Don't Be Shaken: Christ's Victory Is Final

Sermon Discussion Questions: January 11, 2026 Don’t Be Shaken: Christ’s Victory Is Final 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 I. Introduction – Verse 1 1. In last week's sermon, we saw Paul enthusiastically praising the Thessalonians for their faith and love. Yet this epistle is correctional; the congregation was getting some thing(s) wrong. If even good churches can be waylaid by bad doctrines, how do we protect ourselves? 2. What event associated with Christ's coming is mentioned in this verse? II. The Coming of Christ and Gathering – Verse 2 3. Inaccurate, biased journalism is a scourge in both the secular and Christian communications media. How do we decide whom we will believe? 4. Against what three sources of “fake news” did Paul warn the Thessalonians? 5. Why would it have been particularly distressful to the Thessalonian congregation if the Day of the Lord had already come? II. The Warning Against Deception – Verse 2 and 3a 6. What events (per this verse) must precede the second coming of Jesus? 7. In chapter 5 of 1st Thessalonians, Paul says that the second coming will arrive as a “...thief in the night.” Jesus also emphasized, through parables and direct teaching, that the second coming will surprise most people. How do we reconcile these teachings with Paul's statement here that certain events will warn people of the imminence of Jesus' return? 8. Pastor Paul cautioned us against two sources of false confidence in our salvation, 1. Baptism and 2. ______________ _______________. 9. Name an additional source of false confidence in our salvation. 10. What is the legitimate source of confidence in our salvation? 11. Cite a scripture that supports the doctrine that Jesus will, at the end times, gather all his people. II. The Nature of the Enemy – Verse 4 12. If we agree that “turtling up” Biblical, strategy? is a bad strategy for dealing with adversity, what is a good, 13. Pastor Paul said that “...bad theology creates anxiety.” A famous charismatic preacher teaches that Christians should dispense with “doctrinal doo doo” and focus on their shared experience of the Holy Spirit. Who is correct, and why? 14. Per the sermon, what is the ultimate test of spiritual truth? 15. Give two interpretations of what is meant by the man of lawlessness taking his seat in the temple of God. 16. In what sense is the rebellion mentioned in this passage already happening, and in what sense is it a future event? II. The Anchor of Apostolic Teaching – Verse 5 17. Pastor Paul mentioned two endeavors that would be more worthwhile than figuring out who the Antichrist is. What were they? Prayer Points: • Ask God to grant you unshakeable confidence in the singular, glorious return of Jesus Christ, praying that you would rest fully in His final victory. • Ask the Lord to protect your mind from being easily “shaken” by any deceptive teaching, anchoring you firmly in the truth of Scripture rather than speculation. • Praise God for His sovereignty; that even rising rebellion and the forces of evil operate on His leash and cannot move outside His ordained timeline. a. Give a Biblical or historical example of someone who demonstrated, during a time of persecution or catastrophe, this prayer point.