CHRISTIAN CONDUCT - PART4 - CONCERNING THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20)
INTRODUCTION:
Over the past several weeks we have been looking at Paul’s concluding section in which he has been exhorting the Thessalonians on matters of Christian conduct. How they are to conduct themselves and the responsibilities they have in the different relationships that they have in the community of the church. Paul has discussed the relationship and responsibilities between
the leaders and the congregation of the church. He has looked at the relationship between the members of the church, specifically what were the responsibilities towards those struggling in the church. Paul then exhorted the Thessalonians concerning their relationship with the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. This morning we will look at Paul’s final exhortations to the church, after that he will pray for the church and make his concluding remarks and his salutation. Paul’s exhortations that we will look at this morning concern the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Let’s pray and then get into our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to 1st Thessalonians 5:19-22, Paul’s concluding exhortations on Christian conduct. Please, if you are able stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
1st Thessalonians 5:19-22,
“Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19–22, NASB95)[1]
Again, Paul does not go into detail, but gives us three short exhortations that God has given him that we are to obey. The first concerning the ministry of the Spirit, the second concerning the Word of God, and the third calls us to be discerning. Let’s look at each one.
DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT (1st Thessalonians 5:19)
Some teach that in verse nineteen Paul was warning the Thessalonian believers not to stifle the use of the gifts of prophecy and the gift of tongues in their church services. Those who teach this also teach that the “prophetic utterances” of verse 20 are supernatural prophecies that must be examined carefully to make sure they are good rather than evil. This teaching concludes that these verses, 19-22, are Paul’s exhortations to correct the Thessalonian church’s error in understanding the role of the miraculous gifts in the church and is thus a confirmation that these gifts are still used in the church.
I do not believe these arguments are convincing for two reasons. First, there is nothing in these verses to show that they are any different than his earlier exhortations and that each is a separate statement of general exhortation. Readers should see these statements as principles for conducting their lives in such a way that pleases and honors the Lord Jesus. Second, if the Thessalonian church had been abusing or stifling the miraculous gifts, Paul would have strongly admonished them as he did in 1 Corinthians 12-14 when he corrected the church in Corinth concerning the use and abuse of these gifts.
To truly understand and grasp this exhortation’s true application you must remember the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. By God’s sovereign power through the Holy Spirit sinners are transformed which is a complete change of their spiritual affections, they are created anew by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit frees them from the slavery of sin and places them into the body of Christ. The Spirit indwells and resides in each new believer and pours God’s love into their hearts. He grants them a spiritual gift which they can use for spiritual service. The Holy Spirit also seals them for eternity, and He sanctifies them.
It is the process of progressive sanctification by the Holy Spirit that Paul exhorted the Thessalonians not to quench. This word translated “quench” means “to extinguish, stifle, or retard” the power or energy of something. Scripture at times represents the presence of the Spirit as a fire such as in Acts two when the Spirit first came on the disciples and there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves and the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Using this idea of fire, Paul commands the Thessalonians not to smother the Holy Spirit’s work within them.
The Lord Jesus more than once promised to send the Holy Spirit as a helper to all believers. He would assist them in ministry and progressively sanctify them. Because the Holy Spirit was promised by the Lord Jesus this is another important reason that we should not quench Him. The sanctification process is made up of a number of acts that originate with the Holy Spirit.
First, the Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God. Paul declared to the Corinthians concerning the wisdom of God in 1 Corinthians 2:10, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10, NASB95)[2] Believers grow spiritually only when they feed on the Word or God, only when we are filling our minds with God’s Word can the Spirit illumine it to us. We can quench this aspect of the Spirit’s work if we are not actively reading, studying, and applying God’s Word to our lives.
