0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible Radio
0:09 featuring bestselling author and
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher Warren
0:12 Warren
0:16 weby Christian workers are human they
0:18 have very real feelings you may not
0:21 think so but this is true Paul the
0:24 Apostle was no exception Paul was a
0:27 faithful Shepherd Paul cared for the
0:29 flock and this meant that he had a
0:32 burden heart and a concerned heart and
0:35 sometimes a broken heart in 1
0:37 Thessalonians chapter 3 beginning at
0:40 verse 5 and continuing through the end
0:43 of the chapter Paul describes the stages
0:47 in his experience as it related to the
0:49 Thessalonian church now remember Paul
0:52 and Silas and Timothy had gone to
0:55 thessalonica from Philippi in Philippi
0:57 Paul and Silas had been beaten and
1:00 illegally uh arrested and put into the
1:02 inner prison they were released they
1:04 left Philippi went to thessalonica and
1:07 ministered there and persecution started
1:11 the unbelievers in the city uh aroused
1:13 some of the rabble of the marketplace to
1:16 create trouble for the church well Paul
1:18 had to leave Paul and Silas and Timothy
1:21 went down to Berea and then down to
1:24 Athens and then Paul was left at Athens
1:28 Alone 1 Thessalonians
1:30 3:1 therefore what and we could no
1:32 longer endure it we thought it good to
1:36 be left in Athens alone and sent Timothy
1:39 so he sent Timothy back to thessalonica
1:42 Timothy being part Gentile was readily
1:45 accepted more than would Paul who of
1:49 course was a former Jewish rabbi Timothy
1:52 then came back and met Paul at Corinth
1:54 now Paul was not having an easy time at
1:56 Corinth when you read Acts chapter 18
1:58 you see that the Apostle Paul was going
2:01 through some battles in Corinth as well
2:02 Paul was going through one of the
2:04 roughest periods in his life now we all
2:09 have this many a pastor has resigned In
2:12 the Heat of the battle or in the eye of
2:15 the storm and then regretted it well
2:17 Paul had more sense than that he had
2:20 spiritual guidance he went through some
2:24 really intense feelings though stage one
2:28 he was fearful that's verse 5 stage two
2:31 he was joyful ver verses 6-8 Timothy
2:33 came and brought the good news that
2:36 things were going well in thessalonica
2:40 stage three he was thankful verse 9
2:44 stage four he was prayerful verses
2:46 10-13 now today I want us to look at
2:49 those first two stages in Paul's
2:52 experience he was fearful verse 5 and he
2:55 was joyful vers 6 through 8 and then the
2:58 Lord willing next time we'll look at the
3:02 stages three and for Paul was thankful
3:04 and Paul was
3:07 prayerful verse 5 for this reason when I
3:11 could no longer endure it I sent to know
3:13 your faith lest by some means the
3:17 tempter had tempted you and our labor
3:19 might be in
3:23 vain Paul uses uh in verse 7 the two
3:26 words Affliction and distress to
3:28 describe the way he felt therefore
3:32 brethren in all all our Affliction and
3:34 distress what was he going through
3:37 Affliction and distress at Robertson the
3:39 Great Southern Baptist Greek scholar
3:43 translates this choking and crushing
3:47 trouble I like that choking and crushing
3:51 trouble you feel smothered now I would
3:55 remind you this is a description of Paul
3:58 not some carnal Christian in Corinth not
4:01 some backslider in pH Philippi this is
4:05 the Apostle Paul who had a relationship
4:07 with God that was so intense and so
4:11 personal and so wonderful my how God
4:14 blessed Paul and yet Paul said here I
4:17 was in Corinth thinking about you Saints in
4:18 in
4:19 thessalonica and I'll tell you what it
4:22 was like it was a choking experience I
4:26 could hardly breathe it was a crushing
4:30 experience as these trials Came Upon me
4:34 he was fearful he was fearful the way a
4:38 concerned parent is fearful like a
4:41 spiritual parent he was concerned for
4:44 his children now that's normal you can
4:46 recall when your children first began to
