WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRIST’S RETURN? - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

so if you have your Bibles or an app

let's open it up we are going to be in

first Thessalonians this morning 1

Thessalonians we're going to be looking

at chapter 4 reading verses 13 through

18 if you're new to The Grove or if you

have not been here in a while we are

concluding a sermon series that we've

entitled The Coming glory and the way

that we're finishing out this series is

we're going to answer the question what

happens at Christ's return when you look

at all the passages that are reported in

God's holy word there are a lot of them

that get a glimpse of what heaven is

going to look like the Book of

Revelation is filled with symbols and

and images and vivid pictures of what

the coming Glory of Christ will look

like but if I had to

pinpoint a passage that was one of the

greatest descriptions that entail the

glory the Triumph the majesty and really

the victory that is enhanced at Christ's

return I would pick our passage today

Paul does an incredible job of painting

a beautiful picture of what happens in

that glorious moment when the trumpet

sounds and the Lord with his angels and

all the Sons and Daughters of God that

have passed before his coming that he

will enter into our world again in his

second coming to establish his kingdom

forever and ever Paul does an incredible

job of providing hope of stirring their

hearts towards anticipation and really

you and I we're no strangers to what

it's like to live in moments of

anticipation we can take some inventory

this morning and if you're not living in

anticipation you can pinpoint moments in

your life when you have for those of you

who have family serving in the military

or the veterans in the room your family

can attest to the moment of anticipation

when you arrived back home those of you

who have young children you can remember

the moment of anticipation when you were

able to finally deliver them and those

nine months paid off to a beautiful

newborn baby or those of us who have

family living out of town in moments of

anticipation when they return home for

the holidays we can all late with

moments that stir us to anticipation and

excitement and and really what happens

is when we are waiting for those loved

ones when we waiting for those friends

when we are waiting for this reunion

really we ache we hurt and and nothing

fulfills and nothing resolves that

aching the way a reunion does and as

beautiful as those moments are

they really fail in

comparison to the greatest reunion that

will take

place a reunion that happens at the

return of our Lord Jesus Christ Paul is

writing to a young Church in the city of

thessalonica thessalonica was located in

what is now modernday northern Greece

matter of fact in Acts chapter 17 we'll

Acts 17 · chapter mention

be back in our series The Book of Acts

next Sunday

in Acts chapter 17 we read of how Paul

Acts 17 · chapter mention

was establishing the church in

thessalonica matter of fact it tells us

that many Jews and

Gentiles came to know the Lord they were

a thriving Church a a vibrant Church

filled with passion and excitement and

we'll come to find out in our passage

that that passion and excitement was

rooted in one thing and the coming of

the Lord Jesus Christ Church I pray that

that we are a people that though we get

excited and passionate about the things

of this world that that rather than

having our passion and excitement

exclusive to those things we would be

reminded that this anticipation

excitement and passion that we feel

through the blessings of this world

should really remind us and stir us to

Greater affections and passions for the

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ this was

the church in

thessalonica however as months begin to

drag on and some theologians would would

even debate that as years began to drag

on and the return of Christ had not

happened the Thessalonians began to fear

they began to live not in Hope but in

hopelessness and here's the reason why

they lived in a greo Roman culture

remember at at this point in Israel's

history they had been subjugated by the

nation of Rome by uh the kingdom of Rome

Caesar and the emperor there was a lot

of Greek

influence throughout that time period

and Greco Roman culture did not have a

good view of the afterlife as a matter

of fact many in the Greco Roman culture

believe that there was no

afterlife that when your number was

drawn and you closed your eyes and you

breathed your last breath that was it

and that belief began to infiltrate and

influence the church in thessalonica so

you have a group of believers who once

had a passion and a vibrant Faith rooted

in the return of the Lord now

questioning

themselves The Return of Christ has not

happened and many of us though Young

have now grown old and and many of our

Brothers and Sisters in Christ have now

gone and and passed away what happens to

them what if the Lord comes tomorrow but

but they died yesterday do they miss it

what what happens to our loved ones at

the return of the Lord and and

Paul

steeped and filled with Resurrection

hope remember Paul would later write to

the church in Corinth

about the amazing hope the resurrection

brings he matter of fact Paul will

phrase it this way that if Christ has

not risen from the dead then what you

and I profess as our faith our belief in

the gospel is really no belief at all

we'll come to see here in our passage in

just a moment how how Paul links the

resurrection of Jesus

Christ and the truth and what that means

for the believer on how he links it and

connects it to his return so Paul

steeped in this Resurrection Hope begin

