1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Is Our City Thankful for Us?

A sermon by Pastor Joe Haynes

Preached on October 8, 2017 at Beacon Church

I’m fascinated by fossils. Specifically, the process itself of fossilization—when something that was alive is buried and over time its organic matter all gets replaced with mineral deposits. All the recent finds of dinosaur bones, and even still organic skin (unfossilised!) gave me a reason to try and learn about how fossils are made. I see an analogy in fossils that illustrates the difference between living churches and dead churches. One of the things you notice when you visit cities like Thessalonica in Greece, or other European cities, is the number of empty church buildings. But you can see the same thing travelling around Victoria or Vancouver—old churches empty, or nearly empty; turned into daycares or private residences, and so on. But instead of being depressing fossils of the past, these actually highlight an exciting truth about real Christianity: real Christianity can never get more than one lifetime old. It can’t be inherited. Christianity is not an ethnic group, or a culture you pass on to your children. Christian parents do not have Christian babies. They just have babies. Natural babies. When those babies grow up, some of them do become Christians, but that’s not a merely natural change—it’s supernatural. But the old empty fossils of churches are what’s left over after the organic, living parts were gradually replaced by lifeless mineral parts, which retained the basic shape from when the church was alive, even when finally nothing alive remained. But calling that dead husk, “Christianity,” is just as wrong as finding a T-Rex skeleton in the dirt and calling it a dinosaur. It used to be a dinosaur, but now that all the organic stuff is long gone, can we really call it a dinosaur? It’s just the left-over shape of a dinosaur. This means that much of what our society thinks is Christianity is no such thing; it’s just the left over shape of what once was a living Christian church.

Some churches die off because of the sorts of violent outbreaks and hostile persecutions that troubled the fledgling church to whom Paul wrote this letter. But even in affliction, healthy churches often just seem to reproduce and spread. I think most of the time—if Europe is a good example—when churches die it’s because they’ve been fossilized. The living parts replaced by lifeless members. So what I see here in 1 Thessalonians 3 is really incredible: if every church that used to meet all over our city listened to this letter and took it to heart, I don’t think there would be any empty, dead church fossils in Victoria. That’s precisely why Paul wrote these words to those “baby Christians” in Thessalonica. Because one thing makes church fossilization impossible: real faith.  

Real faith lasts

“For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain,” (1 Thess. 3:5 ESV). Paul's fear was that these new Christians in Thessalonica, who had been Christians for six months or less, might have quit following Jesus. But is that possible? Is it possible for someone who is regenerated--spiritually reborn--by God, who therefore has eternal life, and believes in Jesus (as Jesus said in John 3:36, "whoever believes in the Son has eternal life")--is it possible for that person to lose their eternal life? Well no. It's called eternal life in John 3 precisely because it never dies; it is everlasting. The good news, the Gospel of Jesus, is that He already did everything necessary for you to receive forgiveness form God, to be saved from death, and to live in joy forever. There’s literally nothing left for you to do but to believe—to trust in Jesus and through trusting to receive the benefits of what He did for us. It’s not possible to lose what Jesus secured for us. But I'll tell you what is possible: it is possible, and maybe even common, for people who respond positively to the Gospel and make a decision to start obeying Jesus, to eventually give up and even deny Jesus. And if they do, it's as Jesus said in that same verse, "whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." The wrath of God remains on such a person, meaning it had never left; meaning such a person had never been born again in the first place. In that one verse Jesus affirmed that there are people who have eternal life and believe, and people who don't have eternal life and so at the end of the day they don't obey Jesus. Paul's fear for the Thessalonians was that at the end of the day they would turn out to be those who "remain" under the wrath of God.

This principle is not hard to understand. Let me put it this way so that we can see what the Holy Spirit is teaching through Paul's writing here. There are people--lots of people--who at one time start following Jesus, and then stop altogether, because nothing spiritual has changed in them--they are still just natural and doing what comes naturally. When a church is mostly only natural people, it is never long before it’s just an empty building. On the other hand, some people keep on following Jesus, in spite of many setbacks and stumbles, because something spiritual has changed in them--they are supernatural and do many things that don't come naturally. And what Paul writes to these Thessalonian Christians teaches us why some people at the end of the day keep on following Jesus [read v8b-9] There are three reasons here that spiritually reborn believers ultimately persevere in following Christ:

1.   Because their life is God-given (v9a) (therefore Paul thanks God for them)

2.   Because their life is God-focused (v8b) (therefore Paul realizes that they are "standing fast in the Lord")

3.   Because they are happy (v9b) (therefore Paul describes the joy he feels on account of what God has done)

Real faith reproduces

6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you--  7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.  8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. (1 Thess. 3:6-8 ESV)

In these verses, we see the results of Paul's faith in Christ. It became a reproducing faith. And he intends that the Thessalonians, as they followed his example, would also reproduce their faith. He already talked about how they imitated him, Sylvanus and Timothy (1:6); and of the first generation of Christians in Judea (2:14). He already had described his behaviour, when he was with them, as that of a mother with her infant; and as a father with his children (2:7, 11). In verse 6 Paul lists some of the supernatural things Timothy reported about these spiritually changed Thessalonians, but in verse 7 Paul gives them his own example to follow in yet another attitude that does not come naturally. [read v7]

Timothy reported good news about the Thessalonians' a) faith, b) love, c) and affectionate longing to see their spiritual fathers again (can I call them that?). This was great news because it would have been so natural for them to stop believing when the persecutions started, to stop loving each other when it might even cost them their lives, and to become bitter toward the missionaries whose preaching had so provoked the enemies of Christianity in Thessalonica. But this faith, love, and the affectionate bond between Christians with nothing in common but Christ, these were evidence of supernatural change.

And then Paul adds, in verse 7, that the comfort he got from hearing Timothy's wonderful news, not only alleviated his worries about them, but made up for whatever he suffered while Timothy was gone. “For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord,” (1 Thess. 3:8 ESV). This is a weird thing to say. But it's only weird because it's not a familiar kind of thing to say to our modern, English-speaking ears. But look at the words: "now we live"--that is, until Timothy came and told him the news from Thessalonica, the worry was sort of killing Paul and his team. Why? Because if the Thessalonian believers stopped following Jesus, not only would Paul’s heart break for their loss, but according to verse 5, his life-work would be "in vain"--for nothing. But "now"--after Timothy returned with the news--the signs of their eternal life revived Paul's old bones and gave him a renewed will to continue his life's work--his reason for living--to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to dying people. If Paul was the Thessalonians' spiritual "father" because of the Gospel, then he wants his Thessalonian "children" to grow up to be like him: to make it their life-work, their mission, to reach other people with the life-giving Gospel of Christ. He already had said as much in 1:7-8, but the suffering and setbacks they had experienced had stalled their growth and progress in toward Christian maturity. And that's the topic he turns to next in verse 10.

Real faith grows

The reason Paul prayed so much and wanted so badly to visit the Thessalonians again was not for his sake, but for theirs: to help them overcome the false beliefs and misunderstandings that were holding them back in their Christian faith. “…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 Thess. 3:10 ESV).

Some of us will hear what Paul says Christians should be like, and come to the conclusion that if our faith isn't like it's supposed to be, then maybe we should call it quits? Maybe we aren't really Christians after all? Let me say this as gently as I can because I care about you: if you quit on Jesus, then you don't really trust Him. But my dear friend, if believe Jesus is trustworthy, even enough to say, “Jesus please help me trust you more!” Then my friend, take courage from verse 10. The problem you feel is not that you have no faith at all; the problem is that your faith isn't perfect. It's got holes in it; it wobbly because it is still learning to walk; it is lacking what you need to persevere and reproduce.

