Blessings and Kisses
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 23 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. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 25 Brothers, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Intro: Paul brings this letter to a close in these final verses, leaving his readers with a blessing about the work of God in their lives and some words of encouragement. He has used his letter to encourage them in their suffering, to remind them that it is God’s will for them to live a life that is different from the world around them, to instruct them about the Lord’s return, and to urge them to love and respect their church leadership.
-One of the most encouraging things I find in these final verses is the idea that God can be trusted! He is faithful and will accomplish His will and His plan in each of our lives, as we continue to follow Him. We may not know what we’re doing sometimes, but God has a blueprint for our lives and is actively involved with us through His Holy Spirit. He leads us and guides us and is helping us become more like His Son Jesus everyday! So let’s take these words of encouragement to heart and I hope that you will recognize God’s active work in your life today!
1. God is the God of Peace
1 Thessalonians 5:23a “May God himself, the God of peace…”
-Why does Paul use this title, God of Peace? While He uses it in several other farewell addresses, perhaps it relates to some of the issues going on in the Thessalonian church. In the above verses Paul addresses (by implication) potential issues like disrespect for leaders, lack of love, not getting along, apathy, impatience, unkindness, revenge, lack of joy, lack of prayer, ungratefulness, and not respecting how God might speak through other people. These may not have been huge problems in the church, but they were important enough for Paul to bring up.
-So Paul describes God as the God of peace, as opposed to being associated with these other things. Paul brings up who God is because that informs us who we are! God is the God of peace; therefore, we need to be people of peace, not of disunity or dysfunction or self-centered living. As followers of Jesus, His character will rub off on us as we stay connected and do life with Him.
-Also, as the God of peace, He is the one who provided peace between us and Himself, for all who call on Him in faith. As Romans 5:1 says, “We have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” And when God beings His peace to our hearts and lives when we call on Him and receive His free gift of eternal life, something happens in us. God sanctifies us. And that leads us to the next point.
2. God Sanctifies Us
1 Thessalonians 5:23b-24 23 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. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
-To sanctify means to set apart. We who have called on the Lord are set apart from sin and wrong, and set apart to God. Just as when we enter a marriage relationship, we vow to forsake all others (in the sense of romantic or affectionate involvement), and we keep ourselves only unto our spouse for as long as we both shall live. Sanctification has at least two tracks: It is something God does for us, and it is something we do with His help (God’s part and our part). Paul’s blessing here is that God would sanctify the believers in Thessalonica. However, the Bible also calls God’s people to sanctify themselves, setting themselves apart from the things of the world and an ordinary, earth-centered existence. We are called to set ourselves apart from sin and self-centeredness. We are reserved for God.
-Yet sometimes the idea of being set apart or reserved makes it sound like we are set on a shelf, waiting until we become useful; that somehow we are being reserved for some future event or occasion. But God calls us to Himself now! We are not in waiting! We wait on the Lord, but we still serve Him actively in any way we can.
-The Bible shows 3 distinct works of sanctification: There is initial instantaneous sanctification, progressive sanctification, and entire or complete sanctification. Another preacher I admire presented them like this: Positional. This happens at conversion (Hebrews 10:10). Practical. This takes place on a daily basis as we surrender to Christ (2 Corinthians 7:1). Perfect. Everything will be completed when we meet Jesus face-to-face (1 John 3:2). I’d like to take a quick look at each of these and look at what the Bible says about each.
A. Initial/instantaneous Sanctification: [Elaborate on each]
Hebrews 10:10, 14 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
B. Progressive Sanctification:
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
C. Entire Sanctification:
-God does this! Culminates at His coming!
Philippians 3:12-14 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
-Let me wrap 1 Thessalonians up with a couple of final thoughts from the final verses:
3. Prayers matter!
-It really does make a difference! Pray for your church leaders and all of your church family. Pray for missionaries (Paul was one). Paul spoke/wrote the blessing of v.23 as a kind of prayer for the Thessalonian believers. So in one sense, he is saying, “I’m in prayer for you, now please, be in prayer for us!”
-Prayers matter! Prayers bring results. Prayers connect us with the will and work of God. Prayers move mountains, they change situations, and they change us!
4. Christian relationships matter!
-In the time of the NT, kisses were used to indicate love, respect, reconciliation, and even the making of a contract. Since he says to kiss all the brothers (and sisters- although kissing someone of the opposite gender was prob. not encouraged), Paul was showing that this action was a family thing. The community of believers was part of the one family of God.
-Don’t worry guys, I don’t plan to kiss any of you any time soon. The ancient near eastern culture is a bit of a stretch for most of us 21st century men. I might give you a bear hug, but I’ll leave the kissing to the grandmas among us.
-The important point here is that we are to love and respect one another. We are to accept one another as the Lord has accepted us. When we offend or are offended, we need to do all we can to make it right. God has brought us together as a spiritual family, so let’s act like it and learn to value and respect one another. Encourage each other! And realize that your interaction with other believers is holy interaction. Start with a holy hug or handshake. Continue with holy conversation. Talk about your holy God with one another. And help each other live holy lives before God! Let’s be the family God wants us to be, sharing His life, sharing His word, and sharing His grace with one another and with all who are willing to listen.
Conclusion: Do you know God’s peace (with Him, and one another)? He is the God of peace! Have you presented yourself to God? Have you given yourself to Him? Are you cooperating with Him in the process of holiness? Is your right standing with Him by faith being translated into right living for Him by His grace? It happens through prayer and time in His word, not from a distance, but close up! Are you loving His family?
