1 Thessalonians 2:1

For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance unto you, that it was not in vain. But even after we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which tries our hearts.

For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is our witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, neither from you nor yet from others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ. Instead, we were gentle among you, even as a nursing mother cherishes her children. Being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to impart unto you not only the gospel of God but also our own souls, because you were dear unto us.

Let's pray. Lord, as we just sang, we stand in awe of You, You who are mighty, You who are awesome, the One who spoke into existence all creation, all things seen and unseen. And Lord, You have desired to reveal Yourself to us, and You've given us Your Word that we might know You, that we might know Your nature, Your character, and Your will.

So, Lord, I pray that You would continue to reveal Yourself to us as we study through Thessalonians. Would You guide us in all truth by Your Holy Spirit? For we ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

As we have seen in our study in the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul is in the city of Corinth, in Acts chapter 18. While he was in the city of Corinth, Silas and Timothy joined back up with the Apostle Paul. They had been ministering in the churches that Paul had planted in Thessalonica and in Berea. Now, Timothy had been in Thessalonica, and it is likely that Silas was in Berea.

But they come and bring news to him about all the things that had been happening in those churches. You may remember back in Acts chapter 17 that it was in the city of Berea where Paul was well-received. The believers who embraced the gospel in Berea were called noble because they searched the Scriptures daily to see if the things Paul had taught and preached to them were so. It seems as though the church at Berea was growing, but the church at Thessalonica, while also growing, was experiencing difficulty and tribulation.

Paul had been in the city of Thessalonica for just a few weeks. The Scriptures tell us in the book of Acts that he reasoned with them in the synagogues for three Sabbath days. We don't know that he spent much longer with them after that point, but a church was birthed there. The enemies of the cross of Christ in the city of Thessalonica rose up against Paul and essentially kicked him out of the city. He left on the counsel of the new church that had been planted there, as they were concerned that Paul would be beaten or killed. They asked him to leave and go toward Berea.

When Paul left Thessalonica, he left behind Timothy to minister to the church that had been planted. However, those enemies of the cross of Christ sought to destroy the work Paul had done there. They continued to follow him throughout the rest of his ministry, showing a passionate zeal in their efforts to undermine the gospel in Thessalonica.

About six months after the church was planted, Paul received word from Timothy about what was happening. This stirred him to write the two letters we still have and will be studying: 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Some of the things Paul wrote to them concerned his character. In fact, as we will see in chapter 2, he is defending his character to the church in Thessalonica.

Notice that Paul was not defending the message; he was not defending the gospel he preached because the gospel of God is sure and steadfast. It can withstand any sort of barrage against it. We have seen, especially in the last 2,000 years, that there have been those who sought to destroy the Word of God and undermine the gospel of God.

Even in our day, there are many who oppose the Scriptures, and yet God's Word remains strong. God's Word is sure, steadfast, and true. Those who honestly look into it find the truth there.

One of the tactics that the enemy, the devil, seeks to use is to slander the character of the messenger. He wants to slander the one who brings the message. Jesus Himself told us that the enemy, our adversary, the devil, is a slanderer and a liar. You can be certain that if you desire to step up and speak the truth of the Gospel, to share the Gospel with those who are not believers, the enemy will oppose you. If you desire to live as a godly witness in our society, and God has called us to do that, know for certain that the enemy will oppose that work.

Paul would tell Timothy that all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. This is not one of those verses that we write on greeting cards or bookmarks and say, "Boy, I'm so thankful for that promise that I'm going to experience persecution." The church in Thessalonica, although it was a young church, was experiencing persecution because these enemies of the cross were trying to destroy the work that Paul had done there. One of the ways they were doing this, as we will see in this chapter, was by slandering Paul, his character, and who he was.

In this chapter, Paul is really defending his character. You might wonder why he is defending his character. It should remind us of a very important truth. We, as ambassadors of Christ—this is what the Bible calls us—are ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven. We are bringing the message of God to a lost and dying world.

As ambassadors of Christ, we must do our best not to taint the grace and truth of the Gospel message by our own dishonorable character or lack of integrity. We ought to validate the message and the truth of the Gospel by the way we live. People should be able to see our lives and recognize the fruit of the Spirit. They should see that the things we preach or declare align with our actions.

Our lives should validate the truth of the gospel, demonstrating that it is a message capable of transforming individuals. People should be able to see the fruit of the Spirit in us. At worst, our lives should be so unremarkable that they draw attention away from us, allowing the gospel to shine through. I don't think any of you have boring lives. It is my prayer that, as our community observes us—whether we are at the grocery store, at work, or playing on sports teams—they will recognize that we are different in the way we live and talk.

However, the enemy will always seek to bring against you reviling accusations. He will attempt to destroy your character and slander the messenger to discourage the message from moving forward. As we go through 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, we will see several accusations that Paul is addressing. It appears that Paul's accusers, the enemies of the gospel, were claiming he was untrustworthy.

Remember, when Paul came into Thessalonica, it was right after his work in the city of Philippi, as described in Acts chapter 16. While in Philippi, Paul and Silas stirred up trouble when a demon-possessed woman began following them, proclaiming that they were messengers of the one true God. Paul cast the demon out of her, which angered her owners, as they profited from her fortune-telling. They brought Paul and Silas before the magistrates, leveling various accusations against them. Ultimately, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison without any trial or fair hearing, which was against the law since they were both Roman citizens.

After leaving Philippi, Paul immediately went to Thessalonica, likely still bearing the wounds from his beating. Along with him came the testimony that he had been beaten and imprisoned. Now, the enemies of the cross in Thessalonica were using this against him, claiming he was not trustworthy and labeling him a criminal.

As we see in Paul's answers to their accusations in this chapter, they accused him of being delusional. He was preaching about the resurrection. In the city of Athens, when Paul began to talk about the resurrection, the people started to say, "Oh, we'll hear you again on this matter." They dismissed it because the Greeks looked at it as foolishness. Many of the Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, nor did they believe in Jesus' resurrection. So they said he was delusional.

Not only that, they accused Paul of deliberately deceiving people, claiming he had come to lead them away from the truth. They said he had wrong motives when he came among them—impure motives, seeking to gain something from them. They accused Paul of being greedy and wanting to take their goods. They believed he was only seeking his own glory, trying to make a name for himself.

In response to these accusations, Paul addresses them in 1 Thessalonians 2. Notice in verse 1 that he says, "You yourselves know, brethren, that our entrance unto you was not in vain." He said to this young church, "You know my character. You know who I am. You got to know me." Even though he was only there for a short period of time, he asserted that the words spoken against him were not true.

When we read that he says his entrance unto them was not in vain, there are at least a couple of ways to interpret this. What does he mean when he says, "When we came to you, it was not in vain"? One way to interpret this is to say that when Paul preached the gospel in the city of Thessalonica, he did not do so in vain because the people received the word of God and became believers and followers of the faith. Clearly, the seed of the word of God brought forth fruit in the lives of those who heard the message, so it was not in vain.

You may remember several months ago, we went through the book of Galatians. Paul had planted four churches in the cities of Galatia, and he wrote to them because, after he had left, they had been discouraged from their faith. Some of them were beginning to follow a works salvation model. Paul wrote back to them, saying in Galatians chapter four, "I'm fearful for you lest I've labored in vain among you." What he meant by that...

I shared the gospel with you, but now there doesn't appear to be the fruit that I expected. However, among the church at Thessalonica, Paul says, "I see that there is fruit, and so clearly my labor among you was not in vain."

Jesus, in Matthew chapter 13, gave us the parable of the sower. He referred to the heart of man as soil or ground. He said that one of the grounds where he planted seed, which is the word of God, was shallow ground. The seed sprang up very quickly, but when the sun came up, it burned it out. Jesus explained that the sun represented trials. When a person begins to follow Christ, they often experience trial and tribulation, just as Jesus promised. Some people get burnt out, give up, and throw in the towel.

But Paul says to the church at Thessalonica, "Hey, you are enduring persecution. You're going through persecution, so clearly my labor among you has not been in vain." One of the other ways we could interpret this is that Paul and his team, when they entered the city of Thessalonica, did not do so with a vain heart or a self-seeking motive. Paul states that he wasn't coming to them with a self-seeking heart.

What evidence does he give to prove that? Look at verse 2 of chapter 2: "But even after we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at the city of Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God with much contention." Paul had been beaten for his profession of the gospel in the city of Philippi, yet he continued undeterred in preaching the gospel. He went right on into the city of Thessalonica, and even when a group of people rose up opposing the gospel, he continued to preach.

He says, "You know that when I came to you, I didn't do so with a self-seeking heart because I was willing to suffer persecution to ensure that the gospel was preached." If Paul had a self-seeking heart, if he were motivated by his own interests, he would not have preached the gospel in the face of persecution. He would have given up and thrown in the towel.

We all face that temptation. As I mentioned previously, all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Even in our day, if you desire to follow the Lord and be an example...

Of Jesus Christ, in our community, you will suffer some form of persecution. Now, you will not likely be dragged out into the middle of the street and stoned with rocks as Paul was in the city of Lystra. You probably will not be dragged before a court and beaten with canes as he was in the city of Philippi. But there will be those who oppose you. One of the prime ways that they tend to oppose us in our day is to slander the body of Christ. This is the work of the devil. The Bible makes it very clear. The devil is called the diabolos in Greek, which means the accuser, the slanderer, the gossiper. The enemy employs this tactic against Christians. Oftentimes, the threat of persecution scares Christians into silence. They just close down and won't speak because they don't want someone to speak against them.

We live in a society where we want people to like us. There is not a single person here who doesn't want to be liked by others, myself included. I'll be honest. The enemy will threaten us with that kind of persecution, with slander. The interesting thing is that once the enemy scares us into being quiet, he flips the coin and accuses us of not fully believing what we say we believe. He suggests that if we really believed it, we would speak up. The Scriptures say he is very wily.

Another way that the enemy works is by bringing temptation into our lives, dangling the carrot in front of us. We may say, "No, in Christ, I'm not going to give in." Yet, as soon as we give in to the temptation that's dangled right in front of us, the enemy jumps in and says, "Oh, you call yourself a Christian? Look at what you did. Obviously, you're not much of a Christian." He will threaten us with persecution and slander to keep us quiet. As soon as we're quiet, he accuses us of having a false faith and not really trusting the message.

The accusers of Paul in the city of Thessalonica were doing much the same thing. They said, "Listen, if he really believed what he had to say, then he wouldn't have left the city. He would have continued to preach here." But, of course, he left because he was afraid for his life. They questioned what kind of strength and boldness that showed. Despite this, Paul continues to encourage the hearts of believers.

of the Church of Thessalonica. In verse 3, Paul says, "But our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which tries our hearts." Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, was entrusted with the gospel. They were allowed by God to hold the gospel of God. Essentially, what Paul is saying is that God counted them worthy and gave them the message of the gospel.

He has done the same with us today. God has counted us worthy. He has entrusted us with the precious gospel of redemption, the truth of Jesus Christ. Because He has entrusted us with the gospel, Paul states, "Even so we speak." Since we have been given this great, awesome truth—this treasure, as Paul calls it in another passage, this treasure in earthen vessels—we ought to speak forth the truth. God has chosen to use what Paul refers to as the foolishness of preaching to bring forth the message of redemption.

Now, why does Paul call preaching the foolishness of preaching? Imagine for a moment just how immense, grand, and awesome our God is. It is hard for us to grasp with our finite minds, while God is infinite. When we try to consider how great He is, we start to feel overwhelmed. In contemplating His greatness, we recognize that He is the creator of all things seen and unseen, the things He spoke into creation in just six days—everything that we see. God's creation continues to astonish scientists and us every single day.

This great God could reveal Himself in marvelous ways. If He wanted to, He could open up the skies and peek through, saying, "Hello, I'm here." Now, that would probably scare everyone to death, but He could do that. There are many different ways and methods that God could choose to reveal Himself, and yet He has chosen to use a part of His creation—a fallen part of His creation, you and I—to be the bearers of the message of redemption. He has called us.

To use our mouths, the very same mouths that we can use to curse one another, He has called us to use our mouths to praise Him and to declare His goodness and His gospel. Paul says that God has chosen to use the foolishness of preaching to bring this message to the world. He has allowed us to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, and we speak not to please men but to please God.

In verse 3, Paul states that our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor of guile. He emphasizes that when he came to them, he did not do so deceitfully. This seems to address one of the accusations that his enemies were bringing against him in the city of Philippi. The word "deceit" in the original Greek means to lead astray or to cause someone to move from the right way.

The accusers Paul faced were Jewish men from the synagogue in Thessalonica. They believed that the message Paul was preaching was false because he spoke about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, asserting that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. These Jewish leaders in the synagogue claimed, "We don't believe that message, and we think that Paul is leading people astray." This was the same sentiment Paul had when he was Saul of Tarsus, before he became a follower of Jesus. He was so passionate and zealous for the Jewish religion that he sought to destroy the followers of Jesus, leading them away captive to Jerusalem. He even went to Damascus with letters from the chief priest to find any followers of the way and bring them back bound to Jerusalem.

Now, Paul was facing the very same sort of persecution that he once inflicted on the church. His accusers were saying that he was seeking to lead people astray and that he was deceitful. However, he asserts that when he came to them, he was not deceitful, nor did he come in uncleanness. He did not come with impure motives or with the intention of getting something from them or becoming rich from their wealth. Paul also states that he did not come in guile. The word "guile" can be literally defined as to catch by bait. Paul explains that he did not come to them with some sort of sweet lure, dangling it before their faces to try and get them to accept his doctrine, follow him, and give him their wealth. When he came to them, his exhortation was not of deceit.

Nor of uncleanness, nor of guile. Now, the word "exhortation" there could also be translated as "preaching." My preaching was not deceitful, unclean, or filled with guile. What evidence does he give? Again, what evidence does he provide to these believers in Thessalonica that his message was not deceitful, unclean, or filled with guile? Well, he says, "When I came to you, I was speaking not to please men, but to please God."

So basically, what Paul is saying is that if he came to them in a deceitful and unclean way, trying to catch them by bait, he would not have preached the gospel that he brought to them. The gospel of Christ says to mankind, "You are sinners, and you are condemned to hell." The gospel of Jesus Christ states that all have fallen short of the glory of God, and therefore, the wages of sin is death. We are all wicked; we are all evil. If you want to win friends, that is probably not the best message.

Paul continues, "When I came to you, I didn't do so in a men-pleasing sort of fashion. I didn't come to you with some sort of gospel message that tried to entice you to follow me. I gave you the truth of the gospel and I said, 'You are sinners, you are on your way to hell, and you need redemption.' There is only redemption found in Jesus of Nazareth." He emphasized that when he came, he didn't seek to please men; he came seeking to please God.

We bring a message of repentance. We bring a message of death to self. If you're trying to please men and entice people, that's not the best message. There have been those who call themselves preachers of the gospel, who call themselves Christians, and have twisted the message to make it more enticing and more acceptable.

Some say, "Well, we don't like to talk about sin." They claim that everybody has problems. They avoid discussions about repentance, death, or hell. They don't like to talk about death to self. Instead, they just want to focus on all the good things that Jesus brings, such as love, joy, and peace. While all those things are true, if we don't give the full message, it's not the full message; it's not sufficient.

Paul told the church at Ephesus in Acts chapter 20, "I have not shunned..."

To declare unto you the whole counsel of God, Paul was determined to speak forth this message, even at the cost of persecution and slander. If you and I make a steadfast decision to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ and to proclaim the gospel, which He has entrusted to us, we will also face slander. This world will not like us, just as they did not like our Lord.

Paul continues in verse 5, stating, "For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness. God is our witness, nor of men did we seek glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ." His accusers claimed that he was covering his covetous heart with flattering words, suggesting that what Paul truly wanted was for them to follow him and support him financially.

Paul firmly asserts that this is not the case. He explains, "When I came to you, I didn't come with flattering words or a cloak of covetousness. I wasn't seeking glory from you." In fact, he did not even ask them to support him, as he later clarifies in verse 9. He reminds them, "For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail, laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you. We preached unto you the gospel of God."

Paul emphasizes that during his time in Thessalonica, he did not ask for anything. He worked and labored for himself night and day to meet his own needs. As we saw in Acts chapter 18 last week, when Paul was in the city of Corinth, he worked as a tent maker. It is very likely that he did the same in Thessalonica. In many cities where Paul ministered, he asked for nothing; he worked and took care of himself through his trade.

This does not mean that he refused support from the churches. After Paul left, the church at Philippi took up a collection and sent financial help to him, especially when he was in need.

Paul was in prison near the end of his life. He spent the remaining years of his life in prison by the Roman Empire, and there were churches that took care of him. In fact, the church at Thessalonica and the church in Philippi took care of his needs. He would write to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, telling them that those who are ministering to you spiritual things ought to minister to them carnal things or physical things.

He didn't have an issue with the church supporting his needs, but he said, "When I was with you in Thessalonica, I didn't take anything from you." What he was showing was that the accusations his enemies were bringing against him were false. His accusers claimed he only came to get something from them. Paul responded, "You know the way that I lived among you. That's not how I lived when I was there. I was not burdensome to you."

In verse 7, he states, "But we were gentle among you." He compares his care for them to that of a nursing mother cherishing her children. In the next several verses, from verse 7 down to verse 11, Paul speaks to the church at Thessalonica as if they were his offspring, his children. He emphasizes that a father brings a certain ministry to the family, while a mother brings a different ministry.

How many parents do we have here this morning? Most of you recognize that a father and a mother each contribute uniquely to a family. Paul says, "When we were among you, we were gentle as a nursing mother cherishes her children." Isn't it wonderful to watch the gentle, tender heart of a mother tending to her kids? I love to see the way my wife takes care of our children.

The way she cares for them is different from how I do. She always finds very cute matching outfits for them. Just this last week, she came home and looked at Ethan, asking, "Why did you put them in those pants?" They were clean pants, but to her, it just didn't look right. Moms take notice of those things; they are tender. Paul expresses that, as a nursing mother, he cherished them when he was there. Being affectionately desirous of them, he cared deeply for their well-being.

We were willing to have imparted unto you not the gospel only, but also our own souls, our very lives, because you had become dear to us. Speaking with very tender, compassionate words, Paul says, "When I was with you, I wasn't a taskmaster. I was not hard on you. We were so affectionately desirous of you that we didn't just speak words to you. We gave you our very lives."

Paul's preaching was not just what he said, but it was how he lived. We need to take careful note of that; God has called us to live in a certain manner, not just to speak things. It's easy to speak about the gospel.

Now, I recognize that what is done from this pulpit week by week, whether on Sunday morning, Wednesday night, or whenever there is teaching going on, is the glamorous side of ministry. There are a lot of people who say, "That's what I want to do. I want to preach the Bible." It is a wonderful thing, and I am very blessed to be able to preach the gospel and to give forth the word of God.

While it's the glamorous side of ministry, I must confess that it is also the easy side of ministry. I know there are some here this morning who would say, "You could not get me up in front of that pulpit for a million dollars," because they are fearful of being in front of people. I understand that, and that's fine.

However, it is honestly the easy part of ministry to just give forth the words, to give forth the gospel, to speak forth the word of God. That is far more easy than imparting our very lives to one another. This is what God has called us to do as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's not just for those who are part of the staff of a church, because we truly believe in what we would call the priesthood of all believers. We believe that God has called every single one of you. If you are a believer in Christ today, a follower, a disciple of Jesus, then you are a minister of the gospel of truth. God has called us to minister in a tender way, to impart our very lives to those we are ministering to, not just words.

It's easy to tell someone, "Do this and this and this," but it's much harder to come alongside and show them. It is very interesting that the word Paul used for preaching, a few verses before, in verse 3, when he said, "For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor of guile," is the word "exhortation," which could also be translated as preaching. This is the word "parakalesis" in Greek, which comes from the root "parakaleo."

The term "parakaleo" means to come alongside, with "para" meaning alongside and "kaleo" meaning to call. The idea is as if you and I were running in a race. If I fall by the wayside and injure myself, I might be about to check out of the race, unable to go on any longer. You, parakaleo, come alongside me, lift me up, and say, "No, let's press on. Let's go. Let's head towards the finish line." That is what it means to parakaleo; that is what it means to exhort. It is not just with words; it is with our very lives as well.

Paul says that he imparted unto the Thessalonians his very life because they were dear to him. He reminds them that he labored and travailed night and day so that he would not be chargeable to them. He preached the gospel to them without taking anything in return; he gave everything he possibly could. All of this was to answer his critics and to defend his character before the church at Thessalonica.

In verse 10, he states, "You are witnesses, and God also." They know how he lived among them, and God knows as well how holily, justly, and unblameably he behaved among those who believe. He exhorted, comforted, and charged every one of them as a father does his children. Both they and God were witnesses of how he lived when he was with them. He lived among them in a holy manner, meaning he lived in a pious fashion. He lived among them in a just way, which signifies that he lived in righteousness.

I know that when I use the term "righteousness," our minds often go to the super saints, the spiritual elite, as Eric would call them. We might think, "Oh, I could never attain to righteousness." Yet, all righteousness really means is to live in a right way, to live the way that God has called us to. Paul asserts that when he was with them, he lived in a right way and in a blameless fashion. He exhorted them, coming alongside them and calling them to run the race.

Not only did he exhort them, but he also comforted them. He admonished them when they were doing something wrong, saying, "No, that's not the right way to do it." He perakaleo'd them, guiding them by saying, "This is the way; walk ye in it." He charged them as well.

As a father does his children, I charged you and implored you to walk this way. But what way did he implore them to walk as a father does? Verse 12 states that you would walk worthy of God, who has called you unto His kingdom and glory.

Paul explains that when he was with them, he was like a gentle mother, tenderly coming alongside them and feeding them the sincere milk of the Word. However, as a father, he was willing to exhort, comfort, and even charge them, telling them, "No, don't do it that way. You must walk this way." He emphasized that they must walk worthy of the calling wherewith they have been called. Our society is in desperate need of men who will be fathers, both to their own children and to the body of Christ in this fashion. They should be willing to come alongside, exhort, comfort, and charge. The charge is clear: walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called.

What does it look like to walk worthy of the calling? Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 4. You are in 1 Thessalonians; go back through Colossians, through Philippians, and then back to Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1. Paul there in Ephesians 4 says, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, or I beg you, that you would walk worthy of the vocation or the calling wherewith you are called." He then begins to explain what this looks like.

In verse 2, he writes, "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.

Paul emphasizes that he wants them to walk worthy of the calling wherewith they are called. They should walk in lowliness, humility, and longsuffering, forbearing one another, coming alongside, and lifting one another up in love, while endeavoring to maintain unity. This is what it looks like to walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called.

Paul continues later in Ephesians chapter 4, maintaining the same line of thought. In verse 22, he instructs them to put off concerning...

Your old conduct, your former conduct, the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts, must be put off. Put on the new man, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. The new man is created in righteousness and true holiness after God.

So, what does it look like to put on the new man? In verse 25, we are instructed to put away lying and to speak truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath, and neither give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands at what is good, so that he may have to give to those who are in need.

Let no corrupt communication come out of your mouth, but only that which is good for the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. Grieve not the Holy Spirit, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.

Paul gives us very practical exhortations here. What does it look like to walk worthy of the calling wherewith you have been called? If you are a liar, stop lying and tell the truth. If you have a problem with stealing, stop stealing, get a job, and give to those who are in need. If you have a problem with corrupt communication coming out of your mouth, stop that and speak what ministers grace to people, what uplifts them. If you are filled with bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking, stop that. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving. This is what God has called us to do. This is how we are to walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called.

Now, turn back to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4. Paul had told them that he exhorted them to walk worthy of the calling wherewith they were called. In 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 1, he writes, "Furthermore, then, we beseech you, we beg you, brethren, and we exhort you by the Lord Jesus that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more."

He says, "Listen, we have preached to you, we have exhorted you on how you ought to walk, but we also gave you an example of how you are to live. For you know what commandments we gave to you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God."

Verse 3 emphasizes your sanctification, urging you to abstain from fornication. Each of you should know how to possess your vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence, as the Gentiles who do not know God. No man should go beyond and defraud his brother in any manner, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we have forewarned you and testified.

Paul addresses the Thessalonians, encouraging them to walk in sanctification and honor, avoiding fornication. He instructs them to learn how to live this life rightly, possessing their vessels in sanctification and honor. He concludes his letter in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 14, where he exhorts the brethren, calling them to this standard. He warns them to admonish the unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, and be patient toward all men. They should ensure that none renders evil for evil to any man, but always pursue that which is good, both among themselves and to all men.

Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from every appearance of evil, Paul instructs. This is what it looks like to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, to live in a manner that reflects the truth found in Scripture. When people look at the Scriptures and observe our lives, they should see that we are striving to live in this manner. Not because that will save us, but because we are saved; this is how saved people ought to look.

As a father, Paul exhorted, comforted, and charged each one of them, just as a father does with his children. We all know that, as children, we typically preferred when our mothers explained things to us in a tender and gentle manner, rather than when our fathers came in and said, "No, this is the way." However, Paul indicates that there is a place for both approaches in the body of Christ. There are times when we gently come alongside someone who has fallen and say, "Come, let's run the race together." Yet, there are also times when the father figure must assertively state, "No, that's not how it's done. You must do it this way." This is how we are to live.

As those who are saved, you might think, "That's kind of tough; that's kind of rough." Yes, but that's how a father exhorts his children. God has called us to be with Him eternally as heirs of His kingdom.

In this life, you may have no inheritance, especially after this most recent economic downturn. However, God, the Creator of all things, the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills—though I don't know exactly what that means, it sounds good—essentially owns everything. He has made you and me, in Christ, heirs of His righteousness. We inherit His kingdom, and He has determined that He wants to use us to show forth His glory. As those to whom He has given His glory and His kingdom, He says we ought to walk worthy of that.

In verse 13, it states, "For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God, which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe." When we preached the gospel to you, you recognized that it was not our own doctrine, that it was not something we made up. You saw that it was the word of God, and you received it as the word of God. His word works in you effectively as you believe Him, trust in Him, and place your confidence in Him.

This is such an important spiritual truth that we need to understand: God's word works in us. Hebrews tells us in chapter 4 that God's word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Jesus prayed in John chapter 17, verse 17, "Father, sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." God is able to sanctify and transform us by His word.

The Apostle Paul would say to the church in Rome in Romans chapter 12, verse 1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

To prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, Paul says to be transformed by God's word so that your life will show to this world what God's will looks like. He would say to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word."

God's word works effectively in us. It transforms us, sanctifies us, and cleanses us. However, there is one small caveat: God's word, which effectively works also in you, is for those who believe. It is for those who put their confidence in it, who trust it, and who put their faith in God's word. God's word will effectively work in you.

What I mean is this: if you have not seen a transformation take place in your life since you began to follow Jesus as Lord and Christ, perhaps you are not trusting His word. Perhaps you are not reading His word. Perhaps you are not truly abiding in His word, and His word is not abiding in you, as Jesus told His disciples in John chapter 15. If you are abiding in His word and His word is in you, it will transform you.

How many of you can attest to this? God's word has transformed you. People who know you—family members, old friends—look at you and say, "You're not the same. Something has changed," and you can't really put your finger on it. They ask you, "How did this change happen?" Well, God has given you every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, and He has given us His word to transform us. Only glory can go to God for this. You can't say, "Well, you know, I went through this really great program from Tony Robbins or whatever his name is." It's God's word that is transformative.

His word works effectively in those who believe. Those who disregard God's word will not see it transform their lives. Paul says, "For you, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which are in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus." In verse 14, he continues, "For you also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us. They please not God and are contrary to all men."

One of the evidences that you have believed God's Word is that you have been persecuted because of it. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Likely, in this neighborhood and in this state, you will probably not be dragged outside of this room and stoned to death. Most likely, you probably won't even be beaten with rods as Paul was in the city of Philippi. Actually, it is very likely that you will not be.

However, you might experience slander. You might encounter those who speak against you because you are an ambassador of Christ. Jesus said that if they persecuted Him, they will also persecute you and me. Paul states that one of the evidences that the church in Thessalonica had truly received and held dear to the Word of God is that they suffered at the hands of their own countrymen, facing tribulation and persecution. They have persecuted us, and this is not pleasing to God, as he says in verse 15. In verse 16, he notes that they are forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles so that they might be saved.

One of the forms of persecution that Paul speaks of here is that these enemies of the cross of Christ were forbidding him to speak the truth of the gospel to those who were lost. We see the same thing in 2010. Our society and culture say, "Listen, keep that to yourself. We're glad you have that religion thing," even though they probably aren't, "but keep it to yourself. Don't go and tell those people. Just keep that to yourself." This is a form of forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles so that they might be saved.

God sees this as sin. At the end of verse 16, Paul states that they fill up their sin always, for the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. Those who hinder the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ are committing sin before God, and they will be judged and face the wrath of God because of it.

I think it is very important for us to take note of this because there will always be those who stand in opposition to the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They may even persecute you with force, or they may simply persecute you with words. Whatever it may be, those who stand against it will be judged by God. We are always tempted to try and stand up and fight for our right to speak forth the truth. Instead, we should just speak the truth, whether they persecute us or not, whether they blaspheme or not.

Whether they dismiss it or not, because if they blaspheme, dismiss, and persecute, God will judge them. He'll take care of it; He is just. We are to preach the Gospel.

But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire. He says we had to leave your city; we didn't want to, but we were forced out. We've tried to come back to you. We've endeavored abundantly to see you face to face.

Wherefore, we would have come to you, even I, Paul, once and again, but Satan has hindered us. The enemy, our adversary the devil, had hindered Paul from going back to the city of Thessalonica. We don't know in the Scriptures if he ever quite made it back there again, but he wanted to go there. He says, "I can't come; the enemy has hindered me."

But he says, "I have hope." In verse 19, he asks, "For what is our joy or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and our joy."

In the face of slander, in the face of opposition and persecution, we have an enduring hope. This is our enduring hope: we will be in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ when He returns. Whatever happens in this life, whatever may come to us in the form of suffering, persecution, or tribulation—and we will experience those things for certain—it matters not. Because Paul says, "This is our hope; this is our joy; this is what we rejoice in. We're going to see you in eternity; we're going to see you in the presence of our Lord. You are our glory and our joy."

Amen.

Let's stand and pray. Father God, I pray that You would remind us of these things. If we face slander, if we face tribulation and persecution—those things that Paul faced as his character was slandered to the church at Thessalonica—he did stand up and remind them. He reminded the believers of his conduct. He didn't fight against the persecutors; he reminded those who knew him of his character.

Lord, I pray that our hope, our joy, and our rejoicing are with You in eternity. This is not our home; we look forward to the day when we will be in Your presence, when all things will be understood and made clear, and when every tear will be wiped away. There will be no more suffering and death.

Lord Jesus, when thinking about that, I can't help but say, "Come quickly." But until then, Lord, would You stir our hearts and give us boldness in the community we live in here in North County? Help us to be bright, shining witnesses of the truth of the Gospel, not in word only, but also with our very lives.

For I ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen."