Are We There Yet

1 Thessalonians 4: “15 For this we say unto you xby the word of the Lord, that ywe which are alive and remain unto zthe coming of the Lord shall not aprevent qthem which are asleep.[1]

I.   Truth

     A. We

     B. Word

II. Today

     A. Alive

     B. Among

III. Tomorrow

     A. Coming

     B. Controlled

Introduction:  When we were kids coming down to have holidays with our family here one of us would say many times, “Are we there yet.”  Parents surely get tired of saying “not yet.”  When we get to that glass front building where we turn right at the stop light we will be in South Hill Virginia.  It won’t be too far until we will be in North Carolina.  After following the railroad for a long straightaway we will come into Raleigh where your cousins live.  When you recognize that motor inn after we leave Cary, Apex will be next and then you can know that Moncure is not much further.

Daddy had as much apprehension as we kids when he would explain the route waypoints.  Today we are listening with apprehension as Paul is explaining to those in Thessalonica how they would know when Jesus was coming back to take them home.  Our loved ones are in a place where we are not.  We want to know when we will all be together with Jesus.  As the things come and go that we were told to watch for our impatience is growing with each passing day.  When!  When!

Paul knew that he didn’t have the knowledge to tell them how they would know for sure because even Jesus said that He didn’t know the time or date when He walked as a human being.  He knows now!  His body is not asleep in a grave waiting.  Nobody prevented Him from ascending to heaven and nobody could have prevented Jesus.

Daddy couldn’t really tell us when we would be in Moncure back when we were kids either.  He had no way of knowing what might come along the way to slow our arrival.  The only thing Daddy could do was explain where we were at that time and what to look forward to that would give us a hint of what would be next.  We knew that Granny Brady, Uncle Willie, and Lilly were already there waiting for us.

Paul had a different dilemma.  Those folks had seen their loved ones’ bodies go to their tombs.  They had not seen the ascension for their loved ones.  How and when is this thing going to happen?  There have always been people with differing amounts of faith.  Some need explanations without delay.  Some wait for the answer that will satisfy them without much apprehension. We Christians all know that we can trust Jesus to come back.  Some just insist that they need more explanation so there is always someone there to explain that we must be satisfied with where we are now knowing that the time will most definitely come when we stop dwelling on when.  By the way, I was the kid that kept asking when…

Scripture:  Today’s scripture is 1 Thessalonians 4:15.  When you have found it please rise to your feet for the reading of God’s written word.

Prayer: Please be seated

Message:  Leave your Bible open to Thessalonians 4 and follow as we hear verses thirteen through eighteen.  To be ignorant does not mean that you are without knowledge of a thing.  To ignore a thing means that you must first have knowledge but you have decided to ignore part of the truth or all of the truth.  Paul did not want those in Thessalonica who were impatiently waiting to fall into the boat with those who chose to disbelieve.  I would not have you to be ignorant.

Do you remember how Jesus explained Lazarus’ state when His disciples were afraid?  Follow as we hear from John 11:1-16.  Notice in verse four that as soon as Jesus heard of Lazarus’ sickness He explained to His disciples that Lazarus illness would not end in death.  They were very afraid when He told them that they were going back into Judea.  Are you kidding?  They are waiting there to stone you.  Pretty sure it wasn’t that they were scared of the rocks headed for Jesus.  They did whatever they could to change Jesus’ mind.

Jesus attempted to explain to them in a way that they might understand.  He had earlier told them that Lazarus would die.  What could Jesus say that they might understand?  John 11:”11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our ffriend Lazarus osleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” [2]  Some scholars believe that it was Thomas who really pushed Jesus there in verse twelve.  “12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall pdo well.” [3]  If it were me I might have added to Jesus’ explanation but read verse 14,” Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.” [4]

They could not understand.  Neither can I so that I might explain death and what happens.  All I know beyond a shadow of doubt is this.  To be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord.  God is not waiting to build heaven after the earth is torn apart.  In the creation, God created heaven first.  Jesus was there way before He walked on this earth.  In heaven there is no boundary of time.  We are waiting!  He is already there.  When you die your glorified body is with Him.  Moses and Elijah know that.  Peter, John, and James saw that on the mount of transfiguration.  Can I explain that?  NO!  Does that stop me from believing that?  NO!

Enough with the rabbits…   In our focal verse Paul is using what he learned from Jesus in his best attempt to bring the truth of heaven down to earth.  We say unto you…  This is all that we can do since we have not been there yet but know by faith that it is fact.  How do you know that someone is telling the truth?  It used to be when someone gave his word that was good enough.  God gave us His Word.  His Living Word is Jesus.  His written word is the Bible.  We have the Word of God to present to this world and that is enough.  Sometimes we must explain in ways that we can only feel that others might later understand.  There is always a danger of someone taking the half that they understand and fill in the blanks to create a thing that is not true.

We are talking to people that we a part of here and now about things that are happening in a parallel place where they cannot be just now.  Today we are alive in this temporary life among others who are here with us.  Our human minds comprehend this that has been illuminated to us and unless God opens the floodgates of illumination, nothing can enlighten us to truth beyond this place.  When Jesus ascended back to heaven He left us with the illuminator.  The Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds so that we can rest in the assurance knowing that the truth which we have yet to realize through experience is true though we must rest in the hope of knowing through faith that which shall be real to us later.  The author of Hebrews explained the relationship of faith and hope this way.  Hebrews 11:1, ”Now faith is the ||substance of things hoped for, athe evidence of bthings not seen.” [5]

To understand those things that we have not seen yet we know are very real requires faith.  It is impossible to have hope of things not yet realized through sight without faith.  Faith is the thing that we can touch, substance, of the things we hope for.  Therefore hope is not a mere human wish of things we think we want.  Hope is a knowledge of that we know through faith alone that we will acquire one eternal day.  For now in this existence faith is the only truth that will last.

So what happens tomorrow?  That is the real question that those in Thessalonica want an answer to.  When!  First, there is no tomorrow in heaven.  God invented time because we have a constraint which we allowed upon ourselves when we decided to decide for ourselves.  His is omnipresent.  In other words he is always everywhere.  God has no need for time.  Since our space of existence is limited we needed time to understand when things will happen.

So now we do have tomorrow.  Jesus has not yet come again in the sky riding on that bumpy cloud so in this life all we can understand is that He will be here one of the tomorrows and oh yes He is definitely coming that particular earth day.  Without accepting the illumination of truth from the Holy Spirit a person is limited in understanding anything except what is and has been in this planet since its conception.  God conceived this so that means God was already somewhere when He thought all this stuff up and it became temporarily here.  Without faith of and dependence in Him, The Sovereign God, people are limited in their understanding of things so we are limited to using things that we have here to explain eternity.  They understand yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  There will be an earth day when these things happen.  In heaven there is no tomorrow so that means those there are not waiting for anything that they have not already experienced.  See how easy that is to rely on through faith?  See how difficult that is to explain to someone who refused to attempt to allow the Holy Spirit to give them that hope?

People are used to being controlled.  If you don’t believe that, look around!  The numbers are going up again!  The governors who allowed those in the nursing homes to die alone are doing it again.  They are closing schools again.  Kids that feel hopeless want an end to this thing again.

It is hard to understand when someone tells you that you are not preventing or allowing someone else from going to heaven.  We are so used to having people who know less of what’s coming than we do to tell us what to do.  We just fall in line behind them even when they refuse to do for themselves the restrictions that they place on others.  Amazing!

Paul was telling them the truth.  Your being here now is not preventing them from being where they are in everlasting eternity.  Since you cannot or will not understand that I must explain it in earthly terms which are limited.  They are in heaven.  Jesus said it and I know through faith that it is so but for the sake of the earthbound Christian here is the earthly answer.  1 Thessalonians 4:, “16 For bthe Lord himself shall descend cfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice of dthe archangel, and with ethe trump of God: and fthe dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then gwe which are alive and remain shall be hcaught up together with them iin the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so kshall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore ||lcomfort one another with these words.” [6]

There are some even today who believe in this manmade idea called soul sleep.  To understand anything at all about heaven and to believe that this can be true a person must disregard many facts of truth that the Bible allows us.  Does that mean that we have the right to look away from those who don’t or won’t understand?  NO!  They are our Christian brothers and sisters.  Do we all understand everything the same way for the things that have not yet been realized for us?  NO!  Should we be thankful that there are so many that are anxiously waiting for their homecoming with Jesus?  Absolutely!  Do we have the same thing to be thankful for as others who might not comprehend the same as us?  Yes we do and His name is Jesus.

Prayer:

Invitation:  Today when we leave this sanctuary and even here in this place we are remembering things as they once were.  I am reminded of Uncle Willie in his overhauls as I stand here in mine.  He had different ideas of faith than I do but I have hope that we will be together with Jesus one day.  Uncle Willie is already there with Daddy and Momma.  I see Carol and Jack and Janice there with them.  I don’t know how but I know this, they are not waiting for me.  This might completely blow your minds but I believe that I am already there even though this body is still walking here in this place.  What in this world do I have to be afraid of?  Nothing!!!  What in heaven to I have to look forward to?  Everything!!!

You can have that assurance.  You don’t have to live in this world with apprehension.  Trust and obey.  Happy Old Fashion Day!  Let us sing and have hope and then we will close and give thanks for what He continues to give.

x See 1 Kin. 13:17.
y ver. 17. So 1 Cor. 15:51. Comp. 2 Esdr. 6:26.
z See ch. 2:19.
a See Wisd. 4:7 (Engl.). Comp. Acts 10:42. Also 2 Esdr. 5:42.
q ver. 14, 15. See Matt. 27:52.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Th 4:15). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
f ver. 11, 36. So ver. 5.
o ver. 12. Dan. 12:2. See 2 Sam. 7:12. & Matt. 27:52. Comp. 2 Kin. 4:31. Matt. 9:24.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Jn 11:11). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
p See Mark 10:52.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Jn 11:12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[4] ibid, Jn 11:14–15
|| Or, ground, or, confidence. 2 Esdr. 8:36 (Lat.). See ch. 3:14.
a 2 Tim. 3:16 (Gk.).
b 2 Cor. 4:18. & 5:7. So Rom. 8:24, 25. 1 Pet. 1:8.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 11). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
b See Matt. 16:27.
c 2 Thess. 1:7. So ch. 1:10.
d 2 Esdr. 4:36. Jude 9.
e See 1 Cor. 15:52.
f 1 Cor. 15:23. See Luke 14:14.
g ver. 15.
h See 2 Cor. 12:2.
i So Acts 1:9. Rev. 11:12.
k See John 12:26.
|| Or, exhort. See ver. 1 (text).
l ch. 3:2, 7. & 5:11. 2 Thess. 2:17. See Col. 2:2.
[6] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Th 4:16–18). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.