The Gospel of God – Sermon 26 October, 2014

The Gospel of God
Thess. 2:1-13

This week on our church Notice Board we read “We Preach the Gospel of the True God”. This is simple yet a profound statement. What else could a church preach, if not the Gospel or the Good News, which should clearly be the message of God’s love.
The main purpose of the church is to do the work of God with an attitude of obedience to the command of the Lord, Jesus Christ, who had commissioned the church to make disciples, baptising in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching to obey His commandments..
In our first reading we saw that Paul, Silas and Timothy had been in Thessalonica around 45 AD and stayed there for a period of time but then were forced out of the area, simply because they were preaching the Gospel of God. Paul’s enemies were jealous and accused them for causing trouble all over the world. They argued that they came into town; they spoke flattering words, expressive words that they were seeking glory, fortune and fame, and then they tried to prove their point because Paul left abruptly in the middle of the night.
These people insulted Paul and accused him of being a shady character who left to save his own skin; so Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians is answering these false claims against him. Now Paul wasn’t trying to make himself out to be something big… his fear was that all the talk was causing the Thessalonians to falter and stumble in their new faith. So Paul took the time to answer the charges against him.
Paul’s desire was to see people come to faith and be saved, and he didn’t want some rumour to hinder anyone from that. Paul knew that he was a steward of the Good News. He knew that he had been entrusted with the Gospel, and even though it was demanding, and that people would say things about him, it was also the most rewarding thing in the world. He talks about this in 2nd Corinthians 4:17, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Now remember Paul had been stoned, he had been beaten, he had been imprisoned, and he had been in a ship-wreck; and here he was being insulted… But what does he call of that? “Light affliction!” He says that it is for a moment, but something better; something MUCH BETTER is coming.
In our second reading notice that Paul says 3 times (in vss. 2, 8, and 9) that his message is the Gospel of God. Nowhere in the rest of the NT will you find such concise terminology. You see it a few times in the NT, but Paul uses it 3 times in this single passage of text.
Paul was a steward of the Good News. That’s why Paul said, “Woe unto me if I do not preach the Gospel.”
When Paul came to Thessalonica he knew exactly what the mission was. He wasn’t confused about it or afraid of it; even though he had just come from Philippi and had suffered persecution there. But he didn’t change the message so that he would be better liked. He preached the same message to them as he did to the Philippians.
If you remember Acts 16, Paul and Silas had been attacked, they were publically beaten and put in prison, but God moved on their behalf and brought an earthquake which freed them from their chains and this resulted in the jailer being saved.
But even though Paul had gone through so much, he still preached the truth “declaring the Gospel of God” in great opposition.
Why was Paul so passionate about the Gospel message?
1. Because he knew that there was nothing more important in this world than sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!
2. He wanted to please only God and not men.
3. He believed that the Gospel was the only message in the world that would make the difference between an eternal destiny in either heaven or hell. It was the only way for sinful man to be reconciled to a holy and just God.
Paul knew it was his mission to share it, and it’s our mission as well. The Great Commission is given to every believer.
Paul goes on to say that he laboured night and day, because he wanted to help them. He was trying to bring them to saving faith, not destroy their faith.
Then Paul says, “We encouraged, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
So what does Paul mean by that exactly?
In this instance he is talking about Christian love. We get that from the next chapter where he says that Timothy had brought good news about their faith and love. And then he adds: “Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just and ours does for you” (1 Thess. 3:11 – 12).
The church has been called to live worthy of its calling and to commit to preach the Gospel of God.
It’s been said that the greatest single cause of atheism today is Christians, who profess Christ with their mouths but their lives deny Him.
In other words the cause is the church today, who proclaims Christ to be Lord but never commit to preach the Gospel of God.
May the grace of the Lord be with us as we confirm our faith and commit ourselves willingly to spread the Gospel of God.
On this special Back to Church Sunday I encourage you all to be the church that is willing to spread the Gospel of god, for the simple reason that the world today more than ever needs to hear that message.

Krikor Youmshajekian