Cool. While you're turning there, I want to tell you a story. I want to tell you a true account of a Japanese sergeant named Shoichi Yokoi. He fled Japan the beginning of 1945. He was a sergeant in the Japanese army. And he lived every single day of his life in the army during World War II fearful that he would become a prisoner of war.
Terrified. And so as rumblings began that the the allies that the war was coming to an end, he was scared out of his mind. And so he fled early in 1945 into the the jungles. And obviously, if you're know your history, it was May of 1945 that the war ended. And for 27 years, he lived in a cave for fear that he would be caught as a prisoner of war.
He had not heard that the war was finished. Until two fishermen came upon him one day in the jungles. And he was so fearful that these were the allies coming to take him to cause him to be a prisoner of war that he fought against them tooth and nail trying to kill them because he thought that they were taking him. They subdued him. They brought him obviously to a doctor and he ended up dying at the age of 87 not obviously as a prisoner of war.
But for 27 years, he could have lived as a free man. No fear in his life of being a prisoner of war, and yet he was so scared. Our text this morning, I trust is going to not only have us understand the the place that the Thessalonians were when it comes to the judgment into the man of lawlessness, but would obviously, my prayer is that we would see that they would have seen and read this text and been brought to joy.
Settled hearts, comforted in their walk and who God is and what he has called them because they don't have to fear. They don't have to fear at all because they have been brought into the family of God. My dear friends, these last couple weeks, you know doubt I've I've sat there. I've listened to both Pastor Matt and Pastor Joe walk through some very heavy, hard texts.
Those are not easy texts to preach, and yet they're there, so we must we must deal with them. And I'm so thankful that they took the two hard texts so that I get to come up here and give you all the good news. This text will not be heavy. This text should bring light and joy, comfort, and hope. Second Thessalonians chapter 2, 13 to 17 say this. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved through sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth.
To this he called you through our gospel so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then brothers stand firm. Hold to the traditions that you were taught by us either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
I can just imagine as as the Thessalonians are are reading that that reading this that there's a a a weight lifted a a joy that would overcome because they've just read from verses 5 to 12 of of God's eternal judgment in verse 9 of chapter 1. They those who do not obey the call of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.
That's hard. That there is coming a time of God's righteous judgment on those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They will not escape the the eternal destructive wrath and judgment of God. That's hard to hear. Or that there is coming a a man of lawlessness. A man who's going to deceive who's going to lead astray the nations. In fact, at the end of what Pastor Joe preached last week, he said verse 10, it says, "With all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved."
"Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in order that all may be condemned who do not believe the truth." There is a judgement, a righteous, holy judgement coming on those who do not believe. I can imagine how hard this would have been for the Thessalonians. It's hard for us in 2026 in Western Canada to read these words, and then verse 13 comes.
And those three beautiful letters that we often like to read, but but but we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, beloved by the Lord because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved. The first thing that we want to draw all our attention to this morning in our text is that the Thessalonians have no reason to fear judgement.
They have no reason to fear the man of lawlessness. They have no reason to fear the eternal destruction because they have been chosen and called by a sovereign Lord. Not Notice what he We ought always to give thanks to God for you, Paul says. This is very similar, if you've been with us, if you go to chapter 1 of 2 Thessalonians verse 3, Paul writes, "We ought always to give thanks to God for you."
Right? He's He's reiterating. It's like he says, "Listen, we give thanks to you Thessalonians. We're going to We're going to soften the blow that's about to come. We want to give thanks to you. Your faith is growing abundantly, though judgment is coming." We give thanks to you Thessalonians, though the man of lawlessness is coming. And in the midst of that, then he ends with, "Though these things are hard, but" >> >> he says, "We ought always give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord."
Brothers beloved by the Lord. This is This This word beloved is actually the the the action of God of his agape covenant-keeping love. That That That's the word. The action It's a verb. The action of God's covenant-keeping love. This is This is not God's general love. And what I mean by that is this.
Even the the non-believer, even the man who is wicked, who hates God, experiences daily God's love. They wake up, they have breath to breathe. That is an act of God's mercy and love upon their life. In fact, Matthew chapter 5 says, 45 says he sends rain on the just and the unjust. That's the the general love of God that that non-believers and believers alike experience an act of God's love.
They can breathe, they get food, they're sustained, these types of things. This love This love is a is a deeper love. This is an intentional calling out of God to the beloved to call him call them to himself. So he can say, "You don't need to fear judgment. You don't need to fear the man of lawlessness. Why? Because you are beloved by the Lord because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved."
He chose you as the first fruits. Some translations, or maybe I should say better translated rather than first fruits is chose you from the beginning. Some of your Bibles will have a a a footnote or maybe a the actual translation. I believe the LSB has from the beginning, but I could be wrong on that. Chose you from the beginning to be saved. This truth is such should be a warm blanket to a hard hurting soul, knowing that though the wickedness is around, >> >> though judgment is coming, though the man of lawlessness will come, for those who are in Christ, you need to remind yourselves you from the before the beginning have been chosen and beloved by the Lord.
This is what the the text lays out. Chosen, and then he says, "To be saved." That word is literally to be saved, delivered from judgment. Before the foundation of the world, God chose you to be delivered from judgment, to be saved. I cannot comprehend the magnitude of this love.
That a sovereign God would see me and choose me from the beginning to be saved from judgment. This is not the the first time that Paul has laid these types of truths out. Peter read for us Ephesians. Go back there with me for just a moment. Ephesians chapter 1. I want you to hear the language that Paul So, Paul's writing what we've just read to the Ephesians, and here Paul's writing this to the church in Ephesus, and he says this: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world."
Or as the firstfruits, or from the beginning. That he chose us in him that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, the greatest act of love that this world has ever seen, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will before the foundation of the world. God chose us to be saved, to escape judgement.
In Ephesians, he uses the word he determined beforehand that we would be adopted into his family. This is the beautiful truth of scripture. And notice in verse 6 of Ephesians chapter 1, to the praise of his glorious grace. Salvation is by God's beautiful sovereign hand according to his glorious grace.
That he would receive praise and honor and exaltation. He says it as well in 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy, we read in chapter 1 verse 8, he says, "Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord nor of me as prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God who saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began."
Brothers, beloved by the Lord because God chose you. If you are in Christ, know that you're you repented and believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ is because God from before time began looked and chose you out of judgment. Said, you are not going to face my eternal destruction. You are going to be brought into, we're going to see this in a moment, into my son's glory and his grace.
We're going to see that in just a moment. One more I want to draw our attention to is Titus chapter 3. Paul who is writing this to to Titus, he calls him in verse 4 of chapter 1, my my true child in a common faith. He writes this in verse 4, but when the goodness and loving kindness of our God of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.
In other words, he delivered us from judgment. Not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy. By the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. He saved us. He kept us or took us out of judgment and he saved us.
God sovereignly chose us to be saved. This is unbelievable truth because left to my own vices, I would never naturally choose God on my own. I didn't wake up one morning without God's kind hand and say, "Hmm, I've got this sin problem. What should I do with it?"
Oh, well, I guess I will go ahead and I will maybe try to deal with it this way or this way. No, Bryce Let Kim in was walking a path running from the glory of God, running from His holiness, running from His righteousness as fast as I could going the other direction. And so, I went to Miller College of the Bible's youth conference, Youth Edge. No desire for the Lord, but it's what you do when you are in a church, in a youth group, this is what you do.
I was sitting there in that seat and I don't even remember what the speaker was saying. But in the heart of hearts, massive conviction over my sin. Lord, I am on a path to destruction and the only way out is to bow my knee to you. And sitting in that auditorium, the Lord opened my eyes to see Him. I turned from my sin, turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, and I was saved. Saved out of judgment.
This is God's sovereign hand. To be saved through sanctification by the Spirit. And notice the end of verse 13, belief in the truth. Belief in the truth. I want to see I want you to see this comparison. To those who are saved, we believe the truth. For those who are not saved, we read about them last week. Take a look at verse 10 and 12 of our chapter. Verse 10, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing. Why?
Because they refuse to what? Love the truth. They hate the truth. They want nothing to do with the truth. Verse 12, in order that all may be condemned who what? Do not believe the truth. Non-believer, people who hate God, hate truth. Refuse to walk in obedience to truth. Refuse to acknowledge the truth of their sin and their need for a savior. Those will be perishing. They will face judgment.
