Title: Appointed For Affliction Text: 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 FCF: We often struggle believing God’s promises in the midst of opposition. Prop: Because true believers will suffer affliction for the sake of Christ, we must not allow our faith to be shaken by it. Scripture Intro: NKJV [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we’ll begin reading from verse 1 in the New King James Version of the Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. As promised, since we are beginning a new chapter, let me briefly review what the letter has been about up to this point. In chapter 1, Paul summarizes everything he is going to say in the entire letter. He expresses his thankfulness to God for the Thessalonian church because he knows they are elect of God, because the gospel came to them in the power of the Spirit and because he has observed how the Thessalonian church has become imitators of Christ amid affliction. In chapter 2, Paul zooms in to affirm that their visit among them was profitable. Probably to counter claims of unbelieving Thessalonians, Paul insists that it was a profitable visit because God gave them boldness to speak, they became a spiritual family, and because it produced results they had seen in previous outpourings of the gospel. Paul concludes chapter 2 assuring them that he greatly wished to visit them but had been hindered by Satan. But he assures them that they are his hope, joy, and glory in that they stand firm in their faith. And it is that topic that actually propels him into chapter 3. So please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Father, the Only Wise God, we come to You this morning in faith and in trust that Your promises are true. It is by Your promises and your absolute might to keep them that we can face all manner of difficulties, trials, and afflictions in this life, knowing that You will never forsake us. Help us today to see in Your Word, truths that will keep our faith steadfast and built up. May our faith thrive in adversity rather than die. And may you be most pleased with your servants and our attending to Your Word today. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “Endurance and perseverance are qualities we would all like to possess, but we are loath to go through the process that produces them.” Jerry Bridges “We persevere through faith and never apart from it.” Sinclair Furgeson “Perseverance is the hallmark of a genuine interest in Christ.” Geoffrey B. Wilson “The question is not one of the retention of salvation based upon a persistence of faith, but of the possession of salvation as evidenced by a continuation of faith.” Kenneth Wuest “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” Charles H. Spurgeon Meditate on these words, as we embark upon the text this morning. I.) True believers will suffer affliction from men for the sake of Christ, we must not allow our faith to be shaken by affliction. (1-3) a. [Slide 3] 1 – Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, i. Paul doesn’t relay all the details to us. ii. We aren’t sure to what lengths he went to try to visit the Thessalonian church. iii. We aren’t sure how many times he had tried. iv. We aren’t sure exactly what the circumstances were that prevented him from going back to the city, although a good guess would be the Jews in the city continuing to threaten Paul’s life should he return. v. Paul’s desire was to visit with the whole team. But since he was not going to be welcomed back to Thessalonica any time soon, that simply wasn’t an option. vi. So by way of a concession, Paul chooses to send someone in his stead while he stays in Athens. vii. Here he uses the plural pronoun we. viii. Although Luke does not record that Silas and Timothy joined Paul in Athens in the book of Acts, we can reasonably assume that they did and both were dispatched before he went to Corinth. ix. Silas was probably sent to Berea or possibly Philippi and Timothy was sent, as we will see, to Thessalonica. b. [Slide 4] 2 – and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, i. Although this certainly is not the option that Paul wanted, we should not, and the Thessalonians should not think that this was Paul sending in the third stringers. ii. In fact, Paul extols the virtues of Timothy here. 1. Timothy was a co-worker with Paul and Silas. 2. Paul elevates Timothy to the same status and job description that he and Silas had. He does not call Timothy an apostle, because Timothy had never seen Christ, nor been commissioned by Him. Still – his job is the same as an apostle. 3. Some translations translate “minister of God” as “God’s co-worker” but this doesn’t seem to be the right use of the genitive construction. 4. Rather he is Paul and Silas’s co-worker FOR God and in His service. 5. Specifically in the proclaiming of the gospel of Jesus Christ. iii. But that leaves us asking the question, why did Paul send Timothy? Wouldn’t Timothy draw just as much heat and hate from the Jews in Thessalonica since he was Paul’s companion? iv. Actually, sending Timothy has everything to do with Timothy’s ability to blend in as either a Gentile or a Jew. If you remember, Timothy had a Jewish mother and a Gentile father. His father was probably dead, but his mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, taught him in the Scriptures as he grew up in Lystra. v. However, since religious affiliation tended to follow the father at this time, Timothy, up until joining Paul on his most recent missionary journey, was not circumcised, which means he was not active in the local synagogue and was perceived by the Jews as a Gentile. vi. Timothy then is the ideal candidate to go back to Thessalonica to check on the church. He would probably pass unnoticed by the Jews there, and be able to spend some time with the Thessalonian church. vii. But what is Paul sending him to do? c. [Slide 5] to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, i. To establish means to strengthen, to fix, to solidify, or to shore up. Like shoring up the foundation of a house, or a floodwall against a coming flood. This is Timothy’s first responsibility. He is to shore up and bolster their faith. ii. Second, he is to encourage them about their faith. iii. The word encourage has two branches of meaning in the New Testament and they are determined by context. One meaning used often by Paul is to urge or exhort. But considering the context, this seems to be less likely the aim of Timothy’s ministry to the Thessalonians. iv. More than likely this word adopts the second meaning which is to encourage, build up, or cheer up. v. Bringing these two concepts together, Timothy was sent to make sure that they were standing firm in their faith against doubts and fears and that they were trusting in God’s promises and joyfully resting in that peace. vi. But why is this necessary and what is Paul trying to shore up their faith against? d. [Slide 6] 3 – that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; i. Paul again, for the third time in the book, mentions that the Thessalonians are experiencing some kind of opposition or affliction. ii. Although we are never overtly told what these afflictions are, the best guess seems to be that the Thessalonian believers were experiencing the opposition of friends, family, co-workers, neighbors who have begun opposing their new found faith. iii. No doubt this ranged from light jibes to actual shunning and ostracizing. Perhaps even people refusing to do business with them while they still claimed the name of Christ and continued to turn from their ancestral gods. iv. You could see how such things, to new believers, would be quite difficult to bear up under, especially when those whom you would see as spiritual leaders were not able to be with you to guide you and care for you. v. This is Timothy’s role
