TerryLema

The last verses in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians contain a prayer and a charge: “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.”  [5:23-28 NLT]

When I was first saved, I honestly despaired that God would be able to make anything of my life. I knew I was a sinner – then I found a Scripture, the first I ever memorized, and with that Scripture I found hope. “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 1:6]

In Paul’s final greeting to the Thessalonians, at the end of his prayer for their sanctification, he reminds these young believers of that wonderful hope, “for He who calls you is faithful.”

God is faithful to us. He began the work in our lives; it was not our own doing. He initiated our salvation and sanctification. God carries on the work He started in our lives. Every moment of every day His Spirit works in us to conform us to the image of His Dear Son. He desires for us to be like Christ.

He is not daunted by the task, or our unwillingness, or stubbornness or even rebellion at times. He carries on His work in us.

Our LORD will complete that good work in us. He will not drop the ball. His work in us is on schedule and He will finish it. Praise His Glorious Name. Amen and Amen.

In 1Thessalonians 5:14-15, Paul gave his Thessalonian converts qualities that are aimed outward, in their relationships with other believers and with nonbelievers also. Now in verses 16-18, he also gives them three short exhortations of heart instructions—words that can change lives in the greatest of measures.

“Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Be joyful always. The King James Version says it even more succinctly, “Rejoice evermore.” Be cheerful, joyful, always. Joy is an inner quality of the heart and spirit. How many times have we been reminded that is doesn’t say, Be Happy Always. Happiness is based on happenings. Joy is founded in the absolute fact that we are loved by God, that our abode is in Him, and that Christ died for us.

Pray continually. We are to pray without ceasing, we are to be instant in prayer, we should pray without weariness. It doesn’t mean we do nothing BUT pray, but it means prayer should accompany everything we do. We need to pray now, in this life, because when we cross into the presence of God, prayer will be replaced with praise. We shall then see God as He is, and at that point, we will no long need to seek Him in prayer, we will approach Him in praise.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Give thanks FOR all circumstances? No give thanks IN all circumstances. It is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus to be a giver of thanks.

In essence what Paul is saying is that in every circumstance and facet of life we are to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful. The marks of the Followers of Christ are that we face each new day with joy, prayer and thanksgiving.

We are in the final instructions of IThessalonians. Paul begins with instructions to respect and hold in highest regard those who have been charged by God to minister His word and His work among believers. They have accepted an awesome charge from the Lord to build up the Body of Christ.

As believers we are to do other things as well. “Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.” [I Thessalonians 5:14-15 NLT]

Warn the lazy. Some translations render this as “admonish the unruly.” The meaning is to warn those people who are unruly, disorderly, lazy, idle, those who will not be productive members of a body of believers, but who still demand to be maintained. Earlier Paul said to make it their ambition to lead a quiet life, minding their own business and working with their own hands. This warning is to those who do not follow that advice. [4:11-12]

Encourage the timid. Take tender care of the weak. Encourage and lift those who are ready to sink without hope, who are afraid, who are beat down by the demands and circumstances of life. I remember my former pastor saying that it is far easier to knock down the proud than it is to lift up those without hope; how difficult it is for many people to believe that God isn’t mad at them, but that He loves them.

Be patient with everyone. Oh no, surely Paul can’t mean be patient with everyone.  Yes, everyone. Everyone needs patient endurance from others. We all have our trials, troubles, decisions, and problems. We need to be patient while God works in each life. Then Paul adds, “See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”

Do Good. Friends, we live in an unkind world. Life is neither gentle nor kind most of the time. We need to exhibit kindness and patience with all people, believers and non-believers; remembering after all, how kind and how patient God is with each of us.

I hate it when I get to the end of a really good book. That’s the way I feel now at the end of I Thessalonians, a section titled in my Bible as “Final Instructions.” Paul’s letter to his young converts is winding down. After everything he has told them about their character, example, and the coming of the LORD, he has just a few final instructions.

“Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.  Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.” [I Thessalonians 5:12-13 NLT]

I loved to watch MASH with Hawkeye, Trapper, BJ, Colonel Potter, and Radar. My favorite character was Father Francis Mulcahy. I remember a conversation he had with Hawkeye once. He said that when Hawkeye lost a patient, he lost a life, but when he, Father Mulcahy, lost a patient, he lost a soul.

To have souls placed in your trust by God is one of the most awesome, fearsome tasks given to a person. While every person is responsible for his/her own soul, a minister is given the responsibility to handle God’s word and equip His Church.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:11-12, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” [NLT]

Paul tells his young converts that because of that charge they are to respect and hold in highest regard those God has called to that task, which, along with prayer, is exactly what we should be doing every day also.

I was reading Psalm 147 this morning. It is one of the final psalms in the book, and part of a group of five (146-150) that begin and end with the word “Hallelujah!” Hallelujah translated is “Praise the LORD!”

I was especially touched by the first five verses. “How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!” [Psalm 147:1-5 NLT]

Truly, how good, delightful, and fitting to sing praises to our God! It is so good for our soul to dwell in gratitude and expressions of thanksgiving.

