The Gospel Message

We all have duties that we have to perform; things such as mowing the grass, emptying the dishwasher, taking out the garbage and so on. At times, though, duties can take on a special significance. Think of a soldier who is given a message that must get through because the lives of other men in the unit depend on it.

I remember reading the book, “Lone Survivor,” a true story about a team of four Navy seals pinned down by the Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan. This story was later made into a movie and the particular event that I am thinking of was depicted very graphically. Massive numbers of enemy forces were converging on the location of this unit and a couple of them had already been injured. They were unable to get a call out to base, though, while hiding in the rocks because signal was getting blocked by the stone. The leader of the unit determined that their only hope lay in getting word back to base that they were under attack so he went out into the open, under fire, to make the call. He was shot several times as he was making the call and died as he finished it. His message was important enough that he was willing to give his life to make sure it went through.

Involvement:

There are certain duties that are so important that they are worth giving our lives, if necessary, in fulfillment of them. This morning we are going to look at one that should be that central for each of us.

Context:

We are entering into the second chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church this morning. Paul has expressed his thankfulness to God for the salvation and the perseverance in the gospel in the midst of opposition that these young believers have displayed. It was good news to hear that they were remaining faithful to the gospel.

Paul, though, is never one to just relax and leave things as they are…he knows that the opposition that these believers are facing has the potential so impeded the Gospel lifecycle that is designed to bring glory to God. He also seems to understand that because he and his companions had to leave so quickly after their short time in Thessalonica that there are several topics that he did not manage to cover as he would have liked. The remainder of this letter deals addressing these things. There is no major doctrinal or practical problem currently in this young church, but the potential is no doubt there, so Paul addresses a number of areas to sort-of fertilize their gospel soil so that the gospel lifecycle will continue with great vitality.

Preview:

Today, as you can see we are going to look at the first 4 verses of the second chapter. In these verses, which really begin a section that runs through a good portion of this chapter Paul returns to a topic he mentioned in passing in the previous chapter—the events that occurred while he was with them a few months earlier when he came to the city to proclaim the gospel.

From the tone of the verses it seems as if there had been some questions raised by the opposition as to Paul’s motivations when he, along with Silas and Timothy, arrived in the city and began preaching the gospel. Paul sets out to address the rumors that apparently had been launched by his opponents…remember, he was chased out of town by Jewish hatred of his message…he sets out to address these rumors; and in the process manages to provide us with several important lessons. In fact, we really can praise God that Paul faced such opposition because it resulted in this section in this letter, which has been used by God to minister to His church for nearly 2,000 years.

Application

Even this simple truth should inform us that whenever we face various types of trials, we really have no idea how they might be designed by God to fit into His larger plan of building his church and bringing glory to His name.

The lesson that we can learn from the four verses that we are going to look at this morning is that our response to trials and opposition is to simply go about our duty…do what God would have us to do which specifically revolves around proclaiming the gospel message. The way in which I would word the lesson contained in our verses today is simply: Proclaiming the Gospel message is our sacred duty.

Application

We may not be soldiers in the armed services of our country, but we are soldiers none-the-less. We have been given a message and that message must get through to those who need to hear it. Our duty is to deliver that message.

Proclaiming the Gospel message is our sacred duty. Let’s read our four verses this morning.

The way we have these verses translated in our NASB Bible, we have two sentences. Both sentences begin with the word “for” showing that they are explaining something and each sentence has two parts split by the word “but.” Understanding how these verses lay out really is as simple as observing those two structural clues…we have two main points with two sub-points each.

Application

Normally I don’t mention such grammatical elements because I don’t want to make you think that you all overslept and somehow ended up in school on a Monday. Yet, I do think it is helpful once in a while to point out the kinds of things that you can observe on your own during your own bible reading which will help you read with greater understanding. Prepositions like the word “for” and conjunctions like the word “but” are helpful words to observe as we read.

Transition from introduction to body:

Proclaiming the Gospel message is our sacred duty. This morning we have two points the support this main idea. The point that we find in the first two verses is that…

BODY:

I. We must boldly proclaim the Gospel message, vv. 1–2.

The idea of boldness is found in the second verse, “we had boldness in our God.” Paul is appealing to the example that he and the other men set when they arrived in Thessalonica to make his point. Twice in these first two verses Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they themselves know the reality of the situation that he is referring to…they had witnessed the very things that Paul is mentioning…they had seen the boldness by which Paul, Silas, and Timothy proclaimed the Gospel message.

Illustration

Think about it; it is one thing for a person to claim boldness, but it is an entirely different thing for others to witness it. We have had several rather well-known people in the past few years who have been caught making claims of boldness…they have claimed to have been engaged in battles and under fire in dangerous situations as part of their personal history only to have it come to light later that they were not even in the military or that the event that was claimed as a personal experience of bravery never happened. For good reason, people may doubt claims of boldness.

Yet, do you think any of the people on the street in Ohio a couple of weeks ago when that gunman opened fire doubt the boldness of the police officers who ran toward the gunman as they were fleeing. Will any of us who saw the security video that captured the policemen engaging the gunman while people were fleeing literally all around them question their boldness?

The Thessalonians had personally observed the boldness that Paul is referring to here; they had seen and heard him, along with the other two men proclaim the Gospel message.

Transition:

So, what are the sub-points that we can observe under this main point. Well, I want to take what comes out of the second part of the sentence first; from verse 2 we can learn that…

A. Our bold proclamation will produce opposition.

Why was the boldness of the missionaries so remarkable? Because it was in the context of real opposition. Paul reminds them that when he and Silas arrived…Timothy seems to have somehow escaped the worst of it…when they arrived in Thessalonica, they were coming right out of a severe beating and mistreatment in Philippi. The account is recorded in Acts 16; Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and thrown in prison because of opposition resulting from their gospel proclamation. This was completely illegal, mind you, because both men were Roman citizens and by law were to be spared such treatment…but it had happened anyway.

An official Roman beating with rods was no small matter. No doubt when Paul and Silas arrived in Philippi they were still recovering from it. The Thessalonians certainly learned about what had transpired in Philippi, but they also observed that the missionaries immediately began preaching in their city as well; the fear of another possible beating did not impede them one bit.

These Thessalonians…who, remember, became believers through the preaching they heard and observed…also witnessed opposition arrive in their city. The opposition grew until essentially Paul and company were accused of treason against the Roman Empire and had to flee town again. Yet, through it all, they had observed that these three men continued to boldly proclaim the Gospel message.

Application

Truly, the lesson for us is real simple…we can expect that proclamation of the Gospel message will still produce opposition. We really do need to take Jesus’ words to his disciples in Luke 21:17 to heart, “and you will be hated by all because of My name.” The world is in rebellion against God. People naturally are shaking their feast at God and saying, “I am my own god; I will not bow to another.” Proclaiming that they will indeed bow before Him someday because He truly is God and they are not will produce opposition. We must expect it.

The question that we really need to ask ourselves is what will we do when the opposition comes. Will we take our lumps, pick ourselves up, and keep right on proclaiming the Gospel message or will we “learn” from our first uncomfortable experiences and keep our heads down by not bringing the Gospel up? I fear that we too many of us have become soft that we will not be able to face real opposition. I say that because few of us are boldly proclaiming Christ now. We are neglecting our duty without even facing severe opposition.

Transition:

Our bold proclamation will produce opposition. We need to say, “Bring the opposition on; Proclaiming the Gospel message is our sacred duty!”

We must say this because we need to also observe…backing up to verse 1…

B. Our bold proclamation will produce fruit.

Essentially Paul is saying, “Sure, you know that our proclamation produced serious opposition both in Philippi and again in Thessalonica, but you also know that it was worth it because you believed. Who better to affirm the truth as well as the value of our boldness that you!”

The word that we have translated at the end of verse 1 as “vain” essentially carries the idea that their efforts were not hollow; the results were not empty or vain. The results of their activities were an accomplished fact; their proclamation of the Gospel “was not in vain.” The proof of that statement was the very people holding and listening to this letter. We could metaphorically translate this as “our coming to you was not fruitless.”

Why do you think Paul and the other men, coming fresh off a beating such as they were, immediately reengaged in the very activity that might prompt another? Do you think it was that they enjoyed the pain so much that they just couldn’t wait for a repeat of agony? Maybe this time they would even get to enjoy broken bones, right?

No! They were bold because they fully expected their proclamation of the gospel to produce believers. They anticipated that God would use the proclamation of His word that centers the glory on His beloved Son to save His chosen people…God would use the Gospel to save people.

It seems as if Paul never once stopped and considered, “Hm…there probably isn’t any elect people in Thessalonica so it would be a waste of my time to share the Gospel. These people look big and angry; it would be a waste of my time…any beating here would be a foolish waste of time.”

Application

Do we expect that Gospel to produce fruit? Do we expect God to do what He has said He will do; save those He has given to His beloved Son so that they can be trophies of His grace? If are not proclaiming the Gospel; we are really displaying unbelief in God’s word. If we expect that God will be faithful to His own Word, we will boldly proclaim the Gospel message, joyfully magnifying Jesus Christ.

Paul stated that he had boldness…but don’t neglect what kind of boldness that he had, “boldness in our God.” It is confidence in God that generates real boldness to proclaim the Gospel because we are confident that God will produce fruit through it.

Transition:

We must boldly proclaim the Gospel message. Our bold proclamation will produce opposition. Our bold proclamation will also, though, produce fruit. These are two sides of same thing—our duty…the negative side and the positive. Hopefully we can see that the positive side is so much greater because Proclaiming the Gospel message is our sacred duty.

Proclaiming the Gospel message is our sacred duty. Moving on to the second sentence, verses three and 4 allows us to observe that not only must be boldly proclaim the Gospel message but also that…

II. We must faithfully proclaim the Gospel message, vv. 3–4.

The focus in this sentence is again found in the second half of the sentence was where we see the idea that Paul recognizes that he and the other two men were “entrusted with the gospel.” That word “entrusted” is a verbal form of the Greek noun that is normally translated “faith.” It is the basic NT term for “I believe” or “I have faith.” normally it is used in the sense that we are “believe” God or “to have faith” in Him. Here, though it is God who is the one having faith; He is having faith in Paul and the others, trusting them with His Gospel message.

Illustration

One evening this week Grace informed me that I was to take and drop something off in the morning at Katie’s house on my way to church. I joked that the problem with that assignment was that it required that I remember in the morning and that would be pre-coffee. Of course, she knows that such a comment is only half-joking because I have managed to forget a lot of things over the years in my pre-coffee haze. She stated that she would put a note on the door to remind me. AS she was putting the note on the door I told her that she was still assuming that my eyes would be open as I went through the door. Well…the next morning I found the reminder note on the door. I also found a second note lower down, right next to the door handle stating the same thing. I got to my car and there was a third note by the car door handle. Then, I got into the car and found one final note on my steering wheel, “Last chance, don’t forget Katie.” Guess, what? I faithfully delivered the required package to Katie.

Application

Look around. Do you see the Apostle Paul here this morning? How about Silas or Timothy? Those men are long gone, but the package that God has left for them to carry—the Gospel message has not passed off the scene with them; it has been handed down to others. In fact, it is a good thing that it has or none of us would have heard the Gospel nor been able to find salvation in Jesus Christ ourselves. Do we recognize that we, by the very fact that we have believed in the Gospel, have inherited this divine trust?

Transition:

We must faithfully proclaim the Gospel message. Looking at the first part of this second sentence, verse 3, we can see that…

A. Our faithful proclamation will be challenged by men.

From what we can gather from this verse, it seems as if some of Paul’s opponents were likely accusing him and the others two of being religious charlatans—people peddling a false message for personal gain.

Illustration

We should understand that the false health and wealth preachers of today are nothing new. The only thing these charlatans have going for them as opposed to the charlatans of the Roman world is the opportunity to trick more people with their false message through the communication channels of radio and television and the internet.

In Paul’s day, there were people peddling all kinds of false religions. Like today, the open-mindedness of their society left many people believing these tricksters. Accusing one of being one was designed to undermine the message that as being communicated.

Paul simply rejects such an attack. He says that there is no error in his message—the facts about Christ’s life, death and resurrection were true; His teaching perfectly aligned with the truth. Likewise, there was no impurity in his message; his message was not sourced in any impure motives. Furthermore, the manner in which he communicated the message was not intended to entice anyone through deception…the final word of verse three is that used for catching a fish with bait. Think about it, if Paul was attempting to dangle bait before them, he should probably use something better than, “Believe my message for a chance to be beaten like me!”

Application

Yet, even though these accusation were foolish when examined; that did not stop opponents from hurling them at Paul. We should anticipate similar things. I am certainly not a well-known guy, but I have experienced being accused of some very outlandish things. It seems as if we should simply expect that as part of the course if we are faithfully proclaiming Christ.

Transition:

We must faithfully proclaim the Gospel message. Our faithful proclamation will be challenged by men; we can expect it. More significantly though, we must realize that…

B. Our faithful proclamation will be evaluated by God.

The reason that Paul didn’t care about what his opponents were saying is that he had already been evaluated by God. The fact that God had saved him and entrusted him to pass on the gospel message demonstrated that he passed the test. An omniscient God had examined him and “approved” him and the others to declare His gospel.

Paul also realized though, that this was not a one-time evaluation. God was always observing their actions day in and day out.

Illustration

Maybe we should think of it as the difference between the examination that comes when you take your driving test to receive a driving license and the examination that comes every day when you are on the road driving with a policeman next to you. The first examination must be passed in order to be entrusted with the responsibility to drive. The ongoing examination must continually be passed to maintain that responsibility.

Furthermore, Paul goes on to note that God was examining their hearts, not just their actions. God is examining what the motivation is underlying their actions in proclaiming the Gospel. The omniscient God is conducting this examination; He knows what goes on in the heart. With that very sobering thought, Paul is not at all concerned with pleasing men.

Application

Of course, this comment was undoubtedly an implicit reminder for the Thessalonians that God is examining them as well…just as it is a reminder of such to us. As one commentator expressed it, God has promised that He will bless His message, but approval for the messenger must be earned. Are we earning God’s approval? Are we conscious that our God; the God who saved us through the sacrifice of His own Son; the God who has given us a specific duty to perform on His behalf; the God who knows the intent of our hearts better than we know it ourselves; are we conscious that this God is evaluating us?

Illustration

I remember many times way back in my elementary days that the teacher would leave the room. It didn’t take long before there was generally some mischief underway. But boy did things change in a hurry if someone heard footsteps approaching down the hall. I also remember the horror that would come upon many faces if we noticed that the teacher happened to be standing outside the door looking in the window. We knew she was evaluating our conduct.

God is evaluating our conduct. Our faithful proclamation will be evaluated.

Transition from body to conclusion:.

We must faithfully proclaim the Gospel message. Our faithful proclamation will be challenged by men. But what matters is that our faithful proclamation will be evaluated by God.

CONCLUSION

Folks, Proclaiming the Gospel message is our sacred duty. It is our duty. We have a message that must get through to those who need to hear it. We are to be the Lord’s soldiers. We have a duty to perform, a sacred duty. We must carry it out to the best of our ability or die trying. That is our duty.

Application

This morning, in the blanks that I had the kids fill in on their note sheet were all of the words “we” and “our” from the outline this morning. I wanted to emphasize to them that the things on this list are our duty. I trust that the rest of us have heard the emphasis as well. We are the ones who must do the proclaiming of the Gospel message if that message is going to get through to the ones who need to hear it.

We must boldly proclaim the Gospel message and we must faithfully proclaim the Gospel message.

Proclaiming the Gospel message is our sacred duty.

Application

If you are here today and you have believed the Gospel message—you know Jesus as your Savior—then this is your duty. It is also my duty. Will we do our duty? Will we please God? We have been pushing the Exchange seminar coming up in November. This seminar is designed to help us fulfill our duty more effectively. Let me encourage you again to take advantage of this seminar. WE have a duty; let’s do it to the best of our ability and give it everything we’ve got, willing to die trying if need be.