2 Thess. 2:13-17 “Responding to False Teaching”

1:02Intense persecution had forced Paul to leave Thessalonica. And after three weeks of preaching, only three weeks of preaching, and despite repeated efforts to return to them, Paul had been prevented from doing so. As a result, Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica. Timothy returned with glowing Reports of how the Thessalonians had not only persevered, but they were growing in their faith, hope, and love. And so Paul crafts his first epistle. But Paul was attempting to address several questions that Timothy had brought back to him.

1:51Paul wanted to put the Thessalonians at peace by assuring them that the second coming and those who had died in the faith would be raised and they would be joined by the saints living at that time to meet the Lord in the air. And consistent with the Greek concept of appentesis, the risen and the living saints would escort the Lord to the earth to live forever in the presence of the Lord. In that same epistle, Paul also urged the Thessalonian saints to be alert and to be ready for the Lord's return, not to be caught by surprise like those outside the faith.

2:47Unfortunately, things got a little bit worse after that epistle arrives. So Paul has to write a second epistle. Amongst Some of the reasons why he writes it. He was attempting to address a strand of false teaching that had arisen. And this strand of false teaching had promoted the idea that the Lord Jesus Christ had already returned, and that this had some taken place in a spiritual or abstract sense. And this teaching was causing incredible distress. As was discussed by Pastor Allen just last week, Paul tackles this head-on. Paul stated that Christ had not returned and will not return until two other events take place. First, there will be a great rebellion. And second, the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, must arise.

3:59Embedded within this, as you read the second epistle, while Paul states that these events remain in the future, nevertheless, a spirit of lawlessness that will characterize that coming rebellion was already at work in his day and isn't at work in our day. People are already being deceived. And so he warns the Thessalonians to make sure that they are not being. Deceived or led astray by false teaching. So, having negatively responded to the false teaching, as was covered last week, that Christ had already returned, when he says in chapter 2, verse 2, don't be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed.

4:52This morning he replies more positively in verses 13 through 17 that we need to believe in the truth, hold on to the truth, and to practice the truth. So, in looking at this passage, how should we today in this room, how should we respond to the false teaching about the second coming in this 21st century? That is, how should we respond to prophecies that focus on times and dates, but not on a call for missions or gospel urgency?

5:41How should we respond to those looking for secret codes as a way to unlock the scriptures? How should we respond to those who see the demise of America as a sign of the end? How should we respond to those who make a particular view of orthodoxy a test of spirituality? How do we respond to those who evaluate the modern state of Israel against interpretation of how Israel fits into the end times rather than against the appropriate standards of justice that we should hold any country to?

6:29How should we respond to those who see political unrest and natural disasters as a sign of the end of this age when Christ told us in Matthew 24, these are only the beginning of the birth pangs? Rather than focusing on schemes, narratives, and predictions, we should respond just as Paul instructed the Thessalonians. We should believe in the truth, hold on to the truth, and practice the truth. Believing the truth involves kind of a backward look into the past. Holding on to the truth means that we take present actions. And practicing the truth means that we have a continuation of those actions into the future.

7:30Believing in, holding on, and practicing the truth is how we should respond to false teaching about the Second Coming in the 21st century. And that is where we're going this morning. How do we respond to false teaching about the second coming? First, we are admonished to believe in the truth. Look at verse 13 and 14. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

8:18To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is the truth we are to believe in? Paul looks backwards for the Thessalonians and us to the origin of our salvation, the means employed to secure our salvation, and the goal of our salvation. In verse 13, Paul states that the origin of our salvation is found in divine election. We give thanks to God. To God for you, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved.

9:08William Henderson, in his commentary, prefers because God chose you from the beginning and translating this passage, and not because God chose you as first fruits. And while both readings are well attested, Paul never uses firstfruits in connection with the idea of election or choosing. But in either case, our salvation is not rooted in the work of a preacher or a Christian friend who shared the gospel with us. Much less does our salvation have its roots in our own choice and personal decision and trust in Jesus.

9:54Although no one can be saved who does not choose and decide to place their trust in Christ. Rather, Paul reminds us that the origin of our salvation lies in the mysterious wonders of divine election. In eternity, back before anyone told us about Jesus, back before we ever thought about choosing him, back before you or I or anyone else, for that matter, could even draw breath, God chose us as Of a mass of fallen humanity to be his beloved children.

10:38Exactly how God chose believers for and by himself, that is, how he does it, the means employed to secure our salvation, is now amplified in verse 13. Look, it was through sanctification by the Spirit. Sanctification here is not the reference to the progressive moral change of thoughts, words, and deeds that God produces in us by His Word and Spirit throughout the course of our lives. Rather, Paul here is referring to a definitive, once and for all act of consecration of being set apart by God for God and His purpose and His use, and that happens when we are converted. You can write down John 16, 8, forward, Acts 1, 8, Acts 16, 14, 1 Peter 1, 12, 2, that deals with that. The second means God uses to choose believers is by belief in the truth. As the God who ordained the end and chose us for salvation, so likewise He is ordained. The means, and it pertains to man's responsibility. God's election in no way bypasses the need for personal faith in Christ. The two must be held in balance. More on that later. The third means that God chooses to use to choose believers is through divine, His divine and irresistible call. Look at verse 14. To this He called you through our gospel.

12:37This call is not simply an outward invitation to be accepted or rejected, to be taken or left. Rather, it is a sovereign summons. Children, you're going, what in the heck is a sovereign summons? So let's go back to creation. So envision creation for a second. When God wanted light, did he say to the light, could you kind of please come over here and lighten up this dark place? Did he say to the water, could you maybe go over here and maybe land, you might go over there?

13:27A sovereign summons is not like that. A sovereign summons is a divine command where God said into the chaos, let there be light. And there was light. Likewise, the divine call to salvation is the effectual call of God that accomplishes what it commands. So, having stated the origin and the means of our salvation, Paul now sets forth the goal of our salvation. While it is true, this is where most of us are, that salvation brings about the forgiveness of our sins, we get to be declared righteous in Christ, we don't have to face eternal wrath, that's not what Paul is wanting us to see as the ultimate and final goal of salvation. We think about salvation in heaven as streets of gold, no more suffering, no more death. We look forward so we can be reunited with the loved ones. But the goal of salvation is not what, that's not what Paul sees as that. The goal of the gospel is a salvation which enables us to share in the glory of Christ for all eternity. Look at verse 14. 14, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The goal of our salvation is the possession of the glory of Christ.

15:17That's our highest, that is our highest and final enjoyment in the future. But that really raises the question: what does Paul mean by the glory of Christ? Amongst many things that I can answer that question, he's referring to the glory of Jesus, which is the brightness and the nature of the creator of the universe. He's referring to Jesus as being the sum of all love, wisdom, and power that he, Jesus, revealed in his earthly life. Paul is referencing that we will have the glory, that is the triumph of every battle Jesus won over personal, global, and universal enemies. We were made to share in that glory.

16:20That glory is really only that which will satisfy our hearts. If that is the glory, What does it mean we get to possess this glory? First, we will become glorious as Jesus was glorious. 1 John 3:2, when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. Second, our union with Christ will be changed from invisible to visible. And third, we will actually be conformed, as Romans 8:29 says, to the image of his Son, which means that we will be given the very character of the Son. Brothers and sisters, that is the goal of our salvation. Our life, salvation, is so that we might have the possession of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

17:33So, as we step back for just a second, brothers and sisters, in these two verses, Paul sets forth what we are to believe in by comprehending the whole work of God in rescuing us from sin, beginning in election, proceeding through conversion and consecration, and arriving in guaranteed final glorification. That is the truth we are to believe in. And any teaching about the second coming that contradicts this truth or makes little of this truth by choosing to focus on schemes, narratives, and predictions is to be rejected.

18:26How do we respond to false teaching about the second coming? We are to believe in the truth. Second, we are to hold on to the truth. Look at verse 15. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. If we're going to stand firm and if we're going to remember what God has done, then we need to look down and stay in the word. The words stand firm is a call for stability, in contrast in verse 2 of chapter 2 in 2 Thessalonians, of being shaken or disturbed. The means for stability is found in the command to hold on. That is, to hold on to something strongly or tightly so that it cannot be lost or taken away. And the object to be held tightly is the traditions that you were taught by us.

19:39Okay, children, allow me to paint a picture of how we can have an object we can hold tightly or a source of stability. Picture a big sailing boat with three masts. And it's okay if some of you might want to even picture this as a pirate ship. What could a sailor on this ship do to hold on in the midst of a storm for stability? Not to be thrown around on the ship, but what would you tie yourself to? What would you hold on to?

