1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,800 If you were here last Sunday, you’ll remember what we’ve already learned, that this church 2 00:00:04,800 –> 00:00:10,600 in Thessalonica was probably the most exciting church in the New Testament. 3 00:00:10,600 –> 00:00:17,000 We saw from chapter 1 and verse 6 that Paul says about this church it became a model for 4 00:00:17,000 –> 00:00:18,320 other churches. 5 00:00:18,320 –> 00:00:22,280 It became a model around Macedonia and Achaia. 6 00:00:22,280 –> 00:00:27,719 And not only that, in verse 8 Paul says, that the Lord’s message rang out from you. 7 00:00:27,740 –> 00:00:33,259 This church became like a bridgehead for the Gospel and their faith in God became known 8 00:00:33,259 –> 00:00:35,259 everywhere. 9 00:00:35,259 –> 00:00:41,380 In other words, as we saw from chapter 1 last time, what happened in this church had all 10 00:00:41,380 –> 00:00:47,020 the marks of an authentic work of God. 11 00:00:47,020 –> 00:00:51,939 And it is not surprising, therefore, that at the end of chapter 2, Paul describes these 12 00:00:51,939 –> 00:00:53,060 believers in Thessalonica. 13 00:00:53,520 –> 00:01:00,279 And if you look at verse 19 and 20 of chapter 2, he says that they are his joy and they 14 00:01:00,279 –> 00:01:02,080 are his crown. 15 00:01:02,080 –> 00:01:07,559 The great reward of his ministry is just to see what God is doing among you, and that 16 00:01:07,559 –> 00:01:09,180 will be the great reward. 17 00:01:09,180 –> 00:01:15,540 This is our joy, to see this authentic work of God that is going on in your lives. 18 00:01:16,199 –> 00:01:19,959 Now, here’s an extraordinary thing. 19 00:01:19,959 –> 00:01:28,360 Some people were part of the most exciting church in the New Testament, and they didn’t 20 00:01:28,360 –> 00:01:31,879 even know it. 21 00:01:31,879 –> 00:01:39,099 In fact, some of them thought that Paul’s ministry was actually a failure, and we know 22 00:01:39,099 –> 00:01:43,820 that from the way that he answers them in chapter 2, in verse 1. 23 00:01:44,180 –> 00:01:47,660 You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 24 00:01:47,660 –> 00:01:52,620 There would be no reason for Paul to say that except that some within the church were suggesting 25 00:01:52,620 –> 00:01:54,480 that it was. 26 00:01:54,480 –> 00:01:58,239 And you can see that he has to answer some of the criticisms that had been made about 27 00:01:58,239 –> 00:01:59,239 him. 28 00:01:59,239 –> 00:02:04,620 He says, verse 3, the appeal that we make does not spring from error or from impure 29 00:02:04,620 –> 00:02:05,620 motives. 30 00:02:05,620 –> 00:02:11,100 Clearly some folks were inferring that it did, or verse 3, continuing, nor are we trying 31 00:02:11,100 –> 00:02:12,100 to trick you. 32 00:02:12,320 –> 00:02:16,020 In other words, clearly some of the believers there thought that Paul, in some way, was 33 00:02:16,020 –> 00:02:21,000 trying to manipulate the Thessalonian church for his own ends. 34 00:02:21,000 –> 00:02:27,300 Now, here then, at the beginning of chapter 2, is a note of great sadness. 35 00:02:27,300 –> 00:02:37,559 That some folk who were surrounded by a great work of God, who were part of the most exciting 36 00:02:37,660 –> 00:02:46,880 church in the New Testament, just didn’t have eyes to see it, they just didn’t know it. 37 00:02:46,880 –> 00:02:51,720 I want you to notice that the folks who made these kinds of accusations against Paul were 38 00:02:51,720 –> 00:02:56,839 clearly Christians because Paul refers to them in verse 1 as brothers. 39 00:02:56,839 –> 00:03:03,119 You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 40 00:03:03,240 –> 00:03:12,339 Now, here’s the question, how could Christian brothers and sisters have thought that Paul’s 41 00:03:12,339 –> 00:03:15,220 ministry in Thessalonica was a failure? 42 00:03:15,220 –> 00:03:16,820 How is that possible? 43 00:03:16,820 –> 00:03:23,880 That Christian people surrounded by an authentic work of God could actually think what was 44 00:03:23,880 –> 00:03:25,179 happening was a failure? 45 00:03:25,179 –> 00:03:26,199 How could that be? 46 00:03:26,199 –> 00:03:32,860 And the answer is, because they had a wrong definition of success. 47 00:03:32,860 –> 00:03:40,559 And if you have a wrong definition of success, you may well find yourself surrounded by a 48 00:03:40,559 –> 00:03:47,139 significant work of God and not even be able to see it. 49 00:03:47,139 –> 00:03:51,320 And so the question that is raised for us very clearly by this passage of scripture 50 00:03:51,320 –> 00:03:54,539 this morning is simply, what is your definition of success? 51 00:03:54,539 –> 00:03:58,339 And what is a true definition of success? 52 00:03:58,339 –> 00:04:01,220 How would you model it? 53 00:04:01,220 –> 00:04:09,039 You look at your life, how would you know if your life is a success? 54 00:04:09,039 –> 00:04:14,259 You look at your family, how would you measure whether what has happened in your family is 55 00:04:14,259 –> 00:04:17,760 a success? 56 00:04:17,760 –> 00:04:23,899 You look at the life of a local congregation, how would we discern whether we are being 57 00:04:23,899 –> 00:04:29,940 successful in what God has called us to do or whether we are failing to pursue the commission 58 00:04:30,019 –> 00:04:32,640 that He has given to us, how would you measure that? 59 00:04:32,640 –> 00:04:35,399 That’s the question. 60 00:04:35,399 –> 00:04:40,500 Now it seems clear from looking at this passage that at least some of the brothers and no 61 00:04:40,500 –> 00:04:47,220 doubt sisters in Thessalonica define success as everybody being comfortable and everybody 62 00:04:47,220 –> 00:04:50,140 being happy. 