Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Thessalonians 2:1‑6

Today there is a great need for proven leadership!

The need for capable, enthusiastic INFLUENCE (which is the most basic definition of leadership) is apparent to all, and at the same time, leadership is very difficult.

Q: How can spiritual leaders be effective?

Is there a path to genuine spiritual effectiveness?

A: YES! — (1 Thessalonians 2:1-6)

Paul shares his experience with the church at Thessalonica and in these six verses we learn at least five principles for an effective ministry!

By way of footnote, the tone of Paul's words here sounds like a DEFENSE, because IT WAS!

Somehow and in some way not known to us, someone, or some group (either in or out of the church) was telling lies about Paul—attacking both his integrity and sincerity!

They were attempting to destroy the church by casting doubt on the one God used to found it—Paul.

This group included the Jews hostile to the gospel, as well as pagan Gentiles.

Their accusations were an attempt to make the Thessalonians believe that Paul and his companions were evil, self‑seeking phonies!

So, Paul writes to this church, ANSWERING HIS CRITICS in a very simple, very direct way.

There's another footnote here also that will help understand Paul’s discourse: He primarily calls them to remember their own experience with him: (2:1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 11)– Six times in eleven verses he says let me appeal to what you know!

All they had to do was remember and that could and should dispel any such accusations.

“What are the marks of proven spiritual leadership?”

There are FIVE: Paul was confident in God's power, he was committed to God's truth, he was commissioned by God's will, he was compelled by God's knowledge, and finally, he was consumed with God's glory.

I. Paul was CONFIDENT in GOD'S POWER! – (2:1-2)

Paul was confident in God's power and that gave him tenacity!

– (v.2)

(Romans 8:31) – “…If God is for us, who is against us?”

A. The NECESSITY of COURAGE!

“But” - ἀλλὰ, is a strong adversative.

He is saying our ministry was not in vain, but on the other hand, our ministry came to you with great boldness!

WHY?

Because we knew the power of our God and we were confident that our God was more powerful than our opposition.

That's what gives strength to the ministry, tenacity.

You don't bail out.

Just to touch with what he says specifically, (v.2a)

This takes us back to (Acts 16:20-24).

You remember the story of Philippi, how Paul and Silas wound up in jail because of preaching of the Word; because they had confronted the kingdom of darkness by freeing a demon possessed girl, which angered her owners because she was a source of income.

They were mistreated two ways described in (v.2):

1. “Suffered” has to do with physical abuse—they were beaten and put in stocks in prison.

2. The words "treated outrageously"(ὑβρισθέντες) have more to do with legal abuse—they were unjustly judged and made prisoners when they had committed no crime.

So, Paul says, (v.2b) - (read verse).

NOTICE what he didn't say.

"You know, it was really rough up there and they didn't welcome us, and they didn't accept us, so if we're going to reach this culture, we need adopt a strategy so subtle, so clever, we'll get them saved before they even know it!”

Not only did he NOT say that, Paul said, “…as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition.”

Opposition to the Gospel should NEVER change the message, or method (preaching)!

WHAT DO WE LEARN from this?

I believe it is NOT the preacher's responsibility minimize conflict.

The preacher's job is to EXPOSE sin, to show the SYMPTOMS of sin, the SEAT of sin, the FATAL CONDITION of the unsaved, and offer the CURE for their sin in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

B. The SOURCE of COURAGE! – (v.2c) – “...we were emboldened by our God to speak”

Paul’s confidence is not in his flesh, in his methods, in his cleverness, or in his popularity.

Paul knew that if he preached “...the gospel of God,” that God would uphold and sustain him.

(Ephesians 6:10) — "...be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength."

I submit to you that this is a mark of effective ministry.

You preach God’s Gospel and when the opposition comes (and it will), you trust in the power of your God no matter what!

C. The COST of COURAGE! – (v.2d) – “…in spite of great opposition.”

“…great opposition” – from πολλῷ ἀγῶνι – ‘opposition, struggle, conflict, fight.’

The term refers to a life-or-death struggle, an agonizing.

In the ministry there's always pressure to compromise, there's always the temptation to soften the message, to not offend someone, to make it acceptable to sinners.

But that wasn't Paul's strategy, and it should never be ours!

II.

Paul was COMMITTED to GOD'S TRUTH! – (2:3)

Paul was committed to God's truth and that’s what gave him INTEGRITY!

If the ENEMY can’t destroy you by OPPOSITION, then he’ll try to destroy you by questioning your integrity and having people lose their confidence in you.

(v.3a) – "For our exhortation..." The word exhortation means an urgent appeal with a view toward judgment, a cry, an appeal, a calling.

It speaks of the urgency, the directness of his message.

(v.3) – Undoubtedly these were the things that were being said.

"Well, he's saying things that aren't true!

If you really knew him, you'd know he was an impure man and a deceiver.

And so PAUL RESPONDS!

A. HIS MESSAGE WAS TRUE.

"…didn’t come from error" from πλάνης.

We get the word planet from it.

The word means to wander, to roam.

Error is roaming from the truth, wandering without any standard, without anything to contain or control you.

Paul says NO, our exhortation does not come from error.

He was committed to God's truth.

It was accurate.

He was not deceived, neither was he a deceiver.

There was no false teaching here!

B. HIS MOTIVES WERE PURE!

“impurity” is from ἀκαθαρσία (akatharsia).

We get the word catharsis from it which is a cleansing.

This is a‑catharsis, something that's unclean.

The word can be used of a physical uncleanness, dirty, it can be used of a social stigma, or social uncleanness, but PRIMARILY refers to sexual uncleanness.

As you well know, IN PAUL'S DAY many of the Greek cults and mystery religions were associated with sexual perversion.

In most of the temples of the cults of ancient days there were temple prostitutes, who claimed that the sex act was a religious experience.

As unimaginable as that is for us, that’s part of the accusations against Paul and his companions!

NOW, lest you think I fell of the wagon and landed in the sewer to think all this up...

(2 Peter 2:1-22)

Paul is no filthy dreamer.

Paul is no fornicator.

Paul is no adulterer.

He speaks truth, he speaks it out of a pure life.

C. HIS METHOD WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD!

The word "deceit" is dolos, fishhook, trap, trick, that's what it means.

He's not a deceiver.

There is no “bait-and-switch!”

The Greek false teachers would go to any length with their sorcery, their magic, their theatrics to gain a convert not only for sexual favors but for money.

Given the repeated examples and warnings in Scripture, I can say with authority, you show me a false teacher and a false prophet, and I'll show you a person who is looking for sexual favors and money.

The pattern has never changed—there is nothing new under the sun!

(Jeremiah 23:9ff.)

– The false shepherds in the nation of Israel were looking for the same thing they were looking for in Paul's time.

Paul insists that his message was true, his motives were pure, and his method was above board!

III.

Paul was COMMISSIONED by GOD'S WILL! (2:4a)

Not only did Paul have TENACITY and INTEGRITY but he had AUTHORITY.