BE READY FOR THE LORD’S RETURN (Outline)
November 7, 2010 -
Last Judgment -
1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-11
INTRO: Are you ready? How often do you hear or say these words each day? Every day we get ready for one thing or another. We wake up and get ready to greet the day. We get ready for breakfast. We get ready to go to work. We get ready for school. We get ready for the noon meal. We get ready to come back home. We get ready to read the mail, watch the news, and relax before we get ready for bed. We get ready for a good night’s rest in order to get up and get ready for the next day. Our daily getting ready often focuses only on the present. We really do not know what will happen tomorrow or the next day, month, or year. As believers we get ready for the Lord’s return. The Lord God Almighty has guaranteed our eternal future. "However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’-- but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (1 COR. 2:9,10a).
May the Spirit guide us as we strive to BE READY FOR THE LORD’S RETURN.
I. Those in the dark face destruction. II. Those in the light have deliverance.
I. THOSE LIVING IN THE DARK FACE DESTRUCTION.
A. Paul writes to the believers in Thessalonica. This is a large city of about 200,000 people.
1. Verse 1a. Paul calls them “brothers”. They are united by their faith in Christ, the Savior.
2. Verses 1, 2. The Lord Jesus will return on Judgment Day. It will come suddenly.
B. Verse 3. Many people will not be expecting the Lord’s return. None will escape. Jesus will return.
1. Verse 5b. Now comes the comparison of those in the dark with believers who live in light.
2. Verse 7. Sin and evil abounds in the dark. Wickedness likes darkness. God will expose all.
C. Verse 9a. Here is God’s warning for those who live in darkness. They will “suffer wrath” – God’s.
1. God’s judgment will come upon the wicked swiftly and without warning.
2. Those living in the dark have no clue about Jesus’ return. They live life not ready for the Lord.
D. Judgment Day, the Last Day, will come and many will be unprepared. The Lord Jesus will return as Judge. The time for repentance will have slipped away. Sadly it seems as if many more will be lost than ready for the Lord’s return. Consider Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities (plus the cities of the plain) were destroyed with fire and brimstone because of their wickedness. Only Lot and his daughters were saved from among thousands. Think of the flood. People were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. The rains came and almost everyone still lived on as if nothing would ever change. In their wickedness millions were unprepared. "… and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man" (MATTHEW 24:39). Only eight were saved out of the entire world. Those living in the dark will face destruction.
E. Generally speaking most people want to spend eternity in heaven. Why is it that so many still chose to live in the darkness of wickedness? Why do so many turn away from God? We need to remember that sin is part of human nature. We are born into this world as sinners. We are called the enemies of God. Such is the attitude of our sinful, human nature. Our hearts are only wicked all the time. "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (JOHN 3:19, 20). Take time to read John chapters 1 and 3. Christ is the Light but is rejected.
F. Every believer throughout this world live in this sin-darkened world. We need to be aware that the temptations around us try to dull our Christian senses. We become accustomed to the world’s view. All too often the world’s view directly opposes God’s will. The elections have come and gone. Some voted on the legality of same-sex marriage. Others voted on the use of marijuana. Imagine. Sadly, there is no voting concerning the rights of unborn children. Millions of innocent children are ripped out of mothers’ wombs for the sake of convenience. This is shameful and utterly disgraceful. "’Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished,’ declares the LORD" (JEREMIAH 23:12). Darkness brings destruction.
BE READY FOR THE LORD’S RETURN.
The darkness of sin and wickedness brings destruction.
II. THOSE LIVING IN THE LIGHT HAVE DELIVERANCE.
A. Verse 4. “Brothers” stresses the importance of the spiritual family of Christ.
1. The Last Day will come as a surprise. But it will not be surprising for prepared believers.
2. Verse 5. The sons of the light and of the day are the chosen children of God.
B. Verses 6, 8a. By grace through faith the believer has the power of God to say no to sin = self-control
1. Verse 8b. God gives his power to every believer: “faith, love,” and “hope”!
2. Verse 9. The believers hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus freely provides salvation.
3. Verse 10. Christ died for us. This is the simple, profound meaning of God’s saving Gospel!
C. Verse 11. God knows each of us by name. We have eternal salvation. In joy we encourage others.
D. Each Sunday we gather together to hear and learn God’s holy word. This is the main purpose of our worship. Our secondary purpose as believers worshipping together is to encourage and build up one another. This is especially important in our day and age of discouragement. Our society often only offers despair and darkness. As children of God we offer the Lord’s love and light. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all good-ness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord" (EPH 5:8-10). We can spend our lives finding “out what pleases the Lord”. “Goodness, righteousness, and truth” truly please our God.
E. Thankfully our loving Lord does not just tell us what he wants out of our lives of Christian love. Our gracious God also is the One who empowers us to carry out his will. The Creator of the universe is the same God who creates faith in our hearts for our lives. On our own we are only lost and condemned creatures. " For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 CORINTHIANS 4:6). It is in the very cross of Christ that each of us has seen the glory of God. We prepare for the Lord’s return.
F. By grace through faith the Lord God has made us his very own children. By God’s powerful word he has made us people of light in this dark, wicked world. We look forward to the Lord’s return on the Last Day, Judgment Day. We prepare for Jesus’ return. In reality we are prepared for the return of the Lord whenever it may be. "...you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 PETER 1:8b, 9). In our mortal bodies we have immortality. God’s grace has given to each of us eternity. Our sins are forgiven, we are ready.
CONC: Every day we wake up and get ready for all sorts of things in our lives. Some are important. Most things are not that important. As we get ready for this and that may we recall that we look ahead to be ready for eternity. Maybe when we get ready to begin the day we could remember the Lord will return. Or maybe when we get ready to end the day in the evening we would remember God has delivered us out of darkness into his light. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (HEBREWS 12:2). BE READY FOR THE LORD’S RETURN. Darkness brings eternal destruction. This is the truth of Scripture. We cannot scare anyone out of hell or into heaven. Be-lievers who live in the light of Christ have deliverance. We are prepared. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
LAST JUDGMENT rdgs:
JEREMIAH 26:1-8;
2 THESS. 1:5-10;
LUKE 19:11-27;
(PSALM 90)
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