Assurance
1 Thessalonians 5:6 , “Therefore let us not msleep, as do others; but let us nwatch and obe sober.” [1]
I. Conclusion
A. Deduction
B. Decision
II. Confusion
A. Death
B. Darkness
III. Convinced
A. Decided
B. Delighted
Introduction: We are waiting for Jesus to return. The early believers waited patiently for Him to come back and so do we wait. Some people are a bit less patient than others. There have been cults started by people who believe that they know more than Jesus knew when He walked on this planet.
People have decided that they can decipher clues in the scripture that tell only them when the end is coming. They believe that they know the answers to the questions that others are asking or at least should be asking.
Many forget that Christianity is not as our sign out front says. People believe that Christianity is a religion. God wants a relationship with each of us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to carry our sins on the cross so that we might individually be saved for a unique relationship with God.
How can we give that peaceful assurance to the world? Only Jesus can impart that kind of peace. There are those in every generation that believe that they can negotiate peace in the Middle East and that will ultimately bring peace to the world. Those people are delusional. Those people are only successful in making things worse because they find that to fix things that they must become the judge to rule over who wins and who loses. They soon find themselves at odds with both sides.
We want a peaceful assurance that only God brings yet we find no peaceful assurance within ourselves. How can anyone believe that we are different when we choose to join in with the rest of the world in judging who is the good guy, who is the bad guy.
The apostle Paul wrote two letters to the church in Thessalonica which are recorded in the New Testament. There was unrest in that church. People were growing impatient with waiting for heaven to come back to earth. They only knew what they saw. Their loved ones were still in the ground and in their perspective of things, nothing was happening.
Most are so earthly bound that they cannot see as God sees us. God does not depend on or live only in this temporary earthly realm. God is omnipresent. That is to say that God’s existence does not depend on things of this earth. He created this earth and the rest of the creation that He created.
In my life prior to surrendering to His call, computers gave me a way of providing income for my family and me. Computers think but not in the way that our minds think. Computers don’t depend on things that you can know through human senses like seeing, touch, taste, and smell. Computers can respond to what is programmed into them by a human, but they cannot learn without some sort of artificial input. Computers are abstract or nonfigurative. We humans learn by figuring things out on our own.
Many people are unable to comprehend the abstract. They decide by seeing, feeling, smell and touching. They are not so quick to trust computers. In the numbering system that most have been taught prior to computers 2+2=4. That is true in the decimal system or base ten which has ten digits, 0-9. Computers use the binary system or base two, which has only two digits, 0 and 1. In the decimal system the first digit is 0 and the last digit is 9 so ten is 1 followed by 0. If there are only two digits, then two is 1 followed by 0. If there are only two digits, then decimal 4 is binary 100.
Some of the folks in Thessalonica were not able to think in the abstract. Soon to them meant that it would happen in their lifetime. Soon to Jesus meant something altogether different. Jesus is coming soon but He is already somewhere. He is in heaven. Heaven to us is an abstract idea because we are not there yet. But soon so shall we be.
Scripture: The scripture for this message is 1 Thessalonians 5:6. Please Stand Under the reading of God’s word.
Prayer: Please be seated.
Message: There seemed to be a disagreement in the local church in Thessalonica. Who would believe that there could be a disagreement among believers! In his first letter to the Thessalonians Paul went on for quite a while as he seemed to be building his argument about the problem. When is heaven? Why are our family members still in their graves. What are we to believe? Why does God wait and what are we to do in the meantime?
Finally starting in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Paul said, “But pI would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning qthem which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, reven as others swhich have no hope. 14 For tif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so quthem also which sleep in Jesus wwill God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you xby the word of the Lord, that ywe which are alive and remain unto zthe coming of the Lord shall not aprevent qthem which are asleep. 16 For bthe Lord himself shall descend cfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice of dthe archangel, and with ethe trump of God: and fthe dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then gwe which are alive and remain shall be hcaught up together with them iin the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so kshall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore ||lcomfort one another with these words.” [2]
Paul was addressing what will happen in this earthly realm. He knew that the people could not think like God, so he didn’t try to explain that time has no meaning for God. He explained what they might understand in this realm.
Notice and pay close attention to verse fourteen. Look there after the comma, “even so quthem also which sleep in Jesus wwill God bring with him.” [3] Those who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. Where are they now? With Jesus!
In other places Paul explained the heavenly realm. 2 Corinthians 5: 6, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For lwe walk by faith, mnot by sight:) 8 nWe are confident, I say, and owilling rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” [4]
Jesus spoke to the believing thief on the cross beside Him in Luke 23: 43, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in oparadise.” [5] These things are abstract to the earthly minded. The people in Thessalonica wanted and needed an earthly explanation.
Paul wanted them to console each other and not argue with each other about things that they had not been awakened to yet. They must have faith to even ignore those things that were such a burden to them. They would know and understand when God knew they were ready. With faith they didn’t need knowledge through experience. Paul went on to explain, 5:1, “But of athe times and the seasons, brethren, bye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that cthe day of the Lord so cometh das a thief in the night. 3 For when ethey shall say, Peace and safety; then fsudden gdestruction cometh upon them, as htravail upon a woman with child; and ithey shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, jare not in darkness, that cthat day should overtake you das a thief. 5 Ye are all kthe children of light, and the children of the day: lwe are not of the night, nor of darkness." [6]
Verse six which is our focal verse begins with “therefore.” Which means it is understood in conclusion to what has previously been explained. In conclusion to the things that Paul had already written. When there is a therefore at the beginning of a sentence you must go to the preceding text to find what is the, therefore.
These things will happen and since you can rest on that assurance you must conclude this fighting and back biting. Stop! End it and love each other! You are the only one who can make that decision. It is not up to the one you are fighting against. It is not up to you to wake that person. They will wake up in their time. Don’t’ be affected by their sleeping. You stay awake!
Paul spoke of the others who were confused about Jesus’ return. Why would you allow yourself to be confused by what you already know through faith. Let them sleep if they want to sleep. If they don’t wake up the only thing they will awaken to will be death and darkness. You rest in the light!
You have the light! Let us open our eyes! Once you were convinced that Jesus is coming back for you, and it will not be when you can imagine because He doesn’t do things in your time. It is God’s speed.
Watch! That is what the Jews called the periods of the day. Each watch was three hours. Let us watch as God allows us who have decided for Him to watch, and we will always be delighted in what we see in each perfect watch.
Prayer:
Invitation: This morning we will be partaking in communion with each other as the disciples did with Jesus before He went to the cross. Let us examine ourselves and search our hearts to find love for each other as He has for us.
Let the bitterness and anger leave as we find only love for each other on this special day of remembrance. The world cannot know because the world will not see. We are the bride of Christ. Let us stay pure and spotless in His sight as we partake.
m Matt. 25:5. ver. 10 (Gk.). So Rom. 13:11.
n ver. 10 (Gk.). See Matt. 24:42.
o ver. 8. 2 Tim. 4:5 (Gk.). 1 Pet. 1:13. & 4:7. & 5:8. So 1 Cor. 15:34 (Gk.).
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Th 5:6). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
p See 1 Cor. 10:1.
q ver. 14, 15. See Matt. 27:52.
r Comp. Lev. 19:28. Deut. 14:1, 2. 2 Sam. 12:20. Ecclus. 22:11. & 38:16.
s Eph. 2:12.
t 1 Cor. 15:13. So 2 Cor. 4:14. Rev. 1:18.
q ver. 14, 15. See Matt. 27:52.
u 1 Cor. 15:18. Comp. ch. 3:13.
w Comp. 2 Esdr. 2:31.
x See 1 Kin. 13:17.
y ver. 17. So 1 Cor. 15:51. Comp. 2 Esdr. 6:26.
z See ch. 2:19.
a See Wisd. 4:7 (Engl.). Comp. Acts 10:42. Also 2 Esdr. 5:42.
q ver. 14, 15. See Matt. 27:52.
b See Matt. 16:27.
c 2 Thess. 1:7. So ch. 1:10.
d 2 Esdr. 4:36. Jude 9.
e See 1 Cor. 15:52.
f 1 Cor. 15:23. See Luke 14:14.
g ver. 15.
h See 2 Cor. 12:2.
i So Acts 1:9. Rev. 11:12.
k See John 12:26.
|| Or, exhort. See ver. 1 (text).
l ch. 3:2, 7. & 5:11. 2 Thess. 2:17. See Col. 2:2.
[2] Ibid., 1 Th 4:13–18). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
q ver. 14, 15. See Matt. 27:52.
u 1 Cor. 15:18. Comp. ch. 3:13.
w Comp. 2 Esdr. 2:31.
[3] Ibid., 1 Th 4:14). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
l See ch. 4:18. So John 20:29.
m 1 Cor. 13:12.
n See ch. 1:9.
o So Phil. 1:23.
[4] Ibid., 2 Co 5:6–8). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
o 2 Cor. 12:4. Rev. 2:7. Comp. Gen. 2:8. Ecclus. 24:30, &c.
[5] Ibid., Lk 23:43). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
a Acts 1:7.
b ch. 4:9.
c See Luke 17:24.
d See Matt. 24:43. Comp. 2 Thess. 2:2.
e See Luke 12:20 marg.
f Luke 21:34. So Job 15:21. Ps. 35:8. Ecclus. 5:7.
g 2 Thess. 1:9.
h See Isai. 13:8.
i So Ecclus. 5:4.
j So Rom. 13:12, 13. 1 John 2:8.
c See Luke 17:24.
d See Matt. 24:43. Comp. 2 Thess. 2:2.
k See Luke 16:8.
l See Acts 26:18.
[6] Ibid., 1 Th 5:1–5). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
