A Word in Season: The Hinderer (1 Thessalonians 2:18)

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A true under -shepherd of Jesus Christ loves the sheep of Jesus Christ the

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Great Shepherd, and desires by all proper means to do them all the good that he is able to do.

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That's why in 1 Thessalonians at the end of chapter 2 the Apostle Paul writes to the brothers that having been taken away from them for a short time, in presence not in heart, they endeavoured more eagerly to see the face of those believers with great desire.

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He says that for that reason we wanted to come to you, even I, Paul, time and again, but Satan hindered us.

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For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our

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Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? You can see the heart of the Apostle and his travelling companions.

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And Paul says that he himself, there in verse 18, he himself desired again and again to get to Thessalonica in order to be

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God's means of bringing some particular help or blessing to the saints there.

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Why could he not do that? Because Satan, the great adversary, was hindering them.

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He was throwing up obstacles. He was engaging against them.

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He was making things difficult for them. Satan was doing everything in his power to prevent these men, and Paul in particular, from being the blessing that they desired to be.

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Now there were times even in the Apostle's life when it was quite clear, either from the immediate direction of God or from some providential hindrance, that the things that Paul might have wished or designed to do were not

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God's will for him to do. But without dismissing the overarching government of God, that is not what is taking place here.

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This is opposition. This is spiritual antagonism from Satan.

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Satan is taking notice of what is going on in the life and ministry of Paul and his companions, and Satan is doing everything that he can in order to make this as difficult as possible by any means to prevent the

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Thessalonians receiving the intended blessing. And while today's gospel ministers may not be apostles, they are nevertheless agents of God to bring blessing to God's people.

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And they themselves may face these particular hindrances of Satan, and may do so in various ways.

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And for that reason, they need the prayers and the encouragements of God's people.

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Perhaps they're facing hindrances personally, as well as pastorally. Perhaps there are particular afflictions or temptations that they are facing, even in these very moments as we're speaking and hearing, in which

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Satan is doing everything he can to disrupt them and to distract them. To keep them from prayer to God for his people and the blessing that they need.

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To prevent them from engaging in the study or the meditation or the participation in the life of God's people.

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Perhaps it's afflictions of mind or troubles of body, weaknesses and weariness, other issues that are going on in a man's life or family, in the church itself that may be a trouble to him.

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Perhaps there are other ways that he hinders. He will strike at every point.

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He will try and disrupt a man's preparation for ministry. He will try and disrupt him and distract him in the very act of preaching or teaching or visiting.

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He will strike at the words that he speaks. He will try and disrupt your attention, your heart engagement, your trust and expectation of blessing.

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He will do everything he can to stop people coming to Christ. He will stop them coming to be built up in the preaching of the word of God.

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He will do what he can to hold them back and to keep them cool. All along the way,

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Satan, the hater of God and his people, is going to be doing his utmost to stop ministers of the gospel doing gospel good to men and women like us.

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And so we need to understand this. We need to stand with our pastors and we need to pray against the hindrances of Satan, asking that God would take away those obstacles, deal with the obstructions and grant that those who bring the word of God to us may come and do so readily, freely and fruitfully to the praise of the glory of the grace of our beloved