Okay, back in 1 Thessalonians,
as I mentioned in the reading, we'll consider the last few verses
in this chapter beginning at verse 13. We'll read them together
in just a minute. I believe, as you've probably
guessed, that the article I wrote in your bulletin concerning Brother
Kenny Goodwin prompted this message. I think God used that to lay
on my heart just to continue that thought of believers with
their Lord. I consider the message an extension
of that article because I've been thinking a lot lately, especially
the last week or so, about heaven. Those we know and love who've
already gone there And we who are on our way there, to be with
them, to be with our Lord. The text for the article and
the message are also the same. Look at verse 17, not even the
entire verse. The last phrase, and so shall
we ever be with the Lord. The title of my message is, A
Glorious Reality. a glorious reality. I kinda strained
to find an adjective that would be suitable for the blessed reality
of the Church of Christ being with Him where He is. Precious, wondrous, I settled on glorious,
a glorious reality. Even though we are still on our
journey to the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, that doesn't
mean that it's still any less a reality. Our Christ said, I'm
going there for you. He appears now in the presence
of God for us as our representative. And he said, if I go and prepare
that place, I'm coming for you and take you back with me to
be in that place. Before we read these six verses,
it might be beneficial to recall why God the Holy Spirit inspired
the Apostle Paul to write them in the first place. For whatever
reason, Perhaps through false teaching by false prophets, I'm
not certain. But for whatever reason, these
believers seem to have been troubled about those that had died in
the Lord. They had questions about it.
They wondered, where are our loved ones now? Would they see
them again? When would they see them again?
And they were troubled about something really, and Paul sets
their mind at ease, but they were troubled about something
they shouldn't have been. It was an unnecessary burden.
We all have those, don't we? It was an unnecessary burden
that they were carrying, as we too often do. And thank God that
he doesn't deal with us after our folly. Aren't you? I spoke to someone just a couple
of days ago. And they said, I'm so glad that
God doesn't deal with us the way we deal with folks. Thank
God the psalmist said, like a father pitieth his children, the Lord
pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he
remembers that we're just dust. Thank God that he does and deals
with us accordingly. We should also remember that
too, don't you? Don't you think so? I also told
this person, I think you're being a little too hard on yourself.
A little too hard on yourself. God's forgiven you. Put this
in the past and just go on. Go on. Keep looking to Christ. It's not often that that may
be true that we're too hard on ourselves. We're harder on everybody
else, more than we are ourselves. But sometimes we are. We need
to remember what we are. And in doing so, we won't be
so easily cast down. See ourselves as God does. Now
let's read these six verses, beginning at verse 13. Paul says,
but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, those that have died in the Lord, that
ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." Now notice
Paul doesn't tell them not to sorrow. Of course not believers
sorrow when they lose a loved one, another believer, but they
don't sorrow to the extent or to the degree that they would
for someone who died without Christ. Verse 14, for if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also would sleep
in Jesus. Now notice this, will God bring
with him? They're already there. They wouldn't
come back with Christ if they weren't already with Christ.
Verse 15, for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall
not prevent, will not precede, will not go before them which
are asleep. And Paul explains this. For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead
in Christ shall rise first. Someone said, why do they rise
first before the living believers are changed? because they've
got six feet further to go. Now I don't know about that.
But the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we which
are alive, and there will be believers alive when Christ returns,
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them, those who are risen from the dead, to meet their Spirits
in the air with a glorified body and we're changed by God's miraculous
mysterious operation of grace living believers are changed
because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God Then
they which we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together So what a glorious glorious sight that will be caught up
together Hmm multitudes and multitudes, thousands and hundreds of thousands
and millions of redeemed sinners, caught up together to meet the
Lord in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, rather, and
so shall we ever, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. And then Paul adds this, wherefore,
comfort one another with these words, and how comforting they
are. Paul does as God instructed Isaiah
to do. Compergy, Compergy, my people,
saith your God. By giving these believers a better
understanding of those things that they were worried about,
Paul answers their questions and puts their anxiety to rest. They were comforted. They were
comforted. Now instead of being perplexed,
Paul tells them, comfort one another. Comfort one another
with these glorious truths Now let's look work our way backwards
from verse 18 and we'll find what these words of comfort are
there's some Good food for comfort here. May God be pleased to feed
us with it. It'll be nourishing to our hearts
Paul turns our minds to eternity and tells us to live in the sweet
assurance of the sweet certainty of resurrection glory." We're
not speculating here, Billy. We're not guessing about this.
