In the previous letter and again in this letter, Paul assures them that he is praying for them. Paul’s prayer for them is as relevant to us today as it was to them. In these two verses, Paul gives us a glimpse into his heart for the church and reminds us of the power and purpose of prayer.
There are two groups of people in this text. There are the persecuted children of God who will be rewarded with eternal peace and rest in the glorious presence of God. Then, there are the people who oppose God’s people and reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ; this group will be eternally judged. I want to be on the right side of this equation.
In the world, there will be tribulation, and the enemy will try to use it to divide us. But thank God, Jesus has overcome the world (Jn 16:33). If we lock hands and hearts in faith, we can stand stronger together than we can standing alone. Through their love for one another, the church in Thessalonica was able to overcome, and their faith continued to grow. We are always better together.
Paul ends with a prayer, a charge, and a benediction, all wrapped into one profound ending to an eternal message. Paul wrote this letter through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so this isn’t just Paul’s personal ending; this is the Word of God for all generations, including those of us who read it today. What this ending provides is an outline for the Christian life till Christ returns.
Paul gives us permission to be skeptical in the best sense of the word. If someone tells you they’ve got a vision from God, test it! Think of this as your spiritual quality control process. You’re not rejecting everything outright; you’re just inspecting it for cracks before you let it into your life. And when you find something good—like that friend who always brings snacks to Bible study—hold onto it for dear life.
To begin, Paul never said we would always be happy, but he did say we should always rejoice. How do we reconcile these two things? It begins with understanding the words Paul used in verse 16. The word “rejoice” does not mean the same thing as the word “happy.” Happiness is often predicated upon what "happens" to us, while rejoicing, as Paul used the word here, refers to Christ in us, the hope of glory (Co 1:27).
In addition to digging around it, the gardener said he would fertilize it. Back then, there was one main kind of fertilizer, which we still use today. The best fertilizer was animal manure. It stinks, and it ain’t pretty, but it works to prompt the trees and vines to produce fruit. May I suggest that sometimes the stuff that stinks in our lives is God prompting us to produce fruit?
We should always remember that we are the Church of the living God, the body of Christ, and the bride of Christ. We represent Christ in the world until the trumpet sounds and the angel announces that the King is Coming for His people. As the Church, we are to shine the light of God’s love into a dark and broken world. But we can only do this when we stand together, work together, and honor one another. We do this by warning those who are unruly, comforting the fainthearted, upholding the weak, and being patient with all.
Look at verse 1. When Paul writes, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren,” it probably indicates that he was responding to a question that the Thessalonians sent to Paul through Timothy. They may have wanted to know how long they would have to wait until Jesus returned. Paul said, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.” It appears that he had already instructed them on the Second Coming of Jesus when he was with them, but he was willing to put this teaching from the Lord in writing.
Paul knew that he could provide the information they were missing and help them be at peace with the passing of fellow followers of Jesus Christ. He said, “I don’t want you to lack knowledge about the coming of Christ, ‘lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.’” Paul was about to drop some knowledge that would give them hope concerning the deceased Christians. In verse 14, he said, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus."
