A Pastoral prayer

Introduction

The Apostle Paul is writting to the church at Thessalonica in response to the return of Timothy. Paul was concerned about the church he founded there and so he sent Timothy to them to find out how they were doing.

Timothy reutrns to Paul with good news that the Christians at Thessalonica are perservering in the faith. This causes Paul to rejoice and so he writes this letter to them in response.

In Chapter 3 Paul expresses his affexction for them and his strong desire to come to them and to perfect what is lacking in their faith, he longs to come to them and teach them more about the truth of the Gospel so that they would have a firm foundation.

After expressing his love for them and his desire to come to them he finishes this section of the letter with a prayer.

It is this prayer that I want us to focus on this evening.

You can tell alot about a person from how they pray.

Robert Murray Mcheyne said ““What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more.”

From this prayer for the Thessalonian Christians we learn what Paul dersired for this group of Christians what did Pauls heart long for most for them?

This prayer is split into three verses and each verse can be classed as a seperate petition.

The first petition can be summraised “Paul prayed to see them again.”

I. Paul prayed to see them again

In verse 9 and 10 the Apostle Paul expresses his longing to see the Thessalonian church again so that he can “perfect what is lacking in their faith.”

Paul wanted to see the Christians in Thessalonica so that he could teach them more truth and encourage them in their walk witht he Lord.

This desire is further shown in the fisrt petition of Paul’s prayer.

Look at v.11 with me; “Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.”

Here Paul prays that his path to the Thessalonians will be smooth and without obstacles. He desires God to take away all hinderances and anything that may prevent him from coming to the Church.

Before we think about this what Paul asked for it is interesting to note how Paul prayed.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

You can tell a lot about someones theology by how they pray. In this first petition we learn two points about what Paul believed.

a) Trinitarian

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First we see that the Aposlte believed that God was a Trinity. He believed that the Father is God and that the Lord Jesus is also God.

We know this because he directs his prayer to God the Father and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

He invokes both the Father and the Son. He addressed them both on equal terms.

The only way this would make sense would be if Paul believed in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, he believed that Jesus is God.

As God we are to pray to him as well as the Father and the Holy Spirit.

When we pray to God we adress every person of the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One God in three persons, co equal and co eternal.

b) Sovereignty of God

The next point that we learn about Paul’s theology is that he believed in the sovereignty of God.

He prayed to God to make his path straight, he believed that God controlled the affairs of men and he was able to orchestrate the circumstances in Paul’s life so that he could travel once again to Thessalonica.

v.11 “Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.”

Paul believed that God controls everything that takes place in this world, God is not distant and uniterested in his creation, he plays an active role in the affairs of man.

As the Sovereign God Paul believed that he could answer Pauls prayer and remove every obstacle that was in the way of him returning to Thessalonica.

App- I wonder do we have this same high view of God’s sovereignty?

Do we pray believeing that God is able to answer and orchestrate the circumstances of our lives and the lives of others in order to bring about what we are praying, for his glory?

There are great encouragements for us a God’s people from this truth.

We can be sure that God is able to bring about what we are praying for and we can trust him when it seems things aren’t happening the way we anticipated.

We can submit to his sovereign rule in our lives.

This is no doubt how Paul lived.

He prayed to God to bring him to the Thesaalonian church and belieevd that God was able but at the same time Im sure that if he never went he would have believed it was because it was not God’s will.

We see a case of this in Pauls second letter to the Corinthians 12:7-9

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul believed in the sovereignty of God and he submitted to it.

So we catch a glimpse into a couple points of Pauls theology but what was the main thrust of the petiton? What was Paul actually praying for?

He was praying for God to bring him again to Thessalonica so that he could teach the Chrsitains, whom he loved, more of the truth.

he wanted to perfect that which was lacking in their faith. He knew the greaster grasp of God’s truth they had, the greater their obedience to that turth would be. The more they knew, the more they would believe.

Paul wanted to come to them to build them up in their faith.

This was his prayer.

I wonder do we have the same interest in seeing God’s people built up in their faith? Those of us who have the oppurtunity to teach or have leadership roles, do we have this same longing that Paul had?

That the peolpe under our care would have their faith perfected.

Do we long that we can be with them and teach them what they need to know?

Those who aren’t in a role of leadership do you oray for those who are? Do you pray that God would guide them? Paul prayed for himself, but do you pray for people like Paul?

The obvious application to yourselves here is Josh. Are you oraying a prayer like Pauls that Gods will guide his way to you?

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

The first petition- Paul prayed to see them again.

The first petition- Paul prayed to see them again.

The nest petition could be summaried by saying- Paul prayed their love would overflow.

