2Th 3:5 | KingComments | STEP | . Paul has highlighted his main subject. Now he wants to address some other things. These are actually additional remarks. You can derive that from the introductory word “finally”. That does not mean that these things are less important, as if you could read them if you have some time left or if you feel in the mood to do it. No, what he wants to add is a result of the ‘brotherly relationship’ he has with them. The first thing he mentions is prayer. He is asking for intercession. In that way he calls upon their bond with him. But it is not so much that he asks for intercession concerning himself, but for the sake of the rapidly spreading and glorifying of “the word of the Lord”. That’s what his life was all about. The Word transforms lives. Whenever there is something which is pleasing to God, it is owed to the work of His Word. The world as a whole “lies in [the power of] the evil one” ( ). Wherever the Word does its work and is being accepted, the connection with the world is abandoned and something begins which is related to God. A victory was won there over the power of the world, sin and satan. The power of the Word is seen there. Whenever the power of the Word becomes visible in a human’s life, it is a glorification of the Word, a tribute to the Word ( ). You may consider the word “glorified” here in the sense of ‘crowned’. The Word has completed its full course when it is accepted in faith and has its full effect in the recipient. The thought that is embedded in the word “spread rapidly”, regards an athlete who runs over the racetrack and tries to be the first to cross the finish line ( ). This way of spreading rapidly can be applied to areas where the gospel is being preached and also to the hearts where the Word has entered into. The Word is not static but dynamic. The Thessalonians are a proof of that. In order to spread ‘the Word of the Lord’ rapidly, Paul could refer to themselves. As the Word is spreading rapidly among them and with them, they are to pray that it would happen everywhere. Their lives are so to say a promotion for the rapid spreading of the Word. Is your life also a promotion for this purpose? The message of the gospel is as attractive as your life is reflecting. . After his request for intercession for the Word, he continues with requesting intercession for himself. He would like to be freed from people who are hindering the spreading of the Word ( ; ). Those people behave themselves indecently, inappropriately toward the gospel. Don’t be surprised about that. That is the kind of response the gospel evokes. People who do not want to bow themselves to it feel threatened in their position. Therefore they attack it by unreasonable means. If they would think soberly, they would see that the gospel causes only profit. But they are not able to because they are inwardly wrong. They have a perverse and evil mind. They do not want to surrender to God and the Lord Jesus. If you are engaged with a service for the Lord you will meet adversaries on your way. Here you see that you can pray that those adversaries will not be able to go on with their work. These people are adversaries of the gospel because they are not faithful to the Word of God. They do not believe in it, they do not acknowledge its authority. They only accept those parts they agree with. In that way they make themselves judges of the Word, but they do not allow themselves to be judged by it. . While unfaithfulness is the characteristic of those who do not take God’s Word seriously, the feature of the Lord is that He is always faithful. You can always trust Him, count on Him. He will not deny Himself ( ). At the end of the first letter is written that God is faithful ( ); here you read that the Lord is faithful. It doesn’t matter of course. Both Divine Persons are faithful. In the midst of all unfaithfulness the Lord is a mighty fortress. He is faithful as He was when He called us ( ). Because He is faithful He will protect us ( ) and will fulfill His promises ( ). He is called “Faithful” ( ). Paul refers to the faithfulness of the Lord to then point you to what He does. He strengthens and protects against the evil one. He grants power so that one is able to deal with the pressure. He will also stand beside you as a Guard to keep the evil away from you so that it will not harm you ( ; ). He cares about you and takes care of you. From Him comes strength and protection. His capability is just as great as His care. In His hands you are safe and no enemy can come near you. . Security doesn’t make one careless. Safety doesn’t make one inactive. On the one hand you may know that the Lord strengthens and protects you. On the other hand it is asked here of you to keep the commandments of Paul, which means that you obey God’s Word. Paul trusts that the Thessalonians will obey his commandments. The reason of his confidence was due to the fact that they were living in fellowship with the Lord. If you have a relationship with the Lord, then others may trust that you will obey what He says in His Word. . There is not a more wonderful motive to obey than to look at “the love of God”. There is not a more wonderful motive to endure suffering than to look at “the steadfastness of Christ”. Paul desires that the Lord will focus their heart on that. The word ‘direct’ implies that the way is kept free from hindrances, so that the heart may concentrate unhinderedly. We again and again need to become more and more aware of ‘the love of God’. God’s love for us is unchangeable, but our consciousness of that is quite subject to fluctuations. In his letter Jude appeals to the believers to keep themselves in the love of God ( ). That is the same thought here. You may know that the love of God has been poured out in your heart by the Holy Spirit ( ), but only if you are engaged with it, if it means to you that God loves you, your heart is focused on it. Circumstances or wrong deeds may easily slide in between God’s love for you and your awareness of it. Because of what is it that you sometimes find it difficult to obey God’s Word? Is it not often because you do not think about God’s love for you in that case? If you live with the awareness in your heart of God’s love for you, then you will live a happy life. Then you will be in God’s presence. You experience the same as the Lord Jesus always experienced. Has there ever been a moment that His heart was not focused on the love of God? He was always aware of that. Due to that He went His way in perfect peace, even though it was so difficult. If you are continually conscious of the love of God, you will be lifted above the circumstances. In situations of suffering and lack of recognition because you are related to the Lord Jesus, it is an encouragement if your heart is focused on ‘the steadfastness of Christ’. Look up to Him, just as He went His way on earth, and look up to Him as He is now in heaven. On earth you see Him with His eye fixed on the joy set before Him. Therefore He endured the cross and despised the shame ( ). He steadfastly went on, without letting Himself be drawn away from the way of obedience and suffering. Follow His example, His life on earth. Also in heaven He is your example of steadfastness. Don’t you think that He would love to make an end to all suffering of His own? And how much did the Father promise Him as a reward for His work? He waits for the moment that the Father will make His enemies a footstool for His feet ( ). If your heart gets focused on His steadfastness, you will also be able to be steadfast. ‘The love of God’ and ‘the steadfastness of Christ’ are completely strange to the world in which you live. The love of God is being rejected. Questions that start with ‘if God is love’, are often the beginning of a debate on God’s love. They are more a call to God to account. Also steadfastness and patience in tests and sufferings are not accepted. There should be an outcome immediately. The man of the world wants to have satisfaction of his needs immediately. If your heart is focused on the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ, it will, besides the fact that it makes you happy yourself, be a testimony to your environment. Not that it will deliver you applause, but then the Lord Jesus will become visible in your life. That means a blessing for your environment, as the life of the Lord Jesus was a blessing to everyone with whom He came into contact. Now read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 again. Reflection: How could you apply Paul’s request for intercession in your life?

