A Warning Against Idleness

Praise be to the name of the Lord. What a wonderful time of worship that God has given to us this morning, reminding ourselves of the faithfulness of our God. A God who moves mountains, a God who is able to move mountains in the future and provide for our every need, not only today, but also in the days to come. So good to see all of you, especially the guests that are here with us. We welcome you to our church. So glad to be worshiping with all of you. Thankful for God’s continued healing and continued comfort and strength that is provided in each one of your lives. And we continue to pray for those who are still needing a miracle from the Lord, a work of His touch, and also healing from Him. And we pray that God will grant unto them in His own time, and God will continue to provide for each one of your needs in the days to come. We’re so grateful that God has kept us safe throughout the past week, and God continues to provide His grace in each one of our lives.

Let’s turn our Bibles this morning as we end our series on 2 Thessalonians. In light of His coming, we turn our Bibles this morning to 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18. God’s word reads like this. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you brothers to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we could not be a burden to any of you. We did this not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule. If a man will not work, he shall not eat. We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy, they are busy bodies. Such people, we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you brothers, never tired of doing what is right. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him in order that he may feel ashamed, yet do not regard him as an enemy, but want him as a brother. Now may the Lord appease himself, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is a distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Before I go into the crux of today’s message, let me just point out verse 17. Paul is including that particular verse in there, probably to distinguish this letter from all the counterfeit and fake letters they have been receiving in the past. Remember, as we studied in 2 Thessalonians chapter one, Paul talked about the fact that many have been spreading false teachings, even writing letters to the Church of Thessalonica as if in the name of the Apostle Paul. So probably the rest of the scripture, the episodes was written by, through the hands of a secretary, but towards the end of this episode, he takes the pen and he writes in his own hand and he says, this is my distinguishing mark. Basically, this is my handwriting. Now you know for sure that this letter is truly coming from me. That’s the reason why verse 17 is interjected over there.

Verses six through 18, the concluding verses, has a lot to do with everything that Paul mentioned towards the end of 1 Thessalonians as well. I want you to keep in mind as to why he wrote this particular section towards the end of chapter three. The whole context of these two books is about the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And because when false teachers were coming and telling these people that Jesus has already come, or Jesus is about to come, the day of the Lord is already here, and he is writing these books to correct them and to make them properly understand the timeline of the return of the Lord, and ultimately the judgment that will come upon the face of the earth. So when people are thinking that Jesus is coming back, already come, guess what they’re doing? They don’t wanna go to work because they’re like, why pay the mortgage if Jesus is already here, or Jesus is already coming back? Why invest in 401k? Why invest in the future if there is no retirement? So what are they doing? They’re not working, rather they are busy, but they’re not busy, but they’re busy bodies. How many of you know people like that? Don’t raise your hand. But we all know people like that. And in fact, in 1 Thessalonians chapter four, he says, you need to start minding your own business. You know, when you start minding other people’s business, you become more busy. I know personally people who are much more busy than I am, even though they don’t work for a living, because they find things to do from the morning till the evening that are totally unproductive. They are in everyone’s business, yet not taking care of their own business. Don’t you love how direct here God’s word is? First thing that he says to us in verse six is this, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I love the way he starts this passage. This is not just coming from me, this is coming from the Lord. I recommend you brothers and sisters to keep away from every believer. And that’s the amazing thing here is that these are not unbelievers. These are people who are believers, who are idle. That word could mean unruly, disruptive, but when you read the section, we understand he’s talking about people that are being lazy and not working. They are idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. And we’ll talk about that teaching here in a minute. And look what they are, verse 11. We hear again, it says, that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy, but they are busy bodies. Now, many times when I quote scriptures like this, people think, I didn’t know that there were verses like this in the Bible. I remember years ago preaching the first Thessalonians when I said, mind your own business. And somebody came to me afterwards and said, pastor, I had no idea such a direct verse was in God’s word. Yes, when you tell somebody to mind your own business, you’re quoting scriptures. And here, when you tell somebody not to be busy bodies, but rather be busy for the Lord, you’re quoting scriptures.

You know, all know people like that. He says, they are not following the clear instruction that I’ve already given. Rather than working hard, they are being lazy. And not only that, they’re being disruptive within the walls of the church. They’re not doing any good for themselves or their family, but rather they’re causing a lot of damage and harm to the people around them. See, the old saying is so true. An idle man’s mind is a devil’s workshop. So even those who are retired, find some hobby, find some productive things to do. Don’t sit around and watch TV all day long. Don’t sit around and talk on the telephone all day long. Volunteer your time, spread the gospel, give gospel tracks, spend time in prayer. Don’t waste your retirement years away. As I always tell you, all of eternity is given to you to rest and enjoy in the presence of God. Time on earth is not to be wasted. There is no such thing as retirement in the life of the believer. You might retire from your earthly job, but that does not mean that now you can just lay down on the couch all day long. That kind of a life is not productive life. That kind of a life is not a spiritual life. That kind of a life is not spiritually growing. That kind of a life will only lead to further decay physically, mentally, and spiritually in your life. We are called to be people who are productive, active, hardworking. Whether you are a teenager in your 20s, 30s, 70s, 80s, God calls us to spend our time wisely for the glory of God. And that’s exactly what we find. And he says, you know what? These people, they’re disruptive and they’re not following the instructions that I clearly give to them. What instructions? Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12. In the earlier book that he wrote to them, he told them not to be like this. But by the time he’s writing 2 Thessalonians, guess what? These people are not listening to the clear instruction the apostle had given to them.

Look at 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12. You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you. So your daily life, why? Here’s the reason why. Your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent upon anybody. How many of you in here loves to be dependent on somebody? Even God’s word says, as much as possible, don’t be dependent upon anybody else. Even parents, don’t try to plan your retirement around your kids. Don’t depend upon anyone else to take care of you. You are called by God to work and work hard and take care of your own household and provide for your household and take care of things God wants you to work. We need to have a very healthy understanding of what work is according to God’s word. Work is actually something that’s never looked down upon in God’s word. Do you realize that even before the fall of man, God made Adam work in the Garden of Eden. Work was never cursed by God. You know what God cursed? God cursed the ground where you work, not the work of your hands. That made work more difficult, but that God never cursed work. In fact, God’s word always encouraged everyone to work, even before the fall, Adam and Eve were working in the Garden of Eden. So don’t look at work as a burden. I know some of your work conditions may not be ideal. It might be long hours, standing on your feet, very bossy bosses and very difficult coworkers and all of this might make work intolerable, but as a child of God, every opportunity that you have to labor with your hands, delight in the work that God has called you to do. Our Lord Jesus was a carpenter by trade. The disciples that he called were fishermen by trade. The Apostle Paul was a tent maker.

Work is never looked down upon in God’s word. In fact, in God’s word, even people who are slaves, which was an accepted practice at that time, the Apostle Paul says, even as a slave, work for your master as unto the Lord. Now, I don’t think any of your work conditions are worse than a first century slave. They had difficult moments. Slavery was not an easy thing, but even within their slavery, he calls slaves who are believers to work for their master as unto the Lord. Many of the slaves, all they received was food and a place to live. They didn’t even get a paycheck usually at the end of the week. You get a paycheck, yet we grumble and murmur and complain. See, if you really want your work situation to change, be joyful and thankful for what God has given to you today and be thankful that you have a job. Be thankful that you have health and you are able to drive to work and have a job rather than constantly complaining. Have a cheerful disposition for the work that God has given to you. Whether you’re taking the trash out, whether you’re sweeping the floor or running a company as a CEO, be thankful for the work that God has given to you. You know why? Because others will notice that. Your boss will notice that. Your coworkers will notice that. And when they do, you are testifying about the grace of God that allows you to succeed even in the most difficult circumstance of life. You know what sometimes pains my heart? When believers are the biggest complainers at work. Don’t be that. And then you go and share the gospel. And they’re like, wow, I don’t wanna become like you. You are miserable all day long. You are inviting him to church, but you are miserable Monday through Friday, constantly complaining, talking bad about the boss, talking bad about the work conditions, always having a negative attitude towards daily work. And then you tell them, will you please come to church with me on Sunday?

And you know what they’re thinking? Oh no, I don’t ever want to become just like you. And see, that’s why our testimony, and here’s what’s so important. You will become the respective outsiders when you do the work that God has given to you wholeheartedly and with the right attitude. The problem in America, even though after the pandemic, this has become a big problem about too many people not working, but traditionally the problem in America is something called the worship of workism. Workism where Americans work longer hours and more hours than any other nation in the world. We work all through retirement sometimes. In fact, study after study has shown that Americans spend more times of work in a year than any of the Western countries. In fact, one author writes they work longer hours, have shorter vacations, get less in unemployment, disability, retirement benefits, and retire later than people in comparing rich societies. In fact, when you ask young people, 95% of them say, teenagers say that having a job or career that they enjoy would be extremely important for them as an adult, 95%. If you are asking how that compares to other things they’re looking for in life, helping people in need, 81%. Getting married, 47%. Let me repeat that again. 95% of the teenagers say that having a job or a career is more important to them than anything else. Getting married is only important to 47% of them. Now you see what is wrong with the society being upside down. Why? Work has become something that people worship. That’s not extreme that God wants us to be. But God wants us to be people who are not lazy, who earn our living and work hard. One of my favorite stories about not doing anything and getting a pay is because of his name. It’s a police officer who was kind of outed a few years ago back in 2013. He was a canine officer. A canine officer is somebody who takes care of the police dog. Watches over it, trains it, and all these things. The name of this, you can’t make this stuff up. The name of this officer was James Doolittle. James Doolittle. That’s exactly, I’m not making this up. That’s what his name was. They found out that in two years of working as a canine officer, he never trained the dog. He never spent any time with the dog. And not only that, he responded to a total of one police call in a matter of two years. When they investigated him, that city was so embarrassed that it took them two years to find out that James Doolittle was not doing anything at all. In fact, if I were him, I would stand before him and says, I don’t know why you guys hired me. I even had a name that said James Doolittle. I don’t know why you’re surprised by the fact that I’m doing very little. And so they caught him and they fired him. But not only that, they gave him a 30-day suspension. But beyond that, they allowed him to keep the dog and they also allowed to give him $2,000 in retirement pension, even from that city, even after being James Doolittle for many, many years.

See, that’s the kind of people that God’s word is talking about, who are lazy, who take money from cities and from their employers and not do a hard day’s labor. This kind of thing is very important in the mind of God. Look at 1 Timothy 5:8, the apostle Paul writes. He says, anyone who does not provide for their relatives, especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Wow, that’s harsh words. You know, the only other time in God’s word when a believer is told to be worse than an unbeliever, it is in the Corinthian church, the immoral guy, the immoral man in the Corinthian church, is described by something he’s doing that is worse than what an unbeliever does. So if you are an able-bodied adult and you are not working and providing for your own household and you’re collecting food stamps and Medicaid and all the welfare society gives to you, if you are a believer, the apostle Paul says, you are worse than an unbeliever. The problem in our society is so evident. And that’s why that’s what he is supposed to be doing. Last night, when Chris talked about it, he talked about the same thing. When talking about the festival of the feast, he talked about it towards the end. What was the principle that God gave to them during the harvest? He says, when you do your harvest, do not go all the way to the edge of your harvest and do not take anything that is on the ground either. Leave it to the poor and the foreigner among you. The Bible didn’t say, take a little bit of your grain and give it to the poor. God still expected the poor to come to the field and take what was left over. Why? Hard work and taking things on your own with your own hand is valued in the eyes of God itself. The society that we live in is upside down and it does not follow this principle. And then the apostle Paul says, I’m telling you to be busy.

I’m telling you to be hardworking. Why? 2 Thessalonians 3:7-8. He says, because you yourself know how we followed and how we lived our life. See, only a pastor who is hardworking can get in front of the church and tell them to be hardworking. Otherwise, if you are sitting on the couch all day long and you just come here on Sunday and say a sermon and you go back to your couch, when you tell people to be hardworking, even if they don’t say it out loud, in their mind they’d be like, I wonder what he’s doing Monday through Friday. He hasn’t visited my home in three months. He hasn’t called me in three months. I wonder what he’s doing Monday through Friday. But here the apostle Paul says, I have every confidence to preach and to write this to you. You know why? When we were not idle, when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. That does not mean that every time somebody called me for dinner, he gave them a check. That’s not what it means. He’s basically saying, I earned my own living. I was a hardworking man among you. On the contrary, look what he says. Look at his testimony. We worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any one of you. Wow, what a heart. What a heart of the greatest apostle to walk on the face of the earth. I wonder if the apostles of today will have a heart like that, if there are apostles around like that. See, Paul did such that it says, we toiled labor day and night.

In fact, on the way here, we were listening to the pastor at Raleigh Church, Pastor Cole, because, you know, I said, put a sermon on. They have their morning service. We’ll listen to his sermon on the radio. And he said it. Taking the trash out is not beneath my office as a pastor. I should be toiling and laboring like any one of you. You know why? We are all in this together. I may have a title that says I’m a pastor or an elder or a deacon, but that means that you need to become the servant of all. You need to be willing to do the most meanest job and the lowest job in the church. And you should allow your pastor to do that. Many times when I try to take the trash out, people come running and grab the trash bag from me. Don’t do that. I am just trying to get more rewards for me in heaven by doing what I’m called to do by the Lord. It doesn’t mean that I’m not supposed to be doing it. Look at 1 Corinthians 9:12. That pastor, he talks about it. And in this context, he’s talking about people, like apostles, like even Peter, traveling with their wife and not working. And we don’t know that Peter ever went to becoming a fisherman and he was full-time apostle. And the apostle Paul says, I’m not saying they should not be a full-time pastor, but he says, if others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. He says, you know what? I can also be an apostle just like Peter and not work, but I’m not using that right. Why? On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. He says, you know what? I want to work hard because it means furtherance of the gospel of Christ. How does it further the gospel? When I stand before people and when I tell people to give to the Lord, they are not going to judge me by saying that I’m doing this for money because I am earning my own money and doing the work that God has called me to do.

