When my neighbor from Brazil heard that I was a pastor, he
said, wow, you must be living well.
And I asked him, what do you mean?
He said, well, in Brazil, the pastor's drive the nicest cars
and every sermon is about tithing over and over again.
And I told him that gospel that you've been hearing growing up,
it's not from the Bible that actually originated in America.
It is America's most dangerous export.
It's called the prosperity gospel.
Follow Jesus and you'll never be poor.
Jesus became poor so that we by his poverty might become rich.
Follow Jesus and you'll never get sick, Isaiah said.
By his wounds we are healed. Follow Jesus and you'll never
suffer again. That's not the gospel.
That's another gospel. It's a false gospel.
Friends, I hate the prosperity gospel.
It's often called the health and wealth gospel.
If you follow Jesus, you'll be healthy, wealthy, happy.
It's a gospel that's spreading throughout Africa and it's
thriving in Asia and in South America.
When people often talk about the rapid growth of Christianity in
the world, friends, the prosperity gospel that is, it's
dark underbelly. It's not the gospel and it's
dangerous. I especially hate what the
prosperity gospel says to Christians who are in the midst
of suffering. Like one of my friends who heard
when his daughter was terminally ill from his pastor, his pastor
told them it's because you lack faith or maybe you're hiding
some secret sin. Christian, you know that is not
the gospel. It's a false gospel.
We know that in our heads. But then the question for us is,
if we believe that is false, why are we surprised by suffering?
Has our sound doctrine found a home from our head to our
hearts, or deep down? Is there a little bit of
prosperity theology, the idea that suffering is abnormal or
accidental for the Christian? Are we in any way like Job's
wife, praising God when the good times roll, ready to curse God
and die when they don't? Brothers and sisters, we need to
examine our expectations because in the true gospel, in God's
gospel, in Paul's gospel, in the only gospel, suffering comes
before glory. That's what we see in the book
of First Thessalonians. If you have your Bible, please
open the First Thessalonians chapter 2.
If you don't have a Bible, feel free to raise your hand right
now. Maybe you didn't bring one.
Maybe you don't even have one at home.
Raise your hand. Somebody will bring a Bible to
you up here and you can follow along.
First Thessalonians, It's in the New Testament.
It's one of Paul's letters. We've been learning in the past
couple weeks from the only church in the New Testament that
Paul calls an example. They were only a few months old
when Paul, Silas, and Timothy and his missionary team were
forced out of town because of persecution.
And yet this church is an example not only in how they
received the Word, but in how they suffered for the Word.
In chapter 1, Paul encouraged this church.
They were a model in receiving the Word in much affliction.
In chapter 2, as we've seen, Paul reminded them of how he
faithfully ministered among them.
And now today, Paul's focus shifts to what happened after he
left Thessalonica. So look there, chapter 2, verse
17, all the way to chapter 3, verse 5.
Listen as I read. But since we were torn away from
you, brothers, for a short time, in person, not in heart, we
endeavour the more eagerly and with great desire to see you
face to face, because we wanted to come to you, I Paul, again
and again. But Satan hindered us.
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of boasting before our
Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?
For you are our glory and joy. Therefore when we could bear it
no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone.
And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's Co worker in the
gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith
that no one be moved by these afflictions.
For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.
For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that
we were to suffer affliction just as it has come to pass, and
just as you know. 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 labour would
be in vain. This months old church plant is
Paul's glory before Jesus Christ at his coming.
But first chapters 3 verses one to five.
They must suffer affliction, They must suffer faithfully
suffering, then glory as a church.
Our job from this passage is to disciple one another to suffer
well, then enter glory. Disciple one another to suffer
well, and then enter glory. If you're taking notes, there's
two points. First is Bound for glory,
chapter 2, verses 17 to 20. Bound for glory.
Where was Paul? The Thessalonian church may have
wondered. He planted the church.
Then he skipped town. Perhaps Paul moved on to a
bigger and better ministry assignment.
In verses 17 to 20, Paul reassures the Church of his
affection. He tells them the reason for his
absence, and he reminds them once again of an important date
on their calendar. Christ's coming.
Look at verses 17 and 18. But since we were torn away from
you, brothers, for a short time, in person, not in heart, we
endeavoured the more eagerly and with great desire to see you
face to face, because we wanted to come to you.
I, Paul, again and again we were torn away from you.
That's how Paul describes his departure.
