0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible radio
0:09 featuring best-selling author an
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher
0:14 Warren where's being but concerning the
0:16 times and the seasons brethren you have
0:18 no need that I should write to you for
0:21 you yourselves know perfectly that the
0:22 day of the Lord so comes as a thief in
0:25 the night when they say peace and safety
0:28 then sudden destruction comes upon them
0:31 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and
0:34 they shall not escape now there are four
0:36 terms in these verses that we've been
0:38 looking at the first is the day of the
0:41 Lord the day of the Lord is that time
0:45 when God intervenes in history to judge
0:47 his enemies to deliver his people and to
0:50 establish his kingdom good and godly
0:52 people have disagreed on their
0:55 interpretations of prophecy we don't
0:57 make it a test of spirituality or a
0:59 fellowship but the day of the Lord is
1:03 going to come it is a specific event and
1:07 it is a sure event he talks about the
1:10 times and the seasons God has his times
1:13 and God has his seasons Matthew chapter
1:17 24 and verse 42 watch therefore for you
1:20 do not know what hour your Lord is
1:23 coming and so when somebody gets on the
1:25 radio or writes a book or gets on
1:27 television and says he or she knows
1:30 exactly the day in the hour don't bother
1:34 to listen the day of the Lord is a
1:38 specific event it is a sure event but it
1:40 is a secret event he uses the phrase
1:45 here labor pains travail now the Lord
1:47 Jesus used a similar kind of language
1:50 when he talked about future events and
1:53 in fact this phrase a travail a woman in
1:56 travail is often used in the Old
1:59 Testament as a picture of sudden
2:03 judgment coming now it's also a secret
2:07 event he talks about the thief verse 2
2:10 for you yourselves know perfectly that
2:11 the day of the Lord so comes as a thief
2:14 in the night by the way the Lord Jesus
2:17 used that same phrase in his Olivet
2:18 discourse each
2:21 about the thief coming if the man had
2:23 known when the thief was coming then he
2:25 would have watched and would not have
2:28 allowed his house to be broken into and
2:30 so the day of the Lord the times and the
2:33 seasons the thief in the night and the
2:36 travail these four terms tell us what
2:38 the day of the Lord is like it is a
2:42 specific event it is a sure event it's a
2:45 sudden event and it is a secret event
2:49 when people are in false security then
2:52 they are going to say peace and safety
2:56 and then sudden destruction is going to
2:59 come it's going to catch people by
3:01 surprise now he said it's not going to
3:03 catch believers by surprise because we
3:06 know that these events are coming we
3:08 don't know when but we're going to be
3:10 prepared for them you see the problem in
3:12 Thessalonica was that the people
3:14 actually thought they were already in
3:16 the day of the Lord
3:19 second Thessalonians chapter 2 now
3:22 brethren concerning the coming of our
3:24 Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering
3:26 together to him he says what we're
3:28 looking forward to seeing Christ and
3:32 being with him we asked you not to be
3:36 soon shaken in mind or troubled it's a
3:38 picture of a boat going up and down in a
3:41 storm either by spirit or by word or by
3:43 letter as from us as though the day of
3:45 the Lord had come they thought they were
3:46 already in the day of the Lord
3:48 Paul goes on to explain that before the
3:51 day of the Lord can come there has to be
3:54 the great apostasy the revelation of the
3:57 man of sin however our Lord can return
3:59 at any time according to scripture and
4:03 therefore we are looking for him to come
4:07 knowledge in contrast to ignorance now
4:10 in verses 4 and 5 we have a second
4:12 contrast that's a contrast between light
4:15 and darkness but you brethren are not in
4:17 darkness so that this day should
4:20 overtake you as a thief you are all sons
4:23 of light and sons of the day we are not
4:26 of the night nor of darkness the Bible
4:28 says there's no gray area there's no
