In the name of Jesus, let's all
stand together, number 42. Let us praise the name of Jesus,
prophet, priest, and sovereign king. To him render adoration,
laud and homage to him bring. Let us praise the name of Jesus,
God incarnate from above, come to save His chosen people, sent
by God in covenant love. Let us praise the name of Jesus,
who upon Mount Calvary shed his blood and sealed our pardoned,
died from sin to set us free. Let us praise the name of Jesus,
risen conquering, gracious friend, advocate and mediator. All our hopes on him depend. Let us praise the name of Jesus,
for he brought us to his fold. Come, exalt his name and worship,
may the Savior be extolled. Let us praise the name of Jesus,
till we see Him face to face. Then through the endless ages
praise Him for His love and grace. Please be seated. Good morning. If you'd like to
turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, First
Thessalonians chapter 2. We'll pick up where we left off
last Sunday. Advocate, mediator, and friend. His love and his grace. Isn't
that what we were just saying about? I'm so very thankful that we
have a Savior. A Savior who's able to save to
the uttermost all by himself. He's not counting on me for any
contribution. in order for him to accomplish
the work of salvation. The sins of God's people have
been put away, and he's our hope. He is our hope. Let's pray together,
ask his blessings on our time together. Our Heavenly Father,
So very thankful that you've once again brought us here to
this place. We're thankful for the promise
of thy presence. We're thankful for the power
of thy spirit. We're thankful for the truthfulness
of thy word. And oh, how thankful we are for
the successful salvation accomplished by thy dear son. And how hopeful
we are that your Holy Spirit would bless your word to our
hearts and that you would reveal to us the glory of Christ and
give us hope in his person and in his finished work. We ask it in Christ's name. Amen. We left off last Sunday with
verse four in chapter two. But as we were allowed of God
to be put in trust with the gospel. What a glorious statement. That's
what we are right now. We've been allowed by God to
be put in trust with the gospel. It's not our gospel to to change. It's not our gospel to interpret.
It's our gospel to declare. It's God's gospel. It's the gospel
of His glorious grace in the accomplished work of His Son. It's good news. Salvation is
of the Lord. It is required of a steward,
and we're all stewards of the gospel if we're the people of
God. It is required of a steward that
he be found faithful. So our Our duty, our responsibility,
and our joy is to declare the truth of the gospel, to exalt
Christ, to praise Him as we just did. The gospel of God's free
grace in the finished work of Christ is the only message of
salvation that gives to Him all the praise and all the glory.
We just talked about, we just sang about praising Him. And
the gospel is the means by which we do that. Even so, we speak
not as pleasing men. We have no interest in pleasing
men. You will either fear man or you'll fear God. What is it
to fear God? It's to believe God. It's just
to believe Him. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
comes by the Word of God. Faith doesn't come by understanding. Faith doesn't come by knowledge.
Faith comes by hearing. We don't understand anything
we believe. We really don't. I'm it's faith
is a gift of God in the declared message of salvation given to
us in God's Word and we just believe it was believe it can
understand what we understand what do we understand for neither at anytime neither
at anytime used we flattering words now what is it the flatter
someone you've been flattered and i'm sure that you have flattered
someone else to an attempt to try to impress them by uh... either an insincere or an untruthful
uh... uh... statement about them uh...
for the purpose of uh... of selfish gain. Is that not
what flattery is? Religion is full of flattery. Preachers flattering men, giving
them insincere and untruthful opinions of themselves for the
purpose of their own gain. I mean, I'm just thinking of
the most blatant example of that that I can think about in our
culture today is Joel Osteen. He's just a flatterer. That's
what he does. You can do it. You've got the
power. You're able. You're beautiful.
You're good. You know, he just wrote a book
entitled I Am. And he makes no reference to
that being the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious I
Am. Every chapter in that book is,
I am strong, I am beautiful, I am able, I am...that's flattery. That's flattery. Just flattering
men. And people come and flock to
that kind of preaching. Paul said, we didn't flatter
you. We didn't tell you things that weren't true about yourself.
Let me tell you something else that's flattering. It's flattering
to tell men that they have a free will. It's an untrue statement that
exalts man's opinion of himself for the purpose of personal gain
on the part of the preacher to tell a man that the god loves
everybody in christ died for budding goblins are about to
be saved and you've got to make a decision uh... the power is
in your hand uh... god's voting for you the devil's
vote against you you get to break the tie that's flattery That's
just flattery. Paul said, I didn't come to you
with flattering words. I didn't build you up to have
a higher esteem of yourself than what you ought to have. No, I
told you the truth. I told you that you were dead
in your trespasses and sins. I told that you were unable to
believe apart from the sovereign grace of God. I told you that
you were grass. You remember when Isaiah said,
Lord, where do I start this message of salvation? And the Lord said,
tell them they're grass. Tell them they have no ability.
Tell them they have no strength. Tell them they have nothing.
They are completely dependent upon the grace of God. Don't
flatter them. Don't flatter them. religion is full of flattery
isn't it it's flattery to tell a person that that their good
works somehow either earned them favor with God or at least gives
evidence of their salvation you see anytime we get a person what
is it when you flatter when somebody's flattering what do you what do
you what is their objective to get you to look at yourself isn't
it You flatter somebody to get them to think highly of themselves. And that's what religion is.
It's impulse that I didn't come to you with flattering words.
I didn't build you up in a way that wasn't true. I gave you
hope, but your hope was not in yourself. your hope and your
salvation was all bound up in the glorious person and finished
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's not flattery. That's exalting
Christ, isn't it? Paul said we didn't promote you. A lot of religion is based on flattery
in that in in that it it promotes one man over another man based
on how much knowledge he has uh... you know and their and
there are there are levels of uh... uh... of of sanctification
based on how much how much you've learned uh... and men flattering
one another to see who's holier as isaiah said them down uh... all of religion is based on flattery
Paul said, when we came to you, we didn't flatter you. We didn't
try to get you to look to yourself. We told you the truth about what
you are and your absolute, complete dependence upon the Lord Jesus
Christ. And then we declared to you His
finished work, His glorious person. Look what he says. For neither
at any time use we flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak
of covetousness. that's what flattering words
are flattering words are a cloak of covetousness aren't they you
flatter someone when you when you cut it something they've
got whether be their approval or whatever uh... preachers do
it all the time they flatter me on as a cloak of covetousness
and uh... we're we're not we're not here
to covet anything from one another are we We're here to covet God's
grace. We're here to covet Christ. We're
here to covet our salvation. Nor of men sought we glory. Look what he says in the rest
of this verse. Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you nor
yet of others. when we might have been burdensome
as the apostles of christ now perhaps you have it in the margin
of your bible i have it in mind uh... that word burdensome is
the word authority what paul saying in this verse is uh... we could have come to you and
insisted on your submission to our authority but we didn't do
that let me say this you get Respect is never something that
can be demanded. You can't demand respect from
anyone. You might get submission from
someone by intimidation, but you're not going to get respect.
Respect has to be earned, doesn't it? When the Lord was teaching
the disciples about who was going to... Remember they were fighting
over who's going to be first in the kingdom of God. And the
Lord said, let him who would be first become the servant of
all. That's how you're going to learn.
That's how you're going to earn respect through service. And
Paul's, in these next several verses, he's saying, we were
apostles. I mean, this man had the ability
to perform miracles. He could have called down the
power of God, and he said, we didn't come to you that way.
And again, isn't that so popular in religion? uh... many of you
came out of of a religious uh... experience where the elders demanded
your respect uh... they put you under the authority
of the law they crack the whip of the law over you and uh... and they were just like the pharisees
they put burdens on you that they themselves were not able
to carry And Paul said, we didn't do that. We didn't come to you
insisting on your submission to our authority. We came to
you serving you. Look what he goes on to say.
Uh, nor men sought we glory. We weren't, we weren't here to
try to promote ourselves. We weren't here to get you to
glory in us or to bow to us or to somehow give us something.
And another place, Paul said, I did not cover you, covet your
silver, your gold. I wasn't in this for personal
gain. Uh, we've been given a message
from God and, uh, our heart's desire is for your salvation. That's this whole chapter. Neither sought we glory from
men, neither of you, nor yet of others. When we might have
been able to exercise our authorities as apostles of Christ, we didn't
do it. But we were gentle among you,
even as a nurse cherishes her children." you don't he's talking about
that he's talking about uh... uh... a small child an infant
you don't discipline a small child you don't put them under
the law you don't rebuke them you don't raise your voice to
them uh... you you you you love a child don't you and uh... also when we came to you we came
with the authority of the gospel and we came as apostles but uh... We didn't treat you that way.
We spoke comfortably to you. Now what the Lord told Isaiah,
speak ye comfort to my people. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. Speak to their hearts. There's no place for brow-beating
preaching. The kind of preaching that makes
people feel, well, A lot of people come to church in order to do
penance. And they'll go to a church where they know they're going
to be beat up by the preacher, so they can leave feeling as
if, well, I paid my dues for my sin this week. You know, such hypocrisy and
such denial of Christ. You know, you heard people say,
well, you know, preacher, you stepped on my toes today. You
know, you blooded me up. People go for that. Paul said,
I didn't do that. First of all, you can't add to
the finished work of Christ. He's already put away your sin.
Don't try to do penance. Don't try to add to what he's
already accomplished. As a nurse cherishes her children,
so, verse 8, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing
to have imparted unto you not only the gospel of God. This gospel. We never tire of
hearing the gospel, do we? We never tire of preaching the
gospel. We never tire of reminding ourselves
that God is God. And as God, He sovereignly chose,
according to His will and purpose, a particular people in a covenant
of grace before time ever began. That's part and parcel of the
gospel, isn't it? That's the beginning of the gospel.
We never tire in reminding ourselves that when the Lord Jesus Christ
came into this world, He satisfied all the demands of God's holy
law. He was the only one that lived a life of perfect obedience
before God, and that God's looking to him for all our righteousness. We have no righteousness outside
of Christ. You and I have never been able
to keep one of God's laws one time. Christ kept them all, all
the time. with all of his heart and and
that's the gospel where look to Christ and then that that
he laid his life down as a ransom to pay the penalty for our sins
and shed his precious blood in order to cover our sins put them
away every one of them once and for all before God what a glorious
gospel what a glorious Christ what a savior And then as proof
that God was satisfied with his finished work, God raised him
from the dead, ascended him into glory. He seated at the right
hand of the majesty on high, ever living, making intercession
on behalf of his church, interceding on our behalf. Father, he's one
of mine. I died for him. I died for her.
She's one of ours. What a blessed gospel. It's not of him that willeth.
It's not of man's free will. That's flattery. It's not of
him that worketh. It's not of anything you do.
It's of God to show mercy. It's of God to do all the saving.
And Paul said, we came to you with the gospel. And not only
did we impart to you the gospel, we imparted ourselves to you.
We, we laid our own lives on the line for the good of your
own souls, but also our own souls, because you were dear unto us. You were dear unto us. For you remember, brethren, our
labor and travail. This matter of the gospel, it
is a labor. It's a good labor, but it's a
constant labor, particular upon those whom God has called out
to preach it, day and night. I've said this to you before.
If you've got a job, you can walk away from the afternoon
and not have to think about it again until you go back the next
morning. enjoy your preacher to your pastor doesn't have that
kind of uh... freedom it's day and night it
never leaves is always there the burden of the souls of god's
people uh... and and paul said you know we
we labored in the word and in prayer for you for your salvation Our labor and travail for laboring
night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of
you, we preached unto you the gospel of God." Now, particularly
he's making reference here to the fact that Paul was being
accused by his enemies that he was in this for himself. And
so as a, as an itinerant preacher, as a missionary, Paul would go
to a place and preach the gospel and, um, and would work on the
side in order to provide for himself rather than giving anyone
the impression that, um, that he was coveting their material
wealth. And that was very peculiar to
Paul. It wasn't the method that the
Lord gave us for sustaining a gospel work. the method that the lord
gave us for sustaining a gospel work is for the believers to
share in uh... in in their in their means to
provide for the pastor who is laboring and travailing night
and day in the gospel uh... but paul said i i i wasn't going
to be accused and i wasn't gonna give them any opportunity to
uh... so i i labored Not only in the gospel, but I provided
for myself while I was there. You are witnesses, verse 10,
and God also, how wholly and justly and unblameable we behaved
ourselves among you that believe. It was nothing You know, I want
to hear the gospel from someone who, first of all, speaks the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Second of all,
they believe it. And third of all, they live it.
And if those things aren't consistent in a gospel preacher, we're not
going to hear. We're not going to be blessed
by anything he has to say, are we? So Paul's just saying, you
know, whatever accusations they're making against me, you know better.
You know better. But in particular, and especially
with the verses that are coming up, Paul was saying we did not retaliate
against those who persecuted us. We did as the Lord did. We did good unto those who we
returned good for evil. The Lord said don't return evil
for evil. that they're gonna they're gonna
persecute you for the gospel but but be kind to them and he
went on to say if your enemy is hungry feed him if he's thirsty
give him to drink so when someone persecute you for the gospel
you share the gospel with them Verse 11, as you know, how we
exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father
doth his children. We didn't browbeat you. We didn't
try to shame you. We try to exhort you, to encourage
you, to build you up in the gospel. that you should walk worthy of
God who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. We were examples unto you and
we basically said to you, follow us as we follow Christ. Here's
the gospel for this cause. Also thank we God without ceasing
because when you received the word of God, you received the
Word of God that's how that's how we're saved just receive
the Word of God was believe it I'm of his own will begat he
us birthed us into the family with the Word of Truth so Paul
said 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 worketh also in you that believe." You received it as the word of
God, and it has worked in you effectually. For you, brethren, became followers
of the churches of God, which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. For you also have suffered like
things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews."
So what you've experienced in terms of the opposition that's
come against you for the gospel's sake, your brethren in Israel
experienced the same thing. This is every believer's experience
for the sake of the gospel. We're not here to flatter men. We're here to preach the gospel
to them. May God give us the grace to
do just that. Let's take a break. Okay.