Having Joy In All Circumstances

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Having Joy In All Circumstances

We are here today to engage with a theme that is as timeless as it is timely, as profound as it is personal: Thankfulness. And not just any thankfulness , but a thankfulness that goes deep in our faith, a thankfulness that springs from the well of our relationship with God, a thankfulness that does not depend on our circumstances but is a constant, a given, as steady and sure as the love of God that inspires it.

This is a scripture from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, the Apostle Paul writes:

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

These words, written long ago, resonate with us today with a clarity and a relevance that is truly divine. They remind us that our joy, our prayerfulness, our thankfulness are not dependent on what is happening around us, but on what is happening within us, within our hearts, within our faith.

Once we become aware that the main business that we are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place. We can harness happiness through thankfulness. We gather here, not as strangers, but as family united in Christ. We are here not to merely hear the Word, but to let it shape us, mold us, and guide us.

We expect life to have a few bumps, BUT NOT ONE CONSTANT ROLLER-COASTER RIDE FULL OF PAIN, MISERY AND BRUISES!

Family, we all get "dumped on" in life! Rich and poor, saints and sinners alike. Some worse than others, of course.

How do we get "dumped on" in life? In all kinds of ways. A poor home life, a bad upbringing, family troubles, marital messes, financial struggles, work hassles, addictive practices, health problems, and the list goes on.

Life is not very good to us at times. And sometimes it seems rotten, but this doesn’t mean that we can’t experience a richer, fuller life! It is possible! But only in the Lord!

John 10:10 Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL."

"The thief." Who is that? Satan. Satan comes to steal life from us. He wants to steal the rich, full life from us. BUT JESUS CAME TO GIVE IT TO US!

I believe that the answer to a richer, fuller life is in Jesus Christ. It is found in a continual relationship to Him through Commitment, Surrender, and Obedience. There are all kinds of things that we can do to bring about a richer, fuller in Christ.

Brothers & Sisters I want to submit to you that you Worship out of your experience. For Every Great Why, There Is a Great How!! For Every Great Why, There Is a Great How!!

Why do you come to church on Sunday morning? Why do you get up every week and come to the same place & sit in the same pew, next to the same people, listen to the same Preacher, go to the same Bible Study Class, go to the same Sunday School class, every week without FAIL? Your worship is born out of Your Experience. The Bible says that “TRIBULATION WORKETH PATIENCE” AND PATIENCE EXPERIENCE” AND EXPERIENCE HOPE”. Hope does not make us ashamed because the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. The Only way to Worship or if I may say properly Worship is what you have been through. YOU CAN TELL SOMEBODY ELSES TESTIMONY, but it’s not your testimony. You can carry on like somebody is carrying on, but if it’s not born out of your experience, it is false and fake, phony and untrue. But when God has been real good to you, When God has really brought you out, YOUR WORSHIP TAKES A DIFFERENT TURN FROM THE ORDINARY TO THE EXTRAORDINARY.

It’s No longer routine, It’s No longer repetitious, Its no longer just showing UP!! NOW that you know WHY, you get excited about HOW. I KNOW WHY I WORSHIP!!!, but PAUL Teaches Us How To Worship!! He says REJOICE!! Evermore, ALWAYS BE REJOICING, ALWAYS BE EXCITED!! ALWAYS BE ENTHUSIASTIC!! ALWAYS REJOICE, ALWAYS FULL OF JOY!!

PRAY CONTINUOUSLY WITHOUT CEASING!! IN EVERYTHING, NOT FOR EVERYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING. I’m not Grateful for Cancer, but I HAVE JOY IN that SITUATION. I’M NOT GRATEFUL FOR MY HEARTACHE!! BUT I’M JOYFUL IN THE MIDST OF MY SITUATION!! I’M NOT GRATEFUL FOR THE STORM, BUT I HAVE JOY IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM .

In I Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul gives us a trilogy of simple acts to do that will help to bring about a richer, fuller life in Christ. The marks of a Christian is laid out in these verses are JOY (v.16), PRAYER (v.17), and GRATITUDE (v.18). The person so oriented lives according to the will of God.

The Letters to the Thessalonians (7. “Be Joyful … Pray … Give Thanks”—Communion with God (5.16–18))

The first exhortation of the trilogy is, Be joyful always. Paul has already noted the joy the Thessalonians experienced, even in the face of suffering. A few supportive verses are: Matt. 5:11–12; Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:”

Colossians 1:11 “strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;”

which was evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. This joy should always be in their lives, in whatever circumstances they found themselves (Phil. 3:1; 4:4). The apostles never encourage believers to deny that adversity brings sadness and grief (see 4:13; 1 Pet. 1:6; Rom. 12:15), but they recognize that in the midst of the most agonizing situations the presence of God through his Spirit can infuse the soul with hope and the heart with joy. This joy is rooted deeply in the gospel (Luke 2:10–11) and became one of the primary distinctives of the Christian community.

