Good evening everyone. Tonight's
message is called Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks. Tonight we'll continue
our study in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. We'll be looking at
verses 16 to 18 tonight. So let's read from verses 12
to 18 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. And we beseech you, brethren,
to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the
Lord, and admonish you, to esteem them very highly, in love for
their work's sake, and be at peace among yourselves. Now we
exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the
feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See
that none render evil for evil unto any man, but follow that
which is good both among yourselves and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything
give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you. Now in these verses all the way
down until verse 23 Paul is giving exhortations to the brethren
at Thessalonica. Last week we saw that Paul exhorted
the brethren to warn them who are unruly in the congregation,
and to comfort the feeble-minded, and to support the weak, and
to be patient toward all. He also exhorted our brethren
not to render evil for evil to any man, but to follow that which
is good, both among yourselves, the brethren, and to all. The
verses that we will consider tonight address the attitude
of the thankful heart, the attitude of the regenerated heart, that
has been made to know what God has freely given to us in Christ
Jesus our Lord. And this is true of every born-again,
blood-washed saint of God. Carnal nature, conscience, self,
and Satan, and the world, seek to make us all pay excessive
attention to ourselves, or to our problems, or to our presumed
ability to overcome things in the power of the flesh. The flesh
is ever bent to self-defense, as we looked at on Sunday night.
Our eyes are too often cast on the things of this earth, this
world, and this view is always toxic. The problems, the troubles,
the tribulations are sure to come, just as the sun is sure
to rise, if the Lord wills, the next day. The temptations that
attend this life are common to all men, but thank God that He
has equipped the brethren with knowledge of the way to escape,
so that the trials are tempered with hope and expectation so
that we'll be able to bear up under them. Otherwise, those
trials and temptations would crush us. Let's now look at verse
16, where the scripture declares, rejoice evermore. We see that
Paul exhorts the believers at Thessalonica to rejoice evermore.
Now this has nothing to do with the posture or outward expression
of happiness. This is not someone hopping around
in glee with a giant smile on their face. Neither is this talking
about walking around in a trance-like state with a silly smile on your
face. This rejoicing that Paul is writing
about is all about the knowledge and understanding of the believer's
state in Christ. Jesus Christ is every believer's
joy. We rejoice in Him, for we are
the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and rejoice
in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh, none at all. We have no confidence in our
flesh. In Philippians 4, 4, the word of God proclaims, rejoice
in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. How
can we not rejoice as the people of God? We've been saved from
all our sins, the penalty of them and the condemnation of
them. We've been saved from that. How
can we not rejoice? The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the precious, precious blood of Christ has ransomed our eternal
souls. How can we not rejoice? God the
Father chose his people in Christ before the foundation of the
world. How can we not rejoice? The Holy Spirit of God has regenerated
us from our dead natural state that we were born into, as we
were born dead in trespasses and sins, but now by the power
and work and might of the Holy Spirit of God, we're alive in
Christ Jesus our Lord. So how can we not rejoice? The
truce of the gospel always causes the hearts of God's enlightened
saints to rejoice in the fact of a complete, finished salvation. in Christ and Christ alone. And
when we think upon that wondrous salvation, that complete atonement
that was made for our sins, it will cause the born again, blood-washed
saints of God to rejoice in Christ in all times. Remember, Paul
is writing, as we've studied in the past, Paul is writing
to these believers who are being persecuted for their faith. They're
being persecuted by their own countrymen, possibly even by
their own family members. And they're being persecuted
for their faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And he writes to them
here by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God to rejoice evermore. In the Greek, it is always rejoice. One of the traits of the believer
is that he or she rejoices in Christ. And Paul said this to
the believers at Philippi. And he said it in opposition
to those who would use their religion to oppress believers
in the midst of oppression. The believer rejoices in Jesus
Christ our Lord. In chapter four of the book of
Philippians, as I mentioned earlier, Paul pens these words. Rejoice,
and again, I say rejoice. Beloved of God, he says this
after he assures the believer that this rejoicing has nothing
to do with the flesh. Listen to what he says before
he says that. Philippians chapter 3 verses 4 to 11. Though I might
also have confidence in the flesh, if any man thinketh that he hath
whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. Circumcise the
eighth day of the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew
of the Hebrews, as touching the law, Pharisee. Concerning zeal,
persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in
the law, blameless. But what things were gained to
me, those I counted loss for Christ, yea, doubtless, and I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ. and be found in Him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith, that I may know Him, oh, in the power of His
resurrection, in the fellowship of His sufferings, being made
conformable unto His death, if by any means I may attain unto
the resurrection of the dead. So this rejoicing that Paul is
writing about is not about feeling good. It's about understanding
our standing in Christ. It's about having a joy and a
peace that passes all understanding, that keeps our hearts and our
minds focused upon Christ. And a believer in Christ has
at his disposal a wealth of knowledge that upon consideration will
cause them to always rejoice. When we reflect on what we have
in Christ and how God has been merciful to us, how can we do
anything but rejoice? We rejoice in our hearts. Just
reflect, beloved of God, reflect on our justification before God
in Christ, that we are accepted in Christ by God the Father. Just consider how we are now
clothed in the perfect spotless righteousness of Christ, and
how we now have peace with God by the sacrifice of Christ, and
how we are now fully accepted by God in Christ. Oh, beloved
of God. We have acceptance with God and
we are complete in Christ. Thinking upon these precious
truths will cause the believer to rejoice and to always rejoice
because these things will never change. Hallelujah. They will
never change because God who has saved us never changes. And this is why the believer
can rejoice in persecutions and can rejoice when he or she is
evil spoken of because great is your reward in heaven and
that reward is the Lord Jesus Christ. Another fact that the
believer in Christ can rejoice about is that their name is written
in heaven and has been since the foundation of the world.
