The Position & Possessions of the Believer # 29 (Lesson 30)

Okay, today we're lesson 30. Positions and Possessions of the Believer, number 29. It's just confusing having all those numbers. I even had a guy try to put a third number in there, but I went whatever. We're just going to work on pretty much two verses today.

Ephesians 5.8. Someone go ahead and find that and read it.

And then 1 Thessalonians 5.4 and 5.

So Ephesians 5.8. For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Okay?

1 Thessalonians 5.4 and 5. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness. Okay, so obviously those verses explain the theme of what we're talking about.

And my first question was, explain what it means to be in darkness. When I first started to answer this question, I had about two sentences, now I've got a page and a half. What's the easiest way to define darkness? It's the easiest way to define it. It usually means that in scripture. It means the absence of light.

But it's used, according to Lewis Barry Chafer, it's used in five different aspects, which I thought were kind of interesting. He says that there is no physical reality that is more impressive than lightness and darkness. It makes more sense than any other example you can use about saved and lost, Adam and Christ. The contrast between light and dark is the most impressive phenomenon that can be used to explain. Darkness, number one, can be used as opposition to the character of God. We'll look up some verses this morning.

John, would you look up 1 John 1.5 and James 1.17. This has to do with darkness as the opposition to the character of God.

This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. I remember as a young believer I loved this verse because the one I had put my faith and trust in was more than I even anticipated. The fact that in him was light and there wasn't any darkness at all. was impressive to me. Okay, James 117. So, when you talk about darkness in the Bible, most of the time, a lot of the time it refers to opposition to the character of God. God's character is demonstrated in scriptures as light. The next one is the moral state of the unsaved world.

So, Craig, John 1.5.

John, you can do John 3.19. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. Moral state of the unsaved world. Light comes into darkness and darkness didn't overcome it, didn't understand it, didn't figure it out at all.

John 3.19. And this is the condemnation that let us come into the world, that men love darkness rather than light, because of the evil of evil.

This is one of Hal Mawar's favorite verses to display the word agape. We like to put the word agape and hook it up to God all the time, but the word here for loving darkness is what? Agape. Men find extreme value in darkness. They love it. They want to be there. I love talking to Christians who try to convince me that the last time they sinned they really didn't want to do it. I always want to do it. I want to be in darkness when I sin.

Romans 1.21 and John 9.25.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor and ask God or give thanks, but became futile in their speculations and their foolish habits there. of the moral state of the unstated world. They wouldn't honor God as God, so what happens? He just leaves them where they are. John 9, 25.

He answered and said, whether he be a sinner or no, I know not. One thing I know that whereas I was blind, now I see. So this is an example of the blind man that the Lord Jesus had cured. And the Pharisees were all over him, you know, trying to, it's like NBC, trying to get him to say something that really isn't an add-on to what really was going on. And the succinctness of what this man says is very critical. He said, I know nothing other than the fact that I was once blind and now I can see. That's what I know. So the moral decay of those in the world, is blindness, darkness.

The next one is the carnal Christian, 1 John 1.6. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and work in darkness, we lie and do not betray Him. So, fellowship and communication depends on agreement, and where sin is practiced and defended by the believer, there can't be any perfect fellowship with God.

So, if you walk in the light, you're subject to the light. Do you understand what I mean by that? The light controls you. If you walk in the darkness, you're subject to the darkness. The darkness controls you. What I love about this argument, We're not chasing this rabbit, I'm just making a comment. What I love about the discussion about free will is that here's the Bible talking about all men outside of Christ in darkness, and what do they claim they have in darkness? Free will. Free to do what?

Walk in darkness. That's about it. See? So you can choose one sin or another. I have a choice. And if you're a carnal Christian and you're walking in the darkness, how free are you? You're subject to the darkness. You are. And without the work of the Spirit of God, you would stay there.

The fourth one is Isaiah 60 verse 2 and Joel 2. And this has to do with the tribulation and Christ's return to the earth. And the condition that will be prevalent on the earth when he comes back. Isaiah 60 verse 2. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Isn't that interesting? Not only will there be physical darkness on the earth, But it says the people will be grossly dark. What does that mean? They'll be living in a state of spiritual darkness when Christ comes back. Joel 2 and 2. It is close at hand, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains, a large and mighty army comes. Such as never was of old, nor will ever be in ages to come.

Again, referring to what's going to happen on this earth during the tribulation, not only from the physical aspect. We like to really look and concentrate on the physical things that are going to happen, but we seldom get past that to see what's really happening to people spiritually. And the last one is the final estate of the lost.

Matthew 25.30 and 2 Peter 2.4. Threw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

2 Peter 2.4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment. My person says deliver them into the chains of darkness. So it's interesting, here's this outer darkness.

How many of you have ever been to Carlsbad Caverns? Were you in there when they turned the lights off? What happened? Do you know that they make you sit down when they do that? You know why? Because you have no sense of balance or orientation. You'll fall down.

It is so dark in that place. anything. So what's interesting about this word darkness is that I think it's important for us as believers to understand a couple of things here. Number one, that people who are lost live in abject darkness. We like to complain, well they're not being moral or they're not being politically correct or they're not functioning like they should. How can they?

They're in abject darkness. And unless the Spirit of God comes to them and begins to illuminate them, what do they see? Nothing. Nothing. And when a believer is sinning, and we'll cover this in a little bit, is he in sort of a little less darkness because he's a believer?

What do you think? Same darkness? I think so. I think so. So, that was my next question. Is it possible for a believer walking in darkness to see the things of the light? What do you think? If he's a woman walking in cold darkness, he doesn't see the light. So he's a believer. He's walking in darkness. Can you see the light? When he's out of fellowship, he doesn't see the light. Anybody agree with that? How many agree with him? How many don't agree with him? Some chickens in here. I think he's right. I think he's right.

So what's the difference? What's the difference between a believer walking in the darkness and a non-believer who is in that darkness? How would you describe the difference in those two persons? The only way I know is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Is there something that would distinguish one from the other? It's fellowship versus no fellowship. OK, fellowship versus no fellowship.

So what does that say about the believer in that? In terms of his position, he has relights with this. Did his walking in abject darkness affect his position in Christ? No, it didn't. That's the difference, I think. The darkness, the non-believer, that's his estate. That's what he is. The believer is still in Christ.

He has no fellowship. So don't you find it interesting that fellowship and likeness are equated? If you're out of fellowship with the Lord, you're in darkness. And we think, well, gee, if I'm out of fellowship, I've done some horrendous sin. No. You might have acted legally. You're just in as much darkness. You depend on yourself, you're in darkness. Because, I mean, think about it. If you're sons of light, which we are, and you rely on that nature in you that lives in abject darkness to figure things out, how much chance have you got of figuring stuff out?

None. None. So, can one in the light ever be again considered a son of darkness? Which is kind of already answered that. What do you think? Answer, no. Because we were made light in the Lord. So, it's impossible for the new nature to countenance sin. The very essence in rejection and exposure to what is contrary to God. That's your new nature. That's who you are in Christ. The new man is very sensitive about sin. Don't you think he is? He's very sensitive about it. It's detectable and he doesn't like it very much.

Now, if you understand that you're light in the Lord, maybe I'll go this direction. One of the most important reasons why a place like Holly Hills teaches positional truth is so that you know what the light is. You know who you are. You know where you are and what you have.

And if you begin to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, then the ability to detect darkness is enhanced dramatically in your everyday existence. If your Christian experience is based on you performing, you're not growing. And so you can't detect. You don't have the sensitivity or the spirituality to detect darkness when it starts creeping around.

You see that? So it's so important for us to learn the truth, and then once you learn it, what do you do with it? You believe it. Simple. You just believe it. And the cool thing about what we're learning here, at the last part of this identification class, as we're going through these 33, 34 things, and now we've got 215 more of them, What are they? They are all things of the light. All of them are things of the light and they are things that we believers live by, function by. That's what our characters are.

We don't have to learn the darkness in order so we can figure out the light. It's not the way it is. How many people do you know in the world who have come to you either about yourself or about your kids and said, well it's good for them to go out and get knocked around a little bit. They learn to stay away from Whatever. Not from a Christian standpoint either.

The deal is to learn the light. Just like a treasury agent who is in the counterfeit section, what does he study? All the counterfeit bills? He studies the real ones. Why? Because when the phony shows up he can see it. It's the only reason you do it that way. It's the same way with us.

So the believer can never be considered to be a son of darkness, he can say he's not in darkness even though he may be functioning there. Does that make sense? If you think of darkness as the absence of light, there's no way you can get light from darkness.

There's no way you can get a sense of light from darkness. All you have is darkness. But if you have light, like we as Christians do in us, we can, you know, like the Sermon on the Mount says, cover our light, we can hide it. You can get a sense of darkness once you have light. But if all you have is darkness, you don't know what light is, you have no sense of what it is, and there's no way you can get that light out of it. So sinners, people that are without Christ, they have darkness, and they don't have any sense of the light.

We have the light in us. we can sometimes stick our head back in the darkness, we can sometimes turn away from the light, and the more we see the light, the more we see the darkness. And you talk about the spiritual sensitivity, the more sensitive we are to light, and the more aware we are of it, then we become more aware of the darkness.

That's good. That's right. We laugh all the time because you turn on the History Channel or PBS and they're trying to explain some Old Testament phenomenon from darkness. They're trying to explain the parting of the Red Sea. Or they're trying to explain some biblical phenomenon that is a miracle from a total darkness viewpoint, and we sort of chuckle. But all those other people that are watching that are in darkness, they think, oh, that must be it.

That must be it. And because you're in the light, you see it for what it is, and you don't need a whole bunch of education, you just see it. So on the other side of the coin, what does it mean to be in the light? Usually when I have a class by him, and I think Galatians is particularly apparent in some others, that we talk about the works of the flesh. The class is very active, lots of people talking, but when they start talking about the fruit of the Spirit, it gets real quiet. I wonder why that is. So what does it mean to be in the light? Walking in the light? OK, what is the Light? The Light of Christ, the Light of opposition.

God is Light, and in Him there isn't any darkness. So He doesn't come with the flashlight, He is Light. And so, if you start with that premise, you have to, your thinking moves from, it's always the person, and it's always the focus is on God Himself. He is Light. Now you are the light. Now are you light, and what quality of light? Light in the Lord. Who you are in the light is who Christ is as light. You have not kindled a spark that is in you from Moses, but from the Lord of light.

Now, let me explain why I went there. Believers that focus on Old Testament scriptures don't get very much light. You know why? This is a dispensational issue. You know why? Think about it. The answer is in John chapter 1 verse 4. Why is the Old Testament same? You just get a glimpse. Alright, we've got one for it. Let me read it. So when does light show up on the planet? That's right.

So, he comes with life and he comes with light. That's who he is. And it's interesting in John's Gospel, right in the beginning there, he talks about this thing of light and life a lot. He talks about the fact that light itself was not apprehended, understood, or received by anybody on the earth. And he's the light.

A guy said to me one time, I finally figured out why John the Baptist was here. He was the hero, right? If you have a room full of blind people, right, the whole room is full of blind people, like my dog, and someone comes in and turns on the light, do you know that it's on? Somebody's got to tell you. That's what John the Baptist's job was.

Hey guys, the light's on. And they're like, you know, they can't see. Someone tells them that the light is on, otherwise they wouldn't know it. My dog is so blind that I can do this in front of his eyes. And this one goes over here and talks to him. He's looking around and the dog's right here. He cannot see. He just can't see.

And so the world is like that, and here comes God, in Jesus Christ, who is the light. Does anybody know he's here? As the light? Nope. First of all, they have to be told. So, from a dispensational standpoint, life is the light of men. Until he shows up, there isn't much light at all. There are a few that recognize him. As the Son of God, and angels are not in the Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the Light of Man. That's who He is.

So, all you people who are evangelists, that's what you want to talk about, the Light of Man. Life was not in man, even unfallen. At best, the first man, Adam, became a living soul with instinct with the breath of God. Nor is it ever said, even of a saint, that in him is or was life, the life he has. But he has it only in the Son of God. In him the word was light, and the light was the light of men. Such was our relationship.

So the fact that you are light is all based on what? What's it based on? The word of God doesn't say necessarily that you have light. You are light. Why? Because you're in the one who is light. You've heard me say this before. When we rule and reign with the Lord Jesus on this planet through the millennial kingdom, how are people on this earth going to distinguish you from Just another guy living in Aurora. How are they going to know you? Because you're light. Because the glory of God will come out of you and every creature will see that you're sons of light. Can't hide it then. See? Pretty cool. Okay.

When we're given the command... I'm sorry. When we are given the command to walk in the light, what does this command presuppose? So when you talk about commands in the Bible, or I shouldn't say in the Bible, commands to believers in the New Testament, especially in Paul's epistles, there is always a supposition that the command is based on. And what is the supposition? It's your position. God never asked you or none of the writers ever asked you to do anything until they have laid out first who you are and what's true of you. You see that? There's never a call to walk in the light until the light has been explained. and your relationship and your position in the light is clearly defined, then comes the command, walk in the light. See that?

If we were functioning in any kind of a legal system, it would be based on the fact that you need to walk in the light to prove that you are of the light. See the difference? Grace doesn't function that way. Grace functions that you should walk in the light because that's what you are.

You see that? That's what you are. The law would say, walk in the light so you can prove to yourself and to God and everybody else that you either deserve the light, or you're worthy of the light, or you merit the light. See that? Does that make sense? So, if we're children of the light, then we ought to manifest fruit of the light. See that?

And I hate the word ought, because it's a tyrannical word. I ought to be doing this, and I ought to be doing that. So, in order to manifest the Light, you've got to know the Light. Do you agree with that? You have to know the Light first in order to manifest it. And so, as you learn the Light, you manifest things like goodness and truth.

What happens is that we prove experimentally, or experientially, what is well-pleasing to God because He has already positioned us in Himself. Does that make sense to you? Ephesians 5 verse 9 should be read, fruit of the light rather than the fruit of the spirit.

Do men in darkness really like it there? How many think, yeah, they really do? So, why do we go after men from the viewpoint that, gee, they can't like it there? They would much rather have light. So we present it as, oh, if you just saw it clearly enough, you'd make a really good decision, and you'd leave the darkness and come to the light. Does that make sense? So, what do we do? When the Spirit of God starts to open up a person's understanding about their position in darkness, and he starts wooing them to Christ, there's a supposition there, that's why the wooing is so important, because the wooing is to woo them away from the thing that they already love. And so we go at it by, oh, these poor souls, if someone would just tell them, they would leave, because they really hate being in the darkness. And they would automatically come across. No they won't. No they won't. They have to be moved across.

Let me give you examples like this. At the Great White Throne Judgment, at the very end, when my buddy across the street over here, in the White House, who never got saved, comes before Christ to be judged. What's his attitude at that point? How does he look at Christ? And, of course, we'll all be there, radiantly glowing. What is his attitude about today? Right now, this minute, is the day of final judgment. Is he going to feel like he got shortchanged somehow? Or that he, given another chance, he would have accepted Christ? he would have gone to the light. Would that be his attitude? It won't be, will it?

No, because he hates the light, and he loves the darkness. And we, in our sort of soft-heartedness, think that all these souls are going to come up before God and say, oh, just give me one more chance. Not a single one of them is going to say that. Not a single one of them. Because this principle is in play for every man. They love darkness.

And so, they will say to God, can't we get this over quickly? Because I can't stand the light, where's the door to darkness? That's what their attitude is going to be. And we think, well God isn't just. or if it was really fair, you can save all those people. They don't want the light. So you can see why it takes the spirit of God to woo a man to Christ. The verse after the one that John read, if I can just read two verses.

So this is John 3.19 and 3.20. This is the judgment that the lights come into the world and men love the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. But here's the reason. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

And that's something. So I'm thinking on the final judgment day, when they're standing in the light, they're looking pretty ugly and it's pretty uncomfortable. Yeah. So I had a pretty comfortable one out of there. Yeah. Dante wrote the Inferno. Has anybody ever read that? It's kind of hard to read.

But it's interesting, that principle is in them. That they love where they are. That they are not interested in the alternative, which would be life. So I think it's a good thing for us as believers to understand, one, that all men outside of Christ, that's their frame of reference, that's their love of their heart.

When you graduate from there to being a believer, you can see how attractive being in darkness is to a believer. He's real familiar with the darkness, and he likes it there. His old man does, and he's got this nature that is only comfortable in darkness. So, you know, it seems like they like the darkness and that's true.

But I guess the thing is, even though they go into the darkness, it's not going to be a picnic. It's not a good place for them, even though they choose that. And I think of all the verses that, you know, and I think we read one. you know, the weeping and gnashing of teeth. It's not like they're going to a place that, you know, the square peg fits in the square peg. You know, it's not a good place.

