Be Encouraged: …by Gospel-centered Discipleship
I
Thessalonians 2:1-12
Introduction: Valentines’ Day is a time
when we would express what is on our heart to our beloved… Our teens gave us a
nice dinner right here Friday night! I guess they love us! Here, Paul is opening his heart, as a
pastor, to the Thessalonians…
Paul refers to the “Gospel” six times
in this letter. Four of those references are right here in this passage, I
Thessalonians 2:1-12. Paul had boldness to declare the gospel in the face of
conflict (2:2), God had entrusted him with the gospel (4), he was ready to
share with them not only the gospel (8) but his very soul, and he labored, so
as not to be a burden, as he proclaimed to them the gospel (9). Paul’s ministry
of evangelism and discipleship among them was centered on the Gospel. The
letter is bringing encouragement to a young church, and that encouragement is
centered on the Gospel, the Good News that God was, in Christ, reconciling
sinners to Himself. That message empowered Paul, and it filled his heart with
compassion for the people to whom he ministered. Let me refer to another letter
by another apostle, listen carefully to John’s words in 1 John 4:7-11,
7 Beloved, let us
love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God
and knows God. 8 Anyone who
does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made
manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might
live through him. 10 In this
is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be
the propitiation for our sins. 11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
If God so loved us, we ought,
that is, we are obliged, to love one another. This passage is talking about a
missionary-pastor’s love for his people, but it is also about each one of us. We
should care enough to encourage one another…
The Maine* Idea: As we have been
encouraged, so we can follow Christ, and encourage others through the Gospel.
We’ll focus on how we can do that from four perspectives, 1) As a courageous
witness (1-2); 2) As a careful steward (3-6a); 3) like a caring mother, (6b-9);
and finally, 4) like a concerned father (10-12).
I. As a Courageous Witness (2:1-2). Trials, past and
present, didn’t stop Paul, and shouldn’t stop us, from sharing the truth!
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.
Paul and the missionary team came to Thessalonica out
of a difficult ministry in Philippi, but he reminds the Thessalonians that he
did not come empty-handed. He had a message to share. Verse one says “our
coming was not in vain,” which could imply that the reference is to the
eventual results of Paul’s ministry there. Certainly the results were
important, the fruit validated the message and the messenger! However that
doesn’t seem to be Paul’s point here, in this verse. There is a strong
adversative that begins verse 2 that the NIV left untranslated. It doesn’t make sense, unless we include the
contrast he intended: we didn’t come empty handed, without purpose, despite
the trials we had come through we boldly declared the Gospel!
The situation that Paul, Silas, and
Timothy had left in Philippi was know to the Thessalonians. Their bodies
carried the wounds and bruises to make it impossible to miss that they had been
abused. We read about it in Acts 16:22-24,
22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the
magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with
rods. 23 And when they had
inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the
jailer to keep them safely. 24
Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened
their feet in the stocks.
The magistrates accepted the
allegations of the mob, and had Paul and Silas stripped and publicly beaten
with rods, and then secured in an inner prison with their feet in stocks. After
the jailer comes to faith, before he and his family are baptized, they “wash
their wounds.” They had been badly beaten and publicly humiliated. The had already suffered and
been shamefully treated at Philippi. They came to Thessalonica still hurting; but
determined to faithfully share the message of Jesus as Messiah. And that is
exactly what they did, and a church was born. Now, with the news of the
faithfulness and growth of these new believers, Paul writes to encourage them
to continue on in hope. And so we see…
The Maine* Idea: As we have been
encouraged, so we can follow Christ, and encourage others through the Gospel.
It begins by looking past the trials of the moment and being a courageous
witness. That is tied closely with the idea that we are called to be a careful
steward of what God has entrusted to us.
II. As a Careful Steward (3-6a). Paul realized that
he had been entrusted with a precious message, and he was determined to be
faithful with what God had entrusted to him.
3 For our appeal does not spring from error or
impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel,
so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of
flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed- God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from
people, whether from you or from others…
The word “steward” does not
appear in these verses, but the idea is clearly present in verse 4, “we have
been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel.” Last week I was
reading through the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. We see the idea of
“stewardship” in Joseph’s experience in Egypt. First, in the house of Potiphar,
there we read in Genesis 39:4,
So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him,
and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
Joseph was trustworthy, and so
was given charge over Potiphar’s household. You remember how Potiphar’s wife
lusted after Joseph and then lied about him, and as a result Joseph was cast
into prison. Even there, God was with Joseph, and his integrity was recognized
by the jailer. And he entrusted Joseph with responsibility within the jail. So,
we read in Genesis 39:22-23,
And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of
all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the
one who did it. 23 The keeper
of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge,
because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.
After being in prison for at
least two years, Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, and his wisdom is
recognized by the Egyptian leader. And so again, Joseph is entrusted with
responsibility, made a “steward,” this time over all of Egypt…
39 Then Pharaoh
said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so
discerning and wise as you are. 40
You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you
command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you." 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph,
"See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 41:39-41).
Paul tells us in I
Corinthians 4:1.2, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of
Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found
trustworthy.” Just as Joseph was
entrusted with responsibility, so Paul, and we, have been entrusted with a
message and a mission. The message is the Gospel, the mission is to proclaim
the Gospel and to make disciples. Remember how God was with Joseph, and
enabled him to fulfill his responsibilities? The same God has promised to be
with us, always. He told His small group of followers as much at the end of the
Gospel of Matthew:
“Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age.”
May we be found to be faithful with what God has
entrusted to us! That points us back to the Maine*
Idea: As we have been encouraged, so we can follow Christ, and encourage others
through the Gospel. We can do that as a courageous witness, as a careful
steward, and thirdly…
III. Like a Caring mother (6b-9). As a mother gently
cares for and nourishes her baby, so we should love and care for those in our
charge.
…though we could have made demands as apostles of
Christ. 7 But we were gentle
among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 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. 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.
This is an unexpected
analogy from Paul, but a touching one. What could show more gentleness, more
tender affection, more selfless love, than a mother tenderly nursing and caring
for her child? Notice the contrast from v.6b into verse 7. Paul says they could
have come in apostolic authority, making demands of them, but instead, they came
with gentleness, tenderness, as they shared with them the pure milk of the
Word.
The language of verse 8
carries the idea even further, “…being affectionately desirous of you, we
were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves…”
Not only the milk of the word, but our very lives, literally, our souls,
we would share with you! These were not
merchants or traders trying to make a sale, these were men whose lives had been
transformed by the grace of God, who were constrained by the love of Christ,
and so compelled to share the truth in love, urging these to whom they were
sent to grow in the faith. Of course, Christ himself is the ultimate example of
self-sacrificing love. As Mark Howell says,
What greater display of selfless love can be seen
than the sacrifice of Jesus as He died on the cross? Mark captures this
selflessness so well when he writes, “The Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45) [Mark Howell, I Thessalonians,
p.35].
Why did they do it,
ministering with such selfless tender affection? “…because you became very
dear to us…” Literally, our beloved (from the root agape).
Remember back in 1:4 Paul called them “loved by God.” Now he affirms
that they had become beloved by the missionary team, by Paul, and Silvanus, and
Timothy. There is a subtle polemic here. It is not as overt as in Galatians and
in other of Paul’s letters, but he is responding to any from outside who would be
charging him and his colleagues with ulterior motives, with a desire for
financial gain or status. He is telling the Thessalonian believers, “you know
how we came to you, how we ministered among you. We loved you, because Christ
loved us. We were gentle and nurturing among you, because Jesus, the Gentle
Shepherd, has so dealt with us.” Considering the context, the persecution here
that followed the earlier persecution in Philippi, the words of Peter seem
appropriate…
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness'
sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts regard
Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who
asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness
and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered,
those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame… (1 Pet 3:14-16).
That points us back to the Maine*
Idea: As we have been encouraged, so we can follow Christ, and encourage
others through the Gospel. We can do that with courage in the face of
conflict, as a careful steward, and with the gentleness of a caring mother. To
complement these we can also serve…
IV. And like a Concerned Father (10-12). As a father urges
his children toward their full potential, we provoke one another to love and
good works.
10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and
righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father
with his children, 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.
If Paul is defending the integrity of
the missionary team, the Thessalonians themselves are his witnesses. Most
importantly, the Judge himself, God, knows how they walked among the
Thessalonians. Paul had a clear conscience, because he and his colleagues
encouraged the young church by their example as well as their words. He can
say, “Do as I do… follow me as I follow Christ!” Following the picture of a
gentle, nursing mother, Paul uses the analogy of a father exhorting and
encouraging and charging the young believers to walk worthy of their calling in
Christ. You are God’s children, you have been delivered out of bondage to sin, you
have been rescued from the domain of darkness, now live in the light of that
truth! This basis of exhortation is repeated in the New Testament: “This is who
you are and what you have in Christ, now live like it!” In his letter to the
Ephesians, after an eloquent exhortation concerning our position in Christ,
Paul says in 4:1-3,
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to
walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Similarly in the “twin
epistle” to Ephesians, the letter to the Colossians, he says in Colossians
3:1-6,
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the
things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that
are above, not on things that are on earth.
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
God. 4 When Christ who is
your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is
earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and
covetousness, which is idolatry. 6
On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
In Romans, over the first 11
chapters, Paul talks about the implications of the Gospel in terms of our
justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And then we
have that famous transition in 12:1-2,
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies
of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to
God, which is your spiritual worship. 2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your
mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect.
To the Ephesians, to the Colossians, to the Romans, to the Thessalonians. He is saying, "We taught you the truth of
the Gospel of God. We lived among you, demonstrating faith, hope, and love. We nurtured
you in the truth and encouraged you to lay hold of that for which Christ laid
hold of you. You are new creatures, now part of a New Creation, looking for the
coming Kingdom of which you are already a citizen. Now live like it." By application that admonition is to us as well!
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Do you have the courage to be a witness as you live your life in this fallen world? Because God has entrusted you with His message, He has called you to be His faithful witness, and He has also given you a spiritual gift to use to build up others in the faith. We are all called to be disciples who make disciples. Are we careful stewards of the what God has entrusted to us? Do we carry out our calling with gentleness and respect, loving the people around us? Do we exhort and encourage and charge those around us to grow in holiness and grace, provoking them to love and good works? As we have been encouraged, let’s follow Christ, and encourage others through the Gospel. It starts by living a life that is holy, righteous, and blameless, in other words, a life that is pleasing to God, and a testimony to the world. Let’s determine to be courageous witnesses where God has placed us, and with gentleness and respect, let’s be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us! AMEN.
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