FBC Morning Light – July 26, 2022

What a good Tuesday morning to you. How are you feeling about the direction of things in our country, in our world, in the world?

You look around you at what's going on in our own land. I'm sure that causes you a little bit of concern.

And you read about what's going on in the world, and that also has to cause you a little bit of concern.

You've got problems in Europe, you've got problems in Russia, you've got problems in China, you've got problems in Taiwan, you've got problems in Africa, you've got problems in the

Middle East, you've got problems in South America, you've got problems in Canada, you've got problems all over the world.

And it seems that, it just seems like things are crumbling, doesn't it? Does that distress you?

In our Bible reading this morning, there's a really encouraging passage that we need to remind ourselves of.

I say it's encouraging and should give us comfort, because that's exactly what Paul tells us to do with the passage.

In verse 10 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, he says, therefore, comfort each other and edify, build one another up, just as also you're doing.

Comfort one another. Comfort one another with this truth that he's just talked about.

And what is that truth? The truth is that, look, even though the world is indeed crumbling,

I mean, it's hurtling toward its final destination, even though that's going on, even though that's true, and we're seeing signs of it all around the world today, the vast majority of the people of this planet seem to have their heads in the sand about the ultimate reality, about what's ultimately going to come about.

There's talk about the Great Reset, and how all the economies of the world are going to be brought to basically an end, and there's going to be just a

Great Reset. The whole of society, the whole of the world is going to be rebooted, kind of like a computer that has to reboot.

There's talk about this, and what that's going to mean for governments all around the world, and the efforts, and so on and so forth.

There's a whole contingency talking about the Great Reset, and what they want to do to make a sort of a one -world government, and a one -world economy, and all the rest of that kind of thing.

Is that going to succeed? Well, probably, but in the meantime, that's going to create all kinds of chaos and problems.

Most people don't really understand the reality behind the events.

But Paul writes here in 1 Thessalonians 5, he says, look, brethren, you are not in darkness, so that this day, that is the day of the

Lord, the day of the Lord's final judgment, that this day should overtake you as a thief. He says, you are all sons of light and sons of the day.

We are not of the night, nor of the darkness. Like I said, all the rest of the world, the vast majority of the world's population seems to be walking in darkness, oblivious to what's coming, that this day is going to come upon them, is going to overtake them as a thief.

So Paul goes on to exhort and encourage us. He says, therefore, let's not sleep as others do, but let's watch and be sober.

Let's have our eyes open, and let's have our wits about us. He says, because those who sleep, they sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

But let us who are of the day, and we are supposed to be of the day, we have the light of God's revelation.

Those of us who are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love.

So no matter what is going on in the world, you and I should be marked by faith, the faith in what

God has said, the faith in who God is, and the faith in God's program and ultimate plans. We are to be of people of faith and of love.

We have to love our enemies. We need to love those who hate us and persecute us and treat us wrongly.

We need to love our neighbor as ourselves. We need to love one another. We need to be marked by love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation, the assured confidence of our ultimate salvation.

Because he goes on to say, look, even though this world is hurtling toward the day of the

Lord, the day of God's final judgment, he says, God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our

Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

We have an ultimate destiny that is radically, eternally, diametrically opposed to the destiny of this world around us.

Ours is a destiny, if you know Christ, ours is a destiny of salvation.

Therefore, whatever is happening in our world today, comfort yourselves, comfort each other with this truth, and I trust that indeed, we shall.

Our Heavenly Father, we do thank you today for the wonderful, encouraging, and comforting truth of your word.

Lord, we do get distressed and bothered by the corruption and the decay of our world, but we need to turn our eyes upon you.

We need to open our eyes to the truth and live in the light, the light that you've given to us, the day in which we live.

The Lord help us to do that and thereby be encouraged and comforted.

We pray in Jesus' name, amen. All right, well, have a good rest of your Tuesday, and I trust