20:21A rope? What would be the rope attached to? The mast. I heard one person say it. I would be racing to the mast and I would hold on tightly because when the ship is short, the mast doesn't move. It may lean, but you're holding on to it. In the midst of a storm, you see this in many movies. Sailors who wanted to achieve stability, they tie themselves to the mast. They tie themselves, they hold on to a rope that's tied to the mast. Likewise, Paul wants us to stand firm and hold on. To the traditions. What traditions does Paul want us to hold on to? Well, clearly, he does not want us to hold on to bad traditions. Those are the traditions of men which are contrary to the word of God. You see two passages up here: Matthew 15:3, why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? Colossians 2:8, be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions. Rather, what Paul wants the Thessalonians to do in the midst of this chaos about has Christ come already, what Paul wants us to do is to hold on to the teachings that God has revealed through his apostles, which are to be observed and to be passed on. Two passages in front of you: 1 Corinthians 11:2, I praise you that you remember in everything and maintain the traditions, just as I pass them on to you. 2 Thessalonians 3, keep away from any brother who lives an undisciplined life, not according to the tradition they receive from us.

22:14Paul is exhorting the Thessalonians to hold fast to apostolic teaching, rather to embrace the false teaching of those who claim to speak for Paul. How would the Thessalonians be able to discern between Paul's genuine instruction and the false teaching of those who would lead them astray? The Thessalonians are to cling to the traditions they heard from Paul's mouth and in his written letters, rather than those things which allegedly came from others secondhand. Likewise, we are to cling to the apostolic teaching that is found in the New Testament, not that which is found in books and articles and podcasts and predictions about the second coming that may very well be in contradiction to God's word. Hold on to the apostolic teachings as revealed in God's word.

23:27How do we respond to false teaching about the second coming? We believe in the truth, hold on to the truth, and as seen in the short and powerful prayer in verses 16 and 17, practice the truth. Look at verse 16. 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 a Establish them in every good work and word. Let's unpack this prayer real quick. What are the two gifts given to us because of God's love? One is eternal comfort. This comfort is something that we can know now in part through the scriptures. 2 Corinthians 1:3 through 7 will state that. But this comfort is also eternal and reminds us that our present affliction is temporary, while our reward and recompense in the future is permanent. The second gift given after eternal comfort is good hope. In our modern setting, people often think of hope as kind of this unsure optimism, but in the New Testament, that's not the concept of hope.

24:56Whether it was referring to the activity of hoping or the object of what was hoped for, the Greek term here refers to the confident expectation of something that will happen definitively, but in the future. Kind of as an illustration of what we're talking about. We in this room do not see the justifying work of God or the imputation of righteousness to our account. Happened. We have a confident hope that that has occurred. We did not see the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we were saved, or the baptizing work of the Spirit which joined us into union with Christ. Yet, we believe these realities, even though it is still a matter of faith and hope. Thus, hope is the confident expectation, the sure certainty that what God has promised in His Word is true, and that it has either occurred already or will occur in accordance with the sure promises of His Word.

26:21What is the, in this prayer, what are the means by which these two gifts are given? And these gifts come to us through grace. All that we have, being the objects of God's love and the recipients of comfort and hope, is by grace and never by what we deserve, no matter how faithful we might be. It is grace that saved us, it is grace that keeps us, and it is grace that will enter us into God's presence. Brothers and sisters, that is amazing grace.

27:05What are Paul's specific requests in this short prayer? Look at the latter part of verse 17. I'm praying for you, in essence, that comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. The Thessalonians needed comfort and encouragement to practice the good works in view of the recent anxiety that was being created by this false information concerning the day of the Lord, meaning Christ had already returned. But Paul knew that only the Lord himself could effectively bring about the needed encouragement and stability that would lead to the practice of the truth in word and deed in the midst of a pagan environment. In other words, Paul wanted God to establish the Thessalonians and us by strengthening our spiritual lives so that we might do and say all that God desires.

28:15So these are the three admonitions of how we are to respond to false teaching about the second coming. But in closing, I want to meditate on three seeming consequences. Contradictions that were put forth in this passage. The first seeming contradiction is that it is divine sovereignty and human responsibility. In verse 13, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. God chose us, but we are to believe. The apostle shows us the necessity and fact of both divine sovereignty and human responsibility in man's salvation. Listen very carefully. In other words, there is no such thing as a person who is elect who does not eventually believe the gospel, or a person who believes the gospel but is not elect.

29:29Now, can you understand that? Not really. For the more profound a truth is, the greater the difficulty finite man has in understanding it. What is needed is the humility to face this truth as part of our own finiteness. For making a broad statement, for really what is the Bible? It is the divine and special revelation. Of the mind of an infinite God, which means that the human reader is often brought beyond the limits of our own intelligence, beyond our own ability to comprehend. Unless we come to recognize that our own wisdom and intelligence on the difficult concepts of Scripture like divine sovereignty and human volition, the Trinity, the divine and human natures of Christ united in one person, we will continue to distort what the scripture teaches on such difficult issues. We need to recognize we are finite, God is infinite, and we may not be able to explain that completely. And that's okay.

30:48The second seeming contradiction is related to God's irresistible call. While God's call is irresistible to this, He called you through our gospel. Men are not forced into the kingdom of God. They come willingly. All right, children, I'm going to go back and give you another picture. When Noah finished the ark and God said, Noah, go into the ark. Was Noah thrown in? Was Noah pushed in? Was Noah dragged in? No. He went in as willingly as the people who chose not to go in.

31:37Anybody who wanted to enter that ark could have gone in. And anybody today who wants to be saved can be if they want to. The scriptures state, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. God desires all to be saved, and anyone who wants to be saved can be. And there may be someone in this room today who is not sure that they have ever been saved. If you see that you are a sinner and that your sin is incapable of being addressed or paid for, and you know that God is holy, all you have to know is that Jesus, God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay for the sins of his people who choose to put their faith in Christ's work and not our own. And if you in this room desire to be saved, all you have to do is call upon the name of the Lord and you can be saved.

33:00Our third and final seeming contradiction is related to the ability of whose responsibility it is to stand firm. Paul has just exhorted the Thessalonians in verse 15: stand firm. It's their job, it's their work to stand firm. And then, having exhorted them to do it, he immediately turns, gets on his knees, and he prays that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ would establish them. That seems like a contradiction. Is it their job to stand firm, or is it God's job to keep them standing firm?

33:41Brothers and sisters, we don't need to choose one or the other. We don't need to choose between active activism and prayerfulness. We mustn't think, some people pray about it, but I have to get on and do it. Paul tells us to stand firm. We need to stand firm because standing firm is our work and it is our work. And then Paul falls on his knees and he pleads with God, knowing that if we are to work out our salvation, God must work in us to will and to work for his good pleasure. As David Strain says, work and pray, pray and work.

34:32So, brothers and sisters, how are we to respond to the false teaching about the second coming in the 21st century? Rather than focusing on schemes, narratives, and predictions, we are to believe in the truth, hold on to the truth, and practice the truth. Let us pray. Fathers, today's passage was not a narrative, it was a piece out of Paul's epistle to the 2 Thessalonians. These 2 Thessalonians were in a state of concern, anxiety, chaos. Had the Lord come, but we missed it?

35:36And Paul clearly says, No, he has not come, for two things have not yet occurred. But more importantly, if you believe in the truth, hold on to the truth, and practice the truth, and stop being caught up in all of the conversations about. When Christ is coming, how Christ is coming, who is the Antichrist. That you will be doing what Paul instructed the Thessalonians and us, so that we might be calm, that we might have confidence that we are doing the work that we are supposed to be doing until he comes.

36:27May those in this room who profess faith in Jesus Christ not be fearful of the events that are taking place here in the United States and across the world. These are the beginning of birth pangs. May we rather be faithful in propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ, of making disciples throughout the world. Just as the Thessalonians were doing in a period of time of increasing persecution, they did not lose hope. They got about the work. May we here in the United States have the same mindset because too many of our brothers and sisters don't.

37:24And again, to those in this room who have not yet. Embraced Christ's work on the cross as being the sole means by which one can be saved. May they today embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And those who are true believers, may we grasp that the glory that we are yet to have by being like Christ is the real goal of heaven. All the others are going to be secondary benefits. No more sorrow, no more death. We will become like Christ.

38:21What an amazing promise. We thank you for all of these truths in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.