The Gospel of the Water and the Spirit: The First Epistle to the Thessalonians

Preface

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:38 +0000

The word “God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7) lets us see what God, who called us, accomplished first. For us sinners to come to the holy God, the sin in our hearts must first disappear. That is why Jesus had all the sins of the world, including our sins, transferred to Him once and for all by receiving baptism from John; because of that sin He received judgment in our place on the Cross, shedding His blood and dying; and He rose again from death. God did not call us holy while leaving our sin as it was; rather, He actually removed our sin in this way and then called us. Therefore, we who believe in this gospel of the water and the Spirit have already become people who have received holiness, and our salvation does not depend on a sinner’s own resolve to make himself clean.

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01_Introduction to the First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:35 +0000

The person who wrote the two epistles is the apostle Paul. But in the first line of the two letters, not one name but three are written. Second Thessalonians begins with “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:1), and the first line of First Thessalonians also opens with the same three names. Among the letters Paul wrote, the only letters that begin with the names of three people are these two letters sent to Thessalonica. This is because all three were people that church knew; the Book of Acts says that those who believed in Thessalonica followed Paul and Silas, and First Thessalonians speaks of how Paul sent Timothy to that church and how Timothy came back.

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Ch01_01_Sermon_The peace of the church that is in Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:1)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:26 +0000

When we know who the recipients of a letter are, the greeting of that letter also sounds different. As Paul named the church that was to receive the letter, he stated, together with the name of the city of Thessalonica, that it was in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Beyond where they gathered, he first spoke of whose people they were. From the very first line of the letter, the salvation that made the church a church is revealed.

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Ch01_02_Sermon_Wait for Jesus，who has delivered us (1 Thessalonians 1:2–10)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:22 +0000

The story of the church of the Thessalonians spread to every place, so much so that Paul did not need to explain it one by one. What became known was not a story about what name the church had gained, but whom those people believed in and how they had changed. Paul heard that news and gave thanks to God. This was because the saved people were serving the living God and waiting for Jesus to come.

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Ch02_01_Sermon_Preach the gospel you received from God just as it is (1 Thessalonians 2:1–12)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:18 +0000

Paul, who had suffered and been spitefully treated at Philippi, preached the gospel of the water and the Spirit in Thessalonica as well. After being rejected by people, he did not change what he was to preach into words pleasant to hear. Had he made it himself, he could have changed it while watching people’s reactions, but he was a man entrusted with the word that God had committed to him. How God had saved people came before the hardships that the one who preaches suffers.

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Ch02_02_Sermon_How are you receiving the word of God？ (1 Thessalonians 2:13–16)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:14 +0000

In Paul’s letter, the people who received the word and the people who blocked the spreading of that word appear side by side. The church in verse 13 received what the apostles preached as the word of God, but the adversaries in verse 16 forbade the Gentiles to hear that word and be saved. Though they faced the same word of salvation, on one side there arose cause for thanksgiving, and on the other side sins were added. We, too, must not read this word merely as a story about others, but must examine how our own hearts are hearing it.

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Ch02_03_Sermon_The people who will stand with us before the Lord are our boast (1 Thessalonians 2:17–20)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:10 +0000

Paul wanted to go to the church of the Thessalonians time and again, but the way did not open. He had the desire to meet them and also made efforts to go again, but it did not turn out as he wished. Yet he does not speak to them only of the visit he could not make; he says that they are his glory and joy. We must examine how he could say such a thing in a situation where the way to meet again was blocked.

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Ch03_01_Sermon_The faith of those who have received the remission of sins must also grow (1 Thessalonians 3:1–10)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:07 +0000

Paul waited in Athens for news of the church of the Thessalonians. He himself earnestly longed to meet them again, but the way to go was blocked, and the saints were going through affliction. The reason he sent Timothy, since he could not merely wait, was that he wanted them not to depart from the word they had already heard but to stand by faith. Paul’s care did not end with the fact that he had preached the word of salvation once.

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Ch03_02_Sermon_Jesus，who is the sacrificial offering without blemish (1 Thessalonians 3:11–13)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:03 +0000

A person bringing an offering to the door of the tabernacle could not choose just any animal and offer it. God decreed in Leviticus, “If his oblation be a burnt-offering of the herd, he shall offer it a male without blemish: he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah –ASV” (Leviticus 1:3). For a person who had committed sin to draw near before God, a sacrificial offering without blemish was needed. God gave not a way of entering while claiming to have no fault oneself, but a way of relying on the offering that God would accept.

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Ch04_01_Sermon_We have received holiness，so live holy lives (1 Thessalonians 4:1–8)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:50:00 +0000

When we face some matter, we pray that God will let us know His will. That is because we want to know what we should choose in order to be right and which way we should go in order to please the Lord. Yet to us who ask about the choices ahead of us, God has a will that He has already made known clearly. Let us look at 1 Thessalonians 4:3. “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The life God desires is not a life that follows sin but a life that follows holiness.

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Ch04_02_Sermon_Brotherly love learned from God (1 Thessalonians 4:9–12)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:57 +0000

Paul says that concerning brotherly love he has no need to write to the saints of Thessalonica. This does not mean that loving people is so easy that it needs no explanation. There was One who had already taught them, and they were practicing the love they had learned. In verse 9 Paul writes as follows. “Concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:9). This exhortation begins by making clear that the One who taught love is God.

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Ch04_03_Sermon_The things that will happen at the time of the Lord＇s second coming (1 Thessalonians 4:10–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:53 +0000

This is what the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church of the Thessalonians. The brothers in Thessalonica loved the brothers of all Macedonia, and they must have done much to supply food to the brothers who came to them and to look after a place for them to stay. They put the love of God into practice. So Paul says that he wants them to strive to do that work even more. And he asks of them, “That you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). This was because in the days of the early church, among the newly saved people there were many brothers and sisters who lived without working, saying that the time of the Lord’s coming had all but arrived. So Paul told them to strive to work and to receive the guests who came and serve them well, and the point is that the brothers of Thessalonica did that work well.

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Ch04_04_Sermon_Those who have fallen asleep in Jesus will live again (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:49 +0000

When we think of a saint who has left this world before us, the times we shared the word together and served the Lord come to mind. Our hearts are sad because of the fact that we can no longer hear that person’s voice or be together with him. But what we see before the grave is not that person’s end. Paul conveys the hope we must know concerning the saints who have gone before. Let us read 1 Thessalonians 4:13. “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

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Ch05_01_Sermon_I give thanks to the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1–4)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:46 +0000

The world is very noisy, but we have much to be thankful for. Since we have not stored up much, there is no need to worry that someone might steal it, and I am thankful for that, too. As we spend each day doing the work entrusted to us before the Lord, there is something that comes to mind. It is that since the Lord has promised to come, as we keep waiting, one day the Lord will really come.

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Ch05_02_Sermon_Become believers and live a blessed life (1 Thessalonians 5:1–8)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:42 +0000

From the word we have read today, I will speak about just two things. The apostle Paul, writing to the brothers of the church of the Thessalonians, said as follows. “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:1–3). I will speak a little about the first part of this passage, then speak a little about the latter part, and close.

