It's a joy and a privilege to minister God's word this evening. And we're going to continue the series that the cross has been in on neglected virtues. And today's virtue is going to be responsibility, but a very specific type of responsibility. And that's the responsibility that we have as believers to care for the souls of those that are in the church. And if you think about today's Christianity across North America, this certainly is a neglected virtue. There is an epidemic of spiritual individualism and autonomy. And we often will care for our own spiritual growth. And as long as we're growing and making progress in the faith, we're happy. And at the same time, simultaneously, we can neglect the spiritual progress and growth of our brothers and sisters, even in the same church, and it not affect us. Or if we do recognize how our brothers and sisters are doing, oftentimes because of privatized Christianity, we don't feel that it's our place or our responsibility to intervene or to say something or to try to help. And there's a primary thrust in today's sermon. And if you think about Cain's words, am I my brother's keeper? No care for his brother. They murdered him. But a lot of us in our being lax about our brothers and our sisters, we've become more like Cain than we have like Christ in this matter when we say, am I my brother's keeper? And the thrust of this sermon is this, that you are your brother's keeper. We are the keepers of our brothers and our sisters. You and I, we all have the responsibility to care for the souls of the saints. Through this series, we're doing character studies and the Apostle Paul is somebody who embodied this care and responsibility for the souls of the saints in a way that is really unmatched apart from Christ. And while we can look at several instances, hundreds of instances of Paul's relationship with others, we're going to focus on his relationship with the saints that are in Thessalonica. So you can open your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians. And I really want us to get a sense of the heartbeat of the Apostle Paul and how seriously he took his responsibility to care for the souls of the saints. Before we read the passage, I want to set the stage for what's going on here. leading up to this passage. Paul is on his second missionary journey. And on this journey that spans a few years, he both plants the church that's here in Thessalonica and writes the letter that we're about to read towards the end of that same missionary journey. And in that missionary journey, Paul labors in five cities. He labors in Philippi, Thessalonica, which is the church that he's writing to, Berea, and Athens, and then also the church in Corinth. And I'm mentioning these because all of these different travels and Paul moving from city to city play into us properly understanding what Paul's writing here. In Philippi, people come to know Christ and he and Silas are beaten and imprisoned. And though they'd already suffered and been shamefully treated in Philippi, they go to Thessalonica with their bruises and they preach the gospel. And we read in Acts that some Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas as did a great many devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. So a church is birthed. by the grace of God there in Thessalonica. And while he's there, Sabbath after Sabbath, after a few Sabbath days, a mob is stirred up and they attack the house of a man named Jason. Because that's where Paul was staying. And they can't find Paul, so they drag Jason and some of the brothers out into the city, and they bring them to the authorities. And in the midst of suffering and persecution, this church is birthed. And I want you to remember this, that at that time, the brothers immediately sent Paul to Berea. They didn't want him there in Thessalonica for his safety. And he goes on to Berea, and we're going to read about that in the passage that we're going to look at. And he goes to Berea, and while he's there, even though his body's moved on away from Thessalonica, his heart is still in Thessalonica. So what he does is sends Timothy back to Thessalonica to check on their faith, to exhort them in their faith, and to bring news back to him so that he can know how they're doing. And while Timothy's going to Thessalonica, Paul moves on to Athens, and then Corinth, and Timothy returns to Corinth and finds Paul active in the ministry of the Word, and they sit down, and Paul with eagerness asks, What are the saints in the church in Thessalonica doing? How is their faith? And with joy, Paul hears that their faith is solid and established in Christ. And it's with this backdrop that Paul picks up his pen in Corinth and writes this letter to the church in Thessalonica. And as we read through it, I want you to keep an eye on how Paul takes personal responsibility. He takes ownership for the spiritual well-being of the saints that are in Thessalonica. We're going to begin in chapter 2, verse 17, and we'll read to the end of chapter 3. beginning in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 17. But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person, not in heart, we endeavored 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 in Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother, 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 labor would be in vain. 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. For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction, we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what Thanksgiving can we return to God for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God. As we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all as we do for you. 