Joy and Crown

Scripture Reading

We continue in our series through 1 Thessalonians, and we find ourselves at the end of chapter 2, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. Will you turn in your Bible with me there? 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. So if you get to Hebrews, you've gone too far. If you got to Revelation, you're way too far. Keep coming back. After Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians is tucked in there first and second Thessalonians. First Thessalonians chapter two. If you're using your pew Bible, you're able to find that on page 1049. The sermon this morning will come specifically from verses 17 through 20, the end of that. But for context, I think it's important that we read all of chapter two. 1 Thessalonians chapter two, brothers and sisters, this is the word of God. Every word of it is perfect. Every word of it is true. Let's pay careful attention as we read it. For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain.

But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. For our exaltation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, Even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is our witness, nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.

But we were gentle among you. just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So affectionately longing for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you have become dear to us. For you remember, brethren, that our labor and toil, for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preach to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe.

As you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 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 Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us.

And they do not please God, but 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 utter most. 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.

Prayer for Illumination

For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you? In the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming, for you are our glory and our joy. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We pray now that you, Father, by your Holy Spirit, might impress these words upon our hearts, that you would enlighten our eyes to see the truth of them, and that you might work in us right affections, right desires, that we might mirror Christ. In Jesus' name, amen.

Sermon

There is a pastor and theologian, J.G. Voss. Some of you might have heard of his father. If you're nerdy like me and you like theology, his name was Gerhardus Voss. And he was this big wig, heady, biblical theologian. And his son, J.G. Voss, actually ended up coming into the RP Church and was a missionary. So he wasn't just a brainiac, but he had a heart for people.

And he went to Manchuria. And Manchuria doesn't exist anymore, but it's now in northern China towards Korea. And there he labored for years to the Manchurian people until the communist revolution happened in China and all the Christians were kicked out, all the missionaries were run away.

And I remember talking to one of his students who's now been a professor at Geneva for decades. And he still remembers JG when he would just muse over his time in Manchuria, he would say, I wonder how they're doing. I keep praying for them. I wonder how the people at that church are doing. See, because even though he had moved all the way from Manchuria and then eventually having to come back home to the US, his heart, in a sense, was still with the people he loved, the people he had shared the gospel with in China. And that's where Paul finds himself today. That's where Paul, Timothy, and Silas find themselves longing for the people in Thessalonica, longing For the people there, even though they can't see them face to face.

And so the question for us today is, do we love one another like that? Do we love one another like that? I'd like to propose to you three different words by which we'll hang the sermon on this morning. First is affections, second is desires, and last is proof. Affections.

First Point

First, let's look at the affections that Paul, Timothy, and Silas have, or Silvanus have for the people here. There's this familial affection, this family-like affection, all this imagery that keeps coming up from the writers of 1 Thessalonians. Notice it's we, we, we, we, we, continually all throughout. So this is a committee-drafted paper, right? This is multiple people writing this letter, and they're writing this letter, and what does he call them?

Like a nursing mother in verse seven. Verse eight, the New King James Version is a great translation, but verse eight, it's a little bit weak here. Because you have become dear to us, a better translation is because you have become beloved to us. Verse 11, the family language keeps going.

As you know, we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his own children. They love them like a nursing mother. They love them as beloved. They love them like a father would love his children. In verse 17 it starts, but we brethren. They don't love them as strangers out there, you know, foreigners that they're just preaching the gospel to, but they consider them brothers and sisters in Christ. Brothers.

And there's some graphic imagery in verse 17 that's a little bit lost. A little bit lost in the translation, having been taken away from you. This is the word for having been orphaned. This is like what used to happen in the American South, this horrible time in our country's history when a mother could have her child stripped away from her. And she was sold away into another family, and the child was sold away into another family, and they were ripped apart from one another.

That's the affection that Paul, Silas, and Timothy feel towards this church there, is that they've been torn apart from them. We see that that's what happened in Acts chapter 17 when the Jewish people had built up all the authorities and saying they had a rule where there's no other king and it's just Jesus and they go against Caesar and so they run Paul out of town. They kick him all out and Paul's heart is, yeah, he's in body either in Athens or in Corinth, but his heart is still there in Macedonia. It's still there in Thessalonica.

And this is what Paul feels, not just for the Thessalonians, but in Philippians. The first, maybe it was the second sermon I ever preached in this church as your pastor was Philippians, Philippians chapter one. Paul says this about the Philippians. Philippians chapter one, verses seven and eight.

