{"id":11673,"date":"2026-11-03T06:25:28","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T13:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=11673"},"modified":"2026-11-03T06:27:57","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T13:27:57","slug":"waking-up-to-find-you-are-his","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=11673","title":{"rendered":"Waking up to find you are his"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Select here for a pdf version.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re quickly coming to the end times, at least, the end of the church year. This is the first of three end-of-the-year Sundays. This year Christ the King Sunday is November 22th<\/sup>, the Sunday before Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our text today comes again from 1 Thessalonians, the earliest of Paul\u2019s letters. It was written about 50-51 A.D., shortly after he had become a Christian and only twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to realize that in those twenty years some Christians had died. Those who were still alive couldn\u2019t quite understand this. After all, there was the resurrection and then the Lord was coming again, wasn\u2019t he? That\u2019s what they had been told, what they expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, even Paul thought the end was coming in his lifetime. He was convinced of it. We can see his thinking in his letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when it didn\u2019t happen as they expected, the Christians started speculating and wondering about all this. How will it happen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus comes, will those who are still alive see him first? And then those who have died, will they then be raised? Who will be first? How will it happen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul writes: \u201cNo, it\u2019s not going to happen like that.\u201d He says: \u201cWe who are alive shall not precede those who have fallen asleep\u201d (I Thess 4:15). Rather, first the dead in Christ will arise and then second, we who are alive who are left, shall be caught up together with them \u201cso we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words\u201d (I Thess 4:17-18).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We \u201cwho are left\u201d behind. That\u2019s an end-time phrase, being left behind. You may have read or heard about the Left Behind<\/em> series of books by Tim LaHaye. They sold millions of copies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Paul talks about where people go or are after death, he says that people are asleep until the final judgment. Then he pivots to saying: \u201cBut.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His point is really important as we come to the end of the church year. He writes: But as to the time or the seasons, we don\u2019t know. It\u2019s like the thief in the night. You don\u2019t know when he\u2019s coming. If you did, you\u2019d make sure the doors are locked and the security lights are on. You\u2019d be prepared, in the know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a clue as to why books like the Left Behind<\/em> series are popular. They dangle before people the idea that we can figure this out. We can see and know what God is up to and how it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Paul reminds us that the end comes like the thief in the night. It is not only Paul who says this. In the New Testament there are five places (Matt 24:43, 1 Thess 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10, Rev 3:3, 16:15) where this same image of a thief in the night is used. And what\u2019s the point about the thief in the night? If you knew the thief was coming, you would be ready. But how can you be? It\u2019s both hidden and a surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s like the ten maidens who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Some took enough oil and others didn\u2019t (Matthew 25:1-13). Some were prepared with extra oil which was good because the bridegroom was delayed, and others weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul also says one day there is peace and security, then suddenly war and chaos. Or it\u2019s like a mother-to-be who goes into labor early and there\u2019s danger for her pre-born child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or it\u2019s like walking along and then suddenly being caught in a snare, a hidden trap, as it says in Luke 21:34: \u201cTake heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you like a snare.\u201d It catches you off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no warning, and all of sudden, everything changes. If you have ever been robbed, you know how awful that feels. It happened unexpectedly, and there wasn\u2019t anything you could do about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or you\u2019re driving a car when all of a sudden someone hits you. Your world is turned upside down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end is like that. Mark 13:32 says: \u201cBut of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we say to this? Many people think: I\u2019m going to live one world at a time. I\u2019ll deal with the next world, the next life, when it comes. For today, I can put that off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what about plea bargaining? When the end comes. can we plea bargain with God? Can we say: \u201cLord, I wasn\u2019t fully informed. It was my parents\u2019 fault. It was the pastor\u2019s fault. None of them did right by me, and as a consequence, I didn\u2019t realize what\u2019s at stake. In any case, I\u2019m a good person now, certainly not as bad as you know who. Surely, we can work this out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the text says: Like a thief in the night, wrath is coming. The wrath is, of course, the Lord\u2019s judgment against sin and evil. They have no place in his kingdom to come. Holiness cannot abide sin and evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then what about us? Are we ready enough? Do we believe correctly? Have we done enough good? These are the wrong questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul then has this striking statement (paraphrase): \u201cBut we belong to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says: We have been destined, we have been predestined, we have been chosen. It doesn\u2019t depend on us. It doesn\u2019t depend on all these false religions we cook up about whether we\u2019re good enough or think rightly. Rather, it\u2019s because he has made us his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Paul talks about darkness and light, about being asleep and waking up. He writes (paraphrase): \u201cWe\u2019re not of the night or of darkness, we\u2019re sons and daughters of the light and of the day. We\u2019re not sleeping; we\u2019re awake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s like a comment made by a famous Lutheran, Gerhard Forde, a seminary professor, who died about 20 years ago (2005). Someone once asked him about sanctification, that\u2019s a fancy word for the Christian life. The question was: What\u2019s the relationship between sanctification and justification? Between the Christian life and the cross. Forde always had a kind of poker face. He paused for a moment and then said: \u201cWell, sanctification is waking up to the fact of justification.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s like Paul in our text. Waking up to the fact that you belong to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul writes in Philippians 3:12: \u201cNot that I have already obtained this [the resurrection from the dead] or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what we\u2019re about: Waking up to the fact that we are his. He has a plan for you. Your life is going somewhere. And despite all appearances to the contrary, he is Lord and his kingdom is forever. You can rest in him, count on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to all the others? We don\u2019t know. We really don\u2019t know. But that\u2019s the Lord\u2019s problem, not ours. And it\u2019s not up to us to answer that or solve that. We let God be God. Thank goodness he is in charge and not us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for ourselves, we stand with Paul: \u201cIf we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord\u2019s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living\u201d (Romans 14:8-9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is Christ the King, and we are his. Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18<\/p>\n

We\u2019re quickly coming to the end times, at least, the end of the church year. This is the first of three end-of-the-year Sundays. This year Christ the King Sunday is November 22th, the Sunday before Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

Our text today comes again from 1 Thessalonians, the earliest of Paul\u2019s letters. It was written about 50-51 A.D., shortly after he had become a Christian and only twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus.<\/p>\n

It is important to realize that in those twenty years some Christians had died. Those who were still alive couldn\u2019t quite understand this. After all, there was the resurrection and then the Lord was coming again, wasn\u2019t he? That\u2019s what they had been told, what they expected.<\/p>\n

In fact, even Paul thought the end was coming in his lifetime. He was convinced of it. We can see his thinking in his letters.<\/p>\n

Select here<\/a> to read more or select here <\/a> for a pdf version.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11673"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11679,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673\/revisions\/11679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}