1 Thessalonians Ch2v1-7 - Authentic Church

Yeah, thanks.

Our reading today is 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 1-7.

1 Thessalonians 2:1–7

It's page 1186 in the Red Church Bible.

You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.

We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know,

but with the help of our God, we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives,

nor are we trying to trick you.

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.

We are not trying to please people, but God, who tests our hearts.

You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed.

God is our witness.

We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else,

even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.

Instead, we were like young children among you.

Thank you very much, Louise.

Let's keep our Bibles open there.

I'm just waiting on some water.

I wasn't prepared, so we'll wait for that or I'll be pausing and getting stuck.

So just a reminder, we've been looking at this letter of Thessalonians,

perhaps one of the first letters that Paul has written to a church in Thessalonica in Greece.

And we've covered the first few sessions together.

And if you've missed any of them, please have a look on our website.

All the talks are recorded there for you to follow up.

Thank you very much.

Thanks.

Well, let's pray together and ask for the Lord's help as we look at his word.

Father, thank you that you have given to us all that we need

as we live for you and serve one another.

Thank you for this letter written centuries ago,

recorded for us today in our time,

so that we may be encouraged and built up in our faith

and helping us to live and be the kind of church you call us to be.

Please help us by the power of your spirit.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, on a trip overseas quite a while ago,

I was exploring one of the local markets

in order to get some gifts to bring home.

And on one of the stands,

a very enthusiastic man insisted

that I buy a bottle of his aftershave.

So we haggled and so on,

and eventually we agreed on a good price.

And when I got home,

I took off the silky wrapping,

opened up the beautiful gift box.

Pssh, pssh.

It was a counterfeit.

It was just water in a bottle.

No scent whatsoever.

I had been tricked,

taken for a ride.

Now, when we pull back the wrapping of the church,

when we get to the very heart and centre of the church,

what do we find?

Are we authentic?

Or are we counterfeit?

Is our message that we proclaim

in the ministries that we're involved in,

are they real?

Or are they fake?

But when the apostle Paul arrived in Thessalonica

to preach the gospel,

he encountered strong opposition.

And in fear of their lives,

for the mob that were after them,

they escaped to the next town

round the corner to Berea.

But when the dust had settled,

it seems that some of the new believers

had begun to question Paul's motive.

If his message was authentic,

and if his ministry was genuine,

well, then he would have never left us.

It seems he just arrived into town

wanting to make a quick buck,

and as soon as troubles came,

well, Paul and his buddies headed for the hills.

So in part, Paul writes to defend himself,

and as he does,

he shows us today

what an authentic church is like.

What our message and ministry is.

That it must be true,

and it must be clear.

So two big ideas we're going to look at this morning.

Here's our first one,

our message entrusted with the gospel.

Look at verse 4.

On the contrary,

so despite what you think of me

running away and leaving you on your own,

on the contrary, he says,

we speak as those approved by God

to be entrusted with the gospel.

Now we need to know

what we have been entrusted with.

So a few things.

First, we've been entrusted with the gospel.

The gospel is what we've been singing

and celebrating about this morning.

The good news about Jesus Christ

God's chosen king

who's come to rescue us from our sins

and to establish his loving rule

in our lives.

It's all about a person,

the person of Jesus,

who dies for you and me,

taking the blame for our rebellion

and who rises again from the dead,

defeating death,

giving us life and life eternal.

This is good news

because it's not something that we do for ourselves,

but it's all done by God for us.

And in response,

we turn from ourself

and we put our trust in Christ.

this is the wonderful,

beautiful gospel.

But this gospel that we have

is God's.

It's not a made-up message by Paul and his team.

Have a look at the end of verse 2.

But with the help of our God,

we dare to tell you

his gospel,

the gospel of God.

End of verse 8.

We were delighted to share with you

not only the gospel of God,

but our lives as well.

Or look at the end of verse 9.

We worked night and day

in order not to be burdened to anyone

while we preached the gospel of God to you.

You see,

it's not just an idea

or a philosophy

invented by any person

or by any church.

We don't just kind of sit around and say,

let's come up with a message to tell.

No,

this has been revealed

by God.

Verse 13.

We also thank God continually

because when you received

the word of God

which you heard from us,

you accepted it

not as a human word,

but as it actually is,

the word of God.

This wonderful message

is the very word from God

to restore broken lives

and restore and renew

this disordered world.

And it is this gospel

that has been entrusted.

You see,

the apostle Paul

was just like us.

Sometimes we kind of set him

high and above everybody else.

Well,

he needed the gospel too.

He needed to trust Jesus

for forgiveness of his sin.

But he did have a special

and unique calling.

That's what we read

in verse 4.

He says,

we speak as those

approved by God

to be entrusted

with the gospel.

Now,

to help us understand

this unique calling,

have a flick forward

to 2 Timothy.

So you get to

2 Thessalonians,

1 Timothy,

and then 2 Timothy.

2 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

2 Timothy,

2 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

Paul is now writing

to young Timothy,

who's pastor of a church,

and we're going to pick it up

in verse 11.

So Paul is speaking,

he says,

and of this gospel,

I was appointed a herald,

so somebody who announces good news,

an apostle,

one who has been sent by God,

and a teacher.

So he was uniquely set apart

to announce

and teach the gospel.

He was given a special authority.

His words,

and his words that have been

written down for us,

are to be considered

the very word of God.

So he can say,

verse 13,

what you heard from me,

keep us a pattern

of sound teaching.

Now nobody else

could say that.

I can't stand up

before you today

and say,

you know,

what you hear from me,

keep us a pattern

of sound teaching.

I mean,

the words of Johnny Grant.

No,

these are the words

of God

given to Paul.

What you heard from me,

keep us a pattern

of sound teaching

with faith,

in love,

in Christ Jesus.

Guard

the good deposit.

What is the good deposit?

The gospel,

the good news.

That was entrusted

to you.

Guard it

with the help

of the Holy Spirit

who lives

in us.

You see,

this same gospel message

that Paul had received.

He has now

taught to Timothy

and Timothy

must now

guard

what has been

entrusted to him.

Now how do you

guard the gospel?

Well,

look at chapter 2,

verse 1.

You then,

my son,

be strong

in the grace

that is in Christ Jesus

and the things

you have heard me say,

so that same phrase again,

the things you have heard me say

in the presence

of many witnesses,

entrust

to reliable people

who will also

be qualified

to teach others.

You guard it

by passing it on

to the next generation.

And that's what

has happened

over the years

and over the centuries.

The gospel

entrusted to Paul,

uniquely given to him,

has been written down

for us

and has been entrusted

to the church

today.

we don't put

our own spin

on it,

we don't alter it,

we guard it.

And we guard it

by declaring

to believers

and unbelievers

the truth.

Because all of us,

all of the time,

need the gospel

of God.

Let's go back

to Thessalonians.

So imagine with me

for a moment

that a cure

for cancer

has been invented.

It's a simple pill

that when taken

kills any

and all

cancerous cells.

Now imagine

that you've been

given the task

of guarding it.

Well,

it would be foolish,

wouldn't it,

to put it under

lock and key

and then throw

the key away?

No,

you want that

cure released

to make sure

it actually gets

into the hands

of the very people

who need it.

Likewise,

wouldn't it be

very foolish

if you were to

add your own

ingredients to that

in the hope

of somehow

making it better?

No,

you would ensure

that it is not

altered

in any way

so that it

remains effective.

Well,

we've been

entrusted

with the gospel,

a cure

for sinful,

broken,

rebellious humanity.

It is God's

kind,

gracious,

and loving

response

to our

sin-wrecked

lives.

A message

with a promise

of forgiveness,

the transformation

of our life,

and the hope

of eternal life

to come.

that's what's

been entrusted

to us.

Or imagine

you're the

guardian of the

Louvre Art Gallery

in Paris.

Your task

is to bring

the Mona Lisa

on tour

to all the

capital cities

of the world.

Every city

that you enter,

you put up

the picture

on display.

Now,

wouldn't it be

very foolish

of us

to get out

your brush

and think,

this needs

a little bit

of updating

here.

I think

I could

do a better

job.

Maybe put

a few

earrings on

or a

moustache

or,

well,

you know,

whatever you

like.

And it would

be foolish,

wouldn't it,

if you just

kept a cloak

over it,

leaving it

covered.

No,

you want

it on

display

for everybody

to see,

to marvel

at its

beauty.

well,

we are

guardians

of the

most

treasured

and most

precious

gift

ever.

We are

to display

together

the beauty

and the

wonder

of who

Jesus

is,

his death

for our

sins,

his

resurrection

from the

grave.

We display

the glory

of Jesus

as we

declare

his

gospel.

Carigaline

Baptist

Church,

we have

been

entrusted

with the

gospel of

God.

This is

our time.

This is

our generation.

It is

the means

of salvation

for the

world.

It is

the very

hope

for this

town of

Carigaline.

It brings

peace in

our fears,

comfort

in our

suffering,

the assurance

of life

in the

face of

death.

It is

the cure

for troubled

souls.

Declaring

the gospel

together

puts the

beauty of

Christ on

display,

who softens

hard hearts,

who opens

up minds

to those

who do

not believe.

