Naylor Community
Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Thessalonians
3:11-13
1
Thessalonians 3:11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear
the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and
overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the
presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy
ones.
-- the popular commentator William Barclay
wrote of a young woman who would take the newspaper to bed with her each night
– before she turned in for the night, she would kneel beside her bed, spread
the newspaper out before her, and prepare to pray
-- she would read the announcements of the
births of children in her community, and pray for each child and their
protection, both spiritual and physical protection and care
-- she would read of the marriage
announcements, and pray God’s blessings on each couple – that they would come
to know each other and Christ through their relationship – that God would bless
their marriage and make their love grow and increase for each other
-- and she would read of the deaths
– and pray for God’s grace and comfort to be with the families of those who
lost loved ones – and that if there were any in their families that did not
know Christ, that this death would lead them to the cross and to the justifying
grace and forgiveness of sins that comes through Jesus
-- how wonderful would it be if we could
all emulate this prayer warrior in our own lives
-- regardless of what the world thinks
today, prayer is important – prayer is vital – prayer is a necessary part of
our lives as Christians – for through prayer, we are ushered into the very
presence of the Lord God Almighty and we can intercede and ask for God to move
in the lives of those we know and love – and even those who don’t know or don’t
love
-- the degree to which we love
others is shown through our prayers and intercession for them -- if we truly
care for one another, we will pray for them – especially for their continued
spiritual growth – because, as the Apostle Paul writes elsewhere, physical
training may have some limited benefit, but spiritual training has eternal
benefits
– this is a reminder that we are not
living for today or tomorrow but for eternity – prayer directs our thoughts and
our hearts and our lives to an eternity with Christ – and through prayer, we
enter into the very presence of God
-- I love what Steven Cole wrote
about loving, intercessory prayer: “If we truly care for one another, we will
want to be together to strengthen and encourage one another spiritually. We
will find true joy when we hear of others who are standing firm in the Lord
through trials. And we’ll pray for one another for continued spiritual growth.”
-- Paul understood the need for this type
of prayer, especially being distant from so many of the churches and Christians
that he knew who were scattered throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East –
in every letter that Paul wrote – in all the books that we have of his in
Scripture – we see Paul praying to God on their behalf – praying not only for their
physical well-being, but especially their spiritual well-being – that they
would grow in their faith and become mature and holy believers in Christ
-- last week, we looked at Paul’s concern
about the church at Thessalonica – how he worried so much about their faith and
whether they were suffering persecution at the hands of the Jews or the Romans
-- and after being assured of their continuing faith and well-being by Timothy,
Paul concludes this chapter by offering up a prayer to God on behalf of his
friends
-- so, let’s look together now at 1
Thessalonians 3:11-13 and see what we can learn about praying for others
through Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonian church
II.
Scripture Lesson (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13)
-- verse 11
1
Thessalonians 3:11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear
the way for us to come to you.
-- the first thing we notice in Paul’s
prayer is that he is praying to “our” God and Father and “our” Lord Jesus – the
use of the word, “our,” reminds us that God is God of all – He is the Father or
all – He is the Lord of all
-- when we pray, we should pray, “Our
Father,” and not “My Father” – because God is the Father of all who believe –
that’s why Jesus told us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father, who art in
heaven” – it’s because God is a personal God in a shared relationship with all
of us
-- it reminds us that Christianity is not
a solitary relationship with God, but is lived out in community with one
another – we need one another in order to truly live out the Christian life –
for the call for us to love one another cannot be done in isolation
-- next, notice that Paul’s prayer
is to both the Father and the Son – when Paul prays this way, he is recognizing
and proclaiming Jesus as equal with the Father – he is affirming the word of
Jesus that “I and the Father are one” – this really comes out in the original
Greek that this letter was written in, which shows that Paul was praying to the
Father and the Son as an indication of the unity of the Godhead
-- even in English we can see this –
if you look at the action that Paul is praying for here – that God would clear
or direct him to the Thessalonians – the verb is singular, not plural –
indicating that Paul knows he is praying to one God – one Lord – one Savior –
and one Redeemer – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
-- having learned that the
Thessalonians are standing firm in their faith and are longing to see Paul as
he longs to see them, Paul prays that God would clear the way for him to come
to them – that God would direct his path and open a way for Paul to come back
to Thessalonica
-- are we so concerned about others
that we pray for God to open the doors so that we might come alongside them in
their Christian walk?
-- that is the heart of Paul’s
prayer – he is crying out to God to open the door and clear the path back to
the Thessalonians so that he might share with them more of God’s word and help
them to grow in grace and become mature in their Christian walk
– we need to have that same calling and
same earnestness in our hearts to disciple others and see them grow in their
faith
-- one last thing I want you to pay
attention to – a couple of weeks ago, we talked about hearing God through our
circumstances – and how we shouldn’t take a closed or open door as evidence of
God’s will for our lives, but we should seek confirmation through His word,
prayer, and the church
-- the reason for that caution is because
Scripture shows that sometimes God closes doors to prevent us from going
somewhere or doing something – either because it’s the wrong thing or because
it’s not the right time
-- but sometimes doors are closed by Satan
because he is trying to keep us from fulfilling God’s will and call on our
lives
-- in this case, we read that Paul was
prevented from coming to see the Thessalonians earlier because of Satan’s
interference – look at 1 Thessalonians 2:18
1 Thessalonians 2:18 For we wanted
to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our
way.
-- Satan had kept Paul from coming to
Thessalonica, just as Satan had caused the angel Gabriel to be held up by the
prince of Persia when Daniel prayed for God’s help in Daniel 10:13
-- but Paul recognized that he was being
blocked by Satan, and so he turned to the only one who could do anything about
it – he prayed to God to open the way – to clear the way – to make it possible
for Paul to visit the Thessalonians again
-- how do you know if the door is
closed by God or by something else? – as we learned in our series on hearing
God, we seek confirmation from God’s word, prayer, and the church to discern
whether our circumstances are occurring as part of God’s will or whether they
are coming from another source – be it Satan, the world, or even ourselves
-- the bottom-line is that,
regardless of what might be going on in this world or in our lives, God is
still sovereign and can remove any obstacle that He chooses to or He can shut
any door that He wants to
-- as Jesus said in Revelation
3:7-8, “What He opens, no one can shut, and what He shuts, no one can open”
-- the use of the term “direct” or
“clear” shows Paul’s dependence on God to open the way for him to visit
Thessalonica – Paul understood that the only way he was going to make it to
Thessalonica is if God opened the way for him – it was only through God that
the path would be made clear – so Paul prayed with a discerning spirit for God
to open the way and direct his path to the church in Thessalonica
-- verse 12
1
Thessalonians 3:12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each
other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
-- Yohanna Katanacho is a
Palestinian Christian who pastors a small church in Jerusalem – as a
Palestinian living in Israel, Yohanna faces a wide variety of persecution on a
daily basis
-- the worst form of persecution that he
faces comes from the Israeli soldiers who patrol the city, looking for
potential terrorists -- these soldiers routinely impose spontaneous curfews on
Palestinians, and even have the legal right to shoot at a Palestinian if he or
she does not respond quickly enough to their summons.
-- in light of this daily harassment and
persecution, Yohanna struggled with Christ's command in the Sermon on the Mount
to "love your enemies" – it seemed impossible to Yohanna. – as he
said, “not only did the context promote hate, but the circumstances fed it on a
daily basis—the newspapers, television, media, neighbors, everything. One of
the markers of the Israeli Jews and the Palestinian Arabs is alienating the
other. To break that marker, I must have some other worldview."
-- because of Christ’s command to love
your enemies, Yohanna made the decision to follow Christ and to love everyone,
even the hated Israeli soldiers -- "For me,” he said, “love was an active
and counter-cultural decision, because I was living in a culture that promoted
hatred of the other,"
-- when he first tried to love as Christ
commanded, Yohanna failed – he just could not do it – but then he realized that
biblical love – the radical love of Christ – is not an emotion, but a decision
– and he decided to show love by sharing the gospel with the soldiers on the
street
-- he began to carry copies of a flyer
with him, written in Hebrew and English, with a quotation from Isaiah 53 and
the words "Real Love" printed across the top -- Every time a soldier
stopped him, he handed him both his ID card and the flyer -- Because the quote
came from the Hebrew Scriptures, the soldier usually asked him about it before
letting him go.
-- After several months of this, Yohanna
suddenly noticed his feelings toward the soldiers had changed. "I was
surprised, you know?" he says. "It was a process, but I didn't pay
attention to that process. My older feelings were not there anymore. I would
pass in the same street, see the same soldiers as before, but now find myself
praying, 'Lord, let them stop me, so that I can share with
them the love of Christ.'"2
-- the number one defining
characteristic of a Christian is love and the sharing of that love with others
– love for neighbors and love for our enemies
– in John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “A new
command I give you – love one another – as I have loved you, so you must love
one another – by this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one
another”
– and in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
said in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was
said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you,
love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
-- we are to be known by our love
-- the Apostle Paul understood this
more than most, as the hatred he originally had for the Christians had been
conquered through the love of Christ on the road to Damascus – he knew what it
meant to love your enemies – he knew what it meant to experience the love of
Christ
-- and, so, as he prays here for the
Thessalonians, he prays specifically for this spiritual need in their lives –
he prays that God would cause their love to increase and overflow for all
-- too often when we pray, we pray
only for the physical needs of our family and friends – we pray for healing –
for protection – for help in their relationships
– what would happen if we prayed for their
love to increase and abound? – what would happen if we prayed that same prayer
for ourselves? -- if we prayed for us to have God’s heart, so that we might
love as He loves – what if we prayed for us to have God’s eyes, so that we
might see others as He sees them
-- what if our prayers looked past the
physical to the spiritual needs for ourselves and others – and we began to have
a heart for them – to seek their best – to pray for them to love and to be
loved – how would that look?
-- that is the prayer that Paul is praying
here in this verse – and when he prayed this, God moved and the love of the
Thessalonians increased – look at 2 Thes 1:3
2 Thessalonians 1:3 We ought always
to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[a] and rightly so, because your
faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is
increasing.
-- just as Paul had prayed, their faith
was growing more and more and their love for one another was increasing
-- Someone has paraphrased
this prayer as follows "May the Lord enable you more and
more to spend your lives in the interests of others, in order that He may so
establish you in Christian character now, that you might be vindicated from
every charge that might possibly be brought against you."
-- remember that Paul is praying
this prayer for new converts – he had only been with them for three weeks
before he had to leave Thessalonica – and now, having reflected on what it was
that they were lacking in their faith, this was the most important thing – that
their love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else
-- like the Beatles said, “all we
need is love…” – and love was what the Christians in Thessalonica needed – and
it’s what we need, too
-- one of the most disturbing and
telling things in this current political season is the utter hatred that some
have for others who were created in the image of God – hatred for those who are
different from them – hatred for those who have different political ideas – who
have different cultures or come from different places
-- several years ago, Arthur Brooks, a
professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the author of a book called, “Love
Your Enemies,” was the keynote speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast – he
was asked to share some thoughts in his address on the command from Christ to
love your enemies and to love your neighbor as yourself
-- in his book, Brooks had written the
statement that we “increasingly view people who disagree with us not as merely
incorrect or misguided, but as worthless.” – and in his address that day at the
prayer breakfast, Brooks commented on that and said, “Some people say we need
more civility and tolerance. I say, nonsense,” -- “Why? Because civility and
tolerance are a low standard. -- Jesus didn’t say, ‘tolerate your enemies.’ -- He
said, ‘love your enemies.’ Answer hatred with love.”
