Author: drthomasclothier

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, ¹² and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, ¹³ 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.” (1 Thessalonians 3:11–13 (ESV)

The following excerpt is taken from Pastor John Piper’s sermon entitled Advancing and Sustaining the Covenant Community. Dr. Piper preached this message at Bethlehem Baptist Church in February, 1993. The topic concerned church membership.

“Let me begin this morning by putting this series on the church covenant in a wider context of American culture. Up till now we have stressed that local churches like ours come into being and get their meaning from a covenant that believers make with each other, and that this covenant with each other is rooted in the new covenant that God made with his people through the death of Jesus. God says in this covenant: “I will be their God and they will be my people” (Hebrews 8:10).”

“What this means is that the divine covenant creates a human community. The commitment God makes to us in the new covenant creates and shapes the commitment we make to each other in the church covenant. In other words, up till now our focus has been on how the church covenant relates to God and takes its origin and its character from him and his covenant with us.”

“But for just a moment now I want to relate the church covenant to American culture. I don’t know if you feel this or if you are aware of it in any way, but what we are focusing on in these days in calling each other to serious, practical reaffirmation of life together in covenant is very counter-cultural. But we are not unique in recognizing this.”

“In 1985 Robert Bellah, Professor of Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, published with several others a very popular book called Habits of the Heart. It was a study in American individualism and a warning that the loss of ideals like commitment, community, and covenant will be the undoing of America.”

“He took his start from a Frenchman named Alexis de Tocqueville who came and described America 160 years ago like this: ‘Such folk owe no man anything and hardly expect anything from anybody. They form the habit of thinking of themselves in isolation and imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands.’”  

“Now my point in connecting our focus on the church covenant with the peril of American individualism is not to justify our focus as part of America’s salvation. Our church covenant is justified by God in Jesus Christ and will be valid whether America stands or falls. America is not God’s main commitment.”

“The glory of God is God’s main commitment. If America sinks into individualistic anarchy where everybody does what’s right in his own eyes, God will still be Lord of the nations; his purposes will be on track; and his people, who live for his glory and not for any finite, narrow nationalistic cause, will endure to all generations.”

“My point in making the connections with American individualism is to wake us up to the fact that the whole idea of covenant and mutual commitment is counter-cultural and, to the degree that we have all been influenced by our culture, it might feel strange or un-American, and for many, therefore, exhilarating and liberating and strengthening and stabilizing in a world turned upside down and falling apart.”

“Secondly, the aim is to show that this need for covenant relationships and stable community commitments is so deep in the human heart that even outside the church in America there is a rising tide of urgency and hope that we may as a people discover this before it is too late.”

Notice in 3:12 Paul prays (in the form of a benediction), “May the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another and for all men.” Our life together originates in the covenant love of God and so one essential mark of our covenant relationships in church is love. And this love is the work of God. “May the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love.”

“This is exactly the way we expect Paul to pray for new covenant blessings because the new covenant (as we have seen in the last two weeks) says, “I will write my law on their hearts . . . and I will circumcise their hearts to love me . . . and I will put my Spirit within them and cause them to walk in my statutes” (Jeremiah 31:33; Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 36:27).”

“So here Paul says: you promised to do this in the new covenant; so, I pray that you will now do it: “Cause them to increase and abound in love.” So, the covenant requirement of love is first and foremost a gift in the new covenant.”

“Look at the connection between 3:12 and 3:13. If God causes them to abound in love, they will have the holiness they need to meet the Lord. I infer from this that love is the essence of holiness. And that means, then, that the covenant requirement of holiness is also a gift as well as a command, because the love that is the heart of holiness is a gift and a command.”

“Paul wants the church to be holy and so he prays: Lord cause them to abound in love so that they will be holy. You have promised in the new covenant to write your holy law on our hearts. You have promised in the new covenant to give us the Spirit and cause us to walk in your holy statutes. So, Lord, do it now, and do it by making love increase and abound.”

“Which leads to the final point from the text, namely, that the new covenant community in this fallen world is not a perfect community, not a completed community, but a community growing and advancing toward perfection. Look again at 3:12, “May the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love.” If our love were perfect or complete, there would be no room for increase. But Paul prays for increase.”

“This means that the new covenant community is a pilgrim community. We have been saved from condemnation and transferred from death to life and from darkness to light and from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of God’s Son, but in this new relation to God we are not yet perfected or completed, but are on the way to becoming what we ought to be.”

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, ¹² and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, ¹³ 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.” (1 Thessalonians 3:11–13 (ESV)

Biblical faith contains both a subjective and an objective aspect. Subjectively, faith is the trust people have in God and His promises. However, faith is also an objective concept in God’s Word, referring to the truth of God each believer in Christ trusts, depends, commits, and honors.

“It is possible to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, to fight for the compendium of truth taught by the Apostles and prophets (Jude 3). Objectively, it is possible to be “lacking” in faith, to not have a complete understanding of what is included in divine revelation. In that respect, all of us are lacking in faith, for we can always go deeper in our grasp of what God has revealed to His people,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Paul refers to faith in this objective sense in 1 Thessalonians 3:10, telling the Thessalonians that he prays continually to see them face-to-face in order to supply what they lack in faith. In today’s passage, he continues on the theme of prayer, not describing his practice but recording a prayer for the Thessalonians. Paul notes that he expresses his prayer not only to God the Father but to the Lord Jesus as well. This is noteworthy because as a faithful Jew, Paul would only pray to Jesus if he considered Jesus to be fully and equally God with the Father.”

In Arthur Pink’s book Gleanings from Paul: The Prayers of the Apostle, the author explored every New Testament prayer by the Apostle Paul. Today’s text is one such prayer. It was a supplication offered by a pastor watching over a group of believers in Christ. It was Paul’s first prayer on behalf of the Thessalonian believers.

His second prayer for them is found in 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 (ESV) which, when referring to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:5-10 Paul prayed, “¹¹ To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Pink pointed out five things to observe in Paul’s first prayer to the saints in Thessalonica. (1) It’s Necessity; (2) It’s Intensity; (3) It’s Objects; (4) It’s Petitions; and (5) It’s Design. Pink’s observations form our outline for today’s essay.

Frist, why was Paul’s prayer necessary? It was necessary because the Thessalonians had, and would, increasingly encounter trials because of their faith in Christ (1:6 2:14-16; 3:4). Paul, Silas and Timothy encountered such opposition when they first preached the Gospel in the city and synagogue (Acts 17:1-9; I Thess. 2:1-2). Paul wanted to supply what was lacking in their faith in Christ (I Thess. 3:10).

Second, the intensity of Paul’s prayer was due to the interdependency contained in the very nature of the church. In other words, believers in Christ need other believers in Christ. We are not only dependent upon the LORD (Deut. 8:18; Acts 17:28), but also upon each other (I Cor. 12:12-26; I Thess. 3:12). Paul, Silas and Timothy needed the Thessalonians as much as they needed them.

Third, the objects of the apostle’s prayer were, as previously stated, the Thessalonian believers. He prayed the Lord would direct the missionary trio back to them (3:11).

Fourth, Paul’s petitions were for the believers to increase and abound in love for one another and for others (3:12). Paul prayed this for himself and his companions.

Finally, the design or purpose of Paul’s prayer is found in vs. 13. He prayed the Lord would establish their hearts blameless in holiness in the presence of God our Father; who is transcendent and intimate. To establish (στηρίξαι; sterixai) means to strengthen and make more firm.

This is the Lord’s infinite work within the heart, or soul, of the individual believer. The ultimate goal is for each believer to be holy in word and behavior. This is especially significant in light of the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The example of Paul’s team (2:10) as well as their instruction (4:1-3) emphasized the call for the Thessalonians’ faith in the Lord Jesus to be expressed in holy living, particularly with respect to sexual purity and marital faithfulness (4:3-8). Blameless holiness will be central to his, Paul’s, benediction to these believers (5:23),” states Dr. R.C. Sproul.     

“Here we see the close connection between love and holiness in Christian practice. There can be no true love without holiness, and there can be no true holiness without love for God and neighbor (see also 1 Peter 1:13–25). Love and holiness coexist perfectly in our Creator, for “God is holy” and “God is love” (Ps. 99:9; 1 John 4:8), so they must coexist in believers, who are being renewed after the image of God in Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). These attributes will not coexist perfectly in us until we are glorified, but we will grow in them both over the course of our Christian lives so that others can say that we are truly, though not perfectly, loving and holy servants of God (2 Peter 1:3–11).”

Pray for God to increasingly strengthen you for holiness and love. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!    
 

⁹ For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, ¹⁰ as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?” (1 Thessalonians 3:9–10 (ESV)

Joined with the attitude of thanksgiving and joy for the Thessalonian believers, was the earnest and consistent prayer conducted by the Apostle Paul, Silas and Timothy on their behalf. All three were involved in this discipline, evidenced by the personal pronouns “we,” and “our.” The phrase “as we pray” (δεόμενοι; deomenoi) is a present, middle plural participle. The three church planters prayed continually, personally and collectively for these believers.

In this context, to pray was to beg, and to ask with an urgency for a presumed need. In other words, the prayers by Paul, Silas and Timothy were not for what the Thessalonians wanted, but rather for what they needed.

These prayers were most earnestly brought to God night and day. The adverbial phrase “most earnestly (ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ; hyperekperissou) means beyond all measure, to an extreme degree, involving a considerable excess in what would be expected. It describes the attitude of prayer. The image of praying night and day emphasizes the duration of these earnest prayers; they prayed throughout a 24-hour period. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but then again perhaps not. Can you recall situations or individuals for whom you prayed, or pray, for each and every day and well into the evening hours? I’m sure you can.

What was the reason, or reasons, for these earnest and ongoing prayers by Paul, Silas and Timothy for the Thessalonians? They had to be important.

To begin with, it was for the opportunity to see them again, face to face. The phrase “face to face (πρόσωπον; prosopon) is another way of saying to see someone in person or to be in their physical presence. Telephone calls, emails, texts, Twitter, Facetime and Zoom calls are all nice. How much nicer to see someone physically in front of you in order to touch, to talk and to be together.

The second reason for these ongoing prayers was to supply what was lacking in their faith. To supply (καταρτίσαι; katarisai) means to restore or provide what is lacking. Paul does not mention anything specifically, but whatever he sensed they needed, it was obviously important. The phrase “what is lacking” (ὑστερήματα; hysteremata) refers to what is needed and has not been acquired or received in their personal trust, dependence, commitment and worship of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Even though Paul is still struggling with the problem how to make an adequate return for blessings already received, this does not deter him from asking for still more! In fact, the very manner in which previous petitions have been answered makes him all the more earnest (note over-abundantly or with intense earnestness) in praying for something in addition to what has already been received. Hence, thanksgiving (“rejoicing before our God”) is accompanied by prayer. Note how Paul, though working at a trade by night and by day (see on 2:9), still finds time to pray, and this also by night and by day,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

“The content of the prayer or petition is stated in two infinitive-clauses, but the two really express one idea, namely, that God’s providence may permit the missionaries to return so that they may once more see the face(s) of (that is, be present among, and rejoice in the fellowship of) the Thessalonian believers in order to supply the deficiencies (see also 1 Cor. 16:17; Phil. 2:30; Col. 1:24; then 2 Cor. 8:13, 14; 9:12; 11:9) of their faith. The verb to supply has the primary meaning to knit together, to unite (1 Cor. 1:10). The idea of knitting together (think of the work of an artisan, which is related to the Greek verb), by an easy transition, has become to make whole, to round out (cf. Gal. 6:1 to re-instate or restore) or, as here, to supply what is still lacking.”

What deficiencies were these believers experiencing in their faith?  Since Scripture interprets Scripture, this letter itself may provide the answer. First, the Thessalonians were confused about the doctrine of Christ’s return. Therefore, Paul is already preparing them for what he is going to say in 4:13–5:3. Second, although the Lord had blessed these recent converts with many a spiritual grace, there is always room for improvement. The virtues already present must begin to abound more and more (4:1, 10). Third, some members of the congregation were disorderly, some were fainthearted, and others were weak (5:14).

“The Thessalonians enjoyed a positive state spiritually, but that does not mean they knew everything there was to know about Christ or that they had reached the end of their spiritual growth. They had come far, but they still had far to go, for believers never reach a point where they cannot advance further in the faith,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

John Calvin comments: “Those who far surpass others are still far distant from the goal. Hence, whatever progress we may have made, let us always keep in view our deficiencies, that we may not be reluctant to aim at something farther.”

Philippians 3:10–14 (ESV) says, “¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Let us resolve to press on and to pray for others to do the same. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.  

Soli deo Gloria!

⁹ For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, ¹⁰ as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?” (1 Thessalonians 3:9–10 (ESV)

Joined with the attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude for the Thessalonian believers, was the joy felt by the Apostle Paul, Silas and Timothy. The Holy Spirit revealed through Paul all three shared this inner happiness and peace by the apostle’s use of the personal pronoun “we,” and “our.” Joy is a positive human experience that is both an emotion and an action. The Bible uses “joy” in both senses.

In today’s text, joy (χαρᾷ; chara) refers to the emotion of gladness or great happiness. Joy is felt because of well-being, success, or good fortune. A person automatically experiences it because of certain favorable circumstances. It cannot be commanded. Paul. Silas and Timothy felt joy in part because of the faith, love and hope in God by the Thessalonians (I Thess. 1:1-4).

The Tyndale Bible Dictionary says, “The shepherd experienced joy when he found his lost sheep (Matt. 18:13). The multitude felt it when Jesus healed a Jewish woman whom Satan had bound for 18 years (Lk. 13:17). The disciples returned to Jerusalem rejoicing after Jesus’ ascension (Lk. 24:52). Joy was also the feeling of the church at Antioch when its members heard the Jerusalem Council’s decision that they did not have to be circumcised to keep God’s law (Acts 15:31). Paul mentioned his joy in hearing about the obedience of the Roman Christians (Rom. 16:19). He wrote to the Corinthians that love does not rejoice in wrong but rejoices in the right (1 Cor. 13:6; see also 1 Sam. 2:1; 11:9; 18:6; 2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kgs. 1:40; Est. 9:17–22).”

In Psalms 137:1–6, the psalmist shows joy cannot be commanded. The Jews’ Babylonian captors wanted them to sing in the land of their exile. However, this was something they were unable to do. Faraway Jerusalem was their chief joy.

There is a joy that Scripture commands. Joy as an action can be expressed regardless of how the person feels. Proverbs 5:18 tells the reader to rejoice in the wife of his youth, without reference to what she may be like. Christ instructed his disciples to rejoice when they were persecuted, reviled, and slandered (Matt. 5:11–12). The Apostle Paul commanded continuous rejoicing (Phil. 4:4; 1 Thess. 5:16). James said Christians are to reckon it all joy when they fall into various testing’s because they produce endurance (James 1:2). Joy is possible since as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, it is present in every Christian (Gal. 5:22).