II. Paul prayed their love would overflow

The next petition of Paul could be summed up in the words Paul longed their love would overflow.

Paul continues his prayer, look with me at v,12 “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,

Paul knew the importance of being taught the truth, he also knew the importance of love. He prayed that they would love eachother and that they would love everyone.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

a) Paul did not long that they would have an ordinary, or superficial love. Rather he prayed their love would be over flowing.

look at the language that he used.

The New King James Version Chapter 3

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,”

He used to verbs that are very similar to each other in meaning.

He prayed that the Lord would make them increase and abound.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

He uses these two verbs together to strongly emphasise that he wants their love to be super abounding, he wants it to be overflowing beyond measure.

But what did he mean by love? The word Love in english is thrown around alot, I love chocolate or I love my wife. What kind of love did Paul pray for?

Here is a helpful description of the word he used “– A strong affection and regard for a person and their good as understood by God’s moral character; especially characterized by a willing forfeiture of rights or privileges in another person’s behalf”

This is the kind of love that Paul prayed the Thessaloninas would super abound in. The same word for love is used in when Jesus said “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

This is the kind of love that Paul wanted them to overflow beyond measure with. It is the selfless kind of love that Christ demonstrated by his death on the cross in the place of sinners.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Who did Paul want this love to over flow to?

He prayed “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you”

Paul prayed this love would be to one another- fellow Christians and to all- meaning those who are not Christians.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

So How would this look in practice?

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

b) Well if their love overflowed for other Christians then they would have unity among themselves. They would put other Christians first, they would not fall out over petty things.

There would not be gossip among believers, or bitterness.

1 cor 13:4-6 describes how this kind of love should show itself in personal relationships “ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

This was the kind of love that Paul prayed they would have for each other.

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The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

The question we must ask ourselves this evening is does this kind of love characterise us? Does this characterise our church? Does this characterise our relationships with other believers?

The Thessalonians did have this kind of love already but he prayed that they would increase in it more and more. in 1 thess 4:9 we read “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;

Could paul say to us “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you?

The Lord Jesus said “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Can people tell that we are disciples of Jesus because of our love for one another?

c) So Paul prayed that they would super abound in love for one another and he also prayed that they would love those who were not Christians.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

c) So Paul prayed that they would super abound in love for one another and he also prayed that they would love those who were not Christians.

This would have meant their boss, their master. their family members. The Thessalonians at this time were facing persecution but still Paul called them to love their persecutors.

They were called to do what Jesus commanded, love their enemies.

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One of the greatest ways we show this love is by sharing the Gospel with people. Often we know that sharing the Gospel with someone may cause friction between us and it may seem easier not to do it. But true love cares for the greatest needs regardless of the consequences.

Can it be said of us by those outside of the church, they are such loving people?

Paul prays for them to abound in this kind of love for one another and for all and then at the end of v.12 he uses himself as an example of this kind of love.

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you.”

Paul in his prayer gave himslef as an example to the Thesaalonians as to how they are to love one another. They are to love just as he loved them.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

You can read through the letter your self and it is clear that Paul had a deep love for the believers in Thessalonica.

SO Paul prayed that their love would overflow for one another and for evryone else.

In the final petition of this prayer we are given the reason that Paul prayed for such love among them.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

This final petition could be summed up in the words- Paul prayed for them to be blameless before God.

Paul prayed to see them again, Paul prayed their love would overflow, finally Paul prayed for them to be blameless before God.

III. Paul prayed for them to be blamless before God.

In a sense the other two petitions are leading up to this great and most important part of the prayer. Look with me at verse 13; “so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Here Paul is making it clear that he desires God to answer the first two parts of the prayer for the purpose of this final part being fulfilled.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

He wanted them to be found blameless in holiness in the presence of God at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

In Paul’s mind Christ’s return could happen at any time. He says elsewhere to the same Christians that the coming of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.

Paul was praying that at Christ’s return they would be walking in right relationship with God.

Paul is not saying that their justification hinged on their knowledge of the truth and their love for one another, their justifaction, their right standing woth God, hinged on Grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

However Paul is praying that when Christ returns they may be found walking with God, and not walking in sin.

Paul prayed that God would establish their hearts blameless in holiness.

Another word for establish could be to make firm or to set up or to strengthen. The idea is one of permanancy.

How did Paul want their hearts to be established?

Blameless in holiness.

With out spot in their seperation for God.

For what reason? so that when Christ returns they will be ready.

Paul has expressed this same desire already in this letter in Chapter 2v19 he says “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

Paul longed for these Chrstians to persevere to the end. He longed for them to be ready for the coming of Christ.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

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Conclusion