1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Welcome

Good morning Church, How good it is to be in the house of the Lord together!

I want to welcome you to (name of Church), and ask you to please open your bibles and turn with me to the book of 1 Thessalonians Chapter five. As we have been walking through the book of 1 Thessalonians as a church for (specific weeks) we remember the Central Idea of the book as [insert this here], and just last week we studied chapter 4 verses 13-18: exegeting Pauls words on The comfort of the day of the Lord. This morning we will continue with Pauls encouragement to the Christians in Thessalonica on the Day of the Lord.

Prayer

Please join me in opening this time of worship through the study of Gods word in prayer. (Pray)

Introduction

An enduring question that has occupied the minds of philosophers and theologians for centuries is; What happens after life comes to an end. Historically, people from various intellectual backgrounds have turned to religious teachings for an eschatological framework. We as Christians know that when our time on this earth is done, we have hope in our salvation through the resurrection of Christ Jesus, and will live eternally in a new life with God. This morning as we study Pauls teachings in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 on the Day of the Lord. It will be through 4 sections. 1, the Day of the Lord is Hidden; 2, the Day of the Lord is Haunting; 3, the Day of the Lord is Hope Filled; and lastly, for all believers in Christ should be heartened by the Day of the Lord.

Sermon

Transition: If you all would please stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God, and read along with me in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11:

Text

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 ESV

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Transition: pray and then seat the audience.

Illustration: Hanging Picture Fall in the middle of the night.

- Loud crash in the middle of the night.

- Scared, look for something to grab.... A BELT! (I've seen kungfu panda)

- Go down stairs to discover a broken picture.

I can image a lot of you have a similar story as mine, one that connects us to Pauls illustration in verse 2.

1. The Day of the Lord is HIDDEN

1 Thessalonians 5:1–2 ESV

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

In these first 2 verses, Paul begins with acknowledging they already poses knowledge on the Day of the Lord. This acknowledgement of “needing nothing written to you” implies a preformed understanding of Eschatology possessed by the believers in Thessalonica.

The reason Paul knows of their preexisting knowledge on the subject is because he is most likely the one who taught them when he began the church upon arrival to Thessalonica on his missionary journey.

So why is Paul addressing it here if he has already taught them? The answer to this questions is a similar answer to the question of….

why do I continue to coat my popcorn in butter when every time I leave the movies feeling sick? you would think I would learn my lesson the first time but yet I continue to do it!

Application

We regularly need to be have information revealed to us multiple times in various ways. Paul had recieved information that the Christians in Thessalonians had concerns regarding the second coming of Christ, and needed to reiterate the encouraging truth of scripture.

Paul does this similarly to the way that I have introduced the text this morning. With an illustration that we can relate to in order to better understand the theology of the second coming of Christ.

Transition: an illustration that conveys a haunting sense about the coming of Christ. Bringing us to the 2nd section of this text.

2. The Day of the Lord is Haunting

1 Thessalonians 5:3 ESV

While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

In verse 3, Paul shifts from acknowledgment and affirmation to instruction toward the specific rising concern in the Thessalonian church: which was As a Roman-governed city, Rome promoted itself as the guarantor of peace and security. This is evidenced by monuments, inscriptions, and literature, which honored leaders like Augustus and Pompey for their role in maintaining stability. This propaganda reinforced an image of Rome as a reliable source of safety and order, which naturally encouraged citizens to place their hope and trust in its power. It is no surprise that the church members of Thessalonica were concerned where their eternal hope was coming from.

Paul ultimate goal in this section of his letter is to solidify a critical theological truth: the certainty of God’s destruction on those who reject His lordship in favor of temporal powers.

Application

Church as we study this test this morning we understand that this text was written to a specific people group by a specific author does not negate the fact that it has critical implications to us today.

As this year is election year, you may be here this morning and you may be glad or disappointed by the presidential election results.

Well I tell you this morning just as Paul does: as a born again believer in the risen Christ Jesus your hope does not come from an elected president, your salvation does not come from the foreign policies of a particular party, and believer I want you to hear me when I say… your true security does not lie in the hands of a governing body but in the just hands of an almighty God!

If that doesn’t get you fired up this morning… than you need to switch from decaf to regular!

Because church, just as the Day of the Lord is HIDDEN from all and HAUNTING to those not in Christ… it is HOPE FILLED for those of us born again in the spirit of God.

3. The Day of the Lord is Hope-Filled

1 Thessalonians 5:4–10 ESV

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Illustration: Cave diving experience:

- Several years ago I had the opportunity to go with a guided group cave diving.

- If you are not familiar with what cave diving is: let me give you a brief thought out defenition… Dumb!

- Essentially you decide that you have seen enough of the sun and the goodness of creation that diving into the unknown darkness of an underground cave is a good idea.

- well in a weak moment I made the decision that I would be apart of this tomfoolery.

- I described my experience to my wife in this way… before I went into the cave I thought I was going to become to claustrophobic that I would go mad and regret my decision.... but the funny thing is when you are surrounded by darkness with nothing but hundreds of meters of earth between you and life something in that moment comes over you! and when you realize that something was the fact that you soiled yourself you can pray that the Lord delivers you from your mistake!

- But on a more serious note, there was a moment in the cave when the guide stopped the group and had us all sit down together and directed us on the count of 3 to all turn off our head lamps. I was not all for this idea but at this point I hadn't tried praying in the dark yet so I thought I'd give it a try.

- In that moment when all head lamps were turned off I was engulfed into what cave divers refer to as “complete darkness” this is a level of darkness that I had never experienced before. i could hold my hand in front of my fave and with all my effort try to see it and i could not.

- after a few minutes of sitting in silence our guide began to read

1 John 1:5 ESV

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

- as he read this verse he turned on his head lamp, and it was incredible as just one singular head lamp lit up the cave and forced the darkness to flee!

Argumentation

In verse 4, Paul calls the followers of Christ “children of light”. We are like that one singular head lamp that when powered by the righteousness of God we light up filling the space around us and forcing darkness to flee!

It is through the light of my guides head lamp that I was able to see my hand in front of my face, it lit up the path before me so that I may not be surprised by the twist and turns of the cave.

Pauls Illustration is rooted in the passage in Psalms 27:1

Psalm 27:1 (ESV)

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

This Psalm just as Pauls illustration reassures believers of their identity in Christ as Children of light.

Application

Paul distinguishes hope from despair with the imagery of light and darkness, saying children of light will not be overtaken by the surprise of the second coming of Christ, because we have Gods word hidden in our hearts! We have his lamp upon our feet and we are living in readiness for His return!

We believers are filled with the hope of the coming of Christ because we have the light to guide us out of the cave to eternal life with Jesus!

Transition: It is an amazing truth Paul articulates to the Thessalonians that has application to us today, but it brings about the question of how, how do we has disciples live in this hope while maintaining a readiness for Christs coming?

Argumentation

Paul points us to the answer of this question in verses 5-6

1 Thessalonians 5:5–7 ESV

For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.

Paul is calling the believers in Thessalonians to stay actively engaged in a relationship with God! He is instructing them to embrace their distinction from those in darkness.

It is A similar call Paul gives to the Church of Philipi in Philippians 1:27

Philippians 1:27 (ESV)

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ,

Application

It is our call as disciples of Christ to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ, to live in an active relationship with God so that His power resonates through us filling the space around us commanding the darkness to flee! Church each one of us in here this morning that has accepted the gift of salvation and is born again in the spirit and washed by the blood of Christ is called to live in a manner that rebukes our own self righteousness for the role of a mirror reflectant of the glory of God!

Argumentation

1 Thessalonians 5:8–10 ESV

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

If you have grown up in church or are familiar with the letters of Paul, Verses 8-10 sound very familiar to you.

This is because later on in Pauls missionary journey he will write a letter to a church in Ephusis and in chapter 6 of the book of Ephesians Paul will expand upon this illustration of the armor of God

Ephesians 6:14–17 ESV

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

What a profound and powerful illustration from Paul of the importance of daily equipping ourselves with the dynamics of the gospel message.

Application

Church this morning I want you to hear me when I say, the answer to how we live in the hopefilled gospel message while maintaining a readiness for the coming of Christ is by daily equipping ourselves with the gospel message!

Pastors and Sunday school teachers do not continually encourage us to read our bibles because they are trying to sell bible, but because by daily putting on the armour of God we equip ourselves for every good work.

The last section of Pauls teachings derives from this application which is… how all believer in Christ should be heartened by the Day of the Lord.

4. All believers in Christ should be heartened by the Day of the Lord

Argumentation

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

In Pauls concluding thought on this topic, He reminds the believers in Thessalonians to continue to build one another up in the truth of the gospel message.

The truth of the gospel message being:

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV)

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Application

Church, it is in this truth (this promise) that those of you here this morning that have accepted this gift of salvation should be heartened that Jesus is coming again and we will be made righteous in Him!

It is the hope of the gospel message that all those who have not placed their faith in God and our destined for wrath and destruction, to recognize their sin and be transformed by the redemptive message of the gospel accepting salvation through Jesus.

Summation & Application

It is through the exposition of Pauls teachings that we as a body of the Christ are reminded of the HIDDEN nature of the second coming of Christ (we do not know the hour or the day but we rest in the hope of His promise), we recognize the HAUNTING nature of the coming of Christ on those who have not yet placed their faith in God (it is the church of God who is commissioned to taking the truth of the gospel message to the ends of the earth), we are encouraged of the HOPE-FILLED message of the gospel (as we walk with the word of God as a lamp upon our feet guiding our lives worthy of the gospel) and church in this text our hearts are filled with the joy of our salvation that establishes our identity as a child of God reflecting His light to the spaces around us.

Church we take this holy inspired word of God, and we not only encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ directing them to its truth and its author. But church we are to embody this truth and fullfill the task in which we are commissioned:

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Invitation

When the word of God is preached it always cultivates a response and at times it is necessary to acknowledge that response more upfront than others, I believe this morning is one of those times.

If you are here this morning and the holy inspired word of God has resonated with you for the first time in a new bringing recognition of your sin and calling on you to repentance I ask that you join me in this prayer.