The Will of God (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22)
The sermon outline can be found in the ministry guide.
This sermon was preached by Joshua Lowe.
During highschool, My friends and I would often talk about our upcoming exams and assignments. We would love to discuss worst case scenarios.
Things like: What would happen if you failed your next Math exam? What if you failed the whole subject? What if after failing you couldn’t graduate? What would happen if you can’t get a job? Eventually questions would escalate and end up with a question something like: How do you know if your life will turn out okay?
One of my friends who was pretty athletic answered “I have my health. If all goes wrong at the end of the day at least I will be healthy and I can hold onto that”.
One of my other friends who was rather popular responded with “I have my Family and Friends to support me. If I end up failing, at least my Mum and Dad and friends will be there to support me.”
One of my other friends, one of the smarter ones, said “So long as I have my intellect and wits, I know I’ll be okay. Life will turn out fine so long as I make smart decisions”
How would you answer that question? How would you complete this sentence:" “My life is okay so long as I have __________.”
What would you put in that blank?
What do you hold onto in life? What are you constantly looking towards to know you will have a good life. What do you work at day to day to make sure you are going to be okay?
It could be money. You know you’ll be okay because you have x thousands of dollars saved in the bank.
It could be your ,arriage. Even if life gets difficult, you’ll be okay because you know your spouse will be there to support you through those difficult times.
It could be your career. You know you’re okay so long as you have your job and a steady stream of income and are progressing on the corporate ladder, you will be okay.
Will your life be okay so long as you hold onto these things?
What do you think Paul and the Thessalonians were holding onto? Well that is what we will be studying in today’s passage.
We have been studying the book of 1 Thessalonians over these past couple of months. If we remember the history of the Thessalonian Church, Paul spent 3 weeks preaching the gospel to the people in Thessalonica. Since then, some believed and the church was set up.
However, some Jews were jealous; so they rounded up a mob and started a riot in the city. The Thessalonian church faced fierce persecution and so Paul wrote this letter to them because he was concerned about their perseverance in the faith.
Throughout this letter we have studied about Paul’s love for the Thessalonians and his desire that the Thessalonians continue in faith, love and hope. Paul exhorts them to continue to live a life worthy of the gospel in the midst of much affliction and to look forward to Christ’s second coming.
We are now reaching the end of the letter in 1 Thessalonians and Paul is giving this church some final instructions. In light of the persecutions and difficulties they may have faced, Paul’s final encouragement to them is to hold onto the Triune God in all circumstances.
Hold onto the Triune God in all of life’s circumstances.
That is the main idea of the passage today. Hold onto the Triune God in all of life’s circumstances.
My hope and prayer is that from studying this passage, we will make active decisions to hold onto the Triune God in our day to day lives. My hope is that
Firstly, our daily attitudes will change by holding onto Jesus Christ and the Gospel
Secondly, we can live in constant dependence on God the Father in prayer
And Thirdly, that we will allow God’s Holy Spirit to work in our lives to help us be discerning.
Let’s start with our first section: Hold onto God's gospel in all circumstances
Hold onto God's gospel in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:16-18)
In these verses, Paul gives the Thessalonians three instructions. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances.
Remember that the Thessalonians were under the pressure of persecution. So Paul writes these three instructions to remind and encourage them to live the life God has called them to in Jesus Christ. Encouragements and reminders are especially important when circumstances are hard.
So how do we live especially when our circumstances discourage our faith? During these times we are to hold onto God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is how we can have the right attitude to persevere in life. Christians are to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances.
The first instruction from Paul is to “rejoice always” (1 Thess 5:16). There are many things that can cause us to rejoice. Perhaps you just purchased a new house, or a new phone or watch, or perhaps you just graduated from University. Maybe you just ran a marathon or placed high in a competition. You are happy and glad because these things have happened.
Our young married couples know what it means to rejoice. Just ask any of our newlyweds. I’m sure they rejoice in their new marriages and experience joy as they decide to spend the rest of their lives together.