4:49 go out uh they had a car key and a
4:51 driver's license and they could drive
4:54 for 20 minutes and be anonymous you were
4:57 concerned that first allight trip well
5:00 this is the way Paul was he was fearful
5:04 concerned about their faith verse 17 of
5:07 chapter 2 he says but we Brethren having
5:09 been taken away from you and that's the
5:13 word orphaned we're orphaned from You
5:16 Not only was he a nursing mother and a
5:18 an encouraging father but he was a
5:20 loving brother and now he was all alone
5:23 he' been orphaned from them he felt like
5:27 a child who had no family Paul realized
5:31 the battle against his friends in
5:34 thessalonica was intense and oh he was
5:37 concerned that they stand true to the
5:40 Lord Satan was attacking their faith
5:43 five times in chapter three you find
5:45 Paul talking about their faith he sent
5:48 Timothy to encourage you concerning your
5:52 faith that's verse two in verse five I
5:54 sent to know your faith to see if the
5:57 tempter had tempted you in verse 6
6:00 Timothy brought good news of their faith
6:02 in verse 7 we were comforted concerning
6:05 you by your faith in verse 10 he says I
6:07 still want to perfect that which is
6:10 lacking in your faith Satan attacks your
6:14 faith now why faith is what makes us
6:17 stand we stand in this faith that we
6:19 have in the Lord Jesus Christ the word
6:22 of God is the rock the foundation upon
6:25 which we stand this is why Paul sent
6:28 Timothy to establish them concerning
6:31 their faith verse two verse 8 now we
6:35 live if you stand fast in the Lord verse
6:39 13 so that he may establish your hearts
6:41 blameless you see according to verse
6:44 three Satan wants us to shake that no
6:47 one should be shaken by these
6:50 afflictions as an experienced Warrior
6:54 Paul was concerned lest they fall into
6:56 the Ws of the devil and he was a
6:58 burdened worker he had worked hard
7:00 during those weeks in
7:03 thessalonica he earned his own way he
7:05 didn't ask any money from anybody he
7:07 earned his own way night and day he
7:10 worked hard praying night and day
7:12 working night and day ministering night
7:16 and day and now all of this might be in
7:20 vain verse 5 he says that our labor
7:23 might be in vain oh that was the one
7:26 thing he did not want the emptiness of
7:28 his labor chapter 2 verse1 for you
7:31 yourselves know Brethren that our coming
7:32 to you was not in vain it wasn't
7:36 fruitless and empty and of no effect God
7:38 blessed our ministry there and oh we
7:41 don't want to see it disappear and
7:44 vanish they had received the word
7:47 chapter 1 verse six they had become
7:50 followers of the Lord and of the
7:53 apostles then they became examples
7:56 chapter 1 verse 7 you became examples to
8:00 everybody in Macedonia and aaya
8:02 they had become transmitters of the word
8:04 verse 8 from you the word of the Lord
8:07 sounded out you see when Satan can
8:09 destroy the witness of a local church it
8:12 means all that work was in vain it means
8:14 that there are no more examples for
8:17 people to follow he does not want us to
8:20 get the word of God out and so he fights
8:24 us Paul was fearful secondly Paul was
8:28 joyful verse 6 but now that Timothy has
8:30 come to us from you
8:33 Timothy met him in Corinth and brought
8:36 us good news of your faith in love and
8:38 that you all always have good
8:41 remembrance of us greatly Desiring to
8:44 see us as we also to see you therefore
8:46 brethren in all our afflictions and
8:50 distress we were comforted concerning
8:54 you by your faith for now we live if you
8:57 stand fast in the Lord oh when you get
9:00 good news it makes you feel so good by
9:02 the way this is one place in the New
9:05 Testament where the Greek word for
9:08 evangelism to preach the gospel is used
9:11 in a secular sense he brought us good
9:15 news Timothy was the Evangelist of the
9:18 good news that things were going well in
9:20 thessalonica in other words Paul is
9:23 saying when Timothy gave me the report
9:26 it was just like hearing the gospel I
9:29 was so glad it was just like hearing the
9:32 go gospel he brought us the good news of
9:34 your faith and your love that you're
9:39 standing verse 8 for now we live if you
9:43 stand in the Lord Stand Fast in the lord
9:45 it's interesting to see how many times
9:47 Paul talks about
9:50 standing he's going to be talking about
9:52 walking in chapters four and five how to
9:53 walk to please God but now he's talking
9:56 about standing before you walk you have
10:00 to learn how to stand in chapter um
10:02 three of 1 Thessalonians verse 8 he says
10:04 Stand Fast in the Lord what does that
10:08 mean well 1 Corinthians 16:13 he says
10:12 watch Stand Fast in the faith be brave
10:15 be strong the faith now the devil wants
10:18 to Rob us of the faith Paul says watch
10:21 keep your eyes open be brave be strong
10:24 why the enem is out there Stand Fast in
10:28 the faith he tells us in Galatians 5 and
10:30 verse 1
10:34 to stand fast in the Liberty with which
10:37 Christ has made us free don't get into
10:40 bondage Ephesians chapter 6 he tells us
10:43 to stand against the Ws of the devil put
10:45 on the whole armor of God I hope you do
10:47 that every morning you see you have to
10:50 stand before you can withstand then he
10:52 goes on to say and having done all to
10:56 stand so before the battle stand against
10:59 the Ws of the devil during the batt
11:03 battle withstand after the battle keep
11:06 on standing Paul was concerned but he
11:09 was rejoicing that they had been
11:12 standing against the wicked one Paul
11:15 said knowing that you are standing true
11:18 to the Lord just gives me Revival it's
11:20 like a breath of fresh air that just
11:22 stirs me to New Life for to me to live
11:25 is Christ but also for to me to live is
11:35 Lord the next time you listen to a
11:37 pastor or a missionary or a teacher of
11:40 the word whether it's in person or radio
11:42 or television remember those people are
11:45 human they have feelings just like
11:48 everybody else why do I say that well
11:51 because in 1 Thessalonians chapter 3
11:53 Paul is opening up his heart and telling
11:56 us how he felt in verse one he says
12:00 therefore when we could no longer endure
12:03 it endure what endure their anxiety
12:06 about the Christians in thessalonica
12:08 they were going through suffering
12:11 persecution Paul had been chased out of
12:14 thessalonica he could not go back in
12:17 verse 5 he says for this reason when I
12:20 could no longer endure it I sent to know
12:22 your faith lest by some means the
12:25 tempter had tempted you and our labor
12:28 might be in vain we're tracing the
12:31 feelings the emotional responses of the
12:34 Apostle Paul in this situation verse 5
12:36 gives us the first stage in his
12:40 emotional response he was fearful in
12:42 fact he describes this in verse 7 as
12:44 Affliction and
12:47 distress at Robertson the Greek scholar
12:50 translates those words choking and
12:54 crushing trouble he was fearful and then
12:56 he became joyful Timothy came verse 6
12:58 and brought us the good news Timothy was
13:01 theang angelist this is the only place
13:03 in the New Testament where the Greek
13:05 word yuang galido is used not for the
13:08 preaching of the Gospel but for the
13:11 bringing of good news about some good
13:12 event that had taken place he said
13:15 Timothy came like an evangelist with the
13:18 good news that your faith is strong Your
13:21 Love is Growing you want to see us and
13:25 so in verses 6-8 we have Paul being
13:29 joyful now in verses 9-13 we have have
13:32 the um next two stages in Paul's
13:35 experience in verse 9 we find that Paul is
13:36 is
13:39 thankful for what thanks can we render
13:44 to God for you for all the joy with
13:48 which we Rejoice for your sake before
13:51 our God Paul is not just rejoicing
13:54 before Timothy I'm sure he did that but
13:58 here he is rejoicing before our God the
14:01 greatest joy Joy is joy in the presence
14:03 of the Lord don't just take your burdens
14:06 to the Lord take your Joys to the Lord
