THE LORD GOD WILL REPAY THOSE WHO TROUBLE BELIEVERS

Proclamation:

“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.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”  2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, in his second letter to the believers in the church at Thessalonica.  After he introduces himself and greets them, Paul states that he thanks God for them because their faith in God and their love for one another is growing and increasing. (2 Thessalonians 1:1-3)  He tells them that he brags to other churches about their perseverance and faith in the midst of their persecutions and trials. (2 Thessalonians 1:4)  Then he tells them that God is just and He will pay back trouble to all those who trouble them.  God will punish all non-believers when The Lord Jesus returns. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10)

Application:

Those who do believers wrong and cause them to suffer will be punished by The Lord God. (Romans 12:19)  The Lord Jesus is coming back to gather up His church (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) and to judge the wicked.  All mankind will see Him when He returns (Revelation 1:7) but our perspectives will differ.  Some of us will see Him as Savior, while others will see Him as judge.

TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN MUCH WILL BE EXPECTED

Proclamation:

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.  But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.  From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”  Luke 12:47-48 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, as recorded by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter Luke begins by repeating the warning which Jesus gave to His disciples regarding the Pharisees. (Luke 12:1-5)  Then Jesus tells them that whoever publicly acknowledges Him, He will acknowledge in heaven.  But whoever disowns Him before men, He will disown. (Luke 12:8)  He then tells them the parable of the rich fool who built new barns because he had so much. (Luke 12:12-21)  After telling them not to worry about worldly things (Luke 12:35-40) Jesus then tells them about the wise and faithful servant and compares him to the foolish one. (Luke 12:41-48) 

Application:

Those of us who know better should do better.  Ignorance is no excuse for doing wrong.  The uninformed wrongdoers will be punished.  However, the informed who still do the wrong thing will be punished much more severely than those who did not know that they were doing wrong.  Those of us who know that which is right will be held to a higher standard.  Additionally, much more will be expected from those who have been blessed with more than others have.  With great ability comes greater responsibility.  We have been blessed with more than others have in order to be a blessing to others.

IF YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN DISCIPLINE THEM

Proclamation:

“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” Proverb 13:24 (NIV)

Explanation:
This proverb was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God. This thirteenth proverb of Solomon continues the pattern which he started in the tenth proverb of presenting a series of seemingly unrelated sentences that compares and contrasts that which is good and righteous with that which is not. This verse is real child psychology. Children need discipline in order to develop an appreciation for appropriate behavior. Children should be taught to obey their parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3) They should be disciplined when they do not obey. However, the discipline should never be administered when the parent is angry. We are to discipline our children out of love for them as The Lord disciplines us. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

Application:
Children need to be taught the difference between right and wrong, and that there are consequences for doing wrong. Wild and unruly children are usually the result of poor parenting. The old saying, “Spare the rod, spoil the child” was probably taken from this Bible verse. The manner in which one disciplines and punishes a child, especially with respect to physical punishment, has been the subject of many debates. The use of the words “… the rod …” suggest to me some type of corporate punishment. A lot of us survived “spankings” and “whippings” applied to the bottom of our anatomy, and we are better off now because of them. Many of us received “lectures” along with our spanking to make sure that we understood exactly why we were receiving it. Discipline should be administered out of love for the child and not out of the parental anger of the moment. Parents are not to provoke their children to anger, even punishment should be done as part of training and instruction. (Ephesians 6:4)

TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN MUCH WILL BE REQUIRED

Proclamation:

“That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows.  But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.  From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:47-48 (NIV)

Explanation:

With these Holy Spirit inspired words Luke, the physician and traveling companion of the apostle Paul, offered words of warning and encouragement to the people of God.  He told them that those who do wrong but do not know any better will still be punished for doing wrong. However, those who do wrong intentionally will be punished more severely than the uninformed wrong doer.  He also said that more will be required from those who are given a lot.

Application:

More will be expected from those who are given more, entrusted with more, who know more, and who are blessed more than others.  When we know better, we should do better. 

When we have more, we will be expected to give more.  The more that we are blessed, the more we should share our blessings with others.  Sin is sin, and wrong is wrong.  The punishment that we will receive for wrong doing will depend upon our knowledge of right and wrong.  When we know that what we are doing is wrong, and we continue to do it, our chastisement will be greater because of our willful commission of sin.  When we know the right thing to do or say and we choose not to, our punishment will be more severe than for someone who did not know.  When we are blessed and do not share our blessings with others but keep them to ourselves, God is not pleased.  We need to pray for God's help so that we can avoid the sins committed consciously, knowingly, and intentionally.  When we have been blessed with much and know better, we will be held to a much higher standard and more will be expected from us.  With knowledge comes greater responsibility.