L 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 Lesson 9 Do’s and Don’ts 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 August 22, 2010 Paul’s Epistles to the Thessalonians

I.Introduction to Lesson 9 A.We all remember Sarah Palin’s “hand notes.” B.Our text is like that. C.Observations 1.Paul gives the Thessalonians a short list of things to do, or not to do. 2.No explanations of how, few of why. 3.His instructions are commands (imperatives). 4.These commands are given to the church corporately, not just to individuals. 5.These commands pertain to the church’s gathering for worship. 6.Verse 18b applies to verses

7.Verses 16-18: response to God (output) 8.Verses 19-22: responses to “revelation” (input) 9.The context: a.This is part of Paul’s conclusion b.Previous matters 1)Paul’s relationship with them 2)Paul’s absence from them 3)Sending Timothy 4)Joy at Timothy’s report 5)The Second Coming of Christ 6)Recognizing leaders 7)Now: focusing on the church gathered for worship and instruction

II.Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks (vss ) A.This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (18b) B.What is rejoicing? C.What is the basis for rejoicing? 1.Knowing what God has done for us in past 2.Knowing what God will do in the future 3.Seeing God’s hand in the present 4.Knowing God’s character (e.g. sovereignty) 5.Our identification with Christ (e.g. suffering) 6.The example of Jesus, Paul, others D.What are the implications of rejoicing? 1.Toward God – Nehemiah 2:1-2 2.Toward Satan – Job Toward unbelievers – Acts 16

E.Unceasing Prayer 1.Think of this corporately 2.The need for prayer (1 Thes. 5:23-25; see Acts 6:4) 3.The relationship of prayer to rejoicing and thanksgiving. F.Giving thanks in every circumstance (see also Ephesians 5:20) 1.Rooted in God’s sovereignty (Job) 2.Rooted in God’s promises for the future 3.Rooted in our identification with Christ (to live is Christ; to suffer is Christ – Philippians) G.Note the God-centeredness of verses 16-18

III.About Prophecy (vss ) A.The setting 1.This is early: no completed New Testament, there were prophets, Paul wasn’t there in Thessalonica. 2.There was an “open worship” like we see in 1 Corinthians 14 – which provided for edification and the possibility of error. 3.Paul knew that error could be introduced, and this was his way of dealing with it. B.Don’t resist the Spirit’s ministry by despising prophetic revelation. C.Don’t believe everything you hear. D.Discern the truth and cling to it. E.Discard anything less than truth (evil).

IV.Conclusion A.This text instructs us regarding worship (1 Corinthians 14, and as we seek to do it). B.Paul expects open worship to produce some error, but knowing this, he doesn’t reject the open format & replace it with scripted worship. C.Paul places leadership responsibility on all church members, not just a few. D.What do we make of Paul’s brevity here? E.We (individually and corporately) are responsible to discern error. F.How we deal with “error” in the church meeting at CBC. G.Implications for our worship.

Copyright © 2010 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited PowerPoint presentation of Lesson 9 in the series, Paul’s Epistles to the Thessalonians, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh for August 22, Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.