He was driven out. He didn't leave voluntarily.
Earlier, Paul had described himself as an innocent infant
among them. He ministered among them with
pure motives. He also called himself a nursing
mother. He nurtured them by giving of
his own self to them. He also said that he was a
present father. He sat with them.
He exhorted them. He instructed them.
In verse 17, he gives the idea that he's an orphan.
To them, the phrase torn away is literally Greek for having been
orphaned. Paul feels as if he was forced
from his own parents. One day Paul was caring for the
congregation. The next day he was gone.
There were goodbyes he never said.
There were notes he never wrote. There were hugs he never gave,
there one moment torn away the next.
But it was notice in person, not in heart.
Meaning you could physically tear Paul away.
But his heart stayed put. He loved that congregation.
Can you see his affection for them?
Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher in London, He
described what a pastor's heart should be.
He said a man must have a great heart if he would have a great
congregation. His heart should be as capacious
as those noble harbours along our coast which contains sea
room for a fleet. When a man has a large loving
heart, men go to him as ships to a haven, and feel at peace when
they have anchored under the Lee of his friendship.
Such a man is Hardy and private, as well as in public.
His blood is not cold or fishy, but he is warm as your own
fireside. One of the requirements for a
pastor first Peter 5 verse 2 is that his ministry is not under
compulsion but willingly, meaning that you don't have to
twist his arm for him to do the work of ministry.
You don't have to push him to be with people because his heart
has been loved by God and that love overflows to his
congregation. Brother, if you aspire to
pastoral ministry, this is the heart you must have for your
people. Are you such a man?
The Apostle Paul certainly was, and his actions proved it.
Look at, look at the verse. He endeavoured eagerly, with
great desire, to see the Thessalonians face to face.
Paul's ministry mode was face to face, in person, embodied.
There's no replacement that exists for being face to face
with someone. When we lived in Dubai, we would
often try to sync up with our families over FaceTime and the
time differences were so difficult and sometimes the
connection was so spotty, it was almost worse to try to FaceTime
face to face. There's nothing like it.
That was Paul's ministry week after week, being in the same
room with the same people, the same church.
Do not underestimate face to face ministry.
That's what Paul tried to do. He says I tried to come again
and again, but look at verse 18. Satan hindered us.
Friend, if you're not a Christian, what do you make of
this verse? What do you think of Paul's
comment here? Satan hindered us with our
Western worldview shaped by the Enlightenment.
We've shut off the spiritual realm as if all that exists is
what you can see with your eyes. We even laugh at the idea of a
real, personal, evil spiritual enemy against all of humanity.
But that's exactly what Paul's observed here.
Not only do we have the vanity of the world that we have to
face the temptations from our own flesh, we also have to deal
with the devil. Paul tried to visit Satan,
thwarted his plans. Satan hindered him.
Hindered is a military term for breaking up a road so that your
enemy can't pass through. That's how Paul describes
Satan's schemes. Satan made Paul's road to the
Thessalonian church impassable. There was no way to get to them,
but he tried. How did Satan do this?
It could have been ongoing persecution from the Jews.
Remember, Paul was thrust out of town by the Jews.
They followed him all the way to Berea.
They forced him to flee, even to Athens.
It could have been the legal ban.
That was that place in Thessalonica by the politicians.
Remember when Paul was in Thessalonica, they took Jason
and made him pay them money. Perhaps part of that deal was
this guy. Paul can never show his face
back in this town. Some scholars think it might
have been Paul's thorn in the flesh, whatever that may be.
Who knows? At the end of the day, Paul
doesn't say how Satan did it. He just says that Satan was
behind it, meaning any blame for distance in their relationship
should fall solely on Paul's old, ancient enemy, older than
humanity itself, the adversary. And friends, if you're a
Christian, Satan has his sights set on you, too, Paul says in
Ephesians 612. For we do not wrestle against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers, over this present darkness, against
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Are you aware of your enemy? Can you spot Satan's schemes?
The Scriptures help us. They give us a couple pictures
of Satan and his strategies. One is Satan is a snake.
Now kids, I do not know why you like snakes.
There should be no reason for it.
Satan is a snake. He slithers onto the scene in
Genesis chapter 3 and he whispers lies.
He's crafty, craftier than any of the any other beasts.
He deceives Eve, he tricks her, he lies to her, and she falls
for it. So wherever you see deception at
play, wherever you see lies or false teaching like the
prosperity gospel, know that Satan, the father of lies, is
working behind the scenes. Another picture of the Scripture
gives us is a dragon. He's a snake.
