Sermons

S.R. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15

Introduction

1. Pioneer Days
   1. Simulations of what to do in various circumstances.
   2. Wrong choices could cost days, wagons or lives.
2. Recent visit to Bethany, VA Setting: 1820’s (200 hundred years ago)
   1. I had the privilege of visiting the home of Alexander Campbell.
      1. I stood in his former home, library and the meeting place where he spoke.
      2. He followed his father, Thomas, from Scotland to America in 1809.
   2. Mr. Campbell, along with President James A. Garfield, a frequent visitor to the home of Campbell, sought to return to and restore ancient patterns found in the first century writings of the apostles.
   3. Although we do not follow Mr. Campbell or Barton Stone, we do seek to learn to what extent God desires us to imitate Bible patterns and examples.
3. Picture yourselves in 1810, while Indiana is still a territory.
   1. You and a small group of pioneers have crossed the Ohio River and have moved into Indian land.
   2. You and those settling in this land are believers in God.
      1. Who would you worship?
      2. How would you worship?
      3. When would you worship?
      4. Where would you worship?
      5. How would you teach your children to know and love God?

Outline

1. Jesus Has All Authority (Matthew 28:18)
   1. Two views of the commander.
      1. He makes recommendations, but permits adjustments to his plans as we deem appropriate.
      2. He expects careful and complete obedience to his express statements and to the models and examples he provides.
   2. Which view would Jesus expect of us?
      1. All religious practice must be tested by His teaching (2 John 9). “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.”
      2. Jesus’ teaching is fully expressed by the Holy Spirit through the apostles and prophets (John 16:12-15; 14:25-26).
      3. Found in their sayings (1 Corinthians 2:6-13) Mind of God revealed by the Spirit.
   3. Found in their writings
      1. The Lord’s commandment – what Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 14:37)
      2. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 received the word of God
      3. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 Christians – called by the gospel, were to “stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”
   4. Jesus’ teaching is completely presented in the New Testament (2 Peter 1:3).
      1. “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3)
   5. His teaching is the standard of eternal judgment (John 12:48).
2. Role of Interpretation (Common Sense)
   1. The Bible must be interpreted like any other period literature.
      1. The difference is that its statements are “inspired”; therefore accurate and complete to accomplish God’s purpose. (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
      2. Beginning Bible readers might expect to find neatly indexed doctrines and commands.
      3. Some expect to find concise Bible rules identifying “approved examples” etc.
   2. Many reject anything that involves “human interpretation” as merely opinion.
      1. They fail to realize that neither commands nor direct statements could be understood without interpretation (cf. Acts 17:30). “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,”
         1. Are you a man person (interpretation – cf. v. 34 – women) somewhere at some time in history?
         2. You need to repent. Your interpretation? Correct or incorrect?
   3. To say that we should not accept anything that comes by human reason is to ignore God’s process of revealing His will (Ephesians 3:1-5). “When you read”
      1. Read and understand (Luke 1:3-4; John 6:45) “taught and learned”
      2. God expected people to “handle accurately” (2 Timothy 2:15) His message.
      3. This implies that it can be handled “inaccurately” (2 Peter 3:16).
   4. The alternative to “human interpretation” is to accept that only those receiving supernatural direction from the Holy Spirit can understand the Scriptures.
      1. Even they had to process (interpret) what God communicated (Acts 10:19, 28; 16:10)
3. God’s Will is Expressed By:
   1. Recognize that God may express His will any way He desires. The following are means by which He expresses His will in the Scriptures. This is not some “system of authority” devised by man, but rather an identification of the various avenues we use daily to communicate with one another. God has chosen to communicate with us in these same ways.
   2. For example: When we go to the doctor because we are not feeling well, we communicate to him our symptoms and expect him to understand us. We expect him to gather all the relevant evidence (the verbal information we give as well as the signs our bodies manifest) and then properly interpret that evidence to draw the right conclusions and recommend proper treatment. He then writes down a prescription and we expect the pharmacist to interpret properly the doctor’s instructions. We take the prescription home and read the label, fully expecting to understand the directions. The fact that doctors and pharmacist can make mistakes by drawing unwarranted conclusions about our condition does not change the fact that if they gather sufficient evidence and reason properly about the information, they can know the truth about our situation.
   3. We go through this process every waking hour. We credit ourselves with the ability to operate sensibly and communicate intelligently. Yet we turn right around and imply that the God of heaven who created our minds is incapable of making His will to humanity known in a clear and understandable fashion.
   4. Apostles presumed that people were capable of “reasoning.”
      1. “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,” (Acts 17:2).
      2. “And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.” (Acts 18:19).
4. Role of Examples in Recognizing God’s Will
   1. “Apostolic examples” suggests an incomplete and, in some cases, inaccurate concept.
      1. Are other examples of no consequence (1 Peter 2:21 [Christ]; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13)?
      2. Could those other than apostles provide an example? (cf. Acts 5:5, 11 Ananias and Sapphira)
   2. Apostles, inspired in teaching, but not in conduct (1 Corinthians 4:17; 14:37).
      1. Their conduct was to be imitated as long as it reflected obedience to God’s teaching.
         1. 1 Corinthians 11:1; “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
         2. 1 Corinthians 11:2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.”
         3. Philippians 3:17 “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”
         4. Philippians 4:9 “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
         5. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-9 follow our example in working hard, providing
         6. Traditions – And there were the “traditions received of us” (2 Thessalonians 3:6; cf. 2:15). (“Tradition” is from “paradosis” which according Vine means “a handing down or on.”) Those who received these apostolic “traditions” or teaching were to hand them down to others who were to hand them on to others: “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)
      2. Sometimes apostles failed to follow the teaching (Galatians 2:11-14).
      3. Are we to follow every example of every apostle?
         1. Paul made tents. Must we?
         2. Paul commanded the Corinthians to seek to prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1). Must we?
         3. When are commands, express statements and examples binding upon us?
   3. Look at the Lord’s Supper as an example:
      1. We have all this data in the New Testament and we are told to do as the apostles taught and did, yet all agree that some things written were not meant for universal practice, how do we determine what is binding on us today?
         1. Do we arbitrarily and subjectively decide what is binding and not?
         2. Or, do we consider it all binding (both command and examples) unless there is compelling evidence in the scriptures that it is an incidental matter and/or it was only intended for a particular time and place?
         3. All we can do is to gather all the information on a particular subject from the biblical data and sift through it to logically determine what is binding on all Christians.
      2. Start with the premise that all statements, commands and examples of the apostles are on the table for consideration to be imitated by us.
      3. Then we determine those things that have compelling evidence that they do not belong on the table. (Incidentals)
   4. Regarding the Lord’s Supper: We put all the New Testament teaching via– commands, statements and examples – on the table.
      1. We have commands to do it. From Christ through an apostle.
         1. 1 Corinthians 11:2 “Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions (teaching), just as I delivered them to you.”
         2. 1 Corinthians 11:23 “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." (cf. Luke. 22:19)
      2. We have the command to do it when the church is together in “one place.” (1 Corinthians 11:20). “as a church” NASB
      3. We are commanded to do it periodically (“as often”) in memory of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:25). “"This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."”
   5. We have an example of it being done on the first day of the week in an upper room, with participation by an apostle (Acts 20:7).
      1. Is there compelling evidence elsewhere in God’s revelation that somehow modifies these commands and this example?
      2. Is there evidence that any of the commands mentioned are not to be binding for all times and places throughout the period of Christ’s rule.
      3. As to the example there is no evidence that it was observed any day other than the first day of the week. (Exclusive nature of the example)
      4. Note that Paul was in a hurry (Acts 20:6; 16) After Passover.
   6. Now as to the “upper room,” is there compelling evidence that any other kind of place was approved to meet? Was this place incidental to the example?
      1. There is compelling evidence elsewhere that the place was incidental to the meeting.
      2. Jesus made it clear that in His rule that public worship to God is not tied to a particular place, but could be done anywhere. (John 4:20-23).
      3. The Jerusalem church that “continued steadfast in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Act 2:42), did so in the “temple” (v. 46) more specifically on “Solomon’s porch” of the temple (Acts 3:11; 5:12).
      4. Some groups met in schools (Acts 19:9) School of Tyrannus (Ephesus)
      5. Later some churches met in private homes (1 Corinthians 16:19). Vicki B.
      6. This should be enough evidence to show that the meeting place for the church is incidental.
   7. Now where is there compelling evidence that the meeting day to break bread is incidental?
      1. No indication of this practice on any other day.
   8. Pioneers on the American frontier began to assemble in various locations and determined that the Lord’s Supper (communion) was to be observed on the first day of the week (each week has one).
      1. It was determined that by seeking ancient patterns and examples that unleavened bread and fruit of the vine were to be used (Matthew 26:26-29).
         1. These items were available during the feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
         2. All leaven was to be removed from the house and public meetings.
      2. It was participated in as a group, not as a common meal, but rather a sacred communion, in memory of Christ and was shared by all believers.
5. Conclusion:
   1. Let us continue, as did the saints in Troas (Acts 20), to come together to hear and share in the message of God and the communion of the death and resurrection of Christ “until he comes.”
   2. High school students: Is this the conclusion you would reach as a band of pioneers seeking to know and follow the will of Christ?
   3. Are you in fellowship with Christ?
      1. Do you share in His supper each Lord’s day in order to proclaim to all the power of His death and resurrection in your life?
      2. Romans 6:3-5 “3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”