Genuine Christianity - Studies in 1 Thessalonians - 7
A Genuine Battle
Today we are looking at the last four verses of 1Thessalanians chapter 2. When you seek to live as a genuine Christian in the world it's not long before you meet the hostility of Satan. Paul knew he was in a spiritual battle. He says in verse 18, "For wanted to come again to you, but Satan stopped us". What are we to make of this statement that Satan stopped him? How does it affect our understanding of the battle we are in?
We see two things. First, Satan is allowed limited activity. We read in 1 Peter 5 verse 8, "Your enemy the
Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour". But he is toothless! Christ pulled his teeth at Calvary on the cross. Satan cannot tear you apart. He is a lion on a long chain. He walks around only as far as God permits. He is under God's control. God will decide how much slack he will allow on the chain! In God's purposes for the moment Satan is allowed a certain influence.
How did this affect Paul? He says in verse 17, "We made every effort to see you". This was his honest intention
When he says, "Satan stopped us", he is not looking for an excuse to justify any neglect. There was not any. For some reason and in some way Satan was permitted to hinder Paul from returning immediately returning to Thessalonica. We don not know how he did this. We do know that Satan uses human instruments to manipulate circumstances.
We read in Ephesians 6 verse 12,"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms". Behind any 'flesh and blood' opposition to the Gospel lurks the evil one. We can only guess how Satan stopped Paul. He may have orchestrated a Jewish plot to kill him as soon as he reappeared in Thessalonica. So Paul stayed away. He may have stirred up a sinful scandal in Corinth simply to keep Paul occupied there. Satan is sometimes allowed a season in your life. But remember this, the scripture says in Romans 8 verse 39, "Nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord". Satan is a created being. When he is permitted to try you it does not mean that God has stopped loving you.
There is divine purpose in it. In that same chapter of Romans Paul says in verse 28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. "Even Satan's malicious attacks will work out for your good in the end. What appeared to be a success for Satan, stopping Paul as he did, actually worked out to be a blessing.
There was blessing for Paul. He stayed alive. If there was a plot to take his life in Thessalonica then it was foiled by him staying away. There was blessing elsewhere. What happened when Satan had Paul thrown out of Thessalonica? He went to many other towns. The Gospel was spread further.
There was blessing for the church at Thessalonica. They had to learn quickly to stand on their own feet without Paul. This caused them to depend more on the Lord. They grew faster spiritually. We have to push against Satan to build up our spiritual biceps! There was blessing for the Church of every subsequent generation. Because Paul was separated from the believers at Thessalonica he wrote two letters to them. We would never have had these two letters of joy, instruction, comfort and insight if Satan had not stopped Paul.
So God in his wisdom will give Satan some play on the chain to fulfil his purposes for the protection of his people and the growth of his Kingdom. William Gurnall said, "The Devil sometimes borrows God's bow to shoot his arrows from."
Secondly, Satan is not allowed ultimate victory. Paul says in verses 19 and 20, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed you are our glory and joy". It is as though Paul is saying, "if I may never see you on earth again, I will see you in glory!"
As it happened Paul did visit Thessalonica on his third missionary journey. He teaches us two encouraging truths. First, he knew that every genuine convert in Thessalonica will reach heaven. He believed in the perseverance of the saints. He rejoiced in the security of the believer in Christ. Jesus tells you in John 10 verse 28, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand"
Paul will see them in heaven. Secondly, he shows that Satan's malice wont stop them getting to glory. Satan has many wiles. He has numerous temptations. To quote William Gurnall again, he said, "No player has so many dresses to come in upon the stage with as the Devil has forms of temptations." That is true!
We may falter sometimes because he is such a wily character.
We may not always be what we should, and often we need to come to the Lord to seek his forgiveness. Yet Satan will never stop us from meeting the Lord in the air. So sure is Paul that he calls the believers "our hope." In the New Testament "hope" is an expectation not yet fulfilled, but it will definitely be fulfilled in the future. New Testament hope is not a vague thing, as it has come to mean in English today. It is a certain thing.
The believers are his "Joy". The growth and development of your fellow believers should be a source of real joy to you as you see them coming on in the things of God. Where do you go to find your joy? Is it amongst the Lord's people or in the world?
The Thessalonians were Paul's "crown". When he gets to heaven and sees them there, this will be the crown of all his prayers and efforts. We must have that same attitude and work to see as many people as possible in heaven. One preacher said about the goal of his ministry, "I want to see hell empty and heaven full!"
Paul says that they are his "crown" and "joy" because they were the fruit of his labour and the delight of his heart. Paul lived for nothing else but the prosperity of God's kingdom and the building up of believers. One of Satan's wiles is to fill our lives with worldly distractions. He wants our minds to be taken off the main priority of being concerned about seeing many people in heaven. He wants us to influence as few for Christ as possible.
Are we concerned enough to tell others about the Lord? The ultimate victory belongs to Christ. So live for Him. Work for Him. Win others to Him. Do not be side-tracked by Satan. When he opposes look for the good God intends to bring out of it.