Where to Turn in time of Question

2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 CSB

1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God. 5 Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this? 6 And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, 8 and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie, 10 and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, 12 so that all will be condemned—those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness.

Imagine for a moment you are a first century believer. According to the book of Acts, Jesus tells his disciples:

Acts 1:7–8 CSB

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Perhaps you have heard about this, so you aren’t thinking Jesus will delay his coming for hundreds or thousands of years. You are likely thinking that Jesus could come back this very moment. They lived with the eminence or Jesus coming on their minds, He could come back tomorrow or today, and they expected He would. So suddenly imagine you hear that Jesus has already come and you missed it, wouldn’t this be a troubling thing for you to hear?

Overview of passage:

Verse 1 - Paul writes to them concerning what they were taught regarding the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 2-3 - Paul exhorts them to not be deceived by what they have heard from others.

Verses 4-12 - Paul explains to these believers why they have not missed the coming of the Lord. In order for the coming of the Lord to happen certain other things must happen first, and those things have not happened, therefore they can rest in the fact that Jesus has not returned yet.

I want to spend the majority of our time looking at and working through verses 1-3. That is not to say the other 9 verses are not important, they are, but they play second fiddle behind the main point Paul is trying to convey to these early church believers.

Our doubts are often fueled by fear

2 Thessalonians 2:1 CSB

1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters,

What was this church afraid of?

Common fears which lead to doubt.

Fears concerning mortality

Fears concerning love

Fears concerning justice

Fears concerning dependence

We can all go through times where we doubt something, the question though, is where do we turn?

What are some examples of fears which may fuel doubts in our lives of God or God’s Word?

How might an understanding that fears fuel our doubts affect how we respond to those who are sceptical or doubting God/Christianity?

We are tempted to question God

2 Thessalonians 2:2 CSB

2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come.

Paul exhorts them to stand firm

When we hear something contrary to the Word of God, or what we have been taught in God’s Word, where should we turn?

Genesis 3:1–7 CSB

1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Satan tempts them by asking them one question: “Did God really say..?”

The world asks us this same question every day: Would a loving God really say homosexuality is a sin? Would God really say lust is a sin?

The world tries to get our attention in so many ways, tempting us to question the legitimacy of the Word of God.

Africa Well

Talk about water filtration in Africa.

Question: What are you filtering your life through? Are you filtering your life through the world or are you filtering the world through the Bible?

How are we tempted to question God’s word?

Where should we turn when our Biblical values are questioned by others? How should we respond (defensively, loving, anger, apathy)?

Satan Desires to Turn you Against God

2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 CSB

3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.

“the man of lawlessness is the one who embodies all that the Lord opposes & will attempt to usurp the place of God himself”

The lawless one seeks to exalt his authority and reign over God.

Satan does not have your best interests in mind, he has his best interests alone.

God, on the other hand, recieved glory when we choose to walk obediently after Him with Christ as our Savior and Lord, and the Holy Spirit as our strength and guide.

Christians Respond by Standing Firm

2 Thessalonians 2:3 CSB

3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

What does it mean for us to stand firm on the Word of God?

What are ways the word tries to deceive Christians into falling for worldly things?

How important is daily Scripture Reading for a Christian who wants to stand firm on God’s Word?

What would happen if you were no longer allowed access to God’s Word? Would you recall enough of the Bible to stand firm?