The King is Coming

We're going to worship this morning by singing to God's praise.

We're going to sing in Psalm 96 in the Scottish Psalter.

We're singing from verse 9 down to verse 13 to the end of the psalm.

Psalm 96 at verse 9.

In beauty of his holiness, so do the Lord adore.

Likewise, let all the earth throughout tremble his face before.

Among the heathens, say God reigns.

The world shall steadfastly be fixed from moving.

He shall judge the people righteously.

We're going to sing from verse 9 to 13 on the tune of Kilmarnock.

We stand to sing.

Let all the earth through a tremble his face before.

Among the heathens, say God reigns.

The world shall steadfastly be fixed from moving.

The world shall steadfastly be fixed from moving.

He shall judge the people righteously.

Let heaven take up before the Lord.

How may the earth rejoice?

Let Jesus across the voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voy voyque voyque voy voyque voy voyque voy voy voy voyque voy

singing,

Before the Lord be caused to judge the earth of thee,

He'll judge the world with righteousness, that we will pray for thee.

We'll bow our heads in a word of prayer. Let us pray.

Our gracious Father in heaven, we thank you for this day.

We thank you for the joy of praise to you,

that we are able to gather here in this place or gather around at home as well on such a wild day.

We thank you that we can still join together in worship of you.

And we just pray for your peace over us.

Peace over us as we are sitting here in the pews or sitting at home.

Peace over us, Lord, in these days as we look for your blessing upon us.

Thankful for every remembrance of you that we have through your word and by your spirit,

by the seasons of the year in which we go through.

We are thankful for every reminder we are given that you are God and Lord of all,

the one who made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them,

and the one who, in the midst of all that is so sad in our world,

the sorrows that we suffer, the sadness that we see around us,

has reminded us that you gave your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,

to come and save his people, to be a saviour for this world.

And so we pray that our thanks and our praise would be lifted up to you today

and in all the days ahead,

that we rejoice not just at this time of year in the celebrations of Christmas,

but that we will recognise that you are with us through all our days and all our seasons

when we put our trust in you.

So, Lord, may you help us in our hearts today to be glad and rejoice in you.

And may you bless us in our homes and in our families and our communities

with your peace and protection over us and your blessing with us.

As we thank you for one another, we thank you for all our young people,

we thank you for our schools and for the Sunday schools

and for all the work that they have been doing throughout this year.

And as they enjoy a time of holiday just now, Lord,

may your blessing and refreshment be upon all involved in that work.

And we thank you too, Lord, for the holiday tweenies and the creche that goes on.

And we just pray, Lord, that you will bless all these activities

that we are involved in for our young people, Lord.

We ask your blessing over each one of them.

So, Lord, be with us now.

Go before us throughout this day.

Keep us safe in it and help us to have our eyes towards you as our Lord and as our God.

As we ask all with forgiveness of our sins.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

But before some of the young ones go out to the holiday tweenies

and those who are staying in, just a wee word to you.

The last few weeks we've been thinking about Advent and what it means.

And at the holiday club last week,

the young people were making their Advent calendars.

And I don't know if you've been working your way through it.

But day by day, if you've got an Advent calendar,

it might not be the one you had at this holiday club.

Maybe you've got your own at home.

What you do is, as we heard from Alistair Macaulay when he was here as well,

you open up the wee doors and you find out what's inside it.

Now, hands up if you've been doing it one day at a time.

You've been doing it one day at a time.

Yeah, a few hands going up.

Hands up if you're just someone who just,

I'm just going to pop them all off.

I'll just have them all at once.

One day and it's all done.

Hands up if that's the way you do an Advent calendar.

Not hands going up.

That's good.

Because that would spoil it, wouldn't it?

It takes the fun away from the excitement of each day you're counting down towards Christmas one day at a time.

And then you open it up and you see what's in it.

This had a mixture of little gifts or little sweets.

And you use that or you eat that.

And other Advent calendars are full of chocolate.

And you're counting down the day to Christmas Day when you get the last one.

But also in the holiday club, we had this little book that we were working in.

Join the Adventure, as it was called.

So every day of the Advent calendar, there was also a few questions that went with it.

