Seeing in the Light
1 thessalonians 5:3-11

The price of peace, like the ever-increasing gas prices, will continue to rise. And Paul reminds us to beware when men shall say, “Peace and safety”.  The world will embrace carnal security in its leaders, its toys, and even weapons of mass destruction. As a result, they will be completely oblivious to the coming destruction. And yet it will be as sudden as the birth pains that are instantly experienced by women who are in labor.

When asked the question, “When will the coming of the Son of Man occur?” Jesus responded in Matthew 24:4-14:

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

These were the signs to watch out for. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the Second Coming of Christ. Someone has reported that there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament alone and a total of 17 books which give it prominence. Of the 260 chapters in the entire New Testament, there are 318 references to Christ’s Second Coming. That averages to 1 out of every 30 verses. Furthermore, 23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. That leaves only four books that do not refer directly to the Second Coming. Interestingly, three of these four books are single-chapter letters which were written to specific persons on a particular subject.

Paul warned the Thessalonians because they were children of the light and the day.  The idea is that they were people who walked in the way of the Lord. There are a few important things that occur when we walk in light:

1. We can see any potential pitfalls or dangers that appear before us.
2. We can see what is happening around us.
3. We can see what is coming before us.

There should never be a great deal of stumbling when we are walking in the light, because light allows us to see the pitfalls before us. With the ability to see what is happening around us, it provides the ability to avoid potential detours and see signs of the soon return of Christ, which is before us. In Ephesians 4:1, saints are even encouraged to “walk worthy” of the calling. Our walk is literally a testimony of our relationship with the Lord.

John explains what it means to walk this way in 1 John 1:5-7a,“If we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth, but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another . . .” From John’s statement, we understand that walking in the light has a lot to do with fellowship with the Lord. In a like manner, fellowship with the Lord has a lot to do with our fellowship with each other.

When such a fellowship exists among believers, they are then reminded not to sleep, as do others, but rather to watch and be sober. When we are asleep, we are incoherent toward the things that are going on around us. We do not have a clear pattern of thought. As believers, we ought to be much more aware of the times around us. For those who are outside the body of faith, these things may cause considerable despair, because they are in darkness. On the other hand, we who are in the light ought to see the troubles of this world as a reminder that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is soon to return!

The idea is that believers are supposed to be alert, or sober, to the fact that the time is approaching when our Lord shall return. Under the cover of darkness, many are asleep. Under the cover of darkness, most wicked acts are performed, such as drunkenness and ungodly things. In this situation, visibility becomes difficult. We all tend to stumble more in darkness. People in sin’s darkness are unable to see the things of God because they are hidden by darkness. It is important for the believer that he or she maintains a relationship with the Lord in order to avoid falling back into darkness. That’s why, like the Thessalonians, we are reminded in verse 7 to put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation, since we are children of the day. . In putting on these items, they will help us keep our trust and strength in the Lord. The breastplate of faith helps us keep His Word hidden in our hearts. The helmet, which is the hope of our salvation, helps us keep our mind stayed on Him.=

In verse 9 we are reminded that we have a holy appointment. 1 Peter 2:9 adds that not only are we chosen, but we are also called the royal priesthood of God. We offer holy sacrifices to Him, which, according to Romans 12:1, must begin with self-sacrifice so that we can have fellowship with the Lord when we receive His salvation.

When we were in sin, God’s wrath was our appointment, but His Son has now made peace between us and Him, according to Romans 5:1. This is why in 1 Thessalonians 5:10, we find evidence. Evidence is proof in a court of law. Our evidence for our relationship with God lies in the fact that He died for us, and whether we are awake or fall asleep before He returns, we are appointed to live together with Him. Therefore, verse 11 provides encouragement: we can comfort ourselves together and edify each other, just like the Thessalonians had been doing.

We are to wait like the old farmer in this illustration:

A farmer had an old hound dog that he cherished. One day the dog disappeared, and several weeks passed without his return. In spite of this, the farmer continued to set out fresh food for the dog every day.

 

Finally, in curiosity, one of the farmer’s neighbors asked why he continued to set out food for the dog when he obviously was not returning.

 

“He will be back,” replied the farmer, “because he knows I am here waiting for him. And when he gets here, I want him to know he is welcome back.”

Today we wait for Christ’s return with great expectancy. We know neither the day, nor the hour of His return, but we are confident that He is coming back.