He will do it

He will do it

Words of Faith 4-11-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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1 Thessalonians 5

   [23] May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

         It was about time to close this communication to the church at Thessalonica.  Another letter would come later, but for now, Paul had communicated the encouragement and the exhortation that he so much wanted to extend.  As a final encouragement to the Thessalonian believers, Paul reminded them of God's ability to produce peace in their lives, preserve them until the Lord's return, and complete the work that grace had begun in them.

        The church at Thessalonica had come to experience peace through the preaching of the Gospel.  Peace is a fruit of God's Spirit in our lives.  Peace is a primary result of God's work of reconciliation in the person of Jesus.  The Thessalonians had discovered this blessing, and they were enjoying peace with each other.  The promise here was that the same God who had given them peace would be their adequate resource for the future as He had been in the past.

         Paul prayed that this God of peace would sanctify or "set them apart" for Himself in every area of their lives. Paul did not mean they could attain complete sanctification this side of heaven. That is impossible. But He did pray that these believers would be preserved blameless-- with no legitimate ground for accusation-- until the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ for His saints. The initial work of God's saving grace was only the beginning of their journey with God.

         Paul was specific in speaking about this sanctification.  He spoke of the Christian as spirit, soul, and body.  Paul used these terms here to identify the different aspects of a person that are transformed by the Spirit of God.  The human spirit is the highest and most unique part of man that enables him to communicate with God. The soul is the part of man that makes him conscious of himself and is the seat of his personality. The body, of course, is the physical part through which the inner person expresses himself and by which he is immediately recognized.

        Paul was saying then that he desired that the Thessalonians would be kept blameless by God in their relationships with Him in their inner personal lives, and in their social contacts with other people.

         How does this happen?  It is the same God who calls a Christian that will perform this work of sanctification by the Holy Spirit who dwells in him. God is faithful to bring to completion the work He has begun in believers.  Paul had written a similar encouragement to the Philippian believers-- "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (1:6). 

        The good news is that God does not save a person by grace and then leave him alone to work out his Christian growth by works.  Paul wrote to the Galatians, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort" (3:3)?  As God calls and justifies by grace, He also sanctifies by His grace as well.

         What do we need to hear in this today?  There is good news! God is not finished with us yet.  He is still at work very much by the power of His grace to complete what He has started.  God will continue to produce peace in our lives. God will continue to set us apart for His purpose.  God will continue to preserve us until Christ's coming.  The one who calls us is faithful, and He will do it.

        Father God, thank You for the truth that we are never abandoned.  Continue to work Your peace into my life.  Continue to set me apart by Your grace and tender mercy.  Preserve me for Your coming in Christ.  May I be found blameless in Your sight because of Your Spirit and the covering of Your grace.  I know that You are faithful.  I know that You will do it.  In Jesus' name.