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Message
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Life In The Kingdom Family
Through this sermon series we have come to understand quite a lot about the church of the:-
• They are models to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thess 1:7-8)
• They stand firm in the Lord (1 Thess 3:8)
• They live to please God (1 Thess 4:1)
• They know how to love (1 Thess 4:9-10)
• They are well taught (1 Thess 5:1)
This is a church which is a witnesses and light – ready to serve and stand out in the world.
With that summary in mind let’s turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 and see how Paul closes this letter. (Read)
That is a lot of instructions, and directions, and guidance on how to live; isn’t it.
In Greek there is a verbal form called an imperative … this verbal form is used when the author wants to issue a command, or give instructions to be followed, or express an expected outcome. Let’s have the whole text up on the screen and then highlight all the words which are in the imperative.
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat with contempt prophesies 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
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 and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
(for those using powerpoint - the highlighted words are:- Live in peace , warn, encourage, help, be patient, make sure, strive, rejoice, pray, give thanks, not quench, not treat with contempt, test, reject, pray, greet)
That is 16 imperatives.
And all of these imperatives bar one … that one being “greet one another with a holy kiss” … all of them are in a form can be translated as “do this action, and keep on doing this action”
We urge you to warn, and keep on warning, the idle.
Give thanks, and keep on giving thanks, to God.
Do not quench, and keep on being those who do not quench, the Spirit.
15 imperatives where there is an encouragement to continue the action and life-style.
So why didn’t Paul also say, “Greet, and keep on greeting, one another with a holy kiss?”
Well … that is just creepy. You come into church and everyone is just kissing each other over and over.
Say hello. Shake hands. Chug on the shoulder. A quick holy kiss.
Greet one another … then stop!
16 imperatives.
Spoken to a church which, Paul says, is doing really well.
Why write this way to a church that generally living faithfully?
When Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica it is no more than six months after the Gospel first came to Thessalonica. 1 Thessalonians reflects what the church was like then – especially their spiritual reputation.
But Paul also knows that churches don’t stay the same.
And what happens today cannot be assumed to be happening tomorrow.
When Paul writes to the Ephesians one of the things he says is:-
Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you
Ephesians 1:15-16
When John writes his Revelation vision, the book which is the last Scripture to be written, we read
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
Revelation 2:1, 4-5
Churches change. People change.
So Paul writes to the church a series of imperatives.
Not because all the imperatives he lists are addressing current problems, or issues, or attitudes. Paul writes from the perspective of understanding how kingdom life works.
Sometimes, when we get to a point of spiritual maturity we can become … comfortable.
The battlefront which we conquer today may be one that defeats us tomorrow.
Old habits don’t always die, they just go on holidays and then come back.
We can’t just rest where we are. But sometimes we do.
We need to move forward and keep focussing. But sometimes we don’t.
So Paul closes his letter with 16 imperatives.
They may speak to us and our situation or they may not.
They don’t apply now, but may apply in the future.
Some will remind commands we have needed in our lives, but we are conquering today.
That is the bigger picture.
Now the application.
In the next 13 minutes or so we are going to think about these imperatives.
If you are convicted that an imperative is speaking to you today – take note. Then in this coming week do one or all of the following:-
1) Tell Jesus in your Spirit that this is an area of your Christian life that you want to work on.
2) Study the Scripture on your own, or with someone else, to determine what you need to do to change in that area.
3) Come before Jesus is a prayer of repentance and seek His Spirit for transformation.
4) Make a commitment to transformation.
If you discover that Jesus is convicting you in 6 or 7 of these areas … then it might be good to give me a ring and we can go and have a coffee together.
So the prayer is:-
Jesus convict us with your word, even as we only look so briefly at each of these imperatives.
Amen
Live In Peace As A Congregation (vss 12-13)
Many congregations have many hard workers. Without minimising that work Paul is specifically focussing here on those who work in ministry or are church leaders.
The ones who care in the Lord and have the task to admonish.
Be at peace, and continue to be at peace, with them.
It is the New Testament word for the Hebrew … shalom.
When all is not happening as we had hoped or expected – still be at peace.
When there are differences of views that might be bringing conflict – still be at peace.
When we wanted to take a different approach, or have a different agenda – be at peace.
Being at peace doesn’t mean we have to agree, or that we can’t explore alternatives, nor does it shut down robust conversations. But in all of these situations keep on making sure that we don’t let the relationships towards those who are called to care and admonish become relationships where there is no shalom.
Warn Those Who Are Idle (vs. 14)
Think in terms of parental discipline. The warning that comes when you are seeking to teach children the consequences of the choices they make, followed by remedial action if the choice is unacceptable.
Don’t throw you food on the floor or you will have a time-out.
You need to stop yelling or we will go home.
That is the type of warning here … a warning directed to those who are idle and disruptive.
The Greek word is only used here in the Bible.
Idle can mean lazy … but that isn’t the sense here.
It is more along the lines of “having an irresponsible attitude to the obligation to work.”
Being insubordinate. Not following the rules. Not turning up on time.
Keep warning people like that … and don’t be that person.
Encourage The Disheartened (vs. 14)
The specific encouragement here is the type given by to people at the death of a loved one.
Comforting. Consoling. Sometimes you don’t even say anything. Being a source of strength and support.
This encouragement is directed towards the “disheartened” – again a Greek word used only here. The “disheartened” are those who have too few resources to meet the situation they are facing.
They are struggling spiritually.
Or they feel a sense of loneliness and isolation.
Or they have a financial shortfall.
Keep an eye out for such people and then keep walking alongside them.
Help The Weak (vs. 14)
The help envisaged here is more than just giving a hand every now and then.
Helping a stranger who has fallen.
Pushing a broken down car to the side of the road.
The help we give can’t be unemotional and detached … we help because we are devoted to the cause. This help keeps on being given to those who are weak.
When we were weak Christ died for the ungodly … says Paul in Romans 5:6.
We are weak when we fall into temptation and the same sin keeps manifesting itself in our lives.
We are weak when we wake up and say, “Why is my Christian maturity the same today as it was a year ago”.
Keep on being devoted to those who are going through spiritual and moral struggles.
Be Patient With Everyone (vs. 14)
This is the patience word that describes the character of God who is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. God’s relationship with us is one of patience, because his priority is to secure us for eternity.
As we help the weak, encourage the disheartened and warn the idle not everyone will want or accept this discipline and support. Not everyone will be grateful for what we do or appreciate our sacrifice.
At these times, for the sake of our eternal connection to fellow believers, we continue to be patient because relationship is the most important outcome.
The next two imperatives can go together
Don’t Pay Back Wrong For Wrong … But Strive To Do Good (vs. 15)
Jesus taught the command this way:-
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. (Luke 6:31-33)
Paying back wrong for wrong is worldly and petty. Doing good … a goodness driven by the good that God has shown us in Christ … a good known as the Gospel of grace … doing good is the way those who are directed by Christ live.
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:20-21).
Keep doing this.
The next three are pretty clear
Rejoice Always (vs. 16)
When you are persecuted … rejoice.
When the spiritually lost are found … rejoice.
When obedience to Christ is evident … rejoice.
When life is overwhelming and we feel imprisoned … rejoice.
Think of a situation – any situation – and in that situation continue to rejoice because the joy of the Lord is our strength.
Pray Incessantly (vs. 17)
Pray and keep on praying. Pray about anything and everything. Pray on all occasions.
Keep in communication with God. Not much more really needs to be said.
Give Thanks In All Circumstances (vs. 18)
Paul says in Philippians
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13
Keep on being a person who is like this.
The next set of imperatives in vss. 19 – 22 are all connected … and they need much more time then we can give them today. But so we have the beginning of an understanding the flow of the verses is something like this.
Do not quench the Spirit …
… which will happen if you keep treating prophecies with contempt.
… but will not happen if you keep testing prophesies.
… as you keep testing keep holding onto and living out what is good and brings spiritual growth.
… as you keep testing keep rejecting every kind of evil and that which hinders your spiritual life.
We don’t want to put out the fire that the word of the Spirit is bringing into our lives.
Our relationship with God is not static, it is dynamic so there are times when we need to let go of our tendency to want to control and have everything neat and orderly.
The Word of God, the Scriptures, is central to that relationship, but so is the reality that God is speaking to us every day through his Word. Indeed God will use the people around us to bring a word which is good for us. There is no doubt that God continues to give some people remarkable insight into the meaning of Scripture, or its application into our lives, or a specific transformation that needs to take place.
Much more needs to be said here … but the summary call is this … keep being open to the Spirit of God working today to direct, guide, challenge, convict, lead, correct, encourage and transform you. Don’t keep trying to put out the fire the Spirit is trying to light in you.
Greet One Another With A Holy Kiss
We covered that at the beginning.
These are the imperatives.
May Jesus give us the spiritual ears to hear the imperatives that He is speaking into our lives today.
Prayer
