The Coming of the Lord (Part 4 of 6)

Devotional

Day 1: Sudden as Lightning, Unavoidable as Birth Pains

Jesus’ return will split history like a flash across the sky—no advance notice, no countdown clock. It’s as unstoppable as labor pains, crashing into a world distracted by hollow promises of “peace and safety.” For those unprepared, it will rupture routines and reveal every illusion. But for those awake, it’s not a threat—it’s the long-awaited reunion. The question isn’t when, but whether we’re living like we believe it’s inevitable. [02:09]

“For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
(Matthew 24:27-28, ESV)

Reflection: What daily habit or distraction makes you most vulnerable to forgetting Christ’s sudden return? How could you reorient one routine this week to reflect readiness?

Day 2: Sons of the Light, Not Daughters of the Night

Darkness isn’t just a metaphor—it’s the birthplace of confusion, addiction, and despair. But Christ’s followers have been surgically removed from night’s grip. They’re defined by light: clarity, hope, and a quiet confidence that outlasts chaos. This identity isn’t earned; it’s implanted. Like a tree absorbing nutrients, believers draw from Christ’s life until their very faces glow with stubborn joy. [06:05]

“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your life still feel “boarded up” like a darkened room? What specific step could you take this week to let Christ’s light expose and heal that space?

Day 3: Awake, Alert, Sober in the Daylight Hours

Nightshift living—drunkenness, numbness, reckless choices—belongs to those who’ve given up on dawn. But believers work daylight hours: minds sharp, hearts steady, scanning the horizon for the first hint of sunrise. Alertness isn’t anxiety; it’s the disciplined rhythm of people who know their labor matters. They don’t waste energy on conspiracy theories—they stockpile good deeds like winter firewood. [17:13]

“So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, ESV)

Reflection: What “nightshift habit” (mental, relational, or spiritual) most often lulls you into drowsiness? What practical accountability could you establish to stay awake?

Day 4: Purity Proving Our Hope in His Appearing

Moral compromise isn’t just failure—it’s amnesia. Every ethical cut corner whispers, “He isn’t really coming back.” But holiness is the believer’s proof of life, the tangible echo of resurrection power. It’s not about rulebooks; it’s about a heart so saturated with Christ’s presence that sin feels like suffocation. Purity isn’t the price of heaven—it’s the preview. [19:03]

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
(1 John 3:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: What compromise have you rationalized as “not that bad” that actually dulls your hunger for Christ’s return? What concrete action could you take today to break its grip?

Day 5: Night Is Coming: Work While the Daylight Lasts

The clock ticks toward two certainties: Christ’s return and humanity’s final inability to respond. This collision of urgency fuels evangelism—not as a guilt-driven duty, but as the natural overflow of people who’ve seen the forecast. Every conversation, every act of kindness, every whispered prayer becomes a flare shot into the gathering dark. The night is coming, but the harvest isn’t finished. [20:30]

“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
(John 9:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life most needs to hear your story of moving from darkness to light? What’s one way you could courageously share that truth before week’s end?

Sermon Summary

Paul refuses to let the Thessalonians get lost in times, dates, charts, and curiosities about Christ’s return. Christ’s return is secret, sudden, unavoidable, and separating. The thief picture makes clear that the day will come unexpectedly, while the birth pains picture makes clear that it will come inevitably. Matthew’s picture of two in the field and two at the mill makes clear that this day will bring a division no one can evade.

Paul turns from curiosity to identity: “But you, brothers.” The children of God are not in darkness, so the day will not catch them in the same way it catches unbelievers. Unbelievers will hear the loud command, the archangel’s voice, and the trumpet blast and ask, “What in the world’s this?” The believer will say, “It’s Jesus.” The difference lies in the radical change Christ has made: once darkness, now light in the Lord; once without hope, now waiting for God’s Son from heaven.

The gospel does not offer an external program for better behavior. Christ does not merely say, “Shape up, pull your socks up, and try harder.” Christ comes to people in deep trouble, bears the penalty for sin, and lives in those who trust him. The life of Jesus within produces the lifestyle of Jesus without, just as life in a tree produces leaves on its branches. Identity is key to activity. Moralism calls for a lifestyle without life, but the gospel gives life that shows itself in a changed lifestyle.

Paul’s “so then” brings the necessary strategy. The children of light must not become walking contradictions, saying one thing and living another. Light in the Lord must live as light in the Lord. Watchfulness rejects dreamy cluelessness and moral indifference. Sobriety calls for self control, discipline, and moral alertness.

The hope of Christ’s return therefore presses on two places. Moral purity becomes a real test of whether someone longs for Christ’s coming, not a shelf full of books or a polished view of eschatology. Zealous evangelism follows as well, because the day is coming when no one can work. Curiosity must be put in its place, identity must be lived out, and Christ’s commission must be carried into a dark world.

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Key Takeaways

1. Curiosity must not replace obedience. Christ’s return is not given to satisfy speculative appetites. The secret day calls for humility rather than date setting, and the sudden day calls for readiness rather than endless analysis. The separating day makes idle fascination especially foolish when souls need the gospel. [05:15]
2. Identity comes before Christian activity. The gospel does not begin by demanding a better performance from people who remain unchanged inside. Christ brings people out of darkness and into his marvelous light, making them new before calling them to live new. External religion is empty when it is detached from the indwelling reality of Jesus Christ. [11:40]
3. Light should be visible in life. The children of light need not manufacture a religious sign for everyone to see. A life marked by truth, joy, purity, and integrity becomes its own witness in a dark place. Light that shines consistently gives weight to the words that follow. [13:33]
4. Watchfulness includes moral self control. The return of Christ does not produce dreamy speculation but alertness. Hope in Christ’s appearing purifies habits, choices, private thoughts, and the ordinary patterns of home life. A person’s real expectation of Christ is seen more clearly in daily conduct than in eschatological vocabulary. [19:03]
5. The coming day compels evangelism. Christ’s return brings separation, and the night is coming when no one can work. The church therefore cannot settle for a happy little class turned inward upon itself. The light of the world must carry the gospel to those still living in darkness.

## [19:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:47] - Times and Dates Are Not the Point
[01:41] - Christ’s Return Will Be Sudden
[04:03] - An Unavoidable Day of Separation
[05:40] - Children of Light, Not Darkness
[07:43] - Knowing How the Story Ends
[09:31] - Christianity Is Not Moralism
[12:13] - Life in the Tree Produces Leaves
[15:57] - The Strategy of Watchfulness
[18:35] - Moral Purity and Zealous Evangelism
[23:19] - Go Into All the World

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Verse 1: “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.” [00:47]

Verse 2: “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” [01:41]

Verse 3: “While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” [04:03]

Verse 4: “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” [05:40]

Verse 5: “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” [05:40]

Verse 6: “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” [16:15]

Verse 7: “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.”

Verse 8: “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” [17:55]

Verse 9: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Verse 10: “who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”

Verse 11: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Matthew 24:36–44

Verse 36: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” [04:26]

Verses 37–39: “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” [04:26]

Verses 40–41: “Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.” [04:26]

Verses 42–44: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [04:03]

1 John 3:2–3

Verse 2: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Verse 3: “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” [19:03]

John 9:4–5

Verse 4: “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” [20:13]

Verse 5: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” [20:13]

Observation questions

In 1 Thessalonians 5:2–3, what do the pictures of a thief and labor pains show about the day of the Lord? [04:03]
What contrast does Paul make between those who are “in darkness” and those who are “children of light” in verses 4–8? [05:40]
What words does Paul use in verses 6–8 to describe the proper response of people who belong to the day, and what do those words rule out? [16:41]
In Matthew 24:37–44, what are ordinary people doing before the coming of the Son of Man, and what does Jesus command his followers to do instead? [04:26]

Interpretation questions

Why does Paul move so quickly from the uncertainty of “times and seasons” to the identity of believers as children of light? What does this suggest matters most when Christians think about Christ’s return? [05:40]
Paul says that believers will not be surprised by the day “like a thief” in the same way as those in darkness. How can Christ’s return still be unexpected while Christians are genuinely ready for it? [06:11]
What is the difference between trying to produce Christian behavior by sheer effort and the changed life that comes from Christ living in his people? [09:31]
According to 1 John 3:3, why is moral purity connected with hope in Christ’s appearing? What kinds of everyday choices reveal whether that hope is real? [19:09]

Application questions

Where is curiosity about the future most likely to distract you from clear obedience in the present—news, social media, conversations, books, or something else? What would it look like to put that curiosity in its proper place? [05:15]
Paul says that Christians are children of light and children of the day. In what setting is it hardest for your identity in Christ to be visible: at home, at work, online, with friends, or when no one else sees? [12:35]
A life in which Jesus is present produces a changed lifestyle, like a living tree produces leaves. Where have you seen evidence of Christ changing you, and where do you most need his life to work more deeply within you? [12:13]
Watchfulness includes saying no to moral carelessness and saying yes to alertness and self-control. Is there a habit, entertainment choice, private thought pattern, or relationship where you have been spiritually sleepy? What might alertness look like this week? [17:05]
If someone spent an ordinary week alongside you—at home, in the car, in your conversations, and in your use of time—what evidence would they see that you are hoping for Christ’s return? [19:21]
Christ’s return brings a real separation, and the time for gospel work will not last forever. Who is one person living in darkness whom you could intentionally serve, pray for, or speak with about Jesus this week? [19:59]
Paul ends by calling believers to encourage and build one another up. How can this group help one another live as children of light rather than merely discuss the return of Christ?

Sermon Clips

“If the genius of Van Gogh could come and live in me, I could paint that kind of picture. If the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write that kind of play. And if the reality of Jesus can come and live in me, then I can live that kind of life. That's the gospel, you see.” [00:09:51]

“That's not Christianity. That's moralism. That's externalism. Christianity is, you're in deep trouble. Jesus died to get you out of the deep trouble, but unless you admit you're in deep trouble, you ain't never getting out of it. So, first you got to admit it.” [00:10:28]

“We can't put ourselves in the right situation with God. That's why God came in the person of Jesus Christ and died upon the cross, not to show us how much he loved us, but to pay the penalty for our sin, which did show us how much he loved us.” [00:08:39]

“I couldn't agree more. But when life comes into the tree, then leaves appear on the branches. Not by an act of Congress, but as a result of the intake of that resource. And when Jesus comes to live within a life, then there's lifestyle. And so says Paul, "There's the deal."” [00:12:07]

“That's got to tell you something. In other words, don't be a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction. Don't be saying one thing and living another thing. You are light in the Lord. Therefore, live as light in the Lord.” [00:16:41]

“Your identity has been changed. The day won't surprise you like a thief because after all, he says, picking up on this metaphor of light and darkness, you're all sons of the light and sons of the day. We don't belong to the night or to the darkness.” [00:06:47]

“And as unbelievers, we live in darkness. We are born into darkness. We're on the road that's full of darkness, and our our eyes are dark. Therefore, our whole body is dark unless we hear the words of Jesus saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." And suddenly, he turns the light on.” [00:15:48]

“To be called to activity without an identity is to live in externalism, which is bogus and worthless and fast style and empty and trivial and irrelevant. And the world looks on and says, "I want none of it." And frankly, I couldn't agree more.” [00:11:52]

“The real question of whether I favor and long for the return of Jesus Christ is not going to be answered by looking at the books on my shelf. It's not going to be answered by articulating my view of eschatology. It's going to be answered by you coming in my house, walking in my shoes as it were, driving in my car, listening to my music, and watching my videos, and reading my books. And me the same for you.” [00:19:09]

“Light has come into the world that men love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” [00:14:27]

“We were once darkness, but now we're light in the Lord. That's Ephesians 5. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9, we were once not a people, now we are the people of God. We once lived in darkness, but now we've been brought out of darkness and into his marvelous light.” [00:07:00]

“And what's happening in pulpits all across this city this morning on rally day and come to church day and this next day, it is people are being called to a lifestyle without any life. And it is the worst possible thing I can imagine to do Christian stuff without knowing why or how.” [00:11:06]

“As long as it is the day, says Jesus, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. And when I am not in the world, when I am not incarnated, when I am not walking the Jerusalem streets, you're the light of the world.” [00:20:13]

“If you know that curiosity is to be avoided because the day is secret, the day is sudden, and the day will bring separation, then you got a pretty good head start on what God wants you to do.” [00:05:06]

“Moral purity is one of the key indicators that a man or a woman is saying no to curiosity, saying yes to their identity, and is impacting the strategy.” [00:19:35]

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