THE PASTOR’S POINTS
sermon ministry of
CEDAR LODGE BAPTIST CHURCH
Thomasville, NC
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September 14, 2003
Last week we looked at the opening verses of this chapter under the same heading, An Exemplary Witness. We discovered that exemplary witnesses are people who share their faith in Jesus, and that means they live their lives in extraordinary ways. They live effectively, bravely, sincerely, gently, generously and lovingly.
Last week was a ¡§look¡¨ at the lifestyle of an exemplary witness. This week we want to back-up and tackle the question of how you get there in the first place. It is as if we looked first at the completed building; now we want to look at the videotape of how the building was put together.
So, I invite you to stand together with me as we read our text, and see how Paul reminds the Thessalonian believers how he lives his life, and how that made for an example we should follow if we want to be effective, exemplary witnesses:
9Don¡¦t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that our expenses would not be a burden to anyone there as we preached God¡¦s Good News among you. 10You yourselves are our witnesses¡Xand so is God¡Xthat we were pure and honest and faultless toward all of you believers.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-10 (NLT)
I want to underscore for you this morning Paul¡¦s three-part building process for becoming an effective, exemplary witness. I sense that I must warn you about the fact that there will be a test at the end of today¡¦s message. It won¡¦t be the usual kind of ¡§question and answer¡¨ final like the couple who were attending a marriage seminar on communication. The husband and wife listened to the instructor declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other." He addressed the men, "Can you describe your wife’s favorite flower?" The husband leaned over, touched his wife’s arm gently and whispered, "Pillsbury All-Purpose, isn’t it?" The rest of the story is not pleasant.
This test will be much more difficult, longer and incredibly telling in your life. The test will be every moment of every day of your life from this point forward. The test will be your life as a witness. It will be in process every time you plan your day, go to work or school, open your wallet or your mouth; it is the kind of test that will end the only after you are laid in a casket. To borrow phrases from the broadcast industry, this is a test, and not only a test ¡V this is your life, your life as a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we will emulate Paul¡¦s three-part exemplary life, our witness effectiveness can only get better. Let¡¦s put it in the form of three statements about the way we live our lives¡K
I. YOUR LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY OUGHT TO BE A LIFT
Paul had established the church at Thessalonica some years previous to his letters we are reading. He knew the area. Christianity was new. The people that lived in that thriving fast-paced city were used to con artists. Paul had the right as an apostle to demand that the church support him financially. However, in those circumstances, Paul didn¡¦t want anything to get in the way of the Gospel message getting through. Paul worked at the trade of making tents all day long, and then preached when most others would have been resting. Paul was a lift to his community.
Senator Elizabeth Dole was quoted as saying, ¡§My grandmother practiced what she preached and lived her life for others. When it became necessary for her, in her nineties, to go into a nursing home, she welcomed the opportunity. There might be some people there who don’t know the Lord and I can read the Bible to them.¡¨ (2)
There are people in our society, and in our churches who haven¡¦t gotten that down yet. There are those who continually take, assuming that their own need is the greatest, instead of lifting their community, they add a liability. An old saying is well heeded here, those things, good Lord, that we pray for, give us also the grace to labor for.
Now, that doesn¡¦t mean poverty, or a rough stretch is sin. It does mean that your witness is affected by how willing you are to help others, no matter what your situation. That includes health, wealth, abilities and whether you feel like it. In fact, the effect of your witness is always in direct proportion to what it costs you to give it.
Question #1 on this lifetime test: Are you a lift to your community?
II. YOUR SPEECH OUGHT TO COME FROM THE GOSPEL.
Paul preached the Gospel¡Kit was all he wanted to talk about. Did you read about the little boy who returned home after his first Sunday school class? His mother asked, "Who was your teacher?’ and the little boy answered, "I don’t remember her name, but she must have been Jesus’ grandmother because she didn’t talk about anyone else." (3)
There are times when it pays to relax with people and let the conversation drift. However, if you are serious about being an effective, exemplary witness for Christ, there has to be some intentionality about the way you relate to people. I have known some folks who claim to be believers, yet, in unguarded moments their speech made you wonder if they even knew what that means. You cannot be an effective witness for the Lord if your speech resembles more the gutter than the Gospel.
Question #2 on this lifetime test: Is your speech Gospel (Jesus) - Centered?
III. YOUR BEHAVIOR SHOULD MIRROR THE WORD OF GOD.
God¡¦s Word demands that when we read it and find our behavior is different, or at-odds with God¡¦s ways, we change! That¡¦s what an altar is for. Many times in today¡¦s culture, conforming your behavior to God¡¦s laws is scoffed-at; but then our culture is not interested in being an exemplary witness for Jesus Christ. Paul was!
Paul called some witnesses to this point¡KGod and man. The witnesses were to verify his behavior. This stands the final test in any arena.
Calling God as his witness, Paul was saying that his inner motives were pure. God is the best witness of motives ¡V He¡¦s unimpeachable ¡V because only God can see the intent of a heart. In court murder cases the most difficult call is whether it is first degree or lesser. It depends upon the ¡§pre-meditation¡¨ aspect, which deals with intent. How do you know the intent; how do you prove it? Man can¡¦t see the heart (intent). So, Paul called God to the witness box and said the one thing that could get him in deep trouble if he wasn¡¦t pure in his intentions ¡V ¡§before God my motives are pure¡¨.
Imagine saying that to God when you¡¦re faking ¡V the woodshed would be a picnic compared to what would be in store for someone who lies to God. Do you remember Ananias and Saphira? They told the church and apostles they were giving all the purchase price of a piece of land, but secretly held-back some of it. God saw their heart¡¦s greedy intentions, and both of them dropped dead when confronted! The Bible says the money was not the issue, it was lying to God.
On top of Paul calling God to be witness, he also asked the Thessalonian believers to recall how he acted in their presence ¡V you know, he said; remember my honesty and hard work. He called them to remember his actions. On one hand Paul calls God to witness of his inner attitudes and motives; on the other hand he calls men to evaluate his actions. Being an exemplary witness means you are open to that; tough, eh?
Question #3 on this lifetime test: Is your behavior in line with God¡¦s Word?
„Ã Your attitude lifting your community
„Ã Your speech preaching Christ
„Ã Your behavior honoring God
These are our measuring sticks for those who would be exemplary witnesses for Jesus Christ. It is a high calling; it is a calling to which we are all called! Here is a prayer I am growing fond of using in my private devotions, It¡¦s called, The KNIGHT¡¦S PRAYER ¡XInscribed in Chester Cathedral (4) reads¡K
My Lord, I am ready on the threshold of this new day to go forth armed with thy power, seeking adventure on the high road, to right wrong, to overcome evil, to suffer wounds and endure pain if need be, but in all things to serve thee bravely, faithfully, joyfully, that at the end of the day¡¦s labor, kneeling for thy blessing, thou mayst find no blot upon my shield.
Being an exemplary witness means a passion and commitment for lost people.
A preacher shared that his brother was trained as a medic in the Army. He was told that when there are wounded person dying on the battlefield he must not look the person in the eyes. When asked why, the instructor said, if you look you would never leave him to help someone else. We have a world of lost people, wounded and dying from sin. If we would look them in the eye, we would not leave them until they came to know our Savior. (5)
That¡¦s what an exemplary witness does!
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ENDNOTES
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(1) Elizabeth Dole, Christian Reader, Vol. 34.
(2) James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 490.
(3) QUOTATIONS FOR THE CHRISTIAN WORLD Edythe DraperTYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHERS, INC. WHEATON, ILLINOIS
(4) Dr. Gerald Cornelius, North Euless Baptist Church, Euless, TX on SermonCentral.com
