The Master Thief
8/20/95 Psalm 24:1-10 Luke 12:35-48 Text 1 Thessalonians 5:1-12
What makes for a really good thief. A good thief has an eye for good merchandise. What would you think of a thief who’d break in and steal someone’s dirty laundry and smelly garbage bag?. A good thief has a mind for scheduling. The good thief knows when it is you go out and when it is you will come back home. What would you think of a thief who went down the street just randomly choosing houses to go in and steal from? Chances are the thief will be caught very quickly. A good thief does not announce his approach. What would you think of the thief who called up his victim to announce, I’ll be over in hour to steal your money in your safe?
One of the best weapons that a thief has at his or her disposal is the element of surprise. A good thief knows how to wait for that right moment to strike. I recall when we first got our alarm system in our Taurus, I wouldn’t cross the street without pushing in the button and locking it up. Something happened as time went on, and it became bother to have to reach and unlock the lock everytime I wanted to drive.
So then I only began to use the lock sometimes. I must confess that in all of 1994 and 1995, I have not used that special lock designed to protect my car from the thieves. Even though I have a perfectly good working kill switch in my car, a thief could easily come and get it, kill switch and all, because I no longer value protecting what I own.
It’s strange that the same thing happens to us spiritually. When we first come to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we realize that God has deposited something very valuable in our lives and that we should protect it at all costs. We realize immediately, that there are somethings that we need to avoid, and other things that we need to plunge right into if we are to become what God has for us.
God imparts to us His word that can produce all kinds of changes in the way we live, in the way we see things, in the way we react toward others. It shows us how to avoid a lot of pain and hurt in life. And at first we value it, because we know the key to having a life worth living is wrapped up in those words. Our spirits which were once dead in sin, are now alive and responding to the word of God and people see a change, and we feel a change.
Only we forget, that somebody is not happy with the way we’ve chosen to live. The Bible says that Satan is a thief and it is his intent to steal that which God puts in our hearts. In the parable of the farmer planting seeds, there were some seeds that fell on hard ground, and immediately the birds of the air came and ate them up. Jesus said, " those seeds are like those who hear the word of God and do not understand it, and the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their hearts."
Satan steals from us every time we come to church or Bible study or pick up the scriptures to read. The Spirit of God convicts our hearts to do, or to not do something and before we can get the change in place, the devil has removed the thought from our minds and convinced us that God never said such and such a thing.
The devil is a good thief. He watches us closely to learn our weaknesses. He knows what our schedules are. He looks carefully to see where we place our treasures. He’s patient, in that he does not feel as though if he doesn’t break in and get your spirit today, it will forever be lost to him. Just like I stopped locking my car, he knows that we will start leaving things unlocked in our spiritual lives that will make it that much easier for him to come in and get what he wants.
If he can get us to steal a pencil or bag of chips or dollar today, he knows he can get us to steal a lot more tomorrow. He’s not worried about us not committing adultery or having sex with someone else today, he knows if he can just get us to want to see the movie, or read the book, or look at the pictures today, he’s got us a little further down the line. He doesn’t get upset if we don’t swear in front of other Christians, he’s content with his swearing just when nobody else is around, because he’s already got us in the long run. He doesn’t mind if we didn’t kill that person that did us wrong, if he can just get us to start to hate him, he’s happy because we’re in his camp.
Yes the devil is a good thief, but he’s not the master one. You see, you can see his steps before he has the chance to sabotage you, if you want to. All you have to do before you react is to ask, is this going to lead me closer to God if I respond in this matter. Is what I’m about to do clearly against what it written in the word of God? These two questions will eliminate about 95% of the devils trap. The devil played his whole hand with Eve. "Did God say you couldn’t, if he did He was lying?", "You will have a good time if you do, and nothing bad will happen."
Remember a good thief is hard to detect. It’s not hard to detect Satan, if we’re willing to follow God at any cost. If we’re not willing to follow at any cost, we compromise by calling the things of Satan the things of God and refuse to admit, the negative impact they have on our spiritual lives. They are like the seeds which were sown by the farmer which fell in among the weeds. The weeds choked the plants as they grew thereby causing them to produce no fruit. We need to examine ourselves individually and as a church and ask what is it that is choking the fruit that God wants to produce in our midst.
The master thief only goes after that which is valuable. He does not give advance warning of his approach. He seizes what he’s after and is gone before the item can be recovered. The master thief in the Bible is none other than Jesus Christ himself. Whereas Satan comes again and again to steal some over here, and some over there in bits and pieces, Jesus comes once and cleans the entire area of all valuable items.
Jesus went away to heaven to prepare a place for us. But what many people fail to realize is that He is not waiting there for us to come to him. The Bible teaches that He’s on his way back, and one day in an instant, he is going to grab every person that’s saved out of this world. We are literally going to vanish in an instant. A man and his wife will be in bed about to kiss each other, and suddenly she will be gone. Two children playing mortal combat, and instantly one is gone. A basketball player goes up for the winning three point shot and the ball drops back to the floor, and the player is gone. The soloist in church is singing "I Want To Be Ready When Jesus Comes", and because she isn’t, half the church disappears and the other half is left clapping as she finishes the song.
When Jesus snatches away the church, confusion will hit the earth. There will be planes with no pilots, cars doing 65 with no drivers, children left without parents, parents with only some of their children. Will you be among those who are gone, or with those who are saying, I wonder what happened? No doubt on the news that night, they will be telling you that some aliens from another planet have stolen people off the earth. But if you are here to tell it, let them know that Jesus has done exactly what He said He would do. He has come and stolen the church.
