05.10.10 - What Is Our Hope, Joy and Glory?

A couple of weeks ago, Tau Ben-Unu and I were talking as we drove back from Dunedin and Tau told me about learning survival skills from his grandfather.

At about 9 years old, he and his grandfather went bush together, and all they had was a machete. For several days in the bush Tau’s grandfather showed him how to use the knife, to open coconuts, cut down branches and coconut leaves to build shelter, gather food, even to dig a shallow hole for an umu (hangi).

It was precious grandfather to grandson time, time in which one generation passed on life skills to another generation. And Tau remembers it to this day.

Translate that into a Christian context. What value do we place on one person taking another under his/her wing and teaching that person how to live as a follower of Jesus Christ?

When I preached at John Coutts’ induction, I used 1 Thessalonians. We are going to read again from 1 Thessalonians. You didn’t know this was going to be a series, did you? Nor did I.

Paul had been in Thessalonica. There had been a move of the Holy Spirit. People were powerfully converted and Paul had then taught and trained them. But then he had been separated from them and that separation hurt. He was desperate to be back with them. As George reads, listen for why Paul wanted to be re-united.

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-4:2

1 Thess 2:19-20 19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

Paul’s hope, joy and crown of glory is the Thessalonians. Actually, it is not just the Thessalonians; it is seeing the Thessalonians grow in their faith.

In this letter there is huge rejoicing in their conversion – how that had received the gospel and turned to God from idols and how their witness was known through the whole region. There is also huge rejoicing in their living out of their faith. Paul was worried that, with persecution, they might have fallen away, but Timothy had reported that they were going on in faith and love. And Paul was over the moon. But he still wanted to be with them.

What for? What drives Paul? Does he just enjoy their company? Well, yes he does but it is far more than that.

He sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage them in their faith (3:2). Day and night he prays earnestly to be able to see them again “to supply what is lacking in their faith” (3:10). He prays that God may strengthen their hearts so that they might be blameless and holy in the presence of God when the Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones (3:13).

It is all about being with them to grow them; to help them be strong in their faith.

Paul said his hope was the Thessalonians. His goal, his desire, his dream was on-fire mature Christians. Can I remind you of Colossians 1:28-19?

Col 1:28-29 28 [Jesus] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

Paul’s personal goal, and the focus of all his energy, was to present everyone fully mature in Christ, through admonishing and teaching with all wisdom.

His joy was seeing the Thessalonians growing in their faith and living as followers of Jesus. We see that joy in his relief when Timothy returned and reported that the Thessalonians were going on for Jesus and were people of faith and love. Paul said, “Now we really live since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” (3:8-9) When his disciples are going from strength to strength, Paul feels alive.

His crown in which he would glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes was the Thessalonians. What else will there be to glory in in the presence of Jesus? Jesus won’t be terribly impressed by our accumulated possessions. He might not care about the qualifications on our walls. The one thing worth rejoicing in will be the people whose lives have been changed because of us – in other words, disciples (although I was going to see if I could get away without using that word!)

Paul asks, “What is our hope, our joy and our crown? Is it not you?” It is about people – people growing in their relationship with Jesus. For Christians the Maori proverb is true: He aha te mea nui? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing? It is people, it is people, it is people. For us, it is people. It is about people coming to know Jesus and being on fire for Jesus.

This is a significant moment. The Mataura Presbytery has existed for 119 years. It is right and proper that we should mark the end of such a long-standing institution – and all the more so when we remember that over that time there have been thousands of men and women who have been committed to Jesus and passionate about the mission of the church. We stand at the end of a long line of faithful followers of Jesus.

And at the beginning of another line. We are part of something new – the bigger Southern Presbytery and the new Mataura Resource Group. The foundation we lay might shape the effectiveness of those groups for a long time. We have both the opportunity and the responsibility to do this well.

A large part of the motivation of the presbytery reforms has been for the church to be more mission-focused. The Mataura Presbytery had a mission statement that was printed on the front of the agenda every month. I thought it was a great statement: Presbytery has a passion to fulfil its leadership role in encouraging parishes to work together supporting and resourcing one another in order to grow the Kingdom of God in this region.

It was a great statement. It is debatable how much we have worked together and supported and resourced one another in order to grow the Kingdom. However, now it is about the future. The point of the reforming of presbyteries is that we be more effective in mission.

We celebrate a change in the structures. Structures are important. They can either help or hinder the mission. They are important but it is never about the structure. It is about people. It is about bring people into a relationship with Jesus and nurturing their growth to on-fire maturity in Jesus.

As we make this transition, is our hope – our dream – the conversion and growth of the people of this region? Is our joy seeing people come to know Jesus and grow in their relationship with Jesus?

When we stand before Jesus, what will we glory in? Will there be people there whom we have helped become fully devoted followers of Jesus? What else will there be to glory in besides changed lives? It is people. Many of us lead organisations called churches. The organisation might be going fine but are lives being changed?

What exactly does Paul want to see in their lives? What can we learn from him? He very clearly wants to see people converted. He rejoices in the Thessalonians’ conversion, but this letter is written to people already converted. What does he want to see in the lives of those who are Christians?

In 4:1 Paul refers back to the time he had with them just after they were converted and says, “we instructed you how to live in order to please God.” It is interesting that straight after their conversion they received instruction about how to live God-pleasing lives. Do we train new converts like that? And now Paul can say, “as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”

This is his passion. They are doing well but he wants to spend time with them to help them do fantastically well. This is about not being satisfied with luke-warm Christians, half-pie Christians or even half-grown Christians but striving for more.

In chapters 4 and 5 Paul gives some specific instructions about sexual morality, love for one another, living lives that win the respect of outsiders, understanding about Jesus’ return and living accordingly, working hard, prayer, not quenching the Spirit’s fire and so on. But remember that this instruction is just adding to, and filling in some of the gaps in, the instruction that he had already given them.

The general description of his goal is that they live lives that please God.

1 Thess 2:10-12 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

There Paul talks about living lives worthy of God. I am not sure there is much difference between lives that are worthy of God and lives that please God, but we could take either one of those phrases and identified what it means. What sort of life pleases God? Describe it. What does that life look like? What sort of life is worthy of God? Then that is the life that we should be encouraging and training our people to live.

We tend to just leave people to live their own lives. We think it is impertinent to tell people how to live but I suggest God wants us to train up people who will live lives that are worthy of Him.

Paul’s example here is that first he modelled it. They had witnessed his life. He had been holy, righteous and blameless as he lived among them. But then he says that he dealt with them as a father deals with his children, encouraging, comforting and urging them to live lives worthy of God.

Let us also model lives that are worthy of God. Let us also treat people lovingly and tenderly like a father deals with his children. Good fathers don’t stand back and let their children live as they like. Good fathers encourage, comfort and urge. Good fathers want to see their children do their very best. Good fathers encourage their children to aim a little higher and strive to be all that they can be. It is not passive. Good fathers are actively involved encouraging, comforting and urging.

That is what Tau’s grandfather did. He took the initiative to spend significant time with his grandson to show him things; to challenge him; to teach him skills; to show that he cared, to stretch him, to prepare him for life.

What else is important? What is our hope, our joy, our crown in which we will glory in the presence of Jesus, if it is not people who have grown to know Jesus and to live lives that please God? What else is important? What else are you going to point proudly to in the presence of Jesus? Is the anything else worthwhile? It is about people following Jesus because we influenced them.

May the mission of the Southern Presbytery and the mission of the Mataura Resource Group be focused on people – people becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.