[0:00] 12, page 960. Please stand for the reading of God's Word. Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we instructed you, so that you may live properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
[0:36] This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. Good afternoon to you. It's good to worship with family on this afternoon, sing praises of the living God to give him the praise that is due him.
[1:01] Let me pray. Father, praise your name for another opportunity before your people. Thank you for the music that has led us before your throne, reminded us of your greatness and your goodness to us.
[1:16] Now may the words of my mouth, meditations of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen.
[1:31] 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, we looked at that verses 1 through 8 on last week, and one of the things that we noted about this chapter, and it's true of our text on this afternoon, that it is about our behavior. It's about our conduct as Christians, as those who are Christ ones in this world.
[1:54] How is it that you and I are to conduct ourselves here? Pleasing God, friends, is our goal.
[2:06] The direction, the orientation of your life and mine is to do the will of God. Last week concerned our sexual purity in a world that really ignores God's standards.
[2:24] You probably have noticed that this world does not walk according to God's word and God's will as it concerns their sexual ethic.
[2:38] Scripture is clear about God's will being our holiness, chapter 4, verse 3. And that's God's call, chapter 4, verse 7, is our holiness.
[2:50] And that God's provision, chapter 4, verse 8, for our holiness, at least in part, it includes his Holy Spirit that he has given to us.
[3:04] The emphasis on this week is no less important than what we discussed on last week. It is important for the well-being of our souls individually.
[3:16] It is important for the way that we function in Christ's body corporately. Additionally, what we talk about on today is critical for our witness in this world.
[3:33] So it has personal and corporate and world kind of, worldwide community kinds of implications.
[3:44] If I would outline the passage on this afternoon, if you look at verses 9 and 10, we see love commanded. Love encouraged in verse 10b.
[4:00] Love's requirement comes into focus in verse 11. And love's impact is seen even as we look in verse 12.
[4:11] Love commended, love encouraged, love's requirements, and love's impact.
[4:21] What about love commended? Look at the verse with me, the first verse in our text. Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been, check this out, friends, taught by God to love one another.
[4:46] The topic at hand, that is, brotherly love, comes into focus in the verse. It had made it to the list that Timothy had brought back some concerns from Thessalonica when he had returned.
[5:03] And brotherly love somehow made it on that list along with what we saw on last week, sexual purity, their holiness. Now, it's interesting that it had made the list in spite of the fact that it was not absent from among them.
[5:21] As a matter of fact, Timothy's report, chapter 3, verse 6, says the following, But now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember as kindly and long to see us as we long to see you.
[5:41] So it was not because they were not exercising love among us. It was not absent. They were not totally deficient in it.
[5:52] But nevertheless, it rises as a concern. The verses before us today include an acknowledgment that the Thessalonians, in fact, had received passing grades as a concern caring for one another as family members should.
[6:10] And that's the kind of love, brotherly love, that comes into view. The reference is to family affection, love between family members. And here the family members are believers in Christ, those who share the Christian faith.
[6:25] That's what's in view. And you and I know that love, friends, is right at the very core of our identity as children of God. And thus it is right when we hear reminders and exhortations and even commendations for love because it is a central feature of Christian DNA.
[6:46] And these things are always in order. Indeed, love is the focus here. They were not lacking in love for each other. They were doing quite well.
[6:57] Christian love, in fact, had radiated from them and it had gone into other parts of the region of Macedonia that included Berea and Philippa.
[7:09] They had experienced the love of the believers or the impact of the faith and, no doubt, love of the believers in Thessalonica. The passage before us, it credits God with being the teacher.
[7:27] Huh? They had been taught by God to love one another. Huh? They were God-taught. Did Paul, when he said this, have particular scriptures in mind that he was referring to?
[7:42] Were there chapters and verses that perhaps came to view in his mind? Perhaps he may have thought of Leviticus chapter 19, verse 18. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
[7:58] I am the Lord. Perhaps he had that in mind. Or maybe it was the teaching of Jesus who taught very strongly in John chapter 13.
[8:10] He said this, Now, the teaching of the Old Testament and the New Testament regarding love are crucial dimensions to our understanding of what it means to love as Christians.
[8:39] But what seems to be in view here is the ministry of the Holy Spirit at work in the heart of the believer teaching us to love.
[8:50] Contextually, that would be consistent with what we see in chapter 4 and verse 8, where it speaks about God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
[9:03] Huh? One feature of the new covenant, the new covenant of Christianity, is the internal dimension of God's work on the inside of the believer.
[9:17] Remember, Jeremiah chapter 31 speaks of this, But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, and no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother.
[9:39] Huh? The internal dimension of the new covenant that you and I are under in this day and age. Romans chapter 5, verse 5, God's love has been poured out, poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
[9:56] And as the Holy Spirit provides power for purity, chapter 4, verse 8, So he is the source and power and strength for loving as the Lord would have us love.
[10:11] It works that in our heart. Huh? As those who have been recipients of new life from God, friends, we now have a new fundamental life principle by which we live.
[10:27] Therefore, as be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and has given his life for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
[10:40] God the Spirit is our teacher. And it's interesting about this. No one ever gets the test out of this particular class.
[10:52] No one ever tests out of love. You and I are forever enrolled in this particular course. You never graduate.
[11:03] You never graduate. We can grow in various dimensions of love, but we never master it. We never outgrow our need for this kind of instruction as it relates to our loving one another as family.
[11:21] Huh? The believers in Thessalonica had received high marks for loving other Christians. Their love was active. Their love was far-reaching.
[11:31] It had gone beyond their particular city, and it extended to believers in other cities in Macedonia. Macedonia, huh? It's good to see varied expressions of love within our own faith family.
[11:50] I'm aware that lives are being shared. Some peers are sharing their lives with peers, and they are connecting them that way. There are others who are connecting across generational lines, huh?
[12:02] But in the midst of our faith family, there are clear evidences that people are sharing as family. And it's very refreshing to hear stories of how this kind of love dynamic is at work.
[12:18] In the course of my pastoral visits, I visited with a young college student a few weeks ago and really was sort of caught by surprise with something that he shared with me.
[12:33] You know, we don't see everything that's going on, and there are some great acts of love that are happening among us that you and I probably are not even aware of. And I was unaware of this, and I'm going to sell all of this anonymously.
[12:45] But I do want you to know some of the things that are going on. This young man is a student at a local college. And on Fridays, he takes leave of his local college dorm and campus, and he makes his way to someone's home in our congregation.
[13:09] And that couple's home becomes this person's home. That couple's extra bedroom becomes his bedroom for the weekend.
[13:21] And that couple's food becomes his nourishment while he is there. This couple has received someone that doesn't share the same last name, but they share the Christian faith, and they receive that young man in.
[13:41] And when he goes back to his school on Sunday evening, he goes back soul and body refreshed because there's a couple among us that have been taught by God how to love one another and how to extend that kind of love to those who are in our midst.
[14:06] That's just one example. And you may have examples of your own as far as the Spirit of God working in the hearts of God's people in the ongoing course of understanding better how to love.
[14:20] The love of God that is spread in our hearts by the Holy Spirit can have personal and local and regional and even global expressions to those who are part of the leaving family.
[14:37] So it is that kind of love that Paul was commending, but he didn't stop there. Love is also encouraged.
[14:48] Look at the next part of verse 10. I'll read verse 10 again. For that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But notice what it says here.
[14:58] We urge you brothers to do this more and more. Love that showed up through the believers in Thessalonica and in Macedonia.
[15:10] And Paul commended them for it. But they were encouraged to excel, to overflow with love.
[15:21] So Paul winsomely, he gave credit where credit was due. But he appropriately, at this particular juncture, issued a fitting challenge in this crucial area of Christian conduct.
[15:35] There's not a point where we stop with it. The pause was followed by an exhortation. While the Thessalonians were doing well, and there were indications that, but there were also indications that there was room for growth in this very, very crucial area.
[15:54] Just as Paul, in chapter 4, verse 1, he'd encourage the saints in Thessalonica to excel in pleasing God. Do that more and more. He encouraged them likewise to excel, to abound, to overflow in loving one another.
[16:11] Look at verse 11. Love's a requirement. His exhortation continues. And here, love's requirement comes in view because these verses are really, really connected.
[16:26] It could appear to be somewhat disjointed. But he goes on and speaks about, really, then what are some of the responsibilities of love within the family, and particularly in this given context.
[16:39] Look at verse 11. And to aspire to live quietly and to mind your own affairs and to work with your hands as we instructed you.
[16:52] The kind of exhortations that we see in verse 11 have led some to believe that rather than being a full participant in the giving and receiving dynamics of Christian love, that there were some in Thessalonica who were more on the receiving end.
[17:13] They were passive receivers rather than active givers. Some in Thessalonica had misunderstood Paul's teaching regarding the Lord's return, thinking that it was very soon at hand.
[17:25] And because of this, they had abandoned their meaningful daily routines that contributed to their personal well-being as well as to the well-being of others.
[17:36] And that being the case, they were not exercising the kind of love that befitted the family relationship. And thus Paul was exhorting them and encouraging them and helping them to say, hey, you need to do this more and more, and this is one of the reasons in which you can do it.
[17:58] There were saints who were AWOL. They were missing in action in the life of the faith community, simply waiting on the Lord's return.
[18:11] They were slack and irregular in their dutiful participation in the life of the community. These exhortations had these kind of people, these kinds of believers in Thessalonica in view.
[18:24] What is it, friends, that keeps us from meaningful activity in the family of God, in our faith community?
[18:36] Idleness may have been their issue, but more often than not, it's busyness with us. What are the things that occupy our time and attention and energy?
[18:48] Is it your profession? Or is it our study, or even our own families? Is it oftentimes our recreational pursuits?
[19:03] What does the examination of our lives yield as to where we're really investing our time and energies? And we need to process that.
[19:16] And I understand the struggle and how there's just so much of us that can go in so many different places. But where is it that we're making real significant kingdom and life kind of investments?
[19:32] And could it be that we can carve out more time, really, to exercise the kind of brotherly affection that's in view here? Well, look over with me at 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 6 because this is really a commentary on the verses that we are looking at and it really helps us to see the bigger picture of what was going on in the midst of the Thessalonian people.
[20:01] I'm going to begin reading at verse 6. Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking, notice, in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you have received from us.
[20:18] Well, when Paul was there, not only did he labor spiritually, he labored manually, and he says night and day, chapter 2, in order that he might not be chargeable to any of them.
[20:32] Manual labor in the Greek context was sort of really low on the totem pole and they didn't naturally sort of gravitate toward that. Look at verse 7.
[20:43] For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us because we were not idle when we were with you. Nor did we eat any man's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you.
[20:59] His example among them. They were not doing that, some of them at least. It was not because we do not have the right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
[21:13] For even when we were with you, we would give you this command that if anyone was not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busy bodies.
[21:31] Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. You hear the echoes from chapter 4, and it's even expanded as he has written this second letter to them in 2 Thessalonians.
[21:51] He warns those who are idle. And here also, the tone in chapter 4, verse 11, is corrective.
[22:02] Some had ignored the instruction of Paul regarding their conduct. And as members of the faith community, they were to love one another as brothers. But they had become distracted, and because of this, their distraction, they were distracting others.
[22:18] And thus you have the encouragements in verse 11. What were they supposed to do? They were to aspire to live quietly.
[22:30] Paul instructed those among them who had become uptight and were spreading what one commentator said, advent fever. It was like every time you see this particular brother, it was talking about the advent and the Lord's coming.
[22:45] And I was right and proper, and Paul mentions that constantly in each of these chapters. There's a reference to the Lord's coming, but these people, some had become so preoccupied with it that they were disrupting others in the faith community.
[23:02] And there are those in churches who like to keep things stirred up. Here, it could have been a doctrinal matter. It can be other things. But in either case, those things were not the loving thing to do.
[23:18] And thus what we see here is somewhat of a paradoxical exhortation. The requirement of love, be ambitious about being calm, is in essence what is being said.
[23:29] To aspire to live quietly, to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and not be so disturbing to everybody else with your pet kind of issue.
[23:40] Look at the second thing he tells them. Paul's instruction to those who were idle and to the business and to the business of others rather than meaningful engagement that would benefit. What was this instruction?
[23:51] Be ambitious to engage in your own business and stay out of the business of others. To mind your own affairs, to attend to your own business. You can just imagine that this person, I mean, we've had people come and we're busy and they want to talk about a conversation and, you know, it can take you away from what you're doing.
[24:11] It can be very, very disruptive. Those are the kinds of things that seemingly were in view with these. And thirdly, to those who had abandoned their work and had become idle, the exhortation, hey, get to work, get to work with your own hands.
[24:26] Those were the requirements of love in the context of Christian community. They were not doing the loving thing and thus we hear this very corrective word for them.
[24:41] When loving, caring, conduct prevails in family. And you know it's like that in our family. In our families, things go well.
[24:55] When all are doing well, what they should be doing in the context of family, living out the love of brothers and sisters. Family wins, huh?
[25:07] But when misinformed, selfish, insensitive behavior prevails as it was here, the family suffers.
[25:19] Why these exhortations? Because Paul wanted to correct the negative patterns and trends that had arisen in Thessalonica and there were implications in several spheres because of their behavior.
[25:33] It impacted them from within. But look at verse 12 particularly. What he says is that so that you may live properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
[25:47] Just think about it. Think of it this way. As people have a window into the life of the community, what do they say? What do they behold?
[25:58] He wanted the believers to conduct themselves in a God-honoring manner before a watching world that included those who were outside of the Christian faith.
[26:09] And our prayer, friends, is that our life with each other would be such that we gain the respect of those on the outside.
[26:24] And there are different things and we know of different kind of issues that arise in community life. Fights and factions and splits in court battles and also lesser, more benign things have hindered the witness of the church and the world.
[26:47] And our prayer is that love that befits the family would be one of the banners that would hang over our community, our faith community. May our ability to share our lives in meaningful kinds of ways in spite of the things that potentially could divide us.
[27:08] Race or class and these things and may our engagement in spite of these things have some real depth to it and not simply be superficial.
[27:21] Beyond the superficial, the attractive kind of things. May we outdo those who put on these external kind of displays in the name of political correctness.
[27:36] May ours be genuine. The second reason for Paul's corrective words were to curb the patterns of those who were unduly drawing upon the resources of others and discouraging other people in the family of faith.
[27:49] You see that the last part? And be dependent on no one. That was his goal. And so it deals with love within the context of family and its implications outside of the family and thus you've got these words, these exhortations, this direction where you applauded them on one hand for their love but challenged them on the other.
[28:18] Here's the deal friends. When God's people excel at love, when we are loving one another as family should, the needs and the well-being of the family are served as well as our witness in the world being enhanced.
[28:40] When people look on and see the depth of our family love that we have, when God's people fail at loving a family, it hurts the family from within and it harms our reputation with those who might enter in from without.
[28:58] That's the gist of what Paul is saying here is that love has impact positively and negatively.
[29:09] When it's good, it's so great, and may it grow, and when it's absent, it can be very harmful and prohibitive if it exists.
[29:26] There's a lot that we can say about love, isn't it? because of it in fact being a core part of our identity. But here's my prayer for us, is that we would excel and grow at it, and that we would work at it, and that we would not let things disrupt it.
[29:47] I struggle just like you do as far as balancing time and wondering how and where to invest. Oh, but may God give us wisdom and balance and help us to excel in this grace.
[30:06] May each of us take the next steps. I don't know what your next steps might be for us relating as family with those among us and perhaps even others.
[30:19] But the next step that we can grow in very distinctive kinds of ways. I think that we are, I know that we are not purposeful and intentional enough in our loving and in other, and growing in other areas of grace.
[30:39] May God impact us in ways that we are, we are changed whether it's incrementally, but to be able to look back and see that I made steps that may not be big steps, but steps nonetheless.
[30:55] So, here's the deal. waiting on the Lord's return. Those who excel at love, they assume a posture that is proper for those who await the return of their Lord.
[31:18] You cannot go wrong when you do so. May God give us the grace and may God give us the help and may he continue to etch on your heart and mind.
[31:30] Teach us as it concerns our love and affection for each other. Let's pray. So, teach us, Lord, through your word and by your spirit love and also through the examples of others in history and in our own circles.
[32:04] Thank you, Lord, for those like the couple that I mentioned who in a sense are excelling at love. We rejoice in you for them and for others, Lord, that we don't know about but they are touching lives here.
[32:24] They are reaching and sharing and loving and considering. And, Lord, may you be honored. May our love be such that we're mindful of the things that can disrupt our harmony and disrupt our love.
[32:43] And, Lord, whereby it was them, it was idleness, perhaps for us, it's busyness. But, you know, these things all together give us strength and courage to move forward in these things is our prayer.
[32:57] In Christ's name, amen. Let's stand, sing our last song together.