Chapter 1: 1-10

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, ⁴ so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, ⁵ which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; ⁶ since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, ⁷ and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰ when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.”

I pray that you are all well. As much as we can see that COVID is being used by the powers that be to control us, take away our God-given freedoms and re-shape our society, that does not change the fact that COVID is a real virus. I have lost dear friends, and I have a dear Brother who is very sick with COVID right now in Indiana. Take time to pray for the many that are suffering, not just with COVID, but with the fallout from COVID. The lost businesses, the delayed medical treatments, and the many who have died alone with no one to hold their hands or say ‘I love you” or say ‘goodbye.’ We just had a dear friend, a neighbor whose mom fell, broke her hip, and somehow ended up in a coma. But because of COVID restrictions, that woman could not be visited by her loved one and died alone.

I fear that these emotional scars, even among the saved, will not go away quickly. Wow, Pastor Sean, all the gloom! Man, it is Christmas; put a little joy into us for the season.

Over the past few weeks at our church, we have been doing a series called The Manger, The Mountain, and the Millennium. Sadly, many churches do not teach on the Millennium very much; it is tedious work, and there is a lot of Old Testament scriptures that need to be read and studied. But if you are a student of prophecy, you will know that the next big thing after the Rapture is the Millennium. There is no Millennium without the Manger where Jesus was born and no Millennium without the Mountain of Calvary where Jesus died. All too often, the Christmas story stops when the Wise men show up, in the minds of many people. But no one thinks that play out, that they came looking for the King of the Jews, not the Saviour of the World (read Matthew 2:2).

To carry this thought all the way through, Jesus was executed for being the King of the Jews (read Matthew 27:37); the plaque displayed the charge against Him. While we in the New Testament era are excited about the Manger and the birth of our Saviour, and we are just as thankful for the Mountain and the sacrificial death of our Saviour, and we celebrate the resurrection of our Saviour, the true Christmas story ends with Jesus ascending the throne of David, as the rightful, legal King of the Jews and the Ruler of the whole world. Paul spent a lot of time talking about this, and we should spend time on it as well. The birth of Jesus was not just about saving a few billion people; it was about transforming the whole creation that was surrendered when Adam sinned.

• Trouble before triumph, verse 5

One of the hardest things to come to grips with is that we who trust in Jesus as Saviour, we who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, are going to have to face some hardships before we see Jesus. Our faith and our beliefs will be tested. Some will be tested in small ways and others in big and maybe painful ways.

If you have been following the news, you will know that a statue was revealed outside the UN building in New York that resembles the end-time beasts described in both Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. If you have followed my writing over the years, I and many others have shown that the EU parliament buildings are deliberately designed to look like the unfinished Tower of Babel. Our enemies no longer hide in the shadows; they reveal their hands and run most of the world’s governments.

These people know who God is, they know the Bible, and yet they deny God to His face. One day they will turn with full malice on us, the Lord’s children; we can’t kill God; maybe we can hurt Him by killing His children. Satan cannot deny God. Without God, there is no Satan. But he will not bow to God except at the end. While we see a growth of atheism among the young people of our world, the true leaders are anything but atheists; their god is either themselves or Lucifer, but they have a god they worship. In John 8:44, Satan is called ‘the father of all lies.’ Those of us that have the truth in us via the Holy Spirit see the lies all around us. We can see the lies that are being told over and over again to the masses. It is sad to see how many saved people have fallen for the lies.

Our governments may be piling on higher interest rates. I just saw that the Bank of Canada is seriously considering raising interest rates. So, they have bankrupted a lot of companies, and our government has borrowed billions of dollars to pay people to stay home. And now, rather than get the economy going, they are about to raise interest rates to help put the final nails in the coffins for a lot of people. This COVID pandemic, a man-made pandemic, has been used to perpetuate the largest transfer of wealth in the history of man.

There will be no good to come from what is happening, no good whatsoever. Governments never relinquish the power that they have taken. As long as they can keep a state of emergency for whatever reason, they will; they simply will. It is the only way to circumvent the electorate. One day, these governments will turn full force on us, the redeemed. We are the last bastions of the truth, and their leader, Satan, knows it. We must be eradicated for the whole thing to fall into place. As such, we can see that the infrastructure for the Mark of the Beast is being set up.

