Please turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 5 - starting at verse 1.  Last Sunday - when we looked at the end of chapter 4 - last Sunday we looked at what it means to be victorious in death.

We talked about the sobering reality of our mortality.  We’re all in the process of aging and the result of all that aging - unless Jesus returns first - the result of all that aging is physical death.

Death and taxes.  Two absolute certainties.  Death for sure.  With very few exceptions 100% of the people who are born die.  Which - of course - makes birth the leading cause of death.

The Thessalonian believers had expected to live until Jesus returned.  As part of all that there were a number of Thessalonian believers who had quit their jobs and completely disengaged themselves from normal life - disengaged even from the calling of the church to evangelize - to make disciples.  They’d checked out.

In Thessalonica there were some who had begun to teach that Jesus had already returned - spiritually - not physically - not bodily - but that Jesus had returned spiritually.  So any hope of our own physical resurrection was a totally wrong understand of what was coming next.  If they weren’t already a part of Jesus spiritual return they’d simply missed out.  The next thing on the calendar was death and judgment - the wrath of God.

Time was passing.  The Thessalonians had made one too many trips to the cemetery to bury their loved ones - grieving in their loss.  They were looking at their own mortality - their own approaching death.  They were starting to get concerned - confused - fearful that maybe they’d misunderstood what Paul had taught them about Jesus’ return..

In the passage we looked at last Sunday - from 1 Thessalonians 4 - we saw Paul respond to the Thessalonians’ fear - directing their attention to the hope we all share of Jesus’ return - our reunion with Him and with those who have died trusting Jesus as their savior - at our shared eternity with God.

To help us get into the fear and confusion of the Thessalonians we have a short video clip.  This is a commercial from May of this year. 

(video:  Family Radio Commercial)

Remember that?  Obviously Harold Camping and Family Radio - once again - Harold Camping was wrong.

What’s really sad is what comes next - Harold and company trying to explain why we’re all still here.  According to Family Radio’s web site what happened on May 21st was a warning that on May 21st God’s salvation program was finished.  Jesus returned spiritually not physically.  Does that sound familiar?

In other words between May 21st and October 21st - October 21st being their new prediction of when Jesus is coming back - this time physically - in these 5 months between May 21st and October 21st not only is the whole world under God’s judgment but no one living today who was not saved before May 21st will be saved.  God’s final judgment is coming on October 21st.  And unless you were saved God won’t save you now.  You’ve missed out. 

The whole point - according to Family Radio’s web site was for mankind - in anticipation of Jesus’ spiritual return on May 21st - the whole point of all that was for mankind to live in fear of God and repent.  But now its too late.

Grab that - Jesus came back spiritually - not physically.  If you’re a believer you have no responsibility to share the gospel or make disciples.  What would be the point?  So check out.  Party on.  Sell everything - which a lot of these people did - and just sit out the next 5 months - while everyone else lives in fear.  Does any of that sound familiar?

Same issues the Thessalonians were dealing with.  Is there confusion today about what comes next?  Even in the church?

Paul wrote - 1 Thessalonians 4 - that the return of Jesus Christ isn’t a man made philosophical or religious idea but a certain hope.  For those who have trusted in Jesus as their savior - when our days are done - when Jesus returns - we will spend eternity together with Him.  Hasn’t happened yet.  But it will.

Chapter 5 - starting at verse 1 - is the second part of Paul’s teaching about Jesus’ return - which focuses on how we’re to live in anticipation of Jesus’ return. 

Join me at chapter 5 - verse 1:  Now as to the times and epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.  For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a women with child, and they will not escape.

We don’t know all of what Paul had taught the Thessalonians about Jesus’ return.  He begins with what they understand.  Within in the framework of what they’ve already been taught is what they need to know.  Paul’s focus is on clarification - understanding - encouraging them in how they are to be living based on what they know.

We have the Bible.  We have God’s teaching on the subject of Jesus’ return.  We have enough basic information to clarify any confusion about Jesus coming back.  The issue is how do we live knowing Jesus is coming back?

Paul writes that they know about The Day of The Lord.  Its important that we’re on the same page as to what the day of the Lord actually is.

When I was in college I took a class called “Church and Last Things.”  It was taught by a very hard professor who would randomly test us on what seemed like the most obscure information.  So, as he lectured we took extremely detailed notes on everything and memorized everything this professor said.

One day, this professor started on the left side of the chalk board and began to outline all the future events of Biblical history - starting with  Old Testament prophesies - moving along through the Bible all the way to the book of Revelation.  Imagine this - the class was over an hour in length and for that entire time he never stopped writing - a chalk board 16 feet long - completely filled - covering in minute detail Biblical prophecy about the return of Jesus Christ.  As he’s lecturing each of us was furiously writing all this down because we never knew what part of it would appear on a test.

Just towards the end of the class period - with about 5 minutes to go - the professor stood back - looked at what he had written - paused - said out loud, “That’s not right.”  And erased the whole thing.

There are a number of different interpretations about the timing of events and the return of Jesus Christ.  However, there are certain facts that we can know with complete clarity.  One of these is the meaning of “the day of the Lord.”

The “day of the Lord” is a future event that’s spoken about both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. 

The prophet Joel writes:  “For the day of the Lord is near; and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.  The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure it?” (Joel 1:15; 2:11b)

Isaiah writes:  “For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased.”  (Isaiah 2:12)

“Behold the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it.” (Isaiah 13:9)

Zephaniah writes:  “A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry.” (Zephaniah 1:15,16a)

All of which is summed up in the words of Jesus, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.” (Matthew 24:21)

The “day of the Lord” is not a single 24 hour day that we can circle on our calendar or tap into our calendar app.  Its an extended period of future time covering a number of events - beginning at the return of Jesus - continuing over a period of 7 years - often referred to as The Great Tribulation - and perhaps continuing on for another thousand years - into what has been called the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ here on earth.

The “day of the Lord” - is a time when God will move in judgment of  our society and government - judgment on our military and economic arrogance - judgment on all of our pride and false religion.  A time when God’s wrath is poured out upon mankind.

Paul writes that the Thessalonians know that “the day of the Lord” will come suddenly. 

In China today its illegal to speak of the Day of the Lord - of the return of Jesus Christ and coming judgment and wrath.  Its illegal to preach from the book of Revelation.  It just doesn’t fit into the philosophy of the People’s Republic of China.  In China - Jesus is officially a teacher of love and happiness - not the God to whom we’re accountable for how we live our lives - not the returning Savior and Lord and judge.

So much of the world - and even in many churches - so much of the world is like that today.  The world is expecting a great era of peace and prosperity - safety - some kind of change for the better that we can achieve by our own statesmanship - our own social engineering.  So we go our own way - conscious of spirituality - maybe even believing in a deity - call him god.  But in denial of the God and our accountability to Him.

Paul says the Day of the Lord will come “like thief in the night.”  Thieves generally don’t schedule appointments.  We’ve heard stories of families sleeping peacefully in their bedrooms while a thief breaks in unexpectedly and steals something of value.  That’s the way a way a thief works - often silently - unexpectedly - at great cost.

Paul says, the Day of the Lord will come like “like labor pains upon a woman with child.”

With pregnancy we know labor is coming.  But, there’s no way to predict the exact time - 10:53 a.m. - Sunday - July 17th.  When labor comes - there’s no way to escape it.  Everything changes.  You’re in labor.

We may see things going on in the world that may make us wonder if these are the signs Jesus spoke about.  Signs of coming labor.  But its pure arrogance for someone to tell us he knows exactly when Jesus is returning.

Jesus said, “You don’t know which day your Lord is coming... Be ready [because] the Son of Man - Jesus - is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”  (Matthew 24:42,44)

Theologians call that the doctrine of the Immanent Return of Christ.  When is Jesus returning?  Answer:  Soon.  Suddenly.

Are we together?  The “day of the Lord” is a period of God’s judgment that will arrive and take mankind by surprise.  Mankind can choose to deny the reality of what’s coming.  But when it comes there will be no escape.

A while back I read about a college student in Lubbock, Texas who was taking his final college exam - a final in a logic class known for its difficult exams.  To help with the test - the professor told the students they could bring as much information to the exam as they could fit on a piece of notebook paper.  Most students - writing very, very small - crammed as many facts as possible on their 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper.

One student - however - tried something different.  On the day of the test this student walked into the class on logic and put a piece of notebook paper on the floor.  He then invited an advanced logic student to stand on the paper.  The advanced logic student told him everything he needed to know.  He became the only student to receive an “A.”

The day of God’s judgment will come.  We will stand in examination before our Judge.  Being ready is huge.  How do we do that?  How can we live victorious knowing that God’s judgment is coming?

First - we need to See Different.  Let’s say that together.  “See different.”

