Sermon Tone Analysis

/ /1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2000

The Liberation of Europe

 

The war in the South Pacific lead to many countries being overrun by Japan.

After about five years of war the Allies had turned the war around and were closing in on Japan.

As they moved through the South Pacific people viewed this in two ways.

The Japanese army and those who had sided with them saw this as a*/ Day of Destruction/*.

Whilst the enslaved nations saw this as a */Day of Salvation.

/*The determining factor was,/ " Who's side you were on!

" /

 

Paul had just assured the Thessalonians concerning Christ's return for His Bride, the Church.

Or what we referred to as, /the/ /Rapture/.

Now Paul instructs them concerning the events that will follow this.

In *1 Thessalonians 4:13* Paul says he wrote about the rapture to prevent believers from being ignorant about it.

*/Now Paul repeats this and adds that:/*/ /

 

I.

Unbelievers Are Ignorant  

* *

*1 Thessalonians 5:1-3:** */But concerning *the times and the seasons*, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

For you yourselves know perfectly that *the day of the Lord* so comes as* a thief in the night.

*For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.

And they shall not escape//./

The Fall of Babylon

 

The king had provided a great feast for a thousand of his lords.

He drank and his heart was merry whilst he continued to feast.

It was then that he called for the gold and silver cups from the temple in Jerusalem to be brought in that they might drink from them.

At this time the hand of God wrote a message on the wall.

When nobody could interpret the message Daniel was summoned to give its meaning.

Daniel warned Belshazzar that God had judged his kingdom and found it wanting.

The king was not concerned about the judgment that had been given.

/Why wasn't he?/

Because Babylon had walls that were 350 feet high and 87 feet thick.

It had 250 towers on the top of the walls and seemed impregnable.

The city was 15 miles square.

The Euphrates River also protected it.

The king felt safe and secure as he trusted in this stronghold.

But that very night the city was taken and the king slain by the Medes and the Persians.

They had diverted the river.

The guards had left open the iron gates that led from the river up to the city.

The city fell so suddenly that some of the it's inhabitants didn't know that the king had been killed for 3 days.

Belshazzar's life was on the edge of disaster and he didn't know it.

Similarly today people have the Bible's warning of coming judgment, but ignore it!

/a.

Ignorant Of The Day/

* *

*1 Thessalonians 5:1-3*/ For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.

And they shall not escape//./

/ /

Firstly they are ignorant of the day.

It will catch them unawares, like it did King Beltshazzer./

/

Here in verse 3 we notice that Paul has changed the second person */you/* to the third person */they/*.

This shows a distinction between the brethren who know and the wicked who don't know.

This verse shows the attitude people will have just before the Lord's return.

They will be content and think that /peace and safety is theirs/.

They won't even suspect that they are on the brink of disaster.

Daniel predicts a great political leader will rise and bring peace and security to the Middle East.

The world will hail him as their savior and long awaited messiah.

We know him to be the antichrist.

When he proclaims world peace the nations will relax, thinking that all is well.

And history will repeat itself again.

Because the world has rejected the truth they will be unaware of the sudden destruction that is coming upon them.

But this is not something new.

Jesus spoke of the lack of concern people will have when He returns.

We read this in *Matthew 24:37-39:* /"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

"For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

/The people of Noah's day did not heed the message and carried on with life as normal.

God warned the people of Noah's day, and the people of Jerusalem in Jesus' day.

But they did not listen.

*/Not only are they ignorant of the day, they are: /*

 

/b.

Ignorant Of Their Destruction/

 

Secondly they are ignorant of their coming destruction.

Today God commands people to repent and turn to Christ for salvation.

That they might escape the day of judgment.

But most don't listen.

*/This day/* will come as quickly as labor pains for a pregnant mother.

It will happen suddenly, without warning.

After a woman's labor is finished, a child appears.

This is how Christ's kingdom will come.

There will be struggle and pain on earth, but when it is over the Lord will appear and set up His Kingdom.

The final phrase Paul writes is very sobering.

He says and/ they shall not escape/.

This verse literally says, " */and they will by no means escape./*

" *God's judgment is certain!*

It's a fact!

The Apostle Peter speaks of this judgment.*

2 Peter 3:3-7*

 

/Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?

For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men./

Application

 

/Are you prepared?

Do you know Christ as your Savior?

Have you let Him wash your sins away, by asking Him into your life?/

There won't be time when Christ returns, you need to prepare now!

The Day of the Lord will bring destruction to the lost.

If you haven't already received Him can I urge you to do so tonight!

You need to be ready.

/In this passage Paul emphasises many times that:/ */Believers Are Informed./*

II.

Believers Are Informed

 

/a.

Firstly Believers Are Ready - /Or Saved