0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible radio
0:09 featuring best-selling author an
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher
0:14 Warren where's be reading 1st
0:16 Thessalonians chapter 2 beginning at
0:19 verse 13 and concluding with verse 16
0:22 for this reason we also thank God
0:24 without ceasing because when you
0:26 received the Word of God which you heard
0:29 from us you welcomed it not as the word
0:32 of men but as it is in truth the Word of
0:35 God which also effectively works in you
0:39 who believe for you brethren became
0:41 imitators of the Churches of God which
0:44 are in Judea in Christ Jesus for you
0:47 also suffered the same things from your
0:50 own countrymen just as they did from the
0:52 Jews who killed both of the Lord Jesus
0:54 and their own prophets and have
0:58 persecuted us and they do not please God
1:01 and are contrary to all men forbidding
1:03 us to speak to the Gentiles that they
1:07 may be saved so as always to fill up the
1:10 measure of their sins but wrath has come
1:14 upon them to the uttermost the
1:16 Thessalonians believers were not
1:19 surprised when persecution came Paul had
1:22 prepared them for it in fact in chapter
1:25 3 of first Thessalonians in verse 4 you
1:28 read for in fact we told you before when
1:30 we were with you that we would suffer
1:34 tribulation just as it happened and you
1:36 know this word tribulation means
1:40 pressures it means the the pressures
1:43 around us the inward trials of life that
1:45 come because of the pressures around us
1:48 now the people in Thessalonica had not
1:50 been saved very long and they were going
1:53 through intense persecution in fact
1:56 chapter 1 verse 6 says you became
1:58 followers of us and of the Lord having
2:02 received the word in much affliction
2:05 from God's viewpoint persecution is a
2:07 good way for us to find out if we're
2:09 really born-again those who are not
2:11 truly born again just fall by the
2:13 wayside someone says oh they lost their
2:16 salvation no they never had it there was
2:19 merely a profession without a true PO
2:21 session but those who are truly born
2:23 again though they may have trials and
2:25 tribulations they have roots and they
2:28 grow tribulation should help us to grow
2:31 from God's viewpoint now from the
2:34 devil's viewpoint he sends tribulation
2:36 that he might wreck us he wants to
2:39 destroy the church he wants to shake us
2:41 and he wants to silence us
2:45 1st Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 3 that
2:48 no one should be shaken by these
2:51 afflictions for you yourselves know that
2:53 we are appointed to this why be
2:56 surprised Peter wrote and said don't
2:58 think it's something strange concerning
3:01 this fiery trial which is to try you as
3:03 though some strange thing is happening
3:07 today in our affluent easy society
3:08 there's not a great deal of persecution
3:10 against the church collectively but
3:12 individual Christians go through it
3:15 there are some people who are persecuted
3:17 just for going to church they come home
3:19 in the family laughs at them perhaps as
3:22 a godly wife she comes home from church
3:23 and her husband says why don't you just
3:26 move down there why don't you just go
3:29 down there and stay with those people or
3:31 perhaps you have godly parents who are
3:34 being persecuted by friends or neighbors
3:38 or or perhaps on the job all of us have
3:40 had occasion of being persecuted on the
3:42 job just the way people look and laugh
3:47 and the things they say persecution now
3:49 when you are persecuted because of your
3:52 faith in Jesus Christ just follow the
3:54 instructions that Paul gives here and
3:56 you will make it you'll get through it
3:59 and it will help you it won't hurt you
4:02 instruction number one he says look back
4:05 just look back and remember persecution
4:08 is not new for you brethren became
4:11 imitators of the Churches of God which
4:14 are in Judea in Christ Jesus all right
4:17 churches before you have been persecuted
4:20 for you also suffered the same things
4:22 from your own countrymen that's the
4:24 Gentiles just as they did from the Jews
4:27 Paul's not saying that the Jewish people
