This sermon was delivered to St Oswald’s in Maybole,
Ayrshire, Scotland on the 19th October 2014
(a Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries).
Summary: Do we deserve God's commendation for our services to him. Well based on Paul's converts at Thessalonica, I would say we do, because we love to serve the Lord in an age where it is unpopular and irrelevant to go to church, and to think of others before ourselves.
Exodus 33:12-23 Psalm 99 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Matthew 22:15-22
“Please join me in my prayer.” Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. Amen. (Ps. 19:14)
Introduction:
Imagine for a moment the apostle Paul was alive and he was about to write a letter to us this morning. Do you think he would commend us, or would he condemn us … I suppose it would be a bit like our map review; the Bishop certainly commended us on our achievements … that is, within reason.
To answer that question we can look at the church in Thessalonica and compare it with ourselves, but not on individual projects but on spiritual matters. But before we do, we need to do some background; now, Thessalonica is by the way, the major city of Macedonia, it is the second largest city in Greece and today the name has been shortened to Salonia or Salonika.
In Paul’s day, this city was the most important commerce centre in the region and is situated in the northern Greek coast, with its harbour strategically located at the head of the Aegean Sea. Back then it was a thriving metropolitan area full of vice … greed … and false religion. It fact Mt. Olympus, the home of the Greek gods is said to be located not far from Thessalonica itself.
The background to Paul's letter is also interesting, because on Paul 2nd mission, he left Philippi, and had moved to Thessalonica to preach the gospel, (about 100 miles west), and his campaign there was very successful as people listen to him, and gotten to know the Lord. A church was also established, but this church stirred up opposition, which led to persecution, particularly from the establishment, the Jews.
For example, in Acts 17, we hear of a mob that went to the house of a man called Jason where Paul and his companions had been staying … but when they couldn’t find Paul, they dragged Jason out of his home and brought him before the city leaders and accused him of heresy, bringing their accusations against the whole of the Christian movement.
This was a serious situation, and so Paul was persuaded to flee from Thessalonica to Berea, and from Berea he sped again to Athens where he sent Timothy to check on the Thessalonians on the sly. In the mean time Paul went to Corinth, and it was in Corinth he met with Timothy again, who brought him the news of how the church at Thessalonica was doing; and so this epistle or letter is Paul’s written response to that report.
Now this letter was written in about 50 AD which makes it one of the first letters that Paul wrote … and Paul was greatly relieved to hear that these young converts in Thessalonica were remaining faithful in the midst of all their trials and tribulation; and he commends them their faithful service; … for being open and receptive; … and for their evangelistic influence for the Lord …. and it is in light of this commendation I want to do a comparison with ourselves, albeit very loosely.
I. Their Faithful Service to the Lord.
Paul says in verse 2, “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers”, and the reason for this thanks is given in verse 3, where he goes onto mention three hallmarks of their walk with God. Verse 3 and I paraphrase, “We continually remember before our God and Father: … 1. … your work produced by faith, …. 2. … your labours were prompted by your love, and … 3. …your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ".
1. your work produced by faith,
The first of these hallmarks is work that is produced by faith, as Christians in general have a kind of faith that produces good works. They do not just talk, as we so often hear, but talk with positive action. You see, the person who has no faith in God, sees no reason to work for the Lord … and in their mind it is all about them and what they can gain; but for the Christian, it is all about what they can give.
Think about it, do we honestly get more pleasure from what we have taken from somebody, or do we get more pleasure from knowing that the fruits of our labours have helped somebody. Honestly, for us, nothing beats the satisfaction of knowing that we have helped someone … … and so from that we can conclude we are different from the rest of the world. So something in us, is different.
2nd your labour prompted by love.
And this leads us to the second hallmark of our faith in that our "labours are prompted by (y)our love". The word for labour here is koros, and it different from the word for work in the previous phrase which was ergon. Ergon emphasizes the results of our efforts; while koros emphasizes the pain and weariness involved in that effort … and that passage again could be rewritten to say, "the weariness which resulted from your labours was prompted by love" and by this Paul was saying that love motivated them to work hard and serve others, even when they were weary.
You see, it all begins with a love for the Lord, which then overflows into a love for what he loves, and that is people. In John 21, Jesus said to Peter, "Do you love me … then feed my sheep". True love is long suffering, it endures the pain … and true love continues even when the work is difficult. Without love we are reduced to basic animal instincts … to get the most for ourselves, and to hell with everyone else.
How do we get that kind of love? Well I could say, we should consider the love God has shown us … and when the reality of that grips our hearts then we will want to respond in love. But to me, that is such a plausible, sugary answer, that makes me sick, because the effort in doing that originates, and is sustained by us, ourselves … where I believe, that true love originates and flows from God, as it is him who changes our hearts … and it is him who develops a deep love within us. It starts with him, and not by us forcing ourselves to do something, because if it starts with him, then it is sustained by him.
Question: have you every been involved in doing something you really enjoy, and for some reason, you just seam to have limitless energy to complete that task … … well I believe that is what God wants us to do, to draw the energy required from him, and to keep going regardless of circumstances. The other way where we motivate ourselves, we can collapse the minute things do not go our way. Do you see the difference? God prepares us for his purposes in his way, but a way in which we get a vision of what he wants us to be.
3rd your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
This takes us to the third hallmark of faith, our "endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ", which ties in nicely with what I have just said, but here do you notice, Paul is speaking about hope, as hope is a powerful factor in our lives, because it is amazing what we can endure if we know that what we are doing is worth while. Take hope away from a person and their strength is gone. … What does it say at the gates of hell, according to Dante's "Devine comedy", "abandon all hope all ye who enter here", and it is true … because hope gives us the will to carry on when we would otherwise give up. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead … and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”
The Christians at Thessalonica certainly put forth a valiant effort in the face of great opposition, because these three elements were at work in their hearts: faith which produced works, love which produced labour, and hope which inspired endurance.
II. Their Open Receptivity to the Lord.
… … And from that commendation Paul then goes on to commend them for: being open and receptive to the Lord; because when you think about it, all this began with God, because God reached out to these people in Thessalonica with his love and grace. Verse 5 “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, and with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sakes.”
Notice Paul and his team lived with them at Thessalonica, and when Paul preached … the Holy Spirit moved in power and so Paul is reminding these Christians of how God came into their lives … how God moved upon their hearts … and made himself known to them, and how they were receptivity to the word of God.
And I have no doubt that they saw God working in Paul's live too, and so they followed his example. Verse 6, "You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit". You became imitators of us … that is part of the discipleship process … seeing God at work in someone else and hungering for more of God for ourselves. The key here is to follow those who follow the Lord … and I am not talking about the charismatic personalities, I am talking about anyone you know who is sincere in following the Lord.
These Thessalonians were paying a heavy price for their faith: they were being ostracized by their friends and families; it was even costing them financially; … … but instead of giving up, they simply got on with it; … they received the word of the Lord and because of their receptivity toward God … the joy of the Holy Spirit flooded their souls. … and this is a paradox that world just cannot understand … that in the midst of pain and suffering, the Holy Spirit can deliver joy, as he gives an inner strength, that carries us through.
III. Their Evangelistic Influence for the Lord.
To move on … the Thessalonians, in their "crusade", inspired others to do the same. They first allowed themselves to be mentored under Paul, which in turn led them to be mentors themselves for new converts, and this Paul commends them. Verse 7, “And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” They followed Paul’s example as he followed the Lord.
Are we such examples for others to follow, are we motivated by faith, love, and hope into a living testimony of the grace of God. … Well I would like to think we are; people are short on praise these days, and we should never underestimate ourselves, although we always do.
Anyway, it did not stop there, the Thessalonians were also proclaiming their faith to others, they were testifying of what God had done for them. Verse 8 “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia … your faith in God has become known everywhere.
People can actually tell by the way we live that we genuinely believe in God; … although we do have to speak about it to others, because if we don't, we may have many admirers but few converts: the gospel is a message that must be proclaimed.
And look at their Testimony in verses 9 & 10, “ for they themselves (that is the people from Macedonia and Achaia), report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God … and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead … Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” These people turned from worshipping their idols, to worshipping God; and doing his will.
Conclusion
I know we are not under severe persecution as the Thessalonians; but from a spiritual viewpoint I would like now to finish by asking a series of questions based on today's reading, to see if we deserve any commendation like the Thessalonians?
Can we say our lives cause others to thank God as they see in us work that is the produce of faith? Do they see labour that is prompted by love; and endurance inspired by hope? … Have we turned from those things which are against God and now do his will?
Well I would love to preach a good fire and brimstone sermon where I say you have all failed and deserved to go to hell, but if you think about it, because of God’s grace, we don't … and I would like to think that our lives do cause others to thank God … … well too an extent they do? …
And to an extent people do see work in us that is the produce of faith … and they do see labour that is prompted by love; … and endurance inspired by hope. I would like to think that we are an example to others … because we have turned from those things which are against God and … we do, do our best, to do his will … that is what we want to do, or we would not be here this morning.
Can you prove to me otherwise? … Yes we would like to be more effective and definitive, but we have made a start, and we are going in his direction, doing our best for him … but more importantly … we really do belong to him, don’t we?
Amen. Let us pray.
Let us pray
Father we thank you for Jesus, we thank you that he died to set us free … free to worship and serve you, free from ourselves and free from our own entrapments.
Father we thank you for the Thessalonians all those years ago who persevered despite their problems; and who inspire us today to keep going as ambassadors for your almightily kingdom.
Father we are aware that we are loosely comparing ourselves with them, but Father this world has changed and there are similarities with them, not least the opposition to our church and how it is seen as irrelevant by many in this day and age.
Father what is seriously missing in us is the power of the Holy Spirit which was so evident in Paul's day. Father release His power on our church today and empower us to serve you as you command … and forgive us and free us from our sins, and heal and strengthen by your Spirit as we pray every Sunday so that we may be raised to your new life for us in Christ our Lord.
Father we pray also for Richard Tow and his congregation, whose inspiration helped me start and complete this complex sermon.
Amen.
Note to the reader:
If you have been blessed by this sermon, or any of my sermons, I would be greatly honoured to receive an e-mail from you saying so; I like so many others need encouragement.
I often feel that to deliver a sermon one time to my congregation is such a waste; where as many more could be blessed by its message, after all, it is not for my glory but for his. I would therefore like my sermons to bless more people, preferably internationally and not only in a small part, of a small country called Scotland. A formatted PDF copy is available on request.
Simply let me know where you are in the world … and any other information you may want to share or be prayed for. I would also take it as a compliment for you to use my sermons in order to bless others in his almighty name. I do not even need acknowledged, but he does, and I will receive a blessing directly from him.
Thank you for taking the time to read, and I wish you "all the best" as we say in Scotland … and I pray that your endeavours in the Lord are equally blessed. Yours in Christ, Gordon McCulloch, Scotland.
Compiled By: Gordon McCulloch (Worship Leader),
St Oswalds Episcopal Church,
Maybole. Ayrshire.
Scotland. UK
KA19 8KF
E-Mail: gccmcculloch @ aol.com or through Sermon Central
