Living Ready for the Return of Christ
Paul ended chapter 4 with the great hope of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ will return, the dead in Christ will rise, and believers will forever be with the Lord. Chapter 5 continues that same thought, but Paul shifts the emphasis from what will happen when Christ returns to how we should live while we wait. His message is not to become consumed with dates, predictions, or speculation. Instead, knowing that Christ will return should cause us to live awake, alert, faithful, encouraging, prayerful, and discerning lives today.
“For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:5
Paul’s message is straightforward: We may not know when Christ will return, but we know how we should live until He does.
Stay Awake and Be Ready
1 Thessalonians 5:1–11
The Thessalonians apparently had questions about when the events Paul described at the end of chapter 4 would occur. Paul responds:
“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:2
A thief does not announce when he is coming. Paul’s point is not that believers should somehow calculate the correct date. His point is exactly the opposite: Christ’s return will be unexpected, so we should always live ready.
Paul describes believers as “children of light.” Because we belong to Christ, our lives should look different from a world living unaware of God.
“So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Paul is speaking spiritually. It is possible to be physically busy yet spiritually asleep—to slowly become comfortable, distracted, complacent, or indifferent toward the things of God.
His answer is to remain awake and sober-minded.
“Having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:8
Notice Paul’s three protections: faith, love, and hope.
Faith keeps us trusting God. Love keeps us focused on others. Hope keeps our eyes on what God has promised.
And because Christ is coming, Paul tells believers:
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:11
The return of Christ should not make Christians fearful. It should make us faithful.
If you knew Christ were returning soon, is there anything about the way you are living today that you would want to change?
What are some things that can slowly cause a Christian man to become spiritually sleepy or complacent?
How We Treat One Another Matters
1 Thessalonians 5:12–15
Paul then becomes extremely practical. Readiness for Christ is demonstrated partly by how we treat the people around us.
He tells the church to respect those who labor among them and lead them, and then gives several instructions for life together:
“Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:14
There is tremendous wisdom in this verse because Paul does not tell us to treat everyone exactly the same.
The idle need correction.
The discouraged need encouragement.
The weak need help.
And everyone needs patience.
Maturity requires enough discernment to recognize what another person actually needs.
Sometimes love encourages. Sometimes love helps. Sometimes love speaks difficult truth. But Paul places all of it under one important command: “be patient with them all.”
He continues:
“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Our natural instinct when someone hurts us can be to defend ourselves, retaliate, withdraw, or make sure they understand how badly they treated us. Paul calls us to something different: do not allow someone else’s wrong behavior to determine yours.
Which is more difficult for you—correcting someone who needs correction, encouraging someone who is struggling, or being patient with someone who is difficult?
How can we respond when someone wrongs us without allowing bitterness or retaliation to control our actions?
The Daily Rhythm of a Faithful Man
1 Thessalonians 5:16–24
Paul now gives several of the shortest commands in the New Testament:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Paul does not say to give thanks for every circumstance. He says to give thanks in every circumstance.
There will be situations we would never choose and experiences that are genuinely painful. Yet even there, we can remain aware of God’s presence, continue talking with Him, and remember His faithfulness.
Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks.
These are not occasional activities. Paul describes a rhythm for everyday Christian living.
But he also tells believers to remain spiritually discerning:
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:19–22
Notice the balance.
Paul does not say believe everything.
Neither does he say reject everything.
He says test everything.
Christians should neither be gullible nor cynical. What we hear, believe, and follow must be examined according to God’s truth. We hold tightly to what is good and reject what is evil.
And then Paul gives a beautiful reminder that our growth ultimately depends upon God’s faithfulness:
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely… He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24
We pursue holiness, but we are not transforming ourselves alone.
God is working in us.
Which of these—rejoicing, praying, or giving thanks—needs more intentional attention in your life right now?
How do we “test everything” without becoming either gullible on one extreme or cynical on the other?
Life Application
Live Ready Today
First Thessalonians 5 reminds us that being ready for Christ’s return is not primarily about understanding a prophetic timeline.
Being ready is about how we live today.
Stay awake. Pay attention to your spiritual condition. Don’t allow comfort, distraction, busyness, or routine to slowly dull your relationship with God.
Build others up. Look around you. Someone may need correction, someone encouragement, and someone help. Ask God for the wisdom to know the difference.
Develop a daily rhythm with God. Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks. These simple practices continually turn our attention back toward Him.
Test what you hear. Don’t accept something merely because it sounds spiritual. Compare it with Scripture and hold tightly to what is true.
Paul’s teaching leaves us with an important question:
If I truly believe Jesus is coming again, what evidence of that belief should be visible in the way I live today?
Closing Encouragement
He Who Calls You Is Faithful
Paul gives us many commands in this chapter, and taken alone they could feel overwhelming.
Stay awake. Be sober-minded. Encourage others. Be patient. Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks. Discern what is true. Reject evil. Pursue holiness.
But Paul does not finish by telling us simply to try harder.
He finishes here:
“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Our confidence is not ultimately in our ability to hold everything together.
Our confidence is in the faithfulness of the God who called us.
Until Christ returns, we keep walking, growing, encouraging one another, and pursuing holiness—not because we have become perfect men, but because a faithful God is still working in us.
Stay awake. Stay faithful. Keep encouraging your brothers. And trust the One who called you.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the promise that Jesus Christ will return. Help us not become distracted by speculation about when He will come, but instead teach us to live faithfully because we know that He will.
Keep us spiritually awake and alert. Give us wisdom to encourage the discouraged, help the weak, correct when necessary, and remain patient with everyone. Teach us to rejoice, pray continually, and remain thankful even when circumstances are difficult.
Give us discernment to test what we hear, courage to hold firmly to what is good, and strength to turn away from what is evil. Continue Your work of sanctification within us and prepare our hearts for the day we stand before Christ.
And when we feel inadequate, remind us of this promise: You who called us are faithful, and You will surely do it.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.