We Live if you Stand – 1 Thessalonians 3: 1-13

Red Village Church Podcast

Audio Transcript

Alright. Good morning. It’s great to see you all. So, yeah, my name is Wes. I’m a pastoral assistant here at Red Village. Not the regular person up here; that would be Aaron. But I am grateful for every opportunity that I’m given to be able to open up God’s word. And, yeah, for those also that know me, you know that I usually wear a ball cap when I’m in here. So it’s always kind of a shocker as I come in here with no ball cap. Gotta add suit coats, and people are like, “Oh no, what’s happening?”

But anyways, that being said, we are gonna jump into 1 Thessalonians 3 . So if you want to turn in your Bibles there, and if you don’t have a Bible, there should be some Bibles in the pews you can grab. So, 1 Thessalonians 3 . I’m gonna read through the passage, and then I’m gonna pray and ask that God would use this time to speak to us, and then we’ll work through it.

So, 1 Thessalonians 3 1-13. Here’s what the word of the Lord says:

“Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and to exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

But now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and that you long to see us as we long to see you. For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction, we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you? For all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 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.”

So that’s God’s word for us. Let me pray.

God, we know that you speak through the preaching of your word. And so I pray, God, that you would indeed speak to your people this morning. God, you would help me to be a good communicator of your word and that, Lord, you would indeed open our ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. Use this time for your glory and the good of your people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So you’ll remember in 1 Thessalonians, last time I preached, that 1 Thessalonians is the first of two letters written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica in order to encourage the Thessalonian church in their faith and to remind them that sanctification in the midst of persecution was God’s will for their life. Paul also addressed some misunderstandings that the Thessalonian church had regarding end-time events and Jesus’ return that he writes about more in chapters four and five of this letter.

Paul and Silas were only able to stay with the believers for a short time because the Jews in Thessalonica became jealous and actually formed a mob that forced Paul and Silas to flee to Berea, where the Jews would continue to pursue and persecute them. But only a few months later, Paul sent Timothy to check on the believers, which we see here in our passage today.

And last time I preached in 1 Thessalonians, we looked at Paul’s longing to be reunited with the church in Thessalonica after he was torn away from them by force only a few months before writing this letter. And Paul says in verse 17 that he and the other apostles endeavored all the more eagerly and with great desire to see the Thessalonians face to face. But Satan had hindered them from doing so. We also looked at Paul’s declaration of how the Thessalonian church is their hope, joy, and crown of boasting before the Lord Jesus at his return.

And I had pointed out that this should make us deeply value the family of God, including those sitting around you here at Red Village, because the work of God among his church will be a reason for joy and praise before Jesus when he returns.

Which leads us to chapter three, verse one, where Paul says, “Therefore,” which you can insert “therefore” because we were torn away from you and we longed to see you face to face. Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone.

So verse two tells us that Paul sent Timothy, their brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort the Thessalonians in their faith. Now, why does Paul say he was willing to be left alone? It’s likely that Silas probably would have been with him in Athens at this time. It’s also possible that Paul had sent Silas to visit other believers in Macedonia at the same time he sent Timothy to visit the believers in Thessalonica, which would leave Paul completely alone.

So whether Silas was with Paul or he wasn’t, it is clear that sending Timothy left Paul feeling alone, which meant sending Timothy to visit the Thessalonian believers was no small thing. Timothy meant a great deal to Paul and to the other believers. He wasn’t just a casual coworker. Paul met Timothy in Lystra during his second missionary journey as a young Jewish follower of Christ, raised by his grandparents. And Timothy left his home in order to join Paul. In return, Paul took Timothy under his wing.

And not many years after this letter was written, Paul addressed Timothy as my true child in the faith and my beloved child. So, actually, that’s in 1 and 2 Timothy. Paul addresses him as that. So it’s clear that over the years, Paul grew very close to Timothy, and he loved him like a son. Sending Timothy away to check on the Thessalonian church was like sending his own son away, where Paul would be left alone.

Not to mention the journey Timothy had to take to travel to Athens was over 300 miles long, and it would at least take 20 days to travel there and back, making his absence almost a month long. And his journey would not be a safe one. Paul and Timothy were wanted men, as Jewish authorities sought to end their ministry and their lives in any way that they could during this time.

So when Paul says that he and the others were willing to be left alone in Athens, it was a great sacrifice that they were willing to make for the sake of the church, which reminded me of what Pastor Aaron preached at the end of this summer in Acts, in saying that we meet to part, and we part to meet. Paul understood this well and says in verse five that he couldn’t bear not knowing how the Thessalonian church was doing any longer. So he sent Timothy on his way for the sake of God’s church.

Now, I just want to pause here before I keep going. Throughout this letter, Paul has been pouring out his heart with many encouragements and many exhortations for the Thessalonian church. But here in our passage this morning, there are some clear character traits that we can see in Paul that help us understand what a pastor or an elder or even a deacon’s heart should look like as they do the work of ministry. So keep your eyes open for these traits as we go through the text.

And as we do, I’m going to point out six different character traits of what a pastor’s heart should look like as he exercises oversight over a church.

So that being said, look with me back at verse three. It says Paul sent Timothy to exhort and establish the Thessalonians in their faith so that no one may be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, and just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.

Here, Paul addresses the greatest potential obstacle that stands in the way of the Thessalonians’ growth in their faith: earthly afflictions. The direct cause of the afflictions that Paul is addressing here are those caused by the persecution of the Jews and Roman officials. During this time in church history, Jews and Romans alike were becoming more and more aware and more and more agitated by the rise of Christianity. And as a result, there was only more persecution and death.

Only four years after Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians, Nero would rise to power. And for those that don’t know, this would bring forth one of the worst periods of Christian persecution in history. But Paul recognizes from the teaching of Christ that afflictions aren’t some kind of anomaly in the Christian life. God’s people will experience affliction, whether by persecution or trials or means of difficulty, for the glory of Christ.

In John 15 20, Jesus taught, “Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Paul is so sure of these afflictions that he says God’s people are destined for it, meaning it’s God’s will for afflictions to come their way. But these afflictions are temporary, and they’re not without purpose.

As we studied in James, we are to consider it joy when various trials come our way. For we know the testing of our faith produces steadfastness, and steadfastness, when it has its full effect, makes us perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Therefore, as James says, “Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial, for when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.”

And Peter also talks about the value of afflictions, saying, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith— that is more precious than gold, that perishes though tested by fire— it may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

So we are destined for temporary affliction because we are destined for eternal glory, just as Jesus was destined for temporary affliction and destined for eternal glory. We should not think that because we are in Christ we are exempt from trials and afflictions. Jesus was not exempt, and he was without sin. And because we are being made into his image, it is right that we also should endure afflictions and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

For although every follower of Christ is destined for affliction, every believer is also destined for inexpressible glory at the coming of Jesus Christ, where every tear that these earthly afflictions bring will be wiped away, and restoration with our God will bring afflictions no more.

As Tracy so beautifully said last week, her afflictions in ALS do not define her. Rather, Christ, in his resurrection power living inside her, defines her. She is a child of the King, and destined affliction does not change that. It only heightens the reality and eagerness for heaven.

Knowing we are destined for glory because of Christ, afflictions have their potential to fill our lungs with a deeper song of praise for what the blood of Christ has purchased. It teaches our souls to cling to Christ and his promises with all of our being. Knowing that he is Lord over every affliction and speed bump in life helps our hearts long for the restoration that is to come when Jesus returns, riding on the clouds of heaven to bring finality to this sin-filled life and eternity to the unending joy that awaits his people.

With God as our Father, we are destined for temporary affliction because we are destined for eternal glory. Paul’s desire is for Timothy to further establish the Thessalonians’ faith. For faith is like an anchor for our souls when they are tethered to Christ and when our faith remains strong. Afflictions cannot move God’s people. They can shake us, they can test us, and sometimes they can turn our world upside down. But they cannot move us from the solid ground that is in Christ, our rock, who will hold us fast through every affliction that we go through in this earth for his glory.

Looking at verse five, Paul says, “For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.”

Now again, we can see Paul’s primary focus is not upon himself but upon the spiritual well-being of others. He says he couldn’t stand not knowing how the Thessalonian believers were doing any longer. Paul’s pastoral heart had to know how they were doing and what the condition of their faith was like.

And that being said, just in verses three through five, I see three character traits that we can glean from Paul that reflect a pastor’s heart. So the first is that a pastor is willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the church. It would have been much more comfortable for Paul to keep Timothy with him in Athens, but Paul was not seeking his own comfort. Rather, Paul was seeking the interest of others above himself. His love for the Thessalonian believers led him to sacrifice companionship with Timothy in order to further establish and exhort their faith in Christ.

The same should be true of every pastor that cares for his flock. He should be willing to make sacrifices of comfort or even time in order to love members of the church so that they may grow in Christ.

The second pastoral trait I see is that a pastor proactively looks for trouble or trials on the horizon and prepares the flock accordingly. Like a watchman standing guard over a city, a pastor remains on guard against the threats and afflictions that may come the church’s way. Paul recognizes that the Thessalonians are experiencing an increase in persecution during this time, and greater persecution is still yet to come. Paul also recognizes that the tempter, that is Satan, is actively against the church and is trying to lead the church away from Jesus and from his word.

Paul recognizes these things are happening and then responds by reminding the Thessalonian church of these realities. He helps prepare them for what’s to come so that they will continue to endure. A pastor stands guard over their congregation and warns them of incoming difficulty and seeks to proactively respond accordingly when they see that difficulty coming so that God’s people may be helped and encouraged in their faith. That way, no one will be moved by the afflictions that all are destined for.

The third pastoral trait that I see in these verses from Paul is a genuine interest and care for how the people of God are doing. Paul says in verse five that he couldn’t bear not knowing how the Thessalonian church was doing any longer. Paul had to know how they were doing. They were constantly on his mind, and he prayed for them night and day. No longer could he not know. He had to find out, “How are God’s people in Thessalonica doing?”

And it’s the same today with a pastor and the believers that he’s entrusted to. A pastor genuinely cares how each member of the church is doing. He cares if you’re okay, and he cares for your spiritual well-being. He cares if you are going through a difficult season or enduring affliction. A pastor’s heart cares for each individual in the church and desires to know how each person is doing.

Moving on to verse six, we read that Timothy returned from Thessalonica sometime later with good news regarding the believers’ faith, love, and the kind memories that they had together, while also longing to see Paul and Silas and Timothy again. We know that Paul and the others were overjoyed when they received this news about the Thessalonian faith. For Paul says in verse two of chapter one, “We give thanks to God always for all of you.” And Paul says that it was good news to hear about their faith and love in the Lord that had only grown since the last time they had seen each other.

And Paul wasn’t the only one thinking about the believers and longing to be with them. The Thessalonian believers were also longing to see Paul and Silas again, and they reminisced on the sweet memories they had together— eating meals together, talking about the goodness of their God together, worshiping together, praying for each other. We can only imagine what these believers had in mind and what memories they shared. But it’s clear that they loved Paul and the other leaders just as much as they loved them.

Now, this isn’t an earth-shattering application from this passage, but I think we all need to be reminded of this: spending time in community with God’s people makes life lighter and filled with joyful memories. There’s a sweet blessing that comes from building friendships within the family of Christ that can truly help carry us through the hard times in life, which is one of the reasons why I love all the ways that Red Village Church seeks to meet together outside of Sunday morning. Whether it be a small group, a potluck, or just eating dinner together or drinking pumpkin spice lattes before work together— little things like this really are a blessing from God that help us through life.

So don’t neglect to invite others into your life and to find ways to meet together, especially as we move into winter, where life can sometimes be and feel a little bit harder.

Looking at verse seven, we read that in all the distress and afflictions that Paul and those accompanying him had experienced during this missionary journey, news of the Thessalonians’ faith brought them great comfort. Like a parent who had not heard from their children in a long time and then hears that they’re not only doing well, but they have been faithful with what they had been taught, Paul says that in the midst of his own afflictions, this was a comforting thought.

Then in verse eight, Paul makes this statement: “For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” Now, what is Paul saying here? I would say this one verse sums up a pastor’s life as they shepherd the flock of God that is among them through each season. And that’s coming from somebody who technically is a pastor in training. But I still think this is true.

What Paul is saying here is that when God’s people are doing well, it’s like a breath of fresh air, like having a strong wind fill one’s sail to keep pressing on in ministry for the good of God’s people and the glory of God. But when the people that a pastor has been entrusted to are not doing well, it’s like the wind being knocked out of you. Your heart hurts for those who hurt, longs for growth for those who remain idle, and feels remorse for those who are struggling in sin.

Which brings me to my fourth pastoral character trait found in this passage: the well-being of a pastor is connected to the well-being of God’s people. As Paul says, “We live if you are standing fast in the Lord.” Paul felt as if he were fully alive to see the Thessalonian church grow in godliness despite his absence. But when God’s people were struggling, whether by sin or by trials or suffering, Paul felt great sorrow and great defeat at times.

In reference to another letter Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 2 4: “For I wrote to you with many tears, out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart, not to cause you pain, but that you should know the abundant love that I have for you.” A pastor’s heart is tied to the spiritual and physical well-being of the church that he has been entrusted to, which, if I’m honest, has been one of the more humbling realizations that I’ve had to think about with my time here at Red Village.

