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I Thessalonians 5:1-11
Be Alert!
What will heaven be like? Isn't that a marvelous thought to ponder, what heaven will be like? There will be no stinky diapers or potty training.
There won't be arthritis, back problems or other aches and pains. There will be no high cost medications to pay for or to make. There won't be the
threat of foreclosures and or bankruptcy. There won't be addictions to battle and temptations to fight. There won't be loneliness or feelings of
abandonment. There won't be any deadlines. There won't be that feeling in your chest or your stomach when you feeling stressed out and
anxious. None of these things will be around in heaven. It will be perfect. It will be beautiful. It will be awesome!
On the other hand, what will hell be like? That certainly isn't a pleasant thought. In hell there will be pain and sufferingthat will never end. In hell
people will be separated from Godforever. In hell people will be removed from God's presence and blessingforever. In hell people will endure
agony that they will want to end, but it won't ever end. Hell is a very real place and God promises that it is an awful place.
Certainly no one wants to go to hell. Everyone wants to go heaven. Yet between now and then it's easy to get distracted by the things in this life
that cause us to lose focus of the fact that heaven awaits us. Until that time comes, the Holy Spirit, though the Apostle Paul, encourages us with
these words.
First of all, Paul reminds us that we don't know the time or the date when Judgment Day will come. Every once in awhile you hear about someone
making a prediction about when Judgment Day will come. They claim to know the time and place when Jesus will return again. The truth is,
they're wrong. The truth is all we know is that we don't know. In our Gospel lesson Jesus said, "No one knows the day or hour when it will come.
Jesus himself said that the angels in heaven and even the Son himself don't know when Judgment Day will come (Matthew 24:36). Anyone who
claims to know is simply wrong. Jesus' return will be sudden, like a thief in the night.
Paul says that people will be saying, "Peace and safety." In the Old Testament times, when God's prophets promised destruction, false prophets
appeared saying the opposite, promising peace and prosperity. Today is no different. There are some who claim there is no such place as hell and
that we have nothing to worry about when the end comes. Even with the Christian Church there are those who are proclaiming "peace and
safety." Christian clergyman are misleading people by teaching millennialism. This is the false belief that Jesus is going to come again and establish
a 1000 year reign on this earth that will be marked by peace and prosperity. Paul says the opposite, though. People will be seeking peace and
safety, but in the end destruction will come. The end will come suddenly like unexpected labor pains on a pregnant woman. Then there will be no
turning back.
For the unbeliever Judgment Day will come suddenly and unexpectedly. Yet for the Christian, while it will be a surprise, it will not be unexpected.
That's because we know the day is coming. It's not a matter of "if" it's a matter of "when." As we await that day Paul urges us to be awake and
self-controlled (verse 6). Paul is encouraging all of us to BE ALERT. At the same time he's warning us against falling asleep spiritually. You stay alert
by staying in God's Word by coming to church, by making time to read God's Word on your own, by having devotions as a family, by reading Bible
stories to your children. You stay alert by being faithful in your prayer life, not just reciting prayers that you know by heart, but by spending time
talking to God in prayer using your words, speaking to him from the heart. You stay alert by daily examining your heart and your life repenting of
your sins, confessing them to God, and trusting in his forgiveness.
All these things help keep you alert. Being on God's Word enable the Holy Spirit to work in your heart. He fine-tunes your conscience (like
sharpening a dull pencil) so that you have the wisdom to see the devil's lies and deceit. Through the Word he keeps you in tune with God's will
enabling you to make God-pleasing choices and decisions. Through the Word he fortifies your faith giving you the strength you need to fight off
the temptations you face. Through prayer you have the opportunity to talk to God to tell him your problems and ask him for the help you need to
stay alert. Through daily repentance you are examining your own heart and mind in light of God's Word. You're coming clean and expressing your
complete reliance on God to forgive you and save. These are what help keep you alert. When these things are absent from your life, you become
spiritually sleepy.
Have you ever fallen asleep while trying to stay awake? Maybe it was while you were watching TV, or worse, while you were driving. When did
you notice that you had fallen asleep? It wasn't until you woke up. God doesn't want that to happen to us spiritually. And if you think it can't
happen to you, watch out!
Consider David. Before he became king, David displayed incredible alertness. He saw the giant Goliath not only as a physical enemy of Israel, but a
spiritual enemy. David trusted that with God's help he could defeat Goliath, and he did. David displayed incredible alertness even as King Saul
being jealous of David's popularity, tried to kill David. As David had opportunity to kill Saul, David couldn't because he knew that Saul was God's
chosen leader over Israel. David was alert and aware of God's will and followed God's will.
But as the years passed, David at times became king more lax. He took on more than one wife. One spring when it time for the mighty men to go
out and fight, rather than joining them and David should have done, David stayed behind. He ventured to the top of his palace and there he could
look down over the city. Lo and behold he saw his neighbor Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop. He called his servant to have her come over. He
slept with her. She became pregnant. Then in an attempt to cover up his adultery, David had Bathsheba's husband killed. What happened? David
didn't set out to become an adulterer and a murderer. He didn't set out to fall into a deep spiritual slumber, but it happened!
Be careful that it doesn't happen to you! How alert are you? Do you pray every day, pray from the heart? Do you read God's Word on your own?
Do you daily confess your sins to God? How is your worship attendance? Are there times you don't attend church when you really can? Are there
other areas of your life where you've become spiritually lazy? The signs can be found in the things you allow yourself to watch or see. The signs
can be found in your attitude toward sin, sin that the world maybe encourages but God still says are wrong. The signs can be found in whether or
not you hold yourself accountable before God for the things you do.
Like the prophet Nathan called David to repent, God calls us to do the same. Repent of your spiritual laziness and listen to what Paul says in verse
9, "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. God appointed you to receive salvation
through Jesus Christ! That's enough to wake anybody up! God has secured your salvation through Jesus Christ. He won the victory over Satan, sin
and death for you! By his perfect life, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead he secured salvation for you! He appointed you to
receive heaven! Wow! What a thought. Go back to the first thoughts of our sermon of what heaven will be like. God has prepared a place for you
where you will join the saints triumphant in heaven. These truths awaken us, excite us, and fill us with great joy!
They also compel us to tell others, to wake others up spiritually. Maybe you know someone who doesn't know Christ. Wake them up! Share your
faith with them. Let them know what Jesus has done for them. Maybe you have a friend, a family member, or a fellow member here at church
that you know is straying. They haven't been to church in awhile and it's apparent to you that they are getting spiritually drowsy, at best. Wake
them up. Talk to them. Tell them you miss them. Even more, tell them you're concerned about their spiritual well-being.
You and I are awake and alert. Stay awake and alert as you stay in God's Word, as you continue to worship on a regular basis, and you daily confess
your sins to God and trust in his forgiveness. Stay awake as you look forward with great joy and anticipation to the day when we will join all the
saints in heaven, forever glorifying and praising God for all that he has done for us. Stay alert! Amen.