“ The Day Of The Lord”
CD No.______Also F-96
Time: 1/ 24/ 2010 - 11 am
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 - www. coolspringsbaptist.org
------Introduction: In chapter 4: 13-18, we find the great event called,” the rapture”. In Chapter 5: 2, we find another great event that is going to take place called, “The Day of the Lord.” I want us to notice four specific truths concerning this day in verses one through eleven.
We will commence by thinking about:
I. The Meaning of That Day
V. 2 – For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Question: What does God mean by, “the Day of the Lord?”
Answer: It is the time when God will judge the world and punish the nations that have rejected Him.
At the same time, God will prepare Israel for the return of Jesus Christ coming back to this earth to establish His Kingdom during the millennium reign.
The Day of the Lord does not mean one day, but a specific time. This world has had their day now; they have scoffed and mocked and lived un-godly, but on that day God will have His day. The day of the Lord is known as the Tribulation period... God is going to have His day; all Hell is going to break out on this earth.
Isaiah 13: 9-11 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of Heaven and constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Zephaniah 1: 14-16 –The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
The “Day of the Lord,” is going to be a day of wrath, which God pours out on this earth.
The Meaning of That Day
II. The Manifestation of That Day
Paul mentions three things about that day in verses 2, 3.
A. Paul Mentions An Illustration…….talking about that day
V. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
Paul illustrates the coming of that day- thief in the night
Let us notice three things about a thief.
1. The Movement of a Thief
a) Swiftly - 1 Cor. 15:51 –Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. 52 –In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye-
The Lord is going to come as a thief; when He comes to get us, it will be swiftly. Before a person can bat an eye, the Lord will snatch us out of this world swiftly.
Swiftly
b) Surprisingly
The Lord is going to come and get us surprisingly.
Question: Do you think that this lost world is looking for the Lord to come? No, they are living like they are going to live forever in their sinful lifestyle.
The Sad Situation: There are a lot of Christians living like the Lord isn’t going to come and snatch them out of this world. Their life has been caught up with this world that they are living in.
The Movement of a Thief
2. The Motive of a Thief
A thief comes and gets valuable possessions. He gets the most expensive thing in the home or store.
Malachi 4: 17 –And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my Jewels; and I will spareth them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
This world will only know how valuable a true child of God is when we are taken from this world.
As bad as this world is, it would be a whole lot worse if there were not some true dedicated and consecrated children of God in this world who speaks up and lives by God’s standards in this world.
Paul Mentions An Illustration -----V. 2 – thief in the night
B. Paul Mentions An Ignorance………talking about that day
V. 3 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them-
In Matthew 24 – Jesus says that the days before His return to this earth will be marked by wars, and rumors of wars, with nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms.
There are leaders today that are talking about peace; and how to go about achieving peace.
This world will never know anything about peace until the millennium reign of the Lord.
Even the United States is in wars at this present time and will probably always be at war against those who wants to annihilate our great country.
There will always be those nations who want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. They will try, but they will never succeed. At the end of the tribulation period; just before the Lord comes back to this world and sets up His kingdom and sit on the throne of David, God will destroy all the nations that are trying to destroy Israel. > [Revelation 19: 11 – 21]
People who think that there will be peace on the face of this earth now are ignorant of God’s word.
Paul Mentions an Illustration
Paul Mentions an Ignorance
C. Paul Mentions An Impossibility………talking about that day
V. 3 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Notice the ILLUSTRATION that Paul gives. He says that it will be like a woman who is fixing to birth a child. When the travail and pain commences, the baby is on its way. The baby is fixing to be born.
1. There Is No Escape
Rev. 6: 16, 17 –The wicked cry out and say to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb! For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand.
There will be no escape during the tribulation period when the wrath of God is poured out on this world.
2. There Is No Exemption
All that have rejected Christ in this world will have no hope on that day.
2 Thessalonians 2: 9 Even him [Antichrist] who’s coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying winders. 10-And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 –And for this cause God shall send strong delusion, that they might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
There will be no escape, and there will be no exemption.
The Meaning of That Day
The Manifestation of That Day
III. The Mercy For That Day
All un-believers will receive no mercy on that day, but all believers will receive mercy on that day.
The Lord points out two things that reveal His mercy on that day, concerning the saints.
A. Christians Won’t Experience The Tribulation
V. 9 – For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ-
V. 8 – Last Phrase- the hope of our salvation
We won’t experience the tribulation because of the hope of our salvation. Our salvation has three tenses.
Ø Past – We have been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin.
Ø Present –We are being saved from the power and pollution of sin.
Ø Future –We shall be saved from the very presence of sin when Christ returns.
Being delivered is part of our salvation!
Not only could one ask the question, why will God spare the believers, but how will God spare us? This leads to the next point.
Christians Won’t Experience the Tribulation
B. Christians Will Experience A Transformation
V. 10 – Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
1. Paul Mentions Those Who Are Alive—wake means to be alive
2. Paul Mentions Those Who Are Asleep- sleep-means –that died
Paul is simply saying:
Graves Will Release The Saints Who Are Asleep
, and
Gravity Will Release The Saints Who Are Alive
Christians are going to be raptured out of this world the moment, “The Day Of The Lord Begins.”
What a consolation! Praise the Lord!
The Meaning of That Day
The Manifestation of That Day
The Mercy for That Day
IV. The Message for That Day
Paul had tried to enlighten us concerning that day, but he also
tries to instruct us.
A. The Discernment For Watching Until That Day Comes
V. 6 –Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
A sober person’s mind is alert. A drunken person is not alert. They don’t think straight and because of that, they don’t act right.
Question: How can God’s children stay sober spiritually? How does a person stay sober in the natural world that we live in? Answer: They don’t pollute their mind with alcohol. If we are to stay sober spiritually, we can’t pollute our minds with this world’s system and standards.
We are to Watch and be sober!
B. The Defense For Warfare Until That Day Comes
V. 8 –But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation
.
1. The Heart That Is Protected For Aggressiveness
V. 8b – 2nd phrase- putting on the breastplate of faith and love-
The breastplate covers the heart. If our heart is cold, we cannot be aggressive.
We have got to TRUST the Lord more than ever in the last days.
We have got to LOVE the Lord, his WORD, his HOUSE, and love one another more and more until Jesus comes back.
This will keep our heart from getting cold and hard and we will be aggressive for the Lord.
The Heart That Is Protected For Aggressiveness
2. The Head That Is Protected For Assurance
V. 8 c – Last phrase- and for a helmet, the hope of salvation-
The helmet protects the head of the soldier. The hope of salvation is our helmet.
The hope of our final salvation and our deliverance from this old world at the rapture will deter anxiety, which will hinder us from thinking straight.
A person can’t have a sober mind having no hope.
The Discernment
The Defense
C. The Duty For Waiting Until That Day Comes
1. We Are To Encourage Each Other
V. 11 – Wherefore comfort yourselves together-
In the last days, we all need to be encouraged more than ever.
Did you notice the word together? This tells us the best time to encourage one another is when we get together. Etc.
2. We Are To Edify Each Other
V. 11b – Last phrase- and edify one another-
The word EDIFY means to build up. Edify means to strengthen. We are to edify and strengthen one another in the faith more and more as we see the “Day of the Lord” getting closer. Etc.
Conclusion: “The Day of the Lord”
Saints of God remember that you will not be here for the day of the Lord. Our responsibility is to love, encourage, and edify one another until that day.
Sinner friend, there will be no hope for you, so you need to get saved today.
2 | Page