Sermon Tone Analysis

The Kingdom Dream

Open w/ blurb about American dream vs. Kingdom dream.

Have you ever noticed that you work a lot harder for something that interests you?

I see this with teenagers all the time.

I could talk to one of my Greek students about basketball stats and he would know a lot about multiple divisions: college, professional, and some high school stats.

But if I were to as this same student about Greek grammar or the paradigms he is supposed to memorize, I would have a less than stellar conversation.

The same teenagers who complain about having to read for literature class will spend hours reading on social media.

We all have a tendency to work for what we want.

Look at 1 Thessalonians 2:9-11 “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.

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,”

Paul has been explaining his method of mission and how he cared about these individuals.

Let’s back up a few verses to get some of the context.

Look at verses 1 Thess.

2:7-8 “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.”

Gentleness is laying aside our authority and rights (whether given by God or the world) in order to make much of Jesus.

Brother Antoine covered these versed last week hammering in the fact that we cannot be self-seeking in proclaiming God’s word.

I think it’s important to dwell for a moment on the Apostle Paul’s gentleness.

I’ve seen preacher clips online where some preacher in a good ol’ fashion church starts to rail against a certain sin.

Then, this preacher calls someone out in the congregation for practicing this sin!

Y’all ever seen that?

That’s not how Matt 18 tells us to handle church discipline, by the way.

Then this preacher, in a moment of self-awareness, realized how hard he’s being and excuses it by saying, “Y’all just never heard true gospel preachin’ before!”

As if, true gospel preaching involves me calling your personal sin out before a large audience!

Paul’s example is not one of fundamentalist harshness; but rather gentleness.

Sometimes in our climb the corporate ladder context, we think of gentleness as wishy-washy, not getting anything done, or indecisive.

And I think there is a certain tendency within some men to not take the responsibility given to them.

In fact, it’s inherit to the curse, after the fall that men’s tendency is to neglect responsibility.

When I think about Paul as a man, he is not one to shake off responsibilities.

Paul is shipwrecked multiple times, he stands before kings and commoners proclaiming the gospel of God.

I remember one story where he shaked off a viper.

Acts 28:1-6 “After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta.

The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.

When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.

When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer.

Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead.

But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.”

Paul is not the kind of man to shake off responsibility, Paul is not some effeminate wimp who lets everyone walk all over him.

Rather, Paul recognizes the authority God has given him.

You all remember this story, right?

Acts 13:8-12 “But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.”

Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.

Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”

Paul recognized the authority that God has given him.

Paul is a man who takes responsibility, even sacrificial responsibility.

Paul is a man who gets things done.

And Paul is willing to lay aside his divine authority and rights in order to make Jesus great.

And that’s his whole purpose you see?

He doesn’t do this for himself.

Look back at our test for a moment 1 Thess.

2:9 “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.”

I think the NKJV renders this verse better, “For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.”

All throughout Paul’s arguments, he is calling the Thessalonians to remember, he frequently says “you know” throughout verses 1-12.

The Thessalonians experienced Paul and his associate’s life before their very eyes.

They experienced it, they could not doubt it.

The main subject and verb of Paul’s sentence in verse 9 is “we preached;” subordinate under that is “while laboring night and day.”

The very man chosen by God himself to carry the gospel to the Gentiles; Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus; the whole gathered church affirmed his calling by the Holy Spirit.

The very man who worked miracles, been imprisoned, been stoned, was going to do whatever it took to bring the gospel to these people.

Comfort is less important than preaching the gospel of God.

There are some major reasons as to why Paul refused to receive financial support from those to whom he preached, listed by commentator Charles Wanamaker “(1) Potential converts might have reservations about conversion if they believed that it would entail a financial commitment to the missionaries, and (2) the gospel based on love and the self-sacrifice of Jesus was incompatible with missionaries who sought their own self-interest and financial gain at the expense of their converts.”

Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 103.

Paul was most likely using his workshop to proclaim God’s gospel.

Wherever we go, we have an opportunity to share God’s truth.

But I want you to think back to this theological principle again, “Comfort is less important than preaching the gospel of God.”

Consider for a moment that we’ve lived in a society, Western society, that for centuries since the crowning of Charlemagne the Emperor of the Romans on Christmas day 800, perhaps you could argue earlier to Constantine’s Edict of Milan in the 300’s that being a Christian has brought increased comfort.

Think about it.

At one point in history, Charlemagne conquered some Saxons and forced them to either be baptized and convert or die be beheading.

That’s certainly a situation where being a Christian brings more comfort.

Even in recent American political history, if you were going to run for a national election, before say the year 2000, you better join a church, or you probably wouldn’t be elected.

Now the tides have turned.

You will be maligned.

John 15:18-20 ““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”

Gentleness demands we lay aside our power and rights, the gospel demands we lay aside our comfort all glorify Christ, make him look great, give people a view of Jesus more true view, a view like he really is!

Because life is not about me, it’s not about you, it’s not about our church, it’s about Jesus Christ.

Our next point in the text:

What we believe is reflected in how we behave.

Let’s look at our next verse 1 Thess 2:10 “You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.”

Here Paul is bringing to his readers’ minds their conduct.

“Holy and righteous” are usually used together to reflect obedience to human law and God’s law.

“Blameless” strengthens the entire argument.

The Thessalonians could not approach Paul and rebuke him for some wrongdoing, because he had done nothing wrong.

In other words, Paul is acting in a way that is “above reproach”

And I have to use that phrase carefully, because some authoritarians and dictators take this to mean they are “untouchable.”

You may even hear in some church circles about their preachers “don’t touch God’s anointed.”

But being “above reproach” does not mean that you are perfect, or that no one is allowed to come up to you and give you advice, instruction, or rebuke you for doing wrong.

Being “above reproach” simply means your general character reflects godliness.

I remember being in an art appreciation class in college.

I went to a GA Baptist college in the north GA mountains.

The art professor was a bit eccentric and a little disconnected with the class.

And since I waited to take this class until my Senior year, I was stuck in a classroom full of mainly Freshmen who did not care about the subject.

These students did everything they could to make fun of the professor.