Psalm 19:1-14 • Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 • Philippians 3:4b-14 • Matthew 21:33-46

The theme this week: God’s gracious hedge. The call to worship, Psalm 19, sings the praises of God who gave these instructions for how best to be human. Exodus 20 gives us the original Ten Commandments—a hedge of godly behavior setting apart God’s people. In Philippians 3, Paul describes the climactic end of all rituals and markers of being God’s people: knowing Christ. Our sermon, “The Self-Emptying Love of Christ,” is based on this reading. Matthew 21 tells the painful story of the vineyard management gone bad, and the vineyard owner sending his son there, and son’s resulting murder.

The Self-Emptying Love of Christ

Philippians 3:4b-14 ESV

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. It’s one of those cliché phrases that a middle-aged dad might use to describe a kid burning by on a motorcycle. I already did that—I’ve already had that experience. It’s often used to describe negative experiences as well: Divorce? Car accident? Colonoscopy? It’s a way of saying: I’ve had that experience, it’s nothing new. No need to do it again.

Ask the members to share a been there, done that kind of experience. This could be a fun discussion, or you can relate an anecdote from your own life. After this discussion, read the text.

In a way, Paul is saying the same thing here. From what we can tell, there seems to be a movement of old Israelite rituals entering the new church of Christ. People, as people do, were starting to draw the in-and-out lines. It was becoming US (circumcised, following Mosaic law) versus THEM (Greco-Roman in background, uncircumcised).

There was a movement of people trying to tack other works and rituals onto the free grace of belief in Christ. Paul’s reaction screams off the page—as if he was calling them every name he rightly can to show that these old rituals are no longer needed. He is emphasizing that the Jesus movement isn’t just a call back to more stringent Judaism or more stern obedience; it is something new.

And to those who are congratulating themselves on keeping the old ways, Paul offers this vivid description of how he has been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

“They think they are faithful? I am Hebrew’s Hebrew! I’m a poster child for Israel, from a high-end Israelite family—all ducks in a row, all t’s crossed!”

But then Paul calls it “rubbish” (v. 8) compared to knowing Christ.

Let’s zero in on this dramatic passage today to see the story Paul tells here and how the story can intersect with our own.

The context of this letter is important. Paul is writing to the fairly young church community in Philippi. This was a city known for Roman nationalism, and a retirement spot for Roman soldiers after they had completed their time. The Roman culture there was strong: They had bled for it and were supported by its taxes.

So calling Jesus the true king, and Caesar not, had proven to be a problem for a lot of people in the community. Rome didn’t care much about which gods you worshipped, but they cared very much who you acknowledged as the rightful king and emperor. They also had a mandatory cult that worshipped the emperor, which was one of the ways that he kept his power over a gigantic kingdom. The early Christians got in far less trouble for worshipping Christ than they did for NOT worshipping Caesar.

I think it’s also important to see the context of Paul’s life. The Philippian church is beleaguered, persecuted and trying their best to make it, and he is imprisoned. Not only that, he’s in a Roman prison. As a Roman citizen, he would have had a meager diet that wouldn’t keep you living very long. He was otherwise completely dependent on friends and family, or in Paul’s case on a church community. He’s writing to thank them for their financial help, a gift brought by Epaphroditus (ch. 2), because he needed it to survive.

So we have a small powerless community supporting a malnourished, banished prisoner. Not exactly the backdrop for one of the most enduring pieces of literature in history! But it is here, with the guards staring at him and the rats scurrying across the floor, that Paul writes what’s been called the happiest book of the Bible!

But it couldn’t happen in a better context, really, when you think about the contents and the theme. Philippians finds its center of gravity in a poem or hymn about Jesus that makes up most of chapter 2:

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6-11 ESV)

This is by far the most famous part of this book. It was likely a hymn or poem that was already in use in the Christian community that Paul relates back to them. It focuses on Jesus’ self-emptying love to come to earth—to give up all his rights and privileges as the Son of God to live in helplessness.

And that’s the center of this book that echoes through the whole thing: what Jesus gave up for love. That’s such an important angle, of loving someone, isn’t it? There’s plenty that people do as parents—protecting, providing, disciplining. But what about the things they do without? They give up their freedom, their choices, their spare time. They give up their pursuits and career when the children are young, nights of sleep when they are teenagers, never-returned-loans when they are young adults.

