17 I Thessalonians 4:14-15 Loving the Difficult

March 15, 2026

Chris Freeman

Title: Loving the Difficult Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 FCF: We often struggle serving in love those who are spiritually behind. Prop: Because God’s will for His children is to be holy and abounding in love for one another, we must love the difficult. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. In a moment we’ll read from the New English Translation which you can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week, Paul continued to show the Thessalonian church how they could be holy or distinct from the world. He makes the case that they should acknowledge and respect their Elders and live at peace with them and all believers. This is how they could show abounding love. Paul will now continue on this theme of being holy and abounding in love for one another. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy God, You are Love. Not simply that all that You do is loving… but that You, and all You do, are by definition, what love truly is. Your love is loyal. Your love is not fickle. It is not based on volatile emotions, but rather is a choice which You make of the counsel of Your will, to love unconditionally. But God – We are so unlovable at times. Nevertheless, You love us perfectly and faithfully. You command Your church to be like its head, Your Son, that we might love one another as Christ loved us. That is beyond us Lord. We can’t do that without Your grace. Help us to see this in the text of scripture today and to lean on You for the ability to obey what You have commanded. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “There is no greater opportunity to influence our fellowman for Christ than to respond with love when we have been unmistakably wronged.” James Dobson “You never so touch the ocean of God’s love as when you forgive and love your enemies.” Corrie Ten Boom “Whatever else love is, it is not passive.” Frederick Sampson “Love rolls up its sleeves” Robert Cook. “Show your piety by your pity.” Thomas Watson Let these words prepare your mind for the exposition of the text this morning. I.) God’s will for His children is for them to be holy and abounding in their love for one another, so we must patiently love and serve languishing believers. (14) a. [Slide 3] 14 - And we urge you, brothers and sisters, i. Contrasted to Paul’s previous exhortation where he asked, Paul now calls them or exhorts them to do something else. ii. This is a much stronger expression than the word “ask.” iii. Paul is issuing a clear command. iv. This is most certainly related to the command to be at peace with one another, but what is clear is that peace goes beyond simply not fighting with others. v. We see a clear put off put on principle throughout this text. vi. Certainly, we must be at peace… but we must replace war with, not just the cessation of war, but the active care for other believers. vii. And specifically, believers that are not flourishing. viii. Paul moves ahead to define how believers should treat 3 other groups of believers that are beginning to languish. And our response is different depending on each situation. b. [Slide 4] admonish the undisciplined, i. Here we see the same word that was listed as a character trait of those Paul wished to be acknowledged as Elders. ii. Admonish. iii. Again, the word means to exhort, to counsel, to correct, or to warn. iv. This shows that although Elders perform duties of care and concern for the body, it is not their job exclusively. v. All of the body of Christ is to admonish. And the whole body, is to admonish the undisciplined. vi. This word undisciplined is translated in a variety of ways in various modern translations. vii. From unruly, to disorderly, to lazy, idle, and disruptive. viii. Translations favoring idle, lazy, and disruptive understand Paul’s remark here to be about the group who are unemployed by choice and who are mooching off the church. ix. There is even one non-biblical source that uses this word to speak of those who are obstinately or rebelliously idle. x. But when we look at the word by itself, it is difficult to see that that is what Paul intends to say. xi. It may very well be what he means – but Paul frames it in such a way that this could be applied to anyone who is undisciplined. xii. Since we know that Paul will address this in 2 Thessalonians, perhaps Paul leaves this intentionally broad in order to cover as many that would fit into this category as he could. xiii. So, what does this word mean? xiv. Literally it means to be out of line or out of order. xv. It means anyone who is not conforming to the standards set by the evangelists. xvi. Anyone who is intentionally operating outside the directives of the church. xvii. Because this is directed toward someone who is not living in obedience, we can probably translate the word “admonish” with a stronger force… xviii. Something like… Warn or correct. xix. It is the whole church’s job to correct or warn members of the church body who are acting counter to what has been taught as godly and holy. c. [Slide 5] comfort the discouraged, i. Here we see a second way the church is to interact with another languishing Christian. ii. This indicates that there is not a one size-fits-all response to those who are languishing in the church. iii. The discouraged in our midst are those whose spirits are low. iv. They are suffering. They are hurting. v. Paul doesn’t spell this out, but we can infer that this could be financial, physical, or even emotional. vi. More than likely these are people suffering due to the affliction caused by unbelieving Thessalonians. vii. We ought not admonish those who are down. At least not at first. viii. There is a sinful discouragement. One that begins to deny the teachings of the scripture. ix. But we need not start there. x. In fact, that is probably what Paul means by comforting them. xi. How else can we comfort them than through prayer, the ministry of the word, and even putting feet to our prayers. xii. We must go to them and bind them up. Cheer them up. And get their feet back on solid ground. xiii. How? xiv. The Word of truth and acts of service and love. d. [Slide 6] help the weak, i. We might wonder what the difference between weak and discouraged might be. ii. While we might see weakness here as physical weakness, and that certainly is a class of people that we should help within the church, more than likely Paul intends a moral or spiritual weakness here. iii. In other words, they are spiritually vulnerable. iv. They are baby Christians, or they are in a place that their defenses are low and they are being tempted to either doubt their faith or succumb to temptation. v. The word help means to come alongside. It means to act as a crutch. To bear them up. vi. To help in this sense, is to become a partner for them to help them gain strength to overcome doubts and temptation. vii. This is, in essence, another way of saying what Paul commands in Galatians 6 when he tells believers to bear one another’s burdens. viii. We certainly don’t want to bring comfort to people who are weak against temptation. They are in danger. Comfort isn’t what they need. They need protection. They need spiritual strength and fortitude. They need vigilance. e. [Slide 7] be patient toward all. i. Paul points out a general response to all people. ii. All people require various degrees of patience at various times in life. iii. Not everyone is the same as you. iv. Not everyone will respond to circumstances as you do. And not everyone will bounce back the same way or in the same timing that you do. v. Paul cautions us against using ourselves as the standard of how to respond to people. vi. Instead, we should be even tempered in all circumstances and with all people. vii. In other words, the person in question and their circumstances do not determine in what temperament we respond. We live patiently with all, regardless of their circumstance. viii. Patience doesn’t imply passivity. Patience doesn’t imply inaction. Patience doesn’t imply tolerance. ix. Rather it deals with OUR temperament and treatment of people, regardless of what situation we are dealing with. x. So, when we admonish – we do so patiently. xi. We offer patient comfort. xii. And as we help, we help patiently. xiii. This is how we can abound in love toward those believers who are languishing. f. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: In this text, it is clear that there are several applicational statements. Rather than doing an individual sermon point on each one, I find that they are grouped in two ways in these two verses. However, what we lack in this text – is a statement of truth. What doctrinal principle is forming the foundation of all these commands Paul makes? In order to find such a principle, we must leave verses 14-15 and go back to the end of chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4. At the end of chapter 3, Paul prays that God would cause them to abound in love for one another. At the beginning of chapter 4 he reveals that God’s will for the Thessalonians is to be holy. And this forms the doctrinal underpinnings of these commands. God desires they be holy in and abound in love toward one another. Paul gives three commands related to three groups of believers, all of whom are languishing in different ways. These commands summarize how someone can abound in Christian love and service toward those who are languishing. And he wraps it all in a neat bow by commanding that all of these responses be garnished with patience. They must, and we must, patiently admonish those who are unruly, comfort the discouraged, and help the weak. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] But languishing believers are not the only people who are difficult to love and serve. There is another group of people who are especially difficult to show love and to serve. And they are those who have sinned against us. II.) God’s will for His children is for them to be holy and abounding in love for one another, so we must love those who have sinned against us. (15) a. [Slide 10] 15 - See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, i. Certainly, the law of reciprocity is found in the Old Testament. ii. Some laws indicated that there should be an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. iii. These laws are found in the civil laws governing Israel, with judges and rulers abiding and presiding over these matters. iv. But, this statement by Paul does not negate the law of the Old Testament. v. The Civil government bears the sword and is given the authority by God to punish evil doers and protect the innocent. vi. Therefore, what is being discussed here is the prohibition of personal vengeance. vii. It is not permitted within Christ’s church to seek your own justice. viii. In fact, it is the responsibility of the church as a whole that they do not become vengeful people seeking retribution on their own. ix. What should they do instead? b. [Slide 11] but always pursue what is good for one another i. Rather than a strict law of vengeance and retribution, there should be a desire to do what is best and pursue what is good for everyone. ii. When a believer sins against another believer, he should be rebuked. He should be called on to repent. iii. Why? iv. Because that is good for him to be called to repentance. It is good for the body of Christ to know that sin will be rebuked. It is good for those who saw the sin committed to see him called to repentance. It is good for the one he sinned against because they know that there will be justice and mercy distributed to him. v. But the one he sinned against should be commanded to forgive as well. vi. Why? vii. Because that is good for the them. It is good for the church to see the them pushed to forgive. It is good for the body to hold the them accountable to forgive. And it is good for the one who sinned, because it gives a clear light at the end of the tunnel, promising him freedom from what he has done against his brother. viii. In every situation, God’s people must pursue, they must hunt down what is good for each believer. ix. And not good by human standards. But good by God’s standards. x. But what if the evil is committed against us by those outside the church. xi. What then? c. [Slide 12] and for all. i. Pursuing good is not a concept restricted to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. ii. It should be easier with brothers and sisters in Christ. iii. But it is not restricted to them iv. The 1st century Jews had a different ethic. Although it was certainly wrong to lie to one another– they had no problem lying to gentiles. v. The Jewish mindset was to treat insiders with love and outsiders with contempt and suspicion. vi. But in the church, this should not be the case. vii. God’s children are to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us. Our love for other believers is greater of course. But our bottom-of-the-barrel response for the ungodly is still love. viii. Therefore, when outsiders do evil to us- we do not seek vengeance. We do not retaliate. ix. Instead, we pursue what is good for everyone. x. This does not preclude a Christian from seeking justice from civil magistrates. If someone harms you or takes something from you, you can forgive them while seeking the civil magistrate to do their God-given job in bearing the sword. xi. But even this should not be done as vengeance or retaliation, but rather as a pursuit of the sinner’s good and the good of all. d. [Slide 13] Summary of the Point: So, Paul’s doctrinal basis remains the same. God’s will for His children is that they be holy in and abounding in their love for one another. Part of that love for one another is not allowing our brothers and sisters to seek vengeance for sins committed against them, either by other brothers or by unbelievers. Instead, we all must PURSUE or strive after God’s good for everyone. Which includes rebuke, forgiveness, and being at peace. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC that corrects or instructs us in what to believe and how to live? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 14] Borrowing key doctrinal principles from the entire letter, Paul insists that the Thessalonians must be a people who are holy, even in the way they love each other. That they would ABOUND in love. Then Paul gives us a list of people that are difficult to love, and how to go about loving them. He lists three groups of people who are languishing in their Christian walk. Those who are living out of sync with the rules of faith and conduct the church has received. Those who are discouraged and depressed. Those who are spiritually vulnerable. These people must be loved and served, not in the same way, but with the same temperament. Patiently admonishing the unruly, comforting the discouraged, and helping the weak. Finally, Paul explores those who are harming or abusing us by sinning against us. We are to love these people by not allowing vengeance to be found in the church but rather that we pursue good for everyone… even if those who sinned against us are unbelievers. So, what does this text mean for 21st century believers? Certainly we don’t have any issues with loving the difficult? 1.) [Slide 15] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that we must be holy and abound in our love for those who are difficult. a. Without a doubt, loving the lovable is a far simpler and easily more pleasant than loving those who are… less than loveable. b. Paul presents to us two kinds of people in this passage that are particularly difficult to love. c. The first are Christians who are languishing in their walk. d. The second class of people who are difficult to love are those who have sinned against us or spiritually harmed us. e. This passage very clearly and quite specifically makes it plain to us that we as believers must be holy. We must be different. f. In other contexts, the bible makes it plain that unbelievers love their children. Unbelievers love their wives. Unbelievers care for others to a certain extent. g. You probably know unbelievers who are relatively kind and perform acts of charity and service to others. h. So being loving and kind to others is not what makes the church different in our love. i. Instead, the church is different both in who we love and how we love them. j. Christ’s church loves difficult people. And our love for difficult people is motivated by a pursuit of good and is clothed in patience. k. And our love for difficult people has the goal of moving them from being difficult… to being easy. l. In other words, the kind of love and service that is holy and abounding… is the kind of love and service that doesn’t accept people where they are – but desires to patiently move them from difficult to easy. From languishing to flourishing. From vengeful to forgiving. m. We too must see this as our goal. 2.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that abounding love always looks the same for every person in the church. a. There is a popular book out today that speaks about the different languages of love and how we all communicate love or feel love communicated. b. The book is presented as a Christian work, but there isn’t much scriptural backing to it. It is mostly the work of Psychology. Still profitable, but I wouldn’t take it as bible truth. c. But one good thing the book presents is that love doesn’t always look the same to everyone. d. Paul makes it clear that when we apply ourselves to love difficult people it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. e. Difficult people need different kinds of interventions if we are to serve and love them. f. But two goals should be consistent with all people difficult or easy, believers or unbelievers. We should engage them with the temperament of patience and with the pursuit of God’s good. g. So, let’s dive a little deeper into the interventions Paul commands. 3.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must patiently admonish the unruly. a. Generally speaking people do not learn discipline by osmosis. b. You don’t go to bed one day undisciplined and wake up the next, disciplined. c. To be a disciplined person, either it must be built into you by another, or you must work at it yourself with consistency and without compromise. d. One way people remain undisciplined is in how they see the doctrinal beliefs of a church. i. Those who are constantly poking, picking, complaining, bucking, or otherwise resisting the doctrinal beliefs of a church, need to be warned and corrected. ii. This certainly goes for primary doctrines that are essential to the definition of Christianity. But even in a church where there are certain secondary doctrines that all have received… it is good to warn and correct those who continually stir up the body. iii. I think a prime example of that here at CBC might be a young earth literal 6 day creation. iv. I would consider this a secondary doctrine. It has implications on the gospel and the systematic teaching of the scriptures. But if someone rejected such a doctrine, they could certainly still be a believer. v. But in our church, I would say it is fairly unanimous, with perhaps a few outliers, that we all believe in a literal 6-day young earth creation. vi. That being said – if someone continually kept challenging that position, continually kept lobbying for our church to believe otherwise, continually spoke out about it, and continually challenged the established teachings of the church… they ought to be warned and they ought to be corrected. vii. Why? viii. Because they are being unruly. e. A person could also be unruly if they are constantly challenging the practice of the church. i. Those who are constantly complaining, picking, poking, bucking, or otherwise resisting the lifestyle practices of the church must be warned and corrected. ii. Certainly, this would apply to anything God has clearly listed as a sin. iii. A person who continues to get drunk, or forsake the assembling of the body for worship, or is pursuing a sexual relationship with someone who is not their spouse, or who lies, or any other permutation of clear sin – this person ought to be warned and corrected. And if they do not listen to this correction – they must be disciplined until they either repent or are excommunicated from the church. iv. But this could even apply to someone who is constantly rebelling against the vision, mission, and purpose of the church and the direction of the Elders. v. If the Elders have established clear biblical warrant for the direction we are headed, and the majority of the church shows their agreement by following our lead – you aren’t the hero when you continue to stand in the gap and fight the direction we are going. You aren’t Robin Hood. vi. When Peter stood up and said, NOT SO LORD, when Christ gave clear teaching that He would die… Jesus said get behind me Satan. vii. In a similar way, you must be warned and corrected. f. Anyone who sticks out, anyone who gets out of line… must be put back in. g. And we must do this patiently. We ought not be in a hurry to shove people back in line. We simply apply gentle pressure to nudge them until they either get back in or need to be shoved all the way out. h. Individuality in the church is not destroyed with the gospel of Jesus Christ… but we all ought to look a lot more alike than we do different. i. You know the old saying… “If you can’t spot the crazy person on the bus, its you.” j. I’ll modify it for you to fit the church. “If you think everyone else in the church is wrong… its actually you who is wrong.” k. Be humble, and get back in line. l. Let me use an extended illustration to explain the differences in how we love these three kind of languishing Christians. i. Imagine you are attending a marathon of a loved one. A child, a close friend, a spouse, that is running this long grueling race. ii. Now imagine, that as your loved one ran this race, you noticed that they began running the wrong way. They actually left the track and started drifting in the wrong direction from the finish line. iii. Would it be appropriate at this point to cry with them and weep for them and tell them they are doing great and to keep going? Would it be appropriate to run up to them and pull them up and run alongside them as you support their weight? iv. NO! v. What are you going to tell them? vi. You are going to yell at them, and assuming you do it patiently, you would do so without anger or malice… but you would still yell. What would you yell? vii. YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY! GET BACK ON COURSE! viii. This is what is meant by admonishing the unruly. We must get them back on track. 4.) [Slide 18] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must patiently comfort the discouraged. a. But what about those who are spiritually discouraged. b. What about that those who have received affliction, persecution, or hard trials that have left them downcast and overcome with burden. c. Shall we admonish them too? d. At some point admonishment is the right response. But only when we can see that they are remaining in their discouragement because they doubt the Lord and His promises. In that case they actually move from discouraged… to unruly. e. While they remain, simply beat down and despairing… what do they need? f. They need comfort. They need encouragement. g. Comfort and encouragement necessarily produce empathy and action. h. We empathize with their pain. We are commanded actually to weep with those who weep, to mourn with those who mourn. i. Empathy is still a good term. Some in our circles attack the idea of empathy because they argue that it does not require or produce change in the person who is hurting. And they do have a point. j. But rather than casting aside empathy. I think we can keep that word, so long as we understand that true comfort and encouragement do not actually come simply because we empathized with the person who was discouraged. k. True comfort and encouragement come when we do this and then take additional action. l. When we give them the promises of God. When we meet their needs. When we meet with them and pray for them. And when we help them NOT be discouraged. m. Our goal is not for them to remain there. And that requires us to do more than merely weep with them. We must EN-courage them so they are no longer DIS-couraged. n. And we must do this patiently. It may take some time. Job’s friends sat with him for 7 days before they uttered one word. They are not rebuked for this. We could learn something from that I think. i. Going back to our illustration of the marathon, let’s say your loved one is on course and running the correct way… but they are crying. It looks as though they are unhappy with their performance thus far and quite upset that they are not further along. ii. Would it be appropriate to yell at them and tell them to get back on track or to run faster (as if they hadn’t thought of that already)? iii. Would it be appropriate to run out to them and saddle up under their arm to try to run with them three-legged race style – even though you haven’t trained for this marathon? iv. NO! v. What would you do? vi. Of course, you would cheer for them and encourage them to keep going. To look to the prize at the end. To keep fighting! o. This is what we must do with believers who are discouraged. We must cheer them on and encourage them to keep going and striving for the prize of Jesus Christ. 5.) [Slide 19] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must patiently help the spiritually weak. a. Sometimes believers are overcome with doubt or temptation. b. In doubt and temptation there is no sin – meaning there is no reason to admonish someone who is doubting their faith or struggling with temptation. c. But we also cannot afford to comfort and encourage people who are struggling with doubt and temptation. They don’t need someone to weep with them as though there is nothing that can be done. d. They don’t need someone to encourage them to keep going. e. They’d love nothing more than to keep going. But something has attacked them. Something has assaulted them. They are oppressed by circumstances or spiritual forces. And it has rendered them spiritually weak. f. What must we do then? g. We must protect them. We must come alongside and help them. We need to assure them of the promises and truth of God’s Word and we need to hold them accountable and help them wage the war against temptation. h. And we must do this patiently, because it may take some time before they are able to stand on their own two feet again and wage the war themselves. i. But make no mistake – THAT IS OUR GOAL! j. We don’t offer perpetual accountability. We offer patient accountability. Eventually believers must be strong enough to dismiss doubt and battle temptation on their own. Not because the church won’t be there to help – but because we are all commanded to do this individually. We individually are commanded to submit to God, to resist the devil, to put on the full armor of God. k. So that is the goal of our help to the weak. That they might become… strong. l. Let’s go back again our illustration of your loved one running a marathon. i. Now imagine they come around a bend… and you notice that they are crawling on the ground. ii. Something has clearly happened to their leg. They have fallen and they have not been able to get up. Their only option is to continue to crawl along toward the finish. iii. Would it be appropriate for you to yell at them and tell them to stand up and get back on track? iv. Would it be appropriate for you to cheer for them and tell them they are doing great and to keep going? v. NO! vi. You would go to them and lift them up to their feet. You would help them bear some of the burden of their weight until they are able to do it themselves. m. This is what we must do with believers who are spiritually weak. We must bear them up and protect them from all perils as they renew their strength. We must meet their doubts with the Word of truth. We must meet their temptations with the promises and assurance of God for His grace to help in a time of need. n. And we must patiently provide these things until they are strong enough to do this on their own. 6.) [Slide 20] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not allow brothers and sisters to seek revenge. a. Oh my friends, we must be sure to hear this one. b. We have all heard the horror stories of churches that have become cesspools of infighting and factions. c. We have all seen the destruction that cliques, and power grabs, and allegiances, and loyalties, can have on a congregation. d. Rooted in all of them is the vengeful hearts of those who aren’t getting what they want. e. They’ve been hurt so they lash out. f. Oh they will certainly do so with pious words. They might complain of church hurt, or grave spiritual harm, or disappointment, or some other pious sounding expression which is really just their attempt to demonize the actions of another person and purify their own actions in the eyes of others. g. But hear me now. These words betray a heart that is unwilling to let love cover sin and is unwilling to forgive. h. And it must not be named among us CBC. i. If someone harms you. If I harm you. If an Elder harms you. If another believer harms you. If you are sinned against… j. Do not seek vengeance in any form. k. Don’t attack their character. Don’t treat them as the enemy. Don’t do all that is in your power to draw attention to how you were harmed and how difficult it has been for you since being harmed. l. Chuck all that out the window. m. Why? n. Because love covers a multitude of sins. And forgiveness is not optional for God’s people. o. But what if it must be addressed? What if it cannot be dismissed? 7.) [Slide 21] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must all pursue good for all. a. If they truly sinned against you, and it must be addressed, you must do so humbly, meekly, and for THEIR benefit and for the BENEFIT of the whole church. b. “Well, it would benefit the whole church if we just ran them out of here” c. NO! That is vengeance. And it will not be who we are CBC. d. We must restore. We must heal. We must love. e. “But if we truly love them, we’ll let them go.” f. You’ve probably heard that one before… g. Lies of the devil is what that is. h. There is no letting them go. There is no writing them out of your life. There is no “dead to me” status as a Christian. i. If they are believers – you must love them like Christ loved you. And if they are not Christians then you must love them like you love yourself. j. Don’t succumb to vengeance. k. Instead, we must PURSUE good. l. It is not easy and it is not natural. That is why it must be… pursued. m. We will need to chase it. Patiently. Because they might not be repentant at first. They might try to defend themselves. They might try to excuse their actions. n. Then we can seek vengeance? o. NO! p. Then we pursue God’s good for EVERYONE. q. Why must we do this? r. Let’s go back to our marathon illustration one last time. i. Imagine your loved one comes around the bend with a person that is on their racing team. ii. In the process of coming around the bend you see their teammate elbow them to get in front of them. iii. To your horror both of them stop running the race and start throwing punches at each other. iv. What do you do? v. You stop them both from punching each other. vi. You rebuke the one who elbowed your friend. You rebuke your friend for throwing back. vii. You tell them to focus on the race and be on the same team. s. This is what we do in situations where people sin against us. There is something bigger going on than what was done to you. The mission of the church and the Christian walk is far more important that whatever was done to you. t. So repent, forgive, and get back to the mission. 8.) [Slide 22] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Difficult people are not immediately cast out of the body of Christ. a. My friends, do you know why this is so comforting? b. Because if it wasn’t true… the church would be an empty place. c. Instead, we see God’s plan to love and restore difficult people to flourishing believers. We see God’s plan to prevent infighting and distraction from the mission of the church. d. God knows us. He knows how petty and weak we are. e. So, He has given a church which is commanded and graced to be holy and abound in love for one another. f. What a blessing! What a blessing that when you are unruly someone is going to patiently rebuke you. g. What a blessing that when you are downcast and overwhelmed, someone is going to comfort and encourage you. h. What a blessing that when you are spiritually weak, someone is going to be your crutch and help you get through it. i. What a blessing that when you are sinned against, no one is going to let you seek vengeance. j. What a blessing that when you sin against others, you are going to be called on to repent. k. The church and the commands God gives it, are truly a blessing to us all. 9.) [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The love of Christ compels His people to treat difficult people with patience and love that neither tolerates their sin, nor leaves them in their despair or weakness. This love is completely foreign to anything the world knows. a. Our culture has a definition problem with the word love. b. People define love as tolerance and acceptance. c. But that isn’t how God defines love. And that isn’t how Jesus demonstrated love. d. The Love of Christ compels the church to patiently love difficult believers and unbelievers, without tolerating or approving of sin and without leaving them in despair or weakness. e. This kind of love is completely foreign to the world. And it is one of the reasons that the church is so odd and so peculiar. f. But it isn’t because we are especially good people. g. It is because the gospel is especially powerful and our God is especially gracious. He has changed us. He now compels us. h. If you want to know this kind of love, both toward you and from you, you must be born again. You must be born of the Spirit. You must be given grace by God. And perhaps that is happening right now. i. Perhaps you are hearing the gospel message and something is stirring in you. Like you are alive… for the very first time. j. Is God drawing you to Himself? k. Then repent and believe on and submit to Christ. l. If you desire this today, please see an Elder before you leave. [Slide 24 (end) Let me close with a prayer from the Puritan Philip Doderidge. O Lord, let your grace and your love do for us what fear of your terrors alone cannot. Melt our hearts by that nobler principle, and teach us to despise everything that would displease you. Let our hearts respond with the same kind of compassion that motivated you, Jesus, to serve the poor. And whenever we do make mistakes, let us err on the side of compassion—a love that would never harm the worst sinner-much less the least and weakest of God's servants. We consecrate our lives to you, Lord, even to death. We will not then feel the bitterness of death half so much, when our hearts are ablaze with a zeal for your glory. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Benediction: May our Lord who has laid up for you a hope in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy, Keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Until we meet again, go in peace.