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		<title><![CDATA[Columbus Baptist Church's Podcast]]></title>
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		<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Sermons]]></itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:author><![CDATA[Christopher Freeman]]></itunes:author>
		<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Wanting to listen to all our sermons? Not just the last 10? Go to http://columbusbc.com/church-cast 

These are the sermons and services of Columbus Baptist Church.

We are located at 1258 Palms Rd. in Columbus MI 48063

You can reach us at 810-367-3094 or secretary@columbusbc.com

]]></itunes:summary>
		<description><![CDATA[Wanting to listen to all our sermons? Not just the last 10? Go to http://columbusbc.com/church-cast 

These are the sermons and services of Columbus Baptist Church.

We are located at 1258 Palms Rd. in Columbus MI 48063

You can reach us at 810-367-3094 or secretary@columbusbc.com

]]></description>
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			<itunes:name><![CDATA[Columbus Baptist Church]]></itunes:name>
			<itunes:email>pastorchrisfreeman@gmail.com</itunes:email>
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				<title><![CDATA[Ephesians Introduction]]></title>
				<category>Podcast</category>
				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Christopher C. Freeman]]></itunes:author>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2026 10:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[01 Luke 6:27-36 Love more like Jesus]]></title>
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				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Bill Stewart]]></itunes:author>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 10:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[01 Hebrews 4:14-16 Three Reasons We Can Approach Our God and Savior in Our Time of Need]]></title>
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				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Gary Montgomery]]></itunes:author>
				<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Sermon from Columbus Baptist Church's Podcast]]></itunes:subtitle>
				<itunes:summary><![CDATA[]]></itunes:summary>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 10:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[01 Psalm 51 A Song For The Repentant]]></title>
				<category>Podcast</category>
				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Chris Freeman]]></itunes:author>
				<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Title: A Song for The Repentant Text: Psalm 51 FCF: We often struggle knowing the depth of our sin and our hope only in God for mercy. Prop: Because God alone is the only hope for sinners, we, being sinners, must seek Him alone. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1]]]></itunes:subtitle>
				<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Title: A Song for The Repentant

Text: Psalm 51

FCF: We often struggle knowing the depth of our sin and our hope only in God for mercy.

Prop: Because God alone is the only hope for sinners, we, being sinners, must seek Him alone.

 

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Psalm 51. In a moment we’ll read the psalm from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 629 or in whatever version you prefer.

 

One Puritan writer compared the preparation and delivery of a sermon on Sunday as the preacher going to the market and grocery shopping for the congregation. He provides the raw materials for the flock to prepare for themselves spiritual meals for the remainder of the week. I have found this illustration to be accurate.

 

For the last nine months we’ve been eating from one particular diet together. But sometimes it is good to take a break from the normal and shop in different aisles of the store. As a pastor I am commanded to preach the whole counsel of God’s Word. And so, for the next three weeks we’ll get some variety to our spiritual diet.

 

Today, we will approach a rather well-known but theologically rich and incredibly relevant psalm. Psalm 51.

 

Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.

 

Invocation:

Holy and infinite God, you are unlike all that is in Your creation. You are perfect and pure. You are right and just in all Your ways. Yet we are sinners. We fall short, miss the mark, and transgress Your ways. Yet You are merciful none the less. You are kind and gracious. You have made provision to forgive and to restore those who are broken and contrite. You have made a way for the repentant to be set free. I pray that You would help us to see, through the anguish of the psalmist, the path to mercy and forgiveness. I pray that you would help us to understand how repentance is not only the first word of the gospel but is the path to receiving mercy from You. Teach us in this song Lord, we pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. 

 

Transition:

[Slide 2] “When we truly comprehend our own nature, repentance is no dry doctrine, no frightening message, no morbid form of self-flagellation. It is, as the early church fathers said, a gift God grants which leads to life.” Charles Coleson

 

[Slide 3] “Every man feels more comfort and spiritual joy after true repentance for a sin than he had in that innocence before he committed the sin.” John Donne

 

“Real repentance produces confession and forsaking of sin, reconciliation and restitution, separation from the world, submission to the lordship of Christ and filling of the Holy Spirit.” Vance Havner

 

[Slide 4] “Upon the two hinges of faith and repentance do all the promises of the Bible hang.” George Swinnock

 

“The grief of repentance is never loss in any way; not to experience this grief, that is loss indeed.” R.C.H. Lenski

 

Let these words wash our minds to prepare us for the exposition of this psalm this morning.

 

I.)                  God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must confess the depth of our sin and look to God for cleansing and a restored relationship to Him.   (title – 5)

a.       [Slide 5] For the choir director. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

                                                               i.      Scholars agree that although th...]]></itunes:summary>
				<description><![CDATA[Title: A Song for The Repentant

Text: Psalm 51

FCF: We often struggle knowing the depth of our sin and our hope only in God for mercy.

Prop: Because God alone is the only hope for sinners, we, being sinners, must seek Him alone.

 

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Psalm 51. In a moment we’ll read the psalm from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 629 or in whatever version you prefer.

 

One Puritan writer compared the preparation and delivery of a sermon on Sunday as the preacher going to the market and grocery shopping for the congregation. He provides the raw materials for the flock to prepare for themselves spiritual meals for the remainder of the week. I have found this illustration to be accurate.

 

For the last nine months we’ve been eating from one particular diet together. But sometimes it is good to take a break from the normal and shop in different aisles of the store. As a pastor I am commanded to preach the whole counsel of God’s Word. And so, for the next three weeks we’ll get some variety to our spiritual diet.

 

Today, we will approach a rather well-known but theologically rich and incredibly relevant psalm. Psalm 51.

 

Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.

 

Invocation:

Holy and infinite God, you are unlike all that is in Your creation. You are perfect and pure. You are right and just in all Your ways. Yet we are sinners. We fall short, miss the mark, and transgress Your ways. Yet You are merciful none the less. You are kind and gracious. You have made provision to forgive and to restore those who are broken and contrite. You have made a way for the repentant to be set free. I pray that You would help us to see, through the anguish of the psalmist, the path to mercy and forgiveness. I pray that you would help us to understand how repentance is not only the first word of the gospel but is the path to receiving mercy from You. Teach us in this song Lord, we pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. 

 

Transition:

[Slide 2] “When we truly comprehend our own nature, repentance is no dry doctrine, no frightening message, no morbid form of self-flagellation. It is, as the early church fathers said, a gift God grants which leads to life.” Charles Coleson

 

[Slide 3] “Every man feels more comfort and spiritual joy after true repentance for a sin than he had in that innocence before he committed the sin.” John Donne

 

“Real repentance produces confession and forsaking of sin, reconciliation and restitution, separation from the world, submission to the lordship of Christ and filling of the Holy Spirit.” Vance Havner

 

[Slide 4] “Upon the two hinges of faith and repentance do all the promises of the Bible hang.” George Swinnock

 

“The grief of repentance is never loss in any way; not to experience this grief, that is loss indeed.” R.C.H. Lenski

 

Let these words wash our minds to prepare us for the exposition of this psalm this morning.

 

I.)                  God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must confess the depth of our sin and look to God for cleansing and a restored relationship to Him.   (title – 5)

a.       [Slide 5] For the choir director. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

                                                               i.      Scholars agree that although the titles of the psalms are very old, they are not original to the text of the psalm itself.

                                                             ii.      Although not inspired by God, they still can serve as a contextual commentary for the occasion of the psalm by an ancient commentator.

                                                           iii.      We should read this title then, as we might read the writings of Polycarp, Irenaeus, or Clement of Rome.

                                                           iv.      With those caveats, there really is no reason to doubt the title given to Psalm 51.

                                                             v.      Everything in the psalm seems to fit the context described which occurs in 2 Samuel 11 and 12.

                                                           vi.      After Nathan the prophet comes and confronts David for his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite, David realizes his sin and repents.

                                                          vii.      What is noteworthy however, is the personal nature of the repentance voiced in this psalm but knowing that David submitted this into the psalter for all of Israel to sing.

                                                        viii.      Most often we don’t think of personal repentance as something that is public. In fact, due to shame we wish it to be private. Indeed, David tried to hide his sin with Bathsheba by killing her husband.

                                                            ix.      But now David makes his repentance public to all of Israel. Why?

                                                             x.      Two reasons. First, his sin had become public. And second, he is the King of Israel. That is what leaders do.

                                                            xi.      So now, let us explore this song for the repentant.

b.       [Slide 6] 1 - Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the abundance of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

                                                               i.      David begins his song of contrition, with a plea for God to be gracious.

                                                             ii.      That God would give him favor and compassion that is consistent with His loyal love.

                                                           iii.      The word “lovingkindness” is one of the most important words in the Old Testament. It is used almost 250 times and each time there is some difficulty bringing it into English. Why? Because it has many ideas rolled into it.

1.       There is the aspect of covenant loyalty where there have been promises made to be loyal.

2.       Faithfulness

3.       Love

4.       Goodness

5.       Graciousness

6.       Kindness

7.       All of these are bound into this word. Therefore, it is difficult to come up with a good English word to encapsulate all of it.

8.       Lovingkindness is often used, I think I prefer Loyal love.

                                                           iv.      In any case, David pleads with God to be gracious to him in a way that is consistent with that covenant love and faithfulness that God has.

                                                             v.      We can understand even more about this as David writes the second half of this verse.

                                                           vi.      In the psalms there are often relationships between phrases. The second phrase can reword, explain, expand on, or be set in contrast to the previous phrase.

                                                          vii.      David’s second phrase here helps us to understand what God dealing according to His loyal love would look like.

                                                        viii.      It is according to God’s abundant compassion, and the graciousness he desires of God is specifically to blot out his transgressions.

                                                            ix.      Blotting out here means to forgive but it carries with it a destructive or punitive component. To blot something out means ink must be scrapped off the page or the tablet record must be smashed.  

c.       [Slide 7] 2 - Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

                                                               i.      David continues begging God to wash and cleanse him.

                                                             ii.      David wants to be free of the sin he has committed.

                                                           iii.      And notice that David has used three different words to describe his failure. Why?

                                                           iv.      Iniquity, transgression, and sin are different words that when combined together serve to paint the whole picture of sinfulness. Whether it is a minor misstep or outright rebellion, whether it is accidental or purposeful, the full scope of sin is encompassed with these three Hebrew words.

                                                             v.      But why does David desire to be washed?

d.       [Slide 8] 3 - For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

                                                               i.      He is fully aware of his failures.

                                                             ii.      He knows them, why? Because they are ever before him.

                                                           iii.      He is haunted by what he has done.

e.       [Slide 9] 4 - Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight,

                                                               i.      Is David’s statement here true?

                                                             ii.      In one sense it isn’t. He certainly sinned against Uriah, whom he had murdered. He certainly sinned against Bathsheba with whom he fornicated. He certainly sinned against the people of Israel by failing them as their King.

                                                           iii.      But in a very real sense, every sin is ultimately against God. And sinning against God is far more egregious than sinning against another human being.

                                                           iv.      David’s statement here is not to excuse himself from the hurt he caused others… rather, it is to recognize that ultimately his sin against others is a sin against God first.

                                                             v.      He has done evil.

                                                           vi.      In fact, sins against other humans can easily be dismissed. We often justify our sins against others because they deserve it. It is a twisted sense of justice that we come up with.

                                                          vii.      But when all sins are against God – who never earns our sins against Him… we are without hope for justification.

                                                        viii.      And that is what David goes to next.

f.        [Slide 10] so that You are justified when You speak and pure when You judge.

                                                               i.      David confesses that God is right to speak against him and to judge him.

                                                             ii.      There is no shadow of doubt in David’s mind… God can and should punish him for his sin.

                                                           iii.      And then David says something even more astounding.

g.       [Slide 11] 5 - Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.

                                                               i.      Some have tried to interpret this verse to say that David is confessing that he was conceived as a result of some adulterous or sexually immoral behavior by his mother.

                                                             ii.      Although grammatically that is possible, there is no justification contextually to interpret the verse this way.

                                                           iii.      It is just as grammatically possible that David is talking about his own sinful condition and its origin.

                                                           iv.      David has been begging for God’s gracious and loyal love, recognizing his own sin and even saying that God is just to judge him.

                                                             v.      If David was conceived by an act of sin, that is his mother and father’s sin… not his. And that has no real bearing on what he is saying in the psalm so far.

                                                           vi.      The only real possible interpretation, which is almost universally accepted by Old Testament scholars, is that David is talking about his own sinful condition and when it infected him.

                                                          vii.      Now I won’t say that this verse outright teaches the doctrine of original sin – but it certainly accords with it. What is the doctrine of original sin?  

                                                        viii.      [Slide 12-16] Turn with me to Romans 5 and we will read not just verse 12 which is the supposed proof text of this doctrine… but let us read 12 through 21.

1.       The doctrine of original sin is important (though it is under attack today) primarily because Paul sets Adam and Jesus up as two representatives. Jesus is actually called the last Adam by Paul in 1 Corinthians.

2.       He specifically calls Adam a Type of Christ. Meaning that what Adam has done is like what Christ has done. It is actually what we’d call an anti-type.

3.       Just as Jesus secures life, righteousness, and acceptance from God, our former representative Adam doomed us to death, sin, and condemnation from God.

4.       It is by Adam’s failure that all men die, inherit a sin nature, and are condemned before God earning His wrath. And this is all before they ever commit a sin themselves.

5.       Paul says that though the law had not yet come to reveal sin, men still died… why? Because they were sinners already even if they didn’t know they had committed sins against God.

6.       Paul says in Ephesians that we are children of wrath… by nature. Naturally. We are born that way.

7.       It has been expressed this way, “We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners.”

8.       This is the doctrine of original sin. And what David says here is right in line with that doctrine.

                                                            ix.      [Slide 17] At his very conception… he was ALREADY a sinner. At his birth he was brought forth in iniquity. Before David ever committed any sin willfully, he was already a sinner in his heart.

                                                             x.      This serves as further proof that God is just and pure to judge him for his sin.

                                                            xi.      David does not see his sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah as a rare blemish in a long history of otherwise righteous behavior. Instead, he confesses, that this sin was borne out of his very nature.

h.       [Slide 18] Summary of the Point: As a song for the repentant this psalm focuses on one primary truth. And that is that God alone is the only hope for sinners. In the opening stanza, David explains why that is. Why is God alone the only hope for sinners? Because we are all sinners by nature. The depth of our sin is great and the stain of sin is impossible for us to remove. And worse still, every sin is ultimately a sin against The Creator and Judge of the universe. He will rule in justice. He will never pardon the guilty. In that economy, in that legal climate to where else can we run than to the judge? Indeed, we must confess our sinfulness before God and seek Him alone for mercy and to cleanse us and to restore us to a proper relationship with Him.

 

[Slide 19 (blank)] Transition: But what is the solution to David’s problem?

 

II.)                God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must seek God for a change from the inside out.   (6-12)

a.       [Slide 20] 6 - Behold, You delight in truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

                                                               i.      Now David moves to the solution of his sin problem.

                                                             ii.      Although he is a sinner by nature, he knows that God delights in the innermost person. Who we are inside. But David has already said that who he is naturally, inside, is a sinner.

                                                           iii.      So, if God is to grant mercy and restore the relationship, God must act in his innermost being and must give him truth and wisdom.

                                                           iv.      David isn’t going to find it on his own.

b.       [Slide 21] 7 - Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

                                                               i.      David speaks now of a cleansing.

                                                             ii.      Hyssop is a plant used in ritual cleansing ceremonies performed by the priest. It would be dipped in the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled on things and people to make them ritually pure.  

                                                           iii.      David is asking for God, as his priest, to spiritually, morally, cleanse him and make him cleaner, purer, and whiter than he has ever been. To truly make him righteous.

c.       [Slide 22] 8 - Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which You have crushed rejoice.

                                                               i.      Daivd begs for joy and gladness even from the same bones which God has crushed in shame and guilt.

                                                             ii.      David desires to be free of the anguish of sinning against God.

                                                           iii.      He wants to be vindicated. He doesn’t want this sin to be synonymous with him any longer.

d.       [Slide 23] 9 - Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.

                                                               i.      Most often in the Old Testament, God hiding his face is a bad thing.

                                                             ii.      Here, however, David doesn’t want God to look on his sin.

                                                           iii.      He wants it ignored, gone, separated, expiated, atoned for.

e.       [Slide 24] 10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

                                                               i.      David asks God to give him a new heart. One that is clean.

                                                             ii.      To actually create (not recreate) a new heart within him.

                                                           iii.      We see striking similarity to David’s plea and God’s promises concerning the new covenant where he will give a new heart of flesh to those whom He is saving.

                                                           iv.      David then asks for a steadfast spirit. A spirit that is able to endure temptation again and choose righteousness.

f.        [Slide 25] 11 - Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

                                                               i.      As we saw in 2 Thessalonians, no one can truly go out from the presence of God. Why? Because God is everywhere and He is every when.

                                                             ii.      But, to be cast from His “face” presence, which is the Hebrew word here, is to be put away from his favor and his compassion.

                                                           iii.      Disagreement abounds on how the Holy Spirit interacted with Old Testament saints. Did He merely come upon them? Did He regenerate them? Did He indwell them?

                                                           iv.      We certainly do know that the Spirit came upon Old Testament people to empower them to do things. Much like the Holy Spirit fell upon people in the New Testament to produce sign gifts.

                                                             v.      And this could, perhaps, be what David is referring to. He doesn’t want the Spirit to be taken from him as the King of Israel.

                                                           vi.      However, we could see this as hyperbolic language where David is basically asking that the Spirit not be grieved.

                                                          vii.      We have already said that the presence referred to previously is the benevolent presence of God. So, taking the Spirit away could simply mean, grieving Him or experiencing a dryness or farness from God’s presence.

                                                        viii.      In any case, David’s plea, really, is to return to a right relationship with God.

                                                            ix.      And that is what he says next.

g.       [Slide 26] 12 - Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.

                                                               i.      David wants to go back to the days when he rested in the joy of God’s deliverance and saving grace.

                                                             ii.      He wants God to give him a spirit which desires to obey God, and that obedience to God will be what sustains him.

                                                           iii.      David wants to walk in right standing with God.

