1 Thessalonians 5 (5)

Pray Psalm 24.3-5.
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Read 1 Thessalonians 5.16-22.

Reflect.
1. Paul piles on more imperatives. How many can you identify? How do these relate to the will of God for us, which is our sanctification (1 Thess. 4.3)?

2. How present is each of these imperatives in your walk with and work for the Lord?

Meditate.
The Christian faith is nothing if not absolute: always, everything, do not, test, hold fast, abstain. Not much wiggle room there.

Sanctification is a process of becoming more like Jesus. Whatever distracts, diverts, or hinders us in this process is to be avoided as not the will of God. The pathway of sanctification is clearly marked by such imperatives as we see in these verses. The more we fill our lives with prayer and thanksgiving; the more we yield to the Spirit’s leading and draw on His power; the more consistently we test all things and hold fast only to what is good, abstaining from every form of evil; the more we do such things as these, the greater will be the pace of our growing into Jesus.

And growing us into Jesus is what God is all about (2 Cor. 3.12-18). If we’re not all about this, then we are not in the will of God, and we cannot expect to know the full and abundant life He has for us, except in fits and starts. 

Paul begins his string of imperatives with “Rejoice always.” Rejoicing always – so that we pray always and give thanks always and all the rest – depends on keeping our focus on Jesus, Who is coming again for us soon and very soon. He is all our joy, and being with Him forever will find us enveloped in joy without end. So by looking to Him here and now we can have joy in praying, in abstaining from evil, in testing everything and holding fast only to what is good. These are the absolutes of our sanctification, which are clearly set forth for us in the Word of God in such passages as this.

Let us not be confused, and let us not make excuses. Instead, let us lay hold on the absolutes of our faith, so that we may absolutely know the joy of our Lord Jesus Christ at all times.

Prepare.
1. In which of these imperatives would you most like to make some progress? How will you do that?

2. If we’re not making progress in the things Paul commands here, are we merely standing still? Explain.

3. The choices before us are “good” and “evil,” as Paul suggests here. How would you define these two terms? 

As fire requires fuel, so grace requires our prompt response, that it may be ever fervent. “I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God that is in you by the putting on of my hands,” that is, the grace of the Spirit, which you have received, for presiding over the church, for the working of miracles and for every service. For this grace it is in our power to kindle or extinguish. For this reason Paul elsewhere says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” John Chrysostom (344-407 AD), Homilies on Second Timothy 1

Help me to respond promptly to Your grace always, O Lord, so that I may continue to…

Pray Psalm 24.
Commit your life to the Lord. Thank Him for His sustaining grace. Draw near to Him in His holy place. Yield your entire life to Him, all the “gates” of your soul

Sing to the Lord.
Psalm 24 (Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
The earth is the Lord’s, as is all it contains; 
the world and its peoples He daily sustains.
He founded it fast on the seas long ago, 
and bid gentle rivers throughout it to flow.

Oh, who may ascend to the Lord’s holy place?
And who may appear to His glorious face?
All they who are clean in their hearts and their hands
and true in their souls with the Savior shall stand.

A blessing all they from the Lord shall receive
who seek Him and on His salvation believe.
For these are His people, the children of grace, 
who earnestly, eagerly seek for His face.

O lift up your heads, all you gates of the soul,
for the Savior would enter and render you whole!
The Lord strong and mighty in battle draws nigh; 
He rules in His glory above us on high. 

O Who is this King, Who approaches our gate?
His might is before us, His glory is great!
This King is the Lord of all glory above,
Who comes to indwell us in mercy and love!

T. M. Moore

Where do 1 and 2 Thessalonians fit in the unfolding of God’s covenant? Our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, can help you understand the setting of all the books of the Bible, and how they fit into God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Watch the brief video introducing this course at The Ailbe Seminary (click here), then plan to register after January 1 in our Certificate in Kingdom Studies program, featuring Introduction to Biblical Theology.

Forward today’s study to some friends, and challenge them to study with you through this series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Each week’s lessons will be available as a free PDF download at the end of the week. Get a copy for yourself and send the link to the download to your friends. Plan to meet weekly to study Paul’s ministry and prepare for your own.

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