1 Thessalonians #07: an exposition of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, November 4, 2012.
Intro:
There are two subjects that fascinate us: what happens after death and what happens at the end of the world? The first explains our interest in psychics and mediums. We want to contact those beyond the grave. We want to know what’s out there? Does life continue? What will that life be like? The second feeds the Dooms Day industry. Books, tapes, seminars and movies dealing with the end of the world. In the church we have our own subculture dealing in the same goods. Not satisfied with the Bible’s message we want to hear the accounts of those who have tasted death and come back to tell their story. What did you see? What did you hear? Feel? Smell? Is it real? As for the end of the world do we need to look beyond the whole Left Behind phenomenon? You can even get online and check the “Rapture Index.” Their website explains:
The Rapture Index has two functions: one is to factor together a number of related end time components into a cohesive indicator, and the other is to standardize those components to eliminate the wide variance that currently exists with prophecy reporting.
The Rapture Index is by no means meant to predict the rapture, however, the index is designed to measure the type of activity that could act as a precursor to the rapture. Think of it as a Dow Jones Industrial Average of end time activity.
- A score of 100 and below indicates slow prophetic activity.
- A score of 100-130 indicates moderate prophetic activity.
- A score of 130-160 indicates heavy prophetic activity.
- A score above 160 means you had better fasten your seat belt.
I checked. As of October 29th it was sitting at 185! In fact it has been above 160 since 2009.
I picked up and thumbed through a book this week that I bought several years ago entitled, The Last Days are Here Again, by Richard Kyle. As a historian, Kyle surveys the various views of end times through the history of the church but also various cultures. It is an interesting read. I’m convinced there are two extremes to be avoided when considering end times. One is to be overwhelmed and obsessed by it. The other is to be irritated and disinterested. The return of our blessed Lord is the hope of the church. It is what we are to long for. It is to be our prayer. It is imperative that we have a biblical perspective on it. Our text this morning is found in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 beginning with verse 1.
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Let’s not forget the context:
Paul is writing to the Thessalonian believers in response to Timothy’s report.
His intent is to encourage and strengthen them in the faith.
2 keys for the immediate contexts are – 4:1 and 4:12.
- 4:1 = live so as to be pleasing to God
- 4:12 = living properly before outsiders
4:13-5:11 is in response to some questions or concerns voiced by the Thessalonians. Apparently they were worried about those who had died in the faith before Christ returned. Perhaps they would miss out on something or be penalized in some way. That’s what Paul deals with in 4:13-18. The other question has to do with when will Christ return? It seems that some in Thessalonica feel if they just knew when they could be prepared. That’s what Paul address in our text.
In working through our text discovering how we are to live in light of His return, I want to give you two demands and then a principle.
- Demand #1 – Living in light of His return demands that you be prepared. (5:1-3)
- Demand #2 – Living in light of His return demands that you be alert and sober-minded. (5:4-8)
A principle to guide us – Being prepared is not about knowing the date or the details of His coming – it is knowing Him that matters! (5:9-11)