2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

for even when we are with you, we would give you this command, if anyone is not willing to work, let him not.

If we look around, we'll see that part of the reason Paul says that is actually because of his own life, because of the example he left to this church. If you have your Bible open, look up at verse 7. Paul writes,

For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it. But with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.

And what that shows us is that Paul's personal motive for working was simply provision, to be self-sufficient, to provide for his own needs. He was setting an example to the church of someone that works so that he doesn't be a burden to others. The problem with the idol is that in contrast they're being willingly burdensome. of their brothers, and that's what Paul wants to stop by issuing this command. That's why he says,

if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

And it's worth noting that Paul isn't giving a universal political and economic law about work and money. He doesn't have economics in mind here. If you believe that, you could use this verse to justify all kinds of things, like child labor, when the kids at work eat, we'd have to stop feeding those who are elderly and retired, even the wives and moms that work so hard at home to raise us and feed us. And that's worth noting because, fun fact, Lenin and Stalin used this verse to justify communism. I just thought that was something interesting. But Paul doesn't have that kind of thing in mind. His focus is very specific, it's on preventing the church from being exploited. He wants the church to stop being used, that's why he says,

let them not eat.

And I think he has to say that to Christians, because the right instinct of the Christian is to give, right? When someone's lacking, it is a good thing to give to meet their need. But what verse 10 warns us of, is that there will be people in the world and even in our communities who seek to exploit that generosity. And it should remind us, we should not enable their idleness by our misplaced charity. Instead, we should call for their repentance. That's what Paul does in verses 11 and 12. He writes,

for we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busy bodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and earn their own living.

" And so the point is pretty straightforward, right? He's saying the idol should be busy, working to provide for themselves rather than being a busy body, being unproductive, exploitative, being a meddler as Caleb taught us. And because Caleb already went over the dangers of being a busy body a few weeks ago, I don't Instead, I want us to focus on what Paul says should happen if idleness is found in the church. He says, if the idle don't repent, they should be disciplined. Look at verse 6, he says,

keep away from the idle.

Verse 14, he says,

don't associate with the idle so they may be ashamed.

Verse 15,

admonish that person as a brother or sister.

And we should see that as a serious call to discipline the idol. Think of even the other sins in scripture where we're commanded to shun the disobedient Christian. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul writes,

do not associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality, greed, or as an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler, not even to eat with such a one.

And here's something to consider. Paul says idleness should be treated the same way. We should put the idol in disfellowship. It's that serious. Paul even says in 1 Timothy 5,

anyone does not provide for his relatives And especially for members of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

And the point of all that is this. Christians are commanded to work. And the reason is that we would simply provide for ourselves and for our loved ones. That we would not be a burden to one another. That's the example Paul leaves for us in his own life and teaches us by these words. We should work to provide simply because it's commanded. And so that's one reason. The other one comes from verse 13. Verse 13 should encourage us to work to provide not only because it's commanded, but also because it's commended. Working to provide is commended by Paul in verse 13. Listen to what he says. Paul says to the working members of the church,

ask for you, brother,

And I want us to see that the good these brothers are commended for and encouraged to keep on doing is simply working quietly and earning their own living. And I want that to sink in for us because I think Christians often seek to cloak their work in some greater cause or spiritual motive in order to justify why it takes up so much of our time, our effort, our lives. We often don't see paying the bills as a good enough reason to work that seems materialistic or even unspiritual to be motivated to work for money or bread. Just because it's ordinary doesn't mean it's not a good thing. You see that? Even in the example of our Lord. Think of Christ. He glorified God not just in the divine things he did, his miracles, his incredible teaching, but also in the things he did as someone fully human. So human that he worked as a carpenter for most of his life. Part of his sinless and perfect living His work in fulfilling every letter of God's law was working with his hands to pay the bills. And actually, one of the things he even got in trouble for with the Jewish leaders was working to provide on the Sabbath. Think of Matthew 12. Jesus sees his disciples hungry, and he passes through a grain field to pick and eat some food with them. Our Lord was a provider. Think of him feeding the masses. Think of him on the beach, resurrected, cooking fish over a fire with a group of his close friends. We too, when we provide for our loved ones, when we work to put food on the table, are imitating Christ. We are imaging God, who is our protector. And that's true for us, whatever we find that God has called us to do. work in the church, or teach in schools, or work in the hospital, or hang gutters. If we are working to provide and to love our neighbor, be encouraged that you are pleasing your Father in heaven. And Paul tells us we should not grow weary in doing that good. And I think he says that because he's acknowledging the reality that, in this world, work is cursed. We eat our bread by the sweat on our face. It's hard, and it's wearisome. But the solution isn't to follow the idol. The solution isn't to quit. From this verse, we see that our God wants us to endure, to go a little further, knowing this truth. At the end of the race, Christ will grant us a true and satisfying rest. God has promised to save us from the curse. He promised to save us even while he was cursing the ground. Remember again Genesis 3. God promised to send us a child who would conquer Satan. But we know that Son came. That Son was Jesus Christ. The incarnate Son of God who came to reverse the curse. To save His fallen images. To save us. And that's part of the bad news. We are the problem, right? I'm sure we don't have to look inside for too long to know that we are all fallen, broken, and lost. We don't love God. We neglect Him and reject Him. We don't love our neighbors, our coworkers. We get frustrated and angry with them. We talk behind their backs. We throw tantrums at them. I confess to you, I'm guilty of all these things and even more. And that's why the cross is so scandalous. The innocent gave his life for the guilty, the righteous for the unrighteous, the creator for the criminal. Christ, think about this, the incarnate author of creation, allowed himself to be nailed to a tree that he spoke into existence. By hands, he fashioned from dust. so that, as the only sinless man to ever live, he would shed the blood that would actually take away our sins. And having defeated death in that sacrifice, he rose from the grave. And where is he now? Ascended at the right hand of the Father. the call for us. As we wait for Him to come back, it's simple. It's to work. And when Christ does come back, when the day the Thessalonians long for finally does arrive, God's Word says that Christ will look at those of us who have worked faithfully at the post He's assigned to us, And he will say,

well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. Enter into the joy of your master.

Amen. Let's close with that.