Retribution & Relief
II Thessalonians 1
SCRIPTURE READING: II Thessalonians 1:1-7
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever seen one of those commercials for a cell phone where cellular static causes some confusion? I remember one where the wife asks her husband to “Bring home a movie; something old.” The next thing you see is a monkey lying on the couch with a thermometer in his mouth. The husband thought she said, “Bring home a monkey with a cold.”
Misunderstandings can lead to all kinds of trouble. In fact, misunderstanding was the reason Paul wrote this second letter to the Thessalonians. The messenger who had delivered 1st Thessalonians had evidently returned to Paul with a report on the church. Paul wrote this second letter right away in order to clear up some misunderstandings.
The Christians in Thessalonica were experiencing hard times. In fact, persecution was so intense that some wondered if they were receiving RETRIBUTION from God. This is a common misunderstanding among Christians. When things go wrong, it’s very common for Christians to wonder if God is somehow “getting back at them” them for something they did wrong.
• I remember a young married woman who told me she thought the reason she wasn’t able to have children was because God was punishing her for past sins. (By the way, she later ended up having 5 children.)
• I remember a dad whose child was seriously ill. He believed God might take that child because he loved the child too much.
• I’ve known people who fell on financial hard times --- loosing a job or having their business fail --- who believed this proved they had lost favor with God.
• I’ve even known Preachers who thought if their church was growing it meant God was pleased with them. And if their church was having hard times it meant that God was displeased with them. (I’ve been in ministry for over 30 years now in 3 different congregations. I’ve learned that the ups and downs of church actually have very little to do with how wonderful I am OR how awful I am!)
The point is that all these attitudes are wrong. They show a complete lack of understanding about the God of the Bible and how he operates. Believing that God is somehow “paying us back” for our sins when bad things happen is called the “Principle of Retribution.” And it is at the heart of every Pagan Religion.
It goes like this: if you displease the gods they will “get you” --- with floods, famines, disease, and death --- all these things are seen as the result of RETRIBUTION from the gods. It’s amazing how many Christians have the same idea about the One True God. Paul wanted to make it crystal clear that the suffering of Believers is never a sign that God has deserted them.
The first chapter of this letter makes it clear that RETRIBUTION is only for those who reject God. God promises RELIEF for those who belong to Him. If you ever get to thinking that somehow God is “getting back at you” for the things you’ve done wrong, remember these verses from II Thessalonians: God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. II Thessalonians 1:6-7
If you believe in Jesus Christ --- if you have taken him as your Lord --- if you are counting on Him for your salvation --- then God will never give RETRIBUTION to you. II Thessalonians says it clearly: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled … We’re going to take some time this morning to look at how God will give RELIEF to those who are with him and RETRIBUTION to those who are against him.
1. Retribution
We all love to see real Justice done. But too often, we see only a frustrating mix of justice and injustice. Innocent people are convicted, and some times the guilty literally “get away with murder.” Some of you have been wronged or victimized by people who got away with it. It’s important to remember that pay-back time is coming. Paul promised: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you… Perfect RETRIBUTION will come on that day when Jesus Christ returns.
Several years ago Johnny Carson had Billy Graham as a guest on The Tonight Show. At one point there was a lull in the conversation and Johnny said, “You know what, Billy? I bet if Jesus ever came back to earth, we’d do Him in again!”
Billy Graham leaned forward in his seat, and said, “In the Bible we read that Jesus WILL someday return to earth again. The first time He came in love. The next time, He’ll come in power. And no one will do Him in!”
II Thessalonians puts it this way: He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power … II Thessalonians 1:8-9
The word translated obey in verse 8 is often used to describe the response to someone who is knocking at the door. In other words, you “obey” by opening the door. The obvious picture that comes to mind is the scene described in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
Those who do not obey the gospel are the ones who refuse to “obey” that knocking at the door. The message is clear. If you shut Jesus out of your life, you will one day be shut out from the presence of the Lord. Right now Jesus is knocking at the door of your life. If you “obey” that knock, these words of warning are not for you.
But one day the door will be locked. There will be no more knocking --- because the Day of the Lord will be a Day of RETRIBUTION. There will be perfect pay back for those who will not obey.
Notice that those who don’t open the door will be punished with everlasting destruction. People don’t talk much about Hell now-a-days. Preachers don’t even preach much about Hell. If we DO bring it up, it’s usually to make jokes. But Hell is no laughing matter.
• Jesus quoted from Isaiah 66:24 when he described Hell as the place where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” And Everyone will be salted with fire. Mark 9:48-49
• The book of Jude describes Hell as darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment and as the punishment of eternal fire. Jude 1:6,7
• Revelation 9 calls Hell an Abyss or a bottomless pit.
Listen to how Bill Hybels described what Hell might feel like:
“The bottomless pit…conjures up dreamlike feelings of falling away -- falling, falling, falling. You’ve all had dreams like that; where when you woke your heart was beating because you were falling. Picture in your mind hanging over a precipice --- and God is hanging onto you --- and you’re hanging onto him.
