Prayer is that conversation that we can have with God when we choose to communicate.  The only way that this could be possible is Jesus came and died as the Perfect Sacrifice.  Now when we cannot come up with the words to pray The Holy Spirit prays through us the message that is God’s will in us.  Today we will again be reminded of Paul asking for prayer from those that he loved.

We read of Paul’s request near the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians and now in this last chapter of his second letter Paul is requesting prayer again.  To have someone request prayer from a person is an honor.  It means that the person who is requesting understands that the one that they are asking to pray for them has God’s ear.  Otherwise why would anyone ask someone to pray for them if they feel God is ignoring that person?

Finally brethren, pray for us.  Because I do believe that God is listening to you and that the Holy Spirit is speaking through you, pray for us.  Paul had a specific request in his heart and it was not a selfish request.  It included other believers and we must continue this even today.

Scripture:  Today’s scripture is 2 Thessalonians 3:1.  When you have found it please rise to your feet for the reading of God’s written word.

Prayer: Please be seated

Message:  Follow as we read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5.  Paul started this with that word finally as if to say this is the last thing I have to say.  That is an old preacher trick to make you think he’s near the end of his message.  As Russell says, it makes you believe that the preacher is about to land the plane.  In his goodbye from this particular letter he is telling them the main thing to remember from this letter.  We end each of our services here at Merry Oaks the same way.

After all is said and done, at the end of the day, in conclusion to all that you have heard and seen, pray.  When I was a child Momma would have me end each day with a prayer.  Remember?  “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take.  Amen”

I learned that before I walked the aisle to accept Jesus as my Savior.  It must have took…The prayer that Momma taught me was personal and selfish in a way.  It was to say that since I was going to sleep and could not make decisions for myself while I was asleep I was turning myself over to God’s protective hands.  We should most definitely pray that prayer right now without ceasing because we are always in a place where we cannot truly take care of ourselves without God.  So it is not really selfish to understand that you are totally in God’s hands always.

Paul’s letter to Thessalonica was to grownup Christians.  Paul asked them to pray a specific prayer beyond themselves.  Pray for us.  Well that’s good too.  I have many people on my daily prayer list.  I start my day praying for their souls to be kept by God that day and that they are used for the task that God has for them.  In our prayer meetings we have specific prayer requests and I consider those during my prayer times as I pray through my prayer list.  Paul’s request was specific and should be a model for all Christians to consider.

Pray for us that the Word of God may have free course.  Back in his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul put it this way in Romans 10:” 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear swithout a preacher?”  [2]

So here in this letter to those in Thessalonica Paul is asking for prayer for those who go and preach the word so that the word might continue unhindered.  Free course!  What way does God use for the word go forth?  He uses us.  We are His way.  In the early church that is what we were called then and that’s who we still are.  We are the way.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  He left The Holy Spirit to indwell us that we may be the way for His gospel truth to be heard unhindered.

That infuriates many.  They are those who do not have the faith that we have in God.  In verse two Paul understates that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men.  Not might be delivered but may be delivered.  Those evil people Paul spoke of can’t help themselves.  They are revealed by their own words.  They say straight up that people need to be reprogrammed away from the teachings of evangelical Christians.

What we preach is not the teachings of evangelical Christians if it is not His word.  We must be unyielding to those who would rather that we not preach the truth.  If we fabricate our ideas or the opinions of others into the message that we deliver to the world and our ideas are not God’s will, we will be shown unworthy.  Our message will not be glorified because only God is worthy of glory.

The only One worthy of worship is God.  The only message worthy of worship is the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.  Though we print it on our currency, we hear so many things to take our attention away from the truth that we can trust God alone in all things.  We hear so many ideas that seem to be important and good yet are against trusting God.  People are told who is good, who is bad.  To divide people is to conquer people.  As we read the Bible we learn about the deceiver who has deceived people down through the centuries and he takes both sides.  There is no winner with the devil.  There are only losers.  The more we yield to Satan the more we are turned away from God’s truth.  We must be vigilant for and unyielding of God’s central truth that God is love.

There in verse three Paul reiterates that God is love.  We may be in the audience of deception but the Lord is faithful in His establishment of His people.  What is that establishment if not the church?  As long as we stay faithful to Him and each other and are not swayed away from His establishment, we will be kept from evil.  Sanctuary – Safe Place…

We will have free course and our message will be glorified.  Paul said that the message would be glorified and so it is with those who stay true to His Word.  Paul said that those there with him had confidence that God was touching those in Thessalonica.  If we stay faithful to God’s Word, we will feel God’s touch on our hearts and we will no longer be affected by the awfulness of the moment.

That is the uncovered truth right there in verse four.  If we align our will with His and do His will and the things that He commands us, we will feel His welcome wonderful calming touch.  It is called contentment.  How do you feel contentment in the midst of a virus that is being hyped as the new god to be controlled by?  How do you feel content when someone tells you that you or a loved one has that dreaded disease cancer?  How can you feel contentment when those that once trusted coming to church now trust the politicians that would rather that we listen to only their words of fear and defeat?

There it is in verse five…  “5 And the Lord ldirect your hearts into the love of God, and into ||the patient waiting for Christ.” [3]  There it is; the uncovered welcome wonderful truth that finally and through it all, God loves you.  Yes Jesus loves you, yes Jesus loves you, yes Jesus loves me for the Bible tell me so.

Prayer:

Invitation:  We are here today because it is His will that we assemble together as the body of Christ.  At such a time as this let nobody fool you into thinking we must conform to some contrived new normal to make us think more of ourselves than those we were left here to serve.

In Matthew 16:25 we hear this from Jesus, “For owhosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his plife for my sake shall find it.” [4]  When I hear this my thoughts go to the First Responders who run into harm’s way not thinking of their lives but only of saving the lives of others.  That is what Jesus did!

We are in the midst of trial.  The church is being tested and tempted into believing that it is an honorable thing to protect your life over the needs of others.  The tribulation that follows the trial is not only what we know as the Great Tribulation.  Tribulation that follows a failed trial often comes as guilt for not doing that which God led you to and you refused.

Next week we will end our trip through Thessalonica with a last command from Paul to that church.  In that last point to that church Paul indeed spoke of withdrawing oneself from others.  We will hear Paul’s message of when to withdraw and we will also commemorate the last supper that Jesus took with His disciples as they met apart from the world.  It will be a time for self-reflection and rededication to Jesus as His bride the church.

Today in closing, please pray for us.  Yes pray for our physical health that we may carry on as your pastoral team for Merry Oaks Baptist church but more than that, please pray that His message will be clear and true and that it will find the mark that God has placed on the heart of that one He requires to hear and heed His will.  If that is you today, please respond as we sing…

a 1 Thess. 4:1 (Gk.). See Phil. 3:1.
b See 1 Thess. 5:25.
† Gr. may run.
c Comp. Matt. 9:37, 38.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Th 3:1). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
s So Tit. 1:3.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 10:14). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
l 1 Chr. 29:18 (Gk.). So 1 Thess. 3:11.
|| Or, the patience of Christ. So 1 Thess. 1:3.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Th 3:5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
o See ch. 10:39.
p Gk. alike in ver. 25, 26.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 16:25). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.