Most people try to find their joy in the toys, trinkets, and treasurers of this life. But none of them are lasting. None of them bring lasting joy or happiness.

When I started working out in the gym I had no idea the pleasure, the high that it would bring. I discovered how daily exercise was exciting, and so real! One my best times in the gym I ran on the tread mill and used the elliptical machine for over 45 minutes. When I realized the amount of time I spent and how tired I was , all I could shout when I was done is “Praise the Lord!"

Family, I have discovered a certain amount of enjoyment in each of these. But I have also discovered that enjoyment is not lasting.

I Tim. 6:17 "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."

It’s all right to enjoy the blessings that God has given us. If it’s something good, it’s from God and to be enjoyed. Be it food, fishing, clothes, cars or whatever. But we must not put all our eggs in one basket! The basket of this world.

We can get wrapped up in the world and worldly things to the point that we forget where true joy comes from. If we seek after joy in the toys and trinkets of this world we are going to be sadly disappointed. THERE AIN’T NO POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW! There will come a time when they will bring no joy, no satisfaction to us. True joy, lasting joy is not found in the things of this world!

Habakkuk. 3:17-18 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no cattle in the stalls, YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL BE JOYFUL IN GOD MY SAVIOR."

Habakkuk saw a time when he might not have any material possessions, but still, he would rejoice! His joy was not based on the material things of this life, but rather the living, eternal God!

If we want a richer, fuller life we must find our joy in the Lord! Enjoy your life. Yes. Enjoy your blessings. But dig deeper. Get spiritual. Look up. Seek the Lord. He will sustain you, save you and bring a joy into your life that will never cease!

IS THERE ANYBODY HERE WHO KNOWS THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH, THAT GOD CAN GIVE YOU AN UNSPEAKABLE JOY. DON’T LET YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, DICTATE YOUR JOY!! GOD HAS BEEN TOO GOOD!!

YES IT’S OK TO CRY SOMETIMES!! SCRIPTURE ALSO TELLS US THAT” WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT, BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!!!

REJOICE FOREVERMORE!!! THAT’S THE FRIST EXORTATION OF THIS TRILOGY

Verse # 16 leads us into Praise!!! REJOICE FOREVER MORE!

2. V. 17- PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

The second exhortation of the trilogy is to pray continually. This imperative is sometimes understood as a call to pass each waking moment every day in prayer, a goal that is psychologically out of reach!

Some conversations in life are not very nice nor peaceable. We’ve all had them. We’ve experienced them either at work or at home or somewhere. But we need to make our conversations with others as good and uplifting as we can. We all need to think before we speak.

Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen."

Proverbs 12:18 "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

Brothers and sisters, we must work at making our conversations with others a blessing. We must learn to bless people with our words!

Even though some conversations are not nice or peaceable, I know of one conversation that is always pleasant and peaceable!

Psalm 18:1-3 "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies."

SAVED FROM MY ENEMIES. Doesn’t that sound good? Reassuring? Comforting? David was saying, "I get salvation, peace and security from the Lord. From talking to the Lord."

Psalm. 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit... He set my feet on a rock. He put a new song in my mouth."

David said, "I had a conversation with the Lord about my slimy pit of a life and he lifted me out of it. He brought peace into my life. He brought joy back into my life."

Psalm 42:1-2 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"

David found such joy and security in the Lord that he couldn’t wait to talk to Him, to converse with Him, to commune with Him.

The Lord’s command to his disciples that “they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1) or Paul’s exhortation to the Romans that they should “persevere in prayer” (Rom. 12:12 NRSV; Eph. 6:18; Col. 4:2), as the apostles themselves did for the churches (1 Thess. 1:2–3; 2:13; 3:10; 2 Thess. 1:11; and Rom. 1:9). Prayer was not to be limited to prescribed hours but should rather be a common and constant element in their daily life. At other points in these letters the apostle also called on the Thessalonians to keep him and his associates in their prayers (5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1).

Pray Continually, Praise Continually.

This does not mean to walk around everywhere you go.....( example speaking in tongs).

That’s not what that means:

Here is what it means..... are you ready? To Pray Without Ceasing means that it is the picture of a person with a ( Enter Mitten Cough). You’re not coughing All Day, but there is a tickle in the back of your throat; where every once in a while ( it’s a demonstrate the cough). Cough is possible; you’re not coughing all day. A cough can come up at any minute.

You are not PRAYING ALL DAY, BUT IF YOU NEED IT!!! IT’S RIGHT IN THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT; Your not Praising All Day, but when GOD let something Come Your Way!!!! A Praise Just Jumps Up Right AWAY!! IT’S RIGHT IN THE BACK OF YOUR HALLELUJAH!!