We have

been entrusted

with the

glorious

gospel,

it is

our

time.

It is

our

generation.

So,

our

message,

entrusted

with the

gospel.

Second,

our

ministry.

You see,

if we've been

entrusted with

the gospel,

our ministries

must be

faithful to

the gospel.

faithful.

In

second,

in

1st

Thessalonians

chapter 2,

what we've

just read,

we're going

to see

three marks

of what it

means to

be faithful.

Here's the

first one.

That we

would be

willing to

suffer,

not twist

the truth.

Willing to

suffer,

not twist

the truth.

Look at

verse 2.

We had

previously

suffered and

been treated

outrageously in

Philippi,

as you know.

So,

before they

got to

Thessalonica,

Paul and

his team

were in

the city

of Philippi.

And there

they shared

the gospel

openly,

but it

came at

a cost.

Here's

what Acts

tells us

happened to

them in

that city.

The

magistrates

ordered them

to be

stripped

and beaten

with rods.

And after

they'd been

severely

flogged,

they were

thrown into

prison.

Now,

you would

think,

if that

had happened,

Paul would

just go on

to the next

town and

be quiet.

But no,

it doesn't

stop them,

does it?

Look at the

rest of

verse 2.

But with

the help

of our

God,

we dared

to tell

you his

gospel

in the

face of

strong

opposition.

For the

appeal we

make does

not spring

from error

or impure

motives,

nor are

we trying

to trick

you.

Our

message was

true.

Our

motivation

was pure.

Our

witness

was honest.

Why would

we go

through all

that suffering

if the

gospel we

were bringing

was all

made up

and just

taking you

for a ride?

No,

the very

reason we

suffered,

was because

they were

faithful to

the gospel.

Now,

none of us

likes to

suffer.

We might

be beaten

with rods,

but we

don't like

to be

kind of

rejected

and pushed

aside because

of what we

believe and

what we

think.

So the

way to

avoid

suffering,

if you

want to

avoid

suffering,

is to

design your

own

gospel.

Come

up with

your

own

ideas.

I mean,

leave

little

bits

out.

Never

ever

talk about

repentance

and turning

to Jesus.

And

whatever

you do,

don't say

anything about

scripture

being the

authority.

You'll

upset people

and they'll

get really

annoyed with

you.

Or

alternatively,

you could

try this.

Why don't

you add

things into

it?

Tell people

that if

you follow

Jesus,

guess what?

All your

problems are

going to

disappear.

You'll

never suffer

and everything

will be

wonderful

every single

day.

And what

really works,

if you want

to get more

people to

come to

church,

tell them

it's up

to you,

you decide

what's best

for you

and how

you want

to live.

No.

That's

trickery.

That's

using

error to

increase the

numbers on

a Sunday

morning.

That's

designing

your own

gospel so

that we

avoid any

pushback.

Together we

must remain

faithful to

the gospel,

willing to

suffer and

not twist

the truth.

How about

this one?

Pleasing to

God and

not seeking

personal gain.

That's what

it is to

be faithful.

Verse 5,

on the

contrary,

we speak as

those approved

by God to

be entrusted

with the

gospel.

We're not

trying to

please people

but God

who tests

our hearts.

You know

we never

use flattery

nor did

we put on

a mask

to cover

up greed.

God is

our witness.

Now by

nature,

verse 4,

we're people

pleasers.

We're all

people pleasers.

We say and

do things so

that people

will like

us.

I know

of one

pastor in

a church

who

discovered

that his

monthly support

had been

stopped.

And he

went to

the church

and asked

a bit about

it and

they said,

well,

numbers are

down,

people aren't

very happy

with you,

and if you

want your

pay, if you

want your

support,

you're going

to have to

change

something.

And the

temptation for

him was to

begin to

please people

so that

people would

like him

and so that

he would get

his monthly

support.

It's called,

verse 5,

using flattery,

saying what

people want

you to say

and doing

the kinds

of things

people want

you to do.

Of course,

there are

others who

see ministry

as a quick

way of making

money.

They're tempted

by greed.

I've seen

it on trips

overseas.

I've watched

as a pastor

has stood

up and

he's promised

the congregation

a special

prayer for

anybody who

needed a

job,

guaranteed to

get a job,

heal your

sickness,

and to

help those

who are

struggling

with infertility.

And before

he prays,

they must

put their

envelopes,

which are

filled with

money,

into a

wooden drum.

and then

he prays.

It's called,

verse 5,

putting on

a mask

to cover

up greed.

Now,

we might

think of

these examples

as extreme,

but I think

this is how

we can all

be at times.

Instead of

pleasing God,

we want to

please people.

and the

reward when

we please

people,

we're liked.

We become

popular,

we get

recognition,

we gain

more followers

on Instagram.

It might

be financial

reward,

but we're

praised and

we're talked

about.

No,

we're to

please God.

We don't

use flattery,

we don't

put on a

mask.

Verse 4,

God is

our

witness.

It's not

what people

think or

what people

say,

but it's

asking,

will God

be honoured?

Will God

be worshipped?

Will God

be pleased

with my

service and

all that I

do?

We remain

faithful,

pleasing to

God,

not seeking

personal gain.

The third

one of

faithfulness

to the

gospel is

being gentle

to others

and not

abusing

your

authority.

Do you

see that

in verse

6?

He says

we weren't

looking for

praise from

people,

not from

you or

from anyone

else.

Even

though as

apostles of

Christ,

we could

have asserted

our

authority.

Instead,

we were

like young

children

among you.

Now,

not trying

to be

technical or

anything,

but if you

see the

little phrase

there,

young

children,

at the

bottom of

your page

in the

Bible,

you might

get a

different

translation

which says

gentle,

so that's

why I'm

saying

gentle.

Instead,

we were

gentle

among you.

Paul was

an apostle.

He'd been

given this

unique authority

from God,

so he

could write

to Timothy

and say,

what you

heard from

me,

keep as a

pattern of

sound teaching.

He had

this authority

from God,

but he

never misused

it or

abused it.

In fact,

he was

careful not

to mistreat

his position.

He was,

as it says

in verse

7,

gentle

among you.

He could

never be

accused of

being pushy

or forceful

or demanding

or domineering.

He was

considerate

and tender

and humble

and kind.

He never

used his

authority to

bash people.

He used

his authority

to serve

people.

Now,

this is

crucial for

our day

and our time

and for this

church.

And particularly

as we address

everyone,

I want the

elders to

pay attention,

myself included

as one of

them.

We've been

given an

authority,

not the

kind of

authority like

Paul,

but we've

been given

an authority

to care

for this

local church,

for the

people who

gather.

And we

care by

feeding

the people

with God's

word.

We guard

the people

by watching

out for

false

teaching.

The

authority we

have is

an authority

to serve,

not abuse.

And sadly,

many pastors,

and we hear

about it in the

news, we read

about it,

and elders who

abuse their

authority for

personal and

selfish gain.

They speak as

if everything

they say is

equal to

God's word,

that it has a

power that must

be obeyed.

well, we

don't have

that kind

of authority.

And I

say to the

church, if

you hear us

acting or

living in

that way,

step in.

Our

authority is

the scriptures,

and those

scriptures are

to be taught

in gentleness,

not being

harsh.

So,

elders,

all of us

together as

the whole

church,

we must be

faithful to

the gospel,

gentle,

not abusing

our authority.

You see,

the message

we have,

and the

ministry we

do,

when we

keep to

the gospel,

is

authentic.

authentic.

And what

is authentic,

is effective.

Look at how

he starts in

verse 1,

chapter 2,

verse 1.

You know,

brothers and

sisters,

that our

visit to you

was not

without

results.

It was

effective.

He came

with the

full gospel,

and the

people that

he reached

were filled

with Christ,

because the

gospel is the

most precious

of gifts,

more valuable

than hidden

treasure,

more beautiful

than a rare

diamond.

It's

priceless,

because it

has the

power to

save.

And so

to have

Christ is

all that

we need.

For us

today as a

church,

it's as

simple as

this.

We have

been entrusted

with the

gospel,

and the

community in

which we

are in

are empty.

and as

we declare

the gospel,

so lives

are filled,

forgiveness

of sin,

freedom

from shame,

and fullness

in Christ.

This is

our time.

This is

our generation.

God has

entrusted to

us his

gospel.

Let us

continue to

encourage one

another to

remain faithful

to it,

so that many

within this

community will

trust Christ

and have the

joy of

salvation.

salvation.

Let's

pray.

Our

Father God,

we thank

you for

the glorious

hope of

Jesus Christ.

Thank you

that you

entrust to

us in

our day

this

beautiful

message,

help us

as we

go into

this week

that we

would take

every

opportunity,

open doors

that we

may speak

of hope

and of

Christ.

Father,

help us

to keep

on being

faithful,

trusting

you that

you will

do your

work

through

your

people.

We say

thank you

for our

salvation

today.

In

Jesus'

name,

Amen.

Well,

we're going

to sing

together

and after

we sing,

we're going

to share

around the

Lord's

table as

we remember

his death.

let your

kingdom come,

let your

will be

done so

that

everyone

might

know

your

name.

Let

your

song

be

heard

everywhere

on

the

name.