Paul's Heart (Pt.2)

Last week we looked at the first 5 verses of 1 Thessalonians 3. I mentioned that… when you look at who Paul was and what his role was to the people of Thessalonica, I could also entitle these messages as “The Heart of a Pastor”.

I also mentioned that… even though we are looking at “Paul’s Pastoral Qualities”, these qualities are not limited to just Pastors… any follower of Christ can and should be exhibiting these same qualities in their own Christian walk and ministry.

For a quick review, look at 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 … Read

Last week we looked at:

SLIDES (Also have on handout)

1. Paul’s Investment (all the sub points)

2. Paul’s Desire (All the Sub points)

3. Paul’s Integrity (All the Sub Points)

So this week I want to continue looking at…

Paul’s Pastoral Qualities

And we will pick up right where we left off… (Read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13)…

Meat:

As we continue this morning, the next Pastoral Quality that I want you to notice is...

4. Paul’s Inventory

As a true man of God, Paul was always taking inventory of current situations. He was continually evaluating the church and her growth. This was not done in arrogance or skepticism, but with a heart of love, for the benefit of the church. And so, What did Paul discover as he evaluated the church in Thessalonica?

First of all...

4.1 Comfort

vv.6-7 “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you—7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith.”

Timothy returned to Paul with news from Thessalonica and, according to v.7, it brought comfort and assurance to him… v.6 tells us... Paul was comforted because of:

1. Their Faith “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith...”

One of the first things Timothy reports to Paul is the continuance of their faith. Last week Paul had revealed that he did not desire his work there to be in vain. He had encouraged them to stand fast in the face of adversity… And now Timothy assures Paul that they had not abandoned the Lord. They continued in Bible study, prayer, and worship… Timothy let Paul know that the church was continuing to grow!

Paul was also comforted by their…

2. Love or Charity - “Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love...”

Timothy brought good tidings of their charity, the love they possessed and expressed. I believe this love was shed abroad liberally. They loved the Lord; they loved His church; they loved their pastor, and they loved the world around them. (That is not to say they engaged in sinful worldly activities, but they loved all mankind.)

There was no race segregation… they didn’t discriminate. They shared the love of Christ with everyone they could.

In my opinion, there is no greater attribute of a body of believers than to be known for their love… There is a song that says

“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord...

And we pray that our unity will one day be restored

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes! they'll know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side...

And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes!, they'll know we are Christians by our love.”

John 15:12 NKJV

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

1 John 3:14 NKJV

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

Folks, we should be known as a church that loves people… and we should love them enough to share the truths of God’s Word with them and more importantly, the Gospel of Christ. .. …

Paul also found comfort in...

3. Their Fellowship - “ … that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you”

The church genuinely desired to see Paul. Even though he was separated from them, they still longed to fellowship with him. They desired to hear him teach the Word and they appreciated the leadership he provided.

I don’t know about you… But, I love to come together with God’s people. I love to associate with my church, whether its here for services or being involved in extra-curricular activities. There is nothing that will replace genuine fellowship with those of like faith!

One of the hardest 3 months for my family and I, was the 3 months that we were shut down at the beginning of this Covid-19 Outbreak. We missed you! We missed seeing you, talking with you, praying with and for you face to face… What a joy and a comfort it was to come back together in this Sanctuary, to fellowship together, as brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Second Part of Paul’s Inventory was...

4.2 Confidence

vv.7-8 “7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.”

Paul was comforted by their Faith, their Love and their Fellowship. He rejoiced in their growth even in his absence… and there is no doubt he was confident they would continue to grow in their faith as long as they stayed focused on God and what He had called them to do.

This is true for our own lives as well. We all face trials and difficulties in this life. We have all had times when we were tempted to give up and abandon the work we were called to do. There is nothing like the love and support of the church to renew our confidence and encourage us in the faith!

When I see others committed to working for the Lord and they are fulfilling that commitment… it renews my own passion to serve Him. It gives me confidence knowing that there are others who are passionate about using their gifts and talents to help spread the Love and Gospel of Christ.

This led to the next Item in Paul’s Inventory… He had Comfort, Confidence and...

4.3 Commitment

vv. 9-10 “For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?”

The church in Thessalonica had endured and even overcame a tremendous obstacle. Many would have given up long ago. Paul had much to rejoice in when he evaluated the church, but he was also committed to lead them into greater depths with the Lord.

Again, after he was run out of town, Paul could’ve said “fine, I had enough” or “I guess they are on their own now”…

Even after he hears from Timothy about the church’s growth, he could’ve said “My work is done” or “That is great, they don’t need me anymore”… Not Paul, he is still very much committed to the work and ministry there in Thessalonica, even though he is unable to be there physically.

Paul was committed to being humble and wanted the believers in Thessalonica to share in that same humility. They had grown tremendously, but yet there was room for improvement.

v.10 “ night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect (or complete) what is lacking in your faith?”

John MacArthur says “Paul was not criticizing the church but rather acknowledging that they had not yet reached their full potential,… ”

What a great challenge for us as well. There is still a lot that needs to be done, greater heights to achieve as we are to be ready and actively waiting for the Lord’s Return. We must continue to seek growth, and stay committed to serving the Lord in whatever ministry he has called us to.

The Final Pastoral Quality that I want you to notice is...

5. Paul’s Intercession

vv. 11-13 is Paul’s personal intercessory prayer for the church in Thessalonica.

“11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”

Richard Foster in his book "Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home", says that intercession is a way of loving others. Intercessory prayer is selfless prayer, even self-giving prayer.

"Intercessory prayer is priestly ministry, and one of the most challenging teachings in the New Testament is the universal priesthood of all Christians. As priests, appointed and anointed by God, we have the honour of going before the Most High on behalf of others. This is not optional; it is a sacred obligation - and a precious privilege - of all who take up the yoke of Christ."

I want you all to know that I pray for you, by name, on a regular basis. Any time a prayer chain message shows up on my phone, whatever I am doing is placed on hold and I pray for that particular request… I don’t say that to toot my own horn, but I say that to hopefully encourage you. It is encouraging, at least for me, to know that someone cares enough to bring your requests before the throne of God.

The first thing that I want you to notice about Paul’s Intercession is …

5.1 His Prayer Pattern

The first part of v.11 says “Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ,… ”

Paul offers an example as well as instruction concerning prayer for the church. He not only prayed for them, but he also instructed them in prayer.

It is interesting to note that Paul doesn’t refer to his prayer as being offered to God alone. That in and of itself is powerful. Yes, we ought to pray to God, but Paul offers valuable insight to prayer here.

He addresses his prayers to God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. This confirms that God is not some distant deity that we cannot access. We are not offering prayers that we hope will be heard and answered. We have the glorious privilege to pray unto our Father and our Lord.

Why do we pray in Jesus’ Name?? Because it is through Him and His death, burial and resurrection that we have access to God the Father… Christ is the key that unlocks the doors to our prayers. If we do not have a relationship with Him, then we do not have access to the Father.

John 14:6 “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

That is why Paul’s Pattern for prayer includes God the Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ.

I also want you to see...

5.2 His Prayer Requests

These closing verses reveal the requests included in Paul’s prayers... They reveal his desires for the Church at Thessalonica and his petitions unto the Lord.

1. Direction

or Guidance…

“Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.”

Again, we are reminded that sometimes our desires do not line up with our reality. There are times when God’s plan is different than what we thought it would be or what we would like it to be.

Even after Timothy’s good report, Paul still has a strong desire to get back to Thessalonica. The motivation of his desire has changed… before, he wanted to make sure that they were still living according to their new found faith. Now he wants to join them work alongside of them and worship with them in person, even if for just a little while.

He prays that God might remove the obstacles Satan has placed and give him the opportunity to return.

Too often, we pray for God to remove obstacles and when He doesn’t do it in a way that we think it should be done or according to our time frame, we have a tendency of getting upset or relying on our own understanding to get things done.

We get into the mentality of “Lord please do ______, Please help me with ______, but if you don’t, then I will just do it this way… or I will get someone else to help me...”

Folks, “It is hard to hear God’s voice when you have already decided what you want Him to say.”… Now that is not my original quote and I am not exactly sure who said it first, but what a true statement it is. “It is hard to hear God’s voice when you have already decided what you want Him to say.”

Yes, there are times when road blocks come our way and there may be a way around them, but our first response to any spiritual road block should be to seek God’s Direction and Guidance.

Paul prays for that guidance, he prays for that direction and, according to Acts 20 (we won’t turn there this morning), but God answers that prayer and about 5 years later Paul was able to revisit Macedonia and most likely the believers in Thessalonica.

Lastly… Paul had a request for

2. Growth

Paul had a desire to see these Faithful Christians continue to grow. He prayed that they may grow in

- In Love...

v.12 “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,”

He wanted them to increase and abound in love toward each other and all men as he had loved them. The Word Increase means “to super-abound, to exist in abundance.” Abound has the idea of “exceeding a fixed number, to overflow.” Paul wanted to see them grow and overflow with Love… love for each other and Love for all man kind.

What a challenge for us today… Couldn’t we all increase and abound more in love for each other and all man kind?

What about the guy that cut me off in traffic? - Is he part of the human race? Yes, then we love them

What about the customer that chewed me out because we didn’t have a certain product on the shelf? are they part of the human race? … then we love them

Lets see if we can get a few more toes… what about the vaccinated people, the un-vaccinated, the mask wearers, the non mask wearer’s… yep, we love them too…

What about people that think it is wrong to eat bacon?? we pray extra hard for them!… but we pray out of our love for them…

When Paul wrote this, the Church in Thessalonica was under some heavy persecution… so when he wrote “All”, he meant that the believers in Thessalonica were to grow in their love for the ones that were persecuting them. I don’t want you to miss that… what a challenge!

He also wanted them to grow in their

- In Loyalty…

v.13 “so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”

Paul desired that they remain loyal to the Lord and the ministry so that at Jesus’ coming they would be found without spot and blameless.

“Paul prayed that there would be no grounds of accusation because of unholiness.”

He knew if they remained committed and loyal to Christ, their lives would be lived in light of His holiness… and that is exactly what Paul wanted to see. Paul wanted them to experience fullness in life itself. He wanted to assure them that they were not without hope. They were not following one who was unable to provide for them or secure their future.

He wanted them to know that they could live life abundantly in light of the Lord’s coming and the resurrection of the saints.

Dr. Tony Evans says “Paul simply cannot stop mentioning the return of Christ! He wants us all to live in light of Jesus’s second coming, and that means living in holiness.... … If Jesus came back today—in the next hour—would he find you doing kingdom work? Would he say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant””

Would he see you being Loyal to what He has called you to do??

Closing:

Throughout this chapter Paul has revealed his heart’s desire for the church. In that we find great encouragement as well as a profound challenge regarding our Christian lives.

I know that we are not all called to be pastors, but we can all have a the heart of a pastor… We all need a heart that is filled with love, compassion, and concern. We need the heart of our Lord and we need Him to be the Lord of our Hearts!

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