Scriptures we're going to read from the Bible.
Now turning to First Thessalonians chapter 5, First
Thessalonians chapter 5, and in this series of studies, of
course, this will be the penultimate reading with one
more reading next Lord's Day. And then Thessalonians, as we
have sought to expound it, we'll be finished.
So First Thessalonians chapter 5, we'll read from the verse 14
once again. Now we exhort you, brethren,
warn them that are unruly. Comfort the feeble minded,
support the weak, be patient toward all men.
See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever
follow that which is good both among yourselves and to all men.
Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and everything give
thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you. Quench not the Spirit, despise
not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast that which is
good, abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very
God of peace sanctify you holy, and I pray God, your whole
spirit and soul and body we preserve blameless unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you
who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us.
Greet all the brethren with unholy kiss.
I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all
the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you. Amen.
Oh, God will stamp His own
approval and blessing this reading of His own precious and
infallible word at this time this morning as we continue with
our series of expository sermons in the book of First
Thessalonians. My text today is chapter 5,
verses 26 and 27. It reads as follows.
Greet all the brethren with unholy kiss.
I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all
the holy brethren. Now, my theme today that I've
entitled is this, Paul's Sacred Salutation and Solemn Scripture.
Notice at first glance, these closing words appear brief to
you. They might even appear
incidental. And sadly, many readers hurry
past them as though there were some kind of cultural formality
or a wee bit of Apostolic housekeeping at the end of the
ladder. However, they're not.
These verses are inspired by the Holy Ghost.
These verses are inspired Scripture, just like John 3 and
16. John 3 and 16, as you know.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. And these words are on a par
with John 3 and 16. Listen to them again.
Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all
the holy brethren. And these words are profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness. You see, even in these closing
commands coming at the very end of the book, the Holy Ghost is
teaching us something very profound.
He's teaching us about the truth regarding Christian affection.
He's teaching us a truth about Christian unity.
He's teaching us a truth about the public reading of the
scriptures. He's teaching us a truth about
the authority of the Apostolic Word.
You see, these verses reveal the true heart of a faithful Bible
believing, Reformed and Protestant church.
They reveal a Christ centred, loving people gathered together
out of the world, gathered together in Christ through the
Gospel, and they're gathered together under the power and the
preciousness of the Word of God. It was one of the old Puritans,
John Owen, who wrote the Apostle Paul commands us in a few words
to the true and real unity of the Church and the pure
reverence due to the Word of God.
It was another commentator by the name of Matthew Henry who
wrote that true religion before God should knit the hearts of
the Christians together in the strongest bond of a holy love.
So with that introduction, look at the text and I want you to
think of three things. There's always three things or
maybe 4 with me, but three things this morning, right?
Here's the first thing, the sacred affection.
Notice these words, verse 26. Greet all the brethren with
unholy kiss. Now this was a common practise
in Paul's day. It was a customary form of
affectionate greeting in the ancient world, especially among
family members, among close friends and relatives.
It signified a close, deep friendship.
Now in this sacred affection, notice the reality of Christian
brotherhood. Paul says greet all the brethren
with a holy kiss. Now pause at the word greet.
You see, this was a seal, an expression of real Christian
friendship and affection. It was a a symbol of kindness
and love. The word greet is more than just
speaking, more than just saying hello.
How are you mentioning your name?
OK, it's going a bit further because the word Greek means
more than speech. It means that you're drawn to
the person. It means that you class them in
a a firm embrace. So in our world, if we meet
someone, an old friend or meet someone for the first time,
we'll give them a warm handshake.
We might even give them a hug. You see this word Greek is used
16 times in the book of Romans in chapter 16, and it means a
mark of affection. It's a a gesture of deep
respect. The apostle Paul says this in
the book of Romans, in Romans chapter 12 and in the verse 10,
be kindly affection 1 to another with brotherly love and honour,
preferring one another. And when Paul urges them to
greet each other, he's saying to them, I want you to do it on my
behalf as if I was in there with you in person.
So this word Greek is all about establishing a friendship.
It's all about making friends. It's all about the beginning of
a friendship. And remember what Solomon was
able to teach there in Proverbs 17 and verse 17.
He said a friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for
adversity. Listen to verse 24 of the very
same chapter, Proverbs 17, Sorry, Proverbs 18 and verse 24.
A man that of friends must show himself friendly, and there's a
friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
You see the word greet significant, but also you've got
here a sign of real grace. Notice these words greet all the
brethren, the rich, the poor, the sick, the healthy, the
educated, the uneducated. See the gospel created a family.
