Shabbat Shalom! Let's open our Bibles, please, today to the second epistle to the Thessalonians. And today we are going to read all these 18 verses in this third chapter of the book of 2nd Thessalonians. The Apostle Paul was extremely gracious with these brethren in Thessalonica. He loved them. He cared for them. He didn't have much time to be with them. But he wanted them to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. And he wrote them first letter at about 52 AD. And he wrote a few months later the second letter, 2nd Thessalonian. And we have arrived to the third chapter.

And so in the third chapter, the Apostle Paul is extremely practical. He's going, you might say, down from prophetic ministry to practical ministry, which believers like you and I need in our lives. We don't only need to know what God is going to do in some future day. It's not only they're there by and by, but we need to know how to handle and to live our life here and now as we are here living in this world. So we begin 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 1. Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you.

And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for all men have not faith or the faith. Ha Emunah. But the Lord is faithful who shall establish you and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you that he both do and will do the things which we commend you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Mashiach, Messiah. Now we commend you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition which he received of us.

For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us, for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you. Neither did we eat any man's bread for naught, but wrought with labor and travail night and day that we might not be chargeable to any of you. Not because we have no power or authority, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commended you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we commend and exhort by our Lord Jesus the Messiah, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread.

But ye brethren, be not weary, and if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Now the Lord of peace, Adon Hashalom, himself give you shalom, give you peace, always, by all means, the Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle, so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah be with you all. Amen. And the apostle Paul concludes this second letter to the Thessalonians.

You know it is a real important thing for anyone who teach the Bible, or minister the word, or seek to be in a sense a communicator of the word of the Lord, that he will be balanced. It's not enough to talk about prophecy, and to talk about the sweet by and by, without to have an effect upon our life on here and now. It's not sufficient just to say, "Listen, wow, let me tell you, one day God is going to do such and such." And the prophetic word of the Lord teach us when the Messiah is going to come, how he is going to come.

The beginning of the tribulation, and the end of the tribulation, the rapture of the assembly, and on and on and on, without to make it apply to our life every day. That's the kind of a man Shaul Paul was. He was not only a theologian who knew to speak about the things of sweet by and by, and prophetic message that the Lord had given to him, but he also was very practical. And you know, brothers and sisters, to be a believer in Yeshua the Messiah is really a practical living of the believer in the Lord Jesus. It's not sufficient to have head knowledge, and to know that I can memorize the Bible in my head, and I know certain things in my head.

But God wanted to affect our lives, and to make changes in our lives so we, in turn, can be messengers to others in other places around the world in which we live in. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, to be practical, a believer is not only to have theoretical knowledge, but also to have practical walk with the Lord. And so the Apostle Paul, Shaul Paul, now coming, you might say, down from the second chapter, of which he spoke about the Antichrist, the counterfeit Messiah. How he will come, and he will sit in the temple claiming to be God. And how he, in the future day, will influence so many people, and many will follow his ways.

And how, as you remember, that that wicked one will ultimately be revealed, and God is ultimately going to judge him at the second coming of the Messiah. And oh, how we love to hear about the future events that are going to happen. But here, the Apostle Paul is shifting. He is now closing the letter that he wrote to the Thessalonians, and he is going very down to where the feet of the believer go through. And you will notice now that in this last chapter, the Apostle Paul is giving guidance to the local believers in the city of Thessalonica as to how to handle situation in their local assembly experience.

And so today, you and I live 2,000 years later. On every corner, you have a church group of people. This one has this name, another one has this name. But all believers around the world, though many are divided, unfortunately, we are all part of the assembly, of the ecclesia, of the people of God. And we all need instruction. We will never be able to successfully grow and successfully build a local congregation unless we adhere to the practical things that we have in the Word of God. It happened historically among our people Israel, and it is happening today among the believers in the body of Messiah. In every generation, each one has to ask himself this: Am I a help, or am I a hindrance?

Am I a builder, or am I a destroyer? Am I a one that is using my gift for edification of others, or am I not using my gift and allowing the flesh to have its control? Let me tell you a secret: One day, we are all going to have to stand before the Lord. And he is going to ask us: How did you live your life as a believer? And you and I are going to have to answer. And the Lord knows our hearts. He knows our motives. He knows every step we take in our life. He knows our shortcomings, and he knows our victories.

He knows our failure, and he knows our successes. And he desires, beloved brothers and sisters, to build us up so we will live a life that is pleasing unto him. And so 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, where we are ministering today, is very practical. Down to earth. And so we read in verses 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, how the apostle Paul wished that the truth of the word of God will be not only kept and taught, but spread around. That others will hear about the truth of the word of God. And so he began, you notice, by asking the brethren to pray for him. Notice how we begin, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 1.

Finally, brethren, pray for us. Now, of course, I immediately think, Paul, what do you need the prayers of the saints? These Thessalonians were a group of young people. I'm saying young believers. I'm saying young believers. Two years, three years in the faith. Paul, what do you need their prayers? But brothers and sisters, the prayers of the saints is essential. We talked this morning earlier about praying for the meetings, praying for the fellowship, praying for the congregation and that the meeting will continue on and be a blessing. The prayers of the saints are important. If we will not pray, if we will not ask the Lord to help us, what do you expect from the Lord?

You think the Lord just wants us to be lacking communication with him? Not at all. Prayer, in Hebrew, tefillah, is essential. Essential. The prayers of the righteous men availeth much, James tells us. Righteous men, righteous in the Messiah. A believer's prayer availeth much. Years ago, a brother said to me, Brother Gideon, don't neglect to ask the brothers and sisters to pray for you. Prayer, beloved brothers and sisters, is essential. And the Apostle Paul began these last chapters, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, by asking, "Brethren, pray for us." Who is the us? Me, Silas, Timothy, as we serve around and we go from place to place to preach the message of the Gospel.

Brothers and sisters, brothers and sisters of Thessalonica. "Hit palelu bishvilenu." Pray for us. We need your prayer. Your prayer is essential. Now he says two things in this context, the reason for the prayer. First in verses 1 and 2. Number 1, verse 1b, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you. The first thing Paul is asking in prayer, he doesn't ask even for some gain for him. He asks, "Listen, the reason that I'm requesting you to pray for us is that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you." Apparently, when the believers at Thessalonica, when the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica first accepted the word of the Lord, they have turned to God from idols to worship the true and living God.

And it had an effect on them. It was not a religion. It was a relationship. The word of God convicted them. The word of God spoke to them and convicted them and they saw that they are sinners who need forgiveness of sins. And he changed them. And instead of carrying on life without God, they were following the Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah. They were living for him. And you can see that the apostle Paul said, "I really want that the word of God may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you, brothers and sisters in Thessalonica." He commended them that the word of God had been exalted.

You know, it is so precious, brothers and sisters. I'm telling you. When you and I come to a meeting and the word of God is being read before us. We glorify God and his word and we hear the word of God because the Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The Bible tells us that the word of God is powerful, is sharper than two-edged sword and is able to cut asunder and to divide that which is right from that which is wrong to speak to us, to convict us. And apparently, the word of God had been convicting the Thessalonians.

So the apostle Paul asked that they in turn will pray for him, for Silas and for Timothy so that when they are preaching the message of the word of God, that the word of God will have a free course. You know, it is amazing. The other day I had the privilege of speaking to one of our Israeli people that came to our Bible classes. And I'm just speaking in general. And he heard the word of God in our midst here. And he said to me, Gideon, he said, I couldn't sleep at night. And I'm just thinking to myself, and I remember that for my life, when I heard the word of God.

And when I heard about the person of Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, I couldn't sleep at night. Because there's a conviction that the Spirit of God is working in the hearts of the hearer. Because the word of God is powerful. By the Spirit of God, God wants to use his word and to spread it and that people will be convicted. Convicted. Isaiah, the Hebrew prophet of all, if you just turn there for a moment. In chapter 55, Isaiah said to our nation Israel in all the days, 750 years before the Mashiach Yeshua came. He said in verse 11, God is using Isaiah to speak to Israel. He said, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth.

It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please. And it shall prosper in the things whereof I have sent it. God is going to use his word. And Paul, in being in line with the God of Israel, with the Messiah Yeshua, he said, Brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord will have free course. You can take the preacher and put him in jail, but you can never lock the word of God. God can use his word through the radio, through the internet, through the television, through word of mouth. The word of the Lord will be spread.

And the apostle Paul didn't want any hindrances. And he said, Brethren, pray for us. And I love the thought because he says, pray for us. You notice, by the way, that he closed the first epistle. First Thessalonians chapter 5. With the same thought when he said to them in verse 25. Notice what he says. Brethren, pray for us. Achim hit palelu bishvileinu. As we said in our Hebrew mother's tongue. He closed the first epistle. Brethren, pray for us. He closed the second epistle. Brethren, pray for us. And so I'm challenging you, beloved brothers and sisters. Pray for those who serve the Lord. Pray for one another. Pray that God will use his word for the blessing.

And that there will be free course. That the word of the Lord will be distributed and people will hear it. But not only that. Because he was a missionary, a servant of the Lord. He experienced conflict. So in verse 2, he's asking for a second request. In verse 2, he says. Brethren, pray that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all have not the faith. So apparently Paul, and I don't know if you've read the list of the sufferings of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4, in 2 Corinthians 6, in 2 Corinthians 11, how Shaul Paul experienced persecution from those that oppose the message to be spread around. But apparently it's not only brothers and sisters of those that are without, unfortunately at times, those that are within, had a lot of opposition to the ministry of the Apostle Paul of Shaul.

And that's why you will notice him oftentimes mentioning, "Brethren, I would like you to pray for us that we may be delivered from, number one, unreasonable, and number two, wicked men." Men, and we can say women, people, who oppose that which the Apostle Paul Shaul have taught. And especially, notice he said, "For all men have not faith." And the word there, faith, is not only just faith in God, but the faith. The faith. The faith. In Hebrew we say, "Ha emunah." The faith which was once and for all have been delivered unto the saints. It's not only merely faith in general. You know, we all many times can say that we are unbelieving believers.

We don't always believe God for every problem and situation in our life. But here, he specifically speaks about the faith. The teachings that have been given by the early apostles concerning the body of Christ, the body of Messiah. Now I know that we live in the last days, 2,000 years later on. And there are many, many views. And we are in the midst of that. But here, it's not even the year 100. It's the year 53, 54 A.D. It's the beginning of the assembly of the church age. The Messiah just was resurrected 20-something years earlier. And the Apostle Paul was on his second missionary journey. And already then, beloved brothers and sisters, already then there was a problem that existed.

There are those who opposed the message of the gospel and the message of the truth that the Apostle Paul had been raised by the Lord Yeshua to teach. I mean, if we don't have the teaching of the Apostle Paul, we don't have Romans, not 1 Corinthians, not 2 Corinthians, not Galatians, not Ephesians, not Philippians, not 1 Thessalonians, not 1 Timothy, not 2 Timothy, not Titus. We might as well take the whole Brita Hadashah and put it away. So what do we have the instruction in the New Testament for? Does the Bible have half of it or 3/4 of it or what do we have? So therefore, the Apostle Paul was very, very strong when he says, "Listen, brethren, pray for us that we will be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for not everyone, not all have the knowledge of the faith." Now turn with me to Jude for a moment, Yehuda in Hebrew.

And notice what Jude said. Judah is another Hebrew Christian, a Messianic Jewish man. He's also writing. You see, both of these men, Paul was Jewish. Peter was Jewish. Judah was Jewish. They were early apostles whom the Lord Jesus the Messiah gave them instruction, specifically the glorified Messiah gave instruction to these early brethren, the truth of the present day age in which we live in. So Jude said, listen to that in verse 3. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should, listen to this, that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once, which was once delivered unto the saints.

Once and for all delivered unto the saints. Well, Judah or Yehuda also gave warning to those whom he wrote. He says, "Brethren, you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered unto the saints." Now, obviously, the apostle Paul was the apostle to the uncircumcision. He was writing to the believers at Rome, to the believers at Corinth, to the believers in Galatia, and Ephesus, and Colossians, and Ephesians, and so on. He wrote to the Gentile believers mostly, the goyim from among the nations of the world. And he said to them, listen, the truth of this present day, that a Jew and a Gentile are united together in the body of Messiah.

And they are forming the ecclesia of this present day. God will restore Israel in a future day. And he will bless Israel. And Israel will be a blessing to the world. But in this present day, the truth that was given to the body of Messiah, we need you to hold on to it. We desire you to earnestly contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered unto the saints. So in 2 Thessalonians, in the first two verses, the apostle Paul asked the brethren to pray for those two reasons. Number one, to help in prayer that the word will be spread and there will be completely liberty and free course.

And number two, that they will be protected and delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not the faith. And so in verse 3, 4 and 5, Paul, he's really had confidence in the Lord. He wanted prayer, but who going to do that? Do you think on our own or he on his own could protect the truth of the word of God? Not at all. He never had confidence in himself, but he had confidence in the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach. And so we read in verse 3, 4 and 5, notice that three times the word the Lord, the Lord, the Lord, Ha'adon, Ha'adon, Ha'adon. First of all in verse 3, but the Lord is faithful.

Who shall establish you and keep you from evil? He trusted not in the faithfulness of the Thessalonians, though they need to be faithful. But he trusted in the faithfulness of the Lord. God is faithful. Yeshua is faithful. When we are not faithful, he remains the same. He is faithful to maintain what he has in mind for his people. So the Lord is faithful. He is going to establish you and he will keep you from all evil. He is able to keep you apart and separated unto him from that evil that comes against you, he said to them. In verse 4, he also believed that the Lord was able to help them in all things that are coming around their way.

Notice that it says in verse 4, but we have confidence in the Lord. Again, we have confidence in the Lord touching you that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. Again, brothers and sisters, notice he doesn't demand from them to have confidence in themselves. Not at all. We cannot have confidence in ourselves. When we try the best we try, we seek to do on our own strength, with our own merit and our own wisdom. We find ourselves falling on our faces. But when we trust in the Lord and we allow him to lead us, you can see that he does help us and he guides us and he protects us.

You remember what King Solomon said in the book of Proverbs, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path." The problem is that we don't trust in the Lord at all times. And instead of not leaning on our own understanding, we lean on our own understanding. And instead of in all our ways acknowledging him, we are in some of our ways acknowledging him. And we find out that instead of him directing us, we are seeking to direct ourselves. And that's why we stumble and we fall so many times.

But you see, this is not only New Testament teaching. Old Testament, the Tanakh in Israel's history, the people of Israel were exhorted to do the same. Israel was to trust in the Lord. Israel was to have confidence in the God of Israel. And when they had confidence in him, they were successful in their spiritual walk with the Lord. And so we read, "The Lord will keep them." He is able. "The Lord will help them." And now notice in verse 5, "The Lord will direct the brethren into love and patience." And so we read in verse 5, "The third time, the Lord, beloved brothers and sisters." "And the Lord will direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Mashiach, for Christ, for the Messiah." And you know, when the Lord directs the people of God, He warmed up our hearts.

