INTRODUCTION
TITLE SLIDE
• When you love someone, what is one of the biggest fears we have, especially when we get older?
• We live in a world where death often feels like the end of the story.
• When we stand by the graveside of someone we love, questions naturally rise in our hearts: Where are they?
• Will I ever see them again?
• Is death really the end?
• Death is possibly one of the most intense types of grief we can face.
• Some of the hardest moments I’ve ever faced as a minister have been standing by the graveside, watching families say goodbye.
• The tears are real.
• The grief is heavy.
• But I’ve also seen something remarkable: in those same moments, I’ve heard songs of hope, words of assurance, and prayers that look forward to a reunion.
• That’s what Paul is giving us in 1 Thessalonians 4—a truth that changes how we look at death: it is not the end, because Christ has the last word.”
• I have done funerals for Christians and non-Christians.
• The grieving process is so different.
• What makes the difference is not that Christians don’t grieve; we do.
• But we grieve differently.
• We grieve with hope.
• And that’s exactly what Paul wanted the Thessalonians to understand in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.
• The people were worried: What happens to those who die before Jesus returns?
• Will they miss out?
• Are they gone forever?
• And Paul writes this passage not to erase their tears but to fill their sorrow with hope.
• He reminds them, and us, that because Jesus died and rose again, death does not have the final say.
• Christ does.
• Paul longs for the Thessalonians to know that he sees that the grief they face is real, and he wants them to deal with it properly.
• Remembering their status as sons and daughters of God will help them face grief honestly.
• Paul begins by talking about the comfort of Christian hope in verses 13–14.
• Let’s look at how he helps us face grief with hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 NET 2nd ed.
13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.
MAIN POINT 1 SLIDE
SERMON
I. The Comfort of Christian Hope
• Houston, we have a problem!
• At the time of the writing of Thessalonians, it seemed as though people had the idea that Jesus was going to return at any moment, literally!
• In 2 Thessalonians, Paul addresses confusion and possibly panic among some believers who thought that the Day of the Lord had already arrived.
• He urges them not to be shaken or alarmed.
• Some people were expecting Jesus' return imminently and were abandoning normal responsibilities (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12), thinking the end was near.
• Can you imagine how you would feel if your loved one, who belonged to Jesus, died just before the return of Jesus?
• It appears that Paul and his crew talked about the Second Coming, but not all of what they taught was being caught by the listeners.
• Paul tells the people in verse 3 that his STRONG desire is that they know and understand what will happen.
• Notice in verse 13 that Paul does not tell us not to grieve, but rather to not grieve as those who have no hope.
• Paul acknowledges grief is natural, even necessary.
• As John Stott puts it, mourning is natural, even emotionally necessary. What Paul forbids is hopeless grief.
• In other words, the main reason he wants them to be informed is so that their grief is not grieving like we have lost our loved one forever and always.
• Paul addresses the Thessalonians’ grief: death is painful, but it is not hopeless.
• What did Jesus do at the grave of Lazarus before He raised him? John 11:35.
• Wept!
• Jesus knew He was going to bring Lazarus back, yet He felt the pain He had over the loss, and He felt the pain of all those who loved Lazarus.
• Those outside of Christ have a hopeless grief; their loved one is gone forever.
• There is no expectation beyond death; death is the end of all things.
• Why is the grief different?
• Verse 14 gives us the answer.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 NET 2nd ed.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.
• Paul begins with a powerful positive assumption: "Since we believe—and we do—that Jesus died and rose again..."
• This truth, which summarizes the apostolic message publicized for over 20 years, is presented as irrefutable.
Our hope rests not in speculation, but in the historic resurrection of Jesus!
• Because Jesus rose, God promises to raise all who are “asleep in Him.”
• We have something tangible to base our hope on.
• Paul does not use a euphemism to soften the death of Jesus; he tells the readers that Jesus DIED!
• As surely as He died, He rose on the third day and defeated death.
• There were many witnesses to this being a fact.
• Just as God raised Jesus from the dead, God will perform wonderful things for "those who have fallen asleep in Jesus."
• The focus is on what God is doing.
• Christians who have died physically are "still real persons who are alive and active" because they are with the Lord.
• The soul and spirit leave the body and go to be with the Lord.
• Paul assures the readers that the disembodied souls who accompany Jesus at His coming will quickly be united with their glorified bodies.
• Our hope changes how we face grief, funerals, and the future.
• Christian funerals affirm loss but also proclaim victory, assurance, and even joy because “we will rise as Christ did.”
• This hope means death is not the end but a doorway into God’s presence.
• As Christians, we grieve, but our sorrow is mixed with hope and anticipation.
• Let’s move to verses 15-17.
1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 NET 2nd ed.
15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.
MAIN POINT 2 SLIDE
II. The Certainty of Christ’s Return
• Paul begins by giving the Thessalonians comfort about their loved ones, but then he goes further.
• He doesn’t just talk about the present hope of those who’ve died in Christ; he talks about the certainty of Christ’s return and how that changes everything.
• There is so much theological confusion centered around the return of Jesus, or the Second Coming.
• I am not sure why, because Paul spells it out for us in pretty simple terms.
• First of all, he establishes the authority for the teaching he is about to share.
• Paul begins with authority: “We tell you this by the word from the Lord.”
• Paul indicates that the teaching he is about to share comes directly from divine revelation.
• This means the instruction or insight about what will happen to believers who are alive at Christ's return is not based on Paul's opinion or speculation.
• This information may refer either to unrecorded teachings given by Jesus during His earthly ministry (like those found in John 20:30 and Acts 20:35) or to a special revelation given by the risen Lord to Paul or Silas (who was a New Testament prophet). Acts 15:32.
• Paul is assuring the Thessalonians that what he is saying—specifically, that those who are alive at Christ's coming will not precede those who have died—is grounded in the authority of the Lord's own word.
• This gives his message weight and credibility and is meant to comfort and instruct the believers.
• The word Paul uses for “coming” is parousia, often used for the arrival of a king or emperor.
• Citizens would go out to meet the ruler and escort him back into the city.
• Paul’s audience would have recognized this picture: believers, dead and living, united to meet King Jesus in triumph.
Paul moves from the authority to the sequence of events that will happen when Jesus comes back!
The Lord Himself will come down from heaven!
• When God determines it is time for the return, Jesus is coming in a VERY public way!
• The descent will be visible (Revelation 1:7).
• Audible (1 Thess 4:16-17)
• It will be majestic. (2 Thess 1:7)
• There will be an audible shout of command from the voice of the Archangel (chief of the angels).
• The phrase "a shout of command" pictures an officer shouting orders to his troops.
• The command is a command given by someone in authority!
• The trumpet of God will sound!
• The Archangel shouts the command and sounds the trumpet of the Lord!
• In the Old Testament, whenever God "came down" to man, the occasion was marked by a blast from the trumpet! Exodus 19:16-19.
• The dead in Christ will rise first!
• The disembodied souls of those who have died in Christ before the event will return with Him and be resurrected into the new glorified bodies!
• The pagan thought and some Jews (Sadducees) thought death meant dead forever!
• That is not so, according to Jesus!
• What about those who are alive at the time of the Second Coming?
Those alive will be caught up with those who previously died in Christ!
• The Greek phrase "caught up" was translated into the Latin verse with the word RAPERE, and then this Latin word was translated into the English equivalent, RAPTURE.
• That is where we get the thought of a rapture.
• This event does not take place at ANY point other than moments BEFORE the second coming!
• It is during this point that those who are alive will receive glorified 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 bodies!
• Those who are alive at the time will be taken up into the clouds and will meet the Lord in the air!
• We get to be with Jesus!
• We will always be with the Lord!
• These are the order of events that will happen at the second coming!
• After everyone is raised, it will move to Judgement. Matthew 25.
• There will be no 3rd coming, only a second!
• Pretty simple and easy to understand when you read the passage in context.
• Paul did not share this to spark arguments over timetables; it’s meant to give assurance.
• The promise is certain: Christ will return, the dead will rise, and believers will be gathered to Him.
• This changes how we live; instead of fear about the unknown, we live with confidence in what’s guaranteed.
1 Thessalonians 4:17–18 NET 2nd ed.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly 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.
MAIN POINT 3 SLIDE
III. The Certainty of Eternal Reunion
• If the return of Christ is certain, then the outcome is just as certain.
• Paul doesn’t just leave us with a dramatic picture of the Lord’s coming; he ends with the greatest assurance of all: the certainty of eternal reunion.
• These words are a comfort to those who belong to Jesus.
• There is no real hope for those who do not belong to Jesus.
• I have had people come to me wanting me to assure them about their unsaved loved ones.
• Sadly, I cannot do that.
• The Bible tells us that eternal life only belongs to those who are faithful to death to Jesus. Revelation 2:10.
• His return is a promise!
• Our position with Him turns hope into reality; we will see those loved ones who are in Christ if we stay in Him also!
• The ultimate hope is not just escaping death but being with Christ forever.
• Notice the word “together” in verse 17!
• We will be reunited with loved ones who’ve died in Christ and united with Him for eternity.
• Because of this sure hope, Paul exhorts believers to “encourage one another with these words.”
• The certainty of eternal reunion is not only theological truth; it is practical encouragement for daily Christian living.
• It grounds Christians in hope even in the face of grief, motivating them to comfort each other and live in joyful anticipation.
• Paul ends not with fear, but with encouragement.
• Death does not get the last word.
• Christ does.
• And His word is this: ‘We will always be with the Lord.’
• That’s the certainty of eternal reunion.
• And that is hope beyond the grave.
CONCLUSION
• Paul closes this section with these words: “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
• These truths are not meant to stir debates or satisfy curiosity.
• They’re meant to bring comfort, courage, and conviction.
For Christians, this passage means you never have to face death in fear.
• Your hope is secure.
• You can live with confidence knowing that the grave is not your final address; it’s only a temporary stop on the way to eternity with Christ.
For the grieving, this passage whispers peace.
• Your tears are real, but they are not hopeless.
• Your loved ones in Christ are safe with Him, and one day, you will be reunited.
• But for the seeker, for the one who has not yet given their life to Jesus, this passage is also a sober reminder.
• The assurance of eternal reunion belongs only to those who are in Christ.
• Outside of Him, there is no hope, no resurrection joy, and no eternal togetherness.
• Jesus came, died, and rose again so that you would not face death alone.
• He offers you forgiveness, eternal life, and a place in His family.
