Good evening everyone. Open your
Bibles, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. The name of the message
tonight is Preaching the Gospel. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. We'll
read verses 1 to 8. 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 God which trieth our hearts. For
neither at any time used we flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak
of covetousness, God is witness. Nor of man sought we glory, neither
of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome
as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you,
even as a nurse cherishes her children, so being affectionately
desirous of you. We were willing to have imparted
unto you not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls,
because ye were dear unto us. Now last week in our study we
looked at how Paul had suffered for the gospel along with Silvanus
and Timothy, and how they were treated shamefully at Philippi
for preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as I mentioned
last week, all born-again blood-washed believers in Christ, all we need
for refreshment and revival is the preaching of the wonderful
gospel of salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Now modern day religion uses schemes and methods to increase
numbers, but we do not need such methods. We need but to preach
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the only great
battering ram that shall dash down the bulwarks of iniquity.
We need no new schemes nor new plans, but we need to preach
the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to preach the
Word of God. Tonight's message will be on
the importance of preaching as we look at what Paul pens to
the Thessalonian believers by inspiration of the Holy Spirit
of God. Paul was on a missionary journey
that our Lord Jesus Christ, again, had appointed for him, our great
God had ordained this missionary journey before time began. And
those who were with him were also ordained by God to be sent
to Macedonia with him. And the Macedonians, which would
hear the word of God preached to them, the ones who would hear
the word of God preached with power by the Holy Spirit of God,
were ordained to eternal life by our great God. And this all
came to pass according to God's perfect sovereign plan. Now take
note in verse 2 that despite how they were treated in Philippi,
they continued to go on to Thessalonica and preach the gospel as they
were, bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with
much contention. They did this, of course, by
the power of God the Holy Spirit, the same power that raised Christ
from the grave, the same power that raises us from our dead
natural state that regenerates us. is the same power that these
men went forth and preached the gospel in. It is our great God
who keeps us. It is our great God who preserves
us. It's our great God who strengthens us, all by His grace and His
mercy. He keeps us in the way, no matter
what comes our way. He keeps us in the way, even
if it is through much contention, just as He did here with Paul
and never forget that it was Christ working in them that gave
them the boldness that they had. born again child of God. Never,
never, never lean on your own understanding. Never, never,
never lean on your own strength because you will fall every single
time. You will fall flat on your face
every single time. What an encouragement to those
who are sent by God to preach the gospel. We must never waver
to preach the gospel at all times. When the Lord opens a door of
utterance, for us. We need to lay to memory those
words of our Lord, without me you can do nothing. And this
is true of every born-again child of God. We need to remember that
without Christ we can do nothing. I've seen people get more in
trouble just going ahead of the Lord and thinking I'm going to
go ahead and do this And it just causes trouble. It just causes
trouble. My oh my. It does not take much
for we who are the born again children of God to realize the
truth of the words of our master when he says without me you can
do nothing. All it takes, it doesn't take
much, all it takes for us to find that out is a little trial,
a little tribulation, and it will be proved to us. That truth
will be proved to us very, very fast. Let's now look at verse
3, where we see that the apostles' preaching was not in vain, and
not in deceit. They told their hearers the truth
without holding anything back. For our exhortation was not of
deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. Paul, Silvanus, and
Timothy were not trying to get a following. They weren't seeking
pleased men. They were not seeking to get
a following. Their design was not to win their
hearers to themselves, or to glory in their flesh. No, no,
no, no. They came to preach the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. knowing that their preaching
was not in vain, and knowing that God would use it to accomplish
his sovereign almighty will. And they sought to glorify God
by preaching Christ and Christ alone. They sought to glorify
God by lifting up Christ to their hearers, and leaving the results
of the preaching in God's hands. And this, beloved of God, is
the attitude of all of God's gospel preachers, and it should
be the attitude of all his born-again blood-washed people. We should
never seek praise or the applause of man, never. Everything we
do, everything we say should be for the glory of our great
God, to draw attention to Him and Him alone, and not to self,
not to self. I like what Joe Terrell does,
and you find that I do that too sometimes in my bulletin articles
that I write. Joe just puts Joe, and I like
to just put Wayne. I don't have to put the title
that I have before me. I don't wanna draw attention
to myself. And I know that's what Joe, Joe told me that's
why he does it. He doesn't want to draw attention
to himself. Oh, what a way to be. Lord, keep us that way. Keep us that way, Lord, by thy
grace. Everything we do should be for the glory of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Not to draw attention to ourselves,
but to draw attention to Him. I ask you, do you seek to draw
attention to yourself? It may be subtle. It may be very
subtle. You might not even think you
do it, and you do it. Do you seek to draw attention
to yourself? Some people do it willingly. They hide it, though.
under a cloak of supposed meekness, but they're basically just drawing
attention to themselves. So I ask you, do you seek to
draw attention to yourself? Do you seek the preeminence?
Do you want people to think highly of you? Do you seek to be in
the forefront, in the leadership position? Let people know you're
in a leadership position. You seek that? Oh my. You seek
to praise a man? Seeking to get a pat on the back
for what you do? Oh my. If you do, then you need
to repent. If you seek those things, you
need to repent. And you need to ask God to forgive you. Because
that's not the spirit of Christ. That's not the Spirit of Christ
at all. Now, God's preachers, we're not in the ministry for
monetary gain. Those who support the gospel
should give their monies for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ,
knowing that everything we have comes from Him, and knowing that
all we give is to support the furtherance of the gospel. When
we give, we should give back a portion to the Lord for the
furtherance of His gospel and our love for the Savior, with
a sincere desire that He would be glorified. And this is the
only true motive of why we give. So the gospel will go forth and
that God would get the glory. Now look at verse four, 1 Thessalonians
chapter two, verse four. But as we are allowed of God
to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak not as man pleasing,
but God, which trieth our hearts. I'm looking at putting a message
together about how Christ is our banner. He's our ensign.
And one of the, Commentators writes that the preacher is like
a standard bearer. We just hold up, all we do is
hold up the ensign and that ensign is Christ. That's who we rally
around. He's the one who we rally around.
Beloved of God, only a very small number of men in each generation
are ordained of God to preach his gospel. And it is God himself
who allows us the honor of being entrusted with his gospel. Also
in like manner, only a very small number of men and women are united
Together as called out assemblies, the elect of God, the born again
children of God in different areas of the world. And it is
our Lord Jesus Christ who allows local churches to be entrusted
with his gospel. Never forget that the pastor
and members of the local churches have a greater honor bestowed
upon us than most of us really realize. Because it's God who
has allowed us to meet together and to worship in his name. It
is God who has allowed us to have a place where we can gather
together and worship to Him. And never forget it is God who
has allowed all this to occur according to His sovereign plan.
We are born again by the Holy Spirit of God according to His
sovereign plan. Christ Jesus our Lord died on
the cross as our great substitute according to the sovereign plan
of God. And it is God who allows this
church to continue. It is He, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who meets with His people where the gospel is preached, where
two or three are gathered together in His name. He is with us. There
is He in the midst of us, the scripture declares. Now Ichabod,
which means no glory, is written by the invisible hand of God
over all the churches where the true gospel is not preached.
It does not matter how beautiful the church building is, or how
educated and well-dressed the minister may be, or how gifted
he is with speaking abilities. The Lord Jesus Christ is not
glorified where the gospel is not preached. These assemblies
are an abomination to our great God. They're an abomination to
the Lord of Glory. And Jesus Christ has not allowed
them to be put in trust with his glorious gospel of salvation
in him alone. The false prophets of Baal of
modern religion are today's blind leaders of the blind. They are
on the broad road to destruction, the broad religious path that
leads to destruction. And if they go through that door
marked death, believe in those lies, all of them, and there
are no exceptions, shall fall headlong into the ditch they're
headed for, and shall suffer the righteous judgment of God
forever in eternal torment. Paul brings forth that gospel
preachers are allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel.
Even so, we speak. We speak what we know. Paul heard
the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it was Christ who taught
him the gospel. He believed what he heard. Therefore,
he preached what he had been taught for the glory of Jesus
Christ, his Savior. And like the prophets of old,
when he preached the gospel, he said, Thus saith the Lord.
And this is true of all those who are allowed of God to be
put in trust with the gospel. We don't try to persuade people
with our opinions. No, we've heard the voice of
the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to our heart through his word
and him using faithful preachers of his gospel. And our Lord Jesus
Christ taught us the truth that is clearly set forth in His Holy
Word. And we, again, just speak what
we know. We're just like every other believer
in Christ. We've been born again by the
Holy Spirit of God. We've been granted faith to believe.
And then we get to tell others the great things which God has
done for us. We do not debate the gospel. We do not debate gospel truths.
No, not at all. The gospel preacher declares
the great gospel truths in the Word of God, pointing our hearers
to the Holy Scriptures, which point our hearers to the Lord
Jesus Christ. And we say, thus saith the Lord. We don't give you our opinion.
We say, this is what the Word of God says. And we believe what
we preach. And we preach what we believe.
We warn our congregations to beware of false prophets. As
the word of God says, to the law and to the testimony, if
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is
no light in them. So if someone gets up and say
they're speaking for God and they speak not according to the
word of God, then there's no light in them. It doesn't matter
what they say, they're a false prophet. Beloved of God and all
who hear this message, The light of Jesus Christ is not in anyone
who makes salvation conditional upon what man must do in order
to be saved, including those who believe in free will doctrines. Our Lord Jesus Christ has made
a very clear distinction between His sheep and those who are not
His sheep, when He said to some unbelieving Jews, ye believe
not, because ye are not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand, my father which gave
them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them
out of my father's hand. I and my father are one." John
chapter 10 verses 26 to 30. Very clear do we see that salvation
is of the Lord and it is in Christ and Christ alone It's not a condition
on anything man does. It's the work of God. Christ
went to the cross and died on the cross in the room and place
of his people. It's he who shed his precious
blood to redeem his people from all their sins. It's he who did
this great work. Pastor Henry Mahan wrote this
article I'd like to read to you. Woe to anyone who disregards
the gospel of salvation in and through Christ alone. Paul wrote,
Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel, but woe is unto you
if I preach it and you do not believe it. You may not understand
it, it may not fit in with your tradition and your denominational
plan, and I'm sure if it is the gospel it won't, because Christ
didn't fit the denominational pattern when he came down here
either. He didn't fit into their religious
theology, their tradition, or their mold, and they crucified
him. My message may not fit what your mother taught you, but she
wasn't sent of God to preach the gospel. I am. If I don't
believe that, I would quit. Do you see what I'm saying? I
am saying, woe is unto you, and woe is unto everyone, everybody
under the sound of my voice, if I preach the gospel, and you
don't believe it, end quote. All of God's preachers take the
preaching of his gospel very serious. We are not playing church.
And all who preach the gospel and all who believe the gospel
should lay these words of our Lord to heart. He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John chapter 3 verse 36. Now let's look at verse 5. Remembering
that Paul wrote these words by inspiration of the Holy Spirit
of God, For neither at any time used we flattering words, as
you know, nor a cloak of covetousness. God is witness. Paul did commend
God's saints for their labor of love and spreading the true
gospel, even when they suffered persecution. They did not change
their words because they did not want to offend certain people
who were listening. Paul was to say, thus saith the
Lord. Paul was to say, your own righteousness
is filthy rags. Paul was to say he had nothing
to commend them to God. He was to tell them that there
was nothing in them that would commend them to God, because
there is none good, no not one. Paul knew as do all of God's
preachers that a man or woman must see themselves lost before
they can be found. They must see themselves sinful
through and through before they can see their need to be cleansed.
They must see themselves as unable to save themselves before they
will see their need of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior
of sinners. They must see themselves as lost
and undone before God, before they will see our great God is
merciful. And then, by the grace of God
and that alone, they will cry out for mercy to our great God,
having been born again by His almighty power. Now most false
preachers flatter their hearers by saying, all of you have a
spark of good in you. They tell people, all you have
to do is fan that spark and it will burst into flames. of good
deeds, and that will make you acceptable to God." How many
times have I heard people say, well, I'm a good person, that
makes me acceptable to God. I'd be a rich man if everyone
gave me a penny for that. My oh my, it's awful, it's not
even scriptural. And then, then the worst I think
of it all, they say, Well, God's done all that he can do. Now
the rest is up to you. I heard somebody recently, before
this pandemic hit, say that to me. I said, that's a lie. That's
an outright lie. My, oh my. My, God's done all
he can do for you. Now the rest is up to you. If
salvation was in man's hands, nobody'd be saved. Absolutely
nobody. But praise be to God, salvation's
in the Lord's hands and he saves some. He saves His people. He
has. He has. He saved His people from
their sins on Calvary's cross. Praise be to God. These false
preachers proclaim that God must get your permission before He
can do anything for you. That's not of the Bible. That's
not even the God of the Bible. That's so foreign to the God
of the Bible. It makes God dependent upon the
sinner rather than the sinner dependent on our great God. See? It's all been turned upside down,
isn't it? by these false preachers. And then they use these flattering
words to gain the applause of those they preach to. And then
they get them to open their wallets. And you know, it works. It works
for them. Oh, beloved God, Paul did not
do such things. Paul did not use a cloak of covetousness. Paul did not use the ministry
as a cloak or a covering to hide a covetous and greedy motive.
A covetous and greedy motive exposes most of today's false
preachers and TV evangelists, as they do use the ministry as
a cloak of covetousness to line their own pockets. Money, filthy
liquor is why they are all in the ministry and they have no
care for the souls of the multitude of men and women that they speak
to. God's glory and the eternal welfare of their hearers never
enter into their thoughts, never enter into the picture, and most
of them are not bashful about their ungodly, greedy spirit. Most of their preaching is devoted
to a plea for people's money. That's not of God. That's not
of God, beloved. Beloved of God, all of God's
preachers trust the Lord Jesus Christ to provide the monies
that are needed to support the ministry that God has called
us to. And we also trust our providential God to provide our
physical needs. Our business as God's preachers
is to preach the gospel, the gospel of salvation in and through
Christ alone, which God has entrusted us with. And these faithful men,
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, they preach the truth of how
God became a man. how the Lord Jesus Christ came
to this world. The Second Person of the Trinity,
the Word of God, came to this world. His name is the Lord Jesus
Christ, and He came here to save His people from their sins. And
they preach that it is only by the shedding of the precious,
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that the people of God
are redeemed, purchased, from the slave block of sin, and forgiven
of all their sins only through the precious, precious blood
of the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless one dying
for sinners. And God's faithful preachers
proclaim that it is only by the perfect sin-atoning sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ that we are saved, only by Him, in
Him alone. And we proclaim that God is fully
satisfied with the sacrifice of Christ in the place of God's
people, and we preach that God has raised Christ from the grave
for our justification, for the justification of his people,
and that right now, right now, right this second, and right
with every second that'll come until the Lord comes back again,
and into eternity, Christ is ruling and reigning at the right
hand of the Father, on the majesty on high, in all power and in
all majesty. Praise his mighty name. Look
at these words in verse 5 and notice who is witness to these
things Paul writes about. For neither at any time used
we flattering words, nor a cloak of covetousness. God is witness.
That faithful apostle to the Gentiles when he preached the
gospel, God was his witness that he did so. Not only was Paul
stating this truth, but we know that he was writing under inspiration
of the Holy Spirit of God. Therefore, we know that Paul
wrote what was the truth. And this truth still stands true
today for God's preachers. God is our witness. God is our
witness. Now this is true of every born
again child of God too. God is a witness to the things
that we do, that we say, that we think. And Paul pens these
words in the book of Hebrews. For the word of God is quick
and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing,
even to divide and sunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints
and marrow that is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest
in his sight, but all things are naked and open. in the eyes
of Him with whom we have to do. I ask you and myself, do we really
believe what Paul wrote here? Do we really believe that, as
Paul wrote, God is our witness? Our Lord Jesus Christ looks right
down into the depths of our innermost being. He knows what is there
better than we do. God is witness, beloved. And
our Lord Jesus Christ knows if we really love Him. He knows
if we are serious about supporting His gospel with our time and
labor of love. He knows. He knows if we really
desire to be with His saints at the appointed time of worship.
He knows what we are thinking when we're singing. He knows
what we are thinking when the message is being preached. The
minds of some are on the things of this world, worldly pleasure,
business, finances, medical problems. or any other worldly concerns,
and God is witness to these things. Thus we cry out with the hymn
writer, O, to grace how great a debtor daily I am constrained
to be. Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel
it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, O, take and
seal it, seal it for thy courts above. Beloved, how thankful
we should be for God's preserving grace. Oh, listen to these words
by our dear brother Jude. And remember that these words
are penned again by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Jude
24 and 25, Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory
and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. And
we're closed with these words by Paul. Writing on this very
same subject, moved by the Holy Spirit of God, Paul said in 1
Thessalonians 5, verse 24, Faithful is he that calleth you, who also
will do it. Amen and Amen.