The Model Life: Adaptability, Part 2

Pastor Lance continues in 1 Thessalonians 5, explaining the practical commands that Paul gives the Thessalonian church.For more messages and resources, visit our website at www.ccc-online.org.

Episode Transcript

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Take your Bible, if you would please, and turn to 1st
Thessalonians chapter 5. And we're going to continue our
study on the model life. And as you're turning there, I
want to remind you of the apostle Paul and the great
concern of his life. In Second Corinthians Chapter
11, Paul lists a litany of issues that he himself went

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through personally. He talks about he went through
imprisonments. He was beaten times without
number. He was in danger of death, he
says five times he received fromthe Jews 39 lashes, 3 times he
was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three times he was
shipwrecked. Night and day he had spent in

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the deep. He had frequent journeys with
dangers, dangers from robbers and countrymen, the wilderness,
the sea, and even false brethren.
He says. I have been in labor and
hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst,
often without food, in cold and exposure.
I mean, Paul begins to list all these different aspects that

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happened to him externally, but what happened in him internally
was more of a burden, for he says these words in verse 28 of
2nd Corinthians 11. Apart from such external things,
there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the

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churches. Who is weak without my being
weak? Who is LED into sin without my
intense concern? He says what bothers me most is
not what happens to me externally, but what is
happening in me internally because of the burden I carry

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for the churches. And so Paul had had two main
emphasis in his ministry. And you can read the 13 epistles
that he himself wrote, and you'll see this theme over and
over again. And the theme deals primarily

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with making sure the church hears and heeds the instruction
of God. That was his number one concern.
Do they hear God's word? And do they obey God's word?
That's why he he told Timothy over in first Timothy chapter 4

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and verse number six. Point these things out to the
brethren. Verse 11 prescribe and teach
these things verse 13 until I come, give attention to the
public reading of Scripture to exhortation to teaching.
Verse 16, pay close attention toyourself and to your teaching.
And then second Timothy, he talks about retaining the

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standard, guarding the standard,preach the word in season and
out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering
and patience. Why?
Because he says earlier in Second Timothy chapter 3 that
God's word is profitable. So the man of God will be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So, Timothy, make sure as a pastor you teach the Word, you

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preach the Word, you exhort the people to follow the Word of the
living God. And so that's what his ministry
was about, making sure that the churches would hear and heed the
instruction of God. But on the heels of that was his
second emphasis, and that was that the church would hurriedly

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handle the transgressions of man, that the church would hurry
and handle the transgressions ofman.
In other words, once you hear what God's Word says and you

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understand the holy standard, then you need to make sure that
you deal with those who don't meet the holy standard.
That was His complete and total emphasis for every single
church. Let me show you by way of
example, member First Corinthians chapter 5.
There was a man who was living in sin, and Paul says these

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words in verse number three of First Corinthians 5.
For I on my part, though absent in body, but President Spirit,
have already judged him and has so committed this as though I
were present in the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are
assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our
Lord Jesus, I had decided to deliver such a one to Satan for

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the destruction of his flesh, sothat his spirit may be saved in
the day of the Lord Jesus. He says you're boasting is not
good. Do you not know that a little
leaven leavens the whole lump ofdough?
Clean out the old leaven, say you may be a new lump, just as
you are in fact unleavened for Christ.
Our Passover also has been sacrificed.

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He was concerned about the Corinthian church, that there
was a man in the church who was who was sleeping with with his
mother. And these things are unheard of
even among the the pagans. And yet you're, you're boasting
about this is not good you, you've got to deal with this guy
because 1 little leaven leavens the whole lump.
I've given you the word of God. I've instructed you in the ways

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of God. You have heard what I've said.
Now you need to handle those whotransgress the law of God.
And then over again in in SecondCorinthians, as he concludes it
in chapter 12, he says this in verse 20, he says, For I am
afraid that perhaps when I come,I may find you to be not what I
wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish, that

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perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers,
disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances.
I'm afraid that when I come again, my God may humiliate me
before you. And I'm a mourn over many of

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those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the
impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have
practiced for chapter 13, verse #1 This is the third time I am
coming to you. Every fact is to be confirmed by
the testimony of two or three witnesses.
I have previously said when present the second time and

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though now absent, I say in advance to those who have sinned
in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I
will not spare anyone. Paul was concerned that you just
can't let people in the church live and sin without dealing

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with those people. He says you've heard and you
have obeyed the instruction of God.
Now you need to handle those whotransgress the instruction of
the Word of God. That was Paul's emphasis all
throughout his ministry because his concern was the purity and

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the holiness of the church. And he knew that in order for
the church to grow, it can only grow if it was like the Christ.
And so that was his burden. And so even when you come to the
book of Thessalonians, and even when we examine this book and

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realize that this is a model church, this is Paul's
quintessential church, this is the greatest of all the
churches, he still has to deal with people who are living in
sin because the model church wasn't a perfect church.

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The model church wasn't filled with people that were sinless.
No, it was filled with people that were sinners because that's
what the church is. It's a gathering together of, of
sinful people who have been saved by the, the miraculous
work of the living God. And, and so much so that the
love you have for the brethren, the deep love and concern you

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have for the brethren is that you will want them to walk with
the Lord and serve the Lord. The church is is not about the
programs that has and the opportunities that affords you.
It's about the opportunity you have to deal with people in the
church. Coming to church and sitting
there and, and looking at the back of the head of somebody in
front of you and singing a few songs and hearing the sermon and

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giving a 20 spot in the offeringbasket is not what church is all
about. Church is about dealing with one
another in the way that God wants you to deal with one
another. So what does Paul do?
Paul says, look, I'm going to show you how you do this.
I'm going to explain to you thatyou need to make sure that you
deal with the people in your church, that you're able to

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adapt in each situation with each person in a way that brings
glory and honor of God. Because this is the model life.
Last week we talked about how you adapt to those who are in
leadership, how you appreciate those because of their person,
how you affirm those because of their position so that you may
preserve the peace within the church.

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But then when you come to verses14 and 15 of chapter 5, he moves
from the leadership to the membership so they can learn to
be sweet fellowship within the assembly.
It's very simple. Look and listen to what he says.
Verse 14. We urge you, brethren, stop

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right there. We urge you.
We beg you. We intensely plead with you.
This is important. He's talking to the brethren
earlier in verse 12, he said, but we request of you, brethren.
Now he says that we urge you brethren, we, we are, we, we, we

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want to, we want to move you to maturity.
We, we, we want to propel you. We, we want you to see the
intensity of this. We want you to see the magnitude
of this. We want you to see how important
this is. We, we urge you brethren, to do
5 things. Just five.
Admonish the unruly, encourage the faint hearted, help the

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weak, be patient with everyone. And then he says, see that no
one. We praise another with evil for
evil, but always seek after thatwhich is good for one another
and for all people. That's it, that's it.

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He is concerned about the membership and how they function
with one another. So he says this.
I want you to admonish the unruly.
I want you to warn those who aredisobedient or those who are

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delinquent in their responsibility.
The word unruly is a military term, so it deals with soldiers
who have gone AWOL or soldiers who are who are not living up to
their required position as a, a soldier.
And they decided to, to rebel against the authority.
They decided to turn away from their responsibility.

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They, they, they just become lazy in their responsibility.
It's like Paul said in in SecondTimothy 2 verse #4 that no good
soldier involves himself in the affairs or entangles himself in
the affairs of this world so that he may please his
commanding officer. He doesn't get involved in the

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the affairs of this this world because he's so in tune to
pleasing his commanding officer.So Paul says, I want you to warn
those who are unruly, those who are disobedient, and those who
are derelict in their responsibility.

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Now imagine this. What if we as a church really
engaged in this? This is what Paul's I'm urging
you to do this. This is what you got to do.
I'm not there, but you are. So you got to make sure He's not
telling the leadership to do this, although the leadership is
required to do it. He's telling the membership to

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do this. He's telling, talking to the
brethren, I want you to do this.There's a certain warning that
takes place. There are consequences for
disobedience. There are consequences for being
derelict and responsibility. And so admonish them, go after
them. Look what Paul says in in Second

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Thessalonians. He says this in chapter 3, verse
6. Now we command you brethren, in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from
every brother who leads an unruly life, and not according
to the tradition which you receive from us.

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So now he is writing his 2nd letter.
He said, look, have you admonished the unruly?
If you've admonished the unruly,now I want you to stay away from
them. Why?
Because they're not living in line with what the Bible says.
Warn them. Listen to what it says.
He goes on for for years. For you yourselves know how you

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ought to follow our example because we did not act in an
undisciplined manner among you. In other words, the unruly could
be translated undisciplined, he says.
Nor did we eat anyone's bread without pay for it, but the but
with labor and hardship. We kept working night and day so
that we would not be a burden toany of you, not because we did
not have the right to do this, but in order to offer ourselves

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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.
If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat
either. For we hear that some among you
are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but

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acting like busy bodies. Now such persons we command and
exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat
their own bread. But As for you, brethren, do not
grow weary in doing good. So Paul is following up his

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first letter with the second letter saying, look, have you
admonished the unruly If they are undisciplined, if they are
derelict in their responsibilities, unwilling to
follow what God's Word says, can't associate with them.
Why? Because they're going to lead
you astray as well. Seems a little harsh, doesn't it

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seems a little out there. Wait a minute.
We're, we're the brethren, we'reto love one another.
We care for what we are. But but the greatest care you
have is when someone's in sin orsomeone is not fulfilling their
responsibility, you go to them and say, I, I want to admonish
you. I mean, this is what you got to

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do. I I love you not to come to you.
Listen, if it's your wife and she's living in sin, do you just
let her live in sin? Yeah, go ahead, honey, It's OK.
Don't worry about it. No big deal.
It's going to crush our marriage.
But who cares? No, no, no.
You go out there and say, honey,you can't do that.
Or if you're the wife, you say your husband live in the city.
You say, honey, honey, we can't do this.

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You, you got to turn from your sin.
This is not going to work. Or if it's your kids right, you
go to your kids, say you're going the wrong direction.
You can't do this. This is wrong.
Let me, let me, let me move you in the right direction that
that's what you do with your kids.
Well, the church is a family. That's how we operate.
That's how we function. We function in a way that that

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we are concerned enough. We love you enough to go to you.
Listen, if you don't love them enough, just let them live in
sin. Just let them live in sin.
But when you love somebody, you are concerned about the purity
of their lives, you're concernedabout their spiritual walk with
the Lord. You're concerned that they're
not derelict in their responsibility, but they

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actually fulfill the responsibility.
I have in my pocket a church covenant cart that when you
became a member, you agreed to. I'm not sure you all remember
this, but it's very important. It's all biblically based, he

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says. I, I covenant to preserve the
unity of my church. I, I promise to preserve the
unity of my church. How am I going to do that?
Personal examination, mutual submission, scriptural

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confrontation, and beneficial conversation.
I'm going to preserve the unity of my church because I love the
church. And then I'm going to pursue the
strategy of my church by making it my passion to pursue Christ,
my priority to portray Christ, my my purpose to proclaim Christ

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and my my practice to praise Christ.
Are you doing that? Is somebody around you derelict
in the responsibility in doing that, or disobedient to obey the
word God? Because all this is scriptural
mandate based on the epistles #3II.

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I make a promise to protect the testimony of my church.
How you can do that? Attending faithfully, praying
fervently, giving financially, and living fruitfully.

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I'm going to protect the testimony of my church because
this is where I want to be. And then I want to participate
in the ministry of my church. I'm going to do that by
exercising my spiritual gift, byedifying the Saints, by
evangelizing sinners, and by exalting my Savior.

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You made a promise to do that when you became a member of our
church. You said, this is my promise.
I will do this. Well, when you make a promise to
do that, then when other people in church are not doing that,
what do you do? If they're not attending

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faithfully, what do you do? If they're not giving
financially, what do you do? If they're not living
fruitfully, what do you do? Is there a mutual submission?
Is there a scriptural confrontation?
Is there a beneficial conversation when I speak to
people and talk to people? If not, what do you do?

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You see, this is where the rubber meets.
This is church. That's what the church is all
about. It's not about attendance on a
Sunday morning, singing a few songs, give it a little bit of
money and hear the sermon. That's just showing up at
church. But church people are committed
to the church because Christ died for the church and the

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church is his bride. And we're deeply committed to
the bread of Christ. So Paul says if there's somebody
unruly, they don't live according to the instruction
that we've already given to you.They're delinquent, they're
disobedient. You need to warn them, go to
them, warn them. And he's urging them to do this

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because he knows that the greatest way for the church to
to be the church is when the church goes after the church,
when the church is is is living the principles of the Scriptures
and says, man, I want to help you.
You're living an unruly life. You're not.

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You're not using your giftednessin the church.
We need you. We need you to exercise your
giftedness in the church becausewe benefit from your service.
We need you to continue to give to the ministry of the church
because we can't function without you.
We need to exercise your spiritual gift.
We need you to help with the salvation of the lost.

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We need you to help with the building of the body of Christ.
We need you. So you go after them.
You admonish them, you pray for them and you urge them.
That's the church. Paul knows that.
So he says admonish the unruly. And this is this.

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He says, I, I, I want you to encourage the faint hearted.
The word faint hearted means small sold those who have a
small soul that they need encouragement.
And remember, this church had had received the Lord amidst
much persecution. And maybe they had gone through
persecution within the the city of Thessalonica or maybe even

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even among their own families. And, and they had become really,
really small in their soul. Their, their, their, their faith
had grown weak and they were discouraged.
They were downcast that they were living in fear.

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You know, there are people in the church that are that way,
right? They live in fear.
And he says encourage them, speak, speak a word of
encouragement to them. Take the word of God and, and
and build them up, strengthen them that they they they might
have courage and still them because they are courage less.

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They don't have the stability. They don't have the strength to
continue on. So you need to come alongside of
them and encourage them because they are very small soul.
And so as a believer you use thescripture to come alongside of

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them and encourage them. Let me give you an example.
On the eve of the crucifixion, the disciples were small soul.
They were living in fear, not knowing what's going to happen
to the Lord the next day. Even though he told them he was
going to be crucified, they did not understand the implications
of that. So what does Jesus do?

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He encourages the faint hearted.He encourages the small soul.
What's he say? He says, let not your hearts be
troubled. If you believe in God, believe
also in me, for in my Father's house are are many dwelling
places. If we're not so I would have

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told you and I'm going to go andprepare a place for you.
And when I go, I will come againand I will receive you and to
myself that where I am, there you may be also.
That's how you encourage the small soul, those living in fear

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that their future is bright. It's not bleak, it's bright and,
and, and listen, I read that. I think to myself, you know, you
know why God hasn't called you home yet Because he hasn't
finished your dwelling place. In my focus house are many
dwelling places. I go and prepare a place for
you, right? So is that evidently preparing

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your dwelling place? Evidently your place is not
prepared yet because you're still sitting here.
Because when your place is prepared, guess what, You're
gone. You're gone.
House is ready, Swami, places are ready.
They're coming back. Let's go, go get them.
Take them right back home. Take them to glory.
And that was that was their future.

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And you know what all those apostles lived in light of the
future they lived in light of the coming presence of Christ
and their future glory in the presence of the living God.
They lived lives strong sold notsmall soul in the church.

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Yeah, you admonish the unruly, those who are delinquent and
derelict in their responsibilities, those who are
disobedient to the word of God. Yes, you need to do that.
But there are people that live in fear, who are small soul, who
need to be encouraged, someone to come along the side and speak

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a word of encouragement to them.And they says not only do you
admonish the unruly, not only doyou encourage the faint hearted,
I want you to help the weak, help the weak.
These are the people who are weak morally and spiritually.

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These are the kind of people that that just have a hard time
not falling back into sin. They're weak.
Remember in James chapter 5 whenit says if any among you are
sick, the real translation should be if any among you are
weak because that's the same word used here in First

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Thessalonians chapter 5. It's not that you were sick
physically, but that it's you'reweak spiritually, you're weak
mentally, you're weak emotionally.
If any of you are weak, let themcall upon the elders.
If you're spiritually weak, callupon the spiritually strong to
pray with you and to pray over you.
Why? Because they're gonna instill
strength in you, help the weak. There are many people in the

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church that are so fragile and they just, they just, they're
trying to run away from sin. They're trying to get away from
sin, but there's something aboutit that just pulls them back in
again and they fall into invitation.
Those kind of people, they, theyneed, they need help.
Galatians chapter 6 Remember Galatians 6, Paul says you who

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are spiritual are to restore those who have fallen.
You got to help them up. Then you got to hold them up.
There are some people in the church that once you help them
up, you just got to keep holdingthem up because they can't stand
by themselves, and so you hold them up.
Romans 15, verse #1 We then, whoare strong ought to bear with

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the weaknesses of others. That's a church man.
That's how church functions. Admonish the unruly, encourage
the faint hearted, help the weak.
And this is this. This is so good.

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He says be patient with everyone.
Why did he say that? Because you know what?
It takes a lot of patience, a lot of long-suffering.
When you're holding up the weak who keep falling back into sin,
when you're trying to instill courage and those who are
fragile and filled with fear andyou're trying to admonish the
unruly, guess what? It takes a long time for most

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people to turn. So you got you got to be patient
with them. Be patient with with all of
them. Paul says be be long-suffering,
be be long fused with them. Remember God's love.
First Corinthians 13 four, the love of God, the love it says
the definite article. The love is patient.
The love is kind. It has a definite article

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because it it describes a particular kind of love.
It's God's love. First Corinthians 13 four the
love of God is patient. The love of God is kind.
God's love is long fused. God is not patient with
circumstances. He controls circumstances.
He's in charge of circumstances.He makes circumstances happen.
He's not patient with circumstances.
He's patient and long-suffering with people.

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So the love of God is patient. The love of God is is kind and
possibly wants to be patient. He says over in in Colossians 3
verse #12 put on a heart of patience.
Ephesians 4/2 show forbearance, long-suffering to one another in

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love. Second to me 4/2 All leaders and
teachers are to minister with great patience.
Great patience and the Lord exemplified this.
Remember in Mark 9, when, when Peter, James and John and Jesus
were up on the, on the mount of Transfiguration and the other

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disciples are down below. And, and so Peter, James and
John and Jesus come, come down the mountain and, and the
encounter a man whose son was demon possessed.
And he says to the Lord, Lord, I, I, I, I, I took my son to
your men that they might cast a demon out of my son because he,

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he's thrown to the ground. He, he foams at the mouth.
He, he, he goes into convulsion.So I I gave him to your men, but
they were unable to help my son.So what does Jesus say?
Jesus says this. How long shall I be with you?

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How long shall I put up with you?
Bring your son to me. She brings a son and son goes to
the convulsions and Christ castsout the demon and disciples
marvel. They go into a house and and,

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and they, they say that Jesus, Jesus, come over here.
We got to ask you a question. How come we couldn't do that?
You've already empowered us to do it.
We've already done it in the past, but on this occasion we
couldn't do it. How come?
And Jesus says these things onlycome out by prayer.

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He told him. He says, look, you didn't do
this depending upon me. You did this depended upon you.
And once you depend upon you, you can't do anything without
me. You can do nothing.
And so now you're trying to do this on your own power.
You can't do that. You need me and you try to

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operate in this ministry in the flesh, and you failed.
But if you'd have depended upon me, these things come out by
prayer. And they're like earlier Siphons
were on a boat. Jesus said let's go to the other
side. They get in the boat, storm
happens. They fear for their lives.

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Jesus, don't you care that we'reperishing?
Wake up. He gets up.
Hush, be still. Everything becomes like glass.
What'd you say? Oh, you cowards calls them
cowards not to believe. How do you of all men have no

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faith? Not that.
How come you guys have a little faith?
He says. How is it that you of all men
have no faith? Because faith is believing what
God has said. What did God say?
Let us get in the boat and go tothe other side.
But they didn't believe that because they when they got in
the middle, they thought, oh, we're not going to make it to
the other side. That's not what Jesus said.
He didn't say, look, you're not going to make hopefully you make

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it to the other side. He says we're going to the other
side. They didn't believe that.
They thought they weren't going to make it.
They didn't believe that. So he calls them cowards.
Oh, you men who should have faith to believe and all that.
I've said same thing on the roadto Emmaus.

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At the end, Luke 24 disciples were confused.
I couldn't believe that Jesus died and rose again.
Where is he? What happened?
How did he die? O ye men of little faith not to
believe and all that the scriptures had already said.

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God was long-suffering with his men patiently, because the
church, unfortunately, like the disciples, take a long time to
get it. So you got to be patient.
You got to be long-suffering. You got to hold up the week.
You got to help them up, hold them up.

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You got to encourage the faint hearted, you got to admonish the
unruly. And they don't just turn around.
I'm happy. Some do, but for the most part
they don't. You got to keep going back and
going back. That's the church.
That's what the church does. Both.
I'm going to give you the instruction now.
Handle man's transgression. When they disobey the

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instruction, that's the church. It's not functions.
It's what separates the church from everything else because we
are so desperately concerned about the people in their walk
with the Lord. This is this.

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I know, I know, my time is gone.By the time I'm done, it's going
to be way gone. Verse 15 See that no one repays
another with evil for evil, but all we seek after that which is
good for one another and for allpeople.

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There were people in the church that would repay evil for evil.
Believe it or not, that happens.It doesn't happen to people in
the first service, only the people in the second service.
But it does happen in the church.
We, we, we pay caustic comments with caustic comments.
We repay slander with slander, gossip with gossip, backbiting

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with backbiting, fists with fists, blows with blows.
Paul says, you know what? Don't do that.
No, don't do that. Instead, those who have done
evil, I want you to repay them with goodness and kindness.
God's love is patient. God's love is kind, right?

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All the while God in his long-suffering, His patience
with us, what's he do? He just bestows acts of kindness
upon us. When you sin, you don't die,
although the Bible says the wages of sin is death.
Why don't you die? Because God is patient,
long-suffering and kind. He lets you live right?

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And so all the while you are living your life, the patience
of God, the long-suffering of God is bearing with you.
And what does he do? He lets the sunshine upon the
just and the unjust, let's the rainfall upon the just and the
unjust. God, God is just good to all
men. Read the Old Testament.
God is good to all men, not justsome men, because he's a kind

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and loving God and he's a patient God.
So Paul says, look, I want you to know this.
I want you now to not re repay evil for evil, but I want you to
repay everybody who does evil toyou with goodness and kindness.
Well, we don't want to do that. That's just, it's not right.

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I, I, they got to, they got to know that I was hurt.
They, they got to know that he pained me.
They, they got to know that thiswas very, very uncomfortable for
me. They they got to know this.
And if I don't tell them who will?
Probably nobody but you repay kindness for, for evil.

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Peter says it this way. This is so good.
Peter says, 3 verse #8 To sum upall of you be harmonious,
sympathetic, brotherly, kind hearted, and humble in spirit.
He says to these Christians who are, who are scattered abroad, I

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want you to be harmonious, I want you to be brotherly, I want
you to be kind, I want you to beone in spirit.
And so he says this, not returning evil for evil or
insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.
For you were called for the verypurpose that you might inherit a
blessing. Do you know why you return good

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for evil? Because you have been called by
God to inherit a blessing and the only way you inherit that
blessing is by blessing those who curse you.
So inherit the blessing. He said but, but, but but wait
and but Peter answers that because he knows there's going
to be a but there but but but what about this person or but

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what about that person? But, but and Peter answers that
by quoting Psalm 34. He says, for the one who desires
life to love and see, good day, good days must keep his tongue
from evil and his lips from speaking to see.
He must turn away from evil, do good, he must seek peace and

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pursue it. Why?
Here it is ready, for the eyes of the Lord are toward the
righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
God hears your prayer. God attends to you and your

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need. But know this, His face is
against those who do you evil. He will deal with them.
Let him do that. What do you do?
You repay evil with goodness andkindness.
Because you've been called to inherited blessing, he says in

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First Thessalonians Chapter 5. These words, he says, seek
after, pursue after that, which is good.
In other words, it's a hunting term.
I'm not a hunter, but I know that when you go hunting you,
you go to search for that which you want to shoot and kill and
then, Lord willing, eat right. That's what you do.
I don't know, I'm not a hunter. But you pursue you, you hunt,

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you track him down. Well, that's what you got to do
when it comes comes to to your acting, acting good.
You got to pursue. You got to hunt down goodness.
Why? Because for some people it's
hard to be good to, right, you know, those people, it's hard to

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be kind to them. It's hard to be good to them.
It's it's hard to, to, to bestowa blessing upon them.
They, they are so out there. But, but you got to pursue it.
You got to hunt it down. You got to find a way to get it.
And once you get it, do it. That's what you do.
Paul said, man, this is the church.
That's what you do and run the membership.
That's how you make it happen. Admonish the unruly.

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Make sure that you, you truly encourage the faint hearted,
those were small souls, and helpthe weak.
But make sure that as you go through this, you were very
patient with everybody because it's going to take a long time
for most of them to ever get thestrength and to turn from where
they're at. And all the while you're trying
to help them and they're upset with you and mad at you, you

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just keep returning kindness andgoodness and blessing upon
blessing because you've been called to inherit a blessing.
That's the church. So Paul says simply, I, I, I
want you to to obey the principles and precepts of

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Scripture. Then what?
You rely on the person and powerof the Holy Spirit some way to
do this. There is no other way.
That's what Paul would say over in Second Thessalonians.
These words, chapter 3, verse 14.
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take

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special note of that person and do not associate with them, that
he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an
enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Don't treat him as the enemy, acknowledge him as a brother,
but they need to obey the instruction of the word.

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You'd do that. You know, it's so interesting
because because you know, Paul lists these things and honestly,
unruly didn't tell you how it just says do it help the weak,
then tell you how it just says do it.
Encourage the faint hearted, then give you instead of instead

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of lists of things to do to encourage them.
He says you're paid good for evil just gives commands.
Why? Because you see, the model
church doesn't have to have an explanation.
They just need to know what the expectation is because they're

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going to obey the principles of precepts of the word of God.
And as we go into next week, you'll see how he just keeps
giving. Rejoice, always pray without
ceasing and everything. Give thanks doesn't tell you how
to give thanks, doesn't tell youhow to rejoice, doesn't tell you

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why it is you are to pray without ceasing or even how you
do that doesn't have to. It's the model church.
He just gives them the exhortation and they're like,
OK, we can do that. And that's the way we should be.
OK, Lord, we, we can do that because you, you gave us the

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word. We'll do that.
We might not do it perfectly, but we do it because we want to
honor the Lord. So here is the model life.
The model life abstains from sexual immorality, aspires to a

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life of charity, anticipates thereturn of deity, is alert to the
world's destiny and my responsibility adapts within
God's wonderful family. And lastly, which is next week,

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They adore their God continually.
They'll rejoice always. They'll pray without ceasing.
They will give thanks and everything, for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
That's the model of life. That's the life Paul wanted them

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to live. That's the life we as a church
need to live. Let's pray together.
Father, we thank you for this day.
It's a great day because we realize Lord, this is what we do
as a church, to be the church, to act like the church, to live

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like the church. Our prayer Father, is that we
would be obedient and fulfillingour responsibility.
Lord, we love you and because you died for us and rose again,
we now live for you and we celebrate that in Jesus name,

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Amen.