FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:6

The Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:6, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” Of course, the word “therefore” connects this verse to the previous verse. And the previous verse emphasizes the difference between true Christians and non-Christians. It says, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” There is a great difference between believers and unbelievers: the difference between night and day. Believers have the light of Christ that shines within their soul. Nonbelievers are still captured by darkness.

Because nonbelievers are in darkness, they do not look for, wait for, or hope for the return of Christ. One of the things that should be a major difference between believers and unbelievers is the fact that believers are looking for and have hope in the return of Christ. At least believers certainly should be. Every day one of the main ideas that go through your mind should be this: “Today Jesus might appear in the sky to deliver me and all other believers from the earth to be with Him forever.” Every day is a good day to think such a thought, and if you do so, you will not be a Christian who sleeps “as do others.”

First Thessalonians 5:7 says, “For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.” Those who do not look for the return of Christ are compared to those who are asleep and to those who are “drunken”. A person who is asleep is not aware of what is going on around him. A person who is “drunken” is incapacitated, and is unable to control his or her thought process.

There is a great difference between a true believer and an unbeliever because of the thoughts that they think. The spiritual battle takes place in the mind of man more than any place else. In speaking of three things that are a part of the spiritual armor of a Christian, the Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:8, “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” Notice that there is a breastplate and a helmet. These protect the two areas where a mortal blow could take place. The breastplate protects the heart and other vital organs, and the helmet protects the brain. Spiritually speaking, these things represent the mind and the soul.

We are involved in a great spiritual battle. Great and vicious attacks will be sent against our souls to harm us. But if we are protected by a breastplate and a helmet, we will survive the attacks. The breastplate is the breastplate of “faith and love.” Faith and love will conquer any attacks that come against us. There are many ways in which faith and love will win over the attacks of the enemy. When we have faith in Christ and in His promises, we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us. Jesus told us to pray, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” When something terrible happens, if we have been praying for God’s will to be done in our lives, then we know by faith that His will is being done. When something terrible happens, when we believe God’s promises, we know that it is not as terrible as it seems. There is a good purpose to whatever the good Lord allows to happen in our lives. We rely by faith on promises such as Romans 8:28 that says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are the called according to his purposes.”

A believer who is full of faith is not brought down, is not cast low, and is not overcome by some terrible spiritual attack against him. He is protected by the breastplate of faith. He is also protected by the breastplate of love. Think of some of the ways in which love protects us from attacks. When we love God, we are willing to accept whatever He allows to come our way. We love Him because He first loved us. When we love others instead of ourselves, we are more than willing to suffer loss when others gain. We are happy to see them gain even though we lose. Because we love them, we want good things to happen to them. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This teaching does not take away our legal rights, but it does greatly affect our attitude and response.

Hope will also protect us from mortal blows in the spiritual warfare. When we have hope in the resurrection of Christ, the worst of human sufferings, death, is rendered powerless. When we have hope in the return of Christ, then the things of this life are of little importance because we know they will pass away. We have set our affection “on things above and not on things below.” Therefore, the things that happen here on the earth are of little significance compared to what we are really hoping for: the return of Christ. Our hope is a helmet that protects us from the onslaughts of the enemy.

The Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:9, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” What we need to remember about this verse is that it is still in the context of the great teaching about the rapture. The rapture is tied to the concept of salvation. One of the benefits of being saved is that you are saved from the wrath of God in all of its forms. Through Christ you are saved from the wrath of God at the judgment. You are saved from hell: from the eternal wrath of God. And you are saved from the wrath that will be shed upon this earth at the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ. That is why every Christian will be a part of the rapture. Every Christian whether weak or strong is saved by the Savior and will enjoy all of the benefits of salvation including the deliverance from the earth at the appearing of Jesus in the air.

First Thessalonians 5:10 continues with this theme and says, “Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” Jesus died for us, was buried, and rose again. That is all that needs to be said. That is the gospel. Jesus died for us. Because He died for us, we will receive all of the benefits of salvation, including living forever with Him. We are now a part of Christ and a part of His life. While we are alive in this earth, we are a part of His life. When He comes for His children, all who are alive and who believe in Him will be taken up to be with Him. We are all “together with Him.” Notice the emphasis on the unity of all Christians with Christ: “he died for us.” “whether we wake or sleep.” “we should live together.”

The next verse continues with this theme of unity among the believers. First Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” The first word of verse eleven ties the verse back to verse ten. Because Christ died for all of us, and because we will live together with Him forever, we need to be involved with each other now. We need to “comfort” one another, and we need to “edify” one another. The word “edify” means “to build up.” Many people use their words to tear down. That is easy to do. But Christians should be builders and creators. If we follow the Lord and learn from Him, He will teach us to build up the other believers. People need to hear the right words at the right time. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pitchers of silver.”

The Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:12-13, “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.” If you are in a congregation of believers with a true pastor, this verse tells you to “know” the leader and the teacher. To know means to see, to perceive, and to recognize what is going on with this person. There may not be many left, but a true Christian leader has been set up by God and by Christ. This leader has great responsibilities. He is set in place in front of the believers. He has work to do: difficult and demanding work. His work involves what he says. In order to say what needs to be said, he must study. He admonishes you from the Word of God. He feeds you the spiritual meat of God’s Word.

Believers are told to do three things in regards to the Christian teacher: to know them, to esteem them, and to love them. The great work of teaching the Word of God demands teamwork. A teacher can do a few things by himself and teach a few sermons to a few people. But if he were known, esteemed, and loved by the Christians much more would be accomplished in his work. The work is what is important. That is why you believers are told to know the teacher and what he faces, to esteem him very highly, and to love him for the “work’s sake.” Many congregations have been torn apart because of those who did not have the right attitude to the pastor-teacher. It will require this attitude to God’s man for a congregation to “be at peace” among themselves.

Of course, the pastor is not the only one who has work to do in saying what needs to be said to other believers. There is no such thing in the Bible as leaving the work to the pastor to see what he will accomplish. It is a question of what will the congregation accomplish. Every believer has work to do in this regard. It says in First Thessalonians 5:14, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” One of the things that is interesting about this verse is that it says that believers should “warn them that are unruly.” The word that is translated “warn” is the same word that is translated “admonish” in First Thessalonians 5:12. The pastors are not the only ones who are responsible to teach others. All believers are given that responsibility. We are told to warn those who are unruly. Believers, more than anyone else, should be aware of the principle of retribution and how it works in life. God is a just Judge and He is still on the throne. “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” “God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

Believers are told to “comfort the feebleminded.” Those who are feebleminded have a small spirit. They have not yet fed upon the Word of God to have grown into a large spirit. Their minds do not have the right thoughts concerning the problems and difficulties of life. They are not able to comfort themselves with the great promises of the Bible because they do not yet know the promises well enough. They need a little help. They need another believer to comfort them. The Bible says in Second Corinthians 1:4, “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

Another job for every believer is to “support the weak.” There is a way to become a strong Christian. Every person who believes in Jesus Christ can become strong in faith. But it does not happen over night. It takes some time. That is why the Bible tells us not to make a “novice” into a pastor. Someone who is new in the faith will usually also be weak in the faith. Until they have grown in the Word, there will be times when they will need some support. If they continue to grow in the Word and in the Lord, eventually they will be strong. A strong Christian learns to rely upon the Lord and needs help from none but the Lord Jesus Himself.

In First Thessalonians 5:14 Christians are told to be involved in the work of teaching and discipling other believers. We are told to warn, to comfort, and to support. And then we are told to be “patient.” That is because teaching takes time. Growth in Christ takes time. We will not see great changes in some people’s lives overnight. To do the work of the Lord, we must be willing to go long periods of time without the negative human emotions of anger or frustration taking place. There will be good results and there will be fruit, but it just will not come as quickly as our impatient human natures would like to see it. It says in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

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