Lesson Recap
2nd Thessalonians 3: 1-18
God's In Charge
You Can Keep At It
When you go to a restaurant (a sit down and expect to pay a little cash for good food and service type place) you are taken care of by a person we call a waitress/waiter. Another title for this person is a "server". In computer lingo there is a component referred to as a server. What do we expect of a server, person or mechanical?
We start with a story of two farmers. One got up every day when he felt like it. He had no master plan for his operation. Some days he felt like planting seeds, and others he was in the mood to plow up some new ground. He thought of keeping the weeds in check, but it was a task beneath him so he did nothing. He like farming, but he would admit he did not like every aspect of it. And what he did not like or found to be too difficult he refrained from doing.
Farmer number two lived next to the first. They were about the same age, and lived on about the same acreage. Number Two got up about the same time every day with knowledge of what he needed to accomplish according to the master plan. What do you think was the difference between the two farms?
But there is more! The two men did not own the farms-they worked for the owner. The goal for this lesson is to motivate us to faithfully serve the Lord on a daily basis.
Pray For Missionaries 1-2
Paul's request for prayer shows how much he has counted on the prayers of God's people. It also demonstrates the close bond he felt with the believers in Thessalonica. Why do you pray on a regular (daily) basis? Paul asked them to pray that the Lord's message would rapidly spread because he thought Jesus would return very soon-before he died. Do you feel Paul's request is still valid and why? Secondly, Paul asked them to pray for their safety. Remember that Paul was run out of town (Acts 17:1-10a), and was no stranger to harsh treatment (Acts 18:12-13, Hebrews 13:23). Missionaries have always and continue to face danger in sharing the good news. What suggestions do you have as to how we can remember to pray for our missionaries effectiveness and safety?
Persist In Faithfulness 3-5
Paul's phrase in v3-but the Lord is faithful at first sound interesting. He is faithful to do what, for whom, under what circumstances, etc. Paul is comparing God as the faithful one to those not having faith referred to in v2. Paul goes on to use tow other words, strengthen and protect/guard. Strengthen implies inner stability while guard or protect refers to an outer protection. "Despite Satan's severest onslaughts, God is so committed to those who have entrusted themselves to Him that nothing and nobody can prevail against them. Even though believers experience difficulty or even death because of Christ, evil has not triumphed. The plan of God has and will continue to succeed". What does v3 communicate to you? V 4 The Christian life always involves two forces. On one hand is the Lord's power. On the other hand is the believers willing obedience. V 5 Earlier Paul requested prayer from them. Here Paul offered a two part prayer on their behalf. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love=May you allow God to focus your hearts on His Love for you. (into) Christ's perseverance/ endurance = We can interpret this phrase two ways. Paul wants them to receive the endurance that comes from Jesus' power. Paul wants to give them the same type of perseverance/ endurance that Jesus had that saw him through the agony of the cross. As we interpret this we must remember the Thessalonians were experiencing persecution because of their faith. Earlier it was mentioned that "The Christian life always involves two forces On one hand is the Lord's power, On the other hand is the believers willing obedience. How do you see this played out as we strive to be faithful servents?
Pursue Responsible Behavior 6-12
In the introduction to 2 Thes., it was mentioned that Paul was going to address a misapplication concerning the return of Jesus. Because he believed the event would happen during his lifetime-those in Thessalonica also believed. As a result some were ready to go at a moments notice. In these verses we see they had to cut their ties with society and were idly waiting to go. This created a problem, as they were not providing for their material needs, and this had a negative impact on their families and the church. He gave them simple instructions...no work, no eat. How do you feel this is to be interpreted today? Paul showed that working for a living is God honoring because we serve the Lord with responsible living.
Persevere In Doing Good 13-18
Paul saw that the believers who worked hard to provide for themselves and their families, and that families likely despaired when they saw those not working well, sponging off others, as motivation to urge the faithful not to grow weary doing good. Believers could feel the same way today by observing the success and prosperity of the wicked. What might you say to a fellow believer in such a time? Paul says we should not cast off a disobedient, straying believer as though he were an enemy of God. Instead, we should warn and exhort him as a brother in Christ, remembering that we, too, are vulnerable to Satan's temptations.
Conclusion: What are some safeguards we can put into place to help us serve the Lord faithfully?
Snacks
- 7/31 Decker
- 8/7 Bradshaw
- 8/14 Massey
Prayer Requests
- Linda Conrad's sister
- Pray for the youth as Jeremy prepares to depart Concord and that we find the right replacement in God's timing.
- Pray for Chris Rachocki as he leads the youth in the interim.
- Pray for Sarah and Jeremy as God leads them to start a new church and all the details involved in getting it started.
- Pray for Susan's Mom who has been admitted into the hospital with another cyst in her abdomen. Surgery might be as soon as today.
- Pray for Kevin that he gets his voice and swallowing issues figured out with his neurologists help.
