Paul’s Final Advice
Introduction
In this section of scripture, Paul turns from instructions regarding the future to practical instructions and reminders for the present.
It’s good to anticipate the Lord’s return, but it is just as important, or even more important, to live godly lives now.
This passage is loaded with instruction.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 NLT
Paul’s Final Advice
12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.
Paul’s Final Greetings
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
25 Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a sacred kiss.
27 I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.
28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Examine the Scriptures:
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 NLT
Paul’s Final Advice
Instructions for relating to others, including spiritual leaders.
12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work.
- Esteem, value, respect, and love your spiritual leaders for their work.
And live peacefully with each other.
Peace in the church is rooted in mutual respect.
Colossians 3:12-15 NLT (This passage is similar to 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15.)
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy.
Admonish the idle. They need to be corrected.
Encourage those who are timid.
Encourage the fainthearted (the discouraged).
Just previous to this passage.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Take tender care of those who are weak.
Galatians 6:2 NLT
2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
Be patient with everyone.
James 1:19 NLT
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
1 Corinthians 13:4 NLT
4 Love is patient and kind.
- Warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
- Christian love is discerning. One response does not fit every situation.
15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
1 Peter 3:9 NLT
9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.
Romans 12:17-19 NLT
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
These are not natural responses.
- Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Instructions for holy living.
16 Always be joyful.
Philippians 4:4 NLT
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
We have a reason to be joyful. (Remember the following.)
Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.
- Always be joyful.
17 Never stop praying.
Keep the lines of communication with God open throughout the day.
Be aware of God’s presence in your life.
John 14:16-17 NLT
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
Prayer as ongoing fellowship with God, not merely a list of requests.
Prayer is not only speaking but also hearing and reflecting on God’s word.
Psalm 46:10 NLT
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Philippians 4:6 NLT
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Colossians 4:2 NLT
2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (See v. 18)
Luke 18:1 NLT
18 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
- Never stop praying.
18 Be thankful in all circumstances,
This does not say for “for” all circumstances.
God is sovereign. God is in control.
- Be thankful in all circumstances.
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Verses 16-18
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 NLT
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
Ephesians 4:30 NLT
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.
- Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.
20 Do not scoff at prophecies,
- When God’s word is preached or read, it is to be honored and valued.
21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.
Acts 17:11 NLT
11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
22 Stay away from every kind of evil.
- Test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good and stay away from what is evil.
Paul’s Final Greetings
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
God is interested in our entire being,
Philippians 1:6 NLT
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
- God is actively sanctifying His people in every aspect of life, preserving them until Christ returns.
25 Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a sacred kiss.
A physical expression of true Christian love that was culturally acceptable in Paul’s time.
An alternative gesture in our current culture could be an embrace, a handshake, or a pat on the back.
27 I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.
I put you under oath before the Lord (ESV)
I charge you before the Lord (NIV)
By the Lord’s authority, I order all of you (CEB)
- The Bible is for all of humanity.
28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
A familiar, but very powerful and encouraging, benediction from Paul.
Remember what God has done for you. Ephesians 2:8-10
