1 Thessalonians - Heartaches, Hindrances, and Hopes

The king is in control. The king is on the throne. It must have encouraged Paul tremendously to know that even though he had his heartaches, even though he had his hindrances, there was a Savior in glory who was on the throne in control of everything.

Reading 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and concluding with verse 16. For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

The Thessalonian believers were not surprised when persecution came. Paul had prepared them for it. In fact in 1 Thessalonians 3:4 you read, For in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. This word tribulation means pressures. It means the pressures around us, the inward trials of life that come because of the pressures around us. Now the people in Thessalonica had not been saved very long and they were going through intense persecution. In fact, 1 Thessalonians 1:6 says you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction. 

From God's viewpoint, persecution is a good way for us to find out if we're really born again. Those who are not truly born again just fall by the wayside. Someone says, oh they lost their salvation. No, they never had it. It was merely a profession without a true possession. But those who are truly born again, though they may have trials and tribulations, they have roots and they grow. Tribulation should help us to grow from God's viewpoint. Not from the devil's viewpoint. He sends tribulation that he might wreck us. He wants to destroy the church. He wants to shake us and he wants to silence us. 1 Thessalonians 3:3, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. Why be surprised? Peter wrote and said, don't think it's something strange concerning this fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing is happening. 

Today in our affluent, easy society there's not a great deal of persecution against the church collectively. But individual Christians go through it. There are some people who are persecuted just for going to church. They come home and the family laughs at them. Perhaps there's a godly wife; she comes home from church and her husband says, "Why don't you just move down there? Why don't you just go down there and stay with those people?" The church collectively in America is not going through persecution, but individually people are. And sometimes you feel like quitting. Now Satan wants to shake us. 1 Thessalonians 3:3, that no one should be shaken. Satan also wants to silence us. 1 Thessalonians 2:16, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved. You see, the persecutors want to close our mouths so that we're not telling people how to get saved. These people who were persecuting the Thessalonians were not saved themselves and they were keeping other people from being saved. 

Now when you are persecuted because of your faith in Jesus Christ, just follow the instructions that Paul gives here and you will make it. You'll get through it. And it will help you; it won't hurt you. Instruction number one, he says look back. Just look back and remember persecution is not new. For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. All right, churches before you have been persecuted. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, that's the Gentiles, just as they did from the Jews. Paul is not saying that the Jewish people are the only persecutors. He's saying the Gentiles have had their share as well. Look back and remember other churches, other Christians have suffered persecution. 

We have a tendency to believe that when we are going through suffering, we're the only ones who have ever been through this. I read a book about the persecution of Christians in Korea. An interesting book, a heartbreaking book, to see what was done against the church. There are more martyrs today than people realize. There is persecution, nothing new about persecution. Look at your Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 15, who killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets. The Lord Jesus Christ went through it. He does not ask us to experience anything He has not Himself experienced. We must remember that Jesus has suffered just as we suffer. And so the next time somebody lies about you, persecutes you, makes life difficult for you, remember this is the fellowship of His sufferings. When people start treating us the way they treated the Lord Jesus, we've been promoted—the fellowship of His sufferings. 

Now the prophets also suffered. Verse 15, they killed their own prophets. We are in good company when we are going through persecution because Isaiah went through it, so did Jeremiah. All the prophets that were sent by the Lord had some form of rejection. Some were killed; some were put in prison. The prophets went through it. And you and I are going to have the same experience. Now it's a privilege to experience this. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:10-12, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That's Matthew 5:10.

Notice the persecution comes for righteousness' sake, not because we've made nuisances of ourselves. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely. Notice it has to be falsely. For My sake. Notice it's because of Jesus. Here are three conditions now that must be met if we're going to get a blessing out of persecution. Number one, it has to be for righteousness' sake, we have obeyed God. Number two, their accusations must be false. And number three, it must be for Jesus' sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. We are marching in the train of a great host of godly people when we're being persecuted. So when you are going through difficulty because you've stood up for the Lord, look back and remember other Christians have suffered, Jesus suffered, the prophets have suffered. The Lord Jesus says there is a blessing in it. 

Secondly, Paul instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 2 to look within. The end of verse 15: they do not please God and are contrary to all men. Realize that the problem with these people is within. There's something in their hearts that is wrong. They have not responded to the word of God. You see, you and I are being persecuted because we respond to the word of the living God. John 17:14, I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Notice that? We have the word of God and because we have the word of God and we share the word of God, we try to practice the word of God, they hate us. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul said, now you received the word of God. But not everybody receives the word of God. These people rejected the word of God who persecuted the Thessalonian saints. 

There's a third instruction he gives us. He tells us to look ahead. Notice in verse 16: so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. He said these people as they persecute us are helping us and hurting themselves. That's interesting. They're helping us to grow in the Christian life, they're helping us to be testimonies for the Lord and they're hurting themselves. Paul is picturing each one of them as a vessel, and as they disobey God and hurt God's people, that vessel is being filled up more and more and more until finally when it is completely filled up, they are going to receive the judgment of God. If you are suffering for the faith, rejoice; God is blessing you. If you are causing others to suffer, beware; you are filling up the measure of the wrath of God and one day that judgment will fall.

The apostle Paul was not only a man with a brilliant mind, but he was a man with a tender heart. And you can certainly feel the tenderness of Paul's heart, his affection for God's people as you read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20. But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy. 

You see Paul was not isolated from the realities of life. Paul knew what it was to go through hardship and difficulty. And in these verses he tells us what he went through and what we should expect in the Christian life. To begin with the Christian life has its heartaches. We, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Paul was a man with an aching heart. He had led these people to Christ in Thessalonica, had been with them only a short time. Now he had to leave them; he went down to Berea, then he went down to Athens and he was left alone in Athens. He sent Timothy back to help the situation in Thessalonica. Silas was off ministering somewhere else. Here is Paul experiencing his heartache because he loved people.

You see love involves both joy and pain. In verse 20 Paul says, for you are our glory and joy. And yet the same people who bring joy to you can also bring pain to you. When you love someone you want to be with that person; when you're separated from that person you feel it down inside. There's an emptiness, an aching down inside. The word translated "taken away from you" in verse 17 literally means orphaned. I was orphaned from you. He sees the church as a family and he said here I am, an isolated orphan out here and I am waiting for Timothy to come and tell me what's going on.

The Christian life involves heartaches. Why? Because we love people. Because we love people and want them to grow. Paul's love for them was so obvious and their love for Paul was obvious. 1 Thessalonians 3:6, Timothy brought good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us as we also to see you. You see Paul was not able to go back to Thessalonica. Some scholars think that the city posted a peace bond against him. Timothy could go back apparently, Silas could go back. Timothy of course was part Gentile; that would be in his favor. They did not want Paul back in Thessalonica. And so here is Paul, first in Athens and then at Corinth, with this heartache, loving God's people there in Thessalonica, wondering what is going on.

I hope you pray for your pastor every day because the Christian life and the Christian ministry have their heartaches. The way Paul wept over the people at Corinth or the people at Philippi. He said to the people at Philippi, I tell you now even weeping, they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Only eternity will reveal how many tears and how many heartbreaks pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers, faithful deacons and elders have experienced because of the people of God. Oh I pray that God will help me to be an encouragement to my pastor, not a discouragement to him. 

Secondly, I note that the Christian life has its hindrances. Verse 18, therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. Now I don't know how Satan hindered him, but even an apostle can be hindered. That's amazing. Here's a man who did miracles, here's a man who had a face-to-face fellowship with the Lord, here's a man who saw visions, here's a man on whom God's power rested in a wonderful way, and yet he was not able to make that trip and go back to Thessalonica. Satan hindered him. Of course this raises the question, did God want him back there? We don't know. We do know that God accomplishes His will and that Satan himself cannot keep God from accomplishing His purposes. But Paul tells us Satan hindered us.

The Christian life has its hindrances. There are things we'd like to do at the broadcast, but somehow we're hindered. There are things that churches would like to do; they feel that this is in the will of God but somehow they are hindered. This word "hindered" is an interesting word. It's a military word. It means to break up a road so the army can't get through. Oh Satan's good at that. Satan is good at going on the path and breaking it up, putting all kinds of obstacles in the way. Sometimes the obstacles are backslidden Christians. Sometimes a church can't move forward in the battle because there are people standing in the way.

The word also means to break through the enemy line. Here God has set up His line of defense and then some soldier lets the devil get through. I don't want to be guilty of allowing Satan to get into the territory. Paul tells us in Ephesians not to give place to the devil, not to give a beachhead to the devil. I think the Great Wall of China was gotten through three times by the enemy, and all three times they bribed the guards. The wall kept them out, the guards let them in. God has a wall of separation put up and the devil can't go beyond that wall, but we let him in. Oh we give place to the devil with anger and carrying grudges, our prayerlessness, our carelessness. The Christian life has its hindrances.

This word hindered in verse 18 also means to cut in on somebody in a race. Here are people running down the racetrack and somebody cuts in on the other person and almost knocks that person down, gets in the way. It's the same word Paul uses in Galatians 5:7 when he said, you ran well, who hindered you? Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? The devil has a way of getting in on the race, doesn't he? There are hindrances to the Christian life. And yet he prayed that God would open the way. 1 Thessalonians 3:11, Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. The Greek word "direct" means to clear the way. He prayed that God might clear the obstacles away so that he might take the road and go to Thessalonica. Even though we've been hindered, it's good to keep desiring. It's good to keep planning. It's good to keep praying. You never know when God may open the way. 

Well the Christian life has its heartaches; expect them. The Christian life has its hindrances; expect them. But don't end on a negative note. In 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, Paul tells us the Christian life has its hopes. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy. Right now. Paul moves into the future tense. When you face life with its heartaches and with its hindrances, don't forget the hopes. When the outlook is grim, try the uplook; it always works. Every chapter in 1 Thessalonians ends with a reference to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Paul is saying here I am alone. I'm waiting now for Timothy to show up. Timothy finally came and Paul wrote this letter and sent it back with him. But while he was alone, what was it that kept him going? The heartaches? No, no. The hindrances? No, no. The hopes. What was his hope? Number one, Jesus was going to come again. And when Jesus comes again, separation will be replaced by reunion. When Jesus comes again, sorrow will be turned into joy. Heartache will become happiness. Shame will turn into glory. Sacrifices will receive their reward.

Now what is our hope? What is our joy and what is our crown? We may not realize our hopes today. We may not experience our joys of ministry today. We may not receive that crown of rejoicing today. God never promises that we will. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. What is Paul saying here? Paul is saying I may not realize all of these things today, but I know this: I will realize them one day at the throne of Jesus Christ. What is heartache today is going to be happiness tomorrow. 

Now let me say a word of encouragement to my fellow ministers. There are people that we're ministering to that break our hearts. There are situations that just tear our hearts. One of these days we're going to see what God has really done when the Lord Jesus Christ comes. The king is in control. The king is on the throne. It must have encouraged Paul tremendously to know that even though he had his heartaches, even though he had his hindrances, there was a Savior in glory who was on the throne in control of everything. You may be ready to quit today. You may be saying it's not worth it. I'm trying to hold the line and some of the fellow soldiers are letting the devil through the line. He's getting into our territory. It's not worth it. Yes it is. Yes it is. One day when you stand before the Lord and you see those that you've influenced, those that you've helped to win through your giving, your praying, your witnessing, your serving; when you see them, you're going to be glad that you did it. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.