This is a part of a sermon series in the book of 1 Thessalonians. You can watch more here.
Introduction
This morning we are going to be in chapter 5 where we see God’s Word
predicting the future, and there’s something about the future that everyone
loves to try and predict.
Who’s going to win the super bowl? What’s the weather going to be this
week? What’s the economy going to do?
When I was in high school there was a woman who would pop up on the
television at night named Miss Cleo, Miss Cleo would tell you your future if
you called her phone number, and at the height of her success Miss Cleo was
earning $25 Million a month, which means a lot of people wanted to know
their future!
The ad would say, “Call now for free.” Which meant the first 3 minutes were
free, but every additional minute was $4.99, so in 3-minutes she would hook
people, and then start raking in cash, because people love the idea of knowing
the future, which is what makes our passage so applicable this morning, and
the first 3-minutes are free…Let’s look at verses 1-3:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, “1 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.”
Look at the phrase “Day of the Lord.” When we talk about the “Day of the
Lord” we’re not talking about a 24-hour period, but more so the phrase “Day
of the Lord” is language to describe a point in history when Jesus rule and
glory are clearly seen to all people. Write that in your devotional, “The Day of
the Lord is when Jesus’ rule and glory will be clearly seen to all people.”
So that verse 2 is saying, “Right now, we live by faith in Jesus’ rule and glory,
but soon there will be a “Day of the Lord” when Jesus’ rule and glory will be
clearly seen by all people at all times”, and in verse 2 the Apostle Paul tells us
the “Day of the Lord” could happen at any moment. Do you see that in verse
2?
This is so important. Right now, because our culture longs for the day when
everything is made right. Our culture looks at the floods in the Hill Country
and it’s devastating.
Our culture is looking for answers. Our culture is looking for institutions to
blame, politicians to blame, and you can feel this underlying current of, “If we
could just get the right political party, right person, right ethnicity, right
position, right policies…the world would be a better place.” Don’t you feel
that?
It’s this deep layer in humanity when we look at the brokenness of the world
at the macro and the micro, and we say to ourselves, “That ain’t right!” Have
you noticed that?
Theologians call this the Moral Argument for a Creator, because deeply
imbedded in humanity is that we look at this world of brokenness, pain and
suffering, and there is something inside us that says, “Things should be
different.”
God’s Word refers to this desire as the “Day of the Lord.” Verse 2 says the
“Day of the Lord” will come like a what? Like a thief in the night! I don’t know
about you, but most thieves tend not to ask for permission. Thieves just show
up!
I know there are going to be people that will try to make dramatic predictions
about that when Jesus is going to return. Some people tend to get really
excited about what’s happening with Israel. Getting close!
Some people tend to get really excited about numbers in the Bible, and
sometimes will try to give dates to sound more confident, but the Apostle Paul
is making it really clear, as well as Jesus in Mark 13, we don’t know the day or
hour…but we do know the future and the future is that one day Jesus is going
to return so that His rule and glory will be clearly seen for all people. Amen?
This is God’s Word acknowledging the pain and suffering we see in the world.
This is God’s Word affirming our desire for justice. This is God’s Word lifting
our eyes to the truth that one day all the wrongs are going to be made right, all
brokenness is going to be healed, all the tears are going to be wiped. All the
anxiety and the fear is going to be removed. Can you imagine?
Do you remember the same pattern when we went through the book of
Daniel? In Daniel’s day the people were going through pain and difficulty, and
Daniel was crying out to the Lord, “What are you doing?” Do you remember?
And God answered Daniel, and do you remember Daniel’s response? Daniel
says, “I don’t understand.” The Lord tried to explain all the answers to all the
questions and Daniel says, “I still don’t understand.” So, the Lord focuses
Daniel on the “Day of the Lord” to know that one day Jesus is going to return
to make all things new.
In addition, verse 3 is teaching the follower of Jesus should live with this
anticipation of Jesus’ return being very soon. Do you see that in verse 3?
People are walking around like “peace and safety” no big deal, everything is
going to great, but Jesus’ return is going to show up like a what…a woman in
labor!
I don’t want to shock you, but I have never been in labor but I am guessing
there is this weird tension of getting ready and surprise. Right?
The woman knows she’s pregnant. The woman knows the baby is coming.
And the whole time the woman is living with anticipation that the baby is
coming, and yet when that water breaks it’s a surprise!
That’s the idea of our passage this morning. It doesn’t matter what’s
happening with Israel, what’s happening with President Trump, what’s
happening with events in the news, because God’s Word is calling our eyes
and ears to be focused on His return with anticipation so that we are getting
ready and we’re still going to be surprised.
Therefore, we need to be thinking to ourselves, “What does that look like
practically?” Let’s look at verses 4-8:
1 Thessalonians 5:4-8, “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. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get
drunk get drunk at night. 8 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.”
In verses 4-8 the Apostle Paul is using metaphorical language “light and
darkness, day and night” so that there are multiple meanings. I’ll tell you, this
is a little complicated, so lean in with me for this part of the passage.
First, the language of “light and darkness” means literal light and darkness like
morning and night, but it also has a physical reference of life and death
meaning of light and darkness, and also a spiritual reference of godliness and
ungodliness meaning of light and darkness, so there are a lot of layers. You
with me?
The Apostle Paul is charging the Thessalonians live in the literal light of day
outside and open, engaged in the lives of others, and to walk in the spiritual
light of Christ as godly men and women in those relationships, so that this is
our practical application of how a follower of Jesus living in anticipation of
Jesus’ return.
As a follower of Jesus, we aren’t just sitting around and twiddling our thumbs.
We aren’t saying things to ourselves like, “Oh, it doesn’t matter how I treat this
person, oh, this character flaw in my life is good enough, because I am with
Jesus.” No, God’s Word is spurring us on to “excel still more.” Remember
chapter 4!
The follower of Jesus isn’t saying to themselves, “Oh, well, Jesus will forgive
me. I guess I can do whatever I want, because I am going to heaven.” Listen to
me, there is forgiveness in Jesus. His forgiveness is unending, but when we
assume forgiveness then we are falling asleep spiritually, metaphorically
falling into spiritual darkness.
To walk in the light is to gather in worship today! To walk in the light is to
learn God’s Word today! To walk in the light is to get to know the rule and
glory of Jesus on earth today! To walk in the light is to come to faith in Jesus’
life, death and resurrection.
It’s as if the follower of Jesus isn’t waiting for the “Day of the Lord” passively,
but actively practicing heaven on earth today by how we live, how we treat
others, how we reconcile, how we spend money, how we rest, because we are
getting ready for heaven on earth. Does that make sense?
In verse 6 the Apostle Paul gives us another illustration. In verse 3 we got
pregnant woman, and in verse 6 we get the illustration of physical sleep and
darkness, because when we are physically asleep in darkness, I mean snoring,
drooling, asleep, lights out, then we are completely unaware of what’s going
on around us, right?
Our children learned a long time ago to go wake up mommy, because you are
going to have to shake daddy awake, and I am still going to wake up confused,
because I sleep hard! Therefore, God’s Word is metaphorically shaking us this
morning, because sometimes we get lulled to sleep spiritually, right?
When we are lulled to sleep spiritually we’re vulnerable.
Spiritually speaking, when we are lulled to sleep we become spiritually dull to
the things of God. We struggle to remember the Word of God. It’s similar to
physical sleep.
We’re groggy. We’re disoriented. We struggle to discern the character of God.
We are more vulnerable to temptations and to latching onto lies. We are more
easily manipulated by the things of this world. You know this!
In those moments of being lulled to sleep spiritually, have you noticed we lose
confidence. We are more easily distracted. We are more likely to give into
insecurities and thoughts of paranoia. We are going to struggle to find clarity
and focus. We are going to struggle to know who we are in Christ, because
core identity gets muddled in spiritual darkness.
