In our study of 1 Thessalonians chapter five, we look at how we should be prepared for the coming of the Lord as well as living our daily lives. Paul gives us final instructions so that we can be prepared for the coming of our Lord.
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But you have no need to have anything written to you, brothers, about the times and dates when this will happen; because you yourselves well know that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Paul reminds us here of Jesus' own words where He said that even He did not know when this day was going to be. There have been many people over the years who have chosen a day and said that "this is the day" but they have all been wrong. If you hear someone telling you that they know the specific day that Jesus is coming back, do not believe them as it is not from God.
When people are saying, "Everything is so peaceful and secure," then destruction will suddenly come upon them, the way labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there is no way they will escape.
Though we do not know the specific day or month or year, we do have some signs from throughout the Bible and one of them is in this verse. This verse speaks of a time when the people will feel peace and safety in the world and, in Revelation 13, we see a leader that promises such a time.
But you, brothers, are not in the dark, so that the Day should take you by surprise like a thief; for you are all people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We don't belong to the night or to darkness,
We have the light of God living in us and His very Word to prepare us. Therefore, we should not be surprised like someone scared by a thief but should keep one eye turned to the sky for the coming of Jesus.
so let's not be asleep, like the rest are; on the contrary, let us stay alert and sober. People who sleep, sleep at night; and people who get drunk, get drunk at night.
Why do we not drink, do drugs, or other things like that? We see a good reason here in this passage. We know that Jesus could come for us at any time and I would not want to be drunk or drugged up when He shows up.
But since we belong to the day, let us stay sober, putting on trust and love as a breastplate and the hope of being delivered as a helmet.
As children of God we walk in the light of day as He is light (1 John 1:5-7). To get ready for this fight against our flesh (self-control), we put on our armor just as a soldier who is getting ready for battle would. Here, Paul reminds us of a couple of the parts of our armor. (For the full armor, you can check out Ephesians six) The breastplate covers the heart and, as Christians, our hearts have been changed through our faith in Jesus Christ and we have God's love in our hearts. The helmet covers the head and the brain where our knowledge of God's Word helps us to recognize the lies of the devil.
For God has not intended that we should experience his fury, but that we should gain deliverance through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who died on our behalf so that whether we are alive or dead, we may live along with him.
In Christ, we are safe from the penalty of sin but those without Christ will suffer terribly. Christ died so that while we live here on earth (are awake), He is with us and when we die (sleep) we go to be with Him.
Therefore, encourage each other, and build each other up - just as you are doing.
Because of the fact that we are saved from the coming wrath, we should tell others. There is so much bad news in the world today but we have the good news to share. During these bad times, we need to help others to grow in their knowledge of God and their faith in Jesus Christ. (That is why we created this website and do these online studies)
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who are working hard among you, those who are guiding you in the Lord and confronting you in order to help you change.
Everyone needs to be humble enough to admit that we don't know everything. Part of that is having people who are stronger and more mature in their faith helping you to grow in your faith. We all need someone to keep us accountable to the Word of God (admonish us). We are to respect people like this because we see their hard work for the kingdom and not because they simply have a title.
Treat them with the highest regard and love because of the work they are doing. Live at peace among yourselves;
They say that teachers are some of the most unappreciated workers as they receive little pay and put in a bunch of time. Paul is telling us here to hold the Christian leaders (teachers) in the highest regard because of the importance of their work. He also tells us to live in peace but that does not mean we can't disagree on some things. As long as people believe in Jesus as the Son of God, then we should be able to work together for the kingdom. As John said, in his first letter, we are to test the spirits and there are only two sides.
but we urge you, brothers, to confront those who are lazy, your aim being to help them change, to encourage the timid, to assist the weak, and to be patient with everyone.
Paul continues with his list of things that should let others see that we are Christians. Warn the idle is talking about those that are saved but not actively serving the Lord. We are to tell them of the judgment of works that is to come and the rewards of serving God. Encourage the timid is talking about those that are shy or not bold in living the Christian life and we can tell them about the power in us through the Holy Spirit to do anything. Helping the weak is talking about those that do not have the abilities or financial means that we do and is how it was in the early church (see Acts 2:42). We are also to show patience and this one is very tough for some of us but we have to meet people where they are and help them to get to know Jesus or to grow in their walk with Him.
See that no one repays evil for evil; on the contrary, always try to do good to each other, indeed, to everyone.
We are to be like Christ and, just as He forgave us instead of condemning us for our sins, we are to forgive others. We are to be kind to brothers and sisters in Christ as well as those that do not know Jesus.
Always be joyful. Pray regularly. In everything give thanks, for this is what God wants from you who are united with the Messiah Yeshua.
Joy is not based on our physical surroundings but on our inner well being. When we are walking closely with God every day, the joy will just flow from us because of Him. To walk closely every day, we must constantly pray and worship God and give Him thanks no matter what is going on in our surroundings.
Don't quench the Spirit,
We may ask ourselves how we could put out the fire and it is actually an easy but slow process. In our personal lives, this is simply ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your everyday walk. This builds to become a habit so that your heart can actually get so hardened that you no longer even hear God speaking to you through the Spirit.
don't despise inspired messages.
There are those who show contempt for the prophecies in the Bible. An example is the fact that most people do not live as if they believe that Jesus could come back today.
But do test everything - hold onto what is good, but keep away from every form of evil.
Hold onto the things of God and get rid of the things of the devil. But, how do we test things? We find the answer to that in 1 John 4.
May the God of shalom make you completely holy - may your entire spirit, soul and body be kept blameless for the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. The one calling you is faithful, and he will do it.
Paul prays for the readers to be pure and holy. He reminds us that it is not through us that this happens but through the Holy Spirit. That is what Peter was talking about in 1 Peter 1:2 when he said it was the work of the Spirit.
Brothers, keep praying for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I charge you in the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
Paul closes with three simple requests and the first is prayer. Paul was a man of prayer and so he desired to have others pray for him just as he prayed for them. He reminds them to greet their fellow Christians warmly and to read this letter to all of the believers. This is a letter of instruction to help them to grow in their walk with Christ and so he wanted all of them to hear it.
The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you.
Paul ends this first letter to the Thessalonians with a prayer for grace for the believers. We all need grace on a daily basis and Paul knew that he needed it too.
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