A-Z of Boldness
Bold in our HOPE
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Over the past several weeks we have been looking at the A-Z of Boldness. Please remember being Bold does not mean being obnoxious or rude & crude. To be Bols simply means to be courageous. This Boldness or courage we have should not be of the flesh or of self pride but courage brought out by God's Holy Spirit empowering you. The last two weeks we have looked at being Bold with our Finances. Being Courageous with our finances means trusting God to provide. It means giving back more than the tithe. And it is a way of showing our Thanks unto the Lord. Last week we discusseed how we as christians should be Bold concerning the Goverment. Paul exhorted Timothy and us to Pray for kings and those in authourity over us. Paul also wrote to the church at Rome and told them that God has ordained all those in power over us, because there is no authourity but that of God. He told the roman citizens that they should participate in goverment by paying their tributes or taxes. We also noted that participating meant preaching to the goverment concerning right and wrong just as many did in Biblical times. Another way of participating is to vote.
this week we will consider the letter H. Being Bold in our HOPE.
Our scripture this morning is one of my favorites. It is 1 Thessalonians 4 verses 13-18. "13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
This scripture excites me! I love to read and hear the words of this passage. Why because it contains HOPE. Hope for us concerning the dead. Hope for the dead. And Hope for the living! The hope of all people and every nation and every generation is tied up in one name. A name above every name. A name that to every knee shall bow and every toungue confess. That name Jesus!
One night at dinner a man, who had spent many summers in Maine, fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week by week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: "Where there is no hope for the future, there is no power in the present."
I am so thankful to God that I do not have hope in this life only. For if we do, the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corin 15 verses 17-19 that we are men that are most miserable. "17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
But God gives His children a hope and a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. God has taken the misery of our lives and placed it on Christ as He hung on the cross. Now, we are reconciled with God in Christ. We have nothing to be miserable about.
As the Apostle Paul writes to the church of Thessalonica, Paul understands that some are concerned that Christ had not appeared as was promised. Time has passed, and some in their midst had died. Had the return of Christ already occured? Was there no longer hope that they would see their loved ones again? There was great trepidation amongst the church at this time.
As we pick up in our text, Paul switches gears in his writing to address this fear that was gripping the church. He explains to them that they were different from the heathen in that they had hope. Now, this is not a guessing type of hope such as, "I hope I made the right choice." No, this is a guarantee. This hope is a confident expectation. And Paul did not desire that the church be ignorant about the hope of the redeemed, because it was this hope that distinguished them from the world (v. 13 - "that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope").
This passage also pertains to the Christian life today. As believers in the finished work of Christ, we are distinguished from the ungodly in that we have a hope which cannot be moved. A hope which is steadfast and enduring. A hope that assures us and comforts us even in times of deepest grief.
What does this hope consist of? I want to take a look at three things this morning that Paul points out.
I. The Return of the Savior (v. 16)
We have a hope that the world cannot understand, because we know for a certainty that Christ is coming back again. The return of Christ is as sure as any other doctrine of the Scriptures. And what is wonderful about this event is that He is returning for us! John 14:1-3 encourages us to not let our hearts be troubled. Why not? Because Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, and He will return again and receive us unto Himself that where He is we will be also. What an assurance!
When Christ ascended to heaven, the Bible records in Acts 1:11 that an angel told the disciples that "this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." The Apsotle Paul also records in I Cor. 15:52 that this coming will happen, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." We have hope as the redeemed of God, because we know that Christ is returning again.
II. The Resurrection of the Dead (v. 16)
Not only is Christ going to return, but another reason that we do not live in misery is that we know that those who died in union with Christ will be resurrected when He returns. Death is not the end. The grave is not the final resting place! Paul states that when Christ returns, it will be these "dead" individuals who will rise first. What an honor!
But what is the foundation of this hope? Why should we know that the dead are going to rise? A couple of places quickly if you’ll turn. First, the entire chapter of I Corinthians 15 gives us a very detailed explaination. The foundation that the dead in Christ will be raised is the fact that Christ Himself was raised. Paul questions in verse 12, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" We know that the foundation for our resurrection is that Christ Himself raised from the dead first. Secondly, Romans 4:24 states that we are imputed righteousness if we believe that Jesus raised from the dead. God credits Christ’s resurrection to our account if we put our faith and trust in His Son. We become heirs to God and joint heirs with Christ. Just as Christ raised from the dead, so will one day the dead in Christ will also be raised.
III. The Rapture of the Saints (v. 17)
What a source of joy verse 17 is for the believer. Paul discusses the death and resurrection of Christ. Then the death and future resurrection of the dead in Christ. But praise God, he Jesus doesn’t leave out those who are still alive. When Jesus returns in the clouds, He not only raises the bodies of those dead in Him, but also those living are caught up with Him to forever be with the Lord.
Aren’t you glad that God didn’t leave anyone out? Those who by faith have continually believed in the finished work of redemption, whether already deceased or currently alive at His coming, will be caught up in the clouds to be with Jesus throughout all eternity.
Three things the rapture produces for the living believer. First, it produces incorruption. Although currently living in a body corrupted by the disease of sin, the believer will receive a new body, translated in a twinkling of an eye. Alright who out there right now would not want a new body? One without pain with perfect vision and hearing. One with out creaks and pops every time you move.
It will be a body of purity and holiness. It will be like Jesus. Secondly, it produces immortality. This fleshly body one day will cease all function. The soul will depart and we will consider it dead. But once the rapture occurs, death will only be a memory to the believer. I Cor. 15:53 states, "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Thirdly, the rapture produces immediate victory. At that point, all sin will cease for the believer. Death will no longer concern the believer. Satan will never again be allowed to touch them. I Cor. 15:57 states, "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
What a blessed hope! Do you have this hope or are you placing your hope in this life only? What a miserable existence to only live for this life. But Jesus provides a greater assurance. It is the assurance of eternal life. An eternity with the one who loves you and gave His life for you. An eternity without sin, sorrow, or separation. If you have not placed your trust in Christ for salvation, you are living for this life only, and what a miserable life it is. Come to Jesus now and receive the guarantee of a resurrected, eternal life in heaven.
God sent His Son to us so that we may have Hope. As good as life is for you, Don't you always hope for better. Of course you do. That's because there is something better coming! We will get to see all our loved ones that have gone on before us . We get to be with our Saviour Jesus who gave himself for us and we get new bodies!
We need to be Bold in speaking about our Hope because there are many who are living a life without Jesus a life without HOPE!