I can guarantee you that even people who heard the Gospel from the Apostle Paul, after turning from idols to follow Jesus, still had times when they were tempted to return to their old idols—old habits just feel natural. [1:9] That doesn't mean they weren't real Christians, it just means their faith was lacking in some way. Look again at verse 10. What are the gaps in your faith? The weak places? What is missing? Maybe you need to spend some face-to-face time each week with someone to read Scripture together long enough to supply what’s lacking?

At Beacon, we are not a church of perfect believers, we are a church of growing believers. And because every one of us is lacking in some area of our faith, we make a promise to each other--a members' covenant--to help each other keep growing. All new members enter into that covenant, and every two years we renew that covenant. And the covenant represents our commitment to keep asking for others to help us grow in our faith, and to be willing to help others grow in their faith. This is so important because if we are afraid to ask for help from other believers, we will be tempted to wear a mask and hide what's really going on. And if others in our church don't get the help they ask for and need from us, then like Paul was worried about the Thessalonians, "the tempter will tempt you and our labor will turn out to be in vain". Whoever it was who first explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ to you, I don't want their effort to be in vain--for nothing. I don't want our effort, in starting this church and working so hard these last 4 years, to be for nothing. I want to have fruit from our ministry. And if you enter into our members' covenant at Beacon, then you are also saying you want to see real 3-D fruit from our ministry together.

Real faith loves

Beacon Communities Church is not a business. And converts to Jesus are not our product. We aren't quite like a hospital either, although it is our ministry to welcome broken and hurting people and help them find healing from our great Physician, Jesus. We are more like a family, and our joy, our life-mission and the purpose of our whole ministry, is to be used by God to help more people discover real faith in Jesus--faith that lasts, that reproduces, that grows, and faith that loves. “Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you…” (1 Thess. 3:11 ESV). Paul would not pray what he does in verse 11 if God didn’t ordinarily use people to help other people follow Jesus. God does direct you and me and remove obstacles, and supply opportunities, for us to serve each other. But Christian faith that lasts, reproduces, grows, and bears practical fruit, is still the result of God’s grace. “…And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you…” (1 Thess. 3:12 ESV). Do you see why I’m so sure Paul wants the Thessalonian disciples to follow his example? “as we do for you” is about the specific example Paul is encouraging these believers to imitate. That example is love. Growing love—“increase and abound”. For two groups of people: “one another” and also “for all”—that is, for other believers in the church, and for everyone outside the church family. See a church that just gets together to love God, is a church already dying. It will soon leave behind an empty building. But a church that loves one another is a powerful counter-cultural witness in a society like ours. I recently heard of a church that gives no-interest micro-loans to single moms to help them become independent. Can you imagine what we as a church family could do if we decided that it’s our privilege and honour to help meet each others’ needs? But a church that lasts a long time in a city; a church that enjoys a powerful witness in a city; a church that city residents are thankful for, is a church that also, out of love, helps to meet the needs that exist in the neighbourhoods and institutions around them. That is what I mean by 3D love. That’s why we have a members’ covenant. To help us have faith that lasts, that reproduces, that grows, that loves God, one another, and the people in need all around us. “…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 Thess. 3:13 ESV).

If we have been changed by God, then we need to remember to keep asking Him to change us. Increasing and abounding in supernatural love. Christians like that really do reflect the likeness of God’s holiness. Christians like that are not the continual subjects of moral scandals and accusations of corruption or hypocrisy. Genuine love that takes the well-being of others to heart is the best antidote I know of to the cycle of temptations that lead us to hurt each other. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power behind that kind of supernatural love:

· For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16 ESV)

· Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?  3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  (Gal. 3:2-3 ESV)

In verse 13 Paul looks forward to the day when these baby Christians in the six month old church of the Thessalonians will stand before Christ, when He comes, together with all regenerated, born again, and finally resurrected followers of Jesus, called “saints”. In his mind’s eye, he can see them “standing firm,” and “blameless” with Jesus on that great Day. In verse 8, he admitted that hope is his life’s purpose—to see them reach their happy reward. And it’s my purpose as well, and the desire of my heart, to see you standing firm with them.