Practical Daily Living for the Believer - Part 1
Introduction:
-the last 27 verses of 1 Thessalonians 5
contain 20 practical exhortations for this young church
-all of these exhortations can be summed up in one word: love…love toward their overseers (including Paul and Timothy), love toward one another, and love toward God
-these are exhortations are encouragements; they are not rules by which to gauge one’s acceptance before God; when treat make them rules you focus on ‘the rule’ instead of why it’s there
-the Word of God is to lead you into a deep relationship with God Himself through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ; you cannot have a relationship with rules
-when a believer is daily living his or her life in the love of God, these encouragements will be found already in action
-they are checkpoints: are these qualities a regular practice of my daily life as a believer in Christ?
-I have grouped them into two sections: Expressions of Love vv. 12-22; Encouragement to the End vv. 23-28
-read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28; pray
I. Expressions of Love vv. 12-22
A. Loving the Church Leaders vv. 12-13a
-to recognize and esteem very highly in love: these are two expressions of love from the congregation toward those who are leaders in the church
-both words work together; they are choices made on the part of the individual
-I wanted to have the elders of our church come up here with me so you can see and ‘recognize’ them, to get to know them and their heart toward the flock
-we have those elders who are actively serving on our church board right now: Rick Redpath, Bill Prevatt, and Pastor Pat Lazovich from CC of Sierra Vista
-we have Mike Means who is our Secretary/Treasurer here at Calvary, and also an elder and has served for many years on our church board
-Pastor Lane Sharman and Pastor Jesse Claycamp are elders who have served on our church board in previous years; and Don Hodges is an elder here who also has served on our church board in previous years
-prayer over the eldership
-there are three activities listed here that are among the responsibilities of those in leadership over a congregation: to labor among them, to oversee the flock, to admonish the flock
-the Greek word used here for labor means ‘to toil to the point of weariness’
-so often we think of toil in terms of digging ditches or laying down asphalt during an Arizona summer
-the context puts labor together with oversight and admonition; labor has to do with all that is involved with praying for the flock, counseling with those in need, encouraging those cast down, preparing the teachings of the Word, training up future leadership, taking care of ‘behind-the-scenes’ logistics, etc.
-being involved in active ministry roles for over 27 years I can tell you that there is so much that goes on behind the scenes in caring for the flock
-it has been said to me in jest, “It must be nice to just work three or four hours a week up there teaching, and have the rest of the time to play golf.”
-first of all I don’t play golf much; people ask me to join their group to make themselves look like a great player
-but secondly, the time that is spent sharing the word is the byproduct of hours of study and a lifelong experience of walking in the Lord
-an example is how preparations are made for a very special dinner for special guests; how much time and preparations would go into thinking through what to serve, how to cook it, having it hot and ready when dinner is scheduled, setting the table, etc.
-and then in a matter of a few minutes, the entire meal is devoured and all that is left is dirty dishes!
-the Greek word for taking oversight is used in the same way as a husband is to watch over and care for his family
-admonish simply means to warn about the dangers ahead and to confront sinful behaviors and attitudes; this is an expression of love, not a power trip
Heb 13:7 NKJV Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
Heb 13:17 NKJV Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
B. Loving the Brethren vv. 13b-15
-I put the last sentence of v. 13 into this next section although it does describe the security that can be found when overseers are walking in the fullness of their responsibilities before the Lord and before the flock
-there is a charge here to make a choice to be at peace among the brethren; why? Because God has called us to walk in unconditional love toward one another
-this love is to be the hallmark of any Christian body of believers
-the trouble is that conflict will occur; not everyone is walking in love or according to the leading of the Holy Spirit at all moments of the day
-that is where always being ready to take responsibility for your sinful attitudes and actions is so important
-there is a great need to ask forgiveness when you have sinned against someone else, and to be ready to forgive that person even though they have hurt you deeply
-‘Be at peace among yourselves’ is just as much of a choice to honor one another as being a member of the body of Christ as you would choose to honor an elder
-then Paul goes into some specifics in vv. 14-15
-‘warn those who are unruly’; the Greek word for unruly means not only one who has a contentious, rebellious spirit, but it includes the idea of laziness
-actually it is a word used to describe a soldier who doesn’t keep ranks
-what is the warning? If that person continues in the path he or she is going down, the fruit of it will be destruction in some way in their life
Gal 6:7-8 NKJV Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
-‘comfort the fainthearted’: fainthearted means to be ‘little of soul’; in other words, those who are so discouraged over life’s situations that they are ready to give up
-this is addressed to the congregation, not just the leadership
-‘uphold the weak’: this has to do with bearing one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (love)
-‘be patient with all’: not everyone will be walking in the Spirit every moment of the day; when you find someone who is having difficulty and acting in a way that is in the flesh, don’t throw them under the bus and think that it’s not your problem
-take a look at how patient God has been with you over the years putting up with your crazy shenanigans and pipe dreams that were nothing more than pride and vanity
-finally, ‘see that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all’: this includes those in and outside the congregation, as well as those who are not believers
-these are all practical applications of God’s love in action among the congregation
(the rest of the chapter will be covered in our next study)