Main Idea: What I want us to see today is that because Jesus Christ died and rose again, a Christian has the assurance that they will always be with Jesus in life and in death.

The words that were read earlier are words that I have often shared with countless numbers of people in my 28 years of fulltime ministry. They are words not spoken in a sermon but words shared with families and friends as we stood together under a canvas tent covering a casket over an open grave that contains the body of a loved one. They are words shared with persons who have found themselves living with the pain and hurt of the death of someone they loved.

When I have spoken those words I always shared something to this effect: "Of all that happens when someone dies there is no place like this place that reminds us of the reality of death. We look around us and see the markers of others and know that this place is filled with that harsh reality. Yet this place is a place of great promise and great hope. What we do now is perhaps the greatest step of faith any of us have taken. We place into the earth this one who was loved, trusting and knowing that this is not the end for them nor will it be for us. For we believe that when they died that their very presence, their spirit, is with Jesus. We also believe as the Scripture says, that there will come, when our Lord returns, a day when the body we place in the ground will be resurrected in order that we may be reunited with this one and all those who have gone before us." Then I would read this scripture.

If I am honest with you I have struggled with this message more than I thought I would. I think because I have used this passage so often that I have lost touch with the truth, the hope, the promise and the mystery of what is said in these words. It has forced me to come back to this passage with fresh eyes and see the meaning of these words as if I were hearing them for the first time. It has caused me to put once again the faces of those who have gone to be with the Lord in my mind as well as remember the faces of those who are those left behind I see around me here in this place.

This Sunday I want us to all remember the original purpose for which Paul wrote these words. There are many questions and ideas that this text raises about the return of Jesus Christ. There are many very significant discussions we could have about this text and its’ meaning to satisfy our own curiosity. However I want us all to remember that this passage was written not as a theological dissertation on eschatology but as a word of comfort from the heart of a pastor to fellow Christians who were troubled. In fact that is what Paul said at the end of his thoughts, "So comfort and encourage each other with these words." (I Thess. 4:18) So what other thoughts or teaching you might gain from this passage we must remember that it is for the comfort of hurting believers.

Why did they need comfort and why do we need comfort when someone we love dies? I think a lot of that need for comfort comes because of what we know about death and what we don’t know. We know that death is both a certainty and it is a mystery. We know that death is the end as far as this life is concerned yet we have been taught as believers that death isn’t the end for those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Yet when someone we love dies we ask questions like, "What is it like where they are? Can they see me now? Can I talk to them? What are they doing in heaven?" Paul doesn’t answer all those questions in this passage and neither will I today. But it shows us that death creates a need for assurance and for comfort.

Those were maybe some of the questions that the Thessalonians had but the main question they had related to a fear that since Jesus was going to return very soon and their friends and family had died before that event, would they not be separated from them forever? Because they had died they would miss the return of Christ and therefore be removed from enjoying His majestic return and eternity in heaven! In order to comfort them Paul taught that they would not miss the return of Christ but would be the first priority of His power when He returns. They were never going to be apart from Christ, neither now nor later.

Paul had spent an unusual amount of time teaching the Thessalonians about the return of Jesus when he was with them. There are several references to that great truth in this book some of which we will explore next week. We get the hint that they knew that Jesus was going to comeback to this life again and do so in a way that would not be missed by anyone. They were pretty clear on the truth that his return marked the beginning of a new era of life for all believers and as well a time of judgment for all those who were not Christians. In fact he would tell them in the next chapter "I really don't need to write to you about how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night." (I Thess. 5:1-2) What they didn’t know was how their friends who had died fit in to this great promise. What Paul taught them is what I want us to understand and that is because Jesus Christ died and rose again, a Christian has the assurance that they will always be with Jesus in life, in death and forever.

The first thing Paul addresses is that there is a dramatic difference in the way a Christian faces death and the way a person who is not a Christian faces death. (v. 13) In this verse Paul is contrasting the way a Christian should see death and the way a person who is not a Christian views death. The culture of the Thessalonians was one that saw death as the ultimate point of despair and utter hopelessness. Those of Paul’s day who would have influenced the Thessalonians held out "no hope" for a person after death. Theocritus, one of the writers of their day said about death, "There is hope for those who are alive, but those who have died are without hope." Hope for a life beyond death was something that was not possible; therefore when death came it was filled with agony and grief. There was no hope.

Paul was not only describing what the attitude was as a culture but what the fate was of those who were not believers. What does death mean for those without Christ? It means they have, "no hope." He would describe in Eph. 2:12 a person without Christ as a person who has "no hope." God’s word teaches us that there is no hope spiritually after death for those who have chosen to reject Christ in this life. In John 3:16 Jesus says the fate of those who reject Him is "perishing…." Paul is right, for those who have chosen to reject Christ in this life death offers "no hope."

What does death mean, though, for those who are Christians? For Christians, when Christ gives to persons eternal life they are given life that will never end. It follows that whether they are alive or dead they will never be separated from their Lord. Paul said, "…to be absent from the body and present with the Lord."(II Cor. 5:8) You can ask me what this means for those who have died and all I can say is that wherever Jesus is that is where they are. I don’t know what that is like nor do I fully understand it. I know that when I think about people I love, especially my own family, who have died I am comforted to know they are with Jesus. For the Christian, this happens immediately, so fast that there is no knowledge of being without it. That part of us that is our ultimate or spiritual dimension goes to be with Jesus. We are present with the Lord. What happens next is that we wait for our Lord’s return to reunite our spirits with our body in a new and fantastic event: the resurrection! It is, for Christians, to be the one thing we hope for and anticipate more than any thing else. This truth is a source of hope that others do not have nor can hope to have unless they received Christ as Lord and as Savior!

What changes our view of death and the way we respond to death is anchored in the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (v. 14) Paul said, "For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died." Our hope is not based on emotion or wishful thinking but upon the historical reality of two past events: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Christian’s hope for life after death is rooted in a belief that the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus is an accomplished fact! Too often we let sentiment become our confidence about the fate of someone who has died. We do that with songs or poems that are human ways of helping us cope with loss. It is not that those things are bad or wrong it is just that they are not the real anchor of our hope. The real foundation for any hope we have for life beyond death is in the historical, unemotional realities of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Paul would say in I Cor. 15 that these two events are central to our hope as believers. He told the Corinthians that "…Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said." (v.3) and "He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said." Then he adds, "And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished! And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world." (I Cor. 15:17-19) How we face death either for ourselves or for someone else is founded not upon the sentimental thoughts of a song or poem but on the absolute truth that Jesus died to save us from our sins and has risen again to assure us of eternal life!

Therefore because of the resurrection of Christ there are certain assurances believer’s have when they die. We can be assured that Christians are in Christ’s care right now. Next, when Christ returns the Christians who have died will come with Him. So that promises us that the Christians who have died will not be left out of his second coming. Christians have the assurance that because we possess a risen Savior who, when he comes again, will complete us fully before our heavenly Father! We have hope!

What will be, though, the sequence of events concerning his coming again and this hope for our ultimate destiny? (I Thess. 4:15-17) I need you to understand that what Paul take three verses to explain there are volumes of books, novels, web sites and various tools of the media devoted to just these things. That is not to say that any of those are needless only to point out that proportionately we spend a lot more energy talking about the questions that we don’t have answers to than being satisfied with the details that we have been given. Paul says that what he is telling them is "…directly from the Lord." The only problem with that statement is that we don’t have any record in the New Testament of Jesus saying this. What is supposed is that this is one of those "unrecorded" statements of Jesus that Paul was privileged to have and that what he is teaching isn’t his own idea but the very words and thoughts of Jesus himself.

He tells them that at some point in the future that Jesus Christ, the Lord himself, will return personally and publicly. (v. 16a) It will not be anyone else but that one who was born in a manger, lived as a man, died on a cross and rose from the grave. It will not be an angel or some other representative but "the Lord himself." When he comes it will be in a way that no one can miss. He will come with a commanding shout. That word "shout" was the word used for the command of a general in battle that would rally the troops to him. It will as well be with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. Those three distinct announcements will convey to the entire universe that the one who was rejected by all has now come to claim those who are his and establish his rule fully and freely over the entire universe.

Then at the same moment those who have died and in whatever state their body might be will be reunited with their spirits (v. 16b) You see that is the thing we forget about death for a believer. We forget that our going to be with Jesus when we die isn’t the end of the game for us. There is still something more. That something more is the resurrection of our body. He does this to prove that the creative power of God was not wasted and that just as Jesus received a new body so will we. We can know from what the Bible teaches us that our resurrected body will be just like Jesus body when it was resurrected. It will be transformed (I Cor. 15:37), able to be recognized (I Cor. 15:37), can’t be destroyed by time (I Cor. 15:54-57) and absolutely glorious (I Cor. 15:43)!

As that occurs then those who are who are alive will be caught up with them (v. 17a). This is where we get our word "rapture", which is the Latin translation of this word. It is the idea of being snatched up or caught up quickly and suddenly. Now you can get into all kinds of discussions about what this means, when and how it will happen but the bottom line is it just means that when Jesus comes back believers are going to be immediately gathered to be with Jesus. It does not tell us about those who are left or what will happen next. It says that we will join those who have been resurrected for a specific purpose and that is "to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever." (v.17b) The word "meet" was a word used for the meeting of someone of royalty who was coming to a town or city. It is a beautiful picture of our greeting Jesus at last and knowing we will be with him and all those we have loved forever.

These few words are all he said about this: Jesus will come back, he will bring with him the spirits of those who have died, he will reconnect their spirit and their body and the Christians who are alive we will be gathered to be with him and with those he has resurrected. Anything else we must gather from other books in the Bible but if this is all we had, which was very likely all these believers would have ever known, it would be enough.

So we end where we began that is that this promise, this assurance that Paul shares is adequate for our comfort (v. 18) He said that it is our responsibility to take these words and use them to comfort someone who has lost someone that they loved. The word he uses is the same word Jesus used for the Holy Spirit when he called him "the Comforter". He is saying to take these words and let them be like the very presence of the Holy Spirit to wrap someone’s hurting heart in the warmth of this promise: the one you love is safe, waiting for you and waiting for the moment when they and we will be together at last. You can spend a lot of time asking questions about things we don’t know but Paul’s words were designed not to satisfy our eschatological curiosity but to give comfort to troubled minds.

Next Saturday, August 11,will be the first anniversary of the death of a remarkable young man in our church family, Adam Harrington. Adam was just an awesome 19-year-old young man who was taken in a tragic accident when he was struck by lightning. Adam loved the Lord, his Mom, Dad, brother family, this church, the Hogs and just life. He was just the best. For those of you who don’t know Adam that’s him on the back row in the white shirt. This picture was taken of his Sunday School class just before they all graduated. It sits on my credenza in my office.

There is a song that Mark sang at Adam’s funeral that the youth choir used as part of their recent concert tour called "Untitled Hymn" by Chris Rice. Let’s watch as they sing this powerful song.

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

On the night of the concert, when I heard this song introduced, it caused the same emotion in me that you see right now. When Kathy and I sat at supper with Adam’s Mom and Dad, Neal and Rhonda, just a few weeks ago it didn’t take much for those same emotions to surface in them just as it has in many of you this morning. But why did I remind you of something so filled with emotion? Because if you don’t feel the loss you can’t hear the hope in this word from Paul. This word from this ancient text is the hope, the only hope, we have for life and reunion with those we love who are now with Jesus. Today our message is one of hope for the Christian and hope offered to those we desire to become Christian. We can know that the grief we feel when one dies in the Lord is tempered by the assurance we have that in life or death or resurrection we will always be with the Lord.

As I have stood over the graves of loved ones and friends I read the verses Paul penned to troubled Christians long ago. Yet I penned at the bottom just below verse 18 the words of John in Revelation: "He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly." And I say as John, "Amen, come Lord Jesus!"

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org