63 00:04:50,140 –> 00:04:55,420 And if you were to define success as everything being comfortable and everyone being happy 64 00:04:55,459 –> 00:05:00,660 then by that standard there’s no doubt that Paul’s visit to Thessalonica was a failure, 65 00:05:00,660 –> 00:05:05,619 because there was a riot in the city and there was great pain and pain and persecution that 66 00:05:05,619 –> 00:05:07,760 came upon the believers who he left there. 67 00:05:07,760 –> 00:05:12,500 He was torn away and had to leave the city under the cover of darkness and so forth. 68 00:05:12,500 –> 00:05:17,739 So if everybody being comfortable and everybody being happy is the definition of success, 69 00:05:17,739 –> 00:05:21,220 Paul’s visit was a failure. 70 00:05:21,220 –> 00:05:23,100 And some believers thought it was. 71 00:05:23,100 –> 00:05:29,239 Even though they were surrounded by the distinguishing marks of an authentic work of God, they couldn’t 72 00:05:29,239 –> 00:05:30,239 see it. 73 00:05:30,239 –> 00:05:33,940 And that’s why Paul writes these words in chapter two, because he has to answer them 74 00:05:33,940 –> 00:05:40,179 and to show them what success actually looks like in a Christian life or in a Christian 75 00:05:40,179 –> 00:05:41,179 church. 76 00:05:41,179 –> 00:05:44,540 What we’re going to see here is that Paul’s definition of success is very different, it 77 00:05:44,540 –> 00:05:50,119 is not everything being comfortable and everybody being happy, it is the advance of the gospel 78 00:05:50,119 –> 00:05:51,660 and the approval of God. 79 00:05:52,420 –> 00:05:57,399 And you’ll see that very clearly in verse two, our visit wasn’t a failure he says but 80 00:05:57,399 –> 00:06:02,940 rather verse two, with the help of God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong 81 00:06:02,940 –> 00:06:09,019 opposition, that’s not a failure, that’s great success. 82 00:06:09,019 –> 00:06:14,160 Or verse four we are not trying to please men but God who tests our hearts. 83 00:06:14,160 –> 00:06:19,380 You see success is not that everybody speaks well of you, success is that God speaks well 84 00:06:19,380 –> 00:06:20,380 of you. 85 00:06:20,399 –> 00:06:22,700 We aren’t seeking praise from men but from God. 86 00:06:22,700 –> 00:06:28,899 He puts these two things together in the first part of verse four, we speak as men, approved 87 00:06:28,899 –> 00:06:35,779 by God to be entrusted with the gospel, their success, to live under the approval of God 88 00:06:35,779 –> 00:06:41,839 and to have been faithful to this trust of the advance of the gospel, that has been given 89 00:06:41,839 –> 00:06:45,140 to the apostle Paul and indeed has given to us. 90 00:06:46,079 –> 00:06:52,000 To advance the gospel and to live under the approval of God. 91 00:06:52,000 –> 00:06:57,660 Now, when we come to this whole question of what success looks like, or the question that 92 00:06:57,660 –> 00:07:03,359 flows from it, what motivates you, because these two things really interplay very very 93 00:07:03,359 –> 00:07:04,359 closely. 94 00:07:04,359 –> 00:07:13,739 The things that drive us tend to shape what our definition of success really looks like. 95 00:07:13,739 –> 00:07:23,420 And, when we come to that in our western post-modern culture, it’s important to realize that we 96 00:07:23,420 –> 00:07:30,200 kind of think of this in very individualistic terms. 97 00:07:30,200 –> 00:07:36,320 What drives you, which is going to be different from what drives somebody else. 98 00:07:36,320 –> 00:07:43,239 And, it is certainly true that all of us are motivated, and therefore tend to see things 99 00:07:44,019 –> 00:07:46,920 in different kinds of ways. 100 00:07:46,920 –> 00:07:50,739 That comes out when you do a psychological profile. 101 00:07:50,739 –> 00:07:56,959 I’ve done a number of these over the years and found them very helpful to know how I 102 00:07:56,959 –> 00:08:03,959 am wired, and what it is that kind of lights the fire for me, as it were, or what motivates. 103 00:08:06,160 –> 00:08:09,540 Most of us have done these kinds of things, used them in business, we used them in the 104 00:08:09,540 –> 00:08:15,779 church, and they tell us some things that are helpful because they describe what is 105 00:08:15,779 –> 00:08:19,799 uniquely you. 106 00:08:19,799 –> 00:08:25,519 But what I want us to notice here, and it is very important for us to grasp it, is that 107 00:08:25,519 –> 00:08:31,359 the Bible does not major on what is uniquely you. 108 00:08:31,359 –> 00:08:37,059 The Bible majors on what is commonly us. 109 00:08:37,059 –> 00:08:43,460 The Bible majors on what transcends your uniqueness or my uniqueness or the uniqueness of any 110 00:08:43,460 –> 00:08:50,460 of us and speaks primarily to what is common of all of us. 111 00:08:50,460 –> 00:08:56,359 And that is radically countercultural to the environment in which we live. 112 00:08:56,359 –> 00:09:01,799 See, all of us are created by God. 113 00:09:01,799 –> 00:09:05,539 All of us are descended from Adam. 114 00:09:05,539 –> 00:09:12,559 All of us bear the effects of sin and all of us depend on Jesus Christ for our righteousness. 115 00:09:12,559 –> 00:09:16,659 All of us if we’re Christians have the Holy Spirit of God living within us. 116 00:09:16,659 –> 00:09:20,739 We all struggle with the flesh. 117 00:09:20,739 –> 00:09:22,400 We all suffer in some way. 118 00:09:22,400 –> 00:09:25,020 We are all being conformed to the image of Christ. 119 00:09:25,020 –> 00:09:29,419 We are all trusted with the gospel and all of us are called to lay down our lives in 120 00:09:29,419 –> 00:09:32,520 service for others. 121 00:09:32,760 –> 00:09:40,479 The bible points us to the things that transcend our uniqueness, that are bigger than whether 122 00:09:40,479 –> 00:09:43,440 you are male or female. 123 00:09:43,440 –> 00:09:48,239 Bigger than if you are Swedish or Chinese. 124 00:09:48,239 –> 00:09:55,500 Bigger than if you are a type A driver or a laid back affiliated, bigger than any of 125 00:09:55,500 –> 00:09:58,479 these things. 126 00:09:58,479 –> 00:10:08,679 We can thank God who never made two snowflakes alike, that He never made two people alike. 127 00:10:08,679 –> 00:10:16,960 But you know at the end of day, snow is snow and people are people. 128 00:10:16,960 –> 00:10:25,520 What transcends is far greater than all that distinguishes. 129 00:10:25,520 –> 00:10:35,900 Now understanding your unique profile might tell you what you find easy and identify what 130 00:10:35,900 –> 00:10:39,140 you find hard. 131 00:10:39,140 –> 00:10:44,059 It might tell you where you can be most useful to the Lord. 132 00:10:44,059 –> 00:10:50,500 But your unique profile, my unique profile does not excuse either of us or any of us 133 00:10:50,500 –> 00:10:58,000 from our common calling and commissioning that we share in Jesus Christ. 134 00:10:58,000 –> 00:11:05,159 And the great danger you see of our individualistic culture is that having identified our own 135 00:11:05,159 –> 00:11:12,000 profile, I’m task-driven, oh I’m a people person or whatever it is, is that we grab 136 00:11:12,000 –> 00:11:19,260 a few verses from the Bible that reinforce who we already are and sit comfortably with 137 00:11:19,280 –> 00:11:21,500 that and never grow. 138 00:11:21,500 –> 00:11:27,179 And you see, the Bible isn’t a kind of a salt shaker of a few verses that can be thrown 139 00:11:27,179 –> 00:11:30,820 out to make all of us feel comfortable in who we are. 140 00:11:30,820 –> 00:11:38,859 No, in a culture that emphasises your unique design and my unique design, the Bible is 141 00:11:38,859 –> 00:11:43,719 speaking to us about our common calling in Jesus Christ. 142 00:11:43,719 –> 00:11:50,760 And that common calling is that all of us be conformed to Christ, to one image. 143 00:11:50,760 –> 00:11:57,599 We will all reflect his glory in unique and wonderfully individual ways, but it is one 144 00:11:57,599 –> 00:12:01,380 glory that will be reflected in every one of us. 145 00:12:01,380 –> 00:12:08,659 And you will reflect, not a small part of his glory but the whole of his glory. 146 00:12:08,659 –> 00:12:13,419 I was meeting with a group of senior pastors not so long ago. 147 00:12:13,419 –> 00:12:21,580 And someone described the way that his church works, and this is what he said. 148 00:12:21,580 –> 00:12:29,380 I’m the truth guy, and the rest of the staff look after the people. 149 00:12:29,380 –> 00:12:35,099 Now, I’ve been scratching my head to try and work that one out ever since. 150 00:12:35,099 –> 00:12:41,700 I’m the truth guy, and the rest of the staff look after the people. 151 00:12:42,340 –> 00:12:49,580 Now, how does the truth guy communicate the truth if he does not in some measure know 152 00:12:49,580 –> 00:12:56,500 or relate to, understand, care about, love, and pray for the people? 153 00:12:56,500 –> 00:13:02,539 How can you do the truth thing if you don’t care about the people? 154 00:13:02,539 –> 00:13:09,020 And how in all the world are the rest of the staff to be able to shepherd the people if 155 00:13:09,020 –> 00:13:12,140 they’re not doing that with the truth. 156 00:13:12,140 –> 00:13:14,539 It makes no sense. 157 00:13:14,539 –> 00:13:20,119 But you see, we’re living in an environment where we’ve played such an emphasis on what 158 00:13:20,119 –> 00:13:24,659 is uniquely you that we have missed what is commonly us. 159 00:13:24,659 –> 00:13:31,940 And therefore, we sit within our comfort zones and are never stretched outside of that by 160 00:13:31,940 –> 00:13:34,479 the common calling that is ours in Jesus Christ. 161 00:13:34,479 –> 00:13:37,020 Let me ask you this question. 162 00:13:37,020 –> 00:13:43,080 How many of you agree with me that if Paul did a psychological profile, he would come 163 00:13:43,080 –> 00:13:46,640 out as a type A driver? 164 00:13:46,640 –> 00:13:47,900 How many of you agree with that? 165 00:13:47,900 –> 00:13:51,340 Some of you most have read the New Testament. 166 00:13:51,340 –> 00:13:56,179 The last service, last service everybody agreed with that. 167 00:13:56,179 –> 00:13:59,280 I’m absolutely certain of it. 168 00:13:59,280 –> 00:14:05,979 Now just have a glance with me at verse 6 and 7 of this chapter. 169 00:14:06,000 –> 00:14:13,099 As Apostles of Christ, we could have been a burden to you, but we, this is Paul speaking, 170 00:14:13,099 –> 00:14:20,159 were gentle among you like a mother caring for her little children. 171 00:14:20,159 –> 00:14:26,460 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share not only the gospel of God but our 172 00:14:26,460 –> 00:14:27,859 lives as well. 173 00:14:27,859 –> 00:14:30,739 You think that came naturally to the Apostle Paul? 174 00:14:30,739 –> 00:14:33,299 Not for a minute. 175 00:14:33,299 –> 00:14:37,340 But it was a reflection of the Spirit of Christ within him. 176 00:14:37,340 –> 00:14:45,979 Here is a man who is growing in the likeness of Christ in every respect, not just his natural 177 00:14:45,979 –> 00:14:51,140 area of strength and that’s discipleship. 178 00:14:51,140 –> 00:14:55,659 Otherwise what happens is we just use the Bible to reinforce ourselves under the means 179 00:14:55,659 –> 00:15:00,380 of being perpetually affirmed. 180 00:15:00,419 –> 00:15:05,599 So I want to emphasize today the common calling that is ours in Jesus Christ and here’s what 181 00:15:05,599 –> 00:15:06,880 we’re going to learn. 