Stand Firm
Notes
Transcript
1 Thessalonians 3:1-8
1 Thessalonians 3:1-8
Scripture reading & prayer
Reminder and introduction-
Have you ever taken an embarrassing falls?
What is the reaction from others?
Normally after laughter/through laughter- “Are you ok?”
We ask this question through humorous occasions but also through difficult times that others around us face
It is a question of concern for the well being of those around us
1 Thessalonians is Paul’s question of concern for the people at Thessalonica
There affliction was no laughing matter- Tragedy, temptation and persecution plagued this young church
But how did they respond?
For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
This morning, we continue this letter of encouragement as Paul recaps his intentions behind this letter, and includes an instruction to stand
The background of struggle at Thessalonica
Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone,
and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith,
The start of this church is seen in Acts 17-
AS was so common for Paul, a rioting mob followed after him
The pressure was so severe, it pushed Paul and Silas out of Thessalonica for their own safety as well as the safety of this new church
So how long did Paul and Silas remain at Thessalonica?
The scripture says 3 sabbath days- So about 3-4 weeks
From evangelism, to the conversion of many, Paul typically desired to remain to begin establishing any new church
This was not the case for Thessalonica-
“Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone and we sent Timothy...”
“Endure it no longer”- They couldn’t stand not
hearing from this church and about this church
This act demonstrates to us the heart of the early church, not just in evangelism, but also in discipleship
Do we see Paul’s concern? Paul wasn’t a traveling evangelist. He was a pastor- His job was to evangelize, disciple and equip the church with the Gospel message
His heart broke for these people not because he had not shared the gospel with them, but because he was unable to establish them in the faith
Not because he did not share the Gospel, but because he was unable to share his very life with them
His fear was that they would be somewhat lacking due to the nature of their circumstances
This prompted him and Silas to send Timothy-
What can we learn from this?
We can learn that the church isn’t just concerned about evangelism, the church ought to be concerned about discipleship
Do you share the Gospel? As a Christian we ought to!
“Every Christianity is either a missionary or an imposter” - C. Spurgeon
But do we disciple? Does our heart break like Paul’s when we miss an opportunity to disciple those around us?
The Christian life is not just sharing about your faith, it is sharing your very life with those you have the privilege to lead to Christ- This is for the purpose of discipleship!
In AWANA, in youth, and in every facet of ministry in this church
And even in your own life!
Matthew 28:19- Go and make disciples!
Do you want to become excited about something? Do you want to experience one of the greatest joys in the Christian life? Then disciple someone with the news of Jesus Christ
Share the Gospel, lead someone to Christ and disciple them with the Gospel message
From this point, we should see the need for discipleship- Even risking our own safety to do so
The goal of Timothy in visiting this church-
The goal of Timothy is twofold according to v. 2 in regards to their faith
and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith,
It is to “strengthen” their faith- To help establish- Also to support, like a pillar of a Roman structure
And it is to “encourage” them in their faith- To comfort, and exhort- Encourage to action
What was the purpose of this? Because of the churches struggle
so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.
This was done so that the church would not be disturbed- Not be shaken
The fear was that the churches affliction would bring a disturbance, or even a compromise to their faith as they faced this struggle
Now that Paul has mentioned the purpose of this letter, he brings up the point of their affliction- Their struggle
The nature of Christian affliction
V. 3- “For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this”
Wait? What is he talking about? What are we destined for? He’s talking about being destined for encouragement, right?
No, he is not-
For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.
Not only is this reference of destiny pointing to Christian affliction, but it is even a subject that Paul himself covered with this church!
“Hey remember! We are going to suffer affliction! People aren’t going to like us because of the message of Christ!”
Not only would they not be surprised by this, but they should have even expected it!
Oklahoma- Tornado warnings-
Affliction is to be expected for the follower of Christ-
It is a reminder to us that we are to be
Dependent on God
Faithful to Christ
Expectant of our future eternity
Christian affliction has never stopped- It just hasn’t been in our line of sight
In many ways we have been sheltered to the state of the majority of believers around the world-
90’s country music-
Christian affliction can be in the form of
Tragedy
Temptations
And persecution
These things are to be expected and should never catch us by surprise
To repeat what Paul says in v. 3- We have been destined for these things
But even though affliction was expected, Paul had the well-being of the church
Especially, whether or not they were living out their faith
The repeated purpose of Paul-
For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.
Paul again repeats himself concerning his sending of Timothy-
Repetition denotes emphasis- And also this passage serves as a summary for the last few verses here in Ch. 3-
Being unable to stand it —> We sent Timothy —> Hoping that you had not given in to some sort of temptation by satan due to your circumstances —> Thereby making our work with you in vain
However, the report, as we know was a glowing one from Timothy-
The repeated report-
But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you,
for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith;
Timothy’s report was one of great comfort to Paul
It was one filled with news of a strong faith, consistent love and continued thanks for Paul, Silas and Timothy
Timothy was sent to comfort and encourage this church
And instead, Paul and the team were comforted and encouraged due to the report of their faith
It is important to note- Paul’s main concern for this church was not their physical well-being
It was not their financial status or whether or not they were trendy according to the society around them
It was their faith
Was their faith genuine? Was it taking a stand in the midst of difficulty?
Could it be seen from the outside looking in?
Their faith was all of those things and this brought great joy to Paul as they rejoiced over them
From this recap of Paul’s intended purpose, and Timothy’s report, he then moves to an instruction to stand
The instruction to stand
for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.
The report from Timothy brought great joy to Paul
In a sense, it breathed new life into them as they were also continually afflicted and persecuted for the cause of Christ-
“Now we really live..” - “Now we live”- Paul’s acknowledgement of refreshment from the report of their faith
“If you stand firm”- “Since you stand firm”
This last phrasing is both an accommodation as well as a continued instruction
Paul accommodates this church for their continued stance in the faith- Paul, silas and Tmothy rejoiced due to their continued stand for the Gospel
Paul also instructs this church to continue standing firm in the Lord
To stand firm is Paul’s favorite expression for staying faithful to God and his Gospel message (Gal 5:1, Phil 4:1-2, 2 Thess 2:15
It is an instruction to hold firm to that which is known
Never to waver
Never to compromise
Always to remain steady in the goal of the Gospel
Church, this is an instruction we need today
Discomfort and affliction brings about the temptation to waver in our faith
Trials, tragedy and persecution, if we are not expectant of them, may bring bitterness that leads to compromise
As we see our world slip further into godlessness we will see
Church’s compromise
Society pressuring to change the Gospel
Persecution on the rise
But....
Where we see churches compromise, we stand steady
Where we see society pressuring to change the Gospel, we don’t give in
Where we see persecution rise, we remain rooted firm in the faith
In a time of affliction for the church at Thessalonica, there was a concern for the state of their faith, and an instruction to remain standing firm in the Lord
And Christian as we close- reflect on these two questions during our time of response-
What is the state of your faith in times of affliction? IS there a continued faith, love and thankfulness?
Will you continue standing firm for the Gospel?
Never moving, never compromising, always faithful
But understand, if you have never placed your faith in Christ, then you have no faith to stand on
You aren’t standing, you are falling gradually into a place called hell- Eternal separation from God due to your sin
Is there hope? Yes, eternal hope only found in Jesus- Place your faith in Him today
