“ENTRUSTED WITH THE GOSPEL” 1 Thess. 2:1-16
FBCF – 2/15/26
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Started series in 1 Thess. last week: “Handbook for Christ-followers.” Written by P to encourage & strengthen young believers in Thessalonica, warn them of dangers, & introduce them to great truths of the faith that they needed to embrace. Challenge them to break away from their old life & live for Jesus now. And to not give up hope b/c Jesus is coming again!
Today, talk about what it means to be “Entrusted w/ the Gospel.”
Olympic torch relay – Torch lit on 11/26/25 in Olympia, Greece, & concluded on 2/6 in Milan.
Imagine you’re one of the torchbearers in that relay. You didn’t start the fire & you don’t own it. Your only job is to keep it lit & pass it to the next person. You are entrusted w/ the flame for your part of the relay. You cannot stop & rest. You must not let the flame go out.
You & I as Christ-followers have been entrusted w/ the flame of the Gospel that was lit at the empty tomb. And for the last 2000 yrs, that fire has been passed from one person to another, one generation to another, & it’s our job to keep it going for the next generation to come.
EXPLANATION – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16 (p. 986)
If we are going to be entrusted w/ the Gospel, we need to understand what the Gospel is. Gk word – euangelion – “good news” or “good message.” Check out this video:
https://sermoncentral.com/church-media-preaching-sermons/sermon-video-illustrations/this-is-the-gospel-22405-detail
Romans 1:1 – Paul was “set apart for the Gospel of God”. He was a “steward” of the Gospel – Don’t use the word “steward” much. “Manager” easier for us to understand & identify with. When I think of a manager, I usually think of a retail store, a restaurant, or maybe a car dealership. If I have a problem or need some information, I usually talk to the manager b/c he/she is the person who is normally in charge of the day-to-day operations of that specific location. Or like an equipment manager for a football team – has specific duties in overseeing & caring for the equipment that the team needs to get the job done on the field. Managers are hands-on people.
That’s what P was. That’s what Timothy was (3:2). And that’s what we are.
APPLICATION – As Christ-followers, we are managers of the Gospel. So, live it out & pass it on!
WE STRUGGLE – v. 1-2 – I want people to give their lives to Jesus & get saved! Anybody else?
Sometimes in our legitimate heartfelt desire for people to come to Jesus & be saved, we water down the demands & struggles of the Christian life. We don’t want to scare people away from making the best decision of their life – the decision to believe in Jesus & give your life to Him (DO THAT NOW!). So we don’t talk too much about the struggles that will inevitably come if you strive to live for the Lord.
P definitely had his share of struggles as a Christ-follower. Most of them came from the religious crowd – people who were offended when he showed them that their way of living wasn’t the right way. They were ticked off when he told them they needed to repent & turn to God. They were furious when he basically said, “Get right or get left!” And they violently unleashed their fury on them in Philippi.
v. 2 – Words he used: “suffered” – “been shamefully treated” – “conflict” – Acts 16 – attacked by a mob, clothes ripped off, beaten w/ rod, thrown in jail & put in stocks. Then they were intimidated & threatened in Thessalonica.
“conflict” – agon – “agony” – Means intense struggle, battle, fight, competition. That’s what we will experience as we take this Gospel that we have been entrusted with into a world that is growing increasingly hateful & violent against those who name the name of Christ.
- The struggle is real. Ephesians 6:12 – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (NIV)
- The battle is real – 1 Tim. 1:18 in TLB – “Fight well in the Lord’s battles.”
- The fight is real – 2 Tim. 4:7 – “I have fought a good fight”
- The competition is real – the competition against Satan – Only thing is WE KNOW WE ARE ON THE WINNING TEAM! None of the Olympic athletes in Italy right now know whether or not they’re going to win the gold medal until their event is over. You & I know RIGHT NOW that we are already victorious.
- Side note: Our competition is NOT other churches, unless they’re not preaching/teaching the truth of the Gospel!
WE SPEAK – v. 4 – Glossophobia – the fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears that people have. Affects about 75% of people. Can trigger fight-or-flight responses, rapid heartrate, profuse sweating, & nausea. Just mentioning this fear has some of you feeling those things right now. You’d pass smooth out if I asked you to come up here & speak to this group.
When it comes to speaking the Gospel, let me give you some encouragement: You’ve been “approved by God” – tested, evaluated, & validated by God Himself. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about you or says about you. If you belong to Jesus, God approves of you to speak for Him. You don’t have to be eloquent…seminary-trained…slick…cute…impressive…dramatic…You just have to truly know & truly believe that God Himself has entrusted YOU – YES, YOU! – w/ the Gospel.
So speak it! And speak it to please God & no one else. Don’t compromise it. Don’t water it down. Don’t embellish it. Just speak the truth of the Gospel that has been entrusted to you. Don’t know what to speak? Use this:
- A – Admit that you’re a sinner & you can’t save yourself.
- B – Believe that Jesus is the Savior & only He can save you.
- C – Confess Jesus as Lord & commit your life to Him.
You’ve been approved by God to speak that!
WE SHARE – v. 7-8, 11 – In these verses, we can see the depth of P’s love & compassion for the Thessalonian believers. See his desire to share his love & life w/ them.
- v. 7 – Tender analogy of a mother nursing her child & care for her baby
- v. 8 – He was “affectionately desirous” of them – Beautiful words that mean intense affection & longing for them that made him want to share his life w/ them.
- v. 11 – P was like a father who encourages his kids & lovingly but firmly challenges them to live for the Lord.
That’s the power of the Gospel that we’ve been entrusted with. It can break a hard heart that is full of bitterness, hatred, prejudice, & animosity, & turn it into a tender, loving, caring, compassionate heart toward those who are lost & still in the vice grip of sin & Satan.
The power of the Gospel moves us to share our lives & our resources hand-in-hand w/ other Christ-followers to join together to turn the world upside for Jesus! It moves us to make much of Jesus – to be a “people & a place of GRACE where anyone can meet Jesus & grow in their relationship w/ Him.”
WE SUBMIT – v. 13 – Finally, in order for all of these things to be true & evident in our lives, we must submit to the W of G. P thanked God that the Thess believers had “received the W of G” & “accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the W of G.”
Wed night, Swayze quoted Josh Howerton: “God does not bless people. He blesses a place. And that place is under the authority of the W of G.” If you believe the W of G – if you receive the W of G – if you accept the W of G for what it really is, the W of G – then submit your life to it & STAY THERE! P said in 1 Cor. 15:58 – “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable…” (NLT)
Sometimes in church, we are immovable about things that really don’t have any K’dom value or impact. We dig our heels in on things like paint colors or carpet colors, changing service times, music preferences, pews or chairs. Heard of a heated church mtg that lasted 45 minutes over what kind of filing cabinet to buy: black or brown – 2,3, or 4 drawers. Being immovable about filing cabinets is just stupid.
But one place where we must be immovable is under the authority of the W of G! Submit to it! And STAY THERE!
CONCLUSION – 1956 Winter Olympics – Guido Caroli – speedskater – skating w/ the torch – tripped over TV cable but kept the flame burning.
You & I have been entrusted w/ the flame of the Gospel. There will be times when we will trip & stumble & maybe even fall. But remember that God has not just saved us; He has commissioned us & approved us. So let us live & speak, not to please men, but to please HIM!
