1 Thessalonians 3:1

Wherefore, when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone. We sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith. That no man should be moved by these afflictions, for yourselves know that we are appointed unto them. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that you should suffer tribulation, even as you know it came to pass.

Let's pray. Father, as we look into Your Word and consider that You are the awesome God who is mighty to save, as we sang this morning, we thank You that You are able, as Hebrews says, to save to the uttermost those who come to God the Father through You, Jesus. We thank You that You have saved us, body, soul, and spirit. Lord, that You have justified us, that You are sanctifying us, and that one day You'll glorify us.

In this sanctifying process, You appoint tribulation, trials, and testings to come into our lives to transform us more and more into the image of Your Son, that we might know You, Jesus, both in the power of Your resurrection and in the fellowship of Your sufferings. God, would You speak to us today as we consider Your Word? Teach us by Your Holy Spirit, for we ask this in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

Previously, in chapter 2, we saw that Paul, as he ended that portion of Scripture, was expressing his zealous desire to visit the church at Thessalonica once again. In Acts chapter 17, we saw that Paul had only spent a short period of time in that city. The Scriptures tell us that he was only there for three Sabbath days, at least, reasoning in the synagogue. He then moved from there to Berea, and from Berea down to Athens. Shortly after Paul had left the city of Thessalonica, persecution and trial arose against the church there.

And so he desired to go back to them. He wanted to see them. He expressed the hope that, although he may never see them here on earth again, he would see them one day at the appearing of the Lord. That thought brought him great joy and rejoicing.

Now, as we come into chapter 3, we see that because of this great desire to return to the church at Thessalonica and due to the tribulation they were suffering, he said, "Wherefore, when we could no longer take it, when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone and to send Timothy, our brother, to you."

When Paul left the cities of Thessalonica and Berea in the northern portion of Macedonia to come down to Athens, it appears that he had left Silas and Timothy there to tend to those churches—Silas in the city of Berea and Timothy in the city of Thessalonica. While Paul was in Athens, where he ministered and preached to the philosophers gathered at Mars Hill, it seems that Timothy and Silas came and met up with him.

Remember, when the believers from Berea left him in Athens, he said to send Timothy and Silas back to him with all speed. He wanted them to come down quickly. So they came and visited with Paul in Athens. While they were there, it seems they shared with Paul the difficulties facing the church in Thessalonica. The church in Berea was doing fairly well, but the church in Thessalonica was experiencing trials and persecution.

Originally, it seems that it was Paul's aim for he, Silas, and Timothy to continue on in their journey. However, when he heard about the situation in Thessalonica, he decided instead to send Timothy back to that city to minister to the church. Silas and Timothy would ultimately meet up with Paul once again in the city of Corinth.

That's exactly where we are in the book of Acts, in Acts chapter 18. Paul, Silas, and Timothy are now together in the city of Corinth. But Paul had previously sent Timothy back, and we read about that here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. He said, "We could no longer take it. When we were considering the things that you are facing, I figured it's okay for me to be alone and to move on in the ministry from Athens to Corinth by myself."

So, they sent Timothy to the church. We met Timothy back in Acts chapter 16. He was that young man whom Paul and Silas had picked up from the city of Lystra, a disciple of Christ, one who had a good reputation among the churches in Galatia.

He came to be a disciple of the Apostle Paul and a fellow laborer with him. We read a little bit about Timothy in Paul's description in verse 2. The Scriptures often talk about the body of Christ, the church, in a familial relationship. We speak about the brothers and sisters in the Lord that we have. Jesus really was the one who started this.

If you turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, in Matthew chapter 12, the first book of the New Testament, you will find an important teaching. In Matthew 12, verse 46, it says, "While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside desiring to speak with him." One of the people gathered there said to him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside desiring to speak with you." But he answered and said to them, "Who is my mother and who are my brethren?" He stretched forth his hand to his disciples and said, "Behold, my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother."

