Bible Passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: November 12, 2023

Bulletin November 12, 2023

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

Jesus is coming back.  This has been a truth preached by the apostles and confessed by the Church since its beginning.  The early Christians called the return of Jesus his “Parousia.”  Parousia means “a visible, personal presence.”  The early believers in Jesus were not expecting a secret, quiet return of Jesus.  They were expecting a visible, personal, bodily return of Jesus at the end of the ages.

In our day we no longer use the term Parousia for the return of Jesus.  We tend to use terms like Judgment Day, or the Last Day, or as our text says, the day of the Lord.  But it doesn’t matter much what we chose to call the day, we believe the same thing Christians from the beginning have believed.  One day the Lord Jesus is going to return to earth in the clouds of heaven to judge.  On that day Jesus will raise the dead and once for all separate believers from unbelievers.  Unbelievers will be eternally consigned to hell, and the resurrected, glorified believers will commence new and unending life on the new earth.  This is the point Paul is making in our text today.  He reminds the Thessalonians that Jesus is coming…Ready or Not!

 Paul begins by saying, Concerning the times and dates…there is no need to write to you for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (v. 1-2)  Paul isn’t going to waste a bunch of ink and parchment – and their time – by writing to them about “clues” and “codes” hidden in Scripture that will unlock the day and time of Jesus’ return.  No such “code” exists!  Our Savior once said, No one knows when that day and hour will be, not the angels of heaven…(Matthew 24:36) 

There is a temptation to get caught up on times and dates right now.  We look out in our world and see many of the signs Jesus said would be a prelude to his coming.  We see wars in Ukraine and Gaza and we hear rumors of the wars expanding.  Some whisper the words “World War 3.”  We hear of earthquakes and other upheaval in nature.  We see false prophets and many who have no time for Christianity, or have walked away from the faith.  All these are things Jesus said would indicate his imminent return.  People speculate, “Jesus will be back before the end of the year.”  “Within five years Jesus will return.”  We must still confess with Christians through the ages:  we know only THAT Jesus is coming back, not WHEN.

Like a thief in the night.  Thieves like to work in the dark.  Easier to catch people off-guard.  Paul says in our text that many people will be caught off-guard by Jesus’ return.  But Paul says to his Christian readers, But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day will take you by surprise like a thief. (v. 4)  He doesn’t want his readers to get carried away with the thief-in-the-dark metaphor, as if they are just sitting there in the dark!  They are NOT completely “in the dark” on this matter.  Paul calls them sons of the light and sons of the day (v. 5).  They, we, are followers of the one who proclaimed himself the Light of the world.  For us the lights have been turned on!

Jesus has brought us into the light of his revelation about the Last Day.  By the light of God’s Word we have heard Jesus talk about the day when he comes in his glory and the all the angels with him (Matthew 25:31)  Through the light of the revealed Word we have heard what Jesus said to the high priest when he was on trial:  I tell you, soon you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64)  By the light that shines up at us from our open Bibles we have heard what the angels said to the disciples on the hillside when Jesus ascended into heaven, This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)  We know Jesus is coming.

Because we are light-children, this will have a bearing on how we wait for Jesus to come back.  We do not belong to the night or the darkness.  So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober.  To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober…(v. 5-8)  Paul puts before us two people.  It is the middle of the night, the person is drunk, senses dulled, sleepy, finally passed out, unaware of what is happening around them.  The other person is wide awake, it is the middle of the day.  Senses are alert.  They are watching and aware of everything happening around them.  That is you!  That is the Christian, ready and watching for Jesus!  We’re even like a soldier put on high alert.  Paul says we’ve got faith in Jesus and love strapped on as our body armor.  The certainty of our final rescue is the helmet on our head.  We are ready!

We are ready!  Paul says, You see, God did not appoint us for wrath. (v. 9)  When Jesus returns for you, he isn’t coming back mad.  But for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us…(v. 9-10)  Jesus’ return is our final rescue!  Now we are still behind enemy lines.  But our Hero, our Champion is coming to get us!  And we are ready.  The ultimate readiness comes in this:  he died for us.  He died for us on the cross.  There is where all that wrath of God for sin was focused and absorbed.  Jesus took it all for us.  He endured it all for us.  He gave his life for us.  He came first as Savior so that we can be ready to meet him as Judge when he returns.

Our text ends with some very interesting, yet comforting words.  He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. (v. 10)  Here is a reality, some Christians will be more “awake” than others.  But some will think very little and very seldom about Jesus’ return.  Paul reassures by saying that strong Christians and weaker Christians are ready.  For salvation does not depend on how awake you are.  It comes down to faith in this simple truth:  He died for us.  Ready or not, Jesus is coming!  And through faith, you are ready!

Amen.