Living to Please God pt 4 -
Work and the Christian
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
The Thessalonian Christians were very much looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ, as all Christians should. The problem in Thessalonica was that these Christians assumed that the return of Christ must be very near, and that assumption caused them some problems. First, some of them gave up their jobs and gave away their possessions expecting that these things would not be needed. Since these people were not busy looking after their usual affairs they tended to become idle busybodies, who did not actually give a good model of what the Christian life looks like. Secondly, some of them were worried that if anyone died before Christ returned, that person would miss out on God’s Kingdom. Paul addresses both these issues in the next few passages.
Today’s passage deals with the first of these issues – Work and the Christian.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
There are 3 things that the Thessalonians are being told to strive for: to lead a quiet life, mind their own business, and to work with their hands. As we will see this morning, all three commands are wrapped up in our understanding of the work that God has called us to. What are we meant to be doing in our time on Earth? The Bible says that God has good works planned in advance for us to do, so what is the work that we should be busy with, and how does it affect our daily lives?
The definition which best fits this context is this:
“to exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity”
To work is to strive, to labour, to exert yourself physically or mentally or both in order to achieve something.
The real question for Christians is, what is our work? The Thessalonians were having some problems on this point. Paul writes to them again concerning this…
2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
The Bible describes 2 kinds of work for Christians:
- Work in order to satisfy earthly needs
- Work for the sake of God's Kingdom
Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians describes how he and his companions faithfully toiled in that second category. They had been called by God to preach and teach and establish churches, and they worked hard at that for the benefit of the Thessalonians among others. As such, they had a right to expect some help in return in the first category. They could expect that the Thessalonians would provide them with some benefit from their work, which was primarily in order to meet earthly needs. On another occasion Paul wrote to Timothy “The worker deserves his wages”, saying that Elders in the church who are called to the work of preaching and teaching ought to receive financial sustenance from the church. Again in 1 Corinthians 9 this issue is addressed.
However even while Paul and his team were committed to working in the ministry to which God had called them, they also committed themselves to working hard to provide for their own earthly needs. Paul worked at his trade of tent-making. Others may have assisted him or plied their own trades. They did this to show that both forms of work were necessary and valuable.
What matters most for the Christian is what type of work God has called you to.
Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
No matter who you are or what circumstances you are in, God has good works planned for you to do. And there is not just one kind of work that you are called to do. For example God has called me to be a preacher and teacher, a husband and father, a leader, a friend and a son among other things. My work as a preacher is not more important than my work as a husband or my work as a father or my work as a leader or my work as a friend or my work as a son and so on. I am responsible to work at being the preacher that God wants me to be. I need to work at being the husband God has called me to be and so on. None of that stuff comes easy. It takes work.
Some of these Thessalonians had given up on the concept of work. They thought that Jesus was the ticket to an easy life. Just sit tight for a while and Jesus will come and take you to heaven. Just let some of these nice richer Christians look after you in the meantime.
Because these people were idle, they became busybodies. Instead of working hard at what God had called them to do, they had nothing better to do than meddle in the affairs of others.
Paul is saying to the church in verse 11 “Don’t live like that, focus on your own life and what God wants you to do, stop being so concerned with other people and things that don’t really concern you.” Why? Verse 12 goes on to say “so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
When I look at someone who works hard, I find myself naturally respecting that person. If I see a man or woman who makes time for his/her children and is conscientious in bringing them up, I respect that man as a father and woman as a mother. If I see a worker who is thorough and conscientious, I respect that person. If I see a student who studies hard, I respect them. If I see a sportsman who gives every effort for the team, I respect that person as an athlete. I think you would all agree that we naturally respect hard work.
One thing that most people do not respect is a bludger. Someone who lives off the hard work of others. The sort of person who makes no effort to get a job or support others. The sort of person who expects to be waited on. The sort of person who feels entitled to things they do not work for. The sort of person who seems to think that life owes them something.
Paul says that we should endeavour to work in order to not be dependent on anybody. I want to stress a point that is sometimes misunderstood: there is nothing wrong with needing or accepting help. What is wrong is depending on others to meet your needs without any effort on your part to work to have your needs met.
Giving and accepting charity is important. We should give, because Jesus Himself said “It is more blessed to give than receive”. Giving to others produces blessing for the giver. Giving to others expresses our love for them. In a similar way accepting charity from others is important sometimes too. Our pride often gets in the way of that. We want to be independent. But doing so denies others the blessing of giving to us, and blocks one way they can show their love to us. It says that we consider ourselves superior to others, because we are happy to give help to them but not accept help from them.
In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul says that Church should not support people among them who will not work for themselves. Paul himself had no problems paying the way for other Christians – in Acts 20 he says that his work often provided for the needs of his companions. But the rule was this – “If a man will not work, he shall not eat”.
As we have talked about today, work includes more than just paid work. The principle of giving and receiving applies to more than just material gifts.
So in a nutshell, this passage is saying to us “Don’t be bludgers. Don’t be busybodies. Understand the work that God has called you to do, and do it diligently.” Colossians chapter
What is the work God has called you to do?
Are you making it your ambition to devote yourself to that work? It is easy to be sidetracked by affairs that are not your business. It is easy to be held back by your own laziness. Let’s be people who strive to do the good works that we have been created to do in Christ Jesus.
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