The Day of the Lord

Introduction:

As we have mentioned before, the book of 1 Thessalonians is about preparing saints for the coming of Christ - ; ; ;

Chapter 5 in particular, focuses on the moral implications of the day of Christ’s coming in judgment.

The end of chapter 4 gives explicit details of the events of Christ’s coming; chapter 5 offers the exhortation to be ready and how to be prepared for Christ’s coming.

The day of the Lord is coming. Christ is going to return. Saints will be united with God and Christ. The wicked will be judged. These are not ideas to take for granted nor to forget. Therefore, Paul says… [POINT #1: EXPECT THE END]

Expect the End

Paul was offering an explanation of what to expect at the end of time. But he did not have to convince the brethren that there would be an “end” of things -

Every Christian should know that:

this world is going to come to an end -

Christ is going to come again to receive the faithful into eternal life -

heaven is a separate and distinct place from the earth - ;

the day of the Lord is coming, a day of judgment of the wicked - , ,

Because we know that these events will take place we do not expect this world to go on forever.

we know that destruction of the material universe will happen. Peace, safety, and security is fleeting -

we must be ready -

the day of the Lord will be like a thief coming at night. It will be unknown and unannounced. We must be ready!

Part of the Christian’s life is that we are not living for the here and now. We live in anticipation and hope of the future in heaven with God and Jesus. Therefore, we must be expecting the end at any time! -

Live in the Light

Since we are not darkness, we are to live in the light -

This is an exhortation for moral living.

Light represents what is good and wholesome.

Darkness represents what is evil and sinful.

If we live in darkness during the daylight (metaphorical daylight), then we have things backwards. Our life is out of control and upside down.

Sleeping during the day is generally frowned upon

Getting drunk during the day is thought to be taboo (“it’s too early to drink”; happy hour is in the afternoons after work)

Morally-speaking, if Christians allow sin and wickedness to affect our thinking and judgment, then we are no better. We are “sleeping in the day” an we are drunk, not sober -

Wickedness and darkness must be put out of our lives - ;

Sexual immorality and impurity

Filthy talk that is not fitting and appropriate

Lying

Covetousness

Idolatry

Disobedience

Living in the light is the realm of God’s blessings -

Light brings goodness, righteousness, and truth

Pleasing the Lord

Understanding the will of the Lord (which is a command) -

Paul talks about how we ought to live:

We should appreciate those who work (), admonish those who are weak (), rejoice always (), pray (), and hear the message of God revealed from the Spirit ().

Come out of the darkness and live in the light. That is the only way to be ready for the day of the Lord!

Obtain Salvation

The saints of God have not been destined for wrath, punishment, and judgment. Instead, we will gain the reward of salvation through Jesus Christ -

The word salvation means to be rescued; we will be rescued from God’s wrath and judgment at the last day - cf.

The saints of God have not been destined for wrath, punishment, and judgment. Instead, we will gain the reward of salvation through Jesus Christ -

Therefore, we need to be prepared and ready for that day. We must be properly clothed with the armor and protection from God -

Breastplate of faith and love

Helmet, the hope of salvation

This armor is more fully developed in .

It is an Old Testament metaphor in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah confesses the sins of Israel, “we are like dead men…salvation is far from us” -

God did not see justice and righteousness -

So, God put on the breastplate of righteousness and began bringing judgment and wrath against evildoers -

Just as God put on the armor, Paul exhorts Christians to prepare for God’s judgment by wearing the armor of God.

It is the only way to be protected from God’s wrath!

It is the only way to draw near to salvation and be rescued!

We can then “obtain salvation!”

As a result, we will live with God and our Savior Jesus Christ for eternity - ;

Conclusion:

Preparing for the day of the Lord is a benefit to us and should comfort us because it will be the day of salvation for those who are living in the light -

If thinking about the day of God’s judgment alarms you and frightens you, it may reveal that you’re not ready or prepared for Christ’s coming.

Won’t you make yourself ready? We want you to and the Lord wants you to!

If we can help you be ready, to put on the armor of God, please let us know now as we sing the song of encouragement.