The King's Church in Ilford
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20
Anyone who's been a parent will know the intense yearning that God has built into us for our children. It's another one of those emotions that He's blessed us with to ensure the survival of the human race. Without it, there'd be a lot more battered children and infant deaths than in fact there are.
What happens in the natural is a reflection of what happens when we have spiritual children. We are taken up with a yearning to care for those new Believers - or we should be. We want to see them grow in their new-found faith, to learn how to build their relationship with the Lord Jesus. We want to protect them from the wiles of our enemy who prowls around like a lion looking for those who are weak and vulnerable. It isn't always easy to do this in our independently-minded society these days. New Believers don't always realise how vulnerable they are - just like children. But wise spiritual parents know how important follow-up is. It's true that spiritual life is sometimes sustained without it, but we shouldn't be depending on that. Christ's command was for us to go and make disciples.
This is what Paul is describing in v.17. He was devastated to have been taken from these new Believers before he'd been able to establish them properly in their faith. He tried time and again to get back to see them; but - and here's this amazing phrase: "Satan stopped us." Could this really be? Was Satan really able to stop a godly and anointed man like Paul from doing what he believed was right in God? Where was God anyway? Was He not sovereign over these events? Of course He was, but Paul says that's what happened, so firstly, we need to understand how it was able to happen.
When Jesus was born into this world, he was invading Satan's territory; and the battle was engaged from very early on. It was Satan behind Herod's attempt to destroy the child - the latest of many attempts over the centuries to destroy the line through which salvation would come. God's wisdom was demonstrated in more than one way when He allowed Jesus to grow up in obscurity. His enemies would have looked for him in a palace, not a carpenter's shop. Deity wrapped in human clay - it was a pretty good disguise. Even his brothers didn't see anything special about him!
But there came a day when Jesus was ready to do battle. He announced another Kingdom to that of Satan's - The Kingdom of God. This was not a geographical battle. It was a battle for people's hearts. The question was going to be: "Who reigns in you? Jesus or Satan? It's one or the other." So Jesus called people to repentance. He healed them of Satan's ravages of sin and sickness. He drove demons out of people and set them free to make their own choices about who they were going to follow. Finally on the cross, he not only paid for our sin, but took the battle right into hell setting at liberty those who had been held captive. He wrested the keys of death and hell from Satan's grasp; then rose triumphant from death having taken back the authority over the earth that Satan had usurped from Adam all those centuries before. Satan was defeated. Jesus now rules the world even though we do not yet see everything totally under His authority (Heb 2:8). That day will come - when "at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow.." Until then you and I are engaged in a mopping up operation. Satan's defeated, but he won't give up the ground or the lives he's got unless we make him.
It's like in the days of pirate ships, when the navy caught up with one, and fired on it until it surrendered by hauling down its flag. It's been defeated - right? But it's not taken possession of, so the Captain of the naval ship sends a young Lieutenant over in a rowing boat to board the pirate ship and take ownership of it. As the Lt. climbs on board, the pirates are sullenly waiting - there're far more of them than the Lt and his men; but the Lt. has all the authority and firepower of the naval ship to back him up, so the pirates give up their ship.
In this era of the church, Satan's back is broken, and his final defeat is only a matter of time, but meanwhile there is still a sting in his tale. He is bound, and we can plunder his goods, we can make him give up the lives he has in his possession, but he is still able to oppose us - and this is what Paul had found. He managed to stop Paul - Paul doesn't say how, but he knew what was going on, and he wasn't fazed by it. He recognised his enemy at work.
The question is do we? Are we aware of Satan's strategies? If we know what's behind something, we'll be less likely to be thrown off balance by it. One of his tricks is to get us too interested in him. Another is get us to think he doesn't exist. Both extremes are unhealthy. We need to know our enemy so that we're not fazed by his attacks, but keep our eyes on Jesus. Here are some of his schemes to look out for:
- The first is the one we have here: He seeks constantly to oppose us. He will oppose us through family, friends, church, and government, usually in that order.
- He can counterfeit the miraculous. Exodus 7:8-13 Happening all around us. Other religions claim miracles, esp. Moslems, faith healers, that's before you get on to spiritualists and satanists.
- He accuses Christians. Revelation 12:10 His favourite trick is to sneak up behind you, plant a nasty thought in your mind, then run round to your front, point a finger at you saying: "Call yourself a Christian and you've got thoughts like that." He seeks constantly to control our minds with ungodly thought-patterns. EG Western materialism. "Me first" syndrome.
- He accuses God to us - "God doesn't really love you. He won't forgive you for that. He won't use you. He may be all-powerful, but he doesn't care enough about you, to use that power on your behalf." Then he accuses us before God - "You're not good enough for God."
- Finally he accuses us to one another. "Do you know what So-and-so did? I waved to him across the street, and he completely ignored me. I was really put out. All that talk about loving one another, and he doesn't care at all." All the time, he's seeking to undermine trust, and our love for one another. All the time, he's trying to sow seeds of bitterness between one believer and another. This bitterness is like poison that spreads from one person to another. We have to learn to recognise it and stop it before it spreads and many people get affected by it.
- He uses cunning schemes and plans. Ephesians 6:11 He's been around longer than we have, and knows the old tricks are best. A non-Cn boy or girl friend is a great set-up for the single person. Sex, lust, legalism, religion, money,.... He knows our weaknesses and how to exploit them, so be on your guard.
- He sets traps and snares. 2 Timothy 2:26 I can think of times when I've felt spiritually ambushed. A misunderstanding arises, and suddenly I find myself at loggerheads with another brother or sister.
- He spreads false teachings. 2 Corinthians 11:14. Zealous Cns are as likely to be caught here as lazy ones. We all want the "secret" to revival, the quick solution, so the temptation is look for shortcuts and easy solutions. Just because a speaker "can tell a canny tale" doesn't make what they say any more right. Let me encourage you to look to your elders for right teaching. They have responsibility before God for your soul, and God has invested in them wisdom and understanding. It's part of their anointing. If you maintain a humble and teachable spirit, you'll be much less likely to be led astray by the latest wind of doctrine.
Finally, here are some of the ways to overcome these attacks. We don't always see them coming, but our responses when they do are vital:
1. The Word of God. It's the Truth that is the antidote to the lie, and Satan's a liar. He distorts the Words and think nothing of changing it. See Genesis 3.
2. The Name Of Jesus. We have authority in His Name. So use it to heal & deliver.
3. Walk in the light - in the open - with each other. Accusations can fester only we keep them hidden from each other. Integrity & righteousness are our defence.
4. Praise is a powerful weapon in the face of adverse circumstances and setbacks. Praise expresses your confidence in God's love and sovereign control.
5. Patience, humility, gentleness are great antidotes to pride, anger and unkindness. Don't prejudge one another's motives. Be ready to forgive, and above all, let love cover a multitude of sins.
For Paul, the battle was in not knowing, and it was tearing him apart. His antidote was going to be knowing that the Thessalonian Christians were standing firm. He saw it from the eternal perspective. They were the ones he would present proudly to Jesus on that day. They were the fruit of his labours, the crown in which he would glory in the presence of Jesus. They were his joy. No wonder he wanted to know they were going on in their faith. He saw his reward in eternity being linked with them. Is this how we feel about those we nurture in the faith? If we could just get the eternal perspective, it would add such an edge to our work for the Lord.
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1