Concerning The Coming Judgment

1 Thessalonians 5, 1-11.

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're not of the night or of the darkness.

So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake, be sober.

For those who sleep, sleep at night.

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.

Many of you know that I spent my teenage years in a tiny mountain town in East Tennessee.

The town is called Unicoi.

It's a weird name. I don't know where it came from. It's odd.

It matches probably the personality of the town, to be honest.

It's a little bit odd.

The high school I went to, though, it was near Bristol, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee.

If you know anything about the area, the city sits on the border of the two states,

so I don't really know how you're supposed to refer to it.

But that's where my high school was.

It was just outside of Bristol on the Tennessee side of the city,

which was about a 45-minute drive at the time from where we lived.

But our house was just far enough away that whenever the school sent mail,

the letters or whatever it was that they were sending

typically would arrive at our house in Unicoi about a day later than the rest of my classmates.

And this was before schools digitized everything and communicated everything virtually.

And every nine weeks or so, the school would mail to my parents a report card.

The audacity of such a thing to tell on me to my parents.

They would do that every nine weeks.

And unfortunately, there were a few times that awaiting that report card was a bit torturous, to be honest.

Knowing that I had not applied myself to my studies as my parents expected me to do,

I grew anxious about what we might call the coming day of judgment.

One of the problems is that I didn't know exactly when the report card would make its way to the mailbox.

I didn't know exactly when they would be sent out.

And I didn't know exactly when it would arrive even after it was sent.

And as the inevitable day drew closer, as my anxiety about what might happen grew,

I would start pestering everybody at school about it.

I'd stick my head in the guidance counselor's office.

She seemed to like me.

And I'd say, you know, have you sent out the report cards yet?

I'm just curious when my parents will get to see what I've been doing for the last nine weeks.

And she might would let me know.

And then I'd start going to all my classmates because I told you,

typically the mail would arrive to their house about a day earlier,

usually, than what it would arrive at my house.

And I'd start asking my classmates, did you get your report card yet?

I was trying to prepare myself as best as I could for what was to come,

fearful that what awaited me was the wrath of Harold and Peggy Blankenship.

And sometimes that's exactly what it was.

We come to 1 Thessalonians 5.

We find that some of the Christians in the church of Thessalonica

seemed to have a similar kind of anxiety,

but it was about the second coming of Christ.

That future event is at the heart of this entire letter.

We're learning that now.

Now that we're approaching the end and we're able to start piecing together

all the things that we've seen and heard and read,

we're starting to see there is an underlying theme to the book,

something that Paul continues to drive chapter after chapter after chapter.

And then when we get here, we realize what it is.

The undercurrent of this letter has to do with the return of Jesus.

And from chapter 4 verse 13 through chapter 5 and verse 11,

Paul directly addressed some of the concerns that the Thessalonians had.

In 4, 13 to 18, we understood last week that the issue there

was that they had a lack of information about the future resurrection of the saints

and their lack of information had led to a hopeless grief.

They were beginning to grieve the loss of their brothers and sisters in Christ

in a way that looked more like the unbelieving world where that had no hope

than like those who had the hope of Christ.

But the problem was a lack of information.

And Paul addressed the lack of information in order that they might be comforted in their grief.

When we get to these verses in chapter 5,

the issue isn't a lack of information.

The issue here is a lack of assurance.

And with the lack of assurance came a fearful anxiety

as the day of the Lord, the return of Christ, approached.

Now, I want to be clear about the nature of the problem

by acknowledging that there is a difference

between a lack of assurance

and what we would say is a lack of faith.

A lot of times we lump the two things together

where we would see someone who perhaps is struggling

with the assurance of their salvation

and we would automatically equate that to a lack of faith

in Christ and His gospel.

Those two things are not the same.

A believer may have all of his or her hope and trust

resting in the person and the work of Jesus Christ

and still at times battle a sense of insecurity

as to whether or not he will be able to stand in the judgment.

The Christians to whom Paul was writing

were not lacking faith in Christ,

neither were they wavering in their hope in the gospel.

That's not what's happening here

and we need to be clear about it.

The letter has repeatedly affirmed

that they were full of faith in Christ

which was proven through their perseverance in suffering.

Paul says all the way back in chapter one,

I know, I am confident that you are the elect of God,

you're chosen in God and here's why,

because your faith in Christ continues to flourish

and persevere despite incredible persecution.

That's reiterated once again in chapter three

when Timothy comes back with his report

and Paul rejoices because in their perseverance,

their belonging to God is proven.

