I Thessalonians 5
Sudden appearance of Christ expectedverses 1-3
But of the times and the seasons – brethren
you have no need that I write to you
FOR yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord
so comes as a thief in the night
FOR when they shall say – Peace and safety
THEN sudden destruction comes on them
as travail upon a woman with child
and they shall not escape
Believers are put the armor of God on dailyverses 4-8
But you – brethren are not in darkness
that that day should overtake you as a thief
You are all the children of light – and children of the day
we are not of the night – nor of darkness
Therefore let us not sleep – as do others
but let us watch and be sober
For they that sleep sleep in the night
and they that be drunken are drunken in the night
but let us who are of the day – be sober
Putting on the breastplate of faith and love
and for a helmet – the hope of salvation
Believers are to daily encourage one anotherverses 9-11
FOR God has NOT APPOINTED us to wrath
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ
WHO died for us – that – whether we wake or sleep
we should live together with HIM
Wherefore comfort yourselves together – and edify one another
even as also you do
Believers are to honor their leadersverses 12-13
AND we beseech you – brethren
to know them which labor among you
and are over you in the Lord – and admonish you
And to esteem them very highly in love
for their work’s sake
And be at peace among yourselves
Believers responsibility to othersverses 14-15
Now we exhort you – brethren – warn them that are unruly
comfort the feebleminded – support the weak
be patient toward all men
See that none render evil for evil to any man
but ever follow that which is good
both among yourselves and to all men
Believer’s life describedverses 16-22
Rejoice evermore
Pray without ceasing
in every thing give thanks
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you
Quench not the Spirit
Despise not prophesying
Prove all things
Hold fast that which is good
Abstain from all appearance of evil
Final greetingsverses 23-28
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly
and I pray God your whole spirit – soul – body
be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
Faithful is HE that calls you – WHO also will do it
brethren – pray for us
greet all the brethren with a holy kiss
I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto
all the holy brethren
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
AMEN
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1746 “putting on” [enduo] means clothe with, clothed in, be endued, arrayed in, put clothes on oneself, to dress, or wear)
DEVOTION: There are those who walk in darkness and those who walk in the light. Jesus is the light of the world. The world loves darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. We are to be the children of light because we have Christ in our heart. HE is making a difference in our life.
Here we find that Paul is repeating the fact that every believers should be putting on the armor of God every day. He stated this in the book of Ephesians. He is reminding all believers that they are to put on Jesus Christ each day.
If believers are putting on Jesus Christ everyday they are taking up their cross and following HIM. They are looking to HIM for guidance. They are looking to HIM for protection against the arrows of the devil.
Once the armor is in place believers have confidence that they can face any trial or temptation with the assurances of the help of their Savior. HE reminds us that HE will never leave us or forsake us.
CHALLENGE: Being clearheaded about this fact can help us to just have the fear of the LORD in our heart and no fear of the world around us. We are protected!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also you do. (3618 “edify” [oikodomos] means strengthen, build up, to make more able, encourage, to fashion, or make more able)
DEVOTION: Paul gives every believer two responsibilities. He wants every believer to encourage other believers. Many of our relatives and friends are struggling in at least one area in their walk with the LORD. Some don’t know the LORD and need HIM as their personal Savior. Some are still growing in the LORD and need our encouraging instruction on how to live the Christian life. Some just need a hug to help them know that they are loved. Each of us have to find out what the LORD is telling us to do to encourage our fellow believers.
The second responsibility is to exhort or instruct those around us by our actions and words on how to move forward in their Christian life. We have to earn their respect before they will listen to us but we have this responsibility. First we instruct by our actions. People have to know that you genuinely care for them before they will listen to your Biblical advice.
Many times there are believers who think that they can just walk up to someone and start telling them how they can live their life better for the LORD. This is not going to happen. We earn the right to be heard. It takes time and a genuine caring for others that they see.
These believers in the church of Thessalonica were already doing this amongst themselves. Paul was complementing them to continue in the same direction they were heading.
CHALLENGE: Would he give the same complements to us and our local church? It should be happening.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 17 Pray without ceasing. (89 “without ceasing” [adialeiptos] means without intermission, continuously, unintermittently, constantly, always, without omission, or uninterruptedly)
DEVOTION: When I attended Bible College in the sixties we would have dorm prayer meetings. We had individuals who would pray for long periods of time. This caused many students to fall asleep at this evening prayer meeting. There were also some students that preached to the other students during their prayer times. It was not what the LORD wanted when HE stated that we should pray without intermission.
Paul is conveying the fact that our lives should be always in an attitude of prayer. We are to be in constant communication with God our Father through HIS Son Jesus Christ within the ministry of the Holy Spirit. All three persons of the Godhead or Trinity are involved in our prayer life.
HE is the one who tells us what to pray if we are continuously walking and talking with the LORD about our daily activities. Too often we go through the day thinking only of what we want to do instead of what the LORD wants us to do.
One of the key aspects of prayer is that we need to have a thankful attitude for whatever happens to us each day. Some of the activities are good and some are bad. We are to learn from both and trust the LORD that they are for our good.
There are times when we have to be on our knees before the LORD but most of the time we are walking around and busy doing things that we pray the LORD wants us to do.
We should always be asking for opportunities to be a witness for the LORD to those around us. HE is the one who opens the doors for us to witness.
CHALLENGE: Our attitude is governed by our prayer life. Pray for the LORD to help you keep HIM first every moment of every day.
: 19 Quench not the Spirit. (4570 “quench” [sbennumi] means to extinguish, go out, stop burning, or snuff out)
DEVOTION: Once we are followers of Jesus Christ we are indwelt, baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. This indwelling never leaves us. The filling of the Holy Spirit leaves us when we sin. Once we confess our sin HE fills us again.
While we are filled with the Holy Spirit we are to follow HIS directions for our lives. When we fail to follow HIS directions and sin then we have to confess to be refilled that is called grieving the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit directs us to do something for HIM and we don’t do it that is quenching the Holy Spirit. That is also a sin and needs to be confessed. The Holy Spirit might prompt us to witness to someone or give a gift to someone or bake some cookies for someone. If HE does these things we need to follow HIS prompt.
If all those who are believers are keeping short accounts with God regarding sin in their life and are following the directions of the Holy Spirit we would have great things done for God. The problem is that many people are satisfied with just saying that are followers of Christ without really listening to HIM. This needs to change.
If the Holy Spirit is leading us in one direction and we chose to go in another direction – we are snuffing out the leading of the Holy Spirit in our life and that is a sin. We call this sin the sin of omission.
WHY? We are omitting something in our life that we are supposed to be doing. The Holy Spirit wants us to be an influence in our world. We are the children of light that are knocking holes in the darkness. Each of us has the ability to fight against the kingdom of darkness. Let’s follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives!!! Let’s see the work of the LORD move forward.
CHALLENGE: This leading of the Holy Spirit comes when we are praying without ceasing. Let us practice this today and see where the LORD wants us to go.
:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.(1491 “appearance” [eidos] means 1 the external or outward appearance, form figure, shape. 2 form, kind. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: One of the challenges in the Christian faith is the temptation to compromise with the world. John warns us that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life are all part of the world’s value system, and that we should avoid them at all costs. But we are still tempted by these on a daily basis.
Even if we do not give into one of these temptations, there is always the problem of the appearance of evil to cope with. For example, I have made it a principle not to counsel a woman without my wife or another woman who I trust also being present. It is wrong for a man and a woman to drive alone in a car in a present culture if they are not married, just because of the appearance of evil. Those who are not believers in the faith will see these things and will come to the wrong conclusions about our freedom in Christ. In addition, there are special temptations which occur when we do this (we recently knew of a Christian congressman who had an affair with a staffer after they drove around together alone). Likewise, it is the little compromises that characterize our world today—stores selling alcohol along with groceries and general merchandise, stores selling over-the-counter birth control and abortifacients, and so forth. And then we go and make Sunday our shopping day as Christians!
While it is impossible to totally avoid anything that some people will take the opportunity and criticize, as believers we need to apply the principle of purity to all that we do. Would an unbeliever seeing what I am doing likely come to the conclusion that I may be doing the wrong thing. People should know us for being wholesome, upright people not because we are seeking to keep a set of rules, but because we are seeking to please the King of Kings.