“And you decide you don’t need him anymore. So you let go. But the moment you let go you know you made a mistake. You’re falling, and every moment you fall further and further away from the only source of help and truth and love --- and you realize you made a mistake and you can’t get back up --- and you fall further and faster and further and faster into spiritual oblivion --- and you know you’re going the wrong direction --- and you’d give anything to go back, but you can’t. And you fall, and you fall, and you fall, and you fall …
“How long? Forever. And all the while you’re falling you’re saying, ‘I’m further now; I’m further. I’m further from the only source of hope, truth, and love.’
“In hell there is never the bliss of annihilation. You’d give anything for annihilation, but it’s unavailable --- only the conscious continuation of emotional anguish, physical anguish, relational anguish, and spiritual anguish … forever.” (http://pbc.org/dp/stedman/thessalonians)
Make no mistake: God’s justice will be powerful, perfect, and FINAL. We need to remember that when it seems like evil is winning. One of my favorite scriptures on this topic is from Psalm 37: Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Psalm 37:1-2
I usually use a modern day version, but in this case, I like the good old King James Version. It says, Fret not thyself because of evildoers, Psalm 37:1 (KJV) Next time you feel like the bad guys are winning, just quote to yourself “Fret not thyself because of evildoers…”
II Thessalonians explains: God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled … II Thessalonians 1:6-7
When trouble comes, it does NOT mean God is giving you RETRIBUTION. We may very well deserve RETRIBUTION --- but we need RELIEF. And that’s what God offers us.
2. Relief
Paul told the believers in Thessalonica, we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. II Thessalonians 1:4
The suffering of the Christians in Thessalonica is described as persecutions and trials. Persecution refers to a systematic attempt to oppress and harass Christians. Living in San Antonio, Texas, it’s easy for us to forget that 1 out of 4 Christians across the world face life-threatening persecution every day. We have no guarantee that we will be free from that kind of persecution during our lifetime.
The word for trials is more generic. It can refer to any pressure or stress. None of us have any trouble identifying with that word. Stress and pressure come with every stage of life --- whether it is trying to make the grade in school --- trying to land a job --- or trying to pay the bills. We go through stress when our health crumbles ---- when relationships fall apart --- when someone we love and depend on is taken from us.
Notice that Paul didn’t chastise the suffering Christians in Thessalonica. He didn’t tell them, If you only had enough FAITH you’d all be healthy and wealthy! Instead, Paul was proud of them. He bragged on them because they were enduring their troubles with faith.
Sometimes, you may feel like that’s all you can do … just endure. You need to know that your endurance is precious to God. He is proud of you when you just hang on to your faith while you are going through sickness or grief or trials of all kinds.
Gerald Sittser, a professor of religion and philosophy at Whitworth College wrote an article in Discipleship Journal where he told about a terrible trial he endured. On September27, 1991, he prayed --- as he often did --- for God to protect and bless his family.
Something went terribly wrong. Later that afternoon, a drunk driver lost control of his car and smashed into the Sittsers’ minivan. Sittser’s wife Lynda; his daughter Diana Jane; and his mother, who was visiting for the weekend, were all killed in the collision.
Sittser writes: "To this day I have been unable to understand what made that day different. What prevented my prayers from getting through to God? Did I commit some unpardonable sin? Did I fail to say the right words? Did God suddenly turn against me? Why, I have asked myself a thousand times, did my prayer go unanswered?"
He still cannot understand why this terrible tragedy struck him, but he does understand that what happened was NOT retribution from God.
He explained, "There is more to life than meets the eye … God works things out for good. … We view unanswered prayer from our limited vision. But God is doing something so great that only faith can grasp it, wait for it, and pray for it." Gerald L. Sittser from Discipleship Journal, Jan/Feb 2001, p. 26
We may not know WHY God allows trouble, but we do know that no matter what happens, God will work it for our good. In the case of the Thessalonian Christians, Paul said that trials were causing their faith to increase more and more and their love for each other to grow. (vs. 3).
CONCLUSION:
When troubles come, don’t ever think God is “paying you back” for your sins. People tend to think that when everything is going great, it means God is pleased with them --- and when things are going wrong, it means God is mad at them. This is NOT the way our God operates. You see, Jesus did not promise a trouble-free life. In fact, he said in John 16:33 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." In other words, “Fret not thyself over evildoers…!”
If you can only remember one thing from this sermon, make it this: God NEVER gives RETRIBUTION to those who belong to Him. Instead, he offers you RELIEF.
Paul ends chapter 1 by praying for these Christians. I don’t know if you’ve heard of “praying scripture,” but we’re going to do that this morning. We’ll take the thoughts of Paul’s prayer in verses 11 & 12, and make it our prayer this morning. Pray with me…
Lord, we look forward to the Day when You will return. We know that You will give RETRIBUTION to those who have rejected you. We trust You to give RELIEF to all of those who belong to you.
We pray that you will count us worthy of Your calling. By Your power, we ask You to fulfill every good purpose in our lives. Let our every act be prompted by our faith in You.
We pray this so that the name of Jesus will be glorified in us --- and so that we will be glorified in Jesus Christ --- according to the grace of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.
