Pride & Joy

Pride & Joy

1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

Main Point: Take pride and joy in making disciples

Introduction

Paul, a little lover boy

If Paul was going to choose a song to play on a boombox outside the window of the Thessalonians’ bedroom, it would have been Stevie Ray Vaughan’s 1983 hit Pride and Joy.

Read lyrics

Yeah, I love my baby

Heart and soul

Love like ours won't never grow old

She's my sweet little thing

She's my pride and joy

She's my sweet little baby

I'm her little lover boy

Give reason

Overview of the outline of the text

Paul’s gushing love for the Thessalonians, Satan’s hindrance of his ministry to them, and the pride & Joy he has in them

Transition: Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 & Pray

Paul’s love (1 Thess. 2:17-18d)

Brotherly love (v17 - 18d)

La pasión for his brothers

It refers to a strong, intense, or vehement emotion, fervor, enthusiasm, or deep love for someone or something. It can describe a profound, almost consuming feeling

Language Paul uses

Torn, endeavored (tried hard), eagerly, with a great desire to see you face to face, wanted to come to you

Great model of love we should have for the body of Christ

Torn in the Greek → aporphanizo

To be orphaned

Matt. 12:46-50

Who are my mothers, who are my brothers? Those who do the will of God (the church).

Pastoral love (17 → 3:10 reason why)

“Not in heart.”

Constantly and always praying

1 Thess. 1:2 & 2:13

Tells the Thessalonians to do it (5:17), Paul has to model it

Point of the letter

Concerned/worried about their faith (3:4-6)

There always on his mind

Paul’s nature as a pastor

Paul’s anxiety for all the churches (2 Cor. 11:28)

Normal response to think about it all the time

Paul moved to pray

All over 1 Thessalonians (1:2, 2:13, 3:11-13, 5:23-24)

Our lesson - obey scripture and pray about your worries (examples)

Phil 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

“See you face-to-face.”

Why?

Paul answers that question

1 Thess. 3:10

Paul’s customs

Make disciples, then mature disciples

Acts 17:1-3 started with the word, proving Jesus was the Christ from the scriptures

1 Thessalonians, we learn he is very grateful they accepted the word as the word of God

Face-to-face to strengthen disciples

Reason for Paul’s 2nd missionary journey

Check on their faith and strengthen the churches

Acts 15:36-41

What does this look like

1 Thess. 3:10 - supply - build up

Rom. 1:11-12 - mutually - encourage with faith

Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:1-3)

Jesus’s discipleship model (rational, relational, missional)

Matt. 9:10-13 (relational)

First the word, then the relationship with others, then the mission (send them out to do the same)

Transition: The desire to make and mature disciples is not always a smooth and easy process and does not come without its difficulties. Ed’s juvenile detention center story of a yelling kid and satanic hindrance - didn’t get to give the message, but did get to have a conversation with a young man after, who accepted Christ as his savior.

Santan’s Hinderance (1 Thess. 2:18e)

Who (new character)

Deceiver of the whole world

Rev. 12:9

Father of lies - John 8:44

Kirk Cameron and Annihilationism

Actor in Growing pains 1985 - 92 and pastor

Annihlationism

“Annihilationists contend that the condemned experience God’s wrath for a limited period before passing into non-being, rejecting the notion that such punishment should extend eternally.”

Contrary to the gospel

Matt. 25:46 - “And these will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life

Rev. 14:9-11 - “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshippers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

Why become a Christian and live righteously if eternal punishment is only a little while, and then you will just cease to exist?

Just a little nudge to get you off track

How

How did Satan hinder Paul?

One possible explanation: Acts 17:5-9

Criminal term: things are a little too hot in Thessalonica because of the jealousy of the jews.

Most commentators agree that there is no explanation for how

How does Satan hinder us?

Temptations reject Jesus in the face of trials (1 Thess. 3:5)

Parable of the Sower and the seed on rocky ground or among the thorns (Matt. 13:1-23)

Seek, kill, destroy the things of God (John 10:10)

Whatever he can do to hinder and destroy our faith

He is the God of this world (2 Cor. 4:4)

He has power to blind our minds from seeing the light of the gospel with false comforts and pleasures, or tempt us to walk in disobedience

False teachers, Porn, drunkenness, adultery, idleness of screens, identity

How do we respond? How do we fight a powerful spiritual being who seeks to destroy Christians?

Put on the full armor of God 6:10-18

Schemes of the devil

Wrestling with flesh and blood

Politics (etc.) distractions from making disciples and spreading the gospel

Shield of faith & sword of spirit

Offense and defense to win a war

Keep alert

never take it off

Transition: Satan, the thief, will do whatever he can to rob us of our joy in God and love for God’s commands. Specifically, Satan will try to rob us of the joy and pride that is there to be had in obeying God by making and maturing disciples because this is how Satan loses power and influence in the world, through Christians fighting with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and using it to make disciples of all nations.

Missionary Pride & Joy (vv19-20)

Hope

Faithful stewards

God entrusted Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy with the gospel (1 Thess. 2:4)

Parable of the talents Matt. 25:14-30 (5, 2, 1 talents per servant)

2 multiply, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, given more to steward and told to enter into the joy of their master

Servant with 1 talent, buries it, doesn’t multiply it, condemned to eternal punishment

All must appear before Christ to be judged

2 Cor. 5:10

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

Paul is hoping to point to the Thessalonians as evidence of his good faith stewardship of the Gospel while he was in the body

This is why Paul is constant in thanksgiving at their acceptance of the word! (1 Thess. 2:13)

His ministry is not in vain! (1 Thess. 2:1).

He is hoping to hear well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master when he shows Jesus the faith of the Thessalonians rather than coming to the king empty-handed.

We, too, must appear before the judgment seat of Christ and have our works tested. We have also been entrusted with the gospel of God. We must continue in our faithfulness to multiply this by continuing to make disciples of all nations and train our children in the way of the Lord.

To share the gospel, you need to know the gospel

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The penalty of our sin is eternal death in hell. But God, being rich in mercy, sent his son Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. He was buried, rose from the dead on the 3rd day, and is alive today. That’s the gospel we believe is the power unto salvation.

To internalize this message, you must be born again and accept the word as it really is, the word of God.

Read your Bibles every day.

Pray for the Spirit to give you the chance to evangelize and trust John 15:26 that the Holy Spirit will help you.

Testimony of spiritual prompts and joy

Pride and joy

Joy of sinners being saved

Read 1 Thess. 1:9

Chayton and making disciples

I’m ready for a change

Bible studies on our 15-minute breaks

Joy to my heart!

Angels rejoice over sinners saved

Read Luke 15:8-10

Power of Baptisms

Rejoicing in the redemption and salvation of sinners

Joy is another reason to pursue making and maturing disciples

Crown of boasting and glory

The Thessalonians are Paul’s crown of boasting and his glory

He’s proud of the work the spirit has accomplished in him

Calls them his crown of boasting and glory

Work of disciple-making and maturing is not a means of salvation to Paul

Paul himself wrote Eph. 2:4-10 (not a result of works, so that no one may boast)

Is. 64:6

Matt. 7:21-23

Being a good steward of the deposit entrusted to him by God (1 Thess. 2:4)

Pleased God

1 Thess. 1:4 “we speak not to please man, but to please God.”

Not chasing the approval of man but the approval of God

Well done, my good and faithful servant (Matt. 25:21)

Conclusion

Take Pride & find joy in making and maturing disciples

Love the brotherhood well with your talents and spiritual giftings

One of the best places to do that is at church

Resist Satan by putting on the full armor of God

Multiply what has been entrusted to you and share the gospel with your children, family, locally, and abroad. Do it not to please man, but to please God and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Not for your salvation, but as a crown of boasting at the coming of our Lord Jesus

Pray