1 Thessalonians 5:14

Now, we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue that which is good, both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophecies, test all things, hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil.

Paul's parting exhortations show us how to grow in faith, hope, and love rather than drift through another year.

Starting the Year by Remembering Christ

It's a blessing to begin each year with communion. I can think of no better way to start than to be reminded of what the Lord has done for us. As we read in Corinthians and Matthew, Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me," that we might consider His death, burial, and resurrection. First Corinthians 15 tells us the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event of all history. When He rose from the dead, it proved He has the power and authority to raise us to newness of life. Just as Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season, He is the cause of our hope in future joy.

I wanted this first Sunday not only to partake of communion but to be reminded of some very important realities for us who are in Christ. In 2 Peter 1, Peter says, "I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right to stir you up by reminding you." It's good from time to time to revisit things we think we already know well and take thought of the great things we have in Christ.

The Sure Word and the Triad of Maturity

Peter writes of the sureness of the prophetic word of Scripture. Last week we considered that Jesus promised to come again (John 14), to be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28), and that angels in Acts 1 proclaimed this same Jesus would come again. We have the sureness of the prophetic word in the Scriptures.

Here at the close of 1 Thessalonians, Paul also writes of future events. At the end of chapter 4 and beginning of chapter 5, he speaks of the sureness of Christ's return, and on that basis he exhorts the church to be watchful, sober-minded, and walking in faith, hope, and love. Earlier he had commended them for these very things. In chapter 1, verse 2, he writes, "We give thanks to God always for you... remembering without ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love, your patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." There is the great triad of Christian maturity: faith, hope, and love.

It Is Easy to Drift

Notice that Paul commends them for faith, hope, and love at the beginning, then exhorts them to continue in faith, hope, and love at the end. That reveals a sobering reality: it's easy to drift. We can be walking in faith, hope, and love today and find ourselves lacking it ten years from now. In Revelation 2-3, Jesus writes to the church at Ephesus—a church Paul had invested in for nearly three years—and says, "You've left your first love." Some thirty years after that dynamic faith, they weren't where they had been.

We know this practically. How many of you made New Year's resolutions in January of 2012? Many of us have given up even making them because we won't keep them. And living near the ocean, you know what it is to swim in at lifeguard tower six and three hours later find yourself at tower twelve. You drifted without realizing it, simply by not fighting the current. Faith, hope, and love are to be the bedrock of our lives. Hebrews ends on this very focus: chapter 11 is the hall of faith, chapter 12 is our hope in Christ, chapter 13 is the love of God in and through us. Jude likewise calls us to build up our faith, stay fixed in the love of God, and look for hope unto eternal life.

Growth Comes Through Stretching

Our growth in faith, hope, and love comes the way muscle growth comes. People flood the fitness clubs every January, and you know that to build muscle you must strain and stretch it, even to the point that it feels wounded. The fibers are stretched beyond their capacity in order to grow. So it is with our faith. If we want to grow in faith, hope, and love, we will be stretched. God will put people in your life who are unlovely, and they will stretch you. Expect it as you press toward the goal.

Warn Those Who Are Unruly

In verse 14 Paul says, "Warn those who are unruly." The New Living Translation reads "warn those who are lazy." Don't picture an undisciplined child bouncing off the walls; the idea is undisciplined because of laziness—a person not engaged in the work. The English Standard Version says, "Admonish the idle." After Paul reminds the church to be watchful and sober-minded, he cautions them not to be idle and disengaged from kingdom purposes.

In other words: if you're not plugged in, get plugged in. In 2 Thessalonians Paul has to rebuke this same church again, saying, "Those who will not work shall not eat." Some among them were sitting back on the charity of the body. We can't only receive and receive—from the school of ministry, the women's and men's ministries, the Sunday gathering—we must also give of our time, talents, and treasures and be engaged in the work of God. If you don't, you'll drift. And if you're not as on fire for the Lord as you once were, it may be a sign you've grown lazy not only in serving but in prayer and the reading of the Word.

Comfort the Fainthearted

Maybe you're not plugged in because your heart is heavy. So Paul says, "Comfort the fainthearted." Some have disengaged from their faith because they've gone through things that weighed them down, distracted by discouragements. That may be you today—a time when you were more on fire than you are now. The flame that once burned bright has become a coal about to go out, and you need the Lord to breathe upon it.

One way to encourage the fainthearted is to be reminded of important truths from God's Word. In Ephesians 1:3, Paul says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ." Do you realize every spiritual blessing is available to you in Christ? It's not wishful thinking; we just have to lay hold of it. He chose us before the foundation of the world, predestined us to adoption, made us accepted in the beloved, gave us redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins, and sealed us with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Our Inheritance Is God Himself

That sealing Spirit "is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." Recall that in the old covenant the tribe of Levi received no inheritance of land; their inheritance was God Himself, as Deuteronomy tells us. Far better to inherit God than a created earth. We who are now a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, have God Himself as our full inheritance. "In His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). Heaven would not be heavenly were it not for the presence of God.

As a down payment guaranteeing future glory, He has given us the abiding Holy Spirit. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, as 1 Corinthians 3 and 6 teach. The Spirit's presence continually reminds us that God will make good on what He has promised. These are good things that encourage the fainthearted to re-engage.

Uphold the Weak

Perhaps some have disengaged because they're weak—physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Paul says, "Uphold the weak." One of the awesome realities of the faith is that there is no natural selection, no survival of the fittest. In Romans 15:1, "We who are strong ought to bear with the infirmities of the weak, not to please ourselves," but to build them up. We are running a race together. Hebrews 12 says, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, let us lay aside every weight... and run the race with endurance."

When I ran a half marathon, I had a set pace, but as soon as I started I began picking off runners—"I'll pass that one, then that one." When someone cramped up and started walking, my mind said, "One less person to pass." But our race in Christ is the opposite. When someone falls by the wayside through weakness, we don't think "one less person." We come alongside and help them run, because we're all running unto Jesus together.

The world operates on the "ten-eighty-ten" survival principle—the idea that the first ten percent who can't function are the first to die, so you forget about them. That's the world's mindset: every man for himself, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. But Christ's mindset, imparted to us, is to bear with the weak so they will once again be strong and run the race.

Be Patient With All

Paul ends verse 14 with, "Be patient with all." How many of you struggle with patience? We all do. There's a saying not to pray for patience because God will give you trials, but that's a misuse of James 1. Whether you pray for patience or not, you'll face trials. The real question is whether you'll gain patience through them. And how thankful are you for the people who have been patient with you in your weak and difficult times?

Our culture is built around impatience. We've added a second drive-through at McDonald's so we can get through faster. We sit at Costco with six lanes open and thirty closed and want to shout, "Open another lane!" The gas station is an exercise in patience. Yet one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience. In a culture that hates to be delayed, mirroring Christ through patience is a witness. So when someone in the body seems to lag, the answer is not "Come on, what's wrong with you?" but to come alongside them with long-suffering.

Do Not Render Evil for Evil

Verse 15: "See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good, both for yourselves and also for all." This is contrary to our nature. If someone curses you, you want to curse back. If someone pushes me, honestly, I want to punch them and escalate it. We're all like this. But Paul's exhortation is that those who walk in faith, hope, and love don't repay evil with evil or slander with slander.

Someone will object, "But the Bible says an eye for an eye." It does—in Exodus 21, Leviticus 24, and Deuteronomy 19—but that is one of the most misunderstood passages in Scripture. It's not a prescription to retaliate; it's a gracious limitation. Before that law, if you knocked out one tooth, someone might take four of yours. "An eye for an eye" ensures the punishment fits the crime, no more.

Jesus takes us further in Matthew 5:38: "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye'... But I tell you not to resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." These verses are easy to quote and hard to apply. Our marriage counseling almost always involves couples unable to live them out—one says something rude, the other volleys it right back, and so it escalates. (My marriage isn't perfect either; let's get that out of the way.) The temptation is to return the serve.

Releasing the Tension

Wherever there is tension between people, it's not just one or the other—it's both. This guitar string illustrates it: tension exists because two points hold the string and crank it up. The only way to remove the tension is for one of those points to release. Too often we won't humble ourselves to release, so the tension is ratcheted up and up until something breaks and you're in a pastor's office, where it's hard to put things back together. Reducing the tension means taking the humble course—not easy, but it's the call. So pursue what is good toward everyone, inside and outside the body of Christ. Look for opportunities to do right.

Rejoice Always

Verses 16-18 give us some easy verses to memorize. Verse 16: "Rejoice always." Now you've memorized it. This is an imperative, a command—be joyful always. None of us fulfills it perfectly, yet I believe every command of Scripture is given with the supporting power from God to fulfill it; otherwise He would call us to something futile. As 2 Peter 1:3 says, "By His divine power He has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." In our own strength we have nothing, but in Christ we have what we need.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit—Galatians 5:22, "the fruit of the Spirit is love," and the second is joy. We can rejoice always because of God's grace, and as we consider the great things God has done for us, our hearts rejoice. (I taught a whole series on joy you can find on our website.)

Pray Without Ceasing

"Pray without ceasing" is another command. It's God's will that we never stop praying. If you're struggling with joy, it may be because you're failing to pray continually—to bring every thought captive through prayer and to be anxious for nothing. As Philippians 4 says, "By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and His peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Prayer is hard. We fail through forgetfulness, lack of want, unwillingness to make time, or distraction. C.S. Lewis captures this in The Screwtape Letters, in which a senior demon coaches his nephew on tempting a human. One letter advises: every time your client starts to think of spiritual things, remind him of the natural. That's exactly what happens. You sit down to pray and suddenly you're hungry, or the phone rings, or you remember a bill to pay. The enemy doesn't want you to pray because prayer draws you near to God—and as you draw near to Him, He draws near to you, and the enemy flees.

The blessings of prayer are abundant: answered prayer, the promise that God hears us (1 John 5), that He will answer (Jeremiah 33), peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4), and closer fellowship with God (James 4). These alone should encourage us to pray.

In Everything Give Thanks

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." In every circumstance you can find something for which to glorify God. In Ephesians 5:20 Paul goes further: "Giving thanks always for all things."

This past Friday Jeff Jackson came into my office discouraged. That morning his wife had knocked coffee over his laptop, frying it; he backed up all his data and headed to the Apple store, which said it wouldn't last. Hours later, sitting in a meeting here, his car alarm went off—a man had smashed his window and grabbed his briefcase with the broken laptop and sped off. In the back seat was a box of equipment for Sabu—a projector, laptop, and tablet—but the thief was run off before he could get it. Jeff said, "Thank God he didn't take that—but he took my broken laptop." I told him, "Isn't it cool you spilled coffee and backed up all your data this morning so you didn't lose anything?" You can give thanks even in the midst of things like that, though sometimes it takes time to see where to give thanks. We live in a thankless society—we even clutter our one day of Thanksgiving with distractions. Yet the command stands: in everything, give thanks.

A Year of Drawing Near in Prayer

We can only fulfill these commands as we draw near to God in prayer. To accomplish what God has for us, individually and as a church, that exhortation to pray without ceasing is essential, because we will not accomplish these things on our own—God is the one who works through us. There are opportunities this week: a prayer walk at Rose Elementary on Thursday at 4:00, prayer here Wednesday mornings at 6:30 and again at noon, and prayer groups throughout the week.

Let me encourage you to orient your heart toward looking to God in every situation. We sometimes imagine prayer must use King James English on bended knee, eloquent and polished. But some of the best prayers I've heard come from a person who has just received Christ and prays with raw sincerity—maybe even slipping in a word or two—but crying out, "God, I'm sorry, I screwed up." That we simply come to God in all things, that is good.

Closing Prayer

Father, we know we need Your grace this year to fulfill what You've called us to do—in our careers, in raising our kids, in our marriages, within the body of Christ and missions, wherever we are. We confess our complete inability, our total insufficiency, and we need You to be all-sufficient in our lives. Make us able to glorify You. Stir our hearts to be consistent and continuous in prayer throughout the day—when we send emails, answer phones, drive, or shop. What an awesome opportunity we have to come before You anytime, anywhere; we don't need a temple or a specific place, because we are the temple of Your Holy Spirit, and You are with us always and everywhere. Help us take advantage of it, not to be easily distracted, but to seek You and see You do great things. As D.L. Moody said, "Where prayer is focused, power falls." So we ask that You would cause power to fall upon our lives and upon this community. For we ask it in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen.