This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions. We are in day 3 of our look at 2
Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 4 to 7 today. As we walk through this chapter
we're doing some different kinds of Bible studies in each day.

Day 1 we did a character study as we looked at the relationships of Paul. Day 2
a word study, how to thank God for others. And today we're going to do what I
would call an outline study where you outline the phrases of a passage.

Let me read for you the passage we'll be looking at today. Verses 4 to 7,
"Therefore among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith and
all the persecutions and trials that you're enduring. All this is evidence that
God's judgment is right and as a result you will be counted worthy of the
kingdom of God for which you are suffering.

God is just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief
to you who are troubled and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus
is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

" Now there are many ways to do an outline study. Some like to do a grammar
outline. I personally like to do an outline of the key phrases that I see in a
passage as I walk through it.

The key actions and the verbs or the key phrases that describe something. And
that might mean I outline a section in a different way at different times when
I'm studying it but that helps me to get the most out of it as I study it. In
this passage as you walk through it what I see popping out at me is what is said
about God and who he is and what is said about us and who we are.

Three things I see popping out in this outline. God is right. Then I see later
on you are worthy.

And then a little later on down in verse 6 God is just. Let's walk through that.
First God is right.

In verse 5 this is evidence that God's judgment is right. God is right in his
judgments. Now it begins by saying this is evidence that God's judgment is
right.

What is the evidence? Well that's why I included verse 4 from yesterday. Verse 4
from yesterday we talked about their perseverance, their faith, the faith, hope,
and love that this church had.

Paul says the way that you're living your life out is evidence of who God is in
this world and that God's choice of you and God's work in your life is a right
thing, is a good thing. It's evidence of God's work that you're living out the
Christian life. And in a way that flips your perspective.

Any good thing that you do as a believer it's not evidence of how good a
Christian you are. It is evidence of how good a choice God has made. How good a
God God is in his choice of you and in his work in your life.

God is right and because of that you are worthy. As a result in the middle of
verse 5 you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. Now the first thought
you might have is me?

I'm worthy? I mean I thought even theologically the whole point was that I'm not
worthy. I can't earn my salvation.

Jesus saved me an unworthy sinner. Yes, he saved you and he also did something
more. He made you worthy.

As a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. As a result of
what? As a result of God's judgment.

Not your works, not the good things you've done. As a result of God's judgment.
And note there that it says you will be counted worthy.

It's not earned, it's counted. God has put you in the worthy column because of
what Jesus Christ did for you. And worthy of what?

This is how you do an outline study. You just walk through the phrases. You're
worthy of a kingdom.

God's kingdom. Just let that soak in for a second. No matter what ugly thing
somebody says to you today.

No matter how unworthy you feel. You're worthy of a kingdom. God is right.

You are worthy. And then God is just. God is just.

Those three words are a source of comfort and strength or they're a source of
anxiety and fear depending on one thing. Your trust in God. If you trust in God
then the fact that he is just, that comforts you, that strengthens you.

But if you're living your life apart from God you don't want to hear those
words. Now sometimes we look at this God is just and honestly we think it
doesn't look that way now. I mean I see wicked people prospering and I see good
righteous people who never seem to get their due in this world.

Who never seem to be recognized for who they are and in fact maybe who are
suffering because they've done good. Well just remember now is not when the
scales are balanced. The verdict is not yet returned.

The crops are not yet gathered. The payday has not yet arrived. God says it is
going to arrive someday.

He is just and because of that he will cause trouble for those who cause trouble
and he will bring relief to those who are troubled. Now before we talk about
when that's going to happen let me just say four quick things about that because
some of us look at this and think wow God's going to cause trouble for those who
cause trouble. Is that some kind of revenge?

Let me say four things about what the Bible says here. First of all some of the
trouble for those who cause trouble is in the consequences that they face on
this earth. There are times when I cause trouble for others or you cause trouble
or someone else does and I face immediate consequences for that.

That sometimes happens but not always. That is not always when you see trouble
come upon those who cause trouble. Some of it is in the eternal consequences
that we face for this.

Second thing I'd say about this causing of trouble is that this is especially
true for those who trouble the powerless. Someone who can't escape from the
trouble that's being caused them whether it's a person or a country leaders of a
country or a company the leaders of a company when you trouble someone who is
powerless to change those facts God is the God of the powerless and those who
trouble the powerless will have to answer to God. They will be troubled by God.

A third thing I'd say about this causing of trouble for those who cause trouble
is that there is forgiveness. Remember Paul was the one who troubled the church
before he became a believer. So as he writes this is not hopeless for the
persecutor.

This persecutor Paul eventually found grace and was able to write these words.
Now when I'm forgiven by the grace of God I may still have to suffer some of the
consequences on this earth for the trouble that I've caused others but Jesus has
taken away the penalty in my relationship with God and he's taken away the
consequences that would have occurred in eternity. There is forgiveness.

I will cause trouble for those who cause trouble and relief for those who are
troubled. There will be relief that comes and sometimes that comes on this earth
that always comes in God's comfort and love sometimes it comes even in practical
ways but the scales are not going to be balanced until Jesus returns and that
that bugs us as Americans. We want it now including God's answers and God's
judgment.

Truth is as Americans life is almost good enough and so because of that we think
we can get there. We can get to the kind of joy we're going to have in heaven.
We can get to the kind of justice we're going to have in heaven.

We're going to get to the kind of relationship with God and answers that we're
going to have in heaven. It feels like it's just out of our reach but it is not.
The truth is for most people down through history and for many of the things in
your own life justice will not be seen until the end.

For a slave torn from his family her family in Africa and mistreated by an owner
in America hundreds of years ago justice will not be seen until the end. For the
citizen of a nation who's starving because of a leader who cares only about
himself justice will be seen but it will be seen in the end. For a woman who has
been denied and denigrated by her culture justice will be seen but it will be
seen in the end.

For a Christian who's been tortured for his faith for her faith justice will be
seen but it will be seen in the end and in your own life. For a wrong that's
been done to you maybe a wrong that caused the death or caused the deep hurt of
someone that you love justice will be seen but it will be seen in the end. For
something that was stolen from you and may still be benefiting that thief and
it's influenced your life your quality of life justice will be seen it'll be
seen in the end.

When do I see his justice? Justice is seen when Jesus is revealed. That's the
end that I'm talking about.

These verses say that he will be revealed in power. God is just. He will pay
back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled
and to us as well.

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire
with his powerful angels. I trust that to be true because I trust in the
character of God. The question of justice is a question of trust.

Do you trust God? If so you can leave justice in his more than capable hands.
These verses that we've read today these are the facts about God and the facts
about you.

God is right. God is just and because of who God is right and just you are
worthy made worthy by Christ. Circumstances in your life may cause it to look
like those facts are just not true.

God isn't right and he's not just life isn't working out like it should and I'm
certainly not worthy. When I feel that way when I feel like circumstances are
saying that these truths are a lie in that moment I have a choice. I can trust
my impressions of the moment or I can trust in the truth of God.

Now your impressions they may seem to be more real but it is God's truth that is
real that will last but let's trust his truth together right now. So we pray
together maybe for the first time maybe for the first time in a long time maybe
in a deeper way than you ever have before. Trust God's justice.

God say to him you are just and so I trust justice into your hands because I
trust you. Instead of trying to exact justice by my own effort I trust you to
accomplish complete justice by your mighty hand. You may even need to get more
specific and say to God God in this area this area that I've been letting eat me
alive where I want to make it right on my own strength on my own energy.

God show me what you want me to do I'll do whatever I should do about this but I
trust you in the end for justice and not me. I trust you Jesus in your name
amen. Tomorrow we're going to be looking together at verses 8 to 10 of First
Thessalonians chapter 1.