Us and Them

As I write this, we are in a politically charged environment. The news is aiding and abetting in fear mongering. Social media platforms are blowing up with twisted ‘facts’. In an attempt to make us all unified, both outlets are pushing ‘we’ in just about every venue. The concept of ‘no division’ is their theme… as they divide. ‘No division’ for them really means, get on board or get shamed. It is cynical at the least. Unity has never been achieved that way. Jesus spoke of the unity His people are to have, and how that is obtained. It has nothing to do with politics, billboards or forced allegiance. A willingly, surrendered, in love with Jesus and others, heart is what it will take. He prayed for this in John 17, that we would be one as He and the Father are one. Oh, by the way, He never intended for us to be ‘one’ with the world. He also never intended us to be at war with the world either. He made it clear that they will take care of that. It isn’t our doing, it’s theirs. They will do as they have always done and He warned us about— hate Jesus and believe the father of lies, Satan (John 8.44). We are not to ever pick a fight and we are not to attempt to become ‘one’ with them. It is our objective to tell them the glorious gospel of Jesus, and by God’s grace love them unconditionally. This is the great connector of peoples— Jesus’ salvation. 

I want to turn your attention back to 1 Thessalonians again. In 5.4-11 we see how many definitive personal pronouns there are (in order): “ye, you, ye, we, us, others, us, they, they, us, they, us, who, yourselves, ye”. Paul is obviously identifying people. Spiritually speaking, there are 2 kinds of people… ‘us’and ‘them’; ‘we’ and ‘they’ and so on. I know that doesn’t fit the narrative being pushed right now, but it’s true. As 1 Thessalonians 5.4 says— “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” We are not them. They are the unsaved, lost in darkness—We are the saved, living in the light. They will be “overtaken” as a thief in the night. We are to be prepared for Christ’s imminent return. In verse 5 Paul says— “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

We shouldn’t fall into the trap of the darkness of this age. Despair and depression are being peddled like heroine to believers each and every day…and they are taking it. The stinking thinking of this anti-christ culture is so prevalent among believers that they can’t decide on their own if they should wear a mask or not; if it’s ‘biblical’ or not. As if. We shouldn’t marry ourselves to this world and it’s offers of exclusion and separation to light. We should be the transposing light against the darkness. Light is offered best in the darkest of places. Jesus said himself in Matthew 5.14— “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” We are the light! We are the only hope they have in this dark age. The only hope they have to see clearly who Jesus is and what He offers them. As a matter of fact, this is our identity— “children of light” the text says.We belong to the Light. 

In verses 6 and 7 Paul continues with— “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.” Something else that usually happens in the dark— “sleep”. We cannot sleep while there is daylight. As Paul said in Romans 13.11— “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Something else happens at night for those in darkness— “drunkeness.” Paul is pulling from this illustration to show us our contrast— be “sober” or ‘not inhibited’. We cannot afford to lackadaisically stroll through this life. Equally, we cannot afford to retreat in fear. Life has purpose, because we are people of purpose. God needs and wants to use you for a greater and more fulfilling calling in this life. So we are to be different. Live in light of a purpose. You see, we are the contrast. As the next verse starts off with— “But let us…”; we are different and therefore to act accordingly.  

So then, verse 8 says— “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” Here we have our marching orders:

1. “watch” (6, 8) which means to pay attention, stay alert
2. “be sober” (8) means not inhibited
3. continually put on (“putting”):

• the “breastplate of faith and love”— protection of our heart
• the “helmet of the hope” (salvation)— protection of our mind.
• [both of these are instruments in battle and both are used for protection]

Verse 11 explains why it is so imperative that you do this… It isn’t about you— “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” They were already doing this and need to do so more, he is saying. Is this not absolutely necessary today? People need more than an ‘attaboy’. They need comfort that God is in control and ‘we’ are going to win in the end. They need hope that is not based in this life or ourselves. They need to know that they are not alone. Also, take comfort, because you are not alone! Believer, do you struggle with making a commitment to God today? Why? Many reasons I suppose, but for the sake of this text I would gather it could be because— people want to come to God on their terms. It can be scary to completely trust someone else. The idea of letting go and not being insured causes serious anxiety in people, which is not God’s will. So what’s up? 

Following His will is not a 50/50 proposal. Either He is the Lord of your life or He is not. I cannot stomach my flesh’s craving for partial credit. I cannot stand it in others either, but it makes me sick to see it in my own life especially. As if Jesus is ‘going to go halfsies’ with credit?! He gets all the glory and we should get none! This world is desperate in their eternal need for Jesus. They do not need us, they need Him. They need His gospel and His word and a relationship with Him. This and only this narrows the chasm between us and them. They desperately need Jesus… and we are the ones assigned to point the way. Not just act like Jesus, but tell others of Him and show them the way. In turn then, I guess they do need us, but not us, they need the hope that is in us. 

Frankly, there is just a moment in time, a few years, less than a blip on the radar of eternity, when you can serve your King—make the most of it! Paul said in Ephesians 5.16 says— “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”Jesus even said in Matthew 6.34— “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” There is not much time left. There is no hope for those still in darkness if we keep our mouths shut. 

All of this leads me to this conclusion: While I am here I want to be God’s man, telling others of nothing more or less than Jesus and His love for them. I want ‘them’ to be apart of ‘us’. How about you?