Hope is an anchor that will not float

I Thessalonians 1:1-4

September 26, 1999

Introduction: William Brown made his first trip to Russia in 1993. He writes in World Magazine (3/6/99): “I felt conspicuous walking down the streets of Moscow and could not figure out why. I wanted to blend in but it was obvious people knew I was not Russian. I asked the group of educators with whom I was working whether I was noticeable because of my clothes: jeans and a Chicago Bulls shirt.
‘No, it’s not your clothes,’ they replied.
‘What is it, then?’ I asked.
The dozen or so teachers huddled together and talked for several minutes. One of them, speaking for the group, answered politely, ‘It is your face’.
‘My face!’ I laughed. ‘How does my face look different?’
They talked again and then one of the teachers… quietly said, ‘You have hope.’
Brown goes on to comment: “Faith and love are easy subjects for sermons and seminars. Hope often gets left out. Faith makes all things possible; love makes all things easy; but hope gives all things meaning. Our hope is an anchor, set deep, and it keeps us from the emotional rolling seas…” of successes and defeats, of victories and losses.
As we proceed into our study of the book of I Thessalonians, I want to ask you this morning, “In what do you hope? Of what are you certain and assured (for that is the meaning of this term in the Bible)? Where is your anchor, and what is it locked in to? What is it that holds you steady in the storms? What gives you emotional balance through the course of your day? What is it that locks your perspective onto the positive and gives you purpose and meaning in life?” Over the next few weeks, we’ll answer those questions that some of us are surely asking. For others of us, we’ll be reminded of some of these truths that have been lost in the lifestyle we’ve been living.
I want you to keep William Brown’s experience of “a hopeful face” in mind as we proceed this morning. For above all things, this Thessalonian letter is a letter of hope. We will see that over and over. In fact, it is interesting to me that Paul concludes each chapter of I Thessalonians with a reference to the hope, the certainty, of the return of the Lord. Let’s take a moment and see for ourselves.
*1:10--… and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
*2:19-- …For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
*3:13-- … so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
*4:17—that we saw last week—Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
*5:23-- …without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Those repeated references are there to highlight an emphasis that Paul wants to leave with these believers.
Being reminded of this hope of the Lord’s return leads us to the first question we’ll want to ask today: “Who are these Thessalonians?” How might we be like them, and what can we learn from them?
Paul introduces them to us in the first 4 verses of chapter one. He writes: “Paul and Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you…”
In these four verses, Paul tells us at least three things about these believers. (1) They are people of two worlds, (2) they are people who live life in the presence of God, and (3) they are people with an identity: the beloved of God.
Let’s see what Paul was saying about these saints and learn some practical lessons for living today.
What does it mean that the Thessalonians are people of two worlds? It is first of all clear that they live in Thessalonica. This was a chief city of Macedonia, a free city in the Roman Empire. Its main street, according to William Barclay, “was part of the very road which linked Rome with the East. East and West converged on Thessalonica; it was said to be ‘in the lap of the Roman Empire’. Trade poured into her from East and West, so that it was said, ‘So long as nature does not change, Thessalonica will remain wealthy and prosperous.’” So the Thessalonians were citizens with feet firmly planted in this world. But secondly, these folks live in the kingdom of God. Our text tells us (vs.1) they are ‘in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ’. The Thessalonians were part of our world and they were a part of the kingdom of God in this world. Our church chairman, Ron Sutherland, was in Washington, D.C. recently attending a conference of the ECFA, and I’ve asked him to come and share a bit with us to illustrate this point about living in two worlds.
Having been a missionary for 8 years, I have contacts in a lot of places in the world. So when my cousin who lives in Omaha forwarded me a Travellog Journal from 6th grader James Bailey of Taloga, OK, it was my pleasure to forward his journal to friends in Singapore. He’ll get a postcard from them and who knows where his journal will go next. I am a part of our world and a part of another we might call the missionary world. Jay Kessler has shared from this pulpit how two of his best friends, Chuck Colson and Chuck Swindoll, are part of a world of ex-Marines that he’d like to enter, but cannot.
The Thessalonians were people of two worlds.
What this means practically to us is just this: When I call the ChemLawn people to apply some applications to my yard, it is because I live in this world and have an investment to take care of. But when I call them because I am not pleased with what the technician did while he was there, I have to remember that I am a member of the kingdom of God. What I say and how I say it must communicate grace and patience and tact and other elements that demonstrate I am in God and in the Lord Jesus.
It is my hope that all of us are part of two worlds, also—this one, obviously, and the kingdom of God.
The second noteworthy thing that Paul says about these believers is that they live in the presence of God. Can we see that in verse 3?—“ constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father…”
As these believers go about their day, as they exercise faith, as they express love, and as they experience hope, they are aware of being in the presence of God.
I wonder how many of us know what it means to be in the presence of God? How many of us have heard His voice? Who among us has developed a sensitivity to His ways of leading? Who has learned to sense His presence in decision-making, in reading His Word, in emotional turmoil? The Thessalonians give us clues to some answers to these kinds of questions. They were known for work of faith. In other words, they had a reputation for trusting God. I often ask, as I am asked, ‘What are you trusting God for today?’ ‘What has God said in His word that you are believing Him for today?’ ‘What are we asking God to do that only He could do, that if He doesn’t do it, it won’t happen, that when He does it, it will be evident to all that He did it?’ That my friends is faith and trust. We know from 2 Corinthians 8 that these believers of Thessalonica trusted God with their finances. Paul tells the Corinthians about the Thessalonians “wealth of giving overflowing out of their deep poverty”, how “according to their ability and beyond their ability they gave… begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints…” That kind of monetary giving is faith at work. It demonstrates an awareness of the presence of God, the God who has promised to provide for us and meet our needs.
