1 Thessalonians 3:6-10

1 Thessalonians 3:6-10

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Encouraged by Timothy

6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, 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— 7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

9 For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 1 Thess 3:6-10

• Transcript

  Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions as we're every day you and I we get together, have a little bit of coffee, we get into God's word and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, Lord willing 2020 We'll make it from the book of Acts through the book of Second Thessalonians and so glad, so glad to be back. It was fun to be on vacation but sure is good. To be back in the word with you all. Why don't we have some coffee? We'll pray and we'll get the God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we confess to you we are often dole. We are often people who come to your word with cold hearts. And so Father, we need your Holy Spirit. We plead with you God that you would work in our hearts that we might know who you are, that you would teach us that we would follow in your ways for your holy and you our Savior and our Lord. Father, would you do that work this morning in us, conform us to your image illuminate our minds and eyes we pray in Jesus name. Amen. All right, we're at First Thessalonians First Thessalonians chapter three verses six through 10. This is God's word. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, 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, and all our affliction and distress we are comforted concerning you by your faith. For we now live, if you stand, stand fast in the Lord for what things can we render to God for you? For all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, night and day, praying exceedingly, that we may see your face and perfect, perfect what is lacking in your faith? Well, we need to ask ourselves, first a, what's this about? B. What's the best use? Or what's the best verse that summarizes and see, what are we called to do in response to this? Well, first a What is this about? Well, remember in the first six are the first nine verses, they're no five verses sorry, verses one through five. It was Paul sending Timothy to them. They were concerned he went down to Athens and he thought, well, we'll just be left alone here and we'll send Timothy back because we need to hear about their faith and we need them to be strengthened in their faith. And so now he says, Timothy's come back, and they're encouraged. Right, but the work of the Kingdom isn't done yet. And so there's more to get done. And so he tells them in verse six, but now that Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news of your faith and love, that you always have good remembrance of us greatly designed to see us as we also didn't see you right, you saying, y'all aren't ashamed of us? We sent Timothy to you, because we were worried about your faith that maybe you heard about our afflictions, and maybe you were being tempted be turned away. Or pulled away. But you still remember us. And you love us. You haven't forgotten us. You weren't the seed planted upon the rock, but it seems like you're in good soil and we're rejoicing, right we want to see you when you remember us. And this is good news from Timothy our brother who went as a minister to go be with you. And so it says in verse seven, therefore, brethren in all of our affliction and distress, we were comforted, concerning you, by your faith. For now we live if you stand fast in the Lord. He's sitting there being afflicted. Things aren't going great in Athens. And we turn to the book of Acts written by the beloved Dr. Luke and we find out that not everybody's liking what Paul is saying in Athens. Some people don't want to hear it. Some people think he's out of his mind. Some people think this is a strange teaching from a strange god and, you know, Pauline, all there. And so they're being afflicted, they're being tried and challenge. But do you know what's comforting? His heart that he knows, just up north in Thessalonica. There are children of God, who the Holy Spirit has been poured out to the hearts to cry out Abba Father. And he's saying that's a comfort to us. Right we're able to stand fast in the work we're doing here because we know what you're doing there is a huge encouragement. Our faith encourages one another. This is one of those. One of the reasons why this whole idea that it you know, you could go alone and just be by yourself and be a Christian. And you don't need the church. Well, yeah, maybe that's true in extreme circumstances. You know, like if you're thrown in prison in Siberia, and you're by yourself in the Gulag or something. Maybe that's true, but that is abnormal. Right. Paul is being a missionary. He's going about and he's concerned about the other Christians. We can't be so Americanized, that we become so individualistic. It's about me, me me, my faith by myself, that we're not concerned about others. So churches to be loving one another by this they will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another anything. Man, you guys, you're doing great up there and you're such an encouragement to us down here. So we're able to keep on going because we know that you are keep on going and this is this is wonderful. We will stand firm in the Lord even more so because of this. It says for verse nine, for what things can we render to God for you? For all joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God right there? Are you happy for other grudges? He's happy for them there. He's rejoicing, when the last time you thank God for other Christians. Thank God for what they're going through. Thank God for their face, even persevering in hardships and afflictions. Thank God for them. It says night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face may see your face, and perfect what is lacking in your faith? Are you saying their faith is still lacking? What does that mean? Does that mean that somehow they like they don't have a saving faith? That's not what he's saying at all. He's saying that there's more to teach them there's more to give them there's more to instruct them. There's more to encourage them there's more to do the work with them. He's thanking God praying night and day rejoicing exceedingly right. How can I he is expressing in his soul. This reality that the Holy Spirit is letting us know because this is breathed out by Him. The Holy Spirit is telling us here that it should be the natural desire of Christians to be with each other, to pray for one another, to rejoice with one another to weep with those who weep and to sorrow with those who sorrow and rejoice with those who rejoice to want to comfort and care for each other. So this is what the Apostle Paul is writing here. He's so encouraged by them, and he wants to go see him again. You know, I'm here in mourning son, Iowa. I love the saints here. This is home. I honestly hope that someday I might go to be with the Lord, and that my body will be buried here next to the church. And yet when I hear about what's going on at the church, where members of before hear when I hear about what's going on, in places like East fail, Pennsylvania or in West or in well, it's Westminister RP it's kind of in the Deerfield Vernon Hills area of Illinois. I hear about what's going on in those in those churches. It rejoices my heart. When I hear about the young people who have made professions of faith and are coming to the Lord's table on are making families for themselves and raising their children in the Lord and, and this is encouraging to me here. I love going back for homecoming and hearing about what's going on with other Christians. I love when the president of our seminary sends out a letter about what's going on at the seminary and I get to hear about all the different things and encourages my faith. It encourages me when I meet with my friends who are pastors in India, and they talk to me about what's going on in their country. And I see them standing in even in the face of persecution, and it's an encouragement. It's an encouragement to me here when every Sunday Christians come in and they they talk to me about what's going on in their lives and how there's difficulties in these trials and, and they're still persevering, even sometimes when they're failing at things and yet they still come to worship and seeing other Christians encourage them. It's an encouragement. What is the best verse to summarize in this? Well, I think I probably underline this word. Maybe verse nine, to be honest with you, I don't have anything underlined because this is this is all one cohesive unit but maybe for six probably verse six in verse nine, but that's somewhat arbitrary. Let me know what would you underline in your in your bibles type it down in the comments, let me know what would you underline. Well last see calling what are we called to do? I'm going to challenge you today to pray for someone in the church. I'm really challenge you today if you if you really want to have a hard challenge. I'm gonna challenge you today to pray for someone who you have a hard time getting along with. And I'm learning. I'm going to encourage you I'm gonna call you to this today. If you want a real hard challenge. I want you to pray for that person. Not that they would change. Not because you're going to bring a litany of things to God because you know, they're difficult for you to handle I want you to pray for them. thinking God, for them and for their faith. I know you might be surprised by this because everybody in the church always gets along perfectly. But I'm serious. I want you to pray for someone this morning. Or maybe it might take you till tonight because maybe you're going to have to think through this how to do this. Pray for someone who is another Christian, and go to the Lord and rejoice or go to the Lord, and thank God for them. Thank God for their saving faith. Thank God that they're still going. And then I'm going to encourage you, this is a bonus. I'm going to encourage you to let them know that you think God for them. Well, let's go ahead and pray. Father, we thank you so much for the examples that you have given us this morning of how our faith can be encouraged by other people's faith. Lord, we thank you for the perseverance of the saints and for the work of Your Holy Spirit that you work in our hearts. God we thank you for how many brothers and sisters we have in the church. We thank you for the little children that you have called unto yourself. And we thank you for the senior saints who still profess your name and love you. Lord, we pray that you would please make us more and more fulfilled with joy. As we think about the miraculous work you have done in saving people and and keeping them to yourself in Jesus's name. Amen. May the Lord bless you. May you rejoice in Jesus Christ, and may you enjoy the communion of the saints. See you tomorrow. Bye bye Transcribed by https://otter.ai