Sermon: Ministering like Mom and Dad

Our text this evening is one Thessalonians chapter two, and it paints a beautiful picture of gospel ministry. What does it look like for a workman approved by God? What is that workman approved by God to do? What is He to be? It's a word of encouragement and blessing to our brother Kevin, upon his ordination, and it's also a word of encouragement and blessing to any believer involved in gospel ministry. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul lays out

what the scriptures have to say about the work of pastors and leaders in his church. So I invite you to turn with me to one Thessalonians chapter two verses one through 12, which you can find on page 986 of the pew Bibles. In it, Paul compares his ministry to the work of a mother and a father. Please follow along as I read for you yourselves know, brothers that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered

and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict for our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. So we speak not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts for we never came with words of flattery, as you know,

nor with a pretext for greed. God is witness, nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others. Though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ, but we were gentle among you like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves because you had become very dear to us for you remember brothers, our labor

and toil, we worked hard night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you while we proclaim to you the gospel of God, you are witnesses and God also how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers for you know how like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand for pray with me. Oh, father, we pray that you would make your word a swift word, passing from the ear to the heart and from the heart to the lip and conversation that as the rain returns not empty, so neither may your word but accomplish that for which it is given. We ask in Jesus name. Amen. What I want us to see in our time together is that gospel

ministry mirrors a Christian parent's role in raising children in the Lord. The workman approved by God does not look like the patterns of influence and power of the world, but instead resembles the sacrificial affection and encouragement of a mom and a dad. Gospel ministry mimics a Christian parent's role of raising children in the Lord. In the first half of our text, uh, Paul identifies the worldly traits that should be absent from gospel ministry.

Then he positively, uh, explains how a workman approved should model his ministry after a mother and a father. So we begin with the negative traits that the ministry of a workman approved, my God is characterized by the absence of five traits. First, the workman approved by God does not shrink back in suffering. Look at verse two. But though we had been, we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi.

As you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. Paul had been shamefully treated at Philippi on his second missionary journey. He and Silas preached in both Philippi and then Thessalonica as they traveled through Macedonia on their way to Greece. Acts 16 records how in Philippi, Paul cast a demon out of a young servant girl who was telling people's fortunes. And when her owners realized

that she no longer had the power to earn money for them, they had Paul and Silas thrown into prison where they were flogged. Yet despite all that they had suffered in Philippi, despite being shamefully treated, Paul did not pack his bags and leave Europe and go back home. He pressed on to the next town and he went on to Thessalonika. He didn't shrink back in opposition. Now his experience in Thessalonika was no picnic.

Paul preached there only three times, three weeks on the, the the Sabbath and a rabble of Jews caused a riot and they attacked the home of one of the thessalonian converts. Paul only escaped because the believers there sent him away by night after such an explosive reaction to his short stay there. Many in Thessalonica were wondering if the apostles visit in their town had all been in vain. But he says, you know, brothers, that my coming

was not in vain. In fact, his ministry was bearing fruit in the lives of those who heard the message and believed and the brand new church was growing in the city. If Paul had packed his bags and gone back home after Philippi, there would not have been a church in Thessalonika. But he pressed on in his ministry and preached Jesus at the next city. He did not shrink back. Second trait, the workman approved does not preach from error

or any attempt to deceive. He does not preach in error or any attempt to deceive. We see that in verse three. It was common in Paul's day as it is in ours today, to have fakes and frauds masquerading as religious, uh, men attempting to, uh, deceive the masses through some variation of Christianity or or religion more generally. Paul wants the Thessalonians to know that he is nothing like the religious charlatans who had passed through Macedonia in the past.

Gospel ministry, he says, must be a ministry of the truth and the workman approved must be sincere and honest. Uh, who proclaims just what the scriptures teach and nothing more. The third trait the workman approved is not motivated to please man, he's not motivated to please man. We see that in verse four. Not only must the gospel minister sincerely preach the truth, he must also not be motivated to please man. Pleasing other people is a constant tug on the heart

of a man who is regularly in front of others and then who gets immediate feedback from them at say, uh, the, the doors at the end of the service. There is a subtle temptation to say or not to say something when you know the people who are going to make comments as they come through the greeting line. You know who is going to pat you on the back when you go hard after some social issue. You know who is your loudest cheerleader when you make some

political reference. Conversely, you know who is your loudest critic if you teach the full impact, the full application of a certain passage. The fear of man is a constant temptation.

King Saul is a, is a negative example of the fear of man, and he was motivated by that fear. After Samuel, the prophet told the king that he had lost the throne on account of his disobedience. Saul begged Samuel to go out with him before his men, for the sake of Saul's own reputation in the eyes of the people at the moment when Saul should be most concerned with, with repentance before God. Instead, he is most concerned about

what people thought of him. See, God was concerned, so concerned about the obedience of this man that he set Saul aside in favor of a man who truly sought after his own heart.

Fourth trait, the workman approved, does not use words of flattery as a pretext for greed. We see that in verse five, the workman approved must not use smooth words, fine sounding words to butter up or to gain the favor or patronage of those with means in the world. The shepherd of Christ's flock should not be sizing up which members of his church have season tickets or who have the vacation home or the ones to get close with.

Paul is so concerned that the church would trust his integrity that he calls upon God as his witness. The workman approved is not to use flattery to butter up others fifth and final. The workman approved does not seek glory from people. We see that in verse six. We heard so clearly last Sunday that the workman approved is committed to proclaiming the glory of Jesus Christ. In verse six, he says, nor did we seek glory from people,

whether from you or from others. Though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ, so we are not to seek our own glory, nor do we look for treasure in this world. Paul acknowledges that as an apostle, he has the authority to ask for financial assistance from those that he is ministering to. But he knew that in this case that to ask for anything from them would be construed by some as seeking his own glory for personal advantage.

Simon was a pagan magician with a massive following when he heard Philip preaching the gospel and expressed his faith in Jesus Christ. Apostles Peter and John followed up Philip's ministry by laying their hands on those who had believed and praying that these new believers would receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon observed the authority and the power of God at work through Peter and John, he offered the apostles money so

that he might receive the same power. This he thought would make me truly great. Simon was seeking his own glory, but the workmen approved by God does not seek glory from people, but from the Lord. The Psalm says, not to us, oh Lord, not to us, but to your name, give glory. God will not share his glory with another. The workman approved is not to shrink back in suffering. He is not to preach from error or an attempt to deceive.

He is not motivated to please men. He does not use words of flattering. He does not seek glory from people. So if the workman approved by God is not to demonstrate these five traits, what should he be like? And we could walk back through each of these five negative traits and and suggest the positive, uh, that he positively exhibit the opposite of each. In other words, the faithful minister of the gospel must be bold.

He must be truthful, he must be motivated to please God. He must be content. He must be focused on the glory of Christ rather than his own glory. We could easily take 15 minutes to unpack each of those wonderful truths, but the apostle Paul does more than that. He assumes the opposite of each is true for the gospel minister. But instead of walking through another list of traits, he captures our imagination, uh, uh, through,

uh, by painting two pictures for us. And through these pictures, he conveys far more through their intimacy than any list of dos or don'ts. So in the rest of our passage, Paul uh, tells us that gospel ministry mirrors the beautiful work of parenting children in the Lord. So to pastor a flock to lead others in the Lord is to, is to be like a mom, to be like a dad. Gospel ministry is like being a mother. We'll look at verses seven and eight.

Mothers have a unique role in the family, in our culture that is trying to do everything in its power to say there are no differences between men and women or moms and dads. We need to uphold a biblical understanding of the beautiful distinction between men and women and between moms and dads, there is something truly unique and necessary about the mother's sacrificial care for her children. Mothers give their very bodies for the wellbeing

of their child first by being the cradle of her child's growth for the first nine months of her little one's life, and then very often giving the her baby the milk from her body as the only source of food that her baby needs for many months of its life. All of this nurturing of life develops a deep attachment between mother and child, and that bond expresses itself in tenderness, compassion, gentleness, love, affection.

It also creates a fierce loyalty to the object of her affection action. Couple of years ago, a mother in Canada was inside her British Columbia home when she heard a struggle outside and saw her 7-year-old son in the jaws of a mountain lion, Mrs. Incredible ran out leapt on the back of the cat and for two to three minutes worked to pry the lion's grip off of her son until it finally let him go. There is no stopping a mother's love for her children.

Paul compares his ministry to the Thessalonians with a mother's love for her children. In fact, in verse seven he says, like a nursing mother, we were gentle among you. And in verse eight he says that he is affectionately desirous of them. The Greek word for being affectionately desirous means to desire earnestly to have a strong affection for moms love their children because they know their children, they have cared for their children.

So Paul has grown deep affection for the Thessalonians through his knowledge and care for them. Now, if, if truth be told, many of us do not initially feel this sort of deep bond and care and affection for others, certainly not like a mom does for her children, that kind of care and affection starts with knowledge of them in whatever capacity we serve other people, if we want to be agents of gospel grace to them, we have

to know them. And a wonderful way that we would come to a greater knowledge and then care for God's people is in prayer. Paul blesses us in so many ways in his writings, but one of them is that he shares with us in almost all of his letters, the content of what he is praying for each of these churches. So we can see that he prays that the Ephesians would have spiritual strength, that the a flip, that the Philippians would abound in love,

that the Colossians would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and that God would make the Thessalonians worthy of his calling. So as we pray, the Lord will cultivate our heart in us for his people that will inevitably bear other fruit as we have opportunities to minister to them. Paul says, in addition to sharing the gospel with you, that he also shared his own self. They shared their own selves, their very lives. With the Thessalonians,

moms not only nurture from the sidelines, they share all of themselves and would do anything for their children. Not only do they know and love their children, they sacrifice for them in a similar way, Paul is not just a, a professional Christian worker, one who is aloof from the messy details of the congregation. No, he, he gives himself fully to the Thessalonians. He opens his life, he opens his home, he opens his heart

to the people that he ministered to. That's one thing to, to clearly teach or to explain the word of God to someone, but it means so much more when the message messenger demonstrates the tangible love of Christ by the giving of their life.

DA Carson is one of the foremost New Testament scholars of our generation, and he happened to be one of my advisors at Trinity when I was in seminary. His impact on me was significantly heightened because not only could I tell that he was a good and godly man, that he had great gifts in teaching God's word, but I was a recipient of his sharing his life with me. Our family enjoyed hospitality at his home. We ate his famous hamburgers, his wife knit

our son Luke, a baby blanket when he was born. It was part of his sharing his life with his students that he had been doing year after year, decade after decade. His life e exemplified One of the reasons that practicing hospitality is a qualification for being an elder in the church. Paul says that the Thessalonians had become very dear to him. That was his motivation to sacrifice for them. Calvin says, all that would be ranked

among true pastors must exercise this disposition of Paul to have more regard to the welfare of the church than to their own advantage. The workman approved will love and cherish and sacrifice for their people like a mom does her children.

Gospel ministry is also like a father. Gospel ministry is also like being a father. We see that in verses 11 and 12. Fathers also need to know and love and sacrifice for their children like mothers do. But there are differences between men and women. And the Bible gives different roles to, to fathers and mothers where mothers are to, to nurture life. Fathers have the responsibility of spiritual leadership in the home.

In Ephesians chapter six, verse four, Paul tells fathers that they are not to provoke their children, but rather they are to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In other words, dads have the particular responsibility of making sure that their children are raised, uh, uh, knowing the way of the Lord and and walking in it in every way that that dad is capable of instructing or encouraging them and to do it in a way that does not provoke them

or embitter them. Paul ministered to the Thessalonians, he says, like a father to his children. Verse 11, for you know how like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. That's what dads are supposed to do with their kids, and that's what those in gospel ministry are to do with those under their care.

Paul mentions three ministry tasks. First exhortation. Those involved in gospel ministry have the role of, of teaching, of training, of correcting others according to the word of God. The scriptures are our standard and the basis upon which we are applying, uh, and anything that we would teach to others. And like dads who exhort their children in the rules of the household, like coaches are to instruct their team on the rules of the game.

So, uh, gospel ministers are to instruct and exhort others on what it means to follow Jesus Christ. What are the rules of the household of faith? We don't learn these things by osmosis. Someone has to teach them to us. The second task is encouragement. Encouragement. Pastors are called to speak words of life and love for the task at hand. To encourage means to impart courage and hope for whatever cost it might be to stay the course.

My Greek dictionary defines the word encouragement to exercise a gentle influence by words. I like that Dads aren't just about tough love, right? We are to exercise a gentle influence by words. And those words are not just blowing smoke. They're meant to give hope. They're meant to give blessing to, to, to keep going. We all know the value of words aptly spoken that are meant to build us up. So parents and coaches and friends and ministers

and teachers, we can use our words to impart courage to those who need affirmation, that sacrifice their effort, their pursuit of Christ is worth it. That was well done. Thank you for serving in that way. Praise God for how you handled that really tricky situation. Just like dads are urging their children on through the trials of their life. So we are to be liberal with our use of encouragement of those who we are serving.

Third task is charging our people to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. There's a solemn appeal to pursue Jesus Christ. There, there is nothing more important, more needed in this life than to follow Jesus all of our days. A a father in a house sets the goal, he sets the purpose for the Christian life. This is what I expect of you, son or daughter. Now moms of course do this all the time too, but there are times when Kim may call me

and say to me, I, I've dealt with this issue today. Can you please reinforce it when you come home? We may need to talk about boundaries for our kids because things are getting a little lax. And so it's the father's responsibility to charge each member of the household to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. That's what it means to be a falconer. That's what it means to be a member of this household. And so like dads, we need to clearly set the purpose

and the high standard of what it looks like to pursue Christ. Paul says he served the Thessalonians like a father who exhorts encourages and charges them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Raising children in the Lord is a qualification for the role of elder. The man who is faithful at home will likely be faithful with more responsibility in the church. So it should not be a surprise to us when Paul says, I am loving my people like a dad

does his kids.

The work of both mothers and fathers is extremely demanding. Ask any parent in the room. This is a full-time calling, right Part-time. Applicants need not apply. Any parent can testify and anyone in ministry of any role could testify. Gospel ministry is hard work. There's no part-time about it. Verse nine, Paul says, brothers, you remember our labor and toil we worked night and day that we might not be a burden to any

of you while we proclaim to you the gospel of God like a parent, the the pastor, the ministry leader is to work hard. And in this case, Paul didn't want to be a financial burden to the Thessalonian. So he was working another job in order to support himself and his ministry. In addition to this hard work, Paul emphasizes his conduct before them as evidence that he and Silas and Timothy were indeed walking the walk, walking the talk.

In verse 10, he says, you are witnesses and God is witness. How holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. This does not mean that they were perfect, but it does mean that their character was consistent with the message they were preaching. Unlike those Paul was warning about them in verses one through six, this is perhaps the most important element of both ministry and of parenting. That we would be authentic, right?

That we, that we would be the real deal, right? That our kids or those we're serving would see our lives are living out the same things that we are telling them they need to do or they need to believe. Do your people pastors know that you love Jesus and are living for him in every area of your life? Do your students, youth workers and college ministry workers see your dependence upon the Lord? When you meet trials of many kinds, do your children parents

see your tenderheartedness to admit and confess sin? When you've spoken harshly or impatiently? Does your church elders see your practice of the same ordinary means of prayer and the word that you are commending to them? Now, even as I say this course, we know that there is no perfect pastor. There is no perfect ministry leader in our striving to be faithful to Jesus Christ with whatever responsibility he is entrusted to us.

We need Jesus. We need his grace. So Paul, Paul says, follow me as I follow Christ. And that's what moms and dads say in their perfection. That's what they can say to their kids. And that is what, uh, we can say to those whom we are ministering to in the gospel. We won't do it perfectly, but as we know and love and encourage and exhort others in the Lord, may we point them to the same gospel, the same Jesus that we ourselves need every single day.

Paul tells us that the workman approved must not be these traits that the world exhibits in order to tell us what they ought to be. He opens for us the family photo album. It says, see the pictures here of mom pouring out herself at her child's birthday party or at the lemonade stand and the hours of baking and preparation that she did so that her daughter could make 15 cents at the corner. See these pictures of dad cheering on his daughter from the sidelines

and coaching his son at the science fair. So the pastor is to encourage and exhort and instruct that is what a gospel servant is. To be Gospel ministry mirrors a Christian parent's role of raising children in the Lord. Pray with me,

our Father in heaven. We bless you and thank you for your word and we bless you and thank you that in your kindness you give us a picture of the workman approved you do it in the life and ministry of Paul and Silas and Timothy. And of course you do it in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Oh Father, we know that we need him. And we thank you Lord, that you have blessed us in him by giving us moms and dads.

You've given us moms and dads and families, and you've given us spiritual moms and dads all around us. Father, we pray in particular this evening for our brother Kevin, and we pray that you would bless him as he is ordained as a teaching elder, that he would be a blessing to his students and to this congregation and to the presbytery as he loves and serves, instructs exhorts just like he and Rachel do. Their children would bless him, use him

and be at work in this congregation that we might love parenting our children and discipling other children. For the sake of your name, we pray in Christ. Amen.