I have heard some things about the 5G set-up from one of the Samsung engineers here in Ontario setting up the 5G system. It is about tracking and the vaccines; however, I still need to do some more research. But we know for sure that the governments of the world will be able to know who takes the Mark of the Beast and who does not, then they will track down the ones who don’t and kill them.

Long before we get to the Tribulation, the heat will be turned up on saved people. In a world of lies, the truth-tellers are the enemy. We should be the enemy of lies. Sadly, a lot of modern churches have bowed to the ‘woke’ ideas, and they are denying the basic fundamental truths of the Bible. These are not true churches, and if you are saved, you need to get out and run from these churches; their pastors are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and they are a part of the enemy. Read the book of Revelation; the Anti-Christ does not eliminate religion; he seeks to be the god of the world.

• Trouble will be repaid, verses 6 and 7

God is a protective parent, and there are times when we must go through stuff for His glory and His plan, but God will deal with those that hurt His children. Babylon, Egypt and Assyria all had their day in court, so to speak, for hurting God’s people. The people we see on TV each day will have their day before God as well. The people who have schemed and plotted, those who have done evil in secret, will have their secrets revealed, and the Lord will repay them for their evil. They will not get away with it – maybe here, but not forever.

It is at times disheartening to see the crooks get promoted and become richer and richer right before our eyes. Not all the rich are crooks, but it seems that they never have to pay for crimes like the rest of us. But God is a righteous Judge, and He cannot be bought off or swayed by money or promises of power. No, their day will come, and all of their sins will be revealed; they will bow before Jesus and suffer for eternity.

You see, part of the Christmas story is not just about the Baby in a Manger; it is about the King of Kings making things right. But like every human king, our King of Kings begins as a baby, in a manger, in Bethlehem, born to a virgin, named Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. We can have some solace that right and righteousness will prevail.

Paul and John promise us that one day Jesus will be revealed. Our faith will become sight. Our King, our Saviour, will return, and all the doubters will one day be believers, sadly, too late to change their eternity. One day we will live on earth in a world where righteousness is the prevailing law, and evil, though there, will not be the prevalent mindset. We know that evil will still be here in the hearts of men because Satan will be able to raise an army to attack Jesus at the end of the Millennium. This will be the final battle between man and God, between good and evil, between the dying and the living.

This is the hope that Jesus came to give us; this is the stuff that keeps us going when it seems that evil is prospering and the saved are the hunted. This is what keeps us going when the lies are shouted and believed and the truth is thwarted and has to be whispered.

The true Christmas story is not just about salvation; it is about victory. Good will triumph over evil; light will trump darkness; love will conquer hatred, and those of us on God’s side win. We win, now and forever. We win. Hold on; Jesus the King, not the Baby, is coming. Stay strong, hold on to the faith, and cherish the truth; Jesus is coming again.

Merry Christmas to you all. May the Lord bless you and keep you, may you feel His grace shine on you, and may you be blessed and be a blessing.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch
Online: https://www.mississaugamissionarybaptistchurch.com/ (under construction)
Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

Chapter 1:1-10

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, ⁴ so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, ⁵ which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; ⁶ since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, ⁷ and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰ when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.”

As we recall, this church in Thessalonica was founded in just a few weeks on one of Paul’s earlier journeys. Yet, this church was thriving and growing. Grace and peace from our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Greeks here lead us to understand that the grace we receive is one source; this was clear to the early church and should be clear to us still today (verse 2).

Paul then goes on to say that he is thanking God for them. Paul was one to always be in the thankful mode. Here he was thanking these lovely people for their growing faith and their love towards one another. What an awesome thing to have in a local church! Oh, that more of our churches had this today—faith in the Lord and love for each other! In verse 4, Paul let them know that he boasted of them to other churches.

Just a step back to verse 3: do you and I thank God for each other? Paul thanked God for these people and this church all the time. He was actively thanking God for them. Do we do that? When is the last time that you thanked God for someone in your church, or your home, for that matter?

