Introduction:
A. The story is told of a young preacher who was preaching his first sermon.
1. He was a little nervous, and about ten minutes into his sermon his mind went blank.
2. All he could remember was what he was taught in his preaching classes to do when this kind of thing took place – He was taught to repeat his last point.
3. So he thought he would give it a try, so he said, “Behold, I come quickly!”
4. Still his mind was blank, so he tried again, “Behold, I come quickly!”
5. Still nothing. He tried it one more time, “Behold, I come quickly!”
6. But he said it with such force that he fell forward, knocking the pulpit to one side, and tripping over a flower pot he landed on top of an elderly lady in the front row.
7. The young preacher apologized and tried to explain what happened.
8. “That’s alright, young man,” said the little old lady, “It was my fault. I should have gotten out of the way, because you warned me three times you were coming quickly!”
B. Jesus Christ is coming again and quickly – that’s what He told us and what scripture tells us.
1. The responsibility for being ready rests with us.
2. Unfortunately, over the years, there has been a lot of confusion and false teachings about when and how Jesus will come.
3. It appears that the Thessalonians had asked Paul some questions about this subject, and in this section Paul has answered their questions and concerns.
C. You know how much I like the Peanuts cartoons.
1. In one cartoon there is a conversation between Lucy and Linus.
2. It is raining very hard, and Lucy is wonders out loud as she looks out the window, “Boy, look at it rain…what if it floods the whole world?”
3. Linus said, “It will never do that. In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow.”
4. “You’ve taken a great load off my mind,” replied Lucy, to which Linus adds, “Sound theology has a way of doing that!”
D. How true that is – Sound theology gives us great confidence, assurance and comfort – it can take a load off our minds.
1. That’s what I hope will happen today as we receive from the apostle Paul some sound theology about the Second Coming of Jesus.
2. So let’s spend a few minutes exploring and applying the text.
I. Exploring the Text
A. The section begins: 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
1. The phrase “we do not want you to be ignorant” sounds a bit rude to us, but it was a common formula often used to introduce information.
a. So it was not meant to be insulting, rather was just a way of saying, “we don’t want you to be uninformed,” or “we want you to know.”
2. The topic that Paul wanted them to be informed about had to do with “those who fall asleep.”
a. “Those who have fallen asleep” are Christian brothers and sisters who have died before the Second Coming of Jesus.
3. We need to realize that “sleep” was widely and frequently used by pagans, Jews and Christians as a euphemism for death.
a. There was and is, however, a big difference between what believers and unbelievers think about this “sleep” of death.
4. That’s why Paul wrote that he did not want the Thessalonians “to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.”
a. Paul was not saying that the Thessalonians should not grieve, but that they should not grieve in the same way or to the same extent as those without faith and hope grieve.
5. In the face of death, the pagan world stood in despair.
a. The pagan saw death as a sleep from which there would be no awaking.
b. Theocritus wrote, “There is hope for those who are alive, but those who have died are without hope.”
c. On their tombstones, grim epitaphs were carved, like: “I was not; I became, I am not; I care not.”
6. If you thought that way about life and death, you can see how you would really grieve without hope.
a. Praise God, we, Christians, don’t have to grieve like that.
7. We grieve with hope because we know that death is not the end, but rather it is a sleep from which we will awake!
a. Why can we believe that? Let’s look at the next verse.
B. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
1. It is the resurrection of Jesus that provides the foundation for our hope and encouragement.
2. Paul’s preaching and writings were filled with the declaration that Jesus was raised from the dead and that because He was resurrected, we also will be resurrected.
3. If Jesus truly was not raised from the dead then we are in trouble and there is no hope.
4. In 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul wrote: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
5. Therefore, Christians can face death with hope in what God has promised to do and it is based on what He has already done in raising Jesus from the dead.
C. Paul continued: 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
1. Paul began by spelling out the implications of all this for those who had already died.
a. This seems to be Paul’s attempt to answer some of the Thessalonian’s questions.
b. What were some of their concerns about those who had died? They wondered if their deceased loved ones would be handicapped in any way at the resurrection. They wondered if those alive at Jesus’ coming would have an advantage over the believers who had died.
c. Paul’s answer was not to worry about those who have fallen asleep for they will not miss the event, nor will they be disadvantaged in any way; if anything, they will have a slight advantage since they will rise first.
2. The details that Paul gives about the Lord’s coming are a collection of richly evocative images.
3. The “command” or order is a military term that suggests the Lord’s authority and power.
a. God is able to gather together all the dead with a single command.
b. I wonder what the command will be? What will be the words of his loud command?
c. Will it be like the command Jesus uttered at Lazarus’ tomb, when He called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”?
