Love versus lust, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Paul begins this section with the word finally.  We might be tempted to think that this means he is about to complete his letter.  But Paul is using pastor lingo here.  He means he has finally finished his introductory remarks and is now beginning the main part of his message.  Chapter 4 does mark a new section, a new theme.  Up to now, in a sense Paul has been in the mode of making personal remarks to his friends, his spiritual family in Thessalonica.  Now he begins a new section, and this section is really about sanctification.

I have said before, and it bears repeating, that there are three stages to our salvation.  First there is justification, when we are made acceptable to God, when we are given new life by God, transferred from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of righteousness.  We are credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ at justification and born again, saved by the grace of God.

The second stage of our salvation is sanctification.  Sanctification is a process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.  Sanctification is walking in the Spirit and not by the flesh.  Sanctification is the process of being holy, even as God is holy.  It’s learned behavior, as maturity in the human realm is a process of growing and learning once you have been born.  So sanctification is becoming mature in the spiritual realm, walking in the Spirit and not according to the lusts of the flesh. So sanctification is a process of being set apart unto Christ, then following His example as we walk after Him, as we pattern our life after Him.

The third stage of our salvation is glorification.  Glorification is when we are raised to be with Christ in a new body, in a new heaven and earth, in the eternal realm forever and ever.  This happens at the second coming of Christ, when Christ returns for His bride, the church. The second section of this chapter deals with glorification.  But this first section deals with our sanctification.  How we are to live now in the power of the Spirit as we await the return of the Bridegroom.

Now excelling and persevering in that process of sanctification is what Paul speaks of in vs 1. He says, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us [instruction] as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.”

Notice that Paul uses a double imperative in beginning this subject.  He says we request and exhort you i the Lord Jesus.  This is about as strongly worded as you can make an appeal.  It’s not simply a suggestion.  It’s as if he is saying, I urgently command you in the name and authority of Christ Jesus. If Jesus is our Lord - as we must confess Him to be if we are to be saved - then He has the authority to give us commands and instructions about how we are to live.

Paul wants the Thessalonians to understand that the purpose of their walk – their manner of living – was to be pleasing to God and not just to please themselves. When the Christian has this basic understanding of the purpose of their new life in Christ, then the following instruction regarding Biblical morality makes sense.

Furthermore, he emphasizes that this is accomplished by adherence to the commandments, or instructions which the apostles gave to the church, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Scholars tell us that the word translated instruction - rendered commandments  in the NKJV - is a military term. It’s not a suggestion, it’s an order.  So this is an order that Paul is making an urgent plea to them to accomplish.  There is a pervasive mentality in the church today that in the new covenant, since we are under grace, then we are not longer under obligation to any commandments.

But nothing could be further from the truth.  We are still obligated to keep the moral law of God.  There is no other way we can define sin outside of the commandments.  The cross took away the penalty of the law for those who trust in Christ for their atonement. We are reconciled to God, we are credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, through justification by faith in what Christ accomplished for us through His death and resurrection.  But there remains the law of God which we are to keep, which we are given the power to keep by the indwelling of  the Holy Spirit.  And so if we are going to progress in sanctification, then it will be by adherence to the commandments.  Now there are ceremonial laws which we are no longer obligated to fulfill, because they were a picture of the finished work of Jesus Christ.  And as scriptures tell us, when the perfect comes the partial is put away. Jesus was the perfect fulfillment of the law, particularly the ceremonial laws which prefigured Him. And so for instance, the Sabbath rest is fulfilled in Christ, and we find rest from our labors in Him.  So we are free from the ceremonial aspects of the law. But we are still obligated under the moral aspects of the law.

Jesus said in Matt. 5:17  "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”  He also spoke of two commandments which we are to keep, which encompass all the commandments; that is, to love God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself.  He said love is the fulfillment of the law.  To love God and love your neighbor encompasses all the law.  Now that law of love isn’t an easy version of the law which was given to us in the new covenant.  If you truly do what that law requires, I guarantee you that it is every bit as difficult if not impossible to keep as the ten commandments. The ten commandments are simply condensed into two laws - loving God and loving your neighbor.

So what follows are commandments given by the authority of Jesus Christ.  He makes that clear by vs 2, “For you know what commandments we gave you by [the authority of the Lord Jesus.”  And then he goes on in vs 3 to exhort them to keep the first of these commandments, which is to abstain from immorality.  Vs3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; [that is,] that you abstain from sexual immorality.”

Notice Paul introduces this commandment by saying, “this is the will of God.” That phrase emphasizes the fact that this is not optional.  This is a commandment.  God’s will doesn’t change from day to day, from generation to generation.  Paul isn’t saying that this is the Lord’s preference, but you can take it or leave it.  It’s not a deal breaker.  No, he says, this is the will of God, your sanctification. You’ve been set apart for this. There is no other way to sanctification than by observing this command. If you disregard it, you do so to your own peril. And sanctification is not optional either.  Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”  So this commandment concerning immorality is essential to our sanctification.

Immorality is from the Greek word porneia.  That’s the root for our word pornography, or pornographic.  The ancient Greek word translated sexual immorality (porneia) has a broad meaning, referring to any sexual relationship outside of the marriage covenant.  The broad nature of the word porneia shows that it isn’t enough to just say that you have not had sexual intercourse with someone who is not your spouse. All sexual behavior outside of the marriage covenant is sin.

 I think that is important to recognize, because we tend to think today, perhaps as did the Thessalonians, that immorality is not such a big deal.  Living together before marriage or outside of marriage is not a big deal in our culture, even within the realm of the church. Young people today think that living together is more practical.  After you have lived together a few years, have perhaps bought a house together, have tried each other out, then maybe you can get married and have a big ceremony and get a lot of presents.  But it’s more logical to live together first for a while.  But God has not sanctioned sex outside of marriage, and He does in fact forbid it.  Contrary to popular opinion, sex outside of marriage is not love, it’s lust. It’s selfishness.  It takes advantage of another.  True love does not take advantage of another person for selfish reasons.

God grants great sexual liberty in the marriage relationship. Hebrews 13:4 says “Marriage [is to be held] in honor among all, and the [marriage] bed [is to be] undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”  So sex within marriage is good, it’s honorable. But Satan’s not-so-subtle strategy is often to do all he can to encourage sex outside of marriage and to discourage sex in marriage.  Satan makes the same lie he offered to Eve in the garden, that God is withholding something from you that is good.  And so he seduces you through lust while at the same time disparaging God’s motives.

And that idea of sex within marriage being honorable is echoed in the next injunction. Vs 4 can be viewed as a separate injunction, which builds on the first.  Paul says in vs 4, “that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”  In the past, when I read this verse, I always assumed the reference to “his own vessel” referred to my body.  But actually, Greek scholars tell us that vessel was also a term that the rabbis used in reference to one’s wife. I suppose it could be interpreted either way, but I think the context suggests that the wife is to be held in honor.  Marriage which is the union of husband and wife, is to be held in honor before all, as we read in Hebrews 13:4.  And this is speaking of honoring one’s wife and the marriage commitment. 

Marriage honors the wife and marriage honors God. Marriage is a picture of Christ’s relationship with the church, which the Bible calls the bride of Christ. Marriage was instituted by God in creation.  We find that account in Gen. 2:23-25 And Adam said, “This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” 

So immorality is in a sense uncovering the nakedness of someone who is not your wife, who you are not committed to be one flesh with for the duration of your life.  To extrapolate on that, immorality is dishonoring someone else’s wife, dishonoring someone else’s marriage. Even if it occurs before either party is married, it is still dishonoring the future marriage of both. Immorality in all it’s various forms is debasing to all concerned.  It reduces love to lust, to degrade something God intended to be honorable, to something that is on the level of animals. And yet I have heard people who try to excuse immoral behavior use animal conduct as an excuse or even a validation of their desires.  Contrary to what evolutionists would try to tell us, we are not animals. We were made in the image of God, we were made to be the companion of God. We are made to rule over the animal kingdom, not be ruled by animal passions and lusts.

Paul equates such sexual immorality to the unsaved pagan nations in which they lived. He says in vs 5 “not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God.”  Paul gave these commands to a first-century Roman culture that was marked by rampant sexual immorality. At this time in the Roman Empire, chastity and sexual purity were almost unknown virtues.  In fact, sexual immorality was a major component of a lot of their pagan religions.  Temples were staffed by prostitutes.  Homosexual lifestyles were prevalent and accepted. But Christians were to take their standards of sexual morality from God and not from the pagan  culture in which they lived.

In vs 6, there is another addendum to this commandment.  Paul says, “that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is [the] avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned [you.]”  To defraud someone is to cheat them, to take illegally from them what is not yours to take. When we are sexually immoral, we take advantage of and defraud others and we cheat them in greater ways than we can imagine. The adulterer defrauds his mate and children. The fornicator defrauds his future mate and children, and both defraud their sexual partner.

Repeatedly in Leviticus 18 – a chapter where God instructed Israel on the matter of sexual morality – the idea is given that one may not uncover the nakedness of another who is not their spouse. The idea is that the body of an individual belongs to his or her spouse and no one else, and it is a violation of God’s law to uncover that body to anyone else.

Now Paul has already stated that this commandment was given by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.  But he adds to that in vs 6 the reason for the commandment.  “Because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.”  We see here the first of four reasons for sexual purity. We can trust that God will punish sexual immorality, and that no one gets away with this sin – even if it is undiscovered.  He says, the Lord is the avenger in all these things.  He will punish those who transgress and defraud another in sexual immorality.  I don’t know what that always looks like, whether it is in this life or in the judgment.  But Paul gives a solemn warning about it.  I do know that you don’t want to presume upon the grace of God or think that God doesn’t really care about it.  

Paul gives us more insight into why God may avenge immorality in 1Cor. 6:15-20 which says,  “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!  Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body [with her?] For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH."  But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit [with Him.]  Flee immorality. Every [other] sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”  Our body does not belong to us but to Christ. And so we must honor God in our body by honoring our wife or husband in marriage.

That leads us to the second reason we should be sexually pure is found in vs 7 “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.” The second reason for sexual purity is because of our call, our purpose in salvation. That call is not to uncleanness, but to holiness; therefore, sexual immorality is simply inconsistent with being the bride of Christ. As we just read in 1 Cor. 6:20, we are to glorify God in our body and spirit, which belong to God. 

The third reason for sexual purity is because to reject God’s call to sexual purity is not rejecting man, but God Himself. Vs 8 “So, he who rejects [this] is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”  We may make a lot of excuses for our immorality, we may try to rationalize sexual immorality, but actually we still reject the will of God when we sin in this way. We are in effect saying I know what is best for me.  I know what is good.  God doesn’t.

Paul doesn’t seem to issue such a strong command here because the Thessalonians were deep in sin. No specific sin is mentioned; it seems that this was meant to prevent sin rather than to rebuke sin, in light of the prevailing low standards in their society and because of the seductive nature of sexual immorality.  

But on the other hand, I think it’s possible that many of you don’t think you can be tempted in this way, or think that sexual immorality is not an issue for you.  But I would suggest that you might be deceiving yourself.  There are lots of ways that we can sin in regards to sexual immorality.  When you even look at another man or woman in lust, when you look at nudity on television or in the movies, you are in effect defrauding that person of their honor and sinning against God.  And I don’t think that such temptation necessarily has an expiration date on it.  You may have lost desire for your husband or wife, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t still tempted for another person’s husband or wife, even if you never plan on actually doing anything about it.  

The fourth reason for sexual purity is God has given us the Holy Spirit. Paul says you are rejecting “God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”  We have been given the Holy Spirit, who indwells us and empowers the Christian to overcome sexual sin. By His Spirit, God has given us the resources for victory; we are responsible to use those resources. To sin in this way then quenches the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is given to lead us.  But when we sin, we suppress the Spirit and take the lead ourselves. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  And so when we sin with our body, we defile His temple.

Now the thing about the commandment to love one another is that if we truly keep that commandment, then we will not defraud our brother or sister by sexual immorality.  So Paul wants to show the fullness of that command to love one another as a contrast to the desire for sexual immorality which is defrauding.  Love, biblical love, instead of lust.  So he says in vs. 9 “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for [anyone] to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;  for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more.”  This is really an elaboration on what Paul said about them in the previous chapter, “may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you.”

What that shows is, though you may observe the commandment to love one another, you can still continue to practice it, so that you may excel in it. It’s a process of sanctification, as I said earlier.  We will not reach perfection in this age, but we will be perfected in our glorification.  But for now, we must abound more and more in love for one another.  We must practice it, live it out.  But true Christian love does no harm to another.  Love is doing what is good for them, what is beneficial for them.  And as we just saw in the previous verses, sexual immorality defrauds another person.  It doesn’t build them up.  Love edifies the other person.

The final commandment in this section has multiple parts, but I think it’s obvious they are all related.  We find that commandment starting in vs 10: But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”

Notice once again Paul reiterates that this is a command.  But when he speaks of living a quiet life, I don’t think he is necessarily saying that you have to go live on a farm in the country. I think it means living a life that is content with what God has given you. A life that is content with your husband or wife, or that is content with being celibate, if that’s your lot in life. I think he is talking about a life without lusting after the world or the things of the world. 

I was talking with someone the other day about how we are such a consumer society.  And the world want’s us to be consumers.  They are always selling us something, something newer, better.  They are always tempting us with grass that is greener on the other side of the fence. It’s like a carrot that is continually dangled in front of our noses.  The world can never satisfy, but the Lord can satisfy.  

Paul says if we focused on working with our hands, to provide for our needs and not be striving after what we are told we need to be happy, then we will learn the secret of contentment.  I think that is the goal of this instruction, that we learn the secret of contentment.  Paul said in Phil. 4:11-13 “Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever [circumstances] I am.  I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every [circumstance] I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

The secret to contentment is found in Christ.  He is the living water by which those who drink will never thirst again.  He is the bread of heaven which those who eat of it, will never hunger.  He is the Shepherd that those who follow will never want again.  Our lives belong to Him, and if we walk after Him and live to please Him, then we will find satisfaction and sanctification in this life, and glorification and exaltation in the next.  

The ministry of fellowship, 1 Thessalonians 3

Perhaps due to the fact that this was a very early epistle of the Apostle Paul, we see that this letter is much more personal than doctrinal. At least in the first three chapters we haven’t seen any deep doctrinal dissertations.  Rather than presenting doctrine he has been bringing them up to speed regarding his own affairs during his absence, thanking God for their progress in the faith, and now in this chapter, responding to Timothy’s report after having visited them.  

But even though we have not seen in depth discussions of doctrine up to this point, we have been able to categorize his remarks into various headings.  Namely, in the first chapter, Paul’s remarks about the church in Thessalonica constitutes a list of the characteristics of a godly church which is an example for the church today.

In the second chapter, we see in Paul’s remarks an outline for a godly ministry, particularly emphasizing the ministry of the pastor, but applicable to everyone in the church who ministers the gospel.

Now today we are looking at chapter three, in which Paul continues these remarks about his ministry and the ministry of his team to the church there, from which we might be able to extract another summary of characteristics concerning the ministry of fellowship.  Fellowship is an important aspect of the church.  In fact, to a certain extent, fellowship may be considered a synonym for church.  That’s the reasoning behind naming our church the Beach Fellowship.

But true Christian fellowship must be within certain parameters. The church is not a Christianized country club. But we have fellowship with Christ through the Spirit in the truth. If there is not unity in the truth and in doctrine, then there can be no real Christian fellowship. The scripture says, how can two walk together unless they are in agreement?

As Paul will later write to the Corinthian church in 2Co 6:14-18 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?  Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?  Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.  "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you.  "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.

In the very first church in Jerusalem, there were added to the church 3000 souls who had been saved during Peter’s message on Pentecost and the outpouring of the Spirit.  And it says concerning that church in Acts 2:42 “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” That’s  a pretty good definition of the church.  First of all, they were saved by the preaching of the word.  Then they continually devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship.  It says a few verses later in Acts that they were coming together to hear the word day by day.

It goes on to say in vs 46 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

So breaking bread from house to house is indicated as taking their meals together.  I want to point that out from the text, because many pastors, especially in certain denominations,  have used that as a proof text to say that the early church took the Lord’s supper every time they met together.  We can debate whether hat may be true or not, but I don’t think this text speaks to that at all.  I think it’s obvious from the text that breaking bread means they were taking their meals together, and eating together is directly correlated to fellowship.

But I don’t want to speak on the subject of the Lord’s Supper today. I want to stress the idea of fellowship that characterized the early church.  I believe that in  chapter 3 of Thessalonians, we can see an example of what constitutes fellowship in the early church.  And hopefully, as we look at this chapter, we can find a pattern of fellowship for our own church, an example that we can follow.

Now due to the narrative style of writing that Paul does here, I think it’s difficult to outline it.  Or at least that’s my excuse.  I think it’s easier to just see it as a  list of characteristics of fellowship in the church, and through this list, we can determine what constitutes fellowship, and how we might apply the same characteristics to our church.

The first characteristic we see is the desire for fellowship.  Paul says, in vs 1, “Therefore when we could endure [it] no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone,  and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith.”  Twice Paul speaks of this desire to see them, to hear from them, to have fellowship with them by using the phrase, “when we could endure it no longer.” 

When you really love someone, when they are your family or your loved ones that you are estranged from for whatever reason, there comes a time when you might say, “I can’t stand it any longer! I must talk to them, or I must go to see them!”  If we are brothers and sisters in Christ, if we are called to fellowship with one another, to love one another, then there should be an earnest desire to be together with the church in person.  

Previously in chapter 2, Paul spoke of this desire he had to see them.  He said in chapter 2:8, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”  And then in vs 17 “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while--in person, not in spirit--were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.”

If you’re really a Christian, you should have a desire for Christian fellowship. You should not have to be coerced to go to church.  You should not have to be enticed or manipulated to go to church.  I can assure you that if you’re right with the Lord, you will have a desire to be in fellowship with other believers.  That’s a natural affection of the Spirit that we all should share.  You can’t force someone to love you.  But you can expect someone to love you.  And if you have that affection, then it’s natural to want to see them.

So when they couldn’t stand not knowing how they were doing any longer, they sent Timothy to the church to encourage them.  That’s another characteristic of fellowship. It’s personal.  It’s face to face.  It’s physical.  Paul speaks of a fellowship of the spirit back in 2:17. That’s a reference to being connected spiritually.  But that wasn’t sufficient.  We were not created for isolation.  We were created as humans to be social, to live in society. And as Christians our new society is the church. Virtual fellowship is not sufficient. Romans 12: 1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service of worship.”  Your bodies.  That’s physical.  And I believe that is speaking of presenting your body physically to the church, which is your spiritual service of worship. I believe that whole passage in Romans chapter 12 is talking about fellowship in the church.  Read it for yourself. 

The next characteristic of fellowship we see in the text is the idea of strengthening and encouraging.  Timothy was going to see them face to face to strengthen and encourage the church. That’s the ministry of fellowship that each of us is called to do.  I hear people all the time talk about what they are looking for from the church, their need to be fed, their need for this or that from a church.  But what about your ministry to strengthen and encourage others?  When others see you there, it strengthens and encourages them.  When they see you singing, when they see you praying, when they see your faithfulness, it serves to encourage them. There is strength in numbers.  I don’t think you should underestimate just how much you can strengthen and encourage others just by showing up.  And if you really want to take it to the next level, speak to someone else who is in church.  Go out of your way to speak to someone who is not in your circle of friends.  That’s how you strengthen and encourage others.

The next thing we see about fellowship is that it’s self sacrificing.  Paul and Silas and Timothy sought out fellowship even though they were in the midst of affliction.  vs 2, “we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.  For indeed when we were with you, we [kept] telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.”

When affliction comes in all of it’s various forms, all too often Christians want to curl up in the fetal position and pull their covers over their head and not go to church.  Their perspective is all inward.  “I’m hurting, so I don’t want to see anyone.  I don’t want to have to speak to anyone.”  Listen, I understand how you can feel that way.  That’s the natural response of the flesh.  When you’re hurting, when you are suffering, you want to go crawl in a hole and lick your wounds.  But that’s the way the devil takes advantage of your afflictions.  If you will stop putting your suffering first, and instead think of others first, then perhaps you’ll find that God will heal your hurting so that you might minister to others. 

2 Cor. 1:3-4 says, “Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  Don’t let the devil add insult to injury by keeping you down and wallowing in self pity when you are in affliction.  Come to church.  Remember what James said?  He said, when you are suffering,  you should come to the elders of the church and let them pray over you so that you may be healed.  We can debate whether that means physical healing or spiritual healing, but be assured that at the least it means that when you are hurting, you should come to church.  Don’t let the devil get you separated from the flock, hurting, wounded, and alone.  That’s when he has you at your weakest and most vulnerable.

And that’s exactly what Paul was afraid of for the Thessalonians.  Look at vs 5, “For this reason, when I could endure [it] no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.”  When you are not in church, week after week, it’s not unreasonable to start to worry about someone’s faith.  The devil works through your absence from fellowship.  

I’m sure you’ve all watched the old Wild Kingdom television shows, or something like them.  And they always have the typical scenario; they show the lions stalking in the bush behind the antelope herd. The lions stay hidden and up wind of the herd looking for the weak, the stragglers, the young.  And sure enough, this one little antelope starts to wander away from the herd.  And when he gets far enough, the lions start to run towards him.  The rest of the herd now senses the lions and starts to run, but the little antelope is unable to catch up and the lions end up catching it and tearing it to pieces.  

Peter says in 1Peter 5:8 “Be of sober [spirit,] be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  The moral of the story? Don’t be a silly antelope.  Stay with the herd.  Don’t become separated from fellowship.

The next characteristic we see of fellowship is perseverance or steadfastness of faith.  Vs6 “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you,  for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith;  for now we [really] live, if you stand firm in the Lord.”

Paul uses that phrase a lot in his epistles - “stand firm in the Lord.”  When you present your body to the church as a living sacrifice, then you stand firm in your faith against the forces of evil, against the temptations by the devil, against the lies of the world. Three times in Ephesians 6 Paul says stand firm.  Eph 6:10-17 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.] Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,  and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil [one.]  And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

The church is in a spiritual battle for the souls of men against the world forces of darkness. It’s a battle, and you better not forget it.  It’s a war and you need to stand with your church and defend your faith.  Stand firm.  Be steadfast.  Persevere in the faith. Fellowship is taking your place in the ranks and standing firm. Not wavering.  Not here one Sunday and then absent the next two.  Stand firm in fellowship, in participation with the church.

The next characteristic of fellowship we see here in this passage is the prayer of fellowship. Paul says in vs 9 “For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account,  as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?”

If we go back to Ephesians 6 in the passage about standing firm in spiritual warfare, it goes on to say about our strategy  that we are to pray at all times.  After putting on the helmet of salvation and the shield of faith, and taking up the sword of the Lord which is the word of God, it then says, in vs18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,  and [pray] on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”  

Prayer for one another, prayer for the ministry of the word, prayer for the pastor, praying at all times, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition (prayer) for all the saints.  Prayer is an essential component of fellowship. It’s not optional.  It’s the way we do battle.  We fight spiritual battles by spiritual means.  Prayer is such an important aspect of fellowship.  Yes, you can and should pray at home, in your car, while you’re working, pray at all times.  You should pray wherever you may be.  But there is something powerful about corporate prayer, praying together.  Remember the early church met together to pray for Peter who was in prison.  And as a result the angels came and opened up the gates of the prison and Peter walked out.  Prayer is so important.  And everyone is called to participate in it.

The next component of fellowship has already been alluded to but Paul emphasizes it again towards the end of this passage.  And that component is love.  Love is the defining aspect of fellowship.  Jesus said they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.

Paul says in vs 11 “Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you;  and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also [do] for you.”  Abound in love.  That’s more than just having a warm, fuzzy feeling.  That’s a sacrificial love for others.  That’s having a greater concern for other’s well being than for your own needs or concerns.  Love one another is not a suggestion - it’s a commandment.  

Jesus said in John 13:34  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”  And notice that Paul says not only are we to love one another, that is the church, but we are to love all people.  Woah!  That’s not as easy as it sounds.  If we are truthful, we must admit we all fall short of that one quite often.  

Jesus said in Matt. 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on [the] evil and [the] good, and sends rain on [the] righteous and [the] unrighteous.”  

If we love all people, then we will shine the light of the SON on the evil and the good.  We will do good to all people.  We will overcome evil with good.  That’s how God loved us, when we were evil, when we were His enemies, He loved us enough to lay down His life for us.  So we must love others with a sacrificial love that shows them the love of Christ.

You can love one another and all people and not necessarily be best friends.  It doesn’t mean that you have to hang out together.  But it does mean that you are compassionate, that you forgive what they might have done against you, even if they persecute you.  You love them enough to share the gospel with them, and to pray for them.

Finally, the last characteristic Paul gives us of fellowship is holiness.  Vs13  “so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”   Notice that once again Paul manages to mention the second coming of the Lord in this chapter.  He strategically does so in each chapter, and in the next one, chapter 4, he will spend the entire passage talking in detail about it. 

But also notice that abounding in love for one another and all people results in holiness before God.  Jesus said that if you love God and love your neighbor then all the commandments are fulfilled in those two.  Love does no wrong to a neighbor.  Love triumphs over all.  Love is the fulfillment of the law.  So when we are given a new heart by the Lord in salvation, it gives us the capacity to love as God defines love.  And when we love in the way God tells us to love, we will not transgress the law.  Our hearts are without blame, says Paul.  And when we are without blame, we shall not shrink away in fear before the Lord when He comes again.  We can be confident at the coming of Christ.  

I will close with this exhortation for fellowship from Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,  and since [we have] a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [clean] from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging [one another;] and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”