Live in the light of Jesus.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 24, November 12, 2023

Grace, mercy, and peace from the eternal God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11  Concerning the times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you, ²for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  ³When people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will suddenly come on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will certainly not escape.  ⁴But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day could take you by surprise like a thief, ⁵for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day.  We do not belong to the night or the darkness.  ⁶So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober.  ⁷To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  ⁹You see, God did not appoint us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  ¹⁰He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  ¹¹Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are also doing. (EHV)

Live in the light of Jesus.

Dear watchful brothers and sisters in Christ,

Immediately before our sermon text, St. Paul comforted his fellow believers with the assurance that those who are called out of this world before Jesus returns to judge will certainly not be forgotten by Him when He returns but will be raised up on the last day to meet the Lord Jesus right along with all those yet living on earth.  Still, it is normal for believers to wonder; how are we to dwell in this troubled world as we wait to see Jesus’ return? 

Here, through St. Paul, the Holy Spirit teaches that we dare not forget the Lord and Savior who won our release from the tyranny and oppression of the devil and our own sinful flesh.  He furthermore instructs us how to live more and more sanctified lives in this troubled and sinful world, giving encouragement and edification to our fellow believers as we Live in the light of Jesus.

Paul wrote, “Concerning the times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you, for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”  Paul felt no need to write about the times and dates, because he had personally instructed the believers in Thessalonica, just as all the apostles faithfully shared this truth as they proclaimed the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  All Christians should certainly understand that Christ’s return will come unexpectedly, for Jesus told His followers on several occasions that no one knows that day except His Father in heaven.  There should never be a misunderstanding about Judgment Day, and yet, how often don’t Christians find themselves guessing about Jesus’ return? 

Yes, how often don’t we look around the world and guess that Jesus must be coming soon?  On the other hand, how often have we gone ahead with some thought or action that we know is wrong, foolishly confident that Jesus isn’t going to judge us today?  I’ll bet it’s more times than any of us care to admit publicly.  However, since we do understand that Jesus will return without warning, shouldn’t we live our lives assuming that He could catch us in any wrong thing we do or say or think?  Of course, even that idea neglects the fact that our LORD already knew every bit of evil we would commit long before we were born.

Whoever believes they are safe to do whatever they want (even temporarily) without likely retribution is living a delusion.  “When people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will suddenly come on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will certainly not escape.”  No one will escape Jesus’ judgment, and no one will be able to pretend ignorance of God’s law.  We were born with the law written in our hearts, and even if we didn’t fully understand that law, it is enough to condemn us, for none of us have obeyed even that imperfect knowledge of God’s will. 

No one will be able to plead ignorance of the coming judgment, for that too we know in our hearts as our consciences bear witness, and God’s Word has been proclaimed in this world for thousands of years.  No one will avoid the Judge in the judgment.  Every sinner will be caught; “They will certainly not escape.” 

It all sounds rather ominous, doesn’t it?  Not one of us is able to live without sin, and none of us can avoid God’s Judgment Day, so who can stand up to God’s wrath?  Those who pretend to have peace and safety apart from Christ Jesus will be thrown into the fiery pit of hell to suffer, forever. 

However, do notice one thing, the condemned are all those, and only those, who remain separated from Christ Jesus in unbelief.  Paul wrote, “But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day could take you by surprise like a thief, for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day.  We do not belong to the night or the darkness.”  Those who reject God’s Word live in darkness.  They have no light in their lives, so it’s no wonder they stumble around in all kinds of foolish wickedness. 

At the same time, you know how differently we walk in the dark when compared to daylight.  On a dark path in the woods, no one knows what danger lies behind which bush or tree, so the wise person proceeds carefully, cautiously.  In the dark, we can’t see the things about to trip us, consume us, or stub our toes.  It’s the same for those who walk in spiritual darkness.  They can’t see the dangers that surround them in this world.  They don’t recognize the things that trip them until it’s too late.  While Satan compels the unbeliever to keep bounding eagerly forward unaware of the dangers in his darkness, they have no ability to avoid the snares and traps that lead into the lion’s mouth.

But dear friends, this is not you and me.  Why can I say that?  Because, God has already shined Jesus’ wonderful light upon us.  God made us believers in His Son so that our sins would be taken away.  All of those times we stumble and fall in our lives were paid for on the cross.  To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away.  The new has come!  And all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.  That is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19) 

Jesus told His disciples, " I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)  When the Lord made you and me believers, He gave us light that will not be taken away.  Jesus’ purity is credited to each of us through faith.  His perfect instruction shows us the bright path Jesus gives to eternal life.  Satan cannot enter that path to harm us.  All he can do is howl from the sidelines in his chains, trying to lead us astray.

“We do not belong to the night or the darkness.  So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober.  To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”  Please understand that the Holy Spirit isn’t telling us, here, that we can never take a nap or have a sip of wine.  What He is telling believers is not to return to the dark night of unbelief, nor to return to the foolish arrogance of our sinful nature.  We can’t wander this world on our own and expect to enjoy the glory of heaven.  We need to remain in Jesus’ light. 

Those who are asleep, or drunk, are all those people who are lost in the confusion of their own ideas, who have no qualms about following the myths Satan throws out into the world.  These are people who don’t know Jesus as their Savior, people who look for signs of the end times hoping they will have enough time, later, to believe or to get ready for judgment.  They walk in the darkness of unbelief, either imagining they will not be judged, or arrogantly assuming they can stand before God on their own merits.  If you’ve ever stubbed your toe trying to walk around your own house in the dark of night, you were given just the tiniest taste of the never-ending pain these sleepwalkers will endure for all eternity.

Paul wrote, “Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”  Faith and love and the hope of salvation are the protective armaments that the Holy Spirit gives us to keep us safely walking in Christ’s well-lit path.  It is God’s love that saved us.  His love brought Jesus into our world to live and die for all of us sinners.  Jesus’ love led Him to gladly sacrifice Himself for you and me.  His love kept Him nailed to the tree until He gave up His life in payment for the sins of the world.  The breastplate of faith and the helmet of salvation were put on you and me in Baptism, when God claimed us as His own.  The Holy Spirit uses these gifts to preserve us from the dark night of the world and to shield us from the blinding intoxicants the devil spews out through his false-teaching friends.

Simple faith in Jesus Christ as Redeemer, Lord, and Savior is the hope of salvation that comforts and assures us through any trial or torment; these gifts of the Spirit keep us in Jesus’ bright light.  “You see, God did not appoint us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.”  God takes no pleasure in catching anyone in wrong-doing.  He does not celebrate the death and eternal punishment of anyone, for “God our Savior,… wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

Paul emphatically declares that God did not choose you for wrath.  God chose you to believe.  He picked you, personally, and worked saving faith in you by His Word and Sacrament.  What great love the LORD showed you and me that not only did He live and die to save us, but He also made sure we heard His saving Gospel and believe it. 

God ensured that a world of sinners would have a Savior from sin and death.  We did nothing to deserve His grace.  Didn’t matter—God loved us even though He hated our sin.  He despised our rebellion but loved us so much He sent His Son to live and die for us all.  Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:13-14)  We do what Jesus commanded when we put all our faith and trust in Him.  Trusting in Jesus, we don’t go looking for loopholes to avoid His judgment, and we don’t need to know what day Jesus will return, for Jesus has removed our sins far from us, and for the sake of His innocent suffering and death, the Father has forgiven us everything.

Paul finished this thought by writing, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are also doing.”  Comfort each other by reminding your brothers and sisters of Christ’s forgiveness.  That’s what we do for fellow Christians in every worship service; we remind each other of the forgiveness and salvation Jesus won for us all on the cross.  That’s what we do every time we forgive a brother or sister who causes us harm, every time we assure the repentant sinner that he, or she, is truly forgiven.  Sharing the Good News of God’s forgiveness, we Live in the light of Jesus.

We build each other up as we teach everything Jesus taught us.  Because the Lord lives in us, we can’t help but have His light shine through.  In faith-given love, we teach, or instruct, to enlighten with truth, to build up each other as members of God’s holy Church.  We build faith whenever, and wherever, we share the Gospel of Christ Jesus: as we teach our children to pray and trust in Jesus, as we reach out to those walking in darkness with the light only Jesus can give.  As believers celebrate the goodness and glory of our Savior in our worship and daily living, His light reflects off us so that others might see and live.  Thus, dear friends, you do comfort and edify those around you as you Live in the light of Jesus.  Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto everlasting life.  Amen.