The Priority & Passion of Prayer

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The Priority & Passion of Prayer

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

October 6, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12

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Introduction:

One of the wonderful and important things about verse-by-verse exposition is that it produces its own balance. When we study the whole counsel of God — when we study the Scriptures in a way that is careful and contextual and comprehensive — it produces a wisdom and a mature knowledge that is well-rounded and properly proportioned.

One of the reasons why people end up holding extreme and unbiblical positions is because they don’t keep the whole counsel of God before their mind’s eye.

There is this tendency to take one doctrine, or one idea from Scripture and magnify it, exaggerate it, beyond what Scripture does.

Or, to ignore or minimize those parts of Scripture that would set those doctrines or ideas into their proper context and give them the proper emphasis.

This is important to consider when we think about the believer’s attitude toward our enemies.

We know that we are commanded to love our enemies.

We know that this love endures insults, it endures injustice, it is generous even where there is no possibility of repayment, and it is always mindful of the grace of God. The desire of love is not the destruction of its enemies but the salvation of its enemies.

But if that was all that we had we might be tempted to think that there is no legitimate way in which we could ever look forward to the return of Christ. We might be tempted to think that there is no legitimate way in which the believer can look forward to the execution of divine justice.

What we are studying here makes it plain that this is not the case.

Believers are not only to be taught to love our enemies; we are also to be taught that one day God will JUDGE OUR ENEMIES.

The return of Christ is going to mean retribution or repayment.

The return of Christ is going to mean judgment for those who don’t believe the gospel and who mistreat His people.

In fact, it is the knowledge that God WILL mete out justice, and that vengeance belongs to God and not to us, that allows us to entrust our life to God and love our enemies in a way that would be impossible without that knowledge.

It is, in fact, a belief in the justice of God allows the believer to love unbelievers in a way otherwise impossible.

Review:

THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S JUDGMENT (VS.5)

MANIFEST ARE TWO KINGDOMS

MANIFEST ARE TWO FAMILIES

THE EQUITY OF GOD’S JUDGMENT (VS.6-7a)

OUR CONFIDENCE IN FUTURE JUDGMENT - IT IS RIGHT IN GOD’S SIGHT

OUR COMFORT IN GOD’S JUDGMENT

RETRIBUTION

REST

Lesson:

THE NATURE OF GOD’S JUDGMENT (VS.7B-10)

WHAT IT WILL BE (VS.7B) – An uncovering, a disclosure, a revelation of Jesus. (at the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ)

ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ μετ᾽ ἀγγέλων δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ (2Th 1:7 GNT) ἐν πυρὶ φλογός (2Th 1:7 GNT)

This doesn’t just tell us WHEN the retribution will be, it tells us WHAT it will be.

It is the revelation of a person who is concealed right now. In fact the prepositions walk us through the picture.

WHEN THE RETRIBUTION WILL COME (VS.7A-B) (It will be experienced in the revealing of Jesus. His revealing will mean equitable judgment.)

Leon Morris – “It is not only that the retribution will take place when Christ is revealed: the retribution is itself part of the revelation.” (1 and 2 Thessalonians, Tyndale, 120)

Right now, Jesus is hidden from the eyes of the unbelieving.

That fact that He really is, and who He really is, they do not see.

Now, of course, we don’t see Him either.

We love the one whom we cannot see. But we see Him with the eyes of faith, and we know Him.

ESV 1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

For us, His coming will be His presence (parousia).

But here the idea is that what men have WILLFULLY not known, what they WILLFULLY refuse to see, they will come face to face with in the unveiling of the Lord Jesus.

Confident Petitions

November 3, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17

Introduction: Prayer is not just the expression of praise; it is also petition. We SEEK the Lord for every kind of help, and we bring our needs to the throne of God — knowing that, in Christ, God’s throne has become for us a throne of gracious help. ESV Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. THAT VERSE REMINDS US THAT THE BELIEVER’S PRAYERS ARE ALSO ABLE TO BE CONFIDENT PRAYERS. Believers must be taught this. Believers must be reminded of this. That when we pray rightly, we can pray knowing that we have the things we are seeking from God. PRAYER IS NOT CHANGING THE MIND OF GOD; IT IS AGREEING WITH THE MIND OF GOD. ESV John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. We have just finished a brief section of great celebration. We saw a contrast worthy of praise. We saw a conversion worthy of praise We saw a conclusion worthy of praise. We saw a conviction fitting for praise (in response to the things for which we give God praise). But now, Paul ends this section with PETITION. SHEPHERD’S DON’T JUST EXHORT TO FAITHFULNESS; THEY PRAY FOR FAITHFULNESS. GOD’S GREAT GIFTS TO US HAVE NOT ENDED OUR NEED FOR GOD. GOD’S GREAT GIFTS TO US GO ON BENEFITING US IN A WAY THAT STILL MEANS OUR DEPENDENCE UPON GOD. Both the confidence of prayer, and the seeking nature of prayer, are on display in these two verses. This morning, we think about confident petitions. I. THE BELIEVER’S HELPER (vs.16a) When we think about confidence in prayer, and dependence (or humility) in prayer, both are explained by the one who hears our prayers and answers them. WE SEEK THE FACE OF GOD. THE GOD WHOM WE HAVE TO COME TO KNOW IN OUR SAVIOR — HIS SON. THE GOD WHO HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO US IN SCRIPTURE. PRAYER ALWAYS BEGINS WITH GOD. Before we ever utter a word. Before we ever voice a request. We begin by acknowledging God Himself. It is the knowledge of God that rightly informs our prayers. It is the knowledge of God that rightly regulates our requests. WE ASK ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL. WE ASK IN THE NAME OF GOD’S SON. WE ASK IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD’S NATURE AND CHARACTER AND REVEALED WILL. BUT WE ARE ALSO ASKING IN A WAY THAT REPRESENTS COMMUNION WITH GOD. We are not simply voicing words. We are not merely vocalizing our thoughts and desires. PRAYER IS NOT SELF-TALK. WE ARE APPROACHING GOD PERSONALLY, WORSHIPFULLY, AND COMMUNICATING WHAT IS ON OUR MINDS. Martyn Lloyd-Jones — “But now prayer means that you and I can go into the presence of God and that we have communion with God. We do not just go on our knees and offer up some pious hopes and fears and aspirations and our own thoughts. No, we are going to have communion with the living God! We are entering into His very presence. The first thing about prayer is that we realize that. Furthermore, as those New Testament prayers that I quoted to you illustrate so plainly, when we pray we do not immediately start with our problem or what we want or need. No; we start by worshiping God and by adoring Him. Take the Lord’s Prayer—how perfectly that puts it: “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” This is adoration! This is worship! This is praise! Watch our Lord, the Son of God, praying, and listen to Him. This is how He prays: “Holy Father” (John 17:11)! This is not “saying a prayer,” not just “offering a prayer.” No, no! “Holy Father”! This is what prayer means.”#_ftn1 #_ftnref1 Martyn Lloyd-Jones, https://ref.ly/logosres/authchrnty?ref=bible.ac2.41-42&off=116037&ctx=se+god+dwelt+there.%0a~but+now+prayer+means in Authentic Christianity, 1st U.S. ed., vol. 1, Studies in the Book of Acts (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2000), 165.

Destined For Glory

October 27, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 2 Thessalonians 2:13–15

Introduction: The grace of God, the mercy of God, the love of God, the unmerited kindness of God, is always best understood — it is most clearly recognized — against the backdrop of God’s holiness, and His just judgment. OUR SINS DESERVE HIS WRATH. The world of lost humanity will meet with His wrath. God could have justly LEFT US in our lost and delusional spiritual state, in which we would have justly belonged to those who meet with His wrath. But instead. He has saved us. We are safe from His wrath. We are destined to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. ALL OF THIS IS REASON FOR PRAISE. ALL OF THIS MAGNIFIES GOD’S GLORIOUS GRACE. Whenever you meet a believer, God must be thanked. God’s grace is not something ABSTRACT. God’s grace is as real as the believer sitting in these seats. GOD’S GRACE IN SALVATION IS SEEN BY THE PEOPLE OF SALVATION. And that is what Paul celebrates in our verses. I. A CONSTRAST WORTHY OF PRAISE (vs.8-13a) He begins verse 13 with a contrast. And the contrast has to do with Paul’s own thoughts about the Thessalonians, in view of what he has just taught them. And by extension, HE IS ALSO TEACHING THEM HOW TO THINK ABOUT THEMSELVES. He had just protected them from the deceptive practices of false teachers who were suggesting that they were living in the day of the Lord. He has made clear that they are not in the day of the Lord, because the apostasy and the man of lawlessness MUST COME FIRST. He has reminded them that God is sovereign over these things. Sovereign over the unveiling of that man — the Spirit of God restrains him. Sovereign over the duration of that man — the appearing of Christ will destroy him. Sovereign over the results of the activity of that man — those who perish are those who will be deceived. And he has made clear that the results will be God’s just judgment upon those who have rejected the truth and taken pleasure in unrighteousness. BUT NOW HE CONTRASTS THEIR SITUATION, THEIR CONDITION, THEIR FUTURE, WITH THE DARK REALITY OF FUTURE JUDGMENT. THEY AREN’T DESTINED FOR JUDGMENT! There are those who belong to the darkness, but the Thessalonian Christians belong to the light. There are those who take pleasure in unrighteousness, but the Thessalonian Christians take pleasure in the truth. There are those who follow antichrist, but the Thessalonian Christians love and follow Jesus. THESE BELIEVERS ARE BELOVED OF THE LORD (vs.13). THESE BELIEVERS BELONG TO THE FAMILY OF GOD — THEY ARE BROTHERS (vs.13). When Paul considers judgment, he knows it is to the glory of God’s sovereign will. When Paul considers the church, he knows it is to the praise of God’s sovereign grace. IT IS FITTING THAT HIS PRAISE FOR THEM GOES TO GOD. HE IS BOUND BY WHAT IS RIGHT TO GIVE THANKS TO GOD ON THEIR BEHALF. HE IS COMPELLED TO GIVE THANKS ALWAYS TO GOD FOR THIS CHURCH. The sinner’s judgment is explained by man’s sin. The Christian’s deliverance is explained by God’s grace. II. A CONVERSION WORTHY OF PRAISE (vs.13b) But how did they come to be in this position? HOW IS IT THAT THEY DO NOT BELONG TO THE WORLD OF HUMANITY ON ITS WAY TO JUDGMENT? HOW WAS IT THAT THEY WERE DELIVERED FROM LIVING UNDER THE DELUSION OF SIN? Their deliverance is explained by God’s work of conversion in their lives. THEY TURNED. THEY WERE CHANGED.

The Sovereign Unveiling of The Man of Lawlessness

October 20, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 2 Thessalonians 2:6–12

Introduction: What Paul and the other apostles taught the infant churches about the antichrist was not new. The Lord Jesus had spoken about these things in the Olivet discourse. And what Jesus spoke about it in the Olivet discourse, was spoken of long ago in the book of Daniel. What Daniel, during the Babylonian captivity, wrote about was still in the future when our Lord spoke of it. ESV Matthew 24:15 "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. What Daniel wrote about, and what our Lord spoke of, was still future as Paul and the other apostles wrote about it. Where did Daniel speak of it? Our Lord talked about the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15) and said that Daniel spoke of it. ESV Daniel 9:27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." Paul describes what any Jew would consider a desecration of the temple in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. It seems clear that Paul has the same man, and the same activity in mind. What was previewed by the actions of Antiochus IV (Epiphanes — god manifest; king of Syria, desecrated the temple in 167 BC, led to the Maccabean Revolt), and described in Daniel 11, finds a GREATER EVIL EXPRESSION in someone GREATER who is coming. ESV Daniel 11:31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. John MacArthur — “Antiochus’ soldiers, no doubt working with apostate Jews, guarded the temple, halting all worship, while others attacked the city on the Sabbath slaughtering men, women, and children. Soldiers desecrated Israel’s temple, banned circumcision and daily sacrifices (1 Macc. 1:44–54), and sacrificed a pig on the altar. The Syrians on Chislev (Dec. 15, 167 b.c.), even imposed an idol statue in honor of the Olympian god Zeus into the temple. Jews called it “the abomination of desolation,” i.e., emptying or ruining for Jewish worship. abomination of desolation. Antiochus’ soldiers profaned God’s temple by spreading sow’s broth on the altar and banning daily sacrifices (cf. 8:14 and see note there) as described in 1 Macc. 1:44–54. Both Daniel and Jesus said this atrocity was only a preview of the abomination that would happen later under the final Antichrist (9:27; Mt 24:15).”#_ftn1 This man of sin whom Jesus said was coming — that Paul and the apostles said was coming — Paul ALSO SAYS WILL BE ALIVE WHEN JESUS COMES AGAIN. SO, HE REMAINS FUTURE UNTIL THE TIME WHEN JESUS WILL RETURN FROM HEAVEN. The man that Daniel wrote about remains future until the Day of the Lord. He will be alive on the earth when Jesus returns from Heaven and destroys him. ESV 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. His destruction in described in Revelation chapter 19. ESV Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. #_ftnref1 John F. MacArthur Jr., https://ref.ly/logosres/macartsbnasb?ref=bible.da11.31&off=31&ctx=rate+the+sanctuary.+~antiochus%e2%80%99+soldiers%2c (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Da 11:31.