Stand Fast

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Here in 2 Thessalonians Paul is writing to believers who were confused about Prophesy

A) Confused about the Rapture and the coming of the DAY OF THE LORD !

B) Because of False teachers – they had been led to believe that they were in the Tribulation

1) Suffering and Persecution they were enduring

C) Paul is writing the clear up the confusion – they were not in the tribulation /

1) They hadn’t missed the rapture

D) Here is why: We saw in our last study here in ch.2

Where Paul declared:

E) The tribulation cannot happen until:

1) The falling away comes first v.3 – Rapture or apostasy

2) The Lawless one is revealed v.3-4

3) The one who restrains, Holy Spirit working in the Church is removed.

Now Paul closes this section by describing what should be our Posture as believers living in these end times

RD V.13-17

Now in v.13-14 we have before us what has been called Christian Theology in Miniature

A) A mini – picture of Christian theology

1) We were chosen by God

2) Drawn or Set apart [ sanctified] by the spirit

3) Called according to the gospel – Goodnews of Jesus – Savior for sinners

4) Required to believe.

5) For this purpose to be destined for glory!

 

B) That in a nutshell is the Christian faith!

1) Chosen drawn / presented with the gospel / required to respond / Result – Glory

C) Glorious truth and reality that we are destined for Heaven

That being the case what should be our Posture in the mean time – Left here in this crazy world? V.15

A) Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

B) Paul’s word: Stand Fast –

1) Idea of digging in – Military term- soldiers on front line

C) Baseball season: Boys and girls – all over playing ball

Now if you are going to be a successful hitter in Baseball – Have to learn to hang in there – curve ball

A) Great pitchers – Randy Johnson – 99mph – Curve looks like coming at your head – breaks across

B) Have to learn to hang – to dig in and not bail

1) If not – rubber legs – all over the Place

C) Same is true on a spiritual perspective – spiritual stability is crucial

1) Spiritual instability leads to disappointment, doubt, discouragement, and ineffective witness.

When I was in Highschool played Baseball – pretty good at it

A) My Senior year – first 10 games – hitting 562 – I was the 3rd leading hitter in all of OC – better than 1,000’s of others

B) But in the 2nd half of the season I fell apart – reason: Lefthanders

1) Slider – couldn’t hit it – psyched out –

C) That is how the Christian is who is not standing in the Lord

D) James described the person lacking spiritual stability as "a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).

E)Unstable people are likely to be crushed by their trials

For that reason A concern for believers spiritual stability permeates the NT

A) When Revival was breaking out in a place called Antioch –

B) The apostles in Jerusalem were concerned that these young believers would continue on in the Lord

C) For that reason they sent a guy by the name of Barnabas – this guy with the gift of encouragement

1) Son of Comfort

C) His goal was to encourage them to remain true

1) To Stand fast to dig

D) Much of Paul’s missionary Journeys were spent doing to same

1) Going back to visit the Churches and encourage them to Stand fast

Paul wrote to this Church in 1 Thess 3:8 – Now we live if you stand fast in the Lord

A) The inference was that it was going to radically grieve his heart if they didn’t continue in the faith

Side note: We live in a place that is so easy for people to respond – Crusades etc – No persecution

Often when they walk away it – we are so used to seeing it – it doesn’t impact us anymore – It should

B) Paul was passionate about their standing fast in the Lord

How do we stand fast? Well the exhortation to stand fast is found in several other places in the NT

A) Today in the remainder of our time – I want to look at some of those exhortations –

B) In doing so we will gain some insight into how we as believers are to stand Fast

C) Start here in V. 15 –

#1 Stand Fast by holding on to the traditions –

A) Paul has in mind the apostolic traditions preserved for us in the record of the New Testament.

B) Traditions speak of God’s word, delivered both by the authoritative word of the apostles (by word) and the letters of the apostles (our epistle).

B) These are revelations of reality from the mind of God, who sees things absolutely the way they are.

"It is only this anchor of God’s word that can enable us to stand fast under the weight of our present tribulation, and the weight of our coming glory."

 

Paul had already told them about the coming apostasy – the departing from the truth

A) So now he says here is how to combat that – hold fast to the traditions …..

Hold = a tight grip – not careless or casual – but a strong powerful death grip

Henry Dempsey was flying his 15 passenger Beechcraft 99 turboprop from Lewiston Maine to Boston.

At 4000 feet he heard a noise in the back of the plane where the rear stairs are. He turned the controls over to his co-pilot and walked back.

The plane hit turbulence knocked him against the door and it fell open.

Dempsey was sucked part way out, fell face down on the steps and grabbed for something -- anything that might save his life. He caught a railing and held on.

The co-pilot thought he had fallen out and diverted the flight to a nearby airport.

When he landed they found him with his face 12 inches off the runway and with his hands of tight around the rails that his fingers had to be pried open.

 

Listen that is the type of grip we need to have when it comes to the word of God – the teachings of the apostles that have been handed down

A) More than anything else, our generation of Christians needs to hear these words again. "Stand fast."

B) If we detach ourselves from God’s word we are going to waver

C) People want to make up their own Bibles – say what they want –

1) Divorce her husband because he was a jerk – hard to live with

D) Did he commit adultery –Biblical grounds

1) No but sin is sin –

C) Not true – that is why in the OT the punishment for stealing was retribution – ten fold

1) The punishment for Murder / rape/ Pedophile – was Death

D) Varying punishments for the offense –

The world is a slippery slope – Society is always changing - - Shifting from in one direction or another A) 60’s and 70’s sexual revolution – 80’s and 90’s backed off a little bit

B) Casual sex was something – people frowned on a little more

1) Now in the 2000’s – Back – Hooking up

C) Sex just for the purpose of having sex

1) Friends that just satisfy one another’s sexual needs

No relationship / no strings

D) And there are so many things like that today in our society –

If we are going to stand fast – we must hold on to God’s word { Believe it and Live it

A preacher once said to a popular English actor him:

"I wish you would explain to me something." "What is the reason for the difference between you and me?

You appear before great crowds night after night with your fiction. While I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all."

The actors answer was this: "It is quite simple. I can tell you the difference between us. I present my fiction as though it were truth and you present your truth as though it were fiction."

Brothers and sisters, we need to live our faith like we believe it is

#2 Stand fast by putting on the Armor of God

Eph 6:13

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

We all go thru our battles – some more than others

Bad day always someone who has it worse

Take Bill Murphy A 54-year-old hunter who was hunting in a remote area of Alaska – when he was attacked by a grizzly bear!

The attack happened when he surprised a grizzly cub and its mother.

The mother bear quickly pinned him facedown, clamping her jaws around his shoulder and shaking him like a rag. Murphy felt teeth pressing on his skin - then a "pop" as they sliced through.

The bear then let go, standing over Murphy and panting and drooling on his head. It then moved away.

Murphy says he has no idea how long the attack lasted - but says it felt like "two lifetimes."

Murphy says he used duct tape to bind his bite wounds, then rode an all-terrain vehicle to his pick-up truck and drove himself to a hospital

I’m sure that none of us would have wanted to trade places with Bill Murphy.

A) However, do you realize that everyday we are engaged in a ferocious battle for our lives?

B) Not a raging bear but an ferocious lion

The Armor of God is basically knowing what Christ has done for you – Your position in Christ

A) Set free by the truth

B) Declared righteous

C) Hope of Heaven

D) Armed with a God’s word – for strength and direction

Having on the Armor of God is being aware of your Spiritual assets and Your Destiny

A) He who is for us is greater than He who is in the World

B) Don’t fight for Victory but from Victory!

C) So #1 Stand Fast by holding on to the Word

#2 Stand Fast by clothing ourselves in the armor of God

#3 Stand Fast in the Grace of God 1 Peter 5:12

A) A Key to standing is holding on to grace

B) The reality that every blessing – every resources comes to us – not of our doing of effort – grace

C) Paul in writing to the Galatians – Essay on grace

Gal 5:1-2

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

The believers in Galatia had started in grace – relying upon the spirit of God

A) But now they were thinking that they were going to be made complete thru the efforts of the flesh

B) Thru following the rules & regulations of the law

C) Paul writes to them – Stand fast – firm – in the liberty thru Christ that set you free –

D) Don’t place yourselves under bondage again –

1) Stand fast in the grace of God

D) God’s riches and resources are yours at Christ expense

1) In Grace – God is going to show himself strong in your times of weakness

Phil 4:19-20

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

E) Whatever the need – He will supply the resources in his grace!

So #3 – Stand fast in the grace of God – Having confidence in God to supply your need!

 

#4 Stand fast by staying active: 1 Cor 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

A) In football one of the things they teach you about holding a line is to keep your legs moving & driving

B) Easier to get knocked down if you are standing still and flat footed

C) Same is true spiritually – When we are moving & active, always abounding in the work of the Lord

1) We keep the enemy off balance –

D) It is almost like he can’t keep up with us

But it is the moment that we stop – we get lethargic

We get lazy – we become a sitting duck

A) An easy target for the advances of the enemy

B) David with Bathsheba – He should have been with the army – fighting battles / advancing the kingdom

1) Instead he is in the Palace taking it easy – a sitting duck for temptation – Bathsheba

C) When we stay active in ministry & the work of the Lord – our focus is not on ourselves, our needs

1) But it is on the Lord’s work, it is on the needs of others

D) We are not prey to get self absorbed / self focused - Which is where it should be

1) That is one of the best ways to stay out of trouble

Marriage – Quit focusing on what your spouse is not doing for you – Not meeting your needs – Serve them

A) Let your joy and satisfaction come from meeting their needs – blessing them

B) Be disappointed when you don’t –

1) Huge difference in your marriage

C) More blessed to give than to receive

1) That is true

 

 

Somewhere along the line we have got it all mixed up in marriage in life – It is all about me!

A) Sometimes I know that you must think that I am on a soap box

B) But I get leery of those types of ministries that are always seeking to put the focus on you

1) Your happiness / your prosperity / your fulfillment / your success / your needs / your purpose

C) Listen it is not all about you! – It is about God and bringing Him Glory

1) He is glorified the most when you serve Him by blessing others

D) And that is another way to stand fast in this ever shifting world – Keep on the move

1) Keep serving – keep focused on abounding in the work of the Lord

 

 

 

Finally #5 – Stand fast in Unity:

One of the most exciting things to watch in football is a goal line stands

A) When it is first and goal at the 3 yard line and the defense successfully holds off the other team from scoring on 4 straight downs

B) It is as nerve racking as it is exciting!

1) In order for that to happen – it takes 11 defense players who are focused / who are united –

C) Not one who is going to slack off – one goal / one purpose

1) They are going to lock arms and make this happen

D) They are going to lock arms and bring it together

1) They have to put their personal differences aside / their personal agenda’s aside – their personal goals

 

The Church that is standing fast is going to be the same way:

Philippians 1:27

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

A) Lock arms and with one heart / one mind / one goal – Strive together for the faith of the gospel

B) Wrestling together, not in contention with each other, but in union against the enemies of the Gospel faith-the doctrine of Christ crucified,

C) For the faith of the gospel = The word of the gospel – The truth about salvation

1) The work of the Gospel spreading Christ