I THESSALONIANS

Chapter 5

Paul has taught these young Christians the great doctrine of the return of Christ for His own who will meet Him in the air and go back with Him into heaven. Even though they have been Christians only a short time, Paul forges ahead with another great doctrinal truth, "The Day of the Lord." As we yield to the Holy Spirit who is our spiritual teacher according to I John 2:27, even though we may have only been Christians for a short time we learn important spiritual truths if we yield our minds and heart to the third person of the blessed Trinity, The Holy Spirit.

The subject of the, "Day of the Lord," as been of much interest and information since the days of the prophets. The Day of the Lord is characterized by judgment and has been called the darkest period of human history. This Day of the Lord is a period of time in which human sin is judged, and God deals in wrath with a Christ rejecting world. The word, day is used in different ways throughout the word of God. The hours between dawn and sunset are most common to us. The Jewish day was from sunset until the following sunset. The day here refers to a period of time. We may refer back to the day of our youth, which covers a period of time. The Day of the Lord covers a period of time as well.

The Old and New Testament both clearly foretell of a time period know as the Day of the Lord whose characteristic is judgment. This day of wrath is referred to many times. We cannot be exhaustive in our study, but here are a few of those prophets who sounded out the warning. The prophet Isaiah in 13:9-11 declares, "Behold, the Day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he will destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of heaven and constellations thereof shall not give their light, the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, the moon shall not cause its light to shine. And I will punish the world for its evil; and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." In Joel 2:1-2 we learn, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the Day of the Lord cometh, for it is near at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, like the morning spread upon the mountain; a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations." Zephaniah 1:14-16 states, "The Great Day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteneth greatly, even the voice of the Day of the Lord; the mighty man shall cry their bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of waste, and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers." Malachi 4:1 says, "For, behold, the day cometh, all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." These verses taken together leave little doubt that this period is a time of judgment. So great is the wrath of God during the Tribulation period that all flesh would be destroyed if the period was not shortened. According to Matthew 24:21-22, "For there shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor shall ever be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be

shortened." When these verses were penned, the possibility of self destruction of the world was remote; but today with the power of nuclear warfare and guided missiles it is possible. In addition, the development of bio-terror and mass killings are not out of the question. In fact we are living in a day when the fear of the unthinkable is possible.

The Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night in I Thessalonians 5:1-3. The word for, time, in verse one is chronology or order of events. These Christians had already been instructed in the general order of events, but the particular time is known only to the Father in Heaven. This day will come as a thief in the night. A thief does not announce his intentions or give warning. This event will come when peace seems to be finally making some head way on earth. The study of the Revelation of Jesus Christ makes it clear that a false peace will characterize the first three and one-half years of the tribulation. This peace will be on earth following the catching away of the Ecclesia or true Bride of Christ, the Church, but judgment will follow as inescapable as birth upon a women with child. Once the event begins, nothing will stop or stand in the way.

The good news is that the Day of the Lord will NOT overtake the Christian (I Thessalonians 5:4-8). In the first place we will not be here. As the children of God, we belong to the day or age of grace, not to the day or age of judgment. We are not in darkness if we have allowed the Holy Spirit to teach us His Word concerning this day, if we are living in daily expectation of the Lord's return and if we are obedient to Titus 2:13, "Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ." These events should not come as a complete surprise because we are children of the light, and if we study God's Word and listen to the Holy Spirit, we will be aware of what is happening. In Luke 21:28 we read, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh." Though we will not see or experience the tribulation, we may see the stage being set for the events that will take place on earth. The Church of Jesus Christ could take a lesson in anticipation from the Jewish people who are looking forward to their Messiah. The child of God has been brought up in the light of the gospel and should be awake to the spiritual events that transpire around him/her. The unsaved are of the night, "Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil," John 3:19, and are not aware of God's plan as it unfolds. In light of this, the child of God is to arm himself herself for the battle in which he\she is engaged. In I Thessalonians 5:8 we are told to be sober, or have a settled mind as to what is going on, not to become all upset. The breastplate of faith is our best protection in this spiritual warfare. Love for Christ is our motivation for service as we reach out to others. Christ love produced in us by the Holy Spirit will be used by God to win souls for Christ and benefit members of the family of God. The helmet of salvation provides protection from the judgment of God which is the Day of the Lord.

The question now faced in I Thessalonians 5:9-10 is, will the Christians living in the Church age go into the Day of the Lord? We believe the answer is based on what is before us in verse 9 and at least two other scriptures. Our hope here is that God has not appointed us to wrath, or judgment. This is backed up by Revelation 3:10 which states, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." The cost of our salvation was the blood of Christ; and whether we are alive or have died, we shall live with Him throughout all eternity. We are to comfort one another and build up each other with these spiritual truths. The hope of the child of God under trials is real, and we need to know these spiritual truths to help our fellow believers as we together seek to live victoriously on a day to day basis.