THANK YOU JESUS!!!! IT’S ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT. People who know you, know not to come to your job talking about the Lord. You trying to make me loose my job!! Don’t call me while I’m cooking and talking about how Good God has been to you!!; You trying to make me burn my FOOD.

God’s been JUST THAT GOOD TO YOU, THAT NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, IT JUST COMES UP, BECAUSE IT’S IN THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT!!

Likewise just like Praise and prayer is like a (Enter Mitten Cough) in the back of your THROAT.

There are some things that are cough suppressants. Pride is a cough suppressant, Jealously is a cough suppressant, Hatred Suppresses your Praise cough. Judgmental Spirits is a cough suppressant, Fornication, is a cough suppressant, Wrath, Strife, Adultery is a cough suppressant, Envy Is a Cough Suppressant, Lust is a Cough Suppressant.

God wants to Get A Praise Out of You!!, but He has to get some other stuff out of YOU! IS There anybody here who knows that YOUR Praise has been Perfected because of what you have been Through!! ( I just want to know if there’s 2 or 3 believers here whose Praise has been Perfected because of what the Storms that you been through, by the mess that you got yourself in, and by the mess that God got you out of. Then my the mess that God kept you from getting IN!! Is There anybody here who knows what I’m Talking About? I just want to know is there anybody here who Don’t have it all Together; I’m talking to the one who know’s that it hasn't always been a bed of Roses!!!! At any moment a Praise Can Come UP!

Listen, if it’s Real it will happen In The Car! It will happen While You’re Sitting In the House By Yourself. It Don’t even have to be Sunday Morning!!! You can just go look in your Closet and see how God has Blessed You, You dot’t even have to go that far; When your eyes open in the morning, once you inhale & exhale, when you know that you are in your right Mind!!!

That’s Enough for a ( DEMONSTRATE A COUGH) THANK YOU JESUS!! Get behind the wheel of the car, and remember when you didn't have one!! ( DEMONSTRATE A COUGH) THANK YOU JESUS!! Sit down at your table to eat a meal, look at the food in your refrigerator ( DEMONSTRATE A COUGH) THANK YOU JESUS!! Is There anybody hear who’s got a Praise In The Back of Your THROAT!!!!! don’t let anybody SUPPRESS YOUR HALLELUJAH!!!!!

Finally my Brothers & Sisters

V. 18 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Paul put his emotional, mental and spiritual focus on the good things He had in Christ. It would have been easy for Paul to feel sorry for himself. The Jews sought to put Paul to death. The Romans hunted him like a dog and imprisoned him with chains. Even his best friends deserted him, yet he gave thanks for every situation because He knew God is in control of whatever might happen to him. Paul wrote, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21)

Paul allowed every circumstance to teach Him more about Christ and His will. The church planting apostle wrote, "Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Phil. 3:7,8) Every encounter can either make us bitter or better.

Paul saw every problem as an opportunity to advance God’s kingdom and righteousness. Paul wrote, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.""(Phil. 3:10)

Paul thanked God for everything as it directed Him back to Christ’s priorities. Paul wrote, "As sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet making many rich; having nothing and yet possessing everything." (2 Cor. 6:8-10) Paul knew that the things of the world pale in comparison with the riches that we have in doing the will of God. Do not settle for second best ministries.

Paul sang songs of thanksgiving and praise to God in prison and found joy. The overflowing joy expressed in Paul’s songs led others to Christ and allowed prisoners to go free. Your thankful attitudes have an infectious way of contributing greatly to others blessings.

Paul wrote, "In everything give rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." (I Thes. 5:16-18)

God multiplies thankful people. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE THAT’S NOT ASHAMED TO SAY THAT THEY ARE THANKFUL???

FAMILY I ENCOURAGE YOU TO HAVE JOY IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!!! IS THERE ANYBODY HERE THAT CAN SAY: AND HE WALKS WITH ME AND TALKS WITH ME AND HE TELLS ME THAT I AM HIS OWN; AND THE JOY WE SHARE, AS WE TARRY THERE, NONE OTHER HAS EVER KNOWN!!!

IF THE LORD HAS BEEN GOOD TO YOU, RIGHT NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO PRAISE HIM, IF THE LORD HAS MADE A WAY FOR YOU, GET THAT PRAISE FROM THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT!! (THANK YOU!!!)

He’s a rock in a weary land, He’s a Shelter in the time of a Storm, A Friend when you are Friendless, Bread When You’re Hungry, He’s Water when you’re Thirsty, HE DIED, DIDN’T HE DIE, BUT BRIGHT EARLY SUNDAY MORNING HE GOT UP WITH ALL POWER!!!

“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

He can turn your situation around too. No matter how desperate your situation seems, you can accept Christ, and God will turn you around. He has a plan for you individually, will you come to Him today?