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Message
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
The Hindrance of Misunderstanding
Turn in your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13. Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away (from Thessalonica) to Berea.
13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. (Acts 17:10, 13-15)
Read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5
1 After this (preaching in Athens), Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 18:1, 4-5)
Read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
When we put all of this together we can picture the events, and people movements, and interactions to gain an understanding of the historical situation as it is unfolding.
But the history is not the main focus.
The main focus here is Paul’s heart for the people.
Paul wants to make sure the church of the Thessalonians does not misunderstand or misinterpret the situation.
Paul wanted to see come back and see the church, but Satan prevented this.
The Thessalonian church could interpret the silence as
… uncaring and unloving.
… Paul leaving them to suffer on their own.
… Paul just giving up on them.
In the face of the persecution they were facing the church of the Thessalonians might even start questing … “Is this new faith worth it”.
The Jews from Thessalonica who rounded up bad characters from the marketplace to form a rioting mob could really use Paul’s absence to their advantage.
Paul gone. He is not coming back you know. He’s a fake and a conman who just wanted to use your homes as free accommodation until something better came along.
Why should you stick with the teaching of Paul? He faces a little trouble and then he runs away. Why don’t you just go back to making things the way they were so our city can be at peace.
We know the church of the Thessalonians is staying firm.
In the face of persecution and pressure they fixed their eyes on Jesus and were living out their faith in such a way that they were becoming a model church for so many other churches.
We know that.
But at the time Paul doesn’t know that.
As Paul goes to Berea, then Athens, then Corinth … there are a whole range of thoughts going around in the head of Paul.
Paul knows his own motives. His interest isn’t about himself and his reputation and what people might say about him – he actually doesn’t really care what people think about him.
His only concern is the church of the Thessalonians.
He has done all he can to get back. He is constantly in prayer. He needs to know what is going on.
So he eventually sends Timothy back to find out the answer to his one spiritual concern – has the tempter worked in such a way that everything that was done was in vain?
Satan – the tempter – has a strategy. In essence it is a strategy with a single focus. To do everything spiritually possible to prevent, and even reverse, the transforming power of the Gospel.
To prevent people from becoming “in Christ”.
To tempt people to step “out of Christ”.
To achieve these ends Satan will use every scheme. He will stop at nothing – nor will he see any boundary – in his attempts to fulfil this goal.
Satan will masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) … convincing people they are following the path of righteousness while in reality they are walking on the road of wickedness.
The Devil sows weeds – those who are the people of the evil one … among the good seed – those who are the people of the kingdom … in order to create confusion and confound the work of the kingdom. (Matthew 13:24-29; 36-43).
The Tempter is a formidable opponent. Jesus has given us access to the full armour of God so that we can be equipped to stand against his schemes (Ephesians 6:11). He is on the prowl constantly on the lookout for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He will keep pushing, and prodding, and niggling, and frustrating, and manoeuvring in order to try and gain some sort of foothold (Ephesians 4:27)
Satan was even so brazen as to tempt Jesus, offering Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world …
It wasn’t an empty temptation he is the prince of the world (John 12:31) and the ruler of the kingdom of the air who is at work in those who are disobedient (Ephesians 2:2).
The kingdoms were his to give.
If Jesus took the offer and gave in to the temptation to bow to Satan the offer would have been fulfilled.
How brazen it was to tempt Jesus in this way – and it speaks volumes about his commitment to his strategy.
Paul says, “Satan blocked our way.”
Other translations use words like “hindered”, or “thwarted”, or “prevented”.
Hindered is probably the better translation.
The word here is used to describe a military strategy where a military group would go on the road towards their enemies and they would dig slits in gaps on the paving on the road and then hide the slits. The wheels of the carts of the invading army would fall in, stopping the cart.
It would take a lot of effort to reset the card.
Repairing broken wheels.
Hindering progress because the road is blocked.
Satan was at work against Paul and the church of the Thessalonians – hindering Paul from letting them know that he did really want to be there. His heart was for them.
Trying to create a misunderstanding.
Using that as leverage.
Creating an opportunity to make the church unsettled in their trials.
Opening the bigger door of bringing about such a great temptation that the Gospel labours of Paul, Silas and Timothy would be in vain.
We -
The church of the Thessalonians
The church today … wherever it is
We live in a world that will keep pressuring us to fit in.
At the end of the day we can be the most caring, and nice, and generous, and helpful, and supportive people we can be – but we will still find ourselves faced with the pressure.
That’s because, behind even the most nicest person of the world, there stands one who is always ready, prowling, prodding, tempting.
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)
1 Thessalonians is teaching us to be strong and to be ready.
Part of being strong and ready is recognising that Satan will seek to bring misunderstanding, and mistruth, and fracturing, and second guessing, and wrong assumptions into the life of the church.
Yes … the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
Yes … when you submit to Go you can resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7).
Even when the devil prowls you can stand firm in the faith (1 Peter 5:9).
Indeed the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. (Romans 16:20).
That is all true … as true today as it was in the days of the church of the Thessalonians.
But understand who is writing these words.
It is Paul – inspired by the Holy Spirit.
He has spoken in the name of Jesus and the lame have walked immediately.
He has been flogged and suffered for preaching the Gospel.
He has seen prison doors open and chains fall off.
He is strong and sure and mature when it comes to the spiritual battle.
Yet here is Paul … feeling like an orphaned child because he we ripped away from the place where he was meant to be. The spiritual forces were against him.
And Paul is frustrated because he can’t get back to Thessalonica and care for the church there. It is a hindering work of Satan.
He is concerned – constantly concerned – about all the possibilities which could be unfolding in Thessalonica. Is the tempter succeeding?
Paul is thoroughly equipped.
Yet not for a moment does he underestimate the capacity of Satan to derail the church.
In this case the tool which Paul is concerned about is the power of misunderstanding.
Cassandra was very excited to catch-up with Lauren at church. They had been friends for years and Lauren had been on holidays for three weeks.
In the foyer Cassandra saw Lauren across the room and excitedly called out “Lauren … Lauren.”
Lauren clearly put her nose in the air and turned away and headed out the room. Lauren didn’t even come into church but just went home. Cassandra was heart-broken … and from that day on their friendship quickly evaporated. Six months down the track Cassandra decided to move on to another church.
One day, about three years later, Cassandra and Lauren awkwardly bumped into each other at a shop. After a few forced pleasantries Lauren asked, “Cassandra, why did you pull back from our friendship?”
Cassandra tearfully shared what happened in the foyer three years ago.
Lauren was also tearful, “I didn’t even hear you. My nose was bleeding and I ended up with blood on my white shirt. I went out to find some tissues and then went home to change.”
Misunderstanding. It happens easily – far too easily.
Because Satan will use anything … any foothold … any oversight … any situation … any negativity … any misspoken word.
How do we stay string and how do we stay ready.
Jesus help is to see the hindrances clearly.
The slits in the road that Satan is putting in the way.
When we are not sure …
… or we are afraid that the tempter has tempted.
… when we can stand it no longer.
When that happens let us do what we can to find the truth.
Timothy has given us the news …
You have pleasant memories of us.
You long to see us.
We are encouraged.
We really live.
The labour was not in vain.
That is the Thessalonian story. Paul is so thankful.
It is not always the story. Here is another time when Timothy was sent to a church by Paul.
Read 1 Corinthians 4:14-21
People were not imitating Paul … or Christ … and needed to be reminded.
There was an aspect where the gospel work was in vain because some of the Corinthians were not living a transformed life.
Satan was hindering.
Yet, when the misunderstandings were dealt with – which is what the letter of 1 Corinthians is doing … it is dealing with all sorts of questions and issues and misunderstandings – when that happened and the truth was brought out the church was stronger.
They are the church sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2).
Paul himself always thanks God for them (1 Corinthians 1:4).
The work was not in vain.
So much so that Paul is able to write in 2 Corinthians
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Just as he wrote to the Thessalonians.
8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 3:8
The hindrances of Satan removed by the Lord.
The church … in Corinth … in Thessalonica … in Brisbane … strong and ready.
When the power of misunderstanding is neutralised by truth.
Prayer
