II Thessalonians 2:13-17
“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- Strand number one in the cable of hope and stability is the LOVE of GOD
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God out of the great love with which he loved you made you alive when you were dead through trespasses.” - The second strand is the apostolic tradition of ELECTION . God Chose You!
Deuteronomy 7:7-8: “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than
any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the Lord loved you…” - The third strand of the cable in 2:13 is SALVATION.
I Thess 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - The fourth strand in the cable of hope is SANCTIFICATION by the Spirit.
“God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”
“Sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth are not distinct acts. It is not as though our faith in the truth and the Spirit’s sanctifying work run in separate parallel tracks and have nothing to do with each other. Saving faith, with all its impulse to love the truth is the power that the Spirit uses to make us holy.” Dr. John Piper
I Thessalonians 5:23-24: 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. - Strand 5: EFFECTUAL CALLING : 2:14 “To this he called you through our gospel.”
I Corinthians 1:22 “ For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” - Strand 6: The GOSPEL of God 2:14 “To this he called you through our gospel.”
I Corinthians 1:17 “ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. 18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” - Strand 7: GLORIFICATION of the saints. that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:18 “ And the sufferings of this time are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed to us in the coming of the Son of Man… 29 “Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
From all eternity God loved the church at Thessalonica, as He does this band of saints on Bell Road in Montgomery.
He chose them from the beginning from all the sinners in Macedonia. He sent Paul to them with the gospel — the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to die for hopeless sinners. And in the preaching of that gospel God called his elect with overcoming power to himself. And the result was that they believed the truth and were saved and began to be sanctified by the Spirit. And will one day obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and work.” II Thess. 2:16,17