Would you open your copy of God's Word to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Today we come to a close of our study. of first Thessalonians and by God's grace, we will pick up second Thessalonians starting next week and on through till the end of September. And Paul began this glorious letter by reminding us that as a church, we have been formed by the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as that Gospel takes root, it produces Gospel fruit of faith, hope and love amongst the people of God. And it demonstrates itself in local congregations that have a passion for the gospel in declaring it amongst the nations, as well as showing the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to your brothers and sisters in Christ. And the argument has been that this letter has more to do with the local church than it does simply the doctrine of the last times. Indeed, Paul's teaching about the end times or the day of the Lord or the return of Christ is all set in the context of the people of God. What kind of church will we be as we await the return of the king? And so here at the very end of First Thessalonians five, Paul gives us a list of instructions or priorities for the local church. And so, beloved in Christ, we now turn our attention to the reading of the word of God. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle. Encourage the faint-hearted. Help the weak. Be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything. Hold fast what is good and abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who calls you is faithful and he will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. And so far, the reading of God's holy and inerrant word. Well, what if today was the last day you had the privilege. Of being a member. In the local church. Now, I'm not simply talking about this church, But any church. Imagine that. The singing. The fellowship, the teaching, the friendships, all of it, everything that you enjoy about being with your brothers and sisters in Christ gone today is the last day and you will never again experience all that you have enjoyed over the past weeks and months and years as part of the visible community of the people of God. You see, I wonder for most of us, at least, if membership in the local church is either a joy to be savored or privilege that is taken for granted. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, many of you will know, was the German pastor and theologian and martyr during World War II as he faced death for his resistance against Hitler. And Bonhoeffer reflects on the importance of the local church in the life of the Christian in his very little and accessible book entitled Life Together. And he opens this little book with these words. It is not simply to be taken for granted. That the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end, all of his disciples deserted him on the cross. He was utterly alone. Surrounded by evil doers and mockers for this cause, he had come. To bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life, but in the thick of foes. There is his commission. There is his work. And then he continues. And notice how he aptly summarizes the book of Thessalonians. So, between the death of Christ and the last day, it is only by a gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with one another. It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in the world to share God's word. And God's sacrament, not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned. The sick, the scattered, the lonely, the proclaimers of the gospel in heathen land stand alone. They know, those Christians, those dear saints, those dear brothers and sisters in Christ know that visible fellowship is a blessing. There are dear saints across the globe, in China, in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, in Myanmar, in northern Sudan, who do not enjoy the privilege that we have as the people of God. The blessing of the visible fellowship of the people of God. And here in this last section of First Thessalonians, Paul is reminding you and reminding me of the rich blessing of the local church, the people of God. And here in First Thessalonians five, he gives us the basic contours of our life together as the family of God. And on the surface, At least, it may seem to you or even to me at first, that Paul is simply piling on a list of commands almost at random, with no apparent rhyme or reason to why Paul is giving these instructions to this congregation at this time. And yet, upon closer inspection, we realize that the thread that ties the pieces of this section together is Paul's desire that the peace of God would reign amongst the people of God. You see, for Paul, the gospel of grace and the gospel of peace brings with it peaceful relationships amongst the people of God. And in particular, Paul is addressing concerns that have cropped up in the local church as tension has developed between the leadership and the congregation as dissension within the ranks has emerged between brothers and sisters in Christ. And here he is reminding the church in Thessalonica as he is reminding the church here in Penn Hills of the importance of the local assembly of the people of God and that the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ must be guarded at all costs. And so for Paul, he is desiring to promote peace within the family of God. peace with the leadership of the church, peace with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. And ultimately, we find he is promoting peace with Almighty God. But first, we see in verses 12 and 13 that Paul is promoting peace with the leadership of the church. He states, we ask you, brothers. To respect those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among your selves. Evidently, there had developed tension between those who had been entrusted with the leadership of the local congregation and the members of that particular church. We noticed several weeks ago that in light of the false teaching in that congregation that said that Jesus had already come again, some of these Christians had developed a lackadaisical mindset towards Christian discipleship and even their responsibilities in the world regarding their work. They said to one another, well, if Jesus has already come again, what's the point? Why should I work? Why should I evangelize? Why should I care about my brothers and sisters in Christ? Why should I submit myself to the authority of the local church? And you could see how detrimental that kind of mindset would be. in a young, fledgling congregation as we find here in Thessalonica. And so, to preempt possible disaster in the life of this congregation, Paul urges the Thessalonians to respect their pastors or their elders, those who have been entrusted with their spiritual care. They are to hold them in high esteem. They are to honor them and love them. That is, those who, he says, labor among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. They are to respect. their elders, that is, those who labor among you. The language that Paul is using here is that of back breaking work elsewhere in First Timothy. He uses the same work to describe the toil that a farmer engages in when he tills up the land. Here he's saying, remember those who labor in your midst, who toil at prayer on your behalf, who toil at preaching and teaching the Word of God, who toil at counseling and visitation. Remember those who labor hard on your behalf to the point of sheer exhaustion. Remember those who work hard giving God no rest on your behalf, who are knocking on heaven's doors, bathing you in prayer. But also, he says, have respect for those who are over you in the Lord. Remembering that your elders are your overseers. They are those who rule over you, not with an ironclad fist. They do not come to dominate over you, but to serve you in the Lord. Remembering that Jesus has entrusted you into their spiritual care. And so they are to rule over you, not as a Lord, but as a servant of Christ's sheep. And they have been entrusted with your spiritual well-being. And so they make decisions regarding what is best for the people of God. What you need in terms of your own daily growth as you feast upon the Lord and His Word and even in the sacrament. And then he says, have respect for those who admonish you. That is, those who labor and who oversee you by teaching you in the Word of God, by instructing you in the whole counsel of God as revealed in sacred Scripture. Respect those even more poignantly who encourage and exhort you. That there are times in the life of the family of God when the leadership of the church has to give an admonishment. To those under their care, and they do it because they love Christ. They love the church and they love you. And don't resent the leadership when they instruct you in the things of the Word of God. Those who labor, those who oversee, and those who admonish. Remembering that the primary responsibility of a shepherd of Christ's sheep is to be a servant of God's Word. You might say to yourself, well, my elder doesn't do this. My elder doesn't do that. Why don't the elders do this? Why don't the elders do that? But remembering their job is to work and to labor and to oversee and to admonish you. Giving of their lives to the point of exhaustion in the teaching of the Word in bathing all things in prayer, in the administration of the sacrament, and the exercise of church discipline. This is what we are called to do as the leaders of this congregation, to give of ourselves to the ministries of word and prayer. And so Paul says, for their work, for their back-breaking labor, As a people of God, we are to esteem them highly in love. They are to love and to cherish their elders, not because of anything intrinsic in them. But notice what Paul says, to esteem them very highly in love because of their work, recognizing that these men who are sitting up here Recognizing that your pastor who is preaching God's Word to you is no different from you in terms of needing the grace of God, falling short of the glory of God, being redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We are all called as sinners by the same gospel, to the same cross, to the same Lord. We serve the same God and are members of the same body. And yet, recognizing that each have distinct roles and responsibilities, and God has entrusted these men with our spiritual care. And so, we esteem them because of their work. We love them. We cherish them. Because at all costs, they commit themselves to the work of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, as a congregation, we are to return the elders' labor of love, as he says in chapter 1. We are to return that labor of love with love. Now, I tell you, I am so grateful for this congregation, it brings me great joy when I go visit friends or family or talk to my other pastor friends to be able to say, you know, The people of God at First Reform love us dearly. They have treated us with open arms. They have welcomed us here as a part of this family, and I praise the Lord for you. I really do thank the Lord for how kind and generous you are to me and to your elders, because it certainly helps us discharge our duties when you love and when you support us in the very things that God has called us to do. And what is glorious about that is that for Paul, when the congregation esteems its elders, peace is promoted amongst the people of God. He says, have respect for those who labor over you, who are over you and admonish you. Esteem them very highly in love because of their work and be at peace among yourselves. One way we cultivate peace is when the congregation loves and supports its elders and does not complain and grumble about them. And also when the elders love and serve the congregation. and do not patronize them or minimize God's gifting in them. Oh, it's certainly my prayer as a congregation that as the more we grow together as the body of Christ, we will open the lines of communication, strengthen the bonds of love between us, and respect one another in the God-given giftings He's given each one of us here in this congregation. that as a congregation you will not complain or grumble, but if there is a grievance, if there is a heartache, if there is a disappointment, you will come to us as your pastor, as your elders, and let us know. And that our job as elders and as a pastor is to equip you and serve you and enable you to do the work of the ministry. that God has called us here to do at first reformed. When you became a member of this church. You answered five questions or five vows and the very last vow asks of you to support the government and discipline of this church, that is to submit to your elders. And then it says to study in order to promote the peace and purity of the church. To study in such a way as to promote peace with your elders and with your brothers and sisters in Christ. To ask yourself the question, is what I'm about to say meant to destroy? Meant to tear down? Or meant to build up the body of Christ? meant to encourage, meant to address hurt and address sin in a way that brings honor to Christ and builds up the people of God. We must study to promote the peace and purity of the church. And so, Paul, in Paul's mind, the gospel of peace brings with it peace between leadership and the local congregation. But secondly, we see in the bulk of this text that Paul is desiring to promote peace with one another. The end of verse 13 is the bridge between the first section and the main section of this passage. He says, be at peace among yourselves. And you might say, well, that's fine, Paul. But how do I do it? What is peace look like in the local church? And so here from verses 14 on, he gives a pathway to promoting peace amongst the people of God. And notice here, Paul is addressing the entirety of the congregation. He's not simply identifying the leadership of the church, but he's addressing the entire family of God. Five times in this section in verses 12, 14, 25, 26 and 27. He gives a direct address to who he calls. Brothers, this word is a broad, generic term that actually includes brothers and sisters in Christ. It's as though he's saying, I'm writing to you, the family of God, to young and old, man and woman, elder and deacon, member of the congregation. These instructions are for you. Everyone has a part to play. Everyone has a role in this family. These instructions are not only for the leaders. These instructions are for everyone in this congregation because ministry is done by the entirety of the family of God. And so he says, here is how peace is promoted. amongst brothers and sisters in Christ. And he does so by beginning to focus on individual relationships within the Christian community. And then by the time he gets to the end of the chapter, he is working out to the point where he's focusing on our corporate worship together. And so here in verses 14 and following, Paul is giving us a summary of the Christian life. He is outlining those Christ like virtues that all of us are to cultivate as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I just want to walk through some of these with you here. First, in verse 14, he says, brothers or the family of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, you are to admonish the idol. That is literally the unruly or the disorderly. The word can be used in a military context of a soldier who is out of line, of one who disobeys a direct order, of someone who is unwilling to submit to the teaching of the Word of God. carries the idea of someone being undisciplined in their Christian life, admonish those who are struggling in their relationship with the Lord. But also that not only come with a direct word of admonishment, but encourage the fainthearted, show tenderness towards the discouraged, challenge them in boldness in their walk for Christ, But console the faint hearted in a way that prepares them for battle. To come alongside a brother or sister in Christ who is struggling, who tends to be introverted by disposition and not to come down on them in a heavy manner, but to come alongside, wrap your arm around them. Courage those who are weak of heart, reminding them the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Come to me, all you are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. We as a congregation, every one of us are to help the weak to support, uphold, embrace those who are spiritually, morally and physically struggling. in terms of the relationship to Christ and to one another. You know, we live in a day where there are wars and rumors of wars, where people live in threat of violence done to them, who have no security and no hope who struggle every Monday morning knowing whether or not they're going to have a job. And they live in a place where there is no rest and no peace. And the one place where they find refuge should be, I hope, the local church. That this is a place where those in our congregation, those who are members of our church family, who are struggling, who are weak in their own walk with the Lord, that we help and encourage and support our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. But in doing so, we are to be patient. Oh, it's a conviction of mine that is certainly developing the longer I grow as a Christian and the more I grow as a pastor. And that is the importance of developing a theology of patience. Remembering how long suffering God is with us When we are slow to understand His Word, when we are slow to be obedient, when we are slow to understand the doctrines of grace, when we are slow of heart The Lord has been patient and persistent in reminding us of his grace and mercy towards us in Jesus Christ. And yet, in the way we treat one another, we come down hard. We come down with little patience for one another. Why don't you act more like me? Why don't you listen to God's word? Why don't you do that? rather than exhibiting a sense of long-sufferingness towards one another, recognizing How gracious the Lord has been with you. It's certainly one of the commands that comes up over and over again in Paul's writings that we are to bear with one another in Christian love. And more than that, not only are we to be patient with one another, but we are not to repay evil for evil. The logic of the gospel is simple. As you have received grace, you give grace. You deserve evil. You deserve God's wrath and you get mercy. You deserve condemnation and you get grace. And yet, what do we do when evil is done to us? We retaliate, especially with those who are closest to us. And Paul is saying, do not repay evil for evil. Do not retaliate, but exhibit the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The logic of the Gospel is, as you have been loved, show the love of Christ. And with that, we rejoice always. He says, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. Do you see how Paul is moving then from your individual relationships that you have with one another and then bringing us together as the people of God? He's saying, you know, it's hard to be at war with one another. It's hard to be in a fight with someone that you are praying for. that you are worshipping with, that you are ministering to. It's hard to be at war with somebody that you are with them together in the presence of Almighty God. So, in the midst of dissension, in the midst of disagreement, in the midst of being wronged, give thanks in all circumstances. Pray without ceasing. Rejoice always before the Lord, recognizing what we have together That together we have the gospel of Jesus Christ, that together we have been saved and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, that together we have a common faith and a common commitment in this world. We have each other. We are a community that's been bought by the blood of Christ, and for that we have much to give God praise for. And so he says, give thanks in all circumstances, even when you've been wronged. You know, it's surprising to me, we often pray for big things. We pray for God to convert the world, we pray for God to make me excel for the glory of God. And yet we fail so often to give thanks for the small things. And Paul here is saying, give thanks for everything that you have, even your daily bread. As we said just a few minutes ago in the Lord's Prayer, understanding that everything we enjoy is from the sovereign hand of God. And so do not quench then the Holy Spirit when he is working in your midst. Paul here is referring to the quenching of fire, literally, the fire of the Holy Spirit. And it denotes the activity of the Spirit of God working in and through the very Word that He has inspired. And so, Jeremiah will use this same language when he talks about the fire in his bones to preach the Word of God. O Lord, do not let anything that I do to quench the activity and the working of the Spirit of God as he is given to me in word, in prayer, in the sacrament. Understanding, as John MacArthur has said, that the fire of God's Spirit is not to be doused with sin, but rather we are to keep the fire burning by stoking the flames of personal devotion by attending to the very ministry of the Spirit as he's working in and through the Word he has inspired. And so, right on the very heels of this, Paul says, do not then despise prophecies. Throughout the Word of God, a prophet is one who certainly speaks the future. Someone that God has endowed with a unique gift at a turning point within redemptive history to speak about something that God is doing. But more often than not, The idea of prophecy is utilized for those who interpret the very Word of God to you. And so, you come with attentive ears, with Berean-like faith, testing everything that is said, examining whether or not it jives with the very Word of God. Because as a congregation, we hold precious the very truth that God has given to us in His Word. And so, we hold fast to what is good and we abstain from evil. Like Joseph with Potiphar's wife, we flee evil and pursue righteousness. And it's something that we so desperately need one another to do. When we are isolated and by ourselves in terms of our relationship with God, it is so difficult to gain perspective even on our sin. And yet, when we place ourselves under the ministry of the Word, and even force ourselves to be with the people of God. We allow the light of the Gospel to shine on the darkness of our hearts and even expose our sin. It's hurtful at times, but it's so necessary for our own growth in grace that in order to abstain evil and hold fast to that which is good, we need one another. We need our brothers and sisters in Christ to pursue a life of peace before the face of God, to gain perspective even on our own besetting sin. And then in verse 25, Paul says, pray for us, that is pray for the ministry of the Word. Greet one another with a holy kiss. That is, love one another, greet one another, embrace one another, enjoy each other's company, have fellowship with one another. Do you enjoy being with each other as the people of God? You just come in, week in, week out, sit in your pew, get up and leave, come in, sit in your pew, get up and leave. Do you take the time? to greet one another and invest in each other so that peace is promoted amongst the people of God. And then he says, give attention to the reading of the Word of God. That we come with eager expectation to hear God's Word read and proclaimed. And so Paul here is concerned with peace with your leaders, peace with one another and ultimately peace with God. Now, may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus, for he who calls you is faithful. The peace with God brings the peace of God. We are enemies by nature. Genesis three, because of our sin, enmity exists between us and God. We are rebels and we deserve his wrath. And yet, because of the working of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul reminds us in Romans five, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. A relationship that is reconciled, peace that is restored, is one in which where the person that is estranged is now returned to the one who's been offended against. To have a peaceful relationship is to have your wife back. to have your friend back that you have been at odds with for 25 years, to have a reconciled relationship, to have peace between two warring parties, is to have a relationship that is restored. If there is a fight that I have with my wife, to be at peace with her means I have my wife back. And so it is with God. To be at peace with God is to have him back, is to be in an everlasting relationship with God that was purchased by the blood of Christ. And he at all costs will preserve that relationship through the activity of his sanctifying grace as he prepares us for that one day where we will see him face to face. And we have this glorious statement here that he who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. God has saved you. He will sanctify you and He will sustain you to the very end. What is so wonderful about the Gospel of Peace is that it is not as though God is a fickle God. That He loves you one day and hates you the next. He loves you one day and hates you the next. Know what we find and what we discover in the Gospel is that the Father looks at us and says, I gave you My Son. I spared not My Son for you. And I love you. You are My child. You were once My enemy. But I have purchased you with the blood of My own child, My own Son. And you are Mine. And I will love you forevermore. until eternity. And so the book ends with expectation of being reunited face to face with Almighty God. And so we pray, O Lord, come quickly. But until then, we recognize that the gospel of peace brings peace. Peace with your leaders. Peace with one another. And peace with your God. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for the Gospel of Grace. We thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ. We praise You for our justification by faith. We praise You for peace with Almighty God. We pray now that as we come to this table, You would remind us of Your reconciling grace, we pray in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen.