1 Thess 2:17-3:5 Hope in Turbulent Times

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

Baby Dedication: Anaya Best

Intro: We are living in turbulent times

The cost of things is out of control

Natural disasters are happening on a regular basis

People are getting arrested for their opinions

You are transphobic if you object to pansy boys competing against girls

And then you our presidential election on top of that

How do you navigate these turbulent times and not lose Hope?

Paul addresses that this morning

He shows us how to find joy, encouragement, & Hope

Finding Joy in Turbulence vs. 17-20

The first way to have hope in turbulent times is to find joy in the midst of turbulence

vs. 17-18 Torn Away

Paul’s heart was broken from being torn away

He was unwillingly separated from the Thessalonians and wanted to be back with them

Acts 17:6 ESV

And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

They couldn’t find Paul and his boys so they took out their frustration on the locals

They were smart enough to get him out of there

Acts 17:10 (ESV)

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea,

The church continued on with great persecution

The distance and turbulence made it unbearable but Paul was able to find joy from his relationship with them and the report that God was using them

Ever since Paul had been torn away he had endeavored to see them face to face again

But Satan had hindered that from happening

1 Corinthians 5:3 ESV

For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.

You will go through seasons where it doesn’t seem like anything is going right and you feel isolated

Everything you try to do seems to be hindered

It is important not to let the circumstances dictate your mood or purpose’

You are a child of the almighty God!

Jesus has rescued you from an eternity in Hell

You are filled with the Holy Spirit and Christ’s righteousness

This fills your heart with love and peace

There is nothing in this world that should steal our joy

It may dampen our happiness, but joy is permanent feeling that you have been transformed by Jesus

Whenever you hitch your feelings to the outcomes of events or people you will lose your joy

vs. 19-20 You are Our Joy

Paul tells them they are his hope, joy, and crown

Paul doesn’t have it easy either

Everywhere he goes he is persecuted

When people are always against you it is easy to lose hope and joy

He looked at the Thessalonians and they brightened his day

It reminded him that he was doing the right thing

Paul didn’t look for people’s approval, he looked for confirmation from God

He saw what God was doing through the church after he left and it revived his hope and filled him with Joy

If you set your mind on God and commit to follow Him you will embark on the journey of your life and look back and be amazed and what God is doing

God Sends Encouragement vs. 1-4

The second way we find hope is in turbulent times is receiving the encouragement that God sends

Paul was in Athens wanting to see the people but he was being hindered

vs. 1-2 Sent to Encourage

The only option Paul had was to send Timothy to Thessalonica

He was sent to encourage, establish, and exhort

As we will see later in this letter the Thessalonians were struggling

They were being persecuted and had somehow been convinced that Jesus had returned and they were left behind

This shows you how the enemy works

He applies pressure and then sows seeds of doubt

These seeds took root because Paul had to write a second letter to further clarify end times theology

Encouragement can come in three ways

To Build up

Paul wanted to encourage them by sending Timothy to build them up

There is nothing better when you are low than to be encouraged by someone you love

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

To Strengthen

To establish means to set fast and fix firmly

There will come times that you need more than encouragement

You will need to be instructed

Psalm 37:23 (ESV)

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;

If you only get encouragement you will feel better but you will never grow

And over time you will need more and more

The objective is to build a bigger and stronger base

Sometimes the best encouragement we can get it for someone to tell us we need to improve

To Warn or Buffer

The final type of encouragement is to be exhorted

We talked about this last week, but it bears repeating, sometimes we need a spiritual kick in the butt

Hebrews 3:13 ESV

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

vs. 3-4 Appointed for This

Ephesians 3:13 ESV

So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

A Good Report vs. 5

The final way that we find hope in turbulent times is to hear a good report