Well, please take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Thessalonians. I've been preaching through the book of 1 Thessalonians, and this morning we're going to be in chapter 3, verses 1 through 5. But I'm going to read the context. I'm going to reach back into chapter 2, beginning in verse 17, and read through the end of chapter 3. This will help us again to get the context of these very personal words of the Apostle Paul to the church that he loved, the church at Thessalonica. But again, we will focus our attention on verses one through five. So follow along as I read 1 Thessalonians 2, beginning in verse 17. But we brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while in person, not in spirit, We're all the more eager with great desire to see your face. For we wanted to come to you, I Paul, more than once, and yet Satan hindered us. For who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? For you are our glory and joy. 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. 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. For this reason, when we can 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. but now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought to 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. And 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. 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, 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. Well, this morning, as we consider chapter three, verses one through five, the title of my message is this, Destined for Affliction. Destined for Affliction. Look at verse three, chapter three, verse three. So that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this, that is for afflictions. The word destined means to be appointed for something and therefore to be destined for something. In Philippians 1 verse 16, the apostle Paul uses this particular Greek word in speaking of his calling in the ministry of the gospel. He says, I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. So there it's the idea of being appointed to something. Literally the word means to be set, as in to set something down in a particular place. Christians have been set by God in the world, in particular places in which we are by God's providence, for a specific purpose. The purpose is that we would be a light, a gospel witness, to live the gospel and to proclaim the gospel. And as we live and proclaim the Gospel, part of that being set by God, being placed by God in the world, means that we will suffer affliction. Affliction for Christ's sake. We are destined for this. Namely, for affliction for the sake of Christ's name. It is a part of God's plan. It is a part of our calling in Christ. We have been destined and appointed for affliction for Christ's sake. In Philippians chapter one, verse 29, Paul says, for to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. There Paul says the same thing in other words. There, he says, it has been granted to us. It's a gift of God's grace to suffer for his sake. Here in 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 3, he says, we've been destined for this, for affliction. We have been appointed by God and set in particular places in the world remaining here to proclaim and live the gospel, which will inevitably bring suffering trials and affliction. One commentator said it like this, believers are set or stationed at their post in life to suffer for God. The world being what it is, such sufferings cannot be avoided. They are part of God's plan for the believer in this life, and they have a necessary function to perform in the achievement of His purpose for us. Afflictions are a part of God's plan for the believer in this life. And the commentator says, they have a necessary function to perform in the achievement of God's purpose for us. Now, hang on to that thought. It's very important. We'll come back to it. But for now, consider what kind of affliction the Apostle Paul is speaking of in this passage. He's not talking about suffering in general. He's not talking about trials in general, but a specific kind of affliction in the life of the believer. Specifically, the Apostle Paul is speaking about affliction that comes because we are Christians. This is affliction that comes because we name the name of Christ, because we love Jesus Christ, because we proclaim the cross of Christ, which is foolishness to some and an offense to others. Now, as we have seen throughout this letter to the church at Thessalonica, when this church began, it was afflicted. It was persecuted for Christ's sake. And Paul was concerned that they might succumb to the affliction, and instead of standing firm, that they might shrink back. That they might be ashamed of Christ, or even forsake Christ altogether. So he has this concern for them, that affliction would make this an unsteady church. That affliction might ultimately cause them to forsake the name of Christ altogether. And so he sends Timothy to them to see what the state of their faith was. And in the process here, in writing about this, he tells them they were destined for affliction. In fact, that's not just true of the church at Thessalonica. That's true for every church. That's true for every Christian. We live in a hostile world and to varying degrees, as we'll see, we will face affliction for Christ's sake if we are faithful to him and to his word. Now, as we consider verses one through five, we'll navigate this passage under these five headings. First, an unbearable concern. An unbearable concern. Secondly, a spiritual danger. A spiritual danger. Then thirdly, a fateful worker. A fateful worker, namely Timothy. Fourthly, a necessary work. What was it that Timothy was sent to do? It was a necessary work. And then, lastly, a sober reality. A sober reality. Let's begin with an unbearable concern. Look at verse 1 of chapter 3. He says, Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy. Look in verse 5. He repeats what he said. For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your fate, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain." In these two verses, we see an unbearable concern. The apostle Paul was concerned for their faith, that their faith might not survive the intense affliction of persecution. He labored in prayer for them, and he agonized, wondering if they were persevering in the faith in the face of such persecution for Christ's sake. Now remember, he can't just email them, or text them, or message them, or call them, or video conference with them, and he can't follow them on social media to see how they're doing and what they're posting. He has no idea what's going on with them. When he left them, there was intense persecution. Would they survive it? Would their faith remain? How were they doing? And therefore, Paul was describing here the heavy weight upon his soul. He was agonizing over them. Would they remain steadfast in the faith? Were they enduring affliction? Or were they leaving the faith? And so he says in v. 1 and then again in v. 5, when we could endure it no longer. When I could endure it no longer. And the word endure here means to put up with something. To bear with something. And he is saying I couldn't bear it any longer. I couldn't bear not knowing about your spiritual condition. I couldn't stand it any longer, we might say. And this is why I've called it an unbearable concern. He couldn't bear not knowing any longer how they were doing. And we see how intense his concern was in verse five. He feared something. He says, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you and our labor would be in vain. What an intense concern. There was this constant concern for them and a fear that somehow the tempter, Satan, the adversary, would harm them. It was unbearable. This was a concern that was always on the heart of the Apostle Paul, not only for the church in Thessalonica, but for all the churches. In 2 Corinthians 11, verses 28 and 29, he speaks of the pressures and concerns that were upon him. He says, apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? And so he speaks of this daily pressure. The word pressure here means a burden, a heavy responsibility. He speaks of a concern for all the churches. That word concern sometimes can be in a positive sense. There are things we should be concerned about. But that word is sometimes used in a negative sense of anxiety and worry. It's the same Greek word that's used in Philippians 4, verse 6 that says, be anxious, same root word, for nothing. If Paul struggled with and crossed over from concern to sinful worry and anxiety, it would have been in regard to the churches. He was concerned so much for them that it would have been a temptation to be sinfully fearful and anxious about them. Mark 4, verse 19 speaks of the worries of this world. But this worry, so to speak, this concern, was not a worldly worry that Paul had. It was for the church, the people of God. And this particular group of Greek words can have the connotation that would be sin. This intense concern he had, we usually say, well, it turns into sin when it's anxiety and sinful worry. But we also speak of concern, which can carry a good and godly connotation, not sin. We say I'm concerned about you. And sometimes we use the word worry, but not in a sinful way. I'm worried about this. We mean I'm intensely concerned about this. But of course we know that even good and godly concerns can easily turn into sinful anxiety. And therefore we have to be on guard against sinful worry, sinful fear. But we do need intense concern. Godly concern. And Paul is an example of this. By the way, how did Paul not let his good and godly concern, even intense concern, for the church not turn into sinful worry and anxiety? Well he himself said, here's how that doesn't happen in Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And so Paul in this intense concern, unbearable concern, to the point that he finally had to send someone to check on them. In the midst of that, he prayed for them. He brought them before the throne of grace. And we have records of his prayers in the Scriptures. Those prayers arose from his love for the people of God. But they also arose from Paul practicing what he preached, so to speak. His concern was so intense that he had to take everything to God, lest his concern turn into sinful anxiety. Now we've experienced that as parents, haven't we? I've mentioned before, the first time your child drives off in a car, that's a time by themselves, is a time of intense concern. And it can quickly cross over into sinful anxiety. So what do you do? You pray, God, protect them, keep them. Instead of being anxious, you commit them to the Lord and you trust in the Lord. You cast all your cares on Him. 1 Peter 5, verse 7. And that's what the Apostle Paul did. He had this intense concern. But yet it wasn't sinful anxiety because he brought all those things to the Lord in prayer. Now Paul's concern for this particular church became so overwhelming and unbearable that he thought it best to be left behind in Athens alone and send Timothy to them. We see that in verses one and two. Again, when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone and we sent Timothy. So when he couldn't stand it any longer, he sent Timothy to them. Now what that meant was, is that he was left alone in Athens. Now remember this part of Paul's missionary journey recorded in Acts chapter 17. If you recall Acts chapter 17, Paul goes to the church at Thessalonica, he preaches the gospel. There are those who believe, a church is born, but there's intense persecution specifically toward Paul. So he's sent away and he goes to Berea. And there the Jews follow him and there's more persecution. So he leaves and goes to Athens. But Paul, or excuse me, Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. But then they joined him later in Athens. And at some point in all the history of this, Silas goes on to Corinth, but Timothy is with him in Athens. And now, do you remember what happened in Athens? In Acts 17 verse 16 it says, while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, waiting for them to join him, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing a city full of idols. So Athens was a disturbing place to him. It was filled with idolatry. And his spirit was provoked by all the darkness, the spiritual darkness around him. And so it's not insignificant in 1 Thessalonians 3 verse 1 when he says, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone. He wanted Timothy's help there in Athens. He didn't prefer to be alone in such a place. Why? Because Paul needed encouragement too. He needed someone to bear his burden and to minister with him in such a spiritually dark place. But it got to a point where it was so unbearable, wanting to know how the church at Thessalonica was doing, he says, Timothy, it's best for me to remain here, as disturbing as this place is, and as much as your fellowship and your ministry with me is a comfort to me, You need to go and check on the church at Thessalonica. You see how Paul needed encouragement too, and in that one word, alone, we see Paul thought it best. He didn't want to be alone in Athens, but he thought it best. You see, ministry is easier with like-minded workers alongside you. This is why God designs in his church that there be a plurality of elders, a plurality of pastors, and a plurality of deacons to bear one another's burdens, to do the work of ministry together, to encourage one another. There have been times that I've been overwhelmed with the work of ministry and discouraged to the point of quitting if it were not for fellow laborers, pastors, and deacons. that God had placed beside me. Praise God for these men, even in my own life. And this is true not just for pastors. All believers need like-minded brethren to encourage them and aid them in the Christian life. We don't walk in this world alone. We have the fellowship of the body of Christ. How important the church is. Aren't you glad that there are other believers to bear the burdens of living the Christian life and living in a hostile world and walking through trials together. Aren't you glad for pastors, for deacons, for laborers for Christ, for those who love God? We are not alone. And I praise God for that. But so intense and unbearable was the concern of Paul for the church at Thessalonica that he said, we thought it best not to be left, or we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone. In other words, there were more important things. The Thessalonians needed Timothy more than he did. And this shows Paul's selfless love for the church. He sought the good of others above himself. And again, Paul is practicing what he preached. Do nothing, he wrote, from selfishness or empty conceit. But with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interest of others. That's what Paul was doing in this case. And that's what we're to do. And so, this unbearable concern leads to sending Timothy to Thessalonica. Now why? What was so pressing? This leads us to the second point. A spiritual danger. A spiritual danger. The danger is described in this way in verse 3. so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions. And then again in verse five, the danger is spoken of in the words that the tempter might have tempted you. So here we see a spiritual danger that in the midst of these afflictions that they would be disturbed and that the tempter who is spoken of in chapter two verse 18 as Satan, the adversary, here the tempter would have tempted them. Now the word disturbed, that's used in verse three, is translated moved in the King James and in the English Standard Version, or shaken in the New King James Version, or another translation says unsettled. It's an interesting Greek word. We're gonna talk about in our discipleship group on Practical Principles for Bible Study, we've been talking about, we're going to do our homework discuss it together about doing word studies and understanding words. And this is an interesting Greek word translated here as disturbed in verse three. Originally this word meant literally to wag the tail. It was about a dog. A dog would wag his tail and this was the word that was used. Somehow the word then became to mean to fawn over and to flatter. And since flattery is often used for deceptive purposes, the word also came to mean to be deceived or deluded. So therefore, some think this means that what Paul is saying is that they might have been deluded by the afflictions, that somehow they're disturbed to the point of being deceived into forsaking the faith. And another nuance of the word is to be shaken, to be unsettled. One commentator wrote this, the precise force of the verb occurring only here in the New Testament is not certain. It basically means to shake, to sway back and forth, and was properly used of a dog wagging his tail. From this, it came to mean to fawn upon, to flatter, hence conveying the idea of being deceived. Then the verb came generally to denote the act of shaking, to shake, hence to be unsettled, Now in the midst of such intense affliction, they could be more easily deceived or they could be disturbed and moved and moved away from the faith. And that was his concern. This was the spiritual danger that they were in in the midst of affliction. In verse five, he describes the spiritual danger in this way. The tempter might have tempted you. Remember back in chapter two, verse 18, Satan, which means adversary, was active and he hindered and obstructed Paul from returning to Thessalonica. Here he is called the tempter. Again, the names of Satan, the devil. Satan means adversary, devil means slanderer. Here he's called the tempter. Tells us something about his character. He's called the tempter in Matthew 4, verse 3, when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. In 2 Corinthians 11, verse 3, Paul writes, but I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. He is the tempter, the deceiver. He's cunning, he's crafty. This was the spiritual danger they were facing, that in the midst of the affliction, that the adversary would use it in some way to lead them astray, to tempt them. And this is what Satan does. He tempts. And he seeks to entice believers to doubt God, to disbelieve His Word. He casts doubt on the truthfulness of God, the goodness of God, the holiness of God. And in this way, the tempter leads people away from Christ and faith in Him. They become, in the words of 1 Timothy 1, verse 19, shipwrecked in regard to the faith. And this is one of Satan's goals, and he is actively at work with his fellow fallen angels in order to tempt believers. So here we see the spiritual danger. Now what does such a spiritual danger call for? Well, we see that in the third point, a fateful worker. A fateful worker. This unbearable concern because of this spiritual danger leads him to send Timothy, verse two, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ. What does such a spiritual danger call for? Well, on this occasion, it called for the sending of a man who would come alongside of them to strengthen them and encourage them. And so the Apostle Paul, he cannot go. We don't know the circumstances. Again, we don't know why he was hindered in the past. It could have been some physical ailment. We don't know the circumstances. It could be because of the intense persecution and threat to his life. Whatever the case, he sends Timothy, who willingly goes back to the church at Thessalonica. Here we have a fateful worker. Timothy. The name means one who honors God. And his name accurately described his character and his life. We first learn of Timothy in Acts 16. You remember Paul had just parted company with Barnabas over whether or not to take John Mark on their missionary journey. Paul takes Silas who replaced Barnabas with him, and then Paul comes across a man named Timothy in Acts 16. He was the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer. One who had taught him the Scriptures from his childhood. A mother who had then heard of Christ and come to Christ. And Timothy had come to Christ. And when he learned about his good reputation, he said, I want Timothy to come with me. And so he knew the Scriptures from his childhood, Timothy did, taught to him from his mother and his grandmother, the Scripture tells us. What an encouragement that is, by the way, if I can just say to you parents, teach your children the Scriptures from childhood. Teach it to them from a very young age. Teaching them the Scriptures does not guarantee salvation, but it is what God uses to give them the knowledge of their sin and the knowledge of a Savior. And you may be the only believing parent. Maybe your spouse is not a believer. Don't lose heart. That was the case for Timothy, an unbelieving Greek father, but a believing Jewish mother who taught him the Scriptures. And God was merciful to Timothy. He comes to Christ, and early on in his Christian life, he's a man of good reputation. He's known for his character. Some say when he was converted, he may have been an older teenager. But he was a young man who gave his life to serve Christ. By the way, you don't have to go astray in your youth. You can follow Christ and you should follow Christ in your youth. Timothy had a good reputation with the church at a young age. And so Paul decided in Acts 16 to take this young man with him. He was faithful and that led to an opportunity to serve. And so at this point in Paul's ministry, Timothy is a faithful worker, a co-worker for the gospel. Hey, look if you would in Philippians. Philippians chapter two. I just want you to see this fateful worker that Paul sends to the church at Thessalonica. Philippians chapter two, verses 19 to 24. This was another occasion in which he sent Timothy to another church. And the reason why here is because Paul was in prison and he himself therefore couldn't go. So out of concern for the church at Philippi, he sends them Timothy, Philippians 2, beginning in verse 19. He says, but I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. What a wonderful description of Timothy. He calls him a kindred spirit. One who was like-minded. It means, this word, this Greek word literally means to be, it's a compound word, equal in soul, and it's the idea of being equal-souled, means to be of the same mind, to be like-minded. It doesn't mean they were just good friends who got along. This was a like-minded on spiritual things. A common love for God. A common love for the Savior. A passion for His glory. A love for the church. And so he says in verse 20, I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. They were united in their love and concern for the church. By the way, there's that word again. Concerned. He shared this intense concern for the people of God. And what unified their desire? Well, they both had the interest of Jesus Christ. Verse 21, for they all seek their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. Others may have been in ministry or they lived their lives for their own interests. He says not Timothy. Timothy was seeking the interest of Christ. This is basic to the Christian life, by the way. This is what the Christian life is about. God doesn't save us, then we can go fulfill our passions and desires. He saves us so we would live for His passions and desires, for His will, for His glory. That we might not seek our own interests, but the interests of Christ. And that's what united Paul and Timothy together. They were seeking the interest of Christ. They were seeking things above. Look at verse 22. He says to the church at Philippi, you know his proven worth. His proven worth. That is, he's been tested. He was a young man and through the years, as he walked with Christ, he had been tested and he had proven himself to be faithful to Christ. And he served with Paul in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. Here's a man of integrity, proven character, who served alongside the Apostle Paul. Now, back in 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 2, 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 2, he describes this brother in Christ in this way, and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ. By calling him a brother, he's emphasizing their spiritual unity in Christ. By calling him God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, he's emphasizing their relationship to God. I find especially interesting this description of Timothy as God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ. Timothy would be described by Paul in Romans 16 verse 21 as my fellow worker. He was a fellow worker, a co-worker with the Apostle Paul for the gospel of Christ. But here he's called God's fellow worker. It's an interesting term. It's used in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 9 when Paul says, we are God's fellow workers. What does that mean? It means we're employed by God, so to speak. And we work with God. Think of the way it's described here. He's not only a fellow worker with Paul, but he's a fellow worker with God himself. What a privilege it is to work with God. Not as an equal worker in the labor, and yet it's true that we are called to join God in glorifying God. We're to join God as a co-labor with God in what God is about in the world. That is the saving of sinners through the proclamation of the gospel. And so he was a fellow worker with God in the gospel of Christ. And that's really, when you think of the work in ministry, that's what we are as pastors. We're pastors, but guess what? There's a chief pastor. We're shepherds, but there's a chief shepherd. This is why I don't prefer titles that you hear in churches today where pastors are executive pastors or lead pastors. Now we're shepherds under the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church, the chief shepherd or some We talk about archbishops. When 1 Peter 5, verse 4, it says there's an archshepherd. It's actually the word behind chief shepherd. He's the archshepherd. Here's the archpastor, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are nothing more than fellow workers with him. We're joining in with him to serve him, that his interests, his purposes in the world might go forth. And that's what Timothy was. He was a faithful worker, working with God for his interests, for his purpose in the church. So out of an unbearable concern over a very real danger, a brother and laborer for God was sent. Sent to do what? Well, we see fourthly, a necessary work. It's described in verse two. We sent Timothy, our brother, and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, here's the necessary work, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith. Strengthen, encourage. Strengthen. means to establish you. See, remember the spiritual danger? The tempter would come, that you'd be disturbed, that you'd be unsettled. Timothy comes to strengthen you, to ground you, that you would not be swayed by the tempter. Now, the Bible tells us we're to strengthen ourselves in James 5, verse 8. And it tells us that God will strengthen us in 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 3. But here in verse 2, another person, a missionary, a shepherd of souls, strengthens believers. You say, well, who strengthens our faith, God or man? Some might say, well, I only need God. Just me and God. That's all I need to strengthen my faith. No, you need pastors. You need the work of the ministry of the word from pastors privately and publicly. You need the fellowship of believers. Paul sent Timothy to strengthen them. And yes, they were to strengthen