Our chickens are very selfish. When we give them greens, each one will grab the best leaf and run to the other side of the pen to eat it so that the others cannot get it. They think only of themselves.

Our sinful nature is often like the nature of chickens. We tend to live for self and not think much about anyone else. God doesn’t want Christians to be like selfish chickens. He wants us to live for others.

Transition

In this verse, Paul began a list of short commands. We will examine a few of them today and the others in future messages. The commands in verse 14 require that we live for others.

Remember that the word “exhort” means to call to one’s side to instruct, request, encourage, comfort, or counsel. Paul is tenderly sharing these commands with the Thessalonian believers for their good and for our good.

The 1st command is …

Warn Them that are Unruly

  1. We must begin by defining the terms
    1. The word “warn” means to admonish, warn or correct.
    2. The word “unruly” describes those who are disorderly or out of rank. They are not doing what is right.
    3. So we see that the command here is to speak words of warning to anyone who is getting out of line with Bible teaching.
  2. What is God commanding us to do?
    1. It is the duty of Christians to help each other stay in line. When you see someone who is doing something that is not biblically right, you need to speak lovingly to him or her about it. This is very important. But we must be careful.
    2. While God is not telling us to meddle in other people’s business, we must not ignore it when a person is doing wrong.
    3. Paul addressed a similar situation in Galatians 6:1 where he gives us helpful instructions. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
    4. We must be sure that we are walking close to God before we try to help someone else. So, this command is to keep ourselves right and to help others do right.
      The 2nd command is …

Comfort the Feebleminded

  1. We must begin by defining the terms
    1. The word translated “comfort” means to calm, to comfort, to console, or to encourage.
    2. Who are the “feebleminded”? These are not the simple-minded, but those who is faint-hearted. They are fearful and lack courage. They are those who are under stress and tempted to worry. These include those who are down-hearted, discouraged or defeated.
    3. The cause of being faint-hearted is not stated. Whether the burden is physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual, it has made them weak.
  2. What is God commanding us to do?
    1. It is the duty of every Christian to be an encourager. God wants you to be observant and notice when a fellow-believer is faint-hearted. When you notice it, then it is your job to calm, comfort, and encourage.
    2. Isaiah wrote, “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.” (Isa 35:3)
    3. In the letter to the Roman church we read, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” (Rom 15:1)
    4. Note that God did not say rebuke the faint-hearted. He said comfort them. When a person is down, fearful, worried, discouraged, stressed or defeated, he needs an uplift. Give him a word of encouragement. Pray with her. Ask God to show you a way to lift them up.
      The 3rd command is …

Support the Weak

  1. Again, we must begin by defining the terms
    1. The word “support” comes from a word that means, to hold before or against, hold back, withstand, endure; to keep one’s self directly opposite to any one, hold to him firmly, cleave to, or paying heed to him. The idea then is to support a person by holding him firmly to keep him from falling.
    2. The word “weak” describes anyone who is weak, infirm or feeble. God did not specify the type of weakness. It could be spiritually weak. It could be weak toward temptations. It could be physically weak or sickly. I do not know that it matters.
  2. What is God commanding us to do?
    1. Every Christian has the duty of upholding those who are unstable. It is tempting to ignore the weak, to criticize them for being weak or to get frustrated with them because they are weak.
    2. If you see that a Christian is spiritually weak, God wants you to seek to build him up. Be a loving supportive friend. That means you must be spiritual strong.
    3. If you see a Christian who is physically weak, you can lend them a hand, support them with prayer or help them in any way that you can.
    4. We must be willing to avoid doing anything (even if it is not wrong) that may cause a weak person to stumble. (1Cor 8:9) “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.”
    5. Many of us are weak in one way or another. We need the supportive encouragement of fellow Christians to help us during our weakness.
      The 4th command is …

Be Patient Toward All Men

  1. What does this mean?
    1. Patience is the virtue of calmly enduring troubles, disappointments and misfortunes. The word is sometimes translated “longsuffering”. It means to be long-spirited.
    2. We are to be patient toward all men. This does not excuse any sin of the person who is trying our patience. God will deal with them if they are doing wrong. God is simply pointing out our duty to be patient to everyone no matter what the situation. God will hold us accountable if we are impatient with irritating people.
  2. What is God commanding us to do?
    1. We are to be patient and calmly endure the frustrating actions of other people. People who are slow, late, rude, unkind or repeated offenders try our patience. Calmly enduring such people is not easy.
    2. “Be patient” is a verb. The noun of the same word is translated “longsuffering” in the list of the fruits of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” We need God’s help to produce patience because it is not a natural virtue for most of us.
    3. God is a perfect example of patient longsuffering. We are slow learners and repeated offenders, yet God is longsuffering toward us. (2Pet 3:9) “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Conclusion

This morning we have examined four brief commands that God gave to Christians. To do them, we are going to need God’s help. To warn the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, and support the weak, we are going to have to step out of our comfort zone. We cannot be like a self-centred chicken. We must reach out to others. We are going to have to love others. It is going to take some of our time. We are going to have to keep close to the Lord so that we reach out with a godly attitude. We especially need the fruit of the Spirit to be patient toward all people. Staying calm when people try our patience is not easy.

God never asks us to do something that He will not enable us to do if we depend on Him. I challenge you to ask God to help you do these four commands.

Song: Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord – 337
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Christian Duties to Others
1 May 2016 AM – 1Thessalonians 5:14 – 1Th2016 – Scott Childs