THE DAY OF THE LORD
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1 Thess. 5: 1-11
I. INTRODUCTION:
A. “Live each day as though it is your last; it just might be.”
1. We normally make this statement with the intent of motivating people to do what
is right.
2. Unfortunately, this statement motivates a lot of people to satisfy their sexual,
sensual desires.
B. A better statement might be: “Live each day as though it is the day the Lord is
coming and you must give an account of what you have done.”
1. The apostle Paul tells us that the Lord is coming again and many will not be
ready.
2. What will the “Day of the Lord” be like?
II. THE DAY OF THE LORD.
A. When the Lord does come all of those who are IN Christ, whether dead or alive, will
participate in a resurrection unto eternal life.
1 Thess 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the
dead in Christ shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and
thus we shall always be with the Lord.
B. Many will not participate in this resurrection unto eternal life.
1 Thess 5:1-3 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no
need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well
that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they
are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them
suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not
escape.
1. For years men have claimed to know when the Lord is coming back.
a. “Be not surprised, then, when in subsequent chapters we present
proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun,
that it is pointed out in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of
power in A.D. 1878, and that he “battle of the great day of God
Almighty” which will end in A. D. 1915, with the complete overthrown
of earth’s present rulership is already commenced.”
b. The same group made this revision: “The date of the close of the
“battle” is definitely marked in Scripture as October, 1914. It is
already in progress, its beginning dating from Oct. 1874.”
c. When their prediction didn’t come to pass they made another revision:
“Until 1878 the nominal church had been in a sense God’s sanctuary or
Temple: but He was from then on, culminating in 1918, to remove it
with a stroke or plague of erroneous doctrines and deeds Devinely
permitted.”
d. Then it was adjusted again: “The period of time beginning 1575 before
A.D. 1 of necessity would end in the fall of the year 1925, at which
time the type ends and the great antitype must begin.”
e. Then it was adjusted again to the summer of 1974: “Should we not today
be imitating his example, especially since we have such a short time
left now in which to complete the Kingdom preaching? Yes, the end of
this system is so very near! Is that not the reason to increase our
activity. Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and
property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old
system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the
short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.” – “Kingdom
Ministry”, May of 1974.
2. Paul uses two metaphors to say that no one knows when the Lord will come.
a. “Thief in the night” – a thief comes unexpected and unannounced.
b. “Like birth pangs upon a woman with child” – no woman knows when
they will go into labor and when they do there will be no stopping it.
c. No one knows when the Lord will come and when that day comes no one
will stop it.
3. Many will be caught totally unprepared:
1 Thess 5:2-3 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the
Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying,
"Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly
like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
a. People will be doing what they have always been doing.
b. They will be caught totally unprepared and for them it will be “sudden
destruction.”
c. We cannot imagine how bad it will be (See Matthew 24: 51 and Matthew 13:
50).
4. For those who are IN Christ things will be different.
1 Thess 5:4-5 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day
should overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and
sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
a. The obedient child of God will escape destruction.
b. They will always be with the Lord; 4: 17.
C. What do we (those who are IN Christ) do until He returns?
1. Stay prepared, ready, and alert.
Vs. 6-8 …so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and
sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who
get drunk get drunk at night. 8 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.
a. “Sleep” means “to be careless about spiritual things; un-alert, un-sober
spiritually.”
b. “Drunk” – spiritually unsound in your mind.
c. These are not characteristics of one who is a “son of light.”
d. “Sons of light” stay prepared, ready, sober and alert for the day when Christ
will come again.
2. Stay well armed.
Vs. 8-10 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. 9 For
God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through
our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or
asleep, we may live together with Him.
3. Talk about His coming to each other.
1 Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another,
just as you also are doing.
a. We need to talk about it to one another.
b. We need to say, “Live each day like the Lord is coming back and He could
come today.”
Conclusion: The Lord is coming back! For those of you who are in Christ, stay alert
and remain sober. You are destined to salvation. Stay well armed so that you do not
lose what is yours. For those of you who were sons of light and who have gone to
“sleep”, it is time to wake up! And for those of you who are not IN Christ, those who
are saying, “Peace and safety” and living your life outside of the security of Christ,
if the Lord were to come today “destruction” would be yours. Don’t let that happen
to you. Look at these words found in Romans 13: 11:
11 And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken
from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night
is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of
darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day,
not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not
in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision
for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Notice that Paul says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” How do you do that? Gal. 3:
27 says, “For all of you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves
with Christ.” The Lord is on His way. A day of reckoning will come. No one knows
when. Are your ready? If not, will you get that way?