Verse 4:  But you brethren - in contrast to the people running around saying “Peace and safety!” - But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief - we may not know when but we can be prepared - for you are all sons of light and sons of day.  We are not of night nor of darkness;

During the time that Jehoram was king of Israel - Ben-hadad, the King of Aram, came and attacked Israel.  Each time that Ben-hadad, King of Aram, secretly planned where to attack Israel,  Elisha - the prophet of God - sent word to King Jehoram telling him what King Ben-hadad was planning to do.  Imagine - King Ben-hahad secretly plans - God tells Elisha the plans - Elisha tells Jehoram - King of Israel - who keeps defeating King Ben-Hadad.   Which really frustrated and enraged King Ben-hadad.

So, Ben-hadad, the King of Aram, decides to go after Elisha.  So, one night he sends his horses and chariots and a huge army and surrounds the city of Dothan where Elisha and his servant are staying.   In the morning Elisha’s servant gets up and looks out beyond the edge of the city and the whole place is surrounded by this huge - armed to the teeth army.  He panics.  “Elisha, what are we going to do?”

Elisha answers him and says, “Don’t be afraid.  Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  Its not hard to imagine that this poor servant looked at Elisha - looked at himself - and looked at that army and thought that Elisha had lost it.  “We’re gonna die!”

Elisha prays and says, “O Lord, open his eyes that he may see.”  And God opens the eyes of the servant and he sees God’s army - larger - more powerful - protecting them.  Elisha and his servant leave without being hurt and the Aramean army is captured by Israel. (2 Kings 6:8-19)

If you’ve driven around here on one of our foggy days - when its hard to see to the end of the street - you’ve got what Paul is writing about here with how the world is seeing things.  Fog is kinda peaceful.  Takes the sharp edges off of things.  Dulls the senses.

Looking at the decay of our world we see something different - a spiritual battle in which God has the upper hand.  In coming judgment and wrath - we see the hand of our God at work.

Seeing different is seeing that history is moving towards a God ordained conclusion.  We may not know the exact timing of what’s coming.  But with certain clarity we do know that its coming and God is in control of what will happen.

Second - we need to Live Different.  Let’s say that together, “Live different.”

Verse 6:  So then - because we see differently what’s going on around here - so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.  For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  But - in contrast - but since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.  

The word Paul uses here for “sleep” is a different word in Greek than Paul used in chapter 4 to describe those who are “asleep” - referring to believers who’ve physically died.  Here the word he uses in Greek for “sleep” has the idea of “indifference” - going comatose on purpose.  Getting lulled to sleep by the work of Satan.

Paul says that these people are “drunk.”  Being drunk impairs judgment - our ability to think.  Yes?  You don’t have to answer that.  Being drunk makes it really really difficult to make wise decisions - to respond the way we need to to what’s going on around us.

Put simply, these people are clueless - on purpose.  They don’t get it and they don’t want to get it.  Unawares of the reality of what’s happening around them.

Does anyone know what ship this is?  The Titanic - the ship that couldn’t be sunk.  Even if it was hit by an iceberg nobody believed it would really go down.

Paul is talking about that kind of arrogant complacency - that kind of personal arrogance and pride and self-delusion that we’ve got everything under control.  People rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic while the ship is going down.

They’re saying “Peace and safety!”  “Things are going pretty much okay.  Not great.  But whatever.  It’ll all work out.  I’ve got my Xbox and Netflix.  I’ve got a million people who want to be my friend on Facebook.  Wikipedia is the source of all knowledge.  Hand me a beer and let’s watch the game.  Don’t bother me with stuff about death and judgment.”  That’s darkness.  Foggy visioned thinking.

Paul writes, “Let us not sleep.”  Put slightly different:   “WAKE UP!”

Be alert is a Greek word that means to be vigilant - pay attention.

Be sober has the idea of staying focused - steady - in the midst of chaos.  The sharp shooter - the battle’s all around him - explosions - gunfire –the chaos of battle - the sharpshooter knows he’s got one shot and he has to nail it.  Calm - collected - he’s focused on what must focus on.

Jesus said, just like in the days of Noah - with the coming disaster of the flood - no one understood what was coming.  Many will see the signs and will not respond.  They’re in a fog.  But, the disciples - the people of God - us - these signs are for us to understand and respond to.  (Matthew 24:37-39)

Prophecy is intended by God to draw us closer to Him - to give us a glimpse behind the scenes of history showing where and how and why God is sovereignly working in His relationship with mankind.  When we look at the prophecies of Jesus’ return and coming judgment we need to focus on what all this means in our relationship with God.

Imagine you’re at home - and you realize that your front door has been left open.  Your toddler - yours or a grandchild - has gone out the front door.  As you run to the door you see your child walking into the street and a large moving van is coming full speed towards your child.

