Introduction: Let me invite you to take your Bibles and turn to 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8. Today, we’re continuing our series “Kingdom Called” in the book of 1 Thessalonians. And as you’re turning there I want to tell you a story I heard this week about a famous, Scottish evangelist named W.D. Dunn. 

Many years ago, in the late 1800s, Dunn was holding revival meetings in the town of Motherwell, Scotland. And unfortunately, a dear friend of his passed away the same week as the revivals, and the family requested Dunn do the funeral. And as he tried to figure out a way to make it to and from the town of Carlyle which was 90 miles away, he looked at the train schedule and saw a train that would work perfectly. However, the funeral went long, and he just missed his train. But he noticed there was a nonstop express train that went through Motherwell to Glasgow. So, he went up to the station manager and said, “Sir, I have a very important meeting to attend, is there any way this train can stop in Motherwell?” 

The station manager replied, “I’m sorry sir. Only if you are a member of parliament.” 

Dunn said, “I am not a member of parliament, but I am an ambassador.” 

The station manager replied, “Oh! An ambassador. Well then, Sir, we will stop the train wherever you need it to be stopped.” 

So, Mr. Dunn walked off, thanking him, but on further consideration he felt he ought to clarify his position to this station manager. And so, going to him again, he said, “I told you I was an ambassador, and that is true. But I am not an ambassador of an earthly king. I am an ambassador of the King of Kings, and I have a message from Him for over 1,000 people who will gather in Motherwell to hear it. Now I have told you frankly my position. Will the train still stop for me at Motherwell?”

“Yes,” replied the station manager. “I have arranged that it shall stop and it will stop without fail.” 

Now I love that story, not just because it’s a story about Scotland. I love it also because it properly describes the identity of those who preach Christ and represent Christ. We are ambassadors for him. We are ambassadors for the King of Kings. That’s the inspiration behind our series in 1 Thessalonians. We are “Kingdom Called!” We are called to represent the King and his kingdom and his glory (1 Thess 2:12). 

But I don’t want to give the impression with that story that things are always going to go favorably in this world for the King’s ambassadors. Case in point, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, where Paul recollects how his coming to Macedonia wasn’t all pleasantness and niceties. They didn’t roll out the red carpet for Paul and Silas when they came to Philippi and Thessalonica. 

So, just a word of warning, if you want to represent King Jesus in this world, don’t expect that you will get the royal treatment everywhere you go and every time you speak of him. If you want that then you’re better off representing someone else. Maybe a politician or a celebrity?

But let’s say you love Jesus. Do you love Jesus? Let’s say you want to represent him, no matter what. Let’s say that he has so changed your life and so changed your heart that you can’t help but speak of him and represent him before the world. I hope that’s the case for those in this room who call themselves Christians, who belong to Christ the King. And if it is, here’s my question for today: “What kinds of things do you need to represent King Jesus before the watching world? What’s required of you as King Jesus’s ambassador?”

I’ll give you four answers to that this morning from 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8. Go ahead and write these down. I’m calling these: 

Four necessities for representing Christ in this world:

1)   Thick skin (2:1-2) 

In Paul’s case that was literal, because he and Silas got beaten with rods in Philippi. I mean this metaphorically for us, but keep in mind that in some cases in some parts of the world, this is just as literal as it is metaphorical. Some people get whipped and beaten for their faith in Christ in our world. In all parts of the world, followers of Christ need thick skin!

Paul says in verse 1,

1 For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 

It was purposeful. It was meaningful. It was fruitful. It was ordained by God!

2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, 

I don’t know how the Thessalonians knew what happened to Paul in Philippi. Maybe they knew it because Paul told them? Or maybe they knew it because Paul and Silas still had fresh wounds from their time in Philippi? Maybe they literally limped into town? Maybe they limped into the synagogue in Thessalonica? Whatever the case, the Thessalonians knew how Paul and Silas had suffered and were shamefully treated at Philippi. 

And Paul says in verse 2, “Nevertheless… 

we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

Even in Thessalonica they experienced conflict. And yet that didn’t deter them from preaching the gospel. Let’s state the obvious here, representing Christ before this world is not a cushy desk job. It’s not always a position of prestige and high social standing. At one point in time it may have been in our country, but that’s not the case anymore in our current cultural context. And the idea that representing Christ is cushy or prestigious would have been utterly laughable to the Apostle Paul. If anyone was deserving of prestige representing Christ, it would have been Paul. 

But when Paul came to Philippi in roughly 52 AD, coming with the greatest news in this world, the gospel of Jesus Christ, what happened to him? Well if you remember, Paul had that vision of the Macedonian man begging him to come and bring the gospel message to them. And Paul and Silas responded to that vision. And they left their ministry in Asia to be the first people ever to bring the gospel to the continent of Europe. And they were the first people ever to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the city of Philippi. 

And what happened when they were there? Well, some people believed and got saved, like the woman Lydia. If you remember Lydia got saved and baptized and became a strategic member of the church in Philippi. She was the first European, Christian convert. She was the first of many converts in Philippi and throughout the continent. If only that was the only thing that happened to Paul and Silas in Philippi! 

But also, Paul cast the demon out of a little girl who was a fortune-teller. If you remember there was a slave girl who kept following Paul and saying “These men are servants of the Most High God!” “These men are servants of the Most High God!” “These men are servants of the Most High God!” (Acts 16:17). And according to Luke and the Book of Acts, she did this for days! And eventually Paul got so annoyed with her that he said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her” (16:18). So, the demon came out of her. And was her owner happy that she was freed from this demonic oppression? 

No, the owner was angry because now she couldn’t make money for him as a fortune teller. “Who cares about the gospel of Jesus Christ! All we care about is making money!” 

So, her owner got angry and seized Paul and Silas. And he dragged them before the rulers of the city. Paul and Silas were stripped of their garments. They were beaten with rods. They were imprisoned and their feet were fastened with stocks (16:19ff.). That’s why Paul says in verse 2,

2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi

Stripped. Beaten. Imprisoned. Humiliated. Paul says, “Even though that happened to us…”

as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

Paul and Silas literally limped into town in Thessalonica after suffering and being shamefully treated in Philippi. Why did they do it? Why didn’t they hightail it out of Macedonia and go somewhere else—somewhere more congenial to the gospel? Because God had called them to Macedonia. And they had “boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.” 

That Greek word for “conflict” in verse 2 is the word ἀγών in Greek which we get our English word “agony” from. Even in Thessalonica, they experienced difficulty and conflict, yet the gospel of Jesus Christ compelled them to boldly speak on behalf of Jesus Christ.

You might say, “Ok Tony, so Paul and Silas had thick skin, literally. How does that affect me? Paul and Silas suffered in Macedonia. We don’t live in Macedonia. How does this impact my life? How do I apply this passage into my life?” 

Well yes, we don’t live in Macedonia. And we may not get beaten or imprisoned for sharing the gospel. But the same spiritual forces that opposed Paul and Silas in Thessalonica are alive and active in San Antonio, Texas. And there might not be beatings in San Antonio, but there is such a thing as stigmatizing. There might not be imprisonment (yet), but there is ostracizing and labelling and cancel-culture in our day. Christians who hold to biblical truths are increasingly being cancelled as fanatics or radicals or “out of step with social norms.” And this requires “thick skin” among Christians… a similar kind of thick skin that we see Paul demonstrate in Macedonia. 

I’ve heard recently a number of different reports about how the fashion industry in America (as well as the movie industry and educational institutions) is increasingly under pressure to represent gender and sexuality as “fluid” in our day… as opposed to “binary.” That’s a bad word in our day—binary. And it’s becoming clear that if you stand up and say in our world, “God created men and women, boys and girls, male and female,” you are out of step with socially accepted norms in our day. And you can, and will, be stigmatized in our day. Can you handle that, Christian? Are you willing to be labelled “out of step” in our day? Do you have thick skin?

And it’s not just social issues like sex and gender; it’s also theological issues. You’re out of step, Christian, if you hold that the Bible is God’s inerrant Word. You’re out of step, Christian, if you hold that Christ is the only means of salvation. You’re out of step (with socially accepted norms in our day), Christian, if you hold that Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead, and that the wrath of God remains on those who don’t embrace Jesus Christ by faith. That is not palatable in our day. Can you handle that, church? Can you, now? We need thick skin if we are going to represent Christ before a world that is hostile to him. 

We need to learn these principles from the Book of Acts and 1 Thessalonians. I think that’s one of the great takeaways from the book of 1 Thessalonians. Do you believe, really believe, in Christ? Are you willing even to take a beating for that belief, like the Apostle Paul and these Thessalonians were willing to take a beating? 

We need thick skin. Here’s another thing you need if you’re going to represent Christ in this world. You need to have… 

2)   Pure motives (2:3-5)

Paul gives us quite a list of false motives here in this passage. There’s “error” in verse 3. There’s “impurity” in verse 3. There’s an “attempt to deceive” in verse 3. There’s a desire to “please man” in verse 4. There’s “flattery” in verse 5. There’s “greed” in verse 5. Lots and lots of false motives here.  

And as far as “pure motives” go, there’s really one controlling pure motive that Paul talks about. We could talk about Paul’s love for the people. We could talk about Paul’s love for the gospel. Those are pure motives for sure. But the main motive for Paul’s action, the pure motive, is found in verse 4. Paul desires to please God above all else. That’s the controlling motive in all his actions. 

And that should be the controlling motive in all of our actions. Right, church? Do we seek to please God, or do we seek to please man? Do we seek to please God, or do we seek to please ourselves? What’s the controlling motive in your life? Are your motives pure, desiring to please God above all else?

Let’s unpack this a little more thoroughly. Here’s what Paul says in verse 3:

3 For our appeal 

This word “appeal” here means “word of encouragement.” It’s the Greek word παράκλησις. It’s a reference to the gospel appeal that Paul and Silas made to the Thessalonians, to come to Christ. 

3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 

In other words, “We weren’t ‘carnival barkers’ who came to Thessalonica to swindle you. We weren’t like snake-oil salesmen who came to town to cheat you or deceive you.” “Our appeal, instead, came from pure motives, a desire to please God.” 

By the way, it was a pretty common occurrence at this time to have traveling philosophers and charlatans who would travel from community to community and manipulate people and swindle people. In his commentary on 1 Thessalonians, F.F. Bruce writes, “So many wandering charlatans (γόητες) made their way about the Greek world, peddling their religious or philosophical nostrums [or schemes], and living at the expense of their devotees, that it was necessary for Paul and his friends to emphasize the purity of their motives and actions by contrast with these.” 

And we can even see this in Paul’s letters where different false teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) would infiltrate the church and exploit the gullibility of the new believers. And these false teachers didn’t do this from pure motives; they were trying to wield power and draw attention to themselves. And Paul says, “Watch out for these wolves.” 

Some of these charlatans in Paul’s day would even leverage their influence over the people to fleece them financially or to sexually exploit the women in their community. That’s why Paul says our appeal did not spring from “error” or “impurity” (possibly meaning “sexual impurity”) or “an attempt to deceive.” Paul says, “We didn’t do that! We weren’t like that among you!”  

4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed —God is witness. 

Now there’s a warning here for our church. Some of you might say, “Pastor Tony, I want to see our church grow. I want to see people get saved and baptized. I want to see our church increase its influence in this city and our world.” Yes. Yes. Trust me, I do too. But what’s our motive behind that? I think this is something we need to check. Is our motive to please God or to impress men? Are we willing to speak the truth and leave the results to God, even if those results aren’t as spectacular as other places? Or are we tempted to manipulate and flatter and corrupt the message of the gospel to get the desired results? I think there are a lot of churches in America today that are willing to do that. 

Some of you might even ask me, “Pastor Tony, are you ever tempted to do that?” “Are you ever tempted to flatter or to manipulate people in order to grow the church and get converts?” Honestly, yeah, I am. I want to see churches grow. But the motive behind what we do as a church can’t be driven by a desire please men or impress men. Our utmost desire, our deepest desire, my utmost desire, my deepest desire has to be to please God above all else. 

Listen, I know I’m pretty passionate about this subject, and I want to see our church fired up to get out there in our world to represent Jesus Christ and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I need to be careful right now. I don’t want you to do that in order to please me or the elders here at Verse By Verse Fellowship. That would be a mistake! Don’t do it to please man. Do it to please God. That’s the only pure motive. What would God have you do? What would God have you say? How would God have you live? Paul’s utmost ambition in life, in ministry, in gospel-proclamation wasn’t to please man, obviously. He got physically accosted often for preaching the gospel. His utmost desire was to please God. He feared God, not man. 

And for my part, I’m not here this morning preaching this topic to please our elders or to please my professors at seminary or anyone else. I want to please God. I want to speak words that are pleasing to him. I want that to be my motive. 

Do I struggle sometimes with “fear of man” issues and a desire to impress men? I do. God help me. God help us to fear God not man. God help us to focus on pleasing God, not man, and not ourselves. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

Go ahead and write this down as #3. Now this third necessity is really, really important. And I think it offers us an important hedge to what I was saying earlier. Because if we are not careful, we will go out into our world all full of spit and vinegar… thick-skinned! Bold! Impervious to what the world says about us! 

But let’s be careful now. Boldness doesn’t mean obnoxiousness. And fear of God doesn’t necessitate a harshness or a bitterness towards the world, not towards the people of the world anyway. So, we need this too as we represent Christ.

3) Gentleness and humility (2:6-7)

You might say, “I’m all about boldness, Pastor Tony!” “The Holy Spirit gives me boldness to preach the Gospel to the world!” “You said yourself a few weeks back that one of the fruits of the Spirit inside of us is a bold and courageous proclamation of the gospel!” Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I believe that. In fact, I would say that’s one of the key markers in the Book of Acts when a person gets saved. It’s not just show-stopping miracles. That happens sometimes. But more often than that, the evidence of a person’s conversion is found in their boldness for Christ. That’s great evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence in a person’s life.

But what other evidence of the Holy Spirit is there in a person’s life. What’s the fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians 5 that goes right along with boldness? Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith, Gentleness, and Self-control. You might say, “Gentleness, Pastor Tony. How can we be both bold and gentle? How can we be courageous, but also humble? Those things are at war within me. How can I be both?” Well let’s see what Paul says here. 

Paul says in verse 6.

6 Nor did we seek glory from people, 

Paul says, “We weren’t greedy. We weren’t selfish. We weren’t flatterers. We didn’t exploit you for our own desires or our own gain. We weren’t glory-hogs!” 

6 … we [did not] seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.

You know when Paul came to town, he could have embraced his celebrity status. He was an apostle! He wrote Scripture! He brought to the Thessalonians the gospel of Jesus Christ. They owe their lives to him! They owe their eternity to Paul! [That might be overstating the case a bit in terms of God’s sovereignty, but Paul could have taken that attitude among them]. They’d be lost in their sins if it wasn’t for Paul. They should roll out the red carpet for him. They should grovel before Paul and kiss his ring, like people in our day before the Pope! But Paul didn’t do that. He didn’t treat them like groveling subjects. 

In fact, the metaphor that Paul uses for the way he treated them is incredibly tender. He treated them like a mother cares for her children. Paul says in verse 7.

we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 

But we didn’t…

7 … we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.

That’s a pretty vivid image there. What could be more tender than a mother nursing a child? And Paul’s a tough guy too. He’s a tentmaker, which more than likely means leatherworker. Paul worked with his hands. He had scars on his body from the beatings he had taken in different places throughout the world. He was toughminded. He was one tough hombre! 

And yet Paul says, “we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.” Paul says, “we nourished you and fed you and tenderly cared for you like mama cares for her babies.” You know when Paul came to Macedonia, he came boldly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. And people beat him and terrorized him. And he took that punishment like a man! Him and Silas both, like men. They didn’t back down. They didn’t cower in the face of adversity. But at the same time, they were gentle among the Thessalonians. They were humble, not demanding anything as apostles. 

They were bold, but they were gentle! Can you be both of those things? Can you balance those as a Christian? Bold! Courageous! Strong! Manly. But at the same time, gentle and tender and maternal? Paul thinks we can balance those things. Paul things we can do that. 

In fact, Peter thinks you can too. He says in 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” That’s boldness, Christian. There is nothing cowardly or weak about what Peter says there. 

Peter says, “Be ready! Be bold in your declaration of the gospel!” Peter knew all about that. But then Peter says this at the end of that statement: “yet do it with gentleness and respect.”

Here’s the point of what I’m trying to say—courage and humility are not mutually exclusive elements in the Christian life. Boldness and gentleness are not antithetical components. They are not like oil and water that don’t mix in the Christian life. You don’t have to choose between them. In fact, they are both evidences of the Holy Spirit in your life. 

Whenever the Holy Spirit shows up in the Book of Acts, people get bold. They preach boldly. But they also display the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). And that shouldn’t surprise you, Christian, because that’s what Jesus was like. And if you are going to represent Jesus and live for Jesus and be “Kingdom Called,” you’re going to have to balance these things: boldness and gentleness. Like Paul did when he came to Macedonia. He was bold as a lion in his proclamation of the gospel. But he was also as gentle as a lamb. He was as gentle and sacrificial as a nursing mother taking care of her babies. 

You know as I look out on our church, some of you are probably all over the boldness side of this equation. You are ready to fight for your faith, and you are ready to preach and even give a defense for your faith. But sometimes you might be a little limited in the gentleness department. People wouldn’t necessary describe you as humble! 

Others of you exude humility and gentleness. But boldness, that’s not your thing. Courage in the face of opposition and even conflict; that’s not your forte. And I just want to tell you the power of the Holy Spirit is not found in one or the other of those two things, like they are at war with each other. The power is found in both. The power is found in the balance. Can you be both bold and humble? Can you be both courageous and gentle in your representation of Christ before the world? And I’m right there with you guys. I’ve got my own propensities as far as that goes. The power is found in the balance.

So, for those of you who are more bold then gentle, let me ask you this. How might you do a better job exhibiting that fruit of the Holy Spirit called gentleness in your representation of Christ before the world? Where might you imitate Paul here in verse 7?

7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.

And my question is the opposite for those of you whore are more gentle than bold. How might you do a better job being bold in the Spirit for Jesus in your representation of him before the world? Where might you imitate Paul in verse 2?

2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

And then one final thing. Four necessities for representing Christ in this world: 1) Thick-skin! 2) Pure Motives! 3) Gentleness and Humility! Here’s the last one. #4. 

4) Gospel sincerity (2:8)

And what I mean by gospel sincerity is that not only did Paul preach the gospel; he lived the gospel. He didn’t just share the gospel with the Thessalonians; he shared his life with them. 

Paul says in verse 8. 

8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

John Calvin says about verse 8, “[W]e must bear in mind that those who want to be ranked among true pastors must exercise this disposition of Paul—having more regard for the welfare of the church than for their own life, and not being impelled to seek their own advantage, but having a sincere love that they bear to those to whom they know God has tied and bound them.” 

We saw last week how Paul commended the Thessalonians for the labor of love. Well the Thessalonians learned that from Paul. Paul speaks here of his affectionate desire for the church. Paul says that the church became very dear to him and Silas and Timothy. 

And forgive me for this, but for just a second, I want to dip my toe into next week’s passage and next week’s message. I try not to do this, but I just have to show you quickly how Paul demonstrated “gospel sincerity” among the Thessalonians. I’ll state these things quickly, and then we’ll jump right back into our passage. Paul says in verse 9. 

9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 

So, Paul says, we didn’t just preach the gospel. We lived the gospel. We worked hard and weren’t a burden to you (2:9). We were righteous and blameless in our conduct toward you (2:10). And we loved and encouraged you like a father does his children (2:11). We were caring like a mother (verse 7). We were encouraging like a father (verse 12). Those are powerful descriptions there of Paul’s great love and affection for the church in Thessalonica. Paul preached the gospel, and he lived the gospel.

So how about you, church? How about you? If you say you believe the gospel, do you live out the gospel before people? Are you willing to share not just truth but your very life with other people? Paul was willing to do that. Paul modeled that for us. He preached the gospel; he lived the gospel!

And to that you might say, “Okay, what’s the gospel again, Pastor Tony?” “Can you remind us again?” Sure! I’d love to remind you. There’s nothing more I’d rather talk about than the gospel, in fact it’s the best news ever. 

Have y’all ever heard that MercyMe song, “Best News Ever”? Every time I hear that song I marvel at its wisdom and simplicity. This song, “Best News Ever,” perfectly captures the essence of what “faith in the gospel looks like.”

Here are the lyrics.   

Some say, "Don't give up"

And hope that your good is good enough

Head down, keep on working

If you could earn it, you deserve it

This is what people in the literary world call a “foil.” The authors of this song are setting you up. They are preparing you for something better later in the song. 

Some say, "Push on through"

After all, it's the least that you can do

But don't buy, what they're selling

It couldn't be further from the truth

In other words, you are saved by works. Your good’s not good enough. You don’t deserve salvation. You deserve the opposite of salvation. You deserve condemnation. That’s the truth. 

But here’s another part of the truth.  

What if I were the one to tell you

That the fight's already been won

Well, I think your day's about to get better

What if I were the one to tell you

That the work’s already been done

It's not good news; It's the best news ever

And here’s the bridge of that song:

So won't you come?

Come all you weary and you burdened

You heavy laden and you hurting

For all of you with nothing left

Come and find rest.

What is the gospel, Pastor Tony? The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ took on flesh and lived among us. He died a gruesome death on the cross and three days later he rose from the dead. And those who have faith in him will escape eternal death and experience eternal life in his presence. That’s the gospel. That’s the gospel that the Thessalonians believed 2000 years ago when Paul preached it to them. That’s the gospel that I’m here preaching to you in San Antonio, Texas. Do you believe it?