How to Handle Everything

Be Thankful for Preservation

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon Be Thankful for Preservation (Psalm 34:1; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

You have heard, perhaps, of a Puritan who met his son, each one of them traveling some ten or twelve miles to meet the other. The son said to his father, “Father, I am thankful to God for a very remarkable providence that I have had on my journey here. My horse has stumbled three times with me, and yet I am unhurt.”

The Puritan replied, “My dear son, I have to thank God for an equally remarkable providence on my way to you, for my horse did not once stumble all the way.”

If we happen to be in an accident by railway we feel so grateful that our limbs are not broken. But should we not be thankful when there is no accident? Is not that the better thing of the two? If you were to fall into poverty, and someone were to restore you to your former position in trade, you would be very grateful. Should you not be grateful that you have not fallen into poverty? Bless God for his unknown benefits. Extol him for favors that you do not see, always giving thanks to God for all things.

Brief Background of 1 Thessalonians 5

1, 2 Thessalonians 5. Exhortations regarding Times and Seasons (5:1–11)

Chapter 5 continues the discussion of the coming of the Lord but with a shift in emphasis. With the fate of the Christian dead clarified (4:13–18), Paul turned to the responsibility of the living. The living should remain alert and prepared for that day (vv. 6, 8), for they (unlike the unbelievers, v. 3) are fully aware that it is coming (v. 4).

Some understand that the shift from a discussion of parousia (4:15) to a discussion of the “day of the Lord” (5:2) indicates that Paul was writing about two different events. Although this is possible, it is not the only way to explain the shift in terminology. The topic of 4:13–18 is resurrection; the topic of 5:1–11 is judgment. The intent in 4:13–18 is to comfort believers who have experienced a loss through death. The intent in 5:1–11 is to challenge believers to live faithfully and expectantly in anticipation of future judgment. These variations alone are sufficient to explain the use of parousia in the former and “day of the Lord” in the latter passage.

1, 2 Thessalonians 6. Exhortations regarding Life in the Fellowship (5:12–22)

This final section of paraenesis is made up of several brief collections of exhortations. Each one is quite capable of standing on its own, and most exhibit similarities with other Pauline paraenetic passages (esp. Rom 12:12–18). These facts indicate that the content of vv. 12–22 is traditional Christian paraenesis that Paul could deliver to any number of churches. At the same time, however, the uniqueness of vv. 12–13a and the fact that Paul did select these particular exhortations for inclusion in this particular letter indicate that the material was selected and shaped with the Thessalonians in mind.

Although there is no peri de … formula (as in 4:9, 13; 5:1) stating a central concern, these exhortations do orbit around a common theme. They are not a collection of Pauline afterthoughts or disjointed, last-minute instructions. Though the passage touches on several different points of life in the family of believers, all the exhortations deal with life in the assembly. Also (with the possible exception of one section, vv. 16–18) each piece of paraenesis gives advice regarding points of potential conflict in the assembly. The brevity of the exhortations and their generic nature indicate that the church was not actively embroiled in a crisis of fellowship. But potential points of conflict did exist in Thessalonica, and Paul apparently intended to commend the kind of behavior that would prevent disruptions in the life of the congregation.

The Christian assembly in Thessalonica, indeed the church in most instances, is a complex entity including a great variety of personalities. There are leaders and followers (vv. 12–13), those who are weak in the faith and those who are strong (vv. 14–15), the optimists and the pessimists (vv. 16–18), the cynical and the gullible (vv. 19–22). These and others must coexist in the church. Even more they must learn how to love one another and work with one another for the encouraging and the building up of each other (4:9, 18; 5:11).

Yada (verb) — to give thanks, praise. Describes the act of giving thanks and praise to God.

Lexham Theological Wordbook יָדָה

This verb primarily refers to giving thanks; the majority instances of yādâ in the OT are in Psalms. Like other terms with similar meanings, yādâ is often accompanied by an explanation of the reason for the thanks or praise. Reasons for which people thank (yādâ) God include the birth of Leah’s son (Gen 29:35), the righteous rules of God (Psa 99:3), the righteousness of God (Psa 7:17), the goodness of God (Psa 54:6), and the great and holy name of God (Psa 99:3). The verb can be used in an exhortation inviting people to thank (yādâ) God, as in Psa 97:12: “Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous, and give thanks (yādâ) to his holy name” (see also Psa 30:4; 105:1; 118:29). The intent and act of praise and thanksgiving can also be declared by the worshiper in a statement like that in Psa 86:12: “I will give thanks (yādâ) to you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and glorify your name forever” (compare Psa 108:3). However, Sheol and the dead cannot praise God (Isa 38:18).

The Right Response for every circumstance — “In Everything give thanks”

Paul thanks God because of the things he recalls about his readers in prayer, and the same dynamic probably exists between the two activities here in 5:17–18. In particular, three facets of prayer give rise to thankfulness: (1) consideration of how God has answered our prayers in the past; (2) contemplation of God himself (his various attributes) and the many different ways in which he has manifested his grace to us by providing for us; and (3) continual confession of sin, as we remind ourselves that Jesus suffered the end-time wrath for our sin and overcame death by his resurrection, so that we might also overcome death. To the extent that we have a prayerful attitude we will have a thankful one.

The Right Purpose — for this is the will of God

The reason (gar = for) for giving thanks is that this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. This is not God’s decretive will by which he plans history but rather his “commanding” will by which he obligates and desires that his people serve him (see further on 4:3). God has placed upon his people the duty to be thankful, and he desires that they take pleasure in fulfilling that duty. Just as God’s will places us in “every circumstance,” there is a thanksgiving for every trial

The Right Relationship Requires a Response — in Christ Jesus concerning Him

This is not mere gratefulness to God for bestowing blessings on us but a gratitude that comes from being identified with our Messiah (in Christ Jesus) and receiving blessings because of our union with him. The fact that we are to thank God reveals that only he is the source of all blessings for which we thank him (see further on 1:4–5). All of us have received gifts on birthdays or special occasions. Unfortunately, sometimes people become so concerned with the gift that they lose sight of the giver and forget to say thank you. Paul’s children in the faith, the Thessalonian Christians (cf. 2:7–8, 10–11), had a somewhat similar yet worse problem. They likely did not have a thankful attitude toward God for their salvation because they apparently were not even confident that they had received the gift of salvation. Therefore, one of Paul’s uppermost concerns is to remind them of the reality of their faith so that they might have assurance and continually thank God for it (see 5:16–18). Paul does this by offering repeated thanksgivings to God in the hearing of the Thessalonians for their own genuine faith. In this section Paul thanks God for the readers because he recognizes in them the genuine characteristics of God’s end-time people, which characteristics they should also recognize in him.

Indeed, this is the only letter of Paul’s in which the introductory thanksgiving is not limited to the opening paragraph but covers the span of the first three chapters (see O’Brien 1977:141–53). His opening thanksgiving extends from 1:2 to 2:12 and is formally picked up again in 2:13 and 3:9. The thanksgiving not only assures Christians of the reality of their faith but also demonstrates that Paul is an authentic spokesman of God.