Even though they choose that, that's where they want to be. It is God's judgment. The lesser of two evils. That's where they want to be, but that's not a good place. It's not like this is where they ought to be and it's happy, you know. They match perfectly.

Well, it's the same mentality of like, you know, have you ever had the thought that, boy, if somebody would ever just wise Satan up, he'd figure it out and go to God and say, hey, I'm sorry. No, it's not going to happen. And it isn't that God isn't just. His graciousness has presented salvation to every man. It cost him a lot. It cost him everything he had, and he presents it based on grace, and then turned away. Because they love the darkness. Is it so much like what he's saying? Is it that they love the darkness or more that they're rejecting its rebellion against God? They're holding on to the darkness because they hate the light.

Satan and that inner man is so rebellious against God. Paul in Romans says we're enemies of God. We are so antagonistically imposed to God that we're willing to take whatever it is instead of the light. Even though we were made to be in the light, even though God created us to be in Him, we're rejecting that and we're so spiteful.

You even see that a little bit with my kids. They want to have their own way. They're not going to eat or not going to do this because they want to reject what we're trying to give them because they want to have their own way. It's not so much that, oh, I want to have this bad thing. It's that I don't want to have you, so I'll accept anything. I'll convince myself that anything is better than having you.

Interesting. I had a thought as you were talking there that The reason that identification truths are so critical to us as believers is to recognize that God has taken us out of that frame of reference, made us sons of light, and he's made us suitable to be light. Does that make sense? Where there isn't any resistance.

And he knew all along that fixing the old guy up or patching him up or whatever wouldn't work. And so if he was going to have sons, he was going to have to recreate them in the light so that they would function appropriately and according to what they were. Now in the Old Testament, He accounts men righteous because of their faith. They have life from God and Hebrews are talked about as the souls of just men made perfect and they can They can stand the light, they like being in it.

But they're not sons of light, like we are. And that's a huge difference. We're created, recreated in Christ, not only to be receptors and understand the light, but also, and more importantly, to be the manifestors of the light. Because we're in Christ. Why would we need to be manifestors of the light? Because it manifests, God's purpose is to manifest His glory to His creation. And He's determined to do it through us. And why would that be? I don't understand. Well, I get the impression that there's nothing we can do. From what you say, I mean, so my neighbor The one across the street. I should never tell him about the light because he's in darkness and wants to get my point.

Yeah, I do. I think that's why they were the were his ambassadors were the ones that were ever used by him. Yeah. I mean, why is that? Why are there evangelists? So it's important then, isn't it? to exhibit the light for his purposes and also individually, I think. There are two different aspects of that, personally, walking in the light. Loving the darkness, as I did, why am I not still in it? I'm trying to get to the other side of the argument. I think it goes to this, maybe.

The believer who walks in the light is a realist in the sense that he knows the environment that he's in. It's like observing the life of the Lord Jesus as he walked around this planet. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, and whosoever will may come. It isn't a matter of the believer not desiring or living the life that would be an example of those wooing people to the light, whether he gets the opportunity to tell them or just by his actions.

The point is that he does need to understand who he's dealing with. And the point here is not that we are apathetic or lazy about the fact that we are sons of light. The issue is to understand that if you're in the light and I'm in the darkness, For me to see the light, I may not think that's too cool, but it doesn't change the way you come at me because of who you are. It doesn't matter who I am, you already know who I am. And you don't know who God is going to save or not save, so you live your life according to the light all the time. Do I tell you? I mean, some people, given the set of circumstances that are there, some people you do, some you don't. I'm convinced that they watch us. Because we're different. I know my neighbors watch me. They really do.

And so I'm not over there banging on the door giving them the tracks. But if I'm with them, the most important thing to me is to be who I am. I'm a son of light. If the opportunity comes along to talk about the gospel, I'm on it. But I'm not passing out tracts in the neighborhood or evangelizing the neighborhood.

I've got an interesting situation. In my block now I have two really orthodox Jewish families from the people that bought your church. And they're very interesting people. They are very tough to talk to. But on Thursday night we have a Bible study and the neighbors over time have asked what we do.

And so I've had opportunity through that to talk to him, but I find that I have way more sway with him just being who I am. I'm the son of God. And I get opportunity to talk to him, I talk to him about that. I just wanted to make the point that we were all sons of darkness at one time. Yes, we were. And somebody had to show us the way. Yes, they did. Well, I would say that through somebody the Spirit of God showed us the way. There's a verse that says that no one comes to God except the Spirit draws him. That's right. And I forget what that is. It's in John. It's in John and the Lord Jesus said that.

So, we as believers, the point about light and darkness here is to understand who you're dealing with. Some people, from an evangelistic standpoint, want to push non-believers to the point where they're either rejected or they come and go for it. I'm not much of an evangelist, you know, but I know people that are, like Malloy was. Malloy could engage people in just an ongoing discussion, and the next thing you know they're talking about salvation, you know. And he just had a gift that way. I talk to people about salvation all the time and they don't... Other people talk about it and they seem to respond.

So I don't, you know, I don't think I'm shirking my responsibility. The Bible says, if I be lifted up, I'll draw a man unto me. It's not, you're going to be able to convince them. Say, if I be lifted up, I'm going to draw a man unto me. Our responsibility is to show the light. Only God can say. Only God is going to reach out and draw that person towards Him. But that doesn't, you know, get rid of our responsibility. We're still supposed to go into all the world. We're still supposed to let our light shine before men.

And God's going to use that. He has chosen throughout history to use human agents to accomplish his purpose. And it's not that the human agent is significant. I mean, he makes them significant, but it's God's power working through them. And so we still have that responsibility. Like you said, we're all in darkness, and God caught us out of that. Now that we're in the light, God has said, you know, I'm going to leave you here on earth. You shine before all men. And I'm going to draw men to me, but I'm going to use you.

Maybe it goes to this question. Is our focus to be on, whether we're living up to our responsibility as the light, or is our focus to be on the light itself? I think so. And I think responsibility is fulfilled there. That's why I think position is so important. We have a light that has certain characteristics, and as we're conformed to that light, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, It's like saying, well, Jesus isn't doing his job if I'm not living up to my responsibility. That's nonsense. Because then it puts the focus on me and what I'm doing and that I have to practice being a Christian rather than beholding a glory book.

I mean, those of you who are parents, how many parenting classes do you go to every week so that you do the right thing? How do you learn to be a dad? How do you learn to be a husband? Don't tell me by doing all the wrong stuff. We husbands are to love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.

Now what does that tell me? That there is a certain characteristic in a certain life that functions that way and it ain't me. So if I've been recreated in Christ and I have that life, I'm to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus conformed to his image. So what happens? Out of me comes that kind of life. Why? Because it's there.

If I focus on the fact that I better be loving my wife as Christ led the church and I'm going to be sacrificial, I'm so self-centered I can't be talked to. Because I'm going to say to her, will you notice it? How come you're not responding? Can't you see I'm being sacrificial?

According to 1 Thessalonians 4, what will we be able to avoid because we are not in the darkness? Thessalonians is talking about when the Lord comes, and it's the day of the Lord. And the day of the Lord usually refers to the tribulation. And when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as prevail upon a woman with child. He does not say you, he says they. What's the difference? He's speaking about the presence of the Lord, he says you and we, but when treating the day of Jehovah, he says they. These are non-believers.

So, you brethren are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief. And then he gives you the reason, because you are children of light and you are children of the day. You are not of the night nor of darkness, therefore, here is what he says. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that are 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 helmet, and hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. And salvation here means the complete deliverance of what's to come. The redemption of the body and the soul.

So the point is that saints will not be overtaken by the night. They won't be overtaken by the day of destruction. The book Thessalonians talks about that because that's kind of the focus So believers are going to be able to avoid all of that. So if we're here, we get raptured out. And then the day of wrath starts. We miss it, thank God, because we're not of the darkness. That's why we miss it. So are we considered by God to be children or adult sons? Are we considered by God to be just children, or are we considered by God to be adult sons? Yes, we are adult sons. From the moment we believe so, we are adult sons of the light.

I'll finish those other two next week. Dear Father, how we thank you. We thank you for The fact that you have recreated us in your Son, made us sons of light, adult sons of light. Father, our prayer is that as we rest in the Lord Jesus, that others might see the hope that's in us, and the light in the life that's in us, and that you would attract them and draw them to your Son. We thank you, Father. We pray in your Son's name. Amen.