Maybe the they'll face the man of lawlessness. But you, believer, being called out of that, you have been saved and you believe in the truth. And I love what he says in verse 14, to this he called you. So, you've been chosen before the foundation of the world and at a time at the Lord's choosing, he called you out of that judgment.
Called you through our gospel so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The end for you, believer, Thessalonian church, the end for you is not judgment. The end for you, Thessalonian believer, is not condemnation. Is not the man of lawlessness. Your end, what awaits for you, follower of Jesus Christ, who has been called and who has been saved, and who has been chosen, your end is that you would obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Partakers in his glory is the end for those who repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who have been chosen and called out of judgment and into his glory. Judgment has no effect on you. Because Jesus paid it all. So, he says, out of God's sovereign love, out of his sovereign grace and his care and his calling and his choosing, so then, verse 14, I love this.
So then, another way to say that is therefore, or in light of. So then, because you've been chosen, because you've been called, so then, brothers, stand firm. We ought to have a a proper response to God's choosing and calling us out of judgment. And the Thessalonian, though persecution arises, though they are hated for what they believe, though they are hated for stand for loving Jesus, Paul here calls them to not acquiesce, to not bow to falsehood, to not bow the knee to the society around them that hates truth.
No, no, no. He calls the Thessalonians to stand firm. This idea of standing firm means to to not retreat, but to stand and to continue to move forward. To go back to World War II, some of you if you're familiar with World War you will be familiar with the Battle of Bastogne. This was depicted if any of you have seen the Band of Brothers TV series.
Many of you have. They depicted the Battle of Bastogne. This was crucial for the Allied victory. They were in this This was a seven major roadways ran through this little town, this little city. And so what they had to do is they they landed there and then they had to hold their position. For if they retreated or if they were defeated, they lost the battle.
They faced up to they say they faced average temperatures hovering around minus 18 to 20° C with the coldest recorded with wind chills about minus 45. They didn't have the proper gear to withstand the cold, but these men in Bastogne stood firm. They did not retreat and the Allied victory came shortly thereafter because they were willing to stand. Friends, though the enemy is around the Thessalonians, Paul calls them, "Remember, you've been chosen.
You've been called. Judgment does not await you. Glory awaits you. Therefore, he says, "Stand firm. Hold your ground. Do not acquiesce. Do not give way to the enemy. Do not allow the society that is around you who hates the truth to have any say within your walls, Thessalonian church." He says, "Stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter."
He's not talking about raise church tradition over the truth of God's word. There are many cults out there around us who say, "Well, if it comes to well, church tradition or God's word, well, church tradition trumps that because this is how we've always done it. This is how we ought to operate." That's not what he's talking about. He's saying, "Look at the letters that we have written. Look at how we've modeled our lives after you. Look at how we've modeled and shown you and wrote to you and spoke to you how it is that a believer ought to operate holding fast to the truth and continue to do that."
This is what Paul is encouraging them to do. In fact, John MacArthur put it this way, "In place of agitation should come strength and firm stand. In place of false teaching should come faithful adherence to the truth." Though there's false teaching around us all the time, it doesn't take long to find it. We are called to stand firm in the truth of God's word. Once again, this is not the the first time that Paul has written these words.
If you go to the book of Romans with me for just a moment, >> >> verse 17, >> Paul writes this. But thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient to the heart, to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.
And having been set free from sin have become slaves of righteousness. You who were once living according to sin you've now become obedient to the standard of teaching. What teaching? Well, the teaching of Paul and the apostles and and God's word. We are now obedient to that standard of teaching. Or consider maybe 2 Timothy chapter 1. Back in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 13 and 14. Paul writes to this timid Timothy who is placed in Ephesus, not an easy place to minister and he says this in verses 13 and 14.
Follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. Paul's writing and he says follow the pattern of sound words that you've heard from me. What I've taught you, Timothy stand firm, follow that, cling to that. This is the call of the believer to the Thessalonians to Titus, to Timothy, in Romans and to Gateway Bible Church.
You've been chosen, you've been called, you've been saved out of judgment. Stand firm. In fact, I want to go back to Ephesians for just a moment. We read the whole armor of God in verses 10 to 18. Because the enemy that is around us does not want the church to stand. He's got a singular mission to destroy the church.