-- when Brooks was finished with his
speech, a national politician took the stage and said, “Mr. Brooks, I don’t
agree with you” – he went on to say that when it comes to dealing with enemies,
he prefers the part where the Bible says, “an eye for an eye” – that that is
better than loving your enemies1
-- the truth is that we don’t have
to agree with other people – we don’t have to like what they do – we don’t even
have to like them -- but we have to love them
– Jesus told us that – and I’ve seen too
many Christians this year expressing hatred for people that Jesus called them
to love – and I may step on some toes here, but I want to make this clear –
that type of behavior and attitude does not belong in the church of Christ
-- if someone is defining their political
stance based on who they hate rather than how they will express the love of
Christ if they are elected, you need to think long and hard before you support
them
-- as Christians, we are not called
to pay allegiance to any politician, political party, or even any nation – we
are to give our allegiance to the Lord and follow His word and His command as
we live in and support His Kingdom over any earthly kingdom
-- Pastor Ray Ortlund writes, "The
kind of God we really believe in is revealed in how we treat one another.” – if
we are not loving each other and everyone else with a love that is increasing
and overflowing, we cannot truly call ourselves followers of Christ
-- and that is why Paul prays this
specific request to God on behalf of the believers in Thessalonica
-- verse 13
1 Thessalonians 3:13 May he
strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence
of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
-- Paul’s last petition to God is
that He might strengthen the hearts of the Thessalonians – just like for us,
the heart is always used figuratively in Scripture to refer to the seat and
center of human life
– when we speak of our hearts today, we
refer to it as the center of our personality – we talk it about it controlling
our intellect, emotions, and will – and, as the Bible points out, no outward
obedience is of any value unless the heart first turns towards God and we are
made holy from the inside out3
-- the Greek word Paul uses here for
strengthen was used to refer to the strengthening of buildings – to make them
strong and not liable to fall because of external forces – to strengthen them
and making them capable of standing and not collapsing
-- when it comes to our hearts, Paul’s
prayer is that the hearts of the Thessalonians be strengthened in the faith –
that they become strong and solid and firm – able to stand against the devil’s
schemes – and truly formed in the image of God’s own heart
-- so, the heart must be
strengthened first through the justifying grace of Christ and the sanctifying
power of the Holy Spirit – then God uses our increasing love for Him and for
others as the catalyst to grow our faith and make our hearts firm and solid
-- the point of Paul’s prayer is that true
holiness begins on the inside
– the devil tries to convince us that it
doesn’t matter what our hearts look like so long as we act holy and righteous
on the outside – but Jesus said that those who do that – those who act holy on
the outside without being holy through and through – like the Pharisees of His
day -- were like white-washed tombs that were dirty and impure inside – they
looked good, but inside they were unclean and corrupt
-- acting good on the outside while
being rotten on the inside is like putting lipstick on a pig – it’s putting on
a show – it’s the definition of hypocrisy – you’re only pretending to be good
while inside your heart is corrupt
-- before we can grow in faith or in
love – before we can truly become who God called us to be – our hearts have to
be made right in Him – and they have to be strengthened through His grace and
power
-- this means that all that we are –
our intellect – our emotions – our will – our very being – our hearts – all
that we are is strengthened through God’s grace and power
-- this prayer for God to strengthen
the hearts of the Thessalonians is the final petition in this prayer – the last
of three requests that Paul makes to God on behalf of the believers in
Thessalonica
-- the first was that God would
clear the way for Paul to come to them
-- the second was that their love
would increase and overflow for each other and everyone else – neighbors and
enemies
-- and the final request was that
their hearts would be strengthened
-- we know that because of the phrase,
“so that,” in this verse – those words are transitory words – they link Paul’s
petitions to God with the outcome that he prays for
-- make clear the way – increase their
love – and strengthen their hearts – so that they will be blameless and
holy in the presence of God the Father when Jesus comes again
-- prayer should always have a
purpose – and Paul always prays with intentionality – “God, do this in the
lives of those I am praying for so that they may grow in grace and faith
and maturity in their relationship with You”
-- the two things Paul is hoping to
see God bring to pass in the lives of the Thessalonians is that they would be
blameless and holy
-- blameless – without blame –
without fault -- without defect or blemish – true and honorable in all ways
-- Archeologists have found this
word inscribed on tombs in Thessalonica – when someone wanted to record or
proclaim that their deceased loved one was a Christian, they would inscribe the
word, “Blameless,” on their tomb
-- blameless was used to describe
Godly men throughout the Bible, including Abraham and Job – both were described
as being blameless before God
-- blameless speaks of our standing
before God – it is positional holiness – it refers to the righteousness that
has been imputed to us from Christ – imputed righteousness means that the very
righteousness of Christ has been transferred to us through His death and
resurrection, and we stand blameless and righteous before God through Him
-- the next thing Paul is hoping
that God brings to pass in their lives is that they would become holy -- holiness
speaks of our daily walk with Christ
– holiness refers to progressive holiness
and progressive righteousness – the change in our lives as our hearts become
strengthened and we grow more and more like Jesus every day through the
sanctifying power of the Spirit working within us
-- this is imparted righteousness – practical
righteousness – practical holiness – holiness lived out by us day to day
-- so, we see the two types of godly
righteousness described for us here in this prayer from Paul
– imputed righteousness – righteousness
that has been given to us by Jesus – His righteousness transferred to us
– and imparted righteousness – the
righteousness that is developed in us by the Holy Spirit – the righteousness
that comes from the inside as we grow in grace and as our hearts are
strengthened and we begin living holy lives through the power of the Spirit –
with our external habits and actions being directed and led by holy and loving
hearts
-- so, Paul prays that they be blameless
and holy – blameless – in a right relationship and standing with God – having
come to Jesus in faith for the forgiveness of our sins and standing in hope of
eternal life with Him – also called imputed righteousness or positional
holiness
-- and holy – set apart from the rest of
the world and empowered by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate changed lives and
changed hearts – holiness in our lives occurs when we allow the Spirit to make
us more like Jesus every day – this is imparted righteousness or progressive
holiness
III. Closing
-- so, let’s bring this to a close
-- to summarize all that Paul has
prayed in these verses, he has cried out to God and asked Him to clear the way
for him to come to them – that He would make their love increase and overflow
for each other – and that God would strengthen their hearts – so that, they
might be blameless and holy in the presence of God and stand ready for the
coming of Christ
-- as Dave Black points out, “There's
no greater incentive to personal holiness than a vision of the return of
Christ. Although perfection awaits his coming, progress in holiness is still
possible.”
-- in Luke 18:8, Jesus asked the
question, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, will He find faith on the
earth?” – that is a question we should be asking of ourselves every day
– when the son of man comes in His glory,
will He find us faithful? – will He find us holy and blameless? – will He see
our love increasing and overflowing for others? – will He see our hearts being
strengthened in the faith?
-- if Jesus came back today, how
would He find us?
-- Paul’s prayer for the
Thessalonians was that Jesus would find them blameless and holy – and that is
the prayer that we should be lifting up to God for ourselves and for our loved
ones
-- our goal as a Christian should be
to become blameless and holy – united in love with one another – and living as
servants in God’s Kingdom by offering His love to all, including our enemies –
as we look forward to the imminent return of Christ
-- Paul reminds us here that at the
end of the age, Jesus will come with all His holy ones, and we will be in His
presence forever – and, when He comes, we should pray that He finds us
blameless and holy and filled with faith and trust in Him
-- let me close by reminding you of
how close we are to the moment of Christ’s return – when Paul wrote these words
almost 2000 years ago, he anticipated the immediate coming of Christ – he
expected Jesus to return at any moment
-- we find ourselves now at this
time ever closer to that blessed hope – to that glorious moment when Christ
will return with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God
-- when we look around us, we see
prophecy unfolding – we see prophecies fulfilled – and we see the fury of the
devil being poured out on this world because he knows his time is short
-- so, in light of the return of
Christ, Paul prays that we might be found blameless and holy – that we might be
living lives of faith and trust and hope in Christ – that we might be true
believers – not just superficially through our actions – but completely and
wholly – body, mind, and spirit
-- Anne Lamott wrote about keeping
short accounts – about being ready to go at any moment – about not living in
sin, but living in holiness, in recognition of the impending coming of Christ
-- it is a good idea for all of us
to take time in our lives on a regular basis to evaluate where we are in our
walk with Him – to honestly and truthfully look at how we are living our lives
– and whether we are known for our love or for our hate – for our righteous and
holy actions or for our sins
-- are we ready for the return of
Christ? – when He returns with His holy ones, will He find us faithful,
blameless, holy, and loving?
-- so, as we close, let’s a take a
moment to do an honest inspection of ourselves – of our actions and behaviors
and thoughts – of our hearts
-- are we truly living for Christ in this
moment? – or do we need to make a change – to repent of our sinful behaviors
and attitudes and emotions – so that we might be found blameless and holy in
His sight?
-- let’s close now, and as we turn
to the Lord in prayer, I invite you to respond to God’s word and to the leading
of the Holy Spirit, as He directs
-- let us pray
1 “Love your enemies? Nah, says
Trump ,” Analysis by Daniel Burke, CNN Religion
Editor [https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/06/politics/trump-love-enemies-prayer-breakfast/index.html]
2
Source: "When Love Is Impossible," Trinity Magazine (Fall 2005),
p. 16-17
3
Austin Precept Ministries, Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 3
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