{"id":22797,"date":"2023-07-08T14:41:41","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T19:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/sermon\/first-thessalonians-031-the-work-of-the-word\/"},"modified":"2023-09-06T12:33:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T17:33:29","slug":"first-thessalonians-031-the-work-of-the-word","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/first-thessalonians-031-the-work-of-the-word\/","title":{"rendered":"First Thessalonians 031 – The Work of the Word"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[97],"series_event":[546],"sermon_service_type":[473],"speaker":[6],"class_list":["post-22797","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-1-thessalonians","series_event-first-thessalonians","sermon_service_type-sunday-school","speaker-dr-andy-woods","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"First Thessalonians 031 - The Work of the Word","sermon_date":"20230709","sermon_month":"07","sermon_year":"2023","sermon_notes":22795,"sermon_slides":22796,"sermon_mp3":22807,"sermon_id":"78232228403044","series_or_event":546,"service_type":[473],"speaker":6,"books_of_the_bible":97,"chapter_and_verse":"5:25-28","sermon_transcript":"

First Thessalonians 031 \u2013 The Work of the Word<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

1 Thessalonians 5:25-28 \u2022 Dr.\u00a0 Andy Woods \u2022 July 9, 2023<\/p>\r\n\r\n

PRAYER<\/h4>\r\nFather, we're grateful for the fact in a changing world, Your Word never changes.\u00a0 We live in a society where standards change constantly, but Your Word is eternal.\u00a0 As you've spoken through the prophet Isaiah, the grass withers, the flower fades, but Thy Word abides forever. (Isaiah 40:8).\r\n\r\nJesus in Matthew 24:35 said, \u201c\u201cHeaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.\u201d \u00a0So we come Lord in it during this time, Sunday morning, Sunday school, and the main service that follows, giving our attention to Your Word.\u00a0 We acknowledge that we are not here to correct Your Word, but rather it's the other way around.\u00a0 We want to come and be corrected by what you have to say.\u00a0 We do pray Lord for the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Jesus in the upper room promising that the Spirit would come and guide you into all truth, and we desperately need that ministry today.\r\n\r\nMany of us are in difficult circumstances, busy circumstances, and we need a perspective from You today, which only You can give through the teaching of Your Word.\u00a0 So in preparation for that ministry, we're going to just take a few moments of silence, not to restore our position, but restore our broken fellowship if need be.\u00a0 Because although we are eternally secure, sometimes we can do things in our sinful selves that don't change our position, but can change our moment-by-moment enjoyment of You.\u00a0 And when that happens, we really can't receive the depth that You have for us today through the teaching of Your Word.\u00a0 So with those thoughts in mind, we're just going to take a few moments of personal silence.\r\n\r\nWe are grateful today, Lord, for the fact that You have made provision for us in every area, even in this area of broken fellowship.\u00a0 You've given us 1 John 1:9[1]<\/a> which says, \u201cIf we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.\u201d\r\n\r\nWith the countless needs in this room and then people listening or watching online or people watching the archives, no human teacher can teach in a way that ministers to these needs.\u00a0 But Your Spirit can do that, and so we ask for that ministry of illumination that as Your Word is taught today, You might be able to take it and apply it to the deepest needs of Your people.\u00a0 We're thanking You in advance for this great work, and we lift these things up in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and God's people said amen.\r\n

REVIEW<\/h4>\r\nAll right, well if you could take your Bibles and open them to 1 Thessalonians 5:25.\u00a0 The last time we were together it was pre-Grand Canyon rafting trip.\u00a0 So we had a few interruptions.\u00a0 I was gone on that particular Sunday and then last Sunday we had a Independence Day message.\u00a0 At least we had most of the message in the first hour until the power went out.\u00a0 But what we didn't teach in the first lesson we picked up in the second hour.\u00a0 So if you put those two teachings together, you'd have all the content.\r\n\r\nSo this means we're going to return to the book of 1 Thessalonians today, and every time I say we're going to finish the book today we don't do it.\u00a0 So this time I'm not going to not say we're going to finish the book today and then maybe we'll end up finishing it.\u00a0 How's that for some strange logic?\r\n\r\nBut as you'll remember, Paul in the first three chapters of 1 Thessalonians has defended himself and his apostolic credentials.\u00a0 In 1 Thessalonians 4:1 he says \"finally,\" meaning he's switching now.\u00a0 Now that his ministry, his methods, who he is has been defended from a bunch of scandalous, slanderous attacks, he's in a position to correct the Thessalonians.\u00a0 Things that he heard about them, this church that he planted where there were some deficiencies in their growth, and he does that in Chapters 4 and 5.\u00a0 He's dealt with immorality (4:1-8), as you can see from the screen there, laziness (4:9-12), major misunderstandings in the area of the end times (4:13\u20135:11).\u00a0 He's dealt with ministry imbalances (5:12-15), and then he sort of concludes this letter with the calling that really is on all of our lives as Christians to grow in our progressive sanctification (5:16-28).\r\n\r\nHe's given them three positive commands, verses 16 through 18,\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Rejoice always (5:16)<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Pray without ceasing (5:17)<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Give thanks in all things (5:18)<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nHe's given them three negative commands,\r\n
      \r\n \t
    1. Do not quench the Spirit (5:19)<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. Do not despise prophetic utterances (5:20-21)<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. Abstain from evil (5:22)<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nAnd then to those who would say to him, \"Well, this is a hard teaching, who can do these things?\" He promises divine enablement through the Holy Spirit that's already resident within the believing Thessalonians.\r\n\r\nAnd then we get to the conclusion of the letter where he just gives three personal requests, 1 Thessalonians 5:25-27, and then he gives a benediction, Verse 28.\r\n

      THREE PERSONAL REQUESTS<\/h4>\r\n

      1 Thessalonians 5:25, \"Brethren, pray for us.\"<\/h4>\r\nSo let's take a look at these three personal requests.\u00a0 What does Paul want from the Thessalonians?\u00a0 The first thing he wants from them is he wants their prayers.\u00a0 He doesn't say, \"I want your money.\"\u00a0 He says, \"I want your prayers.\"\u00a0 And you see that there in 1 Thessalonians 5:25, \"Brethren, pray for us.\"\u00a0 The \"us\" I think is his missionary team there on missionary journey number two.\u00a0 Because you remember he was forced out of Thessalonica into Corinth.\r\n\r\nAnd in fact if you look at 2 Thessalonians 1:1 just right next door, you can see the \"us.\"\u00a0 It's Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, his missionary team.\u00a0 So he says, \"Brethren, pray for us.\"\r\n\r\nNow this word \"brethren\" I don't know if we have to go into it any more than what we've already done.\u00a0 He's not speaking of solidarity with the Jewish people.\u00a0 Because sometimes Paul uses the word \"brethren\" that way when he's writing to fellow Jews.\u00a0 You'll see Paul using the word that way in Romans 9:3[2]<\/a>.\u00a0 Here he's writing to a Gentile audience.\u00a0 So he's not speaking to them as fellow Jews.\u00a0 He's speaking to them as fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.\r\n\r\nSo he's using this concept of brethren or family, you know, some have called this the royal family of God.\u00a0 The same way Jesus uses it in Matthew 12:46-50[3]<\/a>, where Jesus was told your mother, your brothers, sister, etc., are waiting for you.\u00a0 Actually, they don't say sister, but he does say your mother and your brothers are waiting for you.\u00a0 And He says, \"Well, who are my brothers?\u00a0 Who is my mother?\u00a0 Who is my sister?\" He goes, \"Are not they the ones that do the will of my heavenly Father?\" So Jesus there, at the end of Matthew 12, was speaking of a family that transcends what we would call normal national family borders or barriers.\r\n\r\nSo you have your natural family, your mom, your dad, your siblings, your children, your grandchildren, your grandparents, etc.\u00a0 But then when you get saved and trust Christ as your Savior, the Lord gives you a spiritual family.\r\n\r\nPaul oftentimes talked about Timothy being his son in the faith.\u00a0 There was no biological connection between Paul and Timothy, but he looked at Timothy as his son.\u00a0 I mean, they were both believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 They were brought into the royal family of God, and Paul was mentoring Timothy.\u00a0 So Timothy was not his biological son, but was certainly his spiritual son.\r\n\r\nAnd so that is a wonderful thing that God does in our lives when we get saved.\u00a0 He gives us people in our lives, oftentimes outside of our immediate families, that are part of our spiritual family.\u00a0 So that's how he's addressing the Thessalonians.\r\n\r\nHe just gives this request, the first of three, as he concludes this letter, he says, \"Brethren, pray for us.\"\u00a0 Which I think is very interesting, because Paul, of all the things that he had going for him, and you have to understand that this man, the Apostle Paul, was one of the greatest missionaries that ever lived.\u00a0 When you study his missionary journeys and his trip to Rome, as described in the book of Acts, there probably was not a greater missionary than the Apostle Paul.\r\n\r\nAnd when you look at what God did in and through his life in terms of writing the thirteen letters that Paul wrote that we call the Pauline epistles, there probably was not a greater theologian that's ever lived than Paul.\r\n\r\nSo you look at the men that God used \u2013 to my mind the greatest man that God used in Old Testament times was Moses, who was the deliverer of Israel from Egypt.\u00a0 He wrote the first five books of the Bible that we call Torah or Pentateuch.\u00a0 It's hard for me to think of someone higher or greater than Moses, and that's who I think Paul was in the New Testament.\u00a0 Certainly the focus of the New Testament is Jesus, but Jesus chose to work through men, human instruments, and when you look at Paul in his life, there's not a greater theologian than Paul.\u00a0 There's not a greater missionary than Paul.\r\n\r\nAnd he was a man of tremendous gifts and talents.\u00a0 I mean, he had his natural understanding of things as a Pharisee, but then he got saved, and the Lord opened his eyes to spiritual things.\u00a0 And it was no doubt at that point that he was given spiritual gifts, that he faithfully ministered.\u00a0 We're still benefiting from his gifts today.\u00a0 And so my point is, Paul, if there was ever a guy that could sort of rely on his abilities, it would be Paul.\r\n\r\nBut even the great Apostle Paul recognizes his dependence on prayer of God's people for his ministry.\u00a0 Because here's this man with all of this talent and all of this insight, and he just simply says there in Verse 25, \"Brethern, pray for us.\"\u00a0 If Paul was that dependent upon the prayers of God's people for his ministry, and we are in no way, shape, or form anywhere equivalent to the Apostle Paul, how much more do we need the prayers of God's people in our ministries?\r\n\r\nBecause a lot of people will write to church and they'll say, \"What can we do for you?\u00a0 Is there any way we can help you?\" And our first response is, \"Well can you pray for us?\" That's the greatest thing you can do.\u00a0 Lift us up before the Father in intercessory prayer.\u00a0 Paul at this point has not written the book of Ephesians, but he will conclude the book of Ephesians the exact same way.\u00a0 You go to Ephesians 6:18, after he talks about the armor of God and all of these sorts of things, and then he kind of concludes just like he concludes this letter here.\u00a0 Ephesians 6:18 he says, \u201cWith all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,\u201d \u00a0And then there it is in Ephesians 6:19, \u201cand pray on my behalf, [pray for what?] that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,\u201d\r\n\r\nSo here's a guy that gave sermon after sermon after sermon, they are their classic sermons, Mars Hill.\u00a0 I mean, if there was a guy that knew how to put words together, it was the Apostle Paul.\u00a0 And there he is at the end of the book of Ephesians saying pray for me and pray specifically that God would allow me to put into words what He's shown me in and through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.\r\n\r\nSo, it's sort of humbling to think about this that Paul the Apostle was in such, in his mind anyway, dire need of prayer, intercessory prayer.\u00a0 And every time I read something like that, it's sort of convicting because we don't have nearly the abilities that Paul had, and so how much more do we need the prayers of God's people?\r\n\r\nSo, three personal requests.\u00a0 Number one, brethren, pray for us.\r\n

