Ready Or Not

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

2For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

3For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

5You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

6Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

8But 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.

9For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

10who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

11Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

A message today about time.

One of my favorite memories of my grade school days

Was playing Hide & Seek at recess time.

No matter if I was the one hiding who was trying not to get caught,

or if I was the one of those trying not to get caught by the Seeker,

I always enjoyed that game.

The seeker, or the "it" would close his eyes and count to 100

so that all the others could run and hide somewhere.

After he or she had reached 100, the seeker would shout out,

"One, two, three. Ready or not here I come."

Four things were always certain:

1- He was surely coming

2- He was coming when he got ready

3- He was coming whether you were ready or not

4- If you were not ready, then you would pay the consequences

That fun game reminds me of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Paul encouraged the church of Thessalonica and us today

about the importance of being ready.

Point #1. People Need To Get Ready

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

We can be certain that Jesus is coming back!

The Second Coming of Jesus

is one of the most repeated teachings in all of Scripture.

Paul was well aware of that.

He says Christians should be aware that Jesus was coming again.

In fact, he says he shouldn’t even have to tell them again.

It should be obvious.

Story:

A man stopped at a gas station.

He noticed a piece of rope dangling from a sign.

The sign was labeled "Weather Forecaster."

The man asked the station attendant,

"How can you possibly tell the weather with a piece of rope?"

The attendant smiled and replied,

"When the rope swings back and forth, it’s windy.

When it gets wet, it’s raining.

When it’s frozen stiff, it’s snowing.

And when it’s gone... it’s a tornado!"

There are some things that should be obvious without even asking.

The imminent return of Jesus Christ is one of those things.

Verse 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night

It would be helpful if the Bible said exactly when Jesus will come.

However, that’s not how it is.

The question is not "if Jesus will return?"

but "when will He return?"

Paul answered this question by basically saying, "No one knows."

Paul says Jesus will come "...as a thief in the night."

Just as a thief plans his entry at an uncertain time

when people least expect it,

so will be the coming of the Son of God.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:36

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

Jesus also said in Matthew 24:44

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Verse 3 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. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

In verse 2, Paul refers to the Second Coming of Jesus

as the "Day of the Lord."

Throughout scripture the "Day of the Lord"

refers to the time when God pours out His wrath on the ungodly.

When the Lord Jesus comes to rapture His people,

then soon after our Lord will begin to pour out His judgments

during those 7 years called the Great Tribulation.

Unfortunately, many people will not be prepared.

They will actually be deceived and actively deceiving others.

The Antichrist who steps forward after the Rapture

begins to assume power all over the world.

The chaotic conditions created by the Rapture

will cause people to look for a man to lead them.

This Antichrist will claim that he can bring "Peace and safety".

However, the Antichrist supported by Satan

will be no match for God’s wrath.

Destruction will come immediately upon them.

Point #2. Christians Must Be Watching For The Coming Of Jesus.

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

A soldier assigned to guard duty is commanded to "stay alert".

As Christian soldiers we are commanded to "watch".

The Greek word translated to the word watch is gregario.

It means to stay awake or be on the alert.

This must be a continual practice of the Christian.

Roman soldiers were put to death for falling asleep on watch.

The outcome could be just as fatal for the person

not constantly looking for the return of Jesus.

We must also live daily with self-control

Paul warns us that we must not allow anything within our lives

that will influence our moral alertness.

Alcohol will greatly hinder a person’s abilities

to focus and make important decisions.

Likewise, sin will affect one’s ability to make moral decisions.

A person does not get drunk with just one drink,

but one drink leads to 2 and then to 3.

Slowly the drinker becomes drunk without even noticing it.

All his senses become blurred

making him a danger to himself and also to others.

Likewise, if we do not control the sin in our lives,

we will soon become so overcome by its effects

that we are unmindful to spiritual matters.

We can become unaware of and unconcerned

about the imminent return of Jesus.

Just like a drunkard who is passed out and unconscious

so is the uncontrolled sinner spiritually passed out.

Verse 8 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.

We must live each day with the protection of God’s Armor.

That reminds us of the words in Ephesians 6:13-18.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

Friends, if we follow those instruction each day of our lives

Satan will have no power over us.

We will be ready and watchful for the Lord’s return.

Point #3. There are Blessings For Those Who Are Ready And Watching.

9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

There is peace in knowing

that you are always ready for the coming of Jesus.

You have nothing to fear!

Therefore, you will look for the coming of Jesus

With excitement and expectancy.

Instead of fear and dread, you will be anxious to see Jesus!

There is great comfort in knowing

that you will be saved from the Wrath of God.

CLOSING:

Far too many people today are focused on things of this world.

They have no time to come to church on Sunday.

They never pick up a Bible and read it.

They care nothing about spiritual things.

They are not ready and watching for the return of Jesus.

Unfortunately, the same thing is true for many church people.

They are so wrapped up in worldly things

that they don’t realize they have become intoxicated

by Satan’s powerful brew.

They aren’t ready and watching for Jesus!

When the Rapture happens, they will be left behind.

We turned our clocks back one hour last night.

Maybe it’s time for you to turn back your spiritual clock.

Will you be ready and watching?