A Practical Faith
Living with Eternity in Mind: 1 Thessalonians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Recap:
Recap:
Introduction:
Introduction:
Christianity is a transformational faith. What I mean is, our faith is living, highly practical faith. When we hit the streets in our normal, everyday life, it should affect everything from our simplest of attitudes and the most mundane actions. Muse with me, this would mean we can have faith while we get ready in the morning, while eating cereal or another meal. But it doesn’t stop there our faith affects our thoughts and deeds too.
In the 1800s, a Scottish preacher named Robert Murray M’Cheyne was so devoted to Christ his congregation said, “His very face shined with the holiness of God.” A cobbler in town once remarked, “When he comes into my shop, I feel like throwing my tools down and falling on my knees. The man live what he preaches.” His everyday life bore the mark of the gospel, not just his sermons on Sunday.
This particular story convicted me. This is the kind of faith Paul wanted to see in the the Thessalonian church. Not just a faith professed, but a faith lived out in real, ordinary life.
Any religion should affect the way its disciples live, no false religion—no matter how high its ethical standards—can genuinely transform the lives of its followers in a way which restrains our fallen nature. Here is the real kicker though, Christianity, the belief in the gospel of Christ has the power of God to truly transform lives. God the Holy Spirit can help, believers in Jesus Christ, to not only profess the gospel but they are also able to live it out too.
Paul continued insisting the Thessalonians had the ability to live out what they already knew to be true; and in fact, it was their faith in Christ, not faith itself, which motivated their practical expressions of obedience to God Almighty.
Apparently there was an unsettling situation within the church at Thessalonica which intensified his concern for their spiritual growth. For the beginning, their church was genuine, and Paul recognized:
3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
This church was soon a model church in their region; they became an example to all believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.
1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
However, at the conclusion of Paul’s commendations, there is the slightest hint of a problem. The apostle had taught the Thessalonians about the return of Christ, and they like us eagerly anticipated the glorious coming! However, they were apparently overly anxious about the Lord’s return and wanted to make sure they did not miss it.
Their zealous hyper-fixation with Jesus’ coming led to the mistaken notion of their earthly/temporal responsibilities no longer mattered in light of His return. Hence why Paul had to give them substantial instruction to correct their misunderstandings and unhealthy responses to the promise of the imminent return of Savior.
A zeal for the return of Christ is good but it is important to be balanced. John also had such an earnest expectation for the Second Coming in his conclusion of the book of Revelation:
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
James told his readers:
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Peter wrote:
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
Paul desired the Corinthians to be:
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
However, the Thessalonians were allowing their excitement and enthusiasm for the Second Coming of Christ to overshadow the ordinary responsibilities of life. They seemed to lose their balance and composure and became so zealous and agitated concerning eschatological events they neglected their everyday duties.
When there is an unbalanced perspective on Jesus’ return; actually contradicts what Jesus taught. For example, in the parable of the ten minas, in which He sought to correct the disciples’ mistaken idea of the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately (Luke 19:11; 24:21; Acts 1:6)
11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.
21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
As Jesus introduced the parable of the minas, Jesus indicated how believers ought to live in view of His Second Coming:
12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’
What this means for us is that Christians are to carry on with their everyday lives and responsibilities until He returns. Because of the Thessalonians’ skewed and unsettled outlook concerning the return of Christ, Paul needed to bring them balance and give them practical exhortations for life until Jesus comes:
Love each other more
Lead a quiet life
Mind your own business
And work with your hands.
Obedience to these commands would be a more appropriate testimony to unbelievers than the Thessalonians’ extreme preoccupation with the Lord’s return, which the expense came at the caring for life’s responsibilities.
vv. 9–10) Growing in Love
vv. 9–10) Growing in Love
“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; 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.”
Paul’s exhortation to love contrasts with what he encouraged them concerning sexual immorality and lust. The phrase “but concerning” introduces a change in the subject of the conversation, from lust and sexual sin to a consideration of the love of the brethren.
Believers must not only abstain from illicit forms of affection but also exchange all that for the kind of brotherly love characterized by the purest motives and conduct. This would be the truest expression of the change salvation had made in the Thessalonians.
These principles are so simple and Paul knew they were obvious to the Christians in Thessalonica. Likewise, they are obvious for us too, yet Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians and us too. This is because repetition is not a bad thing, after all we sometimes we forget and need a gentle reminder.
(Philadelphia) “brotherly love” originally referred to affection for blood relatives but it is alway used in the NT in reference to Christian affection:
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
1 Let brotherly love continue.
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
True biblical love, a constant NT theme, always expresses itself in acts of service—meeting needs and doing things sacrificially to benefit others:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
14 Let all that you do be done with love.
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Paul even mentioned it in his letter, it was only to affirm that there was no need for anyone to write to the Thessalonians about love of the brethren because they were already taught by God to love one another, and he will repeat this in 1 Thess 5:1.
1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
This is rather interesting and important point. This church came to this conclusion, apart from Paul or any other teacher, the believers were taught by God to love one another (theodidaktos, literally “God taught,” and used only here in the NT). This church genuinely knew God and were saved as this type of love was characteristic of the divine nature they now possessed through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
(The verse above) supports this reality:
Family, at the conversion Christians receive the Holy Spirit:
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
And the Holy Spirit teaches Christians to love:
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
What this means for us today and for the Thessalonian church; it is impossible for true believers not to love:
17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
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? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
All of June we studied through 1 John where John emphasized several times, positively and negatively, of the importance of love. 1 John 2:9–10:
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.
Love is from the very familiar verb “agapao,” related to the noun agape. It expressed purest, noblest form of love, which is intentional. Paul was convinced they indeed were exhibiting this love toward all the brethren. The Thessalonians demonstrated agape love not only in their congregation but also for the other Christians who were in the surrounding region.
Remember Paul planted church in the other Macedonian towns of Philippi and Berea, and his companions in Thessalonica, Silas and Timothy, also ministered in those towns too. Just as they had proclaimed their faith to the entire region, demonstrating their sanctification by producing spiritual love towards all. Believers all cross their region had received their generous hospitality, their kind acts of mercy, and their sacrifical deeds of service.
However, the thing is, as great as the Thessalonians’ love was, it was not perfect (much like ours). Even as Paul wanted to see them strengthen their faith, he also sought to have them strengthen their love. Hence he again urged them to “increase more and more” (Super abound) in this virtue. Specific opportunity remained for the Thessalonians’ love to abound towards their pastors and fellow believers.
Peter, along similar lines, encouraged his readers:
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
Family, in view of the truth that Jesus is returning, Paul urged this church and subsequently us, to love other more, not less. My prayer is we live every day in the hope of the Lord’s return, yet never lose sight of the priority of love.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
v. 11a) Living a Quiet Life
v. 11a) Living a Quiet Life
“that you also aspire to lead a quiet life,”
[two main thoughts on living a quiet life]
In evangelism and lifestyle.
Though there is a great urgency in the imminent coming of the Lord, which prompts earnestness about proclaiming the gospel while there is yet time, Paul did not command this church to live lives of noisy, wild evangelism. Instead, and as a result of their excelling still more in brotherly love, they were to make it their ambition/aspiration to lead a quiet life.
Quiet here has the thought of peace, calm, rest and satisfaction. In this phrase Paul used two verb forms in almost a contradictory way.
Aspire means to be zealous and strive eagerly, even to consider it an honor. Some verse references:
20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation,
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
Whereas lead a quiet life means to be silent, not to speak out inappropriately, remaining at rest and tranquil:
11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.
Expecting the Lord’s return, believers are to lead peaceful live, free of conflict and hostility toward others, which is a witness to the transforming power of the gospel.
You see Paul’s goal, as it was when he instructed Timothy and the church at Ephesus to pray for those in authority, was so that believers:
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
But you would not,
17 The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.
12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
This quiet life contradicts the hugely successful modern attraction to entertainment and excitement. This addiction to entertainment and excitement is damaging both spiritual and culturally too. We might say that excitement and entertainment are like a religion for many people today.
This religion has
a god: self
a priest: celebrities
prophets: perpetual entertainment
scriptures: entertainment, news, and the like
places of worship: amusement parks, theaters, concert halls, sport arenas, and we could say every television and internet connection is a little chapel.
We need to live a quiet life so that we can really take the time and give the attention to listen to God. When we live the quiet life, we can listen to God and get to know Him better.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
v. 11b) Minding Your Own Business
v. 11b) Minding Your Own Business
“to mind your own business,”
The encouragement to mind your own business was a common admonition in secular Greek writings and only used here in the NT. It is unclear whether Paul was speaking to a particular group within the church or addressing a specific issue. Paul may have used the expression as a general exhortation for them to concentrate on their own live, taking care of their own jobs, and not meddle in the affairs of other.
“There is a great difference between the Christian duty of putting the interests of others first and the busybody’s compulsive itch to put other people right”–Bruce
“Paul, however, does not mean that every individual is to mind his own business in such a way that all are to live apart from one another and have no concern for others, but simply wants to correct the idle triviality which makes men open disturbers of peace, when they ought to lead a quiet life at home.”–Clarke
Paul issued them a follow-up exhortation in 2 Thessalonians 3:11–12
11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
Those who did not attend to their own business were acting like busy bodies (wasting their labor), running around meddling in everyone’s problems.
What Paul is getting at here is this: the Thessalonians needed to work diligently and faithfully at what God has given them, staying out of other people’s business, and lead quiet, unobtrusive lives that serve fellow believers and glorify the Lord before unbelievers.
vv. 11c–12) Working With Your Own Hands
vv. 11c–12) Working With Your Own Hands
“and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing”
The Greeks believed free men should never stoop to do manual labor. Work done with the hands was degrading to them; therefore, they made their slaves do all of it. However, with most of the early Christians coming from the working classes, the church dignified manual labor as an honorable endeavor. Therefore, Paul commanded the Thessalonians to persevere and work hard at their jobs.
There is a temptation to fall into Satan’s snare when we expect things to always come easily, or regard God’s blessing as an opportunity for laziness. God gave us a carpenter King, fisherman apostles, and tent-making missionaries.
“There is nothing more disgraceful than an idle good-for-nothing who is of no use either to himself or to others, and seems to have been born merely to eat and drink.”
Paul’s purpose for this encouragement is evangelistic in nature. For him, the key to evangelism was the intergrity Christians manifest to a sinful, confused, and agitated world.
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”
1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
For I have walked in my integrity.
I have also trusted in the Lord;
I shall not slip.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
When believers display diligent work attitudes and habits and live in a loving and tranquil manner which respects other’s privacy and does not intrude or gossip, it constitutes a powerful testimony to unbelievers and makes the gospel credible.
Family, all of these commands Paul gives is practical, straightforward living, as embodied in Paul’s own life. Is the foundation of all evangelism, talking the talk as well as walking the walk.
Believers who sacrificially love people, exhibit tranquil lives, conscientiously focusing on their keeping their own lives in order, and faithfully carrying out their daily responsibilities in the work place—all the while proclaiming the gospel in light of the return of Christ. This is the most effective witness to your unsaved neighbors and loved ones.
Closing:
Closing:
Family, Christ is coming back! and it is certain, this wonderful truth must not make us idle or distracted—it should make us all the more faithful.
Here is my challenge to you:
Love more, not less. Who do you need to show tangible love to this week.
Live quietly. What noise in your life is drowning our the voice of God.
Mind your own business. Where do you need to stop meddling and start managing your own walk with the Lord?
Word diligently. Would the people in your sphere of influence see your faith by how you work?
Jesus said, “Do business till I come. He is coming quickly. Until then, may our lives show the world the transforming power of the gospel—not just in what we believe, but in how we live every single day.
