I Thessalonians 5

I Thessalonians 5:9-10:
God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Wrath is coming. God’s wrath — God’s anger — is coming.

Jesus said in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Paul wrote in Romans 2:5, “Because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
And then again in Romans 5:9, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

So the word of God is utterly honest and realistic about the future of the world. God’s wrath is coming. Most of the people your neighborhood and workplace — perhaps some of you — give this little thought. You may think, this is so utterly outside their view of the world that they could never believe it.
Do be so sure. Paul says in Romans 1 that everyone you know, and everyone you meet, knows God at some deep level (Romans 1:21), but they have suppressed that knowledge (Romans 1:18). They even know — deep down at some suppressed level — that they break God’s law, and that wrath is coming. Romans 1:32, “Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”
You may think that believing in the coming judgment and wrath of God is unintelligible to your modern friends. But think again. In fact, it is written on their hearts by God himself. They know. And they need to hear — even if they don’t admit it at first — there is a way of escape. Which Paul gets to in just a moment.
Back to verse 9: “God has not destined us for wrath.” What then? “But to obtain salvation.” Not destined for wrath, but destined for salvation. What makes this word so encouraging in the moment of crisis is the absolute certainty with which it speaks. Not: you might reach salvation. Not: You might escape wrath. Not: Maybe you are destined for that happy future. But: You are destined — you are appointed — for salvation. This decision in heaven has been made. The appointment has been set. It is firm. And it is unchangeable. --John Piper

1 Thessalonians 5:11:
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

– A true friend encourages you to achieve your goals. We should all work to become the best version of ourselves, and a good friend will support you in working toward personal improvement.

I Thessalonians 5:15-17: See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks

The Greek word for “without ceasing” is adialeiptos and it literally means constantly recurring.

Love does more than put someone else first. One’s desires may be destructive, or their path may lead to danger. Love will seek their good, their betterment, their advancement. The questions we ask must be, “How can I personally help my brother do well?” “How can I serve my sister so that she prospers in faith and life?”

"“It is not only when we audibly and in form, address our petitions to the Deity that we pray. We pray without ceasing. Every secret wish is a prayer. Every house is a church; the corner of every stress is a closet of devotion.” --Ralph Waldo Emerson

"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" --Micah 6:8

When we make prayer merely a day or an event, we violate the biblical command to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When our prayers are merely transactional—praying for our nation so God will bless our nation—our prayers make God a means to our ends.
I fear that God would consider such prayer to be akin to idolatry. We are not praying to the wrong God, but we are praying for the wrong reasons.

Prayer doesn’t change the mind of God, but it changes our mind. Prayer lines our will up with the will of God so that no matter what the answer is, we can be satisfied in him. Absolutely nothing in our life comes to pass without God’s supreme permission and allowance. So by submitting to his will, we can better learn and understand what he is doing.
There are moments when we need to pray repeatedly. I remember thinking growing up that once you prayed for something, then you never needed to pray about it again.
However, in the scripture, we see the need sometimes for a repeated prayer. Jesus prayed three times in the garden that the cup might pass from him and that God’s will would be done. Paul prayed three times that the “thorn in the flesh” might be taken from him. -Kris Estep; Barberville Baptist Church

I Thessalonians 5:18:
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 53:1

I Thessalonians 5:22:
"Abstain from every form of evil."

The KJV renders it, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." "Abstain" (Gk. apéchesthe) literally means "to hold oneself off" or "to keep oneself from." A common synonym for this word is "refrain." When we abstain or refrain from doing something, we exercise restraint and self-control. We look at the situation with a sound mind, soberly, to ensure that we "do the right thing."
"Evil" is a translation of the Greek word poneros, used some 75 times in the New Testament, mostly as "evil" or "wickedness." This kind of evil is both the act itself as well as the corrupting effect it has on others. It is a broad term that includes many forms of malevolence, malignancy, corruption and sin. -Bible Tools

Adam Clarke: Sin not, and avoid even the appearance of it. Do not drive your morality so near the bounds of evil as to lead even weak persons to believe that ye actually touch, taste, or handle it. Let not the form of it, eidos, appear with or among you, much less the substance. Ye are called to holiness; be ye holy, for God is holy.

Expositor's Bible Commentary: Paul very clearly intends an antithesis with v. 21 here. "Hold fast" to the good, but "hold yourselves free from" every kind of evil that tries to parade itself as a genuine representation of the Spirit. Only then can maximum benefit for the body of Christ in local worship be achieved.

Barnes' Notes: [Abstain] not only from evil itself, but from that which seems to be wrong. There are many things which are known to be wrong. They are positively forbidden by the laws of heaven. . . . But there are also many things about which there may be some reasonable doubt. . . . There are many things which, in themselves, may not appear to us to be positively wrong, but which are so considered by large and respectable portions of the community; and for us to do them would be regarded as inconsistent and improper.

I Thessalonians 5:23-24:
May God himself the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Christians are called to live sanctified lives. This simply means that we must separate ourselves from this worldly view of life in order to allow God to take control of our lives. Salvation takes place at baptism, but sanctification requires setting our lives apart for God’s service. It is a life long work as we seek the help of God to live up to his holy calling.
Sanctification has to do with setting our lives or bodies aside or apart for God. It comes from the Old Testament as the priest sanctified or set the utensils of the temple apart for service to God. Paul is asking us to sanctify our lives. -Focus On God

Do we believe that God can garrison the imagination far beyond where we can go?

We have lost the idea of a living sacrifice because we are too busy demanding our rights. Kurt Bruner said, "We have seen a gradual change over the past several decades in our society from emphasizing individual responsibility to emphasizing, almost glorifying, individual rights." (Kurt Bruner in Responsible living in an Age of Excuses).

" Christianity is not one ideology over against other ideologies. It is a life inspired by the Holy Spirit. Its victories are nothing but victories over itself, not over others. It propagates itself through humility and self-examination, not through triumphs." Paul Tournier, The Whole Person in A Broken World. Christianity Today

Romans 12:1-2
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will."