Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Statement Of Faith

End Times Part 4

Intro: A woman was cleaning her parakeet's cage. She was in a hurry and decided to use the vacuum cleaner on the bottom of the cage. It would be OK because her bird Chippie would sit on the top perch as she vacuumed the bottom.  While she was vacuuming the cage the phone rang. She turned her head to pick up the phone, and heard the horrible sound of Chippie being sucked into the vacuum cleaner. She dropped the phone, ripped open the vacuum cleaner bag and found Chippie stunned, but alive. The bird was covered with dust and grime, so she turned on the kitchen faucet, held him under it and washed him off. Then she took a blow drier, turned on a blast of hot air and dried him off. A newspaper reporter got  wind of the story and interviewed her. He asked 'How's Chippie doing these days? She replied 'Chippie doesn't sing much any more. He just sits there and stares.'

EXP: The sad truth is, there are too many in every church, who are like Chippie: they don't sing much,  they just sit there and stare. When given the opportunity to give testimony  and thanks for what God is doing in their lives, they don't say much, they just sit there and stare. When given the opportunity come into God's courts with praise, they don't say or sing much, they just sit there and stare.

     During a Sunday service a little boy asked his mother 'Why are people singing to their shoe laces?' He knew, instinctively, that where there is joy in the heart, you look up to the source of your joy, you sing with a smile, you feel the Good News in the center of your very being, and you can't sit there in the chair sitting on your hands, refusing to sing, praise or speak. You have to participate or you will burst. That is being filled with the joy of the Lord.

     The problem is, too many Christians do not experience joy in their heart and it is rarely displayed in their lives..even on Sunday morning while in worship. And is it any wonder that nonchristians say if that is what it means to be a Christian...no thanks, my life is dull enough.

     One reason for the problem, and this is a real problem in every church, is that too many Christians do not choose to live in a deep, close relationship with the Lord, one in which they would experience true joy.

     And the reality is, without this deep, close, intimate relationship with the Lord, they live in mediocrity, weakness and in fear. And it is not just displayed by a lack of joy in their life, the Christian who lives at an arms length from the Lord will also display a lack of meaningful, intimate prayer and an overall sense of ingratitude about what the Lord has done.

     This is what Paul addresses today in our text.  God calls for a response from His children to the promise that Jesus will return and take the Believer to be with Him for all eternity. The response He is looking for is not one of speculation over the manner and times of Christ's return.  The response He is looking for is not selling your property, quitting church and waiting on some mountain top for Christ to return. The response He is looking for is not to be found in the arguing and separation that takes place concerning Christ's return.

     The response God is looking for is obedience, COMPLETE, and CONSISTENT. That is a big order and honestly, hard to take.

     The three verses we will look at this morning have been called the 'Standing Orders of the Church' They are all in the imperative, that means they are commands, not suggestions. They are not directed to our attitudes alone but specifically to our actions and behaviors.

I. A Call for Response (vs. 16-18)
    A. Rejoice Always (vs. 16)
Read:  1 Thess. 5:16

     God the Father, Creator of the universe, the one who redeemed the Believers soul from the pit of Hell, calls them to respond to His sovereign grace......with rejoicing.

     The word REJOICE means to express joy, to be exceedingly glad, merry. We are not talking about happiness. Happiness is related to your circumstances. It is joy that sustains you through your circumstances. Joy in the life of the Christian is the direct result of continually seeking and living in the presence of the Lord.

    Did you know that God wants all His Children to be full of joy and actively rejoicing?

Phil 4:4 says 'Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice'

     His Word calls us to respond to Him with rejoicing. Even when we don't feel like rejoicing, we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord.

1. Let the righteous rejoice. Ps 68:3
2. Let us serve God with gladness. Ps. 100:2-5
3. Let us worship Him w/ rejoicing.  2 Chron. 23:18,  Deut 12:12
4. Let us express our rejoicing in song.   James 5:13
5. Let us promote joy in others. Phil. 1:25
6. Let us pray for joy in others.  Rom. 15:13
7. Let us rejoice in the day God has made. Ps. 118:24

 God gives us every reason to rejoice as we consider the multitude of blessings that are ours in Christ.

1. We rejoice because of the Word of God given to us.
2. We rejoice because we are indwelled and empowered  by God's Holy spirit.
3. We rejoice because we are saved.
4. We rejoice because we are delivered from bondage.
5. We rejoice because we experience God's protection.
6. We rejoice because we are given strength by God.
7. We rejoice because God said He will never leave us.
8. We rejoice because the work God has begun in us He will complete in us.
9. We rejoice because God has promised to provide all our needs.
10. We rejoice because God loves us with an everlasting love.

 Choosing to rejoice in the Lord has it's benefits.

    First, joy is strength.  Neh. 8:10 says 'the joy of the Lord is my strength.' When we live and experience the joy of the Lord we will have the strength to resist the so called joys the world and sin have to offer because they will not compare to the joy in Christ.

    Second, joy is contagious.  Do you like being around a person with a bad attitude, one who is always depressive, and critical, one who is a frowning sourpuss? Of course not. Most people like to be around a joyful person. They will see your joy and want it for themselves and if you let them know you are a Christian, they may see your faith as the source of your joy and want that too.

    Third, joy is motivational. When you choose to be joyful in the Lord, you will want to express it and do something about it. Those who best serve the Lord are those who are most joyful in the Lord.

     A final note to see is that our joy and rejoicing is to be done always. At home, work, recreation, in line at the food store and even in worship. There is never an inappropriate time to rejoice in the Lord. When we are full of joy, we can't  be quiet, sit still and just stare, we will want to express it.

Trans: Out of obedience to God's Word, we are to rejoice, always. The second standing order of the church is to pray w/o ceasing.

    B. Pray Always (vs. 17)
Read: 1 Thess. 5:17

     This obviously doesn't mean that we are to pray w/o ever stopping.  JB Lightfoot, pastor and scholar said 'It is not in the moving of the lips, but in the elevation of the heart to God, that the essence of prayer consists'

     To pray w/o ceasing establishes prayer not just as a thing we do before means, or bed on Wednesday night or when things get tough. To pray w/o ceasing establishes a pattern, a lifestyle of prayer.

     How do we do this?  To pray w/o ceasing is a lot like thinking. We are always thinking about something, our mind is always at work, right? To pray w/o ceasing means that we focus our thoughts continually on God and the things of God.

    Now I am not saying that when we are doing something that we need to think about, that we cease to pray when we stop thinking about the Lord. God desires that we do all to His glory. So when we do what we do, work, school, whatever, when we do it for His glory, it is an offering of prayer to him.

     Prayer is both communication and communion with God. The idea is that we never break the lines of communication or depart from the presence of God. It is interesting that when our communication and communion with God is open and flowing, so does our joy. Rejoicing always and praying w/o ceasing are directly connected. To rejoice more, we need to be praying more. A prayer warrior will also be a rejoicing servant.

    How do we do that? How do we pray more consistently? Well, by learning first to pray more actively at regularly appointed times.

Daniel 6:10 'Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.'

    Daniel had regular times for prayer and so should we. A poll was taken by Barna that revealed the average Christian in an evangelical church (Bible teaching) prays for only 2 minutes a day. It is kinda hard to pray w/o ceasing if you can't pray specifically for more than 2 minutes at appointed times.

     Another of those regular times can be our Mid-Week Praise & Prayer time on Wednesday nights.  Jesus called the Temple a 'house of prayer'. That is what CBC should be as well.

     The idea is this. If you won't commit to regular times of prayer in your life, you can not be obedient to God and pray w/o ceasing.

 Remember I said that Paul was basically talking about behavior and not just a feeling? What are the behaviors of prayer.