      1 Thessalonians 5:26, \"Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.\"<\/h4>\r\nNumber two, second personal request as he concludes this letter is greet the brethren.\u00a0 Verse 26, \"Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.\"\u00a0 Now, there the word brethren is used the exact same way in Verse 26 that he's used it in Verse 25, the speaking of the family of God, and what does he want the recipients of this letter to do?\u00a0 He wants them to greet all the saints.\r\n\r\nNow, notice the word \"all\"<\/strong> there.\u00a0 Greet all the brethren.\u00a0 Don't, in other words, just greet the brethren that you like, but greet all the brethren.\u00a0 So, in Paul's mind, there was no favoritism whatsoever.\u00a0 And there's a lot of people that were behaving badly in his ministry.\u00a0 He talks at the end of 2 Timothy 4:14[4]<\/a>.\u00a0 He talks about a man named Alexander the Coppersmith that had done him much wrong.\u00a0 Of course, you have John Mark who deserted his ministry, Demas who deserted his ministry, although John Mark later returned to his ministry.\u00a0 You think of Euodia and Syntyche, who sometimes are called \"Odious and Syntouche.\"\u00a0 Philippians 4:2-3[5]<\/a> that were just fighting with each other there in Philippi.\r\n\r\nAnd so, you know, we shouldn't get the impression that everybody was an equal blessing to Paul, because there were people that were an obstruction to him in the body of Christ.\u00a0 You know, as the saying goes, \"To dwell above with the saints I love, that would be much glory.\u00a0 But to stay below with the saints I know, that's a different story.\"\u00a0 So that's just how it is in the body of Christ.\r\n\r\nSome people you show preference to, others you don't.\u00a0 Because not everybody is an equal blessing to you.\u00a0 Some in fact are not blessings, they're sort of detractors.\u00a0 But you'll notice that Paul didn't show any favoritism.\u00a0 He just says, \"Greet everybody.\"\u00a0 And we need to have that mindset in the body of Christ.\r\n\r\nAll of us are a work in progress.\u00a0 All of us are blood-bought saints, and so none of us is really more important than the other in the sense that we can show elitism and favoritism to some.\u00a0 I think it's in the book of Hebrews that says, \"Do good, show hospitality.\"\u00a0 It's in Hebrews 13:2[6]<\/a>.\u00a0 And don't just show hospitality to the people of repute, but show hospitality to ordinary people.\r\n\r\nThat's who Paul was.\u00a0 He was for everybody.\u00a0 He was not into showing favoritism within the body of Christ.\u00a0 Because when you show favoritism within the body of Christ, and of course I'm thinking of James 2, where they were showing preference to the rich, when you start to show favoritism in the body of Christ for some human reason, you're putting into the body of Christ a barrier that God never put into the body.\u00a0 That's the problem with it.\r\n\r\nAnd so this is why we are to pursue peace within the body of Christ because we're acting out our position.\u00a0 Jesus has said you're part of the same body, you're part of the same new man, you're all equally redeemed, and if we believe that, we should treat people in that way and not show favoritism to some over others.\r\n\r\nIf you want to see what kind of person Paul was like in this area of greet the saints, just take a fast look over at Romans 16:3-15.\u00a0 And I'm not going to read all of it for the sake of time, but just notice how frequently the word \"greet\" comes up in Romans 16:3-15:\r\n
        \r\n \t
      1. \"Greet<\/strong> Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ.\" Verse 3.<\/li>\r\n \t
      2. Verse 5. \"Also greet<\/strong> the church that is in their house.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      3. \"Greet<\/strong>\" - and here's this guy's name, I don't think I can pronounce right - \" \" Verse 6.<\/li>\r\n \t
      4. \"Greet<\/strong> Mary, who has worked hard for you.\" Verse 7.<\/li>\r\n \t
      5. \"Greet<\/strong> Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen, my fellow prisoners who are outstanding among the peoples who were in Christ before me.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      6. Verse 8. \"Greet<\/strong> Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      7. Verse 9. \"Greet<\/strong> Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      8. Verse 10. \"Greet<\/strong> Apelles, the approved in Christ.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      9. \"Greet<\/strong> those who are the household of Aristobulus.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      10. Verse 11. \"Greet<\/strong> Herodion, my kinsman.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      11. \"Greet<\/strong> the house of Narcissus.\" Kind of sounds like narcissism there, but I don't think that's what it means.\u00a0 Verse 12.<\/li>\r\n \t
      12. \"Greet<\/strong>,\" and there's a name I can't pronounce [Tryphaena], but his name starts with a T. We'll just call him Mr. T.\u00a0 Looks like there's a husband and wife there.\u00a0 T and Mrs. T.<\/li>\r\n \t
      13. Same verse, Verse 12. \"Greet<\/strong>\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      14. Verse 13. \"Greet Rufus<\/strong>.\"\u00a0 I mean, how many Rufuses have you greeted lately?<\/li>\r\n \t
      15. \"Greet<\/strong>,\" and he lists a whole bunch of names. Verse 14.<\/li>\r\n \t
      16. \"Greet<\/strong> Philologus and Julia.\" And then in Verse 15, \"And all the saints<\/strong> with them.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nSo, I don't know, how many greets did you tabulate there?\u00a0 I count at least 16.\u00a0 Does that sound right?\u00a0 So you'll notice that that's what Paul's ministry was like.\u00a0 I mean, he was not just like an ivory tower theologian that would disappear, and no one had access to him.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, a lot of pastors are like that.\u00a0 One pastor once explained that the ministry would be a great place except for the people.\u00a0 Christianity is great except for the Christians.\u00a0 So there's kind of a tendency amongst pastors to sort of retreat and isolate themselves.\u00a0 Now we have these CEO pastors where in these huge, huge churches they're literally surrounded by armed guards where you can't even talk to the pastor anymore.\r\n\r\nI'm just not seeing that in Paul's ministry.\u00a0 I'm seeing Paul being very personable.\u00a0 And at the conclusion of the letter he wants to make sure that the saints are properly greeted.\r\n\r\nSo 1 Thessalonians 5:26, greet, notice the word all<\/strong> again, greet all<\/strong> the brethren.\u00a0 Well, Paul, how do you exactly greet all of the brethren?\u00a0 Well, there it is at the end of verse 26 back to 1 Thessalonians 5 with a \"holy kiss.\"\r\n

        1 Thessalonians 5:26 \u2013 \"holy kiss\" \/ cultural custom \/ follow the culturally acknowledged symbol of greeting<\/h4>\r\nPaul in Romans 16:16, right after that long passage that I just read, said, \"Greet one another with a holy kiss.\u00a0 All the churches of Christ greet you.\"\u00a0 So, in Greco-Roman times, the holy kiss was, you know, an appropriate way in the culture where greetings were extended.\u00a0 Even in parts of the world, you know, you kiss someone on one cheek and then you kiss them on the other cheek as well.\u00a0 And so that was part of the culture.\r\n\r\nI've been at Sugar Land Bible Church since 2010, and my feelings are hurt.\u00a0 Nobody has ever greeted me with a holy kiss.\u00a0 Why is that?\u00a0 Well, you guys obviously are in sin.\u00a0 That's why.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 And I've never really greeted anybody else with a holy kiss.\u00a0 And you're probably saying, well, thank you Lord for that.\r\n\r\nBut I'm understanding this as cultural.\u00a0 In our culture, the holy kiss does not mean the same thing that it meant in Italy, in Rome, etc.\u00a0 In American culture, a pat on the back works just fine.\u00a0 A hug will work.\u00a0 Handshakes used to work and then COVID hit, and everybody got afraid of handshakes.\r\n\r\nBut I think what he's saying here is follow the culturally acknowledged symbol of greeting.\u00a0 And in Greco-Roman times, the holy kiss was part of the culture.\u00a0 In Western civilization, in the year 2023, pats on the back, hugs, handshakes, that's just fine as well.\u00a0 And if those happen to go out of style, then use whatever cultural symbol comes in vogue next.\u00a0 That's my understanding of the holy kiss.\r\n\r\nBut at any rate, his point is pray for me, not just pray for me, but pray for us, our missionary team.\u00a0 Because there is no \"I\" in team, right?\u00a0 That's how ministry is.\u00a0 Anything you do in ministry you accomplish in a team.\u00a0 Paul had a team.\u00a0 His team was Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, and countless others.\u00a0 So he doesn't just say, \"Pray for me,\" he says, \"Pray for the team.\"\u00a0 And then greet the brethren.\u00a0 Show the brethren love.\u00a0 Not just the brethren you like, but all the brethren.\r\n

