"BE REAL!"
And now we arrive at the final command of Paul to the Church in expectation of the rapture, it is the command to be Real! Because our nature tends to slide toward unfaithfulness, as time passes.
Is it ok to be faithful once, some times, most of the time; or does God really ask that we are faithful to Him all of the time?
ILLUS: If your car starts once every three tries do you feel satisfied that it is faithful as a reliable car? Is it considered faithful service if your paper is delivered every Monday and Thursday although you signed up for every day delivery? Does your boss consider you a reliable employee if you only miss work a few times a month unannounced? If your refrigerator stops working for a day or two every now and then do you find yourself saying, "Well, it works most of the time, I’m happy with it?" If your water heater provides an icy-cold shower every now and then, is it dependable? If you miss a couple of loan payments every year does the bank say, "Ten out of twelve isn’t bad! If your wife or Husband is faithful most of the time is it ok?" – Source Unknown
How then does God view your service and loyalties to The Lord ... are you really faithful? How do you view it!?
This text teaches us that we must value faithfulness while we are in expectation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithfulness is something that must be guarded and worked on to keep us strong in expectation of the rapture.
I. Real TO FERVOR
Where does the decline of faithfulness begin? “1 Thess. 5: 19 Quench not the Spirit.
When the fire is dying down!
Hence Paul’s warning to them about NOT putting out the Spirit’s fire!
Paul was not warning them of something that might happen, but something that was happening.
Some of the believers in this church had quit their jobs and mooching off their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Laziness of some members who were waiting for Christ’s return was at work then.
... Paul wrote to them.
2 Thess. 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work neither should he eat
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread.
GOD DOES NOT LIKE LAZINESS.
Prov. 6:10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth and thy want as an armed man.
Some were complaining about the gifts of the Spirit and only wanted a ritualistic type of worship ... "Don’t be too Pentecostal in worship!"
SOME PEOPLE WANT TO ATTEND A PENTECOSTAL CHURCH AS LONG AS IT DOES NOT GET TOO RADICAL
This church had the opposite problem from the church in Corinth ...
In Corinth the ones who thought they were the more spiritual saints were those who had experienced many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In Thessalonica those who did NOT express these gifts thought of themselves as more spiritual!
Paul warns the church of the danger of "COOLING" off the fires of the Spirit and their need to get hot again!
Re 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
ILLUS: One little boy attended a cold church one day and after returning home he prayed, "Dear God, we had a good time at church today, but I wish you had been there!" The lack of enthusiasm was understood in the child’s mind as an absence of God’s Spirit or fire! – Source Unknown
1 Thess. 5: 20 Despise not prophesyings
GET RID OF THE CRITICAL SPIRIT
A critical spirit is like a disease when it hits a Church.
It will get the focus and purpose of the church turned to the things that are not perfect and destroy the church from the inside
More churches are destroyed from the inside than was ever destroyed from the outside.
Prophesyings are not FUTURE TELLING but FORTH TELLINGS
God can use tongues and interpretations and also the preaching of the Word (unplanned) for instructions.
Paul was telling them “Keep the enthusiasm ... and get rid of the critical spirit!”
II. Real TO PROVE
5:21a Prove all things;
We are called upon to be faithful not only for enthusiasm, but also to test everything
The idea of "test" here is to "check" or “evaluate” something ... not so much in terms to criticize, but to clarify.
"Testing" is something all Christians should do, the Pastor’s messages should be checked out by you, all things are to be evaluated in the light of God’s written Word!
This includes prophetic utterances ... all the gifts of the Spirit will always be in sync with the written Word, they cannot ever contradict God’s written Word!
They were to be faithful to test the prophetic messages and to test everything to be sure it lined up with God’s revealed Word.
To fail to test would leave them open to being deceived.
Don’t just swallow everything, check things out; it will help you with your walk with God!
All things are to be tested in the light of God’s written Word!
Nothing is taken at face value alone ... or is decided upon by personal experience!
It is not a matter of picking which spiritual truths I like and then ignoring the rest ... all things need to line up with God’s Word, even those we find hard to accept or practice
It means embracing what the Word teaches even if my experience doesn’t fully line up at present … if the gifts of the Spirit are taught in the Bible they are embraced even if I haven’t experienced them personally yet. The Word is the final authority, not what I feel comfortable with.
III. Real IN ACTIONS
5: 21 hold fast that which is good.
Now that Paul has encouraged them to keep the fire burning and to test everything he moves to the actual commands to be faithful in 2 ways:
“Hold on to the good.”
“Avoid every thing that even looks evil.”
"HOLD ON TO THE GOOD."
It is not always easy to "hold on to the good" especially when everything seems to be going against us!
This is where faithfulness comes in!
How do I hold on to the good when there is no way out or when no answer or miracle seems forthcoming!?
"HOLD ON TO THE GOOD" --- FAITHFULLY!
If we are to show the nature of Christianity as being different from the world It will require faithful effort!
5: 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil
WE MUST LEARN NOT ONLY WHAT TO DO ... BUT WHAT TO STOP DOING!
Faithfulness in being an example includes avoiding those things which look like evil!
The world is watching you. You might be the only Christian that some may know.
We must set the example, not try to see what we can get away with.
There is a danger if we cause someone to fall.
1 Cor. 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend
WE might hold to many good things ... but if we also embrace some evil things our witness will be compromised to the world!
Thus we need to "hold on the good" ... and also "AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL."
Faithfulness to God includes both!
Let’s remember to "BE Real" as we watch for Christ’s return!
CONCLUSION: God’s final call to the church watching for His Son’s return is to be true!
We are to be true to keep the Spirit’s fire burning in the church and in our hearts.
We are to be true also to learn what’s good ... and then live it as a faithful example, shunning those things that appear evil!
BE Real SAINTS!
