You can listen to the full sermon here:-
http://nec.org.au/strong-and-ready/
Message
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Surprised But Not Napping
Why is it that there are so many modern Christians who seem to think that we are somehow smarter than the first century Christians.
I’ll show you what I mean.
Let’s turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 (read)
Even in the short time he was in Thessalonica Paul was still able to give the church a great grounding on events that are related to the end times. In doing so Paul was passing on the teaching of Jesus.
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
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. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24: 36, 42-44
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Acts 1:6-7
You can’t make it any clearer than that. We don’t know when Jesus will return.
If Jesus didn’t tell the disciples when he was coming back, why do people still think he will reveal it to them?
This is Ronald Weinland.
He predicted that Jesus will come back in 9th June this year (2019). What happened on that day?
• Ashleigh Barty won the French Open.
• It was Father’s Day in Austria
• The Cooly Rocks Car show was on in Coolangatta.
• We were in Church listening to a sermon on Psalm 77:7-12.
• It was Pentecost Sunday.
• Jesus didn’t come back.
But here is the real kicker. Ronald Weinland predicted that Jesus would come back
• On the September 30, 2008.
• On Pentecost of 2012, or 2013.
Ron has also said that if Jesus doesn’t come back in 2019 Christ could still return – but not until 2020.
What do we say to people like Ronald Weinland?
Open your Bible and read it.
Stop trying to predict when Jesus is coming.
Focus on being the Christian Jesus wants us to be while we wait for the return.
It actually isn’t that difficult to do.
The new Christians in Thessalonica got it – and they only had a few weeks of teaching.
What did they clearly understand?
Jesus will come back like a thief in the night
Be clear about this.
He will come like a first century in Israel thief … not like a 20th century Australian thief.
Because when we think about thieves today we often think about someone who is sneaky. We are asleep upstairs and they quietly sneak in down-stairs – because they were able to pick the lock. Or because we have used the Jesus will look after our house method – that is where you just leave the door unlocked and hope there is a guardian angel there to stop people coming in. The thief quietly sneaks around and takes stuff. Including the keys to the car which they hop into a drive off and we don’t even hear them because we are fast asleep.
In the first century most people’s homes were only two or three rooms. Often built around a courtyard. When the thief came the first thing they would do is over-power the occupants. So it was more an issue of force.
We would call it a home invasion.
The preparation for such an event are quite different to the preparations needed for the sneaky 20th century thief.
The preparation for the sneaky thief is to make sure doors and windows are locked with good deadlocks. And the house is secure. And the car is in the garage and it is locked. Doing stuff like this in the hope that thieves won’t be able to pass our security measures.
The preparation for the invading thief is more complicated. It would require being vigilant and awake. Keeping an ear out for any sign of trouble. Having a capacity to know how to defend yourself and even push back those who would seek to be home-invaders.
So being watchful is not trying to predict when an event is going to take place.
Being watchful is a state of readiness and being vigilant.
When we think about the return of Jesus we need to ask the right question.
The wrong question is, “When will it happen?”
Scripture is clear … you do not know.
The right question is “What sort of Christians will we be while we wait?”
On this question Scripture is also clear.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives .
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:10-11; 14, 17-18
The preparation for Jesus is to be ready, focussed, living for him. Being on our guard. Having a watchfulness that leads to a life-style of obedience and faith.
Doing this because it is so easy to get distracted while the wait takes place.
Turn with me to Luke 12:35-46 (read)
Do you see all the connections?
Be ready for the Master
Watching.
Preparedness for the thief in the night.
The unexpectedness of the return of Jesus.
Being faithful to our calling as servants.
This is how we live as we wait.
We do this because we know ourselves don’t we.
Example of house sitting for parents when they go away.
We will be back in 10 days.
The house is a disaster up to day 9½
Then it gets cleaned up … and parents come home – thanks for taking such great care of the house.
But if they had decided to come back a bit earlier the situation is so different.
We don’t know the day or the hour.
We don’t know when the day of the Lord will be.
So we wait in the way Jesus wants us to wait.
Go back to 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (read)
The imagery Paul is using here comes from the first century Roman world.
The Romans had a saying that was known all over the Roman empire.
“pax et securitas” - peace and security.
The slogan itself was a part of the Roman propaganda to help the conquered citizens feel safe and trust what the Roman military machine could provide.
Remember also the favoured status of the city of Thessalonica. They were given extra military support and provided with everything they needs to feel at peace and have security.
The slogan brings stability – we are ok … we are safe.
The slogan also brings apathy …
… the government will sort it out.
… medical science will sort it out.
… social institutions will sort it out.
Apathy.
I’ll show you what I mean
Type 2 Diabetes is generally curable.
It can be managed by having a healthy diet, exercise, and weight loss.
It doesn’t work for all cases, and losing weight is not necessarily something all people can do. But in the majority of cases it is the answer.
Have a chat to a GP and ask them how many people would rather keep taking the medication required, then do the preparations needed to lose weight, have a better diet and exercise.
The medication gives peace and security. Apathy results.
This is the world we live in, and it has been like that at least since the days when Paul first visited Thessalonica.
All people want is peace and safety … but many are looking for it in the wrong places.
Our jobs. Our status. Our relationships. Our leisure. Our networks. Our technology. Our will to survive. Our comforts.
They all give empty promises for security.
For all will give way to destruction that can come like labour pains.
Again … not the labour pains of the 20th century Australia woman. When that labour pain comes we all go hooray.
Knowing there is a hospital system second to none.
With gas, pethidine, epidurals, cesareans, general antithetic, professionals, skilled medical teams, advanced diagnosis instruments and real-time monitoring.
The first century labour pains were often in isolation, with family making the delivery, and not monitoring and lots of danger.
Labour pains were risky pains with large numbers of women dying in child birth resulting in the average age of women at the time to be around 30.
When the contractions started they were just as much a signal of death as they were a signal of life.
Jobs fall through and reemployment is difficult – especially if you are over 45.
Relationships break.
Technology is just as harmful as it is helpful.
The safest cars are still involved in fatal accidents. The healthiest people still die from cancer. The smartest people still get dementia.
Peace and security … is just a façade.
Except for one eternal truth.
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11
This is what a Christian does as they wait.
We stay out of the dark … out of the place of spiritual blindness, and the darkness, and the moral depravity. Jesus speaks plainly about this:-
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people 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 their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 3:19-21
Being in the darkness. Living for the night. Living for spiritual sleep and spiritual drunkenness.
Not just accidentally – but with a deliberate choice – the people loved (agape) darkness.
It is the only time in Scripture agape is used to describe sacrificial love for evil.
We don’t belong there … because we love the light.
The light of the cross.
The light of salvation.
Jesus who is the light of the world.
The light which prepares us, and equips us and makes us ready for the sudden coming.
Equipped with the breastplate of love and faith.
Equipped with the helmet of hope.
Faith. Hope. Love.
Living each day in service. Living each day in expectation.
If we are here … we are with Him … we are the awaken.
When we pass away we are with Him … those who have fallen asleep.
Whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him.
So we don’t have to keep watching, and trying to guess, and rely on the predictions of theologians who are obviously bad at math.
Jesus will come back. When it happens you will know.
In the meantime listen to the words of Jesus and live as he calls you.
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:7-8
That is what the Thessalonians did.
They were encouraging each other with this teaching.
The result spoke for itself.
They became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:7).
Their faith in God become known everywhere (1 Thessalonians 1:8)
They were strong. They were ready. They stood out.
Not because the world was laughing at them for giving yet another failed prediction.
But because they were living lights … and a light to the living.
Prayer
