First Thessalonians 5 Part 5 Rejoice At All Times, In All Circumstances

Rejoice and praise our wonderful Father in heaven always.

1 Thessalonians 5:16  Rejoice evermore. 

Here we have various short exhortations that are easily remembered and they will be very useful to direct the focus of our lives.

Paul describes a lasting spiritual joy that we have for our Father in heaven because He abundantly supplies for our daily needs. 

He superabundantly provided for our spiritual need of salvation, through repentant faith in Jesus Christ, His Son. 

Rejoicing evermore is the idea that no adversity in this life will cause us to cease from rejoicing every day throughout the day.

Our Father knows all of our needs and will supply them.

Matthew 6:25-34  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26)  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27)  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28)  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29)  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30)  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31)  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32)  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33)  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34)  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Read the teaching of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount.  Our Lord reminds us that the Father in heaven provides food, clothing, water and shelter for all birds, and we are more precious to Him than the birds.  

Our Father knows our needs and we do not have to be filled with anxiety because He promised to supply them.

Jesus taught that the most important provision is salvation. We must first seek the kingdom of God each day that we wake up. The just shall live by faith. 

Thus, we have great reason to rejoice evermore. Our loving Father in heaven will supply both our physical and spiritual needs. 

Senior saints rejoice in the faithfulness of God's provisions. 

Psalm 37:23-26  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24)  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. 25)  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 26)  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. 

King David was the sweet Psalmist of Israel. He looks back in reflection of his life and the LORD's faithfulness to him. 

Ask any senior saint in your church family about these truths. They will affirm that the LORD does indeed order our steps as we go through our pilgrimage on earth. 

They will affirm that the LORD holds us up when we fall and sets us back on track when we confess and forsake our sin. 

As a senior saint, I can say that Jehovah has never forsaken me nor my wife. We have never had to beg for bread because He provides for our daily needs. 

As we age, I find that the mercy and generous provision of God for both physical and spiritual needs show His loving care of us.  

Rejoice always in good times and hard times because God is with us. 

2 Corinthians 6:10  As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 

Paul lived for the glory of God and he is a model of consistently following hard after the Lord Jesus Christ.

In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul could say he rejoiced while suffering, while experiencing sorrows or having nothing but the clothing on his back. He was always rejoicing in God's glorious salvation.

What does this mean for us? That we too, can and should rejoice even when the burdens we carry are heavy. 

How can we do this? We do not have the strength in ourselves, but God has given us the indwelling Holy Spirit to strengthen us and supply the grace that we need each moment that we live.

This is why we must be led by the Holy Spirit, asking Him to fill us each day, so that we can walk with our Lord, no matter how hard life is.

Rejoice, pray often and let our life reflect God's presence in us.

Philippians 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 5)  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6)  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7)  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

The idea here is that we be continually happy, but this happiness can only be found in the Lord. 

Genuine happiness is spiritual since it can only come from God. Paul shows us that it is God’s will for Christians to be a joyful, praying people who live in accord with the will of God.

It is God's will that we live by exercising moderation in a wicked culture given to riot and excess, for this is a testimony of righteousness to the world. 

When we pray, we express our joy for knowing the Lord and for His saving work in our heart. 

We are urged to cast all of our cares and burdens upon Him because He loves and cares for us. 

Paul urges us to rejoice with gospel hope in our heart, and to be patient while facing tribulation or afflictions. He tells us to always continue in prayer, communing with our Father, seeking His help and will for us.

We are blessed and should rejoice when we suffer for the gospel. 

Matthew 5:11-12  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12)  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.  

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us that we are blessed when people hate us for the sake of the gospel of Christ.

We are blessed when persecuted or defamed because we are Christ's witnesses who choose to obey God rather than participate in cultural depravity.

Rejoice because Jehovah defends His sheep from the enemy.

Psalm 5:11-12  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12)  For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. 

The Psalmist often faced incredibly hard circumstances, and yet he always urges us to rejoice. Our God is for us not against us and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

Rejoice in the ever flowing mercy of God.

Psalm 31:7  I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

Psalm 32:10,11  Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. 11) Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. 

Oh, the tender mercies of God that flow to us each moment of each day. 

We deserve suffering, death and eternal condemnation because of our sins. 

Yet God in His grace extends mercy to us, through repentant faith in Jesus Christ.

Instead of pouring out His wrath upon us, He pours His love into us. 

Instead of giving us the punishment for our sins, He gives us all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. 

Our lives should be dominated by happy, glad hearts, and ceaseless rejoicing for His goodness, love, kindness and mercy toward us.

Rejoicing in Jehovah is a beautiful act of worship.

Psalm 33:1  Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

Worship is never something to be done while our mind and heart is distracted by the cares of this life. 

We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our being (See Matthew 22:37). 

We should approach worship of the One, True God of Heaven with nothing less than wholehearted worship, joyous expressions of adoration and happy shouts of praise. 

Rejoicing accompanies revival from Jehovah in our heart. 

Psalm 85:4-7  Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. 5)  Wilt thou be angry with us forever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? 6)  Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? 7)  Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. 

We can express our thanksgiving and gratefulness because when we have become weary in well doing, or we have turned away from Jehovah, He will revive us when we turn back to Him.

Thus, the Psalmist pleads for Jehovah to turn our hearts back to the All Glorious God. 

When we confess and repent of our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (See 1 John 1:7 to 2:2).

When Jehovah revives us and fills us with His Spirit, joy will flood our soul and rejoicing will flow out of us to our Lord. 

Thanksgiving, witnessing, and worship help us rejoice always. 

Psalm 105:1-4  O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 2)  Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. 3)  Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 4)  Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 

The wise words of the Spirit guided Psalmist help us see clearly why we should rejoice evermore.

A Christian has more to be thankful for, more to praise God about, and more to rejoice over than anyone else on the earth. 

Let us be known as those who worship God in Spirit and in truth.

Let us be those whose hearts are always looking upward to God when the circumstances of life are crushing us.

Let us be those who praise, worship and adore God.

Let us not ever be known for complaining or grumbling, for our God judged the Hebrews when they murmured and complained about their lot in life, or their dissatisfaction with His provision. 

Rejoice evermore!

Bob