Based on a series of sermons preached in PCC Prayer Meetings in 2023-2024
16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
The church at Thessalonica was founded in the early summer of A.D. 50 by the apostle Paul together with Silas during Paul’s second missionary journey.
Paul was there only for three sabbaths. Each Sabbath, he would preach in the synagogue. Many were converted, and a church was founded. But after the third Sabbath, the Jews who remained in unbelief could not take it anymore. They stirred a riot in the city in protest against the ministry of Paul. Therefore, Paul and his companions were forced to leave Thessalonica rather hastily.
They went to Berea and found the Jews there to be more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word preached with all readiness of heart and searched the scriptures to see if what they heard was indeed true. Soon, however, the hostile Thessalonian Jews learned that Paul and Silas were in Berea. They had so much hatred for them that they hurried down to warn the Berea Jews about them and to stir them up against Paul.
Paul had to flee to Athens and later to Corinth. But he had not forgotten about the Thessalonian church. He knew that if the Jews there hated him so much, they would, no doubt, be causing trouble for the infant Thessalonian church. The young believers there must be suffering immensely from the close-knit Jewish community, which were also their relatives, neighbours, friends, colleagues and bosses. Therefore, as soon as he could, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how they were doing. When Timothy came back to Paul in Corinth, he brought the good news of their “faith and charity” (1 Th 3:6), though he, no doubt, confirmed that they were suffering tribulation as Paul had warned them (1 Th 3:4).
Paul wanted to visit them very much but could not because Satan hindered him (1 Th 2:18). Therefore, he decided to write to them instead.
So, 1 Thessalonians is a letter of comfort. This is obvious, for example, in chapter 4, where Paul tells his readers to comfort one another with the fact that all who are united to Christ will be raised incorruptible to meet with Christ when He returns on the last day. We will have to consider that passage separately.
But for now, with the Lord’s help, we want to consider a few words in the last chapter that we may not immediately think of if we want to comfort a fellow believer undergoing trials. I am referring to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing, give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” As Calvin reminds us, these three things should be considered together.
I believe Paul had the suffering of the Thessalonians in mind when he penned these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, these words can, in the hand of the Holy Spirit, be a means of encouraging any believer who is going through a rough time.
Are you experiencing a difficult trial, whatever the cause may be? Perhaps doing these three things Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to do may help you.
1. Rejoice Evermore
We may consider these words to be an abridgement of what Paul says to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Phil 4:4). The word ‘evermore’ in our text is the same as the word rendered ‘always’ there.
Paul is making it abundantly clear: you should not allow circumstances to dictate how you feel. You can choose not to indulge in grief; you can choose to rejoice. And you can always do so because you know the Lord Jesus. He laid His life down for you to rescue you from sin and the curse of sin. So you must not merely rejoice, but rejoice in Him, trusting that He cares and understands your sorrow, remembering that He is interceding on your behalf and bringing all things to pass for your good by the word of His power.
Dear child of God, whatever is troubling you, look to Christ and rejoice evermore. It does not help you or anyone around you to mope in grief, but it will help you to lift up your heart to rejoice. And your rejoicing will also glorify Christ!
But it is not enough to rejoice. He who rejoices in Christ will also pray without ceasing. He will pray without ceasing when things are well, and he will continue to pray without ceasing when things are difficult.
2. Pray Without Ceasing
What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Well, at first sight, it seems to mean that we must pray always, at all times, and at every moment without pause.
But how is that possible? How can we kneel before the Lord every second in the minute, every minute in the hour and every hour in the day? If we do that, we will not be able to fulfil all the responsibilities the Lord has appointed us.
So, no! That is not what Paul means. When he tells the Thessalonians that he thanks God for them without ceasing in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, he does not mean that he does not do anything else except thank God for them.
Instead, he means that he thanks God for them often and upon every remembrance. So when he says to pray without ceasing, he says we should pray whenever possible in our daily lives. We should not neglect to pray any day or allow ourselves to become prayerless.
Practically speaking, it means, first of all, that we should maintain regular times of prayer throughout the day: when we get up, when we have our personal devotion, when we have family worship, when we have our meals, when we gather with the saints for prayer, before we go to bed, etc. We should prioritise prayer and not allow anything to rob us of these stated prayer times, whether in the closet, with the family or with the church.
Secondly, praying without ceasing also means maintaining a constant spirit of prayer so that we do not have to warm up before praying at any time. We must be ready to pray at any moment we are called to pray or when we find ourselves confronted with any situation in which prayer is called for. Remember Nehemiah, how he prayed before answering when King Artaxerxes asked him why he looked so sad.
We may think that a Christian going through trials will pray without ceasing. But the reality is that many of us will be drawn away by the cares of the world at such times. Some of us will be tempted to cease praying when it seems that the Lord is not answering the desires of our hearts. Therefore, take heed to this appeal. Apart from rejoicing evermore, seek God’s grace to pray without ceasing.
And finally,…
3. Give Thanks in Everything
Verse 18: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
It is remarkable, isn’t it? Paul does not simply say to be thankful always. Instead, he is very explicit: We must give thanks to God explicitly, and do so in every situation we are in. We are to thank God in every circumstance of life, even when it is unpleasant to us. Naturally, Paul is not telling us to thank God for everything. We can’t thank God for our sins when we fall. We can’t thank God for evil or wickedness against us or others. It would be misguided and inappropriate to thank God for evil. But we can find reasons to give thanks even when dark and frowning providence befall us. Doing so, together with rejoicing evermore and praying unceasingly, is the “will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
If you are going through a severe trial, it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you maintain a joyful, prayerful and thankful heart, and respond to the Lord with this attitude. It is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you to do so because He purchased you with His blood, and gave you the gift of faith, hope and peace that no one in the world has.
Conclusion
You who bear Christ’s name have been redeemed by His precious blood. You are in this world, but not of this world. You do not need to grieve like unbelievers in the world. You are not without help and hope like those without Christ. Your life is not meaningless. Trials are not pointless. Christ is moulding and shaping you to prepare you for eternal glory through every trial.Therefore, look away from the dark clouds, and the wind and the waves. Cease to focus on your pain. Instead, keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Th 5:16-18). Amen.
—JJ Lim