1 Thessalonians 2:13 "Thank God for Spiritual Progress under the Word of God !"

“And we also thank God  constantly for this ….” (2:13). Reading the letters of Paul  sometimes feels  like  dropping in on a conversation  between the apostle Paul and  God.   Paul’s letters  are not only  theology  soaked in prayer, but the people to whom he communicates this theology are themselves  taken up  in his constant prayers  to God.   Let me show you this by taking  you through  a  ‘quick tour’ of this letter:

Ø  1:2 :  “We give thanks to God always  for all of you, constantly mentioning  you in our prayers, remembering  before our God and father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ…” .

Ø   In  2: 13 he continues to   reveal to the Thessalonian Christians  the prayer of his heart: "And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

Ø   In  3: 9-10   he continues: For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

Ø   And finally  in  5: 17-18  he  exhorts the Thessalonians to be involved in this great work of prayer:  “pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

Ø   Following this in  5: 23,24  he prays for them:  “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. “

Ø  … after which he  asks them to pray for  him and the ministry which he   is involved: “Brothers, pray for us.”  5:25 . Prayer   begets prayer ! Prayer  is  a vital mark  of a God- centered man, and a God centered man  will do everything in his strength  to export this attitude to the congregation (5:17).  So much for Paul’s prayerful heart. 

In   verse  13  we see that   the apostle Paul  continues to give   constant thanks  for this new miracle – this new church in Thessalonica[1], a bunch of people  who,  as we saw, turned from idols  to serve the  living and true God (1:9) –  thus becoming God- centered people!  What a blessing , and what a joy when we  see churches  born  that are  filled with people  turning  from idolatry  to the living God , and so we  take note once again how  thankful Paul is  not only to see  these people converted, but  also obedient  to the Lord  in whom they had believed, and so he writes :   

2:13  And we also  thank God constantly [2] for this, that when you received  the word of God,  which you heard from us, you accepted it not as  the word of men  but as what it  really  is,  the  word of God,  which   is at work  in you  believers.

The reason for Paul’s thankfulness (and we can learn much from this)  is twofold:  
(i)  They had  received[3] the word of God  and 
(ii)  they  had  accepted[4] the  word of God.  The first  refers to “the hearing of the ear” while the second refers to “the hearing of the heart.”  Many hear, but not all hear  with the heart.  A changed heart  leads to a changed life,  a God centered life , in which   God is loved and in which the  people of God are  loved , and  in which a lost world is loved through active evangelism  and missionary activity.    

Notice  the manner in which they received the  Word of God into their heart.  Paul  says, “you accepted it not as  the word of men  but as what it  really  is,  the  word of God,  which   is at work  in you  believers.”

The Thessalonians   knew that the  word that they had received was not a man- made message. Hear this!  The Bible or the gospel is not a man -made message.  Many treat it as such, and therefore  the gospel  never penetrates their hearts. Hear this! The word of God  is not a man – made message!

Paul makes this point  firstly  by stating it  negatively  - what  the word of God is not! - “you accepted it not as  the word of men. To the Galatian Christians Paul had said a similar thing,  “...For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12)
Peter said a similar thing, “…knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Secondly he puts it positively. The  word of God  is  truly (Gr.  alethos)   God’s  word !  It is God’s  trustworthy inspired, inerrant Word!

I cannot  even begin to   tell you how important this statement is for us modern Christians. I cannot even begin  to tell you how much  damage has been done in the last hundred years  because large segments of the Protestant church  have  abandoned  this principle and have treated  the Bible as secondary by  importing human wisdom  into the church, using the Bible  only as tokenism , leaving  our members  spiritually  wasted  and dried out.