I love the thought expressed in the phrase “bringing the exiles back.”  While the psalmist was thinking about the nation of Israel coming back to Jerusalem from her exile in Babylon, I can’t help but think about all of us – exiled because of rebellion and brought back to God through the sacrifice of His Precious Son.

Perhaps, however, the most delightful promise is found in “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” We have all experienced brokenness. We have all been wounded. But our God promises that in Christ our brokenness is made whole and our wounds are healed.

In case we are wondering if God CAN do all that – we are reminded of His absolute power and greatness. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. And in case we are wondering if God WILL do all that for us – He knows His children and calls each of us by name. Amen!

As I was preparing for the prayer meeting last Thursday, I realized that my soul needed to praise the LORD. I needed to not just ask of Him, but I needed above all to thank and praise Him, which is exactly what I did. I asked, but I surrounded my asking with praise.

Afterwards that led me to my concordance and to searching the psalms for instances of praise, and what I found, oh my!

Psalm 7:17: I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 9:1: I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart.

Psalm 18:49: I will praise you among the nations.

Psalm 22:22: I will praise you among your assembled people.

Psalm 26:12: I will publicly praise the LORD,

Psalm 34:1: I will praise the LORD at all times.

Psalm 35:28: I will praise you all day long.

Psalm 43:4: I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!

Psalm 63:4: I will praise you as long as I live.

Well, that’s a start! And did you notice that word that appears in each verse? That little four-letter word, “will.”  That little word tells me that my praise depends on my “will,” not on my circumstances.

I will praise my LORD Christ Jesus! Yes, I will!

He will come. The Lord Jesus Himself will come again with a loud command and the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God. When he comes He will bring with Him all those who have died believing in Him and they will rise first. The believers that are alive when that happens, will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, to be with the LORD Christ Jesus forever.  [I Thessalonians 4:13-18]

Paul still has a warning for these young converts to be vigilant while they wait for this to happen, but for now Paul says that these words that he has just written are words of encouragement.

I must tell you that they encourage me. As I look at the daily newspaper, the Internet news sites or hear the evening television news reports, there is little that encourages me. As I pray with people, or hear about their tragedies, struggles, needs, I become discouraged at times. As I am faced with many decisions or choices or temptations, or see my children and grandchildren struggle, I am often brought low.

But then I remember that He is coming and when that happens, dead or alive at the time I will be with Him—and I am encouraged. I am encouraged because my hope is anchored in Him in a secure place where nothing can touch or destroy it.

I am encouraged because the people I have loved in my life who have died in faith are now there with Him. I may grieve for my loss, but I don’t grieve for them for they are at rest in His presence and there can be no better place. I am encouraged because I know my Redeemer has conquered the grave and lives, and as He lives, so shall I.

Come, Jesus Come!

Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, addresses the confusion these young converts had regarding the Parousia, the Coming of the Lord, and what happens to those believers who die before that event. He begins, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant….” He wants these young converts to understand. As we read chapter 4, verses 13-18, we find great truths that are the basis of our hope—truths that we also need to understand.

First: Our hope rests securely in what Christ did for us. “We believe that Jesus died and rose again.”  If our faith is placed securely in Christ and Calvary, then we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have died in him. When a believer dies their soul is safe in Christ. For the believer death has lost its power. The body may be committed to the ground until it is raised to a glorious body at the resurrection, but the soul and spirit of a believer go into the presence of their Savior, and when the Savior returns, all the souls that rest IN Him will be WITH Him.

Second: We who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. In fact, later in this same passage Paul says that the dead in Christ will rise first, and after that, we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The dead first, then the living, but all with the Lord in the air at His Coming!

Third: As Jesus promised, He will return, and it will be fast and swift. “The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.”  The Lord Himself will return—not an intermediary, not an angel delegate. He will come with a shout, like the shout of a charioteer at his horses. He will come with the voice of the archangel. He will come with the trumpet call of God. But make no mistake—HE WILL COME!

Come, Jesus Come!

1Thessalonians contains the most beautiful passage on the Coming of the Lord. The passage begins with the words, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen,” and ends with the words, “So encourage each other with these words.” [4:13-18 NLT]

Paul wants his young converts to understand the truth about the Lord’s return and for that truth to be used as an encouragement. One truth contained in this passage, however, is often used not as an encouragement, but as a rebuke—that we are to “not grieve like people who have no hope.”  [vs 13 NLT]

Those words have often been used as a reprimand for the outward manifestations of grief, the sadness, tears, and shock expressed by hurting Christians. Paul does not say we are not to grieve. Grief is a normal journey of healing; without it we cannot move from devastation. Tears, sadness, loneliness, depression, denial, and much more are all part of grief.

What Paul does say is that believers are not to grieve like people WHO HAVE NO HOPE. Believers are to grieve WITH HOPE. We may not fully understand all that happens after death or have a complete knowledge of the other side of the veil, but we have hope, and our hope is not just wishful thinking that somewhere out in the great beyond is a “better place.” Our hope has an anchor.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews says that we have this hope in the certainty of God’s promises as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. That hope reaches behind the curtain where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf and become our High Priest.  [Hebrews 6:18-20]

We grieve as those whose hope is set secure in Jesus, our High Priest. God’s promises are certain. And when we grieve, we grieve with SURE HOPE.