4:29 are the only persecutors he's saying the
4:32 Gentiles have had their share as well
4:34 look back and remember other churches
4:37 other Christians have suffered
4:40 persecution we have a tendency to
4:41 believe that when we are going through
4:43 suffering were the only ones who have
4:46 ever been through this recently I read a
4:49 book about the persecution of Christians
4:52 in Korea an interesting book a
4:54 heartbreaking book to see what was done
4:57 against the church there are more
5:00 martyrs today than people realize there
5:03 is persecution nothing new about
5:05 persecution look back persecution is not
5:07 new the churches have been persecuted
5:10 look at your Lord Jesus Christ verse 15
5:13 who killed the Lord Jesus and their own
5:16 prophets the Lord Jesus Christ went
5:18 through it he does not ask us to
5:20 experience anything he has not himself
5:24 experienced we must remember that Jesus
5:27 has suffered just as we suffer and so
5:29 the next time somebody lies about you
5:31 persecute you makes life difficult for
5:33 you remember this is the Fellowship of
5:35 his sufferings when people start
5:37 treating us the way they treated the
5:39 Lord Jesus we've been promoted the
5:41 Fellowship of his sufferings now the
5:44 prophets also suffered verse 15 they
5:47 killed their own prophets we are in good
5:49 company when we are going through
5:52 persecution because Isaiah went through
5:55 it so did Jeremiah all the prophets that
5:58 were sent by the Lord had some form of
6:02 rejection some were killed some were put
6:04 in prison listen to what the Lord Jesus
6:09 had to say Matthew chapter 23 verses 34
6:12 and 35 therefore indeed I send you
6:16 prophets wise men and scribes some of
6:18 them you will kill and crucify and some
6:20 of them you will scourge in your
6:24 synagogues and persecute from city to
6:27 city that on you may come all the
6:30 righteous blood shed on the earth from
6:33 the blood of righteous Abel there's the
6:36 first martyr back in Genesis chapter 4 -
6:38 the blood of zechariah the son of
6:41 berechiah whom you murdered between the
6:44 temple and the altar here's a record of
6:46 persecution isn't
6:48 the profits went through it and you and
6:51 I are going to have the same experience
6:53 now it's a privilege to experience this
6:56 Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 5
7:00 verses 10 11 and 12 blessed are those
7:02 who are persecuted for righteousness
7:05 sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
7:09 that's Matthew chapter 5 verse 10 notice
7:11 the persecution comes for righteousness
7:14 sake not because we've made nuisances of
7:18 ourselves blessed are you when they
7:21 revile and persecute you and say all
7:25 kinds of evil against you falsely notice
7:27 it has to be falsely for my sake
7:30 notice it's because of Jesus here are
7:32 three conditions now that must be met if
7:34 we're going to get a blessing out of
7:36 persecution number one it has to be for
7:38 righteousness sake we have obeyed God
7:41 number two their accusations must be
7:43 false and number three it must be for
7:45 Jesus sake rejoice and be exceedingly
7:48 glad for great is your reward in heaven
7:51 for so they persecuted the prophets who
7:52 were before you
7:56 we are marching in the Train of a great
7:59 host of godly people when we're being
8:01 persecuted so when you are going through
8:03 difficulty because you've stood up for
8:05 the Lord look back and remember other
8:08 Christians have suffered Jesus suffered
8:11 the prophets have suffered the Lord
8:13 Jesus says there is a blessing in it
8:16 secondly Paul instructs us in 1st
8:19 Thessalonians 2 to look within the end
8:22 of verse 15 they do not please God and
8:26 are contrary to all men realize that the
8:29 problem with these people is within
8:32 there's something in their hearts that
8:32 is wrong
8:35 they have not responded to the Word of
8:37 God you see you and I are being
8:41 persecuted because we respond to the
8:45 word of the Living God John chapter 17
8:50 John chapter 17 and verse 14 I have
8:53 given them your word and the world has
8:56 hated them because they are not of the
8:57 world just as I am NOT a
9:00 world notice that we have the Word of
9:01 God and because we have the Word of God
9:04 and we share the Word of God we try to
9:07 practice the Word of God they hate us in
9:10 1st Thessalonians 2:13 Paul said now you
9:12 receive the Word of God but not
9:13 everybody receives the Word of God these
9:16 people rejected the Word of God who
9:18 persecuted the Thessalonians Saints
9:21 there's a third instruction he gives us
9:24 he tells us to look ahead notice in
9:28 verse 16 so as always to fill up the
9:30 measure of their sins but wrath has come
9:34 upon them to the uttermost he said these
9:37 people as they persecute us are helping
9:40 us and hurting themselves as interesting
9:41 they're helping us to grow in the
9:44 Christian life they're helping us to be
9:45 testimonies for the Lord and they're
9:46 hurting themselves
9:49 Paul is picturing each one of them as a
9:52 vessel and as they disobey God and hurt
9:56 God's people that vessel is being filled
10:00 up more and more and more until finally
10:04 when it is completely filled up they are
10:06 going to receive the judgment of God the
10:10 Lord Jesus talked about this in Matthew
10:15 chapter 23 didn't he Matthew 23 32 fill
10:19 up then the measure of your father's
10:23 guilt Genesis chapter 15 verse 16 God
10:26 uses this same image he says the the
10:28 iniquity of the amorite has not yet fall
10:33 God patiently waited and then in 70 AD
10:36 the city of Jerusalem was destroyed the
10:38 temple was destroyed and of course in
10:41 the future ultimately there is going to
10:44 be eternal judgment well if you don't
10:47 know Jesus as your Savior the wrath of
10:49 God is upon you now he that believeth on
10:51 him is not condemned he that believeth
10:54 not is condemned already because he has
10:56 not believed in the name of the only
11:01 begotten Son of God if you are suffering
11:03 for the faith rejoice God is blessing
11:07 you if you are causing others to suffer
11:10 beware you are filling up the measure
11:13 the wrath of God and one day that
11:20 the Apostle Paul was not only a man with
11:22 a brilliant mind but he was a man with a
11:25 tender heart and you can certainly feel
11:28 the tenderness of Paul's heart his
11:31 affection for God's people as you read
11:34 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 and verses
11:38 17 through 20 but we brethren having
11:40 been taken away from you for a short
11:43 time in presence not in heart endeavored
11:46 more eagerly to see your face with great
11:50 desire therefore we wanted to come to
11:53 you even I Paul time and again but Satan
11:56 hindered us for what is our hope or joy
12:00 or crown of rejoicing is it not even you
12:03 in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ
12:08 at his coming for you are our glory and
12:13 joy you see Paul knew what it was
12:15 to go through hardship and difficulty
12:19 and in these verses he tells us what he
12:20 went through and what we should expect
12:24 in the Christian life to begin with the
12:28 Christian life has its heart aches we
12:30 brethren having been taken away from you
12:33 for a short time in presence not in
12:37 heart endeavored more eagerly to see
12:40 your face with great desire Paul was a
12:43 man with an aching heart he had led
12:45 these people to Christ in Thessalonica
12:49 had been with him only a short time now
12:51 he had to leave them he went down to
12:53 Berea then he went down to Athens and he
12:57 was left alone in Athens he sent Timothy
12:59 back to help the situation in
13:02 Thessalonica Silas was off ministering
13:06 somewhere else here is Paul experiencing
13:09 his heart ache because he loved people
13:13 you see love involves both joy and pain
13:16 in verse 20 Paul says for you are our
13:19 glory and joy and yet the same people
13:22 who bring joy to you can also bring pain
13:24 to you when you love someone you want to
13:26 be with that person when you're
13:28 separated from that person you feel it
13:31 down inside there's an emptiness and a
13:34 came down inside the word translated
13:36 taken away from you in verse 17
13:39 literally means orphaned I was orphaned
13:42 from you he seized the church as a
13:46 family and he said Here I am an isolated
