Every year we are told to begin preparations because we live in south Florida. When June 1 rolls around we are told that we need to stock up on hurricane supplies. We need to have extra water on hand. We need to make sure we have batteries for flashlights and radios. Make sure your generator is ready to run. Have your trees trimmed back. There are many steps that are given to us so that we can be prepared for any named storms that head our way. But how many of us have done this? When the reminder on June 1 came, how many of us went through the checklist, made the necessary purchases, and have everything ready for this year’s hurricane season? I will not ask anyone to raise their hand. But if we did not make preparations, I want us to consider why not. Maybe we think we are not going to have a storm this year. Maybe we think we can get ready later. Maybe we think we will make preparations when we see the storm heading our way. Maybe we think we are ready and do not need to follow the recommendations given. We can be tempted to approach the return of Christ and our preparation in the same way. At the end of 1 Thessalonians 4, the apostle Paul wrote to those Christians about the future hope of Christ’s return. When Christ comes, we will be gathered together and always be with the Lord. But this leads to Paul’s instruction about being ready for Christ’s return. As Paul concludes his teaching about excelling even more, he wants these Christians to excel even more in readiness.
When Will Christ Return (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)
You will notice that Paul begins this section by reminding these Christians that he taught them about the events surrounding the second coming of Christ. I want us to focus on the first reminder Paul gives these Christians. The apostle Paul makes it very clear that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. The apostle Peter said the same thing.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3:10 ESV)
How does a thief come? If you have ever had your home robbed then you will know that it is a complete surprise. There are no signs. There is no warning. There is no expectation. It is sudden and unexpected. This is the picture that we are being given about the day of the Lord. Please notice 1 Thessalonians 5:3 that further describes the picture. People are going to think that things are fine and normal when judgment comes. There is not going to be some event that clearly indicates that the day of the Lord is about to happen. He tells them that they know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. I want this to secure your hearts and minds. Any prediction about the coming of the Lord is a false prediction. Any person or any group that says that they know when the Lord is coming is a false teacher or a false group. Any book, movie, podcast, or tv show that says that they can predict the Lord’s return is a lie. So many people have claimed to know the timing of the coming of the Lord over the years and they all have been wrong. So many religious groups that still exist today claim to know when the second coming of Christ will be and they have been wrong repeatedly.
Now you might ask about other scriptures that talk about there being signs. For example, what about Matthew 24? Or what about some of the prophecies in Daniel? Any scripture that talks about their being signs before the coming judgment must refer to a national judgment rather than the final judgment when Christ returns. Since the final day of the Lord will be like a thief in the night, then the scriptures that we read that speak about signs leading up to judgment are not referring to the final judgment. Those scriptures are referring to national judgments. For example, Matthew 24 is speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem. The book of Daniel speaks about the fall of Jerusalem, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. When we read about judgment in the scriptures, we must be careful to read the context to know if the scripture is referring to judgment on a particular peoples or nation or if the judgment is referring to the final judgment when Christ returns.
The Need For Preparation (1 Thessalonians 5:4-7)
Now Paul told these Christians that they already knew all of these things. So what does he want them to know? In verse 4 Paul tells them that they are not in the darkness for that day to surprise them like a thief. You are children of the light. You are children of the day. You do not belong to the night or to the darkness. You see that the idea is that because you belong to Christ (are children of light) you will not be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like those who do not belong to Christ (in darkness). You have the warning that judgment is coming. You have the knowledge that Christ will return. You know that the day of the Lord is going to happen. So what should we do? Look at 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7.
Paul tells us that we are not to sleep like others do but keep awake and be sober. He says in verse 7 that sleeping and drunkenness are night activities. What is the point he is making? Is Paul saying that we are never allowed to sleep? You can see that this is symbolic. This is an illustration to help understand what is needed. If you knew that the thief was coming tonight to your house, what would you do? Would you make sure to keep awake? You absolutely would. Would you make sure that you were alert and sober? You absolutely would. This is the idea of the illustration. The children of light are going to be ready for the thief in the night. The children of light are not going to be like those in the darkness who are not ready and who are not sober. We are going to vigilant and ready because we know that that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Now this leads us to an important consideration. Do we live our lives as if the day of the Lord could be today? Are we ready for the Lord’s return if it were to happen this afternoon? Are we prepared or would we be surprised like those who walk in the darkness? Those who are in darkness do not live as if today is the day for the Lord’s return. That is the picture in verse 3. People are going to live like it is safe and no judgment is coming today when it very well may be today. Perhaps even worse, we think that today is not going to be the day but we think we will get ourselves prepared later. We treat the coming of the Lord like the coming of hurricane. We will not make preparations now. We will get ready later. Paul is warning that the children of light are ready. They are awake and sober. So what does readiness for the coming of the Lord look like?
What Readiness Looks Like (1 Thessalonians 5:8-10)
You will notice that Paul explains what soberness looks like in his illustration. Readiness and soberness looks like putting on the armor of God. You see this in verse 8. Put on the breastplate of faith and love and the hope of salvation as a helmet. I hope we love and appreciate the image that Paul gives to us. What readiness for the coming of the Lord looks like is putting on faith, hope, and love. This is the work Paul praised these Christians for back at the beginning of this letter. Look back at 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3.
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 ESV)
Paul is praying for their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now it is easy to say that we must have faith, hope, and love. But think about the importance of these three characteristics in light of the Lord’s return. We have faith in the word and promises of God. We believe that he coming back. If we truly believe that he will return like a thief in the night, then we will absolutely make every preparation. If we are not watchful and ready, then we do not have faith. We do not believe that he will come back in the way that he said he is coming. Further, love is going to control our behavior while we wait. Our love for God will cause us to seek him with all our heart as well as cause us to love others just as God in Christ as loved us. My devotion to God will not wane if I believe that today is the today he could return. I will love my enemies and I will love my neighbor as myself if believe that Christ’s return could be at any moment. Finally, the hope of salvation propels us forward in the Christian walk. We long for the return of Christ and are watching because we want him to come. In 1 Corinthians 16:22 Paul does not cry out for the Lord to slow down or not come. Rather, he says “Maranatha! Our Lord come!” We have hope for his coming. We are staying awake and are ready because we want that day to be today.
You see that this is the picture in 1 Thessalonians 5:9. We are putting on faith, hope, and love because God has not destined us for wrath but to obtain salvation. God’s goal is to save us. God’s goal is to bring us home. God does not want you to be separated from him. God wants you to be with him for all eternity. God does not want any to perish. We were not destined for his wrath but for his love. But we must pick up and wear the armor of God. But God’s desire for you to be with him motivates us all the more to live for him. Christ died so that we may live with him.
Encourage One Another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Paul concludes by telling us to encourage each other and build each other up with this message. So what should we be telling each other and reminding each other so that we are encouraged? First, the day of the Lord will be like a thief in the night. We do not know the day of Christ’s return. So we must live in constant readiness. We cannot let up in our devotion to the Lord. The way to fight through temptations and to hold on through trials is to remember that today may be the day of the Lord’s return. Since we do not know when he will come, we must live every day like today is the day. We cannot grow weary or lose heart if today is not the day. If we must wait another day then we will live tomorrow like it is the day when the Lord will return. What we are doing in our worship, in our bible studies, and in our fellowship is helping each other be ready and stay ready. This means we will have to listen to hard lessons that challenge our faith so that we can make sure that we are ready. Time can lull us to sleep so that we are not prepared for the glorious return of Christ.
Second, we need to lean into the armor of God while we wait. Do you have the hope of salvation on your head? Do you know that when Christ returns you are going to enjoy the salvation of the Lord? If not, then today is the day to get ready. Right now is when you need to prepare yourself for his return. Do you believe that Jesus raised from the dead? If you believe that he did, then you must also believe he is coming back. Our faith is that he rose and is coming back. Put on the breastplate of faith. Trust his words. Put your life in his hands. Believe that God has not destined you to wrath but wants you to be with him. Do you have the love for God and others that God has called us to practice? I was asked an important question that we need to think about and answer for others. How do I begin to love God? Where do I start? What does it look like? Loving God begins by learning what God has done for you. God made us to be with him but he is pure and holy and we are not. We sin. We make mistakes. We hurt others. We do wrong. But God, because he is rich in mercy and has deep love for us, gave his Son to save us from our sins so that we could be with him. We were not destined for his wrath. We are destined for his love and eternal relationship with him. Do not live in the darkness any longer. Come to the light. Be children of light. Obey your Lord who saved you today.