themselves by the means God had given. And God ultimately is the one who strengthens all hearts. But he uses means. And here he uses another person. Is your relationship with your pastors, your deacons, other believers, such that you're being strengthened by their fellowship and their ministry to you? Are you availing yourself to the ministry of pastors, deacons, and the body of Christ to your soul? And are you, are you seeking to strengthen the faith of other believers? There's still the real danger of an adversary, of a tempter who would come and disturb us and make our faith unsettled. So we're to strengthen one another. But not only that, he says, here's the necessary work to encourage you as to your faith. The word encourage here means to come alongside of someone to do a range of things, to comfort them, to encourage them, to admonish them at times, to exhort them, And how was Timothy in particular to strengthen and encourage believers in their faith? Well, again, we go back to 2 Timothy 4, verse 2. Preach the Word. He was to minister the Word of God publicly and privately. And this was a necessary work in the church. You see how we need this in our lives? We need pastors. We need believers. The Christian life is not lived out in isolation. It's lived in relationship to and in fellowship with other believers. The church is like a body, the scripture tells us, with interdependent parts. No one part or even group of parts are meant to function alone. It's a body. And as the individual parts use their spiritual gifts, and as they function rightly in the body, the whole is built up, it tells us in Ephesians chapter four. This is fellowship. And so the Christian life is not to be lived in isolation. So Timothy was sent as a faithful worker with God for the church to do this necessary work of strengthening and encouraging. the souls of these believers. But then we see lastly a sober reality. Why was all this necessary? Why such intense concern? Why send a laborer, a worker for the spiritual good and faith of these struggling believers? Here's why, because of affliction. Now we're back to that sobering reality, the subject of The message. Affliction. We've been destined for affliction. So here's the reality. The Christian life is filled with affliction for Christ's sake. And Paul says in v. 3 that it's a certainty. For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. You can count on it. Now, we don't always undergo affliction at every moment, every day for Christ's sake. And there are times in which the church or individual believers are suffering persecution with more intensity than at other times. There are times and places in the world where the affliction for Christ's sake is much more intense. And we in America do not know it the way some brethren know it. They fear for their lives every day. So it depends on the place and in God's providence and the life of the church. But it is a certainty. And it is a sobering reality that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And so it is a reality that we need to be aware of and prepared for. Now this doesn't fit the health and wealth gospel of the charismatic movement. And it doesn't fit, not just to pick on charismatics, it doesn't fit today's form of evangelicalism, which teaches that Jesus died on the cross to restore your self-esteem, or to give you significance, or that he died because he needed you. It doesn't fit that. Affliction, that is suffering for Christ's sake, being persecuted for the gospel is not a part of the message today that most are preaching. But it was a part of the message of Jesus. If they hated me, they'll hate you. If they persecuted me, they'll persecute you. In fact, Jesus said this in Luke chapter 14, beginning in verse 25. It says, Now large crowds were going along with him, and he turned and said to them, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost? to see if he has enough to complete it. Otherwise, when he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with 10,000 men to encounter the one coming against him with 20,000? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation to ask for terms of peace. In other words, Jesus is saying, following me is not going to be easy. You have to love me more than anyone else, even your own life. You have to carry your own cross. And what did that mean? The cross was not just a neat piece of jewelry that people wear. It was a sign of death. And he says, if you're going to be my disciple, you need to think about it and calculate the cost. You mean cost? I thought this is going to build up my self-esteem and just make me happy. I'd be rich and never sick. No. It means you're going to suffer affliction. Paul would say we've been destined for this. It's a hostile world. And if you live as a follower of Jesus Christ, and I don't mean the made-up Jesus that people have today, but the Jesus, the real Jesus of the Bible, is revealed to us there. And there's going to be opposition, there's going to be affliction for His namesake. And Jesus says you need to calculate the cost. There's going to be a cost. And so the Apostle Paul prepared the church for this. And even as new believers, he taught them to count the cost of following Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 4, 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. He prepared them for this. even before the intensity of the persecution in Thessalonica occurred. He said, I kept telling you it was coming. And so it came to pass. How many people, I'll put it in quotes, become Christians, want to be baptized, want to join a church and so on because their friends are doing it. And then when the Christ who caused them to live counter the culture, to live holy lives according to the Word, they're tempted by the tempter and fall away from the faith. I mean, we're going to see shortly in 1 Thessalonians 4 that God causes church to live holy. He'll teach them, this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is that you abstain from sexual immorality. And he says you're to conduct yourself not in lustful passion like those who don't know God, but you're to live in holiness. But how many want to be baptized and call themselves Christians because all my friends are? When the call to follow Christ leads to trials and suffering and sacrifice, they fall away from the faith. Parents, we need to teach our children about the cost of discipleship and what it means to follow Christ. Following Jesus means you will live contrary to the world and contrary to your peers. Children, young people, Jesus said, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. You don't just follow the crowds, you just don't follow, oh, this person's joining the church and being baptized and I want to. You know, I enjoy the time in our youth Bible study and so this is fun. I like this. You need to count the cost. You need to understand the gospel, what it means to be a Christian, but then you need to count the cost of what faith in Christ is. Jesus said you need to calculate it. Paul taught these new believers we're destined for affliction for Christ's sake. And the Christian must be willing to suffer affliction for the gospel. Could it be that You're not afflicted because you're not that different from the world. And therefore the world loves you. Could it be that the church today is not afflicted because it's not preaching the true gospel? For when we are following Christ with a whole heart and we are proclaiming the gospel of grace that we've sung about today, that kills people's pride. It's not by your works. It's not because of something you've done. It's because what Christ did for you. And you humble yourself and you come with empty hands. And you trust in Christ, not yourself. And you live for his glory then as a justified believer, forgiven of your sins. When we live that kind of life, it means that there will be those who will oppose us and persecute us. There will be affliction. We've been destined for this. Paul said it this way in Acts 14, verse 22, where it says this of Paul. He was strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith. Does the word sound familiar? He sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage them as to their faith. He was strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith. How? by saying through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Brothers and sisters, we are destined for affliction. We must be willing to suffer for Christ's sake. And we must be on guard against the tempter who attempts to use those afflictions to make us stumble and fall. Brothers and sisters, avail yourselves to the means of grace that God has given to strengthen and encourage your heart. Give yourself to the Word, to prayer, to the Lord's table, and to the fellowship of the saints. Let us do, lest we be tempted by the tempter, what the writer to the Hebrews said, Hebrews 10, verses 23 to 25. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promises is faithful. And let us consider, let us think about and plan 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. Why is it so urgent that we stimulate one another to love and good deeds, stir one another up because of affliction for Christ's sake. We've been destined for this. The tempter will use it to make us stumble. So we have to be on guard and we have to strengthen and encourage one another. Let's bow our heads together in prayer and pray that this would be the case in our midst. Father, we pray for our own hearts and for this church, for what was true in Thessalonica is true in every church. There is the tempter. who is seeking to tempt us as to our faith and who will use various afflictions and in particular the affliction of suffering for Christ's sake to cause us to stumble and fall. This is a very real concern and we've seen it even in our own midst. Those who once professed the name of Christ were led astray. enticed by the things of this world, unwilling to bear the name of Christ. Some who were tempted by the tempter and forsook the faith. Father, may we be on guard and hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, and may we know in light of this very real danger what the work is you've called us to do that's not unlike what Timothy was sent to do, to strengthen and encourage one another as to our faith, so that as we suffer affliction, we don't do it alone. As we live in a world that is not friendly ultimately to Christ and to the gospel and to the church, that we would not bear that affliction alone. But Lord, may we together, instead of being disturbed and unsettled by these afflictions, may we stand firm in the faith. Father, help us to do this and help us to see our responsibility in aiding one another as we walk the Christian life hand in hand with one heart and one voice together. May we have the concern even of the Apostle Paul for his concern and his interest was that of Christ for his church. May we abound in love for one another. We pray these things in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen.