Living in the Light (1 Thess. 5:1-11)
This sermon was preached on 28/3/2010
The way by which Paul begins verse 1 suggests that he is answering a question raised by the Thessalonians with Timothy when he had revisited the congregation. If that is the case, then we should be grateful for the answers given by Paul because they give information that we also need to know.
The first detail to observe is the title that Paul uses for the second coming – he calls it the day of the Lord. While it is possible that Paul only means a significant day for Jesus, it is more likely that the apostle has in mind a common Old Testament description for God’s divine activity at the end of human history as we know it. It does not describe a twenty-four day, but an occasion in which God will judge his enemies and bless his people. The Old Testament closes anticipating this day and Malachi 4 mentions that the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be exalted. Paul is exhorting the Thessalonians to recall what they had been told by Paul and his colleagues and listen to what the scriptures (in this case, the Old Testament) have to say on the topic rather than listen to speculations and surmisings.
The second aspect that Paul stresses is that the second coming will be sudden, that it will happen when many will not expect it. Indeed he seems to indicate that it will occur during a period of prosperity when many will feel secure and enjoy peace (they will be asleep, as it were). So there is no need to imagine that the second coming will be preceded by a time of trouble and difficulty in economics or politics. The fact is that no-one knows when the second coming will take place.
For what it is worth, it seems to me that the New Testament gives three signs that have to be fulfilled before Jesus will return. One is that the gospel will be preached throughout the world (Matt. 24:), the second is that the Jewish race will experience a spiritual revival (Rom. 11:12), and the third is that the antichrist will be revealed (2 Thess. 2:1-12). The first has happened, the second could occur suddenly and may not last long, and the third will not take place until Jesus comes. Therefore, it is not possible for us to say that Jesus will come today, but neither is it possible to say that Jesus will not come for a long time.
Third, Paul mentions that the second coming will be solemn because it will mean destruction for those who don’t trust in Jesus. The apostle stresses that none will escape this awful experience, the consequence of living in opposition to God throughout their lives. In passing, we can note that Paul’s uses very vivid illustrations as he attempts to express the suddenness and the awfulness of this future day. A thief suggests loss and pain of a pregnant woman suggests agony.
Fourth, Paul highlights how Christians are to live as they wait for the coming of this great day. Their basic attitude is to be one of soberness. A sober person is one who is in control of his faculties, especially his mind, unlike a drunk person whose mind is not functioning properly. Paul uses another illustration, that of a sentry on duty or of a soldier in battle, to depict sober living. Such a soldier was self-controlled, always alert for the arrival of a visitor.
Features of sober living
Paul in his description of a soldier mentions two items of his armour. The first is the breastplate, which he says is connected to faith and love, and the second is the helmet, which he says is connected to hope. Here is another example of the common trilogy of faith, love and hope, and this trilogy is the prerequisite for sober living. So we cannot wait appropriately for the second coming if faith, love and hope are absent from our spiritual lives.
The breastplate covered the soldier’s chest and protected his heart and lungs. It is not difficult to see that the heart can depict the affections – the use of a person’s physical heart in this way is common throughout the world. What are the predominant affections in a believer’s heart? There is a difference between affections and emotions, so a different answer would be given if my question was, ‘What are the predominant emotions in a believer’s heart?’ For example, peace and joy are emotions, but they are not affections. They are often the outcome of affections, of course.
According to Paul here, a believer with healthy affections is marked by love and faith. In everyday life, love for a person is usually accompanied by dependence on that person. A husband should love his wife and trust her, and vice versa. With regard to Jesus, we love him for his person and for his work. He is God and man and we see beauty in each of his natures, and in the way each of them contributed to our salvation. And the various features that make him beautiful and desirable also make him worthy of our trust.
Paul mentions elsewhere that faith works by love (Gal. 5:6). Sometimes we wonder how we can increase our faith in Jesus. I suppose the answer to that concern is that we should increase our love for Jesus and then our faith will become more strong and active. The reality is that they exist together.
