Anticipate the Day of the Lord – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Brandon Werner   -   February 23, 2025

Anticipate the Day of the Lord

Together Church | Pastor Brandon Werner | February 23, 2025

Sermon Manuscript | Series: 1 Thessalonians

INTRODUCTION

Today, we will dive into Paul’s teaching about the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. This incredible passage about that inevitable Day comes right off the heels of Paul’s teaching on the rapture of Jesus’ Church that Pastor Jerry walked us through last week.

The imagery Paul gives us about the rapture is incredible!

• The Lord Jesus Christ Himself will descend and hover.
• There will be a shout of command, the voice of the archangel!
• The trumpet will blast!
• The dead in Christ will rise up and meet Him in the air.
• We who are alive and remain will follow them and be caught up in the clouds.
• We will forever be together with the Lord.

With that imagery in mind, Paul now turns our attention to the inevitable Day of the Lord. He wants us to know what it will be like and how we should live our lives in light of this impending Day.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 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.

In this passage, Paul lays out a very clear, very relevant main idea:

The Day of the Lord is will arrive suddenly; so, live your lives with awareness and anticipation of that Day.

I love passages like 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11! Not only is the main idea clear, but Paul offers several details, analogies, and illustrations to help us capture the message, so it becomes real to us. Let’s look at them.

These four questions will serve as our guides through Paul’s teaching about the impending Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11…

1. What are the “times and seasons”?
2. What is the “Day of the Lord”?
3. What will the arrival of the Day of the Lord be like?
4. How should we live in light of that Day?

BODY

1. What are the “times and seasons” Paul is referring to concerning the Day of the Lord?

This particular biblical phrase is a clear reference to the end of the age and the return of King Jesus. The phrase “times or seasons” was used by Jesus in Acts 1 to describe the future coming of His Kingdom. This is what Jesus said right after His resurrection and just before He ascended through the clouds…

Acts 1:6-9

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

It’s important we grasp what Jesus was telling His disciples about the times and the seasons for His coming Kingdom…

The disciples of Jesus had believed that Jesus was going to establish a physical Kingdom on the earth in Israel during His first coming. After Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, they started to understand that they had misunderstood His plan. At His first coming, Jesus did not come to establish a physical Kingdom on the earth; He came to establish His spiritual Kingdom in the hearts and lives of His people.

The Kingdom of God is here right now. Not in the form of bricks and mortar, but in the hearts and lives of every believer who has repented of their sins, believed the gospel, and received the Holy Spirit.

Eventually, these disciples came to understand and fully embrace God’s plan for His Kingdom in this age – the age of the church.

But the disciples of Jesus had correctly understood what the prophets foretold about the Messiah. They knew that God had promised that Jesus would establish a physical Kingdom on this earth and that He would personally rule and reign from that Kingdom.

So, in an effort to understand God’s plan and timing, the disciples asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus didn’t respond by saying, “I’m not going to build a physical Kingdom on this earth.” Instead, He told them that the “times or seasons” that the Father fixed on His own authority wasn’t for them to know at that time.

So when Jesus used the phrase, “times or seasons”, it was a reference to His plan to return and establish His physical Kingdom on this earth.

After that, Jesus reaffirmed the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit, then He was “raptured” – or taken up into the clouds – right before their very eyes.

Since that moment, the Church has been living in anticipation of the second coming of Jesus and the establishment of His physical Kingdom on this earth. We know that the “times and seasons” are being fulfilled, and that the Day of the Lord could arrive at any moment.

So, the “times and seasons” are a reference to the return of Jesus and the establishment of His physical Kingdom on the earth.

2. Specifically, what does Paul mean by the “Day of the Lord”?

The phrase “the Day of the Lord” appears 23 times in the Bible – 19 times in the Old Testament and 4 times in the New Testament.

There are certain Bible phrases that always need to be examined in their context and according to the intention of the author. This is one of those phrases.

We need to ask, “What was Paul specifically referring to in this letter when he used the phrase ‘The Day of the Lord’”?

For Paul, the Day of the Lord is a particular day that is linked to the end of the age and the ushering in of the new age at Jesus’ return.

What do we mean by “the end of the age”?

In human history, God has worked providentially through various “eras” or ages in history. For example, when Adam and Eve committed the first sin, it ushered in a new age. Before the fall, sin had not entered the world. There was no need for restoration or for God to work redemptively because nothing was broken. Everything was “very good”.

But when Adam and Eve sinned, it ushered in a new age. God cursed the world because of sin. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. Sin ruled over them and over their descendants. The introduction of sin into God’s creation and the fall of mankind ushered in a new age.

