Brotherly Love in Action: Quiet Lives, Hard Work, and Witness - 1 Thess 4.9-12

Good morning. Have you ever wondered how to live as a Christ-believer in a culture

that is opposed to Christ?

Paul, in our passage today, gives us helpful insights into how we are to love

people around us, even when it is difficult.

My name is Pastor Simon Flynn, and here at Dillingham Moravian Church,

we delight in making disciples for Christ as we learn together the truths of God's Word.

When my son Jonathan was preschool age, we enrolled him in the only Christian

school here in Dillingham.

Now, the head teacher there was a lady by the name of Suelle Cunningham.

That lady was one of the most thankful people I've ever had the privilege of knowing.

In regard to her teaching ability,

she had the best classroom management ability that I have ever seen.

She would go out into the lobby, and there'd be a bunch of kids there,

and the kids will all be talking loudly, running around, and all she would have

to do was make a soft noise to get their attention.

Then she would gently move her index finger to indicate that they had to line up in a line.

And the kids would line up and they would do it quietly.

And this just wasn't one time, but it was every time. That lady had a gift.

I used to praise her for her good job at teaching. And you know what she said

to me? This is important.

It was not her, but Christ in her.

Now, I do not agree with a lot of what the school's denomination teaches theologically.

But what Suelle said there was right on.

As Christians, the number one greatest command to us from God is to love God with all our being.

And in loving God, to love others.

However, loving others God's way is not something we can do on our own.

Love is demonstrated to us by God. We are taught to love others by God through

His Word and through the Holy Spirit as Christ operates us.

Let's pray. Father.

We pray that you grant us your Holy Spirit to fill us,

fill us with the power, the understanding, the truth, the wisdom,

to be able to know what it is you're teaching us and apply it to our lives so

that we can live out your word, that we can teach your word, that we can share it.

But also that and more importantly that Christ would live through us and operate

us so it is him that is dwelling in us it is him that is doing and living his life through us Lord,

because it is Jesus that has the power to save is Jesus that has power to make

people understand who he is,

and bring them to grow in him.

We thank you, Father. Use us. Help us to live in abandonment to Christ.

You are our God, and we trust you. Help us to trust you more.

Your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Turn with me this morning to 1 Thessalonians 4, 9-12, where Paul taught.

Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to

you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

For indeed you do practice it towards all the brethren who are in Macedonia.

But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more and to make it your ambition

to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands,

just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly towards outsiders and not be in any need.

Previously, in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul taught the Thessalonians that Christ

followers are to please God by living in such a way that God is always watching

them and by keeping their eyes on Him.

We also learn that God's will for His people to be sanctified were completely

dedicated to God's will by abstaining from sexual immorality.

Christ valued the will of His Father and loved His chosen church so much that

He surrendered Himself to the suffering and torture of the cross to save His people from their sins.

God, through Paul, challenged believers to not go back to their old ways of

sin, and in Christ's resurrection power to live only to please God.

In our passage today, beginning in verse 9 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4,

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

God, through Paul, is teaching us That brotherly love is taught to us by God out of His love.

Paul began in verse 9, Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need

for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

The first type of love that I want to point out to you is Philadelphia, or brotherly love.

This love is the affection naturally befitting the relationship between siblings,

especially as the affection of those who are now siblings in God's family.

Turn with me to Romans 12, verses 10-11, where Paul commanded,

Romans 12:10–11

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Give preference to one another in honor.

Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Please notice this. Being devoted to one another in brotherly love means to

always give others preferential treatment where we honor and prefer others in

Christ's church over ourselves.

We are also commanded to be diligent and fervent in spirit in our pursuit of serving the Lord.

How are we to serve the Lord in the context of these verses?

By loving each other in the family of God with brotherly love.

However, back in 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 9, I want you to notice that the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 4:9

act with brotherly love because they have been taught by God to love each other

in the family of God out of God's love.

And this leads us to the next word for love that Paul used, and that is the love of God.

Agape love or God's love means to have a strong non-sexual affection and love

for a person and their good as understood by God's moral character,

especially characterized by a willing forfeiture of rights or privileges on

another person's behalf.

You see, loving with God's love is having a strong affection for someone based

upon God's character, not our character, but God's character,

as the Christian willingly gives up their rights and privileges for the other person.

Now, since the fall of Adam and Eve, we are unable to do this by ourselves.

All of humanity is depraved or self-focused.

And as such, we are physically incapable of loving God and others without the

supernatural transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Because loving God and others does not come natural to us, We have to be taught by God Himself.

God, through and by the Holy Spirit, teaches the believer in two ways,

through the Word of God and by the Holy Spirit.

Paul in 2 Timothy 3, verse 16 to 17 instructed, All Scripture is inspired by

2 Timothy 3:16–17

God, or God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for reproof,

for correction, for training in righteousness.

Listen to this, please. Verse 17, so that the man of God may be adequate,

equipped for every good work.

The Holy Spirit inspired or breathed His thoughts directly to the minds and

hearts of the men and women who then wrote down those God-breathed thoughts,

into the books, the Psalms, and letters that are in the Bible.

Now, Paul taught us that the Scriptures is therefore the Word of God.

And because the Bible is the very words of God, They are completely profitable

for teaching, reproving, correcting, and training, and living according to God's righteousness.

What is the purpose for God teaching us according to 2 Timothy 3?

So that we will be adequately equipped for every good work.

And this is very important because it's not us who is accomplishing these good

works out of our own initiative or our own power.

It is essential that you and I see that it is God through His living and breathing

Word that teaches us, that reproves and corrects us and trains us. Why?

So that we have the ability to do good, like loving our brothers and sisters

in Christ, as we are taught in 1 Thessalonians 4.

The second major way in which God teaches us is by the Holy Spirit.

What the Word of God has taught and is teaching us.

Please turn with me to John 14, verse 26.

John 14:26

This is what Jesus said. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will

send in my name, he will teach you

all things, and he will bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

The Father sent the Holy Spirit and the power and authority of Jesus to represent

Jesus to us, the believers.

The Father sent the Holy Spirit to help us. How does the Holy Spirit help us?

He helps us by teaching us all things. Now, does this passage mean that the

Spirit will teach us rocket science or molecular biology?

No. Jesus was teaching His disciples within the context of their relationship

and being Jesus' disciples or students.

And thus the Holy Spirit would teach the apostles all things concerning Jesus,

who He is as fully God and fully man, God's plan and ministry of Jesus seen

through the Old Testament and Jesus' life and teachings.

The Holy Spirit will also cause the apostles to remember all that Jesus taught them.

Remember the difference between before and after the Holy Spirit descended on

the apostles at Pentecost.

The apostles were transformed men. Not only did they remember what Jesus told

them, but they knew what Jesus in His words meant concerning Scripture.

That was the Holy Spirit's work.

Returning to 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul was applauding the Thessalonians because

he, Paul, heard of the evidence of their brotherly love, which was founded in the very love of God.

Thessalonians' love was the proof that they were indeed taught by God through

scriptures they had, in the words and instructions from Paul and from the leading of the Holy Spirit.

How do we apply this to us as disciples of Christ? The first truth God is teaching

us is that loving Christians and non-Christians with brotherly love is the.

Outflow of God's love and affection working in and through us.

God's love is based on and motivated by His character, who He is as Almighty and ever-living God.

Jesus in John 14, 23-24 said this, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with Him.

He who does not love me and does not keep my words, and the word which you hear

is not mine, the Father's who sent me.

The word that Jesus used for loves indicated the direction of the will and finding

one's joy in something or someone to delight in,

meaning that our obedience to Christ is the result of our love for Christ as we delight in Christ.

When we find our joy or delight in something or someone, what are we doing?

We are valuing that person or something as good for us.

In order for us to love others, we have to believe and value God as our greatest good, our treasure.

And the more we value God above ourselves, the more what God values will become what we value.

In valuing God as our greatest good, we give up our rights and privileges for

God's greatest good for us.

And who did God value so much that he sent his son Jesus to be sacrificially

slaughtered on the cross all of humanity for people,

see the more that we value God as our delightful treasure and relinquish our

rights our privileges and desires for Christ and others the more we will obey

God by loving others with God's love,

and brotherly love this is what it means to live in the love of God,

The second truth that we can apply to ourselves is that in order to love like

God, and that includes brotherly love, we must be taught by God.

And that means you and I, as Christ disciples or student learners,

we need to have a humble and teachable mind and heart.

David in Psalm 25, verse 4 through 5, cried out to God, Make me know your ways,

Psalms 25:4–5

O Lord. Teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation.

For you I wait all day long.

A disciple of Christ is a student who learns from, follows, and obeys Christ by abiding in God,

and then in his or her relationship with Christ goes out to teach,

train, and equip, and raise up other Christians to be learners and followers of Christ,

so that they can abide in God as well.

The heart of being a disciple of God is a humble faith that salvation and truth

is not from us, but from God.

The heart of a true disciple is the humble faith that God is God, and we are not.

We are to have a humble faith that we do not know how to live for Christ,

nor can we do so on our own.

And thus, as Christ's disciples, we wait upon God. We surrender control for

God to teach us, for God to lead and to guide us.

And as we live with humble faith before God, what is God's promise?

Let's look at psalm 25 verse 8 through 9 good and upright is the lord therefore

Psalms 25:8–9

he instructs sinners in the way he leads the humble and what is right and teaches the humble his way,

Disciples of Christ, our brotherly love for each other comes from trusting and

living in Christ's love as we humbly submit to God's teaching through His Word.

However, we are also called to take the love and teaching of God given to us

and abound in loving action towards the family of God and others.

Lately, I've been seeing on Facebook that this year's salmon run in Bristol Bay was the largest.

It was at 44.8 million sockeye. However, according to KDLG, in 2018,

that was the largest sockeye salmon run to Bristol Bay on record.

And the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has records dating back to 1893.

The total run to Bristol Bay that summer was 62.3 million sockeye.

That's 21% above the pre-season forecast of 51.3 million fish.

The Nuskiak District set the new record for the largest single-district sockeye,

salmon harvest at 24.1 million sockeye, counting for more than half the reds

harvested in the bay that summer.

Just as the salmon came to Bristol Bay in such plentiful abundance in 2018,

so also believers are commanded to abundantly put their love for others into practice.

Paul continued in verse 10.

For indeed, you do practice it towards all the brethren who are in Macedonia.

But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more.

What Paul was teaching the Thessalonians was that there were not to be satisfied,

with the level of love that they were currently displaying.

Rather, the Thessalonian congregation were in humility to take the love and

teaching of Christ and excel all the more in loving others.

The word excel that Paul used meant to be abundant or plentiful,

to exist in large quantities.

The believers were to continually and intentionally strive to practice the love

of God to their fellow Christians and unbelievers in ever-growing amounts.

By relying on Christ, the Christian is to never stop doing good for others.

Galatians 6, verses 9-10 says this, And let us not lose heart in doing good,

Galatians 6:9–10

for in the due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

So then while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,

especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Sometimes we as believers can get complacent in our faith by telling ourselves

little lies or justifications like,

I've volunteered at church today or I've done my good act and thus I don't need

to help that other person out or speak or write or act in loving ways to the

person online or in front of us.

One of the big lies that I'm tempted with is that I don't have the time or I'm

too busy working for the Lord to help or encourage or strengthen that person or other believer.

And yet, as busy as Christ was, and although he did have to go away alone and

pray, Christ made time to demonstrate his love through teaching,

helping, encouraging, and healing,

through being there with his people, of course being the bloody sacrifice on the cross.

No matter what suffering, no matter how busy Jesus got,

He would always accomplish the will of His Father to love us,

even down to the sacrifice of His own body and the shedding of His own blood for us.

In our sinful flesh, you and I, we can so easily justify our goodness before God and others.

But God is encouraging us to stay, to remain, to abide and grow in Christ.

Why? Because loving faith in Christ never stops demonstrating God's love to others around us.

You and I are commanded to continually persevere in loving others in all circumstances,

including the easy and the difficult times.

This leads us to two important questions. The first question is,

what then are some practical ways that we as Christ's disciples can act out God's love?

And secondly, what is the purpose of our love?

Paul continues instructing the Thessalonians and us that we are to practice

God's love by quietly working hard so that the world can believe in Christ.

Over the last six years, there have been many changes happening in our country and the world.

Changes such as quarantining, lockdowns, vaccinations to COVID virus,

to the riots and looting and property destruction, the killing and hostage-taking

during racism and political outrages.

Immorality that once was outwardly banned by the laws of this country are now

being legislated upon the American people even more.

Now our country is involved indirectly in the war against Russia and directly with Iran.

And although the anger and hatred that was burning during COVID has died down,

we must not make the mistake that the fire has been completely put out.

It is still smoldering, while there are people and groups and companies and

news agencies on social media who are deliberately working at advancing their agendas.

And yet our response as Christians is to love others by quietly working hard

and effecting godly chains so that the non-believers will come to faith in Christ.

Here's what Paul wrote in verse 11.

And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business

and work with your hands just as we commanded you so that you will behave properly

towards outsiders and not be in any need.

I want you to notice that Paul commanded the Thessalonians to practice God's

love by making their ambition or cherished desire a lofty goal,

to accomplish three goals in life.

These cherished goals are not all of what it means to love others,

but they are definitely a good part of what it means to love others in God.

The first ambition that Paul asked the Thessalonians to fulfill is to lead a quiet life.

The Greek word that is translated as quiet here means quiet in the sense of

restfulness, rather than quiet as opposed to talkativeness.

One commentator stated, a Christian who strives to be at peace with himself,

and God will be a source of peace to his brethren.

Such quietude constitutes a practical demonstration of love for others.

Let's look at Colossians 3.14-15. This is what Paul proclaimed.

Verse 14, Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And here it is.

Let the peace of christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called

in one body and be thankful the believer in christ who puts on.

And and lives out christ's love towards others lives in unity with the body

of christ and here's one of the main reasons why peace rules their hearts.

This peace is tranquility or the absence of mental stress or anxiety,

especially that results from a proper recognition of salvation's worth.

Meaning that the Christian who has Christ's peace ruling their heart is tranquil.

He or she does not get stressed or anxious in the midst of any situation.

And thus a peaceful or quiet Christian does not engage in gossip or slander

or complaints about others, or circumstances, whether in person or on social media.

How does the peaceful Christ follower respond to situations?

By being thankful to God for what He's doing in the situation,

or be thankful for that other person as well, even when it cannot be readily seen.

The second ambition that Paul commanded Christians to have is to mind our own business.

Paul wrote in 2.

2 Thessalonians 3:11

Thessalonians 3, verse 11.

Paul was warning the Thessalonians against meddling in other people's lives.

Believers cannot demonstrate the love of Christ when they are meddling in business

that is not theirs to meddle in.

The third goal that we as Christians are to have is that we are to love others

by working hard and not being dependent on others.

Paul threw out his ministry led by the example of always working hard so that

others would learn from him.

T.L. Constable explained that the Greeks deplored manual labor and relegated

the slaves as much as possible, But the Jews held it in high esteem.

Every Jewish boy was taught a trade regardless of his family's wealth.

Work itself is a blessing, and working with one's hand should never be despised by Christians.

Disciples of Christ are to love others by working hard so that they can support

themselves and do not have to be a burden on anyone.

What does this mean for us as Christians? There are three truths that we can

apply to ourselves here.

The first truth is that Christians are to lead peaceful lives with others out

of hearts that are in peace with God.

Turn with me to 1 Timothy 2, verses 1-4, where Paul added,

1 Timothy 2:1–4

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgiving

be made on behalf of all men,

for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet

life in all godliness and dignity.

Here's what Paul says about that. Verse 3, This is good and acceptable in the

sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Now, Paul's teaching does not say that we cannot use proper legal processes

to address wrongs and influence the nation we are living in for God's good.

But the primary way that we as disciples of Christ are to influence kings and

presidents and Congress and Supreme Courts and other governmental authorities

is by entreaties, prayers and petitions and thanksgiving to God.

And what does God say that His good and acceptable will for us is?

To lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

Not in agitating others or rumor-mongering or complaining or arguing on Facebook

or living in fear or worry, nor are we to live in bitterness or hate or unforgiveness

against other people or groups.

Why are we to lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity?

So that all people will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

This is so hugely important. When unbelievers see Christians who are at peace

with others because they have tranquil hearts in God, they respond by wanting

to know the truth of Christ and coming to salvation.

This is essential to God's saving plan. But if we are fighting with others or

one another, or complaining or gossiping, slanting others, including our governments,

or our leaders in the government,

then the very strong implication is that the world out there will not come to

know the truth of Christ, and they will not be saved.

This leads us to the second application. As Christians, we are to love others

by minding our own business.

Now, this is not a message we hear very often, partly because it's almost a

foreign message in our culture today.

I'm all for keeping up on current issues, but the truth is that most news I

don't need to know about.

I'm all for keeping in contact with our friends and family, ministry partners

on Facebook and X and other social media.

The truth is, as much of the news and posts on social media and news agencies

is gossip, slander, rumor-mongering.

And many of them now, with AI, are not even true. They're just made up.

And honestly, we would live more internally peaceful lives without them.

This also doesn't mean that we are not to be bold with humble respect and communicate

the truth of God to people within the spheres in which we are placed by God.

We are called to give an account of the hope that is in us.

Peter in 1 Peter 3.15 proclaimed, But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.

Always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account

for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear.

Yet as Christians, we are not on the attack, and we are not to be meddling in

other people's business.

The third applied truth is that we as Christians are to love others by working

hard so as not to be a burden on anyone else.

This is a hard truth to get across today. because we live in a culture saturated

with people who abuse the governmental systems and live off of the hard work of others.

I have no problem with government programs temporarily helping those who are

financially and physically struggling.

But unfortunately, there are

so many that abuse and milk the system so that they don't have to work.

Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 10 declared, For even when we were with you,

2 Thessalonians 3:10

We used to give you this order.

This is an order. This is an.

Apostolic order. Okay? If anyone is not willing to work, then he's not to eat either.

You see, it's all about our witness. Our reputation reflects Christ's reputation.

And Christ's reputation brings people to salvation. Right?

And if we are not living Christ-like lives, we are influencing others to not

come to know the Savior of the world.

As believers, you and I have such a wonderful privilege to give others love

around us so that God can use us,

use our love to share the wondrous salvation to those around us.

So what is it that God is teaching us?

The first truth that God is teaching us is that loving others with brotherly

love is the outflow of God's love and affection working in and through us.

And in order to live or to love like God, we must be taught by God.

And that means you and I as Christ's disciples or student learners of Christ,

we need to have humble and teachable minds and hearts.

The second lesson we have learned is that since loving faith in Christ never

stops demonstrating God's love,

we are to continually persevere in loving others in all circumstances.

Lastly, as disciples of Christ, we are to practice God's love by leading lives.

Characterized by the peace of God, minding our own business,

and working hard so that the world has the opportunity to believe in Christ.

The goal of Paul's teaching in 1 Thessalonians 4 is to help us as Christians

to love other Christians and to love those within the cultures that we live amongst,

so that the nations will know that Christ is God and will run to Him to be saved.

Kolyano. Let's pray. Father God, we are so, so grateful to be loved by you,

that you are our God and our Lord and our Savior.

But Lord, we also pray, we want to be vessels for you, for your son Jesus to

live through us and operate us.

Help us to trust you. Help us to be remaining in a abiding in your love so that

we, in turn, can love others by your strength, by Christ operating us.

Because we want to see people come to know Christ.

We want to see Dillingham and Southwest Alaska and all around us,

all throughout Alaska and this world to come to know Jesus Christ.

Please, O Lord, work through us, work through those who are listening.

Use us for your glory and your mighty awesome name in your precious son's name

jesus christ we pray amen.

I'll leave you with this blessing from psalm 67 verse 1 through 2 may god be

Psalms 67:1–2

gracious to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us,

and here's why that your way be known on the earth and your salvation amongst all the nations.

Amen. Have a wonderful Sunday. May the Lord bless you all.