Second, our closeness or intimacy with God is brought about by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:15-16 says, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Romans 8:15–16, NASB95)[3] The Holy Spirit wants each of us who have come to faith in Jesus Christ to have the joyful confidence that God loves us as His children. “Abba” is a term of endearment, the first word that children would use for their father. When we have this intimacy with God knowing that He loves us as His children then we can be secure in our salvation. If believers are increasing in sanctification, they will continue to have a greater and deeper and more intimate knowledge of God. In this act we can also quench the Spirit-initiated, intimate knowledge by refusing to accept God’s purpose in the struggles and difficulties in life, by not being prayerful and worshipful, by not casting our cares on God and trusting Him, but instead operating in our own flesh rather than trusting in God’s strength, His provision, and His love.
The third act of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ to believers and to make them more like Him. Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NASB95)[4] Because of Christ’s death on our behalf, the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy has been removed and we can look into the mirror of God’s Word and see the glory of Christ. True believers affirm the lordship of Jesus Christ and glorify His name. But we can also quench the Holy Spirit’s work to make us more Christlike, by neglecting God’s Word, not reading or studying it. Or reading it but only for information instead of allowing it to reveal Christ to us. Or, even worse, we can proudly refuse to admit that we need to see His glory and become more like Him.
Fourth, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to help believers know God’s will. This means first of all that He makes sure we know and obey God’s will as it is revealed in Scripture. God told the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36:27, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” (Ezekiel 36:27, NASB95)[5] Second, the Holy Spirit guides and leads us into God’s will in areas not specifically addressed in Scripture as we seek His help through prayer. He works through divine providence and helps us make decisions that line up with God’s will. The psalmist prayed in Psalm 143:10, “Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” (Psalm 143:10, NASB95)[6] We can quench this guidance and leading of the Holy Spirit through self-will, pride, indifference, and refusing to listen to the Spirit’s prompting regarding God’s will.
Fifth, the inward, supernatural strength that helps us stay on the path of sanctification is from the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, he asked God in Ephesians 3:16, “that He [God] would grant you [the Ephesians], according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,” (Ephesians 3:16, NASB95)[7] It is only by the Spirit’s power that we can walk in obedience to God’s Word. It is only by the Holy Spirit’s strength that we can have victory over sin and the flesh. Only by the Spirit’s power can we be an effective witness for Christ. It is only by the Holy Spirit’s enabling and filling that we can worship God from the heart and that we can relate to everyone else in a God-honoring way. This work of empowering us can also be quenched through pride and overconfidence in our own human ability, both of these deny the believer’s need to trust and rely only on the Holy Spirit.
Do not quench the Holy Spirit as He seeks to sanctify you and bring you into conformity with the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
DO NOT DESPISE THE WORD OF GOD (1st Thessalonians 5:20)
No words of man are superior to the Word of God, God’s Word is infinitely superior. Jesus when He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 summarized the excellency of the Word of God, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:4b, NASB95)[8] When Paul commanded the Thessalonians to “not despise prophetic utterances” he wanted them to respect the supremacy of the revelation of God in Scripture. The word translated “despise” is a word that means “to consider something as absolutely nothing;” “to treat with contempt;” or “to look down on.” In the New Testament, this phrase “prophetic utterances” can refer to either spoken words or written words. The verb form of this phrase means “to speak or proclaim publicly.” This means that the gift of prophecy is the Spirit empowered skill of publicly proclaiming God’s Word. In the New Testament those with the gift of prophecy sometimes delivered a brand-new revelation directly from God. At other times a person with the gift of prophecy simply reiterated what had already been revealed and recorded.
