So it's page 1188 in the Red Church Bibles, and we're reading from chapter 5, verses 1-11.
Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
While people are saying peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
You are all children of the light, and children of the day.
We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
So then, let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
But 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.
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
He died for us, so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just in fact as you are doing.
Jesus will return.
The death-defeating king of the universe has told us that he himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God.
And he will judge the deeds of every man and woman that ever lived.
God's just wrath will be poured out on all evil and sin.
There is nothing more serious.
There is no future event matters more.
Whatever about Trump's tariffs and what they mean for your livelihood, whatever about Putin's threats,
and what they mean for world peace,
this is absolutely nothing compared to what faces us on the coming day of the Lord.
Peter says this in 2 Peter 3,
The heavens will disappear with a roar.
The elements will be destroyed by fire.
And the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
This is the coming day of the Lord.
The only day the world really needs to worry about.
And when we first hear about this coming day,
I think it's natural to fear, isn't it?
And it seems these young Thessalonian Christians feared
they would not be saved from this coming wrath.
And for the coming minutes, we're going to stop everything else.
And we're going to focus our minds entirely on that moment
when we will come face to face with our maker.
Whether Jesus comes again before today is out,
or we die before he comes,
we are going to come face to face with him,
the holy judge.
And there is nothing more important in your life
than knowing where you stand with Jesus.
And in this text, the Apostle Paul tells us
how we can be ready for his return.
So will you pray with me now?
That we would hear what God wants us to say.
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
we have an enemy
that wants us to forget all about you
and ignore your return.
Help us to hear your word now and tremble.
Convict us of sin
where we need conviction.
Fill us with hope
where we are afraid.
Make us ready
for your return.
Amen.
Firstly,
Jesus will return
like a thief
in the night.
Look at verses 1 and 2 with me.
Now, brothers and sisters,
about times and dates,
we do not need to write to you,
for you know very well
that the day of the Lord
will come
like a thief
in the night.
Now, what thief rings your house beforehand
and says,
listen,
we'll be down there
at around 3 a.m.
Would you mind leaving the front door open
and the cash on the counter?
It'll make the whole process smoother.
Said no thief ever.
Okay?
The thief comes
when the homeowner
least expects.
Expect.
I hope that's never happened to you.
It happened to me once
when I was a kid.
It wasn't a nice experience
walking into our house
and realizing
that the thief
had gone through all our rooms
and taken all the cash
you could find.
We didn't expect it.
And Jesus is not
some dangerous thief
seeking to steal something from you.
No.
He's the righteous
returning judge.
But his coming
will be like that of a thief
because it's going to catch
many people off guard.
Now, Paul would call such people
who are going to be caught off guard
children of darkness.
And he tells us more about them
in verse 3 and 7.
Let's read that now.
Verse 3.
While people are saying
peace and safety,
destruction will come on them suddenly
as labor pains on a pregnant woman
and they will not escape.
Look at verse 7.
For those who sleep,
sleep at night.
And those who get drunk,
get drunk at night.
So here's what we know so far.
Children of the darkness
are spiritually asleep.
They can't see the spiritual reality
of what's really going on
in this world.
Are you a light sleeper?
I am 100% not.
About 5 minutes after my head
hits that pillow,
I am dead to the world.
Kids could be crying.
Wife could be coughing up a lung.
Sam snores on.
And I wake up in the morning
and say,
what a peaceful night.
Blissfully unaware
of what was really going on.
Can anyone relate?
Now children of darkness
are spiritually asleep,
unconscious.
There's this faint noise
in the background of their minds
of Jesus coming back.
But do you know what?
It doesn't even register.
They just keep telling themselves,
peace and safety.
Everything's just fine.
They live as if Jesus
won't ever come back.
Is that you?
Secondly, Paul says in verse 7,
children of darkness
are spiritually drunk.
Now God condemns drunkenness.
That's plain.
But people get drunk
oftentimes to escape
some reality
they just don't want to face.
So also children of darkness
drink in excess
of career,
travel,
children,
shopping,
Netflix,
relationships,
all the different things
they try and fill
their lives with
to escape
the ultimate reality
of Jesus.
They don't want to face up
to the righteous
returning judge.
Is that you?
It's very easy
to be that way
in Cargilline.
It's a wealthy,
convenient town.
We've everything we want.
Our text warns us,
if you are ignorant
of Christ's return,
asleep,
or if you're trying
to escape that reality,
drunk,
either way,
you are not ready
for Jesus' return.
And here's the horrifying
consequence
which you need to know.
children of darkness
would be destroyed.
In verse 3,
we read that
just like a soon-to-be mum
coming up to full term
cannot escape
those labour pains
coming,
so the children
of darkness
can't escape
God's just wrath
on their sin.
So here's the point.
Don't fool around
with Jesus.
if you think
that you can keep
the king of the universe
at arm's length,
maybe throw
some church attendance,
good works,
and prayers
his way
just to keep him happy,
you are in
ultimate danger
and you are a fool
because you can't
mess around
with the judge
of all things.
He says,
either you are for me
or you are against me.
there is no
middle ground.
He says,
either you believe
and act on my word
that I will return
or you don't believe.
Listen to him
and act
on his word.
If you don't,
you will be caught
off guard
by his return
and you will suffer
eternal destruction
separate
from God.
Jesus will return
like a thief
in the night
but secondly,
fear not
the coming judgment,
O children
of the light.
Read with me
from verse 4.
But you,
brothers
and sisters
who have believed
in Christ,
you are not
in darkness
so that this day
should surprise you
like a thief.
You are all
children of the light
and children
of the day.
We do not belong
to the night
or to the darkness.
What a relief
for these believers
in Thessalonica
to hear.
They don't need
to fear
the coming judgment
of Christ
because they are
children of the light.
Now,
why don't they have
to fear the judgment?
Is it that they don't
have any sin
to be judged?
Are they some
super holy people?
No,
not at all.
They're still
very much
in the battle
with sin.
Here's the reason
why they don't
have to fear
the judgment.
Their lives
are found
in Christ
who took
their judgment.
He lived
the perfect life
they could never live.
He died the death
they deserved
for their sin.
He rose again
so that one day
they could rise
with him
to eternal life.
Are you a child
of the light?
Here's how you know.
Have you believed
in Christ?
that he died
for you
and rose again
for you?
Have you repented
of your sin
and said,
I don't want that anymore.
I'm following
Jesus now.
I'm still going
to battle with sin
but I serve
a new master now.
My life is found
in Jesus.
If that is you,
you're a child
of the light.
you have no need
to fear
the coming
judgment
of Christ.
When Jesus comes,
it won't really
be a surprise.
I mean,
it will in one way
but another way
it won't
because this is
the moment
you'll have been
waiting for
your whole life.
And on that day
you will rise
to meet
your Lord
in the air
and so you
will be with
Jesus forever.
His treasure,
his bride
united to him
in love.
You don't belong
to the night
or the darkness
anymore
so live
like it's true.
That's what
Paul's next point is.
Live like it's true.
Be who you
truly are.
Number one,
Jesus will return
like a thief
in the night.
Fear not
the coming
judgment.
O children
of the light.
Thirdly,
awake
and sober
minded,
arm yourselves
to fight.
What distinguishes
a child
of the light
from a child
of the darkness
is they
want
to fight
to stay
awake
to Jesus.
children
of the darkness
are spiritually
asleep
and drunk.
They either
can't see
or don't
want to see
who Jesus
really is.
And they don't
see the problem
with that.
But look
at what Paul
says
in verse
five
and six.
You are
all
children
of the light
and children
of the day.
We do
not belong
to the night
or to the
darkness.
So then,
let us
not be
like others
who are
asleep,
but let us
be awake
and sober.
So children
of the light
are spiritually
awake
and sober
minded.
Now sleep
is good
for our bodies,
right?
I don't
need to
tell you
more about
that for me.
I can see
some teenagers
nodding.
Absolutely.
Paul tells
us,
however,
that spiritual
sleep
has the
opposite
effect
on our
souls.
It's bad
for our
spirits.
That ignoring
or escaping
the reality
of Jesus
leads us
further
and further
away from
him.
You've known
that in your
life,
I'm sure,
just like I
have.
And as
children of
the light,
how easy
to slip
back into
those old
ways we
used to
live in,
like not
caring to
spend time
with Jesus,
getting absorbed
in career
or leisure
or entertainment,
not engaging
with church
life,
not reading
the words.
But we
don't have
to be like
that anymore.
We must
stay spiritually
awake and
sober-minded
or alert
to Jesus
and his
return.
Now,
most of us
have been
there,
right?
You're
driving home
on the
M8 after
a big
day out
in Dublin.
Maybe it
was a
concert,
maybe it
was a
shopping
trip or
a match,
or maybe a
hospital
appointment,
who knows?
But anyway,
it's late,
you feel
the eyelids
begin to
droop.
What do
you do?
How are
you going
to fight
to stay
awake when
all you feel
like doing
is falling
asleep on
that motorway?
Here's what
you do.
Number one,
recline your
seat further
back.
Switch on
Bram's
lullaby to
softly play
in the
background.
And you
turn to
the person
in the
passenger seat
beside you
and you
say,
would you
mind not
speaking to
me for
the next
half an
hour or
so?
I just
want some
peace and
quiet.
Would you
do that?
No, you
would never
do that.
What a
fool you'd
be.
A recipe
for disaster.
Instead,
you would
sit up
straight,
you'd wind
down that
window and
you'd drink
your coffee,
you'd switch
on Bon
Jovi,
full blast,
karaoke mode.
And you
would plead
with the
person beside
you to
join in
and say,
don't you
dare go to
sleep on
me.
I need
you to
stay awake,
to get to
where we
need to
go.
And Paul
says this,
we are in
a battle
to stay
spiritually
awake.
we are
in a
battle to
stay alert
on the
journey to
eternity
with Christ.
And your
enemy, the
devil, he's
trying to
lull you
back into
spiritual
sleep.
And it's
so easy
to give
in.
He wants
you to
switch off
and grow
cold to
Jesus.
He doesn't
want you to
be ready
for him.
He wants
to distract
you and
pull you as
far away from
Jesus as he
possibly can.
what distinguishes
a child of
the light
from a
child of
darkness
is they
want to
fight him.
They don't
want to
fall asleep.
And in
that daily
battle to
stay alert
to Jesus,
there will be
good days,
there will be
bad days,
there will be
days we
forget.
But what
matters is
we're
fighting.
We're
fighting to
stay awake.
And in
verse 8,
Paul tells
us how
we can
fight,
how we
can stay
alert to
Jesus.
Look at
verse 8
with me.
Paul says,
but since
we belong
to the
day,
let us
be sober
in a
spiritual
sense,
putting on
faith and
love as a
breastplate,
spirit and
the hope
of salvation
as a
helmet.
Arm
yourselves to
fight,
Paul says,
firstly,
with faith.
Remember all
the promises
that God's
made to
you in
Christ.
And whenever
you hear the
devil tempting
you to
switch off
Jesus for
the empty
promise of
some other
joy or
pleasure or
pursuit,
fight him
with faith
in God's
superior
promises,
just like
these.
God,
you will
fill me
with joy
in your
presence,
with eternal
pleasures at
your right
hand.
God,
your goodness
and mercy
will follow
me all
the days
of my
life.
God,
you will
make all
things work
together for
my good.
God,
don't scroll
your day
away on
your phone.
Spend
quality time
with Jesus
in his
word.
Get these
promises into
your heart
and put
your faith
in them
day after
day.
Stay awake
to Jesus.
Here's the
second thing.
Arm yourself
with love.
You know,
when you
serve your
brothers and
sisters in
the church
family or
outside in
love,
you get
closer to
Jesus because
he loved.
He's our
example of
love.
So evenings
and weekends
are not made
for Netflix
or games
or sport
or whatever
you do.
It's tempting
to think that
they are.
We can enjoy
entertainment and
rest, but
never let it
get in the
way of us
serving each
other in
love,
keeping
each other
awake and
alert, ready
for Jesus'
return.
So just
think about
those two
things.
Are you
making the
use of the
armor of
faith and
love in
your fight to
stay awake
to Jesus?
There's a
third one
though.
Arm
yourself
with hope.
And not
just any
hope.
The hope
of salvation.
And Paul
singles this
out.
He leaves
this to
last.
It seems
he thinks
this hope
is the
single
most effective
tool for
you and
I to
stay
spiritually
awake and
alert,
ready for
Jesus.
Now how
is that
so?
Well it's
Paul's
last point.
Jesus will
return like
a thief in
the night.
Fear not
the coming
judgment.
O children
of the
light,
awake and
sober-minded,
arm yourselves
to fight.
Why?
For God
has destined
you to
live with
Christ in
endless
light.
Look at
verses 9
to 11.
for God
did not
appoint us
to suffer
wrath,
but to
receive
salvation
through our
Lord Jesus
Christ who
died for
us,
so that
whether we
are awake
or asleep,
we may
live together
with him.
Therefore
encourage one
another and
build each
other up,
just as in
fact you
are doing.
This is the
hope.
we are to
arm ourselves
with in the
fight to stay
awake with
Jesus.
God
appointed us
to receive
salvation,
not wrath,
long before
you or I
ever reached
out for
him.
That's the
ultimate
reason why
we can stay
spiritually awake
to Jesus,
why we can
be ready
for him.
You see,
if God has
already chosen
us to
receive this
salvation,
it's going
to happen.
Nothing can
stop it.
We will
be ready
because God
has destined
us to be
ready.
That is an
incredible
comfort.
But some
people will
hear that
and say,
well I can
just relax.
Now is
the time for
me to kick
back.
Jesus has
got this
whole thing
sorted.
He's won
it for me.
I don't
need to
stay awake
or alert
to him.
Now let's
get back to
living my
normal life.
Jesus is
just the
ticket to
heaven in
my back
pocket.
Well,
anyone who
thinks that
way or
lives that
way is
completely
deluded.
They don't
know Jesus.
They show
all the
signs of a
child of
darkness.
They're not
a child of
the light.
Be warned.
God's
choosing us
to receive
salvation
does not
give us a
free pass
to switch
off from
him.
No.
It enables
us to
stay alert
to him.
To fight
with all
our might
to stay
awake to
Jesus.
part of
God's
plan to
save us
is to
give us
everything
that we
need in
Christ to
persevere
in the
fight.
To be
ready for
Jesus when
he returns.
And again,
it's not that
children of the
light will
never sin
again.
It's that
we want
to fight
sin.
It's that we
know it's
wrong and we
want to
become more
like Jesus.
There's a
couple of
verses from
Ezekiel
chapter 36
and we
hear about
this salvation
that God
was planning
for us
that God
would give
to the
children of
light.
Just read
it with
me.
I,
God says,
I will
give you
a new
heart
and put
a new
spirit in
you.
I will
remove
from you
your heart
of stone
and give
you a
heart of
flesh.
I will
put my
spirit in
you.
and move
you to
follow my
decrees and
be careful to
keep my
laws.
Can you see
that?
Children of
light have
been given a
new heart
that wants
to fight
sin and
stay awake
to Jesus.
In fact,
that's the
proof that
God has
chosen us
for salvation.
salvation.
There's a
scene in
Tolkien's
Lord of
the Rings
when
Saruman's
forces of
evil have
surrounded
Helm's
Deep.
This was
one of the
last bastions
for good
in Middle
Earth.
And there
is this
sea of
black
orcs
about to
break down
the door
of this
fortress and
overwhelm it,
killing everyone
inside.
But just as
they are about
to break
through the
door, I
don't know if
any of you
have seen
the film
Twin Towers,
Aragorn is
there and
he sees
this light
cracking through
the window,
the light of
dawn.
and he
remembers
Gandalf's
promise.
Gandalf had
told him
years before,
he said,
look to
my coming
at the
first light
on the
fifth day,
at dawn
look to
the east.
And whenever
Aragorn
remembers that
promise,
what does
he do?
He finds
courage to
ride out
into this
sea of
darkness
and fight
for his
life.
Because he
knows Gandalf
is coming,
he knows
that victory
is sure.
And as
Aragorn and
his men
ride out of
the fortress
into the
middle of
the battle,
it's probably
the most
epic scene
in the
movie,
by the
way,
so Gandalf
appears
on the
top of
the mountain
on his
white horse
with his
army of
light and
he sweeps
down from
the mountains
to destroy
the evil
forces.
And that's
just a
small,
tiny picture
for us,
and I know
maybe Tolkien
was thinking
about this
too.
We fight
to stay
awake for
Jesus because
we know
the victory
is sure.
Jesus is
coming back
and the
forces of
evil are
fighting a
losing
battle.
We will
be delivered
from our
sin and
from this
broken world.
And how
did Jesus
accomplish all
of this?
Well, look
at verse
10 again.
He died
for us
so that
whether we
are awake
or asleep,
we may
live together
with him.
Isn't that
just amazing?
Jesus died
for us so
that we
could live
together with
him.
from start
to finish,
God gets
the glory.
In eternity
past, he
appointed us
to receive
this salvation.
Then he
came to
earth, he
died and
rose again
to achieve
our salvation,
and now he
gives us his
spirit to
realize that
salvation in
our lives
every day
to help us
get there.
Jesus will
return like
a thief
in the
night.
Fear not
the coming
judgment,
O children
of the
light.
Awake
and sober-minded,
arm yourselves
to fight,
for God
has destined
you to
live with
Christ in
endless
light.
let's
pray.
We're
going to
take a few
moments just
to reflect.
where am I
with Jesus?
Am I a
child of
darkness?
Or a
child of
light?
Maybe you
do lots of
things that
make you
look like a
Christian,
but you
live as if
Jesus isn't
coming at
all.
He's just
an add-on
in the
side.
You're so
wrapped up
in this
world.
repent and
turn to
him and
be saved
from the
coming
wrath.
And if
you are a
child of
the light,
if you are
in Christ
today,
in what
ways are
you still
living like
a child of
the darkness?
Repent of
those ways
and think
of how you
might use
faith,
love,
and the
hope of
salvation to
stay awake
to Jesus.
Our Lord
Jesus, we
tremble at
your coming.
let every
single one
of us
be found
ready and
waiting for
you on
the day
you return
to judge
the living
and the
dead.
Lord, that
could be
today.
Help us
to do
business with
you now.
Amen.
the
musicians
could come
up.
We're
going to
sing.
This song
is called
O Church
Arise,
and this
is a
proper battle
cry of
a song.
So can I
ask you,
if you
heard anything
from God's
word today
that made
you rejoice
in Jesus,
or spurred
you on
in the
battle,
would you
sing this
out like
a proper
battle cry?
Thank you.