Left Behind

November 19, 2017 Year A Left Behind 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Exegetical Aim: To remind the children of Christ’s second coming. Props: A wall clock Lesson: Does anyone know what time it is? Right now, do you know what time it is? (Responses) How can you tell what time it is? What do we look at to see what time it is? (response) Good, a clock, or a watch. Look what I’ve brought today. A clock. Maybe all of you do not know yet how to tell time. So I’ll quickly explain. Briefly describe the hands and the numbers on the face of the clock. What time do we usually get up from bed in the morning? (response) What time do we eat lunch? (response) A joke about the length of the sermon would be appropriate to evoke laughter from the congregation. Let’s see, what time do we eat supper? (response) Well, what time do we go to bed? (response) Now here’s the big question. Jesus told His disciples that one day He would come again and bring His kingdom to earth. The question is . . . what time will Jesus come again? (Let the children think for a moment and let them respond) Application: The Bible reminds us that Jesus will one day come again. But it also reminds us that no one knows what time He will come. So we shouldn’t spend a lot of time wondering about that, even though some people do. What the Apostle Paul wanted the people to know was that Christians should be ready for Jesus to come any time. Now when Jesus comes again, how do you suppose He will want to find us acting? Hatefully or lovingly? (response) Hurting others or helping others? (response) Speaking badly about someone or encouraging them? (response) That’s right. It doesn’t matter what time it is for us to act in a Christian way. And because we do not know what time Jesus will return, we always want to be ready when He does come. So the next time you see a clock, remember that we don’t know what time Jesus will come, but that there is always time to act like a Christian. Let us Pray: Gracious God, thank you for letting Jesus come back to us someday. Until He comes again, help us always to act like Christians should. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ChristianGlobe, , by Brett Blair 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11Common English Bible (CEB) The Lord’s coming 5 We don’t need to write to you about the timing and dates, brothers and sisters. 2 You know very well that the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, “There is peace and security,” at that time sudden destruction will attack them, like labor pains start with a pregnant woman, and they definitely won’t escape.4 But you aren’t in darkness, brothers and sisters, so the day won’t catch you by surprise like a thief. 5 All of you are children of light and children of the day. We don’t belong to night or darkness. 6 So then, let’s not sleep like the others, but let’s stay awake and stay sober. 7 People who sleep sleep at night, and people who get drunk get drunk at night.8 Since we belong to the day, let’s stay sober, wearing faithfulness and love as a piece of armor that protects our body[a] and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 God didn’t intend for us to suffer his wrath but rather to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 Jesus died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with him. 11 So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already. Footnotes: a. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 Or breastplate Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Author Doug Mendenhall shares a brief parable that should cause all of us to pause and reflect: Jesus called the other day to say he was passing through and [wondered if] he could spend a day or two with us. I said, "Sure. Love to see you. When will you hit town?" I mean, it's Jesus, you know, and it's not every day you get the chance to visit with him. It's not like it's your in-laws and you have to stop and decide whether the advantages outweigh your having to move to the sleeper sofa. That's when Jesus told me he was actually at a convenience store out by the interstate. I must have gotten that Bambi-in-headlights look, because my wife hissed, "What is it? What's wrong? Who is that?" So I covered the receiver and told her Jesus was going to arrive in eight minutes, and she ran out of the room and started giving guidance to the kids—in that effective way that Marine drill instructors give guidance to recruits. … My mind was already racing with what needed to be done in the next eight—no seven—minutes so Jesus wouldn't think we were reprobate loser slobs. I turned off the TV in the den, which was blaring some weird scary movie I'd been half watching. But I could still hear screams from our bedroom, so I turned off the reality show it was tuned to. Plus, I turned off the kids' set out on the sun porch, because I didn't want to have to explain Jon & Kate Plus Eight to Jesus, either, six minutes from now. My wife had already thinned out the magazines that had been accumulating on the coffee table. She put Christianity Today on top for a good first impression. Five minutes to go. I looked out the front window, but the yard actually looked great thanks to my long, hard work, so I let it go. What could I improve in four minutes anyway? I did notice the mail had come, so I ran out to grab it. Mostly it was Netflix envelopes and a bunch of catalogs tied into recent purchases, so I stuffed it back in the box. Jesus doesn't need to get the wrong idea—three minutes from now—about how much on-line shopping we do. I ran back in and picked up a bunch of shoes left by the door. Tried to stuff them in the front closet, but it was overflowing with heavy coats and work coats and snow coats and pretty coats and raincoats and extra coats. We live in the South; why'd we buy so many coats? I squeezed the shoes in with two minutes to go. I plumped up sofa pillows, my wife tossed dishes into the sink, I scolded the kids, and she shooed the dog. With one minute left I realized something important: Getting ready for a visit from Jesus is not an eight-minute job. Then the doorbell rang. Used with permission from author. Doug Mendenhall, "Getting Prepared for the Arrival of Jesus," www.reporternews.com (9-24-09); submitted by Kevin Miller, executive vice president, Christianity Today International If you knew for sure that Jesus was on his way to see you how would you prepare? What would you do? How long would it take to occur to you that it is too late to go to the store to pick up anything, too late to clean the house, too late to get all of your vices out of the house. Our lesson for today is when Jesus comes – don’t be surprised, don’t be afraid, and do not despair. Those who are facebook friends know that I make a point to decorate my kitchen table every month. You might not realize that there are two focal pieces that stay the same. There is a sign that says in everything give thanks, and there is a full table setting always on the table. The setting is not for me, the setting is for Jesus. If he ever needs a place to crash while he is on earth, he has a dedicated place at my table. It reminds me to be prepared for Jesus to come. To live my life prepared, and not expect to get ready on the spur of the moment. Being prepared for Jesus can take a lifetime. Today we look at the second half of Paul’s message to the Thessalonians about the apocalypse. There has always been a lot of talk about what will happen at the end of the world. And there are always kind prophets who have secret information about when and how it will happen. Paul reminds us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It will be like nothing you have ever experienced before. In Matthew 24 Jesus himself says that God is the only one who knows for sure when the Day will come. Jesus says that not even he consciously knows when it will happen. When you see the signs, you know that it is time to be prepared. Robby Robins was an Air Force pilot during the first Iraq war. After his 300th mission, he was surprised to be given permission to immediately pull his crew together and fly his plane home. They flew across the ocean to Massachusetts and then had a long drive to western Pennsylvania. They drove all night, and when his buddies dropped him off at his driveway just after sun-up, there was a big banner across the garage—"Welcome Home Dad!" How did they know? No one had called, and the crew themselves hadn't expected to leave so quickly. Robins relates, "When I walked into the house, the kids, about half dressed for school, screamed, 'Daddy!' Susan came running down the hall—she looked terrific—hair fixed, make-up on, and a crisp yellow dress. 'How did you know?' I asked. 'I didn't,' she answered through tears of joy. 'Once we knew the war was over, we knew you'd be home one of these days. We knew you'd try to surprise us, so we were ready every day.'" Lee Eclov, in the sermon "Heaven," PreachingToday.com I am not being cynical in preaching on the end of time. If I didn’t preach on Thessalonians, the scripture in Matthew 25 is also about being prepared for the second coming. As a matter of fact, that will be the theme of scripture for the next three weeks. Next Sunday is the last day of the lectionary calendar. And the first Sunday of advent is the first week of December. Advent always starts with the second coming and goes backward to the first coming. The whole point of advent is being prepared for the coming of Christ. So for the next two weeks we have to be prepared to be prepared. We have to remember, not to be surprised, not to be afraid, and not to despair, whatever life may bring. Have you noticed that as life goes on, there is more things that we fear about the future. As we listen to the news, it is easy for us to wonder if we will even have a future. And we stress out on how we will face the future. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. Paul is trying to convince us that we have to trust God, He says God didn’t intend for is to suffer wrath, but to possess salvation. Paul calls us children of the light. For Paul there are two kinds of people, whose who live in darkness and those who live in light. He says that we are the children of the light, we have to work while it is light, we have to live in the light, and we have to do the things that thrive in the day. During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives: On May 19th, 1780 the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought." Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we're to be lights as we watch and wait. Harry Heintz. That is why I feel that it is so important to be left behind. There was a series of books and movies that talked about being left behind. Those left behind are those who are forsaken by God, and have no hope. There are a lot of people out there who live in darkness because they truly believe that they are forsaken. It takes the faithful to spread the message that God loves everyone. That God will be with us no matter what, and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. In the 1500’s after the protestant reformation, a group of church members put together the Heidelberg catechism. 129 questions and answers that help us to understand what it means to have faith in Christ. The very first question ask – what is your only comfort in life and in death. The answer – Jesus is our only comfort in life and in death. If Jesus is our comfort, we have no reason to be surprised, no reason to be afraid and no reason to despair. Paul final message, which we will hear again in advent is to stay awake and to always be ready. Are You Ready? The matter of being ready is of such supreme importance that our Lord has not left us without kindly admonition, and as willingness to serve naturally leads to preparedness for service, how vitally important it is that we consider what He has to say on being ready. Ready to give the gospel (Rom. 1:15). Ready for every good work (Titus 3:1). Ready to distribute (I Tim. 6:18). Ready to give an answer (I Pet. 3:15). Ready to go where the Lord leads (Luke 22:33). Ready to feed the flock (I Pet. 5:2). Ready to die for the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13). Ready to be offered (II Tim. 4:6). Ready for His coming (Matt, 24: 44; 25:10). Ready also in receiving the Word and searching the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so (Acts 17: 11).—J. T. Bougher. Amen. Additional illustrations…… Kerry Gandy of Maumelle, Arkansas tells of the time when his wife and he decided it was time for them to get their bodies into shape. They knew there were all types of programs, clubs, books, etc. that promised to get them to their goal. There was one thing, however, that really looked like their cup of tea, that being aerobics. They decided they would start an aerobics exercise program using their VCR. As the alarm rang the next morning, Kerry Gandy anticipated the thought of starting a new program to help him attain a body like “RAMBO.” As soon as they got the kids off to school they plugged in their aerobic tape. As the lady started going through the different motions with Kerry and his wife, Janet, following her every move something hit Kerry like a ton of bricks. He realized that to achieve this goal of having a body like “RAMBO,” it was going to take some time, in fact it was going to take a lot of time. After about five minutes into the program, he was panting--he couldn’t catch his breath; he was perspiring profusely, his heart was throbbing in his throat and pounding in his ears. He thought he was about to die. At this time he turned to his wife and said emphatically, “This is hard stuff.” This had no more cleared his lips, when he heard the aerobic instructor say, “Now that we are warmed up . . . let’s begin our exercise.” This particular program had a split screen--one for the regular workout, and a smaller one for women who were pregnant--he says he followed the smaller screen. This led him to two thoughts: First of all he says, it is amazing what people are willing to put themselves through for a healthier life. Would that we would see the importance of doing the same with our spiritual life. Two, when we follow Christ, we need to understand that at times we may feel it’s time to throw up our hands and quit. That’s when we need to realize that we have just warmed up and it’s time to become a true soldier of the cross. People of the day. Biblically there are only two kinds of people--those who seek to be soldiers of Christ and those who give no thought each day to who they are and to whom they belong. To which camp do you belong? Hope is hearing the melody of the future. Faith is to dance to it. Rubem Alves, Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 4. A college professor had the mysterious habit of removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket as he walked into the lecture hall each morning. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket and leave the room. No one ever understood why he did this, until one day a student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor didn’t miss a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head. The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball… No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester! (from Cybersalt Digest) A college professor had the mysterious habit of removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket as he walked into the lecture hall each morning. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket and leave the room. No one ever understood why he did this, until one day a student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor didn’t miss a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head. The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball… No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester! (from Cybersalt Digest)