STANDING STRONG
I Thessalonians 3:1-8
Suffering is part of our lives because we live in a sinful world.
- Everyone suffers at some time in their life
- Everyone suffers to one degree or another
There are two main reasons why we suffer:
1. We suffer because of our own sinfulness.
We make sinful choices like cheating, lying or stealing.
2. We suffer because of the sins of others.
They attack us or deceive us or persecute us like Saul did to David.
Those who stand for the truth of God will be attacked by Satan.
He will do whatever he can to cause us to give up our faith.
The night before Jesus died he told his disciples:
John 15:15If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
The religious leaders hated Jesus because he didn’t conform
to their legalistic system and broke their man-made laws.
John 16:33In the world you will have tribulation.
Of the 12 disciples, Judas took his own life, but the other 11 died
as a result of their faith, most of them violently like Christ.
Puritan Vavasor Powell was arrested on December 26, 1641 by
12 armed men for preaching the gospel. In 1660 he was arrested and remained in prison for seven years. He was set free, but the following year he was arrested again and was in prison until
he died on October 27, 1670.
He wrote, “It is and should be the care of a Christian,
not to suffer for sin, nor sin in suffering. Saints should
fear every sin, but no sufferings.”
Throughout history Christians have suffered for their faith because Satan, the prince of this world, has used sinful people to oppose them. In order to stand strong in the face of persecution believers must be established or as the Puritan’s said settled in their faith.
CONCERNED EXPRESSED :1-3
Concern :1
Paul had a deep concern for the believers because they were being persecuted for their faith in Christ and he wanted to know if they were standing firm in spite of persecution.
Athens – was another large city 200 miles south of Thessalonica.
Paul had gone to Athensafter he had been chased out of Berea to which he had gone when he had been chased out Thessalonica.
Character :2
Timothy – a young man who was ministering along with Paul.
He had joined Paul on the first missionary journey and then continued with him on this second journey.
Brother and coworker – show Paul’s attitude and relationship
with him. Paul saw others as brothers in Christ and workers
along with him, not people who were there to serve him.
The purpose of minister is to establish believers in their faith.
Establish – Gk. to make firm, settled or stable (:13).
The word was used of putting up an exterior wall of bricks
andmortar to strengthen the outer wall of a building.
Paul sent Timothy to help build up their faith to enable them
to continue to stand strong against the persecution they faced.
In his second letter written just a short time later Paul again emphasized their need to be settled in their faith (2:17; 3:3).
II Thess. 3:3 God is faithful he will establish you.
Exhort (KJB comfort) – Gk. to encourage and strengthen.
It is to stand alongside another person in order to encourage them.
Paul uses this word 7x (2:11; 3:7; 4:1,10,18; 5:11) in this letter because he wants the believers to persevere in their faith.
Chuck Swindoll – “His goal was not to exhort them to gut it out
by sheer exertion and willpower. Instead, his object was to edify them in the fact that God would see them through this. So, Paul was calling on them to stand firm in God’s all-sufficient power.”
Conflict :3
Paul did not want believers to be unsettled or upset by the persecution and suffering which they were going through.
Afflictions – Gk. lit. to press together meaning anguish, distress, oppression which often resulted in persecution (1:6; 3:7).
Acts 14:22 On his first missionary journey after visiting Lystra
and Iconium he retuned strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faithand saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
God allows trials to come into the lives of Christians.
Destined (KJB appointed) – Gk. determined or fixed purpose.
While Paul was under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30) he wrote,
“I am set here for the defense of the gospel(Philippians 1:16).”
Application
1. Trials only come because God allows them to come.
Nothing happens to us that God does not allow – Job.
2. Trials come with the purpose of making our faith stronger.
God desires that we learn to trust him completely – Joseph.
3. Trials do not last forever because God limits them – David.
Andrae Crouch expressed the purpose of suffering in his song:
I’ve had many tears and sorrows, I’ve had questions for tomorrow,
There’ve been times I didn’t know right from wrong.
But in every situation God gave blessed consolation
That my trials come to only make me strong.
Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,
I’ve learned to trust in God; Through it all, through it all,
I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.
I thank God for the mountains, and I thank him for the valleys,
I thank him for the storms he brought be through;
For if I’d never had a problem I wouldn’t know that God
could solve them, I’d never know what faith in God could do.
