1 THESSALONIANS
(Life in the Spirit - February 21, 2021)
Series Big Idea: "A working model of a church"
Sermon Big Idea: "Life in the Church is life in the Spirit"
Key Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 )
In his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul centered his thoughts around the theme of the believer's hope in Jesus Christ. You could say even more particular is the believers hope in the Second Coming of Christ (1:10;2:19; 3:13; 4:16; 5:23). He is helping them to prepare for The Day of the Lord, because it will come as a thief in the night (5:2). Paul said that believers shouldn’t fear this Day, because it is Christ who is guarding against the wrath of God. In this section of Scripture we are going to read today, he is exhorting believers in the basics of Christian living.
19 Don’t stifle the Spirit. 20 Don’t despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)
Apparently either Paul had heard of or saw a problem in this church. But unlike the church in Corinth which were overly exuberant in their practice of the gifts of the Spirit, there were those in Thessalonica who were apprehensive of these same gifts. They were putting out the fire that the Holy Spirit had kindled there.
This early church did not have the completed Bible as we do today. They were actually living the NT in real every day life. One of the gifts the Spirit had given to the church was the gift of prophecy. Not everyone had this gift but for the ones that did God was speaking His message through them. They were in essence the middle man between the Spirit and people, but the words they spoke were direct from Holy Scripture and from the revelation God was giving them through the Spirit. The danger of this gift was that Satan could seek to counterfeit the message from God and eventually lead people astray.
That is why Paul said in the next verse that they were to test the spirits, or to evaluate the teachings, to see if what was spoken was lining up with Scripture and what Christ had taught them. Paul gave some specific rules for evaluating in (1 Corinthians 14:29-33). But Paul warned them in these verses not to stifle the Spirit. In other words they were to hold on to the correctness (or good) of what they said and to despise everything that didn’t line up with the Spirit (or every kind of evil).
Paul illustrated the Spirit of God as fire. Fire speaks of purity, power, light, warmth, and if necessary judgment. As a Christian, when the Holy Spirit is at work in your life, you will have a warmth of love in your heart, a light for your mind, and energy for your will. He will help you live in harmony with other believers as you travel the Cristian journey.
CONCLUSION
If you are a Christian, you must allow the Spirit to stir up the fire within you just as Paul mentioned in (2 Timothy 1:6). But you must avoid the extremes that can quench God's Spirit. If you are too legalistic or formal, that could surly put the fire out. But on the other hand, if you are fanatical or out of control in your gift, you could possibly allow everything to burn up. It must be the Holy Spirit that refuels your tank.
It is the Spirit of God that most certainly teaches you the Word of God when you are in personal Bible study or cooperate worship. So you must continually be turning back to His Word to help you discern what is true and what is not.
8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:8-14)
If you have never believed upon Christ as your Savior. You need to do that today. There is a time in God's economy when He listens to sinners and responds; now is that time (2 Corinthians 6:2). But there will also be an end to that time (John 9:4). If you have believed on Christ for your salvation Paul has made it very clear today; don’t stifle His Spirit in your life or others lives. Keep stirring up that Spirit's fire within you!
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideals for this message, are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F. Walvoord/Roy B. Zuck
The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge by Jerome H. Smith
Water, Mark, ed. Encyclopedia of Bible Facts. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.
NIV, Archaeological Study Bible, eBook: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture
Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Duane Garrett, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
NIV, First-Century Study Bible, eBook: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context
Zondervan, Kent Dobson, and Ed Dobson
Hughes, Robert B. and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1990. WORDsearch CROSS e-book. Revised edition of New Bible Companion.
Vincent, Marvin Richardson. Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887. Print.
Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933. Print.
MacArthur, John F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006. Print.
Torrey, R. A. The New Topical Text Book: A Scripture Text Book for the Use of Ministers, Teachers, and All Christian Workers. New, revised and enlarged edition. Chicago; New York; Toronto: Fleming H. Revell, 1897. Print.
Hoehner, Harold W., Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon. Vol. 16. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008. Print.
Martin, D. Michael. 1, 2 Thessalonians. Vol. 33. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995. Print. The New American Commentary.
Larson, Knute. I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Vol. 9. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000. Print. Holman New Testament Commentary.
Holmes, Michael. 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.
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