1 Thessalonians 5 - Christianity is Not a Solo Sport!
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The Day of the Lord
One of the concerns of the believers in Thessalonica was that Jesus was going to return soon. They developed a mentality that they should stay safe and set apart from the world. Like today a lot of people were trying to predict the exact day or hour Jesus was going to return. Paul basically says none of us should try to “time Jesus’ return” He is going to come like a thief in the night. What this means is we should be ready at any time. To be ready just means doing the things he told us to do We all remember as kids when our parents were gone trying to get away with bloody murder. But then we heard the garage door open and straightened up real fast. But if you were behaving properly it didn’t matter when they came home. You could be at peace and actually were excited for them to come home. This is not all together too different from our waiting on the Lord.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
This is essentially what Paul is saying in these verses. Paul says they are not like those children of the dark who try to hide their deeds. But they are children of the light. He then uses the analogy of being sober and awake as opposed to being drunk and asleep.
iv. Sober doesn’t mean humorless. It has in mind someone who knows the proper value of things, and therefore doesn’t get too excited about the things of this world. The person who lives his or her life for fun and entertainment isn’t sober. - Guzik
8 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. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Paul uses the same imagery he used in Ephesians 6 when he talked about putting on the armor of God as the Ephesians realized their battle was not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of darkness.
Paul tells them to “put on faith and love as a breastplate of righteousness. And the hope of salvation as a helmet.
Faith and love are represented by the breastplate because the breastplate covers the vital organs. No soldier would ever go to battle without his breastplate, and no Christian is equipped to live the Christian life without faith and love.
iii. The hope of salvation is represented as a helmet, because the helmet protects the head, which is just as essential as the breastplate. Hope isn’t used in the sense of wishful thinking, but in the sense of a confident expectation of God’s hand in the future. - Guzik
Note faith, hope, and love are all gifts of God. When we exhibit these qualities in the power of the Holy Spirit we experience the surety of our salvation
Finally Paul tells them some very important words “therefore encourage one another and build each other up and all the more as you see the day approaching.
This is the beauty of a faith community. The strength and unity of the body of Christ. The purpose of the church. A Christian who does not take part in the fellowship of a local church puts themselves in a precarious position. There are many times we will need to be encouraging and edifying a brother or sister in Christ. And at other times we will need that same encouragement and edification. We are BETTER TOGETHER!
What person, small group, and church encourages and edifies you? Christianity is not a solo sport!
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