Just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart. And as much both in my chains and in the defense and the confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness how I greatly long for you with all the affection of Christ. All of his, I love this Greek word. I was talking about it last week, or two weeks ago at the church in Eastville, and I was telling them this is the Greek word, splognon. This is like, I love, down in my kidneys, I just, every ounce and fiber of me, I just love you.

You know, that's the affection that Paul and Timothy and Silvanus have for the people in Thessalonica. They just love them with all the affection of Christ. Their heart is there for them. And can you imagine how reassuring this must have been for the people in Thessalonica? I mean, it was, they'd received the gospel. They had heard the good news of Jesus Christ. They had shared their lives with the apostle and with Timothy and with Silas and they're there and it was so great.

And then all of a sudden there's overnight, everything's turned on its head and he's run out of town. It doesn't hear from him. Were we just a blip on the radar? Does he still love us? And we thought we had this apostle, this sent one from God who would be here and who would lead us and would love us, and we haven't heard from him. Can you imagine how comforting this letter would have been to them, hearing that we haven't forgotten about you? Our hearts are still with you. We cannot be with you in person, but we are there with you in spirit. We love you. We love you.

I remember when I was in a systematic theology class at seminary, seminary is a dangerous place where you can get a big head and a hard heart. Seminary is a really dangerous place where you can get a big head and a hard heart, where you can care so much about theology and so much about all these esoteric topics where you're dealing with five syllable theology words that nobody understands. And I remember Dr. Gamble just looking at us in the middle of a class and he stopped us and he said, men, if you don't love people, Drop out of the program now. If you love your theology more than you love the people of God, you are not meant to be a pastor. Drop out of the MDiv right now.

Because it's here. This is the heart of a pastor towards the people. This is the heart of what it means to be part of the family of God. There was a pastor in our denomination, Steve Miller. He's now with the Lord. He passed away from ALS a few years ago. And I remember him talking. He was a missionary in Eritrea. And as he was there, there was a man who became a Christian. And if you don't know anything about Eritrea, it's this Eastern African country that's Muslim majority and not very friendly for Christians. And this man had come to Christ. And Steve Miller had discipled him. And eventually, this man became a pastor in Eritrea.

And then he got word that he had been arrested, torn from his family, arrested. And I remember Steve saying, I feel like I gave that man his death certificate. So even though this guy was all the way out in Africa, and Steve was all the way in Beaver Falls, his heart was still there for this man, still praying with him, still desiring that God might rescue him out of the oppressive hands. that he had found him in. This is the heart that Paul, Timothy, and Silvanus have here. They love them. I love them.

One last illustration of this story just to push the idea a little bit further. I was listening to Alistair Begg just this past week and he was speaking of a church out in Scotland where the pastor and the session just weren't getting along. They were having some conflict and it was long session meetings and the clerk of session wrote the pastor a little note and he said, pastor, I understand where you're coming from. But if you could lecture us just a little bit more, or lecture us just a little bit less, and show us you love us a little bit more, you might get more of what you want.

I'm going to just publicly say one of the reasons why it was a blessing to come here, one of the things we were looking for were deacons who loved the people, and elders who loved the people. You all have been blessed. with elders and deacons who love people. That's not universal across all churches. Thank God for elders who love the people of God.

The writers go even further than this with their affections, right? I mean, it's like heaping it upon themselves. What do they say more than just this? Look at me at the text, 1 Thessalonians chapter two. Well, I got out of 1 Thessalonians, I gotta get back there, sorry. 1 Thessalonians chapter two. He said, for what is our hope, verse 19, for what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ is coming for you are our glory and our joy.

Did you hear the four things that they call the people in Thessalonica, their hope, their joy, their crown of boasting, their glory. The pastors of this church had a hope and an expectation that at the coming of the day of the Lord, when judgment would come, that the people of the church would have a good testimony, that they might have endured to the end, that they would be able to give their testimony with joy at that last great day. They had hope in God and what he was doing in the people, that God would accept the people there.

They were their joy. It rejoices their hearts. It rejoices my heart. Just me speaking to you, it rejoices my heart when every once in a while I'm preaching, it doesn't happen very often, I'm not that bright of a preacher, but every once in a while I'll say something and your face visibly lights up because a light bulb goes off and somebody goes, And they get it and rejoices my heart. It rejoices my heart when I get to be back there and talking to the children about this service after church. And a four-year-old comes up to me and says, Jesus is my righteousness. I say, you got it. You got it. It rejoices the elders' hearts when we hear of people coming and giving their testimony and taking the public vows of community membership. It rejoices your elders' hearts to see these things happen. Indeed, that's what Hebrews chapter 13, we're gonna look there just for a second. Hebrews chapter 13 gives this double-sided admonition here. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17.

Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy. and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." That never scares me. Did you hear what it said about Jim, about John, about me? Not only do I have to give an account for myself at that last great day, But I used to think it was scary for me because I would have to give an account for you. But brothers and sisters, as I've studied more and more about that last great day and thought more and more about this, this is a joy. This is a joy.

Because in Revelations chapter four, verse 10, Revelation 4.10, when it also talks about the crown, look with me at Revelation 4.10.

I know we're jumping around a little bit, but we need to hear Revelation 4.10. The 24 elders fall down before him, who sit on the throne and worship him, who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to give glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. The elders get to present to Christ the one sitting upon the throne, his people.

And with great joy on that great last day, say, here is your bride is the chaste version. Here are your people who love you. Here are those who have been cleansed by the blood of the lamb. It is my joy to week in and week out remind you of the love and washing of Jesus Christ. It is the great privilege and joy of my life. to stand before you week by week and to bring you to your groom, Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, this is the joy that Paul, Timothy, and Silas have for them. They are their crown of boasting.

This isn't some type of boasting that's, you know, on the football field that gets unsportsmanlike conduct called on the player. But this is, God, look what you've done. Look at your people. Look at those whom you have redeemed, God. They were fit for destruction. You took them out of that state and made them objects for royal use. You have loved them, you have cared for them. And they are more beautiful today than the day you saved them. This is the crown of boasting that they have. But it's matched by a desire, right? It's easy to say these things.

Oh, I love you guys. You guys are my joy. Let me tell you, sometimes it can be a grief to be an elder, right? Because I know my sinfulness, and I know I'm a grief to my wife. And so just because you love someone doesn't mean it's always a perfect relationship. But there's a matched desire with that.

What does Paul say? Look with me again at 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. First Thessalonians chapter two, verse 18, or verse 17 first. We 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.

There is a zealousness. to see them face to face. There was this desire deep within them that they wanted to see them again. They didn't make an evangelistic notch on their belt, give them a gospel track and say, figure it out on your own and we're off and we're doing other things. No, they loved them and they tried to go back. They wanted to see them face to face. This is what Hebrews chapter 10, 24, or 10, 24, and 25 tell us, right?

Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. We gather together and we need to encourage one another. We have this longing to be with each other. So many of you last year as the pandemic was going on and as we did the online church for what seemed like forever, thank you, Devin, for your help with that, But there was this innate desire, like, we just need to get back together. We need to be back together. Brothers and sisters, it has been two years since some of our congregations in Canada have been able to meet together, have gone underground and met in house church situations, and are now not even allowed to do that as police officers are literally watching their houses to see if people are going to get together for church. and they're having to fake like they're going for hikes in places so they can meet together. This is the reality that there's this desire to be together.

I remember an old woman in our congregation, Ms. Schaefer, she's with the Lord now, and I was talking to her after church one time, and she was just saying, you know, I just wanna be with the people at Eastvale. I just wanna meet together with God's people. And there's just that reality that these are our brothers, these are our sisters, these are the kindred in the faith.

These are the people whom we can tell things that people in my family don't get. There are family members that I can go, and I just went to yesterday to see at a funeral, and I'm telling you the truth. I'm closer to some of you than I am to some of my own family members who aren't Christians, because there is a bond of foundational hope in our hearts. It's deeper than what I have with them.

Because when we come together for worship, it's the corporate body of Christ. It's the bride of Christ coming together. It's the body of Christ loving one another. That's a real danger. There's two dangers in modern evangelicalism. One is a problem that's been going on for a long time, and that's me-centered worship. Me-centered sermons. Me-centered worship experience. I just need to be entertained. I just need to sit, and if I don't like it, then I'm going to go.

I hope you don't treat your kids and your spouse like that. But the other danger is a real danger that we see with a lot of churches. And there are some of our brothers and sisters who physically can't come to worship anymore. And we should still be encouraging them who are joining online. Because they aren't getting the full, I don't want to call it half church, but it feels like that. And when you're not gathered with God's people singing his word, admonishing, encouraging, building one another up.

