Introduction:    There is a lot going on today that can shake believers, but these verses encourage us not to be shook up. These believers in Thessalonica were being confused in their minds and disturbed in their hearts because they were being taught something that was incorrect. Their hope (the hope that the Lord Jesus is coming again) had been shaken by some false teaching and this is what is dealt with in this second chapter. The theme of the day of the Lord was being taught incorrectly in some circles and as a result it was bringing confusion to the minds of some of God's people. Such teaching has a paralyzing effect on our trust and faith in the Lord. Is God going to deliver us from this wrath to come? That's the atmosphere in which Paul writes this epistle. In these three verses he talks about the end times and the day of the Lord in particular from several aspects. He says in verse 3, "Let no man deceive you by any means." He's talking about some deceptive teaching that they are receiving.

·         I don't think everything deceptive that is taught is intentional in nature.

Sometimes people misunderstand scripture and misread scripture. They misinterpret Scripture and what they teach is deceptive. Not that they intend it to be, but they have misread what God says in His Word. On the other hand

·         I think it is very clear that there is some deception which is conscious in nature.

There is some deception which is intended to deceive. We are warned here to, "Let no man deceive you..." In context this deception was concerning the message of the day of the Lord.

·         He says in verse 2 how this wrong teaching was being delivered.

Look very closely because I believe we have a very similar teaching being used today. Notice..."That you be not soon shaken in mind." The word, shaken carries the idea of being unsettled. It was a word that was used to describe an earthquake. When this particular thing was taught among the believers of Thessalonica it was like an earthquake. It absolutely shook them. It unsettled them. Then he says, "and don't be troubled." The word, troubled, there means an inward state of anxiety or alarm.

·         How did these young Christians get shook up like that? 

Same as believers today - notice Verse 2 - "Neither be shaken in mind by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us."  Put the first two little phrases together. He says, "by spirit or by word." Most wrong teaching is

I.          AN ABUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 

It is a misuse of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers.

            A.        Misusing Spiritual Speech

There were some in the church at Thessalonica who claimed to have some special revelation in a spiritual utterance. In this day they didn't have the New Testament Bible like we do. So, before the New Testament canon of Scripture was completed there was the office of the prophet. The prophet was a man who had a particular gift of prophecy. That means he was able to speak the literal message of God.

·         You and I today have the completed New Testament.

We do not need the office of the prophet in the New Testament sense because God has given us the text of the New Testament. However, there were those who were claiming to have the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, yet they were teaching in clear contradiction to what Paul had already taught these believers.

·         We are witnessing the same kind of thing in our day.

Some today claim to have certain gifts (wisdom, knowledge, and revelation). and that God, through them, gives a special word for the church. There are people who say that the Lord has given me a word for you. I do think that there are times when God may speak some word of encouragement that can be shared with others. But you must be very careful when people start presuming to tell you what the Holy Spirit has told them to tell you. We have those today who claim they are modern-day prophets. The Bible says, "Do not be shaken by spirit or by word." (By some spiritual utterance). It is an abuse of the role of the Holy Spirit.

            B.         Misusing Scriptural Standards

There's a very simple way to achieve Biblical balance. In Deut.18, we find God’s standard for prophets.

·         The Old Testament standard is = absolute, 100% accuracy.

We have those today who are making all kinds of prophecies claiming spirit-inspiration for their prophecies. Yet, none of them are claiming 100% accuracy. One prophet said, "If I hit 2/3 accuracy, I'm doing pretty good."  That is not the standard of the Scripture.

·         Another so-called prophet was caught in an affair.

And yet people were told not to judge him on his personal character, but judge him on his prophetic competence. What does the Bible say? The Bible makes it very clear that the character of the spokesman is very, very, important.  Not only do you check out his words and see if they are in agreement with the Word of God, but you check out the lifestyle as well. In the days of Paul there were those who were abusing the Holy Spirit. The same thing is going on in our day. Check what you hear by the Word. Be careful of messages that claim spiritual authority and then get outside the teachings of the Word. Notice the second thing. 

II.         AN ABUSE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

Not only were they deceptive by spirit and word, but also by letter. Evidently somebody had written them a letter and signed Paul's name to it. Now, they are abusing the Holy Scripture.  The same thing goes on today.

            A.        The Diluting Of God’s Word

·         Liberalism messes with the Holy Scriptures.

Liberalism denies the teachings of the Bible (attempt to explain away the miracles ect.).

·         Cults add to the Holy Scriptures.

They say what you have in the Bible is fine, but we have some additional revelation. They say that the Bible is OK, but you have to have this too. No, no. When God completed the canon of Scripture in the book of Revelation, He specifically said no one is to take from, nor to add to this Book. This is the book! This is the Word! This is God's final revelation right here. 

·         We have people today who are claiming that they are speaking the Word of God. 

Saying that they speak more recent words than what Scripture has to say and if the Scripture contradicts what they say then the Scripture is wrong. I'm not making this up. It's actually going on in this country today. (Illus: One of these so-called prophets who claimed to speak for God went to a Christian high school assembly). Deceptive teaching today may come as an abuse of the Holy Spirit. It may come as an abuse of Holy Scripture. What are God's children to do so that they won't be shaken up by this deception?

            B.         The Digesting Of God’s Word

What says the Scriptures about the matter? Go to the Word. Go to the Bible. Ask…

·         What were they teaching?

They were saying that the day of the Lord is at hand. They were saying that they were in the day of the Lord (Tribulation) right then. Obviously, that was not true.

·         Notice how deception works.

It takes the atmosphere in which people find themselves at that time. Then comes this deception saying, "you're having troubles, you're being persecuted so then you must be in the Great Tribulation, man, it sure feels like it to us.” Many began to lose hope. They began to lose their joy. They lost their victory in the Lord.

Conclusion:     Invariably false teaching causes people to lose their joy in the Lord. One of the most important truths in God’s Word is the truth of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible teaches that Jesus came 2,000 years ago to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself and is going to one day come again, without sin, unto salvation, and catch God's people up to meet Him in the air. Are you ready for His appearing?