The last two chapters finish off Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. The man of lawlessness and final exhortations to the Thessalonians are Paul’s final words to this church.
2 Thessalonians 2: The Man of Lawlessness
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
4 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, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
8 And 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.
9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Stand Firm
13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 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.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
2 Thessalonians 3: Pray for Us
1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honoured, as happened among you,
2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command.
5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Warning Against Idleness
6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,
8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labour we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.
9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
Benediction
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Things to think about…
1. When the ‘Man of Lawlessness’ is revealed he will sit in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God, 2 Thess 2:4. The third temple must therefore be built in Jerusalem for this to occur. Some have said the temple is the church and that this man will simply proclaim himself to be Christ on earth, similar to a papal figure. There is little doubt that he will be someone the Jews are looking for and he will be a Jewish figure. Remember the messiah the Jews are still looking for will be both a military and spiritual/military figure like David. So he must be Jewish, “a son of David”.
2. Paul says the ‘restrainer’ is stopping this from happening. Who is the ‘restrainer’ that will be taken out of the way, 2 Thess 2:7? God sends strong delusion so they believe what is false, vs 11. The restrainer in all likelihood is the Holy Spirit restraining the man and this season on earth. The Spirit will of course still be active over this season. Some say the church is raptured at this point. Paul spoke about a catching up in the clouds in 1Thess 4. There are differing views as to whether this event will be pre, mid or post this (7 year) tribulation period. The most important thing is that we are ready to be taken by Christ regardless of when it occurs.
3. What a fearful thing it is for God to send a strong delusion that people believe a lie, 2 Thess 2:11. This echoes what Paul says in Romans 1:26 that He gives them up to dishonourable passions. It is a judgement of God when He hands people over to their own desires for evil and sin. Sadly we see too much of this today and it seems this is outworking in a more global nature suggesting a time of great evil is approaching on the earth.
4. The exhortation for us is to ‘stand firm’, 2 Thess 2:15 and be established through good works and words, vs 17. Praise God we are not left without a plan or a purpose. Encourage someone today with an appropriate word or action – we all need it!
5. Paul asks for prayer, 2Thess 3:1, that the word of God may be spread and honoured. The reason being that they may be delivered from wicked and evil men because not all have faith, vs 2. Can you recall a situation where you knew deliverance from evil? There are many countries where Christians are being persecuted, imprisoned and killed for their faith. Keep our persecuted and imprisoned brothers and sisters in your prayers.
6. Trial as we have said many times before produces perseverance and develops character. This is Paul’s focus in 2Thess 3:5. Christians are called to be steadfast and not shallow; we are not to be fickle or easily moved. The Lord often uses trial to bring about this reality. It can only be done by a heart that has received the gift of faith through grace.
7. 2Thess 3:6-15 speak about the Christian’s witness in work. A lazy person is a blight upon the name of Christ. Some Thessalonians were waiting for the return of Jesus and as such were becoming lazy busybodies, vs 11. Our theology should never be an excuse for laziness or to cause offense. Hyper Calvinism is also a blight in this way. It is fatalism dressed in different garb. May we never allow our trust in the truth about God’s sovereignty ever be an excuse for laziness or to renege on our responsibility to provide for our families or others in need. Today we enjoy so much free time to watch Netflix, indulge in Facebook, Instagram or TicTok, online gaming, Youtube. The list seems endless. We are called to be diligent in focussing on our relationship with Christ by reading His word as well as working to provide for those under our care.
8. Let’s agree with Paul, “may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all”, 2Thess 3:18. Be blessed as you serve Him today!
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon and reading topic for this week – Sermon “A walk through Colossians”
Reading – Colossians 1:15-23
1. Jay asked on Sunday why you do what you do. For example, our minds drive our wills and motivate our hearts. This is true for our employment, study, sport, social life, faith and recreation. What we know in our minds motivate and drive our hearts into action. Question - Is this wholly true for you or are your mind and heart in conflict in any areas in your life. I.E Are there things in your belief system that don’t necessarily align with your actions? Discuss, especially w.r.t your faith.
2. Colossians was written by Paul while he was in prison, likely in the mid 50’s AD. He follows the same pattern in all his letters. He greets the church, gives thanks for them and then proceeds with theology by instructing their minds. After the teaching element he then tells the church how this applies practically in their lives. Very much mind over matter. With respect to what we just read, how does the theology about Jesus in these verses affect the way you live?
3. Paul mentions philosophies and empty deceit of human tradition in Col 2:8. Read this verse and discuss some of the philosophies having effect today in our lives and the church.
4. Discuss some prayer points of the group. Church prayer points.
Prayer Points
1. Recharge youth and Kids@Church ministries as term 2 starts this week. Pray for Melinda as she starts as the Youth Coordinator.
2. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
3. Church finances to meet our new staff and to put a roof over our café.
4. Getting drawings into council.
5. Sunday’s message from Thessalonians - “I’m in Raptures” – Pastor Jay.
Praise Points.
1. Zac and Bec’s wedding followed by 7 baptisms was an amazing testament to God’s grace.
2. More visitors to church on Sunday.
3. We praise God for the rain but pray for those travelling over the Easter break.
4. Praise the Lord for the Kids@church ministry. Thankyou Maddison Willey.
5. Praise and worship – pray for continued growth and blessing.
6. Unity, peace and grace at CBC.
Announcements
1. Gel blaster morning – 8-12pm Sat 24th April – Wacol reserve. Contact Tim Freeman for more details 0403 682 909.
2. Recharge on this week all high schoolers – 6:30pm-8:30pm Friday at church. $2 coin donation. Melinda Fourie heading up this ministry.
3. Kids Church for all primary schoolers. Maddison Willey is the ministry contact. Parents please check your rosters. Remember to sign your kids in and out.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