The driver can’t see the child because of the parked cars - the truck cannot be stopped - the only way to avert disaster is for your child to turn back - you run screaming toward the child - but, the child does not turn.

The signs accompanying the return of Jesus Christ are God screaming to get our attention - there’s disaster coming - the time is short - turn back to me - obey me.  Wake up!  Turn to the person next to you and tell them that:  “Wake Up!”

The breastplate is armor that covers the heart - who we are at the core of our being.  That part of us needs to be guarded by faith - continually focused on God.  Guarded by love - complete commitment to God and to sharing His love with others - screaming about the iceberg.  The helmet protects our head - our thoughts - the focus of our minds. 

Don’t be lulled into a spiritual dreamland - the false spirituality that the world thinks is real.  Stay sober - don’t be intoxicated by the pleasures of this world - the escape from reality.  Be awake.  Be alert.  Stay focused on God and His ministry through you.  Let the reality of your eternal relationship with God - your eternal destination - shape the decisions and priorities and activities that you occupy yourself with today.

Third - we need to Hope Different.  Let’s try that together.  “Hope different.”

Verse 9:  For God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep - different word for sleep - here Paul uses the word he used in chapter 4 when he wrote about the death of a believer - so whether we are awake or dead, we will live together with Him.  Therefore - because God has not destined us for wrath but salvation - therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

Verse 9 - God has not destined us for - what? wrath.  But, God has destined us for what?  Obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Victory in the midst of judgment.  Let’s think about that.

In Genesis 6 we read that man had became wicked - spiritually corrupt - his thoughts continually focused on evil.  Mankind was in complete rebellion against God.  God looks at mankind and is sorry He ever created us.  God grieves over mankind.  In judgment, God decides to pour out His wrath on mankind - to wipe out mankind from the face of the earth.

We know that - in the midst of all this evil - Noah - who was trying to live  rightly before God - Noah found favor in God’s eyes.  God tells Noah of His coming judgment and His coming wrath.  God warns Noah.  Just as God has told us what’s coming.  And, God tells Noah how he can be saved even in the midst of the coming judgment - build an ark.

God tells Noah:  “I’ll shut the door.  You’ll be safe inside.”  Just as God has told us how we can be saved and has shut us up within the safety of Jesus Christ.  (Genesis 6-9; Matthew 24:36-41; 1 Peter 3:18-22)

The Evangelical Free Church Statement of Faith - Article 10 - says this:  We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ.  We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace.  Amen.

Revelation 20 describes, in part, what will happen when Jesus returns - verses which speak of final judgment and the pouring out of God’s wrath - a casting into the Lake of Fire and eternal torment and separation from God - a very real - very sad - and terrifying end to our lives.   All will be judged - Muslims - Buddhist - atheist - deist - and even Christians.  (Revelation 20:11-15) 

And yet, in the midst of judgment - the Bible shows us that God has provided for us a way past judgment to eternal life - the presence of God forever.

Paul writes in Romans 5:  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” (Romans 5:8,9)

When we repent of our sins - and receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus - we will be saved from God’s wrath.  We will be victorious even in the midst of judgment.

We live in an increasingly paranoid and fearful society.

We’re politically correct and fearful of being politically incorrect.

Afraid of dying and death - prolonging life and unable to die - and yet seeking to murder the infirmed and aged.

We champion the rights of individuals and yet murder the unborn.

There is an explosion of information available to us and yet we’re fearful of the unknown.

While we rush towards becoming a “global village” we’re fearful of exposure and loosing our privacy.

We speak optimistically - and yet in our hearts we’re pessimists.

So many ask, “Is there really any thing to hope for in life?”  

Even Christians tend to focus on the wrath of God.  We serve Him because its our obligation to do so.  Trusting Jesus is like a type of “Fire Insurance” - a way to avoid the Lake of Fire and eternal torment.  Its a hopeless way to live life.

Alienated from God mankind lives without hope, in despair, fearfully anticipating the unknown of death.  The unique message of the gospel is that God offers to each of us life with Him established through the only means of our salvation which is the gracious unmerited all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8,9). 

Paul writes, “God has not destined us for wrath, but for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  God offers us something tremendously different - salvation - hope - eternity with God.  Live by this truth.  Encourage each other with this truth.  Build each other up in this truth.  Live victoriously - triumphantly - in this truth.

And, tell others.  In these days - God has not called us to sell everything - go climb a mountain - and wait for Jesus to come back.  Someone needs to scream about the iceberg that’s coming.  We are the one’s that God has appointed in these days to demonstrate His love through and to speak His Gospel to a desperate world bound by fear and headed for judgment.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.