Maranatha! (Oh Lord, Come!)

1 Thes 1:1-3, “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,” 1st Corinthians 16:13-14, 22-24 “ Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in loveIf anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

Intro

My message today was inspired in part by a class I taught years ago on the Pauline epistles. There is much to be learned in these two short books which comprise the 1st of these Epistles, chronologically; so much if fact, that I dare not venture past the 3rd verse of this chapter. I also hope to share what I hope will be some edifying and fascinating church history related to the word “maranatha”, which serves as the anchor for what the Lord would have me share with you today.

Textual Background

Before discussing the text, there are 2 things that are noteworthy & key to placing this message in proper context. Firstly, this church in Thesolonica is a young church. Secondly, in verse 7 of this chapter, Paul calls them an “ensample” or example- not a few individuals, but the church was an example despite their youth.

Much is revealed in Paul’s intro alone:

1:1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of theThessalonians, in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul demonstrates humility when he joins himself with these men who would’ve been unknown had he not associated himself with them. Paul was not aloof or segregated above those who were working from the Lord Jesus.

1 Thess 1:3 “constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,”

Verse 3 is considered by some to be one of the most remarkable verses in the Bible. In it, Paul identifies the 3 Christian graces: faith, love & hope. His description of these graces show us how they are applied to our lives:

· Work of faith- faith is the soul’s response to the Word of God. THe word will challenge carnal thinking, and call us into realignment with God’s perspective. When we respond to God’s Word, we must act; contemplation without a change in our actions is not enough. James says it best, “Show me your faith without works, and I’ll show you my faith BY my works.” (James 2:18)

· Labor of love- “If you love me, keep my commandments” John 14:15. Love to God is expressed in obedience. And yes, obediens requies work- sincere effort in pursing the will of God. And like any work, you will experience fatigue; but unlike any other work, the Lord Himself promises to refresh us. Matthew 11:28 says, ““Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” When you love Him you may get tired IN the work, but you won’t get tired OF the work.

· Patience of Hope- This is what made the church in Thessalonica a model church. They turned TO God FROM idols- true repentance, you cannot turn to God without turning away from sin- and spent their days working & waiting for Christ’s return- the one thing they hoped for! One of the most difficult actions for any person- but especially a person of Faith- is the act of waiting. And I want to make it clear that waiting is an act, one that requires purposeful effort & patience. It may seem like inaction, because of our tendancy to take matters into our own hands- but that’s precisely what makes it difficult. The act of waiting says, “God, I trust in your plan, enough to let go of mine. I will not try to be my own ‘lord’; I cannot save or provide for myself; I recognize that is your responsibiliy as my Lord & Saviour.” It takes patience; and hope, the grace God gives to us to endure & look to Him for the fulfillment of His promise, is born out of that patience.

The 3 graces also cover all the aspects of time. The past is a work of faith. The present is a labor of love and the future is the patience of hope. God’s got your past, present & future covered by grace!

But let’s dig a little deeper into this concept of hope- what does it mean? In context with biblical narrative that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it refers to 3 things:

· Inspiring Hope- It inspired & motivated them to change. <i.e. anticipation of payday of Christmas; we are motivated by the promise of what has not yet been given>

· Working Hope- Christ’s imminent return kept them focused. There was not time to be idle, no time to waste on things that didn’t matter. Ask your self, “How would my thoughts, actions and motives be impacted if hope of Christ’s return- at any moment- remained in the forefront of mind mind?”

· Purifying Hope- as they were inspired, they worked. As they worked they were purified by this hope. It affected their lives & their lifestyle, changing them from the inside out.

These three hopes can be summed up in this one word prayer found in the b clause of 1st Corinthians 16:22 “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.” “Maranatha” in the original Aramaic, is actually 2 words: “Marana” (N. master)† — (Aramaic) which translates to “our lord” and “tha” (Vb. to come), specically “to arrive by movement or progress; reach a destination.”)

The compound form “maranatha” is being translated here as “O Lord, come!” "As understood here, it is a prayer for the early return of Christ. This interpretation is supported by what appears to be a Greek equivalent of this acclamation in Rev 22:20 "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!""

Historians indicate that this prayer became so common among early Christians that the phrase may have been used as a greeting, as exemplified here by the Apostle Paul. (True togetherness)

Conclusion

Christian- what would your life be like if you were motivated by this hope above all else, and this prayer preceded all others?

You might be sick but before you pray for healing- Marantha!

You might be asking God for provision, but first- Marantha!

Some of you might view this as a dire request- like asking for life to end; but I submit to you that this request is really like asking for real life to begin. It is the constant recognition that real life is found in Christ- both in this world, and in the most complete and ultimate sense ion the world to come! Keep working, keep building, keep living, keep laugh & loving…but let Maranatha always be preeminent!