“Paul was greatly comforted in the afflictions he faced in the course of his ministry (1 Thess. 3:1–8). Their well-being brought fresh joy to his soul, for he understood his deep connection to them by virtue of their common union with Christ (Rom. 12:5). Ultimately, this joy was a gift of the Savior. Paul even describes Timothy’s report as “good news,” using a word that elsewhere in the New Testament always refers to the preaching of the gospel (1 Thess. 3:6). The good state of the Thessalonians, then, was “gospel” to Paul. Why? Because their perseverance was ultimately a gift of Jesus—the One announced in the gospel—to them. Their faith was evidence of Christ’s work in them and thus a reminder of and testimony to Christ’s salvation,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Today’s passage helps us understand even better the depth of joy that the Apostle enjoyed after hearing of the Thessalonians’ progress in faith. His question that begins “What thanksgiving can we return to God for you . . .” implies that the joy he felt was so profound that he was having difficulty finding the words to adequately express his thanks to God for the Christians in Thessalonica (v. 9). But the difficulty in finding the proper words was not due to Paul and his companions’ lack of trying. We see in 1 Thessalonians 3:10 that they were spending day and night in prayer for the Thessalonian believers. Paul and his friends were regularly offering up prayers for the Thessalonians, thanking God for them, for the Lord was sustaining their faith.”

Besides the LORD, who has brought joy into your life? What circumstances have not only brought you joy, but also caused you to glorify God by counting it all joy when facing those circumstances?

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a joyful day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁹ For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, ¹⁰ as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?” (1 Thessalonians 3:9–10 (ESV)

I wonder how often believers in Christ are culturally bound to many of the disciplines of biblical faith. Take thanksgiving for example. Giving thanks is to be a consistent characteristic of believers (Psalm 106; 107; 118; 136; Phil. 4:6-7). However, for Americans it is often culturally bound to only be outwardly expressed on the fourth Thursday of November.

Thanksgiving is a natural expression of gratitude because of blessings such as protection, or love. In the Scriptures, giving thanks is not a means used to manipulate the will of God. It is never coerced or fabricated. Rather, gratitude is to be a joyful commitment to the LORD.

“In the OT, gratitude to God was the only condition in which life could be enjoyed. For Jews, every aspect of creation provided evidence of God’s lordship over all life. The Hebrew people thanked him for the magnificence of the universe (Pss 19:1–4; 33:6–9; 104:1–24). When they received good news, they thanked God for his goodness and great deeds (1 Chr. 16:8–12). When they received bad news, they also gave thanks, trusting that he was a just God (Job 1:21),” explains the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.

“Gratitude was such a vital part of Israel’s religion that it pervaded most ceremonies and customs. Thank offerings acknowledged blessings from God (Lev. 7:12–13; 22:29; Ps. 50:14). Shouts of joy (Ps 42:4), songs of praise (Pss. 145:7; 149:1), and music and dance (Ps. 150:3–5) all added to the spirit of thanksgiving in worship. Feasts and festivals were celebrated in remembrance of God’s steadfast love throughout their history (Dt. 16:9–15; 2 Chr. 30:21–22). King David appointed Levitical priests to offer God thanks (1 Chr. 16:4). This custom was carried on by the kings Solomon (2 Chr. 5:12–13) and Hezekiah (2 Chr. 31:2) and by those who returned from the exile (Neh. 11:17; 12:24, 27).”

In the New Testament, the love of God is often the object of thanksgiving. This is the love of God expressed in the justifying, redemptive, and reconciling work of Christ. The Apostle Paul thanked God for the gift of grace (1 Cor. 1:4; 2 Cor. 9:15) and also the opportunity to preach the gospel (2 Cor. 2:14; 1 Tim. 1:12). He was thankful for spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:18). Gratitude for love and faith among believers dominated his letters (Rom. 6:17; Eph. 1:15–16; Phil. 1:3–5; Col. 1:3–4; 1 Thess. 1:2–3).

“Because the expression of gratitude was tied so closely to the response of faith, Paul encouraged believers to give thanks in all things (Rom. 14:6; 1 Thess. 5:18). He commanded Christians to pray with thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2) in the name of Christ, who has made all thanksgiving possible (Eph. 5:20). In his teaching on how to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Paul specified that Christians should give thanks, just as the Lord “had given thanks” (1 Cor 11:24),” explains one commentator.

In today’s text, thanksgiving (εὐχαριστίαν; eucharistian) referred to expressing gratitude for benefits or blessings. Throughout this epistle, Paul, Silas and Timothy were very grateful for the Thessalonian believers.

“Paul’s soul is flooded with gratitude to God, and this to such an extent that the consciousness of his own inability to make an adequate return to God grieves him. What has been received by the Thessalonians has also been received, in a different form, and on account of them, by him and his companions. The report of Timothy has given Paul and Silas a new lease on life. It has caused them to revive. They are deeply convinced of the fact that anything they can bring to God in return for “all the joy by means of which they rejoice” is as nothing,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.

Who are you thankful for today? Take the opportunity to let them know how grateful you are for them. You may never how much this simple act can change a life for the better.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“For now, we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8 (ESV)

The following is an excerpt from I Thessalonians 3:8 by Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon. He entitled his message Renewed Strength.

It is a matter of life and death to us that you should be rooted, grounded, and settled. Notice first, that some are not in the Lord. Secondly, some appear to be in the Lord, but they are not standing fast. And thirdly, that some in the Lord stand fast in the Lord and these are our life— “Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.”

First, SOME ARE NOT IN THE LORD AT ALL.  

Second, THERE ARE SOME WHO PROFESS TO BE IN CHRIST, BUT THEY CERTAINLY ARE NOT STANDING FAST. 

Third, THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE IN THE LORD AND WHO STAND FAST IN THE LORD.

“These are our life! They are our life because their holy conduct fills us with living confidence. I tell you, Brothers and Sisters, when I have seen the holy generosity of members of this Church making sacrifices to serve the Lord. When I have seen the holy courage of Brothers and Sisters standing up for Jesus and bearing reproach for the sake of principle—and speaking out the Truth of God in defiance of ridicule. When, in fact, I have seen many things that I will not mention now—I have said to myself, “These are fruits that could not have been produced except by the Truth and by the Spirit of God!”

“Then have I felt very confident in the Gospel which has been so adorned by your actions. Certain of our Beloved elders and deacons passed away, to our deep sorrow, not very long ago, and when I came down from their death chambers, I did not require any further argument to prove the religion of the Lord Jesus—the Holy Spirit set His seal upon the Truth by their joyful departures. If infidels had met me as I left those choice deathbeds, I would not have argued with them for a single moment—I would have simply laughed them to scorn—for I would have felt like a man that has looked at the sun till he cannot bear the blaze of it any longer—and then hears a blind man swear that there is no sun! With what confidence we speak when holy lives and joyful deaths prove the Gospel!”

“Again, how often have I seen fears which have crept into my soul driven away by my dear people! This is a time of fear, when all Solomon’s men that keep watch about his bed had need, each one, to carry his sword drawn because of fear in the night. Yet, when I have seen God’s people steadfast, my fears have fled! Yes, I have said the Lord keeps the feet of His saints. He is as a wall of fire round about His own. If it were possible, the powers of evil would deceive the very elect—but it is not possible! The saints are steadfast and each steadfast one cheers his minister and helps him to lay aside his anxieties and to rejoice in the certainty that the Gospel will triumph!”

“The steadfast become our life by stimulating us to greater exertion. I believe that the steadfast help the minister to a high degree of usefulness. When the man of God sees his people living to God at a high rate of piety, he speaks many things which otherwise he never would have spoken. He glories in the work of God and with no bated breath or trace of hesitation, he points to his people and cries, “See what God has done!” He exults over his converts with a holy joy. He cries, “See what they used to be and what they are now! See how life has been made to spring up in the midst of death and how the Light of God shines, where before, darkness reigned.”

“Take away the living evidences of Divine power from the Church and you lower the preacher’s spirit at once—and deprive him of power to demonstrate his commission by the signs that follow it. I am sure, dear Friends, you would have a deadening influence on me if you were not steadfast in holiness. How can I preach up holiness if someone sitting in the gallery looks down and says, “Yonder is one of his members and a worse thief I do not know!” Can I preach up the glory of Grace when someone cries, “Fine talk, but I saw one of the members of his Church half-drunk the other night! Is that what is meant by the free spirit?” If behind me there is a regiment of deceivers and hypocrites, my position is horrible. Surely, I had better give over the preaching of the Gospel when you give over the living of the Gospel! My task, in itself difficult, is rendered absolutely impossible if while I preach one thing, you live another!”

“Happily, it has not been so among you and you will not permit it to be so in the future. May God of Infinite Mercy grant to me that I may live because Christ lives in you! That I may be strong because I can fall back upon you as my “living Epistles, known and read of all men!” Of godly established Christians, I may quote the words of David, “Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them: he shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” The best answer to all the opponents of the old-fashioned Gospel is the godly zeal of an earnest Church. “Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.” I had many things to say to you, but my time has gone. Only may God the Holy Spirit dwell with the preacher that he may preach the Lord Jesus and not himself. And may the Spirit of God dwell with you, dear members of this Church, that you may live under His influence and may bear His fruit unto the Glory of God!

“As for you that are members of other Churches, may the Lord make you to be to your own pastors, their joy and crown! It will be ill for you if, in the Day of Judgment, they have to give an ill account of you. We do not think enough about that trial which each man will have to undergo, or of that account which all under shepherds will have to render in the Last Great Day. It is written, “If the watchman warns them not, they shall perish, but their blood will I require at the watchman’s hands.” Oh, my Master, when You search my garments for the blood of souls, grant that I may be found clear of the blood of all men! What a Heaven this will be! Remember that other Word of God, “If the watchman warns them, and they take no heed of the warning, they shall perish; but he has delivered his soul.”

May every one of us take care to deliver his soul! It is my highest prayer to be able to make full proof of my ministry, that in all of you I may have an unquestioned testimony to my lifelong fidelity to my Lord and to your souls. Pray for me daily and for yourselves, also, that by our steadfastness this favored Church may be made to live and flourish till our Lord Himself shall come!

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“For now, we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8 (ESV)

The following is an excerpt from I Thessalonians 3:8 by Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon. He entitled his message Renewed Strength.

It is a matter of life and death to us that you should be rooted, grounded, and settled. Notice first, that some are not in the Lord. Secondly, some appear to be in the Lord, but they are not standing fast. And thirdly, that some in the Lord stand fast in the Lord and these are our life— “Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.”

First, SOME ARE NOT IN THE LORD AT ALL.  

Second, THERE ARE SOME WHO PROFESS TO BE IN CHRIST, BUT THEY CERTAINLY ARE NOT STANDING FAST. 

“This is a Marah—a bitter well. This is a source of heartbreak and of sore tribulation to the servant of God in whom the Spirit of God dwells, namely, that, first, there are many over whom we rejoice who, nevertheless, altogether apostatize. Use the best judgment that you can, there will be some added to a Church who are not really the Lord’s people. They run well— “What hinders them that they should not obey the truth?” They appear to begin in the Spirit, yet, by-and-by, they attempt to be made perfect in the flesh.”

“Oh, foolish ones, “Who has bewitched you?” They seem to be all that we want them to be, for a time, but soon they are nothing that they should be. And this does not happen merely during the first six months or so, otherwise we might set them on probation, but, alas, it has happened to men that have grown gray in the Church—esteemed and honored— and yet they have fallen till their names cannot be mentioned without sorrow! We can never feel sufficiently grateful to our Lord for allowing a Judas to be among the 12, for thus, He, Himself, bore what has been to His servants the most crushing of grief! The man that went to the House of God in company with us has betrayed, not only us, but our Master, and the Truth of God. This has often happened in the history of the Church and, therefore, we may expect it. But whenever it comes, it is a stab to the very soul! Paul, I think, if he were here, would say, “Now we die, because these men do not stand fast in the Lord.”

“Happy am I to have been so largely spared this heart-wounding calamity! Oh, my Brothers and Sisters, we live, if you stand fast in the Lord! But it is as death to us if you turn aside! But there are other forms of instability. Many do not behave in such a way that we could remove their names from the Church roll, but they decline in Grace. Far too many grow worldly and it is especially the case when they grow wealthy. Well did one say to me the other day who has risen to riches, “I almost regret that I have ever changed my position, for I find my difficulties wonderfully increased—my difficulties especially with my family. They ask for things, now, in the form of amusements which they never would have thought of if I had not become wealthy.”

“We know some who were once full of zeal, but now they are neither cold nor hot. These may seem trifles to the thoughtless, but they are not trifles to those who watch after their souls and will have to give an account! Whenever I have seen it, I have said to myself, “How much of this is due to me? How much must I blame myself for this?” And one cannot answer that question immediately. Many thoughts and searching considerations are needed, but, believe me, there is nothing which eats more like a sharp acid into a man’s inmost soul to cause him a daily grief than when he sees those that profess to be servants of Christ not answering to the processes of Grace, but acting like worldly men!”

“Brothers, stick to your work for God! If you preach, preach on! If called to teach in the Sunday school, at your peril leave your class! If God has bid you go from door to door with tracts, stick to it, and when the Lord Himself shall come, you cannot be found in a better position than in that of discharging the offices to which He has called you! He would not have us stand with our mouths wide open gazing into the air! The best position for a servant, when his Master comes, is to be found doing his Master’s will.”

“We live, if you stand fast in the Lord as to doctrine and as to holy service, and especially we live if the Lord keeps you, dear Brothers and Sisters, true in the matter of holy conversation. I call that holiness which minds its work at home. I call that holiness which makes a kind father, a true brother, an obedient child and makes me mind my daily calling and see that I make others happy and so commend the Gospel to them.”.

“See to it that your personal characters in secret before God, at home before your friends and outside in the world where eagle eyes watch to perceive your infirmities, are spotless and unblameable! For then we live! But when men can turn around and fling in our teeth, “These are your Christians, and they deal as others deal and talk as others talk,” then down goes our spirit and we wish we could die! It is life to lead a band of earnest steadfast men who know the Truth of God and live the Truth of God and are ready to die for the Truth of God! This is an honor of which we feel we are unworthy, though we aspire to it. But to lead inconsistent, dubious, half-hearted, idle people onward to some imaginary goal is a doom compared with which death, itself, is delight.”

“Now, dear Brothers and Sisters, the reason why every true minister sinks in heart when those who seem to be in Christ do not stand fast is this—unless men are steadfast, the Church is weakened. The strength of any Church must be the aggregate of the strength of all the members put together. Therefore, if you have a set of weak Brethren, you multiply the weakness of each one by the number of the membership. What a hospital is the result! If each Believer is strong, then the whole Church is strong. And that is our desire—we pine to see the Church of God vigorous in her holy calling! If Believers are steadfast, then God is glorified. Transient piety brings no glory to God! God is not honored by that religion which is taken up today and laid down tomorrow. It is only by perseverance—yes, and perseverance to the end, that glory is brought to God.”

“We live in your joy and if you miss it, we grieve for your incalculable loss, for believe me, there is no joy like the highest form of Christianity—and to lose this is a catastrophe! The beginnings of piety are often bitter—and difficult advances are often made through the sea and through the terrible wilderness—but the higher stage of piety is the Beulah land from which you look into the Paradise of God, yourself living on the borders of it! If any child of God should miss this highest joy, it is a most heavy grief to those who watch for their souls. Be you steadfast, for so we live.”

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“For now, we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8 (ESV)

The following is an excerpt from I Thessalonians 3:8 by Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon. He entitled his message Renewed Strength.

It is a matter of life and death to us that you should be rooted, grounded, and settled. Notice first, that some are not in the Lord. Secondly, some appear to be in the Lord, but they are not standing fast. And thirdly, that some in the Lord stand fast in the Lord and these are our life— “Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.”

First, SOME ARE NOT IN THE LORD AT ALL. A solid mass of infidelity and godlessness hems us in. 

