Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 2 Thessalonians. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Process and movement is often more important to us than just the “status quo,” the current circumstances. If things are moving in a negative direction even the good we currently have is put at risk. If things are moving in a positive direction then we can more easily endure the bad things about our current circumstances knowing that things are getting better.
- So the world around us – is it getting better or worse? Or perhaps more important to us personally is this question: “Is the future better for me, or is it worse for me?” Ultimately that is a question that pertains to God, His will for us and what He has planned for us – for all of us face the dissolution of physical death, and we will all face God and judgment. This question is answered clearly by Holy Scripture – “he that believes the Son has everlasting life, but he that does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” [John 3:36]
- Still, we are interested for a number of obvious reasons about whether or not our life in this world is going to get “better” or “worse.” The seemingly dismal message of our text is that “godless” things are coming, and more of them. At the same time our text assures us that “good” things have already come to us, and that even more are sure to come. So we consider “GOOD AND GODLESS THINGS TO COME” on the basis of our text.
- But first the good:
I. We Should Not Be Shocked Or Alarmed By The Evil That We See Around Us, The Godless Things To Come – For God Has Already Blessed Us Abundantly And The Evil Will Not Overcome Us
A. God Has Chosen You To Be Saved By Faith
Text: “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved.”
1. You were called to this faith through the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Text: “To this He called you through our Gospel.”
2. You are blessed to be sanctified by His Holy Spirit through faith and knowledge of the truth
Text: “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
Statement: We are so blessed and privileged to have been chosen by God and called to faith in Jesus, so that we “know and believe the love that God has for us.” We know that our sins are washed and cleansed away in Jesus’ precious blood, that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and that by faith in Jesus we already have eternal life. We are also richly blessed each day by the “sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth” – to know God’s goodness and love, and to know the ways of goodness and love toward others.
Application: So the blessings of God are already rich in this life – to know that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord! And this assures us of even greater blessings to come, for:
B. You Also Will Obtain The Glory Of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Text: “To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Statement: Again, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. We are in the Father’s hands, and no one can snatch us out of His hand! Regardless of the “godless” things we must endure here and now, we are headed to the glory of God and nothing can change this!
Application: So there is good that is coming to us – good in this life and glory in the life to come! And we must hold on to this reality, this goodness from God, in the face of the evils that we also come into contact with in this life! And this is the encouragement of this text from God’s Word:
C. So We Must Hold Firm To God’s Blessed Word
Text: “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”
Statement: It is the prophetic and apostolic “traditions” that we are to hold fast to and stand firm in – which we have today in their written Word, the Holy Scripture, the Bible. In this we will continue on firm in the faith and the calling that God has given to us, and the blessedness He has provided for us!
Application: And this is important – for the evil and godlessness that is coming will be daunting and challenging to the church, and to each of us personally! For our text makes clear that:
II. Bad And Godless Things Are Also Coming
A. Even In The Temple, The Church
Text: “[the day of the coming of Christ in glory] will not come unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God.”
B. In Fact, The Man Of Lawlessness Bombastically Displaces God
Text: “He takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”
C. But The Lord Jesus Shall Prevail, Killing This Evil With The Breath Of His Mouth At His Coming
Text: “He who now restrains the mystery of lawlessness will do so until he is out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming.”
Statement: So bad and good are coming; lawlessness, evil, blasphemy, “false-christs,” wickedness even within the visible institutional church – but also the restraint of this evil by God’s Word, and ultimately the destruction of this grotesque evil at the coming of Christ in glory!
Application: So we must persevere in what is right and good, the goodness God has already blessed us with – as we press on to the glory yet to be revealed at His coming. We do so by persevering in God’s Word, what has been taught to us by the prophets and apostles in Holy Scripture. In this way we will continue in faith and trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ, in sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth, enjoying great blessedness and good things from God!
Conclusion: Yes, there will also be “godless” things coming – and many of them are already here today! Things may get worse “on the surface,” as far as what we have to see and experience, even within the life of the visible church. We are forewarned so that we do not lose faith and hope, and also so that we know how to remain safe and secure by “standing firm and holding to the traditions” that we have been taught – through the prophetic and apostolic Word of God in Holy Scripture!
So God will continue to preserve and to bless us with ever greater good even if the world around us continues to grow more and more godless! May He grant such constancy and blessedness to each of us! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.