May 8, 2022
1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
Ministry Done Well

PAUL seems very much at home when he is writing to the church at Thessalonica. In his letters to that favoured people he unveils his inmost feelings. He is rather apt to do so when he feels himself quite at ease: for Paul is by no means a man shut up within himself, who is never at home to any one. When he is battling with an ungrateful people he keeps himself to sharp words and strong arguments; but when he is writing to a loving, attached, affectionate church, he lets them have the key of his heart, and he lays bare before them his secret emotions. (Spurgeon, “Three Sights …”)

Pray

1 For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

• Remember Acts 17:4, “And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.”
• The message had a harvest. The believers in the church were fruit.
• 2b “in the midst of much conflict” This is athletic or military imagery for rough, hand-to-hand fighting (cf. Phil. 1:30; Col. 2:1). This Greek term is translated into English as “agony.” (Utley)

They responded with boldness

• v.2b boldness = ”in” our God
• “Boldness acquired only by studious and prayerful familiarity with God and His message.” —G. Barlow
• We—like Paul and company—find our strength and boldness in God while we work for His purposes.

APPLICATION

• Christians expect to be treated well.
• But that is a US mindset.
• Christians around the world are being bold for Christ in the face of extreme mistreatment.
• We need loving boldness this morning.

TRANSITION > Now that we see that Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, had great boldness in the face of great persecution, let’s look at why that was the case, v. 3.

3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,

• The gospel is the pure truth of God.
• Not from error
  • Error means “a wandering or a distracting (i.e. a throwing off track).” (Abarim)
  • error–verified gospel–passed on from person to person and recorded for us before the first hand testimonies disappeared from the earth.
• Not from impurity
  • This term implies a sexual looseness … . (cf. Utley)
  • Pagan worship often employed sexual acts. (cf. Utley)
  • Utley said, “Paul may have been accused of advocating moral looseness by Jewish legalists who misunderstood his gospel message of justification by grace through faith.” (Utley; see Barclay also)
  • Romans 3:8a, “And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying.”
• Not from any attempt to deceive
  • “Deceit” originally meant “to catch with bait” …, but later evolved into imagery for trickery for profit … . (Utley; see also Abarim)
• Paul was accused of greed, immorality, manipulation, stupidity, ignorance, etc.
• But another issue was his message of FREEDOM.
• Paul preached liberty and freedom in Christ, grace, and victory. (Barclay)
• Religion says man needs chains of laws and to serve penance.
• The Judaizers and others misunderstood his freedom message for license, and they persecuted him for it.

• Frederick Douglass said, Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are men who want rain without thunder and lightning. (https://bible.org/illustration/quotes-45)

4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak,

• “but” contrast to accusations
• Look at it: we have been approved"
  • PERFECT … PASSIVE
  • to test, examine, prove, scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not) …
  • to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy (see blueletterbible.org)
  • We continue to see the inferred correlation between what Jesus’ ministry including suffering and their ministry including suffering.
• entrusted w/ the gospel
  • 2 Corinthians 4:7, But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
• so we speak
  • How did they speak? v.4b = not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
    • “Please God” in 4b.
      • Anthropomorphism
      • or Person w/ emotions?
      • Scripture presents the idea of please God—live to please God.
    • Paul deemed the quality of his ministry by examining his heart as well—the best he could.
    • "Who tests our hearts"
      • God ultimately judges our motives and works.

ILLUSTRATION
When he was appointed as the pastor a church in Cambridge, England, in 1783 Charles Simeon was delighted. The people of the church did not share his joy. Many of the prominent members of the church opposed his convictions on reaching the lost with the gospel. To show their displeasure they locked their pew boxes during the service and left them empty so that those who came to hear Simeon preach had to stand or sit in the aisles… . ¶ During the dark days of opposition Simeon wrote: “In this state of things I saw no remedy but faith and patience … . It was painful indeed to see the church, with the exception of the aisles, almost forsaken; but I thought that if God would only give a double blessing to the congregation that did attend, there would on the whole be as much good done as if the congregation were doubled … . This comforted me many, many times, when without such a reflection, I should have sunk under my burden.” ¶ Opposition does not mean that we are doing things wrong—often it is evidence that we are doing things right. If we allow ourselves to be deterred from doing anything unless we have complete approval, it is certain that we will never accomplish anything of value. (Moule)

APPLICATION

• One cannot please God and man (the world).
• They are categorically opposed to one another.

TRANSITION > Now that we see Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy’s ministry was motivated by the idea of pleasing God, let’s look at the evidence they present as proof.

