Marks of a Mighty Church (Part 4)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 9/6/2015
A novice preacher auditioned at a small country church. He was a little nervous, and about ten minutes into his sermon his mind went blank. But he recalled what his homiletics professor taught him to do in a situation like that—simply, repeat your last statement, with emphasis. This avoids awkward silences and helps jog your memory. So stepping to the side of the pulpit, the preacher repeated himself, “Behold, I come quickly.” Still his mind was blank. So he walked briskly to the other side of the pulpit and repeated again, “Behold I come quickly.” Just then, he tripped over a microphone cord, stumbled down the steps, and fell into the lap of a little old lady in the front row. The young preacher turned bright red and apologized sheepishly. “That’s alright, young man,” said the little old lady. “It was my fault. You told me three times that you were coming.”
Jesus has likewise assured us more than once that he’s coming. The Second Coming of Christ was something to which the Thessalonian church eagerly looked forward. The church in Thessalonica was an exemplary church. In chapter 4, Paul praises the church for avoiding lust, adopting love, and applauding labor. In chapters 2-3, he describes them as a scriptural church, a suffering church, and a strong church. And back in chapter 1, Paul praises them for being an energetic church, an elect church, an evangelistic church, and an expectant church. They were an expectant church because they were eagerly “looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:10 NLT).
The second half of chapter 4 and the first half of chapter 5 expand on that idea. Paul explains what exactly the Thessalonians had to look forward to, and what Mighty Churches of every generation can still look forward to today. Let’s read this passage together.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT)
In this passage, Paul identifies four elements of the Second Coming that mighty Christians can anticipate. First, a mighty church can anticipate Christ’s return.
• RETURN
I ran across this news from Austin, Texas recently:
The headline read: MAN EXPERIENCES HEART ATTACK AFTER THE RAPTURE. Herbert Washington, whom co-workers at Significant Plastics Inc. say was unduly concerned with the rapture and the second coming of Christ, suffered a serious heart attack when co-workers pretended they’d been caught away without him.
Last Tuesday, they laid work outfits on their chairs and hid in a supply room, and when Herbert came back from the restroom, he thought the rapture had occurred. The janitor, an outspoken Muslim, pretended to have witnessed everyone disappear and ran around the office feigning panic. Herbert fell to the ground clutching his heart and screaming, "I knew you’d forget me, Jesus!” The poor guy underwent bypass surgery and is recovering well. His wife says he’s reading his Bible more than ever.
While it may make for entertaining movies and heart-stopping pranks, the reality is—the Bible never speaks of a secret rapture where faithful Christians disappear while unbelievers are left behind. Rather, Paul tells us, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God” (4:16 NLT). Revelations adds, “Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him” (Revelation 1:7 NLT).
Just imagine you are in your car driving home. Thoughts wander to the game you want to see or meal you want to eat, when suddenly a sound unlike any you’ve ever heard fills the air. The sound is high above you. A trumpet? A choir? A choir of trumpets? You don’t know, but you want to know. So you pull over, get out of your car, and look up. As you do, you see you aren’t the only curious one. The roadside has become a parking lot. Car doors are open, and people are staring at the sky. Shoppers are racing out of the grocery store. The Little League baseball game across the street has come to a halt. Players and parents are searching the clouds.
And what they see, and what you see, has never before been seen.
As if the sky were a curtain, the drapes of the atmosphere part. A brilliant light spills onto the earth followed by an endless fleet of angels. Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison, and over the sound of the trumpets, you can hear the cherubim and seraphim chanting, “Holy, holy, holy.” Suddenly the movement stops and the trumpets are silent. All is quiet. The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns—and there he is. Jesus. Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King.
Before you stands a figure so consuming that you know, instantly you know: Nothing else matters. Forget stock markets and school reports. Sales meetings and football games. Nothing is newsworthy. All that mattered, matters no more, for Christ has come. Will it be like that exactly? I don’t know. But I know that when Christ comes everyone will know it and everyone one will be amazed by Jesus.
Mighty churches anticipate the return.
• RESURRECTION
Further, mighty churches anticipate the resurrection. Paul assured the Thessalonians, “The believers who have died will rise from their graves” (4:16 NLT). Of course, the resurrection raises a whole classroom full of questions itself. Paul anticipated those questions in his letter to the Corinthians. He writes, “But someone may ask, ‘How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?’” (1 Corinthians 15:35 NLT).
Thankfully, Paul not only asks the questions; he answers them, too. He compares the resurrection to a seed that is buried in the ground before sprouting new life. “It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever” (1 Corinthians 15:42 NLT). He then describes some specific changes we’ll experience in our resurrected bodies. He says you will go from perishable to imperishable, from dishonor to glory, from weakness to power, and from a natural body a supernatural body. Won’t it be wonderful to have a body like that? A body that never gets old or grows tired? A body defined by power and glory?
Billy Graham once passed a shop which was no longer open for business. A sign hung in the window that said, "Closed for Renovations." The owner had closed shop for a while in order to remodel the store. After a while he reopened the business with many changes and improvements. This, Graham says, is a picture of our death and resurrection. When you die, your spirit moves out of your body temporarily until it has been repaired and remodeled, then, at the resurrection, your spirit will move into your newly remodeled, indestructible, glorified, powerful, supernatural body.
What exactly is a supernatural body? I don’t know; but, like the Thessalonians, I’m looking forward to finding out. Mighty Churches eagerly await the resurrection.
• REUNION
Furthermore, mighty churches can look forward to a great reunion. Paul’s purpose in bringing up the resurrection seems to be the Thessalonian’s concern for their lost loved ones. Again, he writes, “we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope… when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died… we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds” (vs. 13-17).
When you lose someone you love, the hope of reuniting with them can be a great comfort. One of my favorite Christian musicians is Steven Curtis Chapman. And my favorite song by him is titled Heaven is the Face. There’s a sad story behind that song. In May of 2008, police and emergency personnel rushed to the Chapman home when Steven’s teenage son backed out of the driveway, unaware that his five-year-old sister, Maria (who the family had adopted from China), was playing right behind the car. She was crushed beneath one of the rear wheels and died later that day at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. When Steven Curtis Chapman finally returned to the recording studio many months later, this is what he wrote:
Heaven is the face of a little girl with dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles.
Heaven is the place Where she calls my name
Says, “Daddy please come play with me for a while.”
God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for.
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.
So right now...
Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone.
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You, And we both run into Your arms.
Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream.
It’s far beyond anything I can conceive.
So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I see
Heaven in the face of my little girl.
Who do you long to see when Christ comes? In addition to family and friends, we’ll be able to meet believers of every era: Abraham Lincoln, Elvis, or Peter, Paul and Mary (the disciples not the singing group). The point is—mighty churches look forward to that reunion. Finally, mighty churches can look forward to our reward.
• REWARD
When Fred arrived at the Pearly Gates, he was a little nervous about being admitted into the heavenly city. Very quickly he found himself standing before an impressive angelic being with a clipboard. "Fred, it would help the process if you could share with me some experience from your life on earth when you did a purely unselfish, kindly deed," the angel said. Well, Fred thought about it for a minute and then said, "Oh, yes. One day I was walking along and I came upon a little old lady who was being mercilessly harassed by a huge motorcycle gang type of fellow. Well, I just stepped right up and first I pushed over his motorcycle—just to get his attention. And then I kicked him real hard in the shins and told the old lady to run for help." The angel replied, "Wow, that certainly qualifies. Could you tell me just when this happened?" Fred looked at his watch and said, "About three minutes ago."
Thankfully, if you’ve put your faith in Jesus, you won’t have to prove you worth to get your reward. Rather, Paul assures us: “Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever” (5:10 NLT).
He states it more succinctly again: “we will be with the Lord forever” (4:17 NLT). This is the hope of every believer. Life without end. Life everlasting. Life without limits! All throughout Jesus’ ministry He promised one thing that no one else could offer—eternal life, immortality. That’s what Jesus came into this world to offer. Jesus declared boldly, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV). Jesus speaks here of both quantity and quality—both beyond measure. This life has it limits and letdowns. Sometimes life ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. But the life that Jesus gives will never disappoint. There’ll be no more suffering, sadness or seizures. No more boredom, bounced checks, or bad moods. No tantrums, tedium, or terrorists. Clear mind, tireless muscles, unhindered joy. Another translation put it this way: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10 MSG).
This is the reward the Thessalonians so eagerly awaited.
Paul wanted the Thessalonian church to see the coming of Christ as an encouragement. Jesus is returning. Whether or not it happens during our lifetime, all of us will be resurrected on that day, reunited with fellow believers of every age, and rewarded with eternal life in the company of Christ. In the meantime, our job is to be prepared. Paul cautioned: “concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 NLT).
Conclusion:
While on a South Pole expedition, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island, promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, the explorer said to his men, "It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!" They replied, "We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, 'The boss may come today.'" There’s no predicting when Jesus will return, so a mighty church is “packed and ready to go” at all times.
Invitation:
Are you ready? Have you put your faith in Jesus and accepted him as your Lord and Savior? If not, it’s time to start packing. I want to invite you get ready right here and right now, while we stand and sing together.
