Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: I Thes. 5: 1-11 March 8, 2026

Message: “The Day of the Lord!”  

by Pastor George Gnade

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7:37

Introduction: 1. In the O.T., the phrase, “the Day of the Lord,” is often used to describe the day when God will judge the earth for all its sins (Is. 13:6-16). It is also closely associated with the day the Lord will save the faithful (Is. 27: 2-13). In the N.T., it is closely related to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

a. In I Thess. 5:1-2, it says: “Now brethren, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

b. Obviously, no one knows when a thief is coming. In the same way, no one knows when Jesus is coming again. 

2. Over the years, many Christians have tried to predict when it will happen. The day comes and goes. Jesus has still not returned.

A. Consider what we do know.

1. In I Thess. 5: 3, it says: “When people are saying ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come upon them suddenly…”

a. It is no wonder they will not expect it. It will be like the days before the flood. The Bible says “their thoughts were evil continually”. They were “marrying and giving in marriage.” In plain words, all they were doing is thinking about themselves. They had no idea that flood was coming.

b. Paul compares it to a pregnant woman, waiting to have a baby. Suddenly, her labor pains begin and get worse and worse. Some babies come early, some come late. Some seem to take forever, others come all at once. The point is women have a hard time predicting it and a harder time enduring it. Christ is coming again and we better be ready when He comes.

2. Vs. 4 gives us a little more insight. “But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.”

a. Please observe that while the world is caught totally off guard, the Christian who loves the Lord should not be caught off guard.

b. The world is living the night life. Vs. 7 describes what Paul means by that. “They that sleep, sleep at night. Those who get drunk get drunk at night.”

3. The world at large is spiritually asleep. They do not believe in Jesus or His promise to return. They do whatever they feel like doing. The Christian is called to stay sober and spiritually alert. That way we are not caught by surprise.

B. Consider the context of this passage.

1. Last week we studied I Thess. 4:13-18.  Paul did not want them to be ignorant about Christians who died before Jesus returned.

a. He promised them that a Christian who dies before Jesus returned was like falling asleep. His body is buried in the grave, but his soul goes to be with Jesus.

b. When Jesus returns, Jesus will wake them up, raise them from the dead, and take them to meet Him in the air where they will be united with those Christians who are still alive when Jesus comes.

2. In I Thess. 4:18, it says: “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

a. Notice, this church was truly living the Christian life. In I Thess. 1: 8, Paul shared how “your faith in God was known everywhere… They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God, and to wait for His Son from heaven…, even Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

b. Our present passage is confirming both of these truths.

3. Just as living in darkness is a good description of those who are lost, so in I Thess. 5:8, Paul defines the Christian as “belonging to the day”, putting on “faith and love as a breast plate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”

4. In this context, I Thess. 5:9-10 continues: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we wake or sleep, we may live together with Him.”

a. So I Thess. 4: 13-18 are describing how Jesus will save us  who puts our trust in Him, while I Thess. 5: 1-11 presents the same truth while warning the non-Christian of the danger of rejecting Christ and choosing to live like the world instead.

b. But both passages end the same way. In I Thess. 5:13, it repeats what Paul said in I Thess. 4:18. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are doing.”

In conclusion: 1. In our troubled world, we as Christians need to be encouraged. For the same reason, the Thessalonians needed to be encouraged.

a. In the early church, it took a lot of courage for Paul to share the gospel. He was often rejected and beaten, even thrown in jail, and ultimately killed.

b. The same was true for the converts living in Thessalonica. They were also persecuted for their faith. But they willingly accepted these challenges for the privilege of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.

2. The same is true in our day all over the world. Persecution is not the exception. It is happening to Christians everywhere. 

a. In John 15:18-20, Jesus told His disciples: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that they hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world. I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember… If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”

b. When Christians are allowed to be persecuted, it is not because God doesn’t love us. It is because He does love us. The problems God is sending on this world are not aimed at us, but at those who have turned against Him.

3. Remember Israel when they were slaves in Egypt. God sent plagues to rescue His people, but that did not mean the Israelites had it easy. Nor is it easy for us who love the Lord in our day. That is exactly why we need to encourage one another.

4. One last word based on our passage. As the world lives in sin and encourages others to sin, Paul told the Christians in I Thess.5:6 to “be alert and self-controlled.” 

a. Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus through the help of His Holy Spirit can give us self-control.

b. God’s Word warns us not to give in to sin, but to “put it to death” through the help of His Holy Spirit. This is what God mean when He tells us “to flee youthful lusts”

(Rom. 8:13; II Tim. 2:19-22). 

5. May God help us to live like the church in Thessalonica who chose to live for Jesus. As a result, God promised them that when He came again, they would all be taken to meet Jesus in the air and to live forever with the Lord. That is God’s promise to us as well.

6. May God encourage us with these words. Amen!