Our Christian hope isn't built on wishful thinking. It's anchored in historical reality. Christmas proved God keeps His promises when Christ entered our world. Good Friday demonstrated the depth of his love through ultimate sacrifice. and Easter morning shattered death's grip with resurrection power.
These aren't fairy tales. They're facts that forever changed human destiny. Today, on Insight for Living, Juxwindahl describes how sound theological doctrine guarantees our future hope. Because Jesus died and rose again, we too shall rise. Because he conquered death, we need not fear it.
Chuck titled today's message, The Believer's Greatest Hope. Grief over someone's death is normal. And certainly understandable, but a grief of despair. is an open denial of hope. Reveals an absence of understanding and ignorance of the truth.
And I don't mean that to be ugly. or to be offensive. If you're not informed, then your grief will be A kind of sadness you cannot get past. But if you're informed. You're able to deal with it.
You have hope.
Now. If you work your way through these verses, and there's no reason for me to make them complicated because they are not. We encounter first in verses 14 and 15. our foundational assurance. I would call this the Christians' Creed.
It's in three parts. Look at it. The first relates to Jesus. For if we believe and could be rendered since we believe. And there are three things we believe in these two verses.
Number one, that Jesus died and rose again. Foundational Theology. We believe Jesus died and rose again. He was the first to be resurrected. Jesus died and rose again.
That's foundational. We believe that. Second relates to the Christian. Who dies? Keep reading.
Even so, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. These are people in Christ. meaning they're believers. and they have died. And the third part of our creed has to do with Christians who are living when Christ comes back.
Next verse. This we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive And remain until the coming of the Lord. Parusia, it's the idea of his return for his own. His coming will not precede those who have fallen asleep. The dead in Christ will have precedence over us who live.
in the reunion. with the Lord.
Now we come to four theological Affirmations first. There is the return. Look at 16. For the Lord Himself will descend. From heaven.
So he'll return. Let's go next to the resurrection. Look closely. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Remember saying we don't precede them?
They will rise first.
So we have the Lord descending. and we have the bodies of the dead rising.
Now, the third, verse 17, is the rapture. Look at it. Then we who are alive, he comes back to the subject of the living. believers We who are alive and remain on the earth will be There's our word caught up together with them. With whom?
with the bodies of those who had died before. Will be caught up in a living form, and they will have been brought back to life in that glorified state, and we will. move with them having been taken from or snatched from And carried away to be with the Lord. And then the fourth is the reunion. That's the end of verse 17.
We will meet the Lord in the air and we shall always be with the Lord. If you're a student of the resurrection, you'll want to be a student of 1 Corinthians 15.
Now, verse 51, go to the end of the chapter. Behold, I tell you a mystery, we will not all sleep. What does that mean? Having learned what you've learned, We will not all die. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.
In the last trumpet, the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised. Look at the word, imperishable, and we, he says it again, will be. changed. Goes even further. This perishable must put on imperishable.
This mortal must put on immortality. When the perishable will have done that, then will come to pass the saying, Death is swallowed up. In victory. Death is an enemy, but he's not a triumphant enemy. He is a transition.
And that is all. Look at how he writes it. Oh death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting? I love that.
Trust me. Shakespeare got that from Paul. Paul didn't get that from Shakespeare. He's an original. The sting of death is sin.
The power of sin is the law. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. You have nothing to fear. Do not spend your days uh anguished over your death. The main thing you need to take care of is your soul.
That you know Christ personally and you're ready. Not only To live, you're ready to die. It's beautiful.
Now back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. I get so caught up in this, I start believing my own stuff here.
So I got to go back to see what this says. Look at verse 16. Here we go. The Lord Himself will descend from heaven. Look at it.
With a shout. The word means a word of command. It's a military term. And those of us who have served in the military remember following the orders of our superiors. They give an order, it's a command, and you do exactly what is said.
I don't know what the command will be. It may be Rise. It may be as in John 11. Forty I think it is, when he says to Lazarus, Come forth. And the dead will be raised exactly as commanded.
And he says it will happen with a shout. With the voice of the archangel. And the trumpet blast. That great The trumpet blast. Of God, and the dead in Christ will be raised first.
We love the word picture. One man called this a collection of evocative images. I like that language. A collection of evocative images, a shout, a voice, a trumpet. When he shall come with trumpets sound, Oh, may I then in him be found, Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne On Christ, the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.
Edward Mote wrote that in the 19th century. It's as true now as it was when he first wrote it. When he shall come with trumpet sound. Did you hear the changes? Dressed in his righteousness alone.
Faultless to stand before the throne. Great. No bag of sins carried with us, no horrible, shameful memories. We are changed in a moment in the... Flash of an eye.
and we are caught up together.
Now we come to this. Resurrection, verse 16 concludes. And the dead in Christ will rise first. They will not only be resurrected from the dead, they will be the first. to ascend.
