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1 Tessalonicenses 5

F.B. Meyer · Citado em PreceptAustin

1 Tessalonicenses 5:16

Meyer has a devotional entitled CULTIVATING CHEERFULNESS on verses 16-17... A HAPPY AND cheerful heart is a matter of cultivation. We cannot afford to abandon ourselves entirely to our moods. There are times when we feel depressed and sad, for no special reason, except that a mood is on us! It is at such times that we need to anoint our heads, and wash our faces, that we may not be consumed by our fretfulness, or impose our depression upon others, for nothing is worse than to be a wet blanket! (Mt 6:16, 17, 18-see notes Mt 6:16; 17; 18) On the other hand, there is nothing more objectionable than to be always in the presence of a comic person who thinks that every occasion must serve for frolic. After a time one gets as tired of funny stories and perpetual punning as of gloom, but while avoiding this extreme, we must not fall into the other of wearing a lugubrious expression and giving way to a moodiness of spirit, which cannot be accounted for. We may alter our dispositions and moods by a resolute action of the will. We can refuse to look miserable, to speak mournfully, to be pessimistic, to pass on depression. In a spirit of unselfishness we can put on a cheerful courage, array ourselves in the garments of joy, anoint ourselves with the spirit of praise and thankfulness, and go forth into the world to shed sunbeams rather than shadows on the path of life. Do not nurse your sorrow of heart, lest your spirit and the spirits of others be broken. We can promote a cheerful heart by dwelling on the bright things of our lot; by counting up the mercies which are left, rather than dwelling on what we have lost. When the heart is full of the light and love of God, can it be other than cheerful? How can this be obtained except by a living union with Jesus Christ. In Him there is an infinitude of supply of peace and joy, sunshine and light. Let us open our hearts to him, and put on these things as we array ourselves each morning in our garments (Isa. 61:3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 9, 10). (Our Daily Walk) Through all the changing scenes of life, In trouble and in joy, The praises of my God shall still My heart and tongue employ. AMEN. Torrey's Topic Joy God gives -Ecclesiastes 2:26; Psalms 4:7 Christ appointed to give -Isaiah 61:3 Is a fruit of the Spirit -Galatians 5:22 The gospel, good tidings of -Luke 2:10,11 God’s word affords -Nehemiah 8:12; Jeremiah 15:16 The gospel to be received with -1 Thessalonians 1:6 Promised to saints -Psalms 132:16; Isaiah 35:10; 55:12; 56:7 Prepared for saints -Psalms 97:11 Enjoined to saints -Psalms 32:11; Philippians 3:1 Fulness of, in God’s presence -Psalms 16:11 Vanity of seeking, from earthly things -Ecclesiastes 2:10,11; 11:8 EXPERIENCED BY Believers -Luke 24:52; Acts 16:34 Peace-makers -Proverbs 12:20 The just -Proverbs 21:15 The wise, and discreet -Proverbs 15:23 Parents of good children -Proverbs 23:24 Increased to the meek -Isaiah 29:19 OF SAINTS IS In God -Psalms 89:16; 149:2; Habakkuk 3:18; Romans 5:11 In Christ -Luke 1:47; Philippians 3:3 In the Holy Spirit -Romans 14:17 For election -Luke 10:20 For salvation -Psalms 21:1; Isaiah 61:10 For deliverance from bondage -Psalms 105:43; Jeremiah 31:10-13 For manifestation of goodness -2 Chronicles 7:10 For temporal blessings -Joel 2:23,24 For supplies of grace -Isaiah 12:3 For divine protection -Psalms 5:11; 16:8,9 For divine support -Psalms 28:7; 63:7 For the victory of Christ -John 16:33 For the hope of glory -Romans 5:2 For the success of the gospel -Acts 15:3 OF SAINTS SHOULD BE Great -Zechariah 9:9; Acts 8:8 Abundant -2 Corinthians 8:2 Exceeding -Psalms 21:6; 68:3 Animated -Psalms 32:11; Luke 6:23 Unspeakable -1 Peter 1:8 Full of glory -1 Peter 1:8 Constant -2 Corinthians 6:10; Philippians 4:4 For evermore -1 Thessalonians 5:16 With awe -Psalms 2:11 In hope -Romans 12:12 In sorrow -2 Corinthians 6:10 Under trials -James 1:2; 1 Peter 1:6 Under persecutions -Matthew 5:11,12; Luke 6:22,23; Hebrews 10:34 Under calamities -Habakkuk 3:17,18 Expressed in hymns -Ephesians 5:19; James 5:13 Afflictions of saints succeeded by -Ps 30:5; 126:5; Is 35:10; Jn 16:20 Pray for restoration of -Psalms 51:8,12; 85:6 Promote, in the afflicted -Job 29:13 OF SAINTS, MADE FULL BY The favour of God -Acts 2:28 Faith in Christ -Romans 15:13 Abiding in Christ -John 15:10,11 The word of Christ -John 17:13 Answers to prayer -John 16:24 Communion of saints -2 Timothy 1:4; 1 John 1:3,4; 2 John 1:12 Saints should afford, to their ministers -Philippians 2:2; Philemon 1:20 MINISTERS SHOULD Esteem their people as their -Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:20 Promote, in their people -2 Corinthians 1:24; Philippians 1:25 Pray for, for their people -Romans 15:13 Have, in the faith and holiness of their people -2Co 7:4; 1Th 3:9; 3Jn 1:4 Come to their people with -Romans 15:32 Finish their course with -Acts 20:24 Desire to render an account with -Philippians 2:16; Hebrews 13:17 Serve God with -Psalms 100:2 Liberality in God’s service should cause -1 Chronicles 29:9,17 Is strengthening to saints -Nehemiah 8:10 Saints should engage in all religious services with -Ezra 6:22; Psalms 42:4 Saints should have, in all their undertakings -Deuteronomy 12:18 Saints shall be presented to God with exceeding -1 Peter 4:13; Jude 1:24 The coming of Christ will afford to saints, exceeding -1 Peter 4:13 Shall be the final reward of saints at the judgment day -Matthew 25:21 OF THE WICKED Is derived from earthly pleasures -Ecclesiastes 2:10; 11:9 Is delusive -Proverbs 14:13 Is short-lived -Job 20:5; Ecclesiastes 7:6 Should be turned into mourning -James 4:9 Shall be taken away -Isaiah 16:10 Holy-Illustrated -Isaiah 9:3; Matthew 13:44 Holy-Exemplified - Hannah -1 Samuel 2:1 David -1 Chronicles 29:9 Wise men -Matthew 2:10 Mary -Luke 1:47 Zacchaeus -Luke 19:6 Converts -Acts 2:46; 13:52 Peter, etc -Acts 5:41 Samaritans -Acts 8:8 Jailor -Acts 16:34 Thompson Chain Reference Rejoicing Duty of-Dt12:7,16:11 Ps5:11,32:11 Zep3:14 Zec9:9 Lk10:20 Ro12:15 Php4:4 1Th 5:16 Instances of 1Sa 2:1, 11:15 Mt 2:10 Luke 1:47 Acts 8:39, 16:34 Romans 5:2 In Tribulation, examples of Famine -Habakkuk 3:17; 18 Matthew 5:12 Luke 6:23 Persecution -Acts 5:41 Imprisonment -Acts 16:23 Acts 16:25 Poverty -2Corinthians 6:10 Colossians 1:24 Loss of Property -Hebrews 10:34 Fiery Trials -1 Peter 4:12; 4:13 In Evil Forbidden -Job 31:29 Ps 35:19 Pro 17:5, 24:17 Ob 1:12 1Co 13:6 BE JOYFUL ALWAYS Rob Morgan Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. My sister, Ann, claims that anxious nerves and panic attacks run on our mother’s side of the family; and she also claims that our maternal grandmother’s genetic line has left us with a deficiency of serotonin, which makes us subject to higher than average levels of apprehension. Well, I don’t