1 Thessalonians - The Spiritual Father

Let’s walk worthy of God. Worthy of His calling, worthy of His kingdom, worthy of His glory. That’s what fatherhood in the Lord is all about. Raising the children to have a godly walk that brings glory to the Father’s name.

Let’s read together 1 Thessalonians 2, beginning at verse 9. "For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would have a walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory."

We have here another picture of what it means to minister. We’ve been talking about the athlete in verses 1 and 2, and then in verses 3 through 6, the steward. We need the trustworthiness of the steward. And now we’re looking at the family; we need the tenderness of the parent. Paul compared himself to a mother in verses 7 and 8. We were gentle among you as a nursing mother, sharing her own life. That’s what preaching really is, that’s what ministry really is: sharing our lives with others. So he became a nursing mother, a gentle nursing mother, but he was also an encouraging father in verses 9 through 12. 

Let’s talk about what the father does, and then how he does it, and then why he does it. What does the father do? 1 Corinthians 4:14. "I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." Now, here’s an amazing statement: a father begets the children. Now, this means when we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, the Spirit of God can take that and generate life. Now Paul is not saying that he caused people to be born again. Our Lord Jesus made it very clear that we’re not born again through the will of man or the will of the flesh; this is all done of God. But God uses human instruments to share the word of God. 

Now not only does the father beget them, but the father also has to discipline them. In verse 17 of 1 Corinthians 4: "For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord," Paul had begotten him through the gospel, "who will remind you of my ways in Christ as I teach everywhere in every church. Now some are puffed up as though I were not coming to you, but I will come to you shortly if the Lord will. And I will know not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?" There were problems in the church at Corinth. In fact, chapter 5 describes the awful sexual immorality that was going on. Now Paul said, "I’m your spiritual father. I have begotten you and I’m going to discipline you." The spiritual father not only begets these children, but he disciplines these children to make sure that they are walking in the ways of the Lord. Discipline is not easy, but discipline is essential. 

This brings us to that problem of discipline in the local church. Some churches have a tendency to sweep things under the rug. There really is no discipline. In fact, nowadays it’s becoming a rather serious thing, almost a dangerous thing to discipline church members, because you might be sued. What a tragedy it is when the linen, the dirty linen is hung out in public for everybody to see. Well, the father begets the children and he disciplines the children. He has to be careful to see that there is food for the children. Now, the mother does the feeding, but the father has to be sure that the food is there. In chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians in verses 1 to 3, Paul talks about feeding these children. "I fed you with milk and not with solid food," he says in verse 2, "for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able." As a father, I always enjoyed seeing my children learn how to feed themselves. Alas, some of our people in our churches are still being spoon-fed because they are utterly dependent upon older and more mature Christians. It’s time to grow up. Now the father helps the children to grow up through food, through exercise, through discipline, but that’s not all. 

Turn to 2 Corinthians 11:2. "For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy." Now there’s a difference between jealousy and envy. Envy is a sin; jealousy is a holy feeling of protection. I am jealous over my wife; I am jealous over my children and grandchildren. The father is there to protect. "For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." Here is a father who has a daughter who is engaged. There are others who want to seduce her; they want to defile her. And the father’s job is to keep that daughter pure so that when she goes to the marriage altar, she can present her purity to her husband. You see, you and I have been engaged to the Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve not yet been married; the marriage supper is yet to come. We’re engaged to Christ.

Now, the spiritual father has to protect the children so the devil doesn’t come along and seduce them and give them wrong thoughts and divide their hearts. This has happened, I fear, to some of God’s people. We have pastors and elders and Sunday school teachers who want to protect God’s people from being seduced by the cultists, being seduced by false religion, being seduced by the world and the flesh. Some people don’t like when preachers preach about sin. They want to go to church and live in a devotional dream world that is unreal. And so the preacher warns us about the things that are going on in this world. That’s the pastor’s job. That’s the job of the spiritual father—to warn and to protect, so that when Jesus Christ comes back, His people may stand before Him as a pure virgin, not having divided hearts and divided lives.

Now back to 1 Thessalonians 2. What does the father do? Well, he encourages the children. Notice verse 9: "For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God." He’s talking here about money. The father works for the family. The father works and takes care of the needs of the family. And this is what Paul did in Thessalonica. He did not accept money from the converts; he did not accept money from the church. He did get some help from the church at Philippi, but Paul worked day and night as a tentmaker at his trade, that he might support himself and Silas and Timothy, that they might present the gospel free of charge.

Now it isn’t wrong to support those who are preaching the gospel; in fact, it’s right. The laborer is worthy of his hire. Paul said those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. But the father, as an encouragement, works. Not only does he encourage the children by his works—by laboring and toiling, and that word toil means hardship, laboring day and night—but he also encouraged them by his walk. He was a good example to them. A father has to be a good example. A father cannot just give lectures, or warnings, or spankings; he has to be a good example. It’s a marvelous thing when a child has a good example in the father. When the father is the kind of an example he ought to be. Paul was an example to them. Paul lived devoutly, that means his inner relationship to God; justly, his conduct towards society; blamelessly, his relationship to other people. Paul was godly in his walk. Well, Paul encouraged the children. And how you and I can encourage the children of the Lord in the local church. We have a great privilege; we also have a great responsibility.

Now, more on spiritual fatherhood from 1 Thessalonians 2. What does a spiritual father do? Well, we have discovered that the spiritual father begets the children. He does this through the preaching of the gospel, through the sharing of the Word, his personal witness. And the spiritual father has to discipline the children sometimes. Of course, the spiritual father provides food for the children. And, of course, the spiritual father has to protect the children. That’s what a spiritual father does.

Now, how does he do it? Well, number one, he works. 1 Thessalonians 2:9. "For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God." The father works, and Paul, when he was in Thessalonica, did not demand support from the people. Now he could have as an apostle. Verse 6, he says this: "Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ." Paul did not live by demanding respect; he lived by commanding respect. His example was so good that those who were with him wanted to pray for him, work with him, and encourage and support him. So the father works, laboring night and day. Ministry is hard work. But you know, it’s a labor for a wonderful Master. We don’t complain. Bible study to me is hard work. Oh, I enjoy it, I delight to study the Word of God, but it’s hard work. Studying the Word and praying and meditating. 

Well, the father does his work by working. He helps the children to grow by working. Secondly, by his walk, his example. 1 Thessalonians 2:10. "You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe." We who have children and grandchildren have to be very careful how we act. Our children do not do what we say; they do what we do. Paul said to his converts, "You be followers of me, even as I am of Christ." In fact, they did imitate him. 1 Thessalonians 1:6: "And you became followers of us and of the Lord." Now we don’t want people to follow us simply to follow us; that becomes a cult, a fan club. Sometimes people come up to me at meetings and say, "Oh, Brother Wiersbe, I’m one of your fans." Now I know what they mean, but I quietly reply in love, "Please don’t say that. I don’t have a fan club." Well, he was a good example, and that’s what a father has to be. 

Now verse 11: Not only by his works and his walk, but also by his words. By his words he was an encouragement to these young Christians. Verse 11: "As you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would have a walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." Now words are so important. When God wanted to communicate His heart and His mind to us, He did it through the word. He sent the Lord Jesus Christ, the living Word. The Holy Spirit inspired the written Word, and they agree. There’s nothing in the Bible that contradicts what is in Jesus Christ, the living Word. When God wants to communicate to me, He says, "Open your Bible. I talk to you through your Bible."

Notice what he did: "As you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged." That word charged means implored, or gave personal witness. It was Paul saying, "Now look, this is what happened to me. This is what God did for me, and this is what God can do for you." Our children, I know, don’t like it when we say, "Now back when I was a child." They don’t really think the world existed back when we were children. "Now back when I was a teenager." "Oh, come on Dad, when you were a teenager people were living in caves." You’ve heard that. And yet that’s what Paul did. He exhorted them. He took the Word of God and exhorted them. He told them, "This is what God says." Now, people don’t like this. I’ve had phone calls from people wanting me to approve what they are doing. And I can’t approve of it. I’ll say, "Now look, here’s what the Scripture says." And then they get very angry and say, "Well, that’s your interpretation." I suppose children do this to their parents. Mother or father will say, "Now don’t go down there, don’t do that, it’s going to hurt you." "Well, I can take care of myself." Before long they come back and they are hurt. Some people never learn except through difficult experience. Why should we do that when we can learn the easy way? 

Well, he exhorted them, he comforted them. Now that word comfort in the English language comes from two Latin words that mean "with strength." To comfort someone does not mean just to sympathize with them, to have sympathetic feelings toward them. To comfort someone means so to love them that you strengthen them and they don’t quit. It doesn’t mean the pat them on the head and say, "Well, I’ll kiss it and make it well." No, no. It means so to minister to people that they don’t give up. Children have a way of quitting. "I’m going to quit school. I’m going to quit my job. I’m going to do this or that." And Father says, "Now wait just a minute, you can make it. It looks difficult, I know, but you can make it. It’s always too soon to quit." Paul was an encouragement through his words. 

Now why did he do it? What did he do? Well, he begat the children, he fed them, he disciplined them, he protected them. How did he do it? Through his works and through his walk and through his words. Now why did he do it? Verse 12: He was teaching them how to walk. Little children have to learn how to stand and how to walk. "That you would have a walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." You see, in chapter 1, this church was born. In chapter 2, the church was nurtured. In chapter 3, the church was established; that is, taught to stand and not to shake. Notice 1 Thessalonians 3:2: "I sent Timothy to establish you and encourage you that no one should be shaken."

So chapter 1, the church is born. Chapter 2, the church is nurtured. Chapter 3, the church is taught to stand—stability. 1 Thessalonians 3:13: "So that He, God, may establish your hearts." 1 Thessalonians 3:8: "For now we live, if you stand." You see, you can’t walk until you stand. First you toddle around, you crawl, and then you start standing, and then you can start walking. I recall when my father picked up our first-born son. David had been crawling around, and Dad thought that it was about time he walked. He just picked him up, put him on his feet, stabilized him, gave him a push, and the boy began to walk. Sometimes you have to do that, don’t you? Then in chapters 4 and 5, he deals with the walk of the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:1: "Just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God." 

Now, what does a father do? He guards the children, he disciplines the children, he guides them, he sets an example before them, he helps to nourish them, he works for them. Why? So they can stand on their own two feet and walk. One of our problems in the church today is we have too many immature, dependent children who have not been weaned. They have not learned how to stand and how to walk. "That you would have a walk." What kind of a walk? "Worthy of God." Every father is concerned that his children not ruin the family name. I want you to have a walk worthy of God. It’s interesting to find this word "worthy" in the New Testament. Used only six times, this Greek word. In Romans 16:2, he says, "I want you to live worthy as saints. Do that which is worthy of the saints." Don’t do anything that’ll bring disgrace to the saints, to other people in God’s family. Ephesians 4:1, he tells us to walk worthy of our calling.

In other words, don’t do anything that brings disgrace to your calling as a Christian. Philippians 1:27: We should live worthy of the gospel. You know what that means? That means I should so live that I don’t make it difficult for you to witness to a lost sinner. You start witnessing to some unsaved person, he says, "Oh yeah, I saw what Warren Wiersbe did. I saw what he did. Don’t talk to me about the gospel. He’s supposed to be a Christian." We should live worthy of the gospel. Colossians 1:10: Worthy of the Lord. Don’t do anything that will ruin the reputation of the Lord. Now this is serious business. In verse 12, he says, "I want you to walk worthy of God." Why? Because God is your Father. You see, our children and our grandchildren carry our name and therefore they are able to bring either glory or disgrace to that name.

Now, we’re a part of God’s calling—that’s grace. We’re a part of God’s kingdom—that’s government. We’re a part of God’s glory. Now if these three things don’t motivate us to have a godly walk, there’s something wrong with us. We belong to God. God is our Father. Jesus is our Savior. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter. Let’s walk worthy of God. Worthy of His calling, worthy of His kingdom, worthy of His glory. That’s what fatherhood in the Lord is all about. Raising the children to have a godly walk that brings glory to the Father’s name.

Now let’s pray together. We’re grateful, Father, that You give to us all that we need that we might have a life of godliness. Help us to listen to Your Word, to obey it, to feed upon it. Help us, Heavenly Father, to live to glorify You. Oh, may we not bring disgrace upon the name of the saints, the name of the church, the name of the Lord. This I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and for His sake, Amen.