Sermon Central
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Life In The Kingdom Family Series
Contributed by Allan Quak on Nov 2, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: Even when, like the Thessalonians, we are doing well in our spiritual journey, we still need to keep hearing and reflecting on the imperatives and commands and spiritual direction which comes from the Word - because no matter who we are we can easily fail.
You can also listen to the full message here:-
http://nec.org.au/strong-and-ready/
Message
Life In The Kingdom Family
Through this sermon series we have come to understand quite a lot about the church of the:-
• They are models to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thess 1:7-8)
• They stand firm in the Lord (1 Thess 3:8)
• They live to please God (1 Thess 4:1)
• They know how to love (1 Thess 4:9-10)
• They are well taught (1 Thess 5:1)
This is a church which is a witnesses and light – ready to serve and stand out in the world.
With that summary in mind let’s turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 and see how Paul closes this letter. (Read)
That is a lot of instructions, and directions, and guidance on how to live; isn’t it.
In Greek there is a verbal form called an imperative … this verbal form is used when the author wants to issue a command, or give instructions to be followed, or express an expected outcome. Let’s have the whole text up on the screen and then highlight all the words which are in the imperative.
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat with contempt prophesies 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
(for those using powerpoint - the highlighted words are:- Live in peace , warn, encourage, help, be patient, make sure, strive, rejoice, pray, give thanks, not quench, not treat with contempt, test, reject, pray, greet)
That is 16 imperatives.
And all of these imperatives bar one … that one being “greet one another with a holy kiss” … all of them are in a form can be translated as “do this action, and keep on doing this action”
We urge you to warn, and keep on warning, the idle.
Give thanks, and keep on giving thanks, to God.
Do not quench, and keep on being those who do not quench, the Spirit.
15 imperatives where there is an encouragement to continue the action and life-style.
So why didn’t Paul also say, “Greet, and keep on greeting, one another with a holy kiss?”
Well … that is just creepy. You come into church and everyone is just kissing each other over and over.
Say hello. Shake hands. Chug on the shoulder. A quick holy kiss.
Greet one another … then stop!
16 imperatives.
Spoken to a church which, Paul says, is doing really well.
Why write this way to a church that generally living faithfully?
When Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica it is no more than six months after the Gospel first came to Thessalonica. 1 Thessalonians reflects what the church was like then – especially their spiritual reputation.
But Paul also knows that churches don’t stay the same.
And what happens today cannot be assumed to be happening tomorrow.
When Paul writes to the Ephesians one of the things he says is:-
Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you
When John writes his Revelation vision, the book which is the last Scripture to be written, we read
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
Revelation 2:1, 4-5
Churches change. People change.
So Paul writes to the church a series of imperatives.
