The Word That Works - 2022-08-21

“The Word That Works”

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

Message #5 in 1 Thess. Series

McEwen Bible Fellowship

21 August 2022

INTRODUCTION:

In the Scriptures we learn that the Lord God brought the worlds into existence merely by speaking words. The Bible also confirms that He created the heavenly host of angels by speaking them into being. God has the power to make things appear out of nothing, to bring things to life just by speaking a word. Psalm 33:6-9 says, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.  ⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; He puts the deep into storehouses.  ⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him.  ⁹ For He spoke, and it came to be. He commanded, and it stood firm.” 

For centuries humans have tried to figure out how to make things happen just by using words. Wizards and sorcerers especially have tried to discover the secrets of using magic words to make things happen. There are some famous ones that come instantly to mind:

Ø  “Abracadabra!” - The word is now commonly used as an incantation by stage magicians. In ancient times, however, it was taken much more seriously as an incantation to be used as a cure for fevers and inflammations. The first known mention was in the 2nd century AD in a poem called De Medicina Praecepta by Serenus Sammonicus, physician to the Roman emperor Caracalla, who prescribed that the sufferer from the disease wear an amulet containing the word “Abracadabra” written in the form of an inverted cone.

Ø  “Open sesame!” – In the adventure tale of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” part of The Book of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights,  Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter, happens to overhear a group of thieves—forty in all—visiting their hidden treasure in the forest where he is cutting wood. The thieves’ treasure is in a cave, the mouth of which is sealed by magic—it opens on the words “Open, O Simsim” (commonly written as “Open Sesame” in English), and seals itself on the words “Close, Simsim” (“Close Sesame”). When the thieves are gone, Ali Baba enters the cave himself, and takes some of the treasure home with him.

Ø  “Hocus Pocus!” – According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica in all probability these commonly used magician’s words are nothing else but a corruption of the Latin version of Jesus’ words, “…this is my body…” found in Matt. 26:26, “hoc est corpus meum,” which every Roman Catholic priest recites in his “transubstantiation” blessing when the common elements of bread and wine supposedly change into the literal body and blood of Jesus. Of course, the average peasant sitting in the back of the church, not knowing a lick of Latin, just knew that something important and magical was going on when the priest held up the Host and spoke those strange Latin words. Over time, the phrase was corrupted from “hoc est corpus” into “hocus pocus” while retaining its association with magic.

Ø  “Shazam” - Traveling across the country in an RV, teenager Billy Batson and his adult alien companion, Mentor, would encounter various situations that would require their help. Whenever their help was needed, a flashing light on the dashboard of the RV would start beeping and blinking and would summon the cosmic elders (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury), who would give him some cryptic advice needed for the emerging situation. By yelling the word, “Shazam”, which is an acronym for all of the elders’ names, Billy would turn into Captain Marvel, an adult hero with the power of flight, super speed, and super strength. As Captain Marvel, he would use his powers to capture criminals, save those in distress, and right any other wrongs that came up.

Ø  (And now… for my personal favourite) “Ala Peanut Butter Sandwiches!” – These were the Amazing Mumford’s magic words on the Sesame Street television series. 

But some words really do have power. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” In our text for today in the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he makes this very same claim in chapter 2 verse 13. But before we go there let’s read once again the verses leading up to it to refresh our minds of the context. I am reading 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 from the NASB.

TRANSITION:

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, ² but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God amid much opposition.  ³ For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; ⁴ but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.  ⁵ For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— ⁶ nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.  ⁷ But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.  ⁸ Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the Gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.   ⁹ For you recall, brethren, our labour and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.  ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; ¹¹ just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, ¹² so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 

MAIN BODY:

Verse 13: For this reason, we also constantly thank God that when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the Word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. 

·        This is a rich verse. Notice that there is a four-stage progression laid out here:

Ø  First, they truly heard the Word of God. The word Paul uses means to listen intently, not merely hear as background noise. They paid attention to the Gospel message that was preached to them.

Ø  Secondly, they received the Word of God, as a gift and recognized it as truth. This is the same Greek word we find in John 1:11-12, “…He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

Ø  Thirdly, they accepted/welcomed the Word of God, allowing it to penetrate deeply into them. The word Paul uses here is déchomai, which means to receive by deliberate and ready reception, to welcome energetically. Notice that Paul uses two synonyms to describe the way the Thessalonians received the message of the Gospel. In the KJV, however, both are translated as, “received.” But the first, paralambáno, means to accept formally and outwardly. The second, déchomai, means to receive willingly and inwardly, to welcome it. Those believers did both.

Ø  Fourthly, they allowed the Word of God to energize them—they applied it to their lives. Here Paul uses the Greek word, energéo, literally meaning, “to work in,” and from which we get our word, energize. God is the source of the power; the Word is His instrument.

·        Paul gives thanks to God for all four of these things. 

Verse 14: For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews,  

·        Paul says that the Gentile Thessalonian Christians have something in common with the Jewish believers in Jerusalem—namely, both groups have suffered greatly at the hands of their own countrymen simply because they believed in the Gospel.

·         This word, “imitators,” is the same one Paul used up in 1:6. The imitation he is speaking of here however, consisted in their suffering the same things from their neighbours as the Judean Christians suffered from theirs.

Verse 15: who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, 

·        Here Paul indicts his own countrymen with an obvious anger and sense of outrage. He says that the Jews, his own people, killed the prophets that God sent to them to call them to repentance. Not only that, but they also killed the Messiah Himself. To add emphasis Paul uses an odd word order in the title of Lord Jesus saying that they killed the Lord, the sovereign over creation and history, and Jesus, the human Saviour [cf. same idea in Acts 2:36]. And as if that were not enough, they drove off the apostles as well.

·         From a cursory reading verses 14-15 could give you the idea that Paul was anti-Semitic. That, however, would be a ridiculous assumption because Paul himself was a Jew and he loved his fellow Jews. But he was honest in speaking out about their spiritual blindness and unbelief in relation to Christ. In our day, nobody wants to say who was responsible for killing Jesus. However, the Bible is clear. But does that give anyone the right to persecute Jews? Of course not. Had we been there I am certain that we would have been as blind and guilty as they proved to be.

·        His statement, “they are not pleasing to God,” is an obvious understatement. The Bible says that God wants all men to come to repentance and to salvation. He desires that none should perish but that all should come to repentance to the point of turning from sin to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

·        By opposing the Gospel, the Jews were working against the good of mankind, which so desperately needs salvation. NOTE: It is an awesome and fearful thing to be the one to cause others to reject Christ and the Gospel because of our selfish opposition to it. Think of those religious and military tyrants down through the years who have forbidden their subjects from hearing the Gospel. I believe their doom is sealed and they will occupy the deepest, darkest, and hottest pits of Hell. 

Verse 16: hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.   

·        Here Paul qualifies what he means by the Jews being “hostile to all men” in the previous verse. He is speaking specifically of certain Jews, not of all Jews. Like I said, he is not speaking anti-Semitically because he himself was a Jew. He is referring to those Jewish leaders who did everything possible to keep him from preaching the good news of the Gospel to the Gentiles.

·        Anyone who does such a thing is doing the work of Satan. Here is how I get there. Listen to what Paul says about his own people, the Jews in 2 Corinthians 3:12 – 4:4.

Therefore, having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, ¹³ and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. ¹⁴ But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. ¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. ¹ Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, ² but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness, or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴ in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

·        “But wrath has come upon them to the utmost” – What does that mean? Paul is just emphasizing the completeness and certainty of judgment. Wrath for them was inescapable (cf. Romans 1:24, 26, 28). The wrath of God can be seen in two stages: sometimes He pours out His judgment on evil men in this life, although not always; however, in the end He will surely judge sin and all unbelievers will experience the full weight of His divine wrath. 

CONCLUSION:

The theme of God’s wrath runs all through Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians. But if you take the time to study it carefully you will discover that he repeatedly makes the point that God’s wrath is reserved for the unbelievers who reject Christ and the Gospel. It is not for those who belong to Him.

Ø  1:9-10, “For they themselves [i.e., the new converts in Achaia and Macedonia] report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead—that is, Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

Ø  5:9, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ø  2 Thess. 1:6-10, “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ⁷ and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels.  ⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.  ⁹ They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power ¹⁰ on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed. This includes you because you believed our testimony to you.”