Pentecost 25 (Proper 28), November 19, 2023

Not of Darkness
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

They just can’t seem to help themselves. Every few years, someone just
must predict when the world will end. Some even go so far as to predict the
month and day that time will end and Jesus will come for his second advent.
It’s most interesting listening to some of the Issues, Etc. episodes in which
Pastor Chris Rosebrough plays voice clips of some of these predictions. Most
of these “prophets” make their predictions somewhat vague such that they
can be explained away when their predictions don’t come true.
Just why is it that some feel the need to try to make such predictions? After
all, most of these predictors fall into the general realm of Christianity, even if
rather unsound in some of their doctrines. It might well be summarized by
one word of our text: “darkness.” For some of them, it might not be total
darkness, but it certainly is a near-dark setting in which they live spiritually.
St. Paul writes our text today to reassure us that we don’t live in this kind of
darkness. Instead, for us who believe in Jesus,

Because of Christ, the Darkness of Sin and Death Is Gone.

I. Light and darkness are common in Scripture to express certainty or
uncertainty.
The concepts of light and dark are used rather often in Scripture, and it’s no
surprise, then, that Paul would continue with that imagery. Just what is it that
is meant with the usage of darkness and light? Very simply, it means that
those of the light are those with faith and those of the darkness are

unbelievers. Knowing that, so much makes sense as to why those words are
used to illustrate faith or lack of faith. Let’s look at it this way. In the dark,
not only can’t one see where he’s going; he can’t see danger, danger either in
his path or coming toward him. He simply doesn’t know much about what’s
out in front or surrounding him. On the other hand, in the daytime, all can be
seen. There’s no question about the path on which he walks. And if danger
comes, he can see it and make moves to avoid it. Indeed, in the light, one can
have great confidence about himself, about where he’s going, and where he’ll
end up.
So, with faith, it’s as though all confidence has been given. One knows who
he is, knows where he goes, and knows where he’ll end up. Faith in Christ,
the faith God so graciously gives in Baptism, allows one to know, without
any doubting, that he belongs to God. Faith in Christ allows one to know that
the path he walks in life is a God-given path, walking in the manner of
Jesus—serving others, honoring God in all one does. Faith in Christ allows
one to know, with absolute certainty that he will be with Jesus in the glory of
glories when this life is over. This is most certainly being in the light!
But in the darkness, it’s the absolute opposite. St. Paul warns, “The day of
the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There
is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor
pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (vv 2b–3).
The only certainty in darkness is uncertainty. One may deceive himself that
there is some certainty, but if one in darkness can actually be honest, he
must—he must!—admit there’s none. Oh, yes, one could say that there will

certainly be death. But even that doesn’t answer the question about what
happens after one dies.
II. Paul addresses Christ’s coming at the end because of the sins we
commit in this arena.
Indeed, this is the reason for Paul writing the words of our passage for this
morning, to give greater certainty to the believers of Thessalonica. He writes,
“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no
need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware
that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (vv 1–2).
When Paul begins this segment with the words, “times and seasons,” he’s
adding information to the previous segment in which he describes the future
glory for those who believe in the Christ:
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of
command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are
alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord”
(4:16–17).
This, we and the Thessalonians know.
Now Paul is addressing the normal inquisitive nature of wondering when
that glory will come. He addresses this question for two primary reasons,
both addressing the sins normally committed in this arena. One is that our
sinful nature just doesn’t want to trust without having some concrete
evidence. No, we just want the Lord to give us some specifics so that we can
plan accordingly. If we know the specifics, well, then, it diminishes our need
to have faith in the words of Scripture, our need to trust in God’s perfect

providence for our future, or even our need to trust in what God did in Christ
to save us. Thus, if we know the day and time, we could say, in a sense, that
faith isn’t really required.
The second reason for Paul addressing this question about the day and time
of the return of Christ is that if we knew, then we’d think we could live
however we want until then and clean up our act just before Jesus’ arrival,
should that actually be possible. But Paul knows that ploy:
“Let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For
those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at
night” (vv 6–7).
Now, it may well be that we each are thinking at this moment that that’s not
what I’d do if I knew the day and time of Jesus’ return. We want to say
strongly, “I will not quit trusting in what God has done for me, and I will not,
by any means, stop living my life to the honor of God in everything I do.” It’s
wonderful when you think that. But you know, deep down, that our real
tendency is to think and do that which pleases self and not God, to avoid
caring for others and instead try to get out of it. Indeed, that tendency is
something that crops up its ugly head rather routinely, and it’s certainly a
tendency we each have to fight quite regularly. In fact, that’s one of the prime
reasons why Jesus gave his life—to forgive all our sin, of course, but
specifically, especially, the sins to stop trusting and to live in a less-than-
honorable manner.
III. It turns out it’s a great gift not to know when the end is coming.
So, we really have to say that it’s a great gift not to know, not to know the
day, or the time, or the season when Jesus will come again. You see, what we

do know is quite enough:
“Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to
have anything written to you. . . . You are not in darkness, brothers, for
that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light,
children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness” (vv 1,
4–5).
By not knowing, we then focus on what really counts. The two things that
really count are, first, that we believe—and believe with all our hearts—that
God has made us children of the light. He did so by buying us back from the
clutches of Satan and our sin:
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are
awake or asleep we might live with him” (vv 9–10).
And God made us children of this wonderful future by giving us faith
through the Word in our Baptism and in our ears. We really are his, very own
children and we will be such for now and for all eternity.
The other thing that really counts is that without having to keep looking
toward some day or date or season in the future, we can just let Christ live in
and through us. Indeed, by letting that be the truth of our lives, those around
us will see us as significantly different from those who live without the light:
“Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the
breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. . . .
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you
are doing” (vv 8, 11).
Being children of the light changes altogether what life is and what life is
all about. One no longer lives for self, but for the Christ who saved us and for
the people with whom we are to share God’s love. That is the sum and
substance of being no longer of the darkness, but being children of the light,

being children of the heavenly Father. Or as the hymn by that name says:
God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.
Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth. (LSB 725:2–3)

LSB text © Augsburg Publishing House. Used by permission.

By not being of the darkness, by being children of the light, we belong,
truly belong, to God the Father, God Almighty. In that most precious status,
he has removed all the sins we have and ever will commit. In accord with our
text today, he particularly forgives our sin of wanting to know the exact day
and time of his return and the sin of not living as children of the light. And
what’s more, he lives in and through us so that we become and are lights to
the world around us. If it were not for believers in the world, it would indeed
be the dark ages all over again. Praise God for having come to us to make us
his children of light. Praise God for living in and through us, making us alert
and sober about this life and knowledgeable about what is to come in the next
life. Yes, we have so much for which to praise God. Thus, we say again, all
praise be to God. Amen.

Sermon by Pastor Mark Griesse