Are You Awake To The Power of Peace, Prayer And Praise?
Good Morning Friends,
In Chapter 5 of 1 Thessalonians we have an exhortation desperately needed by the church today. Indeed, we are to be on watch with wisdom of what is to come. But maybe we are not to think about it in terms of terror and destruction but in terms of the incredible bounty of an abundance that has more time and resources than ever in all of history. Are You Awake To The Power of Peace, Prayer And Praise?
Scripture: Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. Beloved, pray for us. Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-28 (NRSV)
Message: We may understand the times and seasons but miss the relevance of the Old Testament message of the Day of the Lord as it relates to the Second Coming. The story in the Old Testament divides time in two parts, the present age which is bad and is going to be replaced following a period of terrible judgement with a very good Golden Age of God. The New Testament tells us that Jesus’ Second Coming will be with the stealth of a thief in the night but that first the treasure of the Holy Spirit of God is taken away. And that is when hell breaks loose. And it will happen at a time when “peace and security” seem to prevail. It has been compared to a woman going into labor, for at this point she cannot change her mind. It is too late for anything but to go through with childbirth. Perhaps also for some who do not have Jesus in their heart it will be like Satan entering Judas before his betrayal of Christ. Such will be the shattering of one world and the birth of another. It will be a time of sudden judgement but not such that we should be kept unaware of what is happening. If we are watchful and sober we can be ready. For if we are already living with Christ, and Christ is in us, God need not find us unprepared for what is to come. That is what Paul has been writing about in this letter. It is a sobering thought that the world cannot escape the terrible judgments of God. And there is a bit of trepidation but also hope in the reality that the way we can manage the situation is to find the means of escape provided in Jesus Christ our Lord. C. S. Lewis describes with a sense of urgency the Second Coming in this way:
God is going to invade this earth in force, but what is the good of saying you are on his side then when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else, something it never entered your head to conceive, comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing. It will be the time when we discover which side we have really chosen whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.
Friends, it is very important that we understand that God’s delay of this event is to give people a chance to see what is happening in their lives and to choose the redemption that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But despite this terrible picture of gloom and darkness, there will be some who will not go through this time of trouble. There is a way of escape. For true believers the good news is that they will not go through the tribulation. We are to obtain salvation though Jesus Christ.
Pray we are children of the light. Pray we ponder the good advice to the called-out assembly of God given by Paul. Pray we not leave our assignment. Pray we use the time we have been given well. Pray we rejoice in our spiritual gifts. Pray we be joyful even in the face of suffering. Pray we encourage and build one another up. Pray our praying be without ceasing. Pray we give thanks in everything. Pray we not quench the Spirit. Pray we not despise prophetic utterances. Pray we examine everything carefully. Pray we hold fast to that which is good. Pray we abstain from every form of evil. Pray we be at peace on with another in the power of praise. Pray we fight the good Spiritual fight against evil. Pray for each other that we not only believe but are filled with the presence of Jesus in our lives to overflowing.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 