It's too easy to be online where you don't have to authentically interact with other people, where you can't be, you know, people can't challenge you about your belief systems or about your behavior if you're online and you can just turn it off when you're done. Or if you're like me, you get distracted by a Facebook post later on and then you're like, well, hold on, I was watching a sermon, I gotta go back.

There's a real danger to online church that we need to be careful of. And we shouldn't be surprised by that. We shouldn't be surprised because Satan hates worship. Now, let me say it again. We shouldn't be surprised that the world wants to go towards me type worship services, wants to move towards just straight online, more individualized, because Satan hates the corporate gathering of the church. The visible manifestation of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ's bride getting together. Satan hates it. Have you ever wondered why? I was listening to an elder one time complain to a pastor. No, no, this was a story I heard. I'm stealing this illustration from Joel Wood.

And Joel was saying, there was an elder who was saying, I don't get how people can come to their doctor's appointments on time, or they can make it to school on time, or they can make it to work on time, but it's like they just can't get to church. Why won't people just get to church on time? And Joel said, because all the forces of hell and Satan aren't trying to keep people from getting to school and their doctor's office, but they are to keep them from getting to church. Let me say that again. Satan does not want you to be here this morning. Have you ever wondered why your children move extra slow when you're trying to get ready for church?

Once, even twice, Paul was hindered. How he was hindered by Satan, he doesn't tell us. Maybe he was sick. Maybe there was active opposition from the Jewish people where they were at in Thessalonica, or maybe he thought that there was some a ship voyage that the captain wouldn't let them get on, whatever the situation was, it was obviously that Satan had moved somebody's heart against the mission to get back to Thessalonica. Satan tried to keep him from them. Satan tried to. But all this desire to get back and all these affections though, we need to ask ourselves, Why? All right, why? Why does he feel this way? Why spend all this time on here? Why, why? Why would he write this section? Go ahead and turn your Bibles with me to John chapter 13. It's the last place we'll turn this morning, John chapter 13. Jesus is about to die. This is Jesus's last night alive. This is Jesus at the feast of the Passover.

And as verse one tells us, he knew that his hour had come and that he would depart from the world to his father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. And Jesus shows that love first by washing his disciples' feet. Jesus has this affection, this longing, this desire for his people, this protecting love, this service love, this never-ending, enduring love for his people that even at his last hour, he's doing the menial work of washing his people's feet. I don't know about you, but if I had one last moment to live, I don't think I would come around to each of you and ask if I can give you a pedicure. But Jesus sees a need and he cares for them. Jesus sees a need and he loves them.

He gives them a memorial meal, a sacrament to remember his covenant love until he returns again. He pours out his love for them. And what does he say in verse 35? Look with me what he says. We'll start with verse 33. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek me. And as I said to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. So now I say to you, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another."

Why is it right for Paul to feel this way about the Philippians? because Christ feels that way about his people. Why is it okay for Timothy to feel this way about the people in Thessalonica? Because Jesus loves his people this way. Why is it okay, as 2 Corinthians tells us, that Titus has an enduring love for the people in Corinth? Because Jesus has an enduring love for Corinth. Why is it okay that I have a rejoicing in you? Because Jesus loves you with a never-ending love. because Jesus loves his people.

He has seen them to the very end. This is why we love one another. This is the proof of our love for him if we love one another. On your handouts, you have a back sheet with lots of typing in it. You have the three words, affection, desires, and proof, but on the backside are a whole slew of verses for the one another's of scripture. This is the proof. Are we united with one another? Do we serve one another? Do we admonish one another? Do we encourage each other?

It's too easy for the church to be what we come and just, hear a sermon, feel good, walk out the door. But I challenge you to go through those verses and ask, Jesus loves this way. Do I love others in the church this way? Do I rejoice in the people of God? Brothers and sisters, Jesus loves you.

You, you are Jesus Christ's crown and glory, his joy. You might not feel it. Indeed, as you have to come to him and repent and ask forgiveness, Jesus Christ rejoices in you. You are the diadem upon his crown. You are the one whom he has loved with an everlasting love if you trust in Jesus Christ. And He loves with a never-ending love. He smiles upon you. He rejoices in you.

Closing Prayer

Let us rejoice in Him. Let's pray. Oh Father, what great love you have poured out upon us. That while we were sinners, Christ died for us. And he lives for us now as our King. Father, we pray that you would give us a joy in our heart as a result of this. Give us assurance of your love. Let us cling to Christ and show that love to others around us. In Jesus's name.