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Preached in Markham Baptist Church, December 30,  2007

My son Mark knows one grace off by heart and repeats it often at our meal times, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food.  By His hand we are fed, thank you God for daily bread.”  It is a simple prayer – but one that is said daily in our house and I find it to be a great reminder of who God is.  It has a way of adjusting my focus. 

God is great, God is good.  We forget that sometimes.  Sometimes I think, “I am great, I am good.”   We accomplish something and think, “O marvellous me!”  We get the Yertle the Turtle complex and say,

“O the things I now rule.

I’m king of a cow! I’m king of a mule!

I’m king of a house!  What’s more beyond that

I’m king of a blueberry bush and a cat.

I’m Yertle the Turtle! O marvellous me

For I am ruler of all that I see.”¹

Ever get to thinking that way about yourself?  I’m king of the house, I’m king of the road.  I’m king of the office.  I’m ruler of all that I see.  And we need an adjustment in our thinking, don’t we?  Because that’s not the way it is.  God alone is great, and God alone is good. 

It’s an important reminder.  It shifts our perspective.  That’s why worship and Bible study is so important - because it reminds us of the greatness of God and the goodness of God and how we are dependent on Him. 

It’s an important reminder as we launch out into a new year – let’s remember who God is.  Before we take a step into the new year, before we begin to make plans for the new year, before we begin to make predictions for the new year, let’s remember the God that we worship.  God is great, God is good.   Say it with me would you? God is great, God is good. 

It’s a reminder that we are given throughout Scripture – in the Old Testament we have this repeated refrain, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good his love endures forever.” (I Chron. 16:34; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 100:5).  And when we turn the to New Testament and particularly to our text this morning in 2 Thessalonians we are reminded that God is great and God is good.  That phrase isn’t used exactly, but that’s what is said in our text.

And it was an important reminder for the Thessalonians.  The Thessalonians you will remember have already received one letter from Paul and in it he has taught them the truth of our Lord’s second coming and how it is a practical truth that strengthens us, that encourages us to live holy lives and calls us to live lives of love with one another. 

We don’t know for sure but we suspect that about three months have passed since the writing of the first letter.  And it seems that during that time some false teaching regarding Christ’s return has crept into the church.  Someone, maybe by letter and forging Paul’s name, has told the Thessalonians that Christ has returned already! 

Turn to 2:1 -“As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you , brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.”

So Paul writes them this letter as a corrective to this false teaching. 

If you look at 3:17 you see Paul say, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.  This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.”   He wants to be sure they won’t accept any more forgeries.

Of course there are other reasons for the letter.  The Thessalonians are still facing persecution. Paul writes to encourage them and there are still those who were reacting to the news of Christ’s return by giving up their jobs and sponging off of others.  Paul writes to correct them.  And we’ll study these in this 3-week series. 

But as we turn to chapter one we are reminded right from the beginning of who God is.  We are brought into the very presence of God.  It’s a great reminder for the Thessalonians as they face awful persecution – let’s remember who God is.  And for us, as we face a new year – as we face difficulty, as we face life – let’s remember who God is and who we are in light of that. 

So II Thessalonians 1:1,2 - “Paul, Silvanus (another spelling for Silas) and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Paul begins his letter as he begins his first – by telling them this is a letter from himself and from his fellow church planters and workers in Thesslonica, Silas and Timothy.  

And he reminds them, “to the church of the Thessalonians IN God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

That word “Father” speaks of a tender relationship, a relationship of protection and provision.  And we are in Jesus Christ the Lord – that word “Lord” speaks of authority and leadership and ownership. 

What a great reminder.  We often describe the church as being “IN trouble” or “IN decline”, or “IN debt”  or “IN ward”.  But Scripture describes the church as being “IN God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  And that’s a beautiful picture of the church – we are in God the Father.  Just as a child loves to be in his mother’s arms, just as we love to be “INdoors” on a cold winter’s night, so the church is in God, wrapped by His loving arms, protected by His great strength and goodness. 

We are in the Lord Jesus Christ – under His authority, owned by Him.

So we, Markham Baptist Church, are in God.  Surrounded by God, protected by God, strengthened by God, sustained by God, owned by the Lord Jesus Christ and under His authority. 

In a few weeks we will be studying Jesus’ words in John 15, “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  We are in the vine, being sustained by the life of the vine.  That’s what Scripture is saying here – God is good, God is great, we are sustained by Him. 

That’s an encouraging word to us as we go into the new year.  We are not outside of God’s provision.  We are not outside God’s loving care.  We are not outside of God’s grace.  We are not outside God’s guidance, or protection or ownership.  We are His church and we are in God.  And we need to move forward with faith in His greatness and goodness.

First, let’s give thanks for God’s greatness and goodness. 

Verse 3 - “We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing.”

Notice who gets the praise here – God does, “we have to give thanks to God for you.”  Why? Because this is an answer to prayer. In 1 Thessalonians 3:10 Paul writes, “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.”

And here we read that their “faith is growing abundantly.” 

Again in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 we read Paul’s prayer, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.”  (see also 1 Thessalonians. 4:10)

And here we discover that their love is indeed increasing.  This is an answer to prayer.   God is great, God is good, He deserves our thanksgiving for enabling the Thessalonians to grow in their faith and increase in their love. 

Do you give thanks to God for the growth you see in other’s faith?  Do you give thanks to God for the love you see demonstrated in other believers?  Or are you jealous and want to see them fail and want to see them trip up?  God is great, God is good – let us thank Him for answered prayer! 

Then, let us recognize God’s greatness and goodness even in the midst of difficult times. 

Look at verse 4  - it is clear that the Thessalonians’ faith and love is increasing in the midst of persecution. Verse 4 - “Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.” 

So many abandon the faith and lash out at others when difficulties come, but I wonder if we can receive difficulties as an avenue to grow in our faith in God’s greatness, and increase in our love for one another as we taste God’s goodness in the midst of difficulties.

Verse 5 goes on to say, “This is evidence of the righteous judgement of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.”

Paul is saying, The persecution that you are facing is not a sign of God’s anger but it is a sign of God’s loving justice; He is refining your faith; He is making you fit.  That’s what that word “worthy” means. It has nothing to do with merit – it has everything to do with “readiness”. That we would be fit – making us ready for fullness of the Kingdom when our Lord returns. 

Isn’t God great?  At this point Johnny Carson’s audience would say, “How great is He?”  

God is so great that He is even able to use the difficult times that come our way shape us into the image of His Son.

Isn’t God good?  How good is He?  He is so good that He doesn’t waste those difficult times - He uses them to refine us and “our faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  (I Peter 1:7)    

We often seek for reasons for suffering. Well, here is the reason in verse 5 – it is intended to make us fit for the fullness of the kingdom.  

There are two basic ways you can react to difficulties in life. You can say, “God has abandoned me,” and then allow the circumstances to make you bitter and angry OR you can say, “Hey, I’m facing difficulties, God is at work here,” and you allow Him to use the difficulties, as He promises,  as a means to develop your faith, love and perseverance.  

God is great, God is good – let’s give thanks to Him for His greatness and goodness. Let’s recognize His greatness and goodness in the midst of difficult times.

And then this. Know that His goodness and greatness will be displayed fully when Christ comes again.  God is so great that in His justice He will turn the tables.  Verse 6 - “For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us.”   

So the tables will be turned.  And we can ask, when?   Verse 7 continues, “and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire.”  

God is great and there will be a day when all will see the Lord Jesus with His mighty army coming to settle accounts on this earth.   He will not come in secret.  No, He will be revealed – all will see Him.  He will not come in meekness. No, He will come in power – with a mighty army and flaming fire.  There will be no escape, there will be no place to retreat.  

And we could ask who – who will be punished? Verse 8 - “He will inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” 

That is, He will inflict vengeance on those who refuse to know God, those who refuse to listen to the testimony of creation, of their conscience, and those who refuse to listen to the testimony of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is great – He will come again. And God is good – so He will not stand for continual disobedience - He will judge those who turn their back on Him. 

What will their destruction be?  Verse 9 - “These will suffer punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” 

In other words the unbelievers will get exactly what they want.  There are some Christians who believe that God will be merciful to unbelievers and in the end  all to enter into heaven.  I find that whole idea to be so contrary to logic it isn’t funny. Why would anyone who has lived their whole life denying God, turning their back on a relationship with God want to live with God for all eternity?   No.  They will get exactly what they want - they will live eternally separated from the presence of the Lord.  You want to know what hell is like? It is living completely separated from God.  I can’t think of a more horrible description of hell.

And just as an aside from our main thought here – don’t let these words give you a superior attitude – so that you thumb your nose at unbelievers and say, “you’re going to get yours.”  No!  That’s not the intention of Scripture, the Holy Spirit or Paul – no.  These words should break our hearts.  These words should cause us to cry out to God in prayer for those who do not know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.  These words should spur us to evangelistic action.  Shame on us that so many in our congregation are lukewarm about evangelistic strategies like Alpha, lunch drop-in.   “These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction separated form the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”  These words should cause us to weep for the unsaved. 

But what will our Lord’s return mean for those who are following Christ in obedience of faith?  Verse 7 tells us that it will be a day of relief.  Relief from whatever it is that is making life hard.  It will mean an end to all struggles, the race will have been run.  It will mean rest to all that threatens to make life unbearable and we will have relief.  Do you know how to spell relief?  No, it’s not R-o-l-a-i-d-s.  But J-E-S-U-S.   When Jesus comes there will be relief.

But verse 10 also tells us “when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marvelled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”   

The coming of Christ does not just mean that bad things will be taken away, but there will be this amazing experience where we will see Jesus and we will “marvel” at Him, says the text.  Have you ever been lost in wonder – marvelling at a scene so great, so glorious that you are utterly amazed, just struck dumb?  That’s the promise that we are given – that’s what will happen to us when we see Jesus coming again. 

God is great and God is good.   Lets give thanks to Him for his greatness and goodness. Let’s recognize His greatness and goodness in the midst of difficult times. Know that His goodness and greatness will be displayed fully when Christ comes again.

And then this – God is so great and so good that He gives Himself to us to enable us to accomplish His will. Verse 11 - “To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith.”

So Paul says, This great day of our Lord’s return is just ahead, so we pray for you all the time – we pray that God will make you fit. There’s that word again, translated worthy in our text – it doesn’t mean deserving, but it means to make us ready, fit, prepared. In other words, God is doing a landscaping project in your life and there are some things in the garden of your life that really shouldn’t be growing there and so we need to pray for God’s power, God’s presence, God’s greatness and goodness  in our lives to correct this and make our hearts fit  for all that He’s called us to be. 

And we pray, says our text, that He will fill your good resolve, our good ideas, and your acts of faith with His own power so that all that you do will amount to something.

John Piper says that just as there is a godless immorality, there is a godless morality.   A godless morality says that we can good all in our own power. A godless morality says we can be good for our own glory. ²

But when we ask that God by His greatness and goodness fill our good resolve we are seeking His power and  what happens? Verse 12 - “the name of the Lord Jesus is glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

I can’t think of a better way to start a new year than to remind ourselves that God is great and God is good.  I can’t think of a better way to start a new year than to act on that truth. To begin thanking God for His greatness and his goodness. 

This year let us be a people who trust that even though difficult times come our way God is still great and still good and is working to refine us into His image.

Let us be a people who live in anticipation of our Lord’s coming – let us be a people who step out in faith in His greatness and His goodness and asking Him to fulfill by HIS power every good resolve and work of Faith for His glory for ever and ever.

Amen. 

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - December 2007

ENDNOTES:

1. Dr. Seuss, Yertle the Turtle and other Stories, (New York: Random House, 1950), 8.

2. John Piper, in a sermon “God Glorified in Good Resolves,” December  29, 1985.  Bethlehem Baptist Church.