Work Brings Glory to God
2 Thessalonians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsAll work is our spiritual responsibility to give glory to God.
Notes
Transcript
Paul continues in his practical teaching as to how a believer ought to live their lives; particularly in the area of work. It seems that throughout history, many people have a warped and lazy view of work. Work has been seen as something to merely pay off debts; work is something from which to escape; work is a means to achieve attaining all kinds of stuff or extra time to play; or work is a means to accumulate as much as possible as an end in itself.
Sadly, even among some rabbis, there was the thought that physical labor was beneath their dignity. The cultured Greeks and Romans felt that any form of work was only for slaves and the lower classes. In the early church, there was some who were teaching that work was not for the first class Christian. Work is not beneath anybody’s dignity.
This is not part of God’s intent for us in relation to work. Work was not part of the curse. God commanded Adam to work before sin entered into the world. I am in full agreement with the philosophy that All work is our spiritual responsibility to give glory to God.
There are several clues in the Bible that make it clear that work is a blessing from God. The most obvious seems to be when the Ten Commandments were given to the Jewish nation. He sets a day apart for His people to rest from their work, while at the same time commanding them to work the other six days. This is actually a part of what God told Adam to do, as He gave instructions for farming.
Plus, we can look at another letter by Paul, as inspired by God in Ephesians 6:5–7 “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men . . . ”
Sadly, you get the strong impression that there were some believers in the church who chose not to work and were living off of other believers who were working. Maybe they had been unduly influenced by some of the strange thinking of others who saw work as beneath them. Or perhaps, they had been manipulated into thinking that Christ was coming at any moment, so it was not worth the effort. Regardless, the Bible shares in countless verses that laziness is completely inappropriate for a follower of God. So, Paul, having dealt with this in the first letter, is dealing with it again. This time, he provides the church with several specific guidelines in dealing with those who have chosen to refuse to work.
Avoidance - 3.6
Avoidance - 3.6
2 Thessalonians 3:6 (NASB95)
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.
As you read the first part of this verse, you find yourself almost taken aback. This is a very forceful, stern order Paul is giving. He let them know this wasn’t his idea, but rather it was given by God. When God issues a command, one needs to obey it instantly and completely.
What was the command? The other followers of Christ were to basically shun those who were not doing what they were supposed to do. The word for keep away means to avoid, shun, pull back from. This is referring specifically to those who could work, but were choosing not to work.
This is a hard thing to do for many believers. Some feel that there has to be a continuing relationship with the brother or sister who is sinning in order to win them back. Sometimes, it is because of a false understanding of Do not judge. However, that is not what God requires in this situation. What Paul is commanding is not the final step of excommunication. When a person refuses to repent of their sin, excommunication is a total separation. What Paul is saying here, is to cut them off from the normal activities and life of the church. It is often called disfellowshipping, which is designed to shame the person into walking in a way which is appropriate for a believer in Jesus Christ.
What exactly does unruly mean? Military definitions were being out of rank, out of line, out of order. This Greek word is only used one other time in the New Testament, in verse 11, which provides a complete definition: doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
Paul is reminding them that this behavior, was not at all what was handed down to them. In fact, in the first letter, he instructed them to work with their own hands. In essence, if a person refused to work, they were disobeying the Word of God.
This whole issue of Christians avoiding doing any work was a major sin problem, which manifested itself as a behavior problem. This would have been a horrible example to outsiders of what a believer in Christ would be. Throughout the Bible, we have examples and teachings of the value of work, as well as the evils of laziness.
Modeling - 3.7-9
Modeling - 3.7-9
2 Thessalonians 3:7–9 (NASB95)
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.
The Puritan Thomas Brooks stated, Example is the most powerful rhetoric. In other words, others will know what you believe by how you live. The phrase follow our example is the Greek word from which we use the word mimic.
Furthering that thought, Paul reminds them that they had seen firsthand how he and his companions behaved when they were together. What the Thessalonians had seen in Paul and the others, was a complete contrast to those who were being lazy in the church. Paul is reminding them that he and his companions even went above what was needed, by taking care of their own expenses. They worked extremely hard to make sure they were not a burden in any sense of the word to the Thessalonian believers. Though it would have been acceptable for them to receive support from them, as he did from other churches, he was setting an example for the church there by working. The purpose was to be a model for the church to follow our example.
You see, though Paul had a right to full support as a preacher of the gospel and an apostle, he chose not to do so, just for the purpose of being an example to the church. Thus, if a person was able to work in the church family, then it stands to reason they should do so. However, there were some who refused to work and that leads into Paul issuing some very strong comments.
Starving - 3.10
Starving - 3.10
2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NASB95)
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
The Thessalonians were reminded that Paul had taught this principle to them earlier. The Bible is full of this sort of teaching. If a person is truly hungry, they are most likely going to do whatever work is necessary in order to get food to eat. Paul is not talking about those who were unable to work. Notice the phrase, if anyone is not willing to work.
This whole concept goes against the entitlement mentality that we see today in our culture. Socialism and communism are based on the idea of power and control, by means of taking from those who do work and giving to those who are too lazy to work. This is just one facet of those types of government being set against God’s law and commands.
Proverbs 16:26 states, “A worker’s appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on.” 1 Timothy 5:8 speaks even more harshly, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Working - 3.11-13
Working - 3.11-13
2 Thessalonians 3:11–13 (NASB95)
For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.
The problem is seen in the fact that unruly or undisciplined individuals were busy being busybodies and not being busy working productively. This is actually a play on words in Paul’s writings. They were not busy, but busybodies. Not being kept busy by working, they were busy sticking their noses in other people’s lives. As a result, there was discord and disunity in the church, as those individuals were not contributing in a positive way.
Paul is instructing those individuals to stop putting their noses where they didn’t belong; get established doing work which is orderly and consistent; don’t draw attention to themselves. Start being a blessing and not a burden.
The danger that was also there, was that those who were working and helping those who were truly in need, might become discouraged. So, Paul encourages those who were living rightly by working as unto the Lord to not grow weary of doing good.
Shaming - 3.14
Shaming - 3.14
2 Thessalonians 3:14 (NASB95)
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.
It seems that because Paul is now dealing with this issue with some of them at this church for the third time, those who weren’t being obedient to the instructions, were actually willfully and stubbornly sinning. This person was to be treated in such a way that the rest of the church was not to associate with him. In other words, the church was to no longer fellowship with those individuals and actually have nothing to do with them. The purpose was to isolate them and bring them to the point of true repentance.
Loving - 3.15
Loving - 3.15
2 Thessalonians 3:15 (NASB95)
Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Paul wanted to make it very clear that the lazy individuals were not to be treated as someone who was being excommunicated. Matthew 18.17, 1 Corinthians 5.5, and 1 Timothy 1.20 tells us that the person put out of the fellowship of the local church was to be treated as a Gentile and a tax collector, delivered to Satan. Here, in this letter, Paul says to admonish him as a brother. You see, the whole point in having to discipline a believer who is actively and intentionally involved in sin, is to lovingly restore them into a right relationship with God.
Oftentimes, churches forget the whole counsel of God and go right to kicking people out of their churches. That should be a last resort. A verse that is often overlooked that ought to govern the whole discipline process is Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” This all must be done in a loving manner.
Concluding - 3.16-18
Concluding - 3.16-18
2 Thessalonians 3:16–18 (NASB95)
Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
What a conclusion to a power-packed short letter to the Thessalonians. Paul has dealt with some explosive issues in these 3 chapters. Even though the Thessalonian church seemed to be amazingly strong, they still faced a great deal of opposition in a variety of forms. There was extreme persecution, there were false teachings from heretical teachers, there were concerns and fears brought on by those false teachers, which even caused some to blatantly sin against God’s commands by being lazy.
Knowing all of that, Paul speaks about peace in every circumstance. This is a spiritual peace, not the shallow peace which the world thinks is peace, which can be destroyed so easily. This peace comes from the Lord. This peace has the knowledge that God is in control. This peace has the assurance that we have been forgiven and heaven awaits us. This peace has its basis in the unchanging Lord of all, not the constant changing situations of life.
John MacArthur presents a clear picture of this. In the perfectly harmonious working of the Trinity, the Father decreed peace, the Son purchased it (cf. Acts 10:36; Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:20), and the Holy Spirit brings it.
Paul also reminds us that this sort of peace is not something we pursue, but the Lord of peace Himself continually grant[s] it to us. It is also not a hit or miss sort of peace. This peace is granted, or given, to us on a continual basis. Even though we may feel like that peace is sometimes absent, it is, in reality, always available.
Paul then stated The Lord be with you all! Obviously, God is always with us. However, this is a reminder that because God’s presence is always with us, we can have confidence that God will give us what we need in order to live a life pleasing to Him
Now, we see Paul’s comment of this signature being his own writing, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, by signing off with his own hand writing. He wanted them to know that this was not a fake, which you recall, some false teachers tried to dupe the church previously.
Then there is Paul’s final blessing. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. This is available only to those who have placed their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Grace is that gift which is undeserved by us, yet freely given to us, by Christ . It is God’s grace which saves us. It is God’s grace which gives us the power to keep on living for Him regardless of the situation in which we find ourselves. It is God’s grace which gives us the ability to keep growing and obeying. It is God’s grace which allows us to do all things which will glorify Him, It is God’s grace than enables us to keep doing those things which deepen our walk with Him.