Good Morning Beloved Family,
I am truly blessed by each and every one of you here today
Thank you for coming
Heavenly Father,
Thank You!
Thank You for all You have already done
that which is presently being worked out on Your behalf
and that which is yet not seen, in faith believing
When I pause to consider all You have done in and through,
I can barely catch my breath..
As I stood on the precipice,
You were there
When I cried out in fear
You answered my call
When I was alone and afraid,
You held my hand
enfolding Your loving arms around me
I stand in awe of Your presence Lord
amazed by Your endless mercies
new each and every morning
Thank You each of those joining us today
for the honor and privilege of tending Your flock
May You bless each hearer with Your message
Thank You for equipping me for the calling You've
placed upon me
And for believing in me
even when I didn't believe in myself
O Lord of great grace and love
hear this prayer of thanks
In Jesus' name
Amen
Today's Message: Child Of Darkness - Child Of Light
"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; 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. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."
1 Thessalonians 5:4-11
As a minister of the gospel, I have the privilege to point out curves on the road to heaven. I therefore, also have the responsibility and the undesirable task of warning believers about the alluring dangers along the way as well as the great joy to inform them of its privileges.
However, there are those times, I must warn saints, who may seem to be in a perilous position, heading in the wrong direction.. This is never a pleasant experience, but nonetheless, one that must be undertaken, and done so carefully, responsibly and biblically.
There is a portion of the road that leads from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. This portion of the road has more dangers than any other portion of the road.
Now the title of the message is, as you may have noticed, is essentially drawn directly from today's text. I did find it interesting, as I was preparing for this message, just many scientific studies there were on the characteristics of those who are night people or night owls and those who are day people who are early birds.
These psychological studies characterize typically, generally night people: antisocial, temperamental, extravagant, their personalities are said to be addictive, to have mental struggles, creative, less faithful, smarter, higher batting average, bad habits, procrastination, frustration, difficulty, anxiety, and depression. I find that to be quite a list. A sad, sad list indeed.
And in contrast to that list we then have that of day people, which are characterized typically by being persistent, cooperative, agreeable; they are proactive, considered to conscientious; they get better grades; they’re very responsible, and they are perfectionists. I'd venture to guess, that particular study was obviously written by a day person.
However, it reminds me why I am typically in bed before 7:30pm. (grinning)
There were even studies depicting the biological differences between these two types of people, day and night. And from a spiritual standpoint, there is a vast difference between these two types of people. In fact, the human race as a whole is divided into one of these two categories;
Children of Darkness or Children of Light.
The apostle Paul is making a very simple distinction between believers and nonbelievers.
Night people are associated with darkness, with sleep, and with drunkenness.
Day people are associated with light, alertness, and soberness.
So then, what is the state of sleep mentioned, that the Christian must beware of? It is not death. He was dead once, but he is now alive in Christ Jesus; and therefore shall never die.
Sleep is a state of insensibility which too often infects even many believers.
When a man is asleep he is numb to his surroundings. The world goes on, and he knows very little or nothing at all about it.
As Christians, we must closely watch our conditions. Every Christian has at one time or another fallen into a condition of insensibility. You wished you could feel; but all you felt was pain. You wished you could pray. It was not that you felt prayerless, but it was because you were numb. You would give a fortune if you could just feel now.. You can sing with your mouth, but your heart does not enter into a deep sense of worship. You want to be awake: but you are restless because you feel like you are wrestling to get out of this state of slumber.
Sleep is a state of inaction. No daily bread is earned by the Christian who has fallen into spiritual sleep. The couch potato is not a productive person. Life is in their physical body, but they are positively dead in relationship to activity. Far too many Christians are inactive today!
People who have received salvation and been given light and life in Christ, and people who have not and remain in darkness. It is time for you to awaken from spiritual sleep! It is time for the worshipers to Arise!
Far too many believers are anxious. That's why the apostle Paul says in the beginning of our text,
"..brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well.."
He’s giving this to comfort them. These believers were not only anxious for the rapture, but also the coming day of the Lord. So Paul is giving them comfort.
I know a great many today who think they are in the day of the Lord, that they have missed the rapture. The day of the Lord, which refers to the divine judgment, severe, cataclysmic, divine judgment from heaven. With more and more Christians being massacred today than any time in human history, we must look to the book of Revelation, where it has all been carefully laid out for us in great detail what this day will look like.
So Paul is telling these Thessalonian believers, that "You should not be anxious, your future is secure. Your future should comfort you, encourage you, and strengthen you." And if we are living our faith, nor should we be anxious, not for the coming day of the Lord, or for any of the difficulties we face.
As believers we have nothing to fear about the present day or the future. Nonbelievers, they have everything to fear, especially concerning the day of the Lord.
Beloved, there are only two kinds of people in the world; children of darkness and children of light.
The question you must now ask yourselves, when the destruction comes, is which one are you?
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Brian Monzon Ministries