End time living Part 1

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

I. Be at Peace (v. 12-13)

Paul encourages the church to be at peace among themselves, especially out of respect for those in authority.

Paul mentions those who are ‘over you in the Lord.’

The New Testament Background Commentary says, “those having authority over someone’; officially ‘stand over’, referring to the chief officers of the church, the ‘elder overseers’, whose character and duties are described in 1 Timothy 3:1–7; 5:17 and Titus 1:5–9.”

These ‘chief officers’ or ‘elder overseers’ are synonymous with the office of ‘pastor’.

Warren Wiersbe writes, “The church family must have spiritual leadership, and this leadership is vested in the pastor(s) and deacons. The church may establish whatever organizations it pleases (so long as these groups are organized according to biblical guidelines). The pastor, however, must lead the flock as God directs. Certainly he needs, and wants, the prayers and counsel of the people, especially the elected leaders; but all in the church must respect the leadership that God provides.”

Churches often struggle with this concept due to bad experiences with pastors who took advantage of their positions and used their authority to usurp control rather than to serve.

The issue should not be whether or not a pastor should have authority, for that is plainly laid out in scripture.

The issue, however, is how the pastor serves.

As Matthew Henry says, “They are called labourers, and should not be loiterers. They must labour with their people, to instruct, comfort, and edify them. And, Ministers are to rule their people also, so the word is rendered, 1 Tim. 5:17. They must rule, not with rigour, but with love. They must not exercise dominion as temporal lords; but rule as spiritual guides, by setting a good example to the flock.”

Paul here encourages the church to respect and honor their pastors that serve well. He says that those who admonish you and serve out of a heart of love should be highly esteemed and respected.

One Commentary suggests, “Thus a leader in the Lord gives Christlike guidance and care to the church. Such deserve recognition and great esteem, for not all lead “in the Lord.

D.M. Martin writes, “The respect of the church was due not on the basis of a gift possessed but on the basis of a gift exercised properly. The respect of the church was due not on the basis of reputation or position but on the basis of ministry performed.”

If a church is blessed with a pastor that preaches the Word and leads with a heart of love, seeking what is best for the church and for the advancement of God’s Kingdom, then they should esteem them highly and follow their leadership.

Paul explains that the best way to help your pastor serve well is to be at peace amongst yourselves.

II. Warn the Unruly (v. 14)

Dr. Larson writes, “There were those in the Thessalonian church who were so certain of the imminent return of Christ that they became lazy in their daily living. If Christ is coming back soon, they may have reasoned, what is the point of the daily grind? In their neglect they became careless in their responsibilities, spent too much time chatting over the back fence, and contributed little to the general welfare of the church. Today the attitude is opposite to that first-century expectation, but the result is the same. Christ seems so long in coming, and life keeps rolling along at a predictable clip. We become idle in our Christian responsibilities. Too absorbed in the daily routine, we fail to use our gifts, time, and lives for others and the church. Idleness springs from distorted thinking, and such thinking deserves a warning: it is wrong—stop it!”

Unruliness in the church always begins with idleness.

In my experience as a pastor, I have found that the people that complain the most and cause the most problems are people that don’t do anything.

Paul encourages the church to warn those who behave in such a way. We are to warn them of their behavior and how it hurts the cause of Christ.

III. Comfort the Feeble-Minded (v. 14)

There are those in the church that struggle due to various experiences and circumstances in their lives. These should be comforted and encouraged.

Matthew Henry said, “By these are intended the timorous and faint-hearted, or such as are dejected and of a sorrowful spirit. Some are cowardly, afraid of difficulties, and disheartened at the thoughts of hazards, and losses, and afflictions; now such should be encouraged; we should not despise them, but comfort them; and who knows what good a kind and comfortable word may do them?”

If we are honest with ourselves, we would all admit that there are times when we would be considered as ‘feeble-minded.’

We allow things to bother us and we get emotional.

Sometimes we are paralyzed by fear, perhaps the fear of failure. We have failed in the past and worry that we will fail again.

We are afraid to make decisions because of a bad decision we made in the past.

These feelings and experiences are often carried over into the life of the church and can, at times, create a hindrance to the work.

Therefore, in those moments when we are ‘feeble-minded’, we should comfort and encourage one another and help one another along.

IV. Support the Weak (v. 14)

“These were the spiritually weak in Paul’s time, and they are still found in every church. Perhaps they lack knowledge or experience; it could be that they struggle with certain sins which continually defeat them; they may lack courage or find it difficult to trust God. They are weak in the faith and need to be helped along the way. We all identify with this group of people at some time or other. In our weakness and inability to conquer sin, we find that Christ helped us by the sacrifice of his life. Can we who have been so blessed do any less for others in their time of need?”

Do you recall a time when you were spiritually weak?

We need encouragement.

We need someone to pray on our behalf when we struggle to pray ourselves.

We need someone to light a fire within us and help us get back on the right track.

The church is not to make the weak feel worse by condemning them, rather, the church is to strengthen the weak by supporting them and encouraging them.

V. Be Patient (v. 14)

The key to success in any relationship or organization is patience.

We are all on different levels spiritually and in maturity.

We all have room to grow.

Therefore, patience is imperative.

“People work” can be frustrating at times. We are all so different. We mature at different rates, have different personalities and backgrounds, likes, dislikes, and habits. These factors can make it complex and difficult when we are called on to warn, help, instruct, or encourage others.”

Warren Wiersbe writes, “It takes patience to raise a family. That weaker member who demands much help may one day be a choice leader, so never give up.”

The worse thing we could ever do in the life of the church as we wait for the return of Christ, is to give up on each other.

Brothers and Sisters, we are about to cross the finish line.

Yes, we may be weak.

Yes, we may be tired.

But we must hold on to one another.

We must support one another.

We must cheer for one another.

We must hold hands and push and crawl our way to the finish line.

We must be patient all the way to the end!

VI. Be Gracious (v. 15)

In verse 15, Paul encourages the church to respect one another. We should never seek revenge.

We should never render evil for evil, but we should always be gracious.

“Often as we minister to others, they reject us and even oppose us. Often they show no appreciation. But we should always serve in love, and be ready to forgive. “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:17–21, nasb).”

If we lived our lives constantly seeking revenge on those who come against us, we would be most miserable.

As believers, we should be gracious toward all people.

We should strive to do what is right no matter what others may do to us.

This is the mark of a true believer.

Conclusion

It is imperative in these last days that the church stay focus on its mission and on living in such a way that God is glorified and people are drawn to Him.

Let us examine ourselves and make sure we are living in obedience to His Word and focusing on what matters most.