Another clear example of a new age is the age of the Church! God worked redemptively through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Where sin once ruled and reigned, Jesus conquered sin and crushed the head of the serpent.

When Jesus rose from the dead, God’s power over sin and death was revealed with glory. After Jesus ascended, He kept His promise and sent His Holy Spirit to indwell every person who believes and follows Him!

On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit arrived, Jesus’ work to usher in a new age was complete, and the Church of Jesus Christ was born. Through the Church of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel continues to spread throughout the world today!

In the age of the church, God is not pouring out His judgement and wrath on the world, God is pouring out His mercy and grace! He is making a way for sinners to repent and be saved. That is God’s plan in this age. That plan is captured beautifully in John 3:16…

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Today, we are still enjoying the age of the church. Despite all the evil and sin in this world, God is constantly working redemptively to save mankind and draw people to Himself by His Spirit. What an age!

But this age will not last. At the Day of the Lord, God will usher in a new age with the return of Christ. When that Day arrives, things will never be the same. Just as the first sin and the first coming of Jesus changed the world forever, the return of Jesus at the Day of the Lord will change the world forever once again.

While “the Day of the Lord” may have some variations in how it is used in the Bible, it always has this in common: the Day of the Lord always points to God’s coming judgement and the wrath He will pour out because of sin. God may be pouring out His mercy and grace now in the age of the Church; but at the Day of the Lord that will switch, and God will pour out His judgment and wrath on this world.

Paul addresses God’s judgement at the Day of the Lord in today’s text:

1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

God will not overlook sin forever. The Day of the Lord is coming, and He will bring His recompense with it. When that Day arrives, God will usher in a new age, and He will pour out His judgement and wrath for sin. The day of the Lord will bring sudden destruction… and this world will never be the same.

3. What will the coming of the Day of the Lord be like?

Paul promises that the Day of the Lord will arrive suddenly, catching people unaware.

He says the Day of the Lord will arrive…

• Like a thief in the night.

As the man of my house, one of the scarier scenarios I try to be prepared for is someone breaking into our home at night while I’m sleeping. I am just so unaware while I’m asleep! Paul says the coming of the Day of the Lord will arrive like a thief in the night.

• While people are saying, “There is peace and security.”

Things will be relatively normal. People will still be living their lives and making their plans. There will be young couples getting engaged and married. Mothers will still be pregnant and expecting children. In other words, there won’t be a significant change in day-to-day living when the Day of the Lord arrives.

• Like labor pains for a pregnant woman.

When a woman goes into labor, everything stops. When labor and delivery begins, those pains do not take into account what a mom is doing before they come. It doesn’t matter how important the task is, everything stops when labor begins.

You might be at a funeral. You might be in a waiting room while someone you love is having surgery. You might be landing the deal of your life. It doesn’t matter. When labor begins, everything else stops.

The Day of the Lord will be just like that. Things will be normal, then everything will suddenly change, and the world will never be the same.

So, what will the arrival of the Day of the Lord be like? It will arrive unexpectedly, like a thief in the night; it will arrive while everything seems relatively normal; and it will arrive suddenly and without consideration for what you are doing.

4. How should we live in light of that inevitable Day?

In the text, Paul addresses the believers in the Church. First, he makes it clear that unbelievers have no idea that Day is coming. He says those unbelievers are living in darkness, unaware of God’s plans.

Then Paul stirs the Church! He reminds us we are not people of the night! We are not unaware of God’s plans. Paul calls the church “children of the light” and “children of the day”. Because we are in the light, the Day of the Lord does not need to surprise us like a thief in the night. Instead, we can walk in the light of God’s truth and live everyday with awareness and anticipation for that Day.

Paul really drives this analogy home when he starts talking about what characterizes people of the night. He says,

1 Thessalonians 5:7

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.

In Paul’s metaphor, these activities define people of the night: sleep and drunkenness. Let me ask you, what do people who are asleep and people who are drunk share in common?

They are both unaware!

When you are sleeping, you are unaware, but able to be caught off guard by a thief in the night.

And why do people get drunk? To be unaware! They want to disconnect from reality and forget about everything.

People of the night are asleep and drunk – they are unaware. But we are not people of the night, we are children of the day! God does not want the Day of the Lord and the end of the age to be an afterthought in your life. God wants this to be a burning focus for you… He wants you to live every day of your life with awareness and anticipation of the Day of the Lord; believing that TODAY could be that Day!

CONCLUSION

So, once again, here’s Paul’s main idea:

The Day of the Lord will arrive suddenly; so, live your lives with awareness and anticipation of that Day.

This was Paul’s message to this church. Why deliver this message?