The the the church is a supernatural family of sea of
sinners born again by the Holy Spirit.
I know it's a hospital for six sinners, but it's also a
supernatural family of sea of sinners born again by the Holy
Spirit. We this morning as true
believers are united not by a bloodline, but by a blood tie,
united not by social class, but united by a saving Christ,
United not by race of the world members of the human race, but
by the Redeemer, united in a holy nationhood, united in a
holy brotherhood. Remember Galatians 326 says for
your All the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, all the
brethren, Jews, Gentiles, servants, masters, rich or poor,
educated, uneducated, all are addressed, All are brethren.
Doesn't the gospel wonderfully demolish pride?
Doesn't the gospel strip us of everything and anything to boast
in except for Christ Jesus? What do you boast in today?
I will boast in nothing but Christ and His personal work.
It was Spurgeon that said this. There is no aristocracy in
Christ's Kingdom except the aristocracy of grace.
So are you in Christ? Have you trusted him as your
Lord and Saviour? Have you a testimony to a saving
and keeping power? Can you say today gladly?
For by grace are you see it through faith, and not, not of
yourselves as gift of God, not of works, lest any man should
boast in Christ. There's not only the reality of
Christian brotherhood, but in Christ there's the requirement
of the brotherhood. You see, Paul is not merely
commending toleration of each other, but he's commending a
deep affectionate fellowship. Suppose in the family there's
someone you can't stand, someone's upset you, someone you
don't really get on with and you're maybe a bit mad at them.
See at times in every organisation, and this is true
of the church families, it's true of our own families.
They can be a clash of personalities.
People are not speaking, not speaking to horror, not speaking
to him. Well, how do you overcome that?
Paul says greet all the holy brethren with a holy kiss.
Here's the way to overcome Go and greet them.
Greet them as if they're your best friend.
Greet them as if you're their bosom buddy.
And maybe you're thinking, but that's hard.
They did something to offend me. I'm upset.
That may be true, but you can pray and ask for grace.
You can go and greet them and you can greet them with this
holy kiss That will explain in a moment some churches of sound
doctrine. But sadly, far too many churches
have frozen hearts. People can come in a night of
church and nobody will even ask them their name.
And that is very sad. And I know it doesn't happen
here, but that is very sad when it does happen.
You see, true sound orthodoxy without true love can become a
very cold icy formulism. In the early church it was
marked by a visible love. The ungodly looked at it and
said, see how these Christians love one another?
It was the apostle Peter and of course he was there ministering
in the same time as Paul and he said this in first Peter 5 and
verse 14. Greet ye one another with a kiss
of charity. The word charity means of
course, love, and this was in the Pagan world.
This kiss of loving affection was a testimony to a Pagan
world, a a world of iniquity and idolatry and and and and
immorality in a world of backstabbers and A and a world
of backbiters. The Lord Jesus said this in John
1335. By this should all men know that
you're my disciples. If you have love one for another
and you think of a fire this morning, the fire's strongest
and hottest when when all the coals are together in the green,
whenever they're lit. But you separate 1 cold, lift it
out with the tongs from the rest, what'll it do?
It'll smoke, it'll cool quite quickly, then eventually it'll
grow cold. And you see, when we're out of
fellowship with one another, then we can become and grow
spiritually cold very quickly. We're not meant to be isolated.
We're meant to be insulated inside the fellowship.
And of course, even our doctrine of separation, and I want to
stress this this morning, it's not about isolation.
We're not isolationists. We're separatists unto God.
But in that separation unto God, we have to maintain a loving
fellowship with all the brethren, all the sisters, all
who are part and parcel of the family of God.
Not just the reality of the brotherhood and the requirement,
but think of the regulation of the brotherhood.
What does Paul call it here? Greet all the brethren.
With what? And holy kiss.
That means it must be genuine. The adjective holy here
sanctifies the custom by calling it unholy kiss, none to do with
sensual affection it it has to be sanctified affection.
This affection for one another must remain holy.
This commands, forbids impurity, it forbids favouritism, it
forbids hypocrisy, it forbids guilt it against, it forbids
pretended affection. You see, not all affection, not
every handshake, not every hello, great to see you, not
every hug and embrace. There's a wholly pure, genuine
handshake and nice to see you and embrace.
Let me point to a scripture, if we have time, Second Samuel.
If you turn to Second Samuel this morning and look with me at
verse 9, I want you to think of Joab.
Now Joab is the commander in chief of David's army, and
they're in battle. Second Samuel chapter 20, and
we'll read from verse 8. Second Samuel chapter 20, verse
8. Let's listen to the Word of God,
Second Samuel, chapter 20, verse 8, reading, of course, in the
King James Bible when they were at the great stone, which is in
Gibbeon. You've heard of the big stone
down in Ross Trevor. It's a lovely place.
I know somebody went there and got engaged.
Brilliant. But there's a great stone in the
Bible. When they were at the great
stone which has a gibbeon, Amasa went before them, and Job's
garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a
girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath
thereof. And as he went forth, it fell
out. Joab had dressed Amasa in his
own garment, and provided A girdle and a sword.
And listen to verse 9. And Joanne said to Amasa, art
thou in health, my brother? So he's asking me the question,
are you well, what are you up to?
And Joanne took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to
kiss him as if he was in fraternal affection relationship
with him. But Amasa took no heed to the
sword that was in Job's hand. So he smote him there with in
the 5th rib and shed out his bowels to the ground and struck
him not again and he died. So Joab and Abishai, his
brother, pursued after Sheba, the son of Birka.
Now think of this. Job was guilty here of her
pretended affection. He called him brother.
He asked him, are you in health? My brother?
He, he took him by the beard. He he, he kissed him.
But this was not the kiss of a friend.
This was the kiss of a foe. This was not a a genuine kiss.
This was a kiss of murder. This was a kiss of betrayal.
This was a saying. Remember another character in
the Bible who stepped forward to kiss someone.
His name is not Joab. His name is Judas.
And Judas, remember, came into the Garden of Gethsemane with
the mob and the Lord Jesus asked Judas to scary at this question.
Betray us thy the Son of Man with a kiss, because Judas
kissed. The door of heaven and went to
hell. The Lord is saying to Judas,
you're betrending to be my friend.
You come to me with the kiss of friendship.
Yet it's the not the kiss of a friendship.
It's the kiss of a foe. It's the kiss of murder and
betrayal. It's it's not pure.
Now listen to me carefully this morning and carried off and
those on the Internet. This verse is not teaching that
churches are universally required to practise little
kissing with one another. This verse is not teaching that
physical affection, whether a handshake or a hug, is
inherently spiritual. This verse is not teaching that
the customary greeting becomes a permanent ordinance, but what
this church is teaching that there's a principle here, and
the principle as it come from Paul is timeless.
And the form of the holy kiss may vary.
The abiding principle is the same.
When we greet one another with a handshake or a hug.
It has to be 1 of love. There has to be holy affection
among all the true brethren. So let that form be a hug, a
handshake, a warm embrace. The substance of the exhortation
lies in mutual love for the individual and cordial
salutation. So that's really what I'm
calling the secret affection. Very quickly, if you go on in
the text, look again at verse 27.
Now here's the solemn authority. I charge you by the Lord.
Now we'll pause there. Notice Paul changes the tone in
verse 26. He's been affectionate.
You have a greeting, and he changes the tone from
affectionate greeting to Apostolic urgency.
Here's strong language. I charge you by the Lord.
In other words, I endure you, I solemnly command you before God.
Not a suggestion, not a piece of advice to take and leave.
This is a divine command. This is connected to God's
authority. I want you to think of the
authority here. You see, Paul understood that
his writings and he wrote 14 out of the 27 books of the New
Testament, including this letter, the 1st letter to the
Church of Thessalonica. This letter was not his opinion.
It was not the machinations of Paul's mind.
It was not even Paul's words. What Paul wrote were in fact the
very words of God. Remember what he says in already
in this epistle, First Thessalonians chapter 2, verse
13. He says this for this cause.
Also Thank me God without ceasing, because when you
received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it
not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God,
which effectually worketh also in you that belief.
And remember Paul writing to Timothy, said to young Timothy,
whom he left to pass to the church at Ephesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and as
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
And this destroys the heresy of modern liberalism.
This destroys the identity of modernism.
The Bible, the Holy Scripture, is not to be treated as a mere
human reflection of the mind or the mouth of a man.
When the apostles speak, they speak under the anointing and
the superintendents of the Holy Ghost.
When the apostles wrote and wrote the words of Christ, they
speak and wrote under the supervision and power of the
Spirit and therefore the words are powerful, they're alive, the
words are pure, the words are precious, the words are
preserved. That's the authority here.
Very quickly. Think about the spirituality
here. Paul writes with an urgency.
What does he write? If you go back to our text, look
again at it very carefully. He says there, I charge you by
the Lord that this epistle, the epistle has to do with this
ladder be read now. We'll we'll pause there.
Why such a command? Why does he want this read among
all the holy brethren? Because he knows that the
neglect the word of God is spiritually deadly.
See a starving man needs bread. Matthew 4 and four, man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word to proceedeth out of
the mouth of God. And A and a Sinner needs to
discover the bread of life. And Jesus said, I am the bread
of life. And a church without an emphasis
on reading the word of God as a church that's weak, as a church
that's worldly, as a church that's woolly and a church
that's woke. And you see in the Protestant
Reformation, whenever it took place, they brought the pulpit
into the centre of the church and they put the word of God
central to the people. The Word was opened way back in
start of the Reformation in England.
They had such a thing as the chained Bible, and they chained
the Bible to the pulpit, not to hide it from the people, but to
honour it, to preserve the precious copy that they had
possessed. And that, you know that men and
women travelled miles to hear the Scripture read publicly.
They travelled in foot, they travelled in their horses, they
travelled on donkeys and carts. Why?
Because in those days, the English man and English woman,
the young people, the children, they treasured the word of God.
Like in the days of Samuel, the word of God was rare.
In other words, it was precious. Today we have multiple of
Bibles. I have multiple of Bibles, and
I'm sure you have as well. But here's a question.
Not do we have a Bible, but do we read our Bibles?
How much time do we spend reading in the Holy Scriptures?
Sadly, I feel that many Bibles and fear that many Bibles in the
homes of many people, even many nominal Protestant people,
they're never opened. They're not read.
And yet we're commanded in the Scripture here to give attention
to reading. And then this solemn authority
that the apostle issues, he issues a word about authority,
and he issues a word about his spirituality.
And he says this, I charge you by the Lord, that this epistle
be read unto all the holy brethren.
Now one other thing. There's a shared accessibility.
Notice the words, This epistle be read unto all the holy
brethren. And notice the adjective here
again, wholly describing the brethren.
Those that are in Christ are not only full and free and forever
justified, but they're also living a sanctified life.
They're living a holy life unto God.
Whenever the Church of Rome was at its height, the 5th century
to the 1500s, before the Reformation, the Church of Rome
historically restricted the Scriptures from the common
people. Oh yes, they had the Bible.
It was In Latin, it's called the Latin Vulgate.
It was written by a man called Jerome.
Everything was in Latin. And the common people who didn't
speak Latin, who weren't educated, you come in and you
couldn't understand a word, not a word that was said, not a word
that was read. Rome refused for 1000 years to
translate it into the language of the common people.
And yet here in contrast, we have the holy apostle, the
apostle Paul writing to this church at Thessalonica, a young
church just newly established, and he's writing to them about
living in light of the Lord's return.
And at the end of the letter, one thing that he says, and he
says this, I charge you by the Lord.
So he's commanding them that this epistle, this letter that
I've just penned to you be read not just by you, but by all the
holy brethren. That's all.
The churches in Asia Minor and beyond, Apostolic Christianity
shared the Scriptures. They spread the Scriptures
publicly among the people. You see, the Word of God is not
the preserve of the elite or the scholars.
It's not just for the priests or the Pope or the pastor or the
intellectuals of the day. It belongs to every true
believer, even the boys and the girls, even the babies in the
House of God. Remember what Paul wrote to
Timothy? Remember what he said to
Timothy? First Timothy chapter 3 and in
the verse 15 he said this and that from a child from Timothy
was a baby and that from a child that was known what the Holy
Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
And to take a baby on your knee, even a baby in still in nappies
and to read to that baby the word of God and to whisper John
3 and 16 into its ear is one of the greatest things that you
could do whenever the old Jewish families gathered to read the
Scriptures in ancient time, they all gathered around the table,
babies and all and you know what they did?
The granddad or the dad would have took the little baby's
hand, dipped the baby's finger in the wee bit of honey that
would have been on the table, dabbed it in the corner of the
Bible, and then put the baby's finger into the honey at the
corner of the Bible. And the baby knew there was
goodness there. And the baby was constantly
reaching out for the corner of the Scriptures.
Paul commands the public reading of the Word of God, and that is
fundamental and foundational and Christian worship.
He says to Timothy, first Timothy 4 and 13, Can I come
give attention to reading and remember what we read there over
in the Book of Revelation? It's a lovely verse of
Scripture. Revelation chapter 1 and verse
3. It says this Revelation chapter
1 and verse 3. Blessed is he that readeth and
they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things
which are written therein for the time is at hand.
What a blessing the public reading and the private reading
of the Bible is. Why is it blessed?
Because it's God's infallible word.
I believe in plenary and verbal inspiration, and seven times
John pronounces a blessing upon his people in this portion of
Scripture, and it's all connected to the reading of the
Word of God. How extensive that blessing is?
It involves listening, accepting, keeping, and applying
the Word of God. The public reading of the Word
is not a filler. It's not to be disposed of or
with during any service. It is an integral part of the
worship service. And God speaks to us through His
Word. You see many churches today, and
I emphasise this as I finish, many churches today menace
minimise the public reading of the Holy Scripture.
They want to maximise other things, but they minimise the
public reading of the Scriptures.
But in our Reformed worship this is true in every Free
Presbyterian Church. Our praise is shaped by the
Scriptures, Our praying is shaped by the Scriptures.
Our readings are governed and shaped by the Scriptures.
Our preaching is the same and our practising because public
reading is not enough. The word that's heard must be
received. It has to be kept.
It has to be obeyed. I think of the call to young men
over there in Psalm 119. Remember what the psalmist says
in Psalm 119. Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto,
according to thy word, not just hearing it that's right and
proper, but by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
Listen to what David said, young men, thy word have I hid in
thine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
The word that's heard has to be received by faith, and then it's
got to be lived out in our practise.
How many hear sermons, how many even read the scriptures?
And yet they live and perish in unbelief.
The word can be a savour of life unto life, but the same word can
be a savour of death unto death if it's not mixed with true
faith. Someone has said the sun that
melts the wax hardens the clay, and that's true.
And I read and listened to A Strange Thing last week and it's
this a popular song that's on Top of the Pops.
And I'm not advocating Top of the Pops, but it was on the
radio and I heard it. And this was the title of the
song, or at least one of the lines in the song.
I, I, I wrote it down. Run from the sun like Dracula.
Now, what does that really mean? Run from the sun like Dracula.
Dracula is a mythological figure, but couldn't stand the
light. And when the sun would arose in
the morning, shielded his face and ran to the darkness.
And thousands in Northern Ireland are running from the Sun
of Righteousness and they're running from the scriptures of
truth. And they're running away from
the only one who can help them. Because Christ is the answer.
And what does Ulster need this morning?
Needs the power of the written Word.
The Word of God must be read to the whole congregation, and it
needs the power of illuminating spirit.
See, dead men have no power in and of themselves, no power in
and of themselves to resurrect themselves spiritually under
God. No dead man has the power to
raise himself from the grave. He's dead in trespasses and
sins, he's darkened in his understanding, he's diseased in
his affection, and he needs the infusion of life.
It's interesting that Paul said this.
As I finish this epistle, be read unto all the holy brethren,
this letter, these inspired words put together by the Holy
Spirit, even though my pen has been used.
He doesn't point to human tradition.
He doesn't point to mystical experiences.
He doesn't point to an ecclesiastical hierarchy.
He doesn't point to charismatic personalities.
He doesn't point to celebrity leaders.
He's not making reference to the charm of the preacher.
He's not even making reference to any kind of emotional
manipulation, a popular opinion, or religious ceremony.
No, he's directing us to the purity and the power of the Word
of God. It was John MacArthur that said
this power in the ministry is not in man, it's in the Word of
God. And the authority today rests in
the inspired Word. And I say this as we finish the
inspired word must not be sidelined.
We in the Free Church, we must keep the Word of God centre
because as the Word of God is read, the voice of God is heard
and the voice of God can be heeded.
This word that's read does a couple of things as we wrap up.
It proclaims the gospel. Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature, preach the word.
It also protects the gospel. It protects the gospel and the
church from doctrinal corruption because when the Bible is read
before all the congregation, error is exposed and the
believers then are anchored in the truth of the Word.
We believe, of course, in Sola Sapcura, Martin Luther said the
Word of God shall establish the articles of faith.
The church must keep the Word central.
We believe in the primacy and sufficiency of the Scriptures.
And Ulster's great Christ, as I want to tell you at this time,
is not political, and it's not merely societal or cultural.
It's not even a methodology. The crisis is spiritual because
there's been a forsaking and an abandonment of the Word of God.
And the only thing that's going to proclaim the gospel and
protect the gospel is the Word of God clearly read as it's
revealed in our King James Bible.
The purity of the gospel must be maintained.
The profession of the gospel is when we hear the word of God.
God has spoken to me, and it's great to get a word from God.
I've gotten a word from the Lord.
And when we get that word, it excites us and encourages us.
It helps us through the week and through the day and all the
troubles that we face. So there's three reasons why the
Word of God should be read and heard.
Claims the gospel, protects the gospel, but it professes the
gospel. Psalmist said, oh, how I love
thy law. And I ask as I challenge my own
heart, if we think of this closing words of Paul that will
come to next week, have we got this sacred affection?
Have we heard this solemn authority?
Have we got this shared accessibility to the Word of
God?