        1 Thessalonians 5:26, \"I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.\"<\/h4>\r\nAnd then you get to his third personal request, 1 Thessalonians 5:27.\u00a0 He says, \"I adjure you by the Lord.\"\u00a0 So it sounds like he's serious about this.\u00a0 In other words, I'm recruiting you to do this.\u00a0 \"I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.\"\r\n\r\nNow why could Paul say that?\u00a0 Why would he say, \"Take my letter and read it in the church in Thessalonica, and read it to all the brethren\"?\u00a0 Why could he say that?\u00a0 Because he was functioning as an apostle.\r\n\r\nAnd there are many times in 1 Thessalonians, as we've studied it, where Paul understood, because of his role as an apostle, when he spoke, God was speaking.\u00a0 God was speaking through him.\u00a0 So you can take Paul's writings and you can put them on equal par with anything that Jesus Christ ever said.\r\n\r\nPaul, of course, is not the Savior, but Jesus Himself said in the upper room, the Spirit, speaking to the apostles (Paul being an apostle born late, Acts 9), speaking to the apostles that when the Spirit comes, the Spirit will guide you into all truth[7]<\/a>.\r\n\r\nIt's kind of interesting that Jesus never wrote a single book.\u00a0 Did you know that?\u00a0 Let's turn to the Jesus book today.\u00a0 Where's the book in here that Jesus wrote?\u00a0 Well, Jesus never wrote a book.\u00a0 Jesus designed things so that His life, or what we need to know about it, would be recorded by the apostles.\u00a0 That's what we call the Gospels.\u00a0 Then the epistles would essentially explain the theology of Jesus Christ, Paul being one.\u00a0 The book of Revelation being the consummation written by John when concerning the events of Jesus coming back.\r\n\r\nSo, none of this book was written by Jesus specifically, although no doubt God was guiding (we'll talk about this in just a second) the apostles as they wrote.\u00a0 But the primary authors, or the human authors I should say, the primary author God, the human authors are the apostles.\u00a0 And yet, the whole Bible points to Jesus Christ.\r\n