Enduring Your Struggle

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Main Idea: The “in Christ” formula provides the believer with three commands that should determine how they deal with adversity.

Message Goal: Provide three disciplines that will help any believer overcome adversity and challenges in their life.

Introduction: Three Imperative/ Commands of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and the Power of Discipline

I thought to myself “why would I be preaching a sermon like this on Palm Sunday—during a time when we generally talk about Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem?” In fact, I considered how would have preached an entire sermon on three simple verses. However, I have come to realize that God’s spoken word should never be determined y a traditional calendar.

I am led to preach this sermon because, I sense that we are under heavy burdens. Last week I spoke to you on the importance of making a life decision to commit or recommit to Christ. Today, I want to tell you about the three disciplines you should use as a result of the commitment you’ve made to Christ.

Paul taught believers to be persistent in three things:

Rejoicing

Prayer

Thankfulness

Paul actually modeled these three commands in his own life (see Romans 1:9, 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2:13, 5:17; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2). He encouraged the church in Thessalonica to always be joyful, pray constantly, and be thankful in everything. Now, anyone who has lived any length of time will notice the difficulty of fulfilling such commands.

Did Paul actually mean this? Or was this some sort of therapeutic recipe for dealing with life’s challenges? Is it possible to always be joyful, always prayerful, and always thankful?

When we study these three statements deeper, we discover that these are not suggestions. Rather, they are three imperative statements. More specifically these are present imperatives, which denote a long-term commitment. Paul uses the imperative mood to demonstrate what is actually possible! That is, to do these things is a real possibility and not just hopeful thinking. The key about these three imperative statements is that they all are described as being the will of God in Christ Jesus. And it is the “in Christ” formula that makes all of this possible.

God had a purpose in Christ Jesus for mankind to always be joyful, prayerful, and thankful in all things. This means, one cannot truly fulfill these things unless they are in Christ. Here, the “in Christ” formula is found once again in this writing of Paul. Paul sees Jesus as the new beginning of the human race. He is the new beginning of new creation. When one believes in Christ, they become transferred into a “realm of Christ” (Hawthorne, et al., 1993). They become a part of the new scene in the story of God, which is climaxed by the resurrection of Jesus and the inauguration of the kingdom of God.

IT’S NOT ALWAYS A SUNNY DAY: Interestingly, we should understand that none of these things—joy, prayer, or thankfulness—are an inherited blessing. Some would suppose that the believer receives a spiritual shot of some sort that enables them to experience these things as a means of escaping the pains of life. Rather, these three things are disciplines and the means by which one is to defeat the pains of life. They are disciplines we are to live out as a result of being in Christ.

That is, because of Jesus’s launch of fresh creation, believers are now active participants in the will of God. As participants in God’s creation we are now able to live under the disciplines of the believer. And while these disciplines are not natural or instinctive, they can become natural habits. The process of making what is unnatural a habit is what I like to call the “breaking-in experience.”

The breaking in experience is one that I borrow from that which is done to horses that have not been trained for riding. Horse training includes a variety of practices that teaches the horse how to perform under certain behaviors and commands. Paul alludes to this idea in Hebrews 12:11 “11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” The break-in experience provides the training needed to habitually respond to difficulty in our lives. One writer writes,

Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII Discipline

Without the hard and arduous process of “breaking-in,” a horse is not fit for steady and profitable labour. Much of our bitter trials and heart-bruising hardships come upon us by way of breaking-in. They chasten the spirit, and make us more ready and willing to do the will of God. “No affliction for the present seems joyous, but rather grievous, nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness”

The three disciplines we will soon share will require intense labour and significant trials. Yet, this is true even if we decide not to learn from these things. However, once we have endured we will master the habits that will transform the way we live our lives.

Sermon Points: The Three Disciplines

Rejoice (Joy) is a feeling; the feeling of happiness and joy. However, it is expressed here as a verb and should be considered an action one takes. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary shows that there are two reasons by which individuals in the Old Testament found a reason to have joy and rejoice: the experience of deliverance and the anticipation of salvation. It goes on to say that rejoicing is not limited to a feeling. Rather, rejoicing is a expression of celebration that comes from God’s gathered people.

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Joy

The experience of deliverance and the anticipation of salvation provide the most significant occasions for rejoicing among the people of God in the OT. The coming of the Messiah, who delivers his people and brings salvation becomes the basis for rejoicing in the NT. The response of joy, gladness, or happiness is not only a deep inward feeling, but is expressed in celebration when God’s people gather together.

When one experiences deliverance or anticipates salvation there should be rejoicing. Therefore, there shall never be a moment in one’s life when they are not outwardly expressing an act of celebration, because in life we are always either delivered or being delivered.

Prayer is an address we make to a deity; often a request. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible offers the following definition: an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies (Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Prayer. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1745). Baker Book House.) It goes on to share that prayer is a result of two things:

The long process of change.

A developed relationship with Christ

However, does Paul mean to pray always? The story of the widow in Luke 18:1-8 gives the following explanations:

The woman had a need.

The woman knew where to go and what to do to meet that need (pray).

The woman was persistent, unwavering, and deliberate (faith).

The woman received what she needed.

This parable is an expression of what God does for His children who constantly communicate with Him. Therefore, prayer is an attitude or posture one takes in their life.

When we find ourselves in tough situations and problems, we should face those issues in a posture of prayer and request to God.

James 4:3 CSB

3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Tony Evans illustrated our avoidance of prayer:

FOR SOME of us, prayer is like putting four quarters in a Coke machine, pushing the button, and not getting a Coke. We push the button again and again, waiting for our Coke, which never comes. Finally, kicking the machine, we just wave our hand and walk away. Many of us have given up on prayer because while it is something we know we are supposed to do, we feel it just doesn’t work.

PRAYER WORKS! WE MUST CULTIVATE A HABIT OF PRAYER!

Thanksgiving means to be impressed with a feeling of gratitude for kindness received (and ready and willing to acknowledge it.) The root word in the Greek is eucharist, which finds its root word in chairo (joy). Gratitude is another word we might find when thinking of the term thanksgiving.

Gratitude is the natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, gratitude is not a tool used to manipulate the will of God. It is never coerced or fabricated in one’s mind; rather, gratitude is a joyful commitment of one’s personality to God. (Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Gratitude. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 900). Baker Book House.)

Gratitude is what one does even if they feel they shall never get something from God ever again. It is the impact of what has already been done that leads one to being thankful.

One may say, “How can I, with all I have experienced and am going through be thankful in this way?” An article from The Evangel writes,

AMG Bible Illustrations Anything to Be Thankful For?

Even though I clutch my blankets and groan when the alarm rings each morning. Thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are those who are deaf. Even though I keep my eyes tightly closed against the morning light as long as long as possible. Thank you, Lord, that I can see. There are many who are blind. Even though I huddle in my bed and put off the physical effort of rising, thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedfast. Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely. Even though our table never looks like the pictures in the magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced. Thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry. Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no work. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of life.

Conclusion

Make a change and change your life.

Nearly 2,000 years ago a Father sent His son to a far country— a place He’d never been before. This Son was a faithful Son. He entered the country as a model for excellent living. He was a great sage and speaker of great things. He taught His followers the virtues He learned from His Father. He was perfect, blameless, and perfect. Yet, even He had to deal with the struggle of being a child of God in a messed up world.

This man was Jesus. If Jesus had to deal with the struggles of being a human, so do we. This is what we find in Jesus’s entrance into the city of Jerusalem.

We have not yet learned how to endure struggle. Bring a disciple is about learning how to enter our Jerusalem, willingly and with joy.