Stand Firm and Hold on to the Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:1-17)
Have there been moments in your life when you just want to give up. The problems you are facing does not seem to square with the word of God. Well-meaning Christians tried to comfort you with the word of God but the truth does not speak to you at all. All your life you have been brought up to trust in the word of God and you believe in the all sufficiency of Scripture. But in your struggles, the truth does not seem sufficient at all. You believe that you need to cast your anxieties to God because He cares for you and you tried but your anxieties do not go away, your life situation has not change and your desperation grows day by day. Worst your prayers seems to be met with silence. What are we do in times like this? How do we speak truth to someone who is going through moments like this?
The believers in Thessalonica were going through great difficulties, life was hard and persecution was rampant. Despite their circumstances, they have been commended by Paul for their work of faith, labour of love and steadfastness of hope. Paul had written to them and encourage them with regards to the return of Christ and the hope of future glory.
Anchored on this hope, they were probably waiting with eager anticipation the return of the Lord, hoping it will be soon and their sufferings will end. So imagine how they feel when in the midst of their persecution, someone using the name of Paul told them that Christ has already come. They will feel devastated because if Christ has already come and their situation has not change, it could only mean that the promises given were not true. The hope they cling on to is nothing but an illusion. It is like being a survivor in the shipwreck drifting in a lifeboat and struggling with a violent storm while waiting for rescue. Than they hear a rescue coming in their direction only for it to past them by and leaving them abandon in the ocean. Whatever ounce of hope they had now gone. This is how the Thessalonians must have felt when they heard Christ has already come. If Jesus had already returned and yet the persecutions are still ongoing, it can only mean that Jesus is unable to deliver them from their persecutions. Therefore, their faith in Christ was of no value and their hope was meaningless.
This is one of the reasons why Paul saw the urgency to write to them shortly after his first letter. His aim is to address the fallacy that Christ has already come, to assure them that God is in control over all things, assuring them of their salvation and encouraging them to stand firm and hold fast to the word of God.
God is in control over all things so stand firm in the Lord and hold on to His truth.
The big idea for our sermon this morning is: God is in control over all things so stand firm in the Lord and hold on to His truth.
Do not be shaken or alarmed regards the coming of King Jesus (2 Thess 2:1-2)
The Thessalonian’s believers’ faith were shaken, they were alarmed by what they thought was coming from the apostle that Jesus has already returned and they believed what was told to them, allowing themselves to be swayed or shaken by the news.
Paul has already exhorted them in 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, to test every prophecy but it seems they fail to do so in this instance.
The Thessalonians were commended for their faith and yet they were shaken by false teaching. This serves as a warning for us as well. We may be mature in our faith but that does not mean we will not be deceived. Paul was well aware of this, so in writing to the Thessalonians he did not simply clarify that the false teaching regards the return of Christ was not from him, but he also took the opportunity to shaped their understanding of what is going to happen prior to the return of Christ.
Paul did not want his readers to be deceived. He wants to assure them they have not missed the return of Christ. He had already told them earlier in his first letter in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, how it will be an event of such great magnitude that it will be very hard to miss. But it seems they forgot and were deceived and became discourage. Hence the need for Paul to remind them.
Do not be deceived, evil will come but be assured that victory belongs to our Lord (2 Thess 2:3-8)
Paul’s main concern here was not the identity of the man of lawlessness but the sequence of how things will shaped up and what will be the final outcome. So let that be our focus.
Let us see how things will unfold leading to the return of Christ.
Prior to the return of Christ there will be fierce opposition. There will rise up a man of lawlessness, a destructive man. A man bent on rebelling against God and opposing Him. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 describes the man as someone “who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”
This man wants to be God, he is a man who do not want to subject himself to worship God rather this is a man who wants to be the object of worship. He certainly reminds us of Satan trying tempt Jesus into worshipping him.
But the lawless man is not the devil incarnate and we know that because in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 it is written, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan”, meaning to say Satan is the power behind the man of lawlessness. The opposition does not begin with the man of lawlessness.
Paul warned the Thessalonians that fierce and bitter opposition to God will come before the day when man of lawlessness is revealed. In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, we read, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work”. We may not know who the man of lawlessness is or when we he will come but we know “lawlessness is already at work” and even in our times there will continue to be opposition to God.
We are given the word of God to defend ourselves against deception, know it well and use it well so that when the counterfeit word is presented before us we will not be deceived.
Paul’s warning to his readers is still relevant for us today. On this side of eternity, there will still be false prophets and heretics in our midst. They will try to deceive the saints by twisting and distorting the word of God. So let us be careful not to be deceived and we can do that by continually growing in our knowledge of God through His living word. Know the word so well that we can immediately detect the lies. I was told that one of the best ways to detect counterfeits notes is to know the genuine note so well that when given a counterfeit note we will be able to immediately spot the difference. We are given the word of God to defend ourselves against deception, know it well and use it well so that when the counterfeit word is presented before us we will not be deceived.
Paul knows that the people have been shaken by the deception and that false teaching is still very much alive in their community. And it does not seem to be going away any time soon, in fact it seems to be escalating. He also knows that just by telling them God is in control may not be enough. So in the following verses, Paul aims to show the people in ways that they can perceive that God is in control.
How does he do that? Let’s take a look a 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7.
The key point here is that the rebellion is being held back by God. How?
Firstly, the man of lawlessness is under restrain by God, implying that he can cannot act without God permitting.
Secondly because God is the one who restrain him, when the main rebellion does takes place, God is still very much in control because He allow it to happened. So when it does it will not surprise God, He is in control of the whole event.
What does knowing all these mean for us? The reality for us is while the tide of evil is being restraint, there is an ongoing hostility to God’s word. The fact that the Thessalonians were deceived, testify to this reality and in our time today, the success of the prosperity gospel is testimony to the continual distortion of God’s word and the vulnerability of believers.
I must admit that sometimes it does seem discouraging to see how the prosperity gospel has attracted thousands of people while many faithful gospel preaching churches struggle with growth. But we must remind ourselves God is in control. Nothing happens outside of God’s jurisdiction.
The lies of the devil may seem to be getting the upper hand evidence by the numbers but we are not in the numbers game. Our task is not to gain popularity but to proclaim the truth. We must remain faithful and be careful not to fall prey to deception. Especially when we are going through tough times and the word of God seems silent to our struggles. Even in such times we must rest in the assurance that God may be silent but He is not absent and He is on top of things. We need not fear even if the man of lawlessness were to come during our time.
When the man of lawlessness is revealed, we would think the battle will reach its climax but the right word is anti-climax. Listen to what Paul told his readers in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, you will understand why I say it is an anti-climax: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”
Whoever this man of lawlessness is and no matter how powerful he may be, he has no chance before the Lord.
Whoever this man of lawlessness is and no matter how powerful he may be, he has no chance before the Lord. Just with a breath of His mouth, the evil one will be completely destroyed and his appearance is almost like a non-event.
Friend, we often forget the awesome power of our Lord. The world was spoken into existence, the sea was calmed in an instant by the word of Christ. These words are reminiscent of what the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 11:4, “and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.”
Is this not assurance enough for us?
When the believers in Thessalonica were deceived, it led to some of them almost falling away from the faith because they see no hope. They probably thought that Christ has already abandon them. Now that the truth is unveiled there is possibly a lingering question whether it would be possible for the Christians in Thessalonica to fall, through being deceived by Satan.
Even in this situation, Paul wants his readers to know that God is still very much in control.
Stand assured in the midst of deception because God is in control (2 Thess 2:9-12)
Ultimately all the deceptions, the deceptions the Thessalonians succumbed to, the deceptions of our times, the deception throughout history all came from one source, the prince of darkness is behind all these deceptions and he is not an enemy we should take lightly. But friends while the danger is very real, Satan is not in control, God is.
The Thessalonian’s faith may have been shaken and perhaps there may be people who may truly have fallen away from the faith. However, Paul needed them to know that even so God is still in control. Two truths are being put forth in these verses,
First truth is the one who truly falls away are non-believers. Where do we see that? In 2 Thessalonians 2:10, we learn why there are people who are perishing. It is because they are people who do not love the truth and I would take it to mean people who reject the gospel. Not only did they reject the truth but they also take pleasure in unrighteousness, meaning they chose to live a life that contradicts the truth. This is a clear sign that they are not believers. It is not just doubting but an absolute rejection of the truth. It is more than just unbelief it also embracing sin. Delighting not in the Lord but in sin. No true child of God will do that.
The second thing they needed to know is God is in control. How is that shown? Paul shows this by giving his readers the reason why some people perish and it is because God has sent them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie rather than the truth (see 2 Thess 2:11-12).
Paul wants to show that even though some will perish through Satan’s work of deception, it does not mean that God is a powerless, passive observer. Instead, these verses highlight that ultimately God is directing all things and even Satan is merely one of His messengers used by Him to achieve His own eternal purposes.
This does not mean therefore no one is responsible for their own fall. No that is not it, rather no one can blame God that they perished because they must take responsibility themselves for not believing the truth and for delighting in wickedness (see 2 Thess 2:12). What this also implies is that no one will be able to credit Satan with success since it is God who is ultimately in control of all things, even Satan and his lies. All these things are woven into His purposes.
Satan may be a powerful enemy and he may try every means to lure the children of God astray, he may be a prowling lion but he cannot take away our salvation. This is the assurance Paul gave to his readers in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”
The first word of assurance is they are loved by the Lord. This must imply that the salvation of the Thessalonian Christians, the reason why they are saved is because God exercised towards them an unmerited love. A love that they do not deserve. A love that they have done nothing to obtain. A love that has been demonstrated through the sacrifice of His Son.
The second word of assurance that Paul has for the Thessalonians is God has chosen them from the very beginning for that is what Paul meant when he wrote, “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved” The use of the word firstfruits in the ESV is based on an older interpretation of the original Greek text but almost all the other Greek manuscripts have rendered it as “chosen from the beginning”. What this is likely to mean is even before they came into existence they were chosen and we can take reference from Ephesians 1:4.
If they are chosen from the beginning it must imply that there is no danger of them ever losing their salvation because it is founded on God’s eternal election. and it is eternally secured in accordance with God’s perfect will. This is true for the Thessalonians and it is true for us as well.
Paul’s third word of assurance to his readers is they have been set apart by the Spirit. This is pointing to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Meaning the Spirit is at work in the lives of all the believers, and the challenges that they face are part of the sanctifying work of the Spirit in their lives.
What it means for us is the Spirit is also constantly at work in our lives to purify us and to set us apart for God. The trials and afflictions that we face are there to remain steadfast with the ultimate aim of making us complete and lacking nothing. There are some trials that we face as a result of our sins but even these trials are meant for our good, they are meant to lead us to repentance and dependence on the Lord.
God loves us, He determines our salvation and His Spirit is at work in our lives that we may be set apart for His glory.
The clear message to the Thessalonians and to us is this, God loves us, He determines our salvation and His Spirit is at work in our lives that we may be set apart for His glory. God is the One who is at work in our lives and what is expected of us is to believe in Him, to trust Him and to follow Him.
To what end does our salvation lead us? Where does all this lead us to? There is no guarantee that our salvation will relieve us of all persecution and afflictions, in fact it is likely to lead us to having greater afflictions and persecution. For often part of the work of sanctification by the Spirit, the cleansing process He takes us through, involves afflictions and persecutions.
For the Thessalonians what must be clear to them is the afflictions they are facing does not in any way diminish God’s love for them. They are very much the beloved of God and one can snatch them away from God.
So what do all these mean to the Thessalonians who are going through afflictions? What does it mean for us who are facing a rather uncertain future now more than ever?
Let me bring us to Paul’s fourth word of assurance to his readers: “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess 2:14).
The fourth assurance is they will obtain the glory of Christ. This is the ultimate hope of future glory. It is pointing to the glory of the Son of God. It points to the glory of His victory at the cross, the glory of His resurrection. It points to the glory and splendor of His return.
What does it mean for us to obtain the glory of Christ? We were created for God’s glory and what this means is the greatest satisfaction and the greatest joy in our lives can only be experienced when Christ is glorified in us.
Like a piano in the master’s hand will produce the most beautiful sound that it was created to produce. So our greatest satisfaction is found when Christ is glorified in us. It is only then that we will truly experience life as it was meant to be and experience joy like never before.
But when we speak of us obtaining the glory of Christ it is more than just Christ glorified in us. We are talking about us sharing in His glory. If our greatest satisfaction is found in Christ glorified in us, it just blows my mind to try to think of us sharing in Christ glory. But that is exactly what we can look forward to.
Friends, we are not called through the gospel to have a life free from the worries of the world. We are not called through the gospel to be blessed with health and the earthly treasures of this world. We are not called through the gospel for fame and glory in this world. We are called through the gospel because we are loved by God. We are called through the gospel to obtain an eternal salvation, to be free from the bondage of our sin, freed to walk in obedience to our Father and Creator. We are called through the gospel to be set apart for God. We are called to ultimately share in the glory of Christ.
In the light of these truths what should be our response?
Stand firm and hold fast to the gospel truth (2 Thess 2:13-17)
What does these words of Paul to the Thessalonians mean for us?
It means we are to stand firm, to be unmoving, it means we are to hold on to the word of God. When Paul told the believers to hold on to the traditions, he is not talking about man made traditions and neither is talking about the traditions of the Church, he is talking about the word of God.
It means we are stand firm and hold on to the word when dealing with the challenges in life, dealing with pain and loses. Standing firm and holding on even when there is no relief in sight even when our prayers have gone unanswered.
It means even when we cast our anxieties to the Lord and we still have sleepless, we continue to trust in His word, continue to cast our anxieties to Him one day at time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time.
It means even when there are moments in our lives when we just want to give up, when what we are facing does not seem to square with the word of God. Even in moments when the word of God does not seem to offer us much comfort and in moments when our pain is real and God is silent. We must continue to hold to His word, trusting in very same power of the gospel that saves to continue to sustain us.
We can stand firm no matter what life throws at us, because our salvation is already secured in God.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we can stand firm no matter what life throws at us, because our salvation is already secured in God. We may have to suffer in this earthly life of ours and death may claim our body but nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are the chosen of God and we have eternal security. I cannot guarantee that we will be immune from deception, I cannot guarantee there will be no affliction. But God has given His guarantee of future glory and eternal security for those who are in Christ. And His word is trustworthy.
Hold on to His word that we may not be deceived, stand firm on His word that we will not be shaken.
Let me close in prayer with the words of the Apostle Paul: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” (2 Thess 2:16-17).