Called By The Gospel

Text

2 Thessalonians 2:13–15 NASB95

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. 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.

Paul I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ

This gospel was promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures

This gospel was concerning His Son (Son of David acc. to the flesh, but Son of God acc. to the Spirit)

This gospel declared the Jesus to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead

The Gentiles became obedient to faith through this gospel

The gospel is the reason Paul was eager to preach to the lost

This gospel is what Paul is ready to give his life for

The gospel is what Paul tells the Corinthians to continue to believe in if they want to be saved

The gospel is what Paul tells the Galatians to not move away from or pervert

There is power in the Gospel. The power is in who it points to and that is Jesus!

Without Jesus there is no power, no hope, no life, no peace, no joy. This is the gospel that God is using to call men and women to Himself

Paul opens this letter with thanksgiving, why thanksgiving?

Your faith is enlarged, it was growing and increasing

You were loving each other and love was growing

They were persevering in and maintaing their faith even in the midst of persecutions and afflictions (2 Thess 1:3-4)

But Paul says to them something strange, that the way to the kingdom is through suffering. We think that suffering is something to avoid, but is something to embrace. If any man suffer let him suffer as a Christian, if we suffer together with Him we will reign together with Him.

Paul speaks to the church as they anticipate the great day of Christ, a day that we don’t know when it is coming, but it is.

Pauls speaks of the great falling away that will happen prior to this great day.

Paul then warns of the man of Sin/lawlessness - this many beleive to be not an individual but a system. A sytem used by Satan for his wicked purposes and schemes. He is called the son of perdition, meaning he is destined for destruction.

His purpose/satan’s purpose is to deceive, delude, trick, scheme, poison and ultimately destroy. Those that will be caught up in the deception are those who 2 Thessalonians 2:10 “10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”

And ultimately took pleasure in wickedness - So God left them to themselves.

But as bad as this sounds, Paul returns to his theme of thanksgiving.

Selection

There should be thanksgiving that you have been selected, the text says “chosen you from the beginning”

This choice was before the foundation of the world [man did not contribute to this work]

This phrased is used commonly used in connection with the life and work of Jesus [1 Pet 1:18-20; Mt 25:34; Rev 13:8; Mt 13:35; Eph 2:20; Ephesians 1:3 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” Ephesians 1:4 “4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love”

This choice shows divine activity is involved in salvation

This means that God had a plan to save you in Jesus Christ and no one could’ve stopped it from happening

This means that God cared enough to get hands on with the work needed to clean you up from your sins

This means that when God saves you, no one can destroy that relationship (Jn 10:29; Rom 8:1)

God purged your consience from dead works - Heb 9:15

God cut away the body of flesh condemning us Col 2:11

God rescued you from darkness Col 1:13

God gave you the Holy Spirit and adds you to his family Acts 2:47

If the above is too much to remember, remember God gave you all spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ

All this because He chose you!

This choice is in Him [Jesus] (Jn 6:44) - This means Acts 4:12 “12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.””

This choice does not negate human response (Lk 14:26) – Eph 1:4b “that we would be holy and blameless before Him” [emp. Added]

Salvation

#1 Salvation is a rescue operation of the soul. It assumes that there is something that endagers the soul making it necessary for something or someone to rescue. Our soul is in danger of being a away from the presence of God for an eternity, therefore we need a rescue. And God is one that can come to the rescue. Psalm 27:1 “1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?”

What endagered the soul is SIN. What makes us sick is SIN. What makes you lost is SIN. Jesus said it is not those that are well that needs a physician, but those who are sick. Jesus said I came to seek and to save that which is lost. Sin is nothing to mess with it, it destroys, kills, and consumes. It seeks to master you and sometimes you don’t even realize it.

Are you sick? Are you lost? Are you in danger? Jesus came for you.

#2 Salvation is not only a rescue operation, but it is a restoration Job. Sin broke what God intended to have on the earth. God wanted the paradise to fill the earth. Eden was supposed to spread to the enitre earth, but then “through one man sin entered the world, and through sin death and death spread to all men (Rom 5:12)”. It broke the world, distorted the pictured, messed things up - So God needed a restoration job to reclaim what sin took.

Dominion was lost - God restored that through Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:24–25 “24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”

And if we are willing to suffer with Him we will reign with Him

Life was lost - God restored that through Jesus Hebrews 2:14 “14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,”

Fellowship was lost - God through Jesus Christ restored this too. Hebrews 2:11 “11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,” Galatians 4:7 “7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

#3 Salvation is also a Renewal

2 Corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

There is newness in Jesus

God did not make you new, for you live as the old man lived.

Paul lets the Thessalonians know, God chose you for this! If God chose this for you, why don’t you choose God? What’s stopping you from making a decision like that?

This is what the gospel is calling you to

Sanctification

This word simply means to be set apart for God’s ownership and purpose. When God chooses you by you choosing Him, you are no longer your own but you belong to God.

The problem with this is we like to run the show, be in charge, call the shots. We want lead and direct ourselves but you can’t.

Proverbs 14:12 “12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Jeremiah 10:23 “23 I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.”

Jeremiah 17:9 “9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”

Isaiah 64:6 “6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

There is none that is righteous, no, not one!

Sanctification means that God gets to work in you and make a difference in your life. He changes you and shapes you to be what He needs you to be.

And if you allow Him, He will lead you to life. This leads you to GLORY!

2 Thessalonians 2:14 “14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

You cannot gain the glory, if got cannot work on you

How does God sanctify? The text says two things

The Spirit - the Holy Spirit is the one that does the sahping in you, He’s the one that ensures you bear fruit. Galatians 3:3 “3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

The truth - Everything is not good for you! There are lies, falsehood, doctrines of demons, human philosophies, man’s wisdom - but the only thing that will sanctify is TRUTH - John 17:17 “17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” God’s word is the Spirit’s instrument to shape and you cannot be shaped apart from it.

God’s gospel is calling you to obey

For the Thessalonians who had already obeyed, he says in vs 15, “stand firm and hold (grab)”