Three things to always do

start recorder on mixer

What three disciplines should Christians always exercise? . . . good times or bad times?

Things so important that even if they were being beat, jailed, and killed, you would still say, “Make sure that you . . .

Being led by the Spirit of God, Paul wrote to a church facing this very problem. He answered some questions they had about death and the resurrection (since a number of them had been killed), he also wrote some things to build up their faith, and in his final instructions, Paul gives three commands to them. Three things for them to always do . . . three things for us to always do

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NASB95

16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

let’s start at the end: This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

this is what God wants you to do all the time, rejoice, pray, give thanks

because you have a relationship with Christ, because of what Christ has done for you, because of who you are in Christ, because of the assurance you have in Christ . . . you can and need to do these three things

each day when you wake up, you know at least three things that God wants you to do that day: rejoice, pray, give thanks

And In the original greek, the verbs are in the imperative form.

These are commands: I command you to rejoice always, I command you to pray without ceasing, I command you to give thanks in everything

first, Let’s talk about obeying these commands in the good times

in the good times rejoice

now this rejoice is not so much the emotion of being happy . . . because happiness is based on happenstance . . . on what’s happening . . . . and we don’t always like what’s happening

this rejoice is deeper

this rejoice is more of a chosen attitude . . . a good attitude, joyous attitude, a positive outlook

that’s not so bad in good times, because I feel like rejoicing anyway

when some money comes my way

when I complete a goal

when things work out in my favor

I usually have a good attitude, positive outlook . . . I can do that preacher

one caution: sometimes we are in the good times and don’t know it

we can get so focused on the 6 wrong things our lives, and making those better, that we become blind to the 100 good things in our lives . . . and we mistake good times for bad times, and thus we don’t rejoice

And you don’t realize that it was good, until things get a lot tougher

you don’t realize it until life gets way more complicated

you don’t realize it until after a resource is removed

you don’t realize it until after that person passes away,

That’s why a lot of grown folks look back at their youth, and realize now those were some good days

I could run, jump, walk, and bend over without pain

someone paid all of my bills - rent, electricity, gas, water, cable, medical

people bought my clothes

bought me presents on my birthday and Christmas

bought and cooked all of the food on Thanksgiving

people chaffeured me around

vacations throughout the year, Summer break, Christmas break, spring break, every holiday

the only thing many of us had to do was go to school, clean our room, and clean the kitchen . . . we were living in good times and did not know it

but did we rejoice all that time? . . . no, often we complained about how hard life was, how unfair our parents were, how we couldn’t wait to be on our own . . . we were in the good times, and did not know it, and did not rejoice

but if you obey the command and rejoice always, even if you mistake a good time for a bad time, you still would have rejoiced

had a good attitude, joyous attitude, a positive outlook . . . instead of making yourself miserable

in the good times, rejoice

in the good times, pray without ceasing

this one is tougher, good times are not conducive to prayer

because in good times we forget that we need God

in good times we forget that we can’t live without him, and prayers come up missing

but we need God all the time, even in the good times, just like the songs says, “I need thee, Oh I need thee, every hour I need thee”

don’t let the good times mess up your prayer life

pray just as hard

just as often

just as long as you do when times are hard

we should communicate with God all the time about everything

don’t just pray when you need to be bailed out of trouble

Proverbs 3:6 – in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct

in other words, he desires to be all up in your business:

what you do, what you don’t do, what you say, how you say it, What you wear, eat, drink, health, marriage, boyfriend, girlfriend, career, money, your politics, your leisure time, Which way to drive home, who to bless, who to avoid,

Since he takes time to number the hairs on our head, He is certainly concerned about the details of our lives,

so pray without ceasing even in the good times. there is still plenty to talk about

Involving Him in everything! Ppray without ceasing!

in the good times, rejoice . . . . pray

in the good times give thanks

that’s not too bad preacher . . . I try to be thankful, and it is easier to be thankful when things are going your way

caution: you can start taking things for granted in good times

you get so used to blessings that you think you deserve them, have a right to them

you begin to think you are supposed to wake up and see, hear, walk, talk, have shelter, have food, have clothes, job

and you forget that his mercies are new every morning

food today doesn’t mean food tomorrow

job today doesn’t mean job tomorrow

shelter today doesn’t mean shelter tomorrow

ask some people who have been through earthquakes, tornadoes, fires

God blesses us so much that we are commanded to make a conscious effort to be thankful every day

in the good times . . . rejoice, pray, and give thanks everyday

What about in the bad times?

in the bad times . . . .

16 Rejoice always. (rejoice evermore)

the command is the same . . . no condition (beat, jailed, killed)

in the bad times choose to rejoice

Choose to be joyful

choose to have a good attitude

Choose to be positive

choose to leave complaints unsaid

The Psalmist says, This is the day that the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it I will be glad . . . he never said if he was happy or if things were going good

he is saying that he will rejoice, he is choosing to rejoice: I will clap my hands, I will shout, praise, dance . . . a decision to rejoice

But the question is: “How can I rejoice always?”

How can I have a positive attitude about a negative situation, a good attitude about a bad circumstance?

Isn’t how I feel is just how I feel? . . .Yes, but what are you basing your feelings on?

if you base your joy on circumstances, it’s impossible to always rejoice, because circumstances are constantly changing

so if you want to rejoice even in difficult times, you must base your joy on God because God doesn’t change, He is a rock

no matter what happens, no matter the circumstances, good or bad times

he is always on the throne

he always loves you

he always cares for you

he is always working things out for your good

he is always by your side because he promised never to leave you

and if you base your feelings on that, you can always rejoice

and if it is too much for you right now to rejoice about what is happening, rejoice about what will happen, rejoice because you have hope for tomorrow

we do it all the time, when people are broke, they have an extra bounce in their step during pay week . . .

payday has not arrived, as of that moment they are still broke, but they rejoice on what will happen . . . I am broke now, but I won’t be broke tomorrow

if you can’t rejoice because of now, you can still rejoice in the now because of with God there is always hope for tomorrow

God is going to come through, make a way, work it out

so we are commanded to put a little bounce in our steps . . . even in toug times, rejoice

Let me give you some practical help with this rejoicing thing . . . you have to be quick to rejoice

I’ve shared what I call the 5 Second rule before: One secret to rejoicing always is to not dwell on bad circumstances too long

As a teacher who dealt with young kids for years, we had to do this all the time: kid falls down, got knocked down, and it hurts, but they are not injured, more surprise and shock, . . . . you have about 5 seconds to convince them that it’s going to be ok: “hop on up and go play…it’s gonna ok, go have fun… you’re ok, keep going” I

if you do it right away (within 5 seconds) they will keep on keeping on

it was only one child that it took awhile to get this through to her. She would just fall down and stay down, she was convinced that when you get knocked down the proper response was to lay there in sadness

it took a while, but until we were finally able to convince her that she could get back up again and play

took a little while, but we finally convinced her that though she fell down, she could shake it off, and still have joy

I came here to tell you that when you are knocked down, you don’t have to stay down. I know life has taken you by surprise and you feel a little shaken up. I know that you’re tempted to just stay down

But I say, hop up and praise . . . it’s gonna be ok so keep going on, keep living your life . . . shake it off and you can still rejoice

the next time you get that letter, phone call, text, email , that tries to bring you down . . . be quick . . . you got about 5 seconds to say “This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made I will rejoice amd be glad

I can do all things through

weeping may endure for a night but

there is nothing too hard for God

and if you do, you will find yourself yet rejoicing in hard times

and yoiu can be like the prophet Habakkuk

Habakkuk 3:17–19 NLT

17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

he is going to rejoice because God is is salvation . . . he has hope for tomorrow

even says put some music to it

another good idea to help you rejoice always - Christian music

back to our main Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NASB95

16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

also in the bad times, Pray without ceasing. (pray continually)

don’t get so sad that you stop praying

don’t get so mad that you stop praying

don’t get so frustrated/down that you stop praying

in bad times, you really need to keep the lines of communication open

Do like Jesus in then garden - pour out your heart before the Lord

tell him all your troubles, fears

and like Jesus, keep praying until you feel your strength coming on

in the bad times, don’t stop praying

and in the bad times, give thanks in everything

this is Not thanks for everything, but in everything . . . give thanks In everything, in every situation, find a reason to be grateful

one reason to be thankful is that God is preparing you through those tough times . . . teaching . . . maturing . . . strengthening . . . improving you

99% of our growth came from hard times . . . give thanks in everything

also give thanks because there is usually a blessing inside of most of your complaints

My kids acting up . . . oh that means that they are still alive

Trouble on my job. . . oh you have a job

No money for Electric bill . . . but water is still on

I’m tired of eating the same old thing . . . oh you have food

My parents didn’t raise me…but big momma took me in

It’s kind of irritating when people ask you for new stuff but haven’t given thanks for the old stuff. So Everyday needs to be a day of thanksgiving, every day you need to count some blessings.

We count everything else: bills, problems, money, how many times somebody disrespected you “they got one more time” . . .counting

If we can count those things, then we can also count blessings and name them one by one, and see what the Lord has done.

I’m going through some rought things right now, but I also am going through some blessings

Allow me just to count a few of my blessings . . .I thank God for my family, church family, food, shelter, and clothes, transportation, gas money, keeping me safe on the highways, keeping me safe on the small roads, TV, phone, bed, blanket, table, my chairs, glasses to drink from, and glasses to wear,

talk, walk, I can see, I can hear, shoes on my feet, and clothes on my back, friends to encourage me, enemies to motivate me

all the times he made a way, all the times he brought me out, every time he has forgiven me, and every 2nd chance, 3rd chance, 4th chance, putting me on the right track, and then helping me stay on the right track, rescuing me from this, rescuing me from that, saving me from this and saving me from that, keeping me from this, and keeping me from that, cleaning me up from this, cleaning me up from that,

Most of all I thank God for Jesus, he came for me, set an example for me, suffered for me, bled for me, was put on the cross for me, dies for me, rose again for me, saved me, justified me, sanctified me, coming back for me, calling me his child, and giving me power to life this life, . .

so everyday, in good and bad times

I will rejoice, I will pray and I will give thanks.

Inviation

That’s why mature Christians can face death of loved ones and still rejoice, pray, and give thanks

we are sad, be we have a positive attidue “we’ve come to celebrate”

we pray for strength, peace

give thanks for their lives

that can only come throught Christ Jesus