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2 Thessalonians 1:10-12, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed–for our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote this great little letter to let the Thessalonian believers know how thankful to God he was for God’s work in their lives and giving them the strength to endure afflictions and persecutions. Last week we saw in verse 9 that people who do not know God or obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ will pay the penalty of eternal destruction and ruin, banished from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. Eternal destruction means being separated from all the blessings and goodness of God and being under His holy wrath and punishment forever. The eternal doom of the lost is terrible beyond all thought, but as we saw last week, there is an escape through faith in Christ. God has mercifully provided a way of escape. He bore the wrath due sinners on that cross.
THE GREAT SEPARATION
Now Paul is contrasting the eternal destiny of the lost with the amazing blessings in the coming glory for all believers. In his book Practical Religion, J. C. Ryle included a chapter entitled “The Great Separation.” That’s what Paul is describing in verses 9-10, the great separation between those headed for eternal destruction (v. 9) and those who will glorify and marvel at Jesus Christ when He comes (v. 10). In fact, the whole human race is divided by this separation. God doesn’t grade on a curve. You are either in Christ by faith alone or you are under God’s eternal judgment. There were two classes of people in Noah’s day, those in the ark and those outside the ark. You are either chaff which perishes or wheat which is brought into God’s barn. You are either a wise virgin who prepared for Christ’s coming or a foolish one who was unprepared. You are either building on sand that will collapse under judgment or on the Rock that will stand. You are either a sheep or a goat. The sheep go into everlasting life; the goats into everlasting punishment. There are those who enter into life and those to whom Jesus will say, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” This is the great final separation. God doesn’t grade on a curve where most people have an average score and pass. No, you’re either in or out – in God’s eternal blessing and glorified in Christ or out under God’s eternal wrath without Christ.
Paul turns a corner in verse 10 describing the blessings of being in Christ and then prays that we will live our lives worthy of God’s calling to salvation in verse 11. He doesn’t mean that we are worthy in ourselves or that we merit eternal life. God clearly teaches that all have sinned, there is none righteous, and all need Christ. He does mean we as believers are to live our lives to honor and glorify Christ. Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do all to the glory of God. Let’s look carefully at verse 10.
THE COMING DAY OF GLORY
2 Thessalonians 1:10, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed–for our testimony to you was believed.
Paul says “when” He comes, not “if” He comes. He is coming, no question. And when He comes, all His people will give Him glory and all His people will marvel at Him. And not one of His sheep will be absent – “among all who have believed.” If even one was missing, we could not trust or believe in Jesus. He promised, “My sheep hear my voice, I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).
What does it mean for Christ to be glorified in His people? We saw His glory blazing through on the Mount of Transfiguration. His face shone like the sun; his clothing became radiant and exceedingly white. His glory was shining through. His glory is His deity. We won’t become little gods, but we reflect our God. Like Spurgeon said, “Jesus is the center and all His saints like mirrors reflect His glory.” We’ll be like the moon reflecting the glory of the sun. In John 17:1 Jesus said to the Father, “Glorify Your Son that Your Son may glorify You.” In John 17:22 Jesus said, “The glory you have given Me I have given to them.” In John 17:24 Jesus prayed, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which you have given Me!”
What is this glory? In Exodus 33:18 Moses asked God, “Show me your glory.” God responds in verse 19, “I myself will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” So God’s glory is all of His brilliant, magnificent redemptive attributes and His sovereign grace and mercy. When Christ returns in that day, somehow we sinners saved by sovereign grace will reflect His glory. Revelation 5 says the 24 elders in the throne room of heaven will fall down, worshipping the Lamb and singing a new song.
Revelation 5:9. they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
All heaven, angels and elders, will burst out in praise and adoration and glorious worship.
Revelation 5:11, Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
Along with reflecting Christ’s pure glory, we will be astonished at Him. So glorious, so mighty, so holy, so incredible, so majestic and awesome will He appear to us that we will marvel at Him. The word “marvel” means to be filled with wonder and astonishment. In Matthew 15 the crowd marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel, whom we know is our God and Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ stilled the wild storm on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples marveled (Matt. 8:27). When Peter saw the empty tomb, he marveled (Luke 24:12).
What has made you marvel? What filled you with wonder and astonishment? Have you seen the Grand Canyon? Niagara Falls? Looked at the moon through a telescope? Seen the rings of Saturn or Jupiter’s 95 moons? Or looked through a microscope to see the astonishing things in a human cell? Or the magnificent colors and designs in the sunrise? The most glorious, marvelous vision we’ll ever have is when we see Him face to face! Imagine being in the immediate presence of Jesus with the power, wisdom, and genius to create the entire universe! And that same Person to have died for us! Many favorite hymns express this marvel and astonishment.
O that will be glory for me, glory for me, glory for me!
When by His grace we shall look on His face,
that will be glory, be glory for me!”
Face to face with Christ my Savior, face to face what will it be?
When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me!
Face to face O blissful moment! Face to face – to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ who loves me so.
What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand, and leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be!
This is the coming day of glory. This is when our Lord will be glorified in us, sinners saved by His pure and sovereign grace. This is when we will marvel at our Lord and Savior who paid it all so we can spend our eternal future with Him! Now Paul turns all this glory and astonishment into prayer.
