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Where Your Faith Rests (1 Thessalonians 2) · Prodigal Hope

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SPEAKER_00: First Thessalonians, chapter number two.
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SPEAKER_00: I've been going through,
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SPEAKER_00: I've been reading this letter so much and it's becoming,
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SPEAKER_00: I'm going to give in to, again,
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SPEAKER_00: one of those pastoral cliches where,
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SPEAKER_00: you know, the pastors always say, this is my favorite.
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SPEAKER_00: My favorite text, well,
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SPEAKER_00: the more I keep reading 1 Thessalonians,
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SPEAKER_00: I keep finding myself just becoming enamored by what Paul is talking about,
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SPEAKER_00: and it's becoming so investing,
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SPEAKER_00: and especially, at least I hope you're going to find it.
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SPEAKER_00: The same thing to be true here in 1 Thessalonians 2,
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SPEAKER_00: which is just an amazing text of scripture.
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SPEAKER_00: And what I think is also quite fascinating,
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SPEAKER_00: we could call it a feature,
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SPEAKER_00: if you will,
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SPEAKER_00: of 1 Thessalonians,
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SPEAKER_00: is that Paul doesn't actually get to,
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SPEAKER_00: we could say,
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SPEAKER_00: the meat of what he wants to say until we get all the way to chapter 4.
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SPEAKER_00: We're going to get there in the weeks to come,
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SPEAKER_00: but if you look at the first couple words of chapter 4, what does he say?
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SPEAKER_00: He says, finally then brothers, finally I could say what I wanted to say the whole time.
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SPEAKER_00: Which raises an interesting detail that we have to also address.
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SPEAKER_00: Does that mean that chapters 1 through 3 are just kind of filler?
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SPEAKER_00: Or is he just clearing his throat for three chapters?
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SPEAKER_00: Well, no,
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SPEAKER_00: as we're going to find out this morning,
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SPEAKER_00: I think there's some incredibly essential pieces of truth that come to the fore,
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SPEAKER_00: especially in this section that we're going to be in this morning.
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SPEAKER_00: And I think it's also helpful what he covers.
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SPEAKER_00: In these three chapters,
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SPEAKER_00: the opening three chapters,
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SPEAKER_00: I think it's so helpful because we don't get a ton in the way of backstory
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SPEAKER_00: when it comes to Paul and Silas in Thessalonica.
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SPEAKER_00: We went through that a couple weeks ago.
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SPEAKER_00: We looked at Acts chapter 17.
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SPEAKER_00: We saw them come to that city.
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SPEAKER_00: We saw them preach for a few weeks.
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SPEAKER_00: We saw what happened there.
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SPEAKER_00: There was that riot.
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SPEAKER_00: They get forced out of town where they had to flee by night, it says in Acts 17 verse 10.
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SPEAKER_00: But what happened after that?
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SPEAKER_00: What happened in the aftermath of Paul and Silas leaving?
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SPEAKER_00: They weren't there for that long.
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SPEAKER_00: And we know that they made an enormous impact, but they weren't there for that long.
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SPEAKER_00: So what happened?
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SPEAKER_00: Why is Paul writing this letter now?
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SPEAKER_00: Why is he writing this letter to a church that he doesn't really know,
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SPEAKER_00: he knows them, but it's not like he's spending an enormous amount of time with them.
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SPEAKER_00: So why does he feel so compelled to write this letter?
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SPEAKER_00: This is one of those instances when we get into chapter 2 where I think
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SPEAKER_00: a healthy reading between the lines, so to speak, is warranted.
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SPEAKER_00: That's not always warranted when you come to scripture,
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SPEAKER_00: but I think it's healthy a little bit here because we can kind
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SPEAKER_00: of understand what actually Paul is driving at.
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SPEAKER_00: Because it would seem,
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SPEAKER_00: if you sort of pause and soak in what Paul is saying,
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SPEAKER_00: it would seem that the situation in Thessalonica did not get quieter.
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SPEAKER_00: It did not get easier once Paul left.
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SPEAKER_00: Once he departed and he left and eventually goes to Berea and whatnot in Acts 17.
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SPEAKER_00: But once he left, things didn't get that much easier.
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SPEAKER_00: Again, notice what he says.
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SPEAKER_00: For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain.
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SPEAKER_00: It was not fruitless.
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SPEAKER_00: But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi,
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SPEAKER_00: as you know,
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SPEAKER_00: we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst
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SPEAKER_00: of much conflict.
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SPEAKER_00: There's this little phrase I want you to notice.
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SPEAKER_00: Circle if you are one of those people that writes in your Bibles.
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SPEAKER_00: I can't do it.
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SPEAKER_00: It stresses me out.
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SPEAKER_00: But if you're one of those people, do it.
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SPEAKER_00: Because this phrase I think will help you kind of get the gist of what he's doing here.
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SPEAKER_00: Notice he says twice in two verses he refers to what they know.
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SPEAKER_00: The first phrase, for you yourselves know.
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SPEAKER_00: Verse number two, as you know.
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SPEAKER_00: And in fact, jump down to verse 5, the same text.
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SPEAKER_00: For we never came with words of flattery, as you know.
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SPEAKER_00: Verse number 9, for you remember.
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SPEAKER_00: Verse number 10, you are witnesses and God also.
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SPEAKER_00: How holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct towards you, believers, for you know.
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SPEAKER_00: Six times in this section,
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SPEAKER_00: he's referring back to the Thessalonians' own experience of when Paul and Silas was
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SPEAKER_00: in their midst.
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SPEAKER_00: In fact, he does the same thing back in chapter number one, verse number five.
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SPEAKER_00: Chapter one, verse five, he says, let me find the verse.
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SPEAKER_00: Because our gospel came to you not only in word,
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SPEAKER_00: but also in power and the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
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SPEAKER_00: You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake.
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SPEAKER_00: Seven times.
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SPEAKER_00: In this two chapter span,
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SPEAKER_00: Paul is going back alluding to their experience,
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SPEAKER_00: to what they saw,
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SPEAKER_00: to what they knew about Paul,
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SPEAKER_00: what they could judge about Paul and his ministry team over
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SPEAKER_00: against versus what was being said about them.
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SPEAKER_00: Keep that in your back of your mind that he's contending,
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SPEAKER_00: hey, Thessalonians, you know how we came to you.
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SPEAKER_00: You know what we stood for.
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SPEAKER_00: And then look at what he says was being said about them.
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SPEAKER_00: Verse number five of chapter number two.
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SPEAKER_00: For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed.
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SPEAKER_00: God is my witness, he says.
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SPEAKER_00: Nor did we seek glory from people,
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SPEAKER_00: whether from you or from others,
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SPEAKER_00: though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
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SPEAKER_00: So flip it.
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SPEAKER_00: What were people likely saying about Paul?
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SPEAKER_00: He's just trying to butter you up.
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SPEAKER_00: He's just in it for the money.
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SPEAKER_00: He's in it to line his pockets.
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SPEAKER_00: Look at what he's doing.
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SPEAKER_00: Can you believe?
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SPEAKER_00: He's left already.
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SPEAKER_00: All the signs...
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SPEAKER_00: If you soak in this moment, all the signs are pointing to the same thing.
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SPEAKER_00: That the ones who forced Paul and Silas and his ministry team out of town.
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SPEAKER_00: Now, those same individuals are at the helm.
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SPEAKER_00: They're sort of at the steering wheel, if you will, of a smear campaign.
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SPEAKER_00: That they're running against Paul and his ministry.
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SPEAKER_00: They're dragging his name and his message and his reputation through the mud.
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SPEAKER_00: Which explains why he felt compelled to clear the air regarding his intentions.
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SPEAKER_00: We weren't trying to flatter you.
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SPEAKER_00: We weren't trying to line our pockets.
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SPEAKER_00: Paul is saying we weren't in it for greed.
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SPEAKER_00: And this is reminiscent.
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SPEAKER_00: It's reminiscent of 2 Corinthians.
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SPEAKER_00: I've referenced 2 Corinthians, truly,
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SPEAKER_00: one of my favorite books of the scriptures, of the New Testament, 2 Corinthians.
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SPEAKER_00: I love it because Paul is so personal.
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SPEAKER_00: He's writing and he's defending his identity as apostle,
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SPEAKER_00: his ministry as an apostle of Christ, and so on and so forth.
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SPEAKER_00: But if you read 2 Corinthians, it's going to read like a personal letter.
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SPEAKER_00: Because Paul is writing to a church that he almost felt betrayed by.
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SPEAKER_00: Like I've spent so much time with you and you still think that this is true of me?
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SPEAKER_00: And that's different when we get here to 1 Thessalonians where it reads more like
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SPEAKER_00: a pastor who is earnestly and just eagerly out to defend his church.
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SPEAKER_00: This church that he spent a little bit of time with.
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SPEAKER_00: You can get the sense, don't listen to the noise Paul is saying.
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SPEAKER_00: Don't listen to what all of that is saying.
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SPEAKER_00: You know.
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SPEAKER_00: You were with us.
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SPEAKER_00: You remember what occurred.
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SPEAKER_00: And in so doing,
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SPEAKER_00: I think Paul is going to convey here a message that I think all of us
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SPEAKER_00: at some point are going to have to reckon with.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: You know,
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SPEAKER_00: all of the data,
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SPEAKER_00: if you are into those sorts of things,
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SPEAKER_00: polls and surveys and whatnot, they all sort of say the same thing.
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SPEAKER_00: If you're one of those people that looks at data,
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SPEAKER_00: which is, People, folks, just they are not going to church like they used to.
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SPEAKER_00: It's just not part of the cultural lexicon as it used to be.
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SPEAKER_00: Weekly attenders,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: they were there Sunday morning,
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SPEAKER_00: Sunday night, Wednesday night, all that kind of stuff.
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SPEAKER_00: They're now bi-weekly attenders.
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SPEAKER_00: That's what all the data says.
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SPEAKER_00: And I think there is a ton of reasons for this, a ton of factors for this.
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SPEAKER_00: Our lives, maybe they feel busier, maybe they are busier.
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe our priorities are different now in 2026.
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SPEAKER_00: And I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but I think it's a good thing to be in church.
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SPEAKER_00: There's a ton of things that we could account for that decline.
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SPEAKER_00: But I think a big one that doesn't often get talked about, even if we feel it, is this.
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SPEAKER_00: The decline in trust in pastors or church leaders.
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SPEAKER_00: You know, there's this polling or research organization called Gallup.
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SPEAKER_00: And I've referenced this poll before,
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SPEAKER_00: but I'd like to track it because it's just a fascinating snapshot.
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SPEAKER_00: They have this thing called the Honesty and Ethics in Professions Poll.
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SPEAKER_00: So they track,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: like nurses and doctors and accountants and all these different professions.
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SPEAKER_00: And hey, what's your general, like, sort of way that you interact with these people?
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SPEAKER_00: How honest do you think they are?
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SPEAKER_00: How ethical do you think they are?
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SPEAKER_00: What's the general sort of vibe that you get off these different professions?
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SPEAKER_00: And if you go by the data,
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SPEAKER_00: the 2025 data,
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SPEAKER_00: it tells a very bleak story for clergy,
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SPEAKER_00: aka pastors,
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SPEAKER_00: which is because only 27% of people rate clergy high on the honesty
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SPEAKER_00: and ethics scale,
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SPEAKER_00: which in layman's terms you could say, it's barely one in four people.
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SPEAKER_00: So if we were judging this crowd right now,
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SPEAKER_00: every one in four, only one in four would say, yes, clergy.
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SPEAKER_00: Pastors,
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SPEAKER_00: church leaders,
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SPEAKER_00: they are honest,
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SPEAKER_00: they are ethical, which is kind of alarming that it's only one in four.
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SPEAKER_00: Back in the 1980s, by the way, it was around 60%.
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SPEAKER_00: So it's had this pretty steep decline over the decades.
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SPEAKER_00: But I would also say this too.
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SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I totally get it.
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SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't feel invested in my local church either if I didn't feel
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SPEAKER_00: that my pastor was honest and ethical.
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SPEAKER_00: That would be a problem.
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SPEAKER_00: And Paul's accusers are doing the same thing.
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SPEAKER_00: They are trying to undercut that.
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SPEAKER_00: They're exploiting that reality.
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SPEAKER_00: They're exploiting that notion.
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SPEAKER_00: You can almost hear the slurs coming off their mouth.
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SPEAKER_00: Paul, he can't be trusted.
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SPEAKER_00: Look, he ran out of town as soon as things got tough.
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SPEAKER_00: As soon as things got a little iffy, he skipped town on you.
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SPEAKER_00: Clearly...
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SPEAKER_00: He was in it for the clout.
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SPEAKER_00: He was in it for the money.
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SPEAKER_00: He was in it for the applause.
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SPEAKER_00: He was in it for the paths on his back.
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SPEAKER_00: If I were you,
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SPEAKER_00: these people were telling Thessalonians,
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SPEAKER_00: and this is where that healthy reading in the lines thing comes from.
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SPEAKER_00: If I were you, I wouldn't listen to another thing any of them said.
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SPEAKER_00: You can see what is happening in this midst of this church.
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SPEAKER_00: And again, remember, this is a new church.
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SPEAKER_00: This is a young church.
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SPEAKER_00: Imagine what this would have done.
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SPEAKER_00: Paul comes, preaches.
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SPEAKER_00: There's all kinds of responses.
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SPEAKER_00: And then as soon as he's gone, people are saying, don't trust that guy.
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SPEAKER_00: Don't put any stock into what he says.
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SPEAKER_00: Imagine what that would have done to a church congregation and their confidence.
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SPEAKER_00: A young church.
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SPEAKER_00: It would have put them on the rocks, so to speak.
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SPEAKER_00: And this, I think, explains why Paul is writing.
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SPEAKER_00: He's writing to this church in a way because he wants them assured
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SPEAKER_00: of what they experienced, of what they saw, what they heard most of all.
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SPEAKER_00: Paul doesn't just want to clear his name.
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SPEAKER_00: Paul's not in it to defend his reputation.
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SPEAKER_00: He wants to defend the gospel.
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SPEAKER_00: He doesn't want the gospel to be thrown out.
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SPEAKER_00: His motivation wasn't self-defense as much as it was a defense of the gospel.
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SPEAKER_00: The slanderers in this moment were well aware that if they could discredit
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SPEAKER_00: the messenger, the message would be buried along with him.
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SPEAKER_00: But Paul,
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SPEAKER_00: this is I think why he's writing,
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SPEAKER_00: he wasn't about to let his reputation be what makes people walk away from Jesus.
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SPEAKER_00: No, no.
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SPEAKER_00: That's why he's after.
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SPEAKER_00: He doesn't really concern.
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SPEAKER_00: Yes, he's concerned about being called greedy,
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SPEAKER_00: but his goal is not just to have his name cleared.
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SPEAKER_00: He wants people to hear Jesus.
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SPEAKER_00: He cares too much about their souls for that to happen.
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SPEAKER_00: So our question this morning is this.
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SPEAKER_00: In a world full of religious con men,
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SPEAKER_00: just like in Paul's day,
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SPEAKER_00: who are, some are in it for greed, some are in it for clout.
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SPEAKER_00: How can you tell the difference?
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SPEAKER_00: How can you tell the real thing from a fake thing?
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SPEAKER_00: Well, I think Paul gives us three ways to do that.
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SPEAKER_00: Which is good because there's a helpful three-point outline.
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SPEAKER_00: But three ways to do that.
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SPEAKER_00: And we can summarize it like this.
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SPEAKER_00: Look for what's upside down.
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SPEAKER_00: Look for what is upside down.
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SPEAKER_00: Number one, I want you to notice this.
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SPEAKER_00: Paul states that they had an upside-down motive.
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SPEAKER_00: An upside-down motive.
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SPEAKER_00: They were bold people.
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SPEAKER_00: In weakness.
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SPEAKER_00: Bold in weakness.
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SPEAKER_00: When Paul and his missionary team arrived in town,
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SPEAKER_00: they weren't exactly the epitome of put-togetherness.
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SPEAKER_00: And now,
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SPEAKER_00: I don't mean to suggest that they were disheveled,
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SPEAKER_00: but remember how they came to Thessalonica.
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SPEAKER_00: They came and they arrived with bruises and marks all over their body,
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SPEAKER_00: which they received back in Philippi.
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SPEAKER_00: Remember what happened there?
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SPEAKER_00: They got thrown into prison.
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SPEAKER_00: Not just thrown into prison.
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SPEAKER_00: They got thrown into stocks.
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SPEAKER_00: So when they got to Philippi, they looked like people who had just been out of prison.
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SPEAKER_00: With bruises on them, with marks on their ankles.
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SPEAKER_00: They had already suffered.
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SPEAKER_00: They had already been horribly mistreated.
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SPEAKER_00: Paul says that.
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SPEAKER_00: And yet, what does he confess?
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SPEAKER_00: That we remain undeterred.
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SPEAKER_00: That doesn't We are not going to stop preaching, he says.
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SPEAKER_00: Even amid much conflict.
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SPEAKER_00: The word is strife.
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SPEAKER_00: Even in the middle of much struggle, Paul says.
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SPEAKER_00: We are bold in our preaching of the gospel.
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SPEAKER_00: Verse number two.
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SPEAKER_00: Again, that's what he says.
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SPEAKER_00: But though we had already suffered, Philippi.
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SPEAKER_00: We had already been through all that.
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SPEAKER_00: We've already been shamefully treated.
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SPEAKER_00: As you know, we had boldness.
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SPEAKER_00: And our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
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SPEAKER_00: They were eager, he says.
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SPEAKER_00: We are eager.
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SPEAKER_00: We are earnest and eager to carry on preaching this same message.
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SPEAKER_00: Even if it means that we're going to be mistreated again.
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SPEAKER_00: Even if it means that we're going to have to be thrown back into a dungeon in stocks again.
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SPEAKER_00: Okay, what of it?
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SPEAKER_00: The threats, Paul says, the rods, the bruises, they have done nothing to shut our mouths.
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SPEAKER_00: We're going to stop preaching this.
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SPEAKER_00: Paul and Silas,
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SPEAKER_00: they didn't have a secret confab,
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SPEAKER_00: a secret meeting where they decided,
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SPEAKER_00: hey, let's change a little bit about what we're doing.
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SPEAKER_00: We keep getting thrown into jail.
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SPEAKER_00: We keep having people want to punch us for what we're preaching.
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SPEAKER_00: No, they didn't think about adjusting or editing what they were saying.
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SPEAKER_00: Instead, the word is they were bold.
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SPEAKER_00: They dared.
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SPEAKER_00: They dared to continue speaking the word boldness plainly, openly.
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SPEAKER_00: The words that God gave them to speak.
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SPEAKER_00: That was their whole motive.
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SPEAKER_00: They were...
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SPEAKER_00: Bold.
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SPEAKER_00: They were confident.
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SPEAKER_00: And not because they had amassed a litany of successes.
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SPEAKER_00: Look at all the places that we have succeeded in.
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SPEAKER_00: And not because they had just impeccable resumes.
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SPEAKER_00: Look at my resumes.
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SPEAKER_00: Look at all my accomplishments.
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SPEAKER_00: Look at all my degrees.
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SPEAKER_00: They didn't have a portfolio of speeches.
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SPEAKER_00: They could just trot out.
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SPEAKER_00: They were carefully manicured to the exact moments.
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SPEAKER_00: No, they were bold,
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SPEAKER_00: not for any of the reasons we might think,
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SPEAKER_00: because they were polished or sophisticated.
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SPEAKER_00: Rather, their boldness came from the one who authorized them to speak in the first place.
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SPEAKER_00: Verse number four, look again at what he says.
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SPEAKER_00: We have boldness, verse two, verse four.
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SPEAKER_00: Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel today, So we speak.
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SPEAKER_00: We have been tested, he says.
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SPEAKER_00: We've been tested by God.
17:23
SPEAKER_00: We've been entrusted by God.
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SPEAKER_00: We've been given this word, this announcement.
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SPEAKER_00: We've been entrusted with it to guard it, to protect it, but also to proclaim it.
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SPEAKER_00: This very specific announcement, the gospel of God, he says.
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SPEAKER_00: That's why we speak.
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SPEAKER_00: We say what we say.
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SPEAKER_00: Not to look impressive.
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SPEAKER_00: Not even to impress you, he says.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm not out here to curry favor or to win your approval or to line my pockets.
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SPEAKER_00: We speak the good news,
17:54
SPEAKER_00: Paul says, plainly and openly because those are the words that God gave us.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: What else are we going to say?
18:03
SPEAKER_00: Paul here is adamant.
18:05
SPEAKER_00: He's not in it for fame.
18:08
SPEAKER_00: He's not in it for notoriety or acclaim or attention.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: He wasn't interested in flattering people.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: He wasn't interested in just saying nice things to them to get them on his side.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: He wasn't looking to deceive anyone.
18:18
SPEAKER_00: He says that.
18:19
SPEAKER_00: Verse number three.
18:23
SPEAKER_00: We're not trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
18:30
SPEAKER_00: We're not a bunch of tricksters.
18:32
SPEAKER_00: We weren't a bunch of fraudsters.
18:34
SPEAKER_00: You know that we're not, he says.
18:36
SPEAKER_00: For you know how we were when we were with you.
18:39
SPEAKER_00: We weren't trying to seduce you to get attention or power or to just get a platform.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: You know how far that is from the truth, he says in effect.
18:49
SPEAKER_00: That's the gist of Paul's message.
18:51
SPEAKER_00: They were open with the truth and they were unimpressive with how they appeared.
18:57
SPEAKER_00: Why?
18:59
SPEAKER_00: Because they weren't out to please the Thessalonians.
19:04
SPEAKER_00: Verse 4.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak.
19:14
SPEAKER_00: Not to please man.
19:17
SPEAKER_00: But to please God who tests our hearts.
19:22
SPEAKER_00: Very critical phrase.
19:27
SPEAKER_00: The litmus test we could say.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: I think we can say this from what Paul is saying.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: The litmus test for faithful ministries and ministers is discerning their audience.
19:40
SPEAKER_00: Who are they doing this for?
19:43
SPEAKER_00: Who are they doing this for ultimately?
19:47
SPEAKER_00: And I think you can usually tell who the ultimate audience is when
19:51
SPEAKER_00: the message starts to change.
19:53
SPEAKER_00: If Paul were out to please man, he would have changed tactics.
19:57
SPEAKER_00: He keeps getting beaten up everywhere.
19:59
SPEAKER_00: Probably time to not get beaten up.
20:02
SPEAKER_00: So let's change something.
20:03
SPEAKER_00: Let's adjust how we approach this.
20:07
SPEAKER_00: And yet that wasn't what Paul did.
20:11
SPEAKER_00: He didn't make adjustments.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: He didn't try to edit his appearance.
20:15
SPEAKER_00: He didn't try to tailor his words not to make people mad at him, not to make people offended.
20:22
SPEAKER_00: He just spoke what God gave him.
20:25
SPEAKER_00: He was bold even though he was being slandered,
20:28
SPEAKER_00: even though in the midst of weakness,
20:30
SPEAKER_00: in the midst of personal weakness and turmoil,
20:33
SPEAKER_00: he is bold and open because that is where faithfulness is seen in
20:39
SPEAKER_00: that boldness despite the circumstances.
20:43
SPEAKER_00: It's sort of like the advice that Paul gives Timothy.
20:46
SPEAKER_00: Flip over a couple pages.
20:48
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to go very far to 2 Timothy chapter number 4.
20:52
SPEAKER_00: You're familiar with these words perhaps.
20:56
SPEAKER_00: 2 Timothy 4, look at verse number 2, very familiar words.
20:59
SPEAKER_00: What does Paul say to Timothy?
21:01
SPEAKER_00: A young pastor who's preaching in the big city of Ephesus.
21:05
SPEAKER_00: And he tells him, what are you to do, Timothy?
21:09
SPEAKER_00: Well, quite plainly, preach the word.
21:12
SPEAKER_00: Verse number 2, preach the word.
21:16
SPEAKER_00: Be ready in season and out of season.
21:17
SPEAKER_00: Reprove, rebuke, you exhort, and with complete patience and teaching.
21:21
SPEAKER_00: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching,
21:24
SPEAKER_00: but having itching ears,
21:25
SPEAKER_00: they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions
21:28
SPEAKER_00: and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: As for you,
21:34
SPEAKER_00: always be sober-minded,
21:35
SPEAKER_00: endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
21:39
SPEAKER_00: Instead,
21:40
SPEAKER_00: Paul says to Timothy,
21:41
SPEAKER_00: instead of trying to itch the ears,
21:43
SPEAKER_00: tickle the fancies of everyone in front of you by telling them what they do.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: And why can Paul tell that to Timothy?
21:49
SPEAKER_00: Because he's been there.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: He can tell that to Timothy.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: I've been there, Timothy.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: Paul's boldness is
22:15
SPEAKER_00: In the midst of this moment of weakness wasn't
22:20
SPEAKER_00: because Paul had this incredible backbone, even though I think that he did.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't because of his proficiency.
22:26
SPEAKER_00: It was always tied to his God, to who was with him.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: Did you notice that?
22:30
SPEAKER_00: Go back to Thessalonians, look at chapter two, verse two.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: He says,
22:33
SPEAKER_00: but though we'd already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi,
22:36
SPEAKER_00: as you know,
22:37
SPEAKER_00: we had boldness because we'd been to seminary and we had all these degrees.
22:42
SPEAKER_00: We had boldness because we were so confident in our ability to speak eloquently
22:47
SPEAKER_00: and charismatically.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: No, we had boldness in our God.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: That's where it comes from.
22:57
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't him.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: It had nothing to do with Paul.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: His boldness came,
23:04
SPEAKER_00: we can say it like this,
23:05
SPEAKER_00: Paul's boldness came from the God whose power is made perfect in weakness.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: Remember he says that to the Corinthians?
23:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm content with weaknesses, he says.
23:15
SPEAKER_00: Insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.
23:18
SPEAKER_00: For when I am weak, then I am strong.
23:23
SPEAKER_00: He says that to the Corinthians, and I think he's Sort of saying the same thing here.
23:29
SPEAKER_00: Our motive wasn't to brandish our ability.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: Wasn't trying to appear in a way that was so polished and sophisticated that you had
23:39
SPEAKER_00: to be impressed with us.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: No, we wanted you to hear the word.
23:43
SPEAKER_00: And that's why we were bold about it.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: That was our motive.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: An upside down motive.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: They were bold in weakness.
23:50
SPEAKER_00: Number two, I have to hasten, an upside down method.
23:54
SPEAKER_00: An upside down method.
23:55
SPEAKER_00: They were gentle in authority.
24:00
SPEAKER_00: Another unusual aspect regarding Paul's ministry to
24:04
SPEAKER_00: the Thessalonians was his refusal,
24:06
SPEAKER_00: I like to say it this way, his refusal to play the apostle card.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: You might have noticed that.
24:12
SPEAKER_00: Even in the beginning,
24:13
SPEAKER_00: at the chapter 1,
24:13
SPEAKER_00: verse 1, usually in some letters Paul will say, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
24:18
SPEAKER_00: But he doesn't say that.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't reference the fact that he's an apostle.
24:23
SPEAKER_00: He's been charged by God to be an apostle.
24:26
SPEAKER_00: He's seen and interacted with the resurrected Lord.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: He's been called by God to preach this word.
24:30
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't play the apostle card.
24:32
SPEAKER_00: And in fact, he says that even blatantly in verse number 6.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: Chapter 2, verse 6, what does he say?
24:39
SPEAKER_00: Nor did we,
24:40
SPEAKER_00: so we're not out for greed,
24:42
SPEAKER_00: we're not out for clout,
24:43
SPEAKER_00: and he says,
24:44
SPEAKER_00: nor did we seek glory from people,
24:46
SPEAKER_00: whether from you or from others,
24:48
SPEAKER_00: though we could,
24:49
SPEAKER_00: notice this, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: So we could have, but we didn't.
24:59
SPEAKER_00: Instead of coming into the midst of Thessalonica and carrying themselves like
25:03
SPEAKER_00: a bunch of church VIPs.
25:06
SPEAKER_00: We're very important people.
25:07
SPEAKER_00: You need to respect what we have to say because we are VIPs.
25:10
SPEAKER_00: No, they won them over.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: They won the Thessalonians over by going out of their way to serve them.
25:17
SPEAKER_00: Jump down.
25:17
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 9.
25:20
SPEAKER_00: For you remember, brothers.
25:22
SPEAKER_00: Again, he's pointing it back.
25:23
SPEAKER_00: You know, despite what people are saying, you know what it was like.
25:29
SPEAKER_00: For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil.
25:33
SPEAKER_00: We worked night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you
25:39
SPEAKER_00: while we proclaim the gospel of God.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: You are witnesses.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: And God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct towards you believers.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: We were burning both ends of the candle so that we wouldn't become a burden for you.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: We didn't want to be those types of people that overstay their welcome.
26:00
SPEAKER_00: And he could have.
26:02
SPEAKER_00: He could have thrown his weight around.
26:04
SPEAKER_00: I'm an apostle of Jesus Christ, a leader in the church.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: You have to give these things to me.
26:10
SPEAKER_00: He could have demanded that.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: He could have demanded that they heed every single word he says because he's an apostle.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: But he didn't do that.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: Paul's authority in this moment, he's reminded them it wasn't heavy handed.
26:24
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't presumptuous.
26:28
SPEAKER_00: Instead,
26:29
SPEAKER_00: as Paul is going to elaborate,
26:30
SPEAKER_00: he and his team,
26:31
SPEAKER_00: they sought to care for the souls of the Thessalonians
26:36
SPEAKER_00: in two just incredibly affecting ways.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 7.
26:42
SPEAKER_00: But, he says,
26:43
SPEAKER_00: so instead of making demands,
26:45
SPEAKER_00: but we were gentle among you like a nursing mother taking care
26:53
SPEAKER_00: of her own children
26:57
SPEAKER_00: rather than Some tyrant who is ranting and raving
27:02
SPEAKER_00: to his people do what he wants.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: Paul says, no, I was a gentle apostle among you.
27:09
SPEAKER_00: Sort of like a mom who is nursing an infant.
27:13
SPEAKER_00: A mom nursing her newborn.
27:17
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't do so begrudgingly or reluctantly.
27:21
SPEAKER_00: Even, yes,
27:21
SPEAKER_00: even at all hours of the night,
27:23
SPEAKER_00: the mom is bleary-eyed and exhausted and running on fumes.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: What is happening in that moment when she goes to nurse her newborn is the epitome
27:31
SPEAKER_00: of selflessness.
27:34
SPEAKER_00: There are, I think, quite, I can say this, I think, quite educatedly.
27:38
SPEAKER_00: I think there are a few things more taxing on the mind and the body quite like motherhood.
27:43
SPEAKER_00: And yet moms give of themselves.
27:47
SPEAKER_00: Their time, their energy, their bodies.
27:50
SPEAKER_00: Because they love and they care for the ones that are in their arms.
27:55
SPEAKER_00: They care for them and love them so incredibly deeply.
28:01
SPEAKER_00: And Paul is saying, he's evoking the same image.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: That's how strong our affections were for you.
28:09
SPEAKER_00: Verse 8.
28:10
SPEAKER_00: So being affectionately desirous of you.
28:15
SPEAKER_00: We were ready,
28:16
SPEAKER_00: notice this,
28:17
SPEAKER_00: we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very own selves.
28:25
SPEAKER_00: Because you had become very dear to us, affectionately desirous.
28:31
SPEAKER_00: In the Greek it's one word,
28:32
SPEAKER_00: and it's a word that's only used one time in the whole New Testament, right here.
28:36
SPEAKER_00: It conveys this very deep, very sort of a yearning, longing, heartfelt desire for someone.
28:45
SPEAKER_00: So much so to the point where you are just moved to give yourself for them
28:50
SPEAKER_00: to do anything on their behalf.
28:53
SPEAKER_00: Like a mom who gives herself up for the good of her child.
28:59
SPEAKER_00: Paul says here to the Thessalonians, we were ready to do the same thing for you.
29:03
SPEAKER_00: That's how much we loved you.
29:06
SPEAKER_00: You know we weren't in it for anything else.
29:08
SPEAKER_00: We loved you like that.
29:11
SPEAKER_00: And then notice he changes the metaphor.
29:15
SPEAKER_00: Verse 11.
29:18
SPEAKER_00: For you know how,
29:19
SPEAKER_00: like a father with his children,
29:21
SPEAKER_00: we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in
29:26
SPEAKER_00: a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom in glory.
29:31
SPEAKER_00: So now the metaphor shifts from a mom nursing her little newborn to now a dad
29:37
SPEAKER_00: who is teaching or training his children.
29:39
SPEAKER_00: And we can say this too,
29:41
SPEAKER_00: a dad's relationship to his children is the same sort of heart of self-giving love,
29:46
SPEAKER_00: but it's different than a mom's.
29:49
SPEAKER_00: And I think Paul knows that.
29:50
SPEAKER_00: I think he's using it to his advantage because now he's tapping into this image of a dad.
29:55
SPEAKER_00: And essentially he's calling himself the spiritual father of the Thessalonians.
30:00
SPEAKER_00: And how when he was with them,
30:02
SPEAKER_00: he was eager to exhort them and to encourage them on the way that they should go.
30:07
SPEAKER_00: To walk worthy in a manner.
30:09
SPEAKER_00: What does he say?
30:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to mess it up.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: To walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom of glory.
30:16
SPEAKER_00: That's the goal.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: His words, Paul's, are pointed.
30:21
SPEAKER_00: They're specific.
30:23
SPEAKER_00: He's giving direction.
30:26
SPEAKER_00: There is a charge, a task that he was earnest for them to follow and walk worthy of.
30:33
SPEAKER_00: He wasn't after mere verbal ascent.
30:35
SPEAKER_00: Oh, we like that, Paul.
30:36
SPEAKER_00: No, he wasn't after that.
30:37
SPEAKER_00: No, he's after their pursuit.
30:39
SPEAKER_00: He's after the primacy of God's glory and kingdom in heart and in life.
30:47
SPEAKER_00: And instead...
30:49
SPEAKER_00: Instead of browbeating that into these people by pulling rank.
30:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm an apostle.
30:54
SPEAKER_00: You have to listen to me.
30:55
SPEAKER_00: You have to listen to my words.
30:56
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't do that.
30:57
SPEAKER_00: Instead of browbeating, raising his voice, pulling rank.
31:00
SPEAKER_00: No, Paul's words here, the words translate to comforting and consoling.
31:06
SPEAKER_00: That's what exhort and encourage translate to.
31:09
SPEAKER_00: He wanted the best for them.
31:13
SPEAKER_00: As any dad would.
31:14
SPEAKER_00: But he didn't use his authority to oppress them, to squash them, to crush them into submission.
31:21
SPEAKER_00: That's not what he's about.
31:23
SPEAKER_00: That's what a dictator does.
31:25
SPEAKER_00: A dictator uses his authority to whittle down his people and drive them into
31:30
SPEAKER_00: the ground until finally they do what he wants.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: No,
31:33
SPEAKER_00: but a father's authority is grounded in affection because he desires for the best of
31:40
SPEAKER_00: the Those people that have been entrusted to his care.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: And that's what Paul is drawing on.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: Because he wants to draw all of these spiritual children in the Thessalonian church forward.
31:50
SPEAKER_00: Spurring them on to pursue the holiness of God.
31:53
SPEAKER_00: To pursue the calling of God that God had called them to by grace.
32:00
SPEAKER_00: That's what he's after.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: And this, I think this is the kind of authority that reaches your soul.
32:10
SPEAKER_00: It's the kind that doesn't bark or rant or rail at you by talking down to you, by berating you.
32:16
SPEAKER_00: It's the kind that strengthens you.
32:19
SPEAKER_00: It's the kind of authority that wins your heart for good,
32:23
SPEAKER_00: steering you toward life and the kingdom of God,
32:26
SPEAKER_00: the kingdom that God calls you to and conforms you to.
32:31
SPEAKER_00: It's the kind of authority,
32:32
SPEAKER_00: we can say it like this,
32:33
SPEAKER_00: it's the kind of authority that stoops to serve,
32:39
SPEAKER_00: that labors And toils for someone else's good.
32:44
SPEAKER_00: It's the kind of authority that reflects the heart of the one who lowered himself
32:51
SPEAKER_00: to save humanity.
32:54
SPEAKER_00: I think Paul's image of this gentle authority of an apostle of Christ is of course
32:59
SPEAKER_00: a reflection of the authority of Jesus.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: You want to know what I think is one of the quintessential images Of Jesus' authority.
33:12
SPEAKER_00: I think it's found in the upper room.
33:16
SPEAKER_00: When in the beginning of that time where they're around that dinner table.
33:19
SPEAKER_00: Go with me.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: John chapter 13 really quick.
33:21
SPEAKER_00: Hold your finger in 1 Thessalonians.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: Bookmark or do that.
33:25
SPEAKER_00: Flip over to John 13.
33:25
SPEAKER_00: Remember this scene.
33:29
SPEAKER_00: John 13.
33:31
SPEAKER_00: They're at the dinner table and Jesus gets up in the middle of dinner and he ties
33:36
SPEAKER_00: a towel around his waist.
33:39
SPEAKER_00: And he proceeds to wash the grimy, stinky feet of his disciples.
33:45
SPEAKER_00: John 13, verse 3.
33:49
SPEAKER_00: Where is the verse?
33:50
SPEAKER_00: Jesus,
33:52
SPEAKER_00: knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come
33:57
SPEAKER_00: from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.
34:03
SPEAKER_00: And he laid aside his outer garments and taking a towel tied it around his waist.
34:09
SPEAKER_00: And then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and
34:12
SPEAKER_00: to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
34:15
SPEAKER_00: What a scene.
34:18
SPEAKER_00: A scene that I think was so provocative,
34:21
SPEAKER_00: so profound that everyone is, what are you doing, Jesus?
34:26
SPEAKER_00: And why did he do it?
34:29
SPEAKER_00: Because he's demonstrating the gentle authority that he came to win the world with.
34:34
SPEAKER_00: As he says in verse number one.
34:36
SPEAKER_00: Now therefore the feast of the Passover.
34:38
SPEAKER_00: When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world.
34:41
SPEAKER_00: Having loved his own.
34:43
SPEAKER_00: He loved them to the end.
34:49
SPEAKER_00: See much like.
34:52
SPEAKER_00: Paul asked for him,
34:53
SPEAKER_00: Jesus here demonstrates the loving authority of God that doesn't pound on desks
34:59
SPEAKER_00: and raise its voice.
35:02
SPEAKER_00: It stoops and it serves.
35:06
SPEAKER_00: The authority of God's son here is willingly serving and sacrificing himself for
35:13
SPEAKER_00: the good of those who are dear to him.
35:17
SPEAKER_00: For the good of those that he is affectionately desirous of.
35:20
SPEAKER_00: So that he can win their hearts for the light and the truth and the kingdom of God.
35:26
SPEAKER_00: That's what he's doing in the midst of this moment.
35:28
SPEAKER_00: He's giving all for the sake of those that are dear to him.
35:34
SPEAKER_00: And upside down.
35:35
SPEAKER_00: Motive, an upside down method.
35:38
SPEAKER_00: They were gentle in authority.
35:39
SPEAKER_00: Lastly, number three, an upside down message.
35:45
SPEAKER_00: Fruitful in failure.
35:49
SPEAKER_00: Fruitful in failure.
35:50
SPEAKER_00: Paul, going back to 1 Thessalonians, Paul began this section.
35:54
SPEAKER_00: If you remember,
35:55
SPEAKER_00: 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 1,
35:57
SPEAKER_00: he begins this section by noting that his coming to them was not in vain.
36:02
SPEAKER_00: The word is fruitless or the word is pointless.
36:06
SPEAKER_00: Which, in and of itself,
36:07
SPEAKER_00: is quite a statement,
36:08
SPEAKER_00: I think,
36:08
SPEAKER_00: when you think about the circumstances,
36:10
SPEAKER_00: when you think about the events surrounding what happened there.
36:14
SPEAKER_00: Again, he and his team,
36:15
SPEAKER_00: they arrived, they preached for a few weeks, and then they had to skip town.
36:18
SPEAKER_00: They were run out of town.
36:20
SPEAKER_00: And there was a positive response,
36:22
SPEAKER_00: yes, but despite that positive response, Paul didn't stay as long as he wanted to.
36:28
SPEAKER_00: As he says in chapter 2, verse 17, he says that we were torn away.
36:32
SPEAKER_00: This was a failure by all the commandments.
36:35
SPEAKER_00: Unconceivable measures.
36:36
SPEAKER_00: We didn't do what we wanted to.
36:38
SPEAKER_00: We didn't do what we expected to.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: We were torn away.
36:42
SPEAKER_00: It was a failure.
36:43
SPEAKER_00: We didn't actually succeed.
36:45
SPEAKER_00: Even though we saw positive responses.
36:48
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's exactly how the slanderers were spinning it.
36:53
SPEAKER_00: What a bust that Paul guy was, right?
36:55
SPEAKER_00: I mean, what a phony.
36:58
SPEAKER_00: He didn't even stick around.
37:01
SPEAKER_00: And if you were measuring success...
37:04
SPEAKER_00: By what was obviously seen, I think you might have been given to believe them.
37:10
SPEAKER_00: But Paul insists that they track a different way to measure success.
37:17
SPEAKER_00: Especially when it comes to local church ministry.
37:20
SPEAKER_00: What's a better way to track success?
37:23
SPEAKER_00: By emphasizing the word that outlasts even its messenger.
37:29
SPEAKER_00: Anyone who speaks it.
37:31
SPEAKER_00: Verse 13, notice what he says.
37:33
SPEAKER_00: I love, this is an amazing verse.
37:37
SPEAKER_00: And we also thank God constantly for this,
37:42
SPEAKER_00: that when you receive the word of God,
37:44
SPEAKER_00: which you heard from us,
37:45
SPEAKER_00: you accepted it not as the word of men,
37:49
SPEAKER_00: but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
37:58
SPEAKER_00: Believers.
38:00
SPEAKER_00: Wow, track this.
38:01
SPEAKER_00: This is so cool to me.
38:02
SPEAKER_00: Long after he was gone,
38:05
SPEAKER_00: long after he hadn't been there for a while,
38:08
SPEAKER_00: who knows in between when he gets to Berea,
38:10
SPEAKER_00: when he finally gets to Corinth,
38:11
SPEAKER_00: when he finally writes this letter, we don't know what span of time that was.
38:16
SPEAKER_00: But even long after Paul was gone,
38:18
SPEAKER_00: Paul's words were still having a profound impact on the Thessalonians.
38:25
SPEAKER_00: They were still resonating precisely because they weren't Paul's words.
38:32
SPEAKER_00: They were God's.
38:33
SPEAKER_00: You received my words,
38:34
SPEAKER_00: he says,
38:35
SPEAKER_00: not as my words,
38:36
SPEAKER_00: not as the words of men,
38:37
SPEAKER_00: but as the words of God, which is what they were, Paul says.
38:42
SPEAKER_00: The word of God?
38:43
SPEAKER_00: Which as Paul has said twice now is the gospel of God tells us all about what?
38:48
SPEAKER_00: The plan of God to save the world and make all things new.
38:52
SPEAKER_00: Praise Jesus through Jesus' death and resurrection.
38:55
SPEAKER_00: That's not something that any one of us could come up with.
39:00
SPEAKER_00: That news, that type of message only has one source.
39:04
SPEAKER_00: There's only one person who can conceive of a message like that.
39:10
SPEAKER_00: Paul says, I didn't come up with it.
39:12
SPEAKER_00: This isn't me.
39:12
SPEAKER_00: This isn't me.
39:15
SPEAKER_00: Preachers,
39:17
SPEAKER_00: in other words,
39:17
SPEAKER_00: I think Paul is conveying to the Thessalonians here, we're just mouthpieces.
39:23
SPEAKER_00: We're heralds.
39:25
SPEAKER_00: We didn't proclaim to you our wit, our wisdom, our acuity, our insights.
39:30
SPEAKER_00: No, we're proclaiming what we've been given to say.
39:34
SPEAKER_00: God has entrusted us and proved us to preach the gospel of God, so we speak.
39:38
SPEAKER_00: And now we've been speaking, and we're not speaking our ability, our acumen.
39:45
SPEAKER_00: No, we're preaching what God has given us to say and you're receiving it as what it is.
39:50
SPEAKER_00: The words of God, the words of life, the words of power.
39:55
SPEAKER_00: It isn't the herald that is remembered, but the word of the one who sent him.
40:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's kind of a thing.
40:03
SPEAKER_00: Who cares about the messenger?
40:06
SPEAKER_00: You care about the king who sent the messenger,
40:08
SPEAKER_00: who decreed that he give this message and authorized him to speak.
40:13
SPEAKER_00: That's the whole point.
40:15
SPEAKER_00: The words that are at work, as he says there, verse 13, this word was at work in you believers.
40:21
SPEAKER_00: That word that was working in them even after he was gone,
40:24
SPEAKER_00: even after the sermon was done, was God's words.
40:30
SPEAKER_00: He was absent.
40:31
SPEAKER_00: God's word was still at work in the present.
40:34
SPEAKER_00: And yes,
40:35
SPEAKER_00: even despite all of the unpleasant circumstances that were surrounding them,
40:40
SPEAKER_00: it was at work in them, conforming them, changing them.
40:44
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 14.
40:46
SPEAKER_00: For you brothers became those imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus
40:53
SPEAKER_00: that are in Judea.
40:55
SPEAKER_00: For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews.
41:01
SPEAKER_00: Even in the midst of conflict, suffering, there's oppression, there's stuff from the outside.
41:06
SPEAKER_00: Even in the midst of all that, you were being conformed to the image of Christ.
41:10
SPEAKER_00: You're becoming not just disciples, as he says, but imitators, followers of the way of Jesus.
41:20
SPEAKER_00: This young bunch of believers...
41:22
SPEAKER_00: They were already marked with a striking resemblance to the family of God.
41:28
SPEAKER_00: Bruises and all, in the midst of suffering, the word was at work in them.
41:35
SPEAKER_00: Solidifying them, sanctifying them, keeping them steady.
41:41
SPEAKER_00: And yet few would have noticed or said that this was true.
41:44
SPEAKER_00: A right side, a right side up.
41:50
SPEAKER_00: Understanding of faith and religion says that suffering is proof that something is wrong.
41:59
SPEAKER_00: This, by the way,
42:00
SPEAKER_00: that's like a very condensed version, but that's like the condensed version of Job.
42:05
SPEAKER_00: It's 42 chapters of a very long conversation,
42:08
SPEAKER_00: and all of Job's friends are trying to convince him of that very thing.
42:11
SPEAKER_00: What'd you do wrong, Job?
42:12
SPEAKER_00: You did something wrong.
42:13
SPEAKER_00: Clearly you said something.
42:14
SPEAKER_00: Clearly you did something.
42:16
SPEAKER_00: That's a right-side-up way, we could say.
42:19
SPEAKER_00: At least according to us, it's a right-sided up way of looking at suffering.
42:22
SPEAKER_00: It's clearly something's wrong.
42:25
SPEAKER_00: Because life would be smoother than this.
42:27
SPEAKER_00: If it's from God, life would be smoother than this.
42:31
SPEAKER_00: But here Paul is alluding to something quite remarkable that an upside down view
42:36
SPEAKER_00: of faith and belief says that something else is at work.
42:41
SPEAKER_00: Even when the pressure intensifies,
42:44
SPEAKER_00: even when things are getting a little bit dicey,
42:46
SPEAKER_00: even when it feels like we're being put into a vice grip,
42:50
SPEAKER_00: even when it feels like the pressure and the heat is being turned up a little bit.
42:54
SPEAKER_00: There's a word that is working in us and on us and through us.
42:59
SPEAKER_00: And from that perspective,
43:01
SPEAKER_00: even all of this affliction isn't an obstacle to the kind of faith that bears fruit.
43:06
SPEAKER_00: Actually, it's part and parcel of it.
43:09
SPEAKER_00: As he says, verse 15.
43:12
SPEAKER_00: Or read verse 14 again.
43:13
SPEAKER_00: Wow, Paul, whoa.
43:41
SPEAKER_00: Where did you get all that?
43:44
SPEAKER_00: We can spend some time maybe at a later date and get into some of the nuances of that.
43:48
SPEAKER_00: But if you want to summarize all this,
43:50
SPEAKER_00: in other words,
43:51
SPEAKER_00: the smear campaign that was following Paul and threatening the Thessalonians is not
43:56
SPEAKER_00: a new thing.
43:58
SPEAKER_00: It's not some like brand new entity that you are facing opposition from.
44:04
SPEAKER_00: No, as Paul says, it's the same group of unbelievers that have been there through the ages.
44:10
SPEAKER_00: They killed Christ.
44:11
SPEAKER_00: They killed all the prophets of God.
44:13
SPEAKER_00: And yes, Paul could even say, I used to be one of them.
44:18
SPEAKER_00: Remember Acts chapter 7?
44:21
SPEAKER_00: I think we don't have to go there.
44:22
SPEAKER_00: Remember Acts chapter 7?
44:23
SPEAKER_00: They're stoning Stephen.
44:24
SPEAKER_00: And who's holding the coats?
44:26
SPEAKER_00: Approving.
44:27
SPEAKER_00: Actually the word in, I think in King James or Israe or whatever it says.
44:30
SPEAKER_00: It says consenting.
44:31
SPEAKER_00: He's agreeing to the death.
44:33
SPEAKER_00: It's Paul.
44:36
SPEAKER_00: He was one of them.
44:38
SPEAKER_00: Who was opposed to Christ.
44:40
SPEAKER_00: Who was standing with those who were like, yes, we are for God.
44:44
SPEAKER_00: Because we're killing those people who are of the way of Jesus.
44:48
SPEAKER_00: Paul could say, I was one of them.
44:52
SPEAKER_00: And I think if we're honest.
44:55
SPEAKER_00: So are we every time we hinder the word of the cross.
44:59
SPEAKER_00: Because that's what Paul is alluding to.
45:02
SPEAKER_00: They killed Jesus.
45:02
SPEAKER_00: They killed the prophets.
45:05
SPEAKER_00: And now they don't even want the Gentiles.
45:07
SPEAKER_00: Do you notice that phrase?
45:08
SPEAKER_00: By hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles.
45:10
SPEAKER_00: That they might be saved.
45:12
SPEAKER_00: They're opposing the word that's at work in them from going out.
45:19
SPEAKER_00: When we do that.
45:22
SPEAKER_00: We join this long-standing resistance to what God is doing.
45:28
SPEAKER_00: And yet,
45:29
SPEAKER_00: even still,
45:31
SPEAKER_00: whether it's the unbelief of the people of the Messiah or if it's the death of
45:35
SPEAKER_00: the Messiah himself,
45:37
SPEAKER_00: what Paul is alluding to here is that no amount of resistance to the gospel can foil
45:44
SPEAKER_00: the work of the gospel in those who believe Christ.
45:48
SPEAKER_00: Because despite all that, what does he tell the Thessalonians?
45:51
SPEAKER_00: God's word was at work in you.
45:54
SPEAKER_00: You've become imitators.
45:56
SPEAKER_00: You've become followers.
45:57
SPEAKER_00: It's at work.
45:58
SPEAKER_00: The evidence is clearly seen.
46:00
SPEAKER_00: We're seeing it.
46:03
SPEAKER_00: Ours is a God who weaves even opposition to accomplish his purposes,
46:08
SPEAKER_00: which means the measure of success is not always what we see as successful,
46:15
SPEAKER_00: but whether or not the word of God is taking root and it's going to work
46:20
SPEAKER_00: and it's creating people who believe and endure even when it costs them.
46:26
SPEAKER_00: That's the measure of success.
46:28
SPEAKER_00: It's the word, the word as he says back in chapter 1, that sounds forth from you.
46:36
SPEAKER_00: That's the measure of success.
46:38
SPEAKER_00: Not always what we see as successful.
46:40
SPEAKER_00: And how do we know that?
46:41
SPEAKER_00: Because every upside down feature that Paul has mentioned here was first
46:45
SPEAKER_00: and foremost true of Christ.
46:49
SPEAKER_00: Who?
46:49
SPEAKER_00: We can say very adamantly.
46:51
SPEAKER_00: He was bold in weakness because he set his face towards Jerusalem.
46:56
SPEAKER_00: Remember that?
46:56
SPEAKER_00: He set his face towards Jerusalem knowing full well that a cross and a crown
47:01
SPEAKER_00: of thorns were waiting for them.
47:04
SPEAKER_00: He was gentle in authority as he wept for the city.
47:08
SPEAKER_00: Remember,
47:08
SPEAKER_00: oh Jerusalem,
47:09
SPEAKER_00: Jerusalem, oh that I would gather you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.
47:14
SPEAKER_00: That's what he says over the very city who in a few short days after he said
47:18
SPEAKER_00: that would cry out for his crucifixion.
47:23
SPEAKER_00: He was fruitful and failure because Jesus,
47:28
SPEAKER_00: his body and we could say the promise and potential of his ministry was put in
47:33
SPEAKER_00: a borrowed tomb.
47:36
SPEAKER_00: He had even at the sight of all of that.
47:39
SPEAKER_00: Failure, defeat, unsuccess.
47:43
SPEAKER_00: God was at work.
47:45
SPEAKER_00: Because all those places, that's in weakness and failure and defeat.
47:51
SPEAKER_00: That's where resurrection happens.
47:55
SPEAKER_00: John 12, 24.
47:56
SPEAKER_00: I'll just read this verse because it's so fitting as we close.
48:00
SPEAKER_00: John 12, 24.
48:01
SPEAKER_00: What does Jesus say?
48:02
SPEAKER_00: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies...
48:07
SPEAKER_00: It remains alone.
48:08
SPEAKER_00: But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
48:14
SPEAKER_00: If there's one thing, no, there's many things.
48:18
SPEAKER_00: But if there's one thing that I think I've become convinced of in the last few years is this.
48:24
SPEAKER_00: It should mean something.
48:27
SPEAKER_00: That churches have crosses on them and in them.
48:31
SPEAKER_00: It should mean something.
48:34
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you walk by a cross and you don't consciously think about what
48:38
SPEAKER_00: that image is meant to evoke.
48:41
SPEAKER_00: But it should mean something.
48:45
SPEAKER_00: It should mean,
48:46
SPEAKER_00: I think it means this,
48:47
SPEAKER_00: that the church that God is building doesn't always look like what people expect it
48:51
SPEAKER_00: to look like.
48:52
SPEAKER_00: Because the cross wasn't what anyone expected God's son to do.
48:59
SPEAKER_00: It means I think that God does some of his best work in those places
49:03
SPEAKER_00: that we often avoid weakness and failure.
49:07
SPEAKER_00: It means that the message of God is still going to work even
49:11
SPEAKER_00: when its messenger is dead and gone.
49:14
SPEAKER_00: Because the message is what prevails.
49:16
SPEAKER_00: The word is what prevails.
49:18
SPEAKER_00: Where the world is going to tell you that strength always wins.
49:22
SPEAKER_00: That authority is always domineering.
49:24
SPEAKER_00: And that success proves all of that.
49:26
SPEAKER_00: The cross and the empty tomb tell us a much different story.
49:33
SPEAKER_00: And ultimately we can say this.
49:34
SPEAKER_00: Your faith this morning.
49:36
SPEAKER_00: This is actually really good news.
49:37
SPEAKER_00: Your faith doesn't ultimately depend on Paul or me or any pastor.
49:43
SPEAKER_00: No, it doesn't.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: Paul passed away.
49:48
SPEAKER_00: Me or some other pastor who takes over whenever I'm dead and gone, he's going to fail you.
49:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to fail you.
49:54
SPEAKER_00: But praise God.
49:56
SPEAKER_00: Our faith doesn't rest on me.
49:58
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't rest on me.
49:59
SPEAKER_00: It rests on the word of God that is at work in you.
50:03
SPEAKER_00: That's where it comes from.
50:04
SPEAKER_00: That's where it rests on.
50:07
SPEAKER_00: This word is still at work in you.
50:09
SPEAKER_00: And it's at work in the world.
50:11
SPEAKER_00: Even now.
50:12
SPEAKER_00: Which means that we are filled with hope and joy in believing.
50:21
SPEAKER_00: Because this word is at work.
50:24
SPEAKER_00: This word that tells us all about the God who took what looked like the end of everything.
50:30
SPEAKER_00: His son dying.
50:32
SPEAKER_00: The most cruel form of death possible.
50:35
SPEAKER_00: And he raised him from the dead for the salvation of all who believe.
50:42
SPEAKER_00: That is what fills us with a certainty of faithfulness,
50:47
SPEAKER_00: of hope, of understanding, of meaning, of purpose.
50:52
SPEAKER_00: As we walk in this world that is filled with darkness,
50:55
SPEAKER_00: we can live and, yes,
50:56
SPEAKER_00: walk in a manner worthy of God,
50:58
SPEAKER_00: pursuing the kingdom and glory of God, knowing that Christ Jesus is Lord over all.
51:05
SPEAKER_00: He's not dead.
51:06
SPEAKER_00: He's risen.
51:08
SPEAKER_00: This is the word that fills the church.
51:11
SPEAKER_00: That spurs it on.
51:12
SPEAKER_00: That keeps us going and enduring.
51:15
SPEAKER_00: May God be praised.
51:17
SPEAKER_00: That his word is still at work.
51:18
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray this morning.