Truth is Reality

Truth is Reality Uncommon Sense: Week 6 Tuesday, October 23, 2018 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 Have you ever loved someone so much that your heart hurt because you were separated from them and there was no way to get to them? Have you ever been concerned about someone, but you had no way of knowing what was going on with them and, as a result, you became almost sick to your stomach? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you can relate to how Paul felt before he received word from Timothy that the young church in Thessalonica was doing well. You see, Paul wrote this letter after Timothy returned from a visit to Thessalonica—so the text we are about to read is part of an effort by Paul to make sure those people understood his desire to be with them and the reality that kept him from them. I think this part of the letter is important because it helps refute today’s common sense that perception is reality. In other words, truth is based on our perception. If you perceive that it is 32 degrees in this room, it must be 32 degrees. If you perceive that someone doesn’t like you, then you’re convinced that person doesn’t like you. Now, I have no desire to wade into what has become an embarrassing national soap opera—the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. But do want to mention something because I think it illustrates how pervasive the idea of your perception is reality has become. I was watching the hearing on Thursday and I heard the senator from New Jersey continually refer to Dr. Ford’s testimony as “her truth”. In other words, what Dr. Ford perceived happened is truth to her and it should be accepted as absolute truth by everyone. Now, none of us can know what really happened in the summer of 1982 and I’m not standing here to defend either of them. I think the entire situation is sad for everyone involved and, as believers we should be compelled to pray for our country, and to pray for victims of sexual abuse while working to liberate those who are being sexually abused. But there is no such thing as your truth or my truth. There is only truth and that truth is not determined by our perception. So, the uncommon sense that we will learn today is that truth is reality, not your perception. When we read what Paul wrote and we understand why he wrote it, that uncommon sense will become even more clear to us today. 1 Thessalonians 2:17–20 17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy. I would imagine that part of Timothy’s report to Paul involved bringing him up to speed about the things that happened to the church after Paul and his team were forced to leave—including what was being said about Paul by those who were against him and his ministry. One thing that was likely said was that Paul did not care about the people and the reason he left so quickly was to save his own life, leading to them feel as if Paul had abandoned or orphaned them. Not only that, but a man named Jason—who was a believer—had to post something similar to a bond guaranteeing city leaders that no more riots would happen because of Paul (Acts 17:9). This means that, at some point, Paul was not even sure if the believers in Thessalonica would want to see him again—especially if they perceived that Paul did not care about them, did not love them, and did not want to be with them. Yet, by God’s grace—these believers did not let what they or anyone else perceived become their reality—they held to the truth and, as a result, they did not think wrongly of Paul and his ministry. How do we know this? Listen to what Paul wrote… 1 Thessalonians 3:6 6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— Now we can see that Paul wrote this section of his letter to refute his critics, defend his ministry, and express how he felt about his Christian brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. Paul gave them the truth by expressing his desire, by revealing the reality of his situation, and by pointing the believers to a powerful hope. As you look at these verses Paul’s deep love and concern for his Thessalonian friends is clear to see—just look at the language he used… • We were torn away from you • We endeavored…with great desire to see you face to face • We wanted to come to you • I tried to come see you more than once • You are our glory and joy This is not the kind of language you use to refer to your in-laws! These are the things you say about people you know, people you love, people you want to be with. The truth is that Paul felt as if he had been torn away from them. The idea behind that phrase is that of a parent being forcefully removed from their child. For the parents in the room, this was not one of those situations where your kids are driving you crazy and for your own sanity and the health and well-being of the entire family—you just have to get away for a while. Every parent has those moments—doesn’t mean you don’t love your kids, it just means that you’re human! There is no shame in admitting it! But Paul didn’t leave because he wanted to leave or because the believers in Thessalonica had driven him to the point of exhaustion. Paul was forced to go after an angry mob sought to end his life and ministry because they did not want people to hear the gospel and be saved (v. 16). The truth is that Paul loved them. They were family to Paul (brothers – v. 17) and even though he could not be with them in person, his heart with them. Paul wanted them to know that while he was not with them, he thought of them often, prayed for them continually, and made every effort to try to see them again. The truth is that Paul had a strong desire to see them again. The language in the last half of verse 17 and the first part of verse 18 tells us that Paul was almost desperate to get back to them. These phrases are loaded with intensity and emotion. Paul was passionately compelled to see them face-to-face and he tried more than one time to travel to Thessalonica to be with them again. The perception might have been that Paul didn’t care—but the reality was that Paul cared deeply and one of his great desires was to come to them and be with them again. So why didn’t Paul make the trip? Let me show you the reality of the situation… The truth is that Paul was hindered from seeing them again. Paul’s absence wasn’t because he didn’t care or because he didn’t try. Paul’s absence was because of satanic oppression. The word hindered is a military term referring to digging a trench or breaking up a road. One of the countermeasures an ancient army would take against the opposition was to dig a massive trench that would prevent enemy troops from reaching its men. Another way to frustrate the enemy’s progress would be to tear up a brick or stone road so that he could not traverse it.1 We don’t know what tactics Satan used to keep Paul away, but we know that whatever happened, it was effective, and it accomplished the goal of preventing Paul from fulfilling his desire to minister to them and fellowship with them. One of the things I think we need to see here is the fact that Satan is not for the church. As a matter of fact, I don’t think we understand just how much Satan hates the church. The church is not a simple annoyance to Satan—Satan hates the church with every ounce of his being. Satan wants nothing more than to destroy the church—but he can’t destroy it because Jesus promised to build it and Jesus said that nothing would stop its advance. So, if Satan can’t destroy the church, He will do everything in his power to discourage the church. He will do everything in his power to make the church ineffective. He will do everything in his power to make the church a formality. But we have to ask the question—why does Satan hate the church so much? Let’s just think about what the church is… • The church is the body of Christ • The church is the bride of Christ • The church is the building of Christ • The church is the ransomed and redeemed people of God • The church is the hope of the world • The church stands in the way of Satan and the church continually thwarts his plans Satan has never had any affection for the church—and he knows he’s powerless to stop it—yet he never stops trying to destroy it. While Paul desired to be in Thessalonica, the reality is that Satan hindered him from getting there because Satan wanted nothing more than to weaken the church and discourage Paul. But do you see what Paul did next? Instead of wallowing in pity, he pointed the believers to a powerful hope. The truth is that Jesus is coming again. Jesus’ return is a theme in this letter—we’ve already seen it in chapter one, verse ten and we will see it again as we work our way through the book. I think Paul’s desire was to remind them that they would one day be together again when they stood before Jesus at his coming. The return of Jesus is the hope of all believers everywhere. The return of Jesus is our greatest anticipation. The return of Jesus should be one of our great motivations. But there is something more Paul wanted them to know—specifically that when they all stood before Jesus that those believers were his hope, his joy and his crown. Let me explain what that means—it does not mean that Paul was placing all his hope in them. Paul’s hope—Paul’s only hope was in Christ and His promises. It does mean that those believers represented the reward of his ministry and all his efforts as a servant of Jesus Christ. They were evidence of an effective life. They were proof that his ministry was not empty, shallow, or in vain. One day, when they all stand before Jesus, Paul would be crowned—not with literal crowns—but his reward will be the presence of all the people God used him to reach. This is why they were his glory and joy—Paul was honored to be used by God to reach them and their conversion and ongoing spiritual growth was a source of great happiness for Paul as he continually thought about them. So, the truth is that Paul loved them, desired to see them, was hindered from going to them, but would one day be with them in the presence of Jesus forever. You see, perception is not always reality. Truth is reality. Now let me give close by making a few applications. 1. Love the church. I don’t think anyone can read this text without being convinced that Paul loved the church. I think it is a solid practice to love the things that God loves, and the Scripture clearly shows us that God loves His church—it is the apple of His eye. The majority of the New Testament was written specifically to the church. The church is God’s plan to make Himself known to the nations. We need to love the church as God loves the church this means we need to understand that we were not placed into the church to be burdened by the church but to be blessed by being part of the church. 2. Connect with the church I don’t think anyone can read this text without being convinced that Paul was deeply connected to the church. I’m so thankful for many of you who have made a point to connect with CrossPointe Church. But for many others in this room, church is simply a place where you may or may not “go” on Sunday mornings. One commentator pointed out that “God never intended the church to be this way. He did not send His Son to die so that we could attend church once a week. The church was never meant to be a weekly family tradition or just another social affiliation. Jesus did not establish His church so that its congregation could keep the lights on, the piano tuned, the preacher paid, and the grass mowed…God desires so much more for His people than to sing a few songs, listen to a sermon, and give an offering. As James MacDonald suggests, many Christians are simply discouraged and frustrated by their typical church experience: People are deeply dissatisfied with infighting, backbiting, heartbreaking, frustrating church as it exists in the communities and long to stop attending church out of obligation. Too many return to their cars each week unsatisfied, even frustrated or grieved by their church experience only to vote with their feet by doing something different the next weekend. Church shopping quickly becomes just shopping and soon after just sleeping in. (MacDonald, Vertical Church, 14)”2 Every person in this room today needs to connect with the church—how does this happen? • Develop genuine care for one another. God put us together—do you believe that? You should! 1 Corinthians 12:18 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. The only way we can have care for one another is to… • Desire to be together. One of the reasons we gather is to know one another better, to invest in one another and to provoke one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:23-25). One of the reasons we don’t have a desire to be together is because we aren’t invested in each other and we are not convinced we need each other. Paul had a desire to be with the believers in Thessalonica, but they had a desire to be with him also. Mark Howell wrote: “What a picture of the church! Far from a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, this was a church that wanted to be together. There was no mad dash to the parking lot when their worship services were over. What would happen if people in the church began to love each other in this way? What if the people loved each other in such a way that they could look past their petty disagreements and unite around their common passion for the gospel? Admittedly, to be this kind of church requires an investment. When we attend church without any ownership or investment, our tendency is to sit back and play the critic. We are like the father who, upon getting in the car following church services, proceeded to criticize everyone from the pastor to the pianist. Listening intently and recalling his father’s contribution to the morning offering, his 10-year-old son exclaimed, ‘Well you have to admit that it was a pretty good show for a dollar.’ Neither Paul nor the Thessalonians saw church in this way. Church was far more than a service to attend; the church consisted of God’s people doing God’s work together.”3 • Have a common purpose and work together toward that goal. We have differences, but we serve the same God and we have been given the same mission—to make disciples. This means our highest priority is to work together to grow believers and reach the lost. One of the best ways to connect with other believers at CrossPointe is to work alongside them. You see, the perception of many believers is they don’t need the church. The reality—the truth is every believer needs the church.