Today, on this Lord’s day, a very important conference called by John Mc Arthur of the Grace Community Church  in the USA   comes to an end. The conference  is all about the  inspiration and the inerrancy of  the word of God. Since I have not been able to follow  it closely, I have  followed   some of the summaries  of the conference. Tim Challies has reported on the opening  address  by Dr John Mc Arthur  who  gave a list  of   four reasons as to why  he had called for this summit [5]. I will  repeat it here, because it  will underline  the importance  of Paul’s  statement   

First, the Scripture is attacked and we are called to defend it. Any reader of the Bible understands that Satan will always threaten to undermine the Word of God. What continues to surprise us is that these threats more often come from within the visible church than outside of it. Yet before God there is no greater offense than to cause people to question the veracity, inerrancy, or authority of Scripture. He  (Mc Arthur)  went on to do a brief historical survey in which he pointed out the major challenges to the authority of the Bible through sacramentalism,  rationalism, liberalism, cultism, experientialism, pragmatism, and several other damaging philosophies. His point was this: Whenever the church abandons its commitment to the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, the results are catastrophic. With eternity at stake, it is no surprise the Bible reserves its harshest condemnations for those who take away from God’s Words or who add to it.

Second, Scripture is authoritative and we are called to declare it. He went to 2 Timothy 3:16 and then several other texts to show how Scripture consistently claims to speak with the authority and voice of God. God’s Word is consistently pure and authentic, and not a word of it will ever be nullified or taken away.

Third, Scripture is accurate and we are to demonstrate it. While we can prove the authority of the Bible from within the Bible, we can also look outside of it to general revelation. MacArthur showed how the Bible accurately describes the universe and Creation and that it offers the only logical and compelling explanation as to why the world is the way it is. The Bible is always found to be accurate when it intersects with modern science. Everywhere you look in the Bible you will find consistency since, after all, this Author knows the way things really are in his world.

Fourth, the Scripture is active through the power of the Spirit and we are called to deploy it. The Bible is the means by which people are saved. ( The Thessalonians were saved by  this means – 1:5) The power is not in the presentation of the preacher, but inherent in the text. The Bible is sharp and powerful—more powerful than anything else. So we are saved by the Word, but also sanctified, edified, comforted, and instructed by it. There are lots of books that can change your thinking, but only one that can change your nature and your eternal destiny. The simple fact is that when we preach the Word we deploy the instrument the Holy Spirit uses to do his supernatural work.

MacArthur’s final call was to the pastors attending, telling them, “You cannot be an expositor of Scripture if you have a weak view of the Bible.” 

I have taken time to share this with you because  the heart of  true  God centredness is ripped out of the church, when  the Word of God is not  clearly and carefully  expounded.  

So Paul says   that this  “really is the  word of God  which is at work [6] in you believers …”  When we receive God’s Word  through personal  Bible  study, or group Bible study or hearing of sermons , and when we receive it  by faith into our hearts , it brings the power of God to bear on our lives as the Holy Spirit makes the Word alive  to us. This is the product of the miraculous work of the Spirit of God using the Word of God (see  1:5).

It was by means of this  word of God  that the Thessalonian received  and  accepted, that they became  Christians and by which they  “ became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus  that are in Judea “ (2:14)

The same word of God that changed  the hearts of  Jewish  people in Judea  was changing the hearts  of  Gentile people in  the  gentile  Greco-Roman world  and here  especially the Thessalonians. This was the work of God, and for this  progress of the gospel Paul  was deeply greatful  and thankful.  And we at Eastside Baptist Church are thankful  today for this same word  heard and received  has changed our hearts!

I am saying this  as we are  gathered around the Lord’s table, and  I must say the same thing to you,   “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”   

Join  us now  in the celebration  of  our faith in the finished work of the Lord  Jesus Christ as we gather  around this communion table. Amen !

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[1] See Acts 17:1-9

[2]  “adialeipto”   -  an adverb which means “without interruption, continually, regularly.”   See also 1:2,  5:17

[3]  “isparalambano”  - “to receive from another”

[4]  “dechomai “  -  to receive in the sense of “welcoming someone or something .”

[5]   http://www.challies.com/

[6]  “energeo “  - from which we get our word energy 

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 "The Ministry that Produces a God-Centered Church"

As we now consider  the second chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians,   under the general heading, “A  Portrait of a God centered Church“,  I want    us  to remember  that  this  a letter, and not a systematic theological outline on   “how to  be a  God-  centered church.”  The Bible is in that sense  not a “how-to-book.” The Bible  is a ‘ God- inspired -book ‘ – full of grace and truth. It is meant to be meditated upon , to be pondered, to be prayed over, and as we do so  we receive wisdom and insight  (see Proverbs 2).  So,  as we  read this letter slowly  and  observantly,   we learn    how to  be a biblical  church  by understanding that  we need  to   (i) pray for  Divine enablement (1:2;3:12-13; 5:17-18)  to be the church  and  to (ii)  follow human examples  who are themselves  divinely enabled to lead us  and  to  teach us   (1:6).

And so we note that  this letter   is written to   a  people who  are  collectively  called  “the church of the Thessalonians” (1:1). These are  people     who have been touched and affected by God  in a remarkable way. They  are a role model to us  and  they  provide  an example for us in our day  as to what  God centered Christians should  be  like. Here is a quick reminder of  what we learned from Chapter 1:

1.     They are in the church  because they are in  God the Father and   in the Lord Jesus Christ (1:1)  and they are in  the Holy Spirit  (1:5,7) 

2.     They   demonstrate  the key  ingredients of  faith, love  and hope  in the Lord Jesus  (1:3)

3.     They   were chosen by God  (1:4)  and this was evidenced  by the fact that  they had received the gospel  in power, and in the Holy Spirit and  with full conviction (1:5). They were not just convinced,  and this in the midst of  much affliction (1:6), but they were truly converted!  It was clear to everybody.

4.     They   became  missionary Christians,  for they  had not only received  the gospel but  they shared the gospel  freely  in Macedonia and Achaia. Their faith became known  everywhere (1:7,8)

5.     They  demonstrated  true repentance by turning  from idols to the Living God (1:9)

6.     They were  waiting for the  return of the Lord Jesus  (1:10).

And now as we  come to the second chapter  the focus shifts  from  the church  to those who under God were instrumental in giving birth to this church, namely  Paul , Silvanus and Timothy  (1:1). Therefore we will now   focus on the kind of  ministry  that  produces God centered Christians. 

Once  again  I want to remind you not to expect  a presentation  on    “An Easy  Guide for Leaders on how  to produce  a God centered church in 10 easy steps”.   God centered Christian leaders  and God centered churches  are  not  mechanically   produced  by working through  a  workshop manual. While the Bible  gives us  true knowledge, the Bible is not a workshop  manual in that sense. Rather, it is  a  book that inspires confidence in a great God, and which  teaches   His people  to  trust Him as He leads them   in the midst of  a spiritual  wilderness  and  in the midst of a spiritual  war. We  have recently  seen this in our  exposition  in the Revelation  to John.

So then, here  are a few observations  about  what a God centered ministry  that produces God centered churches looks like: 

1.      Expect a  God centered ministry  to face  hostile  accusations and opposition . This  sounds negative, but this is where   Paul begins. It has always been this way.   You will remember that the ministry of  the  prophets  of the OT  was  conducted in the midst of  adversity.  The ministry of the Lord Jesus  happened against the background of constant opposition and criticism  from the religious hierarchy.  The ministry of the  apostles  and of  the early church   was mainly accomplished   among hostile accusations  and   opposition.  The Church of God is built  in hostile  territory. And so, we do not find it surprising that  the apostle Paul  was dealing with the same thing here.   

In the opening verses  of the 2^nd chapter  Paul was appealing to  the Thessalonians,  because there had been people  that were accusing  him  of   error , impurity and deception  (2:3).  He also reminds them that he    had been shamefully treated[1] at Philippi   (2:2 cf.   Acts 16:11-40). Philippi  was were where  Lydia had been converted. Here a  slave girl  who had  a spirit  of divination was delivered. Here   Paul and Silas subsequently were  charged, badly beaten and put into  prison. It was here  that God  freed them miraculously  and it was here  that the Philippian jailer was miraculously converted.  It was also from here  that    Paul and Silas went on to  Thessalonica  “explaining and proving  that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.“  (Acts 17:3)  In  Thessalonica  a  good number  of people  were converted, but once again  a group of jealous  Jews  formed a mob and made trouble for Paul and his companions there. All this  forms the background to the  frequent mentioning of suffering  and affliction and  conflict  in  the Bible. Here in  2:2 , Paul  says  “we had the boldness in our God to declare  to you the gospel of God  in the midst of much conflict”   (Gr.  agon) [2]. The Christian church   is born in conflict,  and our own church has experienced this!

Conflict  happens  not because this is what we choose, but because this  is  what happens when we  lead people to Christ and helping them grow in Christ. It  is   a spiritual struggle; it is  a spiritual war, and in the process  Satan, the sworn enemy of Christ and His church   uses all the tricks of his trade, persecution, murder  and  slander   and misinformation.  

And so we find that  Paul  and his companions   had been accused  of  deception  (2:3) and flattery  of the crowds that they had preached to in Thessalonica  (2:5). They were accused  of doing this because of greed and  personal gain and being in this for their own glory.  (2:5,6)

So,  Paul  needed  to correct  all this  by way  of  this pastoral letter.  Here then   is the first thing I call you to observe:  A God centered ministry building God centered churches  must expect opposition  from Satan and his  protagonists!  If this happened  to the prophets , and to John the Baptist, and the Lord  Jesus, and the apostle,s and the early church, then we must not be surprised if this happens  to us , if indeed we   pursue a God centered course in our ministry.

2.      Expect a  God centered ministry   to produce  spiritual  fruit : Positively speaking now, a God centered ministry produces  spiritual  fruit.  Though they  are presently  being slandered,  the apostle Paul is able to appeal   to the Thessalonian Christians   on the basis   of  what they  know of Paul and his team. Notice  how  he says  in 2:1   “For  you yourselves know…”  (see  also 1:5; 2:2,5,11; 4:2).  Here’s a wonderful truth : Their personal lives   spoke much louder than  the vicious accusations  against them.  He even appeals to God as his witness  that he  had not brought the gospel  to the  Thessalonians  with a pretext for greed  (2:5).  

So, yes  there was  evident success  in their work  at Thessalonica, and   so Paul could speak of the fact , “that our coming to you was not in vain[3]”.  But what was  the  nature of  their success? Not  financial gain, nor  self - glory, but  men and women  who turned from idols  to serve the true and living God  (1:9).     Paul  is  referring  to the success of  their ministry  among the Thessalonians who now glorified God. The evidence of  what we saw in Chapter 1 speaks for itself!  

3.     Expect  a God centered Church to be like a  loving  home  (see vss. 7-12).  Make no mistake!  Paul and his  team  came  with  the apostolic  authority conferred  upon  them by Christ (2:6), “but”,   says Paul , “we did not come as authoritarians!  We did not bully you  with the gospel. Quite  on  the contrary, we came  gently”   (Gr.  epioi) [4].

We came  like a nursing mother [5]taking care[6] of her own children (2:7).  “We came  like   a father with his children, we  exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you  to walk in a manner worthy of God…” (2:11,12).  What  can you expect  from a  God centered ministry?  You can expect mother and father- like behaviour.  The details of motherly and fatherly behaviour  are filled in for us  in the text.   Paul and his team were “affectionately desirous “ [7] (2:8) of them .  They were  ready to  share  not only the gospel of God , but also  their own selves.   It does not  get better than this.  Many are willing to give out the  Word of God, but few are willing to give themselves .  Notice further  …“because you had become dear[8] to us” – this  highlights the reason.  New  converts are loved  like little children , And this is shown  by the personal care, protection, and  the nourishing  milk of the Word of God that is given to them. Giving out the gospel and  giving ourselves  to new converts  takes time and requires patience, pain and inconvenience.  We don’t raise children overnight!  

The fatherly aspect of  a   God centered ministry  is that   Paul, Silvanus and Timothy  did not put  financial  burdens on these young converts , but worked   for their own means (2:9). This is not a  general rule in the church , but it is  a wise rule in church planting .  The Bible teaches  that  ministers of the gospel had the right to be supported for their work in preaching and teaching, but Paul had forfeited that right when planting new  churches.  We do not  expect  people to support a work before they become converts and  before they  have  learned the grace of  giving.  Other fatherly aspects  of the ministry  reveal that of concern and involvement  :

·        being  holy and righteous and blameless (2:10). We cannot  communicate to others what we don’t have ourselves.  

·        Exhorting [9],  encouraging [10], charging [11] each one  of the new converts to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord  (2:12).   While they  must have taught  them as a group, they also dealt with them as individuals.

The nature of their motherly and fatherly ministry to these believers was God centered – they wanted  their converts to walk in a  manner worthy of God  who calls  you into  his own kingdom and glory .”  (2:12). A God centered  ministry  cannot be self centered. In true  pastoral ministry there can be  no place  for  our own  reputation, or our own egos .  The goal  of the God centered ministry  that produces God centered Christians  is  the glory of God and the spiritual blessing of others.

Note the phrase, “His own kingdom and glory.” This strongly reminds us that there are other kingdoms and other kinds of glory that are constantly  competing with our work.   Therefore  we need  to  be  aware of  these false influences and  take precautions to guard against their influences.   In the latter part of  chapter 2  and the next, we will take  note  of  Paul’s   deep concern for this very thing.

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[1] hubrizo, “to abuse, to treat shamefully.”

[2] 1 Thess.  1:6 ; 2:2,14; 3:2,3,4

[3] keno  - “empty, without content “

[4] Alternative reading :  nepioi -   “ we were like children”  i.e.  a  a non-threatening presence. The sense is really not affected.

[5] Gr. thropos  - nursing mother 

[6] Gr. thalpo - to warm, cherish, nourish. i.e. tender care

[7]  Gr. ishomeiromai  - “to have a kindly feeling, to long for someone.” This is a rare word and refers to a mother’s strong affection for her child.

[8] Gr. agapetos, a verbal adjective which means “beloved.”

[9]  Gr. parakaleo -  has both a prospective appeal, in the sense of “obey, respond,” and a retrospective appeal in the sense of “comfort, encourage.” Children need both encouraging and challenging.

[10]  Gr. paramutheomai, “encourage, cheer up, console.”

[11]  Gr. marturomai from martus, “witness.” It means “summon to witness,” “to bear witness,” and then “to solemnly charge, adjure, beseech.”

MARKS OF A GOD CENTERED CHURCH - 1 Thessalonians 1:10 "Waiting for the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ"

Paul’s first  letter  to the Thessalonian church is a portrait of a God-centered  church.  We have great need  to   rethink and reform our broken churches  upon  this  model  in our own day. If anything,  the  church  has a tendency to be self -centered and man centered. This is, of course   not unique to our own age,  for this has been the  constant struggle  of the church ever since she was born  on the day of Pentecost. The Galatian and the  Corinthian churches are   examples of this.   The pull is ever  downward  – as indicated by  the law of gravitation. The tendency is always towards decay, towards disorder – towards a state of entropy – as illustrated by the second law of thermodynamics [1].  So too  it is with the church. 

One of my favorite poets is  T.S. Elliot[2]    has expressed  himself   powerfully  on this subject:

Of all that was done in the past, you eat the fruit, either rotten or ripe.

And the Church must be forever building, and always decaying - and always being restored.

For every ill deed in the past we suffer the consequence:

For sloth, for avarice, gluttony, neglect of the Word of God.

For pride, for lechery, treachery, for every act of sin.

And of all that was done that was good, you have the inheritance.

For good and ill deeds belong to a man alone, when he stands alone on the other side of death,

But here upon earth you have the reward of the good and ill that  was done by those who have gone before you.

And all that is ill you may repair if you walk together in humble repentance, expiating the sins of your fathers;  And all that was good you must fight to keep with hearts as devoted as those of your fathers who fought to gain it.

The Church must be forever building, for it is forever decaying within and attacked from without;

For this is the law of life; and you must remember that while there is time of prosperity

The people will neglect the Temple, and in time of adversity they will decry it.

T.S. Elliot  says  that the church is in need of constant reformation, for she is constantly subjected   to  sin and decay. Every generation of believers must understand  this, and every generation of believers  must  rebuild her walls  that are being constantly assailed. We cannot  live on borrowed capital. We  cannot   presume that our fathers yesterday have done a good work. We  must work  today and  contend for the faith  as it  was delivered  to us  by our Lord Jesus today (Jude 3). This is why I must  preach the  Word to you. The  first letter to the Thessalonians is an example  of a  God centered church, and I must hold this model  before you  to  imitate.  

Previously we have seen  that a God centered church  is a  church which is   in God the Father and  in the Lord Jesus Christ  (1:1)  and in the Holy Spirit (1:5).   It is a church  “loved by God, and chosen by God” (1:4). This church had its origins in the preaching of  the Gospel,  which  came  to them in  “in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1:4).  The characteristic marks of a God centered church  are seen   in “their  work of faith, and their labour of love, and their steadfastness of hope  in the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3).  It is  seen  in their   imitation of Paul as he followed Christ,  and also  by  their joyful  embracing  of the Word despite  much affliction  (1:6).   It is seen  in their desire to share  the  gospel  in the region of  Macedonia and Achaia  (1:8). It is seen  in a demonstration  of biblical  repentance  as they  turned  from idols to serve the true and living God  (1:9).

Here is  yet  another aspect that  is characteristic of a God centered church,   and it is found in verse 10 : The Thessalonian church was waiting  for God’s Son  from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath that is to come!   

This church was waiting  for  the return of the Lord Jesus. The word translated as “wait”  in the ESV  (Gr.  anameno -  ana - “up” and meno, “to remain”) indicates   an  expectancy concerning a future event, which is eagerly anticipated or  waited for. Think of a parent who “waits up“ at night , eagerly  awaiting the  return of a child  from a late night event. The Greek tense is present, which indicates   a present and ongoing waiting!  This church was  waiting diligently.

In Matthew 25: 1- 13   Jesus   told  the parable  of the  10 virgins  waiting for the bridegroom  and his bridal party  to arrive for a marriage feast .  He is, of course talking about  His second coming.    The bridegroom took his time, and so they had to wait  for a long time. Five were prepared  for his coming and the other five  were not. The  five that were not prepared (who did not ‘ remain up’)  for His coming   missed  the marriage feast and were not admitted to the marriage feast.  Jesus  frequently reminded His disciples (and therefore  His  church)   in the Olivet discourse (Matt 24 & 25)  that they had to  stay awake, be ready, and watching  for His coming. 

So, is  this  really an important  characteristic of a God centered  church   – to  wait for the  coming of Christ ? There are  some   who have  warned us  “not to be so heavenly minded , that we are of no earthly good“.  Others  over the  centuries have said impatiently: “The  Lord is slow to fulfill His promise” (2 Peter 3:9). For some  this impatience of  waiting for the Lord’s coming has led them to  embrace the health  wealth and prosperity gospel   which assumes  that our  heaven is on earth.  Is it worth waiting any longer? See how  Peter  counsels us in 2 Peter  3: 8-13.   

Yes,  waiting  for Jesus  is an essential characteristic of a God centered church!  The fact of the matter is that  we must  live with our eyes on the return of Christ  amidst  the often harsh  realities  of  our earthly existence.  I, as a pastor for one would not know what I would do  if I  did not possess the “hope of heaven”. The one thing that keeps us  going in the midst  of  so many challenges and trials  is  precisely  the fact that  we know that there  is a heaven ahead of us. There is a place of  rest (Hebrews 3 &4)  waiting for  the people of God (Hebr. 4:9). There  is a city that has foundations whose Designer and Builder is God (Hebr. 11:10)… a homeland (Hebr. 11:14)… a better country that is a heavenly one (Hebr. 11:16). The Bible  for this reason sometimes  calls  believers  pilgrims, aliens, strangers, or sojourners because  they are  not going to  stay here! They  are on their way to their heavenly city.

We need to compare this to the attitude of those who do  not have this view. There is a category of people  in the book of Revelation  who in the Greek text are literally called “earth dwellers”[3] . Their whole lives are centered on this life on this earth  without any thought  of  the future.  The Lord  Jesus  warned  His disciples about being  overly anxious with respect  to  their “earth dwelling needs”,     such as   clothing or food. He warned  such  that   excessive  attention paid  to the pursuit  of food and  clothes  was  tantamount  to  accumulating “ treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal”. He exhorted them  to accumulate  treasures in heaven, … “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt  6:19-21). Where is your heart rooted?  What  is  your  future desire?   These questions  will tell you much as  to whether  you are waiting  for God’s Son from heaven or whether  you are an “earth-dweller”.

The Bible has much to say about the future state of man. Jesus  regularly spoke about man’s eternal prospects in one of two  destinations : heaven and hell.  We must take Jesus’  teaching very seriously and prepare ourselves  accordingly. The Thessalonian Christians were  waiting  for  His Son from heaven… who delivers us from the wrath that is to come!  

Now  there is a real danger that you  would misunderstand  the  focus  on heaven, without the centrality of the Lord Jesus  Christ. There are many people who set their hope on heaven  simply because they cannot bear the thought of hell. Nobody likes the thought of hell , but this does not necessarily  mean that we  seek heaven.  

Here is the corrective statement which I now wish to make:  There can be no proper hope of heaven without  a living hope  in the person  of  the  Lord Jesus Christ!   The Thessalonians Christians weren’t just waiting for heaven. They were waiting for God’s Son  from heaven,  who would take them to heaven  (John 14:1-4)!  The focus  is on Jesus  who  takes us to heaven – who makes it possible for us to go to heaven!  Verse  10  is full of important  information  as  to why it is possible for us to go to heaven:  

We can go to heaven because  He  is  the Son of God  and  He is  Jesus, the son of man.  In the incarnation  He  is   both God and man in one person. These two natures of Christ are  important to understand.[4]    As a man He could experience  manhood. He could represent us on the cross and die for our sin.  As a man He could  be tempted, but as  God  He could  not give into temptation and therefore He would not  sin. As man He could  experience the pain of death and the agony of  soul in his separation from God, but as God  death could   not keep Him in the grave. As a man He was raised,  and  He is  the basis for a living hope (1 Pet. 1:3) for in His resurrection is the hope of our resurrection to eternal life. As a man He went to heaven because He was  the eternal God.    In heaven He sits as our representative  and from  heaven He comes again  to judge the living and the dead. 

He is Jesus  who delivers us   from the  wrath that is to come. The wrath of God will be poured out on  all who  have not  trusted in Christ  in this life[5]. The great white throne judgment  will  be that  occasion (Rev. 20:11-15).

Conclusion:

In our day one of our greatest needs is  to  disengage ourselves from being mere  ‘earth dwellers‘   and to  live in greater anticipation of our  meeting of  the Lord Jesus Christ, whether by our death or by His  second coming. This is a vital part of  being a God centered Christian , and it follows the long history of the church  in which faithful men and women  have  longed  for  the return of Jesus in their own generation , and have said, “ Maranatha” – Even so , Lord Jesus , come !   This is a normal  Christian desire , and if it is not there, you have every reason  to question yourself  as to whether  you are “in Christ”.

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[1] The Remarkable Birth of Planet Earth, by Henry Morris: (p. 14) All processes manifest a tendency toward decay and disintegration, with a net increase in what is called the entropy, or state of randomness or disorder, of the system. This is called the Second Law of Thermodynamics. ;  Scientific Creationism, edited by Henry Morris:  (p.25) The Second Law (Law of Energy Decay) states that every system left to its own devices always tends to move from order to disorder, its energy tending to be transformed into lower levels of availability, finally reaching the state of complete randomness and unavailability for further work.

[2] T.S. Elliot : Chorus from the Rock

[3] Rev. 3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 14; 17:8

[4] See  the definition of the Council of Chalcedon ( 451 AD)

[5] E.g. John 3:36; Rom. 1:18