COMFORT IN THE MIDST OF DISCOMFORT
I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Several times in this letter Paul tells us that Jesus is coming back.
- In chapter 4:1 he tells us that Jesus is coming back to exhort us to live a sanctified life so that when HE does come back we will “pleasing to God.”
- In chapter 1:2-10 Paul tells us that Jesus is coming back to reassure us that our faithfulness to Christ is not in vain…that because of our faithfulness we will be “delivered from the wrath of God” when He does come.
- And in chapter 2:17-20 he tells us that Jesus is coming back in order to encourage us in the midst of hardships and sufferings that, if we will remain faithful, “we will stand in the presence of the Lord at His coming.”
Over and over again the underlying theme of this letter is Jesus is coming back…and here in this passage Paul once again tells us that Jesus is coming back…but this time he tells us to give us comfort.
- But then again, it may be that for some, these words will be no comfort at all.
- If these words make you uncomfortable in reference to your own dying…then I hope you will make the changes you need to make before it is too late.
Let’s look at the passage and hopefully find some comfort in the midst of discomfort.
Look at verse 13 again. Paul says: But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
We have in this congregation many who have had loved ones die.
- Some a husband…a wife…a close friend…a child…a parent.
- And in the future, unless we die first, all of us will experience the death of someone we love..
- And when it happens it is and will be an extremely difficult time.
But in the midst of that hardship, Paul says that if the one who has died fell asleep in Jesus (vs. 14) in the midst of your grief, there is hope!
What is this hope? And that word “hope” literally means “confident expectation.”
- In other words, it is something you can be “confident of taking place.”
- It is not “wishing” or “wistfully yearning for it to happen.”
- Because they fell asleep in Christ you can be “sure…confident that one day this is going to happen.”
What is it that is going to someday happen? Well, in verse 16 Paul says that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.
- Those who are IN Christ…those who have been baptized for it is at baptism that one is tranferred “INTO” Christ: Romans 6:2-4.
- Those who are IN Christ will be raised first.
- And then those of us who are IN Christ and who are alive when He comes…we shall be caught up together with those who are asleep in Jesus…and we will all meet the Lord in the air…and thus we shall always be with the Lord.
This is what Paul says that we can be confident of.
- Every obedient believer in Christ is going to participate in this.
- This is going to happen.
So Paul says that he does not want us to grieve like others who have no hope.
But how can we be sure? How can we be so confident about this? How can we be so sure that those who have died who were and are IN Christ are going to be raised again unto eternal life?
Well, look at verse 15 again. Paul says: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord…”
- In other words Paul says, “You can count on this…you can have hope because of the Lord’s own words.”
- Your hope…your confidence that this is going to happen is grounded on the faithfulness of Jesus and what He Himself taught.
What did Jesus teach about His coming back…do you remember? John 14:2-3: “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
He said, “I am going to go. But I am going to come back for you.”
In Matthew 24:45 Jesus taught the parable of the Master and Slave and once again He says, “I am coming back.”
And in Matthew 25 in verse 1-13 He taught the parable of the 10 virgins waiting for the coming of the bride groom…and once again He said, “I am coming back…you be ready.”
And one of the clearest scriptures to confirm that this is all going to happen is found in Acts 1:11 and what the angel told the disciples as they watched Jesus ascend into heaven.
…and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Listen, Paul says, “This idea of Jesus coming back isn’t something that we made up just to make you feel better.”
- “It is not an assumption or an inference.”
- It is what Jesus taught us.
- He is coming back for His people.
But Jesus didn’t just talk about it. He didn’t just teach that there was life after the grave. He proved it! Look at verse 14:
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
Our confidence in what God is going to do in the future is grounded in what He has done in the past.
- The empty tomb is proof to us that this is all going to happen…that all believers will be raised unto eternal life.
And I want you to notice something here that is very important.
- Notice it does not say that Jesus slept.
- The believers sleep…Jesus died.
- What is the big deal about that?
What is the wages of sin? It is death. It is separation from God.
- Jesus died and was separated from God because of our sins.
- He took the penalty and the curse that was due us.
And because He did…because He paid the debt that we owed…we don’t have to experience the penalty.
- Even when we die physically we are not separated from God.
- We sleep…we are at rest…at peace.
And His resurrection guarantees His return and assures us of life after the grief.
So we can be confident that these things are going to happen…that all those who are IN Christ we be raised unto eternal life.
Now, let me take you back to verse 13 again: But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.
I want you to notice that Paul does not say that we are not to grieve when a loved one passes away.
- In times past I have heard some apologize for grieving so heavily…and they have felt guilty because they felt that if their faith would have been stronger…they would have found joy instead of grief in the face of death.
- In some instances preachers have lead Christians to believe that it is wrong to grieve over the death of a loved one.
- And in some instances Christians have put on a happy face and pretended that everything is great…only later to crash emotionally.
- I have been to funerals where the statement is made that “the funeral service is going to be a celebration and a joyous occasion” only for the family to fail to grieve as they should.
- If you can do that, fine, but that is not what Paul is endorsing here.
Paul does not forbid grief!
- Christians are human…and they hurt…and they mourn.
There are many examples of this in the scriptures. For example, the very first Christian that we know to be violently killed was Stephen.
- It says in Acts 8:2: And some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.
- These men believed in life after the grave.
- They believed Stephen had won the victory.
- They heard Stephen say: “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.”
- They knew where Stephen was.
- But still they mourned his loss and passing.
- That is natural…and in fact, it is emotionally necessary to grieve.
Paul does not forbid grieving.
What Paul forbids here in 1 Thess. 4:13 is hopeless grieving!
- Grieving that has no faith.
Paul’s contrast is not between one degree of sorrow and another.
- His contrast is between Christian hope and pagan despair.
Listen, nowhere is hope or hopelessness more evident than at the cemetery.
- Those who have no hope…notice those who do have hope…and they wonder, “Where does your hope come from? What is its source?”
Remember what Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15: …but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you,
- The hopeless see your hope and they want to know “where does it come from?”
And our hope shining through in our darkest hours provides us opportunity to tell them about the coming of our Lord and what is going to happen at the end of history…and their need to be prepared.
Paul doesn’t forbid grieving…he forbids hopeless grieving…because the hope that we have in the face of death may be the only hope that others have.
Now, look at verse 18. Paul says: “Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”
- Paul says, “comfort…or entreat…encourage” one another with these words.
- He didn’t say argue with each other about these words.
- He said “comfort or encourage” each other.
We have got to remind each other of the hope.
- In hospital rooms…police station…back of an ambulance…nursing homes…and at the cemetery.
- We have got to speak these words to each other because if hope is going to be possessed it has got to be professed.
Now, if you remember, when I started I said that these words may not be comforting to some. Let me tell you why. Look at verse 14 again. Paul says:
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
Unless we are still alive when Jesus comes…everyone of us is going to die.
- But these promises…this hope…this confident expectation of being raised unto eternal life is only for those who are “IN” Jesus.
- That is what Paul is writing about here. He is writing to comfort brethren (vs. 13) who have had other brethren pass on.
- These promises…this hope is for those who are “IN” Jesus.
Down in chapter 5:3 Paul says that those who are not “IN” Jesus will have destruction come upon them when Christ comes again.
- So these promises here are for those who are IN Christ.
And that is the question. Are you IN Christ?
- IF you are not and Christ comes again…or if death comes for you before He comes again…you do not have this “confident expectation” of being raised unto eternal life.
- You cannot fall asleep IN Christ…if you are not IN Christ…and the only ones who are going to be raised unto eternal life are those who are IN Christ.
So, how can you know if you are IN Christ or not? How do you get IN Christ?
- Is simply believing in Christ enough?
- What about being a good person and doing lots of good works? Is that what it takes.
What does the Bible say? Romans 6: 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Gal 3:27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
This is the way you get “in” Christ.
- And it is not enough to just get “in” Christ…one must stay “in” Christ until he falls asleep IN Christ.
These promises are only for those IN Christ. If Christ came today…or if death comes for you today…would you be one of those raised to eternal life? Or would you be one that destruction comes upon suddenly?
You see, Hope…is only found in Christ.