Series: Lies Satan Tells
YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO GET YOUR LIFE READY
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
As a child I loved to play hide and seek. I loved it no matter if I was the one hiding who was trying not to get caught, or if I was the one seeking who was trying to catch the unexpecting. Although I haven’t played in a while, I remember the seeker, or "it" as we always called him would close his eyes and count to 100 so that all the others could hide. Now sometimes the seeker would cheat a little bit as he would peep around and then you could hear him count, "One, two, three, fourteen fifteen, sixty one and so on." Then you would hear him scream out, Ready or not here I come."
Four things were always certain:
1- He was surely coming
2- He was coming when he got ready
3- He was coming whether you were ready or not
4- If you were not ready, then you would pay the consequences
Little did I realize as a child how much this fun game paralleled the the second coming of Jesus Christ. This Paul exhorted us the church of Thessalonica and us today about the importance of being ready.
I. THE NECESSITY OF WALKING IN READINESS (5:1-5)
A. Certain Return of Jesus Christ
(5:1-2a) But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh..."
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is one of the most repeated teachings in all of Scripture
Paul was well aware of this and he explained his readers should be perfectedly aware that Jesus was coming again. As a matter of fact, he told them that he shouldn’t even have to tell them again. It should be obvious. It is kind of like the story of a tourist driving through West Texas who stopped at a gas station and observed a piece of rope dangling from a sign labeled "Weather Forecaster." "How can you possibly tell the weather with a piece of rope?" the tourist wanted to know. "It’s simple, sonny," was the droll answer. "When the rope swings back and forth, it’s windy, when it gets wet, it’s raining, when it’s frozen stiff, it’s snowing, and when it’s gone... tornado!"
There are simply some things that should be obvious without even asking. The imminent return of Jesus Christ is one of those things.
B. Uncertain Timing of His Return
(5:2b) "...as a thief in the night."
The question is not "if Jesus will return?" but "when will he return?" Paul answered this question by basically saying, "No one knows." He explained this by describing the time of Jesus return as a thief in the night. Just as a thief plans his entry at an uncertain time when least expected, so will be the coming of the Son of God. Jesus Himself said in (Matt. 24:35) "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." And later He said in (Matt 24:44) Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him."
C. Certain Judgement upon those not Ready
(5:3-5) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Paul refers to the Second Coming of Christ as the "Day of the Lord." Throughout scripture the "Day of the Lord" was the designation of that latter time in history when God would pour out His wrath on the ungodly. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to rapture His people, then soon after our Lord will begin to pour out His judgements upon then earth in a time which we refer to as the Great Tribulation.
The tragedy of this day is that so many will be unprepared. And not only will they be unprepared they will actually be deceived and actively deceiving others as they cry out "Peace and safety" while thinking there is no danger at all when in fact destruction is immediately upon them.
II. THE CONDITIONS OF WALKING IN READINESS (5:6-8)
A. We must live daily with an Attitude of Watchfulness
(5:6-7) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
As a soldier is commanded to "stay alert" on his post, so must we as Christians. Paul instructs us to "watch" (gregario) which means to stay awake or be vigilant. His command was in the present tense which means this must be a continual practice of the Christian. Its a matter of attitude. A Roman soldier would be put to death for falling asleep on his watch. The outcome could be just as fatal for the person not constantly looking for the return of Christ.
B. We must live daily with the Discipline of Self-Control
Paul is warning us that we must not allow anything within our lives that will influence our moral alertness. Just as alcoholic beverages will greatly influence and inhibit a person’s abilities to focus and make important decisions, sin will affect one’s ability to make moral decisions. A person does not become drunk with just one drink, but one drink leads to two and then to three. Slowly the drinker becomes drunk without even noticing it and all of his senses become blurred making him a danger to himself and also to others. In the same way, if we do not control the sin in our lives, we will soon become so overcome by its effects tthat we are oblivious to spirtual matters and therefore unaware of and unconcerned about the imminent return of Christ. As a drunkard who is passed out and oblivious to the world. so is the uncontrolled sinner spiritually passed out.
C. We must live daily with the Protection of God’s Armor
(5:8) But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
Story of Daddy’s gunfight w/o clothes in WWII. My dad was in the Navy during WWII and he served on a small submarine chaser ship in the South Pacific. While on the ship one of their strict commands was to always be combat ready which meant even when you took a shower you must keep your gear nearby. Yet, there would be sometimes weeks they would not see another ship or plane and during these times they would become a little loose in their readiness. Then one morning my dad and some of his buddies where showering when the air-raid siren went off and were all called to immediately man their stations. The only problem, no clothes. As my dad ran out of the shower a helmet was slapped on his head and he had to run immediately to his post as an artillery loader with nothing but a helmet on. Dad said those spent shellings were hot on his feet and legs as he danced around them. Can you imagine the looks on the enemy pilot’s faces when they looked on the ship with naked men manning the guns? Dad found out quickly that not being ready had some pretty tough consequences.
III. THE BLESSINGS OF WALKING IN READINESS (5:9-11)
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
A. The Peace of Knowing that You are always Ready for the Coming of Christ
Therefore, you will look for Christ’s Coming with
Excitment and Expectancy
Instead, of Fear and Dread
B. The Comfort of Knowing that You will be Saved from the Wrath of God
Quote: God’s people should plan for a voyage of a thousand years, but be prepared to abandon ship tonight. Joseph Bayly