                                                           iv.      Such is the desire of all who are truly repentant.

h.       [Slide 27] Summary of the Point: This song of repentance shows us that God alone is the only hope for sinners. So not only does David seek God to cleanse him from sin, but He seeks God to change him from the inside out. He seeks God to make him a new creation. He seeks God to help him to never be this way again. We too must seek God to change us.

 

Transition:

[Slide 28 (blank)] The repentant heart does not just want to be washed, restored, and changed. A repentant heart also wants to warn others who might fall into the same traps.

 

III.)               God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must teach sinners of Him and His ways.  (13)

a.       [Slide 29] 13 - Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.

                                                               i.      David moves on to the result of the restoration of his relationship with God.

                                                             ii.      Only when he is restored will he be able to teach others who are sinners God’s ways both by command and demonstration.

                                                           iii.      Only when he is free from these things will he be able to instruct others of God’s ways and see them convert to following God.

                                                           iv.      David sees his relationship with God as the foundation of his evangelistic efforts.

b.       [Slide 30] Summary of the Point: David is beginning to widen his focus. He begins with God, expands to himself and God, and now he expands to himself and God and others who are sinners and do not worship God. David recognizes that after his restoration he can once again turn to sinners and point them to God. He has just come to God for mercy. He can point them there also. We too must teach by command and example that sinners must seek God alone for mercy and forgiveness.

 

[Slide 31 (blank)] Transition: But there is yet another aspect of his life that has been affected by his sin. David must now seek deliverance so that he can properly worship God.

 

IV.)              God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must be repentant of sin if we are to worship God.  (14-17)

a.       [Slide 32] 14 - Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

                                                               i.      Worship of God is harmed by his status.

                                                             ii.      He is guilty of murder.

                                                           iii.      Although there are no external standards set for worshipping God, our sin makes us unworthy to worship Him. This is why a sacrifice was required for the Israelites and this is one of the reasons Jesus had to die. So that an atonement could be made for us so we could be brought near to God.  

                                                           iv.      David reveals that only when he is delivered from murder can he sing, joyfully, about God’s laws and righteousness.

b.       [Slide 33] 15 - O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.

                                                               i.      With guilt and shame, we are often chased into silence. We hang our heads and we close our mouths.

                                                             ii.      With guilt comes great sorrow and despair.

                                                           iii.      David asks the Lord to open his mouth so that he can worship Him and praise Him. Why?

                                                           iv.      Because when we sin against Him, praising Him is far from our minds.

                                                             v.      When you feel like a wretch you feel unworthy to speak to Him, let alone sing to Him.

                                                           vi.      But God again is the one David turns to. Though God is the one offended, David again turns to the One He offended for help to praise Him.

c.       [Slide 34] 16 - For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. 17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

                                                               i.      A sacrifice is required to worship God, to bridge the gap between sinners and a Holy God we need a sacrifice.

                                                             ii.      However, ritual sacrifices without true repentance is repugnant to God.

                                                           iii.      Mere confession of truth and belief in a Savior without genuine repentance and obedience is equally as repugnant to God.

                                                           iv.      The real sacrifice, or might we say, the effective sacrifice is one that brings a broken spirit and contrite heart over sins committed.

                                                             v.      A person who comes in this way, God will surely show mercy to.  

d.       [Slide 35] Summary of the Point: David is relentless. God is the only hope for him. He recognizes his murder guilt. He knows that only God can deliver him from it. And until God does, he is not able to sing in joy or praise to Him. David would gladly offer every sacrifice under the sun to rid himself of his shame – but a broken spirit and contrite heart is the sacrifice that is necessary. And that is what he has come with. For us also, if we are to worship God properly, we must be continually repentant of sin.

 

Transition:

[Slide 36 (blank)] The final two verses widen David’s focus to all of God’s people.

 

V.)                God alone is the only hope for sinners, we must trust the Lord that He will one day gather His people together to worship Him perfectly, forever.   (18-19)

a.       [Slide 37] 18 - By Your favor do good to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.

                                                               i.      David now expands even further his view to the people of God.

                                                             ii.      He has seen how his sin has alienated him from God.

                                                           iii.      He has seen how his sin prevents him from speaking to sinners about the Lord.

                                                           iv.      He has seen how his sin prevents him from worshipping God.

                                                             v.      But now he sees how his sin has affected all of Israel.

                                                           vi.      He asks God to be favorable and gracious to Zion, and to build the walls of Jerusalem.

                                                          vii.      Zion is often interchangeable with Jerusalem but definitely has an eschatological, new Kingdom layer to its meaning as well.

                                                        viii.      Zion is not simply the physical city of Jerusalem it represents the future hope of a future kingdom governed from a future version of Jerusalem that is perfect.

                                                            ix.      Zion speaks not just of the kingdom itself but to its holy citizens.

                                                             x.      We know that David is referencing this future Kingdom because at this time the walls of Jerusalem were already built. They don’t need to be rebuilt.

                                                            xi.      David asks that God fulfills his promises to His people.

b.       [Slide 38] 19 - Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

                                                               i.      There are a few points we need to see in his final statement here.

                                                             ii.      When this future Zion comes, this perfect Kingdom that God has promised His people, at that time God will delight in righteous sacrifices.

                                                           iii.      Righteous sacrifices is an interesting term. Before he said that God doesn’t delight in sacrifices and that His sacrifices were a broken spirit and contrite heart.

                                                           iv.      But in this new Kingdom, God delights in sacrifices that are up to the standard that God has set. They are perfect. They are complete.

                                                             v.      And God will delight in righteous burnt offerings where all that was acceptable was completely burnt up.

                                                           vi.      Furthermore, at that time, young bulls will be offered on His altar.

                                                          vii.      What is this saying?

                                                        viii.      I think we could at very least say that at this time the sacrifices will be perfect and they will be filled with thanksgiving and peace with God.  

                                                            ix.      But I think we could take this even further to suggest that David is looking ahead to a time when sacrifices are no longer performed to deal with sin.

                                                             x.      Perhaps David looks ahead to a time when sacrifices mean something completely different. Looking back… instead of looking forward.

c.       [Slide 39] Summary of the Point: A song for the repentant ends with a look to the future, which is what all repentant people should look to. We trust the promises of God that He is near to the contrite. We don’t dwell on our past failures, but we continue to turn from them and to what God commands of us. God alone is the only hope for sinners. And Christ died for sinners. So, we look and trust in the promises of God through His Son that one day He will return and bring us into His Kingdom… forever.

 

Conclusion:

So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles.

 

Basics of Faith and Practice:

[Slide 40] After Nathan confronts David and exposes his sin, David is cut to the heart. This song he has written after those events, are no doubt an accurate representation of his pleas to God for restoration. Entering this song into the psalter, David invites all of God’s people to worship the Lord with a song of repentance. A song of contrition. For that is what repentance is. It is an act of worship. It is an act of faithfulness to God. Turning from sin and to God is the first word of the gospel that Jesus proclaimed.  And this song is a paradigm, a template, a pattern for all who would repent of their sin and turn to God. It could be a wrote prayer we pray to God concerning our own sins. It could be a song we sing in our heart as we seek the Lord for restoration. Psalm 51 is a gift to us from a broken man. We too must be broken and repentant. We must seek God alone, because he is the only one who can help sinners in their plight. And we must seek Him to forgive, restore, and bring us safely to His Kingdom.

 

But let’s get a little more specific on what this psalm teaches us.

 

1.)    [Slide 41] 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 God alone is the only hope for sinners.

a.       Why is this true? Why must we affirm this?

b.       Let’s start where David started.

c.       God alone is the only hope for sinners because He alone is gracious, compassionate, and loyally loving.

                                                               i.      God is able to cleanse and deliver us.

                                                             ii.      God is concerned about our inmost parts and who we are at our very core. Not just our thoughts and emotions, not just our bodies, but our very souls.

                                                           iii.      God as our Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. He formed us and shaped us in the womb. He has fearfully and wonderfully made us.

                                                           iv.      God can create new hearts. He can create a new steadfast spirit in us.

                                                             v.      God can sustain us. God gives favor, love, grace, kindness, goodness, and salvation.

d.       But this only tells us that God is the best hope for sinners. Why must we conclude that God is the ONLY hope for sinners?

                                                               i.      Because all mankind are sinners by nature. All mankind are children of wrath by nature.

                                                             ii.      All men, through Adam, inherit death, condemnation, and sin.

                                                           iii.      God is right to judge every single human ever born who are born with Adam as their representative, because through Adam, all men inherit this sin status before God.

                                                           iv.      And regardless of what men do in this life… they begin as sinners. And because they are sinners… they will… indeed, they must… sin.

                                                             v.      Sinners cannot save themselves. They cannot work hard enough to restore a relationship with God on their own.

                                                           vi.      David even said that if there was a sacrifice that God would have accepted, he would have given it. But God desired a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

                                                          vii.      God desires all of us to come to that one conclusion – that we are hopeless without Him.

e.       All sinners have only one hope. And it is God.

f.        That is awkward… why?

g.       Because God stands in judgment over them as a righteous judge.

h.       But this just illustrates the desperate condition of sinners. We are so hard up for help that our only recourse… is to ask the judge who just sentenced us… the judge who wrote the law we broke… for mercy.

i.         It is a good thing… He is near to the contrite. 😊

2.)    [Slide 42] 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 see this Psalm as a pattern for those who are repentant.

a.       There are many kinds of repentance out there.

b.       Paul speaks of a repentance that leads to death. Just like James speaks of a faith that leads to death.

c.       Remarkably they are similar.

d.       Both faith without works and repentance without works lead to death.

e.       A repentance that stops at “I’m sorry” but then continues to do the same thing over and over again – is not repentance.

f.        A repentance that produces sorrow because you were caught but not because you have sinned against God… that leads to death too.

g.       2 Corinthians 7 is a great passage in which to turn for a good description of genuine repentance… but if you want an even clearer prayer or song of repentance… I can show you nothing better than Psalm 51.

h.       This is what genuine repentance looks like.

i.         And it begins with…

j.         [Slide 43] Confession of sinful condition and plea for cleansing

                                                               i.      Notice that David confesses his sinfulness.

                                                             ii.      He doesn’t make excuses. He doesn’t blame anyone else.

                                                           iii.      He doesn’t try to justify his actions.

                                                           iv.      He doesn’t try to excuse himself.

                                                             v.      He doesn’t even treat this as something that came out of nowhere.

                                                           vi.      He confesses that he has been a sinner from conception. He confesses that he is worthy of God’s just judgment.

                                                          vii.      But he pleads that God would act in his compassion, loyal love, and priestly role to cleanse him.

                                                        viii.      We too must confess our sinful condition without caveat and without excuse and seek Him to cleanse us.

k.       [Slide 44] Plea for change from the inside out

                                                               i.      It is not enough to simply be cleansed of wrong doing… no.

                                                             ii.      We must be made new.

                                                           iii.      We must seek to be different.

                                                           iv.      We must seek to have the sin completely disassociated from us. To the extent that no one would believe that we had ever committed such a sin before.

                                                             v.      We must be changed from the inside out – not by following a list of rules, but conforming ourselves to Christ by faith.

                                                           vi.      We must seek closeness with God through His Spirit who lives in us and submit to the Spirit’s guidance in our own sin’s eradication.

                                                          vii.      Repentance cannot stop with forgiveness… it must continue to change. We must turn from sin, not simply be ashamed of it. Many people are ashamed of what they do and who they are… but that doesn’t stop them from doing and being that very thing.

                                                        viii.      Repentance moves on to change.

                                                            ix.      But it isn’t change in a vacuum.

l.         [Slide 45] Desire to be a beacon to other sinners of God’s righteousness

                                                               i.      There is a purpose to holy living.

                                                             ii.      Jesus said let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify God in heaven.

                                                           iii.      We are a city on a hill which cannot be hidden.

                                                           iv.      We are a light in the dark which cannot be concealed.

                                                             v.      Indeed, when we are repentant people being cleansed and conformed to God’s righteousness, we are in a perfect position to point sinners to our God.

                                                           vi.      If we are sinning the same way everyone else is… why would they heed our pointing them to a God of righteousness?

                                                          vii.      But if we are changed and new people – when we tell them we are being conformed to God’s standard, they must take note.

                                                        viii.      But repentance isn’t just for evangelism it is also for worship.

m.     [Slide 46] Desire to worship God with a clear conscience

                                                               i.      We cannot worship God with a clear conscience when we know that we are actively pursuing sin that He detests!

                                                             ii.      We cannot intentionally pursue sin on Saturday and come to worship God on Sunday!

                                                           iii.      I know the trite phrase “Come as you are” is very popular today. And in some ways it is true. You don’t have to put on airs to worship God. You don’t have to wear a tuxedo or do your hair all up.

                                                           iv.      You don’t even have to come to God as a perfect person in order to worship Him.

                                                             v.      But you certainly cannot worship God and be unrepentant of sin at the same time.

                                                           vi.      Worthy worshippers of God are not those without sin, but they are those who HATE their sin.

                                                          vii.      But a truly repentant person longs for the day… that we are without sin…

n.       [Slide 47] Desire to see and join with the future Eternal Kingdom of righteousness and thanksgiving

                                                               i.      Some people who claim to be Christians rarely think of heaven.

                                                             ii.      Some people who claim to be believers, if they were honest with themselves, when they hear of the coming kingdom they can’t believe how boring it sounds.

                                                           iii.      But those who are truly repentant. Those who have been given the gift of repentance and faith unto life… those people look at a Kingdom built of righteousness and thanksgiving… and they can’t… wait… to be there!

                                                           iv.      The purging forever of sin and the dawn of righteousness and thanksgiving forever… that is what that New Kingdom will be. And if that doesn’t sound very good to you… perhaps you only have a repentance that leads to death?

3.)    [Slide 48] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Repentance is the first word of the gospel.

a.       When Jesus began his ministry on earth the gospel writers record that his message was generally to repent and believe the gospel.

b.       The gospel, of course, was the good news that the One that the prophets had spoken of was here and with Him the New Covenant which gives new hearts to God’s people.

c.       But the first word… before believing the gospel. Before trusting in Christ. Before surrendering to Him. Before claiming Him as Savior and Lord…

d.       Is Repent.

e.       Repent means to turn from sin. And if you have even vaguely been listening during this sermon… you know that Psalm 51 is what repentance look like.

f.        No one can believe the gospel until they first confess their own miserable status as sinful and hopelessly guilty before a holy God. No one can believe the gospel until they understand that there is absolutely nothing they can do to make themselves right with God. No one can believe the gospel until they abandon hope in anything else saving them except in what God offers IN THE GOSPEL.

g.       Until you see Christ as your only hope, you cannot possibly believe the gospel.

h.       And so my friends… if you are here today and you have never turned from your sin… may this be the day of your salvation.

i.         Repent and believe the gospel.

j.         Turn from your sinfulness and cry out to God in desperation to save you and deliver you.

k.       And whether you do that today for the first time… or you are a believer who continually is turning from sin and believing the gospel… be comforted by this…

4.)    [Slide 49] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God is merciful to the truly repentant.

a.       God is always merciful to truly repentant people.

b.       He doesn’t have to be.

c.       He isn’t obligated to be.

d.       But He is like no other god real or fictitious.

e.       He is near to the broken hearted. He is close to the contrite. He is ready to hear your pleas for mercy and He is ready to forgive, cleanse, restore, and change you.

f.        Repent is not a bad word. It is not an aggressive word. It is a word of worship. It is a word of hope. You can turn from all the hopeless dead ends… and you can cry out to the only hope you have for life… Mercy from a Holy God.

 

[Slide 50 (end)] Let me close in a prayer by the Reformer Lancelot Andrews

 

Son of David, you have found a ransom for me. Have mercy on me. Lord, help me!

 

Even the dogs may eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Have patience with me, Lord. I confess I do not have the ability to pay. Forgive me the entire debt, I beg you.

 

Will you forget me forever, Lord? How long will you hide your face from me? For how long can I seek answers in my own soul, and yet be so frustrated in my heart, day and night? For how long will my enemies triumph over me?

 

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God. Flood my eyes with light, so I will not fall asleep in death. For if you cast me down, those who trouble me will celebrate.

 

But my trust is in your mercy which I seek in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Benediction:

May you dwell under the shadow of God's throne,

Where saints have dwelt secure,

Where His arm is sufficient and your defense is sure.

 

Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.]]></description>
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				<title><![CDATA[15 I & II Thessalonians Finale]]></title>
				<category>Podcast</category>
				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Chris Freeman]]></itunes:author>
				<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Title: 1-2 Thessalonians: Finale Text: The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians FCF: Prop: The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians is about God’s people, saved, growing, and enduring until Jesus returns. Sermon Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to the books of 1]]></itunes:subtitle>
				<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Title: 1-2 Thessalonians: Finale

Text: The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians

FCF:

Prop: The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians is about God’s people, saved, growing, and enduring until Jesus returns.

 

Sermon Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. For the last 9 months over the course of 34 sermons, we have covered all 136 verses of the canonical letters of Paul to the church in Thessalonica. Though they are two distinct letters, having been written only months apart and having several common themes, they could be observed as two chapters of one book.

 

Today will be a different kind of message. Instead of looking at a particular text, we are instead going to assume the role of systematic theologians. Rather than sitting back and allowing one thought to pour over us from the text – we will instead fit together all we have learned into categories of truth.

 

Although Paul doesn’t outline for us what the main or primary purpose of each letter is – it is not difficult to gather the themes of each and come to a synopsis of what exactly Paul wanted to get through to the Thessalonians.

 

I have printed an outline for each book. Some of them are available in the back still, but if you need a copy of either, let me know and I’ll be happy to provide them. It is also worth noting that every sermon from this series is available in audio format on our website and almost all of them are available in video format on our YouTube channel. So, if you ever want to go back and review, or listen along with your own personal study, that is available for you. And that goes for every series I have preached here since I preached through Galatians, which was, believe it or not, 10 years and 2 days ago.  

 

We will begin this finale study by looking over the general timeline of the two books’ composition and what each book touches on broadly. Then we will analyze the two books together for major themes and look for how those themes lace together with the rest of the scriptures and how they continue to be applicable for us today. Then we will put all those themes together to form a single yet dense sentence of the main theme of these two books.

 

But first let me pray to get us started this morning.  

 

[Slide 2] The Timeline:

·         Paul, Silas and Timothy teach for a few months in Thessalonica

·         Paul is chased out of Thessalonica by the Jews

·         Paul goes to Corinth

·         Paul sends Timothy to check on them

[Slide 3] The Reason

·         Timothy has reported back

·         They are being shunned by unbelievers in Thessalonica

·         They are confused on eschatology. They don’t want any in the church to miss it, living or dead.

·         They have some lingering areas which need growth, including sexual immorality, love of one another, and working to provide for themselves. There are some unruly busy bodies causing some issues too.

[Slide 4] The Content of Letter 1

·         Thanksgiving for what God did in their hearts

·         Encouraging growth in faith, love, and hope.

·         Correction of eschatology

·         Hope in identity in Christ

·         Labor in love, work out faith

·         Need for peace from God

[Slide 5] The Timeline:

·         Paul sends the first letter with Timothy

·         Paul continues work in Corinth with increasing persecution

·         Paul anxiously awaits Timothy...]]></itunes:summary>
				<description><![CDATA[Title: 1-2 Thessalonians: Finale

Text: The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians

FCF:

Prop: The Books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians is about God’s people, saved, growing, and enduring until Jesus returns.

 

Sermon Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. For the last 9 months over the course of 34 sermons, we have covered all 136 verses of the canonical letters of Paul to the church in Thessalonica. Though they are two distinct letters, having been written only months apart and having several common themes, they could be observed as two chapters of one book.

 

Today will be a different kind of message. Instead of looking at a particular text, we are instead going to assume the role of systematic theologians. Rather than sitting back and allowing one thought to pour over us from the text – we will instead fit together all we have learned into categories of truth.

 

Although Paul doesn’t outline for us what the main or primary purpose of each letter is – it is not difficult to gather the themes of each and come to a synopsis of what exactly Paul wanted to get through to the Thessalonians.

 

I have printed an outline for each book. Some of them are available in the back still, but if you need a copy of either, let me know and I’ll be happy to provide them. It is also worth noting that every sermon from this series is available in audio format on our website and almost all of them are available in video format on our YouTube channel. So, if you ever want to go back and review, or listen along with your own personal study, that is available for you. And that goes for every series I have preached here since I preached through Galatians, which was, believe it or not, 10 years and 2 days ago.  

 

We will begin this finale study by looking over the general timeline of the two books’ composition and what each book touches on broadly. Then we will analyze the two books together for major themes and look for how those themes lace together with the rest of the scriptures and how they continue to be applicable for us today. Then we will put all those themes together to form a single yet dense sentence of the main theme of these two books.

 

But first let me pray to get us started this morning.  

 

[Slide 2] The Timeline:

·         Paul, Silas and Timothy teach for a few months in Thessalonica

·         Paul is chased out of Thessalonica by the Jews

·         Paul goes to Corinth

·         Paul sends Timothy to check on them

[Slide 3] The Reason

·         Timothy has reported back

·         They are being shunned by unbelievers in Thessalonica

·         They are confused on eschatology. They don’t want any in the church to miss it, living or dead.

·         They have some lingering areas which need growth, including sexual immorality, love of one another, and working to provide for themselves. There are some unruly busy bodies causing some issues too.

[Slide 4] The Content of Letter 1

·         Thanksgiving for what God did in their hearts

·         Encouraging growth in faith, love, and hope.

·         Correction of eschatology

·         Hope in identity in Christ

·         Labor in love, work out faith

·         Need for peace from God

[Slide 5] The Timeline:

·         Paul sends the first letter with Timothy

·         Paul continues work in Corinth with increasing persecution

·         Paul anxiously awaits Timothy’s report

·         Paul sends second letter

[Slide 6] The Reason

·         Timothy has reported back

·         Now being persecuted

·         Now deceived on eschatology thinking it has already come because some preachers and a letter that said it was from Paul said so.

·         The unruly are still a problem

[Slide 7] The Content of Letter 2

·         Thanksgiving for what God continues to do in their hearts

·         Encouragement for persecution

·         Correction of Eschatology

·         Hope in being chosen by God

·         Correcting the unruly

·         Need for peace and grace

 

Transition:

[Slide 8 (blank)] So now that you can remember at least broadly what Paul has written, let’s synthesize all that information into some major themes across both 1 and 2 Thessalonians. I have narrowed it down to 7 major themes that all feed into the primary theme which we will dissect last of all. So, let’s get started.  

 

I.)                  [Slide 9] Discipleship = Imitation

a.       Paul mentions imitation in both letters.

b.       Paul talks about the Thessalonians successfully imitating his example. He also talks about he and his companions’ example being one worth imitation.

c.       And by extension, Paul indicates that because the Thessalonians have imitated him and his companions, they themselves are worthy of imitation.

d.       In this we see that in Paul’s mind the heart of discipleship is one person following Jesus and encouraging others to follow them as they follow Jesus.

e.       In that sense if we simply follow the person who is closer to Christ than we are, we will always be following Christ.

f.        [Slide 10] So how does this theme relate to the rest of the New Testament?  Well Paul addresses this in the Pastoral epistles where he tells Titus to have the older men teach the younger men and the older women teach the younger women. He doesn’t just say teach them Christ’s commands, although that is certainly part of it. He tells them to teach by example and produce those who imitate them. Peter lifts himself up as an Elder as an example to other Elders. In Acts the church first devotes themselves to the apostles’ teaching. That is interesting. They were contemporaries of Christ, yet the apostles were the ones they were imitating. Why? Because the apostles were imitating Christ.

g.       [Slide 11] How does this theme work itself out in the whole counsel of scripture? As we look to the Old Testament, God continually raised up men who served as examples. The Patriarchs in general were examples to Israel. When a King was a godly King, he was said to follow in the footsteps of David. When he was ungodly, he was said to follow in the footsteps of Jeroboam. Here we see that godliness is taught and demonstrated through imitation. And so is ungodliness. Proving the axiom that more is caught than taught.

h.       [Slide 12] What impact does this concept have on us today? There are literally thousands of curriculums, courses, books, seminars, and philosophies surrounding the idea of discipleship. Some churches have pastors of discipleship.  My point is not to say that these are foolish or a waste of time, necessarily. But the long and the short of it is, if you think of discipleship as a 12-week course to graduate from and not imitating those who are godly around you – you might have missed it. Imitation is much simpler and much more accessible. We might not be able to attend a 12-week course, but anyone can observe someone they know loves Jesus and is a godly person and endeavor to live like they live. This doesn’t eliminate the need for intentional discipleship. But even when we intentionally disciple we must be someone who is worthy of imitation. All the while we continue to point ourselves toward imitating Christ.

 

[Slide 13 (blank)] Transition: What is another piece of puzzle helping us form the primary theme of these books?  

 

II.)                [Slide 14] True believers have nothing to fear regarding the Day of the Lord

a.       In both letters Paul addresses some fear or anxiety concerning the Day of the Lord.

b.       Have those who died missed it?

c.       Will it be so subtle we’ll miss it?

d.       Are you sure because we have heard preaching saying we missed it?

e.       Paul not only informs them that they can’t possibly miss the Day of the Lord – but he also, in both books, assures them that those who are truly God’s people, have nothing to fear about the Day of the Lord.

f.        They might experience hardship and difficulty – but they won’t be judged with the wicked. And they won’t miss out on the kingdom. It doesn’t work that way. God saved them FOR this Kingdom… and nothing can change that.

g.       [Slide 15] How does this theme present itself in the New Testament? In every entry of the New Testament concerning the end times and the Day of the Lord they serve both as a warning to those who are wicked and a comfort to those who are righteous. Those who have been made righteous in Christ should be comforted, not frightened, concerning the Day of the Lord. And those who are wicked should be warned. A third group exists as well. Those who claim to be righteous but are bearing no fruit, are warned that unless they do bear fruit, they will be swept away with the unrighteous. Not because they didn’t bear fruit… but because they were never actually righteous.

h.       [Slide 16] Do we see this theme in the Old Testament as well. Perhaps even more so. The Prophets especially speak often of the Day of the Lord. And in those texts we also have three groups of people addressed. The wicked are warned of their judgment, the righteous are promised their coming reward, and those who live disobediently but claim to be God’s people, are warned to obey lest they be swept away with the wicked too.

i.         [Slide 17] What does this theme mean for us? There is a lot of variety when it comes to eschatology. There are many different views and most of them are quite valid from the scriptures. But a view of eschatology that does not give comfort to God’s true people, is a view that must be denied. Any view that denies the eternal punishment of the wicked, must be denied. Any view that allows you to live however you want, unchanged, and inherit God’s Kingdom still, must be denied. And unfortunately, that eliminates several false teachings that are running rampant today. Be wise and understand that only the righteous will enter that Kingdom and only the righteous have nothing to fear on the Day of the Lord.

 

[Slide 18 (blank)] Transition: That’s two themes down. What is the next piece of the puzzle?

 

III.)               [Slide 19] True believers stand firm in and hold fast to the Christian Tradition

a.       We defined Christian tradition as the doctrines and lifestyles that Christ gave to His apostles to give to the church as it grew and expanded.

b.       In this, we see the first theme overlap a bit into this one.

c.       Since discipleship is imitation, true disciples of Christ should be imitators of Him and all who imitate Him.

d.       In that they will continue to hold fast to the doctrines Christ taught through His apostles and they will continue to stand firm in the lifestyles that Christ and his apostles taught and demonstrated.

e.       This is why when professing believers stop confessing truths or stop living in ways that conform to Christ, we begin to doubt or lose confidence in their profession of faith.

f.        [Slide 20] This concept is found in the rest of the New Testament as well. When we studied 1 and 2 Peter, James, Jude, 1-3 John, Galatians, Acts, and Matthew we saw this theme on repeat. True believers, true followers of Christ… follow Christ. They conform to what the master taught and lived. That is the nature of following Him. Meaning that any who don’t… have lost all assurances that they are indeed His follower.

g.       [Slide 21] How does this theme present itself in the whole counsel of God? In the Old Testament God kept pointing back to what He had done. He kept pointing back to positive and negative examples of people following Him and being blessed and not following Him and being cursed. It becomes clear that those who are truly His remnant are those who consistently obey what He tells them to do. They consistently worship Him exclusively and live uprightly. The ones who are God’s are those who conform to His standard and not to the nations around them.

h.       [Slide 22] How does this theme impact us today? We cannot love the world and God at the same time. If we love the world the love of the Father is not in us. It is so easy to let values of this world creep in. It is easy to let lifestyles of this world overtake us. But we must constantly be comparing our beliefs and lifestyles to the examples of Christ and his apostles through the Word of God. We who are true children of God must and ultimately will stand firm in and hold fast to the Christian Tradition.

 

[Slide 23 (blank)] Transition: Three down four to go.

 

IV.)              [Slide 24] True believers grow in faith, love, and hope.

a.       This is a theme that Paul overtly developed in his first letter, but certainly was present in the second letter.

b.       In many ways it is part of their keeping the Christian traditions in that these three cardinal Christian graces are only possibly to true believers who are in Christ and following Him.

c.       They are called graces because each of these are given by God to His people as gifts.

d.       Faith speaks to not only what we believe but how firmly we hold to it.  Love speaks to not only our love for God but for one another. And hope is rooted in the promises and atoning work of Jesus Christ.

e.       [Slide 25] Analyzing this theme in relation to the rest of the New Testament we observe that, they are called Cardinal graces because throughout the New Testament we see these graces mentioned most among all the gifts we should seek from God in increasing ways. Nearly every New Testament writer mentions these graces as gifts of God to His people to help them walk in His ways.

f.        [Slide 26] In the Old Testament we see these graces too although less explicitly stated. Certainly, faith in what God says, love for Him and others, and hope in His promises are included in everything taught and commanded of the children of Israel.

g.       [Slide 27] What does this mean for us? Since they are graces, we cannot work them up or conjure these on our own. We must seek the Lord for a steady and increasing supply of these as we endeavor to live for him in a fallen world. Of course, because our God is faithful and good, He continues to supply His grace to us in these ways through various means.

 

[Slide 28 (blank)] Transition: More than half way there.

 

V.)                [Slide 29] True believers will endure great suffering before the Lord returns.

a.       Well, this one is a little less encouraging, isn’t it?

b.       Paul mentions this overtly in both letters. He tells them that as believers in Jesus Christ they have been “appointed for affliction.”

c.       And he warns them of the coming apostasy and man of lawlessness who will bring great persecution upon the church.

d.       There is really no way to get around it, if we are followers of Christ, and the world crucified Christ, we shouldn’t expect to be friends of the world.

e.       [Slide 30] Throughout the New Testament we see this theme expounded. Indeed, several letters in the New Testament are written to Christians who are suffering for the sake of Christ. Jesus addresses this and not only says that His followers will have trouble in the world, but also that suffering for His name is a blessing.  And John affirms that the persecution of the man of lawlessness upon the saints in the last days will be quite successful.  He says that the man of lawlessness will be granted power over them.

f.        [Slide 31] But the people of God in the Old Testament were exactly the same. Able was killed out of jealousy because he was righteous and Cain wasn’t. Noah was despised though he spoke the message of truth and judgement. The children of Israel were enslaved to the Egyptians for 400 years. The Assyrians abused them, the Babylonians tried to assimilate them. God’s prophets were hunted and killed, many times by the Israelites themselves. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, was usurped by his own son. Following God and obeying Him has never been a safe path. It has always guaranteed trouble.

g.       [Slide 32] What does this mean for us? We are still enjoying relative freedoms in this country to worship God the way He tells us to. But the tide is turning. The voices of a godless or anti-Christian cause are rising up. And no amount “getting out the vote” is going to stop them. People have long rejected the bible and the God of the bible… it is only a matter of time before they reject the people of the God of the bible. Let’s not get too attached to our comfort Christians. Very soon, it will cost you something valuable to follow Christ. You will have to give up freedoms, possessions, and even family to follow Christ. Are you ready?

 

[Slide 33 (blank)] Transition: Only a couple more themes now.

 

VI.)              [Slide 34] True believers should be excellent in labor and giving.

a.       In both letters Paul desired them to work with their own hands, quietly, and earn a living for themselves.

b.       If they aren’t willing to work, then they shouldn’t be allowed to eat.

c.       Meaning no one should give them food if they just don’t want to do anything.

d.       Furthermore, they should be doing good with their wealth by supplying the needs of those who are truly destitute.

e.       [Slide 35] This theme is repeated in the New Testament both by outright command in some of Paul’s other letters and by example in the gospels and Acts. James describes the destitute as those who truly are unable to provide for themselves like widows and orphans. But even some widows are not truly destitute since they can remarry or be sustained by their family members.

f.        [Slide 36] In the Old Testament we see God putting in His law the care of those who are destitute, even reaching beyond the children of Israel to the stranger and foreigner among them. Not the fact that they are foreigners alone but that they are unable to provide for themselves. God’s heart is near to those who are truly destitute. And therefore, He expects His people, if they are able, to work hard and earn enough to provide for their own family and a little extra to help others.

g.       [Slide 37] What does this mean for us? My friends, Christians should be the example every employer holds up as a hard worker. Christians should provide enough to care for their family’s needs (not wants) but needs. And Christians should be known for their compassionate and joyful giving to alleviate real need first from their fellow believers and then to those outside the household of faith. This is a particularly difficult thing for younger believers to hear, since some generations coming into the workforce right now, are notoriously entitled and think they should be handed a paycheck that provides all their needs and wants for little to no work. To that, you must heed the teaching of Paul. Work hard and have enough to provide your needs and a little extra to provide for others who cannot provide for themselves.

 

[Slide 38 (blank)] Transition: One final major theme of these books remains, and we needed to see all we just did for it to make sense.

 

VII.)            [Slide 39] The church is made of true believers

a.       After spending all this time discussing what true believers look like, we recognize that Paul spends a good deal of time defining what the church looks like.

b.       He also indicates that those who do not look like this should be marked out for disassociation.

c.       Meaning they shouldn’t be treated as part of the community any longer.

d.       That is because the true church only consists of true believers and true believers do all that we’ve been talking about all morning.

e.       [Slide 40] As we look at the whole of the New Testament generally, we find this to be the message of the apostles to the churches they write to. There is an ontological change, a change in the core of your being when you come to Christ. It is not merely a change of mind; it is a change of nature. You become a new creation. You can change your mind about whether or not you like to fly… but you can’t decide to grow wings and fly away. But when we are converted, we are given the Holy Spirit and we are changed from the inside out. This means that conformity to Christ is not only required… it is assured of all those who are truly saved. When someone professes to be of Christ but falters on conforming to Him, that is when the New Testament speaks of disassociation and excommunication from the church.

f.        [Slide 41] While we certainly can’t see the church in the Old Testament, there was a covenant community of Israel and there were strict rules, moral, ceremonial, and civil that guarded entry into and purity within that covenant community. There were certain things that if you did them, you would be removed forever. Cut off. There were others that if you made a practice of them, you’d be cut off.

g.       [Slide 42] What does this mean for us? There has always been a safeguarding of God’s people. Within the covenants that God establishes He sets the rules for who are within and without the covenant community. He also gives us paradigms to determine whether someone needs to be confronted or even removed from that community, even if it is only for a time. Yet the law of God’s love permeates the New Covenant in that we continue to warn people disassociated from us, expected them to eventually repent and return. Why? Because they have confessed Christ. And we have hope that they will repent if they truly are believers.

 

Transition:

[Slide 43 (blank)] So what is the primary theme in these two books? What theme do all these themes feed into?

 

Conclusion:

[Slide 44] God has chosen from the beginning a people whom He will save from sin and death, whom He is continually conforming to His Son, whom the world will hate, who will endure until Jesus returns to save them to His Kingdom, forever!  

 

Let’s break this down line by line.

 

1.)    [Slide 45] First, God is the one doing this.

a.       As with all things, God is the primary mover in all things.

b.       As creator, He is always acting so that His creation can respond.

2.)    [Slide 46] God has chosen from the beginning.

a.       This is, essentially, the sovereignty of God.

b.       God is not responding to things in real time as if He has just come to know them now.

c.       That would necessarily mean that there were things that God did not know which directly contradicts scripture.

d.       And because mankind is so lost, it requires God to act first to save them.

e.       We are told in Scripture and in II Thessalonians directly, that God chose before time began. From the beginning God chose to act.

f.        But what did He choose?

3.)    [Slide 47] a people He will save from sin

a.       This is the doctrine of predestination.

b.       God chose, according to the counsel of His own will, who He would elect and redeem before time began.

c.       He chose because without choosing none would be saved.

d.       He chose not based on what those He was choosing would be or do, but according to His own desires.

e.       God chose a people, individuals from every tribe and nation, to save from sin through Christ’s death and resurrection.

f.        Saving them from sin not only includes sin’s penalty but even sin’s power over them and eventually even sin’s presence in their lives.

4.)    [Slide 48] and death

a.       Of course, what good is it to be saved from sin if you still die with no hope of being raised?

b.       So, God chose not only to save from sin but also to deliver this chosen people from death and into eternal life.

c.       Christ is the firstborn of many brothers who die but will be raised again.

5.)    [Slide 49] whom He is continually conforming

a.       But after saving them from sin and before they are rescued through death, God has also chosen to continually mold this people.

b.       He will not simply save them but will change them. He will conform them… to what?

6.)    [Slide 50] To His Son

a.       It is in Christ that God has ever said He was well-pleased.

b.       Christ obeyed the whole law and pleased the Father perfectly.

c.       And so, God has chosen a people to continually conform to the perfect human, our new representative, Jesus Christ.

7.)    [Slide 51] Whom the world will hate

a.       Of course, in conforming them to His Son, it will mean they inherit all that Jesus inherited, including the hatred of the world

b.       If we are chosen in Christ, we will be a new creation and opposed to the world which is allied against God.

c.       We too will be hated like Christ was

d.       And the more we look like Him, the more that hatred will grow.

8.)    [Slide 52] Who will endure

a.       Even though we are appointed to be afflicted for Christ’s sake, we are equally appointed to endure to the end.

b.       Our faith, if it is genuinely given by God, will endure to the end.

c.       Our obedience and love to God will also endure.

d.       Until when?

9.)    [Slide 53] Until Jesus returns to save them

a.       Although we are saved from our sin upon conversion, we are not saved fully until the Lord Jesus returns.

b.       When He does, our enduring will come to an end and our eternal rest will begin.

c.       But how will we rest? What are we saved to?

10.) [Slide 54] To His Kingdom forever!

a.       We will be given new bodies to dwell in a New Kingdom where all will be made whole and complete.

b.       He will bring order and peace. He will bring us into perfect rest.

c.       And we will never have to be separated from Him ever again.

d.       God has chosen a people to obtain the glory of Christ.

 

[Slide 55 (end)] Why are the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians so uplifting to true believers? Because this is the primary theme. God has chosen us for marvelous things. Wonderful and glorious things. So, hold fast and stand firm. Endure to the end. And then, you will know true rest in Him.

 

Let me pray and thank the Lord for His Word.

 

Until we meet again – Grace and Peace to you.]]></description>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 10:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[14 II Thessalonians 3:16-18 All We Need]]></title>
				<category>Podcast</category>
				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Chris Freeman]]></itunes:author>
				<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Title: All We Need Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 FCF: We often struggle lacking what is necessary to continue following Jesus. Prop: Because the Lord Jesus supplies all, we must seek the Lord for all we need. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible]]></itunes:subtitle>
				<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Title: All We Need

Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18

FCF: We often struggle lacking what is necessary to continue following Jesus.

Prop: Because the Lord Jesus supplies all, we must seek the Lord for all we need.

 

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we will read the concluding benediction of the letter starting in verse 16. I will read from the Legacy Standard Bible but you can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer.

 

Last week, Paul officially buttoned up his main application to the church there in Thessalonica. He wants the issue of the disorderly among them dealt with and has laid out exactly how it should be handled.

 

In the last three verses, Paul introduces three new thoughts which all have one basic application. Seek the Lord. It is perfect way to end this letter and for us to finish our study of 2 Thessalonians.

 

Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.

 

Invocation:

Loving and Merciful Father, You have given Your people Your Son and with Your Son’s ascension You have sent Your Spirit. You have given us, You. And You are all we need. The things of this world are often a distraction to us. We pursue all manner of earthly concerns and use earthly means to make our way through life. We know that this ought not to be. Help us Father to see that You alone are what we need. Convince us through this text that we must seek You. We pray this in Jesus’ name… amen.

 

Transition:

[Slide 2] “Christ is wisdom for your ignorance, strength for your weakness, righteousness for your guilt, sanctification for your corruption, redemption from all the thralldom of apostasy.”  Richard Fuller

 

“Christ is not only the Savior but the salvation itself.” Matthew Henry

 

[Slide 3] “In His life Christ is an example showing us how to live; in His death, He is a sacrifice satisfying for our sins; in His resurrection, a conqueror; in His ascension, a king; in His intercession, a high priest.” Martin Luther

 

“He who thinks he has no need of Christ has too high thoughts of himself. He who thinks Christ cannot help him has too low thoughts of Christ.” J.M. Mason

 

[Slide 4] “Everything that is really worthwhile in the morality of today has come to the world through Christ. Dismiss His standards of right and wrong and try to draw up your own ethical code and see where you will be!” G. Campbell Morgan

 

Let these thoughts prepare our hearts for the exposition of the text this morning.

 

I.)                  The Lord of peace brings peace, so we must seek the Lord for all we need.  (16)

a.       [Slide 5] 16 - Now may the Lord of peace Himself

                                                               i.      In the closing verses of 1 Thessalonians, Paul asked that the God of Peace sanctify them and preserve them complete and holy for the coming return of Christ.

                                                             ii.      When we dissected that title that Paul gave to God, as the God of Peace, we recognize that only Paul and the writer of Hebrews use this title in the New Testament. And they use it exclusively to people who are being persecuted.

                                                           iii.      Because the writer of Hebrews and Paul are what we might call experts in the law of Moses – or Old Testament Scholars,...]]></itunes:summary>
				<description><![CDATA[Title: All We Need

Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18

FCF: We often struggle lacking what is necessary to continue following Jesus.

Prop: Because the Lord Jesus supplies all, we must seek the Lord for all we need.

 

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we will read the concluding benediction of the letter starting in verse 16. I will read from the Legacy Standard Bible but you can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer.

 

Last week, Paul officially buttoned up his main application to the church there in Thessalonica. He wants the issue of the disorderly among them dealt with and has laid out exactly how it should be handled.

 

In the last three verses, Paul introduces three new thoughts which all have one basic application. Seek the Lord. It is perfect way to end this letter and for us to finish our study of 2 Thessalonians.

 

Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.

 

Invocation:

Loving and Merciful Father, You have given Your people Your Son and with Your Son’s ascension You have sent Your Spirit. You have given us, You. And You are all we need. The things of this world are often a distraction to us. We pursue all manner of earthly concerns and use earthly means to make our way through life. We know that this ought not to be. Help us Father to see that You alone are what we need. Convince us through this text that we must seek You. We pray this in Jesus’ name… amen.

 

Transition:

[Slide 2] “Christ is wisdom for your ignorance, strength for your weakness, righteousness for your guilt, sanctification for your corruption, redemption from all the thralldom of apostasy.”  Richard Fuller

 

“Christ is not only the Savior but the salvation itself.” Matthew Henry

 

[Slide 3] “In His life Christ is an example showing us how to live; in His death, He is a sacrifice satisfying for our sins; in His resurrection, a conqueror; in His ascension, a king; in His intercession, a high priest.” Martin Luther

 

“He who thinks he has no need of Christ has too high thoughts of himself. He who thinks Christ cannot help him has too low thoughts of Christ.” J.M. Mason

 

[Slide 4] “Everything that is really worthwhile in the morality of today has come to the world through Christ. Dismiss His standards of right and wrong and try to draw up your own ethical code and see where you will be!” G. Campbell Morgan

 

Let these thoughts prepare our hearts for the exposition of the text this morning.

 

I.)                  The Lord of peace brings peace, so we must seek the Lord for all we need.  (16)

a.       [Slide 5] 16 - Now may the Lord of peace Himself

                                                               i.      In the closing verses of 1 Thessalonians, Paul asked that the God of Peace sanctify them and preserve them complete and holy for the coming return of Christ.

                                                             ii.      When we dissected that title that Paul gave to God, as the God of Peace, we recognize that only Paul and the writer of Hebrews use this title in the New Testament. And they use it exclusively to people who are being persecuted.

                                                           iii.      Because the writer of Hebrews and Paul are what we might call experts in the law of Moses – or Old Testament Scholars, we understood that Paul was probably referencing the name of God Yahweh Shalom.

                                                           iv.      We then recognized the theological significance of the word Shalom. It not only means a cessation of hostilities between two warring parties, but it also means completeness, wholeness, or bringing what was disordered back into order.

                                                             v.      With the ending of 1 Thessalonians it made sense to see Paul’s use of this title to refer to the ongoing work of sanctification in the church, that they would be made whole and complete for the Lord Jesus’ return.

                                                           vi.      But in 2 Thessalonians, we might see the word peace used in another way.

                                                          vii.      Certainly, Paul is hoping and praying for the Thessalonians to gain peace from those who are persecuting them.

                                                        viii.      But, two other ides from this letter seem to be at the forefront in their need for peace.

                                                            ix.      First, the anxiety caused by the false teaching that the Day of the Lord had come. Paul hopes that Christ will use this letter to assuage that anxiety and lead them to peace and comfort in the truth.

                                                             x.      And after his most recent discussion Paul may want peace to bring them back into order.

                                                            xi.      We have already noted that the disorderly among them are still causing problems because they are not working and mooching off the church while using their free time to be busy bodies.

                                                          xii.      To the disorderly Paul has commanded them to get a job and mind their business and stop mooching off the church.

                                                        xiii.      Paul has called the church as a whole to avoid them and if they persist in this disorderly conduct to mark them out for disassociation with the hope that they would repent and return to fellowship soon.  

                                                        xiv.      Now Paul is seeking the Lord of Peace… the Lord of bringing order from chaos… to

b.       [Slide 6] continually give you peace in every circumstance.

                                                               i.      Ultimately it is the Lord Jesus Christ that has the power to bind us together and bring order to His church.

                                                             ii.      When disorderly or unruly brothers and sisters arise in the church, we have been told to do certain things, we have been given instructions on what to do and how…. But ultimately, it is the Lord Jesus who brings order from chaos.

                                                           iii.      When false teaching arises and tempts us to waffle on core doctrines of our faith and practice, Jesus’ presence and teaching brings us back into order.

                                                           iv.      It is always Jesus who brings us back into order. He makes us whole.

c.       [Slide 7] The Lord be with you all!

                                                               i.      Paul’s last comment here is directed at what could be a fractured community.

                                                             ii.      He is not requesting that Jesus be with the orderly, as if all of them are against the disorderly.

                                                           iii.      Nor is he requesting that Jesus be with the disorderly as if in a punitive or corrective way.

                                                           iv.      He is requesting that Jesus be with… all of them.

                                                             v.      The ordered and the disordered alike.

                                                           vi.      Christ will bring them peace. From without and from within. He is our hope.

d.       [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Paul has three final thoughts in this benediction to close out what is the last canonical letter to the Thessalonian church. The first of these is a prayer that the Lord of peace would continually give them peace. The truth behind this, of course, is that the Lord Jesus is the Lord of peace. A title given to him by the prophet Isaiah, is that He will be the Prince of Peace. He will bring all chaos into order. He will bring all brokenness into wholeness. He will make all things new. He is doing that right now for His church. And one day, He will do that for the whole world. By application then, the apostle Paul is pointing the Thessalonians to this Lord of peace. We too must trust Him completely to bind us up and make us whole. He will bring us into order. He will set us right. We must seek Him to do that and all else we need.  

 

Transition:

[Slide 9 (blank)] Paul’s first thought was a hope that the Thessalonians would be given order and peace from their persecution, their anxiety, and their disorder. What is Paul’s second thought he wishes to leave with the Thessalonians.  

 

II.)                The Lord has given His instruction to us through His apostles, so we must seek the Lord for all we need. (17)

a.       [Slide 10] 17 - The greeting is in my own hand—

                                                               i.      The second point Paul raises in his final thoughts to the Thessalonians is one that is somewhat difficult to ascertain at first.

                                                             ii.      We know that Paul used amanuensis (uh-man-yoo-EN-suhs), which was the use of a writer to take down and relay his thoughts in a letter. Probably Silas wrote for Paul in this case, and perhaps he and Timothy also contributed or helped to edit the letter. All of this is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to convey the exact words of God to the Thessalonians and later to us.

                                                           iii.      Scholars also speculate that this was done primarily because Paul’s eyesight has been problematic. Both from his interaction with Christ and the scales forming over them, and then later with a possible bout of Malaria he contracted on his first missionary trip in Cyprus.

                                                           iv.      In any case, Paul takes the pen from whoever is writing on his behalf and chooses to write the words that follow.

                                                             v.      What we have to speculate on, is exactly why Paul calls this out in this letter. He did not do this in his previous letter to them, and he only does this in 5 of his 13 letters in the New Testament.

                                                           vi.      So, what is the significance of his calling out his greeting written in his own hand?

                                                          vii.      Let’s keep reading and see if there are more clues.

b.       [Slide 11] Paul, which is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write.

                                                               i.      Here we find out that Paul puts his handwriting in every single letter he has written, whether he calls attention to it or not. Meaning it also appeared in 1 Thessalonians.

                                                             ii.      What is the purpose of him writing a greeting in each letter?

                                                           iii.      He says it is a “distinguishing mark” which is the word sign. As in “signs and wonders.”

                                                           iv.      Now, having studied the book of Acts, we know that sign gifts like tongues, miracles, healings, and prophesy, were used at the foundation of the church to authenticate that those who spoke the gospel were sent by God or to authenticate that people had actually received the gospel.

                                                             v.      In that same vein, we see that Paul’s mark, or his handwritten message serves as an authentication that he himself is sending this letter.

                                                           vi.      He identifies himself by his handwriting.

                                                          vii.      Because it is truly from Paul, it bears the authority of an apostle of Jesus Christ, which carries the weight of Christ Himself.  

                                                        viii.      So, why is Paul pointing to this letter being authentic and authoritative?

                                                            ix.      Well, way back in chapter 2, remember that Paul was dealing with the Thessalonians receiving teaching, preaching, prophesy, or even letters that were confusing the Thessalonians and convincing them that the Day of the Lord had already come.

                                                             x.      He even mentions that the letter supposedly came from him and his companions.

                                                            xi.      In this letter, Paul has directly contradicted that false teaching about the Day of the Lord.

                                                          xii.      Therefore, he calls out his personal greeting to remind the Thessalonians that unless a letter bears HIS handwriting in some location in the letter – it is NOT FROM HIM.

                                                        xiii.      They are to compare any letter supposedly from him, with this one to verify its authenticity and authority.

c.       [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Paul’s second thought he wishes to convey to the Thessalonians is the rubric for determining whether something is authentic and authoritative. Of course, we know that the teachings of Paul are not Paul’s own invention but are rather handed down from Christ, verified by the rest of the apostles, and then passed on to the churches Paul founded in his missionary journeys. Therefore, this teaching that is being authenticated is teaching that is from Christ Himself. And it is important for the Thessalonians to be clear on that point. In this, they are to trust and obey anything that does come from Christ through His apostles and dismiss or at least treat less authoritatively anything that does not bear those signs or marks. For us then, we must trust what the Lord has said and obey it without question. Again, we are to seek the Lord for all we need including what is true.

 

[Slide 13 (blank)] Transition: Paul now has only one thought left he wants to leave with the Thessalonian’s. What could be the last thought Paul wants to leave with them? What else could it be… but the grace of God.

 

III.)               The Lord gives grace to His church, so we must seek the Lord for all we need. (18)

a.       [Slide 14] 18 - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

                                                               i.      Paul’s final hope or wish for them is that they receive and live in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                             ii.      What is grace… C’mon CBC... You should know this by now.

                                                           iii.      [Slide 15] God’s Grace is God’s power which He grants to people according to His free will, to enable them to be, receive, or do something that they are unable and unwilling to be, get, or do on their own.

                                                           iv.      Grace from God, is what is truly needed by all believers as they endeavor to obey God’s commands.

                                                             v.      And Paul has called the Thessalonian church to do some difficult things in obedience to Christ’s commands and the Christian tradition.

                                                           vi.      If they are going to obey, they must have the grace of God. There will be no hope without it.

                                                          vii.      Paul has also called them to trust in God’s future provision and protection of them from those who are persecuting them, knowing that one day Jesus will judge the living and the dead.  

                                                        viii.      If they are going to keep believing that, they will need God’s grace.

                                                            ix.      But again – who is the grace for? Is it for just the orderly to do what he has commanded them to do?

b.       [Slide 16] be with you all.

                                                               i.      Paul asks for Christ’s grace to be given to all of them.

                                                             ii.      Even though he has had some harsh words for the disorderly, he believes that with Christ’s grace, they can turn from their sin and get back in line and conform to the Christian tradition again.

                                                           iii.      No matter what God calls us to be or do, we too need His grace to see us to and through it.

c.       [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: Paul’s final thought again revolves around the Christian’s absolute need of Christ. He hopes that the Lord Jesus will give grace to them all to enable them to be and do all that Christ commands them to be and do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I can think of no greater hope, wish, prayer that could be offered for a Christian brother or sister than to wish them the grace of God. Don’t wish them a great day. Don’t wish them to have fun. Don’t wish for them to be blessed. Grace to you. It is the best hope and wish you could give to a believer. Because Christ is always what they need. And grace is Christ’s power to effectively help them. The Thessalonians are once again told to look to Christ. Christ for Peace. Christ for truth. Christ for grace. Christ for everything. Because Christ said, without me you are nothing. So, we must seek the Lord Jesus for grace to help us be His followers.

 

Conclusion:

So CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles?

 

Basics of Faith and Practice:

[Slide 18] Paul’s primary point of this closing benediction is to turn the attention of the Thessalonians onto Christ Jesus their Lord. He is their source for peace. Peace with unbelievers, peace from doctrinal dismay, and peace among each other. He is their source for truth, to hold fast to and believe. He is their source for grace to provide God’s Power to do all that He has commanded of them. The Lord Jesus Christ is their source for everything. And so, the implied application to them is… look to and seek Jesus for all they need. Do they need peace? He is peace. Do they need truth? He is truth. Do they need grace? He gives grace! We too must understand that this is what it means to be a believer. This is what it means to be a Christian. This is what it means to follow Jesus. It is to see Jesus Christ as our source for all we need. Not money. Not fame. Not family. Not power. Christ. And Christ alone.

 

So how does this impact us today? What applications endure into the 21st century here?

 

1.)    [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 Jesus is the Lord of peace.

a.       Every single human being on the planet is looking for peace.

b.       By peace I do not mean world peace necessarily. I don’t mean the cessation of war, necessarily.

c.       I mean order. I mean unity. I mean wholeness. I mean completeness.

d.       All human beings want this kind of peace.

e.       This is the reason that those who preach tolerance cannot tolerate someone who is intolerant.

f.        This is the reason that mob mentality and echo chambers exist.

g.       This is the reason that political parties have been polarized into two broad factions, but both parties can’t seem to keep infighting from happening.

h.       Everyone wants wholeness on their terms. Everyone wants their own definition of order.

i.         And conservative or liberal, homosexual or heterosexual, pro-life or pro-choice, everyone wants the other people to change and be conformed into their image.

j.         Jesus, as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace… will make everything new. What does that mean?

k.       He will fundamentally conform all things to His will. Some by loving guidance, some by forceful rescue, but most by insurmountable power and glory.

l.         Jesus came as a meek human to die to save His people from their sin. The next time He comes, He will save the world from sinners.

m.     He will not come in meekness. He will come in power. And He will have peace.

n.       Blessed are those who seek the peace He offers now. For they will inherit the Kingdom He brings.

o.       Cursed are those who fight for their own version of order, for they will be part of the chaos He puts down to consummate His Kingdom.

p.       Jesus is the only path to peace. Continually growing peace in our lives today and perfect and complete peace in the Kingdom that is to come.

q.       Peace today won’t mean the lack of violence, hatred, and hostility. But it does mean completeness, wholeness, and order. The peace of Jesus conforms us to His life, His commands, His ways. In this we are brought into HIS order. We are expected to conform to Him. And as each of us are brought into conformity to HIM – We have peace with one another.

r.        But peace in His Kingdom will be perfect and it will be complete. We will never have a reason to shed tears again. We will know no sorrow. We will know no war. We will know no failure.

s.        Jesus is the Prince of Peace. And in Him alone we will find growing peace for today and perfect peace forever.

2.)    [Slide 20] 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 Jesus is the source of truth.

a.       Have you noticed that those who desire conformity and peace to their own standard MUST, by necessity, alter or deny the clear teaching of the word of God?

b.       Why do you suppose that is?

c.       Why is there a bible called The Queen James Bible where all “confusing” passages that seem to indicate that God does not approve of the LGBTQIA+ lifestyles have been removed?

d.       Why did Thomas Jefferson remove portions of the bible he didn’t agree with?

e.       Why do churches bend over backward to explain how when Paul says that no woman should preach and exercise authority over men in the church… that that means women should preach and exercise authority over men in the church?

f.        Because they have no desire to conform themselves to Christ. So, they must conform Christ to them.

g.       The Reformation sought to reform the Roman Catholic church in five separate ways. The Reformers argued that if these five things changed in the Roman Catholic Church, they would make progress to go BACK to what the apostles taught, which is what Christ taught.

h.       And, arguably, the pinnacle of these 5 reforms was the Latin words “Sola Scriptura”

i.         Officially the Roman Catholic church teaches that the wisdom of church theologians down through the ages, and the traditions and conclusions of church councils, should be held in equal authority to what the Scriptures Teach.

j.         The Reformers argued, correctly, that the Scriptures alone should have the FINAL authority on faith and practice of every single person in the church.

k.       In essence, this is EXACTLY what Paul is teaching in this text. The Thessalonians had heard from prophets, letters, and preachers that the Day of the Lord had come. Paul, an actual apostle of Jesus Christ, bearing the teaching directly from Christ, says NO! That is not the truth. It is contradictory to what is the truth.

l.         Paul does not tell them to hold in equal balance what the others taught and what he taught. Paul does not tell them to find the truth in the middle somewhere. Paul doesn’t say that both must be true some how. Instead, Paul says, they are wrong and Jesus is right.

m.     This doesn’t mean that church tradition and church scholars, theologians, creeds, and councils should be eliminated. Far from it. Church tradition, scholars, creeds, councils should be consulted as a secondary source to help put up guardrails on our own personal interpretations of the scriptures.

n.       BUT… where the Scriptures, which is the Word of God, which is another name for Jesus Himself, where the Scriptures disagree with any human… Pope, priest, scholar, church doctor, saint, or otherwise… We are to trust the scriptures and deny the human’s wisdom. For if it disagrees with or contradicts the clear teaching of the scriptures… it is not wisdom at all. It is foolishness.

o.       This is what the Reformers taught. And it is what Paul is teaching here.

p.       Jesus is our source for truth. The inspired Word of God in 66 books, is our guide for what we must believe and how we must live.

q.       We are told to approach the scriptures like they are a mirror. How foolish to approach a mirror and see something off or out of place in the reflection and conclude that the mirror must be broken? How foolish to think that perhaps if we viewed the mirror from a different angle, it would make our reflection better?

r.        But people who disagree with the clear teachings of the scriptures in order to support their own beliefs or lifestyles are approaching the mirror and concluding that the mirror is faulty.

s.        Or they stand in front of a mirror in such a way that all the things wrong with them don’t appear, and they conclude that they are fine. And they leave the mirror the exact same as they always had been.

t.        My friends, if you cannot remember the last time the Word of God challenged you to change what you believe or how you live… something is wrong!

3.)    [Slide 21] 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 Jesus gives us grace.

a.       The definition of grace today in the church has become so watered down and so empty that it means little more than kindness.

b.       Preachers, even in evangelical protestant circles, preach a grace that is spread so thin that it has no power to do anything unless men add something to it. Without men helping it… it lies dormant, powerless, and ineffective.

c.       But Paul doesn’t tell the Thessalonians to make sure to receive and act on Jesus’ grace. He simply asks for Jesus’ grace to be given to them all.

d.       Grace… God’s grace… is POWERFUL. It is ALWAYS effective.

e.       It is not grace to give potential to help us. It is grace TO HELP US.

f.        When God gives us grace… IT WILL DO what it is given to do.

g.       [Slide 22] That is why I have tried, so very hard, to get you all to memorize this definition of God’s grace. Because I think it accurately and effectively teaches a biblical definition of God’s grace. A grace with teeth. A grace with power. A grace that is what the biblical authors claim it is.

h.       God’s Grace is God’s power which He grants to people according to His free will, to enable them to be, receive, or do something that they are unable and unwilling to be, get, or do on their own.

i.         And when we have this definition of grace, we recognize that the greatest thing we could pray for a fellow believer and even for unbelievers, is that God would shed His grace on them.

j.         Unbelievers need His power to see their own sin and to enable them to believe on Christ.

k.       Believers need His power to be and do all that He has commanded them.

l.         Humans in general exist by the grace of God.

m.     I challenge you all to BEEF UP your view of the grace of God. Make it as powerful as Paul makes it here. That the hope and strength for the Thessalonians doing and being all that he has told them to be and do…  is the grace of Jesus Christ.

n.       When we combine the last three truths we must affirm together…

4.)    [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” This is the gospel. The gospel is seeing Jesus as our source for everything. If Jesus is anything less to you – you are missing the gospel.

a.       His words and lifestyle teach us truth.

b.       His sacrifice and power bring us peace.

c.       His advocacy and Authority give us grace.

d.       With the summation of all three of these truths, we conclude that Jesus is everything.

e.       And my friends… this is the gospel. The gospel is that Jesus is everything. Not just our hope for forgiveness. Not just our substitute. Not just our atoning sacrifice.

f.        But Jesus is… EVERYTHING.

g.       To the extent that our whole lives are reoriented around who He is and what He has commanded of us.

h.       If you are here today, and you either claim to be a Christian, or you desire to be a Christian… this is what it means to be a Christian. It is to have all your life ruled by Jesus Christ.

i.         He is your hope for peace.

j.         He is your source for truth.

k.       He is your supplier of grace.

l.         He is… your… everything.

m.     That is what it means to follow Christ.

n.       If you claim to be a Christian… but Christ isn’t your everything and never has been. I don’t know what gospel you believed… but I do know that it was false.

o.       If you have never claimed to be a Christian but want to follow Jesus… You need to speak with someone… right now… that you know is a Christian. They will show you what followers of Christ look like.

p.       Don’t wait for me to get done preaching. Go now… our Elders are prepared to talk to you.

q.       If you remain, I’ll assume that you claim to be someone who is following Christ as best you can. So, what does that mean as we look at this text? 

5.)    [Slide 24] 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 continue to seek the Lord for all we need.

a.       There are a lot of sources that we can be tempted to look to provide peace, truth, and even power.

b.       What do we need to feel whole? Complete? Ordered?

                                                               i.      For many people we look for earthly things to make us feel complete.

1.       We look for possessions or things. Things and possessions are not bad in and of themselves. But when we seek them to feel whole… they will not satisfy.

2.       We look for family. Family can certainly fill up our lives and make us feel part of something bigger. But family fails. Life is fleeting. And sometimes people don’t do what you want them to.

3.       We look for a tribe or group of likeminded people. This creates a sense of belonging. All of us are the same. We see the world in the same way. But ultimately you will find something to disagree on… or that unity will not produce the wholeness that you desire.

                                                             ii.      In the end, the only thing that can bring us wholeness, completeness, or order… is the God who created us. He knows exactly what we need and how to put us back together. He watched us break apart and He knows the pieces we are missing. Pieces… we assumed were there… He supplies.

                                                           iii.      Without Christ, you will know no peace.

c.       What do we need to rest in truth?

                                                               i.      For many people they look to earthly things for truth.

1.       Rationalism and reason, materialism, and postmodernism point to contradictory paths to truth. Who is right? Everyone, or no one? We just don’t know.

2.       Human wisdom, settled science, has long been shown to be anything but wisdom and anything but science.

3.       History books are always written by the people who win. Are we sure their telling the whole story?

4.       Hospitals and medical schools tell us what is best for us… but they also get paid well to tell us one answer and paid nothing to tell us other answers.

5.       What is truth? Does truth even matter?

                                                             ii.      Christ is the truth. He alone provides a foundation, a bulwark of something solid and unshakable.

                                                           iii.      For a true Christ follower, we shouldn’t start our sentences with “I think” or “I feel like” we must start our sentences with… “turn with me to…”

d.       What do we need to get more power?

                                                               i.      Again… people often turn to earthly things.

1.       Money is power.

2.       Fame is power.

3.       Influence is power.

4.       Secret knowledge is power.

5.       And we can’t deny that to a certain degree, all of these gain power for people in this life.

                                                             ii.      But true power, comes from God who gives grace to His people freely. The power to live the way our creator desires us to live, comes from the creator Himself. All other powers are failing and fleeting and will be destroyed when He comes again.

e.       So, Christians… all we need is found in Jesus Christ. Don’t be distracted by lesser sources. He is all we have and He is all we need.

6.)    [Slide 25] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Jesus will never fail.

a.       The story has been written.

b.       The end has already been told.

c.       Jesus is… right now… reigning over the world.

d.       He has conquered sin and death. And one day soon He will conquer all sinners, angelic and human alike.

e.       My friends, Jesus wins. Always.

f.        Take comfort in this as believers…

g.       But if you are still in the room and not a believer… this shouldn’t comfort you at all – but it is a warning.

h.       Jesus wins.

i.         Blessed are those who repent and serve Him now.

 

[Slide 26 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the early church father Methodious of Olympia

 

I long for you, Lord of mercy and Lord of my fathers. You have stooped down in grace as a mediator, bringing peace and harmony between heaven and earth.

 

I seek you, great author of all. With longing I expect you who embrace all with your Word. I wait for you, Lord of life and death.

 

I look for you, giver and successor of the law. I hunger for you, the one who makes the dead come back to life. I thirst for you, who refreshes the weary. I desire you, creator and redeemer of the world.

 

You are our God, and we adore you. You are our holy temple, and we pray in you. You are our lawgiver, and we obey you. You are God of all things, the first. God the Father has begotten no other god, and there is no other son who is of one substance and one glory with the Father.

 

To know you is perfect righteousness, and to know your power is the root of immortality.

 

For our salvation, you were made the headstone of the corner, precious and honorable. All things are placed under you as their cause and author, as he who brought all things into being out of nothing.

 

You steer the universe with your wise and steady hand. You are the principle of order and the bond of unity and peace.

 

In you we live, and move, and have our being. So, I will glorify you, my Lord and God. I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things. From ancient days your wise counsel is faithfulness and truth. You are clothed with majesty and honor.

 

What is more magnificent than for you, the King, to assume our humanity, illuminating those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death?

 

Your servant, King David, rightly once sang of you as the King Eternal, saying "you are the most excellent of men" (Psalm 45:2). Coming to the earth, you took on righteousness and faithfulness. Yes, you are righteousness and truth, the joy and praise of all.

 

So, we rejoice this day, along with the heavens, for you have shown mercy to your people. Let the clouds drop the dew of righteousness upon the world, and let the earth sound a trumpet blast, for the resurrection is come. I am filled with comfort, and I am overflowing with joy, O Savior of the world!

 

We pray this in Your name. Amen.

 

Benediction:

May the Lord prosper your work and defend you,

May his goodness and mercy attend you,

May you ponder anew what the Almighty will do,

That you may rejoice with all your heart and never again fear any harm.

 

Until we meet again, as Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, Grace and Peace to you.]]></description>
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				<title><![CDATA[13 II Thessalonians 3:11-15 The Christian's Labor and Giving Part 2]]></title>
				<category>Podcast</category>
				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Christopher C. Freeman]]></itunes:author>
				<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Title: “The Christian’s Labor and Giving” Part 2 Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15 FCF: We often struggle having a Godly perspective on labor and giving. Prop: Because godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, we must work quietly]]></itunes:subtitle>
				<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Title: “The Christian’s Labor and Giving” Part 2

Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15

FCF: We often struggle having a Godly perspective on labor and giving.

Prop: Because godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, we must work quietly to provide needs or face corporate correction and disassociation.

 

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we will begin reading in the Legacy Standard Bible in verse 6 and read through verse 15. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer.

 

Last week, Paul the primary topic of application in this second letter to the Thessalonian church. It is not a new topic. It is one he addressed already in the first letter to them. But it is a problem that hasn’t gone away. In fact, it doesn’t seem like his advice or commands in the first letter have made much of a change in the church.

 

So, Paul is going to press the issue. He has commanded those who are orderly to keep away from or avoid the disorderly in the church. He has also pointed to he and his companions’ example and to his outright teaching on the matter of laboring to provide for your own needs and the needs of others.

 

Last week we stopped short of Paul actually addressing those who are unruly. Today, Paul will clearly define who he considers unruly and why, and will command them to do something. Paul will then follow up with commands, once again, to the orderly church members and how to conduct themselves going forward.

 

Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.

 

Invocation:

Holy Father, You have made it clear that it is only in Your Son whom You have ever been well-pleased. He is the only human who has ever obeyed You perfectly, having kept Your whole law without one single violation despite enduring all the trials and testings of this life. And though Christ fulfills the law for us, He does this so that we may be declared righteous in Your sight, not so that we may continue to sin. In fact, as part of Your transforming work in us, You put Your Spirit in us to conform our wills to Yours. We, as your people, no longer desire to live in sin but rather desire to observe all that Your Son has commanded and demonstrated to us. I pray that You would use Your Word today to conform us to the image of Your Son. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Transition:

[Slide 2] “The most deeply felt obligation on earth is that which the Christian feels to imitate the Redeemer.” Albert Barnes

 

“The universal command of the gospel that comprises all our duties is to walk as Christ walked.” William Bates

 

“The gospel does not make us like Adam in His innocence – it makes us like Christ, in all the perfection of His reflection of God” Sinclair Ferguson

 

[Slide 3] “None can know their election but by their conformity to Christ, for all that are chosen are chosen to sanctification.” Matthew Henry

 

“Putting on Christ is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity. Christianity offers nothing else at all.” C.S. Lewis

 

Let these words prepare us for the exposition on the text of scripture this morning.

 

I.)                  Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must work in quietness, provide for ourselves and keep provid...]]></itunes:summary>
				<description><![CDATA[Title: “The Christian’s Labor and Giving” Part 2

Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15

FCF: We often struggle having a Godly perspective on labor and giving.

Prop: Because godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, we must work quietly to provide needs or face corporate correction and disassociation.

 

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we will begin reading in the Legacy Standard Bible in verse 6 and read through verse 15. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer.

 

Last week, Paul the primary topic of application in this second letter to the Thessalonian church. It is not a new topic. It is one he addressed already in the first letter to them. But it is a problem that hasn’t gone away. In fact, it doesn’t seem like his advice or commands in the first letter have made much of a change in the church.

 

So, Paul is going to press the issue. He has commanded those who are orderly to keep away from or avoid the disorderly in the church. He has also pointed to he and his companions’ example and to his outright teaching on the matter of laboring to provide for your own needs and the needs of others.

 

Last week we stopped short of Paul actually addressing those who are unruly. Today, Paul will clearly define who he considers unruly and why, and will command them to do something. Paul will then follow up with commands, once again, to the orderly church members and how to conduct themselves going forward.

 

Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.

 

Invocation:

Holy Father, You have made it clear that it is only in Your Son whom You have ever been well-pleased. He is the only human who has ever obeyed You perfectly, having kept Your whole law without one single violation despite enduring all the trials and testings of this life. And though Christ fulfills the law for us, He does this so that we may be declared righteous in Your sight, not so that we may continue to sin. In fact, as part of Your transforming work in us, You put Your Spirit in us to conform our wills to Yours. We, as your people, no longer desire to live in sin but rather desire to observe all that Your Son has commanded and demonstrated to us. I pray that You would use Your Word today to conform us to the image of Your Son. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Transition:

[Slide 2] “The most deeply felt obligation on earth is that which the Christian feels to imitate the Redeemer.” Albert Barnes

 

“The universal command of the gospel that comprises all our duties is to walk as Christ walked.” William Bates

 

“The gospel does not make us like Adam in His innocence – it makes us like Christ, in all the perfection of His reflection of God” Sinclair Ferguson

 

[Slide 3] “None can know their election but by their conformity to Christ, for all that are chosen are chosen to sanctification.” Matthew Henry

 

“Putting on Christ is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity. Christianity offers nothing else at all.” C.S. Lewis

 

Let these words prepare us for the exposition on the text of scripture this morning.

 

I.)                  Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must work in quietness, provide for ourselves and keep providing for other believers in need.  (11-13)

a.       [Slide 4] 11 - For we hear that some among you are walking in an unruly manner, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.

                                                               i.      Paul finally outlines exactly what the disorderly brothers are doing.

                                                             ii.      We’ve pieced it together, but here it is, clearly stated.

                                                           iii.      Paul has heard, probably from Timothy’s report brought back to Corinth, that there are still people in the church who are not working.

                                                           iv.      So, what do they fill their time with?

                                                             v.      Meddling in other people’s affairs, gossiping, and generally causing problems in the church.

                                                           vi.      There is actually a play on words here in the Greek that isn’t easily brought into English. Something like “they are busy about everyone’s business but their own.” But even that doesn’t quite do it justice. 

                                                          vii.      There is an old saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground” or “workshop”. Either one conveys the truth that this passage seems to affirm.

                                                        viii.      Because they are not laboring hard to provide for themselves, and are living off the provision of others, they have time to involve themselves in everyone else’s lives. And not in a helpful way.

                                                            ix.      It is difficult to know exactly why this was happening.

                                                             x.      Biblical scholars debate what exactly prompted these people to not work at all.

                                                            xi.      But perhaps the Holy Spirit has left this vague so that we might draw the greater principle without being too entangled by the specifics.

                                                          xii.      Paul has already addressed how the church at large is supposed to treat these unruly brothers.

                                                        xiii.      But what about the unruly ones? What about these lazy busybodies? What must they do?

b.       [Slide 5] 12 - Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ,

                                                               i.      Paul issues another command in this text. It is the exact same word he used to command that the orderly keep away from the disorderly.

                                                             ii.      It is clear however, that although Paul is commanding the disorderly, he is doing so publicly to the whole church by saying “such persons we command”

                                                           iii.      And not only does Paul command them, he exhorts them as well. This means to urge or implore them to action.

                                                           iv.      Paul wants to see change. He wants to see movement.

                                                             v.      And notice he commands them in “the” Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                           vi.      This is again appealing to the authority of Christ Jesus as Lord of all of His creation.

                                                          vii.      But notice also, that before when Paul commanded the orderly brothers, he said in the name of “our” Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                        viii.      Here Paul omits the possessive pronoun “our” and simply says “the” Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                            ix.      We shouldn’t make too much of this, but perhaps, although calling them brothers before to the rest of the church, Paul, now speaking to them, doesn’t want to give them the same assurances he gave the orderly believers in the church.

                                                             x.      But what does he command of them?

c.       [Slide 6] that working with quietness,

                                                               i.      Paul is commanding them to work.

                                                             ii.      Go get a job and work hard.

                                                           iii.      And then Paul adds some clarity to that with the prepositional phrase, “with quietness.”

                                                           iv.      Quietness here is a noun and it refers to being in a state lacking uproar or causing disturbances.

                                                             v.      Paul is commanding them to work hard and while they are doing that, they must also be sure to dwell in a state of not involving themselves in things that do not pertain to them.

                                                           vi.      Shut up and go back to work. 😊 That is may be a bit harsh of a paraphrase – but it gets the point across doesn’t it.

                                                          vii.      But not only that…

d.       [Slide 7] they eat their own bread.

                                                               i.      This phrase is placed in the sentence as a result of the command above being followed.

                                                             ii.      When they stop causing problems because they are too busy working hard, they will then eat their own bread and not the bread of others.

                                                           iii.      Bread here is idiomatic to express any kind of provision of basic needs to live.

                                                           iv.      Essentially Paul is commanding them to work hard, provide for their own needs, stop causing problems, and stop living off the charity of others when you could provide for yourself.

e.       [Slide 8] 13 - But as for you, brothers, do not lose heart in doing good.

                                                               i.      Paul has now shifted back to the general assembly of those in the church of Thessalonica who are working hard and providing for themselves.

                                                             ii.      Notice also how he shifts back and calls them brothers. Again, a subtle clue that Paul is withholding assurances to the disorderly about their spiritual status.

                                                           iii.      Paul’s command here is designed to not stifle the giving nature of the Thessalonians.

                                                           iv.      Perhaps people knew that these disorderly brothers were being lazy and mooching off the church. But they kept giving them provisions because they asked for them.

                                                             v.      Paul now forbidding the disorderly from continuing to take from the church, the rest of the church might get a little gun shy about giving to believers in need.

                                                           vi.      Should we stop giving and tell them to get a job and stop causing problems?

                                                          vii.      Paul advises the rest of the church to not lose heart or to become discouraged at doing good.

                                                        viii.      Paul says don’t shy away from giving to believers in need. It is better to be compassionate and give to other believers and assume they are truly in need, than to pendulum swing the other way and assume they are just being mooches.

                                                            ix.      This is a principle in scripture that of God’s people, it is best that we assume the best of them and not the worst.

f.        [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: So again, by command and by demonstration, Paul teaches the Thessalonians what is the will of God regarding the Christian’s labor and giving. He commands two groups two different things. The first group, the unruly busybodies, he commands to get a job, work hard, earn their own provision, and stop meddling. The second group, the orderly, he commands to not be discouraged in their giving, but to continue to do so trusting believers at their word. We should see this as one big command. And it is essentially the same application we saw last week. We should work hard to earn enough to provide for ourselves and a little more for the needs of other believers. Added to this, we can throw the extra comment about not being a busy body. Work hard, mind your business, earn your keep, give to those in need.

 

Transition:

[Slide 10 (blank)] Paul has finally addressed the disorderly brothers and he makes no bones about what he is expecting them to do. By the authority of Christ, he has commanded them to get back to work, stop causing problems, and stop taking handouts from the church. Paul has also addressed the other members to not shy away from being giving just because of a few abusers of their generosity.  But the question remains… what happens if the unruly do not listen to Paul’s command… again?

 

II.)                Godly leaders teach and demonstrate God’s will for His people, so we must lovingly mark and disassociate with professed believers who continue in unrepentant sin.  (14-15)

a.       [Slide 11] 14 - And if anyone does not obey our word in this letter,

                                                               i.      Now although Paul says “does not obey our word in this letter” when we scour the letter for the commands of Paul there aren’t actually that many to consider.

                                                             ii.      More than likely the word to which Paul is referring is none other than the most recent command that he gave to the disorderly brothers.

                                                           iii.      Paul gets ahead of what is, unfortunately, a possibility going forward here.

                                                           iv.      What if they don’t listen?

                                                             v.      What if the disorderly brothers continue to not work and mooch and cause problems?

                                                           vi.      They’ve already ignored the first letter. What if they ignore this one too?

b.       [Slide 12] take special note of that person to not associate with him,

                                                               i.      Paul has already commanded the church to keep away from the disorderly brothers.

                                                             ii.      He has commanded them to avoid the disorderly brothers as you might avoid certain danger or some kind of infection or disease.

                                                           iii.      How is this command different?

                                                           iv.      First, Paul commands them to take special note of that person. What does this mean?

                                                             v.      It means to mark them, stamp them, label them, or write down their names.

                                                           vi.      This seems to be an official procedure by the church. It is almost like their names are entered into a ledger and they are branded or marked as someone to disassociate from.

                                                          vii.      And what does it mean not to associate with them? How is that different than keeping away from them?

                                                        viii.      To not associate means to not mix with them. It means to not entangle yourselves with them or be connected to them or affiliated with them.

                                                            ix.      The subtle difference is this…

                                                             x.      Before, Paul said that these people were brothers but they were sick. He still referred to them as being part of the community… and within that community the shunning would be effective. They should be quarantined.

                                                            xi.      However, if they will not listen, they are officially marked and separated from fellowship.

                                                          xii.      Scholars debate whether or not this is official excommunication or if this is some prior step before that.

                                                        xiii.      In my view, it is hard to imagine a church keeping away from and marking out and disassociating with someone that is NOT excommunicated. Because that is what excommunication is.

                                                        xiv.      Those who disagree point out how Paul does not “devote them to Satan” as he mentions in another context. They say this indicates that this is not actually the final step.

                                                          xv.      There are two key factors that differ from the example Paul gives in 1 Corinthians and the case here.

1.       First, the Corinthian church was pridefully accepting the behavior of believers living in sin as an act of distorted love toward them. But there is no indication that the Thessalonian church was doing the same for these busybodies.

2.       Second, the issue in the Corinthian church was concerning a sin that was so egregious that even non-Christians would have considered the activity to be taboo or unacceptable. In contrast, the laziness and busybody activity of these Thessalonians would have been a much more culturally accepted sin.

                                                        xvi.      In my estimation, this is at very least the beginning of excommunication. Paul doesn’t need to discuss yet the end of excommunication or the spiritual ramifications of that official church act, because I think Paul is confident that the unruly ones will respond to these initial applications of excommunication.

                                                       xvii.      But some may say,  “isn’t their greatest hope found in the covenant community? Why do this?”

c.       [Slide 13] so that he will be put to shame.

                                                               i.      Excommunication is a necessary step in church discipline because it instills fear into the whole community that unrepentant sin will not be tolerated.

                                                             ii.      Removing them from fellowship shames them, in that they are no longer seen as part of the community.

                                                           iii.      They are not to be included in worship. They are not permitted to take part in the sacraments or ordinances. They are not permitted to mix with us.

                                                           iv.      At all.

                                                             v.      This will bring shame upon them and hopefully stir their hearts to repent.

                                                           vi.      But Paul has some final guidelines he wants to place on this to make sure the Thessalonians don’t go too far.

d.       [Slide 14] 15 - And yet do not regard him as an enemy,

                                                               i.      As humans we tend to pendulum swing and when someone says, don’t associate with them, it may be tempting to go farther and be antagonistic against them.

                                                             ii.      We live in the extremes of if you aren’t for us, you are against us.

                                                           iii.      First, Paul doesn’t want the Thessalonian church to deem or determine that the disorderly are your enemy.

                                                           iv.      What does this mean?

                                                             v.      Although they are outside the covenant community and have been removed from fellowship, that doesn’t mean that they are, necessarily on Satan’s team. They aren’t necessarily opposing anyone personally or the church corporately.

                                                           vi.      And we should not treat them as though they are our enemies.

                                                          vii.      In other words, don’t put them in the same category as those who are persecuting you.

                                                        viii.      Ok… so how do we see them? What category are they in?

e.       [Slide 15] but admonish him as a brother.

                                                               i.      In stating this, Paul says two things, one overtly and the other implicitly.

                                                             ii.      Overtly Paul is telling the Thessalonians that they should admonish, counsel, rebuke and warn them as they would a brother in Christ.

                                                           iii.      What does this mean?

                                                           iv.      Expect them to respond to the teaching of the Word of God.

                                                             v.      Natural man doesn’t respond to the teaching of the Word of God. Why? Because it is spiritually revealed and without the Spirit they will not hear it.

                                                           vi.      Paul says expect them to listen… eventually.

                                                          vii.      When we preach to unbelievers, we give them the gospel and if they don’t listen, we say, well I planted a seed, and we keep watering it. But until it starts to grow – we don’t expect to go beyond the teaching of the gospel.  

                                                        viii.      But when we are telling Christians to do things… we keep telling, and pleading, and telling, because we expect them to change.

                                                            ix.      Why?

                                                             x.      Because the Spirit of God is within them helping them to change.

                                                            xi.      Paul says to keep rebuking them expecting them to change.

                                                          xii.      But implicitly Paul says something else here. If Paul is still sure that they are believers, why would he have to tell the Thessalonians to admonish them like brothers? Why wouldn’t Paul have said, “Admonish them because they are brothers.”

                                                        xiii.      Paul subtly suggests that there is no longer confidence that they are believers if they do not heed his commands in this letter.

                                                        xiv.      This harmonizes precisely to what the rest of the scriptures teach us about church discipline.

                                                          xv.      When we excommunicate someone, they are removed from mixing with us. We mark them and disassociate with them. It is official. It is definitive.

                                                        xvi.      But… there is always hope that they will repent and return before the Lord returns.

                                                       xvii.      Paul even hoped that the man in 1 Corinthians would repent and return, even after devoting him to Satan for destruction.

                                                     xviii.      We don’t give up on them. We may not be sure they are truly believers… but we are hopeful that they are. And we expect them to respond to the scriptures.

f.        [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Once again Paul teaches and demonstrates the will of God for His people in explaining what to do with professed believers living in unrepentant sin. In this he commands the church to mark them to disassociation. To not mix with them and exclude them from the normal functions of the church. This is to shame them and prompt them to understand that they must submit to the teaching and instruction of Christ. However, in this process, the church must not do this with animosity or vindictiveness as a punishment, but should instead see this as restorative and hope to receive them back into fellowship soon. We too must lovingly mark and disassociate with professed believers who continue to live in unrepentant sin, hoping that they will repent and return to fellowship.

 

Conclusion:

So, CBC, what have we learned that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles?

 

Basics of Faith and Practice:

[Slide 17] Once again, we see the authority of Jesus used by His apostles to teach and even demonstrate what it means to live in accordance with the Christian tradition. Christ’s command to his disciples was to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the triune God and teaching them to observe all that He has commanded. This is exactly what all godly people and especially godly leaders do. They teach by command and example what it means to follow Christ. Although there are a lot of moving parts to each, Paul essentially commands two things in this passage. First, that all of Christ’s followers should quietly work hard to provide for themselves and a little extra for those who are truly in need. Second, that professing believers who live in unrepentant sin should be marked and disassociated from the community. This should be done in love with the hopeful expectation that they will repent and return to fellowship.

 

But how does this affect us today 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 we must make disciples and teach them to observe ALL that Christ commanded.

a.       Paul is the pattern for us here.

b.       In the grand scheme of things, how big of a deal is it that there is a faction of people who are being lazy and meddling in other people’s business?

c.       I think if we fairly and without bias compared this sinful practice with that of doctrinal heresy, sexual immorality, sowing discord, or fractionizing, we’d come away thinking that this is probably not that big a deal by comparison.

d.       And I think by reasonable inference we could see that Paul also didn’t treat this as a primary point of doctrine that he spent a lot of time teaching on while he was with the Thessalonians.

e.       So why does Paul use, what is arguably the most prominent portion of the letter, where you would put your main message, to address this issue in the church?

f.        Because they aren’t listening.

g.       This gives us a principle we must understand.

h.       All of Christ’s commands are to be observed. Even if they are relatively smaller issues.

i.         And as is always the case, it is not the sin itself that seems to escalate Paul’s tone to commanding instead of advising.

j.         It is, instead, the unrepentant heart of those he has corrected and asked others to correct several times.

k.       They will not listen.

l.         There is a difference between having difficulty mortifying a sin, and not even trying.

m.     We have no indication that those who are unruly are actually trying to change their lifestyles. They are simply ignoring Paul and their Elders and the rest of the church.

n.       This is the concerning behavior. Christ followers, follow Christ. So, when they stop struggling, battling, warring with their flesh to follow Christ, and just lean into doing what they want… that is when things escalate.

2.)    [Slide 19] 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 it is unloving, or unrealistic to expect professed believers to live like Christ.

a.       In our culture we face two distinct opponents of making disciples who observe all that Christ commands.

b.       The first is the critique that correction is unloving.

                                                               i.      This is largely found in the world, but has snuck its way into many churches and was even present in the Corinthian church when Paul wrote to them in 1 Corinthians.

                                                             ii.      The idea is that to correct someone and to not be tolerant of or accepting of their lifestyle choices is unloving or unchristian.

                                                           iii.      This stems from a philosophy which equates acceptance and permittance as love. And this philosophy invades theology when it deems Jesus to be a loving and accepting Lord who asks nothing of His followers except that they also be loving and accepting.

                                                           iv.      But straight from Christ’s lips comes the command to make disciples by teaching them to observe all that He has commanded.

1.       And Christ whipped people out of the temple because they were turning His Father’s house into a den of thieves.

2.       Christ called a rich man to give up his riches.

3.       He called a tax collector to stop stealing.

4.       He called adulterers to go and sin no more.

5.       He told people to listen to the Pharisees when they are teaching the law of Moses, and the Pharisees demanded that people follow the 10 commandments and several applications of those commands that are repeated in the rest of the Mosaic law.

                                                             v.      The long and the short of it is that Jesus never rejected or denied anything the Old Testament taught as holy living. In fact, he said, that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees.

                                                           vi.      My friends, there is nothing unloving about correcting sinful behavior in another person. You can correct in an unloving manner… but the act of correction is, in itself, not unloving. In fact, I would say, because sin is so destructive and separates us from God… correction is love.

c.       The second critique is that correction is unrealistic.

                                                               i.      Unfortunately, we see this found not only in the world but also often in the church.

                                                             ii.      It is ultimately a defeatist attitude that says, that it is just unrealistic to call Christians to obey Christ’s commands. This attitude makes little of God’s grace and minimizes the work of the Spirit and His ability to form and craft someone into the mold of Christ.

                                                           iii.      Some of examples include:

1.       With current fashion trends it is unrealistic to expect men and women to dress modestly and not draw attention to themselves.

2.       With current accessibility it is unrealistic to expect people to avoid pornography.

3.       With current relationships it is unrealistic to expect people to remain abstinent until marriage.

4.       With current culture it is unrealistic to expect children to be obedient to their parents.

5.       With current attention span it is unrealistic to expect children to memorize scripture and doctrine, or to sit though a sermon, or to cherish the teaching on the scriptures.

6.       With my aging joints and bones, it is unrealistic to expect me to continue to minister to younger Christians.

                                                           iv.      The long and the short of it is, if there is a command of Christ and teaching from the scriptures and you are truly a believer, His commands are not burdensome to those who have His Spirit.

                                                             v.      That doesn’t mean they are easy. That doesn’t mean you will never have to struggle to obey them.

                                                           vi.      But with the Spirit of God in you – No Christian can ever truly say to a command of Christ… I just can’t do it.

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 work hard to provide for ourselves and others in need.

a.       We won’t spend a lot of time here, especially since this was a main application of last week’s sermon.

b.       But one key identifier of every Christian is that they work hard to provide for their needs and have a little extra to give to those who cannot do the same.

c.       With this we have to determine what our needs truly are. Some Christians work hard but have nothing left to give to others because they are either miserly and hoard their wealth or because they are selfish and spend their wealth on what they do not need.

d.       Certainly, buying things that you do not need is not forbidden in the scriptures. But if you do so to the extent that you are not able to give to others in need, then you are disordered.

e.       Certainly, saving for your future is wise and the scriptures affirm this. But if you do so to the extent that you are not able to give to others in need, then you are unruly.

f.        Christian people provide for themselves and other believers who cannot do the same. This is one aspect of being a Christ-Follower.

g.       And when you do not do this because of laziness or selfishness – you are in sin.

4.)    [Slide 21] 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 stop meddling in other people’s business.

a.       Certainly, in this text, this is presented as a byproduct of not being busy with work.

b.       Idle hands truly are a foothold to allow the devil to tempt you with sinful pastimes.

c.       However, I think we can actually address the idea of meddling as its own separate problem.

d.       Because we live in a 1st world country, some jobs that pay very well do not demand enough time to keep our hands busy.

e.       Someone could be providing for themselves so well that their needs are met with the vast majority of their time being idle.

f.        Or perhaps they are retired, and their income is passive.

g.       Or perhaps they are a stay-at-home parent while their spouse works to alleviate the needs of the family.

h.       So, I see this de-exhortation as an issue we should address by itself, since there are so many avenues beyond laziness that could lead us to meddle.

i.         What is meant by the term meddling?

j.         This is people adding input, advice, instruction, or their own perspective on matters that they have no business adding. The issue has nothing to do with them. It was a question or problem presented to someone, and they interjected their opinion when it wasn’t asked for.

k.       This could be someone attempting to influence a decision or aspect of teaching.

l.         I am reminded of Absalom, David’s Son. While David was in his palace, Absalom went to the city gates and claimed that the King was too busy to handle their disputes and that he would be happy to do so.

m.     Of course, his motivations were to undermine David and overthrow his monarchy.

n.       A meddler may not have such extreme motives, but the action is still the same.

o.       If someone asks for your opinion, give it humbly and with grace. If not… stay out of it.

p.       But we live in the age of influencers, where we think, pridefully, that our opinion not only matters but that others will definitely want to hear about what we think.

q.       In the church the only influencers should be those who command and demonstrate a Christlike example.

5.)    [Slide 22] 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 mark and dissociate from unrepentant believers.

a.       Flowing from the thought that it is completely appropriate for us to expect Christ followers to observe Christ’s commands…

b.       We must, eventually, take special note of those who are not doing so… and if they continue to not obey despite many corrections and warnings… we must disassociate with them.

c.       This works itself out in what is known as Church Discipline.

d.       As I pointed out last week, the primary goal of church discipline is to keep the church pure. To be sure that those who are still striving to follow Christ are those who are in fellowship.

e.       Not perfect… but still trying to be.

f.        But when it becomes obvious that a professing believer has given up trying to change, trying to obey Christ, that is when the church must take action to communicate clearly that unrepentant sin will not be tolerated in the church.

g.       Why?

h.       The gospel is at stake. Since Christ followers, are pressed into His mold to observe His commands… it means we can’t have a bunch of Christ followers not being pressed into that mold. It is the opposite message of the gospel.

i.         However, the way in which we do church discipline is very important. 

6.)    [Slide 23] 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 apply church discipline vindictively or punitively.

a.       Church discipline, although called discipline, is not a punishment for the sinner. Ultimately speaking, Christ is the judge and will punish sin or has paid for sin on the cross.

b.       The church neither has the authority to forgive sin nor does it have the authority to punish sin. Those roles belong and have always belonged to God.

c.       And church discipline is not an opportunity to get back at someone for sinning against you.

d.       Again, this comes back to the idea that church discipline isn’t about the sin in question… at all.

e.       Therefore, it is not the sin itself that is being addressed. It is the unrepentance of someone who claims to be a follower of Christ.

f.        This is why it is important from the Elders, all the way down to the person who was personally sinned against, and everyone in-between, to make sure their hearts are right before God and that they are not seeking vengeance or even justice on those who sinned.

g.       If that is the motive, we have missed the goal of church discipline completely.

h.       For if we are truly concerned about the purity of the church…

7.)    [Slide 24] 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 apply church discipline in love and in hope for restoration.

a.       While restoration is not THE goal of church discipline… it is certainly THE goal of disciplining a person in the church.

b.       The goal of discipline from a good parent is correction of behavior not inflicting pain or hardship. And the same is true in Church Discipline.

c.       Ultimately, we must tread the line between disassociating with them and still loving and hoping that they will repent and return to fellowship.

d.       If we enter into church discipline secretly hoping that they don’t show up or that they never come back to our church – it is a clear sign that we are not doing this in love and in hope for restoration.

e.       And that hope should endure while the person draws breath on the earth.

f.        Even of the man in 1 Corinthians, Paul expresses his hopeful confidence that before the judgment, the man will repent and be restored.

g.       We should have that same hope and confidence that even if we have to wait decades – if they are truly believers – God will bring them back to repentance.

8.)    [Slide 25] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” When the church does church discipline right, hatred of sin and love of God’s law are encouraged.

a.       It is not comfortable to enter into church discipline.

b.       We have done 3 formal church disciplines and a couple informal ones in my tenure here.

c.       And each time – it was NOT comfortable. Not very many people actually like confrontation. And if you do, you are probably just contentious.

d.       But Jesus Himself and His apostles have laid down for us the method, manner, and motive of church discipline. And that should be enough for us to be obedient.

e.       But God also says that when we do church discipline, people fear sin more and love God’s law more.

f.        That is comforting. Even if a person is not immediately restored. Even if they are never restored. There is still great benefit to the church to doing church discipline when they must.

g.       And that should be a comfort to us. Even in such a difficult thing – God gives grace.

9.)    [Slide 26] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Followers of Christ are expected to follow Christ, which means they conform to His teaching and example and not to the world.  

a.       With the Second great awakening and Charles Finney, the modern evangelistic method of manipulation and coercion took shape.

b.       The foundation of easy believism, saying a prayer, and living the same way you always have, became the norm for many ministries.

c.       As long as you prayed a prayer you were saved no matter what.

d.       Such teaching produced a nation that 20 years ago was around 75% Christian.

e.       So how does a country that is 75% Christian, become the country that it is now 20 years later?

f.        It is actually quite simple.

g.       About 70% of that 75, think they are Christians but are not being conformed to Christ. They are not observing His commands.

h.       The gospel is very clear. Those who are genuinely saved continue to turn from their sin and continue to strive to observe Christ’s commands. Until they die. Their entire life has changed to reflect Jesus Christ.

i.         Not perfectly… but progressively and perpetually.

j.         The gospel is… that God saves and God changes you. That is the gospel. 

k.       Jesus did all the work so God could make you into what He wants you to be.

l.         Perhaps you’ve always thought you were a Christian. But you have never really observed what Christ commands.

m.     Perhaps you see what Christians are supposed to be and you want to follow Christ and observe what He has commanded.

n.       If that is you – be sure to talk to me or another person you know is a Christian before you leave today.

 

[Slide 27 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer by the Puritan Richard Alleine.

 

Now speak, Lord, and I will hear. Now call, Lord, and I will answer. Now command me, impose on me what you will, and I will submit.

 

None but the Lord, none but Christ, no other lord nor lover. I am yours, Lord, your own.

 

Do with your own, demand of your own, whatever you please.

 

What will you have me be, Lord, what will you have me do? That is what I will do and be.

 

No longer what I will, but your will be done.

 

To this all God’s true people say, Amen.

 

Benediction:

May the great Creator whose power is displayed day by day by an unwearied sun,

Create in you a pure heart and renew in you a steadfast spirit.

 

Until we meet again, Grace and peace to you.]]></description>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 10:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[12 II Thessalonians 3:6-10 The Christian's Labor and Giving Part 1]]></title>
				<category>Podcast</category>
				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Christopher C. Freeman]]></itunes:author>
				<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[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 examp]]></itunes:subtitle>
				<itunes:summary><![CDATA[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’...]]></itunes:summary>
				<description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
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				<title><![CDATA[11 II Thessalonians 3:1-5 A Loyal Husband]]></title>
				<category>Podcast</category>
				<itunes:author><![CDATA[Christopher C. Freeman]]></itunes:author>
				<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Title: A Loyal Husband Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 FCF: We often struggle trusting the promises given to us through Christ. Prop: Because Jesus is faithful to His bride, we must pray in His will and look to Him to help us live for Him. Scripture Intro: ES]]></itunes:subtitle>
				<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Title: A Loyal Husband

Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

FCF: We often struggle trusting the promises given to us through Christ.

Prop: Because Jesus is faithful to His bride, we must pray in His will and look to Him to help us live for Him.

 

Scripture Intro: ESV

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we’ll read from the English Standard Version starting in verse 1 and going through verse 5.

 

Last time in 2 Thessalonians we saw Paul close out his teaching section with a benediction. A good word expressed toward God on behalf of the Thessalonian church.  In this letter, Paul is addressing concerns of the Thessalonians primarily surrounding them being persecuted for their faith in Christ and the believing a false teaching that the Day of the Lord has already come.

 

Paul has taken great pains to assure them that from his perspective they are truly genuine believers. He has also reminded them of things he taught them concerning the Day of the Lord and how the falling away of many professed believers and the coming of the lawless man must precede Christ’s return.

 

But again Paul expresses his confidence that they are elect of God from the beginning and chosen to obtain the glory of Christ. Therefore, they must keep holding to the Christian tradition and believe and live as they were taught. And in his closing benediction in chapter 2 he prays for that end.

 

Today Paul will turn toward the last things he wants to say before the letter comes to a close.

 

Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.

 

Invocation:

God of love, we come to you today as the dear bride of Your beloved Son in whom You are well pleased.  Because we are betrothed to Him, You are also pleased to love us as you love Him. You gave Him to save us and He has sent The Spirit to guide and keep us. You are still seeking all those for whom Christ died and You will reach them and none of them will be lost. For this, and for so much more we are ever thankful for Your love for us. May we see this in Your Word today. We pray this in our Glorious Groom’s name, Amen.

 

Transition:

[Slide 2] “We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at His unspeakable love.” John Owen

 

“Christ’s love for His people is not a lip-love, from the teeth outwardly, but a real love, from the heart inwardly.” William Dyer

 

[Slide 3] “Every day we may see some new thing in Christ. His love has neither brim nor bottom.” Samuel Rutherford

 

“The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confidence in the love of Christ and the yielding of his affections to Christ in return.” C.H. Spurgeon

 

Let these words prepare our minds for the exposition of the text of scripture this morning.

 

I.)                  Jesus is faithful to His bride, so we must pray for the advancement of the gospel against all opposition.  (1-3a)

a.       [Slide 4] 1 - Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,

                                                               i.      Paul begins chapter three with the word, Finally.

                                                             ii.      If we were to translate this literally, it would be “the rest” or “what remains.”

                                                           iii.      Paul used t...]]></itunes:summary>
				<description><![CDATA[Title: A Loyal Husband

Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

FCF: We often struggle trusting the promises given to us through Christ.

Prop: Because Jesus is faithful to His bride, we must pray in His will and look to Him to help us live for Him.

 

Scripture Intro: ESV

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In a moment we’ll read from the English Standard Version starting in verse 1 and going through verse 5.

 

Last time in 2 Thessalonians we saw Paul close out his teaching section with a benediction. A good word expressed toward God on behalf of the Thessalonian church.  In this letter, Paul is addressing concerns of the Thessalonians primarily surrounding them being persecuted for their faith in Christ and the believing a false teaching that the Day of the Lord has already come.

 

Paul has taken great pains to assure them that from his perspective they are truly genuine believers. He has also reminded them of things he taught them concerning the Day of the Lord and how the falling away of many professed believers and the coming of the lawless man must precede Christ’s return.

 

But again Paul expresses his confidence that they are elect of God from the beginning and chosen to obtain the glory of Christ. Therefore, they must keep holding to the Christian tradition and believe and live as they were taught. And in his closing benediction in chapter 2 he prays for that end.

 

Today Paul will turn toward the last things he wants to say before the letter comes to a close.

 

Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.

 

Invocation:

God of love, we come to you today as the dear bride of Your beloved Son in whom You are well pleased.  Because we are betrothed to Him, You are also pleased to love us as you love Him. You gave Him to save us and He has sent The Spirit to guide and keep us. You are still seeking all those for whom Christ died and You will reach them and none of them will be lost. For this, and for so much more we are ever thankful for Your love for us. May we see this in Your Word today. We pray this in our Glorious Groom’s name, Amen.

 

Transition:

[Slide 2] “We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at His unspeakable love.” John Owen

 

“Christ’s love for His people is not a lip-love, from the teeth outwardly, but a real love, from the heart inwardly.” William Dyer

 

[Slide 3] “Every day we may see some new thing in Christ. His love has neither brim nor bottom.” Samuel Rutherford

 

“The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confidence in the love of Christ and the yielding of his affections to Christ in return.” C.H. Spurgeon

 

Let these words prepare our minds for the exposition of the text of scripture this morning.

 

I.)                  Jesus is faithful to His bride, so we must pray for the advancement of the gospel against all opposition.  (1-3a)

a.       [Slide 4] 1 - Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,

                                                               i.      Paul begins chapter three with the word, Finally.

                                                             ii.      If we were to translate this literally, it would be “the rest” or “what remains.”

                                                           iii.      Paul used this same word in the fourth chapter of 1st Thessalonians. When we looked at that together we saw how Paul uses this word to shift to more applicational matters.

                                                           iv.      Up to this point, Paul’s main objective has been comfort and dealing with issues the Thessalonian church is concerned about. Like how they are being persecuted and how they have come to believe that they had missed the second coming of Christ.

                                                             v.      Now Paul will turn to matters for which he wants to see some movement on their end.

                                                           vi.      Paul calling them brothers is significant because of the context.

1.       Paul has straddled that line of both expressing his confidence that they have been called by God, counted worthy of His calling, elected from the beginning, and will obtain the glory of Christ – while at the same time encouraging them to stand firm and hold to their confession and the Christian tradition that was taught to them.

2.       This again points to the paradoxical viewpoint of the New Testament that while a believer’s SECURITY is eternally determined by God’s unassailable will, a believer’s ASSURANCE of that divine call and election is gained by ongoing repentance, faith, and obedience by those who are genuinely elect of God.

                                                          vii.      So, what is Paul’s first application for the Thessalonian church?

                                                        viii.      Pray for us.

                                                            ix.      Paul desires that they be in prayer for the evangelists ministering in Corinth. Himself, Silas and Timothy.

                                                             x.      What specifically for their ministry there?

                                                            xi.      That the Word of the Lord may speed ahead or progress rapidly and be honored or glorified.

                                                          xii.      What does this mean?

                                                        xiii.      Paul is praying that more would come to Christ and that those who have come to Christ might grow in their love and obedience to Him.

                                                        xiv.      And Paul adds a compliment in here too.

                                                          xv.      That the word would spread and be honored like it was in Thessalonica.

                                                        xvi.      Paul really does see their church as a shining example of what should happen when the Holy Spirit comes in power to save God’s elect.

                                                       xvii.      So much so, that he desires that it would be duplicated in Corinth.

                                                     xviii.      But this is not all Paul desires pray for. As the other side of the coin to this prayer request, Paul asks …

b.       [Slide 5] 2 - and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men.

                                                               i.      When we studied in Acts 18 we saw two specific times when Paul was opposed by evil and wicked men in Corinth.

                                                             ii.      First, early on in the ministry there, Paul was opposed and reviled by the Jews whom he was attempting to convince that Jesus was the Messiah.

                                                           iii.      After this, God came to Paul in a vision and told him to continue to preach the gospel for there were many in the city that were His people and that He would protect Paul from any attack.

                                                           iv.      But much later Paul faced another bout of Jewish opposition when they brought him before Gallio and the tribunal of the city.

                                                             v.      And so, in both cases, it was the Jews who opposed and reviled Paul and his message.

                                                           vi.      Timing wise then, since the event with Gallio happens much later and springs up quickly, it makes most sense that Paul writes this after the initial opposition and reviling of the Jews.

                                                          vii.      Therefore, God promising to protect Paul for a time, is an answer to the Thessalonian’s prayer that the word would go forth and that the evangelists would be delivered from wicked and evil men.

                                                        viii.      But Paul makes one final point about these men that I find fascinating.

c.       [Slide 6] For not all have faith.

                                                               i.      Paul draws a solid black line connecting evil and wicked men to those who do not have faith.

                                                             ii.      In some sense, men and women of the world are capable of doing kind and good things. Your unbelieving neighbor can mow your lawn for you as an act of kindness.

                                                           iii.      Your unbelieving co-worker can go get you a coffee from the break room because they thought you needed it.

                                                           iv.      Your right wing, republican, conservative, ultra moral Mormon friend can agree with you on literally every single issue.

                                                             v.      [Slide 7] But Hebrews 11:6 states that “without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who draws near to Him must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him.”

                                                           vi.      What is meant by this verse?

                                                          vii.      The only way to please God is to draw near to Him by faith. What does it mean to draw near to Him by faith?

1.       First, one must believe that God is.

a.       But many people believe that God exists.

b.       Does the writer of Hebrews aim so low as to simply be a Theist.

c.       As long as I am not an Atheist or Agnostic then I am on the right path?

d.       No.

                                                                                                                                       i.      The writer of Hebrews is talking to Jewish Christians who are tempted to go back to Judaism because they are being persecuted by Jews.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      If they convert back to Judaism then they will stop being persecuted.

                                                                                                                                   iii.      Both Jews and Christians believe in God. And in some sense, they believe in the same God.

                                                                                                                                   iv.      But the writer of Hebrews insists that this shared belief in God’s existence is not enough.

e.       Instead, we should see the statement before it as a guide. For those who wish to draw near to God.

f.        In Judaism, this is something that they could not really do. There was distance maintained because of sin.

g.       But drawing near to God is possible if you do so by faith. Faith in what?

h.       First that God… as revealed by Jesus Christ… exists. It is a confidence, in the character and nature of the One true God as you come to experiential knowledge through faith in Jesus Christ.

i.         To believe God exists and to draw near to Him is to have a devotion and love for His presence and participation with Him in every area of life through faith in Jesus Christ.

j.         Jesus Himself said that He and the Father are one. If we have seen Him we have seen the Father. Indeed, the only way to the Father is through Him. So to draw near to God, must be through faith in Jesus Christ.

k.       The God that we must believe exists, is the God whom Christ revealed. Nothing less will lead to us drawing near to God or to pleasing Him.

2.       Second, faith means to believe that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him.

a.       To trust God is to trust Him as good, loving, generous, merciful, gracious and kind.

b.       God is pleased by actions done in faith because believers draw near to Him in confidence that He is good and will not cast them aside. Even if their lives crumble, they trust in God’s character and goodness to them.

                                                        viii.      [Slide 8] So, after this little lesson about how it is impossible to please God without faith – why is what Paul says here significant?

                                                            ix.      Because the majority of the people whom he is calling evil and wicked… are Jews who have rejected Jesus as their Messiah.

                                                             x.      Friends… mankind has a sickness and it is sin.

                                                            xi.      And yeah, your neighbor might plow your driveway or give you coffee…

                                                          xii.      They may be very religious and morally upright…

                                                        xiii.      But if they don’t have faith in Jesus Christ alone … They are wicked and they are evil.

                                                        xiv.      If they don’t believe in the God whom Christ has revealed and believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him… then they are wicked and evil.

                                                          xv.      Ghandi did a lot of wonderful great things in this world… but he was still wicked and evil and he will still be judged for not pleasing God.

                                                        xvi.      And to this Thessalonian church which might be tempted to abandon its faith because of persecution – Paul’s words no doubt have a quiet exhortation here.

                                                       xvii.      The only thing keeping them from being wicked and evil… is Christ… on whom they are believing.

                                                     xviii.      Paul’s final thought here serves as a connecting thought for both this point and the next.

d.       [Slide 9] 3 - But the Lord is faithful.

                                                               i.      Paul is asking the Thessalonians to pray for him and the other evangelists as they minister in Corinth.

                                                             ii.      That the gospel would go forth and be honored as it was there in their city.

                                                           iii.      But also, that evil and wicked men would be held at bay as they minister there.

                                                           iv.      In this, Paul may paint a bleak picture to what is going on in the city of Corinth.

                                                             v.      But he doesn’t want them to think that he is without hope.

                                                           vi.      In fact, in contrast to the faithless men who are evil and wicked and trying to impede the gospel – Jesus is faith… full. He is full of faith.

                                                          vii.      Meaning He is trustworthy. He is willing that the gospel would go forward. He is able to make it so.

                                                        viii.      And as we’ve already pointed out – God will or has already revealed to Paul that he will not be harmed in Corinth because God has many of His children there who have yet to receive the gospel.

                                                            ix.      Jesus is faithful indeed.

e.       [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: The truth upon which Paul hangs the first two applications for the Thessalonians, is that Jesus… is faithful. Jesus is trustworthy. Jesus… is loyal. But loyal to whom? Jesus is loyal to His bride. Those whom God has elected from the beginning. Those whom He has called with an eternal calling. Those whom He has appointed to obtain the glory of Christ. Jesus is faithful to Paul and His companions who are preaching the gospel in Corinth. Jesus is faithful as a shepherd to those lost sheep who are His who have not yet been found Corinth. And Jesus is faithful to us. Because Jesus is faithful to His people… we must pray for the advancement of the gospel and the restraining of those who would oppose it. That God would actively prevent faithless people from undermining the work while at the same time, causing the word to run freely and be honored. We must be praying for the Kingdom to continue to spread.

 

Transition:

[Slide 11 (blank)] But what other applications can be drawn from this theological bulwark, that Jesus is faithful?

 

II.)                Jesus is faithful to His bride, so we must look to Him for help to continue to be what He wants us to be. (3-5)

a.       [Slide 12] 3 - But the Lord is faithful.

                                                               i.      I begin here again to emphasize the transitional nature of this statement.

                                                             ii.      Jesus is not only faithful to meet the needs of the evangelists in Corinth… but as Paul will express to them now, He is also faithful to meet the needs of their church in Thessalonica.

b.       [Slide 13] He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

                                                               i.      Paul says with confidence that the Lord Jesus will not abandon His people.

                                                             ii.      He is here with us in His Spirit. He is with us to the end of the age.

                                                           iii.      While physically He is present in Heaven as our advocate, He is spiritually present with His church through the Holy Spirit.

                                                           iv.      Therefore, Paul is confident that He will establish or make firm or strengthen them.

                                                             v.      We must see this as spiritual strength and not physical.

                                                           vi.      While God is good and clothes and feeds us – many Christians have been poor, hungry, lacking shelter or clothing. The food and clothing that God promises, like the strength He promises, is primarily and mostly spiritual.

                                                          vii.      This life is a vapor and a shadow. If God permits us to be hungry and weak in this life – we can still trust that we will be fed and strong spiritually in this life. And we can also trust that we will be spiritually full and spiritually strong in His Kingdom.

                                                        viii.      But spiritual strength is not enough to face every obstacle in this life.

                                                            ix.      That is why Paul is also confident that Jesus will guard us against the Evil One.

                                                             x.      While the Greek does not have the word “one” it does have the article “the evil”

                                                            xi.      Often times this is used this way to indicate not an abstract idea of evil but an embodiment of evil.

                                                          xii.      Satan or the Devil is in view here. The evil one is our enemy. And Paul is confident that Jesus will protect us from him.

                                                        xiii.      Jesus told His disciples that Satan wished to sift them like wheat but that He prayed for them.

                                                        xiv.      Jesus is now glorified and given a position of authority in the Kingdom of God. The One who once prayed for His disciples now sits on heaven’s throne.

                                                          xv.      He will continue to protect His people.

                                                        xvi.      But that isn’t all Paul is confident about.

c.       [Slide 14] 4 - And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command.

                                                               i.      What is the reason that we excommunicate people from the church when they stop obeying God’s clear commands in the scriptures?

                                                             ii.      Why are we supposed to treat them like a tax collector and gentile – meaning we treat them like they do not have faith and do not know God?

                                                           iii.      The underpinnings of church discipline are founded in the confidence Paul has in what truly saved people WILL BE.

                                                           iv.      That confidence is not rooted in their abilities or specialness – it is rooted in Christ’s love and faithfulness to HIS BRIDE.

                                                             v.      Paul is confident that the Thessalonians are believers. That they are elect of God from the beginning. That they were elect because he witnessed the Spirit’s power in bringing the gospel to them. He has said all of this in these last two letters.

                                                           vi.      Therefore, He is confident in the Lord Jesus that they are and will continue to live out the Christian traditions which Paul and his companions taught them. And that they will obey what else Paul will command in the rest of the letter.

                                                          vii.      Just because Paul commanded them to stand firm and hold fast doesn’t mean he fears that they won’t. He is, in fact, confident, because of Jesus’ power in them… that they WILL.

                                                        viii.      The reason we treat professed believers like unbelievers when they stop obeying God – is because we have confidence that by Jesus’ power in us – we can, by faith, please God. We can, by faith, continue to obey Him.

                                                            ix.      So, when a professed believer stops obeying… Jesus didn’t fail. It can only be the person that has failed.  In other words – we have no confidence that they have Jesus. Because with Jesus – we have confidence in obedience.

d.       [Slide 15] 5 - May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

                                                               i.      Paul uses a benediction like construction here to close out this first note of application.

                                                             ii.      It is interesting that even though he has sought for the Thessalonians to pray for him and his companions, Paul can’t help being an encouragement to and praying for them before he closes out his request for prayer for himself.

                                                           iii.      We see the pastoral and humble nature of Paul to put them… even above himself.

                                                           iv.      He asks Jesus to reveal The Love of God and the Steadfastness of Christ.

                                                             v.      It is difficult to know whether Paul means God’s love for them or their love for God. Both are possible interpretations of the Greek. The same is true for the steadfastness of Christ. But there is a third option which has Paul playing off the ambiguity in Greek to mean both.

                                                           vi.      Paul asks that Jesus turn their hearts to behold God’s love for them so that they can go and love like Him.

                                                          vii.      Paul asks that Jesus turn their hearts to behold His own faithfulness and steadfastness for them so that they can go and be steadfast and faithful to and for Him.

e.       [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: And so Paul’s truth point endures. Jesus is faithful. Jesus is loyal to His bride. He loves them. He endured great humiliation and agony for them. He will establish us. He will guard us against our enemies. When we get a real glimpse at the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ, we can understand that Jesus is, indeed, faithful, loyal to His people. So, what must we do? We must love Him and others like He loves us. And we must endure in steadfastness for Him. We must continue to live for Him. Looking to His faithfulness and His provision enables us to continue to be what He wants us to be.

 

Conclusion:

So what have we learned today CBC, that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles?

 

Basics of Faith and Practice:

[Slide 17] Jesus is faithful. Jesus is trustworthy. Jesus is loyal to His people. That… is… huge. When compared to other faiths, many gods and messiahs would have their followers die for them. But our Savior is different. Our Savior is faithful and loyal to His people. God has chosen us in Christ before the world began and He will keep us and uphold us until the world ends. That is our God. Jesus’ faithfulness pushes us to do two things. First, we must pray for the advancement of the gospel which also includes the restraint of the forces that oppose it. Second, we must look to His loyal love, and steadfastness toward us so that we can continue to be what He wants us to be. He will help us, so we must keep going.

 

But what does this mean for us in our daily walk? How do these thoughts impact us?

 

1.)    [Slide 18] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Jesus is faithful to His bride.

a.       Not only is this truth we must confess, but it is also a glorious and abundantly comforting promise.

b.       Like a good husband, King Jesus is faithful and loyal to His bride.

c.       From heaven He sought her. He bought her with His blood. He rose again to bring her life. He sits in heaven to advocate for her. And one day He will return to get her and take her to a place He has prepared for her.

d.       Jesus is faithful to His bride. He is a loyal and loving husband.

e.       And that, my friends, is a great comfort indeed.

f.        Because our Savior is faithful… we must also affirm…

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 Jesus will establish us and guard us from the Evil One.  

a.       Faithful Jesus has sent His Spirit to bring comfort, give guidance, and prepare us for that future Kingdom.

b.       As a bride purchased from the slums of death, enslaved to sin, and children of wrath – we must be taught to reign with Him in a new Kingdom.

c.       So, we must be refined. But He is faithful to us. He will make sure that His bride is ready for the wedding feast.

d.       If we are in Christ, we are a new creation. Old has gone and new has come.

e.       He will continue to establish us and guard us from the forces of darkness.

f.        This world is full of devils. Wicked men and ancient evils that oppose Him and His coming kingdom. But He has already dealt them a death blow. His Kingdom is coming and now is. And He has firmly placed us in this world once dominated by sin and death and now we bear His light to the nations.

g.       As His bride He did not leave us to fend for ourselves. He will protect and He will make sure we are firmly rooted in the truth.

3.)    [Slide 20] 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 Jesus will enable us to continue to obey the commands of God.  

a.       He will give us grace to help us live each day for His glory.

b.       Just as He will not leave us unstable and unprotected, so also He will not leave us in our weakness.

c.       Indeed, in our weakness He is strong.

d.       We live on the constant supply from His gracious hands.

e.       He is the vine and we are the branches – our very life is drawn from Him.

f.        He is the bread and we must eat Him to live.

g.       He is the Shepherd and we the sheep depend on Him for everything.

h.       He is the way and we are the pilgrims who follow His path.

i.         He is the truth and we are the seekers who trust His words.

j.         He is the life and we are the living – drawing breath from Him.

k.       Without Him we are nothing. And without Him we cannot hope to be what He commands us to be.

l.         But remember… my friends… Jesus is faithful. He is loyal.

m.     He will enable us to keep obeying. To keep repenting. To keep following. To keep trusting.

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 look to God’s love and Christ’s steadfastness so we may love like God and be steadfast like Christ.

a.       Paul’s prayer ends by asking faithful Jesus to turn our hearts toward God’s love and His own steadfastness.

b.       Not so that we may experience comfort alone. But so we might also imitate our Lord and God.

c.       That we might love like He loves us.

                                                               i.      To love God and to love others is the heart of all the law and the prophets.

                                                             ii.      To love other members of the body of Christ as He loved us is to obey the law of Christ, a new command which He demonstrated.

                                                           iii.      But the scriptures teach us that we love because He first loved us.

                                                           iv.      Not only is this a chronological truth – but it is also a didactic truth. We cannot love first, not only because we are unwilling but also because we are unable. We are ignorant of the love God desires we have.

                                                             v.      It is only when we observe Christ’s love for us that we can love one another the way the Lord Jesus desires us to love each other.

                                                           vi.      We can only love God in the way in which He has demonstrated and prescribed to us.

d.       That we might also be steadfast like Christ.

                                                               i.      We don’t have a high priest who was ignorant to our sufferings.

                                                             ii.      He endured temptations and trials in every way that we have.

                                                           iii.      He has experienced everything we have and yet He did not sin.

                                                           iv.      He was a pure sacrifice, a priest who did not need to offer sacrifices for Himself.

                                                             v.      He can sympathize with our weaknesses.

                                                           vi.      He endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of God.

                                                          vii.      He walked the pilgrim path already.

                                                        viii.      He has made straight the path for us.

                                                            ix.      He has taken the weight of the yoke so that we might enter it with Him – and bear it up without fear of failing.

                                                             x.      My friends… Jesus is faithful! He is steadfast!

                                                            xi.      And that demonstrates for us how we must also be steadfast. We must endure. We must stand firm in what we have been taught as the gospel of Jesus and we must hold to the Christian tradition of faith and practice.

                                                          xii.      We seek no new revelation, no new interpretation, no new system, no new philosophy.

                                                        xiii.      Instead, we strive to go back… to go back to what the apostles taught. What did they receive from Christ. What is revealed in His word by explicit statement or by good and necessary inference? To this we hold tightly as we endure to the end.

                                                        xiv.      And Christ, our King, is our example.

5.)    [Slide 22] 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 pray for the advancement of the gospel and the hindering of all who would oppose it.

a.       Because Jesus is faithful…

b.       He will not let even one of the sheep which the Father has given to Him to be lost.

c.       He will seek and save them all.

d.       He won’t let the enemies of the gospel keep any of His elect from coming home.

e.       So to pray for this… is to pray in the will of God. God will do this – so we should pray for it.

f.        As we’ve seen several times in the study of these two letters – knowing God desires to or will do something, doesn’t mean that to pray for it we are doubting Him. He tells us to pray in His will. So of all things we should pray for… it is the things that He has revealed will be.

g.       His word will not return to Him without accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent.

h.       The Kingdom of this world will not prevail against the Kingdom of Christ.

i.         We know this.

j.         So we must pray for it.

k.       We pray in faith – not in doubt. We pray knowing and trusting that it will be.

l.         We can pray that locally for Columbus Township.

m.     More broadly for our state or for our country.

n.       And even for the whole world.

o.       We trust that Christ will save His sheep which are lost. Because He has said that He won’t lose even one of them.

p.       And then we go out and we share the gospel with those who are lost and perishing. Why? Because God might use us…  to give the gospel as He wakes them up to receive it.

6.)    [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” God will send His Word and restrain its opponents.

a.       The Kingdoms of this world are becoming the Kingdom of Christ. Not in a political sense. Not in a Christian nationalism sense. Not in a one world government sense.

b.       But in a spiritual sense.

c.       The gospel is global. It is a Kingdom without borders, without language, without ethnic commonality, without a country affiliation.

d.       It is a Kingdom that awaits the King to return and consummate its reign.

e.       That Kingdom is here… and that King is coming.

f.        Where will you be when He returns?

g.       What will you do with Jesus Christ?

h.       You have seen today how He is a faithful husband to His bride.

i.         Are you still living in the slums of death?

j.         Are you still enslaved to your sins? Do you even see the prison bars? Or do you still love your sin?

k.       Have you grown tired of your murderous father Satan, who leads you to the same wrath he has earned?

l.         Will you not turn from your sin and trust Jesus as your Savior and as your King?

m.     Will you not follow in His steps?

n.       If you wish to follow Him… love Him… serve Him… talk to someone you know is a Christian after the service. They will tell you the next steps.

 

[Slide 24 (end)] Let me close in a prayer by the early church father Venantius, an Italian bishop and hymn writer who lived from AD 530 to AD 609.

 

Christ Jesus, you are the Savior of the world, our merciful creator and redeemer, the only offspring from the Godhead of the Father.

 

Self-existing Word, you are flowing from the heart of God, and powerful from the mouth of your Father, equal to him, of one mind with him, his fellow, of the same age with the Father, from whom at first the world came to be.

 

You suspend the skies and heap together the soil. You pour forth the seas, which frame all the lands as they flourish.

 

When you saw our trouble, you became one of us, to rescue us. You were willing not only to be born with a body, but you became flesh, enduring to be born and to die.

 

You endure funeral rites—you, the author of life and framer of the world! You enter the path of death, in giving the aid of salvation. The gloomy chains of the hellish law yielded, and chaos feared to be pressed by the presence of the light. Darkness perishes, put to flight by your brightness. The thick blanket of eternal night falls away.

 

Restore the promised pledge, O power of good! The third day has returned; arise, Buried One. It is not proper that your body should lie in the lowly grave. Worthless stone should not hold in the ransom of the world, or cover him in whose fist all things are enclosed. Take away the linen clothes, leave them in the tomb.

 

You are enough for us, and without you there is nothing. Escape the chains of the evil prison and return to the upper regions. Let us see your face again, that the world may see the light. Give back the day, which flees from us at your death.

 

You return, holy conqueror! The ruler of the lower regions, who insatiably opens his hollow jaws, becomes your prey. The Lamb pulls his sheep from the jaws of the wolf. You rescue uncounted people from the prison of death, and they follow their leader to freedom. As a warrior you earn back trophies for heaven.

 

You have restored us from chaos and punishment, given new life to those whom death might seek. You fill your barns with an abundant harvest. Look at your shining triumph, sacred King! We step forth from the bright waves, cleansed and wearing white.

 

May this people, free from stain, be strengthened in your arms, for it is in Jesus’ name we pray this, Amen!

 

Benediction:

May the Lord show kindness to you;

May the Lord grant each of you rest;

May those who dwell in your house be blessed;

May they ever be praising the Lord.

 

Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.]]></description>
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