1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 - Sincere Servants

1 Thessalonians  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  41:48
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Introduction:
Have you ever had anyone try to sell something to you that you knew they didn’t believe in? Maybe it was a car salesman or someone at a furniture store. They said some great things about the item and even appeared knowledgeable, but it was clear that they didn’t really believe what they were telling you.
Or maybe they seemed very sincere at the time, but then you overheard them talking to a colleague about making a big sale and bragging about their abilities.
Sincerity and integrity are of the utmost importance in living the Christian life. As servants of Jesus Christ, we must be sincere in our love for Him. Our knowledge of God must be deeper than just our mind. We must have a heart for Jesus Christ as well. We must be born again and love and work through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today we are going to see Paul and his companions defend their motives and love for both Jesus Christ and the church in Thessalonica. If you can recall, their church planting journey was cut short because they got thrown out of the city. And this letter, written within a year or two after, seeks to remind the church of their sincerity and love and offer an example of how they should serve as well.
Let us pray.
Prayer.
There is a lot to learn about being a servant of God in this section of Paul’s letter. The first main point is...

I. As Servants of God, We Should be Willing to Suffer like Christ (1-2)

1 Thessalonians 2:1–2 ESV
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
Paul has just finished his section on thanksgiving that we went through last week. And the first thing he says after this points to the results that he and his companions had while they were in Thessalonica.
Their coming to Thessalonica was not in vain despite the early departure they had to make. This word vain, kenos (keh-no-ss) here means empty or empty-handed. Their trip resulted in many turning away from idols as we saw in chapter 1 (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Even some Jews were saved as we saw in Acts 17:4.
Paul also reminds them of the suffering that they had to face even in Philippi before getting to Thessalonica. We discussed this last week as well where in Acts 16 they were thrown in jail before a miraculous escape and release (Acts 16:16-40).
Despite this suffering and persecution, they continued on to Thessalonica where they faced persecution yet again. Paul wants them to see that they continued serving the Lord with boldness despite suffering.
Paul wants to teach this church - that is facing some affliction of their own now - that this suffering should not dampen their resolve for Christ.
As the old theologian Matthew Henry stated:

Suffering in a good cause should rather sharpen than blunt the edge of holy resolution.

There is no better cause than the Gospel. Paul wants to remind the church in Thessalonica that persecution should not diminish their resolve for preaching to the Gospel.
I want us to note something important here. Paul’s motive is not to focus on the results of their ministry in Thessalonica. Obviously, there were good results and a church was planted. Yet, the true theme of verses 1 and 2 is that we should continue preaching the Gospel with boldness in God even when conflict and persecution arises. We should also be willing to continue preaching even when the results aren’t as obvious. Sometimes the Word of God is working in ways we cannot see from the outside. But we should still continue to proclaim the Gospel even in the face of suffering.
The reason this is important is that suffering and conflict form the litmus test of true believers.
Let’s look at what Jesus said about suffering in a common parable that he taught.
Matthew 7:24–25 ESV
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
Matthew 7:26–27 ESV
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
You see, both the wise man and foolish man experienced a storm in this parable. The storm could very well have been some form of suffering and affliction. Yet it was only the wise man who had his house built upon the rock that was able to withstand the storm.
Before the storm, the houses probably looked pretty similar. I might argue that the one built on the sand might have even looked prettier from the outside! False converts often times have some extra decorations of good works to try to impress others. I’m sure they could have even possibly had some plaques about how much they gave to a local church or animal shelter or another nonprofit organization. Because their real heart is to please people and/or themselves instead of Christ. While the believer is told to keep the good works hidden inside so that they are able to receive their reward from God instead of men (Matthew 6:1-4).
But the true foundation was shown in the storm.
My friends, where is your house built? Is it on the firm rock of Jesus Christ? Does suffering for Christ end up making you stronger in your resolve for Him? Or do you back down in the midst of any opposition?
When someone begins to attack your faith, do you back down and give answers that show you aren’t firm in your faith? Do you sound like many of the post-modern people today who will agree with someone who believes something entirely different than what they profess to believe?
Jesus Christ stood firm until the end. And He calls us to do so as well.
My friends, as servants of God, we should be willing to suffer like Christ.
And...
Scripture References: 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Acts 17:4, Acts 16:16-40, Matthew 7:24-27, Matthew 6:1-4

