1. THE APOSTLE PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1

2. NIGHT PEOPLE/DAY PEOPLE..... WHICH ARE YOU? 2

3. A.PAUL IS NOW GOING TO CONTRAST NIGHT PEOPLE (UNBELIEVERS) WITH DAY PEOPLE (BELIEVERS). HE BEGINS BY POINTING OUT THREE DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS : 1.THEIR NATURE. 2.THEIR BEHAVIOR. 3.THEIR DESTINY. B.THE DISTINCTIVENESS OF BELIEVERS’ NATURE. “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.” (5:4-5) 1.“BUT YOU, “ IS IN SHARP CONTRAST TO v. 3, WHERE PAUL USED “THEY” AND “THEM” TO REFER TO UNBELIEVERS. 3

4. 2.WHY WOULD THE THESSALONIANS NOT EXPERIENCE THE DAY OF THE LORD? 3.BECAUSE UNLIKE UNBELIEVERS, BELIEVERS “ARE NOT IN DARKNESS;” THEY POSSESS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT NATURE. 4.THEY DO NOT BELONG TO THE NIGHT; THEY ARE NOT PART OF SATAN’S EVIL KINGDOM. 5.THE SPIRITUAL DARKNESS THAT OVERWHELMS UNBELIEVERS INCLUDES BOTH THEIR INTELLECT AND MORALS. a.INTELLECTUALLY: IS THEIR IGNORANCE OF NOT KNOWING WHAT IS TRUE. b.MORALLY: IS THEIR IGNORANCE OF NOT DOING WHAT IS RIGHT. “ AND THE LIGHT SHINETH IN DARKNESS; AND THE DARKNESS COMPREHENDED IT NOT.” (JOHN 1:5) 4

5. 6.TRAGICALLY, MOST PEOPLE (7/10 BARNA RESEARCH) CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN DARKNESS. a.U. S. POPULATION: 315,150,301. b.WORLD POPULATION: 7,059,186,756. c.315,150,301 X.7 = 220,605,211 LOST!! d.7,059,186,756 X.8 = 5,647,349,405 LOST!! “AND THIS IS THE CONDEMNATION, THAT LIGHT IS COME INTO THE WORLD, AND MEN LOVED DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT, BECAUSE THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL. FOR EVERY ONE THAT DOETH EVIL HATETH THE LIGHT, NEITHER COMETH TO THE LIGHT, LEST HIS DEEDS SHOULD BE REPROVED.” (JOHN 3:19-20) e.UNBELIEVERS ARE IN THE DARK NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW THE TRUTH, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THEY LOVE WICKEDNESS!! 5

6. 7.YOU AND I NEED TO REMEMBER WHAT WE ONCE WERE, “FOR YE WERE SOMETIMES DARKNESS, BUT NOW ARE YE LIGHT IN THE LORD: WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT.” (EPH. 5:8) “YOU WERE DEAD IN YOUR TRESPASSES AND SINS, IN WHICH YOU FORMERLY WALKED ACCORDING TO THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD, ACCORDING TO THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR, OF THE SPIRIT THAT IS NOW WORKING IN THE SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE. AMONG THEM WE TOO FORMERLY LIVED IN THE LUSTS OF OUR FLESH, INDULGING THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH AND OF THE MIND, AND WERE BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, EVEN AS THE REST.” (EPH. 2:1-3) 6

7. 8.BECAUSE THE THESSALONIAN’S NATURE IS DISTINCT FROM UNBELIEVERS, THEY NEED NOT FEAR THAT THE DAY “WOULD OVERTAKE” THEM “ LIKE A THIEF.” 9.BELIEVERS ARE “ALL SONS OF LIGHT AND SONS OF DAY.” PAUL DRIVES THE POINT HOME BY STATING EMPHATICALLY, “WE ARE NOT OF NIGHT NOR OF DARKNESS.” BELIEVERS, “WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.” (ROM. 6:4) “NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST.” (2 COR. 5:17) “NEW CREATIONS.” (GAL. 6:15) “SEALED... IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS.” (EPH. 2:6) “(LIVES) HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD.” (COL. 3:3) 7

8. C.THE DISTINCTIVENESS OF BELIEVERS’ BEHAVIOR. “SO THEN LET US NOT SLEEP AS OTHERS DO, BUT LET US BE ALERT AND SOBER. FOR THOSE WHO SLEEP DO THEIR SLEEPING AT NIGHT, AND THOSE WHO GET DRUNK GET DRUNK AT NIGHT. BUT SINCE WE ARE OF THE DAY, LET US BE SOBER, HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF FAITH AND LOVE, AND AS A HELMET, THE HOPE OF SALVATION.” (5:6-8) 1.“SO THEN “ EMPHASIZES THE INEXTRICABLE LINK BETWEEN THE CHRISTIANS’ NATURE AND THEIR BEHAVIOR; THEIR CHARACTER AND THEIR CONDUCT. “I THEREFORE, THE PRISONER OR THE LORD, BESEECH YOU THAT YE WALK WORTHY OF THE VOCATION WHEREWITH YE ARE CALLED.” (EPH. 4:1) 8