Kids can crush your heart. That’s no secret.

We know what you do for romantic love. Long walks and conversations, special gifts, romantic gestures. But what about what you give up—especially when a relationship gets serious? You have to share space and life with someone. Your decisions no longer just affect you. You have to support someone in sickness and health, through rigors of old age and death.

It is this self-emptying love that forms the central theme of Philippians. That’s why Paul could write the happiest book in the Bible from prison. In terms of chapter 2, we might break it down into bestowed honor and earned honor.

In terms of bestowed honor:

 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. (Philippians 3:4-5 ESV)

He is an eighth-day one, a real Israelite among Israelites. When people found out his heritage, they stopped what they were doing and listened. He was of high pedigree and he turned heads. This is a powerful, even intoxicating, power to have. Who doesn’t want to be the hero in the western movie who strolls into the saloon and stops all the action, commands the attention?

In terms of earned honor:

“As to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. (Philippians 3:5-6 ESV)

Not only was he an Israelite—he was really good at it! Paul was a rising star, on the road to the corner office, winning the religious, social and cultural game. And he gave it all up to become a nobody. He gave all that up to become a spokesman for a strange new sect that nobody believed would last.

Do you see the theme? This self-emptying love which Christ showed in coming down to us, was imitated by Paul as he gave up all that he once counted as his greatest achievements. There’s an old cliché, well-worn for a reason: “humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” We see this in the example of Christ and the example of Paul, giving up their legitimate rights to enter into God’s work.

Back to the parenting analogy. The longer people are parents, the more they realize it’s not about being perfect or chummy or even memorable, it’s about being THERE. That’s what shapes the kids, that’s what leaves an impression years later. The gifts they are given will fall apart, they will forget 80% of the grand wisdom the parents bestow on them, but they will remember whether there parents were there for them. They will remember that they turned off the TV, put down the phone, skipped that work meeting to spend some time with them.

And in a marriage, it’s better to show up on time than to show up late with flowers. This is one of the deepest currents of love, and it’s what Jesus—legitimate Lord of the universe who became a lower-middle class kid—showed us immensely. Paul followed suit and encouraged the Philippians and all of us to follow suit as well.

The conclusion of our reading today offers us another clue as well. The Jewish and Greek parts of the ancient world didn’t always get along. The Jews thought of themselves as the chosen, the Greeks looked down their noses at the Jews and thought of them as unrefined and barbarian. They weren’t always at odds, but there was tension nonetheless.

The gospel comes along and tells them all to break the same bread and sit at the same table. All are included in Christ, and the ground is level is at the cross. These divisions were something Paul dealt with often in his letters, telling them that these old signs of status and religion are obsolete now. We see a subtle hint at that in these next few verses:

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14 ESV)

Paul gives this picture of himself as practically a Jewish hero and says it’s all meaningless. He follows it immediately with the metaphor of a runner—the Olympic hero of the Greeks. He says, I used to be the ideal Hebrew, and now I want to be an ideal Christ-follower, pressing on like an ideal Greek! And he declares with honest courage, “I’m not there yet!”

Paul gave up a heritage and a place in society that a lot of us can relate to: a recognized name, a good career, some solid accomplishments. These things were in no way bad in themselves, but God called him to freedom from them. God called him to pack light and be part of something new, to empty himself of everything but love for Christ and his people.

What does it mean to have this self-emptying love?

• Everyday love—Paul wasn’t describing anything dramatic or otherworldly. He was called to lay down daily conveniences and comforts. Many of us might idealize giving up our lives in martyrdom or mission work, but God calls us to simply put others first, give a listening ear, be present. This is the everyday love of emptying yourself for others.
• True love for true self—Paul walked away from so many status symbols and other reasons for cultural pride. It’s easy to let these things gather and cling to us, even in church. I’m part of this group or this ministry or I’ve been here for 30 years. Religious pride is one of the worst kinds. It’s hard to recognize the smell and rout it out.
• Our identity is not in our heritage nor in what we do, but in who we are. We often spend a lot of time trying to achieve what we already have—a relationship with God, forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation. Rather than focus on the self, we are called to focus on Jesus and those whom he is focused on, and then love them as he loves them.
• “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.” (v. 13)—What a blessing to read verse 13! Paul calls us to that true life and true love that isn’t afraid to admit its own imperfection. He doesn’t chide them, or us, for not having our act all the way together. He says, “Press on, I’ll be doing the same.”