Would you highlight that in verse 50 or put a star next to it? "Whosoever shall do the will of my Father." This certainly does not diminish the actual family relationships we have here on earth with our true blood relatives. It does not disassociate us from them in any way; we still have relationships with them. However, many of you recognize that the relationships you have with members of the body of Christ—brothers and sisters in the church because you are a follower of Jesus—sometimes are stronger than the relationships you have with your true brothers and sisters in the flesh.

It is an awesome thing that wherever we go in Christ, whether in the United States, China, or Europe, we find brothers and sisters we never knew we had. Paul speaks of Timothy in that relationship, calling him "my brother." When he writes to Timothy in 1 and 2 Timothy, he refers to him as "my son in the faith" because Timothy came to faith under the ministry of Paul. However, Paul also recognized that he was not over Timothy in the sense of having a higher rank or the authority to order him around.

He recognized that Timothy was his brother in the Lord. That is the way it is in Christ; we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to relate to one another in that way and love one another with brotherly kindness, as the Scriptures say. Paul says, "I'm sending Timothy, our brother."

Secondly, he calls him a minister of God. Now, I believe that it is tragic, but somewhere along the line in church history, the term "minister" became a privileged term. It became a title given to someone who is in some way exalted or holds a special position within the church. However, in the early church, that was not the case. The true sense of the word "minister" is not that it is an exalted position given to someone.

Jesus actually spoke about this idea in the Gospel of Matthew. So, again, turn back to the book of Matthew, specifically Matthew chapter 20. This chapter comes near the end of Jesus' ministry here on earth. He had spent three to three and a half years with His disciples. After all that time, these twelve men were constantly challenging one another. Although they didn't want Jesus to know, they were talking among themselves about who was the greatest in the kingdom or the greatest among the disciples.

John and his brother James even got their mother involved and had her come to Jesus to ask, "Can you make sure that my two sons are sitting on your right and left when you come into your kingdom?" They were discussing among themselves who was the greatest, and Jesus would turn around and ask, "What are you guys talking about?" They would respond, "Oh, nothing."

But Jesus confronted this in Matthew chapter 20, verse 25. He called them and said, "You know that the princes of the Gentiles are the rulers of this world. They exercise dominion over them, and those who are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you." Would you underline that in verse 26? "It shall not be so among you."

"But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister." If we stop there, one might say, "Well, there you go. The minister is great." However, Jesus begins to define a little more of what He means by "minister" in the next verse, verse 27: "And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant."

Let him be your servant. The Greek word translated as "minister" is literally defined as "servant." It's an attendant, one who waits upon another, as in someone who is waiting on tables, serving food and drink. It means one who is executing the commands of another. We, as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, are executing the commands of another. We're executing what God has called us to do.

And it's not just for the so-called ministers of the church; it's for the entire body of Christ, all who would be called disciples. Remember, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe the things that Jesus had spoken. God has spoken that to every single one of us. Therefore, as the ministers of God, we are executing the commands of our God.

The word "minister" means to minister food and drink. It speaks as a table waiter. Paul, in Romans chapter 15, verse 16, said, "I am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ." What is it that we're dispensing? We're not bringing forth physical food and drink, but we're bringing forth the bread of life and the living water that this world needs.

Paul also refers to Timothy as a brother in the Lord, but he was also a minister of God, executing the commands of God. Paul calls him a fellow laborer in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The word that Paul uses for "fellow laborer" or "co-laborer" is the word from which our English word "synergy" comes. The idea is that we are expending our energy to serve the Lord, and we're doing this together.

As you follow Paul's ministry through the book of Acts and in his letters, you see that he expended much energy in his day to bring the gospel wherever he possibly could. He didn't do it alone. Just about every time he traveled from one city to the next, he had others with him, alongside him, and they were expending their energy together. Paul refers to Timothy as a fellow laborer, and he doesn't speak down to him, saying, "I'm sending you my disciple," or "I'm sending you my apprentice." Instead, he simply says, "I'm sending Timothy," acknowledging him as a valuable partner in ministry, even though he was much younger than Paul and truly was a disciple under Paul's guidance.

