“WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER” (Outline)
November 14, 2010 -
Saints Triumphant -
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18
INTRO: When is the end not the end? The end is not the end when it is a beginning. Earthly life comes to an end. The believers’ perfect eternal life begins. While living on this earth we might forget that the best is yet to come. We can easily become overly involved with too many earthly activities. Our text reminds us that life really begins when everything earthly ends. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (PHILIPPIANS 1:21-23). Here we proclaim God’s gospel. In eternity we perfectly praise God forever.
“WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER”.
I. Either at our death. II. Or on Judgment Day.
I. “WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER” AT OUR DEATH.
A. Verse 13a. Paul calls these believers “brothers”. They belong to the same spiritual family.
1. The words of encouragement given to these believers are eternal words of comfort.
2. The believers in Thessalonica are to “encourage each other with these words”, verse 18.
B. Verse 13. This is the first generation of believers in Christ. By grace through faith they believed.
1. At death the unbelievers around them grieved greatly. They had no eternity, no hope.
2. These believers in Christ knew of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. This is eternal hope.
3. Verse 14a. We believe the message of the gospel: “Jesus died and rose again”.
C. Verse 14b. Believers fall asleep in the Lord. Death is not to be scary. Asleep in Jesus = beginning.
D. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead has been under attack from that very first Easter Sunday. The guards went to the chief priests and told them about the empty tomb. This was not the news they wanted to hear. They devised a plan to spread the rumor that Jesus’ disciples stole his body. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians that rumor (of body stealing) still persisted. Not much has changed over all these generations. Many still attack that fact of Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the tomb. Many still deny Jesus’ resurrection, which is the very foundation of the Christian faith. "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (1 CORIN. 15:17-19).
E. Losing the truth of Jesus’ resurrection shows the fatal flaw of the mind of mankind. All too often our focus is rather narrow. We tend to value all the things that brings us pleasure right now. We put a bit too much emphasis on the things of this life rather than the things of God. On this earth are only perishable possessions. A rich, young man questioned Jesus about gaining eternity. Jesus said he should give his wealth to the poor. The young man went away saddened because he had much. The rich man would be not giving to those in need. Jesus told the parable about the man who needed to build bigger barns for the abundance of the harvest. Yet, that night his life would end. Who would get all his stuff? This man would not enjoy his earthly treasures. "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God" (LUKE 12:21). Enjoy God’s free grace. Believers – be rich toward God.
F. God’s gospel message is direct, “Jesus lived and died and rose again.” This message brings to all who believe eternal life. This truth reminds us that our earthly death is definitely not the end. The end of our earthly life is the beginning our eternal life with Jesus. Believers fall asleep in Jesus. We are comfortably carried by the arms of Jesus to heaven itself. Jesus went to the house of Mary and Martha to raise Lazarus from the dead. "Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’" (JOHN 11:25, 26). Martha and Mary believed Jesus. We believe Jesus’ resurrection provides ours.
“WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER” when our earthly life ends. Then eternity begins.
II. “WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER” ON JUDGMENT DAY.
A. These verses teach the believers about the timeframe of Judgment Day.
1. Verse 15. The dead in Christ will rise first. Those asleep will be raised by Jesus.
2. Verse 16. “The dead in Christ will rise first”. They will be reunited with their bodies.
3. We are not told why this will happen. But this is what Jesus will do for those once dead.
B. Verse 16. Notice that everyone will know what is happening on the Last Day, Judgment Day.
1. On that Last Day is God’s loud command, the archangel’s voice, and God’s trumpet.
2. Every eye will see and every ear hears the return of Jesus to judge the living and the dead.
C. Verse 17. Believers are taken up to meet the Lord in the clouds in the air.
1. There is no mention of Jesus standing on the earth. No mention of a new, earthly kingdom.
2. The believers are taken by the hand to rise and meet the Savior. Jesus does not come down.
3. Then “we will be with the Lord forever”. Forever is far longer than a thousand years.
D. If we are living on the Last Day we will be taken into heaven to be with Jesus forever. The day of God’s judgment takes place in an instant. Sometimes we forget that fact. God is able to do all things according to his power. The Lord God Almighty knows those who are his. Also the Lord God Almighty also knows those who have rejected him. There will be many who have no use for the Savior while alive on earth. On Judgment Day those who have rejected Jesus will be rejected by God. The unbelievers will be forever separated from God. This is part of the eternal punishment that never ends. Another part of this eternal torment is the fact that unbelievers now know that they are separated forever from the love of God. What unending torture this is to endure. "… the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment" (2 PETER 2:9).
E. Some will die before the Lord’s return. The believers asleep in Jesus will already be with the Lord forever. Others will be alive on the Last Day. On that Day the believers will be taken into heaven to be with Lord forever. What a comfort for every believer of every age to know that heaven is our home. It is with these eternal words that we encourage each other. "He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken" (ISAIAH 25:8). The Lord has spoken: God promises and fulfills always.
F. God’s Judgment Day will bring about the final separation of believers and unbelievers. Unbelievers will suffer unending torment for their rejection of Jesus. Only by God’s grace are we given our place in heaven that God has prepared for us. “So we will be with the Lord forever.” We are given eternal life purely because of our heavenly Father’s mercy and love. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory" (ROMANS 8:16, 17).
CONC: In life or in death we belong to the Lord. Such are the eternal words of our Lord and Savior for believers. May we always remind others of joy at the end of everything earthly. Then we begin to enjoy everything heavenly forever. This happens when anyone falls asleep in Jesus. Our earthly end is our heavenly, eternal beginning. "And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming" (1 JOHN 2:28). Stand firm in the promises of God until he returns. “WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER”! Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
SAINTS TRIUMPHANT rdgs:
ISAIAH 65:17-25;
2 THESS. 2:13-3:5;
LUKE 20:27-38;
(PSALM 150)
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