II Thessalonians 3:6-10 The Christian's Labor and Giving Part 1

July 19, 2026

Chris Freeman

Title: “The Christian’s Labor and Giving” Part 1 Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10 FCF: We often struggle having a Godly perspective on labor and giving. Prop: Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must follow their example and work to care for ourselves and others. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians 3. In a moment we’ll read verses 6 through 15 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. As Paul approaches the end of his letter, he has a few things he wishes for the Thessalonians to do. First, to pray for them that the gospel would continue to make progress in Corinth and that the enemies of the gospel might be held at bay. But today, Paul comes to, what is most assuredly, the main command he wishes to give to the Thessalonian church. It isn’t new. In fact, he mentioned it less plainly in the previous letter. But it is quite important that they address the issue immediately. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy God, you demonstrated to us what it means to labor. You labored for six days to create your world and rested on the seventh day. And you declared that all you made was very good. Though we are finite and fallen, we have been given Your Spirit within us and Your Son has taught us to work hard to earn what we need. And to earn enough even to be generous and to give to others who are in need. We thank you for the example of Christ and His apostles in this. And we ask that You would reveal from Your word what it means for Christians to labor and to give and protect us from examples we should not follow. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “Too many Christians worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship.” Anonymous “One of the greatest blessings of humanity is that divine law which requires men to work for their livelihood.” David Thomas [Slide 3] “No labor is servile when the Lord’s approval is the paramount consideration.” Geoffrey B. Wilson “God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into the nest.” Josiah G. Holland Let these words prepare us for the exposition of the text this morning. I.) Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, but we must keep away from disorderly brothers. (6) a. [Slide 4] 6 - Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, i. What is obvious here is that this is the primary application that Paul has in mind for the Thessalonians. ii. After spending a good deal of time comforting them about the persecution they were enduring and correcting them on the teaching of the Day of the Lord, Paul turned his attention to application. iii. However, the first application was, somewhat of a softball. iv. Not in the sense that it is unimportant, but in the sense that it is not corrective. Most likely the Thessalonians were already praying for Paul and his companions and most likely they were already trying to imitate God’s love and Christ’s steadfastness. v. What we notice here though is that Paul’s next application begins with a command. He is not asking… he is telling. vi. The tone of the letter has shifted. vii. I wouldn’t say Paul is angry or irritated. But Paul is certainly becoming more forceful on the issue to which he will speak about next. viii. But notice that he doesn’t command by his own authority. ix. Instead, he calls on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. x. Once again Paul enters into solidarity with them as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Paul considers Jesus Christ to be OUR Lord. Not just the evangelists’ but the Thessalonian church’s too. xi. But this command coming in the name of that Lord, is by His authority. xii. This only serves to further amplify the necessity of the Thessalonians following the command which he is about to give. xiii. So, what is the command? b. [Slide 5] that you keep away from every brother who walks in an unruly manner i. There are four REALLY big words in this text that we need to understand if we are going to grasp the importance of what Paul is saying. ii. The first is the verb “keep away”. 1. The word means to avoid, steer clear from, to shun, to have nothing to do with, or to stand aloof. 2. This form of the verbs is in the infinitive which completes the command of Paul. This is what Paul is commanding. To keep away. 3. This is also in the middle voice. In English we don’t have middle voice. But Greek does. 4. Middle voice is an action you do that inherently has consequences, results, or benefits to yourself. It is reflexive. 5. The keeping away then, is not just an action being done for the person who is unruly, but it is also an action being done to protect yourself. 6. Keep yourself away from them… 7. Avoid like the plague lest you contract the disease- would be a rather loose paraphrase but it gets the idea across. 8. The Puritan commentator Johnathan Trapp said this, “That ye shun them as studiously as the [sailor] doth a rock or shelf.” 9. In an honor/shame culture such as this, shunning was quite effective to render results. Added to this, the church was already being gravely mistreated by those outside the church. To shun them now, after suffering together for the sake of Christ, would leave them quite alone. iii. The second word we should discuss is the noun “brother”. 1. Even though Paul is not going to discuss the person they should avoid in glowing terms, Paul remains convinced that such a person is still a brother. 2. This will feed into something we will discuss later in this passage concerning church discipline and what it means to treat someone like a tax collector and gentile while at the same time admonishing them like a brother. But we’ll get to that next week in Part 2 of this sermon. 3. But it is important for us to recognize that Paul is advising avoiding these folks, but still thnks of them as believers. iv. The third word we should discuss is the participle “walks”. 1. Etymologically the word begins with a prefix which means “around” or “concerning” and ends with the verb form of the Greek word which means to walk. 2. So “to walk around” something. 3. But this isn’t giving us the idea of a person who is aimlessly wandering. 4. Instead, this is a person who is circling or hovering over something. 5. In this we get the idea that this is something they live in or have made a practice of. 6. This being a participle, it is describing the character of a brother whom the Thessalonians are to avoid. 7. But what is that character and lifestyle? v. That brings us to the fourth word here which is the adverb “unruly”. 1. No doubt because of this passage and the associations of the people to whom Paul is referring, this word is translated in some versions as idle or lazy. 2. However, as we saw in 1 Thessalonians, we should not conflate these two ideas together. 3. They are certainly unruly because they are idle, but idleness is not the sum total of unruliness. 4. To be unruly is to be out of order. It is to be irregular, different, not conforming to a standard, sticking out, or independent. 5. The church is not a group of individuals it is instead a body or organization that when broken apart is less than what it was together. 6. When we are together – we are stronger, better, more alive. When we are broken apart, we are less, weaker, and more prone to temptation and despair. 7. No one in the church should try to stick out, to not conform, to rebel, or to make their own way. 8. The church should function as ONE in as many areas as possible. And you can’t function as one when you are not doing what everyone else in the church is doing. You can’t function as one when you are not like the rest. 9. Paul’s point is that a person whose lifestyle it is to stick out and not conform, that is a person the Thessalonians should avoid. 10. You can’t be a rogue operative; you can’t be a maverick. You can’t do you own thing. vi. But that brings us to a question… how the same must we be? Is there no room for individuality in the church? vii. Paul answers this by further defining what divides orderly from disorderly. c. [Slide 6] and not according to the tradition which they received from us. i. Although this begins with an “and” we should probably see this not as a second characteristic of the brothers that should be avoided but rather an explanation of the disorderly lifestyles of brothers that should be avoided. ii. Specifically, a person becomes disorderly or unruly when they live in such a way that is out of step with the Christian traditions that have been passed down from Christ, to His apostles in the Scriptures, and now to the church. iii. Failure to conform to what the Scriptures teach whether by explicit statement or good and necessary inference, is what Paul is saying. iv. This divides into two categories. Doctrine and practice. 1. Let me give you an example of Doctrine both explicitly stated and inferred by good and necessary conclusion when considering the whole of scripture. a. The bible explicitly tells us that God created the universe by speaking it into existence. In order to not be disorderly, every Christian MUST confess this as truth. b. The bible teaches several things that if we added them together, we must by good and necessary inference, arrive at the conclusion that God is three persons in one eternal being and essence. In order to not be disordered, you must confess the doctrine of the trinity. 2. How we live also comes down to Christian tradition. It too is stated in explicit and inferred ways. a. The bible explicitly tells us that we must honor our earthly fathers and mothers in the Lord. It even tells us why. For this is right. So much so that a child who is disobedient to their parents is excluded from the Kingdom of God. Any brother who makes a lifestyle of not honoring or obeying their parents is someone we should avoid. b. The bible teaches in several passages that it is right for Christians to submit to governing authorities because their authority has been granted from God to punish the guilty and protect the innocent. Therefore, by good and necessary inference we can conclude that Christians must endeavor to obey the traffic laws of our government. Anyone who makes a lifestyle of disobeying traffic laws should be avoided. v. But rather than just avoiding them or shunning them, shouldn’t we say something to them? Shouldn’t we warn them of their disorderly conduct? vi. Paul already has actually. 1. In 1 Thessalonians Paul told the Elders to admonish the unruly. He also told the church as a whole to make it their ambition to lead a quiet life and work with their hands to supply for themselves. 2. At the end of the letter Paul implored them by the Lord that they would read the letter to the whole church. 3. And so, Paul has already told the Elders to admonish these brothers. vii. So, what is different here? 1. Paul is approaching the final step of church discipline but hasn’t quite gotten there yet. 2. He commands that the church keep away from these people and then he will move on to rebuke them publicly. We’ll get to that public rebuke and what should happen if they continue to be unruly next week. viii. But it is instructive that Paul first addresses the danger posed on the other believers in the church concerning these disorderly people. They must be avoided to prevent the disorder from spreading. ix. Paul’s priority is on the church as a whole and not on the ones being disorderly. They will be addressed and their actions rebuked – but the first priority is getting those who are still in order to avoid those who are not. x. Some have said that THE goal of church discipline is the restoration of the sinning believer. That is A goal… but it is not THE goal of church discipline. xi. Paul gives us THE goal of church discipline… and it is the purity of the church. A church purely adhering to the Christian tradition which Christ gave to His apostles. d. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Paul predicates the command he makes on the authority of Christ. As a godly leader he must teach God’s will for His people. And in this, he issues a command directly from the throne of God and the Lord Jesus who sits at His right hand. That command is simply to not be in intimate fellowship with those who are living a lifestyle that is out of step and out of order with the Christian traditions that have been passed down from Christ to His church. The doctrines that Christ taught and the commands Christ demonstrated, should be conformed to by every single member of the church. Therefore, they should not associate themselves with those who are out of order. We too must distance ourselves from brothers and sisters who continue to live a lifestyle that is not conforming to the doctrines and commands Christ and His apostles taught and demonstrated. We must do this primarily so that we are kept safe from their disorder, but also so they may feel the isolation and return and conform. [Slide 8 (blank)] Transition: Of course we have to ask, what kind of disorderly behavior is Paul talking about? Certainly, people aren’t conforming to the teaching and commands of Christ – but what specifically is happening there in Thessalonica that needs to be addressed and how should they protect themselves from becoming disorderly in the same way? II.) Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must work hard to provide for ourselves and brothers in need. (7-10) a. [Slide 9] 7 - For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we did not act in an unruly manner among you, i. When we understand that to “keep away” from the disorderly brothers is an action we do with a benefit for ourselves, the “for” connects overtly to the command to keep away. ii. Why must we keep away for ourselves? iii. Because we might start to imitate the unruly ones. We might start to follow their example. Sin tends to spread. Like cancer in the body or worms in a bushel of apples. iv. Therefore, the Thessalonians need to keep away from and avoid these disorderly brothers because they know that they are supposed to be imitating the evangelists instead. v. And Paul, Silas, and Timothy did not give them an unruly example. vi. They not only told them what the Christian traditions were, but they believed and obeyed them also. They taught and demonstrated those traditions to the Thessalonians. vii. But how specifically were the evangelists NOT unruly? b. [Slide 10] 8 - nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, i. Here we start to get to the specifics of the way in which these brothers are being unruly. ii. Up to this point Paul has spoken mostly in generalities. Disorder and lack of conformity to belief and practice. iii. But now Paul outlines how he and his companions acted among them and… how they didn’t act. iv. His first example is that they did not eat anyone else’s bread without paying for it. v. At this time, there was an expectation to financially support traveling preachers and prophets. vi. This tradition stretched beyond Judaism and across all faiths, even paganism. vii. Of course, this led to traveling preachers and prophets peddling nonsense or strange ideas primarily to fleece people. viii. Because of this, Paul, throughout his ministry, continued to refuse to be supported by the generosity of the city in which he was preaching. ix. His effort was to divorce the idea of paying him money for the gospel message. The gospel was already difficult enough to believe, even without a cover charge. x. And so, Paul is not talking about being rude here… he is merely pointing out that he did not take from people when he could have paid for it himself. xi. Not only that… but Paul and his companions had a great work ethic too… c. [Slide 11] but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; i. Paul points out that he and his companions labored not only in the giving of the gospel and the teaching of the Christian tradition, but even in earning a living for themselves while they were in Thessalonica. ii. They did this because they did not want to put financial strain on those to whom they were sharing the gospel. iii. Paul and his companions were not only hard workers but were also loving and compassionate to their brothers and sisters to whom they were ministering. iv. They did not want to strain them or burden them with financial pressure while they taught them the scriptures. v. Well, that is probably because it is ethically wrong to be financially provided for by those to whom they minister, right? d. [Slide 12] 9 - not because we do not have the authority, i. It is not ethically or morally wrong for someone who ministers to a group of people to seek to have their needs met by those to whom they minister. ii. Indeed, as Paul points out in 1 Timothy, it is good and right that an Elder who labors long in preaching and leadership should be provided for. iii. As evangelists and Paul as an apostle, he is well within his rights to ask for compensation for his labor to bring the word to the Thessalonians. iv. So, why didn’t Paul do that? e. [Slide 13] but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would imitate us. i. Paul and his companions endeavored to be hard working and compassionate teachers toward this fledgling church so that they could provide an example to follow. ii. The Thessalonians also should be both hard working and seeking to give to other believers and not take from other believers. iii. This is the example the evangelists gave and it is still one they know they should follow instead of the example of the disorderly ones. f. [Slide 14] 10 - For even when we were with you, we used to command this to you: i. Paul now reminds the Thessalonians that it was not by mere demonstration that they had received this instruction. ii. It wasn’t merely the evangelist’s example, although that should have been enough. iii. Instead, it was a command that they had given to them. iv. What was the command? g. [Slide 15] if anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat. i. The word “willing” is a very important word in this command. ii. The word means to wish or be inclined or disposed to do something. iii. It does not speak of ability. iv. Paul is not saying that regardless of whether you are able to work or not, you must work or you should not eat. v. Instead, Paul is aiming at those who are not disposed to work. They aren’t inclined to work. They are idle. Lazy. They are averse to hard work and earning a living. vi. Therefore, I think we could say that anyone who is able to work but doesn’t would fall into this category of “unwilling”. vii. Such a person should not be allowed to eat. They should not be supported financially by anyone. The government, the church, the family. Paul commands that a person who is able to work but simply unwilling, should starve. That is proper motivation for that person to work hard for their own living. viii. What about those who are able but cannot find work? 1. If you are able to work but truly cannot get hired by someone to take care of your needs, then this command would not apply to you. 2. However, sometimes when people are not being hired it is because they are not wiling to accept a job that pays less than they would like or has them working harder than they’d like. In that case, I believe that this command would apply. At some point if you are able to work, you should take whatever job or jobs you can to provide for your needs. ix. Does this mean that retirement is unbiblical? 1. Retirement that includes the plan to live off of other people’s wealth instead of living off your wealth, I would say, would fall into this category. 2. But retirement that is based on living off the wealth that you have accumulated… that fits right in to what Paul is saying here. x. The main disorderly and unruly conduct that Paul is driving at, is the ability to work coupled with the unwillingness to work and the willingness to take provisions from others when you do not truly need it. xi. We see this in 2 Timothy when Paul addresses the support of widows. What did he say there? 1. If a widow is young, she should get married and have her husband support her. 2. If a widow has family, she should get them to support her. 3. Only when a widow is truly destitute, that is when the church puts her on the list for support. xii. In the same vein, a person who is able to work… must work hard to have enough for himself and also enough to help those who are truly in need. h. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Again, Paul has taught and Paul has demonstrated all that he is expecting of the Thessalonian church. He has commanded them that they should work hard to provide for themselves and those who are truly in need. He demonstrated it by working hard so he could provide the Christian tradition to the Thessalonians. So not only must the Thessalonians keep away from the influence of the disorderly but they should also follow the example of Paul and his companions and work hard to provide for their needs as well as for others who are unable to care for themselves. We too must work hard and provide for ourselves and others. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] Godly leaders can say, as Paul says here, imitate me. Why can they say that? Because they are imitating Christ. Certainly, following men can turn into hero worship and lead to many catastrophes. We must be careful of that. But insofar as a man calls you to imitate him in the ways he is imitating Christ, you can go ahead and assume it is safe to imitate him. Paul demonstrated what orderly churchmanship was. He demonstrated what it meant to work hard and provide for yourself while also caring for others. And he commands the Thessalonians to do as he did. We too must obey two commands from this text. We must keep away from those who are living out of step and not setting Christlike examples, and we must instead imitate a Christlike lifestyle regarding labor by working hard and providing for ourselves so that we have enough to give to others who are truly in need. But what does this mean for us today? How can we apply this in the 21st century? 1.) [Slide 18] 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 discipleship is creating others who imitate us as we imitate Christ. a. This isn’t the first time we spoken of this in the study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. b. Paul makes it very clear that his view of discipleship is essentially creating others who are like him. c. He can do this because he is imitating Christ. d. Certainly, the goal is Christlikeness. But we often get a little befuddled when we try to implement that. e. What does it mean to be like Christ? Sometimes that is difficult to answer. f. Not only that, but godless people in our day and others who have no intention of obeying what Jesus said, have often spoken about being like Jesus. Usually, they speak this way to try to pass some kind of legislation or political agenda that relies on a distorted sense of love and compassion over what is legal, wise, or best for the country. g. “Jesus would love them no matter what they choose.” “He gets us.” And other empty and trite ideas of who Jesus was without any intention to obey the other things Jesus said. h. But imitation of your mentor… imitation of a godly leader… imitation of someone whom you know loves Jesus and lives in accordance with His ways… that is much more accessible to us. i. And I think Paul knew this. j. It is highly unlikely that any Thessalonian church member had ever met Jesus. k. Paul was Jesus to them. Not in a heretical way or an idolatrous way – but the way the Thessalonians knew who Jesus was, was by observing Paul and his companions. l. Parents… the first real example of Jesus that your children will observe… is you. i. Now answer truthfully… ii. Do you want them to follow your example? Is your example one that leads them to be like Christ? Are your priorities, your passions, your pursuits… are they what Christ would prioritize, pursue, or be passionate about? m. Elders, we must be blameless and above reproach. We must be in Paul’s position as being Christlike. A church lead by men who are phoning it in or living to build their own kingdoms or beating their own hobby horses – is a church that is sure to crumble. We must teach all of what Christ taught and demonstrate what it means to be like Jesus. n. Elderly in our congregation – God has preserved you to now. You have not yet been called home. What does that mean? You still have a responsibility to teach and demonstrate Christlikeness to your families, and to those in the church who are younger than you. o. All of us are called to make disciples. Which means all of us are called to imitate Christ and tell others to imitate us. p. If your example isn’t worth following… then you are unruly and you need to be avoided. Don’t stay there! It is time to conform to the Christian tradition. It is time to be pressed into Christ’s mold. 2.) [Slide 19] 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 although Christ’s church is diverse, conformity to Christian tradition is not an option. a. Although Jesus calls and unites all kinds of people in His church, ultimately, He is conforming them to one image. His own. b. While we may have different skin tones, ethnicities, socio-economic positions, views on certain non-moral political issues, interests, hobbies, personalities, and priorities – ultimately, we have the same standard for faith and practice. c. That standard is the standard of the apostles… which is the standard of Christ. d. Our diversity is important. It is what gives God the most glory for this entity known as the church being united though we are so diverse. e. But there is no room for diversity in core doctrine and clear biblical commands. Doctrine and lifestyles must be brought into conformity to the Scriptures which are ultimately an explanation of the teachings and commands of Christ. f. The church won’t thrive with diverse opinions on primary doctrinal issues. The church probably won’t thrive with diverse opinions on a large number of secondary issues. g. We must be conformed to the Christian tradition. There is no room for novelty in doctrine or revolution in practice. h. We must keep going BACK to what the church has always taught. That will lead us to what the apostles taught. Which will lead us to what Christ taught. And the Scriptures are the road to get us there, with historical church creeds and confessions being that road’s guardrails. 3.) [Slide 20] 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 keep away from those who do not conform to Christian tradition. a. So what do we do when we find someone who is unruly? b. What do we do when people believe teachings that are new and different than something we’ve been taught? c. What do we do when we see people living contrary to what we’ve been taught to live? We must keep away from them. d. They are still a brother or sister. We aren’t declaring them to be unbelievers. We aren’t even treating them like unbelievers. Not yet anyway. e. But we are treating them like they are diseased. Sick. Infected. f. When someone in the family contracts a highly contagious disease, we don’t disown them or kick them out of the house. But we do distance ourselves from them or take precautions when treating their illness. g. This is what Paul is commanding. We must be very cautious around professing believers who are believing or living in ways that are out of step with what the Scriptures teach. h. We should avoid them to protect ourselves, but also as an isolation exercise. When they see the rest of the church disengage from their teaching and/or lifestyle, and they find themselves on an island all alone – to a true believer, that is a HUGE red flag. i. We know novelty in doctrine is always bad. And we know that most of the time, when our lifestyle is unlike anyone else – that isn’t good either. j. Separation from a disordered Christian is a warning to them… its time to get back in line and conform to what everyone else is doing. 4.) [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 work hard to provide for ourselves and those who are truly in need. a. This is the heart of the message Paul wants to get across not only to the church as a whole but more specifically those believers who are disordered. b. He has already discussed it in his first letter. But here he gets much more to the point. c. He and his companions’ example was to work hard, earn what you eat, and keep burdens off of other believers. d. The goal behind this is to ensure that you are at least a neutral draw on church resources, if not a positive giver to it. e. The church in Acts is said to never have had anyone in need because they shared what they had with one another. Not by compulsion as socialism and communism teaches. It isn’t forced wealth distribution. It is just as anyone had a need, the church came together to meet it. f. What does this require? g. It requires everyone working hard to earn enough to care for themselves and a little extra to help care for one another. h. If God blesses you with more, He is most likely prompting you to help even more than others. God is faithful to equip His people for what He is calling them to do. i. But when you could work and don’t, or when you earn more than enough but never give to the work of the church or to the needs of other believers – you are out of order. You are failing to keep the Christian traditions. j. Some Christians believe that the tithe is a mandate in scripture. i. Since we are not Israelites, and since the New Testament never teaches it, we recognize that the strict 10% temple tax is not something that we need to observe as New Testament believers. ii. But the New Testament does teach us to give cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the church and the needs of believers. iii. What does that mean? iv. Although the 10% temple tax is not mandated, I’m not sure we can say that the New Testament teaches us to give less. In fact, I think I could make the argument that it implies that, at least at times, we give much more than 10% of our gross income. v. This is a concept that I have found many young believers don’t quite grasp. Many young believers think that by giving a few hundred dollars to the church every year, they are giving sacrificially. vi. And they would be doing just that if they only earned $5,000 that year. vii. But in reality, a few hundred dollars a year when God has given you 50 to 100 thousand dollars that year in income – it is hard to say that that giving is sacrificial. k. Let me just say I am very uncomfortable talking about this. I also want to make clear that our family is well-provided for, and I am in no way angling for a raise. l. With those two caveats, we all must understand what the Christian tradition is on labor and giving. m. Christians have been taught by Christ and His apostles, since the beginning of the church, to work hard to provide for yourself, and to give cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the ministry and to the alleviation of believers in need. n. So how are you doing on that front? o. If you struggle to give sacrificially, or have just realized that you haven’t been giving sacrificially at all… p. Perhaps, for you, 10% is a good place to start. Not as a rule or law… but as an easy entry into this concept. q. And the nice thing about 10% is that is scales to what the Lord gives you. Those with less, give less. Those with more, give more. 5.) [Slide 22] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Jesus has given gifts of godly leaders to teach and demonstrate Christlikeness. a. We live in an era of mistrust. And I don’t think we are called to trust leaders unconditionally. b. But I’ve seen the pendulum swing both ways. c. I’ve seen godly pastors bullied, abused, ganged up on, belittled, ridiculed, and treated more like a church’s slave than its servant leader. d. I’ve also seen ungodly pastors revered, followed, and obsessively supported to the point that no matter what they do wrong – everyone sees them through rose colored glasses. e. But Christian, Jesus didn’t design either of these to be His church. f. He gave gifts to the church. Apostles first to get the church off on a good foundation. He gave prophets to keep the church physically safe and on the correct path in doctrine. He gave the church Shepherds in the office of the Elder to teach and spiritually care for the flock. And He gave the church evangelists to leave their gathered assembly to take the gospel message to people who have never heard. g. The purpose of these gifts was to equip the church for ministry. The church does the ministry and the leaders teach and demonstrate it. h. That should be a great comfort to us but it is also a rebuke to us who may be tempted to see the church or the Elders as something different than I have just described. 6.) [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The goal of salvation is for you to conform to the Christian tradition, not getting out of hell. a. Certainly, talking about the lake of fire and the eternal punishment for sin, is a message we need right now. b. Especially because our culture largely views God as a big soft teddy bear that doesn’t judge you, and just loves you for who you are. c. God does love His creation – but that won’t stop Him from justly judging all who are not made perfect in Christ. d. And that is just it… God never says anywhere that the goal of salvation is to save men from His own judgment. In fact, the Scriptures teach that the goal of salvation is first, to bring Him glory, and He does that by carving out a people who love, honor, worship, and obey Him progressively in this life and perfectly in His Kingdom. e. Christ perfectly loved, honored, worshipped, and obeyed God while He was on earth. f. He died for the sins of His people. g. He was raised to defeat death and He now has the keys to that realm. h. And He sends His Spirit to be with and help those who are His to become more and more like Him until He finally saves them in the end and perfects them for His kingdom. i. My friends, salvation isn’t about getting out of hell. It is about making a people who are no longer fit to be there. A people who are holy. A people who reject the lies of sin and Satan and submit to their Lord and King, Jesus. j. Perhaps you’ve come to Christ to get you out of hell – but not to rule your life. k. Perhaps you’ve never come to Christ at all. l. Those who turn from their sin and trust in Him alone… will be saved. Which means that they will be conformed to Him. m. What will you do with this Jesus? n. Let me or another Christian know if you would like to start being conformed to Jesus today. [Slide 24 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer from the reformer John Calvin. Almighty God, you see how your Church today is miserably torn by many conflicts. You see how there are so many traitorous ministers who continue to plague it. Help us to experience what you have promised in Scripture by your prophet: That you will be the perpetual guardian of your chosen people—people you have received and embraced so they can move ahead with courage through any conflict and emerge as conquerors. Would you also now stretch out your hand against the sin you have denounced? Reduce to nothing not only those who oppose you and your servants and your children, but also those serpents who harass and torment your church through intrigue, fraud, and other indecent means. Do this until at last we see a full triumph in your kingdom, together with Christ Jesus, our Lord and head. For it is in His name we pray this… Amen. Benediction: Now may He who is the mystery of godliness, He who appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, and taken up in glory; May He humble you under His mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time. Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.