Tawa Baptist

Long View

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11

Video Link: https://youtu.be/N0JwN1MmGmc

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Take a long view
  • Be prepared
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

As many of you know there is a residential care facility (a home) for older people at the southern end of Tawa called Longview. Originally it was a facility for people who were blind.  

When you sit in one of the north facing lounges, the name makes sense. Situated as it is, on a hill, you can see right down the valley. You do in fact get a long view, as the name suggests.

Thinking metaphorically, the term long view describes an approach to a problem or situation that emphasises long range factors.

People who save for their retirement take a long view of their life.

People who plant native trees strategically, take a long view of the environment.

A government that invests wisely in education is taking a long view of the country’s future.

We can take a long view of the Covid pandemic by reminding ourselves that these sorts of things come around every 100 years or so and normally run their course after 3 or 4 years.

Today we continue our series in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, focusing on chapter 5, verses 1-11. Last week we heard how Paul reassured the Thessalonian believers who were concerned about those who died before Jesus’ second coming. Paul said they would not be disadvantaged in any way.

This week’s passage continues the theme of Jesus’ second coming with the same tone of reassurance. In these verses Paul encourages the Thessalonians to take a long view and to be prepared. From chapter 5, verse 1 we read…      

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 

7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Paul is using a lot of metaphors in these verses. If we boil it all down though, his message seems to be that when it comes to waiting for Jesus to return, we need to take a long view and we need to be prepared.

Or said another way, taking a long view helps us to be prepared for Christ’s return.   

Take a long view:

The Bible thinks of history in two ages or two epochs. The first epoch of history is the present age, which is characterised by evil. And the second epoch we might call the Messianic age, which is characterised by the reign of King Jesus.

Paul uses the metaphor of night and day (darkness and light) to describe these two ages. The present age is like night time and the Messianic age is like the new day.   

There is an overlap between the present age of darkness and the Messianic age of light. The Messianic age started with Jesus’ coming 2000 years ago and will continue eternally. The present age is still going but will eventually come to an end with the return of Jesus.

We live in the overlap between Jesus’ first coming and his second coming. During this time of overlap, the Kingdom of God is sometimes described as ‘now but not yet’. Or, ‘now, but not fully realised’.

We might catch glimpses of heaven on earth but generally speaking this world (the time in which we live) is a bit of a mixed bag really. The best is yet to come for those who are in Christ.

The point at which Jesus returns and the present age ends is sometimes called the Day of the Lord.

In verses 2-3 Paul writes…

2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

‘The day of the Lord’ is a phrase borrowed from the Old Testament. It describes a period of time (not necessarily 24 hours) in which God intervenes in human history to save and to judge.

So the day of the Lord is both a day of salvation and a day of judgment. A day of deliverance for some but also a day of destruction for others. Like when God saved the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. That was a time of deliverance for Israel, but a time of death and destruction for Egypt.

Or going back further to the time of the great flood. That was a time when God intervened to judge the people of the earth for their evil deeds. But it was also the beginning of a new day, a new start for creation, with Noah and his family. 

Paul’s words, in these opening verses from Thessalonians 5, echo the words of Christ. Jesus talked about his return coming like a thief in the night. No one knows the day or the hour. 

There are two images in these verses; that of a thief and that of a pregnant woman. Burglars don’t make an appointment to rob people’s houses. So the image of a thief tells us that Jesus’ second coming will happen at a time when people least expect it. It will take people by surprise.

The image of a pregnant woman adds a different nuance. Labour pains, for a pregnant woman, are expected. They are certain and unavoidable. When a woman is heavily pregnant there is no turning back. The baby has to come out one way or another.

Put the two images together and the thought is: the day of the Lord (when Jesus returns) will certainly happen (no one can escape it) but it will happen at a time when no one expects.

Now, this idea that the day of the Lord means salvation for some people and destruction for others can be a little unsettling. It raises the question, what will happen to me and the people I love? Because you don’t want to be on the wrong side of the Lord when he returns.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached a message of repentance. They said, the day of the Lord is certainly coming and so you need to get your life in order. You need to make sure that your hearts and minds and way of living are acceptable to God, so that you are not destroyed along with evil.   

But Paul’s purpose is not to frighten the Thessalonians. His purpose is to encourage them. They were persecuted. They were getting a hard time from their pagan neighbours. Paul is not telling the believers to repent. They have already done that. He is reminding them to take a long view of history.    

The fact that the day of the Lord is certainly coming is a comfort to the beleaguered church. It means they will be delivered from the pagans who are treating them unfairly.

It’s like that famous line preached by Martin Luther King: The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. That’s good news if you are oppressed. But it’s bad news for the oppressors.

From verse 4 Paul reassures the Thessalonian believers that they are on the right side of the Lord…

4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

For those who are in Christ, the day of the Lord is not like a thief. Rather Jesus’ return is like the dawn of a new day.

Paul says: you are all children of the light and children of the day. ‘Light’ is an image for God. Paul is saying you are all children of God. To be a child of God is to belong to God’s family and to get our identity from Him. To bear his image.  

The word ‘day’ in these verses refers to the new day, the new epoch, the Messianic age, when the kingdom of God is realised in its fullness. To be ‘children of the day’, therefore, means that anyone who is in Christ belongs to the Messianic age and will not be destroyed.  

Paul is comforting the Thessalonians by showing them a long view of history. Taking a long view helps us to be prepared.   

Be prepared:

The Thessalonians are children of the day in more than name only. Being children of the day carries with it a responsibility to conduct ourselves in a way that is appropriate to daytime behaviour. From verse 6 we read… 

 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober,

Once again Paul is using metaphors or word images to get his idea across. It’s not that the Thessalonians were alcoholics. They did not need to be reprimanded about their drinking habits.

When a person is drunk they are not in control of themselves. By saying, don’t be like those who get drunk and fall asleep, but be sober and awake, Paul is saying exercise self-control.

We can’t control what other people do, nor can we control when the Lord will return. The best we can do is control ourselves so we are prepared for Jesus’ coming.

Getting drunk is also about excess. So the idea here is to avoid excess of any kind (not just excess alcohol). As we wait in the overlap, the now but not yet, we want to live a balanced life.

On one level, living a balanced life is about making sure our rhythms of work, play and sleep are in order. Making sure we pay attention to the needs of our body and soul. Looking after ourselves. Building fun and enjoyment into our lives and not always being a slave to duty. Making sure we get the mix of solitude and social interaction right for our personality and stage of life. 

On another level, living a balanced life is about managing our thoughts and feelings and not becoming too fixated on just one thing. Children of the light avoid getting stuck in a rut with the same old patterns of thought.

When Paul says, don’t be asleep but be awake, he is talking figuratively. He doesn’t mean we should not get a good night’s sleep. He means, be prepared for Christ’s coming. (Incidentally, good rhythms of literal sleep actually support us to be awake and prepared.)

I like Gordon Fee’s turn of phrase in relation to these verses. He says (and I paraphrase), being prepared is not about living up-tightly but living uprightly. [1]   

Did you get that? Being prepared is not about living up-tightly but living uprightly. If we are always on edge, thinking: ‘I must be good, I must be good. Jesus could comeback at any moment. I don’t want to be left behind’, then we will end up having a nervous breakdown.

There is enough anxiety in the world without adding to it. Paul doesn’t want the Thessalonians to be fearful or uptight. He is well aware of the present difficulties they are facing and, with that in mind, he is urging them to be prepared; to live righteously and without fear of what the future holds.

Getting prepared for the day of the Lord is not something we can leave to the last minute. John Stott offers some helpful illustrations for guiding our understanding of what it means to be prepared…

It’s too late to prepare for an exam at the moment the exam paper is set in front of you. You have to put in hours of study before that.  Likewise, it is too late to prepare for a marathon when the starting pistol goes off. It takes months of training and discipline to get ready for a marathon.

And, living in Wellington, we might add: it is too late to prepare for an emergency when the earthquake strikes. You need to have your emergency water supply and canned foods in place before that happens.

In verse 8 Paul brings out another metaphor for how believers are to prepare for Jesus’ return, saying…

8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

The first thing we notice here is the triad of faith, love and hope. Paul had talked about these three at the beginning of his letter. Faith, love and hope are at the core of what it means to be a follower of Christ. 

Paul uses this image of Christians equipping themselves for spiritual battle in a couple of other letters as well. Most likely he is drawing on Isaiah 59 where the Lord God (Yahweh) dresses himself in military armour as he sets out to achieve justice in the world.

A breastplate protects your heart and a helmet protects your head. They are defensive, not offensive. Paul is not encouraging the Thessalonians to attack their enemies. He is encouraging them to be prepared for when they come under attack.

Living in the overlap is a dangerous place to be, spiritually speaking. We might not suffer persecution like the Thessalonians, but the world in which we live is not altogether friendly to the followers of Christ either.

What then does it mean to put on the armour of faith, love and hope. Well, armour doesn’t put itself on. It’s not like Iron Man’s suite of armour which automatically wraps itself around Robert Downey Junior. To get dressed in military equipment we must be intentional. It won’t happen by itself.

One tried and true method by which Christians have equipped themselves with faith, love and hope is something called a rule of life. A rule of life is a schedule or rhythm of practices that one carries out each day and each week.

This rule of life is designed to train our bodies and our minds to be more like Christ. You might tailor your rule of life to suit your spiritual needs or the shape of your soul, much like a personal trainer at the gym might tailor a work-out programme to meet your fitness goals.  

A rule of life could include things like starting each day with prayer and Bible reading.

Taking one day off in seven to rest and worship.

Drinking alcohol in moderation or not drinking at all.

Opening your home in hospitality to others on a regular basis.

Ending each day by writing in your thankfulness journal.

Not having any screen time 2 hours before going to sleep at night. 

Getting 40 minutes of physical exercise each day.

Taking half an hour to be completely still and silent, three or four times a week.

Meeting weekly with other believers to pray and share and study the Bible.

Some form of service to the community.

Devoting a certain percentage of your income in worship to God.

Trying not to work more than 50 hours a week in your paid job.

And, if you are married, setting aside regular time to listen to your spouse

And, if you have children in your life, reading to them.   

The thing about a rule of life is that you follow the rule even when you don’t feel like it, so that you develop moral and spiritual fitness. In this way we are prepared for being at odds with the world and we are ready for Jesus’ return. 

Whatever your rule of life is, it needs to include times and places when you can take your armour off and relax a bit. We each need to find sanctuary, or safety, with other believers, when we can let down our guard and allow others in.  

Do you have an intentional rule of life? If you don’t, then make it your goal this week to develop a plan for one. 

Now, please don’t feel burdened by this. That was never Paul’s intention. To the contrary, Paul was wanting to lighten the Thessalonians’ burden (and ours) by encouraging us to take a long view and by reminding us that our salvation does not depend entirely on us.

From verse 9 Paul says…

9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

We might hear the word wrath and immediately alarm bells go off so that we don’t hear what follows. But if we pay attention to what Paul is saying, the main thought is that our salvation does not depend on our performance or the shifting sands of our feelings. It depends on God.

Our salvation is by God’s initiative and through Jesus’ sacrifice. Therefore, we don’t have to live up-tightly, we are free to live uprightly.

With the phrase, God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, we need to be careful not to take Paul’s words in a direction he never intended. It is not that we human beings have no choice in the matter. It’s not that God chooses for some people to suffer wrath and others to be saved.

God wants all people to be saved but, at the same time, he respects the choices people make, even if that choice is to reject him.

Like I’ve said in other sermons, God’s wrath is not an emotional or uncontrolled flare up of anger. God’s wrath is measured and fair. God’s wrath is his settled and righteous opposition to evil.

God’s love means that he cannot tolerate evil indefinitely. The long view is that, ultimately, God intends to destroy evil. That is good news. God is the one who bends the arc of the moral universe toward justice.

The words in verse 10, about being awake or asleep, are metaphors for being alive or dead when Christ returns. They refer back to the concerns Paul dealt with at the end of chapter 4. For believers, it makes little difference whether we are alive or dead at Jesus’ second coming, for we will all be reunited with him.

Conclusion:

Paul finishes this section of his letter by saying…

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 

This tells us that Paul’s purpose in sharing this stuff about the Day of the Lord is not to scare people but to give believers courage to carry on.

Life was tough for the Thessalonians because they identified with Jesus. It was important that they looked out for one another and had each other’s backs.

Life is tough for us at times too. Not in the same way exactly, but it can still be a grind as we wait for our salvation to be realised in its fullness. The opposition we face today is perhaps more subtle, less overt.

In any case, it is important that we look out for each other too. To do this we need keep in touch with one another regularly and not neglect meeting together. But I hardly need to tell you to build each other up with kind words and expressions of trust, for you are already doing that.

Let us pray…

Almighty God, you see the beginning from the end. Thank you for including us in your plan of salvation. Thank you for the forgiveness that is ours through faith in Christ. Grant us the grace to take the long view that we would be prepared when Jesus returns. Help us to live uprightly, not up-tightly. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  • What does it mean to take a long view? When is it helpful to take a long view?
  • What is the day of the Lord?  How does the day of the Lord make you feel? (E.g. comforted or full of dread, or indifferent, or something else.) Why is that do you think?
  • Discuss / reflect on the two epochs / ages of history. How might this long view of history shape our thinking and behaviour in the present?
  • What practical things can we do to be prepared for Jesus’ return? Do you have an intentional rule of life? If so, what is your rule of life? If not, how might you go about developing a rule of life? 
  • Why did Paul write about the Day of the Lord (Jesus’ second coming) in his letter to the Thessalonians?
  • How might we encourage one another and build each other up, as Paul instructs in verse 11?  

[1] Gordon Fee’s NICNT The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, page 200. 

Tawa Baptist

Reassurance

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18

Video Link: https://youtu.be/VnfIyKKRv9g

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Reassurance
  • Resurrection
  • Reunion
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Some of you may have heard of the word Parousia. Parousia is a Greek word. It has two meanings: presence and coming. In Christian theology the Parousia refers to the second coming of Jesus.