I can think of many people in the 2 churches I pastor that I thank God for a lot. They are faithful and loving, they love me and His kingdom, they endure great hardships and lots of tough times with grace, and they smile even in the hardest of times. I thank the Lord for them. I thank the Lord for the young man who was saved earlier this year; he was baptized and is faithful. When we came to help this church over 2 years ago, I could not envision him being saved, furthermore attending regularly. But God; He is awesome and wonderful, and He calls all who will accept His love and His salvation His sons. I thank God for an 84-year-old pastor who lives in pain every day, but he attends whenever he can muster the strength. I thank God for his wife who cares for him 24/7; she is in her late 70s, and she is joyful and faithful.

Thank God for the people in your life that love the Lord, boast about them to others, and give God the glory.

• Growth in Persecution, verses 3-5

I have said this many times, and I have heard it many times; the Lord’s churches grow in persecution. Now, our numbers may dwindle in persecution, but the true believers grow in the midst of troubled times. As far as I can recall, other than the two times we are given numbers in Acts, we do not know the size of any of the NT churches that we read about. We know that they had enough people to form a group, and they grew from there.

We love numbers here in our North American churches, and I can understand the need for numbers. We want to know that we are seeing progress. Missionaries send back reports of every salvation, every baptism, and every Bible and tract they hand out. Once again, there is nothing wrong with that. But we should be just as excited if the man is obeying God and it seems that nothing is happening — say, like Noah. He ended with the same 8 people he started with, but he was obedient. Jesus at one time fed a hillside of thousands, but only very few were in attendance that first resurrection night.

Over the past 2 years, we have seen an attack on the local church in ways that are very subtle. We have had pastors arrested in Alberta, Canada, for holding services; we have had churches fined thousands of dollars for not bowing to the rules of COVID. Here in Canada, one could go to a local Costco or Walmart with hundreds of other people but not attend church with a few for a long time. Over time many got accustomed to sitting on the couch and not actually going to church, and they are not going to return.

Now, at the same time, some churches found a way to actively get to the shut-ins that were ignored for a long time, and there has been a lot of good Bible expository loaded up to various online resources. But actual church attendance is down in many places, and it would seem that we have had a weeding out of the weak or maybe the lost, and the faithful have grown and are growing.

Many can see the framework of the reign of the Anti-Christ being set up right before our eyes, and we can see how easily people, even church people, can be manipulated into doing things to preserve peace and safety. There are some places in the world that are using the vaccine passports as a way to deny even the most basic of rights like buying groceries. The idea that one has to have a mark to buy and sell is being built right before our eyes. The idea that we are to report our neighbors to the authorities for non-compliance is happening right before our eyes. The division of society and the civil unrest that is happening reminds us that hard times are here to stay and that we in the Lord’s churches should brace ourselves for some difficult times.

But, as we see here in this church at Thessalonica, our faith and love should grow as we endure these hardships. We should see our dependence on the Lord grow, our compassion and need for each other should grow, and we should help each other through the difficult times that confront us. These times should bolster our trust that God knows what He is doing and is in complete control.

• The Righteous Judgment of God, verse 5

We will just introduce ourselves to this today; we will not explore it. God’s judgment was seen clearly in the Thessalonian church as they were purified in these troubled times. As we see their love and faith growing in the midst of trials, it was a testimony that God was at work. The same things that destroy the godless purify the godly. Just as God was working on the godly, He would execute judgment on the godless. He would be faithful to the negative with the same tenacity that He was faithful to the positive.

All too often, we see the evil prosper, and we wonder if God is asleep at the wheel, but He is not. He is moving in us His children, but He will come back to judge this world as well. These defiant and rebellious people will not escape the wrath of God.

Hold on; Jesus is coming to settle things up. And make no mistake, He will. He will come as the conquering King the next time, not as a lowly baby. He will be seen by all, not just a few shepherds. He will rule with a rod of iron, and He will not tolerate evil. These people that we see on TV every day defying God to His face will one day bow down and call Him ‘Lord.’ They will not be able to deny Him.

Hold on, hold fast your faith, and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Trust His Word and His promises; they will get us through. And, as the world around us becomes more bitter, corrupt, and cynical, we in the Lord’s churches should grow in faith in Him and love towards each other.

Next week we will explore more about God’s judgment and wrath. In the meantime, love each other and be actively thankful for each other; Jesus is coming back soon.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch

Online: https://www.mississaugamissionarybaptistchurch.com/ (under construction)

Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca