Five Words on a Tombstone - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6

Sermon 2 of 13 from the I Thessalonians series

August 1996 - Several years ago my older brother took me to visit a cemetery outside Florence, Alabama, near the remains of an ante-bellum mansion called Forks of Cypress. The mansion was built in the 1820s by James Jackson, an early settler of northwest Alabama. My brother and I walked among the ruins of the mansion and then crossed the country road into the dense forest on the other side. After a quarter-mile we found the Jackson family cemetery. There is no sign marking the spot, only a five-foot high stone wall surrounding about 50 graves. Inside we found a tall marker over James Jackson's grave with a long inscription extolling his virtues, which were many.

As I walked along, my eyes fastened on the marker for one of his sons, William Moore Jackson. There was his name, the dates 1824-1891, and this simple five-word epitaph: "A man of unquestioned integrity."

Five words to sum up an entire life. Sixty-plus years distilled into five words. But, oh, what truth they tell.

"A man of unquestioned integrity." I cannot think of a better tribute.

Then the thought came. What will they put on my tombstone?

No Loose Ends

The dictionary uses words such as "whole" and "complete" to describe what integrity means. To borrow a modern expression, a man with integrity has his act together. There are no loose ends that threaten his reputation. Warren Wiersbe offers this definition:

Integrity is to personal or corporate character what health is to the body or 20/20 vision is to the eyes. A person with integrity is not divided (that's duplicity) or merely pretending (that's hypocrisy). He or she is "whole"; life is "put together," and things are working harmoniously. People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Their lives are open books. (The Integrity Crisis, p. 21)

Recently I ran across a full-page ad for Compassion International. The picture shows young child—perhaps from Central America or possibly Asia—writing at her desk. The ad copy contains the following sentence: "Integrity. It's as simple as being what you say you are." That strikes me as an excellent definition of integrity. It means being what you say are … all the time … and in every situation.

Perhaps you saw the excellent speech by J. C. Watts, the freshman representative from Oklahoma, at the Republican Convention in San Diego this week. Frankly, it was the best and boldest presentation of traditional values at an otherwise-boring convention. After describing the moral crisis in America, he called for new emphasis on character-building. And what is character? "Character is what you are in the dark. It's what you are when no one is looking."

Integrity Stands the Test of Time

On Friday and Saturday of this week the staff, elders, deacons, deaconesses and their spouses, gathered at the Holiday Inn in Elmhurst for an overnight leadership retreat. Dennis Baker, executive director of CBAmerica, served as our speaker. On Friday night he spent most of his time talking about the importance of integrity in church leadership. If you have it, people trust you; if you don't, they don't. And if you lose their trust, it's hard to get it back.

Over and over Dennis kept coming back to this point. A ministry with integrity will stand the test of time. Everything else fades away—fads come and go, glitz will attract people but it won't hold them, good programs lose their appeal, new buildings grow old, pastors stay for a while and then leave. But integrity never goes out of style.

1 Thessalonians 2 has been called "a minister's manual." It is that and more. I believe every pastor would be well-advised to revisit this text at least once a year to measure his ministry by this standard. This week I have tried to do that, not least because this is my 7th anniversary as your pastor. In these years I have grown a great deal and learned much by watching the godly men and women of this congregation.

I confess that reading this passage causes me to realize that I still have a great deal to learn about what it means to be a good pastor for the people of God. As I study these powerful words, I say to myself, "That's the kind of man I want to be."

We can look at the first few verses of 1 Thessalonians 2 in two ways. On one level Paul is simply defending his ministry from those who questioned his integrity. On another level he is setting a pattern for what all good ministry should look like. What is true of Paul should also be true of every Christian, especially those who are called into the ministry of the gospel.

I. His Ministry 1-2

"You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition." Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. Often remarked that "the door of opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition." Paul certianly found that true in Thessalonica. In Philippi he and Silas had been stripped, beaten, and jailed. Only a midnight earthquake had freed them. They left after the city authorities begged them to go, fearing civic unrest and perhaps another act of God.. The Jews stirred up the rabble who rioted against Paul and his companions, forcing them When they arrived in Thessalonica, things weren't much better to leave the city much earlier than they had planned.

What was Paul's response to all this? "We dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition." The King James Version says, "We were bold in our God." What is boldness? It's important to remember that the gospel ministry is rarely easy or popular. For every person who receives us gladly, many more will have nothing to do with us. If we are waiting to win the world by acclamation, it isn't going to happen. Jesus warned us that "if they hated me, they will hate you also." Sooner or later those words will come true for all the servants of God.

What are we do in the face of opposition or indifference?

1. Refuse to be intimidated

2. Keep on praying

3. Keep on keeping

Paul just kept on preaching. If they listened, that was good. If they didn't, that was too bad. If they opposed him, he didn't stop. If they attacked him, he kept on going.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to keep on doing what you are already doing whether anyone pays attention or not. If you keep doing right long enough, sooner or later it will pay off.

Brian Davidhizar

This summer one of our teenagers spent about a month overseas playing soccer on an outreach with Missionary Athletes International. He traveled throughout Scandinavia and northern Europe

In a letter to his supporters he spoke of how tiring it was to travel and play soccer day after day, always living in a foreign culture, struggling to adjust to the language barrier. It wasn't easy and many days he could hardly keep his eyes open.

Brian Davidhizar learned a lot about spiritual warfare on this trip and also about the power of the gospel These are his words:

It was probably the first time in my life when I could actually see the battle of good and evil going on around me. I could see God attract many people who would be fascinated about the gospel message but at the same time I would hear insults mocking God, cursing, swearing, and yes, even that universal hand signal with only one finger.

On particular night we had just arrived back in Gothenburg, Sweden about 11:45 P.M., which was just after sunset. We had spent most of the evening watching the sun fall down behind the Baltic Sea while praising and worshipping God. I was so tired but our leaders decided that since it was one of our last nights in Sweden we would go out witnessing after we got back. I didn't want to be there at all, I wanted to be in bed, but as the others sang with enthusiasm I realize that I wasn't where God wanted me to be. I asked myself, "What if God wanted to use me tonight? Would my ears be open to him?" I prayed, asking God to help me remain in his hands and be usable as a tool for his sake. When the singing was over and all of the team members went to greet the audience and build relationships with them I stood around looking for someone to talk to. Then my chance came. I noticed two Swedish girls that had been there the whole time we were singing. This was kind of unusual because normally people stay a while and move on, but they had stayed the whole time. I started talking to them just as any normal street conversation would go. I found that they were from Northern Sweden, played soccer in the tournament and had gotten third place in their age group, and a couple of other things. They seemed so interested and as I started to tell them why our team was there I realized that God was answering my prayer. That night those two girls, Anna Lee and Karen, because the most happy and enthusiastic newborn Christians. I could just tell by the smiles on their faces. It was about 1:15 in the morning when our talk was over. Man, was it a life changer for me. I spent the whole walk back to where we were staying talking out loud to God and just thanking him.

I want to make two brief points from this wonderful story: First, God can use anyone whose heart is open to him. He can ever use a tired teenage soccer play 5,000 miles at home at midnight in Sweden. Second, God honors those who speak with boldness. Everything Brian said is true. It doesn't matter where you go in the world. You always two things—hungry hearts and spiritual opposition. He found it in Scandinavia, Paul found it in Thessalonica, we find it in Oak Park.

Someone has said that the real measure of a person is what it takes to stop you. We all want to be witnesses for Christ. We know we should and deep down in our hearts we truly want to make an impact. The people who make a real difference are the ones who, like Paul and Brian Davidhizar, depend so much on God that they aren't fazed by the opposition.

II. His Message 3-4

"For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts." Notice what Paul says in these verses:

1. Our message is true— "not from error."

2. Our message is pure—"not from impure motives."

3. Our message is honest—"not trying to trick you."

4. Our message is trustworthy—"entrusted with the gospel."

This is very important when you consider the moral and spiritual condition of the ancient world. One writer summed it up with these words:

There has probably never been such a variety of religious cults and philosophic systems as in Paul's day. East and west had united and intermingled to produce an amalgam of real piety, high moral principles, crude superstition and gross lisence. Oriental mysteries, Greek philosophy, and local godlings competed for favor under the tolerant aegis of Roman indifference. "Holy men" of all creeds and countries, popular philosophers, magicians, astrologers, crackpots, and cranks; the sincere and the spurious, the righteous and the rogue, swindlers and saints, jostled and clamored for the attention of the credulous and the skeptical.

It is in light of those conditions that Paul stresses his moral integrity. When he says his message does not come from error, he stresses the truth content of the Christian faith. He is not knowingly spreading falsehoods or aimless speculations. When he says his message does not come from impurity, he means that he is not using the gospel as a cover for sexual immorality in any form whatsoever.

The word for "trickery" comes from the waterfront. It means to "bait the hook." Paul means to say that he is not using his preaching as a come-on to entice the Thessalonians into following him or giving him money. He was not running some kind of religious shell game like a sideshow huckster at a carnival.

Finally, when he says that he has been entrusted with the gospel, he speaks of the high honor God has given him to preach the gospel. As a sacred trust, it required the highest moral and ethical standards.

Even unbelievers understand this truth. That's why the cause of Christ is hurt so badly when televangelists fall into sin and pastors turn out to hypocrites and priests are exposed as child-molesters. People expect more from those who claim to represent God. They hold us to a higher standard whether we like it or not.

That leads me to ask a penetrating question. Paul says that God has "approved" him to preach the gospel. Could God say the same thing about you? Could God place his stamp of approval upon your life? Paul answered yes unequivocally. What about you?

III. His Methods 5

"You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness." In verse 5 Paul discusses the methods he used to reach people. Once again he states it in the negative.

We never used flattery

We did not put on a mask to cover up greed.

The word "flattery" means to make a favorable impression for a selfish purpose. It touches such areas as insincere compliments, praise given that we do not mean, using emotional manipulation, and insincerity as a matter of policy. By contrast, Paul was a plain-spoken man. He said what he meant and meant what he said. You never had to wonder, "Hmm. What did he really mean by that?" If he was pleased, he said so. If he wasn't, he said so. In the vernacular, he was a straight shooter.

To put on a mask to cover up greed means covering up your real intentions. Like an actor wearing a mask, many people appear to be one thing while in fact they are something else entirely. They say and do things that appear to be generous and even magnanimous when the only real purpose is to gain a personal advantage—a paycheck, a bonus, a pat on the back, an award, a new contract, a big sale, a new account, a better office, a new job.

By the way, greed always comes with a cloak. Often we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are not greedy when in fact we are.

Paul is saying, "I didn't use flattery because I had nothing to hide and I didn't come with a cloak because I had nothing to hide."

Surveys tell us that the # 1 complaint the unchurched have about the church is that we are just after money. That's nothing new, they made the same complaint against Paul 2000 years ago. And the answer is always the same: Check us out.

Look at Our Missionaries

Our defense is the same as Paul's. Look at the way we live. Check out the staff and elders of this church. Do we look rich? Are we living the lifestyle of the rich and famous? Do you see our picture in People magazine? Do we drive expensive cars and live in big houses?

Look at our missionaries. Did you see any when you looked at the Missionary Board in the lobby? Look at John Sergey. He's lived in the same house in River Grove for over 30 years. He frets over every penny that comes into his ministry. His only desire is to get more money for the pastors in Russia.

Or look at Eva Lodgaard. 51 years ago she left Chicago for the hills of southeastern Kentucky. A Sunday School class pledged $20 a month. With that tiny amount she set out as a missionary. I've been to her home in Topmost, Kentucky. It's a double-wide mobile home set on a hill. She shares it with Miss Alma Heibert. She's just retired, but she's not rich.

Or take any of the rest of them. They're all the same. Godly, hard-working, gifted, incredibly dedicated. Any one of them could have made more money by not being a missionary. Yet they have done it gladly and without complaint.

IV. His Motives 6

"We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else." In the Greek Paul uses a word that means to eagerly seek. That's the key. It's not wrong to receive praise from men, especially for a job well done. Good work ought to be praised. However, it's wrong to do your work solely—or even mostly—for the purpose of receiving the praise of man. We don't need spiritual groupies or some kind of spiritual PR Department that will make us feel better about ourselves. What we want and what we seek is the praise of Almighty God.

In verse 4 Paul spoke of not pleasing man but God. Let's set up a comparison of those two ideas for just a moment.

Man-Pleaser God-Pleaser

Refuses to speak hard truth Willing to speak all the truth

Says what people want to hear Says what people need to hear

Flip-flops on crucial issues Consistent at all times

Says one thing to one person; another to another Says the same thing all the time

Obedient when convenient Obedient even when it hurts

Tells the truth most of the time Tells the truth all the time

Unwilling to offend over issues of truth Willing to offend in order to be

faithful to God

Let us suppose that you have been feeling sick lately. When you go to the doctor, he administers a test. The results are not good. The outlook is grim, but the disease is treatable if you get started now. What do you want the doctor to do? If he tells you truth, you'll be devastated. If he doesn't, you'll be dead. Would you rather have him sugar-coat the truth or even lie to you? Or do you want to know the whole truth about your condition? I know the answer for me. When I go to the doctor, I want to know the whole truth even if it hurts. But what if he says, "I want to spare you pain?" "Doc, tell that to my wife and children at my funeral," I reply.

When life and death issues are stake only the truth will do. When it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the stakes couldn't be higher. Therefore, Christians must be people who hold to the highest possible standards of truth and integrity.

We've Known Them All Along

We hear a lot these days about family values and the need to rediscover virtue in American society. When he compiled The Book of Virtues (which sold well over a million copies) William Bennett proved that there is a deep hunger for old-fashioned character training today.

But the basic building blocks of virtue are actually very simple. We've known them all along:

Honesty.

Perseverance.

Faithfulness.

Determination.

Kindness.

Loyalty.

Self-control.

We've known these truths since the beginning of time. The problem isn't in the knowing, it's in the doing.

The mind wanders back to a forgotten tombstone and to those five simple words: "A man of unquestioned integrity." The more you think about it, the greater it seems. Five words aren't much to sum up a life of 67 years, but those five will do nicely. In fact, you could do much worse.

I'm not sure what anyone will write on my tombstone. But I wouldn't mind if someone felt I deserved those five words.