Growing up, I was blessed with younger sisters, but I didn't have a brother. I'm sure it wouldn't surprise you to hear me say that boys tend to be interested in a variety of things girls aren't interested in. For instance, as a child, I was very interested in wrestling and fighting. For some strange reason, that never appealed to my sisters (although sometimes I didn't really give them much of a choice).
There was one silver lining to my brother-less scenario, however. I have a cousin who is the exact same age as me and we didn't live far apart. So with regularity, when our families would get together, he and I would almost immediately begin to wrestle or fight. Usually it was all in good fun. Sometimes it got way out of hand.
Since we typically would meet up at my grandparents home, and in order to prevent their furniture from being destroyed, our fathers decided to channel our energy in a different direction. They taught us a fun game that involved trying to force each other off balance. Since it was a competitive test of strength, we loved it. In order to win, you had to do two things; force your opponent to lose his footing, and prevent him from causing you to lose yours. You needed to stand firm under pressure.
I find it interesting to read 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 knowing that, according to this Scripture, the Lord has called and equipped us to stand firm in our faith regardless of the internal or external pressures we may be facing.
Take a look at this passage with me as we observe the nature of how we've been equipped to do this.
I. You were chosen for salvation
“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. ”
This passage begins by speaking of a spiritual reality that Christians would benefit from thinking about more than they do. As Paul opens these verses to the Thessalonians, he wanted to remind them of one of the greatest reasons we as believers should express our thanks to the Lord. That reason is the fact that the Lord has chosen us to be the recipients of His gift of salvation.
This was something Paul wanted to make sure the Thessalonians understood. In their case, he refers to them as "the firstfruits to be saved." They were the first generation of believers in Jesus Christ in their city. They were the first generation of Christians to experience the blessing of sanctification as the Holy Spirit enabled these young believers to grow in holiness. They were the first generation to have their eyes opened to the truth of the gospel in their community. God chose them for this.
There's something special about the feeling of being chosen. I remember my wife telling me that in a very real way it made her feel more secure about our dating relationship during our college years when she thought about the fact that I chose her. There was something about that reality that impacted her on an emotional level. It felt more sure and solid to her than if the opposite was true.
Consider what the Lord is revealing to us in this passage by virtue of what He had done for the Thessalonians. This passage demonstrates that if you have had your eyes opened up to your need for Jesus Christ to save you, it's because the Lord divinely graced you with that blessing. It may have initially felt like you chose Him, but in reality, you responded to His offer because He chose you.
Do you feel worthy to be chosen to be the beneficiary of Christ's gift of salvation? I certainly don't, and that's perfectly fine because I am not inherently worthy of it. But Jesus, who atoned for our sin, and fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf, is willing to give us the gift of His righteousness. Our "worthiness" has nothing to do with what we could offer Him back. Jesus is worthy, and as the Father looks at us, He sees His son living within us.
II. You will share in the glory of Christ
“To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ”
One of the most entertaining things to observe is to watch your friends raise and interact with their children. This is especially true when their children remind you of younger versions of your friends. I get the biggest kick out of seeing kids who look like, talk like, and behave just like their parents.
I mention that because in a very real way, that concept is being demonstrated on a spiritual level in this passage. As part of the family of Christ, we begin to look like Him in many ways, and we will ultimately share in His glory. His glory will be seen in us forever.
The moment we came to faith in Christ, we were justified. Over the course of our Christian life, we are being sanctified. When our earthly life comes to an end, we will be glorified. The day is rapidly approaching when we will be perfected in every way.
"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." (Philippians 3:20-21)
And since we will obtain and share in Christ's glory for all time, what's holding us back from giving others a visible taste of it here and now? I believe the Lord wants to show others His glory through how He is graciously working in our lives.
III. You must take the teaching of God's word seriously
“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.”
Recently, I set up a new office in my home. It's become my favorite place to work. I took a corner of our basement that wasn't being used for anything significant, and completely transformed it. I set up partitions and built a very practical L-shaped desk. I bought a new printer/copier, and added two bookshelves. When everything was put together, I gathered some of my most frequently consulted books and put them in place. I also selected some of my favorite copies of the Bible to keep in close proximity to my desk.
In doing that, it dawned on me that I have no idea how many printed Bibles I own. I have copies of the Bible in just about every room in my home. I have a copy that I keep in my car. I have digital copies on all my devices, and I think I have at least twenty copies in various translations in my church office as well. What a blessing it is to live in an era when the word of God is so accessible.
The Thessalonians lived during an era when that wasn't the case. The New Testament was still being written during their time, and printing presses hadn't yet been invented, so literature wasn't as readily available. In their era, everything had to be written out by hand. In their case, they were frequently dependent on information being verbally taught or passed on through oral tradition. And if they did have a copy of written text, it frequently needed to be shared among many people.
But just the same, Paul implored them to stand firm in the word of God that had been delivered to them. That's a challenge I want our hearts to hear as well. We need to be people who take the word of God seriously.
What does it look like to take God's word seriously? I think a person who takes it seriously will be curious about it and motivated to learn it. And once they learn it, they'll be intentional to obey it because they trust its source. Conversely, a person who doesn't take God's word seriously won't examine it, won't commit it to memory, and won't obey it. They'll simply continue to obey their own passions and the changing values of their culture, mindless of the consequences of their spiritual ignorance.
IV. You have been set up to succeed in ways that matter most
“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'm grateful for the ways the Lord invests in His children. He doesn't call us unto Himself and then forget about us. He's building us up, and He's enabling us to succeed in ways that actually matter.
Paul demonstrates that here in this passage. He reminds us that the Lord shows us His unconditional love. And not only does He love us, He comforts us with an eternal comfort. In conjunction with that, He grants us hope beyond this present moment. Then, because He's fully invested in making us people who reflect His glory, He establishes us in "every good work and word." In Christ, our feet are being planted on solid ground.
When you look at your life, what do you see? Are you still measuring yourself by earthly metrics that hold no value for eternity? Do you beat yourself up because your life doesn't look exactly like you thought it might look at this point? Do you tell yourself that the goal of your life is to have a fulfilling career, perfect marriage, children who never make mistakes, and more money in your bank account than you know what to do with? Why torture yourself with such things?
The measurements this world uses should not be the measurements we adopt for ourselves. We've been set up to succeed in ways that are much more meaningful. We have significantly greater things to look forward to, and we are being prepared for a more glorious future than we endure in the present.
Through your faith in Jesus Christ, you are called and equipped to stand firm in the midst of a world that tends to adopt a very unstable value system for itself. Let your mind dwell on this truth. Let your eyes see beyond the present moment. Give your heart permission to anchor itself in the words and works of Christ.
© John Stange, 2020
