Rose Petals for Our Path (Part 3): 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

Scripture

• 2 Thessalonians 3:1–5

About this sermon

* 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. Several decades ago, it looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy was going to fall. Every year, scientists traveled to Italy to measure the building's slow descending slant. The 179-foot tower was moving 1/20th of an inch each year where it finally got to a point where it was 17 feet out of plumb. If it wasn't restored, the 810 year-old tower, would collapse in 2007. It is interesting to note that the word "pisa" means "marshy land," which gives us a clue why the tower began to lean before it was even finished. The key problem in the tower is its foundation which is only ten feet deep and is not adequate enough to support it. According to BBC news, May 28, 2008, the tower stopped moving for the first time in eight centuries. Engineers have worked to finally stabilize, to firm up and strengthen the tower. After spending 40 million dollars, the tower should be stable for the next 200 years. It took the reconstruction team ten years to complete this project. The work involved extracting some 70 tons of earth from the northern side to encourage the tower to right itself. The tower continued to move towards a more upright position when the work finished. Now, though fourteen years later and 19 inches straighter, hi-tech monitors embedded in the soil beneath its foundations and in the tower itself show that it has stopped moving completely. This famous tower illustrates the importance of stability and having a proper, firm, strong foundation. That is the idea and meaning behind the word “stablish” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. It is derived from the word sterizo {stay-rid'-zo} which means “to strengthen, to make stable, to place firmly, to confirm or make one’s mind steadfast.” Being steadfast, strong, and stable is a great need all Christians have because we continue to battle with out flesh and our attitudes each day. In this message, we draw attention to how the Lord strengthens us and gives us stability. We also look at how God watches over us and keeps us safe. We note the different things that the Lord protects us from so that we will not be defeated or destroyed. This 31-minute message was preached on Sunday night, August 14, 2022, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.