We Have Hope – We Know He is Coming – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
Paul opens 1 Thessalonians with praise for the church’s testimony worldwide, noting “how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Th 1:9-10).
Here are three bedrock truths that anchor our hope: Jesus will return from heaven—His coming is as certain as His first arrival. He was raised from the dead—proving His power over death and guaranteeing our own resurrection. He rescues us from coming wrath—we who believe are delivered from the judgment that awaits a rebellious world. These aren’t wishful thoughts but solid realities that transform how we live and die. This hope sets the stage for Paul’s encouragement about Christ’s return.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (CSB) “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.”
Our hope isn’t wishful thinking—it’s rooted in the concrete reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Because He died and rose again, we know with absolute certainty that death is not the end. This isn’t just comfort; it’s triumphant truth that changes everything about how we face loss and live each day.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (CSB) “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
What a promise! The Lord’s return unites us with Him forever. This hope is as real as the ground beneath our feet—more real, because it’s eternal.
We have this certain hope, but many around us don’t. Paul warns about the Day of the Lord:
1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 (CSB) “For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘Peace and security,’ then sudden destruction comes on them… But you, brothers, are not in the dark, for this day to overtake you like a thief.”
While we have unshakeable hope, others around us are walking in darkness without it. They’re seeking peace and security in temporary things, unaware that sudden destruction awaits those outside of Christ. This reality should stir us to action.
As “sons of light” we’re called to stay awake and serious:
1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 (CSB) “But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
God’s plan is salvation, not wrath, through Jesus’ death. But not everyone knows this! Our neighbors, coworkers, and family members may be living as if this world is all there is. They’re grieving without hope, living without the certainty that transforms everything.
Paul closes with a call to action:
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (CSB) “Encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing”. But this encouragement isn’t meant to stay within the church walls.
Because our hope is real and certain, we cannot keep it to ourselves. The same hope that comforts us in grief should compel us to reach those who have no such comfort. We’re called to live as children of light—encouraging others, staying alert, and actively sharing His salvation.
Are we sharing this hope with those who grieve? The reality of Christ’s return calls us both to be encouraged and to be encouraging—to rest in our certain hope while urgently extending it to a world that desperately needs it.
Let’s encourage each other with these truths today, and let’s share them with those who need to hear that death is not the end, that Jesus is coming, and that there is hope!).