Look at 1 Corinthians 9:14-15 of the same book. He says to this, in the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. So this does not mean that Pastor P.B. Thomas should go to work tomorrow. That’s not what I’m saying here. Look what God’s word is saying. Those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel. In fact, the apostle Paul himself says that those who teach the word of God is worthy of what? Double, is worthy of double the donations and reward from the church. So this is an important principle. In third John, John writes and says, evangelists and missionaries should be supported by the local church. So paying a pastor a full-time salary, taking care of the pastor is a responsibility of the church, but it’s not a call that is given to every minister. If you’re an able-bodied person that is able to work and still do the ministry of the Lord, you should do that. That’s what God’s word is saying. That’s what the example of the apostle Paul is. But I have not used any of these rights. He’s saying, if I just stopped working tomorrow, being a tent maker, none of you can say that I’m doing something wrong. But for example, for my own instance, if I stop working as a pharmacist tomorrow, none of you can say, well, pastor, you should go back to work. No, that’s between me and the Lord. But in his relationship with the Lord, he’s saying, I’d rather work than not work, because me working is proving to others what? That I’m not in it for the money. I am here because I want the gospel to be spread. And that’s the most important thing for me.

Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17. And he, go back a little bit. And he says to them, in chapter nine again, that he need to be people that are working with his hands. And he did just that. In fact, when he came to the church in Corinth, we saw how he worked so hard, along with Akhil and Priscilla, in supporting the local Corinthian church. It was so new at that time. When he came to Ephesus, he worked with his hands. All of this he did. And he’s also admonishing others to work with their hands and do the things that God has called them to do. And then as you continue reading this section of chapter three, he tells them how to deal with these people who are not listening to the instructions that are coming from the apostles. He tells them that they need to be disciplined. And we see a great model of biblical discipline here in God’s word. First thing to do, talk to them in a loving way, try to correct them. If that still does not change, what are we supposed to do? We are supposed to break fellowship with them. It’s not to the point of kicking them out, but you kind of almost isolate them. Now this goes against everything that we do in our churches these days, but this is the instruction of God’s word. You need to make them feel ashamed, the Bible says, because of the fact that they are lazy. But here’s the takeaway principle from God’s word. We are not to be people that ignore ungodly behaviors within the walls of the Christian church. Don’t ever be that church that just glosses over things that need to be corrected. If you see your brother or sister doing something or not doing something they should be doing, the loving thing to do as a Christian is to correct them lovingly and to bring them to the correction that God wants them to bring them to.

Why do we do this? Because the ultimate point, our ultimate motive is not to destroy people, but so that we find every man to be perfect in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then continuing on, he says in conclusion in verse 16, “May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way, the Lord be with all of you.” Here’s his prayer for the church at Thessalonica. We’ve told them a lot of things. They’re in the midst of persecution, strife, so many difficulties from the inside and outside, false teachings, wrong people, people are disruptive within the walls of church, so many difficulties. But his great prayer for the church at Thessalonica is that God will give them peace in the midst of the strife they’re facing. It’s what Oswald Sanders who famously said, “Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.” Let me repeat that again. Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God. How many of you believe that this morning? That peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God. And as a church, we’ve experienced that peace so many times, especially in the last few months. It is not that we were not troubled. It is not that we were not struggling. It is not that we were not weary, but in the midst of all of it, we experienced peace unexplainable because our God was always with us. When David Livingston was called by God to go to Africa as a missionary, this was the words that always prompted him to follow after God’s lead. “Lo, I am with you always till the end of the age.” The presence of God. And he says, “The Lord has always been with me. I am with you always till the end of age.” Towards the end of his life, he wrote, “On those words, I staked everything, and they never failed.” Livingston said, “On these words, I am with you always till the end of the age. I put my entire stake in, and he never failed me.” And when we say that he never failed me, if you read his story, you are like, are you sure God didn’t fail you? In the history, in the annals of history, God didn’t fail him. But his personal life, he has suffered so many tragedies. His wife died, his children died. He was torn apart by a lion. He was blinded in one eye. And all these things he suffered. His white skin had become so parched in the sheath of the African sun that it had become like a hardened floor, somebody would say. That is how much suffered David Livingston endured in Africa. But he says, “One thing I could always count on was the presence of God in the midst of the troubles of life.”

See, peace is not the absence of trouble. It is the presence of God in the midst of your trouble. Church, as you face troubles in the days ahead, as a church, as we will face troubles in the days ahead, because it is promised to us, what we should always pray for is the peace of God. What are we praying for? The presence of God that comes and strengthens us like only he can. Even we sang about it this morning. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth. Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide. That’s what we should be longing for. Along with the pardon for sin, oh God, give me a peace that endureth. How do I guess that peace? Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide me in the days ahead. He prayed for peace in their life. And finally he says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” This is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Grace. He often ends all of his epistles this way, because ultimately, from the beginning of our life till the end of our life, it is grace that sustains us. If grace is with you, not talking about a person by the name of grace, grace of God, he will strengthen you. He will enrich you. He will give you strength that no one else can give to you. And he prays, church, I might be so far away from you. In fact, I’m communicating to you by a letter. I’m not even able to come to you in person because of all the persecution that is going around you. But if the grace of God is with you, he will sustain you. He will strengthen you like only you can. We are about to leave this place by the grace of God and go into a new place. When I was thinking about the steps that God sometimes make us to take, the places that he lead us to, the journey and the life changes that happens. Oftentimes, we as a family always ask the question, is this the will of God? Is this really where God wants us to be? Are these the steps that God wants us to take? It’s a question that we all should always ask.

What came to my mind is a prayer. In his book, Thoughts of Solitude, Thomas Merton wrote this and it became famous as the Merton Prayer. Here’s what he said. My Lord God, I have no idea where I’m going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end, nor do I really know myself. And the fact that I think I’m following your will does not mean that I’m actually doing so. Did you hear that part? Just because I think I am following the will of God does not mean that I’m actually doing so. That is so true, isn’t it? But I believe, here’s the key, that the desire to please you does in fact please you. See, we don’t know if the move to Rowlett is the will of God. To our mind, it sounds great, but we don’t know for sure if it’s the will of God. We’ve been praying and we trust, but you know what we can have? A desire to please God. And that desire is God honoring. That desire, God is pleased by that. So whether we are in Park Plaza, whether we are in Rowlett, whether we are somewhere else, as long as we always try to please God, that God is pleased by that. And then he continues. And I hope I have that desire in all that I’m doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. That’s all I can control. That whatever I’m doing, that whatever I’m saying, whatever I’m buying, wherever I’m worshiping, I aim to please God and glorify God in the midst of it. So even if I don’t know what tomorrow holds, that’s all I can control. That’s all I can control. Then he said, therefore, I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. And see, that is what we should say with confidence this morning as a church, that we will not fear, for God is with us, and he will never leave us to face our perils alone. Say that to your heart, that we will not fear, that God will not leave us, that the road ahead, oh, we don’t know what it holds, that God will not leave us to face his perils alone.

A lot of times we get our confidence in life by who is with us, which family is with us, who is our pastor, who is leading us. Those things should never give you confidence in your life. Ultimately, what should give you confidence in your life, in your church, is that God is leading you, and he is with you. The families that are worshiping together may not be worshiping tomorrow. The people that are here today may not be here tomorrow. We don’t know who is coming, we don’t know who is going. All that we can be first assured, confident on, is that the God of the ages will never leave you, never forsake you. I am with you always till the end of the age. Wow. That gives us all the confidence that we need, for he is with us. He is for us. Who can be against us? He will never leave us and never forsake us. Church, let that be our confidence. Let that be your confidence. Not only collectively as a church, but in your life, that God is with you. Let that guide you and strengthen you in the days to come.

Let me pray for you. Heavenly Father, we thank you for enabling us to study from your word for the last several weeks from the book of 2 Thessalonians. Help us to live in light of your coming, oh God. To be people who are sober, vigilant, knowing that you’re soon coming back to this earth, to take your church to be with you, until you come. Help us to be people who are hardworking, who are using our time wisely for the glory of God. We pray that in everything that we do, we will strive to the furtherance of the gospel. In everything that we do, oh God, our motive will be the gospel and gospel alone. As we now enter into a table that proclaims the gospel, we pray that you be with us. Strengthen us, may your presence be with us. Thank you, Lord, for everything you’ve done. We give you the glory that is due under your name. In the name of the Lord Jesus that we pray. Amen. you