The Free Course of the Word
October 25, 2022 at 3:59 pm | Posted in II Thessalonians | Leave a commentTags: 2 Thessalonians 3, 2 Timothy 2, Bible, Biblical commands, commentary on 2 Thessalonians, Psalm 147, spiritual warfare, Sunday School lessons on 2 Thessalonians, Word of God
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
II Thessalonians 3:1 (emphasis added)
The Word of God is living; our job as Christians is to set it free. When I communicate with people who pretend not to believe in God, or who don’t believe the Bible, I still use Bible verses. Sometimes this drives them absolutely CRAZY. They say, “Why do keep telling me what the BIBLE says? I don’t believe the Bible.” I use it because it is LIVING and POWERFUL. We need to remember this in Christian ministry. If somebody comes to God, and we attribute it to the skill of a preacher or teacher, or if we attribute it to the skill of a worship band or singer, or if we attribute it to a very clever plan to get people to come to some church event, then we are giving the glory to ourselves. But if we TRUST the Word and PUBLISH the Word, God gets the glory.
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
Psalm 147:15
Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
II Timothy 2:9
Sheep that are not properly fed get edgy, they get hungry, they start to bite each other, they don’t follow the Shepherd, they start to wander off. When they wander off looking for food, they are susceptible to falling into ditches, getting caught in briar bushes, getting attacked by wolves. However, when sheep are well fed they flock together, they reproduce, they follow the Shepherd, and they are happy.
Not only should we RECOGNIZE and APPRECIATE the power of the Word, but we are COMMANDED to release the Word. “Command” is a key Word in II Thessalonians Chapter 3.
And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
II Thessalonians 3:4 (emphasis added)
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
II Thessalonians 3:6 (emphasis added)
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
II Thessalonians 3:10 (emphasis added)
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
II Thessalonians 3:12 (emphasis added)
“Command” is a word for soldiers. Good soldiers can get in big trouble if they show up late for drills. As Christians, we are in a more important war than a military army. We need to show up on time, prepared, focused, obedient.
Six Stakes which Help Us Hold Fast
September 27, 2022 at 3:17 pm | Posted in II Thessalonians | 3 CommentsTags: 2 Thessalonians 2, commentary on 2 Thessalonians, Jesus Christ, Romans 8, sanctification, Sunday School lessons on 2 Thessalonians, the Gospel
Previously we saw from II Thessalonians 2:15 the need to hold fast to Biblical truth. In order to hold fast, it will help to drive these truths into our hearts and minds – like stakes driven into the ground in preparation for hurricane-force winds:
First stake: The love of God
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
II Thessalonians 2:13 (emphasis added).
Perhaps God could have saved us and merely placed us in an empty place – rescued from wrath but stranded and lonely. Or perhaps He could have made us mere messengers or servants like the angels. In fact, He did make us messengers and servants, but He went so much further than that. He made us His VERY OWN CHILDREN!
Second stake: God chose you
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
II Thessalonians 2:13 (emphasis added)
We do not get credit for choosing God. He is the one Who chose us. He chose us when we were not looking for Him and did not want Him. God loved us enough to save us while we were His ENEMIES, so we can be assured that evil men and evil times can never take away those whom God has chosen. Nobody is stronger than God. Nobody destroys His plans. Hold fast to the hope that God saved you and holds you in His hands.
Third stake: We are destined for glory
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
II Thessalonians 2:14 (emphasis added)
God is preparing a bride for His Son, and He will make it so that the bride is fit for His Son. He is not preparing a sick and faithless and cast-off bride. He is preparing a GLORIOUS bride for His son. True Christians are that bride, and we can endure suffering and hard times and sickness and persecution, and the loss of all our money, and our reputation, and every thing, because we know He will glorify us – and BE GLORIFIED IN US.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18
If the sufferings of the Apostles and the First Century Christians – who endured tremendous persecution and suffering – could not compare to the glory to come, then how much less should we be defeated by our puny little sufferings?
Fourth stake: Our sanctification
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
II Thessalonians 2:13 (emphasis added)
Although, salvation “happens” when you are born again, there is a sense in which salvation continues. We WERE saved, we ARE saved, and we ARE BEING SAVED as we are sanctified.
Hold onto this idea that God is sanctifying you. It is a work of the Holy Spirit, but God graciously gives us a part in it. It is the strengthening of holding on when the storm comes. God may be using the storms in your life to blow some of the unsanctifying things away.
Fifth stake: God has called us to this fast-holding
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
II Thessalonians 2:14 (emphasis added)
This image of holding fast almost makes it seem like Christianity is just one big desperate struggle to keep from getting blown away, but God has promised us peace and even joy while we’re holding on.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
II Thessalonians 2:16-17 (emphasis added)
When God calls us He equips us to do what He’s called us to do. He has not commanded us to hold fast and then made the wind too strong for us to hold on.
Sixth stake: the Gospel
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
II Thessalonians 2:14 (emphasis added)
Paul could call the Gospel of Jesus Christ “our Gospel” because he had made it such a part of his life – such a part of his BEING – that he felt as if it were his. He not only preached it, not only taught it, not only thought long and meditated upon it, not only sought the Lord about it, not only wrote letters to the churches about it – He LIVED it.
So, while we’re holding on to these stakes, do not get the wrong impression – that we’re in this alone or even that it’s just you and the Lord all the time, although it often will be. The Gospel demands a couple of things of you: One, that you make the Gospel your life. The more you learn of it, the more you love it, and the less and less you find yourself able to leave it out of your conversation. Two, the Gospel demands that you get involved with others. Lead them to Christ, and then help them hold on – hold fast.
By Any Means
August 30, 2022 at 4:10 pm | Posted in II Thessalonians | 2 CommentsTags: 2 Thessalonians 2, commentary on 2 Thessalonians, false teachers, false teaching, man of sin, son of perdition, Sunday School lessons on 2 Thessalonians, the Wicked
Somebody had sent a letter to Thessalonica about the “last days,” and got everybody all riled up. They were trusting prophecies which were intriguing and provocative, but not grounded in the Apostles’ doctrine.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
II Thessalonians 2:3 (emphasis added)
“By any means” is the exhortation, and this would including not allowing themselves to be deceived by supposedly prophetic utterances, “words of knowledge,” “words of faith,” dreams or visions, signs and wonders, non-Apostolic letters, or even someone who sounds really, really sincere and earnest when he says, “I have a word from the Lord for you.”
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
II Thessalonians 2:8 (emphasis added)
“That Wicked” is a reference to the Antichrist. An “anti” is something opposed to something else, but it is also something that wants to take the place of what it opposes. The Antichrist will be Satan’s masterpiece. Satan has for a long time wanted to be worshiped in place of God.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
II Thessalonians 2:3 (emphasis added)
End-times views are notoriously controversial, but I believe that this falling away will occur mid-Tribulation, three and one-half years after the false man of peace settles things down in the Middle East. At the beginning of this period he will make a covenant with Israel and have the Temple rebuilt. At the “falling away” he will break the covenant and usurp the Temple.
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
II Thessalonians 2:2 (emphasis added)
Paul’s response to those “shaken” is to correct the false doctrine – to give them the truth. The “son of perdition” was not on the scene yet. Then he went on to tell them what you would expect him to tell someone who is in danger of being shaken loose: Hold on.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
II Thessalonians 2:15 (emphasis added)
We need to hold on to Biblical doctrine the way a high-rise construction worker holds on to the beam which is preventing him from falling to this death. That’s how “fast” we need to hold on. No matter what the media or popular opinion or falsely-called “science” says about evolution or archaeology or about the trustworthiness of the Bible, we need to hold fast.
No Rest for the Wicked
August 8, 2022 at 3:37 pm | Posted in II Thessalonians | 2 CommentsTags: 2 Thessalonians 1, At Calvary, Channels Only, commentary on 2 Thessalonians, common expressions in the Bible, growth through persecution, growth through suffering, not rest for the wicked, Sunday School lessons on 2 Thessalonians
Between I Thessalonians and II Thessalonians someone had written a counterfeit letter to the Thessalonians. It seems like this was the work of the devil, the most infamous counterfeiter. During the events shown in the Book of Acts he had counterfeited believers, he had counterfeited church members, and he even counterfeited miracles. With the era of the Epistles under way and the ministry of Christian teachers in newly-planted Christian churches, it makes sense that he would counterfeit a letter and send false teachers to infiltrate these churches.
The letter written between I and II Thessalonians stated that, despite Paul’s instructions in I Thessalonians, the tribulational Day of the Lord was here. To counterACT the counterFEIT, Paul reminded them in II Thessalonians that they were saved by the faithfulness OF Christ, but that their own faith could grow – and did appear to be growing – even in persecutions.
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
II Thessalonians 1:3-4
These Thessalonian believers received grace in times of suffering, and their love for each other became known, which helped those who heard about it to grow spiritually. The glory of God poured down on them, but they did not act like tubs, merely catching and storing the glory. No, the glory flowed through them to others. They were like channels, not buckets.
Channels only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous pow’r
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
Every day and every hour.
Every day and every hour.
In suffering, Christians who are growing in faith love each other even more. They pick up the slack even for those who are not yet growing as they should, but we need to remember to also love the ones the devil is using to cause the suffering. Satan is tricky and subtle. He knows that if he attacks us physically and the physical attacks weaken us, he can try to steal glory from God. However, if the physical attacks only strengthen our faith, he knows that he can still try to steal the glory by making us hate the attackers. This is why the the Holy Spirit reminded the Thessalonians through Paul’s letter that there is a payday coming.
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
II Thessalonians 1:5-9
There will be a payday for unbelievers, and there will be a payday for believers.
When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
II Thessalonians 1:10
We must not hate unbelievers and rejoice in their coming destruction. Perhaps you were the victim of a bully in your childhood. If so, your prayer was most likely not that he would be forgiven for mistreating you. More likely, you prayed for the courage to sock him in the eye. However, as we get older, we come to understand that childhood bullies are often the victims themselves of abusive fathers. The retributive blow you might have dealt to him would be nothing compared to what he would receive from his own dad when it became known that he lost a fight with you. Satan’s pawns in this world might seem like appropriate objects for our animosity, but we must force ourselves to remember that they don’t have a just and loving Father like we do. Their father – the devil – always pays off with counterfeit money on his payday. God’s children receive everlasting life; the devil’s children receive everlasting death.
Believers don’t face God’s retribution for our sins, because God delivered His retribution against our sins at Calvary.
Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.…
Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!
Therefore, we have the “rest” of Verse 7. You might have heard the common expression, “no rest for the wicked.” We often use this expression when our workload piles up and no end to our labor seems to be in sight. But Christians are concerned with the “rest” that refers to peace – knowing that we have been declared righteous by God and are now His beloved children. The wicked can never have this peace (“rest”).
To thwart the devil’s schemes Paul had been using the secret weapon of every Christian: prayer.
Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
II Thessalonians 1:11
Work and faith seem opposed to each other when we consider the means of our salvation, but here they are not. Work does not create our faith, but God’s gift of faith empowers our faith, and we have access to the greatest power source (not force) in the universe. Our faith does not activate some impersonal universal law. Instead, our faith is the conduit of our relationship to the PERSON of God.
Eternal Destruction
November 2, 2009 at 9:21 am | Posted in Biblical Violence, Eternity, II Thessalonians | 25 CommentsTags: 2 Thessalonians 1, 2 Thessalonians 2, eternal, eternal death, eternal security, everlasting security, once saved always saved, perseverance of the saints, Romans 3, Romans 4
Some Bible words can be hard to understand. If you are going to get a grip on the idea of “propitiation” or “justification” (Romans 4:25, 3:25), you had better be prepared to stay up all night. There are other words, however, which are extremely self-explanatory. Take the word “everlasting.” Something that is “everlasting,” is something that…(all together now)…LASTS…FOR…EVER.
When God says something is everlasting, it may blow our minds a little. After all, most things in this world have a start and a stop, a beginning and an end. The sun comes up; the sun goes down. Plants spring up and grow; plants wither and rot. People are born; people die. In God’s realm of eternity, however, there is no true end or beginning. So while the conceptualization of “everlasting” may be difficult, the basic sense of it is not. This is a great encouragement to true Christian believers and a great condemnation to those who have rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Unbelievers will experience punishment forever.
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
II Thessalonians 1:7-9
However, believers have the assurance of knowing that their salvation may never be lost.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
II Thessalonians 2:16
The Deep End 
The Bible Should Make You G.A.S.P.
November 11, 2022 at 4:18 pm | Posted in II Thessalonians | Leave a commentTags: 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Thessalonians 3, busybodies, Christian work ethic, commentary on 2 Thessalonians, Sunday School lessons on 2 Thessalonians, The Bible
G.uard the Word
II Thessalonians 2:15
A.ccept the Word
II Thessalonians 2:13 (emphasis added)
S.hare the Word
II Thessalonians 3:1
P.ractice the Word
II Thessalonians 2:17
II Thessalonians 3:6 (emphasis added)
Disorderly implies a getting out of military rank, like a disobedient soldier. People who get out of rank can create problems even for those who do stay in order.
II Thessalonians 3:7
Those who get out of rank can collide with those who remain obedient, causing damage to the mission.
II Thessalonians 3:8
II Thessalonians 3:10-12
If some won’t work, they depend on others for strength, and have to be cared for by others who are already doing what they are supposed to be doing. In the Greek and Roman culture work was a shameful thing – a thing to be done by slaves. Cultured men were supposed to sit around and talk. However, the Jewish culture had a history of valuing hard work.
Sin in a church body can be ignored, but, if so, it can lead to infection, like a speck of dirt in a wound, or a little germ. Church discipline protects the body by cutting out sin.
II Thessalonians 3:6 (emphasis added)
II Thessalonians 3:14-15 (emphasis added)
This admonishment must be done in love. You have probably heard that the church is supposed to be a hospital for sinners rather than a showplace for saints, but we need to remember that it is not supposed to be a detention center for juvenile delinquents, either.
II Thessalonians 3:11 (emphasis added)
A busybody is somebody who looks busy but is not really doing anything.