II THESSALONIANS 3:6-13

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,

8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.

9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.

10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.

12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 

13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

Did you get an allowance when you were growing up?  I didn’t.  That’s because my parents didn’t believe that you should get paid for doing things around the house that you should be doing as a part of the family.  After all my dad didn’t get paid for cleaning the gutters and my mother didn’t get paid for washing the dishes.  So, why should I get paid for making my bed or mowing the lawn?  We did have an understanding though.  If you wanted to buy something special my parents would give you a chance to earn the money you needed by doing some extra chores around the house.

My parents way of doing things taught me a valuable lesson.  It taught me that if you want something in life you have to go out and work for it.  You can’t just expect things to be handed to you on a silver platter.  You can’t be like the young man graduated from MIT and went for a job interview at a big engineering firm.  During the job interview the CEO asked the young man what kind of salary he was looking for.  Now the young man had no experience whatsoever but he knew exactly what he wanted. “Well,” he said, “somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000 to start would be nice.  Of course, it also depends on the benefits.”  The CEO thought about it for a moment.  “Okay,” he said. “What would you say then to a salary of $175,000 with five weeks vacation, fourteen paid holidays, full medical and dental coverage and a new company leased Corvette every two years?”  The young man couldn’t believe it.  “Wow,” he said, “Are you kidding?”  “Yeah,” the CEO said, “but you started it.”

If you want something you have to go out and work for it.  You can’t expect things to be handed to you on a silver platter.  If you want to run a marathon you can’t just show up the day of the race and expect you’re going to make it to the finish line.  You have to go months in advance and train for the race.  If you want to graduate from college you can’t just show up on graduation day and expect the dean to hand you a diploma.  You have to attend the classes and read the text books and take the exams.  If you want a new car you can’t just go to the dealer and expect the salesman to hand you the keys.  You have to work and save your money for a down payment and then you have to work to pay off the loan.  After all what does it say on that bumper sticker?  “I owe. I owe. So it’s off to work I go.”

Of course, not everyone thinks that way.  Some people are like Dobie Gillis.  Do you remember that television show from the early 1960’s?  “The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis.”  It was a show about a teenager and the trials and tribulations he faced as he made his way through high school.  In one episode Dobie looks directly into the camera and says, “Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it?”

If you want something you have to go out and work for it.  You can’t expect things to be handed to you on a silver platter.  That’s true for most things in life and it’s also true when it comes to your faith.

That, by the way, was the problem that the Apostle Paul was dealing with when he wrote his letter to the Thessalonians.  Apparently, there were some Christians in the Thessalonian Church who wanted things to be handed to them on a silver platter.  According to the Apostle Paul they were “walking in idleness.”  They seemed to have this expectation that because they were believers their Christian sisters and brothers were supposed to provide for them and take care of them.  They seemed to have this expectation that because they were believers God was supposed to be there for them and take care of them.  They were living on welfare if you will.  Spiritual welfare, that is, and Paul wasn’t about to let them get away with it.  That’s why he told the other Christians in the Thessalonian Church to stay away from them and it’s why he made it very clear in his letter.  “If anyone is not willing to work. Let him not eat.”

Paul didn’t pull any punches in his letter to the Thessalonians because he knew that a lackadaisical faith will always be lacking.  Or to put it another way, spiritual welfare is never good for your spiritual welfare.  Paul would say the same thing to us today.  That’s because in our society there is a silver platter mentality when it comes to faith. It’s an expectation that faith should work like a light switch.  It’s something that you can turn off and on when you need it.   When life is good you turn the faith switch off and do as you please.  Then when life gets a little bumpy you bow your head and turn the faith switch back on.  When your sick or suffering or struggling you just turn the faith switch on and God will magically appear and take care of you.

There’s a story about a chaplain during World War II who found himself on the battlefield one day running from foxhole to foxhole.  The chaplain was surprised though when he jumped into this one particular foxhole and he found a terrified soldier sitting there with a crucifix in his hand.  With the bombs going off and the bullets flying above their heads the terrified soldier held up the crucifix and said to the chaplain, “Boy am I glad to see you. How do you work this thing?”

Well, the simple truth is that your faith won’t work for you unless you take the time to work on your faith.  It’s no different from buying that car or getting that diploma or running that marathon.  You have to work on it.  That’s what the Apostle Paul did and because he did he was able to write those truly powerful words that we’ve heard many times before.   With death staring him in the face Paul was still able to declare, “the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”  (II Timothy 4:6-8)

Paul didn’t believe in spiritual welfare. So, he didn’t just talk the talk.  He walked the walk.  He took time every day to raise his head to the heavens and praise God. He took time every day to bow his head and pray to God and because he did his faith was there when he needed it.

A few years ago a retired Marine Corps General by the name of Charles Krulak told a story at a prayer breakfast that was held out in Wheaton, Illinois.  The story was about a friend of his from the Marine Corp.  This is what he said, “Thirty-five years ago I was a young second lieutenant who had just graduated from the Naval Academy.  My wife and I went down to Quantico, Virginia, home of the basic school where officers learn about honor, courage, and commitment. I shared a room with another married officer named John Listerman. Who was a Christian. That meant nothing to me other than Gee, what a nice guy. I guess this Christian stuff must be pretty good.  After graduating from basic school, John and I went to Camp Pendleton, California, where we joined the same battalion preparing to go to Vietnam. I then saw John Listerman as a tremendous leader—aggressive and technically proficient. People loved him. He was committed to his troops and his troops were committed to him. He was a Marine’s Marine.  In December 1965 John and I went to war. John Listerman’s war lasted one day. While on patrol moving through the jungle, we came around a corner in the trail and ran into an ambush. John took a 50-caliber round in his kneecap. As his kneecap burst he was thrown into the air. The second round hit him below the heart and exited out his side. I was wounded also but not as badly. I crawled about 30 meters to John, but before I could ask, “Are you okay? Can I do anything?” he said, “How are you doing, Chucker? Are you okay?” When I said I was okay he said, “Are my men safe?” I said, “Your people are OK.” He (then) turned his head to the sky and repeated over and over, “Thank you, Lord. Thank you for caring for my people. Thank you for caring for me.”

That tremendous act of faith made a lasting impression on General Krulak.  Seeing his friend’s faith that day and hearing him give thanks to God as his life was slipping away is what made him decide to become a Christian himself.

That’s the thing when it comes to your faith.  When you take the time to work on your faith, your faith will work for you when you need it.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

November 17, 2013