A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they are atheists too. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks.
There is, however, one exception. A girl named Lucy has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different.
"Because I'm not an atheist."
Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?"
"I'm a Christian."
The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Lucy why she is a Christian.
"Well, I was brought up knowing and loving Jesus. My mom is a Christian, and my dad is a Christian, so I am a Christian."
The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly.
"What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was a moron. What would you be then?"
She paused, and smiled. "Then," says Lucy, "I'd be an atheist."
************
“The Resurrection Protocol”
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Scripture Reading
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
In recent days we’ve heard a lot about the end of time, the coming of Christ, the Apocalypse, the Mayan calendar and several other end time statements that have provoked a good deal of interest and in some cases hysteria, predictions of the end of time, and to be honest, a lot of meaningless hype! Since this is Palm Sunday with Easter right around the corner I felt that it would be helpful to look at what the Bible says about the Resurrection and the return of Christ. This is not new for men have speculating on the end of the world for two thousand years. Let me give you a few examples:
SIX THOUSAND YEARS
Early Christian writers held that at the end of 6,000 years of history, Christ would return and reign for 1,000 years (referred to as the Millennium). These included Barnabas (c. A.D. 100), Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (c. A.D. 150), Lactantius (c. A.D. 325), and Methodius, Bishop of Tyre (c. A.D. 300).
For example, Barnabas wrote:
As there have been 2,000 years from Adam to Abraham, and
2,000 from Abraham to Christ; so there will be
2,000 years for the Christian era and then would come the Millennium."
(Some believe the 2,000 years of the Christian era are not modern 365.24-day years, but prophetic, or "God-years" of 360 days each, beginning with the year of Christ's crucifixion, which scholars debate as from A.D. 30 to 33.
Church father Irenaeus wrote concerning a belief of the early church: "For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were completed; it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the sixth thousand years."
Lactantius, tutor of the son of the Roman Emperor Constantine, stated in his Book of Divine Institutes, Chapter 14: "Let the philosophers know that the six thousandth year is not yet completed; and when this number is completed, the consummation must take place."
Later, in A.D. 1552, Bishop Latimer wrote: "The world was ordained to endure, as all learned men affirm, 6,000 years. Now of that number, there be passed 5,552 years (as of A.D. 1552), so that there is no more left but 448 years (ending in A.D. 2000)."
ILL: THE OLD FARMER
A farmer had an old clock that just about was gone. One night it struck 16 times. He woke up and said, wife get up, it is later than it ever has been before. IT IS TRUE TOO CONCERNING THE COMING THE LORD
[not looking for undertaker, but uppertaker! (Jerry Shirley)
I. The Setting for Paul’s Instructions
ILL – What you don’t know can hurt you!
a. They were disturbed – “They were being persecuted”
b. They were distressed – “…concerning them which
are asleep…”
Mark 13:21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
c. They were discouraged – “that ye sorrow not…”
Psalms 55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
II. The Sequence of Paul’s Instructions
a. The return of the Lord
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
b. The resurrection of the dead
ILL: CLOSED FOR ALTERATIONS
Billy Graham tells a story--a simple illustration--that I want to borrow. A preacher once passed a shop which was no longer open for business. A sign hung in the window that said, "Closed for Alterations." The owner had closed shop for a while in order to remodel the store. After a period of time he reopened the business with many changes and improvements.
This, Graham says, is a picture of the death of the believer. He moves out of his body temporarily until the resurrection, the inward man will move into his renewed--spiritual—glorified
body.
ILL: TOMB
Joseph of Arimathea was a very wealthy Pharisee, a member of the council, and a secret follower of Jesus. It was Joseph who went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body after the crucifixion. And it was Joseph who supplied the tomb for Jesus’ burial.
Well, it seems that someone pulled him aside and said, "Joseph, that was such beautiful, costly, hand-hewn tomb. Why on earth did you give it to someone else to be buried in?"
Joseph just smiled. "Why not? He only needed it for the weekend."
ILL: REAL PERSON NOT A PHILOSOPHY
Bruce Larson said, “The events of Easter cannot be reduced to a creed or philosophy. We are not asked to believe the doctrine of the resurrection. We are asked to meet this person raised from the dead. In faith, we move from belief in a doctrine to a knowledge of a person. Ultimate truth is a person. We met him. He is alive-“
ILL: MUSLIM CONVERSION
A Muslim in Africa became a Christian and some of his friends asked him, “Why have you done such a thing?” He answered, “Well, its like this: Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions. You didn’t know which way to go; and there at the fork were two men—one dead, and one alive—which one would you ask to show you the way?”
(from a sermon by Bruce Howell, The Gospel Vs. Religion.)
Death does not have the last word!
c. The reunion in the air
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
III. The Solace of Paul’s Instructions
Paul tells us to comfort one another with these words…
a. Our character
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
b. Our circumstances
1. WE WILL LEAVE SIN BEHIND
Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
2. WE WILL LEAVE SORROW BEHIND
Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
3. WE WILL LEAVE SINNERS BEHIND
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
4. WE WILL LEAVE SATAN BEHIND
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone…
c. Our comfort
1.There is hope for deliverance – 1:10
2. There is joy for those who have fruit to present to Him. 2:19
3. There is motivation for holiness and stability 3:13
4. There is stimulation to alertness and assurance 5:1-11
5. There is encouragement to sanctify ourselves and persevere to the end 5:23
The second coming and resurrection involves a lifting up of a people, by a person, by a power!
The second coming and resurrection involves a leaving behind of sin, sorrow, and Satan.
The second coming and resurrection involves a landing with a new body, a new building and new blessings!
When the trumpet sounds, will you hear it and fly away with Christ to Heaven? You can be saved and know it, today! Rev. Jerry Shirley
ILL: WHEN GOD COMES CALLING
“In 1973 Gary Kildall wrote the first popular operating system for personal computers, named CP/M. According to writer Philip Fiorini, IBM approached Kildall in 1980 about developing the operating system for IBM PCs. But Kildall snubbed IBM officials at a crucial meeting, according to another author, Paul Carroll. The day IBM came calling, he chose to fly his new airplane. The frustrated IBM executives turned instead to Bill Gates, founder of a small company named Microsoft, and his operating system named MS-DOS. Fourteen years later Bill Gates was worth more than eight billion dollars.
Of Kildal, who has since died, author Paul Carroll says, “He was a smart guy who didn’t realize how big the operating system would become”.
In a similar way, people don’t often realize how big God’s kingdom will someday become. God comes calling with the offer of a lifetime, and we find other things to do.”
(Craig Brian Larson. ed. Contemporary Illustrations For Preachers, Teachers & Writers. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996 p. 197).
