Alba 1-7-2024
LOOK FOR GOOD NEWS
I Thessalonians 3:6-13
Have you noticed that newspapers and TV news casts give mostly negative news? I have read that positive new doesn't sell. But don't you get tired of all the negative news? Well amazingly, I found a website called “Good News Network”. Here are some news stories you may not have heard from major news networks.
The headline says, “Baby That Had Spinal Surgery in the Womb Can Now Walk and Run” The article tells that, “A little girl whose parents were told she would never walk is now running around like other 5-year-olds after receiving emergency spinal surgery while still in the womb.
“This miracle of modern medicine was available to first-time parents Georgia Axford and Tyler Kelly, then just 19 and 21, who were told their unborn baby had spina bifida after an ultrasound at 20 weeks.” The girl's mother admitted that, “She does get really tired and can’t go for really long distances, but she does so well, especially considering what we were told.” That is good news!
And, today we hear so many stories of young people doing horrible things. Gangs rob and steal and kill. Many who are just youths get caught up in these things. But then there is this headline, “Run Over by Car, Mob of High Schoolers Hoist Machine Off of Mother and 2 Kids”.
The story tells that, “In Utah, a mother and two children were run over in a high school parking lot when a horde of students came running to help. It was in early December that the mother and her kids, ages 2 and 3, were walking back across the Layton Christian Academy parking lot to their car when a woman driving very slowly, yet partially blinded by the low winter sun coming in through the windshield, ran the three down.”
The story says, “The CEO of the private school praised the speed and determination of the high schoolers, who arrived en masse to help lift the car to one side and allow the trapped family to escape.” That is good news!
And there are more such stories. There is good news if we will look for it. The apostle Paul was hoping to find some good news, and he found it in Timothy's report on how the church in Thessalonica was doing. Paul was concerned about them, and finally sent Timothy to encourage them. We read about this in his letter, I Thessalonians 3:6-13. He says:
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you— 7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.
9 For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?
11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
In verse six, Paul speaks of the good news that he received from Timothy's report. It is interesting that this is only one of two times in the New Testament that the phrase “good news” is used for something other than the “gospel” of Jesus Christ.
That gives us an idea of just how good the news about the Thessalonians was to Paul.
The context of these words show us that when we focus on good news, we can be (1) comforted, (2) and rejoice, (3) and be prayerful. Isn't that a better place to be as we start this new year, than to be mired in the negative events of the day?
That doesn't mean we should ignore or be unaware of real issues around us. But if we overload ourselves with things that are negative, we soon lose sight of what God wants to do in our lives.
God has not left us. We are not alone in this world. He still gives strength to those who trust Him. And when we see that others are also trusting the Lord, it brings comfort to our hearts. When we see Christians exhibiting faith in times of trouble, such as the Thessalonians did, it encourages us to be faithful as well. When things become difficult in our lives, we need the example of others who have not given up. That example motivates us to go forward, not backward.
And in addition to the faith of the Thessalonians in times of trouble and persecution, the report from Timothy says that their love was also evident. What did Jesus say would make it clear that we are His disciples?
His exact word were, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) So we sing a song, “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love.
And you know that there are a variety of ways the word love is used. But what is the love we are to express? It should be a love that mirrors a God kind of love He who gave His only Son to die on that cross so that we who believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
It is a giving kind of love. It is a self-sacrificing kind of love. It is the truest love that there can be. God loves us that way. And He calls us to love each other in the same way.
When we as Christians consider the Good News (Gospel) of salvation in Jesus Christ, and when we see faith and love in action, we have just plain good news that encourages us in our walk with the Lord.
In times when you struggle with some issue in life and finally are able to hear some good news, doesn't that make you want to rejoice? If there is a pending diagnosis that causes worry and fear, isn't wonderful when the result is good news? Such times are times to rejoice and thank God.
That was the apostle Paul's reaction. Look again at verse nine, “For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God. You can almost see the tears of rejoicing in Paul's eyes as he thinks about the good news he has heard about the Christians in Thessalonica.
Have you been in a situation where you have been waiting for God to show you the direction you need to take on a certain issue? Those times can be very difficult. God invites us to wait on Him in those times. But when an answer finally comes, do you just rejoice? Or do you also thank God?
Paul was rejoicing so much over the good news he heard that he seems to have a problem coming up with words adequate to express his thankfulness. And yet, there it is. He is overjoyed in the presence of God with a thankful heart.
That is our proper response. We shouldn't just go on our way when things start getting better. That is a time to rejoice in the presence of God and to give Him thanks.
Thankfulness is most often best expressed in prayer. In verse ten Paul says that he is, “night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith.” All of the good news that Paul has received puts him on his knees in prayer. So much so, that he records his prayer for these Thessalonian Christians for us to see today.
It is a rather amazing prayer. And if we want to see good things, it is a prayer we should be praying for ourselves and for each other. In verses 11 to 13, Paul prays some very specific things.
First mentioned is his desire to see these Christians again. He keeps talking about that. It is obvious that thought is truly on his heart. Paul loves to tell people about Jesus. And once they respond in faith, he loves to be with them. Some of the best times a Christian can have is in fellowship with other Christians. That is good news.
Isn't it good to be around people who know how to have a good time without the worldly ways that often end in arguments or fights, caused by alcohol, or maybe even drugs? Just like Paul, we should desire the precious fellowship available when we come together with other Christians.
Then, if we are really looking for good news, it would be wise to pray as Paul does for an increase in the love that is already present. The truth is, even Christians can have a problem always showing love to one another. Oh, it doesn't happen often, but probably more times than it should.
