Final Thoughts

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Call to worship

Psalm 128 “A Song of Ascents. How blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, Who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of the labor of your hands, How blessed will you be and how well will it be for you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the innermost parts of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table. Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears Yahweh. May Yahweh bless you from Zion, That you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Indeed, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!”

Old Testament Reading

Isaiah 44:2–8 LSB

Thus says Yahweh who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, ‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant, And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen. ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty ground And streams on the dry land; I will pour out My Spirit on your seed And My blessing on your offspring; And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.’ “This one will say, ‘I am Yahweh’s’; And this one will call on the name of Jacob; And this one will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to Yahweh,’ And will name Israel’s name with honor. “Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: ‘I am the first, and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. ‘Who is like Me? Let him call out and declare it; And let him tell it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient people. And let them declare to them the things that are to come And the events that are going to take place. ‘Do not be in dread and do not be afraid; Have I not long since caused it to be heard to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’”

New Testament Reading

Matthew 13:31–33 “He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.””

Matthew 13:44–52 ““The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” And He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.””

Intro:

AG: Paul began and ended letters with a familiar formula. Specific words might be different each time, but they always include grace.

TS: Here in Paul’s ending benediction to this letter he does the same. Paul uses the final lines to reassure the Thessalonians of key information and make requests.

RS: As we look at these reassurances and requests, we can gain insight into our own walk with Christ

I. The Reassurances (5:23–24)

A. What God will do (5:23)

1 Thessalonians 5:23 LSB

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul pronounces this benediction.

The wording takes the form of his blessing.

First, notice he address God as God of Peace- Himself

He alone can bring lasting peace within us

Himself, not an angel or other minister. Not even a fellow believer.

Peace comes from God and is applied:

Between us and God (MOST IMPORTANT)

Between each other.

The blessing he gives can only come from God.

Paul’s blessings

1. At the present (5:23a)

He will sanctify us through and through.

Sanctify- lit to make holy

By God’s decree, He declares us holy. This is all that matters.

By God’s work to conform us to be like Christ. He works within us and molds us and leads us to hoiness

He calls us holy and begins working on us to make us holy.

Spirit, soul, and body preserved

Our entire being…

Basically, he wants us to be completely holy.

His blessing asks God to preserve them throughout life in complete holiness.

Blameless

God, through HIs work of salvation and sanctification erases all guilt and blame.

The debt has been been paid and we are brand new.

God works on us here and now.

He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within and along with Him comes the fruit of the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, guidance, etc.

Every day, He is with us preserving us.

2. In the future (5:23b)

He will present us blameless at Christ’s coming.

The final realization of the entire process will be seen at His coming.

This is the goal.

We could never reach it on our own.

But GOD Himself, brings it about.

His return is the finish line!

don’t stop before the finish line.

From field day at elementaries all the way to the Olympics the principle is the same

In racing, whether is is short sprints or marathons, runners must keep going until after crossing the finish line. In fact, instead of slowing down, you push harder as you approach it.

You can’t slow down as you approach it!

What a great illustration of our life as believers. Never slow down. Let let off the intensity.

Hebrews 12:1–2 LSB

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Keep you eyes on Jesus

Be like Him

Live for Him

Run toward Him

Jesus is not only the example for our faith, but he is also the object of our faith. He waits at the finish line for us; it is to him and for him that we run.

Richard D. Phillips

B. Why God will do it (5:24)

1 Thessalonians 5:24 LSB

Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it.

Because he is faithful.

Faithfulness is a characteristic of God.

it is part of His very nature

God created the world and has faithfully ordered it and kept it since creation.

He is faithful to us individually as well.

God who calls us accomplishes His purpose in completely sanctifying us and bringing us to the finish line at Christ’s return.

This is a promise that reminds us the perseverance of the saints.

God saves us and will no loose anyone!

John 10:27–29 LSB

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

His faithfulness keeps us secure to the end.

Having given his benediction, Paul now makes his closing requests.

II. The Requests (5:25–28)

A. Pray for me (5:25).

1 Thessalonians 5:25 LSB

Brothers, pray for us.

Prayer is communication with God.

In prayer:

We praise and thank Him

We present our petitions to Him

We intercede on others behalf.

Paul knew the value of prayer. He often requests people pray for him.

Throughout this letter, Paul has mentioned several times his prayers for the Thessalonians as well.

Every believer needs the prayers of fellow believers.

Biblical teaching on praying for one another is a direct command. It is taught as a way to share life's heavy loads.

We definitely can pray for ourselves, but most of the prayers recorded in the Bible are of another type.

When Jesus was praying for others,

He prayed for their faith (Luke 22:32),

He prayed against temptation in their lives (Luke 22:40),

He prayed for their unity (John 17:11),

He prayed for their sanctification (John 17:17).

Paul prayed for:

the salvation of the lost (Romans 10:1);

he prayed that the brothers would stay on the right path (2 Corinthians 13:7);

he prayed that believers would be strengthened by the Spirit, rooted and grounded in love, able to comprehend God’s love, and filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14–19). 

Like Paul, I ask, pray for me!

I urge you to Pray for each other!

B. Greet everyone for me (5:26).

1 Thessalonians 5:26 LSB

Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

In Paul’s day, kissing was the normal mode of greeting. Kissing on the cheeks is still used in some cultures.

A greeting kiss is a social custom used around the world to show friendship, love, or respect by touching cheeks or making a kissing sound. 

The greeting kiss is mentioned 5 times in the NT. 4 by Paul and once by Peter

1 Peter 5:14 LSB

Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

He urged Christians to greet each other as a way to help break down the divisions in this church.

This custom was carried over from Jewish society, where a kiss was a normal greeting.

Today, a handshake or hug conveys the same warmth, genuineness, and respect.

To a church mired in a pattern of divisiveness and personal competitiveness, Paul issued a simple order: Show the world you appreciate each other. Make sure your greetings are heartfelt and enthusiastic.

C. Read this letter to all the Christians (5:27–28).

1 Thessalonians 5:27 LSB

I implore you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

Public reading was a foundation of spiritual accountability so he “implores” or commands them to read this to all.

Paul’s desire and burden was that this letter be spread to others. The message was for everyone.

It is one indication of the value of this book. Paul knew it was inspired Scripture. These instructions went beyond Thessalonica, it is for all Christians.

This is an important insight for us.

Part of how the cannon (or list) of books to be included in The Bible developed because they recognized books like this letter as being for all.

Some mistakingly claim today that The Catholic Church WROTE THE LIST of books included in the fourth century,. They claim the bible didn’t exist before then. However, what that council did was recognize what had already been accepted since the first century.

Paul, commanded… the word here translated ‘Implore’ is one used when requiring and oath from someone.

1 Thessalonians 5:28 LSB

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Paul often began and ended his letters the same way.

Paul uses this word of blessing instead of the usual secular formula which would have been farewell.

GRACE

He blesses them again with continued experiencing the undeserved kindness, love, and favor of God.

We too need to be reminded of the grace of God which both saves and sustains us.

Conclusion

We have seen reassurances and requests Paul made.

We should keep looking to God.

Citations

Willmington, H. L. 1999. The Outline Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.