This is so. The apostle comforts the Thessalonians
who grieve because of the death of their friends and relatives
who died in the faith, who died in Christ, and his purpose in
doing so is to persuade them from excessive sorrow and grief,
to assure them of the coming of the Lord, and the resurrection
of all believers, comfort one another." There are many things
about death, about the life hereafter, eternal life, that remain a mystery,
that, as Paul said, we're ignorant of. But we do know some things,
and we will one day no longer be looking through a glass darkly,
but face to face. A good illustration of that,
and I'm sure that I've used this before, but I consider a good
picture of that in John's Gospel chapter 1. John chapter 1 verse
35. Again the next day after John,
that's John the Baptist, stood and two of his disciples, one
of them were Andrews, And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith,
Behold, the Lamb of God. John was a good preacher. And
the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then
Jesus turned and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek
ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, which
is to say, being interpreted, Master, Master, where dwellest
thou? And he saith unto them, Come
and see. come and see. They came and saw
where he dwelt, and abode with him that day, for it was about
the tenth hour. And when the time comes for the
master to say to you and I, come up hither, it will be a day that
shall never end. We will spend eternity with him,
a sunrise with no sunset. What a day, glorious day that
will be. We will ascend from the church
below, to the church above, his body, all one. There are some
things, as I said, that are a mystery, but there are some things concerning
those who have died in the Lord which we can know, as Paul tells
us here. Don't need to be ignorant of
them. If these things are really understood and considered, our
sorrows and grief will be greatly lessened. I need that. If something can lessen my sorrow,
if I'm carrying a needless burden, I appreciate anyone that'll tell
me how to lay it down, and God does. Those who have died in
the faith of Christ will be raised, Paul says, because they were
chosen to salvation. As we read in chapter 5, they
were appointed, not to wrath, but to salvation. They were crucified
with Christ. They're raised and seated, Paul
tells us in Ephesians 2, with Him in the heavenlies. Having
left this world, they're with Him in paradise and will return,
as we read here, with Him when He comes again. But the believer
can never, by any means whatsoever, be separated from Jesus Christ. What sort of body they now have
in glory? I don't know, but I know that
they have one. They have one. It's not the body
they shall have when they're raised again from the grave,
but they have one. Turn, if you will, to 2 Corinthians
chapter 5. I think this is what Paul plainly
teaches here. I don't think they're just disembodied
spirits. They have a house, Paul calls
it, in the heavens. Verse 1, for we know that if
our earthly house of this tabernacle, this body, were dissolved, we
have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.
If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked.
For we that are in this tabernacle, this present flesh, do groan
being burdened, not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed
upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. He that
hath brought us for this selfsame thing is God, who also hath given
unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident,
knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent
from the Lord. And we know also, according to
God's word, here and other places, that when our bodies are raised
from the grave, they won't be the same weak, fleshly, sinful
bodies that we now possess. As we read in 1 Corinthians 15,
and I love these words, we shall be changed. Every believer cries, they identify
with what the Apostle Paul talked about. Oh, wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me? And the answer comes back, we
shall be changed. We're not always going to live
like this. We're not always going to bear this, these chains. We shall be changed. We are told
here that there are some who should be alive and remain when
Jesus Christ returns, and Paul deals with that further in 1
Corinthians 15, verse 50. Now this I say, brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, we shall not all die, but we shall all
be changed. We shall all be changed in a
moment. Oh, isn't this something? How
quickly it may happen. How quickly it will happen for
the living. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump, where the trumpet shall sound. How many shells are in
these verses? The trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. This
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
death is swallowed up in victory. You will find that in Isaiah
chapter 25 verse 8. Verse 55, O death, where is thy
sting? Only a believer can look at death
with a song like this. Oh, death, where is thy sting?
Oh, grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which hath
given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection guarantees the
resurrection of all his people. Where the head is, the body must
follow. His bride will be with their
glorious bridegroom. Thank God we shall be changed
and what a change it shall be. We shall be like Christ. Now, what more change could there
possibly be from what I am now to what I'll be then? Beloved,
John wrote, now are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear
what we shall be, but we know that. When he, Christ, shall
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And that look at that moment we see him will
be transformed. changed forever to be like Him. To love what He loves, to think
like He thinks. Ah, so we shall be changed. There will be some who shall
be found living of whom the Apostle says 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. Now I won't be lengthy on either
one of these things, but let's consider this glorious promise
in three divisions. These words, so shall we ever
be with the Lord. And the first one is the best
one. Out of those several words, here's
the best. With the Lord. Huh? With the Lord. These words are
the icing on the cake, are they not? They sum up the essence
of all that Paul's been talking about. Because without this,
without this, nothing else he said, here or any place else,
would much matter. What kind of heaven, this is
what I mean, ask yourself this, what kind of heaven would there
be if Jesus Christ wasn't there? Christ in Matthew chapter 24,
said this, "...he shall send his angels with the great sound
of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from
the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." But
if Christ himself wasn't there in heaven, the one in whom we
were elected and chosen, what kind of heaven could that be
for us? Again, in Luke chapter 13, our
Lord said, and they shall come from the east, his people, his
chosen, his redeemed, they shall come from the east and from the
west, and from the north and from the south, and shall sit
down in the kingdom of God. Oh, that's a blessing. But what
would it matter if we sat down in the kingdom of God if Jesus
Christ is not at the head of the table? What kind of heaven
would that be? With the Lord, this is what I'm
driving at. With the Lord is the glory of
glory. That's the heaven of heaven.
Whether we're alive when Christ comes or go the way, and we've
seen many friends and loved ones go in the last few years, we
will be with the Lord. Now you can pitch your tent there
and never have to take it down. My soul, what will that be? That's
the one thing more than all others that without we would not be
satisfied. We couldn't be set. I hear people,
I've heard two grown men argue, argue almost came to blows, tried
to prove who was the most spiritual, over whether the streets were
pure gold or gold-plated. I'm not making that up. There are a lot of nuts in the
world, but none's crazier than religious people, are they? I
mean, they come up with some wild, just wild stuff. Oh, but
the heaven of heaven, the glory of glory is this. Child of God,
listen to this. This includes you. They shall
see His face. Billy said, I think he said it
the same time I did. Oh, wow, there's no substitute
for that. The face of our most cherished
loved ones who may have been in heaven for many years now,
we've longed to see them, to embrace them, to be with them.
Oh, but the face that we long to see more than any other is
the face of that one who loved me. and gave himself for me. As old Fanny Crosby put it, my
savior first of all. First of all. Oh, the dear loved ones in glory,
she wrote, how they beckoned me to come. In our parting at
the river, I recall. To the sweet veils of Eden, they
will sing my welcome home. Oh, but I long to see my savior
first of all. Through the gates to the city
in a robe of spotless white, he will lead me where no tears
will ever fall. In the glad song of ages, I shall
mingle with the light. Oh, but I long to meet my Savior
first of all. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
remember how soon that glorious promise, that glorious reality
may take place, how swiftly it can be brought to pass. Oh, look
up here a minute. Can you tell me how quick it
took me to snap my fingers? That's how quick we shall be
chained. Quicker than that. Because as
we read a moment ago, in the moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, how fast is that? Absent from the body and present
with the Lord. I remember reading a story that
Mr. Spurgeon told concerning himself.
He was a young man. He was preaching in a college,
in a cottage rather, I'm sorry. He didn't get invited to many
colleges, but he was preaching in a cottage in a village. And
as he preached the word, a dear lady, he said, said a few rows
back, and it was obvious to him that she was just soaking up
every word, just eating it up, John. That's a blessing when a preacher
looks down, sees that, is aware of that. And Spurgeon said as
he went on with his message, he noticed that this woman suddenly
had a strange look come over her face. And Spurgeon told some
brethren sitting near, brethren, I think you better see about
that sister. I believe she has passed from us. And sure enough,
they checked and she was gone. She was gone. Spurgeon said that while I was
trying to speak about the glorious things of heaven of which I knew
so very little, that dear sister was already there seeing and
knowing more than I'd ever could while here below. He said, I
almost envied her. But he said, oh well, it shall
soon be my turn to go there too. Only faintly now I see, with
the darkling veil between, oh, but a blessed day is coming when
his glory shall be seen. Face to face, oh blissful moment,
face to face to see and know, face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, who loved me so. Here's the second phrase in our
text. Look at these words, shall we
ever Shall we ever be? We. We. Man, who are those people? Nobody in this world are more
blessed than these people. Nobody. We. They're all the sheep of Christ. Sheep living when the great shepherd
returns shall be changed and all those who have already died,
whose bodies will be raised to incorruption and united with
their spirits that are with God. Then all of them together will
be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and so shall they
ever be with the Lord. Someone asked an old believer,
if you knew you were going to die tonight, would not awake
to see another morning, what would you do? He said, I'd go
to bed early. I'd get in bed. Robin asked me the other day,
Monday morning after we heard the news, Tracy called that Kenny
was gone. She said, I wonder what he's
doing now. We've talked about that a good
bit this week. about heaven, those who are already
there. And she said, if we have memories, I said something, and
she said, but if we have memories of this life after we're in heaven,
wouldn't it make us sad? And I told her, I really didn't
know what we would or would not remember, but I thought this.
Anything that we did remember wouldn't make us sad. And anything
that would make us sad, we won't remember. But I think we'll remember
this. We'll remember that we were redeemed. Remembering that, we'll remember
the need of redemption, that we were sinners needing redeemed.
Because that's what they sing about in glory. That's a favorite
theme of ours right now. Oh, I'm redeemed. How I love
to proclaim it. Can you imagine the joy of singing
that same song in glory unto him that hath loved us and washed
us from our sins in his own blood? He has redeemed us to God out
of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. Oh, redeemed. Our departed friends are safe,
believing friends. Our risen Lord is coming again.
There's no question about that. We shall soon be changed. Soon the whole family of God
shall be united. And so shall we ever be with
the Lord." No wonder he said, let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are
many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. Christ says, fellas, I'm telling you the truth. I'm
telling you things that are true. You can count on. Take my word
for it. He wasn't trying to sneak up
on their blind side, like preachers do. Think they can trick people
into being... No. He said, I'm telling you
the truth. Listen up. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go, and he did, to prepare
a place for you, I will come again." And he is. He's coming
again. And the reason is, to receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. Christ
never had, John, did he? He never had to retract anything
he ever spoke, did he? Never did. Even Balaam had enough
sense to declare, God is not a man that he should lie. Neither
the son of a man that he should repent? Hath he said, and shall
he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall
he not make it good?" Absolutely. The Lord Jesus Christ, unlike
you and I, never had to eat his own words. That's not a very tasteful meal,
is it? When we have to eat our own words.
Christ never had to retract anything he ever uttered. his whole life
long, he never one time had to apologize and say, oh, I'm sorry. I spoke in haste. What I said
wasn't quite accurate. I've given this a little more
thought. We do that. A hundred times a day. Sorry. How many times I tell my wife,
I'm sorry. Oh, I didn't mean that. That probably didn't sound
right. Jesus Christ never had to do that. We hear it said that
concerning something, well, it's not written in stone, meaning
it's not certain. It's not for sure. It might happen.
It may not. This is written in stone. better than that. Listen, Christ said heaven and
earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. So shall my word be that goeth
out of my mouth. It shall not. It shall not. I hear these so-called quacks,
these worthless physicians, Preachers, they call themselves, that say
that God's Word can return void. That His purpose might not be
accomplished. That it's dependent upon the
sinner making it so. Ah, so? No, God's Word shall
not return unto him void. It shall accomplish that which
I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I send
it. So shall we ever be. That's just a fact. Anybody's
concept, and not even if he's Dr. Twigley D.D., anybody's concept
of God that allows them to think that his will, or his purpose,
or his word can be defeated, their God is just too small.
He's just too small. They're looking through the wrong
end of a telescope, aren't they? They're looking through the large
in and everything just seems small. It's all backwards. Oh, but you turn to the telescope
of the Word of God and look and see how God declares Himself
to be. I'll tell you what you'll do.
You'll bow down. and exclaim, O the depth of the
riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable
are His judgments and His ways past finding out. For of Him
and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen. Does your concept of God
cause that? When is the last time you bowed
before Him and said, O my God, how great Thou art. Like the
hymn writer said, when I think that God his son not sparing
sent him to die I scarce can take it in that on the cross
my burden gladly bearing he bled and died to take away my sin. You believe that? Do you believe
this ought to be the response of every redeemed sinner? Then
sings my soul That love, that sacrifice of Christ demands no
less than this. Then sings my soul, my Savior,
God to Thee, how great Thou art. How great Thou art. The last few words in this text
are these, and so, and so. Paul seemed to tie up everything
he had written previously and makes it tight. And so, after
all the proceeding we read, and so, after everything you've passed
through, and so, shall we ever be with the Lord. After everything
you will yet pass through, have yet to face, after all the tears
you have yet to shed, all the heartaches you may get in your
After every storm and every billow has rolled over your head, you
will find this ever-abiding promise still secure, still fashioned
to the rock of ages. And so, and so, nothing's changed. After all of our doubts and fears
and needless worry, there it stands, unblemished, unmoved,
unmovable, and so, the master of the sea, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the master of everything else, said to his disciples one
time, let us pass over unto the other side. And then we read,
they came over unto the other side. Oh, but Larry, you didn't. You
left out the part about the storm and the waves and the danger
and the fearful disciples. Well, yes, I did. they still
came over unto the other side. And so, he maketh the psalmist
said, the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad, because they be quiet. So he bringeth them
unto their desired haven. Psalm 107. Oh, that men would
praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to
the children He brings them. He uses the very storm to do
so. Brings them to their desired
haven. Revelation chapter 7. I love
these words. And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these? Who are these that are arrayed
in white robes? Where did they come from, John? And John answered,
Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are
they. which came out of great tribulation
and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the lamb. There's another wonderful truth
you can pitch tan with or on. These are they which came out.
They came out. They all came out. They all came
plum out on the other side. They, all Christ redeemed, all
of his sheep, all of his children, his whole church complete, and
perfect, the we of our text. And so shall we ever be with
the Lord. Glory to His name. They all came
out. And so will you, child of God. You say, Larry, something's hit
me in the last week or so. I'm passing through something.
I just don't believe I will. Well, you're mistaken, because
you will. I understand. I understand. I don't find fault
with that. I've been there too. Oh, I'm
not going to make it. I'm not going to make it. Well, here
I stand. It's grace that's brought me safe thus far, and grace will
take me all the way home. None of Christ's sheep have ever
perished, and you're not going to be the first. You're not going
to be the first. Some of you may have already
read this. It's from Brother Paul Mahan's bullet for the day. There shall be showers of blessings
from Ezekiel chapter 34, verse 26. I just love this. Paul wrote,
the other day I was feeling so down, so full of sorrow, doubt,
fear, and worry, with my head hanging down. Then I lifted up
my head and looked outside. The gentle rain was falling.
The blessed water of this life was coming down, watering the
earth, filling the pools, sweet, refreshing rain, while I was
mourning and worried. The scripture says he, Christ,
shall come down like the rain upon the mown grass, as the showers
that water the earth. Yes, he came, the blessed water
of life. He heard the cries of his people
by reason of their captivity, their sins and sorrow, and he
came down to deliver them and to bring them up out of the land
unto a good land. Scripture says there shall be
showers of blessing, singular blessing. The one thing needful,
the one we need, Christ the Lord, there has been, is now, while
we sorrow and worry, and shall forever be showers of blessing. Gospel promise after gospel promise
of His love and mercy and grace, salvation, peace, protection,
preservation, provisions, ensure hope in Christ. So let's lift
up our heads. And bless the Lord, who reigns
and rules over all, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Yes, lift up your
heads. In spite of all of our doubts
and fears, his tender mercies are falling. And bless his name,
our redemption draweth nigh. It's almost over. And Paul said,
it's all over but the shouting. I like that. It's all over but
the shouting. Now I want you to look as we
come to a close once more at this promise. Are you looking
at it? Verse 17, and so shall we ever
be with the Lord. While you look at it, I want
you to do something else. Put your thoughts, your words,
your present circumstances, your fears, your troubles in your
mind's eye. You say, Larry, that's easy to
do because I can't hardly keep them out. I know. Now, even with
that, so shall we ever be with the Lord. Nothing you thought
about yourself. Nothing that's happening with
yourself. Your present circumstances can change this. So shall we
ever be with the Lord. Peter speaks of a salvation ready
to be revealed. I sent Shelby a message the other
day. I like Shelby Fortner. I want to share with you just
a part of her response. She said, I so much appreciate
you letting me know about Kenny. I knew he was not in good health
for a long time and that he had suffered a great deal in body
and in mind. Thank God that he had a good
hope in Christ. He is now in glory with our precious
Redeemer and with my beloved Don. I am sure they were there
waiting to welcome him and usher Kenny into the Father's house. Now he too knows the reality
of the scripture that says, in thy presence is fullness of joy.
At thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. God hasten the day
when we too go and join them there. I believe this, and I'm
going to read this old hymn in closing. If I'm not mistaken,
this was one of Don's favorites. It goes like this, we read of
a place that's called heaven, it's made for the pure and the
free. These truths in God's word he hath given, how beautiful
heaven must be. In heaven no drooping nor pining,
no wishing for elsewhere to be. God's light is forever there
shining, how beautiful heaven must be. Pure waters of life
there are flowing, and all who will drink may be free. Rare
jewels of splendor are glowing, how beautiful heaven must be.
The angels so sweetly are singing, up there by the beautiful sea.
Sweet chords from their gold harps are ringing, how beautiful
heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be,
sweet home of the happy and free, fair haven of rest for the weary. Oh, how beautiful heaven must
be. Let's go sing. He which testifieth
these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come,
Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all. Amen. Amen.