The Model Life: Adaptability, Part 2

Take your Bible, if you would please, and turn to 1st

Thessalonians chapter 5. And we're going to continue our

study on the model life. And as you're turning there, I

want to remind you of the apostle Paul and the great

concern of his life. In Second Corinthians Chapter

2 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

11, Paul lists a litany of issues that he himself went

through personally. He talks about he went through

imprisonments. He was beaten times without

number. He was in danger of death, he

says five times he received from the Jews 39 lashes, 3 times he

was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three times he was

shipwrecked. Night and day he had spent in

the deep. He had frequent journeys with

dangers, dangers from robbers and countrymen, the wilderness,

the sea, and even false brethren.

He says. I have been in labor and

hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst,

often without food, in cold and exposure.

I mean, Paul begins to list all these different aspects that

happened to him externally, but what happened in him internally

was more of a burden, for he says these words in verse 28 of

2nd Corinthians 11. Apart from such external things,

there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the

churches. Who is weak without my being

weak? Who is LED into sin without my

intense concern? He says what bothers me most is

not what happens to me externally, but what is

happening in me internally because of the burden I carry

for the churches. And so Paul had had two main

emphasis in his ministry. And you can read the 13 epistles

that he himself wrote, and you'll see this theme over and

over again. And the theme deals primarily

with making sure the church hears and heeds the instruction

of God. That was his number one concern.

Do they hear God's word? And do they obey God's word?

That's why he he told Timothy over in first Timothy chapter 4

1 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

and verse number six. Point these things out to the

brethren. Verse 11 prescribe and teach

these things verse 13 until I come, give attention to the

public reading of Scripture to exhortation to teaching.

Verse 16, pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching.

And then second Timothy, he talks about retaining the

standard, guarding the standard, preach the word in season and

out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering

and patience. Why?

Because he says earlier in Second Timothy chapter 3 that

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

God's word is profitable. So the man of God will be

thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So, Timothy, make sure as a pastor you teach the Word, you

preach the Word, you exhort the people to follow the Word of the

living God. And so that's what his ministry

was about, making sure that the churches would hear and heed the

instruction of God. But on the heels of that was his

second emphasis, and that was that the church would hurriedly

handle the transgressions of man, that the church would hurry

and handle the transgressions of man.

In other words, once you hear what God's Word says and you

understand the holy standard, then you need to make sure that

you deal with those who don't meet the holy standard.

That was His complete and total emphasis for every single

church. Let me show you by way of

example, member First Corinthians chapter 5.

1 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

There was a man who was living in sin, and Paul says these

words in verse number three of First Corinthians 5.

For I on my part, though absent in body, but President Spirit,

have already judged him and has so committed this as though I

were present in the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are

assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our

Lord Jesus, I had decided to deliver such a one to Satan for

the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in

the day of the Lord Jesus. He says you're boasting is not

good. Do you not know that a little

leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?

Clean out the old leaven, say you may be a new lump, just as

you are in fact unleavened for Christ.

Our Passover also has been sacrificed.

He was concerned about the Corinthian church, that there

was a man in the church who was who was sleeping with with his

mother. And these things are unheard of

even among the the pagans. And yet you're, you're boasting

about this is not good you, you've got to deal with this guy

because 1 little leaven leavens the whole lump.

I've given you the word of God. I've instructed you in the ways

of God. You have heard what I've said.

Now you need to handle those who transgress the law of God.

And then over again in in Second Corinthians, as he concludes it

in chapter 12, he says this in verse 20, he says, For I am

afraid that perhaps when I come, I may find you to be not what I

wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish, that

perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers,

disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances.

I'm afraid that when I come again, my God may humiliate me

before you. And I'm a mourn over many of

those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the

impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have

practiced for chapter 13, verse #1 This is the third time I am

coming to you. Every fact is to be confirmed by

the testimony of two or three witnesses.

I have previously said when present the second time and

though now absent, I say in advance to those who have sinned

in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I

will not spare anyone. Paul was concerned that you just

can't let people in the church live and sin without dealing

with those people. He says you've heard and you

have obeyed the instruction of God.

Now you need to handle those who transgress the instruction of

the Word of God. That was Paul's emphasis all

throughout his ministry because his concern was the purity and

the holiness of the church. And he knew that in order for

the church to grow, it can only grow if it was like the Christ.

And so that was his burden. And so even when you come to the

book of Thessalonians, and even when we examine this book and

realize that this is a model church, this is Paul's

quintessential church, this is the greatest of all the

churches, he still has to deal with people who are living in

sin because the model church wasn't a perfect church.

The model church wasn't filled with people that were sinless.

No, it was filled with people that were sinners because that's

what the church is. It's a gathering together of, of

sinful people who have been saved by the, the miraculous

work of the living God. And, and so much so that the

love you have for the brethren, the deep love and concern you

have for the brethren is that you will want them to walk with

the Lord and serve the Lord. The church is is not about the

programs that has and the opportunities that affords you.

It's about the opportunity you have to deal with people in the

church. Coming to church and sitting

there and, and looking at the back of the head of somebody in

front of you and singing a few songs and hearing the sermon and

giving a 20 spot in the offering basket is not what church is all

about. Church is about dealing with one

another in the way that God wants you to deal with one

another. So what does Paul do?

Paul says, look, I'm going to show you how you do this.

I'm going to explain to you that you need to make sure that you

deal with the people in your church, that you're able to

adapt in each situation with each person in a way that brings

glory and honor of God. Because this is the model life.

Last week we talked about how you adapt to those who are in

leadership, how you appreciate those because of their person,

how you affirm those because of their position so that you may

preserve the peace within the church.

But then when you come to verses 14 and 15 of chapter 5, he moves

from the leadership to the membership so they can learn to

be sweet fellowship within the assembly.

It's very simple. Look and listen to what he says.

Verse 14. We urge you, brethren, stop

right there. We urge you.

We beg you. We intensely plead with you.

This is important. He's talking to the brethren

earlier in verse 12, he said, but we request of you, brethren.

Now he says that we urge you brethren, we, we are, we, we, we

want to, we want to move you to maturity.

We, we, we want to propel you. We, we want you to see the

intensity of this. We want you to see the magnitude

of this. We want you to see how important

this is. We, we urge you brethren, to do

5 things. Just five.

Admonish the unruly, encourage the faint hearted, help the

weak, be patient with everyone. And then he says, see that no

one. We praise another with evil for

evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another

and for all people. That's it, that's it.

He is concerned about the membership and how they function

with one another. So he says this.

I want you to admonish the unruly.

I want you to warn those who are disobedient or those who are

delinquent in their responsibility.

The word unruly is a military term, so it deals with soldiers

who have gone AWOL or soldiers who are who are not living up to

their required position as a, a soldier.

And they decided to, to rebel against the authority.

They decided to turn away from their responsibility.

They, they, they just become lazy in their responsibility.

It's like Paul said in in Second Timothy 2 verse #4 that no good

soldier involves himself in the affairs or entangles himself in

the affairs of this world so that he may please his

commanding officer. He doesn't get involved in the

the affairs of this this world because he's so in tune to

pleasing his commanding officer. So Paul says, I want you to warn

those who are unruly, those who are disobedient, and those who

are derelict in their responsibility.

Now imagine this. What if we as a church really

engaged in this? This is what Paul's I'm urging

you to do this. This is what you got to do.

I'm not there, but you are. So you got to make sure He's not

telling the leadership to do this, although the leadership is

required to do it. He's telling the membership to

do this. He's telling, talking to the

brethren, I want you to do this. There's a certain warning that

takes place. There are consequences for

disobedience. There are consequences for being

derelict and responsibility. And so admonish them, go after

them. Look what Paul says in in Second

Thessalonians. He says this in chapter 3, verse

6. Now we command you brethren, in

the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from

every brother who leads an unruly life, and not according

to the tradition which you receive from us.

So now he is writing his 2nd letter.

He said, look, have you admonished the unruly?

If you've admonished the unruly, now I want you to stay away from

them. Why?

Because they're not living in line with what the Bible says.

Warn them. Listen to what it says.

He goes on for for years. For you yourselves know how you

ought to follow our example because we did not act in an

undisciplined manner among you. In other words, the unruly could

be translated undisciplined, he says.

Nor did we eat anyone's bread without pay for it, but the but

with labor and hardship. We kept working night and day so

that we would not be a burden to any of you, not because we did

not have the right to do this, but in order to offer ourselves

as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order.

If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat

either. For we hear that some among you

are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but

acting like busy bodies. Now such persons we command and

exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat

their own bread. But As for you, brethren, do not

grow weary in doing good. So Paul is following up his

first letter with the second letter saying, look, have you

admonished the unruly If they are undisciplined, if they are

derelict in their responsibilities, unwilling to

follow what God's Word says, can't associate with them.

Why? Because they're going to lead

you astray as well. Seems a little harsh, doesn't it

seems a little out there. Wait a minute.

We're, we're the brethren, we're to love one another.

We care for what we are. But but the greatest care you

have is when someone's in sin or someone is not fulfilling their

responsibility, you go to them and say, I, I want to admonish

you. I mean, this is what you got to

do. I I love you not to come to you.

Listen, if it's your wife and she's living in sin, do you just

let her live in sin? Yeah, go ahead, honey, It's OK.

Don't worry about it. No big deal.

It's going to crush our marriage.

But who cares? No, no, no.

You go out there and say, honey, you can't do that.

Or if you're the wife, you say your husband live in the city.

You say, honey, honey, we can't do this.

You, you got to turn from your sin.

This is not going to work. Or if it's your kids right, you

go to your kids, say you're going the wrong direction.

You can't do this. This is wrong.

Let me, let me, let me move you in the right direction that

that's what you do with your kids.

Well, the church is a family. That's how we operate.

That's how we function. We function in a way that that

we are concerned enough. We love you enough to go to you.

Listen, if you don't love them enough, just let them live in

sin. Just let them live in sin.

But when you love somebody, you are concerned about the purity

of their lives, you're concerned about their spiritual walk with

the Lord. You're concerned that they're

not derelict in their responsibility, but they

actually fulfill the responsibility.

I have in my pocket a church covenant cart that when you

became a member, you agreed to. I'm not sure you all remember

this, but it's very important. It's all biblically based, he

says. I, I covenant to preserve the

unity of my church. I, I promise to preserve the

unity of my church. How am I going to do that?

Personal examination, mutual submission, scriptural

confrontation, and beneficial conversation.

I'm going to preserve the unity of my church because I love the

church. And then I'm going to pursue the

strategy of my church by making it my passion to pursue Christ,

my priority to portray Christ, my my purpose to proclaim Christ

and my my practice to praise Christ.

Are you doing that? Is somebody around you derelict

in the responsibility in doing that, or disobedient to obey the

word God? Because all this is scriptural

mandate based on the epistles #3II.

I make a promise to protect the testimony of my church.

How you can do that? Attending faithfully, praying

fervently, giving financially, and living fruitfully.

I'm going to protect the testimony of my church because

this is where I want to be. And then I want to participate

in the ministry of my church. I'm going to do that by

exercising my spiritual gift, by edifying the Saints, by

evangelizing sinners, and by exalting my Savior.

You made a promise to do that when you became a member of our

church. You said, this is my promise.

I will do this. Well, when you make a promise to

do that, then when other people in church are not doing that,

what do you do? If they're not attending

faithfully, what do you do? If they're not giving

financially, what do you do? If they're not living

fruitfully, what do you do? Is there a mutual submission?

Is there a scriptural confrontation?

Is there a beneficial conversation when I speak to

people and talk to people? If not, what do you do?

You see, this is where the rubber meets.

This is church. That's what the church is all

about. It's not about attendance on a

Sunday morning, singing a few songs, give it a little bit of

money and hear the sermon. That's just showing up at

church. But church people are committed

to the church because Christ died for the church and the

church is his bride. And we're deeply committed to

the bread of Christ. So Paul says if there's somebody

unruly, they don't live according to the instruction

that we've already given to you. They're delinquent, they're

disobedient. You need to warn them, go to

them, warn them. And he's urging them to do this

because he knows that the greatest way for the church to

to be the church is when the church goes after the church,

when the church is is is living the principles of the Scriptures

and says, man, I want to help you.

You're living an unruly life. You're not.

You're not using your giftedness in the church.

We need you. We need you to exercise your

giftedness in the church because we benefit from your service.

We need you to continue to give to the ministry of the church

because we can't function without you.

We need to exercise your spiritual gift.

We need you to help with the salvation of the lost.

We need you to help with the building of the body of Christ.

We need you. So you go after them.

You admonish them, you pray for them and you urge them.

That's the church. Paul knows that.

So he says admonish the unruly. And this is this.

He says, I, I, I want you to encourage the faint hearted.

The word faint hearted means small sold those who have a

small soul that they need encouragement.

And remember, this church had had received the Lord amidst

much persecution. And maybe they had gone through

persecution within the the city of Thessalonica or maybe even

even among their own families. And, and they had become really,

really small in their soul. Their, their, their, their faith

had grown weak and they were discouraged.

They were downcast that they were living in fear.

You know, there are people in the church that are that way,

right? They live in fear.

And he says encourage them, speak, speak a word of

encouragement to them. Take the word of God and, and

and build them up, strengthen them that they they they might

have courage and still them because they are courage less.

They don't have the stability. They don't have the strength to

continue on. So you need to come alongside of

them and encourage them because they are very small soul.

And so as a believer you use the scripture to come alongside of

them and encourage them. Let me give you an example.

On the eve of the crucifixion, the disciples were small soul.

They were living in fear, not knowing what's going to happen

to the Lord the next day. Even though he told them he was

going to be crucified, they did not understand the implications

of that. So what does Jesus do?

He encourages the faint hearted. He encourages the small soul.

What's he say? He says, let not your hearts be

troubled. If you believe in God, believe

also in me, for in my Father's house are are many dwelling

places. If we're not so I would have

told you and I'm going to go and prepare a place for you.

And when I go, I will come again and I will receive you and to

myself that where I am, there you may be also.

That's how you encourage the small soul, those living in fear

that their future is bright. It's not bleak, it's bright and,

and, and listen, I read that. I think to myself, you know, you

know why God hasn't called you home yet Because he hasn't

finished your dwelling place. In my focus house are many

dwelling places. I go and prepare a place for

you, right? So is that evidently preparing

your dwelling place? Evidently your place is not

prepared yet because you're still sitting here.

Because when your place is prepared, guess what, You're

gone. You're gone.

House is ready, Swami, places are ready.

They're coming back. Let's go, go get them.

Take them right back home. Take them to glory.

And that was that was their future.

And you know what all those apostles lived in light of the

future they lived in light of the coming presence of Christ

and their future glory in the presence of the living God.

They lived lives strong sold not small soul in the church.

Yeah, you admonish the unruly, those who are delinquent and

derelict in their responsibilities, those who are

disobedient to the word of God. Yes, you need to do that.

But there are people that live in fear, who are small soul, who

need to be encouraged, someone to come along the side and speak

a word of encouragement to them. And they says not only do you

admonish the unruly, not only do you encourage the faint hearted,

I want you to help the weak, help the weak.

These are the people who are weak morally and spiritually.

These are the kind of people that that just have a hard time

not falling back into sin. They're weak.

Remember in James chapter 5 when it says if any among you are

James 5 · chapter mention

sick, the real translation should be if any among you are

weak because that's the same word used here in First

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

Thessalonians chapter 5. It's not that you were sick

physically, but that it's you're weak spiritually, you're weak

mentally, you're weak emotionally.

If any of you are weak, let them call upon the elders.

If you're spiritually weak, call upon the spiritually strong to

pray with you and to pray over you.

Why? Because they're gonna instill

strength in you, help the weak. There are many people in the

church that are so fragile and they just, they just, they're

trying to run away from sin. They're trying to get away from

sin, but there's something about it that just pulls them back in

again and they fall into invitation.

Those kind of people, they, they need, they need help.

Galatians chapter 6 Remember Galatians 6, Paul says you who

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

are spiritual are to restore those who have fallen.

You got to help them up. Then you got to hold them up.

There are some people in the church that once you help them

up, you just got to keep holding them up because they can't stand

by themselves, and so you hold them up.

Romans 15, verse #1 We then, who are strong ought to bear with

the weaknesses of others. That's a church man.

That's how church functions. Admonish the unruly, encourage

the faint hearted, help the weak.

And this is this. This is so good.

He says be patient with everyone.

Why did he say that? Because you know what?

It takes a lot of patience, a lot of long-suffering.

When you're holding up the weak who keep falling back into sin,

when you're trying to instill courage and those who are

fragile and filled with fear and you're trying to admonish the

unruly, guess what? It takes a long time for most

people to turn. So you got you got to be patient

with them. Be patient with with all of

them. Paul says be be long-suffering,

be be long fused with them. Remember God's love.

First Corinthians 13 four, the love of God, the love it says

the definite article. The love is patient.

The love is kind. It has a definite article

because it it describes a particular kind of love.

It's God's love. First Corinthians 13 four the

love of God is patient. The love of God is kind.

God's love is long fused. God is not patient with

circumstances. He controls circumstances.

He's in charge of circumstances. He makes circumstances happen.

He's not patient with circumstances.

He's patient and long-suffering with people.

So the love of God is patient. The love of God is is kind and

possibly wants to be patient. He says over in in Colossians 3

verse #12 put on a heart of patience.

Ephesians 4/2 show forbearance, long-suffering to one another in

love. Second to me 4/2 All leaders and

teachers are to minister with great patience.

Great patience and the Lord exemplified this.

Remember in Mark 9, when, when Peter, James and John and Jesus

were up on the, on the mount of Transfiguration and the other

disciples are down below. And, and so Peter, James and

John and Jesus come, come down the mountain and, and the

encounter a man whose son was demon possessed.

And he says to the Lord, Lord, I, I, I, I, I took my son to

your men that they might cast a demon out of my son because he,

he's thrown to the ground. He, he foams at the mouth.

He, he, he goes into convulsion. So I I gave him to your men, but

they were unable to help my son. So what does Jesus say?

Jesus says this. How long shall I be with you?

How long shall I put up with you?

Bring your son to me. She brings a son and son goes to

the convulsions and Christ casts out the demon and disciples

marvel. They go into a house and and,

and they, they say that Jesus, Jesus, come over here.

We got to ask you a question. How come we couldn't do that?

You've already empowered us to do it.

We've already done it in the past, but on this occasion we

couldn't do it. How come?

And Jesus says these things only come out by prayer.

He told him. He says, look, you didn't do

this depending upon me. You did this depended upon you.

And once you depend upon you, you can't do anything without

me. You can do nothing.

And so now you're trying to do this on your own power.

You can't do that. You need me and you try to

operate in this ministry in the flesh, and you failed.

But if you'd have depended upon me, these things come out by

prayer. And they're like earlier Siphons

were on a boat. Jesus said let's go to the other

side. They get in the boat, storm

happens. They fear for their lives.

Jesus, don't you care that we're perishing?

Wake up. He gets up.

Hush, be still. Everything becomes like glass.

What'd you say? Oh, you cowards calls them

cowards not to believe. How do you of all men have no

faith? Not that.

How come you guys have a little faith?

He says. How is it that you of all men

have no faith? Because faith is believing what

God has said. What did God say?

Let us get in the boat and go to the other side.

But they didn't believe that because they when they got in

the middle, they thought, oh, we're not going to make it to

the other side. That's not what Jesus said.

He didn't say, look, you're not going to make hopefully you make

it to the other side. He says we're going to the other

side. They didn't believe that.

They thought they weren't going to make it.

They didn't believe that. So he calls them cowards.

Oh, you men who should have faith to believe and all that.

I've said same thing on the road to Emmaus.

At the end, Luke 24 disciples were confused.

I couldn't believe that Jesus died and rose again.

Where is he? What happened?

How did he die? O ye men of little faith not to

believe and all that the scriptures had already said.

God was long-suffering with his men patiently, because the

church, unfortunately, like the disciples, take a long time to

get it. So you got to be patient.

You got to be long-suffering. You got to hold up the week.

You got to help them up, hold them up.

You got to encourage the faint hearted, you got to admonish the

unruly. And they don't just turn around.

I'm happy. Some do, but for the most part

they don't. You got to keep going back and

going back. That's the church.

That's what the church does. Both.

I'm going to give you the instruction now.

Handle man's transgression. When they disobey the

instruction, that's the church. It's not functions.

It's what separates the church from everything else because we

are so desperately concerned about the people in their walk

with the Lord. This is this.

I know, I know, my time is gone. By the time I'm done, it's going

to be way gone. Verse 15 See that no one repays

another with evil for evil, but all we seek after that which is

good for one another and for all people.

There were people in the church that would repay evil for evil.

Believe it or not, that happens. It doesn't happen to people in

the first service, only the people in the second service.

But it does happen in the church.

We, we, we pay caustic comments with caustic comments.

We repay slander with slander, gossip with gossip, backbiting

with backbiting, fists with fists, blows with blows.

Paul says, you know what? Don't do that.

No, don't do that. Instead, those who have done

evil, I want you to repay them with goodness and kindness.

God's love is patient. God's love is kind, right?

All the while God in his long-suffering, His patience

with us, what's he do? He just bestows acts of kindness

upon us. When you sin, you don't die,

although the Bible says the wages of sin is death.

Why don't you die? Because God is patient,

long-suffering and kind. He lets you live right?

And so all the while you are living your life, the patience

of God, the long-suffering of God is bearing with you.

And what does he do? He lets the sunshine upon the

just and the unjust, let's the rainfall upon the just and the

unjust. God, God is just good to all

men. Read the Old Testament.

God is good to all men, not just some men, because he's a kind

and loving God and he's a patient God.

So Paul says, look, I want you to know this.

I want you now to not re repay evil for evil, but I want you to

repay everybody who does evil to you with goodness and kindness.

Well, we don't want to do that. That's just, it's not right.

I, I, they got to, they got to know that I was hurt.

They, they got to know that he pained me.

They, they got to know that this was very, very uncomfortable for

me. They they got to know this.

And if I don't tell them who will?

Probably nobody but you repay kindness for, for evil.

Peter says it this way. This is so good.

Peter says, 3 verse #8 To sum up all of you be harmonious,

sympathetic, brotherly, kind hearted, and humble in spirit.

He says to these Christians who are, who are scattered abroad, I

want you to be harmonious, I want you to be brotherly, I want

you to be kind, I want you to be one in spirit.

And so he says this, not returning evil for evil or

insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.

For you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a

blessing. Do you know why you return good

for evil? Because you have been called by

God to inherit a blessing and the only way you inherit that

blessing is by blessing those who curse you.

So inherit the blessing. He said but, but, but but wait

and but Peter answers that because he knows there's going

to be a but there but but but what about this person or but

what about that person? But, but and Peter answers that

by quoting Psalm 34. He says, for the one who desires

life to love and see, good day, good days must keep his tongue

from evil and his lips from speaking to see.

He must turn away from evil, do good, he must seek peace and

pursue it. Why?

Here it is ready, for the eyes of the Lord are toward the

righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

God hears your prayer. God attends to you and your

need. But know this, His face is

against those who do you evil. He will deal with them.

Let him do that. What do you do?

You repay evil with goodness and kindness.

Because you've been called to inherited blessing, he says in

First Thessalonians Chapter 5. These words, he says, seek

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

after, pursue after that, which is good.

In other words, it's a hunting term.

I'm not a hunter, but I know that when you go hunting you,

you go to search for that which you want to shoot and kill and

then, Lord willing, eat right. That's what you do.

I don't know, I'm not a hunter. But you pursue you, you hunt,

you track him down. Well, that's what you got to do

when it comes comes to to your acting, acting good.

You got to pursue. You got to hunt down goodness.

Why? Because for some people it's

hard to be good to, right, you know, those people, it's hard to

be kind to them. It's hard to be good to them.

It's it's hard to, to, to bestow a blessing upon them.

They, they are so out there. But, but you got to pursue it.

You got to hunt it down. You got to find a way to get it.

And once you get it, do it. That's what you do.

Paul said, man, this is the church.

That's what you do and run the membership.

That's how you make it happen. Admonish the unruly.

Make sure that you, you truly encourage the faint hearted,

those were small souls, and help the weak.

But make sure that as you go through this, you were very

patient with everybody because it's going to take a long time

for most of them to ever get the strength and to turn from where

they're at. And all the while you're trying

to help them and they're upset with you and mad at you, you

just keep returning kindness and goodness and blessing upon

blessing because you've been called to inherit a blessing.

That's the church. So Paul says simply, I, I, I

want you to to obey the principles and precepts of

Scripture. Then what?

You rely on the person and power of the Holy Spirit some way to

do this. There is no other way.

That's what Paul would say over in Second Thessalonians.

These words, chapter 3, verse 14.

If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take

special note of that person and do not associate with them, that

he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an

enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Don't treat him as the enemy, acknowledge him as a brother,

but they need to obey the instruction of the word.

You'd do that. You know, it's so interesting

because because you know, Paul lists these things and honestly,

unruly didn't tell you how it just says do it help the weak,

then tell you how it just says do it.

Encourage the faint hearted, then give you instead of instead

of lists of things to do to encourage them.

He says you're paid good for evil just gives commands.

Why? Because you see, the model

church doesn't have to have an explanation.

They just need to know what the expectation is because they're

going to obey the principles of precepts of the word of God.

And as we go into next week, you'll see how he just keeps

giving. Rejoice, always pray without

ceasing and everything. Give thanks doesn't tell you how

to give thanks, doesn't tell you how to rejoice, doesn't tell you

why it is you are to pray without ceasing or even how you

do that doesn't have to. It's the model church.

He just gives them the exhortation and they're like,

OK, we can do that. And that's the way we should be.

OK, Lord, we, we can do that because you, you gave us the

word. We'll do that.

We might not do it perfectly, but we do it because we want to

honor the Lord. So here is the model life.

The model life abstains from sexual immorality, aspires to a

life of charity, anticipates the return of deity, is alert to the

world's destiny and my responsibility adapts within

God's wonderful family. And lastly, which is next week,

They adore their God continually.

They'll rejoice always. They'll pray without ceasing.

They will give thanks and everything, for this is the will

of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

That's the model of life. That's the life Paul wanted them

to live. That's the life we as a church

need to live. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for this day.

It's a great day because we realize Lord, this is what we do

as a church, to be the church, to act like the church, to live

like the church. Our prayer Father, is that we

would be obedient and fulfilling our responsibility.

Lord, we love you and because you died for us and rose again,

we now live for you and we celebrate that in Jesus name,

Amen.