GOOD NEWS AND ABOUNDING LOVE
Notes
Transcript
1 Thessalonians 3:6–13 (ESV) — 6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? 11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
(Open with some comments about Mother’s Day. Use blog post from Kristen.)
The importance of faith and love (hope as well) cannot be over emphasize in the life of the Christian. When Christ is your life then the things of His kingdom are of first importance to you. That means we value faith, hope and love in the lives of one another and we seek for these characteristics to be established in the lives of new believers. Today we see both the joy Paul experiences because of Timothy’s report concerning the presence of these characteristics and also what he sees as important to pray for these believers in Thessalonica.
I. THE GOOD NEWS OF FAITH AND LOVE
I. THE GOOD NEWS OF FAITH AND LOVE
A. 1 Thessalonians 3:6–10 (ESV) — 6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
B. Knowing that the people you have invested yourself in for the purpose of the gospel are standing firm in their faith and are motivated by love brings encouragement to your heart.
C. This is what Paul is saying in our text.
D. Paul had written to the Galatian churches that faith and love are the things that matter.
E. Galatians 5:6 (ESV) — For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
F. Faith and love are evidence of the working of the Spirit in the heart of man.
G. Galatians 5:22 (ESV) — But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
H. With all the difficulties Paul and his company have been facing, they are comforted by hearing of the faith of the Thessalonians.
I. This shows us what Paul and his comrades valued.
J. We have seen that prayer was made on behalf of the Thessalonians and these qualities produced thanks in Paul and his team members.
K. 1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 (ESV) — 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
L. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (ESV) — 13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
M. Paul and his brothers were filled with joy because of the Thessalonians faithfulness which leads to more prayer.
N. 1 Thessalonians 3:8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.
II. ABOUNDING LOVE
II. ABOUNDING LOVE
A. 1 Thessalonians 3:11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,
B. Paul’s desire for the Thessalonians was that the Lord would make them, “… increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we (Paul and company) do for you…”
C. It seems that abounding in love is behind our hearts being blameless in holiness.
D. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
E. Please note that the substance of our prayers says something about our hearts.
F. Remember the prayers of Paul in chapter 1 and in chapter 2.
G. These were prayers of Thanksgiving for spiritual characteristics seen in the Thessalonians believers lives.
H. Now we see Paul’s heart in verses 11-13 by what he prays.
I. He wants the Father and the Son to make a way for him to return to the Thessalonian church. He asks for the Lord to make them increase and abound in love so that their hearts will be established blameless in holiness before the Father when Jesus returns with all the saints.
J. Here is a quote helping us discern what I mean about prayer revealing what our heart treasures.
K. “The central definition of prayer in the Westminster Catechism is “an offering up of our desires unto God.” Therefore prayer is the revealer of the heart. What a person prays for shows the spiritual condition of his heart. If we do not pray for spiritual things (like the glory of Christ, and the hallowing of God’s name, and the salvation of sinners, and the holiness of our hearts, and the advance of the gospel, and contrition for sin, and the fullness of the Spirit, and the coming of the kingdom, and the joy of knowing Christ), then probably it is because we do not desire these things. Which is a devastating indictment of our hearts.”[1]
L. The application I would make for myself and the church is that we can understand something about our values by what brings prayers of Thanksgiving to our lips and what it is we spend our time praying for in the lives of others and in our own lives.
M. May the Lord graciously advance the cause of faith and love and hope in our hearts today and every day.
[1]Piper, J. (2004). When I don’t desire God: how to fight for joy (p. 139). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.