2 Thessalonians 3:16-18
Pray for the Church: For Peace, Power, Protection, and Grace
16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself
continually grant you peace in every circumstance.
The Lord be with you all!
17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand,
and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter;
this is the way I write.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
(v16) Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord
be with you all!
Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonian church: Peace from the Lord of peace and the Lord’s presence.
I.
The Lord of PEACE himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.
1. PEACE: Meaning
a. As commonly understand it:
 Particularly in a civil sense, the opposite of war and dissension.
 Among individuals, peace, harmony, health, welfare, prosperity, every kind of good.
 meant wholeness, soundness, hence health, well-being, prosperity; more particularly,
peace as opposed to war. (OT)
b. True spiritual peace:
 Peace is a blessing of which God alone is the author.
 Ps 147:14 He makes peace in your borders; He satisfies you with the finest of
the wheat.
 Isa. 45:7 The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and
creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

Peace of mind, tranquility, arising from reconciliation with God and a sense of a
divine favor.
 Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
 Phil. 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
 Isa. 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed
for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His
scourging we are healed.
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2. The SOURCE: The Lord of peace (refers to Jesus Christ)
Who or what is the source of your peace?
The Trinity characterizes peace
a. God the Father – 1 Thessalonians 5:23 calls the Father the God of peace. He decreed/source
peace.
b. Jesus Christ – 2 Thessalonians 3:16 calls Jesus as the Lord of peace. He purchased peace.
The Messiah Himself is the Prince of Peace
 Isa. 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government
will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
 Jesus grants peace:
 Lk 1:79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To
guide our feet into the way of peace.
 Jn 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world
gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid
 Eph 2;14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has
broken down the middle wall of separation
 Our peace is through the finish work of Jesus
 Eph 2:14-15 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has
broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh
the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as
to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace
 Col 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether
things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of
His cross.
c. Holy Spirit – Galatians 5:22 refers to the Holy Spirit as the source of peace by bearing the
fruit of peace. He brings it to effect in our life.
d. Source of false peace:
 Material things
 Money
 People
e. Our peace is Christ himself, not an angel, human being, power, or any substitute of Christ.
3. Peace is exclusively given to the people of God. No unbeliever can claim that he has that same
kind of peace as the children of God possess. The kind of peace that is the result of their
reconciliation to God in Christ.
a. Rom 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you
will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
b. Jn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
c. Jn 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world
you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
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4. FREQUENCY OR AVAILABILITY: Continually
The peace of Christ will never be out of supply. It will always be available for us.
Reasons why Christians will not enjoy the peace of Christ:
1. Sin – one must repent to be restored and experience peace.
2. Doubts – one must trust the Lord to experience peace. One must pray to for restoration
3. Fear – one must walk in the Spirit and love God sincerely.
5. SCOPE: In every circumstance
God grants peace to every trial or persecution a Christian encounters.
a. In every way and in every manner the church will experience peace from the Lord Jesus.
b. The Thessalonian church is going through severe persecution, attacked by false teachers, and
idle members are causing disturbance in the church.
 Paul is referring to everything that they are going through. That Jesus Christ is
personally present with them as their source of peace and assurance that they will
overcome.
 Their peace is unaffected by any circumstances in life because it is based on the finish
work of Christ.
 Phil 1:6 He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus
II.
The Lord be with you all (v16b)
1. The POWER: Christ with you all
a. What does Paul mean when he said that God is with them? He meant the enabling or
empowering presence of God to be with them. So that they will honor Him in all things.
2. Why does the Thessalonian church need the enabling and empowering presence of God?
a. They need to be empowered to continue in their faithfulness to God, love for one another,
and to persevere in hope.
b. They need the empowerment to walk in a manner worthy of their calling.
c. They need the empowerment to fulfill God’s plan for them.
d. They need the empowerment to step out in faith so that God in glorified.
e. They need the empowerment to resist false teaching.
f. They need the empowerment to live in accordance to God’s teachings.
g. They need the empowerment to share the gospel in spite of the persecution.
III.
(v17) I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter;
this is the way I write.
The PROTECTION from deception
1. Paul is making sure that they know the distinguishing mark or signature of his letter so that they
will not be deceived again by false teachers who make letters as if it was from Paul.
a. 2 Thess. 2:2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a
spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
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2. Paul was concern about the truth and their protection from false teachers.
a. 2 Cor. 4:2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in
craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending
ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
b. 2 Cor. 11:10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the
regions of Achaia.
3. 1 Tim. 3:15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct
himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support
of the truth.
4. Paul is concerned that the church will receive the truth that God gave him.
IV.
(v18) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
The GRACE to finish well
1. Paul’s desire that the Thessalonian church will continue to experience the grace of God.
2. Grace – undeserved favor and goodness given to those who are unworthy of it.
a. This grace saved us (Eph. 2:8-9)
b. Grace is given not only for salvation but for:
 Endurance: 2 Cor. 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for
power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my
weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
 Service: 1 Pet. 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one
another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
 Growth: Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace,
which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are
sanctified.
 Good work: 2 Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that
always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every
good deed
3. We need the grace of God for our salvation, sanctification, perseverance, ministry, and growth.
Apart from the grace of God we cannot finish well.
It is stunning to imagine that the Thessalonians—in tribulation, perhaps losing members to death, subject to
deception, and in every way beaten about by their Hellenistic environment—can be told to have “peace” from
the God of peace. This divine peace is not the gift of occasional spaces of tranquility, but it is for “all times”; it
is not felt in some special circumstance but “in every way.” Jesus Christ, the scriptural Yahweh and the Lord of
peace, will ensure their well-being through his presence, since he is with them always. These two letters could
hardly conclude with a more fitting tribute to the existence that the new disciples enjoy in Christ.
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