Sermon Tone Analysis

Take a stand!

Some tools given to help a young church to learn to take a stand, to stand firm in the faith they have received.

An encouragement and reminder to us.

When a child is born it does not start walking right away.

It has to grow and develop along the way.

The child is normally taught by parents how to walk.

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From the nursing mother (1The2:7)

To an exhorting and encouraging father (1The2:11)

For a result to be able to walk in a worthy manner (1The2:12; 1The3:8)

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Maturing in Christ takes time and in our passage today, Paul expounds on some tools, ministries, he did to help them in the maturity process.

From the nursing mother (1The2:7)

From the nursing mother (1The2:7)

To an exhorting and encouraging father (1The2:11)

From the nursing mother (1The2:7)

To an exhorting and encouraging father (1The2:11)

For a result to be able to walk in a worthy manner (1The2:12)

In chapters 1-2 Paul showed you how the church was born and the effectiveness of even a very young church, now the shift happens to helping them to mature, and the tools he used to help them to mature knowing that Christ is coming for His church and they needed to be ready.

The key verse of this chapter is 1The3:8

The ministries performed to help them in maturing process:

Paul sent them a helper (1The3:1-5)

Paul wrote them a letter (1The3:6-8)

Paul prayed for them (1The3:9-13)

The Helper

Don’t we all need, want, desire to have friends who come along side us?

Be there to help us to grow, to mature, to strengthen and even to guide?

Paul sent a helper to them, and he was a helper and encourager to them, and in turn to him (2The3:6)

Paul was only in Thessalonica for three Sabbaths, when the effective ministry team (Paul, Silas and Timothy) left there they went to Berea (Act17:10) but trouble soon followed from Thessalonica (Act17:13-14) and Paul had to leave Berea but Timothy and Silas stayed as Paul went on to Athens.

Timothy and Silas followed shortly thereafter (Act17:15)

Effective ministry teams troubles (Act17:10-15)

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Effective helper sent back to them (1The3:1-5)

Sent back due to concern (1The3:1)

Sent back with person with good character (1The3:2; Act16:1-2; 2Tim4:5; Heb5:11-14)

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Effective helper sent back to them (1The3:1-5)

Sent back due to concern (1The3:1)

Paul loved this church as you can clearly see from everything we have looked at previously (maybe go back to 1The2:17-20 and look what Paul felt.

He could not just leave them alone, he was more than an evangelist he was truly a shepherd, a pastor over them for his care and concern for them.

Soul winning is great and important but rooting and grounding and helping to establish faith is vital too.

Paul chose to be left alone in Athens and to send Timothy back there.

Application for us: May we have care, concern for others that we are willing to go to whatever lengths are necessary to help them.

Paul had already set that example in Philippi when he was willing to stay vs. going to heaven to serve them (you can look up Php1:22-26).

Effective helper sent back to them (1The3:1-5)

Sent back due to concern (1The3:1)

Sent back with person with good character (1The3:2; Act16:1-2; 2Tim4:5; Heb5:11-14)

Timothy, Paul’s young protege was a man of good character and reputation (you can read Act16:1-2) and later Paul tells him to fulfill his ministry as an evangelist (see 2Tim4:5)

Timothy was one who was trained up, and then sent to help others to grow and be able to stand on their own two feet.

Unlike other examples we see where people were not growing but in declining and going the wrong way as seen in (Heb5:11-14); people who had forgotten the basic truths of the Word of God.

Timothy’s character made him the perfect person to send back.

He had previously been sent to help with the church at Corinth (1Cor16:10-11) and Paul had intended to send to Philippi too (Php2:19-23), why you may ask, and how can we be like Timothy?

First, Timothy was a brother (1The3:2); Then he was a proven fellow worker.

He was also a minister (servant) (Php2:22) and God was working through him (1Cor3:9; Php2:13)

Effective helper sent back to them (1The3:1-5)

Sent back due to concern (1The3:1)

Sent back with person with good character (1The3:2; Act16:1-2; 2Tim4:5; Heb5:11-14)

Sent back to help with current troubles (1The3:3-5)

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Troubles are to be expected (Php1:29; 1Pt4:12)

Trouble maker (1The3:5; 1Pt5:8-9)

Victory is found in standing firm in our faith (1Jn5:4)

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Troubles are to be expected (Php1:29; 1Pt4:12)

Trials, tribulations, even testing are to be expected in our Christian walk.

They are not accidents, they are appointments.

They help us to grow.

and we should not be surprised by them

Troubles are to be expected (Php1:29; 1Pt4:12)

Trouble maker (1The3:5; 1Pt5:8-9)

in 1The3:5 it says tempter, other names as we know are adversary, deceiver, the devil, all of which want to keep you from standing firm in your faith.

Timothy and his proven good character was sent to strengthen and encourage the faith of the young church at Thessolonica, so they were not swayed by him and the effective ministry teams labor would be in vain.

It is our faith, our grounded, rooted, faith that keeps our feet solid on the rock in which we can stand firm and have victory.

Troubles are to be expected (Php1:29; 1Pt4:12)

Trouble maker (1The3:5; 1Pt5:8-9)

Victory is found in standing firm in our faith (1Jn5:4)

The Letter

You have mail!

Everyone likes to get letters, maybe not so much bills, but letters and Paul demonstrates his love, through ministering letter.

But we also hold God’s letter to them and to us in our hands.

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Timothy brought word to Paul about the church, sparking letter (1The3:6; Act18:5)

God’s Word is best tool for conveying faith needed for new Christians (2The2:15; Mt4:1-11) God’s word is God’s armament (Eph6:17)

God’s Word is God’s inspiration to man and is able to save (2Tim3:16; Jam1:21)

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Timothy brought word to Paul about the church, sparking letter (1The3:6; Act18:5)

Timothy caught up with Paul while he was in Corinth after his trip to Thessolonica

We know from (1The3:6) that it was a good word about the work going on there and the faith they had there, which was Paul’s concern.

Timothy reported they were standing firm even in the midst of persecution.

This sparked Paul’s letter back to them there.

Timothy brought word to Paul about the church, sparking letter (1The3:6; Act18:5)

God’s Word is best tool for conveying faith needed for new Christians (2The2:15; Mt4:1-11) God’s word is God’s armament (Eph6:17)

Paul wrote after being encouraged personally to encourage and challenge them too

Word!

Jesus used the Word to answer Satan (Mt4:1-11) which eventually caused him to depart for a more opportune time.

The word is God’s armament for us

Timothy brought word to Paul about the church, sparking letter (1The3:6; Act18:5)

God’s Word is best tool for conveying faith needed for new Christians (2The2:15; Mt4:1-11) God’s word is God’s armament (Eph6:17)

God’s Word is God’s inspiration to man and is able to save (2Tim3:16; Jam1:21)

It has been said that doctrine tells us what is right, reproof tells us what is not right, correction tells us how to get right and instructions tells us how to stay right.”

(Bible exposition commentary)

And add

God’s implanted word, written on your heart is able to save your soul!

The word is essential for spiritual growth and stability

It is food to nourish us (Mt4:4)

Light to guide us (Ps119:105)

Weapon to defend us (Eph6:17)

It is growing in us to help others grow (Eph4:11-16; 2Tim2:2)