Discover 3 Ways to do God's Will

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

There are 3 clear directives here for you to be able to do “God’s will...in Christ Jesus.”

“Will” has no article; as in 4:3 it is not the totality of God’s will but these 3 directives form part of his overall will for our lives.

The addition in Christ Jesus reminds us that God’s will is made known in Christ, and it is in Christ that we are given the dynamic that enables us to carry out that divine will.

Here is God’s will in three specific areas which affect our everyday lives. These instructions must direct our hearts and lives to live more fully for his glory.

I. Be joyful always.

The great composer, Joseph Haydn, was once asked why his church music was so cheerful. He replied, ‘When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen, and since God has given me a cheerful heart it will be pardoned me that I serve him with a cheerful spirit.’

“God has given me a cheerful heart” - A Christian’s joy is not a natural joy that ebbs and flows according to the circumstances that surround us, but a supernatural joy that comes from God and is rooted in our relationship with him.

It is a joy that fills our hearts even in the midst of persecution as these Thessalonians had discovered and this indeed amazed the unbelieving world en world and attracted people to Christ.

Paul is concerned that the joy of the Thessalonians might be hampered by suffering, so he urges them to rejoice not in what was happening to them, but in their Saviour and all that he has done for them as well as the hope that is set before them, when Christ returns in glory.

So in the context, the command to “be joyful always” might seem a little surprising coming from one who had had to suffer as much and as continually as Paul and given to people who are suffering much for their faith in Jesus.

But Paul learned that affliction and deep joy may go together - he was “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10; 12:10), and he had learned to “rejoice in tribulations” (Rom. 5:3; Col. 1:24; cf. Acts 5:41; 16:25).

Paul had done this and he wants the Thessalonians to do this as well, having already acknowledged that this is a suffering church (cf. 1:6).

Christian joy is not bound by circumstances or hindered by difficulties.

The note of joy is often struck in his other letter to a Macedonian church, that to the Philippians - “rejoice in the Lord always” (cf. Phil. 4:4).

From an outward point of view there is little to make believers rejoice. But the fact that we are ‘in Christ’; and have learned the truth of his words means that, ‘no-one will take away your joy’ (John 16:22).

Christian joy is not natural but produced as part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22; cf. Rom. 14:17).

This joy needs more closely defined. It comes from a collection of derivatives including the word for ‘grace’, for example, is from this root, as are one of the words for ‘to forgive’, one for ‘to give thanks’.

The Holy Spirit creates a supernatural joy—a wellness of soul that cannot be dampened by adverse situations, indeed as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:16–18: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

So uif we are to do the will of God in our lives we ought never to stop being joyful! And also, never to stop praying!

II. Pray continually.

Martin Luther, when facing huge volumes of work said, ‘I have so much to do that I cannot get on without three hours a day of praying.’

That is some commitment but it is the secret of successful living and working in the Christian life and indeed the way to rejoice always is to pray continually and to have a close walk with the giver of joy.

Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians to take hold of God in every situation and at all times, to draw near to him especially in times of conflict, and to develop an intimate relationship with him.

This is not about mouthing words - ‘It is not in the moving of the lips, but in the elevation of the heart to God, that the essence of prayer consists’ (Lightfoot).

To practice the injunction to pray continually (cf. Luke 18:1; Rom. 12:12; Eph. 6:18) is only possible for us if we live life in the spirit of prayer!

To pray continually is to live life in dependence on God for all we have and are, being conscious of his presence with us wherever we may be, and yielding ourselves continually to him to do his will.

We must cultivate a spirit of constant devotion so that our lives are filled with the presence of God.

Prayer is a lifting up of our hearts to God in humble submission and dependence, trusting him as our loving Father and acknowledging him as our almighty Lord.

Such an inward state will of course find expression from time to time in verbal prayer

Paul is a model of this for when you read his letters you come across frequent prayers throughout showing that prayer was something Paul did continuously. (see particularly Eph 1 and Eph 3)

So ifd we are to do the will of God in our lives we ought never stop being joyful and never stop praying BUT ALSO we ought never stop thanking God in all circumstances!

III. Give thanks in all circumstances.

George Matheson, the Scottish minister and hymn writer, who was practically blind at 18, 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.’

That is giving thanks in all circumstances.

It is thanking God in adversity and prosperity, for no matter what happens all things work together for the believer’s good.

And it is worth noting that Paul says “give thanks in all circumstances” not ‘all of the time” - the two things are differentiated in 2 Cor. 9:8.

For Christians there is no situation in which we cannot give thanks. Even in affliction we are more than conquerors as the Spirit of glory and of God rests on us.

To be thankful is a fruit of grace and is in contrast to the constant grumblings and ingratitude of a godless world.

In our blessings we would do well to remember the Chinese proverb, ‘When you drink from the stream, remember the spring.’ A life of prayer and devotion leads to a thankful heart.

Even in our difficulties and trials God is teaching valuable lessons (Rom. 5:3–5), and they are to be welcomed and used accordingly.

It may not be easy to see the bright side of a particular trial, but if God is over all, then his hand is in that trial; his own cannot but recognize his goodness and make their thanksgiving.

This command to be thankful, no matter what happens, is possible only by God’s grace.

So if we are serious about wanting to know God’s will for our lives - here is at least part of what God wants you do do!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

There is no need for searching, seminars, books, or “fleeces.” God’s will is that we are to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful because we are his children.

“I cannot read God's mind, however I can read God's Word.” ― R.C. Sproul