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May 01, 2022

Rapturous Hope

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Preacher: Andrew Repsold

Series: 1 Thessalonians

Keywords: resurrection, encouragement, death, transformation, rapture, eternal life, grief, return of christ

Summary:

This message looks at how the coming of Jesus the second time can and should change and affect the way we handle death, life and the loss of people we love as well as how we live here on earth.

Detail:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

“Rapturous” Hope

Goal of this sermon: 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Purpose of this paragraph: to encourage believers so that they do not grieve the death of other believers like people who grieve the death of loved who have no hope after death. Grieve the death of others with hope (and build one another up with encouragement).

Pray:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
—Romans 15:13

Sermon Outline:

  1. Read to understand
  2. Identify truth
  3. Be encouraged by this truth
  4. Read to understand. (read through the text and answer/address any questions that this text might raise.

The Coming of the Lord

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 

‘those who have fallen asleep’: those who have died, specifically in this context, believers who have died. (John 11:11-14, Matthew 27:52)

John 11:11-14

11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,

52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,

Does this imply that those who are dead are in a ‘soul-sleep’, unaware until Christ comes again.

Answer: No

because of Philippians 1:22-24, 2 Cor. 5:8, Luke 23:43 (when you are away from your body in death…you are at home in the lord…with Jesus!)

Philippians 1:22-24 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 

2 Cor. 5…

6 … We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Luke 23

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Ecclesiastes 3:19

19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

(Wendy’s funeral example: Lutheran Eulogy versus Universalist Eulogy) 

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, 

that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 

(In other words, I want to inform you on something about the saints in Christ who have died so that you grieve their death with hope.) That sounds good…pray tell Paul!!!

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so (likewise, in this manner), through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[a] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 

  1. 14-15

“Bring with him” = resurrect from the dead  (I think)

“Will not precede” =  We will not experience transformation to immortal bodies before those (in Christ) who have died experience it.

We will all experience this transformation at the same time.  

(1 Corinthians 15:50-58)

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 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 shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 

and we will be changed instantly as well…

17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet (εἰς ἀπάντησιν eis apanteyseen) the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

“to meet” (εἰς ἀπάντησιν) :  Matthew 25:6, Acts 28:15

Matthew 25:1-10

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps[a] and went to meet the bridegroom.[b] 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him (εἰς ἀπάντησιν eis apanteyseen).’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

Acts 28:15

14 There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[d] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

  1. Identify Truth: what can we learn from these verses?
  2. The second coming of Christ is a theology (truth about God) that has a practical effect on how we live (grieve and encourage one another) right now.
  3. The believers in Thessalonica were deeply connected to one another. (grieving each other's death)
  4. Believers should grieve the death of other believers with hope.

Philippians 2:27

27 Indeed he (Epaphroditus) was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 

  1. Hope: “…if we have been united with [Christ] in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” –Romans 6:5 (You will experience this event!)
  1. Jesus Christ is coming to earth again and at that moment, all who are in Christ receive their glorified, immortal bodies and will forever be with Christ.

-Benediction-

5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,[a] you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children[b] of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Conclude with Prayer

Prayer is available in the front. Family Devotional Questions for processing this sermon are in the back. Please take one and process the content of these verses in community with other believers.

“Go in Peace”

Household Follow-Up Questions for Devotional Discussion

  • Have you observed the difference between people who grieve the death of a loved one with hope in the afterlife and without hope? Describe those two experiences.
  • How does this passage and the reality of Jesus’ Second Coming effect how you view death? How do the truths of the second coming effect how you might comfort or talk to someone you know dying from a terminal condition?
  • Do you have difficulty believing in the historical resurrection of Jesus? What about the evidence that we have do you doubt? Is there a theoretical archaeological discovery or another eye-witness testimony that, if discovered, would greatly increase your confidence in the claim that Jesus resurrected?