Sermon

A Theology of Work: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

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  1. Turn to the book of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 3.

    2 Thessalonians 3 chapter mention

  2. I'll tell you a little bit about the preaching plan over the coming months,

  3. ! Just to kind of give you some bearing on where we are and what we're doing even this morning.

  4. I am taking, starting next Monday, a sabbatical, so beginning on the 15th, and I'll be gone for four weeks.

  5. As such, Caleb is going to come and preach on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, which is the 21st,

  6. about that very topic, defending the unborn.

  7. And in the following three weeks, Clay Naylor is going to preach out of John 17, three weeks on the high priestly prayer.

  8. So I hope you'll anticipate that, that you'll be praying for them as they're getting ready to do that very thing.

  9. When I come back, I'm going to do 11 weeks in Exodus chapter 20,

    Exodus 20 chapter mention

  10. which is where the Ten Commandments are first received and recorded for us in the Scripture,

  11. to talk about antinomianism, which means without the law.

  12. So we need to understand as Christians what the place of the law is in our life.

  13. So it'll be 11 weeks of antinomianism, that the law does in fact still have a bearing on who we are,

  14. having been rescued by Christ.

  15. And so it kind of left us with these three in-between weeks.

  16. And we said, hmm, what should we do with three in-between weeks?

  17. And so last week, I decided to do just a sermon on resolutions,

  18. how to make resolves that are God-honoring.

  19. And today, I'm going to preach a sermon on work.

  20. Having asked last week, do you work hard?

  21. What most about you needs to change?

  22. And one of the questions I asked was, do you work hard?

  23. And then I asked a follow-up question to that, which was, do you rest well?

  24. And so this week, we're going to consider together work, work to the glory of God.

  25. And I've provided for you an outline on the back of your bulletin.

  26. If you have that with you, I'll also try to give you the points very carefully

  27. so that you can write them down.

  28. If not, and then next week, so just to give you some balance and maybe ease some anxiety

  29. as we're talking about work, next week, we're going to talk about rest

  30. and how to rest to the glory of God as well.

  31. And I'm eager, I'm looking forward to continuing to prep for that

  32. and then preaching as I'm going to take some time to do some resting.

  33. So that's the game plan.

  34. That's where we're going.

  35. Beyond that, as a church, we have typically done verse-by-verse exposition

  36. and often through larger texts of the Bible.

  37. So if you're new with us or if you're not and you're scratching your head

  38. about why we've not been doing that,

  39. the intention is to get back to that in the summer.

  40. Be praying for us.

  41. You're welcome to suggest a book that you may want for us to preach to.

  42. Right now I'm thinking 1 Corinthians and then possibly 2nd on beyond that,

  43. but we don't know just yet.

  44. So that'll be the plan beginning in the summer.

  45. But for this morning, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 in our text for this morning

    2 Thessalonians 3 chapter mention

  46. is verses 6 through 15.

  47. Beloved, this is God's Word to us.

  48. It was written for His glory and our good.

  49. And we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises

  50. and obey its commands.

  51. Beginning in verse 6.

  52. Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

  53. that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness

  54. and not in accord with the tradition that you receive from us.

  55. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us,

  56. because we were not idle when we were with you,

  57. nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it.

  58. But with toil and labor we work night and day,

  59. that we might not be a burden to any of you.

  60. It was not because we do not have that right,

  61. but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.

  62. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command,

  63. If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

  64. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness,

  65. not busy at work, but busy bodies.

  66. Now such a persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ

  67. to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

  68. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

  69. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter,

  70. take note of that person and have nothing to do with him,

  71. that he may be ashamed.

  72. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

  73. And so in today's text, there are a series of exhortations about work.

  74. And I must say that this morning I couldn't possibly take the time

  75. to give you a complete doctrine of work in the Scripture.

  76. So it's going to be kind of sweeping,

  77. and we're going to pull points specifically from this text,

  78. but hopefully it'll get the pump primed and get you thinking about

  79. and studying and having a clear grasp on the biblical doctrine of work.

  80. But in our text today, we have these exhortations that are stated in the negative,

  81. by which I mean Paul saying,

  82. do not do such and such.

  83. But every negative exhortation has a reflexive, positive implication.

  84. So we will take the two together to better understand what Paul here is saying

  85. to the Thessalonian believers and in turn to us in the following six points.

  86. So number one,

  87. Paul exhort us to not be idle,

  88. but to work diligently.

  89. Do not be idle,

  90. but work diligently.

  91. Paul has a concern

  92. in the closing of a second letter to the Thessalonians

  93. that some of those in the church were being lazy.

  94. Why would this concern him?

  95. Note verse 10.

  96. For even when we were with you,

  97. we would give you this command.

  98. If anyone is not willing to work,

  99. let him not eat.

  100. So a rather serious matter that people not belated.

  101. And it's concerning enough to him

  102. that it has been a repeated teaching, right?

  103. When Paul was with the church,

  104. verse 10 tells us,

  105. the command was given,

  106. if anyone is not willing to work,

  107. let him not eat.

  108. Here in Paul's second letter,

  109. he reminds them of this command that was given to them.

  110. And in Paul's first letter to the church,

  111. he also commands the church to work.

  112. And here we can see why Paul

  113. has such a concern

  114. that they not be idle.

  115. So turn back just a couple pages

  116. to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4,

    1 Thessalonians 4 chapter mention

  117. and I'll show you what I mean.

  118. The last half of verse 11,

  119. Paul exhorts them to work with your hands

  120. as we instructed you.

  121. Why?

  122. So that you may walk properly

  123. before outsiders.

  124. So you see,

  125. Paul is aware

  126. that God created men to work.

  127. So those who make claim

  128. to worship the one true and living God

  129. who revealed himself in Jesus Christ

  130. ought to be the most diligent of workers.

  131. Now, how did Paul know this?

  132. Is Paul grasping this out of the air?

  133. He's not.

  134. Turn with me to Genesis chapter 1,

    Genesis 1 chapter mention

  135. and I will show you

  136. why Paul believed

  137. this very important doctrine to be true.

  138. Genesis chapter 1.

    Genesis 1 chapter mention

  139. And I want you to see three things

  140. from the beginning of the book of Genesis.

  141. Number one,

  142. God works.

  143. Genesis 1.1 says,

  144. In the beginning,

  145. God created the heavens and the earth.

  146. Right?

  147. He did so for six days.

  148. He worked.

  149. He is the creator.

  150. He made things out of nothing.

  151. And you may say,

  152. Well, that wasn't work.

  153. He spoke it into existence.

  154. And I agree.

  155. He did speak it into existence.

  156. But Genesis 2.2 tells us,

  157. And on the seventh day,

  158. God finished his work that he had done.

  159. And he rested on the seventh day

  160. from all his work that he had done.

  161. Certainly, he did that work

  162. with mighty, powerful words.

  163. Not great labor of his muscles.

  164. But they were strong words.

  165. Right?

  166. They were powerful, working words

  167. in the creation of the world.

  168. Not only that,

  169. when God finished creating the world,

  170. he did not stop working.

  171. He set for us a model in resting a day.

  172. But then he didn't cease working altogether.

  173. He didn't sit back

  174. and now he's just letting the world

  175. play itself out.

  176. God is still at work.

  177. Jesus said in John 5.17,

  178. My father is working until now

  179. and I am working.

  180. So Jesus, as a representative

  181. of his father on earth,

  182. also is working.

  183. Just as a fun side note for you,

  184. if you like these types of things,

  185. Jonathan Edwards had a theory

  186. about God's creation of the world

  187. that he called progressive creationism.

  188. And he suggested in it

  189. that God was continually

  190. speaking the world into existence.

  191. This morning, for example,

  192. would play out like a movie in scenes

  193. and God is constantly speaking

  194. what's happening into existence.

  195. We see it as a reality

  196. all strung together,

  197. but God sees it as a reality

  198. that has its moments

  199. that he is creating.

  200. There's no way to prove

  201. this kind of thing.

  202. And then if that makes

  203. your head explode, me too.

  204. But just as a fun aside,

  205. Edwards was taking this idea,

  206. right, my father is working

  207. until now that he still

  208. is speaking mighty words

  209. that are progressing creation along

  210. and that if he were to cease to speak,

  211. we would cease to be.

  212. So God works, number one.

  213. Number two, man was created

  214. in God's image to work.

  215. Genesis 2.5.

  216. When no bush of the field

  217. was yet in the land

  218. and no small plant of the field

  219. had yet sprung up,

  220. for the Lord God

  221. had not caused it to rain on the land

  222. and there was no man

  223. to work the ground.

  224. So God intended, right,

  225. from the very beginning

  226. that part of his creation process

  227. would include man.

  228. So man is an integral part

  229. of God's creation work.

  230. We back up to Genesis 1.

  231. Now, Genesis 1 is a stating

  232. of the creation of the world

  233. and Genesis 2 is a restating of it.

  234. So we can kind of come back and forth

  235. between the two

  236. and learn some things

  237. about each of the telling.

  238. Genesis 1.26.

  239. Verse 26 and following,

  240. Then God said,

  241. Let us make man in our image

  242. after our likeness

  243. and let them have dominion

  244. over the fish of the sea

  245. and over the birds of the heavens

  246. and over the livestock

  247. and over all the earth

  248. and over every creeping thing

  249. that creeps on the earth.

  250. So God created man

  251. in his own image.

  252. In the image of God,

  253. he created him male and female.

  254. He created them.

  255. And God blessed them.

  256. And God said to them,

  257. Be fruitful and multiply

  258. and fill the earth

  259. and subdue it

  260. and have dominion

  261. over the fish of the sea

  262. and over the birds of the heavens

  263. and over every living thing

  264. that moves on the earth.

  265. So God intended to give to us

  266. the earth under his reign

  267. to rule over it.

  268. To make it after his likeness.

  269. Genesis 2.15 says,

  270. The Lord God took the man

  271. and put him in the Garden of Eden

  272. to work it and to keep it.

  273. This mandate then in the world

  274. to protect the world

  275. and to progress the world around us.

  276. We're intended to be workers

  277. as bearers of God's image.

  278. And then third from Genesis.

  279. Remember, I'm trying to tie this for you.

  280. Paul knows these things

  281. as he's exhorting

  282. the Thessalonian believers and us.

  283. Thirdly, sin made work into work.

  284. Sin made work into work.

  285. Made it hard.

  286. Brought about great challenge in its doing.

  287. Genesis 3.17 and following.

  288. This is after the fall.

  289. God says to Adam,

  290. Because you have listened

  291. to the voice of your wife

  292. and have eaten of the tree

  293. of which I commanded you,

  294. you shall not eat of it.

  295. Cursed is the ground because of you.

  296. In pain you shall eat of it

  297. all the days of your life.

  298. Thorns and thistles

  299. shall bring forth for you.

  300. And you shall eat the plants

  301. of the field.

  302. By the sweat of your face

  303. you shall eat bread

  304. till you return to the ground.

  305. For out of it you are taken.

  306. For you are dust.

  307. And to dust you shall return.

  308. So we see that work

  309. was intended to happen

  310. but it was this joyful,

  311. this resting in the garden

  312. and working.

  313. And sin made that

  314. immensely difficult.

  315. Right?

  316. Weeds come forth.

  317. If you have ever tried to garden,

  318. it is not an easy thing

  319. to keep weeds out of your garden.

  320. This is a result of sin.

  321. You can curse the ground for sin

  322. when you're trying to garden.

  323. And this work has become work.

  324. Right?

  325. It's become this challenging

  326. and difficult thing

  327. that we undertake.

  328. So we have a God who works

  329. and as image bearers of God

  330. redeemed by the blood of His Son,

  331. we work.

  332. We work under the curse

  333. but we work that our God

  334. would be known.

  335. So it does not matter what you do.

  336. Whether you are a school teacher,

  337. a nurse,

  338. an accountant,

  339. a truck driver,

  340. a construction worker,

  341. a social service provider,

  342. a salesman,

  343. a fast food employee,

  344. a student,

  345. a housewife,

  346. a missionary,

  347. or a pastor,

  348. God intends for you

  349. to bear His image

  350. in the way you do what you do.

  351. Beloved,

  352. we ought to be the very best of workers.

  353. Our employers ought to be so pleased

  354. to have us on their team

  355. and lament the day

  356. that we move on to different work.

  357. In all of our working,

  358. we ought to seek the betterment

  359. of the world in which we live.

  360. Like,

  361. as if,

  362. we are pushing back

  363. the effects of the curse.

  364. And we are to do this

  365. to the glory of God.

  366. Paul wrote in Colossians 3,

    Colossians 3:23

  367. verse 23,

  368. whatever you do,

  369. work heartily,

  370. that is to say,

  371. with all of yourself,

  372. with every part of your being.

  373. Work heartily

  374. as for the Lord

  375. and not for men.

  376. You can do the most mundane

  377. of things

  378. to the glory of God.

  379. Verse 24,

  380. Paul goes on to say

  381. in Colossians 3,

  382. knowing

  383. that from the Lord

  384. you will receive

  385. the inheritance

  386. as your reward.

  387. You are serving

  388. the Lord

  389. Christ.

  390. And it doesn't matter

  391. in what thing

  392. you do this.

  393. Martin Luther famously said,

  394. a milkmaid

  395. can milk cows

  396. to the glory

  397. of God.

  398. Your work

  399. is not insignificant

  400. and your work

  401. rightly done

  402. has heavenly

  403. reward.

  404. Richard Baxter,

  405. who was a Puritan

  406. pastor,

  407. and if you want

  408. to read about

  409. work and work ethic,

  410. the Puritans

  411. are wonderful,

  412. wonderful people

  413. to read.

  414. He said,

  415. and this is on the front

  416. of your bulletin,

  417. be laborious

  418. and diligent

  419. in your callings.

  420. He means your work,

  421. wherever God has placed

  422. you to do work.

  423. And if you cheerfully

  424. serve God

  425. in the labor

  426. of your hands

  427. with a heavenly

  428. and obedient mind,

  429. it will be as

  430. acceptable to him

  431. as if you had spent

  432. all that time

  433. in more

  434. spiritual

  435. exercises.

  436. So,

  437. Paul exhorts us

  438. in 2 Thessalonians

    2 Thessalonians 3 chapter mention

  439. chapter 3

  440. to not be idle,

  441. but to work

  442. diligently.

  443. Secondly,

  444. do not reject

  445. apostolic teaching

  446. and example,

  447. but be doers

  448. of the Word.

  449. Now,

  450. you may see

  451. why I gave you notes.

  452. Do not reject

  453. apostolic teaching

  454. and example,

  455. but be doers

  456. of the Word.

  457. The Lord God

  458. has spoken

  459. by the pens

  460. and the lives

  461. of the apostles,

  462. and we ought

  463. to be very careful

  464. not to reject

  465. their teaching.

  466. Some in the Thessalonian

  467. church were doing

  468. this very thing.

  469. Paul says

  470. in verse 6,

  471. we should keep

  472. away from any

  473. brother who

  474. is walking

  475. in idleness

  476. and,

  477. what,

  478. not in accord

  479. with the tradition

  480. that you received

  481. from us.

  482. And then in verse 7,

  483. he says that we

  484. ought to imitate

  485. them.

  486. Paul,

  487. Silvanus,

  488. and Timothy

  489. set an example

  490. for the Thessalonian

  491. believers

  492. and for us.

  493. In verse 9,

  494. Paul says

  495. that they had

  496. a right

  497. to be paid

  498. for their work,

  499. but that they

  500. earned

  501. their own way.

  502. Why?

  503. To give you

  504. in ourselves

  505. an example

  506. to imitate.

  507. Paul,

  508. as an apostle,

  509. was commissioned

  510. by Jesus

  511. himself

  512. to preach

  513. and set

  514. in writing

  515. doctrines

  516. for the church.

  517. We do well

  518. when we take up

  519. and read

  520. and obey.

  521. So,

  522. do not reject

  523. apostolic teaching

  524. and example.

  525. Be doers

  526. of the word.

  527. This is a weighty

  528. thing that's been

  529. given to us.

  530. Third,

  531. do not be

  532. a freeloader,

  533. but pay

  534. your own way.

  535. I can think

  536. of all kinds

  537. of application

  538. in a group

  539. of college students.

  540. Do not be

  541. a freeloader,

  542. but pay

  543. your own way.

  544. Paul exhorts

  545. that anyone

  546. who is able

  547. to work

  548. ought

  549. to work.

  550. Now,

  551. just to be clear,

  552. your schooling

  553. can be work.

  554. You are

  555. in a place

  556. preparing,

  557. working

  558. for the next

  559. thing you're doing.

  560. But,

  561. verse 8 states,

  562. we did not

  563. eat anyone's bread

  564. without paying

  565. for it.

  566. And,

  567. verse 10,

  568. if anyone is not

  569. willing to work,

  570. let him not eat.

  571. And,

  572. in verse 11,

  573. the idle person

  574. is commanded

  575. and encouraged

  576. to do their work

  577. quietly

  578. and to earn

  579. their own

  580. living.

  581. And,

  582. in verse 12,

  583. the one who is

  584. earning their own

  585. living is encouraged

  586. to not grow weary

  587. in doing good.

  588. Not grow weary

  589. of doing this

  590. good thing

  591. of earning

  592. your own

  593. way.

  594. Now,

  595. Paul's concern

  596. at this point

  597. is not for the one

  598. who is unable

  599. to work.

  600. There are many

  601. varied reasons

  602. that a person

  603. may be unable

  604. to work

  605. and we won't

  606. get into those

  607. reasons.

  608. His concern

  609. is not for those

  610. people.

  611. His concern

  612. is for those

  613. who can work

  614. but won't.

  615. In 2 Corinthians

    2 Corinthians 8:1–5

  616. chapter 8

  617. verses 1

  618. through 5,

  619. Paul commends

  620. the generosity

  621. of the Macedonian

  622. churches.

  623. Listen to

  624. verse 1

  625. following

  626. 2 Corinthians 8.

  627. We want you

  628. to know,

  629. brothers,

  630. about the grace

  631. of God

  632. that has been

  633. given among

  634. the churches

  635. of Macedonia.

  636. For in a severe

  637. test of affliction,

  638. their abundance

  639. of joy

  640. and their extreme

  641. poverty

  642. have overflowed

  643. in a wealth

  644. of generosity

  645. on their part.

  646. So we have

  647. the Macedonian

  648. churches

  649. who are impoverished

  650. giving generously.

  651. Verse 3,

  652. And this,

  653. not as we expected,

  654. but they gave

  655. themselves first

  656. to the Lord

  657. and then by the

  658. will of God

  659. to us.

  660. And so what

  661. Paul is referring

  662. to is the great

  663. deal of suffering

  664. that was going

  665. on in Jerusalem,

  666. the persecution

  667. that had already

  668. come upon Christians

  669. there.

  670. They were losing

  671. homes.

  672. They were jailed.

  673. people unable

  674. to work

  675. were being provided

  676. for by churches

  677. in the region.

  678. And the Macedonian

  679. churches,

  680. even out of their

  681. poverty,

  682. gave with great

  683. generosity for this.

  684. The point I'm making

  685. is that Paul

  686. is not talking

  687. about those

  688. unable to work.

  689. He's talking

  690. about those

  691. who can

  692. but won't.

  693. There's a general

  694. reality built

  695. into the fabric

  696. of our world

  697. that our provision

  698. comes through

  699. work.

  700. And if we

  701. enable someone

  702. by giving them

  703. a handout

  704. who can work

  705. for themselves,

  706. we're not

  707. helping them.

  708. A couple of

  709. examples.

  710. Proverbs 12.11

  711. says,

  712. whoever works

  713. his land

  714. will have

  715. plenty of bread,

  716. but he who

  717. follows worthless

  718. pursuits

  719. lacks sense.

  720. Proverbs 13.4,

  721. the soul

  722. of the sluggard

  723. craves

  724. and gets

  725. nothing

  726. while the soul

  727. of the diligent

  728. is richly

  729. supplied.

  730. So,

  731. do not be a

  732. freeloader,

  733. but as long

  734. as you can

  735. and you're able

  736. to do so,

  737. pay your own

  738. way.

  739. Number four,

  740. do not be

  741. burdensome,

  742. but be generous.

  743. Do not be

  744. burdensome,

  745. but be generous.

  746. Now,

  747. this point

  748. is closely

  749. related to

  750. the previous

  751. one.

  752. We could say,

  753. do not be

  754. a burdensome

  755. freeloader,

  756. but here I

  757. want to add

  758. the positive

  759. exhortation

  760. to be generous.

  761. Work diligently

  762. to earn a

  763. living for

  764. yourself,

  765. but also

  766. to give

  767. and to give

  768. well to

  769. meet the

  770. needs of

  771. those who

  772. cannot.

  773. Please,

  774. by all

  775. means,

  776. go and

  777. make lots

  778. and lots

  779. and lots

  780. of money

  781. and spend

  782. it on

  783. the kingdom

  784. of God.

  785. We need,

  786. in the church,

  787. people who

  788. will do

  789. this work.

  790. The negative

  791. part of

  792. the exhortation

  793. is found

  794. in verse

  795. 8.

  796. In their

  797. setting example,

  798. they intended

  799. that we might

  800. not be a

  801. burden

  802. to any

  803. of you,

  804. so do

  805. not be

  806. burdensome.

  807. To establish

  808. the positive

  809. part of the

  810. exhortation,

  811. we need to

  812. step outside

  813. of our

  814. text a

  815. bit and

  816. look at

  817. some of

  818. Paul's

  819. other

  820. teachings.

  821. So,

  822. it's

  823. implied

  824. there.

  825. We don't

  826. want to

  827. be a

  828. burden

  829. to any

  830. of you.

  831. We could

  832. then give

  833. instead,

  834. but let's

  835. look at

  836. some other

  837. places where

  838. Paul teaches

  839. this.

  840. So,

  841. Acts

    Acts 20:34

  842. chapter 20,

  843. verse 34

  844. and 35,

  845. Paul is

  846. saying his

  847. farewell to

  848. the Ephesian

  849. elders and

  850. says,

  851. you

  852. yourselves

  853. know that

  854. these

  855. hands

  856. ministered

  857. to my

  858. necessities

  859. and to

  860. those who

  861. were with

  862. me.

  863. Paul was

  864. a maker

  865. of tents,

  866. so he

  867. did this

  868. along his

  869. missionary

  870. journeying.

  871. Verse 35,

  872. in all

  873. these

  874. things,

  875. I have

  876. shown you

  877. that by

  878. working

  879. hard in

  880. this way,

  881. we must

  882. help the

  883. weak and

  884. remember the

  885. words of

  886. the Lord

  887. Jesus,

  888. how he

  889. himself

  890. said,

  891. it is

  892. more

  893. blessed

  894. to give

  895. than to

  896. receive.

  897. Another

  898. place,

  899. in Ephesians

  900. 4,

  901. 28,

  902. Paul

  903. exhorts,

  904. let the

  905. thief no

  906. longer

  907. steal,

  908. but rather

  909. let him

  910. labor.

  911. Now,

  912. there's a

  913. lot of

  914. conjecture

  915. about who

  916. is specifically

  917. being referred

  918. to here,

  919. the general

  920. thief,

  921. but many

  922. understand,

  923. believe,

  924. that who

  925. Paul is

  926. addressing

  927. are those

  928. within the

  929. church that

  930. were being

  931. idle and

  932. receiving benefit

  933. from the

  934. church financially,

  935. but they

  936. could work.

  937. They were

  938. getting welfare

  939. checked from

  940. the church,

  941. but they

  942. could offer

  943. something to

  944. God's

  945. society.

  946. So let the

  947. thief no

  948. longer steal,

  949. but rather

  950. let him

  951. labor,

  952. doing honest

  953. work with

  954. his own

  955. hands,

  956. and I

  957. love the

  958. why,

  959. so that

  960. he may

  961. have

  962. something

  963. to share

  964. with anyone

  965. in need.

  966. So Paul

  967. exhorts here,

  968. the Thessalonian

  969. believers and

  970. us,

  971. to not be

  972. burdensome,

  973. but to be

  974. generous.

  975. Fifth,

  976. do not be

  977. a busybody,

  978. but build

  979. up others.

  980. Do not

  981. be a busybody,

  982. but build

  983. up others.

  984. Not

  985. busying

  986. themselves

  987. with work,

  988. some of the

  989. Thessalonians

  990. were becoming

  991. meddlesome.

  992. Verse 11

  993. states,

  994. for we hear

  995. that some

  996. among you

  997. walk in

  998. idleness.

  999. It's a way

  1000. of life

  1001. for you.

  1002. Not busy

  1003. at work,

  1004. but busy

  1005. bodies.

  1006. The original

  1007. language could be

  1008. translated,

  1009. not busy,

  1010. but busy

  1011. bodies.

  1012. I think the

  1013. ESV translators

  1014. are trying to

  1015. help us

  1016. understand what

  1017. they're supposed

  1018. to be busy

  1019. with, right?

  1020. In the context,

  1021. they're supposed

  1022. to be busy

  1023. with work

  1024. rather than

  1025. with other

  1026. things.

  1027. But in the

  1028. Greek,

  1029. not busy,

  1030. but busy

  1031. bodies,

  1032. and it's a

  1033. play on words,

  1034. and Paul is

  1035. clever and likes

  1036. to do these

  1037. types of things.

  1038. So he's

  1039. saying,

  1040. not ergo

  1041. zomenos,

  1042. but peri

  1043. ergo zomenos.

  1044. That's what he's

  1045. saying to them.

  1046. He's playing

  1047. with two words

  1048. that are

  1049. similar,

  1050. but twisted

  1051. on them.

  1052. So you're

  1053. not being

  1054. busy.

  1055. Rather than

  1056. that,

  1057. you're being

  1058. busy bodies.

  1059. These busy

  1060. bodies were

  1061. becoming

  1062. troublesome.

  1063. They were

  1064. not building

  1065. up the

  1066. church,

  1067. but busying

  1068. themselves

  1069. in other

  1070. people's

  1071. business.

  1072. In 1

  1073. Timothy 5,

  1074. Paul instructs

  1075. Timothy not

  1076. to enroll

  1077. young widows

  1078. in the

  1079. financial care

  1080. of the

  1081. church.

  1082. And I

  1083. kind of

  1084. love that

  1085. it's

  1086. anyone

  1087. under 60.

  1088. So the

  1089. young widows

  1090. should not

  1091. be enrolled

  1092. in the

  1093. financial care

  1094. of the

  1095. church

  1096. because,

  1097. he says

  1098. in 1

  1099. Timothy 5,

  1100. 13,

  1101. they learn

  1102. to be

  1103. idlers,

  1104. going about

  1105. from house

  1106. to house,

  1107. and not

  1108. only idlers,

  1109. but also

  1110. gossips and

  1111. busy bodies,

  1112. saying what

  1113. they should

  1114. not.

  1115. He's

  1116. saying if

  1117. you free

  1118. up their

  1119. time by

  1120. providing for

  1121. them,

  1122. rather than

  1123. them being

  1124. remarried,

  1125. having a

  1126. livelihood in

  1127. that way,

  1128. you free up

  1129. all their

  1130. time by

  1131. just writing

  1132. the checks

  1133. for their

  1134. bills for

  1135. them.

  1136. This is what

  1137. they're learning

  1138. how to do.

  1139. We're seeing

  1140. this as a

  1141. pattern of

  1142. a thing

  1143. that's happening.

  1144. Ladies,

  1145. this is not an

  1146. indictment on

  1147. you particularly.

  1148. This is for

  1149. all of us.

  1150. Don't be

  1151. idle because

  1152. you're going to

  1153. become a

  1154. busybody.

  1155. So,

  1156. work.

  1157. make yourself

  1158. too busy to

  1159. trouble yourself

  1160. with the

  1161. matters that

  1162. are not

  1163. yours to

  1164. be troubled

  1165. with.

  1166. I have

  1167. seen time

  1168. and time

  1169. again in

  1170. this fellowship

  1171. people with

  1172. way too

  1173. much time

  1174. on their

  1175. hands causing

  1176. so much

  1177. trouble.

  1178. If you're

  1179. having a

  1180. difficult time

  1181. busying

  1182. yourself,

  1183. let me

  1184. know.

  1185. I have

  1186. work that

  1187. you can

  1188. be busy

  1189. with.

  1190. People will

  1191. come to me

  1192. with troubles

  1193. and I say,

  1194. what do you

  1195. want me to

  1196. do about

  1197. that?

  1198. And I have

  1199. no answer

  1200. for that

  1201. kind of

  1202. thing,

  1203. but they

  1204. just want

  1205. to share

  1206. this is

  1207. what's

  1208. going on.

  1209. Okay,

  1210. well let's

  1211. pray for

  1212. this person

  1213. and if

  1214. you think

  1215. you have

  1216. a responsibility

  1217. you can

  1218. act.

  1219. I don't

  1220. think you

  1221. do though.

  1222. We need

  1223. to be

  1224. busier

  1225. very often.

  1226. We are

  1227. meant to

  1228. build each

  1229. other up,

  1230. not tear

  1231. each other

  1232. down.

  1233. So,

  1234. do not

  1235. be a

  1236. busy

  1237. body,

  1238. but build

  1239. up others.

  1240. And

  1241. sixth,

  1242. do not

  1243. tolerate

  1244. what

  1245. dishonors

  1246. God,

  1247. but

  1248. admonish

  1249. the

  1250. idol.

  1251. Do not

  1252. tolerate

  1253. what

  1254. dishonors

  1255. God,

  1256. but

  1257. admonish

  1258. the

  1259. idol.

  1260. And

  1261. this is

  1262. Paul's

  1263. primary

  1264. exhortation

  1265. in this

  1266. text.

  1267. It's

  1268. really the

  1269. big picture

  1270. of what

  1271. he's

  1272. trying to

  1273. say

  1274. here to

  1275. the

  1276. Thessalonians

  1277. believers.

  1278. He is

  1279. concerned

  1280. that those

  1281. who claim

  1282. to follow

  1283. Christ

  1284. are not

  1285. living in

  1286. a way

  1287. that is

  1288. honoring

  1289. to him

  1290. and he

  1291. takes

  1292. this

  1293. matter

  1294. very

  1295. seriously.

  1296. So,

  1297. a couple

  1298. of verses

  1299. kind of

  1300. in cap

  1301. our text.

  1302. Verse 6

  1303. and then

  1304. verses 14

  1305. and 15.

  1306. Verse 6

  1307. he says,

  1308. Now we

  1309. command you

  1310. brothers

  1311. in the

  1312. name of

  1313. our

  1314. Lord

  1315. Jesus

  1316. Christ

  1317. that you

  1318. keep

  1319. away

  1320. from

  1321. any

  1322. brother

  1323. who

  1324. is

  1325. walking

  1326. in

  1327. idleness

  1328. and not

  1329. in

  1330. accord

  1331. with

  1332. the

  1333. tradition

  1334. that you

  1335. received

  1336. from us.

  1337. So,

  1338. here's a

  1339. person

  1340. not

  1341. obeying

  1342. the

  1343. command.

  1344. Keep

  1345. away

  1346. from

  1347. them.

  1348. In

  1349. verse 14

  1350. and 15,

  1351. if anyone

  1352. does not

  1353. obey what

  1354. we say

  1355. in this

  1356. letter,

  1357. again,

  1358. not

  1359. obeying

  1360. the

  1361. command,

  1362. take

  1363. note

  1364. of

  1365. that

  1366. person

  1367. and

  1368. have

  1369. nothing

  1370. to do

  1371. with

  1372. him

  1373. that

  1374. he

  1375. may

  1376. be

  1377. ashamed.

  1378. Do

  1379. not

  1380. regard

  1381. him

  1382. as

  1383. an

  1384. enemy,

  1385. but

  1386. warn

  1387. him

  1388. as

  1389. a

  1390. brother.

  1391. And

  1392. the

  1393. church

  1394. should

  1395. discipline

  1396. the

  1397. idol

  1398. for

  1399. the

  1400. sake

  1401. of the

  1402. !

  1403. the

  1404. church

  1405. in the

  1406. world.

  1407. Out

  1408. of

  1409. fear

  1410. that

  1411. someone

  1412. here

  1413. does

  1414. not

  1415. know

  1416. what

  1417. proper

  1418. discipline

  1419. looks

  1420. like.

  1421. Maybe

  1422. church

  1423. discipline

  1424. is a

  1425. distant

  1426. concept

  1427. for you.

  1428. It's

  1429. likely

  1430. in our

  1431. current

  1432. church

  1433. culture

  1434. that it

  1435. is.

  1436. Or

  1437. possibly

  1438. you've

  1439. been part

  1440. of a

  1441. church

  1442. that's

  1443. really

  1444. tried

  1445. but

  1446. handled

  1447. it

  1448. so

  1449. poorly.

  1450. I

  1451. want

  1452. to

  1453. talk

  1454. you

  1455. through

  1456. the

  1457. proper

  1458. process

  1459. of

  1460. church

  1461. discipline

  1462. which is

  1463. found in

  1464. chapter

  1465. 18

  1466. verses

  1467. 15

  1468. through

  1469. 17

  1470. so

  1471. please

  1472. join

  1473. me

  1474. there.

  1475. Here's

  1476. a

  1477. Paul's

  1478. exhortation

  1479. do not

  1480. tolerate

  1481. what

  1482. dishonors

  1483. God

  1484. but

  1485. admonish

  1486. the

  1487. idol.

  1488. This

  1489. is

  1490. how

  1491. we

  1492. do

  1493. that.

  1494. Jesus

  1495. instructs

  1496. us

  1497. how

  1498. it

  1499. is

  1500. that

  1501. we're

  1502. meant

  1503. to

  1504. discipline

  1505. one

  1506. another

  1507. in

  1508. the

  1509. church

  1510. for

  1511. the

  1512. sake

  1513. of

  1514. holiness

  1515. and

  1516. it's

  1517. a

  1518. multi

  1519. step

  1520. process

  1521. it's

  1522. a

  1523. four

  1524. step

  1525. process

  1526. in

  1527. fact.

  1528. So

  1529. beginning

  1530. in

  1531. verse

  1532. 15

  1533. Jesus

  1534. says

  1535. if

  1536. your

  1537. brother

  1538. sins

  1539. against

  1540. you

  1541. now

  1542. I

  1543. believe

  1544. that

  1545. that

  1546. he's

  1547. he's

  1548. referring

  1549. to

  1550. both

  1551. sins

  1552. that

  1553. are

  1554. directly

  1555. against

  1556. you

  1557. right

  1558. it

  1559. would

  1560. be

  1561. my

  1562. responsibility

  1563. to

  1564. handle

  1565. somebody's

  1566. sin

  1567. against

  1568. me

  1569. somebody

  1570. gets

  1571. angry

  1572. with

  1573. me

  1574. and

  1575. yells

  1576. at

  1577. me

  1578. that

  1579. I

  1580. should

  1581. be

  1582. the

  1583. one

  1584. that

  1585. goes

  1586. to

  1587. them

  1588. and

  1589. is

  1590. restorative

  1591. and

  1592. corrective

  1593. but

  1594. I

  1595. also

  1596. think

  1597. that

  1598. includes

  1599. in

  1600. a

  1601. broader

  1602. sense

  1603. those

  1604. sins

  1605. that

  1606. are

  1607. just

  1608. egregious

  1609. to

  1610. the

  1611. Lord

  1612. right

  1613. that

  1614. we

  1615. are

  1616. we're

  1617. brothers

  1618. we're

  1619. part

  1620. of

  1621. this

  1622. family

  1623. fellowship

  1624. and

  1625. if

  1626. there

  1627. are

  1628. things

  1629. that

  1630. are

  1631. happening

  1632. in

  1633. somebody's

  1634. life

  1635. that

  1636. are

  1637. tearing

  1638. at

  1639. my

  1640. witness

  1641. then

  1642. that's

  1643. a

  1644. sin

  1645. against

  1646. me

  1647. you

  1648. could

  1649. disagree

  1650. with

  1651. me

  1652. on

  1653. that

  1654. point

  1655. but

  1656. I

  1657. do

  1658. think

  1659. that

  1660. Jesus

  1661. means

  1662. to

  1663. include

  1664. those

  1665. with

  1666. the

  1667. particular

  1668. situation

  1669. so

  1670. if

  1671. your

  1672. brother

  1673. sins

  1674. against

  1675. you

  1676. step

  1677. one

  1678. go

  1679. and

  1680. tell

  1681. him

  1682. his

  1683. fault

  1684. between

  1685. you

  1686. and

  1687. him

  1688. alone

  1689. if

  1690. he

  1691. listens

  1692. to

  1693. you

  1694. you

  1695. have

  1696. gained

  1697. your

  1698. brother

  1699. right

  1700. so

  1701. this

  1702. step

  1703. in

  1704. discipline

  1705. in a

  1706. healthy

  1707. church

  1708. happens

  1709. all

  1710. the

  1711. time

  1712. all

  1713. the

  1714. time

  1715. we're

  1716. going

  1717. to

  1718. one

  1719. another

  1720. we're

  1721. helping

  1722. each

  1723. other

  1724. check

  1725. our

  1726. own

  1727. blind

  1728. spots

  1729. so

  1730. often

  1731. we

  1732. don't

  1733. see

  1734. our

  1735. own

  1736. !

  1737. so

  1738. in

  1739. our

  1740. text

  1741. today

  1742. maybe

  1743. you've

  1744. found

  1745. yourself

  1746. being

  1747. a bit

  1748. lackadaisical

  1749. and

  1750. maybe

  1751. that's

  1752. because

  1753. somebody

  1754. pointed

  1755. it

  1756. out

  1757. somebody

  1758. said

  1759. hey

  1760. man

  1761. we're

  1762. working

  1763. together

  1764. and

  1765. I

  1766. just

  1767. think

  1768. that

  1769. you're

  1770. stealing

  1771. from

  1772. the

  1773. company

  1774. you're

  1775. on

  1776. Facebook

  1777. all

  1778. the

  1779. time

  1780. when

  1781. you're

  1782. supposed

  1783. to

  1784. be

  1785. making

  1786. sales

  1787. calls

  1788. and

  1789. you're

  1790. corrected

  1791. in

  1792. this

  1793. way

  1794. and

  1795. if

  1796. you're

  1797. a

  1798. follower

  1799. of

  1800. Jesus

  1801. Christ

  1802. we

  1803. hope

  1804. that

  1805. you

  1806. repent

  1807. you're

  1808. telling me

  1809. about

  1810. this

  1811. thing

  1812. so

  1813. you've

  1814. gained

  1815. your

  1816. brother

  1817. verse

  1818. 15

  1819. Paul

  1820. says

  1821. in

  1822. our

  1823. text

  1824. sorry

  1825. not

  1826. Matthew

  1827. 18

  1828. but

  1829. back

  1830. in

  1831. 2

    2 Thessalonians 3 chapter mention

  1832. Thessalonians

  1833. chapter

  1834. 3

  1835. he says

  1836. do not

  1837. regard

  1838. him

  1839. as

  1840. an

  1841. enemy

  1842. but

  1843. warn

  1844. him

  1845. as

  1846. a

  1847. brother

  1848. warn

  1849. him

  1850. tell

  1851. him

  1852. that

  1853. his

  1854. error

  1855. may

  1856. mean

  1857. that

  1858. he's

  1859. not

  1860. in

  1861. Christ

  1862. so

  1863. he

  1864. needs

  1865. to

  1866. repent

  1867. he

  1868. needs

  1869. to

  1870. see

  1871. this

  1872. in

  1873. his

  1874. life

  1875. 1

  1876. Thessalonians

  1877. 5

  1878. 14

  1879. Paul

  1880. wrote

  1881. and we

  1882. urge

  1883. you

  1884. brothers

  1885. admonish

  1886. the

  1887. idle

  1888. encourage

  1889. the

  1890. faint

  1891. hearted

  1892. help

  1893. the

  1894. weak

  1895. be

  1896. patient

  1897. with

  1898. them

  1899. all

  1900. so

  1901. this

  1902. is

  1903. a

  1904. restorative

  1905. thing

  1906. right

  1907. we

  1908. do

  1909. it

  1910. out

  1911. of

  1912. love

  1913. and

  1914. concern

  1915. for

  1916. one

  1917. another

  1918. we

  1919. come

  1920. alongside

  1921. people

  1922. people

  1923. want

  1924. to

  1925. get

  1926. so

  1927. uptight

  1928. about

  1929. this

  1930. kind

  1931. of

  1932. stuff

  1933. don't

  1934. judge

  1935. unless

  1936. you

  1937. be

  1938. judged

  1939. they

  1940. take

  1941. scripture

  1942. out of

  1943. context

  1944. when

  1945. Jesus

  1946. goes

  1947. on

  1948. there

  1949. to

  1950. say

  1951. be

  1952. sure

  1953. to

  1954. remove

  1955. the

  1956. plank

  1957. from

  1958. your

  1959. own

  1960. eyes

  1961. so

  1962. that

  1963. you

  1964. see

  1965. clearly

  1966. you

  1967. remove

  1968. the

  1969. speck

  1970. from

  1971. your

  1972. brothers

  1973. right

  1974. there's

  1975. a

  1976. process

  1977. by which

  1978. we

  1979. are

  1980. meant

  1981. to be

  1982. encouraging

  1983. each

  1984. other

  1985. along

  1986. in

  1987. holiness

  1988. so

  1989. that's

  1990. step

  1991. one

  1992. if

  1993. your

  1994. brother

  1995. sins

  1996. against

  1997. you

  1998. go

  1999. tell

  2000. him

  2001. his

  2002. fault

  2003. secondly

  2004. !

  2005. Jude

  2006. says

  2007. if

  2008. he

  2009. refuses

  2010. to

  2011. listen

  2012. to

  2013. them

  2014. we

  2015. come

  2016. to

  2017. the

  2018. third

  2019. step

  2020. which

  2021. is

  2022. to

  2023. tell

  2024. it

  2025. to

  2026. the

  2027. church

  2028. and

  2029. Paul

  2030. is

  2031. talking

  2032. about

  2033. a

  2034. local

  2035. congregation

  2036. covenanted

  2037. together

  2038. members of

  2039. a

  2040. fellowship

  2041. together

  2042. that

  2043. take

  2044. the

  2045. word

  2046. of

  2047. God

  2048. seriously

  2049. and

  2050. take

  2051. sin

  2052. seriously

  2053. and

  2054. want

  2055. to

  2056. see

  2057. people

  2058. restored

  2059. !

  2060. in the process. They may not receive well the things that we say to them, but we want to seek

  2061. their restoration. And then if he refuses to listen even to the church, Jesus says,

  2062. even this institution that I've created that has authority to do this work, if he refuses to listen

  2063. even to the church, this is the fourth and final step, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax

  2064. collector. And Jesus there is saying, let him be to you as one outside of the faith. Paul says the same,

  2065. right? So this is what Paul means in verse six, when he says, we command you brothers in the name

  2066. of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in

  2067. accord with the tradition that you receive from us. And in verse 14, if anyone does not obey what

  2068. we say in this letter, take note of that person and have nothing to do with him, that he may be

  2069. ashamed. And the point is that the church says to this person, we take your sin very seriously. And

  2070. as such, we cannot associate with you as the church. We can't allow you to bear the name of Jesus Christ

  2071. any longer because we have concern for your soul. And so this process is an extremely healthy thing

  2072. for the life of a church, right? I hope I'm speaking to you and you're a member of our church and you can

  2073. say, yeah, it is. If you're not, you need to be part of a local fellowship, if not here, someplace else

  2074. that practices church discipline. It's an extremely important part of what even defines

  2075. a local church. This particular sin that Paul is addressing, this one that needs to be

  2076. corrected, it's not to be tolerated, right? It's so dishonoring to God, this form of idleness, right?

  2077. This mooching off of others, the burdensome freeloading, this lack of generosity, this

  2078. self-serving attitude, that it needs admonishment. He writes in 1 Timothy 5.8, to give you an idea of

  2079. the seriousness of this. He says there, if anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially

  2080. for members of his household. So here we have a person, he's speaking now of a man who is idle,

  2081. not providing for his own household, right? Not providing for his own household or those that

  2082. need help. So maybe an aged grandmother that needs his help. He's not providing for them. He says here,

  2083. he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever, right? Oh, he's got emotions about an idle man who

  2084. doesn't provide for his family. And so it's a serious matter. And so we ought not tolerate what

  2085. dishonors God, but admonish the idle. We ought not be idle, but work diligently. We ought not reject

  2086. apostolic teaching and example, but be doers of the word. We ought not be freeloaders, but pay our own

  2087. ways. We ought not be burdensome, but rather be generous. We ought not be busybodies, but we ought

  2088. to build up others. Beloved by God's grace, he is at work in our working, whatever that work may be.

  2089. Let us be a people who work diligently to the glory of God. Let's pray together.