Be Encouraged... because He Lives! - I Thessalonians 4:13-17

[Once again, this is not a typical message. We are still under stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This Easter Sunday, I've decided to return to our series in 1 Thessalonians, as the passage speaks about the Resurrection of Jesus as the foundation of our hope in the midst of crises in this fallen world... SN]

Be Encouraged… Because He Lives!

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Introduction: Week by week it seems the situation is changing… We are even getting conflicting information about whether or not we have peaked in terms of the current pandemic. The uncertainty created by the COVID-19 crisis has raised the stress levels for many of us… One result of this “social distancing” has been loneliness, depression, even despair for many people. Resurrection Sunday is a good time to pause, and to find hope and encouragement in Jesus, and that is what I would like to do this morning. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow! His victory over death makes our future a certainty. Remember the words of Erich Sauer…

 “The present age is Easter time. It begins with the resurrection of the Redeemer and ends with the resurrection of the redeemed. Between lies the spiritual resurrection of those called into life [through faith in Christ] …So we live between two Easters and in the power of the first Easter, we go to the last Easter...” (Triumph of the Crucified, p. 101).

       Hope for today! At Boothbay Baptist Church, before this crisis led to us suspending our public meetings for a time, we had been working our way through a letter that the Apostle Paul had written to a young church, a group of new believers in Jesus, First Thessalonians. Paul, along with Timothy and Silas, had planted the church, but they were only there for a few short weeks. Not only were the Thessalonians new to the faith, but they were experiencing opposition and persecution. Paul had received word of their evident faith in Christ, their love for one another, and their hope in the future return of Jesus. Though they were doing well, since they were a young church, they lacked depth in some areas of their understanding of truth. And so, Paul is writing to encourage them, to guide them away from despair caused by their circumstances, and to lead them deeper in their sure hope for the future. I think Paul’s word to the Thessalonians can encourage us as well. Easter means hope for those whose trust is in the Lord! Our series is entitled “Be Encouraged!” I’ve called today’s message, “Be Encouraged… Because He lives!” The Thessalonians needed to hear that, and so do we!

       I don’t know the details of your situation, as of yesterday, a number of you were without power here in Boothbay. I know that this health crisis has added stress to all of our lives at some level. I don’t know if your faith is being challenged or your hope is wavering. Could it be that God has led you to this passage, at this moment, that His Spirit might lead you, comfort you, steady your faith in a time of storm, and secure you in the sure hope we have in Jesus? Listen to these words from the Apostle…

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, 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… (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

       For the Thessalonians, their new faith was being tested daily as they faced persecution from the authorities, and religious opposition from their idolatrous neighbors. They had been taught the fundamentals of the faith by Paul, they knew who Jesus was, the eternal Son of God who took a human nature. They knew that He had willingly died for their sins, as the Scriptures had predicted would happen (see Isa 53; Ps; 22). They knew that he had conquered death in the resurrection, and that He had ascended into heaven, and that he had promised to return in like manner.  They still had some questions about how that future return would unfold, and also about the intermediate state of those who died in the faith. Paul is trying in this letter to fill in a few of the gaps in their understanding, and to encourage them to stand firm. This section ties in with the opening part of chapter 5, both concluding with the admonition, “Therefore encourage one another… therefore encourage one another, and build each other up” (4:18; 5:11). Like the Thessalonians, we are living in uncertain times. We don’t fear the sword of Rome or being stoned by our countrymen, but the specter of COVID-19 has at least temporarily cast a shadow over our lives… This crisis is one we did not anticipate, but it did not catch God by surprise…

The Maine* Idea: This too will pass. Jesus is Lord of history. His victory over death gives us hope as we face trials today.

 I. A Fundamental Truth: We have a sure hope that transcends the current crisis (4:13). For the Thessalonians, they were facing persecution. Some had died since they believed, had they missed the coming rescue? Their understanding about the future was incomplete, they didn’t seem to grasp the connection between the resurrection of Jesus, which they believed, and the promise of His return and the resurrection of all believers. We too are unsure about tomorrow… We have contradictory news reports, a growing infection rate, uncertainty about the future…

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.   

       There is much that we can’t know about the future. April 15^th is approaching. As the saying goes, nothing is certain but death and taxes. Though I guess even the tax-day has changed this year! Since the Fall of Adam, we are all born in sin, and death has spread to all humans, for all have sinned (Rom 5:12). Death is a certainty (4:13). Something like this pandemic will remind us of our mortality. Live is fragile, it can be fleeting. The question to consider is, what then?

