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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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FINAL BENEDICTION 2Th 3:16-18 (7/8/12) Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. PAUL’S BENEDICTION OF
PEACE (16) A. With all that the
Thessalonian church had been through in a short period of time (persecution -
1Th 2:14; 2Th 1:4, doctrinal unrest - 2Th 2:1-2, undisciplined conduct - 2Th
3:6) he leaves them with an encouraging truth concerning God’s “continuous”
(dia pantos - at all times,
always) peace. B. “Peace” (eirê,nê) here
means a spiritual disposition characterized by inner tranquility and rest,
free of anxiety. C. The Lord “Himself” (auto.s - emphatic use) gives the Thessalonians peace. The Scriptures teach how the believer
receives God’s peace. 1. It is
supplied by the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22; Joh 14:27). 2. It comes through the knowledge of God’s
Word. a) The
believer has peace with God through Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1). b) The believer has peace having hope in God’s
promises (Rom 15:13) 3. It comes
by knowing God’s sovereignty and presence in every circumstance (2Th 3:16b, c
cp. Rom 8:28). 4. It comes through prayer (Phil 4:6-7). 5. It comes from practicing the Word (Phil
4:9). D. Paul also had taught them
about a false peace characterizing the end times (1Th 5:3). II. PAUL’S SIGNATURE GREETING
(17) A. Epistles in the NT were written mostly by
an amanuensis, a secretary who wrote as
it was dictated by an apostle (cp. Rom 16:22). B. However, Paul would sign all his epistles
“with his own hand” (tê, emê, cheiri)
to authenticate that it came from him and his apostolic authority (cp. 1Co
6:21; Col 4:8). C. Paul called this his “distinguishing
mark” (sêmei,on - sign, distinguishing characteristic, mark) and most likely was also a distinguishable
signature. In Gal 6:11, Paul mentioned that his signature was with “large
letters” perhaps due in part to his poor eyesight (cp. Act 23:2-5), which was
perhaps also the identification of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” cp. 2Co 12:7). III. PAUL’S FINAL BENEDICTION
(18) A. In his final and customary
benediction, Paul always places an emphasis on the grace of God (Rom 16:24;
1Co 16:23; 2Co 13:14; Gal 6:18; Eph 6:24; Phi 4:23; Col 4:18; 1Th 5:28; 2Th
3:18; 1Ti 6:21; 2Ti 4:22; Tit 3:15; Philemon 1:25). B. “Grace” comes from the Greek verb chai,rō
which means to rejoice
or have joy. Char,is therefore means that which causes or brings joy,
pleasure, benevolence, favor, or acceptance. Grace is God’s bestowment of
favor and benevolence upon those who do not or cannot merit or deserve it. C. The Thessalonians had experienced the
saving grace of God, which only comes through faith in Christ (Eph 1:6; 2:8). D. But they continued to need God’s grace in
sanctification (2Pe 3:18) and for strength to endure the Christian life (Heb
4:16). E. The grace of God is extended to “all”
the believers in Thessalonica, including those who received strong reproof
from Paul. IV. TEACHING OF SECOND
THESSALONIANS A. 2 Thessalonians Outline REMAIN UNSHAKEN AND ESTABLISHED IN THE CHRISITAN LIFE I. ENCOURAGEMENT IN ENDURING PERSECUTION (2Th 1) A. Greetings (1:1-2) B. Thanksgiving for growth (1:3-4) C. God’s Retribution Toward Persecution
(5-10) D. Prayer for Continued Growth (11-12) II. ENLIGHTENMENT ON FALSE TEACHING (2Th 2) A. The Day of the Lord (2:1-2) B. The Man of Lawlessness (2:3-12) C. Result of Sound Teaching (2:13-15) D. Prayer for Comfort and Strength (2:16-17) III. ESTABLISHMENT THROUGH DISCIPLINED CONDUCT
(2Th 3) A. Prayer for the Apostles (3:1-2) B. Confidence of the Apostles (3:3-5) C. Treatment of the Unruly (3:6-9) D. Commands for the Idle (3:10-13) E. Discipline for the Disobedient
(3:14-15) F. Final Salutations (3:16-18) B. 2 Thessalonians Lessons: “Remain unshaken and established in the Christian life” 1. By
continuing in the face of opposition with long term labor of love. a) Like the Thessalonians, many Christians
experience a growth spurt in their Christian lives immediately after trusting
in Christ. The challenge however is to continue growing and not become
complacent in the Christian Life. b) The new believer is encouraged to begin to
serve the Lord whereas the older believer needs to be encouraged to continue
to endure even in the face of struggle, trials, and opposition. (1) The believer is to continue to endure (ane,chō
- lit. hold up under, bear with, put up with) persecution his entire Christian life
(2Th 1:4). (2) The believer is to continue to endure sound
doctrine his entire life (2Ti 4:3ff). (3) The believer is to continue to endure
strong exhortation his entire life (Heb 13:22). 2. By being constant in alertness against
false teaching. a) The believer must always be vigilant and
be on the lookout for false teaching. It is Satan’s ultimate strategy against
the church and the believer (Gen 3:3-4; 2Co 11:13-14). A lack of vigilance
and a lack of knowledge of proper biblical truth could leave a believer
quickly shaken (saleuō - shake, totter, rock) in his faith and
confused (2Th 2:2). Or worse, a believer can fall into false teaching such as
the foolish Galatians (Gal 3:1). b) A new believer lacks understanding but
many times has a great desire to study.
An older believer may have understanding but sometimes lacks the
desire to study or be vigilant as though everything is safe and sound. c) Therefore,
the Christian comes to realize that he must always be on constant alert to
false teaching (Act 20:28; 1Ti 4:16; 1Co 16:13). 3. By
being consistent in Christian conduct according the Word of God. a) A new believer initially finds himself
scrutinizing and working through his behavior. An older believer should do
the same but often falls into a false sense of comfort and complacency. Many
times believers only attempt to satisfy externals and give no thought for
internal change. If a believer does not see a need to continue changing or
growing, he shows that he has reverted back into immaturity. b) A mature believer becomes ever
increasingly aware of his lack of conformity to that of his Lord. The mature
believer always promotes spiritual growth not only because that is what
others need, but because he himself desperately needs to keep changing and become
more like Christ. Note that only correct teaching leads to correct attitudes
which lead to correct conduct. Every time the believer approaches the Word of
God, he ought to discipline himself to learn, grow, and especially change. |
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