My notes from a sermon on 23 January 2011
1 Thessalonians 4 verses 13 - 18
1 Thessalonians 4 verses 13 - 18
This is a great and wonderful message, a message that perhaps today is largely forgotten about, certainly rarely preached upon. A message of great importance to the church of Jesus Christ, to you and I as believers. Important message that is important to those saved by God’s grace. Are we waiting, watching, working and walking for the master to come again? The Lord is coming again. You see as we sit here we can take the first appearance of the Lord Jesus and put it into a historical context. We know all about the stories of the wise men, Jesus himself, when he healed the people, broke the bread and fed 5000 people. All those things can be taken in a historical context. The Lord Jesus Christ - the one who was a little baby and came to Bethlehem’s manger, who grew up among men, who took his place on the centre cross of Calvary, he is the one who is coming back to this earth to set up a kingdom on this earth. First and foremost he is coming back for those who are saved. He is coming to take every believer from planet earth.
Lets think of that day - verse 16 - how is this day going to be marked - by its normality. That day is fully known by God. On that day the Lord will descend through the clouds and with a shout, call every believer to meet him in the air. That day is marked in heaven, only known by the angels, not by those who are saved. One day God will send his son to bring home his own bride, those who are saved by the grace of God. That day does not somehow have any remarkable features. There will be no special signs on earth or in the sky. This day is marked by its normality. In Luke 17 we are told of 2 working in the mill, one will be taken and the other will be left. I believe if we were to consider that statement does it not picture a person, a man getting up out of bed, going through the motions, leaving house for another days work, meets another man who walks with him to the mill. Both work together. Maybe done that for 40 years. Maybe even gone to church together. Have been doing that for a number of years, sees the shopkeepers children going off to school, farmers in their field. Something happens on that day. Jesus Christ comes back to the air. Something special happens to those 2 men. One will be taken and the other left. The dead in Christ shall rise first we are told. 2 working in the mill, one will be taken and the other left. One will be saved and the other person will not be saved. This confuses people. You are only saved when you acknowledge that you have sinned and come short of God’s glory, have looked away to the cross, put your faith and trust in God with all your heart. He will take away your sin and forgive it. He is the only one who can do that. When you come to the Lord he forgives your sin and makes you a new creature in Christ. You are saved for eternity. In Luke 17 we read of 2 men in one bed. The word “man” was not in the original language. It was talking about humanity - a man and his wife. Here we find 2 in the bed. Can also carry the meaning of sitting together. Not important - it is more to do with the time of day - supper time. 2 people sitting chatting over a cup of tea, bringing the thoughts of the day. Normal day and then they decide it is bedtime. Sleep overtakes them. Something happens. The Lord comes again. Normality. Jesus was preaching about no special sign. Somehow the Lord will come before this day will come to a close. It could be at morning, it could be at noon, it could be at bedtime. That bed had been shared for many years. A family divided. A man who had trusted the Lord, saved years ago, wife still unsaved. Or the other way around. Maybe it is a son or daughter. If Jesus was to come they would be taken and you would be left behind. “As in the days of Noah and Lot” - normal days. Remember in Noah’s day God saw the wickedness of man when he looked down. The people didn’t realise judgement was coming. Noah built an ark and preached judgment is coming. For 120 years he preached before the people were all destroyed. Noah, his wife and family and all the animals went into the ark and the Bible says “the Lord shut the door and they knew not until the flood came.” God saw the wickedness in Noah’s day and he destroyed everything. Remember Lot - eating drinking, going about normally. The peoples eyes were clothed in the homosexuality, the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember the day 2 men came knocking at Lot’s door, they wanted his visitors out into the street. From the youngest to the oldest all were involved with this awful sin. The men of the city compassed the city of Sodom. They perished that day. Lot doesn’t want these men in his house. An angel pulls Lot back. These men are smitten with blindness. Wouldn’t you think they would try to make their way home? Instead of that they grasped for the door still wanting to get in. In that situation God judged the city of Sodom. This was going to be a normal day. Maybe it will be like that for us.
It is a day marked with the noise of it. “The Lord himself shall descend himself from heaven with a shout.” The word “shout” comes with a note of command - with one shout would gather everyone together. Read 3 times of him shouting in the Bible - raising Lazarus from the dead “with a loud voice he calls forth.” Matthew 27 the Lord on the cross lifts up his head with a loud voice and commands his spirit into the Lords hand. What happens the veil? It was ripped in 2 from the top to the bottom. Emphasis is that every one of us has access into God’s holy place because of the death of Christ. In the streets of Jerusalem the graves were opened. The dead rise up to meet the Lord in the air. Will we be caught up to meet him in the air? The archangel’s voice will also be heard. Are you ready for that day when it comes? Paul tells us the trump of God will sound. Trumpets were important to the nation of Israel. Blown to gather people together. There is a simple thing to learn about this - God was talking about blowing. He was emphasizing the importance of listening for the trumpet. Are you listening for that trumpet sound today? Where will you be when the trumpet sounds? Where will the Lord find us? We need to be waiting, watching, working and walking for the Lord.
Marked by the necessity. The Thessalonians had written to Paul and asked about those who had died already. Have they missed this great day? There is a great separation - soul will go into the presence of God. There will be those who say Paul talks about sleeping in the grave but the Bible is referring to a body sleeping in the ground. The outer shell goes into the soil, the soul goes into the presence of the Lord. Paul knew that his body would never be in heaven. The Thessalonians were fearful. Their loved ones had died and they were fearful what would happen to them. Paul says “don’t worry”. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” Only those saved by the grace of God are reunited one day with a glorified body. Paul says we will see those who are saved rising to meet the Lord in the air. “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.“ We shall not all sleep we shall all be changed in the twinkling of the eye. This body has to go through a process. If not saved you will have to put out the lights and lock the door because you will be left behind.
Day marked by the neglect of it. What about those not ready? There has been a great neglect. People have preached about it in days past and nothing happens. One question that has to be answered - where has everyone gone? There will be a lot of theories about what has happened. The way will be open for the anti-Christ to come. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 11 “And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” If you are not saved you will believe that lie. There will follow a period of 7 years of great tribulation. There is however a time for you to come and get right with God - now! God doesn’t want you to miss out on that day. Will you come? Will you trust him? If you take the Lord as Saviour you will be ready for that day.
Lets think of that day - verse 16 - how is this day going to be marked - by its normality. That day is fully known by God. On that day the Lord will descend through the clouds and with a shout, call every believer to meet him in the air. That day is marked in heaven, only known by the angels, not by those who are saved. One day God will send his son to bring home his own bride, those who are saved by the grace of God. That day does not somehow have any remarkable features. There will be no special signs on earth or in the sky. This day is marked by its normality. In Luke 17 we are told of 2 working in the mill, one will be taken and the other will be left. I believe if we were to consider that statement does it not picture a person, a man getting up out of bed, going through the motions, leaving house for another days work, meets another man who walks with him to the mill. Both work together. Maybe done that for 40 years. Maybe even gone to church together. Have been doing that for a number of years, sees the shopkeepers children going off to school, farmers in their field. Something happens on that day. Jesus Christ comes back to the air. Something special happens to those 2 men. One will be taken and the other left. The dead in Christ shall rise first we are told. 2 working in the mill, one will be taken and the other left. One will be saved and the other person will not be saved. This confuses people. You are only saved when you acknowledge that you have sinned and come short of God’s glory, have looked away to the cross, put your faith and trust in God with all your heart. He will take away your sin and forgive it. He is the only one who can do that. When you come to the Lord he forgives your sin and makes you a new creature in Christ. You are saved for eternity. In Luke 17 we read of 2 men in one bed. The word “man” was not in the original language. It was talking about humanity - a man and his wife. Here we find 2 in the bed. Can also carry the meaning of sitting together. Not important - it is more to do with the time of day - supper time. 2 people sitting chatting over a cup of tea, bringing the thoughts of the day. Normal day and then they decide it is bedtime. Sleep overtakes them. Something happens. The Lord comes again. Normality. Jesus was preaching about no special sign. Somehow the Lord will come before this day will come to a close. It could be at morning, it could be at noon, it could be at bedtime. That bed had been shared for many years. A family divided. A man who had trusted the Lord, saved years ago, wife still unsaved. Or the other way around. Maybe it is a son or daughter. If Jesus was to come they would be taken and you would be left behind. “As in the days of Noah and Lot” - normal days. Remember in Noah’s day God saw the wickedness of man when he looked down. The people didn’t realise judgement was coming. Noah built an ark and preached judgment is coming. For 120 years he preached before the people were all destroyed. Noah, his wife and family and all the animals went into the ark and the Bible says “the Lord shut the door and they knew not until the flood came.” God saw the wickedness in Noah’s day and he destroyed everything. Remember Lot - eating drinking, going about normally. The peoples eyes were clothed in the homosexuality, the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember the day 2 men came knocking at Lot’s door, they wanted his visitors out into the street. From the youngest to the oldest all were involved with this awful sin. The men of the city compassed the city of Sodom. They perished that day. Lot doesn’t want these men in his house. An angel pulls Lot back. These men are smitten with blindness. Wouldn’t you think they would try to make their way home? Instead of that they grasped for the door still wanting to get in. In that situation God judged the city of Sodom. This was going to be a normal day. Maybe it will be like that for us.
It is a day marked with the noise of it. “The Lord himself shall descend himself from heaven with a shout.” The word “shout” comes with a note of command - with one shout would gather everyone together. Read 3 times of him shouting in the Bible - raising Lazarus from the dead “with a loud voice he calls forth.” Matthew 27 the Lord on the cross lifts up his head with a loud voice and commands his spirit into the Lords hand. What happens the veil? It was ripped in 2 from the top to the bottom. Emphasis is that every one of us has access into God’s holy place because of the death of Christ. In the streets of Jerusalem the graves were opened. The dead rise up to meet the Lord in the air. Will we be caught up to meet him in the air? The archangel’s voice will also be heard. Are you ready for that day when it comes? Paul tells us the trump of God will sound. Trumpets were important to the nation of Israel. Blown to gather people together. There is a simple thing to learn about this - God was talking about blowing. He was emphasizing the importance of listening for the trumpet. Are you listening for that trumpet sound today? Where will you be when the trumpet sounds? Where will the Lord find us? We need to be waiting, watching, working and walking for the Lord.
Marked by the necessity. The Thessalonians had written to Paul and asked about those who had died already. Have they missed this great day? There is a great separation - soul will go into the presence of God. There will be those who say Paul talks about sleeping in the grave but the Bible is referring to a body sleeping in the ground. The outer shell goes into the soil, the soul goes into the presence of the Lord. Paul knew that his body would never be in heaven. The Thessalonians were fearful. Their loved ones had died and they were fearful what would happen to them. Paul says “don’t worry”. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” Only those saved by the grace of God are reunited one day with a glorified body. Paul says we will see those who are saved rising to meet the Lord in the air. “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.“ We shall not all sleep we shall all be changed in the twinkling of the eye. This body has to go through a process. If not saved you will have to put out the lights and lock the door because you will be left behind.
Day marked by the neglect of it. What about those not ready? There has been a great neglect. People have preached about it in days past and nothing happens. One question that has to be answered - where has everyone gone? There will be a lot of theories about what has happened. The way will be open for the anti-Christ to come. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 11 “And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” If you are not saved you will believe that lie. There will follow a period of 7 years of great tribulation. There is however a time for you to come and get right with God - now! God doesn’t want you to miss out on that day. Will you come? Will you trust him? If you take the Lord as Saviour you will be ready for that day.
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