Are You Ready for Jesus to Return - Pastor Diedrich Harms

Devotional

Day 1: The Bark of the Dog and the Thief’s Surprise

Awareness of Christ’s return isn’t about predicting dates but living with expectancy, like listening for footsteps in the night. The world feels stable, but earthquakes sink houses and storms erase neighborhoods. Jesus’ coming will be sudden, like a thief bypassing alarms. Yet believers aren’t meant to fear this surprise—they’re called to stay alert, not to dates but to readiness. Confidence comes from trusting the One who holds time. [05:58]

“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:2, NASB)

Reflection: What subtle “noises” in your life—shifting priorities, unresolved conflicts, or neglected prayers—might God be using to awaken your awareness of His nearness?

Day 2: Smoking on the Pile and the Father’s Awareness

God sees what happens in hidden corners, like a father who knows his sons’ secret mischief. Readiness isn’t about perfection but living transparently before Him. The Thessalonian church, young and imperfect, still walked in expectancy because they trusted Paul’s teaching. Our confidence grows not from hiding failures but from bringing them into Christ’s light. [08:45]

“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
(Hebrews 4:13, ESV)

Reflection: What “pile” are you still smoking on—a habit, thought, or relationship—that you’ve assumed God overlooks? How might confessing it deepen your readiness?

Day 3: Labor Pains and the Illusion of Peace

False security whispers, “All is stable,” while creation groans like a woman in labor. Sinking houses and fractured highways remind us this world isn’t home. Christ’s return disrupts complacency, not to terrify but to deliver. The church’s task isn’t to calm fears about the world but to point to the One who transcends it. [10:03]

“While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:3, NASB)

Reflection: Where have you settled for “peace and security” in temporary comforts rather than anchoring your hope in Christ’s eternal kingdom?

Day 4: Breastplates, Helmets, and the Battle for Focus

Faith and love aren’t abstract virtues—they’re armor guarding the heart against distraction. Just as phones drain attention, spiritual fog dulls readiness. Singing hymns, sharing Scripture, and limiting distractions refocus the mind on Christ’s return. The helmet of salvation protects thoughts from despair; the breastplate of love deflects apathy. [20:42]

“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 5:8, NASB)

Reflection: What “cell phone” habit—mental, emotional, or digital—steals your focus from cultivating faith and love? What one change could sharpen your sobriety in Christ?

Day 5: Chargers in the Kitchen and the Ministry of Nearness

Encouragement happens when we choose presence over isolation, like family gathering around phones left charging. Paul’s final command isn’t to speculate about Christ’s return but to strengthen each other’s resolve. Shared stories of grace, prayers in hard seasons, and simple reminders of hope build readiness collectively. [22:20]

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:11, NASB)

Reflection: Who in your life needs the “charger in the kitchen” treatment—a deliberate invitation into shared space and Christ-centered conversation this week?

Sermon Summary

Readiness to meet Jesus presses harder than readiness to die. Readiness for Jesus does not mean a person wants to leave children, grandchildren, and life behind, but it does mean the call of Christ would find that person ready to go. Paul tells the Thessalonian brothers that times and seasons do not need more writing, because the Father keeps that in his own hand. Jesus answers the disciples the same way in Acts 1: the kingdom timetable is not their business, but witness is their business, in Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

The Thessalonian church had only been taught a short time, and the word “soon” still raised questions. Jesus will soon return, and “soon” has felt long to many people, but Christ returns every day for somebody and one day for all. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, not announced, not scheduled, not put on a calendar. The thief image calls for awareness, like a house waiting for a visitor hears every noise and like a father knows what his sons have been doing even when they think he does not know.

Peace and security can make the world feel too easy and too comfortable. The sinking ground in Florida, the hurricanes, the tornadoes, and the houses breaking apart remind people that the ground cannot finally be trusted. The labor pains image says the day will surely come and suddenly come, and escape will not be possible. Paul says the brothers are not in darkness, so that day should not surprise them like it surprises those who have no light.

Children of light have Scripture, Jesus, and enough knowledge to live clean and ready before God. Sleep and drunkenness picture a foggy spiritual mind, a life not clear about where it stands with Christ. The breastplate of faith and love guards the heart, because the enemy attacks there. Faith is trust, trust that Scripture is God’s word and trust that Jesus died for sins. The helmet of the hope of salvation guards the mind, especially when feelings, doubts, phones, and the noise of the day feed the brain with the wrong things.

God has not destined his people for wrath, but for salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation does not rest on being good, feeling saved, church-going, baptism, or family background. Christ died so that whether awake or asleep, his people might live with him. Jesus calls sinners, sick people, struggling people, and ashamed people to come to him, tell him the truth, and receive peace. Verse 11 calls the church to encourage one another and build one another up, with Scripture, prayer, testimony, and help for the person going through a hard time.

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Key Takeaways

1. Readiness is not death-wishing Readiness to meet Jesus does not require a love for death or a desire to leave earthly responsibilities. A believer may rightly love life, family, and the future, while still holding the heart open before Christ. The deeper question is whether Christ’s call would find the soul settled, forgiven, and willing, not whether death itself feels welcome. [01:14]
2. Witnessing replaces anxious date-setting Jesus does not give the disciples the timetable they ask for, because the Father holds that knowledge. Christ gives them a task instead: to be witnesses. Curiosity about the end can become a hiding place from obedience, but faithful witness turns expectation into love for people who still need to hear. [02:10]
3. Comfort can dull holy awareness Peace and security can make life feel more solid than it really is. Sinking ground, storms, and sudden loss show that the world is not as steady as it pretends to be. Uneasiness can become mercy when it wakes the soul from being too comfortable here and turns it toward being ready for Christ. [11:39]
4. Faith guards the attacked heart The breastplate belongs over the heart because that is where fear, doubt, shame, and temptation often strike first. Faith is not a feeling that comes and goes, but trust in what God has said and what Jesus has done. Love and faith together keep the inner life from being pierced by the enemy’s arrows. [18:33]
5. Salvation rests on Christ, not feelings God has not put his people on a path of wrath, but on a path of salvation through Jesus Christ. Feelings may rise and fall, and personal goodness will always prove too weak to carry the soul. Salvation stands because Christ died, and the born-again child belongs to God’s family by new birth, not by mood or performance.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:14] - Ready to Meet Jesus
[02:10] - The Father Knows the Times
[03:40] - The Young Thessalonian Church
[05:33] - The Day Like a Thief
[09:18] - Spiritual Awareness in the Home and Church
[10:03] - Peace, Security, and Sudden Destruction
[14:30] - Children of Light, Not Darkness
[16:33] - Awake and Sober Before Christ
[18:11] - The Breastplate of Faith and Love
[20:24] - The Helmet and the Mind
[23:09] - Destined for Salvation, Not Wrath
[25:39] - Awake or Asleep With Him
[28:49] - Encourage and Build One Another Up

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NASB)
1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then, let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.

Acts 1:6-8 (NASB)
6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 But He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

Observation Questions

What two images does Paul use in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 to describe the suddenness of Christ’s return, and how do they contrast with the world’s attitude in verse 3?
According to Acts 1:7-8, what does Jesus redirect the disciples’ focus toward instead of speculating about God’s timetable? [02:10]
What practical examples from the sermon illustrate how “peace and security” can create spiritual complacency (e.g., sinking houses, storms)? [10:45]
How does the sermon explain the purpose of the “breastplate of faith and love” and the “helmet of salvation” in verse 8? [18:33]

Interpretation Questions

Why might the metaphor of a “thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2) be especially effective for urging readiness, and how does it connect to the idea of being “children of light” (v. 5)?
The sermon contrasts “witnessing” with “anxious date-setting” about Christ’s return. How does Acts 1:8 redefine what it means to live with urgency? [02:54]
In 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, Paul warns against spiritual “sleep” and “drunkenness.” What modern distractions or comforts might parallel these metaphors today? [21:38]
The sermon emphasizes that salvation “rests on Christ, not feelings.” How does 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 ground this truth in God’s action rather than human effort?

Application Questions

When was the last time you shared your faith with someone, and what practical step could you take this week to intentionally be a witness? [02:54]
What habits or comforts in your life might be dulling your spiritual awareness? How could you replace one of them with a practice that fosters readiness (e.g., prayer, Scripture, accountability)? [11:39]
The breastplate of faith and love guards the heart from attacks like fear or shame. What specific lie or struggle are you facing that requires you to “put on” trust in God’s promises today? [19:48]
If you knew today was your last opportunity to encourage someone, who would you reach out to and what Scripture or truth would you share? [28:49]
How can you intentionally build up or support a fellow believer this week who is experiencing doubt or hardship? [29:26]
The sermon asks, “What stands between you and God or another person that needs to be made right?” What relationship or confession have you been avoiding, and when will you address it? [13:40]

Sermon Clips

87s

#FaithIsTrust

“``Faith is trust. When we study scripture, we have trust It's the word of God. And, that trust helps us to believe. When you trust that Jesus died for your sins, and you've accepted that, you have faith, and that is trust. Have you trusted Jesus Christ for your salvation? And we have that as a breastplate of faith and love. Why do we need a breastplate over our heart? Because that's where we are attacked. That's where we are especially in the from the enemy. And we find that Jesus Jesus asked the question, will I find love when I come back? But if we put on the breastplate of love, the breastplate of faith, we have it, and we are ready.”

88s

#BornAgainJoy

“And today, I think ever done before ever before, we need to learn what trust is, what what faith is. We trust Jesus because many a times, the the struggles that we go through, the stories we hear, makes us doubt. And, we are not saved by feelings, we are saved by faith. We are saved because we trust what Jesus did is sufficient for me. are not your mom and dad's child because you feel like it, because you were born into the family, that's why you are their child. When we are born again, are born into the family of God, and we are his children because we are born into it. Jesus has not destined us for wrath. He has destined us for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. If he can really grasp that and understand that, it gives you a warm warmth inside. It gives you confidence, and it gives you great joy.”

61s

#FaithMadeSimple

“How do you explain faith to somebody who doesn't understand what it means? I've gone that through many many times in bible school with the students, and they had a real time to really receive that and accept that. But then, finally, it became clear. Faith is trust. When we study scripture, we have trust It's the word of God. And, that trust helps us to believe. When you trust that Jesus died for your sins, and you've accepted that, you have faith, and that is trust. Have you trusted Jesus Christ for your salvation?”

72s

#JesusListens

“Sometimes we have a lot of problems here on earth. Sometimes we struggle. Not just you. I struggled sometimes too. And it's so good if during that time we can call on Jesus and we can just tell him how we feel. We can tell him what we're going through, and he's gonna listen to us. He's gonna listen to you. And I I I can I don't know if I'm just thinking that or as I'm hearing that that some of you are saying, no? I'm too bad. I'm I'm I'm no good. Jesus the disciples the the the pharisees that they told Jesus to, why are you sitting with sinners? Well, he says the sinners need me. He said, I've come for the sick, not for the healthy. If you feel bad, Jesus loves you and he called you to come to him, but that feeling, give it to him. Ask him for peace and it works. I've done it many times.”

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