Sunday – February 26, 2012

February 26, 2012 – Read the         Word on Worship

Twisting the Scriptures from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

By the time Paul wrote his second letter to the church at Thessalonica it was very aparent someone was taking the words of the Apostle and twisting them to say something entirely different. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24 that there will be many false teachers and many who would try to deceive God’s people. So how should we protect ourselves from those who would look to deceive us and how can we prevent been deceived? Join us in our study of 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 1 to 5 and see how devastating twisting the Scriptures can be.


Word On Worship – February 26, 2012 Download / Print

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”

Nobody likes a crisis, least of all me. I am sure the Thessalonians felt the same way as they faced daily persecution for their faith. But when the circumstances of life seem to overwhelm us there is a natural desire to have a greater longing for the return of the Lord than when things are just rolling along. I know the older I get, the fewer reasons I have for Him to delay His return. But our desire to get out of life’s issues often causes us to not think clearly about the decisions that must be made.`

When things leave my sphere of control, one emotion I have to really get control over is panic. I take great comfort in knowing I am not alone. Jesus Himself had to remind His disciples in Mark 13:5-7 “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed.” I think the persecution had grown to a point where the Thessalonians entered crisis mode and they became alarmed. They were hearing reports that it was the Day of the Lord, and yet they were still suffering and the bad guys were still getting away with it. They had to worry that they missed Jesus return.

The truth of the matter is we do not make good decisions in moments of panic. That is why the military trains the men and women who serve our country in ways to appropriately respond in moments of crisis. So when crisis comes upon them they can respond instinctively instead having to think through the reasons why you should or should not do something. We need to do the same thing so when we find ourselves in that hour of trial we know what to do and why to do it.

We must interpret crisis by our doctrine and not allow crisis to dictate our doctrine. If crisis is the lens by which you view life, is it any wonder your perception is distorted? That is why correct doctrine is so important because it will give you the correct perspective about events that turn your life upside down. We need to be grounded in the truth of Scripture to face the storms of life that are headed our way so that we can stand when our faith is tested.

What do you think?