The Thessalonian Christians made up a tremendous church but Paul knew that in order that they may stay that way there had to be some things brought to their attention. Such as, THEY HAD TO HAVE RESPECT FOR THE SERVANTS.
As mentioned in a previous message, all churches are not able to pay large salaries to their pastors, but the people can be RESPECTFUL.
Many in our churches today seem to want to show how ugly they can be.
Illus: Many remind me of a funny scene on one program of “All in the Family.” Edith, on the show, was known for her “saintly” behavior. However, her saintly behavior got under Archie’s skin. One day he said to her, “That’s you all right. Edith, the Good. You’ll stoop to anything to be good. You never make nobody mad. You think it’s easy living with a saint? Even when you cheat you don’t cheat to win. You cheat to lose. Edith, you ain’t human!”
Edith answered, “That’s a terrible thing to say, Archie Bunker. I am just as human as you are.”
Archie retorted, “Oh yeah? Then prove you’re just as human as me. Do something rotten.”
It seems that many in today’s churches want to prove they are human. One might expect lost people to operate that way, but we who are saved are supposed to be saved from acting that way.
That was why Paul told the young church at Thessalonica, verses 12-13, “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.”
The only way you are going to have PEACE in the house of God is to have RESPECT FOR THE SERVANT OF GOD.
Also, Paul knew, in order to continue to grow and spread the gospel, they had to have...
II. RESPECT FOR THE SAINTS
Often churches have sweet slogans on the church sign that advertises their church like, “Fellowship of Love.”
Illus: Many churches that advertise in this manner remind us of the story of a visitor in a strange city. He had eaten supper and was on his way back to the hotel when a sign in a store-front window caught his eye. The sign said, “Chinese Laundry.” He made a mental note of the location because he had been traveling long enough to have need of a good laundry. Early the next day he went down to the store with a bag full of soiled clothes. He piled the clothes on the counter before a shocked attendant. “What’s that?” the attendant asked. “My laundry, came the reply. “I’ve always heard that Chinese laundries do excellent work.” The startled clerk quickly informed the visitor that the establishment was not a Chinese laundry. “But what about the sign in the window?” “Oh, this is not a laundry,” the attendant said, “”No, this is a sign shop.”
Sometimes the church sends out false signals about its purpose. Often needy people bring in their “dirty laundry” only to discover that the “attendants” are not equipped to handle soiled lives.
The family of God should be a loving family; a family that cares about all the members of the family. However, often it is true that a family has members in it who are difficult to love. It is the same for the family of God. Every church has members that make life difficult.
Notice, Paul reveals the various kinds of people you find in a church.
Look at verses 14. We read, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”
Paul reveals three classes of people you will find in churches. In verse 14 we see...
• The unruly.
• The feebleminded.
• The weak.
Paul said we are to be patient in helping all three. Why? Because we want to strangle all three of these sometimes.
Notice, we are to help all three IN DIFFERENT WAYS. Such as, look again at verse 14.
A. WE ARE TO WARN THEM THAT ARE UNRULY
The word translated “unruly” is ataktous, which means: “Those who are out of line or out of step.” This is a military term. The unruly one is as a soldier who breaks rank with the others.
How are these to be dealt with? Paul said they are to be “admonished.” They are to be warned. They are to be told they are “walking on thin ice.” They are to be told they have “broken rank” and that they need to “get back into step” before something happens that makes them wish they had!
Paul did a lot of admonishing.
• In 1 Cor. 4:14, Paul said, “I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.”
• In Col. 3:16, Paul said, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
You can go through Paul’s writings and find that he used the words exhort, admonish, and warn over and over again. Paul did this because he loved the church and he knew a church could not exist very long if unruly people were not dealt with.
This is not practiced so much today. The unruly are not warned. Often this is true because people do not have the backbone to face the people who are being unruly. As a result there are church members who live shameful lives.
And, what never ceases to amaze the SERVANTS of God is that when they do deal with unruly people and expect the rest of the church to stand behind them they don’t. Many times they are so backslidden that they get mad with God’s SERVANT when he has the courage to deal with an unruly person.
But, whether the church stands behind the SERVANTS of God or not, God still says that the unruly are to be admonished.
B. WE ARE TO COMFORT THE FEEBLEMINDED
The word, “feebleminded” is translated from “oligopsuchous,” which means: “the faint hearted, timid, those who lack courage.”
The “unruly” do not want to do God’s will. The feebleminded would love to do God’s will but lack the courage to do it. Some do not have the courage to...
• Pray publicly.
• Witness.
• Teach.
• Sing.
• Say amen.
• Shout.
Paul said these need to be comforted. These might say, “I sure would love to sing one day, but I would be scared to death to stand in front of people and sing.” Paul said these need to be comforted. A mature Christian needs to slip an arm around their shoulder and say, “Listen, I believe one day God is going to help you do just that!” God said to COMFORT those who THINK SMALL OF THEMSELVES.
C. WE ARE TO SUPPORT THE WEAK
The word translated “weak” is anthechesthe, which means: “Those who are so easily burdened or discouraged, defeated or led astray.”
Illus: The idea here is that we are to become “a walking stick” for them. We are to hold them up.
Paul admonished that young church to BE PATIENT with the WEAK. Our attitude should be, “I will help them because I love them. Even if I do not get a thing out of it personally, I will help them.
Illus: As Christians our attitude SHOULD NEVER BE, “I’ll scratch your back if you’ll scratch mine.” It SHOULD BE, “I’ll scratch your back even if you do not scratch mine!”
If we are not careful, we can see the needs of the weak and get upset with them.
Look at verse 15. A church is in trouble when believers become vindictive. Paul said, “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.”
Instead of paying back wrong for wrong, we are to pay back right for wrong. Jesus taught us this truth with these words, Matt. 5:43-44, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Members of a church make up the family of God. They must learn to have RESPECT for the SERVANTS and for the SAINTS. They also must have...
III. RESPECT FOR THE SERVICES
Look at verses 16-28. We read, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
If you notice, most of these admonitions Paul gives in these verses are for us as individual Christians, but they also apply to the WORSHIP SERVICE.
Almost every church has a sign outside that tells everyone what time worship services begin. But, honesty compels us to confess that often those services are not “worship” services. That is, God is not worshipped in the...
• Singing.
• Giving.
• Preaching and teaching of His Word.
Someone is saying, “Preacher, all churches have worship services.” No, not all churches have “worship” services as far as God is concerned.
If you will read of the seven churches in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, you will see that God was displeased with most of them because they worshipped everything except Him.
Did you know that you can come to a scheduled worship service and go through the whole thing and never have God on your mind? The church, as the family of God, has to have a sacredness in its worship.
In these verses Paul gives us five things to consider regarding worshipping God.
A. REJOICE EVERMORE
Did you know that God can actually be insulted by a church service?
Illus: Suppose a young man claims to love a young lady yet when we see them sitting together he looks as if he were bored stiff. HIS ACTIONS ARE INSULTING HER.
Beloved, honesty compels us to admit that many times our worship service is no more than insulting God. We say we have come here to worship the Lord, yet some do not want to...
• Sing.
• Pray.
• Give.
• Smile.
These are simply bored stiff in the house of God. They claim God is the love of their lives, yet if you take them out to the ball field they act entirely differently--they act as if they were alive. That says something. That says they love the action of a football or basketball team more than they love God!
If sinners are going to come to know Christ, it will be because God’s people know how to rejoice in Him!
Illus: I am not talking about a false rejoicing, but real rejoicing.
The Bible is full of scriptures that teach us we should REJOICE IN THE LORD. Look at:
• Psalm 95:1, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
• Psalm 1:1-2, “A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”
Notice, Paul is not commanding us to be HAPPY, but he is commanding us to WORSHIP THE LORD WITH REJOICING.
B. PRAY CONTINUALLY
Jesus taught us to pray these words in the model prayer, “Our Father...” Notice, the family connection in this prayer. That is, it is not “My father,” or “Your Father,” but “Our father...”
While we have our private prayers, we are also to have our PUBLIC PRAYERS. Notice, the one instruction Paul gave was that they were to “PRAY CONTINUALLY.”
Illus: Remember the old saying, “The family that prays together stays together”?
This also applies to God’s family. God wants all of us to pray continually.
C. GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES
In verse 18 we read, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.” Every worship service should be filled with thanksgiving. Why? Because God has so richly blessed us!
D. LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD
Look at verse 20. We read, “Despise not prophesyings.” This Bible is the prophetic Word of God. Every saint of God needs to recognize and appreciate God’s Word as being the very Word of God!
In 1 Thessalonians 5:27, Paul instructed that this letter be read to all the brethren.
God reveals Himself to us through His Word, and we respond with praise, prayer and thanksgiving.
E. KEEP AWAY FROM EVIL
Look at verse 22. We read, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” Notice, Paul did not say to “Abstain from evil.” He said, “Abstain FROM ALL APPEARANCE of evil.”
That is, something may not necessarily be evil, but it may appear to be evil. If it has the appearance, Paul tells God’s people to abstain from it.
Conclusion/Summary:
The Thessalonian church was a great church. Paul closes his letter by telling them things to help them remain a great church, such as, that they should have...
(1 of 2)
I. RESPECT FOR THE SERVANTS
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II. RESPECT FOR THE SAINTS
III. RESPECT FOR THE SERVICE
