1Thessalonians 5:1
Outline:
I. \\#1:1\\ Salutation
II. \\#1:2-2:12\\ Remembering
A. \\#1:2-3\\ Remembering Their Devotion
B. \\#1:4-5\\ Remembering Paul’s Confidence
C. \\#1:6-10\\ Remembering Their Character
D. \\#2:1-12\\ Remembering Our Labor
III. \\#2:13-3:10\\ Knowing
A. \\#2:13-16\\ Knowing How the Gospel Changed Them
B. \\#2:17-20\\ Knowing How Much Paul Want to See Them
C. \\#3:1-5\\ Knowing Why Paul Sent Timothy
D. \\#3:6-10\\ Knowing How Thankful Paul Was for Timothy’s Report
IV. \\#3:11-13 \\ Desiring
A. \\#3:11-13\\ Desiring That God Would Establish Them
B. \\#4:1-12\\ Desiring That You Would Walk in Christ
V. \\#4:13-5:22 \\ Teaching
A. \\#4:13-18\\ Teaching about the Dead In Christ
B. \\#5:1-10\\ Teaching about the Day of the Lord
C. \\#5:11-22\\ Teaching About How We Should Live
VI. \\#5:23-28\\ Closing
\\#4:13-5:22 \\ Teaching
I. \\#4:13-18\\ Teaching about the Dead In Christ
II. \\#5:1-10\\ Teaching about the Day of the Lord
A. Paul was already turning from speaking of the rapture only to
also speaking of another event.
1. Notice that Paul used the plurals, "the times and seasons"
not "the time and the season."
2. That was because Paul was already thinking about a second
topic that he was about to discuss.
B. \\#2\\ The second topic was, "the Day of the Lord."
1. What is the Day of the Lord?
a. The Day of the Lord is the judgement of God on the
world.
b. It begins with the seven year tribulation and
continues until the apex and conclusion of earth’s
judgement, Jesus return to establish His kingdom on
the earth.
c. Some the rapture occurs with the Day of the Lord, i.e.
pre and post tribulationists. I don’t, but the Day
of the Lord will happen soon after the rapture.
2. When is the Day of the Lord?
a. Both the Day of the Lord and the rapture will come "as
a thief in the night."
b. As Paul said, we do not know the times or the
seasons (plural, a reference to two events), but the
Day of the Lord begins either immediately or almost
immediately after the rapture.
c. But since we do not know the time of the one, we
cannot yet know the time for the other.
C. \\#3\\ What will it be like in the Day of the Lord.
1. People will be talking about "peace and safety."
a. This is not the sign of the rapture but of the Day of
the Lord.
(1) World conditions could still be chaotic, with wars
and other world-shaking events, when the rapture
occurs.
(2) Although the Day of the Lord begins soon after
the rapture, events can (and I believe will)
change rapidly.
b. Once the Day of the Lord is underway, a series of
events occur in rapid succession:
(1) "sudden destruction" will come.
(2) As suddenly as "a woman in travail."
(3) "and they shall not escape."
2. The verse reads the exact opposite of what the people
think will happen.
a. The fact that Paul was talking about destruction and
not removal means he is no longer speaking about the
rapture but the Day of the Lord.
b. The Day of the Lord is not just a day, it is a time
period of seven years.
c. That means the destruction does not have to occur on
day one of the seven years.
(1) The rapture can occur.
(2) People could be panicked and concerned.
(3) Some time might pass.
(4) A leader might arise that calms them and gives
them a feeling of peace and safety.
(5) THEN the sudden destruction could begin.
D. \\#4-10\\ Then speaking to the saved.
1. \\#4\\ But you know this so you will not be overtaken as
by a thief.
a. \\#4-7\\ Paul will continue to use the analogies of
day and night, light and darkness, to say we should
be awake and alert to see what is happening.
b. \\#6-8\\ He will also use, at the same time, the
analogy of drunkenness to say we should not only be
seeing what is going on but understanding and
comprehending what is happening.
(1) Drunks are not aware but in a stupor.
(2) Christians should be alert, seeing and
understanding.
2. \\#5\\ You are children of the light and not the darkness.
3. \\#6-10\\ So do not fall asleep and miss what is happening
as others will.
a. \\#6\\ Are the "others" the lost of the saved?
b. I am not sure, but the command is for the saved to
watch and be sober (i.e. think soundly).
c. \\#7\\ We are not of the night so we should not be
asleep or drunk in our thinking.
d. \\#8\\ More commands:
(1) Be sober - repeated from \\#6\\ and meaning to
think soundly.
(2) Put on the breastplate of faith and love.
(a) \\#Eph 6:15\\ Paul simplified the image in
Ephesians to simply "the shield of faith"
and omitted the grace of love from the
armor altogether.
(b) The breastplate is for protection not
aggression.
(c) We need faith in the Lord to protect us from
the attacks of the devil.
(d) Since the breastplate is for protection and
is not offensive in nature, the breastplate
of love would seem to say that we need to
BE loved more than we need to love others.
(3) Put on the helmet, the hope of salvation.
(a) Paul abbreviated the term in \\#Eph 6:17\\
to just "helmet of salvation."
(b) Since the helmet protects the head, many
suppose Paul was referring to the
assurance of salvation.
(c) That assurance does give comfort and hope
during difficult times.
e. \\#9-10\\ God’s Purposes
(1) \\#9\\ "God has not appointed us to wrath, but…
salvation."
(a) The wrath of which Paul spoke of is not
completely clear.
(b) Other people think the wrath might be the
tribulation with the salvation obtained
being the rapture while others think the
wrath might be hell with the salvation
mentioned being a literal salvation.
i. \\#2-3\\ Paul spoke of the Day of the
Lord, meaning the tribulation and
coming of Jesus.
ii. \\#4-8\\ Paul spoke of staying alert
so as not to miss the signs telling
us that the Day of the Lord is at
hand.
iii. \\#10\\ Here, Paul spoke about
salvation—which is the greatest
deliverance from wrath that exists.
(c) Because of the commands to stay awake and
alert, some have concluded if the believers
are asleep when the rapture occurs, they
will not be taken but left to go through
the tribulation.
i. The Bible does not say that.
ii. In fact, \\#10\\ says that "whether we
wake or sleep, we should live
TOGETHER with him."
iii. Yet, we are commanded multiple times
and in multiple ways to stay alert
and faithful.
(2) \\#10\\ No matter which wrath is meant, the
salvation is because of Jesus, who died for
us.
III. \\#5:11-22\\ Teaching About How We Should Live. We should
live…
A. \\#11\\ with not IN COMFORT but WITH COMFORT.
B. to edify one another.
C. \\#12-13\\ knowing (recognizing) those who labor among us.
D. \\#13\\ in peace among ourselves.
E. \\#14\\ warning the unruly (among us).
F. comforting the feebleminded.
G. supporting the weak.
H. being patient toward all men.
I. \\#15\\ not rendering evil for evil but good for evil.
1. Doing this with fellow believers which confirms that
even believers may do evil.
2. Doing this to all people.
J. \\#16\\ rejoicing forever.
K. \\#17\\ praying always.
L. \\#18\\ giving God thanks no matter what for such is God’s
will.
M. \\#19\\ not quenching the Holy Spirit.
1. To quench means to put out.
2. No more explanation is given than let the Holy Spirit
do what the Holy Spirit wants to do.
N. \\#20\\ not despising the prophecy.
1. According to Strong’s, the word means to predict the
future.
2. Those things that God has revealed will come to pass.
3. Believe it and act accordingly.
O. \\#21\\ proving all things.
1. The idea is to test or examine everything to know
whether it is good or bad, righteous or evil.
2. The next two commands go with this one.
P. holding hard to the things that prove to be good.
Q. \\#22\\ abstaining for them things that are evil.
\\#5:23-28\\ Closing
I. \\#23\\ A closing prayer
1Thess 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify
you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and
soul and body be preserved blameless unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A. May God sanctify you—wholly.
B. May your whole being (body, soul, and spirit) be blameless
until Jesus returns!
II. \\#24\\ A closing fact - God is faithful!
III. \\#25\\ A closing request - Pray for us.
IV. \\#26\\ A closing encouragement - Greet the brothers with
holiness and love.
V. \\#27\\ A closing command - Read this letter to everyone.
VI. \\#28\\ A closing desire - May God’s grace be with you.
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