2 Thessalonians 2:13-14......Chosen for Salvation....

Psalms 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”

INTRODUCTION...

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God has had a plan for each and everyone of us since the beginning of time......TALK, PREACH (expound of scripture)....God does not bring evil into your life, evil comes on its on when you are away from God....

Why does He allow bad things to happen to good people....First, how do you know they are truly good?....People can fool you....TALK...

2nd, when are away from God, He allows things to get our attention…TALK..

3rd, when are doing what you are suppose to; the devil will try to pull you away....TALK...

But through it all God doesn’t have a plan to hurt or harm you, He has your back if you let him....you need an example...

What did He tell the satan over in Job.... Job 1:12 “And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” .....TALK, PREACH....

No harm comes from God, we bring that upon ourselves with disobedience....He says go right and we go left....what voice are you listening too.....TALK, PREACH....

Even Jesus said over in John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Nothing bad with having an abundant life.

Before God set creation in motion, He already had a plan for us....he had the plan and then went back and started the plan in motion....

And from the beginning of time we were chosen by God to receive salvation. Some have rejected it but that was under their own doing because God had chosen us all from the beginning. He had loved from the beginning with an everlasting love.

And today we will see that Paul not only lets the church at the city of Thessalonica know they were chosen but he also let’s us know today.

In the text today we see, the origin of salvation, how to receive salvation and the purpose of salvation...

Let’s walk...

BODY/POINTS...

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Three: Nothing but the Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5)

Paul was a balanced Christian who had a balanced ministry; and we see evidence of this as he brought his letter to a close.

The church in Thessalonica was under heavy persecution. And Paul being balanced, told of the good and the bad. They were going to have to go thru some things to gain everything. The main thing was to stand fast and stay faithful.

The church being made up of new gentile believers, Paul was the Apostle to the gentiles, with a few devout Jewish believers mixed in was under heavy fire from the Rome and the non believing Jews.

Despite all of that Paul had some good news for the believers. God had chosen them just like he had chosen Israel to be part of His family. Paul then instructs them on how to receive salvation and the purpose of it.

When were we chosen? because God from the beginning chose you for salvation, v13...

Before they chose God, He chose them, and if we look at the word chosen, in the original greek text it means elected....

for that election, we only needed one vote to win and it was God’s vote.....TALK, PREACH…(he picked me)...

And when I think about the word beginning…before I was born, I was chosen.....Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Adam was created on the 6th day so before man was even created, ..you was chosen....TALK…(God’s plan and then he started the plan)

So the origin of salvation, God....The most wonderful truth, God had chosen us for salvation before the world was even created.....WOW

God saw us as saved before we were born but it saddens me to know that some choose not to be saved.....TALK, PREACH...

So God has chosen us for salvation but he has also instructed us on how to obtain it.

Paul writes....through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, v13..

sanctification (separation from the world and unto God)....TALK..

So if we want it, we must be prepared for it by sanctification as the necessary means to obtain that end, which sanctification is by the operation of the Holy Spirit as the author and by faith on our part.

Remember the process I talked about at the baptismal....justification, sanctification and glorification.....we all still in the sanctification stage....Christ is still cleaning us up....TALK, PREACH…(help of the Holy spirit)..

The Holy Spirit quickens the gospel to our mind, The Spirit convicts us and the Spirit attracts us to the cross....TALK, PREACH(THAT IS WHAT KEEPS US SANCTIFIED)

We are chosen but we must make sure we stay sanctified...

Next, BELIEF IN THE TRUTH....

God’s work of sanctification uses two great forces, the Spirit and the belief in the truth. The Spirit of God and the Word of God are essential to our sanctification.

What is belief in the truth?…Simply believing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ....

Believe with all your heart, believe that you will not experience spiritual death because Christ died for you…believe that you shall ascend into heaven to live eternally...

The gospel is essential for our salvation....it is through Christ and Christ alone....TALK, PREACH.....

So we are chosen since the beginning, God has made a way for us to make sure we obtain salvation through santification and the truth of the Gospel.

Lastly, why do we want salvation...the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ..v14

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Three: Nothing but the Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5)

The same God who ordained the end (salvation) also ordained the means to the end (“belief of the truth”).

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Three: Nothing but the Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5)

What began in eternity past reaches its climax in eternity future: we share in the glory of God

The believer shall be glorified with Christ as an heir of God....

Salvation will get you to your seat in the kingdom....

Church we were chosen from the beginning and giving a way to obtain it.....it’s through Christ....TALK, PREACH, CLOSE...

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 2 Th 2:14.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 2 Th 2:13–14.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 2 Th 2:13.