Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon Text

1 Thessalonians 4:

The letter to the church in Thessalonica is likely one of Paul's earliest letters, perhaps his second letter (after Galatians) and was penned from Corinth.

Specifically, the Holy Spirit led Paul to pen this inspired epistle in order to meet several needs.

He encouraged his children in the faith to persevere despite their persecution.

He refuted false charges made by the local enemies of the gospel: that the missionaries had preached in order to fatten their wallets and gain other personal benefits; that Paul had left Thessalonica hurriedly and had not returned because he was a coward and a hypocrite.

Paul also wrote to correct some errors that had cropped up in the church: an inclination to moral laxity and laziness, and a tendency not to respect the church’s spiritual leaders.

Paul gave instruction too on the subject of what would happen to Christians who would die before the Lord’s return.

There is a unity in the church of Thessolinica, a living to please God, a walking in sanctification and a desire to endure and continue as such.

While the church is standing upon the completed work of Christ, and seeking to live daily upon that completed work, the comfort is in His future promise.

It is my prayer that the Heavenly Father will open our eyes to such comfort, that our foundational standing, our daily walk, may not be swayed by finding comfort in the imediate but rather in the future and assured hope of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

This will be the last sermon in our "Words of Grace: What God Has Done For Us" series.

We have looked at what God has done for us and sought a deeper understanding of that.

We have spent the past few weeks learning how to live in light of what God has done for us or, how to live in light, by the light or under the power and freedom of the salvation of God having already been redeemed.

This closing week then will turn our attention towards the comfort of our future hope, or what we have yet to experience as to what God has done for us.

We will look at verse 13-18 of , will highlight 7 things that we know are yet to come and seek to know the comfort that we are to comfort one another with.

Though the main purpose is not to go into a specific order of events, we may touch on it briefly.

However, ultimatley we are seeking a general knowledge of such things that we might begin to understand the comfort spoken of in verse 18.

So while not diving into a eschatalogical study, it is most fitting that any soteriological study should end with an escatological emphaisis and view forward.

The Holy Spirit in the prior passage has addressed the church in her walking in sanctification, in her brotherly love and proper behavior towards the world.

Our text this morning, is following directly on the heals of the church being challenged to

1. live quietly,

2. attend to their own business and

3. work with their hands (to conduct themselves uprightly).

From other passages we know that this is so that she may be ready to help those in need.

The section prior to what we will look at this morning began by saying, "you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another."

We deduce from this section that the church has the teaching of God, they have a understanding in it and all of the recource that it needs to be successful in it.

The church is merely being encouraged to continue in it.

However immediately following that, we see this in our text this morning: "But we do not want you to be uniformed..."

There is a mysterious type ring to it.

As we are learning to walk in light of salvation, the practice of our walk and endurance of such is comforted by our knowing and being reminded of or rather, not being ignorant of a certain coming hope.

This highlights that we live not for the present but we live knowing God as the one who is caring for His children and has a great eternal plan already in place that cannot be thwarted no matter what our circumstance may look like.

Now, immediatley following this section, at the begining of chapter five, where the times of certain events are about to be spoken of we go back to, "you have no need of anything to be written to you."

This section is then followed by a request of the brethren to appreciate those who labor diligently (presently) among the church and have charge over them in the Lord and give instruction.

Also as part of the charge is to live properly, and lovingly towards the brethren and to hold fast to the good and abstain from every form of evil.

These encouragments or request bring us back to living in light of salvation, but as it concludes with the understanding of our being presented without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is worth highlihging that our enduring and being presented to our Lord as blameless, is brought to pass by by Jesus who is the faithful one.

"24Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."

Most noteworthy is that the "comfort of the Lord's return" is in the section to "not be ignorant of, but need to be made aware of"....while the following section on, "the arrival of the day of the Lord" is discussed for the "having no need to write to you"...the assumption that what is to be known as far as time and season is known already.

This passage highlights not only our certain hope in Christ Jesus, but key aspects of that hope.

First it is built off of the knowledge of your redemption...that you are indeed a sheep of Christ, that you are wheat and thus know that Christ Jesus died and rose again.

Secondly this is built off of a comfort which is a fulfillment of desire and that desire is communion.

A desire to have a unhindered communion with God as well as all of those who are in Christ.

A desire that the saints of God should not be separated in any form from their God or from each other.

Jesus has predestined you as His own possession... you who hear His voice.

His Word has been given that you might know all that needs to be known in life and conduct that you might walk properly in this world and not be entangled in that which would rob you of the joy that is in Him.

Jesus who has been faithful unto death, overcoming in life will be faithful also to complete that which He has begun in you that you also may overcome all in Him.

Now, there is a concern of grief with no hope overcoming the overcomers.

Hope is a testament of belief.

We hope because we believe.

There is a concern of grief with no hope.

Hope is a testament of belief.

We hope because we believe.

We believe that Jesus died and rose again.

If that is true then all those who have fallen asleep in Jesus are with Jesus.

The great hope that overcomes the black whole of grief is that whether the child of God is awake or asleep, together or seperated, at the trumpet of God, we shall all be together with Christ - resurrected, just as Christ is...that is in refrencing not only spirtual but also physical bodily form!

We believe that Jesus died and rose again.

If that is true then all those who have fallen asleep in Jesus are with Jesus.

The great hope that overcomes the black whole of grief is that whether the child of God is awake or asleep, together or seperated, at the trumpet of God, we shall all be together with Christ - resurrected, just as Christ is...that is in refrencing not only spirtual but also physical (glorified) bodily form!

So all of this is leading us to discuss what is yet to come, though it is built off of what has been.

(ex. the resurrection of the saints is built off of the resurrection of Christ…)

So naturally we are discussing prophecy.

Many times when prophecy comes into the picture, people treat it almost as a different language, rather than a literal Word from God that we can stake our lives on.

I would encourage you to note however, that every fulfilled Bible prophecy has been done so literally.

Read it that way, read it to know what the Lord says.

The theme of 1 Thessalonians is the Return of Jesus Christ.

These studies are directed to those who “know and love the Lord”

So I want to begin with what we know.

What we know…when God speaks of what we know He puts it in the perfect tense because God has given us all that we need to know.

These are certain things that you know…no matter what camp you are in.

If you do not know these things then you don’t believe the scripture.

Christ is coming again (,

Matthew 26:

2. The living members of the church will be called up to meet Him in the air

whatever you want to call that is up to you

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

“in Christ” - I believe this term is unique to the church…that is why I worded #2 that way.

If you want you could say “believers” will be called up.

Some would call this the rapture.

I have no problem with that.

If you were reading the Latin text then you would have the word rapture.

To be raptured or called up is the same thing.

I am well aware that there are those who will get bent that the word “rapture” isn’t in the Bible.

That is not a big deal to me.

The word trinity isn’t in the body, but the teaching of it is.

If you don’t believe in the teaching of the trinity then you don’t hold to scripture even though that specific word is not in the Bible.

So friends…don’t get caught up in that.

Now when that takes place…I’m not touching on that right now.

3.There will be a falling away

Some take this to be the rapture.

I don’t think so.

2 Thess

There will be a falling away or apostasy before the day of the Lord

4. A man of sin (the Antichrist) will be revealed

5.

A Great Tribulation

Daniel 12

Matthew 24:

6.

There will be a Kingdom Age (1000 year period)

Revelation 20

There are different fields which argue the time period of the 1000 years.