Now turn in your Bibles to 2
Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. I preached
from this passage last week on this subject. Sanctification,
faith, and glory. And my text really begins at
verse 13, but I spent most of my time last week going through
this whole chapter. where the Apostle Paul, as he
was inspired by the Holy Spirit, to write concerning things that
would go on in the last days, the New Testament days that we
live in, that would lead up to the time of the second coming
of Christ, the return of our Lord. We all have a tendency
as we see things that are going on in our world and in our nation,
to say, well, it looks like it's coming to an end, and I say that
too, especially in this past week and what we've seen our
Supreme Court do in trying to overrule the highest court of
all, and that's God's court, in their judgments of condoning
the sinfulness of man. Now again, we're all sinners,
and we have no right to look down on other sinners as if,
in this way now, as if we're better or that we deserve salvation
or that we earned it, because we don't. And understand that. Whatever I say or you say or
think, anything we have this side of eternal damnation is
a matter of 100% sovereign grace. For me, for you, for anybody.
So we're never to look down on others as if we're some way better
in the sense that, well, I've earned this, or I deserve, because
we don't. We're all sinners. And if God
gave us, any of us, what we've earned or deserved, you know
it would be eternal death. That's what we earn, wages of
sin. We stand before God. If we're saved, we stand before
God totally in the righteousness of another, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he fulfilled all conditions
to accomplish that. But that doesn't deny the fact
that we're to be at war with sin. First of all, we're to be
at war with sin within ourselves. I've got my own problems, and
I've got a lot of them. And it is a constant warfare
with myself day by day. It never lets up. I might come
out one day and say, well, it might have felt like it was easier,
but that's just self-righteousness. I'm in constant warfare with
the flesh. It's called the warfare of the
flesh and the spirit. So we're at war with ourselves.
We're at war with Satan. Read back there in Zechariah.
Satan. That word adversary. You know, Satan the adversary.
That means the accuser of the brain. He's an accuser. He stands
in opposition to the people of God and he accuses us. And you know what he accuses
us of? Sin. There's a sinner. Now give him
what he deserves. That's what Satan says. But as
that vision showed us, we have an advocate with the Father,
the angel of the Lord there. That's Jesus Christ. He's sort
of like our defense attorney, you might say. And he steps in
and he pleads what? Well, Lord, don't give this person
damnation. He's been a good boy today. Or
he's tried, no. He pleads the merits of his blood. What can wash away my sins? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. He pleads the merits of his righteousness
on my behalf. That's what he pleads. He didn't
plead anything about me as far as what I've earned or deserved.
He pleads what he's earned and what he's deserved as my substitute,
as my surety. But we're at war with the devil.
We're at war with the world. Christ told his disciples in
John 15, marvel not if the world hates you. And this is what he
really describes here in these first verses of 2 Thessalonians
2. What he describes, and here's
what he's saying, I'm not going to go back over this because
I want to get to verse 13. He's showing that in the last
days leading up to the second coming of Christ, that the world
is going to be under a great massive deception. And it's a
deception of false religion. And it'll come in many forms.
It may even come in the form of immorality. This homosexual love, their whole
premise is, well, if it's love, then it's got to be good. But
that's not so, because God has already set things down. What
is marriage? Marriage is one man and one woman
coming together, leaving and cleaving. That's what the wedding
vows say. You leave mother and father,
and you cleave to one another. And ultimately, marriage is what? It's a picture of Christ and
His church. Christ being the bridegroom,
the man, Christ Jesus, and His church being the bride. and how
He takes full responsibility for His bride, and how He pays
all her debts, that's His death on the cross to satisfy law and
just. You see, by nature and by practice
under the law of works, we owe a debt to God's law and justice,
but our debt was transferred, imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ
before the foundation of the world. He was made our surety. And in time, He comes and fulfills
the duties of His suretyship. What did He do? He died on the
cross to pay my debt. And many times in the Old Testament,
you'll see that symbolized in the changing of a garment. In
Zechariah 3, here's Joshua, the high priest of Israel. Incidentally, you know that's
not the same Joshua who fit the battle of Jericho. This is another
Joshua. That was a common name. And here he is standing before
God, the judge of all, and he's clothed with what? Filthy garments. That's symbolic of our works,
our best efforts to satisfy God's law. And what does the angel
of the Lord Christ, his advocate, step in and say? change his clothes,
take that filthy garment off of him, and put a new garment
on him. And many times that garment in
the Old Testament is symbolized in a wedding garment for the
bride. And you know what that is? That's
the righteousness of Christ imputed. And that's how I'm saved. That's
how you're saved if you're saved. That's how you're justified.
