Sermon Tone Analysis

*ANTICIPATE HIS COMING*

*I Thessalonians 4:1-8*

* *

The study of bible prophecy is a source of encouragement for us as Christians.

It’s kind of like going to see a scary movie.

The first time you see it you’re on the edge of your seat for the entire show.

But the next time you see it with a friend, you’re relaxed while they’re sweating bullets.

If you know the end of the story, then you’re not overly concerned with the development of the plot.

There are so many dangers and frightening experiences in our world.

People are biting their nails and wondering of they’re going to survive.

But a knowledge of God’s program for the future helps to eliminate anxiety and create a sense of assurance in the life of a Christians.

So let’s examine today the promise of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as it’s related to us here in I Thessalonians 4.  The text for today informs us, it readies us, and it encourages us.

! I.                   IT INFORMS US

 

Paul begins in verse 13*, “We don’t want you to be ignorant brothers, about those who have fallen asleep.”

*The purpose of Paul’s writing was to inform the Thessalonian Christians about what happened to their loved ones who had died.

Some of them were grieving over the Christians who had passed away.

They had the misconception that Jesus was going to return in their lifetime.

When loved ones died before Christ's return, they wondered what was going to happen to the dead?

Where were they?

Were they going to miss out on eternal life?

Paul said, *“I don’t want you to be burdened with an unhealthy grief about those who are asleep.”*

The bible frequently uses the term /sleep/ to describe those who have died.

Jesus stood outside the tomb of Lazarus, his friend who had been dead for four days, and he said, *“He’s just sleeping.”*

That did not mean that the spirit of Lazarus was in an unconscious state in the afterlife.

Luke 16 tells us that the rich man and the beggar both died and they were very much conscious in the next world.

You see, it’s not the spirit of man that sleeps, it’s the body of man that sleeps.

Second Corinthians 5:8 says*, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”*

So Paul wrote this section to inform the Thessalonians about the details of the last days so that they would no longer be in the dark about such matters.

He said, *“I don’t want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope.”*

There are those in our world who believe that history just kind of repeats itself, life is just a continual cycle and they have no hope; one generation dies and another is born, one nation rises and another one falls.

So for those that believe that philosophy life is like a merry-go-round with people getting on and off at intervals.

I’m not sure what it says about my graduating high school class and our collective vision of the future, but when selecting a theme song for our class I remember one of the choices was a song by the rock group Kansas entitled, /“All We Are is Dust in the Wind.”

/No hope.

There are those who believe that man is eventually going to self-destruct, and they have no hope.

The environmentalists are warning that if we don’t take better care of our natural resources we are going to be destroyed.

The anti-nuclear demonstrators warn that if we don’t dismantle our nuclear weapons, we are going to destroy this world with radioactivity.

But Paul says, history is not going in cycles, and man is not going to self-destruct.

Verse 14, *“We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”*

The world is headed toward a destiny.

Over the dome in the capital building in Washington, D.C. there is this inscription: “/One God, One Law, One element, and one far off divine event towards which the whole creation moves.”/

Christians have believed for centuries that one day Jesus Christ is going to return to his earth.

Just before he died Jesus told his disciples, *“I will come again.”*

When he ascended into heaven, and angel said to his awestruck followers*, “This same Jesus who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you have seen him go into heaven.”*

Over 300 times the New Testament predicts that Jesus Christ is going to return.

In fact that’s a major theme of this letter from Paul.

Now when Paul wrote this letter in the first century, you realize that he didn’t write it in chapters and verses as we have it before us today.

Chapter and verse divisions were added to the bible at a much later time.

But it is interesting that I Thessalonians is the only book in the N.T. in which every chapter ends with a reference to the Second Coming of Christ.

¨      Chapter one ends with *“and you are waiting for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath.”*

¨      Chapter two ends like this, *“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of the Lord Jesus when he comes?

Is it not you?

Indeed you are our glory and joy.”*

¨      The end of chapter three reads, *“May he strengthen your hearts so that you will blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”*

¨      Verse 17 of chapter 4 says, *“After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will be with the Lord forever.

Therefore encourage each other with these words.”*

¨      And the last chapter of I Thessalonians closes with these words in verse 23, *“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.

May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”*

The Second Coming of Christ has been the hope of the church from the first century until today.

But can we really believe that?

Can a thinking person honestly believe that after 2,000 years Jesus Christ is going to interrupt history?

Paul sates*, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again.”*

The return of Christ is not any more difficult to believe than the resurrection of Christ.

In fact, I heard one preacher say, /“If you can believe the first verse of the bible, you shouldn’t have any trouble with the rest.”/

Do you really believe Genesis 1:1*?  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.*”

If God is so awesome that he could create this universe out of nothing, then every other miracle in the bible is a piece of cake for him*.

“Nothing is impossible with God,”* the angel told Mary.

You see, the reason people are skeptical is not because they are too intelligent to believe, but because they are too belligerent to believe.

Listen to 2 Peter 3 beginning with verse 3, *“Understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

They will say, ‘Where is this coming he promised?

Ever since our fathers died everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” * Some people say/, “Oh the world has always continued on.”/

They deliberately forget that long ago God destroyed this world with a flood, and he’s going to destroy it again, only this time with fire.

Well, how will Jesus come?

Paul says in verse 14*, “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

* When Jesus Christ returns he’s going to have accompanying him millions of people who have died to go be with him.

The bible says he’s going to come in the clouds.

The spirits of the dead are going to return in triumph with Christ.

Verse 16 says there are going to be three audible, attention-getting sounds to announce his arrival.

¨      First there will be a loud command*, “For he Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command.”*

Remember when Jesus stood at the foot of the tomb of Lazarus?

The Bible says that he called out in a loud voice, *“Lazarus, come forth!”* and Lazarus came out of the grave.

When he returns, he’s going to give another loud command for the bodies of all those who belong to him to come forth from the grave and they will obey him.

John 5:28 reads, *“Do not be amazed at this for a time is coming when all who are in the gave will hear his voice and come out.

Those who have done good will rise to live.

Those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

*

¨      A second sound will be the voice of the archangel.

When a person who is really important appears, there is almost always somebody who introduces him/.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America.”/

I wonder if when Jesus returns the archangel is going to call out, */“Ladies and gentlemen of the world, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus.”/*

¨      Then, there will be a trumpet call of God.

When the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, the blast of a trumpet was a signal for them to assemble together.

And one day the angel will sound the trumpet, and it will be a summons for all the people who belong to Jesus Christ to gather together.

What’s he going to do when he arrives?

The first thing he’s going to do is raise the dead.

*“The dead in Christ will rise first.”*

Now look at that.

Paul just said that when Jesus Christ returns he’s going to bring with him all those who have fallen asleep in him.

Now he says the dead are going to rise first.