Ill Fly Away

The year was 1929 that a young teenager by the name of Albert Edward Brumley wrote the song I’ll fly away.

Albert was born of a family of sharecroppers in LeFlore County, Oklahoma in Indian territory.

And for those that don’t know what a sharecropper is, it’s a Tenant farmer who gives part of each crop as rent to use the land and even farm equipment.

People viewed sharecroppers working cotton in eastern Oklahoma as being one short step above slavery.

But Albert Brumley and his family did not see it that way they were a Christian family, that worked hard, but their lives revolved around the church.

Albert Brumley was a good cotton picker, and while he was out in those hot fields sweating all day, picking cotton, he would sing songs.

And while out in the fields it was said he would see birds flying out of the fields, my guess would be pigeons or maybe doves, so started singing the song I’ll fly away, because like the birds he also wanted to fly away out of those fields.

He said he was dreaming of flying away from them cotton fields. However, the song took a much more spiritual meaning and is now one of the most popular hymns sang in churches across the world.

Since then, has wrote many other hymns that we sing all the time like Jesus hold my hand, and This world is not my home.

Albert Brumley wrote over 800 songs and now resides at the Fox church of Christ cemetery near Powell Missouri.

I’ll fly away is one of the most popular hymns that we sing in the Lord’s church, and we sing it because the song has meaning to it as well.

So, is it true that Gods people can fly away?

Turn with me to Psalms 90: 10-12

10

The days of our lives are seventy years;

And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,

Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;

For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

11

Who knows the power of Your anger?

For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.

12

So teach us to number our days,

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

We need to live our lives in a way that brings honor and glorifies God now so that when the time comes we can fly away.

Turn with me to Acts 1:9-11

Here we see Jesus after his resurrection and spending multiple days with his disciples, was taken up in the clouds.

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

So, we know that Jesus ascends into Heaven after his resurrection and we are told He will come back the same way he left. So, remember this as we look at some more verses.

1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: 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, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

We have seen in Acts that Jesus ascended in heaven and here in verse 16, we see that Jesus will descend.

And the scriptures also teach us that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then the people that are still alive will meet them in the clouds. What an amazing day this is going to be, just think of all of your loved ones that have passed from this life, that were faithful Christians are going rise up. And everyone still on earth will get to reunite with them.

We live in some crazy times with everything going on in the world today; so it’s always important that first we are in Christ, but also always live a faithful Christian life, because we don’t know the day He will return. But how beautiful that day will be.

So when we sing the song I’ll fly away it really has a truth full meaning, because we will fly away from this place and be with the Lord for eternity.

There are a few things that we need to know so that one day we can fly away.

1. “This world is not my home” Another popular song we sing that was also written by Albert Brumley.

Turn with me to Philippians 3: 20-21

You see apostle Paul is speaking to the people at Phillipi that considered themselves Roman citizens, and enjoyed being roman citizens, but Paul tells them in verse 20.

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Our citizenship is in heaven, this world is not our home. Makes me think of how I’m proud to be an American because in reality I am, but look at everything that we are facing in our country, from Covid (protesting and riots), the one thing we need to realize with all this crazy stuff going on in this world is this world is not our home.

My wife tells me all the time she does not want to have any more children, because she doesn’t want to bring them into this horrible world, but I keep telling her this world is not our home.

Another good passage that we need to read and study when we think about this crazy world and to be reminded that this world is not our home is.

John 14:1-3

14 “Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Another good verse is

2 Peter 3:10-14

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.

We see in verse 13 we according to His promise look for new heavens and new earth.

But like we seen in verse 11 we need to be in holy conduct and godliness. We need to always be ready and waiting for the return of the Lord because no one knows when the day will be, it could be today or tomorrow, but we need to always be ready.

We live in a very sinful led world, and I know that we can get frustrated with everything going on in this world but we always need to keep in mind that this world is not our home, and that everything in this world is going to be burned up with fervent heat, both the earth and everything in it.

Turn to

Matthew 6:19-21

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Another thing we need to know so when that day comes that we get to fly away is we are going to go through suffering.

Romans 8:18

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

We as Christians need to realize that no matter how much we may be suffering at this present time, is does not compare to the glory that’s coming for us when we fly away to our everlasting home that God has in store for all them that live faithful in him. What an amazing promise he has in store for us.

2 Corinthians 4:16-20

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Paul is saying that all the suffering that we are going through now is going to feel like it was just for a moment, it was temporary.

Like our bodies they grow old and will perish but our inward man our soul is renewed day by day, because it is eternal.

1 Peter 5:10

10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

We as God’s people need to be reminded, that even though we may be suffering for a while right now, one day we are going to fly away.

Like we seen is psalms we may live 70 or 80 years, we may even live longer than that, but our hearts need to be ready and full of wisdom so that when the time comes we can fly away.

Another thing we need to know so that one day we can fly away is that time is limited. Like we read in psalms 90:12 “teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

We don’t have all the time in the world, and we need to use our time wisely since we only have a limited amount.

Like we see in

Job 7:6

“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,

A weaver shuttle is a tool used to carry a thread of yarn and is literals thrown back and forth really fast when weaving and that’s how our lives on earth are its go by really quick. Before you know it you are getting old, you are loosing your hair like me and becoming hard to hear or see like me.

One of the greatest ways to spend our short time on earth, can be found in

Matthew 22:37-39

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. The time we spend loving God and loving others is time well spent.

James 4:13-14

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

James writes about how we need to humble ourselves; everyone is always making plans for tomorrow when in reality we are not promised tomorrow.

When we leave this building today, we are not promised to see each other again, and it may because of something happing to one of our health, some may get in car wreck, or maybe the Lord will return tomorrow.

But we need to humble ourselves. We need to have a certain attitude about the future for instance if the Lord wills we should live we can plan this or that. Tomorrow is not guaranteed yet and time is short, so we need to spend time wisely.

Look at

Psalms 103:15-16

15

As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16

For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

And its place remembers it no more.

So, a question I have for you all is, How are you spending your time, and are you spending it wisely? Is your time spent bringing glory to God?

Another thing we need to know before we are to fly away is that death will be defeated.

1 Corinthians 15:20

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

We see when Jesus died on the cross he released his spirit and then we see his body left the tomb empty.

Look at 1 Corinthians 15:23-26

23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

We see in verse 26 that the last enemy that will be destroyed. We see in verse 20-26 that Christ was the first fruit to be risen from the dead and at his coming, at his return the ones that are of Christ he will deliver to God the Father and will put all enemies under his feet. We as Christians, if we live faithful Christian lives we will defeat death.

Look at verse 58 in 1 Corinthians 15:58

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

So, the way that we spend our time on earth right now counts forever. How we treat and talk to one another, our labor in the Lord is not in vain because of the fact that death will be defeated.

One day we will rise up and fly away, we will meet him in the air.

That concludes my lesson for today, knowing that our time is limited, knowing that we are going to have to face the judgement, and knowing that Jesus will return as a thief in the night.

Are you ready for Jesus return so that you can Fly away to meet him in the clouds? If not let us as the Lords church help you make that change today.