The Importance of Hope
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
When last we studied in this letter from Paul to the Thessalonians
We listened as Paul gave some practical encouragement.
He knew that they walked to please God.
He knew that they loved their brethren.
Now Paul wanted them “to excel still more”
He didn’t just want them to obey God
He wanted them to be passionate about obedience.
He didn’t just want them to love other
He wanted them to be consumed with their love for others.
He was pushing them to strive for Christ-likeness.
And that is all and well and good, but at some point,
Someone is bound to look at Paul and wonder why.
You and I know that Christianity makes
Some pretty serious demands on the lives of those who proclaim it.
What is it that motivates the Christian to “excel still more”?
And the answer is HOPE
But the Thessalonians were struggling with hope.
WHY?
Because time and time again they saw people live the Christian life,
And then they watched them die before they ever received the reward.
If you remember the Thessalonian’s obedience was built upon something.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”
The Thessalonians had a great faith, but it was a faith
That still lacked a little in the way of true understanding.
Perhaps you remember the parable Jesus gave about the 10 virgins.
• But you remember that 5 of the virgins were wise and 5 were foolish.
• The 5 wise had enough oil to last until the morning.
• The 5 foolish weren’t prepared for the groom to delay.
And there are many warnings to take from that parable,
But one of them is that you and I must be prepared to persevere
Even if the bride groom tarries.
The Christian life is not a sprint, the Christian life is a marathon.
You have to be prepared for the long haul.
But this was one area where the Thessalonians were uninformed.
• They fully expected for Christ to return in their lifetime.
• They fully expected the suffering to be brief and for Jesus to soon return and rescue them.
But there was something happening that was unsettling their faith.
SOME OF THEM BEGAN TO DIE
Some of these who had forsaken this life to follow Jesus
Were dying before His return (possibly even martyrdom)
And they didn’t know what to do with this.
Death was causing a much anxiety to the Thessalonian believers
And you know death can do this.
Remember the preacher who wrote Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 2:15-17 “Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.” For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.”
Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 9:2-6 “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”
That is a disheartening view of death.
And it was this same anxiety that was bothering the Thessalonians.
They watched each other forsake this life to wait for Jesus,
But some of them never saw the Jesus they waited for.
And this was causing them to lose hope.
And a Christian without hope is in a dangerous predicament,
They actually lose all motivation for obedience.
In order for a Christian to strive for obedience,
They need to know why it is worth it.
This is why Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 15
The Corinthians doubted the resurrection and Paul knew that would backfire by stealing their hope and ultimately their desire to obey.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
It was the existence of the resurrection that allowed Paul to tell them to
“be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord”
Because it was the resurrection that allowed them to know that
Their “toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
They could obey because hope remained.
That is the same message Paul is preaching to the Thessalonians here.
• I know some of you have died.
• I know Jesus hasn’t returned yet.
• But you can still have hope that obedience is worth it.
So let’s look at the comfort Paul gives to the Thessalonians here tonight.
4 points.
#1 HOPE IS ESSENTIAL
1 Thessalonians 4:13
When Paul starts out here it is obvious
That he is concerned about a hole in their theology.
“But I do not want you to be uninformed, brethren”
Again it is not a matter of disobedience, or disapproval,
It is simply something Paul sees that needs to be addressed.
And here it is an incomplete understanding of the truth.
AND WHAT A GREAT WAY TO ENCOURAGE ANOTHER BELIEVER.
While it is true that truth can be terrifying to a non-believer,
The truth should always be satisfying and even to a true believer.
And this is why one of the greatest ways we can encourage each other
Is to continually instruct one another in the truth.
Paul is doing that here, and in a specific area.
“I do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep”
Paul is referencing those believers who have already died in the Lord.
And as I said there was a tremendous amount of anxiety brewing
Amongst the Thessalonians because of this fact.
And Paul wants to straighten out their theology.
“so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”
And this statement is really the key to the passage.
It is not that grief is wrong.
Jesus was grieved at the tomb of Lazarus.
The brethren grieved the death of Stephen.
The problem was that Paul did not want them to grieve without “hope”
When a lost person dies, what comfort can the family find?
NONE
There is no hope of eternal bliss.
There is no hope of a reunion.
There is no hope of comfort.
But that should not be the case when a believer dies.
When a believer dies, there ought to be at least a silver lining
Of joy and gladness over what that believer has experienced.
(I think of Eldon)
You see we know that believers haven’t missed anything,
But have instead gone to be with the Lord.
BUT IMAGINE IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT.
What if you didn’t know that believers go to be with the Lord?
What if you didn’t know that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord?”
What if you didn’t know that the dead will rise at His coming?
Then when a believer died you would grieve the same as a lost person.
Before long the church would be locked in the same fear as the world.
There would be no radical obedience.
There would be no dangerous mission trips.
There would be no life altering moves.
(And maybe it’s because we forget this truth
That the church today isn’t more radically obedient)
And Paul didn’t want the Thessalonians falling into such a snare.
He knew that hope was essential.
Hope is essential for a believer to live a truly sacrificial life.
You may remember when Paul penned that 2nd letter to Timothy.
Timothy wanted to quit, and he needed some motivation.
Timothy needed some hope.
So Paul wrote:
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
It was hope that allowed Paul to persevere,
And it was only hope that would help Timothy.
And it is only hope that will help the Thessalonians.
And it is only hope that will help each of us.
Hope is essential
#2 HOPE IS CONDITIONAL
1 Thessalonians 4:14
Now we know that hope matters.
No one would risk their lives without it.
But you also need to know that hope is not an automatic thing.
True hope is based upon something.
“For IF we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”
WHAT IS HOPE DEPENDANT ON?
Belief
Hope is built upon the salvation of Jesus Christ,
Which only comes through belief in Him.
But when a person places their faith in Christ,
They are saved for all eternity and therefore can have hope.
Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Hope is a byproduct of salvation which only comes through faith.
But to try and have hope apart from Jesus
Is a foolish and ultimately futile attempt.
Hope is essential, Hope is conditional
#3 HOPE IS RELIABLE
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
Here is the best part and what Paul wanted the Thessalonians to know.
Paul’s hope is not built upon assumption,
Nor is it built upon what he desires.
Paul’s hope isn’t even built upon logic or a hunch.
“For this I say to you by the word of the Lord”
Paul’s hope is built upon the words of Christ.
You may be uncertain about those who have fallen asleep.
You may wonder if they missed out on the 2nd coming.
Well, let me tell you what Jesus says about that.
“that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.”
And the primary fact is this.
Just because someone has died
Does not mean they will miss the 2nd coming,
In fact, they will get to see the Lord before you do.
And just with that one statement
Paul eliminates all anxiety about untimely death.
It was that understanding that allowed Paul to say:
Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Death was no downer for Paul.
Paul said it was better than life, because to die is to be with the Lord,
And those who die before His coming haven’t missed a thing.
What a great truth!
But Paul doesn’t stop there.
He gives 4 undeniable truths that are meant to solidify your hope.
1) THE LORD WILL RETURN (16a)
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God”
One thing we know for certain
(and something the Thessalonians knew as well) is that Jesus is coming back
John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
After Jesus ascended two angels appeared to the disciples and said:
Acts 1:11 “They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Jesus is returning.
Hebrews 9:27-28 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
JESUS WILL RETURN
2) THE DEAD WILL RISE (16b)
“and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
We are all aware of the various things
That will occur at the return of the Lord.
• We think about the sword coming from His mouth to strike down the nations
• We think about Him treading the wine press of the wrath of God
• We think about Him casting the beast and false prophet into hell.
• We think about Him binding Satan for 1,000 years.
But the first thing He will do at His return
Is bring the dead in Christ back to life.
Revelation 20:4-6 “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”
All those who have died for their faith…
All those who died before He returned…
They will not miss it, they will see it first.
3) THE LIVING WILL RAPTURE (17a)
“Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air”
As soon as the dead in Christ rise, the next thing that occurs
Is that the living are called to meet Jesus in the air.
When Christ comes to judge this world…
When Christ comes to tread the wine press of the wrath of God…
He won’t do it until His bride is gone.
How many times have seen this fact in Scripture!
We just studied Ezekiel 9 a couple of weeks ago.
And before God would execute judgment He marked the righteous to exempt them
But Jesus spoke of the same.
Matthew 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
I’ve told you before, I believe this to be the event revealed in Revelation 14
Revelation 14:14-20 “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.”
The grain is gathered and then the grapes are crushed.
And I know what many think here.
DO YOU THINK WE WILL BE HERE FOR THE GREAT TRIBULATION?
Almost every preacher I love and respect says, “No”.
And I hope they are right.
But it seems too clear to me (even in this passage in 1 Thessalonians) that the dead rise when Christ returns and that happens before the rapture.
And immediately people say, “Well, that’s not hope”,
I feel worse now than I did earlier.
But keep things in perspective.
One – persecution is promised either way
Two – God seals His bondservants in the great tribulation
Three – God tempers the degree to which you can be tempted.
Matthew 24:21-22 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
God will take care of His own, even in that great day.
But beyond all that, don’t miss the beauty of this passage,
And that is that before Christ destroys the earth,
He takes His people to Himself.
One day those who are alive at the coming of the Lord
Will be sucked right out of their tennis shoes.
Christ will Return The dead will Rise The living will Rapture
4) WE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN (17b)
“and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
And that is the obvious point Paul wants you to see.
The Thessalonians were afraid that if they died before Jesus returned,
Then they would miss Him.
Not so.
Once you come to Christ,
There’s never a time when you’re without Him.
In fact, this is a mystery, but it is a great truth.
Paul said the dead will rise when He comes.
That has led some to wonder,
So if they rise when He comes, where are they now?
Are they just in some sort of timeless sleep?
Yet, did you catch what Paul said in vs. 14?
“even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”
The dead aren’t alone, they are with Jesus, and they are coming with Him.
HOW DO THEY COME WITH HIM AND RISE TO MEET HIM?
I have no idea.
It is a mystery I cannot fathom or untangle.
But this I do know, they are always with the Lord,
And so shall we all be.
Nothing can separate us from Him.
Not even death.
And you can bank on that!
Hope is Reliable
Hope is Essential Hope is Conditional Hope is Reliable
#4 HOPE IS INCREDIBLE
1 Thessalonians 4:18
And here is Paul’s point
“comfort one another with these words.”
Set each other’s minds at ease.
Settle each other down.
Furthermore help each other see that it is ok to risk your life for Jesus.
It is ok to lay down your life for Jesus.
If you sell out and “excel still more” even to the point of death,
You don’t have to worry at all.
You will be with the Lord and you will not miss His return.
You are His and nothing can change that!
IT IS OK TO OBEY GOD!
AND THAT TRUTH HAS INSPIRED CHRISTIANS FOR CENTURIES
TO LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES UPON GOD’S ALTAR.
Hope is incredible.
And if nothing else tonight I just want to reassure you of a truth
You all know well.
That if you belong to Christ, nothing will ever separate you from Him.
Now, go out and “excel still more”
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 “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.”
