As most of you know, I do not make it a practice to follow the script of the Catholic Church and speak on the subject of various so called holy days which they traditionally observe. I don’t think it is wrong to preach a typical message on Easter, or in this case, on Palm Sunday, but I don’t think it is necessary nor particularly edifying for those who may only come to church on certain holidays, and are not regulars in our services. Furthermore, I feel that there is almost a sort of empty ritual and ceremony associated with ascribing certain days as having certain spiritual significance. And furthermore, there is very definitely no Biblical record of any instruction to observe what is called Holy Week, or Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter, or even Christmas for that matter. They are days that are given special consideration by the Roman Catholic Church, and as such they are hold overs from the time of the Reformation. And I for one, do not especially want to pay tribute to the Catholic traditions in any way, shape or form.
There are only two days that we are told to commemorate in the Bible. One is the Lord’s Supper, and the other is the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, we are going to commemorate today. Jesus said “as often as you do this, do this in remembrance of Me.” That supper was originally the Passover meal which they celebrated the night before Jesus was crucified, which Jesus said from that time on would be changed to remember Him. The Passover was only held once a year, but are to do it as often as we will.
And of course, the Lord’s Day is Sunday, the first day of the week, when Jesus rose from the dead. The church began to meet on the Lord’s Day, immediately following His resurrection. And the observance of the Sabbath was done away with, as a ceremonial law that had been fulfilled in Christ, who through His death and resurrection gave us rest from our works. So those are the only holidays that we are told to keep in the church. The old covenant feast days and festivals were done away with. And the efforts to create new feast days and festivals by the Catholic Church are, to my thinking, not in keeping with the law of liberty.
Paul reprimanded the Galatians for such things. He said in Gal. 4:10 “You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [fn]over you in vain.” Even God spoke of His distaste for ceremonies and rituals that had become mere shows of superficial spirituality, but were not reflective of a heart that had been made right with Him. In Isaiah 1:13 God said "Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.”
That being said, it is somewhat ironic that as we begin a new book this week, I find some parallels in this first chapter of 2 Thessalonians with the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, which is of course the reason for celebrating Palm Sunday. And so as we look at this letter verse by verse, we will get into that correlation in due course.
This is the second letter that Paul, along with his helpers in ministry, Silas and Timothy, has written to the church at Thessalonica. It may have been only a few months that have passed since his first letter, and in that time he learned of some things at Thessalonica that he felt needed to be addressed. And so he wrote another letter, which we call 2 Thessalonians. There were a few concerns that he wants to address. The primary one was the second coming of the Lord, which it seems some people had been telling the church had already taken place. He spent a great deal of time talking about the second coming in his first letter, and the first couple of chapters of this book are basically a continuation of that conversation.
As a preface to that subject though, he begins by praising the church for it’s adherence to the principles of faith, and their endurance in the midst of increasing persecution. He says in vs 3,
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is [only] fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows [ever] greater.”
First of all, he gives thanks to God for their faith which is growing. A church that is sound, that is true to the gospel, is growing in the faith. They are coming to maturity in the faith. They are able to bring others to faith in Christ. Reproduction is evidence of maturity. And they are growing in the knowledge of God and have applied the principles of sanctification taught by Paul, particularly in the last chapter of the previous book. They have not just been hearers of the word, but doers of the word. As Hebrews tells us, they have progressed from just drinking milk to eating meat. They have progressed from just the elementary principles of Christianity to maturity.
And that maturity was evident by their love that they showed towards one another. Notice he says their love toward one another grows ever greater. Love is the manifestation of our faith. And love also grows. Love is not a one and done thing. We love God, we love the church, and we love our enemies. We seek what is good for others, and that is something that develops as we mature in the faith.
So in many respects, perhaps in the majority of respects, the church at Thessalonica is doing good. They are growing in the Lord in sanctification. And yet as Paul warned Timothy in another letter, when you are living godly, you can expect increased persecution. 2Tim. 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” And that was certainly the case in the church of the Thessalonians. They were suffering persecution and affliction because of their spiritual walk.
We read in vs 4, “therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.” Notice that he commends them for their perseverance. Another translation of that word might be endurance. God uses trials to produce endurance, and endurance produces maturity, and even greater faith.
James says the same in James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James isn’t talking about not lacking anything financially, or materially, but in faith not lacking maturity, soundness. Perseverance is an essential part of faith, and there is no other way to maturity than by persevering through trials. Peter said in 1Peter 1:7 “so that the proof of your faith, [being] more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” We make a major mistake when we assume that the full and complete Christian life will be one without any hardship, without sickness, without financial stress, or any other possible variation of trials. They are necessary, and it’s necessary to persevere through them, not prevent them.
Paul said in Romans 8:17 and if [we are] children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with [Him] so that we may also be glorified with [Him.]” So if we prevent suffering, we also risk preventing glorification. So, contrary to the prosperity and health and wealth preachers on television, contrary to the name it and claim it crowd, if you desire to live godly you will be persecuted. Persevere through persecution. And let endurance have it’s perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete in your faith, lacking in nothing.
In fact, Paul said that suffering in persecution was evidence of the fact that you belong to the kingdom of God. Vs 5, “[This is] a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.” Paul says this endurance in persecution and affliction is proof positive of God’s righteous judgement. They gladly take up their cross and follow Jesus that they might participate with Him in His kingdom. They endure persecution now so that they might receive an inheritance in Christ’s kingdom. And God’s judgment is righteous because He remembers, He repays, and He keeps His promises.
That righteous judgement is the point of vs6, “For after all it is [only] just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and [to give] relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels 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.”
At the second coming of the Lord He will come in judgement. There is a two fold judgment in the coming of the Lord. One is to recompense those who are enemies of the gospel, and secondly to rescue those who are of His kingdom. On the one hand Christ’s coming is retribution. He repays with afflictions those who afflict the church. On the other hand, it is remunerative; he grants rest and relief for the church from all the afflictions and hardship that they have had to endure because they contended for the truth.
This revealing of Jesus Christ as the returning King, who takes vengeance upon His enemies, who gives relief to His people, is what is called in scripture, the parousia. You will see that word used in chapter 2 vs 1, translated as the coming of the Lord Jesus. Parousia means “the coming, arrival, advent, the future visible return from heaven of Jesus, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally and gloriously the kingdom of God.” It’s used 24 times in the New Testament, and 7 times in 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
Interestingly, those who believe in the rapture consider 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 the proof text for the doctrine of the rapture. But if you look at vs 15 of that chapter, it uses the word parousia to describe it, which is the same word used in 2Thessalonians 2:1, which is talking about Christ coming not in a secret way, but coming in judgment. As you know, I don’t believe the scripture teaches the rapture, but only the second coming. And so we find it used in almost every description of the Lord’s coming in the New Testament. Now for those who believe in the rapture, they say it is a secret appearing of the Lord for His church only. What follows after the rapture will be seven years of tribulation.
But as you can see from Paul’s description here, he is obviously talking about a two fold judgement in Christ’s coming, to judge the world, and reclaim His people and establish His kingdom. Notice Jesus comes from “heaven with His mighty angels 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.” This is not a secret rapture of the saints. But rather this is the second coming of Christ, when the heavens and earth will be destroyed with an intense heat, and burned up.
In Matthew 13:40 Jesus spoke of the harvest of the wheat and the tares being gathered up and burned. He said "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”
Now this parousia is I believe a parallel to the event that is celebrated on Palm Sunday. On that day, Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding upon a donkey, with a multitude accompanying Him, praising God and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!” The Son of David was a title that revealed that He was the King promised to Israel who would rule the world. His kingdom was proclaimed and heralded on that day as He entered into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
I read somewhere that kings of that day would chose a donkey to ride upon if they came in peace, and a horse if they came in war. And so at His first coming, He rides upon a donkey as a symbol of the gospel of peace which He preached.
At His second coming, Jesus comes riding on a white horse, accompanied by a multitude of His mighty angels, and His church, both those who were asleep and those who were alive at His coming, who are raised to meet the Lord in the air, and they come with Him. John in Revelation 19:11-16 said, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it [is] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes [are] a flame of fire, and on His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written [on Him] which no one knows except Himself. [He is] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white [and] clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
On the day of His parousia, every eye will see Him, and every knee will bow. Rev 1:7 “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.” It’s interesting that John also calls the new heavens and new earth the New Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem, to the cry of Hosanna from the multitudes. And the scripture tells us that He went to the temple and made a scourge of cords and cleaned out the temple of those who had made His house a house of merchandise. And in His second coming He will not only cleanse His house, but He will destroy His enemies forevermore.
Rev 21:1-8 “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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 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." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part [will be] in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Vs 9-10 “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed--for our testimony to you was believed.”
While everlasting life will be the reward of the faithful, everlasting destruction will be the product of God’s vengeance upon HIs enemies. That doesn’t speak of annihilation, but destruction that is everlasting, that continues for eternity - where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. But even more terrible than everlasting fire is everlasting existence away from Christ, banished forever from the face of God.
For the faithful, Paul says that the second coming of the Lord will be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed. He will be glorified in His church, as they reflect His light, His attributes. Every vestige of sin will be banished from their existence. They will bask in the radiance of His light. They will be like Him, for they shall see Him as He is, even face to face. Our glorified body will be a reflection of His glory. And we inherit that glory by virtue of having believed in Him in this life, before the parousia.
So then as Peter said, 2Peter 3:11 “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.” And Paul also echos that thought saying in vs 11, “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and [the] Lord Jesus Christ.”
How are we counted worthy of our calling? The scripture says, Abraham believed God and it was counted to Him as righteousness. We are counted as righteous. By faith in Christ, by believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, my sins are transferred to Jesus Christ who bore them away on the cross, and His righteousness is transferred to me. 2Cor. 5:21, “God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”
Having thus been saved by grace through faith, we are given the power for every good work, which is the evidence of our faith, so that we might glorify the name of Jesus Christ. As a result of that work of faith, we glorify Him now, that we might be glorified with Him when He comes again.
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