He's also a dragon. In Revelation 12, Satan the
dragon attacks God's people. He wants to devour the church.
He comes to steal, kill and destroy.
He is a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
So wherever you see persecution attempts to destroy God's church
through division, No, Satan's behind the scenes.
He's pulling the strings. Satan's a snake, he deceives.
He's a dragon, he destroys. Satan is not under every rock or
behind every flat tire. But it would be foolish, it
would even play into his hand to not acknowledge that he's
actively scheming against this church right now.
He's actively scheming against you in this room.
His aim is to hinder your marriage, to derail your family,
to destroy your workplace, your neighborhood.
He's out to get you. He wants to hinder you, to
destroy you. He's setting up roadblocks as
you seek to advance the gospel. And yet we don't need to be
scared of Satan. He's a snake, he's a dragon.
But the Scripture gives us the picture that he's on a leash.
In other words, every one of his movements is determined by God
himself. He cannot move an inch unless
the Lord allows it. And so we don't need to be
scared of him, but we need to be aware of him and we need to take
comfort, Brothers and sisters, soon the God of peace will crush
Satan under our feet. Why does Paul say this about
Satan? Because as we're going to see in
the next, next section, Satan was not only at work against
Paul, he was also at work against them.
But look at verses 17 and 19 and 20, verses 19 and 20.
Paul's concern is not so much with Satan.
Paul's eyes are on that last day when Jesus Christ returns.
He wants to visit these believers verses 1920 because
they are his hope, his joy, his crown of boasting before the
Lord Jesus that is coming. They are the ones that he's
thinking about them and Jesus. That's his concern.
That's why he wants to see them. He sees everyone and everything
in light of that day when the king returns.
Paul's already considered the end multiple times in this book.
He just did it in verse 16 of chapter 2, just a verse before.
There it was considering God's wrath when Christ returns and
judges his enemies. Here he's considering when
Christ returns and saves his people.
It's two sides of the same coin. That's what's going to happen
when the king comes. That's the language here use
coming a royal visitation, like when a king returns.
What's Paul going to present to King Jesus on that day when he
comes back? The Thessalonians, you, he says
at the Roman Athletic Games, the victor was crowned with a Laurel
wreath. It was the trophy they were
given. Paul saying here you're my
trophy. You're the one I'm going to
present to Jesus on the last day.
If you ask Paul at his post game interview, Paul, why'd you put
in all those hours? Why'd you work so hard?
Why'd you endure those beatings, those sleepless nights, those
accusations, those imprisonments?
What's in it for you, Paul? Paul would have said, I did it
for them. I did it so that they would be
safe at home with Jesus. Paul's glory and the
Thessalonians glory were bound together in Jesus Christ.
You know, I'm not sure if you've heard of FIRE, financial
independence. Retire early.
It's a whole movement right now. People who are just working
their tails off in their 20s and 30s and trying to put, you know,
50 or 60% of their income into retirement so that when they hit
40 or 45, they can just live the rest of their life and never
have to work another day. So the whole movement happening
right now, I think Paul would say it's too short sighted.
You know, why is non Christians plan for retirement, for life
after the ability to work? There's wisdom there.
They intentionally set aside some of their income so that in
the future when they can't work, they'll be able to live still.
Something non Christians don't do is prepare for the end, for
Christ's return for life after death.
That's what Paul did. And what was his spiritual
investment scheme? What was Paul's spiritual 4O1K?
It was the Thessalonian church. He preached the gospel to them.
He exhorted them to walk with God and to please him.
He discipled them. His aim was their glory with
Jesus at the end. That's an elders labour in a
church to disciple the congregation.
You know that happens in public teaching, like what I'm doing
right now. It also just happens as you
watch their life as an example of what it means to be a
faithful follower of Jesus. It happens in all those little
conversations, the moments you have in their home as you sit
with them over coffee constantly.
Their aim with you, member of this church, is that you'd stand
before Jesus on the last day in glory, that you'd be with Jesus,
that you'd make it home. Every sermon, every
conversation, every prayer, every encouragement, every
rebuke is aimed at that day so that you'd stand before Jesus
face to face and he'd look at you and he'd say well done, good
and faithful servant. And brothers and sisters, that's
part of your job description too.
Discipling is for every Christian.
