that goes along with this morning's message. I would encourage you to follow along by filling in the blanks on that outline to help you remember better what is being preached and taught this morning. It's good to have with us the Salters, Bill and Pat. They're leaving tomorrow morning early. Rod's taking them back to Florida. It's just been a joy to have them with us. You know, I remember Brother Salter years ago when we first moved here. And he was at Front Range Baptist Church in Fort Collins attending that church and going to his Sunday school class. And I vividly remember just how good of a teacher he was at the time and how much I enjoyed his class. And so it's good to have you folks with us. It's been a privilege to have you and a joy to have fellowship with you. First Thessalonians Chapter 3. First Thessalonians Chapter 3, I'm going to read beginning with verse 1 through verse 10. And I would like you, please, since you have found that passage in your Bibles, to stand with me as I read and as you follow. I'll make some comments, perhaps, as we go along through this passage. Paul is writing to this young church at Thessalonica, and he says this in verse 1 of chapter 3, Wherefore, when we could no longer forbear We thought it good to be left at Athens alone and sent Timotheus our brother and minister of God and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith. Now when you look at that remember that the word comfort there means encourage. Their faith needed encouragement. And Paul said there in verse one, he wasn't able to take it any longer. Take what? Not being able to see these new believers. Go back to chapter two, look at verses 17 and 18. But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire. Why did he want to see them face to face? Because he wanted to learn of their stand. So he sends Timothy on this mission that we're seeing here in these first five verses to establish them in their faith to encourage them in their faith. They've been converted but folks conversion is not enough. for the new believer. The new believer must be established. He must be encouraged. Why? Because afflictions, tribulations, problems pose a danger to not just old believers, but especially to new believers. Notice what he says there in verse 3, that no man should be moved by these afflictions or shaken. Paul does not desire that they're shaken by these afflictions. For yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before, that we should suffer tribulation even as it came to pass and ye know, I want you to notice in verses 3 and 4 that afflictions for the believer, verse 4, are not accidental. Verse 5, they're not avoidable. Now verse 5, For this cause when I could no longer forebear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labor be in vain. Now between verses 5 and 6 there's an unspecified amount of time that transpires. Before verse 6. Because Paul says in verse six, and he uses the word but, that sets in contrast the sending of Timothy in the first five verses and his return in verses six to ten. But now, when Timotheus came from you unto us, I wonder what Timothy's gonna say. You see in the first five verses, Paul has had a concern for the faithfulness of these believers in affliction. Oh boy, what's the report gonna be? But now when Timotheus came from you unto us and brought us, out loud please, Oh, amen. He's bringing us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that you have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us as we also to see you. Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by, two words please, your faith. For now we live. It's almost as if Paul was ready to die. It's almost as if he was going through something so traumatic that he can say, now we live if what? Ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you? For all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God. Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face and might perfect that which is lacking in what? in your faith. Notice the times he talks about your faith, your faith, your faith. How do you know of someone's faith? You have to see it. Your faith is not what you necessarily say. Your faith, when it comes right down to it, is what I see and what each of you see in each other. James in chapter 2 and verse 18 even talks about how that sometimes People say, well, you just have to believe that I'm a faithful man. And he says, you show me your faith. I'm going to show you my faith by what I do. You may be seated. So in verses 1 to 5, we saw the concern for faithfulness in affliction. That's why I'm calling chapter 3 the tribulational implication of the gospel. You have that in your notes there at the top, the tribulational implication of the gospel. But now in verses 6 to 13, we have the confirmation, the confirmation of faithfulness in affliction. Folks, I have a concern for believers today in affliction. They're becoming unfaithful, because that's what tribulation and affliction tends to do to a believer. They say, man, I didn't sign up for this. Why am I having so much trouble? Remember Paul said in verses four and five, tribulation, affliction is not by accident, and it's not avoidable. And so he is encouraging these believers by telling them, remember, what's happening to you is not accidental. This is not a surprise to God. And by the way, you can't avoid it. Because if you're a believer, if you have taken the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have believed it, you are a target for Satan and his minions. He's got a concern for these believers in affliction, but now he gets confirmation of their faithfulness. I want us to see Westside Baptist Church in verses 6 to 10 as being this church in Thessalonica. What kind of a report could we send to somebody else who was concerned for us? Let's say that I left and was gone for 5, 6, 7 weeks. And I sent someone here to get a report as to how this church is doing. Could it be said of Westside Baptist Church as it was of this church in Thessalonica? the three points that we're going to see this morning. Number one, that good tidings could be brought back. By the way, that phrase good tidings is literally the word gospel. Timothy brought us the gospel of your faith. It was such good news because that's what the gospel is. Paul's concern is now addressed with the return of Timothy. Paul receives good news that resulted from the good news he had preached to these people. And so we're going to see this morning Paul's response to these glad tidings. Here's the first response that he had. It's the word I would like you to write down. Encouragement. Encouragement. We find this in verses 6 to 8. You'll notice that he says in verse 7, Therefore, brethren, we were, and the word used here in the King James is the word comforted. It's the word that we looked at earlier. in chapter 3 and verse 2, where he sent Timothy to comfort them in their faith. I don't know if you remember this from when I preached on that some time ago. That word comfort means encourage. And so he's saying here in chapter 3 and verse 7, we were encouraged over you. We were encouraged by, number one, your faith. This is their spiritual condition. Paul's situation is far from happy. Paul's circumstances are far from being real nice, because he says in verse seven, in all of our affliction and distress, Paul is going through some trials himself. Paul is going through some distress that words of distress has to do with. He's under tremendous pressure. And he's saying, you know what? When I got the report of your faith, I was encouraged. right in the midst of my affliction and in the midst of my distress by your faith." It was their faith that encouraged him. Folks, if you're going to be an encouragement to another Christian, I'll tell you what the main thing is that's going to encourage another believer. And that's your faith. You might want to hand over some money to them and say, hey, I hope this is an encouragement to you. And that may be a monetary encouragement to them that lasts for a little while. but more than anything, is your faith. You folks were so generous in giving my wife and I, our family, that anniversary gift, overwhelming gift. What a blessing that was. But without belittling that gift, may I say this? As much as an encouragement that was, you know what encourages even more? It's your faith individually. And remember, your faith is not what I see or anyone else, excuse me, it's not what you say, it's what we see. And you can't see someone's faith if you can't see them face to face. That's why Paul so desperately wanted to come and be with these people. And that's why he went to the trouble of sending Timothy to go up, back up to Thessalonica. He was in Athens or Corinth this time. Go back up there, Timothy, find out what's happening with them. And then come back and report to me. And then Timothy came back with that good news. You see, it's easier to bear tribulation when you see the faith of converts. Do you realize that your faith can encourage those under pressure and affliction? And if your faith can encourage, it can also discourage. Do you realize that you can be a discouragement to other believers? You know, when Moses sent the 12 spies, and they came back, I'm sure Moses was expecting this glowing report. But they came back and said, yes, the land is such and such, and wow, it's flowing with milk and honey, and wow, this is a great land. But there are giants there, and the Bible says, our brethren have discouraged our heart. And that discouragement resulted in the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years because somebody discouraged them. How is it that you can be an encouragement to one another here? Here's one of the simplest ways you can be an encouragement to others here. Be here. Just be here. Now there are times when you go on vacation. I'm going on that next week. But folks, Be here, the ministry of showing up. That's why Paul stresses so much seeing them face to face. Again, when he says I was encouraged, I was comforted, we were comforted, this is not some gentle soothing, but preparing someone for battle. That's that word encouragement. Man, it's like you gave me encouragement in battle. I'm going through all these problems right now, and when I got word of this, it's like I'm ready for battle again. Do you notice what I'm noticing? How many Christians are following by the wayside and giving up the fight, giving up the faith? That discourages you, that discourages me. Wow, what an encouragement when I'm in battle and when you're in battle, when you have somebody else who comes and they stand the way you do. Standing firm in the Lord as we're gonna see here in just a moment. But you know why some are giving up the battle today? Maybe it's your faith that is discouraging them. Timothy encouraged them in their faith in verse two. Now their faith encourages Paul. You want to encourage your Christian parents? Do so by your faith. You want to encourage your teacher, your Sunday school teacher? Do so by your faith. You want to be an encouragement to your pastor? Do so by your faith. While faith refers to their attitude Godward, it also mentions love in verse 6 because he says, good tidings of your faith and charity. That's the word love. That word love is their attitude manward. Edmund Hebert had this comment about that. He says, if their faith separated them from the world, their love united them more closely to each other. And therefore, that love mentioned there is seen secondly in their memory, their personal attitude, their memory. Have they forgotten Paul? No, you'll see that Paul says that you have good remembrance of us always. You see, with the enemies in Thessalonica slandering Paul to these new believers, Here he had led them to the Lord and there's these enemies of the gospel in Thessalonica who now these Jews are surrounding these new believers and saying, you're believing what that Paul preached to you? They're slandering him. Paul's concerned, how are they gonna remember me? And he says, ye have good remembrance of us always. And now you see that Paul's intense desire to see them is mutual. Because how does that verse end in verse 6? Desiring greatly to see us, just as we also to see you. What a refreshing to the Apostle Paul. What a refreshing to Timothy and to Silas. Their desire for face time is mutual. They wanted it as intently as the Apostle Paul did. That, folks, is an encouragement. So let me ask you something. Are you an encourager or a discourager? Your faith, not what you say, but what people see, will either be used of the Lord to encourage or be used of the devil to discourage. How's your faith doing this morning? I'm not talking about whether your faith is in Jesus Christ or not. If you claim to be saved, we know that. But how is your faith being lived out by your works, James 2 tells us. So, Paul's response to the glad tidings. There was this encouragement by their faith, by their memory. Thirdly, by their stand. Verse 8, by their stand. If ye stand fast in the Lord. That describes the character of their faith. They're standing fast. Now, the opposite of standing is falling, or if you're talking about posture, It's sitting. Now what are you all doing this morning? And what am I doing? It's not what I'm talking about. It's not what he's talking about. But he's not saying sit. He is not saying if you sit fast in the Lord. Sitting communicates lethargy. Sitting communicates inaction. And sometimes apathy. We do too much sitting. The Wall Street Journal just this last Thursday had an article in the sports section entitled this, Sports Sitting Will Kill Us All. And they referenced an article detailing the medical community's growing belief in the long-term health risks of sitting. It's a form of sedentary behavior, and it increases the risk for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, among other hazards. Sitting is suboptimal for seniors, middle-agers, millennials, even little kids. That's everybody. It is suboptimal. And he's talking about sports fans. What do the sports fans do when they go to a game? They, now sometimes they'll stand and block your view so you can't see what's happening. For the most part, they're sitting. And sitting, screaming at the people who are on the field doing something. And that's typically what happens in a church. So your posture now doesn't communicate that because you're supposed to remain seated. You were told to please be seated. But if that's what's in your heart, if you're sitting down in your heart, as the little boy said to his parents one time, I may be standing up but I'm sitting down in my heart. If you're sitting in your heart, it communicates lethargy. Standing communicates action. It communicates readiness. It communicates stability. And Paul desires that these believers would be standing fast, be stable, not carried about with every wind of doctrine in Ephesians chapter 4. Oh, I just heard this this week. Man, I see believers going after this, and they chase this, and then they chase this, and then they chase this. And they're so unstable. They're chasing every little teaching. They're chasing what all these men are saying. And the Apostle Paul doesn't just say, stand. He says, the stable position is also by what you stand in or who you stand in. And who is it he says? In the Lord. if ye stand fast in the Lord." I want to go to two other passages that have that same word, stand firm in it. I'll read them to you. This one's 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 13 where Paul is writing to that church saying, watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. I'll repeat that reference. It's 1 Corinthians 16, 13. He says, watch ye, stand fast. And here he doesn't say stand fast in the Lord. He says stand fast in the faith. And then he says, quit you like men. That's King James lingo for act like men. We've got a lot of sissies. A lot of sissy Christians. A lot of sissy fundamentalists. We have sissy politicians. We've got sissies everywhere. But never should it be said of a Christian man that he doesn't act like a man when it comes to the faith. Paul is saying to the Church of Corinth, I want you to stand fast in the faith. Act like a man. Be strong. Philippians 4, 1, Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved, and long for my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. So we see that standing fast in the Lord and standing fast in the faith are basically the same thing. Stand fast. Don't give in. What impact does their standing fast in the Lord have on the Apostle Paul? How does the verse start? Now we live. If you're standing firm in the Lord, you know what that does to me, the Apostle? It makes me, it enlivens me. For now we live. That word if does not communicate doubt when he says, if you stand fast in the Lord. In the Greek, it communicates confidence. And so it could be translated this way, for now we live since you are standing fast in the Lord. And when he says now we live, It's in the present tense. So how would you translate that? For now, we are living. You've heard that phrase said before. Man, that's living. And what do you normally associate that with? When somebody says, man, that's living. Well, that you associate with somebody who's got this nice, big, juicy ribeye steak on their plate. And they go, man, that's living. I remember when Benjamin was two years old. He loved McDonald's french fries. And I was coming home from a deacon meeting. This was in Greenville, South Carolina. And I thought, I'm going to get some French fries for Benjamin. So I stopped at McDonald's and got some French fries. I came home. And he was at the top. It was a long flight of stairs. He was at the top of the stairs. And I called him to the top of the stairs. I said, hey, Benjamin. And he came to the top of the stairs. And I showed him the French fries. He goes, he got real, he used to, when he was a little kid, he would start shaking when he got excited. He'd go, how did you say it? Life is good. He was two years old. Life is good. That's the idea here. Now we're living. Not because we have McDonald's french fries. Paul is saying now we live. Why? Man, you stand fast in the Lord. Folks, that's what living is. That's what communicates to someone else, purpose in life. Folks, if you have no purpose in life, I'll tell you what you need to do. You need to win somebody to the Lord and disciple them. And when you see them grow in the Lord, you're going to go, man, this is living. This is living because that's what you're here for. Their standing, which is in the present tense, is not just a temporary emotion. It is abiding inspiration to the Apostle Paul. Paul felt like he had been given a new lease on life and he could again go on living with a sense of fullness of power and satisfaction, a commentator said. You know what it means when somebody stands firm politically today? You know how encouraging it is when somebody like, I'd rather not name names, but if somebody takes a stand politically, go, wow, this is so refreshing. Somebody's finally taking a stand. What does it do to you spiritually, folks? That's an encouragement. Now, if you're encouraged by somebody else taking a stand, why not be an encouragement to them by you taking a stand? What a blessing to learn of other men and ministries in this day that are still standing fast in the Lord. And what a discouragement when they don't. What a blessing your stable position potentially has for other believers. It's one of the reasons, by the way, we're advertising in Frontline Magazine, is to be an encouragement to other believers. So they know, hey, there's another church. We thought these churches were gone. To be an encouragement to other believers. So Paul's response to Timothy's glad tidings, that was an encouragement. But secondly, we see elation in verse 9. He is elated. For what thanks can we render to God again for you for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God? Twice in his verse, the word joy. He talks about thanksgiving and he says, how can we even thank God? How can we begin to thank God? The resulting joy itself results in thanksgiving to God. Their standing firm, by the way, is not due to the missionaries. He's not bragging on himself. And it's not even due to the converts themselves. He's not thanking them for standing firm. Who does he thank in verse 9? What thanks can we render to God? Last part of the verse, before our God. His thanksgiving is not due to what men have done, it is due to what God has done. And yet, who did God use? God used the Apostle Paul and Silas and Timothy, and yet he's not thanking Timothy and he's not thanking Silas. He's thanking God for what is taking place. You know what? Men like to take credit today for themselves, for what God has done. Christian workers need to be aware of taking credit for the results that only God can produce. Dr. Bob Jones Sr. used to say about the campus there in Greenville, South Carolina, even before that, he said this when the school was in Florida, and then when it moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, Panama City, Florida, Cleveland, Tennessee, to Greenville, South Carolina, he used to say something like this, anything good you see here today, God has done it. Anything bad you see here is due to the fact that we did it. Sadly, today, you'll see a lot of things man has done at BJU. Paul feels like whatever thanksgiving he can give to God is totally inadequate for the joy God has given him through these converts. You remember this verse in 3 John, verse 4? The Apostle John says this, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. I have no greater joy. That's the heart of Paul here. I have no greater joy. I thank God for your stand. What elation that they had been steadfast through persecution. His great concern for their steadfastness, there in verse 5, provides an enlarged capacity for great joy. So Paul's response to Timothy's glad tidings is encouragement. Here it's elation, but then we see in verse 10 and closing it's entreating. I use the word entreating because that's the word praying. The word praying there has the idea of begging and that's the word entreat. Paul says it this way, praying exceedingly. And I find it interesting that to Paul, thanksgiving is closely related to praying, and praying is closely related to thanksgiving. Praying exceedingly. And that's a stronger word than the most common word for praying, because it does communicate this begging. It's the expressing the feeling of a need. And this is in the present tense. Paul is saying we are praying constantly, and we're praying exceedingly. And that word exceedingly is strong. It's not half-hearted. It's not mechanical. Night and day, it doesn't mean that they're praying night and day, it doesn't mean he doesn't go to bed, but by night and by day, praying exceedingly. Have you ever found yourself praying during the day? And then you go to bed at night, and you wake up at night and you're praying? That's the idea here. Much of Paul's private life was occupied with prayer and thanksgiving to God. But I want you to see the content of Paul's begging. Because it's twofold. He begs God for two things. Here's the first thing he begs for. That we might what? See your face. How many times has Paul said this? He wants to see their face. He is again stressing what he said in chapter 2 and verse 17. Face time. Not just a desire, but an ongoing prayer request for him. You know how long it was? before this prayer request of Paul's was granted. Several years took place before he was able to see these Thessalonians face to face. I hope that's an encouragement to you as you're perhaps praying for something that you really strong the desire and you're praying exceedingly and you're doing so night and day and you expect it to happen tomorrow and it doesn't. For Paul was several years. that we might see your face. Secondly, he begs God that we might perfect that which is lacking in your faith. So seeing them face-to-face is not a matter of self-gratification for the Apostle Paul. It's not so he could go golfing with them. It's not so that they could go four-wheeling together. Now we see why Paul wants to see them face-to-face. So that he can put in order that which is deficient in their faith. Something is lacking in their faith. Would you say that most believers have something lacking in their faith? I would, I would say I lack in faith. You know what meets that need is when believers meet together face to face. They have face time and they provide that which is lacking in their faith. You will find that believers who aren't faithful to church are not only faithless, but they begin lacking in their faith. And you'll find that believers who aren't faithful in face time with other believers are the ones who fall first. You ever notice that? To perfect. He says in verse 10, that we might perfect that which is lacking in your faith. That word perfect means to complete it, to make good what is still needed. It's not that the Thessalonian believers' faith had gone wrong, but there is always room for growth. They had not defected from the faith, but they would admit being deficient in the faith. That's the word lacking, deficient. Lacking. in your faith, that which is deficient in your faith. Paul realized that his work with them was not done. He was thankful for what had been attained in their lives, but acknowledges they have not yet arrived. Conversion is only the beginning. They still needed pastoral instruction. They still needed pastoral guidance. We know that when you get to chapter 4. Look down the page in my Bible anyway. Go to chapter 4, look at verse 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant. You see, they're lacking something. And that's where Paul talks about what? Verses 13 to 18. He's talking about the rapture. He's talking about the second coming of the Lord. There's so much I need to communicate with you. I feel so frustrated sometimes when I prepare messages all week and Someone I was hoping would be here didn't show up. Well, they're tired. Well, this. Well, that. Something I wanted to communicate. And it doesn't take place. What Paul could not do in person because it would be three or four years later before he saw these people, he did do by way of his letters, including this letter here. And thus, God uses The hindering of Satan, chapter 2, verse 18, where Paul says, you know, Satan hindered me from coming to you face to face. God used the hindering of Satan to benefit believers, not only in Thessalonica, but in greedy Colorado, some 2,000 years later. You see how God uses what Satan does to his glory? Now we've got a letter because Paul couldn't go see him face to face. He desired that. But God used what Paul desired but could not get for God's glory and for the benefit of this church. Now they have it in writing and even for us a couple thousand years later. What a joy for the Apostle Paul to go from concern in verses one through five concern for their faithfulness to confirmation of their faithfulness in these verses. I trust folks that your faith is an encouragement to others. That it is a source of elation for others. That your faith is something that others can pray and thank God for. My burden for Westside is to perfect that which is lacking in individual's faith and then for each of you to have your own converts for whom you can have concern and then confirmation of their faith in affliction so that you too might experience the joy, the encouragement of an individual you have led to the Lord and discipled and have the same experience that the Apostle Paul had. right here in this passage. Would you bow your heads? With your heads bowed and your eyes closed, let's think now about the message that you've heard and what it should mean to your heart and how God should use it in your life this morning. Let me say this. Number one, are you an encouragement to other believers? By your faith, are you an encouragement or have you been a discouragement to other believers? Perhaps right here. Were there many anybody here this morning who would admit, you know what, in a sense I've been a discouragement and God has put his finger on some things in my life that, you know what, I've been a discouragement in some instances and God is speaking to me about that right now. Anyone like that? God is speaking to me about some ways I've been a discouragement by my lack of faithfulness or whatever it might be. Yes, thank you. Yes, ma'am. Any others? I've been a discourager. Yes. And yes, thank you. I trust that this morning you'll get that right with the Lord. Say, Lord, forgive me for being a discouragement, for being used of the devil, even as the 10 spies were. Lord, may I be an encouragement to other believers. Lord, Thank you for the privilege we have of...