The hope of heaven and the promise of the second coming of Jesus change how you understand and experience the hardships of this world.

There are many things you will never experience, but the Bible declares that until Jesus comes again, there is one thing that everyone will experience, and that is death.

Grief is the common bond between every generation, every culture, and every people group.

When confronted with death, it draws your attention to the big questions concerning eternity, entrance into heaven, and the judgment of God and hell. The Thessalonians were new Christians and had many questions, but their greatest concern was about the Christians who had died before Christ's return.

Paul writes these instructions to inform and encourage the church with GoGod'sruth. Confusion was causing them to worry and grieve, but Paul wanted them to be encouraged by the word of God. This passage teaches three ways that the word of God encourages and gives you hope.

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Sermon preached 3/23/2025.

Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.

For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.

Pastor Ben Smith preaches from 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 on how growing in brotherly love transforms your relationship with the saints, the direction of your life, and your testimony before the world. The transformation of the gospel has both a restrictive and empowering effect on your life. In the previous verse (1-8), the Bible declares that the transforming work of God in the lives of true Christians is to cause you to abstain from sexual immorality. Most read this only as something restrictive. However, in verse 4, the Bible teaches that Christians are able to abstain from sexual immorality because, through the empowerment of God, Christians have mastery over their bodies and are no longer controlled by the passion of lust like the world (5).

Building on this, verses 9-12 declare that the transforming work of God in the lives of true Christians enables you to love one another and that this love transforms everything about your life. This passage identifies three ways brotherly love transforms your life.

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Sermon preached 3/16/2025.

Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.

For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.

God’s will for your sanctification requires that you abstain from sexual immorality, possess your body in honor, and live holy before God.

We are living in a hyper-sexualized culture. It seems sexual perversion and sexual immorality are everywhere.

However, though the world may be full of sexual immorality, the command of God and the evidence of salvation is that Christians must abstain from sexual immorality. How, then, can you live sexually pure in a sexually perverse world? This passage teaches three requirements that you must do to live a life holy before God.

You must be saved. (1-3a) You must be self-controlled. (3b-6) You must be submissive before God. (7-8)

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Sermon preached 3/10/2025.

Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.

For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.