No Rest for the Wicked

Pastor Phil Andrukaitis, August 6, 2023

The Apostle Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians

General Theme:  Living Righteously While Waiting Patiently for Jesus to Return

Sermon Title:  No Rest for the Wicked

Sermon Text:  Second Thessalonians 1:6-10

Subject:  God’s righteous judgments

Complement:  Even though God takes no delight in the death of the wicked, God’s character demands that He fulfill His righteous judgments.

Dominating Idea:  God’s righteous judgments will heal us and our sinful world.

Introduction

Let us turn our attention to the Word of God and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Our text is 2nd Thessalonians 1:6-10.  However, I am going to read all twelve verses in chapter 1 so that we may understand this passage in its context.

The title of this sermon is No Rest for the Wicked because God’s righteous judgment upon the wicked will occur when Jesus returns to this world and reveals Himself in all His glory.  In fact, the Second Coming of Jesus is the climax of God’s redemptive story!  God’s story began with His promise to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15), to provide them (and us) with a Savior, as He expelled them from the Garden of Eden.

    • God’s story of redemption does not have its climax with the FIRST ADVENT/COMING of Jesus.  While Jesus’ first entrance into this world was one of humility, Jesus deliberately hid His glory from human eyes by adding humanity to His divine nature in order to become “The Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).

But when Mary gave birth to Jesus, a multitude of heavenly hosts (angels) could not contain themselves and cried out praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14).

    • God’s story of redemption does not have its climax with the CRUCIFIXION of Jesus even though Jesus was crucified on Calvary’s cross and died, sacrificing His life for the sins of the world. His seven cries from the cross reveal His love for sinners:

1st cry:  “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
4th cry:  “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).
6th cry:  “It is finished!” (John 19:30)
7th cry:  “Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit” (Luke 23:46).

    • God’s story of redemption does not have its climax with the RESURRECTION of Jesus even though Jesus was laid to rest in an empty tomb and rose from the dead three days later.  Death and that huge stone that sealed His tomb could not hold Jesus!  And just as the angels of heaven proclaimed the birth of Jesus, they also announced the resurrection of Jesus to Mary Magdalene and the other women:  “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus Who was crucified.  He is not here:  for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:5-6).
    • God’s story of redemption does not have its climax with the ASCENSION of Jesus even though Jesus ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God, and continually serves as the faithful High Priest for His people.  Moreover, Jesus ascended into heaven to prepare His Father’s house for prepared people – repentant sinners who have been born-again (John 14:1-3).
    • God’s story of redemption does not have its climax with the 7-year period, known as the GREAT TRIBULATION (Revelation 6-18).

Rather, God’s story of redemption will have its climax with the SECOND ADVENT/COMING of Jesus.

Read Acts 1:9-11.

Christ will return from heaven with His mighty angels, with the armies of heaven, and with all His glory to establish His 1000-year reign over this world.  Jesus Christ will reign with His Bride, the Church which He has built (Matthew 16:18; Revelation 19).  Yes, Jesus’ SECOND COMING is so unlike His FIRST COMING.

And after Christ fulfills the Old Testament prophecies regarding His Millennial reign,

    • King Jesus will crush the very last Satanic rebellion.
    • King Jesus will cast Satan into the Lake of Fire, where the Antichrist and the false prophet have been for the past 1000-years while the Millennial Kingdom was flourishing under King Jesus.
    • King Jesus will resurrect the wicked dead so that they may stand before Him and be judged.
    • King Jesus will judge the wicked before His Great White Throne (Revelation 20).  And if their names are written in the Book of Life, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire where Satan, the fallen angels (demons), the Antichrist, and the false prophet are tormented forever and ever.
    • And King Jesus will make all things new (Revelation 21).

These major events in God’s story of redemption were prophesied in the OT and clarified/ expanded in the New Testament.  Therefore, these biblical truths are designed to help Christians (down through the ages) to stand firm in his/her faith, even in the midst of persecution.

Transitional Thoughts

Last week this pulpit ended the sermon, reminding us of God’s righteous judgments are promised to every believer.  That is why the Thessalonians were able to stand firm in the Lord because they believed God would fulfill His righteous judgments for the godly and ungodly.  Let’s look at the righteous judgments of God – first for the godly, then the ungodly.

God’s righteous judgments are promised to the godly.

The Thessalonian saints (and believers today) can stand firm in their faith despite difficult circumstances – even persecution.  Why is this possible?  The believer’s unwavering hope rests on these three realities:

    • First, the believer will be rewarded by inheriting the kingdom of God!
    • Second, the believer will be recompensed as God will repay the wicked for all the affliction they committed against the righteous saint of God (1:6-9).
    • Third, the believer will receive relief and rest – heavenly rest (1:7a, 10).

Let us not forget that when Jesus Christ comes for His believers at the Rapture, which is before the Second Coming, believers who are living for Jesus, practicing righteousness, will have confidence/peace with Jesus; they will have nothing to fear or not ever be ashamed of their lives.  Read 1st John 2:28-3:3. 

But not so for the ungodly.  Let’s look more closely at what coming to ungodly sinners, who are not raptured somehow survived the Great Tribulation, when Jesus Christ returns to our world a second time.

