"That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know."
1 Thessalonians 3:3-4
Part 2
Yesterday: Do not Let Affliction Move You.
Being warned, the Thessalonians stood firm. God’s grace was sufficient for them.
Today: Personal Appointments
How do you like appointments? If you are like me, some meetings aren’t too bad, but others I would just as soon get out of if possible. Paul has something to teach us about the appointments that are impossible to miss.
“For yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto” (a)
The New Testament tells us of at least two “appointments”[1] God has for His child. The first has to do with “affliction,” in our verse, “for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.” The second, “As it is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27), and then we who know and love Him, meet the Lord face to face, wonderful day!
The Thessalonians realized they were suffering their afflictions for the sake of Jesus Christ. Do we understand the possibility of this kind of suffering for believers today? It is already happening in many places around the world.
“Appointed thereunto.”
What? Do you mean that “Christians” who love the Lord and are faithful to Him are “appointed” to “afflictions?” But that is impossible! This is America!
Dear child of God, what does God’s Word say about each believer’s relationship with Jesus, and how it relates to our appointment with affliction?
“And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against” (Luke 2:34).
When Simeon blessed Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, his words were emotional and prophetic. Jesus, this babe, resting in his arms, will become a “stumbling-block” to many people in Israel![2] And He was. And sorry to say this is true of our world today. Jesus is a “stumbling-block” and “sticking point” to the lost. And He is “a sign” that is “spoken against!” Jesus is our banner that we believers hold up high! We present the Gospel of Christ to the unsaved of this world. We who love and faithfully share Jesus Christ with others are becoming stumbling blocks in our world also. “The world” does not love Christ-lovers, and we who are may have a future appointment with affliction… We need to be ready for that eventuality.
Child of God, who should we be listening to? The “preachers” who say, “all is well, life is good, and a Christian should be “healthy and wealthy,” and if they are not, it proves that they just don’t have enough faith!” Or are we to believe our faithful pastors, who keep pointing our hearts back to the Word, and preaching to us the whole counsel of God? We are thankful for our honest preachers who fearlessly tell us “the good news, with the bad,” as Paul did.
Quote: “How did Jesus expect His disciples to react under persecution? (In Matthew 5:12 He said), ‘Rejoice and be glad!’ We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever, nor sulk like a child, nor lick our wounds in self-pity like a dog, nor just grin and bear it like a Stoic; still, less, pretend we enjoy it like a masochist. What then? We are to rejoice as a Christian should and even “leap for joy” (Luke 6:23)[3] (John Stott).
[1] In the Greek language, this first “appointment” to affliction, is from the word keimai, “metaphorically, to be (by God’s intent) set, i.e., destined, appointed,” – Thayer, as in our text, 1 Thessalonians 3:3. And the second “appointment” is in Hebrews 9:27, “appointed unto men once to die,” from the related word apokeimai, “reserved for one, awaiting him” – Thayer. J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword. For the believer, the first appointment is part of our refining to help us become more Christ-like. Throughout world history, for many untold myriads of believers, it was that first appointment that ushered them to the next. The second appointment for the believer is a blessed event. “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight), We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). Oh, glorious day!
[2] Jesus is the stumbling block to a vast majority of people on earth. Believers, we understand that their words and actions show their hatred to Him and His children. “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 9:33).
[3] Stott’s quote Downloaded: Monday, March 1, 2021. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/quotes-by-topic/quotes-about-persecution/.