A copy of God's Word, turn with me to the New Testament book of 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Also printed for you this evening on the back of the worship guide, the bulletin, is our weekly installment of the Baptist Catechism of 1693. And as we go through this throughout the year as a church, in most evening services, not all, but in most, we've been looking for our time in the Word, in the preached Word, at the doctrines that we find from the scripture that are listed for us in the catechism. We begin there tonight with question number 40. And it goes like this, what benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death? The answer, the souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness and do immediately pass into glory. And their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection. Question 41, what benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment. and made perfectly blessed both in soul and body and the full enjoyment of God to all eternity." That's the catechism rendering. That's the lengthy version. That's the stringing together of passages of Scripture that deal with the doctrine of the second coming of Christ and specifically what happens to believers at the second coming of Christ. It's a little more wordy. Those of you that are parents or grandparents might have gotten the shortened version from one of your children or grandchildren. Daddy, mommy, what happens to us when we die? And you might not plow into the entire catechism, but it is the same question. What happens to people when they die? Our installment in the Catechism deals with both believers and non-believers, and it's a question that we need to have, a conversation that we need to have, really, with our children. What happens to believers when they die, and what happens to non-believers when they die? But Paul was dealing with believers who were asking the same question 2,000 years ago. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 13. A church made up of adults and children. Perhaps one of Paul's first letters Or at least one of the earlier letters. And the believers there were, in a sense, asking the same question. What's going to happen to us when we die? But you know, they were also asking a related question. What has happened to our brothers and sisters in Christ who have already died? Will they miss out? Because Paul, you've been telling us about the coming of Christ, and we are here, and we are expectantly awaiting Christ's return. But we have brothers and sisters who have died, and we're tempted to be grieved at the thought that they will miss out on the second coming. So Paul takes his spiritual children into his lap, and has a conversation writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is what happens when we die. First Thessalonians chapter four, verse 13 through 18. Hear the word of the living God. 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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words." Let's pray together. Almighty God, now we ask that you would bless both the preaching and the hearing of your word, just as you inspired these words for the comfort of the church at Thessalonica, so you have inspired them for our comfort as well. May we take comfort and joy in your scripture tonight. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, first a little bit of background. We looked at this text many years ago together, but it's been some time, and so let's review a little background regarding Thessalonians. We looked last week at 2 Thessalonians, and we talked about how sanctification is a theme that runs through both 1 and 2 Thessalonians. But by way of background, Paul went to Thessalonica and worked. Seeking to plant churches. Seeking to evangelize. But he had to leave suddenly. You can read of that in Acts chapter 17 verses 1-10. He spent at least three Sabbaths and possibly a few other weeks there. But then there was a mob. You remember the account in Acts. Now, Paul sends Timothy. He reports that the church is doing well, but that they have questions about the coming of Christ. particularly as some and their community had already died. As I mentioned, 1 Thessalonians may very well be one of Paul's first letters or early letters. And it often deals with the theme of the sanctification of the believer, but also the second coming of Christ. And the two are wonderfully woven together as we saw last week. Let's walk through this book and get up to our text and chapter 1 verses 9 and 10. He's heard the good report of their testimony. Look there. First Thessalonians 1 9 for they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead. Even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. In chapter two, verse eight, Paul reminds them of his love for them. Look at verse eight of chapter two. So affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives because you had become dear to us. As a side note, this would be a wonderful time or text to think about what it means to minister and to be a part of the body of Christ, to share the gospel with you, but also our very lives. He continues in chapter two and in verse 19 he says, for what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and joy. You, Thessalonians, we find joy in as we see you ready for Christ's return. Chapter 3, he spends some time talking about sanctification. Look at verse 13, for instance. He prays a prayer for the church. He says, now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and all, just as we do to you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. He picks up the same theme in chapter four, verse three. For this is the will of God, your sanctification. We looked at this doctrine last week, the doctrine of sanctification. Paul's message to the church at Thessalonica could be worded in many different ways. Here's one potential way to word it. Believers will grow in sanctification as they wait for their Christ to come. Believers will grow in sanctification as they wait for their Christ to come. Let's look at our text, verse 13, as we specifically consider the question that boys and girls ask their daddies and mommies, that catechism writers seek to answer, and that Paul is trying to answer. What happens when we die? Verse 13, but I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who've fallen asleep. Boys and girls, that word asleep doesn't mean like sleepy at night, falling asleep and waking back up. It's a way of talking about death. We don't want you to be ignorant or uninformed about those who have already died. Remember, Paul had not finished his teaching there at Thessalonica. So he's, adding to further teaching. I need to instruct you so that you're not ignorant about those who have died. Interesting language. Those who have fallen asleep. Death's sting can indeed be quite awful. But really, for the Christian, death is sleeping in Jesus. And I don't mean that we're in soul sleep, that we're not with him. I mean what Paul means, that as difficult and as stinging as death is, we are with the Lord. But he continues, I don't want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. Notice the connection that when our grief is informed by the gospel, we have hope. That doesn't mean that there's no grief, but that there is hope in the midst of grief. We need to be careful that we don't add to the Apostle's words what is not there. He says specifically, lest you sorrow like those who have no hope. You're going to sorrow. You're going to have grief. But in the midst of it all, the brother or sister who has died, has died in Christ and there is immeasurable hope in the midst of sadness. Paul is no stranger to suffering and to sorrow. The idea that a true believer who knows that another believer is a Christian won't grieve or won't have sorrow in this life is foreign to the New Testament. So he's saying, you're gonna grieve, but I don't want you to grieve like those who don't have hope. And then notice what he says next in verse 14. For if we believe, that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. This phrase connects us to what the hope is and the necessity of belief. What is that? Jesus died and rose again. Notice Paul gives in nugget form the gospel. For if, or for because, or for since, we believe that Jesus died and he was raised. Even so, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep." This isn't just Paul being flowery. The resurrection of Jesus Christ assures our resurrection. It's what the New Testament teaches, book after book after book. The Lord's Day, every Sunday, is when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And in a sense, as we've said before, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrating our own resurrection to come. Paul reminds us that our hope is in the gospel. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ means something because we are united to Christ. But then he gets further into the instruction. Look at verse 15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord. This is God speaking to you, Christian. Listen to this word from the Lord. That we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. That's the answer to what is meant by those who are alive will not proceed. Specifically, Paul, sister so-and-so, brother so-and-so, sat on the pews with us every week. There is their chair in our little house church gathering. Will they miss any of it? Will they miss out on the resplendent glory of the coming Christ? And Paul's ultimate goal here is to say, alive or asleep, we will not miss the coming of Christ. Is God going to complete His promises? See, some may have died in persecution. That may be who is on their mind. Go back to chapter 2, verse 14 and 15. Listen just to a couple of passages from this very letter. First Thessalonians 2 14 for you brethren became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen just as they did from the Judeans who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and it persecuted us. He's referencing that there's suffering that has occurred, and we're not sure of all the data, but it is likely that there were persecuted believers here who may have died. Paul, you've preached about the coming of Christ, and some have been faithful unto death for his name. And now that they have died, will they miss out? Or look at chapter three and verse two. Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone and sent Timothy our brother and minister of God and our fellow labor in the gospel of Christ to establish you and encourage you concerning the faith that no one should be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this." It's another whole sermon series right there. Appointed to suffering. Verse four, for in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation just as it has happened. And you know, for this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you and our labor might be in vain. Can you imagine boys and girls? Paul didn't know everything. He wasn't omniscient. So can you imagine Paul, as he says elsewhere, remember what Paul says are his daily challenges? He says the anxiety concerning the churches. He's suffering shipwreck, beatings, imprisonments, and he's worried about churches. They're suffering persecution. We cannot go. I got to send Timothy. We got to know how are they holding up? What does he comfort them with? If it comes to the end and if you die, or as it has come to the end and some of your brothers and sisters have died, they will not miss the return of Christ. Paul's point here is that believers who have died will not miss out on the blessing and glory of Christ's second coming. The end of the book in chapter 5, verse 9, listen to what Paul says. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. You see, this frees the Christian community. We will grieve when one of us falls asleep in Jesus, yet In the eyes of eternity, it doesn't change anything. Because whether we wake or sleep, we are with Christ. To live is Christ. To die, Paul says, is gain. Now think about this, we look at this for doctrine, but Paul is writing to a real group of people, a real church, a real community. Think about our own community. In our community as brothers and sisters, nothing can keep us separated forever. I preached this sermon, text, several years ago. And since I've preached this text, we have lost brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in Jesus. And because in God's glorious providence we are small enough to actually know their names, we could recount them. What's going to happen to them? Is there hope for them? Will they miss out? Paul is not writing to a nebulous group of individuals who don't know each other. There's a real concern here. Will cancer end our fellowship? Will car wrecks and heart attacks and war, will it end? And will their death mean that they get something less? And the answer is, no, none of these things will keep us from him and from one another. It's interesting as we study church history to see the number of expressions of Christian burials. You know that in a lot of cultures down through church history, believers purposely were buried together. And sometimes it was out of necessity. Sometimes it was, we have to hide bodies. We're being persecuted. But in some contexts, it was intentional. We live together, we die together, we're raised together. Paul says as much, doesn't he, in verse 16. The Lord himself will descend. What is he answering? Well, the question of verse 15. We say to you by word of the Lord that we who are alive when Christ comes will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of an archangel, and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Those of you that have been walking with Christ for some time, you probably know this verse. 1 Thessalonians 4, 13-18 has probably become the famous Jesus is coming back passage. But I would submit to you the initial readers upon hearing this in a persecuted time with specific names in mind would hear, and this brother will rise first. We don't grieve as those who have no hope. Notice he says, the Lord Himself And there are three types of sounds to bring notification. Look what he says here. He'll descend with a shout, with a voice of an archangel, with a trumpet of God. Some believe these are three distinct sounds, that we will literally hear a shout, and we will literally hear the voice of an archangel, and we'll literally hear a trumpet blast. And others see these three descriptions as a type of writing where it's three different ways to describe just the booming sound that will come with the return of Christ. But he says the dead in Christ will rise first. Let's connect this then with verse 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. The passage speaks of believers who have died both as coming with Christ and as rising. Do you see that? Those who have died will be coming with Christ and they will rise. Now how's that gonna happen? Well, for that, let's take a moment as we look at the doctrine of our catechism, which arises from the word of God, to look at a few other passages. How is it that believers who have died will return with Christ and will rise? Turn with me to 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 8. A couple of various passages which are necessary for us to answer that question. 2 Corinthians 5.8, we are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body to be present with the Lord. Believers who die are absent from the body and yet present with the Lord. Specifically speaking, when a Christian dies, her or his soul immediately goes to be with our Christ. But that believer is not yet what she or he will be. That believer is not yet what he or she will be. Because there is coming a time when their soul will be reunited with a glorified body. Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 35. But someone will say, how are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be but mere grain, perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives a body as He pleases, and to each soul its own body. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies. But the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption. It is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written. The first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam became a life giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust. And as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall bear the image of the heavenly man. At the final resurrection, believers will be given glorified bodies. So what do we know so far, boys and girls? We know that when a Christian dies, their body ceases to be living. It's placed in the ground. But their soul immediately goes to be with Christ. But when Christ returns, He will bring with Him the souls of those who have fallen asleep, and in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, those souls will be joined with glorified bodies. You remember last year when we were studying the Heidelberg Catechism, that opening phrase, I believe that in both soul and body, I belong to my Lord Jesus Christ. Well, Paul finishes in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 51, Behold, 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 incorruptible and we shall be changed. So the dead in Christ are with Christ at the moment of death. And yet in some sense, they are not yet fully what they will be when he returns. In this time, in Paul's day, and in subsequent following generations, there was some philosophy that argued that the material is bad, and that the spiritual is good, and that our chief problem was that we have come to be trapped in the material world. And so death is a freeing from the material world, which is why many, in John's letters, among other places, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, many in that time would argue that there's no way that Jesus could have come with a body because the body is the problem. We need to be free from the body. In the New Testament, early Christianity, the apostolic record is not that the body is the problem. We will be physical bodies for all of eternity. So boys and girls, it's not as though we die and we get to get rid of our bodies. It's that we die, and for a time we're separated from our bodies. And very soon Christ will give to every believer a glorified body without pain, without tears, without joints that ache, all kinds of problems that we experience now. Well, Paul continues, doesn't he? Let's journey on in our text in 1 Thessalonians. Look what he says there. Verse 17. So if you're living, you won't miss out. If you've died, you won't miss out. Whether we live, whether we die, we shall be with Christ. Now this phrase here, we shall meet the Lord in the air, has been a verse that has been subject to a variety of interpretations. Many would argue that this means that when Jesus comes, he'll come, and I'm speaking literally here, he'll come down a certain amount of geographic space, and we'll go and meet him in the air, and then we'll go up. But I submit to you that that is not at all what this passage is teaching. First of all, when Jesus comes, Everybody's gonna know it. Every last person will know it. There is nothing secret about the coming of Christ. But let's look at this phrase in the context of Paul's writing. We will go meet the Lord in the air. The Greek word used here was used to signify how members of a city would go out of a city, leave the city gates, and meet a victorious warrior, a king or dignitary. Trumpets would be blast. The emperor is returning, the king is returning, the general is returning. He's won a great victory. Trumpets would blast, noise would be made. We've heard of such things in this text as well. And the people of the city would rush out of the city. and go and meet the conquering hero. And then guess what they would do? Usher him into the city. Now have we ever seen in the Bible anywhere where Christ and all of heaven seems to come down and radically smash into earth? I'm glad you thought of Revelation 21 verses 1 through 5 because that's the picture that we get. We don't get the picture of a secret rapture where believers are caught up into the air and most don't know it. We get the picture that all of the earth knows it and Christ's people go and meet him. Look how similar the root word is used elsewhere in scripture. I don't want us to just use first century culture to define what a word or a phrase means. Let's go over to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25 verse one. The kingdom of heaven shall be likened to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, a cry was heard. Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet him. Same idea. Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered saying, no, lest there should not be enough for us and you, but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves. While they went to buy, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also saying Lord Lord open to us, but he answered and said assuredly I say to you I do not know you watch therefore for you know not The day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming a different issue to address regarding the coming of Christ, but the idea of People who are waiting going out and meeting The bridegroom. Or how about John chapter 12? Same phrase is used. John chapter 12 in verse 13. John chapter 12, picking up in verse 12. The next day, a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took palm branches and went out to meet him and cried out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Now we shouldn't formulate an entire doctrine of the coming of Christ on these three passages alone. However, the regular pattern is, people are waiting, they are ready, they're not asleep, they're looking for it. When it happens, they go out to meet Him, to welcome Him, to greet Him. See, the assumption is often made that since we're meeting in the clouds, as 1 Thessalonians says, that Christ comes down and everybody goes up. Why up? Where did we get that from? This word typically is used of going out to meet. All in the city, going out to meet and welcoming them. Just like we see in these passages and in Revelation. So I think the text more clearly speaks to a once for all second coming of Christ. And why labor here? Because I'll submit to you, I haven't always believed it this way. I would just submit to you that the importance here is not the debate over the when, the location of Jesus's body, but the idea that when Christ comes, everyone will know it. You will not miss out, believer. So Paul finishes verse 18, therefore comfort one another with these words. So the catechism asks a question that boys and girls have been asking, and believers in churches have been asking. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death? What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment and made perfectly blessed both in soul and in body in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity." What happens to believers when they die? They go immediately to be with Christ, to be with Him. To experience the joy of being free from sin. And they, like us, await a day when Christ comes. And they'll come with Him. And together, our bodies and their bodies will be utterly transformed. And all the world will see that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And there will not be a single believer, man, woman, boy or girl, trusting in Christ, who will not know the inexplicable joy of seeing the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who died for him or her. And they'll be utterly safe. And Christ's rule and reign, which is happening now, will be publicly seen by all. Father Paul, yes, my child, what's going to happen to brother so-and-so or sister so-and-so who's died? Don't worry, my child, for the Lord has told us they're safe. Well, what about us? We're safe and we will all be together soon. Let's pray. Almighty God, give your people comfort. May we encourage one another with these words that even the stinging death of believers is an opportunity to rejoice in the coming Christ. We need not fear the grave, For Christ has not destined us for wrath, but for salvation, that whether we wake or sleep, we shall always be with the Lord. Help your people, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's sing together.