So I hope as well as eating the chocolate or looking at what's inside,

you look at what the questions say.

And inside each part of the Advent calendar, there was a verse or a scripture reference.

And today, the 22nd, the scripture reference was,

A Saviour has been born.

And it's great for us to come together today and remember that.

We remember that every week.

But we remind ourselves today, as we're going on into Christmas week,

remind ourselves each day a Saviour has been born.

And one of the questions says is,

it's speaking about the angels who came and appeared to the shepherds

and said there's good news of great joy.

A Saviour is born.

It says, who did the angels say the good news was for?

Who was the good news for?

Was it just certain people?

Was it just them?

No.

It was for the whole world.

And not just them, but every day of the year.

And all the years of this world,

that is the good news that this world hears.

A Saviour is born.

Now an Advent calendar, it doesn't last very long, does it?

It's only maybe a few days.

The ones we made were 12 days.

The ones maybe you get for December,

you have 25 days counting down to Christmas.

But there's other calendars that maybe aren't as exciting.

Here's a calendar from our house.

It's not as exciting, is it?

You can't pop open anything to get a chocolate.

And it lasts all the years,

starting from January last,

at the beginning of this year,

right through we're into December now.

It's not very exciting.

It's got little things written on it.

There it's telling me what day the bins go out.

Not very exciting.

It's at other parts of the calendar,

so maybe there's a dentist appointment

or a doctor's appointment.

Sometimes it'll be marked days of going back to school

or being off school,

days of particular things happening throughout the year.

And it's just the ordinary day-to-day things.

Maybe it doesn't seem as exciting as an Advent calendar.

But if we see what's exciting about the Advent calendar,

not the chocolates or the little treats you get,

but a reminder that a Saviour is born.

And if we see that in Advent,

counting down to Christmas,

then we enjoy every day of the year.

It doesn't seem as exciting putting out the bins,

but even that can be exciting if we're trusting Jesus.

Everything we do can be exciting

when we're trusting Jesus.

Whatever we're doing is exciting

when we know that God sent a Saviour to this world.

And when we trust in Him,

we look to Him, we believe in Him,

then we rejoice every day of the year,

no matter what is going on.

So may we remember today

and in all the days ahead,

a Saviour who is born,

who is Christ the Lord.

He has come that we might have life in Him

and enjoy life to the full.

So may you enjoy this week in the holiday times,

but may you enjoy every day

as we, God willing, go into a new year

as we start a new calendar

with all the ordinary things that are going on.

May we rejoice in the Lord who is good to us.

We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together now.

Our Father, which art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

and forgive us our debts

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power,

and the glory forever.

Amen.

We're going to sing again to God's praise

now in Psalm 46a.

Sing Psalm's version,

Psalm 46a.

And this is from verse 7

down to verse 11.

Psalm 46a, page 60 of the psalm books,

a tune is Evan.

We're going to sing from verse 7

down to the end of the psalm.

And these, the two verses

at the beginning and the end

that remind us of that great promise of God

that the Lord Almighty is with us

to strengthen and sustain.

For Jacob's God,

our strong defense and fortress,

will remain.

So we're going to sing from verse 7

down to the end of the psalm.

We stand to sing to God's praise.

Amen.

For Jacob's God, our strong defense,

and fortress will remain.

Come, see the words the Lord has done,

the judgments He commands,

the desolations He has brought,

to pass in many lands.

In every land throughout the earth,

in the midst of all great seas,

He shatters,

The Lord's cross and spirit and shield and brings its great peace.

Be still and know that I am God on earth exalted high.

And all the nations of the world, my name will glorify.

The Lord Almighty is with us to strengthen and sustain.

For Jacob's God has strong defense and fortress will remain.

Amen.

I'm reading at verse 13, reading into chapter 5, down to verse 11.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

Now, concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

While people are saying there is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman.

And they will not escape.

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

For you are all children of light, children of the day.

We are not of the night or of the darkness.

So then, let us not sleep as others do.

But let us keep awake and be sober.

For those who sleep, sleep at night.

And those who get drunk are drunk at night.

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love.

And for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Amen.

And may the Lord bless that reading from his word.

We'll again just engage in a word of prayer.

Let us pray.

Our gracious Father in heaven, we do thank you for your word.

And we thank you for the reminder in these readings that we have had from chapter 4 and into chapter 5

that both end with that word to encourage one another.

And we thank you that we can do so, basing that on the foundation of your truth,

the word of God, which is the foundation for life and for all that we do,

and for all that lies ahead of us, Lord, for all eternity.

Your word of truth is there to guide us and direct us into the paths of life and into the ways of salvation.

And we thank you for the great reminders that your word gives to us.

As we think of the verse that we were sharing with the children,

that to you is born this day in the city of David a saviour who is Christ the Lord.

We thank you that there is a saviour who has come,

that we have had that first advent where he came into this world to save his people.

And we were reminded through his names that he was given Emmanuel, which means God with us.

We are thankful for that promise that remains to this day.

The promise that we have sung about in Psalm 46,

as well, that the Lord Almighty is with us to strengthen and sustain.

We thank you that there is that promise for each day of our lives.

And we pray, Lord, that through faith you might bring us to lean upon you and to trust in you

and the one who you have given for our salvation.

And we do pray, Lord, that we would know what it is to have your light upon us.

We know the world has so much darkness in it.

There is so much evil, so much sin, so much going on around us, Lord,

that leaves the world in so much pain and anxiety and fear.

We see it day by day, O Lord, when we think of all the different things that are going on,

whether it's natural disasters or war or just individual situations that we see where grief and sorrow comes in.

And each and every day we hear of something new.

And, Lord, we know that in this world we will have troubles,

that the Lord Jesus himself reminded us of that.

But we thank you that there is hope in him,

that as he came into this world, as he was born as a man,

as he lived in this world among the people,

as he saw their great needs, as he saw their sorrows and sadness,

he was able to say that they could be of good courage and we could be of good courage

because he has overcome the world.

And we thank you that his life led him to that place

where not just he lived for his people and among his people,

but that he died for his people,

that he gave his life as a ransom for many.

And as we are read in these words before us today,

we are reminded of another Advent,

another time when the Lord will return,

that he will come to take his people to himself.

And may we see that message today in the midst of everything else that's going on as well,

as we think of counting down to Christmas Day

and so much that takes our attention just now.

May we remind ourselves and be reminded through your word and by your spirit,

there is another great day of the Lord to come,

a day that we do not know when it will be,

and yet a day that we are instructed and guided to be ready for.

And so we pray, Lord, for your spirit to help us to that end,

to help us to know that our lives,

which seem to maybe have such a distance ahead for us,

that we are so indebted to you for the life that you give,

but we are so aware too, Lord,

of how quickly circumstances can change.

And so we pray today, Lord, that you will help us

by your spirit, by your grace,

to know your love towards us,

to know your warnings towards us,

and to know your grace that is able to save.

So may you bless us and keep us and watch over us,

watch over all who are so busy at this time,

traveling to and fro.

We know that so many plans have been disrupted

with the weather over these last few days.

Many people will be longing to maybe get away to family

or come home to family.

We pray for safety and help to all who are in that position.

We pray for safety and help to those who are involved

in all the aspects of traveling,

whether it's by plane or boat or train or car.

Whatever it might be, Lord,

we thank you for all who look after us

and look out for us in that way.

We pray your blessing on all who are involved

in all of these things for safety in the midst of it all.

We do pray, Lord, for these days ahead,

for your peace and protection over us

as so many families come to enjoy a time together.

May we remember the joy of family and friendship

and encouragement to one another in that.

But may we give praise and thanks to you above all,

for you're the giver of every good and perfect gift.

And so we pray, Lord, that your spirit

will be in the midst of all that we do.

Remember those who are maybe lonely at this time,

those who have maybe no family or friends around them,

those who feel very isolated,

for those whom this time of year is a difficult

and even a painful time of year,

especially those who maybe come to a first Christmas

without loved ones.

We know, Lord, that there are all these times

when grief and sorrow comes,

maybe in an overwhelming way.

But we pray, Lord, for your comfort

and for your blessing to be in the midst of it.

Thankful for those who we have read of

that are assured that to be absent from the body

is to be home with the Lord,

that there is that hope,

that we do not grieve without hope,

for there is hope in Christ.

And so we pray, Lord, for your comfort

and for your grace towards us.

Pray for those who are unwell,

for those who are struggling with ill health

in homes or hospitals or at their own homes,

for those who are concerned for loved ones,

for those whose hearts are heavy just now, Lord,

maybe with great burdens of loved ones upon them.

We thank you that we are able to cast our cares upon you.

That prayer is such a wonderful gift

in the midst of these times.

And maybe when we feel we cannot pray,

we thank you for those who pray for us and with us.

And so, Lord, we pray that you would bless us and keep us

and make your face to shine upon us

and upon your world,

upon all the nations at this time,

that we would bring peace in the midst of all

the troubles that we see surrounding us.

Guide us, then, we pray.

Be with us in this day.

May we rejoice in your goodness

as we worship you,

as we fellowship with one another this morning

and also this evening too.

And in the service,

be with Kenny I as he leads it

and in our fellowship in the evening as well.

May you be pleased to bless us

in the midst of all that we do

and to rejoice in your goodness to us

in the hope of the gospel

and the salvation that is in Christ.

Hear our prayers and continue with us now

as all we ask.

We ask the forgiveness of our sins

in Jesus' precious name.

Amen.

Amen.

We're going to worship God

by singing to his praise again

in Psalm 20

in the Scottish Psalter,

page 224.

Psalm 20.

We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 6.

The tune is St. Andrew.

Psalm 20 at verse 1, page 224.

We'll sing from verse 1 to 6.

To God's praise we stand to sing.

Amen.

Amen.

Let the singing,

O let him have sent from above,

and on his sanctuary.

From Zion is the holy hill,

let him give strength to lead.

Let him remember all my gifts,

accept thy sacrifice,

and may thy hearts wish and fulfill

thy thoughts and counsel wise.

In thy salvation we will join,

in our God's name we will.

This may our banners and the Lord,

thy prayers all fulfill.

The Lord, thy God,

his kingdom say,

he from his holy hand,

will hear him with the saving strength,

by his own right can give.

Amen.

Well, you can turn back with me to a reading,

in particular in chapter 5 of 1 Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians chapter 5.

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

We're going to look at this section,

verse 1 to verse 11,

although it begins really at verse 13 of chapter 4,

but there's two separate sides to what the Thessalonians are looking for,

or asking for from Paul here.

In verse 13 to the end of chapter 4,

they're asking,

what's the coming of the Lord going to be like?

Paul speaks about the sound of the trumpet,

how he's going to come in this way.

He's not going to forget his people at all.

He's going to come for them.

But then in the second part,

we're looking at this morning in chapter 5,

it's more when is it going to be?

When is it going to take place?

Advent is the season that we've been hearing about so much just now.

Advent is a countdown,

but today we're thinking of Advent with a twist,

if you like.

We've been thinking very much about the Advent

of the first coming of Christ.

This time of year,

when that's what's being remembered by so many people

around the world,

that God sent his Son into this world,

that a Savior would be born into this world,

that that was a countdown to remembering

that God has sent his Son.

But Advent is all about counting down.

Counting down to an event,

to something.

And it's something that we're often doing.

All of us are doing it.

Maybe every day of the year,

we're counting down to something.

We're counting down to maybe when holidays will come.

I'm sure many teachers and pupils

are counting down the days

till the Christmas holidays would come,

and they've arrived.

And there's a sense of relief in that,

a sense of joy,

a time to relax,

and to enjoy a time of holiday.

Work,

closing down for this period of Christmas

and into the new year,

it's a sense of counting down towards that,

and that time comes,

and you're able to relax a bit more.

And all throughout the year,

there's a sense of counting down

to different things that might be going on

in our lives,

counting down to birthdays,

counting down to weddings,

just counting down to different times

and events in our life.

And if we're counting down,

it means that we're looking forward

to something.

The Advent calendars

that we've been thinking about,

they're counting down to Christmas Day,

and when we remember

that God sent His Son.

So we're counting down

to a particular thing.

We're counting down to the holidays.

We're counting down to that last day

when we come out of school

or the workplace for a time

and enjoy a time of holiday.

We're looking forward to something.

Advent is about counting down

to a particular situation.

Well, another Advent situation

is what we have here

in 1 Thessalonians.

And as I say,

particularly the end of chapter 4

and into chapter 5 here,

we have an Advent

of something else

that is going to happen.

Not looking to the coming of the Lord

in the first place

where God sent His Son into the world.

That has happened.

But we're looking to another Advent,

to another time

when the Lord will return.

The day of the Lord

as the heading is there

in your ESV Bible of chapter 5.

The day when the Lord will return.

And the church at Thessalonica

was like,

it was an early church.

It was a church that was young in the faith

and therefore it had many questions.

Many things that they'd maybe known

or learned before

that were very different now

to the gospel that they were hearing.

The good news of Jesus

and the salvation that He brought.

So there was a very different teaching

that they were hearing.

And you see it especially there

in chapter 4

when it's speaking about those

who have already passed away.

Their understanding before this

would maybe,

well, that's it.

They're gone.

They're forgotten about.

But Paul says,

no, they're not forgotten about.

They've gone,

but they will come.

Again, they will return.

The Lord will return

and take them to Himself.

And so there's this wonder

of the gospel

that God

not just sent His Son

into this world,

but they sent them

with a purpose

to save His people.

And that this salvation

is not just for this life,

but it's for eternity.

And that He is going

to come again.

And this then leads into

the second question

that they have.

And that is the question,

well,

if this is to be so,

when?

When will it be?

Can we count down the days

until this will happen?

When we think of Advent

counting down,

it's with a particular day in mind.

We have a particular number of days

we're counting down towards.

But is that something

that we can have

in this situation,

the coming of the Lord?

That's the question

that they have.

When will this be?

Is it a question

you have today?

In the midst of everything,

all the preparation

for Christmas just now

and coming together

as families,

all being well

on Christmas Day

and enjoying this season

of holiday,

is the question you have,

when will the Lord

come again?

Or is that just pushed

to the back

of your minds?

How often do you ask

the question,

or do you ever

ask the question,

I wonder,

when will the Lord

come again?

Or even maybe the question is,

will he come again?

So many people

have that kind of attitude

where they think,

well, we're seeing the world

in so much chaos,

so much pain,

so much grief

and heartache

for so many people.

Surely if the Lord

was going to come,

he would have come by now,

but he would write

all of these things.

And so the coming

of the Lord

is dismissed

as it will not happen.

As we think

of counting down

the days,

these days

towards Christmas,

as we think

of counting down

towards the coming

of the Lord,

may we see

that we are to remember

not just that

he has come,

but that he will come

again.

And this is not

to take the joy

out of Christmas,

because the more

we understand

that he came

in the first place

as a saviour

for the world,

and the more

that we understand

that he will come again,

the more we are able

to rejoice

in the praise

that he has come

to remember us,

and that he will come

to take us

to himself.

To enjoy Christmas

is not to have

everything ready

for this Wednesday,

but it's to have

everything ready

for each day of life,

living in light

of the fact

that the Lord

will return.

It's not about

one day,

but every day.

And so there's

three things

in this passage

I want us

to be aware

of at this time.

Three things

that Paul

answers in light

of the questions

that they have.

And he puts it

in this way,

the first thing

is to be aware

of the seasons.

He speaks there

in verse 1

of,

now concerning

the times

of the seasons,

brothers.

So he wants them

to be aware

of the seasons.

The second thing

is to be aware

of the situation.

In verse 4

he says,

but you are not

in darkness.

To be aware

of the situation.

And then the third

thing is

to be aware

of the solution.

In verse 8

he says,

but since we belong

to the day,

let us be sober,

having put on

the breastplate

of faith

and love

and for a helmet

the hope

of salvation.

So there is

to be aware

of the seasons,

to be aware

of the situation

and to be aware

of the solution.

And so the first

thing we want to see

is to be aware

of the seasons.

The people

in Thessalonica

they had questions.

