"Satan Prevented Us"
1 Thessalonians 2v17-18
17th September 2021
In 1 Thessalonians 2v17-3v2, it seems Paul was being criticised by some members of the church at Thessalonica, and felt the need to defend himself. All church leaders will be familiar with this situation. It seems some of the Thessalonians were feeling neglected. They were complaining that Paul couldn't be bothered to visit them, so he just sent Timothy instead. Maybe they thought Paul didn't think they were important enough to spend time with them. Paul begins his defence by saying:
1 Thessalonians 2v17
But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in
person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort
to see you.
Paul says that he, Silas and Timothy had been torn away from the Thessalonians. The Greek word translated "torn away" can mean "orphaned" (as in the latest version of the NIV) or it can mean "torn away from one's children", which is closer Paul's meaning here. Paul felt like a father forced to abandon his children. He says he has an intense longing to see them again. But we can't always do what we want, and our leaders can't always do what they want. And they can't always do what we think they should do.
Lockdown had a similar effect on some of us, sadly. There were members of my church that I didn't see for months, and it felt like a bereavement.
It's generally believed that when a pastor retires he should leave his church. There are good reasons for that. The new pastor doesn't want the old pastor sitting at his shoulder all day. But it is a bereavement. Some denominations believe that pastors should change church every 7 years. That seems to me to be unnecessarily cruel, both to pastors and to churches.
Paul says that he and his friends made every effort to visit Thessalonica again. It's too easy for us to think that, because a person doesn't do a thing, that means he doesn't want to do it, or doesn't care about us. Sometimes he just can't do it. Sometimes he really is too busy. Sometimes there really are other priorities.
The Christian response to disappointment is not to blame others, but to choose to believe they had a good reason for not doing what we want, or even for doing what we don't want. Sometimes, but not often, we can't do that. We know that they got it wrong. In that case, the Christian response is to forgive.
Some Christians can find forgiveness difficult. Some of us have been so sinned against that forgiveness is a process, not just a choice. But when we remember all the sin in our lives, and we remember that God has forgiven us for all of it, we know we should forgive. And Jesus told us in Matthew 6:15 that if we don't forgive others, then God will not forgive us.
Paul says:
1 Thessalonians 2v17
For we wanted to come to you – certainly I, Paul, did, again and again – but
Satan stopped us.
Please never say this if it isn't true. If the truth is that you just couldn't be bothered to visit somebody, or to come to the prayer meeting, or to join the work party, say so. Don't blame Satan if the real culprit is your own flesh, your own laziness, or the fact that you decided to stay home and watch the football. Just speak the truth, "I didn't go to the prayer meeting because I preferred to watch the football". Fine. It's your choice before God. Just don't lie.
Sometimes, I've missed a meeting because I forgot it was happening. I once missed a wedding because I forgot to fill the car up with petrol and I was stuck on the side of the M27. I can't blame Satan. I can only blame my poor memory, carelessness and stupidity.
But sometimes Satan does prevent us doing what we want to do, what we think of as a good thing to do. This raises an important theological question: If we're servants of God, how can Satan stop us doing anything? Can't God prevent Satan from preventing us from doing something good?
The answer, and it's the only answer, is of course God could stop Satan being so annoying, but sometimes God chooses not to stop him. God is Lord of the universe, Lord of history, Lord of every creature, including Satan. Nobody can stand against what God decrees. But, as we all know, sometimes God chooses to let sinful people, and sinful spirits, do sinful things.
If, at this point, somebody wants to ask why God permits humans and demons to sin, I have two answers. My first answer is that God has granted free will to us all. It would be a very funny sort of free will if every time a human or a spirit decided to sin, he was prevented from doing so. That would be free will in name only.
Of course, our free will is limited. I can't, of my own free will, choose to play centre-forward for England, or live to the age of 150, or be a cocker spaniel.
Sometimes, we override each other's free will. If there's one after-dinner mint on the table, we can't both eat it. If you use a parking space, then I can't use the same one. And so on. Sometimes God overrules our free will. As Lord of the Universe, He is entitled to do that. Often, He doesn't. Here's an example:
Acts 16:6-10
Paul and his companions travelled throughout the region of Phrygia and
Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the
province of Asia.
When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the
Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him,
"Come over to Macedonia and help us."
After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia,
concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
I don't think we know if God actually prevented the apostles going to those places, or if He just told them not to. They may well consider being forbidden by the Holy Spirit counts as prevention, because they were good enough Christians to want never to disobey the Holy Spirit. But I believe God does both.
Sometimes He tells us not to do a thing, or to do something else, not to go to a place, or to go somewhere else, not to say a thing, or to say something else. Other times, He makes something impossible. He just so orders events, people and things in such a way as to make it impossible.
If you want to visit somebody that lives some miles away, and your car won't start, that's not bad luck. There is no such thing as luck. God is in control of all that happens, and all that doesn't happen. Sometimes – often, actually – I can't find a book that I want. That is of, of course, down to my absent-mindedness. But God is so in control of my life that I'll find that book if God wants me to read it, and sometimes I won't find it, if He wants me to do something else.
Sometimes, God allows us to do what we planned, but only after He has delayed us to teach us an important lesson. Remember the stories of Balaam's donkey, and of Jacob wrestling with God.
And as well all know, God often allows sinners to sin.
My second answer to the question of why God permits humans and demons to sin, is that everything that happens, including sin, is part of God's perfect plan. God always has a purpose in everything that happens. The most obvious example of this in all of history is that God allows the Jews to murder Jesus (as we saw last time). That was, of course, the greatest sin ever committed. But there is no doubt that God planned for that sin to be committed. It was His divine genius that devised the only possible way for you and me to be forgiven for our sins, and saved. Had they not killed Jesus, you and I would still be dead in our sins.
Sometimes we can see why God allows a sin to happen, sometimes we can make a guess, and sometimes we just don't have a clue. But we have faith that God knows best, and God is in full control of everything that happens. There is no such thing as chance.
Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
The 19th-century Church of England bishop, J. C. Ryle, wrote: 'Nothing whatever, whether great or small, can happen to a believer, without God's ordering and permission. There is no such thing as "chance", "luck" or "accident" in the Christian's journey through this world. All is arranged and appointed by God. And all things are "working together" for the believer's good.
Many Christians have been severely injured, experienced debilitating disease, been woefully abused. It's not easy to believe that God is in control, but of course He is. It's impossible to imagine that God isn't in control. God created the heavens and the earth, and everything in them (Genesis 1:1, Psalm 24:1-2). God sustains all things (Hebrews 1:3) and in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
God sees your pain, He sees your loss, He sees your bewilderment that people can act like that. And one day justice will be done. One day:
Revelation 21:4
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain…"
And God's plan is perfect. So God allowed Satan to prevent Paul, Silas and Timothy visiting Thessalonica. He had his reasons, but we don't know what those reasons were. We just trust that He had them.
We know that Satan is totally under God's control, because everything totally under God's control. We know that before Satan could test Job, he had to ask for God's permission. We know that before He ascended, Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthew 18:18). Ephesians 1:21 tells us that Jesus Christ is "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." – including satanic power.