And He produced love in our hearts. As it says here, "He will direct your hearts into the love of God." The Lord Yeshua, the Lord Yeshua, the Lord Jesus is working out by His Spirit, a response from the believers. So we love God because we are remembering that He first loved us and He gave His Son, the Messiah for us. So the Lord will direct your hearts into the love of God. You know, we often talk about the fact that God loved us so much. You know, there are, I think, about four verses in Scripture that are really very clear of the love of God towards various groups, you might say, in the world.

When it comes to the people of Israel, God says to the prophet Jeremiah, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." When it comes to the assembly, to the church, to the ecclesia, we read in Ephesians 5, "Husband, love your wife as the Messiah loved the assembly, the church, and gave Himself for her." When it comes to the whole world, we read in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." And when it comes to our own personal life, the apostle Paul himself said in Galatians 2, "The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." Love for Israel, love for the assembly, love for the world, and love for me is clearly being taught in the Word of God.

And so the apostle Paul said to the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica, he says, "Listen, I am confident in the Lord that number one, He is able to keep you from evil. Number two, He is able to keep you in the things concerning the truth. Number three, He is able to direct you into the love of God." And notice as he says in verse 5, "The love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ, waiting for the Mashiach." Because the Messiah is coming. He is coming. Now, 2,000 years ago, Paul is saying, "He is coming, waiting for Him." And you and I, 2,000 years later on, we read this passage that he was writing to the Thessalonians.

And I can tell you, quoting Shaul Paul, "He is coming." And we have to wait for Him. It might be a year, it might be a month, it might be a day. It might be now, should he decide to come and to take his people home. Or it might be much longer, we do not know. But God is able, the Lord Yeshua, the Lord Jesus is able to direct us, as it says in verse 5, to loving God and being patient in waiting for the coming of the Messiah. And when He is going to come, brothers and sisters, all our problems, so great, so many, are going to end.

And He is going to take us to be with Him. And we are going to enjoy Him forever. Never to be separated from Him. Never to sin anymore. Never to dishonor Him anymore. Never to have an argument and fighting among the people of God. Never to have frictions anymore. When the Lord Yeshua is coming, we are going to be with Him. And we are going to enjoy Him for time and for eternity. And then after all, we are going to come with Him at the second coming of the Messiah to earth. And He is going to rule and reign over this world as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Our people Israel will be restored to the land. The world is going to enjoy from sea to sea, from shore to shore, there will be blessing in this world. That is what we wait for. We long for that. We have to have patience. But the Lord is able to direct us to love God until the future promises will come to fruition. And that means that we need to be practically living for the Lord here because He may come. And He may come at any time and we are going to have to stand before the judgment seat of the Messiah. That everyone will appear before Him and He will evaluate our lives as believers.

How did we live our lives as believers? And everything that we have dishonored with will have to be cast and burned with fire. And only what was done for the Mashiach, for Christ, for the Messiah will last. That's why the Apostle Paul is really coming down, you might say, from all the theology about prophecy. And he brings it down to where the feet walk on earth. And he says, "How do you dear brethren in Thessalonica live your life?" "I trust the Lord that He is able to help you and to lead you in your life. Just stay close to Him." He was a shepherd. He was not only an evangelist.

He was not only a Bible teacher or teacher, but he was a shepherd. He cared for the flock. He loved the people of God because God used him to lead others to the Lord. And he was a real shepherd. How we need shepherds today. Not theologians that only know the truth in the head. But shepherds who have a care for the flock of God. Any baby needs the love of his mom and dad. His Abba and Emma. Any young boy needs the leadership of an older individual that guides him. Spiritually it is the same thing. We all need to feel the love of God, to experience the love of God, to be corrected by the Lord.

But we need shepherd care. And Shaul, Paul was a shepherd who loved the people of God. And so now listen what he is all of a sudden moving on in verse 6. And in verse 6 now, In the name of the Lord to withdraw. And notice a very strong verse. In verse 6 he says, Now we commend you brethren. You notice by the way he called them brethren again and again. He began with verse 1, Finally brethren. Achim. And he continued in verse 6 he said, We commend you brethren. Achim. In Hebrew. So we commend you brother in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Yeshua HaMashiach. That ye withdraw yourself from every brother that walketh disorderly.

And not after the tradition which he received of us. Now apparently already then there were those that did not receive what the apostle Paul said. Now remember brothers and sisters he was an apostle. An apostle has a unique authority that was given by the risen Messiah. There were only 12 apostles. Plus Shaul who later on saw the glorified Messiah on the way to Damascus. And they were special men. They were a gift to the assembly. They were not superior in a sense. They didn't ask for anybody to tap on the shoulder. The people who saw the Messiah in their lives. Literally saw him and spoke with him and walked with him and lived with him.

The apostle Paul was unique. Because he didn't see him in his life here on earth but he saw him on the way to Damascus. And he was taken to the third heaven that we read in other passages in the book of Corinthians. The Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, the Messiah. And it is in the same way Moses for example. Moses was not better than the ordinary Israeli years ago but God called him. He made him his servant. Yeshua, Joshua. God called him. His servant. And he gave him gifts and authority that another ordinary person do not have. Now by the way we don't have any more than those apostles that were existing in the early first century.

Years ago I was invited to go to a group of people called the Apostolic Church. And all of a sudden the door opened and everybody stood and the apostle came in. And I was really shocked. I said, "Wow, what's going on?" Jesus, the Bible does not tell us of any more apostles in this present day 2,000 years later. There are no more. These apostles had an authority that was unique to their time because they saw the risen Messiah himself. And so the apostle Paul gives them instruction. He says, "Listen." He says, "We commend you, brethren, in the name of the Lord." Notice this time he doesn't suggest but he commends.

"In the name of the Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Messiah, that ye withdraw yourself from every brother that walks disorderly." We can say every sister as well. Every brother walks disorderly and not after the tradition which he received from us. That word tradition, we talked about it in our previous ministry meeting because there are, we said, traditions that are good and there are traditions that are no good. Here he is applying much more than just merely a tradition like you and I might develop in our life, so-called tradition. Here it is an ordinance. It is instruction from the Lord Yeshua the Messiah through the apostle Paul.

And apparently there were some who were already then and there were walking in a disorderly fashion. What do you do in a case like that? How do you handle a situation like that? Well, the apostle Paul is first of all giving the instruction. He says, "Listen, withdraw yourself." "Withdraw yourself with some who walk disorderly." Because first of all, it will never help us spiritually. Secondly, you will notice that you will only going to cause more problems to the local church, local assembly. And eventually the Lord will not be honored. So he said, "Withdraw yourself." He doesn't say, "Fight." He said, "Move back." In this kind of situation, one needs to be separated.

Withdrawing yourself from such... In other words, the word for "walk" always speaks about the manner of conduct and behavior. Oftentimes you find the expression "walk." For example, in Galatians 5 we read, "Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." It's interesting to use the word "walk." Why? Because with these feet, we walk on the ground. And it suggests that how do one live? Now, we all fail God. We all sin quickly. The sin that does so easily beset us. But here, it's a suggestion of much more than a failure and weakness and so on. There's an ongoing, persistent disorder that is continuing on.

So the Apostle Paul is saying to them, "See, I'm commending you, dear brethren, in the name..." And notice, it's not only under his authority without linking himself with the person of the Lord. In the name of the Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, that you withdraw yourself from every brother that walked disorderly and not after the traditions or the ordinances which he received of us. Now, you can just imagine that in the early days of the assembly of the church, already even here, you remember we have learned earlier that somebody wrote a letter in the name of the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2. And verse 2, saying that things are different.

This is a letter from Shaul Paul. And he was instructing the believers in Thessalonica about things that the Apostle Paul never said or never changed his teachings. He was not even there to do so. So somebody claimed that he wrote this. So the Apostle Paul is very strongly saying, he's commending them, "Brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, withdraw yourself from every brother that you have." So the Apostle Paul walks in the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, who is not after the tradition or the ordinances which he received for us. And so the next verses, verses 7, 8, and 9, he reminds the Thessalonians how he walked when he was with them in the midst.

He walked in an orderly fashion, he was humble man, he was gracious man, he was loving them, he was patient with them. And so you notice in verses 7, 8, and 9, very interesting, three things that we find out about Paul, Silas, and Timothy when they were among the brethren in Thessalonica at about 50 AD, about two years earlier. He says in verse 7, "For you yourself know how ye ought to follow us, for we behave not," listen, "we behave not ourselves disorderly among you." When we first came to Thessalonica at about the year 50 AD and we first shared with you the Gospel and stayed with you for three Shabbat days, for three weeks.

We behaved in an orderly fashion. We didn't pressure you. We didn't cause something to harm you. We wanted to lead you to the Messiah, to lead you to the Lord Jesus Christ. And also we behave in such a way that it was orderly, in order, it was common, it was biblical, it was godly, with the right attitude. What a man this man had been, the Apostle Paul, the way in which he and Timothy and Silas who came along with him. If you read, if you remember in Acts chapter 16 and 17, he was on his second missionary journey. He met Timothy who became a believer and he took him along with Silas and he arrived to Thessalonica, present day Saloniki, where there was a synagogue of our own Jewish people and there he preached a message of the Gospel.

There he led many of the Jewish people and other Gentiles and together they formed the local assembly in Thessalonica. But he behaved in the right way. Behavior was very important according to verse 7. Notice what it says in verse 8. Even the way that he was conducting himself, he did not use the brothers and sisters of Thessalonica. He says in verse 8, neither did we eat any man's bread. For not, but we wrought with labor and travail night and day that we might not be chargeable to any man. By the way, the Apostle Paul was a tent maker. He was making tent and he was selling them apparently or something and he was earning livelihood.

So when he arrived to Thessalonica, he didn't abuse anyone. Unless somebody is going to say to him, "Oh, Paul, you are abusing us." Now, by the way, the Apostle Paul was a servant of the Lord. He had a right to receive support from the people of God. But he wanted to set an example here. And he's unique in that way. By the way, in other passages, he says the labor is worthy of his hire. But here, you notice the example that he said because there were others that were there living disorderly. He says, "Listen, brothers and sisters, when we were there, we didn't live disorderly.

We didn't even take from anyone any piece of bread." When I think how the people of God over the years have supported us in our ministry. He blessed us in so many ways. And I think in comparison to the Apostle Paul, who tells us here, "I work with our own hand. We labored and travailed night and day that we might not be chargeable to any of you." No one could accuse the Apostle Paul that he used them. No one could accuse him. He spent the time. He labored in the midst of them. He taught them day and night. And yet he went to do his job as a tent maker.

Amazing. And so we read in verse 9, not only that, but we have a right. We could have taken it from you. Notice it says in verse 9, "Not because we have no power or authority to take from you, because we minister to you in spiritual things." And there was a responsibility of the people of God to support the servant of the Lord. Like in biblical time, in the time of Israel, the Leviim were supported by the rest of the nation. But Paul, in connection with the Thessalonians, he specifically said, "Not because we have no authority or no power in Hebrew, no reshut, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow after us." So Paul says, "We have been in such a way with you.

We didn't take anything from you. We didn't walk disorderly among you. We have authority. We have, you might say, the ability and the right and the power, but we didn't use it. But we wanted to become an example unto you in order that you will follow our example." A unique experience that the Thessalonians have learned from the apostle Paul. He became a servant to them and he didn't ask them anything for a return. Remind us, doesn't it, of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, of whom we read in Philippians 2 of his humility and the way he lived among mankind: "Christ Jesus, the Messiah Yeshua, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but he made himself of no reputation, and he took upon him the form of a servant, and he was made in the likeness of men, and being found in a fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Therefore, God has also highly exalted him, and in giving him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua, every knee should bow of things in heaven, and of things on earth, and of things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

He learned from the Lord, who was a unique master, unique savior, the Mashiach Yeshua himself. So, beloved brothers and sisters, verses 1 to 5, Paul wished that the truth of the word of God will be spread. He requested for prayer that the word of God will have free access. He requested for prayer that he will be delivered from all those who are opposing the work of the Lord. Then he commended the brothers and sisters, and he said to them, "You ought to withdraw from anyone that is walking disorderly." And then in verse 7, 8, and 9, he reminded the Thessalonians the way that he himself, along with Timothy and Silas, behaved among the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica.

Very practical. Far away, you might say, between theology about the future coming of the Messiah, about the Antichrist, about when he's going to come, how he's going to come, and what's going to happen in the tribulation period. We are pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, and so on. No, no, no. He's coming down to earth. And he says, "Here is the way in which we to maintain our lives in our local congregation and local assembly." And now he continues on as we draw towards the end. He's just about to close that letter to the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. So verses 10 to 13, the Apostle Paul is pointing to the divine principle.

Now, it's amazing when you read what the Apostle Paul is writing here. Notice what he says in verse 10. "If any man does not work, neither should he eat." Imagine. No work, no food. I mean, amazing. Look what he says here. Verse 10, he says, "Now, when we were with you, we commended you that if any would not work, neither would he eat." Amazing. When you really think about it. Now, brothers and sisters, why Shaul Paul mentioned this to the believers? Apparently, they were in the midst of them. Maybe some of them probably thought, "Well, the rapture is going to happen. The Messiah is coming at any time, right?

So I have to stop my job." And it's true. If the Lord is going to come now, why do I need to go to work, right? But in reality, what happened, time is passing by. And instead of them working, laboring with their hand, they started to become busybodies. Meddling in everybody else's affairs. Correcting this. Fixing that. Tending this. All kinds of things they're starting to do instead of laboring and working. And, you know, we have to realize, brothers and sisters, work was given by God before sin came into this world. In fact, turn with me to Genesis 1:27. And I'm reading. "So God created men in His own image.

In the image of God created He Him. Male and female created He them." Verse 28, "And God blessed them. And God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. And subdue it. And have dominion over all the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that is moving upon the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of the earth, every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for food." And now continue verse 30. And He said, "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, where there is life, I have given every green herb for food, and it was so." Now turn the page to chapter 2 for a moment.

And you notice that in chapter 2 verse 8 and verse 15, "And God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed." Verse 15, "And the Lord God took the man, and He put him in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." "The Hebrew word to dress it and to keep it." The Hebrew word to dress it and to keep it is le'ovda ve'leshomra. To work the ground, to work there in the garden, and to keep it, to till it, to make sure that things are kept in order. So work is part and parcel of human life. Even before sin came in, work was given to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, in Gan Eden.

But when problem began is when sin came. When sin came, beloved brothers and sisters, in chapter 3, there you find out that sorrow came along with labor. When Eve disobeyed the Lord, you remember what we read in chapter 3, that God said to Eve in verse 16, "And to the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception." "In sorrow you shall bring forth children." And to Adam He said, if you notice in verse 17, "Because you have hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and has eaten of the tree which I have commanded thee, saying thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake, and in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." The word for sorrow comes from the Hebrew word, etzev, atzivut, etzavon, is to have sadness and pain.

And if you notice in verse 19, "In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread." In other words, when sin came in, all that which came along with labor, the sorrows and the trial and the sweat, and all these things came because sin came in. But before sin came in, work was part of life. Tilling the ground and working, keeping the garden was part of life. When Adam worked the ground, Adam enjoyed the food. When Adam labored, he received fruit and he enjoyed it. And it's really a part of life. Even today, beloved brothers and sisters, we ought to have something to be occupied with.

So we will be able to sustain ourselves and maintain ourselves. It is a given by God. Now, there are some who can't. There are all sorts of situations in life that he is not speaking about this. But there are certain things that we all can do in order to work and enjoy the fruit of the labor. By the way, spiritually it is the same as well. Those that serve the Lord and minister to the people of God, the Lord is rewarding, blessings coming. There is a labor which results in fruit. Physical labor results in physical fruit. Spiritual labor results in spiritual fruit. So the apostle Paul in verse 10 gave us a biblical principle.

"If any would not work, neither should he eat." Now, you might say and I might say, "Oh, Paul, this is a very strong word." But Paul is stating biblical fact. If you will not labor and leave things like that, you will see eventually that there will be no growth. There will be no food. You are not going to be able to enjoy the fruit of the ground because you didn't till it and work it and water it in order that something is going to come out of the ground. Now, turn with me to Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 6. The king of Israel, Shlomo, still with all his failure, was by divine inspiration, received information from the Lord as to how to guide the people of Israel.

And Solomon said in chapter 6 of the book of Mishlei in Hebrew, Proverbs chapter 6, verse 6. He says, "Go to the end, thou sluggard, consider her way and be wise, which having no guide, overseer or ruler, providest her meat in the summer, and gatherest her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that travaileth, and thy want as an armed man." Solomon said this many years ago. He says, "You, Israel, have to learn from the ant." The ant, as it says here, have no guide, no overseer, no ruler.

But the ant getting up and doing her job. And doing the things, because fruit is going to come up, and this is a healthy lesson for us to learn. Now mind you, sometimes you feel like you want to fold your hands and do nothing for a couple of weeks or a couple of months. But you realize you can't just leave things apart, even in our day-by-day life. If you don't go and pay the bills, pay them. You're going to get some kind of telephone call or some letter that says, "Hey, you didn't do that." If you are not going to fix certain things that you have to do, and you'll see, you know, if you have certain things in the home.

You know, those of us who are men, often our wife says, "Hey, fix this thing." Because look at this. If you leave it like that, it stays broken. And you know it very well. If you let things aside for too long, everything is falling apart. So, there's a lesson in that, brothers and sisters. The principle is a divine principle. Work. And you will enjoy the fruit of your labor. You will enjoy. The Lord will bless you. That's what he is saying. And then he gives us the situation that existed in Thessalonica, apparently. Because according to verse 11 and 12, we find out, "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly," again he mentioned this, "working not at all, but are busy bodies." And then he continues in verse 12, "Now them that are such we commend and exhort by the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread." What he is really saying is that there are some Anamites that are, maybe they were waiting for the coming of the Messiah, for the taking up of the assembly to heaven, and they were waiting and they said, "Well, if the Lord is coming at any time, I don't need to work, I don't need to do anything, and therefore I can continue to wait for the Lord." And then instead, you know what happens with us when we are not occupied?

We get into trouble. And so what they start to do is they start to be busy bodies and everybody's affair, and they end up troubling the saints. And so the Apostle Paul says, "No, no." He says, "Listen, I hear, but here's my recommendation to you." And he was speaking to us, and he says, "Listen, the best thing to do is with quietness to work, and to eat their own bread, and a blessing will come out." And he says, "Labor and labor, and you will see that the Lord will reward you and bless you." And so verse 13, "But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing." You know, sometimes even those that labor and seeking to do things that are right, it seems to be that you get weary because it doesn't seem to be resolved often.

So what do we do? Do we quit? Apostle Paul says, "No." He says, "Don't be weary in well-doing. Continue to do the right thing. Wherever the Lord places you, continue to do it, because eventually the Lord will bless you. Don't be weary in well-doing." And so now, brothers and sisters, at the end of this last chapter in 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul, in verses 14 and 15, instruct the Thessalonians as to separation from those believers whom they are walking disorderly. And so we read in verse 14, "If any man obey not our word by this letter, note that man, and have no company with him that he may be ashamed." Notice, "mark them." And you notice he used that word, that epistle, that letter.

Why? Because earlier somebody wrote a letter using perhaps the name of Paul, saying this is the instruction that Paul gave. And here he said, "Listen, I'm telling you, those that obey not this letter, note that man, have no company with him that he may be ashamed." Now, I wanted just to make a remark about that many times when we have to deal with situations like that, we really need wisdom from the Lord. Because we all have failures. We all have mistakes in our life and we all need to be corrected at one time or another. How do we handle a situation? Sometimes there's personal differences.

Sometimes there's doctrinal issues. Other times it may be practical sin in one's life. Other times it might be troublemaking and so on. And at times it's even going to be unjudged immorality. How do we handle that? You know that most of us have no idea how to handle those situations. And in every situation one needs to be patient, wise, humble, broken before the Lord. How do we handle? How do we handle problems that rise up in the midst of the local assembly? Personal differences. Who of us can say that we don't have personal differences? So what do we do? Do we separate from each other, judge the other and say I don't want to have anything to do with you because there are personal differences?

What about when there is doctrinal error? How do we correct and help each other doctrinally? We need to help each other doctrinally. What practical sin? If any man be caught in a fault in sin. You remember what the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:1? "Ye which are spiritual, restore such a one with spirit of meekness, considering yourself." We have to have a right attitude. We can't just push around everybody and think I've got it all and I'm the only authority and I'm the one that knows all and I have to set you aside. We need a lot of grace because we are all in a need of help and correction and instruction.

And so at times it will be personal differences, doctrinal error, perhaps a practical sin, troublemaking and so on, even unjudged immorality. We need the grace of the Lord to know how to handle this. I remember years ago I was sitting in a meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake and a brother came to speak in our midst. And I remember that meeting like it was yesterday. He was speaking about prayer. And I remember him teaching us about the importance of prayer. I think it was the last meeting that he was there for a couple of weekends or so. And the last meeting that he spoke about when sometimes we have to put somebody out of fellowship.

And they have to put him out of the local assembly like it was in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. That there was immorality and the Lord had to judge. It was unjudged sin and he had to put that person out of the fellowship. And he said, and I remember that he says, when they have to tell this person to leave the room and not to be at the meeting because of his persistent to continue in his own way. He says, when that man will turn around and look at all the brothers and sisters, he ought to see the tears in the eyes of every brother in the local assembly.

Why? Because you don't put anyone just like that because of the fact that you are holy and he is unholy. You are exalting yourself and he or she are not as worthy as you. It has to be an exercise of the heart. We have to be broken before the Lord when we have to separate from someone because of one way or another. Because we have to realize that we have to have a right attitude in our matters in the ways in which we deal with one another. And so it may be personal differences. It may be doctrinal error. It may be practical sin or troublemaking or even unjudged sin that need to be corrected.

But every one of us need to have a right attitude in how we handle it. Galatians 6 says, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one with the right attitude. We need it, beloved brothers and sisters. And that's why, notice in these verses, he said to them in 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 14, If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that men have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Notice he doesn't stop, verse 15, Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. And you know, when we admonish one another as a brother with sincere care, not with superiority or superior attitude, we can go under one another and lift each other up and help in a restoration.

Because God is honored by that. There is joy in heaven when there is harmony among the people of God. Yeshua is smiling upon the right attitude. But he is sad. And he is grieved like the Spirit of God is grieved when we don't allow him to lead us and to correct us and to direct us. And so the Apostle Paul concluded. Notice how practical this, beloved brothers and sisters. This is a very practical chapter. He concludes the whole second epistle to the Thessalonians in verses 16, 17 and 18. And there, beloved brothers and sisters, Paul assures the Thessalonians that the Lord will help. And so he said, notice in verse 16.

Now the Lord of peace. In Hebrew, Adon HaShalom. God wants peace in the midst of the saints. Now the Lord of peace himself give you Shalom. Give you peace. Always, by all means, the Lord be with you all. He said, this is the Lord of peace. Adon HaShalom. He will make Shalom if we will have a right attitude towards one another and a spiritual condition that is necessary for restoration of those that have gone astray, for building each other up and so on. We need to have this kind of attitude. So the Lord of Shalom, the Lord of peace himself will give Shalom to you.

Always, by all means, the Lord be with you all. The Lord is with his own people. The problem is not if the Lord is with his own people. The problem is whether his people are with the Lord. We need to be close to the Lord. And he concludes, verse 17, the salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is a token in every epistle so I write. Now notice he's using the word again. I'm writing this letter with my own hands. Why, Paul? Because the one who wrote in the second chapter in verse 2, that was not with my own hand. Letter as if from us. No, no.

That letter is not from us. But this letter, 2 Thessalonians, is from me. I'm writing it with mine own hand. And then he concludes in verse 18, "The grace of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, be with you all." And he concludes with the word, "Amen." He wishes that the grace of the Lord. Chesed Ha'adon. We need grace, beloved brothers and sisters. Chesed, we need every day. Every day if we are going to continue to follow the Lord. Peter said that the last verse of his second epistle, "Grow in a grace and in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus the Messiah." Grow in grace. He said, "The grace of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, be with you." And so, he concludes the second letter that he wrote to the Thessalonians.

And finally, I myself have concluded the ministry of 2 Thessalonians. May the Lord bless his word. Can we say "Amen"?