1 Thessalonians 5:1-11  

But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.  ² For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.  ³ For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.  ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  ⁵ You are all sons of light and sons of the day… 

Waiting is tough.  Especially when you’ve been waiting for a long time.  You go to the doctor’s office for your appointment.  The waiting room is full; the clinic’s been backed up all day.  Your doctor is running behind.  So you sit and wait.  You read through all the magazines.  Still no one’s called your name.  You start picking up brochures on all the neat medical tests and optional surgical procedures that are offered at your particular clinic.  Still not time yet.  You start to get tired.  You relax in the chair.  You don’t want to get too relaxed, though, because what if they call your name and you’re asleep?  What do you do? 

Waiting is tough.  And when it comes to the last judgment, we too, have been waiting for a long time.  Maybe you also have questions about Judgment Day.  The Bible has answers for a lot of them, but not all of them.  But perhaps the biggest issue is still, “What do you do?”  How do we wait?

That was the problem that the believers in Thessalonica were facing.  When it came to the day of the Lord’s judgment, they were wondering, “How long, O Lord?”  They were worried because some of their fellow believers had died before Jesus returned.  What about them?  Would they still be there for the judgment?   And if we’re waiting for the judgment, does this mean that we stop doing everything else and wait?  These were the kinds of questions they were dealing with. 

Paul addresses their concerns—and ours.  He reminds us that when it comes to waiting on God’s judgment, we wait not as children of men, but as His children.  We wait for judgment as children of light—(I) enlightened to know that it’s coming; and (II) empowered to be ready when it comes.   

I.                   Enlightened to know it’s coming.

The world essentially lives under the illusion that God’s judgment is not coming.  “Peace and safety” (v. 3) are the watchwords of a generation that tells itself time and again that God and his judgment are not real.  Atheistic scientists keep trying to disprove the existence of God in order to say, “See, you have nothing to worry about.”  Scoffers claim that everything’s going to keep going on as it always has.  And if there’s any evidence to the contrary, there are those who would put up crime scene tape around it and keep waving people by, saying “Nothing to see here; move along.”  In large part, the world continues on in slumber—wanting to stay asleep, wanting to keep hitting that snooze bar. 

However, nothing they say or do changes the reality that God’s final judgment is coming.  It’s coming “as a thief in the night” (v. 2).  When God’s day of judgment comes, It will be sudden.  It will sneak up on you unexpected and unprepared.  It will bring sudden destruction, “as labor pains upon a pregnant woman” (v. 3).  Unstoppable.  Irreversible.  It will overtake the whole earth.  There will be no escape (v. 3)—no way out.

Everything I’ve just said is nothing new to you, though.  You and I are already well aware of the fact that Christ is coming again “to judge the quick and the dead.”  We confess it just about every week in the creed.  Like our brothers and sisters in Christ in Thessalonica, we are not in darkness (v. 4).  Though the day is coming like a thief in the night, the day will not overtake us like a thief.  Paul didn’t feel a need to write to the Thessalonians about “the times and the seasons” having to do with the final judgment because they already knew perfectly well that “the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1-2). 

That’s because, “You are all sons of light and sons of the day” (v. 5).  You and I have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the Light of the world, Jesus Christ.  Jesus Himself once said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).  And that light of life lives in us. 

When we first heard the Word of God, it was like a light switch was flipped on in our minds and hearts and suddenly—the lights came on!  Everything was exposed—everything that we thought maybe it’s there, was now brought into the light for us to see.  All our sins, all the things that make us fear the judgment of God in the first place.  But then some other things were revealed, things that we could never have imagined for ourselves:  the wonderful grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, that “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sins” (1 John 1:7).  Instead of aimlessly wandering around in the dark, we now walk in the light of God’s truth, all the wisdom and knowledge of God that He has chosen to reveal to us—even the fact of the looming day of God’s judgment. 

As a result, there are no illusions we can live under anymore.  No more shades of gray to try to hide in.  There’s either light or darkness.  You either walk in the light of God’s truth or wander in darkness.  You either live in the knowledge of God’s love in Christ or always wonder if there is a God and if you’re good enough for Him.  You’re either a sheep by faith in Christ or a self-righteous goat. 

Light is uncompromising.  Funny thing about light, though.  As you drive down Cardinal Lane and look down Riverview at the library, what do you see?  Solar panels!  As light enlightens, it also gives life and energy.  Not only has our status as children of the Light made us aware of God’s coming judgment, but by that light we are also: 

II.                Empowered to be ready when it comes. 

We are as different from the unbelieving world as light is from dark; and that is how we are to be while we wait:  “You are all sons of light and sons of the day.  We are not of the night nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (v. 5-6).  Sometimes when we look at the unbelieving world, it can look like everybody’s having so much fun.  Whether it’s the excessive partying, the drug abuse that goes on, or the hookup culture, or even just the general attitude of life that says, “Don’t worry, be happy”—that disconnects from God’s Word because religion is “too stodgy” or “too strict.”  It can be tempting for us to want to join in because after all, everybody’s having such fun.

Yet Paul’s words remind us to recognize worldly attitudes and actions for what they are:  “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night” (v. 7).  It may seem like everyone’s having fun, but the reality is that all of those things belong to the world of the night and of darkness.  They’re the actions and attitudes of a people who are blind—blind to their own sin and need for a Savior, stumbling around in the dark, doing things to themselves that might seem fun at the time, but wind up hurting them in the end, sometimes for eternity.  Why would any of us—we, who live in the light and can now see spiritually—ever want to go back to that?

Lisa Reid of Auckland, New Zealand was blind.  From age eleven a tumor pressed down on her optic nerve, preventing her from seeing.  But on the night of November 15, 2000, when she bent down to kiss her dog, she knocked her head on the coffee table, and when she got up, she could see!  Some of her vision had come back!  It was incredible!  But it’s what she says now, thinking back, that’s truly insightful:  “To see the world visually again is a gift.” 

The sight we have received in the light of Christ is also a gift.  Instead of imitating the world’s blindness, live the life of one who sees.  Be watchful and sober, in control of yourself and your desires—not taking your sense of sight for granted; not wanting anything in this world to make you dull to spiritual reality.  We don’t want to “fall asleep in the waiting room” and miss hearing our name called from the Book of Life!

Such a watchful, sober life is possible only with the right equipment:  “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation” (v. 8).  Faith and love go hand in hand.  Love doesn’t exist without faith in Christ.  And both faith and love are gifts of God which protect the heart in this life from becoming jaded and cynical.  But just as important as protecting the heart is protecting the head!  The hope of salvation—that’s the helmet that keeps the mind focused, not only on what’s happening now, but also on what’s to come:  “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him” (v. 9-10). 

We are saved through Jesus, who died for us.  Whether you’re awake or asleep, whether your body’s alive on this earth or dead in the ground, your sins have been paid for so that now you live together with Him.  We wait for judgment as children of light!  The darkness doesn’t own you any longer!    

Yes, waiting is tough.  Especially for the Day of Judgment.  But we’re not alone in our waiting.  We have Jesus, the Light of the world, together living with us, giving us comfort through His Word—whether it’s spoken to you by your pastor or by your best friend.  He’s building us up—in Himself, edifying us with all knowledge of His wisdom and grace.  His light empowers us to be ready when He comes.  When the day of judgment comes, you and I have nothing to worry about.  By the power of the Gospel, Judgment day is not something we Christians shy away from in dread; we look forward to it in joy! 

This is source of our faith and love; this is the hope of our salvation.  This is what enlightens our hearts and lives to the reality not only of God’s judgment—but also God’s grace.  Comfort one another with this truth; build each other up with it.  That sin is judged—in Christ.  And that our verdict—is the verdict of grace alone in Him.  Amen.