Time to Get Back to Work — 2 Thessalonians 1-3

0:00 Good morning. Some of you know or probably many of you know that we have a tradition here that when the speaker is milling around between meetings, he he has other people tackle him or pull him aside and pray for him. It's a great tradition, one that I cherish so much that people are doing it for me. I I tried to tried to pick up the the baton as well and do it. And I I think I need a lot of help today because five men found me this morning and and I can tell you that their common theme was lord, we want to hear what you have to say.

0:37 So, I guess my job is to keep from messing it up. So thanks for reminding me of that, gentlemen. And on that note, let's pray. Father, we do wanna hear what you have to say. We're thankful for your word.

0:48 We're thankful that you you have a word that's has a depth that's unknown, that we can keep plumbing it and never find it. We thank you lord that it it's clear and we thank you that it's challenging but most of all, we thank you that we have it. Pray now, lord, as we move forward that we will learn something from it and we'll take something from here to move forward today. It's in your son's precious name that we pray. Amen.

1:17 We're going to continue as DJ already mentioned in second Thessalonians. I'm going to pick up where Ray left off. Now, I'm not going to review because I can't improve on the the the amount of effort and the the teaching that's happened relative to what we all agreed was the main theme of the first and second Thessalonians and that is the prophecy and end times and so so I'm not going back there for couple reasons. Number one, I think the the the Paul and as guided by the Holy Spirit has other things for us to to learn and to hear from his word in in this portion and and to be honest with you, I'm still working my way through and challenging and studying it. It's not that I don't agree with what has been taught.

2:04 Please don't walk out of here with that. I do. Okay? But we all need to work hard to make sure that we build our confidence in being able to defend it. Okay?

2:15 And being able to work through that all the avenues and trails that prophecy takes throughout the Bible is something that I'll admit I'm not prepared to defend as well as I want to do. Okay? So I'm working on it. I have one of those books for the last month or so that Ray mentioned by Dwight Pentecost that I'm trying to work through. I challenge all of you to do the same.

2:44 Don't establish your beliefs on what your mom and dad taught you, what the radio preacher or to be in today's vernacular, the YouTube video said. Okay? And certainly don't say it and don't believe it just because Ray said it, Don said it, Roger said it, or least of all, I said it. Okay? Challenge the Bible.

3:06 It can stand up to a good challenge, and I I I encourage you to read your Bibles. I encourage you to bring them every Sunday. Don't sit there and think, oh, he must have read the right thing or I believe it. Read it with me. Read it along and and make sure you agree it, agree with it.

3:24 Second Timothy two fifteen, we we we quote every every week at Awana, study to show thyself approved unto god, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Just read it, study it, search it, bring it. The Holy Spirit can and will help you discern it. We don't need others to tell us, but others can help us. We can also follow the the example that Acts gave us with the Thessalonian church.

3:58 You know, Acts 17 tells us when when Paul first went to the church in Thessalonica or there there was no church there. When he first went to Thessalonica and and and started to to witness to them, he said, it says, Paul reasoned with them from the scriptures explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. So so there was prophecy fulfilled. Things that had been already taught and he pulled out and said, look here. I want you to understand that and it says, that some of them believed, okay, because that and then just a little while later in in the same chapter verse 11, he went on to Berea, almost a continuation of his teaching there because people followed and tried to continue to drive him out and says, they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

4:52 Oh, that we all could do the same thing. Search the scriptures daily. Find out if these things are so. Still, with all that good teaching and all that we've learned, we still leave the field of prophecy or the the future and times with questions. There's just things that are unanswered, okay?

5:13 Things that we don't know and and instead of trying to pick through everything and and and tell you those things, let's just take the most nagging one, okay? We don't know when. We just don't know when the lord is going to return, okay? He has promised that he will. He has promised that he will come take the church.

6:19 It's time to move on and I think as you we reason our way through the scriptures this morning, you'll find that's the theme and the the point I believe where Paul's moving on. So, let's pick it up. Let let's pick it up in second Thessalonians chapter three. I'm sorry, first chapter two verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth to which he called you by our gospel for the obtaining of the glory of our lord Jesus Christ.

7:00 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which we were which you were taught whether by word or epistle. Now may the Lord Jesus Christ himself and our God and Father who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. So let's consider, if the theme of first and second Thessalonians is prophecy, the end times, sorting those things out, trying to answer some of those questions, what's the purpose? What's the purpose? Let's just hold that there for a second.

7:39 Not that they, you know, it wasn't to teach them and that sort of thing, but there's, I think there's other things that we can learn. Let's also remember that the church of Thessalonica, the Thessalonians, I don't even write it when I'm doing it because I too many letters, Thess is how I write it. They were new believers. This was shortly after Paul had been there that he wrote this letter. They had been persecuted.

8:02 Paul had been driven out, right? And others and it sounds like they were still being persecuted. They were concerned with spreading their faith and and they sincerely wanted to forward the gospel and they had done so and they were effective in doing it. But they were concerned about the future. And who's not concerned about the future?

8:23 Who who here is not concerned about tomorrow? Okay? We all have that built inside of us. What's going to happen? You know?

8:33 Some people are concerned about what will they... Will they have something to eat? Most of us, fortunately, are are wondering what we're going to eat. Right? What will be on the test tomorrow?

8:45 It's final season. Many of you are done now, We've been listening to a lot of whining lately at my house. You watch the television, you can't run away without wondering who's going to win the election. And I hope it's not whoever. Right?

9:03 So, you know, but most of all, when we look into the future, don't we come down to that final question? In the future, what happens to me when I die? Everybody dies. Right? That's something that we can count on.

9:23 If the Lord doesn't tarry, we're all going to die. What's going to happen to me? And so, so I think there's a Thessalonian church, young, concerned, and and I'll I'll come somebody that that's got just a little bit different twist, right? And say, no, no. I think you missed it.

9:58 Oh, you know, that that's a good question. Does that mean that that we missed it? But does that mean that we're, you know, so you can imagine that faith or you can imagine in their hearts what's going on. Their faith and our faith, unfortunately, is is just a razor edge from doubt sometimes, right? John the Baptist was there too.

10:22 Is this really true? Is he is he really the one he had doubt? Is that Matthew 11? I think Scott talked talked about it not long ago and you know, that razor edge of doubt that that something can come up and provide some way for us to doubt. You know, they'd heard this story about Jesus and it had been couple decades now since he had gone home to be with the lord but those times were very expectant.

10:50 Even though, you know, you you gotta remember that that that he went into the tomb and three days later, that's quick. Here he is risen again. He he he he rises again and then they see him again and again and and it's quick. So, you can imagine that they're they're all about. It's going to be soon.

11:08 It's going to be soon. So, I think that the Thessalonian church is there and and Paul is saying, look, I want to help you out. I want to really want to help you out and and explain these things but then we read these verses from chapter two verses thirteen and fourteen. Essentially say, you are saved. The lord called you.

11:33 We were the conduit to do it. I assure you, you have salvation. Okay? And it's... I think that answers that question.

11:42 We didn't miss it. I got it. Okay. And and Paul has explained it again. You haven't missed it.

11:48 What I told you is true. It will come to pass. Okay? Verse 15 says, stand fast. Hold on to these traditions.

11:58 Don't be swayed from the truth that we taught you. I think this is a famous ploy that's been used way back from the times of Genesis. Did God really say that? Are you really sure? Did that really, I mean, come on, let's get you, it's sometimes when we look at a lie, it's really easy to say, you know, it's this far apart, right?

12:24 He went out of the driveway and he turned left. No, didn't. He turned right. Well, you know, that's easy to say that but when it when it's just a flicker off or just a hair off, you can get off of that path, okay, and start wandering down a path where we are too far away. And then we come to the verses sixteen and seventeen, And I want to just read those again.

12:53 Now my Lord Jesus Christ himself and our God and Father who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation, good hope by grace, do what? Now, will he do what? Is he going to do what? He's going to comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. Comfort.

13:18 That's a peace, a confident peace that we can take comfort in what we know the future holds. And that's the point, I believe, of this. I think that's the purpose here that Paul is bringing us back to. Not that he's trying to continue to teach, but now he's trying to say, listen, the purpose, the reason I'm writing these things to you is so that you can have comfort, so that you can have peace about what's going to happen into the future. And now, let him establish or strengthen you in every good word and work.

14:12 So do you think the purpose of explaining the future to us is so that we can walk around and say, I know what's going to happen. I'm special. I can debate you. I can prove you. I I I don't think that's the point.

14:30 I don't think that's the point. He has been able to give us comfort though and to say, listen, we can be confident that it will happen, okay? And we don't need to worry about what's going on. We certainly don't want to walk away from saying that we shouldn't study prophecy. Don't don't get that wrong, okay?

14:52 I think we should and it's really important for us to get it right. It helps to build our faith and many prophecies that were filled, fulfill, have been fulfilled are what help us to believe that what goes on, what what he said will go on, will go on in the future. Please understand that. I'm not discounting that. I'm not trying to throw it away.

15:15 But I think we need to basically, as Paul said here, is to take comfort and know that you can count on it. And now get back to work. Let's go. There's witnessing to be done. The great commission is still out there.

15:29 We still have things to do. Prophecy is really one thing that is hard to refute. I mean, how can you think of many things that went... That we're told in the past have happened at some point and not believe that there was somebody behind telling those truths. It couldn't all be luck.

15:58 It can't all be coincidence. It has to be a central point to where that's all coming from. Okay. Let's move on to chapter three. Verse one, finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the lord may run swiftly and be glorified just as it just as it is with you And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for not all have faith, but the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

16:30 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. Now, may the lord direct your hearts into the love of god and into the patience of Christ. Finally, He starts off by saying finally, right? So he's wrapping things up here. There are several examples throughout Paul's writing that he does say, finally, brethren, I challenge you to take that as a homework assignment and move on and go look those up because there's some really interesting passages that follow that and some very heartfelt warming information that Paul gives to us but I imagine Paul dictating this letter, okay?

17:13 You'll see later that he he gives a salutation in his own hand. I think he's dictating to Timothy or somebody like that that is writing things down and later he says, hey, just so you know, it's from me too. And he sort of does the John Hancock thing, right? And makes a big endorsement to it but we got to remember that this letter is a continuation of one thought, right? And it's really a continuation to the previous letter too.

17:43 So, while we break it into verses and chapters and and we've taught it in verses and part chapters, we have to think that it it is like you know, you know, like a continuation. Here he is in the second letter and and it's like being at halftime, right? And he's saying, now listen, guys. We we we had some difficulty out there. The enemy is tough but we're going to win.

18:06 I'm telling you, it's going to work out, okay? I want to I want to boost you back up. We've taught you all this stuff and now it's time to say, here, get back out there. It's ready to go. I know we're going to win.

18:18 I know we're going to win, and not just the authority of my playbook, but I'm going to tell you on the authority of Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead, that we are going to win. You know, we have to realize that, you know, Paul wrote this and this is his third crack at the subject. Okay? He he was in Thessalonica and he told them. Remember, he he reminded.

18:46 Remember, I was there and I told you these things but I want to remind you. So, I I hear that there's there's some things that you're confused about or you need some help with. So, I'm going to write again, right? Remember, he goes there. He tells him about it and then he sends Timothy back and Timothy comes back with a great report.

19:25 So, writes that. He he addresses some of these issues. Not impatient but firm in a sense and then finally, we get to the second book or the second letter and and and he's writing, you know, some of the same things along the same lines into the future to say, listen, I want to clarify a few other things, and it looks like people are getting in there and and confusing you some more, but but let me make sure that I straighten it out or I write it down for you so that you can keep these things in mind. But I think we have to keep that whole flow of history, if you will. Excuse me.

20:10 In mind, when we think of it, it's important what he wrote for the life of the church then and now. We need to realize that at this time, when Paul's writing these letters and when he's stomping around the area, there were no theological seminaries, Christian theological seminaries. You realize that there are a few written documents at the time as well. Realize that the church was utterly dependent in many ways on the apostles teaching, okay, and the Holy Spirit whom we can depend upon today, right? And it's also interesting to me as I thought through this that you know, upon the Ascension of Christ, the the the apostles didn't say, hey, you know what?

21:01 Let's all go sit in this room. You know, we'll get a couple, you know, scrolls and we'll write everything down right now. Just we gotta we gotta do this right now. A match of it happened later, right? What did they do?

21:14 They all said, you know what? We got the mission. Let's go. Come on, guys. It's soon.

21:18 It's going to happen really quick. We gotta get out there and tell everybody. Right? That was the expectation that they had. And as they get out there and they start telling everybody, people believe.

21:29 And the apostles are here and and the apostles are seeing things grow and then all of a sudden, people scatter, right? And now, Paul's going out and he's wandering through these you know, on his journeys and he's saying, hey, did you hear the story? They're like, no. Thanks for telling me and the church sprouts up and and and literally in this case, Paul gets driven out, right? He's he's gotta leave him behind and he goes on to the next place and he gets driven out or stoned or he gets, I mean, he gets pushed throughout much of the the area, right?

22:07 And he's just spreading the word and and you can imagine and and you sort of see Paul's heart here, I think, where all of a sudden, he's saying, oh, wait a minute. We need some, they need some help, but I can't be there. And one of the other apostles isn't there, and and we got, I gotta write them a letter, and and we can be thankful that he did, okay? And he started to record some of these truths and write these things down. And we can be thankful for the generations right after that and since then that took these writings and have pulled them together and gathered them here so that we can carry them around in our pocket, on our computer, in so many ways.

22:51 So, that we have the writings of the apostle. So, he continues by saying, pray for us. I think in some ways, he's saying, look, get the focus off of you and let's start thinking about others, right? That's what we're supposed to be doing and it, what about us? Pray for us, okay?

23:14 He's got two prayer requests. The first, that the gospel will go out as Paul and his companions have been preaching it, okay? And that they will continue to go out as they as they go from town to town and preach the gospel and then also that Paul will be protected from wicked men, okay? He's endured much but he would rather not. I can understand that.

23:39 He's saying, look, you know, I'm getting beat up. We're all getting beat up, but isn't it ironic that these are the two things that were near and dear to the heart of the Thessalonian church as well. Right? They were trying to spread the gospel in their own sphere of influence, and they were also being persecuted and they'd like to be protected. So, Paul, I think in some ways is saying, listen, you're not alone.

24:04 It's happening to all of us. You're not special just because you're getting persecuted. We're trying to do the same thing. So, think about that for a minute and and and don't just think about where you're at. He continues to by saying, don't worry.

24:20 The lord will protect you. He is faithful. He's trying to turn them now. Right? He's saying, look, you need to get back out there.

24:28 It's going to be tough, but the Lord is faithful. He'll protect you. He is capable of handling whatever's thrown at you. So, trust in Him. Focus on what you have done.

24:59 What is that? Love? We could spend weeks preaching on that. Right? But but if if I try and condense it just as much as I possibly can, love is a deep, caring attitude of putting others before yourself.

25:20 I mean, that's as simple as I can make it, and it's overly simple. But, let's just use that for a minute and say that it's this caring attitude of putting others before yourself. That's love. Okay? The love of God is what...

25:32 That's what God did. He took and He took the caring attitude for us. The love of us. He put it before Himself. And He sacrificed His Son on our behalf.

25:49 So, that's our motivation as we go forward, the love of God. It puts us into action based on our obligation to say, well, if he loved us, I should love them in the same way. And the patience of Christ, creator of the universe, spent much time in heaven, right, and then spent time here on earth suffering on our behalf. In spite of the fact that he knew what was going to happen, right? But he knew that this was important and he was patient even though he had a guy like Peter saying, oh, you know, he's patient even though, you know, I still make mistakes.

26:29 I all I will make mistakes. We all do But he's patience. So, the patience of Christ helps us to continue. The love of God motivates us. The patience helps us to continue.

26:43 Get back out there. Business at hand. Second Thessalonians chapter three verse six. Let's go move on. Six through 10.

26:54 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us. For we were not disorderly among you nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge but worked with labor and toil night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this, if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. A command.

27:33 He starts off with a command. In the name of the lord Jesus Christ, you know, Peter and John, he said, in the name of the lord, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk. It's incredible power. It's a command, not a suggestion. To do what?

27:50 Commanded him to withdraw. To withdraw from whom? Well, a believer, a brother, right? Didn't we just talk about love and patience? What is this idea of being able to withdraw?

28:08 I don't think they go, they can go hand in hand. And it's still important because he says, listen, this brother is walking disorderly. Okay? The Greek word for that is I practiced, but I think. Something like that.

28:29 So my apologies for the pronunciation. But idea there is a soldier that's out of ranks, okay? He's deviating from the prescribed order or route, undisciplined, if you will. You know, there's a little more definition of this we'll talk about a little bit, a few verses on, but our Christian walk is an active one. Okay?

28:53 You know, it's also a narrow path that we have to walk on. And I think what Paul's trying to say is, listen, you can be distracted in many ways. One of which is a brother who's walking off the path. A little disorderly. So, I'm not going to spend time detailing this is off, that's on, because that's not the point of this.

29:18 The point is that we need to look, we need to review, we need to look, and know what we should be doing. Okay? We need to read as we said before. Study the examples of others. Study the scriptures.

29:32 We need to observe others in action. Not from a judgmental basis, but from a concern. It's like thinking of those fish on Finding Nemo. When they're all moving that way, and they all go together, and then, you know, you don't see one of them saying, Hey, this way, guys. They all got a common purpose, and the Holy Spirit's leading us in a common purpose, and we all should be headed in the direction that the Lord is calling us to.

30:01 And then at some point, we need to make a correction, okay? And and that correction is not about a baseball bat beating, it's about withdrawing and saying, look, don't hang with those folks, okay? I had an old timer told me once about his kids when he was raising them. He used to tell them, if you're not rubbing off on them, they're rubbing off on you. So, think about that for a minute, you know?

30:25 We we need to be about our purpose, what the lord is calling us to do, and not let distractions happen. So, compared to what? Compared to how? Or what are you saying we should compare to? Well, he's saying we should compare to Paul's example.

31:12 And now we have the scriptures that that detail the example of Paul and and others. But Paul said this about his example. He said it was not disordered. In other words, they weren't undisciplined or lazy. He didn't eat for free.

31:30 They paid for what they consumed. Okay? It was provided by their own labor and effort. He labored at work other than just preaching. And we know that Paul had a trade of tent making, but it appears to me that he was able to go city to city to city by doing that, Almost like a trade carpenter today.

31:53 He might be able to go and say, are there any houses being built? Maybe they need my help. I I don't know. But he did work. And we we know that.

32:03 And why did Paul act in this way? He said it was not to be a burden so there was... So that he was not a burden on the church. He worked hard. It had a pattern there.

32:16 He didn't want to provide excuses for others not to believe. And not, he said also, it was to not to abuse his authority. He had the right from all the positional points we just talked about. He had the right to say, hey, you know what? I'm working hard for the Lord.

32:30 You need to help me out. Right? But he didn't. He he chose to set an example to follow. It was an object lesson to the church.

32:40 But is it something that was new? Did Paul think this up? I don't think so. He had an example that he followed. The Lord had a trade when he was younger too.

32:53 And you can imagine, he worked in his younger life. He wasn't a burden on his family. He didn't demand that they support him just because of who he was. He he apparently worked as well. He also provided.

33:07 I mean, we could talk about loaves and fishes, but but he went out to people too. He didn't camp himself and say, hey, build me a big building so everybody can come see me. He went out to the, he came to serve. He didn't abuse his authority either. He didn't consider it robbery to be equal with God, but humbled himself and came to earth as a man.

33:27 He suffered and died. So he set an example there as well. He also died on the cross, setting aside himself on behalf of others. So it's nothing new. Paul worked in his own way to to to display that to us, so that we could understand it as well.

33:54 Clearly doesn't mean that he didn't care for others, or that we shouldn't care for the poor. We talk, there's many other verses about that. But we can, we're not gonna belabor that point today. I want to move on to verse 11. For we hear that there are some among, or some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busy bodies.

34:18 Now those who are such, we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ, that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good and if anyone does not obey our word in this this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him that he may be ashamed. Yet, do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. So, he starts off saying, we hear. These rumors are getting back to Paul and it goes back to the point of he he started, he told them, he's telling them, he's telling them again, you know, I want you to work through these things, but there's something else on his mind.

34:59 He says there's some that are walking among you, apparently believers, that are associated with the church that are somewhat seemingly benign, but they're problem makers. Okay? They're disorderly, as we talked about before, undisciplined. Okay? Out of ranks, not walking the way they should.

35:21 And not only that, but they're not working at all. In contrast to the way Paul has set an example in working, in the pattern that he'd seen, I believe, in Jesus. And now, there are also busybodies. I'm not even gonna try that Greek word. But essentially, that is the concept, this busy body, of being someone that's, I'll say sticking their nose in other people's business.

35:46 Right? They're worried about overseeing other people's thoughts and what they're doing and that kind of And they're really just meddling. And they're meddlers. So notice that escalation. They're out of rank.

36:00 They're not working. And they're starting to meddle. Okay? So this is a problem. And Paul's addressing it here.

36:09 So if you see that escalation, you see where he's going, and he's specifically trying to address it, it's something we can learn from today. So he gives a command to those that are causing the problem. What does he say? He says, work. Be about your business.

36:29 Create some value to the best of your ability. Idle time is not a good thing for people. He says, do it in quietness. Quit doing this stuff. Quit kibbitzin.

36:42 Quit spreading rumors. Quit, you know, whatever they were doing. They were meddling. And he's saying, it's time to quit that. Okay?

36:49 And he's saying quit living off of others. Okay? Don't live off the kindness of others. That's taking advantage of them. In a sense, it's abusing your authority over them.

37:03 Stick with me for a second. When you see this, we have every right. The Lord has called us to be kind and gentle and giving, right? And we should be. Somebody that takes advantage of that expects it.

37:20 Right? So in a sense, they have authority over us. They expect me to be kind and giving, and to, to, to, to reach out. But somebody that says, look, I'm going to abuse that, is, is not, not the right way to go. It's, it's, it's what Paul is saying.

37:39 Don't, don't do that. Now, what does he command for those that are in that position of, I'll call it, being abused or taken advantage of or something like that? He says, don't grow weary in doing good. Don't stop doing what you should be. Don't stop, you know, doing what the Lord has called you to do.

37:59 Don't don't, just because you have a problem over here, don't stop working over there. Don't stop. Don't grow weary in doing good. And then he says to note that person. Okay?

38:23 It's to say, you know what? I'm not, I'm not keeping company over here. I'm gonna go about, go to, go be about the work the Lord has for me. What's the purpose here? He says, the purpose is that they might be ashamed.

38:41 Okay? You keep doing your work. The Holy Spirit's working in your heart. Well, guess what? He's going be working in theirs as well.

38:48 And when they see your example, when they know what the Lord is calling them to do, and they see how you're moving forward, they'll be ashamed. We should treat them not as an enemy, but as a brother. Okay? We're not against them. We're not fighting against them.

39:09 We want them to be corrected. We want them to be with us. We want them to walk along with us. We all want to be going together. So we treat them as a brother.

39:17 But not in secret. It says to to admonish or warn them. So, in the proper way, at the right time, in a in a in a fashion, the coming of the lord, we need to explain. This is why I'm not keeping company with you. Warn him.

39:36 I don't see you being on the path. I think we need to get on this path. You know what? You might be that one. I might be that one on the other end of that someday.

39:46 And wouldn't we want to have that warning and admonishment someday to say, hey, you know what? Let's get back in ranks. Let's start walking orderly. Let's just finish by reading the last few verses here. Verse 16.

40:04 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with my own hand, is a sign in every epistle so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

40:21 The peace always and in every way. This is where I think, you know, Paul's, you know, endorsement to it, that's where I get that idea. You could have a different idea. It'd be okay too. And grace.

40:59 And after this, we need to move on. There's work to be done. Go tell others. We need to be motivated by the love of God, sustained by the patience of Christ. Don't get distracted from the mission.

41:14 Even in this case by undisciplined or disorderly believers. That's something that could, something else that could get you off the path. Keep moving on. When you do so, deal appropriately. Withdraw, and and lovingly admonish as a brother, not an enemy.

41:36 Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this opportunity to study your word. We pray that if there's something that that I said that causes somebody to stumble, you'll you'll eliminate that, lord. But for whatever part of it that has come from you, we pray that you might illuminate it and make it grow. Pray now as we go forward that we'll always honor you.

42:01 It's in your son's name we pray. Amen.