I Thessalonians 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus
Don’t you want to know what God would have you to do today, and don’t you want His help in the doing of it? Sometimes we don’t know what God wants, so we lack there. Sometimes we know what God wants, but we try to do it in our own strength. Both fall flat because we can know what God wants and we can have His grace to do what He wants. How do I do that?
In I Thessalonians 4-5 we find that the will of God and the comfort of God both flow from the Word of God. Let me give you an example of each. In I Thessalonians 4:2-3 it says, “For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.” He later says, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” Then he says, “Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”
The point is that sometimes we say, “Well, I don’t know what God’s will for my life is.” The truth is, we do know God’s will for our life. God’s will is not so much a matter of God’s will, but my willingness. This is to say, I know enough of God’s will to do it today, and if I’ll do it today, then I will know what it is tomorrow. We know the commandment and will of God is that we keep ourselves free from fornication. I’m not to be impure in word or action. I am to be pure and clean.
You might say, “God called me to preach!” Ok, has God called you to cleanness and holiness? The answer is yes. So, whether you are a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker, God has called you unto holiness. You may be a preacher and that is fine, but you can be a preacher doing what God gifted you to do, live in unholiness, and not be in the will of God. You see, God’s will is given by God’s Word. We know the commandments and we are taught of God, so the will and calling of God is purity, doing right, right now. The will of God flows from the Word of God.
This is also true about comfort. In I Thessalonians 4:13 he says, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [those who have died]. Then, he talks about things to come. That those who are in Christ will be raised again. Those that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. He concludes this portion by saying, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
In chapter 5 he talks about “the day of the Lord.” He says, “Ye…are not in darkness…Ye are all the children of light.” Then he instructs them that they are to be sober or clear-minded and walk in the light “for God hath not appointed us to wrath.” Again, in verse 11 he says, “Comfort yourselves together, and edify one another.”
So, in both cases, the will of God and the comfort of God come from the Word of God. God is called in verse 23 “the God of peace.” So how do you have the peace of God? You have the peace of God by knowing what He said; don’t be ignorant. You know what the commandments are. Then, rely upon His grace for the doing of it. Both your direction as you head into tomorrow and the comfort with which you live today are functions of what God has let you know. You may not know everything, but you know something. If you do what you know to be right today, God will give you the grace for every step from now ‘til glory.