1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Title: Children of Light

As Paul nears the end of his letter, he reminds the church who they are. They are children of the light; they are children of the day; they are children of God. Paul reminds them, and he reminds us, that as children of the light, we are born into the light. The light is to be the family we grow up in, and the light is to be the world that we were designed to live in. However, those who are born only in this world, those who reject Christ, are born in darkness and ignorance. Paul shows that as children of the light, we are not to be caught unaware as those who stagger through the darkness. Surrounded by the light, we should be ready, we should be aware, and we should be prepared to live for Christ in this life, and we should be prepared for the day when the reign of Christ comes to earth.

I. Are Ready for the Lord

First, as children of the Light, we are to be ready for the coming of the Lord. We are not to be caught-off guard like those who live in darkness. For we know that the promise of the world of “peace and safety” if we follow the world’s standards and live in its ways is a promise that it cannot keep. The world tells us that the way to peace and safety is to abandon things like religion, traditional morality, and the teachings of the Bible. We are told we need to leave behind the teachings of the historical Jesus revealed to us in the Bible and trade Him in for the world’s watered down cliched, Jesus. Even in the church, many are being told that it is safe to do this. That it is safe to re-imagine Jesus in your own image, to ignore the things He says that sound too harsh and only pay attention to the things you agree with. But Jesus makes it clear that is not possible. To re-imagine Jesus is nothing short of trying to turn Him into an idol of your own making. To reject His commands and the teachings of the Bible is to reject Him; to reject the Son is to reject the Father, to reject the Father is to reject salvation. In fact, if you go along with the world, the way of the world always leads to destruction.

But the believer will not be caught off guard, for the coming of the Lord will just be the culmination of the life we are already living in Him. For those who have been training in this life to live in the light of God’s truth will be ready to live in His light in the next life. For that is what He is preparing us for. He is training us to be ready for the fullness of His light as we grow in the knowledge of the Holy Spirit. For we should already be accustomed to living in the presence of a Holy God. So, for the believer, the exact day and time is not important, for we are to be ready. In verse 4 Paul says, “⁴ But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.”

The time we worry most about the exact time company is coming is when we’re not ready. When we still have a list of things to do, we might want to know the exact moment they are going to pull in the driveway. But if we are ready and prepared, the exact time matters less. We can relax while we wait. When we think about the second coming of Jesus are we nervous or are we relaxed? Do we live in a way that makes us ready to meet Jesus, face-to-face? If not, what darkness are we holding onto?

As Christians, we are to learn daily how to live our life in the presence of the Lord. For us, when Jesus returns, the faith we live in will become sight. The Kingdom we are already serving will come to earth, just as it is in heaven. We are to live ready and accustomed to the light. And we are to encourage others in this as well, v. 11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”  We need to be ready, and we need to ensure others are ready as well.

II. To do this, we need to be Awake and Sober

Second, as Children of the Light we need to be awake and sober. In order to be ready, we need to be on guard for the schemes and lies of the enemies. To be a good guard, we need to be awake and we need to be sober. We need to be aware of our situation, and we need to be ready to act. No one in a war would want those watching the front lines to be asleep or drunk – in either case, those guards are endangering their own lives and the lives of all those around them. This is also true in the spiritual battle between light and darkness.

To be a good guard, we need to be awake. Being awake means that we live in a way that is aware of God’s Presence, and it also means living in a state of alertness by being aware of the lies and schemes of the enemy – not letting them slip through undetected.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 states, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Like a good guard, we are to take every thought and argument captive. We need to check the credentials of every thought that tries to enter our mind. We need to think about what people are telling you and ask, “does this line up with God’s Word?” Sometimes we just accept what people say and what we hear through a variety of media, without really thinking about whether or not it is true. God wants us to be awake and alert. So we need to surround ourselves with the truth and not let darkness slip in when our guard is down.

To be a good guard, we also need to be sober. We not only need to be aware of our surroundings, but we also need to be prepared for action. We need to be in firm control of our minds and bodies. The Apostle Peter states this as well in 1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”

When people are drunk, even if they are awake and somewhat aware of their surroundings, they lack the ability to make the right choices or the physical dexterity or mental sharpness to carry their intentions out. That is why the Bible consistently condemns being drunk. For when we are drunk, we are not capable of making good decisions, and we are not in a state to be able to help others as well. No one wants to call someone when they really need help and find out they are drunk. As Christians, we need to always be ready. Be ready to make the right choices in our lives, and also be ready to assist others.

And this speaks of more than just physical sobriety, for we need to also be spiritually sober. We need to be spiritually alert, and we need to be capable of following through. It is easy when we conform to the way of life of the world to grow spiritually numb and unaware – or to begin to lack the ability or the willingness to do what should be done. We can become self-centered to the point where we don’t even notice the needs of others, much less be willing to help meet those needs. We need to snap out of our spiritual stupor and be awake, and be sober, so that the Lord can use us to accomplish His purposes.

III. Are Equipped by the Lord

Finally, as Children of the Light, we need to be prepared. We need to be ready for the coming of God’s Kingdom and to face the darkness of this world. The day of battle is not the time to begin training, it is the time to put into practice the skills you have already mastered. So, too, to be children of God’s light requires that we are equipped by the Lord – that we have been trained by the Holy Spirit so we can grow in the gifts that He has given to us.

In verse 8, Paul speaks of putting on the breastplate that guards your heart. First, it guards our heart by faith. Faith protects us by helping us grow in our love for God and learn to trust Him to lead us in His way and in His time. Second, this breastplate guards our heart in love. It protects us by ensuring that we grow in our love for one another. This love helps guard us from the pride of selfishness.

Next, Paul says we need to put on the helmet that guards your mind. Sometimes our minds can lead us astray. Our thoughts can betray us; our cares and anxieties can cause us to lose hope. So put on the helmet of salvation, reminding ourselves that the hope we have in Christ is a hope that no circumstance of life can take away from us.

Paul speaks of this as well in Philippians 4:6-8 when he says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

This helmet guards our minds not just by what it keeps out of our heads, but what it puts in as well. Sometimes the easiest way to keep bad thoughts out is to not leave them any room. The world often says peace comes through emptying your mind – often that is stated goal of worldly meditation, but prayer does the opposite – it is meant to so fill our minds with the goodness of God that there is no room left for the enemy to gain a foothold. There is truth to the saying that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Fill your mind with the things of God – meditate not in emptiness, but on God’s Word – fill your mind with prayers of thanksgiving – fill your mind by praying for others as well.

By doing these things, we will be ready. We will be ready for action – to defeat the schemes of the Devil and to do the good works that God has prepared us for. We will be ready by being awake so that we notice both the traps that seek to ensnare us and the opportunities to encourage, build up, and minister to others around us. And we will be sober. We will be of sound mind and will be able to make the right decisions for us and for the benefit of those around us as well. And most of all, we will be ready to meet the Lord – whether it is in the air at His return, or to meet Him as He walks with us through the trials and triumphs of this life on earth. As Children of the Light, be ready, be awake, be sober, be prepared, and encourage others to do the same. Amen.