1 Thessalonians 5

First Thessalonians chapter 5. Now before I read, I'm especially interested in the practical exhortations beginning at verse 16 in this chapter. This first epistle to the Thessalonians, I've heard often in my Christian experience, it's likely, possibly the first writings of Paul the Apostle in the scriptures of the books that he wrote. And we've been hearing of his conversion, and he loved to relate that in his writings.

Wonderful to be saved and know the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior. He's been exalted and brought before us in the ministry already this afternoon. In that future day when he'll reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that'll be a wonderful time for the earth, the millennium.

It made me think of a comment that the late Mr. Mick made over in Iowa. This could be 30 years ago. I can be set straight on that time element.

There were three couples from the Heightsville Assembly in Iowa that took a trip to the nation of Israel back in probably the 70s. And also, I think they were in Greece in some of those areas. And one of those three brethren gave a little report at an afternoon meeting at Cedar Falls.

Mr. Mick followed. Most you know, of course, at least the Stanitskas and the Novaks, in 1932 he came to Blue River with the gospel. But he made a comment that was kind of comical.

As far as the old land, he says, I don't care to go back where he was born till the millennium. Then things will be set right. Somewhere over in there in Greece or to the north, I can be set straight in the area.

There is a glorious future, but we want to come to some practical things. So I'm going to begin reading here, and I'm going to try to be done in about 15-20 minutes if possible. Chapter 5 begins with these words.

Verse 1. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. Now, I'll stop a moment. Chapter 4 brings before us the rapture, the resurrection, the rapture caught away, the living that are at that moment raised, changed, bodies changed, and the comfort it will bring.

Often read at a committal, every chapter in this little epistle of five chapters brings before us in one way or another the coming of the Lord Jesus, the rapture. Now he moves to another thought, part of God's program. Verse 2, chapter 5, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

For when they shall say peace and safety, now notice the program, pronouns, when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day.

We are not of the night nor the 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, that's discreet in our thinking, putting on the breastplate of love, faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. I like to think of that as the rapture, the blessed hope. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now if you link verse 9 with the first chapter, these believers hearing the gospel through the labors of Paul and and Silvanus and Timothy, they turned to God to Midas to serve the living and the true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come. And linking it with this verse and what follows, especially in the second epistle, it no doubt is the timing following the rapture, the day of the Lord, the tribulation period when God's wrath will be poured out upon the nation, when the Lord comes back himself to set his feet on Mount Olivet, flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus. The millennial kingdom will be brought in.

You and I are linked with Christ, and the day of Christ is as to the bride and his coming, being the bride presented to the Savior, is what we're looking forward. So in a few minutes now, when we think of the goodness of God, and I'm thankful that my brother Joel mentioned the fact of the believer, the step of obedience in our experience as a child of God from salvation, the conversion day, believer's baptism, there may be some child of God here, and you've never entered those waters to profess publicly in an outward way what happened on the inward. I remember a man connected through marriage in our relationship.

He was saved years ago, a few meetings near in his hometown, Cameraw, Iowa. His wife was in the fellowship at Heightsville. He told after he was saved, the biggest turnout to the tent meetings, he was on the little area of his own yard, was 13.

I had to count my dog to make that. I always followed him into the tent each night. But that dear brother was deathly afraid of water.

And he left for the glory, because there was a change in his life. He never entered the waters of baptism. Painted water towers, grain elevators, but he never entered those waters.

You're saved today. There's been evidence you love the Lord Jesus. You honor him by obeying what he tells you to do.

And as we've been reminded now for the few minutes beginning at verse 16. Rejoice evermore. There's a list of about seven of them here.

We'll briefly touch them. You can pick them up and carry them with you. Rejoice.

We were reminded of joy yesterday. Zacchaeus, the Lord saw him in the tree. Come down.

I must abide at thy house. The man was seeking to see the Savior. He came down and received him joyfully.

Has that taken place in your life? And I remember when five of us entered the waters of baptism. That was a happy occasion. I remember the first Lord's Day received into the fellowship there in Waterloo.

I'd witnessed the Lord's Supper for years from the back seats as we termed it. But to remember the Lord Jesus, what an honor. Now Paul says to these believers, that which is of the day of the Lord, of the judgment that will overtake these people when they think peace and safety, they say it.

Then sudden destruction. The devil is going to present the false Christ in those coming at the coming day. The Antichrist.

You and I will not be around to see it. So he says, this won't happen for you, brethren. Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, but you're in the day.

Children of light and children of the day. Let us not sleep. So verse 16, rejoice and a continuation of joy.

To quote another who said it years ago, I'm happier now when I'm not happy, when I thought I was happy and really had no joy. In unsaved days. You know, how many of us have witnessed the joy in a person, fellow believers face? And we could relate.

We're reminded of it yesterday. Pray without ceasing. That's the attitude of prayer.

At any moment, night or day, we can speak to our God and our blessed Savior, our great high priest there to intercede. And so there's the examples in the scripture. I thought of Daniel when that great image was made in his day, and they were told, except you don't, if you don't bow to that image, you've been thrown into the den of lions.

Daniel, as it had been his custom of four times, three times a day, he went in and fell on his knees and prayed with the gates open to the east. I think that's east here anyway. And, you know, the outcome thrown into the den of lions.

But God shut those lions mouth. The wonder of all God, you know, and thus we think of verse 18 and everything give thanks. And thus the preserving hand of Daniel, Abraham prayed.

You have so many in the scripture and the encouragement. You know, that's something for you and I in our day. This is the will of God.

It's not only thankful as we think of salvation in the Lord Jesus, thankful for a path to honor him and lives that can be used. I won't mention the girl's name, but she was facing tests. She's still in high school.

And the classmate said to her, aren't you worried about the test? Well, she says, one thing I can pray that the Lord will help me get a good grade. You see, it's very practical. There's not a burden and an desire.

It's God will answer according to his own will. We move on. You see the first three, you could say, rejoice prayer, giving of thanks.

The next. I link three of them here together. Quench not the spirit, despise not, prove all things.

We can grieve the spirit in disobedience. Ephesians five and thus become when we realize we have sinned and failed to act in obedience, it causes the soul to be unhappy. How good that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God and can quickly make things right.

But quenching the spirit is seeking to perhaps discourage someone else. Once in a while, we found ourselves making a remark received in the wrong attitude or way. And so we're glad I appreciated hearing younger brethren this morning at the Lord's table.

You're doing it already. You wouldn't have got up, I'm sure, but be as it may. And our sisters, they share in the worship as they listen and can quietly, quietly say their amen.

Despise not prophesying. I was looking that word up. The thought is the telling forth of the word of God, the beginning of the church age, the apostles and the prophets and the evangelists, the teachers and so on.

Now we have the holy scriptures given to us. It's good to be present at ministry meetings. You know, there's dear folk, I remember when they changed the breaking of bread time in a certain assembly from 11 o'clock to 9 30.

And there were some that said, we can't make it at 9 30. Well, the majority of the Christians felt that that was to the advantage of Sunday school work and so on. Well, these same ones made it at 9 30, but they couldn't make it at 11.

It was out gone already. You see, what is really the motive of the heart? And accepting the fact that we are not only willing to listen to the word and apply it in their lives and work it out. Then he says, prove all things.

In other words, we reminded yesterday relative to assembly fellowship. I remember the occasion, pardon personal reference when my parents made a move in 1940 from one farm to another. And a lady came over who had worked for an aunt of mine back in 1936 when one of the daughters was born.

She said to my mother, do you folks still drive that 30 miles to Waterloo to church? She says, as a 14 year old girl, I went two nights to a gospel meeting. I learned more from the Bible in those two nights than I have in my lifetime. And she was 30 something at the time.

And so we recognize that the truth of God to prove all things and then to recognize. And another neighbor said 13 churches and independence and not one of them are satisfied for you. You know, it was a joy to realize that while parents and grandparents prayed up paid a price to gather outside the camp unto the Lord's name.

You and I have been handled the handed some of these truths brought up in it. But to recognize in the scripture, why do I gather in the name of the Lord Jesus? It's his truth is his word and giving assurance from the word that disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good.

And verse 22 in a few minutes, couple of minutes, I'm sitting down here. I'll answer a good question as to some thought in your mind. Is this something that is really commendable us and what I might want to do a stain from all the appearance of evil.

It's amazing how much in small communities that our neighbors are watching us. And they know the company we keep and places we go and observe. And of course, they link with what our appearance is really what our interest is in life.

And so that's a few short exhortations. He ends up with the verse 23. That is what I'm looking at here.

It's the bottom of the page here in my Bible. The very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God, your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless.

We're reminded that's not sinlessness, but that's the thought of that their scriptures we've upheld be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we work out our own salvation in fear and trembling. We apply that verse of Philippians.

So I trust with what has been before us. And a few words that may follow that will give us cheer and encouragement. Hold fast.

The Lord is soon coming. And yet he's been long suffering. He's still the God of salvation.

Be a joy if someone was saved right here this afternoon. You'd add to our joy for his name sake.