1 Thessalonians 5: Stanly Community Church

Transcription

1 While Christians eagerly anticipate the imminent return of Christ, their thoughts and their time should not be spent fretting over exactly when He will appear. Instead, the Lord wants His Church to rest in His grace and focus on being a consistent, faithful representation of His kingdom. For when He returns, it will be a time of judgment for sinners, and only those who repent now and believe the Gospel of Christ can avoid it. When the apostle Paul first brought the Gospel to the city of Thessalonica, he taught the believers about the events surrounding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. They knew the Lord would return to judge all who oppose Him and lead His faithful subjects into the glory of His kingdom. Paul s instruction included the Lord s promise that His judgment on the world would come suddenly and be absolutely devastating for the ungodly (e.g. Matt ). Like all Christians, the Thessalonians looked forward with gladness to the day when Jesus would reign victoriously. And because of persecution, they felt surely He would appear at any time to deliver them. Yet, some among them had already died (possibly as a result of persecution), and those who remained were worried that their departed brethren had somehow missed the glory of the kingdom. But Paul assured them that the Church both departed and living believers would be the first to see and experience full glory with Jesus in the kingdom (4:13-18). And the sudden removal of the Church from the Earth would set in motion the Lord s great day of judgment on the unbelieving world. 1

2 Since the Lord s imminent return brings immediate judgment, the Church must not to be distracted from its purpose of proclaiming the message of repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ. So, in First Thessalonians 5:1-11, Paul explains the Day of the Lord as a time of sudden destruction which calls for our sober witness as we rest in the salvation Christ has obtained for us. The Day of the Lord (5:1-11) Sudden Destruction (vv. 1-3) Having assured them that Jesus would return for the Church prior to the time of His judgment, Paul now addresses the Thessalonians concerns regarding the times and the seasons surrounding Christ s return. That is, they were wondering about how long it would be before His return and what sort of events they should look for to signal His arrival. But Paul says they had no need that [he] should write to [them] about these things. The reason was based on what He had already taught them ( For you yourselves know perfectly (i.e. accurately ) v. 2). This being that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. The Day of the Lord is a term used many times throughout the Scriptures in reference to God judging unrepentant mankind (e.g. Joel 2:30, 31; Zech. 14:1, 12; Mal. 4:1-3, 5; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:2). His judgment comes in two phases. The first is at the end of the seven years of Tribulation which immediately follow the Rapture. This will be the sudden judgment of the nations at Christ s Second Coming. The second phase comes at the end of the Millennial Kingdom (Matt. 24:4-51; 25:31-46; Rev. 19:11-20:15). 2

3 Those who trust in God s salvation through Jesus Christ escape the condemnation and judgment that all sinners deserve, but those who reject it will face a time of reckoning with God. However, sinners do not like to acknowledge themselves as such, and they scoff at any notion that God will seriously judge them if He does at all. But His judgment will nonetheless come, and it will take the world totally by surprise (2 Pet. 3:3-13). That is why Paul likens it to a thief in the night (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10). His point is simply that a thief comes unexpectedly and without any warning. As human history progresses, the ungodly become even bolder in their sin. They rail against God and His warnings of judgment -- all the while producing deceitful religious and social leaders of every sort. These claim mankind s innate goodness and ability to pull itself above the devastating consequences of sin. That is why Paul tells the Thessalonians that mankind will be utterly unprepared when judgment does indeed descend from heaven. These foolish philosophers will cry, Peace and safety, as they deceive themselves and others about controlling their own destiny (Rom. 1:22). However, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape (v. 3). Jesus used the same terminology in Matthew 24:8 to describe the beginning of the Tribulation period as the beginning of sorrows (i.e. birth pangs ). A pregnant woman never knows exactly when that first labor pain will strike, but when it does the process has begun, and there is no turning back. 3

4 As labor pains produce birth, so mankind s increased sin brings judgment to fruition. It is as simple and profound as that. After the Church is caught up into heaven with Jesus, the severe birth pains (i.e. the Tribulation that fully exposes man s evil on the earth) begin and culminate in the Lord s judgment at His return. Likewise, during the Millennial Kingdom, man s rebellion will build against Christ and culminate in an alliance with Satan which ends in the final judgment of the ungodly (Rev. 20:7-15). While the Day of the Lord involves both, Paul seems to have the first in mind. God s judgment would need to be further clarified for the Thessalonians as we see in Paul s second letter to them. However, for now, the apostle wanted them to continue anticipating it with urgency. For, if anyone is to avoid judgment, they would need the urgent and sober witness of God s representatives as a light for salvation. And the Church is that light to the world before Christ returns. Sober Witness (vv. 4-8) Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they had avoided God s judgment because they believed the Gospel. Christians believe God s message of forgiveness for the sinner who turns from sin and trusts in His Son. God s promise of salvation is to all who acknowledge their sin and embrace Christ s death on the cross as payment for it. On the cross, Jesus suffered the death the sinner deserves according to God s holy standard. He died in the sinner s place, and God accepts His death so the repentant sinner can be reconciled to Him. But this offer of reconciliation is valid only until the day of God s judgment. 4

5 Once judgment begins, God s grace, mercy and forgiveness are no longer extended. So God calls those whom He has saved to extend the offer of His salvation to the rest of the world, and He uses that to draw people into His kingdom. Christians must not forget their mission on behalf of the King, and that is why Paul reminds us of it here. He reminds the Thessalonians that Christians are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness (vv. 4-5). You see, those who know the Lord those who are His children ( sons of light/of the day ) -- know that His judgment is coming, and we have avoided it through faith in Him. We are no longer in the darkness of sin -- being blinded by the foolishness of our unregenerate heart. Instead, we know the truth and have been delivered from the error of our way into the kingdom of God s own dear Son (Col. 1:12-14; Jas. 5:20). Jesus said that those who believe in Him are delivered from spiritual darkness and live in the light of His truth (Jn. 8:12: 12:46). Jesus also said that we are a light to the world which is not intended to be hidden but to be held forth to illumine the path into God s kingdom (Matt. 5:14). With this in mind, the apostle says in verse six: Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. That is, we are not to be spiritually complacent or indifferent. The only reason we are still in the world is to be God s light to those who are facing His judgment, and we must live with this purpose in mind. 5

6 For this reason we cannot live as the rest of the world does. To do so provides no contrast with the world i.e. no light that shines in the darkness. It is like holding an unlit candle in one hand and matches in the other but never striking the match and lighting the wick. Why have the light if you are not going to put it to good use? Paul is speaking of his previous instruction to live a sanctified life of sexual purity, brotherly love and godliness (4:1-12). Anything less offers no light to those facing God s judgment. Anything less is like the world as he says in verse seven: For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. Following through with his analogy of light verses darkness, he speaks of sleep and drunkenness as conditions in which one is oblivious to what is going on around them. These typically happen at night just as ungodly living is associated with those who belong to the ungodly world. Christians are to lead distinctively different lives because they are distinctively different people. As he goes on to say in verse eight: 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. As he often does, Paul speaks of faith, love and hope in the same context. Here he is identifying these Christian attributes as the weapons we use to stand fast for God s kingdom in the world. 6

7 The breastplate and the helmet were both protective pieces of armor for the soldier. Likewise, our faith in Christ our Lord and Savior, our love for God and others, and our hope of the fullness of God s salvation in heaven will guard us as we hold forth the light of the Gospel. Again, the apostle calls on us to be sober (Gr. nepho; i.e. temperate and watchful) which speaks of a selfcontrolled, sanctified lifestyle that testifies to God s ability to save sinners and set them apart for the work of His kingdom and His glory. Salvation Obtained (vv. 9-11) The Christian has confidence for the task at hand because we know that God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him (vv. 9-10). Believers have obtained the salvation from God s judgment that Jesus Christ provides through His sacrificial death and His resurrection from the dead. We have assurance that we are His while we represent Him here, and we have assurance of eternal glory with Him. Just as he wanted them to know that no believer would miss the Rapture of the Church, Paul wanted the Thessalonians to have no fear of the coming Day of the Lord s judgment. We are instead to represent Him in this world and look forward to the day that all believers (both living and departed) will be reunited with Him. That is as far from judgment as you can get! 7

8 And we are to comfort each other and edify (i.e. build up) one another (v. 11) in these truths. The Thessalonians were already doing this, and he urged them to continue. We as Christians eagerly anticipate the return of our Lord and Savior. However, we cannot let ourselves become preoccupied with trying to predict His arrival. The fact is that God has not told us when He will send His Son back into the world for judgment. We just believe His promise. We must live understanding the Day of the Lord as a time of sudden destruction from which sinners need to be saved. We must live knowing that God has called us to be a sober witness of His judgment and His salvation. And we must live with the confidence and assurance that we are the recipients of His gracious salvation which Christ has obtained for us. As Jesus told the disciples following His resurrection, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me to the end of the earth (Acts 1:7, 8). Yes, the Day of the Lord s judgment is coming. Is your life a light leading sinners to avoid that Day? 8