Let us turn once again to God's
Word and turning now to the first epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians
1st Thessalonians in chapter 2 and I'll read verses 1 to 4
1st Thessalonians chapter 2 reading verses 1 to 4 for yourselves
brethren know our entrance in unto you that it was not in vain
But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated,
as you know at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto
you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation
was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. But as we were
allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, Even so we speak,
not as pleasing men, but gods which trieth our hearts. I want us to consider this morning
something of the Apostle Paul's entrance among the Thessalonians. Paul's entrance among the Thessalonians. He declares here in the first
verse of the chapter, Yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in
unto you, that it was not in vain." Really, the words that
we have at the beginning of this verse are quite emphatic. There is a repetition of the
pronoun. Literally, he says, for you yourselves,
brethren. No. We have a very similar construction
in what he says in the previous chapter of verse 9 where he says,
for they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we
had unto you. Again observe there the repetition,
they themselves. And so here in the word that
I've announced as our text it should also read you yourselves
these in Macedonia had known something of the ministry of
the Apostle they had heard the truth of that gospel and it had
so affected them that they had then shown and reported it on
to others as he says there at verse 8 in chapter 1 from you
sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia
but in every place your faith to God will be spread abroad
so that we need not to speak anything for they themselves
show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you and that ye
turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Paul's ministry then as he engaged
in that ministry amongst the Thessalonians was clearly not
in vain. They came to such an experience
of the truth of the Gospel that he was declaring unto them. They knew it. And they knew it
in their souls experience. Yourselves brethren know our
entrance in unto you that it was not in vain. He goes on to declare quite plainly
later at verse 13, for this cause also thank we God without ceasing
because when ye receive the word of God which ye heard of us ye
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. or that ministry that he was
able to exercise amongst these people was quite a remarkable
ministry under the gracious working of the Holy Spirit. Again, look
at what he says at verse 5 in the opening chapter. Our gospel
came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. As you know, what manner of men
we were among you for your sake." Their knowledge then that they
came to was that that was wrought by the Holy Spirit in their souls. Paul's ministry in that place
was a very fruitful ministry and how vital that they should
come to such an experimental knowledge of the truth of the
Gospel. And so, as I said this morning,
this is the particular theme that I want to bring before you. It's that of Paul's entrance
amongst them, as he speaks of it here in particular in this
opening verse of the second chapter. For yourselves, or literally
for you yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you,
that it was not in vain. First of all, as we consider
then something of Paul's coming amongst them, I want to say something
with regards to the meanness of his person, in and of himself. There was very little about his
physical appearance or his personality that would commend the message
that he was seeking to proclaim. in human terms there was nothing
very grand or very distinguishing about Paul when he writes to
the Corinthians he acknowledges as much in 2nd Corinthians 10
and verse 10 we read that his bodily presence is weak and his
speech contemptible and so too as he came amongst these Philippians
look at what he says at the beginning of the second verse, even after
that we had suffered before, and was shamefully entreated,
as you know, at Philippi. And we read something of what
he experienced in seeking to faithfully exercise his ministry
there in Philippi. He had received that remarkable
call, the Macedonian call that's spoken of there at verse 9 following
in Acts chapter 16 and understanding the significance of that vision
he had gone forth with some urgency into Macedonia and come to this
principal city of Philippi and there he'd exercised a remarkable
ministry in the case of Lydia who was already a worshipper
of God she seemed to have been some sort of proselyte to the
Jewish religion but the Lord opens her heart and she attends
to those things that are preached by Paul and Silas but then you
know the outcome how that this damsel possessed of a spirit
of divination as she follows them about mocking the gospel
really and then Paul performing this miracle in commanding the
unclean spirit in the name of Christ to leave the woman this
causes concern to her masters they were obviously able to to
make something, some gain from the spirit of divination in the
woman and so they summon the magistrates and Paul and Silas
are cruelly treated and then they're cast into the prison. We just read something of the
detail there of that account in that 16th chapter. And the
multitude rose up together The magistrates rent off their clothes,
commanded to beat them. They laid many stripes upon them,
cast them into the prison, and charged the jailer to keep them
safely. And he, receiving them, thrusts
them into the inner prison and makes their feet fast in the
stocks. How cruelly these men are treated. And yet, the magistrates not
realizing that the apostle himself of course was a Roman citizen
they should not have treated him in such a fashion and we
see how that these magistrates at the end are humbled, they're
fearful when they heard that they were Romans they came and
besought them and brought them out and desired them to depart
out of the city and so having first gone to the house of Lydia
to comfort and to encourage those who were gathered there, they
then depart. And then we come to chapter 17, when they had
passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,
where was the synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner
was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them
out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ's must
needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead, and this
Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ." Now this is what
he is referring to then, here in this second verse. Even after
that we had suffered before and were shamefully untreated, As
ye know, at Philippi we were bold in our God to speak unto
you the gospel of God with much contention. he comes amongst
them then scarred in his own body and in many ways smarting
in his own spirit after the way in which he had been so shamefully
treated there at Philippi but though he comes as one who in
his own appearance is contemptible one that others might easily
dismiss and yet he comes as one who is going to preach unto them
the gospel. He is aware, quite clearly aware
that that that had been committed unto his charge. When he writes
to the Corinthians he says that God has committed unto us that
word of reconciliation. Now, the God was in Christ reconciling
the world, reconciling sinners unto Himself. And so His preaching,
as He says here at the end of verse 1, was not in vain. And the word that He uses is
literally the word for empty. He didn't come empty-handed. He comes with the gospel. We were bold, he says. We were
bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God. And Paul was ever mindful of
this as he seeks in various places to exercise his ministry. Remember the language that he
uses when he writes to the Corinthians there in 1 Corinthians chapter
2. He says, I brethren, when I came to you, came not with
excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony
of God. For I determined not to know
anything among you, say Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And
I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and the power. He's nothing of himself. There's
no personality cult with regard to the ministry of the Apostle
Paul. There are those today, there
ever have been those preachers, and really all they seem to want
to do is to project themselves and project their own personalities. That was not the way of Paul.
He himself, you see, his bodily presence, as he says, was weak
and contemptible. There was nothing very grand
about his appearance or the words that he was speaking. His great
burden, his great concern is simply to declare the gospel
and to look to the Spirit of God to take those weak words
that he employs and to so apply that truth to the heart of sinners. Those who were converted were
not Paul's converts. They were evidently God's converts,
those wrought upon by the Spirit of God. As we've seen there In
chapter 1 and verse 5 you can say our gospel came not unto
you in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and
in much assurance. He comes in amongst these Thessalonians
as one who is not bent on what he himself can gain. what he
can get for himself or his own reputation. His great concern
is to come and to convey to them the great message of the Gospel
to give. It is more blessed to give than
to receive and how Paul was mindful of that. Look at what he says
here at verse 7 following, We were gentle among you, even as
a nurse cherisheth her children. so being affectionately desirous
of you, we were willing to impart it unto you, not the gospel of
God only, but also our own souls. because ye were dear unto us.
For ye remember brethren our labour and travail, for labouring
night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of
you, we preached unto you the gospel of God." Well this was
the manner then of his entrance amongst them. Again he says something
very similar when he writes there at the end of his second epistle
in chapter 3 of 2 Thessalonians verse 7 he can say yourselves
know how ye ought to follow us for we behave not ourselves disorderly
among you neither did we eat any man's bread for naught but
wrought with labor and travail night and day that we might not
be chargeable to any of you. Oh he's not there you see to
gain anything for himself It's not his own reputation, it's
not his own, in any sense, that he wants to
receive from them, it's only that that he wants to convey
and to give to them. He comes then in all the meanness
of his own person, but he comes as one who has a full gospel. and as a rich saviour and he
will proclaim this message to those who are poor and needy
sinners." There is then first of all here to be recognised
something of what Paul is in and of himself and the meanness
of his person. But then, in the second place,
observe the manner of his ministry, the manner of his preaching amongst
And here in verse 3 we see how he uses three negatives. He says, our exhortation, our
proclamation of the gospel, our preaching was not of deceit,
nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. There are three negatives here.
First of all, he says concerning his ministry it was not of deceit. Now the word that he uses here,
the word that rendered deceit, as the basic idea of wandering,
of going astray. Paul did not in any way mislead
them with regards to the message that he was seeking to set before
them. He says how he was allowed of
God to be put in trust with the Gospel there at the beginning
of verse 4. He was allowed, he was approved
of God. He was one who came amongst them,
not proclaiming his own message, but he comes as one who had been
taught by God and clearly sent by God. When he writes to the
Church of the Galatians, remember how he tells them quite plainly
where his authority lies. In Galatians 1, verse 11, I certify
you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not
after man. For I know that it was preceded
of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ. He says, He pleased God who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal
His Son in me that I might preach Him among the heathen. And He doesn't then confer with
other men, He doesn't confer with flesh and blood. but he
is one who feels, he is persuaded, the message he is proclaiming
is from God. He is not going to lead others
astray, he is not coming with his own ideas, he is not coming
with his own agenda, he is simply the servant of Jesus Christ. He is the Lord's own Apostle. There is nothing of deceit in
the ministry that he is seeking to exercise. But then also he
goes on Our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness,
he says. Nor of uncleanness. The word here is the word impurity. There's nothing impure in the
ministry of this man. What is he about? Again, he tells
the Corinthians, I seek not yours, but you. striking word that he
uses there in 2nd Corinthians 12 14 again remember with the
Corinthians time after time he has to defend his own ministry
there were those false teachers who were there in Corinth and
how many they had persuaded how many then were now despising
the Apostle Paul, although he'd been instrumental under God in
first establishing that church of the Corinthians. And it reminds
them what his ministry was. He did not seek theirs, he didn't
come in any sense to make gain of them. I seek not yours, but
you. He only desired their good. There was nothing impure. in the way in which this man
went about his ministry. He didn't engage in the ministry
for filthy lucre, for profit. He's so different, you see, to
those false teachers. Look at the way he speaks of
the false teachers when he writes to Titus. There in Titus chapter
1 verse 10 he says, There are many
unruly and vain talkers, and deceivers, especially they of
the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert
whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy
lucre's sake. All they want to do is make gain
out of the ministry, to feather their own nest, that's not poor.
Or there was nothing impure or unclean with regards to the way
in which this man went about that ministry that he had received
from the Lord and that gospel that God had committed to his
trust. That exhortation was not of deceit. He's not leading them astray.
He's not misleading them. Nor of uncleanness. He's not
seeking anything for himself. Nor in guile, he says. Three
negatives. Nor in guile. Again, it's interesting
to examine the particular word that he employs here. Of course,
all the time as he pens the epistle, he's writing not his own words,
he's writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And so what
we have is not so much the words of Paul, it's the word of God.
And how important the words are. If we really do believe in plenary
and verbal inspiration, it's not just the ideas behind the
language that he employs, it's the very words that he uses in
the origin that is inspired by the Spirit. And so I say it is
profitable sometimes to examine the actual words. And this word,
that's rendered guile, has the basic idea of being crafty. the idea of laying a bait to
entrap an animal but that's not the way in which Paul went about
his ministry his ministry was only marked with with sincerity
as he exercised what the Lord himself had called him to look
at the language that he uses in 2nd Corinthians 4 Therefore,
seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy we
faint not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,
not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully,
but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every
man's conscience in the sight of God. This man's ministry was
marked by that sincerity in the way in which he went about the
ministry. He was guileless and he is plain
speaking. He declares God's truth in an
honest fashion. Remember the language that we
have there in that second chapter of 1 Corinthians, we've already
referred to it. There in 1 Corinthians 2, verse
2, I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ
and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness
and in fear and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration
of the spirit and of power." Here we see then something of
the manner in which he exercised his ministry when he came amongst
those at Thessalonica. But not only do we have the negatives
in verse 3 but we have the balance here he goes on to speak in more
positive terms with regards to the manner of his ministry there
at the end of the second verse he says we were bold we were
bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much
contention bold in our God. He has conviction,
this man. And his conviction, as he speaks,
is born of that confidence that he has in God. It's not himself,
it's not his own ability to use persuasive and enticing words,
it's nothing of himself. He feels his complete and utter
dependence upon God, but he has confidence in God. and isn't
that what he really says there at verse 5 in chapter 1 when
he speaks about the gospel coming to the Thessalonians not in word
only not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost
he says and in much assurance in much assurance that is without
doubt of the veracity of that gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,
he is assured of the truth of the message that he is preaching
because he has experienced these things. When he writes to the
Philippians he can speak of those things which he has known and
heard and seen in man. know that this gospel had taken
possession of the apostle himself. He had had such an experience
of the grace of God. It was the same, remember, with
John, the same with all these apostles. They're not men who
are simply speaking theoretically about the things of God or the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They know these things in their
soul's experience. And so John, in the opening words
of that first general epistle, that which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which
we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word
of life, for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear
witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with
the Father, was manifested unto us, that which we have seen and
heard, declare we unto you, Oh, John, you see, he speaks of those
things which he had heard, which he had seen with his own eyes,
which he had looked upon, which his hands had handled, and so
he says this is that message that he wants to declare on to
them. It's a real Christ. It's a real Christ, and as was
the case with John, so also with the Apostle Paul. He has confidence
He has a conviction about these things. He is fully persuaded
of that gospel that he comes to proclaim. He can preach in
much assurance, as you know, what manner of men we were among
you, he says, for your sake. His positive statement then,
he is bold. But where is his boldness? Bold
in our God, he says, to speak unto you. To speak unto you the
gospel of God with much contention. It is the second aspect then
of that bold proclamation, it is with much contention. Again, the word has this idea
of a contest and a struggle. And now Paul knew that, there
was opposition, you see, there has to be a right contending
for the truth. What opposition he knew, even
when he went into Thessalonica, he had experienced the opposition
there of Philippi, he moves on, comes to Thessalonia, but what
happens in Thessalonia? Well, we're told as his manner was, he goes to
the synagogue and preaches and faithfully declares the truth
of the Gospel of Christ opening and alleging that Christ must
needs have suffered and risen again from the dead and this
Jesus whom I preached unto you is Christ and some of them believed,
we're told. But then, verse 5 of Acts 17,
But the Jews, which believed not, moved with envy, took unto
them certain lewd fellows of the basest sort, and gathered
a company, and set the whole city on an uproar, and assaulted
the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren
unto the rulers of the city, crying, These men have turned
the world upside down, and are come hither also. You see how there is much contention,
there is division as Paul exercises this ministry. There was opposition
as well as there being those who were ready to embrace the
truth of the gospel that the Apostle was preaching amongst
the Thessalonians. And Dr. Gill here speaks of the
division. The division that the Gospel
makes. Some being for it and some being
against it. And how true it is. How true
it was, of course, in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
And how that's unfolded to us time and again in what we are
told concerning Christ's preaching in the Gospel, in John, in John
chapter 7 verse 43 we read these words, so there was a division
among the people because of him. In chapter 9 of John and verse
16, therefore said some of the Pharisees,
this man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath
day. Others said, how can a man that
is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among
them. He had given sight to the man
who was born blind, you see. And he'd done that miracle on
the Sabbath day. And there's this division. There
was a division among them. It's the ministry of the Lord
Jesus Christ that causes there to be a division. Again, in chapter
10 and verse 19, there was a division therefore again among the Jews
for these sayings. There's a division because of
him or there's a division because of his sayings. It's both his
person, it's his work that causes there to be a division. And how solemn it is, it is ever
and always has been the case that where the Gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ is preached, there is that division. There
are those who believe the message, and there are those who reject
the message. The Gospel comes to some as that
savour unto life, but to others it comes only as that savour
unto death. A person is never the same once
they've heard the Gospel. the language of Paul again writing
in 2nd Corinthians there in chapter
2 at verse 15 we are unto God he says the sweet savour of Christ
in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one we
are the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour
of life unto life and who is sufficient for these things?
well that's the question that he must ask who is sufficient?
we are not as many which corrupt the word of God but as of sincere
to be as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ. He
has to leave all the consequence with God concerning the outcome,
the result of that ministry that he is exercising. But he is concerned,
you see, to be found faithful. We were bold in our God to speak
unto you the gospel of God with much contention. Oh, there was a contest, there
was a struggle. There were divisions as a result
of the manner in which he was preaching there amongst the Thessalonians. Well, we've considered something
of Paul himself and the meanness of his own person. It's nothing
of himself. His very speech is contemptible
but with thoughts of those things that he sought to do as he exercised
that ministry that he had received of the Lord and the manner of
his preaching even amongst the Thessalonians and then finally
to say something with regards to what it was that motivated
him in all of this ministry. Verse 4 he says, but as we were
allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel even so we speak
not as pleasing men but God's which trieth our hearts. We see quite clearly then what
the motivation was and the motivation was all together God would. This is the one thing that he
is concerned with above all else, not as pleasing men, but God's,
he says, which trieth our hearts. We're reminded immediately of
the language he uses in Galatians. Galatians 1.10 he says, Do I
now persuade men, or God, or do I seek to please men? For
if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Here is the motivation. He wants
to be the servant or the slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today
there is much more concern about the results of the preaching
of the gospel than there is about the purity of the gospel. I'm
sure we are all well aware of that. What a sad day it is in
which we live. Those who profess to be Christians,
those who profess to be the ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ, say
that the service of divine worship has got to be made worldly-friendly. Therefore they suggest the best
way to get the people in is to dress down. It doesn't matter
how one appears. Or they can appeal to various
scriptures. Man looks on the outward appearance,
they say the Lord looks on the heart. Well, that's true. But
surely the outward appearance tells us something of the state
of a man's heart. But how they want to dress down,
they want the outsider to feel all friendly. He can come in,
he can feel all together at ease. Now, we don't have dress codes
or anything like that, but surely we would expect that where there
is a due reverence for the things of God, that will be evident
in the way in which we clothe ourselves as we come into God's
earthly courts. But the great concern of so many
in so-called Christian circles is to obtain results. How can we get the people in?
And when we get the people in, how can we hold the people? Well,
let's indulge in some sort of entertainment evangelism. Let's
give a great part in the service to musical items. Let the people feel more at ease
amongst us as they're able to sing and to express themselves. We don't want a man standing
there and simply preaching for 40 or 45 minutes. We want congregational
participation and all that sort of thing. They're concerned about
the results. How do we get the people in?
How do we hold the people? How do we get the people to make
some sort of commitment? and there's no real concern for
the purity of the Gospel. There's more concern that men
should be blessed than that God should be honored and that the
Lord Jesus Christ should be glorified. But this was not the way of the
Apostle, not as pleasing men, he says, not as pleasing men,
but God which tryeth our hearts. What is the great end of the
Gospel? It's not the salvation of sinners.
Oh, that is a glorious result of the preaching of the gospel.
But what is the ultimate end? I remember what Paul says at
the end of Romans 11. He speaks of the depth, of the
riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable
are His judgments and His ways past finding out. For who hath
known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor,
or who hath first given to him, and he shall be recompensed unto
him again. For of him, and through him,
and to him are all things, to whom be glory for ever. Amen. For of him, and through
him, and to him are all things, and all to the glory of God."
This should be our great burden, our great concern. When the Lord's
servants come to their end, when they're ushered into the presence
of God Himself, what is it that He said to those servants? Well
done, good and faithful servants. Oh yes, we want to see fruits
we want to see sinners being converted, that's good, that's
commendable but surely the primary thing must be that faithfulness
to the word of God that concern for the truth of the gospel,
that contending earnestly for the faith once and for all delivered
unto the saints and that faith that is spoken of there in Jude,
the faith it's not the grace of faith It is that great body
of truth that we are to believe. That is the faith once and for
all delivered unto the saints. Oh God grant then that God's
word itself might have such an entrance into our hearts that
it does produce that real fruit, that fruit that is to the honor
and glory of God's name. When Paul writes to the Corinthians,
as we've said many times, What opposition he was experiencing
from those in that church where he had been so instrumental in
ministering the gospel to them in the first place. Look at what
he says at the end of chapter 4 in that first epistle. Verse
19 he says, I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and
will know not the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power
for the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. Oh friends, that we might be
those who know what it is for God's word to have such an entrance
among us that He comes not in word only but in power and in
the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. Paul then as he writes here to
these believers amongst the Thessalonians reminds them of the manner of
his own entrance amongst them as he went there to preach the
gospel. Yourselves, brethren, know our
entrance in unto you that it was not in vain. For we didn't
come empty-handed, but he came amongst them bold to speak unto
them the gospel of God with much contention. Well, the Lord be
pleased to bless His own word amongst us, even to die. Amen.