Our Sermons

Bible Passage: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  November 13, 2022

The city of Thessalonica is booming. Right in the heart of the Roman Empire, the population has swelled to well over 200,000. The Egnatian Way, the main road that connects Rome to the Eastern part of her empire, serves as Main Street. The road is packed with travelers and merchants and military personnel. To the south you see the port, filled with ships. What a picture it is: overland carts and travelers streaming through the city gates, cargo-filled boats sailing in and out of the busy harbor, streets lined with native Macedonians, Roman dignitaries, Greek and Jewish merchants, and all of the excitement and temptations that come with a big city.

It was to this booming metropolis that Paul and Silas and Timothy had come with the good news of the Gospel. Three weeks in a row he preached in the synagogue. The Gospel showed its power and converted a great number of people in that short time. But not everyone was moved. There was strong opposition from the Jews. There was jealousy, not just of Paul and Silas’ popularity, but of the message they were proclaiming. The persecution of those who believed the Gospel was especially fierce here in Thessalonica. Paul and Silas and Timothy were forced to leave under the cover of darkness. But that fledgling church flourished. The believers would not be bullied. They were not only remaining faithful to the Gospel, but they continued to share the Gospel right in the face of persecution. The initial report that came back to Paul was great!

But now, months have passed and the persecution has not let up. The strain was beginning to show, and so Paul is compelled to write this second letter to the Thessalonians we have before us this morning. He writes to encourage those believers. He rejoices in their perseverance under persecution. He assures them, that despite the outward appearances: God’s Justice Will Be Served.

Paul writes, “This is evidence of God’s righteous verdict that resulted in your being counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also suffer. Certainly, it is right for God to repay trouble to those who trouble you, and to give relief to you, who are troubled along with us. When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his powerful angels, he will exercise vengeance in flaming fire on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Such people will receive a just penalty: eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from his glorious strength, on that day when he comes to be glorified among his saints, and to be marveled at among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”

Persecution is par for the course. The gospel message is a message that is at odds with the message of the world. And so, when someone is confronted with the gospel, they are going to react one of two ways: They can believe it or they can reject it. And when people reject the gospel, they remain in their natural state, enemies of God. And enemies of God are going to naturally be opposed to him and his followers, sometimes aggressively. Paul knew this personally. All of the apostles had dealt with this. This was not a surprise. Jesus told them this would happen. What did we hear in our Gospel for today? “You will be hated by all people for my name’s sake.”

This is still true today! The message of the world still directly conflicts with the gospel. People are still persecuted for their faith. And it’s not just in some far off country. It happens right here. Just a couple of weeks ago, right here in Madison, a man was reading from his Bible over a loudspeaker. People attacked him. They tore the Bible out of his hands, they ripped it apart, and some of them even ate some of the pages. Extensive graffiti was painted at Memorial Union and Alumni Park, all in direct reaction to what the Bible teaches. Yes, people are still being persecuted for their faith. And it shouldn’t surprise us. In fact, we should be surprised when we aren’t persecuted. But even in the midst of persecution, we can rejoice! We can rejoice because persecution is evidence of our faith. Our persecution is not a punishment; but rather it demonstrates that we are standing up for the Gospel.

My dear Christian friends, take heart because God’s Justice Will Be Served. Just as for the Thessalonians, our perseverance under the face of persecution doesn’t need to last forever.  On the Last Day, the persecutors will be repaid for the trouble they caused God’s believers. When Jesus returns, the enemies of God will see a very different picture of Jesus than we will. They will see Jesus returning, dressed in blazing fire, coming to judge. Everyone will be judged, not on the basis of what they deserve, but rather on the basis of what they’ve been given. All people have been given a natural knowledge of God. Those who claim they didn’t know God have no leg to stand on. Paul says in Romans 1, “This happens because what can be known about God is evident among them, because God made it evident among them. In fact, his invisible characteristics—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, because they are understood from the things he made. As a result, people are without excuse, because, even though they knew God, they did not honor him or give him thanks as God.”  At the same time, those who have heard the Gospel, who did very well know about God will be judged on the basis of it. They rejected it. And so at the Last Judgment, God is going to give them what they want for eternity. “Such people will receive a just penalty: eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from his glorious strength.” They will receive, to their horror, the eternal destruction they spent their lives pursuing. They will endure the pain of the fires of hell forever. There is no end to this pain. But even more terrifying, they will be away from the presence of the Lord and from his glorious strength. There is no longer any hope.

My friends, this is the starkest reality of life. This is serious business. God has kept every promise he’s ever made. This is what awaits the enemies of God, those who have rejected his Gospel. It will happen. God’s Justice Will Be Served.

At the same time, God’s Justice is two-fold. God’s children, his believers don’t escape the judgment. All people will be judged. But our view of judgment is vastly different than those who are God’s enemies. Remember, all people are judged not on the basis of what they deserve, but on the basis of what they’ve been given. We’ve been given the gift of faith. We’ve been given the righteousness that Jesus earned. Therefore we will receive, “God’s righteous verdict that resulted in your being counted worthy of God’s kingdom.” What a relief to know the Good News! What a relief to know that the end of persecution is coming! What a relief to know that we also will get what we want in eternity. We will have an eternity to glorify and marvel at the Savior we love. We will experience the greatest relief of being free from sin, free from pain, free from sadness. We will only know joy and peace and love forever! We won’t see the fires of punishment, but rather the glory of God. And while it would be awesome to have more details, we don’t need them. All we need to know is that we, like the Thessalonians, are included among those, “among his saints…among all those who have believed.”

And it’s that promise of righteous judgment that provides comfort. It’s that promise of righteous judgment that provides strength to persevere. Even when we are faced with persecution, we know that God is in control. As our world seemingly spirals out of control and all of the things that Jesus promised in our Gospel are playing out right before our eyes, we find our comfort in what God has promised. “This is evidence of God’s righteous verdict that resulted in your being counted worthy of God’s kingdom.”  God’s Justice Will Be Served! Rather than become lazy or complacent, may this truth motivate us to keep fighting the good fight of faith. May we be even bolder in defending the Gospel. May we be even more determined to share our faith, to share the Gospel promises, even with our persecutors. There still is time! They still can repent! But the kingdom of heaven is near when God’s Justice Will Be Served. Amen.