I’LL FLY AWAY
PSALMS 55:1-6
In these verses written by David, he is being oppresed by his enemies. He is tried of percution and wicked ways all around him. Thus, in his prayer to God, he says I wish I could fly away to a place of rest, get away from it all.
Have you ever felt like that? Well one day we will get away, for we will literally fly away . If it is in death, we fly away in our soul, to be later joined by at bodies at the rapture. If it is at the rapture, we fly away to heaven with the Lord in body and soul. WE ARE HEADED UP
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 that it ever has been before. IT IS TRUE TOO CONCERNING THE COMING THE LORD
I-NOTICE THIS FLYING AWAY INVOLVES A LIFTING UP:
I THESS. 4:13-18(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.
D L Moody was asked, why did he look up when he prayed? He said, because heaven is up where my Jsus is.
Another man said, Heaven is not up, it is all aournd us?
He was wrong for the Bible says: Gen. 3-God went up from Abraham, John 3-He(Jesus) came down from Heaven, Acts 1-Jesus which is taken up from you unto Heaven. HEAVEN IS UP
A-THIS LIFTING UP TO HEAVEN INVOLVES A PEOPLE:
I THESS. 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren,
Jesus is coming after the saved, those who have made themselves alive in HiM. He will not be coming for the lost, and those still dead in thier sins.
Will you be among those lifted up that day? You say I hope so Preacher. That is like if I asked you if you are American? And you say, I hope so. Brother you know if you were born in America or not, and you know if are born again by Jesus.
Job did’nt say, I guess my redeember liveth, but he said, I KNOW. You either got Him or you don’t.
An old Christian slave was told his mater had died and gone to Heaven. Slave shook his head and said, I am afraid he didnt go to Heaven. He was asked why. He said, well, when he went on a journey, he talked about it, he made preparation for it but he never talked of Heaven or made any preparation.
B-THIS LIFTING UP TO HEAVEN INVOLVES A PERSON:
I THESS. 4:16 ’LORD HIMSELF’
The deaf have a sign for Jesus. Quickly they make this sign many times during their worship: the middle finger of each hand is placed into the palm of the other. Jesus, the one with wounded hands.
Dale Earnhardt, The Intimidator," was approaching the last turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500 when his car was sent head-on into the wall at 180 mph. An autopsy revealed that he died from the force of his head whipping back and forth on his neck, and by the force of his chin hitting the steering wheel. It has been suggested by some that had he been wearing a device designed to support the head and neck in a collision, he may have survived. But Earnhart, like so many other NASCAR drivers, refused to wear the device because it interfered with his ability to drive the car. That choice cost him his life.
Those of you who do not believe in Jesus Christ are headed for a terrible collision; a collision with God’s Judgment. A safety device is available--faith in Jesus will save you from this terrible collsion.
Like Dale Earnhart and all the other NASCAR drivers, you must decide to make use of what God has offered in Jesus Christ. It may save your life.
C-THIS LIFTING UP TO HEAVEN INVOLVES A POWER:
I THESS. 416B-17A 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
What power we see in these verses. Can you imagine a power so strong that it can cause all the dead in Christ to come forth from thier graves? Not only in the cemtery, but from every place in the world. Such as the bottom of the sea, or from the highest mountain.
But not only will the dead in Christ rise, but those alive in Jesus will also rise up in the air. What a sight, from cars, from planes, from trains, from shools, from jobs, maybe even from Churches if He comes on the Lord’s Day.
I remember a story about a newspaper boy with no legs. He would push himself along the streets on a platform somehad made for him. One day a man saw him waiting at the bus stop and wondered how he would board the bus when it came. As the bus came and the door opened and the boy lifted his hands up in the air, and the bus driver reached down and lifted him up onto the bus. (amen-Jesus will lift up the same way with his great power)
II-NOTICE THIS FLYING AWAY INVOLVES A LEAVING:
I THESS. 4:17B to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
When we depart on flight "final", we will leave some things behind
A-WE WILL LEAVE SIN BEHIND:
REV. 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.
This is the reason that some of you won’t make it. You loves your sins so much you are unwilling to repent of them, and allow Jesus to save you.
I read the story of a home in India where a baby was killed by a snake. The snake came in the house one night, and the next morning the mother found the snake coiled around her baby. You would not kill it, she thought it might be a god, so left it alone and it killed her baby. (that snake is like sin in people’s life, they leave it there, even let it harbor in their life. And one day it will destory them)
I read an article about the old air ballons. They were held to the ground by ropes and sand bags. When they wanted to rise in the air, they cut the ropes and if they wanted to go higher, they threw the sand bags overboard. (It should be the same with the saints of God. The closer we get to the coming of Jesus, we should be getting rids of our sins)
B-WE WILL LEAVE SORROW BEHIND:
REV. 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.
Some of the people in the Turkey earthquake several months ago said, they were doomed people, like a person in jail with no hope. The were saying there was no escape from sorrow.
At the turn of the last century, the nations of the world had a convention where they vowed never again would there be war among the nations. Yet several years later in 1918, every nation was invloved in WW I. (sorrow like wars can’t be stoped, only the coming of Jesus can stop the sorrows in Chirstian’s life)
A friend visited an elderly woman badly crippled by arthritis. When asked, "Do you suffer much?" she responded, "Yes, but there is no nail here," and she pointed to her hand. "He had the nails, I have the peace." She pointed to her head. "There are no thorns here. He had the thorns, I have the peace." She touched her side. "There is no spear here. He had the spear, I have the peace." That is what the atonement of Jesus Christ means for us--He gave of himself so that we might have the peace.
C-WE WILL LEAVE SATAN BEHIND:
REV.20:10A And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,
John Westley said, Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world. I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; and such alone will overthrow the kingdom of Satan and build up the kingdom of God on earth. (Satan doesn’t like that kind of talk, thus the closer we get to God, the greater his desire to make us embrass God)
A Christian counselor was questioning a little girl who had recently received the Savior. Trying to prepare her for temptations and the assaults of the evil one, the friend inquired, "What if the devil comes to your door and tries to lead you astray?" The young Christian replied, "I’ll ask Jesus to answer it!"
Satan will never leave us alone on earth, he will do us like he did Jesus after the three tempations, we will leave for a season but he will be back. But praise God he will not bother us in Heaven.
III-NOTICE THIS FLYING AWAY INVOVES A LANDING:
I THESS 4:17B to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
If you leave a place you will have to arrive at another place. Not all arrival involves a safe arrival but this one does.
A-THIS LANDING WILL INVOLVE NEW BODIES:
PHIL 3:20-21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 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.
We won’t have the same bodies we have on earth, but we will have glorfied bodies like Jesus.
In 1833 there was a great metor shower in the northeast part of the Untied States. A old man and his family ran down to the local cemtery for he thought it was the coming of the Lord. Someone asked him why did he come to the cemtery? He said, I want to see my dead friend in the grave go up in his new body. In his earlier years, a tree fell on him causing him to lose his arm. I want to see him with his new arm. (He might not had it all right, but one thing he was right about, Christians will have new bodies.)
B-THIS LANDING WILL INVOLVE NEW BELIEVERS:
MATT. 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Last week while in revival in South Alabama, at the end of the service, a man stood up and gave a testimony. Even though I had never met him until that time, it seemed like I had knew him all my life. It was a special feeling of fellowship. (I believe it will be the same feeling in Heaven as we meet new buddies)
Just think, we will see and visit with Elijah the man who called fire down from Heaven, and went up Heaven in a firey charriot. We will see Samson the strong man of the Ot. We will see David the one who killed the giant. We wil see Noah, the ark builder. We will see Daniel who walked around in a den of lions. We will see Paul the mightest soul-winner of all time. (We have read about them on the pages of Holy Scriptures, but now will fellowship with them)
C-THIS LANDING WILL INVOLVE NEW BUILDING:
JOHN 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
God had allowed mankind to build some great building down here on earth, but I feel like ole Bud Robinson, when he took a tour of New York City. He was asked what did he think about the great building. He replied, look like shanies comparied to what God has prepared in Heaven.
I read they about a woman who was dying in her home attened by the local Doctor. He asked the woman was very poor how she could be so happy i death? She replied, because , I getting ready to go from the poor house to the manison in the sky. One moment dirty wooden floors, the next, golden streets, one moment cracked wall, the next walls of Jasper.
(one step inside the pearly gates and we will say it was worth it all)
D-THIS LANDING WILL INVOLVE NEW BLESSINGS:
REV. 22:3A And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it;
We have received many blessing down here, both mateial and spiritual. But our greatest blessing are to come in the future in Heaven. We will receive our rewards for our Godly deeds, we will see our loved ones who have gone on before us, but the greatest blessing will to be see Jesus, and fall on our kness, and cry Holy.
I heard about a little girl whose mother had died. When she was taken home by her father, she went from room to room crying out for her mother. The home had lost it attraction to her without her mother. (The same with Heaven if there was no Jesus there)
Conclusion: DL Moody taught a Bible study once on the west coast using the text, Matt. 6:19-20.(Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal):
He then got a blackboard and put two list on it. One was our earthly treasures and the other our Heavenly treasures. Under earthly treasures, he put jewels, land, money, houses, fame, pleasures, clothes, and power. Under the Heavenly treasures, he put Jesus, friends of Christ, angels, Crowns, manisons, new songs, tree of life, purity, river of life. As the class compared them, the earthly treasures seemed mighty small, for what is world full of it treasures compared to to Heaven and Christ.
When the rapture trumphet sounds, will you hear it and fly away with Christ to Heaven? If not, you need to get some spritiual ears today and be saved by Jesus.
