“When a Loved One Dies” 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18, Nov. ’14

 

1.                  Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this morning is taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.  It’s entitled, “When a Loved One Dies,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  Well, the church year is quickly drawing to a close with the texts from God’s Word today directing our thoughts to the end—the end of life, the end of the universe, the end of the world as we know it. What’s death like? When will the last day come? What will happen? What’s heaven like? What should I be doing? The readings for this Sunday zero in particularly on the awesome ness of the last day.

3.                  The pagan world in Paul’s day had no hope of life after death. A typical engraving on a grave demonstrates this fact:  I was not, I became, I am not, I care not.  While some of the philosophers, such as Socrates, sought to prove happiness after death, the pagan world had no word of assurance.

4.                  The Christians in Thessalonica were concerned about their loved ones who had died. What if the Lord should return? Would their loved ones who had died be handicapped in any way? Will those who are alive at His coming have an advantage over the believers who have died? Here in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul answered their questions.

5.                  Death is a “hot” topic in our American culture just as it was in Paul’s day. There has been a steady increase of books that have appeared that deal with dying, death, and the afterlife.  The book that details the account of Colton Burpo, “Heaven is for Real” is just one example. But, the real point of interest isn’t simply death itself as much as what happens after death.

6.                  Behind all this interest in death, there’s an even more intense personal concern: What will happen to me at death? It should come as no surprise that our culture’s interest in death turns out to be intensely personal. Even the Thessalonians’ question to Paul fits this pattern. Their concern—“What happens when one a loved one dies?”—hides a more personal question: What will happen to me when I die?  This means that Paul’s answer to their question is also an answer to ours.

7.                  Paul tells us that the future of believers isn’t so much a place as a relationship. He says that we who believe in Jesus as our Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil, “Will be with the Lord forever” (4:17). To “be with the Lord forever” includes the gaining of a transformed resurrection body that’s glorious and immortal, and an enjoyment of a relationship with Jesus that’s closer, richer, and fuller than the relationship we currently experience.  It’s a state of existence that Paul considers to be “better by far” (Phil. 1:23).

8.                  St. Paul also reminds here in 1 Thessalonians 4 that death isn’t an end but a transition for those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. Paul tells us that there’s more to life than can be known on the basis of human experience. In view of God’s resurrection of Jesus, the death of a believer must be viewed not as an end to life, but as a transition to an even better experience of life: life in the presence of Jesus the Lord.  A good illustration of that is this.  Every child knows the comforting experience of going somewhere with mom or dad—maybe to grandma and grandpa’s house—falling to sleep there on grandma’s couch, and then waking up the next morning at home in his or her own bed, safe and warm.  Between the time of falling asleep and waking up, many miles and much time have taken place. The child was carried bodily to a car, transported long distances, dressed in pajamas, and tucked into his or her own bed, oblivious to any danger.  So also at life’s end, the child of God can safely fall asleep in Jesus, confident of the resurrection to eternal life (1 Thess 4:13–14).  When you as a Christian die, your body sleeps in the ground, while your soul is present with the Lord Jesus, awaiting the resurrection from the dead.

9.                  St. Paul also tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4 that what we know and believe about the future ought to shape how we live in the present. While Paul’s subject was the fate of believers who had died, he also expects the information he has given to the Thessalonians to affect their attitudes and behavior. If the assumption of some of them ( that death is the end) were true, then an Epicurean approach to life—“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”—would be appropriate, as Paul himself recognizes (1 Cor. 15:32). But, Paul says here in 1 Thessalonians 4 that because this view of life isn’t true, because we do look forward to the resurrection of the dead, we live not for the moment but with an eye to the future. How we live now ought to be shaped in fundamental ways by the fact that heaven is our destination as Christians.

10.              Death is a fact of life. And, the only way we can escape death, Paul says, is to believe in Jesus, the one who has conquered death and risen from the dead. Death isn’t an accident; it’s an appointment: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). If you should die today, where would your soul go?  Do you believe in Jesus as your only Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil?  Do you continue to receive His Word and Sacraments given to you for the forgiveness of your sins?  There’s an inscription on a gravestone in an old British cemetery not far from Windsor Castle. It reads:  “Pause, my friend, as you walk by; As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be.  Prepare, my friend, to follow me!”  I heard about a visitor who read that epitaph and added these lines:  “To follow you is not my intent, Until I know which way you went!” 

11.              We Christians have wonderful assurance and hope, because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and His promised return. Paul comforts the Thessalonians, saying that the dead in Christ will be the first to taste the resurrection and come with the risen Christ. At the second coming, we will all be together once more. We as Christians grieve over the death of loved ones, but not as those who have no hope. The resurrection of our Lord, and the victory we have over death through Him, gives us a living hope, despite the fact that death separates us from our loved ones and causes great pain. Prayer:  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making the way through death a path of hope and joy, due to Your resurrection. Create in our hearts the joy and hope of Your victory over death. Amen.