1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 - Live In the Light

Ø We continue this morning to look at the Scripture’s teaching about the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ on the day known as “The Day of the Lord”.

o This is the final day of this fallen creation, the day on which our Lord will return as He promised.

§ And on that day, all those who are righteous through Jesus Christ will receive their salvation in full, while all others will receive their just judgment and condemnation from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

o In the previous verses, the apostles Paul and Silas dispensed with all the particulars of the Day itself.

§ They spoke of the resurrection of the dead, the transformation of those who are alive on the day, and the judgment that will commence in that single moment.

§ They dismissed completely the discussion of WHEN the Appearing will occur, knowing that the date, even the epoch, was held only in the mind of God and unrevealed to anyone else.

o It is important to notice here, I think, that they do not, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, go into any discussion or description of signs of the Appearing.

§ We do see some of those signs mentioned in the second epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 2.

§ And in that chapter, it does appear that they had discussed the signs of the Appearing with this church while they were there.

· Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?[1] – 2 Thessalonians 2:5

o But I think it is important that we see where the apostles go in their teaching in this passage.

§ They deal here with the most important question any teacher of the gospel, perhaps any teacher period, can answer:

· So what?

§ “Sure, I now have this knowledge. So what?”

· “How am I supposed to live differently because of this great information?”

· “What does it matter that I understand completely that our Lord Jesus Christ is returning?”

· “Should that affect how I live my life? Should it change my job, my hopes, my goals, my conversation, and my pleasure?”

§ I will confess that I sat in literature classes in high school and wondered how memorizing the poem “Ozymandias” was going to make me a better person.

· Or how often I was going to be called upon to mix the chemicals I did in Chemistry class.

· I am sure they helped make me a well-rounded student, but those lessons were not as immediately applicable to my life as the lessons of Scripture.

§ When we learn things like “Do to others as you would like them to do to you,” there is an immediate application to my life to live in a kind, gentle, humble, merciful manner.

· It has an immediate effect on my life, if I will allow it to do so.

· But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. [2]- James 1:22

§ And so we can have this confidence: every great teaching of Scripture has a purpose, and that purpose is to transform that part of you into the holy imitation of god.

· That is what we call sanctification – the process of becoming more holy in our conduct from our heart outward.

· Changing us from the inside out.

o And so we see in our passage today that it is not enough to simply understand and believe the facts of the Lord’s Appearing;

§ We must be changed by that knowledge.

· We must live differently than we otherwise would because we KNOW our Lord is returning.

§ There is, in the church, what many have called a functional atheism.

· That is people who claim to believe in Jesus Christ and in the Scriptures that proclaim Him,

o But who live in a way that bears no resemblance to the commands of Scripture.

· People who may say “Lord, Lord”, but are, in every other part of their lives, “workers of lawlessness.”

· They hear the teachings of Scripture, perhaps even serving as Bible teachers, but they do not LIVE the way they proclaim.

§ Now this has nothing to do with the fact that teachers are just as imperfect as anyone else, that we struggle with sin in our own lives.

· It is the fact that they don’t STRUGGLE against sin; they live in it happily.

§ It is not enough to know what the word of God says; we have to DO IT.

o And so, this rich passage from the 4th to 11th verses of the 5thchapter of this letter contains the things that should change in the believer’s life BECAUSE our Lord is returning in judgment and justice.

§ Knowing all the facts, having the right eschatology of that Day are not enough;

§ We must be changed, affected, challenged, exhorted, sanctified by that knowledge – or else it is useless for us.

o If the Lord is willing, I plan to spend the next few weeks looking at the results the apostles are telling us we should have because of this great revelation.

Ø Our passage begins by telling believers: But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day.

o You will recall that, from the verses before, the return of Christ will be sudden and surprising, like a “thief in the night”.

§ This description comes from our Lord Himself, as we saw last week.

§ It means that the return of Christ, though known and prepared meticulously from God’s point of view, will come suddenly and unannounced for the world.

§ And we saw in verse 3 the terror of those who are found in that Day outside of Christ – all their supposed peace and safety will be shattered in a moment as their judgment begins.

o But – BUT – you, my brothers, are not in darkness.

§ Thank God for His provision for His children.

§ Let’s take a look at what the Spirit is saying here through these writers.

o First – what they are NOT saying:

§ 1. When they say we believers are not in darkness, they are not saying that we do not live in a darkened world.

· That is quite obvious.

· We see here in a glass darkly, compared to the day when we shall see our Lord face-to-face.

§ 2. They are not saying we have all the answers, like the date for the return of Christ.

· Along with that, it is not even that we have the signs of His coming to help us determine the date.

o With a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

· No, it is not because we have greater knowledge that they say we are not in darkness.

o What they are saying is that we are not in darkness BECAUSE we are the children of light.

§ FOR you are ALL children of light, children of day.

· We cannot be in darkness because we carry the light with us.

§ Have you ever been in a place that is pitch dark?

· I know in some caverns (I don’t know if Desoto does this), they take you in, get you comfortable, and then turn off the lights in the cave.

o There is simply no darker dark.

· No light at all; you can’t even see your hand in front of your face.

o Even if you turn your head, all you see is blackness.

· But in that giant cavern filled with darkness, how much light does it take to restore your sight?

o Just a candle; just a flashlight.

o One small light, run on a double-A battery or two, drives away, conquers the darkness.

· Darkness NEVER conquers light.

o There is no type of darkness that will extinguish a light source.

o The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.[3] – John 1:5

· Jesus Christ is the Light, and if you are in Him, you carry His light in you.

o Believer – you carry the light source with you. You are a child of light.

§ You do not have to fear this world’s darkness – the light of God is in you through Jesus Christ.

§ The light you carry in you puts to flight the darkness of this world, the darkness of the enemy, Satan.

§ You are the lamp placed on a table; a city set on a hill.

· The light that is in you, child of God, cannot be hidden.

Ø All that is a pretty enough picture – light and darkness – but what does it mean?

o And how does it relate to our expectation of the coming of our Lord in glory?

o 1. Because you are not in darkness, your LIFE is now preparation for the coming of your Master.

§ Everything those outside of Christ are living for and striving for – those are no longer your goals if your life belongs to Christ.

· We know this because you belong to Him, and those are not HIS goals.

§ Fleshly pleasure, wealth, comfort, ease, idleness, fame – those are not the goals of a follower of Jesus Christ.

· Those are what the nations strive for, cut each others’ throats for.

· Go to war for.

· What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.[4] – James 4:1-2

§ Over and over again, we are told to live in the Light, to walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

· Brother, Sister: is every day for you a preparation for the return of your Master?

§ Are you doing what He left you to do here, or are you seeking to build your own corner of this world in His honor?

· I have heard many believers who would tell me that the greatest testimony they could have would be to be successful in their business or other endeavors.

· That God’s glory would come when they were recognized as the most successful at what they did.

o How carnal! How unholy!

§ On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter wanted to build three tabernacles to commemorate the great event – but he was rebuked.

· God is not glorified by your SUCCESS; He is glorified by your FAITHFULNESS and OBEDIENCE.

· Flush down the toilet the idea that YOU being the best at what you do somehow brings glory to God. It is rubbish.

o All you have are filthy rags.

· God is not glorified simply by a football player pointing upward from the end zone or dropping to a knee in prayer;

o He is glorified by a player, or any person, who lives according to His commandments, with love and mercy for others.

§ And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.[5]– Isaiah 64:6

· All those times when we are tempted to be seen as successful for the sake of God’s reputation – shame on us.

· All our accolades, all our fame, all our success amount to nothing more than used toilet paper toward God’s glory.

§ Do you want to live in the light as a child of light?

· Boldly carry the light of Christ into the darkness of this world.

· It’s not just about being the loudest preacher or the most famous teacher.

o It is removing your worldly goals in favor of obedience to Christ’s goal in you.

o It is practicing mercy when you don’t feel merciful.

o It is being generous when you don’t think you have enough for yourself.

o It is blessing others even when it seems no one is ever blessing you.

o It is being a better Christian than you expect anyone else to be.

§ We have salvation coming with our Lord, and all the stuff of this world will be burnt up anyway.

· Our treasure is not here, in this wet cardboard box of a safe.

· Our treasure, if we are in Christ, is safe above, ready for the Day when we shall be called up to meet Him in the air.

In the next few weeks, God willing, we will look at other ways our lives will be different as we wait with eager anticipation the return of our Lord.

[1]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (2 Th 2:5). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [2]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Jas 1:22). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [3] New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Jn 1:5). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [4]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Jas 4:1–2). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [5]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Is 64:6). (1995). The Lockman Foundation.