The Cat’s In The Cradle
Today we will be reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Today is Father’s Day.
To me it is a confusing day but at the same time it makes sense.
It makes sense because a Biblical father is what God planed for the human family.
A father who provides for the needs of the family …
A father who is a role model and instructor for his children …
A father who is faithful to and cares for his wife, the mother of their children …
A father who loves and honors God and leads his family in learning to do so …
Biblical fathers are indeed a blessing from the Lord.
Even though Biblical fathers are a blessing from the Lord other fathers can cause inexpressible harm to their families.
There are fathers who abandon their families …
There are fathers who brutalize their families in ways that are unimaginable …
There are fathers who have no interest in their families at all and just use the house as a place to be when they are not at work or when they can’t be somewhere more satisfactory to their liking …
There are fathers whose children go hungry because they need to have a vehicle with status, they need all of the sports channels and movie channels on TV, they fund their recreation and creature comforts with the money that could go to care for their family …
For instance, it says in 1 Timothy 5:8
“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
These are NOT Biblical fathers but they DO have a holiday named after them anyway …
Let’s take a brief look at a certain type of modern American dad and see what we can glean from it …
This is from a song that was made famous in 1974 by a guy named Harry Chapin.
The song is called, “Cat’s In The Cradle”.
My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"
My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"
Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"
I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"
And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me
And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you coming home Dad, I don’t know when
But we’ll get together then, Dad,
You know we’ll have a good time then
That’s one type of Dad.
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OK. Now we are going to read a Scripture that seems TOTALLY unrelated to the song we just heard as a poem and see if we can make any connections …
Let’s read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
OK. What connection can we make between the song and this Scripture?
1) There is a surprise in both of them.
What is the surprise in the song?
In his later years the Dad in the song discovered that his son had no time for him because he was too busy with other things. This is a trait the son had learned from his Dad.
Should it have been a surprise? No, of course not.
We can easily see that because we are outside the story looking in and also because the writer of the song told us so!
The Dad had a blind spot in his life that was keeping him from seeing what was happening. The relationship with his son never developed into what it should have been. Instead of being a relationship of deep love and intertwined lives filled with memories it was a relationship more like a Dad might have with one of his son’s friends.
Surprise! The son had no time for Dad.
Now, we all know that the Lord God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth is our heavenly Father. He, of course, will not be surprised by anything as the father in the song was surprised. And, the Lord does not want us to be surprised by anything we need to know for salvation and living a holy life.
OK. So, do we see a surprise in the first few verses of 1 Thessalonians 5 and what would that surprise be?
1 Thessalonians 5:2b
“… the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”
Why will “the Day of the Lord” be a surprise for people?
It will be a surprise to those who are saved and mature in their knowledge of God’s Holy Word only because of when it happens. We do not know and we are not supposed to know exactly when.
On the other hand it will be a surprise to many because they have never heard such a thing. And, whose fault do you think that is?
What is “the Day of the Lord”?
Is there just one “Day of the Lord” or are their other examples?
A “Day of The LORD” is a time when everything is taken out of the hands of humans and God takes an action that He alone controls.
What are some examples?
- Creation
- The world wide flood of Noah’s time
But, what is the Day of the Lord being spoken about here in 1 Thessalonians 5?
To keep it simple, this is referring to the time when Jesus will return to earth as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; just one chapter before …
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Matthew 25:31-46 describes a day of judgment of those who are saved and those who have rejected His salvation.
This is a part of what Paul is describing in 1 Thessalonians 5.
If you want to know more about the read the book of the Revelation at the end of the Bible.
So, let’s move on through this Scripture to see what else our Heavenly Father has to say so that we are not surprised.
1 Thessalonians 5:3-5
“While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
“But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”
I have never heard of a woman who was expecting a child and who was having a natural birth saying, “You know, I think next Friday I will have my child. I don’t have anything else planned for that day!”
No, no one knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ return, we just know that it will happen and we are looking for that day.
Now, verse 4 does not say that Christians will NOT be surprised at Jesus’ return. Instead it says we are not living in spiritual darkness but are living in spiritual light and because of that we should not be surprised as if a thief is breaking into our house!
There are two kinds of surprises that can happen when someone comes into your house in the middle of the night. One is when the person is a thief; that is a bad surprise.
The other is when someone you love dearly comes home in the middle of the night and you jump out of bed shouting, “He’s here! He’s finally here!” That’s the kind of surprise Christians should have when the Day of the Lord comes!
Finally, let’s jump down to verses 9-10 and this time I’ll be reading from the NLT which says it a little more plainly …
“For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with Him forever.”
You see, the “Day of the Lord” will be a great day for those who are found living for Him when He returns.
That is a truth that should be a great comfort for those who are living for Jesus.
That is a truth that should be a great discomfort for those who are living in rebellion against God.
And, that is a truth that should motivate all true Christians to warn others about the coming Day of the Lord.
You see, on this Fathers Day, no matter what your earthly father was or is like, we all can have a Heavenly Father who loves you deeply.
He is not too busy for you like the Dad in the song.
He has time for you right now. Seek Him. Find Him. Know Him. Love Him. Live forever with Him. He’s waiting for you.
Final thoughts and prayer.
