Living Grace Foursquare Church
Sunday Sermon
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul has challenged the church to live lives of holiness. Now he speaks of things to come. Things that are still in our future. What should we be on the lookout for? What are the signs of the end-times? Are we close? What do we need to know? Are you ready? 1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
Locations & Times
Living Grace Foursquare Church
3646 N Rancho Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89130, USA
Sunday 8:30 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
Few things motivate us to live blameless lives than the return of Jesus
1 Thessalonians :
1:9. “how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. ESV
2: 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
3:12 “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
After Paul left, they wondered about those who died before Jesus came back. Will they miss out? How does that work?
1 Thessalonians :
1:9. “how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. ESV
2: 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
3:12 “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
After Paul left, they wondered about those who died before Jesus came back. Will they miss out? How does that work?
4 times in Paul’s letters he told people not to be ignorant (uninformed):
a. God’s plan for Israel Romans 11:25
b. Spiritual gifts 1 Corinthians 12:1
c. Suffering and trials in the life of the believer 2 Corinthians 1:8
d. 1 Thessalonians 4:13
a. God’s plan for Israel Romans 11:25
b. Spiritual gifts 1 Corinthians 12:1
c. Suffering and trials in the life of the believer 2 Corinthians 1:8
d. 1 Thessalonians 4:13
It's Not Soul sleep?
1. Aeschylus…”of a man once dead there is no resurrection”
2. Theocritus…”Hopes are among the living, the dead are without hope”
3. Catullus…”Suns may set and rise again but we, when once our brief light goes down, must sleep an endless night
What it is...
Paul wrote that a Christian who is absent from his body is present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:10).
i. The body @ sleep, until it is resurrected, changed into a glorious body, and reunited with the soul (1 Cor. 15:35–57; 2 Cor. 5:1–9).
ii. Philippians 1:23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
1. Aeschylus…”of a man once dead there is no resurrection”
2. Theocritus…”Hopes are among the living, the dead are without hope”
3. Catullus…”Suns may set and rise again but we, when once our brief light goes down, must sleep an endless night
What it is...
Paul wrote that a Christian who is absent from his body is present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:10).
i. The body @ sleep, until it is resurrected, changed into a glorious body, and reunited with the soul (1 Cor. 15:35–57; 2 Cor. 5:1–9).
ii. Philippians 1:23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
The Priority of the Resurrection:
1. the Lord himself will descend
2. the dead in Christ rise first
The God who created the universe out of nothing, by His Word, is fully able to reassemble the decayed bodies of all His saints in a nano second!
1. the Lord himself will descend
2. the dead in Christ rise first
The God who created the universe out of nothing, by His Word, is fully able to reassemble the decayed bodies of all His saints in a nano second!
...that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope
a. believers in Jesus know that death is not the end.
b. We have a living hope.
c. For us death is a transition, not an ending.
i. It’s really a beginning!
a. believers in Jesus know that death is not the end.
b. We have a living hope.
c. For us death is a transition, not an ending.
i. It’s really a beginning!
Caught up together with them:
a. To snatch out or away speedily:
b. To seize or carry off by force
c. The word rapture is not in the ancient Greek text, but comes from the Latin Vulgate, which translates the phrase, “caught up” with rapturus, frm which we get our Eng. Word rapture.
a. To snatch out or away speedily:
b. To seize or carry off by force
c. The word rapture is not in the ancient Greek text, but comes from the Latin Vulgate, which translates the phrase, “caught up” with rapturus, frm which we get our Eng. Word rapture.
The basis for our belief-- Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again:
“even so”, through Jesus
“He endured the worst that death can possibly be. It is because there was no softening of the horror of death for Him that there is no horror of death for his people. For them it is but sleep.” Morris
When a sinner dies, we mourn for them. When a believer dies, we only mourn for ourselves, because they are with the Lord! D. Guzik
“even so”, through Jesus
“He endured the worst that death can possibly be. It is because there was no softening of the horror of death for Him that there is no horror of death for his people. For them it is but sleep.” Morris
When a sinner dies, we mourn for them. When a believer dies, we only mourn for ourselves, because they are with the Lord! D. Guzik