“The only thing we learn from history…is that we don’t learn from history.”

A professor I had in college who taught World History…wrote that on the board our first day of class; and it has always stuck with me. There is some spiritual truth woven in that statement, which you might agree with if you read yesterday’s message.

Mankind had (and continues to have) a huge problem, and it’s called ‘sin’. And ‘sin separates us from God’ who is the only source of true life that we can possess.(Isa. 59:2).

Outside of coming to Jesus with our whole heart…we cannot have this ‘abundant life’ He promised to those who did come to Him (John 5:40; 10:10). To remain apart from Him means we will remain ‘dead in sin’ (Eph. 2:1). And one of the biggest ‘challenges’ any of us will encounter in this life…is when we come face to face with the ‘truth’, and then we have to make a decision as to what we will do…with this truth. By the way…Jesus claimed to ‘be the truth’, as well as the ‘Only way to the Father’. (John 14:6)

We are told in John 3:17-21 the reason God sent Jesus into this world, and it wasn’t to condemn us, rather it was to save us. Or, as the Psalmist expressed…”He sent His word to heal us and to deliver us from our destructions” (Ps. 107:20). But, if you are not careful, you’ll miss that little nugget of insight there in John’s text, as spoken by Jesus: Not everyone will come to the ‘light’ because they love the darkness more’.

In other words…not everyone is interested in truth, let alone ‘loving the truth’; which takes us to 2 Thess. 2 for the continuation of yesterday’s lesson.

I circle back to this portion of text every now and then, because as troublesome as some might find it to be, it is there nonetheless for us to read, process, and digest…so that we might be ‘informed’. Many people are perishing, and will continue to perish because they did not ‘receive a love for the truth’ (10)…and instead will ‘believe a lie’, a ‘strong delusion’ that God Himself will ‘send’ (11-12).

Now we are told it is ‘impossible for God to lie’ (Heb.6:18), but that doesn’t mean He won’t ‘allow’ deception and lies to come our way, especially after He has made His truth/light known to us. This is where the ‘choosing’ comes in to play. Failure to love and then adhere to ‘truth’ will cause many to not being ‘saved’ (2 Thess. 2:10). And that is NOT the will of God; quite the contrary (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9).

Paul had been writing to the Thessalonians, where there had been conflicting reports as to whether the Lord had ‘returned’ or not; or more specifically…whether the ‘day of the Lord’ had arrived (2 Thess. 2:1-3). He’s trying to assure the believers there, as well as warn them to ‘let no one deceive you by any means’. Paul then addresses an area of concern suggesting that prior to this ‘day of the Lord’…there would first be a great apostasy, or a ‘falling away from the faith’ that will take place. And he’s not talking about shrinking ‘church attendance numbers’ either. 

Oh…there will still be plenty of people running here and there doing all kinds of ‘wonderful things in His name’ (Matt. 7:22)…having a ‘form of godliness while denying His power’. And they will be ever learning but ‘never coming to the knowledge of the truth’ (2 Tim. 3:5-7). I wonder what ‘truth’ that might be? Why, they might even be like that church at Sardis who Jesus had to address and ‘correct’, where He told them that despite having a name or reputation of being ‘alive’…He told them they were ‘dead’ (Rev. 3:1-3). And what brings ‘death’, according to Romans 6:23?

I should also point out from that text in Rev. 3 that, in His words…if they failed to repent, and to ‘keep watch’…that He would come upon them as a ‘thief’, and they will ‘not know what hour He will come upon them’ (3). Isn’t that an interesting word picture, using the example of a ‘thief’? So why does this even matter to us? I’m glad you asked.

Paul had been addressing the ‘Day of the Lord’ and the ‘falling away’ that would take place prior to that ‘Day’. In his previous letter to the Thessalonians, he elaborated some on how this ‘day’ would ‘come as a thief in the night’, and while everyone was saying ‘peace and safety’…then comes ‘sudden destruction’. (1 Thess. 5:2-3). Friends…what do we know about what a ‘thief comes to do’ …according to the words of Jesus found in John 10:10? You might also take a peek at Matt. 24:42-44.

What did I say yesterday about how those folks who ‘thought’ they knew of a coming Messiah…and how they failed to recognize Him the first time He came? And was it even possible for another generation of professing ‘believers’ to not recognize Him the second time He returns? That certainly couldn’t be us now, could it!? Here is where I am going with all this….

If we’ve been taught to believe one particular way, according to the oracles and traditions passed down to us by our fathers…and just maybe all that we’ve been taught doesn’t line up with God’s word…then do you see the problem we are facing? Or, better yet…if what all I am sharing with you here doesn’t ‘fit’ with how you have been taught to believe…then we have a choice to make, do we not? We can go back to the word and search out these things to see if there is any ‘truth’ to them, like they did in Acts 17:11…or we can just bury our head in ‘the sands of man-made doctrines’…while praying the ‘rapture’ comes sooner than later.

Here’s a simple test you might consider, which is good for all of us to apply (2 Cor. 13:5). I refer to it as an examination as to whether Jesus fully has your heart…or does a ‘doctrine’ have your heart? When you come across various passages in your Bible that don’t seem that ‘familiar’ to you, or don’t really ‘fit’…with how you were taught to believe…how do you respond to those passages? Do you quickly dismiss them, read around them, or maybe find someone smarter than you who will quickly explain them away, assuring you that those don’t mean what they say the mean? "Has God really said...?" (Gen. 3:1-4)

Trust me, I’ve seen my share of instances over the years where certain Bible verses will come up in discussion or sermons and there is such a ‘gut-kick’ reaction that follows by people who claim to love Jesus and His word. There’s just one problem when we do that, and I’ve been guilty of doing this myself – when we reject the Word…WHO…are we rejecting? The ‘Word who became flesh…and dwelt among us’ (John 1:1,14). Friends…that is not a good thing to do.

But IF…Jesus has your heart…and He wants to lead you further in to ‘more truth’ (because none of us have it all figured out yet)…then we will make the appropriate ‘adjustments’ and refrain from trying to ‘explain it away’ simply because ‘that’s not what I was taught’. Jesus promised us a ‘Comforter’…who would ‘lead us into all truth’ (John 16:13). I guess the remaining question we all must ask…is do we really have a ‘love for the truth’…where we will ‘come to the light’? Or will we be like the ‘majority’…who love the darkness more? (Matt. 7:13-14; John 3:19-21).

One last point to ponder- when you read messages like this, is the first thought that comes to mind sound like:  'so and so needs to see, read, or hear this?  Or do you find yourself running to Jesus and asking: "Lord, is it I?" (Matt. 26:22)