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Welcome to our look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 in daily drive-time devotions.
Our second day in our look at this chapter, verses 6 to 12, actually we're going
to take two days to look at this part of the chapter because it's really the
center of what he talks about in the third chapter, 2 Thessalonians. As Paul
turns to verse 6, he begins to get practical.

He talks to them again about a problem that he'd already talked to them about in
1 Thessalonians, the problem of work and some who were not working. And it's
interesting again that he talks to them about it twice, both in 1st and 2nd
Thessalonians. Remember people don't always get it the first time.

That's why there's a 2nd Thessalonians, that's why he had to tell them again.
God has to tell me again sometimes, he has to tell you again sometimes. Today
we're going to talk about what these verses have to say about the danger of
being idle, of not working.

Tomorrow we're going to look at the same verses and focus on the positive value
of work. One of the reasons that being idle is so dangerous is because of the
positive value of work. Let me read these verses to you, verses 6 to 12, and
then dig into what they have to say about being idle, about not working.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul writes in verse 6, "We command you,
brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live
according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you
ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we
eat anyone's food without paying for it.

On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling, so that we would
not be a burden to any of you. We did this not because we do not have a right to
such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even
when we were with you, we gave you this rule.

If a man will not work, he shall not eat. We hear that some among you are idle.
They're not busy.

They are busy bodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ
to settle down and earn the bread they eat. " Now, that's just some very
practical verses in the good news of God through Jesus Christ, but they need to
be lived out in order for us to be the kind of people that God wants us to be.

This word idle here is the word disorderly, somebody who's dropped out of the
ranks in a military march, and the idea of being idle is someone who's dropped
out of life and is just depending on somebody else. He says here to keep away
from those who are idle. In a couple of days, we're going to focus on what that
means.

He says that when you're idle, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command
you not to be because you're not only not busy, but you become a busy body. He
focuses here on the idea of, "If a man will not work, if anyone will not work,
neither shall he eat. " As we read through this, it brings up some questions, so
let me talk about those questions and then dig into some dangers of being idle
that are in these verses.

First, many people ask as they read this, "Is this talking about everybody who's
poor, everybody who doesn't have bread? " No, of course not. There's a
difference between being poor and being idle.

Being poor is when you can't work. If he will not work, some people cannot work
or can't earn enough money through the work that's offered to them. Being idle
is choosing not to work even when you're given the opportunity.

Then other people ask as they read through these verses, "Maybe he's just
talking about me. I have a job, but I don't work as hard as I should sometimes.
I'm distracted a lot of times.

" We may all have days when we get distracted, when we don't work as hard as
we'd like, but the idea of being idle here means you've decided not to work at
all. You don't even have a job. You're not working to even earn the food and the
shelter that you need, and you're expecting someone else to take care of you.

If a man will not work, he shall not eat. Not cannot, but will not. The question
that many people have about this is, "Why is God so harsh here?

" Remember, the Holy Spirit inspired these words through Paul. Why is God being
so harsh about this? Because it's not harsh, it's loving.

Because there is great danger in choosing an idle life. In fact, three great
dangers that are in these verses. The first danger, the greatest danger, is not
just in what you aren't doing, you're not working, but what you end up doing
instead.

You see, you're going to do something with your time. If it's not the right
thing, you're inevitably going to fall into doing the wrong thing. And so Paul
says in verse 11, "They're not busy, they've become busybodies.

They're minding everybody's business but their own. " The reason that Paul takes
this drastic action, that the Holy Spirit inspires these drastic words is not so
that people will starve if they're not really ready to work. That's not what he
wants.

He wants them to begin to work. He takes this drastic action because he wants to
prevent something worse in their lives. People who will not work become
busybodies, meddlers, people who concern themselves with other people's affairs,
gossips.

They become involved in things they have no business getting involved with. They
start to become the people that just sort of generally stir up trouble. And so
Paul says, "You need to work.

You need to work so you're filling your time with something that's worthwhile. "
It's dangerous to not work because when you don't, you fall prey to all kinds of
temptations in life. There's a second danger that's right alongside of the first
here, and that is the fact that they're taking advantage of the church.

You see, the body of Christ becomes, for these who are getting involved in being
idle with their lives, becomes something to be used for their benefit instead of
something to be served. We're to serve the body of Christ. We're to serve
together in the body of Christ, and that goes to an important point that Paul is
getting to us here.

No one owes you anything as a believer in Christ. You owe Jesus everything.
Sometimes because we're commanded to sacrifice for each other and to have love
for each other, we fall into this trap, whether we express it or not, where we
feel like somebody else owes me something because I have sacrificed so much for
the church, because I've sacrificed so much for others, because I've given to
others and I am somehow owed a debt of someone giving back to me.

And sometimes we take that in terms of relationships, but other times we can
take it in terms of finances because I gave to the church, then if I'm in
trouble, the church has to give a certain amount back to me. Well, that may be
true, depending on the kind of trouble you're in. Or it may be true that what
you need to do is get a different kind of a job.

The idea that you are owed by someone is a very modern idea, but it's not a
biblical idea. Well, it's not so modern after all. It was in the early church.

You see, the early church was a very generous church. There were many troubles.
There were troubles with persecution.

There were troubles with famine. And out of that grew generosity in this early
church. And there were some who saw the generosity of the church and instead of
seeing in that generosity something that welled up in them and said, I want to
be generous too, they saw an opportunity to take advantage.

Wow, this is a generous church. Maybe that generosity can help me. And so Paul
writes here to bring things back into balance.

You know, I've often thought it would be easier to live life without balance, to
go one way or the other, either to say, just give anything and everything to
everyone who anytime might need it. If I didn't have any guilt about having to
decide or to say the Bible says you should never give anything to anyone, then I
wouldn't have any guilt either. The decision would be made.

But that's not that's not the way the Bible is written. The scriptures challenge
us to use our brains. And so when someone is in true need, we are to give to
them.

We're to meet their needs. There's many offerings that are taken in the New
Testament to meet people's needs. But when someone is taking advantage of the
body of Christ, we are as in these verses to challenge them to work, to help
them, to encourage them.

And if it's happening to me, I'm to be challenged and encouraged to work. Why?
Because God's best interest is not just meeting my physical need.

He wants me to grow in Christ. If I'm allowed to be idle, I'm not going to grow.
I'm not going to grow in character.

I'm not going to grow in harder spirit. One of the earliest Christian books, it
was called the Dadache, which simply means teaching. It's one of the earliest
books that we've unearthed that was written about the Bible and what it had to
say, said this about giving to people in need.

If someone comes to you who is a traveler, help him as much as you can, but he
shall not stay with you more than two days or, if necessary, three. If he wishes
to settle down with you and has a craft, let him work for his bread. If he
refuses to do so, and listen to this, he is making merchandise of Christ.

Beware of such people. You see, that's the danger here, because all of a sudden
you make merchandise of Christ. You make merchandise of the body of Christ.

You see being part of the church as benefit to you and not opportunity to serve.
That is a danger in being idle within the church. There's a third danger here.

That third danger is that you miss out on the personal growth and character that
comes from work. Paul says, "Settle down and earn the bread that you eat. " That
third danger, that third opportunity, is what we're going to focus on tomorrow.

For today, as we end, I want to pray for a certain group. Some of you have been
listening to this, and right now you want to work, but you're unable to find
work. I want to pray for you first, those of you that are trying to find work
right now, and then I want to pray for all of us.

Let's pray together. Lord, I pray first, we pray together first, for those who
want to work and are unable to find work right now. God give wisdom, give
strength, give comfort, and let them know, Jesus Christ, that you understand and
are with them, and I pray for each of us as we work.

God, it's easy to think that being idle is just about others, especially if I
have a job, but Lord, I start with me. We start with ourselves and pray for
those times when we become lazy in our work. to work in ways that bring honor
and glory to you.

We ask this, Jesus, in your name, amen. Well join us tomorrow. We're going to
take a second look at these verses, verses 6 to 12 of 2 Thessalonians chapter 3.