Rev. David Holwick S Baptism of Jennifer Valenti
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 20, 2012
2 Thessalonians 2:9-16
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I. Some people will settle for less than the truth.
A. How gullible would you have to be?
During a trial in Boston, Juanita Konold-McIntosh, age 55,
testified on behalf of her husband of 15 years, Eduardo.
He was on trial for fraud, but she said she was still devoted
to him and hoped they could turn their lives around together.
Juanita had just heard the government introduce solid evidence
that her husband, to her surprise, was not an Air Force
general;
that he was not legally married to her (because of a
still-valid earlier marriage);
that the reason he had spent only one night a week with her
during their marriage was not because he was on secret
intelligence missions;
that the reasons for thousands of dollars in and out of her
bank account during their "marriage" was to serve his
real family and various scams;
and that the reason she had not heard from him during a
four-month period in 1994 was because he was in prison.
#17189
1) I guess people will believe what they want to believe.
a) Truth doesn't have to enter into the picture.
2) Unless you consider yourself a Christian.
a) In that case, truth is supposed to matter a lot.
B. The greatest deception of all won't be by a husband.
1) It will be by the Antichrist.
2) He will deceive multitudes of people.
a) He will be very good at it, even supernaturally good.
b) The irony is that is exactly what they will want.
3) Will you be one of them?
II. Experience isn't enough.
A. One of the stumbling blocks in faith is that God is invisible.
1) We can't see him.
a) The Bible says he is spirit, not flesh.
2) But we want to believe in tangible things, things that
are solid.
a) That is why some little kids who have come to this
church have thought I was God.
b) They didn't intend to be heretics, they just saw me
do all the talking.
B. How can we believe in invisible things?
1) Often, we believe when we see something happen.
a) A prayer gets answered.
b) Something unusual or unexpected happens, so we
believe that a power is behind it.
2) Stupendous stuff is important.
a) It was a chief element in Jesus' own ministry.
1> Healings, walking on water, supernatural knowledge.
2> After Peter experienced a miracle first-hand, he
fell on his knees and proclaimed, "Lord, go away
from me; I am a sinful man!" Luke 5:8
b) The apostles continued it.
1> In 2 Cor. 12:12, Paul says signs, wonders and
miracles mark true apostles.
2> Fortunately, these things happened repeatedly in
Paul's own ministry, because some Christians
doubted his credentials.
C. God does not have a monopoly on "wow."
1) Aaron's staff became a snake - but so did those of Pharaoh's
magicians. Exodus 7:8-12
2) Moses recognized the problem.
a) The sign of a true prophet is that his predictions
come true.
b) But true predictions are not enough - false prophets
can also be true sometimes.
In Deuteronomy 13:1-3, Moses says:
"If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears
among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or
wonder,
and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes
place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods
you have not known) "and let us worship them,"
you must not listen to the words of that prophet or
dreamer...."
1> So it has to come true, AND it has to jive with
what God has already revealed.
2> Just keep in mind that an awesome experience,
something that seems really supernatural, could
still be false.
III. The Antichrist will be able to wow people.
A. He will be able to perform miracles.
1) Several passages in the Bible confirm this.
a) In Revelation 13, the Antichrist or his supporters
call down fire from heaven, and make statues speak.
2) Here in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, Paul calls them counterfeit.
a) This doesn't necessarily mean they are fake.
b) They will really happen, but they will be false.
1> They will pull people away from the one true God.
B. Would you be swayed by him?
1) Many believe in God because of a "wow" event.
2) But there is always someone else promising the latest "wow."
a) Evil might be behind it.
3) You must look beyond the raw experience to the spiritual
basis behind it.
IV. God can help you be deluded.
A. This sounds shocking, but it follows the logic of this passage.
1) Verse 11 says God sends a delusion SO THAT they'll be
deceived.
a) It would appear that God doesn't allow them to believe
but covers their eyes.
b) It is more accurate to say God deludes those who have
already rejected him.
2) It only applies to those who are already perishing. 2:10
a) They are perishing because they refuse to believe
the truth about God. 2:12
b) They are perishing because they prefer wickedness.
B. God does not want to trick anyone.
1) However, he will confirm what you insist on choosing.
2) God uses sin to punish the sinful.
a) Romans 1:24-28 teaches the same principle.
b) If people want to lust, God will give them over to it
whole-hog.
c) If they don't want to believe in God (Rom 1:28) he
will let them have a depraved mind.
1> It is similar to the hardening of Pharaoh's heart.
2> After he hardened it himself enough times, God
stepped in and did it for him.
3) Choosing sin is a sure-fire way to end up being spiritually
deceived.
a) You will also end up being condemned. 2:12
V. It should be different for true believers.
A. Paul was confident of the status of the Thessalonians. 2:13
1) He uses the language of predestination - they have been
chosen from the beginning.
2) They confirmed it by believing in God and the gospel he
had presented.
B. We need to stand firm. 2:15
1) We stand firm by holding to the teachings of the Bible.
2) The early church did not have the New Testament yet, so
people like Paul passed it on orally, and in letters
like this one.
a) We are so familiar with the Bible (at least we think
we are) that we become jaded with it.
b) Maybe it doesn't seem like anything special.
c) If this is so, it is probably because you have distanced
yourself from it, or never really got into it.
1> The good news about Jesus has content.
2> You need to know what you believe.
C. When people believe nothing, they'll believe anything.
1) Comedian Steve Martin once joked, "It's so hard to believe
in anything anymore.
If it weren't for my lucky astrology mood watch, I wouldn't
believe in anything."
Ravi Zacharias speaks with great insight of the modern
difficulties surrounding belief.
He writes in his book JESUS AMONG OTHER GODS:
"Philosophically, you can believe anything, so long as you
do not claim it to be true.
Morally you can practice anything, so long as you do not
claim that it is a 'better' way.
Religiously, you can hold to anything, so long as you do
not bring Jesus Christ into it."
#19543
2) The Antichrist will have a field day when he comes to
America.
a) He will stand for power and drama and lies.
1> People will eat it up.
b) Will you?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#17189 “She Believes What She Wants To Believe,” by Randy Cassingham,
News of the Weird internet newsletter; original article from
the Boston Globe, Boston Globe, January 15, 2002.
#19543 “Hard To Believe,” by Jill Carattini, A Slice of Infinity: Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries; September 14, 2003;
http://www.gospelcom.net/slice/
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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