Do Not Grow Weary

This evening we finish our 3 and a half month study on Paul’s 2 letters to the Thessalonians and as always, I hope that this deep dive into the Word of God has been beneficial for you. I know that it has been for me. We will be in 2 Thessalonians 3:13-18 tonight and my hope is to talk about 2 main things in these verses and then sort of recap some of the major themes that we talked about in these 2 letters and think about how we can continue to apply what we learned from these letters in the future. Last week we talked about work and how work was something that God intended to be a good thing for us but we don’t often approach work in that way. We talked about no matter where we are in life, God can be glorified in what we do and we can bless others by what we are doing. This doesn’t mean that work is often hard and we often think about giving up. I don’t want to be a quitter. I don’t ever want to leave a job because I think that the work is too hard but I know several people that quit jobs solely for that reason. They can’t handle the stress or they think that the customers are too mean and unfortunately, we live in what I am going to coin as the paper straw generation. Paper straws work for like 10 minutes and then they just become flimsy and practically useless. We don’t stand strong, we don’t endure, we struggle under the pressure but the Bible is full of commands that we are to endure. We are to endure to the end spiritually and we are to endure and not grow tired in the work that God has given to us. The call to endure is going to be at the heart of what we talk about tonight. Let’s open up in prayer and then we will read 2 Thessalonians 3:13-18. Paul writes:

2 Thessalonians 3:13–18 ESV

As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Don’t grow weary

That first verse, verse 13, is what I want us to zero in on. Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are to not grow weary in doing good. That word weary that Paul uses, it means to not faint. It means to not grow tired of doing the things that we are supposed to do and this command is very far reaching. Can it be applied to the work that we are supposed to do that Paul mentioned last week? Absolutely? But can it also apply to the good that we show our neighbors? To the spread of the Gospel? To the goodness that we show our loved ones? Of course! It has far reaching applications because there are many areas of life that we can do good in. Do you have a hard job that requires a lot of effort? Do it well and don’t grow tired of it. Is school getting you down and is it forcing you to learn things that stand contrary to what the Bible teaches us? Don’t grow tired of standing up for that which is good. Why? Because the world needs this! The world needs people that desire to do good. Look at the world today and tell me that the world could not benefit from an increase of people that desire to do good and to do the right thing. Deep down you all know this right? Obviously more good in the world is a good thing. Very few people look at the world and say, “Man, I wish evil would increase and that good people would die in a hole.” But how many people act on making the world a better place. Sure we can recycle and drive Tesla’s and plant trees but does that make an eternal difference? It’s probably beneficial to do those things but the Christian’s greatest concern is the good of his neighbor. His greatest concern should be the eternal destiny of the people around him and the greatest good that he can do is sharing the Gospel and exposing others to the love of Jesus Christ. One of my favorite verses as a pastor is Galatians 6:9-10

Galatians 6:9–10 (ESV)

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Notice that in verse 9, Paul uses the same phrase that he used in 2 Thessalonians 3:13. In his commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther noted that while it is easy for us to do good once or twice, but to continue doing so and not get discouraged is very difficult. I’m sure you know of some people that have heard the Gospel time and time again but continue to reject it. Does that mean that we should just give up on them? Not at all. Is it possible to grow weary of having the door slammed on our face over and over again? Yes! But Paul, realizing that reality, says, “In due season, we will reap if we don’t give up.” Paul uses a lot of gardening metaphors in his writings and he uses one here in verse 9 in regards to the good that we do. You know that if you put a seed in the ground, the plant doesn’t immediately spring up. In fact, it takes quite a while before you see the evidence of your faithful gardening spring up. You need to water it, you need to make sure it gets enough sun, and maybe most importantly, you need to wait. You need to be patient. No one ever puts a seed in the ground one day and the next hour says, “This is hopeless, there’s nothing here!” No, you have to wait to see the results and in the very same way, we as Christians often need to wait to see the results of the good that we’ve done. I know that for several of you, the seed of the Gospel is inside of you and I am trusting the Lord in His timing to do that which only He can do. That which we sow, we will ultimately reap and the goodness that we have done in the name of Christ will ultimately be rewarded on the day that we stand before the throne of God. The work that we do in this world, the goodness that we sow, is never for nothing and this is what Paul stresses in Galatians 6:10. Because we are living for Christ, because we are acting on His behalf, it is imperative that we do good to others because we do it with the full knowledge that while we may not be rewarded instantaneously, we will reap a great reward in the future. So, we do good and we don’t grow tired of it because we are living for God and not for man. We are here to make much of God and to make much of Him means that we show His goodness to others. Jesus says in Matthew 25:40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Even the smallest good deed done in the name of Christ is ultimately seen as an act of service to Him first. That is probably the biggest reason as to why we are to not grow weary in doing good to those around us and it is because we are living for Christ first and foremost. Even a cup of cold water given to a thirsty person, when it is done in Christ’s name, will not go unrewarded in eternity. James Montgomery Boice said, “The evidence of a credible Christian profession is not how many great works have been performed for Jesus. The proofs of conversion are not great things at all. They are little things, as most people think of them: sharing food with a brother who is hungry, giving water to a sister who is thirsty, welcoming a stranger, offering clothes to one who needs clothing, caring for the sick, or visiting a person who is in prison.” Small things can have eternal significance and small things can reap eternal rewards so don’t grow weary in doing good because that good you are doing, is ultimately being done for Christ first. I remember one of my youth professors in college telling me that one of the hardest things for him personally in youth ministry was that while he did a lot of good for his students, the students never said anything about it. He said that it was hard to tell what kind of impact he had on his students and that he often couldn’t tell until years after they graduated. He said that he would see a student 10 years later that would see him out somewhere and finally tell him what kind of impact that he had on their lives. That’s a long time to wait and reap. That’s a long time to keep doing good and tending the crop but that’s usually the case for us. I know that’s the case for me as a pastor. I hear students from 5 years ago just now telling me what I did in their life for them and that does help. It does encourage me to keep going and not grow weary in doing what is right. The good things that you are doing in your life right now, don’t stop doing them because no one is thanking you for them. Keep doing them with the eager expectation that even if you are not rewarded and thanked in this lifetime, you will be in the next.

The Positives of Discipline

The next thing I want us to look at quickly is the positive of discipline. No one likes discipline and when we hear that word, we immediately think of something negative don’t we? Discipline is not something that the church is known for enforcing today but it needs to be done for the good of the person that is doing wrong and ultimately for the good and the health of the church. Look at 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15

2 Thessalonians 3:14–15 (ESV)

If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

When someone within the church is given the clear Word of God but refuses to live accordingly and embrace a life of sin, we are to have nothing to do with that person. What Paul means is that we are to have nothing to do with their conduct. If we are to live pure and holy lives, that means we aren’t found in the strip club with the person who thinks that lust and perversion are not a sin. You aren’t helping him by being there and if not careful, you too will fall into the same sinful behavior as him. That’s what Paul is warning about! He says, if you see someone who claims to be a believer not living as believers should, there is a risk to them as well as you. The things that they do will not honor Christ and if you are not careful, you will fall into the same trap. When the church disciplines properly, the hope is always repentance and restoration. We don’t kick people out of churches simply because we don’t like them. We excommunicate people out of church for the good of the Body and in the hope that they return to Christ and repent. The last thing that I want to do for a student is kick them out of church but I will do it if I see the spiritual health of the body is at risk. I will do it as the last resort if there is no repentance but I will also do it in the hope that there will be repentance. John Stott said, “The purpose of this discipline is positive and constructive. It is not to humiliate delinquents, still less destroy them. It is rather to make them ‘feel ashamed’, that is, to shame them into repentance for the past and amendment of life in the future. Paul’s intention is not that he be excluded from the community, but reinstated in it. Jesus had made this plain by saying that if an offender listens to reproof, ‘you have won your brother over’.” Our intention with discipline is that it is never done in spite or hatred but as a warning to a brother. Those that fall into sin are not our enemies. We know what it is like to be enslaved to sin and we know the freedom and relief that comes from loosing the shackles of that sin. What behavior in your life needs to stop? What sin do you need to get out from under? Talk to us as the Body of Christ about it. We aren’t hear to shame you, we are hear to warn you and help you on the way to repentance. There is not a single person here that has not been where you are at. We all come with baggage, we all have sin that needs to be addressed and conquered, and we all need a brother and sister in Christ that we can turn to and say, “I need help with this.” You aren’t perfect, I’m not perfect, those sins that you are holding onto and those addictions that you know need to stop and are not beneficial for your walk with Christ, talk to us before it is to late. Let us play the role that Paul calls us to in these verses. Know too that when the weight of sin is removed from you, God will give you peace about it. Sin that is put to death will not have the victory in the grand scheme of things. If there is something that you are at war with, know that God is able to give you peace at all times and in every way. Whatever you need to win the war on sin, God is readily able to provide. Get to work, don’t grow weary in your fight against the flesh and know that in due time, God will reward you for the good that you are doing and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will be with us now and forever. This brings us to the end of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians so with the few minutes that we have left, I want us to look back on the journey so far and briefly talk about 3 of the main themes that we looked at over the course of 3 months, 2 books of the Bible, and 8 chapters and if you have any questions, we can try to address those.

Main Themes for the Thessalonians

Be an Example

One thing that we saw numerous times in these letters is that we as Christians are to be an example to those around us. Paul loved the Thessalonians and he was blown away by the things that they were doing. This was a church that did things well. The work that they were doing was reaching far beyond the doors of where they met. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 1 that these believers were setting an example to all believers and that their faith in the Lord had gone out and was seen everywhere. He repeats this again at the beginning of 2 Thessalonians. Their faith was increasing, their love was increasing, their work for the Gospel was increasing. These weren’t superheroes. These weren’t super Christians. These were simply believers that took the Word, their faith, and their Savior seriously and this drove what they did. What an encouragement to us today! You don’t need to be the world’s greatest Christian to make a world of difference. The Thessalonians simply lived faithful lives and their works reflected that reality. So, be an example today. What do others see in you? What is your faith reflecting? Is it reflecting anything? The greater your view of Christ, the greater you will strive to impact the lives of those around you. Why? Because you have seen Christ move in your life and you won’t be able to keep that to yourself. Set an example to those around you. Show off your life as a life that has truly been changed by Jesus Christ and live with the full knowledge that your Lord is coming soon. This leads to the second main theme of this book, certainly the theme that caught our attention the most: Christ is coming soon.

Christ is Coming Soon

In both of these books, Paul stressed the reality that we need to be awake. We need to be ready and searching because we know that Christ is coming soon. We know that this world is full of sin but sin will not have the final word. We serve a risen King and the day is coming where all of God’s faithful will be gathered to Him. Are we ready for this? Judgement is coming and sin will not reign any longer. We know that the Anti-Christ is coming but he is coming to be defeated totally and fully. The Lord Jesus is coming to bring His people home. There is a day on Heaven’s calendar where God will say, “No more of this, bring my children home to me. Go and get them.” And when that day comes, we know that we will be with Him forever. We will be with Him body and spirit in a place where goodness has no end and after we have been there ten thousand years, shining brightly as the sun, we will no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun. What a future the Christian has in store! But what a pain awaits those that reject Christ. We can’t sit back and let the world go to Hell. The lost need to know the Savior of the world. There are ultimately 2 appointments in this life. The first is that you are here at this moment because God has allowed you to be and the second is what the author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 9:27-28 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” No person will escape God’s eye, death and judgement comes for everyone and when that day comes for you, how will you stand? What hope will you cling to? What defense can you make? If Christ is not your savior, you have no hope, you have no plea, there is no bargaining for a lighter sentence. You are lost in your sin, you will die in your sin, and you will be punished eternally for those sins. Don’t let a second go by without the means to escape. Christ has been offered to bear the sins of many and He can bear the weight of your sin as well. The Bible ends with the words: “Surely I am coming soon.” He could come today. Christ could come for your soul tonight so are you ready? Have you been made right with Him? Christ is coming soon and He will save those that have eagerly waited for Him. Are you one of those people?

Stand Firm

Finally, one of the great themes of these 2 letters is that we as the people of God are to stand firm. We are to endure to the end. We know that sin will increase, we know that the antichrist will come and if he comes in our lifetime, how are we going to stand. What hill are we willing to die on? Only one life ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last. What are you putting your hope into? Where are you going to make your stand and what are you going to stand for? The love for many has grown cold and the darkness is closing in but Christ says that the church is the light of the world. Stand firm in dark times! It is those that endure to the end that will be saved and if Christ has saved you, He will continue to save you now and forever. I know that the world is pushing back on you, I know that Christianity is often hard but we need to remember that it was never promised to be easy! In fact, I would say that the more you live for Christ, the harder this life will be because you will be living in a way that is despised by Satan and different from the rest of the world. Does this mean that we stop so we can have a lighter load? Not at all. “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” Stand firm. As a Christian you are on the winning side of history. It may not look like it now but we are fighting a battle that Christ has already won so stand firm in the faith knowing that in due season we will reap our reward as long as we don’t give up. Let’s pray.