There are many occasions for rejoicing. We all rejoice when these things happen. Sometimes it is good and natural for us to rejoice in these good things, but what about when life does not give us much to rejoice over? We need to recognise that our worldly rejoicing is only temporary, and for Christians there is a greater joy found only in Jesus Christ.
Why do Christians rejoice? For Christians, we can rejoice always because of the gospel. We can still have joy because our biggest problem has been fixed. We all fall short of God's perfect holy standards in deed, even in thought, and so we deserve excruciating pain and eternal death. However God has saved us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can rejoice because God has saved us from an eternal judgement through the death of His only son.
Imagine being beaten and flogged and then hanged on a cross to pay the punishment for what you have done. That is what we deserve. However, Jesus Christ volunteered to take your place and spare you of this horrific punishment. What a relief, what a joy that we have been spared this punishment that we have justly deserved.
But even more than that, Jesus does not only take away our punishment, He also gives us His perfect righteousness so that our relationship with our creator God can be restored. When we repent and believe in the gospel, God no longer sees wretched sinners who deserve His wrath, but instead He sees His perfect son, and He accepts us because of Jesus.
The modern Hymn “His Robes for Mine” describes this truth in the first stanza:
His robes for mine, O wonderful exchange
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered 'neath God's rage
Draped in His righteousness, I'm justified
In Christ I live, for in my place He died
Dear brothers and sisters, if this is not cause for rejoicing then I don’t know what is! We can rejoice because we need only to hold onto God’s gospel alone for our salvation.
Our hope is secure in Christ, we can have assurance because Christ's resurrection and everlasting life secures our salvation and a place in heaven. We can rejoice because our final destination is now in heaven.
Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This kind of rejoicing is not based on our circumstances.That is how we can rejoice always. Rejoice that Christ has conquered all and nothing can separate us from His love. There is continual and abiding joy that comes from being “in Christ” and in trusting Christ alone for our salvation.
We might also want to consider what we rejoice and delight in gives us insight into what is really important to us. What brings us joy or what we rejoice over are indicators of what we may treasure in our hearts. If we treasure money, having money will give us great joy, but losing money will also take away our joy.
For Christians, the gospel should be what we treasure the most because we see our biggest problem to be far beyond the things of this world. Our biggest problem is our broken relationship with God due to sin. Only the gospel can fix this problem. When Christ returns to judge, nothing else will matter.
To those here who would not identify themselves as Christian, what do you rejoice in? Whatever you rejoice in, If it is anything that is in this world, it will not last. Money, health, career, family, intellect, would you consider that it will all fade away eventually. These things often fail at various points and Ultimately because everyone dies, and at that time these will prove to be meaningless. I urge you to turn away from these fleeting temporary joys, repent and believe in the gospel. Find everlasting joy in Jesus Christ!
The rejoicing that Paul is describing here is not dependent on circumstances, but the truth of what Christ has done for us and the hope of our eternity with God our creator. So let us rejoice in God because of the Gospel.
In Luke 10, when the disciples were so excited that Jesus had given them authority over demons and evil spirits, Jesus says not to rejoice that the spirits were subject to them, but rejoice that their names are written in heaven.
When life is going well, you get that promotion, your team won that championship match, Your business has been successful, you aced the PSLE, A Levels or O levels. It's good and natural to rejoice in these things, but place your joy in something greater than your circumstances. Preach the gospel to yourself daily and rejoice that you have been saved from punishment and wrath by God’s gospel. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Your circumstances, they will change, but God’s saving gospel does not. There will be times when life gets you down. Before Christ comes back we will still struggle with sin in our own lives, as well as the consequences of sin in others. Maybe you receive news that your health is declining. Perhaps a family member or friend who you love dearly is struggling with depression. Death is around the corner for everyone and loved ones pass away. When these things happen, we are to do the same thing. Preach the gospel to yourself and rejoice because our names are written in heaven. You may not be happy about your situation, but you can have immense joy knowing that you are a child of God.
Now preaching the gospel to ourselves is hard when we are struggling. When we are in a dark place, it is hard to look for light. That is why the church community is also so important. When we know of or see another brother or sister in the church struggling, let us do our best to remind them of the truths of the gospel. Remind one another that our names are written in heaven if we repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Exhort each other to rejoice always because of the joy of the gospel.
All of us are called to remember God’s Gospel and Jesus Christ in the highs and the lows of life, so that we can. Rejoice and be glad that our future is in heaven.
Let’s move onto our next instruction from Paul, to pray continually (1 Thess 6:17).
The reason we pray is because we are continually looking to God, seeking to speak with Him. Prayer is a way to express our humility and utter dependence on the Father.
My son often talks to me and asks me for things because he is only a child. He is quite helpless and can’t do many things by himself, so he asks for help. It is my delight as his father that he comes to me and asks. It shows that he loves me and depends on me. It shows me that he values our relationship and is not trying to live independently without me.
And God the Father desires that we hold onto Him in prayer as well. He desires that we come to Him and depend on Him in all things.
What does praying continually mean? It might not mean we are praying all the time. We might not be able to spend every waking moment we have praying because God has also given us responsibilities that we need to attend to.
However, praying continually means that our prayer life should be regular and consistent. Christians should be characterised by prayer because prayer is a reflection of our relationship with God. We are small, helpless and needy before our great and almighty Creator God. And God is our loving father who wants us to draw near to Him.
So pray regularly. Some examples could be praying before and after your devotions for God to speak through his word and for you to apply it throughout your day. When you meet with people, ask them how you can be praying for them, and pray with them on the spot.
Turn your mealtime grace into prayer sessions. Think about extending your mealtime grace to include other things you are thankful for in the day. Instead of just “Thank you Lord for this food”
Pray throughout your day. Pray for your work, your school, your family, your colleagues, your CG members. Take every opportunity you have to pray. Pray before you sleep in the evening and submit every part of your day to Him. Prayer does not need to be structured or have a specific form. There are many different ways, times and reasons to pray.
Prayer should be a regular part of any Christian’s life as we hold onto God for all things in life.
Praying continually also means not getting discouraged when there doesn’t seem to be any immediate answers when we pray. Praying continually means persevering in prayer, knowing that our God is listening and trusting that he will answer in his time. God’s answer might not be what we expect, yet it is always what is best for us.
We are to pray individually and we should also pray corporately.
If you’re not sure how to pray, or lack confidence, corporate prayer sessions are a good way to learn. We learn through modelling, so pay attention to how people pray as you pray along with them during our corporate prayer times.
Our monthly prayer meetings are a good opportunity for us to pray corporately. So come to our prayer meeting after this service. It is a way as a church we can be expressing our need for God.
Fathers and husbands, you can also be leading your family in corporate prayer. Take the initiative to lead your family in family prayer sessions. Be intentional to ask your wife and children how you can pray for them, and pray together during your family devotions. By leading in prayer as the head of your household you demonstrate the importance of prayer to your wife and children. So pray often as a family.
Prayer is an important Christian discipline, but we must also remember the grounds by which we can pray. We can only pray to God because of what Jesus Christ has done for us in the gospel. As sinners we would naturally only expect to receive judgement, yet because of Jesus Christ, we can be considered children. Therefore we are encouraged to come to God who is our heavenly father.
So continue to hold onto God and His gospel even in our prayers.
The next instruction is giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 6:18). Giving thanks is showing gratitude for the things that God has done. Similar to how we are to rejoice always, our thanksgiving comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In all circumstances we are to remember the Gospel and be thankful for what Jesus has done for us.
But on top of this, we can also give thanks that God is working in all circumstances. We need to recognize God’s sovereign hand is always in charge. All things that happen to us are not blind fate or chance. God is working in everything, therefore we can be thankful to God in everything.
We can thank God even in our afflictions and struggles. Give thanks in all circumstances. We do not necessarily give thanks for all things. There are bad things that happen in life. It sounds crazy to be thankful that our loved ones have passed away, or that we lost our job, or that we didn't score as highly in our exams, or when you are looking to get married and things don’t work out. But if we are holding onto God, we can be thankful in these circumstances. In our circumstances we can be giving thanks to God because our good God is sovereign and always in control. We can be thankful knowing that God works all things together for our good.
A thankful attitude also comes from knowing that we are undeserving of all that we currently have.
No one can fully claim to be a self made man or woman. You could say, I got my job out of my hard work and intelligence. Who gave you the energy and intelligence? Well it came from my good family upbringing.
Well who gave you your family? Who orchestrated that you would be born in that family? You certainly had no say in it. It was all part of God's sovereign plan.
Everything that we own is given to us by God.
We should be constantly reminded that we brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out of it. From dust we were created, and to dust we shall return. Everything that we own is given to us by God.
Being thankful allows us to remember that we have nothing to be prideful about because all things are undeserved gifts from God. Knowing this, we are able to be thankful even when we seemingly have less compared to others.
What characterises thankful people?
They don't complain
They don't tend to criticise
They are less likely to get angry
They aren’t arrogant or have entitled attitudes
They are often positive and don't dwell on the bad things in life
Would others describe you as a thankful person? Do you find yourself giving thanks to God in all circumstances?
We all struggle with being thankful in all circumstances. I know because I find myself getting impatient and angry at times rather than being thankful. At those times, I feel like I am entitled to the things I own or have achieved. I worked hard this week so I deserve to sleep in a bit in the morning. I washed the dishes, so I’m entitled to kick back and disengage from my family. When the kids come to me, ִִI tell them to go look for my wife who hasn’t done as much as me. This attitude comes from an entitled and ungrateful heart.
Brothers and sisters, lLet us instead be thankful for the things God has given us. Let us be characterised as people who give thanks.
Paul tells us that we are to rejoice, pray and give thanks because this is God's will for us (1 Thess 6:18b). These are not optional for Christians, these attitudes are required just as much as any spiritual discipline.
What is the will of God? What is God’s desire for our lives? It is these three things.
Some youths have asked me what God’s will is for their lives. I remember one youth asked me if he should go on an exchange program overseas. He asked how to discern if going was part of God's will for his life? This way of thinking assumes that God’s will for each of our lives is a particular path, and if we veer off that path we will be acting outside of God’s will. If we know God’s will and make the one and only right decision, everything will go well.
However, that's not how we are to think of God's will. There are other things to say about God’s will, but these verses tell us that God's will for our life is based on how we live and our attitude towards God rather than the outcome of our decision.
God's will for us is that in all life’s circumstances we are to remember and rest in the gospel. In doing so, we rejoice, pray and give thanks. On top of this, Paul instructs us to hold onto the triune God. The Spirit is the third member of the trinity and also one who we should be holding onto.
That leads us to our next section, Hold onto God’s Spirit to be discerning.
Hold onto God's Spirit to be discerning (1 Thess 6:19-22)
It is very easy to read 1 Thessalonians 6:19-22 as individual instructions.
Do not quench the spirit
Do not despise prophecies
Test everything
Hold fast to good
Abstain from evil
However these verses go together as a unit. These are not just 5 separate instructions, but rather they are all related to the Spirit's work to be discerning, particularly in relation to prophecy.
In the time of the Thessalonians, it is not uncommon to see the unique gifts of the Spirit as seen at Pentecost. So when Paul instructs the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit, he may have meant that they should not suppress or restrain the Spirit from manifesting itself in its various gifts, particularly of prophecy.
