Let us turn again to God's Word.
Our text is found in those last words that we read in our scripture
lesson in 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 15, 16, and 17. 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 15, 16,
and 17. Therefore, brethren, stand fast
all the traditions which have been taught, whether by words
or our epistle. Now 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, comfort
your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. And the text in particular is
the words that we have here in verse 15. Therefore brethren
stand fast and hold the traditions which have been taught whether
by word or our The epistle, the subject matter then that is before
us is that of the traditions. And that's the subject that I
want us to consider from this portion of Scripture tonight,
the traditions. And first of all we have to recognize
that there is such a thing as false tradition. there is a false
tradition that is associated with apostate Christianity. This chapter, from whence our
text is taken, is of course a remarkable chapter. When we come to the
writings of the Apostle Paul in the epistles, we recognize
that of times he is repeatedly setting before us the great truths
of the everlasting gospel, there is much solid doctrine in the
Pauline epistles, how he unfolds the great mystery of godliness
concerning the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But whilst Paul is a man steeped
in the great doctrines, the great verities of the faith. We see
that he is also concerned for practical Christian living. In
the main his epistles, as we've said many times, can be divided
into two parts. There's the doctrinal part in
the earlier section of the epistle, and then having laid down these
great doctrinal statements in the latter part of the epistles,
we get the autatry. aspect of his ministry, how he
exhorts, how he encourages, how he sets before the churches how
they are to conduct themselves, what manner of people they ought
to be, how that where there is that sound doctrine, it will
be evidenced by holy living. And then, as we've also said,
on occasions he weaves in experimental aspects, he talks often times
of his own experiences not that he wants in any way to project
himself, his great burden is always to preach Christ and Christ
crucified but he is forced by circumstances in the churches
by false teachers who come in and oppose him he has to therefore
defend himself and he has to assert his authority as an apostle
so we have those aspects of the epistles where he does tell us
something of himself and his own experiences and all under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as we've said many times he is
the pattern as we have it in the next epistle here in the
first chapter of 1st Timothy There at verse 16 he says, O
be it for this cause I obtain mercy that in me first Jesus
Christ might show forth all longsuffering for a pattern. The margin says
a type. To them which should hereafter
believe on him to life everlasting. His experiences then in that
sense are typical. There are principles to be drawn
from what he says concerning his Christian experience. So
we have We have doctrine, we have practice, we have experience
set before us in his epistles. But I said that this chapter
is quite remarkable, the second chapter in 2 Thessalonians, because
here we see that Paul is also a prophet. He's been speaking
in the former chapter, the first chapter of the second coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them
that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ who shall be punished, he says, with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power
when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired
in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed
in that day. that day being the great day
of Christ coming again and coming then as the great judge and making
the final separation between the sheep and the goats and then
he goes on to speak concerning that day that it will not occur
until there has been a great apostasy a great falling away
there in chapter 2 and verse 3, except there come a falling
away first. Falling away is derived from
the Greek word for apostasy. And so he goes on to speak of
apostasy. And what is the apostasy that
he speaks of? It's false Christianity. It's
the great mystery of iniquity. That's the expression that he
uses in verse 7, the mystery of iniquity, you see. does already
work. True Christianity is the mystery
of Godliness. False, apostate Christianity
is the mystery of iniquity. And we see how it is headed up
in a certain person. The son of perdition. The man
of sin. Let 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,
who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that he is called God,
or that he is worshipped so that he is God, sitteth in the temple
of God, showing himself that he is God." What is this apostate
Christianity? Well, the reformers, the Protestant
reformers, the Puritans were clear But what we have here is
a description of the Piper's son. Not a particular Pope, but
the Piper's son. The whole fabric of the Roman
Catholic system, the Roman Catholic Church. And doesn't the Pope
do that very thing that's spoken of there in verse 4? He 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,
showing himself that he is God. The Popes wear that triple crown,
do they not? The triple crown. Now, the Pope,
you see, would sit as each of the persons in the garden. What
is the name that is given to the Pope? He is referred to as
Holy Father. That's how the faithful will
speak of Him, the Holy Father. And yet in Scripture that name
is reserved. It's taken up by the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself in John chapter 17 as He addresses His Father
in that great high priestly prayer and he calls him Holy Father
there in verse 11 of that well-known prayer John chapter 17 verse
11 now I am no more in the world but these are in the world and
I come to thee Holy Father Holy Father keep through thine own
name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we
are one God the Father is the Holy Father and yet that is one
of the titles that the faithful papist will take and apply to
the Roman pontiff and then another name of course that's given to
the Pope is that of pontiff in fact he's spoken of as the supreme
Pontiff, that means the Supreme Priest, the Great High Priest. And in that of course he is assuming
the title that must belong only to the Lord Jesus Christ. It
is Christ who is the Great High Priest. And that's unfolded quite
plainly to us in the way in which the Apostle writes in Hebrews. For example, in Hebrews chapter
7, and there at verse 17, he testifieth thou art a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek. Speaks of the Melchizedek priesthood
in contrast to the Aaronic priesthood. And now Christ, as a priest after
that order, is a priest forever. There's not a succession of priests,
but Christ is that one true priest of God. And so, he continues
there at the end of the chapter. He says, concerning Christ as
a priest who needeth not daily as those priests, that is the
Aaronic priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own
sins and then for the people's. For this he did once. when he
offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests
which have infirmity, but the word of the oath which was since
the law maketh the Son who is consecrated for evermore." There
are no priests anymore. Christ is the great high priest
of our profession and yet the Roman Church of course is a system
of priests that great division between the priesthood and the
laity. And at the head of the priest
stands the great pope, the supreme priest, the supreme pontiff.
