Striving For Sanctification – part 4
Display Discernment
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 (19-22)

As you know we are still studying this great passage of Scripture
Which Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.

And in this particular passage we get some very good practical advice
For achieving sanctification.

Again, we know that God is the One
Who will ultimately bring about our sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
We know that God will be the One who does it.
And of course that is why (according to verse 18)
We give thanks in everything.

However we also know that we have a definite role in the process.
And it is that role that you and I have been talking about
For the last several weeks.

I told you when we began this study that there were eight directives
To be applied in order for us to effectively strive for
The sanctification that God will ultimately bring about.

1) Honor your Leaders (12-13a)
These are men whom God has divinely appointed to watch over your souls and lead you to Christ-like-ness. Certainly then you would do well to honor and submit to such men.

2) Live in Peace (13b)
Because iron sharpens iron, we must learn to not forsake our assembling together, but instead cling to one another.

3) Encourage One Another (14)
This is of course a very practical step in which we literally push one another towards the standard of righteousness.

4) Love One Another (15)
This reveals our perspective that we are willing to give what is needed, not necessarily what is wanted. We seek what is good for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

5) Rejoice Always (16)
And of course this is the perspective of knowing that regardless of the difficulty God is working it for my good and His glory.

6) Pray Without Ceasing (17)
This is a man with his ear attuned to God, only interested in what God would have him do next.

7) Be Thankful (18)
And of course this is the man who gives God glory for all that God accomplishes in his life.

And so we’ve seen some great truth in regard to striving for sanctification
– Honor Your Leaders
– Refine Your Relationships
– Adjust Your Attitude

And tonight we get to the final point as it deals with our role.

And honestly, if you want to get technical we break this passage down
Into 5 more directives, which would ultimately make the list 12 instead of 8.

The reason I leave these last 5 as one directive is because
They all really funnel down to 1 main command here.

It is also the 8th truth.
DISPLAY DISCERNMENT.

In fact you notice that spelled out in verse 12, “But examine everything carefully”

In the Greek, the word “carefully” is absent.
And so literally the verse reads, “Test Everything”

And while there are several other directives in these 4 verses,
They all really come down to the concept of displaying discernment.

This is the final directive of the eight, and it is so important.

It is important, because here Paul takes into account that there
Is more than one person who is seeking to influence your life.

You see, if the only two players in the game where you and God,
Then the first 7 would be plenty and complete.
It would just be you adjusting to God’s will.

But you and God are not the only two players in this game.

While there is on one hand God who promises to sanctify you,
There is also the enemy who seeks to snare you.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
And so this means that all the advice and direction
We receive in life is not necessarily the right direction.

We then, must learn to discern what to listen to and what to reject.

And if we do it correctly, we will find ourselves
Correctly formed by the true and enduring word of God.

If we fail to do it correctly we will find ourselves
Tossed here and there by every wind of doctrine
And possibly even worse off than when we started.

DISCERNMENT IS SO IMPORTANT.
And with that in mind, let’s look at our text this evening.

There are three things we learn here in this text.
#1 RECEIVE
1 Thessalonians 5:19-20

Here you will notice two distinct commands.
And both commands tell us to avoid a certain type of mindset.

“Do not quench the Spirit”
“do not despise prophetic utterances”

Both of these commands indicate to us that
If we are not careful then our natural tendency
May be to do exactly those things.

1) “Do not quench the Spirit”

You may have actually heard this before,
As it is often quoted by proponents of the charismatic movement.
Only they often times do as much injustice to this verse
As those who abandon it altogether.

Often times this verse is quoted as a blanket support of any and everything that “THEY” claim to have been the Holy Spirit.

In other words:
They can engage in all sorts of behavior, claim it was the Holy Spirit who caused it, and then tell you “Do not quench the Spirit”

Obviously then, we must do a little homework
To remind ourselves exactly what it is that the Spirit does
That we are not to quench.

If we had time we could do a comprehensive study
On every time the Holy Spirit shows up and exactly what He does.
But, for time sake, let’s just look at
The preeminent passage on the Holy Spirit in Scripture.
It was the sermon Jesus preached to tell us what the Holy Spirit would do.

The beauty of this passage is that
While the Holy Spirit may operate in various ways,
We know that He will always be doing these three things.

John 16:7-15 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

And there again, not to spend too much time on that text
We are reminded of the three-fold function of the Holy Spirit.
He convicts the world concerning sin
He guides believers into all truth
He glorifies Jesus

And so we can quickly deduce that
The Holy Spirit does exactly as His name suggests.
He is the Spirit who is consumed with holiness.
• Because He challenges sin.
• Because He guides to the truth
• Because He points to the One who can make men holy

And so it is extremely fair and accurate to say that
The work of the Holy Spirit is holiness.

And here in 1 Thess. Paul is saying, “Do not quench the Holy Spirit”

That word “quench” is a word often spoken of as putting out a fire.

Mark 9:45-46 “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]”

And so obviously we understand Paul’s point.
Do not resist or try to stop the work
That the Holy Spirit is doing in your life.

We know that God is working for our sanctification,
And so Paul adamantly says here to let Him work.
Let Him do what He desires.

And this could be true in any and every sense of the word.

However, when we keep this passage in context with what Paul says next,
We understand that Paul is predominantly talking about
Not “quenching the Holy Spirit”
Especially as He works through men who speak the truth.

Notice the second command.
2) “do not despise prophetic utterances.”

Now first:
Don’t get too derailed by the “prophetic utterances” part.

During Paul’s day the New Testament had not been written,
And so God did from time to time reveal His truth through prophets.

However, most of the prophets still spoke the Old Testament Scriptures.

Simply put, when we talk about “prophetic utterances”
We are talking about not despising the preaching of God’s word.
(That is even more true today, since new revelation has ceased)

And so when we put it together
We get a pretty good understanding.

The Holy Spirit is working on you to make you holy,
And He is doing so through the prophetic ministry
Of those who preach the word to you.

Ephesians 4:11-12 “ And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”

Don’t miss that “He gave some” part.
It indicates that God is the one supplying those who minister the word.

And here Paul is saying, that in order for us to strive for sanctification,
Then one of the things we must guard against is resisting those
Whom the Holy Spirit would empower to preach the word to us.

God is using the preaching of His word to make you holy, don’t resist it.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

Now of course not everyone does receive it like that.
Paul wrote to Timothy about those who would not accept sound doctrine,
But who instead gathered around them teachers to tell them
What their “itching ears” wanted to hear.

That is not the path to sanctification.
Proverbs 12:1 “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.”

Proverbs 10:17 “He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray.”

Proverbs 15:31-32 “He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof Will dwell among the wise. He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.”

If you want to be sanctified as God desires,
Then you must not be resistant to the preaching of His word.

Listen to how James puts it.
James 1:19-21 “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

In other words, if you refuse to listen to God’s word,
Or only argue with what you do hear,
You have no reason to expect that you will ever
Achieve the righteousness of God.

“in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

If you strive for sanctification, then the first thing you must do
Is receive the word of God, even if it comes in the form of a rebuke.

Receive
#2 REVIEW
1 Thessalonians 5:21a

“But examine everything carefully;”

And this is actually a great statement of balance.

We know that in this world there are preachers all over the place.
We also know that most of them have practically no accountability.
Anyone these days can start a church and become a preacher.

And because of this, it has made many of us pretty skeptical.

Sometimes even to the point that we won’t listen to most people
Unless we know what they are about, or have a trusted recommendation.
Well, we know we must be careful against being too guarded.
We must be careful that in our quest not to hear heresy
That we also fail to hear the truth.

That is part of what Paul was talking about in verses 19 & 20.
(don’t disregard all preachers)

However, while we listen, we must listen with discernment.
If a man claims to be preaching the word of God, then listen to him,
But listen to him with a copy of the word of God in your hand.

Listen, “but examine everything carefully”

We know that not all men who claim to speak for God
Actually do speak for God.
So test them.

And we have talked about this many times before.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘ Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.”

By this point, Israel already had the Ten Commandments,
So it didn’t matter what kind of signs this man performed,
He could not negate the written word.
And we learn that the written word trumps the miraculous.

And so one way we spot a false teacher is
If his doctrine doesn’t align with Scripture.

Paul told the Galatians:
Galatians 1:8 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”

But of course that is not all.

Peter told us to look beyond the message to the man’s lifestyle.
2 Peter 2:12-19 “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

• We learned about his boasting arrogance to revile demons.
• We learned about his lust of the flesh to revel in extravagance.
• We learned about his propensity to sin, actually returning to it.

So their words aren’t the only way we spot them.
Even a false prophet will preach orthodox if it benefits him to do so.

And Jesus taught us even another way to spot them,
And that was by looking at their converts.

Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

So there are numerous ways we spot the frauds.
And that is why Paul said, “examine everything”
Not just their words…
Not just their lifestyle…
Not just their converts…

God’s word is necessary to help you achieve sanctification,
But at the same time you must make sure that
What you are hearing is indeed the word of God.

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Philippians 1:9-10 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;”

Jesus even commended the church at Ephesus for this.
Revelation 2:2 “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;”

Don’t get so skeptical that you won’t listen to anyone,
But don’t become so naïve that you listen to everyone.

Find the truth of God so that we may find the path to sanctification.
Receive, Review
#3 RESPOND
1 Thessalonians 21b-22

“hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

And this is really the critical step here.
WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH WHAT YOU FIND?

James 1:22-25 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

It does little good to proclaim John MacArthur, or Adrian Rogers a preacher of truth if you won’t do what they say.

Conversely, it does little good to proclaim some other preacher a false prophet if you do follow his advice.

You must listen, you must discern, but really both of those
Are just meant to get you to a place of active obedience.

What will you do with what you’ve been given?

Paul here tells us plainly.
One a positive, and one a negative.

“hold fast to that which is good;”
“abstain from every form of evil.”

But Paul is actually making a play on words.

You may remember earlier in the chapter
When we talked about encouragement.

One of the commands was “help the weak”

And we said the word “help” was ANTECHO
Which meant “to hold against”

ECHO meant “to hold” ANT meant “against”

Here Paul uses two similar words.

“hold fast” translates KATECHO
Which means “to hold it close” or “hold it down”
Meaning, don’t let it get away.
“abstain” translates APECHO
Which means “hold it away”

Paul uses a form of it three times in this passage.
• Hold the weak brother to the truth.
• Hold the truth close to you.
• Hold the evil far away.

And all of them point to you taking an active role.
You must do something with what you have learned.

If we are to be sanctified as God desires,
Then it matters what we do with the truth that He provides.

A man who truly desires sanctification
Will be eager to accept the proclaimed word of God.
And (after testing it) to apply it to his life.

It reveals a man who is genuinely striving for sanctification.
Psalms 1:1-3 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

Psalms 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”

Psalms 119:102-104 “I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.”

Listen to the word, test the word, but don’t stop there.
Hold to the word.

And if after testing, you find it to be false, then hold it away.
“abstain from every form of evil.”

If you spot a man to be false, by his words, his character, or his converts,
Then keep him away, he will only work against the work of Christ.

Strive for sanctification, to do this you must have discernment.

Let me close this with one of my favorite passages of Scripture.
TURN TO: PROVERBS 2

And you see there the same principles Paul is teaching.
Receive the Word
Review the Word
Respond to the Word
So there you have it.

If you want to be sanctified:
1) HONOR YOUR LEADERS
2) REFINE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Live in Peace
Encourage One Another
Love One Another
3) ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDE
Rejoice Always
Pray Continually
Give Thanks in all Circumstances
4) DISPLAY DISCERNMENT

And by following this path, you are doing your part to achieve
The sanctification that God desires for you to have.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

Striving For Sanctification – Part 3
(Adjust Your Attitude)
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 (16-18)

When last we studied this great fifth chapter of Thessalonians
We realized that Paul is in the middle of a very important study.
He is talking about the process of sanctification.

Now again,
We know this is a process that ultimately God works out in our lives.
He is Jehovah Mekadesh – The LORD who sanctifies you.

We realize that if we are to ever achieve perfect sanctification
It will only be because God has accomplished it for us.

In fact, as we have noted, that is where this passage ends.
(Vs. 23-24) “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

And so even this passage ends with a tremendous promise
That God will eventually completely accomplish our sanctification.

One day you and I will be just like Jesus.
1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

And so we all do take extreme comfort in knowing
That our sanctification (like our salvation or our security)
Is not entirely up to us, but will in fact be fully accomplished by God.
That is a great truth!

However, even though God will ultimately bring it about,
That does not mean that we are completely passive in the process.

No different than Missions
We witness, although God is at work reconciling the world to Himself.

No different than Salvation
It is God who chooses, calls, justifies, and seals, yet we still are required to repent, trust, obey, and persevere.

That is also true of sanctification.
God will ultimately accomplish it in our lives,
But that does not mean we just sit back and do nothing.

That is what 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 is all about.

Paul here gives 8 commands
Which together outline our role in being sanctified.

The first had to do with how we respond to our leaders.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13a “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”

We all recognize that part of God’s great plan to sanctify us
Included His providing anointed leaders to guide us.

Paul taught us in his letter to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 4:11-12 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”

God ordained leaders to guide or “shepherd” His flock.
And the undeniable purpose of these men is
To guide the flock to the sanctification that God wills for them.

And therefore our first step in achieving God’s sanctification
Is to honor those leaders whom God has ordained.

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

And so the first step we found as we strive for sanctification
Is to honor our leaders.

Two weeks ago, we saw the second phase.
And that was to REFINE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

And in this phase we found the next 3 commands.

1 Thessalonians 5:13-15 “Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.”

Here we found the three commands to:
Live in Peace
Encourage One Another
Love One Another

And there again the application is obvious.

While God has supplied leaders to guide us to sanctification,
They are not all He supplied.
God has also supplied other believers.
This could be those Solomon spoke of
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”

This could be those Paul told Titus about,
“Older women…encourage the younger women”

And we quickly realize that pushing others to sanctification
Is not a job limited only to the leadership.
It is the corporate responsibility of every Christian.

We all “admonish the unruly”
We all “encourage the fainthearted”
We all “help the weak”
We all “be patient with everyone”
Of course this is all done in a spirit of love and with a desire for peace.

And as we do this we help each other become more like Christ.

And so these first 4 commands make perfect sense.
Honor Your Leaders
Live in Peace
Encourage One Another
Love One Another

Each of these helps us to achieve the sanctification
That God will ultimately bring about.

Tonight I want us to look at the next 3 commands in this list.
They are found in verses 16-18

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

There we see three distinct and clear commands.
And yet, like the previous commands,
These can also be grouped into a theme.

• The first command dealt with our SUBMISSION
• The next three commands dealt with our RELATIONSHIPS
• These three commands obviously deal with our ATTITUDE

And this may be the most critical step of all.
We know that God is the one who is achieving our sanctification.

John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”

God is the One who is actively pruning the branches
To make them even more fruitful.
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

God is doing it, yet we all must understand
That we must make it easy for Him to do so.

We are not called to resist God’s sanctifying work, but to embrace it.

That is why Paul goes on to say:
Philippians 2:12-16 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

You can see the obvious element of a proper attitude
To willfully accept all that God desires to accomplish.

God is working but we must learn to humbly accept
And submit to all that He desires to do.

Remember the beatitude?
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

And it is a truth that permeates Scripture.
Isaiah 45:9-10 “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker — An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’? “Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?'”

Romans 9:20-21 “On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”

Jeremiah 18:1-6 “The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying, “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.”

And of course that is why we sing, “Have Thine own way Lord, have thine own way. Thou are the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, after Thy will. While I am waiting YIELDED and still.”

We understand that God is the one doing it.
God is molding.
God is shaping.
God is pruning.
God is sanctifying.

Yet we also recognize the importance
Of our being fully surrendered to the fact.

And this comes when we ADJUST OUR ATTITUDE
In other words, don’t resist what God seeks to do in your life.

THINK OF IT THIS WAY:
We are all familiar with the promise.

Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”

We are all familiar with that promise of good in our lives.
If God is good…
If He cares for you…

Then why would we resist Him when He actually starts His work?
The only reason we would is if we have a bad attitude.

So these next three commands Paul gives, all deal with the attitude.

And they form a great passage on how to make sure that you are
As moldable and pliable as possible
When the Potter puts you on the wheel.

So we’ve already seen the first 4.

Honor Your Leaders Live in Peace Encourage One Another Love One Another
#4 REJOICE ALWAYS
1 Thessalonians 5:16

Now there is a simple and straightforward command for you.
“Rejoice always”

It literally means “to be glad, at all times”

And even if we were to take this verse completely out of its context
And let it stand alone (as so many often do), it still makes sense.

It makes sense for a Christian to always have joy,
The reason is because true joy is not a byproduct of the human nature,
But is instead a FRUIT of the divine nature.
Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

Joy is an attribute of God’s Spirit which dwells within us.
It is a supernatural emotion.
No different than a command to love…
No different than a command to be at peace…
No different than a command to be kind, or good, or faithful…

God can easily command us to be joyful
Because joy is something that He provides.

That is why Paul could say:
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

Furthermore any true Christian should always be aware of
Their reason for rejoicing.

Psalms 103:10 “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”

All it takes is just an ounce of perspective, and we realize that
Regardless of our present condition, it could indeed be way worse.

And so joy is not only provided for us supernaturally,
But in reality it makes sense.
And that makes sense even taken out of context.

However, we know Paul is not just giving an open command for rejoicing,
But is doing so in light of the sanctification that God is providing.

And the idea here is this.
Sometimes when God begins to work on our lives
It is not always pleasant.

Remember what the writer of Hebrews said about discipline?
Hebrews 12:11 “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

So we know that when God begins His sanctifying work on us,
There is a chance that the method He uses will not be pleasant.

And this can be true on a variety of scales.
• Certainly things like sickness and pain are not pleasant…
• Certainly financial strain can be less than pleasant…
• Personally I’m not even fond of conviction in a church service…

Yet, the fact is, any time God begins to prune the hedge or to squeeze the lump of clay, it may not initially be a pleasant thing.
And yet, in spite of the lack of comfort Paul gives this command.

“Rejoice always”
(be glad at all times)

• Even when it is hard rejoice.
• Even when you are sick, rejoice.
• Even when you are convicted, rejoice.
• Even when you hurt, rejoice.

And think about it:

If God causes ALL THINGS to work for good,
Then can you rejoice in the ALL THINGS
Or only in the things that makes sense to you?

We must come to an understanding that if things are painful,
Then they are painful for a glorious purpose.

Let me give you some examples:

Take a man in prison:
Acts 16:24-25 “and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;”

Take two men who have been beaten:
Acts 5:40-41 “They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.”

Take those who are slandered:
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

And it helps us understand that we are to view our hardship
Through spiritual eyes.

James said:
James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

And that helps us out.
We don’t rejoice because it is fun,
We rejoice because we know that our great God
Is taking this trial and using it to make me more like Christ!

And when we realize that we can rejoice.

And how much easier is it for God to complete His work on a rejoicing subject rather than a complaining one?

Honor Your Leaders, Live in Peace, Encourage One Another, Love One Another, Rejoice Always
#6 PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
1 Thessalonians 5:17

And again we have a straightforward command.
That a Christian is to never stop praying.

Romans 1:9 “For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,”

Colossians 1:9 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

We understand that prayer must occur
Even when we are not in a position of bowed head and bended knee.
(For there is no one who is forever in this position)

And even beyond that, there must be a type of prayer that can occur
Even when we are engaged in other things.
(Paul preached, Paul debated, Paul testified,
Yet he is said to have never ceased praying)

We then understand that prayers is not always about
Bowing our knee and offering up requests or praises to God.
PRAYER IS ALSO A STATE OF BEING.

A person in prayer is a person whose ear is always bent toward God.

It is like that horse I have told you about several times,
Whom you know is listening to you because his ear is turned back to you.

Every step is taken while listening to God,
And while mentally seeking out His direction and will.

And it is this state which Paul tells every believer to be in all the time.
Always in a state of prayer.

And that again makes sense
In regard to God’s sanctifying work on our behalf.

In fact, I’ve noticed that when believers are walking in the midst of God’s sanctifying work, most of the time no one has to tell them to do this.

This prayerful state reveals yet again a person
Who is ready to let God have His way.

TO ILLUSTRATE:
My dad taught me how to work, but teaching me that I had better always have my focus on where he was headed next.

Now, while we never try to anticipate where God is headed
(that can get you in trouble too)
We do live with that same level of alertness to what He may ask next.

And when hardships come, don’t run from God, or avoid Him.
Instead report for duty.

Turn your ear to Him, “pray without ceasing”

You see prayer reveals a person
With a true perspective of God’s Sovereign will.

“A lack of prayer is a believer’s declaration of independence”

And a lack of prayer is an indication that one
Is no longer concerned with God’s will in the situation.

And that is not the attitude of a person seeking sanctification.

So you want to be sanctified?
Honor Your Leaders, Live in Peace, Encourage One Another, Love One Another, Rejoice Always, Pray without Ceasing
#7 IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS
1 Thessalonians 5:18

And we have here one more straightforward command.
Only this one is a little different.

The first two in this section were “time” words.
– be glad at all times
– pray without ceasing (or constantly)

But here the phrase literally says “to be thankful in all circumstances”

So in one sense we have been told to rejoice no matter WHEN,
And here we are taught to be thankful no matter WHAT.

And again we could pull this verse out and just talk about
The importance of thankfulness in a believer’s life.

Colossians 3:15-17 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

It is obvious that God has blessed each of us far beyond what we deserve
And if all we did was show Him gratitude for the rest of our lives,
We could never say it enough.

But again, here we are dealing specifically of the area of sanctification.

And the idea here is that of all the things you thank God for:
Your food
Your health
Your family

Don’t forget to include to thank God for never failing
To work out His sanctification in your life.

And obviously this gratitude should be expressed
Even when the sanctifying work is the most difficult.

Obviously here, thankfulness and rejoicing run very close together.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Whereas rejoicing deals with the perspective of a heart,
Gratitude deals with where the credit goes.

Not only do I rejoice in the work occurring in me,
But I give all the credit for the accomplishment to God.

We see this all the time in Paul’s letters.
Even though Paul worked hard to plant churches and push them to Christ-likeness, he still knew all the credit went to God.

Romans 1:8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

1 Corinthians 1:4 “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,”

Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,”

Colossians 1:3 “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,”

1 Thessalonians 1:2 “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;”

Paul understood that even though he labored intensely, everything that was accomplished, was really only accomplished because of God.
1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

And this is an attitude that we must apply in our lives as well.

Regardless of what God is doing in your life,
Rejoice, pray, and be thankful.
You see, these attitudes make it much easier
For God to accomplish His work.

BUT THAT IS NOT ALL
• For it is not as though God needs you to be compliant in order for Him to work.
• He could cause you to lose your reason and eat grass like a cow for seven years if He wanted to.

While our attitude does make it easier for God to work,
That is not the only reason we have a good attitude.

Here is the other reason.
A good attitude will make God’s sanctifying work easier on you.

If you show me two people enduring the same discipline.

And one is rejoicing, praying, and grateful
While the other is depressed, sullen, and bitter.

God may be doing the same work in each of them,
But I can tell you who will have an easier time with it.

You see, when we talk about striving for sanctification
You cannot remove the important role your attitude plays.

Make sure that as God promises to shape you,
That you do everything you can to be as shapeable as possible.

“for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

He wants you, not only to be sanctified,
But to have the right attitude about it.

He wants you to want sanctification for yourself
As badly as He wants it for you.
And your attitude reveals that.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

Striving For Sanctification – part 2
(Refine Your Relationships)
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 (13b-15)

Last Sunday night we began this very important
Yet very practical section in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.

We have now been taught that God’s will for our lives is extremely clear.
God desires for you and I to be sanctified.
He wants us to be set apart.
He wants us to be holy.
He wants us to be like Jesus.

Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”

And because this is God’s will, it is also obvious that God
Is aggressively pursuing that goal for each of us.

Scripture calls Him Jehovah Mekadesh, “The Lord who Sanctifies You”.

It is God who is at work
Performing the process of sanctification in our lives.

But as we saw last week, that does not mean
That we are without responsibility in this endeavor.

We know, according to the last two verses of this passage,
That God will eventually perfect us in sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

We know that God is faithful to accomplish our sanctification.
But what we also know that we are called to join Him in this effort.
In fact, that is what verses 12-22 are all about.

They are practical ways in which we can strive
To achieve the sanctification that God is working out in our lives.

And as we said last week, there are 8 directives that Paul gives.
1) Honor Your Leaders 5) Rejoice Always
2) Live in Peace 6) Pray Continually
3) Encourage One Another 7) Be Thankful
4) Love One Another 8) Submit to God’s Word

And so obviously Paul is teaching us how to practically
Bring our entire life under God’s plan for our sanctification.
Last week we saw the first, which was to HONOR OUR LEADERS.
We must recognize that God has divinely placed in our midst
Men who are called and equipped to help us reach sanctification.

And once we recognize that these men are present,
We are called to “esteem them highly in love”.
We are called to love them for this great work they perform in our lives.

Tonight we see the next 3 areas
In which Paul wants us to pursue sanctification.

All of these three areas deal with our relationships.

And this makes sense.
You can’t be like Jesus if you can’t learn how to interact with people.
And so part of our crucial lesson is found in refining our relationships.

There are three commands Paul gives us here in this regard.
Now we saw the first one last week, let’s look at numbers 2-4 tonight.

#2 LIVE IN PEACE
1 Thessalonians 5:13b

“Live in peace with one another.”
And this is a vital first step to making sure
Our relationships are what they ought to be.

Remember: PEOPLE AREN’T THE PROBLEM
Scripture tells us not to look at them as an enemy, but as a victim.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

We have to remember, that people are not the problem.
Our war is against sin and Satan.

Now granted he uses people,
And that can make peace a near impossible thing.

After all Jesus did say:
Matthew 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

We have all seen how the name of Jesus can bring division,
Especially in a carnal world.

And that is why Paul says in Romans:
Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

We know there are some people with whom peace isn’t possible,
But that should never be our fault.

Our calling is to “Live in peace with one another.”

We are called to do what we can
In order to make sure that we can all dwell in unity.

It does not mean that we tolerate sin, or overlook wickedness
(discipline is still required),

But it does mean that in every issue that does not have to do with sin,
We continually deny self in order to live I harmony with other.

And this is the second step to achieving sanctification.

WHY?
Because the “one another” that Paul is referring to
Are first and foremost your brothers and sisters in Christ.

And they, like your leaders, are called to help you achieve sanctification.

Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.”

We are called to “live in peace” because as we dwell together,
We inevitably help one another achieve the goal of sanctification.

This is why the writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Things like church attendance and assembling together are important
Because they are tools God uses in order to sanctify us.

So when dealing with the area of sanctification, do not disregard the importance that your leaders, and your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ have in this matter.

Live in peace with your brothers.

Romans 14:19 “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”

Honor Your Leaders, Live in Peace
#3 ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER
1 Thessalonians 5:14

This is truly a great verse that speaks of the importance of fellowship.

You will notice that in this verse Paul speaks about 4 types of people,
And the four ways that we are to respond to them.

1) THE PERVERSE
“We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly”

“unruly” comes from a Greek word
That literally means “out of place” or “out of order”.

It speaks of something or someone that does not fit,
Or is not doing what they were intended to do.

And that is what it means to pervert something.
PERVERSE: “deliberately or stubbornly departing from what is reasonable or required.”

And that is what some people do.
They are “unruly” in the sense that they are out of place.
They are perverting the purpose God has for them.

So in a broad sense it would be anyone who is living
In a way opposite of the way God intended.

And for the Thessalonian church
Paul even has something more specific in mind.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”

Paul there spoke of the “unruly” man being a man who refused to work,
But instead insisted upon being a bum and a busybody.

So whether it refers to work or any other defection from God’s purpose,
We know that at times we will come in contact with those
Who are “unruly” or perverse.

And obviously, as we just read in 2 Thessalonians,
Our treatment of them can reach such a severity
That we are actually called to shun them.

Certainly this walks in perfect agreement with the Lord’s command to
Warn a brother and yet eventually treat him as a tax collector or a gentile.

So dealing with an the unruly can reach such extremes as disfellowship.

However, this is NEVER the first step.

The first step is what Paul says to do here.
“admonish” him.

“admonish” translates NOUTHETEO

It is compound word.
The first part meaning “to understand”
The second part meaning “to place before”

And so Paul is telling us to systematically, and thoroughly
Reveal to this “unruly” brother how his life is outside of God’s will.

We are not to simply set back while they pervert God’s plan,
But instead we are to clearly and concisely show them
How God is not pleased with their way of life.

We are to “admonish” them.

And we are called to do this, if we want to be like Jesus.

After all, Jesus did this didn’t He?

I’m reminded of John 21.
If you remember John 21, it is a great story about a man
Who was about to go and do the opposite of what he was created to do.

John 21:3 “Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.”

These men weren’t fishermen anymore, they were disciples of Christ.
They were fishers of men.

And yet on this day they were returning.
Of course Jesus rerouted every fish in the sea, as sort of a way to remind them that the old life had no fulfillment for them.

It was later He asked Peter three times “Do you love Me?”
And each time Peter said “yes” to which Jesus replied “feed My sheep”
Peter wasn’t a fisherman, Peter was a shepherd,
But he was about to completely miss his purpose.

He was “out of place” he was “unruly”, and Jesus called him back.

If we wish to be like Jesus, we do the same.
We “admonish the unruly”

The Perverse
2) THE PESSIMIST
“encourage the fainthearted”

“fainthearted” translates OLIGOPSUCHOS (olee-GOP-sukos)

It is another compound word.
Oligos meaning “small”
Suchos meaning “soul”

This is a person who is “small-hearted”
This is a person who is easily discouraged.
They are defeated
They have no passion
They have no drive

They are sort of looking for a place to lay down and quit.

And Paul says to this person we are to “encourage”
And this is a word that simply means
“To come beside a person and speak.”

We simply come to them with words of encouragement
In order to lift them up and help them see things better.

Satan is quite a liar, and when we converse too much with him,
We easily get discouraged.

An encourager is one who helps this “small-hearted” brother “fix his eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

And of course you know Jesus did this.
There are quite a few pessimists in Scripture,
But none quite as obvious as our friend Thomas.

• In John 11 he is certain that Jesus is about to die and he will die with him.
• In John 14 he is certain that when Jesus leaves he will never find him.
• In John 20 he is certain that Jesus is dead and is never coming back.

He is a pessimist, until Jesus encourages him.
John 20:26-27 “After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

Jesus came to Thomas and presented the truth
In order to help Thomas not be so weak in faith.
He was strengthening Thomas’s heart.

We “admonish the unruly”
We “encourage the fainthearted”

The Perverse, The Pessimist
3) THE POWERLESS
“help the weak”

And the word here literally means “without strength”

They just aren’t strong enough to handle what they are facing.
It is not that they are giving up, they just can’t beat it.

Sometimes we place so much emphasis on victorious living
And victory over sin through Jesus, that we seem to forget
That sometimes people still struggle.

And the self-righteous answer to their struggles
Is to criticize their faith and to tell them to claim the victory.

Yet, while victory is in Jesus,
Don’t miss the fact that Scripture clearly indicates
That part of the victory is found in the help of other believers.

The fact is people face things in this life
That they just can’t beat on their own.
They need the help of others.

Galatians 6:1-2 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

The first illustration that comes to mind is Johnny Narron.
• Johnny Narron never fielded a ball last year for the Texas Rangers.
• He never swung a bat.
• He never threw a pitch.
• He never even called a play.

But many would argue that there was no one person more important
To the Texas Rangers success last year than Johnny Narron.
WHO IS HE?
The man hired to stay with Josh Hamilton 24-7

Josh Hamilton.
• Star Center-fielder for the Texas Rangers
• American League MVP
• Freakish baseball talent
• Strong Christian

Yet he also spent 3 ½ years banned from baseball
Because of substance abuse.

He then got saved, but still had some relapses.
And so because Josh Hamilton isn’t strong enough to battle alcohol on his own, he has Johnny Narron at his side at all times.

Johnny keeps his money for him
Johnny keeps him company when there is nothing to do
Johnny does exactly what this verse commands.

“help the weak”

“help” translates ANTECHO (an-te-kho)

It means “to hold firmly to”

It pictures a person to weak to hold on for themselves,
And so a brother comes and holds on for them.

This person holds the other person in place.
• They won’t let them fall
• They won’t let them go the wrong direction
• They are aware that there is a weakness in this person’s life and so they hold on with them.

And if we want to be like Jesus, we must do the same.

Jesus also did this for Peter.
Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus knew what Peter was about to face,
But He also knew that He wouldn’t let Peter go.

Had Jesus not been with Peter, the last phrase you would ever read about Peter in Scripture is that he went out and wept bitterly.

But Jesus wouldn’t let him fall away.
(even if it meant rerouting all the fish as we saw a moment ago)
The Perverse, The Pessimist, The Powerless
4) THE POKY
“be patient with everyone”

Boy, there may not be anything more frustrating to me
Than someone who pokes around.
I know, because I have a daughter we call Pocahontas

And it can be just as bad when dealing with a brother or sister in Christ.

Sometimes we set back and wonder if they are ever going to get it.
And what we really want to do is tell them
To forget about it and leave them behind.

But Paul here tells us to “be patient”

This word means to “let your anger be far away.”

Don’t blow your top.
Don’t explode on them.
Don’t break out in some rage induced tirade.

Swallow it, be patient, know that God is at work.

2 Timothy 4:2 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

And we can all agree that this was Jesus.

We don’t even need an illustration from Scripture
Because we all supply our own illustration.

I was saved 15 years ago.
And you would think after 15 years
I would be a lot more like Jesus than I am.

What has kept Him from just blowing a gasket and thumping me?
He is patient.

And if we wish to be like Jesus, then we do the same with others.

And when you put all four of those together,
We see that the third step in being a sanctified church is that we ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER.

No matter if they are Perverse, Pessimistic, Powerless, or Poky
We still encourage them.

We will never be a sanctified body if we don’t encourage each other.

Honor your Leaders, Live in Peace, Encourage one Another
#4 LOVE ONE ANOTHER
1 Thessalonians 5:15

And although the word love is not used there,
It is obvious all over that passage.

From not taking your own revenge,
To wanting what is good for others instead of yourself,
To helping each other do the same.
Love is the theme of this verse.

“See that no one”
And so we obviously see here,
That the encouragement factor is still very much in play.
We are not on this journey alone.
We are all looking out for each other.

Not only do I push myself to be like Christ,
But I am also called to encourage you, as you do me.

And if you or I see anyone in our church doing it wrong,
We are called here to help them do it right.

And the first area has to do with revenge.
“See that no one repays another evil for evil”

Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

Romans 12:17 “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.”

Romans 12:19-20 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”

And it is obvious isn’t it.
We are called to die to self and consider others as more important,
Even if that other person harmed us.

(Telling Hannah to tell a bully “Jesus Loves You” – she said, “I don’t think that will work”)

It’s not human tendency to let people off the hook,
But that is what we are called to do.

In fact a great term for this is “forgiveness”.
To forgive is to refuse the right to punish,
And that is what God not only asks us to do,
But asks us to help each other do as well.
And not only refuse revenge
“but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.”

That is love isn’t it?
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

It is love that if given the choice
Would choose another person’s happiness over their own.

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;”

And you and I know that those things are extremely difficult.
Yet, if we wish to achieve the sanctification that God wills for us,
Not only must we strive for those things,
But we must help each other attain them as well.

OBVIOUSLY THIS WAS HOW JESUS LIVED.

He always put others first, and His command was that we do the same.

