Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:6-11
Sermon notes
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ILLUMINATED BELIEVER.
- The duty to be a sober, vigilant soldier of Jesus Christ, v6-8. It is the principal duty of the Christian to stand as a soldier. The evil of apostasy is to be confronted and resisted. Living in the light of Christ’s return will insist upon such a lifestyle—both in the present and in the immediate context of Christ’s return. He will be at war with darkness and sin!
- Vigilant, v6-8. The Christian is to live with his eyes open! This is part of what looking unto Jesus (Heb 12:2) means. He is to be awake and alert. Cp Luke 12:35-38. We are not to be spiritually asleep, v6-7. Sleep is the natural response/practice of those who are in darkness. The Church is overcome by sleep before the end, Matt 25:5 (slumbered to nod off; slept is to be overcome by sleep and is the word used in our text of the practice of the wicked)
- Sober, v6-8. The child of God is to be stone cold sober in the light of Christ’s return. Cp 1 Pet 1:13, 4:7 (watch). The Christian is called to abstinence from everything that will intoxicate him. The word the Apostle uses here primarily relates to an abstinence from wine. Cp Eph 5:18. The concept also includes avoiding the intoxicating carnal pleasures of this life. The imagery of drunkenness is also used to speak of a state of spiritual intoxication, Rev 17:2. Cp Rom 13:11-14
- Armed, v8. There is a call here to a holy life—the buckling on daily of faith and love. Cp Gal 5:6, Eph 6:14. These are two different descriptions of the same piece of armour. Here is a love that makes war with sin and everything that is opposed to God. This will protect the vitals of the believer in the spiritual battle with darkness. The hope of final salvation is to engage our minds and so protect our thinking like a helmet.
On all these levels there will be a complete distinction with the ungodly—as much as light contrasts with darkness.
These duties are driven by knowledge. Specially, knowledge of:
- Divine appointment, v9. He gets back to a matter he dealt with in 1:4ff—God’s electing purpose. Here is a fruit of election, 1:10. A knowledge of the electing purpose of God in Christ will have us stand on the right side in this battle.
- Wrath, v9. The fate of the wicked must weigh heavily on the mind of the Christian in this context. The clear implication of these words is that the Christian is to do everything possible to distance himself from impending wrath, to prove his salvation.
- Christ’s redeeming love, v10. He died for us! The knowledge of this produces certain convictions about His return and how we are to live regarding it.
- The resurrection hope of glory, v10. This hope animates Christian service on the battlefield.
Exhort and edify one another in the battle, v11. The implication surely is obvious! The knowledge that Paul has referred to, is the means of strengthening, edifying (> ‘to be a house builder’), unifying and encouraging the soldiers of Christ as they wait for the King to appear. These are the doctrines that we are to ever keep before us.