1 Thess 5:12-28 Part 4

Alexander Galvez

1 Thessalonians • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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Intro

This morning we find ourselves once more in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonicans.

If you will look back in you text you will recall that in this 5th chapter of his first letter, the apostle Paul has written to the church pouring out his heart on them. And in this last portion of his letter, are the exhortations. The words of encouragement that he gives to the church. We broke it down in 5 areas:

12-13a: Leadership in the Church

13b-15: General Relationship

16-18: Personal Relationship

19-21: Prophecy and the Spirit

22-28: Concluding Remarks

I sometimes wonder, what words would be written to us. What would it say? The beautiful thing is that these very words we read here are just as much applicable to us nowadays as they were when they were written nearly 2,000 years ago. And that reveals something doesn’t it?

I mean how many of us could write something with such impact into the lives of indirect readers and across multiple millennia. But God’s word transcends time. Many of the early hymns of the church is still present today, but much of them are passing away or being re-packaged in today’s modern vernacular. But God’s Word is always good, always relevant, always true.

We see everything changing. I don’t know about you, but no offence to history, but I would not want to dress the way my dad did when he was my age. Or I’m not so sure how I would feel if my wife decided to put her hair up in a beehive (something i had to google to find out).

Everything changes, technology, cars, the music, even the language we speak.

You know in March 2018, 850 different words were added to the dictionary! Can you believe that? 850 new words!

Cryptocurrency has been added. We now find microfinance and microcredit as new economic terms. We even have new dog breeds in the dictionary like schnoodle, yorkie-poo, and a chiweenie.

But God’s word is always true. And so I think the letter that we would have gotten is the one we already have. It’s the Bible. And in this portion of the text, we find a Christian response to Christian prophecy.

And this can

Body

1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 HCSB

Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.

Paul expresses this idea of quenching the spirit in terms of resisting the work of the Spirit in and among believers. The word is in the context of fire. We do not put out a fire which reminds us of how the spirit came upon the believers in the upper room in Jerusalem. You will remember that on the day of Pentecost the sound like a violent wind came from Heaven and filled the room and tongues like fire appeared on them.

So we are reminded of that day. And we are reminded perhaps of the reaction of some on that day. They were perplexed and some even said these men are drunk. They tried to dampen, to diminish, to dwindle, to desecrate, to disrespect, to despise the work of the Spirit.

God was working in the life of the believers back then and many were being convicted by the Spirit. And what specifically is occuring? Well this verse has a context. And that context is not signs and wonders, but prophecies.

So let’s stay within the context of the text. Some apparently were prohibiting manifestations of the spirit in their church and they were good. They should not have been altogether eliminated from them.

This is not the first time that men who prophesied were silenced. We think back to Eldad and Medad. You of course remember them from the book of Numbers. Moses, saying the burden was too great, was given relief by God. So they called 70 elders and they were to receive part of the spirit of God on them. Eldad and Medad, for one reason or another did not show up, and God’s spirit still descended on them and they began to prophecy. and Joshua cried out stop them Moses! But it was right.

Or the minor prophet Amos, he was just a sheep herder. But gave him a word and people questioned him, and he readily admitted, I’m nobody. Just a sheepherder, but when God calls, I obey.

But we do not seek to quench it to put it out. When God speaks, we listen. There is a danger in that some will seek to quench the spirit and to silence those who speak the words of God. This must not have any place in God’s church, among God’s people. We should seek to hear from God. What other good news could there be. What other words would bring us the life and restoration to our souls?

And what is prophecy for? Well for some it was foretelling, but in today’s day and age God has closed that ministry. He says prophecy is forthtelling. Telling the words of God and with a purpose.

"But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and comfort. …… he who prophesies edifies the church.”

“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.” But....And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

Paul says, don’t stifle it. It is from God, do not resist God! And that brings up so many memories for us doesn’t it. From the Exodus to our lives today. Many harden their hearts against God. But Paul is careful. We do not just accept everything just because someone claims to be a prophet or have a prophetic word from God.

There must be order to it as well.

A pastor/preacher who declares the Bible can be considered a “prophesier” in that he is speaking forth the counsel of God. With the completion of the New Testament canon, prophesying changed from declaring new revelation to declaring the completed revelation God has already given. Jude 3 speaks of “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (emphasis added). In other words, the faith to which we hold has been settled forever, and it does not need the addition or refinement that comes from extra-biblical revelations.

Also, note the transition from prophet to teacher in 2 Peter 2:1: “There were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you” (emphasis added). Peter indicates that the Old Testament age had prophets, whereas the church will have teachers. The spiritual gift of prophecy, in the sense of receiving new revelations from God to be proclaimed to others, ceased with the completion of the Bible. During the time that prophecy was a revelatory gift, it was to be used for the edification, exhortation, and comfort of men (1 Corinthians 14:3). The modern gift of prophecy, which is really more akin to teaching, still declares the truth of God. What has changed is that the truth of God today has already been fully revealed in His Word, while, in the early church, it had not yet been fully revealed.

Christians are to be very wary of those who claim to have a “new” message from God. It is one thing to say, “I had an interesting dream last night.” However, it is quite another matter to say, “God gave me a dream last night, and you must obey it.” No utterance of man should be considered equal to or above the written Word. We must hold to the Word that God has already given and commit ourselves to sola scriptura—Scripture alone.

But he continues, we do not despise prophecies, but we test all things.

If it is from God, do not resist God! And that brings up so many memories for us doesn’t it. From the Exodus to our lives today. Many harden their hearts against God. And Paul is careful. We do not just accept everything just because someone claims to be a prophet or have a prophetic word from God. We test it.

The text actually says, “But examine everything.” The word “examine” is dokimazo, that’s a familiar word to New Testament students because it is often used to refer to something being tested to reveal its genuineness. It is sometimes used of testing metals.

But Paul is careful. We do not just accept everything just because someone claims to be a prophet or have a prophetic word from God.

And so we may ask, why is it that there is a lack of discernment in today’s day and age. Many will go and listen to clearly and well known false prophets and some will defend them. One reason for a lack of discernment, is a lack of knowledge in God’s Word. They do not know enough to distinguish between what is good and what is false. Additionally, there is a lack of conviction by God’s Word.

Today if someone takes a firm stand in God’s Words, too many will just write them off as being to critical. And this is rampant in the church.

Martin Llyod Jones wrote this in his biography ““There’s a very obvious reaction at the present time against intellectualism. This is found among the students in America and increasingly in this country. Reason is being distrusted and set on one side. Following D.H. Lawrence, many are saying that our troubles are due to the fact that we have over developed our cerebrum. We must listen more to our blood and go back to nature. And so turning against intellectualism and deliberately espousing the creed of irrationality, they yield themselves to the desire for experience and place sensation above understanding. What matters is feeling and enjoyment, not thought, pure thought leads nowhere.”

We see that growing in the church as a sort of Theological Liberalism, where it is all about emotions and not necessarily examining God’s Word and believing clearly what it teaches.

What do you think Paul had in mind when he said, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth?” It is a shame not to rightly divide the truth from error.

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.

In fact, if someone makes just one false prophecy, God says that they are a false prophet. There are no exceptions. tells us that they are to be removed immediately. gets extreme in that anyone who utters even one false word of prophecy is to die in those times.

ESV / 196 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.

Even Christ has called us to exercise discernment in this area.

“Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.

And he doesnt stop there:

Judgment of Pretenders

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’

So we must not reject prophecy from God, but we must test it. And this can be difficult at times as Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. instructs us in the same manner, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

How?

By God’s Word. If it contradicts with God’s word, throw it out. And not just throw it out, but we should stay away from those things. We do not seek those things. We stay away from every kind of evil.

In fact, Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians that prophecies will cease. Again the author of Hebrews says that “Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.”

The Holman Christian Standard Bible Chapter 4

3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.

We stay away. But we hold on to what is good by testing it.

The author of Hebrews says that “Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.”

John MacArthur Sermon Archive A Call for Discernment, Part 1

But examine everything, the Greek text says, “carefully” as you’ll note in the New American Standard is in italics meaning it was added. The text actually says, “But examine everything.” The word “examine” is dokimazo, that’s a familiar word to New Testament students because it is often used to refer to something being tested to reveal its genuineness. It is sometimes used of testing metals.

And so we need to ask ourselves a couple questions about this

The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

Conclusion

Exercising discernment is something every believer ought to do. Every believer must do so. It is a shame that there are many false prophets out there. And they lead so many astray. Hold fast to God’s Word. Be firm in it. We must not lack in this. And in times such as these, it is even more important that we continue to grow in knowledge of God through His Word. Study it. For in it we find life. There is life in nothing else! Do not be led astray. Contend for the faith, but that requires discipline. You must be reading your word, you must commit yourself to faithful and true teaching.

Exercising discernment is something every believer ought to do. This is why

The author of Hebrews says that “Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.”