A Thief in the Night (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11- Jeff Kliewer)

Cornerstone Church

1 view

March 13, 2022

Sermon Notes: http://notes.cornerstonesj.org A Thief in the Night

12:52: It's awesome to be together with my brothers and sisters in the Lord, you know where we are right now
13:00: Paula says I'm in row 6 seat 2 We are actually in God's very presence right now and he's here with us we're joining in Together, I want to read opening up out of Psalm 107 verse 1 and then verse 9
13:17: I'll give thanks to the Lord for he is good Yes, that's just enough right there for his steadfast love endures forever
13:27: And then in verse 9, it says he satisfies the longing soul
13:33: Do you ever feel the need or the desire that you want God in a certain way?
13:39: It says he satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul He fills with good things
13:47: In the Beatitudes blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness But they will be filled.
13:56: I Like Twinkies For the moment they satisfy, but they don't really
14:06: Satisfy God is the one blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
14:11: For they will be filled that is a promise a couple of announcements I want to give to you first of all
14:20: Tomorrow is our Annual we call it the election meeting It's a congregational meeting where we will do the final step of affirming the new
14:30: Board members the new elders that the chairman and all this other kind of stuff We've been working praying with the
14:38: Lord since September on this and tomorrow. We finally affirm that new board I really desire that you be in prayer because having a board that is called by God as opposed to called by man and having a board that is unified in the
14:53: Holy Spirit and And and quite frankly we have a senior pastor who leads us in truth and holds us in truth
15:01: Be in prayer for the new board and also tomorrow We affirm the budget for the following year if you're a member, please come if you're not yet a member, please come
15:10: I guess the message is please come we
15:15: Started today another starting point class. We have eight more people Taking the class if you have not yet taken a starting point class, you're interested in our church
15:26: You'd love to know more about our church. You can still join us because the first session Not today's session, but the first session is actually on YouTube.
15:35: It can be watched So if you desire it, please come next Sunday we meet during first service in one of the classrooms up there
15:43: We have two more weeks To do that this coming Saturday is the third
15:48: Saturday of the month and it's our love life ministry What an opportunity we have to be in a concert of prayer beseeching the
16:00: Lord to protect those unborn Who potentially are at risk in the and the hearts of the young women and the young men that are making decisions
16:09: Saturday morning We is our prayer walk for love life next
16:16: Sunday Please come back in the evening. We have we've done this before we're
16:22: Lawned launching it again. We call it a hymn sing and basically what we'll do is we come together
16:29: Did we say six o 'clock? Six o 'clock And we're going to open up the hymn books and we're gonna sing songs out of the hymn books
16:37: We're organized this time a little bit more than before We're gonna have a little more musicians involved, but it's a time just to worship
16:44: God in some of these great hymns And we have a surprise. We have a youth choir.
16:49: That's actually going to be there and ministering to us during it So next Sunday, please come out
16:56: I want to encourage you to our typical our normal routine of schedule activities
17:02: We have a prayer meeting tonight. Please come out at 6 o 'clock on Monday's big night.
17:08: We have the men's apologetics class. I guess they're getting close to 30 guys At the apologetics class and at the same time the women have the precepts study
17:18: And I guess they've got a similar number of people. This is awesome to see people going deep into the
17:24: Word of God We have small groups that meet you can go online or see myself pastor
17:29: Jeff and we can guide you towards the different small Groups at this time. I'm gonna ask
17:34: Louise if you would come forward So Louise, thank you it has been a real blessing
20:44: Louise working as our coordinator as our facilitator for information and to make it more real for us
20:51: I do like the fact that we had the picture up there that kind of helps put a face to what's being said
20:57: But always always being in prayer. Let's go to prayer right now father God We lift the
21:04: Contani family to you. We thank you that from a young age you started to prepare
21:09: Them for this ministry call and and that you've blessed them as a family You've blessed them with with a young child, but most of all
21:17: Lord. We thank you that their heart is to reach Into Portugal a country as in all countries that needs your word watch over them protect them we pray for For them specifically.
21:29: We also pray for our other missionaries. We thank you Lord that they have answered that call
21:35: We thank you Lord for what's going on here at Cornerstone and to be enjoying the fellowship
21:41: I think of of the depth of growth with the apologetics class with the precepts with the small groups and and even this past week having the preaching camp and seeing how even the young men in this church are
21:54: Desiring desiring just to spread your word. We we thank you for that teaching Lord We do pray for those in our that we know of that are in in need of healing
22:04: We think of Ryan down in Texas from the from the Burns We think of of Bill Rondell's friend who who has had heart issues
22:13: We we think of Loretta who is continuing we pray father full of full recovery for her from the cancer
22:21: Lord we we pray for wisdom as our church continues to consider the option for land on Phillips Road We thank you father
22:30: That that you are giving us options to consider. We want your your wisdom
22:35: We want this to be for your glory Lord We pray that we not only expand perhaps land and building but Lord that we would be reaching out with your word
22:45: To neighbors in the workplace to families to hear the message of truth
22:52: And father today is pastor Jeff takes us into first Thessalonians 5 the day of the
22:57: Lord We know this is important teaching We pray that your spirit speaks through him and that your spirit equips our hearts to hear and these things we pray in Jesus name
23:07: Amen We stand with me
23:35: Water you turned into wine Open the eyes of the blind.
23:42: There's no one like you None like you
23:52: Beaten and tortured to die I'm on a cross crucified.
24:00: There's no one like you None like you
24:09: Our God is greater our God is stronger God you are higher than any other
24:17: Our God is healer awesome in power our God Our God Power that conquered the grain
24:38: Paid all my sin and my shame. There's no one like you
24:45: Not like you Risen from death and alive
24:54: Raining in heaven on high. There's no one like you
25:02: Not like you Our God is greater our
25:10: God is stronger God you are higher than any Other our
25:16: God is healer awesome in power our God Our God And if our
25:25: God is for us then who could ever stop us and if our God is Then what could stand against and if our
25:34: God is for us then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us then what could stand?
25:47: What could stand again Our God is greater
25:57: Our God is greater our God is stronger God you are higher
26:05: Our God is healer awesome in power our God our
26:12: God Our God is greater our God is stronger
26:18: God you are higher Than any other our
26:23: God is healer awesome in power our God our
26:28: God He is greater and he is stronger than anything that this world can throw at us
26:39: So awesome Lord you are so awesome He is stronger one of the attributes that goes along with being stronger is that there's
26:52: Faithfulness right our God is faithful beyond everything that we can imagine things that we're going through The biggest thing is he knows the future.
27:05: He knows what he has in store We don't have to worry because he is faithful Let's sing together great is thy faithfulness
27:18: There are two other verses that are added on Allow us to focus in a little bit more on his great faithfulness
27:29: Great is thy Faithfulness Oh God my father
27:40: There is no shadow of Turning with thee
27:50: Thou Changes not thy Compassions they fail not as Thou has been
28:03: Thou forever Will be great is thy faithfulness
28:15: Great is thy faithfulness Oh By morning new mercies
28:27: I see All I have needed
28:34: I have Provided Great is thy faithfulness
28:45: Lord I could not love thee so blind and Feeling Promises To me
29:12: Then without warning Desire I found my treasure my pleasure
29:31: Great is thy faithfulness
29:36: Great is thy faithfulness Morning by morning
29:45: New mercies I see All I have needed
29:55: I have Provided Great is thy faithfulness
30:05: Lord on to me I have no
30:16: Merit to woo and delight thee
30:21: I Have no Wisdom or powers to employ
30:31: Yet in thy mercy how
30:36: This is my pleasure that thou art my joy
30:53: Faithfulness Faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies
31:07: I see All I have
31:13: Needed I have Provided Great is thy faithfulness
31:22: Lord Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
31:35: Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
31:44: Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
31:53: Strength for to And right hope for tomorrow
32:03: Blessings all mine with ten thousand
32:11: Great is Great is
32:18: Morning by morning
32:24: New mercies I see All I have
32:39: Great is thy faithfulness Lord Lord we come before you this morning
32:53: With humble hearts before your throne Knowing that you are stronger and that you are better Knowing that you are faithful We come before you this morning singing praises to your name
33:13: Christ the true better Adam son of God and son of man who
33:50: Intended in the garden never yielded never sin
33:58: He who makes the many Righteous brings us back to life again
34:08: Dying he first the cursed and rising crushed the serpents head
34:26: Christ the true better Isaac humbled son of Sacrifice who would climb the fearful mountain there to all for up his life laid with faith upon the altar father's joy and only son their salvation
34:56: Was provided. Oh one full and Boundless love
35:07: From beginning to end
35:12: Christ the story is the glory Yeah Christ the true better Moses called to lead a
35:38: Home Standing bold to earthly powers
35:45: Glory to be known with his arm wide to heaven see the waters parted to See the veil is torn forever
36:03: Cleansed with blood we pass now through Ah To Christ the story is the glory
36:22: Yeah Christ the true better David lonely
36:38: Shepard mighty king He the champion in the battle
36:46: Where Odet is now thy sting in our place lead and Conquered crown him
36:56: Lord of Majesty He shall be
37:02: Thrown forever We shall His people be
37:11: Amen from beginning to end
37:18: Christ the story He's the glory Yeah From beginning to end
37:35: Christ the story is the glory Ah Christ the story is the glory
37:51: Yeah Amen amen
37:59: You may be seated Michael thank you for introducing us to that song.
38:10: It's a new one guys. That was a 2020 song But it sounds like an old hymn doesn't it? It's got really rich theology and not just repetition so beautiful, thank you
38:21: Michael Let's go to the Lord in prayer The Lord is
38:28: My light and my salvation Whom shall I fear the Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall
38:36: I be afraid? Lord God, I pray that as I preach this morning. You would help me to preach without fear
38:43: Give me courage to say everything that you would have me to say I pray for all those who hear the preaching of your word that you would fill them with courage to preach the word in Season and out of season to be bold to tell others about Jesus Christ in whose name we pray
39:02: Amen When my wife and I were missionaries in inner -city,
39:08: Philadelphia in the Kensington neighborhood We were part of a missionary team. And so there are a bunch of missionaries.
39:14: They're all working together and one of the couples Decided that they would buy an abandoned lot.
39:21: You can get an abandoned lot very cheap in Kensington They've knocked down a house that was condemned and now it's just an open
39:31: Space and the reason they wanted to buy it was in order to plant a community garden
39:36: So they brought in topsoil and they they planted Vegetables and fruit and all kinds of things to grow right there in the city.
39:44: It was a great thing They had a father so the father of one of the missionaries an older man
39:52: Would come down from the suburbs once a week To tend the garden so he would pull the weeds he would water
40:01: He would you know pick the the fruits and vegetables that were ready And so he did a great job and that was his way of serving the kingdom to come and tend the community garden of Cornerstone Community Church So it was a great work that he would do and he'd show up in the middle of the day and work hard Well one day
40:20: While he was tending the garden kneeling down picking weeds a man in the neighborhood approached and He came near the garden he pulled a very long knife and he opened the gate and Entered in and raised the knife
40:42: Towards this man this dear old man, but little did that man know that this old missionary father was wise and prepared and ready
41:01: The thief came in the day and so because it was day this old man was watching and he noticed that someone had been milling about and approaching and As soon as this man
41:15: Opened the gate. He heard the gate creaking. He was watching him over his shoulder. He himself stood to his feet and gave the familiar sound of and showed his gun and The man with the knife
41:33: Turned and ran away like a little baby. You see the thief came in the day and The Christian was not taken by surprise
41:47: He was ready week after week. He expected that this might occur. So he came prepared he came ready for the thief this morning
41:58: We are going to study a passage Very familiar to probably all of you most of you called a thief in the night
42:05: Who is the thief in the night or better? What is the thief in the night?
42:12: We'll answer that question and we'll do it from first Thessalonians chapter 5 Verses 1 to 11 this morning before we read it remember what we have just learned two weeks ago when
42:26: I was last in the pulpit we Studied the end of first Thessalonians 4 and that is the famous rapture passage
42:33: That we should not be worried about those who have fallen asleep In other words those who have died
42:38: Christians who have been buried in the ground and sleep in the earth Why? because when
42:44: Christ comes he's gonna resurrect them from their graves and Call them up to heaven to meet him in the air and we who are alive and remain until the coming of the
42:55: Lord We will also be caught up To meet the Lord in the air and so we will be with him forever encouraging words
43:04: Amen, and we talked about how this rapture of the church the catching up of the church to meet the air meet the
43:11: Lord in the air Is near it's coming soon. There are signs of the times.
43:16: Has anybody noticed any signs of the times? These days like maybe a pandemic or wars and rumors of war
43:25: Things of this nature. Well, these are only birth pangs And these things will come in fact, they have been coming for 2 ,000 years.
43:33: We've been in the end times Since Christ came the first time we're waiting for his return
43:39: But the signs are increasing that the coming of the Lord will be soon and when
43:45: Christ comes We the church who believe in him will be waiting for him looking for him long
43:53: Expecting him and we will not be surprised Like someone taken by the thief in the night, so now let's read about The times and seasons the coming of the
44:06: Lord the thief in the night first Thessalonians 5 1 to 11 today now
44:15: Concerning the times and the seasons brothers. You have no need to have anything written to you
44:22: For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night 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
44:43: But you are not in darkness brothers for that day to surprise you like a thief For you are all children of white children of the day
44:53: We are not of the night or of the darkness So then let us not sleep as Others do but let us keep awake and be sober for those who sleep
45:05: Sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night But since we belong to the day
45:11: Let us be sober having put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation
45:19: For God has not destined us for wrath But to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ Who died for us?
45:27: So that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him therefore encourage one another and build one another up Just as you are doing so the main idea today is that the arrival of the day of the
45:43: Lord will be as Surprising as a thief in the night To unbelievers
45:53: But the opposite to us We will not be surprised like a thief in the night
45:59: Coming into our house. We will be waiting and ready because the return of the Lord is imminent
46:06: Now if you notice in the first three verses It is not the
46:11: Lord who is described as a thief Look more carefully at the passage.
46:17: What is the thief in the night? It says in verse 2 you're fully aware that the day
46:26: Of the Lord will come like a thief in the night This day is not a 24 -hour period it is an age
46:34: Not like the age of Aquarius that fiction it is the day of a new age coming called the day of the
46:43: Lord and It will come like a thief in the night notice the element of surprise in verse 3
46:53: What are people saying? Peace Security if you ask me what's gonna happen with this
47:00: Russia Ukraine thing I Think whatever happens there will be a return to some kind of normalcy
47:08: There's nothing new under the Sun Wars rumors of wars these things will come in cycles now as the end times approach.
47:17: It'll increase in frequency, but something will eventually bring the world back to a place where people assume that All is well everything goes on like before There's nothing new under the
47:29: Sun and here in verse 3. That's what people are saying There is peace
47:35: There is security then Sudden notice that word sudden this element of surprise the thief in the night you're not expecting him you're laying in bed sound asleep and Then you hear the crack window and as you jump to your feet you find he's in the house
47:55: It's surprising. It's a thief in the night, and you were not expecting it in the least That's what's happening in verse 3 and this day of the
48:03: Lord is described as sudden destruction destruction That comes as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape now this raises an interesting question
48:17: Is the day of the Lord as many people say the second coming of Christ?
48:23: When he arrives and he slays the wicked and he judges the world is this something that the church must live through and Then the
48:36: Lord comes in the day of the Lord to bring judgment on earth I would say there's a major major problem with that way of thinking
48:47: Listen Time and again in the New Testament The day of the Lord the coming is described as imminent.
48:55: This is like your big theological word for the day immanency Not eminent like he's an eminent, you know prominent person
49:06: Imminent, what does imminent mean? Could happen any second. There's nothing that stops it from happening right now while I preach
49:17: Jesus said that it would be like the days of Noah people will be marrying and giving in marriage and eating and drinking and then boom
49:27: Taken away for judgment two men standing in the field. They're just hanging out one taking the other left
49:34: By the way, that's taken to judgment or left not having to experience it or the two women grinding at the mill or the ten
49:41: Virgins and five of them. What did they do? They were so complacent They had become forgetful.
49:47: So they forgot to keep their oil and they fell asleep. They were just snoozing They weren't ready.
49:54: But the other five virgins were ready when the groom came get the idea Imminency, it could happen at any second
50:02: Now if anybody here how many of you parents? Let your children read the book of Revelation Especially your little kids.
50:15: I would say you better not do that Unless you believe in the rapture of the church before the tribulation.
50:23: I think that's your favorite book, isn't it Revelation? He loves it and I love for him to read the book of Revelation because The church will be raptured out of here now
50:35: I need to underscore this point of imminency because not many people these days believe that the church will be raptured out
50:42: Look at first Thessalonians 4 17 It says we will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
50:49: Lord in the air So we will be with the Lord Not many people believe that this will happen before the tribulation
50:56: It's now taught commonly that we have to live through the tribulation and endure that before the coming of the
51:03: Lord Let me remind you of what we read in Revelation 6 through 16.
51:10: You guys remember this a Horseman on a white horse Appears now he's riding a white horse
51:18: Because he's posing Pretending to be Christ He is the
51:25: Antichrist and he says that he's bringing peace Daniel 9 26 and 27.
51:31: He establishes a peace treaty and all the world says there is peace and safety
51:38: The first horseman of the Apocalypse is the Antichrist promising peace
51:44: But the second horseman comes right behind him and he rides a red horse and he brings
51:49: War the opposite of what was promised war breaks out on earth all of the world
51:56: Enveloped in a third world war that's coming eventually in God's timing
52:02: But then the third horse is famine and the fourth is pestilence that breaks out on the earth the fifth is martyrdom where Christians are being slain all throughout the world and then the sixth is an earthquake and This earthquake is so severe that the islands flee and the mountains fall down and the people are so Terrorized by what's happening on earth that they hide in the clefts of the rock and they call on the rocks to fall on them
52:30: To spare them from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the
52:35: Lamb For the great day of their wrath has come Revelation 6 16 and 17
52:43: Describes even the seal judgment which by the way who breaks the seals in Revelation 6
52:50: Jesus it's his wrath These judgments when the seal is broken in heaven wrath breaks out on earth
52:59: Devastation of this nature. So now we have the seventh seal and when Jesus breaks the seventh seal it brings out seven angels and Each of these angels is carrying a trumpet when the first through the fourth angel blow their trumpets
53:18: The common grace of God on this earth what people take for granted
53:24: The fact that we look outside and it's green everywhere and there's trees and your your yard just gives birth to life
53:34: We take it for granted that Vegetation springs up from the ground with the first trumpet one -third of all green things are incinerated
53:44: With the second trumpet one -third of all the fish in the sea die and a third of all the ships The third and fourth you have the blue skies turned dark
53:56: You have the pure waters of the oceans and the lakes Destroyed but the first four trumpets common grace is being eliminated.
54:07: What happens with the fifth? It is the first woe at this point with the fifth trumpet something supernatural happens
54:18: God opened some crevice And these disgusting locusts
54:25: Come out But they're not ordinary locusts remember the book of Joel how the locusts would be sent for the day of the
54:34: Lord Here the locusts are like scorpions they can sting you and When they sting the pain of that scorpion like bite lasts for five months
54:50: People are being tortured by these things. That's why it's called the first woe It is actually the wrath of God bringing the first taste of hell to earth punishment wrath unleashed at the second woe
55:05: Which is the sixth? Yeah, the sixth trumpet you have an army of 200 million people
55:15: Described as red and sapphire where on earth could you discover a 200 million person army?
55:23: China But at the time that this was written there was only 300 million people in all the earth and most of those were unknown
55:30: Peoples, how could the author of Revelation know this? It's because it was God inspiring the writing of this book an army probably
55:38: China. Maybe another Arises with 200 million soldiers and kills one -third of the earth you getting the picture
55:47: This is not peace and safety this is not life as Usual. This is the day of the
55:55: Lord what was promised through all the Old Testament prophets a day of wrath Where God begins to judge the world he's been withholding his wrath
56:04: Staying his judgment, but in the day of the Lord the last seven years He's no longer staying his judgment the seventh trumpet
56:14: What happens next? seven bowls of wrath and those who took the mark of the beast break out in terrible sores all over their body and All the fish of the sea die with the second bowl no living fish.
56:31: I grew up in Florida Anybody here ever been to Florida? during a red tide
56:38: You go to the beach you're all excited for the beautiful Clear water beach and when you get there, you know what you find the water is
56:45: Disgusting it's red and The fish and all the sea life have washed up to the shore and you're like mom.
56:55: Can we go home? This is this is not what we wanted Imagine at the second bowl that every fish in the sea is dead and the water is turned to blood with the third bowl even the rivers and the springs turn to blood and God says
57:12: I have given them blood to drink Because that is what they deserve It's what
57:18: I deserve, but he gave me a different blood to drink the cup of forgiveness the blood of the
57:24: Lamb We're going somewhere with this it says at the fourth bowl of wrath
57:33: Hopefully this is making you uncomfortable because it doesn't get better here at the end Till we bring it to the gospel.
57:40: You know what he does with the fourth bowl of wrath the angel pours out the bowl and God supercharges the
57:48: Sun so the globe global warming people They're worried about the wrong kind of judgment on earth when
57:55: God supercharges the Sun It'll immediately scorch the people of earth to the point where they curse
58:00: God and they are enraged against him because they know it's judgment He scorches the earth and then he blacks it out fifth bowl darkness everybody is in utter darkness and the
58:13: Bible says they gnaw their tongues because of the agony of their sores and the terror of night because these are children of darkness and Then the sixth bowl, of course, that's a demonic frog spirits
58:29: Things get increasingly supernatural at this point remember the false Christ and the false prophets of Matthew 24
58:37: Once you have the abomination of desolation the Antichrist proclaims himself to be God now things get really weird supernatural
58:44: You have false prophets who can do miracles So astonishing that even the elect would be deceived if that were possible, but it's not possible
58:53: For example The Jewish false prophet at the right hand of the Antichrist, you know what he can do
59:00: He makes an idol of the Antichrist, but when people come to worship it it responds
59:07: The statue can talk and move It's like AI or but no, it's supernatural
59:15: Okay things are getting very supernatural at the end of The book of Revelation and the last bowl is an earthquake so severe that it ruins the world
59:27: Everybody is enraged and the people that remain gnawing their tongues in the darkness make their way to Jerusalem for the
59:34: Battle of Armageddon Not all of them make it most of them don't because there's hailstones falling from heaven just picking them off left and right and the only people who make it there are
59:46: Those enraged wanting to kill the Jewish people to get back at God and Christ comes and sets his foot on the
59:54: Mount of Olives and splits it in two and Rains from Jerusalem and in that coming he judges those who remain
01:00:01: With the breath of his mouth. He slays the wicked Isaiah 11 1 This is what's coming now.
01:00:07: Here's my question to you maybe online because I know you guys are with me already How is it?
01:00:15: That these events must take place and Yet you say that the return is imminent
01:00:24: Imminent is the issue it could happen at any second and people are saying peace and safety and they're marrying and giving in marriage and Everything goes on as normal until that day hits
01:00:37: Here's the issue the rapture of the church the coming of Christ is imminent it could happen while I preach and That sets off the day of the
01:00:50: Lord the judgments So we can say that the rapture that the coming of Christ is imminent
01:00:57: It can happen like a thief in the night when no one expects it But by the end of the day of the
01:01:03: Lord, which is that seven -year period when Christ comes to judge People will know exactly what's happening
01:01:12: It will all unfold right before their eyes Let's make this more crystal clear from verse 4 through 7 point being
01:01:21: God makes a distinction a Distinction between the children of light and The children of darkness it says but you are not in darkness brothers for that day
01:01:37: The seven -year period of judgment for that day to surprise you like a thief For you are all children of light children of the day
01:01:48: Church, I named my daughter day She's Abigail day cleaver because of this verse and I want all of you to understand something if You have come to put your faith in Christ.
01:02:02: You belong to him. You are a child of light You are different from the world
01:02:10: Ephesians 5 8 says for at one time you were darkness But now you are light in the
01:02:17: Lord. So walk as children of light The big point here in verses 4 to 7 is
01:02:25: That you are children of light God makes a distinction between his children and those who are in the darkness treats them differently
01:02:34: He says So then let us not sleep as others do but let us keep awake and be sober for those who sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk are
01:02:47: Drunk at night in the days of Noah People were getting drunk totally unaware there was a preacher of righteousness named
01:02:59: Noah claiming that God was going to judge the world and They scoffed and they mocked and they laughed at him
01:03:07: Until in a moment God told Noah to get on board the ark and his family with him and God himself
01:03:16: Closed the door and that ark was lifted up from the earth on the waters of judgment while simultaneously
01:03:23: God Judged the world with a flood There was a distinction between the children of darkness and the children of light
01:03:32: The sheep are different than the goats the children of light are rescued from this flood
01:03:42: Enoch walked with God and he was no more because God took him if you read
01:03:47: Genesis chapter 5 you find a repetition in that that chapter talks about Mahalal and Jared and all these people they lived they had children then it says and he died
01:04:01: And he lived and he had children and he died Then you come to Enoch and a picture of the rapture right there in the text of the
01:04:10: Old Testament. It says He walked with God and he was no more for God took him
01:04:17: He was caught up to meet the Lord in the air Elijah caught up to meet the Lord in the air
01:04:24: The picture here is a Distinction between how God treats the children of day and the children of night when we even talk about The contrast between two things.
01:04:35: What do we say? It's a difference between night and day black and white light and dark
01:04:42: This is the distinction that our text makes that God Treats the children of light differently very important as we move on so children of light
01:04:50: Here's the exhortation to you says in verse 8, but since we belong to the day Let us be sober
01:04:58: Having put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation
01:05:08: Faith hope and love but the greatest of these is love Paul's very big on these three words right first Corinthians 13
01:05:15: Earlier in first Thessalonians at the very beginning. He's writing this book so that they would have faith hope and love
01:05:23: The work of faith the labor of love steadfastness of hope That's book.
01:05:29: This book is for that. What does that mean? Well, listen Church You need to guard your heart
01:05:36: How do you guard your heart? There's a breastplate that you can put on to guard you from the encroachment of the world
01:05:43: From the thief in this world who would kill you How do you guard your heart listen with faith and with hope?
01:05:52: I'm sorry with faith and with love How do you guard your mind? What does it say in verse 8 for a helmet?
01:06:03: the hope of salvation Sometimes we hear so many different opinions about the end times
01:06:13: Some of you here might have a pre -wrath view of the rapture Guess what? I'm cool with that go with that because that's the main thrust of this text
01:06:23: The church isn't destined for wrath I think it's a pre -tribulation rapture because the end of Daniel's 70th week the church is
01:06:30: Raptured out bringing end to the parentheses. We talked about this two weeks ago but the point being
01:06:37: It could get very easy to say, you know what John MacArthur and R .C. Sproul don't even agree.
01:06:42: How can I figure this out? I'm not even gonna mess with in time stuff Is that what our text tells us to do?
01:06:51: No, because as you dive into these scriptures and you think about it You put your hope on the second coming of Christ.
01:06:58: Your mind is enraptured with these thoughts all of a sudden You're looking for him to come
01:07:03: It's good to think about these things You might not become a Bible scholar in the book of Revelation.
01:07:09: I'm not But I have strong views because I've read it and I think I understand what he's saying and I'm excited that Jesus is coming
01:07:19: That's the hope we're looking for him We're waiting for him and when we set our minds on things above not on things of this earth
01:07:26: It motivates how we live we put on the breastplate of faith and love and the hope of coming salvation final salvation and That's how we ought to be thinking in our lives lastly the best part 9 through 11
01:07:44: For here's the big takeaway God has not destined us
01:07:54: Remember the distinction children of light versus children of the dark us the children of light. He has not destined us for Wrath we do not go through the day of his wrath of Revelation 6 16 and 17
01:08:11: We're not destined for that. Are we destined for sufferings and afflictions in this life?
01:08:16: Yes In this world, you will have trouble but take heart. I have overcome the world Even in the book of 1st
01:08:24: Thessalonians it says about afflictions we are destined for these the ordinary
01:08:29: Sufferings of this life and persecutions from the world, but we are not destined for wrath and that is what the day of the
01:08:36: Lord is it's demonic frog spirits and locusts and Antichrist and your whole family crushed to death with no hope of surviving
01:08:47: Just waiting to be martyred. No, that's not what the church is destined for according to this verse
01:08:53: Look at verse 9 God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation.
01:08:59: This is a final salvation Meeting him being with him forever Through our
01:09:06: Lord Jesus Christ verse 10 who died for us
01:09:14: There's somebody here. That's never understood Why Jesus had to die and the answer to that is another $10 theological word propitiation propitiation means satisfying wrath
01:09:32: Appeasing wrath you say well who's so angry? Where's this wrath God?
01:09:38: hates sin He is just and holy he has a wrath against sin and sinners
01:09:46: But look at verse 10 Christ died for us
01:09:52: The meaning of Jesus's death is propitiation of sin That Jesus stood in where I deserved
01:10:01: I deserved every plague written in the book of Revelation Every one of them should have been poured on me for my sin
01:10:10: But my Savior Jesus Stood in for me and he took the wrath of God into himself on that tree and He propitiated that wrath.
01:10:21: He appeased the wrath of God on my behalf He died the death that I deserve he died for me.
01:10:27: Who does the Bible say Jesus died for? Look at verse 10
01:10:33: Who died for us? the children of light The distinction that's made he died for us the shepherd
01:10:43: Laid down his life for the sheep the bridegroom
01:10:51: Stood in and took the penalty of the bride He died for us us
01:10:59: The many that he makes righteous by faith Wow, he died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him
01:11:11: Is that referring? to verse 7 There are some who sleep and they get drunk.
01:11:20: So is this saying that there's some Christians who are kind of sleepwalking their Christian life
01:11:26: They're kind of they're saved but they're carnal They're carnal Christians in a sleepwalk.
01:11:33: Is that what that's saying? No, this is actually referencing the rapture
01:11:38: Look back at chapter 4 verse 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed brothers about those who are asleep
01:11:49: That you may not grieve as others do who have no hope back to chapter 5
01:11:57: Verse 10 and we're almost done. Everybody here still awake. No, nobody's sleepwalking right now, right?
01:12:04: No, this refers to those who are asleep aka They're dead their bodies are dead and buried in the ground or you're still alive.
01:12:12: You're still looking you're still waiting These dead children of light whose bodies are buried and us who are still in the body
01:12:19: Awaiting is coming whether this is you or that's you It says right here
01:12:25: We might live with him. You might be dead in the grave or you're still alive and waiting
01:12:31: But we will live with him. Is there somebody here?
01:12:38: You don't have to raise your hand You've always thought that everything's just kind of be normal Maybe you were surprised in 2020 when things weren't normal anymore.
01:12:50: You always wonder when's it just gonna get back to normal And you assume that life will just kind of go on as it is the people of Noah's day thought that way too
01:13:03: Until the entire world was destroyed by a flood and in our day
01:13:10: There is coming a thief in the night called the day of the Lord The day of the
01:13:16: Lord will be as I described it a Very different era in this world's history the last seven years that final day
01:13:26: Will be devastating the wrath of God will be poured poured out on this world. Not everything will go on as usual But listen to me now if you haven't been listening,
01:13:37: I know you have but if there's anybody who hasn't heard listen to this Jesus Christ is offering you
01:13:45: Free admission on to that ark. He's saying come
01:13:51: Like Noah called to his generation get on the ark. I'll rescue you out of here. You can escape the coming wrath
01:13:59: Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved The thief in the night is coming, but you can be ready
01:14:09: And here's how you get ready You call on the name of the Lord Jesus save me Come into my life.
01:14:17: I'm a sinner. I deserve your wrath But you died on the cross
01:14:23: Forgive me of my sin Forgive me Lord and you fall down do this alone tonight you fall down on your face before God and you confess your sins to him and You beat your chest and say
01:14:38: I'm a sinner Lord have mercy on me And guess what he will do when you believe that Jesus died and rose
01:14:46: You will live with him. You will be aboard the ark. You will be rescued The thief in the night will not take you by surprise.
01:14:54: You'll be waiting for him and he'll come for you He will come to rescue you.
01:14:59: This is the offer of the gospel. It is good news So in closing church, we have this news to tell
01:15:09: Theologically this is the takeaway The return of the
01:15:14: Lord is imminent that means it can happen right now We're not going to see all the events of Revelation unfold
01:15:23: God has not destined us for wrath, but for salvation So we should believe that we will be raptured and then the world will go through this horrifying apocalyptic literally the word revelation is apocalypse apocalyptic
01:15:38: End Final conclusion and then
01:15:44: Christ comes and the second coming in Revelation 19 11 and following his robe is dipped in blood his mouth has the sword and He comes to judge and to finish off the wrath of God against this fallen world
01:16:00: So Christians, here's what we do. We go tell our
01:16:07: Next -door neighbor that we love That they too can escape the coming wrath
01:16:14: You're safe you're rescued, but if this is happening any day soon, which it could be tonight
01:16:22: There is an urgency to go and tell them he is coming soon Revelation 22 says so here's what
01:16:29: I've done. I ordered from way of the master 250 tracks and each one looks like a pile of million -dollar bills
01:16:40: But as soon as you open the cover, there's an introduction and then there's the entire gospel of John And it says these things are written that you may have life
01:16:51: The offer of salvation through the gospel of John. I want everybody to take one We don't have enough for you to take multiple, but they're on the back table
01:17:00: And I'll tell you what I already know who I'm supposed to give it to somebody in my neighborhood I'm scared to do it because it's awkward
01:17:07: But I'm not just gonna like throw it on his doorstep knock and run Because that's copping out.
01:17:16: I'm gonna actually talk to him when he's shooting hoops with his kid I'm gonna be walking by with my dog and say hey
01:17:23: I got something for you, and it's gonna be one of these tracks, and I'm gonna give it to him And I'll say this is really valuable
01:17:32: Could you read this and then let's grab coffee. You want to go to Dunkin Donuts? I don't drink coffee, but I'll have a hot chocolate or something
01:17:41: I'm gonna invite him to talk about it. He very well could say no. He could just stiff arm it and say
01:17:47: I'm not interested Worst case scenario is I'm embarrassed right, but if I really believe that Jesus is coming soon
01:17:59: Love for him and his little children and his wife Demand that I tell them that there is wrath escape
01:18:08: That Jesus died for us to have life I Can't imagine if I get raptured and I watch him go through that what it would feel like to know
01:18:21: I never told him so everybody on your way out today Grab one of those tracks pray about who it is that you're supposed to give it to it might be some
01:18:32: Niece or nephew and they would look at that. Oh wow this is so cool It looks like a million dollar and next thing you know they're reading the gospel of John The Lord will show you who to give it to But this passage for us tells us to put on the breastplate of faith and love
01:18:48: The helmet of salvation and to have urgency Urgency because he's coming soon the theological word
01:18:56: Imminency any minute now he can come let's pray father. Thank you so much for your word to us today.
01:19:03: I Pray that you would give us courage To go give these tracks to those who need to hear
01:19:11: I Pray that your people would look at you and remember Psalm 27 1 the
01:19:17: Lord is my light and My salvation of whom shall I be afraid the
01:19:24: Lord is the stronghold of my life Whom shall I fear? God I pray for us as a church that we would go with boldness
01:19:33: And tell others about salvation in Christ It's in the name of Jesus that we pray.
01:19:40: Amen. We stand with me facing a task
01:20:05: Unfinished that drives us to our knees
01:20:11: Need that Undiminished rebukes our slothful ease we
01:20:22: Rejoice to know the renew before thy throne the solemn pledge we
01:20:33: Owe thee to go and make thee know Where other lords beside thee hold their unhindered sway
01:20:54: Defy thee Defy thee still today with none to heed their crying for love
01:21:10: Light Unnumbered souls are dying and passing to We go to all the world with Kingdom hope unfurl
01:21:29: No other name has power to say but Jesus Christ We bear the torch that Flaming fell from the hands of those
01:21:54: Who gave their lives? Proclaiming that Jesus died and rose
01:22:03: Ours is the same Commission the same glad message are
01:22:12: Fired by a soul We go
01:22:25: With Kingdom hope unfurl No Other name has power to say but Jesus Christ Oh father who sustained them
01:22:50: Oh Spirit who inspired Savior whose love can strain them to toil with zeal on From cowardice
01:23:06: Defend us from lethargy Away forth on thine errands send us
01:23:21: We go to all the world the king
01:23:30: No other name has power to say but Jesus Christ We go to all the world with King Oh No other name has power to say but Jesus Christ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly
01:24:10: Than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us
01:24:15: To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations