Shabbat Shalom! Open your Bibles please to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Today we are going to deal with the final portion of the book of 1 Thessalonians with the last verses beginning from verse 12 and we conclude in verse 28. This is the final words of the Apostle Shaul Paul to the local assembly, to the brethren in the city of Thessalonica at about 53, 52 AD, when he wrote them these final encouraging words. And he said to them, and he said to them, and I'm reading from verse 12, And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, and be at peace among yourselves.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men. Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, in Mashiach Yeshua concerning you. Quench not the spirit, quench not the spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast that which is good, abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace, the very Elohei HaShalom, sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach.

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. And this is how the apostle Paul is closing the letter that he wrote to the believers in Thessalonica. Amazing. We are just about to conclude this extremely edifying letter that Shaul Paul wrote to a young assembly in the city of Thessalonica. Just by way of reminder, because we always need to remember that Shaul Paul went to Thessalonica at about the year 50 AD.

When he went to the city of Thessalonica, immediately he went to the synagogue of the Jewish people, of our own people, the Jewish community. When he arrived to the synagogue, he only spent three Shabbat days. Three Shabbat days. And perhaps he had an opportunity to preach to them three topics. Number one, that the Messiah had to die. Number two, that the Messiah had to be resurrected. And number three, that this Yeshua, Jesus, is that Messiah of which I am speaking to you about. And for only three Shabbat days, less than a month, a little bit more than three weeks, Shaul Paul spent in Thessalonica. Some from the Jewish people in the synagogue have accepted him.

Others have rejected him. Some from the Gentile community who came to listen to him have accepted him. Others have rejected him. And those that believe on him formed the known assembly that began 2,000 years ago in the city of Thessalonica. What a wonderful thing it was how a local assembly began. You preach the gospel. You share about Yeshua the Messiah. People become believers. They want to follow the Lord. And they want to grow spiritually. Their sins have been forgiven. The Messiah has come. The Savior has come. And finally now they have a hope for eternal relationship with the living God. But it's not enough only to have a ticket, you might say, to be saved and to be forgiven.

We also need to grow spiritually in the things of the Lord. So here is an assembly, a young assembly. We have learned so many lessons about this little young assembly of believers. They had to learn about many things. And so the apostle Paul had to leave them after three Shabbat day. And we mentioned it many times. He went to Berea. He went again to the synagogue of the Jews. Then from there he went to Athens and he preached on Marth Hill. And then ultimately he went to Corinth and there he waited to hear what's going on with the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. He sent Timothy to see how they are doing in chapter 3 and verse 2.

Timothy came back in chapter 3 and verse 6 and told Paul how things were going on in this assembly in the city of Thessalonica. And they had many questions. One of the questions that there was, what's going to happen with those that die through Yeshua the Messiah? Are they going to miss out on the coming of the Lord? And the apostle Paul wrote to them not to be concerned about the dead in the Messiah. We which are alive and remain shall not prevent them that I sleep through Jesus. You remember chapter 4 and he spoke about the rapture, the calling out, the catching out of the assembly, of the church, of the believers.

Then in chapter 5, which we spoke about last week, he told them about the day of the Lord, the day of the Lord. Yom Yehovah, the day of judgment that God is going to come to this world to judge this world in righteousness. And he says to them, brethren, he says, sudden destruction will come upon them as a travail upon a woman with a child, and they shall not escape. And he warned them, he says, judgment is coming upon the world of unbelievers here in this world. He, God, will have to judge this world in righteousness. And so when he concludes now this letter to them, he writes to them a final exhortation in order to help them to live in a happy spiritual relationship among themselves.

Any local assembly, any local church, any local congregation need to read the last exhortation or the final words that Shaul Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. From verse 12 to verse 28, he gave them an instruction as to how to relate in three areas of the life of the believer. Number one, verses 12 and 13, how we are to relate to the spiritual leaders in the local assembly. Then verses 14, 15 and 16 is how do we to relate to one another as brothers and sisters in the local assembly. And thirdly, in verses 17 to 22, how we are to relate to our God in our personal and collective walk with the Lord. How to relate to our spiritual leaders, how to relate to our brothers and sisters and how to relate to our personal walk with the living God and how to act upon our relationship with the Lord.

And finally, he gives them a concluding remark when he admonishing them in verses 23 to verse 28. Now, I want to go over with you those points in order to help us to understand what Paul is saying. Notice, first of all, verses 12 and 13, how are we, if we are going to enjoy spiritual growth as believers in Yeshua the Messiah, in a local assembly, in a local congregation. How are we, first of all, going to relate to the spiritual leaders that God had given to us? You see, any local church, local congregation and local assembly has to have leadership. If we don't have shepherds, we don't have the flock to follow after.

