(Revised July 22, 2019)
1Thes 1:2-10 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God our Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. Evidenced by their change of worldview and lifestyle; their endurance through suffering for the sake of faith in Jesus, with joy of the Holy Spirit; and their hopeful expectation of the return of the Lord to deliver them from the wrath of God to come.
Heb 6:1-2 Therefore leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Messiah, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God; of the doctrine of baptisms; of laying on of hands; of resurrection of the dead; and of eternal judgment.
–from being mere ‘children’ to becoming ‘sons’
—Dan 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust shall awake: some to everlasting life; some to shame and everlasting contempt
—1Cor 15:13-19; Jn 11:23-24 without the resurrection, our faith, teaching, and lives are vain, futile
Acts 24:14-16; 23:6; 26:6-7 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and man.
–the hope of the resurrection is the promise of God to His people; at least as far back as Job we have a record of living hope in the resurrection
–personal responsibility to live as a righteous person, to live in a manner that proves we believe in the resurrection of the just
–God raised Jesus – not Moses, not Buddha, not Mohammed, not Gandhi – from among the dead (Mk 9:9-10)
–proof of being the Son of God; of God’s satisfaction with Him; of His being the Just One
–first-born of many brethren: in Him we, too, will be raised up from among the dead on the last day!
–Do you believe the love of the truth?
2Tim 4:8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who love His appearing.
–everlasting crown, not a temporary or fading one (‘icing on the cake’; ‘to top it all off’; ‘the best of it all’)
–the resurrection of the just (Dan 12:2; Jn 5:26-29;Acts 24:15; Phlp 3:11; Rev 20:6)
–if our conscience is clear, we are neither afraid or embarrassed to see someone who knows us
—1Jn 4:17-19 where there is love, there is no fear of judgment
–The Holy Spirit works in us to prepare us for the Day of Judgment. Part of the Lord’s prayer which He teaches us is that we be delivered from the evil [day; one].
–all the trials of life are intended to prove, strengthen, perfect our faith in Him who has demonstrated his everlasting love for us.
–humility: conformity to the image of the Son of God
–the tension in life between the sovereignty of God and man’s free will
–confidence in God; no confidence in the flesh, in me, in my credentials
–I do not do very well in many things. My faith, hope, and love are in Jesus, who died for sinners to make us righteous in God’s sight.
Phlp 3:7-14 … that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. . . .
2Tim 1:8-12 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
