Brothers and sisters, please turn to 1 Thessalonians 5. 1 Thessalonians 5. To give honor to God and His holy word, we'll stand as we read together from 1 Thessalonians 5, starting at verse 12. Hear the holy and infallible word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5, 12. But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Let's pray. Thank you for this, your word. We pray, oh Lord, that you would bless our hearing, that you would help us to be those who are not just hearers, but doers of this, your word, and help us, we pray, open our hearts and minds, and help me that you would give your Holy Spirit unto me to help me to preach in a way that's pleasing in your sight. But we ask these things in the name of Jesus, our Lord, amen. Please be seated. The beginning of this epistle, the first at least three chapters would tell you that this church, the church in Thessalonica, was a good church, a very good church. They had many commendable things. It's one epistle that really opens with a lot of praise for this particular church. They were vibrant, they loved the gospel, the word spread, they showed kindness to others, they ministered to the needs of the saints. There was many things you could say that how they turned away from idols and to the living God. And you would say, this was a fabulous church, a great church. But how do you take a good church or even a great church and make it even better? I would find that this section in chapter five, through the end of at least the end of verse 11 is an excellent section. Well, actually not just verse 11, through the end of the first epistle, gives a great deal of instruction how to make a great church even better, a vibrant church even. This previous section that we studied last time, verses 1 through 11, concluded with these words in verse 11 concerning the return, the sudden return of Jesus. this sudden unanticipated return where Jesus will come back at any moment. It says in verse 11, therefore, encourage one another and build up one another just as you also are doing. Remembering how when Jesus returns, he will bring us to himself. Those who are on the earth, will not meet the Lord first, but those who are in the graves will be resurrected first. And then together with those who were in the graves will be resurrected. And also those of us who are still present upon the return of Jesus, we'll all meet the Lord in the air. And it will be a glorious meeting. of the blessed Lord Jesus. And we do wanna remember that it's a good thing to meet the Lord in the air, because shortly after that time, we believe that according to Peter's epistle, that God's gonna cleanse the earth with fire, and you don't wanna be on the earth when it's being cleansed with fire. So that's what's gonna happen. That's the beginning of the sufferings of those who are resurrected from the dead unto everlasting damnation, not only suffering the cleansing of the earth by fire, but also being cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. As we get to this section again, this encouragement he mentions in verse 11, therefore encourage one another and build up one another just as you're doing. He's gonna give a continuation, I would say, of this instruction of encouragement of building up one another as we look at verses 12 through 15 this evening. The main focus for our study in God's word tonight is that you are to seek each other's good The main focus in this passage is that you are to seek each other's good. And we'll see this in two main points. Appreciate your church leaders. And secondly, ways you are to seek each other's good. So the first way we are to seek God's good and the peace of this church, or any church, is to appreciate our church leaders. Look at verses 12 through 13. But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. Now, I believe that we should apply these verses to teaching elders, which could be also described or also known as pastors or gospel ministers, teaching elders, but also ruling elders. Ruling elders and gospel ministers are those who are given charge over you. So it's not just pastors, but it's ruling elders and pastors, but also deacons, because they labor in the work of the church as well. Show appreciation for these in particular. But I do believe that even though we ought to show appreciation because of the labors of these in this church, the end of verse 12 does seem to focus a bit on instruction and admonishing the congregation. Now, this word here in the New American Standard is described as instructing Now, it's actually a bit richer than that. It's not just instruction. The Greek word there is nutheteo, nutheteo. Now, one source describes it as this, to counsel about avoidance or cessation of an improper course of conduct, to admonish, to warn, and instruct. That's the kind of thing that's gonna happen when you have a session meeting, or I'm sorry, a visitation by the session. If there's somebody in the church that has a problem, they've fallen into a particular sin, it's not just the job of the pastor, but the entire leadership of the church, the pastor and elders will admonish and warn and instruct someone, encourage them to turn away from their sin and turn after faithfulness unto the Lord. Now, if you've probably ever heard this name before, and I do credit this man for being one guy that God used in a great fashion that convinced me to even want to serve in the church at all. I wasn't desirous to become a pastor until I really started studying Jay Adams. Dr. Jay Adams was a man who was, I would call him the founder of the modern Christian counseling movement. Before the incoming of Dr. J. Adams into the church, a lot of people, if they had depression, a lot of people, if they had anxiety, and a lot of people, if they had some sort of problem of that sort, pastors would say, I can't really help you. I think you should go and go talk to the psychologist or talk to the psychiatrist. But Dr. J. Adams encouraged counseling in the church to help people with those problems. And he said that people, pastors, should be competent to counsel. And that was one of his famous books, Competent to Counsel. But after his death, he had his organization, it was adopted by Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, and it's now called the Mid-America Institute for Noothetic Studies. He loved this word. Neuthetaios so much, which means to counsel, to instruct, to warn, to correct even. He loved this word so much he even named his counseling association after this Greek word, the Neuthetic Association. Colossians 3 verse 4. says that it's not just pastors, not just elders, says that every Christian should seek to counsel one another. Look at that in your outline. Colossians 3 verse 4. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing, that's the word, nutheteo, one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Again, it's a calling that's given to every Christian. But in this context, in 1 Thessalonians 5, those who labor in the church to instruct, to admonish, to warn, to give oversight, those are the ones in particular that it's pointing to here, to the ruling and teaching elders. But again, this instructing, this counseling, this neuthetizing, this confronting, correcting, it's not just what comes up in the pulpit. It's also one-on-one interaction. It's also group, maybe group meetings when people are brought together to have a visit with a pastor or an elder. It is not just the work in the pulpit. Notice that when verse 12 mentions this appreciation and esteem, it's not saying that you should offer material things or give money or give stuff like that to show appreciation or to show your esteem to those who diligently labor among you. You don't find that in this text. But I believe what's talked about here, this esteem, this appreciation is something that's a matter of the heart. How do you think about that person? How do you talk about that person? What are some ways that you could esteem or appreciate them? Let's look a little bit more at what these words mean. The Greek word translated as appreciate in verse 12, is most often translated as to know. In the context here, to know is to realize or be aware of those who diligently labor among you. In other words, you're to take notice of them, recognize them. I don't think that this passage is saying, oh, you know, why don't we come up with a pastor's appreciation day? Well, somebody's already done that. I think it's probably second Sunday in October or something like that. But just like you would have a day of appreciation for your teacher at school, let's have a day of appreciation for the pastor. I don't think that's the mandate given in this particular text. But we'll look a little bit more at what is called for here. The Greek word esteem, verse 13, can be translated as to consider or regard. And a very good translation, actually, I don't always wanna cite the NIV, but the NIV 1985 edition has a good translation of verse 13. Hold them in the highest regard and love because of their work. Now, here's where I have to kind of give you some instruction that I don't find that's in this text. What is the appreciation and what is the esteem that you are to give? It doesn't tell us how we are to give esteem or appreciation. But I would say one way to show is to faithfully attend to their instruction. I'm gonna tell you right now, it is hard, and I know from experience, it's hard to come to morning worship and evening worship and Sunday school, makes for a pretty long day. But I tell you what, it really, really encourages the pastor. When you have people coming morning and evening, it really does. It's a big encouragement to a pastor. I would say that's one way that you can show your esteem and one way you can show your appreciation is that, you know, really make a serious endeavor to be there morning and evening. But a better way, the ultimate way, is not just to be there morning and evening, but to heed the instruction given. And by putting that instruction into practice, There's nothing that brings joy and shows appreciation to a pastor by seeing a member in the church growing in grace, listening to what the minister says, and seeking to endeavor to put it to practice. To me, that's probably one of the greatest showings of appreciation that you can imagine. This text goes on. and says, in the Church there are other ways that we are to seek each other's good besides heeding and encouraging and esteeming those who minister in the Church, those who serve in the Church. Look at this second main point. Ways that you are to seek each other's good. Now, these following verses, verses 13 through 15, I believe it really is summed up by the words here in verse 15. Always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. The end of verse 15. So it was a series of things that we can do to seeking each other's good. The end of verse 13 says that you are to live in peace with one another. If you want to break up a church, get people who are divided against each other, get people who have a root of bitterness against each other, and that's going to do some severe damage to a church. But the thing to do is to have a church where people live in peace with one another. If someone wrongs you, you could just say, well, love covers a multitude of sins. But a lot of times it's kind of hard to let things go. And if someone wrongs you and it keeps coming up to mind, you are required by God, Matthew 18, to go to that person and to tell them, I feel that you've hurt me. I feel that you've wronged me. I feel that you've treated me in a way that's unfair. The party that's been offended, you're to go to them and talk to them. And if they don't listen to you, take somebody else as a witness. then try to go to them and if they don't listen to them, if they don't listen to the witness that you brought along, take the matter to the church. Matthew 18. Now, if you are the party who's done the offending and you know you've hurt someone, don't wait for them to come to you. Say, you know, I think I was too harsh to so-and-so. And maybe I should go talk to them and apologize. That's the thing that we ought to do to make peace in the church. Rather than waiting for them to come to you, you should seek to come to them. So whether you're the party who did the offending, or you're the party who's been offended against, the ideal thing is to have you come in the middle. Both of you guys, or ladies, coming at the same time, and then you meet in the middle, and you both talk to one another, and one says, I'm sorry for offending you, or maybe even asking for forgiveness if necessary. And meet in the middle would be the ideal thing. Each person on the route to reconcile with the other. So again, that's one way that we could live in peace with one another. Secondly, the strength of a particular church is not just in having faithful church leaders. It is essential to have faithful church leaders, but I think what's even better is that if the church leaders train up the body where you have a sound, godly body of believers who seriously endeavor to build the body up together. Think about that. It's just not the pastor who, if someone's in a problem or falling into sin, it's not just the pastor to go talk to him, but each and every one in the church shows care and concern. Frank, how are you doing? I know we haven't seen you at church for a while. Or Frank, I know that you were committed, you know, something happened and you hurt so and so. I think you should go apologize. It shouldn't be just the pastor and elders, it should be each and every one of us in the church. Look at verse, there's a way that we see this in this text. It's mature Christians are to admonish one another. Look at verse 14. Verse 14 opens by saying, we urge you brethren, admonish. That's that new, the tale, admonish the unruly. warn them, admonish them, instruct them, encourage them in the way that they should go to turn away from being unruly. Again, we read earlier from Colossians 3, 4 that this is a mandate, not just for pastors, but it is a mandate for all Christians to counsel, instruct, and even warn one another. James encourages this himself, it's not just the pastor, but James says this, each Christian in the body is to endeavor to turn away a straying brother. Look at James 5, 19 and 20. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and turns one back and turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. That should be an encouragement to you. That if you have somebody in your church and you're encouraging them to turn away from sin and turn back to Christ, that you are, God is using you as an instrument to help save someone's soul. Again, further instruction for the entire church. is that you are to admonish one another. There's instruction here in verse 14. It says here that you are to encourage the fainthearted. You think of a person who's fainthearted, a person who's easily upset. Maybe a person who's always crying at the littlest thing. A person who's very anxious could be a person who's fainthearted. Don't just treat them like they're not a Christian because they have problems with anxiety or they have problems with, I guess, having a weak faith. Build them up. Encourage them. And that's how you can build up someone who has a weak faith to become a person with strong faith. Help the weak. It sounds very similar to encouraging the fate-horned. It doesn't say whether it's a weak spiritually or weak physically, but maybe it could be both. If you have somebody who has needs and you might consider them to be those who have weakness of some sort and need help in the church, ask your deacons. Ask your deacons and say, hey, is there somebody that I can help with? I want to help somebody who needs help in the church. Speaking from experience as a deacon, there's nothing deacons love more than to hear from somebody else, hey, deacon so-and-so, how can I help in the church? Is there something I do to help you in your work in the church? At the same time, deacons shouldn't be too shot and delegate. Maybe you could help delegate to people when there's someone who needs help and is weak. It says here in verse 14 again, be patient with everyone. God has been patient with you. Since God has been patient with you, endeavor to be patient with one another. To be patient is to suffer long. When someone wants to get you aggravated, when someone is I mean, a lot of us can say that we know what it's like to aggravate others, or we know what it's like when people aggravate us. But if you're patient, instead of just flying off the handle, you'll be able to listen. And even when someone deserves to be fussed at, or if someone is upset with you and uses a mean tone of voice, if you use a mean tone of voice in return, you're just going to cause a fight. But instead, be patient. Be kind. And that pairs along with this final instruction in verse 15. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. If someone curses at you, Do not go into cursing in return. If someone uses anger against you, do not cause yourself to be angry in return. If someone sins against you, do not seek to sin again against them in return. Think about this. If God judged us and treated us by giving us everything that we are owed, we would be in a terrible fix. But God is merciful to us. When we sin and we fail him, God doesn't return unto us retribution, but he is kind and merciful to us. Therefore, don't repay evil with evil, but show mercy when someone even doesn't deserve it. God causes the rain and the sun to shine upon and to give growth to both the just and the unjust, and in like fashion, we are to seek the good, not only for the people in the church, but for all people. So in this text, It tells us there are ways that we are to build up one another, that we are to help one another. The first thing is to show appreciation, to show esteem to your church leaders, your elders, your deacons, your teaching and ruling elders, those who labor in the church. But also you are to seek each other's good. Courage the faint-hearted, admonish the unruly, help the weak, be patient with everyone, don't repay evil for evil, but imitate your God. When Jesus Christ suffered, he suffered and did not return in what was due, but even when he was being crucified, he said, Lord, forgive them for they do not know what they do. And God fulfilled that. Jesus prayed that God would not repay retribution to those who were crucifying him. And on that day of Pentecost, many of those who were responsible and crying out, crucify him, crucify him. On that day of Pentecost, when Peter was preaching, they said, what did we do? And Peter then gave them the answer, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus, you and your household and you will be saved. And they did repent and God spared them because they were given grace for that evil they delivered upon him. Let's pray together. We thank you our glorious Lord for this your word. We thank you that you have not repaid our evil and our sin for what it is due, but that you have given us love and mercy, kindness and patience and forgiveness through your son, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And help us, we pray, to imitate our blessed Lord Jesus, that we would be those who do not repay evil for evil, Help us to build up each other. Help us to admonish each other, to encourage and challenge, and even warn each other. Help us to encourage the faint-hearted. Help us to help the weak. Help us to be patient with each and every one. And in all these things, help us to shine as lights in this dark world, that people would see that we truly love you, and that we truly love one another. For we ask all these things in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen. For our closing hymn, let's stand and sing together. 409, bless be the tie that binds.