Sound and Blameless – 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 - 28
Intro: It has been particularly difficult getting ready for the Christmas holidays this year. Usually, I have the Christmas trees up by the week after Thanksgiving. That didn’t work this year because we were having new carpet installed. --- So needless to say, we’ve not been able to make the usual preparations. --- Paul, in today’s passage, is encouraging the people at Thessolonica to prepare. He is giving them some do’s, don’ts and how to’s in order for them to be ready when Christ returns. What more appropriate time for us to consider this passage as when we are preparing for the coming Messiah on Christmas Eve.
Paul begins his formula for successful preparation for the return of Jesus with a list of three “do’s” beginning with verse 16 – “Be joyful always.”
BE JOYFUL! --- ALWAYS! --- Can’t you just hear the people reading Paul’s letter saying, “You’ve got to be joking!” Let’s look at some Greek here. Maybe we will get a better idea of what Paul meant. The Greek word used here is “chairete” – and can mean rejoice, be glad, be delighted. Be joyful. And here the word is in the imperative which is a command. I’ve had plenty of times in my life when I didn’t feel like being very joyful. But being joyful is Paul’s first “do” – What is there to be joyful or to rejoice about? Luke 10:20 says, “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The second of Paul’s “do’s” is Verse 17 – “Pray continually.” When I read this verse, I thought to myself, “Paul, you have no idea of the complexity of my life. Things are different now. We don’t have time to pray all the time.” I have to know what prayer is before I can do it all the time. The Greek word here is “proseuchomai.” It is a religious technical term for talking to a deity in order to ask for help, usually in the form of a request, vow, or wish.” Pray while you work, pray while you play, just pray, pray, pray!!!!! I have repeatedly said, “As long as we keep God at the center of our ministry, we will not fail.” That is exactly what Paul is saying here. Praying continually acknowledges our partnership with God and our dependence upon Him.
Paul’s final “do” is in Verse 18 – “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” In EVERY circumstance? For ALL things? --- Most of us would want to adjust Paul’s words. We would prefer that he said, “in SOME circumstances” or “in SOME things.” But he didn’t. --- Paul encourages his readers to have a positive attitude in every circumstance. Paul is not saying, “give thanks FOR all circumstances.” He says, “give thanks IN all circumstances. We can be thankful in the midst of any circumstance for what God is working. --- For those of you who have been accused of being “Pollyanna” this is YOUR Bible verse. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, maintain a positive attitude. Look for the good in every circumstance and you will find it! “With your face to the sun, the shadows are behind you; with your back to the sun, the shadows are before you.” It’s all a matter of perspective. “I can do all things through God who strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:13)
There are circumstances that existed in the church in Thessalonica that cause Paul distress. So in addition to telling them what to do, Paul admonishes them about the things that they are doing which he feels are harming not only the unity of the church; but they are not helping people remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus.
Verse 19 begins Paul’s “don’ts” by stating, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;” the Greek word Paul uses here is “sbennte” and it means “to extinguish or put something out, to suppress.” There were those in the church who were enthusiastic and excited about what was happening. The church was growing in numbers. Many people were embracing their new-found faith with great enthusiasm. There were those in the church who were more cautious. They believed the church should seek “quality” rather than “quantity” of members; perhaps, rightfully so. But, Paul felt it was necessary to have that enthusiasm. It was necessary for the church to be “on fire” for Christ. --- Therefore, he cautions the believers there to not quench the enthusiasm. Putting it in modern terms, Paul instructed the believers to not be a “wet blanket.” There are people in every church who believe it is their “job” to keep things in perspective, to slow down progress, to dampen enthusiasm. Paul says that if you want to be prepared for the return of Christ, you must be enthusiastically seeking to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
In Verse 20 Paul continues his list of “don’ts” by saying, “do not treat prophecies with contempt.” Some translations are different here. They say, “do not treat lightly the prophet’s words.” In the world of the Old Testament, prophets were seen more as predictors of the future events. They were well acquainted with the faith history of the people of God and, knowing that, could look at current situations and predict outcomes based on past experience. They did not foretell as much as they forth told. But, at the time of Paul prophets didn’t so much foretell the future as much as they had supernatural insight into the present and what God wanted to do. They often had visions that revealed what God’s purpose or plan was for God’s people. In quiet meditation, they sought to “hear” God speak. In our worldview these people are referred to as preachers; people who speak what they earnestly believe to be God’s word for God’s people.
So what Paul is saying is “do not dismiss lightly the words of the preacher; for God may be speaking to you through them.” The Greek word Paul uses for “treat with contempt” is “exouthenete” and is actually in its meaning a little stronger language. I believe Paul is saying, “Do not reject the words of the preachers with contempt.” Actually, Paul is encouraging the people in the Thessalonian church to not reject the words of the preachers because of WHO is speaking. Listen to the message. Be attentive to the message and ignore the preacher, the one whom God uses to speak to you. Do you see any potential problems here? What about those people who murder innocent victims saying God told them to do it? Are we to believe them? How do we know when the message is from God and when it’s not?
Most of us struggle daily with trying to do the right thing, hoping to follow God’s leading. How do we know we are doing God’s will and not our own? How do we keep ourselves prepared for the return of Christ Jesus? Surely the people of Thessalonica were just as overwhelmed as are we. Paul, knowing those people, well-acquainted with how humans think, would not leave them to speculate. Paul gives a brief summary of how the followers of Christ are to keep themselves prepared for the parousia, the second coming.
Verse 21 says, “Test everything.” --- Paul used the word “dokimapsetay” which means “to prove, put to the test, to examine, to scrutinize, to approve, to try.” A fuller interpretation is “to test anything with the expectation of finding it good with no exception or of finding it bad.” With Paul there was to be no gray area. It was either good or it was evil.
How are we to know, what is good and what is evil? --- What do we use as an example to follow? How do we hold on to what is good and avoid what is evil. The answer is so obvious Paul doesn’t even mention it. We, as well as Paul’s readers, know what is good because we examine everything in light of the life and teachings of Christ Jesus. Christ is the rule by which we measure our life. Christ is the guide through the trials of our world, just as it was for the people in the church at Thessalonica.
Paul is so moved by what he has written that he bursts into prayer for his friends. In Verses 23 – 24, Paul prays for his friends as today he prays for us. Listen to his words, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” According to Paul, we can prepare to receive sanctification by living sanctified lives in the here and now. Not that we can sanctify or save ourselves, but God, himself, will sanctify us through and through as we practice here on earth the way of Christ in heaven.
Put simply! Be prepared! Do: be joyful, pray, give thanks, test everything, hold on to good, and avoid evil.
Don’t: put out the Spirit’s fire or treat God’s word with contempt.
Structuring our lives in this way, we shall be sound and blameless at the return of Christ Jesus. So may it be this holiday season.
