Go ahead and open your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. We'll be finishing the book tonight, verses 23 through 28. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, beginning in verse 23. Now, may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole soul, spirit, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you as faithful, he will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the churches. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. So last week, we looked at the passage right before this, and we talked about a particular question. Does anybody remember what question we addressed last week in the passage immediately before this? Kind of a big life question. What is God's will for your life? That's what we looked at. And he said, with great hesitation, does anyone remember any particular things that we talked about last week from the passage just before this about what God's will for your life looks like? Gentlemen? Yeah. Our sanctification. Our sanctification, yep. That's actually earlier in the book, but that would be a big part of God's will for your life. What else? Yeah, James. It doesn't tell us specific things about our life, but it gives us certain passages that inform our decisions, and actually go one way or the other. Yeah, the Bible does not tell you where you should go to college, marry, what job you should take, all those kinds of things. But it gives you very clear, specific principles that you're to take into consideration as you seek the answers to those big questions. A couple of things that I jotted down. One is the, well actually just take a minute before we get into the meat of things for this week, take a minute and look at just verses 12 to 22. That whole set of 10 verses tells you several things that are God's will for your life. Somebody that hasn't shared yet, just look at that passage and tell me one thing that you see that God is calling you to do as his will for your life. Yeah, Chase. Pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing, all right, that's our passage. Yeah, no, that is in there. Why is that important? Because, well, it's like God or anything, but it'll show us I think it's like self-reflect on ourselves. Yeah. Yeah. Prayer is a very effective means of changing yourself. God uses that all the time. Uh, did I see Daniel? Yeah. Rejoice always. Rejoice always. How are you able to rejoice always? Because of what Christ did for us. Because of what Christ did for us. Yes. And I would just add to that. That's, that's a great answer. And then another, another thing is, um, along those lines, Christ is our joy. And so by rejoicing in Him always, we are able to rejoice always because He is always there, because He never changes, because He never leaves us, He never forsakes us. And so there's always an ongoing reason for rejoicing. And that doesn't mean, and we said this last week, and I've said this in Philippians recently, and it's an important concept, so I'll mention it again. The call of the Bible on your life to rejoice always does not mean that we are to deny that sad, hard, difficult, even tragic things happen in our lives. And it doesn't mean we're to ignore them or to downplay them in any way. What it means is that we do not lose sight of the Lord in those trials. That's a very, very important thing for you all to remember. What else do we see in here? Mr. Cancino. It says, do not quench the spirit. Does that mean like, is that like referring to like, license? like license? Yeah. Like your driver's license? No, I'm just not. What do you mean? I mean like the opposite of me, you know? Okay. Because he died for me. I can do whatever I want. Sort of. So, um, you've got this thing in, in, in yourself that kind of tells you maybe what I'm doing isn't such a great idea. Uh, it's called your conscience. And so to quench the spirit as a Christian is to ignore the Holy Spirit trying to advise you, convict you of sin, and doing it anyway. So yeah, that is what you're saying. It's using the freedom that we have in Christ as license for sin. There's a bunch of other things in here. Does anybody else see anything that they want to bring up or ask a question about? Yeah, Miss Babington. Respect the people over you. Why is that important? Because God put them there? And because God put them there for your good. And so that's, that's very, very good. What else? Yeah, Mr. Weathers. Yeah. Yeah. These are all good things. I really like how you answer after that. Hold fast was good. Right. This is one of the best ways. Right. Testing everything by the Word of God. And if it doesn't agree with the Word of God, get rid of it. If it does, hold fast. Let me ask you guys. It says, do not despise prophecies. We talked about that one for a little bit last week. Does anybody remember what that is? And no using the study Bible notes. Yes. Yeah. The modern day expression of prophesying is the preaching of God's word insofar as it agrees with God's word. And so what are we to, how are we to refrain? What are ways that people despise the prophecies that we're supposed to avoid? It's probably the most succinct way I can put that. What are the, what are ways people despise the preaching of God's word? Yeah. They don't think it's important. Okay. They don't think it's important. Dusty. I guess they don't want us to do it. Like what you said before, they're kind of dreading having to go to church and having to wake up for that. Right. Yeah. What are some ways that even someone in a church like ours could show that they don't think the preaching of God's word is important? Mr. Cancino? I'm not insulting the church. It's too complicated. It's too complicated. So people might say it's too complicated and therefore check out. I could see that. Maybe not preparing beforehand. Uh, not praying for God to help you to understand, especially if you are someone who finds it complex. All right, these are good. So these all kind of fall into two categories. The one big overarching one though is that God's will for your life is for you to be a faithful Christian, being plugged into a local church, being a serving member, supporting the ministry of that church by praying for one another, praying for leaders and being active in general. And one, well, let's just ask, why is that so vital to your life? Why is it so vital that you be an active serving member of a local church? And I'm gonna call on somebody here, and I promise I'm not trying to pick on you. Mr. Duncan, you've played, what sports do you play? Basketball, volleyball, and then intramural soccer. What's your best sport? Probably basketball. Okay. Do you think it's possible for you to get better at basketball by skipping practice? That wouldn't be the best way to do it. The best way is to be there practicing. You could probably benefit a little bit by watching practice, but not as much as from actually doing it, right? Why is that? because you need to get the reps in. It's not about intent, it's about structure. Right. Right. It's about getting in and being part of it. Um, it forces you to commit as well, forces you to be dialed in to take ownership. And the most important thing that you can do in your life is be committed to the worship of God. And so one way to help you get plugged in and to help you be committed to doing that is to be plugged into some sort of service at the church. And by that I mean, sometimes there are people who wake up and say, I'm tired, I don't feel good, dah, dah, dah, whatever the reason is, I don't think I'll go to church today, and then they realize, oh wait, I'm working in a nursery, I have to be there. I'm a greeter, I have to be there. I'm an usher, I have to be there. And sometimes God can use even those things of being plugged in in those little ways to make sure you're there for the most important thing. Now what we're gonna look at tonight is ways that God grows you, ways that God uses all of these things that are his will for your life to make you a stronger Christian. We're gonna look at six things from this passage. We're gonna look at who we're relying on, what we're relying on him to do, when he will do it, so you may detect a pattern here, who, what, when. I couldn't find a where in this passage, so we're skipping down to why, why we are to trust him to do it, And then finally, how we're to respond. All right, so first of all, who is it that we're relying on to make these things work? While it's a little anticlimactic, it's probably very obvious to all of you if you look at the passage, who are we relying on? The God of peace. That's what the ESV reads here, the God of peace himself. And there's an emphatic nature to this. It's not just, it's God, himself, the God of Peace himself. And this title for him, the God of Peace, has come up a little bit in the Philippian series. Can anyone tell me what Paul's use of the term peace means? He's echoing the Old Testament usage of it. It's an old Hebrew word that you may or may not have heard, you may or may not be familiar with. It starts with an S. Shalom. What does it mean? No. Peace be with you. Yeah, but it's a specific kind of peace. Reconciliation. Yeah, it's a making whole again sort of peace. It's a fulfilling sort of peace. It's a peace that doesn't just tell us that things will be okay, but it's a peace that reassures us that we've been reconciled to the Lord. And it's an important understanding for this passage. It's an important understanding our God, that he is the God of peace. And what's really amazing is that he's the God of peace who brought peace to his enemies. We were not neutral. We were not indifferent, but we were spiritually speaking set in a rebellion against him. And yet he brought us peace. How did he usher in this peace? He ushered it in through the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. And what I want us to see about that here is that the crucifixion of Jesus, we talk about a lot at our church, and we should, because it's the means by which God pardons us of our sins and accepts us as righteous and in sight because the debt has been paid. But it's not only that. The God of peace, Through the cross of the Lord Jesus, not only does he justify us, but he also does something else that is Paul's benediction that he's pronouncing on these Christians. May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. What is sanctification? Anybody, except for Ethan. No offense. What is sanctification? That's a good starting point. Does anybody have something to add to that, to build to it? That is part one of sanctification, there are two parts. the Lord, how the Holy Spirit enters you and throughout all your life after your conversion, the Holy Spirit works through you to make you more godly. Yeah, so that's the two parts together. The Shorter Catechism puts it this way, sanctification is the work of God's free grace whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God. That's the turning point from unbelief to belief. That's what happens. You are born again from above. You are sanctified. The word means set apart. No longer belonging to the world, now belonging to God. And as a result of that, you're enabled more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness. And what Paul is saying here is that God, the God of peace has begun the good work in you. He has set you apart and he has made you holy and now he's continuing to make you more holy. He is progressing you in that sanctification. This is a benediction that I use pretty regularly when I preach, because that's what I want for all of you. That's what I want for all the members of this church, is that they would be brought more and more into the image of God, brought more and more to resemble the Lord Jesus Christ, and that that would not just be in one part of your life, but in the whole of your life. That's why he lists out here, may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, in your spirit, your soul, and your body, the whole of who you are, that you would be fully sanctified. Now, when will this be? May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless when? At the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This is a process. Can I move you guys? I'm sorry, it's very distracting to me, and I'm done. This is the third time I've had to look at y'all to interrupt, because you're interrupting. Can I move? Please, thank you. The full sanctification of the Christian comes at the return of the Lord Jesus. Until then, we are progressively marching towards that point, putting into practice the things that we've seen and heard and been taught. But at our death, our souls are made fully sanctified, but our bodies still await the full sanctification that comes at the resurrection, at which point we will be fully sanctified. So that is what we are marching towards. What is our hope of these resurrection bodies? What will they be like? The Bible doesn't tell us quite as much as we would like, but there are some passages that are helpful. One is 1 Corinthians 15. If somebody would read for us, please, 1 Corinthians 15, beginning in verse 42. We'll do 42 through 46. I have it. Thank you. So is it with the resurrection of the dead, what is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus, it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living being. The last, Adam, became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from here, a man of dust. The second man is from heaven. Thank you very much, Reese. All right. And so what Paul is saying there is he's taking all the contrasts, right? In this life, our bodies decay. In this life, our bodies are contaminated with sin. In this life, our bodies get old. In this life, our bodies break down. All these things that happen. The resurrection body, We'll not have any of those ailments. We'll not have any of those problems. We'll not have, uh, uh, any, any limitations to it. Uh, like that, uh, the apostle John tells us we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. And the promise is a body that no, no longer experiences pain or sorrow or death, no more wasting away. That is what full sanctification realizes for us, is not just the purity of our souls, but a new perfect body whereby we will enjoy God and everlasting glory, not just spiritually, but also physically, because you are not just a soul, you are a soul and a body. So now the why. We've said who we're, who we're confident in, what we're confident he will do. Now, why are we confident that he will do it? Verse 24, because he who calls you is faithful. Therefore he'll surely do it because he's faithful. because he's led you safely thus far, and therefore you trust that he will continue to be faithful. One of the most important verses in the Bible for y'all to memorize is Jeremiah 31.3. Somebody please read that for us. Jeremiah 31.3. It's an immensely comforting verse in scripture. Yes, Mr. Johnson. The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you. Okay. What's the basis on which God tells us to trust his continued faithfulness? He says it right before that. His everlasting love. His everlasting love. He says, I have loved you with an everlasting love. As far back as you want to go in time, God knew you and he loved you. And because His love for you in a very real way has no beginning, therefore we are confident and we are assured that it will have no end, that He will be faithful to do all that He has promised for us. Because He sent the Lord Jesus to die on the cross and raise Him from the dead for our justification, how will He not with Him also graciously or freely give us all things? We know that He will because He loves us, because He is faithful. Now, how are we to respond to all of this. Well, that's the rest of the passage, verses 25 through 28. What are we to do in response? Well, respond by praying for our leaders, by loving our brothers and sisters. Pray for us. Greet all the brothers. And brothers is short for brothers and sisters there. That's generally how they would do it. They just use masculine pronouns to cover people, right? Now, maybe we don't greet one another with the holy kiss anymore, but nonetheless, kindness and respectfulness and care and affection for one another. Then there's a couple of examples of how to do this. He says, I put you under an oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. That means that one way that we care for our brothers and sisters is by having them under the Word of God. Inviting them to church, inviting them to Wednesday nights, inviting them to be under the ministry of God's Word. Perhaps doing your own Bible reading plan together as friends. That would be a really good way to have this letter before all the brothers, before all your friends. Say, hey, I'm having trouble keeping up on my own Bible reading. Would you do this together with me and have an accountability group? That's just an example of how we can implement these kinds of things. And we're enabled to do all of this because of the great last words of the book, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Paul's pronouncing this blessing on them, which is what brought them into the Christian life, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's what keeps them in the Christian life, is the ongoing supply of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's what the assurance that they have of their inheritance is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the really remarkable thing about it is that that grace is new every morning. Oftentimes we will look at our lives, especially as we get older, and we'll say, I'm not seeing the sanctification that I want to see. I'm not seeing the spiritual growth that I want to see. I'm not seeing the faithfulness in my own life that I want to see. I have felt that way often, and I'm sure that most serious Christians do. But the truth is we don't trust in our efforts. We don't trust in our works. We don't trust in our current level of sanctification and we trust in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ who has begun a good work and we're assured that because he has begun it, he will bring it to completion. Let's pray. God in heaven, we give thanks to you for our time in the book of first Thessalonians. Thank you for my dear friends and the opportunity to share this precious book with them. And Lord, I just pray that we would all realize your will in our lives, that we would be those who would be devoted to your word, that would be those who would be praying without ceasing, that we would be those that would give the Lord Jesus the honor that he is due, that we would be able to rejoice in him always. And Lord, we ask it in Christ's name and for his glory, amen.