The Pastor and the People - 1 Thess Lesson 33

CTW – Ephesians 4:1-16

The Pastor and the People

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

 We have come to the final section of the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. We are in chapter 5. We will be looking at verses 12-22 in this section. Verses 23-28 are a benediction that was written as a conclusion to the letter. Verses 12-22 contain some straightforward instruction for the believers at Thessalonica, but which are also intended for us. This is a series of rapid-fire exhortations. These are imperatives that give instructions on how to live. They cover a wide variety of topics. Many of these topics are covered in a few words. We will spend a number of weeks on this section because these imperatives have very significant implications for life in the body of Christ. Let’s stand together and read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22.

 You should remember from our study through this book that the Thessalonian church was a good church. There have been no harsh words of condemnation in this letter. There have been no doctrinal issues that had to be corrected. There have been no problems to address. This was a church of faithful, obedient, teachable followers of Christ. Along the way there have been points of instruction. There have been areas where they were deficient in their understanding, so Paul has informed and instructed and exhorted throughout this letter. This final section is packed with important imperatives.

 The way Paul jumps from one topic to the next makes us think that as he is bringing the letter to a conclusion there are just so many things critical to the faithful Christian life that he wants to mention. These are words of encouragement and exhortation that every follower of Christ needs to be reminded of from time to time. And there are some things in these exhortations that are not easy. It is not always easy to live in peace with one another. It can be challenging to admonish the unruly. Does Paul really say to be patient with everyone? Does he really mean “everyone?” Rejoice always. In everything give thanks. I think you get the picture. We must spend some time in these verses, and we will. These are the things that faithful Christians do. These are the marks of a good and faithful church. If we get the things in these verses right, we are going to be a people who please the Lord and a church that honors our Lord Jesus Christ. These are the things the Lord is teaching us to do as He is accomplishing what is described in verses 23-24.

 As always, the context is important. Paul gives these instructions immediately following what he has just written concerning the Day of the Lord and the coming judgment of Christ. Because the Day of the Lord is coming and it will bring certain destruction on those who are not ready, and because we are not in darkness, but people of the day, who are alert and sober, and have put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation, and because we have not been destined for wrath, but for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, we are to live in such a way that this night and day difference can be easily seen. So, we live according to the instructions given in this section we just read.

 Paul starts this final section with instructions regarding the relationship between the pastor and the people, or the shepherd and the sheep. This is the focus of verses 12-13. The importance of the starting place should not be overlooked. Why does Paul begin this section of practical instruction with a request to appreciate those who labor, lead, and teach the Scriptures? Why is this person worthy of very high esteem? This is the person in the church who has been given the responsibility of helping to make sure others are ready for the Day of judgment. The pastor/teacher is given to the church to equip the saints.

As we read in our CTW, the pastor/teacher is given to the church for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. The pastor/teacher speaks the truth in love so that we all grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ. Every imperative command from the end of verse 13 to verse 22 in our text is 1 Thessalonians is a different aspect of the equipping the saints and the building up of the body of Christ and growing up the body in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.

 Paul knows that the church isn’t going to grow and mature unless the pastor is leading and the people are following. The Thessalonians were going to need the pastors to teach the people how to live in peace with one another, and how to admonish the unruly, and encourage the faint-hearted, and help the weak, and be patient with everyone, and every other imperative we will encounter in this passage. Listen, there is a reason why the picture of a shepherd is attached to the role of the pastor. Sheep need a shepherd. People need a leader. Churches need pastors and teachers.

 I’m sure Paul knew that if the Thessalonians were going to get the rest of these imperatives right, they would need help. They would need instruction, guidance, exhortation, admonition, discipline, love, and leadership. Paul knew how important it was for the church to have effective spiritual leaders. Pastors and teachers are given to the church to provide help and guidance and instruction and exhortation. So Paul calls on the church to appreciate these men and hold them in high esteem.

  There are two points to the message and three sub-points under each point. Paul gives us three duties of the people. He also gives us three duties of the pastor. Some of these things are explicitly stated and some are implied. All of these points are supported in many other places in Scripture. We will be looking at several other passages. The three things Paul gives as the responsibilities of the pastor are to 1) diligently labor among the people, 2) have charge over the people in the Lord, and 3) give instruction. The three things Paul asks of the people regarding the pastor is to 1) appreciate them, 2) submit to their authority in the Lord, and 3) esteem them very highly in love.