In that, he is assuming a name that belongs to Christ, the second
person in the Godhead. And then also, another title
that's given to him is that of the Vicar of Christ. They speak of Him as the Holy
Father, the Supreme Pontiff, and also the Vicar of Christ. Now the meaning of the word vicar,
of course, as we have it in vicarious, it has an idea of substitute.
Christ's sacrifice was a vicarious sacrifice. He dies in the room and in the
stead of others. And Christ as a vicar upon earth,
Christ as one who has come to the earth in his place. And that
one who has come, of course, is God the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Ghost is clearly the vicar of the Lord Jesus. And remember,
Christ speaks repeatedly of him. God the Holy Ghost, the third
person in the Trinity, Christ speaks of him and speaks of the
way in which he comes into the world. In those chapters in John,
for example, chapter 16, verse 7, nevertheless I tell you the
truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart,
I will send him unto you. Christ sends him, and so he comes. in Christ's room, and in Christ's
stead. O be it when He, the Spirit of
truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth, says Christ.
For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear,
that shall He speak. And He will show you things to
come. He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine, and
shall show it unto you. That is God, the Holy Ghost,
coming in Christ's place, Christ's victim, coming as the Spirit
of Christ, to reveal the things of Christ to sinners. And I say,
in the papers as he's spoken of here in the former part of
this second chapter, in 2 Thessalonians, Paul speaks of one who will usurp
all those positions, He will sit as God himself, sitting in
the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. And there is that tradition that is associated
with apostate Christianity. The traditions of the church. The papal decrees. Now these
are put on the same level as the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. You're probably aware that at
the time of the Protestant Reformation there was a great council called
by the Roman Catholic Church, 1545, the Council of Trent. And amongst the decrees was one
that stated quite plainly concerning tradition that it was to be put
on an equal footing with Holy Scripture. The traditions of
the Church carry the same weight, the same authority according
to Rome as the Bible. And that, I say, is false tradition. That is false tradition. Now,
what are the traditions? We haven't time, of course, to
go into a great deal of detail but we can think of a number
of things the traditions that are observed by apostate Christianity
there is the observance of days and seasons holy days and particular
seasons to be observed the season of Lent for example we read nothing
of it in scripture we read also amongst the traditions of Rome,
the observance of what they call Holy Week, the week that we've
now entered. The week leading up to what they
call Easter and Good Friday and Easter Day. And these are just
man-made days and seasons. There's nothing in Scripture
concerning the observance of such days. In fact, doesn't the
Apostle Paul speak quite plainly against these things. Look at the language of Paul
in Galatians 4 9. But now, after that ye have known
God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak
and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10. Ye observe days and months
and times and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have
bestowed upon you labour in vain." He is speaking against the observance
of days and months and times and years. And yet, according
to the traditions of apostate Christianity, these particular
seasons are to be religiously observed. But then also amongst
the traditions is that that is given to the place and the use
of images, the stations of the cross, the Madonna. One can witness these things,
some evidence, in Roman Catholic churches, in Roman Catholic so-called
worship, and yet this flies of course in the face of the Ten
Commandments. Now, the second commandment quite
explicitly forbids the making of any raven image. It is condemned by God, it's
condemned there in the Old Testament. The children of Israel are told
quite plainly that Mansinai, they shall not make unto thee
any raven image, any likeness. What does Isaiah say concerning
images? You can read the words there
in Isaiah 44 verse 9 following. They that make a graven image
are all of them vanity, says the prophet. It is vain worship
that centers in images. It is contrary to the word of
God though it be the tradition of Rome. Tradition, you see,
contradicts the word of God, flies in the face of Holy Scripture.
