Sunday School Lesson - 7/10/2022 - 1 Thess. 5:1-11 - THE DAY OF THE LORD
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in 1 Thess. 4:1-18, we heard Paul deal with two matters: First, he issued instructions telling the Thessalonian believers that they must learn to "walk" in a way that "pleases God." "Sanctification," a process of biblical instruction with day-to-day application, is a life-long learning exercise that we get better at with practice. Paul placed greatest emphasis on the command to abstain from sexual immorality, a sin that God never leaves unpunished. He explained that that sexual immorality is an offense against (1) our families, (2) our calling as Christians (i.e., destroys our witness), and (3) against God's Holy Spirit that indwells us as believers, in short, an insult to God Himself. He said the surest way to avoid this sin is to yield to the Spirit, which will guide you away from it. Second, Paul addressed the Thessalonian's concern that the believers who were already "asleep" (dead) would not participate in Jesus' return. Paul removed all doubt about this, assuring them that living believers will not have any precedence or advantage over those who have already died, and that the living and the dead will be "caught up together" from the earth into the air to meet Christ in what we commonly refer to as the "rapture" of the church. This week, in 1 Thess. 5:1-11, we will hear Paul continue his discussion of Christ's Second Coming, but from the perspective of those who will be alive during a time known as the "Day of the Lord."
Read 1 Thess. 5:1-3 - THE DAY OF THE LORD
1 Now as to the periods and times, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
v. 1: "Now as to the periods and times, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you" - While Paul infers that the Thessalonians really don't really need more written instructions on what he's preparing to say, he writes it down for them anyway simply because written instruction lends itself to more accuracy than verbal instructions and is less likely to be forgotten.
v. 2a: "For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming" - The "day of the Lord" is an eschatological (end-times) term that refers to an extended period of time that begins with the tribulation and includes the events of the Second Coming of Christ and the Millennial Kingdom on earth. There are numerous OT references to the "Day of the LORD" (Isa. 13:6-9; Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18, 20; Ob. 1:15; Zeph. 1:7, 14; Mal. 4:5). Most of these references deal with God's righteous wrath, but some include a message of vindication.
v. 2b: "just like a thief in the night" - The idea here is that thieves never warn people that they're coming. They typically strike when least expected and prefer nighttime, when darkness cloaks their comings and goings and the unwitting victims will be asleep (not dead but snoozing). It will come like that, so it's important for us to be prepared. When the Lord comes, people's fates will have already been finalized: For the faithful, it will be a day of vindication but for the unfaithful, a day of judgment.
v. 3a: "While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" - In Paul's day, people lived under the iron rule of the Roman Empire and were content to be safe and comfortable in the midst of a pagan society. The point here is that their safety and security is really an illusion.
v. 3b: "then sudden destruction will come upon them" - the "sudden destruction" would not be physical but spiritual-exclusion from God's presence.
v. 3c: "like labor pains upon a pregnant woman" - the idea here is not so much the pain itself but the fact that the coming of such pains will be sudden and unavoidable.
v. 3d: "and they will not escape" - This presents a picture of people-those who have rejected the Lordship of Christ-suddenly alarmed and seeking some way out but finding none.
Read 1 Thess. 5:4-8 - YOU ARE ALL SONS OF THE LIGHT
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would 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; 6 so then, let's not sleep as others do, but let's be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let's be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
v. 4: "But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief" - Both the OT and NT light and darkness are used as metaphors for good and evil, order and chaos, joy and sorrow, life and death, and salvation and condemnation. The word "darkness" means more than simple ignorance. It is figure of speech for an unbeliever's mortal state and separation from God. The verse gives us a sense of people in darkness suddenly finding themselves taken down by the powers of darkness-a fate they had not imagined possible and for which they are unprepared.
v. 5: "for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness." - In contrast, Paul assures these Thessalonians that they need not fear the darkness, nor the thief in the night on that day, because they are living in the light. Paul ties their security-light-to their identity -Christians-which is at the very core of who and what they are. Light is a powerful self-image for Christians, because light cannot coexist with darkness, and light always prevails over darkness.
v. 6a: "so then, let's not sleep as others do" - Here, "sleep" isn't a metaphor for death but a figure of speech for the moral and spiritual carelessness of unbelievers, who are identified as "others."
v. 6b: "but let's be alert and sober" - The word "alert" (Gk. gregoreo) literally means staying awake, and in this context, living in a state of spiritual readiness-ready to resist Satan or defend the faith. The word "sober" (Gk. nepho) not only has to do with avoiding intoxication, but also exhibiting the kinds of behavior associated with sobriety-self-control, sound judgment, dependability, etc.
v. 7: "For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night" - Both sleep and drunkenness are activities associated with "night." Night people are spiritually negligent and get drunk to escape reality; they frequently fail to maintain self-control or use sound judgment.
v. 8a: "But since we are of the day, let's be sober - Because we are people of the day, we must maintain a sober mindset, keeping self-control and sound judgment, and be on guard to meet spiritual challenges in our lives. This means being prepared-we have no excuse for laxity.
v. 8b: "having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation - Now turning to military metaphors, Paul is alluding to Isa. 59:17: "He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head." Breastplates and helmets are both designed to enable a soldier survive blows that might otherwise be fatal. In the context of potential spiritual warfare, Paul is calling Christians destined to stand with the Lord to put his or her armor, which are labeled as faith, hope, and love, the three most essential Christian attributes. Equipped with these three, a Christian will be prepared to fend off any spiritual attack. But you must remember to put them on.
