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2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; 2 and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
Do you pray for your church? Do you pray for your elders and deacons and teachers? Do you pray for the ministry of the Word in our church and for our missionaries. This may be one of the least practiced spiritual disciplines among God’s people. We as a church have a monthly corporate prayer meeting to give everyone an opportunity to pray together and hear others pray.
But you might think, if God is sovereign and always does His will anyway, why should we pray? We are certain prayer doesn’t change God’s sovereign plan. A. W. Pink included a chapter on prayer in his book on the sovereignty of God. Here’s what he says.
Prayer is not requesting God to alter His purpose or for Him to form a new one. Prayer is expressing an attitude of dependency upon God, spreading our need before Him, asking for those things which are in accordance with His will, and therefore there is nothing whatever inconsistent between Divine sovereignty and Christian prayer.
Paul begins this section with his request that the Thessalonians pray for him and his team and specifically for the ministry of the Word. How important is prayer? God thinks it is. He had Job to pray for those friends. David’s prayers are sprinkled throughout the Psalms. Daniel prayed regularly and got in trouble for it. Jesus prayed to His Father and the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus gave them and us some guidelines in Matthew 6, like don’t pray to be seen by man, don’t use meaningless repetition. Then He gave that beautiful prayer beginning with, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed by your name” and ending with “for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen.” Jesus also said men should always pray and not faint (Luke 18:1). When you do your morning Bible reading, pause from time to time to talk to God about what you just read. This is especially good when you read the Psalms. Are you praying for your church? God uses the prayers of His people to move the church along.
Paul gives us seven things to pray about right here in our text.
#1 God commands us to keep on praying for one another.
Vs.1a, Finally, brethren, pray for us….
Paul, the great and mighty apostle, asks the Thessalonians to pray for him and his team. He said the same thing in 1 Thessalonians 5:25, “Brethren, pray for us.” and in Colossians 4:2-3, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying for us as well….” One thing every believer can do is pray for their leaders and teachers, even if you’ve only been saved a short time. The moment you’re saved you are part of the family of God and you have full, bold access to your Heavenly Father through your Mediator Jesus Christ. As spiritually seasoned and mature as Paul was, he asks for their prayers. Some people are especially faithful in praying for us. When we were first saved the mother of a good friend assured us, “I pray for you every day.” I just recently contacted a friend who was saved when we were over 50 years ago. He emailed back, “I pray for you every day!” Ladies and gentlemen, I need your prayers, and so do every one of our elders and deacons and teachers and every believer in this church. That’s where the church directory comes in handy. Look through those names and pray for them.
But what does Paul want them to pray about?
#2 Pray that God’s Word would speed forth with power and bring God glory.
Vs.1b, that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;
The most important aspect of ministry is the ministry of the Word, and we need you to pray every day for the gospel to speed forth or run, which is what “spread rapidly” means. Paul says, “Pray that the gospel would go out at warp speed.” This is where Acts is so good. Luke recorded for us how the word of the Lord ran and spread rapidly through that little band of fishermen and others from Jerusalem right up to Rome and beyond! In Acts 6:7, “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” In Acts 12:24, “the word of God continued to grow and be multiplied.” In Acts 19:20, “the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.”
The gospel message in that first century went flying out at lightning speed as you think about Philip to Samaria, Peter to Cornelius and the Gentiles. And then Paul taking the gospel out from Syria up through Asia Minor, over into Macedonia and Greece, and then all the way to Rome, the administrative capital of the Roman Empire. But it didn’t stop there. Some apostles took the gospel into northern Africa, Persia, and India, and beyond. The word flew out during the Reformation and the Puritan era to the American colonies in the 1700s, in the 1800s to China through Hudson Taylor, India through William Carey, the South Pacific through John Paton, and many others. This is the history of the church that God is building!
Some of you saw the movie A Great Awakening. You can be sure there was plenty of prayer as George Whitefield came to the colonies seven times and preached the gospel from Georgia all the way to Boston, and we could say in lightning speed. It is estimated 80% of the colonialists heard George Whitefield preach the gospel.
Brethren, pray for Evansville Bible Church, that the word of the Lord would run and spread rapidly. What a thrill it is for new believers and older believers to get excited about the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. We want God to use us, this very church, to see the word of the Lord run into more and more families, more and more people coming to know Christ and loving His truth.
And notice the second part of Paul’s request: that the word would run and be glorified! How is the Word glorified? By finding its target in the hearts of men and women and totally transforming their lives. People like those Corinthians who were drunkards and fornicators and homosexuals and thieves, but then the word of the Lord came into their hearts and they were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and in the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:9-11). That’s how the word of the Lord is glorified, thoroughly changing men and women’s hearts to submitting to the Lordship of Christ.
Paul’s request was that the gospel would run fast and have a glorious reception in the hearts of sinners, transforming their lives. In their first missionary journey Paul preached the Word in Antioch of Pisidian and the people begged to hear more. The next Sabbath nearly the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord and as Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly to the Gentiles, hearts were changed.
Acts 13:48, When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
Verse 49 says the word of the Lord was being spread throughout the whole region! This was the Word of God running and being glorified! Isn’t that exciting? God’s Word is glorified as the gospel transforms more and more lives, people growing in faith and becoming more and more like Christ. So we need to pray for the Word of God to run and be glorified right here like it did among the Thessalonians.
When the gospel hits the target of your heart, your life will change. Marriages will shine as we apply God’s Word to our lives. Husbands loving like Christ; wives joyfully submitting; parents leading their children; singles honoring Christ in their relationships. So, pray that God’s Word would speed forth and magnify the grace of God.
#3 Pray that God would overturn all opposition to the powerful ministry of the Word.
Vs. 2, that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.
The church is in a spiritual war and there are always enemies of the gospel. Paul calls them perverse, weird, out of place, and men with evil motives, hypocrites, men who claim Christianity but are tares among the wheat. They have wormed their way into the church but they oppose the gospel. Jude and 2 Peter 2 expose these perverse and evil men. They are hidden reefs in their love feasts and entice unstable souls. They are grumblers, faultfinders, mockers, lust-driven, greedy, divisive, worldly minded, slaves of corruption, and as 2 Peter says, they are like dogs who return to their vomit and pigs who wallow in the mire. Their hearts were never changed and Paul says pray that God would rescue us from people like this. Calvin said, “Paul is referring to unprincipled and treacherous individuals who were lurking in the Church under the name of Christian.” Their conduct is perverse and their character evil. May God protect us from those who would hurt or destroy the local church.
Then Paul makes an obvious statement, a reminder, “not all have faith.” Don’t be naïve. They may say they do but their attitudes and behavior belie their words and Paul says we need to pray that God would protect us from those who oppose.
#4 Pray based on God’s faithful character.
Vs. 3a, But the Lord is faithful…
Here is our bedrock truth about God – you can trust Him! Aren’t you glad? “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father.” Our God never breaks His promise.
1 Corinthians 1:9, God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
God is faithful to His people and He hasn’t deserted one yet. You can trust what He says and what He promises to do. You can pray knowing He won’t allow anything more than you can bear. He is faithful in all His attributes. He is faithful in His sovereignty, in His holiness, in His justice, in His love and grace and mercy. Everything about our God is faithful. Are you trusting and resting on His faithfulness? Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us a worthy prayer – “Lord, we trust you with all our hearts. We don’t want to lean on our own understanding. We want to acknowledge you in all our ways and we trust you to faithfully direct our path.”
#5 Pray that our faithful God would strengthen and guard us.
Vs. 3b, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
Remember last week – the battle is the Lord’s. He is your strength and shield. This is what our faithful God will do for you. He’ll strengthen you, giving you all the help you need in your spiritual warfare. You can’t live the Christian life in your own strength, but God will faithfully give you all you need when you need His help. That’s one of my prayers, “Lord, I need your help, big time.” You may feel like Moses back in Exodus 33:15. He felt the burden of leading the people and said to God, “If you don’t go with us up to the promised land, I’m not going. You’ve got to go with us.” Moses sensed his weakness. Who is sufficient for these things? How does God strengthen us? When we wait on the Lord. God strengthens you when you wait on Him.
