May 16, 2022
Steadfast Faithfulness
1 Thessalonians 3
Amala Smith
Central Truth
Our entire salvation is of grace! The Lord is the One who increases our capacity to love one another and presents us holy and blameless before the Father.
Key Verse | 1 Thessalonians 3:12
[A]nd may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you.
1 Thessalonians 3
1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker 1 3:2 Some manuscripts servant in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 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. 5 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.
Timothy's Encouraging Report
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers, 2 3:7 Or brothers and sisters in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 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.
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | 1 Thessalonians 3
The Thessalonians' steadfastness in Christ is a life-giving encouragement to Paul. He is especially encouraged that the Thessalonians remained faithful to the Lord despite the persecutions they were facing.
During COVID, my parents were on the verge of a marital separation. My mom was utterly ready to leave my dad and eventually did. I remember returning to one central question: Who would I live with? My decision could potentially jeopardize my relationship with the other. However, the Lord was loving and kind through it all. He spoke to me through His Word and surrounded me with others who encouraged my faith despite the circumstances that were entirely out of my control. My parents eventually got back together, and I learned a great lesson in this—I could endure difficult times because the Lord has started a work in me that He continues to increase for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
Even though I remained faithful, the Lord's work is not finished. The job is not to just endure while we are on earth—it is to increase in love for one another and for all (1 Thessalonians 3:12). Therefore, Church, whenever we study the Word of God or hear it preached, we should seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
The beauty of the gospel is that the Son is ultimately responsible for establishing us in holiness before the Father. Our entire salvation is one of grace. And one day we will all stand before God at the coming of our Lord Jesus, with others that He has declared holy in His sight (1 Thessalonians 3:13).
Discussion Questions
1. What trials are you currently facing or have recently faced? Did the trial increase or decrease your steadfastness in the Lord?
2. Do you feel that your faith is lacking? What areas of your life are preventing you from increasing in your faith?
3. Do you have someone who has recently encouraged your faith? If so, who? If not, are you ready to commit to being placed in a community of believers?