First Thessalonians (7)

A Heart for Others (Part 2)

1Thess. 3:6-13

Intro

Last week we looked at the first 5 verses of this chapter.

We saw:

I. Paul's Concern

A. His Affection for the Church

a Strong affection for others will always lead to sacrifice.

Love gives itself away for its object.

Selfless commitment to meet others’ needs is the measure of true care for others. 1

Paul sending timothy is very important

This was a sacrifice for Paul

Love will always lead to sacrifice

B. His Compassion for the Church

Compassion born of love

He wanted them to be reminded of the great love of God

He wanted them to be reminded of his love for them

So he sends timothy, his fellow-labor, his son in the faith, his companion

Timothy’s assignment was first to strengthen (establish) the Thessalonians’ faith.

“establish” also translated strengthened means to support something with the intent of strengthening it.

Strong faith is a result of knowing all that God has revealed, and has a firm foundation in sound doctrine.1

faith cannot be strong without knowledge and growing understanding of the truth.1

Second, he was to comfort them, which denotes coming alongside and motivating them to live that sound doctrine, (encourage).

Timothy’s task was to make the foundation of the Thessalonians’ faith solid and unwavering so they could have confidence to apply the truth.

C. His Protection of the Church

his concern showed through his protection of the church

He sent Timothy to watch over them

Main

This mornig I want to look at the remainder of the chapter, as we conclude our thought “Living with heaven on our mind: A Heart for Others”

So having a heart for others is evident by our concern but it also evident by our reaction to the testimony of others.

Anytime we hear of someone we have a heart for, doing well or growing in the faith, or coming to christ, we will be like Paul when he heard Timothy’s testimony

II. Timothy's Testimony

1 Th 3:6–9

In the midst of all his distress and affliction—all the persecutions, pressures, and trials he was experiencing

—Paul was comforted about the true, saving faith of his children.

It should be noted that when churches were unfaithful and succumbed to sin and false teachers, the apostle was devastated.

But the report he recieved from Timothy was the complete opposite of that.

The knowledge that they stood firm in the Lord further stimulated Paul to renewed zeal in ministry.

As a pastor, I could be having a horrible day, and get a text or call about what the Lord showed someone in their devotions or how God answered a prayer, and it stimulates me to keep on the firing line.\

many times I have wanted to throw in the towel but God knew what I needed when I needed it and I get that text or call and it rejuvenates my drive to work for Him.

The first thing we see about this testimony is..

1. Paul was Encouraged

v.6

It wasnt just the testimony in general from timothy it was what timothy told him they were doing that encouraged him.

We can hear a good testimony of God moving in the hearts and lives of people and it excites us but when we hear of what they are actually doing because of it, it encourages us.

Paul was encouraged...

a. By their Faith

“good tidings of your faith”

One of the first things Timothy reports to Paul is the continuance of their faith.

Paul had revealed that he did not desire his work there to be in vain.

He had exhorted them to stand fast in the face of adversity.

They had not abandoned the Lord.

Paul was encouraged by their faith

They continued in Bible study, prayer, and worship of the Lord.

The church was continuing to grow!

I am sure it encourages the founding pastor of this church when he hears of how we are growing not only physically but spiritually.

Paul was encouraged by their faith, he was also encouraged…

b. By their Fondness

“..and charity,”

Timothy also brought good tidings of their charity, (not only the love they possessed but the love they expressed).

I believe this love was shed abroad liberally.

They loved the Lord, they loved His church, they loved their pastor, and they loved those around them.

In my humble opion, there is no greater attribute of a body of believers than to be known for charity. 2

A church that is filled with love is a church that overcomes and endures!4

John 15:12 KJV 1900

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Proverbs 10:12 KJV 1900

Hatred stirreth up strifes: But love covereth all sins.

1 John 3:14 KJV 1900

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

c. By their Friendship

good remembrance of us always,

The church genuinely desired to see Paul.

I am sure Paul was concerned that they would have sour feelings for him after he had left so abruptly

But Even though he was separated from them, they still longed to fellowship with him. 2

They desired to hear him teach the Word

and they appreciated the leadership he provided.

An individual or congregation that does not desire fellowship with other believers or can not have friends in the church can not be right with the Lord.

I love to come together with God’s people.

I love to associate with my church, whether here for services or extra-curricular activities.

