Introduction When Jesus walked on the earth He spoke often about the kingdom of God. In those days, Israel was waiting for her promised Messiah, the one who would usher in the kingdom of God and fulfill all God's promises to His people. Naturally when Jesus did all the amazing things He did, the question was asked whether this Jesus could finally be "The One." John the Baptist even wondered this when he was imprisoned, and he sent disciples to Jesus to ask if He was the Christ. Instead of giving a simple yes or no, Jesus replied, ` (Luke 7:22-23). Pulling from Old Testament expectations, Jesus showed John's disciples that He was the Christ, as Jesus was doing exactly what the OT taught the Christ would do. Christianity is a show and tell kind of religion. Jesus' actions alone did not declare Him to be the Christ, as the OT first had to teach people to expect the Christ to do those kinds of things. On the other hand, having prophecies without the fulfillment would also fail to prove Jesus to be the Christ. Both word and deed were required to know that Jesus was, in fact, the promised Christ. Now that all sounds well and good during the days Jesus walked the earth, but what about now? How does someone get their question answered the way John the Baptist did? Has Jesus brought the kingdom of God or should we be looking for someone else? Paul's letter to the Thessalonians contains the same show and tell kind of pattern that is observed in the Gospels. Paul has been celebrating the work of God in and through the Thessalonians, and he has done that by drawing connections to the changes in them brought through the Word of Christ. The effective preaching of the the Word is resulting in new life and deeds among the Thessalonians--which confirms the kingdom of God has come upon them with power through Christ. God's kingdom is not about empty talk; it is about the power of God to transform sinners into followers of Jesus, and it is appropriate to consider God's work to that end.
The Text "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. 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. 13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when 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. 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!" (1) God's Work Among Paul And Company "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 2:9 Paul attributes every positive thing he does to God. Paul described his ministry as the outworking of the energy that God first powerfully worked within him (Col 1:29). Elsewhere he explicitly said, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me (1 Cor 15:10). Paul highlights a number of things that marked his and the other's ministry among the Thessalonians: (1) they labored night and day, (2) they avoided being a burden, and (3) they proclaimed the gospel of God constantly. All three aspects here are an explanation of what Paul said in v8; namely, he and his co-workers were committed not only to share the gospel, but their own selves. Paul and his friends worked tirelessly to show and tell the gospel of God. What is striking about Paul's own description of ministry is the third element: the continual proclamation of the gospel of God. Many might think this would get old quickly. How many times can you be told that Jesus died for your sins and you can go to heaven when you die if you believe in Him? But this is a truncated message--it does not fully explain the gospel. The gospel declares that Jesus Christ is Lord of all and He saves those who trust in Him. This good news has enduring relevance for all people at all times because everyone is in need of salvation. The Bible teaches that even Christians have been saved, are being saved, and will one day be saved--all at the same time, and without contradiction. Sinners need to be born again and saved from the penalty of sin; the Bible generally calls this justification (we are declared righteous). But sincere Christians need to be continually saved from the indwelling power of sin; the Bible generally calls this sanctification (we are being progressively made like Jesus). And finally, all true Christians anticipate the return of Christ and the restoration of all things so that we are saved from the very presence of sin; the Bible generally calls this glorification (when every stain of sin is removed from all of creation). This good news of salvation in Jesus is to be continually preached, as it holds promise and power for all who hear with faith. "You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers." -1 Thessalonians 2:10 Paul's ministry was always about proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, and that always meant speaking the Word of God. However, Paul is equally clear that his conduct had a teaching function too. He was "holy, righteous, and blameless" toward the Thessalonians. These qualities are consistent with obedience to God's Word; they exemplify a life that says "yes" to God and "no" to sin. Psalm 1 contrasts the righteous and the wicked; the righteous man "delights in the law of the LORD and on [God's] law [the righteous man] meditates day and night" (v2) and "in all [the righteous] does he prospers" (v3); conversely, the wicked is described as forfeiting the blessings of the righteous (v4) because his priorities are a rejection of God and His Word. Psalm one summarizes the distinction between the righteous and the wicked this way: "the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish" (Ps 1:6). God rewards the life of the righteous person, but the way of the wicked person comes to nothing. If Paul was preaching the glory of Christ's rule and the blessing of deliverance from sin, how would that message be heard if Paul was still living in sin? How powerful can Christ be if Paul was still a slave to the things from which he was supposedly freed? How good can Christ really be if Paul still preferred sin to listening to God? Hypocrisy is saying one thing and doing another; Paul's ministry rejected hypocrisy. Paul preached a glorious Savior, and part of that preaching was joyfully living in obedience to that Savior even when obedience brought suffering and difficulty. Those who follow Jesus look different from those who don't, and that is because true Christians make daily, hard decisions to follow Jesus even as their own sin, Satan, and the world pressure us to walk away from Jesus. "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." -1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 The demand for consistency between profession and practice is necessary to avoid hypocrisy. If we are going to profess the goodness of God we must prove that belief in God's goodness by practicing obedience. Paul was not content to lay out the gospel with a "take it or leave it" attitude--he pressed for decisions! Out of his great concern and compassion for these believers, Paul lobbied in various ways to ensure the Thessalonians lived in a way that fit (was worthy of) God's character. He "exhorted, encouraged, and charged" them to live a life worthy of God. These three words are important. Exhortation is about pointing someone in the right direction and pressing decisions that aid movement in that direction. Encouragement is about strengthening a person in order to give them confidence to make those decisions to move in the right direction. And charging is about helping someone understand the importance of those decisions, and it warns against failing to take the matter seriously enough. It is not enough to lay out what is true; we also need to convey the significance of the truth. Some people will pay lip-service to what is true, but it is obvious they fail to appreciate how important that truth is. Truly believing something requires understanding how important it is. The needs of the moment, based on what is being done or left undone, often shape how weighty different truths may be in any given situation. A person living in sin while claiming to follow Jesus does not need the same exhortations, encouragements, and charges as someone dealing with the recent loss of a child--even though all of the Bible remains true regardless of circumstances, and believers are always called to walk worthy of God. Paul's and his companion's willingness to spend and be spent to see the Thessalonians fully embrace Christ as Lord was evidence of God's power at work in them. (2) God's Work Among the Thessalonians "And we also thank God constantly for this, that when 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." -1 Thessalonians 2:13 God's work in and through Paul and his companions being explained, Paul now praises God for the work He accomplished among the Thessalonians; namely, their embrace of the Word of God. It is shocking how often professing Christians will say the Bible is true, but upon closer examination it becomes clear the Bible does not make any real difference in that person's life. The distinction between formal and functional authority is helpful here. Formal authority pertains to what is an authority on paper, but functional authority pertains what actually has the power of authority in practice. In other words, there can be a difference between having the title of authority and possessing the real power of authority. Ideally formal and functional authority would belong to the same person or thing, but often this is not the case. Likewise, there are many who claim the Bible is true, but they only say that so long as they think the Bible agrees with them. The test of the Bible's functional authority is when a person's belief or conduct is contradicted by Scripture. If the person repents (changes their mind) and pivots in order to align with Scripture, the Bible has functional authority in their life. If the person confronted with the conflict shrugs and continues unaffected, the Bible has no functional authority. Those who claim the Bible is true without living like it is true are hypocrites, and Jesus does not want us to be hypocrites (Mk 7:6; Luke 6:46) It is a work of God for someone to receive the Bible as God's own Word. We only can rightly see the Word of God for what it is by the work of the Holy Spirit. In fact, we know "the natural man does not accept the thing of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor 2:14). Mere human understanding does not understand, value, or properly weigh the things God has revealed through His Word. For the natural person (someone who relies on their own understanding) the Bible is nothing more than another opinion. But to really understand and believe that what the Bible says as being what the Sovereign God says is nothing short of a miracle, and that miracle occurred in Thessalonica. Power is what makes the Word of God so unique, and God's Word was at work in the lives of the believers. Despite the saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words will never hurt me," words do have power, and they often hurt. Our words have power, but God's Word has a different kind of power. Our words attempt to interpret reality, but God's Word creates reality--and that is an enormous difference. God commanded light to be (Gen 1:3); though light did not exist at the time of the command, it had to come into existence to obey God's command. Christian are told to "put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (Jam 1:21). Amazingly, God tells those who have already trusted in Jesus Christ to continue receiving the Word because they still need to be saved from the power of sin in their life, and only the Word of God can do that. God's Word is like fire--it visibly affects everything it truly touches. Show me a place where the Word of God is not tolerated and I will show you a place stuck in sin. On the other hand, show me a place where the Word of God is honored and prevalent and I will show you a place where God is changing people. The book of Acts records the beginning and rapid growth of the church, and there is a wonderful little phrase that summarizes how this happened: "And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem" (Acts 6:7). God's Word has the power to deliver people from slavery to sin so they can follow Christ--if we want to see the same we need to embrace the Word of God. "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, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 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!" -1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 God's Word changes Christians in very visible ways, and these changes are noticed by those around them. The Thessalonians became "imitators" of the other churches; meaning, the change God brings is the same regardless of where it occurs. Change alone is not always positive, but Spirit-empowered change has predictable and virtuous features. One of the most obvious changes is the willingness to endure suffering for Christ. The churches in Judea were primarily Jewish, and that meant their neighbors were mostly Jewish. As the converted Jews followed Christ, it exposed a contrast with the Jews who rejected Jesus as the Christ, and the unbelievers responded with hostility towards the followers of Jesus. The Christians in Thessalonica were surrounded primarily by idol-worshipping pagans, and the Christians themselves used to worship the same idols as their neighbors (1 Thess 1:9). When the Thessalonians turned from those idols to worship and serve God, this also exposed a contrast with their neighbors, and the pagans responded with hostility just like the unbelieving Jews. In both situations, faithfulness to Christ required endurance; the Christians had to keep following Jesus even though it was painful. What did this hostility look like? Well, apparently there were many similarities between what the non-believing Jews and what the pagans did, so we can start there. The rejection of Jesus meant killing Jesus and His prophets (v15). There was pressure on those who believed in Jesus not to speak of Christ with others (v16). In Acts 5 we learn the apostles were arrested by the high priest and the Sadducees and placed in the public prison (v17-18). The council also rebuked the apostles for their ministry and strictly warned them against preaching Jesus (v28). Even when Jesus was conducting public ministry the penalty for confessing Jesus as the Christ was expulsion from the synagogue, the main hub for social life in the Jewish community (Jn 9:22; 12:42). Publicly confessing and following Jesus meant you would lose relationships, reputation, livelihood, and maybe even your life. In the face of these high costs a natural questions rise: "is it worth it?" and "is it necessary?" Jesus taught, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt 16:25). Trusting Jesus and following Him is both necessary and worth it even when compared to the suffering it brings. Perseverance in following Jesus is only possible through faith. God's power to turn idolaters into Christ-followers is proclaimed in the gospel, but it is also displayed in the lives of those who truly believe through their faith. Final Thoughts The good news of the rule of Jesus needs to be shown and told. There is no real union with Jesus apart from transformation, and there is no Savior from sin other than Jesus Christ (Act 4:12). The church needs to be a place where, first and foremost, the glory of God is displayed. All that is wrong in the world stems from man's alienation from God due to his rebellion. When man refuses to worship God, by default, he ends up an idol-worshipper, and all idol-worshippers will come to nothing when they learn their god cannot save. God is loving and merciful. He warns of the wrath to come and urges all to renounce idolatry by listening to His Word and trusting in Jesus. God alone has the power to save. We are called to believe, live, and speak this Word and see what God will do.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am follower of Jesus Christ by God's grace, married to Kelsey, father to four children, and pastor of Lighthouse Church (EPC). Archives
November 2022
Categories |