11/09/2016

READINESS FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD

1 Thessalonians 5:1-8; Acts 1:6-8; Ezekiel 30:1-3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,2,11,31; Acts 2:19,20

The day of the Lord is different from the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Day is a day of worship where believers remind themselves of the divine provisions and benefits through Christ’s death; it is a day the Holy Spirit reveals deep truths of the Lord to enable believers move on in their Christian lives and get ready for the return of the Lord. On the other hand, the day of the Lord comes after the rapture of the saints, and precedes the establishment of the divine Kingdom on the earth. The Old Testament uses the expression, the day of the Lord, severally. It will be a time of punishment, devastation and destruction of people who reject God’s offer of salvation; it will be “a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon mountains: ... there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.” It’s a day of incomparable and unparalleled troubles, tribulations, persecution, punishment, devastation and destruction on the world. It is a day that has never been and will never be after it. The New Testament reveals that that day refers to the period of the great tribulation.

Therefore, all believers need to be ready so that day doesn’t come upon them unaware. “For when they (unbelievers) shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But let us (believers), who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” The believer must be different from the unbeliever. Whereas sinners are dead in sins and trespasses, believers must be awake. When the believer sleeps, the enemy sows tares among the wheat. Seeing he is waiting for the coming of the Lord, he must be alert lest the enemy brings corruption and carelessness, carnality and frivolity into his life. And as he prepares for the soon return of the Lord, the three companions – hope, faith and love – should be part of him.

1. THE DECEPTIVE PEACE OF SINNERS IN DARKNESS

1 Thessalonians 5:3; Jeremiah 8:11,14,15; 30:4-7; Isaiah 13:6-9; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Zechariah 14:1-4; 2 Peter 3:10-14

People who are not born again but shrug off the conviction of the Spirit are in darkness and cannot see the great dangers that lurk around them. As a result, they are relaxed and unperturbed as if there are no dangers. If a sinner does not repent of his sins, whatever peace he has or has been assured of is deceptive. Thus, some sinners and backsliders have allowed some people to neutralize the conviction of the Spirit upon their hearts to make right their lives. Rather than confess their sins and repent of them, they continue in their evildoing and rush to their destruction, the time of the great tribulation.

It is scriptural for believers, as watchmen, to warn people of the imminent danger of such deceptive peace. The prophets saw the pang and pain of the day of the Lord and described it that, “they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth” to “destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Mighty men that are trained to endure pains, problems and difficulties will not be able to endure the kind of difficulties that shall be witnessed during the great tribulation. Those who are so busy that they don’t have time for God and the truth shall be disappointed because “their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath”. It is a time of terrible trouble. Both the Old and New Testament speak about the day of the Lord and warn of the danger of knowing the doctrines and not living by it, of dressing like a Christian but not living like one, and of having the knowledge of the truth in the head and not having the experience in the heart. Many believers have even forgotten that this world shall end up in flames one day. How believers need to slow down on gathering of wealth, property, certificate, recognition and concentrate on how to prepare for eternity and rescue others from hell! If there is any time believers need to separate themselves from the world, it is now. Before Jesus Christ establishes His millennial reign, this terrible day of destruction will come upon the world.

2. THE DESCRIPTIVE PICTURE OF SHINING DISCIPLES

1 Thessalonians 5:4,5; Ephesians 5:8-12; John 8:12; 12:35,36,46; Philippians 2:12-16; 1 Peter 2:9-12; 1 John 2:8; 1:5-7

Sons of light have peculiar picture. The Lord has left a very descriptive and clear picture of those who are getting ready for the day of the Lord. Such people are the shining disciples. Those who are born again and have tasted of the experience of Calvary; those who made Jesus Lord and Saviour and those who have seen the light of the glory of Christ are not in darkness. But a believer who surrounds himself with sinning friends will have his lone voice about heaven among myriads of voices talking about the world, politics, earth, marriage, family, children, achievements drowned. Such a believer should come out immediately as he risks losing his faith. The believer who has come out of darkness must ensure that his disposition and conduct reflect that of a child of light. He must constantly prove, examine and search what is acceptable unto the Lord and have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness. The reason is, those who abide in Christ do not abide in moral or spiritual darkness. Shining disciples do continually count their salvation so precious a possession that cannot be exchanged for anything. They do not allow careless friends or violent and wicked enemies to take away their salvation. Salvation is so important to them that they daily seek God for grace to work it out with fear and trembling. Called out of darkness, therefore, they “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul; having [their] conversation honest among the Gentiles”. They are different from their colleagues in the office and neighbourhood. They don’t participate in or help to promote anything that has to do with darkness because they are in the light.

3. OUR DILIGENT PREPARATION FOR THE SAINTS’ DESTINY

1 Thessalonians 5:6,8; Romans 13:12,13: 14:13,19; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 10:8-12; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:25,26; Philippians 3:15-19; 1 Timothy 6:8-12; Hebrews 4:1,16; 10:22-24; 12:1,28,29; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

Saints have a destination, a destiny. Their minds are focused on it in spite of distractions, persecutions, arrows and darts of the enemies. And there is need for preparations for that destiny. Preparing for this destiny is what saints are to commit themselves to. It takes preparation and commitment to be ready for the coming of Lord and to escape the danger that shall come upon sinners on the day of the Lord. The phrase, “let us”, runs through the scripture verses of consideration, emphasising what we are to do in the course of preparation. “Let us” cast off the works of darkness; put on the armour of light; walk honestly; put no stumbling block on another’s way; promote peace; edify one another; keep the feast with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth; avoid fornication – be clean and pure; avoid tempting Christ; avoid murmuring; be watchful to avoid backsliding; cleanse ourselves from fleshly and spiritual filthiness; walk in the Spirit; avoid vainglory, envying and provoking fellow believers and ministers to sin; walk by the same rule; mind the same thing; be content with what you have; make our minds to be among those who will enter God’s rest; come to God for His grace; come to God for cleansing and purification if there is any sin; hold fast – don’t be careless with your Christian profession; encourage others to be better in their faith; know our weakness and lay them aside; receive grace to serve God acceptably.

GHS: 208, 247, 207