1 Th. 5:1-2
Times and Seasons at Day of the Lord
Pastor Martin expounds 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, focusing on the 'times and seasons' related to the 'Day of the Lord.' He contrasts the Thessalonians' prior ignorance (addressed in 1 Thess 4) with their perfect knowledge of Christ's return, which necessitates exhortation rather than new facts. Martin traces the Old Testament concept of the Day of the Lord as a manifestation of God's judgment and mercy, showing how the New Testament identifies it with Christ's sudden, unexpected second coming. The pastoral application urges believers to live in watchfulness and sobriety, while warning unbelievers of sudden destruction if found outside of Christ.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 8 sections · 48 min
- Introduction to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and its Relationship to Chapter 4 0:02
- The Distinction Between Ignorance and Knowledge in Paul's Exhortation 4:42
- Principles of Effective Communication: Facts vs. Exhortation 7:34
- The Specific Subject: 'Times and Seasons' of the Day of the Lord 11:54
- Defining the 'Day of the Lord' from Old Testament Concepts 14:18
- The 'Day of the Lord' in the New Testament: Identified with Christ's Return 22:50
- Why Paul Introduces the Subject: Not Ignorance, but Exhortation to Live Consistently 30:03
- Application: Beware of Idle Curiosity and Live in Expectation 37:24
Key Quotes
“So the problem in chapter 5 is not ignorance that needs facts. No, no. Here it is knowledge that needs implementation.”
“Now any effective communication of the truth of God to men will remember this distinction.”
“And woe be unto you if you swat when you ought to instruct or if you instruct when you ought to swat. God's put the facts and the rod in your hands.”
“You see the concept of the day of the Lord is essentially a peculiar manifestation of God in His works of judgment Isn't that a summary of what we have?”
“The day of the Lord generally any eminent manifestation of God in works of mercy and judgment specifically the climactic manifestation of judgment and mercy at the second coming of Christ”
“this idle curiosity that would use the Bible like a crystal ball to want to know all the things to want to know all the precise events related to the times and seasons is an unholy lust that must be crucified”
“but whether it's a day of unwanted expectancy or unwanted suddenness or expected suddenness it will come as a thief to saved and unsaved alike”
“destruction is bad enough but sudden destruction and then it follows with the words and they shall not escape”
Applications
All listeners
- Recognize when you need facts to resolve emotional problems versus when you need exhortation to act on existing knowledge.
- Do not dismiss exhortational preaching as 'moralistic' if you already have sufficient doctrinal facts.
- Do not dismiss doctrinal preaching as 'sitting on a bump on a log' if you lack foundational facts.
- Wisely administer both instruction (facts) and discipline (the rod) to your children, discerning which is needed at a given time.
- If you have enough facts about the gospel, repent and flee the wrath to come, laying hold of Christ.
- When witnessing, discern if people need to be exhorted to repent or if they first need to be given the great facts of the Christian faith.
- Beware of idle curiosity that uses the Bible like a crystal ball to know precise events related to the times and seasons; crucify this unholy lust.
- Be as thoroughly convinced that the Day of the Lord is coming as the early Thessalonian believers were.
- Let the conviction of Christ's coming be a governing conviction that shapes your perspective on the world and strengthens you in weariness.
- Be convinced that the Day of the Lord will come with suddenness and unexpectedness, making this a governing conviction.
- If you are not joined to Jesus Christ, be convinced that the Day of the Lord is coming and will bring sudden destruction from which there is no escape.
- Take seriously the exhortations against spiritual drunkenness and slumbering, living with your heart cleaned up and ready for Christ's unexpected return.
- Let the conviction of the Day of the Lord grip your heart and become an all-pervasive conviction, so you are found with your garments spotless and your house clean.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 57 paragraphs, roughly 48 minutes.
Introduction to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and its Relationship to Chapter 4
We begin this morning our studies in the fifth chapter of 1st Thessalonians. Working our way through this letter of five chapters, we're coming now toward the home stretch in our studies.
And our particular focus this morning will be upon the first two verses of the fifth chapter. However, since those two verses are but the introduction of a second paragraph dealing with the general theme of the return of Christ and its relationship to different classes of people, I shall read the entire paragraph which is concluded in verse 11. 1st Thessalonians, chapter 5, 1 to 11. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need, that I write unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. But when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake, you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and for an helmet the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. I trust that by now most of you are aware of the general content of the latter part of the fourth chapter, in which the Apostle Paul dealt with the subject of the relationship of dead and living saints at the return of the Lord Jesus. He had introduced the subject of the return of Christ only because it has direct bearing upon the problem, namely, sadness in the face of the death of saved loved ones. So the progression of thought is, verse 13 of chapter 4, I don't want you ignorant about those who fall asleep. I want you to know the facts about their whereabouts now and their state at the return of Christ.
So he introduces the subject of the return of Christ to deal with that problem, but having introduced the subject of the return of Christ, he now in chapter 5 focuses upon that subject and in particular the relationship of the times and the seasons to the return of Christ. So the general theme then of chapters 4, 13 through 5, 11 is the subject of the return of Christ. However, there is a marked difference in the focus of concern in 4, 13 to 18 and in chapter 5, verses 1 to 11. And so the first part of our study this morning will be to focus upon the relationship of these two paragraphs. Then secondly, the specific subject dealt with in this section, chapter 5, and then thirdly, what or why the apostle introduces this particular subject. Alright, then what is the relationship between chapter 5, verses 1 to 11 and chapter 4, 13 to 18?
The Distinction Between Ignorance and Knowledge in Paul's Exhortation
You remember that that paragraph in the fourth chapter was addressed to their area of ignorance. Notice verse 13. I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren. So, what do we find in the chapter?
Verses 14, 15, 16, and 17 give us pure information. There is no exhortation in the bulk of that paragraph. He says, I don't want you to be ignorant, so here are the facts. And so he gives the facts in general in verse 14, in particular in verses 15 to 17, and then he concludes with this very little brief word of exhortation, comfort one another with these words.
So, chapter 4, 13 to 18, ignorance supplied with facts. But now, chapter 5, it's entirely different. For he says in chapter 5, verse 2, you know perfectly. So here it's not a matter of ignorance.
What he's going to talk about, they already know perfectly, or as we'll see later, the word perfectly means accurately or with precision. So the problem in chapter 5 is not ignorance that needs facts. No, no. Here it is knowledge that needs implementation.
Here they know something, but he wants them to live consistently with that particular knowledge. Therefore, the focus of these verses is not that of facts to supply the lack in the area of ignorance, but exhortation to supplement existing knowledge. If one reads the first epistle to the Thessalonians and the second, it would seem that the teaching of the return of Christ that they had already had some exposure to had led to curious inquiries as to the time and also a spirit of restlessness which led them to shirk present duty. That's why he gave them that admonition, in chapter 4, 11 and 12, that we should do our own thing, be occupied with our own tasks. And in the second letter, chapter 3, beginning with verse 7, he deals with the whole problem of laziness and says if a man will not work, he should not eat. So it's this spirit of restlessness and then apparently somebody having questions about the times and seasons that leads the apostle to write concerning the doctrine of the second letter, the second coming, and the necessity of hope, sobriety and watchfulness.
Principles of Effective Communication: Facts vs. Exhortation
Now there's a tremendous principle involved in the different way the apostle handled these two sections. If people are sorry because they are ignorant of Christian doctrine, Paul does not come and exhort them, get over your sorrow, get out of it, lift yourself up by the bootstraps. No, he pours in facts and as though then the facts will lift them from their sorrow. However, where they have facts, he says, ye know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief.
These people don't need more information. The thing they need to get them moving is exhortation and so the apostle does not come with more facts, but rather he comes and seeks to get behind them and push them with the impetus of exhortation. Now any effective communication of the truth of God to men will remember this distinction. There are times when as a believer you don't need to go to those passages that exhort you to activity.
You need to go to the passages that will supply the area of ignorance. And as your mind meditates upon the facts of Christian doctrine, your emotional problem will be resolved. However, there are other times when you don't need more facts. You need to be stirred up to do something about the facts you already know.
Now as you read the word of God, you ought to familiarize yourself with those different aspects of truth. Any effective teaching or preaching will keep this in mind. There are some people who just love preaching that gives them facts. Oh, they're great devotees of doctrinal preaching.
They want the great acts of the Christian faith. And when someone, as it were, says, Now look, you know enough. Let's build a little fire under that knowledge and get you perking. They don't like that.
They'll call that moralistic preaching. And there are others who say, Oh, I'm all for action. I'm all for getting up and getting on with the job. And I've got no time to sit on a bump on a log and think.
Well, you see, either of these extremes is an unscriptural imbalance. And this is what we need in our own development. You parents, you need to recognize this in your relationship to your children. There are times when you need to sit down and give them some facts.
Don't just tell them what to do. Give them the biblical perspective on given areas. However, there are other times when they don't need more facts. They need a good swat in the britches to get on with what they know they ought to do.
And woe be unto you if you swat when you ought to instruct or if you instruct when you ought to swat. God's put the facts and the rod in your hands. And as parents, you need to wisely administer both. And then you need to keep this in mind when you witness to people.
There are some people who don't need to know one more fact about the Christian faith. They need to be warned through the wrath to come. We need to plead for the reconciled to God. Some of you here this morning, you've got enough facts about the gospel to sink a battle.
You don't need one more fact. You need to be exhorted to repent and flee the wrath to come and lay hold of...
However, many times, especially in our day where there's been such a paucity of biblical knowledge to tell people, repent, repent, repent, believe, believe, believe. They say, repent of what? Believe on what? And they need to be given the great facts of the Christian faith.
Who is God? What is man? What is sin? What is redemption?
Because the Apostle Paul deals with these problems. He is not only giving to us the answer to the problems, but this book being the sufficient rule not only of faith, what we're to believe, but of practice, it gives us how we are to communicate truth to others. So much, then, for the relationship between the two paragraphs. One, ignorance supplied by facts.
The Specific Subject: 'Times and Seasons' of the Day of the Lord
The other, knowledge, as it were, spurred by exhortation. Now, what is the specific subject that he's going to deal with in this paragraph? He introduces it in chapter 5, verse 1. But concerning the times and seasons.
Often the Apostle will introduce a subject by this little phrase, concerning this or concerning that. He did that in verse 9 of chapter 4. But as touching, concerning brotherly love. Now a new subject.
But concerning, concerning the times and the seasons. Now the only other place you'll find this phrase used as it stands here, of course, is in Acts 1 in verse 7. And I'm sure many of you thought of that. When the disciples said, We'll bow at this time, restore the kingdom unto Israel.
The Lord Jesus answers, It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father hath put in his own hands. The word times is the general word for any portion of time. The word season is more limited and generally refers to a specific epoch within a larger period of time. So then their question is, the matter of chronology.
The times and the seasons as they relate to a specific event. Now what is that event? Well he doesn't tell us in the first verse, but he tells us in the second. But of the times and seasons, but of the chronology as it relates to what?
Well he's telling us. You have no need that I write into you for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night. The specific subject dealt with is the chronology, the relationship of times and seasons as they bear upon this that the apostle calls the day of the Lord. Since everything that follows applies to this day of the Lord, it's imperative that we understand what the apostle meant when he used this particular phrase.
Defining the 'Day of the Lord' from Old Testament Concepts
So the bulk of our time this morning is going to be occupied with trying to discover what is this day of the Lord, of which the apostle speaks. Like many New Testament phrases, it is rooted in Old Testament concepts. Though we believe there is a diversity in the administration of God's saving truth, in the old economy and the new, there is a great unity. And so there is this building up through the Old Testament, particularly the prophets, of the concept of the day of the Lord.
Will you very quickly look with me at several Old Testament passages and see if you can begin to see emerging a concept of what the day of the Lord signifies. We'll start in Isaiah, and then we'll move from Isaiah through to some of the other prophets. Isaiah chapter 2, beginning with verse 10. Isaiah 2, 10, and following.
Enter into the rock and hide thee in the dust for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty. For the lips of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down. And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, and upon everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.
Drop down to verse 19. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold which they made each one for himself to worship to the moles and to the bats. Do you see the concept of the day of the Lord?
What is the overriding concept in this passage? Keep that in your mind. Now we move on to Ezekiel chapter 13 and hear the phrase the day of the Lord comes before us again. Ezekiel chapter 13 verses 3 through 5 Thus saith the Lord God Woe to the foolish prophets that follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.
O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Here is a peculiar day coming and accusation is brought to the false prophets that they have not prepared the people of God for that day. Now the book of Joel Joel chapter 2 beginning with verse 1 Blow ye 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 it is nigh at hand a day of darkness and of gloominess a day of clouds of thick darkness as the morning spread upon the mountains drop down to verse 11 and the Lord shall utter his voice before his army for his camp is very great for he is strong that executeth his word for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible and who can abide it?
Now we return to a book that I doubt we have quoted from in years the book of Zephaniah after Habakkuk Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Zephaniah 1, 14 and 15 For the great day of the Lord is near it is near and hasteth greatly even the voice of the day of the Lord the mighty man shall cry there bitterly that day is a day of wrath a day of trouble and distress a day of wasteness and desolation a day of darkness and gloominess a day of clouds and thick darkness Now what is the overriding trust of the concept of the day of the Lord in these passages which I've read? Have you been thinking? Have you been listening? I've not been doing this for a Bible sword drill for a little exercise You see the concept of the day of the Lord is essentially a peculiar manifestation of God in His works of judgment Isn't that a summary of what we have?
A day is coming a dark day a terrible day Who can abide that day? They shall run to rocks and mountains A peculiar manifestation of the works of God particularly in judgment But then in the last prophet in our Bibles the prophet Malachi that day is associated not only with a peculiar manifestation of God in judgment but also a peculiar manifestation of God in mercy You'll notice carefully the wording of Malachi the last book of the Old Testament chapter 3 Malachi chapter 4 I'm sorry, verses 1 to 3 Malachi 4, 1 to 3 For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven and all the proud will be ye 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 but unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall and ye shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this saith the Lord of hosts
Now the added concept of Malachi is that that day that shall burn up the wicked will also be a day of a peculiar manifestation of the sun of righteousness to his people Now summarizing this what is the day of the Lord? It is a peculiar manifestation of God in works of mercy and of judgment or perhaps we should say of judgment and of mercy Now when we turn to the New Testament that day begins to be more and more identified with a specific event and what is that event? Why the very event that it introduced the subject in this letter to the Thessalonians He says now I don't want you to be ignorant about your dead loved ones who've gone before for when the Lord comes the Lord descends from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God this is what will happen Now concerning the times and seasons that relate to the day of the Lord there the apostle identifies the day of the Lord with the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ He does this in the same context in 1 Thessalonians 4 and then in 2 Thessalonians in a way that leaves no room for mistake He identifies the coming of Christ
The 'Day of the Lord' in the New Testament: Identified with Christ's Return
with the day of the Lord Will you notice chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians Now we beseech you brethren verse 1 by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto Him the very thing he talked about in chapter 4 of 1 Thessalonians Christ's coming our gathering together dead and living saints unto Christ that ye be not soon shaken in mind or trouble neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as that the day of Christ is at hand He clearly identifies the coming of Christ and the gathering of the saints with Him as the day of the Lord or the day of Christ and we shall see that those two terms are used interchangeably Mr. Schofield and his notes notwithstanding now how is it used in the New Testament we've looked at the Old Testament concept we've seen its use here in Thessalonians now very briefly let's do the same thing with some New Testament references to the day of the Lord turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 1 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and in his introductory comments to this church
he says in verses 7 and 8 ye came behind in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall confirm you unto the end that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ and here you have the coming of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ used synonymously you were waiting for His day and in that day you shall be found blameless what day? the day of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Corinthians we're moving from the front of the epistles to the back in that order 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 14 perhaps we should back up to verse 13 for we write none other things unto you than what ye read or acknowledge and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end as also ye have acknowledged us in part that we are your rejoicing even as ye are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus now notice the interchangeable terminology the day of the Lord in Thessalonians the day of our Lord Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians now in 2 Corinthians
