1 Thessalonians 2 SUFFERING FOR THE FAITH // INTRO No one enjoys suffering, with the rare exception of masochists In fact, as a rule, when it comes to humanity, the vast majority of people prefer comfort and ease Suffering is hard, generally undesirable, and not something that humans regularly enjoy But the Word of God tells us that suffering can be something that is also for our good Yes, in the flesh, it is not something we embrace, but it can be used for shaping us when we put our hope in Christ alone Consider Jesus, who was without sin, and yet received in Himself the due penalty for our errors and sins And He who knew no sin humbled Himself, even to the point of going to the cross, despising its shame He obeyed the Father, and by doing so, He opened the door of salvation for every man, woman, boy, and girl who has ever lived, to have the opportunity to put their faith in Jesus And He suffered like no one else in the History of the World! He lived the life I could not live He died the death I should have died The Apostle Paul also suffered as well, though not to the level that Jesus suffered But here is another example of one who suffered for the Gospel message, to make Jesus known and bring salvation to others, like so many in the history of the Church If there is any one constant in the Christian life, the one that I see most readily is suffering Now, the “Health and Wealth - Blab it and Grab it” crowd don’t like that message It goes 180 degrees in opposition to their theology Theirs is a theology of plenty and ease and wealth and only goodness all the time, in THIS life Forgive me, but it’s one of the dumbest things anyone could possibly put forward as a theological stance, and I can say that (and you can affirm it) because every born-again Christian who’s been saved for more than 5 minutes knows that serving and loving Jesus ultimately leads to hardship in this life John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” So I want you to keep that in mind as we go to our text this morning! // TEXT & EXPOSITION 1 Thessalonians 2:1–16 [1] For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. [2] 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. Not in vain…ever! The gospel of Jesus Christ NEVER comes in vain It always accomplishes that for which He has sent it Therefore, nothing that you do in this life FOR Jesus and His Kingdom, will ever be in vain God sees all things, and uses all things for good Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. God presides over the role of suffering And He delights to enter into our hardship and suffering, to help us navigate it in ways that honor Him He teaches us how we should respond to pain and heartache, such that we become more like Him The result of this is that we become more and more bold about our faith, as a result We aren’t called to be jerks for Jesus, but we are called to speak, preach, and teach the Truth to anyone who will listen And the more consistently we share Jesus with others, the easier it gets We start to drop our apprehensions and fears, and see the people around us as those who are in need of salvation, kn owing that the lost are not going to get it from the world around us It is only by the preaching of the well-meant Gospel offer [3] For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, [4] 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. In this context, the appeal is to the Gospel Paul was always looking for opportunities to preach the gospel message to any and all who would hear it Why do we make this appeal? Because God has commanded us to, and He wants to work alongside us in the fields that are white unto harvest And He is the One who ordained the Gospel message to the be means of salvation for any and all who come to Him So how do we make an appeal for the Gospel in our culture today? Well, first, motives matter greatly The WHY behind the WHAT is more important when it comes to our walk and making Jesus known But people can’t read our minds, so we have to articulate our beliefs to others And with a right heart that wants others to know Jesus, all one need do is open one’s mouth You don’t even need to eloquent It’s as simple as having a conversation with someone over coffee Or striking up a conversation at the bus stop Just ask good questions: What do you believe about God/Jesus? Have you ever read the Bible? Do you believe in life after death? If Jesus were real, would you want to know Him? It’s as simple as that - just have some open-ended questions ready and let the conversation go where the Lord takes it! Have you ever been entrusted to carry or protect something of great value? YES!! You have! It’s the Gospel message You have been chosen by God, to carry the message, because you chose Him And now He has chosen YOUR and is sending YOU into the culture around us with that message of love and reconciliation There are dozens of ways to present the well-meant Gospel to the people around you One only need pick a favorite approach, learn it and begin to share it with others And I’d be elated to help you on the topic!! Just let me know! [5] For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. [6] Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. Paul and Co. never used manipulation, whether it was flattery, or anything else And their motive was pure They wanted men, women, boys, and girls to come to know Jesus, the promised Messiah of the world! To use smooth talk would have undermined the message Flatterly would have undermined the message Seeking glory and praise from people would have undermined the message And what do we see when we look back at the history of this city of Thessalonica, as the Gospel came to it? We see people hearing the Gospel, and then receiving the message, the Good News Not all of them, mind you, but many of them And that is NOT the outcome of a manipulative campaign launched by the Apostles In fact, Paul goes on… [7] But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. [8] 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. Paul didn’t come into this situation as a bully ordering people around, telling them what to do He was gentle with the Christians at Thessalonica, to the point of taking care of them like only a mother would He wanted to give to them of himself, to minister, to love, and to instruct them like they were his own children He wanted to share the Gospel with them in the hope that many of them would embrace the well-meant Gospel offer, while knowing that some would not receive it And that’s still true today in any place where the Gospel is preached But Paul wanted to share more than the Gospel He wanted to share himself, walking among the Thessalonians, spending time with them, breaking bread in their homes, and making Jesus known to them Such was the gentleness of God through Paul [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. Paul reminds the people that he did not put burdens on them, but rather labored and toiled so as NOT to be a burden In all of my experiences with mission trips, this has also been the case We seek financial support and equipping on the front end, before the mission trip, so there is less burden on those to whom we are bringing the Gospel message And the best mission trips I’ve been on have not included hostels or hotels in different countries, but in the homes of Believers Even when I could not speak Romanian or Belarussian fluently (I’ve been to both countries), our hosts shared with us the love of Christ, and therefore hospitality overflowed to us It is a humbling experience to stay in some Babushka’s little apartment, and to wake up to ironed clothes and a hot breakfast sitting on the table, while she is walking out the door to go to work That is the same heart that Paul encourages in us The Gospel is not only the message, but the love and care for others, as well People don’t really CARE about what you KNOW until they KNOW that you really CARE! [10] You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. [11] For you know how, like a father with his children, [12] 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. Witnesses see and experience an event, and then testify as to the details and the truth of what happened before others (like a Judge) And here is Paul letting the Thessalonians that they are witnesses Witnesses of what? Witnesses to the conduct and graciousness of Paul and company He was like a father interacting with His children whom He loves, instructing them and encouraging them to keep moving forward with Jesus There was exhortation from Paul (and ultimately the Lord) to walk (live) in a manner worthy of God And he makes sure to tag “the Why” Because God Himself has called you into His own Kingdom, to share in His glory forever and ever and ever…life without end! Again, we are witnesses of this And very soon we will gain that which we are deeply longing for, and we will be with Him forever But in the meantime, we have been given a charge in V12 We are to walk through this life in a manner worthy of God’s calling that He has placed on us He is the One who has called us into His Eternal Kingdom, and also to share in His glory What an incredible privilege we have been afforded! [13] And we also thank God constantly for this, that you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. So out of this overflow of God’s riches and grace comes thanksgiving unto God our Father The Thessalonians had heard God’s very Word and responded to is positively Born-again Christians ought to be the MOST humble and thankful people on the planet We have been given eternal life and full, unfettered access to the God of Heaven and earth And there’s NO expiration date! But this is so awesome in v13, and I wish that more who have inspected and looked at the Bible would have a powerful encounter with the God of the Universe and so be changed The Thessalonians heard the Word of God and believed it They accepted it not as Man’s best thoughts about God, but rather as God’s very Word to humanity And that Word works to accomplish in us that which we could not accomplish on our own, in the flesh [14] For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, [15] who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind [16] by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! The Christian converts began to grow in their faith and became imitators of the other churches in the region, and that imitation includes suffering And now, the Thessalonians were experiencing some of the same things that their brothers and sisters in Christ were experiencing in other parts of the world And this is still the case today Persecution is real and prevalent, and the reality is that if Western culture continues on the trajectory it is on now, we will lose the Gospel societally That will inevitably mean that active persecution will come to our nation, not just passivity regarding the Gospel And some of the things that Paul lists here are things that are common around the world Being made homeless, beatings, being jailed, tortured, and even put to death All of these fall under the auspices of persecution when these are caused because if religious beliefs [17] But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, [18] because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. [19] For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? [20] For you are our glory and joy. Again, Christian persecution is any hostility, experienced from the world, because of one’s identification with Jesus Christ This can include hostile feelings, attitudes, words and actions But what does the Bible mean by the word “persecution”? Did you know that in Matthew 5:10-12, Jesus says in the Beatitudes that persecution is a blessing?? Probably, many of us don’t think it is a blessing that we would desire! But Jesus defines the word for us in Luke 6:22 using four verbs. He says, “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” Note that it is Jesus in you who is the reason for, and the target of, persecution In Romans 8:17, the Apostle Paul tells us, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” So, when we share in Jesus’ sufferings (hatred, exclusion, insults, and rejection) we become heirs who will also share in His glory The four words above can be experienced in varying degrees of intensity Unfortunately, many Christians today operate under the assumption that persecution is a part of the Church’s past But the truth is that there are members of the body of Christ that currently face severe persecution and restrictions because of their faith in Jesus Christ all around the world Every day of every year, and on every continent, men and women, boys and girls, face persecution because for their belief in Jesus Christ Come quickly, Lord Jesus! MARANATHA // APPLICATION At His coming again, we will boast - not in ourselves, or our goodness But we will boast in the Lord Jesus who has accomplished salvation for Mankind This isn’t something we bought or earned for ourselves This is something that has been given to us, if we’ll receive it As Jesus-loving, Word-believing, card-carrying Christians, we really ought to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us We have been tasked to labor in the Master’s fields, to till soil when needed, to scatter seed (which is the Gospel message), and to cultivate that which springs up and begins to grow That is our calling until the Trumpet sounds and the dead in Christ come out of the ground first and are taken It’s not just the Pastor’s job, but it is meant for every mature Believer When that task is finished, then we who are alive, who remain, will go up as well to be with Jesus And so shall we EVER be with the Lord We will never be parted from Him at any point in the future! What an incredible promise!! But in the meantime, we have to deal with life as it really is on this fallen earth As more and more people abandon the faith, apostatize, and forsake Biblical Christianity, Secularism sets the stage for persecution A secular society is one that does not privilege (or sometimes even allow) religion or religious points of view In theory, a secular society provides freedom of belief and equal treatment for both religious and non-religious people But we know that’s not actually possible It’s been tried in different places at different times, and it never works Our current iteration of Western society is largely secular And religion (especially Christianity) no longer has elevated status, despite the protestations of humanists and atheists When we consider what that actually means for the future, we are tempted to shrink back in fear But when we remember what God’s Word tells us, we stand strong as we wait for our Lord’s coming James, the half-brother of Jesus, puts it like this: “Be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” (James 5:8) But this morning, I will let the Apostle Paul have the last word on this, taken from the end of 1 Corinthians 15 “Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” At His coming, we will boast in Him alone! Not you, and not ourselves Jesus is the ONE who has accomplished salvation FOR us And we wait upon Him to return for us, so that where He is, we also will be with Him May it be so! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! // PRAY These 40 Days of Prayer are so important to us as a local body of believers We need this in order to grow personally, and as a church These 40 days are going be centered on praying for the Lord to truly become WHOLEHEARTED FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST PSALM 105:1-5 (Congregation respond in prayer) Oh give thanks to the Lord Speak thanks and appreciation to Him Call upon His Name Lift up His Name, for He is God Most High Make known His deeds among the peoples Ask for opportunities to make him known Sing to Him, sing Psalms to Him Lift your voices as we worship Him Talk of His wonderful works Apprehend the work He is doing in your life and tell of it! Glory in His holy Name Dwell on His holy Name, the Almighty Let the hearts of those rejoice, who seek the Lord Ask Him to show you how He is able Seek the Lord Call out to know Him more Seek His strength Pray for His strength in and through you Seek His face forevermore The light of His face is radiant Remember the marvelous works He has done Always trust in Him! // SING // GO Why do you do what you do, as a Christian? Why do you say what you say, as a Christian? Is your life a reflection of your stated beliefs? Some who name the Name of Jesus do not actually believe on Him So how can we know the difference? The answer is in how we walk before the Lord and before a watching world Are we consistent when it comes to our stated beliefs? Are we consistent when it comes to the life that we live? This is where the rubber meets the road So don’t let your lips speak one thing and your life show another Walk with Jesus and honor Him as Lord as we wait for Him to gather us unto Himself Emmaus Road Church, YOU ARE SENT!!