LOVE STILL MORE (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)
INTRODUCTION:
When the Lord Jesus Christ was here during His earthly ministry, He told His disciples how the world would know we are Christ’s followers, how they would know that we were disciples of Jesus Christ. He explained this to them in John 13:35 where He said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35, NASB95)[1] Jesus did not say that the world would know we are His disciples by our correct doctrine, He did not say they would know by our powerful words. He did say that the world would know we are His disciples because of our love for one another. Our love for one another is a powerful testimony of our faith in Christ. It was because of this love that Christianity spread rapidly through the Roman Empire. The disciples of Jesus Christ loved one another, and the world noticed, just as Jesus had said they would.
The church is not as known for its love today. Unfortunately, the church is more known for its divisions, its fights, its disagreements, its specific doctrines, but not for its love. This is a serious problem in the church of which we should repent and seek to return to the first things. We must regain our love for Jesus Christ, our love for one another, and our love for our neighbor. Love is the heart of Christianity and the heart of our witness to the world because in our love for one another we reflect the love of Christ. This morning our passage deals with love and its proper place in our lives so that we live in such a way that we please God in all things. Let’s pray and then get into our passage of Scripture.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to 1st Thessalonians 4:9-12, our passage for this morning where Paul speaks on this topic of love and the importance of it in the church. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
1st Thessalonians 4:9-12,
“Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.” (1 Thessalonians 4:9–12, NASB95)[2]
LOVING ONE ANOTHER PLEASES GOD (1st Thessalonians 4:9-10)
In this chapter Paul is concerned with our walk and if we are pleasing God in all that we do. Remember back in verse one of this chapter Paul wrote, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1, NASB95)[3] Paul’s real concern is if we are walking and pleasing God as we should. Paul explains what should be different in our life if we are living in a way that honors and pleases the Lord. The first thing that he focused on in this chapter was that we are to abstain from sexual immorality which we looked at last week. In other words, we are called to be pure, and we are to relate to other people, both men and women, in a way that pleases God and honors the other person. The second area of Paul’s focus on how we are to live deals with brotherly love or loving one another as the Lord Jesus commanded His disciples.
Paul begins by writing that the Thessalonian believers have no need for anyone to write to them concerning brotherly love. Paul says the reason that this is true is because they have been taught by God to love one another. Paul by using the phrase “you yourselves are taught by God” demonstrates that apart from him or any other teacher, the believers were taught by God. In other words, this love for one another was characteristic of the new nature that they possessed from God. Paul later affirms this same truth in Romans 5:5 where he writes, “…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5, NASB95)[4] When a person comes to the Lord Jesus in repentance and puts his faith in Christ for forgiveness, he immediately receives the Holy Spirit, who indwells us and teaches us to love. Thus, it is impossible for believers not to love. The apostle John emphasized this truth several times in his first epistle. For example, John wrote in 1st John 4:7-11, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:7–11, NASB95)[5]
Paul goes on to say that the Thessalonian believers are practicing this love, and not only to those within their own congregation, but Paul writes that they demonstrate this love to all the believers in Macedonia. Just as the Thessalonian believers had proclaimed their faith in Christ in all Macedonia and Achaia and everywhere that they went proving the reality of their salvation, these same believers demonstrated their sanctification by pouring out love toward all. Believers across the province of Macedonia had received the Thessalonian believers’ generous hospitality, their kind acts of mercy, and their sacrificial deeds of service. Paul gives them praise for their love for one another and for all the brethren, but then he urges them to excel still more in this love. Paul’s urging is that they love more, not less. As they lived in the hope of the Lord’s return, they were never to lose sight of the opportunity or priority to love.
THREE COMMANDS TO EXCEL IN LOVE (1st Thessalonians 4:11)
Paul does not just simply tell them to love more and more but he gets practical and tells them how they can excel in love for one another. Paul gives three commands or admonitions that the Thessalonian believers were to obey, and since Paul was speaking by the Spirit, we should obey them as well.
Paul’s first command is for us to make it our ambition to lead a quiet life. Many find this wording to be something of an oxymoron. We are to be ambitious to be quiet? Ambition seems that it would do just the opposite. It could be more literally translated as “strive hard to live quietly.” The word quiet here does not mean “to not speak” or “to be restful” but is more the idea of not intruding into the lives of other people, especially other brothers and sisters in Christ, and so not becoming a burden to others. Paul may have also been warning them to live a peaceful and quiet life so as not to draw undue attention to themselves. This warning was given so that they would not speak out inappropriately but would remain at rest and tranquil as they waited for the Lord’s return. Paul wanted them to live peaceful lives, free of conflict and hostility toward others, which would be a witness to the transforming power of the Gospel. This is not the only place that Paul directs us to live in this way but in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Paul writes, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1–4, NASB95)[6] Paul seems to indicate in verse four that the result of living this way is that some people will come to faith in Christ through the testimony of our life. Both in the Timothy passage and our passage this morning Paul is inferring that Christians can influence non-Christians by their quiet and humble life. It is not wrong to stand by our convictions, but we must do so in humbleness and gentleness. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15, “…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence:” (1 Peter 3:15, NASB95)[7]
Paul’s second command is that we attend to our own business. These first two commands are connected, it is like they are two sides of the same coin. It seems that some people in the church had become idle. Instead of doing their own work, they were meddling in the affairs of other people. It is believed that they believed that Christ return was so soon that they quit working, and became idle as they waited for His return, and Paul tries to reverse that trend here by telling them to be about their own business, to work with their hands at their trade. This continued to be a problem because it comes up again in 2nd Thessalonians 3:10-11 where Paul writes, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10–11, NASB95)[8] Paul goes on in verse twelve telling the ones not working to get back to work, he writes, “Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.” (2 Thessalonians 3:12, NASB95)[9]
From these verses we see there are several problems taking place at one time in this situation. First, there is a problem with people not working. Since they are not working, they are not earning a living. This puts a strain on the life of the church to provide for them. Second, their lack of work does not mean they are just sitting at home, instead they are busybodies. They are concerning themselves with areas and things that are not their concern. Paul is referring to the kind of person who does not do his work but just hangs around while you are trying to do your work. So, by not working a strain was created on the church both financially and relationally. This produces a situation that is not in line with the love that should be expressed towards one another within the church.
Paul’s third command to the Thessalonian believers was to work with their hands. These commands in this verse are all connected. Paul urged them to lead a quiet life, which means they should mind their own business as well as work with their hands. These commands are connected to a bigger problem in the church. There was something going on in the life of the church that was producing this situation. Paul does not come right out and say what it is but because of what he speaks about in the verses following these seems to point to the problem being that these Christians were confused over the second coming of Christ. Since they thought His return would take place soon, some quit their jobs, sold their homes, and waited for His return. But when He did not come back when they thought He would, the church had to help these Christians get their lives back together. Whether this was the issue or some other reason for this problem in the church, Paul’s solution was the same, aspire to live quietly, mind your own affairs, and work with your hands. We want to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and we can do this when we help meet their needs, but we must be careful to not allow that need to become an ongoing thing that then becomes a burden. Paul’s goal is that in everything we do in the church and in the community, we do out of love. We work and support our own family and we give to the church to help with needs within the church and needs within the community. The leadership of the church evaluates the needs presented to them to be sure they are legitimate needs and responds accordingly. This is why the board created the love offering so that the church would have funds to meet legitimate needs presented to them. This was the love that Paul wanted the Thessalonian believers to excel in more and more.
THE results of exceling in love (1st Thessalonians 4:12)
Paul did not give these commands only, but with them he gave reasons why we are supposed to live this way, he gives us two reasons.
The first reason that Paul gives that we are to live this way is so that we will behave properly toward outsiders. Remember Jesus said that we would be known as His disciples if we love one another, and one way we do this is by living a quiet, peaceful life, minding our own affairs, and working with our hands. Paul said that when we conduct ourselves in this way it will be noticed by outsiders. This is the primary means of drawing people to Christ. They see the reality of the gospel in the way we live and work. Our entire life should be a testimony of the love and grace of God.
The second reason that Paul gives to living this way is so that we will not be in any need, or as the ESV says that we will be dependent on no one. I believe Paul says this for two reasons. First, to be dependent upon someone else in the church would be unloving, to allow them to support and provide for you when you are not doing anything to support yourself. This has been Paul’s point in this passage and here he gives the conclusion to his point, it is a loving act to be self-sufficient in regard to our own lives. The second reason Paul said this is because as Christians we are called to be dependent on the Lord to provide our daily bread, and if we get in a situation where we are dependent on someone else, it could cause us to not look to the Lord to provide, but instead to the person on whom we are dependent, and this could damage our testimony to outsiders.
Understand what Paul is saying, if we live in a way that reflects brotherly love, it will be obvious to people we come in contact with in our culture. We will not have to loudly proclaim our faith to outsiders, but they will see it in our lives. In the city of Thessalonica, everyone would have noticed the change of lives in these new believers. They no longer participated in the religious ceremonies and sexual immorality in the pagan temples. They didn’t cheat each other and dealt honestly with all people. They worked hard, they took care of each other, and they loved each other. If you want your faith to be evident to those around you, Paul says, live in this sacrificial way, a way that reflects the love of Jesus to other people.
CONCLUSION:
As I close this morning, it is important that we remember the big picture from Paul’s point of view. Paul’s theme throughout this chapter has been the same, that theme is expressed in 1st Thessalonians 4:1 where he wrote, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1, NASB95)[10] This theme is an emphasis on pleasing the Lord in our lives. Although Paul is addressing the specific areas of sexual immorality and brotherly love, those concerns fit with the broader framework of his two perspectives on the Christian life. The first is Christian growth. The Thessalonian believers were walking in a way that pleased the Lord, and Paul urged them to do so more and more. Paul was calling upon them to not be satisfied with their present state as believers, but to keep growing. The Christian life does not have a point at which we attain total maturity in this life. We do not stop growing. If we think we are doing what Paul describes in this chapter, we must not stop but do it more and more. We must not grow weary in doing well but rather continue to follow the path that the Lord Jesus Christ has laid out for us.
The second area that Paul highlights in this chapter is the importance of a sacrificial life. In other words, he wants believers to be unselfish. It is important to understand that the Christian life to a large degree involves sacrificial living, and we need to hear that message over and over because as humans we are prone to be self-centered. This idea of sacrificial living is seen in the opening verse when Paul writes, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God …” (1 Thessalonians 4:1a, NASB95)[11] What is the goal here? Is the goal to please ourselves? No, Paul clearly says as Christians our goal is to please God. We should evaluate our lives by asking these questions: Am I living a life that pleases God? Are my priorities in order? Or is my life consumed with myself and what I want? How am I using my gifts and abilities? Am I using them in the service of the Lord or in my own service? Am I living a God-centered life or a self-centered life?
Why is this even important? Why should we live a sacrificial life? Because we follow the One who sacrificed Himself for us. We follow the One who gave up everything that He had in order to bring us to God. That is the root of why we obey these things. We should thank the Lord Jesus Christ that He did not decide to watch out for Himself when He came to this world, but that He had the thought of our redemption, our forgiveness, our future on His mind when He went to the cross. May we imitate that kind of love for one another.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.