2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 says,...
Today's verses are 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18, which read,
v.16 - Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!
The Thessalonian Christians were in a battle with persecution for their faith and what they needed to hear was that the Lord is a Lord of peace. The Lord, Himself (there is that double emphasis again) would grant them peace in every circumstance. This could be another benediction, blessing, or prayer for the church. How they would respond to the persecution is with the peace of God, given by God, behind their words and actions.
It is not that we won't face spiritual battles over faith but that we would face them in a much different way than the world responses. It should be this way as we follow the pattern of Christ on His way to the cross. He did speak and many times with such passion but the cross was always in view of what He said and did. Christ's act upon the cross should always be before us as we respond to our world so we respond the right way and they will continue to hear Christ from our lips.
v.17, 18 - I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Paul signs his letter to the Thessalonian Christians. He usually wrote through a secretary and probably dictated the words to be written. It could be that Paul had poor eyes and writing was very hard and also very large resulting in a waste of paper space. Paul gives them one more assurance to follow God's word rather than the word of the false teachers. He was fully identifying that it was him who gave them these words. He wasn't hiding behind anything. Paul is putting his personal signature to this document.
Have you ever signed for a loan? There are mountains of paper work that you have to sign your name to. You sign so many times that you get writer's cramp. You are saying that you are taking full responsibility to what you are signing. Some sign not knowing the full content of the contract, i.e. the fine print. What if you went in for a loan and the bank signed the document? They were signing on behalf of you because of the love and care they have for you. I think this is what Paul is doing for the Christians in Thessalonica. He is giving full disclosure so that they can have confidence in their continual walk with Christ.
Paul ends with the peace of the Lord and the grace of the Lord. This is very Pauline and you will find it at the end of many of his letters. The grace of the Lord through His act on the cross and the resurrection from the dead brings upon us the peace of the Lord to walk our lives here with the living hope of His second coming.
"Lord, thank You for the instruction to stay strong in the face of persecution and false teachings. Thank You for clear instruction on Your second coming and being workers for the Lord no matter the season of our lives. As we walk this road of life, thank You that we are not alone but You have supplied Yourself and also other Paul's, Timothy's, and Silas' to be with us, those who have signed on personally to the belief through faith in You. Maybe I need to give them a hug today or let them know how much I appreciate their faith in You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.16 - Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!
The Thessalonian Christians were in a battle with persecution for their faith and what they needed to hear was that the Lord is a Lord of peace. The Lord, Himself (there is that double emphasis again) would grant them peace in every circumstance. This could be another benediction, blessing, or prayer for the church. How they would respond to the persecution is with the peace of God, given by God, behind their words and actions.
It is not that we won't face spiritual battles over faith but that we would face them in a much different way than the world responses. It should be this way as we follow the pattern of Christ on His way to the cross. He did speak and many times with such passion but the cross was always in view of what He said and did. Christ's act upon the cross should always be before us as we respond to our world so we respond the right way and they will continue to hear Christ from our lips.
v.17, 18 - I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Paul signs his letter to the Thessalonian Christians. He usually wrote through a secretary and probably dictated the words to be written. It could be that Paul had poor eyes and writing was very hard and also very large resulting in a waste of paper space. Paul gives them one more assurance to follow God's word rather than the word of the false teachers. He was fully identifying that it was him who gave them these words. He wasn't hiding behind anything. Paul is putting his personal signature to this document.
Have you ever signed for a loan? There are mountains of paper work that you have to sign your name to. You sign so many times that you get writer's cramp. You are saying that you are taking full responsibility to what you are signing. Some sign not knowing the full content of the contract, i.e. the fine print. What if you went in for a loan and the bank signed the document? They were signing on behalf of you because of the love and care they have for you. I think this is what Paul is doing for the Christians in Thessalonica. He is giving full disclosure so that they can have confidence in their continual walk with Christ.
Paul ends with the peace of the Lord and the grace of the Lord. This is very Pauline and you will find it at the end of many of his letters. The grace of the Lord through His act on the cross and the resurrection from the dead brings upon us the peace of the Lord to walk our lives here with the living hope of His second coming.
"Lord, thank You for the instruction to stay strong in the face of persecution and false teachings. Thank You for clear instruction on Your second coming and being workers for the Lord no matter the season of our lives. As we walk this road of life, thank You that we are not alone but You have supplied Yourself and also other Paul's, Timothy's, and Silas' to be with us, those who have signed on personally to the belief through faith in You. Maybe I need to give them a hug today or let them know how much I appreciate their faith in You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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