The Time In Between – A Time to Focus on Future Glory points us to the skies! But to start, we’ll look at an ancient city with some questions…
Thessalonica was the capitol city of Macedonia – modern day Greece. It was a bustling sea port of 200,000. Paul only had three maybe four weeks to spend with the people. Acts says three Sabbaths, before he was run out of town. In that short period of time Paul told them about the end of the world, about Jesus second coming. They knew about the Day of the Lord, but they were confused.
False teachers had come in and were saying, “Oh didn’t you hear? Jesus already came; you missed him. Or, Jesus is coming in two weeks or so, right? – he said soon, didn’t he? I have enough food in my pantry. I’m quitting my job and going down to the beach. Wanna come?”
Um no, you’ve got questions? That’s great! There is nothing wrong with asking question. The most important thought is where you need to go for the answers.
The question is, “Do I have what it takes to be a Saint?” Does God love me? When you go looking for answers to your questions in the Bible, God will give you the right answer. It won’t necessarily be the answer you want. But it will be God’s answer. Listen once more to the first verse of our text 13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord. Paul just assumes that God still loves them – how can he do that? He’s right. From the beginning God chose you to be saved. From the beginning of what? That’s the beginning of everything – time, space, matter – when there was only God and nothing else he knew that he would love you and that you would be his Saint and live with him forever. You are chosen by him to be a Saint. Since we’re on the topic of questioning, you could say, that seems like you’re reading an awful lot into that one passage, Pastor Fred. I would be, but in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians – God says that he chose us in Jesus before the creation of the world.
God’s answers are clear. You are loved and he has a prepared a place for you! Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from 2 Thessalonians – The Time In Between – A Time to Focus on Future Glory.
Topic(s): End Times
Book(s): 2 Thessalonians
Series: The Time In Between
Tag(s): End Times
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg