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1 Thessalonians 5:4-11, But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
Imagine radon leaking into your basement and filling your house with the invisible, colorless, odorless, tasteless but dangerous gas. Wouldn’t you immediately take measures to stop it? We can liken that to the wrath of God. To us it is invisible, colorless, odorless, tasteless, and dangerous. John 3:36 says the wrath of God abides on the unbeliever, but he isn’t aware of it. He goes through his daily life oblivious of the doom he faces. Sometimes he senses it in his conscience or in his demand for justice against brutal and senseless crimes like the murder of that Ukrainian girl on the train in Charlotte a few weeks ago. He knows that murderer deserves the wrath of punishment. But the wrath of God abides on every unbeliever. Do what you will, you can’t get rid of it except one way. Somehow this wrath of God must be satisfied. And that satisfaction only takes place at one spot on earth, at one time in history. Between the sinner and God’s wrath is the cross. This is the greatest news you’ll ever hear. Christ became sin for us. First Thessalonians 5:10 says He died for us – and we will live together with Him. How blessed we are to be saved from divine wrath, to have our sins completely and forever forgiven, to go from children of wrath to children of God in Jesus Christ.
Verse 9 is the most hope filled, most wonderful, most joy-producing statement a believer in Christ could ever hear: 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in Christ, you will never taste or experience God’s wrath on sin. Instead, God has destined you to be rescued or saved from that wrath through Jesus Christ alone!
THE WRATH OF THE LAMB.
Last week we saw that one of the great epochs or ages is the coming day of the Lord in verse 2. The end-times day of the Lord is when God intervenes in human affairs and brings wrath on the entire earth for seven years through those three sets of judgments in Revelation. This day will come unexpectedly, suddenly, inescapably and with great destruction to the ungodly. Christ Himself will unleash those judgments, called the “wrath of the Lamb” in Revelation 6.
Revelation 6:16-17, and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
During those seven years Christ will not only be pouring out wrath on earth but He will also be calling many Jews and Gentiles to Himself. This is when the 144,000 Jews and a multitude of Gentiles will be saved (Revelation 7). At the same time the world will get on board with a world ruler, the Antichrist, who promises peace but midway through the seven years he raises the ante, declares himself to be god, and begins a global holocaust as everyone will have to register or you won’t be able to buy or sell (Revelation 13). Toward the end of those 3 ½ years the armies of the earth will gather to wage war against the Lamb (Revelation 17:14), but Christ will overcome them as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Revelation 19:15 says Christ comes to tread the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty! That’s the second coming of Christ.
NOT DESTINED FOR WRATH – v. 9.
But all thanks and praise to God for He has not destined us believers to wrath. One of the keys to understanding the Bible is to ask yourself, “Why is this here? What is Paul trying to accomplish? As you read over these verses 1-11 and his teaching in chapter 4 about the Rapture, you will see he is writing to assure them that because of who they are in Christ, children of day and light, they can be sure God has not destined them for the wrath of the tribulation period or the final eternal wrath of the lake of fire. He will save them and they will be together with Him. However, the world of unbelievers will endure His fiery wrath in the Day of the Lord. And if they don’t repent, they will be forever under His wrath in the lake of fire in punishment for their sins and rebellion. The absolutely worst-case scenario for human beings is to die in their sin.
So when is this day of the Lord coming? Paul says in verses 2-3, “I told you; you know full well, it will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night.” Now in verses 4-11 Paul draws a bold, clear line between God’s people and the world, with three major contrasts.
THEY DON’T KNOW IT’S COMING BUT YOU DO.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
They are of night; they are of darkness. This is the spiritual condition of the world. As smart as they think they are and as technologically sophisticated as the world is, it is still stumbling all over the place in spiritual darkness. H. G. Wells wrote a fascinating short story about The Country of the Blind. Everyone in the country was blind but didn’t know it. Jesus said the blind who think they see, how great is that blindness. And yet, that is the condition of lost people everywhere. They never get it right. They may have heard about God and God’s truth, but they are in darkness and blinded to spiritual realities and are oblivious to impending judgment. In fact, they try to convince themselves there’ll be no future judgment and wrath. They are in darkness and they love it.
John 3:19, This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
And the darkness not only penetrates their minds, but also their hearts. The most brilliant unsaved man is in darkness. Bertrand Russell, a brilliant mind of the twentieth century who saw no reason to live as if God is real, said these words as his death approached, “There is darkness without, and when I die there will be darkness within. There is no splendor, no vastness anywhere; only triviality for a moment, and then nothing.” So sad. R. C. Sproul described the god of modern times as “a deity without sovereignty, a god without wrath, a judge without judgment, and a force without power.” Hopelessness in darkness.
Plus, Satan has blinded their eyes.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4, And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
This is the condition of the lost world, a world blinded in darkness. And we were right there in darkness with them. We too were children of darkness, children of night. What happened? Two words: BUT GOD! That’s what happened. God’s sweet, amazing, sovereign, precious grace penetrated our hearts with the gospel message and empowered by the Holy Spirit turned on the light of understanding.
2 Corinthians 4:6, For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
That’s regeneration! That’s new life! Colossians 1:13 says God delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. God turned on the light and put eternal life in our hearts. Ephesians 5:8 says you were formerly in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. And that makes all the difference. Remember when Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress came to the cross and that great burden fell off his back and three shining ones came and said, “Your sins are forgiven.” They gave him new clothes, put a mark on his forehead, and gave him a roll with a seal on it which he was to present at the Celestial Gate as his assurance of salvation. “Then Christian gave three leaps for joy and went on singing.” That’s what we should do when we read in verse 9, “God has not destined us for wrath….”
Singing I go along life’s road,
Praising the Lord, praising the Lord,
Singing I go along life’s road,
For Jesus has lifted my load.
So what happened? You believe God’s promises and trust in His Son to save you. Now we know the day of the Lord is coming and that means Christ is coming for us. We are of the light and of the day. Once we were blind, but now we can see!
THEY AREN’T READY BUT YOU NEED TO BE.
1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
Now Paul in verses 6-8 exhorts them to wake up and sober up. Lost people are spiritually sleeping and inebriated by their sin. Sleeping people don’t know what is happening. Drunks can’t see straight and have accidents. Their reactions are slow, they say dumb things, do dumb things. The lost world around us is spiritually sleeping and in a spiritual drunken stupor. That’s the picture.
But you are of the day and you need to be wide awake for the Lord’s coming. Let’s plug these Romans verses in as they speak directly to being on full alert.
Romans 13:11-14, Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (ESV)
Here in Thessalonians Paul gives us three responsibilities as we look forward to Christ’s return: Wake up! Sober up! Armor up!
- Wake up! (vs. 6). Every morning when you get up you must shake yourself spiritually, “I need to be on high alert today!” Satan works hard to put believers to sleep, to dull their hearts and minds so they aren’t alert at all. Believe it or not, sometimes people fall asleep in church! Spurgeon says he once had a sleepy congregation. They had eaten too much for dinner and came to the afternoon service very sleepy, so Spurgeon says, “I tried an old expedient to rouse them. I shouted with all my might, ‘Fire! Fire! Fire!’” Startled, some asked where it was. “I told them it was in hell for such sleepy sinners as they were.” Well, I would never say that, but Paul strongly states the importance of working hard to consciously rouse out of our slumber in these last days. We are in a spiritual war. We must stay alert. In Acts 20:31 Paul warned us of savage wolves coming into the flock and issued the same command: “Be on the alert!” That’s the same word in the Greek as “Wake up!”
- Sober up! (vss. 6 & 8) Instead of imbibing in alcohol, be filled with the Spirit and fill your heart with God’s Word. Like the Bereans, search God’s Word daily. Let His truth saturate and guide your thoughts and decisions and priorities. Set your affection on things above, where Christ is. Sin and self-indulgence have a stupefying effect. Too many Christians are wobbling and falling all over the place, drunk with the deadening influence of the world and the flesh. Sober up!
- Armor up! (vs. 8) We’re in a war. Soldiers don’t go into battle wearing flipflops and bathrobes. Get dressed for war! Strap that breastplate on. The breastplate protects vital organs. Faith works through love. Faith means aggressively trusting God Almighty. Know your God. Know His power, His protection, His good providence. Love means daily self-denial in order to bless others, esteeming others as more important than yourself (Phil. 2:3).
And put that helmet on. Who wants to face bullets without a helmet? You may remember in Saving Private Ryan during the beach assault one of the soldiers for some reason took his helmet off. At that moment, phunt! A bullet to the head. Keep your helmet on. The helmet is the assurance of your salvation in Jesus Christ. He paid the complete price and you are His. “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life” and they shall what? Never perish! Your salvation is as secure as Jesus is secure in heaven.
This is how we stay ready for Christ’s return: Wake up! Sober up! Armor up! Now to the last contrast between you and the lost person. They won’t be jumping for joy but you will.
THEY ARE HEADED FOR WRATH, BUT YOU ARE HEADED FOR SALVATION.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11, For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
What a contrast this is. We need to remember that God is a God of wrath, but that God has not destined us for wrath. Pink says, “The wrath of God is His eternal detestation of all unrighteousness…. God is angry against sin because it is a rebelling against His authority.” Tozer writes, “There are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God, than there are to His love and tenderness.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones says to understand the depth of God’s love you must understand the depth of His wrath. Take a concordance and look up all the references to wrath. Romans 1:18 says God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. In His wrath God gives men up to their own lusts and desires. Packer says, “If you want proof of God’s wrath, look around and see what God is giving men up to. Romans 2 says unbelievers in their rebellion are storing up wrath for the day of wrath and judgment to come. The world only jokes about coming judgment; they don’t take it seriously. But one day they will change their minds when they face God’s wrath. Nahum describes God’s wrath in gripping terms.
Nahum 1:6-7, Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire And the rocks are broken up by Him. 7 The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
There will be a final judgment at the Great White Throne Judgment and then the eternal wrath in the lake of fire. Spurgeon said, “The eternity of punishment is a thought which crushes the heart.” Thomas Watson, speaking of the word “forever,” writes, “That word ‘ever’ breaks the heart.”
God deals out His wrath in the conscience, in history, in the tribulation period in Revelation, and in the eternal lake of fire. I am persuaded that the wrath here is the tribulation period when all the judgments and bowls of divine wrath are poured out. But whichever wrath Paul is referring to, how blessed beyond measure we are that God has not destined us for wrath but to salvation through Jesus Christ. He died in our place, bearing our sin, enduring the divine wrath we deserved. Instead of God declaring us guilty, in Christ He declares us not guilty and totally forgiven in Jesus. That thought that God has not destined us for wrath should result in eternal praise and gratitude and worship. Praise God, we don’t have to worry that when we die, we may slip into an eternity of wrath from which there is no return. God has not destined that for us.
God has not destined those who are His to wrath but to salvation. Why? Because Jesus died in our place. He died as our substitute. He’s that Passover Lamb whose blood is sprinkled over our account before God. He died for us, the Just one for the unjust, that He might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). He didn’t die for people who reject Him. He died for all those who would believe in Him. That’s definite atonement. Christ’s death fully accomplished the redemption for those for whom it was intended. And He won’t lose any of those for whom He died. How do you know if He died for you, as your substitute? One way – submit your heart to Him in simple repentance and faith. Bow to Him as your only hope for eternity. Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved.”
Notice 1 Thessalonians 5:10, whether we are awake or asleep – died or remain until He returns – we will “live together with Him.” That’s enough to take three leaps for joy! First Thessalonians 4:17 says at the Rapture we’ll be caught up and “we shall always be with the Lord!” And in John 14:3 Jesus promises, “Where I am, there you will be also.”
In vs. 11 Paul concludes by urging us to encourage and build up one another with all these great truths, especially that God hasn’t destined us to wrath but to salvation. Since Christ is going to gather His church out of the world just before the Day of the Lord comes, and that could happen at any time, we should always live godly lives, awake, alert, sober, and fully dressed in that armor every day. The world doesn’t know it’s coming, but we do. We need to tell them and we need to be ready to meet Christ. We are joyfully looking forward to seeing our Lord face to face. Are you ready?