GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

(Background: 1 and 2 Thessalonians)

"give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Welcome to the 2008 Thanksgiving. Today we would like to think about the Apostle Paul's challenge to give thanks in all circumstances. 1 and 2 Thessalonians were written by the Apostle Paul and his coworkers Silas and Timothy, however, it was primarily Paul who authored these epistles. Yet, because Silas and Timothy worked together with him on his second world mission journey, Paul shares the credit with them. Paul wrote these epistles to the Thessalonians. Thessalonica was the second largest city in Macedonia (second to Corinth). Historians say that Paul went there in A.D. 49. We can find about how he pioneered the church there in Acts 17. The members of the church of Thessalonica consisted mostly of Greeks. Before Paul came to preach the gospel they used to attend the synagogue, perhaps studying the Old Testament Scriptures, such as Genesis or Exodus. But since Paul said, "Jesus Christ is the Messiah, this Jesus who died on a tree in Jerusalem for our sins and rose again to justify us," they believed his message. Then it is very likely that Paul prayed for them that they would receive the Holy Spirit. So they were born again. The church of Thessalonica was born. 

The Apostle Paul says that the church of Thessalonica became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Acaiah. [See if you can find Acaiah on the map, for it is located at the Southern tip of the peninsula.] Again, the Apostle Paul commended them for being a model church. The word model suggests that they were exemplary Christians. In the fashion business, or in finding supermodels, beauty contests are put together. As contestants come onto the stage the examiners seated in the front row examine them under certain criteria which they had already established. Likewise when Paul said they were a model church, he did not say so without criteria. He had his own criteria in assessing who is an exemplary Christian and who is not. Some pastors think that one is a model Christian if he or she attends church activities without fail, or makes a lot of offerings. But to Paul, the criteria go way beyond church attendance or offerings. In view of the epistles he wrote, primarily, Paul had three criteria: faith, love, and hope. In Paul's mind, if your faith is strong, you have already earned a lot of points. Then on the list comes love and hope. 

So Paul commended them as a model church because their faith was solid, their love of the Lord and saints in the Lord was strong, and they did put their hope not in what is temporary but in God's kingdom; they operated with the hope of the resurrection that will occur at the time of Jesus' second coming. Referring to their faith, love, and hope, the Apostle Paul gives thanks to the Lord for their faith that produces work, the love that prompts labor, and the hope that inspires perseverance. 

When the church in Thessalonica was being pioneered, the Apostle Paul did not spend much time with the believers there. Perhaps he wanted to spend as much time as possible, even until they were firmly established in the Lord. But due to persecutions he and his company were torn apart. While he was away from them then, he learned that the members of the church of Thessalonica started developing a lot of problems. Paul looked into the situation and learned that their faith was still strong, their love was strong, but their hope was a problem: some strange teachers slipped into the church and taught them that Jesus Christ had already come, so that they did not need to wait for the second coming of Jesus. Greatly alarmed by this news, Paul then wrote the two epistles which are now known as 1 and 2 Thessalonians. 

Now let us consider the point of our Thanksgiving message: "Give thanks in all circumstances." In Paul's mind, if one is strong on all three accounts, that is, faith, love, and hope, one thing can happen for sure, that is, he is thankful in "all" circumstances. He is full of thanks. He is so thankful for God's work in his life that no matter what happens to him he gives thanks all the time. 

So let us think about faith, love, and hope according to Paul's language. According to Paul, faith is faith in the gospel of Jesus. It is also faith in God. To Paul, faith also stands for the faith in God's word, rather than something else such as traditions, feelings, or experiences. If one had faith in the gospel one is convinced of the forgiveness of his sins. He is assured that he is a child of God. When one has faith in God he lives by faith in God who is almighty. God is all powerful. He is all wise. So even when he is confronted with difficult circumstances, by faith he does not get agitated. By faith in God who is in control of all things, he still remains cool and calm. Since faith is faith in God's word, he does not get swayed by all sorts of human thoughts or emotions. The Bible says God's word does not change. So although circumstances change he remains stable. 

