Reading: 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 1-12.
Ill:
When architect Sir Christopher Wren;
• Designed the interior of Windsor Town Hall near London in 1689,
• He built a ceiling supported by pillars.
• After city fathers had inspected the finished building,
• They decided the ceiling would not stay up and ordered Wren to put in some more pillars.
• England's greatest architect didn't think the ceiling needed any more support,
• So he pulled a fast one.
• He added four pillars that did not do anything -- they don't even reach the ceiling.
• The optical illusion fooled the municipal authorities,.
• And even today;
• The four sham pillars fool or amuse many a tourist.
The apostle Paul had his critics at Thessalonica:
• Like Christopher Wren’s pillars, some accused him of being a fake.
• That is just one of the themes that runs through this chapter.
(Background info):
• The opponents to Christianity were unable to discredit the message;
• It was a message that had transformed the lives of the Thessalonians
• So plan B for the opponents to Christianity:
• Is to discredit the messenger.
• Finding that they could not defeat Paul’s message,
• His critics try to defeat him!
Question: Who were the critics?
Answer:
• We are not actually told;
• Although we don’t know the details, we can have an educated guess.
(1). Jews (Acts 17):
• We know in Acts chapter 17 when the Church was planted:
• Paul faced Jewish opposition;
• Some of his converts had left the synagogue and were now part of the Church.
• Mixing with Gentiles and no-longer following the requirements of Judaism.
• This had not gone down well with the deeply religious Jewish locals;
• And so they had Paul evicted from their city.
• Acts chapter 17 verse 13 we are told that they:
• Then followed him to Berea ‘Agitating the crowds and causing trouble.’
• These zealous Jews were determined to get back at Paul or at least get even.
• So they were determined to smear his reputation and try to destroy his ministry.
(b). Satan (1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 18):
• Satanic opposition - verse 18 gives a brief mention of this.
• As Christians we are in a spiritual battle as well as a physical battle.
• One of the reasons we suffer is Satan,
• The name means ‘Adversary’.
• Notice that the enemy of the Christian is only mentioned twice in this letter.
• That tells me Paul was aware of him but not preoccupied with him.
• We dare not underestimate him, but let’s not over emphasise him!
(c). Other ‘so called’ believers.
• Some Christians or those who were attending the Church who would oppose him.
• Some sadly had their own agenda, or were seeking prominent positions for themselves.
• Others at Thessalonica came from a pagan background;
• And they would try to mix Christianity with their other beliefs (Syn-chron-ism)
• Paul of course would be against that;
• And so for some in the gathering that created tensions and problems.
Ill:
• Two taxidermists stopped before a window in which an owl was on display.
• They immediately began to criticize the way it was mounted.
• Its eyes were not natural; its wings were not in proportion with its head;
• Its feathers were not neatly arranged; and its feet could be improved.
• When they had finished with their criticism,
• The old owl turned his head ... and winked at them.
There was a small element opposed to Paul:
• But like that owl;
• Paul was one step ahead of his critics and in this chapter he answers them.
Now in answering his critics Paul invokes three witnesses to deny the charges:
FIRST WITNESS: Paul will defend himself
• In this chapter
• Paul rebukes all the things that Timothy ‘may have’ reported were being said about him.
One commentator points out that there are eight accusations dealt with in this passage;
• He was accused of being a bungler, a coward, a fanatic, lecherous towards women,
• A trickster, a flatterer, an opportunist, an idler, a dictator!
SECOND WITNESS: THE THESSALONIANS.
• He appeals direct to the Thessalonians;
• Calling on them to remember his conduct among them.
ILL:
• These verses in chapter 2,
• Are a bit like Paul presenting a slide show:
• He is showing photos to the Thessalonian Christians of his stay with them.
• Only he is showing ‘word pictures’ to them, and not actual pictures.
Just scan through the passage (Chapter 2):
• Verse 1: "You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure".
• Pointing to one picture in their minds: "You know".
• In verse 5 he points to another memory:
• "You know" or "For you recall" (NASB).
• In verse 9: "Surely you remember".
• Again verse 10: "You are witnesses",
• Verse 11: "For you know".
• Again and again throughout the chapter, Paul is reliving his time with them.
• Reminding them of what they heard & saw and experienced.
THIRD WITNESS: GOD.
• In verse 6 Paul is reminding them that he was an apostle,
• Not just an itinerant preacher.
• He could have pulled rank;
• After all it was Jesus himself who called him to this occupation on the road to Damascus.
• Apostles were important figures in the early church (1 Cor. 12:28).
• They gave God’s authoritative point of view on matters of doctrine and behaviour.