to speak begins to speak into the the

despair of the Christians in

thessalonica and he begins to speak with

Clarity telling them that you can have

hope that the return of Christ is not

wishful thinking it's not secluded to

some bucket list but the return of Jesus

is certain it is true because it is

anchored in the the promises of God and

if there is anything that you hear from

this morning's message I pray that it's

this the return of Christ is

certain It Is Anchored in his promises

and the promises of God from Genesis to

Revelation everything in between the

scripture says are yes and amen Christ

is coming back church and I'll ask you

the question that I've been asking you

every single week throughout this series

Christ is coming back are you

ready are you living ready for the

return of

Jesus if you know Christ this morning my

hope and my prayer is that our message

will further solidify your confidence in

Jesus Christ and that it will build and

stir greater devotion and a greater

anticipation for the coming Glory of our

Lord Jesus if you don't know Christ this

morning I pray that our message today as

it provides for you a glimpse of what

will take place at the at the return of

the Lord that it will stir you to

conviction and that the holy spirit will

draw you to Faith in Jesus Christ and by

the time you leave our service this

morning you will have been welcomed into

the family of Faith so 1

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

Thessalonians chapter 4 beginning in

verse 13 here's what the Apostle Paul

writes

but

we do not want you to be

uninformed I love this Paul doesn't

mince words and every word in the

scripture is a word with purpose and I

love how Paul uses that phrase

uninformed remember the culture the

Thessalonian Christians are up against a

Greco Roman culture that everything they

believe about Gods worship and the

afterlife is in contrary and really in

Rebellion to the truth of the scriptures

and so Paul is painting a beautiful

picture here that those who do not hope

and trust in the resurrection and the

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ are

those who live uninformed

lives and if you live an uninformed life

guess what then your behavior will be

uninformed your behavior is rooted in

your beliefs Randy shared it great this

morning your

devotion and how you go about worshiping

the Lord how you go about living out

your faith is rooted in what you believe

about God and Paul is saying we those

who have been adopted by the family of

Faith he's speaking to Christians Sons

and Daughters of god let's not live our

lives

uninformed here's what breaks my heart

maybe this is true about this church I

pray it's not but here's here what

breaks my heart about Christians in

America today we live so uninformed

about the truth of God about the

scriptures about what God says about who

we are how we bear His

Image we live

uninformed

lives I pray that as a Thessalonians

begin to reignite a passion for who God

is and what his future holds or their

future holds we would as well he

continues Brothers about those who are

asleep that you may not grieve as others

do who have no hope so you'll notice

here Paul is going to be using this

phrase asleep or

sleep and what we find is all throughout

the scriptures particularly in the New

Testament that word

sleep is a way to signify those who have

died people who have passed before

particularly those in the city of

thessalonia the church members there

Paul is saying we do not have to be

uninformed about what the future holds

for them or even presently what is

happening with our loved ones who have

passed and have gone to be with the Lord

we do not want to grieve like those who

have no hope he continues here in verse

14 for since we believe notice how he

links the resurrection here we believe

that Jesus died and rose again even so

through Jesus God will bring with him

those who have fallen asleep what's he

talking about he's talking about at the

return of Jesus as Heaven and Earth come

together in the final consummation God

will bring with him all the saints of

old every son and daughter of God who

has professed faith in Christ and In

Christ Alone he will bring them with him

as he establishes the new heavens and

the new Earth and what's going to take

place here the resurrection of the Dead

well what does that mean Paul is making

this connection just as Christ was

resurrected from the grave so will your

loved ones be resurrected from the grave

and what they're resurrected with is not

an old body that was limited by sin not

a body that was limited by disease and

okay but they will receive glorified

bodies bodies to walk in what Revelation

calls newness of life I'm getting ahead

of myself here but I think this is an

appropriate time to mention

it those Sons and Daughters of God who

have passed before

us they are presently in the presence of

Jesus

Christ this is what we theologically

call the intermediate

state in other words they exist in

spirit in the presence of God right now

they are singing with the angels around

the Throne of Heaven declaring holy holy

holy is the Lord God Almighty who was

and is and is to come and they

themselves are storing up anticipation

and passion for that moment when Christ

returns and when he does They will

receive their glorified bodies this is

why Paul is saying we do not

grieve as those who have no

hope many of us in here we've lost loved

ones

Sons daughters grandchildren parents

friends

grandparents let me make one thing

absolutely

clear if their faith was in Christ than

they are with Christ and they're doing

far better than any of us are in God's

glory forever verse 15 let's continue

