The Dead in Christ Will Rise (1 Thess. 4:13-18)

[Sung Psalm: 80}

In 2:19, Paul asked, "what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy."

In 3:13, Paul prayed, that God "may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."

Here in 4:15, he speaks of "we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord."

And again in 5:23, "may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

When Paul speaks of the coming of the Lord, he is usually referring to the future coming of Christ – but that future coming cannot be divorced from his first coming.

We have seen throughout this series that Paul is centered on the themes of faith, hope and love. We are to keep believing God in our work of faith. We are to keep loving God and neighbor in our labor of love. And all of this because of our steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ!

What is lacking in our faith is endurance. What is lacking in our faith is simply that our faith has not yet persevered to the end!

That is why hope is so important in Paul's letter. And hope is intimately bound up with the coming of Christ – as we saw in 3:11-13:

"and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 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.

What is it that motivates our love for one another and for all? Hope.

What is it that establishes our hearts blameless in holiness? Hope.