Paul says he's a co-laborer. He's a fellow laborer with me, doing the work of the ministry. But what did he send Timothy for? Look at the end of verse 2. I'm sending him to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith. To establish and to comfort you concerning your faith. This was the clear direction that was given to Timothy when he went back to the city of Thessalonica, to the church that had been planted there. I want you to establish them and comfort them.

I think the order in which Paul wrote this is important. You see, we must first be established. The establishing of an individual in the body of Christ is extremely important. That's why we here at Calvary Chapel are so committed to the teaching of God's Word. We believe that there's no other foundation upon which we can build but God's Word. The word "established" means to place in a position of stability.

Now, the church at Thessalonica was being tossed back and forth, tossed to and fro. As they followed the gospel of Jesus Christ, enemies rose up against the gospel and directly tried to oppose the church in the city of Thessalonica. They were being tossed around. We saw that in chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians, where Paul had to answer his critics. He had to defend his own character to the church in Thessalonica because these enemies were slandering Paul's character and trying to discourage the body of Christ there.

So, Paul says, "Timothy, I want you to go there, and I want you to set them in that place stably. I want you to make sure that they are firmly planted in that city, even with all the different external forces that were coming against them." Once they were firmly planted in that position, Paul says, "I want you to establish and comfort them."

Again, that word "comfort" is one that we've looked at several times over the last few weeks. The word "parakaleo" in Greek is the same word that Paul used in chapter 1, where he said, "Our exhortation to you" or "our preaching to you." The idea is that once a person is firmly established in the way, walking after Jesus Christ and following Him, they need someone to come alongside and call them to continue in that walk, especially when times get difficult and suffering comes. In the face of trials and tribulation, they need to stand fast because there are forces that come in to try and knock us away from the Lord. It's somewhat like a modern-day coach.

Have any of you ever tried to lose weight? In the pursuit of losing weight, getting fit, or becoming strong, many times we fail at that endeavor. Perhaps you've been one of those who got a gym membership, and not only did you get a gym membership, but you also paid extra to get a trainer. When you have that trainer or coach alongside you, you're much more likely to do what you're supposed to do than just look at a piece of paper and think, "Okay, I have to do 100 push-ups."

Sometimes, when we have to do 100 push-ups, we end up doing those really nice, light push-ups. Unless there's a coach right there saying, "No, all the way to the ground! All the way to the ground! Let's go! You can do it!" they call you to task and encourage you to run the race with endurance.

Paul was saying to Timothy, "I want you to go up there and exhort them. Establish them, yes. Encourage them, yes. But exhort them to stand strong. Call them along and comfort them." What was he comforting them about? Paul says it was concerning their faith. He wanted to establish and comfort them regarding their faith because the Thessalonian Christians were experiencing trials. They were facing challenges specifically because of their faith.

Had they never become followers of Jesus and put their trust and confidence in Him, everything would have been just fine. They would have continued on their merry way, and the enemies of the gospel would never have come against them. Yet Paul says, "Now that you have this faith and now that you are a witness of Jesus Christ in that community there in Thessalonica, you will have people who will come against you." Therefore, you need to be established in the Lord to be able to stand strong.

In 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 3, Paul writes that no man be moved by these afflictions, for you yourselves know that we were appointed thereunto. Why did Timothy need to establish and comfort them concerning their faith? Because there were afflictions, Paul says, that were coming against them. It seems to imply that the Thessalonians knew exactly what Paul was talking about when he mentioned these afflictions. They understood what Paul was referring to. But notice what else Paul says about these afflictions.

At the end of verse 3, he says, "These afflictions that we were appointed unto." Trial, tribulation, temptation, and persecution are words that most people, Christians or non-Christians alike, do not like to have spoken in relation to their lives. We don't like to have these words applied to us.

Now, we do know from the Bible that we have an enemy. Our enemy, the devil, desires that through these sorts of things—tribulation, trial, and persecution—he might move us, that he might shake us from our faith and get us off the way in which we're walking. Oftentimes, when we experience trials, we say, "This is from the devil." But notice what Paul said: "These tribulations that you've been appointed unto." What? Yes, that's right. God has made an appointment for you. Literally, God has elected you to experience suffering.

