Almost every believer will struggle with doubt at some point in their life. Very often, Satan uses moments of spiritual failure or weakness to sow the seeds of doubt. Because of the pressures of persecution and the confusion of false teaching, the Thessalonian Christians were struggling with doubt. They wondered and worried if they were truly saved. They wondered and worried if they were worthy of God’s grace. They wondered and worried that if they experienced a moment of failure or weak faith, could this have forfeited the promises of the gospel?

Having corrected the lies of the false prophets and teachers, Paul now turns his attention to assuring these saints of their salvation and encouraging them to stand firm in their faith. To stand firm in the faith is to remain steadfast and faithful to God and obedient to His word. To do this, Paul does not begin with a list of demands for the church to meet but rather with an affirmation of the true gospel that enables the saints to stand firm in their faith.

Confident hope in the assurance of salvation empowers believers to stand firm in their faith and hold fast to the testimony of the gospel. Failure to stand firm is sometimes the result of being lured away by worldly novelties and distractions. Other times, the pressures, difficulties, and hardships of this world press down so hard that it seems impossible to endure in your strength.

In response to the deceptions of false prophets and the hardships of persecution that the Thessalonian Christians were enduring, Paul encouraged the church in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 to stand firm in the faith in three ways.

1. Stand firm in the faith by affirming the true gospel. (13-14)

2. Stand firm in the faith through faithful confidence. (15)

3. Stand firm in the faith by enjoying the comfort of peace. (16-17)

Everyone who has been saved by God is being sanctified. God begins the work at the moment of salvation and continues the work until it is fully completed when he raptures the church.

The fundamental truth to understanding 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 is that God is the one who saves and the one who has, and is, and will completely sanctify every believer when he raptures the church. The church is a congregation of people who have been saved and are being sanctified. How are you, as those who have been saved and are being sanctified, to live in the present?

Paul concluded his letter with a prayer for sanctification, instructions for living faithfully, and a blessing of grace. All three of which teach how the redeemed are to live in the present.

The transformation of the gospel transforms more than your relationship with other Christians; it also transforms your relationship with the secular world. The instructions in Titus 3:1-3 focus on the outward signs of a grace-filled life and how God's grace affects your relationship with the world.

As Paul writes these opening words of this final letter to the young pastor Timothy, he is not writing as a failure, in defeat, or even depressed by his circumstances. Paul writes with expectation and authority, knowing that his life is not his own and the kingdom of God is not dependent on his circumstances.

This is not an effort to put a positive spin on a bad situation. This is Paul writing and living according to God's perspective, not man's. To live faithfully and obediently to the Lord, you must live according to God's perspective, not man's.

In these final two verses, Paul gives two commands and a closing blessing of grace. Guard the truth entrusted to you and turn away from anything and everything that distracts you from faithful obedience.

Most everyone is generous to something. The question is not whether you will be generous. The question is, what will you be generous to? Whatever has your heart will also enjoy your generosity.

2 Corinthians 9 is more than just a command to be generous. This passage also teaches practical truths about how you can be a cheerful giver and how your giving is a testimony to the grace you have received and the transformation of your heart.

Perspective changes everything. An invading army is bad, but not when protected by a heavenly host. That is what Elisha's servant discovered when the king of Syria surrounded their city (2 Kings 6:8-23). In our passage, Paul continues to recognize the reality of suffering he had experienced and that all those who follow Christ will know. And yet he speaks of the afflictions of this world not as unbeatable foes but as temporary light annoyances because, in the light of eternity, they have no weight.

The world often sees freedom as being unrestrained from anything. However, grace known through salvation is not about being totally unrestrained but being free from the bondage of the law so that you might be free to obey Jesus willingly.

To be transformed is to be irrevocably changed. Once a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it can no longer be a caterpillar again. Butterflies never return to being caterpillars, nor do those saved by the cross of Jesus go back to a life ruled by sin.

The end of Romans 5 says that where sin increases, so does grace. To the sinful mind, this sounds like an invitation to sin more to get more grace. In Romans 6, Paul responds by teaching what it means to be transformed. Yes, more sin equals more grace, but the response by one transformed by the gospel is not to desire more sin but more righteousness.

Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished,” as His final word from the cross. With His death, scripture was fulfilled, and the work of redemption was complete. We can do nothing to earn our salvation. Jesus finished the work of atonement on the cross. You cannot add more to what Jesus has done. You must either receive the gift or reject it.

In Esther chapter 5, events begin to come quickly. Esther approaches the king, and Haman advances his plans to annihilate the Jews with special attention to the murder of Mordecai. All the while the deliverance of God is being brought about and will come quickly and (I think) unexpectedly to all those involved. Most of these things will happen in chapters 7-10, which we will consider next week.

In this week’s podcast, we consider the contrast between the arrogance of Haman and the humility of Esther and Mordecai. Haman, in pride and arrogance, opposed God to his own destruction. Esther and Mordecai humbly trusted God and experienced amazing grace.

We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. At the gym, at work. online, and even at church. When we find ourselves among those who we judge as less than us, it makes us feel good. When we find ourselves among those who we judge as greater than us, it can make us ashamed or self-conscience. Jesus exposes the arrogance of our flesh in this parable and demonstrates the only way one can come and know the salvation of God.