If we don't have teachers, we will never have learners. If we will not have pastors, teachers, we will not have those that will care for the welfare of the body of Christ, of the body of Messiah. So, it is so important to understand that God always will raise, in the midst of a local assembly, those that will become, you might say, the spiritual leaders of a local assembly, a local congregation. We know historically, in the history of our people Israel, Moses was the leader of the nation of Israel. Joshua was the leader of the nation of Israel. We can see throughout the history of Israel, God has raised the judges, and He has raised the prophets, and He has raised the kings.

There were always leaders among the people of Israel. And there will always be leaders among the believers in the present day age of the church of the assembly in which we live in. There will always be leaders. So, how do we relate to the leaders? Well, notice what He said to them in verse 12 and 13. First of all, in verse 12, He says, "I want you to know your spiritual leaders." Not to know about them, but to know them, to have a relationship with them. For example, I'm reading verse 12. "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you." In other words, the word for knowledge here, not only to know that in some newspaper or in some magazine, we know that a certain brother or a few brothers are leading a local assembly.

Or we know that brother so-and-so by the name of so-and-so, he is leading, he is the leader of this local church or local assembly. No, that is not what he means. He means that I want you to know them in a sense to recognize them, to know them and have a relationship with them because it says here, because they labor among you and they are over you in the Lord. And they are admonishing you. In other words, God, by divine design, had raised leaders. We have to be careful that our leaders are not forcing themselves to become leaders. They are not pushing themselves to usurp authority that is not there.

But by divine design, God raised, in the midst of a local assembly, those that become the leaders of this local assembly. And apparently in Thessalonica, two years earlier or three years earlier, God had established believing people in the local assembly, but already took some time in a few years. It didn't take too long and he raised some brethren who become spiritual leaders. We have many instructions as to what would qualify one to become a spiritual leader. There is no perfection, obviously, but God desired that the spiritual leaders will have some example to give to the local believers, to the local assembly. So he said to them, you know, you need to know them.

You need to recognize them. And because they labor, they labor in the midst of you, they perhaps teach the word, they visit the saints. They, as it says here, they are admonishing you. They are seeking the welfare of the body of Messiah. A true spiritual leader does not look for a tap on his shoulder. He does not to be looking for some promotion and titles. But his desire is the welfare of the flock of God. He desires to be a blessing to the people of God. God, just turn with me to first Peter chapter five for a moment. Peter said this and listen how Peter is warning the leadership that had risen in the area where he was ministering.

He said to them in first Peter five, one, the elders, which I among you, I exhort who am also an elder and a witness of the suffering of Messiah and also partakers of the glory that shall be revealed. Notice what he tells them, feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy looker, but of a ready mind. Neither has been lords over God's heritage, but being an example to the flock. You see, brothers and sisters, God is charging the shepherd, the leaders, those that are overseeing the welfare of the local assembly. He's charging them to do so in the right way.

But in the reverse, he's also charging the brothers and sisters of the assembly to recognize them. To recognize them. In other words, know these brethren. They labor among you. They are over you in the Lord and they admonish you. Recognize them. Don't just think that everything go and they are not responsible. You don't need to be any accountable to them. One can do what he wants. No, he said, I want you to know them. And by the way, the knowledge here is a knowledge of friendship and love relationship and care for the servants of the Lord. And I, for myself, have benefited so much from an older brethren that have been an example in my life.

My wife Irene and I have been watching these older brothers who walked with the Lord and have been an example to the flock. When we needed correction, they have told us. When we needed the time to be admonished, they have shared this with us. But they really cared for the flock. And therefore, we are responsible in return to know them which labor among you. But then notice what he says in verse 13. Not only that you know them, but you got to honor them and respect them. It says in verse 13, it says, And to esteem them very highly in love for the work's sake and be at peace among yourself.

In other words, don't only know them, but also recognize them. And as it says here, the word for esteem highly can be said much more than just simply to elevate them. But recognize they are serving you, they are serving the Lord, they are ministering the word of God among the people of God. Esteem them very highly in love. Why? Because it is for their work's sake. They are laboring. They are working. They are working. You see, in verse 12, he says, "Them which labor among you." People sometimes don't realize that a spiritual leader's service is a labor. They sometimes think that you come to a meeting, you speak for an hour and you go home.

They don't realize the ministry that goes on behind the scene. The visitations, the phone calls, the funeral service, the weddings. All the things that are going behind them, that energy and the time and the time that they cannot themselves even go to sleep because there are so many challenges that are facing those that are labor among the people of God. Look at 1 Timothy for a moment. Turn to 1 Timothy, chapter 5. The Apostle Paul says in verse 17 and 18, he says, "Let the elder that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in word and doctrine. For the scriptures say, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and the laborer is worthy of his reward." In other words, what he's saying to the brothers and sisters, he says, "Listen, those that teach, those that labor, don't neglect them.

Realize that they are working, they are serving, and they deserve double honor." And then imagine, he said in verse 18, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, but the laborer is worthy of his reward." And you know, that's why those of us that are in full-time ministry totally depend upon the faithfulness of the people of God to support them even in a monetary way. Elsewhere, Yeshua said, "Can anybody go to war without to, first of all, be able to do so?" How can a laborer, how can a minister of the word of God, how can a shepherd, how can a Bible teacher, leave the secular world, go out to do service and ministry among the people of God without to be monetary, taking care of?

And it is the grace of God, and we are so thankful to many of the believers that have supported us over the year to enable us to continue on in the ministry. I am not thinking about myself only, but any brother who truly served the Lord and is in a ministry is so thankful for the fact that the people of God did not neglect, but they made sure to take care of the servants of the Lord. The apostle Paul said, to esteem them very highly for their work's sake. They minister the word. They take the time, they spend the energy, they prepare for messages, they visit the saints, they do all sorts of things.

How do you think they are going to carry on life? And that's why the apostle Paul said to Timothy, he said, make sure that the servant of the Lord being taken care of and realized that the scripture said you shall not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. In other words, can you imagine, he's quoting, of course, the Hebrew scripture in the book of Deuteronomy, when you have an ox that's serving and working on the ground and plowing the ground. Can you imagine you're going to take to the ox, wait a minute, I don't want you to eat, I want you just to work.

Muzzle his mouth and don't let him eat because you want him to work. He says, no, the scripture said, you shall not muzzle the ox that treadeth the corn. And then he's quoting Luke 10, verse 7, Yeshua said, the labor is worthy of his reward, of his hire. He works, make sure that he's being taken care of. That's what the apostle Paul is saying to them. Now, you and I might say, wow, how can Paul drop down from the rapture of the church, chapter 4, from the day of the Lord, chapter 5, and now all of a sudden he's talking about practical things as this. You know why it is?

Because it's not enough to know the future and to be a theologian and a knowledge in the head, but it is very practical. The life of the people of God is down in this earth. It is very practical. It's not only the sweet by and by that we know about when the rapture is going to happen, before the tribulation, after the tribulation, mid-tribulation. This is not practical walk with the Lord. It's good to know the truth, but we have to practice this in our day-by-day living. And that's where we get the encouragement that the apostle Paul is giving to the Thessalonians in verses 12 and 13. How to relate to a spiritual leader?

Number one, know them. Number two, esteem them. Don't neglect them. Recognize that they labor in the midst of the people of God and therefore make sure to know them and to esteem them. But then he moves along and he's not only speaking of how we are to relate to the spiritual leaders, but then he's moving along in verses 14, 15, and 16. He's saying to them how we are to relate to our brothers and sisters. Here we are sitting together, a few of us here. And how are we going to relate to each other in our day-by-day life? Well, the apostle Paul says, listen, if you want to be happy spiritually, if you want to see spiritual growth, here is the, you might say, the instruction as to how to relate to believers, to other believers, our brothers and sisters in the Messiah, in Christ.

And so he gives us a list. And when you think about this list, beloved brothers and sisters, it is fascinating how it really is practical. Here it's not theology up in the head. Here is practice in the heart and the conscience. And so he says in verse 14, first of all, you and I need to give spiritual help to those that are in need. Wherever it is needed, we need to be willing to give spiritual help. Look at verse 14. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly. Comfort the feeble-minded. Support the weak. Be patient towards all men. Notice that. You have that list. Warn, comfort, support, and be patient.

Warn, comfort, support, and be patient. First of all, you notice, it's to warn the unruly. Why does he say warn the unruly? Because apparently, even in Thessalonica, there were some that are going out of line. They were unruly. They were not having things in order in the midst there of the assembly. They were walking in a disorderly way. I want you to turn with me to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 6. Now we commend you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, that you withdraw yourself from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. Notice a little bit later in verse 11.

See, apparently, there were some in the midst of the local assembly in Thessalonica. They were not walking in an order way. They were, as it says here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, they were unruly. In other words, they don't follow instruction. They are not trying to build up. The Apostle Paul says, Brother, listen, you need to warn those that are going ahead in an unruly way. We cannot grow spiritually when everybody does what he wants. Everybody say what he wants. Instead of building each other, edifying each other, instead of seeking the welfare of the brothers and sisters, carrying on in an unruly way. You would not want it at home.

If you would be having a business, you would not want your business to be, people are running around and not following instruction. The world knows that. If the world outside knows that, how come the people of God seems to have problem with it? And so the Apostle Paul says this and warn them. Because why? What's going to happen when we are not really seeking to walk together, to be an encouragement to each other? It only causes divisions. It scatters the flock. Look at church history. When people walked in an unruly way, and instead of seeking the welfare of the brothers and sisters, look at the divisions.

Why do you think we have so many names today that all claim that they are following the Lord? It's because of history. People had friction with each other. They split. They started their own church or their own group. Then after a while, they split again. They started their own group. And after a while, and look at this 2,000 years of church history. That's why you walk around, and you see this name, and that name, and this group, and that group. Why? It's not all because of theology. Much of it is because of not walking in order. It's being unruly. Not judging the flesh. Not saying no to this all sinful nature.

And yes, to the Spirit of God's guidance. Look at the next point. He says also, not only that you are to warn them that are unruly, but comfort the feebleness. There are some in the midst of the people who are feeble. Who have problems. Who have issues. Who are coming from all sorts of issues and problems in their own life. And they need an encouragement and comfort. It's so interesting because he used that word comfort. How many times did Apostle Paul use the word comfort? Even in verse 11, He says, Wherefore, comfort yourselves together. Chapter 4 and verse 18, Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Comfort, brothers and sisters.

If the people of God come to a local meeting, and instead of being comforted, they are being criticized. Instead of being built up, they are being torn down. Would they want to come to any local assembly? They would want to stay home. They do not want to come. They would not want to be participating in all this. He continued. And then he said in verse 14, See, support the weak. There are so many needs to strengthen and to encourage the people of God. You know, I often think of the prophecy concerning Yeshua the Messiah in the prophet Isaiah, where Isaiah was speaking about the Lord Yeshua the Messiah as the one that will strengthen the weak.

the strength and the weak and how the Lord Jesus, how Yeshua the Messiah have done that in his life. He was the one that had been such an encouragement to the weak and he is not quenching any light that he sees in someone. He's stimulated so this person will grow spiritually. Amazing when I think about the Lord Yeshua the Messiah as our example in his own life. He is the one that never allowed himself to quench any light he saw or to break any bruised reed. He comforted the people of Israel when he came and he walked among us. And then finally in verse 14, he says the fourth thing, Be patient towards all men.

Oh, to be patient. To be patient. How long can I take this person? I cannot handle him or her anymore. And the Bible teaches us that we are to have long suffering. Ephesians chapter 4. To bear with one another. But patience. We sometimes do not have any patience. And brothers and sisters, the Bible teaches us that tribulation works as patience. Do you want to learn patience? You cannot just pray to God and ask him to send down, let's say, a hundred pounds of patience. He's not going to send you a hundred pounds of patience. He's going to send you tribulations. Romans 5 says, tribulation works as patience.

And we need patience with each other, don't we? We need a lot of patience with each other, beloved brothers and sisters. And that's what the Apostle Paul says here. How we are to relate to our brothers and sisters? Number one, 1 Thessalonians 5.14 is give spiritual help where it is needed. Warning the unruly, comforting the feeble-minded, supporting the weak, and being patient towards all men, namely all our brothers and our sisters in the local assembly, in the local congregation. Secondly, notice that, how beautiful, in connection with how to relate to our brothers and sisters, it says here in verse 15, not to render, notice, see that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good both among yourself and to all men.

Can you imagine? When somebody wronged us, so we are going to retaliate, you see? And we're going to render, he or she did me evil, I'm going to make sure that I'm going to render evil because of the evil that I have experienced from this brother or from this sister. But that's not the ways of the Lord, beloved brothers and sisters. Evil to them, it only showed the lack of maturity and the lack of spiritual growth. Still the flesh. If somebody has done something in the flesh and I'm retaliating in the flesh, flesh plus flesh is really flesh. It's not of the Spirit of God.

It's still wrong and that's why, beloved brothers and sisters, the apostle here is telling them that they are not to render evil for evil, to learn from our Master, from our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. Go back to the book of Proverbs with me for a moment. The Tanakh, the book of Proverbs. Go to chapter 20. I just want to read you what King Solomon, the king of Israel, had said many years ago to our people of old. Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 22. He said this, Say not thou, I will recompense evil, but wait on the Lord and he shall save thee. Don't say to yourself, I will get back.

I will recompense evil. But instead of it, wait on the Lord and he shall save thee. He will deliver you from this situation. Look at Proverbs 24 and verse 29. Say not, King Solomon said, Say not I will do so to him as he has done to me. I will render to the man according to his work. He says, Don't say that. He continues, and you notice, he says, I went by the field of the slothful and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding and law. It was all grown over with thorns and so on. And King Solomon is teaching us and he says, Listen, the Lord will deal with that.

He says, Do not say, I will do to him that he has done to me. I will render to this man according to his work. Solomon said, You got to be wiser than that. Spiritual maturity is evident by the way we relate and react to one another. Beloved brothers and sisters Paul is saying to the local assembly in Thessalonica. And we can read some other verses. Turn to Romans chapter 12 with me and I'll read just this one verse there. Verse 17. Recompense to no man evil for evil provide things honest in the sight of the Lord. And if it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men.

And then he continues and he says in verse 19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourself for it is written and he's quoting the book of Deuteronomy vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. Now imagine how wonderful is when a brother wronged another brother or a sister and that other person does not respond in rendering evil because of an evil that had been done unto them. This is spiritual victory. This is show that this brother or this sister that were willing to wait on the Lord they become matured. They are a better example. They are learning from Yeshua Jesus our Messiah. So number one give spiritual help where it is needed verse 14.

Number two do not render evil for evil verse 15. And number three here is in verse 16 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and look and look how short the verse. It says rejoice evermore. Rejoice all the time. Rejoice. You remember what Ezra said to Israel in the book of Nehemiah in chapter 8 at the water gate it says the joy of the Lord is your strength. It is very sad when we don't have the joy in our heart. The joy of the Lord to rejoice all the time evermore. Rejoice and again I say Philippians 4 rejoice let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. The Lord is nigh.

And if a brother or a sister do not rejoice how can they influence anybody else? You know if we are moping and complaining and not have an appreciation of what the Lord has done for us how can we help anybody else? Somebody who watches us how we conduct ourselves he says listen wait a minute who do you follow? Oh you won't tell me about this Jesus of yours? Well I don't want to hear about him. If that's the result of the behavior that you have if you are following him do you want me to become like you? So keep him for yourself. But the apostle tells the brothers and sisters listen you have to have an internal joy.

Brothers and sisters listen our sins have been washed away. The Messiah has finished the work on the tree. There is time to weep but there is a time to rejoice as well because the joy that we have in the Lord enables us first of all to be an impact upon our brothers and sisters but also an impact upon the world that is a joyless world. And so the apostle Paul is very practical. He is saying listen rejoice evermore. It's another word to say rejoice all the time. Now I don't know when the apostle Paul was in prison if you remember in Philippi and at midnight he was singing.

Now I don't know about you I probably I will not sing there when I'm in prison there I say oh Lord why me why me right? But he was singing how did he do that? He had joy that passes all understanding. He was occupied with Yeshua with Jesus with Yeshua the Messiah that's how you and I need to be occupied with the Lord so we will be able to have joy. Easily said we admit but this is what the apostle Paul said to the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. Well these are the final words of the apostle Paul to the believers in Thessalonica verses 12 and 13 of 1 Thessalonians 5 he encouraged them as to how to relate to their spiritual leaders.

Verses 14 15 and 16 he helped them to understand as to how to relate to their brothers and sisters in the local assembly in Thessalonica and he's speaking to you and I today how we are to relate to our brothers and sisters we are to give help where it is needed we are not to render evil for evil and we are to rejoice evermore to rejoice at all time as we are occupied with the Lord but now notice he continues on he's kind of narrowing it the leaders the brothers and sisters and then he goes and he says me now he's going back to our own personal walk with the Lord and notice how how

are we to relate to our God in our personal life and in our collective life so notice the list that he gives us verse 17 18 19 20 21 and 22 he gives us that list if we are going to have a healthy relationship with God so it will help us to have a healthy relationship with our brothers and sisters so it will help us to have a good and a healthy relationship with our leaders here is what we need number one notice that verse 17 pray without ceasing pray without to stop in other words have an attitude of prayer have an attitude of relationship with God at all time wherever you are locally here

at the meeting at home at school for the young people at a job for the sisters and the brothers wherever we are shopping at a store visiting a friend on the bus in the car have an attitude of prayer pray without to stop what we learn immediately that obviously it's not meaning that I need to close my eyes to fold my hand all the time because if I pray without ceasing closing my eyes and folding my hand I will not do anything but what he meant you should have an attitude of prayer at all time at all time in Romans 12 and verse 12 he says continue instant in prayer in Ephesians chapter 6 and

verse 18 he says praying always in Colossians chapter 4 and verse 2 he says continue in prayer and in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 17 he says pray without ceasing amazing attitude that one must have if he or she are going to have a healthy relationship with the Lord now I don't know about you but prayer is one of the most things that believers struggling through many times we neglect to get up in the morning and give thanks to the Lord and simply pray before we go to sleep we neglect to thank the Lord for the day that is past and to pray and to ask him Lord help me even through the night

when we have problems in many areas of our life instead of talking to the Lord we pick up the phone and talk to somebody else and we don't realize how important it is to pray to speak to the God who loved us and gave himself for us one of the thing that we find as an we find him early in the morning while it was still dark he went to the mountain to pray and he took the time to say father and he spoke to his father and he shared with him the burden of his heart as he is going to live now continue another day in the midst of the nation of Israel you

remember what he said in John 17 father I have finished the work which you have given me to do and our father glorify me with the glory that I had with you before the foundation of the world he was anticipating to go to the cross to die and to shed his precious blood for us and he stopped and he paused and he said father I have finished the work which you have given me to do he was anticipating to die on the cross on the tree for our sins for your sins and for mine and it's so precious when we can get an encouragement from the Lord in the need for prayer in Matthew chapter

6 and verse 5 Yeshua said these words to his disciples when you pray thou shall not be as the hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men verily I said to you they have their reward but when thou pray enter into thy closet and when thou has shut the door pray to thy father and thy father which is seeing in secret shall reward but when thou pray use not vain repetition as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking after this manner pray thou our father which are in heaven hallow be

thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven and he continued to instruct the disciples how to pray not as he said when thou prayest verse 5 when thou prayest verse 6 when thou prayest verse 7 then verse 9 after this manner therefore pray Matthew 6 verse 5 6 7 and 9 he taught them to pray and brothers and sisters you and I need that what is prayer prayer is telling God our needs prayer is sharing with him the things that we are concerned about our families our children our parents our jobs our finances every area of our life we can share with God in prayer so he's

telling them in verse 17 one of the shortest verses in the Bible pray prayer without without ceasing in Hebrew we said hit palelu hit palelu as it says here hit palelu le lo hafsaka without ceasing constantly have an attitude of prayer in your life and how we need that beloved brothers and sisters prayer is the most needful thing in the life of the believer we have a personal prayer we have a family prayer we have an assembly prayer and we have a public prayer we need to make use of all these avenues for prayer alone personal with our wives and children at home with our brothers and sisters in the local assembly and even in

a world when we have an opportunity to pray for the needs of the world pray without ceasing hit palelu then he continued in verse 18 not only that you pray and maybe ask from the Lord certain things but you notice brothers and sisters in verse 18 he continued and he said in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus in the Messiah concerning you how sad it would be if we only ask give me give me give me I will not say thank you to God imagine what does that mean you mean everything that you have in your life you think you have accomplished this on your own he's really

saying God is saying to us don't you think that you should give thanks to me for giving you even the strength to accomplish what you have accomplished in your life giving thanks in Hebrew we say say thank you we need to learn to say thank you to each other we need to say thank you for those who have been a blessing to us in our life to just acknowledge it give you joy in your heart when you can say thank you for what you have provided for me what you have given to me to thank God for the health that we have can you imagine we are healthy here we are not in a hospital

in some room there we have no ability to walk or to speak many are in this position today and they are still saying thank you to God an unthankful believer is sad case in a time if we are not watching ourselves we can be unthankful we think we deserve everything because I want what I want and so I want you just to see for a moment how David said thank you to the Lord turn to Psalm 103 for a moment David in Psalm 103 said thank you to God in this way in this manner he said and I'm reading to you those verses Psalm 103 verses 1 2 3 4 and 5 we read that

David said he says bless the Lord all my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name bless the Lord all my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgives all thine iniquity who healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crown thee with loving kindness and tender mercies who who satisfy thy mouth with good things so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles you know David pour out his heart he said God thank you God thank you bless the Lord all my soul you have blessed me in so many ways God you forgave my sins you healed my diseases you redeemed my life from destruction you crowned

me with loving kindness you showed me mercy God I am thankful to you David said and you and I need to have this attitude of thankfulness you know David continue in verse 12 and he said as far as the east is from the west so far he has removed all our transgression from among us think about the blood of Yeshua the Messiah that washed away our sins think about the many sins that we have committed in our lives and the Lord Jesus had to pay for that he had to die on a cruel cross in order that we will receive forgiveness of sins you notice what he says in verse 20 he said bless the

Lord all his angels that excel in strength that do his commandments hearkening unto the voice of his word bless ye the Lord all his hosts ye ministers of his that do his pleasure bless the Lord all his works in all places of his dominion bless the Lord oh my soul David took it very personally he really meant business with the Lord and brothers and sisters if we are unthankful that will never help us in our spiritual growth we will always lose out that which the Lord have intending for us in our spiritual growth we need to develop a thankful heart in each and every one of our own hearts so the Lord can bless us

and use us in ministering to the people of God now go back to our chapter chapter 5 pray without ceasing verse 17 in everything give thanks verse 18 now notice verse 19 these are very short but very needful exhortation in in verse 19 Paul he says quench not the spirit you see you and I are indwelt by a divine person namely Ruach Hakodesh the Holy Spirit of God and when we violate God's word on a consistent basis we are quenching him it's like fire that is not allowed to grow and to develop we are like pouring water or pouring sand upon a fire that will quench the fire and the fire will not be able

to be seen anymore and you see sometimes in our behavior we quench the spirit in other passage the apostle Paul in Ephesians told us in chapter 4 and verse 30 he said grieve not the spirit of God whereby you were sealed unto the day of redemption we can grieve the spirit and we can quench the spirit because the holy spirit of God is a divine person he is God the holy spirit Elohim Haruach he is divine he is indwelling in our hearts in each believer and the moment we carry on in a way that are not pleasing to him we quench him and that's why he can't use us he can't use us it's like

a friend that you hurt and you grieved him and this good relationship which we used to have in the past have been broken and there are no more relationships like before so in order to restore that we need to confess and to repent so the relationship can be restored now we will never lose the person of the holy spirit of God because we are indwelled by him we have been sealed by him we have been baptized into the body of Messiah by the holy spirit of God but we can surely grieve him and we can surely quench him when we do not submit to the Lord's authority in our lives and so the pastor Paul

says quench not the spirit because God the holy spirit a divine person is indwelling in every one of us and you know sometimes you can come to a congregational meeting and you have no liberty you don't feel like teaching you don't feel like singing you don't feel like reading the word you don't feel like having fellowship why what happened God didn't move the problem is not with the Lord Yeshua didn't love us less today that he loved us many years ago no it's us it is us it is we the believers who are at time staying away from the Lord that we grieved him and ultimately quench him so there there is no liberty no

happiness and joy in the things of the Lord so Paul is telling them listen if you want to have a good relationship with God in your personal life and collective life how we are to relate to it well we need to pray without ceasing we need in everything to give thanks we are not to quench the Holy Spirit of God because we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God and now notice what he says in verse 20 he says in verse 20 he says despise not prophesying despise not prophesying in Hebrew we say prophesying it's speaking forth the word of God before the canon of scripture was completed the early Old Testament prophets or

New Testament prophets they spoke the word of the Lord but it was not yet placed for us in the scripture in the word of God because the canon of scripture was not yet completed so God is somehow by divine design gave them a word from the Lord like you remember John in the island of Patmos he says come up hither and I will show you great things things to come and he showed him and he says write this down and the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation the apostle Paul also he was speaking early days of the church age of the assembly age and he was speaking the word of the Lord that he

received directly from the Lord he was speaking for he was prophesying the word of the Lord but but after the canon of scripture had been completed now we have the word of God the Tanakh and the Brit HaChadasha the Lord the prophets and the Brit HaChadasha the New Testament and now prophesying is being done by simply preaching the word of God and throughout ages the preachers preach the word of God see prophesying is not only telling something going to happen in the future in 2020 that this thing is going to happen or that thing is going to happen prophesying biblically is speaking forth the word of God which we have before us today in fact

what we are doing today is speaking forth prophesying speaking in the word of God preaching the word and then the apostle Paul said to them listen don't despise the study of the word the preaching of the word of God I tell you it is such a blessing to go to a meeting when one of the brethren will get up and give a ministry of the word by the power of the spirit of God and we listen to what the Lord is saying to us by divine inspiration the spirit of God moves our hearts and we are being convicted and we are being instructed by the word of God the word of God had been given

to us in order to instruct us and to correct us and to help us in our spiritual growth notice what the Bible said Paul said to Timothy in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16 he says all scripture is given by the inspiration of God and they are profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction and for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect or mature thoroughly furnished unto all good works don't despise the teaching and the ministry and the speaking forth of the word of God take it seriously God has a message for you God has a message the word of God is given to us by divine inspiration and here

we have the word of God proclaimed and the apostle Paul is saying to the brethren he says don't despise it he continued notice in verse 21 and 22 he notice let me read you these verses 21 and 22 he says prove all things hold fast to that which is good abstain from all appearance of evil those three things are extremely important for the people of God to prove and to test everything is it from God we don't need to be gullible for everything unfortunately at time the sheep we are like sheep we taking everything and we don't evaluate and test it and prove it is it from the Lord is it from his word so

he says listen prove all things and then he says hold fast in other word hold fast that which is good hold on to it don't let it go good things hold on to them as he says here in this verse 21 hold fast to that which is good by by the way if we hold on to that which is good we have to let go to that which is evil that which is bad notice immediately in verse 22 he says abstain from all appearance of evil or every form of evil you know evil evil comes out of our hearts Satan entice us towards evil the world seek to influence us towards evil and all nature

is sinful desiring evil well how can one abstain from all form of evil one need to be close to the Lord and the Lord is able to help us who are all saved and forgiven sinners to be able to relate to God in a day by day living and so Paul is encouraging the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica pray without ceasing in everything give thanks despise not prophesying prove all things hold fast to that which is good and abstain from every form of evil evil will get us any time if we are not staying close to the Lord sin does so easily beset us because of the old nature we need the Lord to help

us in order to abstain from all forms of evil well finally brothers and sisters in conclusion the Apostle Paul in verses 23 to verse 28 gives us final admonition to the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica notice how many times he used the word brethren in verse 12 we besit you brethren in verse 14 we exhort you brethren in verse 25 brethren pray for us in verse 26 greet all the brethren in verse 27 unto all the holy brethren read this epistle brethren brothers and sisters achim ve achayot in Hebrew he's looking at us as a family of God as the brothers and sisters in the local assembly and so he's finally exhorting them and admonishing

them in verse 23 to verse 28 and notice what he says in verse 23 he says and the very God of peace sanctify you holy and I pray that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah notice what he said he says the God of peace Elohei hashalom the God of peace is able to set you apart for him to sanctify you to set you apart for him and notice that I pray that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah notice the triunity of each and every one of us we are triune

spirit soul and body the spirit of a human spirit has God consciousness the soul has self consciousness and the body has world consciousness spirit soul and body in Genesis chapter one we already talked about it we read that God made man in his own image in the image of God he made man male and female created he them in other words you and I have been created in the image and likeness of God God is a triunity one God three persons the father the son the Holy Spirit but you and I are also a triunity because we have been made in image and likeness of God he praying to them he says I pray that

your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless and then he says unto the coming of our Lord Jesus the Messiah the Lord is coming the whole theme of 1st Thessalonian is the Lord is coming Yeshua is coming he is coming to take his people home he is coming to restore the people of Israel he is coming to judge this world in righteousness he is coming he is coming well if he is coming Paul said I pray that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus the Messiah in other words he wants us to be so devoted in a practical way to the Lord that

we will be set apart for the Lord in our lives then notice in verse 24 God is faithful faithful is he that calleth you he will also will do it God is going to work it out in your life he is going to do it we just need to submit to him in verse 25 he says brethren pray for us notice the word brethren pray for us again another short verse brethren I pray for you but I also want you to pray for us and the us here is Silas Timothy and Shaul Paul pray for us we are in a ministry we are serving the Lord we are preaching the gospel brethren pray for us

and then verse 26 he says greet the brethren with an holy kiss you see it's already in those days of the affection that they had among the believers that they were physically kissing each other it was a holy sanctified kiss they were kissing each other he wrote it in Romans 16 and verse 16 he was speaking about this in the same way when he ended his letter to the Romans to the Corinthians in 1st Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 20 he spoke about that holy kiss he also spoke to the Corinthians in his second epistle in chapter 13 and asked them to kiss each other with a holy kiss and and the apostle Peter called

it the kiss of love in 1st Peter chapter 5 and verse 14 the affection that the apostle Paul wanted among the brothers and sisters was tremendous tremendous a kiss represent affection and love towards the brethren the Bible tells us in Psalm 2 kiss the son lest he be angry and he perish for the way have affection and love towards the son the Messiah and if not he saying to the unbelieving world you will perish from the way and then finally beloved brothers and sisters in verse 27 the apostle Paul wanted that this letter that we studied this whole epistle the whole letter that he wrote to the believers in Thessalonica he said that they should

all read that letter I charge you by the Lord that this letter this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren this letter is an important letter I want the brethren to read it to hear it so they will take it to heart and they will walk with the Lord in a way that is pleasing to him and then he concluded this letter and we're going to conclude this as well the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ Yeshua HaMashiach be with you all and he closed with the word Amen may it be so the grace the Chesed the grace of the Lord be with you all he says and he said Amen and the word

Amen come from the Hebrew word may it be so may the Lord provide for us the needed grace the needed Chesed to be able to follow him here in this world can we say Amen to that