So what we do not want to do is come to this text

and say, well, there is some kind of lack of faith

on the part of the Thessalonians.

That's not what's actually happening here.

They didn't doubt Jesus,

but it does seem that some of them worried

about his coming.

They worried that when he arrives,

maybe they wouldn't stand.

The reason for their fear,

as we'll find as we work through the text,

is a combination of the terrifying prospect

of God's judgment

with the reality of continued sin in their lives,

the presence of sin.

They knew Christ was coming

and they knew that when he comes,

he will come in judgment.

They also knew that despite trusting in him,

they still battled the presence of sin in their lives.

And when they brought those two things together,

it created a sense of anxiety and uncertainty,

lacking a sense of assurance

about their standing with God.

Now surely you can relate to this.

If you're a believing Christian,

surely you know what it's like to trust Christ,

to know that your faith is in him,

that your faith is in what he has done,

and yet also question at times

whether or not you truly belong to him.

That on that final day,

you might not escape his wrath,

not because of him and any lack in him,

but because you understand

your own shortcoming and failure and sin.

Surely you understand what that's like.

The point of this text is to reassure

and instruct believers of their destiny

at Christ's return.

The tone of what Paul writes here is not corrective,

even though he exhorts them in one place.

It's not corrective.

He's not frustrated.

He's not irritated.

The tone of the text is reassurance.

Like a parent coming alongside their child

who's discouraged and lifting them up

and saying, it's okay, doing all right.

That's what Paul's doing here.

He's reassuring believers.

He's instructing believers

of the reality of their destiny,

their true destiny,

when Christ returns.

And to fully grasp the comfort

that Paul sought to provide in the passage,

I want to point out three things in the text.

I want to show you

the reality of the coming judgment.

We want to look soberly at that.

I want to show you two reassurances

for those who are in Christ,

who belong to God by grace.

And then finally,

I want to show you the proper response

for those who have received

the assurance of their future salvation.

Okay?

That's kind of the path

that we're going to follow as we go.

First thing I want to show you

is the reality of the coming judgment.

Reality of the coming judgment.

Look again at the first three verses.

Now concerning the times and 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.

It's the reality of what is to come.

Now again,

this is not a separate event

from what is covered

in chapter 4 verses 13 to 18.

What it is,

is a different perspective

of the same event.

Christ's return,

what we often call

the second coming of Christ,

will begin

with the redemption of those,

both dead and living,

as we studied last week.

It will begin

with the redemption of those

who have trusted in Christ

for salvation.

Those who are His

will be redeemed

and saved

in the day of judgment.

And then the coming of Christ,

what's reflected

in chapter 4 verses 13 to 18,

will then give way

to what is referred to

as the day of the Lord,

in which Jesus will judge the earth

and all that's in it.

And it's this dynamic of judgment

referred to as the day of the Lord

that is the focus of 1 to 11

in chapter 5.

Same event,

different perspective of the event.

Now some of the Thessalonian Christians,

like I did in high school,

were concerned about

the timing of those things.

Worried that they would be unprepared

the day that Jesus did actually arrive.

And of course,

the times and seasons

of these things

are known only to God.

So Paul says,

you don't need me to write to you about that

because you know

that we don't know

when this is going to take place.

We don't know the times and seasons.

Now where is Paul getting that?

Well, he's getting that from Jesus,

isn't he?

Remember just before Jesus ascends

back to heaven in Acts chapter 1,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

remember what the last question was

that his disciples asked.

They said,

Lord, will you now restore the kingdom?

Will you now bring the kingdom?

They couldn't get their minds off of it.

They were fixated on it,

longing for it.

There wasn't time for that.

Remember what Jesus said

in Acts 1, 7.

He said,

it is not for you

to know the times or seasons

that the Father has fixed

by his own authority.

In other words,

this is known only to God.

It is a day fixed

sometime in the future.

It is coming.

We don't know exactly when.

Paul didn't know exactly when.

And though they were clamoring

to try to get a sense

of when is this going to happen,

Paul just reminds them

right off the bat,

the times and the seasons,

brothers,

you don't need me

to write about that.

You don't need me

to speculate about it

because we don't know.

All of this was something

that the Thessalonians knew well.

We see that in verse 2.

For you yourselves

are fully aware.

You yourselves.

That's emphatic

both in Greek

and in English here.

He could have just said

you're fully aware.

No, he brings emphasis,

doesn't he?

You yourselves,

you know this.

You know.

You know that the day

of the Lord

is going to come

like a thief in the night.

It's intensifying

the assertion

that they were fully aware

of this truth already.