182 00:15:06,880 –> 00:15:08,700 Two things. 183 00:15:08,700 –> 00:15:15,619 If you are going to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, if I am going to be faithful 184 00:15:15,619 –> 00:15:21,000 as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are going to have to overcome two impulses that run 185 00:15:21,000 –> 00:15:25,239 deep within every human being. 186 00:15:25,239 –> 00:15:32,099 One is the desire for comfort and number two is the desire for approval and they are the 187 00:15:32,099 –> 00:15:38,840 two issues that lie at the heart of what Paul says to these folks in Thessalonica, who being 188 00:15:38,840 –> 00:15:47,979 hooked on comfort and approval felt that Paul’s ministry must therefore have been a failure. 189 00:15:47,979 –> 00:15:51,380 Will you look with me at these two things together? 190 00:15:51,880 –> 00:15:58,520 And here’s what we’re learning, if you would be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ you 191 00:15:58,520 –> 00:16:05,520 must overcome the natural human desire in you in me for comfort and we’re looking at verses 192 00:16:05,520 –> 00:16:13,000 five and six. You know we never used flattery and nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed 193 00:16:13,000 –> 00:16:16,640 we’re talking money here, greed, verse six, 194 00:16:16,640 –> 00:16:22,780 as Apostles of Christ, we could have been a burden to you. So he’s still talking 195 00:16:22,780 –> 00:16:29,760 money. The point here is simply that as an Apostle Paul could have asked the Thessalonian 196 00:16:29,760 –> 00:16:35,679 Christians to support him financially. When he came to the town he didn’t do that. 197 00:16:35,679 –> 00:16:39,719 He said I didn’t want to be a burden to you when I was preaching the gospel. Instead 198 00:16:39,719 –> 00:16:44,159 verse six he says we were gentle among you like a mother caring for her children. You 199 00:16:44,159 –> 00:16:54,000 get the point a mother does not charge the kids for what she does. Hard work, not easy, 200 00:16:54,000 –> 00:17:00,020 no money in it. We were gentle among you like a mother caring for little children. Didn’t 201 00:17:00,020 –> 00:17:04,579 ask you for anything, we just served. That’s what he says. 202 00:17:04,579 –> 00:17:09,459 Of course he had to sustain himself and what that meant was that Paul got a job while he 203 00:17:09,500 –> 00:17:14,099 was in Thessalonica, that meant he worked during the day and he gave himself to ministry 204 00:17:14,099 –> 00:17:21,839 in the evenings. That made for a long day, it wasn’t comfortable. Hard work. 205 00:17:21,839 –> 00:17:30,739 Surely you remember brothers our toil and our hardship, we worked night and day. So 206 00:17:30,739 –> 00:17:35,939 he had a job during the day, he was involved in ministry at night, and the reason it was 207 00:17:35,939 –> 00:17:41,760 this long hours was in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of 208 00:17:41,760 –> 00:17:47,640 God, to you. Now the issue here of course goes deeper than 209 00:17:47,640 –> 00:17:53,939 money, very few people are driven purely by money. The real motivation that is behind 210 00:17:53,939 –> 00:18:00,479 money is not the paper dollar itself, but the lifestyle and the opportunity, the comfort 211 00:18:00,699 –> 00:18:07,359 it brings. We’re talking about everything that goes into lifestyle here, you know, freedom 212 00:18:07,359 –> 00:18:17,359 to travel, places to eat, the size of your wardrobe, the location and the size of your 213 00:18:17,359 –> 00:18:23,239 home, the softness of your towels, the shape of your glassware, everything that goes into 214 00:18:23,739 –> 00:18:34,560 your life, your world, the way you want it. And if comfort was a mark of success then 215 00:18:34,560 –> 00:18:42,599 Paul’s visit to Thessalonica was a failure. And that’s the whole theme that underlies 216 00:18:42,599 –> 00:18:49,359 this passage because the gospel made life distinctly uncomfortable for these believers. 217 00:18:50,359 –> 00:18:55,140 It was harder than it was before. 218 00:18:55,140 –> 00:18:58,839 Now from this I think we’re learning a very simple principle that if you allow comfort 219 00:18:58,839 –> 00:19:03,959 to be the measure of your success you cannot be a follower of Jesus Christ. 220 00:19:03,959 –> 00:19:11,959 The gospel tells us about one occasion, when an enthusiastic man came to Jesus. 221 00:19:11,959 –> 00:19:14,560 It’s in Luke chapter 9. 222 00:19:14,619 –> 00:19:22,900 And this man said to Jesus, Lord, I will follow you wherever you go. 223 00:19:22,900 –> 00:19:27,199 Now, I think if he’d come to me in that kind of way I’d say, oh this is great, 224 00:19:27,199 –> 00:19:29,520 now you just come with me, that’s absolutely marvelous. 225 00:19:29,520 –> 00:19:30,640 That’s not what Jesus did. 226 00:19:30,640 –> 00:19:40,219 Jesus said, foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests but the son of man has no place 227 00:19:40,219 –> 00:19:42,920 to lay his head. 228 00:19:42,920 –> 00:19:45,560 In other words, Jesus was saying to that man, you want to follow me? 229 00:19:45,560 –> 00:19:49,000 Here’s the first thing you need to know, it will not be comfortable. 230 00:19:50,199 –> 00:19:55,160 The son of man has no place to lay his head. 231 00:19:55,160 –> 00:20:01,579 And if you are looking for a comfortable life, Jesus is saying to him, you cannot and 232 00:20:01,579 –> 00:20:03,400 you will not be my disciple. 233 00:20:04,060 –> 00:20:11,579 The gospel of Jesus Christ will not travel far on the shoulders 234 00:20:11,579 –> 00:20:14,760 of Christians who are motivated by their own comfort. 