Scripture Text (NRSV)
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
2:1 As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being
gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters,
2:2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit
or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day
of the Lord is already here.
2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come
unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the
one destined for destruction.
2:4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or
object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
declaring himself to be God.
2:5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was
still with you?
2:13 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and
sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits
for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief
in the truth.
2:14 For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the
good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2:15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the
traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by
our letter.
2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who
loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,
2:17 comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good
work and word.
Comments:
Or not being shaken, when our OT text tells us that God is shaking
everything up. DGinNYC
The main connection with the Gospel is that both deal with the problem
of relating the present (in the world) to the future (with God). I
guess the difference between them is not just comparing "apples and
oranges" but more like comparing "apples and stars". (I guess there
both somewhat round...)
Which brings to mind the Kierkegaard quote "there is an infinate
qualitative difference between time and eternity" I'm very unsure of
my spelling, but the "qualitative" is the important part.
Thanks for raising the issue. I was just going to ignore this passage
and deal with the gospel. Some of my people will hear "evil one" and
think Osama ben Laden and that therefore the end is near. If you read
the middle passage the identity falls apart as not matching, but it
still has to be mentioned in one way or another.
I sort of think that the "anticipation of the future" gets in the way
of the "realization of the present." Boy that sounds profound, but is
it true. It's like waiting for the rich grandmother to die, thinking
of all the joy you will get with all that money, rather than the joy
that is offered to you even now... particularly the loving and being
loved with that grandmother.
This is a late posting, but hope it helps. I found this comment in a
teaching sermon by J. Keathley, a bit of exegesis that may help with
the idea of "shaken": "“Shaken” is saleuo„, “to agitate, shake,
unsettle, cause to waver.” It was used of moving away from something,
like a ship which was suddenly torn away from her moorings by strong
winds and waves. Paul used the aorist tense with the verb “shaken,”
but changed to the present tense with the verb, “disturbed.” This
change of tenses may suggest a sudden shaking or move followed by a
condition that continued." The difference from GOD'S "shaking" is that
in the OT passage, God is shaking things up to rid the world of all
that isn't his work. We are already part of God's work as believers,
so Paul calls us to "hang on" and not give up so easily the good,
gracious gift God has already given us. Ken in WV
Three phrases from this passage leap out at me:
1) "God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit" Does this not imply a changed lifestyle
for the converted believer? That by the power of His Spirit, we will
(on the heels of celebrating All Saints Day) be made holy (more
saintly)? How is that measured? Should it be or is that a form of
judgment?
2) "God chose you ... through belief in the truth." Does this not
directly claim an absolute? In this day and age where absolutes are
denied or ridiculed by the intellectual elite, here we have a
proclamation of truth, a vehicle by which we, as believers, have been
chosen. Do we preach about absolutes? Or do we join the masses who
deny their existence?
3) "So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the
traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by
our letter." Don't we here have an apologetic for the Word of God? Is
this not a proclamation of the authority of Scripture, words that we
should live by, both here and the everafter? Is this not, again, a
complete refutation of Spongianity and their like-minded wayward
followers?
Just wondering aloud,
Rick in Va
UM's might want to check out wesley's "Character of a Methodist" --
very interesting in light of our thinking along the lines of
"holiness" and "sainthood" -- Wesley would call it "going on to
perfection.
The part I noticed in the passage are the three admonitions -- to "be
thankful" -- to "stand firm" and to "hold fast" (or hang on!). In this
day of and reforming faith, reevaluating worship styles and rethinking
our tradition, this is a good word. It might be a good passage even,
to offer Wesley's quadrilateral for evaluating our beliefs in the face
of the new millenium (0r however you spell it!) Still thinking about
this one....RevKK
It appears to be an opportune time to looking at tradition, and in
particular our UM tradition. My sermon will be a teaching sermon which
focuses on the doctrine of sanctifying grace. The moment we are
justified we begin the journey of holy living. As Wesley said, few
attain perfection in love, and if they do it is a few moments before
death! RevD
Then, I must be near death! (Just a joke)
To a Church under persecution and already pressed hard to compromise
truth, Paul had already written his first epistle to Thess. Now this
second one. In the first he had emphasized the coming of our Lord and
had given those words in I Thess 4 which indicate "We who are alive
and remain. . ." Every generation of Christians has had to read those
words in that way. His coming could be in any generation (including
Paul's) In this second epistle he wants to make certain that they have
not thought that they should stop working and begin to simply look to
the sky for His return. They need to stay busy. In consideration of
that he speaks in this second chapter about the coming lawless one who
will set himself up as God and will make people worship himself. Paul
makes it clear that this is not what Christians should be looking for
but rather for the Lord Jesus who will take His people out before such
awful things take place. He will then have the day of the Lord which
will be severe on all of humanity Countless people have wasted their
time attempting to identify the antichrist (that man of sin who is the
son of perdition. Each new attempt to name him begins with "I know
that many have tried to identify him but now we know. . ." How
foolish! If one takes the flow of I and II Thess. one can not miss the
fact that the emphasis is on waiting for the Christ and not the
antichrist.
Glen
Yes, Rick in Va, to all three. This passage is often used by folks in
my tradition as a "road map of the future." I think that's
unfortunate. Paul is indeed showing us that the last days will be
difficult ones in which to be true to the Lord in the face of a
culture which denies all absolutes, and deifies men. But he calls us
to a life of thanksgiving for what God has done for us, and to stand
firm in that which we have been taught, and to be strengthened in word
and deed. This will, in fact, require that Christian believers live
lives radically different than the world around them.
-- Rod in Pixley
Most of my congregation -- what's left of it -- are in their 70's and
80's. For them, the "day of the Lord" is around the corner for sure.
Many of them -- most -- are tired, weary, weak or have simply given up
and are "waiting" -- My challenge is to preach this sermon with
compassion, but encourage them that their time of faithfulness is not
over yet, either. revkk
