Spiritual Leader's Absolute Trust in God: 2 Thess Lesson 11

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

The Spiritual Leader’s Absolute Trust in God

 Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians 3 this morning. We are going to read this chapter together. The theme of this final chapter in this letter is the confrontation of those within the church who were living irresponsible lifestyles. It isn’t difficult to identify the nature of the problems Paul addresses in this chapter. You can watch for that as we read through the chapter. Read the text.

Last week we did an overview this chapter to capture an understanding of what Paul was instructing the Thessalonians to do and why. In this chapter Paul is asking these Christians to do some difficult things. It is hard to deal with people in the church whose lives are not in step with the Scriptures. Yet, this is exactly what Paul is commanding these people to do. He tells them to keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life. He tells them to let the one who will not work go hungry. He tells the one who is acting like a busybody to work and eat his own bread, and stop depending on everyone else. He tells them that if anyone does not obey the instructions of this letter, the rest are to refuse to associate with that person so they are put to shame.

While there are very few churches today willing to take these steps, these are important instructions. These instructions are important because the church is the bride of Christ. Christ wants a bride that is sanctified, holy, and undefiled. The spiritual leadership of the church must be willing to do what God has called church leaders to do. Pastors and elders are called to shepherd the flock of God. We have a responsibility to feed, lead, and protect the flock. We protect from doctrinal impurity because bad doctrine will make you spiritually sick. We protect from sinful influences because bad influences corrupt. The church needs leaders like Paul who have the courage and conviction to stand up and lead the church to become a bride that Christ wants, and to protect His bride from threats.

Paul was that kind of leader. He never shirked his responsibility to the church. He confronted all error. He rebuked all who were not living lives according to the truth. He wrote this second letter to the Thessalonians from the city of Corinth, so you know he had a lot of opportunity practice what he preached, to confront both bad doctrine and aberrant lifestyles. Paul was committed to dealing with the problem people in the church. He held firmly to the conviction that the word of God was to be believed and that the way you demonstrated belief was by the way you lived. He had the courage to deal with those whose lifestyles proved them to be problems within the fellowship.

But let’s be honest about something. Confronting problem people in the church is never easy. In my 35 years of ministry here I have yet to have dealt with a problem person and walked away from the experience saying, “boy, that was fun.” This is not something I wake up every morning looking forward to, but when the integrity, purity, and unity of the church are at stake, I know it is sometimes necessary. When it becomes necessary, the response is predictable. People tend to become defensive, angry, sometimes defiant and belligerent. Very often the response is, “Who are you to judge me?” Paul obviously made some judgments regarding the problem people at Thessalonica. Sometimes people will leave the fellowship.

Confronting problem people in the church, while necessary, is difficult, and in many ways risky. If it is not handled correctly it can destroy a church. This is probably why most churches don’t bother. It is easier to compromise and go along to get along, than to take the necessary steps to protect the purity, unity, and integrity of the fellowship. 

But it doesn’t have to destroy the church. It shouldn’t destroy the church. It won’t destroy a solid biblical church as long as a few things are true. The first thing that must be true is that the church must be grounded in biblical truth and built on sound doctrine. We protect the church on biblical grounds. We address issues related to the Scriptures and sound doctrines that come from the Scriptures. We are not confronting personality differences. We live with personality differences. We value differences. We love those who are different from us. We are confronting sinful practices. We are dealing with actions, attitudes, or words of people that are inconsistent with the truth of the word of God. If we don’t have a biblical basis for our concern, we don’t have a concern. The church must be grounded in biblical truth and built on sound doctrine. It is when there is a departure from biblical truth that we have a problem.

The second thing that must be true is that the situations are handled biblically. The Bible gives clear instructions on how to deal with problem people. The Scriptures tell us how to deal with those who offend us. It tells us how to approach those who are weak. It even gives instructions on how to address concerns with the spiritual leaders. These instructions are rarely followed by Christians or churches and when we don’t address things according to the Book, we create bigger problems. Care must be given to make sure that problems are addressed biblically. We don’t have time to examine all those scriptures that teach us about the biblical processes we are to follow, but those should be topics of later studies.

So we are dealing with scriptural issues, and we must deal with them according to the Scriptural guidelines given in the Bible. There is a third thing that is necessary. The heart of the leadership must be in the right place. The spiritual leader must be dealing with problem people from the right motives. This is the issue addressed by Paul in the first five verses of 2 Thessalonians 3.

If you are reading through this you might, at first reading, think Paul has just written some random prayer requests and thoughts. Paul is much too intelligent, strategic, and organized for random things. He knows full well what he is about to write. He knows how difficult it will be for the people to accept and do what he is going to call them to do. He knows that there are a few things they need to realize about him so they will know he can be trusted to be giving them wise counsel and God-honoring instruction in the rest of this chapter.

So what Paul writes in the first part of Chapter 3 is intended to communicate his heart and attitude to the people he will be commanding to do hard things. As we read these five verses again, I want you to listen carefully for anything in these verses that indicates these three themes. The first theme is Paul’s utter and complete dependence upon God. This is what we find in verses 1-2. The second theme is Paul’s absolute confidence in God’s work in these Christians. The third theme is Paul’s unwavering commitment to the spiritual well-being of these dear Christians.

Dealing with problem people in the church is difficult, potentially divisive, and it goes against our strong tendency to avoid confrontation. A spiritual leader who is going to stand before a group of believers and call them to do this, must have the credibility as a leader that produces confidence on the part of those who follow. The people must have the assurance that this spiritual leader is following the Lord in what he is commanding us to do. They must know that he is depending on the Lord and that the Lord has led him to this point. They must see in the leader a confidence in the Lord. If the leader has confidence in the Lord, they will have the confidence to follow. They must also be able to see that the spiritual leader is committed to their spiritual well-being.

Why are these themes important? They are important because there are two groups involved in what follows. There are those who are being commanded to deal with problem people, and there are the problem people. As we work through the verses after this we will see that it is likely that the problem people were considered to be among the “brethren.” So, when the spiritual leader commands the church to deal with problem people, the church needs to have confidence in the fact that the spiritual leader is completely dependent upon God, and he has confidence in the Lord’s work among the people, and that he is never going to waver in his commitment to protecting and promoting the spiritual well-being of God’s people. 

It is a bold approach, commanding people to do difficult things, especially in a church. How many of you are forced to attend here? How many of you are being paid to show up? Everyone here could have decided to go to church somewhere else today, or just stay home. On the job, the boss can command us to do difficult things because he writes the paycheck. In the military people are commanded to do difficult things and they do it or risk consequences. In the church, giving the command to do hard things could be problematic. The spiritual leader who commands the people to keep away from the unruly brother, or refuse to feed the hungry brother because he won’t work, or to not associate with someone so they are put to shame – this spiritual leader better have a very high degree of credibility among the flock he leads.

The church had better be able to look at the life of the spiritual leader who sets these kinds of expectations, and see one whom they know is completely dependent upon the Lord, who has confidence in what God is doing among His people, and unwaveringly committed to the spiritual well being of that flock. This is the leader they will follow.

Paul’s first priority is to show the people that he is a leader who depends completely on the Lord. The first thing Paul says to show the people his complete dependence upon the Lord is his request for prayer. He says “Finally, brethren, pray for us…” Paul asked for prayer because he knew that what he was about to lead the people to do would require the help of God. “Pray for us” said Paul, because Paul understood how critical it was that God do the work of heart change. Listen, this is the great apostle Paul. No one’s ministry accomplishments come close to those of Paul. Even Paul knew how critical prayer was to the success of his work. He often asked the churches to pray for him.

Paul needed prayer because he knew himself how much he totally depended upon God who does the work. Paul saw himself as just an empty vessel through whom the power of God flowed and through whom God worked in the lives of others. He knew he needed prayer because the opposition was relentless and strong. His request for prayer shows that he looked to the Lord as the source of his strength and wisdom. He says, “pray for us” because God, not us, will be the One who must do the work.

 The spiritual leader who acknowledges his need for prayer is a spiritual leader who is dependent upon God. If he does not pray himself, or does not ask for the prayers of others, he is not dependent upon the Lord. Jesus prayed. Jesus asked his sleepy disciples to pray for Him. He was dependent upon the Lord. If Jesus needed prayer, how much more does every other spiritual leader. 

 If a spiritual leader is not dependent upon the Lord, then what is he depending upon? He is depending upon his own wisdom, his own strength, his own intellect, his own charisma or charm, his own talent, his own leadership abilities. These are great assets for leaders in the business world, but they are not what the church needs in a spiritual leader. The church needs a spiritual leader who is dependent completely on God. A spiritual leader who is not dependent upon God has a problem with pride.

Paul’s specific request is that the brethren would pray “that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified.” You can tell if a spiritual leader is dependent upon God by listening to what he is preaching. If he is proclaiming the word of the Lord, he is depending upon God. By proclaiming the word of God he is proving that he trusts God and sees God’s word as sufficient. If he is proclaiming jokes or interesting stories or inspirational quips, or showing movies, or whatever else the modern church is inclined to do, he isn’t dependent upon God. In fact, he has no confidence whatsoever that God is necessary for success. If you take God’s word out of the work of God, you don’t believe God is necessary to build the church.

If a spiritual leader has abandoned the preaching of the word of God and has opted for other alternatives, he does this because he doesn’t truly believe that the word of God is sufficient. You cannot claim to trust and depend on God and refuse to preach His word to His people. One of the surest ways for a spiritual leader to demonstrate a lack of dependence upon God is to neglect the preaching of God’s word. If we neglect the preaching of God’s word we are telling God that His word is incapable of doing what needs to be done in the hearts of people. The reality is that only the word of God can do what must be done in the hearts of people. 

If we are not preaching the word of the Lord we are preaching what we think will accomplish the goals we have established for those we lead. I told you last week that I proclaim Christ, admonishing every man and teaching every man from the word of God, in order that I may present every man complete in Christ. Paul’s prayer is that the word of the Lord would spread quickly and be glorified. The word of God is glorified when it does the work of making us complete in Christ.

Pray that the word of the Lord would spread quickly and be glorified, just as it did also with you. (v. 1) The word translated “spread rapidly” conveys the idea of running free. Paul did not want the word hindered. He wanted it to have a free course in order that it might spread rapidly. This was that the word might be glorified. Paul’s desire was that the Lord’s word would be glorified. It had been glorified in the Thessalonians. It had produced in them, according to the first verses of the first letter, the work of faith, the labor of love, and the steadfastness of hope. In verse 4 of chapter 1 the word’s work had confirmed God’s choice of them for salvation. God’s word had made them examples for all the churches in Macedonia.

Here is another indicator of a spiritual leader’s complete dependence upon God in his ministry. He seeks prayer because he knows God has to do the work. He preaches the word of the Lord because only the word of God can effect change. He also isn’t concerned with receiving the credit for the work that God does. Paul wanted the word of the Lord to be glorified, not himself. If he was concerned about glory for himself he would have asked the Thessalonians to pray for many other things than these. He would have asked them to pray that the money would flow in so that he would have all the financial support he needed to take the gospel forward. He would have prayed for the opposition to leave him alone, or that the church would explode with growth. 

The spiritual leader is dependent upon the Lord, and the people will know this to be true, if he is asking for prayer. He knows God must do the work. He is dependent upon God because he preaches the word of the Lord. He knows only God, working through His word, can change hearts. He is dependent upon God when he doesn’t seek the glory for what happens for himself. Paul wanted God and God’s word to be glorified.

The spiritual leader demonstrates complete dependence upon God when he recognizes and acknowledges his own inadequacies for the task. Look at verse 2. Pray … “that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.” The word “perverse” is “atopos” in the Greek. “Topos” means “place.” We get our word “topographical” from this word. The alpha negative is placed at the beginning so the word literally means “without a place.” When it is used of people it speaks of those who are absurd and unreasonable. Their actions are “out of place” in the church. The word “evil” describes those who are evil in a moral sense, wicked, malicious, or mischievous.

Paul described these kinds of men and equates them as those who do not have faith. Paul knew that not all have faith. Some can have the right appearance, but not have faith. Some can say the right words, and not have faith. Some can get involved in various ministry activities, but not all have faith. If a man’s life is characterized by that which is absurd and unreasonable, or they are immoral and malicious, that man does not have faith. Perverse and evil men are “out of place” among God’s people, those who have genuine saving faith.

Paul was very strategic in what he writes. This statement at the end of verse 2, on the surface sounds a little random. “for not all have faith.” Yet here is what Paul knew. Paul knew that sometimes the perverse and evil men would be in the midst of the fellowship. They would have been sown in as tares among the wheat. They would be a threat to the fellowship. Paul was dependent upon God to give him the wisdom to recognize those who were perverse and evil, and to be able to distinguish them as those who do not have faith.

Paul knew the threat of perverse and evil men. In Acts 14 there is a fascinating story about Paul healing a man who had never walked. When Paul saw that this man had faith to be made well, he told him to stand up. The man did and the crowds were so impressed they were ready to offer sacrifices as if Paul was a god. Paul had to work hard to restrain the crowds from offering a sacrifice to them. This lasted only until some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They were Jews who had no faith. These perverse and evil men won over the crowds who stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city thinking he was dead.

Paul knew how quickly perverse and evil men could turn the hearts of people against him. He faced constant threat from men who did not have faith. He understood how desperately he needed to depend on God to rescue him and his companions, as well as the churches he had planted, from these men.

Based on everything Paul requests in these first two verses we can see that he was a spiritual leader who was utterly and completely dependent upon God. God’s people can follow a leader whom they know is dependent upon God and God alone. Paul depended on God and his call for prayer shows us this. Paul depended upon the Lord because he was preaching the word of the Lord. Paul wasn’t concerned with glory for himself, but rather wanted the word of the Lord to spread rapidly and be glorified. Paul was dependent upon God to rescue and protect him from those who attempted to destroy his ministry and those whom God had brought to salvation through his ministry.

As a pastor of this church, I want to be a spiritual leader you are not afraid to follow. I pray that what you see in me is a pastor who trusts in the Lord completely. In my life, as well as in my role as a pastor, I must trust in the Lord with all my heart, and lean not on my own understanding. I want to acknowledge Him in all my ways, fear Him, and depart from every form of evil. I believe that principle from Proverbs 3 is appropriate as an active principle working the life of any good spiritual leader.

Pray for me. I need your prayers. I cannot follow the Lord as I should in my own strength. I cannot meet the demands of ministry if I am trusting in my own wisdom, intellect, charisma, or charm. I’m greatly deficient in those areas. Pray for this church, that the word of the Lord would spread quickly and be glorified. I preach the word of God because I trust and depend on God whose word I preach. If I ever begin to preach anything other than the word of God, you go find yourself another church. If God uses His word to accomplish His work in your life, praise be to God, not me. I don’t want the glory for what God alone can do. And we must trust God to rescue us from perverse and evil men because all do not have faith.

If you ever see anything in my life that gives you cause to doubt that my spiritual leadership here is lacking complete and utter dependence upon God, will you please address me with your concern. I am far from perfect and I make a lot of mistakes. I need to be humble enough to admit them. I am accountable to you and our Lord for my responsibilities as your spiritual leader. The day may come when I may have to ask you to do some difficult things. When that day comes, you need to have the confidence that as your spiritual leader I am trusting, depending, relying, and obeying God in what I am doing and in what I ask you to do. So if there is anything you see in me that undermines that confidence on your part in me, please, let’s have the conversation.

We will come back next week and look at verses 3-5. We will see Paul’s confidence in the work of God in the lives of the people. We will see Paul’s commitment to the spiritual well-being of the people.

Let’s pray.