4. In addition to the loud command, there will be the voice of the archangel.
a. Michael is the only archangel who is named in Scripture, but we are told that there are others as well.
b. So the angelic hosts will share in the victory shout when Jesus returns.
5. In addition to the loud command and the voice of the archangel, there will be the “trumpet call” of God.
a. 1 Corinthians 15:52 also relates His return with the sound of a trumpet.
b. The Jewish people were familiar with trumpets, because trumpets were used to declare war, to announce special times, and to gather the people for a journey.
c. In the Roman Empire, trumpets were used to announce the arrival of a great person.
D. Paul continued: 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1. Those who are alive at the Second Coming of Jesus will be caught up together with the risen dead in the clouds and we will meet the Lord in the air.
2. The word used here for “meet” is an interesting one.
a. It isn’t the common word for meeting someone, but was a technical term for the formal reception of a visiting dignitary, in which a delegation of citizens or city officials would go out to meet a guest on his way to the city and escort him back into town with appropriate pomp and circumstance.
b. The implication of Paul’s use of this word is that the resurrected dead and those who are alive together will meet the descending Lord “in the air” and accompany Him in glory and honor into heaven.
E. Paul concluded: 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
1. Paul’s emphasis in these verses is not on the sequence of details, but on the outcome and result of all of this.
2. He assures the Thessalonians that both groups, the dead and the living, will end up together.
3. And not just together with each other, but together with the Lord forever!
4. This understanding should be very encouraging.
5. It is something that we should remind each other of, and often.
II. Applying the Text
A. Have you noticed that death is a subject that everyone wants to know about, but no one wants to talk about?
1. What would happen if the next time you had a dinner party you asked the question: “So, what do you think about death? Do you ever wonder what it is like to die?”
a. I’m guessing that it would put a damper on the evening.
2. Like I said, “Everyone wants to know what happens after we die, but no one wants to talk about it.”.
3. However, books that claim to offer a glimpse into what happens after death are immediate best sellers.
B. Maybe you heard about the book: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, by Todd Burpo.
1. It is the story of Colton Burpo, the son of an evangelical pastor in Imperial, Neb named Todd Burpo.
2. Just two months shy of his fourth birthday, Colton was rushed into emergency surgery with a burst appendix.
3. He woke up with an astonishing story: He had died and gone to heaven, where he met his great-grandfather; the biblical figure Samson; John the Baptist; and Jesus, who had eyes that “were just sort of a sea-blue and they seemed to sparkle.
4. Colton’s father, Todd, has turned the boy’s experience into a 163-page book which has become a sleeper paperback hit, dominating best-seller lists and selling hundreds of thousands of copies.
5. Thomas Nelson, the book’s publisher, said it had broken company sales records. The publisher began with an initial print run of 40,000 copies.
6. Since the book came out in November 2010, it has gone back to press 22 times, with more than 1.5 million copies in print.
7. In November of 2011, one year after the first book was released, a children’s version was created called “Heaven Is for Real for Kids” by Todd & Sonja Burpo
8. As of March of this year it has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide.
9. So you can see, people really want to know about life after death.
C. Unfortunately, sometimes it sends people looking in the wrong direction.
1. For instance, how many of you have heard of Sylvia Browne?
2. She has been one of our country’s famous psychics for the last 50 years.
3. She has been married five times, and most of her well-known predictions have not come true.
4. Nevertheless, Sylvia has written at least 43 books, and several of them are about the afterlife.
5. Here are some of the titles that pertain to our subject:
a. The Other Side and Back
b. Visits from the Afterlife
c. Life on the Other Side: A Psychic's Tour of the Afterlife
d. Blessings From the Other Side: Wisdom and Comfort From the Afterlife for This Life
6. The Bible tells us to stay away from psychics and sorcery and for obvious reasons, including the fact that any powers they have are not from God, and the things they teach are not from God.
7. She teaches that when you have passed over to the other side, you can decide for yourself whether or not you want to stay in heaven or be reincarnated back on earth.
8. She says that God will never try to tell you what to do. He never judges. He never punishes. There is no such thing as sin or hell. And ultimately it doesn’t matter how good or bad you were in life.
9. You talk about telling people what they want to hear! Wow!
D. All of this interest in the afterlife is very personal.
1. People want to know what happens to them after they die.
2. Let’s summarize some of the truthful, biblical things we can learn from these verses in 1 Thessalonians about life after death that should encourage us.
E. First of all, we believe that for believers, death is not an end, but a transition to something better.
1. In Philippians 1:21, Paul declared “that to live is Christ and to die is gain,” and in verses 23-24, he adds, “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”
2. At the funeral of four young girls killed by a racist’s bomb in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. uttered these eloquent words: “I hope you can find some consolation from Christianity’s affirmation that death is not the end. Death is not a period that ends the great sentence of life, but a comma that punctuates it to more lofty significance. Death is not a blind alley that leads the human race into a state of nothingness, but an open door which leads man into life eternal. Let this daring faith, this great invincible surmise, be your sustaining power during these trying days.”
3. To affirm with Paul that death is not an end but a transition, is not at all to deny or minimize the destructive effects of death, which include the disruption of valued and significant human relationships.
4. R.W. Stott observes, “However firm our Christian faith may be, the loss of a close relative or friend causes a profound emotional shock. To lose a loved one is to lose a part of oneself. It calls for radical and painful adjustments, which can take many months or even years.”
5. The Bible everywhere assumes that those who are bereaved will grieve, but grief that is good grief is grief done in hope.
6. Many of us have lost loved ones within the last year or two, but no matter how long it has been, we never stop loving them or missing them, and we never stop longing for the day when we will be together again.
7. This leads to the second truth that we can be encouraged by.
F. Second, for believers, the blessing of the afterlife is not so much a place as a relationship.
1. In the verses here in 1 Thessalonians, Paul says that we should be encouraged by the fact that we will be with the Lord forever.
2. Elsewhere in Scripture we learn that this new existence will include the acquisition of a resurrection body that is glorious and imperishable.
3. We also learn that the new heaven and new earth will be void of death, mourning, crying or pain – which sounds wonderful. Don’t you long for a place like that?
4. But even amidst that information in Rev. 21 the real focus is on the relationship we will have with God.
a. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev. 21:3-4)
b. Then in Revelation 22 we read: The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Rev. 22:3-5)
5. Our relationship with God in the afterlife will be so much closer, richer, and fuller than anything we can experience on this side of death.
6. We will be with the Lord forever.
G. One final thing I want us to think about is: what we know and believe about the future should shape how we live in the present.
1. Paul clearly expected that the information he imparted to the Thessalonians would affect their lives and behavior.
2. He expected that these truths would encourage them to not give up hope and to encourage them to remain faithful.
3. In the section of verses that follow today’s section, Paul challenges the Thessalonians to consider how they should live in light of knowing that Jesus could return at any moment.
4. Let me quickly share three ways the second coming of Christ should shape the way we live in the present.
a. First, We should strive to live holy and godly lives.
1. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. (2 Peter 3:10-12)
b. Second, We should strive to share the good news with others.
1. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. (2 Cor. 5:10-11)
c. Third, We should strive to serve the Lord with our whole selves.
1. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)
2. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)
H. Death is a reality. We will face death unless Jesus returns while we are still alive.
1. But we need not fear death.
2. Although we grieve when we lose loved ones, we don’t grieve like people who have no hope.
3. Because of our great hope, we are living lives that are prepared for eternity.
4. Truly the best is yet to come…
I. You’ve probably heard the story about the woman who was terminally ill and only had a short time to live.
1. She asked her minister to come and discuss her final wishes.
2. After they had planned the funeral service, she said, “I just remembered one more thing. I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
3. The minister looked at the woman inquisitively.
4. The woman said, “I know it sounds a little weird, but in all my years of attending dinner parties and family holiday meals, when the main course dishes were being cleared, someone would always say, ‘Keep your fork.’ ”
5. “Keep your fork was a reminder that something better was coming – dessert!”
6. “That something better might be chocolate cake. Or ice cream. Or deep dish apple pie. Certainly something wonderful and tasty.”
7. She continued: “So I just want people to see me there in that casket with the fork in my hand, and I want them to wonder, ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them, ‘the fork is to remind you that something better is coming.’ ”
8. The minister’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye.
9. He knew this might be the last time he would see her before her death.
10. But he also knew that this woman had the right view of eternity - She KNEW that something better was coming.
J. No matter how good or bad things have been for you here on earth, heaven will be something far better.
1. We don’t need to worry about those who have already died – they are in good hands and when Christ returns there will be resurrection and reunion with the Lord.
2. Our job is to be ready for our death or Christ’s return, whichever comes first.
3. And remember to keep your fork – something better is coming!
Resources:
The NIV Application Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Michael W. Holmes, Zondervan, 1998.
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, John MacArthur, Moody, 2002.
The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Thessalonians, Warren W. Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989.
The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 Thessalonians, William Barclay, Westminster Press, 1975.
