1 Thessalonians #06: an exposition of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, October 28, 2012.
Intro:
I still remember the images of a totalitarian regime rounding up young, defiant believers and leading them to certain death while Larry Norman’s I Wish We Had All Been Ready was playing in the background. I remember having several friends who were frightened into the Kingdom of God through watching A Thief in the Night. I remember reading Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth and going to see that movie. Fast forward a decade and a half and I was reading Edgar Whisenant’s 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. In 1989 he wrote The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989 which promised the rapture in 89. That was followed by 23 reasons why a pre-tribulation rapture looks like it will occur on Rosh-Hashanah 1993. Followed by And now the earth’s destruction by fire, nuclear bomb fire predicting the end in 94. Of course we all remember Harold Campings predictions of May 21, 2011 revised for October 21, 2011. Since then he has been relatively quiet. I certainly would not place all “prophecy preachers” in the same category. Most are far more biblical than Whisenant and Camping but I think there is a problem when you scour the newspapers and then try to find a connection with Scripture. I’ve been accused of being anti-prophecy. That is certainly not true. Admittedly it is not my favorite field of study but I would never categorize it as anti or uninterested. I do question the value of what I consider to be an obsession with connecting the dots between current events and biblical prophecies and a vain attempt to predict the end even if just in general terms.
I respect the scholarship of John Walvoord but after multiple updates and revisions of his work at what point do people stop listening and wonder if there is any truth to anything he has to say? I understand those folks who say, “It has to be close. This is what the Scripture says and this is what technology now enables us to do – never before has there been such a clear fulfillment of this prophecy.” Yet they were saying the same things in the mid 19th century! Further you are assuming you have properly interpreted the passage. But what if you’ve interpreted the passage to fit the technology? So much of what I hear stirs up fear and anxiety and when I think of the context of the New Testament writings – they were meant to encourage and strengthen. The book of Revelation was written to a persecuted church threatened by extinction from the most powerful nation on earth. It’s message was simple. There is one God. One King. He wins!
As the apostle Paul is writing to encourage the struggling saints in Thessalonica he addressed concerns about the return of Christ. He is writing to calm their fears and to encourage. Our text this morning is found in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 beginning with verse 13.
Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
This is a familiar passage. I use it in every funeral of a believer because it so powerfully and beautifully expresses our hope. Here is what is clear to me out of this passage…
Thesis: In contrast to the endless speculations and the fear mongering reports of some prophecy preachers a biblical understanding of our Lord’s return inspires hope, brings clarity and provides great comfort.
The hope of the church is the return of Christ.
We long for the glorious appearing.
We live in anticipation of His certain return the the summing up of all things.
Again this is a familiar passage but make sure you see it in the proper light. This word is spoke in light of 4:1. This is part of living so as to be pleasing to God. More specifically it follows on the heels of 4:12 – “living properly before outsiders.”
There is to be a clear contrast between believers and unbelievers.
It is apparent that there are questions in Thessalonica. They are concerned about those who have died in faith. There was a sense of imminence about our Lord’s return. They lived each day believing He could come at any time. In the weeks sense coming to faith some have died. Will they be at a disadvantage? Will they miss out on something? There is obvious confusion and great anxiety within the congregation.
There are three things I want to point out as we work through this text:
- A proper understanding of the return of our Lord inspires hope. (4:13)
- A proper understanding of the return of Christ brings assurance. (4:14-17)
- A proper understanding of the return of Christ provides comfort. (4:18)
Conclusion:
This makes all the difference in our living and dying.
Rightly understood the thought of the return of the Lord inspires hope, brings assurance and provides great comfort. Thus we are led to pray, “Even so come Lord Jesus!”