know much about that—I’ve never studied about serotonin; but I am among the millions of people who sometimes battle anxious nerves. But I believe God made each of us in a unique way; and I’m sometimes grateful for my own make-up because it drives me back to the Scriptures. God has placed so many verses in the Bible relating to worry and anxiety and discouragement and anger and all aspects of our attitudes, and He takes our concerns as seriously as a researcher who studies a new strain of disease. He wants to help you and me with our attitudes. He wants us to live the High Life. So I have to continually draw strength from the Word of God; and as the Lord comforts me with His Word, I’ve been able to pass along some of those wonderful verses to others in sermons, lessons, books, and counseling. That’s what I’d like to do during this short, summertime series of three sermons entitled The High Life, based on three of the shortest verses in the Bible. These verses are small and easy to memorize, but sometimes great truths come in small verses. A polished slab of granite may be beautiful to look; but it can’t compare with the sparkling luster of a diamond. These three verses are diamonds, and the more you gaze at them the more they sparkle. To change the figure, they are small pills or tablets, which, when dissolved slowly in the mind, can almost instantly change any attitude from bad to good, or from good to better. It doesn’t matter if you’re angry, sad, depressed, discouraged, anxious, or angry—these verses are mental-health transformers. They are the secrets of the sunny soul. And so today I’d like to begin a short series of three messages based on these three verses, found in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 16-18 (NKJV): Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. The New International Version translates them like this: Be joyful always, Pray continually, Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I don’t need to say a lot about the context or the background; but there is one very vital contextual observation to mention. The epistle of 1 Thessalonians represents one of our earliest Christian documents. It may have been the first of Paul’s letters in terms of dates and chronology. It was written somewhere around AD 51. On his second missionary tour, Paul traveled about seventy miles from Philippi to the city of Thessalonica on the northern Greek coast. This was a great cosmopolitan city with a fine harbor that had access to major shipping lanes; and the famous Roman road, the Egnatian Way, passed through Thessalonica, giving it access to the cities and markets of Macedonia. So it was in Thessalonica that the sea lanes merged with the land routes, making this a strategic center for travel and commerce. Well, during his second tour, Paul and Silas preached the Gospel there for a few weeks and succeeded in winning some souls and establishing a church there; but they were chased out of town when sudden opposition arose, and they had to leave their new converts rather suddenly. As Paul traveled on, he continued his ministry to these new Christians in printed form, writing two letters which we call 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In a way, this book of 1 Thessalonians is a sort of new converts manual. There you have the important contextual matter. This passage is written to people who had already made a personal, life-changing decision to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This passage is for Christians and for Christians only. If you haven’t yet met Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have no basis to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, or to give thanks in all things. You must first give him your life and your heart. The High Life is not just a matter of a positive attitude or possibility thinking. You’ve got to have a spiritual foundation, and that foundation is Christ alone. So as we go through these three verses, remember that these are instructions—not for the unsaved, telling them how to be happier without Christ—but for the Christian who wants to grow happier with Christ. Now, near the end of this book of 1 Thessalonians, beginning with chapter 5, verse 12, Paul launched into a series of marvelous little bullet points about Christian living, and in the middle of those bullet points are these three little diamond-verses on the subject of maintaining a joyful, prayerful, thankful attitude. Today let’s look at the first verse, which says, “Be joyful always.” This is the shortest verse in the New Testament as it was written in the original Greek. In our English translations, the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” So we can say in a sense, we have two “shortest verses in the Bible.” In the Greek Bible, it is “Be joyful always,” and in our English Bibles, it is “Jesus wept.” Quite a contrast, isn’t it—weeping and rejoicing? But that shows us the range of emotions that God has built into us. Well, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 might be the shortest verse in the New Testament; but it is describes the highest kind of life. Let’s begin by defining joy. What is it? The Greek word Paul used here was the verb χαίρω (chairō), but in both the Greek and English, it has the same basic meaning, referring to the unique uplifting, ongoing, cheerfulness of the Christian. It is the quality of gladness that irradiates from our lives. It’s the helium of the soul that makes us airborne. It’s the corklike quality of our hearts that keeps us buoyant. Yes, there are certainly moments in life in which sadness and sorrow befall us; but by-and-large, our default attitude, our baseline attitude, our normal state should be one of uplifting, outgoing joy, cheerfulness, and gladness. I rediscovered something about that some little time ago when I was pretty down-and-out. I was coming home from a trip, and I wasn’t really looking forward to getting back to my regular work. It was an overseas trip, and I was tired and weary from the journey. I wasn’t sure my trip had accomplished its objectives; and I knew that there were certain pressures and problems awaiting me. The flight was long, I couldn’t rest, I was bored and weary and worried. But I pulled out my Bible and suddenly, in rapid fire order, the Lord gave me fifteen verses about joy, one after another, in quick succession. It was almost as if the Lord were saying to me, “Here! Here! Here!” I jotted down those verses, and I understood what He was telling me. He was saying, “I do not intend for you to go back to My work with a weary, worried attitude of care and drudgery. The church will suffer for it. My people will gain their enthusiasm and morale and joy from you, and what good will you be for Me if you go back with your present attitude? I want you to go back to Nashville fueled by My joy.” That realization (and the power of those fifteen verses) instantly changed my attitude. A few moments before, I was worried; now I was worshipping. A few minutes before, I was dreading getting home; now I couldn’t wait to plunge into the work. A few minutes before, I was weary; now I felt a new surge of energy. I don’t have time to go through all fifteen verses, but what I’d like to do this morning and evening is give you a short list of “Joy” verses in the Bible with a suggestion that you take at least one of these verse and make it your own. I’ll not spend much time on any of them, but I think that at least one or two of them might have your name on them. PRAY CONTINUALLY by Rob Morgan Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. If you’re looking for a good book to take with you on vacation this summer, you might go down to the bookstore and peruse the biography section, because that is arguably the most interesting section in the entire place. Biographies are the real-life stories of unusual men and women, and in many cases their entire life’s story, birth-to-death, unfolds in 100 or 200 or 300 pages. But unfortunately nowadays, an unusually high number of these biographies are about celebrities, and there is very little value to those books except as we may discover in them behaviors to avoid. For example, I’m reading the biography right now of baseball slugger Barry Bonds, and I don’t think I’ve ever read about a more self-centered and ill-tempered man. This is why my favorite biographies are missionary stories; because these books tell the positive exploits of remarkable men and women who are living for Christ, often in hostile environments, and who do rather extraordinary things. The history of missions and of individual missionaries is a fascinating study; but sadly, there aren’t very many new missionary biographies being published because the reading public would rather buy books about Barry Bonds and other so-called celebrities. So we have to dip back into some of the older books. Well recently I found a great book written in 1921 by missionary Rosalind Goforth who served in China during very difficult days. It had an unusual title and sub-title: How I Know God Answers Prayer: The Personal Testimony of One Lifetime. The whole book was simply a record of how God had answered prayer over and over again during the long and productive and dangerous ministry of Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth. And as I read this book, I came to appreciate the power of prayer in a fresh way. Rosalind Goforth began the book by saying that she herself had learned the value of answered prayer early if life by listening to some of the stories told her by her family. For example: One (story) that made a specially deep impression upon me was about our grandfather, who as a little boy went to visit cousins in the south of England, their home being situated close to a dense forest. One day the children, lured by the beautiful wild flowers, became hopelessly lost in the woods. After trying in vain to find a way out, the eldest, a young girl, called the frightened, crying ones around her and said: “When Mother died she told us to always tell Jesus if we were any trouble. Let us kneel down, and ask Him to take us home.” They knelt, and as she prayed one of the little ones opened his eyes to find a bird so close to his hand that he reached out for it. The bird hopped away, but kept so close to the child as to lead him on. Soon all were joining in the chase after the bird, which flew or hopped in front or just above, and sometimes on the ground and was almost within reach. Then suddenly it flew into the air and away. The children looked up to find themselves on the edge of the woods and in sight on home.[1] When I read stories like that, it reminds me of how simple and practical and powerful it is when we pray; and there are a good many commands in the Bible enjoining us to do just that. One of the shortest little commands regarding prayer is found in the middle of this tiny paragraph we’re studying during our three-week series of messages entitled The High Life. Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Now, whenever we read that verse, Pray without ceasing, we ask ourselves two questions: Ø What does this really mean? Ø Can I really do it? Well, I think there are two layers or levels of meaning here. Prayer is a Practice to Cultivate Prayer is a practice to cultivate. To pray without ceasing means that prayer is a recurrent habit. It is something you do incessantly and frequently. Talking to God is a matter of spending definite time in prayer each day and also of talking to Him “under your breath,” as it were, throughout the day. It is repetitious, continual, and perpetual. This is the same Greek word that the ancient people used of a hacking cough. It didn’t really mean “constantly occurring” but “consistently re-occuring.” Now, let me show you something about this word you may not have noticed. As I said last week, it’s probable that 1 Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul’s letters. It was written to a young church as a sort of new converts manual, after he had been driven out of the city of Thessalonica. Notice how he starts his letter in chapter 1: Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all… Notice that word always. I don’t suppose it means that Paul sat in a corner somewhere 24-hours a day doing nothing but saying, “God, thank you for the Thessalonians. Thank you for the Thessalonians. Thank you for the Thessalonians.” But he had perpetual thanksgiving for his time in the city of Thessalonica and for the gracious way in which God used him there to bring a group of people to faith in Christ. And in his regular prayers, he kept thanking God for the survival and vitality of this church in spite of persecution and hostility. Now, let’s keep reading: We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith…. Do you see that phrase: Without ceasing. It is exactly the same Greek word that we have in chapter 5. In chapter 1 he says, “I am praying without ceasing.” And in chapter 5, he says, “You pray without ceasing, too.” In other words, “I very frequently stop what I’m doing and think about you and thank God for you. I hope that you very frequently pause and think and thank and pray, too.” Now, look across the page at chapter 2, verse 13: For this reason we also thank God without ceasing. That is exactly the same Greek word we have in chapter 5. For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. Now, look across the page at chapter 3, verse 9: For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God, night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith. And there we have a definition of the phrase without ceasing. It means that we pray night and day, that we pray perpetually, that we pray with great frequency and regularity, that we pray at the drop of a hat, that we pray during our