II. As Servants of God, We Should be Sincere Like Christ (3-6)

1 Thessalonians 2:3–6 ESV
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
Paul spends an incredible amount of time discussing the sincerity of Silas, Timothy and himself. There is a lot that we can learn from Paul here and I want us to break down four quick ‘do not’s’ of Christian service that are listed here. In order to be sincere servants of Christ we should not...
1. Do not serve from error, impurity, or in an attempt to deceive. (3)
1 Thessalonians 2:3 ESV
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
Paul starts off by letting the church know that he didn’t seek to deceive them. He wants them to know that he does not speak with error or impurity but brings the Gospel message of truth that is pure and undefiled.
Each of us needs to remain pure in an impure world. We need to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit and with complete truth.
When we seek to deceive, we are following in Satan’s footsteps.
2 Corinthians 11:14 ESV
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
May we truly have the light of Christ shinning through us and not just be a mirage like Satan.
Next, sincere servants...
2. Do not serve as people pleasers but instead serve to please God. (4)
1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
People pleasers are some of the worst kinds of deceivers because they are oftentimes deceived themselves. They will do anything in order to gain people’s affections. In the process, they oftentimes believe their own fabricated stories.
Paul wants the church to know that they seek to please God and Him alone. They even call on God as their witness who tests to their hearts.
Check out what Paul thinks about people pleasing in Galatians 1:10
Galatians 1:10 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.
Paul is clear that if one is a people pleaser then he is not a servant of Christ. The true servant of Christ has the will of Christ as his main motivating force behind action.
Note - we as followers of Christ are to serve people on behalf of Christ. We are to be His hands and His feet. But may we never miss that our job is not to please people but to serve them. Sometimes in serving people, you may make them very dissatisfied by serving them in a righteous way instead of the way that they want.
As a physician, I am reminded of an article from the journal, Archives of Internal Medicine, from 2011 (1). This study showed the patient satisfaction was actually inversely proportional to patient mortality. In other words, if you did what patients wanted you to do for them as a physician - they were more likely to die!
Let this be a lesson for us. We are not to be people pleasers but instead pleasers of God. People may not be pleased when you share the Gospel with them or discuss a hard truth with them. Yet, by sharing the truth of God’s word, their soul may be saved from Hell.
Sincere servants of Christ also...
3. Do not serve with words of flattery, with pretext, or with greed. (5)
1 Thessalonians 2:5 ESV
For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.
Again Paul invokes God as a witness that they are above reproach.
He says that they never came with words of flattery. Flattery was particularly despised in the time of Paul - much more so than even today. The issue with flattery is that it is a cover up for greed. It is a way to puff others up and manipulate the situation in order to gain power or finances.
Flattery involves changing the message in order to make it more attractive to the hearers. Humanism is a form of flattery. It involves speaking of humans as if they are gods themselves. Everything starts and ends with humans in humanism. And so it scratches the itch of pride that humans have had since Adam and Eve fell in the Garden (Genesis 3).
The message of the Gospel is the opposite of flattery. It is outright unflattering to humans. It shows that we are all depraved and destined to Hell apart from accepting the free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ by trusting in Him and repenting of our sins.
May we not ‘butter up’ our hearers for shameful gain. May we speak the truth - albeit in love - but never devoid of truth.
Lastly, sincere servants of Christ...
4. Do not serve for glory or praise from man even when you may have done something that would justly bring it. (6)
1 Thessalonians 2:6 ESV
Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
Finally Paul lets the church in Thessalonica know that they did not seek glory or praise from people. Yes, they were sent out ones by Christ. They were apostles. Paul was the only big ‘A’ Apostle among this group of traveling church planters - and he could have even asked for more glory and praise because he was chosen by Christ personally! Being blinded on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19), he was chosen to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. Yet, he did not seek praise and glory from man. He wanted all glory and praise to go to Christ.
Why do you serve Christ brothers and sisters?
God is more interested in our heart that what we do. The ‘why’ is just as - if not more - important as the ‘what.’ Yes, God has called us to action. We are commanded to serve God and to bring God glory in the way that we serve Him. But may we never seek our own glory and praise as we serve Him. For that is one of the worst forms of idolatrous sin we can perform.
Throughout these four sub-points we have learned from Paul how we should be sincere servants of Christ. Finally we get our last point...
Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 11:14, Galatians 1:10, Genesis 3, Acts 9:1-19

