2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 says,...

Today's verses are 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, which read,

v.6-8 - 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.

Do you remember "'Revenge is Mine,' saith the Lord."  These verses are saying just that idea.  Paul has praised the Thessalonians for having an enlarging faith and an increasing love for one another and enduring suffering through persecution for Christ's sake.  Now he tells them that those who are persecuting will get their due punishment for what they are doing.  God will take care of that.  Actually this is high on His list of things to do at the judgment.

I caught in these verses that we will get relief but don't be looking for it now.  That relief will come when the Lord returns.  The Lord will right all things and in the process you will have relief from all persecution and all sin.  This is something that we are to look forward to.  Paul also identifies again that he is experiencing the same persecution that they are experiencing.  They are not alone, he is with them on this.

God has wrath.  He will deal out retribution to those who don't know Him and don't obey the gospel of Jesus Christ.  God has grace.  His grace is seen in that His wrath is not immediate.  He has a promise and He has a plan that is being played out and the grace of God gives us time to tell people about God and the cross of Christ.

v.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. 

Paul lays out the outcomes that are possible.  One is the penalty of eternal destruction and the kicker is not being in the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power.  The other is to be in the presence of the Lord and to marvel at His glory along with all the other saints, those who have believed.  Two very different outcomes that Paul makes very clear to the Christians at the church in Thessalonica. 

He could be telling them this so that they know but I think it is also given so that they will do what he did for them.  Paul told them the gospel and they believed.  They went from one outcome to the other.  Part of that transfer was hearing of Jesus from a follower of Him.  Jesus did the hard work of dieing on the cross and rising from the grave and gave us the opportunity to tell others of the transformation in us and available to them. 

This is our commission from God as a Christian and as a church.  We are to tell our testimony to the world until He returns again.  We will suffer for it but there will be relief when He comes.  So we tell the story of Jesus in the midst of it so that people may hear and believe. 

"Lord, You have given us our marching orders.  You have not sugar-coated it that all will be well and nice but actually have told us that it will also cost us a price as it did for You but it is so worth it.  May we push through the comfort of life to tell people of You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam