A Warning!
2 Thessalonians • Sermon • Submitted
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1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.
5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
The word “run” is the same word as those who ran in the stadium or public race back in the day. It was used figuratively to express the strenuous efforts needed in the Christian life and cause. Here it basically means that Paul is asking them that the WORD—LOGOS, THE DIVINE EXPRESSION OF FATHER IN CHRIST—go viral. And because Jesus is the Word and the glory of God displayed, Paul wants the Word’s glory to be recognized and held in esteem everywhere! I.e. he wants the tangible results that were seen in them to be seen everywhere the Word has been received and implemented.
His next prayer request was to be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. Unreasonable means “prejudicial, hurtful, evil, absurd, and unreasonable. In the Passion translation footnote, it says it is “...the Greek word atopos can also be translated “weird,” “irrational,” “absurd,” “disgusting.”
Simmons, B. (Trans.). (2017). The Passion Translation: New Testament. BroadStreet Publishing.
Wicked is “pertaining to being morally corrupt and evil.” Both of these descriptions are EXACTLY what I’m talking about when I said last week that there are some out there that are ACTIVELY HOSTILE to the Lord and His people versus the “average, everyday sinner.”
Even though not all are faithful, the Lord is and will “cause us to become stronger in the sense of more firm and unchanging in attitude or belief.” In fact the word “faithful” that I just gave you the Greek definition for is the exact word Jesus used when He told Peter “to strengthen your brothers” when he turned back to the Lord after denying Him three times.
I love this next promise. And He will “guard you from the evil one.” Evil One is a title for the devil. Guard means “to hold someone in close custody—to guard closely.”
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
Remember, that little Greek word “ek” that we talked about concerning His return? It’s used here, again, revealing that you are in something and then taken out of that something. Here it’s referring to the world. Interestingly, “from” in this verse is also ek. Let me go deeper.
Ek and apo are similar but quite different. Apo, often translated “of or from” is used of objects that were ON, BY OR WITH another but are now separated. The key difference is that they were never IN another object. Apo can refer to a husband and wife that were now apo or separated from another by divorce decree. Or you can have a smaller cup sitting next to a bigger cup. Move them apart and you have apo.
Ek ALWAYS implies an IN or INSIDE something of which one was taken OUT OF. Here, Jesus is praying that Father keep His disciples completely outside of the evil one—never enter his camp, his values, his character, etc. But the implication is that they were once INSIDE the evil done’s domain and Jesus is asking Father to keep them from going back in!
Here in 2 Thessalonians Paul used APO! What He is saying here is that God can so closely guard you (as you stay in Him) that you won’t even COME NEAR the Evil One. You won’t be on, by or with the devil in the Lord’s care.
I find verse 4 amusing. He’s saying “we have confidence in the Lord about you that YOU will do and are doing the things we told you.” Lol. Now the word “direct” in the next verse is really neat. Direct means “to so influence others as to cause them to follow a recommended course of action” and “guide straight towards something.” Heart is kardia like we learned early in this study. Paul is asking the Lord to so influence the affections, emotions, impulses, soul, mind, etc. of the Thessalonians that they will follow a recommended course of action—love of God and patience of Christ.
1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, pray for us that the Lord’s message will continue to spread rapidly and its glory be recognized everywhere, just as it was with you. 2 And pray that God will rescue us from wicked and evil people, for not everyone believes the message. 3 But the Lord Yahweh is always faithful to place you on a firm foundation and guard you from the Evil One. 4 We have complete confidence in the Lord concerning you and we are sure that you are doing and will continue to do what we have told you.
5 Now may the Lord move your hearts into a greater understanding of God’s pure love for you and into Christ’s steadfast endurance.
The Warning
The Warning
6 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.
So Paul is using Jewish persuasion on the Thessalonians and then he gives the command: withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition received from the apostles. What exactly does Paul mean? It must be some type of sexual sin or maybe physical abuse or false doctrine for Paul to give such a command, right? And btw, command is a command, an order not a suggestion.
The word “disorderly” means “to refuse to work—idle, lazy.” It’s the adverb of 813G that means “neglectful of duties” and translated “unruly” in 1 Thess. 5:14.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
Working for a living is considered a duty. But there’s a deeper meaning behind it. The Passion translation brings this out perfectly.
Or “undisciplined” or “lazy” or “not in battle order” or “not in your duty station.” There is an implication that there were believers who refused to work for a living. Paul is implying that the church should not financially support those who refuse to work. Personal responsibility is a common theme in Paul’s teachings.
While personal responsibility is important and was to Paul, the idea of “not in battle order” or “not showing up for battle,” implies that Paul understood that the main battleground for cities and nations is the marketplace. In fact, it was when Paul shifted his focus to the marketplace that he saw extraordinary results and miracles and the businessmen and government officials of those cities protected him from persecution! This is so crucial to understand: your job is not just to pay your bills. It’s your main area of ministry!
Tradition is “teaching.” This was closely tied to doctrine. In Zodhiates it is “a tradition, doctrine, or injunction delivered or communicated from one to another, whether divine (like here) or human (like the religious against the Lord). In the dictionary, tradition is a long-standing way of thinking.
2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
Good tradition or instruction promotes the will of God as set forth in His word. Bad tradition makes the Word of no effect or powerless. Just because something’s been around for a while doesn’t mean it’s from God. But it appears that Paul set forth some commands and taught them that they should work.
7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, 9 not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.
On top of working to earn a living while in Thessalonica, they also ministered to them in establishing a church. This is amazing. Even though Paul could’ve insisted that they support them financially, he didn’t because he wanted to set a good example by 1) not disengaging from the marketplace battleground and 2) feeloading off of others. He worked to earn money and did the work of an apostle in his spare time! He didn’t want “to be a financial burden to someone.” This was his practice. Even in Corinthians, he told them that he could have insisted on financial support as their apostle but didn’t.
10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 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.
This is a command. If someone doesn’t work, he or she doesn’t eat. It is NOT the church’s responsibility to support lazy people. And not only were they not working, they were busybodies. This means “to meddle in the affairs of someone else.” Basically it’s a know-it-all. In some languages it’s “one who puts his spoon in someone else’s cup” or tells someone else how to buy and sell! It’s funny to me how those who refuse to work are always telling others how to do everything. Instead of butting into everyone else’s business, go earn your own living in quietness, which means focus on your own personal behavior.
Now back to verse 6 and the word “withdraw.” Withdraw means to “purposely to avoid association with someone, to shun, to avoid, to have nothing to do with.” Paul says to withdraw from those who cause division, those in specific types of sin, and those who refuse to work. That’s how serious he was on working for a living. It was a command and a very strong encouragement!
13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. 14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
When Paul says not to grow weary, it really leaves us without excuse. This man worked hard in his business and worked just as hard in ministry. Listen to what the Passion says about this verse:
Doing right in this context is not growing tired of honest work. The Hebrew word for “work” (avodah) is the same Hebrew word (a homonym) for worship. Our work can be a form of worship. Our lives are to be a seamless expression of offering to God all of our activities as things we do with all our might for the glory of God.
OUR WORK IS OUR WORSHIP. So not only were these disengaging from the battlefield for the soul of their own city, but they were always neglecting a very important form of worship! Don’t grow weary, lose your motivation to accomplish a valid goal, become discouraged, lose heart or give up.” Working is a good thing not a bad thing. It shouldn’t be something you do until you retire. Work is worship!
Paul says once again to note them and “not keep company” with him so that he might be ashamed. Keep company is “to associate with one another, normally involving spacial proximity and joint activity.” In today’s vernacular—don’t hand out with them. Paul wants this withdrawal to embarrass them so that it causes them to turn and do the right thing. But we’re not to consider them our enemy but instead advise them of the dangerous consequences of their refusal to work.
“The passive Greek verb entropē means “to be turned” (around); that is, to be changed. This was not punishment but an attempt to draw wayward individuals into repentance and bring them back into restored fellowship with the church.”
Simmons, B. (Trans.). (2017). The Passion Translation: New Testament. BroadStreet Publishing.
16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.
17 The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Paul signed the letter with his own hand as he does in every epistle so that his churches would know which letters were actually from him and which weren’t. Remember it was more than likely a letter as if from him that caused the emotional distress concerning the second coming. He wanted them to know that only letters with his personal signature were authentic so they weren’t deceived again.