Read 1 Thess. 5:9-10 - DESTINED TO OBTAIN SALVATION
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
v. 9a: "For God has not destined us for wrath" - In the context of this chapter, God's "wrath" can be defined as the anguish and tribulation associated with the beginning of the day of the Lord. Because God does not intend for Christians to be subject to His wrath, he will deliver us from it with the rapture. In both the OT and the NT, God's wrath is understood as the response of a righteous God to sin-manifested as His anger in the face of evil and the punishment He has devised for sinners. It has both real time and eschatological (end-time) connotations: While unbelievers might experience God's judgment in the present, they will certainly experience it "on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL REPAY EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS" (Rom. 2:5-6).
v. 9b: "but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" - This glorious "but" represents an act of divine grace and mercy: God intends that believers should not experience His righteous wrath but be delivered from it by "obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." As Paul wrote later: "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him" (Rom. 3:17). As believers, we can positively say that we "live" in a completely different realm of life in which the wrath of God doesn't apply to us.
v. 10: "who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him" - The use of the word "asleep" here reverts back to Paul's previous metaphor for physical death and reiterates the assurance that they still live in Christ and together with the those who are "awake" (i.e., still living), will rise to be with Him at the rapture. Thus, our life in Christ-whether we are living or dead-does not depend on our behavior but on the finished work of Christ.
Read 1 Thess. 5:11 - BUILD ONE ANOTHER UP
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.
v. 11a1: "Therefore, encourage" - This is the job description for believers as we await the return of Jesus. The word for "encourage" (Gk. parakaleó [par-ak-al-eh'-o] lit. to come alongside someone to comfort or support them). This involves active and continuing effort and is everyone's responsibility.
v. 11a2: "and build one another up" - This reemphasizes Paul's instructions to us in v. 6. The word he uses for "build-up" is a construction term (Gk. oikodomeó [oy-kod-om-eh'-o] lit. to erect a building or a structure). Paul didn't tell these people just to idly sit by and wait for Jesus to come. No, he said to "build-up," which pictures continuous activity, growth, and progress. He's telling us to be bright lights in a dark world. This is why, as individuals and church we need to stay alert and sober. We need to be living unselfish lives and doing good works that are a noticeable contrast to the fallen world around us. We need to be focused on sharing the gospel with an unbelieving world, and we also need to be teachers who strengthen believers in their faith and make them into disciples.
v. 11b: "just as you also are doing" - The Thessalonians were already doing these things-encouraging each other and building-up one another. They and other First Century churches that grew explosively are models for us. The lost people outside our church are not much different than the pagans of Paul's time. Like them, they do not know God. It's up to us to introduce Him. Amen?
APPLICATION-Understanding the Day of the Lord:
1. The Day of the Lord is coming at an unexpected time. The "day of the Lord" is an eschatological (end-times) term that refers to an extended period of time that begins with the tribulation and includes the events of the Second Coming of Christ and the Millennial Kingdom on earth. We Christians are preparing for this event right now, however; the unbelieving world isn't expecting it and will be caught completely by surprise.
2. Christians will be spared from God's wrath on the Day of the Lord because we are sons (and daughters) of the "light." Paul uses the image "light" to signify our identity as believers in Jesus Christ. By contrast unbelievers are living in the "dark," which signifies that they are separated from God morally and spiritually. On that day, believers, both living and dead, will be raptured to join Jesus, whereas, unbelievers will face the full force of God's righteous wrath for their sins.
3. While we are waiting for Jesus to return, we must be prepared. As people of the light, we are expected to remain alert, maintaining a sober mindset, keeping self-control, and exercising sound judgment, so that we are ready to respond to any spiritual challenges. To deal with these adversaries, Good has equipped with spiritual armor consisting of a breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of hope. With faith, love, and hope, we are able to fend off any spiritual enemies.
4. While we are waiting, our Christian job description is to "encourage" and "build up." Paul doesn't tell us to idly sit by and wait, but to do things that involve continuous activity, growth, and progress, which, together, will enable us to be light in a dark world. We need to be living unselfish lives and doing good works that are a noticeable contrast to the fallen world around us. We need to be focused on sharing the gospel with an unbelieving world, and we also need to be teachers who strengthen believers in their faith and make them into disciples. The lost people right outside the doors of this church aren't much different from the pagans of Paul's time. Because they do not know God, they're living in dark. We need introduce them to God, so they can see the light. Amen?
PRAYER: God, Our Father in heaven, we come before You this morning with humble and grateful hearts, thanking you for giving us this good church as a place to worship and serve you and a place where we can enjoy good fellowship with one another. We also thank you that we have the freedom to gather together as a class and learn from the truth of Your Word. Paul told us again, as he did a couple for weeks ago, that our most important function as members of this church is to continually encourage and build one another up. That should be our mindset every time we walk through the doors of this building. We need to be serious about the process of making disciples who will, in turn, will make new disciples. We need to be a church that does good works-like VBS and other youth programs-that are a light to the people outside this church. So, Dear God, help and empower us to do all these things that we need to do to make a difference right here in Mountain Home. And I ask for all these things in the powerful name of Jesus, our wonderful Savior and Redeemer, AMEN.