 It is an obvious observation to be made. Paul does not use the word “pastor” or “elder” or any of the other names by which spiritual leaders in the church are identified in other places, but there is no other reasonable conclusion to be drawn. The duties of the pastor/elder/teacher outlined in other passages require us to conclude that this is who Paul is dealing with in these two verses. These are clear directives that pertain to the relationship between the pastors and the people in the church.

 I also want to note that there are no imperatives in verses 12-13 until you get to the very end of verse 13. “Live in peace with one another” is an imperative command. We won’t even cover that today. That is for next week. In these verses Paul is not commanding but requesting. He is making a request of the brethren to have an appropriate appreciation for their pastors. The Greek word translated “request” means to request, entreat, or beseech. It isn’t a helpless plea, but rather an important encouragement. He isn’t saying, “Please, please, please be nice to the men who lead you.” But he isn’t commanding this with the full weight of authority he possessed as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

 If we remember the historical background of this letter we likely gain insight into the reason Paul issues this request. You should remember that this is a new church. Paul had not spent more than possibly a few months with them. There were no seasoned, mature believers among them to step up and provide pastoral leadership. Yet Paul, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, was responsible to appoint elders to lead the flock. Paul had obviously appointed some in this church. My guess, and that is all it is, is that Paul chose men who were most familiar with the Scriptures. If you go back and read Acts 17 you will see that Paul reasoned in the synagogue of the Jews for three Sabbaths. He was explaining from the Scriptures and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. Acts 17:4 says, “And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.”

 The early appointed elders/pastors of the church who were providing pastoral leadership likely came from among the Jewish believers who were well grounded in the Scriptures. When they saw the truth revealed in the Old Testament about the Christ, and they believed, they had a whole new perspective on the written Word of God. It would not have taken these men as long to be equipped to teach the Scriptures. Paul likely appointed these men with a solid grasp on the Word to serve as pastors and teachers.

 Then these men would have had the example of Paul to follow. We spent a lot of time studying chapter 2 where Paul described his own approach to ministry. We saw Paul’s unwavering commitment to teaching the truth without compromise and with the purest of motives. He sought no glory from men. He proved to be as gentle as a nursing mother. He imparted not only the gospel but his life. He worked hard and behaved devoutly and blamelessly. Those whom Paul appointed to the positions of pastoral leadership had an intense course in how to carry out those duties from the best.

 With those introductory thoughts taken care of I want to now look at the three things we find in these verses that are the duties of the pastor. I know the passage focuses on the attitude of the people toward the pastor and I want to save that for last. I’m not exactly comfortable telling you that you are to appreciate me, submit to me, and esteem me very highly in love. That seems a little self-serving to me. If I wasn’t committed to teaching verse by verse I might not even cover these two verses. But you know I don’t skip anything.

 But I do want begin by looking at the duties of the pastors. The first thing we see is that they diligently labor among the people.  Paul doesn’t tell the pastor to diligently labor. He tells the people to appreciate those who diligently labor. Implied in this is the fact that the faithful pastor will be one who diligently labors among the people. One of the things I have often heard from people who know I am a pastor is that I only have to work one day a week. I know most say those kinds of things in jest. And I admit that I enjoy the flexibility that goes with the workload of a pastor. But the work of ministry is a job that requires hard work.

 The word “labor” is “kopiao” (kop-ee-a-ow) in the Greek. It means “to be worn out, weary, and faint” from the work performed. Some of you have been around long enough to remember how it was in the first years of the life of Grace Bible Church. We started with five families. We did not have the resources to pay a pastor. We rented a day care facility. I would go to that facility on Saturday night and move the toys aside in the largest room and put up about 30 chairs and a small electric keyboard. Then I would pray that those chairs would have someone in them the next morning.

 I was working a full time job in management at the paper mill. I had young children. I often worked 50-60 hours a week on the job, followed kids to all kinds of events, and preached twice on Sunday. I make no claims to have done any of that well. But I did it for almost 20 years as a bi-vocational pastor and by the grace of God this church survived. That was probably somewhat similar to the situation in Thessalonica in that new church. I did what I had to do and I understand what it means to diligently labor among the people. That is what these pastors were doing as well.

