Having the Blessed Hope

This morning we are going to go back to a series we took a little break from called “What do we believe”.

Do you know what is behind what we believe?

Our Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths (SOFET) of PAONL states this:

We Believe

in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father and His personal future return to this earth in power and glory to rule a thousand years.

in the Blessed Hope–the Rapture of the Church–at Christ’s coming.

the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious blood of Christ.

This morning we are going to spend time talking about the Blessed Hope

Talk about the hymn the Solid Rock

Our beliefs need to be understood well by our congregation.

We need to be able to define and defend our faith

We need to be able to take our stand

1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 NKJV

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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.

OUR BLESSED HOPE

Introduction:

We have talked about the lack of hope in our society before this morning. I believe that we can all agree on the fact that this world does not offer hope.

In fact, when you consider the death, diseases, natural disasters, evil, and all the other negative things that fill our world, there is just not a lot of room for hope.

Hope is a powerful thing.

· G. K. Chesterton said, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.”

· Emily Dickinson, in one of her poems said, “Hope is a thing with feathers, That perches in the soul.”

· O. S. Marden said, “There is no medicine like hope . . .”

· Pliny the Elder, an ancient Roman philosopher wrote, “Hope is the dream of a waking man.”

· Martin Luther said, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”

The dictionary defines Hope:“to have a wish to get or do something or for something to happen or be true, especially something that seems possible or likely.”

Hope, from the world’s viewpoint is just what that definition describes. The world sees hope as a wish or a desire. Hope, as the world sees it, is a longing for something that may or may not take place.

The Bible teaches us that biblical is hope something entirely different than the wishful thinking of the world.

Listen to the words of

Psalm 31:24 NIV

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Psalm 71:5 NKJV

For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.

Paul talks about Hope as well.

Take 1 Cor. 13:13

1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The world says that hope is merely a fond wish or desire.

The words used for hope in the Bible, on the other hand, tell an entirely different story. They teach us that biblical hope is

“A deep settled confidence that God will keep His promises!”

Biblical hope is a “joyful, confident expectation”.

In the face of the hopelessness that grips our world, there is one group of people that possesses genuine hope.

Can you tell me who that is?

The believer has hope!

I do not know what tomorrow will bring my way.

It may bring:

death

disease

disaster

sorrow

pain

hardship

blessing

joy

happiness.

I may not know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know for sure that tomorrow might bring Jesus

Titus 2:13 NKJV

looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

The hope of the believer is wrapped up in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

He’s coming, He said He would, He’s coming back again. O Praise His holy name, He’s coming back again!

He is coming and His return brings us hope for all our tomorrows.

I want to talk to you from this familiar passage about Our Blessed Hope.

As Paul writes to the Thessalonian believers, he offers hope to a people who thought all hope was gone. Today, I know that there are people who feel hope is gone or lost and they feel empty inside.

Let’s examine the areas of life where we have hope in our Lord.

We have Hope of a Resurrection

The Thessalonians had heard about the coming of the Lord. But, they thought that believers had to be alive until the coming of the Lord or they would somehow miss the resurrection and the rapture.

They thought their departed loved ones, who had died and been buried, were gone forever.

Paul writes to them to let them know there is hope for those who have gone on to be with Jesus.

In these verses, Paul speaks about the saints who have gone on before. He lets us know what their situation is right now. In telling us about those who have left earth for Heaven, he gives us all hope.

The Departed And Their Condition

“asleep and sleep” Not soul sleep. A euphemism for death. Their bodies are asleep, but their spirits live on!

Here “sleep” implies rest. That much is true, the redeemed are resting from the burdens and trials of this life,

Revelation 14:13 NKJV

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Revelation 21:4 NKJV

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

The Departed And Their Location

In verse 14 Paul tells us that God will bring the dead in Christ with Him when He comes. If He is going to bring them with Him, then they must be with Him ahead of time.

2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV

We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Philippians 1:20–24 NKJV

according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

2 Peter 1:14 NKJV

knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

Don’t worry about those who have gone on before! They are with the Lord but they will be back. They are coming with Him!

The Departed And Their Inclusion

The fear of the Thessalonians. Paul tells them not to worry. When Jesus comes, the dead in Christ will be raised fist.

“Will not prevent” in verse 15 means that we will “not precede them”. We are all going in the first resurrection, but they will be raised and translated first!

Can you just imagine what it would be like near a cemetery when this happens?

I believe it would be a great place to be at the resurrection

WE HAVE THE HOPE OF RAPTURE

The urgency is felt whenever we talk about the blessed hope. We need to be ready becauae we do not know when it will happen and it will happen quickly.

