Thank God For You

2 Thessalonians 1:” 3 bWe are bound to cthank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your cfaith groweth exceedingly, and the ccharity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;[1]

I.   Bound

     A. Forced

     B. Found

II. Because

     A. Faithfulness

     B. Fortitude

III. Beloved

     A. Familiarity

     B. Flourished

Introduction:   We have come through another tumultuous time in this world and we have not gotten through this virus yet.  More and more things are coming and they are coming faster and faster.  In Matthew 24 and Mark 13 the disciples were asking Jesus about the signs that would mark the “Day of the Lord.”  Some refer to this as the great tribulation.  In the KJV Matthew 24:8 and Mark 13:8 show Jesus saying these things would appear as the beginnings of sorrows.

In the original Greek the word here for sorrows is the word used for a woman entering into the period of child birth.  As a woman gets closer to the times to deliver, the pangs get closer and closer together while they grow in intensity.

The message that Jesus delivered at that time surely sounds familiar with what is going on today: someone saying that they are Christ with all the answers to the world’s problems but only serve to deceive those who will be led astray, wars and rumors of wars, nations against nations, kingdom against kingdom, famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in many different places.  These are the beginnings of the time when the new birth of the age is ahead.

We are seeing the numbers of people affected by this new virus growing even as several vaccines are now available and are being administered.  The virus has mutated and those who are telling us what to believe are saying that the new vaccines are still effective against the new strains.  The deep rooted problem that is allowing God’s temple to be destroyed here on this planet is not being heeded.  There is a breakdown of relationship between man and Maker.

Marriage and family have been under attack for quite a while now as babies are being sacrificed on the altar of self-decision.  The sanctuary of spending is allowed yet the true sanctuary of the bride of Christ is being abandoned.  It is easy to see what God values yet those are the things that are being disqualified.

Recently people have been discussing Facebook as the replacement for gathering in church.  Many agree that it is a sad excuse for our gathering together to show our trust in Him.  It caused me thought of what He thinks about church.

In Revelation 2:2 John saw this, “2 And I dJohn saw ethe holy city, fnew Jerusalem, fgcoming down from God out of heaven, prepared has a bride iadorned for her husband.” [2]  Again in verse 9. “9 Come hither, I will shew thee nthe bride, the Lamb’s wife.” [3]  In Revelation 22:17, “17 And the Spirit and qthe bride say, Come.” [4]

These are examples of a marriage in heaven yet in Mark 12:25 Jesus had this to say about marriage in heaven, “25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.[5]

The marriage referred to in Revelation is that of Jesus to His bride which is His church.  Marriage is one of the closest relationships that we have in this life and yet it will not survive when we get to heaven.  The marriage of the bride of Christ which is His church and the Lamb of God who is Jesus will survive.  If church is that important to God in heaven, why is it losing value here now?

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

Prayer: Please be seated

Message:  In this second letter that we have in the Bible from Paul to the church in Philippi Paul starts out with thankfulness to God for their existence.  He said that he and those there with him were bound to thank God.  To be bound could mean one of two things.  Either you are constrained under force or you are headed to your destination.  A person could be bound in handcuffs or a person might be bound for the beach for vacation.

We sing a song here at the end of our communion service which I have heard since I was a child in Baptist churches.  “Bless be the tie that binds” is a hymn that describes at least to me what Paul was speaking of.  We who are family members of Christ’s church are bound or tied to each other with a promise of faith.  It is not to be taken lightly.  Yes we should understand it as a binding agreement between family members to love each other and take care of each other’s needs.  Family comes first as they say.

Of course there are times when families must be separated physically for whatever reason.  Otherwise Paul would not have been sending these folks a letter.  He would have been there with them.  We are together emotionally and spiritually even through many times we cannot be together physically.

Church is important.  It is so important that the devil is doing everything he can to break it.  After Paul was careful to refer to them as “brethren” we find that word “meet.”  Way back in Genesis 2:18 there is this word “meet” again.  “18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; mI will make him an help †meet for him.” [6]

When two parts meet that are designed to be together, they fit together as one part.  Paul said it was “meet” to thank God for the Thessalonians.  It was fitting to give God thanks for them.  Church is a binding relationship between God with man and man with man.

So why was it fitting?  Paul starts the second point with because.  Their faithfulness was growing and it continued to grow more and more.  Exceedingly means that even when you think it can’t get better it does.  It exceeded the expectation with each day that passed.

Follow as we read to the entirety of chapter one.  The church there at that time was going through some pretty hard harassment to say the least.  Everything that could be done to discourage them was being done and yet they persisted in meeting together and loving each other through it all.

Through all that was thrown at them they were learning fortitude.  They could have thrown in the towel and turned over to Facebook to have church I suppose.  They could have thrown a fit and broke into the capitol with signs and sticks.  They could have done a bunch of get even stuff.  Instead they learned fortitude.

Paul said that he and those with him were even amazed of their patience and faith through all the persecutions they endured.  Did they fight back?  Did Paul encourage them to fight back?  Read verse six again.  It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.  Sure it would be easy to take up for what you know in your heart to be right.  Sure it would be an easy thing to stay at home and hear only what someone wants you to hear.  Sure it would be easy to say that the world is changing and we must change with it.  Sure it would be easy but surely there will be no exceeding faithfulness if we surrender to the haters.

Dearly beloved we are gathered here together to unite this couple in holy matrimony.  Are those words familiar?  They should be.  Those are the words that used to start a family.  Beloved used to mean something much more than a word in the marriage vow.  I am being loved by God.

The charity or belovedness for each other should not be something that reaches a point where it reaches a goal and then stops increasing.  Paul praised them that even through it all they did not look to each other to find fault why all that stuff was happening to them.  They looked only at how their love for each other could flourish into the beautiful familiarity that could withstand the onslaughts of the depravity that was all around them.  Trusting in God and each other to build the bouquet that only God can put together is what sets His church apart from all else in this world.  Church is important.  Church will survive.  He loves us and nothing and nobody can stop that.

Prayer:

Invitation:  The labor pains of this emerging world are surely growing stronger each passing day but remember one thing, a new day is dawning.  Jesus will emerge in that Eastern sky one day and when He does all that has happened and all that is happening will shrink into obscurity.

Is this a time to pay attention?  Yes!  Is this a time to fear being together?  I really can’t answer that for anyone else.  I can only tell you this.  There are worse things going on in this world today than what we see.  There are many beautiful and wonderful things that are going on in this world today than what we see.  The really beautiful and wonderful things that are going on are the things that the world has not seen and won’t see.  His name is Jesus.  If you want to hear more about Him then come to church.  Keep your eyes upon Him and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

b ch. 2:13.
c See 1 Thess. 1:2, 3.
c See 1 Thess. 1:2, 3.
c See 1 Thess. 1:2, 3.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Th 1:3). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
d ch. 22:8. See Acts 1:13.
e ch. 22:19. Isai. 52:1. So ver. 19. See ch. 11:2.
f See ch. 3:12.
f See ch. 3:12.
g ver. 10. See Heb. 11:10. Comp. 2 Esdr. 8:52.
h ver. 9. ch. 22:17. See ch. 19:7.
i Isai. 61:10. ver. 19 (Gk.). See Matt. 23:29.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 21:2). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
n See ver. 2.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 21:9). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
q See ch. 21:2. Comp. Cant. 8:13, 14.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 22:17). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mk 12:25). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
m 1 Cor. 11:9. Comp. Ecclus. 17:5. & 36:24.
† Heb. as before him.
[6] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 2:18). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.