Christians believe that Jesus will return again one day. This belief is based on various Biblical prophecies. 

Today we continue our series in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, focusing on chapter 4, verses 13-18. In this passage, and the verses that follow in chapter 5 (which we will look at next week), Paul addresses some concerns relating to the Parousia, Jesus’ second coming. From verse 13 of chapter 4 we read…  

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of humankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

The topic of the Parousia, and end times generally, is often seen as complicated and contentious, with a wide variety of differing opinions and interpretations. But today’s Scripture reading is relatively simple and straight forward and doesn’t need to be complicated by speculation.

Three words to give you a handle on what’s important here: reassurance, resurrection and reunion. Let’s start with reassurance.

Reassurance:

Reassurance is the action of removing someone’s doubts and fears.

If your friend is worried about having bad breath, then you might provide reassurance by giving them a mint and telling them their breath smells fine.

Likewise, if someone close to you is worried about something they’ve said and whether it might have been taken the wrong way, you can reassure them by saying, ‘no one will be thinking about what you said’.

Or, if your kids are afraid of the dark, you might reassure them by leaving a night light on and saying, ‘There’s nothing in the dark that isn’t there in the light.’

We reassure people by taking away their fear and doubt.

We often need reassurance at times of transition in our lives. Starting school. leaving school. Starting a new job. Getting married. Shifting towns. Retiring. And when we lose someone we love.   

Paul had told the Thessalonians about Jesus’ second coming but, in the time Paul had been away, some of the believers in Thessalonica had died. And so the question, the concern, the doubt, the fear rose in their mind: what happens to them? If a believer dies before Jesus returns, will they miss out? Will they be left behind? Would they ever see their loved ones again?

Verse 13 and verse 18, which frame today’s passage, set out Paul’s purpose of reassuring the Thessalonian believers who were grieving the loss of people who had died. Paul is basically saying, it’s going to be okay. Those who pass away before the Parousia won’t be left behind. You Thessalonians will see your loved ones again. In verse 13 Paul writes…

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of humankind, who have no hope. 

Grief creates a vacuum or a hole in our lives into which fear, worry and doubt can creep. But with the right kind of reassurance (based on truth) the hole can be filled with faith, hope and love. The truth sets people free from their fears, worries and doubts and it allows faith hope and love to grow.

Most people in the ancient world faced death with utter despair and powerlessness. Pagans believed death was the end, it was final. No more. And so their grief was heavy indeed.

But Christians have a different belief system. To the Christian mind, physical death is not final, it is not the end. Paul uses sleep as a euphemism for death because sleep is temporary. After sleep there is an awakening. And, after a good sleep, you feel better.   

Some people over the centuries have read into these verses an idea known as soul sleep. Soul sleep is the theory that when a person dies their soul sleeps in death while their physical body decomposes. Then, when Jesus returns, their soul is woken up and they are given a new body. It’s an interesting idea but it’s not without its problems. 

There are lots of theories about what happens to people in the time between them dying and Jesus returning. The Bible is not all that clear about the specifics so we should hold these theories very loosely.

The truth is, we don’t know exactly what the experience of death is like. That is not revealed to us in this life. We do know that we come from God and we return to God. That means when we die, God looks after us, so we couldn’t be in better hands.

In any case, we can say with some confidence that Paul’s intention here is not to speculate on what happens to a person between their death and Jesus’ return. Paul’s focus, in these verses, is what happens when Jesus comes back at the Parousia.         

What’s more, in verse 13, Paul is not saying that Christians cannot or should not grieve. Rather he is saying that Christian grief is qualitatively different from pagan grief because Christians have hope. Hope is the belief that something good waits for us in the future.

So, while it is painful to lose someone we love, we believe that loss is not permanent. Christian hope (in the face of death) provides an anti-inflammatory for grief. It still hurts when someone dies and we need to acknowledge our grief, but we are comforted by hope at the same time.

Resurrection:

The thing is, for reassurance to work, it has to be true. Reassurance which is made up or fake is not reassurance at all. And that’s where Jesus’ resurrection comes in. In verse 14 Paul writes…

14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 

Belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection is foundational to Christian faith. Pretty much everything Christians believe hinges on a belief in Jesus’ death and bodily resurrection.

If we don’t believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, then we have no basis for believing that he will raise us or anyone else from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the basis of our assurance. Jesus’ resurrection is the first fruits or the deposit, if you like, guaranteeing the resurrection of those who believe in him.

If you want to fly on a plane, from one place to another, you need to buy a ticket on-line. Then, once you get to the airport, you have to get your boarding pass. The boarding pass guarantees your seat on the plane.

Jesus’ death & resurrection buys us a ticket on the plane to God’s kingdom. We don’t have to pay for the ticket, Jesus has already done that. But we do need to get our boarding pass. Believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection is how we collect our boarding pass.  

So the question is: do you have your boarding pass? Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus?

From verse 15 of Thessalonians 4, Paul continues…

15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 

The Thessalonians were afraid that those who had died believing in Jesus would miss out when Jesus returned in glory. Paul is saying here, ‘No, they won’t miss out. The dead in Christ are not disadvantaged in any way. Those who have fallen asleep (or died) in Christ will be resurrected when Jesus returns.’

If you fall asleep when you are on the plane, that’s okay. You will still end up in the right location and you will wake up when the plane lands. 

The Thessalonians can trust this reassurance because this is according to the Lord’s word.  It comes from Jesus, so it’s true.  

Earlier in the service we heard a reading from Matthew 24. In that passage Jesus explains what happens at his second coming and the lead up to it. Jesus says that false Messiahs will appear but we should pay no attention to them. From verse 27 of Matthew 24 we read…   

27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earthwill mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

It is pretty clear that Paul is getting his description of the Parousia from Jesus.

Three things we note about Jesus’ second coming. It is universal, it is unmistakable and it is personal. 

By universal we mean the Parousia is not localised to a particular area. It is everywhere. So it’s not like people in New Zealand are going to miss out because Jesus decides to return in the Middle East.

By unmistakable we mean you can’t miss Jesus’ second coming. It won’t be like Jesus’ first coming when he was born in a manger and only a handful of people got to see him. No. Jesus’ second coming will be clearly visible to everyone.

And by personal we mean the angels will gather those who belong to Jesus wherever they are in the world. No believer left behind.  

Now, the reflex of our 21st Century scientific minds is to ask, how is that even possible? Well, nothing is impossible for God.

If it helps, keep in mind that Jesus (and Paul) are probably using a certain degree of poetic license to describe a spiritual event. So we need to avoid interpreting these words with a crude literalism. There is a mystery to this which calls for humility. We don’t know what we don’t know.    

Rather than asking, how is the second coming even possible? We would be better to ask, am I ready for Jesus to come again?

Some of you may have heard of a series of fictional books and movies known as the Left Behind series. In this imagining of the future, Christians are raptured or taken away to be with Jesus and everyone else is left behind in a world that quickly degenerates into chaos.

If you haven’t seen the movies or read the books, then don’t bother. And if you have seen the movies and read the books, then please don’t let that colour your thinking about end times and the Parousia.

Pretty much all the experts say the Left Behind series should be ‘left behind’ because they do not represent a Biblical picture of the second coming. 

When talking about the beginning and end of human history, we need to tread lightly and admit the limits of our knowledge. In his 1949 book Christianity and History, Herbert Butterfield writes…

“We can do worse than remember a principle which both gives us a firm Rock and leaves us the maximum elasticity for our minds: the principle: Hold to Christ, and for the rest be totally uncommitted.”

Holding to Christ necessarily means holding to his death, his resurrection and his return. But the details of how and when that return will happen, we hold loosely. We keep our minds open, elastic, flexible.  

Reunion:

Holding to Christ is precisely what Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians to do. The resurrection of Jesus makes possible the reunion of believers.

In verse 17 of Thessalonians 4, Paul gets to the heart of the matter where he writes…

17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

The key idea here is reunion. Reunion with Jesus and reunion with fellow believers who have passed on. The Thessalonians were worried that those believers who had died would miss out. But no. Paul reassures them with the certain hope of reunion. We will be together with them and with the Lord 

Now, once again, we must be careful not to miss the point. It’s not that we will float in the air on clouds with Jesus forever. A picture of heaven, with people playing harps in the clouds, is exactly the crude literalism we want to avoid.   

In all his letters Paul doesn’t show much interest in the geography or location of heaven. For Paul, heaven is being with Jesus. Eternal life, in the New Testament, is a relationship of intimacy and joy with God.

Grief can do funny things to the mind. I remember losing someone I loved in my 20’s. There was the inevitable sadness and pain of course. But there was also this longing to see them again. Just to be with them.

Once I walked into a bakery to buy some lunch and I saw someone who looked just like the person who had died. For a moment I thought it was them. It was all I could do not to call out their name.  

This person who died, I had witnessed their suffering when they were alive and just needed to know that they were at peace, that they were not suffering in death. I was still sorting through my theology of the afterlife at that point.

When someone dies and we know they are in Christ, we can comfort ourselves with the thought that they are with Jesus now, in a far better place. But it’s not always clear where people stand in relation to Jesus. We don’t know what goes on in another person’s heart. What happens to those who are not in Christ?

In my grief and anxiety for the person I had lost, God (in his grace) reassured me. One night, while I was sleeping, I had a dream in which I met the person who had died. I won’t tell you the details of the dream because it is personal to me and it won’t mean anything to you. But when I woke up and reflected on the dream, somehow I just knew this person was not suffering. And that helped me to move on.   

I know that many of you here have lost people you love and it’s not always clear where they stand with God or whether you will see them again. Some things are beyond our knowing in this life. Some things we just have to leave in God’s hands, trusting him.

We can find reassurance though, through faith and reason. Not by speculating on what we don’t know, but by returning to what we do know. And this is what we do know…

God is love and love never fails. God is just and merciful, patient and kind. The Lord loves all people and indeed all of his creation. It hurts God to see us in pain. Because of God’s character (his goodness and compassion) we can be confident that the Lord will do what is right by our loved ones when they die. 

The truth is, God is looking for ways to be reunited with us. That is why Jesus came to earth in the first place, so that we could be reunited with God and each other. Therefore, we hold to Christ: his death, his resurrection and his return.    

Conclusion:

Let us pray…

Loving Father, we thank you for your goodness and grace. You are our maker and we are your children. When we grieve, reassure us by your presence and with your truth. Fill the vacuum left by our loss with faith, hope and love in Christ. Give us a vision of the risen Jesus, returning in glory, to reunite us with you. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is reassurance? Can you think of a time when someone gave you reassurance? What happened? How can we reassure others?
  • Why does Paul use sleep as a euphemism for death? How might we face death and grief in a healthy way?  
  • Why is a belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection so important to Christian faith? What do you believe about Jesus’ death and resurrection?
  • What three things do we note about Jesus’ second coming (as described in Matthew 24:27-31)? What reassurance can we take from these three things? 
  • How can we prepare (be ready) for Jesus’ second coming?
  • What can we do to find reassurance when someone we love dies and we are unsure of where they stand with God?
Tawa Baptist

Ethics

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 4:1-12

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ee3SwLNEkGo

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Sanctification
  • Self-control
  • Social responsibility
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

A few days ago I found a debit card on the ground in Redwood Ave. At first I just walked passed it. I had other things to do. Then, after giving it a bit more thought, I went back and picked it up. What if the card fell into the wrong hands? If it was my eftpos card, I would want someone to return it safely.

I didn’t recognise the name on the card and a quick look on Facebook didn’t reveal any clues, so I took it to the nearest Kiwi Bank, because it was a Kiwi Bank card. They could get it back to the rightful owner.

Ethics. We make ethical decisions all the time. Sometimes the decisions are simple and straight forward, like when you find some lost property. Other times the decisions are more difficult and complex, like whether NATO should try to enforce a no fly zone over the Ukraine.  

Today we continue our series in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, focusing on the first 12 verses of chapter 4. This begins a new section in Paul’s letter in which he talks about Christian ethics; how Christians should behave and conduct themselves. From First Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 1-12 we read…   

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own bodyin a way that is holy and honourable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. 9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

For the sake of coherence, here are three S’s to guide our thinking on this passage: sanctification, self-control and social responsibility.

Sanctification is the process of becoming holy. Self-control, in this context, is about managing our own body. And social responsibility is about consideration for other people. Let’s begin with sanctification, the process of becoming holy.

Sanctification:

How is your emergency water supply? Each of us needs to drink about one and half to two litres of water a day. Many of you will have an emergency water tank but, unless you have refilled your tank recently, the water probably isn’t potable, meaning it isn’t fit for drinking.

In an emergency, you would need to boil the water for about 5 minutes or so, to kill any bugs, before drinking it.

By way of analogy, potable water (water that is fit for drinking) is holy. It is clean, pure, good for your wellbeing and therefore set apart for human consumption. Continuing this analogy, the process of boiling the water to make it holy (or drinkable) is sanctification.

Unlike stale water, God doesn’t boil us to make us holy. But he does gently and gradually, over time, remove those attitudes and habits and practices from our lives which make us unhealthy or unsafe to be around. 

Holiness is about wholeness or oneness. When we hear the word holiness, we should think health & wellbeing, strength and integrity. We should associate holiness with love, because the two go together. They complement each other.

In Leviticus 19 God says to his people: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy”.

Holiness, therefore, has to do with attitudes and behaviours that are in keeping with God’s own character. And sanctification is the process of becoming more holy, like God.        

In First Thessalonians chapter 4, Paul writes…

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

The first thing we note here is Paul’s tone and posture. Paul is not heavy handed or top down when introducing ethical teaching. Paul is not holier than thou. Paul comes alongside in a relational way. He refers to the Thessalonians as his brothers and sisters (his equals).

Notice too how Paul says, we ask you and we urge you in the Lord Jesus…    

This is the language of persuasion, not coercion.

What’s more, Paul does not appeal to his own authority in talking about ethical matters. Paul appeals to divine authority saying…     

 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified:

In other words, these ethical instructions are not coming from me (a mere human being), they are coming from the Lord himself.

In fact, the Greek word, translated as instructions, carries the nuance of a military command that is carried down a line of soldiers. Paul then is like a fellow soldier, in the trenches, passing on orders from the general.

Another thing I want to draw your attention to in these verses is the idea that sanctification (or becoming holy) is a process. It is not instant or quick. Sanctification takes time.

When Paul says, we instructed you how to live, the word translated as live is literally walk, where walk is a metaphor for one’s lifestyle. The idea of walking suggests steady progress. It implies being on a journey.

As Paul indicates, it is not the first time the Thessalonians have heard these ethical instructions. Paul is recapping, in this letter, some of what he had already covered when he was with them in person. Repetition and reinforcement is part of any process of learning something new.

This idea of process is seen again at the end of verse 1, where Paul urges the Thessalonians to do this more and more. Sanctification, becoming holy, is incremental or step by step.       

On first becoming a Christian we can’t expect to be morally perfect overnight. Nor do we have all the answers on right and wrong. We may slip up from time to time. Two steps forward, one step back sort of thing. That’s okay, so long as we keep moving in the right direction toward holiness, toward Christlikeness. 

Perhaps the most obvious thing to point out, in these first three verses, is that the goal of Christian ethics is to live in a way that pleases God.

Living to please God indicates a dynamic relationship. Christian ethics isn’t just about following a set of rules. It’s more about understanding God’s intent (or the spirit behind the law) so that we can apply the rules in a way that pleases God. To understand God’s intent, you need to have a relationship with him.

Okay, so that’s our first S, sanctification. Our second S is self-control.

Self-control:

Some of you may go to the gym. As part of your gym routine you might do a bit of weight lifting, to build muscle mass and strength and burn some fat. Three things muscles need to grow: nourishment, exercise and rest.

Nourishment is about eating the right kind of foods. Exercise is about using your muscles regularly and carefully. And you need to rest, so that your muscles have a chance to repair. Improving your strength and fitness is a process that requires commitment and discipline in these three areas.

Self-control is like a moral muscle. Self-control enables us to do the heavy lifting of ethics. Three things you need to make your self-control muscles stronger and fitter are nourishment, exercise and rest.

We nourish our self-control by avoiding anything that would tempt us to self-indulgence and feeding our minds with that which supports us to make good choices.

Like Paul said in his letter to the Philippians: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.

We exercise self-control by showing restraint. Sometimes that means not talking but listening instead. Other times it means being careful about what we eat. Some of you may have given up chocolate or alcohol for Lent.

We might also exercise self-control by counting to ten when we feel angry or taking a walk to calm ourselves down. The exercise of self-control requires self-awareness.

Rest is essential to self-control as well. If we show too much restraint all the time, or if we try and suppress all desire and all enjoyment, then we will only end up doing ourselves harm. Self-control does not mean denying ourselves of every pleasure and never having fun.

Sometimes, as part of a balanced diet, you are allowed to eat cake. Sometimes we need the distraction of watching an uplifting movie. Sometimes it’s okay to have a sleep in. And, in the context of a loving marriage, it is healthy for a husband and wife to enjoy each other’s bodies.

If we are too buttoned down, too rigid all the time, we will end up doing damage to our self-control muscles, like a weight lifter who pushes too hard with their training. 

Returning to Thessalonians; from verse 3 of chapter 4, Paul focuses on one aspect of Christian ethics, namely, sexual ethics. Paul writes…

3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own bodyin a way that is holy and honourable,

The main point I want you to see here is that we avoid sexual immorality by learning to control our own body. That is, through developing our self-control.

Now it needs to be said that Christian ethics and sanctification are not solely concerned with sexual matters. Christian ethics covers a whole range of things including money, speech, work, caring for the environment, social justice, discerning when to get involved in geopolitical conflicts, and so on.

So why does Paul want to talk about sexual ethics with the Thessalonians? Well, it’s probably because the society in which the Thessalonians lived was sexually permissive. (Even more permissive than our society.)

For example, the ancient Greeks and Romans didn’t really consider adultery to be a sin. While some husbands and wives were faithful in marriage, many weren’t. It was commonly accepted that a man keep a wife for raising children and looking after the home and keep a mistress for romance and sexual gratification.

The Greeks and the Romans had made a religion out of sex. Temple prostitutes walked the streets plying their trade in the name of Aphrodite and Venus.

One in five people were slaves in the Greco-Roman world. Slaves had almost no rights under law. If a slave owner wanted to sexually exploit a boy or girl in their employment, they could do so freely.

Divorce was also rife in that culture. If a man grew tired of his wife he simply divorced her and found someone else, leaving the first wife destitute.

Incredible harm was caused by this culture of sexual immorality. The Christian ethic of self-control, promoted by Paul, protected everyone, particularly women, children and slaves who were among the most vulnerable.        

You may be wondering, what does Paul mean by sexual immorality? And what does it mean to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable?

Well, before answering that I need to say this: please hear me as a brother. Hear my heart. I’m not speaking to you as someone who is perfect. I’m in a process of sanctification too. So I speak to you as an equal and as someone who cares about your wellbeing.

For Paul, any sexual activity prohibited by the Law of Moses is immoral.

Basically, when it comes to sex, there are two paths which Paul would have considered holy and honourable. The first path is being single and celibate. (Paul himself walked that path.) And the second is being married and faithful. 

This means, sex outside of marriage is not God’s intention for Christians. Furthermore, it is God’s intention that sex within marriage be consensual, not coerced; self-giving, not selfish; and enjoyable, not something to feel ashamed about.          

Now I realise this teaching, prohibiting sex outside of marriage, may be difficult for some. Life is not easy and we are complex creatures. Each of us comes to this with different experiences. But, whatever our history, we all have desires (whether we want them or not). We all have a need for companionship and intimacy. We all want to feel tenderness and love. God understands that. So, as a brother, let me provide some Biblical nuance to aid our understanding. 

If you have had sex outside of marriage and you are repentant (sorry) about that, then know that God is gracious and compassionate. Failure is not fatal. Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery and said, ‘Go and sin no more’. Those who are repentant don’t have to carry around a weight of guilt and shame for the rest of their life.

For those who have been sexually abused, please know it is not your fault. You are not to blame. That abuse was never God’s intention for you.

Sexual ethics isn’t just a private personal matter. It is a matter of social justice.  As Paul says in verse 6 of Thessalonians 4, in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord is an avenger in all these things.

That means God understands your hurt (if you have been abused) and he will see that justice is done. The one who harmed you will be held to account.

If you have crossed the line sexually and you don’t feel sorry for it, or don’t think you can help it, then know that God wants more for you than that. As Paul says in verses 7-8: For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

God gives us his Holy Spirit to help us on the road to holiness; to enable us to make choices which are life-giving to ourselves and others.  

If someone you love is making choices in their sex life that the Bible does not condone and you are concerned for them, then know that God loves them. You don’t have to cure them. Nor do you need to agree with them. Simply seek to listen and understand. Then you will be better able to care for them.

If you are single but don’t want to be, then know you are in good company. Jesus, Paul, the prophet Jeremiah, Mother Theresa and John Stott (among many others) were single and celibate. By God’s grace they redirected their energy in service to God’s call on their life.

Despite being single, none of these people were alone. Each of them had a circle of close friends who helped to meet their needs for companionship and emotional intimacy. 

If you have never crossed the line sexually. If, somehow by God’s grace, you have always controlled your body in a way that is holy and honourable, then respect. Well done. We salute you. But be aware, there may be another area of holiness that God would like you to work on. We are all on a journey.

We have been talking about self-control in the context of sexual ethics. Self-control is the necessary pre-requisite to social responsibility.

Social responsibility:

In verses 9-10 Paul celebrates a different kind of love. Not sexual love, but brotherly love or family love. The Greek word here is Philadelphia, like the city. The kingdom of God is a city of brotherly love.

Loving others like they are our family is the foundation of social responsibility. The church is a spiritual family. You don’t get to choose your family but you still do everything in your power to look after them. It is God’s Spirit in us and among us that enables us to love like this.    

In verses 11-12 Paul enlarges the net of social responsibility to include people outside the church family; people in the wider society who we may interact with. He writes: 11 and make it your ambition to lead a quiet life:

This is a bit of an oxymoron. It’s like saying, and make it your ambition to not be ambitious. I guess the thought is, don’t be greedy, be content.

Paul continues saying, …You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Minding your own business is about exercising self-control in your speech. We need to avoid gossip and take care in how we talk about others. We have a social responsibility to look after other people’s reputation.  

Paul also encourages the Thessalonians to work with their hands. This was a counter cultural thing to say. The Greeks despised manual labour. There’s was not a DIY culture, like we have in New Zealand.

Apparently some in the church at Thessalonica were freeloading, taking advantage of the kindness of other believers. This was not good for anyone. Those who are able to work have a social responsibility to contribute as they can.

More than that, working is good for you. It provides you with a purpose and it keeps you out of trouble. The rhythm of regular work actually supports the process of sanctification and helps with developing self-control.

The Christian faith was brand new in Greece and Macedonia, in the first century. Most people outside the church were unsure of Christianity. By showing themselves to be socially responsible citizens the Thessalonian believers could earn respect and acceptance.

Conclusion:

A point of application for us here is being mindful of how those outside the church perceive us. We don’t want to worry too much about what others think but we do want to walk the talk. Our ethics both personally and publicly need to reflect God’s holiness.

Let us pray…

Holy Spirit, help us in the process of sanctification. Grant us strength when we feel weak, clarity when we feel confused, patience when we feel frustrated by our progress and grace when we stumble. We trust you to complete the work you have begun in us, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • How do you make ethical decisions? Think of an example from your own life?
  • What is sanctification? Why do we need to be holy? What is the goal of Christian ethics?
  • How do we grow our self-control muscles? What practical strategies can we employ? How does self-awareness support self-control?
  • Why does Paul focus on sexual ethics in 1st Thessalonians 4:3-8? What does it mean to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable? How are Paul’s words, in verses 3-8, relevant for us today?   
  • Discuss / reflect on the various aspects of social responsibility that Paul touches on in verses 9-12.
  • Is there a particular area of sanctification that God’s Spirit is working on, in you, at the moment? How might you cooperate with the Holy Spirit in this area?

Outtake:

Paul doesn’t start his letter with ethics and telling people how to live. He gives the first three chapters to affirming his relationship with the Thessalonians and letting them know how much he misses them and cares for them. So it is in the context of care that Paul by talks about right conduct.

Tawa Baptist

Jealous Love

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 3:1-13

Video Link: https://youtu.be/6GVYmiFNkE0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Paul’s vulnerability
  • Paul’s jealous love
  • Paul’s desire
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Roller coasters. You either love them or hate them. There’s no middle ground. I’m definitely not a fan. My cousins and I were thrown off the Sizzler when we were kids and it left its mark.

Unfortunately, our children don’t share my mistrust of roller coasters and so, when they were younger, I reluctantly had to accompany them on these sorts of rides. They had a great time. Me? Not so much.

Someone once told me, never get on the roller coaster with your kids. They were speaking metaphorically. They meant don’t get carried away with whatever drama is happening in their life. Don’t let their emotions dictate your mood.

This person meant well but parenthood doesn’t work like that. If your kids are seriously ill or being treated unfairly or if they achieve some success, then you feel it with them. If you love anyone, you will be affected by what they go through. You are on the roller coaster with them whether you like it or not.       

Today we resume our series in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, focusing on chapter 3. You may remember how, in chapter 2, Paul had affirmed the Thessalonians’ faith, belonging and relationship. In today’s reading, we see that Paul has been on a roller coaster with the Thessalonians, his spiritual children. He gets a bit emotional and expresses his feelings.   

From verse 1 of First Thessalonians chapter 3 we read…

So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens 2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. 5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labours might have been in vain. 6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Three things we note here: Paul’s vulnerability, Paul’s jealous love for the Thessalonians, and Paul’s heartfelt desire. First let’s consider Paul’s vulnerability.

Paul’s vulnerability:

Elton John wrote a song in tribute to Marilyn Munroe. It was later adapted for Princess Diana. In the chorus he sings: And you lived your life like a candle in the wind, never knowing who to turn to when the rain set in…

The image of a candle in the wind, is the very picture of vulnerability. 

To be vulnerable is to be unprotected, in a precarious position, exposed or at risk of harm. When you love someone, when you care about them deeply, your heart is vulnerable, you are on the roller coaster with them whether you like it or not. Likewise, when you need someone to love you, your heart is vulnerable, like a candle in the wind.

In his book, The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis writes…

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully around with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

Paul understood vulnerability well. Before his conversion, Paul was hard hearted and hell bent on persecuting the followers of Jesus. But Jesus transformed Paul’s heart. Jesus made Paul vulnerable to God’s grace.    

The word vulnerability is not explicitly mentioned in today’s reading and none of the commentaries I read talked about it specifically so you may well wonder, how exactly is Paul vulnerable?

Well, it is both the tone of his writing here and the way in which he is so open with the Thessalonians about his feelings. Paul, the intellectual and theological giant, is wearing his heart on his sleeve and being honest about his need for them.

In verse 1 of chapter 3 Paul says, when we could stand it no longer… And in verse 5 he repeats this same line, only more personally saying, when I could stand it no longer. The thing Paul couldn’t stand here was not knowing how the Thessalonians were getting on. He was anxious for their wellbeing. But Paul also needed to know that the Thessalonians loved him.

Why was Paul so anxious? Why was he feeling so vulnerable? Because he had opened his heart to the Thessalonians and let them in.

In verse 8 of chapter 2 Paul actually says: We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Love anything and it will make you vulnerable.       

Paul had a lot riding on the Thessalonians. If they threw in the towel of their faith then not only would Paul’s work with them be in vain, he personally would feel like he had lost family members. The Thessalonians were his spiritual children. He was like a mother and a father to them in the faith. If they had given up on their faith, Paul would have been devastated.

But Paul is not devastated. Quite the opposite. From verse 8 of chapter 3 Paul writes…

8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?

Before Paul received news that the Thessalonians were doing well, he was beside himself with worry over them. He couldn’t stand not knowing.

And when you feel vulnerable like that, you can’t really enjoy anything. You just sort of get by on a knife’s edge. Now that Paul knows they’re okay, that he hasn’t lost them, he can really live. In other words, he can enjoy life again.

The thing with being vulnerable is that it doesn’t always feel pleasant at the time. Vulnerability can feel risky, or unsafe, like you are not in control. The vulnerability of love requires faith.

Even though it feels risky, allowing yourself to be vulnerable with another person opens the door to intimacy, to closeness. Vulnerability creates a bridge, a connection. Vulnerability, when it is well placed, is the antidote to loneliness.

But we need to be discerning about who we choose to be vulnerable with. As Jesus said, don’t throw your pearls before swine. Don’t open up the treasures of your heart to someone who is going to treat those treasures cheaply.      

And, if someone shares something with you that makes them vulnerable, handle that pearl with gentleness and care. Be worthy of that person’s trust.

Paul was vulnerable with the Thessalonians and he loved them with a jealous love.

Paul’s jealous love:

For many people, jealousy is a bad word. We have a tendency to collapse jealousy and envy into one. But they are not the same thing.

Jealousy is when we feel like something we already possess is at risk of being taken away from us. In contrast, envy is the desire to have something that does not belong to us.

Can you see the difference? Jealousy has to do with losing something that is rightfully ours, whereas envy is about coveting what is not ours. 

Jealousy can sometimes cause us to behave in ways which are resentful or vindictive. But jealousy can also move us to do good things. Jealousy gives us courage to protect what we love and determination to restore what we have lost.

God describes himself as jealous. You probably know Jesus’ parable of the shepherd who went looking for the lost sheep. The shepherd left the 99 to find the one that was lost. That is a picture of God’s jealous love. His drive (or his zeal) to restore and protect what he loves and what rightfully belongs to him.

Jealousy is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a powerful energy that needs to be channelled for other people’s wellbeing.

When I was a child my grandparents took me with them on holiday to the beach. We stayed in a remote part of the Bay of Islands, up north, surrounded by bush, beaches and sea. My grandfather taught me to fish and to shoot. It was a boy’s paradise.

One day (I was about 7 or 8 at the time) my grandfather and I were doing some target practice with a .22 calibre rifle. Not a very powerful gun, but useful for shooting rabbits and possums and other cute furry animals that would otherwise destroy the environment.  

Anyway, while we were doing our target practice, a woman emerged out of the tea tree scrub yelling at us. She was angry; I’m mean next level angry, telling us in no uncertain terms to stop shooting at her family. She was mistaken. We were not shooting at anyone. Her family were never in any danger. My grandfather was very careful with guns. 

I guess, because we were on a hill, the rifle shots could be heard echoing around the bay and she thought the worst, that her family were under attack. As it transpired this mother had walked about three kilometres over rocks, through dense bush and up a very steep hill to protect her children.

And she did this knowing that the people she was intending to confront had a loaded gun. Incredible determination and courage. As I reflect on that event now, I realise this mother was exhibiting jealous love for her family. She was willing to risk her life to protect them.

We put the gun away for a few days and she walked back into the bush from whence she came, never to be seen again.

Nowhere in today’s reading from Thessalonians do we find the word jealousy, but we do come across the word love a couple of times. In any case it is clear, from the feelings and actions Paul reveals, that he loved the Thessalonians with a jealous love, like the mother in my story.

Verse 5 reads…

For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labours might have been in vain.

The believers in Thessalonica were brand new Christians and Paul had not had a chance to complete their basic training. They were like Macualay Culkin, in Home Alone, having to fend for themselves in a hostile environment. And Paul was like a stressed and anxious parent, worried how they were getting on.

So Paul sent Timothy (his right hand man) back to Thessalonica. It’s about 500kms from Athens to Thessalonica, which takes a day in a train. But it probably took Timothy over two weeks, each way, on foot.

The New Zealand women’s cricket team (the White Ferns) are playing Australia at the Basin today. Australia are the team to beat.

Quite often, when you are at the cricket, you see people wearing captain’s hats. At first I just thought it was a group of mates dressing up the same. But then I kept seeing these captain’s hats at other games around the country. It wasn’t until I heard someone say: ‘Steady the ship’, that the penny dropped. 

The fans wear captain’s hats to ‘steady the ship’. It is a message of support to the batsman to not throw their wicket away. Stay calm, take it easy. Believe in the leave. You can’t score runs back in the pavilion.

As much as Paul wanted Timothy to stay with him in Athens, his jealous love for the Thessalonians was greater. The new believers in Thessalonica were getting a hard time for becoming Christians. Timothy’s visit was intended to steady the ship. That is, to strengthen and encourage the young believers in their faith.

In verses 2 to 5 Paul talks about persecution and trials and being tempted to abandon Christ.    

Paul says they were destined for these trials and that he kept telling them to expect persecution. This fits with the teaching of Jesus who said it would not be easy following him.

We, in New Zealand today, are not persecuted like the Thessalonians were. But that doesn’t mean we get off Scott free. Our beliefs and values sometimes put us at odds with the wider society in which we live.

But even if society agreed with and supported Christian faith, we would still face testing in some form. It seems to be necessary for faith development, like putting cake mixture in a hot oven is necessary for baking the cake.

What we find is that our faith is usually tested when we are at our weakest and not when we expect it. Temptation is never fair.

Two of the gospels tell us how Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days. It was necessary for Jesus to go through this and overcome.

Unlike Jesus, we don’t always overcome when we are tempted. But the good news is that Jesus has done for us what we are not able to do for ourselves. We may lose the odd battle with temptation but that should not discourage or defeat us, for Jesus has won the war.

If we do trip and fall, it does not mean we are out. The Lord is gracious and compassionate. We admit our mistakes, pick ourselves up and carry on in the faith. It’s like Winston Churchill said: Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. 

Much to Paul’s relief the Thessalonians did not give in to the temptation to abandon their faith. When Timothy returned with the good news that the Thessalonians’ faith and love were strong and that they longed to see Paul as well, Paul was greatly encouraged.

Paul’s desire:

Wrapped up with Paul’s jealous love and vulnerability is Paul’s heartfelt desire for the Thessalonians. From verse 10 we read… 

 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

Prayer isn’t just the words we say to God. The essence of prayer is our heartfelt desire. Words may give expression to that desire but so might our tears or our sighs or our groaning or our laughter.

Paul’s heartfelt desire is to be reunited with his spiritual children, not just for his own comfort but more to supply what is lacking in their faith.

John Stott sheds light on the meaning of ‘supplying what is lacking’. If we think of the Thessalonian’s faith as a fishing net, then Paul is like a fisherman who wants to repair the net. Or, if we think of the Thessalonian’s faith as a broken leg, then Paul is like a surgeon who desperately wants to set the bone properly.  

Or to use another metaphor, the Thessalonians have made a great start to their Christian faith journey, but they need a few more essential supplies in order to stay on the right track, like a map and a compass and a torch.

Paul doesn’t just talk about praying; he can’t help but actually break into a spontaneous prayer for the Thessalonians from verse 11…

11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Verse 11 describes Paul’s desire to see the Thessalonians in person again.

Verse 12 describes Paul’s desire for the Thessalonians’ love to increase, something only the Lord can do.

And verse 13 describes Paul’s desire for the Thessalonians to grow in holiness, from the inside out. (From the heart.)

Holiness is an unpopular word these days. It gets a bad rap. People tend to associate holiness with being superior or thinking you are better than others. Like that expression, ‘holier than thou’.

But that’s not a fair or accurate description. Holiness is about wholeness. When we hear the word holiness, we should think health & wellbeing, strength and integrity. We should associate holiness with love, because the two go together.  They complement each other.      

At home in our garden we have a tomato plant. It was only about two or three inches high when I first planted it, just tiny. Since then it has grown a bit and we now have some fruit.

At first I didn’t need to put a stake next to it because when the plant was small it could stand by itself. But now it has grown it needs a stake (alongside) to support it. And with all the dry weather we are having lately it needs to be watered pretty regularly too.

Perhaps the Thessalonians were like my tomato plant. They needed the water of love and the stake of holiness in order to be healthy & whole, fruitful & strong.

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard about Paul’s vulnerability, his jealous love and his heartfelt desire for the Thessalonians. All of these are an expression of Paul’s deep care for the Thessalonians.

Whose roller coaster are you on at the moment? Who is making you feel vulnerable? Who is triggering your jealous love? Who is occupying space in your heart?

Is it your partner in marriage? Your kids? Your parents? A friend? An enemy? A workmate? The people of Ukraine? The people in your neighbourhood?

What do they need? What do you need?

Let us pray…

Loving Father, you see what is in our hearts. You know our vulnerability. You understand our fears and our desires. In you we have all we need. Fill us with your Spirit of love and holiness, so that we may care well for others and for ourselves. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Do you enjoy roller coasters? Why (or why not)?
  • Why was Paul feeling so vulnerable in relation to the Thessalonians? What does he do with this feeling of vulnerability? How does he express it? How might we know when we are feeling vulnerable? How might we express our feelings of vulnerability in a healthy way? 
  • What is the difference between jealousy and envy? Can you think of an event in your own life when jealous love was triggered in you? What happened? How did you respond? How might we channel our feelings of jealousy for the wellbeing of others?
  • What is the essence of prayer? In what ways can we express our prayers to God?
  • What was Paul’s heartfelt desire for the Thessalonians? (in verses 11-13) Why do you think Paul puts love and holiness together? How do love & holiness complement each other?
  • Whose roller coaster are you on at the moment? Who is making you feel vulnerable? Who is triggering your jealous love? Who is occupying space in your heart? What do they need? What do you need?
Tawa Baptist

Affirmation

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 2:13-20

Video Link: https://youtu.be/FeNmfDe5CBE

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Affirmation of faith
  • Affirmation of belonging
  • Affirmation of relationship
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Affirmation, it is so important to us as human beings. To affirm something is to declare it to be true. When we affirm we uphold, confirm or ratify what is true.

At the core of affirmation is making something or someone firm, strong or secure.

When you complete a course of training, you receive a certificate to affirm that you are qualified in your chosen field.

When you buy a house or a car, you sign papers to affirm that you are the legal owner of the property.

When you pray the Lord’s prayer, saying ‘Our Father, who is in heaven…’, you affirm that you are loved by God and made in his image.

When you get married, you exchange vows to affirm your love and commitment to one another.

When you worship God, whether that is by singing or giving your time and money or obeying him in some way, you affirm his worth.

When you give someone a word of appreciation, you affirm the good you see in that person. 

When you attend a funeral, you affirm that the life and passing of the deceased matters.

When you listen to someone with empathy, you affirm the value of their thoughts and feelings.  

We could go on but you get the point: affirmation is about upholding the truth. It makes people and relationships stronger, more secure.

Today we continue our series in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, focusing on chapter 2, verses 13-20. The Thessalonian believers were going through a difficult time because of their faith in Jesus and so Paul affirms them and his relationship with them. From verse 13 of chapter 2 we read…    

13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. 17 But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated 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 blocked our way. 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.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

As you have probably picked up by now, the new believers in Thessalonica were getting a hard time for becoming Christians. They were suffering in a variety of ways and to make matters worse, Paul, Silas and Timothy (who had introduced the gospel of Jesus to them), had been forced to leave prematurely.

The Thessalonians were in a vulnerable position and needed strengthening.

So Paul, who loves them very much, declares what he knows to be true…

Paul affirms the Thessalonians’ decision of faith;

Paul affirms their belonging to God’s people;

And Paul affirms his relationship with the Thessalonians personally.

Affirmation of faith:

First let’s consider Paul’s affirmation of the Thessalonians’ faith.

You may have heard the expression, ‘spill the tea’. The ‘tea’ in this metaphor is some piece of news or inside information about a particular subject. And ‘spilling the tea’ means sharing the news. Preaching the gospel is ‘spilling the tea’ about Jesus. 

When you make tea, to serve to others, you begin by putting some tea leaves in the pot. Then you pour some hot water into the pot with the tea and let it brew for a few minutes.

Once the brew is just right you can pour the tea into individual cups. Some people like milk or sugar with their tea, others are happy to have it black. Some like it in a dainty floral cup and others prefer a mug.

Whichever way you take your tea the main purpose is to drink it.  If someone pours you a cup and you don’t drink it, well that’s a bit odd, even a bit rude. When you drink the tea though, you show trust in the person who made it and affirm the other person’s hospitality to be true. You strengthen your friendship.

To make this analogy plain, God is the one who makes the tea while Paul, Silas & Timothy are like the tea pot. They are the vessel which carries God’s word.

The gospel message about Jesus is like the tea leaves and the hot water is the Holy Spirit. God’s word and God’s Spirit go together. The tea leaves of God’s word need to brew in the water of God’s Spirit for a little while before being served.

Or, to say it another way, the words we read in the Bible only become the living Word of God to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God that makes the Word of God real and alive for us. We can’t drink the tea of God’s word without the water of his Spirit.

The individual tea cups are the human heart or mind. Our hearts and minds are vessels or containers for holding the tea of God’s Word & Spirit.

When someone spills the tea, about Jesus, we have a choice. We can receive the hospitality God offers, drinking his tea down (in faith) to our inner most being. Or we can close our hearts and minds to God’s word. 

The Thessalonians chose to receive the tea of God’s word through the tea pot of Paul, Silas & Timothy.

As Paul affirms in verse 13, you received the word of God, which you heard from us, and accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God,

In other words, with the help of God’s Spirit, the Thessalonians trusted Paul’s message and accepted it (or affirmed it in their hearts) as God’s word.  

Paul notes that the word of God is indeed at work in you who believe. When you drink your cup of tea it goes to work in you. It hydrates your body and refreshes you, it gives you a lift. God’s word is like that. God’s word goes to work inside the heart of the individual believer and among the community of believers.

In verse 13 Paul is affirming the Thessalonians’ decision of faith. Maybe some of the Thessalonian believers were having second thoughts, due to all they had suffered. Maybe they were thinking, we got this wrong. But Paul affirms their decision as true. He is saying, you all got it right.

It’s one thing to speak positive words of affirmation to yourself. That has its own power. But it’s something else altogether when someone you respect speaks words of affirmation to you. That is even more powerful.

When I was a kid I played school boy rugby. For most of my career it would be fair to say I was pretty useless. And when you are useless the coach doesn’t waste his time with you. No potential there.

But by the time I reached the fourth form, which is year 10 at high school, I started to understand the game a bit better and put more effort in with training and skill development. It made a difference. The coach noticed.

After seven years of playing the coach actually spoke to me one on one, giving me some pointers on other things I could do to improve. It was just a small thing but it was so affirming. It said to me, ‘I believe in you. I think you’ve got potential kid’. Didn’t quite make it to the All Blacks, but that’s not the point.

The point is, affirmation from someone we respect has real power. It makes us stronger and gives us confidence.

At some stage in your journey of Christian faith you will have questions and doubts. You won’t always feel particularly strong. Don’t let it throw you. It is to be expected.

The trickiest doubt we might face in life is self-doubt. Put yourself in the path of other Christian believers who are a little further down the track than you. Hopefully, if they are listening to this sermon too, they will speak words of affirmation to you, declaring truth over your life (like my rugby coach did for me).

That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to stay connected to a church and not go it on your own. It creates opportunities for affirmation. Church is one of the ways God makes us stronger.         

Sometimes a little opposition and struggle is another thing God uses to firm up our faith.

Affirmation of belonging:

Navy divers do a training exercise called the mud run. This involves a team of divers running through mangrove swamps knee deep in mud. It’s hard yacker. The mud sucks and claws at you, making your every move a huge effort.

Not only does this natural resistance training build physical fitness and strength, it also builds bonds between the team members who help each other. The idea isn’t to be the first individual over the finish line. The idea is to get the whole team across the line together, no one left behind.   

From verse 14 Paul writes…

For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out.

Paul is saying here that the Thessalonians’ suffering is actually an affirmation that they have a place of honour among God’s people. They (even though they are mostly Gentile believers) belong alongside the first Jewish Christians, because they have suffered the same things for the same reason.

Far from being a cause for doubt, the Thessalonians’ suffering for their faith is in fact a sign of solidarity with Jesus, the prophets and the churches in Judea.

Paul is basically saying, you are in good company, for you walk in the footsteps of God’s faithful people. What an affirmation of belonging.

Paul uses the strongest terms he can to denounce the behaviour of those Jews who opposed the gospel of Christ, saying from verse 15:

They displease God and are hostile to everyone 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last

Now, it needs to be acknowledged that Paul’s words in these verses, have been subject to some grievous misinterpretation over the centuries. John Stott points out how one of the early church fathers, Chrysostom preached eight virulent sermons against the Jews, comparing them to animals.

In the Middle Ages the church (or part of it at least) created four repressive regulations forcing Jews to live in ghettos and wear distinctive clothes.

Then there is the embarrassment of the crusades when Jewish villages were ransacked. Not to mention Martin Luther’s writing (in 1543, toward the end of his life) in which he called for Jewish synagogues to be burned and Rabbis silenced.

When we, in the 21st Century, read Paul’s words under the shadow of the Jewish holocaust of the 1940’s, we may wish to edit verses 15 & 16 out of our Bibles.

But that is to misunderstand Paul’s heart. Paul didn’t hate the Jews. He would be horrified to think his words were misused in this way. Paul himself was Jewish. He loved his own people and would have given anything for them to be saved, as Romans 9-11 makes clear.

Paul’s point here is that by opposing the spread of the gospel among the Gentiles, some of the Jews (not all of them, just the extremists) were working against God’s purpose. Paul didn’t say this to incite violence against his own people. He said it to affirm the truth of God’s purpose, which is to save people of all nations.

You see, when we affirm that something is true, we are by implication saying the opposite is false. By affirming the Thessalonians’ faith and belonging as true, Paul was (at the same time) saying those opposed to them were wrong.

Paul’s use of strong and emotive language points to the depth of his conviction on the matter. If any of us had received the 39 lashes, five times, as Paul did (for preaching the gospel) we might use even stronger language.

Paul’s words here are not a license for anti-Semitism. His mention of God’s wrath gives all people cause for restraint. We do not need to take matters into own hands. God’s purpose will prevail in the end. The Lord will see that justice is done. Leave judgement to him.     

Having affirmed the Thessalonians’ decision of faith and their belonging to God’s people, Paul then goes on to affirm his relationship with the Thessalonians, personally.       

Affirmation of relationship:

Which of these terms describes a close relationship do you think?

Colleague, client, boss, acquaintance, best mates, golfing buddy, employee, cousin, Facebook friend, brother, sister, father, mother.   

I suppose it depends on one’s personal experience to some degree, but calling someone your best mate usually indicates a closer relationship than client.

Likewise, brother, sister, father or mother would normally suggest a closer relationship than colleague or Facebook friend.  

Listen to the words Paul uses to describe his relationship with the Thessalonians…

17 But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.

Paul thinks of the Thessalonians as his family. He calls them brothers and sisters. What’s more he feels orphaned apart from them. In contemporary English an ‘orphan’ is someone who has lost both their parents. But in ancient Greek, the word ‘orphan’ also referred to parents who had lost their children. [1]

Paul is affirming his relationship with the Thessalonians using strong terms. Paul longs to see the Thessalonians face to face with the same intensity that a parent longs to see a lost child, or a small child longs to see a lost parent.

I remember being separated from my mum, in Chartwell Square, when I was about four years old. Chartwell Square is a shopping mall in Hamilton. At first it was an adventure but when I got back to our Mark 1, Ford Escort and discovered she wasn’t there, I was beside myself. I needed to see her face to face, in person. I felt like an orphan, anxious and alone in the world.       

Paul says that although he and the Thessalonians are separated in person, they were not separated in thought. Not a day has gone by where Paul didn’t think of the Thessalonians and wonder how they were. When you love someone, when you care about them, your thoughts are always peopled by them. 

Despite his intense longing to see the Thessalonians, face to face, Paul’s every attempt to return to them was blocked by Satan. It is unclear exactly what Paul means here.

The English word Satan comes from a Hebrew word meaning adversary, as in an adversary of God. Sometimes in the Bible the word Satan refers to the prince of demons (like a fallen angel). Other times it simply means someone (perhaps a mortal human being) who is opposed to God’s purpose.  

Whatever Paul may have meant by the term, in this context, he continues to use strong emotive language to make the point that it wasn’t in his power to return to see his Thessalonian family.

In verses 19 & 20 Paul writes…

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.

The Winter Olympics has just finished. Our most successful ever. Two golds and a silver. This was the first Winter Games in which New Zealand ever won gold. The dedication, commitment, hard work and skill the athletes put into winning those medals was huge. The joy of realising their goals matched their effort.  

The crown Paul refers to in verse 19 is not a royal crown. Rather it is the victor’s crown. In ancient Greece the winners of various events at the Olympic Games were crowned with a laurel wreath. It was their equivalent of a gold medal.

When Paul talks about the Thessalonians being our hope, our joy and our crown, it’s like he is saying, ‘You are our gold medal. We have worked so hard, suffered so much and been committed for so long to win you for Christ. We don’t want to lose you now.’

Paul is essentially affirming the high value he places on the Thessalonians and the relationship he shares with them. 

Conclusion:

This morning we have heard three of Paul’s affirmations for the Thessalonians. Three messages of strength. Let me finish with two questions for you. Firstly…

What truth do you need to affirm?

Perhaps, if you are struggling at the moment with ill health or grief or some other thorn in the flesh, you need to affirm the truth that God’s grace is sufficient for you.

Perhaps, if you are fearful about the things happening in our city and world today, you need to affirm the truth that God is in control, he’s got this.

Perhaps, if you are too hard on yourself, suffering from a brutal and relentless inner critic, you need to affirm the truth that you are loved and accepted by God.

Perhaps, if you are feeling a bit isolated or misunderstood, you need to affirm the truth that you are not alone, you belong to God and with his people.

My second question for you is this…

Who needs your affirmation?

Perhaps someone you haven’t seen in years.

Perhaps someone you see every day.

Perhaps someone at work or school.

Perhaps someone in your family.

See the good in that person. Declare the truth of it. Make them stronger.

Let us pray…

Spirit of Jesus, fill us with your grace and truth that we would be firm and steadfast in our faith, giving strength to one another. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is affirmation and why is it important? Think of a time when someone affirmed you. What did they do or say? How did this make you feel?
  • What is the difference between reading the Bible and receiving God’s word? 
  • What does Paul mean when he says, ‘the word of God is at work in you’? How has the word of God worked in you and among you? What difference did it make?
  • How are we to understand 1st Thessalonians 2:14-16? How does a wider reading of the New Testament (e.g. Romans 9-11, Matthew 5:43-48) help inform / guide our interpretation of 1st Thessalonians 2:14-16?  
  • How does Paul affirm his relationship with the Thessalonians? How do you think this made the Thessalonians feel?
  • What truth do you need to affirm?
  • Who needs your affirmation?  

Some affirmations of Jesus (from Matthew 5)…

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

[1] Refer Gordon Fee, NICNT Thessalonians, page 105. 

Tawa Baptist

Genuine

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 2:1-12

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Paul’s message is true
  • Paul’s motives are pure
  • Paul’s manner is caring
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

How do you know something is true? How do you know it is genuine, the real deal, and not fake?

Well, some statements are provable by doing the math. If the numbers add up, then you know it is true. If they don’t, then you know it is false.

For example, if someone says, ‘the sum of two consecutive whole numbers equals an odd number’, then we can test the truth of that statement by simple arithmetic.

Five plus six equals eleven. 20 plus 21 equals 41. Three plus four equals seven. Pick any two consecutive whole numbers, add them together and you will always get an odd number.

We don’t need to calculate every combination of consecutive numbers. After a while, we will see a pattern emerging and (with some confidence) can say the statement is true.

Mathematics is pretty cool like that. It makes you feel safe because it follows rules and gives you relative certainty. Unfortunately, maths has its limitations. Not all things can be proved by arithmetic or algebra.     

Today we continue our series in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, focusing on chapter 2, verses 1-12. In this passage Paul offers proofs that he is genuine and his message is true.

You may remember how Paul and Silas faced opposition in Thessalonica and were forced to flee in the middle of the night. Paul, Silas & Timothy were the real deal, they were genuine. But their opponents spread malicious rumours about them to discredit them and discourage the new believers.

Paul knew he had to defend himself, not so much for the sake of his own reputation, but more for the sake of the Thessalonians’ faith. This is what Paul says in defence of himself and the Thessalonian believers…     

2 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not empty. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like infantsamong you.

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses, Paul defends himself against the slander of his opponents. In particular, Paul defends his message, his motives and his manner. Contrary to what his accusers were saying, Paul’s message is true, his motives are pure and his manner is caring.

Paul’s message is true:

I have here a can of L&P. How might we know whether this can actually does contain Lemon & Paeroa?

Well, if you can see the label, then that gives you a clue. It says L&P on the outside. I’ve drunk enough of these to take the label on good faith and trust that it does in fact contain L&P. I’ve never opened a can of L&P and tasted sand.

But imagine if our experience of soft drinks was a bit patchy, less reliable, so that sometimes the contents were not same as the label said. How would I know if it did contain L&P and wasn’t just full of sand or water or something worse?

Well, the only way to know for certain is to open the can, pour the contents into a glass and have a taste. [Open the can and take a sip]. Yes, this is L&P.    

Apparently, one of the accusations against Paul was that his message was erroneous, false, untrue or empty. The first thing Paul says to refute this is: You know brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not empty.      

In the same way that I know this can contains L&P, because I’ve actually tasted it for myself, so too the Thessalonians know Paul’s message is true from personal experience.

As we read in chapter 1, verse 5, last week, the Thessalonians didn’t just receive the gospel by hearing Paul’s words. They experienced the power and the deep conviction of the Holy Spirit, confirming the content and truth of the gospel.

Paul doesn’t need to come up with some elaborate argument to prove his point. He simply reminds his readers of the truth of what they themselves experienced. He keeps saying things like, ‘you know’ and ‘you remember’ and ‘you were our witnesses’.      

Sometimes, in our busy-ness, we can become detached from the facts of our lives. Maybe something bad happens in our day and our minds get stuck thinking about that one bad thing. Or maybe nothing especially bad happens but we begin to worry that it will.

One strategy to help reconnect us with the reality of God’s goodness in our lives, is stopping to reflect on what went well during the day and thanking God for that. You could do this thankfulness exercise while you are eating dinner with others or perhaps by yourself just before you go to bed at night.

Remembering what we know to be true helps to silence the voice of fear and conjecture. It restores our perspective.    

Verse 2 adds strength to Paul’s claim that his message is true where he says…

We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error…

In Acts 16 we read how Paul and Silas were stripped naked, given a severe beating (with whips) and then thrown in jail, without any sort of trial or procedure of justice. A short while later they were released. Most people would go home licking their wounds after an experience like that and Paul might have as well. But he doesn’t.

Paul doesn’t enjoy suffering and would rather he didn’t have to. So why does Paul dare to carry on proclaiming God’s message of good news about Jesus?

Because he knows the message he shares is true. And Paul knows his message is true because it comes from God. And he knows it comes from God because God has helped them to continue proclaiming the message in the face of strong opposition. Without God’s help Paul & Silas could not have continued.

In verse 4 Paul writes: we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.  

Paul has done the maths. Jesus suffered opposition for his message and so it follows that Paul, a servant of Jesus, will suffer for proclaiming the same message. God’s help for Paul and Silas, in their suffering, is evidence that Paul’s message is from God and therefore is inherently true.

Paul’s message is true and Paul’s motives are pure.

Paul’s motives are pure:

Some of you here may own some gold. Perhaps a gold wedding ring or a necklace or some other piece of jewellery. Maybe you have wondered whether it is real gold or a fake.

When I googled ‘how to test gold’ on the internet, the first piece of advice that came up said, ‘If it floats in water, it’s not real gold’.

Straight away I thought to myself, ‘the internet must think people are stupid’. Most metals will sink if you put them in a glass of water. Not everything that sinks is gold.

So I kept looking and found some other tests. I’m not sure how accurate they are.

Apparently, you can test the authenticity of gold by putting it in vinegar. If it changes colour then it’s not gold.

What’s more, gold doesn’t rust, which I think is probably true because I’ve had my wedding ring for over 30 years now and it has never shown any sign of corrosion or discolouration. (And I’ve washed a lot of dishes in that time.)

Then there is the ping test. If you drop a piece of gold on a hard surface it will make a high pitched pinging sound. That certainly works with my wedding ring.

If your gold jewellery has the letters GP stamped on it then that stands for ‘gold plated’, which means it’s not pure gold.

The other thing you can do to test the purity of gold is hold a magnet close to the gold. If the magnet attaches to the gold, then the gold contains other metals.

To be completely certain I guess you would have to take your gold to an accredited specialist to have it scientifically tested.               

From verse 3 of Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul writes…

3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you… 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, … 7 Instead, we were like infantsamong you.

Paul is talking about his motives here. He is saying they were as innocent and as pure in heart as babies.

In the first century (as in the 21st century) there were people who peddled philosophy or religion for some kind of personal gain. They may have done it to make money or to make people like them or for some other ulterior motive.

Jesus warned there would be false teachers. This is what the master said…

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.    

In reflecting on Jesus’ words here about false prophets I can’t help but make a connection with the protest movement in our city at the moment. If we apply Jesus’ parable to this situation, then the fruit we’ve seen from this protest so far is fear, intimidation and a careless disregard for social responsibility.

Our politicians are receiving death threats. Kids walking to school are being spat on. People who choose to wear a mask are being verbally abused. Businesses are being forced to close. The courts, the police, the university, the transport system and residents have also been negatively impacted by this.

The fruit is not good. I’ll let you do the math.

We pray for a peaceful resolution soon.

Returning to Paul. We know Paul’s message and motives were genuine because the fruit of Paul’s life was good. In verse 10 of Thessalonians 2, Paul writes: You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.

Holiness is about being whole, being one, having integrity, being the same on the inside as you are on the outside (like my L&P). Righteousness is about relating to other people in a right way and being blameless is about doing no harm. The three go together. They speak of good fruit and therefore point to pure motives.

Verse 9 tells how the Thessalonians witnessed the way Paul, Silas & Timothy worked with their own hands to provide for themselves, so they could preach the gospel, freely.  9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 

On this occasion at least, Paul chose to be a volunteer. This speaks volumes for the value of volunteering one’s time in support of God’s kingdom.

Does this mean that anyone who accepts payment for doing missionary or church work is not a genuine representative of God? No, of course not. Paul himself says in 1st Timothy, “For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,”and “The worker deserves his wages.”

Paul had every right to expect recompense for his work but he chose not to, under the circumstances. The situation in Thessalonica was not an established church. It was a pioneering church plant in a hostile context. Paul supported himself because he didn’t want to be a burden and he didn’t want to give his opponents any ammunition. He didn’t want anyone saying he was doing it for the money.

Paul says, we never used flattery and nor did we try to trick you. The gospel message is good news but it is also quite uncomfortable, even painful to hear at first. The gospel forces us to face the inconvenient truth about ourselves.    

Paul’s message was not cargo cult or prosperity doctrine. Paul wasn’t saying that accepting Jesus would be easy or make them rich. Paul was quite clear that accepting Jesus as Lord meant dying to oneself, picking up your cross and following him. Paul’s honesty, in talking about the hard parts of the gospel, testified to the purity of his motives and the genuineness of his character.   

Any organisation these days, that produces financial statements, needs to have those statements audited (or at least reviewed) to ensure the accounts give a true and correct picture of the financial position and everything is in order.

The independent auditor looks beneath the surface of the financial statements to check whether the figures can in fact be substantiated. This includes taking a look at the accounting processes, what’s underneath. Once they are satisfied everything is in order, they give it their seal of approval. The auditor is a professional and unbiased witness. 

In verse 4 Paul talks about God being the one who tests our hearts. In other words, God (like an auditor) looks beneath the surface to check our unseen motives. God is a witness to our inner life.

In verse 5 Paul goes on to say that God is his witness. Paul is confident that God won’t find anything untoward in his motives. We are reminded of David’s words at the end of Psalm 139 where David says:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Knowing God cannot be separated from knowing yourself. The two go hand in hand. The less we know ourselves the greater the risk of hurting others. We all need God to be the auditor of our heart. We need him to gently show us what motivates us so we can better serve his purpose.

Paul’s message is true, his motives are pure and his manner is caring.

Paul’s manner is caring:

If motives are about what’s happening inside a person, what’s driving them, then a person’s manner is about the outward way they relate with or behave toward others.

In the movie The Sound of Music, Captain Von Trapp has a very formal, strict and cold manner with his children, at least at the beginning of the film. He relates with his kids like a sea captain might relate with his crew, not like a father at all. Captain Von Trapp’s manner is distorted by his grief.  

Fraulein Maria, the children’s nanny, has a very different manner with the children. She is warm and kind, encouraging and caring. She comforts them when they are scared and gently guides them in a good path. Maria’s manner brings the best out of the children and indeed warms the Captain’s heart and heals his grief.  

In verse 7 Paul describes his manner of relating with the Thessalonians. Paul is much like Fraulein Maria. Paul says: Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

There is a real tenderness in Paul’s words here. The Thessalonian believers were brand new Christians, toddlers in the faith. Paul, Silas and Timothy cared for their spiritual needs in the same manner as a mother nursing children.

Paul continues the parenting metaphor in verses 11-12 where he says…

11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Notice the verbs Paul uses to characterise the manner in which he relates as a spiritual father to his Thessalonian children: encouraging, comforting and urging. (Like Fraulein Maria)

To encourage literally means to put courage into someone. Children need courage to face the world, they don’t need fear. I believe we put courage into people by being there for them, being reliable. In that way the child learns they are not alone. If you know you are not alone, you can be brave. We also put courage into children by trusting them and speaking good words into their life and soul.

Children need comfort from their fathers too. Comfort is about showing kindness and tenderness, especially when a child has gone through a difficult time or had a hard knock. Comfort isn’t about doing everything for our kids. It’s not about spoiling them. Comfort is one of the tools, in our parenting tool box, for managing fear.  

And urging is about pointing people in the right direction; helping them to find the right path. Notice that it’s urging and not controlling or forcing or driving. As human beings we feel a natural urge or motivation to make decisions which are in line with our values. So the key to urging is instilling good values, from the inside out.

Paul’s manner (his way of relating) with the Thessalonians is consistent with his message of God’s love.

Whether you have biological children of your own or not, you can still relate to others younger in the faith by caring for them, encouraging them, comforting them and urging them to live lives worthy of God’s calling.   

Conclusion:

When Paul’s name and reputation were slandered by his opponents, he responded by reminding the Thessalonian believers of their experience of him. They knew first hand that Paul’s message was true, his motives were pure and his manner was caring.

Paul was genuine. He was the real deal and he provides a model for us.  

Let us pray…

Loving Father, guide us in the truth. Purify our hearts. Help us to live our lives in a manner worthy of your calling. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • How do we know something is true? How do we discern truth from error?
  • Why did Paul feel it was necessary to defend himself against the slander of his opponents? How did Paul do this?  
  • What can we do to reconnect with the reality (the facts) of God’s goodness to us personally?
  • How do we know Paul’s motives were good / pure? What motivates you? If you are not sure, how might you find out?
  • What do we notice about Paul’s manner in relating with the Thessalonians?
  • How might we encourage, comfort and urge others in their life and Christian faith?  
  • At end of each day this week, think of three things that went well and give thanks to God for those things.
Tawa Baptist

Connected

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 1:1-3

Video Link: https://youtu.be/pZPJgH83KFI

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Connected in God
  • Connected in prayer
  • Connected in experience
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone and happy Waitangi Day.

Sometimes, when your internet connection drops out, you have to wait a few minutes watching the dots make a little circle until the wifi comes back online. We can become impatient because we have to wait a few seconds but the inconvenience of a buffering internet connection is nothing really. In years gone by, before the internet, people separated by the tyranny of distance had to wait months, even years, to receive word from loved ones.

Last week we began a new sermon series in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. By way of introduction, we looked at Acts 17, which is Luke’s account of how the Christian church got started in the city of Thessalonica, which is in Greece.

Today we get into the letters themselves, looking at the opening verses of First Thessalonians, in which Paul reconnects with the Thessalonian believers, by letter, after having not seen them for several months, perhaps a year. From verse 1 of First Thessalonians we read…

[From] Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. 2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these three short verses we note how Paul makes three quite profound and enduring connections with the Thessalonians. Paul shows how he, Silas and Timothy are connected to the Thessalonians in God, in prayer and in experience.  

Connected in God:

You may remember, from last week, that Paul & Silas had to leave the city of Thessalonica after certain people stirred up trouble and put pressure on Jason and the other believers.

Paul and his companions then went to Berea and from there to Athens. Paul was naturally concerned for the well-being of the Thessalonians and so he sent Timothy back to see how they were getting on.

By the time Timothy returned with his report, Paul was probably in the city of Corinth. As you can imagine, this journey would have taken months on foot. After hearing what Timothy had to say, Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians to reconnect with them and to offer some guidance and encouragement. 

The experts aren’t sure exactly but they think First Thessalonians was probably the second letter Paul wrote to a church, depending on when you date his letter to the Galatians. Paul’s affection for the Thessalonians is clear. Despite being relatively new converts and despite having suffered for Jesus, the Thessalonians’ faith (their connection with God) was strong.

In verse 1, Paul addresses the Thessalonians in an interesting way. He refers to the Thessalonian church as being in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Being ‘in Christ’ is a favourite saying of Paul’s, but he wouldn’t normally start a letter this way or talk about being ‘in God the Father’ in the same breath.

The word translated as church is literally assembly, as in a gathering of people. So the assembly or the gathering of believers is in God. What does that mean? Is it like when the teachers at school say the assembly will be in the hall? Well, not exactly. Paul isn’t talking about the physical location of the Thessalonians. He’s talking in spiritual terms.  

Paul is reconnecting with the Thessalonians by affirming they are not alone. They are as close to God and to Jesus as you can get. They are in God. God is the source of their life, the ground of their being.

The Thessalonian assembly (or church) is in God, like a tree is planted in soil. If you take the tree out of the soil it will die. Keep it in the soil and it will thrive, drawing its life from the nutrients in the ground.

Or to use another analogy, the Thessalonian church is in God, like a school of fish is in water. Take the fish out of water and they soon die. Keep the fish in water and they live. God and Christ provide the right spiritual environment for human beings, much like water provides the right natural environment for fish. 

William Barclay uses the metaphor of air. He says that being in God (or in Christ) is like being in air. Not only is the air all around us (as close as our skin) but when we breathe, the air is inside us as well.

That’s how close and life giving God is to the Thessalonians, as close as air. That’s why their faith is thriving, despite the persecution they are experiencing for being Christians. Their physical or material life might be poor, but their spiritual life is rich.

By affirming the Thessalonians’ closeness to God and to Jesus, Paul is basically saying he is close to them as well. In verse 3 he talks about our God and our Jesus. Even though they are about 576 km’s apart (geographically speaking) they are close in the Lord, for Paul & Silas & Timothy are in God as well.

There are three crosses on the wall behind me. The crosses remind us of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. I can’t see the crosses at the moment because I’m facing the other way. But I know they are there because I’ve seen them before. Now, I might forget they are there because I’m focused on something else but that doesn’t change the fact that they are still there.

You know sometimes we lose sight of God’s nearness and grace. We get busy with something or other and God passes out of our awareness. If God is out of sight and out of mind for too long, it may feel to us like God is absent or distant.

That subjective feeling can have a very real effect on us. It can mislead us into thinking that we are not loved by God or that God is angry with us or that he doesn’t care. But our feelings and perception are not always reliable. Like the crosses on the wall behind me, God doesn’t cease to be close to us just because our back is turned and we are thinking about something else.

We human beings need to turn and face God, regularly. We need to do tangible things to remind ourselves of God’s nearness and grace.

Those things might include starting the day by reading a chapter from the Bible. Or stopping three times a day to be still and pray. Or spending time with other believers, or singing songs of worship or listening to sermon podcasts. Whatever it is that puts you in touch with God again.

Paul is eager to reconnect or, more accurately, to insist that he and the Thessalonians were never disconnected, as verse 2 implies.

Connected in prayer:

At home we have a wall hanging. One of Robyn’s friends from school gave it to her. It reads: Prayer, the world’s greatest wireless connection.

Before the internet there was prayer.

In verse 2 of chapter 1 Paul says: We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.      

Prayer is eternal. Prayer is beyond the confines of time and space. In prayer, we draw close to others and to God. Prayer is about connection.

By keeping the Thessalonians in their prayers, Paul, Silas and Timothy were never apart from them. 

Prayer isn’t just the words we say to God. The larger part of prayer is listening to God. I have come to believe that prayer is also about the burdens we carry with and for others. When we pray for others we, in some way I think, connect with them and make their burden lighter.

I can’t give you any scientific or empirical evidence for this. But, anecdotally, people who have been going through some difficulty and have had others in the church praying for them, have said things like: ‘I feel lighter’ or ‘I feel like I’m being carried by people’s prayers’.

The flip side is that sometimes we can feel a bit weary after praying for others, like we’ve been doing some heavy lifting. At the same time, praying for others can also release us from the burden of our own problems and the tiredness which comes from always thinking about ourselves.

So while praying for others does take some effort, there is a mutual benefit on the whole.  

One of my cousins was really into scuba diving, when he was younger. He loved it. One day he was down fairly deep underwater and his mate got into trouble. My cousin kept his head and shared his breathing apparatus; you take a breath I’ll take a breath sort of thing. They returned to the surface slowly, to avoid getting the benz. Thankfully they made it up before my cousin’s tank ran out too.

Perhaps keeping others in our prayers is a bit like that. A friend finds themselves in deep water and in trouble. Maybe they are in so much distress or pain they can’t find the words or the faith to pray themselves. So you pray for them.

In praying for your friend like this, you are sharing your spiritual oxygen tank with them, at least until they reach the surface and can breathe (or pray) again themselves.    

That’s what intercessory prayer is; praying on behalf of others. We, who believe in Jesus, are priests. Interceding for others in prayer, with God, is what priests do. It is what Jesus (the great high priest) does.

Whether we are praying for ourselves or others, the risen and ascended Jesus knows our deepest needs and desires. He hears the inarticulate cry of our heart, asking God the Father for what he need. So even if we don’t know how to pray or can’t find the words, Jesus does know and has just the right words.    

Is there someone you know who needs you to share your oxygen tank of prayer with them?

Connected in experience:

So, even though they are apart physically, Paul and the Thessalonians are connected spiritually, in God and in prayer.

In verse 3, Paul goes on to point out another connection he and his companions share with the Thessalonians. They are connected in their experience. Paul writes…

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we remember something, we are reconnecting with our experience of what we are remembering. Memory is a powerful form of connection. It brings the past into the present. It brings people, we haven’t seen in a while, close.

When I was at intermediate school one of my friend’s, Mark, had an older brother who sometimes used to pick us up in his Datsun 160B. Mark’s brother, Richard, used to play Dire Straits music in his cassette player; Tunnel of Love, Romeo and Juliet and so on. Very cool when you are 11.

Sometimes when I hear a Dire Straits song from the 80’s, I remember the Datsun 160B and my friendship with Mark, even though I haven’t seen Mark in over 30 years. It’s funny how a familiar tune or sight or smell can reconnect you with your past. Memory is a powerful transporter.

Dire Straits have a song called ‘Brothers in Arms’. In the second verse the singer remembers the connection forged with his mates on the battlefield…

Through these fields of destruction, baptisms of fire. I’ve witnessed your suffering as the battle raged high. And though they did hurt me so bad, in the fear and alarm, you did not desert me my brothers in arms.

The connections made through a shared experience of suffering run deep and live long in the memory.

As we heard last week (in Acts 17) the Thessalonian believers stood their ground under fire and did not desert their faith in Jesus, remaining loyal to Paul, Silas and Timothy. Their suffering for Jesus together is what connects them.

And when we suffer for Christ, we too are connected to other believers (around the world and throughout history) who have suffered for their faith. 

Three points of connection Paul makes when remembering the Thessalonians:

Their work produced by faith, their labour prompted by love, and their endurance inspired by hope

Faith, love and hope come to the surface in Paul’s letters a number of times, most famously in First Corinthians 13 where Paul writes, and these three remain: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Faith, hope and love are to Christian spirituality what oxygen, heat and fuel are to fire. They are indispensable, we can’t do without any one of them.

Faith, hope and love are about connection you see. They connect us to Jesus and to each other.     

Looking more closely, what does Paul mean by the Thessalonians’ work produced by faith. Idle faith, faith that sits around and does nothing is not true faith. Genuine faith finds expression in acts of Christian service and good deeds.

Those who did the online services in early January may remember John Tucker’s sermon about Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding. John made the connection between faith and work when he pointed out how the servants did what Jesus asked of them, filling the jars with water.

Filling each of those 120 litre jars of water was repetitive, time consuming, mundane, tiring work. And it may have seemed pointless too, when the problem wasn’t a lack of water but a lack of wine. Yet the servants did what Jesus asked of them, in faith. And Jesus did something very special with their work produced by faith.

Those of us who serve Jesus are connected through the work we do in faith that Jesus will use it for God’s saving purpose.           

Paul remembers also the Thessalonians’ labour prompted by love. The Greek word translated as labour here refers to hard labour, real back breaking toil. The kind of labour that puts blisters on your hands and sends you to bed early.

As Leon Morris says, the phrase labour prompted by love directs our minds to the unceasing hardship borne by the Thessalonians for love’s sake.

Those of you who are parents of small children understand about labour prompted by love. Caring for babies is exhausting. You are up all hours of the night feeding and changing nappies and working all day putting bread on the table or doing house work. It’s hard yacker. But you do it for the love of your family and through your labours a deep connection is created between parent and child.     

We are reminded of Jacob who laboured seven years for his father-in-law, Laban, so that he could marry Rachel. But those seven years seemed to him like just a few days because of the love he had for her. Romantic love gives you wings. 

Of course, the love Paul has in mind in Thessalonians is not romantic love, it is agape love. Not the love of seeking to possess something but a self-giving love. God’s love is always giving.

The Thessalonian believers did it tough for the love of Jesus. They were persecuted and harassed for becoming Christians but they handled it for love’s sake. Paul, Silas and Timothy also did it tough, working during the day with their hands to support themselves, then feeding the new born believers with God’s word in the evenings. It was hard graft.  

Thirdly, Paul remembers the Thessalonians’ endurance inspired by hope.

Hope is forward facing faith. Hope believes something good waits in our future. The Christian hope is that Jesus will return in glory one day to make all things new. Our hope is a future eternity without suffering or pain, where God wipes away every tear from our eyes, no more war or hunger or pandemics.

But getting there is a marathon, not a sprint. Hope of a better future gave the Thessalonian believers the strength to endure their present sufferings.

How is your hope at the moment? We are two years into a global pandemic and about to face a tidal wave of omicron cases (so we are told). We need the endurance inspired by hope. God has got us through this far. He will see us through to the other side.

Conclusion:      

Looking at the whole of verse 3 again we note that your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope are all in our Lord Jesus Christ.   

These things which connect us and support our life are not done in our own strength.  Nor are they hidden in some treasure vault beyond our reach. No, they are in Christ, whose Spirit is as close to us as the air we breathe.

So this spiritual connection does not depend on us. Nor does it depend on our changing moods or feelings. Our connection to God the Father and to one another depends on Jesus. Which means it is a reliable connection, not subject to buffering.

Our job is to remain in Christ. As Jesus says in John 15…

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for the connection we share with you and each other, through Jesus. Help us to remain in Christ and to draw strength from him, that we may bear the fruit of faith, hope and love. In Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Why do you think Paul is eager to reconnect with the Thessalonians? How do you think the Thessalonians may have felt receiving Paul’s letter and having their connection/relationship with Paul, Silas & Timothy affirmed/renewed? 
  • What does it mean to be ‘in God’ or ‘in Christ’?
  • How do you turn to face God? What tangible things do you do to reconnect with God’s nearness and grace?
  • Have you ever felt light (or carried) in some way by the prayers of others? How do you feel after you have spent time praying for others? Is there someone you know, at the moment, who isn’t able to pray for themselves and needs you to share your oxygen tank of prayer with them? 
  • Discuss/reflect on Paul’s three phrases in verse 3. That is: your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope. What do each of these phrases mean? Can you think of ways in which these three things have been (or are being) worked out in your life? 
  • Is there someone you need to reconnect with? Or, to put it another way, is there someone who needs you to reconnect with them? How might you go about reconnecting? 
Tawa Baptist

Persuasion

Scripture: Acts 17:1-10

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Y-PupQ_mVz8

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Persuasion
  • Protest
  • Persistence
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

One of the things that distinguishes human beings from animals is language. Unlike animals, people are able to communicate using words.

In some ways though, words have become cheap for many people in the western world today. We are bombarded with words in advertising, at work, on TV and the internet. With all the noise and confusion around words and their meaning, we may find ourselves longing for the oxygen of silence.

Words may have become cheap for us but, in the thought world of the Bible, words carry real power.

Today we begin a new sermon series in Paul’s words to the Thessalonians. Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians but, before we start into the letters themselves, we are going to take a closer look at Acts 17, which describes how the Thessalonian church got started.  

In Acts 17 we hear about the power of words for good and for harm. From verse 1 we read…  

When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. 5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. 10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Acts 17, written by Luke, describes Paul & Silas’ experience in the city of Thessalonica. Three things we note. Paul’s mission work is characterised by persuasion, protest and persistence. Let’s start with Paul’s words of persuasion.

Persuasion:

Do you know those toys, for small children, where the child has to fit different shaped blocks through the corresponding shaped hole? There’s no way an oblong block is going to fit through a square hole. You can’t force the blocks.

First, you find the right shape to match the right hole and then you adjust the position of the block so that it lines up correctly. Once you’ve done that the block fits easily.

Persuasion is bit like that. The box that receives the shapes is sort of like the human heart or mind and the shapes that fit into the box are like pieces of the gospel message; ideas and beliefs.

You can’t force someone to accept or believe something that doesn’t fit for them. You have to understand the shape of the person’s heart & mind and then position the idea or belief in a way that person can accept.

Paul understood this. Paul did not coerce or manipulate people into accepting the gospel about Jesus. As verse 4 of Acts 17 tells us, Paul persuaded people.

Paul thought about the shape of his listeners’ hearts & minds and presented the gospel message in a way they could receive, without compromising or changing the gospel and without damaging his listeners’ hearts.

Thessalonica was the capital city of the province of Macedonia. Verse 2 of Acts 17 tells us that Paul went to the synagogue as was his custom. The synagogue was like the local place of worship for people of Jewish faith living in that area.

On the Sabbath (a Saturday) people came together in the synagogue for prayers and singing psalms and hearing the Hebrew Bible (what we know as the Old Testament) read aloud and expounded.

It was Paul’s custom to go the Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath because he had done that all his life. While the Jewish faith is not exactly the same as the Christian faith, the two hold quite a bit in common. The Christian faith grew out of the Jewish faith. The very first Christians were Jews.

From a mission strategy point of view, it made good sense for Paul to preach the gospel of Jesus in the synagogue because the people were starting with a shared understanding of God. This shared understanding included, for example, the belief that there is only one God, the creator of all there is. And he is just and merciful.  

Although Luke tells us Paul talked about Jesus in the synagogue over the course of three Sabbaths, this does not exclude the probability that Paul also talked about Jesus in people’s homes and the market place during the other days of the week. Luke’s account is not a comprehensive report of Paul’s activities. It’s more of a highlights reel.

What we notice in these verses is the way Paul went about persuading people to believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Paul understood better than anyone how difficult it was for Jews to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, when Jesus had been crucified.

The idea of a crucified Messiah was a key piece of the gospel that didn’t fit easily with the Jewish mind-set. To suggest that God’s Messiah had to suffer and die on a cross was like trying to fit a square peg through a round hole.

The Hebrew Scriptures carried authority for the Jews and so Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. 

Reason, explanation and evidence were key tools in Paul’s toolbox of persuasion. We can easily imagine Paul using passages like Isaiah 53, which predicted the suffering of the Messiah, as a way of proving that Jesus had to suffer and rise from the dead. Isaiah 53 reads…

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makeshis life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of lifeand be satisfied;

Verse 11 is talking about resurrection after death you see. Isaiah continues…

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  

Isaiah 53 fits for Jesus, the suffering Messiah.  

While it is Paul’s persuasive preaching that Luke highlights in Acts 17, it wasn’t just Paul’s words alone that convinced people to believe in Jesus.

As Paul himself writes in First Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 5…

…our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.       

This tells us the Thessalonian believers were persuaded not just by Paul’s words but also by Paul & Silas’ example (their lifestyle and deeds).

More importantly though, the Thessalonians were persuaded by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of truth and grace. The Holy Spirit works in our heart and mind to create the right shaped opening to receive the gospel message, with deep conviction. God’s Spirit enables us to recognise when something is true.

Paul was mindful of his listeners, in the way he presented the gospel message, but he also recognised that ultimately the effectiveness of his message depended more on God’s Spirit than anything else.

Returning to Acts 17. Verse 4, tells us of three groups of people who were persuaded and joined Paul & Silas. In other words, they became followers of Jesus. These groups included Jews, God fearing Greeks and many prominent women.

We might pass over that without thinking much of it, but it’s actually quite illuminating. These days Paul gets quite a bit of criticism for what he writes in relation to women. Paul’s thinking may be misunderstood by people today but the fact that many prominent women responded positively to Paul’s presentation of the gospel strongly suggests that the women of the first century quite liked what Paul had to say.

Protest:

Not everyone liked Paul’s words though. Some of the Jews were not persuaded. In fact, some were so jealous at Paul’s success in winning converts that they organised a protest against Paul & Silas. The jealous ones formed a mob and started a riot. What happened next mirrored (in some ways) Jesus’ experience.     

They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”

There are few things less trustworthy than a crowd. The organisers of the protest were basically accusing Paul & Silas of high treason. In today’s terms it would be similar to saying they were terrorists. The accusation was untrue and unfair.   

We are reminded here, of Jesus’ words in Matthew 10…

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Jesus is not promoting war or violence. He is not talking in military or political terms. He is talking in spiritual terms. The point here is that there is no sitting on the fence with Jesus. You have to choose which side you are on, spiritually speaking. And there are real consequences to the choice you make. 

Jason made the choice to show hospitality to Paul & Silas. The eternal (unseen) consequence of this was that Jason was joined to Christ, destined to share in Jesus’ glory. The temporal (felt) consequence, for Jason, was finding himself at the sharp end of a protest and legal action.

8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

In other words, the magistrates put a legal obligation on Jason and the other Christian believers to get Paul & Silas to leave town. If Paul & Silas stayed, then Jason and the other believers would face some kind of penalty like losing their homes or going to prison.

Paul & Silas did not want Jason and the new believers to come to harm so they left quietly in the night, without making a fuss. 

Some years ago I worked in a cycle and mower shop. At times we came across nuts and bolts that were seized together with rust and age. If you tried to force the nut off, you ran the risk of breaking the bolt or slipping and skinning your knuckles.

As Aesop once said, it is better to use persuasion, rather than force. Most of the time you can persuade a rusty nut to come off with patience and a squirt of CRC, no damage done.

The jealous ones, who organised the protest against Paul, did not use reason or truth to persuade the authorities. They used lies and fear. They twisted the facts and manipulated the situation so that Paul & Silas were forced to leave. The problem with using force is that it usually has unintended consequences.

Those who were out to get Paul unintentionally promoted the spread of the gospel. By organising a protest against Paul & Silas, pretty much everyone in the city became aware of Jesus.

Now, it is thought that Thessalonica had a population of about 200,000 people in the first century. At least some of those 200,000 people would have become curious to learn more about Jesus.

Without intending to, the protest organisers actually gave weight and credibility to Paul’s message. They signalled to everyone that the gospel and the name of Jesus is a powerful thing that should be taken seriously.

The gospel is powerful but not in the way the authorities feared. God has a sense of humour. Less than 300 years later the emperor would become a Christian.

One other unintended consequence of the protest was the strengthening of the new believers’ faith.

After a potter has shaped the clay into the vessel they want (a bowl or a cup), they then put the soft clay into a kiln to be fired. The heat of the kiln sets the clay and makes the vessel strong.

By putting heat on Jason and the other believers and dragging them before the authorities, the protest organisers actually made the new believers’ faith stronger. Having suffered for their new found faith, Paul’s converts were more resolved to stick with Jesus.       

Reading between the lines of Acts 17 we see that God has a way of working adverse circumstances for good.

Persistence:

This pattern of persuasive preaching followed by strong protest was not unique to the city of Thessalonica. Time and again (in the book of Acts) Paul and his friends had to flee from one city to the next.

Which brings us to the third ‘P’ in today’s message: persistence. Paul was relentlessly persistent in persuading people to receive Jesus.

Persistence is about never giving up. We see Paul’s persistence in the wider context of Acts.

Before arriving in Thessalonica, Paul had been preaching the gospel in Philippi. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Paul managed to persuade a small group of people to believe in Jesus, including Lydia (the seller of purple cloth). But it wasn’t long before someone protested against Paul and he found himself being flogged and thrown in prison.

Once they had been released from prison in Philippi, Paul and Silas didn’t give up. They carried on, making the 100-mile journey (probably on foot) to Thessalonica, where they were forced to leave again for the next town, Berea. Fortunately, Paul’s reception in Berea was more positive.

Paul’s persistence paid off. As someone once observed, ‘Water cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.’

Of course, even persistence has its limits. The goal is not to be so stubborn that we never give in. The goal is to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that we may go the distance in God’s will for us.

Conclusion:

So what do these three P’s (persuasion, protest and persistence) mean for us as Christian believers today?

Well, persuasion has a number of points of application…

Before we can persuade anyone else that Jesus died and rose from the dead, we must first be persuaded of Jesus’ resurrection ourselves. We must know what it is we believe about Jesus, with deep conviction, and hold to it.

Persuasion also requires us to be respectful of others who have different beliefs from us. What may seem simple and straight forward to you may be incredibly difficult for someone else to accept.

It does no good to force our beliefs on other people. Like Paul, we need to be ready to speak about our faith with gentleness and an understanding of how the other person thinks, trusting the Holy Spirit to create the right shaped opening in their heart and mind.    

We must not be surprised or discouraged by protests against what we believe. When you become a Christian, you choose a side, spiritually speaking. You are not likely to be driven out of town, like Paul was. But there is a good chance you will be misunderstood and misrepresented if you identify yourself as a Christian.

Don’t take it personally. It’s not really about you. The Christian message has often been unpopular and met with resistance. Take heart. God is more than able to use the efforts of those who protest against him for good.

Finally, we must persist in our witness for Jesus. Sometimes that will mean quietly going about our lives, letting our actions speak for us. Other times that will mean proclaiming aloud our deepest convictions about Jesus. Whatever happens, hold to Christ and be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.   

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus, help us to know you more deeply, to love you more dearly and to share you more freely, with the help of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • The Jews of Paul’s day struggled to accept the idea of a crucified Messiah. How were they persuaded to believe in Jesus?
  • Are there any aspects of the gospel message that you have found difficult to accept? How did you come to accept these aspects? (Who, or what, persuaded you?)
  • Verse 4 (of Acts 17) tells us a number of Jews, God fearing Greeks and prominent women were persuaded to accept Jesus after listening to Paul. What does this indicate to you?
  • What were the consequences for Jason in providing hospitality to Paul & Silas and accepting Jesus? What are the consequences for you personally in accepting Jesus?
  • How did God use the protest, against Paul & Silas, for good?
  • How do you think Paul & Silas might have felt meeting resistance in preaching the gospel and having to flee to the next city? Why do you think they persisted?
  • Take some time this week to prayerfully reflect on the points of application in the conclusion (above). Is there any point of application in particular you feel a deep conviction about? What is the Spirit saying to you? 
Tawa Baptist

Christmas Message – Mary’s Song

Scripture: Luke 1:46-55

Video Link: https://youtu.be/LMr7Om-kBKQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God is mindful
  • God is mighty
  • God is merciful
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kai ora whanau and Merry Christmas.

Have you ever noticed how good things often come in threes?

There are three primary colours from which all other colours can be made.

There are only three bones in the human ear, all of which are needed for us to hear.

A chair or a table needs at least three legs to stand.

A triangle, the strongest geometric shape, has three sides.

There are three feet in a yard, three dimensions in the physical world, three wickets in a hat trick, three Bronte sisters and three main ingredients in a BLT sandwich (apart from the bread).     

What’s more, there are three things needed to decide any kind of dispute: rock, paper, scissors.

Today’s message is based on Luke chapter 1, verses 46-55. This is Mary’s song of praise, sung while she was still pregnant with Jesus. From Luke 1, verse 46 we read…

46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses, Mary is basically saying three things about God…

God is mindful, God is mighty and God is merciful. 

These three attributes of God are like the three bones in your ear, or the three primary colours or the three legs of a table or the three sides of a triangle. We need them all. We need to know God is mindful, mighty and merciful.    

God is mindful:

According to the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, mindfulness means paying attention to what is presently occurring, with kindness and curiosity.

The idea with mindfulness is to bring some order and control to our patterns of thinking. Not let our thoughts run away from us. Not allow ourselves to think the worst, nor set ourselves up for disappointment by manufacturing unhelpful expectations. Just breathe and stay present in the moment. 

In verse 48, of Luke 1, Mary says that God has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

I’m not sure that our human definition of mindfulness is transferable to God exactly, but Mary (the mother of Jesus) is certainly mindful that God is paying attention to her present situation with kindness.   

Mary had quite a bit to worry about. What would people think of her being pregnant and not married? How would she tell her fiancé Joseph and what would Joseph do?

But Mary doesn’t go down that path in her mind. Instead Mary enjoys the moment. She focuses on what God has done for her and how blessed she is.

The past couple of years have been difficult. Change is the only constant. We are all pretty tired and feeling over it. Maybe our thoughts are running ahead to next year and what the future might hold.

Try not to go there. Today is Christmas. Now is the time to be mindful of what God has done in sending his Son Jesus. This is the day to be aware that God is thinking of you personally and of his world collectively.

God has not forgotten. God understands the losses you have suffered, the pressures you feel and the burdens you carry.        

God is mindful and God is mighty.

God is mighty:

Some of you may be planning to do one of New Zealand’s great walks this summer. Perhaps the Routeburn or the Abel Tasman or the Milford Track.

If you are spending time in the bush you might come across some predator traps. For many years now our native birds have been under threat from rats and stoats and possums. Conservationists have been seeking to restore the balance by culling as many of these introduced predators as they can.

Mindfulness can be helpful, as far as it goes, but if you are a Kiwi or a Kōkako or a Black Robin, then you don’t need people to just be thinking about you. You need humans to build a predator proof fence to stop stoats from raiding your nest.   

In verse 49 Mary says, the Mighty One has done great things for me, and in verse 51 she says, He has performed mighty deeds with his arm… he has scattered the proud… but has lifted up the humble.

If God were only mindful of you, what good would that do? If you are homeless then you don’t need a sympathy card. No, you need affordable housing. More than that, you need someone with the might (as in the wisdom and power) to make the system more just so you can get into your own home.

As a young woman in a male dominated society, Mary was somewhere near the bottom of the social ladder. She didn’t have much power or influence. She was vulnerable, like a Kiwi or a Kākāpō.

But God, the Mighty One, has done great things for her. He has lifted her up, as humble as she is, by making her the mother of the Messiah.

In some ways, the nation of Israel was a bit like Mary in that they were relatively poor and vulnerable compared with other nations. Israel were oppressed by the Romans and needed God’s mighty power to save them.     

Like Mary and like Israel, New Zealand is not mighty. We don’t have an arsenal of nuclear weapons or a huge navy or the latest in drone strike technology. We need God to defend our free land.

God’s might (his power) goes hand in hand with his mercy. 

God is merciful:

Recently the United Nations (in Geneva) discussed the issue of Lethal Autonomous Weapons (or killer robots). Most countries were against the sort of technology where humans are not in control and decisions are outsourced to computers. But the bigger more powerful nations didn’t want rules around it.

Lethal Autonomous Weapons maybe mighty but they are hardly mindful, much less merciful. The world has enough problems without introducing more. 

In verse 50 Mary says that God’s mercy extends to those who fear him and in verse 54 she says that God has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful…

Mercy is essentially about using your power or might to help someone else.   

Power comes in many forms: for example, money & wealth, knowledge & skill, physical strength, political leverage and so on. When you use the power you have, to help someone who is in a weaker position than you, that’s mercy. 

If someone is having a heart attack and you know CPR, then mercy is stopping to help them. If someone owes you money and can’t repay you, then mercy is forgiving the debt. If someone is marginalised or an outsider and you are well connected, then mercy is including them in your community.

By definition God is the mightiest being there is. Fortunately for us, God chooses to use his power for the benefit of those who fear him. That is, those who respect and reverence God, those who hold the Lord in high regard.

As one who was relatively powerless, Mary was very mindful of God’s mercy. Usually it is when we are at our weakest and feeling vulnerable that we are most conscious of God’s mercy.

Conclusion:

For some, Christmas is a time of happiness and fun and good feelings. For others though, Christmas is a time that just seems to highlight what we have lost and how far from ideal our lives are.

Whatever you are feeling today, may you know that God is thinking of you with love, that nothing is too difficult for him and that he wants to use his power and might for our wellbeing.

Although her situation in life was far from ideal, Mary rejoiced because of God’s mindfulness, might and mercy for her personally.

She also rejoiced because the child she was carrying, Jesus the Christ, embodies the mindfulness, might and mercy of God for the world. That’s what we celebrate at Christmas.    

Tawa Baptist

Wishes & Worship

Video Link: https://youtu.be/tKkOt-DVER8

Wishes:

In his book, A Night the Stars Danced for Joy, Bob Hartman imagines a shepherding family sitting under the night sky making wishes.

The shepherd father, who has fought a few battles with wild animals and Romans, wishes for someone to save him from the violence and greed of others.  

The shepherd mother, who nurses regrets over things said in anger, wishes for peace of mind and a chance to redeem the past.

While the son (a young boy), who is feeling a bit bored, wishes for fun and excitement, something to sing and dance about.

In some ways our wishes reflect what we don’t have. They point to the emptiness and the loss we feel inside.

Part of praying involves sharing our wishes with God. God is not like a genie in a bottle who grants our every wish, no. But God is still interested in hearing what we wish for. God wants to restore the loss and fill the emptiness we feel with his goodness and love. That’s why Jesus came.

Praying is a bit like a zipper. You know the way a zip merges together, or the way traffic on the road merges together when two lanes become one lane. Prayer is sort of like that.

Prayer is a mystery in which God’s wishes merge with our wishes.

In prayer we don’t just bulldoze our way forward regardless.

In prayer we slow down. We listen to what God is saying he wants (his will) and we let God know what we want. Then we trust the outcome to him.

In prayer we are ready to give way to God’s purpose.

As it turned out the wishes of the shepherds in the story fitted perfectly with God’s wishes. Like the shepherd father, God also wants to see an end to violence and greed. Just as he wants us to have peace of mind and release from the hurts of our past. And God is delighted to give his children something exciting to sing and dance about.

Jesus is the key. Jesus comes to make God’s wishes come true on earth.

The wonderful thing about God’s wishes is they are even better than anything we could have wished for or imagined.

What is it you wish for? What emptiness do you need God to fill? What loss do you need him to restore? I wonder what it is God wishes for you personally. I wonder what God wants for all of us together.

Worship:

Bob Hartman’s story is loosely based on the gospel account of the angels and shepherds. In Luke 2, verse 20, after the shepherds had seen Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we read…

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

According to Luke, the shepherds were buzzing with excitement, telling everyone they met what they had been told about Jesus. They responded in praise & worship to God. Their worship looked and sounded like a party.

We might not always think of worship as a party or a celebration. We might be more inclined to think of worship as a sombre sacrifice and sometimes it is. Or we might think of worship as a duty (something we do in obedience to God).  And, while that is true, we must not lose sight of the fact that, at its heart, praise & worship is a joyful response to God for what he has done and will do.

In a few moments we are going to sing the Christmas carol, Hark the herald angels sing, as a response of worship to God. During this song we encourage you to dance and express yourself as you sing.

For those who may not feel much like dancing, we have some really cool (and very easy) actions you can do. You don’t have to remember all these actions. Just do what you feel comfortable with.

The first action is the New Zealand Sign Language word for peace, which goes like this. Super easy to remember and low key. Jesus is the Prince of peace.          

The next action is the New Zealand sign language word for party. To say party in NZSL you make the hang loose sign with both hands like this. Worship is meant to be a party. Jesus’ coming to the earth is good news. So when we are singing, let’s party. 

Another action that fits for Hark the herald is glory. When we worship God in a genuine way we bring him glory. The New Zealand Sign Language word for glory looks like this. Have your thumbs pointing down by your waist and then raise your arms above your head, waving your thumbs as you do.

You can really go to town with this one. Glory, glory to God in the highest.   

So, as a response of worship, let’s sing and celebrate God’s gift of Jesus:

Hark the herald angels sing…