1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 - Raising Faithful Children

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. 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.

Target Date: Sunday, 19 June 2022

Word Study/ Translation Notes:

Exhorted – παρακαλέω (parakaléō) – to call to, to summon, to invite

This participle indicates an invitation or call, specifically for someone to come where you are.

Encouraged – παραμυθέομαι (paramuthĕŏmai) – to comfort, console

many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. - John 11:19

 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. - 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Charged – μαρτύρομαι (marturŏmai) – To give testimony, to charge, to train (through example)

μαρτυρόμενοι, “charging (you)”; this verb has lost its original force of invoking witnesses (μάρτυρες). It has a more authoritative nuance than the two preceding verbs (cf. Gal 5:3; Eph 4:17).

And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. – Galatians 5:3

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind - Ephesians 4:17

Clearly Paul had not toned down the demands of the gospel in any way, and we are reminded that, when we become followers of Christ, no less a demand is made on us. More literally the expression means ‘to walk worthily of God’, where the metaphor of walking (as often in the New Testament) gives the idea of steady, if unspectacular, progress. There is nothing static about being a Christian.

Examples of Paul’s charges:

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. – 1 Timothy 5:21

solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. – 2 Timothy 2:14

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. – 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Kingdom – βασιλεία (basilĕia) – Authority, reign. The force of this word does not refer to the territory of the sovereign, but His royalty, right, and authority. It is about the sovereign, not about the kingdom itself.

The interval between the resurrection of Christ and that of his people is the period of Christ’s reign; when that period is completed, with the destruction of death, the last of the enemies referred to in Ps 110:1, Christ hands over the kingdom to God (1 Cor 15:23–28). The kingdom of God is held out as something which his children are to inherit—an inheritance from which evildoers are excluded (1 Cor 6:9, 10; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:5).

Scholars are increasingly agreed that the concept is essentially dynamic; Jesus saw the kingdom as something that happens, as God’s rule in action, rather than as something like a realm. In a sense the kingdom is present here and now, for God is working out his purposes and there are those who have yielded themselves to do his will. In another sense it is future, for not yet do we see all his enemies put under his feet (1 Cor. 15:24–25).

Glory – doxa – reputation – God’s reputation is voluntarily borne in part by His people. Likewise, His reputation is extended to His people.

many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. – John 12:42-43

Thoughts on the Passage:

11 – father –

Chrysostom, Pelagius and others after them have pointed out that, while Paul compares himself to a nurse or mother when he speaks of cherishing his converts, he compares himself to a father when he speaks of instructing them.

They are here “his own children”, meaning these are not adopted, but begotten children.

I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. - 1 Corinthians 4:14-16

I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, - Philemon 10

12 – each one of you – Not simply “you all” but “you each” – there was no insignificant or unloved child among the Thessalonians. Each one was instructed based on his need.

12 – walk

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called - Ephesians 4:1

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; - Philippians 1:27

Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. – 1 Thessalonians 4:1

The prime thrust of the commandments taught did not hearken back to the Law per se, but:

For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. – 1 Thessalonians 4:2-6

12 – manner worthy – To live in a worthy manner.

This is not to be worthy of salvation – that is not in view. It is to walk, as a saved person, in a manner worthy of the God we serve.

This is not about deserving – this is about honoring our Heavenly Father.

Behavior “worthy of God” reflects the character of God in terms of God’s love, patience, justice, and so forth.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:5, this kingdom is presented in the future. This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. He refers to their suffering for Christ.

that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. – Colossians 1:10-12

12 – God who calls –

For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. – 1 Thessalonians 4:7

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. – 1 Thessalonians 5:24

It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 2:14

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. – 1 Peter 5:10

Applications:

For the Christian:

Exhorted – Invited to

Encouraged – Brought along

Charged – Sent forth

For the Backslidden:

For the Unconverted:

Sermon Text:

We will be looking this morning at verses 11 and 12 in the second chapter of 1 Thessalonians.

And I will remind you once again that today’s verses are part of the larger section beginning with chapter 2 verse 1.

In this section, the apostles Paul and Silas remind the Thessalonian believers of their own conduct while they were among them,

In many cases also adding the reason they conducted themselves the way they did.

They tell them these things, not to cause the Thessalonians to think better of them, but to encourage the Thessalonian believers to follow their godly examples.

These verses we will look at today, verses 11 and 12, represent the final verses of this subsection where these examples are given.

We see the final simile these apostles use to describe their example among the Thessalonian believers:

Like a father with his children.

