Be Encouraged
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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
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. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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This Sunday, Pastor Paul continued our sermon series in First Thessalonians. This series is about how the Thessalonian church practiced their faith while under intense persecution by their community.
In this passage we see him answering a question that the Thessalonians had: “What happens to believers who die before Jesus returns?” In vs. 16 we Paul says, “the dead in Christ will rise first.”
So be encouraged! The apostle Paul reminded them that their hope lies in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Though they will still grieve those they lose, they will not grieve like the world (without hope), they will grieve with great hope. The hope of their salvation in Christ Jesus.
Pastor Paul challenged us to be like the Thessalonians; work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, and endurance inspired by hope.
So be encouraged, but don’t stop there, encourage others by sharing the hope you have found in Christ Jesus.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Read Scripture:
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Consider how the Apostle Paul think of life and death. Journal: How would having this same mentality re-prioritize some things in your life?
Memorize Scripture:
Together we are memorizing 1 Thessalonians 5:8
Here are a few wallpapers for this series.
Here's a helpful guide we put together for memorizing Scripture: https://faithe.org/memorize/
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Questions:
1) What is one word or phrase that they Holy Spirit highlighted for you during this teaching? Why?
Journal your thoughts and/or share this with someone else.
2) We all grieve, how does our hope in Christ change how we grieve?
With a group, discuss how you might encourage someone who is grieving.
(Hint: grieving with someone isn’t about having the right answers…)
Prayer:
God, thank you for grieving with me (Jesus+Lazarus). Thank you for being a firm foundation on which to place my trust and hope. Help me to reflect your mercy and grace by loving those you put before me.
Amen.
