Guidelines in Approaching These Verses

1 Th. 4:13-5:11 1 Thessalonians

Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, providing essential guidelines for interpreting this crucial passage on the return of Christ. He argues that the passage's primary purpose is to comfort grieving believers by correcting their worldly despair through sound doctrine concerning the state of those who 'fall asleep in Jesus.' Martin emphasizes that Christian doctrine, rooted in divine revelation and interconnected, is vital for sanctification and for equipping believers to mutually exhort and comfort one another in the face of death and calamity, rather than being a battleground for eschatological speculation.

3 illustrations in this sermon

Introduction to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 and its Abuses

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Passage as a Football

The point: Do not abuse this passage but use it to the end for which it was given.

The passage has been 'abused and made a football' by people reading their own eschatological prejudices into it, illustrating how the text has been mishandled and distorted.

It is obvious that the general doctrinal theme of this particular passage relates to the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ, what we would commonly call the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. What we call the second advent of the Lord Jesus. Both in verses 13 to 18, where we have his coming and its relationship to dead and living believers in particular, and his coming in chapter 5, as it relates to the unconverted, particularly verses 3 and 4. Now, this section has been abused and made a football by perhaps more people of God, in the past 80 to 90 years

3:41 - 4:26 Read in full sermon

The Application of Doctrine: Exhortation in Calamity

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Man's Calamities and Despair

In this part of the sermon: This section illustrates how doctrine, once known, needs to be applied, especially in times of despair. Martin uses an extended example of a believer facing calamity to show the…

A man who knows the doctrine of God's sovereignty rejoices in it, but when his car breaks down, his kid flunks out, and his shop burns down, he 'goes to pieces.' This illustrates the common failure to apply known doctrine in times of personal calamity and the need for a brother's exhortation.

Next week front end drops out of his car on his way to work.

23:51 - 23:54 Read in full sermon

The Interrelatedness of Christian Doctrine

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Lumber on a Construction Site

The point: If we value our souls, don't tamper with any beam in the structure of divine truth and doctrine.

God's truth is not like a pile of raw lumber (boards, shingles, nails) dumped on a construction site, but like a properly joined structure where 'every beam is related to the rest of the house.' This illustrates the interrelatedness of Christian doctrine and the danger of tampering with any part of it.

For you see, God's truth comes to us not like a bunch of boards and shingles and nails and trusses all dumped in a backyard or on the construction site. When I did construction work summers, many times when we were laying the foundation, the lumber truck would come and dump out all the 2x8s and the 2x10s and the 2x4s and all the rest. Well, that's not a house. That's a bunch of raw materials but that's not a house.

30:26 - 30:51 Read in full sermon

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