Peter Barnes: 1 Thessalonians 3:9,10
SERMON NOTES: GRATITUDE, PRAYER, AND GROWTH (1 Thessalonians 3:9,10)
– Paul is so hard to emulate!
- Be thankful to God, be joyful for Christian growth.
– 3:9. Paul’s prayers were often very different to ours – 1:2-3; Phil.1:3-5.
– Psalm 116:12; Paul says something similar, but his thanksgiving is for all God’s benefits to the new Christians at Thessalonica.
- Be praying earnestly for fellowship.
– 3:10a, 11. Paul uses a ‘hyper’ word. He pleads and works day and night (2:9).
– nothing can compete with meeting face to face – 2 John 12; 3 John 14. Paul seems to have his prayers answered – Acts 20:1-4.
– Thomas Watson: ‘Associate with sanctified persons. They may, by their counsel, prayers, and holy example, be a means to make you holy. As the communion of saints is in our creed, so it should be in our company.’ He then cites Proverbs 13:20.
- Seek that others would grow in faith.
– 3:10b. Paul is pleased with their faith – 3:6. You may struggle with your faith, with what it means to be justified by faith. From the look of what follows, they may have been quite confused about the Second Coming e.g. 4:13; 5:1-2, 11.
– Calvin: ‘Whatever progress we may therefore have made, let us always remember our deficiencies, so that we may have no reluctance in undertaking a further task.’