Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Scripture text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

Every Christian wants to know God’s will for their lives. It is only natural, for instance, for you young people to want to know God’s will for your lives. What occupation should I pursue? How do I prepare for that? What type of schooling do I need? Should I be single? Or is it God’s will that I be married?” 

 

Those are legitimate questions. Questions that those of us who are older still ask, but in a different way: “How can I accomplish God’s will for my life in this calling He has given me? In my family life or church life, how can I truly know what God’s will is?” For those who are retired or will be retiring soon, “How can I best use my time and my energy to serve the Lord and be a blessing to others?”

 

And here, in these verses, the Holy Spirit gives us the answer, no matter what age we may be. No matter where we are in life, these verses tell us what God’s will for our lives is. Verses 16 to 18: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

 

First of all, verse 16 tells us: “Be joyful always.” That’s a tall task, isn’t it?  We can understand being joyful when everything is going well. But to be joyful always, especially when circumstances turn against us, when our health fails, loved ones pass away and heavy clouds darken the skies of our lives – how we can we be joyful then?

 

 

There are two keys to being joyful always: One is to know that God is in control of all things every day. To be joyful always we need to know the truth that the Apostle Paul wrote the Romans in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.”

 

But it doesn’t always seem that way, does it? I’m sure it didn’t always seem that way to the Thessalonian church either. In 1 Thessalonians 1:6 Paul describes how the Thessalonians were severely persecuted for their faith. 2 Thessalonians 1:4 carries that same theme as Paul writes: “…We ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.”

 

It is in those times of great trial, when it doesn’t seem as though God is working for good, that His children must rest in the knowledge that He truly is working all things for our good. Romans 8:28 doesn’t say, “We feel that in all things...”  It says “We know....”

 

That knowledge of the sovereign control of God has been a comfort to believers in every age. In 1558, a Christian by the name of Bernard Gilpin was scheduled to be executed in London for his faith. The Queen of England was well known for her persecutions. Already Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer, along with close to three hundred other Christians had been martyred. So many Christians had been martyred that the Queen had the well-known nick name of “Bloody Mary.”

 

Bernard Gilpin was under armed guard, making the journey to London. But he slipped and fell and broke his leg. The guards scoffed at him. He was well known for quoting Romans 8:28 so they jeered at him, “Is your broken leg another blessing? Is this how God works everything for your good?” 

 

Gilpin replied that God must have a reason for it, and indeed, He did. The broken leg delayed Gilpin’s journey to London, and meanwhile, on November 17, 1558 the Queen died. His execution was stayed. Bernard Gilpin returned to his home town a free man. 

 

That is one key to being joyful always, know that God is working for good in all things.

 

 

A second key to truly joyful, thankful living is found in the connection of verse 16 to John 11:35.  John 11:35 is well known by each one of you. In fact, it is one verse that virtually each one of you knows by heart. From you young children among us to the oldest adult, each one of you knows that verse. 

 

You know it best by its length. If I asked, “What is the shortest verse in the Bible you would all say, “Jesus wept.”  And you would be partially right. In our English Bibles the shortest verse is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” ­That verse is nine letters in English, but sixteen letters in Greek.

 

But do you know what the shortest verse in the Greek New Testament is? In the original Koine Greek, the shortest verse in the New Testament is 1 Thessalonians 5:16. In the Greek it only takes fourteen letters to translate verse 16: “Be joyful always.” 

 

These two short verses in the Bible have an inseparable connection: The reason we can be joyful always is because Jesus wept. The only true lasting joy in life is the joy of salvation. The joy of knowing that our sins are forgiven, that we have a place reserved in heaven for us, that our names are engraved on the palms of our Savior’s hands, as Isaiah 49:16 so beautifully puts it.

 

Joy and thanksgiving are not found in material things. Material blessings and money are gifts from God, and when used properly they are a great blessing. But by themselves they offer no lasting joy. The same goes for all the other passing pleasures of this world. This world offers many fleeting pleasures, but when they pass, they leave a void and a sadness greater than before.

 

The only true joy you and I will ever find is the joy of salvation – the heartfelt knowledge of the two shortest verses in the Bible – that Jesus wept that we may be joyful always, even throughout all eternity. He bore the curse we deserve for our sin. He paid the debt of our sin, not in part, but the whole. And He imputes – credits – His perfect record of righteous obedience to every person who has saving faith in Him alone.

 

This joy of salvation, incidentally, doesn’t mean that we walk around with a big smile and laugh at all the tragedies in life. But it does mean that in those trials and heartaches of life we have a peace that surpasses all understanding, and we have an inner joy that those apart from Christ can never know.

 

It is only those who have saving faith in Jesus Christ who know that inner joy. The Heidelberg Catechism points that out eloquently in its answer to the first question: “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”

 

A. That I am not my own,
but belong—
    body and soul,
    in life and in death—
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven:
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.

 

It is only those who know that their only comfort in life and in death is a result of God’s grace through the finished work of Christ who can be joyful always. That is why verse 18 stresses that giving thanks in all circumstances is God’s will “in Christ Jesus for you.” You and I will find no true joy apart from Christ. He came to save us from our sin and also to impart His joy to us. As Peter pointed out: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:8, 9).

 

 

Verse 17 tells us another part of God’s will for our lives. It says: “Pray continually.” Prayer and praise – joy – go hand in hand. The Heidelberg Catechism, in Lord’s Day 45, reminds us that “Prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us.”

 

I also appreciate what William Hendriksen, an insightful commentator of a previous generation, wrote in his commentary on 1 Thessalonians: “When a person prays without giving thanks, he has clipped the wings of prayer so that it cannot rise.”

   

But when it says, “Pray continually,” what does the Scripture mean? Are we always to be in prayer, twenty-four hours a day? 

 

As you might imagine, a lot has been written about what it means to pray continually. I agree with those who believe that to pray continually means that we live our whole life in a prayerful attitude. For example, when we pray to God, we do so realizing our dependence upon Him. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In prayer we recognize our weakness and ask for God’s strength; we recognize our dependance on Him for our daily bread and all the other necessities of life. In prayer we acknowledge our sin is always before us, deeply rooted in us, and we recognize Christ as our only Savior and Lord.

 

In prayer we also recognize His presence wherever we are. David expressed the omnipresence of our sovereign God beautifully in Psalm 139:

 

             Where shall I go from your Spirit?

 

 

 

                        for darkness is as light with you. (Psalm 139:7-12)

 

As one Study Bible puts it: “‘Prayer without ceasing’ suggests a mental attitude of prayerfulness, continual personal fellowship with God, and consciousness of being in his presence throughout each day.” Then, realizing that in prayer we yield to Him, we are to follow the example of our Savior and Lord who prayed, “Father, not my will, but your will be done.” It is God’s will that our whole life – 24/7 – is to be lived in that same attitude that we have as we go to the Lord in prayer.

 

The constant attitude of prayer and dependence on God is related directly to our joy, even – or especially – when life is difficult and hard. Philippians 4:2-4: “… Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Prayer is also linked directly to our sanctification, that is our spiritual growth in grace, knowledge, and love. Earlier in this letter – in chapter 4:3 – the Holy Spirit tells us the ultimate will of God for your life and for mine. 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “It is God’s will that you are sanctified” (ESV “holy”).

 

Part of our sanctification includes daily prayers of repentance, for none of us are joyful always; none of us gives thanks in all circumstances. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have failed to put these verses into action. Instead of being joyful always, I have often become frustrated and angry over little things that aren’t worth getting upset about.

 

I fail to give thanks in all circumstances. Although I know in my head that God is sovereign over all circumstances, when circumstances don’t go as expected, I have often been upset and angry instead of thankfully trusting the Lord, acknowledging that He works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

 

Consequently, I need to pray daily that God will forgive my sins – which I know you also need to do. That is part of praying continually – praying for forgiveness, as Jesus taught in the Lord’s prayer. And coupled with that prayer for forgiveness there must be a prayer for increased sanctification – that we would joyfully grow in grace, love, and service regardless of the circumstances we face.

 

 

Verse 18 continues with the same thought. It tells us to “Give thanks in all circumstances.” It is in the imperative. It is not a suggestion; it is a command. 

 

This again is a tall order, isn’t it?  It’s easy to be thankful when things are going well, but to be thankful in all circumstances? That’s a whole other matter.  In fact, sometimes just thinking about being thankful in all circumstances can make us angry.  

 

Consider the well-known experience of Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsy. They had been transferred to Ravensbrück, one of the worst Nazi prison camps. The barracks they were in were overcrowded and flea infested. Never had they seen so many fleas. One morning, after reading 1 Thessalonians 5 in their devotions, Betsy encouraged Corrie to stop and thank God for every detail of their new living quarters. Even the fleas.

 

In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie tells how hard that was to do. Then she began to realize that the guards rarely came to inspect their quarters the way they had before they were transferred to Ravensbrück. It dawned on her that the fleas were keeping the guards away! Compared to the cruel Nazi guards the fleas were no problem at all. They were something to be truly thankful for!

 

You see, it comes back to the knowledge of God’s sovereignty and the joy of our salvation. It comes back to the knowledge that God is indeed in control of all circumstances, even those that make no sense to us and grieve us deeply.

 

If anyone knew that, it was the Apostle Paul. Although he wrote this letter from Corinth, many of his other letters were written from prison. He describes how often he was whipped, beaten, and imprisoned. His colleagues and those whom he thought were his friends, close brothers in ministry, like Phygelus, Hermogenes, and even Demas, deserted him. On top of that he had poor eyesight, and he had that thorn in his flesh – that persistent ailment that he asked God to heal, but the Lord simply said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

 

And knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for every trial and every trouble, Paul would write in one of his letters from prison to that small struggling church at Philippi, a church that was nothing in the eyes of the world but precious in the sight of God: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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 everything through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11b-13).

 

God always gives the strength, but in His sovereign rule He doesn’t always deliver from the circumstance, even if the circumstance leads to painful death.

 

For instance, Betsy ten Boom was thankful for the fleas, but the fleas didn’t keep the guards away forever. Eventually they came and led Betsy to a gruesome death. But even then, the Lord gave her His sustaining strength, and her physical death brought her face to face with her Savior. She knew with saving faith the One who is our only comfort in life and in death.

____

 

Every Christian wants to know God’s will for their lives. It is only natural for you young people to want to know God’s will for your lives. I don’t know what God’s will is for you, whether to be single or married, to go to college or trade school or seek some calling that requires other preparation. 

 

I don’t know every detail of God’s will for those of us who are older as well. I don’t know the details of His will for our church, or our personal lives, or the lives of our families. Likewise, we don’t know the details of God’s will for our nation.

 

But we do know this from the Scripture verses before us: It is God’s will that we are sanctified, and that as sanctified, justified, children of God you and I are to be joyful – not just at special times and seasons – but always. 

 

May Christ Himself grant you and me His grace to increasingly live up to these commands: “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  Amen.