regular times of prayer, but also that we go around praying, as it were, under our breath. One day this week, I needed to find someone to do a particular job at my house that required a specialized skill, and I didn’t know who to call. So I opened the Yellow Pages and saw about 30 different listings under the heading I needed. I had no idea which one to call, so I took a moment and said, “Lord, guide me to the right person.” Then I worked my way through the listings and found out what I could, and then I started making phone calls. I think I found the right person; but I attribute it to the simple act of pausing long enough to whisper a prayer for guidance. That’s a habit I want to give you an example that has convicted me about this very thing. Many of you may have heard of Dr. Michael Guido of Metter, Georgia, who is a great pioneer in radio and television work and whose little program, Seeds from the Sower, is one-of-a-kind. Well, Dr. Guido is well up in years now, 92-years-old, but he’s still going strong; and he has agreed to be a contributor for an annual volume for which I’m the editor. The other day I was talking with him about this little verse and this is what he said (in his inimitable style): When I wake up in the morning, I say, “Good morning, Jesus! You and I are going to have a great day today. Just have your way with me.” I slip my feet into my slippers and I pray, “Lord, bind my feet with ties of righteousness.” I wash my hands and I pray, “Lord, don’t let my hands touch anything your hands wouldn’t touch today.” I wash my forehead and I pray, “Lord, don’t let me think on anything Your mind wouldn’t think on.” I brush my teeth and I pray, “Lord, wash my tongue. Keep me from saying anything Your tongue wouldn’t say.” I wash my eyes and I pray, “Lord, don’t let me look at anything Your eyes wouldn’t look at.” As I wash my ears I pray, “Lord, don’t let my ears listen to things Your ears wouldn’t listen to.” As I stand before the mirror to see if I’m presentable to leave the bathroom, I pray, “Lord, as that mirror reflects my image, help me today to reflect Thy image.” I walk from the house to the studio and if I find a pine cone on the sidewalk, I’ll pick it up and pray, “Lord, don’t let anything in my life that will cause another one to stumble.” I come into my study and unlock the door and I pray, “Lord, as I unlock the door of my heart, teach me Thy Word today. Help me to live Thy Word. Just live Your life all over again in me.” When I look into the mirror in my study I say, “Michael you’re going forth to reveal Jesus today. Let there be nothing in your life that will disgrace Him or deny Him or defame Him in any way.” And then I go from room to room, wherever the staff work, and I pray for each one in his or her office, then I come back to my study and have my devotions.[2] It’s no wonder that Michael Guido has been spreading, not only the Gospel message, but optimism and enthusiasm, like seeds for the better part of a long lifetime. Now, I have a confession to make. The day after Dr. Guido told me that on the telephone, I came to my office early in the morning to have my devotions and prayer time, as I’ve been doing for many years. I love my morning devotion time, a practice I began as a sophomore in college, and for 35 years I’ve been having my morning devotions and I seldom miss a day. But I have not been starting my day as Dr. Guido suggested. When I wake up in the morning my first thought is usually something like this: “Oh my goodness, does my back hurt! Do I ever feel stiff! Do I ever feel tired!” I stagger to the bathroom and stand under the hot shower, hoping to limber up my muscles. I grab something to wear in the closet, then lumber into the kitchen where I’ll eat a bowl of cereal while watching ten minutes of commercials hoping for one minute of news. Then I drive to my office, trying not to spill my coffee on the way, and I unlock my office, sit down, open my journal, and began meeting with the Lord. But—and here’s the thing—I realized after talking with Michael Guido that it’s 45-minutes or so into my day before I consciously talk with the Lord. Now I’m trying to learn a new habit at mid-life, to wake up in the morning and as I roll out of bed to say, “Good morning, Jesus! You and I are going to have a great time today!” In the Old Testament, there is a book called 1 Chronicles that opens with a long series of genealogical listings. I’d like to show you something about that list. Do you know the very first word of the book of 1 Chronicles? It’s the word Adam. First Chronicles begins with a genealogical listing going all the way back to Adam: Adam, Seth, Enosh…. And several chapters later, we come down to the names of the various lineages of Israel; and in 1 Chronicles 5, we come to the descendants of the tribe of Gad. And then in the middle of 1 Chronicles 5, we have this little passage (vv. 19ff): They made war with the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him. These men were noted in the Old Testament genealogies because they cried out to God in the battle. These men prayed in the midst of battle. They were not in their prayer closets with prolonged leisure moments of devotion. They were not in church listening to the soft music of the organ. They were in the fog of war, dodging flying arrows and flinching from the flashing and clashing of sword and shield. But somehow, in the midst of the frenzy of battle, they managed to pray, to call on the Lord—and He answered them on the spot. He does the same for us. So praying without ceasing means that we have developed prayer habits in our lives that are continuously recurring. And that leads to the second level of meaning for this term “without ceasing.” Prayer is not only a practice to cultivate, it is a presence to enjoy. Prayer is a Presence to Enjoy One evening this week after supper, Katrina and I sat out on our back porch for an hour or so. We both had our books and magazines, and I was reading my material and she was reading hers. We didn’t talk very much, although occasionally I’d look up and mention something from my reading, or she would do the same. It’s not that we were sitting there engrossed in an incessant conversation. We weren’t even acutely aware of anything in particular about the other person’s presence, except that we were just there together, near each other, and it was pleasant. Back when I was graduating from high school, there was a famous missionary who passed away at age 85. His name was Frank Laubach, and he was well-known for two things. The first was because of his lifelong campaign to spread education and literacy. In fact, he was nicknamed “The Apostle of Literacy.” The second thing about him was his personal efforts to do what Brother Lawrence had suggested centuries before, to practice the presence of God. Laubach came to a day in his life in which he determined to train himself to