How to Hope At The graveside

1 Thes 4:1-13 [show] Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. [2]For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. [3]For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; [4]that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, [5]not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; [6]that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. [7]For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. [8]Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. [9]Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, [10]for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, [11]and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, [12]so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. [13]But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. (ESV)

• future issues meant to impact present lives; how does the concept of death and post-death affect how you live?
• what is the message of this passage?
  • be courageous;
  • don’t grieve as if we have no hope, because we DO
    • the salvation & life through Jesus’ death and resurrection
• as a Christian you live differently… and you DIE differently
  • Jesus took full force of death; Bible tells us he DIED on the cross
  • after Jesus’ death, believers are not mentioned as dead, they are mentioned as falling asleep
• v14; “He will bring those in Jesus with Him at his return”
  • spirits of believers who have passed on are already with Him…their bodies are still here
• 2 Cor 5:5 [show] [5]He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (ESV)
  
• John 14:19 [show] [19]Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (ESV)
  
• v15, John 5:25 [show] [25]"Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (ESV)
  ; shout and command of Lord to rise, like Jesus with Lazarus? we’ll find out when the day comes…
• resurrection bodies of those already with Lord will rise first
  • we will be caught up to catch up; reunion at rapture
• 4 instances of “with” in this passage alone
• are you ready for the 2nd Coming?

Later ties in with the sermon from Francis Chan in Kerygma, where he talks about the holiness of God…and how we cannot possible fathom the holiness; how we will not be able to stand, how we will just fall to our knees in fear.

Kind of like “OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG” moments…