A Time to Refrain From Embracing
2 Thessalonians 3: “14 And if any man obey not our word ||by bthis epistle, note that man, and chave no company with him, that dhe may be ashamed. 15 eYet count him not as an enemy, but fadmonish him as a brother.” [1]
I. Disobedience
A. Worthy
B. Word
II. Distance
A. Withdraw
B. Withhold
III. Discontentment
A. Weary
B. Wait
Introduction: There is a big phrase that so-called Bible Scholars like to use. When you attend a Bible college or seminary you hear quite a bit about the “canonization of the scriptures.” I first thought that they were talking about the power of the Bible as if it were like a big gun; a cannon. The word canon without three n’s means a standard that is used for measuring.
Like a tape measure or a yard stick, the canon in olden days was used to make sure that things were as they were supposed to be. If it measured up then it had proper canonization. The way we got the Bible with the sixty-six books that we have in the Old and New Testaments was when a group of churches got together, prayed for God’s guidance, and came to a conclusion for which books belong in the Bible. Some other denominations include manuscripts which the canonization counsel decided to leave out. Those other documents are known as apocrypha which means “left out.” It is not a bad thing to study some of the other writings but I agree through faith that the sixty-six books of the Bible are the correct books which were included by the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
For Bible believing Christians the canon which is the Bible is the undeniable truth that all which is said to be righteous is measured against. If a new idea comes and it fully disagrees with the teaching of the Bible then it must come into question.
For the past few weeks we have examined Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians concerning the idea that churches were then and are still important. Therefore our gatherings should not be taken lightly. The church in Thessalonica was under attack back then. Outsiders were doing much to disrupt that church and other churches from gathering.
Though it was not by my design, it is through no coincidence that we have gone through these letters in this series of messages at this particular time. When I felt called to develop these sermons it was not intentional on my part to interject my ideas concerning church attendance. My past includes times when I didn’t feel the need to gather and in fact I never needed an excuse to cut church for doing other “fun” stuff. As they say, “I’m a good one to talk about the importance of church going.” God definitely has a great sense of humor.
This new thing or idle called coronavirus has certainly turned the world upside down. People seem overly concerned about only this new thing. There have been real plagues in the past and people reacted much differently then. When bad times came, people flocked to church even though they had been negligent before. Nobody could have talked them away.
So is there ever a time or a reason that we should not gather together? What does God’s measuring stick say about this twisted idea of social disgathering?
Scripture: Today’s scripture is 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15. When you have found it please rise to your feet for the reading of God’s written word.
Prayer: Please be seated
Message: Follow along as we read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18. King Solomon is understood to be the author of Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes 3 are those famous words that were even turned into a song in the late sixties. To everything there is a purpose. God makes no mistakes and He allows no mistakes. If a thing happened then God allowed the thing. Paul said in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called for His purpose.
So we can deduce that all things that God allows to happen are purposed to be good for believers who answer His call. The question as we gather today is this; is there ever a time when refraining to embrace is a righteous thing? Solomon said that there is. Paul explained when that time is in Philippians 3:6.
If a person is not walking with Christ but is taking a path of disorder in the church we are to withdraw from that person. So right off we should understand that this idea of social disgathering is a form of punishment that should eventually lead to the return of a wayward church family member.
Of course if you read back in Leviticus about disease in the camp while the children of Israel were in the worlderness or wilderness there is that time when people were taken outside of the camp to prevent the spread of disease. Even then I find nothing of a mass separation. From everything I find in the Bible, quarantine is to remove the threat of disease that a few have so that the masses can stay together. This thing that Paul is describing is also disease. It’s called sin! Stay away from the disease!
In verse seven there is that uncomfortable thing that Paul insists on again and it used to scare me to think about. Use my example as your guide of how to live. Follow us! We didn’t act disorderly with you. Paul went on to talk about taking things that a person is not entitled to. We didn’t eat anyone’s food without them giving it to us freely. If we didn’t do that why do you think it’s OK for anyone else? In fact if you don’t work you’re not entitled to eat.
There is a spiritual side to this idea of not eating unless you work. The outside observer might see Paul and James at odds about faith. Most agree that Paul preaches salvation comes though faith in Jesus alone and does not require work and can’t be bought by works. James said that faith without works is dead. Spiritual food is available when a believer takes what is given and uses it for God’s glory. Therefore if you do not share your faith you will not receive more faith.
Paul continues that point talking about people who do not share their faith and actually attempt to quench the Spirit by spreading disorder. He called them busybodies. Let them eat their own bread and don’t let their attitudes bring you down to their level. Don’t let the bad rub off onto you. You true believer must keep on believing and doing what you know is righteous. Be not weary of well doing. Don’t get tired of spreading God’s love!
Now back to the focal verse. If any person is disobedient to the word that is worthy to be preached, take note of that person. Watch that person and keep an eye out for something that might flag your attention and do your best to disregard that person before their bad attitude rubs you in the wrong direction. In everything you do, do not be misled by someone’s bad behavior.
It sounds very hard to even think about such a thing especially in this age of acceptance for everything that is upside down. We are being programmed to think that we all must tolerate everything others do while the only thing not to be tolerated is that which we know to be true from the scriptures. We are living in strange times indeed.
Even the neighsayers agree with the premise here that Paul is making. Distance yourself from those who disbelieve what you believe. If someone unfriends you on Facebook because your Christian views are against what they believe, they are playing into this idea of distancing. Do not think of this as an unwarranted attack. They have done you a favor.
Even the disbelievers understand that distancing is a form of punishment. Why are we falling into the idea that this so-called social distancing in His church is a good idea for us all to do? If there is a troublemaker in the family then have no company with the troublemaker.
Withdraw your person from that person. Withhold your presence but never your love. Why did Paul say to do this? There are people dying apart from their loved ones now all over the world because of the misinterpretation of the idea of distancing from those we love. Why did Paul say way back then to do this thing? Bring them back by making them temporarily uncomfortable.
There it is in the last part of verse fourteen. We are to do this so that our loved one might be ashamed of themselves. So there it is again; punishment that brings back relationship. If that person is truly a Christian there will be a weariness that overtakes them after a while of separation. It is not good that man should be alone. It’s not ever a good thing. In the last verse of our text today Paul insists that we not consider a wayward member as an enemy. Wait for them to become weary of the discontentment so that they will want to come back into the fold.
Prayer:
Invitation: If you have nobody that comes to mind through this message today you are unique. I have several on my list and it hurts. How can a person remove themselves from the side of one that they love? Don’t you know that God did that? God loves us! He had to distance Himself from us for a time because He is Holy and cannot be where sin is.
To reward bad behavior only reinforces the idea that the wayward believer is doing OK. Never ever stop praying because as long as we draw breath we have hope that God is not done. Yes sometimes we must separate and distance ourselves as Jesus and His disciples did in the room when they took the last supper. Remember this though; after Jesus separated Himself then He died for those He had separated Himself from. Let us examine ourselves and the purposes for which we choose to separate from others.
|| Or, signify that man by an epistle.
b See Col. 4:16.
c See 1 Cor. 5:11. So ver. 6.
d See 1 Cor. 4:14.
e See Lev. 19:17.
f 1 Thess. 5:12, 14 (Gk.). Comp. Tit. 3:10.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Th 3:14–15). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