remember how near at hand was His God. He trained himself to consciously pause throughout each hour of the day to remind himself that the Lord was with Him. He suggested that we, too, during our little pauses throughout the day, learn to go to Christ constantly for advice on what to do next and to remind ourselves that He is standing there beside us, near at hand, present always and available to help us. That’s the way it should always be between us and the Lord. In his famous book, Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote about moving into a little cabin on the shores of Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts. He wanted to experiment in living a life of solitude for a couple of years, and his book about it is one of the great classics in American literature. One of his chapters is called house-warming, and he wrote about the joys of having a fire in the fireplace. He said that as long as he had a fire burning in the hearth, the house never seemed empty and he never felt lonely. “I sometimes left a good fire when I went to take a walk in a winter afternoon,” he wrote, “and when I returned, three or four hours afterward, it would still be alive and glowing. My house was not empty though I was gone. It was as if I had left a cheerful housekeeper behind it. It was I and Fire that lived there.”[3] As I read that, I thought of the Children of Israel, traveling through the wilderness with the presence of the Lord with them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. And in the hearth of our hearts, when the presence of the Lord is blazing within us like a fire in the fireplace, there’s no need to ever feel lonely. And how wonderful to be able to enjoy that Presence and to learn to talk with Him continually! One of the most gifted Christian writers of the 20th century was Catherine Marshall. She was the wife of a Scottish preacher named Peter Marshall, who was Chaplain of the United States Senate. After his sudden death at a relatively young age, she wrote his biography, A Man Called Peter, and from that moment she was one of America’s best-known and best-loved writers. One of her books is called Adventures in Prayer, and in it she describes some of the answered prayers that have changed her life and others. Catherine said that when she was a teenager, she longed and dreamed of going to college, but this was depression time and the West Virginia church where her father served was suffering financially. Catherine applied to Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, but even after having saved and scrimped and sacrificed, she was still short of the needed funds. “One evening,” she said, “Mother found me lying across my bed, face-down, sobbing. She sat down beside me. ‘You and I are going to pray about this,” she said quietly. We went into the guest room and knelt beside the old-fashioned, golden oak bed, the one that Mother and Father had bought for their first home. ‘I know it’s right for you to go to college,’ Mother said. ‘I believe God planted this dream in you; let’s ask Him to tell us how to bring it to reality.’” There, side by side, the two knelt in the presence of the Lord; and even decades later, Catherine could still recall the quiet confidence and fresh determination that flowed into her as she and her mother prayed. They knew the answer would come, and Catherine went ahead and made preparations to go to Agnes Scott. A short time later, her mother received an offer to from the Federal Government to write a history of their county, and this was enough to provide the needed funds.[4] W. A. Criswell used to quote a poem on this subject, and he did so without attribution, so I don’t know who wrote it; but it speaks to this very nicely: When you are weary in body and soul Cumbered with many a care When work is claiming its strength-taking toll Make it a matter of prayer. And when you're discouraged, distraught or dismayed Sinking almost in despair Remember there's One who will come to your aid, If you'll make it a matter of prayer. And when you are lost In this world's tangled maze When life seems a hopeless affair Direction will come for all of your ways If you'll make it a matter of prayer.[5] Maybe you have some things today that you need to begin making a matter of prayer. Maybe you’ve already been making some things a matter of prayer; perhaps you’ve been praying for a long time. Well, keep on. Jesus said in Luke 18 that we ought always to pray and not to faint. Unceasing prayer is a practice we cultivate and a presence we enjoy—and nothing on earth can compare with the peace or power of praying without ceasing. So be joyful always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you [1] Rosalind Goforth, How I Know God Answers Prayer: The Personal Testimony of One Lifetime, published in 1921. A printed copy from an online edition. [2] Transcribed personal interview with Dr. Michael Guido, May, 2006, used with his permission. [3] Henry David Thoreau, Walden (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2004), p. 267. [4] Catherine Marshall, Adventures in Prayer (Old Tappan, NJ: Chosen Books, 1975), pp. 29-30. [5] http://www.wacriswell.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/Search.Transcripts/sermon/815.cfm, accessed June 6, 2006 1 Thessalonians 5:15 Commentary <> 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Commentary

1 Tessalonicenses 5:19

Meyer - There is no limit to the gracious work which the Holy Spirit will do in and for us, if only we will take jealous care of our behavior toward him. Be specially heedful about thy speech! The least uncharitableness hurts him, as frost the spring-blossoms.....Before him the waters part and leave a path for his chosen. All that would cause us to stumble is taken out of the way and we are led as on a level plain. As cattle descend into the hollows of the hills at noon, to escape the sultry heat, so will God’s Spirit cause us to rest. Oh, claim that these promises be realized! He is Father, Redeemer, the Eternal, the Lover of souls! R A Torrey - The Holy Spirit is a Person, the third Person of the Trinity. But—to put it in a more personal and practical way—is He a Person in your thoughts of Him and in your attitudes towards Him? Timothy Lin - Not quenching the Spirit (“Do not quench the Spirit” 1Th 5:19). This admonition speaks of not quenching any one thing (such as prophetic utterances) or of everything as a whole (“hold fast to that which is good”) that the Spirit does (1Th 5:19-21). The word “quench” is a command in the present tense that indicates that we should always refrain from extinguishing His activity, and, as 1Th 5:20 indicates (“do not despise prophetic utterances”), especially when we are enlightened regarding our duty or faith by Spirit-inspired preaching. Dr. C. R. Erdman wrote, “The warning may be against neglect or abuse of our opportunities or abilities to testify