Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

In one paragraph

Pastor Daniel opened 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18 and worked through Paul's instructions on idleness and church discipline, using the town of Jackson's idle-free resolution as a way into the text. He framed the whole passage inside what Paul wanted the Thessalonian church to be, and ended with communion. Pastor Daniel started by noting that the town of Jackson has a resolution, not a law, committing...

Read together

1. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18 the main passage for the sermon, read and exposited throughout
2. Matthew 28:18-19 cited as the basis for Paul's use of Christ's authority when giving commands
3. Philippians 4:2 mentioned as an example of Paul naming individuals, Euodia and Syntyche, by contrast with his anonymity in Thessalonians
4. Micah 6:8 came to mind the morning of the sermon as a summary of doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God

Talk about it

1. Pastor Daniel described two ditches on either side of the road: license and legalism, and mercy and justice. Where do you tend to drift, and how has that shown up in the way you've handled a situation involving someone else's sin?
2. Paul's command to withdraw from a disorderly brother is described in the sermon as heavy on love and mercy, not punishment. What makes it hard to see church discipline that way, and what would need to be true of a church community for it to actually feel that way to the person being corrected?
3. The sermon contrasted two reactions to shame: being drawn back toward repentance, or being driven further away. What role does the church community play in determining which direction shame pushes someone?
4. Pastor Daniel said that when Paul commands those who are idle, he softens it with an exhortation, a command with a please. What does that combination of firmness and tenderness look like in practice when you are the one who needs to say something hard to someone you care about?
5. The sermon ended with Micah 6:8, do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. How do you hold justice and mercy together in the same moment rather than choosing one and leaving the other behind?