But you, brothers, are not in the dark, for this day to overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then, we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be serious. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-9 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)
The day of the Lord will come as a terrible shock to those who belong to the dark, while those who belong to the light will not be taken by surprise because they look forward to and expect it. The fact that the Lord Jesus could come at any moment should motivate unbelievers to turn to God, and believers to hold firmly to their faith.
Paul challenges us to go against the current of this world by not falling asleep or getting drunk like everyone else. We are to stay awake and be sober. There is a sleep and a drunkenness that is spiritual and deadens people to the reality of God, the sting of sin, the foolishness of the decisions they make, and the truth of God’s word. We’ve known people who say their vision is clearer and colors are brighter after a strong deliverance prayer — or that they feel like they’ve woken up from a dream and can finally live a normal life. When we have Jesus living inside of us it’s impossible to live in the dark.
Paul mentions God’s triple in this passage, three qualities that are spoken of at various places in Scripture: faith, hope, and love. These qualities are indispensable for anyone that wants to please God. Faith stimulates us to act on God’s promises, hope generates confidence in the future and in the genuineness of God’s promises, and love connects us to God and motivates our obedience to Him. Faith is like the 100 meter dash. It’s fast. It’s designed to win victories. On the other hand hope is like a marathon. It grows gradually, but keeps on growing, little by little throughout our lives. Heaven is a hope, so is the eventual salvation of our entire family. Hope is what makes us stable. But when it comes to love, the Bible says it is the greatest. Not a wimpy, gushy love, but a love like Jesus had that gave Him the strength to go to the cross for humanity, and win its salvation.
Decide right now that you will stay awake and be sober, and that you have not been born to suffer the wrath of God, but to enjoy the salvation of the Lord Jesus.
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