There is nothing that will replace genuine friendship with those of like faith!

2. Paul was Strengthened

v.7-8

We have already learned that Paul was deeply concerned for the church in Thessalonica.

He had faced great opposition, being forced to leave town.

He knew that they too would face intense opposition.

Hearing of their resilience comforted Paul even though he desired to be among them.

The word translated to comfort, carries with a sense of coming along side and lifting up

In other words to strengthen someone

Paul rejoiced in their growth even in his absence.

No doubt he was confident of his Lord and their commitment to Him.

Paul says that he can continue on in the ministry knowing that they are standing fast.

We all face trials and difficulties in this life.

We have all had times when we were tempted to give up and abandon the work we were called to do.

There is nothing like the love and support of the church to renew our confidence and encourage us in the faith!

When I see others at work for the Lord it renews my passion to serve Him.2

3. Paul was Humbled

v.9

The church in Thessalonica had endured and even overcome a tremendous obstacle.

Many would have given up long ago.

Paul had much to rejoice in when he evaluated the church, but he recognized that all thanks for any spiritual growth goes to God

he found no adequate words to express the fulness of his heart

Paul was so profoundly in debt to God because of the exciting report that Timothy had brought back.

he realized he had no means to express adequate thanks.

render..again translates one word ‘ant-a-po-dou-nai’

it expresses the impossibility of repaying the Lord for all the divine work

and this caused Paul to rejoice before God.

The out-workings of God’s grace in their lives had made Paul humbled beyond expression.

When we have a heart for others and we hear of spiritual growth in their lives, we will be Encouraged, strengthened and humbled before God for everything He is doing.

It will make us want to help others more because we see how God is bigger than any ministry, mission or mistake.

We should never be satisfied with one good report, we should strive to reach others with the same good news, so we can see God work in their lives as well.

Next we see..

III. Pauls Prayer

The New Testament contains many rich and instructive examples of prayers that are pleasing to God (e.g., Matt. 26:36–42; John 11:41–42; 17:9–24; Acts 4:24–30; 7:60; Heb. 13:20–21; Jude 24–25)1

The majority of prayers recorded in the New Testament are from the apostle Paul.

The NT devotes more pages to his words and ministry than to those of any other individual except Jesus.

Certainly the apostle Paul modeled prayer to the Thessalonians.

He also exemplified the pastoral prayer that one would expect from someone that cared so deeply for the people.

Charles Spurgeon said this about Paul’s prayer life:

“I take it that as a minister he is always praying.… He is not always in the act of prayer, but he lives in the spirit of it.… If you are a genuine minister of God you will stand as a priest before the Lord, spiritually wearing the ephod and the breast-plate whereon you bear the names of [your] children … pleading for them within the veil” 3

Paul gives us a great example of a prayer that someone that has a heart for others would pray.

He did not stop praying for them once he got the good news.

If anything he increased his prayers.

When you have a heart for others, you wont stop praying for someone just because they get some victory or get saved,

you will keep praying for them and if anything the prayers will increase just like we see Paul do here.

The first thing we see about his prayer is

1. The Persistence of Prayer

10a

Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face

Paul never gave up on coming back to them

Paul was persistent in his prayer to return to Thessalonica

Challenge to us:

Are we persistent in our prayers?

Just because something doesn't happen on our time schedule, we seem to throw in the towel.

Paul never gave in, he never gave up.

The devil seemed to be getting the upper hand, but Paul would not stop praying.

He knew the only one that would be able to overcome Satan’s attacks and hindrances, would be God Himself.

So Paul kept praying

2. The Purpose of Prayer

(3:10b-13)

Paul had a threefold purpose in offering this prayer:

that God would grant the Thessalonians a perfecting faith, a prospering love, and a purifying hope.

That is the familiar triad of Christian virtues (1 Cor. 13:13

1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV 1900

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Paul was genuinely concerned that his people grow in each of those spiritual realities.1

a. Perfecting Faith

First Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians was that their faith would grow.

i. For Spiritual Growth

The apostle did not explicitly say he wanted them to grow spiritually within his prayer, but identified it as the goal of his prayer: and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

—Paul wanted to return to help perfect any weakness or defect in their faith,

This was something that Paul wanted for all churches. He tells the Ephesian believers that

Ephesians 4:11–12 (KJV 1900)

he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Paul’s intention was not to return and lead the Thessalonians into some emotional experience

that would merely attempt to get them believing more fervently in the things they already knew.

Rather, he wanted to expand their knowledge of God through His revealed truth,

which in turn would enlarge their trust in Him and enable them to walk in greater obedience to His will. 1

I could preach about the cross every Sunday. There is enough here to last us till Jesus comes back, and I would not be wrong in doing so. But as a preacher I have a commission to preach the whole council of God. I like preaching series because it keeps me in the text. Doing this allows us to learn things that we would not normally learn if we jumped around from text to text.

Secondly Paul wanted his faith perfected, so he prayed for:

ii. For Spirit Led Guidance v.11

For that spiritual work of edification, he asked God and Jesus to direct his way to them.

Direct conveys the idea of laying out a straight, smooth path with all the obstacles removed.

Up to this time, satanically instigated circumstances had prevented Paul from coming to the Thessalonians

Paul knew that only the power of the Lord could overcome Satan and allow him to return

It was Pauls desire to return, but only if the Lord willed it for him.

Challenge for us:

We should be praying for spiritual growth for others, this Church, and ourselves

We should be praying for Spirit Led Guidance for us to reach those that we come into contact with

b. Prospering Love

v.12

The apostle Paul knew that genuine believers would always exhibit love (cf. John 13:34–35

John 13:34–35 KJV 1900

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

therefore he prayed that the Thessalonians’ growing faith would be accompanied by a prospering love.

Here he prayed they would increase and abound in love (agapē), in that love which is the purest and noblest 1 John 3:16–17

1 John 3:16–17 KJV 1900

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Love! Agapē love! More agapē love! Abounding agapē love!

Abounding agapē love toward all believers!

Abounding agapē love toward all men!

That was the kind of abounding agapē love that they themselves had experienced from him!

He wanted them to have a greater love for the lost and for those who persecuted them,

We can never have too much of that kind of love that Paul is speaking about.

We can have too much money.

Barbara Hutton had too much money. She was the granddaughter of F. W. Woolworth. At the age of twelve, she inherited $25 million (worth very much more than that today). Her money did not make her happy. Nor did her seven husbands. She was plagued with sickness and died of a heart attack. Her last years were spent as a recluse, often bedridden, and when she died, she weighed barely eighty pounds. The newspapers called her “the poor little rich girl.” We can have too much money. 4

We can have too much power.

Alexander the Macedonian had too much power. In the end, he wanted to be worshiped as a god. Nero, Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin had too much power. Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” 4

We can have too much education.

All of the education in the world does not necessarily make a person wise. Never in history have men had more knowledge and less wisdom than they have today. There are millions of clever people in the world, and most of them are too clever to come to Christ. We can have too much education. Many a young person goes off to college to sit at the feet of diabolically clever, humanistic professors who systematically strip him of his faith and throw him back into the world as an educated moron, hopelessly adrift; without spiritual anchor, compass, or rudder; and driven before the winds of this godless age. 4

But we can never have too much agapē love,

the highest kind of love in the universe,

the love that beats in the very heart of God (John 3:16).

It has no explanation outside of God Himself.

God loves us, in all of our wretchedness and lostness, with a love that passes all understanding.

In trying to explain to the children of Israel why God loved them, Moses finally resorted to this explanation: “He loved you because He loved you” (see Deut. 7:7–8).

It is simply God’s nature to love.

That love was incarnate in Christ ( Eph. 2:4).

This kind of love in the Christian is the direct fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

Paul loved lost people and saved people alike with this kind of love.

Love seeks the well-being of all.

It is no respecter of persons, it keeps no running account of injuries suffered, and it is marvelously kind.

It works no ill to any but seeks out opportunities to do good to all.

Christian love is far more than mere affection (phileō).

Love may, and often does, involve the emotions, but agapē love is commanded and, therefore, is as much an action of the will as it is of the emotions and intellect. 4

The Thessalonians were enduring fierce persecution at the hands of their enemies, particularly at the hands of the Jews (2:14).

They must have been tempted to retaliate.

Many of them might have nurtured desires for vengeance and harbored active dislike toward their enemies.

“Win them by love” was Paul’s advice.

To respond bitterly to persecution is self-defeating and destructive of character.

God reserves all vengeance to Himself as His own prerogative (Rom. 12:19 4

Romans 12:19 (KJV 1900)

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Here again, the Lord Jesus is our supreme example.

The one that kicked against the pricks,

The one that hated everything about the Lord Jesus and sought out to destroy the very name of Christ

Was blinded on the road to Damascus by the love of God.

Now Paul is telling them, Love others as I have loved you

When we have a heart for others, we will love them regardless of the situation.

Jesus says to Love your enemy.

That love is translated from the same root word as the love Paul is talking about.

Love even our enemies.

c. Purifying Hope

v.13

The final objective of Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians was that they might look to their glorification, which produces a purifying hope.

All the good qualities of a strong faith and a vibrant love are incomplete unless they point one toward genuine hope.

Paul reminded the Romans, (Rom. 5:1–2

Romans 5:1–2 (KJV 1900)

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

The nature of that hope is best stated in 1 John 3:2

1 John 3:2 KJV 1900

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

The only way the Thessalonians would actually live in such hope was for God to establish their hearts without blame in holiness before (literally, “in the presence of”) Him.

He knew the one person who cared most about the Thessalonians’ purifying hope, was God, and only He truly knows what is in people’s hearts (2 Chron. 6:30; Ps. 44:21; Prov. 24:12; cf. 1 Sam. 16:7; Prov. 21:2).

Paul wanted them to be pure at heart,

so as to desire the coming (parousia, “presence”) of the Lord Jesus, who is the Judge (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1). 1

The apostle knew that the promise of Christ’s return to Rapture and reward the church is the essence of believers’ purifying hope. 1

He explains the event in 4:13–18 as the hope that produces comfort. 1

Believers’ knowing that when Christ comes to reward His people, they will have their works evaluated before the judgment seat (2 Cor. 5:10), is motivation to holy living.1

Paul focused on the heart because it is the seat of human emotion, thought, and purpose (cf. Prov. 4:23; 1 Chron. 28:9; Matt. 12:35; 15:16–20).

If their hearts were pure, clean, and righteous, and they were able to stand against temptation

that would free them from shame and embarrassment before the Lord and cause them to eagerly look for His coming.

The believer’s appearance before God is truly the consummation of his sanctification (Rom. 8:17, 30).1

In contrast to obedient believers who look forward to Christ’s appearing, sinning believers are not eager to have their sin interrupted and exposed to the presence of the Lord.

Such disobedient Christians are like disobedient children who do not want their parents to catch them doing wrong, or like lawbreakers who least of all wish for the arrival of the police.

What makes obedient believers long for the Lord’s return is holiness that seeks pure fellowship with the Holy One.

And such purity that initially inspires hope also produces greater hope, as John wrote: (1 John 3:3

1 John 3:3 KJV 1900

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Conclusion

Paul had a heart for the church at thessalonica.

His heart caused him to have a great concern for them which was evidenced in his affection for them, his compassion for them and his protection of them.

when he heard the good news from Timothy about how they were doing, paul was encouraged, strengthened and challenged.

This gave him the want to, to continue on in the fight.

But Paul knew that even though they were doing good and growing, it was still going to take the power of God to keep them on the firing line, so Paul prayed that God would perfect their faith, prosper their love and purify their hope.

When we have a heart for others inside and outside the church,

we to will have a great concern for their spiritual walk.

We will have an affection for them that will want to sacrifice your own comforts for theirs,

it will cause you to have a compassion like Christ had for that great multitude on the sea shore,

it will cause you to do what you have to do to keep satan from getting the upper hand in their life.

And when you hear or see a growth in those that you have ministered to you will be encouraged, strengthened and challenged to keep on pressing forward.

And all this will lead you to continue praying for them.

So lets live with heaven on our mind so we too can have a heart for others.

Maybe you are this morning and have never been saved by the grace of God, may I urge you today to come to the foot of the cross and be saved today. Then you too can start living with heaven on your mind.

1.John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 & 2 Thessalonians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press, 2002), 85–92.

2.Chris Benfield, Pulpit Pages: New Testament Sermons, 2015, 1198.

3. Lectures to My Students [reprint; Grand Rapids: Zondervan/Ministry Resources Library, 1985], 42, 47; emphasis in the original

4.John Phillips, Exploring 1 & 2 Thessalonians: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series, (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), 1 Th 3:12.