“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 ESV)
So, what is “the word of the Lord” that Paul was referring to here? Definitely Paul would be speaking about the words that Jesus spoke when he was on the earth which were written down for us who believe in Jesus Christ so that we should follow his teachings. But "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV) So, the word is the Scriptures.
Now, this requires that we read the Scriptures in their context, prayerfully, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, discerning what is written for us who follow Jesus Christ with our lives so that we may do what the word teaches us that we must do. But we are not under the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification and dietary laws and restrictions, nor are we required to have all males circumcised. But God’s moral laws have remained intact, and we still have to obey his New Covenant commands.
And the word of the Lord is the gospel of our salvation which is that Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross, he died, and the third day he rose from the dead, he appeared to many, then he ascended back to heaven, and one day he is coming again to judge the people of the earth and to take his faithful bride to be with him for eternity. But he died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and that we might walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, honoring the Lord Jesus with how we conduct our lives.
So, by genuine God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified with him in death to sin, and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to righteousness. Therefore, we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life in Christ our Lord (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23).
And that is the word that Paul taught, that we must die to sin and live to righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands and in holy living, and that we must no longer walk according to the flesh in deliberate and habitual sin and not in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands (New Covenant). But not everyone accepts that as the gospel message. Many are preferring a watered-down version of the gospel which does not require death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord.
And so, if we are teaching the full gospel message of our salvation, we will be opposed by those who are teaching the diluted gospel message intended to tickle itching ears and to appease human flesh and to not offend the people of the world. For not everyone who professes Jesus Christ with their lips has genuine God-persuaded faith in the Lord, but many are following after a faith created in the minds of humans which removes God’s requirements for death to sin and for walks of obedience to his commands.
And so they will be offended by us if we are teaching the truth of the gospel as Jesus taught it. And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have eternal life. For not everyone who says “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those DOING the will of God the Father.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
So, hold on to the truth of God’s word, and don’t be ashamed of the gospel that Jesus taught and that his NT apostles taught, even if you get rejected and persecuted and falsely accused of wrongdoing. For it is the truth that will set people free from their sins, not the lies which so many are spreading today in the name of Christ and in the name of the gospel. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord in holy living, we will not have eternal life with God, regardless of what we profess.
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70
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