CHALLENGE: Take time to reflect on your life. Is there an area where someone else might say you are close to crossing over the line? One of the reasons for having accountability partners in the Lord is so that others can look at your life objectively and tell you where you are close to (or have) compromise. Ask one person you trust today to honestly evaluate whether or not you are doing something that could lead to the appearance of evil. (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Writeverses 1, 27
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Pray without ceasingverse 17
Give thanksverse 18
Paul prays for churchverse 23
Pray for Paul and other disciplesverse 25
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Writeverse 1
Epistleverse 27
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 18, 23
Will of Godverse 18
God of peaceverse 23
Faithfulverse 24
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Lordverses 2, 9, 12, 23, 27, 28
Day of the Lordverse 2
Jesusverses 9, 18, 23, 28
Christverses 9, 18, 23, 28
Lord Jesus Christ verses 9, 23, 28
Christ died for believer’sverse 10
Christ Jesus verse 18
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spiritverse 19
Quench not the Spiritverse 19
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
All menverses 14, 15
Any manverse 15
Spirit – soul – bodyverse 23
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Lie = peace and safetyverse 3
Darknessverses 4, 5
Thiefverse 4
Children of the nightverse 5
Sleepverse 6
Drunkenverse 7
Unrulyverse 14
Evilverses 15, 22
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Know perfectlyverse 2
Not in darknessverse 4
Children of the light verse 5
Children of the dayverses 5, 8
Let us not sleepverse 6
Watchverse 6
Be soberverses 6, 8
Put on breastplate of faith and loveverse 8
Put on helmet of the hope of salvationverse 8
Not appointed to wrathverse 9
Salvationverse 9
Live together with Christverse 10
Comfort one anotherverses 11, 14
Edify one another verse 11
Laborverse 12
Loveverse 13
Peaceverses 13, 23
Comfort the feeblemindedverse 14
Support the weakverse 14
Patient toward all menverse 14
Not render evil for evilverse 15
Follow goodverses 15, 21
Rejoiceverse 16
Pray without ceasingverse 17
Give thanksverse 18
Quench not the Spiritverse 19
Prophesyingverse 20
Proveverse 21
Hold fast to that which is goodverse 21
Abstain from appearance of evilverse 22
Sanctifyverse 23
Blamelessverse 23
Calledverse 24
Holy kissverse 26
Graceverse 27
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Brethrenverses 1, 4, 12, 14, 25-27
Beseechverse 12
Admonish verse 12
Workverse 13
Exhortverse 14
Warnverse 14
Last Things (Future Events)
Day of the LORDverse 2
Thief in the nightverse 2
Say peace and safetyverse 3
Sudden destructionverse 3
Wrathverse 9
Coming of our Lord Jesus Christverse 23
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
QUOTES regarding passage
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!! Some men started out fundamental but then tried to discover new truth that wasn’t truth.)
6 This provides a solid basis (“so then,” ara oun) for the ethical behavior Paul now urges on the Thessalonians. It is a life style free from moral laxity. Katheudōmen (“let us not sleep”) represents the ethical insensitivity that besets people of the other realm (“like others,” hoi loipoi; cf. 4:13). While it is impossible for the day of the Lord to catch Christians unprepared, it is possible for them to adopt the same life style as those who will be caught unawares. Paul urges his readers not to let this happen.
Conduct in keeping with “the light” and “the day” also includes alertness. Inattention to spiritual priorities is utterly out of keeping for those who will not be subject to the coming day of wrath. Though the Thessalonians were, if anything, overly watchful to the point of neglecting other Christian responsibilities (4:11, 12; 2 Thess 3:6–15), they were not to cease watching altogether.
Apparently self-control was a great need. Nēphō (“to be self-controlled”) is found with grēgoreō (“to be alert,” “to watch”) in a noneschatological context in 1 Peter 5:8. Its usage in 1 Peter 1:13 and 4:7 is eschatological. Nēphō denotes sobriety. To counteract what might become a state of wild alarm or panic, Paul urges self-control as a balance for vagaries arising from distorted views of the parousia. Undue eschatological excitement was a serious problem; spiritual sobriety was the cure. (Thomas, R. L. (1981). 1 Thessalonians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon (Vol. 11, p. 284). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
5:6. Now the reasonable conclusion: Being in the light, having been rescued from the darkness, looking to a future with God, not being subject to his wrath—these should make a difference in how we live.
Paul urged, Let us not be like others, who are asleep. The comparison is most likely to the unbeliever, though it may also target the Christian who is apathetic. Whoever these people were, they were “asleep.”
Falling asleep is a picture of what can happen to us spiritually, ethically, or morally if we are not watchful. We simply drift off. Drowsiness begins, we become comfortable, our hearts become insensitive. Spiritual drowsiness slowly paralyzes the spirit. The person who was once vibrant and wide awake in following Christ can become lethargic and lazy about issues of the spirit.
As you drive down the road and your eyelids become heavy, it is best to open a window, turn up the radio, or pull over for a rest. Spiritually, at the first sign of sleepiness, when church becomes a bit boring, or prayer drops off a bit and you do not seem to care as much—make some corrections. At the very least, ask God to renew your heart, open your spirit to his renewing work, and find accountability with another believer. Falling asleep at the wheel can have disastrous results; so can falling asleep spiritually.
We are to be alert and self-controlled. To be alert is the opposite of being asleep. An alert person is aware, sensitive to life around him, and morally and spiritually awake. (Larson, K. (2000). I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon (Vol. 9, pp. 69–70). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
So then (ἀρα οὐν [ara oun]). Two inferential particles, accordingly therefore, as in 2 Thess. 2:15 and only in Paul in N. T. Let us not sleep (μη καθευδωμεν [mē katheudōmen]). Present active subjunctive (volitive), let us not go on sleeping. Let us watch (γρηγορωμεν [grēgorōmen]). Present active subj. (volitive) again, let us keep awake (late verb γρηγορεω [grēgoreō] from perfect ἐγρηγορα [egrēgora]). Be sober (νηφωμεν [nēphōmen]). Present active subjunctive (volitive). Old verb not to be drunk. In N. T. only in figurative sense, to be calm, sober-minded. Also in verse 8 with the metaphor of drunkenness in contrast. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (1 Th 5:6). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)
5:6. Paul’s exhortation was for his readers to behave in keeping with their enlightened condition and to be prepared in view of the day of the Lord. He presented this exhortation as a logical conclusion from what preceded. Besides being logical to behave this way, it is also a necessary duty. Christians should not be indifferent to the reality of the Lord’s return; they should not be asleep on the job. The word for “asleep” (katheudōmen; cf. v. 10) differs from the one used thrice in 4:13–15 where it means death (koimaō). Here it means spiritual lethargy and insensitivity. This is the condition of the unsaved, the others. Christians, on the other hand, should be watchful and soberly waiting for the Lord’s return (1 Cor. 1:7; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; 2 Peter 3:12), and self-controlled (1 Thes. 5:6), maintaining self-discipline in view of the great events to come. (Constable, T. L. (1985). 1 Thessalonians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 706). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
To be sober-minded means to be alert, to live with your eyes open, to be sane and steady. To make the contrast more vivid, Paul pictured two groups of people: one group was drunk and asleep, while the other group was awake and alert. Danger was coming, but the drunken sleepers were unaware of it. The alert crowd was ready and unafraid.
Since we are “sons of the day” we should not live as those who belong to the darkness. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering [immorality] and wantonness [indecency], not in strife and envying” (Rom. 13:12–13).
In other words, because “the day” is approaching, it is time to wake up, clean up, and dress up. And when we dress up, we had better put on “the breastplate of faith and love: and for a helmet, the hope of salvation” (1 Thes. 5:8). Only the “armor of light” (Rom. 13:12) will adequately protect us in these last days before our Lord returns.
The sober-minded believer has a calm, sane outlook on life. He is not complacent, but neither is he frustrated and afraid. He hears the tragic news of the day, yet he does not lose heart. He experiences the difficulties of life, but he does not give up. He knows his future is secure in God’s hands, so he lives each day creatively, calmly, and obediently. Outlook determines outcome; and when your outlook is the uplook, then your outcome is secure.
But the unsaved people of the world are not alert. They are like drunken men, living in a false paradise and enjoying a false security. When the Holy Spirit filled the first Christians at Pentecost, the unsaved people accused the Christians of being drunk (Acts 2:13). In reality, it is the unsaved who are living like drunken men. The sword of God’s wrath hangs over the world; yet people live godless lives, empty lives, and rarely if ever give any thought to eternal matters. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 184). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
5:6 let us not sleep. Because believers have been delivered from the domain of darkness, they are taken out of the night of sin and ignorance and put into the light of God. Because Christians are in the light, they should not sleep in spiritual indifference and comfort, but be alert to the spiritual issues around them. They are not to live like the sleeping, darkened people who will be jolted out of their coma by the Day of the Lord (v. 7), but to live alert, balanced, godly lives under control of the truth. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Th 5:6). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 6. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, &c.] As the rest of the Gentiles, as unconverted persons, who are in a state of darkness, and are children of the night; let us not act that part they do, or be like them; which professors of religion too much are, when they indulge themselves in carnal lusts and pleasures, and are careless and thoughtless about the coming of the day of the Lord; and get into a stupid, drowsy, and slumbering frame of spirit; when grace lies dormant as if it was not, and they grow backward to, and slothful in the discharge of duty, and content themselves with the bare externals of religion; and become lukewarm and indifferent with respect to the truths and ordinances of the Gospel, the cause of God, the interest of religion, and glory of Christ; and are unconcerned about sins of omission or commission: and are willing to continue in such a position, being displeased at every admonition and exhortation given them to awake; but this is very unbecoming children of the light, and of the day: but let us watch; over ourselves, our hearts, thoughts, affections, words and actions; and over others, our fellow-Christians, that they give not into bad principles and evil practices; and against sin, and all appearance of it; against the temptations of Satan, the snares of the world, and the errors of wicked men, who lie in wait to deceive; and in the word and ordinances, and particularly in prayer, both unto it, in it, and after it; and for the second coming of Christ, with faith, affection, and patience; and the rather, because of the uncertainty of the time of it; and be sober; not only in body, abstaining from excessive eating and drinking, using this world, and the good things of it, so as not to abuse them, or ourselves with them; but also in mind, that the heart be not overcharged with the cares of this world; for men may be inebriated with the world, as well as with wine; and the one is as prejudicial to the soul as the other is to the body; for an immoderate care for, and pursuit after the world, chokes the word, makes it unfruitful, and runs persons into divers snares and temptations, and hurtful lusts. The Arabic version renders it, let us repent; and the Ethiopic version, let us understand; as intending the sobriety of the mind, repentance being an after-thought of the mind, a serious reflection on past actions with sorrow and concern; and thinking soberly, and not more highly than a man ought to think of himself, his gifts, his attainments and abilities, in opposition to pride, vanity, and self-conceit, is very becoming; and shews a true and well-informed understanding and judgment, and that a man is really sober and himself. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 241). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
FROM MY READING:
August 19
ORDAINED TO ETERNAL LIFE
And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Acts 13:48
The salvation of men and women, and of certain of them in particular, was determined by God before the foundation of the world. He does this entirely according to His own good will and His grace. Read Matthew 11:25-26: “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.” And in John 6:37 we read, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.” In verse 44 our Lord says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” In Acts 13:48 we read, “And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”
Above all, realize that if you are a child of God, it is because God has determined it, and what He has determined about you is certain and safe and sure. Nothing and no one can ever take you out of His hands or make Him forego His purpose in respect to you. The doctrine of the eternal decrees of God before the foundation of the world has decreed this! He knew me. He knew you. And our names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the world was ever made, before you and I or anybody else ever came into it.
Let us bow before His Majesty. Let us humble ourselves in His holy presence. Let us submit ourselves to the revelation that He has so graciously been pleased to give.
A Thought to Ponder
Nothing and no one can ever take you out of God”s hands or make Him forego His purpose in respect to you.
From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 101-102.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!! Some men started out fundamental but then tried to discover new truth that wasn’t truth)
I think all preachers would agree that minimally there should be evidence that the Word is taking root, that hearts area being changed, that minds are being renewed, that lifestyles are being revolutionized, that hearers are becoming doers, and people can see the difference. (p. 25, Preach It! By Stuart Briscoe)
It’s not only the danger of believing what your fans say about you, but it also has to do with the very real possibility that the preacher may give more attention to keeping the cheering section cheering than to preaching the Word faithfully. Everyone can handle a little affirmation, and there isn’t always enough to go around. So whenever there is any to be had, the tendency is to make sure it keeps coming. But the focus can too easily be diverted from preaching the Word faithfully to keeping the adulators adulating. (p. 55, Preach It! By Stuart Briscoe)
In addition, giving a copy of the outline to members of the congregation assists them in following the train of thought, gives them something to take home for further study either on their own or in their small groups, and gives them a feeling that they are expected to concentrate on what is being said and even to take further notes. (p. 119, Preach It! By Stuart Briscoe)
Franklin Graham writes (SC): In the 1930’s America had The Great Depression. Now we have The Great Deception. Hollywood and media moguls want you to think sin is okay, even something to celebrate. It’s not. Sin has a price, and the price is death–spiritual death. God is the righteous judge and the Bible says He is “standing at the door.” One day “says the Lord, “Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess” (Romans 14:11). God is willing to forgive sin if we are willing to confess our sin and put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. Share this good news today.
Jesus points out the hypocrisy of observing traditions yet ignoring the Scripture.
INSIGHT
Even the earnest Christian must guard against hypocrisy. How easy it is to sing, “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give,” and then go out to live with some areas of our lives not given over to Christ.
Yet, there is a difference between weakness and rebellion. All of us struggle with weaknesses which we wish we didn’t have and with which we wrestle in the grace of God to overcome. Rebellion expresses itself when we could overcome a sin if we wanted to but make no attempt to do so.
The Bible expresses compassion for us in our weaknesses as we cry out to the Lord for greater strength. But God’s Word pronounces a scathing rebuke for hypocrisy and rebellion. We must check our hearts to be certain that our shortcomings are weaknesses and not hypocrisy. (Quiet Walk)
THE SECONDARY MEANING OF “SANCTIFY”
Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. Leviticus 19:2
There is a secondary meaning to the word sanctify, and this is equally clear from the Scriptures. This is that we are not only regarded as holy—we are made holy. And obviously we are made holy because that is how we are regarded. God sets us apart as His peculiar or special people, and because of this we must be a holy people: “Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy,” says God. So we are to be holy because we are holy, and that is the great New Testament appeal for sanctification.
So this second meaning is that God does a work within us—a work of purifying, cleansing, and purging; and this work is designed to fit us for the title that has been put upon us. We have been adopted, taken out of the world, and set apart, and we are now being conformed increasingly to the image, the pattern, of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that we may in truth be the people of God, in reality as well as in name.
So this is obviously progressive work. The first meaning involves something that is done once and for all, and it is because we are set apart that we are justified. God has looked upon His people from all eternity and has set them apart. He sanctified them before the foundation of the world, and because of that they are justified, and also because of that they are sanctified in this second sense.So the question is, which of these two meanings is to be attached to the word in John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth”? It seems to me that there is only one adequate answer to that: Obviously both meanings are involved. Our calling demands that we must be a holy people since we cannot represent a holy God unless we ourselves are holy.
A Thought to Ponder: We are to be holy because we are holy.
(From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 10-11, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Indwelling Trinity
“To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19)
One of the great doctrines of Christianity is the doctrine of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, who lives in the heart of each believer who trusts in Christ for salvation. “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
At the same time, God is one God, so all three persons of the Godhead must, through the Spirit, likewise indwell the believer. Note Paul’s prayer for the believers in the Ephesian church (Ephesians 3:14-19).
“That he would grant you…to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). This request acknowledges the indwelling Spirit. Christ also prayed for this: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter…the Spirit of truth…for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17).
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (Ephesians 3:17), that we might “know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge” (v. 19). Here is the indwelling Son. This is also revealed in Galatians 2:20 (“Christ liveth in me”) and Colossians 1:27 (“Christ in you, the hope of glory”).
“That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). This can only refer to the indwelling Father, as well as the entire tri-unity of the Godhead. Can this indwelling be ours? Note also that the entire prayer was addressed in the first place to “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:14). This, likewise, is a reflection of Christ’s promise: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). “Filled with all the fulness of God!” What a wonderful privilege—and responsibility—is ours.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.