Because Paul understood that people of the day were still at risk of falling asleep! As followers of Jesus, we can day drink and become unaware of Jesus’ coming. As followers of Jesus, we can doze off and live without anticipation of the Day of the Lord…

• We can start living like this life and this world are all there is.
• We can forget who God is, what He has done, and our place in His plans.
• We can allow ourselves to act like His Day is not coming.

And we doze off.

Scholars agree that over 25% of the Bible contains passages of prophecy about the end of the age. Why would God do that? Can’t you see why? God knows we need to be stirred awake! We are in Christ, we are people of the day… but we can fall asleep in the light! That’s what Paul says…

1 Thessalonians 5:5-6

5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

Paul is stirring us up to live every moment with awareness and anticipation for Christ’s return. He’s warning us not to day drink! He’s warning us not to fall asleep on the job.

What does it look like when children of the day fall asleep on the job?

A child of the day who falls asleep on the job will…

• Lose focus on their time with Jesus and their need for Him.
• Lack urgency in sharing their faith with others.
• Have the wrong priorities.
• Be indifferent about living every day on mission with Jesus.
• Not be motivated to immediately kill sin.

That’s a clear sign of living unaware and without anticipation for that coming Day.

Do you think that what you are doing and what you have done will not matter to you when the Day of the Lord arrives? Don’t be a fool!

If you are old enough, do you remember where you were when…

• You heard about 9/11?
• The OKC bombing?
• JFK’s assassination?
• The assassination attempt on President Trump’s life?

We are hard-wired to remember where we were and what we were doing when big news goes down.

The return of Jesus and the Day of the Lord will be the biggest thing that has ever happened to you! Don’t be a fool. Don’t think for a moment that the way you’ve been living and what you’ve been doing won’t matter when that Day comes. It will matter for all eternity!

• FRANCIS CHAN’S MOTHER-IN-LAW – what you’re doing will matter when Jesus returns.
• People spending eternity in hell – what you didn’t say and didn’t do will matter for all eternity.

We are children of the day. We can’t afford to fall asleep.

Paul’s warning about falling asleep in the day reminds me of the powerful lyrics from Keith Green’s song, Asleep in the Light. In an attempt to stir the church out of slumber, Keith writes…

“The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can’t fight because its asleep in the light.”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 is Paul’s call for the church to wake up! Don’t day drink. Don’t sleep on the job. Come awake! The Day of the Lord will come suddenly; so live your whole life with awareness and anticipation for that day.

How would your life immediately change if you woke up? If you started living every day with awareness and anticipation for the sudden arrival of the day of the Lord.

INVITATION FOR SAVED – TIME OF RESPONSE

The first call to response is for those of you who are children of the day. If you are a follower of Jesus, God is calling you to holiness.

Paul said, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

God wants this message about the sudden arrival of the Day of the Lord to encourage you and to cause you to build you up in Christ. How is He convicting you right now? What do you need to change?

• Your time with Jesus and abiding in Him?
• Someone you need to love and lead to Christ?
• How you prioritize your time and discipleship relationships?
• People you need to love and care for in your life?
• Sin you need to kill right now?

Could you imagine if Jesus returned while you were practicing that pet sin? Could you imagine if He returned and you hadn’t shared the gospel with the person He’s put on your heart? It would be tragic for you.

Jesus is coming soon! Have you been living like it, or have you been day drinking and sleeping on the job? Come awake!

PRAYER – LORD, STIR ME! WAKE ME UP!

Cause me to believe with all my heart that Your Day could be today!

INVITATION FOR LOST

The final invitation is for those who are still people of the night. You are not ready because you have never turned from your sin, believed that Jesus is God, and decided to pledge your allegiance to follow Him.

But today, you’ve been stirred awake by the truth about the sudden and inevitable Day of the Lord. If that is you, today is the day God wants you to be saved. He wants to bring you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

SHARE THE GOSPEL

PRAYER

INVITATION TO BAPTISM

COMMUNION (while awaiting baptisms)

• For people of the Day
• A memorial to remind us of what God has done and what He will do
• Open to children under the leadership of their parents
• Exit to your right, come to the front, go back
• Gluten free option in back

Memorials are important to God. They remind us! When we remember what Jesus has done, we remember what He is going to do. Right after the very first communion, Jesus said these words…

John 14:1-4

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

He stirred them up!

Shortly after, His disciples would fall asleep praying. A powerful image of the tragedy of what it looks like for disciples of Jesus to fall asleep on the job.

Not long after that, Jesus ascended into heaven and sent His Holy Spirit. You know what? Those apostles didn’t fall asleep on the job again. They lived their lives on mission for Jesus, with awareness and anticipation of His return.

Through these elements, God wants to stir us to the same. Let’s pray.