Hold Fast to What Is Good

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23

1 Thessalonians 5:12–28– … to Serve the Living & True God
Second Sunday of Advent – December 6, 2020 (am)
 

Have you ever been in a situation where you were not really sure what to do, how to respond, how to act? Silly question, right? Of course you have. We all have! But I’m talking to believers right now, ones who desire to live a life that’s pleasing to God, hard as that can be.

And I’m talking about situations in which some kind of moral judgment needs to be made, or a standard upheld—whether to address that waiter’s attitude, how to respond to that driver who just cut you off. I’m talking about what you want to model for your kids who are listening as you receive that phone call from the doctor or as you see that annoying neighbor out the window or as you’re heading home from church after a disappointing worship service.

I’m talking about the exercise of living to please God (4:1; 2:4) in everyday circumstances from morning ’til night, about [walking] in a manner worthy of God (2:12). And that’s just what Paul is talking about to these Thessalonians believers. He’s been explaining the whys and hows of the Christian life, what their obedience to God ought to look like, and how it should work. Now, here, as he approaches the close of his letter, Paul initiates at staccato, rapid-fire set of brief instructions. It’s aimed in the same direction as the rest of his letter, but it’s suddenly very direct, almost terse, and quite ranging in the subjects he addresses. You can immediately feel the difference in style.

I think the purpose for this difference is to give them a well-rounded sense of the course their lives should follow. When we’re explaining something that’s multi-faceted and richly textured, we do the same thing. For instance, football is fast-paced and high-energy but the game happens in three-to-five second bursts, called plays, with breaks in between. Plays can take on many different forms, running and passing, to move the ball down the field and across the goal line for six points or to kick it between the goal posts for three. Some of the players are massive in size, both height and weight, but others are smaller and quicker. All of them wear protective padding but the pads can differ slightly depending on the position being played…. Paul is giving them broad yet detailed instruction—deep yet wide, specific yet general, quick yet (in context) clear teaching on how to press on in their work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in [their] Lord Jesus Christ (1:3), how to walk in a manner worthy of God (2:12), and to please God (4:1).

However, as he brought this plane in for a landing, he also drew their attention to the (only) means by which they would be able to do this. So, this is our outline today. Let’s use these two handles to take hold of this text.

How We Ought to Walk and to Please God – 12-22, 25-28

The first thing Paul says in this final section is 12 … to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord …. They are 13 … to esteem [their leaders] very highly in love because of their work, because of the work they do as leaders. And his next word is: Be at peace among yourselves. In this instruction it appears Paul is talking to both sides, the body and their leaders (Morris 102). So, the body is supposed to respond by honoring primarily v.12 and the leaders by honoring v.14, even though these charges (14) should be heard and heeded by all (Morris 102): 14 …admonish (same word as v.12) the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Admonish means to warn or to advise someone concerning the dangerous consequences of some happening or action (L-N). And idle refers not just to those who are inactive but to those who [refuse] to work (L-N). Evidently that may have been a problem in Thessalonica, and in 2Th.3:6-13 it will be grounds for church discipline—thus, the warning.

But we should also see the gentleness here, in the [encouragement] offered to the fainthearted, the discouraged (L-N), but also in the help given to the weak and the [patience], the forbearance, compassion, mercy, expressed to them all.

That’s what pleasing God looks like in the relationship between leaders and the body when a church is healthy.

But then in v.15 Paul moves from first/second person to third person making the remainder of this instruction sound more like principles than personal relationship. But even so, it’s anchored to all that’s going on in Thessalonica. And more, it resonates with NT teaching to all the churches, and so to us today. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone, recalling his words to Galatia (6:10) and anticipating those to Rome (12:17, 9) and also Peter’s first letter to his flock (3:9). Respond to evil with good. That’s a uniquely Christian virtue. It [pleases] God (4:1). 16 Rejoice always will reappear in a letter to another Macedonian church, in Philippi (4:30 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.); 17 pray without ceasing sounds a lot like Paul’s words to Ephesus (6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication…), and 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you anticipates his letter to Colossae (3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.). 19 Do not quench the Spirit not only sounds like Ephesians again (4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.) but seems to work like a hinge-verse here. Turning a deaf ear to any of the charges we just read will result in [quenching] the Spirit, dousing His fire that brings both the heat and the light to the life and witness of the church. But failing to hear and heed any of the following charges will do just the same. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. As you hear the proclamation of God’s Word, don’t get drawn into discussion of what’s wrong with it but focus on what’s right. Most practically, this is instruction on how to listen to the ministry of the Word. And it well may tie in with Paul’s opening words here about [respecting] those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you (12). God speaks through the proclamation of His Word. Trust Him to do that, listen for it, and lay hold of it despite any weakness you may hear in the proclaimer of it. And finally: 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

This is what it looks like to walk and to please God (4:1). And [everyone in this church need to hear] this [instruction] (27).

How We Are Able to Walk and to Please God – 23-25

But how is this supposed to happen? How were they supposed to remember and do what Paul was telling them to do? Were they supposed to put the first century version of post-it notes on their bathroom mirrors? That might’ve helped them remember, but how are you at doing some of these things in the heat of any given moment—[respecting] your [leaders] (12) even when you disagree with them (strongly), [being] patient with those among us who struggle (14), who are weak, returning good for evil (15)—how are these going for you? How about [abstaining] from every form of evil, every form? This is the calling of God. This is how we please [Him] (4:1), how we walk in a manner worthy of [Him] (2:12). So, how’s it going?

I think the same thing was happening in Thessalonica. They were doing well. Their love for one another was known far and wide (1:8) and they were [walking] to please God (4:1). Paul just wanted them to do so more and more (4:1). But where does that strength come from? How do you feel when those who are over you… admonish you (12), saying: You’re doing well, just do better! Where does the strength come from to do that?

Paul tells us here. He opened his closing section back in c.4 with that affirmation; remember it? 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification…. And we learned there that this assertion is not cracking a whip over Paul’s readers but is actually reassuring them that God is working in them to make them holy. He has purposed it and He will do it! Now he’s closing this closing section affirming the same thing: 23 … may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Our [sanctification] is God’s work! And he will surely do it! This is why we rejoice always (16) and pray without ceasing (17) and give thanks in all circumstances (18) and even do not quench the Spirit (19) or despise prophesies (20). I think this is why Paul wanted to [make sure that everyone in this church heard] this letter (27), and also why he wanted them to pray for [him and his team] (25), because they longed for God’s work of [sanctifying] grace just like the Thessalonians did! And they wanted to embrace it, not quench it or despise it!

Just what Paul has been saying to these Thessalonians throughout this letter, I want to say to you. 4:13 [I] thank God constantly for this, that when you [receive] the word of God… from us, from this pulpit, you [accept] it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14 For you… [become] imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are addressed in [its pages]. That is a blessing to your Elders. We feel your respect (12)— your notes in the Friendship Register this past week affirm that you esteem [us] highly in love because of [our] work (13). You’re hearing and heeding the Word of God and we delight in that! You’re [encouraging] the fainthearted, [helping] the weak, and [being] patient with [each other] (14) even during these frustrating, increasingly maddening days. If you haven’t seen pictures of yesterday’s homecoming celebration for Logan Weyer and his family, ask almost anyone about it; I think half the church must have been there!

I believe this church is [walking] to please God (4:1). But this is no time to rest and recline. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. What we have could be taken from us in a moment! So, 4:1 … we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. … 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification, with everything it entails, from this letter! So: 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And you can be confident that 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

This is the good news we should hear from God’s Word on this second Sunday of Advent. Christ, Who has come into the world for our justification, has also secured our sanctification to the praise and glory of God. [T]he God of peace (23) has sent us the Prince of Peace (Isa.9:6) to grant us the grace and peace (1:1; 5:23, 28) with which Paul brackets this letter to the Thessalonians, and to us. Let’s now remember His death together in Communion.

Next Sunday: To Comfort All Who Mourn, Isaiah 61:1–4