‏ 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Pray for Us

2Thes 3:1. Paul has highlighted his main subject. Now he wants to address some other things. These are actually additional remarks. You can derive that from the introductory word “finally”. That does not mean that these things are less important, as if you could read them if you have some time left or if you feel in the mood to do it. No, what he wants to add is a result of the ‘brotherly relationship’ he has with them.

The first thing he mentions is prayer. He is asking for intercession. In that way he calls upon their bond with him. But it is not so much that he asks for intercession concerning himself, but for the sake of the rapidly spreading and glorifying of “the word of the Lord”. That’s what his life was all about. The Word transforms lives. Whenever there is something which is pleasing to God, it is owed to the work of His Word. The world as a whole “lies in [the power of] the evil one” (1Jn 5:19). Wherever the Word does its work and is being accepted, the connection with the world is abandoned and something begins which is related to God.

A victory was won there over the power of the world, sin and satan. The power of the Word is seen there. Whenever the power of the Word becomes visible in a human’s life, it is a glorification of the Word, a tribute to the Word (Acts 13:48). You may consider the word “glorified” here in the sense of ‘crowned’. The Word has completed its full course when it is accepted in faith and has its full effect in the recipient.

The thought that is embedded in the word “spread rapidly”, regards an athlete who runs over the racetrack and tries to be the first to cross the finish line (Psa 147:15). This way of spreading rapidly can be applied to areas where the gospel is being preached and also to the hearts where the Word has entered into. The Word is not static but dynamic.

The Thessalonians are a proof of that. In order to spread ‘the Word of the Lord’ rapidly, Paul could refer to themselves. As the Word is spreading rapidly among them and with them, they are to pray that it would happen everywhere. Their lives are so to say a promotion for the rapid spreading of the Word. Is your life also a promotion for this purpose? The message of the gospel is as attractive as your life is reflecting.

2Thes 3:2. After his request for intercession for the Word, he continues with requesting intercession for himself. He would like to be freed from people who are hindering the spreading of the Word (Rom 15:31; 2Tim 4:18). Those people behave themselves indecently, inappropriately toward the gospel. Don’t be surprised about that. That is the kind of response the gospel evokes. People who do not want to bow themselves to it feel threatened in their position. Therefore they attack it by unreasonable means.

If they would think soberly, they would see that the gospel causes only profit. But they are not able to because they are inwardly wrong. They have a perverse and evil mind. They do not want to surrender to God and the Lord Jesus.

If you are engaged with a service for the Lord you will meet adversaries on your way. Here you see that you can pray that those adversaries will not be able to go on with their work. These people are adversaries of the gospel because they are not faithful to the Word of God. They do not believe in it, they do not acknowledge its authority. They only accept those parts they agree with. In that way they make themselves judges of the Word, but they do not allow themselves to be judged by it.

2Thes 3:3. While unfaithfulness is the characteristic of those who do not take God’s Word seriously, the feature of the Lord is that He is always faithful. You can always trust Him, count on Him. He will not deny Himself (2Tim 2:13). At the end of the first letter is written that God is faithful (1Thes 5:24); here you read that the Lord is faithful. It doesn’t matter of course. Both Divine Persons are faithful. In the midst of all unfaithfulness the Lord is a mighty fortress. He is faithful as He was when He called us (1Cor 1:9). Because He is faithful He will protect us (1Thes 5:23-24) and will fulfill His promises (Heb 10:23). He is called “Faithful” (Rev 19:11).

Paul refers to the faithfulness of the Lord to then point you to what He does. He strengthens and protects against the evil one. He grants power so that one is able to deal with the pressure. He will also stand beside you as a Guard to keep the evil away from you so that it will not harm you (2Tim 4:18; Mt 6:13). He cares about you and takes care of you. From Him comes strength and protection. His capability is just as great as His care. In His hands you are safe and no enemy can come near you.

2Thes 3:4. Security doesn’t make one careless. Safety doesn’t make one inactive. On the one hand you may know that the Lord strengthens and protects you. On the other hand it is asked here of you to keep the commandments of Paul, which means that you obey God’s Word. Paul trusts that the Thessalonians will obey his commandments. The reason of his confidence was due to the fact that they were living in fellowship with the Lord. If you have a relationship with the Lord, then others may trust that you will obey what He says in His Word.

2Thes 3:5. There is not a more wonderful motive to obey than to look at “the love of God”. There is not a more wonderful motive to endure suffering than to look at “the steadfastness of Christ”. Paul desires that the Lord will focus their heart on that. The word ‘direct’ implies that the way is kept free from hindrances, so that the heart may concentrate unhinderedly. We again and again need to become more and more aware of ‘the love of God’. God’s love for us is unchangeable, but our consciousness of that is quite subject to fluctuations.

In his letter Jude appeals to the believers to keep themselves in the love of God (Jude 1:21). That is the same thought here. You may know that the love of God has been poured out in your heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5), but only if you are engaged with it, if it means to you that God loves you, your heart is focused on it. Circumstances or wrong deeds may easily slide in between God’s love for you and your awareness of it. Because of what is it that you sometimes find it difficult to obey God’s Word? Is it not often because you do not think about God’s love for you in that case?

If you live with the awareness in your heart of God’s love for you, then you will live a happy life. Then you will be in God’s presence. You experience the same as the Lord Jesus always experienced. Has there ever been a moment that His heart was not focused on the love of God? He was always aware of that. Due to that He went His way in perfect peace, even though it was so difficult. If you are continually conscious of the love of God, you will be lifted above the circumstances.

In situations of suffering and lack of recognition because you are related to the Lord Jesus, it is an encouragement if your heart is focused on ‘the steadfastness of Christ’. Look up to Him, just as He went His way on earth, and look up to Him as He is now in heaven. On earth you see Him with His eye fixed on the joy set before Him. Therefore He endured the cross and despised the shame (Heb 12:2-3). He steadfastly went on, without letting Himself be drawn away from the way of obedience and suffering. Follow His example, His life on earth.

Also in heaven He is your example of steadfastness. Don’t you think that He would love to make an end to all suffering of His own? And how much did the Father promise Him as a reward for His work? He waits for the moment that the Father will make His enemies a footstool for His feet (Heb 10:13). If your heart gets focused on His steadfastness, you will also be able to be steadfast.

‘The love of God’ and ‘the steadfastness of Christ’ are completely strange to the world in which you live. The love of God is being rejected. Questions that start with ‘if God is love’, are often the beginning of a debate on God’s love. They are more a call to God to account. Also steadfastness and patience in tests and sufferings are not accepted. There should be an outcome immediately. The man of the world wants to have satisfaction of his needs immediately.

If your heart is focused on the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ, it will, besides the fact that it makes you happy yourself, be a testimony to your environment. Not that it will deliver you applause, but then the Lord Jesus will become visible in your life. That means a blessing for your environment, as the life of the Lord Jesus was a blessing to everyone with whom He came into contact.

Now read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 again.

Reflection: How could you apply Paul’s request for intercession in your life?