So, like I said, we'll be looking at a slightly different angle, or we look at or we taste a slightly different flavour, which is to live our life in light of the Lord's return. We touched upon that aspect a little bit yesterday when we spoke about our heavenly citizenship. The fact that although we live here on Earth, our citizenship is in heaven and we are awaiting in fact, and we are awaiting in fact, eagerly awaiting the return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But today we look specifically and in a more detailed way, about how our life ought to be in the assembly especially, in light of the Lord's return.

Let me begin by quoting Ray Stedman. A famous preacher of yester years. He said this and listen to me very carefully please. “I do not understand what has happened to the Christian community, believers who go regularly to church and profess to believe the Bible often seem to go along with practices of the world around them with hardly any consciousness that what they're doing is unbiblical and wholly wrong.” And he says they lie without hesitation. Believers lie without hesitation. They don't pay their bills that they are supposed to pay, some of them cheat on their taxes. They ignore needy people. They fail to keep appointments, are very important. He mentions that believers fail to keep appointments. They lose their tempers, he says, and some believers grow critical and caustic. And then he ends this by saying this.

The mark of true Christian faith is that it changes everything you do and speak. Did you hear that? The mark of the true Christian faith is that it changes everything that you do and say. In other words, it affects every area of your life. And it ought to affect every area of your life and mine. This morning, I want to raise some questions and I want all of us to think about these questions very seriously. As you sit here, these three days, thinking about various topics, significant topics of the Christian faith, sanctification, mission, and various practical topics. I want you all to take these questions very seriously, please.

How's your spiritual health? Are you growing as a Christian? Are you walking in Christ are growing in Christ, more and more each day? It's often sad to see Christian’s act like the world. Some Christians have forgotten the difference between a Christ centered life or a cross shaped life that we talked about yesterday, and worldly living. The dividing line for some Christians to be too blurred. So, when on the one hand, we see such lives, and on the other hand we also see the church, boldly proclaiming about the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We inevitably have some questions in our minds, and we ought to raise certain questions in our minds. Does this kind of life that I'm living right now, tell the world that I am looking forward to my Lord's return? Let me phrase that again. Does the kind of life that I'm living right now as a Christian, tell the world that I'm looking forward to my Lord's return? Or better, what is the kind of life I ought to live as a believer in Christ in my assembly, so that I live in a way that people know and understand that I'm looking forward to the Lord's return What is the kind of life that I ought to live as a Christian in light of the Lord's return?

Now these questions have been addressed right in the first century, in the New Testament times itself. Paul, concerned about the spiritual health of the assembly of the church in Thessalonica. He gave instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5 about how we live with and respond to one another in the context of the local assembly. Then he went on to say this, God is honoured as we show respect and honour to the elders or the church leaders. He also went on to say that God is honoured as we counsel other believers with appropriate biblical approaches, like admonishing them encouraging them and helping one another. In the passage that we're going to look at this morning. Paul explains how we ought to relate biblically to God Himself. Like I said in the previous passage, in the verses preceding this context, he talked about how we ought to relate to the elders and others in the church.

In this passage that we're going to look at, Paul is talking about how to biblically relate to God. So, this is the relationship between the believer, individual believer and the Lord Jesus Christ. How are we to be oriented toward God with our lives? How can we live a Godward life? Now these commandments that Paul is writing in this passage, they fix our spiritual compass, and they get us right on track with God. And these commandments that we're going to study about are not just things we do, but things that we do that flow from a life that is Godward that is focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, to put it differently, Paul's point in this passage is this, If an assembly is to be healthy, not only does the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep and sheep and other sheep have to be right, but the relationship between the sheep and the Great Shepherd also needs to be right. Our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ, to God Himself must be right.

And so beginning in verse 16, in First Thessalonians, five and flowing down through verse 22. The apostle Paul gives a series of exhortations that deal with the believers in our life, our relationship to God himself, or to bring up the theme of what was given to me to speak in these three days about our sanctification. Our being confirmed more and more to the image of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ. So, today's passage will reveal to us two things. We did two things yesterday, and two things today as well. Two simple things that you and I need to do as Christians as believers in Christ, to live the right kind of life in light of the Lord's imminent return.

Paul is writing to the church at Thessalonica explains these two features in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22. Follow on please and follow also the outline that will be displayed there. This is just for you to understand the outline or the logic and the argument of what is in the passage and what the Lord wants to speak to us this morning from it. I hope you all have turned there.


1. Live in the Will of God
So, we'll go to the first one. In verses 16 through 18. You will see that you must live in the will of God. You must live in the will of God. You and I must submit to God's designed purposes as he has revealed them to us in His scriptures. Let me say that again. You and I must submit to God's purposes, as He'll reveal them to us in the Bible, the Word of God. There are three things that Paul says that you and I must do, to live in the will of God. Three things that you and I must do to live in the will of God.

Now the will of God is a huge topic among the youth and not just among the youth but across the spectrum. You talk about Christians from various ages. They all talk about this but especially the youth, they talk about the will of God, how to find the will of God. It's always a constant nagging question in their minds. By God's grace, I keep speaking in a lot of camps. youth camps and inevitably, the question comes to me at the end of each camp, how do you find the will of God?


A. Be a Joyful Person
Paul says that there are three things that you and I need to do to live in God's will. First one, Paul says, Be a joyful person. Be a joyful person. The first thing that you and I need to do to be in the will of God, is that you and I need to be joyful people. Look at verse 16. Rejoice, always just two words in the English language. Rejoice. Always. The New Testament approximately has 70 commands to rejoice. So, 70 times in the New Testament, we are commanded to rejoice. Now we ought to take it as a good reminder this morning, that choosing joy is a decision of the will. You can will to choose joy for yourself. It is not just merely a feeling, but it is a decision of the will. You can choose to be joyful.

While happiness depends on what is happening around us. Joy is independent of the happenings. Joy is independent of the circumstances around us. Now I'm actually thinking of what the angel told the shepherds about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the angel called it, Good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Years ago, a gospel song used to be sung. Some of you may know these words. It began with the words we have heard the joyful. We have heard the joyful sound, Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Whenever the gospel is preached, it is a joyful sound to those who hear it and the first proof of the Gospels power for most people, especially unbelievers, is the joy that they see in the believer. The first proof of the Gospels power for an unbeliever is the joy that they see in the believer in Christ.

Remember what Jesus said, These things I have spoken to you that my joy maybe in you. Now because it works from the inside out, Joy does not depend on whether or not I have a job or whether or not I'm getting admitted into a college that I designed on how my friends treat me. Much less does it depend on my health? Or where I live? Or how my parents are doing? Even less does it depend on who's in the parliament? Or who's the prime minister or how the stock market is doing? Why is that? Because nothing merely happens by chance. There is nothing in the world that happens merely by chance. God is working out his sovereign plans in our lives. And therefore we must rejoice.

This does not mean that life won't hurt. But even in the midst of the hurts, even in the midst of suffering, we can rejoice because we know that God is at work in our lives, and God is in control of our lives. There is event, there is no circumstance that can occur in your life and my life as a believer in Christ, that should diminish our joy. There is nothing that can happen in our lives, that should or ought to diminish our joy. Now how can we consistently rejoice? How can we rejoice always? As the verse is asking us to do It is possible when we remember three principles. Now hear me please.


Remember who God Is
The first thing to remember is about who God is. Remember who God is. Nehemiah 8:10 states, the joy of the Lord is your strength. Joy has its deep roots in thankfulness for who God is. When we understand who God is, when we understand His attributes, when we understand the fact that he is God, and we are not. Joy will find its deep roots in that understanding. If we focus on God's character, and his attributes, the fact that he is merciful He is loving his faithful, He's sovereign, He's ever there to come and help us. We will always have plenty of cause to rejoice. That's the first thing that's the first principle you remember. Remember who God is. Think about his characteristics. Think about his attributes all the time.


Recall what God has Done
Secondly, rejoicing is possible if we begin to recall what God has done, is doing and will do in our lives. What God has done in our lives, what God is right now doing in our lives, and what God will do and as promised to do for our lives in the future. When we recall this, all the time, rejoicing is quite possible. We can especially rejoice in what God has given to us in Christ Jesus. He saved us from sin. He is sanctifying us right now, by the power of the Spirit, and one day, he will take us into His very presence with a glorified body. All these things are causes and reasons to rejoice and as we focus on the Lord we will exude joy we will radiate joy. Can you rejoice in the Lord this morning? Thinking about what the Lord is doing in your life right now. Thinking about what he has done already in your life, thinking about the promises that He has for your life as a believer in Christ, for the future. Can you rejoice in the Lord today?


Rejoice in what God is Doing
Third thing, We can also rejoice in what God is doing in and through other believers. Paul says that we ought to Rejoice, rejoice, always. And as we begin to keep our finger on the spiritual pulse of God's Kingdom program, we will observe that he is doing great things throughout the country, although we can't see it throughout the world, although we can't see it. And even though you and I may not feel like God is at work in your life or my life sometimes, you can take your eyes off yourself and look at others the assembly, the mission field, to see what God is doing elsewhere. When we look at that we can rejoice in the Lord. So, three things three principles to remember about how to rejoice in the Lord and what to remember to rejoice in the Lord. Remember who God is, His attributes, His characteristics.


Remember what Christ has done for Us
Number two, remember what Christ has done for us in the past. What he is doing right now in our lives, and what He's promised to do to our lives in the future. And finally, remember, to see what God is doing in the lives of other believers. Look at your friends and rejoice in what God is doing in them and through them. Now why is rejoicing so important? In fact, why is rejoicing always so important? Let me mention three things here and these are important things and listen to me very carefully please.


Rejoicing affects Worship
Number one, rejoicing will affect the way you worship God. Rejoicing will affect the way you worship God. We come to worship on a Sunday morning together, corporately, because we have been worshiping and rejoicing throughout the week. And when we come together, corporately, Joy is merely amplified when we are together. It does affect your worship.


Rejoicing affects Friendships
Secondly, rejoicing will affect your friendships as well. Now you and I know very clearly and it's no secret that people don't want to be around gloomy people, or sad people. They just don't like to be around gloomy people. Have you noticed that? Show me a gloomy person or somebody who's always sad, and I will show you somebody who has difficulty in making friends or having any other friends. People are attracted to those who exude joy or manifest joy or radiate joy. And as Christians, we are commanded to rejoice always.


Rejoicing affects Evangelism
Thirdly, rejoicing will affect your evangelism as well. If we want to win our friends for Christ, we must radiate joy. People will wonder when they see us, what makes them so joyful? And this opens doors to share Christ and the difference that he makes to our lives. And that's why for the three reasons at least, rejoicing always is important. So, the joyful Christian thinks more of his Lord than his own personal difficulties. The joyful Christian thinks more of his spiritual riches in Christ than his poverty that he has on Earth. The joyful Christian thinks more of his glorious, eternal future than his present pain and suffering that he's experiencing. And when you live like that, when I live like that, the command to rejoice always becomes possible, not just possible, it becomes desirable as well. So be a joyful person to be in the will of God. Be a joyful person. That's the first thing.


B. Be a Prayerful Person
Second thing. Be a prayerful person, Be a prayerful person. To be in the will of God, You and I must be prayerful people. Look at verse 17. Pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. The apostle Paul, in this simple but specific command calls all of us Christians to pray as a way of life. Prayer must be a way of life. Pray without ceasing means praying repeatedly, and praying often as often as possible. We should make it a habit to be in the presence of God to go to God in prayer again and again throughout the day.

Now the Greek word that is used to translate without ceasing is used outside the New Testament of hacking cough. Now, if you've had a cold or a cough recently, then you know what it's like to cough spontaneously, right? There are times that you just can't stop, but you'll cough. The same ought to be true of the Christian as well and for prayer. We should be constantly offering our prayers to the Lord, because we just can't help but pray. We can't help ourselves. It's like hacking cough. You just cough you can't stop it. And that's the way brother ought to be as well for the Christian. We often go through life in such a hurry and are so overwhelmed by our problems that we think we don't have time to pray. That sense of huridness can be spiritually devastating for any Christian. Somebody said, Hurry is not of the devil. Hurry is the devil. Hurry is not of the devil hurry is the devil.

When you pray, you're forced to slow down. You're forced to shift the focus from your thoughts to God Himself. And I want to say this morning to your brothers and sisters. There is nothing that we face on a daily basis that would not be improved by our prayers, at least from the perspective with which we look at it. Therefore, we are to pray consciously, we are to pray deliberately, we are to brain repeatedly. we are to pray persistently, as we face new challenges each new day. If this seems too much, then simply think of what happens to our lives when we forget God and leave him out of the affairs of our daily lives. The results must be really frustrating for us.

Irritating, there's a lack of peace, confusion, there’s short temperedness, weariness, discouragement, but when we invite God into our daily agenda, then there's peace and a sense of knowing that the Sovereign Lord is guiding us and helping us along the way. Paul says pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. If you're a student, or a working person, you can pray as you commute to work, or to your college to your school. When you stretch at your desk during your lunch break, and before you return home for the day. Be a prayerful person. Be a prayerful person.


C. Be a Thankful Person
Third thing, to be in the will of God be a thankful person. Be a thankful person look at verse 18. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this as the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. There will be always something in every circumstance of life for which you and I can give thanks. This demonstrates that there are many things in life for which you and I can be thankful.


Illustration
Let me share a beautiful story from the life of Matthew Henry the English Bible scholar. Some of you may have heard his name. He was once attacked by thieves and he was robbed of his wallet. And he wrote these things in his diary at the end of the day. He said this, let me be thankful. First, I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my wallet, they didn't take my life. Third, although they took my all it was not much. Fourth, let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed and not I who did the robbing.

See the last one? Let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed, and not I who did the robbing. This testimony shows that thankfulness is not determined by circumstances. We need to be thankful for all things every day. Thankfulness acknowledges that God is our provider. Thankfulness prevents a complaining spirit. And thankfulness creates a positive outlook on life itself. Fourthly, thankfulness invites joy to dwell in our house. What are you thankful for today? Even as you listen to this, from God's word, there are many things that you can think about for which you can be thankful. Will you express gratitude and thankfulness to God and to others today?

Gratitude is likely the greatest evidence that you and I are filled with the Spirit. It is the greatest evidence that you and I are filled with the Spirit of God. God has blessed you. God has blessed me, but he expects us to respond with hearts full of gratitude. Now hear me please. These three verses that we just talked about, are God's will for your life. You must be a joyful person. You must be a prayerful person and you must be a thankful person. Most of us want to know what God's specific well for our lives is. Which college are we supposed to join? Where are we supposed to live? Which city are we supposed to move to? Who are we supposed to marry? What job should I take?

Yet in these areas, God tends to give us freedom. But if he does want to reveal himself more specifically to you, he is not going to do it until you first obey his general will, and his general will for your life is that you be a joyful person. You be a prayerful person and you be a thankful person. Do you want specific direction? Do you want to know the will of God? It is found right here in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Be joyful, be prayerful, and be grateful. If you're not obeying these commands, you're not walking in the Spirit. You're outside the will of God then. No matter how many gifts you may have, no matter how much of work you do in the assembly, and no matter how talented you are in the assembly of the people of God. Will you seek to obey these three commands? So that God can reveal more of Himself to you in a specific way, about his will for your life? Think about that. In verses 16 through 18, we saw that you must live in the will of God, you must live in the will of God.


2. Discern Truth from Error
Then there's a second thing that Paul says about how to live your life in light of the Lord's return. And that is in verses 19 through 22. They say that you must discern truth from error. You must discern truth from error. You and I must be on guard to distinguish truth from falsehood. What is true from what is false? And Paul mentions four aspects in which we need to be careful. Four aspects in which we need to be careful. Let's look at them one by one.


Do not Hinder the Work of the Spirit
First, do not hinder the work of the Spirit. Look at verse 19. Do not quench the Spirit says Paul. Do not quench the spirit. Now Paul uses the word quench metaphorically to speak about hindering or stopping the operations of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. People who refuse to submit to the commands that we just talked about, that we need to be joyful, we need to be prayerful, we need to be thankful. When we don't submit to these commands, we quench the Spirit. Do you know what it means to quench something?

For example, if you're thirsty, how do you quench your thirst? You take a sip of water, or you take a glass of water and then you put away the thirst. It's quenched. How do you quench a fire? You put it out you smother it you perhaps put some mud or sand on the fire, and you douse it, you smother it. How do you quench the Spirit of God? You quench the Spirit of God by not doing what he is asking you to do. What he is telling you to do. And what is the Holy Spirit wants to do in me that I can quench? Very simply stated, The Holy Spirit wants to move you along the path of ever-increasing holiness and that's the theme of what I've been asked to speak on these three days.

Sanctification is the Holy Spirit who works the sanctification in your life. What does holy mean? The word holy means separate. So, the Holy Spirit wants to separate you further and further from sin. The further you get away from sin. You're not quenching the spirit and the closer you get to God; it is just a process of separation. The Spirit of God wants to produce in you a decreasing frequency of sin, decreasing power of temptation, decreasing concern about the world, and increasing longings for God and His Word. That's the process of sanctification. That's a movement towards holiness. That's a movement towards being conformed to the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts as we cooperate with the Spirit. And what is the goal of it?

It is the goal of reaching us and taking us to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. So the Holy Spirit wants to move you from where you are this morning to being like Christ, along a path of ever increasing holiness. That's sanctification. Now that's what the Spirit desires to do in your life and my life, but you can quench it. How can you quench it ? Fail to study the Word of God, fail to apply the Word of God in your lives, mishandle the Word of God, don't rightly divide the Word of God. Don't have humility in your life. Don't diligently study the Word. Don't get into Assembly meetings. All these are the ways in which you can quench the Spirit of God. Paul says, “Do not quench the spirit”. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not hinder the work of the Holy Spirit as he moves you along the path of ever increasing holiness.


Do not Downgrade any Message from God
Next one. Do not downgrade or put down any message from God. Vs 20, Do not despise prophecies. Do not despise prophecies. Now the word despise means to put down or downgrade or to consider as nothing to make it absolutely nothing or of no value. So prophecies is a topic that's very important in the Bible. And let me just take about two minutes to help us understand what this means. The word prophecy generally in the Bible means what God has said or what God has spoken. Now that falls into two categories, so to speak, and I want you to understand this please. The word for prophecy used here is used in the New Testament, both of the spoken word of God and the written word of God, both the spoken word of God and the written word of God.

So, the word prophecy is a broad term that refers to the public proclamation of a message from God, a public proclamation of the Word of God. It can be a new message from God, which is what happened in the New Testament times when a Prophet used to be revealed from God or used to get a revelation from God and he would speak directly to his people. So, in the New Testament times in the first century, a prophet will be revealed some message from God, which he would speak. And there's also another way which is re-iteration which is speaking the Word of God that is already written for us and given to us, which is what I'm doing now. Which is what every preacher does, every teacher does. We re-iterate and explain what God has given to us in His Word as his word.

It is the word of God. Now, even when you look at the first century context, when there was direct revelation from God, more often than not, they were talking about what God has already said in His Word, rather than all the time get revelations from God directly. And I want to say specifically that this new revelation from God was distinctive to the first century era or the early church. But now, the gift of prophecy or prophecy, as it is given to us in this context, is the ability to proclaim the Word of God that is already revealed to us in the scriptures. So, in other words, the command that Paul is giving here is not to despise God's word. Don't despise God's word as it is rightly spoken to you. Allowing holy scriptures to get through to us as the word of God is a special work of the Holy Spirit, and only those who have the Spirit of God indwelling them.

That is, only the believers in Christ can obey this command of not despising the Word of God. In fact, Beloved, if you despise the Word of God, there is no possible way that you could ever live a Christian life. Because the only chart and the only compass and manual that we have in this world is the word of God. When you reject that, when you put that aside, all you and I are going to be left with is human effort, trying to do good deeds to on our way to God. And that is devastating. That is dangerous. Paul says do not downgrade the message from God. Do not despise prophecies.


Do not be Gullible but exercise Discernment
Thirdly, do not be gullible. But exercise discernment. Do not be gullible. Don't believe everything. But exercise discernment. Look at verse 21. But test everything, hold fast to what is good. Test everything. Hold fast to what is good. What Paul is saying here is examine everything and examine everything carefully and find out what is good. Find out what is evil, but reject evil and hold fast to what is good. Test everything. Examine everything. Find out what is good. Find out what is evil. Hold fast to what is good. Reject what is evil. That's one of the basic competence of living the Christian life.

The problem today and I say this with a lot of pain in my heart. The problem today is that Christians are ready to believe anything. Anything and everything is accepted. It seems to me that a major problem in Christianity today is the lack of spiritual discernment. Now, this should not happen because we have been duly warned in scriptures. The scriptures warn us of doctrine of demons, destructive heresies, the scriptures warn us of myths, perverse teachings, commandments of men, speculations, controversies, worldly fables and all these things, empty philosophies of men. And all these could be pitfalls for the Christians. Hear me please.

Not everyone who claims to speak on behalf of Christ is speaking the truth. You must examine on the basis of scriptures. But people seem so gullible these days. They are ready to believe anything and everything. So, distinguishing between truth and error is essential in the Christian life. That's what Paul is saying in this text. Now remember, starting from verse 16. Paul has been listing the basics of Christian living, how to live in the will of God. He said, Rejoice always pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise scripture or the revelation that is given to you from God. And now he comes and says this examine everything.

This I think is a masterful summation of all the competence in basic Christian living. We ought to have constant joy. We ought to be unceasing in prayer. We ought to be thankful, no matter what happens to us, we are to never quench the working of the Spirit. We are to never look down on the revelation of God, as it is given to us in the written word of God. But we ought to exalt it, and we ought to obey the word of God, and we are called also to examine everything carefully, so that we can discern what is good and what is evil. Now, let me explain this for a few moments because it is very important, and it's fairly easy for us to interpret what this means.

He says, examine everything. The word examined in the Greek here is a familiar word in the New Testament. It is often used to refer to something that is being tested to reveal its genuineness. You are testing a metal to see how genuine the metal is. Test everything to see if it's genuine. That's what Paul is saying here. So that you can distinguish between what is true and what is false. What is right from what is wrong. What is good, from what is bad, you can easily separate. What is wheat from what is just merely chaff and dust. Now once you've decided that what does Paul say?

Look at verse 21. Hold fast to that which is good. The word holdfast means embrace. Embrace wholeheartedly. Take possession of what you found. Find out what is good and embrace it wholeheartedly. Embrace the right doctrine wholeheartedly. Embrace what is genuine wholeheartedly, what is true, what is noble, wholeheartedly. Take possession of it. Don't let go off it. That's what Paul is saying here. Lastly, do not appreciate any false teaching. Do not appreciate any false teaching. Vs22, Abstain from every form of evil. In the context of talking about false teaching. The word abstain is a very strong word. It means to hold yourself away from something. It means to shun, shun something. And it emphasizes the complete separation of the believer from what is called evil in teaching and in behavior.

If you see evil in teaching an evil in behaviour, we are called to separate ourselves from them. Shun it and be separate from it. And when you see something that is evil, that is not true, but false shun it. Reject it with all your heart. There is never in the Scripture given any freedom for us to expose ourselves to any kind of evil, anything that is not true, we are called to shun it. We are called to run away from it. It emphasizes again, the complete separation of the believer from what is false, from what is deemed untruthful, from what is deemed evil. Evil here, the word evil is evil in the active sense. Something harmful, something malignant, something that works injury within the assembly and brings disaster to anyone who touches it.

It is poisonous. It is deadly. Paul is saying stay away from it. Like you would stay away from a plague or Coronavirus. Paul urges us not to appreciate any false teaching. Not appreciate any false teaching. So what's the point of this morning's passage here? The whole passage basically says, we must live in the will of God and distinguish truth from falsehood. We must live in the will of God and distinguish truth from falsehood. The only way to live in light of Christ's imminent return is to dwell in God's will and know what the truth is and reject error. Know what the truth is and reject error. When we do these things. It will help us in our sanctification. It will help us in our sanctification.


Illustration
Let me finish with an illustration here to sum all of this up. A man's daughter went to her local assembly and spoke to one of the elders asking him to come and pray with her father because her father was old. He couldn't come to the assembly anymore. He was bedridden. And so, she asked one of the elders to come and pray for the Father. And that elder arrived and he found the man lying in bed and his head was propped up on two pillows. But there was an empty chair beside his bed. And so, the elder uncle he assumed that the man who was old there lying-in bed had been informed of his visit. So, he asked him, "I guess your daughter told you that I was coming to pray with you. " He said, "No, I wasn't told about that. What did you ask? " And the elder said, "Well, I saw an empty chair right next to your bed right beside your bed. So, I thought you were waiting for me."

He said, "Oh, I'll explain to you what the chair is." I've never talked to anybody about this, but since you're the elder of our church, I'll explain to you what that is. Please close the door. I don't want my daughter as well to know about this. And the elder uncle was puzzled, and he closed the door to hear what this man has to say. He said I used to come to the assembly and people used to talk about the importance of prayer. I never realized the importance of prayer in all of my life. And then one day my friend came to me, and I talked about my struggle to pray. And he said, don't take prayer as something that is tedious. Something that is burdensome, but just talk to Jesus.

And the easiest way for you to do is this. He said have a chair that is empty. And think that Jesus is sitting on the chair, because obviously he's promised us, I am with thee always until the end of the age. So, think that Jesus is sitting on the chair, and you sit up on your bed and you just talk to Jesus who you think is sitting on the chair. Have this conversation with him. And the old man said, I started doing that and it worked quite well. I began to enjoy it. And I prayed in the last two years of my life for about three hours every day. But every time I did that, I used to close the door because I didn't want my daughter to come and think that I was talking to an empty chair. I was deranged and have gone senile. And so, I used to close the door.

And I've never shared this story with anyone dear elder. I'm sharing this with you. And the man, the elder prayed with him. He was very happy about this old man's prayer life. He went back home. Two days later, this old man went to be with the Lord. And the daughter called up and the elder and said, "Dad went to be with the Lord uncle, I think we need to arrange for funeral." And the elder asked the daughter, “Did he seem to have gone away from this world in peace or did he struggle?” And the daughter said, “Yes, he seemed to have left the world in peace.

But there is something interesting that I can't seem to understand. He was in a strange posture as he lay dead there.” And the elder asked, “What posture was he in?” She said, “He was sitting beside a chair that is beside his bed. And he put his head on the chair and he went to be with the Lord. He had his head leaning on the chair as he died and he went to be with the Lord." The daughter didn't know what that meant to that man. But the elder knew. The elder knew he departed in peace.

My dear brother and sister, as you and I wait for the Lord and His coming, Let's live a life in his will in God's will. And let's honour God's truth by rejecting anything that is false. I hope the Lord has spoken to you this morning. May the Lord bless you all for your patience. Thank you very much