1 Thessalonians 5:14-18
The Will of God
October 2, 2022
As Paul writes to the Thessalonians, he tells them in no uncertain terms exactly how the Lord intends for every child of God to live his life, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
I. The Patient - Be Patient Toward All Men - Patient is "Long-hearted." We are being reminded that not every Christian matures at the same rate. We are to exercise extreme patience with those in the church so that we do not allow the little problems that are bound to arise throw us off course, or bring discord into the fellowship. We must never be guilty of giving up on each other! Allow James 1:19 to be a reality in our lives, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:"
1. Warn The Unruly - This refers to those who are "out of their rank." These people are those who refuse to march in line with the Lord’s order of leadership in the home and in the church. There is order. The Bible is our book of order! Our duty as Christians is to help those who have trouble marching according to the Lord's drumbeat. When we see a brother walking out of formation, we are to love him and do our best to warn him and to help him get back in line, Romans 15:1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2. Comfort The Fainthearted (Feebleminded) - It refers to those who are weak in the faith. Those who seem to be blown off course by everything that comes along. These are the quitters in the family of God. They are always looking on the downside of life and as a result, they are easily influenced to give in and to give up. Our duty is to encourage these folk to be strong in the Lord.
3. Support The Weak - It is speaking about those who allow the least little thing to cause them to quit. When we deal with this type of person, we are to be quick to encourage them and to point them back to the right pathway. Our job is to help strengthen their faith! The word "Support" literally means to hold onto and not to let them fall!
This kind of personal ministry is difficult at best. Thankfully, Paul gives us a little insight into how it is possible to carry it out. How is this even remotely possible? The answer lies in verse 15. If we will do what this verse says, then we will have no problem living our verse 14!
II. The Pursuit - V. 15 There Should Be Forgiveness Toward All Men - Regardless of what someone may do to you, say about to or act toward you, you must pursue forgiveness. We are never to render evil for evil. Total, unconditional forgiveness is God's will for every believer - Luke 17:3 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him." Instead of going and dealing with the problem, we allow it to fester and to grow into a terrible sore spot in our lives. God's will if forgiveness, regardless of the wrong!)
III. The Prayer - V. 16 There Should Be Praise - "Rejoice evermore" literally means to have a praise in our hearts to God at all times. It is God's will for His people to praise Him - Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. There are those who say, "It does not take all that." They don’t know what you have been through! Don’t let anyone hinder your praise! V. 17 There Should Be Prayer – “without ceasing” God is saying that we are to be always in an attitude of prayer, so that when needs arise throughout the day, we are constantly ready to call on His name whether it be out loud or silently. Prayer is vitally important to the spiritual life of every Christian. Therefore, we should always be in that place of prayer, for when we are, the Lord will hear us and will answer according to His will - 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Paul ends this thought with the answer to life’s great question. What does God want me to do? V. 18 In Everything Give Thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - God has done so much for us that we could never repay Him. The least we can do is to be thankful for what He has done for us. It is His will for every Christian! Thankfulness is the opposite of complaining. God chosen people, the Israelites, had more to be thankful for than any people of their time, yet they were guilty of doing the most complaining. For 40 years they wandered around the desert and griped and complained about what they were having to go through, when all the while, they were there because of their own doings - Numbers 13! But God feed them daily bread from heaven until they matured enough where they could grow their own corn. No one is happy about every situation, but every believer should be thankful that there is a God in Heaven who loves you and cares for you enough to send His own Son to die for your sins!
