The Book of Second
Thessalonians: Message One
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
Several
years ago a stranger asked a boy, "Why's
that field so full of mules?"
"Because," he answered, "they work
in the mine during the week, and they're brought
up into the sunlight on Sunday to keep them from
going blind." Don't allow yourself to go
blind spiritually. Go to church and let the light
of the word of the Lord shine into your heart.
That's what the Thessalonians did.
Let's meet
the people. They're addressed as "the church
of the Thessalonians." The word
"church" is used to express various
ideas. It may be used to signify a building, a
body of people, or believers. In the New
Testament, it signifies all believers who have
been born again. Someone has written, "The
church is never a place, but always a people;
never a fold, but always a flock; never a sacred
building, but always a believing assembly. The
church is you who pray, not where you pray. A
structure of brick or marble can no more be a
church than your clothes of serge or satin can be
you. There's no sanctuary of God but the
soul." Have you admitted God into the
sanctuary of your soul? During a presidential
campaign a woman answered a knock at her door.
She heard a gentleman say, "Hello, I'm the
President of the United States. May I come
in?" But, there's a greater Person than he
who knocks at your door. That One is Jesus. Let
Him come into your heart, won't you?
Let's look
at the position. It's written in 2nd
Thessalonians 1:1, "Unto the church of the
Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ." What does it mean to be
"in Christ"? The Christian lives in
Christ as a bird lives in the air and as a fish
lives in the water. A Christian is always in
Christ. He's never separated from Him. Because
he's in Christ, there's protection from vice. A
long time ago I read of a shipwrecked sailor who
wrote a message and threw it into the water, and
hoped for help. And help came. But why didn't the
water destroy the message? It was sealed in a
bottle. A Christian is in the world, with all of
its temptations and transgressions. But, he's
also in Christ. So he's safe. He'll arrive some
day in heaven. Because he's in Christ, there's
the possibility for victory. Have you ever
observed a water-spider? It goes down to the
bottom of the pond, but it doesn't belong there,
even as Christians don't belong to this world.
For we're "in the world" but "not
of" it. This little creature weaves a bubble
of air around itself, and in spite of the
surroundings, it overcomes. It's in the water,
but in the bubble. So the Christian is in the
world, but he's in Christ. And that's why he's an
overcomer.
Let's look
at the presentation. The Bible says, "Grace
unto you, and peace." "There are two
main ideas in the word 'grace,'" said Dr.
Barclay. "The first is the idea of sheer
beauty...The second is the idea of sheer
undeserved generosity. The idea is that of a gift
which a man never deserved and could never earn,
and which is given to him in the generous
goodness and love of the heart of God. It's a
word which has in it all the love of God. When
the apostle Paul prays for grace on his friends,
it's as if he said, 'May the beauty of the wonder
of the undeserved love of God be on you, so that
it will make your life lovely too.'" And
what is it that puts a blemish on man? Badness.
What is it that stains man? Sin. Many years ago
some famous folk were being entertained in a
lovely home in Scotland. When a maid appeared
with a tray, someone bumped into her, and the
coffee, which splashed on the white wall, made an
ugly stain. It grieved the folk. But among the
guests was a famous painter, named Landseer.
Walking over to the wall, and taking a crayon
from his pocket, he began to draw around that
ugly stain. In just a little while that dark
stain was transformed into a beautiful picture of
a Highland stag. People have traveled many miles
to see it. It's beautiful. That's what the grace
of God can do for your life. My friend, is your
life a bit stained? Is there an ugly blot? Let
the Lord, the Master Artist, transform you. By
His grace He can turn your darkness into light,
your ugliness into beauty, your defeat into
victory, and your discord into harmony, for with
His grace comes His peace.
"Like
a glorious river is God's perfect peace; over all
victorious in its bright increase;
Perfect,
yet it floweth fuller every day; perfect, yet it
groweth deeper all the way."
"Hidden
in the hollow of His blessed hand, never foe can
follow, never traitor stand;
Not a
surge of worry, not a shade of care, not a blast
of hurry touch the spirit there."
"Every
joy or trial falleth from above, traced upon our
dial by the Son of Love,
We may
trust Him fully, all for us to do; they who trust
Him wholly find Him wholly true."
copyright 2000 Guido
Evangelistic Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
Click here to go to the next message in this
Sower Scripture Study on this book.
This series of messages on
the books of the Bible were originally written
for broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program,
"The Sower." They are collected and
reprinted here for your enjoyment and spiritual
edification.
