You are Our Glory
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You are Our Glory
1 Thessalonians 2:17-20
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and how he assesses the success of his ministry. Though we may
not witness the full ripening of the harvest until the Day of the
Lord, our labor will be vindicated the moment we witness those
in whom we've sown seeds receiving their new bodies and being
called heavenward in Christ Jesus!
Intense Longing to See You
As we look out into this world with its disdain and
violence towards God’s righteousness, we are tempted to feel
like being the sheep who are called to proclaim the Good News
to the wolves is at best an exercise in futility and at worst merely
an invitation to be persecuted! Even as we earnestly seek the
Lord with the profound
belief that He is always
near, we can find
ourselves losing hope that
our efforts will yield fruit
in the ripening fields. The
struggle
against
the
powers of this dark world
and the spiritual forces of
evil
can
feel
overwhelming and unbearable at times! Like the Psalmist surely
our joy is not to be found in the imitation of their callous hearts
and evil imaginations and surely our joy cannot be found in
knowing that the goats that persecute us will one cay be judged,
after all, are not those who are born of the water and Spirit called
to imitate the Father and wish that none should perish? In
today’s sermon, we will delve into Paul’s profound source of joy
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While Apostle Paul could have looked out upon the
inhabitants of Thessalonica with their many gods and emperor
worship with a sense of hopelessness that they had already been
given over to their reprobate minds as swine (Romans 1:28;
Matthew 7:6), he instead chose to see the fields of the fallen
through the lens of God’s
love, mercy, and grace
(Matthew 9:35-38)! As
was his custom, Paul
went into the synagogue
and
preached
three
consecutive
Sabbaths
“explaining and proving
that the Messiah had to
suffer and rise from the
dead” (Acts 17:3). The fields were truly ripe for “some of the
Jews,” a “large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few
prominent women” joined Paul and Silas (17:4). But other Jews
became jealous and they “rounded up some bad characters from
the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city”
(17:5). This angry crowd rushed to the house in which Paul and
Silas were staying looking for them, but they were not present,
so they dragged the owner, “Jason and some other believers
before the city officials” accusing them of “defying Caesar’s
decrees, saying there is another king, one called Jesus” (17:7).
That night some of the believers found Paul and Silas and sent
them away to keep them safe.
It is in the backdrop of this event that we are told of
Paul’s love for the church of Thessalonica. Created in the image
of God who loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die
on the cross, it should not come as a surprise that without love
our lives become nothing more than a “resounding gong or a
clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1)! While Paul was treated
“outrageously at Phillipi” and now barely escaped an angry mob
at Thessalonica, his persecution did not make him bitter1 but
more intensely in love for those God had chosen (2
Thessalonians 2:13). Though his hurried departure resulted in
him travelling to faraway places like Berea and later Athens, 2
the believers in the small church of Thessalonica he left behind
were certainly out of sight but far from out of his mind!3 Paul
who previously used “infants” (2:7), “nursing mother” (2:8),
“father” (2:11) “brother” (2”17), now defines his relationship
with the Thessalonians with an “orphan” metaphor 4 to express
his deep affection for
them.5 Paul's use of the
"orphan"
in
his
relationship with the
Thessalonians signifies
not only his deep
affection for them but
also his sense of
responsibility and care.
Paul was likely worried
the persecution of the church might lead to them doubting
their faith,6 or might lead to some of them being bitter towards
him because of his hasty departure!7 Paul wanted the
Thessalonians to know he felt torn from them8 and was
1
Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2
Thessalonians, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2014), 195.
5
2
Mark Howell et al., Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference,
2015), 55.
6
3
7
Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2
Thessalonians, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2014), 198.
4
Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Verse by Verse, ed. Elliot Ritzema and Danielle
Thevenaz, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), 62.
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Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2
Thessalonians, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2014), 196.
Mark Howell et al., Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference,
2015), 55.
Mark Howell et al., Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference,
2015), 55.
8
Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2
Thessalonians, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2014), 196.
experiencing unbearable anguish, a “deep sense of loss and
grief” that accompanies absence” from those so dearly loved!9
Satan Blocked the Way
Despite Paul's persistent longing to revisit Thessalonica,
circumstances prevented him from doing so. Both Paul and Silas
harbored the intention to
return "as soon as the heat
died down" and the
hostility of the angry mob
subsided.
However,
despite
their
earnest
desire, this plan never
came to fruition.10 “Their
attempts to return were so
great, and obstacles set up
against them so severe that they could only explain them by
9
Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2
Thessalonians, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2014), 197.
10
Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Verse by Verse, ed. Elliot Ritzema and Danielle
Thevenaz, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), 63.
11
Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Verse by Verse, ed. Elliot Ritzema and Danielle
Thevenaz, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), 63.
Gustav Stählin, “Κοπετός, Κόπτω, Ἀποκόπτω, Ἐγκοπή, Ἐγκόπτω, Ἐκκόπτω,” ed. Gerhard
Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 855.
12
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recognizing the Satanic activity behind them.”11 The verb
enkoptō that Paul uses is a reference to a military practice of
cutting up a road so that it becomes impassable by a pursuing
enemy.12 Though Paul doesn't explicitly detail how Satan
hindered his return to Thessalonica, it's implied through the
Jewish opposition mentioned in 2:14-16,13 or possibly due an
“onerous bail that Jason had posted, a legal prohibition that
obstructed the two senior members but not Timothy”14 from
returning. Regardless of the specific means employed by Satan
to obstruct Paul's journey back, it proved effective. Despite
Paul's fervent prayers to God for relief, his path remained
impassable!15 Fortunately, Timothy was permitted to return,16
and the church persevered in faithfulness despite facing intense
opposition from both Judaizers and devout Romans who revered
many gods and saw their emperor as deity.
Paul’s situation reminds us how powerful and often
successful Satan is in opposing God’s people. The “god of this
age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “prince of this world” (John 12:31)
13
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 1 Th 2:18.
14
Gary Steven Shogren, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 133.
15
Gary Steven Shogren, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 134.
16
Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary
(Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos, 2002), 152.
is the archenemy of God and His people!17 Throughout
Scripture Satan has been given many titles such as “adversary,”
(1 Peter 5:8-10) the “devil” (Ephesians 4:27; 6:11), “the evil
one” (Matthew 13:19), and the ruler of the kingdom of the air”
(Ephesians 2:2)! He masquerades himself as an angel of light (2
Corinthians 11:14) so that he might wage war against Christians
by tempting them (1
Thessalonians 3:5)
to ignore God’s will
and outright defy
His righteous laws
and decrees.18 Satan
is more than capable
of influencing even
the most devout
Christian and is even
able to cause them
19
physical harm (Job 1-2). If Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:1218 are to be taken as symbolically describing the fall of Satan
then we know he was created by Christ (Romans 11:36;
Colossians 1:16) as a “seal of perfection, full of wisdom and
perfect in beauty” (28:11), “a guardian cherub” (28:14) who was
on “the holy mount of God.” He was “blameless in his ways”
until wickedness was found in him (28:15) and then Isaiah says
he “fell from heaven” and was cast down to earth” (14:12).
Though Satan is still under God’s rule he is allowed to deceive
the nations for a short time. According to Apostle Paul we
wrestle not against “flesh and blood” but: against the “powers of
this dark world” that are ruled by Satan (Ephesians 6:12)20 who
are strong enough to keep even Paul and Silas from visiting
Thessalonica!
17
20
Gary Steven Shogren, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 134.
18
Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Verse by Verse, ed. Elliot Ritzema and Danielle
Thevenaz, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), 64.
19
David M. Emanuel, “Satan,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook,
Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
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You are our Glory and Joy
Though Paul and Silas felt “orphaned by being separated”
from the Thessalonians this did not stop them from rejoicing! 21 For
Apostle Paul how a person runs the race called life truly matters! We
as Christ’s ambassadors are not to merely “let life happen” but
instead are to “live our lives worthy of the Gospel message”
(Philippians 1:27) by continuously inviting the Potter to transform
and renew our minds (Romans 9:19-24; 12:1-2) so that our light might
shine brightly the glory of God the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16)!
Amid challenging trials and persecution, it's natural to feel
disheartened, questioning the impact of our efforts to spread hope
to those who are lost! However, consider the example of Paul, who,
despite spending only three weeks with the Thessalonians and facing
Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2
Thessalonians, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2014), 201.
21
Gordon D. Fee, The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, The New International
Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
2009), 111.
obstacles to his return imposed by Satan, found reason for rejoicing.
His hope rested in a risen Savior who would one day return to judge
the goats and rescue the sheep. For Paul, this assurance served as
evidence of his faithful fulfillment of his apostolic calling,22 ensuring
that his labor was not in vain (Philippians 2:16). When the Lord
returns, there will be immense rejoicing. Those who have sowed and
nurtured seeds of faith will witness the profound transformation as
those they guided to Christ receive heavenly bodies before their very
eyes. They will behold the moment when Christ bestows upon them
crowns of righteousness, a testament to their faithful labor in His
name! So, in the words of Apostle Paul, “press on toward the goal to
win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ
Jesus” our Lord (Philippians 3:14)!
22
Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2
Thessalonians, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2014), 204.
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