1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 For not
only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia,
but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say
anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind
of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve
the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from
heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to
come.
The Apostle Paul clearly
expected Christ to return during his lifetime. He includes in each chapter of
this letter some teaching regarding the return of the Lord Jesus. Obviously he
expected this letter to be encouraging to his dear friends in Thessalonica.
Paul could see that the gospel has borne fruit among the people there. Now he
wanted them to understand how to live in expectation.
With confidence in the fact
that…
Jesus
delivers his people from wrath. Let’s see how Paul explained
it to the Colossians. Colossians 1:12-14.
Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance
of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain
of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus, in physical form, is
currently in heaven. Please don’t be discouraged by this fact because heaven
doesn’t seem to be so far away. When Saul of Tarsus, on the Damascus Road, seem
to be as far from heaven as one could get Jesus suddenly appeared in the clouds
above him. When Saul had stood holding the coats of the men who stoned Stephen
to death Jesus appeared in the air. In both these cases heaven seems to be just
beyond the veil that can be drawn back when we have a need. So we are waiting
for the son of God who will return in the same way he left. You remember the
event! He was speaking to his disciples assuring them that they would have the
power they needed to live the kind of life necessary to please God. And with
that power they would become witnesses to him. Then the curtain was drawn back
and he ascended from the earth on the clouds! This Jesus, will be coming back
in the same way he left. He will take his people and by the power of his
resurrection he will deliver us from the wrath to come.
Many people teach that the God
of wrath is an Old Testament concept! I’m here to tell you that almost 40 times
the New Testament speaks of the wrath of God! Jesus, himself, stated that the
one who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains
on him (John 3:36). When we come to the end of our physical existence we either
face eternal death or eternal life. Either we will live in the joy of our Lord
or we will live under the wrath of God. Both existences continue for an
eternity.
Paul had learned much from his
ministries. Observing what God did in the lives of new believers gave him hope.
In fact, we are told that…
Those
people were Paul’s hope. Let’s go back to 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20. For what is our hope or joy or crown of
boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For
you are our glory and joy.
Paul was totally encouraged by
these people who had come to faith in Christ as a result of his preaching. He
was able to see that faith in Christ released God’s grace so that we can
rejoice in hope. Even difficulties come into our lives to improve our hope.
Paul would later write to the Romans and tell them that “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and
hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who’s been given to us.” Romans 5:4-5
Christ died for us so that we
can possibly live for him. Even as we look around the room today we can rejoice
in what we see. There are people here who seemed to have no hope until Christ
came into their life.
And as we observe the work of
God in them we are encouraged to continue in faith. Knowing his need for the
evidence in their lives which produced hope…
Paul
prayed that they may be established. Let’s read on 1
Thessalonians 3:12-13. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he
may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at
the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
It is God’s intention that we
grow in our love for one another. Paul desired that his friends would grow in
love. We need to have that same desire for ourselves. Jesus had given us a new
commandment to love one another. He wanted us to have the same kind of love for
each other that he had for us (John 13:34).
Many years later, the Apostle
John thought of that new commandment his Lord had given him and considered it
an old commandment. That commandment is shown in the love we have for one
another (1 John 2:7-8). Loving one another brings us out of darkness into the
light and establishes our hearts blameless in holiness before our God and
Father. The love that he has given us will be a solid foundation. Such a
foundation will be very important to us when our Lord returns. In writing this,
the first of his pastoral epistles, Paul tells us that…
He
wanted his friends to be informed. Let’s read on 1 Thessalonians
4:13-14. 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.
Apparently there were questions
being raised as to what had happened to those who died. Paul was very positive
in his preaching that Christ was coming soon! He was so positive that his
hearers seemed to wonder that those who died may have missed out on Christ’s
coming and the new kingdom that would be established. Instead of speaking of
death as a horrible experience, Paul refers to death as falling asleep.
Since Christ died and rose
again by the power of God. We can be assured that those who have “fallen
asleep” will come with him when he returns. No one is going to miss out who
have placed their faith in him! If we are alive when Christ returns we will be
immediately changed from our earth suit into our heaven suit. We will be caught
up in the air — through the veil — and join with all those who have gone before
who are with Christ.
As we read through the book of
Revelation we see how bad this world really is, and is becoming. Then we see
what a glorious future awaits those who believe in Christ and we can join with
John in saying, “Amen. Come, Lord
Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
When we think of those who
have gone on before we often feel a sense of loss and pain. We should not
grieve as those who have no hope. We are among those who have hope of a future
on the other side of the veil.
Jesus certainly felt grief
when his friend Lazarus died. We don’t know the exact cause or depth of Jesus’
grief. We are simply told that “Jesus
wept” (John 11:35). When Stephen was martyred we are told that the devout
men who buried Stephen and made a great lamentation over him (Acts 8:2). In
neither case was grief expressed because they did not have hope of life beyond
the veil. In fact, in both cases, they saw beyond the veil and knew that there
was a future. So Paul writes to the Thessalonians with a desire that they are…
To be
encouraged. Let’s read on 1 Thessalonians 4:15. For this we declare to you by a word from the
Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not
precede those who have fallen asleep.
We must be encouraged by the
fact that we who are alive and are left until the coming of the Lord will rise
in the air to meet those who’ve gone before. When Christ comes again he will
bring those with him who have fallen asleep. Just as the angels promised, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you
into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
(Acts 1:11)
Those who have put their faith
in Jesus and are still in their human bodies when he returns should be
encouraged. John assures us in this first little letter that we are God’s
children and when he appears we will be like him. We will see him as he is (1
John 3:2). Our human mind often questions “how can these things be?”
While we are in the flesh we
will never know. When we are transformed into his image then we may understand.
On the other hand, we may not even notice our change or care how God
accomplished it. We simply need to join with Paul and his Thessalonian friends…
With
no worries about those who have died. Let’s continue to read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. 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.
What will happen is very
clearly spelled out in this passage. Just as the angels promised, he will
descend in the same way that he ascended. With the sound of a shout and the
sound of the trumpet the dead in Christ will rise. Remember, we’re talking
about God! The God who spoke the universe into being can certainly speak our
dead bodies into life. And no matter how our body has deteriorated or even have
disappeared God is able to bring back any of it that he needs. As humans we
cannot see how this will be done. But God is capable of dealing with the dead.
The
living should be expectant. Let’s continue to read 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18. 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.
Obviously Paul believed that
Christ would be soon returning. Now it has been more than 2000 years since that
expectation. As long as we are alive we need to be prepared at any time to be
caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
After we have died we might
expect to be prepared at any time to come with him.
Because
we cannot know when. Now let’s read on 1 Thessalonians 5:2. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of
the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Paul knew that he had been
faithful in teaching the soon coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He believed that
these dear friends of his would soon see the living Lord Jesus Christ. We must
remember that Jesus himself said that “no
one knows the day or the hour not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father” (Mark 13:32-33). Looking further down the page to verses 23-24 we see: Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your
whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely
do it.
Paul closes out the letter
with this wish for his people. We should also wish this for ourselves and for
all those we know and love. Our desire should be that when he comes we will be
completely holy. Our great encouragement is found in these words “He who called you is faithful; he will
surely do it”. Thank God we do not have to depend on our ability because we
would surely fail. He is faithful! He will do it!
The coming of our Lord is one
of the great encouraging promises made to his people. It is God who makes us
holy and without blame at his coming. We need to remember that he (Jesus) who
never knew sin became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of
God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Without Christ we have no hope. With Christ we
are made clean. Even though all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Even though the wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life in our
Lord Jesus Christ. If we confess that Jesus our Lord was crucified for our sins
and raised from the dead for our cleansing, we have hope of eternal life. Have
you placed your faith in him? Today can be your day.
All scriptures quotes are
from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard
Bible Society.
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