First Thessalonians (15)

Living Triumphantly With Heaven on Your Mind pt.2

Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28 (KJV)

Introduction: Last week we looked at the first part of Pauls final thoughts.

We saw his exhortation for living triumphantly and his caution for living triumphantly

to live triumphantly we should have a joyful outlook

Be thankful for everything

a faithful prayer life

our prayer life should be persevering, powerful and persistent

We should have a grateful attitude

Its hard to say thank you Lord when you break your arms but thank God that you didnt break your legs

Thank God for allowing you another breath

Just be thankful which equals grateful

Then Paul told us some things to watch out for

He told us to not quench the Spirit

we need to protect the fire

practice obedience

which will prevent drift.

Then he said dont despise the scriptures

respect them, receive them, and rejoice in them

Dont get snared

Test everything, toss the trash, and treasure the truth

Dont give into sin

avoid it, adopt holiness, acknowledge your witness

Now Paul give us his benediction and conclusion for living triumphantly..

Lets see what else paul tells us

Paul’s Benediction for Living Triumphantly

We can live triumphantly in this world because we are

1. Sanctified (v. 23)

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Sanctify (hagiazo) means to set apart, to separate from sin to holiness.

1 and 2 Thessalonians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Sanctification’s Nature, Source, and Extent

Sanctification is the ongoing spiritual process by which God increasingly sets believers apart from sin and moves them toward holiness

The concept of sanctification (setting things apart for God) is the oldest doctrine in Scripture:

Genesis 2:3 KJV 1900

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

God Himself sanctified the seveth day and rested from His creative work.

Job regularly made burt offerings to God for his sons.

Multiple places in Exodus we find things being set apart for God and by God.

In the NT it is no different.

Sanctification still means to set apart, to make holy.

NOw sanctification has three elemnts:

Positional Sanctification

Eternal Sanctification

Present or Experiential Sanctification

The first is our positional sanctification.

when you were born again, saved by grace through faith you are sanctified by the blood of Christ and made to be a joint heir with Him

The second is our eternal sanctification

When we pass from this life into eternity, we will be instantly changed and given a new body that is free of sin and death.

we will be clothed in white and fall before the throne of God perfect.

this is our eternal or complete sanctification.

The third elemnt defining biblical sanctification is experiential or present.

This is the process in which the believer strives, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be more and more conformed to the image of Christ.

Paul summed it up in 2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

It is the pursuit of holiness

Thomas Watson put sanctification this way: “[Sanctification] is a principle of grace savingly wrought, whereby the heart becomes holy, and is made after God’s own heart. A sanctified person bears not only God’s name, but His image” (Body of Divinity [reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979], 167).

Here in verse 23 we find three things that Paul wanted us and the Thessalonians to know about our present sanctification and how our sanctification will aid us in living triumpantly with heaven on our mind.

a. The Root of Sanctification:

“God of Peace”

After giving a series of commands and exhortations that called for them to live disciplined and devoted lives with heaven on their minds,

Paul wanted them to ultimately recoginize that it is God who enables believers to obey and progress in sanctification.

They could not be triumpant in this world with heaven on their mind if they did not recongnize that it is God that is able Jude 24 “… to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”

Centuries earlier Zechariah made this clear that it is God and God alone that enables us and sanctifies us: Zechariah 4:6 “...Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, Saith the Lord of hosts.”

Now though it is His Spirit that sanctifies us postionally, and it is Him that enables us with His Spirit to live sanctified lives,

Paul reveales to the Corinthians that there is an inseparable link between human effort and divine power in living the Christian life.

Believers must yeild themselves to God and diligently pursue holiness (be ye holy as I am holy)

(Christ also tells us to be perfect (holy)just as our Father in heaven is perfect),

yet always proceed in humble dependence on Him.

2 Corinthians 7:1 – "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

simply put, We are to live out in our daily lives the salvation God has wrought in us!

Paul told the church at Rome Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Paul chooses to identify the One who sanctifies with a familiar expression: The God of peace

Using the word peace is the best word to summerize God’s saving work.

Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians The Source of Sanctification—God Himself (1 Thess 5:23a)

Charles Wannamaker insightfully observes that by using the word peace, Paul is referring to God not merely as One who brings order into our confusion, but as “the source of all well-being for the people of God” (Wannamaker, Epistles, 205).

This peace that God gives is not just some existence, situation or state of mind free from conflict, but the composite of gospel blessing.

Paul is not speaking of God’s own tranquility, but the peace of salvation He provides through the cross of Christ for all who repent and believe.

Sanctification is God’s work, initiated by Him for His glory.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

a. The Root of Sanctification:

b.The Pursuit of Sanctification:

what sanctification seeks to do

Wholly:

Wholly, is used only here in the New Testament and is a compound of two Greek words, holos, “whole,” “complete,” and telēs, “end,” “finish.”

Paul asked that God would sanctify the Thessalonians “all the way through,” or “through and through”—that sanctification would leave no part of their inner beings unaffected.

God’s desire, His intent is not partial holiness but complete transformation.

spirit soul and body

from the inside out

a. The Root of Sanctification:

b.The Pursuit of Sanctification:

c. The Fruit of Sanctification

God preserves us completely

The word whole means “with integrity,” “total,” “intact,” “undamaged,”

This reminds us that sanctification prepares us for eternity.

Philippians 1:6 – "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Jude 1:24 – "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."

If we are going to live triumpantly with heaven on our minds we must remember that we are to live lives seperated unto God and that it is God that will keep us.

2. Secured (v. 24)

"Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."

God’s call is not conditional or temporary; it is a faithful and eternal call.

He calls us to holiness, and His call ensures His help.

Romans 8:30 – "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

The One who begins the good work in us will bring it to completion

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

The One who calls you will be faithful because it is for His purpose

2 Timothy 1:9 – "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace."

God doesn’t just start; He sustains and finishes.

In trials, temptations, and triumphs, God remains faithful.

Numbers 23:19 – "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it?"

Hebrews 10:23 – "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)"

His faithfulness secures our sanctification and salvation.

Lamentations 3:22-23 – "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Psalm 36:5 – "Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds."

Paul’s Conclusion for Living Triumphantly (vv. 25–28)

"Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."

1. A Call to Unity (v. 25-26):

Simply put Paul desired that they love one another and dwell together in unity.

He desired that they bond together in Christian love and stand united for the cause of Christ.

Paul knew that more difficulty would surely come, but if they stood together, in love, they could endure.

Paul requests prayer, reminding us of the mutual dependence of the body of Christ.

James 5:16 – "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Prayer connects us to God’s power and strengthens His servants.

Ephesians 6:18 – "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."

The “holy kiss” symbolizes unity, affection, and fellowship within the church.

We desperately need that unity and Christian love for one another.

We need the help and strength of those around us.

We need to stand united for the cause of Christ.

Believers are called to foster genuine relationships, reflecting Christ’s love.

John 13:34–35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Romans 12:10 – "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another."

2. A Challenge for Conformity (v. 27):

This highlights the importance of teaching, learning, and living the Scriptures.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

He knew that the Holy Spirit has inspired the writing of this epistle.

He knew the benefit that it would be to the church.

He charged them that it be read among all the brethren.

Paul desired them to continue to grow and mature in the Lord, conforming to His image. ▪

That truth has not changed and it never will.

We need to hear and heed the Word of God in our day as well, conforming to the image of our Savior.

We need to make it a priority to study and meditate upon the Word of God.

It must continue to be the emphasis and priority of our services and our lives.

Colossians 3:16 – "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another."

3. A Celebration of Victory (v. 28):

What closing words of comfort for the church.

Paul prays for the grace of the Lord to be abundant in their lives.

He wanted them to experience His grace and enjoy the victory that He gives.

2 Corinthians 12:9 – "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

Oh how we need His abundant grace in our lives as well.

Everything we do flows from God’s unmerited favor.

We need Him every moment that we live.

We need the grace and guidance of our Lord.

I rejoice in what I have in Him and I pray that we as His people will continue to grow in His grace!

Titus 2:11-12 – "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."

Conclusion: Paul’s final words to the Thessalonians remind us that our lives are to be fully surrendered to God.

We are sanctified by God, Secured by His faithfulness

Understanding this makes us aware of the call that God has given us to be unified in love, the challange to conform to His Word and the celebration we have because of the victory we enjoy.

Are you allowing God to sanctify every part of your life?

Do you trust in His faithfulness to complete the work He started?

Are you committed to serving others as a reflection of His grace?

Will you accept the challange to be conformed to His Word?

Are you living in the victory that He gives because of the grace He offers?

Let us commit to living lives that bring glory to God until Christ returns.

Invitation: Come before the God of peace today. Surrender your whole self to Him, trusting in His faithfulness and grace to sanctify and sustain you.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”