Focus on Jesus

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Grow up and be exhorted  - building up  believers.   People taking offense with each other.  

The Church needs to get its act together.   Christians need to confess your sin.  But you don't want to go into remorse but you want to go into repentance.

Growing up and being accepted.

In Thessalonians they received the Word and accepted it; you were saved.

Jesus preached "repent".  When we give our heart and life to the Lord; we don't want to go back to the old life.

The old life with stuff that is hard; the new life brings relevance.

1.  We can be confident that we are going to heaven.  Paul sends teaching to Thessalonians to correct wrong teaching.  It is important to allow grieving.  1 Thessalonians 4:13 - we grieve with hope. 

We have been given authority by God to tell other people about our hope in Jesus Christ.

It's natural to grieve.  John 11:35 - Jesus wept.  Jesus showed emotion and grief.  There is nothing wrong with crying. 

Matthew 5:4  -  blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Salvation is not just about bring saved so that one day we're dragged through death into heaven.  We are in the kingdom now.

Luke 23:43 -  Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The thief repented on the cross at the last moment.   He repented right there.   Paul spoke of his own life Philippians chapter 1. 

A believer who has died here on earth; they have gone to be with Jesus.   Without death the payment for sin is not paid for.  We must first go the cross.  That's ok the place we go to be restored.  Unless they go to the cross they will go back to their old ways.  Allow God to do a work in their life.

So the confidence we have is in our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 10:17-18

Account of his death is in the gospels. 
John 20:1-20 account of his resurrection.

Luke 24: account of resurrection and road to Emmaus.

Jesus appeared to Paul on road to Damascus.

Every believer will rise and be taken up with the Lord. 

Our confidence in Jesus Christ - there is no one who take it off you.    The enemy will try and put doubt in our mind.  Focus on Jesus and have confidence.  We know its true because of Jesus.

The church in Thessalonica was a model church but still underwent trials and persecutions.  We will undergo trials and tribulations whilst on earth.