Until Then Be Busy February 11, 2018 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18 I. Introduction Paul wrote this letter that we call 2 nd Thessalonians to the Christians in Thessalonica to address issues that had developed following his ministry with them and his first letter to them. As you may remember, he started by writing about the persecution they were facing in 1 Thessalonians 1:4 he wrote, Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. After encouraging them in verse 7 he added, And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia then Paul had turned to clearing up issues regarding the return of Jesus Christ and the End Times. The final issue with which he had to deal was regarding work. Paul had dealt with that when he was with them 2 Thess. 3:10 says, For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: If a man will not work, he shall not eat. When Paul wrote his first letter, he had warned the idle busybodies to get to work turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; now turn to 1 Thess. 5:14. The word translated idle means unruly or undisciplined. The problem wasn t just inactivity but the wrong kind of activity as we read in verse 11 of today s Scripture: We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Some of the Thessalonian believers were causing strife in the church by refusing to work and were living off the rest of the congregation. Paul doesn t reveal what their reasons were. They may have been influenced by the prevailing Greek and Roman views of work, i.e., manual labor was beneath their dignity, fit only for slaves or the lower classes. Perhaps they believed that since Christ could return at any moment, work was pointless. Or they may just have been lazy and they expected the church to support them. Paul didn t mention their reasons for not working because none of them were valid; there is no excuse for someone who has the ability and opportunity to work not to do so. Since this was the third 1
time that Paul had to deal with this issue, he bluntly and directly confronted those who stubbornly refused to work. He began with a command. II. Get Busy A. The Command In the strongest words possible, Paul sternly commanded the Thessalonians to to keep away from every brother who refuses to work. This wasn t a suggestion; this wasn t a command based on his, Silas s, and Timothy s authority; it was issued in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. With such authority, this command was to be obeyed instantly and unquestioningly. Keep away means to avoid, to shun, or pull back from. Paul commanded the rest of the congregation to separate from or withdraw from every idle brother, i.e., every brother who chooses not to be employed. What does the Bible teach about labor or work? Work was part of man s life before sin even entered the scene in Genesis 2:15 we read, The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. It was the introduction of sin that turned work into hopeless toil turn to Genesis 3:17-19. BUT work itself existed before sin. God created man to work. Another verse about work is found in Ephesians 4:28 Paul wrote, He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. These are just a couple of the teachings about work that the Thessalonians would have received from Paul. Paul did recognize that some people could not work, perhaps because of physical handicaps or family responsibilities. This is why he wrote in verse 10, If a man will not work It wasn t a question of ability but of willingness. When a believer cannot work and is in need, it is the privilege, even the duty of the church to help him turn to James 2:14-17. B. His Example The command should have been sufficient, but Paul added a second motivation his own personal example. As an apostle Paul had the right to expect financial support (1 Cor. 9:6-14) but Paul chose to give up that right so that he might be an example to young believers. He wrote, We were 2
not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. Paul s readers knew that Paul and his fellow missionaries had not taken any support from the infant church. They didn t act in an undisciplined or unruly manner; instead, they had set the example of meeting their own needs and also helping to meet the needs of others. You ought to follow our example, he challenged his readers. C. A Word of Encouragement for the Doers Word had come to Paul regarding the idle those leading an undisciplined life. They were out-of-order; they were disobeying God s orders and the teachings they had received from Paul. They were bringing confusion and division in the church. They were busybodies not busy workers. Not content with refusing to work productively, 1 Timothy 5:13 implies that such people used their unoccupied time to wander around interfering meddling in the lives of others in the church. Almost every culture has a saying about idleness. The Romans said, By doing nothing, men learn to do evil. The Jewish rabbis taught, He who does not teach his son a trade, teaches him to be a thief. Isaac Watts wrote, For Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do. A paraphrase of Proverbs 16:27 says, Idle hands are the devil s workshop. Such people, wrote Paul, we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. They were to settle down, stop meddling in others people s affairs, and begin leading an ordered life of quiet, consistent work. By doing this, they would stop being a burden and become a blessing. Rather than causing divisions, they would create harmony in the church. Lest the faithful Christians become discouraged, Paul gave a word of encouragement for the doers : As for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. His concern was that they would grow tired of the deadbeats and become indifferent to real needs. Sin in the life of a believer can affect the rest of the church Galatians 5:9 says, A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. Or we might 3
say One rotten apple will spoil the whole barrel. The bad example of a few so-called saints can destroy the devotion and hinder the service of the rest of the church. The prescription for Thessalonian church unity and service was for the nonworkers to go to work and stop interfering in the affairs of others so that entire congregation could care for those in genuine need. D. The Consequence of Continued Disobedience Obviously, Paul hoped that the disorderly Christian would obey God s Word and stop causing problems and go to work. However, if such compliance did not happen, then the congregation must take steps to enforce the commands there is a consequence to continued disobedience. There are various levels of church discipline, but in the case of the idle busybodies, i.e., the lazy Christians, Paul told the believers to urge them and warn them, and, if they did not repent, then they were to withdraw intimate fellowship from them. This probably meant that these believers were not permitted to share in the Lord s Supper and that the church members would not invite them to their homes. For obedient Christians to treat disobedient Christians with the same friendship they show other dedicated Christians is to give approval to their sins. Knowing how people tend to go to extremes, Paul cautioned them not to treat the offenders like enemies but Warn them as a brother. The goal of this separation is for the repentance and restoration of the sinning member back into the church--in this case, that the idle one will be busy working until Christ returns. The motive for disciplining sinning members is love James 5:20 says, Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. Paul gave the proper attitude for those involved in the discipline process in Galatians 6:1, Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. He also added, But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. III. A Closing Benediction In the last 3 verses of 2 Thessalonians 3 we find Paul s benediction and it echoes his opening thoughts turn to 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2. Paul ended the letter as it began the emphasis is on the Lord 4
.Jesus Christ. In this short letter he has written a fair amount about the Thessalonians and their problems, and some about the evil man of lawlessness. But in the end, the last word is about Jesus. Jesus is the one who loved us (3:13) and from whom we receive grace and peace (1:2, 12). Jesus is the one who is faithful and will strengthen and protect us from the evil one (3:3). Jesus is the one who will overthrow the lawless one with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of His coming (2:8). When Jesus comes to deliver His people (1:7), they will share in his glory and splendor (1:10; 2:14). Jesus is the one who is with each Christian to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20). The bottom line is that the future of every Christian rests entirely on the power and faithfulness of God as revealed through the Lord Jesus His Messiah. That was a good place for the letter to begin; it is an even better place for it to end as we preserver in the faith (1:4) and await the Lord Jesus to be revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels (1:7). IV. Conclusion This Wednesday is Valentine s Day; it s also Ash Wednesday. It s kind of appropriate that they are on the same day. Valentine s Day is a time to remember and recognize those whom we love by sending them a Valentine or some other gift. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter. And Easter reminds us of God s love for us the memory verse for February is John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Easter is God s Valentine to us. Once sin entered the world, man s destiny was an eternal death in hell-- Jesus death and resurrection on Easter gives every person the opportunity to change that destiny. Romans 6:23 puts it this way: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15, Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Romans 10:9 adds, That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If you ve done that, your 5
destiny has changed, your sins have been forgiven, you are a child of God and will spend eternity in heaven with Him. But while we are here on the earth there is a problem turn to Romans 7:15-19. Romans 3:23 explains it this way, All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This means that every church is made up of sinners even Tabernacle Baptist Church. So what should we do when we do sin? If we are wise, first, we will get right with God 1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Confess means to admit that we have sinned that we see our action to be just as detestable as God does. But the Bible also tells us that we need to get right with those against whom we have sinned Matthew 5:23-24 says, Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. It s not easy saying, I m sorry. But once it s done, the peace of God will fill your heart. If a person is unwise, he will ignore the sin or deny it like those whom Paul addressed in today s Scripture. Since they were affecting the whole church, Paul expected the whole church to work together in solving this problem. The church in love must deal with its own members who are overtaken with sin and seek to help each one obey God. As we read in Galatians 6:1, the spiritual members of the church must seek to restore the sinner with gentleness and love. The word restore means to set a broken bone and that takes tenderness and patience. But if the sinner continues to ignore or deny the sin, God says that the church should discipline them. Church discipline is to the church member what family discipline is to a child; it is an exercise of, even evidence of love. When a parent disciplines his child, he is not a judge punishing a criminal; he is a loving father or mother seeking to make his child a better person. When a church disciplines a member, they are not punishing a criminal, they are seeking to help the member become a child of God in good standing with his heavenly Father. 6
This week as you give and receive Valentine s and as you think of Lent and God s love, make sure your heart is right with God. Set aside time to be with the One who loved you so much that He died for you. And as Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your heart(s) and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 7