• So Paul could have called God to be his witnesses.
• In that he had an apostolic calling (he had a God ordained position and rank).
Now as Paul presents his evidence for the defence;
• He reveals to us a number of genuine qualities in his life;
• That I think are very much worth copying.
4 reasons Paul was successful at Thessalonica:
• These are 4 qualities every Church leader ought to emphasise in his own life;
• 4 features that every Christian should seek to apply to their Christian character.
(1). Biblical in content (vs 4, 8, 9, 13)
• Notice that the expression 'The gospel of God' or 'The word of God';
• Are constantly emphasised in this chapter (verses 4,8,9&13).
• Paul's preaching was centred on the Bible,
• He did not come to the Thessalonians with his own ideas.
• His message was ‘inspired of God’;
• And it was rooted in the Old Testament – i.e. Bible.
Quote:
“As an Evangelist Paul proclaimed the message;
And as a Pastor he explained the message to his hearers”.
• Paul was aware that good Bible based teaching was the foundation;
• Both to bringing folks to faith in Christ;
• And also for building up a local Church congregation
• And when he arrived at Thessalonica;
• Acts chapter 17 verse 2 tells us:
“Paul entered the synagogue, as he usually did, and for three Sabbaths he reasoned and argued with them from the Scriptures,
3Explaining [them] and [quoting passages] setting forth and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, This Jesus, Whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ (the Messiah)”.
• Paul's preaching and teaching was centred on the Bible,
• He did not come to the Thessalonians with his own message.
• His message was from God;
• And therefore it was rooted in the Bible.
Quote: An unknown writer said,
• This Book is the mind of God, the state of man,
• The way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.
• Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding;
• Its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
• Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy.
• It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
• It is the traveller’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass,
• The soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character.
• Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.
• Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.
• It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
• Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully.
• It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.
• Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary,
• To the empty tomb,
• To a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.
• Paul was aware that good Bible based teaching was the foundation;
• Both to bringing folks to faith in Christ;
• And also for building up a local Church congregation
(2). Authentic in nature (verses 4b-6):
"We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else ".
Notice: the little expression “God who tests their hearts’:
• The God who converted him on the Road to Damascus (or ‘Domestos’ as one child said);
• Also called him to be an apostle.
• Paul was never a loose cannon but somebody directed by the Holy Spirit.
• In fact the only reason he was there at all, is because God brought him there.
Ill:
Acts chapter Acts chapter 16:
• Paul had been evangelising in Asia and then in Bithynia;
• But each time he had sensed the Holy Spirit preventing him from going on.
• While they were a Troas (ancient Troy);
• Paul had a dream of a man calling him to come over to Macedonia and help us.
• So Paul, Silas, Luke and Timothy crossed the Aegean Sea,
• After arriving at the Port of Neapolis, he moved on to Philippi.
Paul preached in Philippi and led a lady called Lydia to Christ;
• Along with others in her household who got converted,
• A Church was established.
• While in Philippi, Paul and Silas were arrested on false charges,
• Beaten and put into jail.
• While in jail;
• They were able to lead the jailor & others to Christ as well.
• Eventually they were released from prison;
• And asked by the authorities to leave their city.
• Paul and Silas agreed;
• And their next stop in their travels was Thessalonica.
• In Paul’s day 200,000 people lived there.
• Most of them Greeks, but also Romans and a very strong Jewish minority.
Paul is able to remind the Thessalonian believers:
• The scars on their backs from the beatings they experienced.
• Spoke about their pure desires to share Christ wherever they went.
• Unlike their accusers who were all talk (spreading lies & malicious rumours).
• Their accusers never had to suffer for Christ.
• Paul had suffered for the cause;
• And he had stood the test of opposition and passed with flying colours.
(3). Gracious in Attitude (verses 7-11).
• Verse 6: "We were gentle among you like a mother caring for her little children."
• Verse 11: "We dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children".
Paul never forgot that first and foremost that the Church is a family:
• That's why Paul uses the illustrations of a "Mother & Father";
• And not an illustration of a "Sergeant major" or a "company director".
Ill:
• In San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
• More than 2.5 million people a year visit the 4.2 acre complex;
• Known worldwide as "The Alamo."
• At one time it was a Catholic mission and fortress complex,
• Which became the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836
• Today the site has been turned into a museum.
• Near the main entrance into the Alamo museum on a wall,
• Is a portrait with the following inscription:
“James Butler Bonham—no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom.”
Worth remembering:
• The way we speak and treat a person reveals how we value them,
• So we need to make sure all we do & say is rooted in genuine love.
• Quote: “Love is the glue which bonds Christians together”.
