I. A people of self-sacrifice 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn’t in vain, 2 but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict. 3 For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception. 4 But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak: not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts. 5 For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness), 6 nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
8 Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God. 10 You are witnesses with God how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe. 11 As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory.
Well, as the Spirit would have it, we come to this passage on Mother’s Day. We are studying what church is supposed to be-a people of self-sacrifice. Very often, the 1st thing we think of as an example of self-sacrifice, are mothers.
A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question: " My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?" When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that almost 50 percent of the students answered the question with the word Mother.
Source Unknown.
A teacher asked a boy this question: "Suppose your mother baked a pie and there were seven of you--your parents and five children. What part of the pie would you get?" "A sixth," replied the boy. "I'm afraid you don't know your fractions," said the teacher. "Remember, there are seven of you." "Yes, teacher," said the boy, "but you don't know my mother. Mother would say she didn't want any pie."
Bits and Pieces, June, 1990, p. 10.
Mothers, parents, self-sacrifice
Example—Paul uses parents as illustrations
The people of God are should be self-sacrificial. They have a greater cause than individual physical freedom. They are fighting for the spiritual freedom of all the world.
So, what does it mean that we are a self-sacrificial people? Well look at what Paul said about his relationship to the church in Thessalonica as an example of self-sacrifice.
Example from the past, pattern from the present, hope for the future
A. Example from the past vss 1-6
When he first came to Thessalonica—look at all the sellessness
For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn’t in vain, 2 but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict. 3 For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception. 4 But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak: not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts. 5 For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness), 6 nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ.
But look at what Paul said about himself. He’s telling them this to remind them that his motives for preaching Christ were selfless.
Down to motive-not just actions
1. Not an empty message vs 1
For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn’t in vain.
We didn’t come to you with some empty message. We weren’t passing along some empty promises packaged as truth in order to sucker you into supporting us, or giving to us.
2. We didn’t temper our message to avoid pain vs 2
2 but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict.
Paul specifically mentions the pain he and Silas went through in Philippi. Remember that Philippi was the first Greek city that they went to. And they preached the gospel, and Lydia and her household came to faith. Remember, he and Silas ran into these women who were gathering down by the river at a Jewish place of prayer.
Now that sounds so pleasant. Let’s sit down and have a Bible Study by the river. Not painful at all.
Remember that as they continued preaching in Philippi, there was a local woman, who had a demonic spirit of divination, who was following them around, and saying
Acts 16: “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!” 18 She was doing this for many days.
Well it says that Paul finally responded to this because he didn’t want his silence to lend credibility to this woman.
But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city 21 and advocate customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”
22 The multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates tore their clothes from them, then commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely, 24 who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.
So Paul writes to the Thessalonians, our example from the past was selfless.
2 but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi,
Reminding them-this is what we experience before, when we came to you, we had a choice.
Did they sit down before going to the next town, and say, “You know, this message that we’re preaching is getting us beatings, and jail. We better change our message. We’re gonna end up dead!” We need a little self-care. God can’t expect us to give this much. No, in fact, instead of changing the message,
“we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict. “
We become more bold when we came to you.
And Paul goes on to emphasize something else
3. Not a lying message vs 3
. 3 For our exhortation is not of error, (We are not mistaken in our message, or deceived.) nor of uncleanness, (Our message does not profane God.) nor in deception. (Again, we are not trying to deceive you.
4. We weren’t trying to please men vss 4-6
4 But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak: not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts. 5 For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness), 6 nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ.
We weren’t motivated by getting rich with the gospel. We weren’t motivated by the praise of men.
Pure self-sacrifice from a pure motive. Paul is our example of self-sacrifice. And God’s people, the Church, are to have purely self-sacrificial motives for all that they do.
Is our church a self-sacrificial church.
Now none of us are perfect. But ask yourself the question; why do I do the good works I do? Why do I give? Why do I help someone in need? Why do I teach, or do some service? Am I looking for my own interests? Am I looking for praise? Do I live the Christian life because of its advantages? I have a social group to belong to?
How can I know if my motives are pure? Apply the Paul test. If the praise stopped, if the enrichment ended, if Christianity brought negatives and pain, not approval, would you quit?
Example from past-time in Philippi
How Paul and Silas were when they went to Phillippi
How were they when they came to Thessalonica
Self-sacrificial motive and
B. Present pattern-like a mother, like a father
7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
Listen again for words of self-sacrifice
8 Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God. 10 You are witnesses with God how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe. 11 As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children,
I get tired just reading all the effort
his actions also demonstrated self-sacrifice.
How appropriate for today-he uses motherhood as an illustration of selflessness.
We gave our lives, we practiced what we preached, we wanted what was good for you.
1. Like a mother. Vss 7-9
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
This is such a tender description of Paul’s relationship to the church at Thessalonica. The analogy Paul uses is of a mother to a new baby.
He describes their actions in Thessalonica, how they came there, as not just like a mother, but like a nursing mother. You all know what that means. We just visited my niece and her family. She and her husband have a new baby Denise held the new baby the whole time-the baby slept for over an hour in her arms. When a loving parent picks up a newborn baby, they are so careful. You’ve got to make sure you support its head, and you have your arm under its body. You want to ensure that that baby is in a state of maximum comfort. Why? Because any discomfort may agitate them, lose sleep, and cause them to not eat. You want them fed and resting, because at this stage, they are vulnerable to all kinds of harm. So, you contort yourself…And that’s how Paul described his bringing the Bread of life, the milk of the Word, to the Church in Thessalonica. That’s what church is supposed to be.
8 Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us.
This is a very different picture of Paul. I always imagined him as this kind of gruff man who came into town, and said, “Here’s Jesus, take it or leave it.” And there were those moments. But here we see that when he was working with someone, telling them about Jesus, he was gentle. He didn’t want to agitate someone with his manner, and turn them away from the gospel. To the Jews he became a Jew…
And that’s what the people of God are to be. Gentle and kind. We don’t want “us” to get in the way of the gospel. Even when we have to confront evil, or sin, we are like that nursing mother.
9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God.
He again uses the metaphor of a mother, except this time it is a mother giving birth. “Our labor and travail” He is painting a picture of how he and his team helped bring the people of Thessalonica to their new birth. When a pregnant mother gets to the end of her pregnancy, in those last few hours. She is concentrated on bringing that new child into the world. No distractions, one thing on her mind. And it doesn’t matter if it fits her routine. The baby might come in the middle of the night, but getting that baby here is all that matters.
10 You are witnesses with God how holy (meeting God’s standards), righteously (only doing what was right), and blamelessly (nobody could find fault with what we did) we behaved ourselves toward you who believe
Now to be totally fair…
2. Like a father vss 11
11 As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children,
Paul’s analogy moves to that of a father. A father who exhorts, comforts, and implores. As a child grows, the parents take on the role of coaches and cheerleaders. We are moving the child to the place where they are doing more and more for themselves. But we are directing, correcting, disciplining, crying with, loving, those children.
I suppose this is the best illustration we can give as to what the church is supposed to be. We help parent new and old believers. And so, just like a parent, we sacrifice ourselves for our children.
We give our time, our money, our knowledge, not for our own gain, but for the gain of someone else.
1 John 3:16-18 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Example from past-Philipi
Pattern from present-Thessalonica
C. Hope for the future—the goal—our model is God, our orientation is to the future
12 to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory.
The self-sacrifice that we find in the Church is always future oriented. It looks toward the day when we will all stand before our Lord. And we want to be able to stand there with joy over the lives we’ve lived. Like God, like Christ—self-sacrifice. And we also want to be able to present the fruit of our labor; those people that we’ve sacrificed for.
That’s church—not just encouragement--sacrifice
Why are we that way?
Why are they that way? Because they have the Spirit of God living in them, therefore they have an inward compulsion to be what God is. Just as God is the God of encouragement, so He is also the God of self-sacrificial. God is a giving God. There are so many things in Scripture that we could list, that God gives us, but how is He self-sacrificial. The best example is this.
God gives of His best; Himself
He gave His Son-God the Son
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.
He gave His Spirit
Acts 5:32 We are his witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Romans 5:5 and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us
And by giving His Son and His Spirit, He gives Himself.
So, because we have become the children of God, His nature is given to us, we become like Him. We become self-giving people.
I cannot tell how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother. I remember her once praying, "Now Lord, if my children go on in sin it will not be from ignorance that they perish, and my soul must bear swift witness against them at the day of judgment if they lay not hold on Christ and claim Him as their personal Savior."
Charles Spurgeon.