And we will follow. I like the way Eugene Peterson and the message renders this section. When the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead. and leave them behind. In actual fact, They will be ahead of us.
They'll go first. He's exactly right.
So don't Don't worry about your loved one in the grave. God will not forget. God will not overlook. They will be brought up, glorified, and changed. Doesn't matter.
How they died. Even if it was a tragic death, even if their bodies were exploded in the midst of a bomb or warfare. Even though the body may have been lost at sea, the one who made the body is able to bring it back together, and he will do so. at the time of the resurrection. It's true.
It's exactly what the scripture teaches.
Sound theology has a way of calming your fears. Look at the next verse. Then. See the progression? First this, Next to that.
Then this, look at it. Then we who are alive, that we're living on the earth, who remain, will be, here's our word, caught up. Where do we get the word rapture? The Latin is the word rapir, R-A-P-E-R-E. We get our word rapture from it.
The Greek is harpazzo. It's the idea of seizing suddenly and carrying away. sweeping away having been caught. Snatched and taken away, that's the idea. the believers on this earth will be taken from the earth.
And we will go along with those who have died in Christ. And we'll realize then that it was only, death was only a comma. It was not a period. It's a transition. And now look at the reunion.
We will go in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and we will always be with. the Lord. There'll be no interruption once we are with him. No more death, no more tears, no more sorrow, no more disease, no more crying, no more sin. We will forever be with the Lord.
He uses the word, always be with the Lord. And that's our reunion. Isn't that going to be glorious? We'll go up with the saints. Yeah.
We'll join all of them.
Somebody going to be surprised to see you going up? We talk about being surprised, somebody else is going to go, they're going to maybe be surprised at us. You ready for that? Yeah, yeah, you're not ready to live until you're ready to. Go up.
To die? And look at how he puts it. Comfort each other with these words. Comfort. It's a great word.
I'd never looked at it closely before. It's a word that, well, the word comfort itself is a Latin. root fortis. Fortis is the word for brave. And con, C O N with it, confortis is together with.
The idea brave Uh b be brave together. Be courageous together. Reassure one another, says the message. The reassurance is ours. To enjoy.
And today I reassure you with these words and you with one another as you stand alongside those. who are losing someone very important. Never make light of that knowing what you know about the truth. Remember, it's a deeply emotional, we're only human, it's a deeply emotional experience. But what you know about the future brings such comfort to you.
We are full of enthusiasm and H-O-P-E. Lucy was right, takes a great load off our minds. Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote it because he lives. I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone.
And Because I know he holds the future. Life is worth the living just because he lives. Because he lives, we shall. Live also. Are you uh Ready?
Or you have to get ready. I used to work in a machine shop, and part of my apprenticeship took me. Through each one of the departments. It was a four and a half year course, and I'm very grateful that I learned to work with my hands and work with blue-collar workers. Who were all around me.
And one of the departments was the Turret Lead department. And the fellow who had worked there all his life, we called him Tex. Tex and I worked, he worked on that lathe and I worked on this one. And uh Yeah. Throw this in.
Text chewed tobacco. And he kept a pouch of it in his back pocket. And every once in a while, without even looking, he'd reach back in it. in his pouch and he And the big old char in his mouth. Yeah, the nasty, chewing that old sorry stuff.
Well Uh we were in Houston in a machine shop and and uh Houston has a lot of crickets. And uh They used to hop in. on the floor of our shop. 'Cause the doors are open on hot nights and I thought one night Shit. He'd never know it.
So I picked up a big old cricket and jerked off its head. laid it right in the top of the pouch of Text Chewing tobacco. He spit wings, legs. Never knew it.
Sorry. My interesting thing about techs is that the whistle, when you have the whistle blow, you're all through for the day. And he was He never was late to get out of the shop. I mean, he was ready. And I said to him one time, hey, text you.
Boy, you don't have to spend much time getting ready.
So let me tell you something, Sonny. I don't get ready, I stay ready. If you know the Lord Jesus. You stay ready. Every change of the calendar every flip of the month.
Every turn of the 24-hour day. I'm ready. Stay ready. The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout. The voice of the archangel, the trumpet of God, and the dead will rise, and we who are alive and remain.
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
So shall we ever be with the Lord. And we'll literally walk on air. Isn't that a great thought? Remember, all the way through childhood, you dreamed of flying. I remember wanting to be Superman.
So I get the biggest towel in the house and I put a big safety pin to tie it and then I jump off the side of the roof. I didn't do that too many times because I couldn't fly, but I kept thinking maybe the cape is what makes him fly. You don't fly. in that manner. You're only going to fly when he takes you up to be with him.
Unless You're not ready. You know what? That's a whole nother sermon. It also has no ending. It's called eternal judgment.
You will never hear me make light of eternal judgment. I never tell jokes about eternal judgment. I'm never frivolous. about eternity without Christ. It isn't funny.