There is a lot of talk about election within theology today, especially since the Reformation and the movement that came from John Calvin. People like to say, "I have been elected by God unto salvation." Isn't that wonderful? However, the Bible reveals here that God has elected us not only to salvation but also to suffering. Those who often boast in their election to salvation do not want to talk about their election to suffering. But God has appointed us to these things.

Every single week, you and I have appointments. I have appointments to meet with various pastors in the community, appointments to teach, whether at the Bible college or other places, and appointments to meet with different brothers and sisters within the church who need counsel. Occasionally, I have an appointment to go to the doctor or to see a chiropractor. Whatever it may be, we have these appointments.

Do you realize that you also have appointments that God has put into your schedule? God has put into your calendar appointments to experience trials, difficulty, suffering, and perhaps even persecution.

Now, these are the kind of appointments that we would very much like to miss. However, these appointments are always punctual; they are always on time. God makes sure that we meet these appointments. Paul says that God has appointed us to these afflictions. In verse 4, he writes, "For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that you should suffer tribulation, even as it came to pass, and you know."

Think back for a moment. Paul was in the city of Thessalonica for at least three weeks, but probably not more than a couple of months. In fact, two months would probably be a stretch. During that very short period of time that Paul was among these Thessalonian Christians, to whom he had preached the gospel and who had received the gospel truth, he told them, "You're going to suffer persecution. You're going to experience difficulty, trials, and affliction."

If you look at modern-day preaching and teaching of the Bible, oftentimes this truth from the Scriptures is not spoken of: that people who follow the Lord will experience difficulty and tribulation. In fact, some within the church today say that Christians will never suffer persecution. If that's the case, then I'm not a Christian, and you probably aren't as well. If Christians never suffer any sort of affliction, then we all today would say, "Man, I must not be a believer."

Well, that's not what Jesus said. In fact, I would even say that those who teach such things from pulpits across this country are guilty of what the Bible calls soothsaying. A soothsayer, as the Scripture reveals, is a false prophet who puffs you up with things that make you feel good. Jeremiah, the prophet, came against such soothsayers in his day. God was speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, telling the nation that this nation is going to be judged by the Babylonians. However, there were hundreds of soothsayers, false prophets in the nation of Israel at that time, in Judah and Jerusalem, who came in and said, "Not so, not so. Peace, peace, the Lord is giving peace."

God told Jeremiah, "Do not speak according to the words of these false prophets because they are not speaking truth." Those today who teach or preach that Christians will not suffer...

Any sort of affliction because they are a child of God is a false teaching. It is false because it contradicts what Jesus Himself said. In John chapter 16, verse 32, Jesus stated, "In the world, you shall have tribulation." The Apostle Paul echoed this in 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 12, saying, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

Some believe that Christians shouldn't suffer affliction if they obey what God tells them to do. They argue that if one would just obey God, they would not suffer persecution. While it is true that some persecutions, sufferings, and trials we experience are a result of our disobedience, the Scriptures do not indicate that the obedient Christian will never suffer persecution. In fact, Paul clearly states that if you desire to live godly and obey God in righteousness, you will face persecution. It is evident that God has appointed us to such trials, and these challenges will come our way.

Paul expresses this concern in verse 5. He writes, "For this cause, because of this truth, when I could no longer forbear, when I couldn't take it any longer, after I had heard the report about the persecution and trials you are going through, I sent to know your faith." He wanted to know their faith lest, by some means, the tempter, the deceiver, the devil, had tempted them and their labor would be in vain.

Paul's concern, as he sat in the city of Athens, was that these young Thessalonian believers would not be shaken or drawn away from their faith in Christ Jesus. He feared that his labor in Thessalonica had become a labor in vain. We have discussed this before; the idea of a labor in vain is akin to a farmer sowing seed. You would know your labor was in vain if, at the end of the season, when the harvest came, you found no fruit. Paul is expressing his desire to know the outcome of their faith.

If there was any fruit from the seed that we had sown there, I want you to notice one other thing. We saw just a few verses before that God is the one who appoints us to suffering, but we read here that the tempter tempts us to draw us away from our faith. What the Lord intends in my life as a test, the enemy, the devil, will seek to use as a temptation or a trial to deceive us and draw us away from the good path that the Lord has set us on.

The Lord has called us to follow Him. Ephesians chapter 2 tells us that we are His workmanship, God's poem, and that we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10, that these good works God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. The idea is that God has made a path for my life and for yours that is filled with good works that He wants us to navigate through. He wants us to do these good works that He has set forth in our lives.

Along this path, the Lord has also allowed testings and trials to come our way to see how we navigate through them. God, by His Spirit, is leading us through these things. He desires to grow us, to sanctify us, and to transform our lives as we experience these trials. However, the enemy, as we are on this path, wants to use that very same trial to get us off the path and to no longer walk in the good works that glorify God, but to cater to our own flesh and desires for the lack of any sort of difficulty—a desire for ease. The enemy flatters us with the idea that if we just go this way, everything will be okay and easy. He wants to shake us off the path.

Paul says, "I sent Timothy because not only did I want him to establish you and comfort you, but I wanted him to come back to me and tell me that you are steadfast in the Lord. I wanted to know your faith lest our labor had been in vain." Paul knew that the word of God he preached to the Thessalonians was good seed. The Scriptures say in Isaiah chapter 55 that the word of God does not return void. We know that God's word will accomplish what He sent it forth to do.

I wanted to know your faith because I wanted to know that we didn't labor in vain. He wasn't concerned about the seed; he knew it was good seed. I don't think that Paul was even concerned about his work among the Thessalonians because he would talk about how throughout his ministry he had spoken the word of God in a way that he was not ashamed of.

I don't think that he was worried about how he had labored among them, although he might have been concerned that he was only with them for a few weeks. His concern was how their hearts would receive the word of God in the face of tribulation. In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus told the parable of the sower. He spoke about some dirt that was shallow, and the sower sowed seed upon shallow ground. The seed started to grow and looked very healthy, but it didn't have very deep roots. Then the sun came, which Jesus said represents trials and tribulation, and it burned out that plant before it could bear fruit.

That is exactly what Paul was fearful of. He knew that he had only been there a short time, and maybe this would not take root. Now he was trying to do everything possible to make sure that it would take root. He was going to send Timothy back there to tend to them and take care of them. However, in the face of trials, there was the very real possibility that they would get burned out, sidelined, and run the other way. If they had done that, Paul would have said his labor was in vain—not because God's word was void, not because Paul's work there was lacking, but because they were not properly tended and taken care of.

So he says he sent to know their faith and to make sure that they wouldn't be sidelined and led away from the truth. But now, in verse 6, when Timothy came from them to Paul, he brought good tidings of their faith and charity, and that they had good remembrance of Paul and his companions always, desiring greatly to see them, and they also desired to see him.

Paul says, "But now I know that my labor was not in vain." When Paul got to Corinth, shortly after he arrived in the city, we see in Acts chapter 18 that Silas and Timothy came also, coming back from Berea and Thessalonica. When they came, they no doubt shared with Paul that the church in Thessalonica was growing and producing fruit even in the face of trials and difficulty. Paul says that when that word came to him, it was good tidings. The word is the very same word that we get the word "gospel" from. This is the only time...

In the New Testament, Paul uses the term "gospel" or "good news" not just to refer to the preaching of the gospel. He mentions that Timothy came and brought him good news, saying that they are strong in the Lord. Timothy brought good tidings of their faith and charity. In chapter one, we saw how these are the marks of a maturing believer: faith, hope, and love. Paul received a report from the church at Thessalonica that they have strong faith, even in the midst of difficulty, and they have charity; they have love, agape. Not only do they have love and faith, but they also have good remembrance of Paul.

