1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 - DEFCON 1 Christianity
/Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1Concerning the times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you, 2for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3When people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will suddenly come on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will certainly not escape. 4But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day could take you by surprise like a thief, 5for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. 6So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober.
7To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9You see, God did not appoint us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are also doing. – EHV
Prayer of the Day:
Almighty God and Savior, you have set the final day and hour when we shall be delivered from this world of sin and death. Keep us ever watchful for the coming of your Son that we may sit with him and all your holy ones at the marriage feast in heaven; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Verse of the Day: Matthew 24:42
Alleluia. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day your Lord will come. Alleluia.
Sermon Text:
Wisdom and foolishness. Those two thoughts are front and center in our Gospel lesson today. Five wise virgins and five foolish ones, and what distinguishes one from the other? Preparation, preparation is key as Jesus speaks of them. Five with lamps well-oiled and ready when the bridegroom, Jesus arrives. And the others, well, foolishness is as evident as the fruits of it as they stand outside the banquet hall. The parable is meant to sit heavy
on the heart and demand an answer to the all-important question: “How do we make sure we are found ready and watchful at the final hour at the Judgment call of our God?”
Wednesday is Veterans’ Day, in our corner of the globe. A time when we honor those who placed themselves in harm's way to protect us and our cherished freedoms. Our nation has developed a 5-tiered system for defense to help ensure we are ready militarily for any threat that may arise. Maybe you have heard of it. DEFCON is the shortened form of Defense Readiness Condition. The tiers are as follows: DEFCON 5 (Fade Out): Normal peacetime readiness with routine training and maintenance. DEFCON 4 (Double Take): Above-normal readiness featuring expanded intelligence and surveillance. DEFCON 3 (Round House): Increased readiness requiring certain units to mobilize within 15 minutes. DEFCON 2 (Fast Pace): High readiness where forces prepare to deploy in six hours or less. DEFCON 1 (Cocked Pistol): Maximum readiness for imminent or ongoing major strategic and/or nuclear attacks. As Paul talks to the Thessalonians today, not only does he tell us to be wise and ready for Christ’s imminent return, but also reminds us how to do it as we consider DEFCON 1 Christianity.
Listen again to the opening words of our lesson, 1Concerning the times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you, 2for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. These words of Paul sound very similar to the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 25. Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matthew 25:13). Jesus’ point and Paul’s are very simple, aren’t they? The day of the Lord, Judgment Day, will come at an unannounced time when it is least expected. No one will predict its arrival. It could come now … or twenty years from now. It will be unexpected.
Paul continues with the consequences of that truth. 3When people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will suddenly come on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will certainly not escape. Like a pregnant woman’s labor cannot be stopped when the pains come, so it will be on the Day of Judgment. Just because people aren’t ready doesn’t mean God will call off the moment. In fact, the world's unprepared state will be part and parcel of the day.
Think of some of the events of the past years. Remember September 11th or Hurricane Katrina, the COVID pandemic? There was real confidence that we were safe and defended, and then planes demolished buildings. People thought they could wait out the storm, and then the levees broke, and entire cities disappeared. Our medical advancements could stop anything, and then they were overrun with illness. Even though in some cases we knew it was coming, we still were not prepared for the arrival of the level of the catastrophe.
On God’s great Judgment Day, it will be that way not just for a region, nor will it come slowly creeping across the globe, but instantaneously for the entire world. The world’s peace and safety will disappear in a cloud of destruction and the wrath of a Righteous God.
Go get ‘em, God! Right? Those heathen deserve what is coming. Finally, all those people who are always griping and complaining about Christianity will get theirs. It’s about time! Careful! Listen to the next words revealed through Paul to God’s people. 4But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day could take you by surprise like a thief, 5for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. 6So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober.7To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober … DEFCON 1 Christianity!
Are you awake or are you snoring away in the pew? Lulled to sleep by the comforts of the world around you? Are you sober and alert or are you drunk and stumbling through life? Tripping over satans’ snares and temptations? Paul puts it plainly; you do not belong to the world, to the darkness. You belong to God and to the light where there is no, should be no, surprise. The light lives as the light, constantly prepared and alert, awake and watchful.
But are you? Have you sinned lately? Is God always first, or do you? Was it a joy to get ready to come to church, or was it just another thing on the schedule that needed to get done before you could sit down and rest? Did you respect those God placed over you all week, or did you grumble and complain about parents who don’t understand, bosses who think you live at work, and politicians who couldn’t run the country if they had a government for dummies book? That doesn’t sound focused to me. It sounds like the sun is setting and darkness is creeping up. It sounds like lamps may well be running low. Judgment will come like a thief; are you ready? Far too often we resemble the apostles in Gethsemane, simply to tired to keep watch. Forget DEFCON 1, DEFCON 5’s maintenance isn’t even getting done. We hear Jesus speak to us, “Could you not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
It’s scary when you think about it. Judgment comes like a thief, unannounced and with dreadful results. When we look over our lives, we must admit that not only are we not prepared but the doors to our house are flung wide open and treasures are on display asking to be stolen. How can we stay awake? How can we be ready for that last and unknown day? God provides the answer here through his servant Paul. DEFCON 1 Christianity, well it only happens in Christ.
8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. Soldiers were only prepared for war when they had all their armor on. Similarly, we are prepared for the Day of the Lord when we are in the proper clothes. Only our armor is of a special quality and design. Faith is the trust that we have in God and His promises. It is the conduit, or receiving hand that grabs hold of what Jesus has done for us. Love is simply faith in action, understanding what Jesus has done and then feeling compelled to do for others. Finally, hope is the solid assurance that because of everything Jesus has done for us we have salvation. Heaven is ours.
Of course, we don’t make these clothes, and we didn’t even put them on. 9You see, God did not appoint us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, love, and hope all find their source in Christ. He never failed to remain alert, awake, and prepared. He was perfect even in death. He was fully focused on our salvation and the assurance He would bring on the final Day of Judgment. His work assures us that any work God demanded was completed. We hear it in the celebrated cry of Good Friday, “It is finished!”
On top of all that, Jesus' Resurrection assures us that God has accepted the work He did as our substitute and Judgment Day no longer holds any terror for us, for we are children of the light. Then, Jesus' Ascension assures us that he guides and governs all things, even sending the Holy Spirit to properly dress us in faith, love, and hope.
And why did God do all this? 10He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. All of it, done simply to bring us from darkness to light and to give us the firm assurance that heaven is our home. As Paul tells the Colossians, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)” The result is that on the final day when God comes in Judgment and finds us as the sinner-saints that we are, we will not be condemned for our misdeeds but rather we will judged according to Jesus merit and will be given the treasures of heaven.
The result of this message is clear, 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are also doing. As Judgment approaches, getting closer with each passing day, we repeat the message of Christ and Him crucified. That message is clothing and our preparation for us and for others. That message is sure hope in the final days of this world for all who believe.
During the Revolutionary War, a loyalist spy appeared at the headquarters of Commander Colonel Johann Rall, carrying an urgent message. General George Washington and his Continental army had secretly crossed the Delaware River that morning and were advancing on Trenton, New Jersey, where they were encamped. The spy was denied an audience with the commander and instead wrote his message on a piece of paper. A porter took the note to the colonel, but because Rall was involved in a poker game, he stuffed the unread note into his pocket. When the guards at the camp began firing their muskets in a futile attempt to stop Washington’s army, Rall was still playing cards. Without time to organize, the army was captured. The battle occurred the day after Christmas, 1776, giving the colonists a late present - their first major victory of the war. Rall’s blunder was disastrous for his army and for the British in the Revolutionary War, and history records the error for years to come. Imagine what history would say of the world’s failure to prepare for God’s Judgment. Thankfully, we can say we are ready through the blood of Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit at our baptisms, and the strength we receive in the Word and Supper we have heard God’s warning, and it’s time to encourage others. God had prepared you for DEFCON 1 Christianity. Amen.