1. October 30, 2016 Welcome church!

2. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be Joyful!

6. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be Joyful!

7. Introduction: Rejoice always (16), Pray with ceasing (17), Give thanks in all circumstance; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (18). There are many things that separate a Christian from the world. A Christian has been made alive in Christ while the unregenerate follow the course of this world and the prince of the power of the air and are dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-5).
A Christian will display the love of the Father to all while the world has no love (Jn.13:35, I Jn.3:14-15). A Christian will obey the word of the Father and keep his commandments while the world will not (I Jn. 2:4-6, 3:7-10). The world is in a constant state of rebellion against God, but the Christian has been called to a life of unending worship.

8. From the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to sleep and even when we are asleep, we are called to praise the Father. We are created to glorify His name, and our entire lives should be centered on worshipping His precious name. Today it seems many want to confine worship to a certain time, music, communion and etc.. Worship is about our whole life.
In this passage we find Paul exhorting us to do all three. Not only does he tell us to do all three, but also he commands us to do all of them with out end. He says to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. The Christian life should be one never ending state of praise and worship to God through rejoicing, praying, and thanksgiving. Rejoicing, praying, and thanksgiving have synergy.

9. They work together and build each other up and are often hard to separate. The three cover the entirety of the Christian life. We rejoice for the present times, pray for the future protection, and give thanks for past gifts. No matter what happens in our lives we can remain hopeful and rejoice because we know that God is in control and working for good.
REJOICE ALWAYS
Along with love, peace, and righteousness, joy is one of the earmarks of being a Christian (Rom. 14:17). Rejoicing does not mean to constantly be in a state of thanksgiving, which Paul exhorts also to do in verse 18, but to have a joyful attitude in all things. Thanksgiving and prayer without joy are obligations rather than pleasures.

10. Where does this joy come from. It comes from the Spirit of God
Where does this joy come from? It comes from the Spirit of God. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). But it is not always easy to rejoice. When everything is going great, it’s not hard to rejoice, but when times get rough, then rejoicing is hard to do. Why are we sorrowful or out of rejoicing? Most often it is because of the loss of something, but what have we lost?
We are at times sorrowful because of the loss of possessions or a loved one but this may reveal to us that we have invested to much into something other than God. But we haven’t lost God. You see real Rejoicing springs from the joy found in knowing God has redeemed us. James 1:2-4 says this, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials or various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

11. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” We are to rejoice even when others are not but it can be done. Rejoicing is a Christian practice that seems to have become rare but we can change and begin to worship God in this way. Rejoicing is just praising God, in the morning, at work or school, even when we lay down at night.
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
This does no mean that we have to be on our knees with our hands in a certain position and our eyes closed. First Thessalonians says, we are to do this, but what does it mean? Basically what it means is simple to be God conscious and see everything in reference to Him. Unceasing prayer is communion with God…unceasing communion with God.

12. One author I read compares prayer to breathing
One author I read compares prayer to breathing. This should occur throughout our entire day and be so ingrained in our system that we begin to pray without realizing it. Prayer sustains us as it connects us with God. Also “pray without ceasing” does not mean that we must always be using an audible voice. Some of our prayers come from within when no words can be expressed. It is possible to speak with our lips to God but not be in prayer. There is no mention of proper place, posture, or time of prayer.
God does not say that He will only listen to prayers at certain times but that He is always listening. Praying with no end implies that there is one that listens to no end. Prayer is not just for getting closer to God and supplication but for defense against fiery darts of the evil one. Prayer with out end will put us into a constant state of walking with God.

13. Praying without end will put us into a constant state of walking with God. We will be patient, loving, and joyful in all situations because we are continually talking with God, and He is showing us the path to take. Praying for others even increases our readiness to forgive those we pray for. “The man who will truly pray for me will certainly readily forgive me if I offend him. He will relieve me if I am in need and He will be prepared to assist me if I am engaged in a service too hard for me” (Spurgeon)

14. GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES Verse 18 tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” No matter what is going on in our lives we are to continue to thank God for what He has done, is doing, and will continue to do. Just as it is hard not to rejoice knowing that God has already sent His Son to save us and is there with us through difficult times.
Thanksgiving in our prayer lives keeps us centered on positive prayers since they are centered on what God has done for us rather than what we think we do for Him. When you begin to thank someone for what they have done, you are admitting that you owe them something and that they did something that you could not. We are greatly glorifying God with prayers

15. Of thanksgiving because we make ourselves humble and admit His greatness. Thanksgiving also reminds us what God has done for us. When we pray to God for our needs, we may have the temptation to say that God never answers our prayers, but when our prayers are filled with thanksgiving, we are reminded of all that God has done for us. We are truly a blessed people.

16. THE WILL OF GOD Notice that the will of God is for you to rejoice always, pray always, and give thanks always. The will of God is not for you to be unsatisfied or without joy in your life but in a constant state of praise. God is a loving God and wants us to always be joyful. It is not obtained by pursuing earthly pleasures but in pursuing God Himself in a relationship like none other.
We are to rejoice IN CHRIST always, pray IN Christ always, and give thanks IN Christ always. We can’t do this unless we have been made alive in Christ. Let us thanks God the Father and Christ for His sacrifice on the cross, then we can rejoice, pray, and be thankful in all situations without regret of the past, and live in the present as He desires us to.

17. Conclusion: Three Powerful Commands/Reading!