“Encourage One Another” 2-12-23

Overview

Encourage One Another: "Jesus Has Got It"

Paul bookends 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 with a striking pastoral move. He opens by telling the believers they don't need anything written to them about the times and seasons, and he closes by commending them: "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing." Yet between those two verses, Paul writes anyway—because the encouragement Christians give one another is not a casual pep talk. It is grounded in something far weightier than "you've got this."

The middle of the passage describes the Day of the Lord coming like a thief in the night, sudden destruction falling like labor pains on a pregnant woman, with no escape. That is not a comforting picture if we are looking inward for confidence. Honest reflection on the news, on the suffering of those we love, and on the darkness of our own hearts forces us to admit: we don't have it. The psalmist confessed the same about Israel in the wilderness—"their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not true to his covenant" Psalm 78:37. Measured against God's perfect holiness, every one of us falls short, and Romans 4 reminds us that the law brings wrath. God's wrath is the righteous response of a holy God to sin.

But Paul's good news lands in verse 9: "God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." Just as Psalm 78 turns in verse 38—"Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them"—so Paul declares that believers are not in darkness. "You are all children of light, children of the day" (v. 5). This is not a command to figure out how to walk in the light; it is an identity given by Christ, who entered the darkness as the light of the world John 3:17, bore our sin on the cross, absorbed the wrath we deserved, and rose triumphant. Because of him, we belong to the day. So Paul calls us to stay spiritually awake and sober—not dulled by the false worship and disordered desires of the surrounding culture—and to put on "the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation" (v. 8). Guard the heart; guard the mind.

This is what Christian encouragement actually sounds like. Not "you've got this," but "Jesus has got it." He had it before the foundation of the world, when the Father, Son, and Spirit purposed our salvation. He had it on the cross, in the empty tomb, in the waters of baptism, and at the Lord's Table where he gives us his body and blood. And he has it every time one believer turns to another and says, "Your sins are forgiven in Christ." This is why we need each other. The community of believers exists so that we can keep speaking this gospel into one another's lives—not as a one-time word, but as the ongoing rhythm of life together. Like the Thessalonians, we are already doing it. And by God's grace, we keep doing it, building each other up in the One who has got us, and always will.

Transcript

If you would please open your Bibles to first Thessalonians chapter 5, it's on page 181 of the New Testament. 3s

If you're using a Pue edition of the Bible, we're in first Thessalonians chapter 5. 12s

I found out the topic for today's sermon in the sermon series one another. 21s

And it is encourage one another. 28s

And I was so excited that we get to talk about encouragement. 31s

So I'm going to go ahead and we're going to encourage one another right now. 36s

Okay, hip hip hip hip hip. 39s

You got this. 43s

You've got it. 45s

You've got it. 47s

I want you to turn to your neighbor. 47s

Look at them in the eyes and say, you've got this. 49s

Don't you feel so encouraged? 56s

Isn't everything so much better now that we've encouraged one another? 60s

So nice. 65s

So we're going to turn to our text now that we're feeling really good. 67s

Like we've got this. 71s

We're going to turn to our text. 72s

We're going to start with the book ends of this text, verse 1 and verse 11. 74s

So let's look at what Paul writes. 79s

He says, now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need 81s

to have anything written to you. 87s

We're going to jump down to 11. 89s

Therefore, encourage one another and build up each other as indeed you're doing. 91s

The church didn't even need anything written to them. 100s

They're already so encouraging to one another just as we just encourage one another. 104s

But there is some space between those two verses that does have writing within it. 111s

Why? 121s

Why would Paul continue to write? 122s

Well, we're going to check out the in-between right now. 125s

Let's look at verse 2. 129s

For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in 131s

the night. 136s

When they say there is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them 137s

as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and there will be no escape. 144s

Hip hip hooray. 153s

You got this? 158s

You got this? 161s

Does that sound encouraging? 162s

Do you have comfort when you hear those verses of people being lulled into a false sense 165s

of peace and security until sudden disaster comes upon them? 176s

That it will be like a woman in labor? 183s

Sudden destruction and remember when Paul is writing this, childbirth, delivery, labor pains, 187s

that was a very uncertain time. 194s

Many women died in childbirth. 197s

So when the labor pains came on, there was some chaos. 200s

There was a big sense of uncertainty and unknown of what was happening. 204s

And catch that at the end. 211s

No one will escape. 215s

No one will escape. 219s

You've got this? 222s

You've got this. 226s

How? 228s

How? 229s

How do we as a collective people got this? 230s

How do we have it? 236s

In that moment, when in laps of judgment or laps of awareness, we utter the Lord's name in an 239s

impure manner, how do we have it then? 249s

How do we have it? 256s

How have we got it? 258s

In that moment, when we try to work out a way, a scheme in our minds for obtaining the 260s

new car, the new job, more money, how have we got it in that moment? 269s

A moment ago, we turned to our neighbor and we said, you got this. 282s

And we meant it. 287s

Can you turn to your neighbor now and say, you got this? 290s

Could you look in the mirror right now and say to yourself, you got this? 297s

Because I look around the world, hear anything from the news, whether it is worldwide, 305s

nationwide, local. 313s

I don't got this. 317s

When I think about the relationships that we have, the people that we know, the suffering 321s

that our friends and family are going through, whatever their trial may be. 326s

Do they? 333s

Got it? 335s

When I think of my own life, the inner odds of the darkness of my sinful nature, do I 337s

got it? 347s

Do you got it? 351s

Every time we think we're going to do better that we're going to get it, that we motivate 356s

ourselves or we motivate others saying you got this every time. 363s

We don't got it. 373s

In Psalm 78, David is writing of the, and sorry, it's not David, it's a, it's a, it's a, 376s

the Psalmist, the liturgists of the temple, the tabernacle. 385s

They're writing of the plot and the time of the Israelites and how the Israelites in the 389s

wilderness, they are sustained in every manner by the Lord, every manner. 396s

And every single chance they get, we read how they rebel. 404s

They rebel and they try to take everything into their own hands. 412s

They try to got it. 416s

And in verse 37 of Psalm 78, we read, their heart was not steadfast toward him. 420s

They were not true to his covenant. 428s

They did not have it. 431s

And what is the result of turning from God, of not having it? 437s

When we think of holding ourselves up to the perfect holiness and the purity of God's 446s

law, what he has given us, what he has given to his people to say, this is perfection. 452s

When we hold ourselves up against that, we fall woefully short. 459s

And Romans chapter 4 says that the law, the law brings wrath. 468s

The result of not getting it, not living perfectly according to God's word, not living 475s

perfectly according to his holiness. 482s

The result is his wrath. 487s

The old and new testaments are both consistent that God's wrath is a response of a righteous 490s

God to sin. 498s

It is his anger in the face of evil. 501s

And it's the punishment that is for sinners. 505s

It's the punishment that is for sinners. 513s

We haven't taken a poll in a while. 520s

So we're going to take a poll. 522s

Raise your hand if you have never sinned. 525s

The results remain the same every time we poll. 532s

We remain sinners. 538s

We are sinners. 541s

We don't stand up holy and righteous under the law or to God's law. 543s

And if we don't stand up, what is the result? 555s

What is the punishment? 558s

It's God's wrath. 559s

I thought this was supposed to be encouraging. 563s

I thought this was supposed to be comfort. 567s

Let's look at verse 9, the first part of verse 9 of our reading. 573s

God has destined us not for wrath. 580s

God has destined us not for wrath. 586s

Looking back at Psalm 78, it says that their heart was not steadfast toward him. 591s

They were not true to his covenant, but we need to read verse 38. 596s

Yet he, that is God, being compassionate. 601s

Forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. 605s

Often he restrained his anger and did not stir up all his wrath. 610s

He out of his compassion did not destroy them. 618s

He did not let his wrath be stirred up. 625s

This is very, very good news for you and I. 632s

Let's look at verse 4 of our reading. 639s

You beloved. 642s

You beloved are not in darkness for that day to surprise you like a thief. 643s

For you are all children of light and children of the day. 650s

We are not of the night or of darkness. 654s

Do you hear that? 660s

That day that's coming like a thief in the night, 662s

the darkness, the sudden destruction, it's not for you to fret. 665s

Because God has not destined you to be experiencing his wrath. 675s

You are children of light. 685s

You are children of light and you are made children of light. 690s

Through God. 697s

Let's look at verse 9 again. 699s

God has destined us not for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord. 701s

Jesus Christ. 708s

Jesus Christ is the light who came into this world. 710s

And John 3, 17, the one that comes right after John 3, 16 that we all know. 714s

John 3, 17 says, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world. 722s

But in order that the world might be saved through him. 728s

You are children of light. 735s

You are not destined for wrath. 738s

You are destined to obtain salvation. 743s

And how do we obtain salvation, but through Christ and Christ alone? 747s

Paul does not write that you need to walk. 755s

Find your way to walk in the light. 757s

He writes that he says, you are a child of light. 761s

It is who we are. 765s

It is at the core of our being. 768s

It is our identity as a Christian people. 770s

He has made you his own. 774s

So it's not a matter of figuring out how to walk in the light. 780s

How to be a child of light. 786s

You are a child of light. 788s

It is the identity that you bear because Christ bore your sin upon the cross. 791s

Jesus died on our behalf. 802s

Jesus died the death of sin. 805s

Jesus took the wrath that is the result of our sin. 808s

And he took it upon himself. 813s

And this was the plan that was made before creation even began. 816s

And before the foundations of the world, the plan was that Christ himself would take the 821s

wrath of the Father, the punishment for our sin, the punishment, the justice that is our 834s

do and he would take it because he is the only one who can take it. 842s

He is the only one that can have the wrath of God laid upon him. 853s

And through that because of that you then are children of the light. 864s

Let's continue with verse 6. 870s

So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober for those 874s

who sleep at night. 880s

And those who are drunk get drunk at night. 883s

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober. 887s

A couple of words that we want to clarify here. 892s

Often when Paul writes about being asleep or having fallen asleep, he is talking about 895s

the physical death. 902s

In first-less lonions, he talks about that right before this passage that we're in. 904s

So sleep can mean the physical death. 910s

Here in this particular verse, he is talking about the spiritually dold. 914s

He's saying don't be spiritually dold. 921s

The other thing is that he links that with sobriety or with drunkenness. 927s

And this is all linked with night, with darkness. 934s

Now there was a little G. God dionises the God of wine who the Thessalonians would worship 939s

for the people of Thessalonica worship. 946s

And the worship services took place during the night. 948s

And part of what took place was, 955s

I'm trying to see how many little kid ears we have in here. 959s

It was craziness. 961s

It was craziness. 962s

A lot of drinking, a lot of lustful activity. 964s

It was not of the light. 967s

It was not pure. 971s

It was not good. 973s

And so Paul is writing and he is saying that you, you believers, you, children of light, 976s

you don't worship this false God. 985s

You don't worship Dionysus. 988s

You don't partake in the activities that are impure, 990s

that are wrong, that are wicked, that are evil, that take place in the night. 994s

But you, children of light, be sober, be alert, be a world. 998s

Where of what's going on, what's happening? 1005s

Don't be dull in spiritual faith. 1009s

Don't be lessen, don't be dull, don't be black. 1012s

In faith, you do not worship a false God. 1017s

You worship the one living Almighty true God. 1022s

Verse 8, since we belong to the day, let us be sober and put on the breastplate of faith 1030s

and love and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. 1037s

I love this picture that he gives. 1044s

In Ephesians, we get the picture of the whole armor of God and it's wonderful. 1049s

Here he is choosing the breastplate and the helmet. 1053s

Guard your heart, guard your mind. 1059s

What are we guarding our hearts with? 1063s

We're guarding our hearts with the breastplate of faith and love. 1065s

We're guarding it with knowing that Christ has died for us. 1068s

We can walk in the light because we have faith. 1074s

Because God loves us. 1079s

Encourage your mind with the helmet, knowing salvation, the hope of salvation. 1086s

We know that Christ took our sin upon Himself on the cross. 1094s

We know that Christ rose triumphantly from the grave. 1098s

And whatever we see are here around us outside of those that we've been called to faith together, 1105s

to live in faith together, we need to guard our hearts, guard our minds. 1114s

Because we will hear a lot, we will see a lot, we will experience a lot. 1120s

But we have God's assurance. 1126s

Christ died for your sins. 1128s

You walk in the light. 1134s

You are chosen by Him. 1137s

Guard your heart, guard your mind. 1143s

Guard it through the good word that God gives us. 1148s

Guard it with the people that He surrounds us with. 1153s

Christ died so that we may walk in the light. 1163s

And Christ called us into a community of believers so that we can remind one another 1170s

that Christ died for our sins so that we can walk in the light. 1179s

And the encouragement, the encouragement that we have here isn't, you've got this. 1187s

It's that Jesus has got it. 1195s

Jesus has got it from before the foundations of this world when the plan was made in the triune 1198s

of God, Father's Son and Holy Spirit, that we would not be destined for wrath. 1205s

Jesus has got it when He entered into humanity the light entering into the darkness. 1212s

Jesus has got it when He hung upon a cross taking our sins upon Him. 1219s

Jesus has got it when He experienced the wrath of God. 1224s

He died the death for our sin. 1229s

Jesus has got it when He was raised from the dead, raised triumphant over every single sin. 1233s

The thoughts and words and deeds, those that we know that we don't know, the things that 1242s

in God's mercy, He doesn't let us know we've done. 1249s

Jesus has got it when He calls us through the waters of baptism to be His own. 1256s

Jesus has got it when He delivers Himself, His body, His blood as we come to the altar. 1262s

Jesus has got it every time we see our brother or sister and we can say to one another. 1271s

Jesus has got it. Your sins are forgiven. 1283s

That is where we have the encouragement, that is where we have the comfort. 1292s

It's not about any of us having it. The good news is that we don't got it 1300s

because God has got it and God has got it for you. 1309s

We're walking in the light. We're building one another up. This is an ongoing thing. 1319s

It's not a one and done. This is part of the purpose of the community of believers, the life that we have 1326s

together to make sure that we encourage one another, that we continue to build one another 1334s

through His word and upon His word. Poll acknowledged that the believers were already encouraging 1340s

one another and that they were already building one another up. He wasn't calling them to do something 1348s

new. He was calling them to be exactly who Christ had created them to be as children who walked 1355s

together in the light. They were already doing it. We have a good and gracious and merciful God 1364s

that He created us, that He knew we wouldn't have it but that He would and He does and that He 1383s

calls us into this community of believers, that we can encourage one another and build up each other 1396s

as indeed you are doing. 1407s