Well, as you that are viewing
here in my audience can see, the title of this message is
Children of Light. We'll be looking at the first
10 verses of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. And in this context
of scripture here, Paul is exhorting believers toward the last day
of this world's existence, toward the second coming of Christ.
And we'll see a contrast here between those of darkness those
of this world's darkness, the religious world, and those of
light. That's why I entitled the message,
Children of Light. So let's look at these first
two verses of 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 1 and 2. Paul writes,
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that
I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly
that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. He said,
I don't need to write to you of the day and the hour, because
nobody knows the day or the hour. But yet, we need to be encouraged
toward the day of the Lord. That's Christ's second coming.
That's when he's coming back. It's the final day of this world's
existence. It's the day that the world and
all that's in it will melt with a fervent heat. Peter has similar
words concerning that day. Look at 2 Peter chapter 3 and
verse 10. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night in the which the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. The earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. Now, our context that we're
going to look at here today tells us that the day of the Lord,
Christ's second advent, he's already come one time to bring
salvation to his people. But his second advent, to deliver
his church unto final glory, that day is going to overtake
many. That's what we'll see in these
first verses. It's going to overtake them. They won't be expecting
it. They're going to be surprised
by it. These many will be overtaken in three distinct ways, and Paul
uses here two metaphors to describe this overtaking. First, he says
Christ will come as a thief in the night. How does a thief come? He comes suddenly. He comes without
any warning. He comes unexpectedly. These
are all the characteristics of a thief, and the scriptures warn
against such and exhort sinners to be watchful against thieves. Listen to Luke 12, 39 through
40. And this know, this is Christ
speaking to his listeners, and this know that if the good man
of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would
have watched and not have suffered or allowed his house to be broken
through. Be ye therefore ready also for the son of man cometh
at an hour when you think not. So, Christ is coming to some. He will overtake some like a
thief. They won't be expecting Him. They won't be forewarned.
And then secondly, the day of the Lord will come upon these
many certainly, suddenly and certainly. Look at 1 Thessalonians
5 and verse 3. It says, for when they shall
say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them
as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. He's coming as travail upon a
woman with child. That's certain. That's inevitable. A woman who's with child is going
to come under travail, whether she has a healthy child or an
unhealthy child. She's going to be in travail.
So it's certain. It's sudden, it's certain. And
then thirdly, the day of the Lord will come upon these many
with final, absolute destruction. Paul writes in our text, and
they shall not escape. If you're overtaken by this day
of the Lord, it will be to your full and final destruction. The day of the Lord will certainly
and suddenly overtake and surprise many. Who are these many that
will be overtaken at Christ's return? Well, of course, it will
be the irreligious and the indifferent in the world. They, of course,
will be overtaken. But included in that number will
be many who are dedicated, sincere, and zealous religionists. Look
back at that verse 3. It says, for when they shall
say, peace and safety. Now that's religious people.
That's zealous religious people. when they shall say peace and
safety. This is talking about those many
who will be overtaken who are genuinely concerned about their
eternal well-being. It will overtake many who honestly
think that they're ready to meet God. It will be many who think
they've done all they need to do to stand and be accepted. by the Lord, many who claim to
be looking to Christ for salvation. The scriptures describe these
religious many in different ways. There are those who love darkness
and hate light in John 3. Those that do evil hate the light,
neither come to the light. That light is the gospel. They
won't come to it because it exposes the evil of their deeds. They're
like those who continue trusting in themselves that they are righteous,
like the Pharisee and the publican, that parable that Christ spoke
of. The Pharisee trusted that God
had made him different from other men, even like that publican. And they're like those preachers
in Matthew 7 who showed up at the judgment pleading their works
as a right entitled to stand before God. The many are those
speaking peace and safety to their listeners based on something
that they do and those listeners who believe them. They're the
same ones Paul writes about here. Ultimately, it's anyone preaching
or promoting peace with God based on anything but the imputed righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's those who are rejecting
the Christ who is plainly and clearly set forth in the scriptures. These many are the same in every
generation. They haven't changed any from
the times of old to our times. Look at a familiar verse from
Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 11. Now Jeremiah is speaking
here of the false prophets of his day and he says, For they,
these false prophets, have healed the hurt of the daughter of my
people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. You always have to be careful
when you're considering what they say, don't you? You have
to be careful. Sometimes they'll tell you that
eggs should be avoided. They shouldn't be eaten. They're
bad for you. And then at other times, they
may come along and say, they, the eggs are fine. They're healthy. You need to eat them. So you
have to be careful. And what do you have to be careful
about? Who they are, what their intent
is, what their authority is. Listen to another familiar verse
from Isaiah chapter 8 and verse 20. Isaiah writes to the law
and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word,
it's because there's no light in them. Then listen to these
familiar verses from the New Testament that talk about this
they. that our context picks up. 2
John 9-11. Whosoever transgresses and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth
in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. If there come any unto you, and
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him Godspeed. For he that biddeth him Godspeed
is partaker of his evil deeds. That day, that day of the Lord
will overtake many, suddenly, certainly, and to final destruction. But although that day will be
devastating, although it will overtake many, it won't. Thankfully,
it won't overtake all that way. Some are under the mercy and
grace of God. And because of God's mercy and
grace towards some, that day is a day to be welcomed. It's
a day to be prayed for and look forward to with hope and confidence. Look on in our context at 1 Thessalonians
chapter 5 and verse 4. He said, But ye, brethren, are
not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
You are all the children of light and the children of the day.
You are not of the night. nor of darkness. Why won't that
day overtake many? It won't overtake many because
these many are not in darkness. The many who won't be overtaken
are children of light, children of the day. These are not in
darkness. Why are these not in darkness?
Why is any sinner not in darkness? It can only be for one reason,
because that sinner has been delivered from darkness. That's
the only reason. Paul writes to believers in Ephesians
5 in verse 8, For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light
in the Lord. walk as children of light. You
were darkness. What does that mean? It means
you walked among and acted just like the children of disobedience.
You walked in the flesh and not in the spirit. You walked among
and acted just like those who have not yet been delivered from
darkness. You sought salvation by your
works and not by Christ alone. This is a darkness that prevails
over all. You, me, all, without exception,
until we're delivered from that darkness. Listen to Ephesians
2, verses 1 and 2. Paul's writing again to believers
here. He said, And you, you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins, wherein in time past you walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children,
of disobedience. And Paul goes on to say in that
same context in Ephesians 2 that those who are now true believers
were, by nature, children of wrath, even as others. The only
reason a sinner is not yet, not still in darkness, is because
God has graciously delivered that sinner from darkness. These
many won't be overtaken because they are no longer in darkness. And it's their deliverance from
darkness that reveals them to be children of light. Look back at 1 Thessalonians
5 and verse 5. You're all the children of light
and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of
darkness. And then look at John 12, verses
35 to 36. Here Christ is talking about
the same thing that Paul writes about. Then Jesus said unto them,
Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have
the light, lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh
in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While you have the
light, believe in the light, that you may be the children
of light. These things spake Jesus and departed and did hide
himself from them. Okay, what distinguishes the
children of light from the unbelieving world in their respective generations? We need to know that. Well, first
of all, I've already told you there are those who are delivered
from darkness. They are those who believe and
walk in the light. The light that these walk in,
as well as the darkness they're delivered from, is specific.
What light do the children walk in? What darkness have they been
delivered from? They walk in the light of the gospel. The
gospel is a particular message. It's a declaration of who Christ
is and what he's done that makes it right for God to declare sinners
not guilty, but righteous in his sight. It reveals that righteousness
worked out in the body and soul of Christ, which God has accounted
or imputed to his elect. And that gospel declares Christ
and how God is just to justify sinners, to not give us what
we deserve, but to give us what we can never deserve and never
earn, all based on one thing, the imputed righteousness of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in the rest of this message,
I'm going to show you that children of light are those looking forward
to that final day We know who's coming. We know that one who's
coming. Why? Because he's been revealed
to us. We know when he's coming. Not
the day or the hour, we'll see that. And we know why he's coming. Now, those still in darkness
think they know these things, but they don't know them according
to the scriptures. The first element of darkness
the children of light have been delivered from is darkness concerning
the Christ who is coming. Their hope is in the Christ lifted
up in the preaching of the gospel. The children of light are those
in each generation who believe Christ's promise to return. Before
Christ left, when his disciples were in turmoil about his leaving,
because he told them he was going away. But before he left, he
comforted them with the promise of his return. Listen to John
14 verses 1 through 3. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are
many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. or I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also." That was Christ consoling his
disciples. Angels console those who witness
Christ's ascension with that same promise of his return. Look
at Acts chapter 1, verses 9 through 11. And when he had spoken these
things, while they beheld, this is Christ, he was taken up, and
a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked
steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood
by them in white apparel, which also said, You men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken
up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you
have seen him go into heaven. The same one who left is the
one who's returning. Children of light are those who
believe Christ's promise to return, and they are those who have received
the gospel record of Christ's first advent. In other words,
they know that one who's coming again. We know him. And we know
him who's coming again because we know who came the first time.
And we know who came the first time because we have received
the testimony of God's word concerning him. The children of light are
not just mildly acquainted with a generic savior who died for
all without exception, but whose death really didn't save anyone.
The children of light are intimately acquainted with Christ, the true
savior. We know who he is. We know what
he accomplished in his death. We know that God is honored to
save us and other sinners for Christ's sake and Christ's sake
alone. Those of Christ, they didn't recognize him or acknowledge
him when he came. because they rejected God's testimony
concerning him. The scriptures wrote of him.
There were many scriptures that should have told them, plus the
miracles he performed, that should have told them, I am the Messiah. They should have believed him,
but they didn't. And the religious people of our day don't know
the Christ who's coming again for the very same reason. They
won't hear the word of the Lord. They will not believe the gospel.
When is any sinner confronted with the Christ of the Scriptures?
When does that take place? It doesn't take place until God
is pleased to bring a sinner, sit him down under the preaching
of His gospel, wherein the righteousness of God is revealed. Before then,
we're all under another gospel, which Paul said to Galatians,
it's not another gospel. It's just another message. There's
only one gospel. The Christ of the Scriptures
did not give his life for a sinner, only to have that sinner end
up under God's eternal wrath anyway. That's not the Christ
revealed in the Word. The Scripture is clear and emphatic
concerning Christ's death. The blood of Christ obtained
the eternal redemption of every sinner he died for. Christ's
sacrifice put away the sin of every sinner he laid down his
life for. Christ came the first time to save his chosen people,
and he did. He did everything that was required
of a holy God to declare his people not guilty, but righteous
in his sight. Romans 4 and verse 25 says he
was delivered because of our offenses and was raised again
because of our justification. Now that same one, that same
one revealed in the gospel, as he promised, that same one is
coming again. This time he's coming to deliver
his church unto final salvation and to judge this world unto
final destruction. Children of light know who's
coming again because they know who came the first time. They
are those in every generation who believe the gospel declaration
of Christ. They believe that the Christ
who is coming again is the God-man. who by his obedience unto death
satisfied the law and justice of God, put away the sin of his
people, and brought in that everlasting infinite righteousness by which
God is just to justify sinners. Children of light are those in
every generation who believe the promise of Christ's return.
The encouragement of the scriptures is to those that look for him. Not everyone who's looking, but
those that are looking for Him. The world has the emphasis on
believing, but the Word of God has the emphasis on the Him we're
to believe in. God gave His only begotten Son
that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. He is able to save to the uttermost
all who come unto God by Him. Not by a counterfeit, but by
Him revealed in the Gospel. Look at Hebrews 9 and verse 28.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto
them that look for him shall he appear the second time without
sin unto full and final salvation. These promises of salvation are
unto a particular them. It's not to them that look. In
other words, the emphasis is not on the looking. The emphasis
is on the who. It's those that look for him.
Them that look for who? Is it them that look for a Savior
who died for all, but whose death itself did not secure the salvation
of any? No. It's to those who rest their
whole salvation in the Christ of the gospel. Children of light
are those who know that because Christ died, No sinner he died
for can perish. Those sinners must live and live
eternally. Christ's righteousness demands
their eternal life and final glory. If you're ignorant of
or have rejected the Christ who came the first time, You can't
possibly know the one who's coming again. You can't possibly be
looking to him unless you know the one who came the first time.
Those who rest their whole salvation in the Christ declared in the
gospel alone are those who are led by the Spirit of God. Therefore,
they alone are rightly identified as the sons of God, Romans 8.
They alone have been given the privilege of being called the
sons of God, John 1 and verse 12. Children of light are those
that know who's coming again because they know who came the
first time, and they know who came the first time according
to the gospel that declares him. Next, the instructions in the
scriptures are to those alone who have not rejected but who
have received the Christ lifted up and declared in the gospel.
Look back at our context at 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 6 through 9. Therefore,
let us, us brethren, let us not sleep as do others, but let us
watch and be sober. There's our instructions, watch
and be sober. 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, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. Children of light are those who
are not just watching, but they are soberly, that is, sound-mindedly,
under the gospel message, they are soberly watching for the
Christ revealed in the gospel. As we saw earlier, Many will
be overtaken who refuse to watch for that one who's coming. In
other words, there are those not looking for the Savior who
is plainly and clearly set forth in the gospel. God warns sinners
in this age of this kind of thinking, and he defines watching for us
in the book of Revelation. What does watching involve? Look
at Revelation chapter 3 and verse 3. Now, in our Bible study, Bill's
been going through that, and we've looked at this fairly recently.
Let's read the verse first, and I'll talk about it a little bit.
He said, Remember, therefore, how thou hast received, and heard,
and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch,
I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what
hour I will come upon thee. Now these words were written
to a church called Sardis. And you remember that church
was a church that had a name. but they were dead. He said,
you have a name. You embrace the gospel. You say
you believe the gospel, but you've never repented of your idolatry
and dead works. You have a name, but you are
dead. And he shows us here what watching
is. You see, he said, remember how
thou hast received and heard and hold fast the gospel message
and repent. Repent of any other way of salvation
but that made clear in the gospel by the imputed righteousness
of Christ alone. He says, therefore if thou shalt
not watch, that's what it is to not watch, not receive, not
hear, not hold fast that sound doctrine and not repent. The
children of light are those in every generation who are watching
for the Christ of the gospel. Why are we watching for him?
Because we know when he's coming. Now, as I said, we don't know
the hour. We don't know the day. Those
things aren't important. But we know when Christ is coming
again. We know what delays him, what the world calls delay. It's
really just the long suffering of God to save sinners. We live
in the gospel age, that's that period of time between Christ's
ascension to his father and his return at his second advent.
The apostle Peter answered the scoffers of his day concerning
Christ's return. They said, where is the promise? What about this promise? Where
is Christ? Scoffers in Peter's day. Listen
to what he said in 2 Peter 3, 9. He said, the Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering
Long-suffering to usward. That's the elect. That's those
chosen. That's those Christ redeemed.
He's long-suffering to usward, not willing that any of us should
perish, but that all of us should come to repentance. In this age,
God is working out his predestined purpose for this world's existence.
In this age, Christ is exercising the spiritual realm of salvation.
Remember that? Eternal realm? I don't think I can get those
realms right. In this age, Christ is working out the spiritual
realm of salvation. And what's he doing to work out
this spiritual realm of salvation? He's shining light out of darkness.
Look at 2 Corinthians 4. It says, for God, who commanded
the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. Under the gospel, he's shining
the light of the knowledge of his glory in the person and work
of Christ. He's bringing his sheep into
the fold. Look at John 10 and verse 16. He says, another sheep
I have which are not of this Jewish fold, he's talking about
Gentiles, them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice
and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." Now we're talking
about what God's working out in this age we live in. This
is the spiritual realm of salvation He's working out. He's making
those who are rebels by nature. willing in the day of His power.
Look at Psalm 110 verses 1 through 3a. The Lord said unto my Lord,
sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule
thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of His power. You see, we're all alienated
and enemies in our mind by wicked works. We're enemies, but we're
enemies that God draws to himself through the doing and dying of
Christ alone. Christ is not really being delayed
in this day and age, and this world is not really out of control
as a lot of people think. In this age, Christ is just exercising
that spiritual realm of salvation. He's bringing his people to the
gospel and he's giving them faith and repentance from dead works
and former idolatry. And when that work is done in
the last of his elect, When Christ has delivered the last of those
he was given from the darkness and ignorance of this world's
religion, when he has brought each one of them into the marvelous
light of the gospel and God's glory in Christ, when he's brought
the last of his sheep to faith and repentance, then, and only
then, will Christ return. The children of light are not
in darkness concerning who's coming and we're not in darkness
concerning when he's coming again. That's why the church's main
purpose in this age is to preach this message, this gospel. We're
to get it out to the world and our generation because it's under
the preaching of the gospel and only under the preaching of the
gospel that the Spirit's great work of regeneration takes place.
It's only under the gospel that the wheat are distinguished from
the tares. It's only under the gospel that
the spiritual realm of salvation is being realized and exercised
in God's people. So, we know who's coming. We
know when he's coming. Last, we know why he's coming.
The children of light are not in darkness concerning why Christ
is coming again. Look back at our text, 2 Thessalonians
5, 9-10. Our God has not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who
died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him. We see not only The reason, the
why of Christ's second coming, we see the reason of his first
coming here. We see the reason for this world's existence right
here in this verse. For God has not appointed some
to wrath. He's appointed some to obtain
salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's second coming
will be both a day of deliverance and a day of destruction. We
saw something about that destruction in the earlier verses of this
context we're looking at. But listen here. It'll be a day of deliverance
and a day of destruction. First, it'll be a day of deliverance.
Look again one more time at Hebrews 9, 28. So Christ was once offered
to bear the sins of many, and to them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. And then
listen to 1 Corinthians 15, 50 through 52. This is talking about
the deliverance of some in that day. Now this I say, brethren,
that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep. He's just saying there that we're
not all gonna die before Christ come. We're not all asleep, but
those of us who remain will be changed. In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
who remain shall be changed. Children of light, are those
who know who Christ is coming to deliver. We know who's coming,
and we know who he's coming for. Now Jude is very specific in
identifying these sinners that Christ is coming to deliver.
Listen to Jude verse 1, only one chapter, verse 1. Jude, the
servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified
by God the Father and preserved in Christ Jesus and called, very
specific. Children of light are those who
are sanctified by the Father. In other words, they're set apart
by divine election. God chose us in Christ before
the world began. They are preserved in Christ
Jesus. In other words, they're preserved
by Christ's obedience unto death, preserved by His righteousness
imputed alone, and not preserved in any way to any degree by anything
found in us. And they are called, called by
the Spirit in regeneration. They are called out of the darkness
and ignorance of this world's religion unto the gospel, unto
the light of God's glory in Christ. As we've already seen, until
these are called, they look like any other zealously religious
sinners. They walked, according to the
course of this religious world. They were in league with the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that still works in
the children of disobedience. They were, by nature, children
of wrath, even as others. What's the difference? The children
of light are not left in that condition. They're called by
the Spirit of God. They're called by the gospel
and to the gospel. They're called to the Christ
who has saved his people from their sins. They're called to
a just God and Savior. They're called to a righteousness
worked out by Christ and imputed to those of God's choosing. Who
is Christ coming to deliver? He's coming to deliver those
who are chosen, who are preserved, who are called. But his second
coming is for another purpose. It's also for destruction. Listen
to Acts 17 in verse 31. God has appointed a day in the
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men in that he hath raised Christ from the dead. When God
raised Christ from the dead, He was giving assurance unto
all men. That's what He was doing, giving
assurance to everyone who hears this message that the standard
of judgment now and the standard of final judgment is the righteousness
worked out in the body and soul of Christ, that righteousness
imputed to the account of sinners. That's the standard of judgment.
Who will Christ destroy on that day? I already told you who He's
going to deliver, the children of light. those looking to Christ
alone. Who will He destroy on that day?
Who is He not coming to deliver? He's not coming to deliver those
who preach any other gospel, any other message, but the one
wherein the righteousness of God is revealed. He's not coming
to deliver those who are confident of a righteousness within based
on something we do or even something the Spirit enables us to do.
He's not coming to deliver them. He's not coming to deliver those
who have not been careful how they have received the truth.
the gospel, and he's not coming to deliver those who remain in
darkness. The sheep, Christ's sheep, his
people, those he's already redeemed by his precious blood, won't
be left in darkness, will all be delivered. To these, those
who remain in such a state, the day of Christ's coming will be
a day of destruction. So why is he coming? To deliver
his people and destroy this world, as he has told us. The children
of light believe the gospel, not just with head knowledge,
but with heart faith. In other words, we see every
other message of religion, but the one that preaches the Christ
I've set before you and reveals the righteousness of God. We
see every other message as another gospel, no gospel at all. We see every other message as
a religion of works, and we see every other message as dishonoring
to the Christ who came and the God who sent him. The gospel
and the gospel alone sets before the minds of sinners the Christ
of the scriptures. It sets before the mind of sinners
the Christ whom God has sent, the Christ whose righteousness
imputed enables God to be just when he justifies the ungodly.
And in declaring the Christ of the scriptures, The gospel sets
before sinners life and death. There's life in Christ alone. There's death and destruction
everywhere else. Let the gospel of God's free
grace in Christ deliver you from the darkness of this world's
religion unto the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ. While you have the light, while
this message is being preached, there's still some yet to be
brought in. While you have the light, believe
in the light, believe in the Christ of the gospel that you
may be the children of light. May the Lord make that so in
the lives of his people.