1 Thess. 5:16-24 -- 3 Advent 2020

Stir-Up Joy

Introduction: Uncertainty can breed anxiety. What isn’t yet set or determined or certain or done naturally makes us nervous. Leading by three going into the fourth quarter, knowing that one more win clinches a play-off spot, can be an anxious feeling—even if you know you’ve got three more games to lock it up. Until it’s a done deal, you can’t celebrate.

Waiting for results of college entrance exams means you can’t fully enjoy your senior year just yet. Waiting for results of a COVID—that’s a lot harder still. Until the lab calls with a clean bill of health, we probably worry.

So, when we are anxious it may not be easy to hear this Apostolic exhortation to us this morning: “Always Rejoice.” In fact, with so much uncertainty in life, it may be difficult to hear a whole lot of things God says to us through this letter to our congregation today. It’s like be so caught with the hectic schedules we create for ourselves in the weeks leading up to Christmas that we forget about the “reason for the season.” It’s like wrapping paper around the gift: the paper is important, but paper and ribbons are not the gift. You see, the life we live in Christ is the “wrapping paper” around faith. Sometimes we get so “wrapped up” in the in what’s happening in life that forget that our life has significance and meaning before God only as we grow in faith in Christ, which He has worked into our hearts.

Today the Holy Spirit gives us quite a lengthy list of things that ought to reflect the holy life of the Christian: three “dos” and three “don’ts.” How are we ever going to rejoice—or be anything like the holy, sanctified people we are supposed to be—when so many things in our future seem so uncertain? What is the remedy? Focus on the Gift. That is what brings joy.

Christ Stirs Us Up.

Always Rejoice (v 16)

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.

Joy is observable and contagious.

But joy isn’t easy, especially when we’re anxious about so many, many real-life, everyday uncer­tainties like this year’s Pandemic that has caused many to throw joy out the window, replacing it with fear.

Unceasingly Pray (v 17).

Relationships grow with communication. That’s true of human relationships, and it’s true as we exercise our relationship with God in prayer.

Resultant trust eases anxiety. Knowing God invites us to bring our cares before his throne of grace is a glorious relief!

But can we really be sure he answers? What if I’m too anxious even to pray?

In Every Circumstance Give Thanks (v 18a).

The Gospel breeds an attitude of gratitude and a facility of humility.

Being grateful even in adversity is evidence of spiritual maturity.

But how can I be grateful when I don’t even know if I’ll have a job or my health or my best friend tomorrow?

Give thanks anyway, for those who love God ALL things to work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

The Spirit Stirs Up.

Don’t quench the Spirit (v 19).

Quenching the Spirit occurs when one avoids the means by which the Spirit works in us, like when we keep ourselves away from God’s Word and Sacrament.

The Comforter cannot comfort us if we shut Him out.

But sometimes, I don’t feel all that comforted, even when I come here for the sermon and the Lord’s Supper. I still have to face Monday—and I don’t know what it will bring.

“I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion...” (Phil 1:6).

Regardless of how we “feel”, know that God is creating and strengthening faith within you. Remember, faith comes from hearing; it’s not based on how we feel.

Don’t despise prophecies (vv 20–21).

This can occur when we look for spectacular manifestations—special signs or messages from God, “fleeces” we lay out—rather than the Word God gives us in Scripture.

We hear clear admonition from His Word, and instead of saying, “Okay, with the help of God I’ll do it,” we say instead, “Let me pray about what God wants me to do.”

In this example, We are looking for a sign or special message from God to us, instead of hearing the Word and doing what He says.

It also occurs when God does speak to us clearly in his Word and we think we know better.

God prohibits sex outside of marriage, but God doesn’t know my situation...

God has declared all life sacred, including life in the womb, but we support policies and political candidates whose agenda is to make abortion as easy as possible.

But I wish He’d just tell me how I’m going to make ends meet this month!

Trust in the Lord will all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5).

My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

Don’t give in to evil (“Abstain from every form of evil” v 22).

This refers to all forms of evil, including false teachers—like those on TV who promise us exactly what we’d like to hear about our futures: health and wealth, always with a big smile.

Listening to such evil—promises God hasn’t promised—will ultimately disappoint and only increase our anxiety.

But what does God promise me?

Bind up the brokenhearted (Is. 61:1)

He will clothe me with the garment of salvation and cover me with a robe or righteousness (Is. 61:10).

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.

The Father Stirs Up.

This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you: your sanctification (vv 16–18; 4:3).

Sanctification means being made holy. We speak of sanctification in at least two ways: the whole person being holy, and our works (what we do) being holy.

Both are God’s will for us. He wants us to be holy people, and he wants us to live lives that reflect that—doing good works, loving him, and loving our neighbor in all kinds of ways.

Some of these are the “Dos” and “Don’ts” Paul lists here in our text: rejoicing, praying, avoiding evil.

God truly wills all these for us.

He will surely do it: sanctify you completely (vv 23–24).

What God wills, he always will do—and do all the way. See, God does this! It’s not up to us. God makes us holy! It’s not a matter of how hard we try or how confident and joyful we happen to feel on a particular day.

And God doesn’t do a halfway job; he ­will sanctify us completely: “your whole spirit and soul and body.” Your heart, your thoughts, your physical being—it’s all holy, perfect, God’s best handiwork.

All the way, through all our uncertainties about tomorrow, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, until he comes back and takes us to heaven on the Last Day. He will! That’s a sure thing! But how? And how about between now and then?

Well, in fact, all of this has been done (vv 23–24).

Did you notice? Paul says our whole spirit and soul and body will surely be “kept” blameless. Not made blameless. Kept blameless. Making us blameless has already been done.

We were made blameless when Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world on the cross. It is finished! Done! All people were justified.

And then when you were baptized, what Jesus did—done—on the cross was made yours personally. That’s been done, set in concrete, on a date written on your baptismal certificate. Nothing can undo it. Your sins were washed away. You were made blameless, justified.

Now then, you see, your sanctification is a result of that. Because you are holy, you also do holy things. The fact that you are holy—and know that God will keep you that way—is the reason you rejoice; it’s the reason you know he’ll really answer your prayer; it’s the thing you give thanks for. It’s what the Spirit keeps telling you here in the Word and Sacrament, the promise he does make to you, through faithful teachers.

We Do Rejoice—and, in Fact, Are Sanctified Completely—Because of the One Done.

Conclusion: When we focus on what God does for us and in us, then we experience the joy of this season and look forward to his Second Coming. Amen.