God is Faithful in His Promises

(1 Thessalonians 5:23-28)

These closing few verses of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians church provide some points we need to remember.

Key among those points is that God is faithful in His promises and He will do all that He has promised. The love and faithfulness of God is beyond human understanding. He never lies, and so what He said He will do, He does.

So let us consider these few things as we close this study of the book of 1 Thessalonians.

God is faithful in His promises

In these scriptures that close this book there are several promises. This is what the scripture says.

23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 25 Brethren, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-28)

The first verse identifies a number of the promises of God. It shows us that God will sanctify, that is, to make the people holy as He is holy. It shows that He will keep our spirits, bodies, and souls sound and blameless.

These promises are indicative of what the Lord will do for His people and they show that God is faithful in His promises.

The Coming of the Lord Jesus

The promises that Paul discusses here pertain to the coming of the Lord, and that God is faithful in His promises to keep us in Christ until His return.

The promises are predicated upon the fact that we too must do our part. We must remain strong in Christ. We need to hold fast to our faith in Jesus. It is essential that we must continue to learn and grow to maturity in Jesus. And we must follow Christ according to the patterns and methods laid down by God.

We cannot expect to receive the promises of God if we don’t follow Christ according to His way rather than trying to do it OUR way. Look what Jesus said.

21 “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Doing the will of the Father

Look at these words. It is only those who do the “will of the Father” who will enter the kingdom of heaven.

We cannot expect to enter God’s kingdom if we do not do His will. We cannot do it our way instead of God’s way and expect to receive His promises.

And as the scripture continues, there will be many who say on the Day of Judgement, “Lord, Lord.” They will claim to have done many mighty things in the name of the Lord, including prophesy and casting out demons, but the Lord will reject them.

And if they are doing or claiming to do these things, they are not the people of the world. They are Christians, but they have been trying to follow Christ their OWN way rather than “doing the will of God.”

When we follow the Lord according to the will of the Father, then indeed God is faithful in His promises and will give us the kingdom with Jesus Christ.

The Final Words

In the closing words of this chapter, Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for him and his fellow workers.

We should do likewise. Pray for ALL of the people of the Lord, especially in these troubled times. Walk in love with all people and seek what is right in all things.

These last days will be difficult and we can expect the opposition from Satan to grow, and the persecutions against the people of God to increase.

So pray for all people, and know that God is faithful in His promises and that He will keep His people strong. We have a need for endurance, so stand strong in your faith and in the encouragement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be constant in prayer and seek the Lord in all matters because God is faithful in His promises.

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