III. As Servants of God, We Should be Servants Like Christ (7-12)

1 Thessalonians 2:7–9 ESV
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 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.
1 Thessalonians 2:10–12 ESV
You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, 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.
Paul goes into a threefold analogy of being a servant of Christ. He shows how he and his companions served the people in Thessalonica in three different ways. And these three ways are all familial in nature - which really makes this an interesting and applicable section of Scripture.
We will go through each of these individually. The first is:
1. Gentle as an Infant (7a,10)
1 Thessalonians 2:7 (ESV)
But we were gentle among you
This word gentle here can also mean infant or very young child. He uses this word to let the church know that they were harmless and only wanted good for them. Let’s jump ahead to verse 10 which gives some more clarity to this:
1 Thessalonians 2:10 ESV
You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.
Paul and his companions served gently and above reproach. They were innocent of having any vulgar language or ill intentions toward the church in Thessalonica. They were innocent as a newborn baby.
Just as trying to bring about a charge or accusation against an infant would be of no use, bringing a charge against them would not either as they served with innocence and gentleness among the church.
We also need to serve with such purity as an infant. Our motives should not be like the ones we saw in the last point. It should not be for our own greed or praise. Our service should always be pure and undefiled and directed by Christ.
The next familial relationship Paul uses is...
2. Affectionate like a Mother (7b-9)
1 Thessalonians 2:7b–9 (ESV)
...like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 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.
Paul has just asserted their gentleness and innocence. And now he goes a step further to mention their affection for the church. I cannot think of a more appropriate analogy than the one Paul uses here. A nursing mother is sacrificial. She toils and labors both day and night as she feeds her baby and takes care of her baby. She is never a burden to the baby. She only serves and loves the baby with much of her energy.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy served the church in Thessalonica with that kind of sacrifice. They were not a burden to the church. The gave of themselves and served with all they had to give. Paul uses a simile here (for those of you who aren’t English buffs like me - similes are comparisons that use the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ while metaphors do not use those two words when comparisons are made). He says that they were like a nursing mother. This simile is used to show their love for the church. This is a true example of agape love - sacrificial love.
We can learn a lot from Paul’s service to this church. When we serve others, do we truly serve them with our whole heart and sacrificially? Or do we just offer our leftovers? True self-sacrificial service to others puts them above ourselves. We must be willing to forgo our own wants and sometimes even needs for a time in order to serve sacrificially.
This concept is foreign today. We live in a world that is all about our own needs and wants. There are countless books about taking care of yourself and becoming a better person. There are seminars and podcasts that assert they can show you how to be happy, successful, rich, and more. All of this falls at the feet of the god that our culture worships - and that god is self.
The Bible teaches that we not to worship self. Instead we are to worship Jesus Christ and serve Him and others with all of our self. We are to become less and He is to become greater. He promises to provide for our needs. But do we trust Him?
How hard is it not to be anxious about our own needs and desires? The anxieties that we have that revolve around our self can be paralyzing. Yet the Bible gives us a cure for our self-focused anxiety. It is to be first God focused and then others focused.
As I have said before, it is very difficult to be anxious about your own needs when you are serving others. When you are focused on the Lord first and others second, you will see God come through in amazing ways and meet the needs that you have.
My wife and I were discussing a verse this past week that is so applicable to this thought. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says:
Matthew 6:33 ESV
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