for Christ, or against failing to act in accordance with the prompting and provision of the Spirit in the sphere of service.”46 To defuse the danger of quenching the Spirit, there are two things that we must constantly do: obey God’s commands and wait upon the Lord’s time (Ed: But paradoxically we can only do these as the Spirit gives us the DESIRE and the POWER! [Php 2:13NLT] Mysterious? Yes, but Scripturally true!). Doing whatever God commands. God not only desires that we be good children but faithful servants as well. He gives us enlightenment by the Holy Spirit from His Word so that we can accomplish His heart’s desire for us to understand His will and to do it. When we believers do not fulfill this responsibility, we both fall short of His glory and lose His blessing. Scripture is full of believers who lost God’s blessing upon their lives through disobedience. Moses, God’s appointed leader of the Israelites, was full of the Holy Spirit. His meekness exceeded that of anyone upon the face of the earth. He enjoyed direct revelation from God, face to face, and was entrusted to look after God’s family, Israel. God Himself praised Moses for his outstanding faithfulness in His service (Heb. 3:2). Yet Moses disobeyed God’s Word at Meribah. As a result, not only was God’s name not exalted but Moses himself lost the blessing of entering the promised land. Jonah refused to go to Nineveh to be His spokesman when God told him to go. As he fled from God’s will he was rebuked by sailors and then swallowed by a great fish. Without God’s special grace, Jonah would have lost his life, and a multitude of precious souls in Nineveh would have perished eternally. Any disobedience to God that leads to the quenching of the Spirit produces frightening consequences. Thus, it is very important that the disciple always seek the Lord’s way at the Lord’s time and never pursue his own way. David C. McCasland’s comment about obedience is instructive: In my daily walk, I’m becoming painfully aware of how often I use my own definitions instead of His. For instance, is my understanding of obedience the same as His? Do I carry out God’s commands as given, or do I modify His Word to suit my preferences? King Saul blatantly disobeyed God’s instructions, then told Samuel the priest, “I have performed the commandment of the LORD” (1Sa 15:13). When Samuel challenged him, Saul declared his innocence (1Sa 15:20). God saw it differently and removed Saul from the throne of Israel because of his willful disobedience (v. 23). When I identify myself as a citizen of God’s kingdom, I must follow His definitions without tailoring them to suit my own ideas. That’s obedience. (Fresh Power to Preach the Gospel) Matthew

1 Tessalonicenses 5:24

Meyer writes the following note... OUR God has set Himself the work of our sanctification. As the Greek indicates, He looks upon us as His inheritance, and He will not rest until He has brought every acre of territory under cultivation. It is not enough that briars and thistles should be exterminated; they must be replaced by the rare growth of Christian virtue, which is Christ. The work of sanctification is quiet and silent.--It is wrought by the God of Peace. The mightiest forces of nature are stilled; and when God comes with power into the human spirit there is often no hurricane, tempest, fire, or earthquake, but the thrilling whisper of the still, small voice. Do not be afraid, as though God would treat you roughly. So long as peaceful, gentle methods will effect His purpose, He will gladly employ them. The work is also gradual. We are not made faultless, but preserved blameless; i. e., we are kept from known sin, preserved from incurring perpetual self-reproach. "There is no condemnation." I saw the other day the love-letter of a little boy to his father. It was anything but faultless; but the father, at least, did not count it worthy of blame, since he carried it next his heart. So we are not to be faultless, as judged by God's perfect standard, till we are presented before the presence of His glory; but we may be blameless up to our acquaintance with the Divine will. The work is from within outward.--Notice the order--spirit, soul, body. The Shechinah of His presence shines in the holy of holies, and thence pours over into the holy place, and so into the outer court, until the very curtains of the body are irradiated with its light. He will do it. (Our Daily Homily) F B Meyer has another devotional entitled THE BLAMELESS LIFE - HE WILL do it. There is a tone of confidence in these words which bespeaks the unwavering faith of the Apostle in the faithfulness and power of God to do for these early Christian folk what indeed is needed by all of us; first, to be sanctified wholly, and secondly, to be preserved without blame until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can hardly realise how much this meant for men and women reared amid the excesses and evils of those days, when religion was another name for unbridled indulgence. Blamelessness of life, the stainless habit of the soul, sell-restraint--these were the attributes of the few whose natures seemed cast in a special mould. And yet how strong the assertion of the Apostle that, in the face of the insurmountable difficulties, the God of Peace would do even as much for them. We must distinguish between blamelessness and faultlessness. The latter can only be ours when we have passed into the presence of His glory, and are presented faultless before Him with exceeding joy (Jude 1:24). The former, however, is within the reach of each of us, because God has said that He will do it. The Agent of the blameless life is God Himself. None beside could accomplish so marvellous a result, and He does it by condescending to indwell the soul. As His glory filled Solomon's Temple, so He waits to infill the spirit, soul, and body of those who trust Him. He will do it as the God of Peace. The mightiest forces are the stillest. Who ever heard the day break, or detected the footfall of Spring? Who thinks of listening for the throb of gravitation, or the thud of the forces that redden the grape, golden the corn, and cover the peaches with bloom? So God works in the hearts of those who belong to Him. When we think we are making no progress, He is most at work. The presence of ozone in the air can only be detected by a faint colour on a piece of litmus-paper, and God's work in the soul is only apparent as the bloom of perfect love is shown in the life. PRAYER - Almighty God, who lovest us, and to whom are known our yearnings for this blessed life; work Thou within us, quietly, gently, mightily, ridding us of the love of sin, and producing within us that blamelessness of soul which in Thy sight is of priceless value. AMEN. (F. B. Meyer. Our Daily Walk) F. B. Meyer in his book The Future Tenses of the Blessed Life has the following chapter entitled HE WILL DO IT based on 1 Thess. 