235 00:20:16,760 –> 00:20:18,760 If comfort had been Paul’s criteria for success, 236 00:20:18,760 –> 00:20:21,920 he would never have got to Thessalonica, 237 00:20:21,920 –> 00:20:25,560 he would have quit at the very latest at Philippi when he was thrown into jail. 238 00:20:26,760 –> 00:20:30,900 And if he’d never gone on to Thessalonica, if you follow the trail of God’s providence 239 00:20:30,900 –> 00:20:33,040 through Paul’s missionary journeys coming to Europe, 240 00:20:33,040 –> 00:20:35,640 the gospel would never be here and we wouldn’t be here today. 241 00:20:37,640 –> 00:20:41,040 The gospel will not travel far on the shoulders 242 00:20:41,040 –> 00:20:44,520 of Christians who are committed to their own comfort. 243 00:20:44,520 –> 00:20:49,819 Thank God, that Paul didn’t see that as the criteria of success. 244 00:20:52,239 –> 00:20:54,920 You say well, how would I know if I was motivated by comfort? 245 00:20:57,500 –> 00:21:02,760 Well, a person who’s motivated by comfort tends to be asking questions like this, 246 00:21:02,760 –> 00:21:07,579 I guess they’ve run in all of our minds, so I have at times in mind, 247 00:21:07,579 –> 00:21:08,479 what am I getting out of this? 248 00:21:10,719 –> 00:21:12,119 Am I really enjoying what I’m doing? 249 00:21:13,439 –> 00:21:15,359 Do other people like me? 250 00:21:15,359 –> 00:21:16,099 Do I like them? 251 00:21:17,719 –> 00:21:22,359 What you start down the road of these questions being dominant in your 252 00:21:22,359 –> 00:21:27,400 decision making, you’re really betraying that the fundamental 253 00:21:27,400 –> 00:21:31,199 motivation of your life is one of comfort. 254 00:21:32,199 –> 00:21:35,520 You are working with a false definition of success, and 255 00:21:35,520 –> 00:21:38,099 likely, therefore, to make a poor decision. 256 00:21:39,479 –> 00:21:42,520 And the whole point of what the apostle Paul is saying here, 257 00:21:42,520 –> 00:21:45,239 is that comfort is a false definition of success. 258 00:21:45,239 –> 00:21:47,079 Our visit to you was not a failure. 259 00:21:47,079 –> 00:21:48,880 You need to understand that. 260 00:21:48,880 –> 00:21:54,260 So repentance, at this point, means ditching these questions, 261 00:21:54,260 –> 00:22:00,520 and us embracing a new definition of what success looks like. 262 00:22:00,560 –> 00:22:04,959 What matters before God is not the comfort of my life, 263 00:22:04,959 –> 00:22:08,680 but the advance of the gospel through my ministry. 264 00:22:08,680 –> 00:22:12,060 What matters before God is not the comfort of your life, 265 00:22:14,400 –> 00:22:19,040 but the advance of the gospel through your ministry. 266 00:22:20,280 –> 00:22:24,099 Actually, a wonderful thing, because some of us here are, right now, 267 00:22:24,099 –> 00:22:26,959 you’ve come to church today and you are experiencing great pain. 268 00:22:27,199 –> 00:22:30,520 And you’re in the middle of a situation that is not easy. 269 00:22:30,520 –> 00:22:37,859 And you’re trusting Christ, and you’re loving God. 270 00:22:37,859 –> 00:22:43,719 And by God’s definition of success, you are a runaway success right now because 271 00:22:43,719 –> 00:22:49,599 to love God in the middle of pain and to trust Him in the middle of pressure 272 00:22:49,599 –> 00:22:56,020 is about the greatest reflection of the image of Christ that can be seen this side. 273 00:22:56,619 –> 00:22:57,819 of heaven. 274 00:22:57,819 –> 00:23:03,380 You’ve got a new and a right definition of success. 275 00:23:03,380 –> 00:23:09,099 You’ll be greatly encouraged and strengthened and helped for the glory of 276 00:23:09,099 –> 00:23:11,439 God. 277 00:23:11,439 –> 00:23:17,219 If we would be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, we’ve got to overcome the 278 00:23:17,219 –> 00:23:23,319 natural human impulse that’s within all of us for comfort. 279 00:23:23,319 –> 00:23:25,699 And, you know, what’s true of us individually, of course, 280 00:23:25,699 –> 00:23:28,000 is true for us as a church. 281 00:23:28,000 –> 00:23:32,900 The gospel will not travel far on the shoulders of a church that is 282 00:23:32,900 –> 00:23:36,839 primarily motivated by our own comfort. 283 00:23:38,760 –> 00:23:42,579 Now, here’s the second great challenge that I think comes out of this passage 284 00:23:42,579 –> 00:23:48,560 of Scripture, it’s really come freshly to me studying this during these last days. 285 00:23:48,560 –> 00:23:51,939 If we’re to be faithful as disciples of Jesus Christ, we must 286 00:23:51,939 –> 00:23:54,920 overcome not only the impulse for comfort that runs deep within 287 00:23:54,920 –> 00:23:58,859 us all, but secondly the impulse for approval. 288 00:23:58,859 –> 00:24:03,439 And that again is like a deep river, a deep stream that runs within all of us. 289 00:24:03,439 –> 00:24:05,619 It is part of our humanity. 290 00:24:05,619 –> 00:24:09,739 We want to be thought well-off, liked and appreciated, 291 00:24:09,739 –> 00:24:11,880 respected by other people. 292 00:24:11,880 –> 00:24:15,839 But what we’re going to learn again from this passage of Scripture and the example 293 00:24:15,839 –> 00:24:20,819 of Paul is that if you would be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, 294 00:24:20,959 –> 00:24:29,760 You have to overcome the impulse, the desire to live on the approval of others. 295 00:24:29,760 –> 00:24:33,020 Now look at verse four, where Paul makes this very clear. 296 00:24:33,020 –> 00:24:38,520 We are not trying to please men. 297 00:24:38,520 –> 00:24:41,239 And he continues into verse five. 298 00:24:41,239 –> 00:24:45,939 You know that we never used flattery, he says. 299 00:24:45,939 –> 00:24:50,119 Flattery of course is telling someone else how great they are so that you’ll, 300 00:24:50,119 –> 00:24:52,300 they will think how great you are, right? 301 00:24:52,300 –> 00:24:53,280 That’s flattery. 302 00:24:53,280 –> 00:24:56,880 Or, I forget who gave this definition but it sticks in my mind, 303 00:24:56,880 –> 00:24:58,180 I think it’s wonderful. 304 00:24:58,180 –> 00:25:04,319 Flattery is saying to someone’s face what you would never say 305 00:25:04,319 –> 00:25:05,439 behind their back. 306 00:25:05,439 –> 00:25:07,800 You think about that as well. 307 00:25:07,800 –> 00:25:12,079 Flattery is saying to someone’s face what you would never say 308 00:25:12,079 –> 00:25:13,560 behind their back. 309 00:25:13,560 –> 00:25:15,859 Now, Paul says, we didn’t do that kind of thing. 310 00:25:15,859 –> 00:25:19,479 We weren’t into trying to manipulate other people so that they would think, 311 00:25:19,780 –> 00:25:22,020 well, of us all the time. 312 00:25:22,020 –> 00:25:26,599 Verse six, we are not looking for praise from men, 313 00:25:26,599 –> 00:25:32,020 not from you, nor from anyone else. 314 00:25:32,020 –> 00:25:36,939 Now, very simply, if Paul’s definition of success had been that everyone should 315 00:25:36,939 –> 00:25:42,739 think well of him, he could not have been faithful as an apostle. 316 00:25:42,739 –> 00:25:49,180 This issue of looking for praise from other people, 317 00:25:49,180 –> 00:25:51,459 it runs so deep. 318 00:25:51,459 –> 00:25:55,979 We all want others to think well of us. 319 00:25:55,979 –> 00:26:00,280 But if you allow that to be the driving motivation of your life, 320 00:26:00,280 –> 00:26:03,579 bottom line, you cannot be a Christian. 321 00:26:03,859 –> 00:26:08,979 And I take that directly from the words of Jesus, 322 00:26:08,979 –> 00:26:12,400 in John chapter 5, and verse 44, 323 00:26:12,400 –> 00:26:17,699 where Jesus was speaking to some folks who never came to faith. 324 00:26:17,699 –> 00:26:22,619 And He said this, how can you believe? 325 00:26:22,619 –> 00:26:24,260 How can you believe? 326 00:26:24,260 –> 00:26:28,579 He’s saying it’s impossible, it won’t happen if you accept praise from one another 327 00:26:28,579 –> 00:26:31,300 and make no effort to seek the praise that comes from God alone. 328 00:26:31,900 –> 00:26:34,199 It will be a barrier to faith! 329 00:26:34,199 –> 00:26:39,380 If what you’re living on, Jesus says, is this praise from one another thing. 330 00:26:39,380 –> 00:26:42,900 If that’s really what you’re feeding your soul on, 331 00:26:42,900 –> 00:26:45,400 it will hinder you from ever being my disciple. 332 00:26:45,400 –> 00:26:47,699 How can you believe? 333 00:26:47,699 –> 00:26:50,000 You will never come to radical Christian faith. 334 00:26:50,000 –> 00:26:53,900 You’ll never be a follower of Jesus Christ, if you live on the approval of others. 335 00:26:53,900 –> 00:26:55,119 It cannot happen. 336 00:26:57,400 –> 00:27:01,199 Let me try and apply this very practically. 337 00:27:01,599 –> 00:27:08,000 Awhile ago, I saw a poster that, for some reason it’s just stuck in my mind. 338 00:27:08,000 –> 00:27:09,000 It’s a great one. 339 00:27:09,000 –> 00:27:15,619 It was a picture of a cuddly tiger cub. 340 00:27:15,619 –> 00:27:17,500 Furry. 341 00:27:17,500 –> 00:27:18,900 Gorgeous. 342 00:27:18,900 –> 00:27:24,099 And, besides the furry tiger cub, was this slogan. 343 00:27:24,099 –> 00:27:28,800 I am wanting to be loved. 344 00:27:29,520 –> 00:27:35,119 Now, it’s exactly the kind of poster that you would expect to see in a teenage girl’s 345 00:27:35,119 –> 00:27:35,979 bedroom. 346 00:27:35,979 –> 00:27:36,880 Right? 347 00:27:36,880 –> 00:27:38,380 Tugly little tiger. 348 00:27:38,380 –> 00:27:42,260 I am wanting to be loved. 349 00:27:42,260 –> 00:27:48,660 Now think about that with me, because that poster will sell really well, because it taps 350 00:27:48,660 –> 00:27:54,640 into one of the deepest rivers in a teenage girl’s heart. 351 00:27:54,640 –> 00:27:57,979 And not just a teenage girl, but frankly the rest of us as well. 352 00:27:58,000 –> 00:28:01,760 I am wanting to be loved. 353 00:28:01,760 –> 00:28:09,319 But what happens to a teenage girl if she allows that to become the driving motivation 354 00:28:09,319 –> 00:28:11,180 of her life. 355 00:28:11,180 –> 00:28:17,579 I am wanting to be loved. 356 00:28:17,579 –> 00:28:22,640 Where will that take her? 357 00:28:22,640 –> 00:28:27,640 What will she do to fulfill that desire? 358 00:28:27,660 –> 00:28:40,560 You see, once you give way to wanting to be loved as the fundamental driver of your life, 359 00:28:40,560 –> 00:28:48,040 you will be kept from being a follower of Jesus Christ, and you will end up in a life 360 00:28:48,040 –> 00:28:54,719 of manipulation to gain what you desperately crave. 361 00:28:54,719 –> 00:28:56,979 And you know what? 362 00:28:57,079 –> 00:29:07,599 The Gospel takes that poster down, and it replaces it with another one that says, 363 00:29:07,599 –> 00:29:10,140 I am loved 364 00:29:10,140 –> 00:29:13,839 by Jesus Christ. 365 00:29:13,839 –> 00:29:17,699 I think that’s what every teenage girl needs to know more than anything else growing up 366 00:29:17,699 –> 00:29:18,699 in this world. 367 00:29:18,699 –> 00:29:19,699 Don’t you? 368 00:29:19,699 –> 00:29:24,540 That’s what all the rest of us need to know if we are to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. 369 00:29:25,380 –> 00:29:28,099 Let me apply it not only to teenage girls. 370 00:29:28,099 –> 00:29:30,979 Let me apply it to parents. 371 00:29:30,979 –> 00:29:36,459 Let me put it simply this way, you cannot be an effective father or mother if you are 372 00:29:36,459 –> 00:29:40,640 driven by the need of approval from your children. 373 00:29:40,640 –> 00:29:47,579 If you’re coming to being a dad or a mom with a fundamental mindset of saying, I am 374 00:29:47,579 –> 00:29:52,319 wanting to be loved, and I’m going to get that fulfilled out of my children, then all 375 00:29:52,380 –> 00:29:56,439 of your decisions will be skewed in the direction of whatever pleases them, and you will not 376 00:29:56,439 –> 00:30:00,219 be able to be an effective father or a mother. 377 00:30:00,219 –> 00:30:03,819 The gospel takes that poster down. 378 00:30:03,819 –> 00:30:09,920 And it puts you in a position, as you embrace it with faith, where you can be a more effective 379 00:30:09,920 –> 00:30:13,119 father and a more effective mother, because you know that you are loved by God and you 380 00:30:13,119 –> 00:30:18,760 are not driven by the need of the approval of your children. 381 00:30:18,760 –> 00:30:28,920 Let me try and apply it thirdly, to leaders, pastors, missionaries. 382 00:30:28,920 –> 00:30:35,359 You cannot give effective leadership in ministry if you are driven by the need to be loved, 383 00:30:35,359 –> 00:30:40,400 liked, and approved by everybody else. 384 00:30:40,400 –> 00:30:44,400 What would Jesus have done? 385 00:30:44,719 –> 00:30:49,500 The faithful church is never led by people who put their finger in the wind and say what 386 00:30:49,500 –> 00:30:51,699 does everyone want? 387 00:30:51,699 –> 00:30:55,219 The gospel never advances that way. 388 00:30:55,219 –> 00:31:00,680 And indeed it applies to the whole body of the church. 389 00:31:00,680 –> 00:31:05,880 If our fundamental question is, does everyone else, who doesn’t believe like us. 390 00:31:05,880 –> 00:31:09,359 We’ll never advance far with the gospel. 391 00:31:09,359 –> 00:31:10,359 This was the problem. 392 00:31:10,359 –> 00:31:14,020 There were a whole group in Thessalonica who said, you know, it caused a lot of trouble 393 00:31:14,060 –> 00:31:24,819 this gospel coming to Thessalonica so it must have been a failure, wrong criteria for success. 394 00:31:24,819 –> 00:31:28,660 So if we are going to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, what we’re learning from 395 00:31:28,660 –> 00:31:34,020 the scriptures this morning is that we have to overcome these two deep impulses that run 396 00:31:34,020 –> 00:31:38,900 like strong currents within every human life, the desire for comfort and the desire for 397 00:31:38,900 –> 00:31:39,900 approval. 398 00:31:39,900 –> 00:31:41,500 And you say, I see that. 399 00:31:41,500 –> 00:31:42,859 But how is it going to happen? 400 00:31:42,859 –> 00:31:47,219 How do I do that? 401 00:31:47,219 –> 00:31:51,180 Well Paul models for us a life that rather than being driven by the approval of others 402 00:31:51,180 –> 00:31:53,219 is lived under the approval of God. 403 00:31:53,219 –> 00:31:59,699 And rather than being driven by comfort, is one that is entrusted with the Gospel. 404 00:31:59,699 –> 00:32:01,380 Look at verse 4. 405 00:32:01,380 –> 00:32:07,719 We speak as men approved by God to be trusted by the Gospel and we are not trying to please 406 00:32:07,719 –> 00:32:13,540 men but God who tests our heart. 407 00:32:13,540 –> 00:32:21,239 We speak as men approved by God, and it is knowing that we have the approval of God that 408 00:32:21,239 –> 00:32:25,459 frees us from being driven by this craven need of the approval of others. 409 00:32:25,459 –> 00:32:35,380 You say how could Paul, who had been a blasphemer and a violent man, say in the face of great 410 00:32:36,300 –> 00:32:38,359 the approval of God. 411 00:32:38,359 –> 00:32:43,479 That’s the Gospel right there, isn’t it? 412 00:32:43,479 –> 00:32:47,859 Not because of his merit, but because of God’s mercy. 413 00:32:47,859 –> 00:32:54,160 Not because he’s a perfect man, but because he has embraced Jesus Christ and Christ has 414 00:32:54,160 –> 00:32:56,420 cleansed him from all the sin of his life. 415 00:32:56,420 –> 00:33:00,439 And now he lives with a clear conscience towards God. 416 00:33:00,439 –> 00:33:01,459 God knows his mind. 417 00:33:01,560 –> 00:33:07,599 He says God tests our heart and God knows that he is a man in Christ, living with a 418 00:33:07,599 –> 00:33:09,540 clear conscience before God. 419 00:33:09,540 –> 00:33:12,699 What a marvelous thing. 420 00:33:12,699 –> 00:33:23,219 And not only does he know this wonderful approval of God, but for that reason he is able to 421 00:33:23,219 –> 00:33:28,599 move forward with the work of the Gospel, because when you know that things are right 422 00:33:28,780 –> 00:33:34,000 between you and God, in the mercy of Jesus Christ, then you become someone who can be 423 00:33:34,000 –> 00:33:38,800 trusted with this Gospel. 424 00:33:38,800 –> 00:33:41,219 That’s what sets a person free to serve. 425 00:33:41,219 –> 00:33:47,699 There’s no more beautiful picture of thi I think than from our Lord Jesus Christ on 426 00:33:47,699 –> 00:33:49,579 the night that he was betrayed. 427 00:33:49,579 –> 00:33:54,680 Remember the story well that ahead of him as he gathered with his disciples was the 428 00:33:54,920 –> 00:33:59,800 betrayal by Judas, the desertion by his friends, the arrest, the scorching, and then that awful 429 00:33:59,800 –> 00:34:01,300 crucifixion on the cross. 430 00:34:01,300 –> 00:34:03,079 And Jesus knew what was coming. 431 00:34:03,079 –> 00:34:08,060 He gathers with his friends and if ever there was a moment where the disciples should minister 432 00:34:08,060 –> 00:34:13,360 to Jesus this was it and you know they blew it completely because they’re all into the 433 00:34:13,360 –> 00:34:17,159 comfort approval kind of a thing, you know who’s the greatest and who’s the best? 434 00:34:17,159 –> 00:34:23,159 And each one wanting to be more affirmed than the rest and so forth and so on. 435 00:34:23,159 –> 00:34:32,080 And as they are totally insensitive to the struggle of Jesus, Jesus incredibly gets up, 436 00:34:32,080 –> 00:34:37,199 takes off his outer clothing, puts a towel around his waist and goes and ministers to 437 00:34:37,199 –> 00:34:41,560 them by washing the feet of the disciples. 438 00:34:41,560 –> 00:34:52,840 He’s able in that most uncomfortable of situations to minister and to serve and to portray the 439 00:34:52,899 –> 00:34:57,139 very spirit of the heart of the Father. 440 00:34:57,139 –> 00:35:05,040 And you say, how was he able to do that? 441 00:35:05,040 –> 00:35:10,600 And John tells us, I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this before, but John tells us 442 00:35:10,820 –> 00:35:21,540 in John’s Gospel 13, and verse 3. 443 00:35:21,540 –> 00:35:25,739 Here’s how Jesus did that. 444 00:35:25,739 –> 00:35:33,300 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from 445 00:35:33,300 –> 00:35:37,179 God and was returning to God. 446 00:35:37,179 –> 00:35:40,540 Jesus knew something. 447 00:35:40,580 –> 00:35:43,780 He was secure in his relationship with the Father. 448 00:35:43,780 –> 00:35:50,340 He knew he had come from God, he knew he was returning to God. 449 00:35:50,340 –> 00:35:51,540 He knew something. 450 00:35:51,540 –> 00:35:53,780 Now, look at the next word. 451 00:35:53,780 –> 00:35:56,459 This is so important. 452 00:35:56,459 –> 00:36:04,979 Jesus knew that he’d come from God and that he was returning to God so he got up from 453 00:36:04,979 –> 00:36:08,379 the meal, took off his outer clothing, wrapped the towel around his waist, and then he pours 454 00:36:08,560 –> 00:36:10,739 the basin and he begins washing the disciples’ feet. 455 00:36:10,739 –> 00:36:18,820 He was able to do this because of the security that he had in the knowledge of his relationship 456 00:36:18,820 –> 00:36:19,919 with God the Father. 457 00:36:19,919 –> 00:36:28,360 He came from God, he was going to God, he did not need therefore to depend on their 458 00:36:28,360 –> 00:36:32,159 ministry to him which failed. 459 00:36:32,159 –> 00:36:38,159 He was able on that basis to get up from the table and to minister to them. 460 00:36:38,159 –> 00:36:42,659 And then to go out from there and into the Garden of Gethsemane and go to the cross so 461 00:36:42,659 –> 00:36:46,179 that there should be a gospel. 462 00:36:46,179 –> 00:36:58,219 It is those who live under the approval of God who can be entrusted with the gospel. 463 00:36:58,219 –> 00:37:13,580 Do you know, if you were to measure the ministry of Jesus by the criteria of comfort and approval, 464 00:37:13,580 –> 00:37:20,179 you would have to say that Jesus’ visit to this planet was a failure and there wasn’t 465 00:37:20,179 –> 00:37:24,719 much comfort on the cross. 466 00:37:24,939 –> 00:37:31,320 And at that moment, he didn’t even have the approval of his twelve closest friends. 467 00:37:31,320 –> 00:37:37,580 Jesus is operating with a different definition of success and he says, 468 00:37:37,580 –> 00:37:43,760 As the Father has sent me, so I’m sending you. 469 00:37:43,760 –> 00:37:49,320 As he had that approval of being the beloved Son in whom the Father is as well pleased 470 00:37:49,360 –> 00:37:52,780 as on his shoulders and on his cross. 471 00:37:52,780 –> 00:37:55,800 The Gospel is forged. 472 00:37:55,800 –> 00:38:02,800 He says, As the Father has sent me, so I’m sending you. 473 00:38:02,800 –> 00:38:06,780 And that’s why Paul says in verse twelve of our passage here, 474 00:38:06,780 –> 00:38:14,540 Therefore we are urging you to live lives that are worthy of God who calls you into 475 00:38:14,540 –> 00:38:16,639 His kingdom and into His glory. 476 00:38:16,639 –> 00:38:20,620 And that doesn’t mean a life that is driven by comfort and by approval, 477 00:38:20,620 –> 00:38:28,439 but one that lives on the approval of God and therefore carries the Gospel. 478 00:38:28,439 –> 00:38:32,120 As in Jesus and in Paul. 479 00:38:32,120 –> 00:38:41,320 The success of your life and mine, the success of our Church, 480 00:38:41,320 –> 00:38:44,080 will not be measured on the last day by the comfort 481 00:38:44,080 –> 00:38:51,919 that any of us have enjoyed or the approval we have received from others, 482 00:38:51,919 –> 00:38:57,800 but rather on the degree to which as faithful disciples 483 00:38:57,800 –> 00:39:03,320 we receive the approval of God as those who have carried the Gospel 484 00:39:03,320 –> 00:39:10,800 and advanced it in our time for his glory and for his honor, 485 00:39:11,340 –> 00:39:14,699 Let’s pray together, shall we? 486 00:39:14,699 –> 00:39:26,860 Father, help me to tear down the twin-headed idol of comfort 487 00:39:26,860 –> 00:39:36,659 and approval, cast it down among us, we pray. 488 00:39:36,919 –> 00:39:40,239 Fill us with the spirit of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that 489 00:39:40,239 –> 00:39:46,840 we may live lives worthy of our calling. 490 00:39:46,840 –> 00:39:50,100 Grant that on our shoulders the gospel may be carried to many people 491 00:39:50,100 –> 00:39:54,280 and that on the last day we may hear the words of the Father 492 00:39:54,280 –> 00:39:58,379 uttering that only approval that ultimately matters. 493 00:39:58,379 –> 00:40:01,840 Well done. 494 00:40:01,840 –> 00:40:05,000 Good and faithful servant. 495 00:40:05,439 –> 00:40:09,100 Enter into your Master’s joy. 496 00:40:09,100 –> 00:40:16,199 Hear our prayers for these things we ask together in Jesus’ name. 497 00:40:16,199 –> 00:40:17,320 Amen.