Worshiping as a Family

Pastor Phil Andrukaitis, July 16, 2023

The Apostle Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians

General Theme: Living Righteously While Waiting Patiently for Jesus to Return

Sermon Title: Worshiping as a Family

Sermon Text: First Thessalonians 5:16-22

Subject: Family Worship

Complement: Our public worship as a church family is God’s invitation for us to delight in Him.

Dominating Idea: A heart surrendered to God worships Him delightfully.

Overview & Review

I. Spiritual leaders prove their concern for the church. (1:1a)

II. Spiritual leaders provide care for the church. (1:1bc)

III. Spiritual leaders pray for the church. (1:2-10)

IV. Spiritual leaders pattern a life of loving service unto the church. (2:1 – 3:13)

V. Spiritual leaders prescribe exhortations for the church. (4:1 – 5:28)

A. Exhortations regarding practical sanctification (4:1-12)

B. Exhortations regarding eschatological concerns (4:13 – 5:11)

C. Exhortations regarding ecclesiastical [church] responsibilities. (5:12-28)

1. Relating to the shepherding leaders (5:12-13)

2. Relating to the spiritually needy (5:14-15)

3. Relating to our sovereign savior (5:16-22) Our Focus Today

4. Relating to our spiritual growth (5:23-28)

Introduction

When you came to church this morning, how did you prepare yourselves to worship the LORD God Almighty? Do you view Sunday morning worship as a “duty” – an obligation that must be carried out – or do view your worship as an acceptance to God’s invitation to delight in Him and His Word?

In the opening chapters of Acts, the early church [body of Christ] experienced miraculous growth as each “living stone” did “life together.” They devoted themselves to the teachings of Scripture, the fellowship with other saints, the breaking of bread [communion], and prayer. Because of their devotion to God and these daily, worshipful disciplines, the Lord was glorified and showed His favor by adding new believers to their fellowship every day (Acts 2:42-47).

The key for spiritual and numerical growth: Living life together by devoting ourselves around these four worshipful disciplines: Scripture, fellowship, giving thanks, and prayer.

Let’s leap ahead almost 2000-years to the time when Adolf Hitler was preparing Germany for war. In his book, Life Together, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer described the life and fellowship he and his students experienced together while studying the Scriptures in an illegal seminary of the Confessing Church. Bonhoeffer wrote:

It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us, that the time that still separates us from utter loneliness may be brief indeed. Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.^[1]

Transitional Sentences

As we direct our focus to Paul’s closing comments to the Thessalonians (1^st Thessalonians 5:16-22), the first impression when reading this section of Paul’s letter appears to be a list of general exhortations – reminders to be joyful, prayerful, thankful, along with other actions for individual believers.

However, a closer look at the context suggests that there is a sense of an active community worship within this passage. I believe Paul’s exhortations to the Thessalonian saints parallels Luke’s observation as to why the early church experienced explosive growth (Acts 2:42-47).

Therefore, let us examine more closely our great privilege to worship our Lord and Savior by examining Paul’s exhortations for every church family. Here are five worshipful disciplines we too can practice together.

a. We can rejoice in the Lord, always (16).

The first worshipful discipline that we as a church family can delightfully practice is, “Rejoice always.” Literally, the text reads, at all times and in every occasion, be rejoicing. Throughout the NT, believers are commanded to “rejoice” chairō (Strong’s #5463) in the Lord. Even though the young Thessalonian church experienced waves of persecution and difficult times after Paul was forced to leave them, the church continued to rejoice in the Lord.

The major theme in Paul’s letter to the Philippian church was rejoicing in the Lord! Paul able to rejoice in the Lord, even when he…

…was imprisoned,
…maligned by enemies of the cross,
…concerned for Epaphroditus who almost died because of his labor in the Lord,
…experienced lean times.

The secret to Paul’s contentment and his ability to rejoice rested on these four factors:

Paul focused on the providence of God.
Paul appreciated the people of God.
Paul accepted the provisions from God.
Paul served others by the power of God.

Our ability to rejoice is not dependent upon our happiness which is directly related to the “happenings/events” in our lives. Rather our ability to rejoice is a deep abiding joy we have in Christ, from Christ, and with Christ.

Perhaps some of you have experienced deep, emotional pain when someone you love was taken from you. But remember, God did not take His love from you.

Some of you may be experiencing failing health, are experiencing a constant physical pain. Some of you may not know what’s going on inside your body. Still, others know that their lives will soon end.

Illustration: I have a dear friend and colleague who is with the Lord now. While cancer ravaged his body, he thanked God that pain was manageable with medications. Nevertheless, he did not seek sympathy from others but rejoiced in his weaknesses. Like the apostle Paul, my friend also boasted in the Lord because the grace of Jesus fell mightily upon him. Moreover, God has brought many sinners into his life so that he could share the gospel with them. Truly, my friend is rejoicing in the Lord then and now!

You too can rejoice in the Lord whatever your circumstances. Learn the secret of contentment (Philippians 4:10-13). In addition, know Jesus’ presence is always with you. Jesus will never leave you. And take to heart the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).

When you came through these doors this morning, was your mind stayed on Jesus? Our family worship of Jesus will be blessed as we turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, rejoicing in His salvation He provided for us as He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead. He is alive!

b. We can pray unto the Lord, without ceasing (17).

The second worshipful discipline that we can delightfully practice as a church family is, “pray without ceasing.” The text literally reads, without ceasing, pray. Paul’s use of the word proseuchomai (Strong’s #4336) is most frequently used in respect to prayer since it “encompasses all the aspects of prayer: submission, confession, petition, intercession, praise, and thanksgiving” [John MacArthur].

While the command to “always pray” is in the present tense, “the idea is not the moving of the lips, but in the elevation of the heart to God, that the essence of prayer consists” [John Lightfoot].

Regarding the adverb, “ceasing” adialeiptōs (Strong’s #89); Robert Thomas said that “it does not mean some sort of nonstop praying. Rather, it implies constantly recurring prayer, growing out of a settled attitude of dependence on God. Whether words are uttered or not, lifting the heart to God while one is occupied with miscellaneous duties is the vital thing. Verbalized prayer will be spontaneous and will punctuate one’s daily schedule as it did Paul’s writings…”

The early church prayed together daily, and the Lord added to their numbers. No doubt they prayed for one another’s needs and spiritual growth.

Let’s pause for a moment and ask ourselves, how often do I meet with my church family and pray together with them for the needs in our lives and church?

Often, we rush through our lives. It seems that we are always in a hurry. We can’t stop ourselves [or we won’t stop ourselves] because we are convinced that the problem[s] with which we are dealing will overwhelm us. And so, we work harder and faster with our little feeble hands, feet, and brain.

Jesus took time throughout His life and ministry to pray. On some occasions, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray all night, even after experiencing a hard day of ministry (Luke 21:37-38; John 8:1-2).

And let us not gloss over the fact that the early Church followed Jesus’ example and made time to pray. For example, on the Day of Pentecost, devoted followers of Christ had gathered in an upper room praying when the Holy Spirit came upon them and indwelt their bodies (Acts 2).

Throughout the early Church, believers have prayed and offered up praise to God for many reasons:

To spread the Gospel
To heal the sick and comfort the suffering and dying
To deliver those imprisoned by man and sin [personal holiness]
To fellowship with God
To have their “daily bread” met by God
To experience relief from fear and worry
To grow spiritually
To pray for the spiritual leaders
To see the souls saved
To make disciples of Christ
To glorify God

You will know if you are in a constant attitude of prayer. How? You will be consistently “seeking those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

Indeed, joyful believers are praying believers. I believe an attitude of thanksgiving will naturally flow out of their praying hearts. After all, Jesus said that “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). Check out Proverbs 27:19; 23:7; Luke 6:45. Let us continually offer up to God our prayers and praise, especially when we come together on Sunday. And this leads us to our third worshipful discipline.

c. We can give thanks to the Lord (18).

The third worshipful discipline that we can delightfully practice as a church family is, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” When we grow in Christ and embrace the sovereignty of God in our hearts, will we be able to genuinely give thanks to God.

Again, I remind you that “giving thanks” was one of the four worshipful disciplines that contributed to the explosive growth of the early church. They lived life together, resting in the providence of God.

Yet, some believers tend to live their lives and express their faith as if Almighty God is wringing sweaty palms, worrying what will next happen in the affairs of man. Therefore, these believers tend to “push” God gently aside and try to solve the problem with their wisdom, resources, and strength. And yet, their labors usually lead to frustration and fruitlessness.

Not so with the Thessalonian saints. Though young in their faith, they took Paul’s words to heart and cultivated a thankful heart. Many of them had lost loved family members to death, were concerned about the future judgments of God, and were experiencing persecution from those outside the community of faith. Perhaps some of them lost their employment when it was discovered that they were Christians. Perhaps others might have been forced to move away from Thessalonica; the scenarios are endless.

I believe some of you have experienced these issues, too. But if you try to “go it alone” without the benefit of fellowshiping with the church family, you will continue to struggle in your faith.

Looking ahead for what may lie ahead for the church today: What will the church do when the government eliminates the tax benefit on non-profit organizations? What will the church do when some believers are imprisoned for speaking the truth? What will the church do when its property is vandalized? Give thanks to God.

Give thanks to God because He knows all things. God is omniscient. Perhaps you have heard of a theological teaching called, Openness of God or Open Theism. This theological trend is seeping into churches. It teaches that God does not know all things but continues to learn new things. This is another lie from the pit of hell.

Listen, God knows the number of hairs on our heads and has already determined the number of days each of us shall live. Moreover, He has determined what occupation and ministries each of us shall fulfill (Ephesians 2:10).

Therefore, let’s not “freak out” when tough times come upon the church. Even though some folks will walk away from the church, others will cling to God, cling to His Word, and cling to His people.

When believers have a poor grasp of Scripture, they will not be able to understand what is happening and thus, experience a crisis of faith.

However, when believers systematically read and study the Scriptures and apply their timeless truths to their lives together as a church family, they will experience greater joy and divine blessings.

Give thanks to God because God reigns from heaven. John the Baptist said to his disciples when told that Jesus’ ministry of baptizing other folks began to exceed John the Baptist’s number of baptisms: “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven” (John 3:27).

The point: Everything we receive comes down from heaven and into our lives, according to God’s perfect and holy purposes. Our lives are in God’s hands. And if we have a basic understanding of God’s character, we can place our trust in Him for God will not do anything contrary to His nature.

Cultivate a thankful heart; for an unthankful heart is characteristic of an unregenerate sinner. If you have been “born-again,” then, as a partaker of the divine nature, let us express together our hearts of gratitude to God.

d. We can avoid putting out the Spirit’s fire (19).

The fourth worshipful discipline we can delightfully practice as a church family is, “not to quench” sbennumi (Strong’s #4570) the Holy Spirit. In a physical sense, quenching things on fire is to douse the fire with water or sand.

We learn from John’s letters to the churches in Asia Minor that Laodicean church was “lukewarm.” Lukewarm churches are repulsive to Jesus. I believe when we quench the fiery passion of the Holy Spirit in our lives and church ministries, we quench the Holy Spirit. Here are some of the ways we quench the Spirit.

When we are not growing in our knowledge of the Scriptures
When we fail to recognize the Holy Spirit’s ways
When we refuse to be humble and submit to one another and spiritual leadership
When we lean upon our own understanding and not God’s Word

“There is always the danger that impulses of the flesh might usurp the place of the energy of the Spirit in the assembly” [W.E. Vine].

Jesus has returned to heaven to prepare heaven for His brothers and sisters who will soon follow. Presently, Jesus is now sitting at His Father’s right hand, ruling over this world. However, before Jesus was crucified [knowing that He was going to raise himself from His grave and ascend into heaven forty days later], Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to all believers.

And now that the Holy Spirit has arrived (Acts 2), believers should know how the Holy Spirit helps us.

1. He illuminates the Word of God.
(1^st Corinthians 2:10-13; 2^nd Timothy 3:16; 2^nd Petet 1:20-21)

2. He brings believers into a more intimate relationship with God.
(Romans 8:15-16)

3. He conforms believers into the image of Christ.
(2^nd Corinthians 3:18; John 16:14-15; Galatians 4:19)

4. He enables believers to know God’s will.
(Ephesians 5:17; James 1:5; 1^st John 5:14-15)

5. He gives divine enablement to live a godly life.
(Ephesians 3:16; 2^nd Corinthians 12:9)

And as we approach the end of Paul’s letter, we too approach the end of the list of worshipful disciplines we can practice as a church family. Rejoicing believers are praying believers whose thankful hearts will not quench the Holy Spirit. Why? Because they embrace the Word of God.

e. We can embrace the Word of God (20-22).

The fifth worshipful discipline we can delightfully practice as a church family is to embrace the Word of God. Here are four biblical ways:

1. Don’t despise the Word of God.

God’s Word is true and without error. It is authoritative in all that it teaches and thoroughly equips every believer for every good work. However, disciples in this postmodernist culture consider Scripture as one of many religious writings, teaching that absolute truth does not exist; all truth is therefore, relevant.

2. Prove everything by the Word of God.

Spiritual discernment is a spiritual exercise that seems to have been cast aside when seeking to know the mind of God. Sadly, many believers have abandoned the discipline of hermeneutics (understanding the culture in which the text was composed, the language, the people, what did God intend for those people to understand, etc.) and interpreted Scripture according to feelings and experience.

Today, many churches are spiritually anemic, unable to discern truth from half-truths, especially as bizarre claims enter the church and our homes via the internet, cable, and radio.

Proving everything by Scripture begins with personal reading and studying the Scripture. Just because someone opens the Word and begins to speak, that is no guarantee that truth is being taught.

That is why this pulpit needs your prayers. Pray that this pulpit would focus on expositional preaching of each book of the Bible. Moreover, sermons that focus on…

…systematic theology,
…the historical foundations of the church,
…the major issues and errors that plague the church

…are essential to spiritual growth and discernment.

God has ordained the message of salvation to be proclaimed through the preaching of His Word. The mission of the church is to make disciples. BBBC is a spiritual family comprised of all ages, who at times may struggle to understand one another. That’s okay. But let us never forget that we are members of God’s family who strive to be faithful with Scripture and friendly to all.

Hold fast to what is good.

Like an anchor that grips the ocean floor, God’s Word is an anchor for your soul. Hold fast and guard that which is faithfully taught to you by me and others who bring forth the Word. If we drop your guard, Satan is quick to undermine the truth you have heard. Never endorse a person’s sin or sinful lifestyle.

Obey the Word of God.

Obey God’s Word. Avoid what is evil. Be sensitive to the Spirit’s nudging and quickly move away from every evil form and deed. Be careful what you allow your eyes to see and your ears hear. Obedience brings blessings while disobedience brings chastisement for the child of God.

Conclusion

We have looked at five worshipful disciplines that we as a church family can delightfully practice. Like the early church, I believe we too will experience blessed growth when we as a family practice these disciplines.

But it begins with each of us. This is a foundational principle: A heart surrendered to God worships Him delightfully.

If our hearts are not right with God, God will not accept our worship. While our knees may bend easily, are our hearts bended to God’s Word and will? Pride keeps our hearts from bending to God.

God assesses our public worship according to the spiritual condition of our hearts and our daily conduct. I am reminded of the prophet Hanani’s exhortation to King Asa, “the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him” (2^nd Chronicles 16:9).

Are you blameless before God? If you are in Christ, you are blameless because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for you. He substituted His life for your life on the cross. Jesus paid your sin debt because there was no way you or anyone else could satisfy the righteous demands of God.

If you are not in Christ, God’s condemnation still rests upon you. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can be saved from the condemnation of God by…

…acknowledging your sins to God
…believing Jesus is the Son of God Who shed His blood for your, paying your sin debt AND
…confessing Him. Call on the name of Jesus to save you from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.

May each of you take moment to reflect on your relationship with Jesus. If there is any sin that has disrupted your fellowship with Jesus or dulled the assurance of your salvation, tell God about it right now.

[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Life Together.” London: SCM Press Ltd. 1954. Digital

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