****1 thessalonians 5:18

1 Thessalonians 5:15–18 (NRSV)

15 See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

A godly lifestyle is frowned upon by this world. Many churches do not require a godly lifestyle from their members. A godly lifestyle does not interest many in our world today. A godly lifestyle requires patience and persistence, work and warfare, surrender and service, and that turns many away from pursuing a godly lifestyle. No matter what the world looks down on, or what many churches do not require, Jesus still requires His people to live godly and holy lives. If the Lord requires a godly lifestyle from His people we need to find out how we can live to please Him.

God has commissioned us to go and reach this world for Jesus. We cannot do that if we live like the world lives. The church of Jesus Christ is to be different from the world. How can we do that? Paul instructed the Thessalonians on how to live godly in their world. Our worship and walk will make an eternal difference in our lives and those around us. How can we know that we are living godly? This passage instructs believer’s on areas of our lives that must be godly if we are going to live godly in today’s world.

I. Our practice. (15)

“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.”

Paul specifically commands the church on individual areas of their lives. The church must practice what it preaches. If we are going to live godly in today’s world the first area that must be brought under the Lord Jesus is our practice. Our daily living is what Paul is talking about here. Christians must not do evil, think evil, or speak evil. Romans

The church was under persecution by the Gentiles and the Jews. Their first inclination was to lash out and get back at those who were getting at them. Paul not only instructs the believers to practice giving out good, but also to pursue what is good. Pursue: (diokete) A.T. Robertson defines it as, “Keep up the chase after the good.” Just as a police officer is in hot pursuit of a criminal, because that is his job to apprehend the evil, so the Christian must be in hot pursuit of good, because that is our job, to apprehend the good and give out the good in our daily living.

Paul says, “Pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” The church must look out for the best interest for all people. The Christian must practice daily this type of lifestyle. The Christian life is not a hit and miss type of life, but it is to be a constant and consistent, passionate and persistent type of lifestyle. We are to be practicing daily Christian living.

My friend Mitch Holsenback works as a sprinkler installer. Years ago he hurt his back on the job and had to go to his doctor in Montgomery. Through various check ups and analysis the doctor concluded that my friend needed back surgery. My friend went though back surgery and rehab. A year later he had to go back to his doctor for a check up. My friend went to his same doctor, in the same building, in the same office, doing the same things. The doctor was still practicing medicine. The doctor had been doing the same thing since the last time my friend saw him. God has called us to day in and day out practice godly living. It does matter how we live in this world! The first area Paul covers is the area of our practice. In verses 16 and 18 we notice the area of:

II. Our praise. (vs. 16, 18)

(A.) The manner of our praise. (16)

“Rejoice always,”

The second area Paul covers is the area of our praise. Everyone will praise something at sometime or another. It is in mankind to praise and worship something. For Christians we can truly rejoice at all times because of what Jesus has done for us. If knowing what Jesus had done for us does not cause us to rejoice, we need to check ourselves to make sure that what Jesus has done has been applied to our lives. Great Bible Fact: There should not be a day that goes by that we do not rejoice in Jesus.

When we come together to celebrate the resurrected Son of God it should be a joyous occasion. When we do not rejoice in Jesus we sin against God. Jimmy Draper wrote, “A genuine church of God is first of all a happy church. God forbid that we should look as if somebody just died when we come together in the church. We are to be a rejoicing church.” Amen!

The Bible says, “Rejoice always.” The phrase translated “rejoice always” literally reads, “at all times be rejoicing.” When the Son of God is Lord of the church the church will be filled with rejoicing. The church should be rejoicing whether we are gathered or scattered. We are to rejoice in Jesus at all times. Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Thomas Constable wrote, “A Christian’s joy does not spring from his circumstances, but from the blessings that are his because he is in Christ.” The manner of our praise is that we do it always. Do you rejoice in the Lord at all times? Does Jesus captivate your thoughts, your affections, your song, or your honor? In verse 16 Paul gives us the manner of our praise. In verse 18 we see:

(B.) The mandate for our praise. (18)

“in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

If we are going to live godly in this world today we must practice the commands of Scripture and we must also praise our Creator and Savior. One preacher well said, “We can worship the Lord without words, but we can not praise Him without words.” Some of us need to get freed up and begin to praise the Lord. We have a mandate from the Lord to praise Him. He demands our praise and He deserves our praise.

In our praise to God we are to rejoice always and we are to give thanks in everything. God commands His people to give thanks to Him! We should give God praise, honor, and glory because of what He has given to us. God gave Jesus for us and when we trusted Jesus as our Lord, He gave Jesus to us. The reason I can give thanks in everything is because Jesus lives in my heart. In Everything: (en panti) it refers to all that occurs in life. Because God is at work in our lives and no matter what we go through He is there with us and He’s working in us and through us, we can give thanks. Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in we can rejoice in the Lord and give thanks in everything.

An evergreen is always green despite the changes in weather around it. It is green in the heat of summer as well as the cold of winter. So also our lives are to be characterized by an enduring thankfulness that is unaffected by the changes around us. When the heat of a pressured week or the deadly cold of pain strikes us, we should stand ‘ever green,’ always thankful, regardless of that which surrounds us.

In King David’s song of thanksgiving the Bible says in 1 Chronicles 16:8, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!” Psalm 92:1, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;” We are to give thanks to God, to bless His glorious name. Psalm 34:1–3, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

Why are we to praise Him and give Him thanks? “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” God’s will for His people is to praise His holy name. It amazes me that we can bless the Lord with our praises. Why we don’t praise Jesus amazes me even more. God’s will for us is to give Him thanks for Jesus, in Jesus, and through Jesus in everything!

Corrie ten Boom in the Hiding Place relates an incident that taught her always to be thankful. She and her sister, Betsy, had just been transferred to the worst German prison camp they had seen yet, Ravensbruck. On entering the barracks, they found them extremely overcrowded and flea- infested. That morning, their Scripture reading in 1 Thessalonians had reminded them to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. Betsy told Corrie to stop and thank the Lord for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie at first flatly refused to give thanks for the fleas, but Betsy persisted, and Corrie finally succumbed to her pleadings. During the months spent at that camp, they were surprised to find how openly they could hold Bible study and prayer meetings without guard interference. It was not until several months later that they learned the reason the guards would not enter the barracks was because of the fleas.

God’s will for us is to praise Him and to rejoice in Him always. John MacArthur wrote, “It is God’s will that all those who are in Christ Jesus should express constant joy, constant prayer, and constant thanksgiving. And God not only mandates those expressions of righteousness, but He makes it possible for believers to articulate them—and is pleased when they do.” The first area of our lives that should be in line with the Word of God is our practice. The second area is our praise. In verse 17 we see:

III. Our prayer. (17)

“pray without ceasing,”

If we are going to live godly in today’s world we must pray daily. We must be men and women of prayer. We must be godly, holy, and in communication with God. We must not only try to analyze or strategize about prayer, but we must apply prayer to our daily lives.

This is an imperative from the word of God. John MacArthur says about the word pray, “It encompasses all the aspects of prayer; submission, confession, petition, intercession, praise, and thanksgiving.” This command should be heeded by all because it is such a privilege to pray. Because of Jesus we can go into the throne room of God. Great Word: If we are men and women of prayer, daily communing with the Father, we will have wisdom to know how to speak, know ledge to know how to act, and understanding to know how to relate in a godly way to those around us. Ephesians 6:18, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” Colossians 4:2, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”

To please the Father and live godly in this world we must have our practice, praise, and prayer in line with the Father’s will. Paul tells the church to “pray without ceasing.” Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Pray without ceasing’ does not mean we must always be mumbling prayers. The word means ‘constantly recurring,’ not continuously occurring.” John MacArthur says, “Without ceasing means ‘constant’ and defines prayer not as some perpetual activity of kneeling and interceding but as a way of life marked by a continual attitude of prayer.” Paul is telling the church to live in such a godly way that they can be in unbroken and unhindered communication with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer is like talking on the phone. With a phone we speak through the mouth piece, and listen through the ear piece. Prayer is like that, prayer is not just talking to God, but listening to God. Praying without ceasing does not mean that we constantly are talking to God, but that we hear from and heed God’s word to us. If we leave the receiver off the hook when we have finished talking to someone, there will be a beeping sound. We cannot call out and no one can call in. But in prayer we are commanded to leave the receiver off the hook because God never hangs up His end of the line. What hangs up our end of the line? Sin and disobedience will always hang up our end of the line. We must confess sin and repent to be restored to fellowship with God.

To pray without ceasing means that we must be in constant fellowship with Jesus. Great Truth: God wants our practice, praise, and prayers to bring glory to Jesus. Today some of you need to surrender to Jesus to live godly in this world today. We can’t changed the past and what we’ve done and how we’ve lived, but we can allow Jesus to change us today and begin to live godly. God wants our practice (the way we live), our praise (what comes from our lips), and our prayers to exalt and magnify the Lord Jesus Christ.