And then again, what do we have in the Roman system? We have
the invoking of saints. We have prayers addressed to
Mary as the mother of God. Prayers addressed to various
saints. They pleaded with their saints
that they would pray for them. And yet this is clearly so contrary
to the practice of the Apostles. Those who are sainted by the
Roman Church, canonized by the Roman Church, men like the Apostles,
how they repeatedly refuse any worship that might be offered
to them, or prayers made to them. Look at the behavior of Paul
and of Barnabas when we find them ministering at Lystra in
the 14th chapter of the Acts in Acts chapter 14 they perform a miracle on a lame man
and these people then begin to look
upon Paul and Barnabas as gods. They called Barnabas Jupiter
and Paul Mercurius because he was the chief speaker. And they would do worship to
them. They would have done sacrifices And we're told at verse 14, which
when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of, they rent their
clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out and saying,
Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions
with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these
vanities unto the living God, which made heaven and earth,
and the sea, and all things that are therein, who in times past
suffered all nations to walk in their own way, Nevertheless,
he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave
us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with
food and gladness. And with these sayings scarce
restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto
them." Both Paul and Barnabas will have none of this. They'll
have none of this. They're not to be worshipped.
Even the angels refuse worship. How we see John there in the
book of the Revelation. How he would do worship to the
angel that comes to him. And the angel says, do it not,
worship God. There is not to be the invoking
of men. there is to be the worship of
God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. These are the vain traditions
or some of the vain traditions that we see in that apostate
system that is spoken of by the Apostle in this very chapter
from where our text is taken. The Lord Jesus in the Gospel
says, But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines. the commandments of men. In vain
do they worship men. Again, look at the strong language
that we find Christ speaking in Mark's Gospel there in Mark
chapter 7 verse 8 he says, laying aside the commandment
of God ye hold a tradition of men as the washing of pots and
cups and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto
them, For while ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may
keep your own tradition, and then later making the word of
God of none effect through your tradition which ye have delivered,
and many such like things, all vain traditions, the wicked practices
of men that are so contrary to the word of God. There is then
that tradition that is false, identified with apostate Christianity. But what of our text? Paul says
here in verse 15, Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold
the traditions, hold the traditions which have been taught, whether
by word or our epistle. There are then apostolic traditions. There are apostolic traditions.
Those traditions that are associated with true Christianity. And that's
what we see in the text, is it not? Then let us, for a while,
just examine the words that we have before us then in this particular
verse. Now the word that's used here,
the word translated tradition, other times it's translated ordinance,
the ordinances, but it's derived from a verb that literally means
to hand over, to hand a thing over, to pass a thing down, to
transmit a thing. That's what a tradition is, it's
something that's handed down. Rome, the Church of Rome hands
down its traditions, its decrees. That's the basic meaning of the
word, to hand a thing over. Interestingly, we have the verb
and the noun coming together in what Paul writes in the opening
verses of chapter 11. In chapter 11 of 1 Corinthians Paul says be ye followers of
me even as I also am of Christ now I praise you brethren that
you remember me in all things and keep the ordinances as I
delivered them to you now the word ordinances here according
to the margin it could have been rendered traditions it's the
same word as we have in our text in 2 Thessalonians 2 exactly
the same word the same noun I praise you brethren that you remember
me in all things and keep the ordinances or the traditions
he says as I delivered and the verb there to deliver is the
verbal form of that noun to pass over, to hand down, to transmit
the traditions that I passed to you. The two words then come
together there. The tradition is simply something
that is passed down. Now, how is it conveyed by the
apostles? Well, look at what Paul says
in our text. The traditions, he says, which have been taught,
whether by word or our epistle. There are two ways in which the
apostles conveyed these traditions, passed these traditions on. He
says, by word or by our epistle. First of all by word, and the
reference here is to the spoken word. It's the preaching. It's the preaching of the word
of God, not the traditions of men, It is the Word of God. It's that apostolic Word. That
that was given to Paul. Remember how he tells us concerning
the Gospel that he was preaching when he writes to the Galatians. Look at what he says here in
the opening chapter of Galatians. Verse 11, I certify you brethren
that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man, For I
neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation
of Jesus Christ." All this is the apostolic traditions that
he is preaching. It is that that he received directly
from the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, today, no man has the office
of an apostle. The mark of the apostle is that
he has seen the Lord Jesus Christ, he's a witness to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there's no man who's an apostle
today, there might be those who claim to be apostles. But they're
false apostles. There's no apostolic office,
it's a foundational office, is it? Not. The church is built
upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone. So how is the ministry of a man,
the preaching of a man, the spoken word to be tested today? We test everything by the word
of scripture, to the law and to the testament. If they speak
not according to this word it is because there is no light
in them. We read in Isaiah chapter 8.
Everything must be brought to the touchstone of the word of
God. And the faithful ministry of the word is the opening up
of the scripture, the preaching of the word of God. This is what
the apostles preach, that that they have received. This is what
they sought to convey in the course of their ministry as we
have it recorded there in the Acts of the Apostles. The traditions
which have been taught, whether by word, by spoken word, he says,
or our epistle. And here's the second way, you
see. whereby the tradition is conveyed, our epistle, that's
the written word. Our epistle, what is he referring
to? Well, he's writing for the second
time an epistle, a letter to the Thessalonians, and so when
he says in our text, our epistle, He's referring not only to the
second epistle that he's in the course of sending to them, but
that former epistle that he sent to them. And see how he speaks
of the authority of that that he had written at the end of
1 Thessalonians. Verse 27 of chapter 5, he says,
I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all
the Holy Brethren. Why does he give such a charge?
Because he knows that he is writing here under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit. That epistle is the Word of God.
Our epistle is the Word of God. It's part of that All Scripture.
that he writes about in 2nd Timothy, all scripture he says is given
by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto every good
work. It has the authority of scripture,
our epistle. The tradition is not on the same
level as Scripture. Or we must always contend for
the priority of Scripture. Rome might say, according to
its decree at Trent, the church tradition is on the same level.
In fact, in practice, they put the tradition above the Word
of God. But we say Rome is wrong. The important thing is that Word
of God inspired the traditions which have been taught, whether
by words for our epistle. Now, what are the traditions
then? What are we to understand by these traditions or these
ordinances? Well, consider the opening word
in the text. How does verse 15, our text,
begin? Therefore... Therefore, brethren,
stand fast and hold your traditions which you have been taught whether
by words or our epistle. And the opening words, therefore,
indicates that he is making a certain deduction. He said something
in the previous verses. He's been saying something. And
from what he's been saying, he now deduces something. Therefore,
stand fast, hold the tradition. We see what those traditions
were by considering what he says in the previous verses. What
does he speak of in the previous verses? Well, verses 13 and 14. But we are bound to give thanks
always 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. whereunto he called you
by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the tradition."
The traditions are nothing less than those gospel doctrines.
Those gospel doctrines that he's just spoken of briefly in verses
13 and 14 and not only gospel doctrines are the traditions
but there are also gospel duties because he goes on to speak of
these in the next chapter in chapter 3 and verse 6 there
we command you brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus that ye
withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly
and not after the traditions which he has received of us.
The traditions then, the ordinances, which is the other word that
he so often used in the New Testament to translate this particular
Greek word, the ordinances are gospel doctrines and gospel duties. Now in the context, the immediate
context here, we have to attend to what he said then in those
previous two verses, verses 13 and 14. And what does he speak
of? Well, two things. He speaks of
eternal election. He speaks of eternal election.
Verse 13. God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation. God's choice is from the beginning
and the beginning there is to be understood in an absolute
sense. The beginning That is the beginning
of time. That is really before time ever
began. There was a time, if we might
use such an expression as this, there was a time when time was
not. God created time. But God made
choice of his people from the beginning. According as He hath
chosen us, He says to the Ephesians, speaking of eternal election
in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world. Before the foundation of the
world from eternity. It's eternal election. And this is one of the traditions,
you see. And not only eternal election,
he goes on to speak also of calling, effectual calling. God has from
the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
spirit and belief of the truth. What is sanctification? It's
that setting apart. God makes choice of his people,
God sets his people apart, By the Spirit's ministry they are
called, they come to faith. Where unto? He called you by
our Gospel, he says, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. His calling is not just outward. There is an outward call when
the Gospel is preached. And the Gospel comes to a man's
natural hearing. He hears the Word of God. He hears the proclamation of
the Gospel. But we know that the natural
man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, a foolishness
to him, neither can he know them. God must make his work, his word,
effectual. And our Paul has had much to
say to these Thessalonians concerning effectual calling. He's spoken
of it quite plainly in his first epistle to them. We often quote
the words there in chapter 1 of 1 Thessalonians verse 5 Our gospel
came not unto you in word only, he says, but also in power, and
in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner
of men we were among you for your sakes, and you became followers
of us, and of the Lord, having received the word, in much affliction
with joy of the Holy Ghost." How did they receive the word?