       Remember back to the passion week. The original disciples had seen the hope and excitement of Palm Sunday, transformed by the horror of the arrest, torture, and execution of Jesus. Remember the words of the disciples on the road to Emmaus? We had hoped that He was the One… But their hopes were dashed, or so it seemed. They didn’t understand how God was working in that situation, for His glory, and for their good. The Thessalonians had heard about Jesus’ death and resurrection. They knew that He had promised to return. But in the midst of their current crisis they needed teaching, they needed assurance, they needed truth and encouragement about believers who die before Jesus comes.

       First of all, notice that ignorance creates confusion (4:13). The NKJV translates the word “uninformed” as “ignorant.” I think that carries a more negative connotation in modern English. Paul’s point, stated positively, was “We want you to know the truth about those who have died…”  And the reason for that desire by Paul was so that they “may not grieve as those who have no hope.” Right doctrine has a way of calming our fears and giving us hope. How many times did God speak to Israel through Moses and the Prophets, or Jesus speak to His disciples, and say “Fear not… Do not be afraid”? At the Red Sea in Exodus 14, through an angel speaking to Mary in Luke 1, and to the Shepherds as they received the word of the Savior’s birth in Luke 2… Jesus, speaking to his disciples on the stormy lake… or preparing them for his departure in the upper room, “Do not be afraid…” No matter how difficult circumstances might seem, no matter what we might be facing, nothing is too difficult for God! We know that Jesus died and rose again, He conquered death. That gives us hope, not wishful thinking, not denial about what is happening, but a confident expectation about the future.  Our future hope is tied to the historical truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

       We don’t grieve as those who have no hope, we don’t despair like those who don’t know God, we don’t live in denial, but in the midst of this crisis we have peace, peace that passes understanding, because our hope is in God, we trust Him, and we entrust ourselves to Him.

       That is what Paul is telling the Thessalonians. Don’t despair over this present darkness. If you believe in Jesus, your hope is sure! That doesn’t mean life will be easy, but we can know that we are never alone. The Creator knows us by name, He is with us, He will never leave us or forsake us… We are in a time of crisis, but this too will pass. Jesus is Lord of history. His victory over death gives us hope as we face trials today.

II. Easter means hope based on the Truth: God has spoken, and He has acted in history for our good and for His glory (4:14-15).

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, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

      The ESV gets the sense of the first phrase in v.14, “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again…” Some translations say “IF” we believe, but contextually he is writing as a believer to believers. It is not just believing that Jesus died, but understanding why he died (4:14a). When Paul is summarizing to the Corinthians the Gospel he had preached, which they believed, by which they were saved, he begins by saying, “Christ died for our sins, according the Scriptures, and He was buried…” I won’t waste time today addressing the humanistic attempts to explain away the resurrection of Jesus by some who through the ages have tried to argue that Christ didn’t actually die on the Cross… One such theory, the so-called “Swoon Theory,” suggested that he fainted, and then revived in the cool of the cave. Come on now! The facts are obvious, the Romans were experts in crucifixion, they knew when a condemned person had expired. The spear thrust in Jesus’ side leaves no question, no room for doubt. Jesus died on the cross.

       Remember why he died: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. As Isaiah had prophesied centuries before, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, but the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…” (Isa 53:6). That wasn’t just the way things worked out because Jesus was rejected by His people. That is why He came: to satisfy divine justice, to make a way for Holy God to justify sinners. Jesus willingly became our substitute. He took our sin, He died in our place, and His righteousness was reckoned to our account.

       One of the devotions I read last week made reference to the “Crown of Thorns” that was pushed down on the head of Jesus as the soldiers mocked Him as the King of the Jews. Remember, it was the Fall of Adam that brought the curse on the earth, and with it, God said the ground would produce “thorns and thistles,” making life difficult in this fallen world. Jesus allowed himself to be mocked, tortured, and killed, a crown of thorns, pushed down on His head, so that by grace through faith, we could receive the crown of life. He took the curse for us, as the Scripture says, “Cursed is the one who hangs on a tree.” Do you know what the word “Corona” means? It is the Latin word for “crown.” And we’ve all seen the photos of the magnified virus, it looks like a thorny crown, doesn’t it? Jesus came, He endured the Cross, He died and He rose again, so that we could have new life, “…By His stripes, we are healed…” (Isa 53).

        “…Christ died and rose again…” We have a faith based on history, as certain as the empty tomb (4:14b). The resurrection of Jesus is the lynchpin of the Christian faith, everything stands or falls on the foundation of the historical truth of the empty tomb. Erich Sauer called the resurrection is “the guarantee of the new heaven and the new earth…” – the restoration of life, the way life should be. Because He lives we can face tomorrow! In Him our hope is sure!

       We’ve looked in the past at irrefutable evidences of the resurrection of Jesus. Others have sought to investigate the claim that Jesus arose, and had become convinced that it had to be true! Frank Morrison’s famous book, “Who moved the stone?” is an example, as is Lee Strobel’s, “The Case for Christ.”  These men began by investigating the evidence of the resurrection, intending to disprove Christianity. But as they looked at the evidence their hearts were opened, and they believed the truth! The evidence is compelling, but God is not on trial, we are. Will we believe Him, will we take Him at His word? Will we entrust ourselves to him?

       God has spoken. Faith comes down to believing God, taking Him at His Word. My GPS has led me astray a time or two, but we have a trust-worthy guide: the Scriptures (4:15)… Paul said, “…this we declare to you by a word from the Lord…” He was convinced that He was bringing God’s Word to the people, he understood his authority as an apostle of the Lord, one sent with authority as a spokesman for Jesus, an ambassador for Christ. Earlier he commended them for receiving his teaching “…not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God…” (I Thess 2:13). God has spoken, and He has revealed himself in the Son. This pandemic, this crisis that has put our lives on hold, need not cause us to despair, because… this too will pass. Jesus is Lord of history. His resurrection gives us hope as we face trials today.

III. Easter means Hope: Our future is sure in Christ (4:16-18).

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.

       This is similar to the argument of I Corinthians 15… Jesus arose, the first fruits of the future resurrection harvest, and so we can be assured that those who are His will arise after Him. The Day will come when death is swallowed up in victory! Here, Paul makes it clear that the return of Jesus will result in the transformation of the believers who are still living on the earth, and the resurrection of those who have already died. Now I don’t want to get into a detailed teaching about the second coming of Christ, which I view as a two-stage event, the rapture of believers, and then later His descent to the earth to reign for a thousand years. I think that isn’t the main point of Paul’s reference the return of Christ in these verses. Mark Howell, in his commentary said that Paul’s “…concern is to give pastoral exhortation to a grieving church, and not to provide detailed theological explanation about future events.” Stott likewise writes, “His purpose in this passage is to fortify them in their bereavement, not answer academic questions about the last things.” Paul seeks to bring encouragement in the present, based on our future hope in Jesus.

       Paul is saying that, 1) as surely as Jesus died and rose again, He will return; and 2) When He does the dead in Christ will be raised bodily and transformed, and then the believers still living will be immediately changed; and 3) together they will be taken up into the Lord’s presence. He is telling the Thessalonians that even if they are seeing some of their number martyred in the current persecution, that isn’t the end of the story. Jesus conquered death, and so our future is secure in Him.

     That certainly sounds like a noisy day: “…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…” Someone said that will be the loudest day in the history of the universe! The three phrases in parallel are emphasizing the idea of a battle cry!  In 2 Thessalonians it seems that some false teachers were suggesting the return of Christ had past, and the believers in Thessalonica were confused, had they somehow missed out?  Here Paul is saying that when Jesus returns, you will know it!

…and so we will always be with the Lord.  ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words. 

       We have assurance about tomorrow, as certain as the resurrection, Jesus will return, and we will be changed, transformed, given a new body (4:17b). This is essentially what Paul is saying in that great resurrection chapter, I Corinthians 15: the resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee of our future resurrection. That is a great chapter, 58 verses, I’ll just read four or five near the end of the chapter to you today…

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."

     As Paul is writing to the Thessalonians, he is holding forth the same hope. The Author of Life, the Creator, the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, knows us and has a plan for us. Our bodies are fragile. Accidents or violence, diseases or sickness, such things can impact us, and believers are not exempt from suffering. But, Christ arose, and so will we if we know Him! The best is yet to come! And we have hope for today (4:18)!

What is God saying to me in this passage? COVID-19 has shaken up our lives. In too many families in NY and NJ and PA, and even right here in Maine, people are sick, some are grieving. But believers needn’t despair as those who have no hope. Let’s hold forth the Word of Life, and point our family and friends to Jesus. He is Lord of history. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow! His victory over death gives us hope as we face trials today.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Jesus said, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…” We needn’t be overwhelmed by the headlines, nor should we let fear and anxiety paralyze us. God is real, and He is all-powerful, and He is good. He showed us His love, 2000 years ago when the Son took a human nature, and lived among us. It was not just to pay us a visit, it was to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Another verse says, “This is how God showed His love among us, He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” Jesus was without sin, yet He drank the cup of God’s wrath against sin and died for us, so that we could drink the cup of blessing, and experience life, abundant life, the way life should be!  His victory over death assures us: We have victory in Jesus!  

       Easter is an important day in the church calendar, but in truth it is at the heart of our new life in Christ every day: Again, quoting Erich Sauer,

“The present age is Easter time. It began with the resurrection of the Redeemer and will end with the resurrection of the redeemed. Between lies the spiritual resurrection of those called into life… So we live between two Easters… and in the power of the first Easter, we go to the last Easter.”

We serve a living Savior! Let’s share Him with those around us, those who need hope so desperately.  The most famous verse in the Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” That is Good News!   AMEN.