So in 4, 13 to 18,

their grief rose

from something

that they hadn't been yet taught.

In 5, 1 through 11,

here,

their anxiety comes

precisely because of something

that they had been taught.

Do you see the difference?

Before,

they didn't really know

how to fill in the gaps

and it was leading to grief.

But in this case,

the day of the Lord,

they know exactly

what's going to happen

on that day.

They know exactly

what that's going to be like

and it's their knowledge

actually that's producing

their anxiety now.

And what was it

that they were so

anxious about?

They were fully aware

of the reality

of the coming judgment

of God

on the day of the Lord.

The truth of what Jesus

is going to do

upon His return

made them afraid.

Now Paul used

familiar imagery here

to describe the day of the Lord.

The idea of a thief in the night

underscores that this event,

the coming of the Lord,

the day of the Lord

will be both unexpected

and destructive,

harmful.

You don't know

when it's coming

and you know

that when it does come,

it's going to be dangerous.

And then he explains

the image in verse 3.

Look at what it says.

While people are saying

there is peace and security,

then sudden destruction

will come upon them.

He's fleshing out

the illustration

of the thief in the night,

isn't he?

The people here

in verse 3

are unbelievers

who like the unsuspecting

homeowner

feel at peace.

They feel secure.

And for them,

Christ's return

will bring sudden destruction.

Peter used the same imagery

but he detailed the events

a little differently.

In 2 Peter 3.10,

but the day of the Lord

will come like a thief

and what will it bring?

Then the heavens

will pass away

with a roar.

The heavenly bodies

will be burned up

and dissolved.

The earth

and the works

that are done on it

will be exposed.

That's the reality

of the day of the Lord.

The Thessalonians understood

that that is the reality

of the day of the Lord

and in speaking of it,

Paul uses the same imagery

as Peter.

He says it will come

on unbelievers

with sudden destruction

like a thief in the night.

And then he uses

the second image

in verse 3

to drive home the point,

doesn't he?

The day of the Lord

will come upon unbelievers

like labor

comes upon a pregnant woman.

And what does he mean?

It will be sudden

and once it starts

you can't stop it.

Charlie will be a year old

next month.

We went to bed

on March 20th.

Julie felt great.

I woke up on March 21st

and Julie said,

I think I need to go

to the hospital.

The labor pains came

suddenly

and there was nothing

I could do

to stop it

at that point.

Paul says,

that's what this day

will be like.

It's like a thief

in the night.

It's unexpected.

It's destructive.

It's going to come

with sudden destruction

like labor pains,

like a pregnant woman

and they will not escape.

Once it starts,

once it's here,

there's nothing you can do.

It will be too late.

Nothing you can offer,

nothing you can argue

on that day.

will turn away

the wrath of God.

Zephaniah 118.

God says,

neither their silver

nor their gold

shall be able

to deliver them

on the day

of the wrath

of the Lord.

In the fire

of his jealousy

all the earth

shall be consumed

for a full

and sudden end

he will make

of all the inhabitants

of the earth.

The reality is

that Jesus

is coming back

and though his

first coming

was to save,

his next one

will be to judge.

And if you do not

turn to Christ,

that day

will bring you

sudden destruction

and you cannot

escape.

That's why

over and over

again

the biblical writers

emphasize

today

is the day

of salvation.

Do not

delay.

Turn to God

while you can

because his

patience

will come

to an end.

It will come

to an end

on the day

that he is fixed

and once the day

comes

you can't stop it.

So Isaiah

says,

seek the Lord

while he may be

found.

Call upon him

while he is near.

Let the wicked

forsake his way

and the unrighteous

man his thoughts.

let him return

to the Lord

that he may have

compassion on him

and to our God

for he will

abundantly pardon.

What grace

of God

to say

I am coming

in judgment.

Come to me

now

for safety.

Come to me

now

for pardon.

Zephaniah 2

seek the Lord

all you humble

of the land

who do his

just command.

Seek righteousness.

Seek humility

before God.

Perhaps you may

be hidden

on the day

of the anger

of the Lord.

Hebrews 3

therefore

the Holy Spirit

says

today

if you hear

his voice

do not harden

your heart.

Why?

Because today

is the day.

Now

is the time.

And when

his day comes

there will be

no escape.

Why were

some of the

Thessalonians

anxious about

Christ's return?

It wasn't

because they

doubted him

and his gospel.

It was because

the reality

of his judgment

is absolutely

terrifying.

It's terrifying.

we will all

stand before

our maker

and only

those who

have obeyed

his word

by faith

will escape

his wrath.

