What We Want For People We Love | 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Scripture

• 2 Thessalonians 3:16

About this sermon

Introduction: The world in which we live is not that different from the world of the New Testament. This is one of the lies that our world has come to embrace — the lie that advancement in technology means a different kind of humanity. It is a lie that every generation is willing to believe (to one degree or another) because every generation is infected with the same essential sin problem — pride. People flatter themselves. They want to believe that they are smarter than their parents and grandparents. They are smarter than those primitive people who preceded them. Smarter than those who have taught them in the faith, including their church leaders. “Can’t you see how smart we are? We have smart phones.” Advancement in technology (which builds from one generation to the next — it exists on the shoulders of previous research and ideas) that BUILDS on the past, is taken to indicate that humanity has escaped its past. “Technology has moved forward, and now human beings move forward.” That is how the thinking goes. The truth is that humanity has not changed since God made it, and since Adam fell. The only true change that happens in humanity, happens because of salvation in Jesus Christ. This is why (if you have noticed), what men call ADVANCEMENT in sociological terms (human sinning) is almost always a revival of some very old and rebellious ways. Homosexuality? — not new Cross dressing? — not new Attack on the biblical family unit? — not new Sacrificing children to our false gods? — not new Substance abuse (drunkenness) — not new All these so-called freedoms that belong to the so-called enlightenment of a new generation are nothing but the predictable and repetitive steps on a downward journey that every new generation experiences. So that, despite the many differences that have to do with technology and invention and living conditions, THE HUMAN CONDITION remains unchanged. Man’s problems are the same. Man’s only hope is the same. This recognition should speak to the church. The church of our time faces the same basic issues the church of ANYTIME has faced — including the 1st century churches. I am not denying that there are some seasons worse than others. I am not denying that some aspects of what the church is dealing with now ARE new, based on things like worldwide connectivity, and the speed with which information travels, and therefore the power of the culture to infect the minds of the next generation, etc. BUT, AT THE LEVEL OF IDEOLOGY, AND THE LEVEL OF PRINCIPLES, AT THE LEVEL OF THE CHAOS THAT SIN PRODUCES, THE ISSUES ARE ALL THE SAME. THE CHURCH BATTLES: Discouragement Doctrinal confusion Persecution The need for perseverance The need for obedience to God’s commands and church discipline if those commands are disregarded. Evangelism, discipleship, confrontation, exhortation, warning, encouragement, faithfulness in a current field of ministry, preparation for new fields of ministry. ALL OF THAT IS THE SAME. So that, when we come to the end of a letter like 2 Thessalonians — a letter that addresses the very same sorts of problems and issues that I have just described — and you recognize what Paul WANTS for these people whom he loves, it speaks to us about what we should all desire for people that we love. IN THIS TIME IN WHICH WE LIVE — WHAT DO WE WANT FOR THE CHURCHES? WHAT DO WE WANT FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN? WHAT DO WE WANT FOR DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS? WHAT DO WE WANT, AND THEREFORE, WHAT DO WE ASK GOD FOR? We cannot do better than to pray for others in the way that Paul prayed for the Thessalonians. As he ends this letter, he prays for them. What he prays for them gives voice to what he wants for them. This morning we think about what we desire for those whom we love.

Topics

• Love & Compassion