Isaiah 40:28-31, Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. 29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,31 Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Instead of thinking you’ve got this, wait on the Lord. Let Him give you the strength you need. He is faithful to give you what you need as you ask Him.
And not just strength, but Paul says God is faithful to protect you from the evil one. This is similar to the Lord’s prayer, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” Not just evil but the evil one, the devil, whose agenda is to trip you up, to devour you, to get you to do it your way rather than God’s way. Jesus told Peter in Luke 22:31-32, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter in his own puny human strength assured Jesus, “Don’t worry about me. I’m ready to go to prison and even death for you.” Jesus knew Peter’s weakness, just like He knows ours. He told Peter, “Listen bub, the rooster won’t crow until you’ve denied me three times.” Instead of blowing our own horn we need to pray to our faithful God to strengthen us for the fight of faith. There’s no room for the pride of “I’ve got this, don’t worry.” That’s exactly what Satan wants. Paul knew how Satan was angling for him, trying to trip him up. Satan accuses the brethren day and night. He’s on your tail, like that roaring lion, just waiting for the moment you get puffed up in pride or let people or circumstances pull out your anger and fill you with resentment. Ephesians 4:26-27 warns, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger and don’t give the devil an opportunity or literally a foothold.” He wants to destroy you and you need to pray, “Lord, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one.” Pray that your faithful God will strengthen you for the fight of faith and guard you and protect you from the devil and all his evil.
#6 Pray that God will give us a humble spirit of obedience.
Vs. 4, We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.
First, where is Paul’s confidence? This is so encouraging to me. His confidence is in the Lord, the faithful God who will work mightily in His people to obey. Our ministry confidence is in the Lord and we need to pray that God would give us a great spirit of obedience. Christ is our Lord and Lord means ownership and rulership. You can hear Paul’s loving encouragement here, like a good coach. Instead of coming down on them, he assures them he knows they will humbly obey whatever he has told them to do. He doesn’t say, “We doubt you slackers will do what we command, but you better if you know what’s good for you.” No, you hear Paul’s fatherly heart urging them on to humble obedience to his apostolic command. Spiritual growth needs strong correction at times, but it thrives on encouragement grounded in God’s love and mercy, our union with Christ, and the power of God’s Spirit. Pray for a humble spirit of obedience. King Saul didn’t have a humble spirit of obedience and Samuel had to tell him, “To obey is better than sacrifice…rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.”
Are you submitted to the authority of God’s Word? That will test your heart. Bring your heart before the Lord in prayer. “Father, search me, and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:24).
#7 Pray that God would flood our hearts with the reality of God’s love and Christ’s endurance on our behalf.
Vs. 5, May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
Here are two wonderful things we can pray for one another. Have you ever prayed this even for yourself? What is Paul actually saying? He prays that God would so move and work in our hearts that God’s love would flood in and captivate us. Paul said it another way in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “The love of Christ controls us.” The word “direct” means to go straight down by the most direct route. John MacArthur put it like this, “Paul desired that his audience go down the pathway deeper and deeper into God’s love for them, which in turn would cause them to love Him more and more.”
So, may the Lord direct you straight into the heart of God’s love so that you are overwhelmed with His undeserved love for you. This is heart melting. Jonathan Edwards wrote, “There is such love and grace in the heart of God [that] if you understood the length and breadth and height and depth of it, you would never be discouraged.” Some of our greatest hymns exalt the love of God. George Matheson wrote, “O love, that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee.”
Paul also prays that our hearts will be highly aware of the endurance of our Lord and Savior. Endurance or steadfastness is that quality that pushes through the difficulty and refusing to surrender to the circumstances because it’s the right thing to do. The best description of endurance is in Hebrews.
Hebrews 12:2, For the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God!
Pray that God would keep you near the cross. That’s where you see God’s love and Christ’s endurance for you. That will keep your heart full of that first love for your Lord and Savior and you will gladly with joy do whatever God calls you to do.
SO WHAT?
As I began this message, I return to the same question. Do you pray for your church? And another more important question – has the gospel found its target in your heart, bringing you salvation and glory to God?