1 Thessalonian 5 verses 12 to 28 A Healthy Church Part 2

 

Introduction

 

It has been a little while since we were last in 1 Thessalonians, so let me begin by recapping from last time…

We began by considering how we would answer the question: ‘What is a church?’.

And in in 1 Thessalonian 5 verses 12 to 28 we hear Paul answer that question by casting his vison of a ‘Healthy Church’. In these verses we see how the Gospel impacts the lives of God’s People to produce a ‘Healthy Church’ to the Glory of God. Here we see how Gospel-shaped relations with church leaders, one another, and with the Lord are required for the Church to thrive.

And so, in our passage we see that a ‘Healthy Church’ is a church where the Gospel shapes relationships and leads to:

Loving Respect for Leaders (verses 12 to 13)

Loving Responsibly in the Community (verses 14 to 15)

Living in Response to God’s Grace (verses 16 to 24)

Then our passage concludes with:

Paul’s Closing Prayer (25 to 28)

Paul concludes as he began with the focus upon God and His grace to us in the Gospel. A ‘Healthy Church’, then, is one focussing upon God, His Grace in the Lord Jesus and the Fullness of Life He offers in the Gospel.

Last time we focussed on Loving Respect and Loving Responsibility. Today we will spend most of our time considering…

Living in Response to God’s Grace

In verses 16 to 22 Paul calls Believers to ponder God’s various graces in the Gospel and respond appropriately.

These verses are best understood as instructions for gathered public worship, not merely private Christian devotion. In other words, as Believers together in community, we are to live and worship with a proper understanding and appreciation of who God is and what He has done for His People. Specifically, in these verses, we see that we are live in response to:

God’s Will

God’s Word

God’s Work

What we believe will always shape how we live. For example, if we believe it will rain today, we will wear a coat or bring an umbrella. And, if we believe that God is good and that He always acts for the good of His People then that will shape how we live for Him.

So, let’s see what this means, firstly, in terms of… God’s Will

In verses 16 to 18 we see how what God has done should shape how we live in the present and look forward to the future; and so, we read:

 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

These verses are well-known but often misunderstood. Essentially what we see is that our living for, and worship of, God should be marked by three responses to the Gospel.

Firstly, there will be Consistent Joy. Now, we must be clear, joy is not an emotion based upon favourable circumstances. Instead, it is an attitude and action based upon the truth of who God is and what He has done in the Gospel; it is the deep appreciation that He is in control of our circumstances and is at work for our good.

So, the call to rejoice always is not an order to be happy all the time. Instead, it is an invitation to focus on the glory of the Gospel and the return of Jesus. Our joy as Believers is fixed on eternal realities and present grace.

When we gather Sunday by Sunday in public worship, we must understand that what we do is a precious gift from God- an opportunity to fix our eyes upon Him and His Glory, to have His eternal truth shape our changing circumstances, to allow His grace to strengthen our weary hearts, and to look forward to that Day when we will all be gathered to see and savour His Glory for all eternity.

God’s will is that our worship would be a joyful response to what He has done, and will do, for us in Christ.

Secondly, our worship will involve Continual Prayer. Now, when we are commanded to ‘…pray continually…’ we must understand that we are being encouraged to an attitude of prayerfulness- understanding that we belong to a God who loves His People and longs to fellowship with us.

 

Prayer should not be thought of simply in terms of speaking a pattern of words, in a particular way, at certain moments in the day and week. Instead, prayer is pouring out our hearts to God- it is about love and fellowship. Prayer is that childlike approach that comes to God in all the circumstances of life seeking help, giving thanks, rejoicing in beauty, saying sorry.

Prayer is our heartfelt cry to God shaped by His Word and empowered by His Spirit. It is done with humble confidence- we trust in God to answer our prayers according to His perfect purposes. It is a continual activity for there is much to pray for- our fellow members; the Church near and far; for our leadership; for the purity and faithfulness of the church; for holiness, unity and vision.

Finally, healthy worship shaped by the Gospel will involve unConditional Thanksgiving. We may not always feel like praising God as our circumstances may be difficult. Yet we are to do so all the same. Why? Because this is God’s will for us in Christ.

In Christ all our circumstances, indeed all of life, is put into its proper perspective: God is at work in us and for us. In the Gospel we remember that God will use all circumstances- including the horror of the Cross- to further His sovereign purposes and truly bless His People.

Now, this command does not require us to pretend that things are going well when they are not. Paul does not tell us to give thanks for all circumstances; rather, we must give thanks ‘…in all circumstances…’. We view the hardships of life considering God’s greater plan, which is working everything for our ultimate good and His ultimate glory.

 

 

The Gospel transforms our relationship with God and informs the worship of a healthy church. Our worship will be filled thanksgiving because we understand that every circumstance is under God’s control and He will use it for His glory and our good.

So, God’s will for His People is consistent joy, continual prayer, and ‘unconditional’ thanksgiving. In Christ we are to approach all of life in a spirit of thanksgiving, prayer, and rejoicing. And when it is difficult to rejoice always, pray unceasingly, and give thanks in all circumstances we remember that there is a way forward: we recall what Christ has done for us and all the promises of God that He will certainly fulfil.

Our relationship with God is about an attitude shaped by the Gospel. Our relationship with God is also about our actions; and our actions are to be shaped by God’s Word and God’s Spirit.

And so, we must consider how we live in response to… God’s Word

In verses 19 to 22 we read:

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

We remember from our earlier studies that the Thessalonians had come to a living faith in Christ through the Word applied by the Spirit. So, the way to quench the Spirit was therefore to neglect the Word of God preached.

It would also mean carefully receiving any prophetic words which were delivered to the Church. Within Acts there are several references to those who brought God’s Word to the people as prophets.

Therefore, Paul does not reject prophets or prophecies in the early Church. Instead, he encourages careful reception of the message and rejection of false prophets.

But how do we apply this text today? After all, the gift of prophecy ended with the death of the last Apostle.

Well, we must understand that Scripture records all the prophecies that the Church needs until Christ returns. So, in the spirit of this teaching, today we heed God’s Word and listen to only those teachers and preachers who faithfully preach it. The proper response of God’s People to God’s Word is to receive it with discernment and obey it’s truth. We are not to despise this Word or its teaching, but we must follow every instruction that is faithful to Scripture.

And so, we turn to consider how we live in response to… God’s Work

Many New Testament letters conclude with the author expressing his wish for the recipients and asking God’s blessing upon them. First Thessalonians follows this pattern; in verses 23 and 24 we read:

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Paul’s prayer is that God would sanctify the Believers. Sanctification means that God works in and through us to conform us to Christ and grant us fullness in Him.

Now, we are called to act in the process of sanctification- to obey God and make use of the means of grace (the Word, sacraments, prayer) as we work out our salvation. But we do not make ourselves holy. Instead, our Father sanctifies us. He transforms us by His Spirit as we seek to follow His Son.

 

 

Notice the comprehensive nature of sanctification: ‘…through and through… whole spirit, soul and body…’. Paul refers to body, soul, and spirit to stress the sanctification of every aspect of human beings. God will make everything about us holy.

Here is a wonderful encouragement. God’s desire for His People is that we will enjoy fullness in Christ in every aspect of our being. God is not content to have just a little of us, He loves us enough to want all of us. God wants us to enjoy His fullness in our affections, in our very being, in our coming and going, in our living and dying. Like any loving Father, God wants His Children to be complete, perfect, and enjoy life in it’s fullest measure.

This, in turn, must provoke in us a desire to progress in the Christian life and pursue growing likeness to Jesus. We must humbly recognise that God has further work to do in and amongst us.

Paul has no doubt that God will answer his prayer and sanctify the Thessalonians because he knows that the Lord is faithful to His promises. This is another wonderful encouragement. God does not merely call Christians and then leave them on their own. He is wholly committed to our holiness, and He will complete the good work He has begun in us.

Ultimately, the work of God is dependent on His faithfulness alone. He is the One who has called Believers to new life through the Gospel. And He is the One who will ensure that every Believer comes through the storms of life to be presented before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sanctification is a slow process. At times we may wonder what God is doing. But God is perfectly faithful to His promises, and He will not fail to transform us into the image of Christ. Amid anxiety and doubts we are to lay our heads down on the pillow of God’s faithfulness.

Hearing God’s Word, doing God’s Will, trusting God’s Work will be done. This is how we live in response to God’s grace to us in the Gospel. Finally, we can learn from…

Paul’s Closing Prayer

Paul’s closing words to the Thessalonians seem entirely appropriate given the context. Remember this was an embattled church, still young in the faith, facing many problems inside and outside the fellowship.

And this was church whose relationship with Paul had been tested by those who had sown seeds of doubt about the authenticity of Paul’s apostleship and his affection for the Thessalonians. So Paul writes to underline his ongoing affection for these Believers and to ensure that they continue in the faith.

In verse 25 he signs off in a way that underlines his partnership with them: he asks them to pray for him and his companions. Paul relied on the intercession of his fellow Christians to sustain him in ministry. Let us be encouraged and challenged by this truth.

In verse 26 he calls these Believers to love each other and to show that love. One way we can love each other is with affectionate greetings- maybe not a kiss (!), but a handshake, hug, or another appropriate welcome.

In verse 27 Paul calls for the Thessalonians to read this letter aloud in the church. Paul wanted all the Believers to hear his instruction because of its authority for every Believer. He intended his words to be preserved by the church, and we must continue to do this until Christ returns.

 

Finally, Paul prays as he began by commending them all to God’s grace. This is a fitting prayer. The Thessalonians’ firm belief in the Gospel and their turning from idols proved that divine grace had given them spiritual life. This same grace fuelled Paul’s ministry among the Thessalonians.

And God’s grace preserved the Thessalonians in faith during Paul’s absence from them, and it guided them to live faithfully for Christ. In His grace, Christ will bring His People into the fullness of His blessings when He returns. We can count on God’s grace to do these things for us as well.

Today, we are still continually dependent on God’s grace to sustain and change us. None of us has reached perfection, and we will make progress only as we seek to grow in the grace of the Lord. We will grow in grace as we follow Paul’s instruction to pray for one another, love one another, and attend regularly to God’s Word together. We do this most effectively in the fellowship of our local congregation.

 

Conclusion

 

In a sense, these closing verses reveal the desires of a pastor for his flock. Paul’s longing is for a church which respects its leaders who are working hard. It is for a church where its members encourage each other and display grace in trying circumstances. It is for a church committed to hearing God’s Word and doing God’s will, trusting in God’s work. It is for a church that is responding to God’s grace by enjoying Him and glorifying Him with expectancy.

 

 

And this got me thinking: What is my desire for your as your minister?

 

So, in closing, let me lay before you a few of my desires for us as a congregation (next Sunday and in the coming weeks and months we will reflect on these more deeply):

• We would see and savour the glory and goodness of God both now and forever. So my calling is to prepare you for eternity and equip you to enjoy and glorify God in all of life.

 

• We would be a true ‘gospel community’ who grow together into the people God wants us to be. So my calling is to set an example in holiness and steer us away from superficiality and shallowness.

 

• That we would find fullness of life in Christ. So my calling is to help us all see that Christ is precious and preeminent- the He is everything and far better than anything else in all the world.

 

• That we would lead fruitful lives for Christ. So my calling is to help us display the beauty of Christ and fullness of life He offers as we meet with Him week by week in His Word, in fellowship and in prayer.

 

May God help us to be a healthy church who enjoy fullness and fruitfulness in Christ.