Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks!
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Scripture Reading:
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19 Quench not the Spirit.
20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Proposition:
Transition:
Rejoice, pray and give thanks For the Ones Who Answer the Call- Vs 12-13
Exposition
To know- acknowledge, recognize, appreciate
The office of pastor is recognized as leader of the church-
admonish- to preach and warn and teach according to the Scriptures- To put to mind
The work we do is emotionally, mentally, and sometimes spiritually draining
Many pastors leave the ministry after just a few short years
There are pastors whose marriage can’t take the strain of ministry and come to an end
What we do can be very lonely at times and it’s up to the members of the church to pray for your pastor and his family.
Application
Illustration- Dangerous Calling listed several ways that you can lift up and take care of your pastor and his family:
Require your pastor to attend a small group he doesn’t lead
Pastor, seek out a spiritually mature person to mentor you at all times
Include the pastor’s wives in small group
Be committed to appropriate self-disclosure in your preaching
Be sure that your pastor and his family are regularly invited into the homes of families in your church
Make sure there is someone who regularly mentoring your pastor’s wife
Make sure your pastor and his wife have the means to be regularly out of the house and away for the weekends with one another
Make sure counseling help is always available to the pastor, his wife and his family.
Transition
Rejoice, pray and give thanks for the Weaknesses Exposed
Exposition
(a) The idle need to be warned. Those who neglect their daily duties need to be stirred up to action.
(b) the timid (oligopsychous, lit., “short of soul”) need encouragement. These fainthearted people tend to become discouraged and despondent more easily than most. They need cheering up, stimulation to press on, and extra help to live the Christian life. (Interestingly the verbs in these two commands [parakaloumen and paramytheisthe] are in the same order as the first two participles in 2:12.)
(c) the weak need help. These have not yet learned to lean on the Lord as much as they should for their spiritual needs. Until they do, they need strong support from other believers. Of course all Christians are weak and need the strength that comes from Christian fellowship, but the spiritually weak need it more than most. The fourth responsibility summarizes the preceding three:
(d) Be patient with everyone. While other Christians are the primary focus of patience in this context, this charge is general enough to include all people. This ability to help others who are in some respect not as strong as oneself requires nothing short of the love of God produced by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 13:4; Gal. 5:22)
The opposite of patience is retaliation in some form. Retaliation is not an option for a Christian. Even if the wrong done to him is an imposition by a needy brother, or an action springing from evil intent, the offended one never has the right to repay wrong with wrong
Application-
Here we see how it applies to our life: Rejoice in all things
Our circumstances do not dictate our life in Christ
We are to have constant communication with God, even when our weaknesses are exposed
And through those times when they are exposed even if it hurts, we are to give thanks that God still loves us
Illustration- Candi and her patience with special needs kids and Emotional Disturbed kids
Transition
Rejoice, pray, and give thanks for the Call of the Holy Spirit
Exposition-
Don’t quench the spirit: Don’t put out the fire; just because it’s never been done like that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done
Don’t put out the fire by not helping- we have many opportunities to serve right now
He warms the heart, enlightens the mind, and empowers people’s spirits.
It is the effective working of the Holy Spirit that Paul warned against hindering.
His fire can be diminished or even snuffed out if He is resisted.
The Holy Spirit’s working can be opposed by believers.
Application- So how does this happen?
Remember when Paul wrote this, the Bible wasn’t complete.
Today we have the complete, inspired, inerrant Word to guide us. Unfortunately, there are those who decide to pick and choose which scripture to live by. You can quench the spirit if you do this. The Bible was given for us to live by.
Prove all things- Test what others say. Eating a watermelon sometimes you have to spit out the seeds.
Compare what you read to the word of God
Listen to the Holy Spirit when it comes to what may look like evil. Paul says to abstain from all appearance of evil. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and sounds like duck, it’s probably a duck.
When it comes to the call of the Holy Spirit we are to rejoice, pray and give thanks. It reminds you that God is still present in your life and he is fulfilling his promise to never leave you nor forsake you.
Illustration
Conclusion: Rejoice, pray and give thanks because God loves you! His spirit is speaking with you this morning, it is your choice to acknowledge it, or run from it. It’s hard to rejoice and be thankful when your running from God, so this morning I urge you to stop running. Come and pray and leave the altar rejoicing and thanking God that you have been redeemed and forgiven.