Manslick Road church of Christ » 2007 » July
First Thessalonians may be the first of Paul’s letters (the date of Galatians is uncertain). He wrote it from Corinth, just three stops down the road after having established the church at Thessalonica during his second preaching trip. It is a letter of encouragement and reminders to a very young church. Three verses encapsulate the overall message.
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (5:11).
“Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more” (4:1).
“Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you brethren, to excel still more” (4:9-10).
What was Paul’s message? In spiritual matters, keep doing what you are doing, do more of it, and do it better.
When you get a little tired and are tempted to let someone else do the job, or when you are a bit discouraged because your work is not yielding the fruit you wish to see, let Paul whisper his encouragement: “Keep doing what you are doing.”
When you begin to feel satisfied on the basis of a few things you are doing or improvements you have made in your conduct, remember Paul’s challenge: “Excel still more.” Never allow yourself to be content with a minimal effort. Be like the Good Samaritan, whose attitude was always “what else can I do?”
When you get to thinking there is no room for improvement (one indication of that is turning a deaf ear to almost every criticism or suggestion), recall Paul’s admonition: “Do it better.”
Keep doing what you are doing, do more of it, and do it better. That is timeless advice.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23 ).
Hope relates to the future. It is the ability to reach forward with our minds and latch on to something good. That future good thing, in turn, richly enhances the present. Hope is one of our great blessings in Christ. It cheers and sustains. This verse identifies three essentials of the Christian’s hope.
A Fixed Hope
Earthly hopes often waver. At different stages a little boy hopes to be a fireman or a ballplayer or the president or something else. Success comes when we lock in on something and work toward it.
Christians have one grand hope: to be with the Lord. “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord” (Ps. 27:4 ). Our one hope (Eph. 4:4 ) is heaven (1 Pet. 1:3-4 ). Let us hold to it without wavering. Do not be distracted by earthly things. They disappoint and will not last.
A Grounded Hope
Do you want to go to heaven? Of course you do. Do you expect to go there? If so, what is the basis of your expectation? Too many people rely on little more than a feeling they have about it or the fact that they live a good moral life. Perhaps some preacher told you that you are going to heaven. Ask yourself, how does he know?
The only valid basis of expectation is the promise of God. Paul wrote of “the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word . . .” (Ti. 1:2-3 ). God’s word on a thing ends all doubt. Those who comply with the conditions He sets forth—faith in Christ, repentance, baptism into Christ, faithfulness to Him, etc.—can have every confidence about their heavenly home. On the other hand, those who do not comply have God’s word on a far different eternal destiny (2 Th. 1:7-9 ).
A Held Hope
Our text exhorts us to “hold fast” the confession of our hope; literally, be glued to it. Satan wants you to let go. What can you do to you maintain your grip? Think about God and heaven. (Assembling with other Christians to sing and pray helps here [v. 25]). Fill your life with spiritual things, giving the devil no place (Eph. 4:27 ). Mostly, you must remember God who promised. You may not always understand the circumstances between here and there, but remember that God neither requires what we cannot do nor offers what we cannot obtain.
Interestingly, when we take hold of hope, hope takes hold of us. It is an anchor for the soul (Heb. 6:19 ), mooring us throughout life’s ebbs and flows.
From almost the beginning of time, God has used messengers, both inspired and uninspired, to convey instruction, comfort, and warning to mankind. For just as long, mankind has largely rejected the message. The world’s determination not to hear God is shown, not only by its deaf ear to His word, but also by its efforts to silence His messengers. Consider the variety of ways in which that is done.
Persecution. Mistreatment of Old Testament prophets was so commonplace that Stephen asked, “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” (Acts 7:52 ). Jesus warned His apostles that they would be outcasts from the synagogue (Jn. 16:2 ). By the time Paul wrote 2 Corinthians he had already been beaten five times by the Jews and three times by Gentile officials (2 Cor. 11:24-25 ).
Imprisonment. Micaiah was imprisoned for predicting Ahab’s demise (1 Kn. 22:27-28 ). Jeremiah was put in stocks (Jer. 20:2 ), a prison (37:15), and a cistern (38:6) to silence him. John the Baptist was locked up because of his pointed preaching about divorce (Mk. 6:17-18 ). The book of Acts relates numerous occasions on which the apostles were imprisoned for preaching Christ.
Death. The plan was to abandon Jeremiah in the cistern so he would die. John was beheaded while in prison. Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:59-60 ). Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra (Acts 14:19 ). The Jews admitted that their forefathers had a history of killing prophets (Mt. 22:30-31 ). They exhibited that same spirit by crucifying God’s greatest messenger, His own Son, Jesus Christ.
These kinds of molestation are illegal in our country. But let no one think a rebellious world is any less zealous in silencing God’s messengers today. They use other age-old tactics, among them. . .
Ridicule. Jeremiah was dismissed as too negative, the “bad news” prophet (Jer. 38:4; cf. 23:33-40). Elisha was old “baldy” (2 Kn. 2:23 ). Jesus was a leader of rabble; the elite said of His followers, “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed” (Jn. 7:48-49 ). It is always easier to ridicule the truth, its spokesmen, or its followers than to answer sound arguments from Scripture.
Distortion. Paul’s opponents accused him of proclaiming practices that violated Roman law (Acts 16:20-21 ); of forbidding circumcision or other Jewish customs (Acts 21:20-21 ); of preaching a gospel that amounts to “let us do evil that good may come” (Rom. 3:8 ). These were prejudicial arguments that could quickly inflame a crowd. Sadly, they were sufficient to blind the thoughtless. It should come as no surprise that adversaries of truth have no qualms about misrepresenting their opponents.
Character assassination. When John the Baptist did not mingle in society the critics said he was demon-possessed. When Jesus did mingle in society the same critics said of him, “Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” (Lk. 7:33-34 ). On other occasions they accused Jesus, too, of having a demon (Jn. 8:48 ). Enemies of truth employed these fabrications to discredit God’s spokesmen publicly and thereby justify themselves. Unfortunately, many modern combatants in various arenas of controversy have also discovered the power of baseless accusations.
Legal maneuvering. The Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court, issued a “cease and desist” order regarding the apostles’ preaching (Acts 4:18 ). At Thessalonica, as a result of Jewish complaints, city officials required Jason, Paul’s host, to give them a pledge that Paul would leave town (Acts 17:5-9 ). Though we live in a “free speech” society, the world still finds ways to utilize this approach. Modern examples include efforts to rid religious discussion from any site connected with government and the expansion of “hate speech” legislation.
Conclusion
What does all this mean in practicality? First, do not be surprised by any of these tactics. “There is nothing new under the sun.” Second, do not be deceived by such tactics. Do not let a worldly crowd do your thinking for you. Third, and most important, remember that none of these things did change or will change the truthfulness of God’s word.