SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
9/12/2014 9:45 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Increasing Faith
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2
Thessalonians 1:3a
Message of the
verses: “3 We ought always to give
thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is
greatly enlarged,”
John MacArthur explains the word “ought” “Opheilo (ought) refers to a deep
obligation, debt, or responsibility. Pau
had no choice but always to give thanks to God for the Thessalonians; he was
bound under compulsion to do so. God
deservedly received all of the apostle’s gratitude, for His grace alone mad the
Thessalonians what they were.” Now isn’t
that the truth for all of God’s children, for when we look at Ephesians 2:8-10
we see that it was God who saved us and it was God who gave us good works to
do, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to do those works, so it
should be God who deserves all of the glory.
Now we have to answer the question what made Paul most
grateful for the Thessalonians? They did
not have a huge building to worship in, nor did they have a huge budget to work
with, nor were they popular, for they were actually under persecution. MacArthur writes “The apostle praised God
most of all because their faith was greatly enlarged. Huperauxano
(greatly enlarged) is an intense compound word and could be translated
‘increased beyond measure,’ or ‘ grown beyond what could be expected.’ Paul’s joy was deeply satisfying, because
though confident that their faith was genuine and growing, he nevertheless had
prayed that God would permit him to ‘complete what [was] lacking in [their]
faith’ (1 Thess. 3:10).” Now we know
that Timothy had given a report to Paul that this had been accomplished.
9/12/2014 10:00 AM
9/12/2014 8:25 PM
Now we are going to look at something that when you first
look at it may not seem to be true, but it is, and that is that one of the
reasons that the Thessalonians faith was increasing was because of their
persecution. I also think that
persecution and hardship are similar in this sense. I have a friend who has a disease that is not
only fatal, but also painful and this friend of mine told me today that she was
getting closer to the Lord than ever before.
Now we can look at this in two different ways, both persecution and also
hardships, for they both can draw you closer to the Lord or perhaps cause you
to go away from the Lord. Jesus told a
parable about seeds being planted in different places, and only one seed
produced fruit, and that is the only person who was a true believer for as we
look at one of the places the seed was planted was in the rocky places. Matthew 13:20-21 has this to say “20 "The one on whom seed was sown on the
rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it
with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in
himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises
because of the word, immediately he falls away.” Now I have to say that if one is truly a
child of the Lord and does not do right when persecution or affliction comes
that the Lord will continue to work in your heart to bring you back to where
you are suppose to be. My point in all
of this is that persecution and affliction should draw you closer to the Lord
and that is what was happening to the Thessalonians. John MacArthur writes “Persecution
destroys false faith.” He then writes “True
faith…is indestructible, because the Lord Jesus Christ will not allow it to be
destroyed. He warned Peter, ‘Simon,
Simon, behold Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat’ (Luke
22:31). But though Peter’s faith would
be severely shaken (cf. Matt. 26:69-75), it would not be destroyed because, as
Jesus went on to say, ‘I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and
you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers’ (Luke 22:32);
cf. John 21:18-19). Perhaps reflecting
on his own experience, Peter later wrote:
‘6 In this you greatly rejoice,
even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by
various trials, 7 so that the proof of
your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested
by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation
of Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 1:6-7).
“After enduring unspeakable suffering, Job reaffirmed his
faith in God: ‘1 Then Job answered the
LORD and said, 2 "I know that You
can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3 ’Who is this
that hides counsel without knowledge?’ "Therefore I have declared that
which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not
know." 4 ’Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct
me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.’
“In Romans 8:35-39 Paul expressed the utter impossibility
that even the most severe suffering could destroy genuine saving faith: ‘35 Who will separate us from the love of
Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING
PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created
thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
Warren Wiersbe writes the following under the heading of “Their
faith was growing (v.3a). A faith that
cannot be tested cannot be trusted. New
believers must expect their faith to be tried because this is the way God
proves whether or not their decision is genuine. Faith, like a muscle, must be exercised to
grow stronger. Tribulation and
persecution are God’s ways to strengthen our faith.”
He then writes under the same heading “An easy life can
lead to a shallow faith. The great men
and women of faith in Hebrews 11 all suffered in one way or another, or faced
tremendous obstacles, so that their faith could grow. Paul had prayed for the believers in
Thessalonica, that their faith might be perfected (1 Thess. 3:10); and now he
thanked God for answered prayer.”
Paul experienced many difficulties as he took the message
of salvation to different parts of the known world, and in 2 Corinthians 12 he
lists many of the troubles that he had gone through, and then he talked about
taking a trip to heaven and there he saw many things that he was not permitted
to see because he was a mere man.
Because of this God gave him a thorn in the flesh so it would keep him
humble. We don’t know what that was, but
we do know what the Lord said to Paul about it “My grace is sufficient for you.”
Paul then said “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my
weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me 2 Cor. 12:9).” MacArthur concludes by writing “The
Thessalonians’ increasing faith in the face of persecution affirmed their
genuine conversion.” 9/12/2014 9:00 PM
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