Whether a church rises or falls, it is ultimately up to God and his sovereignty as the chief shepherd of his church. But that doesn’t change the emotions that a pastor may feel as a church rides the roller coaster of life with all its ups and downs. And here in our text, Paul is feeling the upside of the roller coaster and rejoices over the Thessalonian spiritual condition.

He goes on to say in verses nine through ten, “For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you? For all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith.”

And I love the phrase here in verse ten: “For all the joy we feel for your sake.” If you’re a leader here at Red Village, or you’re a leader in a small group, or you’re a leader of Bible studies or events on campus for college students, or if you aspire to be a leader, make note of this phrase: “For all the joy we feel for your sake.”

This is the fifth pastoral character trait I want to point out to you in this text: a pastor finds joy in shepherding God’s people as they thrive in Christ. Here in our text, Paul not only generally cares for God’s people, he also finds joy in their spiritual growth. A pastor or a leader finds joy in seeing God’s people thrive, and thriving is very different from surviving.

Surviving is just getting by. Thriving is an enjoyment of life. It is a prospering or even a blooming of satisfaction with results. Spiritually speaking, it means there is growing fruit in God’s people as they grow in Christ and as they enjoy God. And a pastor finds joy in God’s people as they joyfully grow in godliness.

Doing ministry and shepherding God’s people is not a burden for a pastor. He does not do it begrudgingly, but rather he delights in God’s people and is filled with joy at their spiritual growth. And Paul says, “For all the joy that God’s people give him, what can he possibly give in return? To give thanks to God? Like, what can he offer in return?” Paul recognizes that the joy of ministry is a gift from God, and there is nothing he can give back in return other than just being grateful and seeking to be faithful with what he’s been entrusted.

In verse ten, Paul again states his commitment to prayer for the Thessalonian believers, praying earnestly day and night that God may allow him to see each other again and to supply anything that is lacking in their faith.

The sixth and last pastoral trait that I see in this text is that a pastor desires to supply what is lacking in each member’s faith. The faith of the Thessalonian believers is central to all that Paul writes about in every single one of his letters in the New Testament. It is faith— belief in Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection— that matters most to Paul in everything that he does, says, and writes.

For by faith, a person is reconciled back to God and given new life that will change everything, both here and now and for eternity. And Paul certainly cared about other aspects of God’s people, like their physical well-being, their work ethic, their giving, or lots of other things that the New Testament is full of. But first and foremost, Paul sought to establish and exhort the believers in their faith as God worked through him to do so.

And that is the same for a pastor’s focus and desire. They first and foremost seek to supply what is lacking in the faith of God’s people by constantly pointing them to Jesus, who fills his people with faith to believe and to grow in godliness.

And our passage ends with a powerful prayer for God’s people in verses eleven through thirteen that says: “Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all as we do for you, 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.”

Now, three things that Paul prays for in these verses that I want to point out. You’ll notice that he specifically, at the beginning, prays to our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus, which is a very Trinitarian appeal to both God the Father and the Lord Jesus, placing them all together as both being equally God.

So that being said, the first thing Paul prays is that God would indeed direct himself with Timothy and Silas back to the Thessalonians, literally right after writing about praying earnestly day and night for this. Paul decides to just pray it again as he’s writing, which shows us how quick and specific Paul was in his prayers for the church. He did not delay prayer and he did not avoid praying specific and perhaps logistically difficult prayers to God. He knew God heard his prayers, and he knew God could answer his prayer for the reunion with the believers in Thessalonica if God willed it.

The second thing that Paul prays is that the believers would increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as Paul, Silas, and Timothy did for them, which this in itself is the greatest virtue that the Thessalonian believers could have: love for God, love for one another, and love for those around them.

So I want to point out something to you here in verse twelve that essentially, verse twelve without the context of the local church does not make sense. And actually, almost all of chapter three that we’re working through wouldn’t make much sense without the context of a local church.

And when I say local church, I mean a literal body of believers gathering together for the sake of the gospel in one space, with a pastor or pastors overseeing that group of people for the glory of God and the good of God’s people. Paul is praying that their love would increase among the believers, meaning there has to be a gathering of God’s people. You can’t love God’s people in isolation; you have to be together.

Second, Paul then prays that they would love all people, meaning unbelievers that God has placed around them in Thessalonica, whether Jew or Roman or Greek or Gentile, that they would love all people that God has placed around them. And then Paul prays, “Love each other and all people as we do for you,” meaning there has to be an example of pastors or elders in how they are loving the church so that others can do the same.

So without a gathering of believers and without pastors or elders that are overseeing and shepherding God’s people, verse twelve doesn’t make sense.

Now, why do I even bring that up or say that? I bring this up because the entirety of chapter three should show us just how important the local church is for our growth and the glory of God. It’s God’s will for you to be committed to a local body of believers with a pastor or multiple pastors that are equally committed to supply what is lacking in your faith. Plain and simple.

Without committing to a local church, you can listen to all these pastoral heart attributes I just listed and say, “Yeah, like, those sound nice, pastors are really nice people,” but it doesn’t actually mean anything to you, or it doesn’t actually apply to you if you’re not actually committed to a local church, or that pastor is actually trying to care for you in those ways.

I listed all these heart attributes because I think they are helpful for the leaders here in the room, including myself. But I also think everyone here needs to reflect on these attributes to understand the value of those that God has placed over you here at Red Village.

And if I can speak for Aaron, for Will, for Rob, and for Jay, which I’m sure each one of these guys are cringing as I say their names— the elders here at Red Village— they really are willing to sacrifice things for the sake of those sitting in this room. They really are proactively looking out for trouble and trials on the horizon to protect the church from incoming difficulty. They really do care for how you are doing, and they really do care for how you are feeling.

Even today, as you walked here into the church, their well-being really is connected to yours as they weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. And they really do find joy in seeing you thrive in Christ and helping you to do so.

And lastly, they really do desire to supply what is lacking in your faith. That being said, please recognize those God has entrusted to care for you. And don’t be afraid to go to them for help or for prayer or for questions that you have in order to grow in your walk with Christ. That’s why they’re here. That’s why they’re filling the role that they’re filling.

The care of the pastor really is a sweet blessing that God has given to the local church and only to the local church, which is why we encourage everybody to become a member here at Red Village. And if not here, then another church that is faithfully gathering around the gospel— you should commit to a local church. A local church really is the most important institution in the world.

And how you love others and listen to those who God has called to be pastors in the church really does matter. Our text makes that very, very clear.

So the last thing that Paul prays for here at the end of our passage in verse thirteen is that God would establish their hearts to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus with all the saints.

My last application from our passage today, which I know is a lot of slides that I’ve had up, probably thinking this is way too many slides, is the last application is to understand God is sanctifying you for something greater still yet to come. Whether by destined afflictions that you’re currently walking through, or by growing in your love for your brothers and sisters in Christ sitting here in this room, and for all those that God has placed around you here in Madison, God is sanctifying you for something much greater still yet to come.

And I feel like I end on this note a lot in my sermons because that’s where God’s word points us to again and again and again. For those who are in Christ, the life that you are living has purpose. What you’re walking through— there is a reason behind what God does. God is preparing his people for heaven. And Paul knew this very well.

So he prayed that God would indeed continue this work of refining his people to be blameless in holiness before God when Jesus returns. That was on his heart and mind constantly because Jesus really is returning, and he’s going to come back with all his saints who have trusted in him. And when he does, there will not be words to describe it.

The way we grow from momentary afflictions and the way we grow in our love for one another and those around us really does matter in the broad scheme of things in this life. Jesus will return, and what we’ve gone through and done for his name’s sake will be brought forth to the praise and glory of our gracious God at his throne for eternity.

And if you’re here and you don’t have faith in Jesus as the Lord and king of your life, understand that Christ came and lived the sinless life that you cannot. And with that sinless life, he willingly gave himself up as the ultimate sacrifice upon the cross, where his hands and his feet were pierced for your sin, for my sin.

And it is there on the cross that Jesus died, and the earth quaked as the Lord of the universe breathed his last. Jesus was then buried and placed into a tomb. But that was not the end. For three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead, and he is alive today. He now calls all to repent and believe in him for the forgiveness of their sins. For those who receive him, to those who believe in his name, they will be given the right to become children of God.

This is the greatest offer. This is the greatest promise. This is the greatest news that one could ever receive or know or come to believe. It is the gospel, the good news of our God, and it’s available to you today if you will repent and believe and follow Jesus.

That being said, please pray with me.

God, I’m grateful for your word this morning. It really does exemplify the love of the church and the love of the pastor that God you have given as a role to oversee your church. And so I pray to both for the pastors and elders here, the leaders, God, that you would help them to do this well, to have a heart that loves and cares for the congregation and continues to joyfully do the work that you’ve given them.

And, God, I pray for the congregation, including myself, that you would help us to indeed love one another well. God, that we would exemplify this kind of love that Paul is praying for, and that we would indeed all the more grow in our love for each other and for those going through afflictions and for those, God, that you have placed in our neighborhood and in our places of work.

God, help us to love you, love the gospel, and to continue to make much of Christ in all that we do and say. Be glorified with the rest of our time we have here this morning. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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