Therefore, God’s Word is calling out to our soul, “Wake up!” I don’t want to
creep anyone out, but you need know there are spiritual forces at work in this
world that don’t want us walking in the light of Christ.
You got to know the enemy doesn’t want us reading God’s Word every day.
You know the enemy doesn’t want us becoming “immovable” in our faith in
Jesus? We know the enemy doesn’t want us reconciling in relationships? We
know the enemy doesn’t want us praying?
Therefore, verse 4 calls out to us, “Wake up brothers and sisters! You’re not in
darkness anymore. You were. You were dead in your sin. You were blind to
His truth.
But Jesus has come to turn on the lights! Jesus has come to call us His! Jesus
has given us the Holy Spirit to walk in power and truth, and yeah, there are
going to be challenges along the way, but it’s okay because one day, very soon,
soon and very soon we are going to see the king. Amen?
I love the charge of verse 6, “Let’s not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and
sober.” Do you see that in verse 6? Let’s wake up spiritually through faith in
Jesus, let’s walk in the light with Jesus, let’s get dressed in the full armor of
God through the word of God, every day, and let’s be reminding ourselves and
one another, every day, Jesus is going to return, His rule and glory will be
clearly seen to all people!
Let me just camp on this a little, because you know those moments you are
taking a long road trip, and you don’t realize that you have closed your eyes
while you are driving? Sometimes that can happen spiritually.
Sometimes we can put ourselves in a place physically, relationally,
emotionally, mentally where we just get lulled to sleep spiritually.
In those moments, we become spiritually dull. Maybe there’s some relational
conflict in our life where we won’t reconcile? Maybe it’s something in this
world we won’t let go of? I don’t know, but I know it happens!
In those moments of life, it’s like we are on one of those road trips where the
music starts to fade, the warmth of the car gets to the right temperature, we
don’t even realize it but we’ve propped up our elbow just to get a little more
comfortable, and we drift off to sleep, and we don’t even know it.
God’s Word is speaking to us right now so as to say, “Are there some areas of
our life where we have closed our eyes?” Are there some areas of our life
where our preferences are becoming the center of our lives? Are there some
good things from the Lord that we are making the main things in our life?
If we should find ourself in that place this morning, we don’t need to beat
ourselves up for falling asleep. Instead we need to sense the spirit of God
whispering into our soul, “Wake up, O sleeper!”
This is why God’s Word is calling us to be “sober and alert, putting on the
whole armor of God!” This is why we need to be in groups with one another.
We need to be letting one another into our life. We need the types of
relationships where we will nudge one another and ask, “You awake?”
Why my wife and I take road trips, she falls asleep in like 30-minutes and then
every few minutes she will wake up and say, “You doing okay?”
And I am a horrible husband, so sometimes I will close my eye towards her,
and I will bob my head, so she will feel bad and stay awake with me.
Spiritually, we need to be awake for ourselves, we need to be awake for one
another, because the “Day of the Lord” is coming, and we want to live in
anticipation for that day. Let’s look at our last few verses. Look at verses 9-
11:
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11, “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.”
The beginning of verse 9 puts everything into context, “For God has not
destined us to wrath!” There is a world of brokenness and pain. There is a
world of injustice. He will not let that injustice go on forever.
There will be a “Day of the Lord” when He comes to pour out His judgment,
but because of the cross “we who are in Christ, are not destined for wrath.”
Do you see that in verse 9?
That’s the ultimate hope of our passage this morning! Jesus is the One who
died for our sin. Jesus is the One who stood in our place. Jesu is the One who
takes our judgment at the cross.
Jesus is the One who entered into the darkness of death, separated from the
Father and the Spirit, so that we who trust in Him can step out of darkness, into the His Marvelous Light!
North Village Church
This sermon is brought to you by North Village Church, a non-denominational church in Austin. established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
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