15 I Thessalonians 5:1-11 Children of The Day

March 01, 2026

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: Children of The Day Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 FCF: We often struggle fearing the coming judgment and resting in Christ’s righteousness. Prop: Because true believers have nothing to fear concerning the Day of the Lord, we must always be ready, living holy lives, in accordance with the coming Kingdom. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. In a moment we’ll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse one. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. We are at the beginning of the last chapter of 1 Thessalonians, which means we need to review where we have been so far. In chapter 1, Paul expresses his thankfulness to God for the Thessalonian church because he knows they are elect of God, because the gospel came to them in the power of the Spirit and because he has observed how the Thessalonian church has become imitators of Christ amid affliction. In chapter 2, to counter claims of unbelieving Thessalonians, Paul insists that his visit with them was profitable because God gave them boldness to speak, they became a spiritual family, and because it produced the same results they had seen in previous outpourings of the gospel. He informs them that he greatly wished to visit them but had been hindered by Satan. But he assures them that they are his hope, joy, and glory in that they stand firm in their faith. In chapter 3, Paul reveals that he sent Timothy to them because he was overwhelmed with godly concern for their faith. He also reveals his joy at the report from Timothy that they stood fast in their faith but that he hopes to see them again soon and complete what is lacking in their faith. He ends chapter 3 with a benediction, praying to God to bring them into fellowship again, to cause their love to abound and their holiness to be perfected for the Lord’s return. Chapter 3 officially concludes the apologetic portion of the letter and chapter 4 begins the didactic and applicational side of the letter. Paul begins chapter 4 by expressing that God’s will for all His people is for them to grow in holiness or distinctness from the world. This thought governs every topic throughout chapter 4 and chapter 5. In chapter 4 Paul expresses three ways that believers can be holy and distinct in the world. First in their sexual ethic, keeping all sexual activity within the bonds of marriage. Second, in the way they love one another by leading a quiet life, minding their own business, and working with their hands. This will ensure a good reputation with outsiders and keep them from being in need. Finally in chapter 4, Paul teaches that they can be holy in the way they grieve death. Specifically in the death of believers, they should grieve but with hope because the Lord will not abandon dead believers. Instead, the dead will rise first and then all believers will be snatched up to be with the Lord in the air. And from that moment on the Bride of Christ will always be with Him. But just because the chapter broke, doesn’t mean Paul has finished talking about being holy nor is he done talking about the Thessalonians’ concerns about the end of the world. Please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy and Just Father, Your justice has been mocked since the serpent undermined Your Word in the garden. Ever since, Your creation has groaned in agony yearning to be rid of the sin that broke it. The ungodly and the wicked, the unbeliever and the unjust sit in their ease convinced that Your justice will never come. That they are safe and at peace with You because Your mercy and Your delay mean You care nothing about their sins. But we who have been shown the light and transferred from night to day, we know that Your justice will come. That the hammer will fall quickly and when it does, no one will be able to escape Your Great White Throne. All men will stand before You and answer for their sins. All except those who You offered up Your Son to save. God, may You speak to us today from Your Word and convince believers that we are children of the Day. We have no reason to fear the Dawn. But we must be awake and stay alert to behold its bright rays when it comes. Help us Lord to live for the dawn of Your eternal Kingdom. And convince unbelievers of the dreaded dawn they face since they are yet children of the night. We pray this in Jesus’ name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “God’s will is done no less in the condemnation of unbelievers than in the salvation of those who put faith in the Lord Jesus. “ J.I. Packer “The coming day of judgment is a doctrine that has been abused, misunderstood, and often used to manipulate people. But correctly understood in the context of God’s character and justice, it is a doctrine full of comfort for Christians.” Frank Retief “In this liberal age we tend naturally to avoid any thought of God’s judgment.” David Watson “The Lord has a golden scepter and an iron rod. Those who will not bow to the one shall be broken by the other.” Thomas Watson Let these words of God’s justice and judgment sharpen your mind for the text this morning. I.) We have nothing to fear concerning the Day of the Lord, so we must be alert and clear headed by living out our salvation. (1-8) a. [Slide 3] 1 - Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need of anything to be written to you. i. Apparently, not only were the Thessalonians concerned about Christ followers who had died not inheriting the New Kingdom, but they were also concerned about the timing of the events of the last days. ii. The way Paul addresses the issue in this passage it seems like their concern was primarily that they wished to know when the Day of the Lord would occur so they could be ready for it. iii. Most likely they feared that if they were not ready for it, they might get swept away in the judgment with the unbelievers as well. iv. But Paul is confident that he, or anyone else, doesn’t actually have to write anything to them concerning the events of the last days, nor their timing. v. Why? b. [Slide 4] 2 - For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. i. Paul once again points to their knowledge to substantiate his claim that they did not need to be given further instruction on this matter and also to refresh them in the teaching that they should know. ii. The teaching they have received is concerning something that Paul calls, “The Day of the Lord.” iii. But what is The Day of the Lord? 1. The Day of the Lord refers to an undetermined time in which God will significantly, powerfully, and finally intervene in creation’s history in order to radically alter its trajectory and usher it to the eternal and perfect state. 2. The Day of the Lord is first mentioned in the prophetic writings of Amos and Isaiah who were contemporaries and wrote about 800 years prior to Paul writing to the Thessalonians. 3. [Slide 5] If we were to collect all of what the scripture speaks of regarding the Day of the Lord, we would find 4 significant categories of events that will happen on that day. a. First, that there will be a terrible tribulation, sorrow, difficulty, and affliction upon all mankind, including cosmic signs, wonders in heaven, terrible bloodshed and natural disasters that are spoken of as though they are world-ending or at very least world-crippling. b. A second aspect of the Day of the Lord will be The Lord coming to reign with all His Holy Ones. As the New Testament reveals this is actually Jesus Christ’s return with His Saints to rule the earth from Jerusalem. c. A third aspect of the Day of the Lord will be the final Judgment of all men. This is the culmination of God’s Justice where all sin will be paid and all sinners, both angelic and human, will be removed from the earth and cast into the Lake of Fire. d. One final aspect of the Day of the Lord is regarding the remaking of the Universe. A New Heaven and Earth will come, and we will enter the eternal state in this new Universe. iv. And so, the subject matter of the previous chapter, namely when Christ returns and His bride is snatched up to meet Him in the air, while being included in this discussion of the Day of the Lord, is not synonymous with the Day of the Lord. v. Although Christ’s return is certainly part of these events, the Day of the Lord is a collection of events that occurs over a difficult-to-pin-down time frame. vi. The order which we discussed the elements of the Day of the Lord seems to be the order in which they occur sequentially. vii. However, I would caution that we should be slow to create timelines or even assume that specific day and year statements in the scripture are always to be interpreted literally. viii. We must remain humble no matter what eschatological position we hold to, knowing that if John was kept from knowing all the details of the end, we certainly don’t know them all either. ix. [Slide 6] That being said, the Thessalonians were taught one specific thing about the Day of the Lord. x. That it would come like a thief in the night. xi. Well, what does that mean? 1. Thieves come at night. Why? 2. Because they are covered in darkness and might happen upon a home where everyone is asleep. 3. If they move quietly enough, they may not be caught at all. 4. And thieves do not sneak into your home and leave you love notes or flowers. Instead, they rob you and endanger your life by taking resources from you. xii. In a similar way the Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, taking people unawares and leaving great destruction in its wake. xiii. Right off the bat this teaching is only feeding the Thessalonians’ fears that they too might be caught off guard and not be prepared for the Lord’s righteous judgment, and so be swept away with it. xiv. But let’s let Paul continue his point… c. [Slide 7] 3 - While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman who is pregnant, and they will never escape. i. Paul subtly introduces a pronoun here that we might not expect. ii. He does not say you or we, but they. Paul goes into the third person referring to a group of people that are not included in the church he is writing to nor the evangelists who are writing. iii. What is this group of people saying? iv. Peace and Safety! v. What does that mean? vi. It goes along with the person who is sleeping in a house when a thief comes to break in and steal. vii. A person who is asleep at night has come to believe that their house is safe from danger and that there is none who wish them harm. If they expected to be harmed or that their house was insecure, they would keep a watch all night long to make sure that no harm befell them. viii. This group of people, whoever they may be, have been convinced that they are at peace and safe from God and His just judgments. ix. How they have been convinced of this, Paul does not say. x. But he does say that they are woefully mistaken. xi. Indeed, while they are saying that they are at peace and safe, that is the time that destruction will suddenly come upon them. xii. Not slowly over the course of many years, but instantly. xiii. Paul likens it to a pregnant woman who goes into labor. xiv. While the pregnancy lasts nine months and there are certainly signs that the time to give birth is approaching, the coming of labor is still not something that most people are able to prepare for. Especially at this time in the first century. xv. And like labor pains, it is also something that you cannot avoid or forgo. xvi. A child must come and in the same way – the destruction will come upon them and they will not escape it. xvii. Before we answer the question, who are “They”… let’s go on to the next two verses, which will give us a clue. d. [Slide 8] 4 - But you, brothers, are not in darkness, 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; i. Paul very clearly tells the Thessalonians that they are not the “they” of verse 3. ii. In fact, the Thessalonians are expected to NOT be surprised by the coming of the Day of the Lord. Nor are they expected to experience the destruction of that day. iii. Why? iv. Because although the coming of the Day of the Lord occurs like a thief in the night for the “them” of verse 3 – the primary reason for this is because they are of the night and of the darkness. v. This clarifies for us who the “them” is in verse 3. Who else could it be but the ungodly and the wicked. Unbelievers will be totally taken by surprise by the Day of the Lord. It will come upon them so suddenly that they will not be able to escape it. vi. Another question we must ask is, what specific aspect of the Day of the Lord is being referred to here in this passage? 1. Is it the tribulation, the coming of Christ, the judgment, or the renewing of the universe? 2. Since the renewed universe seems to occur after the judgment, it seems unlikely to be the sudden destruction Paul refers to. 3. The coming of Christ certainly might lead to destruction, but if this is what Paul was referring to, we might expect a more explicit link to chapter 4 since Paul just talked about this with them. 4. Therefore, I think we can reasonably conclude that this is referring to either the Tribulation or the final judgment. 5. And since the destruction he speaks of comes suddenly and all at once, it seems unlikely that this refers to a Tribulation period. We’ll see another proof later in verse 9 that definitively proves that Paul is not talking about the Tribulation period in this text. But we’ll get to that in a few minutes. 6. Therefore, the sudden and unexpected destruction on the wicked must refer to the Last judgment. vii. But what about the sons of the day and the sons of light? viii. What should they do with the coming of the Day of the Lord? e. [Slide 9] 6 - so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be awake and sober. i. Paul encourages the Thessalonian believers to live as though they are children of the Day. ii. He encourages them not to sleep. This is somewhat ironic since in the previous thought, the sleeping referred to those who were dead. iii. Now, however, Paul has clearly changed metaphors as those who sleep are those who are spiritually dead. It is those who think that things are at peace and that they are safe from God’s judgment. iv. Christians are not to live as though the judgment and justice of God will never come. Instead, they are to live in obedience knowing that God has already executed justice on their sin thorough Christ and will one day execute justice on all men. v. Furthermore, they are to be eagerly anticipating the day of the Lord, since this will mark the justice of God making all things as they should be. vi. Paul advises that they be awake and sober. vii. But what does it mean to be sober? Paul will explain… f. [Slide 10] 7 - For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 - But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. i. Riffing off the ideas of being awake and sober, Paul indicates that those who are in the night are those who sleep and get drunk. ii. Here, the word sleep takes on a third meaning, which is, actually literal asleep. iii. The activities of getting drunk and sleeping do not typically occur in the day, because these activities severely limit a person’s ability to keep their daytime responsibilities. iv. Instead, they are done at night. v. But we are children of the day. We are in the day. Meaning that we should be awake and sober. We should be alert and clear headed, looking expectantly for the Day of the Lord. vi. And Paul specifically spells out what he means by being sober with an abbreviated armor of God motif. vii. And lo and behold, we see the triad of virtues that we have called the cardinal Christian virtues again come into play in the letter. viii. These virtues are present in the church in Thessalonica. They have these virtues to be sure. ix. Paul then is not asking them to do something they cannot or have not done. He is simply telling them to aim these virtues toward their concerns regarding the events of the Day of the Lord. 