The Gospel Appeal

INTRODUCTION:

Interest:

How we go about urging others to do things is very important…Hopefully many of you ladies have heard the sage marital advice: “If you have asked your husband to do something and he has said that he will you can rest assured that it will happen. There is absolutely no reason to remind him about it every 6 months.”

My wife learned early in our marriage that if she wanted me to do something for her, it was best not to make the appeal the moment that I walked in the door in the evening. She would quickly find a hungry, grumpy response. She met with much greater success if she waited to make her appeals until after I had enjoyed my dinner and when I was full, content, and relaxed.

Involvement:

The idea of being concerned with how we go about making appeals goes beyond just asking others to do things for us. As we will see in our passage this morning, we should be concerned with how we go about making gospel appeals as well.

Context:

As you can see, we are in the middle of the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians this morning. In this letter to this young church, we have been following the celebration of the gospel life cycle as Paul has been unpacking it. Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, came to Thessalonica for the purpose of communicating the gospel to the people there. In the short time before they were driven out of town they were able to plant the seed of the gospel and see it sprout up on the lives of these new believers. Having traveled back to the city to check in on them, Timothy has discovered that the gospel has continued to grow in their lives and is reproducing itself through them in other places throughout the region. This report has brought great joy to Paul, prompting this letter to the church.

While Paul has been rejoicing in what the gospel is accomplishing in Thessalonica, he is also taking the opportunity in this chapter to apparently refute some slanderous charges that have been leveled against him by those enemies of the gospel who drove him out of town. Of course, even in the process of refuting the false charges, Paul’s passages are still rich with vibrant instruction for the church in Thessalonica…and because of the divine inspiration under which he wrote; these passages remain vibrant for the church throughout the ages, including for us here in First Baptist Church of Sterling Heights in 2019.

Preview:

This morning, as we look at our particular verses—verses 9–12 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 2—we should not be surprised that the gospel continues to be at the center of Paul’s thoughts; it has, after all, been the focus of every paragraph in this letter. The gospel and how it applies to our lives is at the core of this letter. The main lesson that we can take away today from our paragraph is this: How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself.

How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself.

Now, notice that I say that the appeal is “nearly” as important…be sure to latch on to that little word “nearly.” What we say is still more important than how we say it. If we don’t have the gospel message itself right, it doesn’t matter how we make our appeal, no one will be saved without comprehending the main points of the gospel message; we must get the contents of the message right. In fact, this is why we are having the Exchange Seminar in November…to help us all make sure that we are ready and able to communicate the content of the Gospel message by teaching us four main points to use as mental pegs on which to hang the gospel contents: (1) God is holy…He is absolutely separate from all sin, but we are sinful by nature and by action; (2) God is just…He must punish sin and the only just punishment is an eternity in hell, (3) God is loving…He loved us enough to send His own Son to pay the penalty for sin, and (4) God is gracious…He is willing to place our own personal sin debt on Jesus Christ and credit us with His perfect righteousness when we place our faith in Jesus. In fact, if you do not fully understand those four points or you have never trusted in Jesus for your own personal salvation, I urge you to talk to me after the service this morning. Let me explain the gospel message to you.

Those four points summarize the gospel message that we have, as we saw in the beginning of this chapter, a sacred duty to communicate boldly and faithfully. We are, as verses 5–8 showed us last week; the messengers that God has chosen to carry His gospel message to the world. It is our obligation to give a bold, faithful gospel appeal on His behalf to those who need to receive Jesus as Savior. Yet, we must be mindful of the overall point of our verses this morning as we do so: How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself.

Transition from introduction to body:

Let’s go ahead and read through our verses together…this morning we are going to look for four principles regarding how we should make our gospel appeal as chosen messengers of the gospel message—one principle as to how we are to make our gospel appeals in each verse…<read>

How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself. The first principle that should strike us this morning out of verse 9 is that…

BODY:

I. Our gospel appeal must be given with sacrificial diligence, v. 9

In this verse Paul seems to bounce back in his thoughts to verses 5 and 6 where he denied that there was any greed motivating his and the other men’s gospel efforts. Once more he calls on the Thessalonians to draw upon their own memories of his time with them. It is mighty hard for the charges of greed to stick when they could recall how hard he had worked, “night and day.” Paul doesn’t mention what kind of labor he engaged in when he was in Thessalonica, but from Acts 18:3 we know that he was a tent-maker so it is most likely that he engaged in that trade while he was in the Thessalonica. A tent-maker was a very portable skill…there was always a need for it…but it also required long hours as it was not a high-paying trade. The people would remember that Paul had put in long hours at his trade

They will also be able to remember that he had not asked them for any money for sharing the gospel. In fact, the point that he makes is that the very reason that he was willing to work so hard was so that they could proclaim the gospel to them without burdening the them financially. They would probably remember that he was willing to actually lose money by taking a break from his trade so that he could share Christ with them. There was no greed involved at all.

Application

There is a point implicit in Paul’s pattern that is important for us. We must be very careful that the gospel is never seen as a commodity to be bought and sold. After all, the gospel is the message of God’s grace. God’s grace cannot be purchased, it cannot be earned; the very definition of grace is that it is totally free, offered by God to undeserving sinners like you and I. The gospel becomes quickly distorted if in some manner an unbeliever is asked to pay for a message that communicates an absolutely free offer of grace—the most valuable thing could ever be obtained as it is the only thing which will reconcile a person to the almighty God of the universe while rescuing that person from eternal damnation. Plus, allowing a person to somehow pay for the message feeds right into the natural sin instinct of the unsaved to do something in order to save themselves.

Of course, this is the principle that drives why we support missionaries…like the Wheelers who will be with us next week. We want to enable missionaries to go to a foreign field and present the gospel to those who need it there without having to ask for any material support in return. The Wheelers are not working directly in pioneering gospel work…we will learn more about their ministry next week…but they are supporting the spread of the gospel throughout India and the surrounding countries.

So yes, there is a principle in this verse for missions. But I think the application for us goes beyond that. We need to recognize that it is critical that God’s messengers do not inadvertently confuse the message by doing anything that seems to generate personal gain through the process…and let me remind you; we are all gospel messengers. When unbelievers—our neighbors, our co-workers, even our family members—when they see us, we must ensure that they see hard-working, self-supporting people. We must ensure that they see do not see lazy people. Rather, we should be people who are doing everything that we can to provide for ourselves…and we need to recognize that we are to do this for a much greater reason than simply so that we are not on unemployment or welfare or whatever…we need to have this attitude because we understand that this attitude will enhances us as gospel messengers. When we are working hard and then sacrifice our personal time to share about Jesus it becomes clear that our only motivation is to our desire to present the “gospel of God,” as Paul calls it here. A sacrificial diligence demonstrates that the gospel is our motivation, not financial gain…we cannot be accused of greed.

Now…let me hit pause in the sermon for just a moment and make sure I clarify my point. I am not stating that a believer should never utilize unemployment or welfare if he or she is has been providentially placed by God within a personal situation in which such is the only option available at the moment. These are great social safety nets that we have in our country. What I am saying, though…strongly saying even…is that as a believer you should not be content to remain dependent upon these safety nets. In other words, unless God has providentially disabled you, you should always be seeking for ways to provide for yourself and the reason that this should be your overwhelming desire is so that you will have a firmer platform for gospel ministry. I hope that clarifies things a bit…ok, let’s hit play again on this passage.

Transition:

Our lives are to be all about the gospel. The first principle that we see in our passage is that our gospel appeal must be given with sacrificial diligence.

Let’s remember our main lesson for today: How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself.

Our gospel appeal must be given with sacrificial diligence…and secondly we find in our paragraph that…

II. Our gospel appeal must be given with personal integrity, v. 10

This is our second principle; our gospel appeal must be given with personal integrity.

For the second time in as many verses, Paul reminds the readers in verses 10 that they are personal witnesses to the truth that he is about to set before them…he had a completely unspotted testimony while he was in Thessalonica. Of course, they could only witness his external behavior, but he asserts that God would provide the same affirmation as to his inward life as they had observed outwardly—his was a life of personal integrity.

He uses three words to describe his personal integrity. The first one we have translated as “devoutly.” This word indicates living life in a manner consistent with what God would allow. It is roughly the idea of living a pious life; one has an attitude of desiring to please God which shows itself in the actions taken throughout the day.

Secondly, Paul says he lived “uprightly.” In other words, his actions were in conformity with both divine and human laws; he was an upright person.

Thirdly, he adds in “blameless.” This means that his actions consistently…without fail…fulfilled any and every obligation to both God and man.

I will just mention in passing that when Paul concludes his sentence saying that this is how they behaved toward the believers, we shouldn’t think that he had a different or lesser standard for unbelievers. It’s just that he was writing to the believers; they were the ones he was calling on as witnesses to his conduct.

Application

Friends, we need to recognize that nothing will undercut our gospel appeal faster than living in a manner in which our lives do not match up to our message. We talked about this last week, but it bears repeating…especially since Paul seems to be repeating the idea…our lives must be lives of personal integrity. We must be genuinely devout toward God. We must be upright in our actions. We are to be blameless before God and man.

Illustration

Early in 1996 the body of a former ambassador to Switzerland was buried in Arlington Cemetery, our American graveyard of war heroes. The granite tombstone for this former ambassador read, “S1C [Seaman First Class] U.S. Merchant Marine.” But according to a story in the New York Times, on December 11, 1997, cemetery workers hauled that tombstone away, and they exhumed the casket. The reason: the man had lied. For years he told others he had served on the Coast Guard ship Horace Bushnell during World War-II. He said the Germans torpedoed the ship, and he had been thrown overboard, sustaining a head injury. In fact, records showed that at the time he said he was serving in the Merchant Marine he was actually attending Wilbur Wright College in Chicago. The Coast Guard had no record of his serving in the Merchant Marine, and of course he had never earned the rank of seaman first class. Somehow his lie was not discovered when the State Department investigated his background, and he was approved as an ambassador. Somehow his body was permitted to be buried in Arlington Cemetery. But the truth eventually came out and his lack of personal integrity became a final mark on his life.[1]

Our gospel appeal must be given with personal integrity. How are you doing? Is your life a life of personal integrity?

Transition:

Our gospel appeal must be given with personal integrity. Again: How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself.

A third principle, as found in verse 11 is that…

III. Our gospel appeal must be given with urgent tenderness, v. 11

For a third time, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that what he is about to write is something that they already know. They know how tender he was in his dealings with them; he was like a father who diligently instructed them in the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

You may remember that last week Paul used the image of a nursing mother in v. 7…now it is the father. In the Roman world of Paul’s day, it was the father who bore the responsibility for teaching morals and life skills to his children. Paul notes that this is how he operated with each one of them. He had a personal relationship with them…a relationship that was apparently so tender that he could invoke the image of a father for it.

Once more, much like in verse 10, Paul uses three terms to describe how he set about to accomplish this responsibility in the short time that he with them. He exhorted them…in other words, he urged them to follow a certain mode of conduct.

Secondly, he encouraged them. This is a term that conveys the idea of persuading someone to follow a certain type of action…the word is even sometimes used for the idea of comforting someone when a tragedy has been experienced.

And then, thirdly, he implored them. This is the strongest term. It carries the idea of requiring a certain course of action. There is an insistence manner implied.

When we see all three of these terms in the context of Paul’s fatherly image we come to understand that Paul’s tenderness was not a soft, wimpy type of tenderness; it was an urgent type…a tenderness that cared deeply about the effects that his appeal had upon the Thessalonians.

Application

We need to have a similar balance. It is not that hard to be urgent when we are exhorting and encouraging and imploring someone to do something that we really believe they need to do.

Illustration

I am sure we have all experienced an impatient driver on the road making an urgent appeal toward us when he believed that we were driving too slowly and were in his way…after all, it is pretty hard to miss that blaring horn right behind you or the flashing beams of his lights at night.

It really isn’t that hard to express urgency in an appeal but it is a much more significant matter to express such urgency in the context of tenderness. With tenderness, the appeal can still be urgent and firm but it takes on an entirely different tone than that of the guy blaring his horn behind you.

Illustration

Think of a parent urging a child to study hard for a test even though the child is tired and discouraged. There is an urgent nature to the appeal because the test is coming in the morning, but there is also tenderness because the parent sympathizes with the weary child. There may be a plate of cookies with a glass of milk to go along with the words pushing the child to keep going.

This is how our gospel appeal should be seen by those who receive it. There should be no doubt that we are urging any unsaved person who we talk with that he or she needs to receive Christ, that we really believe that it is a matter of life and death, and that we most sincerely want to see the decision in favor of Christ made now. At the same time, there should be absolutely no doubt in the person’s mind that we are urging such because of a deep and genuine concern for their eternal soul; there should be a context of love that is clearly conveyed in our appeal.

Transition:

Our gospel appeal must be given with urgent tenderness…principle number 3.

How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself.

In verse 12, we have one more principle regarding way in which we must give our gospel appeal…

IV. Our gospel appeal must be given with doxological motivation, v. 12

Doxological means to be about God’s glory; to be giving praise to Him. A doxological motivation is a motivation of praising God and His glory.

This is what we see in verse 12. Paul’s concern for the Thessalonians lies in the ultimate goal underpinning his appeal to them—God’s glory. Let’s think through the flow of Paul’s ideas here quickly. Paul wants them to “walk worthy of God.” What does it mean to walk worthy of God? It means to reflect God’s character. Why should they reflect God’s character. Because God is the One who called them to salvation and by calling them to salvation He has called them to a such a reflection of His character. But why did God call them? He called them so that they would become citizens of His kingdom and reflections of His glory. Everything about the gospel appeal…from the very first moment that Paul spoke to them about salvation in Christ to the the moment in which they are hearing this letter read in their church gathering to the moment that their lives on earthy are finished…everything is to be oriented toward the fact that they are now citizens of God’s kingdom, reflecting His glory. That is true for the Thessalonians. That is true for Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

Application

And, of course, that is true for us as well. Ultimately, salvation is all about God…which is as it should be since ultimately everything must be about God. We are called by God into His own kingdom and glory. He has called us through salvation to that ultimate end. That means that our lives now are to be oriented toward that end. We are to walk in a manner worthy of the God who called us. Our lives are to be reflective of His character. And such a reflection will motivate our gospel appeal in a doxological manner. We will understand that giving a gospel appeal to men and women who bear the image of God to be reconciled to God through faith in the Son of God is a way in which we can praise God. Let me repeat that: Giving a gospel appeal to men and women who bear the image of God to be reconciled to God through faith in the Son of God is a way in which we can praise God. That is what it means to have a doxological motivation.

Transition from body to conclusion:.

Our gospel appeal must be given with doxological motivation.

CONCLUSION

How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself.

Just as Grace had to learn to make sure I was well-fed after coming home from work before appealing to me to do things for her, we need to think about how we go about making our gospel appeal. It is our duty to communicate the gospel message. We have been chosen by God to be the messengers of His gospel message. Yet, as we have seen this morning, that means that we are responsible for making our appeals according to certain principles that God has given us to use as his messengers.

Our gospel appeal must be given with sacrificial diligence. Our gospel appeal must be given with personal integrity. Our gospel appeal must be given with urgent tenderness. Our gospel appeal must be given with doxological motivation.

How we make our gospel appeal is nearly as critical as the content of the gospel message itself.

[1] Craig Brian Larson, 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers & Writers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), 333–334.