Every Christian's a disciple. Every Christian's commanded to
make disciples. Brothers and sisters, who are
you discipling? What's their name?
Who are you depositing spiritual investments into?
Who are you helping follow Jesus?
If you can't think of anyone, if names aren't coming to your
head, if faces aren't coming to your heart, is it possible that
your priorities aren't in line with pulse?
In other words, are you really living in accord with the coming
reality of that day when you'll be face to face with Jesus
Christ? Parents, you have built in
opportunities with your kids. They are the most important
discipling relationships. God's given you.
Your children Don't complicate things.
Keep it simple. Share the gospel with them.
Read the Bible to them. Pray with them.
Ask them questions. Ask them spiritual questions.
Ask them what they thought about the sermon.
Ask them what they're learning in kids class.
Maybe your kids are out of the house.
Have them over for dinner. See how they're doing
spiritually. Ask them what they're thinking
about the things of the Lord. Think beyond.
If your kids are still in the house, like mine are, think
beyond that day when they'll leave your house.
Think beyond that day, even to that day when Christ will
return. Let that be the aim in your
parenting. Dads were specifically charged
by Paul to bring up our children in the discipline and the
admonition, the instruction of the Lord.
Grab lunch with a couple of brothers in the church who are
fathers. Disciple one another.
See how you're doing in that regard.
See how you're doing at discipling one at your kids.
See how you could be growing in that.
Be a good conversation over lunch.
But beyond those, you're related to a couple ideas for your
discipling. 1 Prioritise the local church.
You're spiritually responsible, as we'll read in our church
covenant in just a few moments, for one another in a way that
you're not for other Christians. Prioritise your local church.
Open up your home and your life, the Apostle Peter says.
Show hospitality without grumbling Who has been there
having people in your home feeding them a meal and then in
your heart you're there's so much to clean.
I wish somebody would help. Peter knows that.
Show hospitality without grumbling.
You don't need to serve a three course meal.
The house does not even need to be clean.
You just need to open up your heart and your life honestly
with members of this church. Disciple someone different than
you. It is ordinary, even after this
service, to talk to the people who are just like you.
Keep doing that. That's good.
But also consider what God could be teaching you about himself
from people who are different from you.
Get creative with your opportunities.
We all have different schedules, different bandwidths.
All of us are called the disciple.
Not all of our discipling will look the same.
Steward the season that God's given you.
Do you have a lunch break? Maybe you've got an early
morning. Maybe you can have someone over
while you're folding laundry. I have had many good spiritual
conversations with brothers. While I'm doing dishes after
dinner and does most of the cooking, I'm cleaning up.
We're having a good spiritual conversation and the dishes are
getting done. I learned that from a brother
who is discipling me. Get creative with your
opportunities. What should be ordinary in every
church, not just our church, is that Christians are helping one
another. Follow Jesus and by God's grace,
that's happening in so many ways in this church.
Even in this past week, many of you met up in the early morning
hours or late at night or anytime in between to do one
another spiritual good. Praise the Lord.
That's what we want to see more of.
We want to keep discipling one another in light of that day
when Christ our Saviour will return.
What will be our boast on that day when we see him face to
face? We will not boast in our bank
accounts. We won't boast in our degrees or
our real estate or a corner office or political influence.
But souls, people who were made to live forever.
Let's live in light of that glorious day.
We're bound for glory, but first we must suffer.
The cross comes before the crown.
Or as I was reading to my little daughter Piper earlier this week
and little Pilgrim's Progress, the bitter must come before the
sweet .2 Destined to suffer, destined to suffer.
Paul shifts here. You can see it in chapter 3,
verse one. Therefore, he shifts from his
desire to see the Thessalonians to his decision to send Timothy
instead. He was concerned about this new
church plan because like him, they not only suffered
affliction, they also face Satan's schemes.
So Paul sent Timothy his right hand man, to establish them and
exhort them and inquire about their faith.
Look at verses one and two. Therefore, when we could bear it
no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and
we sent Timothy, our brother and God's Co worker in the gospel of
Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith.
Eventually Paul could bear it no longer.
He's like a parent waiting for their kid to come home.
Eventually he's got to do something.
He has to act. He can't keep waiting.
Now. Paul's normal ministry pattern
was plant a church and then strengthen a church, Plant,
strengthen. He planted the church.
He was trying to strengthen the church, but he couldn't go
himself. He was hindered, and so he
decided to send Timothy, another one of Paul's ministry patterns
do ministry together. Paul, Silas, and Timothy landed
in Thessalonica. But here Paul's willing to
forego that, to be left alone in Athens to strengthen a church in
Thessalonica. He sends his best, he sends
Timothy. He calls Timothy elsewhere.
My true child in the faith, His disciple, his right hand man
here he calls Timothy verse 2. God's Co worker.
What a commendation. Oh, I'm sending Timothy.
Timothy. Yeah.
God's Co worker. A partner with God in the
ministry. That's who I'm sending.
Not JV. This is varsity.
You know there's a way to minister to other people where
it costs you nothing. They're suffering, they're in
trouble, they're going through difficult times, but you're
good. You're in the clear.
That's not how Paul cared for the Thessalonians.
His relationship with them was not a cost benefit calculation.
Friend, if you're discipling, never cost you anything.
If it never cost you time or comfort or the emotional burden
of caring for someone or sacrifice, then you're doing it
wrong. Paul's ministry to the
Thessalonians cost him dearly. He was left alone.
He sent Timothy at great cost to himself, but it was a reaction
that matched the appropriate situation.
Look at their urgent need versus 3 and four.
They were under attack from 2 fronts versus 3 and 4 from
afflictions. Verse 5, temptations.
In other words, they face suffering and Satan and that
concerned Paul. He worried about them.
Verse three. He worried that they might be
moved by their affliction. He feared, verse 5, that the
tempter had tempted them and his labour would be in vain.
Suffering and Satan are difficult enough for mature
Christians. They might prove to be too much
for a new church plant for baby believers.
Paul was concerned that wave after wave of suffering and
affliction would threaten to pull this new congregation
under. They had just learned to swim.
They were a few months old. And so he sent Timothy, and
Timothy's job was threefold, verse 2, to establish and exhort
them in their faith, and verse 5, to learn about their faith,
to inquire about them first. Though Paul says verse three, he
considers suffering. Look at verse 3 for you
yourselves know that we are destined for this.
Verse 4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you
beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it
has come to pass, and just as you know, they suffered.
Why did they suffer? Is it that God could not prevent
their suffering? Was there suffering an accident?
Their church began by suffering. Chapter one, Verse 6.
They received the word in much affliction.
This church was ministered to by a man who suffered.
Paul himself said that he had already suffered and been
shamefully treated at Philippi. He declared the gospel to them
in much affliction. Chapter 2, verse 2, this church
was a model of suffering. They suffered just like the
churches in Judea. Chapter 2, verse 16.
It was not that suffering was a possibility for the Thessalonian
church. It's not like Paul ran a risk
calculation for Christians in that region of the world and
told them, brothers and sisters, it's likely that you're going to
suffer, Paul says. Suffering was their destiny.
In other words, it was not an accident.
It was ordained by God himself. When Paul met with this church,
when he shared the gospel with them, when he ministered to
them, when they first believed, he told them this.
He said, if you're following a suffering saviour, you're going
to suffer too. And it's what's come to pass.
It's what he tells them. You've experienced this now.
It shouldn't have surprised them, but it's so often
surprises us, doesn't it? A few years ago, I was swimming
at the beach in San Diego. I had gotten used to the waves
in the Persian Gulf. If you've ever been to the
Persian Gulf, they are little waves.
They're tiny waves. You could barely even call them
waves. And I'd gotten so used to that,
that when we went to San Diego and were swimming on the beach,
I went straight in and turned my back to the ocean.
First mistake. And I got hit with a huge wave
and it took me under and the ocean ate up my sunglasses.
They're gone forever. I the Lord knows where they are.
I was not expecting it. I should have been.
Sometimes suffering hits US so hard that it takes our breath
away. It knocks us down, it threatens
to hold us under. But it should never surprise us.
Jesus explicitly told his followers to expect suffering in
the world. You will have tribulation.
John 1633. If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 1624 Jesus told everyone considering following him count
the cost. Luke 1428 In Dubai we had an
international student living with us for about a month and
she was not a Christian. She was from a country that was
persecuted, where they persecuted Christians, but she
herself was interested in Christianity and she needed a
place to stay. Han I saw it as a good
opportunity to share the gospel with her.
And we had her come live with us.
Different cultures, lots of experiences there.
But she came to church. She would read the Bible with
us. She was even meeting with
members of our church and reading the Bible with them.
Near the end of our time with her, she told us, I think I've
become a Christian. I want to follow Jesus.
We praise the Lord, we praise God, and we start asking her
some questions about it. You know, why do you want to
follow Jesus? And the things she listed were
less anxiety, more discipline. She said, I want to be
optimistic when I face difficult situations.
And we asked her a bunch of questions.
Jesus never came up and so we told her we don't think you're a
Christian. This is what it means to be a
Christian and we encourage her to count the cost.
She actually, I think she was in Business School at the time
because she came back to us the next day and she said I've
counted the cost and she had a a spreadsheet for us to look at.
She sent it to us. I saved.
I was looking at it this morning.
It had the cons cons of following Jesus, disappoint your
parents, social judgement, persecution by the government.
The the pros were things I already listed.
She also had a section the cost of inaction.
I think that's from Business School emptiness, loneliness,
she said. I feel like I'll be enslaved by
money. We, we left it with, hey, you're
about to leave. It was a couple days later.
There's a good church we know of.
There's Christians there. They're in your same city.
Please, we'll get you in touch with them.
You know, if you think you're following Jesus, keep following
him. Count the cost.
You know, we don't know what happened to her.
We we've never heard from her since can't contact her, but she
heard the gospel and we exhorted her to count the cost.
Brothers and sisters, don't hide the cost as you exhort others to
follow Jesus. There is a real cost.
That's what Paul taught, he said through many tribulations.
We must enter the Kingdom, Peter said.
Don't be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to
test you as though something strange we're happening to you,
James even said, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face
trials of various kinds, brothers and sisters, we are
destined for this. We should expect it, but it's
one thing to expect it. It is another thing to
experience it. Some of you right now are
experiencing suffering. It sticks to you.
It stays with you. Job described his suffering in
Job chapter 3. He said before I eat, I sigh.
Maybe that's you right now. Constantly a big deep breath
hits you. You know, Paul described his
affliction in Asia in Second Corinthians.
He said we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength
that we despaired of life itself.
Suffering is a burden. It tests the limits of your
strength by adding just a little more weight.
At our house, we've got a gym setup.
We've got a 2.5 LB weight. Like any of you could hold that
in your hands, but it's when you're at your Max that 2.5 lbs
becomes unbearable. That's what suffering does.
If you're burdened today, what can you do if your burdens are
weighing you down? Lift them up to God in prayer.
That's what the psalmist says. Psalm 5522 Cast your burden on
the Lord and he will sustain you.
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Lay your burden at his feet. Jesus invites you, He says come
to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Jesus says, for my yoke is easy
and my burden is light. There are times, brothers and
sisters, where all you can do in your suffering is pray.
You don't choose your cross. You don't choose when to enroll
in the school of affliction or even what course you're taking.
It comes to you, they meet you, but you must steward your
suffering. The Puritan Thomas Case said so
many times God's people come to know more of God by half a
year's sufferings than by many a year's sermons.
Brothers and sisters, pray that you wouldn't come out of
affliction the same way you went in.
Pray that your faith in God would even be strengthened.
And if you're burned today, don't just lean on the
everlasting arms. Lean on your brothers and
sisters in the church. The only path to glory is a
pathway lined by tribulations, but it's not a path that we're
ever called to walk alone. One of the way the Lord sustains
us in our suffering is through our ministry to one another.
That's why Paul sent Timothy to the Thessalonians.
He did not want them to suffer alone.
Brothers and sisters, how can we be faithful friends in
affliction? How can we be like those like
like Timothy who established and encourage the Thessalonians
faith? In other words, Galatians 62.
How can we be those who bear one another's burdens?
If you know a member who's suffering, don't make them
suffer alone. You can't solve their suffering.
You can't even ultimately explain their suffering.
You can't make their suffering go away.
But you can sit with them. You can listen, You can cry with
them. You can lift them up to God in
prayer. You can be a support that they
can lean on. You can free up your schedule
for them. You can let your faith in God be
a consolation to them. You can minister to them with
the Word and remind them of God's loving character.
You can be a comfort to them. We're destined for suffering.
If you're not a Christian, you might be wondering, why would I
want to follow Jesus if I follow Jesus?
Apparently that comes with suffering.
Why follow Jesus? Because the only way to glory at
the end is by Jesus suffering for you.
That's the story of the Gospel. We were made by God to follow
him, but we listened to the lies of the serpent.
We followed ourselves. You know, all the suffering in
the world is a result of Genesis 3, the sin of Adam and Eve,
rebellion against God. That's the reason for all the
suffering in the world. But in Genesis 3:15 there's a
hint of good news. In Genesis 315, God says, I'll
put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring
and her offspring. He shall bruise your head, and
you shall bruise his heel. God was speaking to that
Slytherin serpent. The whole story of the Bible is
a story of enmity of God's seed, his offspring against the seed
of the serpent. And the surprising news of the
gospel is that the way that God defeats the serpent is by Jesus
Christ suffering and dying on the cross.
He was crucified to free us from our bondage to sin and Satan and
death. And when he rose again,
victorious, Satan's days on this earth were numbered.
He's been defeated. Friend, if you're not a
Christian, you cannot be saved by your own suffering.
You can only be saved on Jesus, suffering on your behalf, on the
cross, bearing God's wrath for your sin that you deserved,
trusting him, believing him, walking with him.
And if you're a Christian, how should the gospel impact how you
view your suffering? As you're suffering, you're
actually identifying with your Saviour.
You need to zoom out in your suffering.
Your suffering, your participation in the sufferings
of Christ are actually the very signs that you will also rejoice
and be glorified with him. You can take comfort in that,
that if you're suffering now, glory's coming.
Paul was concerned about the Thessalonians suffering, but in
verse 5, in our last verse, he was also concerned about Satan's
schemes. Look at verse 5.
Satan hindered Paul from visiting and he tempted the
Thessalonians. Paul wasn't present with them,
but apparently Satan was. He has slithered into
Thessalonica, and he was attempting to undo Paul's
ministry with temptations. How do you view temptations from
Satan? You know, I know my kids love a
meal. When there is nothing left on
their plate and they're gunning for seconds.
They're reaching in the table. They want more.
Satan knows your appetite. He knows your favorite meals.
Do you think when he tempts you, he's going to dish out garbage?
The things you actually hate? You're not tempted by that.
He studied you. He knows what you like.
He tempts us by the very things we love.
One of the ways we fight Satan's temptations, verse 5, is by
inquiring about one another's faith.
Look at verse 5. Notice Paul's assignment to
Timothy, verse 5 To learn about their faith, to inquire, to ask
questions. What are you, your thoughts
about God right now in your suffering?
How's your relationship with the Lord right now?
What sins are you struggling to put to death?
Tell me, how's how's your marriage going?
What's been difficult at home? How's parenting in the season?
How are you doing? Fighting for contentment at
work? How's sharing the gospel going
in your neighborhood? These should be normal questions
for Christians to ask one another.
Do not be offended if someone in this church is asking you
personal questions. It could be that they're trying
to do you some spiritual good. Pray that we'd be a church that
asks awkward questions and answers awkward questions.
We need to inquire about one another's faith.
That's one of the ways that we help each other fight
temptations. We also need to be aware of
where we're tempted. Do you know how Satan would want
to tempt you? If we flip through his files and
pulled out your name, what would it say about you?
Are you aware of it? Money, comfort, the approval of
others. How does Satan want to take you
out? One of my friends, I remember
sitting with him in a coffee shop when he was explaining to
me why he had abandoned the faith.
He said there's no one at my workplace who makes the amount
of money that I make, who believes in a God.
What is it for you? Does anyone else know about it?
Have you shared your temptations with a brother or sister in the
church who you trust, Who can help you battle those
temptations? Is there someone in this church
who's enquiring about your faith?
We need one another to fight. Brothers and sisters, we face a
real enemy. We face real suffering.
Do our expectations of the Christian life match up with
what Paul's are, with what Jesus's were?
Or are there any hints of that prosperity gospel, that
suffering is abnormal or it's accidental?
Satan's aim is that the labours of Trinity Baptist Church would
be in vain. He wants our faith to fail.
Sure, we've had a good start, Many churches do.
But will we be a church that suffers Well, then enters glory
By God's grace. I trust that as we look to
Christ together, as we do one another's spiritual good, as we
disciple one another even in suffering, and as we keep our
eyes on glory, that He will hold us fast.
He did that for Paul. He'll do it for us.
Let's pray. Father, we are confronted with
temptations that we face and afflictions that we endure.
Oh Lord, we pray, would you sustain us, sustain our faith,
establish our faith and help us do that for one another.
We pray in Jesus name, Amen.