“SONS OF LIGHT AND SONS OF DAY”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-5; Malachi 4:2; Revelation 22:16,17

 

The brethren to whom Paul wrote in Thessalonica, perhaps more than any other company of Christians, were conscious of the state of darkness that surrounded them. Paul had been there and had seen for himself that they were suffering. He writes to them that they should have endurance and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations (2 Thess.1:4). They were acutely aware of the circumstances around them, and at the present time, anyone with proper sensibilities, any lover of the Lord Jesus, would feel keenly the state of things around us. That is manifest at work, and when we go to school, and in almost every interaction we have with the world. The character of things has taken a swift turn. We spoke about ‘mystery’ in the reading and in Thessalonians we have “the mystery of lawlessness”, 2 Thess.2:7. That is what is so prevalent in the world.

I do not wish to speak about darkness, and we can take comfort that God has a restraining hand upon things. It may not be obvious, but we know that there is “he who restrains” and “that which restrains” (2 Thess.2:6,7). We spoke earlier of wisdom in Proverbs, and in Proverbs 8, where wisdom is personified, it says, “when he imposed on the sea his decree that the waters should not pass his commandment” (v.29). We can take comfort in the fact that nothing will go beyond God’s commandment, whatever the outward state of things may be.

Paul writes to encourage the hearts of the believers in Thessalonica. He says to them, “ye are sons of light and sons of day”. I just have a simple thought that as believers, we are amongst many – more than we know – who have the light of another world and the light of another day. It is precious to hold on to that in the current state of things. It would settle us in relation to the current state of the world, and establish us in relation to what lies beyond it. Following up those two thoughts as to another world and another day, I wish to speak of the Lord Jesus as presented in these scriptures. He is spoken of in Malachi as the “Sun of righteousness”, the centre of another world. In a time to come, He will be seen here. This scripture is a prophecy in relation to the coming day when the Lord’s kingdom will be established on earth. It says, “... shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings”. That is when He will establish the kingdom and all the glory and the warmth and the glow of that blessed One will arise. It will come up as the morning sun does on a new day, and it will shed its light on this poor scene. The ‘sun’ suggests what dominates. Whatever is true of the sun is true of the scene on which it sheds its light. Just as with the sun, as Christ arises the darkness will be dispelled. There is that which will dominate. What is hidden now and is inconspicuous will not be so then.

The waiting time is spoken of in the scriptures: in the gospels, we have lamps and torches spoken of. All that is in view of a testimony in darkness. But there will be no need for them when the “Sun of righteousness” arises and all the sunshine of what is true of God will be brought to bear upon this scene. Israel waits for it, the faithful remnant will look for it. What a moment it will be. It says He will “arise with healing in his wings”. I have been thinking about healing recently. When the Lord comes to reign, He will deal with sin and put it down in power, and in His wonderful grace He will deal with the effects of it. It is a very precious thing to think of that: He will deal with the effects of sin. Sin has left men hardened and bitter and cold and indifferent. The “Sun of righteousness” will arise and He will bring healing, healing for those who felt the burden and bondage and power of sin. That is a wonderful thing; it marked His service when He was here on earth.

We have been reading Luke’s gospel at home. The gospels present things in different ways. In John’s gospel, we read about the greatness of the One who was coming from God and going to God. Luke’s gospel seems to suggest that His pathway was shaped by the needs He met. Think of the grace that was seen in the blessed pathway and service of the Lord Jesus: He healed, He had power to heal, to heal the sorrowful effects of sin. He was here once, and He was rejected. What He did then in those wonderful acts of divine compassion was a witness of what will be established in power in a coming day. It was like a light shining to show what will happen in a coming day, what will be brought to bear on the whole scene. There He was, wending His way amongst the needs and suffering of men. It is a wonderful contemplation for us.

My impression is that although the “Sun of righteousness” has not yet risen on the earth, He is there in heaven and He fills a scene for God at the present time. He is the Sun and the centre of God’s world. Everything in God’s world is held in relation to Him, everything is set in wonderful order there. You might say He fills that place as Head and centre of God’s world. It is a peculiar glory of Christ. We are told of many glories of His. We sang of His person and His glories (Hymn 259). He fills the place as centre of God’s world, and of course He is great enough to fill it: that brings His personal glories before us. And He is worthy to fill that place: that is His moral glory. There He is at the centre of God’s world. My impression is that God would have everything held in relation to Him. All this is hidden from the world at the present moment, but there is a scene of glory now, and in a coming day all that will be brought to bear on the earth. He is there in that place, as it were below the horizon, filling the scene for God. What I seek to convey is some apprehension of it, so that we might have some knowledge and experience of forming part of that world.

It is a moral thought: God’s world is a moral idea presently. God’s world has moral foundations and His kingdom in a coming day will have moral foundations. The kingdoms of the world will be done away. What is already being seen is that there is no moral foundation to man’s world. It crumbles at the slightest test. What God will establish then will be placed on moral foundations. But at the present time God is seeking to bring us into the orbit of His world. He desires to set us in relation to the One who is the Sun of righteousness, and who will arise in that day. God begins by drawing our hearts to Him. I was thinking of the scripture that speaks of “the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ”, 2 Cor.4:4. That is the gospel in its fulness. God is, through the apostle, speaking of the glad tidings, the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ. That conveys something of what I have in mind, ‘the Christ’. That speaks of the place that He has at the centre of God’s world:

Thou art, O Lord, the centre

Of that vast world of bliss.      (Hymn 259).

He fills out that place and He is great enough to do it. We think of the sun, of its light and warmth, and also its rule. All these features emanate from Him, and God has His world set in relation to Christ. God brings before us the “radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory” of that One, and as we lay hold of it in faith, He sets us in our place in relation to Christ. We come into the enjoyment of all that God is, for Christ is the image of God. Think of what emanates from Christ as He holds that place in the centre. All that is known of God can be seen there, because it is centred in Christ, “the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ”. The passage goes on to say, “who has shone in our hearts for the shining forth of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (v.6). There is a whole system for God that takes its character from that blessed One, and it shines forth from those who are in their right orbit. My impression is that God sets everything in relation to Christ, such is the greatness of the One that fills that office. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor.4:7): we are not yet in glorified conditions. We will be, but “what we shall be has not yet been manifested; we know that if it is manifested we shall be like him”, 1 John 3:2. We will take off our earthly tabernacle (2 Pet.1:14) and put on our bodies of glory (Phil.3:21).

But at this time, that treasure is in earthen vessels, in circumstances of suffering and hardship that the apostle speaks of. But there is a treasure, the light and hope of that world in which God desires us to have our part, and to be set in relation to it and to Him. That is the way we enjoy the things of God: we enjoy all that is true of God as we are held in relation to God’s centre. It is like the law of gravity. Just as the physical universe works on that basis, so God draws us. He has shone in our hearts and lays claim to them and sets us in relation to Christ.

As earthen vessels here, we are exhorted as to certain things. I was thinking of that word in Jude, “keep yourselves in the love of God” (v.21). That is like maintaining your orbit, your relation to Christ. The love of God shines out in Him, all that is known of God, the love and light, are seen in Him. You think of what emanates from Christ, what is centred in Him. Jude says, “keep yourselves in the love of God”. You say, ‘well, there is my pathway here’. I do not think your pathway should affect the orbit, your relation to Christ. Rather, your orbit, what you gravitate towards, should shape your pathway. Abide in the love of God, keep yourself in it. If you maintain that position, you will be maintained in the enjoyment of God’s world.

Paul was seeking to encourage the Thessalonians in this – “for all ye are sons of light … we are not of night nor of darkness”. Dear brethren, we are not of darkness. Darkness is around us and it becomes almost overwhelming sometimes. At school, even our teachers might be teaching us what we know to be wrong. Or at work, pressure might be applied to us to do things that we know are wrong. It is the deepening darkness, but Paul says “all ye are sons of light … we are not of night nor of darkness”. I believe we can prove this as we are kept fixed in relation to Christ.

I would like to say something about the “morning star” in Revelation 22. The “morning star” is not the same thought as the “Sun of righteousness”. It does not dominate: in fact, not everybody sees it. It is the Lord Jesus presented in a different way. He presents Himself in this passage and it is a peculiar appeal to the affections of His own, “the bright and morning star”. I think it is a view we have of Christ in the night. The morning star is the promise of a coming day. That day is peculiarly treasured in the assembly, by His faithful wife who is here and holds His rights, keeping His interests before her. He presents Himself as “the bright and morning star”. It suggests the power of attraction that the Lord has to hold the affections of His own in relation to Himself. Think of the long period of time during which the “morning star” has held that position in relation to the saints amidst the darkness – the persecution in the history of the church, the darkness of the corrupted church, the darkness of the indifference of the church and the darkness of apostasy. The “morning star” has held its station, as it were, and has ever been the hope of a coming day to appeal to the affections of His own. It is a wonderful thing to think of.

The saints of the assembly have a particular appreciation of that day when the Lord will come. It is held in the hearts. Balaam says, “There cometh a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel”, Num.24:17. It suggests something that is held in the affections, “a Star out of Jacob”. It is what is held in the affections of Christ’s own, and it comes forth: not exactly from heaven, but it comes forth as He is held in the affections of His own here. The Lord’s words in this passage begin with “I Jesus”. He knows what that name means to His own. The Lord is presented in the Revelation as many things: the “Alpha and the Omega” (chap.1:8); the “Lord of lords and King of kings” (chap.17:14); “the faithful witness” (chap.1:5). He knows that His loved ones appreciate Him as He is spoken of in these ways, but here He uses that name of His by which we have come to love Him: “I Jesus”. How much that name unfolds to the opened ear. It is the name by which we have all come to know Him as He has met us in our need and has had to do with us: “I Jesus”. You think of the wonderful drawing power He has on the affections; what a thrill that name brings to the hearts of His own. It is the name by which we have come to know Him and He appeals to the affections. It is the name calculated to draw out our affections. I am sure we all can speak of some appreciation of Jesus. It speaks to us of that wonderful love which has given all for us, and has drawn alongside us in all our need and had to do with us. “I Jesus” recalls us to that. What a precious thing it is that the Lord Himself recalls us in our affections in such a way.

The Lord then says, “I am the root and offspring of David”. You think of the greatness of the One from whom David received all his kingly glory: that is the “root” of David. And He is the “offspring” as Man, who inherited all the glory of David; He is the “offspring”. But then He adds, “the bright and morning star”. There He is, holding His station in the night sky as it were, and He has always been the promise of that coming day. It would thrill the hearts of all those that love Him to know that He is coming; He gives that promise, “Yea, I come quickly” (v.20).

I had two thoughts as to the morning star in relation to the coming day. Firstly, I think it is referring to the time when Christ’s rights will be established on earth. I do not think it is referring to when He will come for His own. His coming to take up His rights is the peculiar joy of His faithful bride, His faithful wife, who feels the fact that His rights are trampled upon in the present time. It is a thrill to the heart of His faithful bride to know that Christ will have His day. We hold that day in our hearts, when His rights will be established on earth, and they will be established in power. Of course it will be for the blessing of all; how we rejoice in that. That would settle us, as those that have tender feelings in regard to all that is due to Him and who feel the way His rights have been so trampled upon, and His inheritance marred by the hand of ungrateful man (see Hymn 150). He will come in and inherit it all and it will be for the blessing of all, and His rights will be maintained.

Secondly, God Himself will bring about that scene in which all Christ’s rights will be established universally. We are not called upon to do that ourselves, but we can be settled in our minds as to the certainty of it. As sure as day follows night, it will take place. However, there is that which we are called upon to do: to carry as precious, in the circumstances in which we are found, what is rightfully due to Christ, and to care for His interests here, whatever they may be. His interests might be in relation to the believer’s household, and most importantly in our local meetings. These responsibilities may be worked out in smallness, but how wonderful that even in small numbers and outward weakness there are believers seeking to fill out their responsibility in relation to what is precious to Christ. That is to be done in the light of that day when His rights will be acknowledged universally.

These are wonderful things for us to lay hold of; let us open ourselves to them. When we hear about the rights of the Lord Jesus and what is due to Him, we may think they are legal things. I remember thinking like that myself. We can be thankful for the places where the Lord has set us, where there are those who desire to maintain what is due to Christ. They may have spoken a faithful word to us, and we did not receive it as we should have, but when you look back, you realise it was done out of affection for Christ and what is due to Him. As you get older you can look back on things; do not kick against a faithful word. See what the motive is – it is done out of affection for Christ. Affection for Him is the great spring of all things that are held for Him: how important it is to keep our affections right.

That day that is about to dawn will be a day of display. In the reading, we spoke of what was hidden. That day will be the advent of a most glorious scene of display which this world has no present inkling of. The world has no idea of what is just about to dawn upon it when He comes to reign. When He comes, it will be “to be glorified in his saints, and wondered at in all that have believed”, 2 Thess.1:10. The saints will be with Him. At the present time the saints are being formed to be a vessel of display. Philippians speaks of “having confidence of this very thing, that he who has begun in you a good work will complete it unto Jesus Christ’s day” (chap.1:6). “Day” is used in different senses in scripture. We have “the day of the Lord”, 1 Thess.5:2. I think that is in relation to when He will take up everything for God and establish His rights here, as we have been speaking about. “Jesus Christ’s day” seems to suggest the character of the day: it is Jesus Christ’s day. Everything then will be brought out in glorious display and will speak of Him; it will take its character from Christ. Those who are found here in faithfulness to Him, in circumstances of smallness and weakness and reproach, will share in His glory then. He will have His saints with Him, and He will be wondered at. At the moment, our “life is hid with the Christ in God”, Col.3:3. For the moment it is hid, inconspicuous, but as the apostle then says, “When the Christ is manifested who is our life, then shall ye also be manifested with him in glory” (v.4).

Think of the greatness of all that will be seen then. The work that God has brought about, little by little, will be displayed; it will be seen that He was bringing about that which He will use for glory in that day. Revelation is a very moral book: things are seen in the Revelation in their true value before God. Imagery is used: you have the fine linen which is the righteousnesses of the saints (chap.19:8), and the golden bowls which are the prayers of the saints (chap.5:8): things are seen in their true moral character before God. Then the writer saw “the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, having the glory of God” (chap.21:10). That is the culmination of God’s ways on earth, when the holy city will come down, taking as it were a mediatorial position in which she will bring out the glory of God. That is all being worked out now. We have little appreciation of it, but we can be sure of what is being worked out in secret in one and another, believers in different places, perhaps alone in nursing homes: there is a work going on and God is going to gather it all up. He will bring it out in display in that day, and the light of it is available now. How it should settle us in relation to all that is around and establish us firmly in our affections. That will keep us: it is a preservative; I am sure it is.

May we all have a sense of what God is doing, some appreciation of it. For the Lord’s name’s sake.

 

Address in Brechin

14 September 2024

Robert Webster