Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 1 Thess. 5. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Our celebration of Christmas gets closer and closer! Next week at this time we will have had Christmas Eve and Christmas Day worship services! The nativity of Jesus – His birth at Bethlehem, is a celebration of the “Light of world” Who came to save us from our sins.
- Tonight we join Paul in reflecting upon “THE RICHNESS OF LIFE” that is now ours in Christ Jesus, because of what He faithfully carried out for us in His birth, life, ministry, and especially in His suffering and death for our sins and His resurrection for our justification and victory!
- Paul doesn’t leave us any room for doubt. He wrote: “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Stop to consider – this is what God in heaven even now wills for you, to have the richness of His blessings that Paul lays out for us. And it is all because of God’s faithfulness in His rich love for us.
- The celebration of the birth of Jesus is important – but only blesses us insofar as we know what He has accomplished and what is now provided for us as dear children of God. So let us consider these blessings and gifts that come to us even today – from God, and through Christ Jesus. As Paul teaches us:
I. God Is Faithful
Text: “He Who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”
A. He Will Sanctify Us Completely
Text: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely.”
B. He Will Keep Us Totally Blameless – In Spirit, Soul, And Body – Until The End [In His Forgiveness And Cleansing Of Our Sin, And His Justification]
Text: “may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Statement: Remember that our blessedness depends upon God; He is the only one who can supply such blessings to us. Remember that He is faithful Who has called you to faith – He will surely accomplish His good and gracious will for us to the very end. And His will is for our eternal life and salvation. To this end He has “justified” us – declared us to be righteous in Christ Jesus, by washing and cleansing us from all sin and guilt! This begins a new life within us, a transformation of our entire being – body, soul, and spirit – to a life that dwells on God’s love, a love which renews love within us. He has begun this work in us and will carry it on to its completion in His glorious heavenly kingdom – thanks and praise be to God!
Application: Now let us dwell on this – that Christ is the gift of God which keeps on giving! It is glorious enough that our status with God has changed – that justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as glorious is the blessedness that comes through such faith in God’s love, the renewal of our whole being.
It is true that we are not perfect – far from it. It is true that we are often confronted by the recalcitrance of sin’s infection of our nature – and this is troubling and disturbing, and even depressing. But the peace of God, knowing His love and His salvation, is more than enough to keep our hearts and minds in faith and joy. God is faithful; He will surely do it!
Transition: Paul further describes the blessings which flow from God’s salvation in Christ Jesus, into our lives here and now, for:
II. Our Life In Christ Is Blessed And Rich
A. We Are Able To Rejoice Always In Faith And Supplication To God, In All Circumstances
Text: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.”
Statement: This is hard to do – for our spirit may be willing but our flesh is weak. But God is faithful, and He continues to sanctify us. As we grow in the knowledge of His great love for us we are encouraged to greater joy, to pray without ceasing, and to find ways to be thankful in all circumstances, knowing that God is working all things together for our greatest good and blessedness!
Application: Remember, this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus, and He is faithful – He enables us to be growing in this way in spirit, soul, and body. And He does so by means of His Word, for:
B. We Do Not Despise Prophecy, The Preaching And Teaching Of God’s Word, And Thus We Continue To Be Blessed Through His Word
1. It is by His Word that we receive His Spirit, and we do not “quench” it or put it out of us
Text: “Do not quench the Spirit.”
2. It is by His Word that we are given increasing discernment
Text: “Test everything.”
3. In this way we know what to hold on to and what to abstain from and abhor
Text: “Test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
Statement: What Paul is referring to is our ongoing life of repentance and faith, so that we discern and recognize what it is that we must repent of and abstain from, and also the good that God makes us committed to. Imagine going through life without this discernment which comes from God’s Word! But this is the sad darkness that so many people around us suffer – when it comes to selfishness, greed, idolatry, irreligion, sexual immorality, divorce, abortion, homosexuality, laziness, gluttony, miserliness, the life of ease and luxury. The blessed antidote to all of this – our sanctification, which is God’s will for us – comes by continuing in His Word rather than despising it. It is His Word that brings Christ to us, and with Him, all of these other blessings.
Application: Now it is a sad thing that even within the church there are many who do in fact “despise prophecy,” whether in outright rejection of God’s Word or by refusing to learn more by staying away from worship and Bible Study. So let us carefully consider our response to “THE RICHNESS OF LIFE” which God seeks to bestow upon us in Christ Jesus through His Word and the power of His Spirit. God is faithful – may we also be found faithful in receiving the blessings He wills to provide for us!
Conclusion: Yes, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and remember what He came to do for our salvation! Let us also be aware, and remember, and cherish as He does all of “THE RICHNESS OF LIFE” which He is so eager and willing to give us.
Santa may carry a big bag of gifts, and we may get many wonderful gifts at Christmas over the course of our lifetime. But we will never get more or better gifts than what God wills to give us, and His faithfulness guarantees that He will surely do it. May we open our hearts, our minds, our souls, and our hands to receive these gifts from Him. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.