Sermons

Thursday, 12 October 2017

…comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. 2 Thessalonians 2:17

The verse here is divided in a way where it cannot be taken alone. The word “comfort” is based on Paul’s previous words – “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ, and our God and Father … comfort your hearts.” The word “comfort” here is tied into the intervening words of that same verse which said, “who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace.” There, the word “consolation” is a noun form of the closely corresponding verb “comfort” here.

As those in Thessalonica were facing trials and troubles, Paul is praying that they will be comforted by the comfort which exists in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in God the Father. He then adds in, “and establish you in every good word and work.” To be established is to be firm and fixed. It is to be unyielding when difficulties or confrontations come. The word in Greek means to stand against vacillation. And Paul applies it to “every good word and work.”

The word is the word of God, and the doctrine which flows from it. The work is applying that doctrine properly and in accord with the word. It then is a thought more fully fleshed out by Paul in Ephesians 4:13, 14 –

“…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.”

The words of the word, combined with a right application of them, will lead to good works which are suitable and pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to God the Father. And this is exactly what is implied here in Paul’s choice of words in the Greek. The verbs are in the singular, but the corresponding pronouns are “the Lord Jesus Christ” and “God the Father” of verse 16. Both are united in the use of the singular verbs. Thus, once again, there is the implication of the divine unity between these two Persons. It is another reference to the nature of the Godhead.

Life application: These words were written to those in Thessalonica, but they are a part of the word of God. And so Paul’s words to them are still a prayer of Paul to us today. They are a hope which endures through the ages of the church age, and they are words which we can rely on in our own times of trial and trouble, knowing that eons before we existed, the faithful apostle was making this petition to God on our behalf as well.

Glorious, precious, and wonderful heavenly Father! It is good to give thanks and praise to You. You have established us, You have granted us so very much good, and You are merciful and forgiving of our failings when we submit ourselves to You through Christ our Lord. Surely we are undeserving of the least of Your favors, and yet You have lavished us with abundance. Thank You for Your kind hand upon our lives. Amen.

Wednesday, 11 October 2017

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 2 Thessalonians 2:16

In these words, Paul presents a prayer which is connected to the exhortation he just made. He asked those in Thessalonica (and thus us!) to “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” In response to these words, he issues a prayer to confirm this in them. In a rather unusual construction, he says, “Now may the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father…” In this, he begins with Jesus, and only then does he move to the Father. This is the opposite of 1 Thessalonians 3:11 –

“Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.”

The reason for placing the Lord Jesus first is because of words which follow, and which describe the work of the Father. However, in doing this, there is the implicit hint, as is seen so many times elsewhere, of the equality of the Persons within the Godhead. The word “and” between the two shows that they are separate and distinct (a Godhead is thus identified), and that they are equal within this Godhead. As this is a prayer made directly to Jesus, as well as to the Father, it recognizes the equality of the two.

With that understood, it says that it is God the Father “who has loved us.” God the Father is the Source of the love which is being expressed in the thought. His love for us is what then leads to Paul’s next thought, that He has “given us everlasting consolation.” These words describe a type of comfort which is enduring, and which cannot be robbed from us. No matter what happens, our comfort will endure. How untypical of all other faiths where adherents place their lost loved ones in the grave, and who then mourn their eternal loss. But this is completely untrue with the Christian faith. As Paul noted in verse 13, God chose us “for salvation in (as the Greek reads) sanctification by the Spirit.”

This is the everlasting consolation now being referred to. Those in Christ are saved, and they have been sanctified. Every terrifying thing described earlier in the chapter (and elsewhere in Scripture) concerning those who fail to come to Christ has no bearing on us. Instead, we have the everlasting consolation “and good hope by grace.” The words in Greek read “in grace.” This denotes the mode of the everlasting consolation and good hope which we have been given. Grace is the element in which it occurs and is experienced. The words here then correspond to verse 13 –

“God from the beginning chose you for salvation in sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”

“God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope in grace.”

We are chosen for salvation in sanctification, and we are given everlasting consolation and good hope in grace. This shows us the extent of the Father’s love for us. He sent Christ Jesus to accomplish these things for us in order to reconcile us to Him, and it is this Gift of Christ Jesus which is a reflection of His unlimited grace. Praise be to God.

Life application: If you struggle with the concept of the Trinity, that’s OK. It is a difficult concept for us to grasp. Not fully understanding something, however, does not mean that we cannot accept it as true. The word of God clearly teaches this doctrine, and so we are expected to accept it by faith, even if we do not fully understand it. Have faith in God’s word, and do not let others bring you into error because they are unwilling to take God at His word.

Lord God, we may not understand everything presented in Your word, but we can still have faith that Your word is true. And this isn’t a naive trust in a dubious thing. Rather, it is trust in a word which has confirmed itself countless times. It has been proven true so many times that we would be ignorant fools to not accept the parts we don’t yet get. Our faith is grounded, and our hope is sure. We step into Your revealed light when we enter into the pages of Scripture! Amen.

Tuesday, 10 October 2017

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. 2 Thessalonians 2:15

The word “Therefore” is especially given based on Paul’s words back in verses 1 & 2 of this chapter. However, he has supported those words with everything else since. He said then to them that they should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from them. In other words, “Anything you have heard which has not been given to you by an apostle, or which cannot be confirmed as apostolic in nature, is to be rejected outright.” After that, he defended this position by reexplaining what he had already explained to them, confirming that what he said was to be taken as authoritative. Anything contradictory to that was a false message.

He then says again, “brethren.” He is addressing them as fellow-believers in Christ, and he wants them to be sound in their doctrine and faith. For this reason, he continues with the words, “stand fast.” To stand is to be sound, fixed, and firm in doctrine. They were not to waiver and be “soon shaken or troubled” when some Johnny-come-lately passed along something which was not in accord with sound apostolic teaching. To support this, he continues with, “and hold the traditions which you were taught.”

“The traditions” are those things which they first heard from Paul and his associates, and which became ingrained in them. The word “tradition” here means “from close-beside.” It indicates something passed on from one generation to the next. As the apostles gave them their first instruction in Christ. It was this, and this alone, which they were to hold fast to. The word translated as “hold” means to seize hold of and to put under one’s control. This is what they were to do with the word given to them, and this is what we are to do with the word, once delivered to us, today. We are to hold fast to it, and we are not to be shaken by every wind of doctrine which passes by. How sad that Paul’s words are pretty much completely ignored by countless cults and unsound churches today!

He finishes with the words, “whether by word or by our epistle.” This is referring to the “traditions you were taught.” Those things which are apostolic in nature, and which were either in writing, or which would be codified in writing by other apostles, form what we call “the word of God,” or “the Holy Bible.” Once the word was recorded, and canonicity was determined, the word was set. What we should ask God when we hear someone claim divine inspiration over anything we hear is, “Shall I accept this, or will I stand fast on Your word alone?” It is a question each person must answer on his own. Is God’s word sufficient for our life and practice, or is it not?

Life application: This verse again shows us the truth of the doctrine of apostolic inspiration. It further implies then that when the apostolic age ended, no further revelation is given for our doctrine and faith. Paul’s words show that people should only hold on to what can be confirmed as from this divinely inspired process. It is exactly the reason why we are to never accept prophetic utterances, or claims of divine inspiration, by anyone else. The church age is literally spattered with false teachers who have claimed divine inspiration (and who continue to do so today), but none of their messages are to be considered authoritative or acceptable.

Lord God, You have spoken. Your word is set, and it is settled. May we never accept any supposed “word” from You by those who would attempt to add to what You have, once and for all time, delivered to the saints for their life, doctrine, and practice. Help us to be secure in our minds that the sixty-six books of the Bible are all-sufficient for us to know Your intentions for us, and to reject anything else which claims divine inspiration. You have spoken, and we have a sure, precious, and understandable word. Amen.

Monday, 9 October 2017

…to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:14

Look carefully at the progression of thought that Paul has said in the previous verse and in this one –

God from the beginning chose you
For salvation
Through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth to which He called you
By our gospel

He uses a neuter relative pronoun, translated here as “which.” As the preceding nouns (salvation, sanctification, and belief) are either feminine or masculine, he is not referring to any of these individually, but rather to all of them together. As Charles Ellicott notes, it is “the general state of life which is compounded of these three notions – ‘to which thing He called you.’” He then notes that, “The election or choice takes place in eternity (2 Thessalonians 2:13); the call is at that point of time when the men first hear the gospel. (See Romans 8:30).”

This wonderful insight, which is confirmed in the tense of this relative pronoun, clearly shows that the Calvinist view on predestination is wrong. Though God chose in eternity past, the process is also clearly based on a presentation of the gospel in the present of the believer. God calls each by the gospel. If no gospel presentation is given, salvation will not occur. As Paul says, “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Paul shows that God calls us to salvation, sanctification, and belief by the gospel “for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” There are actually several different possibilities as to how this final clause is translated –

1) “…for the purpose of an acquisition of glory to Jesus Christ.” This seems to indicate that the gospel was given in order for Jesus to accumulate glory. It is true that Jesus indicates that He is glorified in His disciples in John 17:10, but this doesn’t appear to be Paul’s intent as he writes.

2) “…for a glorious possession of Jesus Christ.” This would show that the intent of our salvation and sanctification is so that we would become subjects of Christ in His kingdom. It is true that this will occur. Christ is our Head and we are His people, but once again this doesn’t seem to be what Paul is thinking of.

3) “…to be possessors or sharers in the glory of Jesus Christ.” This appears to be what is on Paul’s mind. He relates this idea to the saints at several times in several distinct ways. For example, in Romans 8:17 he says that we will be “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” Paul is an apostle who is, at this time, telling his readers what lies ahead for them because of the process that they have gone through, and continue to go through.

Life application: God has a plan. It is a plan which was in His mind before He created anything. We must understand this, and in understanding it, we can be assured that everything is exactly as it should be. However, we also need to understand that His plan is being worked out in the stream of time. The means of salvation is given in His word – a presentation of the gospel message. That message must then be received by the hearer of it. There is no external forcing in this process, but rather a free-will decision by the believer. Neither Paul, nor any other writer in the Bible, ever hints that we are “regenerated in order to believe.” Be sure to open your mouth and speak. People need to hear the word, and they must respond to what they hear.

Lord God, thank you for having granted us the choice to believe Your message or to reject it. This then places all the glory on You for those who receive it, and it places all the responsibility for failing to act upon those who reject it; thus giving You the glory even in their rejection. Nobody will be able to say, “It’s not fair!” on that great day when we stand before You. You are sovereign, and You are gracious. Glory to You in the highest. Amen.