Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We put our hope in a lot of things.

We hope that our days will go well.

We hope that our teams will win the super bowl or the world series.

We may hope that this president wins the election or that this actor wins the Oscar.

Well last time I spoke, I spoke on the importance of an eternal perspective.

This time, I want to continue that line of thinking, but talking about how the resurrection gives hope.

A hope that is eternal and never ending and never failing.

A hope that we can continue to put our faith and trust into this truth.

And this morning I want to focus on the doctrine of the resurrection.

Paul is speaking to these Thessalonian Believers and he is thankful for them.

These believers believed in the word and they became imitators of Paul.

Paul has spoken to them in the previous 12 verses concerning a life of godliness, and now he is is informing them of the doctrine of the resurrection.

This letter is written to them 20 to 30 years after Christ has died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

The question we must ask ourselves is, “Why is the resurrection important?”

The Resurrection is important because,

The Resurrection Gives Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:13

So throughout the letter, its as if the Thessalonian believers know their stuff.

They are hearing the Word preached, and they are applying it to their lives.

They are the guys you look up to in church.

These believers are solid people.

The only thing is that they are missing something important.

Paul starts off, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers,”

Paul is speaking as if he isn’t quite sure if the Thessalonians know.

He is reminding them because he wants them to know this cause he thinks it is crucial to their walk in Christ.

“about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”

Two assumptions are made here.

Christians will grieve.

You and I have lost loved ones in our life.

My dog is on her last lap.

She is closer to death than she has ever been before and it will be hard for me to say goodbye to her.

As you guys know, I met my dad about two months ago for the first time, and it was good to meet him.

But three years ago, I lost one of the closest father figures in my life.

He played an important role in my life, and I looked up to this man.

Three years ago, his fight with colon cancer ended.

I left the hosptial that day just wondering how someone who could not believe in God go through loss of a loved one without God in their life.

This is Paul in this text.

You will grieve over loss of people in your life but

2. Christians must not grieve outside the context of the gospel.

As sad as it was my freshman year to get the news on the way to church that I had lost one of the closest things to a dad I ever had, I knew that one day I would get to see Jesus and I would also get to see Jaime Fisher.

Paul reminds these Thessalonian believers, believers 20 years before this letter was given to them heard of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ are starting to lose loved ones.

Fathers, Mothers, Brothers, Sisters, Friends are starting to die and Paul is reminding them that they have hope.

Hope that is in the life to come.

Life that will perfect.

But in life here on earth, we will struggle and grieve, but we will have hope through it.

Now believers can have hope because of verse 14

1 Thessalonians

We believe Jesus died and rose again!

He came, he lived a perfect life, died, and rose again.

1 Corinthians 15: The Gospel that saves us, frees us from our bondage to sin, and we can grieve with hope because of the gospel.

And the next part

The Gospel is of first importance.

And according to the Scriptures, the gospel happened.

It did take place, and these Thessalonian believers believed that truth.

We must believe that truth today.

If we do believe it, then that our faith may not waver.

The Gospel that saves us, frees us from our bondage to sin, and we can grieve with hope because of the gospel.

And the next part

even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep

through Jesus God will bring those who have already died with him.

Our loved ones who have already passed away will be with Christ.

When we get there, they will be there and it is the resurrection that gives us this hope.

The resurrection is the truth believers believe that Jesus has defeated death and the grave, and we will see our loved ones who were gospel-believing people in heaven.

Now this point is all about hope, but I know that today we have lost people that we are not sure if they believed in the gospel.

We may be more sad for them as we know they will spend an eternity away from God and their pain of suffering now and a billion years later when they are still suffering and they are nowhere near closer to it ending then when it started.

Walter Hooper, who was C. S. Lewis’s personal secretary, laughed when he read the following grave inscription:

Here lies an atheist,

All dressed up with no place to go.

Lewis, however, did not completely share in his laughter.

He responded soberly, “I’m sure he wishes now that were true.”

Hell is a sobering reality for those who don’t believe.

Hell is a real place, and people who do not confess and believe in Jesus Christ will go there.

We may have loss people where we are pretty sure they are there, and that is a sad reality.

But we can leave here today with a stronger desire to go and share the gospel with those closest to us who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

We can leave here today with more courage and boldness to share the gospel and to give them hope here in this life and the life to come.

We remember that the resurrection gives hope.

The Resurrection Confirms Jesus as Son of God

1 Thessalonians 4:14-

Jesus died and he rose again.

This truth here confirms the Old Testament prophecies that looked forward to the coming Messiah.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

ו

the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

Print.

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

There are over 400 prophecies concerning the coming Messiah and Jesus fulfills all of them.