WORSHIP AND PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 (focus on 5:16-18)
If the mind constantly
generates thoughts, and we have the mind of Christ, and we are to take every
thought captive to obedience to Christ, why can we not worship Him at all times
never ceasing to rejoice, pray or give thanks?
|
THESIS: As
believers, we are to abide in the presence of the Lord at all times and when
we do His praise will continually be in our hearts and on our lips. |
As we look at these verses this morning,
we must understand that God is not giving us an impossible task, setting an
unattainable goal. He is simply letting
us know that what He expects can bring us the greatest delights possible as we
discover how wonderful it is to abide in Him and walk in His presence with
hearts of praise.
I. COMMANDED TO WALK IN HIS WILL
--Our focus is on these three verses, 5:16-18, one
sentence with three commands to obey.
u “Rejoice...pray...give
thanks,” three imperatives, or commands, that Paul urges every believer to
obey if we desire to please God and walk in a manner that is worthy of Him.
--At the end (5:18) of these three exhortations, or
commands, Paul notes that “this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
--In other words, that phrase applies to all three
commands, not just the one that tells us to give thanks in all things.
--As with any command from the Lord, He makes
obedience possible if we abide in Him and walk in His power.
II. COMMittED TO ABIDE IN HIS PRESENCE
--The imperative mood in Greek “calls for a person
to exert his will” to do something, or to “engage our will to the extent that
we take action.”
--What then does Paul expect us to do? Make a commitment to take action, to exert
our will to obey the Lord in each of these three areas: rejoice, pray, give thanks.
A. JOY:
EMBRACING OUR POSITION IN CHRIST
--Just as the lack of joy in our lives indicates
that we have lost touch with the place we have been given in the presence of
the Father through Jesus Christ, so it is that there is an abundance of joy in
the lives of those who embrace their position in Christ.
--One may well ask where the joy is when you look
around at those who should have what Peter calls “inexpressible joy and full of
glory,” but who see determined to fight off any reason to be joyful.
--The context of 1 Thessalonians give sufficient
reason for all of us who know Christ to rejoice always; for we are...
1. Endued with Power
1 Thessalonians 1:5
2. Encompassed with Love
1 Thessalonians 2:8
3. Enduring through Suffering
1 Thessalonians 3:2-3
4. Established in Holiness
1 Thessalonians 3:13
5. Encouraged with Hope
1 Thessalonians 4:13
--If we are aware of these truths and live each
moment as if we believed them, friends, we could not contain our joy!
--We need to embrace these affirmations and welcome
what God has given us by His grace!
B. PRAYER:
ENJOYING THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST
--Have you learned to enjoy the presence of Christ
in a personal way?
--When we get over the idea of prayer as just words
we recite and get excited about the fact that the God of all creation wants to
listen to you and me, our prayer life will be unceasing because we will find
such joy at just being in His presence.
--God listens and invites us to draw near to Him,
something that requires that we be lifted up from the rituals and routines of
this mortal life and be elevated into the throne room of the King of Glory!
J. B. Lightfoot -- “It is not in the moving
of the lips, but in the elevation of the heart to God, that the essence of
prayer consists.”
--Once in His presence, we may enjoy that holy place
and the honor of that glorious company; it is our privilege in the name of
Jesus to do so.
--The good news is that we are never required to
leave His presence and therefore never have to cease from the special
conversation and communion that takes place when we are with Him.
1. Abide in His Presence
2. Acknowledge His Pre-eminence
--Being aware of His presence is wonderful,
especially know how much He loves me, but unless I also acknowledge that He is
my Sovereign Lord and has dominion over all things, I can miss the benefits and
blessings of praying at all times.
--Whether my acknowledgement of His lordship and
pre-eminence over all things comes during a extended session of communication
in prayer, or in a moment of desperation at a time of crisis, I can always know
and be reassured that there is nothing coming my way that He cannot handle.
--Therefore, I never need to excuse myself from His
presence to go and take care of business and come back...He can always go along
and be my constant companion, ready either to converse or to intervene,
whatever the situation requires!
--God is always in control...and I never am; and He
is always with me so I can pray without ceasing.
C. GRATITUDE:
EXPRESSING OUR PRAISE TO CHRIST
--When we abide in His presence, we will overflow
with thanksgiving because of the abounding joy and the answered prayers.
--But we will also give thanks in all things because
we will always be able to trust Him to know what is best for us.
--Some commentaries and writers on this verse
hesitate to say that we are intended to give thanks in everything, but I
believe that we can trust the Lord even in the harsh and painful circumstances
to have our best interests at heart.
--When we abide in the presence of Christ, we will
never be at a loss for things for which we must give thanks for that attitude
of gratitude cultivates a life of reverence and awe for the wonderful works of
God.
III. CONTENT TO REST IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY
--I can let Him be God and I can be forever content
resting in His presence.
--As the Blessed Controller of all things, my
Sovereign Lord allows me to conduct all the business of life right from my
place in His presence.
--There from such a lofty perch and with such an
eternal perspective, I am at perfect peace knowing that the greatness of my
Lord is more than a match for any issue facing me as I live for Him in this
world.
--Therefore, I am perfectly content to rest in the
presence of my Sovereign God and trust all things to His care.
If the mind constantly
generates thoughts, and we have the mind of Christ, and we are to take every
thought captive to obedience to Christ, why can we not worship Him at all times
never ceasing to rejoice, pray or give thanks?
Since your mind is going to be thinking
all the time anyway, why not let your thoughts be filled with the knowledge
that the Lord is with you. Practice His
presence by rejoicing, by praying, by giving thanks. Make it your ambition to live each day being constantly reminded
by those thoughts that have been taken captive to Christ that He is with you
and reigns over you. May the mind of
Christ be in you day to day for your good and His glory!
November 21, 1999
Providence
Baptist Church
| Return to 1999 Sermon Outlines |