Some of you might remember verse 7 of this chapter where these apostles compare themselves to nursing mothers in their gentleness toward these believers:

But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.

But note they are not contrasting the traits of a mother and father between verses 7 and 11;

There is really no need to create antagonism between the role and place of a mother and a father in the life of a child.

I think the most that can be said about their choice of similes was originally observed by the great preacher John Chrysostom in the late 300’s AD:

Paul compares himself to a nurse or mother when he speaks of cherishing his converts, he compares himself to a father when he speaks of instructing them.

There is no difference between the love or gentleness either parent might bring to their task,

But each comparison provides a different picture for us to understand.

And if you care to compare today’s study with the one we had on the Lord’s Day last May 29,

You will find, I think, that there will be some overlap in the feelings, emotions, and reasons both the mother and father have when nurturing their child.

That is not to say that the roles are identical or interchangeable.

Even when Paul and Silas use the roles of “mother” and “father” as illustrations,

They are understood to be distinct and complementary.

A mother is not a father, nor is a father a mother.

And, I think it must be said, these modern aberrations of “alternative family units”:

Same-sex couples

Domestic partnerships

Cohabitation

And other sinful mockeries of marriage,

All these arrangements are entirely unrecognized by the Scripture.

Indeed, each of these is specifically condemned as sinful by the Scriptures.

So it is not, in the family, enough to “act as” the father or mother – there should BE a godly father and godly mother working together.

That is the assumption at the heart of Paul and Silas’s use of these examples in the first place.

Because the goal of godly parents, just like the mission of the church itself, is to raise faithful, godly children.

For natural children, this process begins with their birth.

For believers in Jesus Christ, this process, called discipleship, begins with their second birth, their conversion to a child of God.

Before we continue, I would like to address those families who are forced into a single-parent or step-parent arrangement:

These are common forms of families today, and they are not unknown throughout Scripture.

Without getting too far off our topic for today, I would tell step-parents to cherish the children God has given you through marriage.

Love them, teach them, agonize for them in prayer.

For parents who are single, know first that God knows your struggle and His grace is shown even when you are weak.

The concern of Scripture, particularly for the “widow and orphan”, is a concern for the single parents and their children.

Church – being a single parent is not a sin.

In these days, hopefully the last days, of easy abortions, being a single parent can be heroic.

Certainly sin could have led to these circumstances: promiscuity, divorce, and others.

But other things can as well: death of a spouse, victimization, and other things.

Being a single parent, though, is NEVER a sin, nor should anyone ever treat it like it is.

If someone finds themselves as a single parent, allow godly men and women in your family and through the church help you train your child.

I know if I died while my children are young, I would pray that the godly men of the church would carry on the training of my children, helping my wife as she continues on.

But we need to return to the passage at hand.

And as tempting as it would be on this Father’s Day to use this passage to jump off into a survey of Christian fatherhood,

I would not be faithful to the passage to do so.

Because while the fatherly comparisons and actions the apostles list here have some applications for natural fathers,

Their applications are much bigger, applying to how we bring new believers along to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

But since that is also the goal of a godly father (and mother), we will see some helpful parallels, I hope, in the applications.

The first thing I would like you to see is verse 11:

For you know how, like a father with his children…

In describing their devotion to the believers in Thessalonica, Paul and Silas begin by saying “like a father with his children”,

But the statement is even more emphatic than that:

Like a father with his OWN children…

His OWN children.

They give this emphasis to describe an even deeper love and commitment than just “a father and his children”.

The emphasis tells us that these children are not just those who have been forced upon a reluctant father, perhaps many children who have no connection to his family, but are still his responsibility;

These children are his OWN.

The children he prayed for.

The children he longed for.

The children he prepared for.

They might have been begotten to him; they might have been lovingly adopted.

The one thing they are not is forced on him.

Even in the great movement of the Holy Spirit in Thessalonica, where many Gentiles came to Jesus Christ,

Who were ignorant of God’s commandments,

Who were ignorant of God’s work in history,

Who were, for the most part, ignorant of what a Messiah is,

Paul and Silas NEVER felt like there were too many spiritual mouths to feed.

They never proclaimed that they “did their best”;

They did everything they could because each one of these new births God had brought into His kingdom was precious and prayed for.

It is a fair question to ask if we, you and I, would feel that way today.

If God poured His Spirit out on Alex City and Sylacauga, all the areas around us, and brought into His church hundreds or thousands in the space of a few months.

Would you, if that happened, leave your job to care for these new believers full-time, trusting in God and His people to provide for you and your family?

Would you love these new, baby Christians and commit yourself to do whatever it takes to raise them into faithful men and women of God?

We see missionaries do this all the time – leaving behind everything here to go to preach the gospel in another country;

Would YOU be just as committed if God brought the mission field right here to us?

Church, if we would not be willing to give up our security, comfort, or predictable life if God brought this great harvest in,

Is it any wonder that He hasn’t?

Can we really pray for God to bring conviction and repentance to our communities in Jesus Christ, but expect others to bear the weight of the harvest?

I will tell you how you can prepare yourself for that: pray, no, BEG God for this great harvest!

The great reformer, John Knox, cried out in prayer “Give me Scotland or I die!”

His cry the cry of a barren man begging God for sons and daughters to raise in the faith,

The spiritual equivalent of Hannah’s cry to God that He answered with a son, Samuel.

When you start praying “Give me Alex City or I die!”, you are preparing your heart for those spiritual children God will bring.

But then what shall we do with these beloved and desired children of God?

We see three things Paul and Silas did:

They exhorted each one.

They encouraged each one.

They charged each one.

Before we go on to the verbs here, notice one other thing: each one.

They don’t say they exhorted every one, or that they exhorted them all.

That might be taken to generally.

It would look too much like preaching to a stadium-full of people.

Or to a storefront full of them.

They weren’t simply broadcasting the message of the gospel:

They were bringing it to EACH person.

Each believer in Thessalonica while Paul, Silas, and the young Timothy were there had personal instruction from them.

The believers in this church weren’t loved in general; they were loved individually.

EACH one.

Each one was exhorted.

Many of you may remember what the word “exhorted” means.

At its heart, it means to invite, to summon, to call someone to yourself.

It is inviting, explaining the invitation of Jesus in the way He did.

“Come to me”.

It is a winsome call; it is a call to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and cleansing.

It is the invitation to give up being God’s enemy in favor of forgiveness and adoption into His family.

When Paul and Silas exhorted the Thessalonians, they called them to the truth they knew in Jesus Christ.

It is the picture of someone standing outside in terrible danger, but being called inside to safety and security.

This is the opposite of commanding.

Although the exhortations were certainly based on the commandments of Christ, as we see in 1 Thessalonians 4:2-6,

The believers were taught to love God through Jesus Christ first,

And then, based on that love, to obey.

A command merely states “Do this or else.”

I am fairly certain we have all heard something to the effect of “Do it because I said to.”

Perhaps you, like I, have said it.

That is not exhorting – that is commanding.

Exhorting seeks to draw the other person, not order them.

As we will see later, there are times for directly instructing someone,

But especially with the young, whether in age or faith, understanding and exhortation will help them learn to choose the good thing because it pleases God, whom they love.

Each one was encouraged.

This word has a very similar meaning to exhort.

But if exhorting is calling someone from there to come here,

The word here for “encourage” is much more helping them from their side.

They are here right beside you;

You are right beside them.

We see the word translated more often as “consoled”.

many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. - John 11:19

But it doesn’t have to mean making someone who is grieving feel better.

At the end of this very epistle, we see the word again:

 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. - 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Encourage the one who is fainthearted, the one who is fearful, the one who wants to give up.

It is the picture of one soldier helping another wounded soldier off the battlefield and to the medical services.

We all need encouragement sometimes:

Sometimes, we simply grow weary and want to stop.

Sometimes we are overtaken by sin and need help finding our way to repentance.

Sometimes we have tried to the best of our knowledge or abilities, but failed, and we need help to improve.

Fathers, this is training from beside the child.

Teaching by doing the task with them.

Whether learning to cut grass or learning to pray, we train best when we train closest and most patiently.

That last phrase in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 is there for a reason: be patient with everyone.

Each one was charged.

This doesn’t mean anything ridiculous like being charged a fee.

This means that once they were brought to the truth, and once they had been patiently trained in the truth,

They were then instructed on what to do with the truth they had.

That, not incidentally, is the bulk of this epistle and every other epistle in the New Testament.

Here, they are charged to walk in a manner worthy of God.

As one commentator put it:

Clearly Paul had not toned down the demands of the gospel in any way, and we are reminded that, when we become followers of Christ, no less a demand is made on us. More literally the expression means ‘to walk worthily of God’, where the metaphor of walking (as often in the New Testament) gives the idea of steady, if unspectacular, progress. There is nothing static about being a Christian.

We can see Paul charging, instructing, in many places. We see the following times in his instructions to Timothy:

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. – 1 Timothy 5:21

solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. – 2 Timothy 2:14

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. – 2 Timothy 4:1-2