1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

1 Thessalonians 2:1–16 NIV

You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people 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 people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, 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. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.

In these verses I can see, touch, taste, and smell the M & M’s of what Paul seems to be laying down for us to gorge on.

Anyone out there like me buy the costco size peanut m&m’s tub and make more of a snack out of it. I confess I have gorged myself on peanut m&m’s more than once probably to the point of sin

The good news about the m&m’s Paul is offering up ...You can never get enough. Keep munchin them up

The 3 m&m’s I find in the text are:

Message

Motive

Ministry

Message -

I spoke on and defined the message last week. Anyone remember the message we are to share with the world?

Gospel - The gospel is the good news message of what God has done through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus

The gospel is the announcement that Jesus has finished the payment for our sin, He has resurrected and given us new life, and when you believe in the gospel, the payment is applied to you and His righteousness becomes yours.

Wow! If you truly understand the gospel it should change your life every day.

For me to wake up today and know there is nothing I can do to separate myself from the love of God. He sees me as He sees Jesus. perfect, sinless, righteous, not because of what I have done, but because of what Jesus has finished on the cross.

Every one of us has been or still is searching for purpose, for meaning in life.

Some try to find it in money, power, position, some with drugs or alcohol, others in relationships, or even religion, but...

our longing for purpose can only be found in Jesus.

To know God and be known by Him is our purpose.

God knew there was no way for us to fix our sin problem, so He sent Jesus to rescue us.

If that doesn’t light your fire, your woods wet!

Please, I beg you to understand how desperate you are for Jesus and how deeply He loves you.

If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior please do not wait another day. Today is the day of Salvation!

Message it the gospel - the good news.

When we grow as disciples of Jesus, we are entrusted to share the Gospel -

Verse 2 - Share the gospel in the face of strong opposition

Don’t just share the gospel when it’s comfortable, but when it’s difficult as well

Paul doesn’t speak of opposition and suffering lightly. He was beaten, thrown in prison, stoned, dragged into courts. He knew persecution, yet shared the gospel because he understood the stakes. Even if it cost him his life, Paul knew he was destined for eternity in heaven, yet those that needed to hear the gospel were destined for hell. He loved people enough he risked his life and comfort to share the gospel with them.

What has scared you from sharing the gospel?

popularity, fitting in, not having the right words, comfort, or maybe you haven’t counted the cost for those without it. Think about that and you will have the opportunity to share in small group.

1st M&M - MESSAGE

Believe in that gospel message

be changed by the gospel message

Share the gospel message

2nd M&M -Motive

There are 3 impure motives Paul points out in verse 3

1st Pleasing people

Paul repeats a phrase several times throughout these verses

“Not trying to please men, but God who tests our hearts”

If you go out to share the gospel with the world to please man I you I have 2 warnings

You are going to be disappointed

The darkness hates the light and will not be pleased with the message

The gospel you share will be the gospel people trust in and imitate in their life.

A gospel with any other person at the center is not the true gospel. Jesus must be the center even when it’s not the most comfortable message.

so our motive 1st must be to please God

2nd our motives must not be about greed

Greed is about me desiring to gain more than I need.

I can be greedy by targeting specific groups of people to gain whatever it is they have or would be easy to trick them in

wealthy, weak, strong, or many other things, but the heart would be to personally gain from them

So 1st our motives to share the gospel cannot be about pleasing men

2nd they cannot be greedy

3rd our motives cannot be about seeking praise for ourselves

This motive is about putting me at the center of the gospel. Just like not pleasing men but God, this makes the gospel about something other than Jesus and will lead people astray from Jesus.

I say this a lot, but if all you see at this youth group is how good I am, I have failed you because there is nothing good in me except what Jesus has done in me. You must see Jesus. I cannot save you. There is one way to God and it’s through Jesus.

So our motives to share the gospel must be pure and about pleasing God,

not pleasing men

not greedy

not seeking praise for myself

M&M #1 Message

M&M # 2 Motive

M&M # 3 Manner

In these verses I see that the Manner of the gospel is not systematic or forced, but natural and relational

Paul uses language of mothers caring for their children and Fathers encouraging and comforting their kids

Paul and Silas lived among the Thessalonians in a gentle manner

loving them

caring for them

encouraging them

working physically with them

sharing meals with them

sharing the gospel with them

Our lives among our neighbors whether Christians or not should reflect this list and more.

This youth group should reflect this list. Anyone who walks through our doors should be loved. We need to be caring for one another like a loving mother and father.

The 3 M&M’s I see in the text are:

M&M #1 Message

M&M # 2 Motive

M&M # 3 Manner

In conclusion I just want to point out that Jesus says in Mark 2:17

Mark 2:17 NIV

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Why do some people accept the gospel and some reject the gospel?

It’s the recognition that your sickness is not your circumstances, not others, not money, not comfort, not emotional, not physical.

If you don’t find the root of your sickness and only treat the symptoms you will continue to cover up the pain with temporary relief. Just like pain killers, you continue to need higher doses to numb the pain until it no longer works. You must treat the root of the problem to eliminate the symptoms

Our sickness is sin and Jesus is the only Cure

I love how Jesus said he isn’t after the healthy or the righteous, he is looking for the broken, sick, the sinner.

You don’t need to clean up to come to Jesus, you simply cry out to Jesus you are sick, broken, a sinner, and you believe His death, burial, and resurrection are enough. Jesus is enough. Let Him change you.