And they

were fully

aware of it

and what

it produced

in them

was anxiety.

Now

that's the

reality of

the coming

judgment.

Now let's

look at the

reassurances

for believers.

The

reassurances

for believers.

Now the

verse around

which all

of this is

revolving

is verse

four.

Look at it

with me.

But you

are not

in darkness

brothers

for that

day to

surprise you

like a

thief.

Do you

see the

reassurance

coming in

now?

Do you

see what

Paul's

doing?

The first

three verses

he recognizes

that they

have questions

about this

and he

says the

day of

the Lord

the day

of judgment

it's coming

like a thief

in the night

it's coming

with sudden

destruction

it's coming

like labor

pains

on a

pregnant

woman

once it

starts

it will

not stop

and those

who are

subject

to his

wrath

will not

escape it

and then

immediately

he says

but you

brothers

you're not

in the

darkness

that day

will not

surprise you

like a

thief in

the night

it's like

all the

tension is

building at

this point

the tension

is building

in the

first three

verses

and it's

like whoever

is reading

this letter

to the church

in Thessalonica

at the time

that it

is delivered

to them

it's like

they can

take a

collective

deep breath

now

a sigh

of relief

tension

tension

tension

judgment

judgment

judgment

but

but you're

safe

we're safe

notice the

language

but you

he says

but you

stands in

distinct

contrast

to the

people

in verse

three

there's two

different groups

at play

here

will

Jesus

come

again

yes

will

his

judgment

be

devastating

yes

will

anybody

escape

it

yes

yes

praise

God

yes

the day

of the

Lord

will come

upon the

people

like a

thief in

the night

but it

will not

affect

Christians

in the

same

way

the day

of the

Lord

is for

those

who are

in

darkness

but the

Thessalonian

Christians

were not

in

darkness

Colossians

1

12

to 14

we give

thanks to

the father

who has

qualified you

to share

in the

inheritance

of the

saints

in

light

he has

delivered

us

from the

domain

of

darkness

and

transferred

us to

the kingdom

of his

beloved

son

in

whom

we

have

redemption

the

forgiveness

of

sins

there

are

two

groups

of

people

at

work

here

there

are

the

people

who

will

face

his

wrath

and

then

there

are

the

people

who

will

face

his

forgiveness

and

in

verses

5

to

10

Paul

issues

two

reassurances

to

support

the

affirmation

of

salvation

for

believers

the

first

one

is

this

you

are

in

the

light

you

are

in

the

light

Christian

hear

me

this

morning

you

are

in

the

light

that

day

will

not

come

upon

you

like

a

thief

in

the

night

you're

in

the

light

verse

5

for

you

are

all

children

of

the

light

children

of

the

day

were

not

of

the

night

or

of

the

darkness

the

day

of

the

Lord

is

for

those

in

darkness

but

those

who

are

in

Christ

are

not

in

darkness

they

are

in

the

light

this

is a

statement

of

identity

and of

one

standing

before

God

as a

result

of

that

identity

those

those

who

trust

in

Christ

stand

in

the

light

and

there

are

so

many

verses

we

could

point

to

here

I

want

to

give

you

two

John

5

12

Jesus

said

to

them

I

am

the

light

of

the

world

whoever

follows

me

will

not

walk

in

darkness

but

will

have

the

light

of

life

Jesus

is

the

light

that

brings

life

to

escape

the

judgment

and

you

are

in

the

light

therefore

what

you

face

in

your

future

is

life

2

Corinthians

4

4

to

6

speaking

of

unbelievers

in their

case

the

God

of

this

world

has

blinded

the

minds

of

unbelievers

to

keep

them

from

seeing

the

light

of

the

gospel

of

the

glory

of

Christ

who

is

the

image

of

God

and

then

he

speaks

of

his

preaching

of

the

gospel

for

what

we

proclaim

is

not

ourselves

but

Jesus

Christ

as

Lord

with

ourselves

as

your

servants

for

Jesus

sake

and

now

listen

to

what

Paul

says

here

for

God

who

said

quoting

Genesis

1

let

light

shine

out

of

darkness

that

same

God

who

brought

all of

this

into

existence

with

the

power

of

his

word

has

shown

his

light

into

our

hearts

why

to

give

us

the

light

of

the

knowledge

of

the

glory

of

God

in

the

face

of

Jesus

Christ

Christian

you

are

not

of

the

darkness

you

are

not

in

the

darkness

that

is

not

who

you

are

you

are

in

the

light

and

what

awaits

you

is

not

wrath

what

awaits

you

salvation

freedom

forgiveness

if

you

are

in

Christ

the

light

of

God's

grace

in

Jesus

has

shone

in

your

heart

through

faith

you

are

a

child

of

the

day

the

coming

judgment

is for

those

in

darkness

but

that's

not

who

you

are

that's

not

who

you

are

now

for

those

of

you

who

sit

in

the

seat

of

the

Thessalonians

your

faith

is in

Christ

you've

turned

from

sin

you profess

faith

you're

doing

what

you

can

but

you

still

have

sin

and

you're

not

exactly

sure

you're

you're

concerned

that

on

that

day

you

won't

stand

hear

my

words

you

are

not

in

!

that

day

will

not

surprise

you

like

a

thief

in

the

night

you're

of

the

light

take

courage

take

courage

you're

in

the

light

now

as

often

as

the

case

in

the

scriptures

the

indicative

of

verse

five

that

they

are

children

of

the

light

is

immediately

followed

by

an

imperative

command

or

instruction

in

verses

six

to

eight

Paul

says

so

then

let us

not

sleep

as

others

do

let

us

keep

awake

and

be

sober

for

those

who

sleep

sleep

at

night

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

a

hope

of

salvation

now

this

gives

us

another

clue

into

another

likely

source

of

their

anxiety

why

did

I

fear

the

arrival

of

the

report

card

in

high

school

because

I

knew

I

hadn't

obeyed

my

parents

and

that

I

deserved

their

punishment

for

my

disobedience

right

why

might

some

of

the

Thessalonians

have

been

anxious

about

Christ's

return

because

they

were

children

of

the

light

they

weren't

living

like

people

of

the

light

perhaps

some

of

their

lives

looked

more

like

those

who

were

in

darkness

and

they

knew

they

were

worthy

of

God's

wrath

now

let's

get

something

clear

neither

their

assurance

nor

your

assurance

can

rest

on

any

moral

or

ethical

effort

that

is

not

the

foundation

of

assurance

in

this

text

or

in

any

other

text

Paul's

not

insinuating

here

that

their

obedience

is

the

basis

of

their

assurance

of

escaping

God's

judgment

you

can

be

the

most

moral

person

in

the

room

and

still

go

to

hell

Jesus

made

that

clear

our

assurance

rests

entirely

on

our

identity

in

Christ

that

we

are

children

of

the

light

not

that

we

are

somehow

worthy

of

the

light

but

that

we

belong

to

the

light

now

that

being

said

who

will

ever

feel

assured

as

a

child

of

the

light

when

their

life

is

lived

in

darkness

asleep

to

the

things

of

God

intoxicated

by

the

ways

of

the

world

and

Paul

doubles

down

on

this

in

verse

8

doesn't

he

just

look

at

verse

8

again

since

we

belong

to

the

day

let

us

be

sober

having

put

on

the

breast

plate

of

faith

and

love

and

for

a

helmet

the

hope

of

salvation

the

imperative

is

let

us

be

sober

but

that

imperative

in

verse

8

is

built

on

two

other

indicatives

do

you

see

it

but

since

he

says

since

we

belong

to

the

day

the

participle

at

the

end

of

the

verse

having

put

on

that's

past

tense

since

you

have

put

on

faith

love

and

hope

what

we

saw

in

faith

in

Christ

love

for

Christ

hope

in

Christ

Paul

says

since

you

belong

to

the

light

since

you

belong

to

Christ

by

faith

because

of

that

he

says

be

sober

you're

a

child

of

the

light

live

like

it

he

says

moral

behavior

listen

moral

behavior

is

not

the

basis

of

our

assurance

it

is

the

result

of

our

assurance

you

belong

to

the

light

live

like

it

now

there's

ditches

on

both

sides

of

the

road

here

isn't

there

we

can

have

full

trust

that

we're

in

Christ

and

somehow

allow

that

assurance

to

let

us

slip

into

sinful

intentional

willing

behavior

well

no

that

is

not

right

either

that's

not

actually

indicative

of

someone

whose

heart

has

been

transformed

by

the

gospel

of

Christ

right

but

on

the

other

hand

we

can

be

so

intent

on

obeying

the

imperative

that

we

don't

rest

our

salvation

on

the

indicative

some

of

us

get

so

caught

up

in

this

fruit

based

works

based

form

of

evaluating

true

Christians

that

it's

like

we

abandon

the

gospel

that

our

assurance

and

our

salvation

is

no

longer

resting

in

who

Christ