In chapter two, Paul was answering his critics. In the city of Thessalonica, there were many critics trying to discourage the young church. They said, "You don't want to listen to that Paul; he's a criminal, he's self-seeking, he's greedy, and he wants nothing to do with you." Paul was very concerned that the church at Thessalonica would think, "Well, obviously that Paul guy doesn't care about us. Where did he go? He took off." They might have said, "Forget that Paul guy." However, when Timothy came back, he brought good news, saying, "Listen, Paul, they want to see you so badly; they'd love to spend time with you again." This encouraged Paul's heart.

He says in verse seven, "Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith. For now we live if you stand fast in the Lord." Paul expresses that when he received the news that they are strong in the Lord and filled with faith and love, it profoundly affected him.

In the city of Corinth, many were trying to destroy Paul and his work. Remember, we read through the first eleven verses of Acts chapter eighteen a few weeks ago. There, God had to come to Paul and encourage him with a spoken word, saying, "You stay in this city because I have many people in this city," even though so many were coming against him. Paul was discouraged in Corinth, and things were difficult in the ministry, especially since he had been by himself for a long time with Silas and Timothy up in Berea and Thessalonica.

He says, "When I received word from Timothy about your faith and your love, I was comforted, encouraged, and uplifted in my affliction. Just the fact that you were standing strong encouraged me to stay strong as well." We know this to be the case when we hear about a brother or sister in the Lord who is faithfully following Him in the face of cancer, steadfast and true to the Lord, like Jeff Jackson when he had ALS. When we see someone faithfully following the Lord in the face of persecution, like those in Sudan or China, it encourages and strengthens our faith. Often, we are not going through the same kind of trials, but we can feel brought down by the trials we do face.

Paul says, "I was comforted and encouraged in all of my affliction and distress by your faith that you stood strong. For now I live if you stand fast in the Lord." The idea is that he is rejuvenated and strengthened as they stand strong in the Lord. Just as John the Apostle would write in 3 John verse 4, "I am brought great joy when I hear that my children walk in the truth." The fact that you are standing fast in the Lord and following Him encourages the hearts of your pastors and the hearts of your brothers and sisters within the body of Christ. Often, we don't even realize that people are watching us and being encouraged by our lives. May our lives be an encouragement, amen, and not a discouragement.

In verse 9, he says, "For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before God?" He praises the Lord for them and the things they are doing, night and day, praying exceedingly that they might see their face and perfect that which is lacking in their faith. He had just commended them for their faith in the Lord, but he recognized that they were not perfected in their faith. Paul continues to seek the Lord so that he might be able to come to them, see them face to face, and further encourage them, build them up, and perfect those things that are lacking in their faith.

Every single one of us would have to confess today that there are areas in our faith and our lives where we are still lacking. None of us is perfect.

None of us have been perfected, as Paul told the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter 3. Even that great apostle says, "I have not yet attained, nor am I perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me." He talks about getting to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, but also the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.

I believe that one of the ways God perfects our faith is not just in the joyful exuberance of the resurrection of Christ, as we remember it today and partake in communion, but in the day-to-day grind when we're suffering. God is truly perfecting our faith. It's easy to sit in church on a Sunday morning. For most, we try to provide some nice chairs, but it's fairly simple to come to church on a Sunday morning among other brothers and sisters who also love the Lord and to receive from the Lord, both in worshiping God and reading His Word. However, that's not where our faith is really perfected.

Our faith is perfected when it's tested. Yes, we might be strengthened here within the walls of this greenhouse we might call it, but it's when you get outside in the wind, the rain, and the sun that you really are made strong. Paul says we want to fill up that which is lacking in your faith. Now, God Himself and our Father and Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you. We are praying that you would lead us so that we would be able to go back to Thessalonica.

The Lord make your church to increase and abound. He had just commended them on their faith and their love, and now he says to them, "We want your faith to be further perfected." May the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love towards one another, yes, but notice this also: and toward all men, even as we do towards you.

Not only are we to love those who love us—that's what the Pharisees do. It is very simple to love those who love you and to love those who are lovely. But on this Valentine's Day, as Mark so beautifully put it while sharing from communion, yes, we give cards to those who love us, and we love them. But what about the section for our enemies? There were enemies in the city of Thessalonica who did not love the Thessalonian Christians, but they were called by God to increase and abound in love towards them. God has called you and me to the same.

I can't love that person. They've been mean to me; they've been terrible to me. You don't know the things that they've done to me. It doesn't matter. Christ demonstrated His love towards us, that while we were yet sinners, He died for us. He has given us an example, and not only has He given us an example, but He has also given us the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can love those who are unlovely.

So, God make you to increase and abound in love towards one another and towards all men, even as we do towards you. To this end, may He establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Paul ends this section of the book of Thessalonians by directing their attention back to the coming of the Lord, just as we saw at the end of the section that we call Chapter 2, just as we saw at the end of the section that we call Chapter 1, and just as we'll see next week at the end of the section that we call Chapter 4. Paul directs them back to this fact: Jesus is going to come once again.

Paul said, "I'm sending Timothy to you to establish and comfort you." But even more than that, Paul was praying that in their absence, God would establish their hearts. For what? That on the day of Christ Jesus, you and I would stand before Christ unblameable in holiness before God, completely consecrated to God.

I believe that one of the primary ways that God sanctifies us, so that we would be unblameable and holy, completely set apart to the Lord, is by the fiery trial. How do we respond in the face of a trial? The fiery trial comes to purify us because within my heart, within your heart, within all of our hearts, there are impurities. Can anybody say, "Yeah, that's me"?

Sometimes we don't even see and recognize those impurities. It takes the heat of a fiery trial to bring them to the surface. What do I mean by this? Well, within my heart, there is anger, there is bitterness, there is wrath—there are all those things, and they're locked deep in that heart. The Lord puts us into a trial, some sort of trying circumstance, and just like when a refiner would take gold and put it into the fire, as the gold melts, the impurities rise to the surface.

Heavy, the impurities rise to the surface where the refiner can see them. That's what happens with me. God puts me into the fiery trial, and the impurities come to the surface. I go, "Where did that come from?" The Lord says it was always there. See, the Lord knew it was there, but I didn't know it was there. God causes it to come to the surface in the midst of that fiery trial, and I'm abhorred by it. "Lord, where did this come from?" It was always there.

If we endure the trial, God brings those things to the surface and asks us a very important question: "Would you like me to take it away?" When we confess it to the Lord, He, like the refiner, removes those impurities off the top. Now, it doesn't mean that they're completely gone; there's still some at the bottom that the next fire needs to bring to the top. But He's refining us.

Now, if we harden our hearts and say, "I don't want to go through this trial," and we use that trial that God is seeking to test us with, we allow the enemy to draw us away from the Lord. In that case, the Lord removes us from the fire, and those impurities settle back down into the gold. The devastating part about that is we have to go through a trial again to refine us later. You will never escape the trial. The question is, in the midst of the trial, will we allow God to try our hearts so that on the day of Christ Jesus, we will be unblameable and holy before God?

I am so thankful for Paul's promise to the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter 1, verse 6, where Paul said, "Being confident of this very thing, that He, God, who began a good work in you will complete it; He will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." I'm so thankful that this work is dependent upon Him and not upon me. God is working in my life and in yours, seeking to refine us because there's coming a day when we, the bride of Christ, will see the Bridegroom, and we want to be adorned for that day, do we not?

Let's stand and pray together. Lord, I love how simply You speak to us through Your Word. I pray that as we prepare to leave here today, You would cause this passage from Thessalonians to be planted in our hearts. Remind us throughout this week of the truths that we've learned here, Lord, when we face enemies.

The cross of Christ reminds us that when we encounter various trials, we should turn to the Lord and look to Him as the Refiner. We recognize that He is transforming and refining us.

Lord, we pray that You come quickly. We look forward to that day with great expectation. We thank You for displaying love towards us and for giving us an example and the power we need to show love to those outside these doors.

Would You cause us to increase and abound in love towards one another and towards all men? We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.