Sermon: The Coming of the Lord

THE COMING OF THE LORD (1 THESS 4:13-5:11)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2015

We assume certain things are common knowledge, and we often take such things for granted.

Jeff and his five-year-old son were discussing differences between their respective childhoods. Jeff pointed out that when he was young, there were no such things as Nintendo, cellphones, computers or digital cameras. He realized just how big the generation gap was when his son asked…“Did you have fruit?”

We can chalk up some ignorance to youth. In this case, the boy did not realize how quickly technology has advanced. Then there are experiences for which youth is not a factor.

Diminutive Aunt Flora, just four feet, nine inches tall, accepted an offer to visit a health club for a free session. After a hearty greeting, the receptionist showed her where to change and said an instructor would be with her soon. After changing her clothes, Aunt Flora went to the exercise area. Along one wall she noticed a silver bar that was not in use, and decided to try her hand at chin-ups while she waited. She jumped up, barely reaching the bar, and managed to strain through two chin-ups before an instructor came to her side. Smiling politely, the instructor said, “If you follow me, I’ll be glad to help you get started…. Just let go of the coat rack.”

We assume certain things are common knowledge, but some things require special knowledge, the kind that comes through revelation, as in Paul’s explanation of what the future holds with The Coming of the Lord.

The church at Thessalonica was one of Paul’s early missionary endeavors, and his letters to the congregation were among his first epistles. The church was strong and demonstrated a good grasp of the gospel.¹ There was some confusion, though, about the return of Jesus, not whether he would come back² but who would participate in that great event. Paul writes this first letter, in part, to set the record straight. Please turn to 1 Thess 4:13 where he begins with what they and…

I. You Should Know…

1 Thess 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

Apparently, a rumor was circulating that to take part in Jesus’ kingdom you had to be present at his return, and that if you had the misfortune of dying before it happened, you would miss out. Were that the case, Paul says, we would be “like the rest of men,” and he describes…

A. What the future will be like for others (4:13).

For them, the prospect of death is bleak for several reasons. First…

1. What happens at death is unknown.

Does the individual continue to exist or cease to exist? People are ignorant of what, if anything, happens after death. They would like to know, but apart from God’s revelation, they cannot. Second…

2. What happens at death is unhappy.

If not for the individual, it certainly is for those he leaves behind. Moreover, people’s grief over the loss of a loved one is without comfort when that person’s destiny is in doubt. Third…

3. What happens at death is unpromising.

There is no expectation that the situation will change for the better. Most people “have no hope” that death is anything but the end, the final punctuation of a brief existence. Paul says that is how the future appears to “the rest of men.”³

Let me recap. For them…

• What happens at death is unknown;
• What happens at death is unhappy;
• What happens at death is unpromising;

That about sums it up…but not for us.

1 Thess 4:14 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. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 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.

For you who believe in God, the prospect of death is not bleak. The rumor circulating in Thessalonica is false. Better than those contest drawings where you do not have to be present to win, to take part in Jesus’ return, you do not even have to be alive, and here Paul describes…

B. What the future will be like for you (4:14-17).

There are several reasons for a Christian’s very different perspective about the future. First…

1. What happens at death is known.

You have information, “the Lord’s own word”⁴ that those who die before Jesus comes back are not at any disadvantage.⁵ Quite the contrary, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” Second…

2. What happens at death is happy.

The immediate consequence may be sorrow at losing someone you love, but the separation is temporary. When Jesus comes, you who “are left will be caught up together with them.” Third…

3. What happens at death is promising.

It is not the end, nor is it simply a continuation of what you have in this life. God has something much better in store for you, a plan that fills your future with hope: “[You] will be with the Lord forever.” This is what the Thessalonians should know, what they need to know while they wait for Jesus to return, and it is what they and you can count on: “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

Let me recap. For you…

• What happens at death is known;
• What happens at death is happy;
• What happens at death is promising.

This is great news. Paul admonishes the recipients of this letter and us in v. 18…

1 Thess 4:18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

If you die before the Lord returns, will you drift off into unconsciousness, or will you remain alert? …While the biblical writers speak about death as sleep, they do not mean it literally.⁶ “Sleep” is a figure of speech that describes the state of death from the viewpoint of the living.

• In some cases, it is a metaphor that reflects how death appears to the living: To those who are alive, the dead seem to be asleep.⁷

• In other cases, it is a euphemism that mitigates how death feels to the living: To those who are alive, the emotional loss is less severe if the dead seem separated only temporarily, as if napping.⁸

It is this second way that Paul is using the figure here.

In all instances, though, it refers to the body and does not mean that a person’s spirit is “in a state of unconscious repose” (Thomas 1978:276), as several biblical examples illustrate (and you should be able to list them).⁹

• Moses and Elijah in Matt 17 were not sleepwalking when they met with the transfigured Jesus.
• The deceased rich man in Luke 16 is painfully aware of his situation in hell and asks Abraham to warn his brothers, lest they suffer the same fate.
• The martyred saints in Rev 6 are conscious of the passage of time as well as of events on earth.
• The cloud of witnesses in Heb 12, who are watching you even now, are keenly aware of and interested in the spiritual progress you are making.

All of these folks are dead, but none of them is asleep. So it will be for you, if you pass on before the Lord returns.

In our first thirty years of marital bliss, Linda and I had a rented roof over our heads. Our itinerant lifestyle, especially during my first career as a student, made home ownership impractical for us. Ten years ago, God made it possible for us to purchase a house, and we have thoroughly enjoyed making it uniquely ours. The excitement has worn off a bit, but we have appreciated having a home we can call our own.

In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he states that, as a believer, you have only two possible residences. You are either “at home in the body” or “at home with the Lord.” (2 Cor 5:6, 8). When you die and move into your heavenly home, it will be more exciting than moving into any place you have lived on earth. “Therefore encourage each other with these words.”

“Paul viewed ‘those who sleep’ as continuing their relationship with Christ in heaven while their bodies were in the grave” (ibid.). The question at Thessalonica is whether or not they would participate in the earthly kingdom Jesus will establish at his return. The answer is “Yes,” because at that time God will raise those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.¹⁰

The Thessalonians, and probably Paul himself, expected Jesus to come again in their lifetime.¹¹ Through the centuries since then, believers have held to the same expectation. My grandmother thought she would see it before she died. She did not, and in the twenty years since her passing, it has still not happened. Should this concern us? So much time has transpired. Should we wonder if, perhaps, God has changed His mind or forgotten about us? Some actually suggested this, to which Peter replied,

2 Pet 3:8 …do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come….

Paul says much the same thing, as he rehearses what the Thessalonians and you have already learned, moving from what you should know, in chapter 4, to what….

II. You Do Know…

1 Thess 5:1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Again, Paul begins with…

A. What Jesus’ return will be like for others (5:1-3).

He says that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (= 2 Pet 3:10). This does not seem like a very complementary analogy, comparing Jesus to a criminal,¹² yet for those who do not know him, his second advent will disturb their lives in at least two of the same ways. First…

1. What happens then will be unexpected.

Despite the warnings God has issued, even giving specific signs of the imminence of Jesus’ advent,¹³ people will ignore them and will be surprised when he arrives. Second…

2. What happens then will be unwelcome.

If any of you has had the experience of discovering that a thief has broken into your home, you know the sense of violation, of disruption it brings to a life that was proceeding more or less smoothly. For those who have rejected God, Jesus’ return will abruptly change their lives, from “[p]eace and safety”¹⁴ to “destruction” as they face divine judgment, “and they will not escape.”¹⁵

Let me recap. For them, Jesus’ return will be severely negative …

• What happens then will be unexpected;
• What happens then will be unwelcome.

Paul says that is what Jesus’ return will be like for most people…but not for you.

1 Thess 5:4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.¹⁶ 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

For you who believe in God and have accepted His provision of forgiveness, the end of your life will be quite different from what others experience,¹⁷ and here Paul describes…

B. What Jesus’ return will be like for you (5:4-10).

Even as his second advent will disturb others, it will excite you in at least two of
the same ways. First…

1. What happens then will be expected.

God has spoken often in scripture about the future Messianic Age. Jesus and the New Testament writers said he would come back again. This you believe to be true. It is one of the main tenets of your faith, so you are looking for that great event. You do not know precisely when it will happen, but Jesus’ second advent should not take you by surprise. Second…

2. What happens then will be welcome.

No matter what your situation, the return will not be an interruption but the completion of what God began when He first redeemed you. Whereas others will face destruction, you will “receive salvation.” This is what the Thessalonians already know, because it is the essence of the good news they accepted: “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In v. 10, Paul ties together what they should know about the future for those believers who have died and what they do know about the future for those who remain alive until Jesus comes: “He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.”

Again, to recap—for you, Jesus’ return will be decidedly positive…

• What happens then will be expected.
• What happens then will be welcome.

Again, this is good news, and Paul admonishes them in v. 11…¹⁸

1 Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up….

While you live, awaiting your final relocation, does what you know about the future have any bearing on the present? Several years ago, I prepared a course on eschatology, what the Bible says about the last days. I surveyed the major texts on this topic and discovered that “God rarely gives information about the future without some instruction for the present.”¹⁹ So it is here. Paul does not address this issue to satisfy the curiosity of the Thessalonians but to encourage them in two ways.

• In the first section, it is to strengthen their belief, that those who die before Jesus’ return will, indeed, have a part in the kingdom he will establish.
• In the second section, it is to strengthen their behavior, that while they wait for Jesus’ return, they live as citizens of the kingdom should, which Paul says in vv. 6-8 means being “alert and self-controlled…. putting on faith and love…and…hope.”

As you wait for The Coming of the Lord, do the qualities Paul lists characterize your life? How have you demonstrated self-control or love this week? Would others use these terms to describe you? Would Jesus use these terms to describe you?²⁰

In this passage, Paul describes God’s plan for the future, and it differs according to peoples’ relationship to Him.

• For those who do not know God, what happens at death is unknown, unhappy, and unpromising.
• For those who do not know God, what happens when Jesus returns will be unexpected and unwelcome.

In stark contrast…

• For you who know God, what happens at death is known, happy, and promising.
• For you who know God, what happens when Jesus returns will be expected and welcome.

So, are you waiting in eager anticipation for The Coming of the Lord?

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.