1 Thessalonians 5 … Consider Him Who Is Faithful

Originally posted: 2/22/2021

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass, (5:24).

From the first page to the last, in every letter and book of the Bible, the message is emphatic. God Is Faithful. Revealed as the Faithful Creator God in Genesis to the Faithful Coming King in Revelation, the whole of His message to all of mankind is that He Is Faithful; Faithful in His Power, His Plan, His Purpose, and His Promise to Purchase, Purify and Preserve His People.

But we are all too familiar with the age-old battle. Life’s circumstances constantly bombast the reality of His Truth; and daily we find ourselves in this tug of war between feelings and faith that persistently compete for our allegiance. Especially when all hell seems to be breaking loose; when the enemy seems to have the upper hand; when events don’t seem to line up with our expectations.

And as Paul concludes his thoughts to a church so in need of being built on the solid foundation of their faith amidst living atop the shaky ground of their circumstances, he calls their attention to the most essential of all essentials for endurance and perseverance in this unstable world. Remember what’s coming; and more importantly, Who is coming; remember Him Who Is Faithful.

Consider Him Who Is Faithful

Consider Him Who Is Faithful in His Power, His Plan, His Purpose, and His Promise to Purchase, Purify, and Preserve His People until the day He comes again.

• He Is Faithful, Protecting us by His Power.
  • to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, (1 Peter 1:9).

• He Is Faithful, Positioning us in His Plan.
  • Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him… (Ephesians 1:3-4).

• He Is Faithful, Predestining us in His Purpose.
  • he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, (Ephesians 1:5 ESV).

• He Is Faithful, Persuading us in His Promise.
  • and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform, (Romans 4:21).

• He Is Faithful, Purchasing us with His Precious Blood.
  • knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ, (1 Peter 1:18-19).
    
  • “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,” (Revelation 5:9).

• He Is Faithful, Purifying us for His Possession.
  • looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds, (Titus 2:13-14).

• He Is Faithful, Preserving us Perfectly until His Coming.
  • Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you [perfectly]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass, (5:23-24).

How do we respond to Him Who Is Faithful?

In the age-old battle of the stuff of life, in the tug-of-war between feelings and faith that persistently competes for our allegiance, it is critical that we look beyond the stuff of life, both the good stuff and the bad. The good can center our focus on the pleasures of life, while the bad can fixate us in self-pity.

When we choose to remember the truth that He Is Faithful in His Power, His Plan, His Purpose, and His Promise to Purchase, Purify and Preserve us until the day He comes again, we will be encouraged.

God has Faithfully provided His Word, from beginning to end, to reveal and confirm His abundant and Faithful provision. And the good news is, His Faithfulness does not depend on us at all; He is Faithful because that is Who He Is.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself, (2 Timothy 2:13).

And because He Is Faithful, we have a sure and steadfast hope, a hope we all need, and not just for ourselves, but also so that we can share it and encourage others.

But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing, (5:8-11).

While we don’t know when He is coming again, we do know that He is coming; and when we live in that hope, we will be ready when He comes.

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. ³ While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; ⁶ so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober, (5:1-6).

Let us live in the steadfast hope we have, knowing we will live with Him for all of eternity in heaven. And until then, let us live each day by faith in Him Who Is Faithful, as we await that day.

• Let us trust that He will Protect us by His Power; for He Is Faithful.
  • But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one, (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

• Let us be convinced of His Plan that has Positioned us with Christ as we set our minds on Him above; for He Is Faithful.
  • Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. ³ For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God, (Colossians 3:1-3).

• Let us be sure of His goodness in His Predestined Purpose that conforms us to the image of His Son; for He Is Faithful.
  • And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren, (Romans 8:28-29).

• Let us be Persuaded that all His Promises have been and will be fulfilled in Christ; for He Is Faithful.
  • But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. ²⁰ For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us, (2 Corinthians 1:18-20).

• Let us never doubt that He will provide our every need as we consider that He Purchased us with His Precious Blood; for He Is Faithful.
  • He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32).

• Let us live knowing that He has Purified us for His Possession in freeing us from the body of sin; for He Is Faithful.
  • knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; ⁷ for he who has died is freed from sin, (Romans 6:6).

• And let us live, each and every day, fully confident in His work to Preserve us Perfectly until the day He comes again; for He Is Faithful.
  • For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus,  (Philippians 1:6).

He Is Faithful to sanctify us entirely: spirit, soul and body, that we would be ready for His coming.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass, (5:23-34).

There is no denying that these days are thick with uncertainties and insecurities, offering no guarantee of stability for our future; that is, if that is where we have fixed our hope. We too, like the Thessalonian church, are so in need of being built on the solid foundation of our faith to live atop the shaky ground of our circumstances.

Let us ask the Lord, in faith, to strengthen us to turn our attention to the most essential of all essentials, for then we will be enabled to endure and persevere in our unstable world. Let us remember what’s coming; and more importantly Who is coming; that we would daily choose to look forward to the Promise we have in Him Who Is Faithful.

But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwell, (2 Peter 3:13).

Let’s Grow Together!