abundantly to see your face with
great desire. I want to see you. And I put
forth every effort to do so, but in verse 18, wherefore we
would have come to you, I would come back and preach to you and
fellowship with you, even our Paul once and again. But Satan
hindered us. Satan does all he can to hinder
the preaching of the gospel. He hinders, if he can, the hearing
of the word, but we know he can do nothing except by divine permission. So when you're reading this,
you remember that while he was permitted of God to try Job and
to tempt the apostle Peter, and to challenge the angel, Michael,
and to hinder Paul from going to a certain place where he wants
to go. Satan can do nothing except by
divine permission. He may hinder Paul from doing
what he wants to do, but he won't hinder God from doing what he
wants to do. He can hinder you and me very
effectively. See, what he's saying, Satan
hindered me Satan may hinder the apostle Paul from doing what
he purposes to do. He wants to go down to this church
and preach, but God wants him where he is. He doesn't want
him down there. He wants him where he is. Where
Paul wants to be and where God wants him to be are sometimes
two different things. He wills and purposes to go down
there. That's an inoculum, but that's
not God's will. God's will is that Paul should
minister where he is. And Satan was God's instrument
to hinder Paul. All right, in verse 1 of chapter
3, wherefore, and this is on his heart so heavily, wherefore,
when we could no longer forbear, my desire to see you and to hear
from you and to know of your well-being, of your welfare,
became unbearable when I could no longer stand the silence. He hadn't heard from these people.
He didn't know what was going on down there. And he could no
longer bear this not knowing. So we thought it good to be left
at Athens alone. My decision, see Paul was with
him, Silas was with him, and Timothy was with him. You know,
when he wrote this epistle, the first thing I read while I go,
Paul, Silas, and Timothy. They were there together. So
Paul said, when I could no longer bear not knowing what's going
on down there in that church and your well-being, I decided
that I'd stay by myself here in Athens, where I am, and send
Timothy, my brother and minister of God and my fellow laborer
in the gospel of Christ. Oh, what a relationship these
two men had. Paul and Timothy. Paul had held
Timothy in such high esteem and regard. And Timothy held Paul
in the same esteem and high and deep regard. Let me read you
a scripture in Philippians about what Paul felt about this man
Timothy. Philippians 2. He said, I've decided to stay
here alone and send Timothy, my brother, minister of God,
my fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ. Now listen to Philippians
2, verse 19. He's talking to the church of
Philippi. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy unto
you, that I may be of good comfort when I know your state. I trust
Timothy. I know Timothy is a faithful
servant of God. I know Timothy knows and loves
the gospel. I know Timothy's motive and methods
and means and message. That I may be of good comfort
and know your state. Look at verse 20. For I have
no man, isn't this strange, like-minded, who will naturally care for your
state. All seek their own. and not the things which are
Jesus Christ. But you know the proof of Timothy,
that as a son with a father, he has served with me in the
gospel. Him, therefore, him, I hope to send presently. As
soon as I shall see, I will go with me. That's a powerful scripture,
isn't it? all seek their own. It's like these people he talked
about in chapter 1 of Philippians. They preach Christ, some of contention, some not
sincerely, some of Indian strife. They do preach Christ, but all
be a faithful servant of God, a faithful servant of God, who's
not interested in our own things and vainglory, our own ways,
but only interested in the glory of God and the good of his people.
And that's the confidence of Paul, Edna's man, Timothy. And very few others. He served with me in the gospel. He served with me in the gospel.
All right, go back to chapter 3, 1 Thessalonians. Timothy had a two-fold mission,
Paul sending him on down there to Thessalonica. In chapter 3,
verse 2, he said, I'll send Timothy, my brother, a minister of God,
my fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to thank, to establish
you concerning your faith. to establish
you, to comfort you concerning your faith, to establish you
concerning your faith in the faith, to establish you, teach
you, ground you in the faith. Secondly, to comfort you, to
comfort you concerning your faith. Now is not that the ministry
of God's preachers to the church, is that not that God's It's not
that the ministry of God's preachers, we're ambassadors of Christ,
I know it's a lost world, we're ambassadors of Christ. To preach
to sinners the gospel of Christ. He said you go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. Baptizing them in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But there's
another word following that baptizing. Teach them. Teach them. Teach them to observe all things
I've commanded you. Preach the gospel. Make disciples. Baptize them and teach them. Our Lord Jesus Christ said to
Peter, Feed my sheep. Feed my lambs. Feed them what? Feed them my word. Feed them.
