newlife christian fellowship

In the second sermon in The Cross: Why the Death of Jesus Matters sermon series, preached on Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, we look at Hebrews 12:1-3 among other passages and why the cross matters for our suffering.

This Sunday, we began a new sermon series looking at the cross, and why it matters that Jesus died. In this sermon, we looked specifically at sin, its consequences, and how Jesus' death deals with our sin problem.

This Sunday, we will be summarizing the "Lord, teach us to pray" sermon series and opening it up for testimonies. - Eric Stillman

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one - Feb 11, 2024
Eric Stillman - We continued in our sermon series through the Lord's Prayer in Mathew 6:5-15, looking at the final section, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

This Sunday, we continued in our sermon series through the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:5-15. This morning, we looked at Jesus' words "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors," looking at the importance of forgiveness and grace to our relationship with God and with others.

This Sunday, we continued in our sermon series through the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:5-13. We looked at Jesus' words "Give us this day our daily bread," considering what Jesus has to say about asking God for the things we need and want.

This Sunday, we are continuing in our sermon series through the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:5-13. This morning, we will be looking at Jesus' words "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," trying to understand what Jesus meant and why it is so essential to have this kind of focus in our life and in our prayers.

This morning I am in the second week of a sermon series on prayer entitled “Lord,
teach us to pray.” This title comes from Luke 11:1:
Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one
of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his
disciples."
Evidently there was something about how Jesus prayed that piqued the disciples’
curiosity and led them to ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. And there really are
few things more important than knowing how to pray, for it is how we
communicate with the God of the universe and access His love, grace, and power.
Last week, we looked at the intro and the first line, “Our Father in heaven.” We
talked about how prayer is communication with God, not a show for others, how
prayer is not a magic formula or technique. And we talked about how Jesus from
the very beginning holds up the need for both reverence and intimacy in our
relationship with God. God is the King in heaven, but He is also our Father. He is
our Father, but He is also the king. He is concerned about the needs of His
children, and He is also all-powerful. That is who we come to when we pray.
I want to read the entire passage again this morning, and today we will focus on the
phrase “Hallowed be your name.” The goal again is to understand what prayer is
all about and become better at praying, that we might know God better.
Matthew 6:5-13 - “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I
tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go
into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do
not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their
many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before
you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,...

This morning I am beginning a sermon series on prayer called “Lord, teach us to
pray.” This title comes from Luke 11:1:
Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one
of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his
disciples."
Evidently there was something about how Jesus prayed that piqued their curiosity
and led them to ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. I’m not sure what prayer
means to you. Bow your head and close your eyes? Trying to stay awake? Loud
and noisy shouting? Crying out for help in times of need? Repeating familiar lines?
A waste of time? A mystery? Whatever your perspective, there are not many things
in this world more important or powerful than prayer, so let’s come to the Lord
afresh, asking Him to teach us to pray.
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells his listeners what prayer is and how to pray. I want to
study this passage over the coming weeks in order to help us learn to pray well:
Matthew 6:5-13 - “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I
tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go
into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do
not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their
many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before
you ask him.

Traditionally on the Sunday after Christmas I like to do a sermon that is New
Years focused, as we look back at the year that was and look ahead to the coming
year. This year, I want to share a passage from Malachi 1:6-14.
Malachi was a prophet who lived around the year 450 BC. The historical context is
that Israel has been conquered by the Babylonians and taken off into captivity in
what is known as the exile. Under King Cyrus, they are allowed to return and
rebuild Jerusalem, which we read about in the books of Nehemiah and Ezra. As
you might imagine, hopes were very high in Israel upon their return. They rebuilt
the wall of Jerusalem, rebuilt the temple, and expected that the promises of the
prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah would come to pass, that the Messiah would come
and there would be a time of peace and justice in the land. But it didn’t happen that
way, at least not as quickly as they expected, and the community fell back into
rebellion against God, into injustice and spiritual complacency. And that’s when
God raises up Malachi to be his prophet.
Old Testament prophets were known as covenant mediators. What does that mean?
Remember that when God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, he led them to
Mt. Sinai, where he made a covenant with the people. A covenant is like a contract,
an agreement between two people or parties, but with greater intimacy. Think of a
marriage covenant – in one sense it is a contract, in that two people are coming into
agreement with each other about their relationship in a binding way before God
and the government, but there is much greater intimacy in a marriage covenant
than say an agreement between you and the Honda dealership when you buy a new
care. Anyways, God made a covenant with Moses and the Israelites at Mt. Sinai,
which was called the Mosaic covenant. I will be your God, and you will be my
people. This is what it means to be my people – don’t kill, don’t steal, worship in
these ways, care for the poor among you, and so on. And after these laws, or
stipulations, would come the blessings and curses. If you follow these laws, you
will experience blessings: prosperity, good crops, good health, peace, long life, and
so on. If you disobey, you will bring upon yourself curses: famine, pestilence,
plague, warfare, and so on.

This past month, I preached on the names of the Messiah. Immanuel. Wonderful
counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The Servant of the
Lord. Tonight, I thought that the most fitting way to end this series was to focus on
the true name of the Messiah, Jesus. Jesus is not just any name, but has deep
meaning for us and for this world. Let’s read again Matthew 1:18-25:
Matthew 1:18-25 - This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother
Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was
found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was
a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind
to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and
will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with
us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded
him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she
gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Jesus is the Hebrew name Yeshua, which means salvation, or “The Lord saves.” In
Greek, Yeshua is translated Iesous, from where we get the name Jesus.
Psalm 14:7 - Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
Zechariah - Luke 1:76-77 - And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the
Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to
give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
Simeon - Luke 2:30-32 - For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you
have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and
for glory to your people Israel."
He will save the people from their sins. That is the main need. That is His purpose.

This morning is the third week in the season of Advent, the four weeks before
Christmas where we look back at the coming of Jesus and look ahead to His return.
During Advent, I am preaching through some of the names given to the Messiah in
the Old Testament. The Hebrew word Messiah, which is the Greek name Christos
and the English word Christ, referred to the anointed king from David’s line who
the Israelites believed would restore the nation of Israel to glory. Two weeks ago
we looked at the name Immanuel from Isaiah 7, and last week we looked at Isaiah
9 and the names “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace.” This morning we will look at a name that figures prominently in the
second half of Isaiah – the servant of the Lord. This servant figure shows up in four
passages. I am going to read and briefly comment on the first three, and then spend
most of my time on the fourth passage this morning:
Isaiah 42:1-4 - "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I
delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He
will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will
not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring
forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on
earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."
God’s Spirit will be on His servant, and he will bring justice to not only Israel but
to the nations.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace - Dec 10, 2023. We will be looking at Isaiah 9:1-7 and what the names of the Messiah in this passage mean for our relationship with God and for the world.

This morning begins the season of Advent, the four weeks before Christmas where we look back at the coming of Jesus and look ahead to His return. I’ve entitled my Advent sermon series “The Names of the Messiah,” and over the next four weeks, I will be looking at the various names given to Jesus, the Messiah, in the various prophecies about his coming, and what significance they have for our lives and our world. This morning we will be looking at the name Immanuel from Isaiah 7.

If you’re unfamiliar with Isaiah, it is a collection of prophecies by the prophet Isaiah from the 8th-7th century BC. Remember that after God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they met with God at Mt. Sinai, where God made a covenant with them. And whenever Israel was violating the covenant and experiencing the consequences, God would raise up a prophet to call the people to repentance. Isaiah came along at a time when Israel was very much in danger.  

To set the historical scene: in those days Israel was broken into two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, was facing pressure from Aram & Ephraim, two tribes in the northern kingdom, who in turn were facing pressure from a foreign power named Assyria. Judah, especially King Ahaz, was left with a decision, whether to ally with Assyria or stand against Aram & Ephraim on their own. King Ahaz had to choose between trusting God to protect them or making an alliance with another nation. Isaiah, the prophet, tells him to trust God and not make an alliance, as we see in Isaiah 7:

Isaiah 7:1-14 - When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.  2 Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.  3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field.  4 Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood-- because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.  5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying,  6 "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it."  7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'It will not take place, it will not happen,  8 for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.  9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'"  10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,  11 "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."  12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test."  13 Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Ahaz refuses to trust God, and instead submits to Assyria on condition that Assyria deals with the northern threat. Here is the historical account in 2 Kings 16:

7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria...

Finishing up 1 Thessalonians this morning. 1 Thessalonians was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. Let’s begin by reading the final section:

1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 - 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. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Before I dive into this passage, let me give a big picture about what I have tried to do the past couple of months. I have tried to help you understand what this letter meant in its original context and what it means for us today. There are right and wrong ways to read the Bible. The right way is to read it in context. Specifically, to read it in four contexts:

• The grammatical, literary, and historical context – this is why I give the history, say it’s a letter, and read the whole letter. We don’t pick passages out of the air like a fortune cookie. We pay attention to genre, and we seek to understand the historical context.
• The context of the Biblical metanarrative – creation, fall, redemption, new creation. This is why we reference so many other passages. Every passage fits within a larger story
• The context of Christian community – resources, church tradition, community of faith. This is why I cite commentaries and other books and encourage discussion. If I’m coming up with an interpretation that no one else in history has come up with, I should question my reading.
• The context of a life of Spirit-led, obedient discipleship – we’re not just reading for intellectual knowledge, or worse, to argue against it.

The Bible is God’s Word delivered through human words. Its purpose is to call people to repentance and faith in Jesus and then to align their lives with God’s purpose, living lives of faith, love, and holiness.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 - 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. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. We are nearing the end of 1 Thessalonians, and the short passage we will be reading today as the power to dramatically change your life for the better if you would only put these words into practice.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 - Do not put out the Spirit's fire;  20 do not treat prophecies with contempt.  21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.  22 Avoid every kind of evil.

This is a short passage with a lot of power, and it raises a few questions that we need to answer:

Who is the Spirit?

What is the Spirit’s fire, and how do we avoid putting it out?

What are prophecies?

How do we test prophecy to see if it’s genuine or not?

Who is the Spirit?

The Bible teaches us that God is a Trinity, three-in-one, same in nature but distinct in persons. Followers of God interacted with God the Father in the Old Testament, while the Holy Spirit would empower specific individuals at different times. Then Jesus shows up, and it is clear to His followers that while He is distinct from God the Father, He is also divine – He receives worship, He forgives sins, He is eternal, He is without sin. And then, as his death was getting closer, Jesus told his disciples about another who would come after him, the Holy Spirit:

This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. Last week, we looked at the vision Paul gave them regarding their horizontal relationships with others in the church. This week and next, we will look at what he tells them about their vertical relationship with God. I want to focus on three verses this morning:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice always;  17 pray continually;  18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

This passage may be short, but the exhortations in this passage are truly what you need, more than you even know, at the core of your being. You need a joy and a peace that can survive the ups and downs of your life and can weather the hardest storms and worst enemies of life. Clearly Paul is communicating that no matter the circumstances, we ought to be rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. In the good times and the bad. In sickness and in health, whether wealthy or in poverty. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. This is what your loving and good Father desires for you.

Now, the NIV used to translate this as “Be joyful always,” which I think was a really unhelpful way of phrasing this. After all, how do you honestly tell someone to be joyful always? Am I supposed to instinctively feel joyful when a loved one dies, or I find out I have cancer, or my spouse divorces me? After all, even Paul told us in Romans 12:15 to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn, and Jesus himself was called a man of sorrows. We do not always feel joy, nor should we, especially in tragic circumstances. But we can CHOOSE to rejoice. We can CHOOSE to pray. And we can CHOOSE to give thanks. More specifically, we can choose to rejoice in the Lord, even when we don’t find joy in our circumstances. And we can give Him thanks in every circumstance, even we are not thankful for our circumstance. Paul notes this apparent contradiction in 2 Corinthians:

This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. In the first section of this letter, Paul reminds them of the gospel and of his love for them, and he defends himself against his critics’ accusations and slander. In the section we are currently in, Paul transitions to instructions about how to live as a Christian. We have already looked at God’s vision for our sexuality and our work and what we need to know about death, Jesus’ return, and the final judgment. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be looking at the vision Paul lays out for relationships and worship within the church.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 - Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.  13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.  14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

This is a short section. He begins with a couple of statements about how we should relate to leaders in the church, and follows up with a couple of statements about how we should relate to each other, and so we will look a little at both of those.

But I think that if we are going to set this passage in its proper context and understand how we are to relate to each other, it is helpful to have a proper understanding of Biblical anthropology, the doctrine of man. Let me say four things to help set the context:

We are all created in God’s image, with dignity

This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. In the first section of this letter, Paul reminds them of the gospel and of his love for them, and he defends himself against his critics’ accusations and slander. In the section we are currently in, Paul transitions to instructions about how to live as a Christian. He mainly focuses on three areas of life: sex, work, and death. We have already looked at God’s vision for our sexuality and our work, and last week we looked at death, Jesus’ return, and the Christian hope. This week we’ll look at the final judgment:

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 - Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  14 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.  15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  16 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.  17 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.  18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.  NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,  2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.  5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.  7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

In the beginning of chapter 5, Paul references the day of the Lord, which will come like a thief in the night, bringing destruction on those who are not prepared. The day of the Lord is a common expression in the Bible for the day at the end of time when God will judge the world. On that day, we will all stand before God and be judged for how we have lived our lives.

Series: 1 Thessalonians: Faith + Love + Hope - This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. In the first section of this letter, Paul reminds them of the gospel and of his love for them, and he defends himself against his critics’ accusations and slander. In the section we are currently in, Paul transitions to instructions about how to live as a Christian. He mainly focuses on three areas of life: sex, work, and death. We have already looked at God’s vision for our sexuality and our work, so this morning we’ll look at death, Jesus’ return, and the Christian hope. We will be in this passage for a couple of weeks:

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 - Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  14 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.  15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  16 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.  17 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.  18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.  NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,  2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.  5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.  7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Remember that Paul is writing this letter in response to what he has learned from Timothy about issues facing the church in Thessalonica. And so, as we read this passage, we should try to read between the lines in order to understand what questions he is answering...<