Laboring Reaction Of Love? (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
GIST: Being in Christ Jesus leads to faith that works, love that perseveres, and hope that doesn’t give up.
Today we’re continuing our study in 1 Thessalonians. We’re coming to verse 3, but I want to read all the verses leading up to that to remind us of our context. (Oh, and next week, we’ll probably get through at least 2 verses. Then, it will get crazy… and we might get through five or six!)
“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Work. Labor. Be steadfast. These implied admonitions don’t seem near as appealing as “come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). I mean, I listened to a pastor last week talk about the spiritual value of naps, and I subscribed to his podcast immediately! Still, there is no avoiding these clear depictions of Christianity in Scripture. It’s meant to be an active life of eager worship and deliberate service.
Paul wrote encouraging the Thessalonians to remember their identities in God the Father and Jesus Christ. They were now children of God following the leadership of their Savior. He thanked God for their salvation and fellowship and reminded them of his commitment to pray for them constantly. Then, coming back to that same language about God, he gave them a peak at some of the content of those prayers. Namely, that he reminisces with God the Father about how—now that they’re defined by their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ—they have real faith, love, and hope (I know faith, hope, and love rolls off the tongue better, but I’m following his pattern here☺️!) It’s in the context of those new characteristics that he brings up this toil language, so here’s our gist: Being in Christ Jesus leads to faith that works, love that perseveres, and hope that doesn’t give up.
I. Faith That Works
“…work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Let’s start by keeping this context center stage. This transformation in their lives is the direct product of being in Jesus Christ. Because He came and made a difference… they’re different. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand me this morning and think I’m referring to somehow earning your way into Heaven. Salvation is the work of Jesus. He saves us by His grace which produces in us faith…that changes stuff!
It’s in that context that we see this church had a faith that works. Not only is it effective, but it also… does stuff. This reminds me so much of what James wrote in his letter: “...faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:17-18). True faith isn’t the product of doing enough “good things”. Instead, good works are the product of true faith. If you’ve been changed by Jesus, the way you live and the way you love is directly impacted because real faith is alive!
We won’t just claim to care, or sing about compassion, or talk about righteousness. Being changed by grace will move us to actually live the truth, to really love people, and act on that love. I could try to give some examples here. Knowing me, they would probably be something about claiming to love by wife but never actually doing anything for her, but I’m sure you’re tired of those ☺️, so let me just put it like this: if your faith never leaves your pew, it’s not real because it hasn’t changed your life.
II. Love That Perseveres
“…work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This faith, which comes from being rescued by Jesus, will not only result in love that is lived out but love that perseveres tirelessly. The word translated “labor” here implies working to the point of exhaustion. That resonates on a deep level for me. As a pastor, teacher, husband, father of four, Upward basketball coach, column writer, and…well you get the point—I understand exhaustion. I’m sure most of you do too. We live in a sprinting culture. We fill our plates high and run from table to table trying our best not to slip in our spills.
However, the picture of labor here isn’t one of just general busyness. This isn’t a call just to do a lot of stuff. That’s probably just as dangerous as not doing anything at all because churches have a tendency to just get caught up in busyness and call it “ministry”—all the while missing out of doors God is opening to serve all around us.
Instead, this is a call to give our all to the cause of love. That is, giving our all to the mission of Jesus. It’s a labor because there will never be a moment when this love isn’t needed, but it continues in the face of exhaustion because it’s fueled by the endless supply of Jesus’ abundant, unconditional love! We get filled up by our daily walk with Him, so we’re ready to pour out the love He’s overflowing our hearts with.
III. Hope That Doesn’t Give Up
“…work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Being those who have experienced this love firsthand—those who have been changed by knowing and belonging to Jesus—provides hope that doesn’t give up. Biblical hope is eagerly expecting God to be God. If your hope is in anything else, your anticipation of good is resting on an unstable foundation, but when you’re standing on the surety of His character and the promise of His sovereign grace, your hope lasts.
Work. Labor. Be steadfast. These aren’t meant to be burdens. They aren’t forced obligations. They’re the natural result of walking with Jesus and being changed by His gift of faith, reflecting His abundant love, and living with His unending hope. I mean, I still like naps… but this is the vibrancy I want resonating from my life.
TAKEAWAYS
Does your faith work? Is there evidence of His grace in your life? Do you have a faith that drives you to love God and love people actively and intentionally? Is it real, or something you put on for special occasions or when the atmosphere is right? His salvation should change how we live because it changes who we are. Is that your experience?
Does your love persevere even in the face of exhaustion? Honestly, this feels like a part 2 question. What will motivate you to keep going? Renewing our hearts with the love of Jesus. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”Galatians 6:9-10
Will your hope last? What if everything just stinks? What if you face loss after loss? What if the light at the end of the tunnel feels like a myth…or what if it looks like a train☺️? If we are in Christ Jesus and God the Father, we have every reason to hope regardless of how hard things get this side of Heaven.
Talk to God about these things! In the context, Paul is thanking God that this is happening in the lives of these new believers. He’s talking to God about His movement in their lives. We should take time to thank Him for them and ask that they be active realities in our lives and in the lives of others.
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