Feed my sheep. Feed my lambs. To Isaiah he said,
Comfort my people. Comfort my people. Go down there Timothy and establish
those people. They know God. They love God. They are saved people. They are
redeemed. They are sanctified and redeemed
and made righteous in Christ. They are washed in the blood.
Now go down there and establish them in the faith and comfort
them. What an important part of our
ministry. to comfort troubled minds, to comfort distressed consciences. Believers are often troubled
with doubts and fears. Yes, they are. You look out over
a congregation of believers, church people, God's people,
and some of them have broken hearts, troubled minds, conflict
with families, in their homes, children, stress on the job,
doubts and fears, harassment over the gospel, troubled
people, sick in body. Believers are often distressed
in their minds and in their hearts, troubled with doubts and fears,
enduring criticism, persecution for the gospel, the doctrines
of Christ. And they need promises, the promises of God. Preaching
of the word, the comfort of it, encouraged. Build them up on
their most holy faith. This is a greatly neglected ministry
today. Even in grace circles. Edifying
the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Instructing the people
of God, exhorting them, encouraging them. comforting God's children. Many of God's people are hurting,
and they're hurting deeply. And they need the comfort of
God's Word. That's what he says in verse 3. He's sending Timothy
down there. He says, I'm sending Timothy
to establish you in the faith, yes, but to comfort you concerning
your faith. Comfort you with what? The Word
of God, the promises of God. Why? That no man should be moved
by these afflictions. Will afflictions move you? These people were afflicted.
They were tried and tempted. They'd gone through so many heartaches
and disappointments. They were the target of religious
harassment. Paul says, Don't let these afflictions
and these troubles upset your mind so much that you moved away
from the gospel. Careful. That you moved away from confidence
in Christ and faith in Christ. Don't let these trials shake
your faith. They will, unless you have the
promises of God to keep it from shaking your faith. That's what
we need, the promises of God. Don't allow these trials to move
you away from the gospel. He said, look at verse 3, that
no man should be moved by these afflictions. Move from where
you stand. Are you staggering or standing?
Let's call this message that. Are you staggering or standing? Some of you here know something
about being staggered by afflictions and heartache and sorrow and
disappointment. Shocking, shocking experiences. Just stagger you. But he says
here, here's what you know and I know. Listen, for you yourselves
know we're appointed thereunto. What's he saying? You know yourselves
that God has appointed these trials and tribulations and troubles
and afflictions. They're all appointed by the
Father. Now let's read some scripture
that tells us that. Turn to John 15. John chapter 15, verse 18. Listen to Christ, our Lord. John 15, 18. If the world hate
you, The world hate you. You know
it hated me before it hated you. This is a warning. If you were
of the world, the world would love his own. But because you're
not of the world, but I've chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you. Now remember, you remember this,
the word that I said to you. The servant's not greater than
his Lord. If they persecuted me, they'll also persecute you.
If they've kept my sayings, they'll keep yours also. But all these
things, well, they do unto you for my name's sake, because they
know not him that sent me. Now look at chapter 16, verse
1. These things have I spoken unto
you, that you should not be offended, not be moved, not be shaken,
staggered. They put you out of the synagogues.
They put you out of their fellowship. time will come when whosoever
kills you will think he does God's favor, the servant. And
these things will they do unto you because they have not known
the Father nor me. But these things have I told
you that when the time shall come, when father and son are divided,
when mother and daughter, when in-laws and and children over
the gospel. Now, when this comes, he said,
I didn't come to send peace. I came to send the sword. And
a man's enemies will be those of his own household. But when
this comes to pass, now, these things I've told you, when they
come to pass, you remember, I told you of them. And these things
I said not to you at the beginning because I was with you, but now
go my way. And that wrath of the world that
fell on me, He's going to fall on you. I'm going back to the
Father. That's what he told his disciples.
But these people that hated me are now going to turn their wrath
on you. I told you so. See, we need to learn these things.
Now listen to Ephesians, or rather in John chapter 16 verse 33. Look at verse 33. Now these things
have I spoken unto you, John 16, 33. That in me you might
have peace. In this world you're not going
to have a whole lot of peace. You're going to have trouble. Trouble. Tribulation. But now
you be a good chair, I've overcome this world. I've overcome this world. Turn to the book of James. Listen
to James here. What he's saying is, he said
that you shouldn't be moved by these afflictions, that you shouldn't
be staggered by these afflictions. You know, you yourselves know
that we're appointed unto these things. In James chapter 1 verse
2, my brethren, James 1-2, my brethren count it all joy when
you fall into different temptations. Knowing this, that the trial
of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect
work, that you may be mature and entire and wanting nothing.
Let the trial accomplish that for which God sent it. And now,
1 Peter 4, verse 12. Think it not strange concerning
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing
happen to you, but rejoice inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's
suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be
glad also with exceeding joy. And then look at verse 4 of 1
Thessalonians 3. I'm sending Timothy down there
to preach to you. I'm sending a preacher. I'm not
sending a doctor, or a psychologist, or a psychiatrist, or a Christian
counselor. I'm sending a preacher, a servant
of God, a faithful minister of the gospel, my co-laborer, a
man in whom I have absolute confidence and trust that he looks not on
his own things but the things of Christ. That you shouldn't
be staggered by these afflictions. That you shouldn't be moved away
from the gospel because you know we're pointed to these things.
Look at verse 4 now. Forbidden. When I was with you,
I told you before that we should suffer tribulation even as it
came to pass. And you know. I told you when I was down there.
And we know these things, don't we? We know. All right, verse
5. But for this cause, when I could
no longer pour back, I knew that trouble and trial and sorrow
would sweep over your congregation, over your fellowship. I knew
those things, but I was sitting up here wondering how you were
reacting, how you were responding to these things. Have they shaken
them? Have they moved them away from
the gospel? Have some of them quit? Have they thrown in the
towel? For this cause, when I could
no longer stand it, it was unbearable, the silence, I sent Timothy to
know your faith. Thus, by some means, the tempter
tempted you, and our labor there is in vain." I preached in vain. Did you? When the trials came
through, did it knock you off your cornerstone? It would take you away from your
faith, it would stagger you from your foundation. This is a serious
warning. Paul says this several times. He said it to the church at Galatia. Turn over to Galatians 4. He
was troubled about what was going on down in Galatia. They were
greatly troubled in Galatians 4. He knew that these folks had
slipped in there and started preaching works. Oh, they were
preaching Christ, but Christ wasn't enough. You had to be
circumcised, keep the Sabbath, follow certain dietary laws and
all this sort of thing, observe holy days. Galatians 4 verse
9. But now, after you've known God,
or rather are known of God, how to turn ye again to the weak
and beggarly elements? Where unto? You desire again
to be in bondage? You observe days? and months
and times and years, I'm afraid of you, lest I distort upon you
labor and bane." Hey, that's what he said here in verse 5
up to the church of Thessalonica. I wanted to know what was going
on, else I labored in vain when I
preached the gospel. Look at Galatians 5. He says
it again, Galatians 5 verse 1 and 2. Now you stand fast. Don't stagger. Stand fast in
the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. And don't you
become entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul,
say to you, if you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. If you do anything to add to
what he did, then what he did won't add anything to you. He said this to the church at
Colossae. Look at Colossians chapter 1. The church at Colossae. He warns
them about allowing these trials to shake their faith and take
them away from Christ. In Colossians 1 verse 21, listen. And you that were at one time
alienated, enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath
he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present
you holy and unblameable, unreprovable in his sight, if you continue
in the faith. Grounded and settled. Established,
that's why he sent Peter down there, to establish, to settle,
and be not moved away, there's that word again, moved away from
the hope of the gospel, which you've heard, and which was preached
to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made
a minister. One of his strongest warnings
was to the church, to the strangers, he wrote in Hebrews, Hebrews
10, listen to this one, this warning, Hebrews 10, Verse 32, Hebrews 10, 32. Now call to remembrance,
call to remembrance the former days in which after you were
illuminated, God gave you light to see yourself, see Christ,
see the gospel. You endured a great fight of
afflictions, a great fight of afflictions. Partly while you
were made a gazing stop, both by reproaches and afflictions,
and partly whilst you became companions of them that were
so used, folks abused you because you were a companion of those
that they hated, preach the gospel. You abused yourself, abused for
their sake, and you had afflictions and trouble, And he said in verse
34, you were not ashamed of the gospel or of me. You had compassion
of me and my bonds, my prison. You took joyfully the spoiling
of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better
and more enduring substance than anything down here. Now then,
cast not away therefore your confidence. Don't quit now. which hath great recompense of
reward. Now you have need of patience
during these afflictions and trials and old age and sickness
and approaching death. You have need of patience that
after you've done the will of God you might receive the promise. Don't be moved now. Quit now. Verse 37, for yet a
little while, and he that shall come will come. He'll come. He
won't parry. Now the just shall live by faith. We live by faith. We were born
and made believers by faith. We've lived through our lives
by faith. We're going to die by dying faith. The whole experience
of believing And walking with God's, not by sight, not by sight,
not by materialistic gain, it's by faith. The whole journey. So don't draw
back. If any man draw back, my soul
has no pleasure in him. But thank God we are not of them
who draw back under perdition. We are of them that believe to
the saving of the soul. Keep on believing. Keep on believing. Timothy's coming down there.
I couldn't stand it any longer. He said, I had to find out what's
going on. How you're responding to your troubles and trials and
afflictions. He's coming down there to establish
you. Preach to you the Word. Teach you the Word of God. Like
Christ said to his disciples, I've got many things to say to
you. You're not able to bear them now. I'll say them when
it comes time. And Timothy will come down there and he'll comfort
you. The same Word. that will establish your culture,
teaching the world. Teaching the world. Somebody
wrote this. Let me read you what David said
about affliction. Psalm 119. Let's go over there
and look at David's testimony here. Psalm 119. This is so good. Psalm 119. This is an unusual statement. Psalm 119 verse 71. It's good for me that I've been
afflicted. It is good for me that I have
been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. Some things are pleasant but
not profitable. Some things are profitable but
not pleasant. Sin is pleasant, but it's not
profitable. He said, pleasures of sin for
a season. But sorrow is not pleasant, but
it's profitable. That's what David's saying. It's
good for me. It's good for me that I've been afflicted, that
I might learn. Now this is not, somebody said, we do all our
learning by hearing or reading. No, we don't either. No, we do
not. We learn by hearing and reading.
But some of our learning is in the furnace of affliction. That's
where we learn some lessons. It's good for me that I've been
afflicted that I might learn thy statutes. This is learning by experience.
And these lessons we learn by trial and affliction we don't
ever forget. God teaches them in a fashion
that we don't forget them. That's what Paul said in Romans
5. Look at Romans 5 verse 2. Let's
look at verse 1 through 3. Listen. Therefore being justified
by faith in Christ Jesus, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ. by whom we have access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand. And we rejoice in hope of the
glory of God. But not only that, we rejoice
in tribulation. We rejoice in affliction. This
is what David is saying. Keep that place right there a
minute now. It's what Paul says, same thing David does. We glory
in afflictions because tribulation worketh patience. Afflictions
and trial produce patience, waiting on God, trusting God, looking
to God. And patience brings experience,
maturity. That's the fruit of patience.
The fruit of trial is patience. The fruit of patience is experience. And the fruit of experience is
what? Hope, a good hope. So we learn by hearing and we
learn by reading. But I tell you, just folks that
have only shut up to hearing and reading will have a big head
and a little heart. They'll know a lot of doctrine,
but they're not able to put it in practice. That's got to be
learned by experience. And that's learned by tribulation
and trial and affliction. We glean in tribulation, for
tribulation worketh patience. Peace, quietness, waiting on
God, listening, waiting. And patience produces experience,
growth, maturity. And that experience gives you
a better hope, a blessed hope, a good hope. That's right. You see, Prosperity, now listen to me,
prosperity and good health and plenty of natural things and
freedom from trial has a way of blinding people's eyes. That's right. To spiritual matters. While adversity opens the eyes. Adversity and trial opens eyes
to see how frail I really am. A man all his life had never
been sick and suddenly God sweeps down upon him with a sickness. He's had a lot of pride. He doesn't have it anymore. His
eyes were blind. His good health blinded him.
And God opened his eyes to see how frail he is. His prosperity
and plenty blinded him to earth's vanities. He put too much stock
in these things. And God took some of them away. And he found out they weren't
worth anything anyway. They didn't make a very good
foundation at all, did they? I really didn't need him. I really
needed him. I really didn't need him. I needed
him. And prosperity and plenty and
good health binds us to heaven's glories. Heaven's an awful far away when
you've got everything you need. It's an awful far away. But I'll
tell you when you don't have anything left here, It's awful
close. That's right. Trials must and
will be foul. Oh, for humble faith to see God's
love inscribed upon them all. This is happiness to me. Trials
just make his promises sweet. Trial gives new life to prayer. Trial brings me off my throne
to his feet and lay me low and just keep me there. That's right. My son despised not the chastening
of the Lord, for whom he loveth he chasteneth. If you find this to be true,
hell, prosperity and plenty and freedom from any trial blinds
the eye. They don't know what it's all
about. But troubles and trials and heartache
and sorrow opens their eyes and we see how poor and needy and
frail we are and that these things, things, things, are things. That's all they are. And the
glory of heaven becomes exceedingly precious. I read a story today,
a lady in England years ago, Mrs. E.J. Whatley. She wrote about the introduction
of a certain plant, a beautiful plant that was raised in other
countries. She didn't name the country.
But they brought it to England. And they brought these plants
to a a gardener. Well, he took for granted that
these plants ought to be put in a hothouse. So he gathered
all of them and put them for warmth in a hothouse, wintertime
outside. And he watched them. Day by day
they kept losing their leaves, losing their leaves, withering.
And finally, they withered so badly It upset him and he threw
them outside into a compost pile. Just threw them out. And they
stayed there. And they began to grow. They
began to revive. And they began to bud, she said.
These plants needed the cold. They needed the cold. And the
great husbandman, that's what our Lord calls himself, my father's
the husbandman, often saves his plants by throwing them out in
the cold. And the nipping frost of trial
and sorrow and affliction causes the mind to think on the word
of God, causes new thoughts and feelings to be revived, causes
the heart to become dead to the world and look up to God. And
from the nipping frost and the night of sorrow rises a joy that
cometh in the morning. From the crucifixion of the old
man comes the resurrection of the new. Well, how'd this turn out, Preacher?
Well, let me show you and I'll let you go. 1 Thessalonians 3.
Timothy came back. Bless the Lord. But now when
Timothy came from you to me, verse 6, he brought me good news. He brought me good tidings. And the amplified version, if
you have one at home you can read it, helps us a little bit
here. He says, Timothy came back. with
four reports. Number one, the steadfastness
of your faith in Christ. Good tidings of your faith. The
steadfastness of your faith in Christ. You are standing firmly,
believing the gospel of His sovereign grace, substitutionary blood,
perfect righteousness, standing fast in the gospel of He brought
me good news of your love, the warmth of your love to one another.
What did John say? Nothing makes me happier than
to learn my children are walking in truth and love, truth and
love, faith and love, your charity. And thirdly, he came back and
told me that you have a good remembrance of us always. You
have an affectionate remembrance of your old picture. That's what
he says. He says that you have a good
remembrance of us. You remember our gospel, you
remember our message, and you still rejoice in it, and you
heard it. And next, he said, you want to
see me as I want to see you. Desiring greatly to see us as
we also desire to see you. Therefore, brethren, You're comforted,
we're comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by
your faith. Now we live if you stand fast
in the Lord. What on earth does he mean by
that? He means this, my spirit is revived. My spirit is revived
and made cheerful because of your stand. You're not staggering,
you're standing. in faith, in love, in Christ. You stand fast in the Lord. What
thanks can we render to God again for you for the joy we're with?
We joy for your sakes before our God. If you look over there
at chapter 2 verse 19, Paul talks about these people to whom he
preached. He said, what is my hope, my joy, my crown of rejoicing? I'll tell you what it is. are
not even ye in the presence of the Lord Jesus that is coming.
When our Lord Jesus comes again and you stand complete in him
and are made in his likeness, that, he said, will be my greatest
joy, greatest joy and comfort to see you made like Christ.
All right, I hope that's a blessing to you.