Prayers of Paul (2)

1 Thessalonians 3 : 11-13

Prayer

Last week we talked about us growing as a group of believers through prayer, with a wise love for each other. Today we are going to look at another letter from Paul this time to the church in Thessalonica. Paul also expresses affection for the church in Thessalonica in his letter but just like the letter to Ephesis his letter has both expression of love and a word of wisdom. Paul is writing them and is concerned that they may have been tempted to turn away from faith due to the troubles that the Thessalonians had encountered. He was afraid that the tempter, Satan, had worked within their troubles so much so that he had sent Timothy to see how they were doing. During this letter Timothy had just returned and gave a really good report that the church was living in faith and love.

He felt relieved to hear that they had been doing well in their troubles and was compassionate because he has been facing his own troubles. He was writing the letter from Corinth on his second mission and heard about the persecution they were facing. I say Paul was also facing persucution as he was traveling. Seems he was always drawing a crowd that wanted to kill him. This was one of Paul’s earliest letters to a church so his concern for the church was one he was feeling deaply and experiencing it with them. I think I used the word compassionate. But I think a better word, a made up word, would be co-passionate. Paul understood what the tempter could be like in those trying times. But he was passionate about the good news, so just like he decided to stay in Corinth even under pressure to leave, he wanted to make sure the church in Thessalonica was still sharing the good news and living as brothers and sisters. He was encouraging them but as Paul was so single focused on his mission, he was also truely connected to those who he left behind. His prayer was for the church now as well what it would be.

1 Thessalonians 3:11–13 NLT

May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.

The pray flows like a person who is loves his friends that he left in Thessalonica. He states he wants to be with them and that the love of the Lord, he hopes, overflows to each of them. Just as his love for them overflows. Pretty strong words I feel were meant to display how pleased he was and how much he was invested in them. So that the tempter had less to work with. But he loved them more than words of encouragement. This was Paul and his passion also showed one line before the prayer.

1 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)

Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.

Almost sounds like a call out. How dare he make those assumptions or that only Paul could fix their faith. But it was another example of wise love. He was pointing out to them that everyone can always get better with their faith. and his desire to be together to grow together through prayer. Paul wanted to come back to Thessalonica not to fix them but to grow with them in prayer.

1 Thessalonians 3:11 NLT

May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon.

Paul is wanting God our Father to bring them back together and he is the guide for our prayers. He was wanting to grow together with them in understanding that prayer is essential grounded in the life and work of God himself. Understanding the life that Jesus lived and the need for the church to reach people with the good news is the foundation of our prayers. And the need to reconnect with our church so that we can grow together in understanding the character of God through the life of Jesus. Which is best done together.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 NLT

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

Paul is pointing out that God is the guide but we need to grow in our prayers. That if we are together we can go beyond our simple prayers, to a power house of prayer. He is pointing out that prayer in love can grow our spiritual connection with ourselves but also with Jesus Christ. Our prayers should lead us to fully understand Jesus’ sacrificial love and fully encourage us to pray for love of one another so that we are overflowing in our love for others. That we are excessive in our love for others so can see that there is a different way, a better way to live. We as a church encourage each other to love in an affirming way so that we are the example of Jesus’s love for us as well as be so connected with each other that we can collectively weather any storm that the tempter can throw our way.

Prayer can be a private thing, a neccessary thing, but the mission of God is carried out in a community of prayer. A place where we grow, so that we as a group of people, a church, will grow to understand the character of God and pour out the love that this world needs.

1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NLT)

May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.

Through collective prayer we will learn to pray with confidence that through Jesus he will change their lives and ours. And that with God’s assurance he will bring heaven and earth together. There is a future promise that Paul is praying for, it is Jesus coming again. He is hoping and promising with this 3 line prayer to be rejoined with the people in Northern Greece. To grow with them in prayer to become a place where the out pour of love is so strong that it doesn’t stop and they will grow together with strong and blameless hearts so that we can be the holy people when Jesus returns.

Jesus also made that promise and he gave us something to do as a community to keep Him in our hearts and minds until he returns. So on this day that we witness people pubicly declaring Jesus is Lord and Savior let us take communion together. If you have declaired Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are welcome to join us in communion. If you have decided to give your life to Jesus today or recommitted today please tell Pastor Matt, Me we would like to give you a gift. For those at home online please join us grab some juice and crackers. If you require glueten free there are some at the back.

Luke 22:19–20 NLT

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

Three lines said in prayer with love and promise of a better, stronger life, together. Paul writes to encourage his church to pray together. Live life together. Love together. Through God’s guidence and Jesus as the example we can become the Holy People. Through an outpouring the love we share together as this group of people, we will reach those outside of this church. Please call me out like Paul called out the Thessalonians I want to grow with you. I know that through this kind of relationship grounded in group prayer my own love for others won’t dry out. That together we will point out as Paul put it “gaps in your faith” I will come a little closer to Holiness. But I won’t if I am standing alone.

Today as we prepare for the next part of our service. I would like to challenge you here today to try to follow Paul’s prayer together. So that we together can support in love, the people here today that are going to make a public declaration of faith before us and the world. We as a brothers and sisters will support them in their faith journey but more than that we will support each other so that we are all prepared to love each other so this is a regular occurance. The Holy Spirit is present here and with his guidence and each of us loving each other with Wise Love we will be ready.

Prayer is not only personal disipline but a communial activity that strengths the church as a whole. That will be demonstrated in a few moments. This communial activity plays a role in our spiritual growth and praying wise prayers for one another can lead to increase capacity for love for each other but also an increased capacity for holiness among us.

Christ intercedes for us and this points to us as a church that we are to continue his ministry

Romans 8:34 NLT

Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Prayer is the foundation for a christian life. One that is empowered by the Holy Spirit. But lived out in Community. That community is growing today so as Paul’s pray challenged the Thessalonians to love one another so that our love can overflow lets challenge each other with wise prayers so that we can support that growth and support each other so we can be prepared for Jesus’s return.

1 Thessalonians 5:25–28 CSB

Brothers and sisters, pray for us also. Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Pastor Matt please come up.

Praying Into Purpose: Growing Together in Prayer

Bible Passage: 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13

Summary: In this passage, Paul expresses his deep desire for the Thessalonian believers to flourish in faith through prayer, emphasizing the importance of spiritual growth in relation to their community and each other.

Application: This sermon encourages Christians to recognize prayer as a vital part of spiritual growth and community support. It challenges the audience to deepen their prayer life, fostering connections with others and praying for the advancement of faith within their circles. Through prayer, individuals can find strength in struggles and encouragement amid adversity.

Teaching: The sermon teaches that prayer is not just a personal discipline but a communal activity that strengthens the church as a whole. It reveals how intercessory prayer plays a role in spiritual growth and how praying for one another can lead to an increase in love and holiness among believers.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage reflects how Christ intercedes for us (Romans 8:34) and highlights the role of the church in continuing His ministry through prayer. The theme connects to the broader narrative of the New Testament, where prayer is foundational for living out the Christian faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Big Idea: Growing in prayer brings us closer to God and strengthens our community, allowing us to encourage one another in love and holiness as we await Christ's return.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon using your Logos library, consider studying Paul's prayer patterns throughout his letters, especially focusing on the structure and themes of his prayers. It may also be beneficial to examine the historical and cultural context of the Thessalonians to understand their specific challenges and how Paul’s prayers apply to them. Additionally, explore commentary on 1 Thessalonians that may highlight any text-critical issues, particularly in the phrasing Paul uses regarding prayer.

1. Prayer's Providential Path

1 Thessalonians 3:11

You could explore how Paul illustrates the necessity of God's guidance in prayer. Paul seeks divine direction to reconnect with the Thessalonians, showing that prayer points us toward God's yearning for community restoration. This passage underscores the teaching that prayer is essential for re-establishing and strengthening bonds within the body of Christ. It's a call to action for believers to seek God’s will as they endeavor to support and uplift one another, particularly those they feel disconnected from.

2. Prayer Promotes Love

1 Thessalonians 3:12

Perhaps you might emphasize how Paul’s prayer for love to increase reflects the transformative power of prayer in community life. Through requesting an overflow of love, Paul highlights the central role of prayer in cultivating deep, spiritual connections. This teaching points to Christ’s example of sacrificial love and encourages believers to pray for and practice love excessively. As people pray in this way, they model Christ's love, encouraging and affirming the faith within the community and enabling them to face challenges with unity.

3. Prayer Prepares Hearts

1 Thessalonians 3:13

Maybe you could explain how Paul's desire for holiness through prayer prepares believers for the second coming of Christ. His request for their hearts to be strengthened emphasizes prayer’s role in personal and communal sanctification. As believers grow in prayer, they also grow in holiness, embodying Christ's righteousness. This closing point serves as a reminder of our hopeful anticipation of Christ’s return, encouraging us to be vigilant in prayer as a means of nurturing holiness and readiness in the face of life's trials.