The Spoils of Spiritual War Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20
Introduction: The Affections of a Father
The Christian life is not a sterile, dispassionate affair. It is a thing of blood and sweat and tears and joy. It is a matter of the heart. The Apostle Paul, a man often caricatured as a cold, abstract theologian, reveals the heart of a true spiritual father in these verses. He is not writing a doctrinal treatise here, though his doctrine is the skeleton that gives his affections their shape. He is writing a love letter to his children in the faith, and he is pouring out his heart to them.
We live in an age that is deeply suspicious of authority and deeply confused about affection. We have seen so much abuse that we have forgotten what true, godly, paternal love looks like. We have seen so many hirelings that we flinch at the approach of a true shepherd. But Paul shows us something different. He shows us that true pastoral ministry is born out of a deep, gut-level, personal love for the people of God. It is a love that longs for presence, that feels absence like a physical wound, and that sees the fruit of the gospel in the lives of the saints as the ultimate prize.
But this passage is not just about pastoral affection. It is also a window into the reality of spiritual warfare. Paul does not attribute his frustrated travel plans to bad luck, poor scheduling, or unfavorable winds. He names the enemy. He says, "Satan hindered us." We are in a war, and the devil is a real adversary who actively opposes the work of the gospel. He hates fellowship. He hates the ministry of the Word. He hates the joy of the saints. And he will do what he can to disrupt, discourage, and destroy. We must not be naive about this. The devil is not a cartoon character in red pajamas with a pitchfork. He is a roaring lion, a deceiver, and an adversary who schemes against the church. But we must also not be terrified. For the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world.
In these few verses, Paul lays bare the heart of a pastor, the reality of the battle, and the ultimate hope that fuels all Christian labor. He shows us what is worth fighting for, what the enemy is trying to steal, and what the final, glorious payday will look like.
The Text
But we, brothers, having been taken away from you for a short while, in face but not in heart, were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. For we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, more than once, and yet Satan hindered us. For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Is it not even you, before our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.
(1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 LSB)
A Violent Separation and a Vehement Desire (v. 17)
Paul begins by describing the pain of his physical absence from the Thessalonians.
"But we, brothers, having been taken away from you for a short while, in face but not in heart, were all the more eager with great desire to see your face." (1 Thessalonians 2:17)
The language here is striking. The phrase "taken away from you" is the Greek word for being orphaned. It carries the sense of a violent, wrenching separation, like a child being torn from his parents. This is how Paul felt about being forced to leave Thessalonica. It was not a casual parting of ways; it was a bereavement. This reveals the depth of the bond that the gospel forges between believers. It is a family bond, thicker than blood.
Notice the contrast he immediately draws: "in face but not in heart." Physical distance could not sever the spiritual and emotional connection. In fact, the absence only intensified the affection. Like a fire fanned by the wind, their separation made his desire to see them burn even hotter. He was "all the more eager with great desire to see your face." This is not the language of a detached professional; it is the language of a lover, a father, a brother. True Christian fellowship is not virtual. It is incarnational. It requires presence, face-to-face interaction. Letters, and their modern equivalents like emails and video calls, are good, but they are always second best. They are a concession to a fallen world where we are often separated from those we love. The goal is always to be together, in the same room, breathing the same air.
A Determined Plan and a Diabolical Obstruction (v. 18)
Paul then explains why his intense desire to return had not yet been fulfilled.
"For we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, more than once, and yet Satan hindered us." (1 Thessalonians 2:18)
His desire was not a passive wish. It was a settled intention that led to repeated attempts. "We wanted to come to you," he says, and then he personalizes it, "I, Paul, more than once." He wants them to know this was not a vague team sentiment; it was his own personal, repeated, determined effort. He had made plans. He had likely packed his bags. But the plans fell through.
And who was to blame? Paul is not vague. He does not say, "circumstances prevented it" or "the timing wasn't right." He says, "Satan hindered us." The word for "hindered" is a military term. It means to break up a road or to tear down a bridge to prevent an army's advance. Paul saw his apostolic mission in military terms. He was advancing the kingdom of God, and the devil, the usurping prince of this world, was engaged in active sabotage. Satan hates the gospel. He hates the church. He hates the fellowship of the saints. And he hates faithful pastors who love their people. Therefore, he will throw up roadblocks. He will stir up persecution, as he did in Thessalonica. He will create division. He will use sickness, political turmoil, or any other means to disrupt the work of God.
This is a crucial lesson for us. We must not be fatalists who see every obstacle as the inscrutable will of God, nor must we be secularists who see only natural causes. We are in a spiritual war. We have a real enemy. But we must also remember that Satan is a defeated enemy. He was dealt a fatal blow at the cross. He is on a leash. God is sovereign over all of Satan's hindrances. God could have overruled this particular obstruction, but for His own wise purposes, He allowed it. And even in this, God brought good out of it, for this satanic hindrance prompted Paul to write this very letter, which has been a blessing to the church for two thousand years. God's sovereignty is not a sledgehammer that negates reality; it is the ultimate reality that governs all other realities, including the malicious actions of the devil.
The Ultimate Payday (v. 19)
Paul now reveals the motivation behind his intense longing. He looks ahead to the final day and asks a rhetorical question about what his ultimate reward will be.
"For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Is it not even you, before our Lord Jesus at His coming?" (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
This is the heart of a true shepherd. What is his hope? Not a bigger ministry, not a comfortable retirement, not worldly fame. His hope is his people. What is his joy? His people. What is his crown of boasting? The word for "crown" here is not the diadem of a king, but the stephanos, the victor's wreath given to a winning athlete at the games. When Paul crosses the finish line, what is the prize he will hold up in triumph? It is the Thessalonian believers, standing fast in the faith.
This is a profound statement about the nature of ministry. The reward for faithful ministry is not something other than the people ministered to. The people are the reward. The relationship is the prize. This is more like a wedding day than a payday. The joy is in the presence of the beloved.
And when will this prize be awarded? "Before our Lord Jesus at His coming." The word for "coming" is parousia, which means "presence" or "arrival." This refers to the great and final day when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead. In that day, when all accounts are settled, Paul's glory will be to present the Thessalonian church to the Lord Jesus as the fruit of his labor, a living testament to the power of the gospel he preached. This is what every faithful pastor lives for. He labors in the present with his eyes fixed on that future day, knowing that his greatest joy will be to see his people, whom he loved and served, standing holy and blameless before the Lord.
The Present Reality (v. 20)
Paul concludes this section by bringing that future hope into the present reality. The Thessalonians are not just his future glory; they are his glory right now.
"For you are our glory and joy." (1 Thessalonians 2:20)
This is not a contradiction of the previous verse, but an affirmation of it. The future reality is so certain that it casts its light back into the present. The joy of that final day is not something Paul has to wait for entirely. He gets a down payment on it now. Every time he hears a good report of their faith, every time he thinks of their love and perseverance, he experiences a foretaste of that eschatological joy. Their present faithfulness is his present glory.
This is a powerful encouragement to every believer. Your faithfulness in the mundane, ordinary course of your life is a source of glory and joy to those who have ministered the gospel to you. When you stand firm against temptation, when you love your brothers and sisters, when you hold fast to the truth, you are not only glorifying God, you are becoming the crown and joy of those who labored to bring you the Word. The spiritual health of the flock is the glory of the shepherd.
Conclusion: A Crown Made of People
So what do we take from this? First, we must recover this kind of robust, affectionate, familial love within the church. We are not a club or a corporation; we are a family. We should feel the pain of absence and long for the joy of presence.
Second, we must be spiritually sober and aware of the battle. The devil is real, and he actively opposes the work of the church. His primary tactic is to hinder the preaching of the Word and the fellowship of the saints. We must be wise to his schemes and stand firm in the power of God, knowing that the enemy is defeated and God is sovereign.
Finally, we must fix our eyes on the prize. What are we living for? What is our hope and joy? It is not the fleeting pleasures of this world. Our ultimate hope is to stand before the Lord Jesus at His coming. And for those who have labored in the gospel, the prize, the crown, the glory, will be to stand there surrounded by the fruit of that labor, the people of God, redeemed and glorified. Your faithfulness today is weaving the fabric of someone's eternal crown. Let us, therefore, live in such a way that we may be the glory and joy of one another, both now and on that great day.