Questions are

quite natural

for every one

of us to have.

We all have

questions of

different things.

And when it comes

to questions

about faith,

when it comes

to questions

about eternity,

we're so often

looking for answers,

but where are we

going to find

the answers?

Well the people

in Thessalonica

they had already

been taught

different things,

but now they're

hearing a new

teaching about

Christ who has

come.

And they want

to know more.

And so they bring

their questions

to Paul.

They bring their

questions to him

in the hope

that he will be

able to answer

the questions

that they have.

And there are

some questions

as you see

as you read

through Paul's letters,

not just this one,

that he answers

many of the

questions that

people have

about faith.

People still

have to this

day about faith

and what it

means.

But there's

one question

that almost

just seems

unanswerable.

They're trying

to pinpoint

something here.

The end of

chapter 4

they've heard

what the day

of the Lord's

return is going

to be like.

It's going

to be amazing

in so many

different ways.

But now

they've got

this question

when?

When will

this be?

When will

God return?

Now why

would they be

asking this

question?

Well surely

it would help

them to prepare

for his return

if they knew

when he was

coming.

If we're

looking ahead

to something,

if we're

preparing for

something,

whatever it

might be,

whether it's

Christmas or

holidays or

weddings,

whatever it

might be,

if we've got

a date in

mind,

we're able

to work

towards that

date.

We're able

to make

preparations

in light

of the

moment of

time and

how much

time we

have left

to prepare.

So they're

saying to

Paul here,

wouldn't it

help us to

know when

Jesus is

going to

come again?

So therefore

we will be

able to

prepare ourselves

in the right

manner for

his coming,

his second

coming,

his second

advent.

Think to

yourself just

now,

what difference

would it

make if

you knew

what day

the Lord

was coming

again for

the second

time?

What would

you do

differently

in your

life if

you knew,

for example,

that he was

coming two

years today?

What would

you change?

What would

you alter in

your life?

Would you

think, no,

I don't have

to change

anything,

I'm quite

happy the way

things are,

I'll be

ready when

he comes?

If you're a

Christian,

you would

hopefully have

that hope.

You would

say, well,

I know I

am ready

for his

coming.

But if

not, if

you had

said, well,

two years

today is

going to

come, how

would that

change your

life?

Would you

think, well,

I've got

more time to

do my own

things now

because I

know exactly

when he's

coming.

I'll spend

maybe 18

months just

doing what I

want to do,

fulfilling my

own desires,

and then maybe

the last six

months, then

I'll start

getting ready

for the

Lord's

return.

then I'll

start making

things right

in that

sense.

Is that

the way

you would

live if

you knew

a date

when he

was coming?

It's

certainly

not the

way you

should

live.

Because even

if we were

told and we

knew and we

don't, we

had two

years till

he came.

The reality

is we

might not

have two

years.

We might

not have two

weeks, two

days, two

hours, because

we don't

know what

will happen

in our

lives.

And so

it would

be foolish

to live

in a

sense of

Advent,

counting

down with

that mindset.

That would

be wrong.

And so

what Paul

says here

is he

answers the

question about

well when

is this

going to

be?

He says

now concerning

the times

and the

seasons,

brothers,

you have

no need

to have

anything

written to

you,

for you

yourselves

are fully

aware.

You already

know the

answer he's

saying here.

And so

do many

of you,

I'm sure

you know

the answer

to this

question.

When will

the Lord

come?

Well, we

realize it's

not a date.

It's not a

day that we

can count

down towards.

He says

for you

yourself are

fully aware

that the

day of the

Lord will

come like

a thief

in the

night.

It's going

to come

suddenly.

The reason

that he's

not able to

answer it

is the

same reason

that it's

never been

able to

be answered.

In the

Old Testament,

even in the

teaching of

Christ in

the New

Testament,

it's not

a day that

can be

pinpointed

with a

date and

a time

and a

year.

It's a

day that's

described in

this way

suddenly,

like a

thief in

the night

when you

least expect

it.

That's the

way it's

described.

You go

back to

Joel in

the Old

Testament,

and especially

chapter 2,

and you read

through that

chapter,

and it's

talking about

this day

of the

Lord's

return.

It's

amazing the

kind of

picture it

gives of

the way it's

going to be.

It's going to be

an awesome day,

an amazing day,

a terrifying

day,

a day where the

people of God

can rejoice in.

happen.

But it's going to

happen suddenly

and quickly.

That's the

point that

Joel makes

very clear in

the Old

Testament.

Jesus himself

was asked this

question.

You think,

well,

surely Jesus

had the

answer.

Well,

you read in

Mark 13,

Mark 13:32

verse 32,

but concerning

that day,

the day of

the Lord's

second coming,

the day of

his second

advent,

or that hour,

no one knows,

he says,

not even the

angels in

heaven,

nor the

son,

but only

the father.

And so he

says,

be on your

guard,

keep awake,

for you do

not know

when the

time will

come.

He says

the same

in the

gospel of

Luke,

Luke 12:40

chapter 12,

verse 40,

you also

must be

ready for

the son

of man

is coming

at an

hour you

do not

expect.

We don't

know when

it's going

to be,

but we are

to live in

light of what

the scripture

tells us,

and what

the scripture

tells us

is to be

ready,

to be

aware of

the seasons,

he might

come like

a thief

in the

night.

December

the 7th,

1941,

was a

day,

the day

when a

devastating

attack

happened

in Pearl

Harbor,

in Hawaii.

A day

started like

an ordinary

day,

a sense

of peace,

but a

day that

ended in

complete

devastation

for so

many,

2,300

people,

or nearly

that number

lost their

lives that

day.

And yet

just a few

months earlier

in September,

someone had

said,

a Japanese

attack on

Hawaii is

regarded as

the most

unlikely thing

in the

world,

with one

chance in

a million

of being

successful.

But what

happened?

Devastation

came.

Are we

living in

a prepared

state or

a state of

denial where

there's false

comfort?

there's two

ways you

could look

at that

text which

says the

day of

the Lord

will come

like a

thief in

the night.

You can

live like

that thought

well a

thief in

the night.

Not every

house is

bargained.

It won't

happen to

me.

And so you

live in

denial,

it's no

concern.

But that's

not the

way to

live.

The way

to live

is to

think the

Lord will

come.

Without

focus on

that,

the Lord

will come.

He will

come to

you,

he will

come to

me,

he will

come to

us all.

The Lord

will come.

Just like

he did in

the first

time when

God sent

his son

into this

world and

people didn't

expect him,

didn't receive

him, didn't

look at him

the way they

should, as

the saviour

of the

world.

He's going

to come

again as

the judge

of the

world.

Advent is

about looking

back, but

it's about

looking ahead.

as well.

He will

come like

a thief in

the night.

Be aware

of the

seasons.

But the

second thing

we see is

to be aware

of the

situation.

And we

see that as

we move

on in

verse 4.

But you

are not

in darkness,

brothers,

for that

day to

surprise you

like a

thief.

You are

not in

darkness.

This is the

blessing the

church at

Thessalonica

had.

And this

is the

blessing that

we have

today.

We have

the word

of God.

We have

the guidance

of the

word of

God.

The Lord

has spoken.

We have

the gospel.

The gospel

that is

good news

as we

hear so

often at

this time

of year

when the

angels

sang

good news

of great

joy as

saviour

who is

Christ

the Lord.

That is

the good

news.

But there

is also

the warnings

in the

scriptures as

well.

The warnings

that we

have here

in Thessalonians

chapter 4.

For the

Lord himself

will descend

it says in

verse 16

from heaven

with a

cry of

command

with the

voice of

an archangel

and with

the sound

of the

trumpet

of God.

It's the

same message

that Joel

had.

The blessing

that he was

to his

people in

the Old

Testament

when Joel

in chapter

2 says

verse 1

blow a

trumpet

and sound

an alarm

on my

holy

mountain.

Let all

the inhabitants

of the

land

tremble

for the

day of

the

Lord

is

coming.

It

is

near.

There

is

warning.

The

trumpet

sound

is a

warning

sound

that there

is

danger

that there

is

a

major

event

coming

and so

the

trumpet

will

sound.

But who

was blessed

in Joel's

day?

Was it

everyone who

heard that

sound?

No.

It was

those who

took action

in the

midst of

that

sound.

Those who

are blessed

are the

ones who

heed the

warning.

And the

same is

true for

ourselves

today.

We need

to heed

the warning

of Scripture

to enjoy

this season

and the

joy of

it,

but to

realize

too that

it's

pointing

ahead

to

another

day,

another

advent,

another

coming

of the

Lord.

There

are

those

who

are

in

darkness

and

there

are

those

who

are

in

light.

And it's

to be

in

light,

that is

where we

need to

find

ourselves.

And that's

what he

says here,

you are

not in

darkness,

brothers,

for this

day to

surprise you.

You know

it's

coming,

he says.

You know

he is

coming.

So prepare,

be ready.

Don't have

a false

peace.

The peace

that Jeremiah

spoke of

in the

Old Testament

when he

said peace,

peace,

when there

is no

peace.

We can

easily think

we have

peace,

but all

around is

the trouble

that we

don't see

because we're

in darkness.

There's

a waterfall,

famous waterfall

in Africa,

Victoria Falls.

It's on the

border of

Sambia and

Zimbabwe.

A bit like

the Niagara

Falls,

they're world

famous and

many people

go to

visit them.

But they

both have a

similar thing

that happens

as well.

When there's

a raging

torrent of

water coming

down the

falls,

it creates

a mist,

almost like

a fog that

we would

see on a

calm day,

and you

can't see

properly.

But people

often want to

go and visit

these because

it's so

spectacular.

And one

day there

was this

man who

was visiting

Victoria Falls.

And he

was walking

around a

pathway that

skirts the

gorge.

And he

saw a sign

just towards

the edge

of the

gorge.

And he

couldn't see

it through

the mist

that the

water was

creating.

And so he

decided,

I need to

go and see

that sign,

see what it

says in

case I'm

missing

something

important

here.

And so he

started just

walking

towards it.

It was

quite muddy,

it was

quite slippery,

but he

just knew

he had

to see

the sign.

But as

he came

closer to

the sign,

as he

was just

about at

it, he

realised what

it said.

And on

the sign

it said

danger,

crumbling

edge.

So the

more he

was going

towards the

sign,

the more

he was

putting

himself in

danger.

The edge

of the

cliffs there

could just

collapse.

And that's

what it is

to be in

darkness.

darkness.

We're

blinded to

the warnings

of this

world and

we're just

walking into

trouble as

it were.

But he

says here,

but you

are not

in darkness.

And so

the word

of God

guides us

away from

the edge

of the

cliff and

it guides

us towards

the safety

that is

the rock

that is

Jesus

Christ.

We have

warnings

in

scripture

again and

again guiding

us away

from danger.

When you

look through

your Bibles,

do you

think it

says more

of the

first

coming

of

Christ

or the

second

coming

of

Christ?

I mean

the first

coming

of

Christ

was

such

a

monumental

occasion

when God

sent

his

son

into

this

world

as a

saviour

for the

world.

Do you

think it

says more

of that

or more

of the

second

coming

of

Christ?

Well

the ratio

is about

eight to

one.

But it

says eight

times more

about the

second

coming

of the

Lord

than the

first

coming

of the

Lord.

And that's

a reminder

to us

of Advent.

It's great

to count

down towards

Christmas time

and the

first coming,

remembering the

first coming

of the

Lord.

But it's

to be

prepared for

the second

coming.

We are

not in

darkness.

Another

day that

people often

count down

to was

that yesterday,

what was

significant about

yesterday was

the winter

solstice.

So as of

today,

now the

days are

getting

longer.

You may

not see

it for a

while,

but that

is the

case.

Somebody

said that

today we'll

have five

seconds more

daylight than

we did

yesterday.

It sounds

insignificant.

It sounds

so small,

so minute,

and yet there's

a difference

day by day.

But imagine

the difference

between darkness

and light

through faith

in Christ.

Just a

glimpse of

the glory

of Christ

and the

joy of

his salvation

makes all

the difference

in our

lives.

Be aware