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Below is the Audio Script:
Final Events (1
Thess. 5:1–11)
“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” (1 Thessalonians 5:8, ESV).
This week we continue with our study of the epistle to the
Thessalonians. We are to remember that
this chapter is related to the previous one.
Paul did not make divisions to his letters; those were added later for
our convenience.
When we look at it this way we realize that Paul was not
done with the subject of the second coming.
Our quarterly states,
In this week’s passage, the Second
Coming is still the primary theme, but the focus shifts. Here Paul is not so
much clarifying details about Jesus’ return as he is proclaiming the need for
constant readiness in light of that return (and the judgment that it entails). The previous passage was encouraging; when
the end comes, the outcome will be much more positive than the Thessalonians
were expecting. Now that they understand better the nature of His return, the
question is how to prepare for it.
So, Paul continues in this passage with a different aspect
of the subject. One more clue that these
two passages – last week’s and this week’s – are related is the fact that both
passages end with very similar phrases.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one
another with these words.
1Th 5:11 Wherefore comfort
yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
This let’s us know that the message of Christ return was to
be comforting to the believers. With
last week’s passage Paul told them that Christ would not forget the dead, and
with this week’s passage Paul tells us that Christ would not forget those who
are still alive in His return. What we
are going through here has an end, and it is a glorious one. It will be the end of Sin and the beginning
of a new life without Sin. As our
quarterly says, “it will be better than we expect.”
Now, by comparison last week’s passage is only six verses,
and this week’s is eleven.
The beginning of last week’s chapter started with the words,
“I would not want you to be ignorant.”
So, Paul went into details to make sure they got it. This week’s passage starts with the words,
“Regarding … I have no need to write, because you already know that …” In other
words what we get in this chapter is probably only a review. So, this week’s passage could have been a lot
more verses.
Ultimately, Paul’s message is that to endure to the end we
need to be watchful and sober (1 Thessalonians 5: 8). Why? Ellen
White says why,
“There is need of watchfulness. Our own hearts are
deceitful; we are compassed with the weaknesses and frailties of humanity, and
Satan is intent to destroy. We may be off our guard, but our adversary is never
idle. Knowing his tireless vigilance, let us not sleep, as do others, but
‘watch and be sober.’ ”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol.
5, p. 409.
Until Christ comes we will be assailed by the Devil. And, we need something to protect us and
fight back. So, being that this is a
Spiritual War, we need an armor that can help us fight in that war. Paul says that we are to be watchful and
sober putting on the armor of God so “that ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil,” and “that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6: 11, 13). Now, to be watchful we must be awake and
alert. Which means your eyes and ears should be open. But, we walk by faith and not by sight. So, the issue here is one of faith. And, to be sober means that we are not drunk
or drugged up, we have not lost control of mind. So, we do not lose our inhibitions and acts
in ways we regret later. We also do not
lose our memory, as many who are drunk or high do, and do not remember our
foolish actions. When we are sober we
are in control. Since we are talking
about spiritual soberness then we mean that the Holy Spirit is in control, this
is what the Bible calls temperance.
Faith and temperance are both attributes of the Holy Spirit
(Galatians 5: 22 – 23). And, if we would
look at the components of the armor (1 Thessalonians 5: 8; Ephesians 6: 14 –
17), some of them are also attributes of the fruit of the Spirit; namely: love,
faith, and peace. So, we could say that
in this spiritual war the Holy Spirit is our armor. Only He can protect us from the wiles of the
Devil and give us the ammunition to fight against him. The question is: will we let Him.
The last words of the passage say,
1 Thessalonians 5: 11 Wherefore
comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
The fact that God does not leave us on our own to fend for ourselves
should be a reason to be comforted and encouraged. This is something worth reminding each other
with.