just the day of the Lord Jesus Christ is left out some place it's just Lord these terms you see used synonymously moving over to Philippians chapter 1 well known verse on the preservation of the saints Philippians 1 verse 6 being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ here the word Lord is left out you see any attempt to make a distinction between the day of Christ and the day of the Lord then you gotta end up making a distinction between the day of Christ the day of the Lord Jesus the day of Jesus Christ and only a man who's dealing in a very a superficial way with scripture would ever seek to force any kind of difference you see in terms that are obviously used in a synonymous way the day of Jesus Christ chapter 2 in verse 16 here he calls it just the day of Christ no Jesus here holding forth the word of life that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain neither labored in vain then one last passage 2 Peter chapter 3 here it is called not only the day of the Lord
but the day of God as well 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 10 and 12 but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away the great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat and the earth and the world and the works therein shall be burned up verse 12 looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved now I hope that you are all convinced of at least two or three things from this brief survey of the concept of the day of the Lord now I rarely do this you know that make a quick trip all the way through portions like this but I felt it was necessary because the whole subject dealt with in chapter 5 is the times and the seasons as they relate to the day of the Lord unless we have clear in our minds what that is everything else will be irrelevant or confused the day of the Lord concept begins in the Old Testament a time of an unusual manifestation of the works of God primarily in judgment but also in mercy in the New Testament that time of the peculiar and special manifestation of God in judgment and in mercy
is more and more focused upon the return of Christ and that return is called by the various terms the day of Christ the day of our Lord the day of God the day of the Lord Jesus Christ sometimes simply called the day 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 13 what can we say then in conclusion that the day of the Lord generally any eminent manifestation of God in works of mercy and judgment specifically the climactic manifestation of judgment and mercy at the second coming of Christ the climactic manifestation of judgment and mercy at the second coming of Christ there have been many comings of the Lord in the biblical sense the Lord came He had a day as it were in the deliverance of His people out of Egypt and His judgment upon Egypt it was a day of the Lord a coming of the Lord in judgment when He rained down fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah and delivered Lot from that wicked city it was a peculiar day of the Lord when wrath was poured out upon the great generation existing in the days of Noah and deliverance came to Noah and his family
Why Paul Introduces the Subject: Not Ignorance, but Exhortation to Live Consistently
but all of those were but little previews of that great day of the Lord that final day of the Lord all of these were but partial manifestations of God's character in judgment and in mercy and it will not be until the day of the Lord that there will be the full display of God's character both in judgment and in mercy now wherever you find that term the day of the Lord I hope you will be able to understand it and to give to it its proper meaning now in the light of this if that's what the day of the Lord is why does He introduce the subject and this will be the thing that will take our attention for the remainder of our time this morning why does He introduce this subject of the day of the Lord and in particular the times and seasons as they relate to it well He tells us in the first place why He didn't notice His words in chapter 5 verse 1 ye have no need that I write unto you for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes in the thief of the night He did not introduce the subject because they were ignorant but because He would say
stir them up to live lives consistent with the fact of that day He says you know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes but now I want you to answer it with that knowledge and with that expectation now how does He do this how does He go about this well when they were ignorant He gave them facts now in this passage He does not primarily give facts but He gives exhortation He says ye know perfectly that word means accurately with precision and what did they know notice the fact that they knew that the day of the Lord is coming as a thief they had a clear grasp upon the fact that that day was coming and also they had a grasp upon the times or the seasons namely that it would come with suddenness and in an unexpected way it's interesting that Paul uses the present tense he doesn't use the future he doesn't say you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord shall come he uses the present tense the day of the Lord is coming it's on its way and he said you people know this for you are living by faith and not by sight you know that there will yet be
that great climactic manifestation of mercy and in judgment of the greatness and character of the Lord Jesus Christ and they also knew that that day was coming as a thief in the night now what is the main thrust of that figure you know that He is coming as a thief in the night as we'll learn later on in our hermeneutics class this is a simile as this is as or like this and that generally a simile has one particular thrust now we can let our imaginations run out in a hundred directions and say well let's see what is the relationship of a thief stealing in the middle of the night and then we could build a whole big doctrine no we're not to do that letting scripture be its own interpreter we come to the conclusion there is one main thought in this simile these people knew that the day of the Lord would come as a thief in the night what was that concept well to save time I won't turn to the verses but I'll simply quote them this concept of the thief in the night is used in several other places in scripture it's used in Revelation 3 and in verse 3 in Revelation 16 and verse 15 it's used in 2nd Peter 3 and in verse 10
and the main thrust of this simile is simply this it's the idea of unexpectedness and surprise our Lord had said if a man knew what hour the thief was coming he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken in so these people were convinced that the day of the Lord would come with suddenness with stealth with unexpectedness with the element of surprise now where did they learn this the apostle apparently preached it to them in his missionary journey while he was there establishing the church and I would venture to say and agree with most of the commentators that this was based upon the words of Christ in Matthew 24, 43 and 44 where the whole thief concept in relationship to his coming is clearly mentioned Matthew chapter 24 verses 33 and 34 Matthew 24 43 and 44 I'm sorry but know this in the light of the fact that you do not know the hour when your Lord doth come know this that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come he would have watched and not have suffered the house to be broken up therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour
as ye think not the Son of Man cometh and then this became apparently a very fixed maxim of the truth of the faith delivered to the saints so Peter could say you know that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night Jesus speaking to the churches of the revelation says if you will not watch I will come to you as a thief in the night now what does this tell us then about this whole subject that will be the concern of the focus of our concern in studying over the next week number one beware of idle curiosity that would make you an expert in the times and seasons Paul said you people at Thessalonica you know that concerning the times and seasons the day of the Lord will come as a thief that's all you need to know and if you want to know anything more you won't get it from me that's what he said and this idle curiosity that would use the Bible like a crystal ball to want to know all the things to want to know all the precise events related to the times and seasons is an unholy lust that must be crucified you people he says you don't have need for me to write anything to you because knowing that that coming will be with suddenness
Application: Beware of Idle Curiosity and Live in Expectation
you know all you need to know now live consistently with it he gets the thrust of his emphasis granted in the second letter he'll tell them that because some of them were going around saying that that day had already begun to dawn he says no it can't be certain events must take place first he gives what we call a broad outline of some of the times and seasons but this specific itch to date and to line up all the events related to that final manifestation of the Lord Jesus is an unwarranted itch and it must be resisted secondly here were some young believers just a few months old in the Christian faith and they were so thoroughly convinced that the day of the Lord was coming and would come with suddenness that Paul says you have no need for me to write anything more to you and I ask myself and I ask you this morning are you just as convinced that that day is coming he said you know perfectly well the day of the Lord is coming do you know that are you as convinced are you as convinced of that fact as the great climactic fact of history in a real sense the fact for which everything else that has happened in time has been but preparation
are you convinced of that that the day of the Lord is coming present tense it is on its way are you convinced as an abstract theological principle but as a governing conviction that when you look at the mess of the world you say thank God be coming when he shall manifest his glory when you see the triumph of evil and the subjugation of right when you see the oft times meager way in which the saints of God seem to make any dent or influence upon society as foot in light and you grow weary in the conflict does your heart with a reflex action say oh God it won't always be this way do you know perfectly as they did that the day of the Lord is coming oh I know what somebody is saying yeah when I was a kid that's right you did and the Lord says in the last days there will be people who echo that oh since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as from the beginning I heard all about that he hadn't come yet Peter says beloved be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is for the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day that's why the Old Testament saints spoken of in Hebrews
it says in Hebrews 11 13 that these all died not having received the promises but having embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims were willing to live and die in the hope of something they never realized and what were they longing for they looked for a city which had foundations as builder and maker as God waiting for that day when the climax of all God's redemptive purposes would come to pass and they lived some of the many years and died and didn't have the promise and in that sense they still don't have the fulfilled promise as the people of God we walk by faith and not by sight and I wonder how deeply we are convinced of the day of the Lord and the fact of its coming and then in the third place are you convinced as they that it will come as a thief in the night we shall see in our further studies that because it comes as a thief in the night it will take the unconverted with unwanted surprise whereas it will come upon the believer with welcomed and prepared for surprise and unexpectedness but are you convinced that that day will come as a thief in the night are you is this a governing conviction with you
that not only is that day coming but coming with suddenness and unexpectedness next week we shall see how the apostle relates this to the unconverted for when they shall say see those on the outside those who are strangers to grace when they shall say peace and safety sudden destruction cometh upon them the day of the Lord will be a manifestation of judgment catching them unawares verse 4 but you brethren are not in darkness though that day will come as a thief in the night it will not catch you as a thief for you will be found in expectation and in preparation but whether it's a day of unwanted expectancy or unwanted suddenness or expected suddenness it will come as a thief to saved and unsaved alike in my plea to some of you who may not be here to have another gospel appeal when the next week rolls around be convinced in the basis of the authority of the word of God that the day of the Lord is coming and if you are found as one not joined to Jesus Christ there can be nothing but sudden destruction it will come as suddenly as the woman who's washing her ditches and suddenly she's gripped with her birth pangs
that's the analogy that he uses this is a sobering thing God willing next week we shall focus our entire time upon verse 3 but I have no assurance that I shall be here to expound the passage and to give the gospel appeal to flee to Christ to repent and to be found hidden in the Savior I say to you dear child of God if you really believe that day shall come as a thief you will take seriously the exhortations here against spiritual drunkenness and spiritual slumbering for certainly if I could by some prophetic utterance make known to you that the Lord Jesus were to come at 3 o'clock this afternoon some of you do some pretty quick last minute cleaning up to meet him you do some pretty quick last minute cleaning up and I don't mean cleaning up your apartment or your bedroom I mean cleaning up your heart wouldn't you wouldn't you you do some pretty quick last minute cleaning up well any cleaning up you're allowed to do may be last minute cleaning up for you know not the day nor the hour when the Son of Man comes granted we can as we see
through a glass darkly see certain epochs and unfolding of the purposes of the purposes of God that must precede that day of the Lord as Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2 but that in no way negates the expectation of that day the Apostle Paul knew that he was going to die this is the time of my departures at hand I finish my course Peter who speaks of hastening unto the day of God Peter knew he wasn't going to be alive for that day for the Lord had told him in John chapter 20, 21 when you were young you went wherever you wanted to when you're old they'll take you wherever you don't care to go this spake he signifying by what death he should glorify God they knew they wouldn't be alive to actually witness that event as those living but nonetheless the whole focus of their lives that day you see we don't need to adopt any so called any moment theory of the coming of Christ to live in expectation of it the Apostle Paul and Peter knew that they would live long enough to die Paul knew he'd live long enough to die the Lord had said thou shalt witness of me at Rome all knew the Lord would come till he got to Rome does that mean he went out and lived it up and lived like the devil not on your life the whole focus of his life was that day that day and so I submit to you this morning
that if we would be what God would have us to be as his children the conviction of that day must grip our hearts and become an all pervasive conviction with us so that it can be said of us that we know perfectly that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night and as it comes it will catch some utterly unprepared and verse 3 says for them it will be sudden destruction will you pray that the spirit of God will bless the preaching of this passage next week I'd planned to touch on it today but the more I wrestled with it the more I was convinced that I wasn't ready to preach I wasn't ready to set it out in its sobriety those are some of the most terrible words in scripture sudden destruction destruction is bad enough but sudden destruction and then it follows with the words and they shall not escape oh may God grant that you will be found hidden in Christ in that day and in the light of that day be found with your garments spotless with your house clean and ready when he shall come there's only one day I'm sure will come may not be another day of national elections may not be another day
for anything else but the day of the Lord is coming that climactic manifestation of the Lord Jesus in judgment and in mercy let us pray
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This is the central text, from which the sermon draws its main themes of the Day of the Lord, its unexpectedness, and the call to watchfulness.
Texts Expounded
Also Referenced
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