When we seek after God and the things of God, He will fill in all the rest. May we serve God sacrificially and serve others in the same way that a mother affectionately cares for her newborn baby.
And finally, Paul brings up the concept of being...
3. Authoritative as a Father (11-12)
1 Thessalonians 2:11–12 ESV
For you know how, like a father with his children, 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.
The final of Paul’s familial references ends with fathers. We discussed the role of a father in our Biblical Family sermon as we went through Colossians. Fathers are so vital to a family. Yes, mothers are irreplaceable and important as well as we saw in our last point, but fathers are equally important. Fathers are the leaders of the family. They are the protectors of the family. And we see this spelled out so clearly in these two final verses we are going through today.
We see that Paul addresses an authority that he and his companions had while he was with them. He uses two words that point out that authority.
They exhorted and charged the church. Exhorted means to urge on. They urged the church to follow Christ and live holy lives. And the Greek word translated charged means to insist upon. These two words - urging on and insisting upon are authoritative charges from these church leaders.
Just as a father is a leader by authority, we are to serve with authority as well. No, this doesn’t mean that everyone is to be your servant and that they should do what you say! If you just got excited for a moment about that, you probably need to go ahead and take a moment of silent repentance before jumping back in with us today! (moment of silence).
Ok, now that we are all back on track - we serve with the authoritative Word of God. We should not serve weakly by acting like the Bible just gives suggestions. No, God gives commands! And we should present them that way.
Yet, Paul also uses another word here as well. Encouraged. When you serve as a father, you serve with authority but you also serve pastorally. This word encouraged actually also means to console or comfort. Just as a father protects his family, he also offers them comfort by them knowing he is there.
When my children were young, a couple of them would really struggle if I was gone for the night working at the hospital. They were uncomfortable because I wasn’t there. Their father wasn’t there to provide the assurance and comfort that they so desired. They had their affectionate and loving mother - who was an amazing help in these situations as always, but they didn’t have their father to provide that comforting protection that they longed for.
When we serve like a father, we serve with the authority of God but also with the comfort and pastoral care from God.
Lastly, Paul and his companions charged the church to walk in a manner worthy of God.
There is no higher calling than that my friends. This God who calls us into his own kingdom and to share in His glory calls us to walk in a manner worthy of Him.
Obviously we know we never will be worthy in regards to our own works and abilities. But we should seek to conduct ourselves in such a way that brings God glory. We do this through allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and bear the fruit of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5:22-23 in our lives. And through salvation in Jesus Christ that comes through repentance and faith in Him alone - we are considered worthy and holy because of His great work on the cross. Praise God His righteousness is credited to our accounts. Church, if you are saved - and I pray that each of you are - walk like it.
Scripture References: Matthew 6:33, Galatians 5:22-23
Conclusion:
Our witness before a lost world is of great importance.
In closing, I want to leave you with a quote from theologian G.K. Beale who said the following:
1–2 Thessalonians Desiring to Please God Results in Bold and Effective Witness (2:1–12)

Ironically, one of the greatest obstacles to the spread of the gospel is the church itself. It is not hard to recall Christian leaders from the past twenty years who have been so immoral and greedy that even the world itself has been repulsed.

Friends,
We are to be walking and serving in a manner worthy of God. And we do this by:
Being Willing to Suffer Like Christ
Being Sincere Like Christ
Being Servants Like Christ
Let us pray.
Prayer
If you would like to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ or want to obey Jesus by obeying the first commandment of a believer in going through the waters of baptism - please let me know.
Have a blessed week.
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