As we approach the final section of chapter 5:12-28 of I Thessalonians we are challenged to consider our Christian lives in view of the second coming of Christ for us His Church. He deals with attitudes toward Christian leadership in verses 12-13. The earmark of good leadership is to labor among you and work at building you up. Those who are doing the work of God are to be treated in love for their work's sake. It is however, so difficult in the day in which we live to strike a proper balance. No doubt some have taken advantage of Christian leaders in their lust for power and authority. However, let us remember God still has faithful people who love and are serving with right motives. These servants of God are to be respected and loved for their work's sake. "Be at peace among yourselves" is a directive by Paul that is the recipe for the way churches should conduct themselves. We are also to warn or admonish the unruly who bring turmoil into the family of God. Those working with Christian youth today are faced with a serious challenge. They are spending far more time at the local court house than did youth workers of twenty or thirty years ago. Lack of rules at home goes to church and seems to reveal itself through our youth in a matter that indicates this lesson has not been taught by adults. Comfort the faith-hearted who are weak spiritually and are easily discouraged. From time to time we should ask ourselves if we are a source of encouragement living the truth of Romans 14:1, "Him that is weak in the faith receive." We should not be to quick to criticize people who have different ideals but be patiently teaching God's Word. I sometimes wonder if we who are grandparents have shown as much love and patience toward new Christians as we do toward our grandchildren. Yes, we are to be patient toward all men; and the older in Christ we grow, the more this quality is to be reveal.

A great Christian principle is outlined in I Thessalonians 5:15 It has been said there are three standards. The heathen repay good with evil. The cultured repay good with good. The Christian should repay evil with good. This is contrary to how the natural man without Christ responds, has Christ made a difference in you? Remember, people were being persecuted, and the natural thing was to strike back. Paul tells them to endure and return the evil with good.

My walk and attitude before God is now addressed in I Thessalonians 5:16-23. "Rejoice evermore" is the shortest verse in the Greek New Testament. Many think that John 11:35, "Jesus wept" is the shortest, but that is in the English. A Christian should be continually rejoicing, and if this is all I knew about Christianity, this attitude alone should make a difference in my life. Remember the children of Israel murmured in the wilderness in Exodus 15:24, and God punished them for their behavior. Pray without ceasing does not mean you are on your knees twenty- four hours a day. It does mean you have an unbroken communion with God. Do you want to be rich toward God? Follow the directive of the Lord Jesus in Luke 18:1, "Men ought always to pray, and not faint." The time you spend in prayer and reading the Bible is good testimony of your spiritual health. In everything give thanks is a good recipe for how to be a happy and joyful Christian. What God places before us we are to approach with the attitude of thankfulness. This is difficult at times, but God is still on the throne and in total control. That thought will stretch your faith when the problems of life make you feel you are about to drown. We are not to "Quench the Spirit" (chapter 5:19). We can stifle or smother the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and for this reason many Christians have grown cold and indifferent. The Holy Spirit has been given to teach, guide, direct and, rebuke us; but if we do not listen, He will not violate our personality. By saying no to the Holy Spirit, you can choose to limit His work in your life. Maybe this is why so many have little love, joy, and peace in their Christian life because this is what He produces in the life of the yielded child of God. We are called upon to take anything contrary to God's will out of our lives. To abstain from all appearances of evil is a broad statement. Good parents who love their children can relate to this as we praise our families. Sanctification, which means being "set apart" unto God, is now covered. How sad that down through church history this one word has split Christians. Our spirit, "part of man which knows, "our soul, "seat of affection, emotions," our body, "our present dwelling place," all come into play. We are, "set apart," unto God the moment we believe in Christ, but that being, "set apart," will not be complete until we are in His presence. Keep pressing ahead, dear Child of God, and may He see His image in my life and in your life.

As we close this study in I Thessalonians 5:24-28, we see a number of closing exhortations. A precious promise in verse 24 reminds us of God's faithfulness. What He says He will do; and when you are tempted to give up, hear with the ear of faith. God will do what He said. Greet with a holy kiss was the custom of the day. The emphasis was on the "holy" and not the "kiss." How often have you been talking about a third party when they walk up and the conversation changes and all act as if everything is okay. This is not how God wants His family to operate, but this one thing alone if corrected would change the life of many churches to the good. This Epistle or letter is to be read and studies with its teaching reaching into the life of the local church. Paul's final word is common to his letters, "May the grace of our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ be shed abroad in all of our hearts by the power of the blessed Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity."