Is it worth it? Well, that's a question Paul asks at the beginning of the second chapter of this letter and it's not a rhetorical one. Here's what he says. He says, "For you know yourselves, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain." that word in vain, that phrase, uh, we find it in a few of Paul's letters, in a few of Paul's writings. It's a concern on his mind. Why? What has Paul left for the cause of Christ? He's left his country, his vocation, his occupation, his family. He's left behind his name and cultural identity to leverage his entire life to this enterprise that if we go and we preach Christ and him crucified, people are going to believe that he's the Messiah. We're going to start these communities of faith, these churches, and and Jesus is going to transform lives and families and communities, and and and through this, he's going to change the world. And he's leveraged everything for this job. We don't know the outcome as we read through this letter. And Paul didn't know the outcome as he was writing it. But looking back on it, we know Paul is going to give not just his livelihood, but his life for the cause of Christ.
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Because for the cause of Christ, we're doing some weird things. We're doing some weird stuff. Let's start with what we're doing this morning. Somewhere somewhere in Southwest Georgia, there is an empty deer stand because you are here. Now, guys, that's Let's be honest, that's a little weird. And some of you guys like I see the the twitch in your eyes like it's the nervous tick. I get it. I understand. But here we And some of you guys are like, "I went this morning before I came in." Cool. Good on you. We are here. Not only are we here, guys, but we're we're we're giving of ourselves to be here. Some of you are committed to the to the spiritual principles of of tithing and giving offerings and supporting the the local work of the church and you give sacrificially to make that happen. Some of you are practicing giving your time and your energy to volunteering. You're you're volunteering to work with other people's kids and other people's babies in order for them to have the opportunity to be in this room to learn and to grow in their faith.
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We're leveraging huge amounts of our resources and our time, things we don't ever get back because we, like Paul, believe that, hey guys, if we give everything we can to this enterprise that Jesus is going to change individual lives and families and a community and maybe just maybe the world. And we're willing to do that in the face of all kinds of ridicule. We say that Jesus is and is the best way to live our lives. We could have slept in this morning. We could be doing what we want to with our Friday nights and our Saturday nights. We could be living the way we want to. But we say, "No, we believe he is is the best way to live. We're going to submit to his authority and live his way, not our way." Guys, that's weird. And it costs you. Grace is free, but living a life of obedience is costly. Is it worth it? Or do we run? Do we live? Do we walk in vain? Fair question. Just pause. That is a fair question.
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If we can pause and think about that and come to the same conclusion that Paul does it is energizing for the sacrifice for the journey for the walk for being obedient to what Jesus has called us to do and who he has called us to be. That's the question. Is it worth it? What's it caused? What's it cost the apostle Paul? quite a bit. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2:1, for you yourselves, brothers, know that our coming to you was not in vain. Our ministry to you is not in vain. Our leaving home and going on this adventure not in vain. This pursuit not in vain. 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.
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In other words, this trip, this journey, this voyage, this enterprise, this walk that Paul is quite literally on has cost him quite a bit. What? Let's check it out. Let's get in the way back and go back in Paul's life just a short while. Look with me in Acts 16. Are you there? Put your finger on 22. What's happened? Well, Paul has gone on this church starting, church planting, missionary journey and enterprise. And he's left he's left Judea. He's left his his home base of Antioch. And he's pushed into the modern-day country of Turkey, what we would have called then Asia Minor. He's going from Roman province to Roman province. Wherever there's a Jewish community, he'll go into that community, into their synagogue. He'll open up the scrolls and he'll preach Christ and them crucified from the Bible, that is to say, the Old Testament and people would believe invariably, but it would also create a conflict and a rift and would get him into trouble.
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Everywhere he's met with opposition and in many places, in most places, he's met with persecution. In other word, Paul's journey of ministry and disciplehip is a hard one. It's a difficult one. It's far more an accurate picture of our lives than what we imagine them to be. So, what happens when he gets into Thessalonica? I'm so glad you asked. Acts 17 verse one. Now, when they had passed through um Amphipilolis and Appalonia, they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Paul went in and as was his custom on three Sabbaths day, that is over the course of three weeks, he reasoned with them from the scriptures, that is to say, the Old Testament, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead and saying, "This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ." And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
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But the Jews were jealous. Now, whenever you see that word in our New Testament, it's not a an anti-Semitic slur. Paul is Jewish. The disciples are all Jewish. The churches are being founded largely by Jewish people because Jesus is a Jewish Messiah and his disciples are Jewish people. It simply used to differentiate between those who were in the family of God as Jews and those who were re Greeks or Romans or pagans. It differentiates them as two separate groups. So we see that devout Greeks come into the church, leading women of the town, Greeks come into the church. But the Jews were jealous and taking some wicked men of the rabble. They formed a mob, set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason. So they're meeting in this guy's house, Jason. He's a leader in the town. He's a leader in the community. They go to get Paul. Paul can't be found. So they do the next best thing. They get the guy who he's renting the Airbnb from. That's how it works.
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Again, we go to do good things in the city of Philippi. We're going to preach Jesus. We're going to start a church. It's a noble task. It's a high calling. It's beautiful ministry. He's persecuted for it. So I'm going to go down to the next town to Thessalonica. And I'm going to do the same thing, right? Going to preach Jesus. We're going to see a church for him. We're doing good things for good reason. What happens? Persecution. and all of his friends get drugged into the persecution as well. Here's the question. Is it worth it? It's a valid concern. It's a real question.
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He preaches Christ and him crucified, right? Christ crucified, Christ buried, Christ raised from the dead. This is the message that the Christ had to suffer these things in order to be our savior. This is the appeal. Our appeal to you then is to believe. That's the appeal. He preaches Christ and him crucified, resurrected, triumphant over sin, death, and hell. And now we believe. And in believing we belong to him. Whether Jew or Gentile, whether in Israel or a pagan down at the temple, we believe Jesus. We follow Jesus. He changes us, makes us new. We're his.
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Whenever someone stands in front of you with a microphone and a spotlight and a crowd, if you're like me, you ask the question why. And if you don't, I'm going to encourage you to ask the question why. What motivates me to stand or anyone to stand behind this desk in this place and say these things to you? That is a fair question. Why? Because you've got your kids sitting here listening to me for the next 45 minutes or less. It's a fair question to ask particularly since you have the responsibility of being the disciplemaker and chief in your family and of those kids. It's a heavy weight.
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It is possible that he runs in vain if he's running for the wrong reason. It's possible that he ministers in vain. If his ministry is motivated by the wrong things, he gives eight in this next little paricopy. This next little section of scripture, we're going to read it. unpack it and we will be done. Here's the pitfall. Eight ministry landmines that Paul and Silas and Timothy avoided. But in falling into them, it guarantees that we run in vain. And not just for me as the guy who's preaching, not just for me who the guy who's the professional Christian in the room, but for each and every one of us who are leveraging our time, our energy, our talent, our treasure for the cause of Christ. You too can run in vain if you fall into these traps.
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If we're going to preach Jesus, we've got to get Jesus right." And here's what we fall into way too often. You and I all in this room, if you're in this room, you probably are here because you say, "I like the idea of Jesus." And for some of us, we're going to say, "I love the person of Jesus." And for most of us, I pray all of us, we're going to say, "I know Jesus, and he knows me." Like, that's the relationship. That's what mo that’s why we're here. Like, I met Jesus. He changed my life, and I'm following him. The problem is is that each and every one of us, as Calvin said, are factories of idols. and our capacity to take a good thing and make it meh. To take a good thing and make it bad, to take a godly thing and twist it to make it carnal.
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If you are not growing and learning from God's word daily, you might be worshiping an idol of your own invention. You just know who he is. You've got it settled and there's no growth in your life. Why? Because the riches and the knowledge and the depth of knowing Christ Jesus is infinite. I am discovering every day of my life new and fresh things about who Jesus is and what he demands of my life. It's a beautiful thing. It's a journey. It's a walk, not just a moment of decision.
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If you in reading your Bible and studying your Bible and pursuing growth never have a moment where Jesus disagrees with you. Guess what? You've probably just invented a God. You've made an idol and you call that idol Jesus. Why guys? Because Jesus is not like us. Was not like us. Demands more of us. Calls us to something higher. A new way of thinking and living and being. And every day as I open up God's word, I discover things where he pushes back against me. Why? Because he's God and I ain't. I'm not. And in that gap, in that tension, I discover that my life has to conform to the will of God in order to be conformed to the image of the beloved son.
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There are people who have figured out the racket that you can take any ideology, any any feelgood methodology, wrap it up, put a bow on it, put it in a box, and so long as you attach Jesus to it, people will buy it. Don't you buy it. There should be no attempt to deceive the people of God. This is why James says in in chapter 3:1, "It's good that not many of you become teachers. because those who do will be judged more severely. And those people who in the name of Christ have robbed little old ladies of their pensions, have robbed volunteers years of their lives. Guys, I promise you, they will stand before God. Vengeance is his and he will repay.
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But in as much as there is encouragement to be found in the message of Jesus, so too there is challenge in our lives as we continue to be conformed into his image. I hope we're not just speaking to please men or we never came with words of flattery. We're not just trying to make you feel good, but to point you to Christ. We never came with a pretext for greed. He's going to go on and elaborate how, hey, look, I could have made demands and you could have, you should have taken care of us financially, but we tried to work alongside of you as we preach not be a burden to you. There's no greed. It should not be greed or greediness. That could by be for financial gain guys. That could be for personal satisfaction or glory. Like that is a huge deal. People can come into a family of faith like this like emotional vampires and just want attention. And it this is not the place where you come to make much of yourself. This is where we come together to humbly make much of Jesus.
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He preaches Christ and him crucified, right? Christ crucified, Christ buried, Christ raised from the dead. This is the message that the Christ had to suffer these things in order to be our savior. This is the appeal. Our appeal to you then is to believe. That's the appeal. He preaches Christ and him crucified, resurrected, triumphant over sin, death, and hell. And now we believe. And in believing we belong to him. Whether Jew or Gentile, whether in Israel or a pagan down at the temple, we believe Jesus. We follow Jesus. He changes us, makes us new. We're his.
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Truth is, the only way that it makes sense is if we actually know this Jesus and are being transformed by him. Your hope is not me making an appeal for you to do better. Your hope is in submitting and giving your heart to Jesus. Here's the gospel. You're broken and busted by sin. You're dead, Paul says, in your sin and trespasses. But Christ came to die on that cross in your place that he might forgive our sins, conquer all of God's enemies, transform us, and make us new from the inside out. Like, that is the offer of grace, and it's given to you freely when you repent and you believe.
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For some of us in the room, we've realized, hey, we maybe have been trying to do some of this ministry stuff of our own power under our own and maybe we have stepped over the line, crossed over the line. Our motivations have been glossed so that they're blurry. We're not sure that we've not crossed some of those lines. Here's the deal, guys. Today, you can leave with a clear conscience. The stairs could be an altar. Your chair is going to be an altar. cry out to your savior and have him show you what in your life he would have you to correct as you take this step in ministry together.
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