1 Thessalonians 03 Round Two: Troubles Will Come But So Will Jesus

Trouble has a way of making you question everything. Did I do something wrong? Did God step back? Am I losing my faith? Today we sit with 1 Thessalonians 3 and let Paul answer with steady, grounded hope: trials are real, they don’t mean you’re abandoned, and Jesus is still coming.

We talk about why “bad days are coming” isn’t negative thinking, it’s biblical honesty. Paul warned the Thessalonians that hardship would show up, then he sent Timothy to strengthen them so they wouldn’t be shaken. When Timothy returns with good news about their faith and love, it breathes life into Paul too. That back-and-forth encouragement is a picture of Christian community at its best: we pray for each other, we check in, and we help fill the gaps when pressure hits.

We also clear up a common confusion about “speaking things into the atmosphere.” Your words matter, but you are not the Creator. This episode frames suffering without superstition or shame, and it offers a simple lens for life: most of us are either coming out of a storm, in the middle of one, or heading into the next. The good news is that Jesus doesn’t only meet us after the storm; he meets us in it, and often the clearest miracles show up in the darkest moments.

If you need Christian encouragement, hope in suffering, and a practical way to stand firm when life gets hard, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s in a storm, and leave a review that tells us how you’re engaging with God’s Word.

Transcript

Welcome And Daily Bible Rhythm

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Welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. Every day, we take one chapter of the Bible, dig deeper, and discover that the more we dig, the more we find. You can find out more at the BibleBreakdown.com. Now let's grow in God's Word together. Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon. Today, 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. And today's title is Troubles Will Come, but So Does Jesus. Troubles Come, but So Does Jesus. You ever have one of those people that when something bad happens in your life, they might get excited? We call them Debbie Downers or negative Nancy's. You know, there was this old phrase, and it turns out to sometimes be true, but something bad will happen, and they'll be like, well, you better watch out. They say that bad things come in threes. Thank you. Thank you for letting me know I've got two more bad things that happen, right? You ever got those people? Well, I don't want to be one of those people, but I got some bad news for you. But I got some really good news for you too. We're going to get to that in just a moment.

How To Support The Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:59

But as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Leave us a five-star review on the podcast, but also leave us a comment on the YouTube video today. Let us know how you're engaging with God's Word. Also, all of us gather together at the Bible breakdown discussion on the Facebooks. The more we dig, the more we find. And I

Be Encouraged Jesus Is Coming

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love what they're doing with First Thessalonians. It's going to be great. I can't wait to read it. I hope you read it with me every day. If you have your Bibles, want to open up with me, 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. Don't forget that the overall theme of 1 Thessalonians is be encouraged. Jesus is coming. Be encouraged. Jesus is coming. Which

Bad Days Are Coming Too

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leads me to my bad news. Here's my bad news. Bad days are coming. Well, Pastor, I wish you'd be more positive. Okay, I'm positive. Bad days are coming. That's not me being negative, and you got to be careful. People say stuff like, well, you don't want to speak that in the atmosphere. You gotta be real careful with that because that gets into New Age theology, which is not accurate at all. And so be careful saying that you speak things and you make them happen. There's a verse in the book of Romans that says, speaking things that are not as though they were, that's talking about God, not me and you.

New Age Talk Versus Biblical Truth

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Okay. Now, your words do have power. The book of Proverbs says that, but you don't have the power to create quite like God does. So be careful with that when you start to use that in your life. And I know I might have just offended a few of you, but that's fine. Just keep reading the Bible. We'll figure it out together, right? But here's the thing I do know bad things will come because it's a promise from God. Jesus said, In this life you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. And so the overall idea of today's chapter is be encouraged. Jesus is coming, troubles will come, but so does Jesus. And so just like I was telling you a minute ago, you have those negative Nancy's that say, Hey, you better be careful because trouble comes in threes. Well, I'm gonna tell you something. Trouble may come in threes, but Jesus comes with every trouble. Let's read this together and let's see what God's Word has to say. And let's be encouraged in God together. You ready? First Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 1 says this.

Paul Sends Timothy To Strengthen Them

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Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God's coworker in proclaiming the good news of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you and to encourage you in your faith and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles. Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come. And they did, as you well know. That's why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless. So pause. So remember what happened was is Paul had probably told them, hey, listen, I'm gonna leave. It's kind of their MO now. There's these Judaizers that come behind me. They've already done it in Galatia, and they're gonna try to convince you that none of this is true. Stand strong. You know, and so if you if you don't, if you don't understand God's word properly, then you go, well, Paul, you shouldn't have said that because now you're speaking that in the atmosphere. Once again, that's new age stuff. Instead, he's saying, No, no, there's a pattern here, but the good news is Jesus is with you. But then as he left, he got really concerned and he said, Now, Timmy, I need you to go check on them. I need you to go check on them because I know I know those Judaizers are coming. Did they hold strong? Well, watch what happened, verse six.

Timothy Returns With Good News

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But now, Timothy just returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love. He reports that you always remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you. So we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and sufferings, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It will give us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How we thank God for you. Because you have been, you have great joy as we enter God's presence. Let me try that again. Because of you, we have great joy as we enter God's presence. Night and day, we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again and to fill the gaps in your faith. In other words, he's like, I didn't, I didn't get a chance to get done. I had so many things I wanted to tell you about. And so I'm looking forward to coming back and telling you more about what God has in store for you. Verse 11 May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love overflow for one another and for all people to grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May He, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again with all his holy people. Amen. So

Stand Firm Until Christ Returns

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what's happening here? Paul is telling him, he's like, Man, listen, I knew troubles was were gonna come. I warned you in advance that troubles were gonna come. I wasn't speaking something negative into the atmosphere. I'm just telling you, there's a pattern that's been developing here. And so I want you to be aware of the pattern so that you will be on your guard. And he's like, Guess what? You found out. What'd you find out? That yes, troubles come, but so does Jesus. He says at the end, I am so excited that you are standing strong, and may you continue to stand strong until the day when Christ returns. I'm encouraged, guys, because Christ is returning, and you encourage me because you are standing strong and waiting for that day. I want to tell you something.

Storm Seasons And Where You Are

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In this life, you will have trouble. That is a promise from Jesus. But Jesus says, But take heart, I have overcome the world. And I tell you something right now. There's probably many of you who are listening to this podcast or watching this, that when I tell you troubles are going to come, you are laughing. Because you know what you're saying? Pastor, troubles aren't coming. Troubles, they're here. They're here right now. Like I have this idea, and I haven't found anyone to tell me it's not true that I think everybody's in one of three places in their life. And if you've been around a while, you've heard me say this. People are either just now coming out of a storm, people are right in the middle of one, or people are just now heading into a storm. It's just the way life is. Jesus said, in this life you will have trouble. And so some of you are going, I'm in one right now.

Miracles Happen In The Storm

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Can I tell you something? It wasn't in the sunshine where they watched Jesus walk on water. It was in the storm where they saw Jesus do something so amazing that no one's been able to replicate it since. Have you ever heard anybody walking on the water? Me neither. Only Jesus and Peter for like a moment, right? But because he was going to Jesus. It's not in the sunshine that we see the greatest miracles, but it's in the darkness. It's in the storms, it's in the difficulty where we see the miracles of God. So can I tell you, I wish for you to never have a storm in your life. I wish for you and I pray for you that the sun is always shining, the dog never barks, your gas tank's always full, and you never burn the bacon. That's my hope for you. But there's a challenge there. What I've learned in my life, and you've probably learned in your life, it wasn't in those great moments where I saw the goodness of God. Many times I didn't discover the strength of God until I got to the end of my own. And that's at the end of my strength that I saw how strong God really was. So I don't wish for you to ever have a problem. But what I do know is troubles will come. But so does Jesus. Jesus is with you in every valley. Proverbs 23 says, Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid. Why? Not because you take me out of the valley. Sometimes you don't, but because you walk close beside me. And I tell you that brings me joy.

Trouble Is Not Always Your Fault

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I grew up in an environment, not on purpose. It was just something that I just got in my head at one point, that every time I went through a problem, I must have done something wrong. I must not have said the right thing. I must have said the wrong thing. I must have spoken something in the atmosphere or just did whatever. I just, I did something wrong. And then one day it hit me when I watched some of the holiest people I knew, some of the godliest people I know, go through terrible tragedies. And I watched them cry out to God and basically say things like, God, I have no idea why I'm going through this. I'm just so thankful you're here with me. And one day it clicked that just because you go through something horrible, it might mean you did something bad and you brought it on yourself, right? Don't we all uh have a story of that, right? Sometimes you just go through a storm. But you know what I love? Even when we did it to ourself, God comes with us. When we don't bring it on ourselves, God comes with us through every storm. So here's my thing to you before we end. Don't forget the overall theme is be encouraged. Jesus is coming, and troubles will come, but so does Jesus. You know what's

God Walks With You In Valleys

SPEAKER_00 10:18

even more amazing? He's with you right now. Let's pray. God, thank you so much. You're with us in every sunshine, you're with us in every valley, you're with us in every storm. We trust you in all things. God, I just I just pray over everyone right now who's going through a valley, going through a storm. I pray, God, that they will see you more clearly. Sometimes, God, it takes difficulties for us to realize what matters and what doesn't. I pray you'll show yourself strong for them. I pray for others, maybe God, who they're going through a good season, but it's just there's challenges that's going on. I pray you'll encourage them. Help us to see you more clearly. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Prayer And Final Encouragement

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And what God's word says in 1 Thessalonians 5, be always joyful. Never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. You know what God's will is for you? Is to be joyful, to never stop praying, and to be thankful in all circumstances. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.