The Church of Brotherly Love

Amen. Turn with me in your Bible this

morning to 1st Thessalonians chapter 4.

First Thessalonians chapter 4. I'm going to just read from

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

verse 9 through to verse 12. Let's hear the word of God

reading of course from the Authorised Version or as many

affectionately call it, the King James Bible.

He authorised it in the name of the Lord.

Let's hear God's word. For those online, the words will

come up on screen. So I've said before for anybody

that would like a Bible, please contact us.

And I apologise to the dear lady that did contact me last week

about the Bible. I will get to that eventually if

you apologise, but it will come first.

1 Thessalonians 4:9

Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 9. But as touching brotherly love,

you need not that I write unto you.

For ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another, and

indeed you do it toward all the brethren which are in Macedonia.

But we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more,

and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and

to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that ye may

walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may

have lack of nothing. Amen.

We know God will stamp with his own approval and blessing this

reading of His own precious and infallible word.

Now this morning we continue with our series of expository

sermons in First Thessalonians, and my text today is taken from

First Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 9 to 12, and have

1 Thessalonians 4:9–12

entitled Today's Message, The Church of Brotherly Love, one of

the 1st century philosophers, and by a man by the name of

Lucian, he wrote a satire and in it he said this.

It is incredible to see the order of love that these

Christians have one toward another.

They seem to spare nothing. Now that's a heathen man, an

unbeliever, and he's looking into the life of the 1st century

church. And despite all the persecution

of that day, in the midst of idolatry, in the midst of

immorality, in the midst of iniquity, he sees the love that

these true born again Christians have one for another.

Now, the subject of brotherly love is not disjointed from the

subject of sanctification. It's not just a subject that the

apostle Paul has abruptly introduced or thrown in randomly

into the latter. No, you see, love between God's

people is just one facet or one face of the people of God.

Remember we've already read and preached on for this is the will

of God, even your sanctification that you should abstain from

fornication. Chapter 4, verse three.

We know that sanctification is not only the will of God, but

it's also the work of God and the soul by the Holy Spirit

through the merits of the Lord Jesus.

But it's also a walk with God. It is necessary in the Christian

life to walk with God. And God is making his people

abound more and more in brotherly love because this

brotherly love is a holy love that's an integral part of true

holiness. I want you to think of a

diamond. It has many facets, faces that

catches the light. Well, I say it, true love

between Christians is just one of those facets, one of those

faces of what God's people are like.

And in first John 49 to 12, the apostle Paul is exhorting God's

people to continue to demonstrate, continue to display

brotherly love toward one another despite the darkness,

despite the difficulty of the day, despite the persecution,

the hardship, despite the trials and troubles.

He writes to them, and says, But as touching brotherly love, you

need not that I write unto you. For yourselves are taught of God

to love one another. Indeed, you do it toward all the

brethren which are in Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren,

that you increase more and more, and that you study to be quiet,

and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as

we commanded you, that you may walk honestly toward them that

are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

Now as I thought about this from last Lord's Day, I thought of

three things. I want you to think the

instruction about brotherly love.

Notice first name. But as touching brotherly love

you need not daily write unto you, for ye yourselves are

taught of God to love one another.

Now the word brotherly love is a translation of one Greek word

and we could use the word Philadelphia.

It's used quite a number of times in the New Testament.

In the United States of America, there's a city called

Philadelphia. It's known as the city of

brotherly love. And I was there on one occasion

and visited about 12 or 13 years ago.

Well, let's come from United States of America and go to 1st

century Greece. And in Greece, there's a church

there in the city of Thessalonica, and it's known as

the Church of Brotherly love. Remember how Paul commended them

for their labour of love? He says in chapter 1, verse 3,

remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love

and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of

God and our Father. And now in verse 9, he tells

them, But as touching brotherly love you need not that I write

unto you. So what does that mean?

Does Paul mean you don't need to hear anything about this subject

again yet? You've heard it already.

I've already told you. I've already commanded you.

So I don't have to write anything more about it.

I don't have to mention it again.

See, that's how some interpret that.

But that's not the meaning Paul is saying here.

When he says you need not that I write unto you.

He means that I don't have to go into deeper detail.

I don't have to go into great length.

I don't have to set forth this subject again in a in a vast

manner to you. Why?

And here's the answer. For ye yourselves are taught of

God, to love one another, taught of God.

See, they were taught of God and sanctification whenever they

were born again of the Holy Spirit and there was a true work

of God wrought in their soul and in that out working of

sanctification, their motto and mindset being holiness unto the

Lord. They were taught of God in that

work of sanctification, that in the outworking of that, there

was not only the will of God and the work of God, but there was a

walk with God and that walk was a walk of love, a holy love in

the heart because that's an integral part of true holiness.

They were also taught of God in the Scriptures.

Remember the words love one another's repeated unteen times

in the scriptures. They were taught of God by the

Saviour. This is what the Lord Jesus

said. John chapter 13.

John 13 · chapter mention

A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another

as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this shall all men know that you're my disciples.

If you have love one to another, you see this brotherly love that

he writes about. It's not in their heart.

Naturally. They had to be taught in the

process of sanctification they were taught and from the

scriptures they were taught and from the lips of the Saviour

they were taught. And what were they taught?

If you look at the text for yourselves are taught of God to

do what? To love one another.

What I'm saying it's not something naturally in the

heart, it's not something that's in and of ourselves, it's not

something there that's apart from divine grace.

Apart from divine grace, it's not naturally possible to love

one another. See, the reality is we, we do

love ourselves even as God's people, even as Christians, we

can display self love. We can be self centred.

We love our families. Why?

Because well, they're related to us.

They're our offspring. But we love a few friends.

Well, providing they stay loyal as friends if if it suits us.

But the reality is we really love ourselves.

We're asking ourselves what's in it for me.

See the best kind of brotherly love, even our love to God and

love to Jesus Christ and love to everything that's biblical in

moral, the word of God. Remember, we still have fallen

sinful hearts and in the Church of Jesus Christ there is, we

could have to say honestly shocking low levels of biblical

love. Let let me give you an example.

Here's a nurse. She's a born again believer and

if you'd asked her, are you a loving person?

Oh yes, I'm a loving person. She gets a new job.

She's now appointed the chief health visitor for a certain

area. And in the first day of the job,

the boss looks at her and she knows by the look.

In fact, she said when I saw her looking at me, I knew that she

knew that I was a believer. So from the day one I got picked

on, I got the hardest cases possible thrown at me, I got the

worst unpleasant hours ever and I got the most paperwork to do.

And I believe that the boss was doing that as a deliberate

policy. And the woman admitted it's hard

to have feelings of love for someone who has it in for you,

someone who doesn't like you, who deliberately rubs you up the

wrong way. And even with people like that,

yes, we try to love them, we pray about loving them.

But when alls we get, every day is hostility, antagonism and

hardship. Then we asked, why is this

happening to me? Why is this man or woman like

this? Well, here's the answer God has

allotted because God is suffering, because I believe

that God looks into your heart. And when you feel in your mind

like murdering someone because of their attitude and the

antagonism toward you, then the reality is if we feel like that

and I could murder him, I could strangle horror, then the

reality is there's little or no love at all.

You see, often times the Lord employs these means to empty us

of self, to show us what's in our heart, that what's in our

heart is the opposite of a sanctifying love.

What's in our heart is really a self love.

And we have to be taught of God. Doctor Barnes when he was here

at the 1st Friday Fellowship said this about Amy Carmichael

with a woman who was nasty with her, who said very hurtful

things, said things that caused tears, said things that indeed

were very upsetting. And a friend asked Amy

Carmichael, well, how did you respond?

And this is what she said. I took it as an opportunity to

die to self. You see, we have to be taught of

God, taught in the outworking of sanctification, taught in the

Scriptures. By this shall all men know that

you're my disciples. If you have love one to another,

this love is a supernatural matter.

It is a sanctifying, holy love. I believe it's given like a gift

and it has to be taught of God and it's only possible by the

grace of God. And love for one another is one

of the great hallmarks of the true Church of Jesus Christ.

True love stands in contrast to Trojan love.

The 1st century culture, like today, confuses love and lust.

Sensual lust is never loving. Sensual lust is selfish,

motivated by self love. It it harms and hurts everyone

who comes into contact with it. But the true Christian is not to

be carried to rise by the passion of lust.

He's to be carried to rise by the purity of his love, by the

power of love, A fervent, pure love for one another.

Go back to the word Philadelphia.

It's love for members of the same family, naturally, your

brothers and sisters, but it's wide enough in the Bible to mean

a love for members of the family of God.

And Paul commended them for their love for one another.

And Paul is calling them to keep on demonstrating, to keep on

displaying love to one another. The early church was

characterised by this love. It was not optional.

Listen to 1st John chapter 3 and in the verse 10 it says this.

John 3 · chapter mention

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of

the devil. Whosoever doeth not

righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his

brother. For this is the message that you

heard from the beginning, that you should love one another not

as keen who was of that wicked 1 and slew his brother.

And wherefore slew he him, because his own works were evil,

and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the

world hate you. We know that we have passed from

death unto life, because we love the brethren.

He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Genuine love for one another should be the hallmark of the

true Church of Christ. So that's the instruction about

brotherly love. The second point is this, the

instinct of brotherly love. Now if you look back again at

our text of Scripture in First Thessalonians chapter 4, he says

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

in verse 10, And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which

are in all Macedonia. Now I want you to see this.

You see, once you're born of God and the life of God comes into

the soul, that life of God produces a love for one another

and that love is exhibited. It's like a a natural instinct,

a spontaneous instinct. Think when a baby's born, what's

the first thing it does? It cries, there's a wee smile,

it moves its arms, it wiggles its toes.

It's instinctive. We have some cats at home.

If anybody wants a cat, I can give you one free to a good

home. But what do cats do by nature?

They hunt for mice. What does a bird do by nature?

It wants to fly, and if you go after it and say here little

birdie, come to me, it, it'll fly away.

See, they don't have to be taught.

It's the nature of a dog to bark.

You go to homes. We were at homes yesterday and

we could hear the dogs barking inside.

The dog knew instinctively somebody was coming up the path,

somebody was at the door, somebody was going past the

window. And you see, in the life of the

Christian, the individual is born again by the Holy Spirit.

There's a natural instinct for spiritual things.

Remember when the Apostle Paul was converted in the Damascus Rd

we read in Acts Chapter 9. I believe it's in verse 11.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

Behold, he prayeth. That's the sign that God gave to

Ananias that he was truly changed man and transformed.

He said prayers before is a Pharisee, but now he was praying

from his heart. It's one of the signs that he

was born of God. There was a desire in his heart

to seek the face of God. Remember Mary who sat at Jesus

feet, Luke 1039. She had a desire for the word of

God. She wanted the book of God.

She wanted the word. The Christian will have a desire

to witness. Let the redeemed of the Lord say

so. He'll have a desire for

holiness. But with that there'll also be

the desire to display and demonstrate love one to another.

And every believer is taught of God to love one another.

Remember what we read in first John chapter 3.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

We read this, Beloved, behold what manner of love the Father

hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of

God. Therefore the world knoweth us

not, because it knew not him. Beloved, now are we the sons of

God? And it does not yet appear, but

we shall be. But we know that He shall

appear. We should be like Him, for we

shall see Him as He is, And every man that hath this hope in

Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.

What do you read in first John 4, verse 8?

1 John 4:8

See him in verse 16. We read this, God is love.

What does that mean? It means it belongs to his

nature. It's not something created.

It's not just a part of his being.

It is who God is love, a pure, holy, eternal love.

And those of us who are born again and genuinely converted,

His people are not only taught of God, taught by the

supernatural mighty operation of the Holy Spirit, but whenever

they're born of God, they receive the nature of God and

the nature of God, according to second Peter chapter one, verse

4 is to to love one another. There's a desire to love.

Remember what we read in Matthew chapter 22, verse 37 to 40.

Matthew 22:37–40

They shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all

thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and I

shall love thy neighbour as thyself.

And these hang all the law and the prophets I love for God.

Paul says in our John says in first John four and verse 19, We

love him because he first loved us.

And that's love to God is seen and is especially seen in her

treatment to one another. Listen to these words first John

4 and 20. If a man say I love God and hate

his brother, he's a liar. For he that loveth not his

brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he have not

seen? And this commandment have we

from him, that he who loveth God love his brother.

Also solemn words, you see, bitterness, hatred, jealousy,

animosity against a fellow Christian is a sin, and it

doesn't belong to the true Christian life, and it needs to

be repented of. And if you profess to be born

again, you profess to belong to the family of God, then you will

have a desire to demonstrate and to display love toward all who

are in the true family of God. We're exhorted in first Peter

217 to love the brotherhood. And there is a brotherhood of

true believers. And we here no longer dead in

trespasses and sin, no longer in the darkness, no longer blind,

no longer in a natural state, brought out of a state of guilt

into a state of grace. We are commanded to love one

another. And what I'm saying is that

there's not only an instruction because we're taught of God, but

there's also an instinct to brotherly love because the

nature of God is implanted within our soul because God is

love. Now I'm well aware that there's

people in the church and it's not easy to get on with.

And sometimes people who are not easy to get on with, you have to

tiptoe around them. I'm well aware we all of a

sinful nature. Let's be clear.

Including this preacher. And I'm the first.

I'll be in front of the queue. I stand first to the line.

We all have our faults. We're all full of imperfections,

feelings and shortcomings. And we do and see things that

annoy one another. And some people are easily

offended. Some people cry, some people get

mad, but in spite of all these things, in spite of all these

feelings, in spite of our dealings with one another, we

should make loving one another a matter for prayer, and we should

make it a matter to shine forth the love of God in Christ.

And we should say, Lord, you've allowed this situation to

happen. Here's an opportunity for me

today to die to self, to die to self love.

It's an opportunity to demonstrate and display a truly

sanctifying sacrificial love. You see, let's remember God's

love for us. His amazing love was

demonstrated for us at the cross.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have

everlasting life. And remember what Paul writing

to thee church at Ephesus said this in Ephesians 5.

As ye therefore followers of God, as dear children and walk

in love, as Christ also have loved us and have given himself

for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet

smelling savour. God is the one who's teaching us

about loving one another. And because we're born of the

Spirit and indwelt by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit within us who

has shed the love of God abroad in our hearts helps us not only

to love God and love the Lord Jesus, but enables us to love

one another. It's instinctive.

Very quickly. I want you to think of this as

we finish the increase of biblical love.

If you go back to Thessalonians, look with me at the verse 10

Thessalonians, it says, and indeed you all do it as toward

all the brethren which are in Macedonia.

But we beseech your brethren that you increase more and more.

There's the increase of biblical love.

Now you see, Paul has commended them for their love one to

another, but he wants to encourage them, exhort them.

Don't rest in your laurels. Don't become complacent.

I want you to increase more and more.

In fact, he mentions in verse 9 brotherly love, which is the

Greek word Philadelphia. Whenever you come to verse 9, it

says for yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

That word love is not the same word Philadelphia.

In fact, in the Greek it's agape, which is the same word

that's used for God's love in John 3 and 16.

Because what is love? Love was a self sacrificing,

caring commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest

good of the one loved. Let me repeat that.

Love is a self sacrificing, caring commitment that shows

itself in seeking the highest good of the loved.

God so loved that He gave. God loved us and gave himself

for us. God's love involves self

sacrifice. And what is the main hindrance

to self sacrificing love? It is selfishness.

Husbands are exhorted to lay husbands are exhorted to love

their wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave

himself for it. And how many husbands would

stand up if the wife was being attacked and they'd be willing

to lay down their life for their wife?

But it's important that we not only adopt that mindset in a

self sacrificing manner, but that involves spending time and

thinking about the needs of her wife and her family.

See there's an increase in this love.

They're to abound more and more. Notice this very quickly and

have to be quick here. Look at the word Macedonia vast

region of easier minor. They were reaching out.

The whole of the country was affected, sending out the word

of God, sending out missionaries 2 by two, and that was

tremendous. Paul says.

But look at verse 10. But we beseech you, brethren,

that you increase more and more. Why the contrast?

Think of the word. But we beseech you, brethren,

was there something wrong at home?

There was look at verse 11 and that you study to be quiet and

to do your own business and to work with your own hands as we

commanded you see, take note of this, we beseech you.

It's good to support missionary causes.

It's good to be involved in evangelism and reaching out into

other places and other lands. And but there's a call, there's

a challenge. There's a command to love their

brethren at home. There's a three fold exhortation

here as we finish studying to be quiet.

What does that mean? Well, it's nothing to do with

going to the library. It's not about the librarian

saying it's not seeking a quiet place to read a book.

The word study has to do with the idea of making it a goal, an

ambition. Having a name study involves

labour. The word quiet has to do with

this thought. Make sure you're not the cause

of disturbances in the church. You see the inferences that

people in Thessalonica were disturbing the peace of the

congregation and it's easy to sin in this area.

It's easy to find fault, be mad, be upset, say something and do

something. Remember the Lord Jesus Christ,

remember what we read of him in Isaiah chapter 42.

Isaiah 42 · chapter mention

He shall not cry nor lift up their causes.

Voice to be heard in the street. He was the quiet man.

There's such a gentleness and quietness of Christ.

He had such a meek and quiet spirit.

He was not a disturber. He was not a tale bearer.

He was not a gossiper. He was not harsh.

He was not full of bitterness. He was not full of self love.

Whenever you see thoughts and feelings in me as your minister,

then I want you to pray for me. I asked you to plead with God to

show me. Don't just criticise, Be

constructive. Turn your criticism into prayer.

Let's not aim to be a disturber. Study to be quiet.

Notice these words. Do your own business.

What does that mean? It means be engaged in your own

affairs. Private, public.

You have your home life, you have your family, you have your

job, you have leisure time. Don't be a busy body, don't be

involved in someone else's affairs.

Don't allow that to become a problem.

You see, it was a problem in Thessalonica.

We read in Second Thessalonians in chapter 3 and verse 11 these

words, for we hear that they are some which walk among you,

disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies.

And these busy bodies were often tempted to meddle in other

people's affairs. What are you doing?

Why are you not doing this? What you should really say to

them? Or just mind your own business,

Live your own life in private and personal before God.

That's what that means. And also to work with your own

hands. Show by God's love, show by your

behaviour at work the mighty merciful love of God.

Involve yourself in God ordained labour.

Sadly today, and this is true of many congregations, there are

disturbers in the church who are not Christ like and they don't

study to be quiet and there are busy bodies in the church who

meddle in other affairs and give a bad testimony and they don't

do their own business. And there were some in

Thessalonanka who behaved so badly that they stopped working

with their own hands and demanded handout and payment and

demanded food and everything else that was going along with

it because they believed that they'd quit their job because

Christ was coming back and He is coming back.

But that was no reason for them in light of us coming to quit

their job. They were really being spongers

and it was in the early stages of manifesting itself and that's

why Paul dealt with it. What a shame.

Could I encourage you in finishing?

Let's love Christ with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength.

Let's live for Christ. Let's view Him and meditate in

Him. Let's see each other as brothers

and sisters in the family and let's live and light that the

Saviour has come. Now I'm going to end it there at

some other things to say, but we'll leave it there for today.

I trust and pray that what I've shared will be a help and a

blessing to us within the life of the congregation.