14:08 somebody might be saying well I don't
14:11 have any Joys then you're blind oh we
14:13 are surrounded by the providential
14:16 blessings of God we have so much to be
14:18 thankful for I've noticed that Paul was
14:20 a great
14:23 appreciator chapter 1 of 1 Thessalonians
14:26 verse 2 we give thanks to God always for
14:28 you all making mention of you in our
14:32 pray prayers six times in 1 and 2
14:34 Thessalonians Paul talks about
14:36 Thanksgiving in one way or another
14:39 here's the first one he's thankful for
14:41 their work of faith and their labor of
14:43 love and their patience of Hope preacher
14:45 missionary Sunday school teacher Church
14:47 leader are you thankful for the people
14:50 who are walking with the Lord Paul was chapter
14:52 chapter
14:55 2:3 for this reason we also thank god
14:58 without ceasing because when you receive
15:00 the word of God which you heard from us
15:03 you welcomed it not as the word of men
15:06 but as it is in truth the word of God
15:08 which also effectively Works in you who
15:11 believe he was thankful for the way they
15:13 listened and receiv receiv the word of
15:16 God are you grateful for that he is
15:18 rejoicing because they were standing
15:22 true to the Lord we pray so often about
15:23 the people who are
15:26 wavering uh they're shaking chapter 3:3
15:29 that no one should be shaken by these
15:30 afflictions do you ever thank God for
15:33 the people who are standing they're not
15:36 shaking they're not wavering being blown
15:41 about no they're stable in the Lord in 2
15:44 Thessalonians 1:3 he starts off with
15:47 Thanksgiving again we are bound to thank
15:49 God always for you Brethren as it is
15:52 fitting because your faith grows
15:54 exceedingly and the love of every one of
15:57 you all abounds toward each other he's
16:00 grateful because they're growing in the
16:03 Lord chapter 2:3 he gives thanks that
16:06 they were called of God chosen to be
16:08 saved Paul was a great
16:10 appreciator now if you want your life to
16:14 take on a new tone and a new depth learn
16:16 to be
16:19 thankful uh Prayer Changes Things but
16:22 praise also changes things which leads
16:24 me to ask two questions number one are
16:28 you rejoicing before God for others
16:30 husband do you come before God and thank
16:33 God for your wife for your children do
16:37 you rejoice in this before God uh mother
16:39 uh the children maybe get under your
16:42 feet but uh do you rejoice before God
16:44 for your family for your
16:48 husband are we thankful to God for
16:50 others secondly are others thankful to
16:53 God for us I wonder where I am in
16:56 people's prayers am I in the complaining
16:59 section or the rejoicing section well
17:01 Paul was fearful in verse 5 of 1
17:04 Thessalonians 3 he was joyful in verses
17:08 6-8 then he was thankful in verse 9 and
17:10 verses 10 through1 13 he was prayerful
17:13 night and day praying
17:16 exceedingly exceedingly abundantly
17:19 that's the word overflowing with prayer
17:21 now remember night and day Paul was
17:25 working at his own craft chapter
17:28 2:9 for you remember Brethren our labor
17:32 and toil for laboring night and day Paul
17:34 was a Tent Maker Paul did not accept
17:36 money from the Thessalonian church he
17:39 was working at his trade and all the
17:42 while he was praying I've never made any
17:44 chance but I think you could possibly
17:47 make tents and pray I've discovered you
17:50 can drive down the highway and pray you
17:53 can sit in the dentist chair and pray
17:54 pray without ceasing that's what Paul
17:57 says in chapter 5 doesn't he and that's
18:01 what he did out of all bounds praying
18:03 exceedingly for what well that we may
18:05 see your face Paul wanted to go back to
18:09 see them and perfect that which is
18:11 lacking in your faith they had not
18:14 arrived yet even though they were
18:16 standing firm even though they were not
18:20 wavering they still had a long way to go
18:23 there is still room to grow now perhaps
18:25 some of them were saying well Paul you