The church in Thessalonica was on the receiving end of persecution. Such stress can work on a person. It can cause a person to lash out in inappropriate ways. To be on guard against such a thing happening, we can pray for each other to increase in the kind of love the world around us needs to see in us. Otherwise, how will they know that we are Christians?
We want those around us to look for good news and find it as they examine how we live. Notice verse twelve says such love is to be expressed, not only to other Christians, but “to all.” I have to admit that I have not wanted to put a Christian sticker on my car for fear that my actions may not meet the standard. We can all do a better job, can't we?
And if we are looking for good news, our prayers should also include that God would “establish our hearts blameless.” Isn't sad to hear negative stories of a Christian whose life was turned upside down because of some sin? We can be thankful that not everything we do is broadcast to the world.
We all need to become more holy, and it will only happen as we grow in Christ. HE IS HOLY. And He makes us holy.
There is a story that there was once a man who had a heart transplant, but the operation was a total failure. It is said that the man was a very mean man. The donor had been a very kind-hearted man. The transplant patient’s body simply rejected the heart of the kind man.
The Bible tells us, however, of a heart transplant that is successful. Ezekiel 11:19-20 says, “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.”
Isn't it a good thing that, God in His love, and because of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, that we are given new hearts and can walk in His forgiveness? And isn't that where we should stay?
One of the greatest mistakes we make in life is to turn to God only in the overpowering emergencies and the shattering crises. But we can and should seek God's guidance in navigating the ordinary day-to-day problems of life.
We need such prayers for each other. Someone described an atheist as “a man who has no invisible means of support.” It may well be that our failure to live the Christian life well is due to our trying to live it without God’s help—which cannot be done.
There are times our hearts can grow cold and need to be warmed again by a touch of God's love. When we know others are praying for us, it does touch the heart. That is why we have a prayer list in our bulletin every Sunday. The names there are a reminder that others have needs as well as ourselves. Our greatest prayers are for others, when we ask God’s blessing on others!
Even though Paul could not be with the Christians in Thessalonica, he could pray for them. Isn’t it wonderful how God has made it so we can pray for people who may live thousands of miles away. We can pray for missionaries, friends and family many miles away, and their needs can be met as a result of our prayers.
But perhaps you have been praying for yourself and for others, and you have not yet seen the answer to those prayers. In spite of Paul's desire to see the Christians in Thessalonica, the apostle’s prayer was not answered immediately. Several years elapsed before he again visited Macedonia.
In verse eight it says the report Timothy brought back put new life into Paul. The Jerusalem Bible translates this verse, “Now we can breathe again.” That is, he had felt tense, but once he heard the good news that they were doing well, he felt he could relax and breathe easy.
The believers were standing strong in faith and love. Their testimony was ringing out. They were longing to see Paul and Silas as much as they also longed to see the Thessalonian believers. It was good news!
Good news can help us to be comforted, to rejoice and to be prayerful. Paul's prayer ends with the best news. He is looking forward to our hope in Christ Jesus.
Both of his letters to the Thessalonians speak about the future hope we have in Christ. He instructs them on the return of our Lord, and the hope we have as believers in His promised coming.
If you are looking for good news. There it is!
CLOSE:
Here's another headline from the Good News Network website (February 6, 2022): It says, “A Hero Just Passing By Saves Young Mom and Son From Dying in Wyoming House Fire.” Here is the story:
A 34-year-old mother and her four young children, ages 12, 8, 6 and 4, were asleep in their Jamestown house when a fire erupted in the home. Ryan Pasborg was running late for work Tuesday morning as he traveled from his home in Green River towards town when he smelled smoke and saw flames coming from a bedroom window.
When he didn’t see any emergency lights, the 32-year-old decided to pull into the driveway where he saw a young girl and two boys leaving the house. The three children told Pasborg that their mother and 4-year-old little brother were still inside—and without hesitation he entered the residence through a garage door and stepped into the kitchen.
Pasborg told authorities that he could not see anything inside because of heavy smoke, so he crawled on his hands and knees on the floor several feet into the kitchen before he bumped into the small child. He immediately grabbed the boy around the waist, picked him up and carried him outside.
With a windchill temperature well below zero, Pasborg quickly put all four children in his truck to keep them warm before entering the burning home a second time, this time crawling through the kitchen deeper into the house in search of the children’s missing mother.
Moments later, Pasborg found the woman lying on the floor, badly burned and struggling to breath. After dragging her outside, he noticed that she was unresponsive and no longer breathing, so he began performing lifesaving measures until she suddenly took a gasp of air.
Pasborg then drove the family away from the now raging fire to the end of the driveway near the highway and awaited the arrival of emergency first responders. Sheriff Deputy Jason Mower said he could not recall ever witnessing such courage and selflessness as that displayed by Pasborg, who surely saved the lives of the young mother and son.
“I think this is the first time in nearly 15 years of law enforcement that I’ve ever heard of a total stranger truly going above and beyond in a way and in a situation that many wouldn’t have dared to face,” Mower said.
Sheriff John Grossnickle said in a statement, “Not only is it a blessing in its own right that Mr. Pasborg was in the right place at the right time, but his willingness without a second thought to risk his own life to help save this family was the difference between life and death for this young mother and her child; he gave them a fighting chance.”
There was another time when someone risked His own life to save us from the fire. Jesus gave up His life so that we could live forever. His sacrifice makes all the difference. And that is truly Gospel = Good News!