1. First, they are to arm themselves with the breastplate of faith and love. a. In Ephesians, Paul refers to the breastplate as the breastplate of righteousness, taking a more literal quote from the prophet Isaiah. So, is this a contradiction? b. It is not because faith and love are the starting point of righteous living. c. They are included gifts with our imputed righteousness from Christ and they are the bedrock upon which all our righteous deeds rest. d. So, Paul calls them put on faith and love – being slaves of righteousness. e. Living in righteousness, produced by faith and love, enables us to remain clear headed as we live for the kingdom to which we belong and not the kingdom that is passing away. f. This is directly addressing their concern over the timing of the Day of the Lord because they don’t feel as though they are spiritually ready to face Christ. g. Paul encourages them to continue living a holy life. But this is not ultimately what makes us ready to face Christ on the day of judgment. 2. Paul continues by saying that they must put on as a helmet the hope of salvation. a. The hope of salvation is not merely escaping from hell. b. Ultimately the hope of salvation is negatively the escape from the wrath of God against sinners, and positively the inheritance of life and peace with God through the reward Christ earned in His obedience. c. Everything comes back to the gospel. d. Indeed, Paul takes them back to the gospel because this is what immediately addresses their fears. e. They fear facing Christ because they do not think they are spiritually ready to do so. They are not holy enough. f. Though they must be holy and live righteously, ultimately it is the hope of the gospel that keeps us depending on Christ’s obedience and sacrifice which is the only thing that assures us that we will not be swept away with the wicked. g. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: Paul addresses another concern the Thessalonians raised about the Day of the Lord. They wondered how long they had before Judgment Day. They know that they are still learning and growing and becoming more and more holy. But they are not where they want to be. How much time do they have left to grow more like Christ? Paul’s words are corrective and comforting. He tells them that they have nothing to fear concerning the Day of the Lord. It won’t take them unawares if they are Children of the Day. All they need to concern themselves with is remaining alert and continuing to progress in living holy lives by putting on the three cardinal Christian graces of faith, love, and hope, because that is what children of the Day do. Transition: [Slide 12 (blank)] These first 8 verses address some of the fears of the Thessalonians. But what about the coming destruction. Paul said destruction would come suddenly. Would it come upon them too? What if they weren’t holy enough? Paul will address this next. I.) We have nothing to fear concerning the Day of the Lord, so we must comfort and build one another up. (9-10) a. [Slide 13] 9 - For God has not appointed us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 - who died for us, i. The word translated “for” is a conjunction which relates the cause of the verbal action. ii. The verbal action is the command to be sober or clear headed having put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation. iii. What is the cause of us putting on these cardinal Christian virtues? iv. We were not appointed for wrath but for salvation. That is why we can wear the armor and live holy lives. v. But what does it mean that we are not appointed for wrath? 1. Regardless of eschatological leanings, almost every commentator understands the meaning of this wrath the same way. 2. Paul is NOT talking about temporal wrath that God pours out on the earth during a time of Tribulation. 3. We know that is the case because of the context. a. Before this, Paul is talking about the hope of salvation. b. After this, Paul is talking about obtaining salvation. c. Both of these salvations clearly speak, not of temporal physical safety, but of eternal spiritual safety. 4. The only real possibility here is that this wrath is the eternal judgment of God. vi. Paul says that we must face the Day of the Lord with hopeful anticipation of our eternal salvation… and not our sudden eternal destruction. Why? vii. Because we are NOT appointed for wrath but instead, we ARE appointed to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ. Who died for us. viii. It is not that we don’t deserve the judgment. We most certainly do. ix. But Jesus died for those who were appointed to obtain salvation and NOT for those who were appointed for wrath. 1. This presents two doctrines that I believe are clearly taught in scripture. I do want to teach them to you carefully because I know they are doctrines we were not taught as children. And if we were taught them, we were taught to reject them without any real investigation as to what the scriptures teach. 2. I think this text clearly teaches us two things. a. First, that God alone determines the eternal destiny of all men and has appointed all men for that destiny since before the foundation of the world. b. Second, that Jesus’ death on the cross was a payment made specifically and only for those whom God appointed to obtain salvation. 3. Let me break down the first doctrine. God appoints men for salvation or for wrath. a. All men are sinners. No one is righteous. Not even one. b. God predestines those who will be His by choosing them in Christ before the world began. He does this according to the counsel of His own will and not according to our works. c. If you have a problem with anything I’ve said so far… I’ve basically been quoting the bible. So, take it up with God and not me. d. This also means that God appoints those He did not predestine to wrath and to inherit the just punishment of their sin. e. God does not do this as a primary agent. Meaning He does not force men to sin, nor does He force men not to believe. He simply does not intervene for those whom He has not chosen in Christ. 4. The second doctrine teaches that Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross was given only for those whom God appointed to salvation. a. This text almost says this, verbatim. b. Those who were appointed to wrath ARE NOT those who were appointed to salvation through Jesus who died on the cross for them. c. Those who were appointed to salvation through Jesus who died on the cross for them ARE NOT those who were appointed for wrath. d. Jesus did not die for all mankind. If He did, He would be disobeying the will of God the Father in His appointment of many men for wrath. e. In this we see that the scriptures clearly teach that Jesus Christ did not die His substitutionary death to provide a potential salvation for every single person… but rather the certainty of salvation for His sheep. His death is effective to save those appointed for salvation. And His death was not given for those who were appointed for wrath. f. I’ll leave the matter there for two reasons. First, it isn’t productive to go on and on with this. I’ll pray the Lord continues to show you the truth of this text and others to prove these doctrines to be true. Second, it isn’t the main crux of what Paul is saying. x. But see how Paul uses these doctrines. xi. You can put on the faith, love, and hope of salvation, you can be clear-headed to face the Day of the Lord… WHY? xii. Because you were not appointed for the judgment to come… but for obtaining salvation through Jesus’ death. xiii. You are the elect of God and Jesus came from heaven to obey the appointment of God for your soul to be saved from His just judgment. xiv. And what does that mean? b. [Slide 14] so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. i. What does Paul mean here? ii. Paul has used the word sleep three different ways since chapter 4 verse 13. 1. First to speak of those who are dead in Christ. 2. Second to speak of those who are dead in their sin. 3. And finally, to speak of those who are literally asleep. iii. If we look at chapter 4 verse 14, we see Paul reference the death and resurrection of Christ. Here we see him reference the same thing. This is probably a clue for us to come back around again to the first meaning of the word asleep. iv. It certainly cannot mean that whether we are dead spiritually or alive spiritually we will live with Christ. v. It may mean that whether we are physically asleep or physically awake we will live with Christ… but one wonders why Paul needed to say this. vi. Therefore, It must mean that whether we are alive in Christ or dead in Christ, we will all live with Christ. vii. They were concerned that those dead in Christ would not live together with Christ. viii. And they were concerned that those living would be taken unprepared and be judged with the rest of the wicked. ix. Paul says, in no uncertain terms, because Jesus came from heaven and sought those whom the Father appointed to obtain salvation through His atoning death… x. Whether you are alive or dead at The Day of the Lord… xi. We all will live together with Him. xii. Forever. xiii. We put on faith, love, and hope – not to escape judgment… but because we are children of the Day. xiv. And if we are children of the Day – we were not appointed for judgment. xv. Because of this teaching, Paul’s final word is an obvious but necessary command. c. [Slide 15] 11 - Therefore, comfort one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. i. Take what he has said and bring comfort to each other. ii. Take what he has said and build each other up. iii. God will not lose even one whom He has appointed for salvation. iv. All will be rescued to live with Him. v. None will be swept away with the wicked. vi. None will be forgotten in the realm of the dead. vii. So, keep living for the Kingdom… viii. Because it is coming. d. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: In his second point, Paul makes the same case but from a different angle. Believers have no reason to fear concerning the Day of the Lord because the judgment that is coming only comes on those who were appointed for wrath. It does not come upon those who were appointed for salvation through Christ who died for them. So, we should comfort each other in the absolute certainty of the effectiveness of the atonement of Jesus Christ for His elect… and we should build each other up to live holy lives, not to escape God’s wrath, but because we have been bought with a price. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today that informs or corrects our beliefs and guides and shapes our practice? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] Paul massages the eschatological fears of the Thessalonian church for the second time. Last week they were afraid that those who had died in Christ would miss the eternal Kingdom. Now the Thessalonians fear the timing of the Day of the Lord because they don’t feel as though they are ready to face the Judgment of God. But Paul reminds them that although the Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly and with sudden destruction upon the wicked – THEY have not been appointed to wrath. They are NOT children of the night. Instead, they are children of day and have been appointed to obtain salvation through Jesus who died for them. In short, all believers have nothing to fear regarding the Day of the Lord. And since they have nothing to fear, they must be alert, they must continue to grow in holiness, seeking God’s Kingdom and righteousness first, and they must comfort each other and help each other live holy lives. But what might this look like for us in the 21st century? 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that The Day of the Lord will come upon the wicked unexpectedly and with great destruction. a. The reason that it comes unexpectedly is not because the signs of the final judgment will be easy to miss. b. The reason is because they are children of the night and will be deceived to think that they are at peace and safe from the divine justice of a holy God. c. Indeed, when they have finally ruled out all possibility that a Just Judge will hold them accountable for the sins they love, at such a time, that is when the iron rod will fall and they will face the Great White Throne of Jesus Christ to answer for their sins. d. They won’t see it coming. And they won’t be able to escape. e. The words Paul puts in the mouths of the wicked “Peace and Safety” are eerily similar to words spoken by people who claim to be Christians when they say, “It’s ok, God will forgive me.” Or “Hey Jesus loved everyone no matter who they were.” Or, even more appalling, “Only Jesus can judge me.” f. My friends… if you have uttered these words, if you believe these words and their intended undercurrent of meaning – I’d encourage you to wake up. You are asleep. g. You have bought into a version of Jesus and God that does not exist. The Jesus you serve is a fictional character of your own imagination. h. When John the apostle saw Jesus in His glory in the vision of Revelation… John, an apostle who Jesus loved… John one of the inner circle of the three… John who alone was guaranteed not to be martyred for His devotion to Jesus Christ… John fell on His face in abject terror at the sight of Jesus Christ in His glory. i. My friends, if John was terrified at the glorious presence of Jesus… what makes you think that Jesus is ok with you sinning? What makes you think that the judgment that is to come is not a terrible and fearful thing to consider. j. If you keep thinking so poorly and irreverently of the Second person of the Godhead – you may suddenly stand before Him one day and hear Him utter the words – Depart from me, you lawless one, I never knew you. 2.) [Slide 19] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that believers have any reason to fear the Day of the Lord. a. Although the scriptures describe the Day of the Lord as Great and Terrible, we must recognize that ultimately the Day of the Lord has nothing but promises and peace for God’s children. b. Even if it turns out that the rapture doesn’t occur until the very end and God’s people have to physically be present and endure the tribulation and millennium, to live is still Christ and to die is still gain. c. Even if we die in one of the bowl judgments or one of the trumpet judgments, or in the third year of the millennium or even if there is no millennium… to die is still gain. To live is still Christ. d. I fear that sometimes the way we talk about the end times gets twisted to put terror in the hearts of believers. e. This ought not be so. f. We have nothing to fear from the Day of the Lord. Even if we are caught up in the physical judgment of God… we will be spared the eternal judgment because Christ has died for us. g. Don’t look at the end times with fear and trembling. h. Instead, look at the end times as a wonderful promise of God’s future and eternal justice. i. Whatever your eschatology… if it causes believers to look at the end with fear… it is bad eschatology. 3.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must not concern ourselves with the timing of the Day of the Lord. a. Most of the motivation of the Thessalonians to know the moment when the Day of the Lord occurred, was to make sure they were adequately prepared for the coming judgment. b. Paul comforts them by communicating that Christ’s substitutionary atonement for their sin has done all they need to prepare them for the final judgment. c. But I fear that 21st century Christians continue to concern ourselves with the timing of the Day of the Lord. Unfortunately, this is mostly out of nosiness than out of fear. d. We’ve all seen predictions of Christ’s return come and go. e. We’ve heard of people falling into financial ruin because they did silly things, making silly purchases, thinking that they would not have to worry about finances since Christ will return. f. I think it is for this very reason that God did not reveal the timing of the judgment. g. When we humans think we know what is coming and when – we start acting differently. h. Paul makes it clear that we don’t really need to concern ourselves with the exact moment the Day of the Lord will occur. 4.) [Slide 21] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” Instead, we must always be ready, living holy lives, putting on faith, love, and hope, not to save ourselves from judgment but because we are children of the day. a. Paul’s message is far from – “sit back and take your ease because you know the Lord is not coming for you when He comes to judge.” b. Paul’s message is “everyone who is an unbeliever is sitting back and taking their ease. You live righteously out of your salvation for the glory of Your King to prepare for His Kingdom” c. And here is another way the church can be different from the world. d. We are not sitting back and taking it easy because we know our Lord wins. Instead, knowing our Lord wins, we go out and act as though He has won. e. We live, to the best of our ability, the way we will live in the future Kingdom. This is an act of faith professing that the kingdom is so sure, that we will live as a citizen of it now. f. Not because living a holy life will prevent us from being judged… but simply because we are citizens of the Kingdom of light and are children of the Day. 5.) [Slide 22] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must comfort and build up each other in this hope. a. Not only must we live holy lives as children of the Day, but we must also comfort one another and build each other up in the hope of this passage. b. We have no reason to fear. The Lord wins. He will save us and He will Justly judge the wicked. c. So, as an immediate application of this, let me do my part to comfort you and build you up… 6.) [Slide 23] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Those whom God has appointed to obtain salvation through Jesus, who died for them, will obtain salvation and not endure the judgment of God on the Day of the Lord. a. Steering away from the more confrontational doctrines and eschatological views… b. This point of application is merely the recognition that God will sort it out rightly in the end. c. We don’t have to fear that we will get swept away with the wicked just like we don’t have to fear that a wicked person might accidentally enter the eternal Kingdom. d. God has appointed some for wrath and some to obtain salvation. And He knows who are His. He knows which ones are sheep and which ones are goats. e. We don’t need to fear the Day of the Lord as believers… because we’ve been appointed to salvation. So we will be saved. f. But if you are not a believer today, you know there are only two destinies. And as a person who is not submitted to Christ and following Him, you know that at least right now… you are not one who will be saved. Therefore, you must consider that you may be one who has been appointed to wrath. g. These destinies are fixed and there is no changing them. The only question is to which do you belong. 7.) [Slide 24] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Those who are appointed for wrath will not escape the judgment of God. Turn from your sins and submit to Jesus’ saving work and lordship of your life and prove that you are not appointed for wrath. a. My friends, the Day of the Lord is not here yet. b. On that day those appointed to wrath will be judged and those appointed to obtain salvation through Jesus’ death will be saved. c. But today is not that day. d. There is still time for you to turn from your sin. To forsake what the Lord calls wicked and put your hope exclusively in the finished work of Christ and submit to obey His commands as a child of the Day. e. Doing this does not change you from destined for wrath to destined for salvation… it merely proves that you were not appointed for wrath. f. So, remove the doubt of your destiny. Turn from sin and follow Christ and know that you were NOT appointed for wrath. g. If you wish to embark upon the life of a citizen of the Day and follow Jesus today – please see me or another Elder before you leave. [Slide 25 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the church father Augustine of Hippo. You who overcame death when you yourself arose, and who also will make every person arise... You who makes us worthy of you, and cleanses us from all our sins, and makes us right in your presence, and hears our prayers... You who brought us into your household, and always teaches us your good ways, and does us good, and does not abandon us to serve an evil lord, as we once did... You call us back to the right way, and you lead us to the door, and open it to us, and give us the bread of eternal life and the drink of life's well. You who warns us away from sin, and teaches us to judge rightly, and then to do righteousness... You strengthened us, and still do, in our belief, so unbelievers will not harm us. You have given us, and still do give us, understanding to overcome the error of those who teach that there is no reward or accountability after death. You who have released us from slavery, you have prepared eternal life for us, and prepared us for eternal life. We pray this now to the praise of Jesus and in His name, Amen. Benediction: The God of peace be with you, Until you see that happy place and be forever blessed, Until you see your Father's face and in his bosom rest. Until we meet again, go in peace.