Chapter 5, starting in verse one, and we'll probably look at a couple of other passages.
But that's where we're spend most of our time
Personal, Firstssalonians. 5. Starting in verse one.
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves.
No, perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night, for when they say peace and safety, then suddenly destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief.
You are all sons of light, and sons of the day.
We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as others do.
But let us watch and be sober for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
But let us, who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation for God did not appoint us to raft, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us that whether we wake or
Sleep, we should live together with him, therefore comfort each other, and edify one another, just as you also are doing
So, so.
As I understand. Last week Fred was talking about the section before this, which specifically is talking about the rapture of the Church and this particular section of Scriptures dealing with the day of the Lord, and I just kind of want to, if we could just sort of think think about this from
About a 50,000 foot view, just a just a general overview.
What the Lord's plan is from the beginning of creation, through through the end of time, and on the second sheet of paper that you have.
I I'm sorry if it's not very legible, but it's just something that it's hopefully helps us to visualize.
Just sort of this, this idea of what is God trying to accomplish?
What? What is? What is his plan? What is he doing?
And all of this. And so at the beginning, we have creation obviously and just a few things along the timeline.
We have Noah and his family that are saved.
Through the arc, through through divine judgment they they pass through the waters, and and they're saved.
Abraham is chosen to be the father of the line that will eventually bring the Messiah.
Moses is given God's law, covenants made with the Israelites.
There, and David eventually is chosen as as the king.
The again. Just this narrowing down of specifically, where's Jesus gonna come from?
And so we we know that he's gonna be from Abraham.
We know that he's going to be of the line of David, the lineage?
Who is God's chosen king, and eventually he does come, and he dies, and he's resurrected.
And he sends back into heaven, and all through, from the time of Abraham, all through the time of Jesus, God is dealing with Israel, he's dealing with the the people of Israel, that His His chosen people, they're set aside for for this very special purpose.
But they've rejected Jesus as king. They don't want Him.
We will not have him to be our king, and so there's there is a time where the time that we're currently living, right?
It's this, it's this parenthesis in the timeline of of all the events that have ever taken place.
It's this, it's this gap of time that we call the Church Ag, or some people call it the Age of Grace, where Israel has been set aside for a a while, and God's not dealing with them right now.
And but we we know from Romans 9 Romans, 10 Romans 11.
It's not forever. It's just. It's just for a time these things, the promises to Israel have not failed.
It's going everything that God has ever promised to Israel is going to take place.
But for right now he's put them off to the side, and he's dealing with people in a very unique way.
The holy spirits in dwelling believers in a way that has never happened before.
And as soon as the rapture happens, it's it's not as best as I can understand.
It's not gonna happen again. It's kinda gonna revert to the way things were before.
Where maybe the holy Spirit's given for a time or for a task, or for us as a a period.
But it's not an indwelling spirit like we enjoy today.
So this is. This is really a different sort of a thing.
But when the rapture happens, like Fred was talking about last week, the parenthesis is over, and we're we're God is then dealing with Israel again, and so that sort of kicks off.
What this this biblical concept of the day of the Lord.
So it's not it's not the rapture it's this time of of preparation for the return of Jesus coming back to rain on the earth to find every promise that he's ever given.
But it's it's it's this starting of the clock again with Israel.
It's bringing them back to the forefront, and God is going to now deal with Israel.
And it's not going to be. It's not gonna be pretty.
The day of the Lord. If we can look at, there's 2 specific references that I was looking at in the Old Testament, one's an Isaiah, 2 and the other one's an Amos.
5, but just a couple of verses from Isaiah, 2 versus 12 and 17, for the day of the Lord of Hosts, she'll come upon everything proud and lofty upon everything, lifted up and then she'll be brought low the loftiness of man.
She'll be brought shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low.
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day. But the idols he shall utterly abolish.
So we see that the the Lord of Hosts. So that's the Lord of Hosts sort of has the connotation of the the Lord who's the leader of the armies of heaven.
He's the general, he's he's the mighty warrior is going to come upon everything that is proud and lost.
So this is going to be a terrible time for the people who want to stand against the armies of Pat.
What can stand against God? Nothing. And so everything that is has puffed itself up is going to be brought down.
Amy is 5, 18 through 20, says, Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord for what good is the day of the Lord to you it will be darkness, not light.
It will be as though man fled from a lion, and a bear meant him, or as though he went into a house, leaned his hand on the wall in a serpent, bit him.
Is not the day of the Lord. Darkness and not light.
Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? So again, the this, this idea of the day of the Lord is a time of terrible terrible judgment, and I was thinking about the 2 2 thoughts here running from a lion only to encounter a bear if you you think that you're doing
All right, I you know few. If I got away, and then you turn and look up, and it's like Oh!
Explicit like there's a bear right like this is the worst thing that I can imagine, or or you get into a house, and you you think that you you you're safe.
You've made it, and you know you have that moment of rest.
And then, when you're when you think that you're okay, you get bit by a serpent and you're dead and so that's kind of this.
This whole idea that that Paul is talking about here. And first Thessalonians.
They're saying peace and safety they're they're not expecting this at all.
They're not. They're not anticipating that something's about to happen here.
And suddenly destruction comes, and it's it's as bad as you can imagine.
And so
My my thesis here, going back to our first page. My thesis is knowing knowing the time is not as important as knowing how to prepare for the day of the Lord
In this section, as we'll see, Paul is not necessarily he's not really that hung up on when it's going to happen.
Alright! He's telling them, look you, you all know this thing's gonna happen unexpectedly in in in a sense unexpectedly, it's gonna come as a thief in the night, and as I was thinking about a thief in the night.
I was thinking about like what that means. So Jamie and I had our car broken into somewhat recently and well broken into, isn't right?
We left the doors unlocked, and they got in right, and so
If we had known that they were coming we would have been more vigilant about locking our door.
But you know you forget, and then you pay the price. And so nothing was taken, and it was funny, because we had like I don't know a 100 gospel of John like booklets.
And so they were like scattered all over the place.
I don't think they took anything, but anyway, that's neither here nor there, but so the thief and the nice comes.
It comes unexpectedly. It comes at an hour that that you're not prepared for that.
You weren't anticipating and and but Paul isn't really hung up on like.
Look, you all need to really, be diligent about figuring out when it's going to happen.
His emphasis is on, prepare for it like, if you know that it's going to happen, then how should you prepare?
And that's kind of what I wanted to specifically sort of think about tonight is there's this contrast of of they.
And you in the text, and I'd like to point out a few things that I think are kind of interesting with that.
And we'll we'll sort of move on from there.
Starting in verse 3. For for when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains are prong a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape.
So, who are they? Who who are they? These are the people who are not prepared for the coming of the Lord.
There's saying, peace and safety. Why would they say peace, and say I was thinking about that, and I was thinking that perhaps there might be 2 kinds of people who would be thinking peace and safety either the people who think that through their own self efforts they have they've sort of merited peace with God
And so they feel safe because they believe that they have obtained God's favor.
So? Who does that sound like sounds like Israel? Right? They are keepers of the law.
They're doing what God has prescribed for them to do.
They have not just the law, but they have rule, book upon rule, book and and teacher upon teacher, and the the vastness of the rules and the regulations is, there's no end.
But if they, they, they honestly think we're doing what we should be doing.
And so, of course, they feel
A, a, a level of piece there, because they think that what they're doing is right?
So. Of course they feel safe because they think well, we're God's people.
We're doing what we should be doing. We're okay.
We don't have anything to worry about. We've locked our door
But right when they're saying peace and safety, sudden destruction comes upon them.
So that's one of the 2 people I was thinking about.
The other people I was thinking about, who might say peace and safety are the ones who think that they have explained away. God!
They've killed God right? Perhaps intellectuals, or perhaps people who are.
They think that all of this is is hogwash.
It's it's nonsense. You can have God if you want, but as far as I'm concerned, I I don't see any evidence of God, so there can't be one.
And so if there isn't a God, then there, there is an element of piece there, and so there's an element of safety, because if there isn't a God, then I'm not accountable for what I do right, there's no we're we're free.
From his wrath, because there isn't anybody who I'm gonna hold, who I'm going to ever give an account to.
And so I'm good. So another, perhaps another group of people who might be feeling peace and safety.
But the Lord is going to come back, and he will demand him.
And so anyone who feels this piece and safety, these they who are they?
There are people who are deceived, they're people who are in in spiritual and in mental darkness.
They're people who who think that they're doing the right thing or their living the right way.
But they're they're not.
They're deceived, and and so what are they doing?
And as we, we can see later on, these are the people who are sleeping.