1. We can pray anyplace: church, home, work, while standing in line at the supermarket...anyplace.
2. We can pray in any physical position: standing  (1 Sam 1:26) Sitting (2 Sam. 2:18) With lifted hands (1 Tim. 2:8)
   Kneeling (Acts 3:14) Prostrated on the ground (Ez. 3:23) With eyes open (Mk. 6:41)

    There are benefits when you pray w/o ceasing as well.

2 Chronicles 7:14 'and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'

Acts 4:31 'And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.'

Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

James 5:16 'The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.'

    Prayer is the one thing all Christians can do. Not everyone can sing in the choir or plan an instrument in the worship team, not everyone can preach or teach, but every Christian can pray.

Trans: We are obedient to God's Word when we pray w/o ceasing. The final standing order for the church is to give thanks in everything.

    C. Give Thanks Always (vs. 18a)
Read:  1 Thess 5:18a)

     Paul tells us to give thanks in everything. Regardless of your circumstance, no matter how terrible or how glorious it may be, while going through it, give thanks to God.

     Yea, right, you may be thinking.
 How can I give thanks for my financial troubles which may make us lose our home?
 How do I give thanks for my rebellions son who has walked away from the Lord?
 How do I give thanks for the death of my spouse? I just can't do it.

     And you are right. You can't do that and God is not asking you to. Take note of the preposition used in this verse. It is 'IN" and not 'FOR'. What this means is that we are to give thanks while we go through whatever it is we are experiencing, we give thanks in the midst of the difficult time...not for the dificult time.

     When we become a Christian, we begin to look at life through a different pair of glasses. We understand that God's Word says

Rom. 8:28 'all things work together for our good to those who love God to those who are called according to His purpose.'

Jer.  29:11 'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

     This means that God is always at work in all things, so we can be thankful in all things because we know that even though things seem pretty bad now, they will work out for His glory and our good..we must trust Him and His Word.

 Just a side note: Some have a difficult time thanking God not only in difficult times but in times of prosperity and peace.

1. Some take things for granted.
2. Others see blessing as expected rather than received with gratitude.
3. Still others think they deserve what they got and don't give thanks to God.
4. Some don't give thanks for what God has provided  because they are greedy for more.

     You will have an opportunity  later in the service to thank the Lord for something: perhaps what He has done or who He is. There is not one Christian here this morning I expect to be like Chippie and be silent, just sit there and stare. Every Christian has at least one thing to be thankful for and we are called to respond to what God is doing by responding to Him. In this case, give public testimony of your thankfulness to God. The choice to be obedient is always yours!

Trans: It is interesting that when we pray w/o ceasing not only will we be full of joy but we will have plenty to thank God for. There is an interelatedness in these verses. And the connection is found in the second part of vs. 18.

    I know I have gone over my customary 30 mins for a sermon. I realize that our worship service this morning will go over our customary 75 minutes. But this is important, more important than you can imagine.

     Why? What I have talked about and what we have experienced and will experience in worship this morning is nothing less than God's will for you!

    D. For this is God's Will  for You! (vs. 18b)
Read: 1 Thess 5:18b

     A question I hear more often than any other is Pastor, how can I know God's will for my life? We want God to be specific and you know what? He is. Do you want to know what God's will is ...for you and every other Christian?

 1. Rejoice always.
 2. Pray w/o ceasing.
 3. In everything give thanks.

     How's that for specific? Obedience to these three commands is difficult. But since God calls us to a life of joy, prayer and thankfulness, He will get us there when we depend on Him.

 Conclusion

     Where does your heart live? That is what these three verses is all about. Is your heart living and breathing the presence of God, always..in good times and in the hard times as well?

 Joy comes from knowing we are never alone.

 Prayer is our ongoing conversation and communion with God.

 And thanksgiving is the reminder that we have been blessed by God.

            Repeat these verses with me.

 Rejoice always

 Pray w/o ceasing

 In everything give thanks

 For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.