1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:28, Are You Awake?, Dr. John B. Carpenter

First Thessalonians chapter 4 reading from verse 13 to end of chapter 5. Verse 28 here the word of the Lord. But we do not want you to be uninformed brothers about those who are asleep. That you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again. Even so through Jesus God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord. That we who are alive who are left until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command with the voice of an archangel and with a sound of The trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive who are left will be caught up with with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Now concerning the times and the seasons brothers. You have no need to have anything written to you for you. Yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying there is peace and security then sudden destruction will come upon them as Labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape.

But you are not in darkness brothers for that day to surprise you like a thief for you are all children of light. Children of the day we are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep as others do but let us keep awake and be sober.

For those who are sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day let us be sober having put on the breastplate of faith and Love and for a helmet the hope of salvation for God has not destined us for wrath.

But to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep We might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing.

We ask you brothers to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them Very highly in love because of their work be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you brothers admonish the idol.

Encourage the faint-hearted. Help the weak be patient with them all see that no one repays anyone evil for evil. But always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances.

For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit do not despise prophecies. But test everything hold fast to what is good abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless.

At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. Brothers pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word.

Well, are you awake?

You ever got a call asking you you're awake. I am now, of course, they're trying to be polite. They don't want to interrupt your sleep. But sometimes waking people up is exactly what you should do. I've had people fall asleep when I'm preaching and I'll intentionally raise and lower my voice dramatically.

To see if I can wake them up. After all the purpose of this speaking to you right now is to wake you up so that you're no longer living in a dream World to make you aware of real life. So that you're not dream walking through it.

About three weeks ago on Monday night in the middle of an NFL football game DeMar Hamlin a player for the Buffalo Bills suddenly collapsed. He didn't like stagger first or clutching his chest or asking for help or gasps for breath.

He literally just fell straight back. His heart stopped. The trainers called it football means like the medics at EMT. He's kind of rushed to him ministered CPR than a defibrillator on the field. Seeking desperately to rescue him from death a healthy young athlete was on the verge of being dead.

The other players looked on in horror. It's common for players, of course to be injured in football. But it's usually it's a strain or maybe the worst maybe a broken bone. This is something far beyond what they're normally see it was looking on in horror and the whole team knelt in prayer.

Everyone realized that the football game Was a dream.

Compared.

To life and. They couldn't play anymore near the end of the first quarter. The game was just canceled. Teams walked off the field. Fans left the stadium. Have you ever been awakened? Like that. Maybe you just learned something.

Something that you'd heard before. Not something that necessarily do you learn new facts, but something sunk in that changed you and woke you up. Ever been awakened that there's a reality that you never saw before.

When I went to seminary I was given an assignment of reading a collection of reports on racist attacks mostly in the South many of them in Alabama where I was from. I Knew many of the places that I was reading about sitting in California.

I knew that town some of them in Birmingham itself where I was from. I could see where these atrocities had happened. The church that was bombed were four little girls were killed was blocks away from where my father was buried.

I'd been by it. I'd lived my whole young life Among that in that world with no awareness that that had been going on and going on not long before my time about 20 years earlier. It made me.

Awake.

People live in dream worlds and they come some shot some realization maybe some diagnosis some loss some struggle that shakes them awake. Jeff Bridges said. Appreciate the struggles as an opportunity to wake up.

Some people come awake when they get a diagnosis you have terminal cancer and. Then they've realized they've been living in a dream. Thinking life is all about making money and going to work and then they realize.

It's time to wake up before it's too late. Some people finally come awake to the reality that their family is dysfunctional. The parents or maybe the spouse doesn't really love them. They figure out that they grown up assuming that their families are like this or they're just living under some delusion.

And then they see reality. One thing after another happens and they begin to realize the way things really are. Some people find these conclusions so horrible. They'd rather stay asleep preferring their dream world to reality.

Some people think that that's what religion is all about. It's about concocting dream worlds. I think that they think that's what we're here for right now to reinforce some Fantasy dream world to keep you asleep lull you into complacency.

Make you think well you're loved God loves you. You're a saint you're special your marriage or your family your church is all great and all that really so that you can just keep. Bearing your dreary humdrum empty life that is periodically interrupted by tragedies and Hopefully you can just make it through.

Karl Marx famously wrote while sitting in the British Library that religion is the opiate of the masses. It's a sedative. It's a it's a drug to numb you to the reality. So you'll work hard and you won't overthrow the bourgeoisie and Honestly, maybe that is what some religion is about if it's all about rituals and magic words.

Even a language that you don't really understand they promise you absolution if you submit to it. But if Marx had bothered to read more about My specialty 17th century English history while sitting in their library He would have seen that some religion some Christianity specifically is all about.

Waking you up.

Are you awake?

Well, you're here. So you're awake in one sense. That is you're not in a box underground and your eyes are opened I think checking around. So you're awake in another sense that you're not yet literally sleeping.

But still are you awake? We see here what it means to be awake and asleep in four parts first the issue. Second the doctrine then the time and finally the details. Well, what's the issue? Going in here starting verse 13.

He deals with those who are asleep. Now obviously this is his way. Paul's way of referring to death that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope now. Right away a critic like Marx, I guess would say see this is the opiate of the masses.

It's a drug to numb people the harsh realities of death. He's telling them that death is like sleep. And so don't grieve just don't take it seriously at all. It's kind of ignore it. Well, yes, and no.

You're saying that for we Christians death is like sleep. Because just like we believe a sleeping person sees I'm gonna sleep and say someone's asleep. Well, they'll soon rise up again, and they'll be awake again walking around and so we believe that another believer in Christ.

Even if dead will indeed rise again and be walking around again. Eventually when the time comes calling death sleep is a statement of faith that in verse 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again. We shouldn't be ashamed of that belief like it's unsophisticated or somehow on modern unscientific.

Somehow we now we in modern world. We know better. No, we don't. It's a miracle we don't know better to be a Christian is to believe that Jesus rose from the dead now if he rose. Then we can believe that he will raise us.

So death like sleep. It's temporary. But no, that doesn't mean we don't grieve. He doesn't say here. Don't grieve. He doesn't say that he says we don't grieve as in the same way those who have no hope.

Now the Greek poet Theocrates Gave the view of the Thessalonian native Greek culture. And this is the culture member of these people who are getting this letter their own poet had written hopes are for the living.

The dead have no hope. Well, that's kind of a hopeless philosophy, isn't it? Because we're gonna be dead eventually you're saying we're going to a place where we have no hope. But Paul says that we have hope now by hope.

He doesn't mean it's kind of a wistful or just desperate longing that things might turn out differently than they appear to be. Right now, hopefully things will be better. But you don't really have any real confidence that they will be like a quarterback throwing a last-second Hail Mary into the end zone at the end of the game hoping by chance.

That one of his teammates might catch it and they'll win. It's kind of desperate. It's not really realistic. No, our hope here what Paul is talking about is not like that. It is assurance. It's faith.

So that means that while we grieve When someone dies our grief is different. It has hope mixed in it. So when we buried Anne's grugs two years ago, or mr. Mrs. Perry recently We can hope as we can believe have an assurance that Energizes us and keeps us awake.

Good hope. I believe that we'll be reunited one day. We can grieve. That we're without them for now. We're really grieving for ourselves. We're not grieving that something horrible happened to them. We're grieving for our loss that we are without them.

But that but we hope That it is temporary. Now the issue of the church in Thessalonica is that they've lost some of their church members to death. They've he calls it fallen asleep now the Thessalonians have been waiting expectantly for the Lord Jesus to return that's their blessed hope now.

They wonder if those who have died are going to miss out. Now they're waiting for Jesus to return then some of their members die. And well these these ones who died they're gonna miss Jesus returning.

That's the way they're thinking have the dead missed out on Jesus giving them glorified bodies. Gonna miss on the resurrection because they die. Remember their culture tells them that people die. They have no hope.

