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Living with Hope in the Resurrection 0:00 Hello, men. Welcome to the Everyman global livestream in week 5 in our series through first Thessalonians. We're in another Bible for Everyman0:12 series, and we're taking a look at how, for God's man, life is a team sport. Right? How God intentionally designed us for community, for what we would receive from it, for what we would give to it.0:24 Really that our lives for him and in him are truly meant to be lived as 1 amongst the brotherhood that is the beautiful family, what we call the church. And so we're halfway through the0:36 incredibly beautiful gauntlet that is chapter 4 of first Thessalonians. And in our last session together, we were confronted with the inconvenient reality that people are watching our0:48 lives, that we are quite literally on display. And when people look at us, Christ's desire is that they would see something different. And we read that the the1:00 word used to describe us as god's people is holy. Not in and of ourselves, but holy as in set apart, as in intended for a specific and different1:11 purpose, a kingdom purpose. And we saw that those around us are looking to us, are looking at us, and it's our opportunity to put Jesus on display.1:23 In this session, we're gonna finish up chapter 4 with a look at the hope that we find in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death and hope.1:36 2 words that often seem to be completely contrary to 1 another. 2 words that oftentimes, and unfortunately for most people, are mutually exclusive. As in,1:48 only 1 of those things can be present at any given time. For far too many people in this world, death is the complete absence of hope. Or maybe better2:00 put, death is the culmination. Death is the end result of a hope that just didn't come through. Kinda sounds like this. We had hoped for a full recovery.2:13 We had hoped for reconciliation. We really had hoped that he would beat this addiction. We had hoped to find out that she was not anywhere near the big accident.2:25 And so we wrongly believe that death can only be present when hope is not. But what if for the follower of Jesus, death is not the absence2:37 of hope? And maybe going 1 step further, what if death is the ultimate expression of our hope? Death and hope coexisting? How can that2:49 be? Well, that's part of what we're gonna unpack in our time together here in this session. Like I said, we're continuing in our series in first Thessalonians where Paul has been encouraging a church that he loves.3:02 And in this session, we read that Paul has a really specific desire for this young church. There's something that Paul deeply wants to make sure that this church knows and understands3:14 and really takes inside because Paul knows that what they're gonna be tempted to believe about death could change the trajectory of their lives. He knows that their3:26 view of death will really shape their entire lives. So finishing up chapter 4. This is first Thessalonians chapter 4 starting in verse 13. And now,3:37 dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who died. Or some translations say, the believers who've fallen asleep. So that you'll not3:49 grieve like the people who have no hope. Right away, we see Paul's heart is really twofold. He wants this church to know the truth. He wants them to4:01 grieve in a hopeful way. So he wants them to be wise, but he also wants them to live in hope. And notice what follows is not that Paul wants4:13 people to just feel good or maybe have a a positive outlook. He wants what Jesus offers to every single 1 of his followers. He wants them to have certainty. I4:25 mean, look at the language. Brothers and sisters, we want you to know. We want you to know. But I mean, for the follower of Jesus, everything that we're talking about in this session, the reality of4:37 death for all of us are positioned before God. But the truth that Christ has overcome death, that's our reality. It's it's our truth. It's really4:49 the bedrock that our lives are sitting on. The reality that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is not just a part of the Christian faith. It's the basis of it. I5:01 mean, we follow Jesus not just because his teachings were interesting, or that we saw his heart and thought it was beautiful, or that we desired the wisdom that he had, or even while watching the great works and5:13 the miracles he performed while he was alive. We follow Jesus because he beat the grave. He rose from the dead. He proved that he was the5:24 son of God. For us as followers of Jesus, for God's men, our faith is not built on an idea. Our faith is not established on an emotion. Our faith is built upon an event.5:36 The resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it's an important reality because our faith is not just based on the outline of the 10 commandments. I mean, that's not the core of our faith.5:48 That's not why we believe. It's not just the covenant that God made with Abraham. It's not just the miracles that we were talking about, those that happen in the old testament, those that happen in the new testament. We5:58 follow Jesus. We actually believe the words of scripture itself because Jesus rose from the dead, proving he was God's son and offering us life,6:10 forgiveness, and hope. It's all him, and it's all based on reality. The Christian hope is built on the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of6:22 his future return and our own resurrection from the dead. It's the victory that we find in Christ. First Corinthians chapter 15 verse 12 through 19 puts it like this. But tell me this,6:34 since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there's no resurrection of the dead? For if there's no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. Look at all that's built6:45 on this. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless. And your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God. For we've said that God raised Christ from the grave.6:57 But that can't be true if there's no resurrection of the dead. And if there's no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless and you're still guilty7:07 in your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost. And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we're more to be pitied than anyone in the7:19 world. Do you see what happens when the resurrection gets pulled out? And if that's all the catastrophe that happens when the resurrection is removed from our faith, then the opposite is true. When the resurrection7:31 remains at the center of our faith. And the reminder reinforced here is that, you know, they said to the Corinthian churches that all of our hope is based on who Christ is and7:43 what Christ did. The reality of the resurrection needs to give us hope in this life. So Paul has taught this church in Thessalonica all kinds of stuff in the short amount of time that he's7:55 been with them. I mean, tons of stuff. But he says that he wants them to know this hope. To understand what's gonna happen surrounding Christ's return. And what happens8:07 to each of us as we pass from this life to the next. And Paul had been teaching this church and mimicking Christ's own teaching concerning the day that Jesus was gonna come back for his people. This is something8:19 that Jesus preached repeatedly about. And notice, whenever Jesus did, whenever Christ talked about the day that he was going to return, he always focused on the8:30 imminence of his return. His focus was always on the reality of his return. The certainty of it. And what's so funny is so many Christians8:42 today focus only on when Jesus is gonna come back and how it's gonna look, how it's gonna happen. Entire denominations are completely divided8:54 over when it is in history that Christ is coming back. Will he return for us after the period known as the tribulation? Will he come during that time? Will he wait until it's past? And I think we're missing the point a9:05 little bit. At least the point that informs our lives and the way that we live for Christ. Like we said, whenever Jesus talked about his return, the focus was never on when or how. It was9:17 simply on the reality that he was going to return. In the gospel of Mark, referencing this very debate, Jesus said this, however, no9:29 1 knows the day or the hour when these things will happen. Not even the angels in heaven or the son himself. Only the father knows. And since you don't know what time that will be, be9:41 on guard. Stalor? I mean, Christ's focus for us is clear. He's saying, don't worry about when. Just live as if.9:53 Live as if I'm coming back guys. And our passage in first Thessalonians 4 verse 14, mimics the same sentiment. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we10:05 also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have also died. The focus there is that Jesus is coming back. Look at the language. He will return. And10:17 so for all of us, discerning the exact point in history is not what fills our lives with hope. The certainty, the reality that Christ is returning,10:29 that's what's gonna inform our hope. And it says to live lives that are alert, that we need to be aware, that we need to use our time well because here's a difficult reality men.10:41 Whether or not we are in the end times, as God's men we have to recognize that we are in our end times. I don't know if we're in the10:52 cosmic end times, but I'm approaching my end times. It does not matter how much is left on the eternal game clock for all of mankind. The reality is that every day, all of us move11:04 1 day closer to the moment that we will stand in front of Christ. So let's go. Let's be intentional with the time that we've been given. The Bible tells us that every single11:16 generation believes that theirs is the generation that's going to see the return of Christ. And I think that that's a little bit of God's intent. I think he likes that11:28 mentality because I think it moves us forward intentionally. I think that's how he wants us to live. He wants the reality of his return. Remember the imminence of his return, and the reality that we're gonna be with him11:39 forever. He wants that to inform everything that we do, everything that we value, everything that we pursue while on earth. And so Paul, like Christ, wanted the reality of the11:51 return of Jesus to give us a tangible expectancy and a real hope. It says this, why? So that you will not grieve like people who have no hope.12:03 As followers of Jesus, the reality of Christ's resurrection and future return even informs how we grieve. It informs our12:15 grieving because everything in our lives is done in light of the cross. Everything has to be held up to that reality, to the reality of the victory of Jesus, even12:27 our suffering and our grief. And notice men, when it comes to death, Paul wants them to be wise. But he never says, so don't grieve.12:41 Grieve, feel, cry. I mean, never let the cross rush away emotions that are honoring to God. Even Jesus himself modeled this12:53 for us. His good friend Lazarus dies. Jesus is on his way knowing that he's going to raise him from the dead. And you know what he did when he saw the suffering of those13:05 close to Lazarus? When he thought about his own feelings of missing his friend? When he was hit with the reality that someone he loved was dead? Says that he wept.13:17 He cried. So simple and so profound, yet such a model for us. Be wary of any even well meaning Christian who tells you not to grieve. Who13:29 tells you that your love your loved ones in heaven and so don't be sad. It is true that they are in heaven. It's okay to grieve that they're no longer with us. We grieve. Why? Because Christ grieved.13:41 But the grief isn't complete. Remember, we grieve with hope. We don't grieve like those who have no hope. And in that, I think we see a truth that we have to13:53 cling to as followers of the Lord Jesus. And that's that we have to always let our faith inform all of our emotions. No matter the emotion, it needs to be14:05 guided and instructed and corrected by our faith. We have to let what we know and believe inform what it is that we feel as it's so tempting to have it go the other way.14:17 And to let what we feel adjust what we believe. We have to let the truth of God's word tell our hearts how to feel, inform our grief.14:31 I'll never forget the day that my grandfather died. It was 1 of the worst days of my life for sure. I still remember I still remember what he smelled like. I remember his skin as I would hold on to his back14:43 and he would go swimming with him in the ocean. I remember his laugh. I remember that he used to chew the corner of his tongue in his mouth whenever he was concentrated on some something really hard. I have his bible.14:54 And I love seeing the notes and just you can feel the hours that he spent pouring over the word of God, the wear and tear on the book, the notes in the margins. It makes me so sad when I remember.15:06 But I'll also never forget his funeral. When I looked over at my nana, and I saw with tears on her face and somehow a smile on her15:18 lips as she sang great is thy faithfulness. Because her faith was informing her emotions. In that beautiful moment, her15:30 faith and her emotions were working together. Her emotions submitting to, being corrected by, and then being expressed through her faith. Her faith in Jesus15:42 allowed her to grieve, but not like the 1 without hope. Her faith informed her emotions, so she was free. She was free to grieve with hope. And while we15:53 should be wary of anyone who tells us just not to grieve, also be wary of any follower of Jesus who tries to convince you that death is somehow beautiful or16:05 natural. It's not. The Bible tells us that death is an enemy. In fact, it's the final enemy that will be destroyed. It's a certainty for all of us, but16:17 it feels so unnatural and so jarring because when God created us, we were not meant to experience it. We were never meant to feel the sting and the loss and the separation. We were meant16:29 for life, not for death. And it only came about as a result of the fall and our separation from God. It's the result of our sin and our brokenness,16:41 and 1 day, our God will do away with it altogether. And so there's great hope even as we walk through the death of those that we love.16:53 Let's keep reading in our passage in first Thessalonians because there is more that the Holy Spirit spoke to this church, through Paul. Look at verses 15 and 16. We tell you this directly from the17:04 Lord. We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel,17:16 and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. I just love the authority in this passage. It starts off, this came this is coming to you directly17:28 from the Lord himself. And what he is discussing here is the future resurrection of all Christians who have died. This is the bodily resurrection for them at the coming of the Lord Jesus for his people.17:40 This is the foundation of our hope. I mean, this is the the victory lap for those who have died, for those who will die before Christ return. Anyone who has placed their hope in Jesus Christ will all17:52 be resurrected, and death will be undone. And can you imagine that moment? When I think about my papa that I miss so much, I have to think about this moment.18:04 I don't have a choice. This is where my hope it calls me to think about and hope in and believe for this moment. But there are 2 reunions going on in this passage. There are18:16 2 painful separations that we're living through that are corrected in this moment. And that's our separation from the loved ones who have died. Yes. But it's also our separation from Jesus that18:28 we're living through currently as as we're not with him in heaven. And this text and its hope is not primarily concerned with reminding us that someday we're gonna be with our loved ones again. Although18:40 for all of us who have lost someone, you know that there's joy, that there's elation and anticipation as you look forward to that day. But trust me, all of those reunions18:51 will pale in comparison to the moment that you and I look at Jesus face to face. The glory of Jesus in front of us will far outweigh19:04 any reunion with any loved 1 we can imagine. And that's really the point of this piece of scripture. The power in this text is that no matter what you and I have to19:15 walk through in this life, no matter what dark places we find ourselves in right now, what challenging places we've been through in the past, when we think about all of19:27 the pain and all of the loss, all of the frustration, all of the unmet expectations. No matter the difficulty or the challenge, our lives end the same.19:39 And that's that we will be with Jesus forever. Look at verse 17. Then we will be with the Lord forever.19:52 We'll be with the Lord Jesus forever. That's the hope. I mean, that's that's what provides a foundation for the life of God's man. Really, that's the only hope that20:04 can anchor all of our emotions, all of our fears, all of our worries, all of our doubts. During the storms of life, there's only 1 thing that can hold strong enough and that's Jesus and the20:15 reality of his victory. And when I look at my own life, only the reality that my story ends at the final closing scene with my life is me and Jesus together20:27 forever. I mean, the most tangible and real hope in our lives is that nothing can ever change that appointment. Nothing can alter our future20:39 even when the present seems impossible. When our future pain looks unavoidable. When when things are just not working out and we start to despair.20:52 Let's encourage ourselves. Let's encourage 1 another. Let's look at verses like Romans chapter 8 verses 30 and 39 which says, I'm convinced that nothing,21:04 which is the Greek word for nothing, that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. And then he listed neither death nor life nor angels21:16 nor demons neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow. Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above21:28 or in the earth below. Indeed nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that's been revealed to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.21:41 So remind yourself. Remind yourself. Remind the men that God's put around you. Speak this over your wife and your kids. Nothing can separate us from God's love. Nothing.21:54 Nothing can take us away from him. And the extent to which we cling to that, the extent that that becomes the truest reality in our lives and we start to live that out is to the extent that we will experience hope in22:05 this life. Nothing can separate us from his love. You know what that means? That not even our failures or our doubts. That not our inabilities or22:17 even the enemy himself. Not this world, not its confusion or its redefinition. Nothing can separate me from God's love. And it's so important22:29 because the more we hang on to that, the more the love of Jesus will become the anchor in our lives. It'll become our safe place. It'll become the thing that gives us the ability to hold on when22:41 life is pulling with all of its force at us because we need something real to cling to. We need someone to cling to. And the reality is, it's not us that's clinging to22:52 him, it's him that's holding us. It's Jesus that won't let go. We need to keep heaven in front of us clearly, men, because our view of heaven will direct the quality of our23:04 lives. What we think about heaven will inform how we live this life. And what we think about our lives after earth will either fill us with hope23:17 or fear, with expectation or with dread. What we know to be true about the end of our lives either draws us towards Jesus in this beautiful expectation and joy and hope,23:29 or we will continually grieve through any loss like those who have no hope. What's revealed about the end of time is really the picture of what23:41 God's heart has looked like since the very beginning, and that's this. Our God desires to be with his people. The history of our God is him23:53 moving towards, is him making a way, is his desire to be with us as his people. I mean, god created us so that we might experience him.24:05 That we might live in open and authentic and beautiful and honest relationship. He desired to be with us, but we, from the garden and from each of our own lives, had other desires.24:18 We thought God was holding out on us. We thought we knew better. And so all of us, like Eve, have chosen sin and ourselves above God. We've24:30 broken the relationship. But God's heart for us has never changed. I mean, he gave his people the promise of redemption. And early, the people established the tabernacle24:42 and then the temple. Why? 1 mobile, 1 fixed. So that God could be with his people continually. But it was shrouded in the challenge and the limitations24:54 of the sacrificial system. Because our sin continued to separate us. There were temporary and momentary coverings, but it constantly had to be dealt with. But God kept25:06 pursuing us. And he finally sent his son Jesus, whom we call Emmanuel, which means God with us.25:18 That he would be with us. That he would provide the perfect sacrifice, offer forgiveness, restoration, that we might be with God, but this time forever.25:31 So really what's the ultimate hope of this passage? I think it's this, that we might know the reality of Christ's return. So that we might live with25:43 the certainty of our future with him with with no separation again, remember forever, and that we would experience the hope while we live towards that day.25:56 The reality of his return, the certainty of that moment when we would be reunited with him fills our lives day by day, moment by moment with a hope.26:09 But that hope is not supposed to rest with us. What are we supposed to do with it? Look at verse 18. The final, in this idea, I know there weren't verse26:20 numbers and chapter numbers when when the scripture was written, but kinda closing out this thought is this in verse 18. So encourage each other with these words. Don't let26:32 this hope end with you. Remind each other often because this world makes us prone to forget, and challenge makes us prone to doubt. He's saying when life gets26:44 heavy or you're tempted to grieve without hope, teach each other, remind each other again about the reality of our future, remind each other that the closing scene is our life is with26:56 Christ. And men, the good news about our salvation is not just that our sins are removed. It's not just that we somehow dodge God's judgment. It's that we27:08 get Christ now in a beautiful relationship, and then at some point in the future in complete and perfect intimacy with him.27:20 So let's live faithfully today, because we don't know when he's going to return. Our passage clearly showed us that. But we can be comforted when we lose loved27:32 ones. And we can be encouraged of the future reality that we're going to be with Christ, and we can have purpose in our lives today as we encourage each other27:44 towards the day that Christ is returning. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we love you. We are in awe of you. We owe you everything.27:57 Lord, may the reality of your resurrection and your victory over death may the imminence of your return, may the perfect nature of your love for us,28:09 may the completely unavoidable reality that we are headed towards a moment of being with you fill us with joy. With joy that carries us through the darkest moments in this28:21 life. With joy that allows us to grieve with hope. With joy that allows us to encourage anyone who's suffering, lord. God, allow the reality28:33 of your victory to give our lives purpose and strength. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. See you next time.In this video 0:00 Living with Hope in the ResurrectionComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
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