Why did they receive the word? Because it didn't just come to
their natural dears. It came in the Holy Ghost. It
came with all the power of God. And so again there in chapter
2 in verse 13 he writes for this cause also thank we God without
ceasing because when you receive the word of God which you heard
of us you received it not as the word of men but as it is
in truth the word of God. which effectually worketh also
in you that believe." How the word works effectually. And how
does it work effectually? By the Holy Ghost. Where unto
He called you? By our Gospel. Oh friends, these
are the traditions. And how Paul knew them, it was
his own experience. I said at the beginning there
are those aspects of his epistles where he does speak of himself
and God's dealings with him. Those experimental portions in
Galatians chapter 1 is one such portion. What does he tell us?
He pleads God. When he pleads God he says, "...who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace
to reveal His Son in me." Oh, he pleads God to call me, to
reveal Christ in me, he says. He knows what he's speaking of,
and these are the things, the traditions, the ordinances, that
are apostolic. It's these great doctrines. These
great truths of the everlasting gospel. The truths of the sovereign
grace of God in the salvation of sinners. It's nothing to do
with the vain traditions of Rome. Therefore, brethren, stand fast. He says, hold the traditions
which have been taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now, these truths that emphasize
the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation, what effect are
they to have? Well, they don't make men passive. That's what so many say. All
of you preach these doctrines and people will just do nothing.
They'll say, well, salvation is the work of God. We just have
to wait and wait and wait. We just become passive. There's
nothing to be done. That is an abuse of the doctrines.
What does Paul say? Brethren, he says, stand fast
and hold the tradition. Stand fast. The language really
belongs to the soldier. It's a military expression. Stand without yielding any ground. Remember the exhortation he gives
in Ephesians 6. Take unto you the whole armour
of God that ye may be able to withstand. He says, and to stand
in the evil dark. Oh, that's the call of the Christian.
He's a soldier. He's involved in a conflict.
There's a fight, the good fight of faith, he calls it. You're
to stand fast and you're to hold. Now again, the word is a strong
word, it literally means to take hold, to seize, to be strong. This is the calling, you see,
of the Christian. This is the calling of the people
of God. Paul calls them brethren. Therefore, brethren, stand fast
and hold the traditions which have been taught, whether by
word or our epistle. And we might well ask, how is
it that believers can do this? Do I not say, and I say time
and again, that believers are those who feel nothing but their
innate weakness? They feel themselves to be nothing
but weakness. They feel themselves to have
no ability at all. They are made to feel the awful
truth of what they are by nature, dead in trespasses and sins.
They are made to feel their utter impotence. How can such weak
believers hold firm and stand fast? How can they do it? Well,
it's only by prayer. So what does Paul do? Immediately,
having given the exhortation, he prays. In verse 16, Now 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, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word
and work, he prays. Oh, he prays for them. and he
prays for them time and again the prayers, the prayers of the
Apostle. And they are scattered also through
his epistles. What remarkable writings his
epistles are. We have doctrine, we have practice,
we have experience, we have prophecy, we have prayers. Paul is writing
to the Thessalonians one minute and the next he begins to address
God for them. there at the end of the first
chapter. Verse 11, Wherefore also He says, We pray always
for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and
fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work
of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace
of our God. and the Lord Jesus Christ, and
he prays for them. That God would count them worthy
of this high calling in the Lord Jesus Christ. He prays for them,
but not only that, what does he do? He exhorts them also to
pray themselves. Those words at the end of the
first epistle, chapter 5 and verse 17 Pray without ceasing. Pray without
ceasing. Verse 25, Brethren, pray for
us. Oh, He would remind us, you see,
of our complete and utter dependence. We need to pray, and to pray
again, and to pray again, and to pray again, to pray without
ceasing. If we're going to be those who
would heed the exhortation, and stand fast and hold firm these
traditions, the glorious doctrines of the grace of God. Therefore,
brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which have been
taught, whether by words or our epistles.