It's the kind of way to raise and that way of saying things so the issue for them. Do you have to be alive? When Jesus returns to get his benefits to get his blessings. Now that seems kind of like a ridiculous issue to us I'm not sure.

It's it's a I'm sure it's a really a ridiculous issue. Seems like it to us because now we were honest. We don't really expect Jesus to return. I mean indeed I just said we're going to die eventually and Not one of you objected now.

What have you stood up? Hey John? No, I'm hoping Jesus will return and I'll get to skip death. Not one of you maybe you're just well-behaved polite, but that's that's what but that's the truth. We can miss death if Jesus returns first now.

Nearly 20 centuries after this letter was written and so many generations have come and died. We're used to the fact that we might die before Jesus returns they weren't used to that fact. But we should really be more like them.

I think We should have an expectation that Jesus can return before we die. That's what it means to be awake in this passage to live with the awareness. That Jesus is returning and so you see everything else in your life everything.

You see your job your marriage your money your family your recreation your business you see it through the lens of Jesus might return before all these things are needed are important or whatever before they reach their end.

The issue is that some of the Thessalonian Christians have died they fall in sleep. But since he says Jesus died and rose again. Even so in verse 14 in the same way as Jesus rose through Jesus. That's through his return.

God will bring with him. Those who have fallen asleep. Remember, they're asking what about those who have died our members of our fellow believers in Christ. They some of them died. What about them? He says God is going to bring with him those who have followed.

So you're gonna bring him with them.

They're coming back.

He's dealing with the issue selling their fears that the dead have lost out by dying before Jesus returned. And they will be brought back with Jesus again. Remember from chapter 1 the hope of the Christian Is not us going to God to heaven, but our hope is in him who comes from heaven.

So here chapter 4 verse 14 our hope isn't going to heaven for a family reunion but for a return from heaven of All those who are in Christ. Otherwise, they're coming here.

Second.

The doctrine it was. What's the doctor what's the theology behind his answer to their issue? He's just given this answer. What's the doctrine behind it in verses 13 and 14? He's just answered their question about those who have fallen asleep like mr. Perry.

Now he recalls for them their doctrine their their belief. Where that answer came from? What does Paul taught them about the second coming of Jesus? Oh in verse 15. For we declare to you by word from the Lord.

In other words, I got this directly from the Lord himself. This is it Paul. Paul's opinion something. Well, this is what I think is my this is what I came up with. Well reasoning. You know my guessing my theologizing.

This is the doctrine the Lord taught me saying the doctrine that we who are alive who are left into the coming of the Lord. Those who haven't died yet when Jesus returns they will not he says.

Precede.

Those who have fallen asleep.

Precede precede to what.

Precede means go before now the living when Jesus returns. He's saying will not go before the dead. To what exactly? Well, he tells us at the end of verse 16 the dead in Christ will rise. First rise will be resurrected first the dead in Christ get resurrection.

Before the living the dead in Christ are those who are believers in Jesus. They are seen by the Father as in Christ. They are dead in Christ means that though they are dead. And this is kind of their question what happened to those who are dead, even though they are dead.

They are still in Christ. They're not lost like Paul said at the end of Romans 8. Remember a great passage neither death nor life Or anything in all creation Can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

So they are in Christ, even though they are dead they will rise.

First.

They get resurrected.

First.

Mr. Perry gets resurrected first if Jesus comes back right now. The alive will not precede them in the resurrection the dead in Christ get resurrected first and then the alive will be resurrected Glorified so that they get to skip death.

He says when this will happen in verse 16 the Lord mean Jesus himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command now the word for their Command it's like what in for an army officer or a commander issuing an order.

He cries out a command. I Suppose here like like to Lazarus Come forth. Also, it comes with the voice of the archangel and the sound of the trumpet of God in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 51 to 52 he's Paul there is talking about the same issue.

Using many of the same terms I ideas. He says there we shall not all Sleep meaning not every Christian is going to die the Thessalonian Christians fact knew that already. In fact, they were surprised that some of them had died fall asleep.

There's going to be a generation of Christians Who will be surprised that they don't die? In first Corinthians 15, we shall all be changed. We want all sleep. We will all be changed. We'll all get resurrection glorification he says in a moment and the twinkling of an eye at the last Trumpet trumpet sound familiar from Thessalonians.

1st Thessalonians 4 like here verse 16 the trumpet of God for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised Imperishable and we will all be changed. Same doctrine is here first Thessalonians. There will be the sound of the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first and then we're changed to have Imperishable bodies like them like resurrection bodies.

Then after the resurrection of those in Christ and verse 17 we who are alive. You Thessalonians to give me alive when Jesus returns. But we who are alive who are left who haven't fallen asleep. Then we will be caught up and this is the famous word that caught up for the rapture.

This is the Rapture verse this is it. Notice the doctrine it is teaching without reading anything into it that you may have heard elsewhere. Or for many fiction books or movies you've seen first the dead in Christ are raised.

So that's the resurrection. God's people are getting glorified bodies. They're imperishable. Now. Remember the living don't precede. The sleeping the dead. Precede means they're going to the same destination, right?

That's kind of implied precede you're going to the same place resurrection glorification Imperishability all meaning the same thing the dead get there first. And then the living are caught up in the twinkling of an eye.

They're raptured which is also includes resurrection glorification. Imperishable bodies now the word there for to meet they're caught up to meet literally in Greek. It's to a meeting. They're caught up to a meeting and it refers to going out to meet an important person be important to you.

Important person. Who's coming? You know He's coming and there's an announcement you see him coming you go out to meet him or her like a king would maybe comes to A city the Senate a message ahead to the city.

That he's coming like here cry of command and the city would send out a delegation to meet him. Somewhere outside the city and give him an official escort in The same word same phrase that's here to meet is in the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew chapter 25 or six.

They are waiting for the groom to come to their wedding. They're waiting around. It's a Jewish wedding custom and when they hear the announcement.

Here is the bridegroom.

Then they go out to meet him literally again same phrase to a meeting and Then they escort him back and this is really a common practice. We often practice this herself. You have an expected visitor comes to your home.

You probably don't sit back when you hear the knock. You just say come in. Maybe you're really informal. Maybe but if you know that they're coming and they're special to you. You probably at least meet them at the door.

Maybe it's a driveway and you welcome them in. Maybe you're looking out the window in your home to see if they're coming in and if you see their car. Coming from a distance you go out to meet them and so you can walk them in here.

Last Christmas time We went to visit my aunt and uncle in Chattanooga. We drive up into their driveway and as soon as we got in they came out to meet us in the driveway and then they walked us in here.

When Jesus returns he expects a Delegation to escort him back to earth and if we're alive Will be that delegation will be caught up Along with the resurrected dead in the clouds to meet the Lord of the air and so in this way glorified imperishable.

With the resurrected we will always Be with the Lord. Therefore he says because of that don't make up elaborate fictional stories about the rapture and argue with people about it. Encourage one another he says especially those who are wondering about those who've fallen asleep those who have died.

With these words.

Comfort each other. I was. You're gonna see them again. If you're alive when Jesus returns, they'll be in the they'll be in the escort party. Comfort each other especially when they're grieving that they'll wake up the dead one and we'll all be together with the Lord and Imperishable bodies forever.

Don't be asleep to that reality.

Third.

The timing. When will these things happen? That's what everyone wants to know. I'm gonna give you a date and time. So get your calendars out. I'll mark it down concerning the times and the seasons brothers in verse 1.

Times are the sequence of events. The chronology the order of events. The seasons are like the ages when the season is right like in winter. It's the season for snow for cold weather. So do you know the season for when Christ returns.

Paul says the Thessalonians don't need to know anything more now. We might but they didn't they know that they are. He says that they are fully aware in verse 2 that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

That is Jesus is coming at an unexpected Unpredictable time as Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24 verse 43. If the master of the house. And it's like Satan is the prince of the power of the air. It's the master of this world the master of the house had known.

And what part of the night the thief was coming. He would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. The coming of Jesus is that day of the Lord. And the day of the Lord's coming like a thief in the night.

The day Before their face comes from the Old Testament. It's like from the book of Amos. It's the the day of judgment. That day is coming suddenly coming unexpectedly. Coming unpredictably like a burglar would come, you know burglars don't call you up and say I'd like to break into your house.

Like 3 a .m. Are you gonna be sleep at that time? No, of course not. Unplanned. So Jesus is coming is gonna be like that to us now that immediately correct some popular ideas about the coming of Jesus.

If it's coming is unpredictable that it cannot be exactly seven years after the rapture takes all his believers away. I mean everyone would kind of catch on. Hey, wait. Those people were talking about he's gonna come seven years after they disappeared and they disappeared.

So we're gonna mark it now.

So obviously that gives away that can't be. Besides notice the day of the Lord the coming of Jesus the resurrection. The rapture is all at the same time. They're all different ways of describing the same event.

It also can't be. After a long process of everything just gradually becoming more Christian as society develops under Christian influence to be better. Until is it's just so good. Jesus comes back to congratulate us on what's up?

What a great job we did. There can't be a period when we know that Jesus can't come yet. Because things are just not set up right yet. Can't come now Jesus because we're not ready. We haven't set up for yet.

No indeed here in verse three people are saying worldly people the world is saying there's peace and security. Because of their ungodly utopia, however, they set it that up and then Paul says then when they say that there's the lulled in sleep.

Then.

Sudden destruction will come upon them. Then comes the day of the Lord. When they don't expect it Christ not congratulating people for what they come but coming. Destroying it. It comes as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman now not an induced delivery, but a sudden Unexpected one.

They will not escape. They don't escape because they're asleep in another sense of the word. They aren't dead physically yet. They're just asleep to reality. They've been dreamwalking their way through life chasing dollars thrills.

Puffing their ego so absorbed in their world. Whatever their life is about of video games or online relationships or sports or business of money-making. That they're asleep to watch real and so they're unaware.

And sudden destruction comes.

Now the world.

Tries to sedate you. It tries to put you to sleep. So you're dreaming that. Making money or having this successful business being somebody important being rich having the big house the luxury car. Able to spend on expensive vacations and restaurants and the newest gadgets that that's what life is all about.

It should a dream about that all the time not notice real real world or maybe. They're just not able to. People just think they can while away the hours and the days and the years. Engrossed in sports or online relationships with people who don't know you and if you suddenly stop.

You know putting things on Facebook or Twitter or whatever because you fell over dead. They wouldn't know why you stopped and they really wouldn't miss you because they don't know you. That's the dream world many people around us are walking in here.

Paul calls it. He calls it darkness and Sleep. These people are living like they're asleep and they're caught in dreams. But you he says to the Thessalonians, but you you're in Christ. And you are not in darkness.

You're not asleep. For that day to surprise you like a thief. It's not gonna surprise you. Now, I don't think he means that if you're a Christian and you'll know the exact day or the hour Jesus returns.

So, you know you know when you can quit work and stop paying your mortgage or rent without having to worry about being evicted because Jesus will comes. Before the before the sheriff takes you out.

No.

He means that if you're awake and living in the light and. You're not living for money or the weekend or the game or whatever the newest gadget you can buy.

But you're awake.

To what's real to real life. Well, then that's the case. You won't be a you won't be caught off guard When Jesus returns or when death sneaks up on you. You won't be the kind of person who lived his whole life to get rich or play the game and then is surprised.

Either by Jesus or by heart attack. By suddenly falling over with a stopped heart like DeMar Hamlin that life is over and you dream walk through it. For you are all to those in Christ to Christians. You are all children of light.

Children of the day. That's your character. That's where you're from. You're from light if you're a believer in Jesus seeking first the kingdom of God. We are not of the night or the darkness. So we're not asleep we're not deluded into thinking that our dreams of wealth or dreams of pleasure of Squandering life or online or wrapped in a game that that is real life.