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 • Exodus 32:1-14 • Philippians 4:1-9 • Matthew 22:1-14

The theme for this week is when doing changes thinking, which helps us remember that engaging in helpful practices and spiritual disciplines can deepen our connection to God. The Psalm 106 call to worship, and Exodus 32 tell the story of how Aaron and the Israelites tried to dispel their worries and fears by creating a golden calf, an unhelpful practice. While we might not engage in outright idolatry like this, we can recognize our tendency to seek comfort and guidance in externals. This week’s sermon outline is based on Philippians 4:1-9, and it focuses on how doing certain practices (or disciplines) can help transform our thinking, especially during periods of worry. Lastly, Matthew 22:1-14 tells the parable of the wedding guests who weren’t ready. This encourages us to think about what practices we could engage in to ready our hearts so that we can be transformed by the love of Jesus.

When Doing Changes Thinking

Philippians 4:4-9

How many of you have heard before that smiling more makes you feel happier? I’ve heard it before, too. My next question is how many of you intentionally try to practice that habit of smiling more? If you’re like me, it’s the follow-through that sometimes trips me up.

There was a recent video on Ted Talk about the value of smiling. Let me share some highlights:

• We are born smiling. Using 3D ultrasound technology, we can now see that developing babies appear to smile, even in the womb. When they’re born, babies continue to smile—initially, mostly in their sleep. And even blind babies smile to the sound of the human voice. Smiling is one of the most basic, biologically uniform expressions of all humans.
• Being around children—who smile frequently—makes us smile. A recent study at Uppsala University in Sweden found that it’s very difficult to frown when looking at someone who smiles.
• British researchers found that one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate.
• Wait! The same study found that smiling is as stimulating as receiving up to 16,000 pounds sterling (nearly $20,000) in cash.

With smiling being this valuable, you’d think we would naturally do it more often. By not having a thought-out plan or practice to smile more, I forget. By not having a discipline or practice, we lose sight of how we want to think and feel. So what does this have to do with today’s text? For one thing, smiling is a sign of someone rejoicing. It’s a sign of joy—a joy that comes from the Lord. And the book of Philippians is known by many as the happiest book of the Bible.

Our scripture reading for today comes from the 4^th chapter of Philippians. Paul starts off the chapter addressing a couple of women in the church at Philippi who had worked together to promote the good news, but who had a falling out. The rest of the letter Paul uses to help us understand the connection between how we behave and how we think or feel. He concludes by reminding us to rejoice. Let’s take a look:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9 ESV)

What can we notice about the passage?

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (Philippians 4:4 ESV)

We can notice that Paul encourages us to rejoice—always. This can also be translated “at all times.” He doesn’t qualify it by saying we should only rejoice in the good times or when things are going our way, but he says…always. This doesn’t mean that we won’t experience suffering, grief, or loss, or that when we are suffering, we have to put on a “happy face.” Instead, Paul is referring to an attitude of joy that isn’t tied to our external circumstances—where we are or what we are doing, it is tied to Christ—who he is and who we are in him. It’s interesting to note that Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi from prison, so he is walking his talk. In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul refers to himself and his situation as “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10 ESV).

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. (Philippians 4:5 ESV)

The idea of “gentleness” can also be translated “reasonableness,” and the concept means living as a Christian within the larger community, not isolating oneself or being difficult to get along with, but living our lives “in a manner worthy of Christ” (Phil. 1:27). The next short sentence, “The Lord is at hand,” captures the idea that God, through the Holy Spirit in us, is as near as our next breath.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)

These verses address the issue of worry and prescribe the antidote: prayer and thanksgiving. These are practices that we can engage in to move our thinking from ruminating on problems toward the peace of God. When we make our requests known to God and trust him, we can rejoice. He guards our hearts and minds with that trust.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9 ESV)

Paul offers practical ideas for breaking the grip of fear in our lives. In addition to prayer and thanksgiving, he suggests that we replace worried thoughts with what we know is true, excellent, beautiful, and positive in our lives. What is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise? Jesus! Keep our mind on him. By doing these disciplines of prayer, thanksgiving, changing thoughts to rest on Jesus, we can feel and know his peace more fully.

Application:

• Know that real joy is not connected to your external circumstances. Despite being in prison, Paul was an example of knowing joy and peace. God’s peace is not held captive by our circumstances but flows generously and freely to us. “Be still and know” (Ps. 46:10) encourages us to see that because our life and citizenship is not bound up in this world, but is bound up in Jesus, we’re OK and we’re going to be OK, despite the pain we encounter as human beings.
• We can engage in spiritual practices or habits to break the hold that fear and worry often have on us. When a fear or worry grips us, rather than dwelling on it, we can choose to pray, place the worry before God, think of what we’re grateful for, and lift our thoughts to who is in our lives. We can “be still and know” (Ps. 46:10) that we are never alone, and that God is as near as our next breath. We can choose to smile more (remember the illustration at the beginning?), and by engaging in these practices, we can change our thinking and feeling.

Doing something doesn’t mean we lack faith. We are physical beings, and we need practical strategies to break the hold of negative thinking. In Phil. 4:4-9, God gives us examples of helpful disciplines so that we can be released from fear, focus on Jesus, and live lives of rejoicing and peace.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 99:1-9 • Exodus 33:12-23 • 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 • Matthew 22:15-22

This week’s theme is God’s glory goes with us. In Exodus 33, Moses asks God to send his glory with Israel and then to show Moses his glory. Psalm 99, this week’s call to worship, is a historical poem of God’s glory going with them through the desert as a pillar of cloud. Matthew 22 tells about Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees overpaying taxes and Jesus reminds us that God’s imprint is on us, so we belong to him. Our sermon is based on 1 Thessalonians 1, in which Paul talks about God’s glorious transformation of us and the life he has called us to live in response.

Paul’s Three-Dimensional Witness

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Have you ever had a mentor? A person in your life who sat with you and walked you patiently through learning something they themselves already knew very well? Most of us don’t have to look too far in our own history to find that coach, pastor, boss, older cousin or whoever it was who taught us how to pick up a skill, but more importantly how to live life.

How did that mentor approach you? Were they careful, calm, and patient? The ones we remember usually are. We can also remember the abusive, driving bosses and authority figures, but we wouldn’t usually call them mentors.

Discuss a mentor who was important to you and took time to teach you patiently, even while holding high expectations. Do you know someone who gave you high support, high challenge, and grace always? This could be an interesting discussion, depending on the size of your fellowship.

Paul approached this fledgling church in Thessalonica as a loving mentor. That’s one of the main themes that threads through this introductory section: he loves them dearly and is praising the progress they’ve made.

We often think of Paul as a bit of a fighter, often speaking the voice of rebuking and correction rather than consolation. We’re used to his near-violent rebuke of the false teachers who are trying to infiltrate his communities and undermine the high standards he lives by and expects of those he’s been ministering too.

But Thessalonians shows us a different side of Paul, which I think is probably the side he prefers to live in if he can. He starts this letter with gentle praise and great love.

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Let’s look at three points Paul makes in this passage. He talks about:

• Identity
• Imitation
• Imminence

Identity

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 ESV)

This sounds like a normal and warm greeting, but then as you read the letter, you might wonder about Paul. The letter was written to people who are preaching other doctrines and preaching against Paul. They lived in a promiscuous culture, and men were free to engage in sexual activity with almost no boundaries. Their theology is messed up—seemingly inserting different gods into their daily lives. Yet Paul praised them for their work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope.

Let’s keep in mind that for the Jewish believers, the gospel was completely scandalous. We know from Acts 17 that the members of the Jewish community in Thessalonica followed Paul to the next town where he ministered so they could start a riot and endanger his life!

The believers in Thessalonica had bad theology, bad morality, and a distorted opinion of Paul. Yet, Paul is thankful because of what he’s heard about their faith and growth in Christ. He’s thankful because of their growth, not their perfection.

Every 12-step meeting you go to you will hear the phrase: “We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” That’s where Paul meets this community—I’m so thankful for you! I hear such good things about you! You are following Christ; you know who you are.

He thanks God for them and reminds them who they are.

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 ESV)

He comes in as the loving mentor here, starting with genuine praise and joy in the progress this community is making. The smoldering wicks and bruised reeds abound here—Greeks just in from their licentious religious life, Jews who’ve been rejected by their community for their newfound faith.

Paul gently blows on the embers of their faith, encouraging them to continue. Not to be perfect, just to keep going, to know their identity in Christ.

Have you ever had someone encourage you like that? (Take a moment to think about this and say a short prayer of praise to God for bringing that person into your life.) Is there someone in our lives that we need to encourage in this gentle way—meeting them where they are?

Imitation

You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. (1 Thessalonians 1:5-7 ESV)

As new Christians, this community was an unheard-of blend of Jews and Greeks worshipping in the same house. For the Jews, the theology of Christ was a scandal. For the Greeks, the moral demands of this new faith were a scandal. Both people groups had been broken out of their background and community.

Think of walking into a new school or job or culture. You’re disoriented and don’t know what to do. You can research online before you get there—read, download articles—but when you get there it’s like a bucket of cold water to the face.

Your first instinct is to imitate. Look around, see what other people are doing. No one was more disoriented than Paul. He was a model Israelite, even to the degree of killing people of this new Jesus cult. Then he’s miraculously converted, losing every point of reference he has, and he is called to associate with Gentiles, whom he had looked down on his whole life.

In a matter of a few years, he lost every coordinate he’d ever known. He can easily relate to people who are coming into the church and are disoriented by the social differences. More than anyone, he can say: “If you’re a little lost, I’ll show you the ropes!”

Imitation. One of the most important parts of mentoring. We learned  from what our mentors did more than what they said—we watched and mimicked.

Paul can confidently say: you watched us live this Jesus life. You saw our integrity, love, boldness and joy. He was a three-dimensional witness to them. He didn’t put on a church face or a church act, but he lived alongside them.

That, brothers and sisters, is our greatest witness. That is fulfilling the new commandment to love as Jesus loves. We are called to present not just a theology or a belief system, but a life worth imitating.

There’s a fun story of Billy Graham, a devotee both of Christ and golf. He went on celebrity golf tours and had plenty of pictures of himself swinging as well as preaching.

On one private golf outing, the caddy didn’t know who he was. Billy got off to a rough start and maxed out on strokes on the first hole. The caddy, used to hearing a loud chorus of profanity and abuse when this happened, was surprised to see this golfer just quietly keep playing.

Finally, he asked, “So are you some sort of preacher or something?”

Billy casually said, “Yeah. I’m sort of a preacher.”

Maybe a silly example, but an exchange someone wrote about decades later! Billy Graham, the most famous pastor in the world, quietly practiced what he preached. He didn’t claim who he was and then put on his perfect face. He lived with the gentleness and self-control of the Spirit because that’s who he was!

So, Paul is able to confidently say, “You saw our witness in 3-D. We were there with you. You’ve seen how this plays out.” Further, he praises them because their example inspired others to imitate them.

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God… (1 Thessalonians 1:8-9 ESV)

Imminence

… and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10 ESV)

Imminence is a five-dollar word to describe the very-soon coming of Christ. Christ is coming imminently; he will be here soon. Paul taught that Christ had come to begin the kingdom and he would come back someday to finally establish it.

But the issue became, as you can see later in the Thessalonian letters, that people really liked the idea of escaping the world when Christ came. They thought: Great, now we don’t have to work or pay back our credit cards or figure out our various church tension issues—Jesus will be back any time now!

People had quit working and otherwise looking after their living, and Paul was explicit in his correction. To know Christ isn’t just to have some kind of apocalypse insurance or escape hatch, it’s not to be in the “in crowd” and give up on the difficult journey of being human. To know Christ was to have a new kind of life.

To know Christ isn’t to escape life, but to fully live it.

To jump ahead, Paul lays out that life for them later in this letter:

And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ESV)

This is not some kind of picture of an elitist cult hiding away until the end, nor a caustic band of doomsayers cursing the world. This is a life very much in the world, living in the simplicity of confidence in who the true Lord of the world really is.

• Because we believe the return of Christ is imminent, so we live life fully today.
• Because we are in touch with the Creator, we can fully enjoy the creation as it was meant to be enjoyed—with all the good foods and good relationships that it includes.
• Because we know the Redeemer, we can live as redeemed people, sharing that grace and believing that those who are counted lost can be restored.
• Because we know love, we can show love.

So today, let your witness be three-dimensional, showing grace to those who are growing and an attractive love to those who don’t know Christ yet.

To recap:

Identity: Paul rejoices because of this church’s fledgling growth—as misdirected and imperfect as it is. Christ rejoices that we are identified by him and celebrates our growth even though he knows our confused and misguided hearts.

Imitation: Let’s live the gospel just as much, if not more so, than sharing it verbally. May people see us as Christ-followers before we even have a chance to tell them we are.

Imminence: To know Christ is to be fully and wholly human, to live our daily lives in a way that shines his glory while drawing on his strength.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 • Deuteronomy 34:1-12 • 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 • Matthew 22:34-46

This week’s theme is shared ministry. In Deuteronomy we witness Moses passing the baton of leadership to Joshua accompanied by a call to worship Psalm that reflects on life’s transience while calling on God’s compassion to the faithful. The New Testament lesson comes from First Thessalonians, where Paul recounts his own ministry and preaching in Thessalonica providing a pattern for ministry and a window into the Father’s heart revealed in Jesus’ ministry. The Gospel reading in Matthew provides Jesus’ own teaching concerning God’s great commandment of loving God and neighbor followed by Jesus teasing out his identity as the Son of David.

An Approved Messenger of Faith, Hope and Love

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 (NRSV)

Today’s text comes from what may be the earliest document in the New Testament. Paul and Silas had spent one month in Thessalonica telling people the good news about Jesus, which resulted in the first church community in Thessalonica. The church was made up of Jewish and Gentile believers. It didn’t take long before this group of believers who worshiped King Jesus instead of the local favorite, Caesar, got the attention of the community and local authorities, leading to intense persecution. The persecution eventuality ran Paul and Silas out of town. 1 Thessalonians is a letter written to this church plant as a way for Paul to reconnect with his beloved new church. He writes a letter of thanksgiving, encouragement and exhortation.

The portion we have for our text today will provide us with Paul’s account of his own ministry among those in Thessalonica. But Paul is not just walking down memory lane or patting himself on the back. He links how he ministered to them as an example of how they are ministering to one another, which is linked to how Jesus ministers among us by the Spirit. Paul states in his introduction of his letter, “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord…” and he adds in chapter 4:1, “Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more.”

Although Paul is the founder of the community, he sees his ministry as a “participation” in Jesus’ ministry. In this way, we can look at this passage for insight into how Paul and his gospel partners in Thessalonica were doing ministry, and ask how we should be doing ministry in our own Christian communities as we participate in King Jesus’ ministry among us. We are also planted and called to participate in the ministry of Jesus to those in our community and beyond. But even more important than this, we will use this passage to help us see a little more of who Jesus is in his ministry to us. Just how does the Father relate to us in Jesus by the Spirit? The way Paul and his early church conducted themselves in ministry tells us a lot about the God they worshiped and believed in. So with that in mind, we will proceed by looking at some characteristics of ministry that are laid out in this passage by dividing it up between Paul, ourselves, and Jesus.

Let’s start from the top.

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. (1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 NRSV)

Paul: The first characteristic we see in Paul can be described as fearless faith. Paul’s courage was in God and his word to us in Jesus Christ. Paul had plenty of reasons to be fearful of proclaiming God’s word in his day. Under the rule of the Roman Empire, where allegiance and worship of the Roman ruler was an expected social norm, proclaiming the coming of another king who is Lord of Lords would certainly invite trouble. Paul had already experienced suffering and shameful mistreatment on account of proclaiming the word in Philippi. But Paul was bold in coming to the Thessalonians with that very message and he was confident that the message of the gospel “was not in vain.” God’s word to us always gets a response. As with the Thessalonians, it was a response of faith and repentance. But it also got a response of rejection in the form of persecution by the onlooking cultural bystanders.

Ourselves: If we are to “imitate” Paul and the Lord, then fearless faith will undergird all we do in ministry. We will put our full trust and weight on the Word of God spoken to us in Jesus Christ. We may not live under the rule such as the Roman Empire, but we still have many other “gods” our culture expects us to endorse and worship. Many of these gods run counter to the true Lord and King of all, and there can be no compromise. It may be a fearful thing to reject such cultural positions and even more scary to speak a word that amounts to God’s righteous judgment against them. But as we come to know more and more God’s Word in Jesus, we come to see that Jesus is the only Word that is “not in vain.” He is the one who gets the final word. Every other word is passing away. Perhaps you and your church community have already experienced some suffering and shame by standing firm on God’s Word. Paul indicates that this is more of the norm than the exception. But we do not have to fear because Jesus is the true King, the final word and the only Lord and Savior.

Jesus: Jesus is our fearless faith. Just as Paul’s “coming” to the Thessalonians “was not in vain,” Jesus’ coming to us in the Incarnation was not some isolated event in history that made no difference for us in the present or for the future. Jesus brought his fearless faith in the Father to be unleashed in our world held captive by fear, guilt and anxiety. Jesus did not back down from his own suffering and shame at the hands of our evil and sinful resistance of him. In fearless faith in the Father, Jesus went all the way to the cross to speak a final word of reconciliation and redemption. His word did not go unheard but was answered by the Father in resurrection. Now we who believe can participate in his fearless faith shared with us by the Spirit.

Let’s go a little further now and look at two more characteristics Paul lays out for us:

For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. (1 Thessalonians 2:3-7a NRSV)

Paul: The second characteristic we see in Paul is uncompromised hope. Paul begins by listing a few things that were not characteristic of his preaching that indicate being “approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel.” The message of the gospel is a message of hope. This changes the orientation and motive of preaching to point away from one’s self in the direction from which that hope comes. Notice the first three things Paul lists—“deceit, impure motives and trickery.” All three indicate that the real aim of the preacher who is not “approved by God” is not the gospel message of hope but how they can twist that message in hope of getting what they want. Paul will add to this list that he did not come to “please mortals” or to flatter out of “greed.” Paul is contrasting himself with the widespread religious and philosophical charlatans operating in the ancient Mediterranean. These deceivers would travel around using their polished oratorical skills to either line their pockets with money, take advantage of women or to gain personal popularity. Paul’s hope is in the gospel message. He has already suffered greatly for it, which is proof he is not like the charlatan preacher seeking self-promotion. His aim is to please God by an honest proclamation of the gospel, not to please mortals by distorting the message for self-interest. He is motivated to share the message of hope out of concern for others rather than manipulating them to his own ends. He is not deceiving or mispresenting to become popular in public opinion but rather, he proclaims the gospel out of the hope that flows from God’s approval.

Ourselves: If we are to “imitate” Paul and the Lord, then an uncompromised hope will establish our motives in ministry. One challenge for churches is to test and discern whether one is being “entrusted with the message of the gospel” in a vocational calling. This should come by much prayer and deliberation, as the consequences or benefits are not slight. This may not be an easy process, but a proper discernment will place people of hope into positions of proclamation. But even outside of vocational ministerial calling, each member in the body of Christ is called to proclaim through word and deed the message of hope found in the gospel.

Do we make gospel proclamations with an uncompromised hope? Can we point to Christ for the sake of others even if it costs us popularity and favor? What if not compromising on Jesus’ word to us means we will face persecution by being passed over for that job promotion or by being branded as a “goody two shoes”? Will we compromise or will the hope found in Jesus motivate us beyond self-interest?

When we interact with others inside and outside the church, do we see them as children of the Father whose true hope lies in Jesus, or do we see them as obstacles or tools to manipulate for our own self-promotion? As we do ministry with uncompromised hope, we will be free from trying to manipulate others for our own gain or preservation. Hope in Christ releases our grip on our desire to control and manipulate others. We can be secure that all we need and want and are made for is richly provided in Jesus beyond our wildest imaginations. In this sure hope we can boldly point others to Christ, who is their true hope as well.

Jesus: Jesus is our uncompromised hope. All that Jesus did in his ministry among us was done in hope. As you read through the Gospels, you will encounter Jesus as unwavering in hope. How often did Jesus speak boldly in the face of intense opposition? He never placed his hope in others or in himself. What a wonderful Savior we can lean into! We can trust that Jesus and the Father do not deceive us or trick us. They are secure in their relationship as the Triune God, so there is never a thought of “using” us or manipulating us for something that is not good for us. What a wonderful and freeing truth to know that God does not manipulate his people! In Jesus we see exactly who God is. No tricks. No gimmicks. No distortions. The Father is the same God we see in Jesus Christ who walked among us. Jesus didn’t manipulate or trick anyone, and he didn’t twist the Father’s words for his own gain. His entire ministry was to the Father for the sake of the world. He was the hope of the world and he never compromised himself in that proclamation. Now we who believe can participate in his uncompromised hope shared with us by the Spirit.

Paul wraps up this section by providing one more characteristic of his ministry that informs ours while pointing to Jesus.

But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 NRSV)

Paul: The third characteristic we see in Paul is shared love. Paul uses a domestic picture of a “nurse,” the nanny used in the elite households of his day for bringing up children. These nannies did more than just babysit. They were involved in most major decisions for the child’s upbringing regarding clothing, food and education. Their influence affected the child’s entire life and future. The “nurse” was intimately involved with the children as if they were her own. That’s how Paul related to his “children” in Thessalonica. He was “gentle” with them and did not tower over them with his apostolic authority. He was not harsh and heavy handed with them but instead treated them as if they were his own dear children. He did not love them in word only. His love was a shared love. It’s one thing to say you love someone, but to put your own life in active demonstration of that love is something else altogether. For Paul, sharing the gospel wasn’t just in word only but equated to a real sharing of their “own selves.” There was no true gospel proclamation detached from personal sharing.

Ourselves: If we are to “imitate” Paul and the Lord, then shared love will fuel our actions in ministry. If we say we love someone but have not shared life with them, then our love is devoid of knowing them for who they are. Love outside of personal knowing becomes shallow and anemic. It’s like the husband who buys his wife a fishing boat because he “loves” her, even though she hates fishing. Our love for others will shape our actions to fit the particularities of the people we serve. Love reaches its goal by being shared.

Whether we are involved in some church-directed ministry or in the personal ministry that comes with all our interactions with others, we aim to know the other person for who they actually are and not for who we want them to be. This does not mean we treat them less than they are. We love them with the same love the Father has for them. He loves them according to his good purposes for them, and that should shape our love for them as well. So, who they are in Christ shapes our love for them. This means we don’t just love them by “loving them just the way they are” but we love them by sharing with them in a way that fits who they are becoming in Christ. Notice, Paul said his deep love for them determined for Paul, Silas and Timothy to share both “themselves” and “the gospel of God.” The deep love of the Father will not settle for one without the other.

Jesus: Jesus is shared love. If we want to see what shared love looks like, we look no further than Jesus Christ. Jesus came among us, born into our flesh and blood, to share life with us. He shared in our humanity, coming to know us from the inside out, from birth to death. In this sharing he opens a way in himself to share his own shared life of love with the Father by the Spirit. It’s in Jesus that we are given a share in the shared life of love that has existed for all eternity as Father, Son, Spirit. When we see Jesus born into our chaotic darkness to share in all its suffering and sorrow from womb to tomb, we are confronted with the very love of the Father for his children. The Father has moved heaven and earth together in his own Son in order to have shared love with his children. The Father does not coerce his children into relationship with him. He is gentle towards us in his Son Jesus. He calls us to himself as the children he created us to be. He does not relate to us in word only but in word and deed in the life and work of Jesus Christ.

In our survey of this passage we come to see a pattern of faith, hope and love in the ministry of Paul as a pattern for our own ministry, which flows out of participation in the ministry of Jesus, who is our fearless faith, uncompromised hope and shared love.

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Small Group Discussion Questions