1 Thessalonians 5:3-11 (Part C)

Churchgoing self we should relation.

How will I untie this boy. He and not how do I unscramble fine doesn't have it, you don't get it. It doesn't mean you going to go to hell. You're free to disagree. This to me. Clear teaching of the church and not perish for what prophecy matters, and the more you understand God's program, the more useful you become in God's program. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Thessalonians. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now, here's Pastor Rick. In Revelation chapter 3 again he'll begin there today and then continue in first Thessalonians chapter 5 on today's edition of cross reference radio. I met the door. I'm knocking to get in. You think I'm in there I'm out here and you are open to let me in, but if you do open. You'll be apostate. No more will open will they not don't know so this idea of things being absolutely absolute is bothersome to those who are outside of the Lord's truth.

You know, there are two ways to be right-hand.

You're the right-hander you your left-handed there's not two ways to be right-handed and this idea that there are absolutes is essential to our preaching the gospel to say to a lost world. Listen, God has established that there are absolutely and there are some things that are gray zones there. Many of those things in life as we call them but how can there be two ways. If there is one truth can't be so would this important that the individual resolve this.

I know when I became a Christian I was so happy to ditch every file idea about God's world about my head before he reached me, and this is what is I think the mark of the Christian. One of the marks of the Christian is that once they are born again. Everything else is gone.

Ethnic identity, their color of their skin. The language that they speak all that goes way down to the bottom. The only thing that stands up salvation.

They have been the recipient of so God makes no room at the cross synthetic gods and neither do we. We should have no respect for Ara because God does not have respect for error. There's not an auxiliary Savior, or an auxiliary salvation or an auxiliary church. There's one is one Lord and God over that church and his name is Jesus Christ and you want people to go to hell.

Just don't tell them about Jesus Christ. Well, he also says we are not of the night or of darkness. You know, the longer you save the less I think understanding you have this kind of thinking we look at liberalism today.

Political liberalism, and we scratch our heads.

Why is it that anything decent. They hate, they seem content with burning down the house they live in upon themselves.

It's a madness. It's a sickness that certainly is demonically energized, engineered, and maintained, and we look at this and we just say this is madness. Well that's what the Angels must be saying when they see human beings vary the evidence that is inescapable concerning the person of Christ Jesus. We are so susceptible to this, that even you will been born again for decades know that Satan has a return visit. His follow-up visits for you.

He has hope that he is going to cause you to fall away from the faith and God says that should never happen. There is no reason for that. And so verse six we continues is therefore that space and everything is been say let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

How can we sleep when we know what's going on for one of the beauties of prophecy.

As you know what's happening you know what's going on.

You're awake to these things. Some of you remember that show the low the invasion of the body snatchers. You know, there were those that were going on they could see what was happening that, for the sake of making the point is what's going on. Hopefully with Christians, we are alive and we are watchful this word that he uses here in verse six, where he says therefore let us not sleep as others that word in the Greek for others is an interesting lesson in it. It really means remaining ones it really reads this way all build up in a moment.

He says therefore let us not sleep, as the remaining ones. That is the ones left behind. That's the meaning of that in the Greek, the Greek scholars tell us that there are three words used for others. There is almost those of the same kind like you're in a team that different people but the same team same time there is Hess Ross. Those of a different kind in all apples and oranges. And then there is alloy parts, which is used here those of the remaining ones or remnant the rest. That's with that Greek word means is properly translated. Others in the context of everything Paul is saying to us, and so he is reading that verse five. Again, this is therefore let us not sleep, as those left behind is prophetic. It is anticipatory. Ephesians chapter 3 verse two, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others same Greek word there. Ephesians 2 verse three Paul uses just as those left behind. So when you hear someone say limited why I think the churchgoing soft great tribulation.

He disliked because it did. How do I untie this Gordian knot. How do I unscramble find it.

Doesn't have it you if you don't get it, doesn't mean you going to go to hell. You're free to disagree with this, to me, clear teaching of the church and not perish for but prophecy matters in the more you understand God's program more useful. You become in God's program and the more you push it away. I mean listen. There are Christians that they put the same energy they put into their career or their family or their portfolio or their hobby or whatever it is they put some of that energy into God's house the church the local church which is part of the universal church be fierce as an army with banners we have in this church. I think we have an extraordinary amount of believers.

Nebuchadnezzar could walk around his kingdom look out to see the gold in the marble and all the things eluted from other countries at the hanging Gardens of Babylon is good and safe. This is not the great Babylon I have built pastor of a good church to walk around and see the people and it's like cold marble in the hanging Gardens's business, not the great church.

God is building you appreciate what God has done you know what it does. You know how it counts know that it is meaningful. He continues in verse six he says, but let us watch and be sober. Sober is exact to the Greek. Don't be filled with the wrong stuff. All restaurants of the stuff that alters your state of consciousness reliability that renders you harmful to others.

A menace and unstable. We are all vulnerable to stimulants that intoxicate us spiritually and physically put on talking spiritually because Paul is talking spiritually of course, at this point, we must avoid nod nod nod like some of you might be doing right now.

Nod inducing pleasures. Luke's gospel chapter 12 verse 13. Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master. How can you not love that even if you going through tough times. As a Christian you say listen, I know that's required of me. When I'm done with this tough time. I'm getting back up on the wall where I belong going to serve verse 70 continues for those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night we come out at night with a veil around them covers them sleep is used metaphorically to identify the living dead to God, they all live physically there dead spiritually.

The born again are live physically and alive spiritually living dead or unconscious of God are outside of his blessings God wants to alert them.

You can give a solution and that's what we are here for in the moment. We are no longer the good church is on earth.

The local churches. The moment they are no longer useful. They will be taken out miraculous so lost souls.

They sleep in the face of eternity where supposed to be awake, he says, and those who get drunk are drunk at night and capable of reacting the way they should be is never been a time for the church to be truck there never will be a time by definition were drunk means destabilized unacceptable behavior and people can be drunk with power with sexual loss family with career with font.

I mention some of those things already. Those things render us useless. If we let them get out of hand. I don't live for my family. I love my family as much as any of you and I would fight to the death to protect my family. But the main thing for me is Jesus Christ and I try to have it be the same way with them.

I want to be my wife's second love. I want to be my daughter's and my son's second love.

The first one being Christ Jesus. They get that one right. They are invincible and I want them to be invincible against what is coming their way. And what is that time in the presence of from God, you who date date someone who loves Jesus more than you, you who are about to get married get married to someone who loves Jesus Christ more than you.

I'm not talking about those who abuse it.

I'm not going to feed my family cousin called on those people need a spanking actually can upgrade that to be down but anyway that is nonsense is never preached in the Scripture. Those of you who already doing it. You know what I'm talking about those of you who want and are filled with the spirit, God will instruct you and these things because he's the one that is taught as he tosses the Luke's gospel chapter 14, by the way, in verse 23, 2411 family, your wife. We love this is more than me is not worthy of me and so he comes now. Verse eight he says. But let us who are of the day, be sober, the distinction us again. First day in them putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope of salvation. Here again, Paul's preferred triad. He mentions faith, hope and love and first Thessalonians chapter 1 again right here. He does it in first Corinthians 13 and again in Ephesians 6. Faith always leads to action. Love is action. Love is a verb for the Christian hope is the energy that supplies these two items he says. But let us who are of the day be sober. Church in the early days in his view at his birth on its birth day. The very first day the church came to life.

They were accused of being drunk by those who did know what was going on. Peter stands up and says these are not drunk, as you suppose is not a clock in the morning. I include as we would say today is probably getting to be in all's way of saying it but still makes the point. Listen to this in Romans is this not energizing this is to you who say you are Christians that you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Paul says not lagging and diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Romans 1312 the night is far spent the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light and so he says putting on the breastplate of faith and love drunk straight up St. Suda. That's the way it's supposed to be while they're out having a good time point poisons into them.

We are supposed to be about the kingdom. Can we have any fun. As Christians, of course, have rest, relaxation not to be fun at the expense of others sought to be funded begins to dominate us you know if you know people that live to be happy. You know that their problem for people always want to have fun a very shallow or is it experience them when I'm saying always wants to have fun. I want to have fun too. But there are times that I work for classes saying that we have and so anyway if you serve the Lord God. What you dismiss his truth, you are delusional. You cannot serve the Lord Jesus Christ with lies and without truth there is no true God is makes perfect sense.

He says, and as a helmet the hope of salvation is hard to sleep with armor one partner to sleep because if you're exhausted you can sleep anyway.

I'm reading this book again about the of the occupation in Holland, the Nazi occupation and young lady who lived the story said she was so exhausted. At one point and trains were so crowded that she fainted in the crowded transfer, the Nazis would let them ride in certain cars all the people of the pile in to the use of the train. The sheep fainted standing up and there's a whole the story she goes into about how miserable it was in little things like that.

During that period of time with the church is not to be falling asleep with her armor on armor is to be turned in scorched and scoffed indented, but some still have theirs in the box it never put it on, even allowing which of the front of the backend is mint condition. I want to go to heaven and good losses. I'll take your armor use it as a museum piece, the breastplate of faith protect the issues of the heart, the helmet of salvation to protect our thoughts and keep our senses about us on our overall his body armor to help us to stand for righteousness was the first person that we are to face with armor. Satan no young believer. No, it's ourselves as the first person we've got a face was against Jesus Christ. That sinful nature.

The carnal nature are if you are really we Christian you been so for years I can accept that but what I don't want to accept is that you are content with it.

You can still be stronger and be weak is not. We any of us to get stronger in Christ we know we are still weak. Paul said that when I am weak I am strong as its strength of Christ that then kicks in for me. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ know again what does someone who believes the church goes with Richard is talking about the great tribulation.

The day of the Lord God not appointed us to this were appointed to salvation as a people, as a church as an entity not appointed to wrath.

It is the day of the Lord. As Isaiah said against sinners.

Now the not there in the Greek we are told again by Greek scholars that it is an emphatic, not we would say something like this for God has never ever appointed us for this wrath. That is the emphatic use of this verse were not appointed to wrath, and I'm going to take one verse from second Thessalonians because I've been referencing it quite a bit. Second Thessalonians chapter 2, and there in verse seven, will we find out.

The church escapes this.

And how it happens is talking about the great apostasy that's going to come upon the earth, the rise of antichrist. How he defiles the temple of God makes himself to be God. He says that in verse four second Thessalonians. Speaking of anticrisis who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God is with Satan. Satan tempted Eve with the same temptation that he fell for within his own heart with verse seven is where were told in second Thessalonians mosses for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.

Only he is the Holy Spirit who now restrains because he's the only one that can will do so until he is taken out of the way. One of the Holy Spirit come upon the human society as an entity at Pentecost the birth of the church and so that is a reference to the church.

You may say I don't agree that that's fine. Moving on, and so he says, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ not limited salvation from sin only but expanded through being saved from Daniel's 70th week and saw a brief overview this global event coming by antichrist. When the seals are open.

In addition to the world sharing immorality and the absence of Christianity. Communism's behavior. Islam's behavior liberalism's. All of the quest for power will be centered in this one person the beast from the sea.

I make that distinction because in Revelation 13.

You have to beast that show up there's the beast from the sea, antichrist, and there is the beast from the earth's profit and of the beast from the sea is the incarnation of evil is sort of it is like when Judas Iscariot began to decide that I am not going to follow this Jesus Christ I'm going to betray him. He was already wrong when he sits at the last supper with the Lord and the Lord says what you do go to quickly.

Scripture tells us Satan entered his heart is supercharged. That is what's going to happen with antichrist.

He is going to be against Jesus Christ from the beginning what that 3 1/2 year.

Kick sin. He will turn to the beast. He will be just out of control with this is madness. He moves to exterminate the great tribulation converts that will be coming to Christ there churches that abort rights in Ocala Costa Mesa bought rights to broadcast the messages of Chuck Smith up in July 2050 and so these things are still going to be out there. Some of you will try to be cyber but you can't get rid of it all, God will allow it destroys the armies that challenge him. He tries to exterminate annihilate Israel and he will end up tells us in Revelation 18 hating the apostate church, make her desolate.

It says in Revelation 1716 naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire as hatred. He hates the hypocritical church somewhat say we know if you're going to be a Christian. Christian.

But you wouldn't say you're Christian and your fraud. I can't tolerate the hat. Go figure that one out and then the beast from the earth. That's the false prophet of the antichrist.

He will be doing miracles lying wonders and everything these two are doing their administration is going to be totally on board with everything there about they going to be an expression thereof. We see this now we have government in place with the leader does not have to say you know what I want to promote abortion because all the people that these folks in government that believe in these things support so that there followers and their aides and their attendance. Their base so we seeing it in small doses, but there has what else is coming.

Apollyon and the locus from the abyss will be turned loose on men.

Then, in addition to that, the demons of the Euphrates, who alone kill one third of mankind. That's probably if you start factoring numbers now and give a little bit more for next 10 years the 4 billion people going to die at least on earth during this great tribulation. So this is what Jesus says unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

You want life without God's authority on earth I'm going to give you little dose of that is part of the judgment second coming of Christ will close with this read these verses the last two verses which don't require comment first Corinthians 1524, when he delivers the kingdom of God the father when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power that is the second coming of Christ with his church already having come forward. Isaiah 97 of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward. Even forever the seal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. As you can take that to the bank.

Revelation 1920 then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet beast from the sea and the earth who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 2010. At the end of the thousand year. The millennial reign of Christ. We read the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are they be tormented day and night forever. You satellite take up God. Thessalonians 510 who died for us. Reading verse nine. Again, just to keep it in context regarding not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him and so in other words, God says your mind, dead or alive. To the church. Verse 11. The sun is therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing so I don't know how you can come gray this powerful thing exists in the first five chapters of the Thessalonians about church escaping this horrible time coming to the earth and still say you get it from the Bible. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of first Thessalonians cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio in your favorite podcast app as well. That's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. It's Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of first Thessalonians, right here on cross reference rate