13:49 orphan out here and I am waiting for
13:51 Timothy to come and tell me what's going
13:54 on the Christian life involves
13:57 heartaches why because we love people
14:00 because we love people and want them to
14:04 grow paul's love for them was was so
14:06 obvious and their love for paul was
14:08 obvious chapter three verse six timothy
14:12 brought good news of your faith and love
14:14 and that you always have good
14:16 remembrance of us greatly desiring to
14:19 see us as we also to see you
14:21 you see paul was not able to go back to
14:24 Thessalonica some scholars think that
14:27 the city posted a peace bond against him
14:30 timothy could go back apparently silas
14:32 could go back timothy of course was part
14:34 gentile that would be in his favor
14:36 they did not want Paul back in
14:39 Thessalonica and so here is Paul first
14:42 in Athens and then at Corinth with this
14:45 heart ache loving God's people there in
14:49 Thessalonica wondering what is going on
14:52 I hope you pray for your pastor every
14:54 day because the Christian life and the
14:57 Christian ministry have their heart
15:00 aches the way Paul wept over the people
15:03 at Corinth or the people at Philippi he
15:05 said he said to the people at Philippi I
15:08 tell you now even weeping they are the
15:10 enemies of the cross of Christ only
15:14 eternity will reveal how many tears and
15:17 how many heartbreaks pastors
15:19 missionaries Sunday School teachers
15:21 faithful deacons and elders have
15:24 experienced because of the people of God
15:26 oh I pray that God will help me to be an
15:29 encouragement to my pastor not a
15:33 discouragement to him secondly I know
15:34 that the Christian life has its
15:38 hindrances verse 18 therefore we wanted
15:40 to come to you even I Paul time and
15:43 again but Satan hindered us now I don't
15:44 know how Satan
15:47 during him but even an apostle can be
15:49 hindered that's amazing here's a man who
15:51 did miracles here's a man who had a
15:54 face-to-face fellowship with the Lord
15:56 here's a man who saw visions here's a
15:59 man on whom God's power rested in a
16:02 wonderful way and yet he was not able to
16:05 make that trip and go back to
16:08 Thessalonica Satan hindered him of
16:10 course this raises the question did God
16:11 want him back there
16:13 we don't know we do know that God
16:15 accomplishes his will and that Satan
16:18 himself cannot keep God from
16:20 accomplishing his purposes but Paul
16:22 tells us Satan hindered as the Christian
16:24 life has its hindrances there are things
16:26 we'd like to do at the broadcast but
16:28 somehow we're hindered there are things
16:31 that churches would like to do they feel
16:32 that this is in the will of God but
16:34 somehow they are hindered this word
16:36 hindered is an interesting word so
16:39 military word it means to break up a
16:42 road so the army can't get through Oh
16:45 Satan is good at that satan is good at
16:48 going on the path and breaking it up
16:50 putting all kinds of obstacles in the
16:51 way sometimes the obstacles are
16:54 backslidden Christians sometimes the
16:56 church can't move forward in the battle
17:00 because there are people standing in the
17:03 way the word also means to break through
17:06 the enemy line here God has set up his
17:10 line of defense and then some soldier
17:12 lets the devil get through I don't want
17:15 to be guilty of allowing Satan to get
17:18 into the territory Paul tells us in
17:21 Ephesians not to give place to the devil
17:23 not to give a beachhead to the devil
17:26 I think the Great Wall of China was
17:30 gotten through three times by the enemy
17:32 and all three times they bribed the
17:35 guards the wall kept them out the guards
17:38 let them in God has a wall of separation
17:41 put up and the devil can't go beyond
17:44 that wall but we let him in oh we give
17:46 place to the devil with anger and
17:49 carrying grudges our prayerlessness our
17:52 carelessness the Christian life has its
17:56 hindrances this word hindered in verse
17:58 18 also me
18:03 to cut in on somebody in a race here are
18:04 people running down the racetrack and
18:07 somebody cuts in on the other person and
18:10 almost knocks that person down gets in
