1 Thessalonians - Trials of the Faith

So he wants them to have faith that is perfected. He wants that they shall have everything complete and maturing in their lives. He wants their love to abound and he wants their hearts to be blameless in holiness. 

Christian workers are human; they have very real feelings. You may not think so, but this is true. Paul the Apostle was no exception. Paul was a faithful shepherd; Paul cared for the flock, and this meant that he had a burdened heart, and a concerned heart, and sometimes a broken heart. In 1 Thessalonians 3:5 and continuing through the end of the chapter, Paul describes the stages in his experience as it related to the Thessalonian church. 

Now remember, Paul and Silas and Timothy had gone to Thessalonica from Philippi. In Philippi, Paul and Silas had been beaten and illegally arrested and put into the inner prison. They were released; they left Philippi, went to Thessalonica and ministered there, and persecution started. The unbelievers in the city aroused some of the rabble of the marketplace to create trouble for the church. Well, Paul had to leave. Paul and Silas and Timothy went down to Berea and then down to Athens, and then Paul was left at Athens alone. 1 Thessalonians 3:1: "Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone and sent Timothy." So he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica. Timothy, being part Gentile, would be readily accepted more than would be Paul, who of course was a former Jewish rabbi. Timothy then came back and met Paul at Corinth. 

Now, Paul was not having an easy time at Corinth. Paul was going through one of the roughest periods in his life. Now we all have this. Many a pastor has resigned in the heat of the battle or in the eye of the storm and then regretted it. Well, Paul had more sense than that; he had spiritual guidance. He went through some really intense feelings though. 

Stage one, he was fearful. That's 1 Thessalonians 3:5. Stage two, he was joyful. 1 Thessalonians 3:6-8. Timothy came and brought the good news that things were going well in Thessalonica. Stage three, he was thankful. 1 Thessalonians 3:9. Stage four, he was prayerful. 1 Thessalonians 3:10-13. Now today I want us to look at those first two stages in Paul's experience. He was fearful, 1 Thessalonians 3:5, and he was joyful, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-8. And then the Lord willing, next time we'll look at the stages three and four: Paul was thankful and Paul was prayerful. 

1 Thessalonians 3:5: "For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain." Paul uses in 1 Thessalonians 3:7 the two words "affliction" and "distress" to describe the way he felt. "Therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress..." What was he going through? Affliction and distress. A.T. Robertson, the great Southern Baptist Greek scholar, translates this "choking and crushing trouble." I like that. Choking and crushing trouble. Now I would remind you, this is a description of Paul—not some carnal Christian in Corinth, not some backslider in Philippi. This is the Apostle Paul, who had a relationship with God that was so intense and so personal and so wonderful. My, how God blessed Paul. And yet Paul said, "Here I was in Corinth, thinking about you saints in Thessalonica, and I'll tell you what it was like: it was a choking experience, I could hardly breathe. It was a crushing experience as these trials came upon me." 

He was fearful. He was fearful the way a concerned parent is fearful. Like a spiritual parent, he was concerned for his children. Now that's normal. You can recall when your children first began to go out. They had a car key and a driver's license and they could drive for twenty minutes and be anonymous; you were concerned. That first all-night trip—well, this is the way Paul was. He was fearful, concerned about their faith. 1 Thessalonians 2:17, he says, "But we, brethren, having been taken away from you"—and that's the word "orphaned"—"we're orphaned from you." Not only was he a nursing mother and an encouraging father, but he was a loving brother, and now he was all alone. He'd been orphaned from them. Paul realized the battle against his friends in Thessalonica was intense, and oh, he was concerned that they stand true to the Lord. 

Satan was attacking their faith. Five times in 1 Thessalonians 3 you find Paul talking about their faith. He sent Timothy to encourage you concerning your faith, that's 1 Thessalonians 3:2. In 1 Thessalonians 3:5, "I sent to know your faith," to see if the tempter had tempted you. In 1 Thessalonians 3:6, Timothy brought good news of their faith. In 1 Thessalonians 3:7, "we were comforted concerning you by your faith." In 1 Thessalonians 3:10 he says, "I still want to perfect that which is lacking in your faith." Satan attacks your faith. Now why? Faith is what makes us stand. We stand in this faith that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God is the rock, the foundation upon which we stand. This is why Paul sent Timothy to establish them concerning their faith, 1 Thessalonians 3:2. 1 Thessalonians 3:8: "For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 3:13: "so that He may establish your hearts blameless." You see, according to 1 Thessalonians 3:3, Satan wants us to shake. "That no one should be shaken by these afflictions." As an experienced warrior, Paul was concerned lest they fall into the wiles of the devil. 

And he was a burdened worker. He had worked hard during those weeks in Thessalonica. He earned his own way; night and day he worked hard, praying night and day, working night and day, ministering night and day. And now all of this might be in vain. 1 Thessalonians 3:5 he says, "that our labor might be in vain." Oh, that was the one thing he did not want: the emptiness of his labor. 1 Thessalonians 2:1: "For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain." It wasn't fruitless and empty and of no effect. God blessed our ministry there, and oh, we don't want to see it disappear in vanity. They had received the word, 1 Thessalonians 1:6. They had become followers of the Lord and of the apostles. Then they became examples, 1 Thessalonians 1:7: "you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia." They had become transmitters of the word, 1 Thessalonians 1:8: "For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth." You see, when Satan can destroy the witness of a local church, it means all that work was in vain. It means that there are no more examples for people to follow. He does not want us to get the Word of God out, and so he fights us. Paul was fearful. 

Secondly, Paul was joyful. 1 Thessalonians 3:6: "But now that Timothy has come to us from you"—Timothy met him in Corinth—"and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you. Therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith, for now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord." Oh, when you get good news, it makes you feel so good. 

By the way, this is one place in the New Testament where the Greek word for "evangelism," to preach the gospel, is used in a secular sense. "He brought us good news." Timothy was the evangelist of the good news that things were going well in Thessalonica. In other words, Paul is saying, "When Timothy gave me the report, it was just like hearing the gospel. I was so glad, it was just like hearing the gospel. He brought us the good news of your faith and your love, that you're standing," 1 Thessalonians 3:8, "for now we live, if you stand in the Lord, stand fast in the Lord." 

It's interesting to see how many times Paul talks about standing. He's going to be talking about walking in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Thessalonians 5—how to walk to please God—but now he's talking about standing. Before you walk, you have to learn how to stand. In 1 Thessalonians 3:8 he says, "stand fast in the Lord." What does that mean? Well, 1 Corinthians 16:13 he says, "Watch, stand fast in the faith. Be brave, be strong." The faith—now the devil wants to rob us of the faith. Paul says "Watch, keep your eyes open. Be brave, be strong." Why? The enemy's out there. Stand fast in the faith. Ephesians 6, he tells us to stand against the wiles of the devil. Put on the whole armor of God—I hope you do that every morning. You see, you have to stand before you can withstand. Then he goes on to say, "and having done all, to stand." So before the battle, stand against the wiles of the devil; during the battle, withstand; after the battle, keep on standing. Paul was concerned, but he was rejoicing that they had been standing against the wicked one. Paul said knowing that you are standing true to the Lord just gives me revival. It's like a breath of fresh air that just stirs me to new life. "For to me, to live is Christ," but also for to me, to live is to see Christ's people standing in the Lord. 

The next time you listen to a pastor or a missionary or a teacher of the word, whether it's in person or radio or television, remember those people are human. They have feelings just like everybody else. Why do I say that? Well, because in 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul is opening up his heart and telling us how he felt. In 1 Thessalonians 3:1 he says, "Therefore, when we could no longer endure it..." Endure what? Endure their anxiety about the Christians in Thessalonica. They were going through suffering, persecution. Paul had been chased out of Thessalonica; he could not go back. In 1 Thessalonians 3:5 he says, "For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain." 

We're tracing the feelings, the emotional responses of the Apostle Paul in this situation. 1 Thessalonians 3:5 gives us the first stage in his emotional response: he was fearful. In fact, he describes this in 1 Thessalonians 3:7 as "affliction and distress." A.T. Robertson, the Greek scholar, translates those words "choking and crushing trouble." He was fearful. And then he became joyful. Timothy came, 1 Thessalonians 3:6, and "brought us the good news." Timothy was the evangelist. This is the only place in the New Testament where the Greek word euangelizo is used not for the preaching of the gospel, but for the bringing of good news about some good event that had taken place. He said Timothy came like an evangelist with the good news that your faith is strong, your love is growing, you want to see us. And so in 1 Thessalonians 3:6-8, we have Paul being joyful. 

Now in 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, we have the next two stages in Paul's experience. In 1 Thessalonians 3:9, we find that Paul is thankful. "For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God?" Paul is not just rejoicing before Timothy; I'm sure he did that. But here he is rejoicing before our God. The greatest joy is joy in the presence of the Lord. Don't just take your burdens to the Lord, take your joys to the Lord. Somebody might be saying, "Well, I don't have any joys." Then you're blind! Oh, we are surrounded by the providential blessings of God. We have so much to be thankful for.

I've noticed that Paul was a great appreciator. 1 Thessalonians 1:2: "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers." Six times in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Paul talks about thanksgiving in one way or another. Here's the first one: he's thankful for their work of faith and their labor of love and their patience of hope. Preacher, missionary, Sunday School teacher, church leader—are you thankful for the people who are walking with the Lord? Paul was. 1 Thessalonians 2:13: "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe." He was thankful for the way they listened and received the Word of God. Are you grateful for that? 

He is rejoicing because they were standing true to the Lord. We pray so often about the people who are wavering. They're shaking, 1 Thessalonians 3:3, "that no one should be shaken by these afflictions." Do you ever thank God for the people who are standing? They're not shaking, they're not wavering, being blown about. No, they're stable in the Lord. In 2 Thessalonians 1:3, he starts off with thanksgiving again: "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other." He's grateful because they're growing in the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 2:13, he gives thanks that they were called of God, chosen to be saved. Paul was a great appreciator. 

Now if you want your life to take on a new tone and a new depth, learn to be thankful. Prayer changes things, but praise also changes things. Which leads me to ask two questions. Number one: are you rejoicing before God for others? Husband, do you come before God and thank God for your wife, for your children? Do you rejoice in this before God? Mother, the children may be getting under your feet, but do you rejoice before God for your family, for your husband? Are we thankful to God for others? Secondly, are others thankful to God for us? I wonder where I am in people's prayers. Am I in the complaining section or the rejoicing section? 

Well, Paul was fearful in 1 Thessalonians 3:5. He was joyful in 1 Thessalonians 3:6-8. Then he was thankful in 1 Thessalonians 3:9. And in 1 Thessalonians 3:10-13, he was prayerful. "Night and day praying exceedingly." Exceedingly abundantly—that's the word. Overflowing with prayer. Now remember, night and day Paul was working at his own craft. 1 Thessalonians 2:9: "For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day..." Paul was a tentmaker. Paul did not accept money from the Thessalonian church. He was working at his trade and all the while he was praying. I've never made any tents, but I think you could possibly make tents and pray. I've discovered you can drive down the highway and pray. You can sit in the dentist's chair and pray. "Pray without ceasing," that's what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5, doesn't he? And that's what he did. Out of all bounds, praying exceedingly. 

For what? Well, "that we may see your face." Paul wanted to go back to see them. "And perfect that which is lacking in your faith." They had not arrived yet. Even though they were standing firm, even though they were not wavering, they still had a long way to go. There is still room to grow. He prayed that God would open the way, 1 Thessalonians 3:11: "Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you." Now that word "direct" means to clear the way. He will open the way so that I can return to you and minister to you. 

Now he prays for their perfection. 1 Thessalonians 3:10: "that we may perfect that which is lacking in your faith." The Greek word translated "perfect" is the Greek word katartizo. It gives us our word artist, artisan. An artisan is one who works on something and brings it to perfection. It's a great word; it's used often in the Greek New Testament. A very familiar word. The doctors knew this word; it meant to set a broken bone. The soldiers knew this word; it means to equip an army for battle. Why do you go to church? To worship God. Why do you go to church? To get equipped for battle. Katartizo. Perfection. Perfect that which is lacking in your faith. 

Do you know what Jesus is doing from heaven today? He's perfecting us. Hebrews 13:20-21: "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete"—make you perfect, that's our word—"in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight." The Lord Jesus today in heaven is using the Word of God and prayer and suffering and the fellowship of the church to perfect God's people. Now he wants their faith to be perfected, but he also wants their love to grow. Notice 1 Thessalonians 3:12: "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you." So he's praying that they might have perfected faith, and they might have abounding love, and they might have blameless hearts. 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 Christ with all His saints." 

So he wants them to have faith that is perfected. He wants them to be equipped for the journey, equipped for the battle. He wants their nets to be mended. He wants that they shall have everything complete and maturing in their lives. He wants their love to abound and he wants their hearts to be blameless in holiness. And Paul's going to deal with the walk of the Christian in a holy life. And one of the greatest motivating forces for a holy life is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:3: "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." And so today if you're looking for Jesus to come back, that's going to be a motivating factor in establishing you and in helping you to walk in a holy life. What a great prayer this is. May the Lord help us to have our faith perfected, our love abounding, and our hearts blameless in holiness as we wait for Jesus to come.