Now some of us would like to know the time that all of this is going to happen so that we can be ready for it. The thing about the Master Thief, is that no one knows when he’s coming. He’s just served notice that He is coming. He’s been about as patient at this thing as you can be. Now some are saying, "we’ve been hearing about Jesus coming for the longest, if he was really coming, he’d be here by now." The only reason that Jesus has not shown up is that He loves us, and doesn’t want to see all of us who are on our way to hell, to end up in hell.
Look at 2 Peter 3:3--132 Pet 3:3-13 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this ’coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 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 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 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
Jesus told us he was going away. Well if a 1,000 years is a day to the Lord, Jesus has only been gone about two days. He may come back this afternoon. He may come back in the year 3000. The bible has two points to get across concerning the coming. The first is that He’s coming back as a thief and the second is that it is in our best interest to be prepared when He comes. He is not going to steal any dirty laundry or garbage bags. He will be seeking those saints who are living the lives that He has called them to live.
Let’s turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 Now, brothers and, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Now the apostle Paul is telling us not to get wrapped in prophecies and everything else about the 2nd coming. Don’t let anybody tell you not to go to college or to quit your job because Jesus may be coming soon.
Jesus may be, but he might not. You are to live the life of a Christian as though Jesus won’t be back for 40 years, but he might come in 4 seconds. The key to being ready is to simply be obedient. You don’t need to go to some mountain top with a group of people to wait for Jesus to come. Nobody is going to be able to pin point the hour.
Look at verse 3. 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. The Master thief is going to have the perfect cover. Everybody is going to be convinced that today is not the day that the robbery is going to take place. So all the security systems will be shut off. Nobody is going to bother to use the club on the steering wheel. We can all just sort of sit back and hang loose.
The only problem is that the Master Thief knows which day we’re going to feel like this, so tell us in Matthew 24:43-45 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." I can understand the world not expecting Jesus to return, but why would we as Christians not be expecting Him.
Look at verse 5:4-5 But you, brothers and , are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons and daughters of the light and sons and daughters of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. The Scriptures are pretty clear, that you’ve even gotten saved or you are still lost. Being saved is like being pregnant. You either are or you are not. There’s no such thing as being just a little bit.
As a child of the light, the word of God tells us in Ephesians that we are to strive to find out what pleases the Lord. It makes a parent feel good to know that his or her child is not only trying to find out what pleases him or her, but to have that child go out and do it. As children of the light, the Bible encourages us to be careful how we live, and to make the most of every opportunity. We are to seek to understand what the will of the Lord is, and to be filled with the spirit. The Bible tells us to stop lying, to control our temper, to stop stealing, to quit using foul language, to get rid of bitterness, to let go of slander, to be kind and compassionate to each other, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
The commandments to stop doing things in the New Testament are always directed at the people of God. We are the ones that are told to be made into the image of Jesus Christ. Do you know why you can find spiritual hypocrites in the church. Because that’s where they belong. How else are we going to get them saved? Keep in mind, that in some areas, we have all been and continue to be play actors.
God is not through with any of us yet. He wants us to realize it as well, so that we can be ready when He comes. The most difficult kind of person to help get ready for something, is the person that’s convinced that he or she is already ready. The first thing they think is, "I don’t need your help.
The children of darkness are not interested in knowing what the will of God is, because their focus is on pleasing themselves and doing as they want to do. The biggest shock to them is going to be that their behavior actually mattered to God. They think they are fine just as they are without Jesus Christ. Just like Satan had our minds blinded to the truth, so their minds are also blinded.
Look at verse 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. We can understand if a person was sleep, how the thief may have come in, stole something, and went back out the door. It’s a little harder to understand how the thief did the same thing when the person was wide awake looking at him. The first thing we want to ask the person who watched the thief get away, was why didn’t you do something? Every person that knows about Jesus Christ, who watches those who are saved get snatched away, while they are left behind is going to ask the same question of themselves. Why didn’t I do something? The only way to be alert is to be actively preparing. The funny thing about Jesus being the thief is that He is only going after that which is valuable.
God lets us know how to increase our value by adding things in our lives. He says in 2 Peter 1:5-11 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The only way that you can become unproductive for Jesus Christ is to make the decision to just go to sleep and leave everything in God’s hands. God you change me if you want something changed. It doesn’t work that way. God told us to put on and to put off. He’s given us the power to change, but He’s not going to force us to do it. If we choose to go back to sleep, we pay the price. Look at verse 7. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."
Do you see how many times God requires us to be ready for his coming. We are to be self controlled. Neither the devil nor God is going to make us do it. We are to put on faith. Faith is only built by hearing and studying the word of God. Our faith will not increase if the food we received is from the TV rather than from the Word.
We are to put on love. Love is not a feeling. It is a choice to do something at a particular time and purpose because there is need for it to be done. Salvation is not something we go and earn. It is something we hope for because of what Jesus has done on our behalf. Salvation covers our mind and our way of thinking as a helmet. If we submit our minds to the Lord, our bodies will take care of themselves.
Why is it that God goes through all of this trouble to warn us to be ready? It’s because God loves us. Don’t let anybody tell you that hell was prepared for sinners. No it was always prepared for the devil and his angels. God wanted every human being to go to heaven, but He will not force any of us to go. Look at verse 9-10. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
Jesus Christ has made it possible so that whether we die before He comes, or are alive when He comes as a thief, we will all be caught up in Him at the same time. God decided a long time ago that He wanted a relationship with You. But God isn’t going to wait forever. The Master Thief is coming. Are you going to be valuable enough to be stolen, or will you be left behind to burn in the fire as the earth is destroyed after Jesus’ coming..