And so brothers, sisters, my family in Christ, take a look at verse 13 of chapter 6. Though the For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, we're familiar with these texts. Notice the first thing he says, "Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand firm."
The purpose of the armor of God is to equip the believer to stand firm in the battle. We don't need to operate in fear of judgment and condemnation. We don't need to operate in fear. We have no reason to fear. You've been chosen. You've been called. You've been saved. And you've been equipped to stand firm. I can imagine this would be such beautiful news to the Thessalonian church.
Cuz they're well acquainted with hatred. And yet, hearing these words from Paul, we have no reason to fear. So brothers, sisters, family, I need you to help me stand firm. You need each other to help each other stand firm. Giving no way to the enemy.
And then I don't I would argue that in the middle of 2 Thessalonians Paul writes a benediction in verses 16 and 17. And once again, he's doubling down as it in the desire to bring them comfort. To give them hope. Because he says this, "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."
You believer, because you have no reason to fear condemnation and judgment, you have every reason to embrace eternal comfort and hope. Every reason. I love verse 16. He says, "Now comfort and hope does not come through any other conduit other than Jesus Christ himself." You see that? Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself Christ himself gives comfort and hope.
And God our Father working together. The Father and the Son through the Spirit give us comfort and hope in the trying times in which we find ourselves. Oh so often so often we can get distracted. We can get frustrated. We can get angry at the world that is around us.
Maybe we're getting frustrated and angry at our own selves and our own lives and our our neighbors and all this and so we try to find comfort and hope in all of these things and here Paul reminds the Thessalonian church that those things, comfort, hope through grace are only found in one person, the man Jesus Christ and his father who sent him. Who loved us and gave us eternal comfort rather than being filled with anxiety fear worry all would we be filled with comfort and hope.
We read earlier Titus chapter 3 verses 4, 5, and 6. I want to go back there. I'm going to read verses 3, 4, 5, and 6 again but now I'm going to read verse 7 as well. Take a look at what Paul writes to his true child in the common faith, Titus. But when the goodness and loving kindness of our God our savior appeared, he saved us.
Not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy. By the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the spirit whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our savior, so that being justified or declared not guilty by his grace. We might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. So that being justified, declared not guilty. How is that possible? By his grace.
By God's grace you are declared, I am declared not guilty. So we might become heirs, having an inheritance according to the hope of eternal life. The hope, that which we long for. I'm going to guess that if I were to take a poll of everybody in this room, what is it that you truly in the depths of your heart long for? If you are a believer in Christ, you would say to be in the presence of the glory of God.
Because that's a hope that is according to the text eternal. Not to be taken away. And this is what he says. To the hope of eternal life that upon our last breath here, we are not ushered into condemnation. But brother, sister, family we are ushered into the glory of Jesus Christ in the presence of the Father. Oh, would that comfort a hurting soul.
There's many many in this room who are hurting. We're familiar with that. My prayer my desire is that we would cling to the words of scripture that lead us to find comfort in the arms of Christ our savior. Knowing that we are bound bound for eternity in his presence. Oh, that that would be comfort and hope and that our work and our word would be established in these things.
Standing firm in these things. Yes. Friends, the enemy surrounds. We know that. The enemy does not want the church to thrive. We know that. Persecution, trial, anger, angst, sorrow, heartache, we are familiar with these things. But take heart. For if you are in Christ, know that you are in Christ because from eternity past, he sovereignly chose you out of judgment to be saved, called you into his glory that we would be strengthened to stand firm.
And brothers and sisters, that we would do so. That we would not bow. We would not acquiesce. And that we would be a people of comfort and hope in a world that has neither of those things. Would you bow with me in a word of prayer? Father in heaven, what joy we have that you are the God who saved us.
Lord, I pray that that truth would instill a deep comfort and a deep hope. Lord, that you would strengthen us to stand firm. You have sovereignly called us out of judgment. You have saved us by your grace and by your mercy. So, Father, strengthen us to stand firm and be of good comfort in your arms. God, we love you and we thank you for your salvation. In Jesus' name we pray.
Transcribed automatically from YouTube captions, so names and words may be misheard.
