Tethered To Christ and His Word

Intro: In the 1996 movie action movie Twister, Bill and Jo Harding are couragous storm chasers that always seem to find their way right in the path of a destructive tornado. Of course, they were searching for them to study their movements in order to find a better warnings system. Scene after scene in the movie, Bill and Jo are somehow able to escape flying objects like cars and tractors that are whipped around by the winds.

The final scene of the movie has Bill and Jo running on foot for their life from an EF5 Tornado. They run past an old house and into a storage building just as the tornado ravages the main structure. Bill pulls off his belt and ties he and Jo to a 2’ well pipe that runs deep into the ground. The tornado slams into them but the solid nature of this pipe keeps Bill and Jo safely tethered until the storm passes. Whats left when the debris settles, is Bill, Jo and the pipe sticking out of the ground.

As a professing Christian, what will you tether yourself to in order to safely endure trials, false teaching, mass apostasy, persecutions in order to endure to the end?

There were many things that Bill and Jo could have tied themselves to that appeared solid in a storm but were actually blown away. Jesus gave a similiar parable to his disciples in Matthew 7

Matthew 7:24–27 “24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.””

These helpful pictures set us up well for our sermon today as we consider the last few verses of 2 Thessalonians. Today we are going to look at Paul’s final exhortation to the Thessalonians in regards to all the events that will occur in the end times and the events leading up to them.

His final exhortation is to “tether yourself to Christ and His word in order to face the daily battles, struggles, and end time cataclysms before the glorious return of the Lord.

Before we look at this passage today, let me direct you to some passages of the OT that remind us of the solid and sure foundation that the Lord is for all His people.

Deuteronomy 32:3–4 “3 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God! 4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

Psalm 18:2 “2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Isaiah 26:4 “4 “Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.”

All of Scripture makes it clear that the Lord, who has been revealed as Jesus Christ, is the solid immovable foundation to which the prophets and psalmist proclaimed. He is steadfast and sure and he is the one whom we must abide in throughout our time in the world so that we will outlast and overcome this evil world IN HIM.

Let’s turn now to Paul’s words in 2 Thess 2

1. The Reason for Our Tethering (13-14)

Paul will close out this section of his letter with encouragement once again to much of the church in Thessalonica. In his words of thanksgiving, we see the reason why true believers are found to stick with Jesus until the end. If you are like me, you have asked in your mind, Lord will I make it? Will I be steafast through trials? Will I be like Christian in Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress that makes it to the Celestial City.

Paul affirms for them the reasons that the genuine believers will endure to the end. It is the subject of his thanksgiving. He is thankful because they are beloved and chosen by God, saved by his gospel, sanctified by His Spirit, and will ultimately expereince his glory.

Let’s look at these as testimonies of our lives that we will look back on and reflect on God’s good work in us at the end.

2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 “13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A. His Beloved and chosen

Why do God’s people endure? because by God’s sovereign grace he set his eternal love on them through and in Christ. Jesus, the Son of God and the second person of the trinity is the beloved of God. At Jesus baptism, the Father’s voice resounds audibly for all in attendance to hear that Jesus is the Father BELOVED SON. His highest affections are on Jesus and the true church is the beloved of God because we are united with Christ in His body.

Romans 9:24–26 “24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 25 As He says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’ ” 26 “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.””

The church is first beloved of God because of His Son but also we are beloved because we are the gift from the Father to the Son. The Father gives the true church, the elect to the Son as a gift. Last week we looked at how that gift can never be removed or taken away. It is the powerful love and sovereign election of God for the elect of Christ that seals us for the end.

God chooses his people and sets his love on them. What happened first? We do not know the timeline of eternity past but Paul says “you are beloved of the Lord BECAUSE God has chosen you. Your sure and impenetrable election in Christ leads you to be tethered to Him for all days.

B. Saved by His Gospel

Secondly, notice that your election leads to your salvation. You are not elected to be successful in life. You are not elected to be wealthy. You are elected to be saved and forgiven of your sins and used by God for His glory. Your election is an honorable designation by the highest authority our God to serve him for the rest of your life where he places you for all of your time on this earth.

Paul states that the Thessalonians were saved “by our gospel (14). This gospel of the good news is the only path to a genuine salvation. Paul’s gospel is the good news of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners. Salvation can only come through the gospel preached by Jesus, by the apostles. There are false gospels and false messiahs promoted throughout history. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that the gospel he preached was the authentic gospel that saves.

Hearing the true gospel is what leads minds and hearts to be opened to see the wages of sin as death and the need for Jesus Christ alone to save. There is no other way but through Jesus. This leads to authentic salvation and authentic salvation leads to endurance until the end.

C. Sanctified by His Spirit

Thirdly, Paul mentions the elect of God, beloved by Him, who were saved by His gospel are sanctified in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us to transform us day by day by tethering us to Christ and his word. His Spirit dwells within the true church and leads and guides the church to savor Christ and obey His word. Only the indwelling Spirit can a person be saved and continually be made holy in their lives. By His strength we are healed and By His Spirit we are continually tethered to the Rock who is Jesus Christ.

Friends, when you look at your daily walk with Christ, you must always observe it from 10 feet and 30,000 feet. If you only inspect it from 10 feet, you will see the struggles more than the victories. You might fall into hopelessness because everyday is a struggle. Careful inspection and examination on a daily basis is needed so the Spirit can discard sinful habits in us.

But also, when we observe our lives from 30K feet, we are encouraged because we can see the landscape of spiritual growth more clearly.

D. of His Glory

Finally, we see Paul mentions “gaining the glory of the Lord Jesus.” This is the end, the eternity of glory that we will experience with the Lord. It is his glory manifested as His beauty and majesty and perfections displayed. We will exist in the midst of his glory for all eternity and we will be satisfied. Satisfaction is a hard word because our flesh prohibits us from truly understanding this. When we think we have reached satisfaction, our flesh wants more. There is no more craving flesh in the midst of the glory of the Lord in heaven. We will be satisfied

Psalm 16:11 “11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

Spurgeon writes,

2 Thessalonians Exposition

God was not content to choose you to happiness here, but He has also chosen you to happiness hereafter. He was not satisfied with making a little heaven for you here below, but He has made a great heaven for you up above. He has not appointed an earthly paradise where He might sometimes come to you as He came to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, but He has prepared a place for you in His own home in glory that you may dwell forever in your Father’s house where there are many abiding places

Know brothers and sisters that the elect of God will gain his glory. We will attain it by works or good deeds, but we will gain it by the gift of his soverign grace.

2. The Object of our Tethering (15)

2 Thessalonians 2:15 “15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”

Oh this verse is a glorious one even though rebels of the word have caused it much trouble. Paul’s message is one of simplicity. To be steadfast in trials, in persecutions, in temptations to leave your first love, stand firm in what you have been taught by the mouths of the prophets and the apostles. What troubles some here is that Paul uses the words “traditions.” He could have said hold firm to the “commands” or “the gospel” or “the words”. Instead he uses PARADOSIS which means “that which is transmitted or received from someone else.”

Now there is a lot to say here so let me spend some time addressing the importance and value of this verse, while rejecting the foolishness that surrounds it.

Paul uses the PARADOSIS here because his teachings came from Christ and were passed down to him. In the conversion of Paul, we see the Lord teach him, the disciples teach him and he in turn began to teach others. He taught them face to face initially. They would learn from him as he traveled around from city to city on his missionary journeys. His words were rooted in the OT Scriptures which we can see from the way he writes his letters. Paul continued to teach orally throughout his missionary journeys but he also taught in written form. What he said and what he wrote was meant to be passed on to other believers.

2 Timothy 2:2 “2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Now what Paul said, he said with Apostolic authority. In his letters, we would always indicate in his opening that he was writing as an apostle, sent by God. Paul understood that the Lord was speaking through him with divine words.

Galatians 1:10–13 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:37 “37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.”

Paul then spoke authoritatively as an apostle that which the Spirit led him to teach and thus it was the words from God.

Now when we come to this verse in 2 Thessalonians where Paul says to “hold to the traditions” he is simply saying, continue to stand firm in the doctrines and truths of God’s word that I have passed down to you. They are from the Lord and for his church. They are what you need as you face the devils schemes, the trials, the persecutions, the end times.

What the church does not need is something other than God’s word. This is another of the attacks of the devil on the church. Not only does Satan want you to doubt God’s word, he also wants you to add to God’s word.

Remember these two moments in Gen 3. First Satan asks Eve, did God really say? which is the lack of confidence that devil lures us into believing about God. But secondly, we see how Eve adds to God’s word.

Genesis 3:3 “3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ””

We are in a battle once again in this era of the church for the sufficiency of God’s word. People are asking once again, Is the Bible enough for me? Should there be more that I need? Do I need a personal word? Do I need more historic words from the church? Do I need a vision or dream? Friends, if you ask these things, you are simply stating that God has failed in giving all that we need for life and godliness.

As we approach the end of this month and think much about the Protestant Reformation, we would be bleseed to think about the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. This means “Scripture Alone” in Latin and its purpose by the Reformers is to say simply: The Bible contains all things necessary for spiritual faith and practice. This is how we endure to the end when he meditate in the word, when we are rooted in the word, when we remain in God’s word to us.

2 LBCF states

6. The whole counsel of God concerning everything essential for his own glory and man’s salvation, faith, and life is either explicitly stated or by necessary inference contained in the Holy Scriptures. Nothing is ever to be added to the Scriptures, either by new revelation of the Spirit or by human traditions.9 Nevertheless, we acknowledge that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for a saving understanding of what is revealed in the Word.10 We recognize that some circumstances concerning the worship of God and government of the church are common to human actions and organizations and are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian wisdom, following the general rules of the Word, which must always be observed.

2LCF 1:1

Now I am going to wrap up here but in two weeks, when I preach again, I am going to address this attack on Sola Scriptura and show in great detail how this Satanic attack on the authority and sufficiency of Scripture is the same old strategy of the evil one.

Paul was exhorting the church to be tethered to Christ and HIs words because it is the rule of faith for our lives. It is the treasure of our spiritual journeys. It doesn’t teach us how to change the oil in our cars or how to dissect a frog, but it does give us the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves. It teaches us how to live holy lives by exposing sin and pointing us to the Lord Jesus who washes away sin and provides forgiveness in his name. All the writings of the law and prophets spoke of Jesus and all that our Lord wanted us to know and believe is given in these 66 books so that we might see and believe in Him.

STOP HERE

A. Sola Scriptura not Ex Cathedra

B. Sola Scriptura not Top Hat Mysticism

C. Sola Scriptura not Concensus Pactum

D. Sola Scriptura not Spiritus Prophetia

3. The Fruit of our Tethering(16-17)

A. Eternal Comfort/Hope

B. Earthly Obedience to the word

Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians Chapter 2

Papists, however, act a foolish part in gathering from this that their traditions ought to be observed. They reason, indeed, in this manner—that if it was allowable for Paul to enjoin traditions, it was allowable also for other teachers; and that, if it was a pious thing1 to observe the former, the latter also ought not less to be observed… They act a still more ridiculous part in making it their aim to pass off, under this, the abominable sink of their own superstitions, as though they were the traditions of Paul.