18:10 the way
18:13 it's the same word Paul uses in
18:17 Galatians chapter 5 and verse 7 when he
18:20 said you ran well who hindered you who
18:23 cut in on you to keep you from obeying
18:25 the truth the devil has a way of getting
18:28 in on the race doesn't he
18:30 there are hindrances to the Christian
18:32 life and yet he prayed that God would
18:36 open the way verse 11 of chapter 3 now
18:40 may our God and Father himself and our
18:43 Lord Jesus Christ direct our way to you
18:46 the Greek word direct means to clear the
18:49 way he prayed that God might clear the
18:51 obstacles away so that he might take the
18:55 road and go to Thessalonica even though
18:57 we've been hindered it's good to keep
18:59 desiring it's good to keep planning it's
19:02 good to keep praying you never know when
19:05 God may open the way well the Christian
19:09 life has its heart aches expect them the
19:12 Christian life has its hindrances expect
19:14 them but don't end on a negative note in
19:17 1st Thessalonians 2 verses 19 and 20
19:20 Paul tells us the Christian life has its
19:24 hopes for what is our hope or joy or
19:27 crown of rejoicing is it not even you in
19:30 the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at
19:34 his coming for you are our glory and joy
19:37 right now Paul moves into the future
19:40 tense when you face life with it's
19:43 heartaches and with its hindrances don't
19:46 forget the hopes when the outlook is grim
19:46 grim
19:49 try the up.look it always works every
19:52 chapter in first Thessalonians ends with
19:54 a reference to the second coming of
19:56 Jesus Christ Paul is saying Here I am
20:00 alone I'm waiting now for Timothy to
20:02 show up Timothy finally came and Paul
20:04 wrote this letter and sent it back with
20:07 him but while he was alone what was it
20:10 that kept him going the heart aches no
20:12 no the hindrance
20:16 no no the hopes what was his hope number
20:19 one Jesus was going to come again and
20:23 when Jesus comes again separation will
20:26 be replaced by reunion when Jesus comes
20:29 again sorrow will be turned into joy
20:33 heart ache will become happiness shame
20:37 will turn into glory sacrifices will
20:40 receive their reward now what is our hope
20:41 hope
20:45 what is our joy and what is our crown we
20:49 may not realize our hopes today we may
20:53 not experience our joys of ministry
20:56 today we may not receive that crown of
20:59 rejoicing today God never promises that
21:00 we will in the world you shall have
21:03 tribulation but be of good cheer I have
21:05 overcome the world
21:08 what is Paul saying here Paul is saying
21:11 I may not realize all of these things
21:13 today but I know this I will realize
21:16 them one day at the throne of Jesus
21:20 Christ what is heart ache today is going
21:22 to be happiness tomorrow now let me say
21:24 a word of encouragement to my fellow
21:26 ministers there are people that were
21:28 ministering to that break our hearts
21:31 there are situations that just tear our
21:34 hearts one of these days we're going to
21:37 see what God has really done when the
21:40 Lord Jesus Christ comes the king is in
21:44 control the king is on the throne
21:45 it must have encouraged Paul
21:48 tremendously to know that even though he
21:50 had his heartaches
21:53 even though he had his hindrances there
21:57 was a savior in glory who was on the
22:00 throne in control of everything you may
22:02 be ready to quit today
22:04 you may be saying it's not worth it I'm
22:06 trying to hold the line and some of the
22:08 fellow soldiers are letting the devil
22:11 through the line he's getting into our
22:14 territory it's not worth it yes it is
22:17 yes it is one day when you stand before
22:20 the Lord and you see those that you've
22:22 influenced those that you've helped to
22:24 win through you're giving your praying
22:25 your wit
22:27 saying you're serving when you see them
22:29 you're going to be glad that you did it
22:32 it will be worth it all when we see
22:36 Jesus thanks for being a part of our
22:38 back to the Bible listening family so be
22:40 sure to come back again for more wisdom
22:43 from God's Word join us again on back to
22:44 the Bible radio [Music]