Your works had nothing to do with it. You say, well, I try hard to
fight sin. Well, you ought to. I ought to.
We ought to try harder. But that's not going to put them
away. That's not going to wash them
away. That's not going to make us righteous. But in the last
days, there's going to be a great deception. It can be an immoral
deception. It can be a religious deception.
And mainly what Paul was talking about here in 2 Thessalonians
2 is a religious deception. Look at these terms. Look at
verse 7, the mystery of iniquity. The mystery of iniquity. What
that means is this, a mystery in the Bible is not like a mystery
book that you read. where you gotta figure out the
clues and find the solution. A mystery in the Bible is something
that the natural man, any of us, in our natural mind and reasoning,
we cannot figure this one out. It's got to be uncovered or revealed
by God. This is an iniquity. You know
what iniquity means? That means inequity. It doesn't
measure up, and I showed you that last week. This is something
that is sinful that we don't recognize by nature as being
sinful. And I'll give you an idea of
it. Go back to the, I talked about on TV this morning, the
law of first mention. Go back to first mention. There's
two men coming to worship the Lord. One's named Abel and one's
name is Cain. And here comes Cain. He's worked
hard. And he brings the fruit of his
labor, the crops, and presents them to the Lord, the best that
he can give, and says, Lord, accept me, bless me, save me
on this. And God wouldn't have it. It's
iniquity. What's the problem? It falls
short. Falls short of what? Righteousness. But here comes
another man named Abel and he's got the blood of an animal, the
blood of a lamb, and God accepts it. How can God accept that? That symbolizes, that was a type
of the blood of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, which
equals righteousness. Whatever you present before God,
whatever you plead before God, it's got to equal righteousness
or it is inequity. And so here are men and women
today, even call themselves Christian, who are trying to work hard to
earn their way into God's favor. It is inequity. But God's got
to show them that. You go up and tell them that,
what are they going to do? They're just going to hate you. Men love
darkness, hate light, because their deeds are evil. Look down there at verse 10.
He talks about the deceivableness of unrighteousness. This is an
unrighteousness that is deceptive. That's what we're talking about.
And he says the problem is this. Look at verse 10. He says, and
he's talking about him whose coming is after Satan. And he
says, and with all deceivableness and unrighteousness in them that
perish, because they receive not the love of the truth that
they might be saved. Love of the truth, the truth
of how God saves sinners. That's what he's talking about.
The truth about how God justifies the ungodly. The truth of the
gospel, which is the power of God and the salvation to everyone
that believe it, the Jew first, the Greek also, for therein is
what? The righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live
by faith. You see, that's what I need to be saved. That's what
you need to be saved. I need the righteousness of God.
The righteousness of men will not do. It's iniquity. It'll
fall short. We say that all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. Man at his best stayed altogether
in vanity. See, I don't need the righteousness of men because
it will not do. It will not measure up. It will
always fall short. I need the righteousness of God.
Where am I going to find the righteousness of God? In Jesus
Christ, the Lord my righteous. You say, well, you're just splitting
hairs. Or you're just trying to be too picky. Or too detailed. We all believe Jesus. I got baptized. I made my decision. I'm just
going to go on and live my life. They receive not the love of
the truth. You see, this is the truth. And
he says in verse 11, for this cause God shall send them strong
delusion that they should believe a lie. That's God's judgment
against those who receive not the love of the truth. Somebody says, well, how do you
know if somebody's under God's judgment because they receive
not the love of the truth? Because they stay right there
and they die in that lie. We preach the gospel. It's a
command to believe and love this truth, to believe and love Christ.
This means something. It's not just another doctrine
that, you know, a Christian can either take or leave. This is
essential. And he says in verse 12, that
they all might be damned who believed not the truth and had
pleasure in unrighteousness. Now, out of all of this massive
deception, and that's what it is. Like I said, I went through
these verses and you can't deny it, but out of all this massive
deception, how can we know we're not deceived? What is our security? Well, here it is. First of all, he talks about
the ground of our security. The ground of our security is
the electing love of Almighty God in and by the Lord Jesus
Christ. That love provides, that has
provided, what God requires and what we need. Look at it at verse
13. But we are bound to give thanks
all the way 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. You see that? Sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. But notice where he says, God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. God chose his
people before the foundation of the world. The scripture teaches
that. People don't like it. But there it is. Look back over
there at Zechariah 3. Here's Joshua, the high priest,
standing before the Lord, the angel of the Lord. Here's Satan
standing at his right hand to resist him, to accuse him. In verse 2, here's his defense. Here's the defense that the Lord
said unto Satan. The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan,
even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. God chose this man. That's God's
electing love. That's unconditional election. That's what the scripture says.
