1 Thessalonians 217- 35
At the beginning of his book When Men think private thoughts Gordon McDonald tells the story of two men who are sitting alone at midnight – let me read it to you.
There is a desire in the heart of a man (and a woman) to know whether or not his life meant something, whether it has accomplished any worthwhile purpose. I believe that is a God-given desire to reflect on our lives because there is a day coming when we will go through the process for real and under the most serious circumstances – namely the day of judgement. On that day we will have our lives come under his scrutiny and we will receive from him his analysis of the kind of people we have been. But let me ask you what you think is going to count on that day. Let me give you a hint with some visual aids:
Football scrapbooks – kept since primary school.
Wedding Album
Ordination Certificates
My grandmothers patchwork quilt
My grandmothers teddy bear
The list could go on and on. Are these things going to last for eternity? Are they the measure of my life? Are they the things which will stand the test of the refining fire of heaven? No. Let me share with you what is going to count on the day of the Lord’s return – people. God made people to last forever, and from eternity’s point of view, what matters is what he has been able to use us to accomplish in the lives of people. Those are the clippings that will go in the scrapbook. You may build a thousand widgets in your lifetime, you may have places named after you, go to space but what is going to be measured on the final day is what the Lord Jesus has been able to do in your life for the sake of building the character of those who have been created in his image. When I look at 1 Thessalonians 217-35 that is the very thing Paul is concerned with.
If you can remember back chapter 1 of this letter concerned the Thessalonian church as a gospel church and chapter 2 was concerned with defending Paul’s gospel ministry amongst them. Paul writes to them to do two things: namely to give thanks to God for them and to give them assurance in the time of trial and persecution they are now facing. The last sermon I preached on this letter I shared with you how the Thessalonians had Warmly Welcomed the Word of God and as a consequence had been given the Cold Shoulder by the world. The passage before us this morning has two main themes:
Pauls’ Pastoral Concern on Paper
Pauls’ Pastoral Concern in Action
Pauls’ Pastoral Concern on Paper
The very fact that Paul has taken the time and the effort to write a letter to the church at Thessalonica demonstrates his pastoral concern for them. He has put it down on paper and sent Timothy with it so that they might be assured and encouraged. Let me set the context to this part of the letter. Paul has been speaking about the Jews, their opposition to the gospel, their unbelief and the fact that they were hindering the spread of the gospel and as a result God’s wrath was upon them. Now he begins verse 17 with the word ‘But’ – he wants to contrast himself to those people – he was not someone who was opposed to them or the gospel – the very opposite was in fact true. He then begins in verse 17 to pile up term upon term of his affection for these Thessalonian Christians.
Look at what he says:
‘We were torn away from you’ – literally orphaned. The Greek literally means bereft, bereaved. Paul feels like he has lost a loved one in being separated from these Christian believers. It is a bitterly painful experience for Paul.
‘We made every effort’ – this speaks of his heightened zeal to be with them. You know like in a film clip when a child is being torn away from a loved one – the struggle of every sinew and muscle to stay connected – that is what Paul is speaking of here.
‘Deep longing’ – the depth of Paul’s pain at this separation is once again revealed. You see there are farewells and there are farewells. When someone goes out for the night they shout bye, maybe even come and give us a hug and a kiss. But that is dramatically different from the family member being seen off at the airport who is emigrating to the USA – the farewell is much deeper. And that is dramatically different from the farewell at the hospital bedside of a loved one who is departing this earthly life. For Paul the separation was much more than just physical it was also spiritual. He cannot stress enough to these people how he longed to be with them.
Verse 18 he again stresses the efforts he made to be with them. They had a plan but it was hindered by satan. The Greek there says that satan broke up the road and put obstacles in their way. I want you to listen to me now because this is really important – it is something we need to hear and more importantly learn and guard against in our lives as Christians. Have you ever wondered why when you are about to go out the door to church or to fellowship with other Christians a crisis arises? At the times when important and needful fellowship is taking place something inevitably comes and gets in the way. Why is it when the heaviest demands for me to love someone always seems to be precisely those times when I have the least energy and the least ability to respond? If you review your life for a moment you can probably find hundreds of insignificant reasons why a relationship fell apart; why a casual conversation was overheard and turned into a rumour by someone and it destroyed an important relationship in your life. Listen to me now – satan is committed to keeping us from having deep and valuable Christian relationships. There is a war going on, and one effect of that war is to keep Christians from being able to love each other.
Do you note how much Paul wants to assure them that has done all he can to be with them? He did not forget them and he was not lazy about trying to reach them. Look at the end of verse 18 – again and again. You see those who opposed Paul were busy saying he was not sincere when he was here that is why he left so quickly and why he has been so slow in returning. Paul wants them to be assured the very opposite is true. Go to 31, 5, 6, 10, 11 he assures them over and over again that he longs to be with them. Paul knew how important it was and is for Christians to meet together. He assures them of the desire of his heart to be with them, to put his arm around them at this testing time, to share in fellowship with them. This is a much different proposition than saying – ‘you are on my prayer list.’ That is very important, but it is certainly way short of this inability of Paul’s to be separated from the Christians in Thessalonica.
Verses 19 and 20 he boasts about them. He boast about them in the context of the final day - the judgement day. He does not boast about himself but about the people in Thessalonica who have come to Christ because of his ministry amongst them. He answers his own question by saying Is it not (in fact) you? On the last day when Paul stand there with Christians he introduced to Christ that will be a joyful day. Here Paul says will be the proof for all eternity of the genuine gospel ministry I had amongst you. In answer to the accusation that he did not care for them Paul says I will boast of you on Judgement Day. You are and you will be my joy, my glory and my crown. Now let me ask you a question what will you boast about on Judgment Day? Will you like Paul boast of the investment you made in the lives of people? The people you brought to Jesus, like Philip, the people whose lives and character were touched, moulded and matured because you were in their lives? People are made to live for eternity. Are you investing in people? Paul did!
Please, please learn from Paul how important it is to spend time with those people whom God has given us for special relationships. I really believe that we ought to be accused – at least now and again – of being irresponsible for love’s sake. Take that time off work – it will be there in the morning and spend it with your wife and kids. Phone that friend that you promised to take for coffee. Invest in people. Invest in their lives because it will be your boast on the day of judgement.
Paul’s Pastoral Concern in Action.
You know we often say words are all well and good but actions speak louder than words. Well long before that adage was stated Paul knew it as a reality and he wants to demonstrate to the Thessalonian believers that he will act to validate his words. Look at chapter 3 and verse 1. It is a royal ‘we’ here by the way. Paul once again states his deep distress for the believers at Thessalonica and now he is willing to be left on his own so that they might be strengthened and encouraged. Here is a deep pastoral heart revealed. If you read Acts 1716-34 Athens was a pagan city and a place opposed to the gospel. In fact many commentators say it was the one place, of all that Paul visited, where he really found the going very tough. Paul sends them Timothy and is willing to be alone in this hostile environment so that the Thessalonians may be encouraged. He is willing to give up his best friend for their spiritual welfare and well-being. He actually says he is willing to be ‘abandoned’ for their sake. You see Paul had a global gospel view. He was not concerned with his own comfort. He was not concerned with keeping the best workers beside him so that his ministry looked good. No. he was concerned with the welfare, the spiritual well-being of these babies in the Lord at Thessalonica.
Verse 2 Why send Timothy? Well the answer is given here is it not.
Brother - Paul says he is a Christian. Only a Christian could and can teach other Christians.
Fellow-worker – he is a servant. We know from elsewhere in the NT that he was a deacon. He worked for the sake of the gospel and they do not need a coaster but a worker amongst them. He knew what to do? Serve. He knew who to do it for? God.
Establish you –stability breeds stability. Timothy was stable in knowledge and in grace. He can bring them stability in this time of trial and testing.
Exhort – the Greek there means to come alongside, to reinforce, to stand and hold someone up. Timothy was a good man to do this and to give them wisdom concerning the future. You see Timothy had been through such times with Paul before and he knew the security found only in Christ in the middle of the test. Illustration: Disciples in boat with Jesus in John 6.
Afflictions – Paul does not want them to be ‘unsettled by these afflictions.’ Literally translated he does not want them to be tossed to and fro like a dog wagging it’s tail. Listen to what he says to them concerning these times of trial and testing.
Verses 3-5 Trials.
Paul tells them that as Christian believers we are to expect trials and afflictions in life. You see trials do not walk up to the door knock on it and when we open it say ‘hi I am trial can I come in?’ no it comes at us in the most peculiar and unseen angles. We do not know where it comes from and we do not understand why it has been sent. But listen to Paul – it is no accident but an appointment. And what do you do with appointments – you meet them and confront them. Listen friends if you are a Christian this morning in the week ahead you have an appointment with affliction – so do not be caught unawares when it comes. Paul speaks to these people from experience and not from just from his writing desk. Paul points out in verse 5 that satan, with permission from God, is behind these afflictions. Let me dwell on this for a few moments.
Misconceptions about trials or afflictions:
Punishment for sin – it may be but it is actually more likely that it is because of your righteousness and obedience to God now in your life that trial and affliction comes. Job is the perfect example in Scripture of this.
God’s primary goal for us is to have a problem free life. Friends it is not. His primary goal for us is salvation and spiritual growth. God permits trials and afflictions for this reason; these things are used by Him. Opposition is His method of training. Affliction, suffering, pain and heartache are often God’s way of getting our attention. Many of you have gone through that and some of you are going through that right at this moment. He uses it to reveal his will to us. He uses it to train us, and only that, to give us an opportunity to overcome trouble, to rise above it.
It is your appointment and not an accident. God, your loving heavenly father knows your weaknesses and your strength and he will give you the grace to come through. Your trial did not take him by surprise. Listen to this reading Luke 2231-32. What do you notice about Jesus’ prayer for Simon Peter? Jesus did not pray that satan would be prevented from testing Simon, nor that Simon would not have to go through this test. No. He prayed that Peter’s faith might not be shaken by it. Jesus saw that it was important that Simon Peter went through the trial of denying him. Why? Because there was a lesson in Peter’s life that could only be learned by the fire of testing and trial. Did Peter go through the trial? Yes. Did he fail? Yes. Did Jesus lift him up and restore him? Yes. Remember everything that comes to you and me has already been through the hands of our loving heavenly father and has received his stamp of approval for our lives.
Application
Friends this passage reflects for me my heavenly fathers affection for me his wayward, sinful, troubled child. Is God not bereaved at my disobedience? Yes. Does he long to restore fellowship with me? Yes. Did he not do more than give his best friend Timothy but His Son Jesus for me? Yes. Did he not only put his love for me on paper in his Word but also in to action on the Cross? Yes. Does god love me with an everlasting love? Yes. Here is his divine affection dimly reflected in Pauls’ affection for the Thessalonians. In conclusion let me say this to you:
Guilt and pain, griefs and hurts, sin in the lives of people are healed by a right and good understanding of the love of God – its height, depth, breadth, length, for people. Paul grasped it and he tried to reflect it and so should we.
Amen.
