Good morning to everyone. I just want to make one more announcement. I was thinking the other day about it's been a while since we've had a baptism and I just wanted to let you know that if you have a desire, if you've placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you're a believer, and you haven't been baptized and you have a desire to do that, that we can make that happen. So we can plan a date and we usually go over to the lake. We'll have to find a new place now that Pastor Krenz has sold his place, but we have some leads on that, so we'll make it work out and then have a fellowship meal. So if you're interested, you have a desire to be baptized, you've become a believer in Jesus Christ, please talk to me and let me know and we'll arrange that.

We're going to be studying in 1 Thessalonians this morning, chapter 5, verse 14. Last week we began our study of this intensely practical section, the application section of Paul's first epistle to the Thessalonians. He ends the epistle by giving them short, pointed exhortations concerning the Christian life and practical living within the body of Christ. 

We saw in verses 12 to 13 that it's crucial to the health of the body to have godly men oversee the affairs of the church, and most importantly, to teach and preach the Word of God. The role of the elder, the pastor, teacher is to exposit, to give the sense of what God says, to say what he says, verse by verse, book by book. And the people are to respond by hearing, by desiring the truth, the Word of God, and striving to be at peace and submission to God's Word. 

These verses discuss the relationship of the pastor and the people. But in our text this morning, we move into a broader instruction addressing the entire congregation and how we should act and interact as individual believers within the body. What our attitude should be, our heart toward one another and the basic needs of the body in relationship toward one another.

Sometimes hard things need to be done for the sake of a brother or sister in Christ and the health of the whole. Sometimes there's a great need for compassion, for empathy and grace as we lift one another up, bear each other's burdens and rejoice together in the work that God is doing through us. We have a common goal. We have a purpose together, the will of God, the building up of the body, the salvation of the lost. 

And there's no room for selfishness, no room for assertion of petty preferences or returning evil for evil. We must continually seek to serve, to help one another and lift each other up so that we might work together to be fruitful for the glory of God. This is the function of the body of Christ, the local gathering of the believers. Paul writes extensively on this in 1 Corinthians 12. 

I'd like for you to turn over to 1 Corinthians 12. We're going to look at a couple passages before we get to our text. And in this text he's addressing a selfish desire, a pursuing of the showy gifts in the church in Corinth. 

1 Corinthians 12, 12 he writes, for as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit. For in fact, the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? 

If the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them in the body, just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body, and the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, of these we bestow great honor, and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. 

But God composed the body having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 

It's vital that we see our fellowship, each other, as a body, as a family, working together to accomplish the will of God, seeking to build one another up, to love each other, to minister to one another's needs for the sake of the health and the function of the whole, that we love one another in a self-sacrificial, grace-filled way. 

I want to look at just one more parallel text before we get to our study. Romans 12, please. Romans chapter 12. Romans 12:3, Paul says, For I say through the grace given to me, that everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt each one a measure of faith. 

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. That's kind of the key statement here. God gives us gifts, let us use them for the profit of the body. 

If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. For ministry, let us use it in our ministering. He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. 

Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

The instruction to the body is consistent, and the message is one of living a life worthy of our calling, of rejoicing in the truths of our salvation, our mission, our purpose, loving one another, forgiving as Christ forgave us, of correcting, guiding, steering back onto the straight path, and in all things giving thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

Let's look at our text together in 1 Thess 5:12. Paul says, We urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good, both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things. Hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Look at this promise, verse 24. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy Brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 

I've given you five points on your outline this morning: truth, grace, love, dependence, and thanks. There's a tendency among men, even saved men in Christ, to look to ourselves, to go to some law or standard and to seek to meet it, to stand on our own two feet. There's a desire to do enough, to be enough, to set ourselves up and over among others. 

But Paul said, comparing ourselves with ourselves and among ourselves is not wise. And this is really the essence of religion. Think about this with me. What is religion? By definition, it is a system designed by men filled with works and rites and rituals meant to earn the favor of God or to establish our own righteousness. There's a necessity within the systems of men to compare ourselves against others, to seek to set a standard that compares me to him, measuring my progress by a relative standard whereby I am not as bad as that guy. 

And we know that this is not the standard of God. This is not God's way. We know and believe by the truth of God's word that salvation is not by works but by grace through faith. And I think we understand this very well concerning our sanctification, being saved, coming into a right relationship with God. 

For our positional righteousness in Christ, we clearly understand that it is solely based on the merits of Christ and not our own, that God's righteousness is imputed to us through faith alone in Jesus alone and what he accomplished on the cross. But for sanctification, for daily Christian living, it can sometimes become less clear to us and we have a tendency to slip back into a law works mentality. 

We see this in the church in Galatia. Turn over to Galatians 2 with me at verse 16, please. Galatians 2:16. An amazingly clear statement. Think about this as we read these words: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified. 

But if we, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners. Is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not. For if I build again, this is what Paul's saying here about the law, if I build again those things which I destroyed I make myself a transgressor. 

For I through the law died to the law in order that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness, righteous living, walking, he's talking about walking, if righteousness comes through the law then Christ died in vain. 

These statements, keep your finger there, we're going to go to chapter 3. These statements are in response to Peter's actions where he withdrew himself from fellowship with the Gentiles when the legalistic Jews came from Jerusalem. This is an issue concerning the relationship of the body of Christ, a fellowship issue of great importance. 

The Jews were teaching the necessity of the law of Moses and forbidding certain foods and commanding circumcision. They wanted to place these requirements on men for salvation and for Christian living in the church. Now look at chapter 3 verse 1. O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? 

Are you so foolish having begun in the spirit? Are you now being made perfect by the flesh? This is an amazing statement. Paul says you began in the spirit by grace. Justification was by grace through faith. Are you now being made perfect? Are you being sanctified? Is holy living a result of the law? Is it a set of standards, food restrictions, circumcision, the law of Moses? Is this what produces holiness in your lives? 

If you go back to verse 19 of chapter 2, he says I through the law died to the law for the express purpose that I might now live to God. I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live but Jesus Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law then Christ died in vain. 

My friends, it is truth that is the basis for the Christian life of fruitfulness and holiness. We've talked about this many times but I just want to relate it to our text this morning. Without the truth, the solid teaching of the word of God and the doctrine concerning who we are in Christ and what we have in him and God's plan for producing holiness in us, making us like Christ, the simplicity of Christ. There is no hope of living out the commands, the exhortations that we see before us this morning. 

Paul says, I died to the law, I've been crucified with Christ, it's no longer I who live but Christ lives in me, I live by faith. These are the great truths of the new covenant Christian life. They are developed as we have been studying in our communion services in Romans chapter five to eight. They are vital to our understanding and to the first instruction that we see in our text in 1 Thessalonians 5:14. 

He says, now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly. Paul gives instruction to the pastor and the people in verses 12 and 13, how they should relate to one another, what they are to be doing in the body for the health and the productivity of the body. In verse 14, he directs his comments to the individual believers in the body, the brethren, and the first exhortation is to warn those who are unruly. 

The word translated unruly means literally to go out of the way. It has broad application. It can mean to be out of line, it can mean to be wayward, or it can have the idea of direct rebellion or insubordination. The basic idea is a departure from the truth, the true path, the true way. Certainly this would apply to the situation we looked at with Peter and Paul in Galatia. 

Peter by his actions, fellowshipping, having a big time with the Gentiles, eating ham sandwiches and all that. And then when the Jews came, he became unruly. He went out of the way. He left the path and separated himself from the Gentiles and sided with the legalistic Jews. This is just one application, but an extremely important one, though, concerning the essence of the Christian life and how we can walk worthy of our calling. 

It is not by law, but by grace. It is based on the great truth of our death to the law, to sin, and to the fear, the bondage of death. And it's Christ's life in us by faith one day at a time. I want to talk about one more application of how a church, a body of believers could go out of the way, something we see quite often where individuals can become unruly. I experienced this at the first biblical church that I was a part of. 

Some men in the broad church and the evangelical church came along, they wrote some books, they formed a philosophy about how we should do church and how we should reach the lost. And they've had a major impact for the destruction of many evangelical churches in our time. And there were some men, the leaders of this church that I was a part of, really as a new believer at the time, and for whatever reason, these men would sometimes include me in their meetings discussing how we were going to reach the community for Christ. 

And their basic idea was that we were going to meet the needs, the temporal, physical, carnal needs of the people, and through this, they would be drawn to Christ. They came up with all kinds of ideas that I found to be less than biblical. And I remember one time asking the associate pastor, do the ends justify the means? And his answer to me was, it depends on the ends. They thought if they could get a building full of people, they would be successful. 

But my friends, they had gone out of the way. God's way is not through entertainment, through slick marketing, or meeting the physical needs of people to show them what Jesus can do to fix their lives. God's way is truth, is the foolishness of the message preached as Christ crucified, and the truth that Jesus saves us from the wrath to come. 

Jesus did not come to make our temporal lives comfortable, to make us healthy, wealthy, and fulfilled physically. He came to save us from our sin, to deliver us from the wrath of God, and to fix us spiritually, crucifying our old man and saving us from the power of indwelling sin, the bondage of the law, and fear of death. 

And the local gathering of believers is not primarily evangelistic in nature. It is for the equipping of the saints through the preaching of the Word of God to then go out into the world and do the work of ministry. As a result of this worldly philosophy, the church is drawing a crowd, but the believers are malnourished. They're starving for truth, and so many churches are busy entertaining goats rather than feeding sheep. 

Do you see how we can so easily go out of the way? We can depart from the path. We can become unruly, as Paul says. So Paul says, this is important, brethren. Sometimes you have to do hard things in a family for the good of the brethren. When a brother goes astray, starts to go off the straight and narrow path of trusting God and depending on His grace and living a life worthy of His calling, being a witness in this world, we must warn him, direct him back, address the error with truth, and point him to Jesus. 

This is the case sometimes with leadership in the context of church discipline, but Paul here speaks directly to us as individuals in the body. It is your role as individuals to help each other in this way. When some become unruly, go astray in doctrine or in practice, and this can take many forms and can be very serious concerning the health of the body. 

We need truth, clear truth, so that a brother might be brought back into the way. We see truth, and next we see grace and love. Verse 14, we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 

Always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. We as believers in Jesus Christ have a God-given desire to love one another, to serve one another, to further the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all struggling through the trials and tribulations of this world of our own personal struggles inside and out. 

We are all in need of grace and love from our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we have to be careful not to fall into a judgmental attitude or a critical spirit toward one another. We uphold truth, we warn the unruly in love, we go in a spirit of gentleness, but our heart, our attitude, our purpose has to be one of love and grace. 

I remember a story that Chuck Swindoll told years ago. He was preaching at his church one Sunday morning, and he looked down and noticed a couple he did not know, they were sitting in the front row to his right. And as he preached, he noticed that the man kept nodding off. At one point, the man fell hard asleep. 

And Chuck said he thought to himself as he preached, what a bum, sleeping through my message. What's with this guy? After the service, this couple managed to find their way to Pastor Swindoll, and the woman walked up to him, took him by his hand, and she said, oh, it's so wonderful to be here, and what an amazing message. She said, this is my husband. He has stage four cancer. It was very difficult for him to travel so far, but one of his great desires was to hear you preach in person before he dies. 

Chuck said he thought to himself, who's the real bum here? We don't always know what's going on in the life of a fellow believer. We don't always come to the right conclusion by our limited observation. Paul says, brethren, comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 

See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good, both for yourselves and for all. We all need a lot of grace. We all need a lot of love, agape, self-sacrificial love, and this is what should define the body of Christ, love. Not love as the world defines or much of the church today. 

It's not love divorced from truth, for without truth there is no love, but it is love based in truth and pursuing what is best for our brother, our sister in Christ, for the sake of the body, for the glory of God. I really like Ephesians 4 concerning this exhortation. I want you to turn over to Ephesians 4. 

In verses 11 to 16, we see that passage about the purpose of the pastor, teacher, the function of the body, growing together by the Word of God, speaking the truth in love, coming to maturity in Christ, being equipped to go out and do the work of ministry, each part doing its share. In the beginning of verse 17, we read this, Ephesians 4.17, this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling have given themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness. 

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. 

Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath nor give place to the devil. 

Let him who stole steal no longer but rather let him labor working with his hands what is good that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you. The truth that is in Jesus that we see here is that we have put off the old man, we have put on the new man, that we are being renewed in the spirit of our mind through the Word of God. 

We should not walk as the Gentiles walk, the lost men in Adam, because we are no longer who we were. And we should be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you. Think about that standard. Even as God in Christ forgave you. That's how we should forgive one another. 

And verse 29 is so practical in relationship to our text, let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers. Even in our words, every word that comes out of our mouth, so difficult. James says if we can master the tongue, we are mature, perfect men. 

Speak what is necessary for edification. What a standard, how practical and purposeful in the body for fruit. So we see truth, we see grace and love, and next we see dependence and thanks. Verse 16, rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

The truth of grace and love allow these exhortations to become practical in our daily lives. Rejoice, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. I want you to turn over to Colossians 3 with me, please, Colossians 3 at verse 1. We see a similar exhortation, practical truth. Paul starts in Colossians 3 with the word if, and the word if there is not meant to imply doubt but it's a certainty, we should translate it since. 

Since then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above. Now if we just had that exhortation, that would be one thing. Set your mind on things above. But then he says, and not on the things of the earth. 

Set your mind on things above, not on the things of the earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 

Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. 

We see similar truth and exhortation here as we do in Ephesians 4. But notice the key instruction, you died, your life is hidden with Christ in God, set your mind on things above and not on the things of the earth. 

I don't know if I could find in the scriptures a more crucial exhortation for the church in America today, for me. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. When I look at the world, when I look at evil men prospering like David did, when my goal or purpose somehow becomes entangled with fixing the social ills of this world, when my focus moves from Jesus to the world, to myself, to evil, to wickedness, then my methods, means, my philosophies, and my goals will follow. 

We see this in the church today to varying degrees. It's very serious. We see it with the focus on physical needs, health, wealth, and prosperity. But also in the bulk of the evangelical church where Jesus is here to fix your woes, your earthly struggles and insufficiencies. And we see it in the teaching of liberation theology and critical race theory where there are oppressors and victims and our means become political and carnal and worldly to fix the social ills and the injustices of the world. 

Think on what Paul says here in Colossians 1, since you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. God is concerned with the spiritual health of a man, with salvation, holiness, sanctification, witness, Christ-likeness. Set your mind on these things. 

Jesus did not come to fix the world, not in His first coming. And we are not here to fix the world. We are here to live a life worthy of our calling, to be a witness to men and to bring glory to God, showing the life-transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His life in us and demonstrating the love that has been poured out into our hearts. 

Jesus will bring justice to the earth in His Second Coming when He comes to establish His Kingdom. That's not our job. That's not our purpose. It's a distraction and it leads to a perversion of truth and grace and love. 

Second Corinthians 10, Paul said, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 

Our weapons are spiritual, mighty in God, truth to pull down the strongholds of lies. And my friends, I want to make this important application based on these truths. If our focus is on the worldly, the injustice, the social ills, the depravity of man, the insufficiency of ourselves, then what is it that we have to rejoice in? 

I wondered this week as I was studying this text, why don't I rejoice more? Why am I not more thankful? If we're all focused on the world, trying to fix the world, what do we have to rejoice in? I always wonder about these Dominion-type guys, you know, these Reconstructionists and they're going to... like Pat Robertson said, if you elect me President, we'll hand the Kingdom to Christ. Man, it must be discouraging to read the paper every day. You know, what would I have to rejoice in? 

We must understand the salvation that Jesus provides. We must understand the doctrines of grace, faith, sufficiency of Christ, His life in us. We must put the temporal in perspective, understand why things are the way they are in the world and what God is concerned with. Sin, holiness, salvation, fruit, witness, Jesus will straighten out the world when He comes. 

We're here to stand for righteousness, we're to speak the truth in love, but our focus, our mind must be set on things above, not on the things of the earth. And when we have this focus, when our focus becomes on grace and truth and love and holiness and witness, then the temporal struggles, the trials and tribulations all come into perspective and we have peace and joy and rejoicing. 

And most of all, in light of His grace and sufficiency and promises, we can always and everything give thanks. Thank you for our salvation. Thank you for our security. Thank you for the abundant spiritual life that I have today and each day. Thank you for the promises of what is to come. Thank you for what you're doing in my life. Thank you for what you're doing in our church. Thank you for what you're doing in our community. Thank you that your will is that all men would come to Christ and that you use us in that. 

If I focus on these kind of things, I can rejoice. I can be thankful. I don't have to worry about the temporal. I don't have to be bogged down in all of that and discouraged and crabby and mad and upset all the time. In everything, give thanks. We can always say, thank you, Jesus. 

And this will cause us to rejoice and to pray without ceasing as our life is dependent on God and His mercy each moment of each day. My friends, He is sufficient and He is faithful. Look at how Paul closes this epistle starting in verse 23. 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what really matters. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift, for His sufficient grace today and every day as we look forward to His coming. 

And let's be thankful. Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we thank You for Your Word, Your truth. Thank You that we can trust You, that You're faithful, that You will bring Your will to pass, that You will never leave us or forsake us. Thank You that You use us, that we are so privileged to be Your ambassadors for Christ. You've given to us the word of reconciliation. 

Help us to think Your thoughts, know what matters and help us to rejoice, to be people of thanksgiving, of love, compassion and care and help us to be people of truth. Let's bring a message to the world that Jesus died in our place for our sins and that through faith in Him, we can have eternal life. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.