1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

hey hey good morning good morning good morning welcome to coffee and devotions it's for every day you and I we get together we have a little bit of coffee we get into God's word and we grow in our love for the Lord together and this year 2022 Lord willing we'll make it from the book of Acts through the book of second Thessalonians we're at second Thessalonians 2 this morning why don't we have some coffee we'll pray and we'll get into God's word let's pray oh Lord we thank you so much you were a gracious God abounding in loving kindness and Truth we pray that as we read your word father please we need your Holy Spirit to instruct us please work in our hearts conform us to your image teach us your ways may we know you and follow you in Jesus name amen all right so we're at second our first Thessalonians chapter 2 and we're going to read the first 10 verses no no how does that go hold on let me let me reject this out here we're going to read the first 12 verses the first 12 verses uh here we go for you yourselves no Brethren that are coming to you was not in vain but even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi as you know we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict for our exaltation exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness nor was it in deceit but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel even so we speak not as pleasing men but God who tests our hearts for neither at any time did we use flattering words as you know nor a cloak for covetousness God is witness nor did we seek Glory from Men either from you or from others when we might have made demands as Apostles of Christ but we were gentle among you just as nursing a nursing mother cherishes her own children so affectionately longing for you we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives because you had become dear to us for you remember Brethren our labor and toil for laboring night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you we preach to you the gospel of God you are witnesses and God also how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his own children that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and Glory well we need to ask ourselves a what is this about B what's the best verse to summarize this and see what are we called to do in response to this well first a what is this about there's really a few sections here all most of them about Paul's conduct right verses one through three about uh Paul and how he had come to them and then verses four through nine we have Paul as he lived amongst them how did he conduct himself and lastly 10 through 12. we find out how Paul instructed them so verses one through three we hear about uh the message that came that didn't come with emptiness right but they came from Philippi where he had just been thrown in jail where people had opposed him because of how he had preached the gospel and that was they they had charged him saying it was against Roman customs and so he came to them and they they weren't timid about this but they came to thessalonica preaching the gospel with power in god notice it's not a power that's residing in Paul himself it's not because he's courageous or bold in and of himself but that he knows that God this is God's message and Jesus Christ had appointed Paul to be an apostle to go to the Gentiles with this message and so it's with this message that he preached the gospel to them and our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness nor was it in deceit and so he's going to pick up on that idea of the veracity of his message in Verses 4 through 9. but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel even so we speak not as men Pleasers but God who tests our hearts God had put Paul through the refining fire burned away the dross he knew Paul's heart because he had given him a new heart he had changed him from Saul to Paul he had thrown him on the ground on that Damascus Road and he had changed his life he taught him and he reformed him and then he entrusted him with the good news that Jesus Christ is a savior of men and Nations and he sent him out with that news and so he had been entrusted with that gospel not to be pleasing men right not as man Pleasers they didn't come with this message because they wanted to make buddy buddy best friends with people that's not what they were concerned about they needed to be faithful to their father who was in heaven Paul and Silas and Timothy were entrusted with the gospel to go give it to people to hand to them the news about God and no matter how people received it they were going to be faithful because they were accountable to God not to the people who were receiving the message for neither at that time at any time did we use flattering words right they didn't come with rhetorical flourish they didn't come trying to Puff people up and make them feel all good oh you're so great you're so wonderful God loves you he's going to save you because you were a great people no actually some of the things he said were deeply offensive this is why a lot of people hate the gospel right he didn't come with flattering words as you know nor a cloak of covetousness he wasn't one of these traveling philosophers going town to town to town to town just peddling a message just trying to line his pockets if his message was not meant for him to personally aggrandize himself to give himself a cushy life that's not what it was for God is our witness he invokes God himself to say the Lord himself God himself the maker of heaven and Earth who knows the secrets of the depths of our hearts knows that these things are true nor did we seek Glory from men right they weren't again they weren't man Pleasers they weren't trying to receive praise and accolades either from you or from others when we might have made demands as Apostles of Christ right they were Paul was sent out authoritatively as an apostle he was sent with this and he could have demanded you all must respect me because Jesus Christ has given me my commission but he doesn't do that he doesn't throw his weight around but instead he came not seeking the glory of men but instead how did he treat the Thessalonian Thessalonians how did he come to them well he gives us two different pictures here the first is but we were gentle among you just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children so affectionately longing for you we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives because you had become very dear to us Paul sees his spiritual children there in thessalonica and he loves them he wants to see them grow he sees them and he has affection for it though like a mother who has a nursing child who holds that baby through the night you know I we have four children and I'm always amazed that whether it's 11 o'clock at night 11 o'clock in the morning or three o'clock in the morning whenever Olivia has a child and she's she's caring for that child this sense of Serenity she has as she cares for that child and she nurses the baby and she loves the baby I realize man that's the type of love that a pastor ought to have for the people he cares for them that he loves him that he wants to protect them he says because of this affection that we had for you if we were willing to share our lives right not just the gospel that God had sent us but anything we had right we wanted to give it to you we wanted to care for you we wanted to love you so he didn't see it as a burden for him to work while he was doing his missionary Endeavors but he wanted it to be that they could see that he loved them and he cared for them for you remember Brethren our labor and toil for laboring night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you we preached to you the gospel of God this is one of the ways that we know that a Jewish person wrote this letter uh because in a Jewish person's mind it's night and day night and day not day and night day and night it's just an interesting side note there because Jewish people consider the new day starting at night um and so Paul is saying that right when it was still dark outside we worked and when the work day was over we shared the gospel with you we did this again and again this is how we showed that we loved you we labored tirelessly so he cares for them as a nursing mother but then he turns to a second imagery in verses 10 through 12 and talks about being like a father he says you are witnesses and God also how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his own children that you walk worthy of God who called you into his own kingdom and Glory again he doesn't just say God is our witness that we didn't cover up things for covetousness but he says you're our Witnesses all right you and God are our Witnesses how we behaved ourselves among you right they weren't lewd they weren't crass they weren't stealing but they were holy and devout right They carried on their Ministry amongst the people in thessalonica as faithful as holy yeah they had sin but the tenor of their Ministry was that of Holiness and of godliness as you know right he did his his job as a father so he he uses both imagery here both as a nursing mother who loves and cares for her child and also as a father who exhorts instructs charged comforted all of them right he he wasn't just a you know um uh sentimental sappy guy right they weren't just just there to Puff them up and to coddle them but they also did the fatherly work also they cared for them so much so that they told them hard things and comforted them encouraged them when they needed encouragement and chastised them when they needed to be chastised calling Sin Sin and encouraging them when they saw repentance this is the work that he shows so it's both the nursing mother and as the instructing father that you would walk worthy of God who called you into his kingdom and Glory that was their purpose there to love them as a nursing mother but also to exhort them that they would walk worthy of God who calls them into his own kingdom and Glory he wanted to see them not be weak in their Christian faith but to walk worthy of the calling that God had given them as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven well what's the best verse to summarize us okay well in my Bible I have underlined uh verse two we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict I also have verse 4 underlined but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel even so we speak not as pleasing men but God who tests our hearts and I would also underline verse 11. as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his own children what would you underline though would you would you underline something different well last we have to ask ourselves seek calling what are we called to do how does this play out in your life well we can ask ourselves a few questions your first are we bold as we speak the gospel right are we are we telling others about Jesus Christ well secondly I want to ask you from the second paragraph there especially if you might be a pastor I know some Pastors in other countries listen to this I don't know if any in the United States do but uh the question being have you been approved by God and tested by God what is your motivation for preaching the gospel are you sharing not just your theological knowledge but are you sharing your life in your heart with the people do you love God's people do you care for God's people do you nourish God's people do you dote upon God's people do you see them growing in the Lord and rejoice in them like a nursing mother caring for her children and then I would say also again I'm going to speak to ministers here but then I'm gonna also bring that bring this home for all Christians right pastors especially need to take heed of two different things here first are you doing Ministry because you want to line your own pockets or are you doing Ministry for the glory of God let me ask that again are you doing Ministry because you want the praise of men because you want the accolades of others because you want to line your own pockets or is it for the glory of God and for the welfare of his people number two as a faithful minister of God are you teaching are you encouraging are you correcting are you building up the Saints as he said here he comforted and charged every one of you he exhorted them are you exhorting are you encouraging and are you charging the people of God are you are you truly leading them as a pastor I want to back up now and I want to survey all of us and and I want us to realize what the point of all pastoral Ministry is meant to be why is Paul so thankful for them I think it's because of verse 12 that you walk worthy of God who called you into his own kingdom and Glory foreign it's good every once in a while and I'm going to encourage you to do this in your own heart and to pray to take stock of your life to evaluate your heart and ask yourself am I walking Worthy of God in the way I treat my spouse do I live out the gospel and the way I parent my children do I live the gospel in the single life that God has called me to am I living out the gospel as you go to work do you conduct yourself as one worthy of the Gospel as you go to the marketplace do you conduct yourself as worthy of the Gospel when you watch TV the programs you put on or the apps you open the websites you visit are you walking worthy of the Gospel as you speak to others as you interact with your parents with your siblings with your friends do the words that come out of your mouth do they sound worthy of the Gospel does your conduct look like it's one seeking to please and to bring glory to your father in Heaven it's a hard task isn't it God has called to called us to walk in holiness not so that we could become Christians not so that we can earn the celestial City but because we hope for it because we walk by faith because God's grace and peace has been given to us let's pray father please work in our hearts work in our lives that we might follow after you please Lord let us walk worthy of the Gospel father we stumble we fall we falter you know that there are chinks in the armor of our holiness you know the Deep recesses of our hearts the things that we still love that we ought not to and we plead with you God that you would please reform Our Lives and conform us to the image of Jesus please father let us know the hope we have let us walk by faith in Jesus name amen May Lord bless you today may you walk in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ and I'll see you tomorrow bye [Music] thanks for listening to this week's message from God's word for you a Ministry of Sharon RP Church in rural Southeast Iowa we pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week if you'd like to get more information about us feel free to go to the website Sharon rpc.org we'd love to invite you to worship with us our worship time is 10 a.m every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue Morning Sun Iowa 52640 may God richly bless you this week foreign [Music]