• There is no other substitute that can ever replace it!
When we encounter difficult or awkward people:
• We don't sack those people that we struggle with or find it hard to get on with.
• We don't give them a rollicking; "Pull your socks up & get your act together".
• Instead we need to show extra love & patience towards them,
• And WE lead by example in the way that we feel other people ought to follow.
• The greatest characteristic of Jesus is ‘Love’.
• ‘Graciousness’ is the word ‘Grace’ stretched.
• He loved us when we did not deserve it;
• We need to love, be patient, be gracious towards others (especially those who irritate us!)
(4). Relevant in approach (verse 12-13).
“Encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
13And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe”.
• Verse 12 in the King James version: "That you would walk worthy of God".
• Verse 12 in the Living Bible: "That your daily lives should not embarrass God".
The message Paul preached:
• Was not just good Biblical truth,
• It was relevant practical good Biblical truth that spoke into the lives of his hearers.
ILL:
• 'GSUS LIVE' trailer has one aim,
• To show that Jesus has something relevant to say to me about my life!
• The preachers job is not merely to inform;
• That will only make you smarter sinners!
• The preachers job is to show you;
• How the word of God has something to say to you about your life.
Note: My job as a preacher this morning:
• Is not primarily to entertain you;
• Although I am trying to make what I say interesting as I can.
• Is not primarily to inform you – pass on knowledge;
• If that was the case I would be a lecturer and not a preacher.
• My number one reason for preaching is;
• (1). To explain the Bible passage.
• (2). To show you how it applies to your life!
• (3). To challenge and persuade you to apply it to your life!
Ill:
• Congregation member to Preacher: “It was all above my head”.
• Preacher replied: “I was aiming at your heart but you ducked!”
Paul had a contagious ministry among the Thessalonians for at least those four reasons:
• (1). Biblical in content (Verse 4,8,9,13)
• His teaching had authority because it was based on the Word of God.
• (2). Authentic in nature (verses 5-6).
• He practiced what he preached.
• (3). Gracious in attitude (verses 7-11).
• He had a shepherds heart that cared for the Thessalonian sheep.
• (4). Relevant in approach (verses 12-13).
• He did not just speak the truth,
• But he spoke the truth into peoples lives & situations.
NOW THAT MIGHT BE IMPRESSIVE BUT THERE IS A WHOLE LOT MORE:
• In the rest of this chapter we see that there are 4 things a Christian (leader) needs to reject.
• Followed by 4 things a Christian (leader) needs to embrace.
(B). Four things to reject:
(1). He was pure in his motives (verse 3):
"For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives,
nor are we trying to trick you. "
ILL:
• Paul didn't show up at Thessalonica like a dodgy salesman,
• Offering a great deal, but with a contract that was full of hidden clauses & small print.
• Paul's message was simple and up front:
• In fact he was not like a salesman but more like a bridge builder:
• Seeking to span the gulf between the word of God and the mind of man;
• He was a bridge, which allowed the truth of God to cross over.
• When the Thessalonians encountered Paul,
• They encountered a man of integrity.
(2). He was not a people pleaser (verse 4-5a).
"We speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts
"."You know we never used flattery,”
Ill:
While on a trip to Switzerland,
• An America businessman was watching a Swiss clockmaker;
• As he carved out the case of an ornate cuckoo clock.
• As the businessman watched the clockmaker carve out the case,
• He was astounded at his slow rate of progress.
• The businessman finally said,
• “My good man, you’ll never make much money that way.”
• “Sir,” the clockmaker replied,
• “I’m not making money, I’m making cuckoo clocks.”
Question: Now did you notice the difference in the two men’s goals?
Answer:
• The businessman was after the pay check;
• And the clock maker was after the joy of a job well done.
• Like that clock maker Paul worked by a different agenda to other people.
• His objective was not first and foremost to please people - but God!
(3). He was not greedy (verse 5b).
"You know we never used flattery,
nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed God is our witness".
• There were those at the time of Paul:
• Who used religion as a means for making money.
• Look around today (2,000 years later) not much has changed.
• But in the early Church there were some who saw it as a way of making money.
• This is one of the themes that the Apostle John deals with in his letter 2 John.
Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he was honest and open in his dealings:
• As an apostle he had a perfect right to earn his living from the gospel.
• In fact he taught that as a Biblical principle in some of his other letters.
• Yet when he was in Thessalonica;
• He worked Tent maker to support his own ministry.
ill:
• He refers to this in his second letter (2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 6-15).
• No-one in Thessalonica could accuse Paul & Silas of being spongers.
(4). He was not authoritarian (verse 6):
“We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.
As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you”.
“As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you”.
Key phrase is “As apostles of Christ”:
• As an apostle Paul never seemed to pull rank;
• You do not find him throwing his apostolic weight around:
Ill:
• When David Sheppard became Bishop of Liverpool;
• He was asked what he was going to do with his new authority and power.
• His reply was short and simple;
• “Listen and learn!”
• As an apostle Paul never seemed to pull rank;
• You do not find him throwing his apostolic weight around:
• Instead of demanding to be heard and obeyed,
• He served and won the right to be heard by the Thessalonians.
Ill:
If you scan through the passage. you can see Paul's servant style:
• Instead of being harsh & demanding, .
• Verse 7: "He was gentle & tolerant. "
• Instead of coming across as an officer,
• Verse 7: "He came across as a mother."
• Instead of only strong commands,
• Verse 8: "There was fond affection. "
• He gave not only the message,
• Verse 8: "He gave himself"
• Instead of seeing them as another congregation on his missionary journey,
• Verse 8:He says "You became dear to us ".
• Instead of taking advantage,
• Verse 9: He said 'I didn't want to be a burden ".
• Instead of being a bully & disciplinarian;
• Verse 10: "He like a father, encouraging and urging them on".
• Wow! What a leader, what a man!
• No wonder he made an impact, what an example!
4 Things we should embrace:
(1). He was Sensitive to needs (verse 7):
"As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you,
but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children ".
Ill:
A teacher gave her junior class a lesson on the Magnet and what it does.
• The next day in a written test, she included this question:
• My full name has six letters.
• The first one is ‘M’. I pick up things. What am I?
• When the test papers were turned in,
• The teacher was astonished to find that almost 50 percent of the children;
• Answered the question with the word ‘Mother’.
• Mothers of course have many more important qualities than being children’s help-mates;
• Paul draws on that picture to illustrate the point he is making.
Having already mentioned that leaders at times have to make decisions or take action;
• That will upset and annoy some members of the fellowship.
• Good leaders do not make those decisions thoughtlessly,
• They are aware and sensitive to the way others feel.
• Paul describes himself as a "caring mother" or a "nursing mother":
(2). He showed Affection to people (verse 8):
“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us”.
Ill:
• Of the man who said; ‘Once I told my dad, nobody likes me.’
• He replied, ‘Don’t say that - everybody hasn’t met you yet!’
This letter (1 Thessalonians) is very much a letter of friendship:
• The Thessalonians didn't feel used or manipulated by Paul,
• Because they saw Paul was committed to them.
• Paul didn't maintain a professional distance from the Thessalonians,
• They rubbed shoulders with him and enjoyed mutual friendship.
Ill:
• It is reported that Howard Hughes, when worth approximately 4 billion dollars,
• He said, “I’d give it all for one good friend.”
• Paul my not have had much money;
• But he was never short of a friend!
• Paul's friendship for his friends (the Thessalonians):
• Breathes through his words in these verses.
• He was not embarrassed to state his affection for the them,
(3.). He shared his life (verses 8b-10)
"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you
who believed".
• Paul incarnated the gospel in his own life;
• He was authentic, genuine, sincere!
ill:
• Gladys Aylward was born in London in 1902.
• Hollywood made a film based loosely on her life called 'the Inn of Eight Happiness'.
• She served God as a missionary in China,
• One of her ministries was to look after orphans.
After a life-time of missionary service she said:
"I have not done what I wanted to;
I have not eaten what I wanted or worn what I would have chosen;
I have lived in a houses that I would not have looked at twice;
I longed for a husband and babies, and security and love, but God never gave them;
Instead he left me alone for 17 years with one book - a Chinese Bible.
I don't know anything about the latest novels, pictures and theatres.
I live in a rather out-dated world & I suppose you would say it is awful miserable isn't it?
Friend, I have been one of the happiest women who stepped this earth.
I have known the heaven opening and the blessing tumbling out".
• Gladys Aylward gave herself to the Chinese people;
• And that is why God used her so much in that country.
• Likewise Paul did not just share a message;
• He shared his life with the Thessalonian Christians.
(5). He instructed and Enthused (verse 11-12).
11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
• Good fathers are not only examples to their children,
• They are also instructors.
The fatherly instruction of Paul is seen in three verbs:
• (a). ‘Encouraging
• (b). Comforting’
• (c). ‘Urging’ or ‘Imploring’.
Paul was a spiritual parent with a goal, an objective, a purpose for his children:
• Verse 12 reveals that goal:
• "That they might live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom & glory"
• Paul says as a father, I am determined that you (my children) will live right!