“Our heart is heavy because this great city is determined to shut its eyes to the Light of God. There are streets upon streets in which none attend the House of God and we have it on credible information that in certain districts if one man in a street is seen to go regularly to a place of worship, his neighbors mark him as a singular being. The home-born Londoner of the working classes, as a rule, has no care for a place of worship. If I were living in the country, I think I would be content with but half a wage sooner than to come and dwell in this ungodly place!”

“Our members try to bring up their children in God’s fear, but they are often compelled to quit their homes because of the filthy conduct of those who defile our streets. Yet this is not my present theme. Our greater sorrow is that there are many who hear the Gospel and are not in the Lord! We are not sorry that they should come to hear the Word of God— would to God that all Christ-less souls would hear of Christ! But we are sorry that they have come month after month, year after year, and have received no saving benefit. I still meet, here and there, with those who tell me, “I used to hear you in Park Street and Exeter Hall,” and yet I gather from them that they are undecided. I have small hope for them if 30 years of ministry have not brought them to Christ!”

“At any rate, these many years add to the dreadful probability that they will continue to make the Word of God to be unto themselves a savor of death unto death. If I could pick out of this audience, tonight, by Infallible guidance, one man or one woman and could point to that person and say, “Such a one will certainly go down to Hell to endure the everlasting wrath of God”—and if you knew that I was speaking like a Prophet from God and that it was certainly so—you would turn round and look with deepest grief upon that doomed soul! You would shudder to be sitting in the same pew! And yet though, thank God, we may not speak with that certainty, the probability grows so great as almost to amount to a certainty concerning those upon whom entreaties have been wasted, upon whom expostulations have been wasted, by whom invitations have been refused, that they will continue to harden their hearts until at last they sink into the place where mercy never enters!”

“Ah, Lord, these are heavy tidings and Your saints feel them! I know I am speaking to many who deeply sympathize with me when I say that the thought of this is a worm that makes our joys decay. I mean the thought that some of you contribute to God’s work and are, in many points, excellent—and yet you lack the one thing necessary—and after having joined with God’s people in outward acts of devotion you will be driven from His Presence forever! O Infinite Mercy, grant that it may not be so, but may these men and women, even now, be led to believe in Jesus and be saved! We die when we think of those who are not in the Lord at all! How it would revive us if we could see them saved!”

“If there is a deadening influence about the thought that some few among us are not converted, think of what the effect must be upon a minister’s mind if he shall have labored long and seen no fruit. There may be instances in which a man has been faithful, but not successful—places where, for a time, the dew falls not and the softening influences of the Spirit are not given. Then the soil breaks the plowshare and the weary ox is ready to faint. I began to preach while yet a youth, scarcely 16 years of age, but before I had preached half a dozen times I saw persons affected by those sermons. I pined to find some heart that had looked to Jesus while I had preached Him—and I have photographed upon my memory, at this very moment, a very humble clay-walled cottage which seemed to me to be a sacred spot, for I was told by a venerable deacon that it was the house of a poor woman who had sought and found the Savior through my ministry.”

“I did not let the week conclude till I had seen her, for I hungered for the joy of meeting with one whom I had brought to Christ! If I found one soul converted, I took heart and looked for more. Brothers, are you working for Jesus? Then you know what it is to feel the shadow of death when you do not win a soul! Does it not seem hard to be knocking for Christ against a door that never opens, but has fresh bolts put on it to keep it closed? Be not ashamed of yourself because you feel distressed—it proves your capacity for being used. By-and-by God will bless you and then you will understand the text, “Now we live.” You will find that your pulse is quickened, your heart’s blood warmed—you will be filled with a more Divine life as you rise nearer to the dignity of a savior of men and taste the unspeakable joys for which Christ laid down His life!”

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“For now, we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8 (ESV)

The following is an excerpt from I Thessalonians 3:8 by Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon. He entitled his message Renewed Strength.

“MINISTERS who are really sent of God greatly rejoice in the spiritual prosperity of their people. If they see God’s Word prosper, they prosper. If the Church of God is blessed, they are blessed. Their life is wrapped up in the spiritual life of their people. Never is the servant of God so full of delight as when he sees that the Holy Spirit is visiting his hearers, making them to know the Lord, and confirming them in that heavenly knowledge.”

“On the other hand, if God does not bless the word of His servants, it is like death to them! To be preaching and to have no blessing makes them heavy of heart—the chariot wheels are taken off and they drag heavily along—they seem to have no power nor liberty. They get depressed and they go back to their Master with this complaint, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

“He revives and cheers them—and they come back to their service—but if they do not see a manifest blessing resting upon the people, they cry and sigh and are like dying men. If the Lord willed to do so, He might have made robots to preach and these would only need to be wound up and allowed to run down again! They would have known no feelings of joy or of sorrow and would have been invulnerable to the arrows of grief. We have heard of the Iron Duke. Iron preachers would have been enduring instruments and would never have been laid aside by mental depression.”

“But the sympathy of the preacher is God’s great instrument for blessing the hearer! If you read a sermon in a book it is good, but if you hear it preached fresh from the man’s heart, it is far more effective. There is a living fellow-feeling about it, and that is the power which God has, in all ages, been pleased to use—the power of a spirit which He has made sensitive with affection— so sensitive that it rises to joy when its affectionate purpose is accomplished and sinks to depths of grief when that purpose fails.”

“This, I take it, is what the Apostle means when he says, “Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.” The people can make the pastor happy beyond expression by their being rich in Grace and happy in Christ! But they can make him miserable beyond all description if they are either unstable or insincere. Dearly Beloved, I have often rejoiced in God as I have seen the work of the Spirit among you. It is no small joy that for many years we have never been without an increase to the Church. With few exceptions we have never gathered at our monthly communions without receiving a considerable number into our membership.”

“During these years some have turned back, to our great sorrow, and some have flagged, to our solemn grief. But others have persistently carried on the work of God and have developed gifts and graces which have made them qualified for larger spheres. At this day those at home come behind in no gifts and those abroad do not forget the hallowed training of Zion. In every part of the earth some are engaged in holy service who have gone out from this Church.”

“For all this, our heart must be grateful. But these are evil times. These are times, the like of which I have not seen before, in which the foundations are removed and “what shall the righteous do?” The winds are out. The tackling’s are loosed. The mariners reel to and fro! Everything seems to be drifting. Men know not where they are!”

“Half the professing Christians of the present day do not know their heads from their heels and the half that do know seem inclined to take to their heels and run rather than stand steadfast in the faith and wait till evil days are over! It is time that we spoke to you concerning steadfastness—that you be not like idle boys that leap hedges and ditches after every nest that silly birds may choose to make—but that you keep to the King’s Highway of holiness and truth and hold fast to the doctrines and the practices which are taught us in the Word of God. I say to you by this discourse, “Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.”

“It is a matter of life and death to us that you should be rooted, grounded, and settled. Notice first, that some are not in the Lord. Secondly, some appear to be in the Lord, but they are not standing fast. And thirdly, that some in the Lord stand fast in the Lord and these are our life— “Now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.”

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

The Apostle Paul was concerned whether or not the Thessalonians were continually living for Christ (3:1-5). Paul’s comfort regarding them came because of Timothy’s good report of their faith and love. The apostle was also blessed by their prayers of kindness and their longing to see him and Silas. The deep affection was mutual.

“Romans 12:15 features this command from the Apostle Paul: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” With these words, Paul exhorts us not to regard ourselves as mere individuals with respect to our relationship to Christ. That is, we must not view ourselves as connected to Jesus but disconnected from others who likewise trust in the Savior. We must understand ourselves as so closely related to other believers that what saddens them saddens us and what fills them with joy fills us with joy also,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“We are to understand ourselves in this way because we are in fact connected to other Christians in this way. Today’s passage provides evidence of this truth. Paul reports on the update Timothy gave him regarding the spiritual state of the Thessalonians, explaining how news of their perseverance in the faith comforted him, even bringing the Apostle and his companions life (1 Thess. 3:6–8). This is possible only because of the union Christians have with one another as one body in Christ. We are “members one of another” (Rom. 12:5), and our welfare is in some mysterious way inseparable from the welfare of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.”

I recently called a friend of mine who’s grandson had tragically died. What could I say? The words exchanged between us were few. The emotions exchanged were deep and sorrowful. The love and concern Paul felt for these first century believers is the love and concern I have for my friend and his family. This is the love we are to have for one another (I Cor. 13:1-8; I John 4:7-11).

Southern Gospel composer Lanny Wolfe expressed it well in his song God’s Family.

Verse One                                                                                                                    We’re part of the family that’s been born again                                                      Part of the family whose love knows no end.                                                              For Jesus has saved us and made us His own.                                                          Now we’re part of the family that’s on its way home

Chorus:                                                                                                                      And sometimes we laugh together, sometimes we cry                                  Sometimes we share together heartaches and sighs.                                               Sometimes we dream together of how it will be                                                        When we all get to Heaven, God’s family.

Verse Two:                                                                                                                  When a brother meets sorrow, we all feel his grief.                                                  And when he’s passed through the valley, we all feel relief.                                 Together in sunshine, together in rain,                                                                    Together in victory through His precious name.

Verse Three:                                                                                                                 And though some go before us, we’ll all meet again,                                                    Just inside the city when we enter in.                                                                          There’ll be no more parting, with Jesus we’ll be,                                                  Together forever, God’s family.

Unconverted sinners need Christ. So also do believers in Christ need Christ and fellow believers in Christ. We need each other while we, and others, face the distresses and afflictions of life in this fallen world. It is when fellow believers in Christ stand firm in their faith, then our faith stands firm.  

“Timothy brought news of the faith and love of the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 3:6). This refers to their continuing trust in Christ and the fruit of this trust in their love for God and for one another. Timothy’s update assured Paul that the gospel was bearing fruit among the Thessalonians, for faith and love are of the essence of salvation—faith because it alone connects us to Jesus, and love because it is proof of that faith and thus of our connection to the Lord (Rom. 4:5; James 2:14–26),” states Dr. Sproul.

 John Calvin comments: “In these two words [Paul] comprehends briefly the entire sum of true piety. Hence all that aim at this twofold mark during their whole life are beyond all risk of erring.”

Continue to stand fast in your faith. Remember those in your life who stood firm and fast in the faith and helped you to do the same. Realize someone, you may not even know who, is watching you. They’re encouraged by you. They’re strengthened in their walk of faith because of you. They’re praying for you and thanking God for you. We need Christ and we need each other.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!