1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 - Live in Salvation

4 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. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Target Date: Sunday, 9 April 2023 - Easter

NOTES:

Word Study/ Translation Notes:

Darkness - σκότος skŏtŏs – darkness

Greek epistemology starts with the process of illumination, i.e., the movement from darkness to light. Darkness has no great conceptual significance; it serves only as a foil to light. There is no direct line from what is said about illumination to later dualism.

The darkness is vacuous, even an absence of light. It is NOT material or the “opposite” of light – a duality. It is where light has not invaded or conquered.

Darkness is empty, devoid of light.

The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. – Isaiah 9:2

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

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. – John 3:19

While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. – John 9:5

He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” – John 9:25

being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; - Ephesians 4:18

Surprise - καταλαμβάνω katalambanō – literally “to take down”, to seize, to overcome, to overtake, overpower.

Of a demon possessing a child: and whenever it seizes him - Mark 9:18

Of the supremacy of light: the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:5

Of a woman overtaken in the act of adultery: the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery - John 8:3

Thief – same as in prior passage.

Children - υἱός huiŏs – literally “sons”, although in this usage, it indicates “sons and daughters”.

Light

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16

For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” – John 3:20-21

“For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” – John 12:35-36

so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world - Philippians 2:15

Day - ἡμέρα hēmĕra – the same word used for “Day of the Lord”

Sleep – different from the word in chapter 4. The former verb had the idea of falling asleep. This one is the picture of deep slumber, insensate to the events happening around.

Awake - γρηγορεύω grēgŏrĕuō – be vigilant, watchful

From the idea to shake yourself awake, gather your faculties.

Drunk

They were not sensible of their danger, therefore they slept; they were not sensible of their duty, therefore they were drunk: but it ill becomes Christians to do thus.

Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” – Luke 21:34-36

Sober - νήφω nēphō – literally – un-drunk. Used in this place to mean discreet, serious – another aspect of watchful.

The thought behind nḗphō is a negative one, i.e., the opposite of intoxication.

When the word is used figuratively the subject is a person or the human logismós and what is meant is the opposite of every kind of fuzziness. Sober judgment is highly valued in both individual and public life.

10 – for - περί pĕri - with the genitive: on behalf of.

I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; - Luke 22:32

In the context of v.10 “who died for us” – who died on our behalf; perhaps “who died in our place”; certainly “who died for our benefit”.

10 – with - σύν sun – together with, in union with. Indicates either close companionship or joining. Not used for nearness, proximity, or joint effort.

Thoughts on the Passage:

In Romans, Paul makes essentially the same case there as in this passage:

The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. – Romans 13:12-14

The exhortations in this passage also give understanding to v.11 here: encourage one another and build one another up.

4 – In Darkness/ 5 – of the darkness

This noun for “darkness” is in the dative case, indicating it is the state or location of the subject. Thus, in darkness indicates the state the believer is NOT in – that the believer in Jesus Christ is not IN darkness, contained in it, dwelling in it.

In verse 5, however, the case is genitive, indicating the NATURE or ORIGIN of the subject. Thus he is saying we do not PROCEED out of night or darkness in our nature, that we do not belong to darkness.

The difference is between someone who is circumstantially in a state and one who is nativ to that state.

To belong to darkness is more than to be in darkness.

5 – Children of Light

Includes everyone: you are ALL children of light…

Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. – Psalm 112:4

Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. – Isaiah 2:5

No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. 20 “Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over. – Isaiah 60:19-20

Children of light are true children of God. They have undergone a transformation that makes a new life (a life in the light) inevitable, not just preferable. Godliness for true sons of the light is not just a matter of appropriate actions; it is an outgrowth of their essential nature, their relationship to God

5 – Children of the day

To be a “son of the day” is to be one who awaits with expectancy the day of the Lord

5 – of the night, of darkness

These all have one point in common. They depict people who are blind. They cannot or will not see clearly and are therefore unprepared for what lies ahead

Those in darkness would include those who are corrupt, who have actively rejected God’s offer of salvation.

Those would be the ones who loved the darkness over the light because their deeds were evil.

It would also be those who grope in darkness, unable to find their way to God.

you will grope at noon, as the blind man gropes in darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways; but you shall only be oppressed and robbed continually, with none to save you. – Deuteronomy 28:29

This is not a separate group, but a separate understanding of some people in these groups.

To be totally corrupt does not mean we are as bad as we can be – only that we can in no way reach God’s holy standard.

This would also include that group upon God will have mercy and enlighten them to His grace.

Those who God rescues: For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:13-14

I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison. – Isaiah 42:6-7

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:11

While it is impossible for the day of the Lord to catch Christians unprepared, it is possible for them to adopt the same life style as those who will be caught unawares. Paul urges his readers not to let this happen

I am not so sure if I agree with this or not, at least with the terms undefined. Those who will be caught unawares, whether they name the name of Christ or not, could be seen to be those who did not persevere until the end, those who cry Lord, Lord, but did not do the things He commanded.

Certainly the grace of God is independent of our worthiness, but the Scriptures declare that it is correlated to our conduct.

Good fruit comes from a good tree.

The one who loves Jesus will keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.

Otherwise, what is to distinguish between the persevering believer and the false one who sprouts quickly, but has no root and withers with the application of heat and trial?

7 – sleep and drunk – these may well have been sins the Thessalonians were particularly tempted toward. In the parallel Romans 13:12ff, several more sin types are listed there. The narrowness of the sin list to the Thessalonians should not be seen as a failure to be comprehensive, but Paul pastorally addressing the most pressing sins of the congregation.

It could also be mercy that he mentioned only those sins that were causing the most struggle in the church, leaving to their current pastors to make other corrections the apostles felt would be in their strength.

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. – Hebrews 12:4

John Calvin notes that Paul therefore understands that “the life of Christians is like a perpetual warfare.… He would have us, therefore, be diligently prepared and on the alert for resistance.”

10 – awake or asleep: This is not simply a euphemism for alive or dead when used here. These words are the same words used earlier in the paragraph with so much more meaning than simply the question of whether someone’s heart is beating.

Awake – the state of being in watchful anticipation for the Lord’s return. Not simply alive and animate, but living in longing and obedience in preparation for the day we will stand before our Lord.

Asleep – the point where our race is run, and our perseverance proven either true and enduring or false and inadequate.

10 – In either state, awake or asleep, we live in union with Him.

Sermon Text:

We come this morning to look at the summary of this rich paragraph found in verses 9-11 we have spent some weeks on.

Some of you will recall that the context of our paragraph is the instruction by the apostles Paul and Silas about the Return of Jesus Christ on the Last Day, known as the Second Coming.

It is the very resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead that ensures our hope as we stand before God on that day.

We see that in our passage today:

If you look, you will see that in verses 9-10, we have this promise:

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us

He DIED for us who are His.

But then in the same verse 10, we see this:

so that… we might live with him.

Do you see that?

Without using the word “resurrection”, Paul and Silas have described the very event and the outcome that gives us our hope.

That our Lord Jesus DIED, but that we might LIVE WITH Him.

Across our world today, on Easter Sunday, even those who do not love or follow our Lord are faced at every turn with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Yes, I freely confess that for believers, every Sunday worship is a celebration and remembrance of our risen Lord.

I have heard, and I even wrestle with the discomfort over things that are done in churches to celebrate this day.

There is no celebration that should pre-empt the regular worship and praise of God – period.

But, outside the church, for this one day, even the pagans at the card companies, super-centers, and media companies include the word of the gospel in their businesses.

As believers, I think we should rejoice when the simplest part of the gospel is proclaimed in truth,

And so I have to be glad when companies and people declare “He is Risen”.

No matter how diluted the message is in the marketing of baskets and chocolates;

No matter how small the displays.

No matter that their entire motive is to make money.

For this one day, this Easter season, people every year hear the most important message of the gospel: He is risen!

And each year, even the most hardened hearts have the opportunity to be challenged again as they wrestle with the question: “Did Jesus REALLY rise from the dead?”

And I pray that God will use even those casual encounters with His truth to turn hearts, transform lives, bringing His chosen ones home.

Because there is most surely coming a day when every person, great or small, will stand before God and answer for the things they have done in this life.

And we know from the Bible that no one will be able to defend themselves on that day on the basis of their good deeds or even their good intentions.

When measured by God’s perfect standard, there is not a single good person, not a single person who can be right with God, save Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.

But let’s be honest here: Among those who are not followers of Jesus Christ, there aren’t many who are really even TRYING to be good or to be right with God.

There might be the exceptional few who are really applying themselves to self-discipline, or even to the Law we find in the books of Moses.

But most people today are simply suppressing any inclination toward God so they can practice their sin with impunity.

They don’t want to be good; they want people to THINK they are good.

They don’t want to be right with God; they want to be elevated above other people.

They don’t even really want to be wise; they want to be sought out for their wisdom.

Even the religious, followers of false gods, like the Muslim or the Mormon, are not seeking to please God; they are seeking to put their idols into their debt.

For all those who have rejected or ignored the only way to be right with God, that is, Jesus Christ, that day will be a day of terrible, unimaginable wrath.

We don’t even have anything to compare it to.

Here on earth, any wrath we face from someone else ends completely when one of us dies.

But we will stand before an eternal and everlasting God, and He has control of not only our bodies, but our eternal soul.

Recall the words of Jesus:

Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. – Matthew 10:28

This is exactly why verse 9 is such good news:

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…

God, who has every right to empty His wrath on us, has not even set us on that course.

It says right there: God has determined our destination, and it is NOT God’s wrath, but God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.

That is the great mercy of God: that He loved us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us.

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us…

There are a great many times I am grateful that God chose the time He did for the Bible to be written.

And that the New Testament was written in the Greek language.

That is because it is a VERY precise language, often with multiple words where English uses a single word for all the ideas.

Who died for us…

That little preposition “for” – it can mean so many things if we just say it.

It can mean we are the recipient of something: a gift for you.

It can mean we are target of something: a letter for you.

Or that something is done to please us: a party for you.

Or it can mean, as it does here in this passage, something done on behalf of someone: a substitute for you.

So when it says here that Jesus died FOR us, it is saying He died on our behalf, for our benefit, even in our place.

We are not the spectators in this;

We who are in Christ are the ones who escaped God’s wrath BECAUSE Jesus Christ died in our place.

He took our death.

He took God’s wrath meant for our sin.

And exchanged the result of His perfect goodness, His rightness with God, to us.

It is this good news, this gospel, that the apostles hold up to us as the reason for our HOPE in the Return of Jesus Christ.

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Whether we are awake or asleep…

These are not just a friendly euphemism for “alive or dead”, although we might often read it that way.

But here, our context tells us the richness of meaning in each of those two words:

Asleep – We see back in 4:13, 14, and 15 that this is indeed talking about those who have closed their eyes in death before the Return of our Lord.

And we looked several weeks ago at the expectation that those eyes would be opened again in the great resurrection of the dead when our Lord returns.

But notice that those who are ASLEEP will live with Him.

For the believer, then, even in death, there is no moment where we are outside the presence of Christ.

Awake – We have seen over the past several weeks that this means MUCH more than simply being alive or aware.

Being awake, as we have seen, means being watchfully alert, being about our Master’s business until He returns.

It means being a faithful servant, trustworthy and diligent even while our Master tarries.

So taking those together, we see that the underlying message in this is that there is no point in a believer’s life where we become simply “saved and satisfied”,

No point where we cease to long for His return.

And likewise no point where we are not living in union with Him.

Because when it says we will live together with Him, that preposition “with” isn’t simply talking about living in the same neighborhood.

It’s not that we will be CLOSE to Jesus Christ, neighbors.

It is not even that we will be simply working in common cause with Him, like being in a group with Him.

No, when the apostles say we will live together with Him, it means in union with Him.

Joined with Him.

As the New Testament says many times, “in Christ”.

In Romans 13:14, Paul puts it in an especially colorful way:

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Put ON…

This is so radically different than simply “walking beside Jesus”.

It is walking IN Christ.

Walking in the Spirit.

And how is that done? How are we joined with Jesus Christ?

By God’s grace through faith.

It is the gift of God, and there is nothing you can do, no work or great feat you can accomplish that will make you more worthy or deserving.

To the one who believes God, who trusts in Jesus Christ for their salvation,

There is no greater desire,

No greater hope,

No greater reward,

Than to be joined forever in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so we encourage each other and build each other up.

Christian, if your greatest desire is for your Lord and His Return,

It is closer today than it was yesterday.

If you have allowed yourself to slack off and take your ease rather than seek His return, good news:

You can repent now and carry on with the work of the gospel.

His tarrying is working mercy for you;

He doesn’t want to see you fail, but to come to repentance and obedience.

And if you have not bowed to Him in repentance and faith, his greatest mercy is that He has not yet returned.

You have an opportunity now to repent, leave behind your sin, and follow Him.