The wrong news
The apostle Paul found out that someone was giving the believers in Thessalonica the wrong news—as a result they were being deceived and they became unsure and unsettled about the coming of Jesus Christ. If there was a headline that could have been printed that they could have read and believed, that headline would have said, Jesus Returned: Followers Miss Their Opportunity to Join Their Savior.
So, Paul wrote this section to them to set the record straight by warning them about the dangers of believing false teachers and by giving them proof that they had not missed Jesus’ anticipated return.
2 Thessalonians 2:1–5
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?
This morning I want to focus what caused the believers to become troubled—the fake news they had been given and believed that distorted their reality, robbed them of their peace, and ruined their perspective.
You see, this section isn’t about satisfying our curiosity about end-time issues—although it certainly does address those issues.
This section is really about a pastor comforting and encouraging his people who had become very troubled and lost sight of the hope to which they once anchored their hope.
Yes, the passage is concerning or about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and being gathered together with Him—but the thrust of Paul’s teaching was to correct the false teaching they had received and believed.
In these verses we see the
Notice the words Paul used to describe their mental and emotional state in verse two:
They were shaken in mind – they were shaken loose from the truth that had, at one time, grounded them. This means they had become mentally unstable and unsure about the coming of Jesus. As a result, they were alarmed—they were scared.
They were not deceived because they had never heard the right teaching. People who are ignorant (meaning those who don’t have information) are not the only people who are susceptible to being led astray by false teaching.
In fact, Paul took time to teach them about future events concerning the Lord’s coming.
Look in verse five:
2 Thessalonians 2:5
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
Paul didn’t ignore this topic when he was with them. In fact, the language tells us that Paul taught them continually about the coming of Jesus—so the information that Paul was giving to them was not new.
Besides the truths that he taught them when he was with them, he also addressed some of their concerns in the first letter he wrote to them. In 1 Thessalonians four, Paul reminded them of the truth of the rapture—the time Jesus comes to claim His own people from the earth. In that moment the dead in Christ will rise first and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to forever be with the Lord.
Notice how the false teachers succeeded:
They claimed they had received
Then they
Then they produced a
No wonder Paul described them as being upset and troubled—the peace they once enjoyed was overcome by terrible thought that they had missed the coming of the Lord and they were destined to suffer tribulation with no hope for diving rescue.
And all of this was from a lie.
Do you see the power of false teaching? Do you see how believing the wrong message can steal your joy and rob you of peace?
Paul wrote, Let no one deceive you in any way. In other words, don’t be moved from the truth. You see, they thought their future was uncertain—but the truth is, their future was anything but uncertain.
They needed to the light of the truth they had received to shine on the darkness of their confusion.
The message to us this morning is simple, don’t build your life on
Why? Because when we get moved off of the truth, we are setting ourselves up for great sorrow.
When we become untethered to the Word, we become vulnerable to all sorts of false teaching. In fact, one of the reasons Paul gives for pastoral teaching is…
Ephesians 4:12–14
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Because false teaching is powerful, we have to stay
The promise of Jesus’ return was supposed to be a source of comfort, encouragement, peace and hope for the church.
So, how do you keep from being deceived in a way that distorts reality, robs you of joy, and ruins your perspective?
First, ground yourself in the
Second, put yourself under
2 Peter 1:12–13
12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,
2 Peter 1:15
15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
One of the best measures to shield yourself against false teaching is to continually and repeatedly expose yourself to God’s revealed Word.
Third, surround yourself with people who will encourage you to
Paul told the believers in Galatia…
Galatians 1:7–9
but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
The believers in Thessalonica were in messed up because they became exposed to false teaching and they started to believe it.
Brothers and sisters, stay away from those who preach another gospel!
Why?
Because, false teaching is powerful, and the wrong news deceives and distorts reality.
We have been given the truth—believe it. Build your life on it. Let the truth of God’s Word set your expectation and you will have joy and peace even through the absurdities and troubles of this life.