Turn your Bibles with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 again. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. And you have a message guide. You're certainly welcome to use that if you would like. If not, that's okay too. It's just a tool to help you stay awake. Do you remember playing chase? I never liked playing chase because I never liked to be it. It was always hard for me to catch anybody. They were always faster than I was. But then again I never liked being chased either because they were still too fast for me and they would eventually catch me and then I would be it for the rest of the game. And that's why I didn't like to play chase. But when we do play chase and when we have played chase it was always when someone was it and they would be running after us as fast and as furiously as they could and they would get closer and closer and you could just sense that they're right behind you and you don't want to look back because if you do you're going to slow down and then you wonder What are they going to do? You hear them getting closer and closer and closer. You can hear the footsteps and you can hear them saying, I'm gaining on you! I'm gaining on you! And finally, if it was me, they would gain on me. And they would catch me and then I would be it. There's a kind of Christian chase that was introduced to us last week in verse 15 of chapter 5 when it says, that we need to ever follow that which is good. This is the Christian form of the game of chase, where you are always, always, every day pursuing, chasing after, running after that which is good. Pursue the good. But then what do you do once you've pursued it, you've caught up to it? Romans 12.9 says then, to cleave to that which is good. That's what they would do if they would catch me. They would come and they would run up and they would gain on me, they would pursue, they would chase after me, and finally they would plead to me, they would capture me, they would catch me. And the Bible is teaching the exact same thing. The thing that you ought to pursue and chase with all your might is that which is good. But how do you do that? How do you, every day of your life, chase after the goodness and the godliness that God wants you to chase after. Is it just trying to be good? We've all tried that, haven't we? How many of us have fallen flat on our face when we've tried to do good? Maybe we got up one morning and said, I'm going to do this good deed. Or I've done all these bad things and I want to try to do right this time. And we get up with strong resolve and we get up our willpower and finally at the end of the day we look back and we realize we blew it all over again. It's not that we try to be good or do good most of the time. In the Christian chase after that which is good, we see God providing a process that is designed for us to chase after and then to catch that which is good. We see this in a very short passage this morning. but one that is filled with great importance. And perhaps this is one of the smallest passages that I'll be preaching through in 1 Thessalonians, but it's in verses 16 through 18. Familiar verses that we've used before. People always say, well, quote some of your favorite verses and usually they're the shortest ones. Well, these are three succinct, very short, very important verses. But we also need to realize the greater context in that when God says in verse 15, You need to ever follow that which is good. Pursue the good. And you wonder, well, how can I do that? He gives us exactly what we need to do to follow after and to finally catch in the Christian chase after that which is good. He says in verse 16, rejoice evermore. And then in verse 17, he adds, pray without ceasing. And then in verse 18, he says, in everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." These verses teach that in order for you to pursue after that which is good, you have to pursue after God Himself. because God is the highest form of good. And if you do not pursue and chase after God, you will never pursue after and finally catch that which is good. And so, the Lord shows us how we and how you can pursue after that which is good by pursuing God in these three ways. Rejoicing evermore. praying without ceasing, and in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." The wonderful thing is that because God is the highest good, and when you chase after Him, and pursue Him, and follow after Him with all your heart and all your soul, you know what's going to happen? Not only will you get there, but you will become more like Him. you will become more like the good God that you're trying to pursue after. So how can you gain on the godliness and the goodness of God? First of all, in verse 16, we see through joy in the Lord. He says, Rejoice evermore. In order to follow after that which is good, you need to chase after joy. These three verses are commands. These three verses are things that they are putting forth to you as something that you need to choose to do. You as a Christian need to choose every day to pursue after joy. How do you do that? By rejoicing in the things that God has provided. You need to chase after joy because joy is good. Isn't joy a wonderful feeling and emotion and experience? How many of you like to be sad? Anybody? I guess some people probably like to be sad. Most people like to be joyful. Most people like to have a smile on their face. Most people like to have a spring in their step. Most people want to go around enjoying life. Joy is good. The Bible says when you pursue after good, you're going to pursue after joy by rejoicing evermore. But this is not talking about just a happiness. that comes about because of your own circumstances, that everything is just going fine. You know, this last couple of weeks when we've enjoyed the beautiful sunshine like it is today, we've enjoyed the nice weather, we've been able to get out. I don't know about you, but I felt good about it. That has put a spring in my step. That has given me a smile on my face. But then when it gets cloudy and when it gets cold, what usually happens to our emotions, sometimes we get gloomy. Sometimes we get down and depressed as well. But this is not the type of joy and the type of happiness that is describing. Rather, instead of a happiness that is based on your circumstances, it is a joy in spite of your circumstances, because it teaches that you are to rejoice ever more. What does that mean? It means that at all times you should rejoice. Boy, that's a challenge, isn't it? Even when things aren't going my way, I need to rejoice. Rejoice evermore. He says rejoice in all circumstances. Does that mean that even when my life seems to be going out of control, when my physical health is just becoming emaciated and weak, what am I to do? Rejoice evermore. How is this possible? The fact is, in our own life, in our own flesh, it's not possible. It's not possible unless, as we consider this, you are pursuing after the highest good, who is God. Because when you pursue after God and the joy that is found in Him, you can rejoice evermore at all times and in all circumstances, no matter what you face. Why? The reason for this kind of joy, in spite of your circumstances, is God Himself, is the Lord Himself. Paul also writes in Philippians. Philippians is considered a prison epistle. It was a book that he wrote to a church in Philippi, which was actually the very first city that he came to before he came to Thessalonica. So he understands what the Thessalonians were going through and the Philippians were going through. He was also in jail when he wrote this book in Philippians, but listen to what he says. Even while he is bound in prison, bound in chains, he says in Philippians 3.1, Rejoice, not in your circumstances. Rejoice, not because you're a prisoner, but rejoice in the Lord. And then in chapter 4, verse 4, he says the same thing. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. The reason for our joy ought to be the Lord. The reason why we can rejoice evermore is because our joy is in the Lord. The Lord is the reason for joy. And when He is our focus, there will be great joy. Now, when you pursue after God and you chase after the goodness of God and you chase after the joy that you find in God, you're going to learn that there is so much to rejoice in. There's so much to be joyful about. Isaiah, you don't need to turn there, but he shows us some of the things that we can rejoice in. He says in Isaiah 61 10, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God. Why? For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. He hath covered me with a robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. So we see here Isaiah himself rejoicing in the Lord, not in the circumstances of his life, not in the circumstances of his nation, but in the Lord who overrides all those things. And he says, I'm going to rejoice because I have a Savior. more than anything else. I'm going to rejoice in the Lord. And if there's nothing else in your life that you can rejoice in, think about Jesus, because if you think about Him, you have so much to rejoice in. Think about the salvation. That's what Isaiah did. I'm going to rejoice because He has clothed me with a garment of salvation. A Savior is someone who seeks and saves that which is lost. And that's what Jesus did. Do you realize that you would never be here today if it wasn't for Jesus coming and seeking and saving you because you were lost and now you are found and now you can be saved. What a glorious thing to rejoice in. I don't know about you, but when you think about all the other circumstances that are going on in your life, stop looking at those and start looking to Christ and you will have real joy in spite of your circumstances. He also talks about your sanctification, how you become more like Him. God also, after He saves you, clothes you with a robe of righteousness. You become more like Him. There is much to rejoice in. If you go through the Bible, get a concordance, get an online Bible, a computerized version, and type in joy or rejoice, and you will find verse after verse after verse after verse after verse. that will give you reasons to rejoice in the Lord. No matter what you're facing in this life, He says rejoice evermore. There's so much to rejoice in. But imagine if you lost everything. We know a story of this in the Bible when Job lost everything. He was a very wealthy man. He had it all in the world's eyes, but then he lost it all. He lost his house. He lost his land. He lost his sheep and his animals. He lost his family. They were killed. If you lost it all today, what would you feel like doing? Would you feel like ending it all? Perhaps. we would feel that way if we didn't take this verse to heart. He says, rejoice evermore. Rejoice in spite of the circumstances. Rejoice in spite of losing everything, because your joy doesn't come from the things around you. Your joy comes from what is above you, the Lord Himself. And when you look to Him, there's so much to be joyful about. Habakkuk, keep your finger here, if you will, and turn back with me to the prophecy of Habakkuk. It's in the Old Testament. Habakkuk was a Judean prophet. That was Judea, the southern kingdom of Israel, after they were separated. And he was the prophet of God just before his country was taken captive by the Babylonian Empire because of their sin. And in Habakkuk's life, things went from good to bad to worse. All in his life span. At the very beginning of his ministry, in the very beginning of his life, things in Judea were going just wonderful. Peachy, they were great. They had all this food, they had all this money, they were prosperous, they were enjoying life, and they were probably rejoicing evermore. But then, God had already promised that they were going to be punished for the sins that they had done. And things started going worse. There were some kings that were denying God and were not doing what God had called them to do. And finally, at the Babylonian captivity, when the Babylonians came in and took them... Remember, they took Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, all the wise men of Judea, and they brought them over to Babylon? What a terrible time in any nation to be held captive by another land. There seemed to be absolutely no reason for Habakkuk to rejoice. at this time. But what does he say? In Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 17 and 18, listen to what he says. Although the fig tree shall not blossom. Now fig trees were a very important crop then. Fig trees were something that they would eat and use for different things. Although the fig tree will not blossom, neither the fruit be in the vines, or the labor of the olives shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat, and the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls." Now, stop there. And if you think about a society that counts on these things, how depressing that must be. No food, no animals, no sources of joy or life for them. Yet, Habakkuk says in verse 18, Yet, in spite of those circumstances, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk knew that if he had the Lord and he lost it all, he still would have everything. He would have it all. Because he has the Lord and he could rejoice evermore because he wasn't chasing after those things that were temporary. He was chasing after the Lord himself. So what if you don't rejoice evermore? What if you were always downcast and sad and melancholy? Back in 1 Thessalonians, you need to remember their circumstances. They were facing great opposition to their faith, great persecution for their faith, and yet Paul says to them, follow after that which is good and rejoice evermore because the Lord is your joy and in Him there is real joy. If you find yourself discouraged and depressed and sad and melancholy as a perpetual experience, You get up in the morning, you just feel depressed. You know what you need to do? You need to turn your eyes off of yourself. You need to turn your eyes off of your circumstances. And you need to turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face. And the things on earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Christian joy is not dependent upon external circumstances. It springs out of the fact that you as the believer are in Christ. That's where our joy is found. We have a book, a praises book, that is produced by Majesty Music. Majesty Music is a company that was founded by Ron Hamilton and I think Frank Darlock. We sing a lot of Ron Hamilton songs and they're really encouraging to us. But when Ron Hamilton was just 27 years old, Cancer was found in his left eye. He was very young. But that cancer in his eye really brought him to the point of despair and discouragement. He went into surgery and as they were doing that biopsy, he didn't realize that they were going to do this. But when he came out, his wife said, they found that cancer in your eye and your left eye is gone. He didn't have a choice. His circumstances could have made him angry. and perpetually sad. But his focus wasn't on his circumstances, his focus was on the Lord. And that's what made him sing, O rejoice in the Lord, he makes no mistake. He know at the end of each path that I take, for when I am tried and purified, I shall come forth as gold. That's a favorite song for a lot of us. And it came because he wasn't looking at the external circumstances. His joy came from above. So what are you going to do this morning? Are you going to, as it commands us to do, to rejoice evermore? Are you going to rejoice evermore no matter what your circumstances? You can rejoice evermore. You can. And you will if you pursue after the One who gives you that joy, God Himself. It says in verse 15, ever follow that which is good. And when you follow after God, and get your joy from Him, you are following after that which is good, and you will be joyful. You will and you can rejoice evermore. But, what if you lack this kind of joy this morning? What can you do to rekindle this kind of joy? I don't think verses 16, 17 and 18 are just line items that we have to take and can take in a very separate way. I believe the Holy Spirit inspires this text in an order and for a reason. And so when we see that you are not rejoicing evermore, what is the next thing that we come to? How can you rekindle that joy? He says, pray without ceasing. Pray. without ceasing. Do you realize that sometimes if you are not having joy, what do you need to do? You need to pray. God, I am discouraged and I am down. I need joy in my life. God, give me your joy. Show me yourself and your goodness so I can be joyful. I believe it's no accident that we have here prayer coming on the heels of joy because if you can't rejoice evermore, then go to the Lord in prayer because Prayer is good also. You and I as Christians especially need to chase after prayer and chase after God through prayer. And this is not just prayer when times are tough and you need a little extra help. I remember when I was in high school, our teachers would say, you cannot pray before a test. God, help me to remember the things that I haven't studied. Because that doesn't matter. If you haven't studied it, he can't bring to mind things that you don't know already. So he wanted us to pray, God, help us to remember things that we did study. But I don't know how many of us listened. We weren't praying publicly, so I'm sure a lot of us were praying, God, help me to remember things I didn't study. Help things just to come through osmosis so I can remember these things and do well on these tests. But the fact is, we pray a lot of times when we desperately need it. When we desperately need Him. When we're going through a difficult, trying time. But that's not what it's talking about here in verse 17. It doesn't say just pray when things are going bad. It says pray without ceasing. That means to pray continually. Now that doesn't mean that you're always on your knees. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with your head bowed and your eyes closed and your hands folded. It's not talking about that kind of prayer. It's talking about a prayer that is an open line of communication with God. That's what this prayer is. It means when you get up in the morning, you start your day off praying to God. And throughout the day, as you come to decisions and circumstances that you need to face and decide upon, you ask God for wisdom. And that when you do wrong, You confess those things before God in prayer as they come along and keep those short sin accounts with you. And it is an open line of communication with God. That's what this prayer is talking about, is a prayer without ceasing, a continual, constant form of communication with God. Sometimes when you are on the cell phone and you've seen these commercials and They'll ask me, can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? What are they trying to do? They're trying to ensure that there is an open line of communication between one phone and another phone. But have you ever been talking? We've all seen the commercials where someone's talking and it drops out, the call drops out. That's happened to all of us on those cell phones, hasn't it? They say it's the network. Got to get the right network. But as you do that, you realize that you're talking to yourself. That's happened to me many times. I might be saying something brilliant and very important to my wife, and yet I realize, honey, are you there? Are you there? Are you there? And I'm hoping that it's because the signal gave out and not because she hung up on me. But when you're trying to communicate with someone, what do you need to do? You need to ensure that there's an open line of communication. And that's what it is with prayer, prayer without ceasing. And prayer is good. But how can you do that? Is it possible to pray continually? Well, the fact is, it's not, humanly speaking, unless you're pursuing after that which is good. And when you're pursuing after the highest good, who is God, and you realize who he is and what he's done for you, you know what you're going to do? You're going to keep an open line of communication with him. Because He's God, and He loves you, and He wants to talk to you, and He wants you to talk to Him. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Now, the reason for this kind of prayer, just like joy, is because of the Lord. It's not because I have all these deep burdens, though God wants to hear those. It's not because I am so messed up in these things, though that's a good reason to pray. But the real reason to keep that open line of communication is because, as it says in Psalm 65, 2, O thou that hearest prayer. It's not worth praying if someone's not going to listen to your prayers. Think about the Muslims that pray to a false god, Allah. They pray five times a day, a good Muslim will. They will get their little prayer mat out and they'll go down in these motions and they will pray toward Mecca five times a day. A good Muslim will do that. And yet there's a God that's not hearing them. It's a false God. What they are doing is absolutely vain. It's empty. It's worthless and meaningless. But when we pray to God, we have a God who listens to prayer. That is a reason why we ought to come to Him with an open line of communication every single day. The Lord is the reason for prayer. And when He is your focus, when He is your focus, not your needs at that moment, but when God is your focus as the one who hears prayer, you will pray without ceasing. Now, when you are pursuing God, there is so much to pray for. And again, the reason why we pray is not because of these needs, but it's because God hears these prayers. And then we can come with a privilege, with boldness through Christ, with these prayers for our needs. I came across on the Internet the top 10 reasons that you are too busy to pray today. Now, we all have busy days, don't we? And some days are busier than others. This last week, there was one day in particular that I was focusing. I was going to come in and I was going to spend some time, some real time in prayer in the office. And then there was a lot of things going on. And you know what? I didn't get that time. I started to think, well, I had good things to do that day. I did this and I did this and I went here and I went there and I visited this person and that person. I did all these different things. I think I did all these good things, but those are excuses because I didn't spend time in prayer. And then I feel guilty. And so throughout the day, I don't pray either. I didn't pray without ceasing. Again, I was focusing on my circumstances and my busyness and not on God who hears my prayer. But some of these reasons may be the reason why you're too busy to pray. Top 10. Number 10. Your toilet's overflowing, but at least you found the checkbook. When the toilet's overflowing, what do you got to do? You got to go stop the flooding. Otherwise, it's going to be dangerous. So you're too busy to pray. Messed up that time. Number nine, your dog is throwing up. You've got to take care of him. Number eight, you're in charge of games for the church youth night tonight, and you haven't had time to prepare for them, so I've got to do that. It's something good. It's a good service, but I'm too busy to pray. Number seven, you accidentally delete your quarterly report ten minutes before a meeting with your boss. You think, boy, I really need to get back and do this work, so I have something to prepare and present. Number six, a strange fluid is dripping from your car, and you need to fix it. Number five, your bills are due and your toddler hid the checkbook. Number four, your teenager shaved the left half of his head. That's a good time to pray. Number three, top reasons not to pray today. You're too busy. None of the clean clothes you were able to find match. Number two, your spouse is away on a two day business trip that's lasted all week. Number one, you wake up feeling rested and then realize your alarm should have gone off an hour ago. These are reasons why we use as excuses. You could add your own top ten. But then it added on this, these really are the ten reasons that you should pray today. Why? Because God hears your prayers. God hears your prayers. And He is the reason why we pray. In Matthew chapter 6 we have the Lord's pattern for prayer, what we call the Lord's Prayer. Our Father which art in Heaven. And He gives us categories of prayer that we can use. Why? Because we know He hears those prayers. Have you ever wondered how to pray, or what to pray, or why you should pray, or have other questions about prayer? Jesus taught us how to pray. Keep your finger in 1 Thessalonians, go back to John, I'm sorry, the Gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 18. Jesus gave a parable to answer questions about prayer. Luke chapter 18. Beginning in verse 1, we read this. And Jesus spake a parable unto them to this end, for this reason, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Now that phrase, always to pray, is the exact same phrase that we have in 1 Thessalonians. Pray without ceasing. The very same words. And God was teaching this parable so that you would pray without ceasing. Look at the rest of these verses. saying, there was in a city a judge who did not fear God and didn't really regard man. And there was a widow in that city, and when she came unto him saying, avenge me of mine adversary, she wanted justice. And he would not for a while, he wouldn't listen to her for a while, but afterward, he said within himself, though I fear not God, nor do I regard man, but because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her. I will do justice. I will listen to her case. Otherwise, by her continual coming, she wearies me. And then the Lord says, hear what the unjust judge says. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry, they, and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will judge them and avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith? on this earth. This parable teaches us that this judge listened to this lady because she kept pestering him. And Jesus says your father in heaven is not like that. Your father in heaven, if the judge is like that, your father in heaven will listen to your prayers even when you aren't coming to him and pestering him. You don't have to pester him. But then this is also a lesson that we do need to come into his presence and we do need to trouble him, if you will. He's not troubled with your prayers like this unjust judge felt like he was. He wants you to pray. This is why we can pray. But what if you don't pray without ceasing? What's the opposite of prayerfulness? It is prayerlessness. If you are prayerless, the fact is you are not pursuing that which is good. You're not pursuing God, because if you pursue after God, You will pray. But you know what happens when you do pray? It goes back to 1 Thessalonians. When you pray without ceasing, you will find much to rejoice in, because God lifts those burdens off of your hearts, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. And as you do that, you rejoice in God Himself. So when you're having trouble rejoicing, go to prayer. But when you pray, it'll open up so many things that you can rejoice in. You can pray without ceasing when you focus on the goodness of God. But what can you do if you lack this kind of prayer life? And this, again, leads us to 1 Thessalonians 5.18. What do you do if you aren't a prayerful person? How can you rekindle the fire of that prayer? Verse 3, it says, In everything, give thanks. If you can't think of anything else and any other reason to pray to God, you know what you should do? Start thanking God, because that is an element of prayer. You can rekindle your prayer through thankfulness to the Lord. In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. In order to follow after that which is good, in order to chase after the goodness of God, you need to chase after thankfulness, because thankfulness is good. But it's not just thankfulness when things go your way. Children like to do this, right? Children are thankful usually when they get something that they wanted or they get their own way. But it's not just talking about those things when we get our own way. It's a deeper thankfulness. It's a thankfulness for all the blessings that God has given to us. And that's why it says in everything give thanks. If it seems that you have nothing to go to the Lord in prayer with, go with praise, because there's so much to be thankful for. We ought to be always prepared to praise. That is why on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights, we have a praise and testimony time. And I would love to have those times filled with praise and testimony of the Lord. Why? Because we ought to be prepared always to praise. And that is part of prayer. How is it possible to be a thankful people. It's only possible if you're pursuing the one who you are thankful to. If you're not pursuing God, you're going to be a thankless person. But if you do pursue God, you realize that he has been gracious to you. He's given you all these benefits that you and I don't deserve. And we will be thankful when your focus is on him. Thankfulness will be a natural and spontaneous events in the heart of a Christian. And when you pursue God, there's so much to be thankful for. Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and keep going, right? It's going to surprise you what the Lord has done, the song says. Why can we be thankful to God? Because God is good. From the very beginning, in Exodus 34, verse 6, God describes Himself as the Lord. The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. His goodness is full, but is also everlasting. Psalm 52 says, The goodness of God endureth continually. It goes on and on and on. And when you're thankful to God, it reveals something about you. It reveals that you have actually received something from God. If someone claims to be a Christian and yet is in a perpetual state of thanklessness toward God and toward men, it's an evidence, a proof that they've really never received anything from God. Because when you are thankful to someone, it means that you've received something from someone. Thankfulness reveals that you've received something, and we see this in another lesson in the Gospel of Luke, if you turn over to Luke chapter 17. Jesus, again, this is not a parable. This is something that actually happened in the life of Jesus. In Luke 17, verse 11 through 19, we read of the lepers, the ten lepers. Remember those? It came to pass, Luke 17, 11, as Jesus went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, that dreadful disease where the skin would just fall off of their flesh. Oh, an awful thing. And they stood afar off in verse 13, and they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. Now that's the power of Jesus. He didn't actually say anything to the lepers. He didn't tell the leprosy to disappear. He just told them to go show themselves to the priests. And it came to pass that as they went by the power of Jesus, they were cleansed. And one of them, 10%, one of them, When he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face and his feet, giving Jesus thanks. And he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answered and said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the other nine? There are not found that return to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way. thy faith hath made thee whole." That leper received a gift from God, and it wasn't just a physical healing, certainly it was a spiritual healing because he went out of the gratefulness of his heart to God. His faith made him whole. And he wasn't just restored physically, he was restored spiritually because he received the grace of God and he was thankful for it. A Christian life is to be a thankful life. To God, ultimately, but also to others. It's because we've received the greatest gift from God. Salvation itself. It ought to be a primary characteristic in my life and in your life. And it ought to be to the Lord. But what if you don't? Returning to verse 18 of 1 Thessalonians 5, what if you don't give thanks in everything? I mean, that is an all-encompassing word. What if you don't? What if you are ungrateful? What if you are thankless? You know why? It's because your focus is off of the goodness of God. Your focus is on what you can get out of life rather than what God has done through you and for you and in you. But when you think about the goodness of God, you will fall on your face like this leper and realize that you have been cleansed from your leprosy and your sin and be ever grateful to Him. Are you living contrary to the revealed Word of God? Because He says here, this, giving thanks, is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. If you are a thankless person, if you are ungrateful, If you are constantly thinking about yourself and what you can get instead of what you've received and realize you didn't deserve any of it, and you're grateful to God, it means that you are not abiding the will of God. One of the quotes that really stuck with me from Bob Jones Sr., who is the founder of Bob Jones University, was this, when gratitude dies on the altar of a man's heart, that man is nigh well We have so much to be thankful for as Christians. But when you are thankful, you will then find that you have much to pray for. And then as you pray, you will find that you have much to rejoice in. Why? Because you are focusing and pursuing after and chasing after God. He is the one that you rejoice in. He is the one that you pray to. And He is the one that you're thankful for. And when you focus on Him, you're following after the greatest good. And you will rejoice. You will pray. You will give thanks. So what are you going to do this morning with what you've heard? Are you going to, verse 16, rejoice evermore? Are you going to, verse 17, pray without ceasing? Are you going to, in verse 18, in everything give thanks? These are all good, but they will never come unless you chase after the one who is good, Jesus Christ and God Himself. You will never be able to have that kind of joy, to have that kind of comfort that comes through prayer. to have that thankful spirit unless you pursue after God. But when you do so, you will have so much to rejoice in. You will have so much to pray for and you will have so much to be thankful for. And you can gain on the godliness and the goodness of God. Verse 15 says, Ever follow that which is good. Let's do that. Not just by following after joy and prayer and thanksgiving just for the sake of doing those things, but because our joy and our prayer and our thanks all reside in God. Chase after Him. Chase after the goodness of God this week. And you will find so much to rejoice in, so much to pray for. You will pray without ceasing. And you will give thanks to God. And God will use you. These are the kind of people that God used. In verse 11 of chapter 5, He says, Comfort yourselves together, edify one another. You cannot be a comfort or an edifying person to others unless you're pursuing after God. Let it be your result.