Main Idea: Being ready for Jesus’ return today changes the way I live tomorrow.

On Wednesday, August 1, Matt Lundquist was on his evening commute home to the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a commute he makes every day. His trip to and from work takes him over the 1-35W bridge over the Mississippi River. The time was approximately 6:10 in the evening. The traffic was typical for a rush hour with drivers inching home from work. Then in an instant, Matt’s world and the world around him collapsed. He said, "I felt some shaking and a couple of jolts. With the first one, the cars ahead of me disappeared. With the second the cars behind me disappeared." Matt was fortunate—he walked away but many did not as the 1-35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River. Eight people died, many are still missing and over 100 were injured. Stories of tragedy, survival and heroism were written in that unimaginable moment. (Source: "Death on the Mississippi," Newsweek, August 13, 2007, p. 43)

What happened that tragic day was something that was a sudden, unexpected, uncontrollable, inescapable disaster. While there were cautions and concerns given about the integrity of the bridge’s structure, no one was prepared or could have ever imagined that in an instant the whole bridge would have buckled and plunged into the river. Well over 140,000 cars a day traveled that bridge with no consequence until one day it gave way.

As people we try to grasp such sudden tragedies in our minds. As believers in Jesus Christ and the church of Jesus Christ, we confess that there is coming an event in human history that will be even more sudden, unexpected, uncontrollable and inescapable. What is that event? It is the literal, absolute and climatic return of Jesus Christ to this planet. It is the one event toward which all history has been moving and will conclude life as we have known it and begin life that will be completely beyond our imagination or description. That event has been described in the New Testament in many ways. Twice in our text for today Paul uses the term "the day of the Lord." It is a name given in both the Old and New Testaments for the moment when God through his Son Jesus Christ returns to claim and confront his creation. Christians and the Christian church confess that Jesus will return to claim all those who have trusted him as Savior and confront those who have not.

In our text for today Paul shifts his response to the Thessalonians’ concern about those who have died before Jesus’ return, which he discussed in I Thessalonians 4:13-18. He moves to comment on questions about the timing of that moment but, more, he wants to remind them of how they are to live because of the unexpected nature of his return. To do that he contrasts repeatedly those who are believers and those who are not. He uses pronouns like "you," "we" and "us" to describe believers and uses words like "them" and "others" to define those who are not believers. He draws a clear distinction between the preparation, attitude, character and destiny of those who belong to Christ and those who do not. His message is that their being ready for Jesus’ return now will change the way they will live in the future. What I want us to see is that our being ready for Jesus’ return today changes the way we live tomorrow.

How do I know if I am ready today for His coming? (I Thess. 5:1-3) When you examine verses 1-3 of chapter 5 I believe there are two things that are evident that show us if we are ready today for the return of Jesus Christ. The first is this: I am ready for his return when I believe in its reality (I Thess. 5:1). Paul begins by telling them that he doesn’t need to explain to them "how and when this will happen." Some translations use the words "times and dates" (NIV). He is telling them that they are already confident of the unknown time and the events that will surround that return. He is making the assumption that they believe in the reality of what he is explaining to them.

Let me ask you, "Do you really believe that there will come a moment in history when Jesus Christ will literally and dramatically return to the time and space with which we are familiar?" Is it your confession that you believe that it is actually possible for you to be living your life and suddenly, unexpectedly, uncontrollably and inescapably for Jesus to appear. And what’s more, that it could happen today? You see you are only going to be prepared for the reality you believe in. If you believe that his return is a literal reality then it will change everything about what you do today and how you live tomorrow.

Let’s ask it this way: Do you believe "global warming" is true or is it a hoax? The cover story of last week’s Newsweek raises that issue. There are those who deny the seemingly unquestioned evidence that the climate changes on our planet are not the result of a human footprint but the result of nature’s own fingerprint. There are others who believe that you can trace to our own way of life the cause for the issues related to global warming. What you believe about "global warming," either reality or a hoax, will affect the way you live today and tomorrow. You will only be prepared for the reality you believe in. (Source: Newsweek, Aug. 13, 2007, p. 19-29)

So let’s ask the question again: Do you believe in the reality of a moment when God through Jesus Christ will return to claim believers for his own and confront those who have rejected Jesus and his love and grace? You will only be prepared for the reality you believe in. There are persons who will not be ready because they don’t believe there is anything to be ready for. So if you believe that the return of Christ is a literal event on God’s agenda, then you will make the necessary preparations. Believing in the reality of his return is the first step toward preparation.

There’s another thing that tells us we are ready for his coming and that is that I am ready for his coming when I accept its certainty. (I Thess. 5:2-3). As you look back on verses 2-3 of I Thessalonians 5 you discover several characteristics that describe his return. One is that it will be unexpected. Paul says it will be like a "thief in the night." A person can do all they know to protect against a thief or intruder, but they don’t send you a text message telling you they are going to break into your house. The same is true for the return of Christ. We can do all we can to prepare but only God knows when this will happen. It will be unexpected.

It will also be unpredictable. I realize that unexpected and unpredictable are almost the same but there is a difference. Paul says that his return will be at a time when the prevailing persuasion of humanity is that there is no reason to be alarmed and no reason to be shaken or disturbed. That’s the attitude reflected in the words "peaceful" and secure." Humanity assumes they have the capacity to predict and understand the times and state that "all is well." Yet Paul says that the unpredictable will become the inescapable, "then disaster will fall on them…." The coming of Christ again and the confrontation with humanity that follows is unpredictable and inescapable.

The coming will be unexpected, unpredictable, inescapable and inevitable. The inevitability of Christ’s return is his point when he compares that to a woman in labor. His point is not so much the labor pains because everyone knows that is what is coming. His meaning is that it is inevitable that when labor begins a child is going to be born. The idea is that the coming of Christ is certain rather than immediate. Our concern as believers is not to stand idly waiting for our Lord’s immediate return but to live confidently in the certainty of his return.

A person who is a believer is ready for the return of Jesus Christ by first believing in its reality and accepting its certainty. When we believe and accept both reality and certainty then we can know that whenever that occurs, at whatever moment in history, I am ready today. The tragedy is that for those who don’t believe in the reality and deny the certainty, there will be no hope or second chance. It will be their life’s greatest single, unavoidable "disaster!" If you are a person who doesn’t believe, then I appeal to you now to change your mind – today!

If I am ready today for His coming, how will I live tomorrow? (I Thess. 5:4-10) How the Thessalonian Christians faced the future is what Paul spends most of his focus on in these verses. Once a believer is persuaded of the reality and certainty of Christ’s return, it will affect how they live their life in the future. What are those characteristics that should mark our lives as we wait for Christ’s return?

• There should be a moral distinction between my life and the lives of others (I Thess. 5:4-5). Paul reminds the Thessalonians that there is a moral distinction about their lives when compared to others who were not Christians. He says they are "children of the light and of the day," which is a way of defining the moral purity of their lives. He then says, "We don’t belong to darkness and night," as a way of contrasting the moral impurity of those who are not believers. If I am a believer who is anticipating the return of Jesus Christ, then it will cause me to live my life in a way that is clearly as different as night and day compared to a non-believer. It doesn’t matter what you say you know about the return of Christ if it doesn’t distinguish you morally.
• There should also be a mental discipline that I have that is different to others around me. (I Thess. 5:6-7). Paul tells these friends to "be on their guard…stay alert and be sober." Then he compares their mental alertness to those without Christ as being asleep and drunk. If I’m asleep then I am not alert to what is happening around me and if I am drunk then I am impaired in my thinking and incapable of responding properly. The word he uses for "be on your guard" is of someone who is determined to be watchful at all times. The idea for us is that we are to be mentally disciplined to the events of our world, always sharp to see a place where the world I live in and the Word of God would intersect. It is that intersection that creates anticipation of his coming. It warns us to not allow our minds to be dulled by the trivial interests of our culture or our bodies to be controlled by the excesses of chemicals of any kind. I face life tomorrow with mental discipline.
• There is also a spiritual protection that I have because I am a believer. (I Thess. 5:8) It’s not easy to see the reason for this addition except that a believer being protected with spiritual armor is a favorite analogy of Paul’s. He saw in the Roman soldiers that were ever present a comparison to what protects a believer from Satan’s attacks. He says that we should live with the body armor of faith and love and have as a helmet the confidence of salvation. What is important is that he only mentions armor that is defensive. In other words, he doesn’t mention a weapon. While we wait for the return of Christ we should expect that we will be attacked by Satan and all those he would use. Our waiting is in a time of spiritual conflict not a spiritual truce. Our protection is not based on our skills or brilliance but is focused on the faith, love and hope that we have in God and toward those who despise us. We are people who depend upon spiritual protection.
• Finally, there is an eternal security that is mine as I wait for his return. (I Thess. 5:9-10) In beautiful language Paul describes the relationship that every believer has with Jesus Christ as a result of God’s action in saving us. He tells us that our salvation is at God’s initiative and as a result of Christ’s work on the cross, not ours. If my eternal relationship with Jesus is based upon my own desire and efforts, then I am in trouble. Yet when I read these words that tell me that God did everything needed to save me so that I can live with him forever that gives me unbelievable confidence and courage. Yet for those who do not have that security there is a determined confrontation with the justice of God that the believer will not face. God wants his human creation to enjoy a relationship with him forever. He has secured that through the death of his Son Jesus Christ for us in the cross. He has promised absolute security for all eternity for those who accept this relationship. He equally assures eternal justice for those who reject it.

If I am ready for his coming today then it means I will live tomorrow morally distinct, mentally disciplined, spiritually protected and eternally secure!

What difference, though, does this make for today and tomorrow? (I Thess. 5:11) Paul tells the Thessalonians to take these words and continue to "encourage each other and build each other up." That first word encourage is a command to continue strengthening others by your words. It is the idea that as I wait for the return of Christ I care not just about me but that I have an accountability to you as well as to your preparation. In other words, it is a spirit that says, "I care if you make it!" This tells us that there needs to be more commitment to our spiritual preparation as a community for his coming than our being intrigued by the details of his coming.

He also says to "build each other up." This is a command to not merely hold your ground but to advance the kingdom of God. All that Paul has said about the reality of Christ’s return, the certainty of his return and the qualities we will demonstrate because of our readiness is all for stirring our lives to grow as believers and as a church. Again, it is what we do as a community, our growth together that is essential. People and churches that are ready for Christ’s return are not sitting by waiting but actively growing and advancing the kingdom of God. If we are a body of believers that takes our readiness for his return seriously then we will be ever extending and expanding the kingdom of God in human lives and in our world! The difference our preparation for Christ’s return makes is that it says to another Christian, "I want you to make it!" And it says to the world, "We will not retreat!"

How do I know if I am ready for His coming? When I believe it is real and I believe it is certain. If I am ready today for His coming, how will I live tomorrow? I will live completely unique from others around me. What difference does it make? It encourages believers and extends God’s rule.

Most of us are aware that we live on the New Madrid Fault. That fault line that runs through this part of our nation was responsible for a massive earthquake in 1812 that reversed the course of the Mississippi River near Memphis and rang church bells as far away as Boston. We are warned that we need to be prepared for another earthquake at some point in the future. We have been told to keep an emergency kit ready for such a disaster. If I were to ask who has actually done that, well I wouldn’t be one of them. For those who have done that, if they or their loved ones survive the earthquake then because they are ready today for such a disaster then that will change the way they will live in the days following such an event.

The same thing applies to our readiness for Jesus’ return. If I am ready right now—spiritually, morally, mentally, then if he comes today I have nothing to hold me back as I greet him. If he doesn’t come back at the end of today then that changes the way I will live tomorrow. In other words, the preparation I make today isn’t wasted because it makes me ready to live tomorrow. Being ready for Jesus’ return today changes the way I live tomorrow. Here’s tough part that we have to answer: Am I ready and if not what do I need to do to be ready?

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org