06.05.2011 1 Thess 3 - How to Survive Difficulty

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Thank You for the opportunity to Worship You – You delight in hearing our voices in praise. Open our heart to hear Your word – help me to speak Your word in such a way as to know You more – to be faithful to You and to follow You. You are longing to talk to us – it is us – are we ready to hear from You? Are our hearts soft to be touched and molded? May Your Spirit move in our midst to talk to us, touch us, and encourage us.
Yesterday, Lisa and Kyle got married – we were sitting at the table at the reception with Angie and Jason – This is finals week for our son Tony – and he had on his Facebook page how he becomes like a Neanderthal… - or something like that (Angie: he said his personal hygiene goes out the window!) – He is taking the hardest 3 chemistry courses in one quarter (Cindy: maybe you shouldn’t do that? – I can do it!) Angie said – it must be hard when your kid is out there struggling and there is absolutely nothing you can do for them. And that is what we are looking at today in 1 Thess.
I’m sure you’ve experienced when someone you care about is going through difficulties and there is nothing you can do – that is Paul’s situation.
1 Thess. 2:17 But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while-- in person, not in spirit-- were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. 18 For we wanted to come to you-- I, Paul, more than once-- and [yet] Satan thwarted us. 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
Paul is expressing his sincere care and love – last week we looked at metaphors of a father and mother. I like how this version brings this out – when we were orphaned by being separated from you. NASB says torn from you – but the word is orphaned – which also means a parent losing a child.
If you saw or read the Chronicles of Narnia – when London was being bombed, they would send their kids out to the country. Think about sending four, five, and six year olds on a train to the countryside. If you can feel that – that is what Paul is feeling. There is an uncertainty in his voice about their spiritual condition and future.
1 Thess. 3:1 Therefore when we could endure [it] no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone; 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, 3 so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 4 For indeed when we were with you, we [kept] telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could endure [it] no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.
When he could stand it no longer – hearing reports of difficulty and suffering – their faith is at risk – they are going through persecution – he uses words like affliction, mistreatment – they are going through difficult things and Paul is unable to go back to Thessalonica – and Paul is losing it. You see the Renaissance paintings of these stoic saints of God – but it was more like Paul was having an anxiety attack – leaking out/flowing out of him. So he sends Timothy.
the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.
Paul was concerned that the difficulties they had faced would cause them to go back to their former way of life. When we find ourselves in difficulties, what do we do? We let our minds go to the worst possible scenario outcome. That is what happened to Paul. It would all be lost.
In our Men’s Time – we were discussing this. The number one reason for people to not believe in God is because of the evil and injustice in the world. That is the claim. In the church – one of the primary reasons people fall away from God or the church are because of difficult times. Like Jesus talked about – the seed being tested – and the plant withering and dying. Things are becoming difficult here in Thessalonica… If you think you are immune to that – think again – things have just not been that difficult for you. I have a pastor friend who lost his 20 year old son in a car accident – it took him two years to recover and he told me – I just wanted to leave it all…
There are three things to see here:
Family and friends – they were converted out of the pagan culture – and a lot of their family and friends would still be in that. Family holds big sway – there is power in trying to keep the family together – especially in that culture. There was pressure to get them to return.
2) Workplace. Commerce and economy were centered around the worship of idols – and religious festivals. The union – the guilds that they had – were centered around the worship of certain idols – the god of the crops – or whatever – and if you didn’t participate in that, the god may become angry and curse the city – so there was great pressure.
Here we have it pretty easy – in your job, you may be tempted to be dishonest – and that is bad – don’t do it. Maybe you are tempted to cheat a little. Don’t do it. But for them – it meant losing everything – and Paul was afraid they would return because of it.
We talk about a Roman city – and I don’t think we realize how much people are influenced by our cultures – background – religious tribe. It has a powerful impact upon our lives.
I heard someone share – we would like to think, as Americans – if we were living in the mid-1800s in the South as Christians – we like to think that we would have a different attitude about slavery – but I doubt we would. Every culture has things they don’t see. 200-300 years from now, they will look at us and say, what was wrong with those Christians – how could they think that way? What we need is a voice from outside of our culture to speak into our culture – and we need to be open to hearing an outside voice speak into our lives and culture. We need to hear from a different voice.
We believe that things should work out – we have this false understanding that if we just pray, God will make it all work out – but nothing could be more unbiblical. Jesus said – if they are going to get me – they are going to get you! If the master goes through difficulty – don’t expect anything less in your own life.
Paul gives some advice on how to survive.
We need to look at our life expecting difficulty, affliction and trials – suffering and persecution. This is the lot of the Christian life. We will face opposition – citizens of a different Kingdom – and we need to be a different culture within this culture. Next, we are called to bring this Kingdom culture into the world we live in.
These cities were Greek cities conquered by Rome – and they submitted to Rome and allowed the people to become Roman citizens. Retired soldiers would move to these cities – and they became prosperous cities. Thessalonica was like DC – while everyone else is struggling – they were printing money and having a great time! Retired Roman soldiers would settle there – and they would bring Roman culture to the city.
We live in the culture God has placed us in – and we are called, in the midst of that – to lie the kingdom culture. We are toe live differently within it. We should be smack dab in the middle – living differently.
We are not to use the ways and means of the world to do it – but to become communities of Christ, who love people.
1 Thess. 3: 6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, 7 for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; 8 for now we [really] live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 9 For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account…
Notice what happens – Timothy comes back with good news – and he shifts to all is joy, because you are doing well. If you got my email – did you find the Waldo in verse 6? There is something missing there that sets up the rest of the book – if you go back to Chapter 1 – he talked about the steadfastness of hope – and in chapter 3, he doesn’t mention that. They had lost hope – they were grinding it out – and you can do that for a short time without hope – but you can’t grind it out without hope for long.
1 Thess 3: 10 as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith? 11 Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; 12 and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also [do] for you; 13 so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
And in closing – Meghan is going to come up in a half second – but they are to grow in love – how do you get through it all? How do you get through the difficulty – by becoming a community of sacrificial love and suffering love – coming alongside those who suffered. The Rock is doing this
Meghan Brunelle: The Rock in Garfield Heights – just on the edge of the inner-city – one of our biggest ministries is food – and the next is our kids’ ministries. During the school year, 70% of our kids are on free or reduced breakfasts and lunch. During the summer, we hadn’t been able to have the food programs for the kids – so many go without nutritious meals. Last summer we teamed up with a group that had federal funding – and we weren’t allowed to share the Gospel. So many of these kids have parents who walked out on them – and it broke our hearts to not be able to share with them. So this spring, when the opportunity came up to partner with this group again, we said no – we want to trust God for the funding so that we can share. Through another charity (Sisters of Charity) we’ve been able to staff and provide food for kids for 8 weeks. Kids K-5 will receive a nutritious meal for eight weeks. We are so excited about how God is moving in our community. We are looking for volunteers. We have 60 kids signed up – and we can’t fit any more until we have more volunteers. I encourage you to come up for a week – it took me 30 minutes to get here (driving the speed limit!) – any help you can give would be appreciated.