The Gospel Tie

INTRODUCTION:

Interest:

I don't know about you, but sometimes I find that I'd like to hand off some of my responsibilities to others because there are things that simply I do not want to do. Now, I’m not talking about the assignments I give to Pastor Aaron…although he might think that is the case at times. I think that I have mentioned this before, but I remember back to when we had small children in our house. Grace and I had the policy, “you find it you fix it,” when it came to a dirty diaper. The rule was that whoever smelled the diaper would change it. I'll admit there were times that my nose worked very poorly. One of our children would be playing near me with the obvious full diaper, and I would ignore it until he or she wandered over by Grace so that she could smell it. Of course, I think Grace was guilty of playing the same game in reverse a few times too.

Lately, we've been having a similar situation with our dog. As our dog is becoming old and it is not uncommon for him to need to go out at night. Sometimes I try to ignore him to see if he will go back to sleep, which, by the way, pretty much never happens. Usually it is not long until either Grace gets up and lets him out, in which case I have managed to pass off the responsibility successfully, or I will suddenly experience an elbow in my rib attached to a groggy voice that says, “The dog needs to go out.” Now in Grace’s defense, she only pokes me in the rib on days when she will be giving up at 5:00 AM for work and knows that I will be sleeping later. Now, I do recognize that it is a shared responsibility to take care of our dog so, with what I consider minimal grumbling. I get up to let him out. I know it is not fair to pass all of the responsibility off on Grace; it is a shared responsibility that we both have to care for our dog.

Involvement:

As we will see this morning, there really is a very similar principle at play in the church. There are responsibilities that we all must share for the church to function properly. The temptation maybe there for us to try to pass these off to the others around us. But if we want our church to be a vibrant expression of a community joyfully magnifying Jesus Christ, we cannot. If we want our church to be healthily participating in the gospel life cycle, we all must do our part. We must share responsibilities among all of us.

Context:

Last week we moved into the final section of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. As Paul closes out the letter, he gives a several final quick instructions that he wants to leave with these young in the faith believers.

It is going to take us a few more weeks to finish out this letter, including this morning. You may have noticed that Pastor Aaron is preaching next week. This week I'm having surgery on my foot so I'm planning to take next week off from the pulpit as I recover. Following that, Lord willing, we will come back and look at the end of this letter over the course of a couple more weeks.

Surely in the limited time that Paul had with these new believers, he had not managed to give them all the instructions that he felt they needed to have. There had to have been things he only touched on and others that he didn’t get to at all. I know I feel that way after being pastor of this church for 9 years now, and Paul only had a very short time with the Thessalonians. Since he cared about them, he wanted to leave them with several brief instructions and reminders that would allow the church to continue growing and functioning well.

Last week the instructions that we looked at specifically referred to how the church and its leaders where to interact with each other. These were important instructions since the leaders of this church would have been believers for essentially the same length of time as its members.

Preview:

This morning we're going to consider several brief instructions that apply to the entire church, leaders and members alike. Again, Paul's goal seems to be to ensure that the church is functioning properly so that it will be effective in continuing the gospel life cycle that has been the focus of this entire letter. Paul's point throughout has been that through the gospel the faith of these new believers is drawing them into a community called the church.; they are to grow within that community and to be the means by which others are added to the community.

We're only going to look at two short verses again this morning in which we will find six simple instructions that Paul gives to the church. When we look at these instructions collectively, the overall point that we see is that we share the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of our church. That really is our main lesson for today; We share the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of our church.

Transition from introduction to body:

Let's take just a moment and read our verses…<read 1 Thess 5:14–15>.

BODY:

Last week last we knew that Paul was addressing the entire church because he began by addressing them with the word “brethren.” This week he does that again, “we urge you, brethren.” He is clearly writing to the entire church still, but this time he is writing with more force. The word “urge” is a much stronger word then the word “request” that he used last week. This is an authoritative word followed by several imperatives or commands that Paul is giving as an Apostle to this young church.

Transition:

As we consider these commands this week, we need to remember that they are addressed to all of us; we all make up the church. Remember our main idea, we share the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of our church. It is our collective duty to watch over the way our church functions. As I said, there are six brief, rather straightforward instructions in these verses for us. We will look at each of them briefly. The first one is….

I. Responsibility 1: Admonish the Unruly

Last week I mentioned that the word we have translated as “admonish” in verse 14 is the same word translated as “give instruction” in verse 12. It is the word that carries the idea of correcting behavior through the process of giving further information. It’s the idea of coming alongside someone and helping them understand how their actions do not line up with God's revelation.

In in our verse, it is those who are described as unruly who need to be admonished. The idea behind the term “unruly” is that of a person who is undisciplined or disorderly. It was a word that was used in a military setting for a soldier who did not keep his proper rank.

Application

The Christian life, as I would expect we all know, is it life requiring discipline. We are to discipline ourselves for godliness. By contrast, our sin nature is naturally prone to disorderliness and undisciplined behavior. And whether we like to admit it or not, we all bring more of that undisciplined lifestyle into our Christian life and we would like. We need others to help us see where our lack of discipline is showing itself. We need others to challenge us to become increasingly disciplined. We need others to help us understand what a disciplined life looks like.

We need that in our own lives, but we are also to be doing that in the lives of others around us within this church. Are you doing that? Are you engaging in the lives of the other people in this room for the sake of admonishing them to live an increasingly disciplined Christian life? Yes, this is somewhat confrontational and most of us do not like confrontation. Nonetheless, it is our duty. It is our collective duty to ensure that any one of us who happens to be living in an undisciplined fashion is lovingly admonished; none of us can passed the buck hoping that someone else will smell the problem like I tried to do with dirty diapers.

Transition:

Responsibility number 1: admonish the unruly. Let's move on to the second responsibility we are given by Paul…

II. Responsibility 2: Encourage the Fainthearted

Encourage the fainthearted. The idea is to come alongside and encourage those who may be discouraged. I know that the KJV translates this as “feebleminded,” but that is not the best way to translate the idea of this second responsibility. The word does not have anything to do with a mental deficiency; the idea is that of being discouraged.

Application

Within the church people are going to become discouraged. In fact, we can probably anticipate that all of us will become discouraged at some point because the life is difficult and that doesn’t change because we are Christians. Think about the Thessalonians for a moment; They had seen several people die. Death can bring discouragement. They were also facing significant persecution from those who are hostile to the church. I wouldn't expect that this could bring discouragement as well. Even though I have never faced significant persecution, I know that opposition of any kind can be come tiring and tiredness can lead to discouragement.

The instruction that we're given here is that we have a responsibility to spot those who are discouraged within the church and to encourage them. There are a lot of things that you can do to encourage someone; You can give them a call, you can send them a note, you can invite them over for coffee, the list goes on and on. What you might do is situational but the responsibility to do so is universal. Are you encouraging others when you see that they're discouraged? Some of you likely have a real gift when it comes to encouraging others but all of us have the obligation to do what we can; we are not allowed to pass the buck when we see the problem.

Illustration

I believe one of the greatest ways that we can encourage each other when discouragement begins to set in is to be faithful in our prayers for one another. I know that I have been greatly encouraged over the past months as several of you have asked me specifically how my father is doing and have assured me that you are praying for him. I am also encouraged when I hear you praying for him and for me on Wednesday nights. This is one reason that you should make every effort to be here on Wednesday nights; so that you can encourage others by praying for them.

It doesn't necessarily take a lot of time to encourage the faint hearted, but it does take effort, effort that must be intentional in timely. Are you putting out the effort to encourage others?

Transition:

Responsibility number 2, encourage the fainthearted. The next responsibility that we see in our verse is…

III. Responsibility 3: Help the Weak

The only challenge in understanding this third command is that Paul doesn't give us any explanation as to who he is thinking of when he refers to “the weak.” Paul could be referring to people who have a very limited social status within Thessalonica. The persecution that the church was facing would be most difficult for those in the lower social levels of the city so they would need help from the rest of the church to survive. So “weak” could mean those people. Or it could be a reference to those who are morally weak, most prone to moral failures. Weak could mean those who are weak spiritually in that they have the least understanding of how a Christian should live and are thus struggling with their spiritual lives. The bottom line is Paul doesn't say which category of weakness he is thinking of, he simply says to help the weak.

Application

Now I personally believe that Paul does not explain who he is thinking of when he says to help the weak because he wants to leave the command as open-ended as possible. The focus should be upon our action; we are to help. Help means taking action to do something for someone else. We should be looking for others who are struggling in any fashion and be quick too lend a helping hand. So yes, this could mean that we help those who are suffering difficult times financially. It might mean that we engage in the messy business coming alongside those who are struggling morally by becoming their accountability partner. We might offer to study the Bible with someone who is struggling spiritually or getting together for prayer. The way in which we help is nearly endless, but the point is that we must intentionally act. We are not to be sitting back watching others struggle. We are to be helping. Are you? Who have you helped this past week? The opportunities are there, are you there to meet those opportunities to help others?

Transition:

Responsibility number 3: Help the weak.

We're halfway through the list of commands that we are given in these two verses, do you remember our main idea? We share the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of our church. We all are involved; we all share in performing all of these responsibilities. We share the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of our church.

Let's move on to number 4…

IV. Responsibility 4: Be Patient

How many of you would consider yourselves patient people? It really is a challenge to be patient with others and yet, that is the 4th command that Paul gives us in verse 14. “Be patient with everyone.”

The idea of “being patient” in the original language is very similar to what is conveyed through our English translation; it is the idea of being willing to suffer long in regard to the treatment we receive from others and to be tolerant of others who are not necessarily favorable toward us. This really is to be the general characteristic of Christians; we are to be patient people. Not only are we to be patient in general, specifically we are to be patient toward other people, not just toward the circumstances which might we find ourselves in.

One thing of note is that Paul does add to the command the clarifying thought that this is to be our disposition toward “everyone.” Not only are we to be patient with each other within the church, we are to be patient with those who are not even part of the church. For the Thessalonians this would involve being patient toward even the very people were seeking to do them harm. Think about that, even when someone dislikes us enough to hurt us, we are too be patient toward them.

Application

This is not easy, is it? Being patient does not come naturally. In fact, if you remember from our study through Galatians, patience is a fruit of the spirit. We can only be patient if we allowed the Holy Spirit to make us more Christlike. At times I've had people say things along the lines, “I'm just not a patient person. This is who I am; I'm impatient.” What we see in our verse is that such a statement is true in our natural condition; we are not naturally patient people.

Illustration

I think naturally, we are all a lot like my dog when he wants to go outside at night. He runs to the door and then he runs back to the bedroom and then he runs to the door and he runs back to the bedroom making plenty of commotion to wake us up. He jumps back and forth right next to the bed to make sure that he has our attention. When one of us starts to get up he dashes to the door and paws at it with his foot to get it open. He is not patient at all.

We are, though, called to be patient. There is no excuse for being impatient toward each other within the church. There is also no excuse for being impatient with those who are not part of the church. Our obligation is to be patient with everyone. Of course, as we do this, we will discover that our church functions very smoothly because we will not have issues arising because of minor offenses committed toward each other. We will also find as we do this that we will make an impact throughout our community because we will be hugely different; we will display the character of Christ. So again, let me ask you, are you being patient with everyone? What do you need to do to increase in patience?

Transition:

Responsibility #4: be patient. As we move into verse 15 we find…

V. Responsibility 5: Monitor Interactions

Look at the first phrase of this verse. In the New American Standard we have it translated as, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil.” It is clear from the verb “see” that Paul still is speaking to the entire church; the entire community is to be concerned about the behavior of each one of its members. That is why I've summarized the idea as the responsibility to monitor interactions; we are to monitor the interactions occurring between the other people in the church.

In the first part of this verse the specific way in which we are to be monitoring each other is by making sure that every member within the church is not seeking to avenge him or herself upon someone who has done some sort of wrong to them. The assumption is that people within the church will experience evil of some sort. The admonition, though, is that we will watch over each other to ensure that none of us are paying that evil back through evil actions of our own.

Application

This is something that we really need to take note of, I believe. We all understand the desire to get even; it is part of our sinful nature. For that reason, it is easy for us to understand when others have the same desire after being wronged by someone. One of our tendencies is too bury our heads into the sand, so to speak, when we see others getting angry with things that happen to them and want to avenge themselves. After all, we know the other person is already angry so we do not want to interfere in a way that may direct their anger toward us. Yet, what we see here is that we have an obligation to do exactly that. Because the person is part of the church, their actions reflect upon our Savior. It is out of love for the person; it is out of love for our church; it is out of love for our Savior; that we must get involved and try to keep others from taking vengeance into their own hands when they have been wronged. Such a responsibility requires that we are involved in each other’s lives. Such a responsibility also requires that we are brave enough to confront one another in love. Are you involved? Are you monitoring the interactions of others in the church with other people? Are you lovingly speaking up when you see people taking matters into their own hands dealing with any wrongs that they have experienced?

Transition:

Responsibility #5: monitor interactions. At the end of verse 15 we have one final responsibility,…

VI. Responsibility 6: Benefit Others

We are told that rather than seeking to repay evil toward those who have wronged us instead we are too seek to do good to them as well as everyone else. The verb that we have translated “seek” has the idea of pursuing or striving for something. In other words, the expectation is that we will expend energy in the effort of doing good. In fact, Paul points out that this should “always” be our conduct. Furthermore, this is not only how we are too act toward one another; this is how we are to act toward all people. This means we are to be seeking good for both those who are in the church and those who are outside the church. This is one of those places in Scripture where, no matter how much we might like it to be different, “all” simply means “all”…everyone, no exceptions.

So, what does it mean to seek after that which is good? Good simply means doing that which is beneficial for others, that which is helpful to their well-being. The command is to always be doing that which will benefit others without any sort of distinction based on merit or deservedness.

Now, let me make two clarifications because that which is helpful to a person’s well-being may not be what the person wants. We must first allow the bible to define what is good. We cannot allow ourselves to encourage or accept sinful behavior just because it will please the other person. Secondly, seeking the good of others may sometimes mean pursuing confrontation with that person.

Illustration

For example, there have been times when we have had to bring a person before the church in church discipline in pursuit of that which is good for that person. If you've been here during any of the times when this has been necessary, you know that the reason we have had to take those steps is because sin has captivated the person in is in the process of destroying his or her life. It is out of love that we are trying to get the person to realize how desperate their situation is. So, while the person may not recognize it as such because this is not what he or she wants to happen, we are pursuing that person’s good.

Application

Again, let's not lose sight of the fact that this is a responsibility that is given to the entire church; we all have the duty of pursuing good in lives of others. We must be seeking that which will benefit those sitting around us this morning. We must also seek that which will benefit those who sit around us at other times during the week, who are not part of our church family. Let me ask you, are you sharing the gospel with those who are around you during the week? Nothing is more beneficial to them than the gospel. If you are not sharing the gospel, then how can you claim to be seeking their good; you know that an eternity in the lake of fire is waiting for them…that unless they turn to Christ they will face eternal damnation. You have the answer to their greatest need. You can seek their maximum good by sharing Christ.

In a similar fashion, you can do good to those around you by pointing them to the outworking of Christ in their lives. as you interact with others in this church you can seek to strengthen them in Christ. This too, though, takes intentional effort. It means setting your goal as doing that which will benefit those we were interacting with.

Transition from body to conclusion:

Our duty is to do all we can to benefit others. That is our sixth collective responsibility found in our verses this morning.

CONCLUSION

We share the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of our church. We share the responsibility. It is our collective duty, one which we are not to pass off on each other. Our Christian duty is not to be like how it was when I would fail to acknowledge the smelly diaper that walked past me in the hope of Grace taking care of it for me. When it comes to one another in the church, anything that we get a whiff of that needs attention we must deal with personally.

This morning we've seen six specific responsibilities in the two verses that we have looked at.

Responsibility #1: admonish the unruly. Responsibility #2: encourage the fainthearted. Responsibility #3: help the weak. Responsibility #4: be patient. Responsibility #5: monitor interactions. Responsibility #6: benefit others.

These six items are responsibilities that we all share. As we diligently do these things, we will find our church remaining strong and unified. We share the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of our church. This is not a responsibility strictly of the leaders. It is not a responsibility strictly of the church members. The well-being of our church is a responsibility that we all share so that we are strong and healthy and growing through the gospel lifecycle.