Our Glory and Joy - 2022-08-28

“Our Glory and Joy”

1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

Message #6 in 1 Thess. Series

McEwen Bible Fellowship

28 August 2022 

INTRODUCTION:

There are all kinds of honours that we humans confer on one another. In school we recognize scholastic achievements. We use words like, “valedictorian,” and “salutatorian,” etc. In business we give honours such as “Salesman of the Year,” or “Project Manager of the Year.” In sports we recognize the “MVP-Most Valuable Player,” and “Heisman Trophy” winner. In the military we award honours for uncommon valour, such as the “Medal of Honour” and the “Bronze Star.”

Do not get me wrong. These are all wonderful awards and honours. We should celebrate excellence and award those who do well. However, in a sense the human race is somewhat like the Annual Academy Awards, when a bunch of bad actors all get together and give themselves prizes and “atta boys” without really consulting the people who matter most, i.e., those of us who go out and pay good money to watch their stupid movies. It is an “in house” awards show.

That is what humans do all the time. We judge our conduct, good or bad, on the sliding scale of how we stack up to other human beings. However, there is a day coming when every one of us will be judged by a different standard, one that we did not establish and one that will be arbitrated by a Perfect Judge. The Bible says that all of us will stand before God to give account of how we have lived our lives. That goes for believers and unbelievers alike. That should be a sobering thought.

TRANSITION:

The apostle Paul was always conscious of the fact that God was watching him. He talks often in his letters about the fact that he sees life as a race to be run, with a prize to be won for finishing well. He wanted to finish well, to bring glory to God and to be an honour to Christ’s name.

Here in 1 Thessalonians Paul talks about his values, the things that were most important to him and the things that would last through eternity. Right at the top of that list was the group of people that he had led to faith in Christ. He says that of all the things that he valued in his life, his children in the faith were the most precious, and would bring him the greatest joy on the day when he would enter the Lord’s glorious presence. Let’s read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20. 

¹⁷ But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. ¹⁸ For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us. ¹⁹ For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? ²⁰ Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

MAIN BODY:

Verse 17: But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.

·        “When we were torn away from you” – aporphanidzo, this is a very powerful word picture. The Greek word Paul uses here means to be left orphaned. The feeling Paul describes is that of being left alone when your parents suddenly die—feelings of lostness, aloneness, with deep sadness. He says that this is what he felt when he had to be separated from the Thessalonian believers. Was he overstating his feelings? I do not think so. He was trying to put into words a sentiment that was profound in him.

·        “…in person, not in thought” [lit. “in face, not in heart”] – Genuine love is not diminished by distance. If you have had a son or daughter serving overseas in the military, you know what Paul means here. Even though many miles separate the two of you, you still think of your child all the time, wondering how he/she is doing, praying that they are safe, and loving them even though you cannot see them.

·        “…out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.” = “Intense longing” in Greek is just one word, epithumia. The word is most often used in the N.T. for “lusting” or “coveting.” However, here Paul uses the word in a very positive sense. Paul’s strong desire, his intense longing to see them again led him to make several attempts to return to Thessaloniki but to no avail.

Verse 18: For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us.

·        Paul missed these dear people and longed to see them. He uses the literary plural, “we,” but he is speaking personally. Apparently, he made more than one attempt, but his plans did not work out.

·        “…again and again” His expression here is interesting. Literally it means “both once and twice,” meaning repeatedly.

·        “…but Satan stopped us” = Paul states clearly what his desire was but credits Satan with being the one who hindered him. He says that Satan cut him off at the pass. He uses a word that means to make a road impassable by cutting off access. It is a technical word for putting up a roadblock calculated to stop a military expedition on the march. It is Satan’s work to throw obstacles into the Christian’s way, and it is our work to break through them. God always provides a way around the devil’s roadblocks.

·        But how much influence does Satan have on the outcomes of our daily lives? How was Paul hindered, specifically?

o   By illness? – 2 Cor. 12:7; Gal. 4:13

o   By opposition of the Jews in Corinth to his plans?

o   By the bond paid by Jason in Thessaloniki guaranteeing that Paul would not return? – Acts 17:9

·        Although Paul believed in God’s sovereignty, he never minimized the reality of evil or the power of Satan (1 Thess. 3:5; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2, 6:12). 

Verse 19a: For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? 

·        I am sure that you have all watched the Olympics. How exciting it is to see those athletes step up on that platform to receive their medals of honour. How proud their friends and families must be of them. However, there is an honour much greater than any that men can confer. Paul is looking forward to the day when Christ Himself will give out the prizes for those who have been faithful in His service.

·        In Greek there are two words for “crown”: (1) diadema is used almost exclusively for the royal crown; (2) stephanos is used almost exclusively for the victor’s crown given to the victorious athlete in the Greek games. It is stephanos that Paul uses here.

·        Paul’s hope is that those who began well in Christ will continue in Him. His joy is to see these new converts growing strong in faith and in Christian maturity. His “crown of glorying, rejoicing, or exultation” will be when he stands with them before the Lord to present them to the Saviour. The apostle John echoes the same thought in 3 John 4 when he says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth.” Paul would have said “AMEN” to that.

·        “…when He comes” = literally, “at His coming.” Parousia, the Greek term normally used of Christ’s Rapture or His Second Coming (see here and 3:13; 4:15; 2 Thess. 2:1, etc.). 

Verses 19b-20: Is it not you? ²⁰ Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

·        Paul sees the people that he has led to Christ, including the Thessalonian believers, as the greatest joy of his life.

·        In verse 20 Paul makes doubly sure that the Thessalonians know the answer to his question.  He uses an emphatic construction with emphasis on the pronoun, YOU. “YOU are our glory and joy!”

CONCLUSION:

What will be your crown of glory and your greatest joy on the day when you stand before the Lord? How many people have you introduced to the Saviour and mentored in the faith? How many people because of your testimony and godly lifestyle have you influenced to become Jesus followers? On that day when you stand before the Lord will you have tears of joy or tears of embarrassment and regret? Will you be running toward Jesus or looking for a place to hide your face? It is worth thinking about.