You need to protect yourself against the temptation to do the deeds of the night.

And if you do that, you will continue to see before your very eyes your distinctiveness

and that will give you great assurance as you look at the future and you'll have nothing to fear.

On the other hand, if a Christian falls into patterns of sinfulness,

he loses assurance, loses confidence, loses hope, and may fear that he will get caught in the day of the morning.

The kids are natural. That's how a coach might describe a gifted player.

And it's how teachers might talk about prodigies.

It's an affirmation of skill. People who are especially talented,

whether it's in music or sports or whatever they're calling,

they seem to do their work effortlessly. They're born to do what they do.

Well, if you're a Christian, the issue is not what you were born to do,

but what you were reborn to do. It's a compelling subject that John MacArthur

looks at today on Grace to you. So stay here as he shows you what it means for Christians

to live in this world and yet stay separate from the world.

It's part of John's current study titled The Rapture and the Day of the Lord.

And now here's John.

We're going back now to 1 Thessalonians 5, 4, to 11. Let me just read the text for you

beginning at verse 4. But you, brother, and are not in darkness that the day should 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,

...