2 Thessalonians 2:1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Would you say that there is a lot of lawlessness these days? Not only am I speaking about crimes against our "law of the land" but, more importantly, lawlessness against God and the truth of His word. Vs 3 says that there is going to be a great "falling away".....do you see what’s happening in America? Look around you! A once great country (America) is falling backwards on it’s heels simply because it is decieving itself in unrighteousness and not "loving the truth" as our text says in Vs 10.
Look at Vs 11.......there are lies out there! And some Christians are buying into those lies and actually helping spread them! Let’s read vs 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
That is serious stuff!!! So what should we do? What does the Bible say we should do? It tells us right there....truth. The answer is also found in John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
I want all christians to know everywhere that if you are simply going to church and are NOT seeking the truth, you are decieving yourselves. The truth is hard for some to handle.......you can’t handle the truth......But this truth we are speaking about today is THE truth.....and that truth is Jesus Christ Himself, and His teachings He left for us that are the same today as they were 2,000 yrs ago. His word does NOT change. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
So what is truth? John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
That’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.....so help all of us, God! We have distorted God’s word and Jesus’s teachings to the point where even the "world" can’t easily recognize us as christians. Here’s a message PLEASE STAND UP!
STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS, YE SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS.....we used to sing that song. Now I think we have replaced it with "don’t worry....be happy." Hey, christians...IT’S TIME TO WORRY! First, you need to worry that Jesus is coming very soon, and you have friends and loved ones who aren’t ready to go.....and you, as Christ’s representatives here on Earth, need to "believe the truth" and DO NOT have "pleasure in unrighteousness."
It’s hard. It’s not always politically correct to make a stand against sin. It ain’t easy to "preach the truth" whenever the "world" will call you predjudiced against certain groups of people. What the world doesn’t realize is that, while we hate what certain people do, we are required by Christ to LOVE the person......and to instruct them and correct them in truth and in love....not to just sit idley by and be passive about the sin that permeates our society these days. It’s past time to take a stand for righteousness! To speak up for Jesus! If the Bible says it’s wrong and immoral to live a homosexual lifestyle, then it’s wrong! THAT is the truth.....why should we be ashamed of that? Aren’t we seeking truth? Or are we seeking to change the truth?
There used to be a show on TV called "What’s my Line." There, a panel would try to ask certain questions of people to try to ascertain what they did for a living. If someone sat down and started asking you questions about your life and Gods truth, how long would it take for them to figure out that you are a christian? Jesus calls christians "the salt of the earth" but He also tells us what happens whenever salt loses it’s flavor, doesn’t He? It gets thrown out!
We need to be "salty" when it comes to the truth. We should STAND UP for the truth at every opportunity. Too many times christians not only won’t stand up for truth, but instead will "lay down for a lie." We have a voice...and a responsibility to the world and to our unsaved loved ones....and to our children. Teach me your ways, oh Lord!
Here’s some good news...read on in 2 Thess 2....13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Hold the traditions! Yes, there have been some mistakes made by the church in the past. Sometimes even racial inequities were set forth....sometimes, even murder (as in the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition)....but these mistakes were made because they did not seek Gods truth. they were only interested in seeking their own truth.....as they saw it to be. And that seems to be what we are doing with God’s word today......only seeking the truth as we want to see it, not how it really is.
I don’t ever want to hurt anybody’s feelings. I don’t ever want to be known as predjudiced against anything......except sin! It is our duty, Christian soldiers, to call sin exactly what it is....not to smooth it over and invite it into our churches and lives. After all, like it says in vs13....we are called from the beginning for sanctification (righteous living) and belief of the truth.
Don’t ever forget that Jesus is coming, don’t let the devil lull to sleep, don’t allow doubts to come into your mind, don’t allow anything, anybody, anywhere to persuade you that the Coming of the Lord is not very near, even at the door. Too many people are living a state of lethargy and they act as though the Lord is coming all right, but not now. They live like he’s coming in 6 months, a year or maybe not even in their lifetime. I’m convinced that I am living in the terminal generation. I’m convinced that before the last one of my generation passes from the scene, that this sinful world and it holds will be burned away and the new Heavens, and the New Earth and the New Jerusalem is already prepared and will soon come down out of Heaven.