CONTINUAL TEST :4-5
Warning :4
Paul had warned the new believers they would face persecution.
Affliction (KJB persecution) – Gk. to cause distress or to trouble.
In spite of Joel Osteen’s book Your Best Life Now the truth is that
a Christian’s best life is not now because they are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ who the world hates. Our best life is not now, but will be when Christ returns to be with us forever.
Temptation :5
I – shows his deep concern for these believers (2:18).
He deeply desired that they would continue to walk with God even though they were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ.
Tempter – reference to Satan who tries to get us to sin.
He tempted Jesus three timesto try and get him to fulfill the will
of God in some other way than to die on the cross (Matt. 4:1-11).
Our labor would in vain – there was the possibility that some of those who made a comment to trust Jesus might not continue.
There will always be those people who make a commitment but they really didn’t mean it so later they walk away from Christ.
Application
Satan will tempt you to give up your faith in God because:
1. Emotionally you feel defeated or discouraged by circumstances.
Don’t allow your emotions to control your faith in God.
Allow the truth of God to control your faith not your emotions.
2. Physically you feel sick or weak and your physical struggles
cause you to doubt that God really cares for you.
II Corinthians 12:9 When Paul asked God to remove his torn in his flesh (we don’t know what it was) he told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.”
3. Spiritually you don’t see change taking place in your life.
It takes time to grow spiritually just as it does physically.
The more consistent you are in your walk with God
themore you will grow and become mature.
- Read your Bible every day
- Come to church every week
- Read Christian books
CONFIDENT HOPE :6-8
Report :6
Good news (KJB good tidings) – this is the only place where
the words are used for anything but the gospel of salvation.
Luke 2:10 The angels brought good news about the birth of Christ.
Acts 8:35 Philip shared the good news of (salvation) with an Ethiopian eunuch who had come to Jerusalem to worship.
There were four things that caused Paul’s joy in them:
1. Faith – Gk. assurance, commitment or trustsomething is true.
They had a right attitude toward God by believing the truth.
2. Love(KJV charity) – Gk. agapeis selfless love that is expressed
by doing what is in the best interest of the individual.
They had a right attitude towards others by loving them.
3. Remember us kindly – in sharing the gospel with them (2:2),
caring for their needs like a mother (2:7) and encouraging them
like a father to remain faith to faithful to the Lord (2:11-12).
4. Long to see us – they had a good attitude towards Paul as they desired to see him just as he desired to see them once again.
Encouragement :7
Paul was willing to endure suffering himself because he desired to see them again knowing they were standing strong in their faith.
Distress – Gk. calamity or difficulties.
I Corinthians 7:26I think in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is (married or single, not to change).
Afflictions – Gk. anguish, distress, oppression(:3).
Expectation :8
Paul says my comfort in life depends on your faithfulness to God.
If they did not remain faithful his work among them was wasted.
Standing fast – Gk. to persevere in what you believe.
Contemporary saying, “Stand your ground” meaning don’t retreat.
Here it is not to change your position, but to hold on to the truth.
II Thess.2:15 Stand firm and hold on to what we taught you.
Perseverance is continuing to hold on to the truth in spite of opposition because you are absolutely convinced it is true.
As a result of their perseverance God gave them strength.
APPLICATION
Are you convinced that only Jesus Christ can forgive your sins?
Are you willing to stand for the truth that only Jesus Christ can
forgive a person’s sins even though that is not politically correct?
When Christians falter in the face of persecution they tend to:
1. Harbor resentment and blame the one who lead them to Christ
which could be a friend, family member, parent or pastor.
2. Isolate themselves from fellow Christians because they
are afraid of being confronted for walking away from Christ.
3. Began to doubt and grow indifferent to Biblical instruction
so they no longer faithfully come to church or Bible study.
CONCLUSION
We are in a spiritual war for the truth of the gospel. We must
hold fast to the truth and consider our sufferings to be relatively unimportant in comparison to promoting the truth of salvation.
Thomas Watson – “Whoever brings an affliction, it is God
who sends it. Affliction may be lasting, but it is not everlasting.
Soldiers have never been so admired for their victories, as the saints have been for their sufferings.”