The Bold and Faithful Servant

PASTORAL PRAYER

Heavenly Father, With all of creation, we shout for joy to you our Creator; We sing praises for the masterful way You have knit us together; We are fearfully and wonderfully made in Your image; Wonderful are Your works, and we know it very well. We know that we are Your children created for Your purposes; We have been given this earthly body for a temporary period; As the vapor rising from the boiling pot of water, So are our lives on the timeline of history. Your are worthy and deserving of our blessings; I pray, Lord, that the sound of Your praise will be heard this morning, You are the One who has kept our souls among the living, and You have not let our feet slip off the path of life. Though we recognize that You are our Creator God, And that You… You alone…are worthy of Our unwavering allegiance, We have not always lived our lives in ways that acknowledge that; Many times we are sheep who have gone astray and turned to our own way. Father, thank You for not holding our iniquities against us, And thank You that our transgressions are not counted against us, Because it was pleasing in Your sight to crush Your Son, And to make our deliverance from Your punishment possible through His suffering. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, So that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; For by His wounds we were healed. For we were continually straying like sheep, But now we have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls. I pray that our sorrows will be lifted and our anxieties salved, As we cast all our anxiety on You because You care for us; We know that You will sustain us and will never allow us to be shaken; May all that is within us bless Your holy name! In the name of Your precious sacrificial lamb, Our Creator and Redeemer, The One through whom we have forgiveness and life, The very anchor for our soul, Jesus Christ, Amen.

INTRODUCTION

As we turn to a new chapter in Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica, we are exposed to the influence of good, Godly leadership.

In fact, the next few weeks, we are going to see several different characteristics as it relates to Paul’s leadership among the believers in Thessalonica

Leadership, as we know, is not easy.

When a sports team does not win, the owner fires the head coach.

When a corporation loses its competitive edge, or fails to live up to expectations, the board of directors fires the president.

When a church does not grow according to people’s expectations, the pastor is often forced out.

More important than any secular leadership position (yes, even more important that the POTUS), is the leadership in Christ’s Church.

Elders are entrusted with the unequalled duty of proclaiming the gospel to unbelieving sinners, and bringing those who believe and are baptized into the fellowship of the local church.

Pastors must:

intercede for their people through public and private prayer

oversee the administration of the Lord’s Table so their people will regularly confess their sins and renew their covenant of obedience

equip other teachers and workers within the church

enforce church discipline

provide biblical counseling to the congregation

All of this is done to build up the saints to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

Charles Spurgeon

The faithful pastor is an awful weapon in the hands of God.

Seeing the importance of the spiritual leadership in the church, it is no wonder that faithful pastors are often attacked through the impugning of their character or challenge to their authority.

The Apostle Paul had opponents who attacked his integrity and sincerity

They sought to ruin the church by destroying its confidence in the person God had used to establish it

But we see here in chapter 2 some characteristics of the Apostle Paul that we can take away and apply, both as leaders in the church and as faithful followers of Christ.

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6

BE A BOLD SERVANT

verses 1-2

The Apostle Paul points out that their coming to Thessalonica and ministering among the Thessalonians was not in vain.

Not empty or hollow words

Not void of precise content

Forceful and with a purpose!

not in vain = fruitful

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:5-8

F.F. Bruce

The Thessalonians’ positive response to the gospel and subsequent energy in spreading it abroad bore sufficient testimony both to the quality of the preaching and to the power that accompanied it.

Paul and his companions came to Thessalonica after they had suffered and been mistreated in Philippi.

suffered and shamefully treated are strong words that show the intensity of the hatred against Paul preaching the gospel

Mal Couch The truth is not popular, and satanic opposition against it is always bitter

After what Paul suffered at Philippi, most people would have found any excuse not to minister again.

In fact, many people have left the ministry for far less than what Paul suffered

I was one of them, until God called me back to the ministry that I so dearly love

What exactly did Paul suffer?

Read Acts 16:19-24

That is quite a trying experience for Paul and Silas, and certainly is a good enough human reason not to continue to preach the gospel.

Paul’s confidence was not in human wisdom, but in Godly wisdom

Paul’s boldness in God is what led to him continuing on in the gospel ministry

Proverbs 28:1 ESV

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

The righteous are not bold in themselves, but they are bold in God

They remain bold despite their past experiences, because they know the One who is sovereignly in control of all things

They know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Warren Wiersbe Paul looked at himself as a steward of God’s message… a steward owns nothing, but possesses and uses everything that belongs to his master.

The very thing that Paul used was the gospel of God.

The source of his boldness is God (∴ it is strong)

The source of his message is God (∴ it is true)

The gospel is 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 The gospel is not our faith story/ “supernatural experiences”

The gospel is a treasure entrusted by God to His servants.

2 Timothy 1:12–14 ESV

But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

BE A FAITHFUL SERVANT

v. 3-6

The preaching of the gospel and Paul’s appeal to the people to repent does not spring from a core of deceitfulness.

Paul did not trap people into being saved, the way a clever salesman traps people into buying his product.

They were approved by God

approved = accepted by testing

Paul was willing to bare his heart and ministry, and to allow God to judge it, examine it, test it, or put it on trial.

His goal in preaching the gospel was not to please men; rather, he sought to please God.

2 Corinthians 5:9 ESV

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

Philippians 1:21 ESV

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Warren Wiersbe The Christian who “plays to the grandstands” will lose God’s approval.

There must be a purity to the message (v. 5).

No flattery — exaggerated praise! (man pleasing!)

Galatians 1:10–12 ESV

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

No pretext for greed — not in it for the money! (false teachers!)

2 Peter 2:3 ESV

And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

No fear of man — not trying to be a people pleaser (no glory from people).

Like Paul, we are to be faithful ministers of the gospel of God.

It is not about recognition

It is not about money

It is not about convincing people of the truth of the gospel (the Holy Spirit’s job; c.f. John 16:8-11)

1 Corinthians 4:1–2 ESV

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

CONCLUSION

The Tale Of Two Funerals:

One was attended by a little more than 100 people in a little country church in New England

One was attended by thousands of people and watched live by many thousands more on a streaming platform

One was officiated by a faithful, but relatively unknown local pastor

One was led by several prominent, nationally/internationally known evangelical leaders

One was in honor of an individual who faithfully served in Sunday School, VBS, and sundry ministries for 20+ years

One was in honor of an individual who faithfully served as a Pastor and Bible teacher for 50+ years

The point is this: both of these individuals had very different contexts in which they lived and served, BUT they both served the same Lord and Savior.

They were both faithful to the calling God had on their lives

They were both true to the Word of God

They both shared the gospel and desired people to be saved

By the testimony of those who attended the respective funerals, they were Bold and Faithful Servants.

May the Lord help us to be, as well.