1Thessalonians 5:11-15
Commands for A Healthy Body
I. \\#1Thess 1:1-2\\ Introduction
II. \\#1Thess 1:3-10\\ Paul’s Knowledge of the Thessalonians
III. \\#1Thess 2:1-16\\ Paul’s Plan for the Thessalonians
IV. \\#1Thess 2:17-4:12\\ Paul’s Heart for the Thessalonians
V. \\#1Thess 4:13-5:10\\ Paul’s Message for the Thessalonians
VI. \\#1Thess 5:11-22\\ Paul’s Commands to the Thessalonians
1. \\#5:11-14\\ Commands to the body, about the body, for the body.
a. \\#11\\ Comfort yourselves together.
b. Edify one another.
c. \\#12-13\\ Know those who admonish you and esteem them highly.
d. \\#13\\ Be at peace among yourselves.
e. \\#14\\ Warn the unruly.
f. Comfort the feebleminded.
g. Support the weak.
2. \\#5:14-15\\ Commands for within and without the body
a. \\#14\\Be patient toward all.
b. \\#15\\ Do not render evil for evil, but do good.
3. \\#5:16-22\\ Commands to the body members.
a. \\#16\\ Rejoice evermore.
b. \\#17\\ Pray without ceasing.
c. \\#18\\ In everything, give thanks.
d. \\#19\\ Quench not the Holy Spirit.
e. \\#20\\ Despise not preaching.
f. \\#21\\ Test everything. Keep that which is good.
g. \\#22\\ Abstain from things which even look bad.
VII. \\#1Thess 5:23-28\\ Closing
For the last few weeks, we have looked at the doctrinal section of this book.
It is very short, covering only \\#1Thess 4:13-5:10\\. Most of the remainder of
the book has been a personal letter from Paul to this young church. However, as
he moves to close the book, Paul turns to giving practical commands and
instructions to the church. It was a common practice for Paul to give doctrine
and truth, then to give practical applications. Remember the cliché, "If you
know what you ought to know, you will do what you ought to do."
Paul’s commands are short and simple. Because of that, Paul does not discuss
the commands. He only gives them. However, you can see a train of thought in
the way Paul presented them. They easily divide into three categories.
1. \\#5:11-14\\ Commands to the body, about the body, for the body.
2. \\#5:14-15\\ Commands for within and without the body.
3. \\#5:16-22\\ Commands for the individuals of the body.
I. \\#1Thess 5:11-14\\ Commands to the body, about the body, for the body.
A. You can easily see how these first commands were directed to the body
for the body.
1. Paul uses phrases like "yourselves together \\#11\\," "one another
\\#11\\," "are over you" \\#12\\, and "among yourselves \\#13\\."
2. The church is the body of Christ, and how we treat each other will
determine the overall health of the body which will then determine
the overall ability of the body.
3. The church is responsible to keep itself strong, loving, and sound.
4. Hence, it is essential that we treat each other in a good way.
5. The Apostle Paul pulls commands from a variety of different possible
situation within the church.
B. \\#11\\ "Wherefore comfort yourselves together"
1. It is my belief that one of the reasons Paul wrote to the
Thessalonians was to give them comfort concerning their dead
\\#1Thess 4:13\\.
2. Now, Paul commands that comforting one another become a regular
theme within the church.
3. The word "comfort" means "to console, to encourage, to strengthen."
a. This world is a hard place.
b. Sometimes, Christians need someone to strengthen and to encourage
them.
c. Who can give that kind of comfort better than someone who has
received it?
4. Strong’s lists one of its definitions as "to call to one’s side."
a. This world is a lonely place.
b. No one wants to go through the hurt and grief alone.
c. When someone is hurting, just your very presence can give them
comfort.
5. Two sometimes forgotten truths.
a. The best comforter should be the one who has received the most
comfort.
2Cor 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them
which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of
God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also
aboundeth by Christ.
(1) Why does God allow so much bad to happen to some people?
(2) I do not pretend to know the depth of that answer.
(3) Sometimes, in part, it may be so that they can give the
comfort that God has given them.
(4) That is one reason why Jesus endured so much on the cross—
just so that He could comfort us!
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
b. Some may not understand this (maybe even some preachers),
but the Bible teaches that good preaching can comfort.
1Co 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and
exhortation, and comfort.
1Co 14:31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be
comforted.
(1) Truth equips, rebukes, and COMFORTS.
(2) Truth is not always welcome; neither does it always come
across as kind.
(3) However, there is nothing that can do for the soul what
truth can do.
C. \\#1Thess 5:13\\ Edify one another.
1. To "edify" means to build, the establish, to found, to grow.
2. However, the word not only has the idea of laying a new work, it also
has the notion of repairing that which is broken, rebuilding, or
restoring.
3. So the church members need to do the work to start every new
Christians off sound in the Lord AND they need to do the work to
reclaim and restore any Christian who has fallen off that foundation.
4. Paul’s command here is not directed to the pastor, the deacons, or the
few who may seem to have some measure of authority in the church.
5. It is directed to the WHOLE BODY.
6. It is the church’s function to make every individual in that fellowship
sound, strong in the Lord, spiritual in nature and walk, and rendering
service to the Savior.
a. Members must teach and preach these things to each other.
b. Members must walk in life giving that kind of example.
7. Sadly, some want to DISCOURAGE things like that instead of ENCOURAGING
IT.
a. "We love our pastor, but…."
b. "Our church is a great church, but…."
8. Build one another. Don’t tear down.
D. \\#1Thess 5:12-13\\ Know those who admonish you and esteem them highly.
1. Here what I say may seem a bit self-serving, but I certainly do not
intend for it to be.
a. First, I do not say that I so that good of job at this command.
b. Second, the pastor is not the only one who fulfills this role in
the church.
c. Regardless, one of the most valuable assets of a church are those
who build it up.
2. Paul is talking about those inside the church who admonish it.
a. The word "admonish" means to warn, to teach, to caution.
b. That is what the preacher is supposed to do.
(1) Although it may sound self serving, it still needs to be
taught.
(2) A good pastor is worth all the world to a church.
(3) Someone told me at their church, the church
had voted to pay some popular singer to come in a "work"
in their church for a few months some exorbitant price.
(Not that he did anything more than just show up on
Sunday morning!) That did it with the intent of
increasing their church attendance. It didn’t work.
(4) Then, they voted to hire another full-time song man and
pay him much, much more than the pastor.
(5) I know a good song man is worth much, and I wish our small
congregation could pay sometime of worth to ours.
(6) However, I know that pastor to be a good man and
here is a church that thinks it ought to use popular
personalities to grow a church instead of the sound preaching
of the Word of God.
(7) churches today have simply lost their understanding of the
value of a good pastor.
(8) The church needs to KNOW who admonishes and labors among the
people and to esteem THEM, not the goose that might lay the
golden egg.
c. But it is not just the pastor’s position to admonish.
(1) Anyone and everyone who handles the Word of God has some
role in admonishing others.
(2) Sunday school teachers, VBS teachers, deacons, associates,
lay preachers, soul winners….
(3) Those in these positions may not have as much authority as
the pastor, but they have a part in keeping the flock on the
right path by teaching, warning, and cautioning it.
(4) Everyone who does that with love and grace ought to be
known by the body and highly esteemed.
d. One of the purposes behind our Honor Sunday is to seek out
such people and let our congregation know who they are!
(1) I remember a time when we honored our Sunday school teachers,
one teacher (Nora Junkins—?) saying to me, "I have taught
Sunday school for years (and literally that person had) and
this is the first time anyone has ever recognized me for it."
(2) I remember Dr. Lee Roberson, pastor of one of the largest
fundamental, independent Bible churches in the world, running
10,000 in training union, operating a Bible college that
trained tens of thousands for the ministry, making the
comment one day that it had been over a year since one of
his own congregation met him after a service and said,
Pastor, that was a good message. It helped me."
(3) Let’s keep the local body strong and healthy.
(a) Thank those who minister to your soul.
(b) Thank those who encourage you to stay faithful.
(c) Thank those who send you a card, make a phone call,
come by to visit you.
(d) Know WHO they are and ESTEEM them HIGHLY.
E. \\#1Thess 513\\ Be at peace among yourselves.
1. Here, Paul is commanding the church to get along together.
2. A church that cannot get along together cannot do anything for Christ.
3. Getting alone together is not dependent upon everyone believing the
same thing.
a. We all know that there is no such thing a church that all thinks
alike.
b. If there is such a thing, it would be a cult.
c. We all have different points of view and believe differently about
some things and some of those things are pretty important.
4. Getting along together has to do with balancing abstract doctrine with
the Christian life.
a. What do I mean by ABSTRACT CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE?
(1) Some of the things that we believe, while they are important,
do not really change the way we preach or live.
(2) For example, when it is all said and done, how much does it
change your life that believe in immersion rather than
sprinkling?
(3) How much does it change your life that you believe in an
open communion rather than a closed communion?
b. I know that some doctrine is not abstract.
(1) I know that some things do make a difference and must be
argued for.
(a) We believe and must argue that Jesus is the Son of God.
(b) We believe and must argue that Jesus is the only Way to
heaven.
(c) We believe and must argue that Jesus died for our sin,
was buried, and rose on the third day.
(d) We believe and must argue that Jesus ascended back to
the Father, intercedes for the believer today, and will
one day—hopefully very soon—return to receive us
unto Himself.
(e) We believe and must argue that the Bible is the
inspired, inerrant, preserved Word of God.
(2) But, not everything is worth splitting a church over.
(3) Let me give a thought.
(a) If it is worth splitting a church over, it ought to be
worth dying for.
(b) If it is not worth dying for and it bothers you that
much, then just go find another church.
5. It is my belief that God wanted the church to have different points of
view concerning some doctrine and to be able to get along together
with them.
a. God could have settled every divisive issue of the church IF HE
HAD WANTED TO DO SO.
b. The fact that He did not, tells me that these issues are a
test for the church.
(1) A test to see if we would search the Scriptures and seek
the Holy Ghost enough to find the answer.
(2) And a test to see if we could get along.
c. So far, we aren’t doing so good.
6. I do not think it was ever God’s intention that we split the church
the way we have.
a. We have multitudes of denominations and multitudes of variations
within the denominations.
b. How many different kinds of Baptists do you suppose there are?
c. One website listed 78 variations of Baptists in the US.
http://askville.amazon.com/kinds-Baptists-list/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=374133
d. Now, since we are divided, I don’t think we ought to try to put
them back together and since we are divided, you might as well
go find one that agrees most with your points of view; however,
there is something important about God’s people learning how to
get along together!
We are not finished, not even with this section; but for time’s sake, we will
stop here. So far, Paul is giving this church the responsibility of taking care
of itself.
1. Just a like the human body needs to be cared for, so does the spiritual
body.
2. And just like it is up to the person who lives in the body to take the
responsibility for its upkeep, so is it our responsibility to take care
of the church.
In the Greek Islands, one can seek out the home of Hippocrates, the father of
modern medicine. In the area, one can also find an olive tree, supposedly dating
from his time. If this is so, this tree would then be some 2400 years old.
The trunk of this tree is very large but completely hollow. The tree is little
more than thick bark. There are a few long, straggling branches, but they must be
supported by sturdy wooden poles every few feet. It has an occasional leaf here
and there and might produce a few olives each year, but in the surrounding
fields are olive groves in many directions. The strong, healthy, young trees have
narrow trunks which are covered with a thick canopy of leaves, under which masses
of olives can be found each year.
The tree of Hippocrates can still be called an olive tree, in that it still shows
the essential characteristics of an olive tree, but it has long since ceased to
function as an olive tree. While tourists file in to see this ancient relic,
those who want olives go to the vineyards.
Strangely enough, there is some comparison to those trees and our churches. Like
the ancient tree, some churches are little more than hollow images of what a real
church is supposed to be. If we don’t want that to happen to the Green Pond
Baptist Church, we must take responsibility for keeping it strong, sound, and
healthy.
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