05.15.2011 1 Thess 2 - How to Succeed through the Conflict

05.15.2011 Grace Summit Sermon from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

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The Garden at Joe and Gigi’s still has some space
Lord, thank You that You are the one who can be trusted – we can give ourselves to You and trust in all circumstances. You will fulfill the promises You have made to us – You will forgive us of our sins – we have life with You forever. Thank You for that. May we never stop thanking You for that. May we understand how great a work was accomplished on our behalf. Open Your word that needs may be met in our lives – Speak to us, prepare us to listen and to do what You would say to us. In humility we ask that Your grace would be poured out on our lives.
1 Thess. 2:1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.
Paul is painting a word picture for the Thessalonians – they would understand – in the midst of much conflict and opposition – they are going through struggles – and Paul is giving them help and encouragement to help them endure and thrive in the midst of difficulty. We will go through conflict as well. The picture – the place of contest – The Colosseum – the crowds would gather together and the conflict would take place. You have entered the arena – like the gladiators to do battle. This is how you should view it – as this conflict – all Christians need to enter the arena – to engage in the contest. This is a fierce contest – life and death for them – he uses the same phrase in Heb. 12
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
This cloud of witnesses – a great cloud watching us – let us run the race – the same phrase – the contest – the conflict – the opposition. Do you view your life of faith this way – like from the movie Gladiator? It is a battle – a life and death struggle.
A lot of times – we want to escape the conflict – to avoid it – to not be engaged in the battle – looking for the Christian life of safety. But God wants us to recognize our responsibility and jump in – to engage – to enter into the arena – and I challenge us today – so that when we go out – we can have the attitude to fight for the faith – what Christ wants and His will in the world. We need to engage and be successful. They were in it – they didn’t have a choice – but for us – there is freedom – “I’m not going to get involved there!” – but that is not what we are supposed to do.
How to be successful in the conflict. What is the conflict? Doing God's will in a broken world.
2:1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain,
When you engage in the conflict – you will have good results – you will be rewarded for it – it is not in vain – not without result. The people in Thessalonica – their lives were really changed – and for whatever we do – we want to know there will be results for our work.
There is a tremendous amount of sacrifice in parenting – we want to know there is success. I was talking to a younger Christian – who was walking past his kids’ door at bedtime and he overheard them praying – and they were doing it on their own! There is such joy when there are results for what you are trying to teach! Paul is trying to help them understand the same thing – when you give yourself to God you will see the result of it in time.
Sometimes it takes a long time; other times we see it quickly. It is the same with ministry – doing God’s work. Ask – How am I engaged in God’s work?
When Jesus was 12, He was discussing with the scholars – “What are you doing? You were missing! “Did you not know that I had to be about my Father’s work?
We need to be about the Father’s business during the week.
That – doing things unto the Lord – is being open to whatever need is found around your lives.
For you yourself know… - He uses this phrase 5 times in this chapter as assurance that God is at work.
I was up at Alistair Begg’s pastors’ conference this weekend. I always love to hear stories of God changing people’s lives. Too often we lose sight of what God has done in our lives – and it is great to hear the fresh story of what God is doing.
Second – the focus of this contest is the Gospel – it is not a physical battle – but it is not against flesh and blood, but a spiritual contest – not against people – not against other Christians or other ministries – it is not a contest with culture. There is a spiritual battle going on and the primary weapon is the message of Christ – what Jesus did for us on the cross.
1 Tim. 6: 11 But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance [and] gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith;
Enter the arena – engage in the contest – it is a struggle of faith – and the reality is that faith – what we see throughout the New Testament – it is a constant struggle – not something that you get once and then it is over. But the struggle of faith rears its head and there is the temptation to doubt – we need to fight the battle with the knowledge that what Jesus did on the cross was enough. Now today – God loves you – has forgiven you – cares for you – wants your best – wants good for your life – and that is a struggle, isn’t it.
Too often, we think, God wouldn’t have allowed this if He really loved me – and unbelief enters in – and it pulls us out of the contest – we get discouraged – we need to go to war in a sense – a war of faith- believing that God is in control and is sovereign, ruling over the world in every way – and ultimately – He will give the victory – the victory will be through the battle. The contest will always be there. We will always be in the arena with the lions and gladiators – and that doesn’t stop until we are with Him – but while we are here on earth – the battle continues.
We know the Gospel – Jesus died for our sins – people are saved when they believe – yes, we believe all that – but do we hold to it? Cling to it? If other things take us away from that, we are not holding to that as what matters. That is what He is trying to encourage them with here.
It is also a battle – to remain faithful – flee from these things – and pursue- and how to fight.
Heb. 12: s, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
Paul was concerned for the Thessalonians – that they would fall back – backslide – we used the phrase “Tube out” in the 70s! You read the letters in the New Testament – and that happened – and he had to go back to these churches to convince them to remain faithful. Continue to flee the things that draw you back – to draw you away from God.
What do you need to lay aside, to be successful in the contest? If you have a bunch of weight on you – like running in heavy clothes and worker boots – you won’t run very fast. High school runners – their uniform and shoes weigh NOTHING! So they can go as fast as possible – and Paul is saying – we have things that weigh us down – and what do you need to lay down? What things do you need to flee? Usually – it is the same 2 or 3 things that track us in life. Keep fleeing them! If you think – I don’t have anything – you are in real trouble! I am serious! You are in trouble when you don’t see it! Or maybe you don’t want to look!
It is like marriage. Cindy and I – have gone longer and longer – and we counsel younger couples – there are things that are always trying to rip a marriage apart – what do you do? You work at it! You engage in the conflict! I hate to tie it in with the Colosseum and tigers.
Like planting a garden – weeds don’t take care of themselves – My neighbors – they don’t go to church here! They have SO MANY Dandelions – that is WHAT they have! They don’t mow the grass – they mow the dandelions. It’s okay – they’re pretty – like a field of wildflowers! And the reality – we think things will take care of themselves – you need to engage it – whatever it is – lay it aside – whatever God brings to you mind – lay it down – get rid of it.
He is going to help others engage in the conflict by entering the arena successfully – by showing what he did when he came to them. Paul would enter a city – share with them – they would get converted – and he would have to leave – and would leave a community together – a church – so that they could succeed together. You can’t engage – the Lone Gladiator – fighting off evil – it doesn’t work that way – it has to be done in community. The battle is too difficult to fight and win alone.
Paul set an example of how to act in a community so that you can be successful in the contest.
What happened to them – they followed.
3 For our exhortation does not [come] from error or impurity or by way of deceit; 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts.
So the first thing we see – Paul did his ministry with integrity of motives. To get the community to work – the people must have right motives. He is speaking of his conduct and character. Paul set aside personal agenda for God’s agenda. When you enter community – you must do this – setting aside personal preference for what meets the needs of the community. Obviously – not setting aside truth, but setting aside agenda. We must refuse to manipulate people. Unfortunately, that happens in the church. We are a society based upon manipulation! IT becomes a part of the culture of the church because it is a part of the culture.
There is no ego in the church – we need to leave that outside. In verse 4 – he refused to please people, but focused on pleasing God. That is another way the community falls apart – is when we seek the approval of people rather than God. So many of us are people pleasers – with real needs for approval. And so we are seeking it – and it results in compromising the gospel – and it causes favoritism within the church which destroys community.
We should give recognition to others but not seek it ourselves. If you feel you are not receiving proper recognition – most likely, you have not given enough recognition to others. If you see it as your job to honor others – Give honor to one another – consider others as more important – then you don’t worry that no one recognizes you.
1 Thess. 2: 5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed-- God is witness-- 6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority
Third – Greed was not part of his ministry – and in his day – people would travel and speak and would get paid for it – like in Macedonia – they had traveling philosophers – and get paid for it. They were like snake oil salesmen – who would slip out in the middle of the night. And that is what Paul often had to do – slip out in the middle of the night! But they COULD have taken money – but didn’t. Greed is the American idol – it has such an influence in our lives. It is okay to buy stuff – but we can’t let it consume us.
I used to play golf – and they always come out with new technology – and there are guys – every time they tell about something new – they had to have it. Like the technology geeks today – who have to have every Apple device.
Doing God’s will in a broken world – we live in a broken world – you don’t have to find one – and two simple things this week.
Commit to share Jesus as the opportunity arises – be committed! God will give you that chance. Live your life in such a way that those chances arise. Live your life with intention and purpose to create the environment that creates that opportunity. Give yourself to living in such a way that that opportunity comes up.
Engage in a ministry of love and justice. Speak Jesus; Live Jesus. The Christian life really is that simple.
Lord, help us to engage in this conflict – to not shy away – but to engage in the battle of faith that You have called us to – allow that to happen – in Your name we pray. Amen.