Next, love is love of the Lord and love of one's neighbor. But as Paul and other apostles, such as the Apostle John, teach us, on our own we cannot love ourselves much less others as properly as we should. In the first place we did not know what love is, so we are told, "Love comes from God," and, we can love others for God first loved us. In love the Apostle Paul went to preach the gospel to as far as Asia Minor and then to Macedonia, and there in Thessalonica he visited a Jewish synagogue and preached the gospel. I can imagine him sharing God's love for all peoples on earth (i.e., Jews and Gentiles) saying, "God demonstrated his love in this, that is, Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification." In his epistle as well, referring to God's love that reached the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica, Paul says in 1Th 1:4-5, "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake." He also states in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17, "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." Paul knew that God loved them because in love God chose them to be saved. He knew this for when he preached the gospel they "believed" it. Then blessing their faith in the Lord, God bestowed upon them the gift of the Holy Spirit who in turn did the "sanctifying" work for them. For this work (sanctification) they became thankful from the bottom of their hearts, for thanks to the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit, each of them became a new creation! In the past they used to be slaves of sin. Although they tried to do what is good they could not do anything good, for they had no power to overcome their sinful desires. But the Holy Spirit did what they could not do. As a result, in their hearts they experienced powerful joy; peace rolling like a river. With great joy they diligently shared the gospel with others, so Paul says that the message "rang out" of them throughout Macedonia and Acaiah. 

According to Paul, the hope we have in the Lord is the hope to wait for the Son to appear from heaven, the hope to be saved from the coming wrath, and the hope to be with the Risen Lord in a resurrected body. This hope inspires endurance. Indeed in this hope the believers in the church of Thessalonica endured hardships. Out of jealousy unbelieving Jews in the local synagogues caused troubles to them, and yet they kept their faith in the Lord. The world tempted them to sin, but waiting for the Son of God to appear from heaven they kept their mind, body, and soul pure. 

Let us look at the key verse again. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." According to this passage when anyone is in Christ Jesus he can be thankful, and as he remains thankful God gives him more reasons to be thankful. The Apostle Paul experienced this truth right before his arrival at Thessalonica. Acts 17 describes how he went to Thessalonica and preached there. Acts 16 describe what happened to him right before his move to Thessalonica. Let us open the Bible and read Acts 16:16-40, responsively. 

Let us stop for a moment and think about what might have happened to Paul and Silas had they not thanked God while locked up in prison, had they complained to God saying, "Look, Lord. We worked hard to preach the gospel. We did not do anything wrong; rather we tried to do what is good; why then did this happen to us?" Had they complained to God like this, I do not think that God would have sent angels to get them out. Had God not released them from prison, what could have happened to them? 

But thank God. Paul and Silas had faith in God. They did not doubt God's love for them. They had hope in the kingdom of God. So by faith in God's love and power, and in view of the kingdom appearing, even while locked up in the deepest cell of the prison, they could offer prayers to God with many thanks; they then could sing hymns. Then miracles happened. 

"Give thanks to God in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ." The miracles that happened to Paul and Silas serve as a good example for us to consider in applying Paul's exhortation to our daily life. So let us stop for a moment and think about the lessons (or principles, if you will) we can learn. What can we learn from what happened to Paul and Silas? A close examination of the miracles reminds us of one word: that is, "transcendence." Those who live by faith in God, confident of God's absolute love for them, and putting absolute hope in God and his kingdom appearing, God blesses their faith, love, and hope so that they could give thanks all the time. 

Figuratively speaking, faith, love, and hope are like a space shuttle which keeps an astronaut in the orbit, so they remain in the space which is not subject to the pull of gravity. So through faith, love, and hope, we can live a life that is "transcendent." In other words we can live a life which gives thanks to God regardless of the circumstances. Then we are no longer dictated by the circumstances. In a physical world, things may become difficult due to many different reasons, such as a bad economy or because of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or brush fires. But since the source of joy, and the reasons for giving thanks stem not from this world but from God, we can give thanks to God no matter what. 

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." So we have learned the principle. The Apostle Paul applied the principle in his own practical situations in life (such as while in a prison cell or while he was being mistreated by people even for doing what is good to them). The principle remains the same; it does not change, just as God does not change. Applications can vary. In all different situations we can apply the principle, that is, living by faith in the Lord, with the deep conviction of God's love for his children, and putting on the hope of His kingdom as a helmet. 

One last point that needs to be made is the nature of the principle: the principle does not change; so we must change ourselves to fit the principle. We aim for and live and are blessed by it, or we hit it and suffer from not following it. And God's principle is not so complicated, for the primary condition for us to follow is to be "in Christ Jesus." Notice that the expression, "in Christ Jesus," is a limiting language. If anyone is not in Christ, it is categorically impossible to give thanks in all circumstances. When one is in the Lord, the Lord provides him with all the means to overcome and live on God's level, so joy and peace would be constant. If one is out of the Lord, like people swimming only to drown during the Flood of Noah's day, he or she will be exposed to the whims of circumstances. But for those who are in the Lord and live by faith in the Lord, the Lord will guide that person according to the riches of his grace. Even though bad things might happen to him, the Lord uses those things only as stepping stones to give thanks to the Lord with great joy. 

One word: Give thanks in all circumstances.