Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20020512.htm

1 THESSALONIANS: STRENGTHENING CHRISTIANS
Part III: A Layman's Guide To The Spiritual Discernment War
(1 Thessalonians 3:1-13)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

When we first believe in Christ as our Savior, and then are taught by a believer we think is godly and credible, we can grow in our relationship with the Lord as well as with our relationship with that teacher! Indeed, what a wonderful thing is the "Family of God!"

However, there have been times when seriously bad charges arise against what we have been taught or about the credibility of that teacher, leading us to be tempted to question not only the teacher, but our trust in the things he taught us!

For example, we use the New International Version in our Church pews. Now, a group of believers who promote the King James Version as the "only" translation GOD certifies deeply oppose the NIV because they claim it was translated by homosexuals! (cf James R. White, The King James Only Controversy, p. 245)

BELIEVING that would create a BIG problem for us in our DISCIPLING process here at Nepaug: Dr. Kenneth Barker, the General Editor of the NIV as well as the Executive Director of the NIV Translation Center, taught me Hebrew where I attended seminary! (1) If HE then led a committee of HOMOSEXUALS to translate the New International Version, does that mean the NIV in our PEWS is unjustly "soft" on homosexuality and lesbianism and thus cannot be effectively used in our services? (2) Also, if Dr. Barker taught me HEBREW, and IF he used HOMOSEXUALS on the translation committee of the NIV in DRAMATIC contrast to the beliefs of the SEMINARY in which he taught me Hebrew, how MUCH of what he TAUGHT me THEN is BELIEVABLE so that I can be SURE I am TRANSLATING the HEBREW text for YOU well enough to get you God's BIBLE TRUTH? (We will clarify this question with an accurate answer in the conclusion notes of this message!)



Well, HOW are WE -- HOW can a NEW BELIEVER -- handle charges against the CHARACTER of people they have looked to as GODLY teachers and thus be SURE what is God's TRUTH so they can be DISCIPLED? WHY do these things happen, and HOW do we discern the TRUTH in them?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I have at times seen damaging QUESTIONS arise about what a reputable Christian has taught me or about his character that can harm even his GOOD efforts. Why, and how may I help?!"
  1. As we learned, Acts 17:1-15 reports new disciples at Thessalonica stood to be disillusioned about the Christian faith due to TRIALS.
  2. When Paul wrote to edify these disciples, he GUIDED them in the SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT WAR they faced in being discipled:
    1. Paul repeatedly told of Satan's effort to harm the discipling of these new converts, cf. 1 Thess. 2:18 and 3:5; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to 3:5. If we view the setting, we see a series of pressures by Satan:
      1. Satan led jealous unbelievers to cause a stir, Acts 17:5; John 8:44.
      2. Satan led these unbelievers to slander Paul to raise an uproar against his work to intimidate new believers, Acts 17:5; 1 Jn. 3:8.
      3. This uproar in turn led to Paul's flight from town, causing a temporary loss of communication between Paul and his new Thessalonian converts, Acts 17:10a.
      4. Satan next twice hindered Paul from returning to help these new converts in order to weaken their faith under persecution from persecutors, 1 Thessalonians 2:18; Acts 17:6-8.
      5. The forced separation of Paul from these new converts itself was possibly used by Satan to tempt the new converts to distrust Timothy: Paul had to work in his letter to support Timothy's credibility as his representative possibly due to Timothy's youth, a step that would have been unnecessary could Paul have returned with him to Thessalonica, 3:1-2; Bib. Know. Com., N.T., p. 698.
    2. Paul then explained God's work to counter Satan so as to edify them:
      1. God countered Satan's efforts by having Paul write to these converts, and sent Timothy to override Satan's effort to block Paul's communication with them, cf. 1 Thess. 2:18 with 1:1 & 3:5.
      2. God countered Satan's efforts by sending Timothy to strengthen, help and console the Thessalonian converts, 1 Thess. 3:2:
        1. Timothy returned to Thessalonica to "establish" (KJV) these converts, the Greek word, stayridzai meaning "to make fast" the new converts in the Christian faith, T.D.N.T., v. III, p. 653-656.
        2. Timothy returned to "comfort" (KJV) them, the Greek word, parakalesai meaning "consoling help," T.D.N.T., v. V, p. 796ff.
      3. God countered Satan's efforts by already having led Paul to predict the persecution that later occurred, and fulfilled that prediction to clarify the validity of Paul's words, 1 Thess. 3:4.
      4. God countered Satan's efforts by the victory of practical faith in the truth in the new converts, 1 Thess. 3:6-8 & 1 John 5:4.
      5. God countered Satan's efforts by HIMSELF directly discipling these new converts, 1 Thessalonians 3:9.
      6. God countered Satan's efforts by answering Paul's PRAYERS for the Thessalonian believers, 1 Thess. 3:10-13:
        1. Paul prayed fervently to be able to communicate with these converts and further edify them in the faith, 1 Thess. 3:10-11.
        2. He prayed God would cause the Thessalonians to abound in their love for one another and for all men, 1 Thessalonians 3:12.
        3. He prayed this love would "make fast" (stayridzai in 3:2 appears again in 3:13a, cf. UBS Grk. N.T., p. 707, 709) their confidence in the truth of Christianity, 3:12-13 with Rom. 5:5.
        4. He prayed that their developing love would produce such a strong commitment to the truth they would live unblameably separate from sin until Christ returned, 1 Thessalonians 3:13.
Lesson Application: (1) We must trust in Christ for salvation from sin to have eternal life, John 3:16. (2) Then, we should DISCERN Satan's efforts to TRY to SHAKE us in our beliefs by (a) souring us on God's good teachers by getting them badly SLANDERED so we will distrust their TRUE words (Acts 17:5). (b) We should DISCERN Satan will try to intimidate us away from the truth by persecution (Acts 17:6-8) and (c) try to force God's good teachers to cease their ministry, Acts 17:10a. (3) Yet, we must trust GOD COUNTERS Satan's efforts by (a) getting us into Scripture for His truth (1 Th. 1:1; 3:5), (b) by having SUBSTITUTE teachers tell us His truths that help and console us as Paul used Timothy (1 Th. 3:1-2), (c) by letting us see Scripture is true as applied in our lives to our edification (1 Th. 3:4), (d) by HIMSELF building our faith in life's events as we apply His Word (1 Th. 3:6-8) and by (e) answering prayers by OTHERS for our spiritual welfare (1 Th. 3:9-13). (4) OUR role should THEN be to (a) let God express His abounding LOVE through us (1 Th. 3:12) (b) that causes US to be ASSURED of the truth of Christianity (1 Th. 3:13a; Rom. 5:5), and (c) be spurred to live BLAMELESSLY until the rapture (1 Th. 3:13b)!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 We began with a question on the moral credibility of the NIV in our pews, and thus of the academic credibility of my training in Hebrew under Dr. Kenneth Barker, its General Editor. If -- as some charge -- the NIV was translated by homosexuals, how can we at Nepaug be sure of the truth so we can grow in Christ as we ought?!

James R. White (Ibid., p. 245-246) recorded a letter from Dr. Barker himself on these charges, where Dr Barker wrote: "These charges have no basis in fact... Here are the facts. It is true that in the earliest stages of translation work on the NIV (in the late 1960s and early 1970s), Virginia Mollenkott was consulted briefly and only in a minor way on matters of English style. At that time she had the reputation of being a committed evangelical Christian with expertise in contemporary English idiom and usage. Nothing was known of her lesbian views. Those did not begin to surface until years later in some of her writings. If we had known in the sixties what became public knowledge only years later, we would not have consulted her at all. But it must be stressed that she did not influence the NIV translators and editors in any of their final decisions."

Then, James R. White noted, "Scholars who are not involved in the entire Bible translation issue have noted the many facts that point to the conclusion that King James himself was a homosexual. (cf. Otto Scott, James I: The Fool as King (Ross House: 1976), pp. 108, 111, 120, 194, 200, 224, 311, 353, 382) Is this supposed to demonstrate that the KJV is somehow a perverted translation that is soft on homosexuality? . . . of course, James' sexual behavior had nothing to do with the translation of the KJV, just as Virginia Mollenkott's views had no impact upon the NIV." (Among other scholars, James R. White's book is promoted by Dr. Gleason Archer, Professor of O.T. and Semitics and Dr. D. A. Carson, Professor of New Testament, both reputable men who teach at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.)