The Thessalonians being a young church were probably faced with all sorts of teachings, especially regarding the end times. The Thessalonian church, just like the apostles, were probably eager for Jesus’s second coming, so various prophecies foretelling or predicting Jesus’s second coming may have cropped up.
So Paul here is telling the Thessalonians that instead of dismissing prophecies, they are to test everything and discern what is good and evil according to the Spirit. They are not to quench it or extinguish the Spirit’s prophecies, but to be discerning.
How did the early church test prophecies like this? They would compare with the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. If the Thessalonians heard a prophetic message, they would need to compare what they heard and verify the message with what Jesus and the Apostles taught to ensure it was consistent.
The command to not quench the Spirit is similar for us today. Today the Spirit works through the written word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
The breath of God is God’s Spirit. The Spirit works through the Word to help us understand what is written, convict us of what we need to do in Christ and change our hearts.
What does it mean to quench the Spirit today? It means to not have a soft heart to the Spirit’s prompting when reading His Word. So we are to listen to the Spirit through the Word, allowing ourselves to be changed.
As for prophecies today, we may not have prophetic messages foretelling the future, but we do have the revelation of Scripture. So we need to be constantly testing what we hear and are taught against Scripture.
Just like the Thessalonians, there are many different kinds of teachings that we encounter today.
Teachings such as:
Jesus offers all of us physical healing through His death on the cross
God promises material blessings
Faith and prayer are the means to receive God’s blessing
God helps those who help themselves
We are to test all things and compare them to Scripture.
What are we to do with these teachings? We are to test all things and compare them to Scripture. That is why we need to know God’s Word well. We want to be experts in God’s word so that we can live life wisely, so that we can hold onto the good teachings and avoid the evil ones. We should be determined to test all teachings by listening to the Spirit’s guidance through the Word.
To those who have the Spirit, who are genuine believers, God’s Spirit testifies what is good and true. Do you ever wonder how Christians identify wrong teaching in the church? It’s usually because God’s Spirit prompts them through God’s word about the teaching from the pulpit. In reading God’s word, the Spirit helps reveal the inconsistencies with the teaching.
Allow the Spirit to work through your life. The Spirit works through the word, so as you read Scripture this week, allow it to mould and shape your heart and your actions. Listen intently to God’s spirit through the word. Find applications from scripture and apply them with the Spirit’s help. Hold onto the good teachings and abstain from what is not true.
Hold onto God's Spirit to be discerning
Quite a few people have heard of the name John Bunyan. If he sounds familiar, it is because he wrote the famous Christian allegory, “The Pilgrim’s Progress”.
Bunyan preached the Word of God to the people of Bedford, but as a result Bunyan was sent to jail and was imprisoned for 12-years because he refused to stop preaching. During his imprisonment, he spent his time reading the Bible and improving his understanding of Scripture. In his book “Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners”, Bunyan documents what he wrote when he the midst of this sufferings in prison. This is what he writes:
Many verses in Scripture have been great refreshments to me in this condition, So that sometimes when I have enjoyed the savour of them I have been able to laugh at destruction, and to fear neither the horse nor his rider. I have had sweet sights of the forgiveness of my sins in this place, and of my being with Jesus in another world.
Even in the midst of his suffering, Bunyan clung to God and His word. He rejoiced, prayed continually and gave thanks even while imprisoned. God’s Spirit shaped Bunyans attitude through the Word.
Bunyan held onto the triune God in all of his life’s circumstances, and is an example for us of what that might look like.
If you are not a Christian, please consider what you’re holding onto in life and if these things you are holding onto will last? Will you really be okay? I, or any of the elders or staff, will be happy to discuss more, otherwise please chat with the person who brought you here today.
Brothers and sisters, what are you also holding onto in life?
I hope you hold onto God and the ultimate hope he gives in the gospel. Cling to Christ and allow the spirit to work in your life through His word. Continue to depend on God in all of life's circumstances and be ready because Christ will return.
Let us hold onto the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Triune God in all of life circumstances.