THE CROWN OF REJOICING

Transcription

1 THE CROWN OF REJOICING I Thess. 2:19 what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? So often we see Paul as the evangelist, the upholder of sound doctrine, the overseer of the churches God used him to establish and maintain However, here in I Thess. 2 we meet Paul the pastor, the carer for God s people he has had the privilege of meeting in his work for the Lord. He comes across as someone who you would not be afraid to talk to about your problems. Yes, he had the confidence to stand on Mar s Hill and speak to the idol-worshippers of Athens, he also had the boldness to defend the Gospel in front of dignitaries such as King Agrippa in Caesarea but he was also the kind of man you can come and talk to about any subject that weighed heavily upon your heart. He truly had an overwhelming burden in his service for the Lord, - For to me to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21) that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery (Eph. 3:8,9) that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 6:19). In this very personal passage in I Thess. 2 we again see HIS FAITHFULNESS (vv.1-6) Why does he travel thousands of miles, speak to thousands of people, run the risk of being imprisoned or martyred? It is because of his faith and his faithfulness to his faith. Before he came to Christ he had a good and long career stretching out in front of him. He was zealous in his pursuit for how he saw, - at that time, - the true religion. But when God interrupted his life, Saul of Tarsus was changed! Instead of upholding a religion he presented a living relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. There was a time when he hated that Name, and yet now the Name of Jesus to him was so sweet and so precious to him. He shares with the Thessalonians the problems he had in Philippi, - from the craftsmen who crafted their idols to the time he and Silas were cast into the prison (Acts 16) he was shamefully treated. The word u`bri,zw means despicably, shamefully, spitefully.

2 2 It s the same word Luke used when Jesus was about to bring the disciples to Jerusalem and He sought to prepare them for what would happen to Him there, Lk. 18:31 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated. It is a horrible word with terrible connotations and Paul was shamefully entreated as His Master was because of his faithfulness to the Gospel. Consider the manner of his ministry and how he was hounded and beaten and vilified and yet, he kept on preaching I Cor. 9:16 though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! He told the Thessalonians, II Thess. 2:2 at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention, - it is an athletic term in the Greek games when the athlete would struggle and contest and not quit until they achieved their goal. Why was he so faithful? Consider the message of his ministry He was so faithful because the message he preached was his Gospel, he spoke of it Rom. 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel 16:25 25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ II Tim. 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel. His preaching of the Gospel was altogether in his very being! He could not imagine being without the Gospel. He could not imagine doing anything else other than preaching any other message than Christ crucified, - he told the Corinthians, I Cor. 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. When Paul came to a town or a village he had nothing else to share with the people but Christ. When his enemies saw him coming they knew he would preach Christ! When Paul stood up at the front of a congregation of God s people he brought them nothing less than preaching Christ. You always knew what you get from Paul, - preaching about his Saviour and Lord! He neither used fancy words or fancy schemes to win souls for Christ, - he simply preached to them. And the motive of his ministry, v.3 For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile.

3 3 He wasn t out to make a name for himself, or to build up any selfish reputation, he didn t use flattering words (v.5), nor did he have some secondary motivation, - he was open and honest, and he did not seek glory for himself but rather, we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts (v.4). This was the method of his ministry. What a wonderful privilege belongs to every child of God, and in particular, those who occupy the pulpits, - allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel. It is not a privilege a university degree affords you, neither is it some kind of long-service accolade, and you certainly must not take such a calling on yourself it is a calling that comes from the Lord alone allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel. You see, at the end of the day, it is not men and women we seek to please but it is the God before Whom we must one day stand and give an account of our ministry for Him and the message of the ministry is nothing less than preaching Christ crucified and risen from the dead. Indeed, you will find no other means in Scripture to present Christ completely other than the message of preaching Him from the Word and testimony of God. You might say to me, We can witness to Him through songs and hymns, through poetry yes, to a certain extent but there has also been some right rubbish written about Him that has no foundation in Scripture! God s Word is the only infallible and trustworthy basis for making Christ known. Above and beyond anything else Paul presents to these believers in Thessalonika the personal example of His faithfulness. Secondly, he presents HIS FRIENDSHIP (vv.7-18) Paul addressed the matter of envying, and strife, and divisions in the Corinthian church, - these were characteristics unbecoming of God s people and unglorifying to God s Name. One of the greatest threats to church life is the lack of friendship among God s professing people. When the world is so hard against the Gospel and God s people, it is only to the devil s glory when God s people argue among themselves, and fight and fall out.

4 4 Paul had seen conflict in the churches throughout the vast area over which he ministered, and he regularly appealed to the believers to stop their fighting but many of them would not listen. There were those who had come in, - who professed to be saved, but no work of grace had been effectuated in their hearts and all they wanted to do was cause rows and arguments. In his final words to the elders of Ephesus, Paul lovingly warned them, Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Because of such behaviour, there is as much danger inside the church than there is outside of it! And that is why Paul often sought to bring peace among the people of God, Phil. 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation [exhortation, solace, strength to be gained] in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. He also wrote to the Ephesians, 4:1 I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Was Paul always surrounded by good friends? Yes, often and yet sometimes he wasn t, II Tim. 4:16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. Friendship among the Lord s people is a precious thing, - it proves the love of God, I Jn. 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. No believer has the right to be a stumblingblock to his brother or sister in Christ, - we belong to the family of God, and we ought to behave appropriately, for the sake of the good Name of our Father. Also, if someone says they are a Christian but puts other things before Christ the Bible plainly says, I Jn. 2:15 If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Paul goes on to speak here in II Thess. 2 about being gentle even as a nurse cherisheth her children (v.7) and gentleness must have at its foundation affection (v.8). The nursing mother is devoted to the child, - she holds him in her arms, next to her heart. She makes sacrifices for her child, - her child comes first, - she would not do anything to bring even the slightest danger to the child.

5 5 She would be careful as to how she clothes and feeds the child, - absolute tenderness and care directs her every approach to her child. Should the children of God not take the same care in their dealings with each other? Moses gives us a beautiful picture when he was pleading with the Lord, - he looked upon the children of Israel as his own, Num. 11:12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? 14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. Paul was also like a father to these believers in Thessalonika, just as he was to the believers in Corinth, I Cor. 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. Indeed, he reminded them of his walk before them, v.10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe. None of the assemblies could accuse Paul of double standards or a witness unbecoming of a child of God. His witness and walk were exemplary. His words also (vv.11,12) were words of teaching these new believers in Christ. He didn t lead them to the Saviour, and then let them find their own way afterwards. He did not live in a manner contradictory to the words he spoke. He instructed them how to follow Christ, v.12 that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. He encouraged these new believers, and comforted them. He assured them they belonged to the Lord Jesus, v.13 this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. 14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus. He commended them for their stand in the Gospel, in the midst of rising and severe persecution (v.14b). They were his brethren (vv.14,17 also v.1,9) in the Lord; the Lord had given Paul the privilege (cf. v.2) of making Christ known and the church in Thessalonika was born out of these sinners being saved. Indeed, that was God s purpose for bringing Paul among them even despite the hindrances of men and of the devil (v.18). God s plans can never be thwarted or halted.

6 6 And in His plan He always includes faithful men and women who will lay aside every weight and run with patience the race that is set before them (Heb. 12:1). Paul s faithfulness his friendship and HIS FOCUS (vv.19-20) His focus was to win souls for Christ that the Name of Christ would be glorified. The Christ Whom he served, he longed for others to know and serve Him too. That was His focus in life to glorify God. The souls whom he had wonderfully led to the Saviour would one day give him the joy of presenting each one of them to the Saviour not that he, - Paul, - would boast, but that all of his boasting would be in the Lord, I Cor. 1:31 He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Each and every one of us shall one day stand before the throne of God, and on that day we shall be judged according to our faithfulness, - our works will be judged and the rewards given (Rom. 14:10-12 we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God; I Cor. 4:1-5; II Cor. 5:9-10). Yes, there were some misfits in the church but Paul concentrated on those whom he would present before the Lord. It was a joy for him to look ahead and see those he had led to the Saviour in Heaven. I preached on the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 and how Philip told him he could be saved, v.37 If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Afterwards, I noticed a woman was standing crying and she came over to me and told me her husband who never came to church had come along that morning and wanted to speak with me. Along with her I spoke to him and had the joy of leading him to the Saviour. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones had preached in this particular church, and I m sure he led many people to the Saviour there but on that particular morning the Lord gave me the privilege of leading that man to the Saviour. Just three months afterwards I received a letter from the lady to tell me her husband had died of cancer, and his faith was in the Lord. He believed in the Lord that morning, and he became a child of God, and the Lord took him home. For over seventy years he had been a stranger to the Lord, not interested, and not concerned about his soul s eternal welfare but the Lord, in grace, touched him and saved him.

7 7 More than anything else, what does the Lord require of us? nothing less than this faithfulness and to be faithful He alone must be our Focus. The number of souls we lead to the Saviour is only a part of our overall faithfulness to Christ as our Focus and there is a crown of rejoicing for every believer who gives his/her best to the Lord, - and it is an incorruptible crown (I Cor. 9:25). CONCLUSION The fact God promises us such a crown surely is yet another evidence of His grace. The crown of rejoicing is a reward for faithful service. Once again though, it is a reward that we would never have but for the goodness of God in salvation. How could I ever hope to arrive at being rewarded with this crown of rejoicing?! Me, who was born a sinner, and has so many faults and failings and yet, God not only saved me, He also has a reward waiting for me when I stand before His throne! This crown of rejoicing is in recognition of the influence each of us has in presenting Christ in our witness. It truly is something we do not deserve because, after all, our work is done in His power and to His glory so He deserves all the praise. It is His work, and we are simply His servants and God could simply expect faithful service, and leave it at that! but it is because of His grace that He promises us the crown of rejoicing. This Thessalonian church was going through such persecution and suffering, and perhaps some of them were even tempted to give up. Instead, Paul was saying to them, Keep going on! And don t give up! Lay hold of what Christ has reserved for you and give Him all the glory when you stand in glory and lay your crown of rejoicing at His feet.