Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks

Bryan Schneider · July 17, 2021

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

sharonrpc.org/sermons/rejoice-pray-give-thanks

Summary

The commands to rejoice, pray, and give thanks address real suffering rather than denying grief or forcing superficial cheerfulness.
Christian joy fixes its eyes on God's promises and finds strength in Christ even when circumstances remain painful.
Prayer without ceasing means repeatedly bringing crises, blessings, and ordinary daily needs to the Father.
Thanksgiving learns to recognize God's mercies in loss as well as in mundane provisions often taken for granted.
These practices are God's will in Christ and instruments of the believer's ongoing sanctification.

When suffering narrows my vision, which promises of God can restore a truthful reason for joy?
What ordinary concern have I treated as too small to bring to my Father?
Which daily gifts have become invisible to me through familiarity?
How can I give thanks in a painful circumstance without pretending that evil or loss is good?

Rejoicing: Spirit-given gladness anchored in the Lord and his promises rather than in favorable circumstances.
Prayer without ceasing: A persistent posture of returning every kind of circumstance and need to the heavenly Father.
Thanksgiving: The deliberate acknowledgement of God's mercies in grief, prosperity, and ordinary life.