Take a look at scripture:

It Will Be Sudden

“Caught up” – “to snatch away, or to seize by force.”

When Jesus comes, it will be a sudden event. One moment we will be living life as normal, the next moment we will be with Him in the air,

1 Corinthians 15:51–52 NKJV

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Luke 17:34–36 NKJV

I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

It Will Be Selective

Take a look at the word “We”.

Jesus isn’t coming for everyone. He is coming for only for those who have been saved by the grace of God.

Many will expect to go, but they will not make the trip.

Matthew 7:21–22 NKJV

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’

Some will go that we do not expect to go!

It is a matter of faith!

It is a matter of the heart.

Those with His nature will go

2 Peter 1:4 NKJV

by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Those with Adam’s nature will stay!

The picture in

It Will Be Serious

The rapture will be serious because only the redeemed will go!

Everyone else will be left behind to face the horrors of the Tribulation Period.

Be sure you are ready because Jesus is coming!

Matthew 24:44 NKJV

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

It Will Be Sensational

The very language of this verse rings with excitement. It is a verse of action and adventure.

The Lord is pictured entering the very domain of Satan to gather His Bride to Himself!

Ephesians 2:2 NKJV

in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

The rapture is a military invasion!

Jesus attacks Satan on his own territory, calls His wife up to meet Him there and proves His absolute dominion over Satan!

By the way, the Lord sent an angel to announce His birth.

He sent and angel to announce His resurrection.

The Lord sent the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and draw us to Jesus.

But, when it comes time to collect His Bride, the Lord is coming “Himself”. (Jewish wedding custom!

We are going to a wedding in the air

Revelation 19:1–9 NKJV

After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

Sounds exciting to me! You don’t want to miss this!

WE HAVE THE HOPE OF REJOICING

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of rejoicing in this world.

Everyone has their problems and their little attitudes and agendas.

We will have to learn a new mindset when we get to Heaven.

The land to which we are going is a land of rejoicing.

This is made crystal clear in the book of Revelation as we catch a few glimpses inside the gates of that city.

Paul gives us two reasons why we will rejoice when we arrive in Heaven.

Revelation 7:9–12 NLT

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

We Will Meet Our Loved Ones

“caught up together with them” –There are multitudes that have gone on before us to Heaven.

We miss them now, because we cannot see them.

We cannot hold them, talk to them, or be with them.

There is a day coming when we will be together again!

They are safe with Jesus now.

When He comes He will raise their bodies from the dead and take them up into the clouds with Him.

We will see them again! Parents will see their children.

Spouses will see their partners.

Friends will be reunited again!

What a day that will be!

Surely we can rejoice in that truth!

We Will Meet The Lord

“so shall we ever be with the Lord” – While it excites us to think about seeing our loved ones again, what thrills my heart is the knowledge that one day I will see Jesus!

We shall see Jesus!

I will see the One Who loved me more than His Own life.

I will see the One Who died for me on the cross.

I will see my Redeemer.

The Friend who has stuck closer than a brother.

I will see the crucified, risen Lord.

I will see Him there,

Revelation 22:4 NKJV

They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

John 14:1–3 NKJV

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 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.

Job 19:25 NKJV

For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

Surely we can rejoice in that!

Conclusion:

I can have hope in the resurrection.

I know the dead in Christ will live again, and if it is my lot to enter Heaven through death’s door, I know that I will live again as well.

I can have hope in the rapture.

Jesus is coming to get His bride and take her home to Heaven.

I am a part of the Bride of Christ so when He comes, I will go with Him!

I can have hope in the blessed reunions that await the people of God.

What a joy it will be to see our loves ones and friends who are waiting for us in Heaven.

What a profound experience it will be to see Jesus Christ.

Yes, we have hope! It is unshakable and profound. It is eternal and powerful.

It gives joy, peace and blessing to our hearts. Thank God for the hope we have in Him!

Ill. The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their schoolwork during stays in the city's hospitals.

One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child.

She took the child's name and room number and talked briefly with the child's regular class teacher.

“We're studying nouns and adverbs in his class now,” the regular teacher said, “and I'd be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn't fall too far behind.”

The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, “I've been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” When she left she felt she hadn't accomplished much.

But the next day, a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?”

The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize.

“No, no,” said the nurse. “You don't know what I mean. We've been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back, responding to treatment. It's as though he's decided to live.”

Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization.

He expressed it this way: “They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”

My brothers and sisters, you have to have hope! We have all the hope we need through our relationship with Jesus Christ and through the promise of His coming!

We shall see Jesus, Just as they saw him!