2 Thess 3:3-5+13 - But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance….And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. 
As we continue with our basic consideration of the seriousness with which we are to esteem God and His Holiness, a very important element presents itself. This is why we have added verse 13 at this time - But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. The full aspect of our being brothers in Christ, the brethren of the Lord, in the all-encompassing sense including all the sisters in Christ, is part of the faithfulness of God in action on this earth through and for His Church. 
Think for a moment about the various aspects that are involved in being made part of the very family of God, together, one with each other. There is a joy that we share as our eyes are focused more and more clearly upon the Lord and His plan and purpose in His Church. There is the genuine family relationship that is developed as we work, play, eat, learn, rejoice, and worship together in the service of the Lord. There is the growth that develops as God uses each of us to bring forth spiritual understanding and maturity in the Lord as we learn to value each other. This is inherent in the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Gal 5:22+23 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;… It is as we deal with one another through all the trials and situations, hardships and joys, turmoil and achievement, that the Holy Spirit has the opportunity to cultivate and to harvest this fruit within our lives. 
	There is no other manner for the Lord to develop this fruit apart from our interactions and fellowship with one another. It is in dealing with the members of the Church, that God faithfully and mercifully, and tenderly brings forth all the elements necessary for this familial relationship to blossom and bloom. Admittedly, when we are in the midst of the turmoil and strife, it sometimes seems like a lost cause, but God is faithful to do and to bring into operation His lovingkindness and tender mercy in all that He has promised. 
	The reason is that, in Christ, we are made to be brothers, fellow heirs, partakers of the feeding and development of the Body into the oneness of God’s desire and intent. Once again, we find ourselves reading that most important declaration of the Apostle Paul in Rom 8:28-30, And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.  
	God was very serious in His commitment to develop that perfect body of believers that would bring glory to the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. There is nothing that can hinder or stop that glorification of Jesus, because it is in Christ that God has created us anew, as His Church, His Body, His Beloved. Notice that Christ is the first-born of the brethren, of many brethren who will be brought into the place wherein God will realize the fullness of His heart in the great Love with which He loved us. We were chosen far back, before there was anything in existence to complete this perfect plan of God. He chose to bring us unto Himself in the death and resurrection of His Son in order that all the honor and glory and adoration and praise of this entire awestricken creation would be manifested at the revelation of God’s complete and perfect expression of Love, Christ and His Beloved Bride. We will share in that glory, but it will all be focused and attributed and lauded upon God and His Beloved Son.
	We read this, as well, in Heb 2:9-12 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, "I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, In the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise."
Please note that Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren, and this should be a key deliberation for our hearts and thoughts and actions. If Christ is not ashamed to call us His brothers; if Christ is willing to lay forth the claim and the acknowledgement of our being members of His very family, why do we allow ourselves to sometimes be ashamed of one another? Of course we each have our quirks and our issues and our behavioral difficulties. We are each created as a unique person in the mind and heart of God with our different mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. But that does not cause Christ to be ashamed of us. He loves us so much that, instead of turning away in disgust and loathing, He works to change and to cleanse and to direct us into His more perfect way of living.
Consider how the Apostle Paul is developing that characteristic of understanding, concern, and admonition within this church at Thessalonica. 2 Thess 3:6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. Verses 10-12 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And, verses 13-15, And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. 
These are some very harsh statements, but the key is the manner in which they are made. They are not just idle gossip, tearing down others for the sake of building ourselves up. These are not personality conflicts with its sickening justification for lack of caring and commitment one to the other. These are not the complaining and whining of one who is sick and tired of dealing with the perceived inadequacies and faults of others. These are the words of admonition given to Paul by the Holy Spirit for a very specific purpose. That purpose is the furthering of the accurate testimony of Jesus Christ on this earth. As such, please note the heart involved is not that of defaming and delighting in the downfall of these brethren. It is capped with the final encouragement, Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. Regard him as a brother.
The Apostle Paul had wrestled with these admonitions before the Lord. His purpose was not to kick these brothers out, but to cause them to desire to change in order to more perfectly reflect the One by Whom they had their very lives. The heart was that of developing within these brothers a sense that they needed to be ashamed in order to seek after the Lord. They needed to repent in order to again fully participate and partake in the joy of the fellowship of the brethren in Christ.
Now please pay very close attention. This passage has been so abused and misused because of a lack of understanding of this separation. The separation that Paul is admonishing is not from the physical presence of the brother, but from the transgression of that brother. We do not allow ourselves to be part of the transgression. We do not kick anyone out. We are called to separate ourselves from the sin. We do not partake in it and we do not condone it. By our faithful obedience to the Word of God, our lives give no ground to the transgression. We are very accurately separated with the distinction being that of obedience to the heart of God. 
We love that brother. We encourage that brother in righteousness. We pray with and for that brother. We admonish that brother in love. We do not exclude him, but rather, by our hearts lived faithfully unto the Lord, we seek to draw him back into fellowship. We treat him in such love that he becomes ashamed and truly repents of his disobedience. That is how we deal with the members of our family in Christ.
Listen to Brother Jude as he encourages us with the same aspect of how to deal with one another. Jude 20-23, But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. 
	Notice the key of this passage is the manner with which we are to regard others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love… Be merciful… save them… show mercy… First, we deal with ourselves before the Lord. We seek after the greater and greater measure of His faith to be our lives. We go to Him with hearts that are ever prayerful after that which is His will in our dealings with others and not our own ideas and agendas concerning their behavior. Then, as God treats us with mercy, so are we to be merciful unto others. This means not holding anything against a brother. Not seeking to receive greater honor than one another. Not looking to be the punisher, but rather to be the one who stands before God on their behalf. We intercede for them, just as Moses had to constantly intercede for the Israelites before the mercy seat of God. 
	Christ gives us the heart of what is to be our relationship with one another in Matt 25:31-40. The truth of this passage is found in the manner with which we treat one another. As our dealings are set in the heart of Christ, our attitudes and connection with one another will flow forth from a need to express selfless love one to another, as unto the Lord. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 
	To be a brother in Christ is not an easy life. It takes prayer, encouragement, commitment, and forgiveness. It takes patience, and understanding, and courage. An example is recounted for us in Acts 9:17, where Ananias, whom we discussed a few weeks ago, was instructed by God to visit Saul in Damascus. Saul had just met the Lord face-to-face and was still blinded by that encounter. The Lord told Ananias to go to him. But please remember, Ananias only knew of Saul as the fierce persecutor of the church. This was the same Saul who had consented to the stoning of Stephen. This was that Saul who was fanatical in his attempts to wipe out the very name of Jesus of Nazareth from the earth. This took prayer and a complete faith in the Lord for Ananias to willingly lay down his life, if needed, in meeting with this Saul. But he obeyed and even found himself addressing Saul as a brother. And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Ananias opened his heart to his brother in Christ and the result was that of overwhelming glory showered upon Jesus Christ by the ministry of his brother Paul to the gentile nations. 
The Apostle John was shown a vision of the glorification of Jesus Christ. In that vision, he encountered an angel of the Lord and fell down to worship him. He was rebuked, in a most loving fashion, for his error of judgment and directed to worship aright. The angel makes a very profound statement to John in Rev 19:10, And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Notice, he addressed John as a fellow servants but with the distinction of John and his brethren. That is you and me. Even the angelic hosts recognize that the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ is being carried forth by the spiritual brothers of Christ. We have been redeemed by His blood and are being brought into the unity of oneness by the Holy Spirit. Knowing this, let us grasp onto the truth that we are not better than one another. We are not to compare ourselves to one another. We are not in a contest or a competition after the greater honor in the Lord. We are together, with singleness of heart, living forth the testimony of Jesus Christ. In His life, let us bear with each other, encourage each other and count on the Lord to cause us to never tire of doing that which honors Him and brings glory to His name alone.
Let us learn what it means to stand together, girded in the power of the Holy Spirit as we proclaim, with all our thoughts, and words, and deeds, the glorious victory of Jesus Christ. Let us sweep away all that hinders our growth into Christ and become those men and women of God whose lives declare nothing other than our Brother, Savior, and Lord, Jesus Christ. Together, let us stand fast, as one, in the faithfulness of God’s glorious work, and be that perfect testimony of Jesus Christ on this earth today! Amen.
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance….And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. Amen.

This morning’s benediction is 2 Cor 1:2-5 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. Amen.