God's Will for YOU!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Open your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5. We will be looking at verses 16-18 today. Do you want to know God’s will for you?? Who doesn’t want to know that right? Well today you are in for a treat because that is exactly what we are going to be looking at. When you leave here today (if you pay attention) you will know God’s will in Christ Jesus for you. Lets read the text together.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NKJV

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

Now these commands at first glance seem simple, you might even say straight forward. But when we dive deeper we discover that Paul is calling us to a counter-culture lifestyle that will transform us totally. This world is filled with sorrow, distraction, and uncertainty, but these words challenge us to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all circumstances.

Notice the first command here is to rejoice always… to rejoice continually. This isn’t a suggestion or an ecouragment… it is a command. Paul isn’t telling you to just be happy and rejoice on sunny days… he is telling you to cultivate a joy that transcends all circumstances… This joy he is calling us to is not a joy that is contingent on our situations or our feelings or even based on events around us. It is a joy that is rooted in the unchangable Jesus Christ!

Now we understand that Joy is a fruit of the Spirit right… Galatians 5 22 and 23 tells us that

Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

This is not a fleeting emotion… it is a sense of well being and satisfaction that comes from knowing God. In acts chapter 2 the believers were full of joy…

Acts 2:46–47 NKJV

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

despite persecution and hardships they gathered daily and praised God with glad hearts… That same joy is available to you.. That same joy that comes from a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ... You need to praise God daily and rejoice always!!

When you encounter trials, dissappointments, or loss, you have a choice… You can either let those things consume you or you can choose to find hope in the eternal promises of God… James says to count all these things as joy… in James Chapter 1 he says

James 1:2–4 NKJV

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Rejoicing always means to always celebrate the goodness of God… even when life at this very moment might not be going well for you. Remember Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 NKJV

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.

Never forget that your present difficulties are working for your ultimate good and for God’s Glory… always trust and honor God by Rejoicing Always.

Notice second Paul says to Pray Without Ceasing… This is a call to continuous prayer… Here scripture commands you to intimate, ongoing dialogue with God… How many times do we just get caught up in the ritual performance of prayer… Praying before our meals and when we go to bed… but prayer is to be much more than that… Prayer shouldn’t be just ritual or something you shouldn’t just do when you are in a crisis. To pray without ceasing means to keep your hearts and minds connected to God at all times!

Praying without ceasing isn’t impossible… before you say to me “now bro. Ricky, I have to work and I have things I have to get done, I can’t pray all day everyday” Well hold on… Praying without ceasing isn’t stopping everything you are doing and hitting your knees necessarily… Praying can be as simple as silently acknowledging God in the midst of your daily life… during your morning routine of getting ready for work, while driving to work, moments of difficulty while dealing with people or task at work… I pray constantly while I work… Some of the mechanical challenges that come with working on modern cars, I don’t know that I could make it through a day if I didn’t have the Lord to commune with.

When you pray without ceasing it will change you… it will build your relationship with the One who cares and loves you so much… When you pray continually you will learn to lean on God more and yourself less, every moment is an opportunity to pray and be drawn closer to the Lord!

Notice lastly Paul says in everything, give thanks.

Now this is a real challenge isn’t it… this challenges our flesh that tends to only be grateful when things are going well. But this Scripture is commanding you to cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving regardless of your situation. This isn’t a call to deny pain or to pretend that everything is perfect… it is a call to acknowledge that God is on the throne… and that His purposes are always at work, even when things are difficult and even when maybe you don’t understand why everything is happening the way it is, you are still to praise God and give Him thanks

Job comes to mind… When Satan had taken away all of Job’s possesions and all of his family… what did Job do.. He praised God and gave him thanks… Listen to this

Job 1:20–21 NKJV

Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Wow what Character huh… What perspective Job had… You should have that same perspective.… Instead of focusing solely on your problems, look for the Lord’s blessings… They are there, I promise.… There is always a multitude of reasons to Give Thanks to the Lord

Consider that you have to climb a steep mountain… its rocky and the higher you get the rougher the terrain… its super labor intensive… there are rattle snakes and other calamities just waiting to come on to you...yet as you climb this mountain you take moments to admire the beauty of the landscape… every once in a while you get to an opening and you can stop for a minute and enjoy the cool wind in your face… You can praise God while climbing that mountain… You can be thankful for all of the blessings that come along the way and you can be thankful that you are able to climb that mountain… there is not a circumstance that doesn’t provide you the opportunity to give thanks to God.

Now notice the end of verse 18… Paul says to do these things because it is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you...

Paul says these things, Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks aren’t a set of suggestions… it is God’s own design and will for our lives. When you do these things you align yourselves with God’s purposes for you… This is God’s eternal plan that transcends any troubles that may come to you in this world. When you rejoice, you become a beacon of hope, when you pray, you open a direct channel for communication with God, when you give thanks you cultivate a spirit that can overcome fear and despair! Doing these things will have a imaginable affect on you and all those around you...

In conclusion it is important for you to live a life of constant joy, ceaseless prayer, and unwavering thankfulness… this will not come without challenges, life can be messy and our emotions can be unpredictable… there are times of pain, times of fear, times of disappointment, however Paul’s words invite us to re-frame our perspective by anchoring our hearts in the eternal truth of God’s love… Will you commit to God and do these things today?? If so, you can go forth with the assurance that as you rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances, you are walking in the very will of God for your life.