Peter called the church a chosen generation. God chose us before
the foundation of the world. Our names were written in the
Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world. And
as a result, look back at Zechariah 3, Christ, Jesus Christ, the
representative of God's chosen people, came and redeemed us
through the purchase of His blood and provided righteousness whereby
we are eternally, unchangeably justified before God. Look at
it again, Zechariah 3 and verse 2. The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan,
even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not
this a brand plucked out of the fire? That's redemption. That's
what that brand plucked out, a stick burning in a fire, plucked
out. That's redemption. Who plucked
this out? Well, we just made a decision
one day and we came out. No. We were plucked out. We were
redeemed by the blood of Christ. That's our salvation. Our decision
is not our salvation. Christ's death is our salvation. That's redemption by the blood.
That's the ground of our security. Look over Romans chapter 8. Listen
to this. Romans chapter 8. Look at verse 28. Everybody quotes
Romans 8, 28. And that's a great verse. But
look at it. He says, We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to His purpose. Now, how can that happen? How
can all things work together? When it says all things, it means
all things, doesn't it? Everything that happens. Everything
that happens to me. Everything that happens to a
child of God. All things will work together for good. Ultimate
good. That doesn't mean all things
that happen are good. But it means all things work
together for good. Now, how can that happen? Well,
it's just luck of the draw. No, it doesn't do with luck.
You can't believe the Bible and believe in luck. You know that,
don't you? Well, it's just fate. No, it's not fate. Well, I'm the captain of my own
ship. I'm the determiner of my own destiny. Is that what it
is? Well, as one old boy said, we don't believe in luck, but
good luck with that one. You don't have the foresight,
the wisdom, the knowledge, and the power to foresee every obstacle
and remove it or to provide everything that's necessary to have it. One little germ. that you can't
see except through a microscope can bring you down just like
that, and me too. Isn't that right? Something could
be happening right now far away from me that I have no knowledge
of and no power to change, and it'd end up changing my whole
life. There might be a truck right now, think about it, there
might be a truck right now driving down I-75 that might be the cause
of my death this afternoon. Isn't that right? So don't tell me how you're the
captain of your own fate and the determiner of your own destiny.
How can all things work together? I'll tell you how, because God's
working them. Ephesians 111, God works all things after the
counsel of his own will. You say, well, I can't wrap my
mind around that. And I say, join the club. And you want to know why you
can't wrap your mind around that? Because you're not God. And I'm
not either. I've told you probably a thousand
times about the old false preacher who came, he struggled all of
his life trying to find ultimate truth, and he went to this denomination,
that denomination, here, there, everywhere, and he just couldn't
figure it all out. And when he was about to die,
a young man came to him, a young preacher come to him and asking
him about the meaning of life and all that, and the fellow
said, well, I've just given up. He said, I know two things for
sure. And he said, what? He said, there is a God and I
ain't him. And that's it. Well, we know
more than that. And you know why? Because God
has revealed it in his word. But look at it, verse 28. All
things work together for good to them that love God. Well,
no man loves God by nature. The scripture says Christ died
for his people when we were yet what? Enemies and alienated in
our minds. You say, well, that doesn't describe
me. Well, it does me. And what happens? Well, we'll
talk about it in just a moment. But he says, to them who are
the called, they're called according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son. And you all, I think most of you who've studied the
scriptures, you know that word foreknow doesn't mean that God
is some kind of a crystal ball gazer or a fortune teller or
looks down through a telescope of time. That word foreknow is
foreordained. That's what it means. conformed to the image of his
son, Jesus Christ, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
That's his resurrection. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. Whom he called, he justified,
and whom he justified, he glorified. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. That's the electing love of God that sent his Son into
the world to put away the sins of his people and secure their
salvation, justify them before holy God based on the righteousness
of Christ. Now, go back to 2 Thessalonians
2. That's the ground of our security. God loves us and sent his son
to die for us. That's his people. There's no
love from God outside of Christ for anybody. Secondly, here's
the means of our security. Now go back to verse 13 of 2
Thessalonians 2. But we're bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Does that mean
that God chose us, Christ died for us, and that's it? No, he
says, 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. There's the means of
our security. God sends his spirit into the
world to give life, spiritual life, to his people. We're born,
we fell in Adam, We're born dead in trespasses and sins. That
means we don't have righteousness. That means we can't work righteousness.
And it also means we don't want righteousness God's way. We want
it our way, but not God's way. Because God's way doesn't give
us any glory. That's why we don't want it God's
way. God's way gives him all the glory and gives us none. But God sends his spirit into
the world to do what? To impart spiritual life, raise
us from the dead in the regeneration and conversion of our souls. And that's called sanctification
of the spirit. Now what does that mean? Sanctification
means to be set apart. You see, as we're born into this
world, dead and trespassed as a sin, there's no difference
between us and the world. We're just the same. Paul wrote
about it in Ephesians chapter two. We're never under the wrath
of God because we're always in Christ. But by nature, the way
we're born, the way we act, whether it's religious or whatever, we're
still by nature children of wrath even as others. Unbelievers,
ignorant, deceived, all of those things. But then something happens. God sends his spirit. And under
the preaching of the gospel, look at it, he says, he called
you by our gospel, the gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus,
how God saves sinners. He calls us with an effectual,
invincible calling. He convicts us, convinces us
of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. And he sets us apart
from the world. That's what he does. That's what
sanctification of the spirit is. This isn't talking about
any doctrine of progressive holiness or progressive sanctification.
The Bible teaches growth in grace and in knowledge. But this doesn't
mean we're getting holier and holier and holier till suddenly
we're just so holy that nobody else can stand us. No. We're just set apart. And what's
the evidence of being set apart? Well, that's the means of our
security in our new birth. What do we do? We see our sinfulness
and our depravity, and we see the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. Paul described it this way in
2 Corinthians 4 and verse 6. God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. We submit to him as the Lord
our righteousness. We realize we have no righteousness
before God. We have no rights before God.
All we've earned is death and hell. We see that Christ Jesus
is our only hope and salvation. And it's evidenced by belief
of the truth. Sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. Whereas before we didn't believe
the truth. Now we believe the truth. We
believe Christ. Called by the gospel. It results
in the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Obtaining
means that it's something we have in our possession and is
preserved. That's what the word means. It means you didn't earn it,
you didn't deserve it, it was given to you and you can't lose
it. That's what it means. It's the same word that Paul
used in Ephesians 1.14 when he talked about the purchased possession. We can't lose it. Now why? Because
we're so strong and good? No. Because if it could be lost,
it would be when it comes to us. It can't be lost because it's
all in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all based on His
blood and righteousness alone. He's our advocate before the
Father. And then thirdly, here's the fruit of our security. Now
look at verse 15. Therefore. Therefore. Now this is how we're set apart.
This is how we're sanctified in Christ Jesus, by the Holy
Spirit. Therefore, brethren, stand fast,
firm, immovable. Hold the traditions you've been
taught. Those traditions have to do with the doctrine of the
apostles, the gospel. Whether by word or our epistle,
whether we preached it to you or whether we wrote it to you.
In verse 16 he says, Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and
God, even our Father, which hath loved us, now His love is that
which ensures our redemption and our new birth, and our preservation,
and hath given us everlasting consolation, that's comfort and
assurance and security, and good hope, through what? Through grace. Everything we are, as sinners
saved, everything we have, as sinners blessed, is grace. And
it's never anything else. There's never one point, one
degree of it that God says, now that part's conditioned on you.
You've got to do something to get this part. No, it's all of
grace. And it's a good, that's why it's
a good hope. You know what hope means, that's the certain expectation
of glory. And it's through grace, and then
verse 17, comfort your hearts. Now we see a world around us
that is literally going to hell in a handbasket, am I right? We say, you know, somebody said
last week when the Supreme Court made their decision, they weren't
surprised. And really, you've got to think
about that. I don't like it, you don't like it, but I really
wasn't surprised. Were you? When you think about it, it's
sad for our country, for our nation. But we see it. We see things
going the way it's going, and it doesn't look good. We fear
for our children and our grandchildren, we do. But here's the thing,
we're bound to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord. Christ is our hope. The Holy
Spirit has brought us to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Now
comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
We're established by God, by the God of all grace, established
in every good word and work. Now what does that mean? That
means what we say according to the word of God and what we do
by way of serving him, not in order to attain or earn salvation,
but because we have already been brought into the kingdom and
secured by the grace of God in Christ. That's our sanctification.