It is obvious that Paul expected faith and love to be a protection against enemy attacks. Take a temptation to sin. If my love for Jesus and my faith in Jesus is weak, then I am more likely to fall into temptation. Legalism will not enable me to resist temptation.
The other piece of armour was the helmet which protected the soldier’s head and eyes. The application is obvious – we need to have informed minds and clear vision. This requirement by the apostle is a rebuke to many Christians who make little effort to inform themselves about the doctrines of the faith. Their minds are full of other things. I know believers who can tell you the names of their favourite football team but who would struggle to list the names of the twelve apostles or the twelve sons of Jacob.
The particular doctrine that Paul says will protect their thinking and their vision is the hope of salvation, and he explains this aspect of salvation in verses 9 and 10. We can break down this phrase in order to understand what Paul means. The word ‘hope’ is a common one among us, but often it is not used with its proper meaning. We usually use it with a measure of uncertainty when speaking about personal salvation. Yet the New Testament meaning is an expression of assurance, of anticipating a guaranteed experience. Here Paul says that what protects our mind is not a vague outlook but a strong confidence that something will happen.
The something that will happen is salvation. Here again is a word that needs to be clarified. Usually we give it one meaning whereas it has three. We usually use it with the meaning of past salvation, which a sinner obtains by asking God for pardon. In addition there is a present expression of salvation in that God delivers his people from the power of sin and from their enemies; and there is a future expression of salvation when God eventually delivers his people from the presence of their sins at the resurrection when Jesus returns. The particular aspect Paul has in mind is future salvation.
This aspect was of relevance to his readers because some of their Christian friends had died. If Jesus did not return, then they would die as well. They needed assurance that should they die they would still experience salvation for their bodies as well as their souls. The way to get assurance was not to make up a new doctrine but to think about the doctrines they already knew.
Of course, we need to wear both the breastplate and the helmet. There was no point in a soldier wearing only one because the lack of the other meant that he would soon be overpowered. Similarly, there is great danger for a Christian who only focused on trusting in Jesus in a loving way and makes no effort to understand the doctrines of the faith – he is not wearing the helmet. Likewise there is a great danger for the Christian who only concerns himself with understanding doctrine and does not consider the state of his affections – he is not wearing a breastplate. We need both.
Paul mentions one more aspect of sober living and that is the need for mutual encouragement. An army is not a collection of individuals doing their own thing. Instead it is composed of individuals who recognise that they need one another and therefore do their best to ensure that their comrades are in a fit state to fight. We too are to care for one another’s affections and one another’s understanding of doctrine.
Paul gives an example of a mutual affectionate expression of faith that is full of doctrinal content in verses 9 and 10. In doing so he covers the period between the past eternity and the future one. We can see his confidence and his affections working together as he speaks of the Saviour as ‘our’ Lord Jesus Christ. His confidence was that Jesus would achieve God’s purpose for all his children, and he recognised that all of them were in a loving relationship with him. And we can see his doctrinal understanding as in one sentence he covers God’s original decree, the death of Jesus, the escape from divine wrath, and the reality that not even death could prevent them living with Jesus for ever. That is how we are to develop sober living in a godless society. Be balanced between affections and intellect. This is how we live as children of light.
Waiting for his coming
So Paul urges the Christians in Thessalonica to live in such a manner that reveals they are waiting for the return of Jesus. True longing for his coming is not expressed by speculation concerning the date but by soberness concerning our duty. We are to live as if Jesus could come today which means that we will not want to be found engaging in wrong behaviour or developing wrong attitudes.
Obviously, this passage speaks to those who are unconverted as well as those who are converted. The fact that the date is not revealed means that unbelievers must prepare for a sudden coming (even if Jesus does not come physically, we know that our lives can end suddenly). Therefore such need to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus.
