Are you ready for Jesus’ return?

Your biggest heartbreak in this side of eternity will probably be the loss of a loved one. Whether it be a parent, a spouse, or a child, that will be your greatest heartbreak this side of eternity. And that is a real pain. That is real suffering. But imagine if you had no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 says, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.”

We do not grieve like the world, and that is a blessed thing. We still hurt, but we don't hurt like people who have no hope.

There was a pastor who had been married for a few decades, and his wife suddenly died. The pastor returned to preach rather quickly after her passing, and the congregation was surprised by this. They asked him, “How are you so okay to preach right now? You are experiencing pain and grief.”

And he replied, “Because I have not been preaching fairy tales all these years.”

Brothers and sisters, we have not been listening to and believing fairy tales all these years. We have a real Savior. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”

Jesus is alive. That is our hope.

Do you realize we're the only religion in the world that says our founder is alive? The Jews are still waiting for their Messiah. Hinduism doesn't credit a founder. In Buddhism, Siddhartha has a grave. They cherish his relics. In Islam, they're more than comfortable in telling you Muhammad has died. Christianity is the only religion that has a founder that is alive. That is important because if Jesus is not alive, then as Solomon says, let's eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.

The cross and the resurrection changed everything. If Christ only died on the cross, there is no victory for us. The payment has been made, but there's no victory. There's no everlasting life. There's no joy in the midst of suffering. But when Christ was resurrected, it changed everything. Now we have a real hope. Now we have a real Savior who is really living.

Romans 5:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”

When was the last time you boasted in the hope of the glory of God? That should change your demeanor. This means our greatest enjoyment of Christ is also not this side of eternity. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. But we’re looking forward to something. One day we get to see Jesus face to face. That's why it's important that we have real hope because we have a real Savior who is really living.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-17 says, “For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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, who are left, 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.”

This passage of Scripture is maybe one of the most theological dividing when it comes to Christ's return. Is this 1 of 1 or 1 of 2? I don't know. The point is Christ is coming back. Paul said the dead first get glorified bodies. They might already have them, or they might not get them until Jesus returns. Again, we don’t really know. But the point is that we do know eventually we get glorified bodies.

You might think, “Well, what if I don't get that glorified body in heaven when I die before Jesus returns?” Think about this: No one who is in the presence of Jesus right now is struggling. We might not know the exact details and events of how it exactly plays out moment by moment, but no one who is in the presence of our Lord and Savior right now is saying, “You know what God? I wish you would have done this a little differently so I could be happier.” Not a chance. So, those who are in heaven right now are present with the Lord. We don't know all the details, but the point is they're present with him, and we should be encouraged by these words. Paul also calls this body a tent, a temporary residence. Therefore, your body is being rented. Don't get too comfortable.

Now, is there a purpose in Jesus’ coming back that we should practically be waiting for?

Here’s what I like to say: If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 says, “About the times and the seasons: Brothers and sisters, you do not need anything to be written to you. 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 will come upon them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

Again, these verses can bring up a lot of controversy and confusion. So, how do we summarize this? If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready. The Bible talks about how we can know the signs and the seasons, but we don't know the exact date. The Bible says, you're gonna see natural disasters rise. I don't think anyone's gonna argue that. Some of us have family members that are feeling the effects of this right now in the South because of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. You're going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. No one's gonna argue that one. There's a new war every year. There's a new rumor of a war every week.

But then it talks about the persecution of believers. And I don't know if you're familiar with the stats on Christianity right now and the persecution that's happening. But I hope you're praying for our country, even though we are still the most blessed country in the world when it comes to our faith. But here is what our brothers and sisters face on a very regular basis. More Christians have been martyred for their faith in the last century than all of previous history combined. In 2023, 13 Christians were killed for their faith every day on average. Not natural disasters. Not a tragic car accident. Killed because they profess the name of Jesus Christ as their Savior. 365,000,000 Christians (that’s about 1 out of every 7 Christians), face high levels of persecution for their faith every day. Meaning that every day they wake up, they can lose their home, their job, and their family, be put in prison, and be killed for professing Jesus Christ as their Savior. Ironically, the 2 fastest growing churches in the world are in China’s underground church and Iran’s underground women-led church. I had a friend in college who did work among unreached people groups over in Northern Africa and the Middle East, and he said, “If you asked a hundred Muslims to step forward and say, ‘How many of you guys came to Christ through a dream?’ 52 of them would step forward. Christ is going to get his bride and his people. He is moving, but so is the persecution. There's a reason we are asking for Christ to come back to put an end to all of this. From 2007 to 2017, 900,000 Christians were killed. That’s a sobering reality.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 says, “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled.”

So Paul's saying here, “There are surprises.” And we all know there are good surprises and there are bad surprises. For the unbeliever, Christ’s coming back will be like a thief in the night when you do not expect it. You're gonna wake up and everything you had is gone, and you're going to be surprised, and it will be a terrible surprise. For the believer, Christ’s coming back will be a surprise, but it's almost going to be like a surprise around your birthday. You wouldn’t expect a surprise party in September if your birthday is in January. But you can know the general season. You’re ready for it, but you don’t know how it’s all going to play out.

1 Thessalonians 5:6-11 says, “So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.”

So, Paul ends this section by saying, “Hey, Christians, live like you're Christians because the time is short.

Now, maybe if you're like me and you go, “It's been 2000 years, y’all. Is Christ coming back, really? It's been a long time.” 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” Man, I am glad Jesus waited on me. That is why we should be gracious because he is waiting on other people too.