BaptistWay Lesson for 11/23: Hope for loved ones and ourselves_102003

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Posted: 10/17/03

Nov. 23

1 Thessalonians 4:13- 5:11

Hope for loved ones and ourselves

By Dan Curry

Hope … where can you find it? Authentic hope must have a reliable source, sustain us in all of life's circumstances and see us through the end of time. Only Jesus Christ can give that kind of authentic hope.

When Paul preached the gospel in Thessalonica, he proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ in its fullness. He told the story of the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Then he shared the assurance of Christ's presence and power with them. Everything he shared culminated in the good news that Christ would be returning as victorious Lord.

Paul had preached the Lord's return, and these young believers at Thessalonica were expecting it very soon. Many of them had become obsessed with questions and concerns about Christ's return. Paul's preaching must have contained a great degree of urgency, because they fully expected to be alive when Jesus came.

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As time passed and some believers died, they were worried about those believers. The term “fallen asleep” in verse 13 means death. Would those who died miss the Lord's return? The questions they had revealed how imminently they had expected the Lord's return. Paul's word to those anxious about death is filled with hope.

Paul wrote these words because he did not want the Thessalonians to be ignorant or grieve like unbelievers. This does not mean Christians should not grieve over the loss of a loved one. To grieve is a normal human experience. However, the grief of a believer differs from that of an unbeliever because the lost have no hope. Paul gives us the basis of an authentic hope for our loved ones and ourselves.

Our hope starts with Jesus' death

The foundation of our hope begins with Jesus' death. Paul writes, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (vv. 13-14). Hope begins with Jesus' death. His death gives us hope because it assures us of God's love. In this one act, Jesus Christ demonstrated his love and grace for us. Paul's simple statement summarizes all the richness of Christ's atoning work that provided the necessary foundation for every believer's salvation. His death satisfied the demands of God's righteousness, holiness and justice by paying in full the penalty for each believer's sin. We have hope because Christ has paid the price for the forgiveness of our sins.

Jesus' resurrection strengthens our hope

Our hope is strengthened by the next phrase Paul uses. He says, “We believe Jesus died and rose again” (v. 13). Jesus' resurrection spells defeat for death. His resurrection proves he conquered sin and death and has become the source of resurrection life for every believer.

Then Paul says because we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, “We believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (v. 14). Paul uses the term “fall asleep” as a reference for death. By this, Paul was saying death is not the last act. God's plan does not stop there. Paul uses the word “asleep” to emphasize physical death is not final. When Paul writes about the body being “asleep,” he is thinking of the body being raised from the dead. The emphasis also is on the promise that God will bring with him when he returns those who have died in him. Jesus' resurrection and his promise to bring our loved ones with him gives hope to believers.

Jesus' words support our hope

As Paul addresses the issues raised, he makes his words as authoritative as possible. He reveals the source for his information when he says, “According to the Lord's own words … .” The Lord will return; his teaching is clear.

Remember what Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 24 about the coming of the Lord? Remember the parables of the pounds and the talents where Jesus told of the absent landowner who would come back to judge his servants according to what they had done while he was gone? Then there is the parable of the 10 virgins who were expecting the Lord to come.

There is no doubt that the words of Jesus supported Paul's argument. What better ground for hope can we have than the pledge of Jesus? He who is the resurrection and the life has promised to return.

The second coming of Jesus satisfies our hope

Paul proceeds to give the details of the Lord's return. He has assured the Thessalonians their departed loved ones will not miss the Lord's return. Paul then gives a step-by-step description of the Lord's return we find in verses 16 through 18.

First, Paul makes it clear it will be the Lord himself that returns. The emphasis is upon his bodily return. Some people equate the coming of the Lord with his presence at a time of grief or crisis. Others think the coming of the Lord will occur when one dies and he comes to receive them. This is not what Paul says. The language Paul uses puts the matter beyond question when he says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven.”

Second, Paul also makes it clear Jesus' return will not be in secret. He says, “Jesus will come down from heaven, with a loud command.” The Greek word is “keleusma,” which is a military term with reference to an order, as if the commander is calling his troops to fall in. This command will come from the voice of the archangel and will be followed by the “trumpet call of God.” One thing is clear, Christ's return will be announced from heaven forcefully and dramatically.

Third, Paul says, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” How will God raise the bodies of people who were buried hundreds of years ago? There are some questions for which we have no answers. Just because we are not aware of the answer does not mean the God who created the universe out of nothing is not fully capable of reassembling all the believers from all times.

Paul does give us some information. Their resurrection will precede their coming because he says they will rise first. So those who have died in Christ will rise with him, and the resurrected Christ will be accompanied at his return with his followers who have died. The emphasis of Paul's argument is there is no possibility those who died in Christ ever will be separated from Christ.

Fourth, Paul writes: “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (v. 17). The previous verse explains the future of the believers who have already died when Christ returns. This verse deals with what happens to the believers who are alive. Paul says the believers who are still alive will be “caught up” with the others in the sky. The Greek term for “caught up” is the word “harpazo” and it means to seize or to carry off. It is from this phrase the thought of the “rapture” comes to Christian theology. Even though the word “rapture” is not used in the text, it is the translation of the Latin word that corresponds to the Greek word “harpazo.” Many believers today distinguish the rapture from Jesus' return to earth. They believe that the great tribulation will follow the rapture and the Lord's return to earth will end the great tribulation.

However, the emphasis in this verse is found in that the resurrected believers will join with living believers at the return of Christ, and together they will share the presence of the Lord on that day and forever. There is a danger in focusing so closely at the details of Christ's coming that we miss the best meaning. The expectation of seeing the Lord and one's family face to face is unique to the Christian faith. There is great hope to be found in the fact our fellowship with Jesus will never be broken, and one day every believer will be reunited with loved ones.

The awareness of this hope demands believers stay alert

Paul follows his teaching on the Lord's return with some spiritual advice for how we are to live until he returns. Paul says we are not to pay attention to time schedules because “you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (v. 2). Instead, he instructs us to stay alert to the signs of Jesus' return. They will be like labor pains, getting closer and closer together until he appears.

Two truths are conveyed in these illustrations. First, when the Lord comes, there will be no time for preparation, so we must be ready now. Second, with the illustration of the woman in labor, Paul was noting the symptoms were already appearing and there is a need to be ready for the inevitable.

Therefore, Paul wrote, “let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled” (v. 6). We are to be alert and self-controlled; as different from the unbelievers as daylight is from darkness.

As we wait, God has provided for us the breastplate of faith and love and also the helmet of the hope of salvation. We don't have to worry about what is going to happen. We can wait for his return with hope, faith and love because we are ready for him.

Questions for discussion

bluebull Where do you find hope in these words from Paul?

bluebull How can Paul's teachings about Christ's return help us to commit ourselves to trust Christ as Savior?

bluebull Why should Paul's teaching about the uncertainty of the time of Christ's return motivate us to live in constant readiness for his return?

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