for this what's this the coming of the

lord we declare to you by a word from

the Lord that we who are alive who are

left until the coming of the Lord will

not precede those who have fallen asleep

what is Paul saying he's saying when

when the Lord comes and he brings all

his sons and daughters with him they

will receive their resurrected bodies

first then we who are still alive we who

are here who are left until the coming

of the lord we won't proceed what takes

place here's here's what I love remember

Paul is choosing words very carefully

every word has a purpose that phrase

coming of the Lord is the Greek word

perusa perusia is used 24 other times in

the New Testament and in every instance

that it's used it paints a picture of a

king returning to his kingdom to

establish Victory

forever royalty the red carpet being

rolled out citizens going to meet their

King returning home this is the picture

of what happens at the coming of Jesus

that the coming glory is exactly that

the glory of God on display the

perusia where the Lord Jesus returns to

his kingdom to establish it in Victory

for all eternity verse 16 Paul gets

really clear for the Lord himself will

descend from heaven with a cry of

command with the voice of an archangel

with the sound of the trumpet of God and

the dead in Christ will rise first to

receive their glorified bodies Paul made

this clear right we will not precede

those who have fallen asleep he told us

here in verse 15 verse 17 then we who

are alive who are left will be caught up

together with them in the clouds to meet

the Lord in the air and so we will be

with the Lord Verse 18 therefore

encourage one another with these words

and all God's people said amen Lord

would you bless your word Holy Spirit

would you stir our

hearts Paul is making a case here with

Clarity with Simplicity but with bold

Authority Empower remember earlier in

our passage what did Paul Paul declare

that what he declares

it is a word from the lord it's not

Paul's opinion it's not a consensus of

what people believe but this is a word

from God and what's at the center of

this word Jesus is coming

back he will return and I believe what

Paul is doing is he is painting three

vivid pictures of what will happen at

Christ's return and each of those

pictures plays out in a very unique way

that the passage really articulates to

us and so we're going to look at three

of those pictures if you're taking notes

here's the first one it's a picture of

certainty in other words Christ's return

is certain you may have noticed

something in verse 16 Paul doesn't mince

words he doesn't speak in ambiguity Paul

doesn't say if Christ returns it says

when Christ returns go back with me to

verse

16 for the Lord himself will come down

from heaven with a loud command with the

voice of the Archangel with the trumpet

call of God and the dead in Christ will

rise first here's what I love because

this is not a secret event this is a

public display of God's majesty and

Glory the psalmist tells us that the

Thunders in a thunderstorm are

indicative of the voice of

God and when The Thunder Rolls and it's

an indication of God's voice how much

more will the trumpet call of God

indicate God's power God's might and

God's

Authority this trumpet blast is a

signal as God is wrapping up

Redemptive

history did you know there is a window

that God in his mercy and Grace and he

does not have to do this he is a just

God and a just God deals with the

penalty and provides the consequences

for the sin the rebellion and the evil

that we commit before the holy God of

creation God is right and holy in his

justice but in his grace and his Mercy

he provides a window for you and I that

while we have breath in our lungs we

might turn to him in

faith so that at his coming at the

Glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ

we are ready to be caught up with him to

meet him to welcome him as Heaven and

Earth are

established and the presence of God is

with us forever and ever two things take

place in this moment for the believer it

solidifies

confidence because the return of Christ

it's not based on speculation this is

one of the main points Paul is

making that you do not have to grieve

like those who have no hope because just

as Jesus Christ was resurrected from the

grave this is a letter written to a

people anywhere between 40 to 50 years

after the resurrection of Jesus in other

words people who had witnessed the

resurrected Christ were still

alive it was a known truth it was an

accepted fact in the life of Israel

during this time and so Paul is saying

just like Jesus was resurrected from the

grave and just like that is a certainty

we can be certain that the Lord will

return so for the believer it gives us

confidence

because we don't speculate we stand on

the sure Promises of God the author of

Hebrews puts it this way that the gospel

and all that we profess to believe in

Jesus Christ that that would serve as an

anchor for our hope are you Anchored In

Hope Are you standing firm on the

Promises of

God because his promises in their

fullness and

culmination will come to us one day the

scripture tells us in Acts 1:1 that as

Acts 1:1

Jesus ascended from the mount back into

heaven and disappeared into the clouds

and as the disciples gazed upward in awe

and in worship they were told there's a

mission to accomplish and just as Jesus

ascended to heaven in the same way he

will descend back to

Earth and they lived with that certainty

so much so that church history and

tradition tradition tells us that the

rest of the disciples died as Martyrs

for the

gospel you only die a martyr for

something that you know is certain and

you truly believe in for the nonbeliever

again this is an invitation to come to

receive the Lord Jesus so how do we

apply this picture this certainty of

Christ's return We Live ready church

this is what we do we live ready ready

lives we take advantage of every

opportunity that is laid before us to

love our neighbors to speak a word of

compassion to tell people about Jesus to

serve our community not for the sake of

service not for the sake of clout but

for the sake of the Gospel that others

might taste and see the goodness of the

Lord some of us you have a family member

who doesn't know Jesus you have a

coworker who doesn't know Jesus you have

a spouse who doesn't know Jesus how are

you inviting them into the kingdom of

God his return is certain are we living

ready the certainty of the trumpet call

of God should cause us to live with

Readiness it should change how we live

our lives today here's the second

picture that Paul is painting it's not

just a picture of certainty but don't

miss this this is a picture of Hope and

this is what we find happens at the

return of Christ Christ's return brings

hope rather Christ's return

solidifies hope it proves our hope it

elevates our hope so that we would no

longer live hopeless lives but that we

would live hopeful for all eternity Paul

acknowledges here's here's what I love

about this Paul acknowledges the reality

of our

grief he acknowledges that we mourn the

loss of loved

ones some of us are dealing with a grief

that we on this side of heaven will

never

overcome and God will purpose

that so that in those continued moments

of grief we would cling to him and we

would Embrace his truth and for many of

us the only way we are able to wake up

and make it through the day is because

we cling to the hope of the

Gospel we cling to the moment Christ

will return We cling to the moment where

we will see our sons and daughters smile

again we cling to the moment when we

will be able to cradle our children

again when we will be able to embrace

all those who have gone before us this

is a

hope that the return of Christ provides

and so Paul acknowledges the reality of

grief the painfulness of what we endure

this side of heaven but here's what I

love he distinguishes

it we do not grieve as those who are

uninformed Christian grief is not like

worldly

grief it's still difficult it is still

painful but at the end of grief is what

it's

hope it is a hope that transforms us go

back with me to verse

13 brothers and sisters we do not want

you to be un formed about those who

sleep in death so that you do not grieve

like the rest of mankind who have no

hope for for 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 everyone look at me

I don't let's not miss

this death is

real and death is

painful but it is not f

this is the hope that we live in this is

the hope that we cling to those who have

died in Christ are with Christ

now worshiping

glorifying living their lives in

adoration to him and when Christ returns

they will come with him reunited and

glorified bodies verse 16 says the dead

in Christ will rise first so how do we

apply this how do we apply this picture

of Hope here it is do not live in

despair now I'll be the first to tell

you way easier said than done amen but I

believe the Christian Life is a life of

process it's a life of taking steps

forward some of us move closer to the

Lord by Leaps and Bounds praise God you

have been gifted way more than I

have others we take small steps towards

Jesus we endure Temptation we we

struggle with habits we endure these

vices and then we take a couple more

steps towards

Jesus the

idea is not how fast you're moving

towards Jesus though as your Pastor I

pray that we would all put a pep in our

step towards the way that we pursue

Jesus but the goal at the end of the day

are you pursuing Christ

because if you're pursuing Christ with

all that you have and all that you are

and that will look methodically method

meth our

methods will be different rubber baby

buggy bumper rubber baby buggy

bumper our methods will be different but

the goal is that we're pursuing

Christ are you pursuing Christ are you

clinging to the hope that he provides

because death does not have the final

say Jesus conquered the grave and so

shall

we it's a beautiful picture and so we

mourn but not as the world

Mourns we grieve but not as the world

Grieves we live with the confidence that

we will see our brothers and sisters

again this changes how we view death it

changes

how we hold on to the hope that is

provided because we know that the

resurrection is

coming and then this is our third and

final picture that I believe Paul is

painting here it's a picture of

reunion Christ's return is a

reunion it's an incredible picture that

he paints here in verse

17 he writes then we who are alive who

are left will be caught up together with

them in the clouds to meet the Lord in

the air and so we will always be with

the Lord some of you who are students of

eschatology that is the study of the end

times the study of the last days you'll

look at this passage that we just read

particularly this verse verse 17 and and

often times this is attributed to a

doctrine that is known as the doctrine

of the Rapture now there are many ways

that you can look at verse 17 Rapture

Doctrine is one of those ways Rapture

doctrine stipulates that towards the

last days there will be seven years of

tribulation prior to those seven years

Christ will Rapture the

church out of Earth those Christians

will go be with him in

heaven now if you believe Rapture

theology more power to you I don't

believe 1 Thessalonians 4:17 speaks into

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Rapture theology I particularly do not

hold to Rapture theology much like we

looked at the Spectrum of views

regarding the Antichrist there are a

spectrum of views regarding the end

times Rapture theology included that you

can hold to that you can profess and

that you could believe and still be a

god-honoring Bible teaching Christ

exalting Christian now let me tell you

why I believe 1 Thessalonians 4 doesn't

espouse Rapture Theology and it has a

lot to do with the words Paul uses here

remember earlier Paul used the word the

coming of the Lord which in the Greek is

the word perusia perusia 24 times used

in the New Testament is a descriptor

word that shows us a king returning to

his kingdom so that he may remain in his

kingdom not returning to his kingdom

taking the citizens with him and turning

tur back around to go somewhere else

that's not the picture Paul is painting

here that's not the way the word is used

24 other times in the Bible but then

there's another word here that Paul

uses that word in the phrase meet the

Lord in the

air that Greek word there is

aesis and

aenis is used other times in the

scripture and every time it is used it

is always used to describe this a king

returning to his kingdom and the

citizens in droves marching out the city

walls to meet him at his return and once

they meet him at his return to then turn

back to the city from which they came

this is the picture that Paul is

painting here and so when Paul talks

about a

reunion he's talking about the second

coming of Jesus that right here the

greatest reunion the universe has ever

known will take place as the Lord

returns to earth and his citizens go out

to meet with him to welcome him back

into his kingdom for all eternity this

is why we constantly paint the return of

Christ this way that that heaven is not

far in way but you and I we get to taste

and see bits of heaven right here right

now primarily we get to taste and see it

through the ministry of the church we

are the bride of Christ and we've been

saying it throughout this entire series

Jesus framed it this way that the

kingdom of God the Kingdom of Heaven is

at hand in other words he he's not

saying the kingdom is something that we

have to wait for that the Kingdom of of

Heaven is something that will come at a

later time no he's saying it's right

here it's among you it's in you and it

thrives and it moves forward through you

that's why we say we live in the already

but not yet we get to experience moments

of God's Kingdom in and through our

ministry when we sang and lifted up our

voices to the

Lord that's the already but then there's

a not yet Factor what is that we're

waiting for Christ

return for him to come back and when he

does our loved ones will return with

them they will receive glorified bodies

then we who are remaining as we

acknowledge the trumpet call of God the

shout from the Archangel and Jesus

returning for his kingdom we will meet

with him and Usher him back into the new

heavens and the new Earth church this is

the culmination of our faith Jesus will

be with us forever every tear wiped away

every pain removed every separation

erased never to be separated again let

me close with this a beautiful beautiful

picture of the new heavens and the new

Earth Revelation 21 veres

1-4 then I saw a new Heaven and a new

Earth for the first Heaven and the first

Earth had passed away and the sea was no

more now remember Revelation is a highly

symbolic

book so John is not saying there's going

to be no bodies of water in the new

heavens and the new Earth the sea you're

familiar with this throughout the

scripture is often used to depict evil

in

sin so through apocalyptic writing and

symbolism what John is saying is there

will be no more sin and evil is

vanquished verse two I saw the holy city

New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven

from from God prepared as a bride

adorned for her

husband and I heard a loud voice from

the throne saying Behold The Dwelling

Place of God is with man he will dwell

with them and they will be his people

and God himself will be with them as

their God he will wipe away every tear

from their eyes and Death Shall be no

more neither shall there be mourning nor

crying nor pain anymore for their former

things have passed away here's here's

what the Hope here's what the certainty

here's what the reunion provides Heaven

is not just a place Heaven is a

person and that person is

Jesus and I've phrased it this way many

times before if you were in a

place where all your dreams were met and

every desire was fulfilled and and every

loved one was there with but Jesus was

not would you still want to be there now

that's a gut

check and if I'm honest with you I

struggle with that as

well and what it brings to the surface

is maybe some some deepr rooted Pride

evil in sin and and it really helps us

to to understand the tension between

flesh and spirit what do we desire most

our greatest

joy will be being with

Jesus church let's live that way

now with that hope with that expectation

and prioritizing what truly matters and

I love how Paul finishes out our passage

encourage one another with these

words we're not called to cling to Hope

as if it's not available to anyone else

we're not called to look forward to this

reunion and not invite others in but we

are to encourage the people around us

with the truth that one day Christ will

return I pray that we live like it and I

pray that we live ready would you pray

with me