And so these next three admonitions make practical sense as well.

If we want to achieve God’s will and be like Christ,
Then not only must we honor our leaders,
But we must also refine our relationships.

• We must live right with others.
• We must live in peace
• We must encourage one another
• We must love one another

And when we do those things
We are on the path of sanctification that God has willed for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

Striving For Sanctification – Part 1
“Honor Your Leaders”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

I’ll begin by asking you tonight if you know what God’s will is for your life.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…”

God wants you to be sanctified.
God wants you to be like Christ.
God wants you to be holy just as He is holy.
God wants you to be perfect just as He is perfect.

In fact, not only does God desire you to be sanctified,
But it is God who is at work to ensure your sanctification.

One of the first ways God revealed Himself to His people was as
Jehovah Mekadesh.

Exodus 31:13 “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘ You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”

God wanted His people to understand the purpose for all the rules.
It is because He was in the process of sanctifying them.
He was undertaking the process of setting them apart as holy.

Sanctification has always been God’s work.

That is why in the upper room we hear Jesus praying to the Father:
John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

Jesus knew that sanctification was the work of God,
And so He prayed to God for it.

And not only that, but that is why Christ came.
Ephesians 5:25-26 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

You may remember that scene in the upper room
In which Jesus wanted to wash the disciple’s feet.

You may also remember that Peter took issue with that.
John 13:6-11 “So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Peter didn’t fully understand what sanctification was.

On the day we are saved we are bathed, we are cleaned,
We are justified and made right before God.

But that doesn’t mean we are perfect.
We still manage to have a lot of the world stuck to us,
And it is Christ who systematically begins to remove that dirt.

That is the process of sanctification.

And so you see that sanctification is so important to God,
That it is a task that He takes upon Himself.

1 Corinthians 6:11 “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
God did it, and God continues to do it.

Yet, that is only part of the equation.
While it is clearly God who sanctifies us,
The other side is that we also strive for that sanctification.

Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

And of course that is implied every time Paul commands obedience
And every time he told the Thessalonians to “excel still more”.

God is the one who sanctifies, yet we also strive to achieve
That same purpose through our obedient lifestyle.

I suppose the mystery is best stated in:
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

• And so it is not possible for anyone to take credit for their sanctification, for God did it.
• Yet it is also not possible for any of us to grow apathetic either as though we need do nothing.

Sanctification is the will of God and the work of God,
But it is work we gladly strive for as well.

And that is what this passage is all about.
Paul is outlining the steps to becoming a sanctified church.

In fact you can see this thought ends in verses 23-24
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

Paul ends the thought by saying, now may God grant this sanctification that you are striving for, and don’t worry, He will do it.

So it ends by reassuring us that God will finish what He started it.

What we find in verses 12-22 are our part in the great equation.

In these next 11 verses,
Paul gives 8 steps to becoming a sanctified church.
(not one time steps, but all the time qualities)

Let me just quickly give you these 8, although we won’t be able to study them all tonight.

1) HONOR YOUR LEADERS (12-13a)
2) LIVE IN PEACE (13b)
3) ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER (14)
4) LOVE ONE ANOTHER (15)
5) REJOICE ALWAYS (16)
6) PRAY CONTINUALLY (17)
7) BE THANKFUL (18)
8) SUBMIT TO GOD’S WORD (19-22)

These 8 points of application are a great pathway
To achieving the sanctification that God wills for you.

And rest assured, He is faithful to bring it about in you.

Tonight we look at the first of these 8 characteristics:
HONOR YOUR LEADERS

(12-13a) But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”

It is quite obvious that Paul wants the Thessalonians to honor those
Whom God has placed in charge of them.

When Christ left, He left His church under the care of under-shepherds.
Sometimes called Elders
Sometimes called Overseers
Sometimes called Shepherds or Pastors

They all speak of the same person,
But the difference in names refers to their differing functions.
Elder translates PRESBUTEROS
(You recognize it as the root to words like presbytery)

It can mean “older man” but when understood in a spiritual sense
It speaks of one who is wise and mature.

And thus God calls them elders because they lead and guide the church.

Overseer translates EPISKOPOS
(again you think of the word Episcopal)

It speaks of one who has oversight of authority.

Pastor translates POIMEN

Often translated “shepherd” it speaks of one who
Feeds the flock through teaching and protects them from false doctrine.

And all of these three titles are used of those
Whom God has placed over His flock.

1 Peter 5:1-2 “Therefore, I exhort the elders (presbuteros) among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd (poimen) the flock of God among you, exercising oversight (episkopos) not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;”

You may remember from studying Acts that in Acts 20:17
Paul called the Ephesian elders to himself. He then told these elders this:

Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopos), to shepherd (poimen) the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

And so it is clear the leadership that Christ left behind.

(You be in prayer about this, as I have even begun talking to the deacons about our church following this biblical model of being an elder led church)

And it is obvious that in Thessalonica
Paul had appointed elders to lead that church.

In fact Paul even lists the tasks that they were doing.

1) THEY DILIGENTLY LABOR
“appreciate those who diligently labor among you”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Well, it simply means they work hard.
But what was their labor specifically?

Well it could have been actual physical labor.
1 Thessalonians 2:9 “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”

While those who preach the gospel are given right to gain their living by it
Certainly not all do so.

And even today there are plenty who serve God’s flock
And yet still work to provide their own living.
These are certainly exceptional men.

It can also be seen in a more spiritual sense as “God’s Work”.

Such as EVANGELISM
Matthew 9:37-38 “Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 – 6:1 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain”

Galatians 4:11 “I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

Clearly the labor spoken of here is a labor to see the lost saved.
Anyone who has ever sought to win the lost, knows that it is hard work.

It could also be DISCIPLESHIP
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

In regard to his preaching Paul told Timothy to:
1 Timothy 4:15 “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”

Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

Paul’s labor was to help mold the churches into the very image of Christ.

And so anyway you slice it, the elder or overseer, or shepherd
Is one who diligently labors.
2) THEY HAVE CHARGE
“and have charge over you in the Lord”

I know that today we live in a world that resents authority and rejects the notion of submission, yet we also know that the church is different.

God did not make the church a democracy.

God set up the church, to be under definite authority,
That is Christ ruling through men He has divinely appointed.

1 Peter 5:2-3 “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.”

1 Timothy 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

1 Corinthians 16:15-16 “Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints), that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors.”

I am well aware that at times the church has been so eager
To follow the pattern of this world
That any notion of the church having earthly leaders they are to obey
Can seem almost shocking.
Yet, that is precisely the way God ordained it.

Now obviously their charge is “in the Lord”

Meaning that their authority only reaches as far as the word of God does.
They don’t get to boss people around for the sake of it.

They do however have the authority to rule the church
According to the truth of Scripture,
And the church is expected to submit to their authority.

And it is obvious that Paul has set up some of these men in Thessalonica.

Men who diligently labor. Men who have charge
3) THEY GIVE INSTRUCTION
“and give you instruction”

This is of course their primary role and occupation.
They guide the church by instructing her according to the word of God.

When you read the qualifications of an overseer in 1 Timothy,
There is only one qualification that is not character based.
Only one speaks of their ability.
1 Timothy 3:2 “…able to teach,”

Titus 1:9 “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

It is these men who study the word of God in order to teach it
And to teach the flock how to live.

And again it is obvious that Thessalonica had such men in their midst.

Now, here comes the first command in being a sanctified church,
And that is that you honor those men.

Now that being said, this is a little out of my comfort zone
To preach a sermon that tells you to honor your preacher.

So just know that I am preaching this in sincere hope
That we will eventually become an elder led church,
And I am giving you the basis for how to honor those men.

And here Paul gives two points.
#1 RECOGNIZE THEM
1 Thessalonians 5:12

We already talked about what these men are doing.

The main point here is “that you appreciate those” men.

“appreciate” is a little misleading here.
The Greek word actually means “to know”.

It means “to have seen”
And it speaks of having full knowledge of someone.

To better understand what Paul is getting at, he is saying
“Recognize what these men in your midst do for you.”

• Recognize how hard they work.
• Recognize the decisions they make.
• Recognize the instruction they give.

And it helps us understand Paul’s point.

The first step in living that sanctified life is to recognize
That God has placed in your midst men
Who are specifically set apart to help you achieve it.

God hasn’t left you on your own.
DO YOU EVER GO TO A LUMBER YARD?
(Now days they are called home improvement centers)

And you go in looking for that special type of electrical box
Or that unique piece of plumbing material

And if you are like me, you probably don’t even make it to one of the aisles before you do something else.
YOU FIND SOMEONE WHO WORKS THERE.

And if you find one who works hard
And if you find one who can tell you where to go
And if you find one who can instruct you as to what you need

Then you have really found a good thing.

See those people are specifically placed throughout that store
To help you achieve your goal of buying something.
Because not only is it your goal to buy something,
It is also the goal of the people who own the store.

You both want you to buy something,
And so they place people in your midst to help make that goal a reality.

And when we find a good one, we are grateful.

Well Paul says, open your eyes, God has done the same for you.

Furthermore stop and think about where you might be
If God had placed no one who would work hard
To lead you and teach you the truth.

Ephesians 4:11-15 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,”

There you see why God gave those men.
And the implication is that without them,
You would be susceptible to all sorts of deception,
Tossed here and there and carried about by every wind of doctrine,
And you would never grow up into Christ-likeness.

God gave them to you to help you.

And the first thing Paul wants you to do is recognize that.
#2 REGARD THEM
1 Thessalonians 5:13a

“and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”

Not only should you recognize them, but you should also regard them.

The Greek word for “esteem” literally means “to lead.”
Here it means to “lead before the mind” or “to consider” them.

Here is how the word is used elsewhere.
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;”

So Paul is talking about the place you assign to these men.
He is talking about how you view their importance.

Paul says “esteem them very highly”

He wasn’t asking for the Thessalonians to get together
And see what their leaders were worth.
Paul was telling them what they were worth.

He tells the Thessalonians to spot their leaders
And give them a high standing.

He even tells them in what manner.
“esteem them very highly in love”

Open your eyes and see that you have some there
Who work hard to lead you and instruct you,
You make sure that you love them a lot.
You make sure that you give them great amounts of love.

And he even says why:
“because of their work”

And Paul is wanting the Thessalonians to recognize
That the service they perform is absolutely vital to the congregation,
And the congregation ought to be extremely grateful.

1 Timothy 4:13-16 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Paul told Timothy that he actually assures salvation for his flock.
By working hard, and leading right, and teaching thoroughly,
Timothy would bring that entire congregation under conviction
And cause them all to examine their salvation,
And he would ensure the salvation of all of them.

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

There the preacher essentially says the same thing.
These men “keep watch over your souls”

Make this easy on them, because if you make it hard on them,
It won’t help you in the long run.

(It is much easier to preach in Spur, than it was in Crawford)

Sheep that make it hard on the shepherd
Aren’t doing themselves any favors.

And so Paul tells the Thessalonians
To not only recognize their leaders, but also to regard them highly.

These men are here to help you achieve God’s will in your life.
They are placed here by God to help you achieve sanctification.

And so the first step to becoming a sanctified church
Is to willingly come under the authority of those
Whom God has commissioned to lead it.

If the church continually rebels against her shepherd,
She will never be sanctified,
After all, they are the ones who work as God’s agents to bring it about.

So if you want to be a sanctified church, and to achieve God’s will,
THEN HONOR YOUR LEADERS.

It will make the journey much much smoother.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

The Return of Christ: Anticipation or Anxiety?
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Tonight we talk a little more about the return of Christ.
And every time His return is mentioned,
It almost automatically produces one of two responses in people.

1) Anticipation

When John saw the Revelation he said:
Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

When Paul gave an account of his own life he said:
2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

In fact Paul even outlined believers as though who should long for Christ’s return.
1 Corinthians 16:22 “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.”

And so some definitely hear of the return of Christ
And their hearts are filled with anticipation.

But others have a different response:
2) Anxiety

Some are terrified of His return.
And obviously some should be terrified.
When He returns He isn’t coming back to preach.
He will return to judge the living and the dead.

He will tread the wine press of the wrath of God
And the blood will run in the streets up to the horses bridles
For a distance of 200 miles.

But even more frightening than that is the permanent spiritual judgment which follows in which the dead are cast forever into hell.

And so those who are lost should be filled with anxiety.

The tragedy is when you see a true believer
Who quite frankly has both.

On one hand he longs for the return and the reign of Christ.
He longs for the glorified earth where righteousness dwells.

But on the other hand he is a little anxious when he ponders it
Because he wonders what the Lord will think of him when He comes.
And this is the type of anxiety that was occurring at Thessalonica.

On one hand they couldn’t wait for Christ to return.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

But on the other hand apparently they were a little concerned
About some of the aspects of it.

We dealt with one of their concerns last week.

And that was:
WHAT ABOUT THE DEAD?

Do those who die in the Lord miss out on the return of Christ altogether?
And of course the answer is no.

They will rise first and then meet the Lord in the air
And always be with the Lord.

But there was a second question.

WHAT ABOUT THE LIVING?

Yes, I know what you said about the living being caught up
To meet Him in the air, but that was not the only concern.

What if I don’t recognize His coming?
What if I am not pleasing to Him?

They were concerned about the logistics of His coming.
On one hand eagerly waiting for it,
But on the other hand not exactly sure
What they would experience when it happened.

In order to sooth their anxiety the Thessalonians had one question.
(It is the same that all men have had)

WHEN WILL HIS COMING OCCUR?

(1) “Now as to the times and epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.”

Obviously that is what they wanted to know.
They wanted to know when it would happen.

Isn’t that the question everyone wants to know?

Matthew 24:3 “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Acts 1:6-7 “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;”

They always wanted to know when.
WHY?
Matthew 24:43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.”

Because knowing eliminates anxiety.
If I know when it is, then I can be better prepared.

The Thessalonians were concerned.

And so Paul writes these next ten verses
To settle the anxiety of the Thessalonians.

Three points
#1 THE REVIEW
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

The answer Paul gives here is just the answer that we would expect.

He doesn’t tell us anymore than Jesus did.
He doesn’t tell us anymore than we already know.
“For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.”

You would think people would quit asking.

Matthew 24:36-39 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

And it is obvious Paul had already told them that.
Because they “know full well”

But because they ask again Paul gives a little review.

We don’t know the day or hour of His return,
But we do know three truths about His coming.
1) HOW

“the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”

We don’t know the day He is coming,
But we do know how He will come when He does.

His coming will be sudden.
His coming will be unexpected.

When He comes there will be no time to prepare.

Of all the accounts we read of the Second Coming,
We see nothing of an invitation first.

It is too late to prepare for a thief once he is standing in your living room,
And it is too late to prepare for Jesus once He splits the sky.

And while the Lord did not think it important for us to know the day,
He did find it important to tell us this aspect.

Obviously so we would not tarry in readying ourselves for it.

We know HOW He is coming.
2) WHEN

“While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” THEN destruction will come…”

Granted we don’t know the day or hour,
But we do know what the world will be like when He comes.

He will come during a time of deception.

People will be proclaiming “Peace and safety!”
When in reality people are about to experience anything but.

Jesus said:
Matthew 24:11 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.”

While false prophets are always here,
They will escalate their efforts just before His return.

Their aim is to move people to apathy.
Their goal is to remove the threat of judgment.
Their desire is to keep people from repentance.

They aim to let people be caught completely off guard
By the coming of the Lord and so they deceive.
“then destruction will come”

And obviously this was something else that God desired for us to know.
While He didn’t tell us everything, He did tell us this.

So we would not be lulled to sleep by the lies of the false prophets.

So God told us when.

3) WHY

“then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.”

When Christ comes it is to rain judgment upon a godless world.

Revelation 19:15 “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”

We also know why He is coming,
And it is to take back the earth from the usurper.

There is but one true king.
There is but one rightful heir to the throne of earth and heaven.

And when Jesus returns He will render judgment on all those
Who sought to remove Him as Lord of their lives.

He will vanquish the foe
He will kill the traitors
He will clear the earth of all His enemies
And He will reign in peace.

And God thought we should know this as well.

We don’t know the day, nor the hour,
But we do know HOW, we do know WHEN, and we do know WHY.

That is the Review
But it is likely that at this point the Thessalonians said, “That is why we are anxious. He is coming to judge, He is coming suddenly, and we are afraid we will miss it, or worse yet be destroyed in it.”

That is why they wanted to know more.

The Review
#2 THE REMINDER
1 Thessalonians 5:4-10
And here Paul gives three reasons why a true believer
Can set their mind at ease in regard to the coming of the Lord.

If you are a true child of God you don’t have to be afraid,
You don’t have to be anxious.

And here are the three reasons why a believer can drop their anxiety.
1) YOUR DISCERNMENT (4-5a)

“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day.”

In other words, you don’t have to worry about being caught off guard.
You won’t be.

• The Lord has given you discernment.
• The Lord has opened your eyes.
• The Lord allows you to see what the lost world can’t see.

Matthew 24:32-35 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

Jesus has told us many things so that we can recognize that He is near.

WHAT ARE “THESE THINGS”?

TURN TO: MATTHEW 24:3-31

Great Deception (3-5)
Great Destruction (6-8)
Great Defection (9-13)
Great Declaration (14)
Great Desolation (15-22)
Great Demonstration (23-28)
Great Deliverance (29-31)

We know what to look for, we know how to prepare ourselves.

Do you suppose a lost world looks at the natural disasters around us and sees that the return of Jesus is near?

No, they look at the natural disasters and assume that
The C02 levels have eaten a hole in our ozone layer
Causing global warming which is to blame for all the weird disasters.

Yet global warming cannot be blamed for the unrest in Egypt
Or starvation in Africa, or the AIDS epidemic.
We have a discernment.
We aren’t kept in the dark we “are all sons of light and sons of day.”

2) YOUR DIFFERENCE (5b-8)

Some were concerned that they would not recognize the Lord’s coming,
Others were afraid that He would be unhappy when He came back.

But Paul says, that isn’t true either.
“We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”

The point being is that while the lost world cannot please God,
Or live in a manner that is pleasing to Him, you and I can.

• Christ has moved us from death to life.
• Christ has given us of His Spirit.
• Christ has made pleasing God possible.

The world, apart from Christ,
Has no hope and will be destroyed at His coming,
But we, because of Christ, can please God and have nothing to fear.

Paul’s admonition here is to live like it.
“let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”

Don’t partake of all the deeds of darkness.
Don’t gratify the sinful nature.
Instead purify yourself.

Guard your heart with faith and love.
Guard your mind with hope.

Live righteous, because you can.

NOW WHY WOULD PAUL SAY THAT HERE?

Is it because if we don’t then Jesus will change His mind and destroy us at His coming?
No.

He wants you to live righteous so that you will assure yourself
And calm your own anxiety.

1 John 2:28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

1 John 4:17 “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”

Both of those passages tell you to live righteously.
WHY?
• So He will accept you at His coming? – No.
• So you won’t have to be afraid when He comes.

He wants you to live right so you can put aside your anxiety.
He wants you to live right so you can anticipate His return.

In fact, that is the point of His entire letter.

1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

He didn’t say, “So God will see that you are saved”
He said “so that you may know”

And that is Paul’s point here.

If you are concerned about the 2nd coming,
Then make sure you live righteous, as He has equipped you to do.

For as you live righteous, you will realize that you are His
And your anxiety will slip away.

The world will be destroyed and the world will be afraid, but we won’t.

Luke 21:25-28 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

If you are living right, you can have confidence,
Because you only did it because He was in you.

Your Discernment will help you be ready
Your Difference will help you be ready
3) YOUR DESTINY (9-10)

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”
And this is the most beautiful.

If you are a child of God,
You have nothing to fear from the return of the Lord.

If God wanted to destroy you, He would have never saved you.
If God wanted to destroy you, He only had to do nothing.

But He sent His Son, who died for us,
And He didn’t do that to change His mind in the end.

Christians have a destiny.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

God has already determined the destiny of your life
And it is not to end in destruction.

He destined you for salvation.
He destined you to be with Him.

And with that Paul is telling the believers at Thessalonica to calm down
And not get too worked up about the return of the Lord.

They won’t miss it, they have the discernment of God.
They won’t be destroyed with the world, they are different from the world.
They won’t obtain wrath, they are destined for salvation.

“so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”

And with that Paul has answered both questions.
What about the dead when Christ comes?
They will rise and be with the Lord.

What about the living when Christ comes?
They will be caught up to meet Him and be with the Lord.

It doesn’t matter if you “are awake or asleep”
If you belong to Christ you will always be with Him.

The Review The Reminder
#3 THE REQUEST
1 Thessalonians 5:11

And this has been the theme of the book,
And the verse we have closed each sermon with.

“encourage one another”

Carries the idea of pushing each other to a higher level of sanctification.
We tell each other to “excel still more” in our efforts to please God.
We tell each other to “excel still more” in our love for others.

But we also “build up one another”

And this implies supplying what may be lacking.
That can be comfort to those who mourn.
That can be instruction to those who are misinformed.
That can be an example to those who need guidance.
That can be praise to those who have obeyed.

Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

It is the essence of Christian love,
To help each other achieve the will of God in our lives
Which is sanctification.

“just as you also are doing.”

Paul wasn’t critiquing them as a church that lacked encouragement,
Paul just wanted them to keep it up.

And so do we.
We want to encourage better and we want to keep it up.

Because we want every believer in this church
To not only be ready for the coming of the Lord,
But to also know they are ready for the coming of the Lord.

So we encourage.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”