A Solid Foundation 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17; 3:1-5 Pastor Nate Ingvoldstad

In his previous letter Paul taught the Thessalonians they would be rescued from the day of the Lord (Tribulation) by being gathered to Jesus before the beginning of the day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Since receiving that first letter, someone, somehow had begun to spread the lie that the day of the Lord had come and therefore, by implication, the Thessalonians would suffer the wrath of the day of the Lord.

2 Thessalonians was written soon after 1 Thessalonians; perhaps within a few months in the summer of 51 A.D. Before writing 2 Thessalonians, Paul received news that both encouraged him and concerned him. He was encouraged to hear the Thessalonians were growing in faith and love in spite of persecution. But he was concerned to learn false teachers were troubling the church family. This prompted Paul to write this letter.

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Paul closes this letter in the same manner as he does his other letters – with instructions how to live out the Christian life as a church family.

The day of the Lord is an idiom used to emphasize the swift and decisive nature of the Lord’s victory over His enemies on any given occasion.  The day of the Lord to which the Apostle Paul refers in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 is the Great Tribulation, the time period Jesus described in Matthew 24:21-22a.

To choose to walk in sexual purity is a profound step of faith. It is God’s will that we walk in sexual purity and it pleases Him when we walk in sexual purity. Through the Holy Spirit Whom He has given us, He empowers us to walk in sexual purity; the Holy Spirit producing in us His fruit which includes patience, faithfulness and self-control.

In the time Paul had with the Thessalonian believers it appears he taught quite a bit on end times. He certainly taught that Jesus was coming again and very possibly in their lifetime. When Timothy returned from Thessalonica, he came with questions from the Thessalonian believers.It appears that a few believers in the Thessalonian church family had died.

Paul's enemies in Thessalonica were slandering Paul saying 1) the Thessalonians’ conversion was not real, therefore Paul’s message was not from God. 2) Paul was a charlatan peddling his message for money and fame, and 3) Paul had abandoned them because he didn’t care about them. Realizing these accusations had teeth, Paul felt compelled to defend himself in order to defend the truth of the Gospel. Beginning in 2:17, Paul defends himself against the third and probably most damaging accusation that he had abandoned them because he didn’t care about them.

In our study today, we will see Paul answered numerous vicious accusations by reminding the believers of both his character and theirs. And we will be reminded that - Our character either supports or undermines the gospel message.

For the Apostle Paul, there were many concerns on his heart and mind as he waited to hear the report card that Timothy was bringing him from the young church in Thessalonica. Paul had been run out of town by those who opposed the gospel and he was anxious to hear if the opposition had been successful with the fledgling believers, or if they had overcome the persecution and were remaining faithful.

The book of Acts records for us how the Good News of Jesus the Messiah spread from city to city across the world. In our study today, we will begin a series on the letters to the church in Thessalonica, but before we dive head first into 1 Thessalonians, it is important for us to look at the background and context of these incredible letters.

WHEN GOD FORGIVES A BELIEVER: He releases the believer from having to personally bear the punishment for his sins on the basis that JESUS has already suffered the punishment for all his sins. He accepts the substitutionary death (the blood sacrifice) of JESUS as the full and sufficient payment for the entirety of the believer’s sin debt.

FORGIVENESS is only possible because GOD punishes all violations of His Law. WHEN GOD FORGIVES A BELIEVER: He releases the believer from having to personally bear the punishment for his sins on the basis that JESUS has already suffered the punishment for his sins.

In this world we need more, not less, forgiveness. But seeking and granting forgiveness are not well understood and poorly practiced. One Christian counselor teaches that apologizing is the world’s substitute for forgiving. He points out that there is not a single reference in the Bible to apologizing. It is an unbiblical concept. It allows the wrongdoer to tell you how he feels ("I’m sorry") without acknowledging his sin and it does not ask the one sinned against to grant forgiveness.

What cancer is to the body; bitterness is to the soul. It eats us up from the inside out. Like a root, bitterness puts off poison fruit like slander, lying, malice, hatred, anxiety, and division.

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The rebuilding of the Temple was not a cure all, however, and the nation of Israel needed to be rebuilt, for they had a serious lack of spiritual maturity and leadership. Into this void of leadership stepped Ezra. He was the Godly leader who YAHWEH would use to bring His people out of idolatry and back into obedience.

Two weeks ago, we discovered the name “Israel” means “he struggles with God”. The Jews have a long history of struggling with Yahweh. But a day is coming when the name “Israel” will no longer fit. A day is coming when Yahweh will give His people a new nature and a new name.

In Isaiah 44 & 45, Yahweh, speaking through Isaiah in 700 B.C., revealed in detail how He will accomplish His people’s return to Israel and how He will accomplish the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple.