Pre-sermon Passage Orientation
October 26
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Head:
Second Thessalonians 2 contains a mysterious figure referred to as the man of lawlessness or the son of perdition. The figure is most often identified as the antichrist. The setting has clear eschatological connections. Paul initiates discussion of the man of lawlessness in response to the misguided concern of some of his readers that the second coming of Christ had already occurred and they missed it. How often do you think about Christ’s return? What do you think about it?
Heart:
In addition to the natural emotions of the second coming of Christ, readers are presented with verse 11 in which God is said to send a strong delusion on some people. While the verse may illicit strong or conflicting emotions in the hearts of readers, verses 11 and 12 appear to present a logical flow and the sending of delusion as the natural outworking of the rejection of love of the truth. What verses throughout the Bible or ideas in theology do you wrestle with the most?
Hands:
The pericope is centered more on an action to be avoided (not to be shaken or deceived) than a call for positive action. Application is sometimes to add an action, sometimes to remove an action, and sometimes to store up information. The next section will present more progressive steps to take. How do you determine how to be a doer of the word when you read a passage of Scripture?
Habits:
How do you filter truth claims by the secular world. What is right due to common grace? What is wrong? What is right for the wrong reasons?