1 Thessalonians 3
McGeeCHAPTER 3THEME: The coming of Christ is a purifying hopeThe great theme of 1 Thessalonians is the rapture of the church. The great theme of 2 Thessalonians is the revelation of Christ; that is, His coming to the earth to establish His Kingdom. The thing that impresses me is the practicality of these doctrines which Paul taught to the Thessalonians. Today the schools of eschatology, or prophecy, have gotten this teaching way out into left field where it becomes sort of an extraneous thing. It becomes something that is nice to talk about and even to argue about, but it is not too meaningful to life. They do not teach it as something that must be geared into life and that can walk in shoe leather down here. Paul’s teaching is entirely different. The theme of this chapter is that the coming of Christ is a purifying hope. It will change your life, affect your life-style, if you hold to the hope of the rapture of the church; that is, the imminent coming of Christ for His own. If that doesn’t affect your life, you don’t really believe it. It is just sort of a theory or a philosophy with you. This theme becomes the very heart of the epistle, and we will be dealing with it from chapter 3 through verse 12 of chapter 1Th_4:4.
1 Thessalonians 3:1
TIMOTHY BRINGS A GOOD REPORT OF THE THESSALONIANSPaul longs to return to the Thessalonians but remains back at Athens alone so that he could send Timothy, and perhaps Silas, Dr. Luke, and others to Thessalonica. Whereforethis important word ties this chapter back in with what Paul had talked about in the previous chapter: the family relationship that exists in the church. He had been a mother to the church, a father to them, and a brother. He had led them to the Lord, and he loved them. He said that they would be his glory and his joy at the coming (parousia) of Christ, at the appearance of the Lord Jesus when all believers will receive their rewards. Now because Paul had a real affection for them, he was frustrated in not being able to return to them. He had been hindered by Satan. Paul had to leave Thessalonica so quickly that there were many unfinished teachings and doctrines that he had not been able to develop fully. He not only longed to return, but he wondered about the future of the believers there. Paul desired to comfort them. In other words, he was demonstrating the thing he mentioned at the beginning of the lettera labor of love. Love is not affection or just a nice, comfortable, warm feeling around your heart. Love seeks the welfare of another. That is the way love is expressed for anyone. If you love someone, you seek his welfare and you actually would jeopardize your own life for the person whom you love.
1 Thessalonians 3:2
Because of his concern, Paul sent Timothy back to the Thessalonians. He calls Timothy “our brother, and minister of God.” The word for “minister” is the Greek diakonos from which we get our English word deacon; it literally means “servant.” “Our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ.” The gospel of Christ is the sphere of service. Paul was not just a do-gooder. Sometimes fundamentalists are criticized because our main objective is to get out the Word of God. We make that primary. We are criticized for not emphasizing the social aspect of the gospel enough. May I say that there has never been any great social movement that was not anchored in the preaching of the gospel.
The child labor laws came out of the great Wesley meetings. The labor movement today owes a great deal to John Wesley even though they have moved so far from the source that they don’t recognize it. Hospitals have followed the preaching of the Word of God. If people will respond to the message of the gospel of Christ, their lives will be transformed, and then these good works will flow out of that change. We are moving more and more into a welfare program in our country. This has become one of the most corrupt things that has ever taken place in our government. I don’t think any of us can grasp the corruption that is connected with this vast program. Why does that happen? Because it is not anchored in the gospel of Christ. The liberals who do the criticizing of us act as if they are the do-gooders. Have you ever known a do-gooder who really did something good? What are they doing? They actually encourage immorality and license. They haven’t lifted up mankind. They are not able to release the kids from drugs. In fact, when I was in Portland, Oregon, one of the liberal churches there was using the church as a place to dispense birth control pills to the girls who wanted them! Paul says that Timothy was a servant and that his sphere of service was the gospel of Christ. That is to be our sphere also. And when the gospel of Christ is given out, my friend, there will be a whole lot of doing good that will take place. The only criticism I’ve ever had of the do-gooders is that their doing good is merely temporary assistance. They are not helping folk permanently by bringing them into a right relationship with God. Only the gospel of Christ can do that. “To establish you …concerning your faith.” This same wonderful word was used back in the Book of Exodus when Moses went up to the mountain to hold up his hands in prayer to assure Israel’s victory: “But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun” (Exo_17:12, italics mine). “Stayed up” is the same word as “establish.” Paul sent Timothy over to them to stay them up, to hold them up, to establish them. People still need the same thing today. They need to be established in the faith. “To comfort you concerning your faith.” Comfort means “to encourage.” He sent Timothy to hold the Thessalonians up and to encourage them in the faith.
1 Thessalonians 3:3
Here is a statement that is a little hard for any of us to swallow. He says that “no man should be moved,” which means he should not be disturbed, “by these afflictions.” Afflictions here means “pressures, tensions.” Then Paul makes the amazing statement that “we are appointed thereunto.” We know that we are going to go through storms. They will be temporary storms, but we cannot escape them. We are going to have trouble down here. The Word of God makes that very clear. Paul wants the Thessalonians to stand for the Lord in the midst of afflictions. There are other passages of Scripture which teach this same truth. The Lord Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Joh_16:33). Tribulation is the trouble that all of us are going to have. There is no way around it. Yet the Lord Himself tells us to be of good cheer even in the midst of trouble. If you are a believer, you are not going to escape trouble. To accept Christ does not mean to take out an insurance policy against suffering. The fact of the matter is that you will have trouble after you become a child of God, even if you haven’t had any trouble before. He has never promised that we would miss the storm, but we will go through all the storms of life. What He does say very definitely and dogmatically is that He will go with us through the storms and that we will reach the harbor. Any boat which He is in will not go to the bottom of the Sea of Galilee but will reach the other side. You and I are in the process of going to the other side. Paul reinforces this: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2Ti_3:12, italics mine). There are no “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts” about it (see 1Pe_4:12-19). The time to be concerned is when there is no cloud in the sky, no ripple on the sea, and everything is smooth and nice. Then you might question your salvation. But if you are experiencing trouble down here, if the pressures and tensions of life are on you, then that is a sign that you are a child of God. This is the way God teaches us to rely on Him.
1 Thessalonians 3:4
I remember hearing about a black congregation in Memphis, Tennessee, where the pastor asked for some favorite verses of Scripture. One man got up and said his favorite verse was, “And it came to pass.” He sat down, and everyone looked puzzled. The pastor asked him how in the world that could be his favorite passage. He answered, “When I get in trouble, I turn to where it says, ‘It came to pass,’ and I know my troubles came to pass. They didn’t come to stay.” God will bring us through the storms. We will finally be rid of all our troubles. How wonderful that is. Our brother may have misapplied the verse, but his theology was absolutely accurate and agrees with what Paul is saying here. Tribulation is the same word as affliction. This does not refer to the Great Tribulation. It refers to the “little tribulations.” We are all going to have a little trouble down here. Such troubles are for the purpose of bringing us closer to God. They promote sanctification in the life of the believer.
1 Thessalonians 3:5
“The tempter” is none other than Satan. In chapter 2 Paul said, “Satan hindered us.” In other words, Paul is saying to the Thessalonians, “Satan is giving me a bad time, and I fear he may be giving you a bad time also.” Another purpose of afflictions is to test the genuineness of our belief. Trouble is the acid that tests the genuineness of the coin of belief. There are true believers and there are a lot of counterfeit ones. One thing that will really reveal the genuineness of faith is the ability to endure trouble through faith in God. Afflictions reveal the genuine believer, and this is the occasion of Paul’s rejoicing.
1 Thessalonians 3:6
It was wonderful when Paul got word from them, and that word was a good report. They were enduring their afflictions.
1 Thessalonians 3:7
“In all our affliction"Paul tells them that he has also had afflictions. The good report from them is a comfort to him.
1 Thessalonians 3:8
“We live” means that as believers we enjoy life. If should really be translated “since"“since ye stand fast in the Lord.” Even in trouble you can enjoy itthat’s not always easy to do, my friend. This is what Peter writes: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1Pe_4:12-13). You cannot lose as a Christian. Even if you have trouble, it is going to work out for your goodyou can always be sure of that.
1 Thessalonians 3:9
PAUL URGES CONTINUING GROWTHJoy is associated with life, and sorrow is associated with death. However, sorrow increases the capacity of the heart for joy. Paul wants the Thessalonians to know how to rejoice. Being a Christian is a wonderful thing!
1 Thessalonians 3:10
Paul’s labor in Thessalonica was very rudely interruptedhe was run out of townand he wanted to return to continue his teaching ministry. Paul wanted to teach the Word of God.
1 Thessalonians 3:11
Oh, how Paul prayed for the opportunity to return to them!
1 Thessalonians 3:12
“Abound in love.” Abound means “exceed,” and love is the Greek agape. In this epistle, love is seen only in action"labor of love.” It is not affection, but an active seeking of the welfare of another. “To the end"love has a purpose; it is not an end in itself. “He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness"the desired end of their love for one another is that they would develop a character of holiness. If you were tried in court for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? We are going to appear before Him someday, and He is going to judge our works. This may terrify you, but He also is going to judge our character as believers and determine the reward we will receive. My Christian friend, what kind of a life are you living today? “At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” Most schools of thought would agree that this verse indicates that the saints are going to come with Christ when He comes to the earth to establish His Kingdom. But this verse also seems to indicate that He doesn’t reward them until that time when He comes to the earth to establish His Kingdom. Yet many of us believe that believers will come before the judgment seat of Christ before that; that is, we believe that when He takes the church out of the world, the world enters the Great Tribulation period, and then he comes to establish His Kingdom at the end of the Great Tribulation period. So the question naturally arises: When is He going to present us “unblameable in holiness before God”? Is it when He takes the church out of the world? Or, will it be at the time He comes to the earth to establish His Kingdom? The answer depends upon our understanding of this phrase, “at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” There are different Greek words for “coming” or “appearing.” The first of these words is epiphaneia; we get our word epiphany from it. The first coming of Christ was an epiphany. It has the idea of a shining through. The King James translation uses the word appeared: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Tit_2:11). The Lord Jesus came in person as a little Babe in Bethlehem more than nineteen hundred years ago. It was a breaking through, a shining through of the Lord. It was His epiphany. This word can be used of His first coming or His coming to take the church out of the world or His coming to set up His Kingdom. All three have the idea of a breaking through, a shining through, and the actual presence of the Lord Jesus. A second Greek word is apokalupsis, which means a “revelation” or an “unveiling.” That is actually the name of the Book of Revelation. One could hardly call His first coming an unveiling, because actually His glory was veiled in human flesh when He was born in Bethlehem. It was like the shekinah glory in the tabernacle of the Old Testament which was back in the Holy of Holies where only the high priest was allowed to enter. There was a veil which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the tabernacle. When the Lord Jesus was here the first time, His glory did not show forth; it was veiled in human flesh. When He comes again, His glory will shine forth. So this is a word that refers to His second coming. The third Greek word is parousia. It literally means “presence” or “being alongside.” It is commonly translated “coming,” but it actually means “presence.” We use coming in that same way today. I have been introduced to an audience with the words, “We are thankful for the coming of Dr. McGee.” I wasn’t coming at that time: I was already there. It means that I was present, sitting on the platform, and they were happy that I had come. Sometimes in the King James translation, parousia is translated as “presence” and sometimes as “coming.” “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only …” (Php_2:12). In 1Th_2:19 as well as in the verse we are considering, parousia is translated “coming.” Therefore, “at the coming of our Lord Jesus” refers to the fact that believers are going to be present with the Lord Jesus at the very moment that we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. He will take us home to glory, to the place that He has prepared for us. So that this “coming” does not refer to the return of the Lord with His saints to establish His Kingdom, but to our coming to heaven into the presence of the Father. We have the same thought in 1Th_2:19: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” We will come into the presence of the Lord Jesus and at that time will be presented “unblameable in holiness before God.”