1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 "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? (20) For ye are our glory and joy."
We can see in these first two chapters of the book there was a special bond
between Paul and the Thessalonians. In chapter 1, we saw Paul speaking highly
and rejoicing in their faith and their zeal in sharing that faith with others.
"Your faith to God-ward is spread abroad." People are telling
"how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God."
He spoke of his love and care for them "as a nurse cherisheth her
children". Even when he had to give them charges in the Lord, he spoke of
his love in that "as a father doth his children." Now he had
been separated from them for a while and his desire was to see them again.
Paul's heart was for Christ and His people. You can sense the pain in his heart
because he had been hindered from seeing them again. But he held to the
thoughts of their faithfulness unto the Lord as they served Him each day.
I "endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire...
but Satan hindered us." It is thought by some that Paul wrote this
letter while he and Silas were in the Philippian prison. If so, or whatever
circumstance he would have described as being hindered by Satan, Paul was
holding to the thoughts of the Thessalonians as a source of
encouragement. Being encouraged himself, it seems he wrote this letter to
the people in order that they would be encouraged to remain steadfast.
The words of today's text verses express Paul's joy but also expresses the hope
and joy of every God called pastor. He lets his joy and hope be known
concerning them. "What is our hope? our joy? our crown of
rejoicing?" What is the hope and joy of each pastor? I'm sure
that would differ according to who you might be talking to, but it seems to me
that the ultimate joy of every God called pastor is to see God's people
rejoicing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a great joy to see God's people
turning from the thoughts, cares, and even desires of the world to serve the
Lord and be that light that shines in a dark place. That should be the
hope of every message from the pulpit. That should be the joy when even one
turns from the world to the Lord.
Let me speak just a moment concerning the "crown of rejoicing".
I do not believe anyone in heaven will be walking around with a crown on their
head. The only One worthy of such a thing is our Lord Jesus Christ. In
fact, Revelation chapter 4 shows us the scene where every crown is cast at the
feet of Jesus. We won't have to worry about how many stars will be in our
crown or who will be wearing a bigger crown. In fact, it is my belief that when
we enter heaven's glory, we will only have eyes for Jesus. Yes, Paul
speaks of the "crown of rejoicing." James speaks of the
"crown of life". In another place, Paul speaks of a
"crown of righteousness." What is meant by these crowns?
Have you ever heard the phrase, "crowning point of the event"?
In other words, that was the greatest, the highest, the most enjoyable, the
most memorable part of whatever was taking place. The "crown of
rejoicing" is the very pinnacle of any ministry. It is the highest goal
achievable. Paul was saying to the Thessalonians, "Your faithfulness to
the Lord is the pinnacle (crown) of rejoicing that I have seen in my
ministry." That is quite a statement to make, isn't it? May
our lives show faithfulness to the Lord. May we give hope, joy, and
rejoicing to others through our service unto God.