Paul and co. specifically engaged in introspection and objective evidential claims of their actions:

• Evidential claim in v. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, COMMENT
• Introspection = nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. COMMENT
  • For the Christian, greed is rooted in a lack of trust in God, selfishness, dishonesty, or two or more of these.
  • Greed is super unconfessed sin in America. I suspect everywhere.
• Introspection = 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, COMMENT
  • To keep the self seeking glory in check, they withheld some of their rights to increase their witness to the church = 6b though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.

ILLUSTRATION > Paul and company illustrated their own actions:

7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. COMMENT

• 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. COMMENT
• 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. COMMENT
• 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. COMMENT
  • 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
  • On one hand Paul said they were like a nursing mother. On the other hand a discipling father with his children.
  • Paul, Silas and Timothy point to three fatherly behaviors:
  • 12 we exhorted each one of you
    • To counsel against something to be avoided
    • warn, urge, beg, appeal
  • and encouraged you
  • and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God,
    • to cite a witness, bring forward a witness, call to witness; to affirm be appeal to God, to declare solemnly, protest
    • implore
  • Worthy of God
  • OUR LIVES = WORTHY OF GOD in the details! WOW!

APPLICATION
13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,

• The word of God must be…

  • “received” (heard)
  • HEAD
  • A man was having an issue with the word. It was conflicting with his human logic…
  • God has not left us groping for the truth
  • The word ought to be read, studied, poured over during our lives.

• “accepted”

  • There should be an inherent reverence for His word
  • HEART

• PAYOFF: which is at work in you believers.

  • HANDS
  • THE EVIDENCE OF THE WORD WORKING: look again at v. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.
    • For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
      • Committed, endured
      • Suffering is esteemed! Again and again! 81 verses!

• [Spurgeon] In these words we find a window into the heart of the Thessalonian Christians and what we see is like a cabinet of jewels. Then we have a third thing which is exceedingly interesting, namely, new converts exhibiting the family likeness, turning out to be very like the believers of older churches. Born many miles away from Judaea, with a sea dividing them from the first country where the gospel was preached, yet these Thessalonian Gentiles, when converted, looked wonderfully like the converts from among the Jews … (Spurgeon, Three Sights …)

• Reasons for confidence they had:

  • One: Confident through God’s power.
  • Two: Confidence from the witness of suffering (when the world opposes—that’s a good thing!)
  • Three: Confident in the gospel that lives in them.
  • Four: Confident in the Scriptures.

CHARGE

1. Take the word in
   • Peter, “You have the words of life.”
   • The word works in you.
2. Deep introspection
3. True proof of fruit / external proof
4. Prioritization of God’s kingdom
5. Determined action

Bibliography

Abarim Publications. “The Social Psychology of Planets.” First published on 2020-10-19; last updated on 2022-02-14, https://www.abarim-publications.com/DictionaryG/p/p-l-a-n-et.html.

Barclay, William. William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible [NT]. “1 Thessalonians 2,” https://bibleportal.com/commentary/chapter/william-barclay/1+thessalonians/2.

Barlow, G. From the The Biblical Illustrator, by Joseph Exell. 2 Thessalonians 2 section, source: Bible Portal, https://bibleportal.com/commentary/chapter/the-biblical-illustrator/1+thessalonians/2.

Catherwood, Fred. “Evangelicals Now.” September, 1994, https://bible.org/illustration/logical-result.

Exell, Joseph. The Biblical Illustrator. Baker Publishing Group, 1978. Sourced from Bible Portal, 2 Thessalonians 2, https://bibleportal.com/commentary/chapter/the-biblical-illustrator/1+thessalonians/2.

MacLaren, Alexander. Expositions of Holy Scriptures. “WALKING WORTHILY”, Public Domain. Available at Bible Portal, https://bibleportal.com/commentary/chapter/alexander-maclaren-s-expositions-of-holy-scripture/1+thessalonians/2.

Moule, Handley Carr Glyn. Charles Simeon. Public Domain, from Bible.org.

Ryle, J. C. “Not Corrupting the Word.” Sermon, https://www.ministry127.com/resources/illustration/preaching-boldly.

Smith, William. A Primary History of Britain for Elementary Schools. 1875, https://www.ministry127.com/resources/illustration/the-emptiness-of-flattery

Spurgeon, Charles. “Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible.” “A Summary of Experience and a Body of Divinity,” public domain. From The Spurgeon Center, https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/a-summary-of-experience-and-a-body-of-divinity/#flipbook/.

________, Charles. “Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible.” “Three Sights Worth Seeing,” public domain, From The Spurgeon Center, https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/three-sights-worth-seeing/#flipbook/.

Tolstoy, Leo. “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” “Bits and Pieces”, November, 1991, https://bible.org/illustration/how-much-land-does-man-need/.

Utley, Bob. “1 Thessalonians 2,” Bible Lessons International, 2014, https://biblehub.com/2_thessalonians/3-5.htm.