Are You A Burden? (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
GIST: We shouldn’t be a burden but a witness, an example, and… a father?
The past several weeks, we’ve camped out in 1 Thessalonians 2 and considered what Paul is teaching us about impactful Christian living. The interactions Paul and his companions had with these people, though brief, weren’t in vain because they spoke with compassionate, God-given, gospel-driven boldness while holding tightly to truth and being saturated by grace and love. The passage we’re coming to told continues developing this picture→
“9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 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.”
Last week, we saw him draw a comparison between their actions and the gentle dedication of a nursing mom. This week, talking about how our characters should reflect Jesus, he tells us: We shouldn’t be a burden but a witness, an example, and… a father? Yeah, that’s our gist, but I’m going to need to break that last one down for clarity ☺️.
I. Not A Burden But A Witness
“9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”
The first admonition implicit in these verses is a call not to live as a “burden” to others. Now, I think that term carries some unhelpful connotations due to its use in our society. It reminds me of the dystopian novella Anthem where “useless people” are told not to “burden the earth” with their bodies. It also makes me think of the pseudo-decorum that causes us to object to circumstances we actually want (and fully expect to receive) by claiming we “don’t want to be a burden”.
Yet, Paul’s admonition is neither harsh nor euphemistic. It’s a reference to his personal work ethic. This is something we see in Paul’s life fairly often. He took dedication seriously (2 Thessalonians 3, Acts 18). In fact, the words he uses to describe his efforts here imply intensity and hardship. Because of this, passages like these have long influenced the idea that Christians should work heartily unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). And there is a level at which this is presenting us with, essentially, a model for responsible living. However, look at the whole context. Paul and his companions worked tirelessly so as not to become a financial burden on these people while proclaiming the gospel to them.
Hard work does not replace the good news of Jesus, nor is it an alternative to evangelism. Instead, it is only useful in as much as it points to and—more importantly—allows for the clear proclamation of Jesus’ rescue! We’re not to be burdens, but we are to be witnesses. This means we should strive to live in such a way that nothing detracts from Jesus being reflected from our lives. This also means our priority should be… making sure we’re telling people about Jesus.
II. And An Example
“10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.”
Likewise, we’re called to be examples. Paul specifically says their conduct was holy, righteous, and blameless—and, again, this was something God knew and these people had witnessed first-hand. The description, honestly, almost seems like three ways of saying the same thing, but he’s emphasizing a completeness of character. The word translated holiness here implies a deliberate orientation towards God or keeping Him your focus; righteousness is referring to right living or treating others with justice and equity; and blamelessness means living above reproach. Though not perfect, our love for God and others should be… real. It should stand up to scrutiny because it’s not just a face we put on. It’s who we are. We should be prioritizing God and loving people deliberately in our lives.
I think that’s further illustrated by the specific context of this conduct. Paul says they were this way toward the “believers”. This doesn’t exclude nonbelievers since none of these individuals were Christians when Paul first arrived, but it’s underscoring the importance of character… even within the church. Cries of hypocrisy ring forth when people put on a “church face” in an attempt to “win converts”. Why? Because if our love is only loving to others before they are saved or join our churches, we’re selfish manipulators not imitators of Jesus! His unconditional love should be what transforms our lives and echoes forth from our hearts to everybody, all the time—even toward people we see at church every Sunday.
III. And A Father?
And that brings us to the “be a father” point. Like two weeks ago, this point seems fitting for a Father’s Day message. In fact, we might break this down more on that day (since it’s like 10 sermons away from now ☺️), but I want us to see it first in the full context here. In their holy, righteous, and blameless conduct; they were also acting as… spiritual dads. “11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 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.”
What’s really interesting to me, as a dad, is how he connects their actions to fatherhood. He says he exhorted, encouraged, and charged them. I know this is point three, so introducing what looks like three new points at this stage in the game might seem like an ambush ☺️, but let’s break these words down briefly.
Exhorted. This word carries the idea of continuously calling to or pointing toward what should be done. There is an implicit commitment to the truth here. We can’t really point to what we don’t actually know ourselves.
Encouraged. This means lifting up or comforting. Why? Because the calling that’s being exhorted won’t be easy. What’s implicit here? Compassion. Care. Wanting to come alongside and help.
Charged/Testified. And this word kind of combines both sentiments. It’s interesting when you look at how it is translated in English versions of the Bible, you’ll see charged, urged, implored, and testified because it carries all these ideas. You have this serious calling, but the root of the word is the same root as the word martyr. It means to cite as a witness or… testify. Therefore, this seems to imply urging by example. We exhort, and encourage, and urge as we live life together!
This whole picture points to something more than sage on the stage evangelism. John Piper said its a picture of a father coming alongside a son and saying: ‘This is the way. Let me show you and walk with you. It won’t be easy, but I’ve been there… and it’s worth it’ (Well, that’s a paraphrase of what he said.) Again, this is a call for us to actually live for Jesus ourselves and then encourage others with our words and our actions to do the same!
That You May Walk. And what are they being pointed to? A lifestyle. We’re actually going to unpack this part next week, but for now, let’s just point this out. What our characters should reflect and what we’re calling people to is a life that honors the God who has saved our souls. It’s not a set of rules or a hidden agenda—it’s who we become because of what He’s done!
Ok, to the→
TAKEAWAYS
Don’t let anything get in the way of your witness.
Strive to live as an example in your genuine love for God and people—even those you see all the time and even those who go to church with you. Not a face you wear—who you are!
Exhort, encourage, and testify to what it looks like to live transformed by Jesus’ grace! Again, this is a call to be changed and then reflect that change to the world!
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