These are the people who are drunk. The it doesn't mean actually sleeping.
It's the people who aren't aware right. The people who aren't paying attention.
These are the people who they're. They're not.
They're not reading the Times. They're not aware of what should be happening.
And so they're they're going about. They're going about it the wrong way.
So who they are, what they're doing, and where they're going.
These are the people who are destined for destruction. Then sudden destruction comes upon them, and they shall not escape.
So they're descent for destruction, and they're going to be destroyed.
This is a very humbling thing for me to hear, because I have no business to be here as somebody who
Has, like God's, been merciful to me, right like I did. I didn't.
I didn't earn this. I don't deserve, and so it's it's humbling to know that only by really hit his, his divine intervention that that he had me be born into the family, that I am in the end the the the place that I was and and all these things, like that
He's revealed himself to me, and I've responded.
But like my sister, is not about a believer, and we grew up in the same family so like even the fact that we like even being born in the family.
Still, it's the mercy of God to have to have like.
Called me to himself right like we don't deserve to be here.
And like this, is it? We only have a few days here on Earth, and then it's it's over. And and there are so many people who are
Going through life thinking peace and safety, and they're going to have a wake up. Call
They're going to stand before the living God and given count and I don't want to.
Also Sam before the living God, and say that I didn't do everything that I could
So that more people aren't standing beside. If that makes sense
It's a it's a terrible thing. It's a glorious thing.
It's a glorious thing to be called by the mercy of God, and to enjoy His His grace and to enjoy His love.
But there's a world full of lost people who who are headed for destruction.
And it's our privilege to be able to participate in this and
It's it's just humbling to to be reminded again and again in the Scriptures that people who were rubbing with elbows with every day are careening towards this lost eternity, and
Makes me want to reconsider some of the choices that that make sometimes.
So here's they. These are the deceived.
They are living in darkness. They're sleeping, they're drunk they're headed for destruction.
And this is all contrasted by Paul with then you so who are you?
And for for the use which would be those who who know the Lord.
He, he tells them very plainly, this is who you are not, and this is who you are.
So there's always that that kind of counterplay, this, like
This. You're not this, you are this, this is what you shouldn't be doing.
This is what you should be doing. There's there always seems to be that duality.
There, and so who you aren't. We're not in darkness.
We're not sons of the night. We're not those who are deceived. Right?
So? Who are we? Well, according to this passage, where sons of the light sons of the day, people who know the truth right?
So that's who we are. So what are we to do?
Then we're not appointed to wrath, or I'm sorry we're we're not to sleep.
We're we're not to get drunk, but we are to watch.
We are to be sober, we are to put on faith we are to put on hope, put on love.
These are the things that are the active things that that contrast with what who they are and what they're doing.
Their sleep, they're they're they're drunk, they're not paying attention.
They think they're okay. But you don't. You don't act that way.
Watch, be sober, put on faith and hope in love. And where are we going?
Well, we're not appointed to Raft, so we see this contrast you're not appointed threat.
They are appointed to Raft. But you're not.
You are to obtain salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, and live with Him.
And so this the day of the Lord is a terrible thing, but we can be prepared for it, and this is how we are to prepare.
I think that verse 8 is or, yeah, verse 8 is kind of the the lunch PIN there for.
But let us, who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation, so the breastplate guards the heart and the the helmet guards of the mind so regarding our hearts regarding our
Minds as we're preparing for this. We're sober, we're we're aware that we're in a a spiritual conflict. Here.
We're aware of the stakes Jamie and I were talking about spiritual.
The spiritual battle. How whether you want to be in it or not, it is irrelevant.
You are in it, and so like there isn't there?
Isn't. You can never be neutral. And there's also no armor for your back.
You have the breastplate, you have your helmet, but if you turn around you're exposed, so there's no, th. This is not the sort of thing where you can run.
You can go forward, arm an arm with your fellow brothers going on in victory, or you can turn around and fall
And
The Lord is able to make a stand, the Lord is able to make us go on.
We're not appointed to wrath. We're not appointed to destruction.
We're not deceived. We are children of the light, and these are the things that the end of chapter 4, he says something very similar.
He says, therefore comfort one another with these words concerning the rapture the Lord's coming, comfort each other with this.
This is temporary, as bad as it gets here. However, you old, you are minus about 50 years, and it's over, and then we're with the Lord right like I joke around with Jamie.
