Living in Between: He's Coming Back and They're coming with Him
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Big Idea: Because Jesus died and rose again, we can grieve with hope, knowing he is coming back for us and bringing our loved ones who died in him, so we will be together with the Lord forever.
1. GRIEVE, AND BELIEVE (13-14)
2. HE IS COMING BACK FOR US (15-17)
3. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS (v. 18)
Reflection Questions
START: Read through 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (work on memory verse)
Paul doesn’t say “don’t grieve.” He says don’t grieve “as others do who have no hope” (v. 13). What’s the difference between grieving with hope and grieving without it? Have you seen someone grieve with hope?
“To meet the Lord” pictures a city going out to welcome its returning king and escort him home (Acts 28:15; John 12:13). How does seeing the church as a welcoming party, not an escape party, change how you think about Jesus’ return?
Paul says, “Encourage one another with these words” (v. 18). Who comes to mind who needs this hope right now? What’s one way you could reach out to them this week?
Charitably discuss these Four Views of Christ’s Return:
Dispensational: The church is raptured, then seven years of tribulation, then Jesus returns and reigns on earth for 1,000 years, then the New Heaven and New Earth.
Historic Premillennial: Jesus returns once after the tribulation, then reigns on earth for 1,000 years, then the New Heaven and New Earth.
Postmillennial: The 1,000 years is a long golden age of gospel growth, and then Jesus returns once to establish the New Heaven and New Earth.
Amillennial: The 1,000 years is a picture of this present age, as Christ reigns from heaven. He returns once to establish the New Heaven and New Earth.
All agree: Jesus is coming back, he will judge the living and the dead, the dead in Christ will rise, and we will always be with the Lord.
6 Oct 2026
Living in Between: Faith That Goes to Work
1 Thess. 4:9-12
Big Idea: The hope of Jesus' return doesn't pull us out of everyday life. It sends us back into it. While we wait, God's Spirit teaches us to love one another more and more, and to live quiet, hardworking, honest lives so the world can see that the gospel is real.
1. THE WAY YOU LOVE EACH OTHER MATTERS (9-10)
2. THE WAY YOU LIVE BEFORE OTHERS MATTERS (11-12)
CONCLUSION: AND WHAT YOU BELIEVE MATTERS
Reflection Questions
START: Read through 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18
Paul tells a church that's already loving well to "do this more and more" (v. 10). What's one practical way you could love someone in our church family more this week?
What does "aspire to live quietly" (v. 11) look like in your daily life? What tends to make your life feel loud, anxious, or hurried? What can we learn from Jesus’ life/style on this?
Does your faith go to work (or school) with you? Where can we be most tempted to cut corners, and what would it look like to live with "no question marks” next to our work?”
Read 1 Thess. 4:13-14 together a few times, it’s a the memory verse for this week. How does believing that Jesus died, rose again, and is coming back change the way you live, work, and grieve right now?
Close your time in prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching us to love by Your Spirit. Help us love one another more and more. Give us a quiet confidence in You, hands that work hard, and lives of integrity that point others to You. While we wait for Your return, fill us with hope. Amen.
29 Sept 2026
Living in Between: Holy Living in Between
1 Thess. 4:1-8
Big Idea: God alone has the authority to tell us how we ought to live, and He gives us His Spirit and His grace to walk in it.
1. Your Lifestyle Matters (1-2)
2. Your Sanctification Matters (3-6)
3. Your Calling Matters (7-8)
Reflection Questions
START: Read through 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Where do you see our culture being selective about its "oughts"? Why is God's authority a better foundation for how we live than cultural values that shift over time?
Paul uses the image of a "walk" to describe the whole Christian life. Which area of your lifestyle (time, money, relationships, entertainment, thought life) do you find hardest to submit to God, and why?
Paul commends the Thessalonians ("just as you are doing") but still urges them to grow "more and more." Where are you tempted to settle for minimal holiness, and what would growing "more and more" look like for you this month?
Why do you think sexual immorality is so closely tied to sanctification in this passage? How does sexual sin affect not only us, but others (v. 6)?
Verse 8 is both a warning and an encouragement. How does knowing that God gives you His Holy Spirit change the way you face your struggles with sin? What is one practical step (prayer, Scripture, accountability, community) you can take this week to walk in that grace?
Close your time in prayer: Lord Jesus, You are holy. The angels cry out unceasingly before Your majesty, singing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts." Make me holy, as You are holy. Help me put to death the sin that so easily clings to my life, and let me live in victory over it by the power of Your Holy Spirit. When I fall short, help me cling to Your grace and get back up in faith, knowing that You are not finished with me yet. May Your mercy fill me, and may Your grace empower me. You are my God. Amen.
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