Faith Brings Comfort - 3:6-7

I have a favorite kind of news that I like to receive.

No, it’s not political news. It’s not the weather, or sports, or even local news.

My favorite kind of news is… drum roll please…

Good news.

I like good news.

Most of us have probably had moments in our lives where we recieved bad news we will never forget.

I know I do.

And yet, mixed in and around those moments are the times when I have recieved good news.

Recently, one of those moments was the almost miraculous recovery of a newborn girl who had to be rushed to surgery.

Wow! It was incredible to hear when she improved enough to come home from the hospital!

Proverbs 25:25 says

Proverbs 25:25 ESV

25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

In 1 Thessalonians 3:6-7 Paul writes about the good news he recieved about the Thessalonians from Timothy.

Let’s read those verses.

1 Thessalonians 3:6–7 ESV

6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.

In the early part of this chapter, Paul expressed his fear that the Thessalonians might have been led away from the faith by their trials and the temptation of Satan.

Paul was so concerned, that he sent Timothy to them to establish and encourage them.

In the two verses we just read, Paul records his response to Timothy’s report about the Thessalonians.

Timothy brought good news of their faith and love.

This is such an important combination.

The Thessalonians have been unwavering in their faith.

They have held firm to their belief in God and His Word!

But there is more than that.

They have not only clung to proper beliefs, they have engage in proper actions.

Faith and love.

When our faith is what it should be, it motivates us to love.

Their faith and love encourages Paul.

He is also encouraged by how they think of him.

The Thessalonians remember Paul kindly and long to see him just like he longs to see them.

There are few things as comforting as love returned.

Paul loved the Thessalonians and they loved him!

Here’s the tricky part.

They only way they knew of each others love is because they told one another.

As brothers and sisters in Christ we need to tell one another of our love. With words and actions.

There is kind of a big statement here in this verse.

Paul says they always remember him kindly.

I don’t know about you, but I am fairly confident that there are some people in this world who do not remember me kindly.

That is a goal to strive for though.

In verse 7 Paul tells the Thessalonians that he is comforted by them.

The faithfulness, growth, and maturity of the church in Thessalonica has brought comfort to Paul and his companions [quote] “in all our distress and affliction.”

Paul is not talking about singular instances of distress and affliction.

The idea here is that Paul and his companions are continually facing times of distress and affliction.

What gets them through these difficult times is knowing that the believers is Thessalonica are faithfully following Jesus!

Paul says that their faith brings him comfort.

If someone were to deliver news of you and me to Paul. Would it be good news?

Would Paul be told of our faith and love and our desire to fellowship with other believers?

Or.

Would Paul be told, with a shaking head, of how trials and temptations have drawn us away?

Brothers and sisters. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and we have everything we need to walk in faith and love.

Let’s live so that all who see us see evidence of our faith and love.