It is the most Horrible. Possible. Set of events. The mind. could imagine.
And so I I take this opportunity to say to you who need to get ready.
Now's the time. Because you know what? You may not live to put a new calendar on the wall. You don't know what your life will be like tomorrow. And I can assure you.
because of sound theology. You'll have no second chance. There is no purgatory. There is no such thing. After death.
It is appointed unto us once to die. After death. The judgment. Serious, serious stuff. Trust in Christ.
Of course. Take him now. He's the ticket. He's the Saviour. You're heaven bound.
Cannot lose. We will always be with the Lord. There's nothing temporary about our eternal home. Death will not invade it. Tears will not mar it.
Disease will not change it. Difficulties will not visit it. After we have passed into the Lord's presence, we will always be with Him. Trust him. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be rescued.
Please bow your heads.
Sound theology has a way of comforting Some of us But it will haunt others. And you know who you are. Because passages The opposite of what I've just been dealing with appear in the scriptures to warn you. of eternity without hope. Without God, I urge you today, right now, where you're sitting, right now.
Regardless of what the future looks like for you, regardless of how healthy you may be, regardless of your age, regardless of your geography. Right now. Make certain. Christ lives in your life. He who has the Son has the life.
He who does not have the Son of God does not. Have. The mine. Thank you, Father, for our greatest hope. Thank you that because Your son lives, we shall live also.
Thank you that we can face the future. Because he lives. We are very, very grateful for your truth. It lives and abides forever. Thank you for the comfort it brings to us who are Living for the day your son returns.
and for the warning it provides for those who are not. Ready. Bring them to faith. Keep them restless. Sleepless Uneasy.
Troubled. until they find rest in you. through faith in Christ. We pray this in the name of the one who lives. And because he lives, we too.
Shall live. Even Christ. Everyone said. Amen. In uncertain times, we find comfort in these eternal truths.
Christ will return for His children. Those who've died in faith aren't lost, they'll rise first. You see, death isn't the end of the story. It's merely a transition. and whether death finds us first or Christ returns while we're living, we'll be caught up to meet Him forever.
So stay ready, live confidently, and face tomorrow without fear. Because he lives. You're listening to Insight for Living and a powerful message from Chuck Swindahl titled Believers' Greatest Hope. On this final day of our holiday teaching series, Juck has prepared a special closing comment for you in just a moment. At Christmastime we're reminded, sometimes over and over again, that our hearts should be filled with peace and joy.
Remember what the angel said? Don't be afraid. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. Chuck? Think for a moment.
When was the last time you heard an infant giggle? Seriously. Can you remember? Maybe it was a video clip you saw online. Perhaps it was one of your grandkids.
or great-grandkids. Nothing like a pudgy little one, sitting upright, hands flailing in the air, cackling until he loses his breath.
Well, it's hard to resist that sound, isn't it? The joy is infectious. I've often thought That's the kind of pure, innocent, unbridled joy the Lord offers His children. Oh, it's not about the laughter. There's something about that irrepressible joy.
that beautifully reflects our Lord's character. Can't you just picture Mary and Joseph in those private moments? With the Christ child? This Christmas, we celebrate Jesus. The innocent baby born in Bethlehem, who is our everlasting light.
He came to bring us joy that can't be suppressed, diminished, or stolen away. As we conclude another year of ministry together, I want you to join me in spreading God's everlasting light. And his irrepressible joy to to others around the world. When you give to insight for living, you're infusing a supernatural source of joy into someone's life. You're giving them something genuine to smile about.
in the midst of their struggles. I can tell you the opportunities to do so through Insight for Living are countless. All that stands in the way are the resources to do so. Please, as you thank God for His everlasting love this year, include Insight for Living among those you support. By giving a generous gift.
you'll offer a waiting world something to smile about. real joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. Thanks so much. Here's how to respond to Chuck's window. To send your donation in the mail, address your envelope to InsightForLiving.
Post Office Box 5000. Frisco, Texas, 75034. Regardless of the size of your special year-end gift, your generosity will make an impact. I'm reminded of a comment from one of your fellow listeners who said, Chuck, My mother-in-law introduced me to your radio ministry in 1979. I was a police officer and listened daily in the car, and each sermon left me wanting more of the Word of God.
I've listened ever since, requested your books and CDs, and still use them today. I occasionally get to minister in our church, and your books and commentaries are my go-to source for sermon material.
Well, we love hearing stories of impact like that. And when you give, you play a key role in making these moments happen. If you prefer to give a donation by speaking to one of our ministry representatives, you can call us at 800-772-8888 or give online at insight.org slash donate. Are you ready for the new year? I'm Bill Meyer.
Join us when Chuck presents what he calls a time to reflect and renew. Monday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, Believer's Greatest Hope, was copyrighted in 2015, 2016, and 2025, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles R. Swindahl, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide.
Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
