There's an interesting verse in the book of Ecclesiastes that comes back to my mind from time to time. It's a verse that I've been thinking about a lot lately, but before I share it with you, I want to first share where my mind has been drifting in recent days.
Several months ago, I came across a home video that was posted on YouTube. It wasn't a video of my family or friends. It was a video that was filmed decades ago when I was a teenager. The video was taken where I grew up, and it followed a group of people my same exact age going to our mall, shopping at local stores, passing by our ice cream place, cruising around town in their junky car, and having an absolute blast.
I don't personally know a single person in the video, but I feel like I do. I have watched it several times, and every time I do, it makes me more nostalgic. I miss those sights and sounds. I miss certain aspects of that season of life. And in our current societal state, I miss what it was like to live like that.
Then we come to the verse I just mentioned in Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes 7:10 (NLT), we're told, "Don’t long for 'the good old days.' This is not wise." Why do you suppose Scripture tells us not to long for those days? I suppose there are several reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is illustrated in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 where we're shown that our greatest hope isn't in the here and now. Our greatest hope is in Jesus, and His word reveals what He has in store.
I. God has promised you a good life, not an easy one
“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— ”
One of the benefits you and I enjoy as Christians living during this era of history is the example of those who have come before us. Many of us enjoyed the blessing of growing up in a Christian family that modeled what faith in Christ looked like. And even if you didn't grow up in that context, there are many generations of Christians who have lived the life of faith over the past two thousand years that you can look to for examples, ideas, and inspiration.
For the church at Thessalonica, however, that wasn't a luxury they enjoyed. They were the first generation of Christians in their families. They were the first generation of Christians in their city. And being that they were misunderstood and oppressed, they suffered greatly at the hands of those who hated Jesus, despised them, and resented the claims of the gospel.
But one of the things the Thessalonians had straight in their minds, that we should also strive to understand, is the fact that God has promised us a good life, not an easy one. Paul illustrates this when he speaks of their suffering, but also the blessings they enjoyed in being part of the eternal kingdom of God.
The fact that this recently converted group of believers was willing to endure this without abdicating their faith, showed that God's judgment was just. Through their suffering and trials, their identity as God's children was being confirmed. In Christ, they had been made "worthy" of this divine designation, and the lives they were living confirmed that the internal change Jesus made within them was effective and real.
This is something we should take note of. I recognize that in many respects, we all hope to experience an easy life. I'm sure we all probably daydream at times of easier seasons, particularly when we're being tested. But again, God promises us a good life, not an easy one. Through Jesus, we have a good life. When the sun is shining it's good. When the sky is cloudy, it's still good. And even on our best days, God's word has confirmed that the future He has in store for us is better than the best days we've experienced at present.
II. The day is coming when God's justice will be undeniable
“since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. ”
Jesus is coming back, and He will restore all things when He does. I still remember first learning about the fact that Jesus had promised to return. As a young person, I wasn't sure if that was something I should be looking forward to or afraid of. I often wondered what He would find me doing when He returned. Would I be on the right path, or would I try to hide my face in shame because of embarrassment.
In this passage, Paul shared several very specific pieces of information regarding future events that will surround the return of Jesus. He started off by explaining to the Thessalonians that in that day, the Lord was going to repay those who were afflicting them. Truth be told, I don't wish for vengeance on those who oppress God's people. I pray for their repentance. But I think part of why this information was shared with the Thessalonians was so they understood that they didn't need to retaliate against those who hurt them. That was a matter that could be entrusted to the Lord to handle in the fairest way possible.
Paul shared that the day was coming when all who trust in Jesus will be granted relief. This will include relief from our struggles, relief from our trials, relief from our pain, and relief from any form of oppression. We will live in His presence for all eternity, and no harm will be inflicted upon us ever again.
But those who persist in their rejection of Christ, can expect the exact opposite. Jesus came the first time in meekness. He most often veiled His power, and He has given humanity thousands of years to repent of their unbelief. But those who never come to the place of trusting Him completely and surrendering their lives over to Him, will experience His wrath when He returns. This Scripture makes it very clear that they will suffer eternal punishment and spend their eternity separated from the joys of the Lord's glory.
When I preach on passages like this, I often wonder what goes through people's minds. I wonder if it freaks them out a little. I'm actually convinced that it's good if that's what it does because every word of this passage is going to be fulfilled sooner than we probably realize.
But also consider the gracious and merciful nature of our Lord. Why would He tell us these things ahead of time and then give us so much time to ponder these words? He's showing us a high level of patience. I believe He's sharing these warnings ahead of time, because He doesn't want us to experience eternal separation from Him. He is graciously warning us and giving us time to wake up to our need for Jesus Christ.
"The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." (2 Peter 3:9, NLT)
The day is coming when God's justice will be undeniable. On that day, where will you stand? Will you come before His throne as one who has given your complete trust to Jesus Christ to save you, or will you be counted among the many who never really had a relationship with Jesus at all?
III. Don't resent your refinement
“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The past two years, my sons and I have agreed to a small task that takes a little commitment to accomplish. We have decided to do 100 push-ups every single day, without exception, in the month of June. We are gracious in that we allow them to be done in segments, but as we noticed last year, and we're noticing again this year, those push-ups get much easier to do as the month goes on. Our bodies are being gradually refined, and that process is making us stronger.
That's a microcosm of what the Lord is actually accomplishing in the lives of all fully committed believers at present. He's refining us. He's strengthening us. He's using our experiences to teach us things. He's speaking to us through His Spirit and His word. He's directly blessing us with His power through His indwelling presence.
Paul understood this, and he wanted to make sure the Thessalonians knew he was praying to the Lord to accomplish this level of refinement in their lives. He prayed for them with great regularity that they would grow in holiness and maturity. He prayed that the good works the Lord was doing in their lives would be brought to fruition so that the name of Jesus Christ would be glorified among them. He prayed that the Lord would bless them with the demonstration of His great grace.
In this season of your life, and in every season, the Lord is trying to teach you something. He wants you to know Him better, and He wants your confidence in what He's in the process of accomplishing to grow. How do you typically respond to the lessons He's sharing with you?
Elena Bonner, wife of Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, says that as he wrote his memoirs she typed, edited, and nursed the work, doing everything she could to make sure it survived seizure by the government. Sakharov worked on his memoirs in Gorky, rewriting sections because they kept vanishing. Then one day he met Elena at the train station and with trembling lips told her, “They stole it.”
She says he looked like a man who had just learned of the death of a close friend. But after a few days, Sakharov returned to his work. According to his wife, each time he rewrote his memoirs there was something new—something better. -Today in the Word, Moody Bible Institute, January, 1991, p. 34
The story of your life is currently being written. The Lord already knows the outcome, but in the process, He's blessing you with the privilege to experience the kind of refinement only His sovereign hand could truly orchestrate.
Our greatest hope is not in the here and now. Good things are being held in store for all who know Jesus Christ by faith. If we take that truth to heart, I'm certain our approach to every circumstance, season, or challenge will be impacted for the better.
© John Stange, 2020
