Second Thessalonians 3:13-15 Correction Directed to the Disciplined

I've got on the screen the opening. First, there's a small overview here. I was looking at this passage, Roger, and frankly, with the visiting friends for the family, I haven't had a lot of time. I apologize. But this is what I have, OK? All right, that's great.

In an outline form, if you remember, Chester McCulley's outline is, he's divided 1 Thessalonians into two main parts. First, how they received the Word of God, and second, how to live the Word of God. Does that scratch the gray member as far as what we've covered? And then as far as 2 Thessalonians, it's divided in his outline into four parts. First, the were commended for growth in both faith and love. And boy, do we need that, don't we? And they were encouraged to remain steadfast while being persecuted.

And then he put this heading on the verses in Chapter 2. Pretty much the whole chapter there is corrected concerning the Day of the Lord. And now in Chapter 3, there is a regroup for reprehensible conduct. And of course, we're in pretty much the last part of that rebuke.

And so I'd like to give the introduction to it by looking at the first 12 verses together. I'm going to read it, and hopefully you have your Bibles. And if you do, I have found that it is helpful to me to actually open the Word of God, and even though it's on the screen or something where I'm reading, I look at the Scriptures first, and then I look at what He says about them. Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord will spread rapidly, actually run, and be glorified, be honored, just as it did also with you. that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men. But not all have the faith. The definite article is there. Not everybody has the truth, do they? But the Lord is faithful.

Look at him. He says, he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one or the evil influences of the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ, the faithfulness of Christ. There's a lot that can be said and has been said about these verses, so I'm not going to go there, but It's great to review this, I think. Now we command you, and it's a definite command.

And notice, whenever Paul gives commands, he always says, brethren, or something like that, to give encouragement, to give a family relationship to his commands. It's in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's with our Savior's authority that he commands. that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly or an unregulated life, and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act as an undisciplined manner among you, in an undisciplined or an unordered or an unruly manner among you. He's actually using himself and Timothy and Silas as examples for them to remember in contrast to those who lead unruly lives.

Verse 8, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it. But with labor and hardship, we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you. Not because we did not have the right to do this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order.

What a fantastic order. If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either. Do we have that order, Roger? Isn't that something? Yeah, I think it's a good order. But the example of Paul and Timothy and Silas, given to the Thessalonians in the maybe a month that they were there, he recalls to their memory as one to be followed as an example. Boy, I tell you, that's something.

Notice the contrast in verse 11. We hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now, such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's using this as not just an exhortation, but with the authority of Jesus Christ himself, our Lord. This is his command, to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. I've got a little bit to say about that in a little bit. I won't go into it right here. Look at the verses for today's lesson now. We're down to verse 13 through 15.

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. And Roger, I just was really struck by this. This is a family rebuke. It's not like an individual picked out of the crowd, but one that we note that needs help. And so that's where we're going with our lesson today, just as an overview.

But as for you, brethren, don't grow weary in doing good. I always give you an exegesis of the text itself in the original, because I think it helps us to get, how did the Holy Spirit put the message together? What did He actually say? Well, He said, you, but in contrast, brethren, And this would include cistern as well, okay? Just so that we're on the same page in today's society where there's so much actual lies being told concerning men and women being in existence.

Should not grow weary. Notice that this is a subjunctive. It's one step away from reality. It's giving us an insight into what is the desire of God. Don't get weary. Don't be carried away by doing good and getting exhausted or losing your confidence in what you're doing. The doing good is what is right. And it's present as a participle, active voice. This is what you do on an ongoing basis. And it's doing well, upright, doing what is held in high respect from God's perspective, not necessarily from man's perspective.

Because this is our Holy Spirit, our Lord, telling us this, isn't it? It's according to His standards that we are doing things, because it's His works that He's prepared that we should walk in. So really the source of this doing good is his mindset, not ours. We get his mindset because he's in us and he's constantly telling us what he wants. And the whispering of his voice, we should not quench, we should not hinder in any way. Give you a little bit of a literal translation. It's a very short verse, but you brethren, should not grow weary doing good.

Looking at the next verse, if anyone does not obey this instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him so that he will be put to shame. And the beginning of this verse is if, and it's one of those first class, it's assumed true. If, and it is true, anyone or certain one or someone among you is not obeying, and this is a present active form of a verb, is not doing or listening under, and what are they not listening under? The word or the instruction. That word is ours in this letter. So he's focusing on the things that he has said in this letter in particular. They are not listening under in their mode of living. These instructions, that's what he's saying here. This one, you take note of, identify him. And notice it is in the imperative mode, present tense, middle voice, all of you, plural. Take note of this one, but it's middle. And what does a middle voice have to do here?

Why did the Holy Spirit say it that way? It's because it's for your benefit as well as the person that you're taking note of for their benefit as well. I can't tell you how many times I hate to do this, Roger, but I'm talking to you. Isn't that Wonderful, how the Lord uses the actual form of the words, the grammatical form, to make it so personal.

Anyway, there's a conjunction and here, or the don't associate with here. That don't associate is, again, a infinitive with a negative in front of it. Don't do this, and it's present, middle, or passive in form, so that it's a word that has both, it encompasses both for your benefit, and also that you are doing it under the direction of another. Isn't that something?

You're doing it in the power of God who lives in you. Our Lord himself, the Holy Spirit, in that person of the Trinity, living in us, is actually telling this person, the him here, the one who is not obeying or listening under the instructions of our Lord. He is the one, and we are the recipients of blessing, middle boys, as well as the person that we are not associating with. Could God be more inclusive than that? He's involved. We're involved. The person not obeying is involved. I don't know. Does that throw your hearts like it does mine? I hope so.

So that, here's a purpose now, so that he may be shamed And the actual form there is passive in form. It's a subjunctive, so it's a step away from reality. It could happen, but it might not. But it's also a factual thing that the purpose is driving for.

Not just that he's ashamed, but that he is turned around. That's the root behind this word. That he has changed is the emphasis here. And shame is part of that, because he is all focusing on himself by the direction of the Holy Spirit. He will see the error of his ways and turn from them. That's the goal. I can't tell you enough about that. I'll go into it. but I'm sure that I will not cover it adequately. Here's my literal rendering and you'll forgive me. It's a little wordy, but these are the words of the text in our English. If anyone is not obeying the word of us in this letter, this one, you take note of and don't associate with him so that he may be turned about. And we have a third verse, yet don't regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

It begins with this chi. It's a rare usage here. It's a added on to that, or yet in English. not as, and this little article is used in a negative form, not like this, not like him being an enemy. And Freeberg is pretty good. He says, use the personal enemies, national foes, enemies of God, of Anker and Bauer, they said, hated, being hostile toward. And notice that it is singular. It's an individual that is being focused on here. So the negative that we're looking at here, remember that, not as an enemy, not as a hated one.

The word regard, again, is in the imperative mode. That means it's a command, present, middle, and passive again. encompassing both things. Again, the Holy Spirit is repeating that you, after thinking and considering and all the facts coming together, here's your decision. You are esteeming Him, okay, this way, looking at all the facts, not just part of them, not just one or two people's expression of what they see, but as a group.

And there's a contrast. Yes, you regarding, you come to a decision, but, and this is one of those words that in scripture is almost always used with a strong contrast. It's not something that you look at as, well, you know, here's a contrast, here's a difference. No, this is a strong contrast. And then there's this, Imperative command again, present active, ongoing, active, and plural. You admonish, exhort, warn. But, as brothers, the warning needs to be in a fellow believer of equal rank relationship.

They are not your enemy. And when a person living without regard to the teaching of scripture is identified, we are to exhort or come alongside and put in their mind the truth in such a way that they don't lose sight of the fact that we consider them a fellow believer, not an enemy. Yet not as an enemy regard him, but you admonish him as a brother. This is the New American Standard updated version of these three verses in my literal translation I have given you here. So that we see the overview again, I'm going to read it.

But you, brethren, should not grow weary doing good. But if anyone is not obeying the word of us in this letter, this one you take note of, and do not associate with him, so that he may be turned about, yet not as an enemy regard him, but you admonish him as a brother. By the way, that is a plural you, not an individual you. Be careful. Wiest's expanded translation reads, but as for you, brethren, do not become weary and lose heart in doing good.

And as is the case, he sort of gives you an explanation that this is what he considers to be true. Anyone who is not obeying our word in this letter be taking special notice of this person. and do not have any association with him in order that he may be put to shame. Yet stop considering him as an enemy, but be admonishing and warning him as a brother, and he puts in brackets, Christian. I think he does a pretty good job of carrying out the literal sense of the passage.

Things to observe. As you know, this is sort of the way I look at things. I try to find what does the text and the context actually say. There are several command forms in this last chapter. Chapter 3, 2 Thessalonians 1, 6, 12, 13, 14, and 15 all have this coming out. Verses 1 and 2 says, pray for us. It says imperative, present, middle.

That means Paul was asking them to pray for him and his team on their second journey. And it began, he says, relative to God's word, that the word of God may keep on advancing or running freely, and that the word of God may be honored. it might be extolled or magnified in the thinking among men. It's not to be hindered or not to be unappreciated. They themselves were an example of this, weren't they? The Thessalonians, it says, walked in such a way that they respected the word that they received as being from God.

By the way, there's only that this is true in Philippians and the Thessalonian churches. Nowhere in Scripture do we have this being exemplified as an example church, but in these two. The church in Berea, by the way, They were held up, not for this, but for examining things to see whether they were true. That's where Paul went, by the way, when he fled Thessalonians. Paul was actively involved, wasn't he?

How God's word should be received. There's a second part in verse 2. They prayed for us. is in relation to God's workers as well, that we may be delivered from unreasonable men, delivered as a psychological and physical place of people, poneros, wicked. Then they're wicked by weakness or aggressiveness. By the way, teaching God's Word always brings antagonism from sin natures, every one of them, including our own. by the way. Reason? Faith is not of all men, or not all have the faith.

This, I think, from Constable is good. Paul has a great apostle perspective, but his greatness consisted not so much in sheer native ability, and he had a lot of ability, didn't he? as in his recognition of his dependence on God. When you listen to a commentator, do they follow this pattern? Are they asking you to pray for them? I look for that. It's one of the marks, I think, of greatness of perspective. And it arises of this, Constable says, that he so often requests the prayers of those to whom he is ministering. Well, that's the first one. Here's another one, verse 6. Now, we command an indicative present active.

It's a command, yes, but it's not in the imperative mode. Did you ever notice that? I didn't. I went back and looked at these verses because I said, wait a minute. Reading the commentators, some said it was a command, some said it wasn't. Well, it really isn't in the imperative mode.

It's the word itself that makes it a command. The word itself says, come alongside and say this, like a military commander would do going into battle. Interesting to me. Notice that he uses the word brothers here. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's in the authority of our Savior to keep away.

It's an infinitive, not a command. But it's used in a command form, isn't it? An infinitive can be taken about three different ways. As a command, as something that has already occurred or simply as an infinitive, to do this or to do that. Well, here it's in the context of the command word.

And that command says, keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly and not according to the tradition received of us. The command is in regard to the unruly. Notice back in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 14, this was to admonish them. Here we find the admonishment apparently failed because this command adds, keep aloof. It's quite evident The action is not meant to be punitive, but it's intended to make it clear that such conduct is unacceptable and not to be tolerated. That's Macaulay's remarks, okay?

Notice in verse 12, and all of this we've already covered, but it's good to get a foundation before we look at our three verses. Now we command. Uh-oh, same word, same command form. Come alongside and say something. Indicative, present, active. And exhort. Indicative, present, active. Such people.

This is one of the few places where the scriptures actually talk on what the believers are to do toward those who are doing the unhearing or unsubmitting under what is being taught. And again, it's by the authority of the Lord Jesus that quietly working, again, present, middle, participle, they may eat, and this is a potential subjunctive mood, present active, their own food. Oh, there's an awful lot in that verse. This is the only command form directed to the disciplined in this chapter. But, notice that Paul's words in his command are in such a way as to call for self-examination on the part of his readers.

He does not say, now hear this, you busybodies. What does he say? He says he indirectly addresses them so that their own consciences will be activated. He wants change, not condemnation. Quiet work. That's really something, isn't it? Quiet work. And 1 Thessalonians 4.11 is now a binding command. There it was Just help them, admonish them. Here, it's work quietly. Don't be so verbal, busybodies. The words in the Lord Jesus Christ are carrying this command form to a status to that of Christian service. This is not something that is a command out of thin air. This is elevating it to the work level of God. Are you powerful? The word own here at the very end, their own food, is emphatic and it stresses independent effort as against communal benevolence. God's will is for us to live independently rather than interdependently on what we eat. Okay? I spent a lot of time looking at the verses in Acts dealing with what happened in Jerusalem. And so I want you to understand that that was my foundation in thinking when I got to verse 13 here. Verse 13 is a thing to observe.

But as for you, brethren, don't grow weary in doing good. Subjunctive, this is something that is wished for, but it is actually wished for. With the emphatic pronoun you, Paul turns from the blameworthy to the blameless. And so, addressing the brethren again here, what he says is, it does not mean that they are to become tired, weary, or abandoned doing good, but they should be on guard against that happening to them. they could get tired of doing this. The encouragement concerning well-doing is doubtless intended to ensure a balance in their wall. Everyone is to earn his own way, but this should not discourage charitable acts. It does not mean that we stop giving to those who truly are in need of help.

And verse 14 continues this. If anyone does not obey indicative, present, active, again, our instruction in this letter, take note. And this is the imperative. This is the command part. But it's present, middle, again. We are involved. The command is for us of that person.

And don't associate. Oh, don't associate. that can be taken as a command, present, middle, and passive, not only for our benefit, but for their benefit, and God is involved. God is doing this through us, passive voice, with him, so that he may be subjunctive. This is the desire of God, acted upon or turned around passive voice acted upon.

Those who obviously disobey Paul's commands are to be socially avoided. At the same time, the goal is important. So how is this to be done must be focused on correction to restore harmony. That's the focus. In the last verse, yet do not regard imperative command again, present active.

Him, don't command, don't regard him as an enemy. Who's being commanded? Fellow family believers. Admonish him. Again, imperative. This is a command. This is what you're to do. And that admonish means Keep the truth in focus. Present to his mind the truth as a brother, not an enemy. And this is commanded. The one avoided is not to be regarded as an enemy, but rather one to be brought into obedience and calling to teaching.

I tell you, there's an awful lot here, isn't there? So the method is to admonish, to bring to the offender's mind the truth, and that truth should be brought to his mind in a family way, not in a dictatorial way. And one other concluding slide. Notice as we go on, the next verse.

Now may the Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all. And verse 18, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Two prayers of Paul. He ends his letter in prayer for the Thessalonians. that shows that he is wanting God to give every one of them his peace and his grace. Roger's gonna cover the concluding verses, but Roger, I hope you don't mind, I just couldn't. No, that's good, that's good to look ahead, that's great. Just to give a little flavor, Roger's gonna cover that next week.

One of the things I've observed in Guatemala, when we were there, we learned that the early missionaries that came to Guatemala took this verse in a wrong way and administered discipline on those who were unruly with almost like excommunication. And when I was reading the commentators, Roger, I found three out of seven commentators that took it that way. that they weren't to be taken and brought back into fellowship, but to be excommunicated, basically. That's the wrong way to do it, according to the text. Just so that you know, I think that this can be misapplied, as well as applied correctly.

Right. Yeah. That's gotta be a tough line though. It is. That is a tough line. I mean, I was just thinking about that and I thought, you know, the only way you can walk that line is is god's gotta lead you through it because that's a that's a really fine line, isn't it? Yeah.

Where where is it though that we are to act as a family. We're to act as a family. in talking to people is, do you really believe God's in charge? If you do, how much do you love one another to exhort or bring truth to their mind in a loving way so that they're not thinking that you're better than they are, that you're in their family and they're in your family? When I talk to my children and I want them to do something, yeah, sometimes I tell them, hey, do this. Why?

Well, I know it's good for you. And they either obey or they don't, don't they? As they grow in the Lord, though, when they look at themselves, they realize, yeah, my dad was right. He told me the right thing. And I had to experience that. I think each of us do. God's family, we need to have the truth from His perspective about things presented. And that's what Roger and Mike are trying to do, and every other teacher, I think, is faithful here at Holy Hills. I have been approached, both by Mike and Roger, with things that I have said and done. And I'm so thankful for that, for including me in that council.

I think we're about out of time. Yeah. Sorry, Roy. That's, that's, you know, actually we're going to cover this more. Paul has a very similar approach in 2 Corinthians because we found it in 1 Corinthians, a man that was, was in sin. He's, he's going to restore him. It appears that he restores him.

So there's kind of more to understand about this whole process. But it is, as Carolyn said, you walk a fine line here. You don't want to offend your brother, but you want to correct him, too. So you need the Holy Spirit to guide you in the whole process. And you've got to make sure your motives are right on.

Yeah, it's perfect. Isn't it good that we know, though, that our Lord is the author of peace? Isn't that wonderful? Yes. Amen. Father, thank you so much for showing us with your word, your mind. Help us, Heavenly Father, to, in your family, act accordingly by your power and your work through us. May it never be our sin natures dominating, but may it be the new nature, you yourself, acting through us. In Christ's name, amen.