Thank you God, for my Suffering!
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Proposition
Proposition
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Proposition
Proposition
The imperative - rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances
Our Failure - emotions tied to the temporal; experiences, circumstances, possessions, fleshly desires, lack of contentment, pride, envy, greed, entitlement
The Cure - Look to the cross - fix your eyes on Jesus
Introduction
Introduction
On Thursday night we had the pleasure of enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner with some friends of ours.
The family is from the USA, so Thanksgiving dinner is a tradition that they’ve kept every year
They do really cool things like make a tree and the branches have leaves on which they write down the things they are thankful for
It was a privilege to share this tradition with them and spend the evening not just enjoying each other’s company, but reflecting on all that we have to be grateful to God for.
It was a privilege to be
So the irony is not lost on me that one day after thanksgiving and reflecting on all that we are thankful for, almost all the Western World goes on a greed-filled frenzy on Black Friday
I’ve been reflecting on this, and I believe that all of us bear in us a degree of ingratitude - a lack of genuine thankfulness and satisfaction with what God has given us
What would it look like if we were all truly filled with gratitude for what God has done.
So I want us to focus on this short scripture from
Its in a passage where Paul is giving the church some final words of encouragement.
Its not a discourse, but almost like Proverbs; its like what Paul’s Twitter feed might have looked like, with some thoughts for the day to take away with you
Text
Text
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
entitlement
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies,
1 T
lack of contentment
A) Rejoice Always
A) Rejoice Always
greed
A) Rejoice Always
A) Rejoice Always
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
1 Ch
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
envy
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
Rejoice always
Ps 97:1
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Rejoice always,
What is the will of God for your life?
WHo is he saying this to?
It is that you should always be rejoicing
To express joy and elation,
to celebrate,
to be satisfied and happy and to make that happiness known
We rejoice when:
we hear excellent news
or when many years of hard work are rewarded with achievement and recognition
We rejoice when the Springboks win, as they used to do long ago
We saw many Zimbabweans rejoicing this past week when Robert Mugabe, after refusing to resign in his resignation speech, finally resigned
Some of us rejoice over a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak - when we manage to get it just right
Or, when you can go to Hemingways Mall and get a TV for 50% off on Black-Eye Day - sorry, Black Friday
We rejoice when something good has happened - something worth celebrating
I don’t think we have a problem doing that
South Africans especially are quite an expressive nation - we have no problem expressing our satisfaction and happiness when something good has happened.
And we love celebrating with each other
What a joy to hear testimonies of God answering prayers
and to see new converts
and to see people who have been going through adversity
So if Paul had simply said “Rejoice”, this instruction wouldn’t be a problem for any of us.
Except Paul says, “Rejoice ALWAYS”.
That one word makes a big difference.
When the good times roll, rejoice.
When you’re suffering, rejoice.
It seems a bit
Who is Paul addressing when he says “Rejoice Always”?
He is addressing the Christians at Thessalonica
People who were being fiercely persecuted for their faith
Paul had seen it first hand when he and Silas had been preaching in the synagogue there in
This
Some of the Jews believed the gospel and joined the church
But other Jews formed a mob and started a violent protest, and dragged Jason and a few other Christians to the Roman authorities under the accusation that they were worshipping someone other than Caesar as king
Paul makes mention of their persecution by the Jews in chapter 2:13-20
He again mentions in chapter 3:1-5 of having sent Timothy to them to strengthen their faith during their suffering
And in chapter 4:13-18 he addresses questions that they had about where their loved ones were who had already died because of the persecution they were enduring.
It is to these suffering Christians, under very real threat of death because of their faith in Jesus, that Paul says “Rejoice always”.
Rejoice! Celebrate, Express joy and happiness…
So how are you doing with this command?
But not only was Paul himself very familiar with
Do you rejoice always?
In the middle of all that is going wrong in your life, are you rejoicing?
In the middle of every disaster that has hit you or your family, can you say that you are rejoicing?
Let me ask you this: in gratitude for everything GOOD that is happening, can you even say then, that you are rejoicing always?
B) Pray Without Ceasing
B) Pray Without Ceasing
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving
Pray without ceasing
pride
Does that mean we should be praying constantly without end, every hour of every day?
It is an expression which means pray at every opportunity
Christians of Thessalonica
Develop a habit of praying
Have an attitude of dependence on God for everything
One guy I read about (his name I can’t remember) said that he developed a habit of praying:
before every meeting,
before beginning every task
He said it totally transformed his life
Imagine if we would seek the Lord in prayer before:
every meeting
speaking with every customer
getting into our car and going into traffic
starting each task at work
going to the shop
Martin Luther: “I have so much to do that I cannot get on without three hours a day of praying.”
Martin Luther: “I have so much to do that I cannot get on without three hours a day of praying.”
Suffering
they were persecuted by the Jews
Paul sent Timothy to them to strengthen their faith during their suffering
Paul addresses questions about the afterlife concerning those who had died due to the persecution
- When Paul and Silas arrive in Thessalonica to preach in the synagogues
But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
In spite of all that you are suffering and must still suffer… Rejoice Always!
B) Pray Without Ceasing
B) Pray Without Ceasing
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;
Martin Luther: “I have so much to do that I cannot get on without three hours a day of praying.”
Martin Luther: “I have so much to do that I cannot get on without three hours a day of praying.”
Now I am not trying to get legalistic on you, but how many hours do you pray every day?
I think not many of us pray more than 3 hours per week
Shenton, T. (2006). Opening up 1 Thessalonians (p. 109). Leominster: Day One Publications.
We make excuses for not praying:
I’m too busy
I’m too tired
God already knows what I need
But really what we are saying when we don’t commit ourselves to praying without ceasing, is that we don’t need God
Then we treat prayer only as a last resort of desperation when things have gone wrong;
as the rubbing of a lamp when we need the genie to come out and grant us our wishes
If you couldn’t understand how we can rejoice in bad circumstances, then you probably also don’t see why we need to be constantly praying when everything is going well
C) Give Thanks in All Circumstances
C) Give Thanks in All Circumstances
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Literally, to thank God for everything; to thank God for all things
George Matheson, the Scottish minister and hymnwriter, who was practically blind at eighteen, once prayed, ‘My God, I have never thanked you for my “thorn”. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my “thorn”. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross as itself a present glory. Teach me the glory of my cross; teach me the value of my “thorn”. Show me that I have climbed to you by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow.’
Do you thank God for all things and in all circumstances?
If I were to ask you if you think you are generally a thankful person, I’m sure most of you would say you are
But what if I were to start focusing in on specific things in your life and to ask you:
Are you thankful for your arthritis?
Are you thankful for your failing eyesight?
Are you thankful even when your business is struggling?
Are you thankful
Are you thankful even when the Jews have murdered half of your loved ones and you’re living under the constant threat of death yourself?
(Those were the circumstances under which the Thessalonian Christians were, when Paul said “Give thanks in all circumstances)
Bridge
Bridge
What is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus?
Rejoice always
Pray without ceasing
Give thanks in all circumstances
Af
Are YOU rejoicing always, never without joy, always the light in the room?
Are YOU praying without ceasing, whether you need something or not?
Are YOU thankful in every circumstance, and for everything that God has brought into your life?
Why do we struggle so much for these things?
How can we become more Christlike in obeying these commands ?
Are you looking at the world
A) Rejoice Always
A) Rejoice Always
Rejoice Always
Rejoice Always
The Lexham Bible Dictionary gives this definition of Rejoicing:
“Closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy is more a state of being than an emotion; a result of choice.”
Although rejoicing includes the expression of emotion, it is not itself an emotion
Rejoicing is more an attitude and assurance than an emotion
Emotions come and go, and they change according to the circumstances
Closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy is more a state of being than an emotion; a result of choice. One of the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22–23). Having joy is part of the experience of being a Christian.
Happiness is an emotion that we feel when something good happens
Sadness is an emotion we feel when something bad happens
Emotions are linked to circumstances, to the temporary
And it is very
But Christian joy is anchored to something more permanent - something eternal, something unchanging
Christian joy is anchored to the promises of God and their fulfilment in Jesus Christ.
So the reason that Paul can tell these suffering Christians to REJOICE ALWAYS is because they have assurance that, as he says in chapter 5:9-10...
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
1 T
In light of that eternal and sure promise in Jesus Christ, rejoice always.
Christian, that is what your joy is anchored to
Yes, happiness and grief and every emotion in between are appropriate for us to feel and experience,
Look, I know you’re suffering
I know you are in pain
I know you have suffered loss and are grieving
And all of your emotions of pain and grief and sadness are real and appropriate in light of your circumstances
But none of these temporary emotions should be able to derail or overide your joy
Rather, all emotions - whether happiness or grief - are to be experienced within the wider overall joy and satisfation that we have in Christ
The reason that you struggle to REJOICE ALWAYS, and even struggle to comprehend how someone is supposed to have joy in the middle of suffering, is because
you are clinging too tightly to temporary, worldly pleasures
You are not satisfied with what Christ has done for you in his death and resurrection
I mean let’s not sugar-coat it, lets be real
If the stress that you are under at work is causing you to lose all joy, and makes you miserable, and you couldn’t possible think about rejoicing .... its saying that to you, a fantastic work environment is more important
Your joy is attached to worldly achievements
worldly possessions
Your job going well
Your spouse treating you well
If that is what your joy is based on, then you are doomed to a life of disappointment and joylessness
If
Having joy and rejoicing is more an attitude than an emotion
Which in turn shows that you don’t understand what Jesus did for you on the cross
Happiness is an emotion that comes and goes depending on circumstances; but joy and rejoicing is more of a permanent state of the heart
look at verses 9-10 again
For God has not destined us for wrath....
before God shone the light of His grace on you and breathed life into you, you were headed towards his wrath
you had a one-way ticket to hell
But instead of getting what you deserve, by God’s grace you “obtain(ed) salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”
Is salvation enough for you?
Your anxieties, your fears, your pain, your suffering, your grief.... Those are all very real and we all experience them...
But in spite of all those things the Christian can still rejoice always because we see those things and experience them all within the ultimate reality of having been redeemed by Jesus Christ
We see them as part of this temporary, fallen world that is destined for destruction, and we rejoice, looking forward to Christ’s return where he will redeem all things and make all things new
Dai Hankey, a church planter in Wales, said this the other day on Twitter and it talks exactly to this...
He said, “In heaven there will be no authritis! Until then may every aching step I take remind me that this world is broken but fleeting & that my eternal hope is in the coming of the LordJesus to forever fix what is fractured, frail & fallen.”
The lost have no category for this.
They can only know and experience the grief and sadness… they have no anchor in the eternal, no lens through which they can see their suffering in light of eternity
But Christian, you do
And that is why joy is listed there in the list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in
It is because we know that we have an eternal hope that is secure
But that doesn’t mean the the command to rejoice always is an instruction to have a positive attitude, or a positive outlook on life
It’s not a command to see the glass as half full.
It’s not a command to
Positivity in every circumstance would be illogical
I am not feeling positive
We are only positive about something when the circumstances
Neither is it a command to express happiness in every circumstance
The Thessalonians were not celebrating their suffering or the deaths of their brothers and sisters
Happiness always would be craziness
So then what is Paul getting at here?
Paul is calling us to express one of the fruits of the Spirit,
Happiness and sadness are emotions that are linked to temporary things; circumstances that can change
But joy and rejoicing are anchored to something more permanent.
Not an emotion
Happiness is an emotion that can comes and goes depending on circumstances; joy is a more permanent state of being
Rejoicing is not something we do for God’s gifts, but for God Himself ()
Always - not because of circumstances, but in spite of circumstances.
Feelings of grief, anxiety, sadness, etc are normal and can be appropriate - but they should not override joy. Rather, they are experienced within the wider state of overall joy and satisfaction in Christ
Adversity should not derail joy. Adversity, anxiety, stress, fear, grief… to have joy in spite of these we need to trust in God’s providence
Adversity should drive us to prayer, hence we give thanks in all circumstances because God uses good and bad to draw us nearer
How do we experience joy in spite of these wordly pains? - by praying without ceasing; making your requests known to God (let go of pride)
See
See
See
See
Pray Without Ceasing
Pray Without Ceasing
You might say well Nick that is right, and I can see how Christ’s death & resurrection to redeem me sets me free from despair and allows me to rejoice always and in all circumstances...
But practically speaking that is very hard to do when my anxiety is eating me because I need to pay rent tomorrow and I don’t know where the money is going to come from
I can now see my anxieties, my fears, my thorns, my suffering within the wider scope of what God has done for me in Jesus Christ....
… but the reality is those anxieties and fears and thorns are still there and although I know I should rejoice in spite of them, they are a hindrance to me and I am struggling with them
What do I do with those things?
Do I just pretend those things aren’t there?
Do I just maintain a positive attitude in spite of them? See the glass as half full?
No - that is not what joy is -
Paul gives us the answer to that problem.
Pray without ceasing
Paul puts it this way in which is very helpful...
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Phil 4:4-
The reason that your anxieties, fears and pains are holding you back from being able to rejoice always and in all circumstances.... is because you have pride.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Pride says I don’t need God, I can do it myself
In the pride of your heart, you are anxious about your financial situation because ultimately you believe your financial future is in your hands, not God’s
See
The reason you are fearful is because in the pride of your heart, you are trusting in your own strength to deliver you from your greatest problems and you know you aren’t up to it.
There is a tendency among us to try to make ourselves sovereign over our lives, to make us the lord of our lives, and that only adds fuel to the flames of our stresses
Because of pride, we struggle to let go of whatever control we think we have, and to trust in God, to trust in His provision, His goodness, His love, His care
How do we rejoice in spite of our griefs, and anxieties?
We pray!
We let our requests be made known to God, and we trust Him!
But I call to God, and the Lord will save me.
And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Once you recognize that your pride is getting in the way, and you give yourself over to constant and continuous and regular prayer...
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Confessing your short-comings and all that you are unable to do...
And hand everything over to God and trust Him to care for you,
Only then will you have freedom from the cares of this world to be able to rejoice in God always.
See
See
Give Thanks in All Circumstances
Give Thanks in All Circumstances
But prayer is not only an unloading of our gripes and complaints - giving way to new complaints and misery when God does not immediately grant our requests.
Paul gives this limitation - in prayer, give thanks in every circumstance
Paul gives this limitation - in prayer, give thanks in every circumstance
Prayer drives our meditation also towards God’s blessings and the many ways in which He has already blessed us (which we often forget)
Prayer drives our meditation also towards God’s blessings and the many ways in which He has already blessed us (which we often forget)
Don’t just unpack all your complaints to God for all that is going wrong; remember all that God has provided already and give thanks
This tendency among human beings to forget God’s benefits and blessings started a very long time ago in the Garden of Eden
Remembering what God has done for us and thanking Him in prayer helps us see our adversity in perspective
Adam and Eve
Remembering what God has done for us helps us see our adversity in perspective
Israel in the wilderness - forgetting redemption to complain about the menu
We do the same thing!
What is at the heart of it all?
Lack of contentment with what God has given us - we want more
Greed and envy - we need more
Sense of entitlement - we deserve more
What is the cure?
Take your eyes off your present sufferings, fix your eyes upon Jesus, and see that your greatest need has already been satisfied in His death & resurrection
In his commentary on 1 Thessalonians, John Calvin says “God has such a disposition towards us in Christ, that even in our afflictions we have large occasion of thanksgiving. For what is fitter or more suitable for pacifying us, than when we learn that God embraces us in Christ so tenderly, that he turns to our advantage and welfare everything that befalls us? Let us, therefore, bear in mind, that this is a special remedy for correcting our impatience—to turn away our eyes from beholding present evils that torment us, and to direct our views to a consideration of a different nature—how God stands affected towards us in Christ. (Calvin, J., & Pringle, J. (2010). Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians (p. 297). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
When your eyes are fixed on Jesus, and all that He has secured for us, and how we now stand as washed and clean because of His blood...
Then everything else takes on a different meaning
And now suddenly feeling sorry for yourself because you had a bad day in traffic sounds absolutely ridiculous
Suddenly, in light of redemption, salvation and sanctification, we no longer see our sufferings as hindrances to rejoicing but as causes for rejoicing -
...because as was preached this morning, those sufferings are working for us a particular glory in eternity as God is using those things to shape us and mold us more into the image of His Son
… that we wouldn’t be able to see God’s glory in sustaining us through those pains without having gone through them
And that now we are rejoicing more in God, having gone through those trials and that suffering and having experienced His grace in them
So we give thanks in all circumstances and for all things, because those things are forcing us to draw nearer to God in prayer and reliance upon Him, which allows us to have a greater experience of His grace and goodness, which in turn leads to more rejoicing always and in all things.
So in giving thans
Remembering what God has done for us helps us see our adversity in perspective
It helps us remember that we have much to be thankful for, and therefore prayer helps us to give thanks in all circumstances
And, unquestionably, if we consider what Christ has conferred upon us, there will be no bitterness of grief so intense as may not be alleviated, and give way to spiritual joy. For if this joy does not reign in us, the kingdom of God is at the same time banished from us, or we from it. And very ungrateful is that man to God, who does not set so high a value on the righteousness of Christ and the hope of eternal life, as to rejoice in the midst of sorrow. (Calvin, J., & Pringle, J. (2010). Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians (pp. 296–297). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
This is the Will of God for You
This is the Will of God for You
I am of opinion that a more ample meaning is included under these terms—that God has such a disposition towards us in Christ, that even in our afflictions we have large occasion of thanksgiving. For what is fitter or more suitable for pacifying us, than when we learn that God embraces us in Christ so tenderly, that he turns to our advantage and welfare everything that befalls us? Let us, therefore, bear in mind, that this is a special remedy for correcting our impatience—to turn away our eyes from beholding present evils that torment us, and to direct our views to a consideration of a different nature—how God stands affected towards us in Christ. (Calvin, J., & Pringle, J. (2010). Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians (p. 297). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
Joy in the Christian is supernatural - it is a fruit. It is rooted in our relationship with Christ. Do you lack joy? Do you know Christ? Have you trsuted in Jesus, and is He enough for you?
The Sin
The Sin
entitlement
lack of contentment
greed
envy
pride