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On Apr 29, 2007: 2 Thessalonians 2:9-17 · Teachings On This Day On FerventWord

• You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2007. I want to remind you of what the Lord taught us in Isaiah chapter 55. Because in Isaiah chapter 55, God makes sure that we know that it's very clear that His ways are not our ways and our ways are not His ways. In fact, He gives the illustration of the heavens and earth. And He says, as the heavens are high above the earth, that's how high my ways are above your ways. We need to understand as we approach our portion of Scripture this morning that we do not understand the ways of God. This is somewhat of a difficult portion of Scripture, not because the ideas and subjects are so complicated, not because the things that Paul presents are very complex, but it's difficult in the sense that it's hard for us to swallow, to understand, to really grasp hold of and to realize that The truth of God and what he says. There's some difficult subjects for us to deal with and for us to face this morning. And so I would encourage you to remember, first of all, that God's ways are not our ways. And number two, to remember that just because it's difficult doesn't mean we shouldn't deal with it. These things are the truth of God. They're what God says and wants us to know. And so as we look at these things, I would encourage you to be bold, to challenge your heart in these things and allow your mind, your heart to be challenged by the words of God through the Apostle Paul. We're looking at the last part of chapter two. And last week we began chapter two, looking at verses one through eight, talking about the end times, the things that were to come. Some of you were taking notes, I hope, and so you might remember the four things that we spoke about and the emphasis on the order of which they will take place. What was the first thing that would take place in the end time events? Anybody remember? The rapture of the church. That's what we're looking for, the time when the church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. How about the second thing? What was the second thing on the order of events? The resurrection. The Antichrist revealed. He will come upon the scene, the coming world leader, and he will deceive the entire world. And the third? The Antichrist presents himself as God. That one's a little more difficult just because it's wordy. The Antichrist presents himself as God. He goes into the temple and requires all of the world to worship him. And the final event that Paul dealt with last week was? The Antichrist. The second coming of Jesus Christ, when Jesus comes to establish his kingdom here on this earth. In the bulletin or the calendar that you received this morning on your way in, there's a pink insert and you don't need to refer to it right now, but it is titled at the top, Eschatology Overview. And eschatology is just a big fancy word for end times. It's what we believe is the end times events and the order in which they will occur and supporting passages and things that you can look at and study on your own time. And so I would encourage you to do so, remembering that Paul was only in Thessalonica for three weeks and yet made sure that the Thessalonians had a good grasp on the things of the end times. you and I as well, whether you're young in the faith or whether you've been around for a while, we need to know What the end times events are all about. It's important because it affects the way that we live. And we looked at that last week, and so we won't go into that again. But I would encourage you to take some time on your own and study through those things, read through those portions, and allow God to speak to your heart. Today, as we continue on, Paul continues to share with the Thessalonians about the Antichrist and the tribulation period. And he also gives, in addition to that, an encouragement message. And so we begin here in verse 9, which says, This lawless one that Paul refers to is who we refer to normally as the Antichrist. He is the beast, the man of sin or the man of perdition. He is the prince who is to come, spoken of by Daniel and many other titles that he has throughout the Bible. He's the coming world leader that will bring a false peace that will unite the world but lead them astray. As we spoke last week, when the lawless one is revealed, lawlessness will be unleashed and there's going to be great devastation upon the earth. In Matthew chapter 24, verse 41, or I'm sorry, 24, verse 21, Jesus refers to this period as the great tribulation. And he says it will be great tribulation such as not been since the beginning of the world until this time. No, nor shall ever be. It's going to be the worst time the world has ever experienced. Worse than all of the world wars, worse than all of the plagues and diseases that have hit the world, but worse than everything that the world has seen will be this seven-year period known as the Tribulation. It's going to be absolutely terrible. We know that it's seven years long for many reasons, one of which is Daniel chapter 9 verse 27, which explains to us that it's the last seven year period that Daniel was prophesying about. This seven year period known as the tribulation is divided in two. The first half begins when the Antichrist signs the covenant. That's what we discussed last week. And as he signs that covenant, then that will begin the first three and a half years of the tribulation period. The second half begins right in the middle of that seven years. The Antichrist will go into the temple, present himself as God and require the world to worship him. At that time, that event will mark the last three and a half years of the tribulation period. And that last three and a half years is distinguished from the first three and a half by being called the Great Tribulation. There's the seven year tribulation, but the Great Tribulation, as referred to in the scripture, is usually specifically that last three and a half years of the tribulation period. It ends when Jesus Christ comes back to establish his kingdom upon the earth. Now, sometimes the first half is described as the peaceful half, and then the second half is when all the calamity begins to happen. While it is true that the last three and a half years will be much worse than the first three and a half years, we shouldn't make the mistake to think that that the first three and a half years is going to be peaceful and serene. Instead, there is going to be devastation and much war, again, such as the world has not seen from the beginning until that point. It is going to be terrible, but the point is, the second half of the tribulation, that last three and a half years, is going to be much, much worse. There's going to be war and devastation like the world has never seen. Just to make sure that you know that the seven-year period is actually a literal seven years, the Bible refers to this time frame in several different ways. To make sure that you know it's literal. It's not just meant there's this certain amount of time or could be hours, could be months, you know, who knows. No, it's a literal seven-year period. Again, Daniel tells us that in Daniel 9, verse 27 says, Indicating that it's a group of one-year periods, a group of seven one-year periods, or seven years. In the book of Revelation, chapter 12, verse 6, it refers to that last three and a half years as 1,260 days. 1,260 days, based upon a 360-day year, which is what the Bible uses, is a group of one-year periods. is three and a half years exactly. Later, the next chapter in Revelation chapter 13, it refers to that last three and a half years as 42 months, which based on 12 months per year is exactly three and a half years. It also refers to it in Revelation chapter 12 and Daniel chapter 7 as the time, times, and a half a time. Time being one year. Times being two years. And a half a time, add it all together, three and one half years. The point is, it really is a seven year period. It really will take place. Literally, down to the very day, down to the month, down to the very season and time. This is something that is going to take place upon the world when the Antichrist is revealed. And when he comes and when this devastation begins, Paul says that he will come according to the working of Satan here in verse nine, according to the work of Satan. Now, what is the working of Satan? Well, we could look at many examples and simply summarize it to lies, deception, destruction. Looking at Genesis chapter 3 and what he did in the Garden of Eden, all throughout biblical history and world history, we've seen that Satan destroys lives spiritually. He's out to kill. He's not a gentleman. He does not play fair. He doesn't abide by, you know, customary feelings or, you know, he doesn't have pity for you when you're having a bad day or life is difficult or you're facing emotional distress. If he can kick you while you're down, he will. He will use whatever means he can. to destroy you because he hates you absolutely and completely and desperately wants to destroy your life and the antichrist will come the same way as the working of satan seeking to deceive with lies and deception to seduce the world to be condemned by god if satan can get you to turn away from god or can keep you from god So that you experience eternal damnation in hell. He will be satisfied. That's his desire. He hates you. The coming world leader, the lawless one, will come the same way. Because he will be empowered by Satan. He will not be Satan. But he will be empowered by Satan. Revelation chapter 13 verse 2 tells us, "...the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority." The dragon being the devil, that serpent of old, will give him his power, his throne, and great authority. He's going to be a smooth-talking world leader, a problem solver, and he's given authority and power by Satan. And as he comes on the earth, he's going to, of course, present himself as the one that they've been looking for, the one who can bring peace and fix the world's problems. But he's also going to come, Paul says here in verse 9, with power, signs, and lying wonders. Power, signs, and lying wonders. Now, understand that means that things are going to be very crazy. This man will be incredibly impressive. Satan is presenting his counterfeit savior here. The same words that Paul uses here for power, signs, and lying wonders are the same words that Peter used to describe the ministry of Jesus in Acts chapter 2. In Acts chapter 2 verse 22, as Peter is addressing Jesus, Those who have gathered to find out what the commotion is all about and find out about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He addresses them and says, men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. He says this is what characterized the ministry of Jesus. miracles, wonders, and signs. The same Greek words that are used when Paul says power, signs, and lying wonders. They're also the same words used to describe the ministry of Stephen in Acts chapter 6 verse 8. They're also used to describe the ministry of Paul in Romans 15 19 and the ministry of all apostles in the book of Corinthians. It's the mark of God. The characteristics of God. Now, think about this. There's going to be incredible works going on. You look at the book of Acts and the miracles and miraculous things that were happening. You look at the ministry of Jesus and all of the power that was displayed and the wonderful things that took place. The ministry of the Apostle Paul. This is how the Antichrist will come with incredible displays of power, with miraculous things taking place. comparable to the ministry of Jesus, comparable to the ministry of the Apostle Paul. We're not talking about little magic tricks or stunts like David Blaine or some of these other magicians. We're not talking about these kind of sideshow things that are fake and just for show. We're talking about real power, real miracles taking place. Now, it should cause us to ask the question as we consider this, why would God allow Satan to demonstrate these works? Why would he allow Satan to duplicate the ministry and the working, the power, the miracles? And it's for one simple reason. It's not complicated. It's not difficult. It's this. Miracles do not produce faith. Understand that. Miracles do not produce faith. Romans chapter 10 verse 17 tells us how faith is produced. So then faith comes by, you know the rest, hearing and hearing by the word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God. Faith is not produced by miracles. Faith is produced by hearing the word of God. If you need evidence of that. I challenge you to consider the Old Testament, the children of Israel, as they saw the miraculous work of God, as he brought them out of the land of Egypt, as they experienced walking through the midst of the Red Sea on dry land, as they experienced daily provision by God, saw the miraculous, saw incredible works of God, and yet they come to the edge of the promised land and they do not believe that God will go before them. They do not have faith. And because of their unbelief, because of their lack of faith, they were not able to enter into the promised land. Because even though they saw the miracles and saw the works, that did not produce faith in them. And miracles and signs and wonders will not produce faith in you or in anyone around you. Remember in Luke chapter 16, the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus is telling the story and the rich man and Lazarus both die. And the rich man is being tormented in Hades while Lazarus is being comforted by Abraham and Abraham's bosom. And it says that the rich man sees Lazarus and says to Abraham, Hey, Father Abraham, let him just dip his finger in water and bring it here because, you know, I'm in torment. He could just touch it on my tongue and give me an instant of relief. But Abraham says, "No, there's this great chasm between us. You can't go there and we can't come." You know what I mean. You can't go back and forth. Nobody can cross. And so the rich man says, "Well, at least send them back then to my brothers. I have brothers who don't believe and send them back so that they don't come here." And Abraham tells the rich man, "Hey, they have the Word of God already. They have Moses and the prophets." And the rich man says, "No, no, no. They won't listen to that. But if someone comes back from the dead, It's like that, was it Ebenezer Scrooge? The guy appeared to him from the dead. Then he'll believe. Then they'll understand. Then they'll believe. But Abraham explains to him in Luke 16, verse 31. He says, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded the one rise from the dead. Miracles do not produce faith. They don't produce a trust in the Lord. That is given by the Word of God, by hearing the Word of God, by spending time in the Word of God. And if the Word of God is not enough to produce faith in a person, no miracle, no wonder, no sign will ever accomplish that. The Word of God produces faith, not signs and wonders. And that's why it's so dangerous to chase after miracles and signs. Because if the word of God does not accompany them, then they are tools of deceptions. Jesus made it very clear that works and miracles would follow those who believe. But I like what John Corson says. The problem is that instead of the works and miracles following those who believe, you have those who say they believe chasing after the works and the miracles. It's an automatic product of the Word of God being at work, is what Jesus is saying. They come to authenticate the Word of God. But if they're not accompanied by the Word of God, they're tools and instruments of deception. So the Antichrist comes on the scene. All this stuff is happening all over. The Christians have disappeared. At that time, of course, everyone will know that the Bible is true and that Jesus is Lord, right? No. No. It's not what Paul says. Look at the next verse, verse 10. And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. With all unrighteous deception among those who perish. Satan will present his counterfeit savior, who will do all types of miracles and wonders, and the world will be deceived by him, and they will perish. Paul says they will perish. There's a saying goes something like this. If you if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything. If you don't stand for something or let me rephrase it. If you don't stand for God, you will fall for anything. People think, well, I won't be deceived. I know the truth. People think that, you know, I won't be deceived. If the rapture happens and the Antichrist comes, then I'll know all these things are true. Then I'll get my life right with God. Then I'll do what God wants me to do. Paul makes it very clear. Look at what he says here in verse 10. Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. He makes it very clear. They perish because they did not receive the love of the truth. They did not receive the love of the truth, so they will be deceived. They did not receive the love of the truth, so they will believe the lie. Paul is not speaking about ignorance. He's speaking about rejection. They know the truth. They've heard the truth, but they will not receive the love of the truth. They will not receive the truth. They will not receive Jesus Christ and be obedient to his word. John chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. I am the way, the truth... And the life. But they did not receive the love of the truth, so they will perish. Because Jesus is the truth. He is the only way to be saved. If a person will not receive this truth, they will not be saved. If they won't receive this truth, they will fall for anything. I'm sure that you're familiar with John 3, verse 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. But are you familiar with the following verses? Verses 17 and 18 of John chapter 3. It goes on to say, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Jesus says, if you believe in me, well, that's why I was sent. That's why God sent me, because he loves you. And you can believe in me and receive everlasting life and not perish. Because that's why God sent me, not to condemn the world, but that you might be saved. But he says there in verse 18, he who does not believe is condemned already. If you believe, you will not be condemned. But if you do not believe, he says you're condemned already. Because you have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. See, to be undecided for Jesus is to be decided against Jesus. There's no middle ground. The gospel message, the truth of Jesus Christ, is a fork in the road. Either you will follow him and walk with him, or you will walk away from him. You will either believe the truth, or you will believe the lie. There's no middle ground. To not believe is to be condemned. To believe is to not be condemned. It's the choice that we have. He who believes is saved and he who does not believe is condemned. The Antichrist will come and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, they will believe the lie and they will follow this coming world leader. They will perish. Look at verse 11. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusions that they should believe the lie. For this reason. For what reason? Because they did not receive the love of the truth. For this reason, God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie. Let that sink in for a moment. God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie. The people of the tribulation period are going to be in a world of hurt. The world will be falling apart. The Antichrist will have all of the answers, supposedly. He will do great miracles and will be powerfully deceptive like never seen before. In addition to that, God will send strong delusion that they will believe the lie. The entire world will be deceived and follow after him. God will send strong delusion that they should believe the lie. That they should believe the lie. instead of the truth. Some will use this as an occasion to accuse God of being unfair. How could he send strong delusion? How could he do this? But understand what's taking place here. There's a choice being made. And whatever choice you make, whatever decision you make regarding Jesus Christ, God will strengthen you and help you in that decision. Romans chapter 1, I would encourage you to spend some time and you can look at verses 20 all the way through the end of the chapter. illustrates this very clearly. You're probably familiar with verse 20. Again, it's a common verse. We quote it regularly. Since the creation of the world, God's invisible attributes are clearly seen so that all things are made even by His eternal power and Godhead so that everyone is without excuse. They know that God exists. They know that God is real. But verse 21, are you familiar with that one? Romans 1, verse 21. Paul says, "...because although they knew God..." Everyone knows God at this point in verse 20. But, although they knew God, he says in verse 21, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. You cannot hear the gospel message. You cannot know the truth of Jesus Christ and not be affected by it. Either you will believe, and draw close, Either you will walk in the light or you will go further into darkness. You cannot reject the gospel message. You cannot decide not to receive Jesus Christ and not be affected. Paul says, although they knew God, they knew the truth. They did not glorify him as God. They didn't serve him. They didn't love him. They didn't commit their lives to him. They didn't walk in his ways. They didn't receive the grace and goodness of God. And as a result, they became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. See, every time a person rejects Jesus Christ, every time the gospel message is turned down, every time the love of God is passed. It's all right. I'm good. Thank you anyways. It's a journey into further darkness, into further futility and thought. To refuse to believe the truth is to choose to believe the lie. And whatever decision you make, God will strengthen you in your decision. If you decide to follow Jesus and have a relationship with Him, then He will be faithful to complete the work that He began in you. Philippians 1.6 But if you decide to reject Jesus, God will strengthen you in that decision as well. He honors your choice. He gives you the choice. He honors your choice. And He says, in fact, I'll help you in your decision. I'll help you in your choice. If you'll follow me, I'll strengthen you for that. If you want to walk away, I'll strengthen you for that. Think about Pharaoh. Pharaoh, you remember from the Exodus, when the children of Israel were brought out of bondage in Egypt. And Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. He was the one who had ultimate authority over whether or not they would go. And Moses goes before him over and over again saying, this is what God says, let my people go. There was ten plagues that took place because he would not let God's people go. And over and over and over again, Pharaoh made the decision to not heed God's word, to not obey God. Six times Pharaoh hardened his heart. Exodus chapter 7 verse 13 says, And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them as the Lord had said. Exodus 7, 22, the Pharaoh's heart grew hard and he did not heed them as the Lord had said. Exodus 8, 15, he hardened his heart and did not heed them as the Lord had said. Exodus 8, 19, but Pharaoh's heart grew hard and he did not heed them just as the Lord had said. Exodus chapter 8, verse 32, but Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also. And Exodus chapter 9, verse 7. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard and he did not let the people go. Six times Pharaoh hardens his heart. Over and over the message is brought to him. Over and over he plugs his ears and says, la, la, la, la. I don't want to listen. Was that loud? I couldn't hear. Sorry. I don't want to heed. I don't want to obey God. And so God says, okay, that's your decision. I'll help you in that. And in Exodus chapter 9, verse 12, it says, But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. Pharaoh said, was insistent, I do not want to hear God. I don't want to obey God. I don't want to receive his commands or follow his commands. I don't want to walk with God. I don't want any part of God. And so God says, OK, I will honor your decision and I will help you. Since that is your decision, I will help you. And he hardened his heart. Pharaoh hardened it first, six times in fact. And then as it continues on through the rest of the portion, all the way through chapter 12, Pharaoh hardens his heart and then God hardens his heart. And then Pharaoh hardens his heart and then God hardens his heart. He continues to make it harder and harder because he continues to insist, I do not want God in my life. Now, some will protest that is not fair, but it is. God is just and fair. He honors the decision you make. He gives you the choice. He honors it. And whichever way you choose, he will help you and strengthen you in that decision. Now, if you think that it's not fair for God to do this, I would challenge you with this. If you think that it's not fair, understand that is because you know the truth, but you want to live life your way. But you also want to be able to come back and get right with God so that you can escape hell and experience eternity with God. This is the work of our deceitful hearts. We plan it out. I know the truth, but I want those things that God says that I cannot do that that are harmful and sinful. So I'm going to do what I want. I'm going to live in sin and do the things that I want. And then when the time comes, I will repent. I can do that because I know the truth and I and I know it's right. And when the time comes, I'll know when it's there. Then I'll repent. And then I'll turn back. And then I'll follow the Lord. After this takes place, or I get that, or after I've had my fill of this, then I'll follow the Lord. Or again, some who say, you know, after the rapture happens, then I'll follow the Lord. Who says that? Those who know the truth, but will not receive it. It's very foolish. It's the worst decision you could ever make. Because the decision to not receive and walk with God. It's a decision to believe the lie, to have your heart darkened. When you reject the truth, you accept the lie. And you think you have a good handle on things. So you think you'll be able to discern and know what is right. And you'll think, you know, that when the time is right, then you'll repent, then you'll walk with God. But your heart is darkened. You've become futile in your thoughts. Your heart becomes more and more hardened. Not only that, in the tribulation period is what we're referring to here, there's going to be great deception and God will send strong delusion. Don't think that you can decide after the rapture, I'll follow the Lord then. If you reject the truth now, there's much against you in your own heart, your own mind, the deception and the delusion that will be sent by God. See, that's why today is the day of salvation. That's why right now is the time to get right with God and to walk with him. That's why now is the time to commit yourself to the Lord and receive the grace, the mercy, the relationship that he desires to have with you. Right now you have opportunity. Right now you have a chance. Tomorrow your heart will be harder. Your understanding will be darker. You will be more susceptible to deception. Right now is the time. Don't wait until the rapture. That's the foolish thing. The most foolish thing you could ever do, to know the truth and reject it, is very, very foolish. You need to stop messing around and make a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Verse 12, Again, he's talking about this coming period, the tribulation. When the Antichrist will come and there'll be great deception and God will send strong delusion. Why? That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth. That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth. Now, as I shared at the beginning, these things are somewhat difficult for us. Now, because it's super complicated or complex, but none of us like to face the issue of damnation, separation from God for eternity. It's hard for us to grasp. It's hard for us to understand. But we need to face these things and we need to understand the truth. And to help us, I want to remind you of three things very briefly. God sending a strong delusion that those who do not believe will be condemned. Some would use that to try to accuse God again of being unfair. It's not right. Let me remind you, first of all, that 1 John tells us that God is love. God is love. And He loves you and your neighbor and your family member and whoever else you might be thinking of in your mind. He loves so much that He sent His Son to die upon the cross. It's greater love than anyone has ever shown. He loves them more than you do. Bless you. He loves them more than you can imagine. He loves them enough to give himself sacrificially. Don't think that you are more fair and just than God. Don't think that you have more love than God. God is love. The second thing I want to remind you of is that 2 Peter 3.9 tells us that God is not willing that any should perish. He's not out to get anybody. He's not gleefully looking at judgment and condemnation. He's doing everything in his power short of forcing the person to receive him so that they do not experience eternal judgment. He's not willing that any should perish. I think it's Ezekiel chapter 33 that tells us that he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Finally, third thing to remember, Revelation chapter 7 explains to us that there will be a multitude that will be saved. A multitude which no one can number, it says, that will be saved during the tribulation period. God is sending the strong delusion. The Antichrist will come with all deception. Their hearts are darkened, their minds are futile. And yet, there will be a multitude, more than can be numbered, that will be saved. Paul says, they all may be condemned. By all, does he mean every single person with no exceptions? No, of course not. It's a general word. There can be exceptions. But the point is that they are exceptions. They are out of the ordinary. If I was to say just a few moments ago, we were all worshiping the Lord. You would understand that I was saying that in general everybody was worshipping, but it allows for, you know, Jesse was falling asleep and this guy over here was reading a book and this guy was watching a movie on his phone. Just kidding, they weren't doing that. But there could be exceptions. And that's the point. There will be exceptions. In fact, a multitude of them. But they are the exception, not the norm. They're out of the ordinary for the most part in general. they will be condemned because they did not believe the truth. This is heavy stuff. Again, we don't like to deal with this and think through these things, but it needs to be discussed. It needs to be said because it's really the truth. This is not a game. Eternity is for real. Heaven and hell are both real. And it is just and right for you and I to experience God's eternal judgment. But God, who is rich in mercy... With the great love with which he had loved us, sent his son, provided a way of escape through Jesus Christ. It's just and right, but he offers to us grace and mercy. Where you spend eternity will depend on one thing. What did you do with Jesus Christ? What is your relationship with Jesus Christ? And whatever you choose, God will help you and strengthen you in that choice, in that decision. As we go on to verse 13, Paul moves to somewhat of a lighter note, but just as difficult of a subject. He says in verse 13, But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. Paul's explaining, look, this is what's going to happen to them, to those guys, to those who don't believe, talking to the Thessalonians. But regarding you who believe, he says, we give thanks for you because God has chosen you. Now, again, this takes us into some more difficult subjects to discuss. The great debate that's existed for many, many years, thousands of years. The sovereignty of God versus the free will of men. Is God sovereign or does man have free will? Because it says God chose you. It's the great debate of Calvinism versus Arminianism. One side says, see, God chose you. You didn't have a choice in the matter. You can't do anything about it, for it or against it. God made the choice and that's it. No matter what you do, he's chosen you whether you like it or not. The other side says, no, no. God has no choice in the matter. He gave that choice to man. And so he doesn't get to choose. He's left it up to the individual person to choose. And it's their responsibility. And God has no choice whatsoever. Now, we have no time to really get into this today, but there's lots of resources. If you'd like to dig deeper, first of all, read the Bible and believe what the Bible says. But if you want to dig into some other books and things, you can see the book table after the service and they'd be glad to share some other books with you. One in particular by Pastor Chuck Smith is a nice little pamphlet if you just want to dig in just a little bit, get your toenails wet. It's Calvinism and Arminianism and the Word of God. And he goes right through and he gives the balance according to the Word of God on these issues. But let's just take for a moment here. kind of face the value of what Paul is saying and speak a little bit about it without digging into the details. He says, God from the beginning chose you for salvation. He chose you. When? From the beginning. Ephesians 1.4 says that He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. From the beginning, God has chosen. Now, the fact that He chose us needs to be something that is very comforting, encouraging, and exciting to us. Because God knows everything. He knows everything and he chose you. And he chooses based upon his foreknowledge. 1 Peter 1, verse 2. Peter refers to the elect, another word for the chosen, the elect according to the foreknowledge of God. They were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God. Romans 8, verse 29 says, For whom he foreknew... He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. The ones that he foreknew, those are the ones he predestined to be conformed into the image of his son. He chooses, his choice is based upon his foreknowledge. It does not eliminate the need for us to choose. It does not take away our free will. But He chose us nonetheless. Now again, this can be hard for us to understand because we don't know what it's like to know everything. I know some of you think that you know everything. But you really don't know what it's like to know everything. We don't know what it's like to have foreknowledge. I think one way that we could perhaps relate to it is reruns or watching the same movie over and over and over again so that you could know the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. That's what it says that God is. He knows the beginning from the end because he knows everything. He has foreknowledge. He's not limited by time. If you see a couple seconds of I Love Lucy, you can say, I remember this one. Watch, this is what's going to happen next. Oh, this one's good. It's going to be great. Because you know the end from the beginning. You've seen it. You know what's going to take place. You can tell what's going to happen. On TV recently, they've been showing American Idol Rewind. Perhaps you've seen that. And what it is, it's some past seasons of American Idol that they're re-showing, the reruns of American Idol. Now, if you were going to go about watching this show, American Idol Rewind, and if you were to try to pick who would win, you would be silly or foolish to not pick the winner. Because it's already taken place and someone has already won. And it's just a few seconds on the Internet and you can find out who that is. If you're looking for the winner, it's already known. And that's maybe a little bit of how we can relate to the foreknowledge of God. He already knows. He knows who will choose. He knows who will believe. He knows. Well, what is the criteria God used when he made his choice? Paul says, I thank God because he chose you. Through what? The sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. God chose those who would believe. He chose those who would be set apart or sanctified by the Holy Spirit. He knows that. He knows who will believe and His choice is based upon that. However, you still have to make the choice. When someone makes that choice, we can say, hey, thank God, He chose them before the foundation of the world. But He does not remove from us the responsibility to The need to make that choice. Verse 14, to which he called you by our gospel for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, God chose you. He doesn't take away your free will. It doesn't remove your responsibility. Instead, he gives you the choice and he calls you by the gospel message. And that is why or that is the way that God calls us to relationship with him. Jesus Christ being God became a man, died on the cross for our sin. He rose from the dead in three days, proving his claim to be God and proving that he is the way, the truth, and the life. And that whoever believes on him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life. He calls you by the gospel message. It's simple. It's not complicated. It's free. All you need to do is receive. Answer the phone. He's calling. And believe the message of Jesus Christ. Verse 15 says, Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. And see, this is where often people go wrong, because so many will say, you know, God chose me. I went down on the field or I went forward or I prayed this prayer. And so that means that I can do whatever I want. I can live however I want. He chose me. I'm going to be saved no matter what I do about it. Now, it's very dangerous to try to use our logical understanding, our logical methods to figure out the ways of the Lord, because again, as high as the heavens are above the earth, his ways are above our ways. If we try to figure out and come to logical conclusions, then what we end up doing is we end up forcing the word of God to say something that it does not say. We come to a conclusion that God doesn't come to. God chose me, therefore I have no personal responsibility is essentially the mentality that often people have. Paul doesn't present it that way. He doesn't share it that way. Paul says, God chose you, therefore, that's what it says in verse 15, therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or epistle. Therefore, since God chose you, Since you were chosen before the foundation of the world, therefore you need to, you must stand fast. You must stand firm. Now, what does it mean to stand fast? How do you stand fast? Well, I would encourage you to spend some time. We don't have time this morning, but spend some time in Psalm chapter 1. Psalm chapter 1 will tell you how to stand fast. And it's to meditate on the word day and night. Because then you'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. You'll produce fruit in your season. It will not wither. Stand fast. Jesus said in Matthew 27 verses 24. I'm sorry, Matthew 7 verses 24 through 27. He gives the illustration of the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man is the one who takes the words of God and puts it into practice. And he equates it to a man who built his house upon a rock and built it upon a foundation. And the floods came and it was not moved. It stood fast. But the foolish was the one who took his house and built it upon the sand. He was the one who did not put to practice the sayings of Jesus. And when the floods came, when the deception came, when the difficulty came, the house collapsed. You were chosen. So stand fast. Don't waver. Be strong in your walk. Be strong in your faith. Know the word of God. The traditions that Paul is talking about is not talking about cultural traditions, you know, make sure you have the quinceaneras and the Thanksgiving dinners and you know, no, not talking about culture. He's talking about the traditions are the teachings of the word of God. But before the scripture was written, they didn't have a Bible in their lap. And so when Paul was there, that's why he says, whether by word or by our epistle. So while I was there and I shared the word with you or the things that I've written to you now, hold fast to these things. Hold fast to the word of God. Be rooted and grounded in the word of God because you were chosen. We need to stand fast in the word of God because we've believed the truth. Stand fast in the word of God because he has chosen you, Paul says. Don't believe anything. that those who are chosen by God should just do whatever they want, walk however they desire, and they will be saved. It's not the conclusion that God comes to. Therefore, have you believed? Have you made a decision to walk with the Lord? Have you committed yourself to Jesus Christ? Then you know what you need to do? You need to stand fast in the Word of God. You must stand fast in the Word of God. He closes verses 16 and 17 with a prayer that He says, He closes in prayer this difficult portion doing two things. Number one, reminding us of who God is. You know, as we struggle with these topics and issues and difficult things, We need to remember who God is. He says, may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and our God and Father who has loved us. Paul says it's important that you remember when you look at these things, they can be difficult and hard for us to understand and to grasp hold of. But remember that he has loved us. He is love. And all of these things that we've studied today do not compromise his love nor contradict his love. He will always be loving. And everything he does is in love. He also says, don't forget what he's done. He's given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace. Everlasting consolation. He's given to mankind the opportunity to receive everlasting consolation, comfort, everlasting, eternity in heaven, eternity with him. He's not a God that doesn't care. He's not a God from a distance. He's a God who loves us. And he's a God who loves so intently that he provides everlasting consolation for those who will receive it. And it's by grace. You don't have to earn it. You don't have to work for it. Jesus accomplished it on the cross. All you must do is receive it. And so he says, may this God who loved you, who gave you all of this by grace, may he comfort your hearts. May your heart be comforted remembering who God is and what he's done. and establish you in every good word and work, that you continue steadfast, that you remain in him and in all the things that he has called you to do. This morning, as we conclude, I would share these last words with you. First of all, if you're not walking with the Lord, if you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, right now, don't think about tomorrow, don't even think about the past. Right now, if you are not walking with God and you know that Today is the day of salvation for you. Don't wait. Your heart will get harder. It will grow darker. Your thoughts will be more futile. The deception will be greater. You'll believe the lie. Don't reject Jesus Christ. Receive him. Today is the day of salvation for you. For those who have been walking with God, for those who do have relationship with Jesus Christ, I would challenge you. Are you standing fast? Or have you been wavering, tossed to and fro? By the cares of the world, the desire to walk with God, the things taking place, the job, the family, are you standing fast in the Word of God, holding fast to what He has spoken to you, putting His Word into practice in your life? It's the responsibility of all who have been chosen by God. Have you been chosen? Stand fast. Walk strong. Get grounded and rooted in the Word of God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, God, I pray for all of us and all those who are listening to this. God, that you would work in our hearts. Lord, that you would shine your light into the darkness of our hearts. Because your word says that our hearts are deceitful, first and foremost. Lord, we're so easy, so quick to be deceived by ourselves. Lord, shine the light of your truth into our darkened hearts. Speak to us by your Holy Spirit. God, if there's areas where we're not standing fast, I pray, Lord, that you would help us. Give us a thirst for your word. God, that we might grow deep with you. Lord, that we might learn to be solid, understanding your word, living it out. Lord, that we would learn to put it into practice within our family, within our workplace, within our schools, in our own personal lives. Teach us to live according to your word, to build our lives upon the rock, that we might stand fast. And God, I pray for any who need to make a commitment to follow you, who need to walk with you. Lord, those who have heard and know the truth, God, may they choose to walk with you. May they choose to receive this message. Bind the work of the enemy. Blind, blind the work. Remove the veil of our hearts. Lord, that we might see ourselves truly for who we are in light of your word. That we might respond appropriately to repent, to confess, to receive, to worship. Thank you for your grace. We pray this in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.