Busy, Not Busybodies
1 Thessalonians • Sermon • Submitted
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In the last two messages, we have seen Paul exhort the Thessalonian believers to be faithful in the things they know to do. If we aren’t faithful to do what we know, why would God give us more responsibility? Why would He lead us to higher ground if we aren’t consistent to obey Him where we are now? If we are casual or careless in doing the “little things” that we know, we can expect to be stalled in our Christian life.
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
God sees our attention and faithfulness to doing the little things. He isn’t looking for servants who just “hit the high spots.” He is looking for those who will be faithful doing even the small things.
However, even our diligent efforts to be faithful in the small things doesn’t guarantee that we won’t overlook something, or forget something, or be distracted. That is why we need regular reminders of the things that we already know! Paul does that in our text tonight.
Three weeks ago, we examined Paul’s words about moral purity. Purity is a challenge, because every sinner deals with wicked lust. Our flesh desires that which it cannot righteously have, and we are faced with a choice: will we take what does not belong to us, or will we deny our fleshly desires? It is much easier to choose instant gratification. But if the child of God will choose to please God instead of the flesh, they are acting in obedience to the first and greatest commandment!
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
Christian, what is your state of purity tonight? What choices do you make in your thoughts, your words, and your body? Do you put God’s desires ahead of your own? Personal purity is a foundational area of Godliness, and is a natural result of loving Christ above all.
It’s interesting to note that after dealing with purity and putting God ahead of self, Paul shifts to the topic of brotherly love, which we looked at two weeks ago. If we don’t love God first, we are not in a position to love others appropriately! If God isn’t in His proper place in our lives, nothing else will be either.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
True obedience to God begins with putting Him first, and it continues by putting others second. The Thessalonians had heard this, they knew this, and they believed it. They were also following it to some degree. But they still needed to be reminded, and so the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write it. And we need to be reminded of it as well. Don’t assume that because you know something, you’re doing it. We’ll never love God and others “too much.” We need to keep them in their proper places in our lives. This will always need maintenance and reminding.
In our text tonight, Paul moves on to a different, but related focus.
PRAYER
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
I. It Begins With the Heart
I. It Begins With the Heart
“And that ye study to be quiet...”
We use the word “study” differently today. Paul doesn’t mean that we need to read books and memorize facts about being quiet. “Study” means to set your mind or thoughts on something; to give your attention or meditation to it; to dwell upon it in thought. Specifically, Paul tells us how we ought to give our attention to it. (The Greek word has the idea of a love for honor or reward.)
Paul reminds the believers in Thessalonica of three commands that they have already received. They are:
To be quiet
To do their own business
To work with their own hands
Not surprisingly, these things aren’t always attractive to sinners! If we always did these things, we wouldn’t need to be commanded to do them. Furthermore, Paul doesn’t command the Thessalonians to just be quiet, and the rest. He says, “STUDY to be quiet...” In understanding what “study” means, we realize:
These things in 1 Thess. 4:11 only happen via attention and purpose
Simply “checking off the list” of doing these items is not obedience
We MAY eagerly give our attention to them, and expect a reward
“Study” is not just a frame of mind, or a delusional motivation tactic. There is a real reward in store, and it is exciting! And it is accessible to all: we need only to choose to obey God’s command.
That’s why our fulfillment of these commands begins in the heart. It doesn’t come naturally to us, and obedience includes our heart desires. You and I choose what we love, and so a desire for these God-ordained rewards begins with our heart. Will we choose to desire what God desires for us?
Keep thy heart with all diligence;
For out of it are the issues of life.
II. Quietness
II. Quietness
“And that ye study to be quiet...”
Here are some details about these quietness:
Every one of us may be quiet: “ye”
This is quietness in us, not around us
This is a great blessing! We are incapable of controlling others—as we’ll see—but we always have the ability and command to personally choose right. YOU are commanded to be quiet, not things/people around you.
Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Still: to release; to let go; to give up; to grow slack.
Know: to perceive; to understand; to experience.
This personal quietness is not necessarily absence of noise, but control over it.
Acts 11:1-4, 15-18;
And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
We ought to teach our children that just because we feel like doing or saying something, or just because we could do/say it, doesn’t mean we should. This quietness is not the absence of noise, but control over it. That is temperance!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Have you noticed how so many of the fruits of the Spirit can be misinterpreted as shortcomings? “They wouldn’t love that way if they saw what I see.” “They are gentle merely because they are weak.” “They aren’t meek, they’re just afraid.” And so it can be with quietness. “If they were perceptive and observant like me, they wouldn’t be quiet. They would be raising the alarm!” But all these positive traits are conscious choices. If they are Godly traits, they are practiced on purpose. Living in quietness can be done even when you are surrounded by noise!
This quietness is to be ongoing — “BE quiet...”
This is a state of being; it ought not end. For the rest of your life, at all times, study to be quiet!
Can you remember times in your life when you enjoyed quietness? Are you tempted to feel that it was connected with your environment or other external things? I’m excited to say that we can live every day, every hour in the quietness that comes from God. That is a wonderful place to be!
This quietness is not just outwardly visible: it is inwardly helpful.
And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counseller; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Some people seem to thrive on drama and chaos and adrenaline. And while this might be stimulating for a while, it will wear us out, and it will encourage carnality. God didn’t intend for us to live this way! He wants us to be quiet. He wants us to eagerly focus our minds on rewards that are waiting for us in quietness. We must study to be quiet.
III. Business
III. Business
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
There are three infinitive phrases in this verse, and they all modify the verb, “study.” The activity of the heart that we discussed pertaining to quietness, also applies to business and work! God’s people need to “study to do” their own business. What does Paul mean by this?
Business: one’s concerns or affairs; important occupation; duty.
Do: to commit; keep.
This might seem pretty basic and obvious. Aren’t we all concerned with this already? Why would Paul need to tell these Thessalonian believers to do their important occupational duties? The key to this command is found in the words, “your own.”
Your own: that which belongs to only you.
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
“Private” in this verse comes from the same Greek word as found in “your own.” That Greek word is “idios,” from which we get the English “idiot.” We use “idiot” very differently today, but originally, it meant “one’s own.” It was exclusive, personal, customized, and unique to oneself.
Paul is telling the Thessalonian believers, “Focus your thoughts and energies on being quiet, and inwardly still! AND you must focus your thoughts on doing your own business—the business that only YOU are responsible for! Don’t get distracted trying to do someone else’s business; don’t worry about whether or not other people are failing their business. You focus on your business. No one else can do the business that God has given you!”
The message tonight is entitled, “Busy, Not Busybodies.” Busybodies are known for trying to do the business of others. They are more concerned about others’ business than their own. They live noisy lives, full of chaos and criticism and drama. They are not quiet or restful. They are impatient, restless, and discontented. They do not study to do their own business. They are more concerned about others’ business.
Children are to be occupied in studying to do their own business, not that of their friends or their parents. The wife is to study to do her own business, not that of her husband. Church members are to study to do their own business, not that of their neighbor or that of their pastor. No one else can do YOUR business…and if your attention is divided and distracted, not even you can do your own business. That’s why we need to study to do it. It begins in the heart!
IV. Work
IV. Work
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
Work: to do; trade, labor; industry.
Your own: “idios”
Hands: literal hands
It is normal for the flesh to desire and love power. This often starts with a love for money. We see money as power. When we have great wealth, we are free from need and worry, and we have the power to get what we desire. But wealthy people are not satisfied, because they still desire power. So they begin to try to have power over people. It makes a person feel powerful to be able to just speak a command, and people jump to obey! (Is it surprising that Christ commands us to be servants? That is giving up power and control; just the opposite of what is natural to us.)
Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they are to be industrious in laboring with their OWN hands. Don’t try to control others; don’t seek power. Use the hands that God gave only to you! No one else can use them; you must use them.
We might ask, “How is this a different command from doing one’s own business?” In modern times, a career in administration might mean that “hands on” skill and work is unnecessary. Paul is saying, “Even if you’re doing your own business, don’t fail to work with your own hands!” There is also an “unlimited” aspect to this. If your business is completed for the time, you should still find something for you to do with your hands! This is good in many ways.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
“Whatsoever” doesn’t mean anything we can imagine. It means everything that is allowed and directed by God’s Word.
Sinners have a tendency of getting into trouble when free time comes along. Have you ever noticed that? You might have a “light load” of business in your life right now, giving you ample free time. Instead of wasting that time at best, and getting into trouble at worst, work with your own hands!
There is always something productive and beneficial you can do. If you look, you’ll find it. Don’t give in to the temptation to control others. Occupy yourself; work with your own hands. Paul demonstrated this when he was in Thessalonica!
For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
Verse 10 contains the word “and” three times. Modern grammar rules probably frown on this, but we see by the repetition of “and” that each phrase is extending and building upon the effect of the previous one. The word is there for a reason.
Notice this progression: In verses 8-9, Paul discusses brotherly love. “We beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; AND that ye study to be quiet, AND to do your own business, AND to work with your own hands...” This is all the same sentence; these things are not random or disconnected. They are related.
It’s critical for God’s people to love one another, but that’s not all. This brotherly love should continue into the area of studying to be quiet and still. But that’s not all: study to do your own business, but that’s not all! You must also study to work with your own hands. How are these related? Why does Paul connect them? Because this love for the saints, and this inward quietness and industry and work, will spill over and touch the lost. And that, children of God, is why we are here.
V. Testimony
V. Testimony
That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
Honestly: decently; becoming; with propriety.
The lost world is not quiet; they are not fully occupied in doing their own business, and working with their own hands. They are often engaged in chaos and drama. They are busybodies in a power struggle. And when God’s people fall into the trap of living that way, we show ourselves to be no different than the lost. But God desires us to be different!
Remember what we’ve seen in this chapter. Purity—subjecting our desires to God; putting Him first. Brotherly love—loving and preferring fellow saints. Loving others with true, Godly charity. Self-control—the members in Christ’s body being quiet, busy and industrious. Focusing on the role that belongs only to them, and not trying to control others. And what’s the result? That the lost world will see this decent and becoming lifestyle! It brings glory to God!
When you are focused on your own God-given responsibilities, it brings a joy and contentment that you can’t fake. Because you are joyful in the Lord, you don’t have to manufacture anything to “show” the world that you’re different. This honest lifestyle will not be hypocritical, and it will be powerful.
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
Do you see how when we focus on fulfilling our own calling from God, that He will take care of the rest? He will be able to work in others, once we stop interfering. But that’s not all He will do!
VI. Provision
VI. Provision
That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
“Lack of nothing.” There will be nothing that you truly need, that you will go without. This should sound familiar to us!
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
God is more than capable of giving us everything we need. And he does.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
The Father is concerned with our sanctification, and so He allows us to suffer physical lack, in order to accomplish His spiritual work. But that physical lack isn’t true need; it is a sign of true provision!!!
In addition, if we study to be quiet and at rest, and we are occupied in business and work, we will accomplish much…and that results in more provision.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
We tend to fret over the failures of others. But what if we focused on inward quietness, despite the noise around us? What if we committed ourselves to doing only OUR OWN business, and working with OUR OWN hands? What kind of provision would God bless us with? How might we then be a blessing to others? What a wonderful alternative to being a busybody!
There’s one more thing from this passage. There are six infinitives in these two verses.
An infinitive is the verb in its basic form, as it appears in the dictionary. The infinitive form of the verb is undefined. “Infinitive” comes from the same Latin root as “infinite.”
Why does this matter? Because God, in His inspired, infallible Scriptures, is telling us that there is no reason we ever have to go through life without these things. We may ALWAYS:
Live in inward quietness and rest
Be busy accomplishing our own business
Be occupied working with our own hands
Walk honestly toward the lost—them that are without
Have lack of nothing
This promise of Heavenly provision should make us rejoice and praise God! The Thessalonians were besieged with Satan’s attacks and the persecution of the wicked, but Paul reminds them that they didn’t have to be defeated by that. They could choose in their heart to please God in these ways, and then watch God provide. They could be busy, not busybodies. That’s what a lost world needs to see. May they see this in us.