Be The Church

Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, November 15, 2026.
Sermon text: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

Intro: What does it mean to be the church? Scripture refers to the church as the bride of Christ, the hope of the world, and the pillar and buttress of the truth. In the same way that marriage is God's idea and gender is God's idea and life is God's idea, so we shouldn't take liberties with such things, so it is with the Church. The gathered people of God, followers of Jesus, referred to as brothers and sisters whose Father is God is God's idea. Rather than asking what we want for church to be, we should be asking what God means for the church to be. The same Gospel that saves us shapes us. When God brings us together, makes us His church, what does he expect us to do? What is His design for our behavior toward one another?
 
1.) Respect your leaders
Notice how Paul explains this. He doesn't give titles. He explains respect as a response to the work that these qualified men do.
• Who labor among you
Consider this perspective. If someone were to ask "Why should I respect my leaders", the answer would be something like this...
"If someone were now asking, ‘Why should I do this?’, Paul gives three reasons. In so doing, he also outlines the major responsibilities of the shepherds. First, the recognized pastors were to labor among them (you). Their ministry was to be validated by diligent, strenuous labor which led to the point of weariness and exhaustion.” - Mayhue
• Who are over you in the Lord
"I'll go first"... 1 Peter 5 "not domineering"... Consider the qualifications for Elders... Read 1 Timothy 3:1-7... *These are mostly the same expectations for everyone else.
• Who admonish you
This is correction/warning coupled with teaching... Admonish with our Bibles open...
"The Result of Respect": Esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves."
This is a picture of obeying your leaders. Hebrews 13:7 does a good job of explaining what this looks like... "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you."
 
So God has an expectation for how you, the church, are to act toward your leaders. Next, we will find that he also has an expectation for how you act toward one another.
 
2.) Be patient with one another
Note that this is not passive patience... It is active patience...
• Admonish the Idle
Stott: "The existence of pastors does not relieve members of their responsibilities to care for one another."
• Encourage the fainthearted
• Help the weak
• See that nobody repays evil for evil
• Seek to do good to everyone
Conclusion: We are about to have the privilege of commissioning new deacons this morning. By God's design, in a healthy church we have Elders that are leading and shepherding, Deacons that are serving and supporting, and Members who are responsibly caring for one another as they are equipped week after week to do the work of ministry. And all of this exists because of the redemptive and finished work of Jesus.


Discipleship Questions:

1. Why does God expect you to respect your leaders?
2. What reasons does Paul provide for respect?
3. What reasons does Paul NOT provide for respect?
4. Why does God expect you to be patient with one another?
5. When is patience is difficult?
6. What are some differences between the idle, fainthearted, weak, and evil?
7. What does accountability in the body look like when it comes to “good and evil”?