Word of Salvation - Vol.49 No.9 - March 2004

 

Three Wishes

Sermon by Rev J Haverland

on 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

 

Scripture Readings:  1 Corinthians 13; 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this sermon we see that Paul's prayer is that he might be with them to encourage them in faith, love and holiness. And the purpose of this sermon is to urge you to grow in faith, love and holiness in expectation of Christ's return.

Children, maybe some of you have seen some of the movies and videos about Alladin - a cartoon character set in the Middle East. In the movie "Cave of Wonders" Alladin finds an old lamp. He rubs it to make it clean and as he does so out comes a genie! The genie says, "I have been imprisoned in this bottle for thousands of years. You have rescued me! You are my new master. You may ask whatever you want and I'll grant it to you." This is like many of the other stories about the genie in the bottle who, when released, gives the person three wishes.

If you had three wishes what would you ask for? What are the three things you would want the most? Fame, fashion and fortune? Money, gold and silver? A mansion in an exclusive suburb, a holiday home on the coast and a luxury yacht in the marina? Or would you wish to be a top athlete, or a successful businessman, or a famous singer? What would you wish for?

Here the apostle Paul expressed three wishes, three prayers, three desires he directs to God. What did he ask for? What were the top three on his wish list? What were his strongest desires?

His first desire was that God would CLEAR THE WAY FOR US TO COME TO YOU."

Why did the way need clearing? The answer is found in chapter 2:18. "For we wanted to come to you - certainly I, Paul, did, again and again - but Satan stopped us." Paul had established the church in Thessalonica but he had to leave in a hurry because of persecution. He was writing this letter from Corinth and he was keen to get back to see these believers. But so far Satan had prevented him from doing so.

This reminds us that we are engaged in a spiritual battle. We are not just fighting our own sinful nature, nor only the godlessness of our nation, nor only the immorality on TV, nor only the crime in society. We are also fighting "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12). We are fighting against Satan and he is always seeking to hinder the work of God. He wants to prevent us from making spiritual progress.

So, Paul wanted God to "clear the way". The word has the idea of making a level path, of removing obstacles on the road to make travel possible. God can do this because He is all powerful. He is sovereign and almighty. He is supreme over Satan and his evil angels. The battle being fought is not between two equal and opposite forces, like an even tug-of-war. No, God is far more powerful and He will win the battle.

And God did clear the way. Paul had established the church in that city on his second missionary journey. He visited them again about five years later when he was making his third journey around the churches.

Why did he want the way cleared? So he could see them. And why did he want to see them? That answer is found in verse 10 - he wanted to supply what was lacking in their faith.

There will always be something lacking in our faith. No Christian can ever claim to 'have arrived'. No one can say, "I have made it! I am perfect!" There is always room for growth, for improvement. There will always be gaps in our knowledge and sins in our lives. There will always be work to do and progress to make.

This is why Paul wanted to see them. He knew that he could help them. He could supply what was lacking. He could teach them what they did not know, encourage them in areas they found difficult, exhort them to greater holiness.

This is why we need to meet together and see each other. God does not want you to live on your own as a Christian. A solitary Christian is a contradiction in terms. The Lord intends that you are part of a family, a living member of the body of Christ.

Then you can encourage and teach and help others and they can do the same for you. We need each other. We need to meet together - in our homes, in Sunday school and catechism classes, in Bible study groups, in worship. Do you want to see others and help them? Is this your desire? Do you want to get together with others so that you can supply what is lacking in their faith, and be helped yourself?

This was Paul's first desire - that God would clear the way for him to come to them so he could help them grow in faith.

This leads him to his second request - that they would GROW IN LOVE. Verse 12: "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."

Genuine faith will always produce love. Love is the evidence of faith, the proof of faith, the fruit of faith. If you have faith, you will show it in love.

We first of all need to define love because although the word is used a lot it is often misunderstood. When popular songs sing of love they often confuse it with lust; that is, with improper sexual desire. Or they use love to describe warm, fuzzy feelings of one to another.

But when the Bible uses this word for love, agape, it is describing the love of 1 Corinthians 13. This love is an attitude, not a feeling. It shows itself in kind deeds to others rather than expressing good feelings to them. This love is not selfish but out-going; not thinking about my own needs but about the needs of others; not absorbed with me but with you. This love is very practical: It is patient, kind, gentle, forgiving. It does not hold grudges or bear resentment. When you love like this, then you are quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry.

Paul also describes the direction of this love.

We must show this love to each other in the church community. Of all the gatherings of people in society the church must be the place where love is seen most clearly. Jesus said this would be our testimony to the world: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples - if you love one another." If we do not show this love to each other, then we will not attract anyone from outside the church. On the other hand, if we do show this love, then we will have an enormous attraction. People will want to join our community.

But this love must also be shown to "everyone else" - to those outside the church. Showing love to fellow believers has a priority, but we should go beyond that and love others, too. This is just as demanding as loving those in the church, if not more so. This too demands forgiveness and patience. It calls for kindness and compassion. To love your neighbour like this will require sacrifice of your time and your money and your comfort and your hobbies. It is costly. Yet this was the love that Paul, Silas and Timothy showed to these people before they believed. And this was how God demonstrated his own love for us: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Roms 5:8).

So we have defined what love is; we have seen that there is progress in the direction of this love: from those in the church to those outside.

But there is also progress in the degree of love. Paul prays that the Lord "may make your love increase and overflow" (vs 12). These two words are close synonyms - they mean virtually the same thing. Think of filling a glass or a bucket with water. You keep filling it higher and higher until it overflows and spills over the top. This is how it ought to be with our love - it ought to overflow, spill out - for each other in the church and for everyone else. Someone has said that "love is the only thing that cannot be carried to excess", and one of the early church fathers described this as a prayer for the "unchecked madness of love."

Do you love like this? Are you patient when people annoy you? Are you kind, even when others are harsh? Are you gentle, even when others are sharp with you? Are you growing in love? Is your love increasing? Would you describe it as overflowing to others in the church and to your neighbour in society? Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? Your neighbour is the one you meet who is in need. Are you meeting the needs of others even when it costs you?

This was Paul's prayer for them and for us. He wanted to go and see them to add to their faith. That faith would produce love, and that love would produce holiness. Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments", and his command is that we be holy, as He is holy.

This was Paul's third wish - his third prayer - that they would GROW IN HOLINESS: "May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy..." (vs 13).

You can't achieve holiness on your own; it also requires God's work in you. This is why Paul prays as he does, "May he strengthen your hearts..." We can only be holy if God does this for us.

The word "strengthen" means to support or to establish. If you are going to grow in holiness, then God must strengthen your heart through his Holy Spirit. You can't do this on your own. You need the powerful assistance of the Spirit of Christ.

You need this in your "heart". This is the Bible's word for your inner self, the centre of your being - the source of your mind, will and emotions. Everything comes from your heart, including the holiness that God wants from us. Holiness is not something you can put on. It is more than just living a good life or being a good citizen. A man may be a moral person on the outside, but inside be seething with anger, resentment and hostility to others. True holiness begins in the heart and is then reflected in life.

So Paul's desire is that they be "blameless and holy". These two words are closely connected together. Literally the Greek reads, "blameless in holiness".

To be blameless is to have all your faults removed - all anger, gossip, envy, jealousy, pride, irritation, selfishness, discontent. It is to have all the rough edges sanded off, all the gaps closed over, all the surfaces finished to a glossy shine. It is to conform to the standard of God's law, to follow his pattern of perfection. To be holy is to be set apart by God as one who is pure. It is to be without sin or stain or blemish.

Holiness is not popular. You can read books and go to seminars on being successful or assertive or confident or fulfilled, but you won't find many books or seminars on the subject of holiness.

Yet this is what God wants of us. And God will strengthen your heart through his Holy Spirit so that you may grow in holiness. The Bible calls this sanctification - that you become more sanctified, more holy, more like Jesus.

This is a continuous process. It doesn't happen immediately or overnight. Most of the time it happens slowly, gradually. It is a process that ought to go on all the time and never stop. A swimmer hits his prime in his late teens and early twenties and then he declines. A rugby player can keep going till his mid thirties and then he usually hangs up his boots. But the Christian can never retire; the believer must never hang up his boots; he must keep going and growing and progressing. Even the oldest and most holy believer can still keep growing.

We keep on until this process is completed when Jesus returns. Then we will be perfect. So this is progressive on earth but made perfect in heaven. Your holiness in heaven won't be your own achievement. No, God will give you the perfect life of the Lord Jesus. It's not "a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God by faith" (Phil 3:9).

All of God's people will have this holiness. The believers who have already died and who will return with Jesus when He comes are described as "all his holy ones". They are all perfect in Christ Jesus.

Together we will stand "in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes."

One day everyone in the world will stand before a Holy God. Those who have put their trust in Jesus will be holy, perfect, pure. Without that holiness that comes from the Lord Jesus, no one will see God - no one will be able to endure his Holy Presence.

How will you stand before God on that day? Have you received His holiness and His perfection for yourself? Do you trust in Jesus? Do you believe that He died on the cross for you?

All this will take place on the day Jesus comes. This is the great theme of this letter - the return of Jesus. Jesus will come - He will arrive - He will descend from heaven with all those who have died with faith in Him.

This is given as an incentive for holy living. It is a motivation for a life of love. It is a spur towards growing in faith.

These are the qualities God wants you to wish for. These are the characteristics you should pray for:

* Lord, supply what is lacking in my faith;

* Make my love increase and overflow for others in the church and for everyone else;

* May I grow in holiness until I can stand before you blameless in Christ on the day He comes.

Make these your three greatest wishes.

Amen.

(Acknowledgment:

 

I have borrowed a few of the ideas for this sermon

 

from a tape I heard on this text by Rev David Jones)