Strange yet Popular Command
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14
-THIS SUNDAY'S TEXT- A Strange, yet Popular Command
We have been walking through 1 and 2 Thessalonians. These are wonderful letters from Paul, Silas, and Timothy to the young church in Thessalonica. The servants of the Lord have greatly encouraged this young church as they have faced much affliction and persecution, and the church has seen much growth in their faith and maturity in Christ.
With that being said, both letters end with a strange yet popular focus. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Paul tells the church to “admonish the idle.” In the last chapter of 2 Thessalonians, Paul has much to say to the church regarding idleness.
Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
Now we do not like the word “command” today, but we need to get over that. Paul says, “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…” This command is coming from the Lord, not from man. Spend some time walking slowly through these verses. Identify each time the word “command” is used and how it is used. The commands in these verses all revolve around idleness. Idleness, laziness, being a sluggard is a big deal according to the word of God, and it is not a good, big deal.
-CONSIDER & MEDITATE-
Read Proverbs 26:12-16 and Think about it...
Verses 12 and 16 are books ends to the subject of the sluggard, lazy, or idle. Let’s read them:
Verse 12 – Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. He who is wise in his own eyes has no hope!!!
Verse 16 – The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. The sluggard believes he is wiser than those who answer sensibly.
While the sluggard thinks he is wiser than others, here are the realities:
- Verse 13 – The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” The sluggard is not fearful; the sluggard is lazy. He makes up reasons not to go to work, reasons not to do this, that, or the other.
- Verse 14 – As a door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed. The sluggard may toss and turn but does not move. This may mean that the sluggard stays in bed and does not sleep well at night, but there is a deeper meaning – the sluggard may swing here or there from time to time, but he is never really moved from his sin. He is fixed in his foolish traps.
- Verse 15 – The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard has a huge appetite. The sluggard is selfish, grabbing all he can, not wanting to miss out, yet has no ability to bring it to the mouth. The Bible says, If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
To work is not a curse. To work is a blessing. The first place work shows up in the Bible is in Genesis. Genesis 2:2 – And on the 7th day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the 7th day from all His work that He had done. Genesis 2:15 – The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (and this was before the curse).
Ephesians 4:28 reads – Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
-PRAYER- Pray that we would work for a greater purpose - for the kingdom and glory of God.
Pray that we would be diligent in our work, earning an honest living. Pray that we would rest from our work. Pray that we would share the proceeds of our work with others Be thankful for the ability to work and work with a grateful heart..
-THANKSGIVING- We had such a wonderful time gathering as The River Family for worship this past Sunday. It was a blessing to see faces and hear testimonies of God's faithfulness. Our deacons are working hard to keep our facility clean and ready for gathering this Sunday. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
We understand that some of our family are more comfortable at this time to remain home for Family Worship, you can continue to worship with us by connecting to a live feed on the front page of our website.
May God bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you and give you peace.
Eric