Secondly, these believers were known for their labor of love. Labor is a term that suggests extraordinary effort expended. Child-bearing is a labor of love, extraordinary effort expended. This labor is described by some commentators as wearisome toil. “So great is its concern for the object that love does not stop with ordinary effort, but goes the second mile and even beyond for the sake of another.” I know some of us have loved this way. These Thessalonians were known for their great self-sacrifice, their labor of love, because they were aware of the great presence of God Who had loved them in this same way. God hadn’t loved them, because He found them emotionally desirable in some way, or because they were attractive in some way. And the same is true for us. The love of God is a matter of the will. Living in His presence fortifies that amazing concept.
Thirdly, these believers were known for their steadfastness of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Steadfastness suggests endurance, an aggressive, courageous quality that leaves no room for self-pity. It proceeds onward even when the alley looks to be blind and when normal people cry ‘there is no hope’. Steadfastness casts aside discouragement because it stays focused on future certainties. Findlay says this is ‘the fortitude of the stout-hearted soldier’.
The 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, are so memorable because the U.S. defeated the Russians and won a gold medal in hockey. Perhaps some of you younger ones have heard about that game. Imagine with me that you did not see that game, and afterward, when you have already heard the score, you decide to watch the contest on videotape. No matter how the game goes, no matter how often it looks like the U.S. team is going down in flames, there is no cause for alarm, for discouragement, or distress. And why is that? We already know the outcome! We know who wins the game when the final buzzer sounds! The Thessalonians were living like that. They knew the truth of what C.S. Lewis would later write:
“If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”
The Thessalonians were known for their steadfast hope in the Lord Jesus, in part because of their recognition that God was always present with them.
Fernando Ortega put it this way in his song, “Jesus, King of Angels”. Listen as he sings and follow along with the words if you’d like…
The third noteworthy thing that Paul says about these believers is that they are a people with the identity, beloved of God. Not only are they people of two worlds, and not only are they living in the presence of God, they are also beloved of Him. To understand that identity, to get a grasp of what it means to be loved by God, we only have to travel back into the Scriptures and look at a couple of true stories.
I’ve been meditating on the book of Esther over the last couple of weeks, and once again I stand amazed at what God did for His people. Through the faithful and courageous actions of Mordecai and Esther, God turned the tables on the enemies of the Jews. 9:1 says, “Now in the…month Adar…on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it was turned to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained the mastery over those who hated them.” These people were His beloved, and He was there protecting them. Metaphorically, this story conveys to us that we, too, may be victorious over all our opponents, for we are His beloved, and no circumstances, no evil spirits, no ‘coincidence’ of accidents need lay us low!
Another true story comes from II Kings 7, and many of us know it by heart. It is the tale of 4 lepers who were about to die from starvation outside the city gates of Samaria, the capital of Israel. The city had been surrounded by the Arameans, and there was great famine in the city. 6:25—“…a donkey’s head…sold for 80 shekels of silver, and a fourth of a kab of dove’s dung for 5 shekels of silver.” No, I don’t know what that means; it’s just obvious that it was a terrible time to be alive. Well, you know the story. God chases away the army of the Arameans (He causes them to hear a sound of chariots, a sound of horses, a sound of a great army), the lepers decide that if they are going to die, they might as well take their chances with the enemy, so they go to the camp of the Arameans and discover everything left in the camp—food, gold, clothes, etc. And so with the supplies of the enemy army, the famine for Israel is broken. One of the Jewish king’s officials in Samaria had wondered out loud, “If the Lord should make windows in heaven, could a measure of fine flour sell for a shekel and two measures of barley sell for a shekel?” as the prophet Elisha had prophesied. God’s provision was just so abundant on behalf of these, His beloved.
But having the identity of being God’s beloved does not always mean great victories of personal experience for lepers and queens. Sometimes His love is shown in other ways.
Sydney Browning was the director of the children’s choir at Wedgewood Baptist Church and she was the first to die on 9/15/99 in Fort Worth, Texas when Larry Ashbrook did his evil thing.
Cassie Bernall was just 17 years old and a student at Columbine High School in Colorado when she was shot April 20, 1999, after answering ‘Yes’ to the question, “Do you believe in God?”
Being God’s beloved sometimes means being poured out and broken for plans and purposes that we don’t always immediately understand.
Marvin Olasky of World Magazine quotes Bart Giamatti, the late commissioner of baseball, as saying about baseball: “It breaks your heart, it’s meant to break your heart.” Why is that? Olasky says, “…much of life is made up of losing, not winning, and it’s good not to fool ourselves. The agony for players and fans that come so far only to fall short is real, but defeats in baseball…teach us to overcome emotional pain in relatively harmless settings; we learn that time does heal wounds, and so are prepared for greater sadnesses that may come.” Olasky observes further: “Christianity…breaks your heart, it was meant to break your heart…. through heartbreak we realize that this world is not our home. When Christ breaks our hearts spiritually, we have, alongside bittersweet seasons, a deeper hope to come back to, again and again.
Mr. Olasky and Sydney Browning and Cassie Bernall knew the truth of Hebrews 11:32-38, a passage that needs to be a segment of our Bibles that is circled and highlighted! The turn in verse 35 from victory to brokenness is so very important!
Conclusion: So these Thessalonians were quite a group of believers, weren’t they? They lived in two worlds, they knew how to live in the presence of God, and they knew who they were, the beloved of God.
So who are we?


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