One of the most memorable experiences I ever had was in helping to build a small shed. There was nothing impressive about the size of it, just a 10 by 12 shed. It was going to house a generator so we also had to put some concrete footings in and put a concrete floor in it. What made this experience so memorable was that it was done in 35 degree heat and 90% humidity. The thing is, your body can't cool itself down, the sweat won't evaporate fast enough because the humidity is too high, so what does your body do?it produces more sweat. There is nothing like tropical sweat, it just pours out of you like a leaky radiator. Sweat is really a remarkable thing isn't it, most of you have taken great pains to not sweat, here, this morning, and we're happy you did! It's even in our idioms of speech, if something is not a bother to me, I say , ?No sweat, I can do that.? I got to thinking about this as I read a small pamphlet called, 'the Lord's Work in the Lord's Way?, by K.P.Yohannan. In it he said that 'sweat signifies man's effort, sweat is the result of the curse that sin brought?. You remember the words of Genesis 3:19, ??in the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread.? What he meant was that things were going to get harder for all people because of sin. Though work is a good thing, there are . . .
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
One of the most memorable experiences I ever had was in helping to build a small shed. There was nothing impressive about the size of it, just a 10 by 12 shed. It was going to house a generator so we also had to put some concrete footings in and put a concrete floor in it. What made this experience so memorable was that it was done in 35 degree heat and 90% humidity. The thing is, your body can't cool itself down, the sweat won't evaporate fast enough because the humidity is too high, so what does your body do?it produces more sweat. There is nothing like tropical sweat, it just pours out of you like a leaky radiator. Sweat is really a remarkable thing isn't it, most of you have taken great pains to not sweat, here, this morning, and we're happy you did! It's even in our idioms of speech, if something is not a bother to me, I say , ?No sweat, I can do that.? I got to thinking about this as I read a small pamphlet called, 'the Lord's Work in the Lord's Way?, by K.P.Yohannan. In it he said that 'sweat signifies man's effort, sweat is the result of the curse that sin brought?. You remember the words of Genesis 3:19, ??in the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread.? What he meant was that things were going to get harder for all people because of sin. Though work is a good thing, there are times when human effort has gotten out of balance, when we have sought to make things happen for God. We can experience frustration and fatigue, the sweat of human effort that has somehow missed the purposes and enablement of Christ in us. It's probably a frustration for every church and for most Christians. I think it was for the Thessalonians, and they were a great church which also needed to hear this caution. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12.
I. The Indicator of a
The reason I say the Thessalonians were a great church is because of what Paul observes in verse 9, 10. He says that they don't need any instruction on how to love each other better. He says God is obviously directing them in this because it shows up not only in their church but also in the whole region. Think about it, when you go to a church and you are wondering if this is the place for you, what attracts you the most? faith, hope or love. Certainly it's hard to separate, doctrine is key but so are their works (faith and hope) but if they don't love, the presence of Christ in their midst is greatly compromised. Paul says that these Thessalonians were men and women who loved each other well. This is such a clich? ridden topic that it's hard to talk about, yet for all its? familiarity we do not really understand the subject of love. When Paul says, ?Now as to the love of the brethren??, he uses the Greek word, ?
1. By ? the same Savior who's death not only justified them individually but also corporately connected them together as the church. The Savior made them to be His body, the church.
2. Through ? the blood of Jesus they were united to Him as co-heirs in Christ, brothers and sisters of Christ before the Father. They have a righteousness in Christ which is a bond of commonality that eternally sets them apart from the rest of all mankind.
3. For- the purposes of God we have been called, we have been made brothers and sisters, we have not chosen as a friend chooses a friend. The kinship we have in Christ, God uses to both build His kingdom through evangelism and to wonderfully discover eternally the depth and height of God's love and the person of Who He is, that is to glorify God.
It says that God was teaching these truths to the Thessalonians because it was evident in how they were relating to each other. In other words, Paul was saying that the Holy Spirit was directing them and they were agreeing. Perhaps the ?How? question pops to your mind, what did this look like? I think the ?Why? question is more intriguing, why is it so important that we love one another like this, what is at risk if we don't, what's to be gained if we do? Did you ever wonder why God wants you to move with a ?blood relative? love for one another in Christ? Perhaps we can suggest a few reasons:
1. It's the will of God, are you willing to argue with that! So love, in this sense, is an act of obedience more than an expression of feeling. You could say that this love is part of God's sovereign plan (1Pet.1:22).
2. It's a protective device against the deceitfulness of our own natures. Your fleshly lusts will wage war against your own souls, (1Pet. 2:11) To love others as kin is not what you will naturally want to do, love is higher than you, it will require more than what you've got.
3. It's the avenue for God to demonstrate Himself present in you, to accomplish something that isn't of you, it's of Him. It breaks the down the schemes of Satan and brings glory to God.
II. The Caution to a
Every time you read some verses of a letter you have to know that they are being said for some specific reason, such is the case in verse 11. Paul lays out three recommendations to the great Thessalonian church:
1. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.
2. Attend to your own business.
3. Work with your hands.
We can only conclude that in this church there were those who needed to hear this because they were doing the very opposite. For whatever reason, and likely they seemed to be good reasons and justifiable reasons, they chose to follow their flesh. We can often want to make something happen, so much so that when it is blocked or ignored or not well attended we get confused about how to respond to it. I begin to interpret it and make conclusions, yet all the while they are nothing but assumptions. The flesh has a way of always making such things a personal affront, an insult that demands retaliation of some sort. In short the flesh is addicted to autonomy. It's time to ask ourselves three important questions:
1. Can you ever argue the flesh out of it's hold on something? No.
2. Is the flesh going to evidence itself in the church? Yes.
3. What is the only thing that can alter the will of the flesh? Death.
What is the death of our flesh going to mean? it means Galatians 2:20
?I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me?? Who's church is it?Christ's; who's ministry is it?Christ's; who's life is it?Christ's; who's wealth is it?Christ's. What is it your flesh wants to hang onto, your personal rights, your future, your fears, your pains'they are all the property of Jesus Christ and the flesh has no opportunity to do its work .when they are given over to Him. The outcome of such an approach to your flesh is that the world sees something extraordinary, it sees blood relation love, and God awakens His people to faith through such things. The outcome is that you will not waste the resources God is putting into your hands even today.
You who are in this place, who are Christians, are blood related to each other, you have a connection that goes deeper than friendship, deeper than differences. You are a great church because you are called to love in such a way that it could only be Christ in you who causes such growth.
Rev. Spence Laycock pastors at Church of the Open Bible, Ponoka, Alberta, Canada.
www.churchoftheopenbible.ab.ca