PRAYING TOWARD THE DAY OF GLORY
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul gives us a list of prayer requests we would do well to follow. He says, “to this end,” meaning in view of the coming glory and marveling at Christ. At any moment we might be standing in His presence. Paul says we pray for you always. Here is a prayer that Paul keeps pondering in his heart. Remember, they were experiencing painful, difficult times. Paul asks God to fill them with His grace. Pray for yourself the things Paul prayed for the Thessalonians in verses 11-12.
#1 Counted Worthy of Our Calling
Verse 11a, that our God will count you worthy of your calling,
Paul often prays that God’s people would walk worthy of their calling. We should pray the same.
Philippians 1:27, Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Ephesians 4:1, Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Colossians 1:9, For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
1 Thessalonians 2:12, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Again, Paul isn’t talking about being worthy of salvation. He’s praying that whatever our circumstances, God would give us all we need to be all God wants us to be in this world. God raised you up from the depths of sin and depravity and exalted you to an inconceivable position in Christ. You who used to be a child of wrath are now seated with Christ in heavenly places; now walk worthy of this calling. May God give you the grace and strength needed in the midst of all your trials and troubles to stand strong, to endure, and to refuse to deny Christ under the pressures of the world, your family, the culture, and your own sinful desires. That’s walking worthy of His high calling, honoring Him every day, every step – a worthy walk.
#2 Fulfill Every Desire to Do Good
Verse 11b, and fulfill every desire for goodness.
The fruit of the Spirit is “goodness.” Paul prays that God would fulfill every desire we have to do good to others. Dorcas in Acts 9 lived a life full of goodness and kindness and the evidence was when the widows showed Peter all the tunics and garments she had made. When we anticipate the Lord’s return, we should desire to come with our hearts and hands full of good, kind things. You want to bless others. You want God to use you to bring goodness to others.
Titus 3:8, This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.
Galatians 6:10, So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
What goodness do you want God to do in your life? God, empower us to be loving husbands, kind wives, and wise parents. Deepen our biblical knowledge and wisdom. Help us to love others more practically, to give cheerfully and liberally, to conquer prevailing sin in our lives, to step on our pride and grow godly humility in our souls. May God powerfully fulfill all these good desires.
#3 Fulfill Every Work of Faith Powerfully
Verse 11c, and the work of faith with power,
What is every work of faith? That God would empower you by His Spirit to accomplish whatever He calls you to do that demands faith. Hebrews 11 gives us great examples. By faith Abel offered the right sacrifice. By faith Noah built that ark. By faith Abraham offered Isaac. By faith Moses was willing to suffer with God’s people. By faith they marched around Jericho and the walls fell! God empowered these saints of old to accomplish all this by having faith in His promises.
To fulfill every work of faith means we’re going to trust God to empower us to do the big things and the small things. Paul had that thorn in the flesh. He asked God to remove it. What did Jesus say? “My power is made perfect in your weakness.” It isn’t people who are naturally strong that do great feats of faith. God strengthens people like fearful, doubtful Gideon to lead a great army. I heard a student preacher in college say he believed Samson was pretty much a skinny runt and his power wasn’t in his bulging guns and six pack but in his God. Robert Murray M’Cheyne said, “It’s not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Christ.” This is what Paul is praying. In Ephesians 3:20 Paul declares God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can ask or think, according to the power that works within us. We depend on God for every challenge, trial, and temptation. To fulfill every work of faith means we live trusting God’s power to enable us to conquer the strongest sinful habit or the biggest challenges given us. Philippians 4:10 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”
#4 Glorify Christ In Our Lives
Verse 12a, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him,
What does it mean to glorify Christ? To make much of Christ every day. Paul said to live is Christ, to die is gain. Exalt Him. Obey Him regardless of your circumstances. Honor Him above all else! Love Him above all else. Confess Him before others. Showcase Christ as the front and center in your lives. Let the world know you worship, love, and adore Him. Don’t adore a wafer lifted up by a priest as if it is now the body of Christ. Adore Christ by setting your minds on Him. Every day spend time praying and reading His words in the Bible. Paul says God is transforming you from one degree of glory to the next.
2 Corinthians 3:18, But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. Look for His coming. Don’t be ashamed of Him. Sing praises to Him.
Isaiah 43:21, The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.
#5 By Grace Alone
Verse 12c, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul says the Lord of glory will be glorified in us. I can just hear our accuser attack us, “But how is that possible? I’ve seen him do filthy things. I’ve heard him swear and tell lies. I’ve seen him steal money. I’ve heard him gossip and slander people in his church. How could he possibly reflect the sinless, holy, pure glory of Jesus Christ?” True, he doesn’t deserve this great and glorious calling. He receives this glorious calling only by the grace of Christ who came to purchase that sinner from the guilt of his sins. It is only by grace alone through Christ alone by faith alone that this poor wretched sinner could be lifted up to those heavenly places positionally and then practically to walk by grace and glorify Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Only the grace of God alone can lift a sinner to the place where he becomes the means of reflecting the glory of Jesus Christ in this world and forever!
May this be our prayer for ourselves and for one another to prepare for that coming day of glory. That God would work unmistakably in our lives producing the fruit of goodness and that our lives would bring Christ maximum, unquestionable glory! Remember the great separation. You’re either in or out – in God’s eternal blessing and glorified in Christ or out under God’s eternal wrath without Christ.
Are you ready for the coming day of glory?