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. Father, You've cared so well for us by sending Your Son. And You continue to care for us by sending ministers of the Gospel having us be a part of a Gospel preaching church. And I pray, Father, in the name of Christ, that as we behold Christ in Paul, in this passage, that we would be moved to imitate Him and care for the souls of our brothers and sisters. Amen. This is not going to be an in-order, verse-by-verse exposition of this passage. There's a lot in here. But rather a study of the themes that are repeated throughout the passage. So we're going to weave forward and backwards and in and out throughout this passage and follow one theme and then another so that we can see Paul's example. And as we look through it, I want us to ask what are the specifics of this responsibility that Paul had as he cared for the saints. We're going to see responsibility's aim. We're going to see responsibility's actions. And we're going to see responsibility's affections. Beginning with responsibility's aim. What is Paul's aim? What is the aim of his responsibility? What's the focal point of his efforts? What's he aiming at? And this is what Paul is aiming at in his responsibility. Strong faith that endures affliction, overcomes temptation, and perseveres to glory. This is Paul's laser focus aim in his responsibility. Strong faith that endures affliction, overcomes temptation, and perseveres to glory. Let's look at those first few verses of chapter 3. 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. Why did Paul send Timothy? What was it that motivated him to be left behind to send his co-laborer? It was the faith. of the Thessalonians. He wanted to check on their faith, to establish and to exhort them in the faith so that when the afflictions came, nobody would be moved. Paul knew that they were suffering afflictions. He suffered afflictions himself. When he left, it was in the midst of affliction. And he's thinking in his mind, how is the church going to do when this storm comes and comes upon them with power Will they be strong in the faith? And Paul sends off Timothy. When Paul thought of his responsibility to the Thessalonians, it's interesting to note and it's important for us to note that the primary object was not that they be removed from the suffering. That's what we think of often times. Suffering comes, persecution comes, God deliver them from the suffering. And that's not a wrong thing to pray for, even to seek to alleviate suffering. That's not wrong. But that's not the aim or the focal point of what Paul is getting at. He wants them to have strong faith in the midst of afflictions. And if you've been camping and you sleep in a tent under the stars, you know that when the winds come and blow, that tent can be blown away. Especially if you're on a hike or something. So what you do is you take stakes and you put them in the corners through those little nylon loops and you hammer them down into the soil and root them in the ground so that when the winds come, that tent isn't going to be lifted up and carried away. And Paul is doing that very thing with the saints in Thessalonica. He wants their stakes, their faith to be rooted deep in Christ. And he knows that the storm and the winds of affliction are going to come and try to move them and blow them away. So he sends Timothy to stake their faith down deep into the bedrock of Jesus Christ. And to make sure that they're not moved. So this isn't some mechanical checkup where you come and you ask how's your faith doing and you checkmark several things. Paul has a deep soul burden that these saints in Thessalonica would be rooted in Christ. We're talking about responsibility. Responsibilities aim. What is the aim of responsibility? Firm, solid, strong faith in the midst of affliction. But not just in the midst of affliction, but a strong faith that overcomes temptation. In verse 5 of chapter 3 we read, For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, or fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. So Paul wasn't just aware that the world was going to persecute and drag Jason and the brothers out. Paul was aware of more that we had another enemy. Satan. We contend to forget this in North America, but be reminded that your adversary prowls around like a lion, seeking whom he can devour. And when afflictions are many, and when our flesh is weak, don't think that Satan, our adversary, will not come and whisper in your ear, it's not worth it. Throw in the towel. Get the divorce. Run away from your parents, from home. Withdraw from the body. Give in just once. It's not really going to hurt anyone. Paul knew that there was an ancient serpent who wages war against the church and his desire, that dragon's desire is to snuff out our faith. So be watchful for yourself. But not only that, be watchful for your brothers and sisters, because there is an adversary that is seeking to attack their faith. Paul also was aiming at a faith that would persevere to glory. Paul wanted to go to them again and again, but he was hindered. But why did he want to go to them? Why did Paul want to, in His flesh, be there with them among the Thessalonians? Look back to chapter 2, verse 19. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? He thought of the coming of Christ and the saints and Thessalonians came to His mind. Hold that thought for a moment and go to verse 13 of chapter 3. Why did He care about their faith and that they would increase in love? Verse 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. What was the aim of Paul's effort? Strong faith. And here, strong love. But why did he aim at that? What is he getting at? so that their hearts would be established in holiness at the coming of Christ. Paul was a man who had vision. He didn't just look at today. He didn't just look at two years from now. He looked forward to eternity. He looked forward to the return of Christ. And he knew, as he writes later in this very book, that the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with the cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and we will meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Paul wanted the saints in Thessalonica to be there on that day with Christ. He looked forward to that day and the coming of Christ with the saints when all of his saints will be caught up together with Christ in the air and the end will come. And He did not want the saints in Thessalonica to miss that. He didn't want them to struggle along. He wanted to help press them on towards that glory so that they would be presented before Christ in holiness with strong faith and strong love. Focus on your faith. But in all of your focusing on your faith, remember that last day and remember your brothers and sisters and be moved to help them along to persevere in the faith so that we could all be together with the Lord. We're really all fellow pilgrims helping one another on our way to heaven. A band of brothers and sisters marching on to glory. And when one stumbles, we want to help them up and strengthen their faith. And when one goes astray onto the wide path, we go after them and save their soul from death. And when one's discouraged, we encourage them. And all of us, as a body of Jesus Christ, united, are marching as pilgrims towards glory to the return of Christ. Helping one another to get to glory. This is the aim of our responsibility. Our pastor in India says a phrase, I've heard it 10,000 times. And it means persevere, press on, keep going, keep moving, onward. And I want to say to you brothers and sisters, press on, keep going, onward, upward, persevere in the faith. Don't let up. keep moving forward, onward and upward. And I want to encourage you to look to your brothers around you and to think of them and to encourage them to press on and to move forward and to not give up and to have a firm faith that will move through affliction and endure through temptation, overcoming it and reach glory. And I don't doubt that many, many here are caring well for your brothers and sisters. I encourage you to aim at the right thing as we care for one another. Well, right aims are not enough for Paul. He's also one to take right actions. And now we look at responsibilities, actions. God's not just a God of great ends. God is a God of means. And I want to draw our attention to a little phrase in the second verse of chapter 3. 1 Thessalonians 3, 2. And we sent Timothy, our brother, and God's co-worker in the Gospel of Christ to establish and exhort you in your faith. Does that strike you as strange? God's co-worker. Maybe a little bit presumptuous. Brazen. Bold. God's co-worker. This is the Paul that preached The God who made the world and everything in it is not served by human hands as though He needed anything. Since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. God needs no help from men. God ordains and God accomplishes it. and we can bring nothing to God or add to Him. He is in need of nothing. And here, in this passage, in the second verse when we see God's co-worker as Paul's telling us who Timothy is, we see insight into Paul's understanding of God's sovereignty and our privileged responsibility. This teaches us a few things. One that we are utterly dependent upon God as Timothy was, and as Paul was. This is why Paul, even though he labored and poured out his life, he gave himself. But when he saw growth, spiritual growth, he lifted his gaze to heaven and he thanked God with joy inexpressible. Paul's laboring, but when there's growth, he thanks God. Because he knows that God gave the growth. But how did God give the growth? Through Him. We are utterly dependent upon God. We also see from this phrase, this idea of Timothy being a co-worker with God, is that Timothy was a worker. And us as co-workers with God, you almost hesitate to say that. Co-workers with God. Part of our identity is that of a worker, we're called to do something to take ownership of our brothers and sisters. We also see that we're privileged. We are co workers with God. Think about that for a minute. We're co workers with God. What a privilege. We're not worthy. I know what I was. You know what you were. We know what still is in us that we're fighting to put to death. We know our inadequacies, our weakness of gift. And we're co-workers with God. This is a great condescension on God's part. And a privilege that He gives to us to take part, to be responsible in this great end of God He's gathering His people to Himself. So what is our work? We're workers. We know what our aim is, but how do we accomplish that aim? With God's help. God's doing it all. We're co-workers with Him. He doesn't need us. We're working with Him. He condescends and gives us that privilege. But He's given us real work to do. Real responsibilities. What is our responsibility? Well, several things. The first is praying. Look at verse 10 of chapter 3. We pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith. Again, you see the aim, the object, but what's the means? He's praying night and day earnestly so that he could see them face to face. Paul's letters are replete with supplications offered to God. Paul is a man who prayed. Notice a few things here. The manner of his prayer? Most earnestly. These aren't half-hearted prayers. The frequency of his prayer? Night and day. This wasn't a one and done thing where he prayed for somebody and then he moved on never to return. Night and day he was praying that he could see them to further establish them in their faith. He prayed frequently. Notice the focus of his prayer. Their spiritual growth. These weren't superficial, shallow prayers that God would bless them. prayed that they would have strong faith and he prayed that God would make a way for him to go and to help them in that faith. So I want to encourage you brothers and sisters, be encouraged as God's privileged co-workers to give regular, frequent time to pray for the spiritual growth of your brothers and sisters. He didn't just pray, he also inquired. He asked questions about their faith. Look at verse 5 of chapter 3. What are the means? What is the action of responsibility? Look at verse 5. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith. This was personal. He wanted to know the status of their faith. He sent somebody to inquire, to look at their lives, to look at their faith, to look at their holiness, and to bring a report back because He wanted to know. When we fellowship with believers after the service, before the service, when we're in one another's homes, we can talk about so many different things. I want to encourage you. When you're with your brothers and sisters, inquire. You're responsible for their soul, and they're responsible for your soul. So feel the freedom, the privileged obligation to ask questions, even difficult questions. Brother, what sins are you fighting? And how's the fight? Sister, what are you thankful for these days? How's marriage? How can I encourage you in your faith? Inquire. But realize that this is a two-way responsibility. It's one thing to ask. It's an entirely different thing to be asked. And so many of us live privatized lives. Once that garage door goes down, no neighbors see us. Believers may not see us until the next week. I want to encourage you to open the doors. Open your lives to one another. To invite inquiry and questions. We need it. I need it. I need you. You need me. We need one another. And if a brother or a sister doesn't feel comfortable asking because walls are clearly up, let those walls fall so that you can be built up for your good, for God's good. Praying, inquiring, and supplying. Look at verse 10. As we pray most earnestly night and day that we would see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith. Paul, after inquiring, found out about deficiencies in the church in Thessalonica. And when he saw that lack of nutrition, that deficiency, he wanted to fill up what was lacking. He wanted to supply what they didn't have. Timothy labored, but more was needed to be done. They had problems with sexual immorality. If you keep reading through 1 Thessalonians, you'll see that. And Paul wanted to supply what was lacking in their holiness through teaching. There was confusion about the second coming of Christ and what that would mean for the saints who had already died. Paul wanted to supply right teaching so that they knew how to see their deceased loved ones. He supplied the lack. I don't know if there are any gardeners here. In horticulture, you plant a sapling and it's vulnerable. It's weak. A heavy rain, a heavy wind, predators, animals could just destroy that little sapling. What do you do? Put a little fence around it. You might stick a rod there. to help it grow up. You give it water. You give it sunlight. You see that its leaves are starting to wither. So you ask, am I giving it too much sunlight? And you make adjustments. The soil doesn't have enough nutrients, so you add nutrients in the soil. You prune back some of the branches so there could be more growth. Predators are coming in, so you put something there so that the deer can't eat the plant. horticulture, caring for this little sapling until it grows up into a glorious tree that's bearing fruit. And we should see one another like this, looking at our lives and asking, what is lacking and how can I supply it? It doesn't mean that you're perfect or that I'm perfect, but we genuinely care for our brothers and sisters and we want to supply what is lacking. This might be exhortation, teaching, encouraging, being present, weeping, laughing, reminding. All of these things, these means, have a common denominator, and that's this, that you've got to be face to face. And you see over and over and over again throughout this whole letter that Paul is eager to see them face to face. Praying that God would direct His way to them. That He would see them. That He would be with them. It's not enough to pray, to inquire, or to supply. Paul wanted to be face to face. And we can learn from that. As God's co-workers. I know that this is happening a lot here in the body. Press on. as God's co-workers. Press on in caring for the saints. And this may seem a little overwhelming when you hear all this. This is such a big responsibility. My schedule is just packed. There's not even a sliver, 15 minutes that can budge. My family, I've got to care for my family. And I want to encourage you to adapt your thinking a little bit. One of the greatest ways we can care for our souls, one of the greatest ways we can care for our spouse and our children, is to show them Christian responsibility. Think about our children being raised and never seeing that in the home or in their parents' lives. What damage would that do to our children? To our spouses? Think about how well we're caring for our families when we invest into the lives of other believers and pray for them and inquire and pour into them. How healthy, how well are we protecting our children from false understandings of Christianity when we take up this responsibility with our whole heart. So embrace this. Little growth. Start off small and make progress. But progress, make. We've seen responsibility's aim, we've seen responsibility's actions, and now let's look at responsibility's affections. Paul wasn't an overbearing, cold, task-driven inspector just trying to lop off limbs and make everything right. He was a man whose very soul was intertwined with the hearts and the souls and the lives of the disciples at Thessalonica. And the entire passage that we read oozes with affection. Keep an open ear as I read through some verses. 2.17, but since we were torn away from you brothers, Paul saw his departure as flesh ripping from flesh. Just as an orphan, a child is ripped from his parents and left an orphan. So Paul felt like he was ripped from the Thessalonians. Verse 5, when I could bear it no longer. This silence of not knowing how you're doing spiritually. When I didn't know how you were doing, I couldn't bear it. It was overwhelming. for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you. I had fear for your soul. Is that something that's familiar to us? Fear. Not being able to bear it at the thought of our brothers or sisters struggling. His concern for them was like a wife knowing that her husband went to the front lines of battle and news is delayed and she waits and waits and waits to hear if he's well. The end of verse 6, we long to see you. The end of verse 7, we have been comforted about you through your faith. Longing, comfort. finds from the believers. Look at verse 8. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. Paul's life was so bound up into the lives of the believers in Thessalonica, that when he heard that they were doing well in the faith, he became alive. He was filled with joy. Inexpressible. And the reverse is true as well. If he were to have heard that their faith had failed, or that they were being toppled with temptation and affliction and were beginning to give way, he would have been dying inside. His life was bound up in the lives of the Thessalonian Christians. When Joseph's brothers were told to return to Jacob without Benjamin. Do you remember the reply of the brothers? Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us, then as his life is bound up in the boy's life, as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Can we relate? Are we tied to the lives of our brothers and sisters? This is no cheap emoji affection that you send off with the tap of a finger. These are gospel motivated, flesh tearing, spirit wrought, joy filling, soul bound affections for brothers and sisters. We are one body. We have covenanted together. There is a tie that binds us that is as strong as death. And when you were born again, when I was born again, we not only received a new father, but we received brothers and sisters, spiritual siblings. Paul had affection for the saints. Where did he get this affection? We've been looking at Paul so much. Where did all this come from? This right aim. The right actions and taking his responsibilities seriously. Responsibilities, right affections. What drove Paul? Where did his affections come from? We read in Philippians, Paul writes, for God is my witness. How I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. Everything that we've been seeing that's good in Paul is a reflection of the character of Christ and His love for us and His taking responsibility of us. One of the things that I've loved about this series is I've listened to several of them online is that we are not the hero in the story. We're not meek Moses. We're Miriam. We're not Abraham. We're Lot. We're not David. We're lame-footed Mephibosheth. We're not the disciplined Joseph. We have all been Potiphar's wife. And in a real sense, we are not Paul in this passage. We are the Thessalonian church. We are recipients of Christ's taking responsibility for our souls. Jesus Christ is our elder brother. He said, here are my brothers and sisters. Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers. And He laid down His life. Where does our faith come from? Christ gave us that faith. How can we have faith? Who is it in? It's in Jesus Christ. Christ is the object. He gives and sustains faith. Jesus is the founder and perfecter of faith. Does He pray for us like Paul prayed? Simon Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." And right now, Christ makes intercession for the saints, that your faith may not fail. Is it in Paul's hands? No, it's in Christ's hands. And He is praying for His true saints, and our faith will not fail. And when we turn, Strengthen your brothers and sisters. Christ supplies what is lacking in our faith. When a brother exhorts us with the Word of Christ, that's what it ultimately is. Christ speaking through His Word, through a brother or a sister's mouth. Jesus Christ is supplying what is lacking even now. Christ is more face-to-face with us than Paul ever could be. Behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. Christ's affections were costly. He has affections for us and he yearns for us with a divine jealousy. We read that greater love has no one than this. That someone lay down his life for his friends. The entire foundation, brothers and sisters, of our faith is Jesus Christ. He shed His blood. He draws near to us. He draws us near to Him. He is the beginning, the middle, and the end. And this Christ is the basis and the motivation for us taking our responsibility seriously. So I pray that we wouldn't say with Cain, am I my brother's keeper? but that we would look at Christ and how He has said with His life and His actions, I am my brother's and sister's keeper. And as we see Christ keeping His brothers and sisters well, that we would be moved by that and join Him and say with Him, I am my brother's keeper. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for Your Word. Your Word is truth. We thank You for the life of the Apostle Paul and his labors and his affections and his right aim. And I pray that we would join in imitating him. But more importantly, that we would behold Jesus Christ and how He has taken responsibility for our souls. Give us the grace to grow in these things and give us joy inexpressible, unspeakable as we see our brothers and sisters progress in the faith. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.