The Dead in Christ

I Thessalonians • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Paul writes to address the concerns of the believers and Thessalonica regarding the Lord's return and those who had died before his return.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Paul is now going to address an area of ignorance among the Thessalonian believers. It is evident that there were concerns among them regarding those who had passed from this life.

The Thessalonian believers were intensely interested in the Lord’s second coming and fully expected it to take place in their lifetime, but now there were some from among their ranks who had died and the Thessalonian believers were concerned that these would now miss Christ’s return.

This entire passage was written for one distinct purpose and that was to comfort the believers in Thessalonica by helping them to understand the greater truth of Christ’s coming.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to offer them comfort by :

Increasing their Comprehension(Vs. 13)

The Thessalonian believers were deeply concerned for the state of those among them who had passed on since the time of Paul’s departure. They were worried that these would have no part in the Second Coming.

Paul writes to them concerning the sorrow that they have endured with the loss of their loved ones. The sorrow they felt was due to a lack of understanding and the only remedy was to help them to understand more fully the state of their deceased loved ones.

Many times we are overcome with sorrow and fear because we lack the knowledge that would give us hope.

Paul had evidently heard of the sorrow that was present in Thessalonica and his desire was to comfort them by giving them hope.

Paul communicates to them that they need not sorrow as those who have no hope but that their sorrow should be eased by the hope they have in Christ of one day being reunited with their loved ones.

Each of us have experienced or will experience the loss of someone close to us. This naturally brings sorrow to our hearts, but if that loved one knew Christ we need not sorrow as though we have no hope of seeing them again.

We have the blessed hope of a wonderful reunion someday! Notice how a deeper understanding of spiritual truth helps to alleviate our sorrow and fears!

Illustration- wife not answering cell phone

Increasing their Confidence (Vs. 14)

Paul wrote to assure the believers in Thessalonica of the present condition of their loved ones who died in Christ.

Paul uses the death and resurrection of Christ as evidence that God will ultimately bring those who have died in Christ with Him when He returns.

Paul knew that the Thessalonians believed in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. The message that he is communicating to them is that just as they confidently affirm these truths they can have the same confidence that their loved ones who have died in Christ are presently with God.

- absent from body/present with the Lord.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ serves to give us confidence that every believer will one day rise again. We can be confident that our loved ones who have passed from this life are currently with God and, if it happens that Christ’s return is in our lifetime, God will bring them with Him at his return.

What a joy it is to know where our saved loved ones are when their life on earth has ended. We can be confident that they are currently in the presence of God.

This passage would bring comfort to the Thessalonian believers giving them the assurance that their loved ones were present with God.

The one important detail that we cannot overlook in this verse is that this only applies to those who “sleep in Jesus”. This should stand as motivation for us to ensure that our loved ones have placed their faith in Christ.

There was no doubt in the minds of the Thessalonian believers that Christ had died and rose again and now upon these, words written under the inspiration of the Spirit of God by the apostle Paul, they could be just as certain that their loved ones were presently with God and that they would be with Him at His return.

Giving Them Clarification (Vs. 15)

Paul also brought comfort to these believers in offering some clarification concerning Christ’s return.

This further clarification was not from the mind of the apostle but was “by the word of the Lord”. This meant that their was not questioning the validity of Paul’s statement.

This revelation was directly from the Lord Himself.

The truth that Paul is communicating is that whether we are alive or asleep at the coming of the Lord each of us will share likewise in the experience.

This clarification was to assure the believers in Thessalonica that there was no disadvantage for those who had passed on but that they would share in the blessings of the Lord’s return just the same.

This same clarification brings hope to you and I, knowing that our loved ones who have gone on before us will share with us in the blessing of the Lord’s glorious return.

One other important detail that we must not overlook is that Paul most certainly understood that there was nothing remaining to prevent the Lord’s return.

He includes himself in those who are alive and remain at the coming of Christ. He most certainly expected Christ to return during his lifetime.

The fact that Christ has not yet returned does not change the fact that His return is yet imminent and could happen at any moment.

- all things continue

Let us never lose sight of the fact that Jesus Christ could return today.

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