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Dearly loved people of God,
I wonder if the believers in Thess. were debating about when Jesus was going to return.
Here’s the situation. Paul, Silas, and Timothy were on “the 2nd missionary journey.” After Philippi, they went to Thessalonica, and then further south to Athens. From Athens, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how the Christians there were faring.
Timothy returned with a good report. Things were fine in Thessalonica. BUT there were a number of matters that Paul and Silas wanted to clarify, hence this letter back to Thessalonica.
How to live.
What happens to those who die “sleep in death”?
When will the Lord return?
Most Christians I’ve talked to don’t expect Jesus to return immediately. It’s not on their calendar for this afternoon: Jesus might return this aft.
That wasn’t the case among Christians when this letter was written. They had no idea that ~2000 yrs would roll by before Christ returned. They thought it might happen any day. They wanted to know if the apostles could tell them.
There’s something proper about living in the expectation of Jesus’ immanent return . . .
But we don’t know when.
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Every once in a while, there will be people like Harold Campton? who predict Jesus’ return. You can dismiss them as frauds. For nobody knows, not even God the Son. How does anyone dare claim they know?
But . . .
for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Odd simile, but one that Jesus himself used.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
When this discussion comes up, that’s always the advice: “Keep watch.” Be ready.
I had a summer job in a factory. Working the graveyard shift, I noticed that some coffee-breaks got long. Longer than breaks in the day shifts when the owner and other management was around.
Live as if your Lord and Saviour was coming at any moment because we are people of the day, not people of the night. Paul unpacks that by giving examples:
So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.
So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
1 thess
Paul turns the question of when Jesus is going to return, into encouragement to live as if Jesus’ return was happening in the next half-hour. What would it look like if today was the day of the Lord?
Would you act differently?
The day of the Lord is intimidating because it holds a threat for those who are disobedient. As we noted in the daily readings, when the OT prophets spoke of the day of the Lord, it was generally viewed as a terrifying day when doom descended on the disobedient. The prophets called people to repentance, warning that the day of the Lord was a day of judgement.
And there is something in humankind that is disobedient and deserved condemnation. Adam & Eve disobeyed God’s command, leading all of us into that awkward position of rebellion against God’s commands. We don’t live up to God’s instructions for righteousness. I don’t measure up to God’s standards.
God is holy and just. It’s part of his character to hold people responsible for wrong-doing. So the prophet Isaiah brings this warning:
See, the day of the Lord is coming
—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
Even if we tried our very best, our efforts would fall short of the holiness and righteousness that God expects. Our best efforts cannot make up for the times we’ve fallen short. Each person deserved punishment from God. The wages of sin are death and damnation. We cannot save ourselves, we need to be rescued.
That’s why the gospel message is so encouraging. God himself has come to rescue his people. God announced his intentions through the prophet Zechariah
The Lord their God will save his people on that day
as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.
How attractive and beautiful they will be!
Grain will make the young men thrive,
and new wine the young women.
The Lord their God will save his people on that day
as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.
That’s the assurance that Paul offers to the believers in Thessalonica.
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to pay the price in our place. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to save us from the punishment we deserve because of our disobedience. God took the punishment we deserve and put it on Jesus at the cross. Jesus died in your place.
After 3 days, Jesus rose again. Jesus rose to life as proof that our two enemies: sin and death have been completely defeated. All who have faith in Jesus have gained his holiness and righteousness. In Jesus’ resurrection, we gain life.
But it’s not a life to keep living the same old way. Paul makes the point by reminding his readers that they no longer belong to the night or the darkness. God the Holy Spirit is at work in believers transforming them to be like Jesus.
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
I thess 5:7-8
This doesn’t mean that believers need to be awake 24/7 or can never enjoy wine or beer or other such drinks. Believers are reminded that they’ve been redeemed from a lifestyle that was unaware of God or his instructions for life. Paul is quite clear about it:
He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
We’re called to a life that is lived in relationship with our Creator and redeemer. We’re aware that our loving Creator is watching his children with pride: it isn’t perfect, but they’re making progress! My dearly loved children are learning and growing in reliance on my Holy spirit.
We’re called to a life that is lived in relationship with our Creator and redeemer. We’re aware that our loving Creator is watching his children with pride: it isn’t perfect, but they’re making progress! My dearly loved children are learning and growing in reliance on my Holy spirit.