About that like it's it's only 60 more years for us, and we're out of here like, that's Max, like, I'm not making it 60 years
And like we can, we should be comforting each other.
The Lord's coming back. This is temporary. Keep going! It's not.
He's in control. He's he's the one who's got a plan.
Here, let's let's not give up. Let's not lose hope.
And again at the same thing down here, he says, therefore comfort each other.
Edify one another just as you are doing.
This this same idea of look. The Lord is coming back. He's going to set right everything that's been wrong.
That's what the that's what the day of the Lord is.
I've I was doing a lot of time spending in Matthew 24 and 25.
As I was thinking about
Thank you, Mike, and that that's kind of like dealing with that that chunk of time it doesn't use the words today of the Lord, but it's dealing with that that time that time when when Jesus is talking there, and he's he spends time and and 25 talking about
The the servants, who, you know, there's the 5 who are the the one who got the 5 talents, the one who got the the 3 talents, the one who got the one talent and for such a long time.
I always kind of read that into like. That's how we're gonna be judged right like God has given us a certain amount.
And and so we need to make sure that we're being dutiful and like, am I gonna be the sort of person who you know, has the one talent and just buries it, or whatever.
But like well, there might be, maybe, an like an element of that kind of like that might be not exactly how we're judged, but that, like there might be an element of truth to that in like the the judgment seat of Christ like this is specifically talking about the like that.
Specific, timeframe. And so this is as Jesus is about to set up His kingdom here on earth.
He's dealing with the nations, and he's dealing with the peoples and and like, how did you like this is about them?
This isn't about us, and so I I don't know.
It's kind of it was, it's been relieving for me to realize that that like this is specifically talking about that time frame.
And and he's going to set things right
Sometimes it can be very frustrating to look around and to say, You know, this is happening, or that's happening.
And and there doesn't seem to be any justice, or there doesn't seem to be any accountability for these things.
But, like the Lord, is keeping very accurate records.
None of this is going to like none of this is going to pass by without they're being an account like settled.
All of it's going to. He's going to deal with it all, and that's something that we can encourage each other with. Right.
We don't have to get so caught up in, and the affairs of the world.
He's gonna deal with it. We don't have to get so been out of shape about stuff that's happening in the government because he's gonna deal with like we don't have to worry about this that or the other thing.
He's going to take care of that. Encourage each other in this.
We don't have to worry about that. We are free to think about His coming in His kingdom, and and loving people the way that He loves us, and and and reaching the lost and and and serving one another.
We like. He's he's got this. He's going to take care of all of it.
We just need to keep our eyes fixed on him. And that's how we need to be encouraging to each other.
Applications for me for this particular portion of Scripture is to like for me.
This is just for me like, keep my eyes fixed on him.
Don't worry about what's going on in the world.
He's the one who's in control of all of it.
There's going to be a time where he actually comes back to earth and settles everything.
He's going to settle everything, and he's going to rain on Earth as he promised.
Every promise he's ever given. He's going to keep, and we just need to keep our eyes fixed on him.
And that's my encouragement to you tonight as well.
You're all, I'm sure, doing this a lot better than I am, but but we can continue to spur each other on.
We can continue to come alongside each other you're going through a hard time.
The Lord is in control, and he's coming back. And what happened to you then was very unfair.
But the Lord is going to set it straight. He's going like it's going to.
He's going to get it right. And we can continue to remind each other of these things because it's so easy to forget
Let's pretty our Heavenly Father. Thank you for this opportunity.
We've had to open your word. Thank you that you have gone to great lengths to explain your plan, that you have still for this world.
You have a great deal invested in it, and you want every every person to be saved.
You our committed to seeing that everybody has an opportunity to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ, about Him coming in the flesh, about Him being God, about Him, dying for sinful people about Him, being raised back to life, and the hope that we haven't Him because of that you're you're committed
to this, and you're sending people out all over the world in the hopes that every single person will have an opportunity to hear this, or do we want to be participants of this incredible life changing bit of the only piece of news that is ever really really mattered.
And we help us to, to, to find ways in our own lives, to, to reach people who do not know about this, because the days are short.
Our time here is you could come back anytime that you want to, and so we we recognize that when you do come back it's going to be dark.
It's going to be a time of terrible judgment, and we would hate for the people who we know to have to face that.
And so we just pray for courage and and opportunities to to share with the lost.
Thank you for your word. Help us to go into live according to it, since you just have no recording