Take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, 1 Thessalonians 4. If you're joining us today for the first time, we are working through the book of Thessalonians. And we've come to a section of scripture entitled this message today, Walking in Brotherly Love. Walking in Brotherly Love. Alvin Strait, 73 years old, lived in Lawrence, Iowa. His brother, age 80, lived in Blue River, Wisconsin. According to the Associated Press, Alvin's brother had a stroke and was in the hospital, and Alvin wanted to be with his brother. He loved his brother, and they had been close, and he wanted to be there in the hospital with him. The problem is Alvin couldn't drive a car because he didn't pass his driver's license exam. His eyesight was not too well. And he didn't like flying and didn't like driving in public buses or trains. So Alvin decided that he would get on his 1966 John Deere tractor mower and drove over 250 miles to see his brother in the hospital. Dedicated with brotherly love to be there for him. First Thessalonians chapter four and verse nine, and Paul says this, but as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you, for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed, you do it towards all the brethren which are in Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more, and that you study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands as we've commanded you. that ye may walk honestly towards them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing, that you may be content. Father, I pray as we look at this passage, would we know what brotherly love looks like? And would we act towards one another as you expect us to act? By this will all men know that you are my disciples. If you love one another, Lord, help us to work, help us to increase more and more in this aspect of brotherly love within our church, within our family, within our community, towards them that are without and towards those who are within. Lord, would we be a testimony, would we walk in honesty, and Lord, would we be recognized by our fruit of our love that comes out of our life, help us to see exactly the Holy Spirit would have for us. Thank you for the power of your word, even as we heard in the music today, your word is faithful, it will not return void. Lord, it will do a work in our hearts if we will allow it to, and it will change us. Thank you for this opportunity to open your scriptures, and Lord, would we be attentive, take away the distraction, be with the children in the children's church as they learn your word as well, and those who are keeping the nursery. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. John has moved in chapter, or Paul has moved in chapter 4 into a new section, the second section of this book. He's dealing with the believers' walk, their life in pleasing the Lord. Believers are to live for a different purpose than an unbeliever. They have a different master, a different family, a different meaning to life. And this way of life, this walking of life is a command, it is a must, it's a non-negotiable. It's not, well, this is the way you should, this is the way we must live. And Paul wants the believers to understand the will of God and to follow the will of God. It is a present reality of who we are in Jesus Christ, and it is living in light of who will we become in Jesus Christ when Christ comes. So in chapters 4 and 5, Paul admonishes, he exhorts, he gives these imperatives, they are commands. These are the commands, he says, by Jesus Christ. In verses 3 through 8, we heard last week, Paul dealt with the walk of purity. It is a command. It is an expectation. It is, thus saith the Lord, that believers live a radical changed life in their moral behavior regarding their human passion, their desires. God's will is for every believer to walk in moral purity. This means that a believer will abstain from immorality. This means that a believer will control his desires. This means that a believer will show the respect and honor of the sacred vows of marriage. And this means that a believer will not cross the line of inappropriate behavior towards those that are around them. God has radically called believers to a holy life. And we are to keep that life because God is the avenger. God keeps record and he watches and one day we will stand before God. And he has given us his Holy Spirit in verse eight. He has given us that spirit by which it enables us to live a pure life. He's not left us on this world in a wicked world. We're temptation around us without the tools to be able to live the righteousness that God expects us to live. He has given us the power of His Holy Spirit. Now in verse nine, he says this, but as touching brotherly love. The Greek phrase paradia, which means it's translated here, now touching, can be translated now about or concerning this issue. Paul moves to a different aspect, but he's still dealing with holiness. He's still dealing with the worthy walk. He's still dealing with the pattern of our behavior. He is now going to go from commanding our private life, this is how you should control your desires, and your heart, and your lust, and how you should live in purity in your heart, to now He will go to our walk without, towards those that are around us. Our brotherly love, that's our interaction within our family. the family of God, and towards our walk to those in honesty, in verse 12, to those who are outside the family of God, that is, those who are pagan or do not know Christ, they're not in the family of God. And we have a testimony towards those within, our brotherly love, and then our love also extends outside the doors of our family to the unsaved world. And he says, concerning this, this is a pattern. This is one of Paul's favorite words for making transition and connecting and answering questions, concerning or touching this issue. He uses the same word in verse 13. Look down in chapter 4 verse 13, he said, I would not that you be ignorant, brethren, concerning, the same word, parodia. Concerning, and he will answer a question concerning those who are asleep. Look at chapter 5 and verse 1, but concerning, or the word is used here, of the times and the seasons. He uses the word peria, which is the same word that's used as touching, but concerning the issue that I write unto you about the seasons, things that are to happen. Paul uses this phrase in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verse 25, chapter 8 and verse 1, chapter 12 and verse 1, chapter 16 and verse 1, and verse 12 of 1 Corinthians. Now concerning, or about this topic. Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians because he's answering questions that the church at Corinth had brought to Paul. So Paul said, you have these questions, now concerning the questions, here's the answer. However, we don't necessarily have a question or a series of questions that Paul seems to, or at least we have recorded in the church at Thessalonica. But Timothy has just returned from Thessalonica, and most scholars would include that as Timothy came to Paul, Timothy had a series of questions or a series of issues that he dealt with at Thessalonica. And Timothy is relaying to Paul those questions. And so, Paul says, now touching, now concerning the issue that you've brought to me, here's the answer. Paul seems to be addressing over chapter 4 and 5 three particular questions that were brought to his attention. One was the question that we deal with here about brotherly love. The second was the issue concerning those who are asleep. That was verse 13. Now concerning, brother, I don't want you to be ignorant, concerning them that are asleep. Seems to be a question that was brought to Paul about what about our loved ones who have died? What about the resurrection? And then in chapter five and verse one, Paul will deal with a question concerning the day of the Lord. Now, concerning, but also concerning the season and the times, the day of the Lord, the day of the Lord concerning a time in the future when the Lord Jesus Christ would come back, and some eschatology questions. And so, Paul deals in chapter 5 with those questions. But the first issue that comes to Paul's attention is brotherly love. Paul goes from those who are weak to now those who are idle. Do you remember in chapter 5 in verse 14? Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly. Comfort the feeble-minded you see that in verse 14 of chapter 5 support the weak Paul dealt with last Group the weak those who are having trouble in their strength to maintain moral purity Paul dealt with that We talked about that last week. Now, he moves back to the first category of people in verse 14, the unruly, or as often translated, idle. We'll see that word in just a little bit. How do you treat others in your everyday life? Paul responds to this question, maybe not how we would think, but he gets very specific and he begins to step on the toes of the Thessalonians. So, let's see. First of all, he concerns the issue of brotherly love. Look at verse 9 of chapter 4, now concerning or as touching brotherly love. You need not that I write unto you, for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another. Paul says, you don't need me to write this unto you. I've already dealt with it. I've already talked to you about this issue. We've talked about it before, and you still have questions. You know, most of the things that we need to work on in our life we already know what we should do. The problem is we have a problem with our want to. We have a problem with, we know what we should do, and we know what we shouldn't do, we just struggle with this Romans chapter seven. The things that I wanna do, I don't do, and the things that I don't wanna do, I end up doing those things. And Paul cries out at the end of chapter seven of the book of Romans, oh wretched man that I am, who can deliver me from this body of death? So the issues that oftentimes that we deal with, we already know the answer to. We just need some little encouragement. We need to be told again and again. And Paul is saying, this is not something that you've not been taught. In fact, God taught it to you. Verse nine, he said, now concerning brotherly love, you don't need me to write unto you. For you yourselves, you are already taught of God. God taught this, this is one of the only words, this word God taught is only found in this verse in all of the Bible as a compound word together. There's one other verse in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 54 in verse 13, where the two words didoctoi and theos are used in connection, but they're not a compound word, they're separated. And Isaiah says this, all your children shall be taught by the Lord. In the Septuagint it uses the word Theos and this word taught together seems to be maybe Paul's moving back into the book of Isaiah and saying God taught you this God taught you brotherly love now As we've talked about this church, this church at Thessalonica seems to be for us a model church. Paul has a lot to say and he's encouraged about this church. He's encouraged by how they received the Word of God. He's encouraged at how so quickly they've grown in the Lord and how they've grown and increased in their faith. Paul has been outstanding at how they've received and loved him in his leadership, how they accepted Timothy's message, and Timothy came back with a positive reward. This seems to be a model church. Paul doesn't have a whole lot of negative stuff to say about the church at Thessalonica. However, it wasn't a perfect church. And can I remind you of this? There is no such thing as a perfect church. Even though this church seems to be a model church, this church had a problem and had a group of problems that Paul dealt with. Obviously, there was someone in the church who had an issue with fornication. He dealt with that previously. That there was someone who had committed immorality and was not living a pure walk, and Paul had to deal with that in this church. Obviously, there were some attitude problems towards leadership. In chapter 5 and verse 12 and 13, there seemed to be some problems about spiritual leaders and their attitude. And Paul had to deal with this issue. They just said, listen, be careful about those who you follow have a right attitude and a spirit towards them. There were some other issues that this church may have had, but they may have been small. It wasn't that this church was in some deep heresy. It wasn't that this church was completely carnal like the church at Corinth. But there were issues, little issues here or there that Paul had to deal with. And it's interesting how these little issues can be great divides, some major problems. Let me ask you, when someone commits immorality, does that bring hurt to the body of Christ? It sure does. It can divide believers if it's not handled the right way. What about a wrong attitude towards leadership? If someone in the church has a wrong attitude towards leader and treats the pastor or leadership in the wrong attitude, can that hurt and can it create problems? Sure can. What about laziness? We'll see in this passage of Scripture. Disorderly. Can it bring hurt in a church when someone doesn't take their own responsibility and use their gifts and abilities in the church, but instead meddles in everyone else's business? That can cause some problems. Can there be tension? With issues of eschatology, or when someone disagrees with you about an issue, or maybe hasn't come to the scriptures on an understanding about a matter, and it can create a little bit of division in the church about things when someone has a different, maybe they've not come to the right point of view about things, it can be frustrating. And our treatment towards one another can bring division if we don't love one another. And Paul said, even though these are little issues here and there, I wanna deal with them, it's important for you to understand, we need the love. And these little issues, Satan can take them and tempt you and bring division to this church. And Paul says, I don't want that to happen. And thank God for the Thessalonians, they say, Paul, we've got an issue with brotherly love in our church. Can you help us? Paul said, I wrote this to you before. We've already talked about it before. You were taught of God. It was presented to you. But nevertheless, let's talk about it. Let's deal with it. Paul wants them to focus on being a family. Look at verse 9. He says, as touching brotherly love. The Greek word that's used here is Philadelphia. It's the term that is used for a family. Phileo. Brotherly love. A term that is used between those who are kin, those who are in a relationship. This would talk about a love between brothers and sisters. This was a term that was used in the Greek specifically for family members. Phileo was not often used in classical Greek for someone who was not related to one another. However, Paul uses it within the context of people from different classes. Different ethnic groups different genders different ages Because what he's saying is within the body of Christ. You are a family and Learn to love as a family You see the church was a place where Jews and Gentiles would sit side-by-side, where male and female would sit side-by-side, where slave and free would sit side-by-side, where those from different classes and different work styles and different ethnic groups would come all into the same building. That wouldn't normally happen in the Greek and Roman culture. That wouldn't happen in a Jewish culture. But because of the love that Christ had brought and because of the unity that Christ had brought, he had broken down the wall of partition that he talks about in the book of Ephesians, and he brought together two different people and brought them in the same place under the same calling, equal before the foot of the cross. And now Paul uses a term of unity and harmony, brotherly love. You see, this talks about a family. And you can't get into the family of God without a personal testimony of salvation. Without a personal relationship as God, your father, and you, the son. Listen, there's not a universality or universal salvation. Not this idea of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. That's a false teaching. Only those who have trusted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior are in the body of Christ. And Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter three, you must be born again. And to be born again, you have to put your faith and trust, your belief in the one person who can save you from your sin. And Jesus says, unless the Son of Man be lifted up, will he draw all men unto himself. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That's why Jesus was sent to this world. He was sent to this world to take you as a stranger, an alien, a person who is characterized by the kingdom of the darkness of this world. dead in trespasses and sins, and by your faith, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. And by your faith and the grace of God given to you, not merited, not by works, not by signing the card or being baptized or taking the sacraments, but purely a gift of God, by accepting that gift, being born into the family of God, then you have God as your father. Then you are put into the family of God and you have brothers and sisters in Christ. What brings us together is our common acceptance into the family of God by faith. And that's important because if you don't know Jesus Christ as your savior, then God today is not your father. This is my father's world, we sing the song, This is, he is your creator, but he's not your father. That is only reserved for those who have accepted Christ and been born into the family of God. And if you don't know Christ this morning, then you can't call someone else who is in the family of God a brother or a sister. You're an alien. You're separated from God. And to be brought into the family of God, you need to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. And that's a decision that you and only you can make. No one can make it for you. God will not even force. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But not all will come to repentance, because Jesus says, broad is the way to destruction, and many there be that follow. But it's narrow. It's straight the way to eternal life. God will not force anyone to follow that path. It is a choice that every person must make to themselves. Now, Paul brings us to this familiar term, this term of a family together, brothers and sisters in Christ. And he says, as touching this, God taught you to love one another and your testimony around. Look at verse 10. Indeed, you do it towards all the brethren. Your testimony to all of those in Macedonia. Everyone knows that you have this brotherly love. And Paul says, I want you brothers to increase more and more. You need to grow in this. As a parent of four children, We are learning and training our children to learn to love their siblings and what that love looks like. And sometimes the fusses and fights that go on, you have to curb. And I remember growing up in a home where we had brothers and sisters in our home and remembering the arguments where we would sit in the back seat and we'd say, mom, he's looking at me. He said, well, what does that mean? If you've got brothers and sisters, you know exactly what that means. And I heard the other day, Adeline's our four-year-old, and she was upstairs. We've been talking about loving your sisters, your brother. And I heard the footsteps upstairs, bumping around up in the upstairs. I thought, boy, she's about busy doing something before school. And so I went up there to check on her, make sure she was getting ready. And she came there with a big old smile. And she had cleaned the room, picked up her sister's toys and her sister's clothes, and had made her bed and had made her sister's bed. And she came to me and she said, Daddy, look what I did. Boy, a smile came on my face. And we wish as a parent that were the normal way of life. And as you work with your children, the pride and the joy that comes when they learn to love one another. Their love was evident, and this church's love, but they needed to grow in this. They needed this more and more as they grew in their love for one another. So Paul says, this is how, let me get practical. Let me get, let's let the rubber meet the road here. Let's talk about some issues that it sounds like you're struggling in this brotherly love towards one another. Look in verse 11. He says, and, and is a connecting word to the previous two verses. So this is continuing to be talking about brotherly love. And I believe verse 11, he's gonna give three commands, three verbs and infinitives to show how brotherly love, this is what brotherly love looks like in the family of God. And he says here, that you study to be quiet, to do your own business and to work with your own hands just like we commanded you to. So three verbs with three infinitives that are connected together in verse 11, how you show brotherly love. And interesting, he doesn't say you give to the poor. He doesn't say you go wash their feet. He doesn't say you necessarily go make a meal. He uses three terms here, touching brotherly love, that to us seem interesting. And so as we look at this, let's let the Holy Spirit in touch our heart with these specific issues. The basic ethics of love. how to love. Paul speaks in parallel ways, in parallel terms. In verse nine, he said how to love one another. Verse 10, he said to increase more and more. Verse 11, to study, to be quiet. He says to do your own business, to work with your own hands. These are ways by which we show brotherly love. And I like what Grant points out here about problems with love. We have two failures with love. Number one, we don't show enough love. We all need to work more and more at loving each other and showing that love. This could be simply as writing a gift card to someone, staying connected with people, maybe by email or text or phone calls or going out and buying a meal or helping some other person in need. All of us need to work at showing love more and more in that fashion. We all tend to fail. We need to do more and more. A second failure at love is the very opposite. We show too much love. This is a danger that we need to avoid as well. You say, how in the world can we show too much love? Well, that could be the point of what Paul is saying here in these verses. We can go too far in helping others. In the sense that we have a spirit in our spirit of benevolence, people can take advantage of and make excuses for irresponsibility and laziness. In the name of love, we can excuse sinful behavior. In the name of helping a friend out, we can cause that person to sinfully depend upon others instead of doing what they should themselves. This is the issue of dependence and independence. And Paul will talk about this in these verses. Can we overextend our love to the point that it is a detriment to the other person? I believe so. John's thought says this, true it is an expression of love to support others who are in need, but it is also an expression of love to support ourselves so as not to need to be supported by others. Think about that. And I believe that Paul may be, in these verses, talking about this issue of over-dependence. And so he says, first off, he says, to study to be quiet. to study to be quiet. The verb study means to consider it an honor, an ambition, an act of public spirit. It can be translated to aspire, to strive, to eagerly adopt this. In other words, Paul says, you work hard, you aspire to do this. And then he uses, almost like an oxymoron, he uses a paradox. He said, I want you to really work hard at being quiet. He said, what? You want me to aspire to be silent? To be quiet? And that's a virtue of brotherly love? The word quiet means to lead or to live a quiet life. It's used in 2 Thessalonians. Turn over to 2 Thessalonians 3 in verse 12. Now them that are such, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, chapter three and verse 12, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. And in verse 11, he was saying, we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies. And he said, now concerning that command, I'm gonna exhort you that you in quietness work and eat your own bread. It's used in Luke chapter 23 in verse 56 as a word of rest. So what does Paul mean when he says to aspire or to study to be silent or to be quiet? Does he mean that believers are to go off to a cabin in their woods and leave people alone? Now, to some people, that sounds perfect. They say, oh man, be great. Grab my fifth wheel and go on vacation perpetually and don't bother anybody. That sounds really fun. Let me explain it this way. I believe Paul is contrasting a loud, noisy, boisterous person who is an in-your-face opposite to a noble, respectful, gentle person. One ancient writer said that to live in quiet was opposed to a person who lived his life meddling in the affairs of others. Being a busy body. Someone who brought chaos and confusion into the mix of the life by being loud and boisterous. Constantly talking and being in other people's way. Gordon Fee states this word quiet does not necessarily mean not talking or being restful, but not intruding upon the lives of others to become a burden. And it seems to be that Paul is drawing a warning to the Thessalonians not to draw attention to themselves and be in your face. These believers needed to be careful about how they lived their life, not to get attention, not to be the person heard. but to be a person who lives a gentle and quiet spirit. In 1 Timothy chapter two, turn over there since we're only a book or so away, 1 Timothy chapter two, I exhort therefore, first of all supplication, prayers, and intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet life. and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. This is how you are a good godly citizen in your nation. You lead, you pray for your authority, and you lead a quiet and peaceable, a life that is in harmony in godliness and honesty. Turn over to 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter three. I think it'd be good to see this. In the context of a husband and wife, in 1 Peter chapter three, likewise he writhes, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, that also may without the word be won by your conversation of the wives, while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning, let it not be without adorning, or plating the hair, or wearing of gold, or putting on the apparel. But let it be the hidden man of the heart in which is not corruption, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. Gentleness, which is in the sight of God a great and precious price Peter's talking about a wife who has an unsaved husband who is to leave in subjection and show her show him in respect and honor a gentle and quiet a meek spirit Meekness is power that is under control not a boisterous in-your-face grabbing attention doing this for yourself In that is a context of a marriage and a home. Back to 1 Thessalonians chapter four, in verse 11, when he says to study, to be quiet. I believe Paul is talking about a believer who instead of being bold and brash, learns how to be meek, gentle, noble, and respectful. One commentator said this, some believers mistakenly believe that successful Christian living is dramatic, dynamic, and sudden. But this text speaks of the value of the Christian life that is steady, obedient, daily living. Just following what God has told you to do. How do you treat others, your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you live to bring peace or do you live to bring chaos and stress? You know someone who is always stressful? Who brings in at every party or at every event or every time you have an event, they bring in a chaotic life and they interrupt and just, they gotta be into everything else. This is the very opposite of that person. And Paul is showing brotherly love is being noble and respectful and knowing your place. There is a time to be bold. and there is a time to be silent. To study, to be quiet. The second thing he says is to do your own business. This is the flip side of the same coin. To do means to practice as a routine, to accomplish a task, to carry on a duty. It can be translated or has been translated the word mind. Mind your own business. King James says do this. This is a pattern of your life. You see, the first commandment and the second commandment that is used in this verse are connected together. Brotherly love will look like believers who tend to their own stuff and don't meddle in other people's business. Back to 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 14. I want you to look at the word that is used here. We exhort you, brethren, I warn them that are unruly. I'm giving a warning. The Greek word unruly here means undisciplined or disarray. It was used of an army that in marching formation broke ranks. That's what it meant to be unruly, disorderly. It was later used for a person who refused to work. It became used as a term that could be translated, this word unruly could be translated idle or lazy. When the commanding officer came in and gave an instruction and gave an order, the person who was unruly said, I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna do my own thing. I'm gonna follow my own plan. I'm not gonna work. There seems to be a group of believers that was in this church that possibly had a wrong view about eschatology and the coming of the Lord. They found out that the coming of the Lord, as they believed in this imminence, that it could come at any moment, and because of that view, they gave a faulty conclusion as saying, okay, we're gonna quit our jobs, we're gonna sit at home, and we're gonna wait and be passive and wait for Jesus to come. And Paul says, listen, I'm gonna talk to those group of people who are being unruly. Mind your own business. Do your own affairs. These people were putting a strain on the church because it was everyone else's problems and they weren't taking their own responsibility. Paul is saying this to the brothers, don't be nosy. The first one, don't be noisy. This one he says, don't be nosy. Stick your, because you don't do your own responsibility, so you're into everybody else's business. Brotherly love minds its own affairs, does its own responsibility. And then third here, he says, look at the verse, he says here, to work with your own hands. What in the world caused this church to come to this place? where they had such an issue with getting into other people's affairs and not working with their own hands. Commentators have given several different reasons about maybe a misinterpretation of the day of the Lord. Some have indicated that there was probably a famine in the land, and the famine in the land caused many people to be out of work, and because they were out of work, they were lazy in getting into other people's affairs. Some believe that it was a dependence upon a patron and client relationship. This meant that several wealthy people in the church, maybe like Jason, who had taken on the position of taking care of others, and then these others took advantage of those who were wealthy, who had more, and began to let those who were wealthy, had more, do more of the work, and they began to step off and become more dependent upon others. This created an unhealthy dependence in the church, and Paul is dealing with these believers who are consumed with getting, who are dependent upon others to do for them instead of them taking the responsibility and doing it themselves. We are to be people, as Christians, to show brotherly love, who are willing to do all that we can to work with our own hands. We are to be believers that are not a burden on others, but in fact, help others. Brotherly love lends a helping hand, works hard at his own affairs, and seeks to solve problems, not create problems. One commentator stated it this way, love of fellow believers is shown by not sponging off them when one can work, and not relying upon a patron situation to meet everyone your own needs. This is old-fashioned, hard work. And I believe Paul is talking about those who are able and those who can. I like what John Piper says about the Christian work ethic. This is the way Christians should be in the workplace. The ditches that we dig should be straight. The cabinet corners that we make should be flush. The surgical incisions that we do should be tiny and neat. We need to work with excellence with our hands that God has given us. That should be our work ethic. Whatsoever thy hand find it to do, do it with all your might. So Paul in application, I believe, is dealing with four types of people here in closing. If you have a tendency to cause trouble and bring chaos everywhere you go, if others in a kind way have told you you are unorganized and you are stressful, Will you hear this message today and discipline yourself to look inward and not outward? Ask God to give you the strength to not bring and cause problems, but to help solve problems. Number two, if you are a person who has a tendency to nose into other people's business and issues, if you like to know all of people's problems and stuff, and you want to know everything that is going on in the church, in so-and-so's life, everything that goes on in your family, and you like to talk about it and speak about it to everyone else, pardon me, but can I use Paul's words, mind your own business, and don't be a busybody. The third group of people to show brotherly love, if you have a tendency to be lazy, if you tend to let everyone else do the work around the house and the church and you don't lend a finger to take any ownership, young people, children, teenagers, maybe you do a job but you do it half-heartedly. Can I use Paul's words from Galatians? Bear your own burdens. Get off the couch and start helping. Work with your hands. And then last, if you're a person who works hard, minds your own affairs, and you don't bother anybody, you love to be by yourself, you're an introvert, you're not lazy, you don't get into people's business, you don't talk to anybody about anything, thank God for you too, but this passage tells you to get out of your comfort zone and show brotherly love. Do a little more and more at reaching out to someone around you. You're not an island in and of yourself. Someone said this, a shabby lawn, a trashy house, a stressful life, a gossip tongue, a nosy neighbor, a half-hearted job, always causing trouble in your community at work, always criticizing your family, friends, church, pastor, neighbor, a drain and a strain on all those around you is not acting in brotherly love. Why would anyone want the Christ that you serve if that's the type of children that God has? Shame on us. Paul deals with a good, godly, Christian work ethic, brotherly love. In a closing illustration, we were pulling out of the church here on the way home from school one day a few weeks ago, and Adeline was in the back seat, and she piped up, and she saw a I don't mean to point out, but this is the story, and this is how it was. I don't mean to embarrass anybody. We pointed out, David was walking around the church building, and as we drove out of the parking lot, she looked over, and she said, there's that man that loves everybody. And I thought, she knows what love is. She saw a person who was willing to help others and drop whatever they needed to do, whether it's a teacher or a staff position or a church member, to fulfill whatever needs to be done. And the way her perception was, that was love. Are you known as a person who has brotherly love within the family of God? Your testimony within this church will speak outside of this church to those who are lost. and how you live your life matters what you do. Father, as we close today, this morning, what a very practical topic on brotherly love. Interesting commands to us that maybe are not necessarily things that we would think about, but can be an issue. They can definitely cause a problem within a family or within a church when we are lazy, when we're into other people's things, when we're not doing our own responsibility, when we're not reaching out, when we're maybe overcompensating and causing someone to continue to sin in their laziness by covering for them or continuing to enable their sinful patterns and sinful life, would we know and have godly wisdom in how to treat one another? And if there is someone here this morning, as we talked about the family of God, who does not know you as father, they know you as creator, they know you as God, they know you exist, but they're not in the family of God. Would they know this morning that they can trust Jesus Christ? He did a work for them that they cannot do for themselves. And that the love that we have within the body of Christ, they can enjoy. if they will only accept Jesus as their Savior? And until they do that, they are still lost in their sins with an eternity of hell before them. Would they accept Christ's sacrifice in their place? With heads bowed and eyes closed in the invitation that we closed to service this morning, before we do, we will have a time of prayer and reflection. And this is an opportunity for you to respond as the Lord has led. And I feel maybe led to do this, maybe ask a couple questions here this morning. Maybe you say, Pastor, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart in some manner of this work ethic, in some manner of this issue. And God was speaking to me this morning, and you'd say by the raising of your hand, Pastor Cochran, would you pray for me? I need to work on this brotherly love one to another. And you'd raise your hand, you'd say, Pastor Cochran, would you pray for me? Is there anyone like that? Thank you, there are several. Just for a second, you say, Pastor Cochran, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about this issue of brotherly love. Maybe it was specific about working with your own hands, or maybe being in other people's business, or maybe living a quiet life, an organized and honorable life. And you say, Pastor Cochran, would you pray for me? How many more would join these that have raised their hand? Thank you. And you say, Pastor Cochran, you talked about salvation. You talked about being in the family of God. And I know that I am still in my sins, and I've never accepted Christ as my Savior, and I need to. And you'd say with a raising your hand, you'd say, Pastor Cochran, would you pray for me? I need to accept Christ as my Savior. Is there someone like that in the auditorium today? Just a second. The quietness of the moment we have here. Anyone like that? Maybe if you're listening online and the Holy Spirit's spoken to your heart and you need to trust Christ as your Savior right where you are, you pray and ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins. That His death on the cross for you is something that you cannot do. It's a price that He paid and it's a gift that He offered and you accept Jesus as your Savior and forsake your sins and repent and turn to the Lord.