1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Title: Keep on Working!

As Paul reaches the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians, he encourages them to keep doing the good works they have been doing. He warns them not to grow complacent and lazy. He wants them to keep on working and to stay focused on what really matters.

The movie “Shawshank Redemption” is the story of a man who was wrongfully imprisoned and it deals, in part, with how the inmates cope with surviving inside prison, and it also touches on how hard it is for many to learn how to adjust to life on the outside when they are released. One of the quotes they repeat is, “Get busy living or get busy dying.” It is meant to remind them that if you aren’t busy doing the things that bring you life, you will get busy dying.

Now there are many people in the world that think that getting busy living means working hard to provide for a retirement that might not come. Or to try to squeeze as much out of life before it’s their time to go. They think that is living, but they really are busy dying. For it is dying and the temporary nature of this life that motivates them. All the work they do is for a temporary benefit.

But we as Christians, we are to be busy living. For us, our labor isn’t about death, it’s about working for life. A life that will never end. How much more should we be willing to work hard for that eternal reward. Jesus warns us not to work for the things of this world that time can destroy, but to seek first the Kingdom of God, and work for the eternal reward of God that nothing can take away from us.

This is Paul’s encouragement as he closes his letter. Keep working hard, work for the things that matter, and trust the Lord will bring about the results He has promised.

I. Work Hard

Paul, just as he had at the start of his letter, points out the value of hard work. In v. 12 he says to “acknowledge those who work hard among you.” This refers to all those who encourage us in the faith. We are to acknowledge them, and give thanks for them. And while we don’t do those work in order to receive human praise, giving thanks is a good way to motivate them to continue. When we express our gratitude, it helps to energize people and to reinforce that the work that is done for the Lord matters. And it encourages them to continue to reach out to others as well.

In v. 14, Paul tells the church that they need to “warn those who are idle and disruptive.”

The congregation is not meant to be an audience. Every member has a work that God has called them to. Now we are not all called to the same work, but there is something for everyone to do. There is always someone to encourage, someone to pray for, someone to ask them to pray for you – all these things are important works. So while we stress the importance of working, we also need to be mindful that not everyone’s work will look the same. Just because someone isn’t doing what you do doesn’t mean that they are idle or disruptive, they might just be a different part of the body of Christ – and we need all the parts of the body.

In v. 14, Paul continues, “encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”

Yes, we are to warn those who are intentionally idle, but we need to be careful that we don’t despise those who need help. Luther once said that God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does. For there will be a time when all of us will need help in some way. There may be times when we are busy working, and there are times when we may need to be encouraged and helped. We need to be patient enough to find out what is going on so we don’t unintentionally crush someone who may need our patience and encouragement. And don’t despise what may seem like small works, for in our Gospel lesson, Jesus shows us that nothing done in His name, for the benefit of others, is insignificant. Every act of kindness will be remembered.

II. Work in the Spirit – What Works We Should Do

In v. 16, Paul lists some of these works we are to do, “¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

And while it seems that Paul is putting more emphasis on “spiritual” work, this also includes the physical labor we do for the Lord. For even the physical work we do is a spiritual work if we do it for the sake of the Lord. If we do it willingly, joyfully, heartily, and if we do it out of thankfulness and prayer, our physical labor becomes a spiritual work. This is really what worship is all about. Worship is a mix of the spiritual and the physical. Yes, we worship God in Spirit, but that overflows to the physical, as it says in our Psalm. In vv. 1-2, it says that we sing, we shout, and we gather together. In vv. 4-6, it even says that we are to praise the Lord for His physical work – the work of Creation – in which He made us, the earth, the sea, the heavens and everything in them. God’s physical work is praiseworthy.

In our Gospel lesson, we see we are to show the love of God with others in physical, tangible ways.  And God said those works are praiseworthy as well. Because these are not natural things; they are supernatural. They are the works of the Holy Spirit living in us. For rejoicing in good times and bad is a sign of hope; praying is a sign of faith, and giving thanks in all circumstances is a sign of trust.

So Paul, in vv. 19-22, he warns, “¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.”

We must be on guard so that we don’t neglect the Holy Spirit. And even though it is easy to neglect the spiritual aspect in our day-to-day life, it is just as easy to ignore the spiritual aspect of the Church. In some churches, the pastor is treated more like a CEO than a spiritual leader. Some churches incorporate a normal business model to the structure and outreach of the Church. But when we treat the church like any other earthly group, we are quenching the work of the Spirit. Every part of church life needs to be covered and born of prayer. The focus of every ministry need to be the salvation of souls and the building up of believers. In all things, we need to let the Spirit work. Let the Spirit work in different ways through different people. Don’t reject something new just because it’s new; don’t reject the old and traditional things just because they are old. Test everything. First, does it align with God’s Word? Second, is it helpful for spiritual growth? Third, does it lead us into those good works? Does it lead us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances? Does it lead us to encourage the disheartened? By asking these questions, it can help us keep the focus always on the work of the Holy Spirit.

III. Trust God with the Results – It is Truly His Work

Paul concludes his letter by reminding them to keep the proper focus. Even in our work, we need to be reminded that all of it is truly God’s work. In v. 23 he reminds them that our salvation is entirely God’s work, “²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God sanctifies us, not our works. God keeps us blameless. Yes, we are to work, and work hard, but we are never to put our trust in those works. It is God alone, His grace and mercy, that saves us. And that is the final thing Paul reminds them of. That God never expects you to have the strength to do these things alone, we are always to live our lives in dependance on Him.

In v. 24 he continues, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” We should be thankful God has included us in His work, humbled that He has allowed us to play a role, and amazed that He has even promised to reward the work we do in His name. But we arthe results are always dependent exclusively on God. He will do it, trust in Him, even when it is hard to see where He is leading us, or when He leads us down a path we do not want to go. He is faithful, and He will do it.

We need to trust this even when we don’t see the results. In our Gospel lesson, the believers were surprised to find out that the things they were doing were so valuable to the Lord. Perhaps in those works, they were even discouraged because they didn’t see immediate, tangible results. And in the same way, Paul is exhorting the believers here to keep going, to keep doing the good things you are doing, even if it doesn’t seem to be making a difference. Take heart, trust the Lord, and keep working. Paul summed up this same thought this way in Philippians 2:12-13, “¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Amen.