 These pastors at Thessalonica had watched Paul, who according to 2:9 worked hard, in “labor and hardship, working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of them, proclaiming the gospel of God.” This is the duty of the pastor. Pastoral leadership is hard work. The pastor has the responsibility to study to show himself as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, but having rightly divided the word of truth. The work of study is a labor of love. I love the work of studying the Scriptures. I love teaching the Scriptures. While the process of study has gotten easier, the burden of making sure I get it right is a never going to go away.

 There is another thing the pastor does as implied in this passage. Paul says they “have charge over you in the Lord.” The Greek word literally means “to stand before” and it carries the idea of “to be over, preside, or rule.” The pastor is to authoritatively preside over the people, leading and directing the people. The pastor provides this leadership, recognizing that he is not the chief shepherd, but an under-shepherd who stands as Christ’s appointed leader of Christ’s people.

 Paul’s instructions to the elders of Ephesus who gathered with him for a final farewell is found in Acts 20:28. Paul instructed these elders to “be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” This gives us the right perspective the pastor is to have about his role as having charge over the people. This is not a self-appointed position. It is a position into which the Holy Spirit places men who are scripturally qualified and appropriately gifted. These gifted, Holy Spirit called men are overseers of the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Grace Bible Church is the Lord’s church.” It is the church He purchased with His blood.

 Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:1-3, “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” This oversight is “according to the will of God.” God sets the standards by which we decide whether what we do is right and appropriate. Having charge over God’s flock means that the pastor never forgets that it is the Lord’s people whom he has been given to lead. He must lead by example.

 We will get to Hebrews 13 when we get to the responsibilities of the people, but verse 7 of Hebrews 13 makes it clear that the pastor/elder/teacher is going to give an account to God for how well we do in watching over your souls. This is why a man is foolish to desire to be in this position of he isn’t qualified or called. I will give an account for how well I do in watching over your souls. That is somewhat concerning. Listen, if you are a closed book, and you don’t want me, or your brothers and sisters in the Lord to know what is going on in your life, you make it hard for your pastor to watch over your soul. You need to get connected within the body and let others see where your struggles are and where you need help. It might be that you don’t need help, but rather you have something to offer that might help others. You can’t be helped and you can’t help if you aren’t engaged.

The third duty of the pastor is to give instruction to the people. Look at the end of verse 12. The Greek word is “noutheteo.” (new-tha-te-ow) It means “to warn, admonish, exhort. It is translated “admonish” down in verse 14. “Admonish the unruly.” There is a very solid approach to biblical counseling called “nouthetic” counseling. The name of the approach comes from this Greek word. It is a solid approach to counseling because it simply addresses the issues of life with the clear teaching of the word of God.

This is what a pastor is to do. When marriages are in trouble, it is always because some principle, some truth, some instruction from God’s word is being disobeyed, ignored, or misunderstood. The faithful pastor looks at the issues and prescribes the solution as “thus says the Lord.” Here is what the Bible says. Here is what you need to do. If you do it the problem will be corrected. If you don’t, it won’t. If, having been instructed from the word of God, you don’t want to do what it says, then we have another duty. That is called church discipline.

The shepherd of Christ’s people is to feed, lead, and protect the people. The necessary food is the word of God. The leadership is by being an example they can follow. The protection they need is from the savage wolves who would lead them astray from the truth and destroy them. Sheep who will not heed the instruction given by the pastor from the word of God are always at risk of going astray and even experiencing shipwreck in regards to the faith.

There is much more to instructing than simply imparting information. I have said many times that if all we do is learn the information presented in the instruction from God’s word we are no better off. We might as well all stay home and read a commentary. The purpose of instruction is not information. The purpose of instruction is transformation. Paul says it like this in Colossians 1:28. “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.”

There is so much more that should be addressed about the roles and responsibilities of the pastor/elder in the church. But for the sake of time we will move on to the thing Paul seems to emphasize in these two verses. That is the duty of the people toward the pastor. There are three things Paul says the people should do. First, Paul requests of the brethren that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you. This first duty is explicitly stated. Paul says, “appreciate them.” We typically express our appreciation with a “thank you” or some tangible expression of appreciation. The word Paul uses here is a common word usually translated “know.” Paul is literally saying “know those who diligently labor among you.” It carries the idea of getting to know your leader to the degree that you understand him.

 The idea here is one of appreciating the value of the pastor’s service. Look, the value has nothing to do with the person and everything to do with the product. I am just the vessel through which the true treasure flows. It is important to the Lord that you appreciate me for the service I provide in caring for you, feeding you, leading you, and protecting you. Appreciate the work that goes into preparing to teach the word of God. Appreciate the fact that I am willing to keep watch over your souls. Appreciate the service rendered by delivering the instruction from God’s word.

 I want to say that this is an area in which the vast majority of you are faithful and do a very good job of showing your appreciation. I appreciate hearing how God is using the truth of His word in your life. It is important to know that the instruction from God’s word is making a difference in your lives. One of the ways you demonstrate your appreciation is by continuing to show up after over 30 years of listening to the same guy week after week. Some of you have been doing that. We are approaching the 34th anniversary of the existence of Grace Bible Church. I have never felt unappreciated.

 In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul writes to Timothy saying, “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” That word translated “honor” means “respect” or “high regard.” The context of 1 Timothy 5 indicates that it also involves financial considerations.  Verse 18 goes on to say, “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,’ and ‘the laborer is worthy of his wages.’” So, the double honor that teaching elders are worthy of includes generous financial compensation. I am thankful for the faithfulness of this church to demonstrate a commitment to that honor. You have always faithfully met our needs financially.

 The second duty of the church to the pastor is not explicitly stated but is strongly implied. The fact that Paul tells the Thessalonians to appreciate those who diligently labor among you and “have charge over you in the Lord…” implies that the people have a responsibility to live in submission to those who have charge over them. The second duty of the people to the pastor is to submit to the spiritual authority Christ has bestowed on His faithful under-shepherds.

 Now we need to turn to Hebrews 13. Let’s look first at verse 7. “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” This places a tremendous responsibility on the one who teaches the word of God. He must make sure that his conduct is according to the truth he teaches because the writer of Hebrews tells the Christians to imitate the faith of those who teach, assuming their conduct is according to their teaching. If the teacher’s life reflects the truth he teaches, imitate his faith.

 That being said, if you see a problem with the way I am living, and you see something that seems to contradict what I teach, come to me and ask me about it. Don’t go to everyone else in the church and ask them if they have noticed the same thing. Just come to me. I appreciate it when someone asks me to clarify something I have taught, especially if there is the possibility I have gotten something wrong. And that could happen. And, I appreciate it when someone says, “hey, is that consistent with what you have taught me to do?” I want to be a teacher of God’s word whose conduct and faith can be imitated.

 Now look at verse 17 of Hebrews 13. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not grief, for this would be unprofitable to you.” To submit to the authority of your pastor you need to obey the teaching of the word of God and submit to the authority of Scripture. I have no authority other than what Christ has placed on the office of an overseer and I have no instruction other than the word of God. It will be a joy for me to give an account as one who watches over your soul if you are willingly obedient to the word of God and live in submission to the truth taught from the word of God. It will be grief for me if you don’t live in submission to the truth. It will also be unprofitable for you. You will suffer the loss of eternal rewards for failure to submit to the word of God.

 The third duty of the people to the pastor is found in verse 13. The people are to “esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” This is important. The idea of “esteem them very highly” is to show the utmost respect. John MacArthur says it is a call for limitless respect for church leaders. This respect is demonstrated “in love” and “because of their work.”

 You show that respect by loving your pastor, which you do very well. And you esteem your pastor very highly in love “because of the work.” The work is the teaching of the word of God. In reality, the basis for the high estimation is not the person but the product. The man of God who is faithful to teach the word of God should be held in high regard.

 There is nothing the people of God need more than the sound, faithful, careful, accurate, in-depth exposition of the word of God. That is why you come to church here. You need that instruction and you want that instruction and God forbid that I ever give you anything other than that kind of work. I know you appreciate it. I know you, for the most part, submit to it. I know you highly esteem your pastor because of the work of teaching the Scriptures.

 We are a unique church in many ways. There aren’t many churches that put a premium on the teaching of the Bible the way we do. There aren’t many churches where the pastor gets to stay in one place for 34 years and preach the Bible. I don’t take any credit for any of that. This church is truly the result of God’s blessings.

 Paul’s challenge to you is to appreciate your pastors, including those men who serve along side me as elders. You are to submit to the God-ordained structure of spiritual authority given to the spiritual leaders within the church. You are to esteem your leaders very highly in love because of their work. God calls the pastors to labor diligently, exercise Christ directed authority by watching over your souls, and teach you the word of God. If spiritual leaders do their part, and the people do their part, Christ is exalted.

 Let’s pray.