5:24 - WHAT is it that He will do? There is a tone of confidence in these words which bespeaks the unwavering faith of the apostle in the willinghood and power of God to do for these Thessalonian Christians that which indeed is needed by all of us for life and godliness: first, that they should be sanctified wholly; and secondly, that they should be preserved without blame, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can hardly realize how much this meant to men and women reared amid the excesses and abominations of those days, when religion was another name for unbridled indulgence in every kind of sin. Blamelessness of life, the stainless habit of the soul, self-restraint were the attributes of the few whose natures seemed cast in a special mold; while they mocked ordinary people, much as Alpine summits do emaciated invalids or disabled cripples. And yet the apostle was a practical man, not likely to ask that which lay outside the limits of possibility for man to realize, or for God to give. And the fact of his having prayed for these things was clear evidence that believers might seek for, and attain, that condition of soul which his words implied. We must distinguish carefully between "blamelessness" and "faultlessness." The latter can only be ours when we have passed the gate of pearl, and been presented faultless in the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy; the former alone is possible to us here and now--but, thank God, it is possible, because He has said that" He will do it." Every one admits that there is a difference between these two words. Take an instance from common life. A working woman comes home weary from her day's toil, and having provided the evening meal, and put her little ones to bed, she sits down to work for her babe. Presently the little frock falls upon her knee, and she leans back in a snatch of unconsciousness, such as only the most tired know. Her eldest little girl, noticing the collapse of her mother's efforts, steals to her side, takes her work gently out of the tired fingers, and creeping back to her chair by the fire, essays to finish the uncompleted hem. "Mary," says the mother, suddenly awaking, "what are you doing?" "Helping you, mother," replies a voice with a touch of scaredness in it. "Let me see what you have done; bring it here, child." And as the quick woman's eyes look down at the tortuous stitches, she sees at a glance that every one of them will have to be unpicked and done again. But she says never a word to the little maiden of blame or fault-finding. The work is not faultless, by a long way; but the child is blameless. Had the cobbled seam been due to slovenliness or neglect, the work had been blameworthy as well as faulty; but inasmuch as it has been done to the very best of the child's ability, she stands without blame in her mother's presence. Of course, the analogy is not perfect, because other conditions connected with our Saviour's work have to be introduced before we can stand in the presence of God, blameless and faultless. Yet the illustration will show how it is possible for those whose every moment is full of fault to be nevertheless blameless and harmless, the sons of God without reproach; because they have not wilfully ignored any known command, or failed in any service to which they were called, but have lived in the current of the precious blood, and within the charmed circle of the will of God. Oh to live that blameless life, the life hid with Christ in God! The agent of this condition of stainless purity and beauty is God himself--He is often spoken of as "the God of Peace." None less than He could accomplish so marvelous a result. Consider the greatness of the contrast! There is no true heart illumined by the Spirit of God which will hesitate to adopt the confession of the patriarch, "Behold, I am vile!" It were difficult to find words to set forth with sufficient emphasis our natural undone and sinful state in the sight of God. Pure snow trampled into mud by the passers-by! The refuse of gas-retorts which, till recently, was deemed too filthy for use I Ink, jet black, and apt to leave a deep permanent stain! And to think that such can be made blameless, not only yonder, but here and now--this is a marvel which the finger of God alone can effect. "He will do it." But he will do it as the God of Peace. The mightiest forces in the universe are the stillest. Destruction ever crashes on its way, like the express which tears through the little wayside station. The roar of the autumn sea! The vehemence of the hurricane hurtling through the forests! The crackling of the devouring fire! The thunder, the earthquake, the volcano! But who can hear the day break? Or detect the footfall of the spring, stepping through the woods, scattering flowers? Who thinks of listening for the pulse of the law of gravitation, or the thud of the forces that redden the grape, golden the corn, and cover the peaches with their delicate bloom? Stand on an eminence and watch the effect of a long summer day on an English landscape. There is no sound but the far away bleat of the sheep, the low of the cattle, or the lazy murmur of the bee, by which the effect of the silence is rendered yet more intense. Nature seems asleep beneath some drowsy spell of slumber. The hours move slowly, as if loath to leave their merry dance in the woodland glade. But all the while, as you lie in a delightful reverie, you are aware that mighty chemical processes are at work, by which the juices of the earth and the elements in the air, the dew and the sunshine, are being elaborated for the sustenance of man. So God works in the hearts He loves. He does not strive, nor cry, nor cause His voice to be heard in the streets of the inner city. It is sometimes difficult to detect His working, and impossible to say, Lo, here! or Lo, there! His touch is so gentle; His voice so still and small; His breath so zephyr-like. When He is most at work within we think that we are making no progress, and even that we are going back. Comparing the experiences of some others with our own, we are inclined to imagine that we have not been the subjects of the Spirit's work; or that His operations have come to a standstill because there is nothing sensible to record. At such times we should remember that we have to do with the God of Peace. He works most energetically and mightily, when to any of the senses of the soul there is no evidence that He is there at all. The presence of ozone in the air can only be detected by the most delicate tests, a faint color on a piece of litmus paper--that is all. And the presence of God in the soul is only apprehended when the bloom of perfect health becomes apparent as its result. The method of His work is from within, outwards.--This text is often quoted, and generally misquoted. Men often speak of body, soul, and spirit--and, indeed, that is generally their method; but it is not God's. Man begins from without and works inwards; God begins from within and works outwards--from the spirit to the soul, and from the soul to the body. There is a beautiful analogy suggested by the Lord Himself between our nature and the temple, in whose precincts He stood when He spake of "the temple of His Body." It is also accentuated by the Holy Ghost through the apostle Paul. As God is a Trinity in Unity, so was the temple; and so is man. The spirit corresponds to the most Holy Place; the soul by which we reason, imagine, hope, and love, to the Holy Place, where white-stoled priests went to and fro on their sacred duties; the body, to the outer Court. In the case of the unregenerate, the most holy or inner shrine is either destitute of light or tenanted by the spirit of evil. But in the nature which has been truly regenerated by the Holy Ghost, a marvelous addition has been made by the entrance of the true Shekinah light, the nature of God. This is the distinction between the unsaved and the saved. The former are like a deserted castle; the latter like that castle when the royal pennon tells that the sovereign has come to reside within. Before the act of consecration it would seem as if a heavy curtain hung between the spirit and the soul, shutting out the glow of the Shekinah glory; but when the will has been entirely resigned and yielded, that veil is torn from the top to the bottom, and the soul also becomes pervaded with the blessed light and power of God. Nor can it be confined there; but as in the dedication of Solomon's Temple there was an overflow of light in cascades of glory, driving the priests before it by excess of splendor, so the body of the believer comes under the gracious influence of the indwelling spirit, and is transfigured, refined, purified, and saved. This is Sanctification. There are many definitions of the word sanctify; but there is none so entirely satisfactory as that which affirms that it is the result wrought on character by the indwelling and presence of God. Wherever God is, there, as the necessary result, are the essential forces which sanctify, whether it be the seventh day, or the sacred ground on which the burning bush stood, or the tabernacle in whose inner shrine the Shekinah shone, or the heart of man where God has taken up His abode. Art thou wholly sanctified? Hast thou opened thine entire being in every department to His indwelling? Does that Divine presence fill thee, which makes heaven what it is? If not, then never rest until through the open casements of thy being His presence is wafted, never to go out again, but to occupy and possess thee in every part. Then thou shalt be sanctified. Thou wilt carry with thee everywhere the sign of the Divine Presence which will be the true antidote against sin. He who dreads the influenza saturates his garments with Eucalyptus oil; and he who fears to sin must steep his nature in the Presence of God. Then when he is wholly sanctified he is wholly kept and preserved blameless in spirit, soul, and body. The certainty that God will do this. "He will do it." Old habits are strong, but He is stronger; temptations masterful, but He can quell them; circumstances unfavorable, but He is above them; the difficulty of securing in us a blameless life almost insuperable but "He will do it." What can He not do, who hath made the heavens and the earth, the stars and the seas, the soaring Alps and the dainty shells that lie along the coast? He can do these greater miracles in the moral sphere; and He will do them because He has instilled the appetite and desire for them, and has trained us to yearn for them, and surely cannot disappoint the instinctive cravings which He has Himself imparted. He is faithful. He does not teach babes to cry for milk which is not stored in their mother's breasts. He does not create instincts without providing satisfaction for their demands. He does not teach us to long almost to agony for a blameless life, and then dash our hopes with disappointment on the ground. No; He is faithful to His Son, to His covenant, and to the yearnings which He has implanted for a blameless life; and He will do it of His spirit and grace, far more exceed-ding abundantly above all that we ask or think. (F. B. Meyer. The Future Tenses of the Blessed Life) Indelible Grace: Inscribed on His Hands by Bruce Hurt Indelible means that which cannot be removed, washed away, blotted out, canceled, effaced or erased and thus speaks of that which is unforgettable, lasting and cannot be lost or annulled. Such is the grace of God in Isaiah 49:16, one of the most beautiful expressions of God’s everlasting love in all of Scripture. Have you ever wondered if God has forgotten or forsaken you? Even now perhaps you feel like David who cried out to God his Rock, “Why have you forgotten me?” (Ps 42:9–note) Perhaps like Israel of old you are saying “My way is hidden from the LORD. My cause is disregarded by my God.” (Isa 40:27–song) You find yourself in your own personal Pilgrim’s Progress “slough of despond (note),” bogged down in the “spiritual quicksand” of seemingly endless adversities and afflictions which keep dragging you deeper into despair. I understand for that is where I am as I write. But even better Jesus understands for on the Cross, He cried “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mt 27:46, Ps 22:1–note) Jehovah Rapha (note), the Great Physician, understands for “He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered and is able to come” to our aid as we are tempted (Heb 2:18–note) having given us spiritual truth in Isaiah 49:16 that like the balm of Gilead can heal our souls of what Spurgeon calls that “unbelief which often makes us talk about God forgetting us when He does nothing of the kind. We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of His people. He keeps His promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt Him. He never fails; He is never a dry well; He is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapor; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert.” Father, by Thy Spirit grant us grace to sing in faith There amidst the love and glory He is waiting yet On His hands a name is graven He can ne’er forget. (Francis Havergal) Ancient Zion (a picture of Israel) still smarting from the pangs of exile in Babylon cried out “Jehovah has forsaken me” to which God responded “Can a woman forget her nursing child? (Ed: Not usually, but some have.) Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold! I have inscribed (engraved) you on the palms of My hands. Your walls are continually before Me.” (Isaiah 49:14-16). C H Spurgeon, who preached three sermons on Isaiah 49:16 reminds us that “These words apply, first of all, to God’s ancient people, the Jews (the accurate interpretation), but they are equally true of all believers (a valid application).”