2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NASB)

2 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is removed. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not accept the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

Theme: Learning and trusting in God’s Word regarding the end-times is needed to calm our hearts as we observe and experience evil in this world.

1) Don’t be easily shaken or deceived – Believers should be discerning about end-times prophecies (2:1-3)

2) Remember to trust God’s Word – The Day of the Lord will come after the Antichrist is revealed (2:3-8)

3) Have eschatological hope – The Lord Jesus will conquer the Antichrist and those who fall for him will be judged (2:8-12)

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2 Thessalonians 1:6-12 (NASB)

6 For after all it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us, when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified among His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will consider you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the Lord Jesus returns, He will bring true justice upon all mankind.

1) The God of Justice will punish willfully ignorant, disobedient unbelievers with their future penalty (1:6-9)

2) The God of Justice will bless faithful, suffering believers with their future reward (1:7, 10)

3) The God of Grace does hear prayers for believers to be fully sanctified so that the Lord Jesus will be glorified (1:11-12)

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2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 (NASB)

6 For after all it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us, when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified among His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—because our testimony to you was believed.

When the Lord Jesus returns, He will bring true justice upon all mankind.

1) The God of Justice will punish willfully ignorant, disobedient unbelievers with their future penalty (1:6-9)

2) The God of Justice will bless faithful, suffering believers with their future reward (1:7, 10)

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Revelation 21:1-4 (NASB)

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

John 14:1-4 (NASB)

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. 4 And you know the way where I am going.”

Psalm 16:11 (NASB)

11 You will make known to me the way of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Isaiah 25:6-9 (NASB)

6 Now the Lord of armies will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,
And refined, aged wine.
7 And on this mountain He will destroy the covering which is over all peoples,
The veil which is stretched over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.
9 And it will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
Let’s rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

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1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 (NASB)

13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all people, 16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always reach the limit of their sins. But wrath has come upon them fully.

Theme: There is a right way and a wrong way to respond to God’s Word/Gospel, which has supernatural, life-giving power for all who will believe.

1) Right Response to the Word of God (v. 13(a))

2) Power of the Word of God (v. 13b-15a)

3) Wrong Response to the Word of God (v. 15b-16)

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1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NASB)

9 For you recall, brothers and sisters, our labor and hardship: it was by working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, that we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly and rightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

Theme: The privilege of proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples comes with the God-graced responsibility of personal investment and godly conduct.

A “To-Do” List for the Christian Discipler:

1) Persist in sacrificial service (v. 9)

2) Practice exemplary behavior (v. 10)

3) Provide father-like care ((v. 11)

4) Have a clear purpose (v. 12)

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1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 (NASB)

1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our reception among you was not in vain, 2 but after we had already suffered and been treated abusively in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. 3 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not intending to please people, but to please God, who examines our hearts. 5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is our witness— 6 nor did we seek honor from people, either from you or from others, though we could have asserted our authority as apostles of Christ. 7 But we proved to be gentle among you. As a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children, 8 in the same way we had a fond affection for you and were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.

Theme: The privilege of proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples comes with the God-pleasing responsibility of personal integrity and godly character.

1) The Christian discipler’s message must be the true Gospel of God (2:1-2, 4, 8)

2) The Christian discipler’s manner must be godly love for others (2:7-8)

3) The Christian discipler’s motivation must be to sincerely please God (2:3-4, 5-6)

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Genesis 9:18-29 (NASB)

18 Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

20 Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it on both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”

26 He also said,

“Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Shem;
And may Canaan be his servant.
27
May God enlarge Japheth,
And may he live in the tents of Shem;
And may Canaan be his servant.”

28 Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 29 So all the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

As shameful sin rears its ugly head in ourselves and in others, we must battle against it and look to Christ to cover us.

1) God’s people must deal with shameful sin honorably (9:20-23)

2) God sovereignty brings cursing on unrighteousness {and blessing on righteousness} (9:24-27)

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Genesis 9:8-17 (NASB)

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 “Now behold, I Myself am establishing My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every animal of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be eliminated by the waters of a flood, nor shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations; 13 I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall serve as a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall come about, when I make a cloud appear over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the rainbow is in the cloud, then I will look at it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Theme: God promises to preserve His creation.

1) God’s Covenant (9:8-11)

2) God’s Sign of the Covenant (9:12-17)

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