STAND FAST AND HOLD TIGHT
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on May 8, 2019 under PM Bible Study |
PM Bible Study Group: May 8, 2019 from 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
Theme: In the light of end-times events, we are to ‘stand fast’ in the faith and ‘hold tight’ the traditions we have been taught in Christ.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
The Thessalonian believers had—in the flesh—quite a few reasons to be distressed. They had been receiving some false teaching about the end times; and were made to believe that the Day of the Lord had come (2:1-2). And even when Paul corrected their error, he let them know that, before that day would come, there would have to be some other challenges that came first (vv. 3-12). It would be understandable if they were very distressed. They might even be tempted to run and hide from it all.
But 2 Thessalonians is not about running and hiding. Far from it! It’s a letter that Paul wrote to these dear believers in order to encourage them in their faith; and to give them the sort of comfort and spiritual confidence that they needed in order to stand strong in times of testing. He even took the time in the first chapter to let them know that, at the coming of Jesus, God will deal with those who harass the saints and that oppose the gospel; and that the Lord Jesus Himself will be glorified in them (1:9-10).
So then; after giving them the information that they needed in order to have a correct view of things to come, he then offers a remarkable word of encouragement to them. In verses 13-17, Paul wrote;
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17).
Paul’s main exhortation in these words of encouragement is to stand fast in the faith, and hold tightly to the traditions that they had been taught—not wavering from them or being dissuaded from them by false teaching or erroneous end-times fears. And we see this expressed in the encouraging three-fold form of (1) Paul’s thanks, (2) Paul’s call, and (3) Paul’s prayer.
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Note first …
1. PAUL’S THANKS (vv. 13-14).
These Thessalonians needed encouragement and comfort. And so, Paul first expresses this through the things that he and his co-laborers in the gospel give thanks to God for concerning them. Note how he introduces this to them. He says, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord …” (v. 13a). To think of how Paul—this great apostle, mighty in faith—would be sincerely moved to give such hardy thanks for what God has in store for them couldn’t help but be an encouragement!
When he says “we”, he is speaking not only for himself, but also for Silvanus (or Silas) and Timothy. This is a notable trio from which to draw encouragement. He calls these Thessalonians “brethren, beloved of the Lord”; indicating that they are not only close to Paul’s heart and that of his ministry partners, but also that they are dear to the heart of the Lord Jesus. And he says that, upon taking inventory of the things that God has in store for them, he is “bound” or “obligated” to give thanks to God for them “always”. It would be one thing if Paul were simply to tell them what God feels about them and what He has in store for them. But Paul isn’t even really just telling them. Rather, he is directing his thanks to God for it all! What great encouragement this would be!
And note how he then goes on to tell them what it is that he and the others give thanks to God for. First, we see that he gives thanks to God for His elective love toward them. Paul writes that he is thankful “because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth …” (v. 13b). In this context, we should think of ‘salvation’ as meaning more than the forgiveness of their sins. In the light of all the troubles that will come upon this world—and of the ultimate destruction of the ungodly at the coming of the Lord—Paul lets them know that God has ‘chosen’ them for deliverance from these things to come and for secure placement in His eternal kingdom. They are destined for safety and for ultimate glory. This wasn’t a recent development in the heart of God, either. The sovereign God had chosen them for this destiny “from the beginning”—that is, from before time was; from before they ever could have first chosen Him. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 1:4, God the Father, through the grace of Christ …
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4).
How does God the Father bring this pre-chosen salvation about? It is through a two-fold work. First, God the Father does His part in saving us “through sanctification by the Spirit”. To “sanctify” us, in this case, mean to “set us apart” or “make us holy” in God’s sight for the purpose of His glory. And He does this by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit works in us and draws us to faith in Jesus; and then, having given us faith to believe, He then seals us unto glory. We bear, as it were, the guarantee of God’s promised glorification upon us; and we can never be lost to Him—no matter what happens in this world. But then, there is our part. Paul goes on to say that we are saved through “belief in the truth”. It is the Spirit Himself who gives us the ability to believe the gospel and place our trust in Jesus, but as Paul puts it in Ephesians 1:13-14;
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14).
And look at what this salvation is unto. In verse 14, Paul goes on to speak of this salvation;
to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 14).
Whom God saves, He saves all the way to glory—even to the very glory of our Lord Jesus Himself. This means that, being in Christ, we can never be lost to our Father. No matter what happens in this world—no matter what troubles may fall upon it because of the threats and plots of the devil through his antichrist—we cannot fail to be brought to full glory in Christ to the honor of our Father!
Can we also give thanks to God for this? If we can, we are helped greatly to stand fast and hold on in the times to come.
Now; after having given the encouragement of his expression of thanks, a call to action is required. So; next we find …
2. PAUL’S CALL (v. 15).
Paul’s call to action is rooted in the things that he thanked God for concerning the Thessalonians. Because of the Father’s love for them, the glorious destiny for which He has chosen them, and the absolute certainty of His accomplishing all that He has purposed for them, Paul writes; “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (v. 15).
Think of what it was that he was trying to correct in these troubled believers. In verses 1-3, he wrote;
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means … (2:1-3a).
They were unstable. They were fearful. They were shaken and troubled by false teaching, or by lying words, or even by fake letters written as if they were from Paul and the others. But having corrected their theology and having settled their hearts—giving them the assurance and comfort of the truth—he urges them to “therefore” do two things. First, they needed to “stand fast” in their faith—and in the sure doctrines of that faith. They must not allow themselves to be set off course or turned away from the truths that Paul had so diligently taught them (see verse 5). And second, they needed to “hold” the traditions that they had been taught—whether by Paul’s and the other’s direct, personal teaching, or by the first letter that they had written to them.
What are the “traditions” he speaks of? We shouldn’t think of this as a set of religious ceremonies or rituals. Rather, it seems that this speaks of the practical instructions that Paul and the other missionaries had passed on to them regarding appropriate conduct for a follower of Jesus. We see an example of this later in this letter. Apparently, some were taking the false teaching that they were hearing about the end times as permission to ‘check-out’ of their responsibilities and to live unproductive lives—depending on others to provide for them as they sat with their eyes gazing up to the sky. Paul wrote in 3:6-13;
But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good (3:6-13).
When our hearts are truly gripped by the confident assurance of our destiny in Christ, we are not unstable, lazy and unproductive. Far from it! Our hearts become energized by our glorious hope; and we rise up to live faithfully for our Lord in everyday responsibilities—knowing that we will be rewarded for our faithful obedience. Does your thankfulness for the prospect of future glory translate into ‘standing fast’ and ‘holding tight’?
And notice how Paul fortifies this thankful hope with a heart-felt wish for the Thessalonian’s obedience. As we read on, we find Paul’s exhortation followed by …
3. PAUL’S PRAYER (vv. 16-17).
Paul doesn’t just express these things to the Thessalonians. He lets them know that he expresses them to God. In a kind of prayer/wish for them, Paul says; “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work” (vv. 16-17).
Note who it is that he trusts in for the accomplishing of all this. It is not in the Thessalonians themselves. Nor is it even in himself and his ministry colleagues. If anything of true value is to be done in and through the saints, it must be the Lord’s doing. And so, he prays that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God the Father will fully accomplish these things. Who better?—because who loves us more? As Paul puts it in Philippians 1:6;
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ … (Philippians 1:6).
And it is not just for the glorious outcome that Paul prays. He also prays that, in the immediate, the Thessalonian believers will be comforted by this hope. He calls our Father the one who gives us “everlasting consolation” and “good hope by grace”; and prays that He would comfort their hearts and establish them in every good work. It is, in the end, God our Father—through the Lord Jesus—who both settles us on the inside and puts us to faithful work on the outside.
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This encouragement is meant for us. The same God and Father—through His Son—gives us comfort and aid, and assists us in His call upon our lives, and settles our heart with His love and with the promise of glory. So then; in light of the troubles that may come upon this world, let’s be sure that we ‘stand fast’ in the faith, and ‘hold tight’ to the traditions we’ve been taught!
EA
