Comments on 1 Thessalonians 5

“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”

I don’t know what you are drunk with, but I know many people are drunk with a great many things today—some staggering ideals, some colossal foolishness, or something else. There is more in this word “sober” than simply abstaining from some intoxicating liquor. It is a wonderful thing to have a sober mind and not let yourself be carried away by the drunken spirit of our day, but to stand with Jesus Christ, while the tide is going the other way. Ask God for a sober mind, so that you can stand while other people are howling in apostasy, and look into His face and not into people’s these evil days.

“For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love.”

“Faith and love!” These are the two things we are running short of. Food shortage is nothing compared to this shortage. Men’s hearts are growing cold, and because men’s faith is growing cold, their influence causes still others to grow cold. So Paul says, “Don’t let your heart grow cold, but if you are shivering, get up close to God’s heart and get warmed up. Don’t go out of His presence today, until He gives you a warm heart of love.”

These are days that will test your faith. One woman wrote from the stricken districts of the war zone, telling her mother she had stood for twenty-eight hours in pools of blood, taking care of men with their faces lacerated or shot off, and she cried out, “Oh, where is God?” I tell you these are days when men’s hearts will fail them. Hold on to God, hold on to Him! This vile world is no friend to grace, and judgment is coming; but in the hour of judgment remember that God is bringing His way to pass.

Men have turned against Him long enough, and these are days of judgment. You hold your faith in Him and look up when these things come to pass, for “your redemption draweth nigh.” I expect mine almost any time.

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

This wonderful hope of redemption and of salvation in our hearts will be as armor against the things of the world.

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We are not part of this earth; we are not part of the judgment. Thank God, my judgment took place a long while ago when I took Jesus, and I saw Him on the cross paying the whole judgment. He took the lacerated face for me; He took the wounds and my judgment is past, and I came out of death into life, and you can blow this old head off with a cannon, or shoot it full of holes, Hallelujah, I have a new one coming.

“Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Wherefore comfort yourself together, and edify one another even as also ye do. 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 works’ sake.”

“Esteem them very highly in love.” No one ever gets the bighead for being loved and prayed for. We should love and pray for each other these days. Let us gather close together.

Out on the prairie when the wolves came howling about in the night, or danger seemed to be coming, all the mother horses and their colts gathered together, and the males and the horses without colts gathered on the outside of the circle with their heels on the outside. Yes, all huddled together with a circle of hoofs to meet the enemy’s attack.

Let us stand together, love one another, esteem one another highly in love, and be at peace among ourselves. Himself in our midst and Himself our shield.

And here comes a wonderful exhortation:

“Rejoice evermore.”

What Lord? When the awful conditions are round-about? “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.”

It is mighty easy to object, but it is a glorious thing to praise God. Let us ask Him to give us lips of praise.

“In everything give thanks;” “Quench not the Spirit.”

Do not quench the Spirit. If you are not careful you will find out that your failure in the first two hours of any day will take your disposition and quench every bit of the Holy Spirit. You will lean to yourself, and look to yourself, and to your feelings. Climb out of bed and also climb out of yourself into Jesus. Some folks never get out of themselves. Get out of yourself this morning, out of your old grave clothes, and get into God. There is “no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”