The passage also tells the children of light how they are to live inwardly and outwardly. In what ways are we using our minds? Concerning what are our affections on? These aspects matter because a correct use of our minds and affections means we are good soldiers of Christ who will not be surprised and unprepared for a sudden appearing of the King.
The first detail to observe is the title that Paul uses for the second coming – he calls it the day of the Lord. While it is possible that Paul only means a significant day for Jesus, it is more likely that the apostle has in mind a common Old Testament description for God’s divine activity at the end of human history as we know it. It does not describe a twenty-four day, but an occasion in which God will judge his enemies and bless his people. The Old Testament closes anticipating this day and Malachi 4 mentions that the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be exalted. Paul is exhorting the Thessalonians to recall what they had been told by Paul and his colleagues and listen to what the scriptures (in this case, the Old Testament) have to say on the topic rather than listen to speculations and surmisings.
The second aspect that Paul stresses is that the second coming will be sudden, that it will happen when many will not expect it. Indeed he seems to indicate that it will occur during a period of prosperity when many will feel secure and enjoy peace (they will be asleep, as it were). So there is no need to imagine that the second coming will be preceded by a time of trouble and difficulty in economics or politics. The fact is that no-one knows when the second coming will take place.
For what it is worth, it seems to me that the New Testament gives three signs that have to be fulfilled before Jesus will return. One is that the gospel will be preached throughout the world (Matt. 24:), the second is that the Jewish race will experience a spiritual revival (Rom. 11:12), and the third is that the antichrist will be revealed (2 Thess. 2:1-12). The first has happened, the second could occur suddenly and may not last long, and the third will not take place until Jesus comes. Therefore, it is not possible for us to say that Jesus will come today, but neither is it possible to say that Jesus will not come for a long time.
Third, Paul mentions that the second coming will be solemn because it will mean destruction for those who don’t trust in Jesus. The apostle stresses that none will escape this awful experience, the consequence of living in opposition to God throughout their lives. In passing, we can note that Paul’s uses very vivid illustrations as he attempts to express the suddenness and the awfulness of this future day. A thief suggests loss and pain of a pregnant woman suggests agony.
Fourth, Paul highlights how Christians are to live as they wait for the coming of this great day. Their basic attitude is to be one of soberness. A sober person is one who is in control of his faculties, especially his mind, unlike a drunk person whose mind is not functioning properly. Paul uses another illustration, that of a sentry on duty or of a soldier in battle, to depict sober living. Such a soldier was self-controlled, always alert for the arrival of a visitor.
Features of sober living
Paul in his description of a soldier mentions two items of his armour. The first is the breastplate, which he says is connected to faith and love, and the second is the helmet, which he says is connected to hope. Here is another example of the common trilogy of faith, love and hope, and this trilogy is the prerequisite for sober living. So we cannot wait appropriately for the second coming if faith, love and hope are absent from our spiritual lives.
The breastplate covered the soldier’s chest and protected his heart and lungs. It is not difficult to see that the heart can depict the affections – the use of a person’s physical heart in this way is common throughout the world. What are the predominant affections in a believer’s heart? There is a difference between affections and emotions, so a different answer would be given if my question was, ‘What are the predominant emotions in a believer’s heart?’ For example, peace and joy are emotions, but they are not affections. They are often the outcome of affections, of course.
According to Paul here, a believer with healthy affections is marked by love and faith. In everyday life, love for a person is usually accompanied by dependence on that person. A husband should love his wife and trust her, and vice versa. With regard to Jesus, we love him for his person and for his work. He is God and man and we see beauty in each of his natures, and in the way each of them contributed to our salvation. And the various features that make him beautiful and desirable also make him worthy of our trust.
Paul mentions elsewhere that faith works by love (Gal. 5:6). Sometimes we wonder how we can increase our faith in Jesus. I suppose the answer to that concern is that we should increase our love for Jesus and then our faith will become more strong and active. The reality is that they exist together.
It is obvious that Paul expected faith and love to be a protection against enemy attacks. Take a temptation to sin. If my love for Jesus and my faith in Jesus is weak, then I am more likely to fall into temptation. Legalism will not enable me to resist temptation.
The other piece of armour was the helmet which protected the soldier’s head and eyes. The application is obvious – we need to have informed minds and clear vision. This requirement by the apostle is a rebuke to many Christians who make little effort to inform themselves about the doctrines of the faith. Their minds are full of other things. I know believers who can tell you the names of their favourite football team but who would struggle to list the names of the twelve apostles or the twelve sons of Jacob.
The particular doctrine that Paul says will protect their thinking and their vision is the hope of salvation, and he explains this aspect of salvation in verses 9 and 10. We can break down this phrase in order to understand what Paul means. The word ‘hope’ is a common one among us, but often it is not used with its proper meaning. We usually use it with a measure of uncertainty when speaking about personal salvation. Yet the New Testament meaning is an expression of assurance, of anticipating a guaranteed experience. Here Paul says that what protects our mind is not a vague outlook but a strong confidence that something will happen.
The something that will happen is salvation. Here again is a word that needs to be clarified. Usually we give it one meaning whereas it has three. We usually use it with the meaning of past salvation, which a sinner obtains by asking God for pardon. In addition there is a present expression of salvation in that God delivers his people from the power of sin and from their enemies; and there is a future expression of salvation when God eventually delivers his people from the presence of their sins at the resurrection when Jesus returns. The particular aspect Paul has in mind is future salvation.
This aspect was of relevance to his readers because some of their Christian friends had died. If Jesus did not return, then they would die as well. They needed assurance that should they die they would still experience salvation for their bodies as well as their souls. The way to get assurance was not to make up a new doctrine but to think about the doctrines they already knew.
Of course, we need to wear both the breastplate and the helmet. There was no point in a soldier wearing only one because the lack of the other meant that he would soon be overpowered. Similarly, there is great danger for a Christian who only focused on trusting in Jesus in a loving way and makes no effort to understand the doctrines of the faith – he is not wearing the helmet. Likewise there is a great danger for the Christian who only concerns himself with understanding doctrine and does not consider the state of his affections – he is not wearing a breastplate. We need both.
Paul mentions one more aspect of sober living and that is the need for mutual encouragement. An army is not a collection of individuals doing their own thing. Instead it is composed of individuals who recognise that they need one another and therefore do their best to ensure that their comrades are in a fit state to fight. We too are to care for one another’s affections and one another’s understanding of doctrine.
Paul gives an example of a mutual affectionate expression of faith that is full of doctrinal content in verses 9 and 10. In doing so he covers the period between the past eternity and the future one. We can see his confidence and his affections working together as he speaks of the Saviour as ‘our’ Lord Jesus Christ. His confidence was that Jesus would achieve God’s purpose for all his children, and he recognised that all of them were in a loving relationship with him. And we can see his doctrinal understanding as in one sentence he covers God’s original decree, the death of Jesus, the escape from divine wrath, and the reality that not even death could prevent them living with Jesus for ever. That is how we are to develop sober living in a godless society. Be balanced between affections and intellect. This is how we live as children of light.
Waiting for his coming
So Paul urges the Christians in Thessalonica to live in such a manner that reveals they are waiting for the return of Jesus. True longing for his coming is not expressed by speculation concerning the date but by soberness concerning our duty. We are to live as if Jesus could come today which means that we will not want to be found engaging in wrong behaviour or developing wrong attitudes.
Obviously, this passage speaks to those who are unconverted as well as those who are converted. The fact that the date is not revealed means that unbelievers must prepare for a sudden coming (even if Jesus does not come physically, we know that our lives can end suddenly). Therefore such need to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus.
The passage also tells the children of light how they are to live inwardly and outwardly. In what ways are we using our minds? Concerning what are our affections on? These aspects matter because a correct use of our minds and affections means we are good soldiers of Christ who will not be surprised and unprepared for a sudden appearing of the King.
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