The Will Of God For You

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

"The Will of God for You"

October 2022&25

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.” He teaches us Be Patient, Be a Pursuer & Be Prayerful.

I. Be Patient – V. 14 “Be Patient with All” - 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 must be order in the church. 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 infirmities 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. The answer lies in verse 15 pursuing that which is good. If we do what this verse teaches, then we will have no problem being patient with all! Warn the Unruly. Comfort the fainthearted. And Support the weak.

II. Be a Pursuer - V. 15 Don’t render “evil for evil” to anyone, “but always Pursue what is good both for yourself and for all” - 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! 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. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 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 is forgiveness for all, regardless of the wrong! Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “if you do not let men have forgiveness for their sins, you will not have forgiveness from your Father for your sins.” You must pursue what is good. Never “evil for evil” but go after what is good because this is the Will of God concerning you.

III. Be Prayerful - V. 16 “pray without ceasing” - There Should Be Praise - "Rejoice Always" 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! Grandma used to sing “Praise Him in the morning, Praise Him in the noonday; I’m gonna Praise Him when the sun goes down!” 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! 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 hears us: And if we know that He hears us, whatever 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 is the will of God?” V. 18 In Everything Give Thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. There Should Be Thanksgiving - 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’s 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 – AND YET God fed them daily bread from heaven until He brought them to the Promised Land. ILLS: Today, upon a bus, I saw a lovely lady with straight black hair; I envied her, she seemed so glad and didn't seem to have a care! When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle: she had one leg and used a crutch, but as she passed by she had a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine; I have two feet, the world is mine. And when I stopped to buy some fruit, the lady who sold them had such charm. I talked with her, she said to me, "it's nice to talk to men like you. You see, she said, “I’m blind!" Oh God, forgive me when I whine; I have two eyes the world is mine. Then, as I passed along the way, I saw a child who seemed so blue. He stood and watched the others play: it seemed he knew not what to do. I stopped for a moment and then I said, "Why don't you join the others, dear?" He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine; I have two ears the world is mine. With feet to take me where I go, with eyes to see the sunset glow, with ears to hear what I would know, I'm blessed indeed... the world is mine. Oh God, forgive me when I whine. -Author Unknown No one is happy about every situation, but every believer should be thankful that there is a God in Heaven who loves us enough to send His own Son to die for our sins and be our daily bread! Jesus taught, “I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven!” Praise God for the Bread of Life! Someone once sang, “When I think of the goodness of Jesus, and what he has done for me, my soul cries out, ‘Hallelujah!’ Praise God for saving me.”