18:27 know we've been through persecution and
18:29 and we we know what we're doing Paul
18:33 said no there's always room for more he
18:35 prayed that God would open the way verse
18:39 11 now may Our God and Father himself
18:42 and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way
18:44 to you now that word direct means to
18:48 clear the way he will open the way so
18:51 that I can return to you and minister to
18:55 you now he praise for their perfection
18:58 verse 10 that we may perfect that which
19:00 is lacking in your faith the Greek word
19:03 translated perfect is the Greek word cat
19:06 Artio it gives us our word artist
19:09 Artisan an artisan is one who works on
19:12 something and brings it to Perfection
19:14 it's a great word it's used often in the
19:16 Greek New Testament a very familiar word
19:19 the doctors knew this word it meant to
19:22 set a broken bone Galatians 61 and2 we
19:26 read that if any man is overtaken in a
19:28 fault you which are spiritual restore
19:30 such a one that means to set a broken
19:33 bone uh when some Christian gets out of
19:36 fellowship with God we have to set that
19:38 broken bone in the body of Christ and
19:41 make him strong again the sailors knew
19:45 this word it meant to outfit a ship
19:47 whenever we're ministering the word of
19:49 God we're perfecting that which is
19:51 lacking in people's faith we are
19:53 outfitting the ship getting it ready for
19:56 the storms of life the soldiers knew
19:58 this word it means to equip an army for
20:00 for battle why do you go to church to
20:02 worship God why do you go to church to
20:06 get equipped for battle kartio
20:09 Perfection perfect that which is lacking
20:12 in your faith do you know what Jesus is
20:14 doing from heaven today he's perfecting
20:18 us Hebrews chapter
20:21 13 verse 20 and 21 now may the God of
20:24 Peace who brought up our Lord Jesus
20:25 Christ from the dead that great Shepherd
20:27 of the sheep through the blood of the
20:30 Everlasting Covenant make you complete
20:33 make you perfect that's our word in
20:35 every good work to do his will working
20:38 in you what is well pleasing in his
20:41 sight the Lord Jesus today in heaven is
20:44 using the word of God and prayer and
20:45 suffering and The Fellowship of the
20:48 church to perfect God's people now he
20:51 wants their faith to be perfected but he
20:54 also wants their love to grow notice
20:57 verse 12 and may the Lord make you
21:00 increase and ab Bound in love to one
21:04 another and to all just as we do to you
21:05 so he's praying that they might have
21:08 perfected faith and they might have
21:10 abounding love and they might have
21:13 blameless Hearts so that he may
21:16 establish your hearts blameless in
21:19 Holiness before our God and Father at
21:22 the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with
21:26 all his Saints so he wants them to have
21:29 faith that is perfected he wants them to
21:32 be equipped for the journey equipped for
21:34 the battle he wants their Nets to be
21:37 mended he wants that they shall have
21:40 everything complete and maturing in
21:42 their lives he wants their love to
21:44 abound and he wants their hearts to be
21:47 blameless in Holiness and Paul's going
21:51 to deal with the Walk of the Christian
21:54 in a holy life and one of the greatest
21:57 motivating forces for a holy life is the
22:01 coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 John
22:03 3:3 and everyone that has this hope in
22:09 him purifies himself even as he is pure
22:11 and so today if you're looking for Jesus
22:13 to come back that's going to be a
22:16 motivating factor in establishing you
22:20 and in helping you to walk in a holy
22:23 life what a great prayer this is May the
22:26 Lord help us to have our faith perfected
22:29 our love abounding and and our hearts
22:32 blameless in Holiness as we wait for
22:35 Jesus to come thanks for being a part of
22:37 our back to the Bible listening family
22:39 so be sure to come back again for more
22:41 wisdom from God's word join us again on