4:31 shadow area you're either in the lighter
4:32 you're in the door
4:34 darkness in Genesis chapter 1 verse 4
4:37 God divided the light from the darkness
4:40 and God's been dividing the light from
4:43 the darkness ever since we like to live
4:46 in the shady areas we say well I want
4:47 enough light to see where I'm going but
4:50 just enough darkness to enjoy some of
4:52 the things of the world Paul said we
4:54 don't live like that a series of
4:57 contrasts here light and darkness for
5:01 example God is light first John 1:5 God
5:04 is light this is the message that God is
5:08 light in him is no darkness at all this
5:10 speaks of the holiness of God the glory
5:14 of God God is light now without light
5:17 there can be no life if the light of the
5:19 Sun were to go out we'd all die God is
5:22 light now Satan is identified with
5:27 darkness in Luke 22 53 Jesus said this
5:29 is your hour and the power of darkness
5:33 hell is identified with darkness satan
5:35 is identified with darkness the devil
5:39 always keeps his crowd in the dark Judas
5:42 went out and it was night and for Judas
5:45 it has still been night God's people
5:47 know what is going on so God is light
5:50 Satan is identified with the darkness
5:53 now saved people are identified with
5:56 light 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 and
6:00 verse 14 Paul asks the question what
6:02 Fellowship has light with darkness it's
6:03 a good question
6:06 and the answer is none if the darkness
6:08 comes in there's no light if the light
6:10 comes in there's no darkness I recall
6:12 some years ago a pastor friend of mine
6:15 illustrating this whole idea of
6:17 separation now he wasn't talking about
6:19 light and darkness he was talking about
6:22 poison and water and he had two glasses
6:25 in front of him in one glass was pure
6:27 clean water as pure and clean as he
6:30 could get in the city and in the other
6:32 glass he had put some ink and some other
6:34 things and here was a glass full of a
6:38 dark liquid and he took a little dropper
6:39 a little eyedropper and he took a few
6:42 drops of the dark liquid and dropped it
6:44 into the white liquid into the pure
6:45 clean liquid
6:47 we couldn't even see it but it was there
6:50 he said now how much does it take to
6:52 defile this liquid well of course the
6:55 answer is just one drop we'll do it now
6:57 light and darkness are the same way in
7:00 Ephesians chapter 5 Paul talks about
7:05 this verse 8 for you were once darkness
7:08 not in darkness but darkness but now you
7:11 are light in the Lord now walk as
7:14 children of light verse 11 have no
7:17 fellowship with the unfruitful works of
7:21 darkness but rather expose them that
7:22 doesn't mean go around making a nuisance
7:25 of yourself it means reprove works of
7:27 darkness when you see them light and
7:30 darkness speak not only of God and Satan
7:33 and the saved and the unsaved but they
7:37 are also symbols of holiness and of sin
7:39 this is the message that we give to you
7:43 that God is light in him is no darkness
7:47 at all in 1st John chapter 1 verses 6 &
7:50 7 if we say that we have fellowship with
7:53 him and walk in darkness we lie and do
7:56 not practice the truth but if we walk in
7:59 the light as he is in the light then we
8:01 have fellowship one with another and the
8:04 blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses
8:06 us from all sin there's a contrast
8:09 between holiness and sin when you think
8:11 of holiness you think of the light when
8:13 you think of seeing you think of the
8:14 darkness there's also a contrast between
8:18 the truth and lies thy word is a lamp
8:22 unto my feet a light unto my path psalm
8:26 119:105 this is truth God's Word is
8:29 truth lies our darkness the light of the
8:33 word of God exposes the lies in the
8:37 darkness notice verse 6 of 1st john 1 if
8:38 we say that we have fellowship with him
8:41 and walk in darkness we lie and do not
8:44 practice the truth so on the one hand we
8:46 have truth which is light on the other
8:49 hand we have lies that's darkness
8:52 there's also a contrast between love and
8:54 hate if we're walking in the light
8:56 there's going to be love if we're not
8:58 walking in the light there's going to be hatred
8:59 hatred
9:03 first John chapter 2 and verse 11 well
9:06 we should start with verse 10 he who
9:08 loves his brother abides in the light
9:10 and there's no cause for stumbling in
9:12 him but he who hates his brother is in
9:15 darkness and walks in darkness and does
9:17 not know where he is going because the
9:20 darkness has blinded his eyes you see if
9:22 we're in the light we're gonna be
9:24 practicing love if we're not in the
9:26 light we're going to be practicing
9:28 hatred of course light speaks of the
9:32 glory of God and darkness speaks of the
9:36 shame of sin Paul said that in Ephesians
9:38 5 didn't he since a shame even to talk
9:41 about the things that these people do
9:44 and have no fellowship with the
9:46 unfruitful works of darkness it is
9:49 shameful even to speak of those things
9:53 which are done by them in secret light
9:55 speaks of life in him was life and the
9:59 life was the light of men and the light
10:02 shines in the darkness Jesus said I am
10:04 the light of the world he that follows
10:06 me shall not walk in darkness but shall
10:09 have the light of Life but darkness
10:12 speaks of death doesn't it wherever
10:15 there is the light of God's truth the
10:17 light of God's word you're going to find
10:19 life wherever there's the darkness of
10:22 Satan's lies you're going to find death
10:25 sin is a killer
10:29 the wages of sin is death and of course
10:32 ultimately light speaks of heaven
10:36 darkness speaks of Hell Jesus compared
10:44 Hell to outer darkness Jude verse 13 for
10:47 whom is reserved the blackness of
10:50 Darkness forever that's quite a
10:53 statement isn't it not just darkness the
10:56 blackness of darkness and not just the
10:58 blackness of darkness occasionally but
11:02 forever as hell hell is outer darkness
11:05 now heaven is light I don't know how
11:07 many times I have read at funeral
11:11 services the statement in Revelation
11:12 chapter 21 and
11:15 - about heaven and there shall be no
11:19 night there they need no lamp nor light
11:21 of the Sun for the Lord God gives them
11:23 light and they shall reign forever and ever
11:24 ever
11:26 oh how wonderful it is to walk in the light
11:33 now we've come to the third contrast in
11:35 verse six the contrast between watching
11:39 and sleeping therefore let us not sleep
11:42 as others do but let us watch and be
11:45 sober now what does it mean to watch the
11:47 word means to be awake to be like a
11:50 watcher back in those days they didn't
11:53 have the police forces that we have and
11:55 all the different things that we have
11:57 for protection and so they had watches
12:01 they had Watchmen on the walls on the
12:02 towers and they would watch they would
12:05 scan the horizon watching for the enemy
12:07 well they had to be awake they had to be
12:11 alert you see in chapter 4 verses 13
12:14 through 18 the word sleep refers to
12:18 death but in chapter 5 the word sleep
12:21 refers to a moral condition the
12:22 condition of those who have never
12:25 trusted the Lord Jesus Christ now the
12:28 Lord Jesus is coming as a thief he's not
12:31 coming a thief he's not a thief Satan is
12:34 the thief but Jesus is coming as a thief
12:36 a thief does not send you an
12:38 announcement telling you he's going to
12:41 come and rob your house the thief really
12:42 comes when nobody's around nobody's
12:45 watching and then he comes in and takes
12:46 what he wants
12:48 therefore we must be watching we must
12:51 watch carefully because the Lord Jesus
12:54 is coming as a thief in the night but we
12:57 must also watch joyfully you remember in
13:00 the parable of the bridesmaids five of
13:03 them went to sleep and and when they
13:04 woke up they didn't have any oil for
13:06 their lamp it's a picture of being ready
13:09 when the bridegroom comes we aren't
13:11 simply watching for the Lord Jesus to
13:13 come we are watching for the bridegroom
13:16 to come and claim his bride and so we
13:20 watch carefully alertly joyfully and
13:24 obediently we're working as we watch and
13:26 we're watching as we work and by the way
13:29 I can't think of anything that motivates
13:32 us to do a better job for the Lord than
13:34 the fact that he may come back at any
13:39 time this matter of watching is a secret
13:41 of victory it's a secret of victory over
13:43 the flesh
13:47 now Romans chapter 13 beginning at verse
13:53 11 and do this knowing the time that now
13:55 it is high time to awake out of sleep
13:58 for now our salvation is nearer than
14:00 when we first believed the night is far
14:03 spent the day is at hand therefore let
14:06 us cast off the works of darkness and
14:09 let us put on the armor of light and let
14:12 us walk properly as in the day not in
14:14 revelry and drunkenness not in
14:17 licentiousness in the lewdness not in
14:20 strife and envy but put on the Lord
14:22 Jesus Christ and make no provision for
14:25 the flesh to fulfill its lusts
14:26 you see when you're watching for the
14:28 Lord Jesus to come it gives you a
14:30 victory over the world it gives you a
14:32 victory over the flesh and watching
14:34 gives you victory over the devil he
14:36 likes us to go to sleep doesn't he be
14:40 sober be vigilant for your adversary the
14:44 devil goes about as a roaring lion
14:47 there's a world out there that needs to
14:49 be reached and you and I are the ones
14:51 God has chosen to reach it now what are
14:53 we going to do are we going to sleep or
14:55 are we going to watch and be alert so
14:58 that when he comes he can say well done
15:02 good and faithful servant now in verses
15:04 7 and 8 we have a fourth contrast
15:08 between the outsiders and the believers
15:12 the others and those of us who are saved
15:15 verses 7 and 8 contrast soberness and
15:18 drunkenness for those who sleep sleep at
15:21 night and those who get drunk are drunk
15:24 at night but let us who are of the day
15:28 be sober putting on the breastplate of
15:31 faith and love and as a helmet the hope
15:34 of salvation soberness
15:37 he's talking here about an attitude of
15:41 mind where we have clear thinking and
15:43 controlled living that's what soberness
15:46 means just take a person who's drunk he
15:48 doesn't know how to think clearly he
15:51 thinks he sees all kinds of things and
15:53 hears all kinds of things he lives a
15:57 life of illusion he lacks sound judgment
15:59 and certainly he lacks self-control he
16:02 can't walk straight he can't drive
16:04 therefore the opposite of drunkenness is
16:07 soberness and that means clear thinking
16:12 and controlled living the problem was in
16:14 Thessalonica that some of the Christians
16:18 had gotten into a frenzy over the second
16:21 coming of Jesus Christ they'd gone off
16:25 on the extremes in prophecy as a
16:28 consequence their lives were not what
16:29 they ought to be for example some of
16:31 them quit work they said well if Jesus
16:33 is going to come back there's no sense
16:35 working and that we can spend our time
16:37 praying and worshipping and perhaps
16:39 doing some other things Paul had to warn
16:43 them in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 get
16:44 back to work
16:46 the best thing you can do when Jesus
16:49 comes is to be faithful now the
16:52 illustration is that of a soldier he
16:53 talks about the armor doesn't he in
16:57 verse 8 let those of us who are of the
16:59 day be sober putting on the breastplate
17:01 of faith in love and as a helmet the
17:03 hope of salvation he said live like a
17:06 soldier a soldier is always ready always
17:09 ready to move always ready for a new
17:12 command always ready for danger always
17:15 ready for opportunity and he reminds us
17:19 that faith hope and love are the pieces
17:21 of the armor that we put on now he
17:23 expands this further in Ephesians
17:25 chapter 6 by the way it's rather
17:28 interesting you take this word sober in
17:30 first Peter and see how it relates to
17:34 faith hope and love 1st Peter chapter 5
17:39 verses 8 and 9 be sober be vigilant
17:42 because your adversary the devil walks
17:44 about like a roaring lion seeking whom
17:47 he may devour resist him steadfast in
17:50 the faith now 1st Peter chapter 1 and
17:55 verse 13 therefore gird up the loins of
17:58 your mind be sober and rest your hope
18:01 fully upon the grace that is to be
18:03 brought to you at the revelation of
18:04 Jesus Christ
18:07 soberness leads to faith soberness
18:11 encourages hope 1st peter chapter
18:16 or verses 7 & 8 but the end of all
18:19 things is at hand therefore be serious
18:22 and watchful in your prayers that word
18:25 be serious means to be sober be sober be
18:27 serious and watchful in your prayers and
18:29 above all things have fervent love for
18:33 one another there's love sobriety is
18:36 connected with these great Christian
18:38 virtues of faith hope and love when a
18:41 person is living by faith living in hope
18:44 living in love he's going to have a
18:49 sober sensible serious life it's too bad
18:51 that many Christians go off the deep end
18:53 on these things and don't get sober and
18:55 balanced well we've looked at for
18:59 contrast between the believer and the
19:01 unbeliever with reference to the day of
19:02 the Lord
19:06 knowledge versus ignorant light in
19:10 contrast to darkness watching contrasted
19:13 to sleeping soberness contrasted to
19:16 drunkenness and now verses 9 through 11
19:21 salvation contrasted to wrath for God
19:23 did not appoint us to wrath but to
19:26 obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus
19:30 Christ who died for us that whether we
19:33 wake or sleep we should live together
19:37 with him therefore comfort each other
19:39 that means encourage each other and
19:44 edify one another just as you also are
19:47 doing the culmination of all of this is
19:50 going to be salvation for the believer
19:54 condemnation wrath for the unbeliever
19:57 now if you have never trusted Christ as
19:59 your Savior you are condemned already
20:03 right now he that believeth on the son
20:05 is not condemned he that believes not is
20:08 condemned already because he has not
20:09 believed in the name of the only
20:12 begotten son of God and the book of
20:15 Revelation describes this awful day of
20:19 judgment and wrath well what are you
20:20 going to do about it if you know Jesus
20:22 is your savior then you don't have to
20:25 worry about it God did not appoint
20:27 to wrath but to obtain salvation through
20:29 our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us
20:32 that whether we live or die we shall
20:34 live together with him whether we die
20:36 and go home to be with the Lord and come
20:39 with him when he returns whether we are
20:41 alive at the coming of the Lord it makes
20:42 no difference we're going to live
20:45 together with him he died for us and
20:47 therefore we are not going to taste of
20:50 the wrath of God he lives for us
20:54 in 1st Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 10
20:58 we have our posture described and to
21:00 wait for his son from heaven whom he
21:02 raised from the dead even Jesus who
21:04 delivers us present tense
21:08 he is constantly delivering us from the
21:10 wrath to come
21:13 and so because Jesus died for us and
21:16 because Jesus lives for us and because
21:20 Jesus is coming for us we are not going
21:24 to taste of the wrath of God we who are
21:26 alive and remain shall be caught up
21:28 together with them in the clouds to meet
21:31 the Lord in the air and thus we shall
21:36 always be with the Lord that is the
21:40 Blessed hope but what about the unsaved
21:43 well Peter has a word about that turn in
21:46 your Bible to 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse
21:49 9 but he is long-suffering toward us not
21:53 willing that any should perish but that
21:55 all should come to repentance the fact
21:57 that the Lord is going to come ought to
22:00 be a motivation for you to trust Jesus
22:02 Christ as your Savior the day of the
22:04 Lord will come as a thief in the night
22:09 says 3:10 of 2nd Peter therefore what
22:12 manner of persons ought ye to be the
22:15 Lord Jesus shall come what part of the
22:19 verse are you in the salvation part or
22:22 the wrath part oh I trust you have
22:24 believed on the Lord Jesus Christ
22:29 experienced his salvation in your heart
22:31 thanks for being a part of our back to
22:34 the Bible listening family so be sure to
22:35 come back again for more wisdom from
22:38 God's Word join us again on back to the
22:39 Bible radio [Music]
22:39 [Music] [Applause]
