"A Successful Walk"

The first part of 1 Thessalonians 4 we looked at “Living the Life of a Believer”. The Apostle Paul is going to continue that train of thought into the next few verses that we are going to look at this morning.

We are going to dive in a little further regarding our living for God and look at what the Scripture has to say about living a life that is successful and productive in God’s eyes. This is a topic we have dealt with quite extensively as we have moved through several different books of the Bible verse by verse.

Some might think that it is a bit redundant, but I am convinced we need daily reminders and challenges to present ourselves in a way that pleases the Lord. There are many professors of faith, but far fewer actual possessors of faith. This is not something we should take lightly or without consideration. As the children of God, we have an obligation to present ourselves pleasing unto the Lord... every day.... and in every circumstance.

We may fail to realize it, but the world around us is watching our lives. They have heard many who profess Christ, only to see their actions betray their words. The world is looking for those who are real. We have the privilege and obligation to present our faith to the world.

As I studied these verses, I discovered a profound statement by John MacArthur. “Christianity is a shoe-leather faith—a living, practical faith that hits the streets in normal, everyday life, affecting everything from believers' simplest attitudes and most mundane actions to their profoundest thoughts and noblest deeds.”

That is an interesting concept: shoe-leather faith, faith that isn’t kept in the closet or worn only on special occasions,… but faith that is worn every day, before the world, and publicly displayed.

*** Illustration idea***

2 pair of boots… one super nice and a pair of work boots… Which of these represents your faith??

Meat:

As we read today’s passage, I want you to see what it takes to have “A Successful Walk”… and I want to share with you some...

Essentials for Success:

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12…

The first essential that is listed here is...

1. Brotherly Love

Paul says v.9a “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you,...”

Just because the believers in Thessalonica didn’t need to be refreshed on what Brotherly love meant, doesn’t mean we are going to skip over it… and the reason that we are not going to skip over it is because… Brotherly Love is...

1.1 Foundational

cf: 1 John 2:9-11, 4:20

Brotherly Love is foundational to having a successful walk.

1 John 2:9–11 NKJV

9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 4:20 NKJV

20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

1.1 Foundational

We need to look at this a little bit more closely before we move on... Many times, in Scripture we find the word love translated from the Greek word agape, which talks about the love of God. Yes, we ought to desire to love people as God loves them, without boundaries or preconceived expectations,… but here in Thessalonians we are met with another type of love which we are responsible to possess...

The phrase brotherly love is translated from the Greek word Philadelphia, and yes that is where the American city got its name, the city of brotherly love. This is a love that binds our hearts together; develops a deep affection for and commitment to each other; it moves us to act on behalf of the welfare and needs of others.

In a time when the whole world is divided… people have a desire for unity… and they should be able to find it within family of God! ...

As we move on in our text, we see that Brotherly Love is...

1.2 Taught by God

“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;”

This phrase “Taught by God” is one word in the Greek Language “theodidaktos” (thayo-deed-actos)… This is the only place in the Scriptures that this particular word is found.

It does not refer to any single teaching, such as an Old Testament verse or passage,… it is not referring to a specific teaching from Jesus or any of the Apostles… But this describes a characteristic that results from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at that exact moment when someone enters into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Warren Wiersbe describes it this way...

“Have you noticed that animals do instinctively what is necessary to keep them alive and safe? Fish do not attend classes to learn how to swim (even though they swim in schools), and birds by nature put out their wings and flap them in order to fly. It is nature that determines action. Because a fish has a fish’s nature, it swims; because a hawk has a hawk’s nature, it flies. And because a Christian has God’s nature, he loves, because “God is love”...”

Romans 5:5b “...the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

No External stimulus is necessary… Brotherly love among fellow believers is a hereditary trait originating from our Heavenly Father… We need to love one another in order to provide strength and stability as we live among this sinful world. We need that love to keep our fellowship strong and to prevent division among the church.

A loving church is a strong church. People that are loved and encouraged are less likely to stumble and fall, yielding to temptation… May we yield to the teaching of our Heavenly Father and love others in the same way that He loves us.

If Brotherly Love is Foundational and also taught by God… then it should come as no surprise when I say that it is...

1.3 Expected

Paul was not inspired of the Holy Spirit to pen these words just so the Thessalonian believers would have something to read. He penned these words for their instruction and exhortation. Paul, and the Lord, fully expected them to continue to grow in their love for one another. He expected them to feel the pain of others; he expected them to care for one another and come alongside the weak and needy.

Yes, this word was given first to the Thessalonian church, but it is here for our guidance as well. Just like the Thessalonian believers, we are also instructed and expected to love one another!

1 Peter 3:8-9 “8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

The next Essential is…

2. Spiritual Growth

V.10 “and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;”

We grow spiritually by...

2.1 Sharing Christ’s Love with Everyone!

Looking at the example of the Thessalonian believers… Their love was not offered only to those who were in their immediate circle of influence. They weren’t guilty of loving only those whom they were acquainted with or those who held their particular view. The church there loved all the brethren throughout Macedonia. They simply loved the church, whether they worshipped together or not.

They were concerned about the well-being and prosperity of all believers… and we should be as well… Yes, Paul was pleased with the love they had shown, but he prayed for their love to increase more and more. They loved one another in a way that was pleasing to the Lord, but even then, there was room for improvement. The word increase has the idea of “exceeding a fixed measure, to abound and overflow.”

Our love for people shouldn’t be confined within the walls of the church. It needs to abound and overflow outside of the church so that those who have never experienced this type of love will have a chance to see it, feel it and hopefully respond to it.

This goes back to our original illustration this morning… (the boots) are we living out our faith everyday… or just when we are within the walls of the church??

Could it ever be said that we were guilty of loving too much? Do we really love as God would have us to?... May we seek to increase more and more in our love for the Lord and others.

We also experience spiritual growth by...

2.2 Minding Your Own Business

V.11a “that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, {and} mind your own business,”

The Apostle Paul really knew how to speak the truth in love didn’t he???…

A motorist was driving in the country when he saw some men who had come from an ecumenical meeting: a Baptist Pastor, a Catholic Priest, an Anglican Vicar, and a Jewish Rabbi. They were standing on the shoulder of the road, fishing. Next to them was a sign that read "Turn Around. The End Is Near."

The motorist didn’t like to be preached to, so he rolled down the window and yelled, "Mind your own business, you religious nuts!"

A few seconds later the fishermen heard tires screech, then a splash.

The rabbi turned to the others and said, "I told you we should’ve just written, ’Bridge Out.’ "

That is not quite what the Apostle Paul means when he says “Mind your own Business”… Paul’s attitude and message here, can be paralleled with the words of Christ found in...

Matthew 7:3 which says… “3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”

This of course is talking about hypocrisy. We are so quick to point out the flaws of others… we are quick to give them a “biblical” lesson on how they are to live their life… but we are not willing to take care of the sin in our own lives... We use their sin to justify our sin… “Well, sure I did this or yeah, I indulge in that… but Suzie Q does such and such… and that is 10x worse than what I am doing...

To that kind of attitude… Paul says “Mind your own business!”… Matthew 7:5 goes on to say... you“5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

We have to make sure that our own affairs are in order before we can even try to help someone else with theirs… and newsflash folks… gossiping about someones sin does not help them…

Spiritual growth happens when we mind our own business...

It should go without saying but, Spiritual growth...

2.3 Takes Work

“that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,”

This is part of being ready and “actively” waiting for the Lord’s return... It is believed, many in Paul’s day were so excited about the Lord’s soon return that they sold all their goods and began to make preparations for that day...

Please don’t misunderstand me... I am not teaching that we should not make preparation and fully anticipate the Lord’s coming, but we must continue to work while we are here. Many in that day had either sold or given away all they had and could no longer provide for themselves.

We must be looking for the Lord to come, but yet we must be sensible in the mean-time. I am troubled by those who are unwilling to do anything for themselves, seeking to take advantage of the hard work of others. I know some cannot help themselves, but if we are able, we are expected to work and provide for our own needs.

Folks, Laziness on the part of believers does nothing to advance the cause of Christ. We won’t turn there this morning, but in Luke 19 Jesus shares a parable…

As He introduced the parable, Christ indicated how believers ought to live in view of His return: “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come back’”… Christians are to carry on with their everyday lives and responsibilities until Christ returns.

If you want to experience spiritual growth… it takes work…

And that leads us to our final essential this morning… which is...

3. Good Behavior

v.12 “that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.”

The NASB words it this way “so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”

A Methodist pastor said “Our behavior should be an outward growth of our love of God. It is the soil in which our spiritual fruits are planted. The Holy Spirit is the fertilizer that makes our fruits grow and prosper.”

Our good behavior should be...

3.1 Rooted in Honesty

v.12 says “That you may walk (or behave) properly...” that word “properly” can also be translated as “Honestly”.

The church was not to be deceptive or cunning in their dealings. They were to present themselves honest before all men.

That principle has not changed. Much damage has been done to the church because of those who were dishonest and sought to take advantage of others. We must ensure that our motives are pure in all we do.

We need to be mindful of how we present ourselves to the world… Be honest… if you are struggling in a certain area, find someone you can trust and ask them to hold you accountable…

“One Sunday a pastor preached a sermon on honesty. Monday morning he took the bus took get to his office. He paid the fare, and the bus driver gave him back too much change. During the rest of the journey, the pastor was rationalizing how God had provided him with some extra money he needed for the week. But he just could not live with himself, so before he got off the bus, he proceeded to give back the extra money and said to the driver, "You have made a mistake. You've given me too much change."

The driver smiled and said, "There was no mistake. I was at your church yesterday and heard you preach on honesty. So I decided to put you to a test this morning."

Folks, people are watching to see if you truly are living out what you say you believe… in a world that is polluted with dishonesty, may we strive to share the love of Christ through our honesty… I am thoroughly convinced that hard work and honesty will go a long way in reaching someone who needs the Lord...

And if our Good Behavior is rooted in honesty then, I am convinced, it...

3.2 Results in Blessing

“so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”

This is not implying that we serve the Lord simply for what we can receive, but it is a promise that God will meet the needs of those who follow Him. If we are committed to displaying our faith in a way that honors God, loving others and living lives that reflect Him, God will care for us!

We may never have the riches this world has to offer, but we can have the peace of God and we can have peace with God… Y’all, that is far greater than anything this world has to offer and it is something that money, simply, cannot buy!

Closing:

How is your walk today? What pair of boots represents your faith? (Elaborate)

What does the world see when it looks at us? Are we making a difference in the lives of people? Do we love as God has commanded us to love?

Do our lives reflect the Lord we serve? I am sure, we could all love more than we do. I would say that we could live better lives than what we currently do as well. It is my prayer that the Lord will stir our hearts as we continue to seek Him.