Week Commencing Sunday 12th February 2023

Prayers

Lord, we pray for those who are hurting.

Lord we pray for those who are fearful.

Lord we pray for those who are grieving. We pray for our brother Dick in this respect. We thank you that you have brought Barbara from death to life, that in your mercy you have given her, and all who have put their faith in You for salvation, ‘new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’

Loving God, so close to our brothers and sisters, may they find you in their pain, within their fear, and sharing their sadness; and finding you, may they find healing for their hurt, love for their fear, and peace for their distress. Amen.                         The Lord’s Prayer (traditional)

Reading. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Hymn

“Come, Thou long-expected Jesus” MP 103 (Piano)

Charles Wesley

Sermon. “Jesus is coming back for us”

The pagan world in Paul’s day had no hope of life after death. A typical instruction on a grave went:                      like this;                                                                   I was not

I became

I am not

I care not

The Greek and Roman world of Paul’s day was a hopeless world. According to the Greek conception there was no future for the body which was regarded as the soul’s prison house. After death their philosophers speculated that souls entered Hades, a place of shadows where the dead bemoaned their existence. Later Elysian Fields were introduced as a special place for a few favourites of the gods. But there was no assurance.

Many today also feel this ultimate hopelessness. Especially those who are naturalistic in their thinking. These people already have a bias against the supernatural. They can only think in terms of the material and so have no hope of life after death. Like Bertrand Russell they say “When I die I rot”.

These and other religious or secular notions do not bring the assured hope that we have in Christ; the joyful and confident expectation of eternal life beyond death and of our being raised with Him.

The Thessalonians had been taught that Christ would return and take his people to be with himself, but some of their number had died and Jesus had not returned. They had questions about this. The Thessalonians wondered what would happen to these people- where were they now? They may have feared that their departed friends had missed out on the coming Kingdom- a thought that would grieve them. Would their dead be at the Second Coming? And if so would they be disadvantaged in some way? It seems these are the kind of questions Paul addresses in our passage.

We should realise that what Paul writes here was not speculation about the afterlife. Philosophers, Spiritists and Scientists can only speculate, but Paul wrote, verse 15 “according to the Lord’s own word…” We Christians need not speculate about life after death, we have a revelation from God according to His word. Christ has come “from above” and revealed to us these eternal realities, and as Christ’s Apostle, Paul had a special revelation concerning the resurrection and return of Christ. What he teaches agrees with Jesus teaching. So what we have here is truth about life after death, not speculation. Speculation is really ignorance, and ignorance cannot bring comfort. Paul says in verse 13, he does not want the believers to remain in ignorance about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope.

Of course the death of loved ones naturally results in grieving and this is true for Christians. We are told in Acts 8:2 that “Godly men buried Stephen (Stephen was the first Christian martyr) and mourned deeply for him”. So it’s not a lack of faith to mourn deeply for a Christian brother or sister who has died. It’s a grief that is felt at the loss of fellowship with someone who you love. But we do not grieve “as others do who have no hope”- that is we do not grieve in the same way as unbelievers do with bitter despair. Rather our sorrow is mingled with hope and joy because we know they have gone to be with the Lord. At Friday’s funeral service for Barbara Gibb we felt sorrow, but for believers at that service, we also have a peace that comes from the assurance that the real Barbara is with the Lord. Barbara trusted in Christ for her salvation.

On the tomb of the founder of the Scout movement, Lord Baden Powell are the words: “I am not here; only my body is”

One day we will be with them, they with us, and together we will be with the Lord.-these are the things Paul goes on to teach- they are truths to celebrate and to encourage us and move us beyond our natural grief.

We believers can have hope in The Resurrection because of what happened to Jesus. Verse 14 tells us that “Jesus died and rose again”:

Jesus died. We see His sacrifice for us on the cross:

He laid on the cross. He who laid the foundations of the earth; who once lay in the virgin womb of his mother; who lay in the hinder part of a boat on the Sea of Galilee, and lay prostate in the Garden of Gethsemane, lay naked on the cross of Calvary.

He stayed on the cross. He could have called twelve legions of angels to rescue him, but he stayed there until he had fully paid the price of sin.

He paid on the cross. Every last sin of mine and yours was carried by Christ as he paid the punishment it would take me all eternity to pay. He loved me and gave himself for me.

He prayed on the cross. Christ prayed for the Roman soldiers who hurt him so much, and in so doing, he prayed for all of us who ‘do not know what we do’

This is God’s wonderful love for us. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). But if you do resist what God has done for you, you are still in your sins, separated from God and eternally lost. God is Holy. But the message of the cross is that your sins need not keep you separated from Him: “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the World but that the World might be saved through Him” (John 3:17) Through His amazing grace-shown to us at the cross- we can be forgiven of our sins. We can, come to know God as our Father and receive the gift of eternal life. This salvation God has provided for us, and it’s something we do not deserve or cannot earn. How can we not put our faith in Christ in the light of all he has brought about for us?

And Jesus was raised. The stone, the seal and the soldiers were all in place to ensure that the body of Jesus would lie undisturbed, but someone had forgotten Old Testament prophesies and Jesus’ own words. Someone had forgotten the power of God: Indeed, Jesus resurrection is God’s seal of approval. By raising Him from the dead God shows all people Christ’s death for us on the cross is His salvation. This is the way God has given us by which we can get right with Him, the only way to deal with our sin problem, and so receive eternal life. God himself has brought it about for us in the person of His Son.

So then, it is because Jesus died and rose again, we know that believers who have died will also be resurrected with Him. This gives us the comfort and assurance we need, as verse 14 goes on to say: “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” (Verse 14)

But what about those Thessalonian believers who had already died? Where were they now? It’s here in verse 14 that Paul intimates where those who have died in Christ presently are. He says in the last part of verse 14: “…we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him”. Remember Paul is going on to speak about Christ’s return. So he is saying those who have already died- those who have “fallen asleep in Him”- are those whom Jesus will bring with Him at His second coming. Believers who have died are with the Lord already! They are presently with God and will come with Jesus. They haven’t missed out- in fact they are enjoying God’s presence. When believers die their spirits go directly to God and God will cause them to come along with Jesus when He returns: “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him”.

It’s important we understand that a believer’s spirit goes to be with the lord when they die. Death is a temporary separation of spirit and body. Once a believer has died, though his or her physical body remains on earth and is buried, at the moment of death the soul or spirit of that believer goes immediately into the presence of God with great rejoicing. Paul says in 2 Cor. 5;8 “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord”. To be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord. He also says in Philippians 1:23 his desire is “to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better”. The author of Hebrews says that when we Christians come together to worship we come not only into the presence of God in heaven, but also into the presence of “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:23) Similarly in Hebrews 12 the author encourages us to run the race of life with perseverance because we are surrounded by this “great cloud of witnesses”. He is referring to Old Testament heroes of faith who are now with the Lord and it seems cheering us on.

The fact that believers go immediately into God’s presence means there is no such thing as purgatory. In Roman Catholic teaching, purgatory is the place where the souls of believers go to be further purified from sin until they are admitted into heaven.

The fact that souls of believers go immediately into God’s presence means that the doctrine of “soul sleep” is also incorrect. This doctrine teaches that when believers die they go into a state of unconscious existence, and the next thing they are conscious of will be when Christ returns and raises them to eternal life. Now it’s true Scripture sometimes refers to people sleeping when they die but this is merely a metaphorical expression to teach that death is temporary just as sleep is temporary.

The references we have looked at indicate that once believers die their spirits do not drift into an “unconscious” state but instead they go immediately to be with God in heaven where they enjoy fellowship with Him. As Jesus said to the thief who was dying on a cross next to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). (Paradise is simply another name for heaven.)

Once we understand that a believer’s spirit goes to be with the Lord, and God will bring their spirits along with Jesus when He comes again, we have a key to understanding the rest of our passage. Because later in verse 16 we are told that “the dead in Christ will rise first”. Now on the surface of things that is a problem! If the dead in Christ have come back with Jesus when He returns, how can they also be the same people who will be raised from their graves? That’s a problem isn’t it! But they are the same people! And the solution is this:  The spirits of those who have died and gone to be with Christ will come back with Him and they will be joined with their new resurrected bodies on that day, and then ascend to be with Christ.

Remember that death separated the spirit and the body, but at Christ’s second coming they will be perfectly reunited; spirit and new body. Remember too that that transformation will be instantaneous: Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52 “I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed”.

The return of Christ will be a momentous event. Christ will return to this earth with a trumpet sound, a shout and the voice of an archangel. Jesus first coming took place in relative obscurity, but His second coming will be universally public, glorious and triumphant. Triumphant because on that day with the glorification of our bodies the last enemy death, will be destroyed. When our bodies are raised from the dead we will experience complete victory over death that came as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve. Our redemption will be complete!!

Our passage makes it clear to the Thessalonians that those who have already died will be at no disadvantage. Their bodily resurrection will “precede” the transformation of those believers still living when Christ returns; As Paul says in verses 16 and 17 “…the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and left will all be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air”.

So then all believers who have ever lived and those living at that time will be reunited- “caught up together”- to meet the Lord in the air. This being caught up to be with the Lord has come to be known as the “rapture”. The English word “rapture” is derived from the Latin “rapere” and corresponds to the greek verb “harpazo” Paul uses here. Believers will be “caught up” or “seized”-raptured- there is a sense of suddenness and violence in it. The rapture speaks of divine power transforming believers’ bodies and then sweeping them upwards to unite them with Christ!

Now, do you realise that you will be there too!  I suppose I had a general idea before I studied this passage that only those believers who were around when Christ returned would get taken up to be with Him, may be that’s what you thought too. But whether we have died before Christ returns or whether he returns in our lifetime, Paul’s teaching is clear- all believers will share in the rapture. That’s exciting isn’t it!!

And for all you diffident ones who’d rather not go on any of the more thrilling rides at Chessington or other such places- well you won’t have any say in the matter! These pale into insignificance compared to what God is going to do to you. He’s going to catch you away with speed; seize you, transform you and sweep you up by force!! Well on that day any of you that don’t like heights-you’re going to be taken up into the clouds anyway!! Perhaps our spirits, having already been made perfect, won’t have a problem with that kind of fear anymore!!

We are reading about this scene today, but you are going to be there!!

However, more than the spectacle and power of that day, more than any personal experience of God’s power at work in us then. More than any of these things will be the perfect fellowship now possible with the Lord Jesus Christ once we have ascended to be with Him. We shall reign with Christ and as verse 17 says “We will be with the Lord for ever”, never to be separated. The fellowship we will enjoy with Him then will be a greater fellowship than that which we knew of Him here or, if we died before his return, greater than the experience of our souls in heaven.

Indeed, those who die before Christ’s return are liberated from earth’s timescale, so it’s possible their souls may have only been in Heaven “briefly”-so to speak. Once gone to heaven their next moment may entail God bringing them with Christ at His second coming, though for believers still on earth Christ’s second coming is still a future event. But this is to move into the realm of speculation. What we do know is that those who have died as Christians or who are Christians when Christ returns, will triumph over death. If we have died before His return our spirits/souls will go to be with God. When Christ returns God will bring us with Him and transform us; He will give us new resurrection bodies. We will be taken up to be with the Lord- thus following the pattern of our lord’s ascension-we will be reunited with our brothers and sisters in Christ and know unbroken fellowship with the Lord for ever more! These are the truths Paul says we should encourage one another with because they remind us of our assured hope in Christ. Every time you yourself or a brother or sister in Christ feels the fear of ageing or sickness. Every time you think the Christian life is too hard, and you can’t go on. Every time a brother or sister in Christ dies. These are the truths we are to remember and encourage each other with. They will remind us at such times of our glorious hope in Christ and so we will be comforted and encouraged.

On 11^th July, 1832, Sir Walter Scott arrived at Abbotsford after a long and trying journey from London. The next morning, he was wheeled up and down the garden where the lawns and roses were in their full summer beauty.

On the 13^th, after an hour or two in the garden, he was taken into the library. His chair was placed beside the great central window so that he could look down towards the tweed. He asked his son in law to read to him

Lockhart glanced at the shelves loaded with books. Was he thinking of some earlier favourite? Did he perhaps have one of his own books in mind? Lockhart ventured to ask which book he should read from. Like a flash, back came the reply: ‘Need you ask? There is but one.’ And Lockhart understood at once; he opened the Bible and began to read from the fourteenth chapter of St John: ‘Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” Sir Walter Scott murmured: “this is great comfort” I trust you too are comforted and encouraged in the knowledge Christ is coming back for you and so together with all believers we will be with the Lord for ever.

Prayer (quiet) Followed by:

1 Peter 1: 3-6a : “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice………”

…………………………..

Hymn

“All the way my Saviour leads me” MP 22 (Piano)

Fanny J Crosby

Prayer

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in true humility: so that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Blessing

The blessing of the Lord rest and remain upon all his peoples, in every land, of every tongue, the Lord meet in mercy all that seek him; the Lord comfort all who suffer and mourn: the Lord hasten his coming and give us, his people, the blessing of peace

David Barnes February 9th 2023