The apostles and their companions received, spoke, and wrote the text of the New Testament, and other believers delivered supernatural utterances of practical revelation for certain temporal matters, an example of this is in Acts 11:27-30 where a certain prophet speaking by the Holy Spirit prophesied that there would be a great famine all over the world. This famine took place during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius. Prophecy was at often times, in the New Testament, the proclamation of God’s previously revealed word, as it is today since we have the complete revelation of God right here (hold up Bible). Prophetic utterances that were revealed by God directly were limited to the apostolic era. But the non-revelatory gift of prophecy is permanent, as ministers are called to preach the word, in other words, proclaim publicly what we have recorded for us in Scripture. Prophecy is essential if a church is to be healthy, which is why Paul told the Thessalonians not to despise it. When Paul later wrote to the church in Corinth concerning prophecy and that it should be desired more than the gift of tongues, he wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:3, “But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.” (1 Corinthians 14:3, NASB95)[9]
In contrast to those who may have despised prophetic utterances, Paul’s reverence for the Word of God was rooted in His love for God and for His Word. Remember for Paul that his Bible was the Old Testament and his love and respect for God’s Word was the result of God’s command to Moses and the Israelites from our Scripture reading this morning. God said in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6–9, NASB95)[10] These verses showing us the importance of Scripture also suggests to us two detailed lists of reasons that believers today should not despise prophetic utterances. The first list is because of Scripture’s essential character: number one, it is authoritative; number two, it is completely infallible, in other words, completely trustworthy; number three, it is inerrant in every part; number four, it is sufficient for all spiritual needs; number five, it is absolutely effective in carrying out what it says; and number six, it is determinative of one’s spiritual condition. The second list is because of the generous benefits of God’s Word: number one, it is the supreme source of truth; number two, it is the source of all true joy; number three, it is the source of victory over sin and the forces of evil; number four it is the ultimate source of spiritual growth; number five, it is the only perfectly reliable source of guidance; and number six, it is the source of hope.[11] For these reasons we should have a deep respect and love for the Word of God.
BE DISCERNING (1st Thessalonians 5:21-22)
Paul’s final exhortation is for the Thessalonians to be discerning. He wrote, “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22, NASB95)[12] Even though Paul exhorted the church to be discerning, real discernment is something that is missing in many churches today. The ability to determine what is divine truth from what is error or half-truth is the essence of spiritual discernment and must be exercised in the life of a Christian and in the church. This is why Paul commanded the Thessalonians to examine everything. Examine is translated from a Greek word that refers to testing something for authenticity. It is the ability to distinguish truth from false, right from wrong, good from bad. Paul in telling them to examine everything permits no exceptions, they were to examine every idea and issue that they were confronted with.
Once they had examined everything, they were to hold fast to that which is good. This phrase “hold fast” means “to embrace with all your heart” or “to make it your own, possess it.” The word that Paul uses for good is a word that indicates something that is completely genuine, that is true, noble, and right. Though we are to embrace what is good, Paul went on in verse 22 and instructed the Thessalonians to abstain from every form of evil. Abstain is a word that means “to hold oneself away from.” In other words, Paul was instructing them to completely avoid any evil teaching or behavior. Never does Scripture tell us to expose ourselves to that which is false or evil. We are to avoid it at all costs. Evil refers to anything that could harm us. It is like a cancer that may begin as a single cell but in the end it destroys us. This evil which could be lies, half-truths, distortions of truth and also moral perversions, and any of these can appear in different forms, which is why Paul instructs the Thessalonians to abstain from every form of evil. Paul’s exhortation is a command for believers to discern truth from error, good from evil, righteousness from sin. It is also a command to completely avoid any of the negative teachings, influences, or behaviors that would displease the Lord.
CONCLUSION:
As we come to the close of Paul’s exhortations on Christian conduct, we have learned this morning that we need to completely yield to the Holy Spirit as He does His sanctifying work in us conforming us to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yielding to Him will give us an appreciation for God’s Word as the Holy Spirit uses it to progressively sanctify us. Because of our love and respect of God’s Word and it work in our lives we will examine everything by its standards. When we do these things, we find ourselves fulfilling three more responsibilities in our relationship to the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, we honor His Spirit, we obey His Word, and we practice spiritual discernment in everything.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]MacArthur, John, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – 1& 2 Thessalonians. Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 2002.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.