Sermon Tone Analysis

*February 5, 2006—Morning Worship*

 

*The “Soon and Very Soon” Series*

*The Great Disappearance*

*Encouraging Truths Concerning Future Events*

*1 Thessalonians 4:13-18*

 

*Intro:*   Over the years Magicians have made many people wonder, “How’d they do that?”

Some seem to pull rabbits from empty top hats; some appear to saw people in half; some appear to make people disappear; some even seem to make jet airliners disappear.

So how do they do that?

They do it by giving the illusion that something that cannot take place has just taken place.

They don’t really saw people in half or make them disappear.

It’s all an illusion – in fact, those people even refer to themselves as Illusionists rather than Magicians.

As the old saying goes, “It’s just all smoke and mirrors!”

But there is coming a day when people will disappear!

A day in which vast numbers will simply vanish into thin air! & that won’t be done w~/smoke & mirrors!

On that day, the power of Almighty God will be displayed & yet, as far as I know, the ones who will understand what is happening will be the ones to whom it happens!

Vast numbers of people will be left asking the questions, “How’d they do that?

Where’d they go?”

Do you worry or wonder what will happen in the end?

As the old familiar song says, “Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand.

But I know Who holds tomorrow.

& I know He holds my hand.”

There *are* many things about tomorrow that I *don’t* seem to understand.

But I *do* know Who holds tomorrow & I know His word is true & I know that what He promises *will* happen!

What about your Christian friends & family?

What will happen to them?

What will happen to you? Have you experienced the 180 degree turn in your spiritual life that only comes from a relationship w~/Jesus Christ?

Are you ready to go – or are you afraid of what will happen that day?

Paul tells us about this great disappearance as he gives us some encouraging truths about future events.

Let’s read all about it from our text in…

*1 Thessalonians 4 /13/*/ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

*14* For if we believe that Jesus died & rose again, even so God will bring w~/Him those who sleep in Jesus.

*15* For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive & remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

*16* For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven w~/a shout, w~/the voice of an archangel, & w~/the trumpet of God.

& the dead in Christ will rise first.

*17* Then we who are alive & remain shall be caught up together w~/them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

& thus we shall always be w~/the Lord.

*18* Therefore comfort one another w~/these words./

- I used to work w~/a man who said he could not believe in the Rapture b~/c the word never appears in the Bible.

- But although the word itself does not appear, the concept, the principal, the truth of the Rapture is clearly presented & not just in this text, but others as well.

- In Paul’s words here, we have clear evidence that…

*1.

The Rapture is a Positive Truth.*

(vv.

13-16)

- & that, for many…

    *A.

It is Connected to the believers’ death.*

(vv.

13, 16b) Paul says, */13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope… /*[& in the latter part of v./ *16* /he says that] *…/the dead in Christ will rise first./*

- Not everyone can be nor will be alive & remain until the coming of the Lord.

- Apparently there were some false teachings in Thessalonica or at least some misconceptions of the truth believed by Christians.

- Paul uses the phrase “*/fallen asleep/*” to describe death.

- There is a very good reason for that – its b~/c Christians never die!

- Our bodies will definitely die; but the real you inside your body will never die—if you are a true believer in Jesus Christ.

- & Paul’s point here is that, while we do mourn for departed loved ones, we should not “*/sorrow as others who have no hope/*.”

- IOW we should not mourn the dead as the rest of the unbelieving world mourns.

- They have no concept of real life after death; they have no concept of the bodily resurrection brought about through the power of God!

- Therefore they have no hope!

- But there is hope in Jesus Christ! *…/the dead in Christ will rise first./*

- Jesus said that the little girl was not dead but sleeping.

- He told His disciples that Lazarus was sleeping & that He was going to wake him up.

- Even our word ‘cemetery’ means “a sleeping place.”

It’s not a place of final rest.

It’s only a place where the earthen vessel is laid until the believer is taken up in the Rapture or the unbeliever is taken up to the Judgment.

- Some how, the believers at Thessalonica had the misconception that their loved ones who had died would somehow miss out on the blessing of seeing Jesus!

 

- & so, Paul here, corrects their understanding of Jesus’ coming to take His children home.

- The Rapture is a positive truth in that…

    *B.

It is Confirmed by the Savior’s resurrection.*

(v.

14) Paul says, */14 For if we believe that Jesus died & rose again, even so God will bring w~/Him those who sleep in Jesus./*

- Paul supposed they did believe that Christ died & rose again.

- That’s what he had taught them & that’s what they had received.

- That’s the first & fundamental points of the Christian faith!

W~/o which they could not have been in Christ.

- But you may ask, “How does Christ’s resurrection prove the resurrection of the saints?

He is the Son of God; He might have an advantage over everyone else.

- & the answer is: 1.

The resurrection of Christ 1st shows that it is possible; God has already done it in Christ.

- 2nd Christ rose for our justification; & in justification sin, which brought in death, is pardoned, & sin alone, by its guilt, can keep us under the dominion of death.

- 3rd Christ rose as the Head of the body, His church, & in doing so loosed the bands of death & conquered the grave for his people.

- 4th As the first-fruits of the resurrection, He was a pledge & an assurance of the whole harvest to follow.

- 5th God has predestined the elect, whom He foreknew, to be conformed to the image of His Son.

- Lastly: They sleep in Jesus, as the text says; not only do they live in Jesus, but they also die in Him; their union remains w~/Christ even in death.

- Those dear saints of God who have gone on before us are in heaven in spirit form.

They are what is commonly known as disembodied spirits.

- The real being, the true self, the spiritual soul of the righteous departed are in heaven.

- & Paul confirms that the Bible teaches us that when Jesus comes in the Rapture, those dear departed saints of God come back w~/Christ & receive their glorified bodies 1st!

- & so, in vv.

15-16, Paul tells us that the Rapture is a positive truth in that…

    *C.

It is Communicated by the Lord’s revelation.*

(vv.

15-16) */15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive & remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven w~/a shout, w~/the voice of an archangel, & w~/the trumpet of God.

& the dead in Christ will rise first./*

- This was not Paul’s opinion; not his invention; not man’s tradition—this is God’s word!

- & the Lord Jesus Christ Himself had revealed to Paul that anyone who died in Christ, did not forfeit their privileges or blessings!

In fact, they would be given 1st preference over those of us who would be alive at the coming of the Lord.

- That truth is not found in the Gospels!

It is revealed to Paul to communicate to us!

- I know – there’s been much debate down through the centuries as to when this event actually takes place.