When you become a Christian you realize that all those things are passing away like a dream. As CS Lewis said to know that one is dreaming is to be no longer perfectly asleep. When you become aware that all these things that others spend their life on that they're fading away then.

You're waking up.

So then.

Chapter 5 or 6 so then the necessary the logical the inescapable conclusion. To the fact that we are as Christians children of light awake. So then Let us not sleep. You're a child of the light. Why are you asleep as?

Others do let's not sleep like others do like people in the world do dreaming about their wealth or their thrill. But let us keep awake and so be sober. Unintoxicated if you're awake and sober you're not lulled into sleep by money or the distractions of the world are Intoxicated by the pleasures of the flesh then when Jesus returns whenever that is.

You won't be startled a surprise maybe pleasantly surprised. But you'll be ready to go. Your bags are packed. You're not so attached to this world that you can't go now. Hey go now Jesus. I got so much to do here.

No, you're not that in that condition. You're alert with that cry of command comes and You're eager for it. For in verse 7 because you're eager for it because those who sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

They are of the night and they show it by their life. They show it by living for things that don't matter. I love football is entertainment and this is NFL playoff season. This is like the highlight of the football year I mean right now this next couple weeks.

This is it, but don't be like the man whose tombstone I saw a Few weeks ago when we buried. Mr. Perry Under the name and the dates of this person the last epitaph he left behind was right there carved in the tombstone was.

How about them Cowboys? I? Thought that's so sad. I mean your whole life is summed up by devotion to a corporation. It's all about making money by putting on football games and that's what you have to say.

That's it at the end of your life. Don't be like that. Don't your life be about making money or acquiring stuff or achieving what the world calls success? That's sleepwalking through life, but in verse 8 in contrast to that life of unconsciousness.

He says belong to the day.

Be awake.

See that life is about God's what you see when you're awake in the daytime. It's about God and him who rose Christ from the dead live for the Lord. See it's about that. And then when you see that be sober be Unintoxicated by this world.

Yes, you couldn't earn a living and you can play and you can live in the world and you can watch NFL playoffs, but don't let it drug you. Don't let it put you to sleep with its things instead. He says put on the the breastplate of faith.

Breastplate goes over your torso over your chest. Faith is what your heart trust in. So trust in Jesus. Breastplate of faith and he says love love the Lord in his church. Love is what your heart Cherishes and that's the armor for your body.

It protects you it trust. Stops the weapons of the world and the flesh and the devil from getting to your heart. Put on also he says the helmet. The hope of Salvation again the assurance of salvation.

Trust that God will save you from the sudden destruction that is coming. That hope in that protects your head. Keeps your mind straight. For because in verse 9 we can have such a hope at God's salvation that your mind is protected from doubts.

Your heart is protected if you're trusting in him and you love the Lord because God has not Destined us. I didn't see this until this week, but I knew all the Calvinist verses of the Bible. Here's one God has not destined us.

Notice that God destines us for one thing or the other. Now if you're in Christ God has not destined you.

For wrath.

That is.

He's not made it your destiny to face punishment for your sins. Read chapter 1 remember chapter 1 verse 10. We wait now for the Son from heaven who is currently through our faith. Delivering you from the wrath.

To come wrath that's punishment. It's judgment for sin. It is Coming and he's going to deliver us from that here. It's not your destiny to face that wrath. So let your mind be at ease protected because you hope you believe in that so your minds protected.

He's not putting that by putting wrath in your destiny, but instead. Your destiny is to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, it's your destiny. It's your destiny to be saved. Jesus acquired it we get it through him.

He died for us at verse 10. So that that's the product of him dying for us the purpose of him dying for us. That whether we are awake means here alive like you are now or asleep. Dead we might live. With him will be resurrected will be glorified have an imperishable body and always with the Lord like that.

Therefore because of that the conclusion second time in verse 11 encourage. Not debate one another and build one another up with this you awake. We'll then live like it and here's the details from verse 12 to the end a lot of short rapid-fire instructions.

Like respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and demonish you. We have this in our Church. Covenant as respect. As leaders under the word also in verse 13 be at peace among yourselves.