"Stand Firm in the Word - the Day is Near"

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

In last week’s text, we read that before Christ can return, there will be two issues that must occur. First, there will be a worldwide rebellion against the word of God, the extent of which we don’t yet understand, and second, the “man of lawlessness”, the one known as Antichrist, the one who has been restrained by the Lord, will be loosed upon the earth. Each of these events will herald successive increases in the activity of sin, and the Church will come under increasingly greater opposition and oppression. It will not be a pleasant time for believers.

And even in the midst of all the pain that this time will bring, Paul tells us to remain faithful and hopeful. Lawlessness will, eventually, be overturned by Christ, and all who gave honor to him will also be lost – not only in their delusional obedience, but also in eternity. The only opportunity to be spared from the condemnation is through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul wants us to hold fast to this promise, and to never doubt or waiver in the trust we place in the word of God.

Last week’s lesson was about the time of trial and those who will cause it. Today’s lesson is focused on what the faithful must do as they wait for the Day of Jesus Christ, and - the answer should be of no surprise to anyone - we are to pray and to continue to trust in the word of God that he has given us through Jesus, and the prophets, and the early apostles.

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15

Be thankful – not over the trials that this life will be bringing (Romans 5:3-5), but in all that the Lord has given and is yet to bring. Be thankful for the faithful church. Be thankful for the gift of faith in Almighty God. Be thankful for the salvation that is ours simply through faith in Christ Jesus.
The Church was set in place to proclaim this very thought – that those who trust and love and live the truth of God will be saved, and that those who will not trust will never know salvation. The Church was chosen to be faithful, but when it isn’t, and when it teaches thoughts and concepts that run counter to scripture, it does an extremely serious disservice to countless millions of people. In that regard, this very creation of God can become a tool of Satan!

But when we are faithful, when we are truly thankful, the future of the Church and all who live within her, are placed directly in the hands of the Lord. In John Wesley’s teaching, there are 4 aspects, known as the “quadrilateral”, to this faithful living.
The first is scripture. We are to trust explicitly in the word of God and all that it teaches. It is to be the basis for all that we do, and without it, we have no hope of knowing God’s will for our lives. There can be no other foundation for our faith.
The second is tradition. Our doctrine, the principles under which we live, and worship, and serve, and testify, is based in our age long orthodoxy. This doesn’t mean that our doctrine can never change, but as we live and learn within the scriptures, our tradition becomes more and more Christ-like.
The third is experience. This doesn’t imply that our own experiences in life should effect our faith in scripture, but rather that our faith must become experiential in nature. Faith is not only a “head knowledge” about Jesus - it is also a life of acting like Jesus.
The fourth is reason. Our ability to understand and comprehend and accept God’s call on our lives helps us to proclaim and testify to our faith with others.
Each must begin with the word of God, and grows from there.

This is one approach that helps us to respond to Paul’s call to “stand firm” in faith and action, which will in turn, strengthen us in our times of trial and oppression.

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Paul ends this section that deals with remaining faithful in the face of satanic attacks, with a prayer that calls us to return to foundational faith. Faith in the ways of earth is not scriptural. Faith that condones the false trust in those other gods is no faith at all. Faith in Jesus Christ, and all that he is and was and continues to be, is the only hope. Paul offers hope, and comfort, and strength in the only source of power that we can always rely on – that same power that enables us to live and serve throughout this life in the name of Jesus.

And he lets us know that it is only by God’s grace that we can receive his eternal presence and guidance. We have 2,000 years of experience to draw on, and yes, we have had our ups and downs throughout that entire period.
But our “downs” have always been caused by humanity’s attempts to replace God’s will with their own, to make decisions that make sense to us in our human understanding but never in God’s, to strike out on our own, to say “this is what I think our faith should be about”. And our “downs” can be destructive and divisive.
But our “ups” have always occurred because we have allowed the Lord Jesus to govern our decisions and actions that we offer in the name of Christ. And our “ups” can be mountaintop experiences!

Paul’s prayer is, essentially, a prayer for conviction, a prayer that orients our lives toward the mountaintops.
Henri Nouwen, priest, professor, writer and theologian, wrote:
As you see more clearly that your vocation is to be a witness to God's love in this world, and, as you become more determined to live out that vocation, the attacks of the enemy will increase.

You will hear voices saying, "You are worthless, you have nothing to offer, you are unattractive, undesirable, unlovable." The more you sense God's call, the more you will discover in your own soul the cosmic battle between God and Satan.

Do not be afraid. Keep deepening your conviction that God's love for you is enough, that you are in safe hands, and that you are being guided every step of the way. Don't be surprised by the demonic attacks. They will increase, but as you face them without fear, you will discover that they are powerless.

Only when your roots are deep can your fruits be abundant.

--Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom (Doubleday, 1996), 93-94.

That is what Paul’s prayer is asking for – deep roots and abundant fruit.

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Paul not only prays for the church in Thessalonica, but he asks that they pray for him and his companions, too! And he asks prayers for 2 issues.

First, he asks that they pray that the message they share would spread rapidly and would be honored. His desire is that the word of God wouldn’t be interrupted or delayed – that it would spread through the world unrestrained, with intentionality, with power and purpose, and that the world’s opposition might never impact it. He also asks that it be “honored” – that the church would accept it as delivered, and not feel that they need to change it to make it more palatable, more politically correct, more acceptable. He wants the word of God to be glorified right here on earth!

May it spread like a raging fire, and may the people rejoice in receiving it.

The second request is that he and his band of believers would be protected from the forces of evil that are at work against the word of God. He fully acknowledges that there are not only many in the world who do not believe, but that the power of Satan is at work trying to prevent the word from being shared and proclaimed!

Since the beginning of time, evil has been doing everything possible to block God’s work and to lead the people away from the truth. And ever since Jesus’ first time on earth, that effort has been increasing. But as powerful as Satan is, and as weak as we are at times, the Spirit of God is always with us in faith, granting us power, filling us with resolve, teaching us to trust him in spite of what is going on around us. And regardless of how deep or shallow our faith may be, it is by trusting in Jesus that we can experience the power of God’s faith at work within us! His faithfulness will strengthen us in confidence and commitment and conviction, and he will direct our every thought and step that is taken in service and witness to the name of Jesus.

The Day of Christ’s return is nearer than any of us can imagine, but until that day arrives, there is no reason whatsoever for us to slacken in faith, and every reason to double and redouble our efforts in Christ – we must continue to study the scriptures, to pray for both the Church and the world, to step out in faith to proclaim the way and truth and life that is only in Jesus Christ, to continue to pray, just as Paul asked us to, that the word will spread throughout the world without interruption or delay, that people will accept it and trust it, and that the faithful would be protected from the world’s ways.

That is how we begin, and it is then we let the Lord lead us to whatever and wherever he needs us.