Marvel at that truth, beloved of God, and rejoice, knowing
that time and circumstance are but the working of providence
on God's behalf, working together for his glory and for our good,
and for our good by God's sovereign predestination and will. the
believer in Christ also rejoices in the great covenant of grace
which is established and ordered in Christ and is sure oh this
is all our salvation and all our desire Christ in Christ alone
therefore rejoice beloved of God Now let's look at verse 17
where we see that Paul tells the Thessalonian believers and
to we who are reading this tonight, pray without ceasing. So we see
that Paul's next exhortation here before us is to pray without
ceasing. This does not have to do with
posture and certainly not to be done in order to be seen of
man. One cannot be on a bended knee
or have their head bowed at all times, lest he live this life
in a cave or in a monastery. And this is not a call, certainly
is not a call, to live in a monastery. No, not at all. Now, we know
in this life there will be trials to such a degree that nothing
will do but time in a closet with God. And this exhortation
covers that. It primarily speaks of our attitude
of prayer. This does not mean that God's
children are to be on their knees 24 hours a day before the throne
of grace, even though there's nothing wrong with kneeling before
God. But countless numbers of false
religionists prostate themselves in prayer before gods of their
own imagination, who are an abomination before our great triune God.
Again, this is speaking of an attitude of prayer, as prayer
is a matter of the heart. The Holy Spirit of God gives
us the same humble heart He gave the publican in Luke 18, 13,
who would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
In our living union with the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and
living God causes us to always live in an attitude of prayer. Every second of every minute
of every hour of every day, we are aware that we're nothing
but sinners saved by the amazing grace of God through the perfect
redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. And God's
people are praying people. We do go to the Lord Jesus Christ. We do go to the only mediator
between God and man in the privacy of our own closets, pouring out
our hearts to God in prayer. And also as a church family,
we assemble together on a regular basis for public prayer and worship,
and we pray for one another. Your moderation be known unto
all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful
for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known
unto God. In the peace of God, which passes
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus. Philippians 4 verses 4 to 7. We would do well to remember
the Ackerman Acts. Brother Tim James brings this
forth. It's a good definition of prayer. Adoration, confession,
thanksgiving, and supplication. Praying, like rejoicing, can
be done always. And let us approach the throne
of grace, knowing that we have access to the Father through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not forget to pray. Let
us pray frequently. And let us not leave off praying. We know that this verse is here
because it needs to be addressed. Therefore, let us take heed to
Paul's exhortation here in these verses, as praying is communication
with our great God. Anytime is the right time to
rejoice in the wondrous things that Christ has done for us.
Anytime is the right time for us to adore Him. Anytime is the
right time for us to praise Him. Anytime is the right time to
confess what we are to Him, to confess our need. Anytime is
the right time to thank Him for all He has done for us. Anytime
is the right time to ask for help for us and for others. It
only takes a moment to cry out to our great God, to ask the
Lord for help for us and for others. David said, I found it
in my heart to pray. Beloved of God, when you find
it in your heart to pray, then pray. And let us always remember
that praying is not about long repetitions. Turn, if you would,
to Matthew chapter 15. Praying's not about long repetitions
or rehearsed words. It's about speaking with your
Father, our Heavenly Father. It's about pouring out our heart
to Him. It's about telling Him what you
need. It's about worshiping Him. Look
at Matthew chapter 15, verses 21 to 28. Then Jesus went thence into the
coast of Thyre and Sidon. Again, here we have a divine
appointment. He's going to meet a woman of
Canaan, one of his lost sheep. Look at verse 22. And behold,
a woman of Canaan came out the same coast and cried unto him,
saying, now note her words here. Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou
Son of David, my daughter is grievously vexed with the devil.
Now look at here, have mercy on me. All God's people cry for
mercy, don't we? And then she says, O Lord, she
acknowledges him as Lord. But he answered her not a word,
and his disciples came and he saw him saying, send her away,
for she crieth after us. She was falling along and crying
after them, pleading for them to help. But he answered and
said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. Look at this though. Then came she and worshiped him. Oh, here's one of the Lord's
lost sheep. And what does she say? Lord,
help me. Lord, help me. What does the
leper say? He said, if thou will, thou can
make me clean. Her cry is, Lord, help me. That's
a cry of every believer, isn't it? Lord, help me. But he answered
and said, it is not meat to take the children's bread and cast
it to the dogs. And she said, truth, Lord. Again,
she just keeps calling them Lord. Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs
which fall from their master's table. Then Jesus answered and
said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Well, she'd been
granted faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Be it unto
thee even as thou will. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour. But look at the prayer of our
dear sister here. Look at her prayer in verse 25.
It's not long. It's not repetitious. No, it's
a confession of need from the heart, from a heart full of worship. She says, Lord, help me. So,
beloved, our text tonight, we see we are to live in an attitude
of prayer. even when we have no particular
need or request. Now let us consider verse 18
in our text. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 18. We see that this verse is a confirmation
of what we've already considered. Verse 18 says, In everything
give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you. Paul the Apostle, by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit of God, exhorts the Thessalonian believers, and
we who are looking at this text tonight, to give thanks in everything. Now we have a lot to give thanks
for, don't we? Oh my, when we consider our salvation
in Christ, when we consider what we deserve by nature and by birth,
and that's hell, and how we who are the people of God are spared
from that. Oh my. It's not hard for us to
give thanks, is it? And the born-again, blood-washed
children of God are aware that our great God is absolutely sovereign,
that He's in absolute control over all things, and that He
not only has a purpose for everything that happens in this life, but
everything in this world. And let us never forget that
all things were purposed by God before time began for the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the good of his people. Nothing
catches God by surprise. Absolutely nothing. So Thanksgiving,
beloved, is a consequence of grace and becomes the tenor of
the life of the child of God. Our life becomes a life of Thanksgiving,
Thanksgiving in our heart, of the praise and worship of our
great God and of the mercy and the grace that he's showing us. Thanksgiving for the believer
is a confession that we have no part in our salvation, no
part at all. And we are thankful for that.
We are thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ has saved us by
his grace alone and by his mercy. And he saved us, beloved. The
Lord Jesus Christ accomplished this salvation. He saved us according
to his mercy and grace. And this makes God's people thankful
because as believers we know that all we have and all we are
is by the grace of God. We thank God for our temporal
comforts, for our trials, for chastisement, for all things,
because the Lord says to his people, all things are yours
and all things work for your good. Pastor Henry Mahan made
the statement, very ungrateful is the man who does not set so
high a value on the righteousness of Christ and the hope of eternal
life, that he allows anything in this life to overshadow that
gift of grace. How can I complain when I am
an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ? Well, we can't,
can we? This is why we rejoice and pray
and give thanks to our great God. We read in the Holy Scripture,
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of
his good pleasure. Do all things without murmur
and disputing that you may be blameless. in harmless the sons
of God without rebuke in the midst of crooked and perverse
nation among whom you shine as lights in the world. Philippians
chapter 2 verse 13 to 16. For it is God, listen to these
words though again, for it is God which worketh in you both
to will and to do of his good pleasure. You're saved according
to God's good pleasure and so am I. Isn't that amazing? That
should cause us to be thankful. That should cause us to be prayerful.
That should cause us to rejoice. And it does. It does. Now, Paul said there, do all
things without murmuring, disputing, and that's easier said than done,
isn't it? But by God's Holy Spirit working in us, we can suppress
a murmuring spirit. So we've seen in these past few
weeks that these exhortations are not given without cause,
as being exhorted to be thankful in all things suggests that at
least in some things we're not so ready to offer thanks, and
we're not always prayerful, and we don't always rejoice. But
look at the next phrase in our text in verse 18, gives the reason
for our thanksgiving. and it teaches us more about
the sovereignty of our great God. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse
18. In everything give thanks, for
this is the will of God in Christ concerning you. This is the will,
this is the declared, revealed will of God. That will is in
Christ Jesus our Lord, and it concerns those who are in Christ.
And we say, Lord, thy will be done. May our great God ever
remind us, we who are his people, of all that he has done for us. And may we desire that our Father
would cause our minds and hearts to dwell on Christ. dwell on
His sacrifice for us, dwell on His substitutionary work for
us, dwell on the fact that He is our propitiation, and dwell
on the fact of an accomplished salvation, fully finished, and
we will rejoice, we who are the people of God, and we will be
prayerful, and we will be thankful when we think upon these things.
Glory be to God. Amen and amen.