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Ch05_03_Sermon_A sober life (1 Thessalonians 5:1–9)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:38 +0000

The day of the Lord is drawing near. When sin and evil fill this world, the Lord will come. When the time of this world is up, the Lord will come and do His work, and new things will take place in this world. Our Lord said that at the very end of this world He would come with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God. The time when the Lord comes will be around when the seven-year tribulation is nearly over. The Lord will come when many people on this earth are dying in droves through war, environmental disasters, and diseases, and through the plagues of the terrible fire of wrath, of hail, and of earthquakes that God sends down. At that time the shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God will sound, and the Lord Himself will come down from heaven. At that time, among those who have been born again of the water and the Spirit, those who had fallen asleep will rise first, be resurrected, and be raptured, and those who are still alive until then will also be caught up together in the clouds and meet the Lord in the air. These are people who have been born again by believing that Jesus had the sin of the world transferred to Him through the baptism He received from John, shed His blood on the Cross and received the judgment for that sin, and rose again from death. And they will always live with the Lord. They will live with Him during the Millennial Kingdom on this earth, and they will also live with Him in the eternal kingdom of the Lord.

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Ch05_04_Sermon_The gospel of the water and the Spirit must be preached again and again (1 Thessalonians 5:1–9)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:34 +0000

The apostle Paul said, “You yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). This means that the day the Lord comes again comes like a thief who comes at night. And he said, “When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

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Ch05_05_Sermon_Let us preach the gospel until the time comes when we can no longer preach it (1 Thessalonians 5:1–9)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:29 +0000

There is something we hope for at this time when the end is near. It is to stand on God’s side and not on the side of Satan the devil. The time has truly drawn near, and I hope that at this time no one will stand on the wrong path, be cursed by God, and suffer destruction. I want God to uphold, protect, and bless the Church of God. That we have preached the gospel until now is also God’s grace and blessing, but because so much of the work of preaching the gospel to the whole world still remains, we cannot relax the tension in our hearts.

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Ch05_06_Sermon_Let us live without forgetting the living God (1 Thessalonians 5:1–9)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:25 +0000

God is One who exists forever. We must think about this point. God exists forever and is also with us forever. Whether we live or die on this earth, or whatever happens, God is always alive. Therefore He gives a reward to those who believe and punishment to those who do not believe. We are those who will receive a reward from God, who lives forever, but the people of the world are those who will receive judgment from God.

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Ch05_07_Sermon_Watch and be sober and keep your heart in the age of artificial intelligence (1 Thessalonians 5:1–9)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:23 +0000

This present age is in turmoil, and the age of artificial intelligence (AI) has now come. Before long, a new age will unfold in which the way we live now will look like something from the distant past. Even so, I think that no matter how much the world changes, machines cannot take the place of such things as people eating and drinking, people’s hobbies, and the affection people share with one another. So, while preaching the gospel, we have the desire to prepare for the days ahead so that we may live coping well even when the world becomes desolate. Our Lord, through the apostle Paul, said that there was no need to write concerning the times and the seasons, and said, “You yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2).

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Ch05_08_Sermon_Think about how you should live in the age of artificial intelligence (1 Thessalonians 5:1–9)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:18 +0000

I once heard the news that before long an age will come in which robots fight wars. It says that many weapons are being developed and machines are taking over the work people used to do. When the age of artificial intelligence (AI) comes, people’s lives become more comfortable. Everything becomes automated, and as for the television, there is no need to press the remote control; if you just say what you want to watch, it puts it on the screen by itself. There is no need for a tutor either; if you just place one AI beside you, it answers everything you ask, whether history or science.

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Ch05_09_Sermon_We must believe that this present age is the time of disasters and prepare (1 Thessalonians 5:1–9)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:14 +0000

What time do you think it is now? Do you think the world still has a lot of time left? The time of the end can be divided into three stages. First, disasters must begin. The Lord, speaking of the things that will happen in the last days, said, “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). We call it a disaster when the material things of this world that God made are ruined, such as earthquakes or landslides, droughts or floods, and climate change. Disasters begin, and next the Antichrist appears and seizes and kills all the righteous, that is, those who believe. And then there is the second coming of the Lord, and when the Lord comes again, the rapture takes place.

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Ch05_10_Sermon_Watch and be sober (1 Thessalonians 5:1–10)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:09 +0000

The word says, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). We know that the Lord will come suddenly one day, and we also believe so. We must stay awake, and we must have the faith that this word written in the Bible will be fulfilled just as it is. I think you and I must look back once at ourselves to see whether we truly believe this way. Do you know that all these things the Bible speaks of have now come right before our eyes?

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Ch05_11_Sermon_Faith like that of the apostle Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:1–10)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:05 +0000

Today I would like to share the word about the faith of the apostle Paul. The apostle Paul’s original name was not Paul but Saul. This man was of the Hebrew people, a man of the tribe of Benjamin among the twelve sons of Jacob. Before he was born again, the apostle Paul remained in legalistic Judaism. When he was Saul, he was very faithful to Judaism, and he was a man who seized many of those who believed in Jesus and many of the disciples of Jesus, abused them, threw them into prison, and tormented them. Once, in order to arrest those who believed in Jesus, he went to Damascus carrying an official letter written by the high priest.

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Ch05_12_Sermon_The Lord who came the first time and the Lord who will come again (1 Thessalonians 5:1–10)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:49:00 +0000

It has become really hard to live in the world. So today we have looked at 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. In verse 2 it says, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). In verse 3 it says, “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). It said that when people say they are at peace and safe, destruction comes upon them suddenly.

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Ch05_13_Sermon_What we must do in the last age (1 Thessalonians 5:1–11)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:54 +0000

The letters the apostle Paul wrote run from the Book of Romans up to just before the Book of Hebrews, and because there are so many of them, they take up a large part of the New Testament. The Book of 1 Thessalonians comes after the Book of Colossians, but in terms of when it was written, it is one of the very first letters the apostle Paul wrote during his work. That is why this letter contains all the things a believer must know as the basics.

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Ch05_14_Sermon_You are all sons of light and sons of the day (1 Thessalonians 5:1–11)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:51 +0000

While speaking of the people who will meet destruction, Paul turns his words to the brothers. Earlier he said that when people speak of peace and safety, destruction comes upon them suddenly, but now he calls out to the people receiving that letter and reminds them to whom they belong. “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). Though the day of the Lord is met in the same world, those who have received the remission of sins and those who have not meet that day in different places.

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Ch05_15_Sermon_Give thanks in everything and live in the way that pleases the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:12–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:41 +0000

The apostle Paul said, “Be patient with all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14), and “but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). We say that we serve the Lord, but in fact it is not we who serve; it is the Lord who enables us to serve, and even while serving in this way, there are many times when we are frantically busy and our strength falls short.

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Ch05_16_Sermon_Thanks for the gospel (1 Thessalonians 5:12–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:38 +0000

The apostle Paul said that we should esteem very highly in love those who labor, lead, and admonish, be at peace with one another, and live not pursuing evil but pursuing good in all things. It is right for us Christians to live that way, and the Holy Spirit who is in us is also putting such a good heart in our hearts and causing us to live that way. Where is there any area in which God does not help us? He has helped us in many areas and still helps us now, and He has upheld, blessed, and led all the servants of God and the saints.

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Ch05_17_Sermon_We must rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:12–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:33 +0000

The apostle Paul, after being driven out of Thessalonica, while staying in Corinth and writing a letter to the church of the Thessalonians, says this: “And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13). It means that they should esteem very highly in love the workers who labor, that is, the guides who lead them and admonish them in the Lord, and be at peace with one another without fighting. And it says that they should comfort those in the church who are fainthearted, uphold those who are weak, be patient with all people, not render evil for evil to anyone but treat others with good, and always pursue what is good.

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Ch05_18_Sermon_Rejoice in the Lord always (1 Thessalonians 5:12–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:30 +0000

We have read from verse 12 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. From verse 12 to verse 15, the apostle Paul, writing a letter to the saints of Thessalonica, tells them to esteem the ministers very highly in love and to be at peace among themselves. It seems that there was some envy and strife among them because of who was higher and who was lower, who was stronger and who was weaker. And he exhorts them, “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all” (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

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Ch05_19_Sermon_Let us rejoice，pray，and give thanks in the work of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:12–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:25 +0000

The apostle Paul said to the saints, “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). By what can you and I always rejoice? Jesus had all the sins of the world transferred to Him once and for all through the baptism He received from John, shed His blood on the Cross because of those sins, received the judgment in our place and died, and rose again from death. We have been saved from sin by believing this gospel of the water and the Spirit before God, and we have come to have faith that can welcome the Lord whenever He comes; that is why we can rejoice and give thanks. We are no longer people who are bound by sin, have become slaves of sin, and struggle to break free from sin. Just as the word says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14), sin can no longer rule over us or have dominion over us. Because the Lord has saved us, made us workers of righteousness, and enabled us to live for righteous work, we have thankful hearts.

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Ch05_20_Sermon_Do not despise prophecies； test all things； hold fast what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:12–22)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:21 +0000

In serving the Lord, there is nothing that is unimportant. Cleaning is important, and everything we do in our daily lives is important. Even washing ourselves is important. However, we must now discern this age well.

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Ch05_21_Sermon_Rejoice always，pray without ceasing，in everything give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:12–22)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:18 +0000

God spoke this word through the apostle Paul to the servants of God and the saints living in this last age. People say that the world is now at its end, and saints who are in hope should rather rejoice, yet I do not know why they dislike it so much. If they truly believe the word of God, then when it is said that this world is finished, there should be hope in the Millennial Kingdom, hope in the paradise on earth, and hope in the eternal kingdom of heaven, so I do not know why they dislike it so much.

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Ch05_22_Sermon_Have the hope of the kingdom of heaven and serve the gospel by being united (1 Thessalonians 5:1–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:14 +0000

In this chapter 5 of 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul says that the day of the Lord’s second coming will come like a thief in the night. So he tells them to prepare well, stay awake, and work. He also tells them to edify one another and seek one another’s benefit, and not to do evil but to help one another. And he said to live always rejoicing, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in everything. This means that even if something is lacking, they should not resent it but should pray, give thanks in everything, and always rejoice.

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Ch05_23_Sermon_Let us put on the helmet of salvation and live with hope in these difficult times (1 Thessalonians 5:1–22)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:09 +0000

These days, although there are many good things, we also hear about many negative things. In particular, there are times when distrust toward people arises in our hearts. When someone who has worked with us for a long time makes things hard, and similar people keep appearing, the thought comes, “Shouldn’t I look at people with suspicion every time I see them?” But I think that a person should think about the positive side. Whenever there is something negative, there is always a positive side too. If we think about the positive side, the gospel is being spread throughout the world, there are faithful workers, and there are people to work together with us. God is giving us blessings, we have places to work, and the problems of food, clothing, and shelter have been solved. When God has given us blessings in so many areas like this, should our hearts be depressed because of one or two negative things? Having a positive heart is the will of God. So I, too, have changed my heart a great deal.

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Ch05_24_Sermon_The day of the Lord has drawn near (1 Thessalonians 5:1–22)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:48:02 +0000

Long ago, the apostle Paul wrote to the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1–2). He said that the brothers and sisters of the church of the Thessalonians knew perfectly that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. It means that the day the Lord comes again will come upon this world like a thief in the night.

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Ch05_25_Sermon_Cast away evil with a heart saved from sin (1 Thessalonians 5:12–22)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:57 +0000

Before this command, Paul gave exhortations concerning many aspects of church life. He said to esteem highly those who labor and admonish, to be at peace with one another, to uphold the weak, and not to render evil for evil. He urged joy, prayer, and thanksgiving, and he also said not to quench the Spirit and not to despise prophecies. When we hear those exhortations, we come to know that evil is not found only in actions that do great harm to others. Evil also shows itself in thoughts that belittle a brother and in an attitude that pushes away the right heart that the Lord gives.

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Ch05_26_Sermon_But let us watch and be sober (1 Thessalonians 5:1–24)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:53 +0000

In verse 8 the apostle Paul says, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). In verse 6 he also says, “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:6). To be sober means to keep one’s own heart well and not to live as one pleases. It means not to live a dissolute and reckless life. God tells us to be sober.

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Ch05_27_Sermon_Prepare for the end and abide in the word (1 Thessalonians 5:1–25)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:39 +0000

Through the apostle Paul, the Lord said that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night and destruction comes suddenly, so we must prepare for the end. But these days, rather than preparing for the end, we are busy and occupied with preparing the tasks entrusted to us right now. Setting aside the coming of the day of the Lord, it seems that we are living clinging only to the work that has fallen before our eyes, because we lack the strength even to handle that. So I feel that we need to ruminate once again on the word that the Lord spoke to us.

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Ch05_28_Sermon_Be with the Lord and also with the church in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:1–28)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:35 +0000

When we look at the word of God, it says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18), and this is truly something to be thankful for. Since we are told to give thanks in everything, I believe that if we give thanks in everything, entrust things to Him by faith, and pray, God will bring about good.

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Ch05_29_Sermon_Keep your faith and testify of it (1 Thessalonians 5:1–28)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:31 +0000

What I want to say to you is the word we read today. The apostle Paul said, “You yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Is this age an age in which the time of the Lord’s coming is near, or not? That this age is an age in which the time of the Lord’s coming is near is known not only to us but also to many people in the world. The apostle Paul said, “When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

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Ch05_30_Sermon_The faithfulness of Him who fulfilled the promise (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:28 +0000

The word ‘faithful’ means ‘trustworthy.’ The reason we cannot set our hearts at rest even after hearing a promise is that we cannot know whether the person who made it will really keep it. Conversely, if we know that he has already kept a promise, we can wait, trusting that person’s word, even for what has not yet appeared before our eyes. After speaking of the saints being preserved to the end, Paul reveals what kind of One He is to whom that hope is to be entrusted: “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

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Ch05_31_Sermon_Brethren，pray for us (1 Thessalonians 5:25)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:24 +0000

The apostle who established the church and taught the word makes a request of the saints who received that teaching: “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25). Paul did not set himself up as a person who only ever fills up what others lack. He told the brothers who had been receiving his exhortation that he, too, needed the help of prayer. In this one verse, we see the one who teaches and those who learn relying on God together.

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Ch05_32_Sermon_The greeting and the word that reach all the brothers (1 Thessalonians 5:26–27)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:21 +0000

Imagine that you are hearing this letter read aloud. After hearing many exhortations, you reach the final greeting, and there the command that the letter be read to them again comes up: “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren” (1 Thessalonians 5:27). This is not a word that only those who have already heard it need to know; it is a word that all the brothers must hear. Since Paul also called all the brothers in the greeting just before this, he does not leave anyone in this group out, right to the end.

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Ch05_33_Sermon_Edify one another and be patient (1 Thessalonians 5:1–28)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:17 +0000

We live in God and lead a life of faith. What we must think about most deeply as we live a life of faith is this: what on earth is this life of faith? The word for faith is made up of a character meaning ‘believe’ and a character meaning ‘look up to,’ and faith is believing in God and looking up to Him. Then what does it mean to believe in God and look up to Him? It means thinking about the salvation God has given us, that is, the salvation that Jesus accomplished by having all the sins of the world transferred to Him once and for all through the baptism He received from John, receiving the judgment for those sins by shedding His blood on the Cross, and rising again from death. It also means thinking about, meditating on, looking up to, holding on to, and believing the kingdom of heaven, the life to come, and this present life that God has promised us, and all the words that God has commanded us.

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Ch05_34_Sermon_Let us put on the helmet of the hope of salvation and wait for the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:12–24)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:13 +0000

The apostle Paul said that we should put on “as a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). At all times, Paul first of all gave thanks that he himself had been saved from all sins. This is because Jesus had not only Paul’s sins but also the sin of all mankind transferred to Him once and for all through the baptism He received from John, shed His blood on the Cross and was judged in our place because of that sin, and rose again from death, and so saved him from all sins. And second, he gave thanks as he waited for the day when the Lord will come again to this earth. Today I would like to speak about the daily living, the life, and the faith of Christians.

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Ch05_35_Sermon_The three commands God gave the righteous (1 Thessalonians 5:15–22)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:09 +0000

Through the apostle Paul, God exhorts us about many things in our daily lives. He wants us to live wisely and purely on this earth, as He said, “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16), and He wants us to pursue what is good and not to repay any evil with evil, so He speaks about such matters. But if we look from verse 16, it says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). This means that this is the will of God and the command of God. Since God has commanded us these three things in this way, I believe that we must apply them to our real lives and live by them.

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Ch05_36_Sermon_Look for reasons to rejoice and give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:04 +0000

While speaking about the things that will happen in the last age, the apostle Paul said that we must stay awake. And he said that we must not repay evil people with evil but always repay them with good and pursue what is good. Then he said, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). Then the thought comes: How can we rejoice always, how can we pray without ceasing, and how can we give thanks in everything? Since it is God’s word of truth, I know, of course, that it is right. But as I think about how I can rejoice always, I get irritated, and when my body is tired, I get irritated again. Even when I meet someone who deceives others, it is irritating.

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Ch05_37_Sermon_Rejoice that He makes it stop at this point (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:47:00 +0000

We can think about why God, who has become our Savior, told us to always rejoice. This word means that even when something happens to us, because we could have suffered something more dangerous and greater than what has happened to us now, He told us to always rejoice over its having stopped at that point.

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Ch05_38_Sermon_Since God is shaping us，give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:46:57 +0000

In the past, this word was posted everywhere. But now, perhaps because faith, too, has changed with the trends, it is hard to see places where this word is posted. Today’s word, from the letter the apostle Paul sent to the church of the Thessalonians, contains one of the shortest verses in the Bible. It is “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Verses as short as this in the Bible are so few that they can be counted on one’s fingers. God has told us in Jesus Christ to always rejoice. But even after we have been born again, we have many adversities and difficulties. The Bible tells us to always rejoice, but there are very many times when we grieve, suffer, and feel distressed. But when we look back later, we come to feel that those difficulties were truly what we needed, and that because of them we later come to rejoice and be glad.

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Ch05_39_Sermon_When we think about what God has done，we are joyful (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:46:52 +0000

We, too, should give thanks with our hearts to the Lord, who has given us many blessings throughout the year. It is said that people think in two ways. First, we think about all the matters we run into in daily life. We simply sort out matters, and we constantly think, decide, judge, and carry them out. There is no day of rest. If we think only in this direction, we are buried in work and there is no end. When we take care of this matter, the next matter is waiting, and then the next matter after that is waiting. There is no end.

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Ch05_40_Sermon_Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16–28)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:46:48 +0000

How good it would be if the faith in our hearts were always refreshed and at peace! But as the saying goes, one hardship follows another: when we solve one problem, it seems there will be no more, yet problems keep rolling in like the waves of the sea. It seems that we are the ones who live in the midst of many problems without a moment’s rest.

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Ch05_41_Sermon_The grace we received freely and the price He paid (1 Thessalonians 5:28)

The New Life Mission — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:45:25 +0000

Let us read the first greeting and the last greeting of the letter side by side. At the beginning Paul said, “Grace to you and peace” (1 Thessalonians 1:1), and at the end he said, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen” (1 Thessalonians 5:28). Even after giving the various exhortations the saints needed, what he left at the end was the grace of the Lord. His greeting did not turn into one telling them to keep the word well and so obtain grace. He wished that, to the very end, the grace would be with those who would live in the grace they had first received.

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