II Thessalonians Chapter 1

II Thessalonians 1:1-4 ~ The Provision of the Lord

Do you realize that every situation is challenging us to the sufficiency of Christ? Is not the Lord sufficient to take care of everything?

II Thessalonians 1:5-10 ~ The Promise of the Lord

It is not your performance that makes you worthy. It is your submission. It is your remaining under. It is your identification for the sake of believing in Jesus Christ. The suffering and the persecution in the trials make them worthy of the kingdom of God. That is an interesting concept, opposite of what we hear today. The Bible says if you have Christ living inside of you, you will suffer the hardships. They will be the hardships for identification with Christ. They are His sufferings. They are His afflictions that we partake in.

II Thessalonians 1:11-12 ~ The Prayer of Paul

The hardships themselves are evidence and proof. You do not want to be persecution and affliction free, because it is evidence that you belong to Christ. If you are suffering for the sake of Christ, you are counted worthy of the kingdom of God. That is what makes you worthy. What makes me worthy of the kingdom of God is not my performance but hardships and afflictions. Enduring these sufferings for belonging to Christ, and for identification with Him, and for obeying Him, that is what makes me worthy.