When I was a little kid, my mom and dad went away somewhere one evening and it felt so long while they were gone. Our hired man at the time—his name was George—babysat us five kids, and I asked him, “What time are Mom and Dad going to be home?” And he said, “They’ll be home in about an hour.”
That was the longest hour of my life
And when they finally came home, I was so happy to see my mom and dad walk through the door. But I needed that hope—that assurance from George—to get through that time of absence, that time of separation.
Many of us are separated from our loved ones right now by death. It’s coming up on thirteen years since my dad passed away. I know for some of you, the grief is much fresher than that. It also seems that the closer we are to a person, the truer it is that the grief never fully heals—it remains with us.
So how do we get through these times of separation?
How can we know that we will see our loved ones again one day?
And for ourselves—how can we have hope when facing death? Because their death reminds us that our death will come one day as well.
How can we have hope when facing death, the absence of loved ones, or even persecution for our faith? To help us think about these questions, we’re going to dig into another passage from God’s Word as we continue our series, Faith That Transforms.
Today, we’re looking at 1 Thessalonians 4:9–18.
Faith & Love Rooted in God’s Word
Now, you might remember when we were going through the book of Acts. There was a time when Paul and Silas were in Philippi, and they had to leave town because of persecution there. After Philippi, they went to a city called Thessalonica, and that city proved to be fertile ground for the seeds of the Gospel as they shared the good news of Jesus Christ. Many Jews converted and became followers of Jesus, as well as many devout Greeks, including several of the leading women in the city.
Now, some of the Jews who did not convert became very jealous of the large number of people who did. So they started causing trouble in the city for Paul and Silas. They stirred up people and caused a mob to form. Paul and Silas had to leave Thessalonica after being there for only three weeks. They went to a neighboring town called Berea and again found fertile ground for the Gospel. But when the troublemakers in Thessalonica heard what was happening in Berea, they sent people there to stir up opposition, and Paul had to leave and go to Athens.
While in Athens, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to check on those followers of Jesus Christ and see how they were doing. When Timothy came back with a report that they were continuing to be faithful, even in the face of persecution that continued after Paul left, Paul wrote this letter to encourage them.
The thread that runs through Paul’s letter is this: God’s Word has the power to transform us into people whose lives radiate faith, hope, and love.
He writes, “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)
You see, even though Paul was only there for three weeks sharing the Gospel, that Gospel work continued after he left. The faith of the Thessalonian Christians grew so much that they became an example to the other Christian churches in the region of what faith really looks like.
When Paul was among them, he was very gentle toward them, and the Thessalonians imitated Paul’s gentleness in their everyday lives and in their relationships with others, even though they were being persecuted—just like the Christians were in Judea.
And so Paul encourages the Christians in Thessalonica to continue loving others with the same love that God has given them.
He writes, “Now about your love for one another, we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all God’s family throughout Macedonia.” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10)
So, you see, dear friends, God not only calls us to love others—His love gives us the power to love others. His love is what enables us to love with His love. He pours His love into our hearts, and from that overflow, we love those around us.
Hope Anchored in Resurrection
But when it came to hope, the Thessalonian Christians had some troubling questions on their hearts.
They believed that Jesus lived and died and rose again, and that He would come back to this world to renew and restore all things.
But they were concerned about two things.
First, would those who died before Jesus returned be restored and resurrected, or lost forever?
And second, if Jesus returned and living believers were somehow unaware that He had come, would they miss out on being restored and resurrected by Him?
So, Paul assures the Thessalonians that their loved ones who have died will share in the resurrection—and he’s giving that same assurance to each and every one of you. He writes, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For 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.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)
You see, though the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a well-attested historical fact, it is not a one-and-done event.
Jesus is, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20) That means He’s the first of many to follow. Through faith, we are connected to Jesus both in His death and His resurrection. That means that when He returns, everyone who believes in Him will be raised to life—to live with Him forever.
Paul uses a word picture that the Thessalonians would have clearly understood in their time, but we don’t understand as well in ours—and here’s what I mean by that. Back then, when an important dignitary, like a king or governor, was coming to a city, the city leaders would send out a delegation to meet the dignitary before he even reached the city walls. They would welcome him out there and then escort him back into the city in a joyful procession.
It’s kind of like the parade a city might have when their hockey team wins the Stanley Cup.
So, using this word picture, Paul assures the Thessalonians—and us—that our loved ones who died before Jesus returns will not miss out on anything. They will be raised from the dead and will be part of that welcoming delegation, along with those who are still alive when Jesus comes. Together, we will welcome Jesus and escort Him down to earth in a joy-filled procession, and He will then recreate all things into a new heaven and a new earth, where we will live with Him forever.
Now, Paul also assures the Thessalonians that believers who are alive when Jesus returns will not miss out on the resurrection either. He writes, “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)
So our resurrection—your resurrection—and your place in the new heaven and new earth are not threatened by death. It does not depend on your awareness or activity in any way. Because of Jesus—His life, His death, and His resurrection—the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is also at work in you right now. It’s active in your life, strengthening your faith, growing your love, and fortifying your hope.
So you see, it’s all about Jesus. And because of Him, we can know with certainty that whether we live or die, we belong to Him.
What does all this mean for us?
Imagine for a moment that your life is like a car. Faith is the fuel your car needs. Love, then, is the power produced by your engine with that fuel—it’s what moves you forward. Hope is the destination you are driving toward.
When the faith and love Jesus pours into our hearts help us see that He has a good destination for us and will get us safely there, then we live with confident faith and compassionate love—even when others hate or hurt us because we follow Jesus.
But when we take our eyes off Jesus and place our hope in the things of this world—which can and will all be taken away from us at some point—then our hope becomes vulnerable. The fear of losing that hope becomes our constant companion, and troubling thoughts and anxious feelings begin to rule our hearts and minds.
This is hard for us because we are broken and hurting human beings who need food, clothing and shelter. We need the love and assurance of those around us. We live in a world where bad things can happen to us and the people we love. We need some kind of assurance that things are going to be okay. Given all we need and the realities of this world, how can we live in love and wait in hope? God knows that we need all these things.
God is Faithful
My Great Uncle Carl Johnson was also a Lutheran pastor, and his life verse was Matthew 6:33: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
These weren’t just words for my Uncle Carl.
This verse perhaps became deeply rooted within him when he went to seminary as an older adult. He and Aunt Renata had already started their family, and he had no money—yet God provided for him. He worked as a janitor at the seminary to pay for his tuition and other expenses, and God was faithful to him throughout his entire life as he served in various places across Western Canada. And when he found out that I was considering going into the ministry, what verse do you think he shared with me?
Matthew 6:33. And when we went and celebrated with all the rest of his family and friends at his 90th birthday, and I sat down beside him, he shared that same verse with me again. Then, at his funeral, it was shared once again as his family and friends witnessed how God had worked faith in his life and was faithful to him through all these years. All God asked of my Uncle Carl was to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness—and God provided everything else.
And so the challenge which I wish to leave with you, dear friends, today is this: let us stop placing our hope on the things of this world. This is in response to the salvation you already have, the love that God has already given you through Jesus. Let us focus on Jesus as our source of hope for all things—for all the things you need in this world, in this life, but also all the things that you’re going to need in the life to come.
Let’s trust Jesus for those, and may Matthew 6:33 be the guiding light in our hearts, as it was for my Uncle Carl.
And I’d like to end with these words of blessing for you: “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.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) Amen.
Farewell to Shadowlands 