God’s righteous judgments are also promised for the ungodly.

    1. Scripture says that when the Lord Jesus returns (we are talking about Jesus’ Second Coming), He will reveal (apokalupsis) Himself to the ungodly in these three ways:
      • First, Jesus will descend from heaven.  Every eye will see Him!  When the disciples were watching Jesus ascend to heaven, two angels said to them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?  This Jesus, Who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11).  The ungodly will know that they are in deep trouble; no hope.  This is Matthew 25:31-46.
      • Second, Jesus will come with His mighty angels.  Jesus said to His disciples, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels and will then repay every man according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:27).  Jesus’ Second Coming was so unlike His first coming.  When Jesus came the first time, He came in humility, as a newborn babe, born in a stable, and resting in a feeding trough.  Only the shepherds, who were out in the field that night, saw the Savior.  And as for the angelic hosts, they revealed themselves only after an angel of the Lord told the shepherds the good news.
      • Third, Jesus will come with the fire of judgment.  When God revealed Himself to Moses, it was as a blazing fire in a bush, without consuming the bush.  When the LORD gave Moses the Law, the LORD descended upon Mount Sinai in a fire.  And in the New Testament, the Hebrew writer admonishes believers not to refuse God when He speaks because “…God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).  In John’s letter to the seven churches in Asia Minor, John described the vision of Jesus.  One aspect was that Jesus’ eyes were like a flame of fire (Revelation 1:14b).

While God promises to reward, recompense, relieve, and give rest for the believer, God promises to judge, pay back, punish, and take vengeance on the ungodly, especially those who have afflicted the people of God.

    1. Scripture also says that when the Lord Jesus returns, He will send out His angels. Listen to Jesus’ words.  “…and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:41-43).

It is God’s nature to exercise His righteous judgments.  This is how He will fulfill His promise to judge the wicked.  Based on 2nd Thessalonians 1:5-10…

      • God is going to repay the wicked with affliction.  God will engulf their lives with all sorts of trials and tribulations; afflictions that engulf their lives; swallow up their health and wealth.  And when death comes to them, they will be denied entrance into heaven.
      • God is going to exercise His vengeance.  Presently, God tolerates the wicked and their domination over the righteous; but the day is coming soon when God will reverse the roles.  We must be careful not to return evil for evil or get even by exercising our own vengeance.  God says, “vengeance is Mine, saith the LORD; I will repay.”

But on whom will God repay and exercise His vengeance?  Paul identifies three people groups:

      • Those who afflict the righteous –  This is a broad category.  There are plenty of examples in the Old Testament where God repaid the wicked for their hostilities against the godly.  And Jesus warned those who cause children (and young believers) to stumble that it would have been better for them to have a millstone hung around one’s neck and tossed into the sea to drown (Matthew 18:6-10).  Judgment is coming to every medical personnel, every politician, every counselor, every merchant, every so-called spiritual leader, every drag queen, and every parent who does not protect their children from those who promote transgenderism.
      • Those who do not know God –  Ignorance of Scripture is no excuse.  Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong.  Every knows that God exists.  Creation points to a divine Designer.  However, everyone knows that there is a day of reckoning against ungodliness and unrighteousness because sinful suppresses the truth of God in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).  Read Matthew 7:21-23.  It is a sober warning.
      • Those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ –  These individuals will suffer further retribution in the afterlife.  The guilt of their sins and unbelief intensifies as Paul identifies three judgments:
        • God will punish them with everlasting destruction. Everlasting destruction does not refer to annihilation but everlasting torment.  Just as their earthly lives were useless, meaningless, valueless for the kingdom of God, their soul will live on forever in the Lake of Fire.  From Luke’s Gospel (16), these living souls who are in hell are helpless against…
          • …pain (swollen tongue),
          • …torment (liken to the pain of having your child abducted)
          • …the memories of having rejected Christ’s offer
          • …escape, as a gulf exists to keep both heaven and hell separated
          • …the frustration – the unfulfillment of one’s life
          • …darkness and wailing
        • God will deny them His Presence. They are cursed.  They will exist forever without hope.  And just as every good and perfect gift comes from heaven above, there is no good thing for those who are committed to everlasting torment in the Lake of Fire.
        • God will have the condemn soul serve out his/her everlasting sentence in hell, which is a place of darkness and unending agony. They are forever cut off from the blessings of heaven.  Jesus described the agony of hell and the blessings of heaven in His story of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16:19-31).

Concluding Principles / Applications

    1. Believers can flourish in any setting, no matter how bad things get.
    2. Believers and the world cannot remain the same.
    3. Believers are being transformed by God and the gospel.

Satan's LieIf ever there was a time to call out to the Lord Jesus for salvation, it is now.  Scripture says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2nd Corinthians 6:2).

Come to Jesus.  Surrender your life to Him.  He died for you.  He paid your sin debt with His blood and life and rose from the dead, demonstrating that God the Father has accepted Jesus’ sacrifice has having satisfied heaven’s righteous demands.  Will you turn to Jesus and be saved from the judgment to come?  Come to Him…