Insight for Living

Guest (Male): What does it mean to live in light of Christ’s return? Well, many Christians fall into one of two dangerous extremes. Either they become obsessed with dates and predictions, or they show complete indifference to biblical prophecy. Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll reveals a balanced approach. From his teaching series called “Contagious Christianity,” we’re going to learn why we don’t grieve as those who have no hope. And through the touching story of a steadfast lady in Mississippi, Chuck explores 1st Thessalonians 4 and the hope we have because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

What does it mean to prepare for Christ’s coming? How do I respond to this appropriately? Paul provides direction in a letter to his friend Titus. I’m referring to chapter 2, verses 11 through 13, where we read this: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

We learn from that passage that we are always to be prepared for His coming by making certain we have taken what God has given: His salvation. We are to resist a corrupt lifestyle, and we are to live in a sensible, godly manner. In other words, we are to stay ready at all times for His appearing. Now the question is: how? How do we stay ready? Today, we’re going to look through the telescope of scripture to discover some ways to keep our focus heavenward.

If you have a Bible handy, please turn with me to 1st Thessalonians chapter 4, and I’ll begin reading at verse 13. This is that familiar section on Christ’s coming. 1st Thessalonians 4, verses 13 through 18: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

You’re listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into 1st Thessalonians on your own, be sure to purchase our Searching the Scriptures Bible study workbook by going to insight.org/offer. Chuck titled today’s message, “On That Great Gettin’-Up Morning.”

Chuck Swindoll: It happened in a small country store in a little community in southern Mississippi. Maybe I ought to say Mississippi. A dear old lady came to do her shopping, the kind of lady you really wish could have been your own mama. She not only loved Jesus, she lived every day in light of Jesus’ soon coming.

It so happened at the same store there were a couple or three fellows hanging around outside up to no good, just sort of like trouble getting ready to happen. And they knew her faith, and they knew that she loved her Lord and decided they would taunt her. “Hey, Bessie, we hear you expecting Jesus to come back.” She hardly looked at them as she took the shopping cart and began to push her way down the aisle. “I sure do.” “You really believe He’s a-coming?” With greater intensity, she paused and looked back over her shoulder. “Sure as you was born.”

Now they pressed her to the limit. “Well, you better hurry home and get ready, Jesus might already be on the way.” Now she stopped and turned around and stared her tormentors in the face. She said, “You all listen to me. I don’t have to get ready. I keeps ready.” I love that story. “I keeps ready.” That little home-spun story reveals that there are three kinds of people when it comes to Jesus’ return.

First, there are cynics. There always have been and there always will be, people who say, “You mean to tell me an intelligent person like you believes Jesus is coming back? Come on, give me a break. You mean to tell me you really think He’s coming back to this earth?” Peter tells us they’re the folks who say things have never changed as it was in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be. Of course, they forget about the flood, which came and changed everything. There have always been and there always will be cynics who sneer at the coming of Jesus.

And then there are carnal people who fear the coming of Jesus. They have to get ready. They would be ashamed if, in fact, He split the clouds and caught them up short. They have to get ready. And then there have always been a few devout followers who, to quote the lady, keeps ready. Some folks who live every day thinking today He might come back.

Let’s find out where you are. You’re in that story, you know. Just think back over the past—oh, I’ll give you seven to ten days, I’ll make it easy—how many times have you thought He’s coming back? Some of you have to get ready. And a few of you, you’ve just kept ready.

It may surprise you to know that there is more said about the return of Christ than any other event in all of scripture. Do you know that? There is more said of the return of Christ than there is said of the creation of this world, the fall of mankind into sin. There is more said of the return of Christ than the choosing of the Hebrew people or their great deliverance from Egypt and their march in the Exodus through the Red Sea. There’s more said of the return of Christ than is revealed of the first coming of Christ. Did you know that? Over 300 times in the New Testament alone, the return of Christ is mentioned and sometimes emphasized in great detail.

In fact, you may have forgotten. Turn with me to the last two verses of your Bible. Just before God sealed up the book and closed it off at the end of the Revelation, Jesus talked about that event. Revelation 22, verse 20. You find it? The last two verses of the Bible. “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’” And John adds, “I believe it. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. I believe it. Amen.”

Christ’s final words to His people: “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Now, it has been my observation that there are two extreme reactions to that statement. You’ve seen them, and maybe in your earlier years in the Christian life, you have modeled one of the two extremes.

One extreme is a fanatical intensity characterized by an overreaction to this truth. People who overreact to the coming of Christ become what is commonly called prophecy freaks. Just about every day, they go off the deep end with another prediction. They are the date setters. They are the people that read into about every headline that comes across the newspaper some prophetic significance. They are preoccupied with Christ’s coming. They are often irresponsible when it comes to their own earthly life. They’re the type of people who lack an interest in the here and now. Things like making a living aren’t very important to them. Everything that has to do with tomorrow is important, but very little, if anything, that has to do with today is significant. It’s what I call prophecy gone to seed. And it’s a tragic thing to behold.

To use the old common joke about the fellow who was so premillennial he wouldn’t even eat Post Toasties—I mean, how fanatical can you get? Christ is coming, He’s coming soon, any moment now He’s coming, I gotta be careful, every move is being countered with that act. Oh, come on, come on.

But the other extreme, equally bad, is the indifferent extreme of what I call theological ignorance. It’s the opposite problem. A total lack of interest, and I mean total. You deal with prophecy, this kind of individual turns it off. He or she lacks the ability to sense God’s timetable. They see nothing of prophetic significance in scripture. I’ve also noticed that people in this category have a lifestyle that lacks passion about such things as God’s world program. Listen now: personal evangelism, purity of life, hope beyond this life.

There are individuals in God’s forever family who live in such a way that you’d never believe Christ is coming. C. S. Lewis wrote in a fine book, “Christian Behavior”: “Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continued looking forward to the eternal world is not, as some modern people think, a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.”

He continues, “It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither.”

Let me tell you another part of this side of extremism that concerns me, and that is people who are misinformed. People who are ignorant. It’s not that they reject the idea; it’s that they’ve got the whole story confused. What they believe is not truth at all. They’re ignorant in the words of scripture. Mark Twain put it well: “The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain’t so.” It’s not that people know too little about the coming of the Savior; it’s that they know too many things that aren’t biblical.

For that reason and many others, I’m glad to turn with you to 1st Thessalonians chapter 4. This’ll help us know what is so and what ain’t so. This’ll help us keep ready because these last six verses of chapter 4 in 1st Thessalonians are simple as ABC. I have the privilege of reading them back to you, making a few comments, but actually, it requires no great heady ability on my part. All I’m doing is pointing out what is for many Christians quite obvious.

Please note: this is truth we can count on. I divide this passage of scripture into three parts. Verses 13 and 14 talk about our death and life afterwards. Verses 15 through 17 talk about Christ’s coming and our joining Him in the clouds. And then obviously, verse 18 talks about how comforting this is.

So let’s sort of work our way through it. We’ll walk through it in an ABC, simple manner. First, verses 13 and 14: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”

Now you may be surprised to know that that little church in Thessalonica was also troubled by extremism. There were some people who had gone to seed on prophecy. They had quit their job, they had become busybodies, preoccupied with not the here and now, but the world hereafter. Paul rebukes them directly in the second letter he writes.

And there were others who were troubled with fear. They were misinformed. They were concerned that their loved ones had now died. And even though they were Christians, they were now dead Christians. And they thought if Christ were to come back, He’ll forget them. They’ll somehow miss the return. And so Paul writes these Christians just as He would write us today to keep them from being misinformed.

Look at how he puts it: “I don’t want you to be uninformed, brethren.” When you read the word brethren, you know this is truth for the Christian. Brothers and sisters, members of the family, don’t be uninformed. Uninformed about what? About those who are asleep.

This term asleep is a common euphemism for death. It’s not meant to be a spooky term, as though there are souls in some dormant state that are floating about looking for other bodies to reenter and to be a part of society again. Don’t take it in that wooden literalism manner. Understand that asleep is the way God calls the dead Christian. The point is they are currently unconscious and away from us. They have died. But they will be awakened. Their souls and spirits will be joined to their bodies at some particular time at the resurrection and they will be taken to be with the Lord. Don’t be misinformed: they are currently asleep, but they’re not forgotten. They’re certainly not lost. They’re asleep.

Now why would he say, “I don’t want you to be uninformed concerning those who are asleep”? He finishes his thought in verse 13: “...that you may not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” Ever met a person who faced the death of a loved one who didn’t know Christ? I mean the grieving person as well as the one who is now dead. You look into the face of hopelessness. It’s tragic. Many a time I have driven out of a funeral area, out of a graveside, and made my way through the winding path riding in the coach with the funeral director and seen an individual in horrible grief leaning on a tombstone.

And many a time I have talked to the funeral director about that individual and he would tell me that person comes just about every day and visits this gravesite and attempts to talk to the dead. Says you can’t reach her. It’s like she or he is spaced out. It’s grieving without hope. Now it’s not saying we’re not to grieve. I weary of people who pass around the information that if you are really a strong Christian, you won’t grieve when death comes. That’s not true. If I were suddenly to lose my wife or one of my children, I can tell you ahead of time, I would grieve for weeks. People who have bonded themselves to me in love, who are taken from me, cause me grief. I shed tears. I spend nights sitting alone thinking about them, missing them. It isn’t that I have no hope. I have hope, but I miss them.

To grieve without hope is to forget that there is a tomorrow. It doesn’t say we’re not to grieve. It says we’re not to grieve as those who have no hope. It says we’re to grieve with the sense that there is life beyond the grief. We can go on, and I would, just as you would, but in the valley it’s sorrowful, and tears are appropriate. Just as we laugh in our joy, we are to weep in our pain. God gave us that. Don’t dry up the tear ducts and call that being a strong Christian. It’s a pleasure at times to see Christians who are very, very human, who grieve. Not until you experience grief in its depth do you fully recover from it.

Now he says we’re not to grieve as those who have no hope because if we believe that Jesus died and rose again—now wait a minute, that’s the most important statement in all the New Testament. That condition of belief is the gospel message. That’s the reason you can have hope. If I believe that Jesus died and rose again, I have hope. If my dead loved one believed that Jesus died and rose again from the dead—if my friend, my mother or father, my child, my grandson, whoever, if I have the assurance that person has trusted in the Lord Jesus, believing in His death and resurrection, there’s hope. There’s a future. There’s a reason ultimately to smile.

Many years ago, our family lived across the street from a childless couple. They married later in life, fine people. The man was suddenly and in our terms prematurely taken in death. And this dear lady began to grieve. She began to make those awful journeys to the gravesite, seemed like if not every day, every other day. She had by then retired from work and had the time, and her life was consumed with visiting the gravesite and attempting to talk to her now deceased husband and spending nights in the house with the lights almost out. My mother became very concerned about her friend. And she said to me one day, “Charles, I think I’m going to go across the street and talk to her.”

I’ll never forget the day she left. She took a pie with her, a freshly baked pie. And she rang the doorbell and the lady came to the door, and I watched through the window as my mom walked in. They were together a couple of hours. She led her to Christ. To make a long story short, this dear woman said to my mother, “You know, now that I see how all of this fits together, I’m going to keep going back, but now I’m going to talk to people who are there.” And this woman, to my knowledge, is one of the few cemetery evangelists that I have ever met. What a ministry. She, with a little New Testament and a well-chosen, tactful series of words, comes alongside the grieving at the graveside, puts her arms around them, and she even said in days that followed, “I have invited myself to some funeral services. And when everyone else left and the widow was there, I stayed. And I told her about Christ.”

Now you sit healthy and warm and comfortable and secure right where you are and you think, “Ah, I’ve got forever to think about stuff like that.” You don’t have forever. You know you don’t have forever. I wish I had kept track of the average age of those I have buried in the last five years. It would shock you. I know it can hardly be age 50. If it’s that, it’s certainly not 60. You have hope? You believe that Jesus died and rose again? You say, “No, I’ve never believed that.” You don’t have any hope. You’re not ready. Now you may not be sneering at Christ’s return, but you’re living like a fool as though He isn’t going to return. Now’s the time. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, keep reading: even so God, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

Guest (Male): Most days, it feels like we have forever to prepare. But in 1st Thessalonians, Paul reminds us that today is the day to get ready for Christ’s return. You’re listening to Insight for Living and the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll. He’s presenting a 12-part study in 1st Thessalonians called “Contagious Christianity.”

Part of getting ready for Christ’s return is spending time in God’s word and allowing the Spirit to teach you the truth. Did you realize that Insight for Living offers a printed, spiral-bound Bible study workbook for this series on 1st Thessalonians? Whether you use the workbook in your personal quiet times or with a small group at church, you’ll find it immensely helpful. So give us a call at 800-772-8888 or go directly to insight.org/offer. The workbook is called “Contagious Christianity.”

If you’ve been listening for any length of time, you’ve heard Chuck laugh on this program, and there’s a reason for that. He genuinely believes laughter is essential to contagious Christianity. It’s a central theme in Chuck’s classic book called “Laugh Again: Experience Outrageous Joy.” Let’s be honest: some days are just hard. You wake up and it feels like you’re dragging through the hours. But here’s the question: what if your joy didn’t have to depend on your circumstances? In “Laugh Again,” Chuck shows you how to tap into a source of joy that runs deeper than whatever you’re facing. It’s about discovering real, lasting joy right in the middle of your real life.

And we’d like to send you this book as our thank-you when you support Insight for Living with a gift. Call 800-772-8888. You can also send your donation and your request for the book “Laugh Again” by writing to us at Insight for Living, Post Office Box 5000, Frisco, Texas 75034, or go online to insight.org/donate.

I’m Bill Meyer. Join us when Chuck Swindoll continues his message called “On That Great Gettin’-Up Morning,” tomorrow on Insight for Living.

The preceding message, “On That Great Gettin’-Up Morning,” was copyrighted in 1984, 1985, 1993, 2003, and 2024, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2024 by Charles R. Swindoll Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.