Weary Of Doing Good Series

WEARY OF DOING GOOD

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18

#2Thessalonians3

INTRODUCTION

This morning we are finishing up our series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians and we are focusing on 2 Thessalonians 3.

REASON 1

I think one of the reasons that obeying the command that caught my eye in 2 Thessalonians 3 is difficult is that after a while you feel like you are the only one doing it. Isolation creeps in.

Maybe it is kind of like what Elijah went through in 1 Kings 18-19. Elijah was a prophet of God, perhaps the greatest prophet ever in the Old Testament, and he dealt with feelings like this. He was pressed and in the end felt like giving up. We are introduced to Elijah and throughout his life we see him being fed by ravens sent by God, raising the dead, leading a school of prophets, healing, and calling down fire from heaven. This man was a prophet of God in every sense of the word. And yet, he felt like he was the only one obeying the Lord.

READ 1 Kings 18:22 (ESV)

“Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men.”

READ 1 Kings 19:10 (ESV)

He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Elijah served the Lord and there came a point where he felt like the sole voice for God and everyone else was advocating another way. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah points out that there are 450 prophets of Baal… which are those that serve an idol. He doesn’t mention it in this verse, but in context there are 400 prophets of another idol. So we have 1 verses 850. I can kind of see where Elijah is coming from. 850 people are saying to follow idols and forget the God of Israel and he is there calling people to God and to faithfulness to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph and to the God who led the people of Israel from Egypt.

Thinking about the command in 2 Thessalonians 3 and then adding to that Elijah’s reasons in the Old Testament, such a thing can create feelings of isolation. Most of the time we want to fit in and be accepted by others. It is difficult when we stick out and stand out or can be pointed at as being very different. Elijah felt like he was the only one pointing people to God and he was the lone voice and it wore on him. He felt isolated and alone. Feeling isolated and alone can make you want to quit.

REASON 2

I think another reasons obeying the command 2 Thessalonians 3 is difficult is because sometimes we don’t know exactly what to do. We have choices before us and sometimes it is obvious and sometimes it is not obvious. Uncertainty creeps in.

Maybe it is kind of like what Martha experienced in Luke 10. Jesus comes to the house of Martha and Mary and even though he is not mentioned, Lazarus is there as well. Jesus comes with His whole entourage of 12 disciples. Imagine… 13 extra people popping in for dinner. The chaos. The need for food and drink. The mess. Cooking has to be done. Drinks have to be poured. Complaints have to be listened to. All the while the Messiah is sitting in your living room and you want to pay attention to him. You don’t know what to do.

READ Luke 10:40-42

“But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

What Martha was doing was good in that she was serving her guests and even serving Jesus and His needs. She was getting frustrated. Jesus says she was anxious and troubled because in all that she was doing… she was not doing what was best. The NIV says (which is how I remember it): “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” In this situation, there was good and there was better and Martha didn’t know what to choose. She didn’t know what to do and didn’t know what was good, better, or best. She did not choose the better.