Dennis Tuuri

Please stand for the reading of the King’s Word. 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20. But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire. Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul once and again but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

For ye are our glory and joy. You may be seated.

In the context of these verses we just read, I’ve entitled the sermon Easter joy because today’s Easter and I’m going to talk about joy. But there is a relationship here that will become evident as we go through this a little bit that may not be evident at first with some of these particular points. This really must be seen in connection to what we talked about last week and we will do that as we go through here.

The first thing I want us to see is that the joy that Paul talks about two times the last closing verses 19 and 20 what we just read that joy has a time reference that is at its peak as it were that joy is connected to the parousia and I don’t know if I’m saying that right maybe it’s parousia maybe it’s perioia I don’t know I’ll call I think I’ll try to call it parousia for the balance of this talk but in any event that is the specific Greek word that is referenced when we talk about Jesus when most people talk about Jesus’s second coming they’re talking about the word parousia and we’ll talk about that in a couple of minutes we talked about a little bit last week too first Paul says that there is a joy he has at the parousia.

Secondly, this joy of Paul’s I think in the context is closely linked to his love for the saints at Thessalonica. That comes through very strongly in those in verses 17 and 18. So we’ll talk about that a little bit. And third, I want us to see how both these elements really kind of combine together in the fact that his joy is linked ultimately to the resurrection, the death and resurrection of our savior.

So those are the three simple points we want to make. It’s going to get a little bit complicated here at this first point, but hang in there. And then if you want more detail, you can look it up later. If it’s complicated, it’s because I’ve been struggling with the concept of the parousia for some time now. I knew that this section was coming up. I knew that each section of the each chapter of Thessalonians, the first epistle, ends with a reference to the coming of Jesus.

So I’ve been studying this for a while, but I’ve not come to some definite answers on some things. And so you’re just going to have to be as confused as I am, unless you have studied out more. Let’s just talk for first about the parousia itself relating to the joy that Paul talks about in verses 19 and 20 of 1 Thessalonians 2.

Couple introductory things. First the parousia in Greek usage when he says in verse 19 are not even ye our hope our joy our crown of rejoicing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. That word coming is what we’re talking about here. What does it mean? What does it mean? Well first in its original Greek usage parousia comes from two words meaning to be and the word for present. So to be present. Okay. Now the original term had reference was a technical term and had reference to the arrival and visit of a Roman emperor to some particular city. The inhabitants then frequently dating a new era from his parousia or from his coming to that city.

Okay. Now involved with this was also the concept that there was a manifestation of a hidden divinity by some evidence of his power in this action in terms of his coming. This sense of the word was borrowed by Josephus to talk about God’s various coming at various epochs in Old Testament history to the Jews manifesting his divine power to them. I might just mention here that the word advent is the Latin word that usually parousia is translated in Latin into advent or adventus.

And so advent is the same basic word coming as parousia. Give you an idea. The emperor Hadrian came to Athens and other Greek cities in 124 AD. And in an inscription of a coin dated 192 or actually coined in 192 at Tiga. This inscription on this coin says that it is dated in the year 69 of the first parousia of the god Hadrian in Greece. And that gives you an example of how the parousia was this emperor coming who had godlike powers supposedly a manifestation to that city obviously you know no god but an idol and then seeing that they dated this coin in the 69th year even though it was year 192 according to their calendar was they dated it according to the coming of the advent of that man to the city.

Not long after first Thessalonians was written, some coins were found with were coined rather some coins were coined with the legend Adventus Augustae. These were struck at Corinth to commemorate an official visit there from Nero. So you may want to say why did it say Adventus Nero? Well, the idea was that Nero was seen as a manifestation of Augustus, the first Roman emperor or actually the kind of like the paramount Roman emperor and Augustus was declared to be divine.

So Nero was manifesting his divinity in this visit to Corinth. And so it was his parousia. Augustus’ parousia through Nero is kind of the concept. Okay. Now this is important to kind of get a handle on how it was used then. Okay. That’s the original Greek usage. Now parousia in the New Testament. I’ve listed the verses there for you of where it’s used in the Gospels. It’s only used in the Gospel of Matthew 24.

Understand there are other there a couple of other words that refer to the word coming. But the specific word parousia that’s translated coming in 1 Thessalonians 2:19 is what I’m talking about here. It’s only used in Matthew 24. There’s four verses in the Gospels. And there’s four verses I’ve listed there. Matthew 24:3, 37-39. We looked at most of those last week. In the Pauline epistles, it’s used six times in these two epistles to the Thessalonians and only one other occurrence which I may have left off your outline rather in 1 Corinthians 15:23.

Now, one other caveat here. I’m talking about the use of the term parousia to refer to the coming of Jesus Christ. Paul uses the term to refer to his own coming a few other times. But in terms of the parousia relating to Jesus Christ, Paul uses it six times to the Thessalonians. And I’ve listed them and then once in 1 Corinthians 15:23. Non-Paulian epistles. I’ve listed the references for you there. This verse in first Thessalonians since this is one of the earliest, maybe the earliest New Testament book written.

This verse is the earliest extant usage in the New Testament to refer to the coming of Jesus Christ as a parousia. This very verse we’re dealing with today. And that’s why I’m taking this time here to kind of relate this draw some of this out. Now, I mentioned that it’s used in Matthew’s gospel in Matthew 24:3. You remember that is the question that begins Jesus’s discourse of what’s going to happen in terms of the destruction of the temple.

And he’s told them that this temple is going to be destroyed. And they say, “When will this happen. What will be the sign of your coming? Your parousia. Now, this is interesting if you think about it because Jesus is right there in front of him. And it doesn’t say second coming. Nowhere is the term parousia used to refer. It never says second parousia. Second coming doesn’t do that. He is standing right there in front of him and they say, “What is going to be the sign of your parousia?” It does not mean return.

It means to visit and to bring your presence forward. It doesn’t mean return. That’s important. We’ll talk about that a little bit more later. But that’s important. One other thing, another reference in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, we have a parousia of the anti of the man of lawlessness. Him that is the lawlessness man of lawlessness whose coming is after the working of Satan. So Satan has kind of a parousia through the man of lawlessness.

And we’ll talk about that when we get to second Thessalonians in about six months probably. But anyway, it’s kind of interesting that same word is used in reference to antichrist activity. Okay, that’s the parousia of the new testament. Obviously not we don’t you’re not getting into much detail going to give you an overview here.

Third, the parousia yet future. Before I say what I’m going to say here all this by way of explanation that I wanted to make this point clear I do believe that Christ is going to return finally at the consummation of the ages. Revelation 20:11 is one verse there that’s the great white throne judgment seems clearly be a reference to a future consummation of all things. So I want you to understand that what I’m saying is that there are there’s this there is certainly a return or a presence of Christ.

Now that term isn’t used technically in Revelation 20:11. Okay? It’s the term parousia isn’t found but I’m saying that Christ will return I believe at some time in the future at the consummation of all things. And now I’m going to talk about the parousia AD 70 that we talked about last week a little bit. I guess all this by way of saying what is he talking about here? What is this joy he’s finding in the Thessalonians?

What’s the time reference here? Is it sometime off in the future at the great white throne? Or is it at the coming and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70? And I don’t know. Okay, I wish I could tell you I had come to a definite conclusion about that. But I think I would rather tell you that I don’t know if I’m unsure, which is what I’m telling you. Now, I’m going to list some reasons why I think it might be talking about AD 70.

And that’s the fourth point, the parousia AD 70. And I’m just going to reference a couple of things here. Jude 1:24, the term is used go through all the usages to Christ’s return and his presence. Well, actually Jude 1:24 the term isn’t used, but the presence of him is. It’s important to recognize that in verse 19, he says, “You in the presence of Christ at his coming, at his parousia.” Jude 1:24 ends by saying, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” Very similar terminology.

And it seems in the context of the book of Jude that he’s trying to keep them from falling into falling away from and being seduced into these different things that would drag him away from the Christian faith. And so he seems to be trying to keep them in the faith until the coming of Christ in judgment on the Jewish nation in AD 70. Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according to his work shall be.” And he and that’s a reference to Jesus’s coming.

And he says that he’s coming quickly and his reward is with him. Revelation is written to a group of people who are being persecuted. And the point is, I’m coming quickly. Your persecutors, the Jewish nation essentially working through the Roman state as well, will be dealt with shortly. It’s to give them encouragement. It would have been faint hope that would refer to some kind of far return of Jesus.

Matthew 24:3, I just referenced. What will be the sign of thy coming? Jesus is standing there. But then we looked at that a little bit last week and looked at all the evidences and we dealt with the most difficult passages, the ones leading up to that were rather obvious in the context of Matthew 24 talking about the great tribulation to come upon the Jewish state in AD 70. And so there it seems to link specifically the parousia spoken of in Matthew 24 the only place in the gospels where it’s used this term is used and it says very specifically that there are some those who are now alive of this generation who will see these things happen.

So it seems to link the parousia the coming of Jesus to the manifestation of his divinity and judgment upon Jerusalem in AD 70. James 5:8 be ye patient establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord drawth nigh. It’s coming very quickly and the thing that was coming quickly was this judgment to happen in AD 70. A lot of other verses Luke 21 that was one of the references last week that is parallel to Matthew 24.

And he says at the end of Luke 21 this discourse of what’s going to happen in terms of the destruction of Jerusalem. In verse 36, he says, “Watch ye therefore and pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass.” In other words, all this destruction of Jerusalem and to stand before the son of man. So he links there they’re manifesting the faith not falling into Jewish heresies and actually getting out of Jerusalem where the destruction is going to come.

He says that if you do that, you’ll avoid these things and you’ll stand before the son of man in his presence as it were. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Paul says, “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love, your patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our father.” Bring that verse up. That’s the same word as presence found in verse 19. So he says that they’re already standing in perseverance in the presence of God and our father.

And so the presence there that’s referred to verse 19 could refer to their actual standing in his presence perpetually and then finally, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, he’s praying to the end that God may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all his saints. Now, I bring this verse up because this would seem to say if this is a reference to the final consummation of all things, and he’s talking in terms of the same context of this book, or this is just 13 verses later, this would seem to indicate that the passage at the end of that we’re dealing with verse 19 of 1 Thessalonians 2 refers to the final consummation.

And it seems to be that because he says at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. But the problem with that is that the word saint there can refer to believers who are dead in the Lord or it the word can also be used and is occasionally in the scriptures to angels. Jesus’s parousia is frequently, I could have a list of probably six or eight scriptures. I can provide them to you. Frequently it said that he will come with his angels, his ministering angels as it were in this destruction upon Jerusalem.

Okay? And so really this if the word means saints then this means final consummation. If the word has reference to angels, which it probably does, then it means AD 70. But I’m not sure. And because I’m not sure of that, I’m also not sure of the verse we’re dealing with here. But I think it I think it tends to the evidence tends to weigh heavier toward AD 70. And one final thing I’m going to make reference to here is Satan.

Paul says just before he talks about them standing firm and being their joy, his joy, he talks about how he hoped to come to them, but Satan had hindered him. And I think it’s important to understand this reference. And I want to do this very quickly, but I do want to make this point. Satan is the adversary of the Christian par excellence as it were. In this verse, it says that Satan has stopped their progress. The verse means to hinder to cut up or to throw up a road block a roadblock to impede the progress of a foe or an enemy.

And Paul is seen here as advancing on Satan’s territory. And he’s thrown up roadblocks. Paul, of course, is really we really see Jesus working through Paul to continue to preach the gospel and spread the manifestation of the kingdom throughout the known world at that time. And Satan was opposing this.

Well, I think that in back of the agency of Satan we see Satan rather at back of the agency of the Jews hindering Paul as well in verse 18 where it talks about the hindering just a couple of verses before that we talked about last week. Well, what were the Jews trying to do? They were trying to prevent him from bringing the Gentiles to salvation. They were trying to hinder the Gentiles from coming to salvation. Same basic concept thrown up these roadblocks. We have other references where Paul there were plots by the Jews that prevented Paul from doing particular taking particular trips. And in first Thessalonians, the verses we’re talking about today, he says he wanted to come to him, but he couldn’t do it because Satan thwarted him twice.

And I think that while the evidence isn’t conclusive, I think that the primary reference there again is to the Jewish opposers of the faith, we know that for instance, according to Acts 20:3, Paul’s travels were had to be changed because the Jews were laying traps for Paul.

Additionally, another verse that relates to this is Galatians 5:7 where Paul tells the Galatians, “You did run well? Who did hinder you?” Same word here. Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. Well, it’s the Jewish people who are trying to talk these people into keeping the sacrificial law and the ceremonial law for salvation. They’re the ones who are hindering him. It’s the Jewish element. And he quotes here with the little leaven leavening the lump which Jesus always used to warn about the Pharisees.

And so the hindering here is going on by Jews or maybe Judaizing Christians but probably actually those who would oppose the faith altogether. One final piece of evidence in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 we read of the synagogue of Satan and directly related to the Jewish opposers to the faith. Revelation 3:9 “Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie. Behold I shall make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee.” So the idea of Revelation 3:9 and 2:9 is that Jesus is going to deliver the people from those who would persecute them who identifies as being of the synagogue of Satan.

And remember Jesus called the Jews you brood of vipers, offspring of the serpent as it were. And so he relates here Satan and his work to the Jewish nation opposing the gospel. When Paul wrote to the Romans in Romans 16:20 that verse that we love so much. “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” That shortly could very well and I think probably does have primary reference to God bruising Satan under their feet with the coming of Jesus in destruction on them in AD 70.

Okay, we’re going to return to this, but I wanted you to have an idea of this parousia in your mind as we look now as the time of the joy that Paul talks about and now we’re going to come back to that in a couple of minutes. But now we’re going to turn to joy of Paul relating to the love of the saints. Now, here we’re going to focus mostly on the first two verses, verses 17 and 18. Ronald Ward in his commentary on this portion of scripture said that the whole section throbs with deep feeling. Hendrickson said, “At this point, Paul’s style becomes intensely emotional. The very words seem to tremble.” He addresses here his great love for the Thessalonians in this passage.

And what I want to do is just go through some of the evidences of Paul’s love found in verses 17, 18, 19 he begins the section by saying but we brethren he begins with this term of great affection and love brethren and it means to be loved by him having been taken from you for a short time and presence not in heart taken from you could be translated orphaned from you is a term a very graphic word which combines the idea of separation with the mental anguish that accompanies it. By the way who took Paul from these Thessalonians well it was the Jews was working through the civil magistrates there in Thessalonica.

But it was the Jews essentially again disturbing the work of the apostle here who drove him out we talked about last week. Well, in any event, Paul said he was orphaned from the Thessalonians. This word can be used of people deprived of their children as well as children who don’t have the parents anymore. Either way, it can be used either way or it can be people that are cut off from very, very close friends.

And so Paul uses a very strong term here. Jesus in John 14:18 said, “I won’t leave you as orphans. I will come to you I won’t leave you bereft of me as it were bereaved or torn away from me. I will come to you” and of course he sends his holy spirit to teach us of him. In Genesis 43:14 we read of Jacob and God Almighty give you mercy before the man that he may send away your other brothers and Benjamin. “If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” The ultimate bereavement that the scriptures portray for us is being bereaved of our children.

Remember Paul had addressed these Thessalonians as his children in the faith and to be torn away from in that way he says was to be orphaned of them and has this idea of being extremely comfortless as a result. So he says we were taken away from you for a short time in presence not in heart.

A third term of endearment to the Thessalonians he says but our heart was still with you. In other words we were thinking of you. We were anxious to see you. We endeavored the more abundantly. The term endeavor there means we made every effort. It conveys a depth of feeling again amounting to a zeal. A zeal heightened by separation. It implied speed, eagerness, seriousness to reach them. So he uses very strong terminology there.

And then he said, “We endeavored all the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.” And the word desire here is an unusual occurrence of this word. It is only used, as far as I know, four times in the New Testament in a positive sense. It almost always means an improper sense of lust or covetousness. And Paul uses this very intense, passionate term to describe the desire that he had to see the Thessalonians. It indicates an intense longing.

Rutherford in his paraphrase of this said that absence has made us anxious out of measure to see you face to face with passionate desire is the way he translated this. Another commentator says that you could translate it, we burdened ourselves the more abundantly with great longing to see you face to face again. So he wanted to go see them. Then he says wherefore, we would have come unto you, even I, Paul. Once again, when he says we would have come, this indicates a purpose. It represents a strong wish in feelings leading to a resolution to come.

Again, a strong intense term. And then he says, “we would have come unto you even I, Paul.” And again, now most of the Thessalonian epistles are written in the plural. You know, it’s Paul, Timothy, and Silas. But here he says, even I, Paul, to make sure they understand that him personally had this great desire to go and be with them. Even I, Paul. And then he says, “Even I, Paul, more than once.” Some people think it means twice specifically. Some people think it means more than once. But in any event, goes out of his way to say, “I didn’t have these strong feelings just once. I intended on more than one occasion to come see you, but Satan hindered us.”

And then he goes on, of course, in verse 19 to talk about the Thessalonians as being his hope, his joy, his crown of rejoicing in which he could glory before God.

And so Paul here in conclusion says some very strong things about his feelings for the Thessalonians. Tresum commenting on this said that these words are those of a man inflamed with tenderness and talking to his little children. The name of crown is not sufficient to express the splendor. But he adds of boasting of what fiery warmth is this. For reflect how great a thing it is that an entire church should be planted and rooted by Paul. Who would not rejoice in such a multitude of children and in the conduct of these children?

Now remember eight or nine months probably prior to the writing of this epistle he didn’t know these people didn’t know them completely unacquainted with them and in that short space of time being with them maybe as little as 3 or 4 weeks some commentators say longer he had developed this great intense love for these this church. Now it wasn’t only this church in Philippians 4:1 we read therefore my brethren dearly beloved and longed for my joy and crown so standfast of the Lord. My dearly beloved, it’s important to understand that Paul’s joy was linked to this great love that he had for the body of Jesus Christ.

This great love certainly because they were his children in the Lord, so to speak. He had brought most of them to the faith. He had nurtured them. But beyond that, he had a tremendous love for the people of God. And I would just say that if our joy is lacking in our lives, perhaps one of the reasons for it may be that we have not nurtured that great love one for another in context of the body of Christ.

We know the joy that our children bring us. We know the love that we have for them. And Paul extends that out further and gives us a model further as well to see that our joy should be found also in those of the church and those of the visible covenant community that he brings us into relationship with that he in his providence causes us to be part of the extended family of. So Paul’s joy is really related very much to the church that God had placed him in the context of his deep and abiding love for them.

And then finally, Paul’s joy is rooted ultimately, and I’ll tie both these first things in, to the resurrection. We have been talking the last week about the coming of God in judgment, the coming of Christ in judgment, the coming to take the throne from the father as a result of that, his angels bringing his presence as it were to the Jerusalem nation and destruction in AD 70. And I mentioned at the end of last week, there are these big this big theme from suffering to glory that we find in the scriptures we have this movement in that direction.

We see that in these last few verses of this second chapter of the book of first Thessalonians. We see Paul joyously boasting in verse 19. He says, “You are our crown of rejoicing.” And I want us to see that in relationship to the parousia. We’re going to return to that concept now. Paul’s glory. Now, Paul had reason to understand the biblical usage of this term glory and boasting and this crown of rejoicing that he uses to refer to the Thessalonians in relationship to his relationship to God.

We’re told in Proverbs 11:30 that the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he that winneth souls is wise. Then we read in Daniel 12:3, “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” And Paul certainly had reason to be very proud of the accomplishments that God had done through him in terms of the Thessalonian believers. His fruit would abide. There’s a joy in our fruit that Paul exhibits here and that is part of his boasting as it were in these believers.

but I think there also is a relationship to the parousia here that we may not catch unless again we know a little bit of the Greek terminology being used here. The crown of exaltation, the particular word he used here is not diadema. It’s not the idea of a king’s crown. It’s a victor’s wreath. It was the crown or the wreath that would be given to the victor in the games. And as such, it would give them it would be given both to the winner of the game as well as those who had actually arranged for the athletic contest itself.

And it was then when the victor received that crown, it was a source of both boasting for him that he had won. In addition to this, it had joy associated with it as well. The crown was also then the victor’s crown that it brought honor to that particular man and to his household. Now, in terms of the parousia, it’s interesting that we have in recorded history, as we said before, first of all, it’s a state visit to a city by a sovereign in terms of the Roman emperor whose arrival was marked usually then by the presentation of an appreciation gift.

Dolph Duceman cites a papyrus from the 3rd century BC which speaks of contributions for a crown of gold to be presented to the king at his parousia. And so Paul here I think by way of application is essentially saying that the Thessalonians is the crown of boasting that he will present to the Lord at his parousia, at the parousia of the king whose coming will also usher in a new era or age for his people as the counterfeit eras ages ushered in by the Romans had so indicated.

Lightfoot says that the idea conveyed by the wreath or by the word for crown can be either as I said victory or honor. The wreath was borne by the conqueror and so there was a joyfulness associated with him winning. And then that idea of course follows over into the use of the word wherever it’s used. Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:25 actually draws this association between this crown and the victor’s crowns in the game. He says, “Every man strives for the mastery and he’s temperate in all things. They do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.”

So, he himself draws this relationship back to the victor’s crown. Paul was boasting in the Thessalonians whom he would present essentially to Christ at his coming, at his parousia, at his ushering in of a new era. Now, the idea of boasting is somewhat some people wonder what’s Paul doing boasting about all this. we can see the yet good fruit he presents to Christ. What is this boasting about? After all, in Galatians 6:14, Paul himself wrote, “God forbid that I should glory or boast save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.”

But as one commentator reads, Paul boasted ultimately even in this sense in the in the passage from First Thessalonians, he boasted ultimately in the cross of Jesus Christ, his glory in his converts as he saw the grace of God manifested in them was but a phase of his paramount glorying in the cross. They were the fruit but they were the fruit of the preaching of the cross. Christ crucified was demonstrated afresh by their faith to be the power and wisdom of God. And so Paul gloried in them and that glory is part of his joy and that also is related to the parousia of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, there is the parousia and the joyous service in the kingdom mentioned here I believe. Now I want to read a quote here from Russell’s book the parousia and it’s very important that you catch this association. Russell said that the uniform teaching of the new testament is that the event which would be so fatal to the enemies of Christ that’s the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was to be an auspicious one to his friends everywhere the most malignant opposers and persecutors of Christianity were the Jews the annihilation of the Jewish nationality therefore removed the most formidable antagonist of the gospel and brought rest and relief to suffering Christians.

Our Lord had said to the disciples when speaking of his approaching catastrophe, “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption drawth nigh.” Luke 21:28. But the explanation is far from exhausting the whole meaning of such passages. It cannot be doubted that the parousia is everywhere represented as the crowning day of Christian hopes and aspirations when they would inherit the kingdom and enter into the joy of their Lord.

Such is plain teaching both of Christ and his apostles and we find it clearly expressed in the words of St. Paul now before us. The parousia was to be the consummation of glory and felicity to the faithful and the apostle looked for his crowns at the Lord’s coming. Now in 1 Peter 4:13 we read in relationship to this, but rejoice in as much as you are partakers of Christ’s suffering that when his glory shall be revealed you may be glad also with exceeding joy.

His parousia, the destruction of those who would persecute those that James addressed was to be seen as their joy. Matthew 25:21, his lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant. When he returns, the good and faithful servant now is being spoken of. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou has been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

When Jesus’s judgment befell Jerusalem in AD 70 and put an end to that age, the age of the Mosaic dispensation as it were, and ushered in the new age of the son Jesus Christ, the new era. The church was redeemed as it were. They were brought into positions of power and authority. They had been faithful over the little that they had been allowed to have in the case of the Thessalonians for that 20 years leading up to that place. And the kingdom was now finally in totality transferred over to them.

I don’t think the parousia should be seen apart from the death and resurrection, ascension and then the final judgment upon Jerusalem in AD 70. It is one continuous event and it is an event that once it has been completed in AD 70 results in the transfer over of the total kingdom age to the church. And so in the book of Matthew, Jesus said that those been faithful over little will now have work over a lot. And indeed within a fairly short period of time, the Roman Empire was crushed as well and then became Christianized. Byzantium was established. Christian culture essentially that lasted for over a thousand years.

Romans 14:17 says, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” And so Paul when he connects joy to the coming of Jesus and his presence, I think related that joy to the transfer of the kingdom to the gentile nations, to the gentile church as it were, to the true Israel of God. Talked about the joy of service in that kingdom that would now be given to them greater manifestations of service.

I remember while back several years ago uh I watched this movie called Dune and it has occurred to me several other occasions as well when I watch movies out of Hollywood that evil people are portrayed really well in these movies but good guys are always kind of anemic. They’re not really don’t really we have a difficult time portraying goodness and beauty. We are much better at portraying evil for obvious reasons. Well, I think sometimes our curiosity or our tendencies to think about things fall that same way.

While the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 is a very important event to consider in and of itself, the judgment of God upon those who would persecute the Christ and his people, the flip side of that is what I’m trying to point us to this Sunday. Well, really what I mentioned briefly at the end of last week’s sermon, that the result of that is the ushering in of blessings and joy and the kingdom and as a result peace, righteousness, and joy to those who serve and minister in the context of that kingdom.

All the Old Testament quotes, some of those imprecatory psalms about washing our feet in the blood of the apostates who had been slain and joying in that can only be understood in this context that when God brings destruction, the parousia, the manifestation of divine power, ending one era, beginning another era, we present our fruits to him, he gives us the kingdom and says, “Well done. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Not playing a harp on a cloud. But the specific connection of Matthew 25:21 is now you’ll be faithful over many things. Now your responsibilities in the world will increase because your greatest persecutor, the false church, the Jewish nation, is done away with. And now you have more responsibilities and more work to do in the world. And that is joyous. It’s a joyous thing. And it’s tied to the resurrection of our savior.

Third, joy actually. We’ll now move to consideration of resurrection hope before we finally conclude with resurrection joy. That’s the other thing Paul references here in terms of the Thessalonian believers that they are his hope. The passion is followed by resurrection hope. And this relates to what we’ve been saying, persecution, retribution, deliverance, and joy. The passion is followed by resurrection hope.

Paul himself, and I’ve listed some scripture references for you there, and his defense of himself in Acts 23 and Acts 24, equates the hope of God with the resurrection from the dead. He says he’s been put on trial for the hope of God and for the hope that he identifies as the resurrection of the dead. Paul identifies all of the hope essentially of the old covenant and of who God is to the resurrection of the dead and his defense of himself in Acts 23 and 24. Very important to recognize that.

1 Peter 1:3 says that we’ve been born again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Paul tells the Thessalonians who had those who had friends who had died perhaps persecuted martyrs probably. So he says don’t sorrow as those who outside of the faith as those who have no hope. What was he pointing them to? He was pointing to the hope of the resurrection of the body based upon what? Based upon the resurrection of our savior.

And so the scriptures over and over again here in other places relate hope to the resurrection and specifically of course to the resurrection of the Savior. In Acts 2:27 and Acts 26:23 we read, “Therefore did my heart rejoice and my tongue was glad. Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope because thou will not leave thy soul in hell. Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.” Quoting an Old Testament prophecy in the book of Psalms relative to the Savior and his resurrection and saying that resurrection is the basis for our hope and the resurrection of our savior is the basis also for our joy.

“Therefore did my heart rejoice, my tongue’s glad. Also my flesh shall rest in hope.” And so when Paul speaks to this hope of the Thessalonians and their joy, he relates it to the resurrection.

Finally then, passion followed by resurrection joy. Hebrews 12:2 gives us the model. He says to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despised the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. The joy obviously follows the passion. Resurrection joy follows passion suffering. Matthew 28:8 The morning that our savior arose from the grave. They departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy. Why? Because it was empty. Great joy.

Luke 24:41 And while they had yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said unto them, “Have you any meat?” Our Savior makes a post-resurrection appearance, and they can’t even believe it because of the great joy they had as a result of it. John 20:20, when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, same word for rejoice, when they saw the Lord.

Matthew 28:9, “And as they went to tell his disciples, this is the morning of the resurrection, behold Jesus met them, saying, ‘All hail.’ And they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him.” That word hail in the King James version really is the same word rejoice. And so in our translation we read this morning in our in our family worship time it said rejoice is what he tells them and that’s what it means rejoice.

The ironic thing about that is that in Matthew 27:29 when they’re crucifying Christ when they are putting Christ through his paces as it were the Romans are they take the crown of thorns they put a reed in his hand and they bowed the knee before him and mock him saying hail rejoice king of the Jews. And then our savior as after his resurrection resurrected he tells his disciples to do that very thing using that same word rejoice he is king of the Jews he is king of all the world as it were kind of like in basketball you know in your face indeed he says rejoice and those that fail to rejoice in Jesus Christ will bow the knee in judgment as God brings judgment upon them.

John 16:20-24 sums all this up verily I say unto you that you shall weep and lament But the world shall rejoice. What’s he talking about there? The Savior’s put to death. The world rejoices. The disciples weep. You shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow because her hour is come. But as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world.

And ye now therefore have sorrow. But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the father in my name, he will give it to you. Hither to of you ask nothing in my name. Ask and you shall receive it that your joy may be full.

The savior was saying that he was destined to die and then to leave. But his resurrection and ascension be brought to its completion as it were the parousia, the manifestation of the divine presence in AD 70. And at that point in time, their joy would be real. Their joy would be great. Certainly there was joy the morning of the resurrection. But certainly also he points to that joy that is the is to be the possession of the church when the kingdom is handed to it with the destruction of the Jerusalem nation in AD 70.

The parousia is one event and it ushers in all these blessings and Jesus says then your joy shall be shall be real and it shall be complete. Jesus uses the analogy of a woman in travail and in sorrow and that’s the same analogy he uses in the Olivet discourse when he says that birth pains when a woman goes through birth pains he says that the beginning the end result of that is the same end result of what he’s telling him here their joy comes when Jesus comes in his parousia in AD 70 to judge the nations and all those who will not come into obedience to him and as a result of this of course our resurrection is the result of this our victory in Jesus our savior.

In Luke 15:32 we read of It was meet that we should make merry and be glad. For this thy brother was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found. The prodigal son. The prodigal son’s return is seen as death to resurrection and our coming back to God through