Sermon Series = “A Model for Believers”
1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
“Entrusted With the Gospel”
As we begin week number two in our new sermon series I wanted to spend a little time recapping from last Sunday.
Paul planted a church in Thessalonica on his second missionary journey sometime around 49 A.D. It is believed that he wrote this first letter to the Thessalonians around 51 A.D. and his second letter to them about four months after the first. Something to keep in mind: the Gospel of Mark, the first to be written, wasn’t written until 55 A.D.
Thessalonica was the largest city and the capital of the Roman Province of Macedonia [around 200,000 residents]. It sat on the most important Roman highway, the Egnation Way—extending from the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea all the way to modern-day Istanbul. This highway, along with the city’s thriving seaport, made Thessalonica one of the wealthiest and most flourishing trade centers in the Roman Empire. Recognized as a free city, Thessalonica was allowed self-rule and was exempt from most of the restrictions placed by Rome on other cities in the empire. This would have been advantageous for Paul and this young church which was made up of some converts from the Jewish synagogue along with a large group of Gentiles.
These letters from Paul to the Thessalonians were written to the whole congregation, not just one individual. They were meant for the whole group. This means that they aren’t just letters but also a speech, or a sermon. And when they arrived someone would have read them to the whole congregation since there were probably several without the ability to read. After they were read to one group they would have been passed along to another group in the area [hang on to that concept for the end of this message].
In these letters Paul discusses doctrinal matters pertaining especially to the Lord’s return, and certain ethical problems that had grown out of a misunderstanding of doctrinal truth. We probably need to remember how strange this story of Jesus must have sounded in first-century Thessalonica. Paul spoke of a Jewish man named Jesus who was crucified as a failed revolutionary, then raised bodily from the dead, and exalted to the throne of heaven. It must have sounded farfetched to Paul’s audience.
Paul begins our lesson for this morning by writing, “our first visit to you,” which refers to he and his companions first visit to Thessalonica recorded in Acts 17:1-4.
Paul writes about the opposition he and his companions faced in Philippi, which for some reason the people in Thessalonica seemed to know about: Acts 16:16-24.
Paul didn’t seek money, fame, or popularity by sharing the gospel. He demonstrated the sincerity of his motives by showing all that he and Silas had suffered for sharing the gospel.
Life can be tough. Sooner or later, you and I will have our challenges. Frailty. Sickness. The loss of someone we love, a failure in business or a marriage.
Did you know that the ratio of Christians who have been divorced is higher than the percentage of non-Christians, according to a study done by researcher George Barna? Don’t ask me to explain that one. Marriage isn’t easy, of course. A hilarious letter has been circulating on the Internet. It’s supposedly a letter addressed to the makers of Tide detergent. It reads:
Dear Tide: I’m writing to say what an excellent product you have! I’ve used it all through my married life, as my mom always told me it was the best. Now that I am in my fifties, I find it even better! In fact, about a month ago, I spilled some red wine on my new white blouse. My inconsiderate and uncaring husband started to berate me about how clumsy I was and generally started becoming a pain in the neck. One thing led to another and somehow, I ended up with a lot of his blood on my white blouse. I tried to get the stain out using a bargain detergent, but it just wouldn’t come out. After a quick trip to the supermarket, I purchased a bottle of liquid Tide with bleach added, and to my surprise and satisfaction, all of the stains came out! In fact, the stains came out so well the detectives who came by yesterday told me that the DNA tests on my blouse were negative and then my attorney called and said that I would no longer be considered a suspect in the disappearance of my husband. What a relief! Going through menopause is bad enough without being a murder suspect! I thank you once again for having such a great product. Well, gotta go. I have to write a letter to the Hefty trash bag folks.
Paul and his companions, as God’s commissioned servants, didn’t preach to please men, but to stand approved of God.
Most of us live under constant pressure to please people. Employers, coworkers, our spouse, friends, and church members—we want others to be happy with us. Paul offers a vision of Christian life that is radically countercultural. He doesn’t live to please people. Paul lives to please God. That’s the focus of our lesson this morning and it has big implications for Paul and for us.
We don’t always think of following Jesus as something that takes courage. In North America, we aren’t in danger of being arrested for going to church. We can follow Jesus without fear of physical harm. But there are places in the world where following Jesus does take courage—great courage. In some parts of China, people who become Christian’s risk being disowned by family or reported to the local government. Evangelism has been criminalized in Bolivia. If you attempt to lead someone to Jesus in that country, you could be imprisoned for five to twelve years. It takes real courage to follow Jesus in places like that.
When Paul was with the Thessalonians he didn’t flatter them, seek their praise, or become a burden to them. He and Silas completely focused their efforts on presenting God’s message of salvation to them. The Thessalonian believers had their lives changed by God, not Paul; they believed Christ’s message, not Paul’s. When we witness for Christ, our focus should not be on the impressions we make. As true ministers of Christ, we should point to Him, not to ourselves.
On this Resurrection Sunday let us remember a few others who preached to please God rather than men.
John the Baptist – John came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” When people asked if he was the Messiah, he said no, that his job was to prepare folks for the Messiah. When he saw the big shots coming out from Jerusalem, he called then a “brood of vipers!”
Martin Luther – stood up to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church for all of the corruption and destroying the scriptures [Latin to Greek]. He posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of his church in Wittenburg in 1517.
Jacobus Arminius – Dutch Reformed theologian who challenged the strict Calvinist doctrines of predestination, arguing that God’s election is based on faith, meaning humans have free will to accept or reject divine grace. He emphasized that God provides grace to all people [Prevenient Grace].
By his words and example, Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to live in such a way that would be worthy of God. If someone observed you for a day, what would be their impression of what you believe? What might people think of God from watching you? What can you do to encourage and exhort the believers around you to live lives pleasing to God?
Paul stated that the Word of God was continuing to work in believers’ lives. Paul knew that God’s words were not mere sermons or documents but a real source of transforming power. The Bible you hold in your hands is full of real and living power. Its words are transforming lives all over the world every day. Read it. Encourage fellow believers to read it. Encourage non-Christian friends to read it. All who do so truly seeking to learn will be touched by its power. They will never be the same. As the Prophet Jeremiah said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek with all your heart” [Jeremiah 29:13].
For Paul, the power to live in a manner worthy of God doesn’t come from our ability, ingenuity, intellect, or strength. It comes when God’s power goes to work in us. How does that happen? The answer comes in a word that’s used so often in so many different ways that it has nearly lost its meaning. The word is faith. We know that’s what Paul has in mind because he mentions how God’s power is at work in “believers.” Paul wrote in Greek, and the English words faith and belief are translations of the same Greek word. Paul is saying: God’s Word is at work “in you who have faith.”
That brings us to the heart of Paul’s understanding of faith—trust. Do I trust God to do for me what I can’t do for myself? Do I trust God to sustain me? To care for me when I suffer? To strengthen me when I’m weak? That’s what it means to receive and accept God’s Word [believe and receive—behold and become]. Faith isn’t work that earns God’s favor. Faith accepts the reality that God must do what we cannot.
Friends, here is the secret to dealing with life when it gets tough. Take your focus off your problems [the bag with the hole in the bottom] and place them on Christ. If you keep your eyes focused on your problems, all you’re going to do is wallow in self-pity. You will be a burden to yourself and everyone around you. But if you focus on Christ, then there’s hope that you will find the real meaning of life.
I recently read about a man who was in a terrible accident. In a matter of seconds, this man’s world was turned upside down. The accident resulted in the loss of both his legs and one arm. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, the man resolved to look for ways to encourage other hurting people. He began writing letters to a local prison. Each letter was full of all the hope and faith this man could muster. Yet he never knew if anyone was even reading the letters; prison policy didn’t allow prisoners to write back. Occasionally, he was tempted to stop writing; what good was it really doing?
But one day, this man received a letter from the guard who censored the prisoner’s mail. Here is what the guard wrote, “Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from cell to cell till they literally fall to pieces” [Paul’s letters being passed from community to community]. This man’s letters were appreciated by the prisoners. He was helping. But the person he ended up helping the most of all was himself.
Dear God—let it be!
