MESSAGE FOR SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 30, 2009 MESSAGE 13 of 13 in The Old Time Gospel Sermon Series CHRISTIAN HOPE CHURCH OF CHRIST, PLYMOUTH, NORTH CAROLINA by Reggie A. Braziel, minister An Old Time Gospel Message on The 2 nd Coming Message 13 of 13 in The Old Time Gospel Sermon Series I Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV (Intro for Christian Hope) This morning as we come to our thirteenth and final message in our Old Time Gospel Sermon Series I would like to preach AN OLD TIME GOSPEL SERMON ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. I would like for you to turn to that very familiar passage in I Thessalonians chapter four. And let s read verses 13-18. READ: I Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV (Introduction for REVIVALS) This summer I have been preaching a series of thirteen messages entitled: The Old Time Gospel Sermon Series. In this series I have been preaching on many of the grand old themes of the gospel we rarely hear preached on these days. Themes such as Repentance.. Hell Backsliding.Baptism Sin.The Old Rugged Cross and many others. Tonight I would like to preach An Old Time Gospel Message on The Second Coming of Christ. (Read scripture reference above)
I N T R O D U C T I O N Jesus Christ may come any day, at any hour, at any minute. This is a truth JESUS, HIMSELF preached repeatedly while He was here on earth. Let me just share some of JESUS own words with you. Matthew 24:42-44 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Matthew 25:13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Mark 13:33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Revelation 22:7 Behold, I am coming soon! Revelation 22:10 The time is near. Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
There is not one single event prophesied in the Bible which must occur before the Savior returns. No political event, no economic event, no spiritual event must come to pass before Jesus comes. I believe with all my heart that we should be looking for the return of Jesus Christ at any day, at any hour, at any moment simply because that is exactly what JESUS told us to do. Jesus says His coming will be just like the flood in the days of Noah. Matthew 24:37-42 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Jesus says His coming will be just like the coming of the Bridegroom whose bridesmaids have been waiting until far in the night. Matthew 25:1-6, 13 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: Here comes the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him! Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Jesus also says His coming will be like the Master returning home after a long journey. Matthew 24:45,46, 50 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the Master has put in charge of the servants in His household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose Master finds him doing so when He returns. The Master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect Him and an hour he is not aware of. In ALL of these illustrations, JESUS is teaching us PLAINLY, SIMPLY, REPEATEDLY and INSISTENTLY is that we must be prepared to leave this world at any moment! He will come when BUSINESS is as USUAL here on planet earth! -He could come while we re at WORK. -He could come while we re ASLEEP. -He could come while we re EATING BREAKFAST, EATING LUNCH or EATING SUPPER. These are things you and I do every single day. Jesus will come when you and I are doing what we normally do every day. Jesus May Come Today/tonight! ************************************************ Transition Into I Thessalonians 4:13-18 *********************************************** This now brings us back to this wonderful passage on THE RETURN OF CHRIST in I THESSALONIANS 4:13-18.
In this passage of scripture, the apostle Paul reveals SIX GREAT THINGS about the return of Christ. First of all.. I. We Have A GREAT HOPE vs. 1 vs. 1 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. Some false teachers had taught the Thessalonian Christians that if they or their loved ones died before Christ came again they would miss out on His return. Well you can imagine how discouraging this teaching must have been. It robbed them of their greatest hope! But Paul is quick to correct this doctrinal error in this first verse. In essence what he is saying to the Thessalonians is What these false teachers have told you is NOT true! The return of Christ is THE GREATEST HOPE of every CHRISTIAN regardless of whether we DIE before Christ comes again or if we are still living when Christ comes again! As the apostle Paul tells us in ROMANS 8:38 not even DEATH itself will be to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But not only does the return of Christ mean we have A GREAT HOPE, it also means
II. We Will Hear A GREAT SOUND vs. 16 vs. 16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with A LOUD COMMAND, with the VOICE OF THE ARCH- ANGEL and with the TRUMPET CALL OF GOD. There s lots of sounds I don t like to hear. -I don t like to hear the sound of the alarm clock when I m in a deep sleep. -I don t like to hear the loud sound of someone s car stereo blaring offensive music when they are sitting beside me at a stop light. -I don t like the sound of a telemarketer s voice on the other end of the telephone when I m trying to relax or eat my supper. But I am looking forward to the WONDERFUL SOUNDS that will accompany the RETURN OF CHRIST. Paul mentions three things we will hear: -a loud command Who will issue this command? None other than THE LORD GOD HIMSELF! The Commander in Chief of the Universe will shout louder than any voice the human ear has ever heard. -the voice of the archangel What will the archangel say? His should will be some sort of rallying cry for all the armies of Heaven to join in the praise of this glorious event, the return of Christ! -the trumpet call of God The trumpet of God has always served a two-fold purpose: one to announce a great event, the other to announce a great warning. When the trumpet call of God goes out it will be heard throughout the universe----both in heaven and on earth. To the believer, the trumpet call of God will be the great announcement of Christ s return. To the unbeliever the trumpet call of God will be the great warning that the tragic events that will culminate in the destruction of the world have will begi
For the Christian, the return of Christ means we have A GREAT HOPE..and we ll hear a GREAT SOUND, the coming of Christ also means. III. We ll Witness A GREAT APPEARANCE vs. 16 a vs. 16a For the LORD, HIMSELF (repeat) will come down from Heaven If you are a fan of late night TV you no doubt remember the grand appearance Johnny Carson used to make each night on the TONIGHT Show. Doc Severensen s TONIGHT SHOW BAND would be playing, then the familiar voice of ED MCMAHON would say, He-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-re s JOHNNY! The curtain would open and JOHNNY CARSON would make his grand entrance! I always hated it any night I would tune in to see JOHNNY CARSON and they would have a GUEST HOST. It just didn t sound quite the same to hear Ed McMahon say, He-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-re s JOAN RIVERS or He-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-re s GARY SCHINDLING. I didn t want to see JOAN RIVERS or GARY SCHINDLING, I wanted to see JOHNNY CARSON HIMSELF! Can you imagine how disappointed we would be if we were expecting JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF to come back and the archangel said, He-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ere s MOSES! Or, He-e--e-e-e-e-e-eres, JOHN THE BAPTIST! As great as those heroes of the FAITH are, it just wouldn t be the same would it! For the LORD, HIMSELF will come down from heaven! The return of CHRIST means we have A GREAT HOPE. It means we ll hear A GREAT SOUND. It means we ll witness A GREAT APPEARANCE. The return of Christ also means..
IV. We ll Rejoice Over A GREAT RESURRECTION vs. 14-16 vs. 14-16 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have FALLEN ASLEEP IN HIM. According to the Lord s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have FALLEN ASLEEP. For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST. Where are our departed Christian loved ones right at this minute? Their spirit, which is the very essence of everything they were while they were still with us, is in the very presence of the Lord right at this very minute. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:8 to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. But what about the body of our Christian loved ones? Well the day of their funeral we buried that lifeless body in the ground. Right now that lifeless body is resting from its earthly labors. But while that body lies in the grave God is doing something absolutely wonderful with those bodies that will be revealed on that glorious day Christ returns. Paul describes it this way in I Corinthians 15:35-40;42-44 vs. 35-40 But someone may ask, How are the dead raised? With what kind of a body will they come? How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just as a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as He has determined, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. (Now listen closely )
vs. 42-44 So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable. (That s the physical body we laid to rest in the dust of the earth on the day of our loved one s funeral.) the body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable, 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. When Christ comes again He will bring the spirits of our departed loved ones with Him from heaven, and those spirits will be reunited with a brand new, glorious resurrected body, which will be revealed on that day! The next time you go to the cemetery to visit the grave of a Christian loved one who is buried there, just remember, that grave will one day be an open hole in the ground and your loved one s body will no longer be there. And that could happen ANY DAY, AT ANY HOUR, at ANY MOMENT! For the Christian, the return of Christ means we have A GREAT HOPE.we ll hear A GREAT SOUND..we ll witness A GREAT APPEARANCE..there will be A GREAT RESURRECTION.. The return of Christ also means.. V. We ll Be Part of A GREAT DISAPPEARANCE. vs.15, 17a vs.15 vs. 17 According to the Lord s own word, we tell you that we who are STILL ALIVE, who are LEFT till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. After that, we who are STILL ALIVE and are left will be CAUGHT UP..
Just as the bodies of our loved who have died will have been miraculously transformed from earthly bodies to heavenly bodies, the same will happen to us who are still alive. How do I know that? Its in the Bible. The apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:50-53... I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: WE WILL NOT ALL SLEEP, BUT WE WILL ALL BE CHANGED----IN A FLASH, IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE, AT THE LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, the DEAD will be raised imperishable, and WE WILL BE CHANGED. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. We have all seen magicians perform disappearing acts with animals or humans. And we found ourselves wondering where did they go? And soon they would reappear. How was it done? With trap doors and mirrors. When Christ comes again, if you and I are still living, we are going to suddenly disappear, leaving the world wondering, where did they go? But it won t be part of some great magic act. There will be no trap doors...and no mirrors. It will be a miracle of God calling His Church out of this world. For the Christian, the return of Christ means We have A GREAT HOPE! We ll hear A GREAT SOUND! We ll witness A GREAT APPEARANCE! We ll rejoice over A GREAT RESURRECTION! We ll be part of A GREAT DISAPPEARANCE!
Finally, the coming of the Lord means.. VI. We ll Celebrate A GREAT REUNION vs.17,18 vs. 17, 18 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up TOGETHER with THEM ( them refers to our loved ones who have died in Christ). caught up together with them to MEET THE LORD in the air. And so we will be with the Lord FOREVER! Therefore encourage each other with these words. Oh Christians, when Christ comes again we re going to celebrate a GREAT REUNION with our Christian loved ones who have gone before us. Christian widow, you ll see your husband again! Christian widower, you ll see your wife again! We ll see our moms and dads our sons and daughters.. our sisters and brothers our grandmas and grandpa s.we ll see our aunts and uncles. our friends and the people we once worshiped with in Church. And we ll share a glad reunion with Christians from all over the world we will meet for the very first time. Peter, Andrew, James and John will be there.. and so will Paul and Barnabas, Silas and Timothy. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.. Joseph, Moses and David.they will all be there. BUT FRONT AND CENTER WILL BE THE ONE WHO MADE THE GREAT REUNION POSSIBLE.OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!
CONCLUSION For all of us who are CHRISTIANS the RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST is the GREATEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN! Because for us, THE RETURN OF CHRIST means. We have A GREAT HOPE! We ll hear A GREAT SOUND! We ll witness A GREAT APPEARANCE! We ll rejoice over A GREAT RESURRECTION! We ll be part of A GREAT DISAPPEARANCE! And we ll celebrate A GREAT REUNION! But what about those who are NOT Christians. What will the return of Christ mean for those who have NOT accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? I could tell you what you want to hear. I could tell you if Christ comes tomorrow and you re not ready, that He will give you a second chance. I could tell you if you miss the first train you can catch the second. But if I told you that I would be lying to you! So I m going to cut right to the chase. I m going to tell you the gospel truth, the whole gospel truth, and nothing but the gospel truth. IF JESUS COMES TOMORROW. -Heaven s door will be closed to you forever! -God s free gift of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ, will expire. -You will never be offered another invitation because the Church won t be here.
-You ll never hear another gospel message, because all the preachers will be gone. -Your name will be forever written in THE BOOKS of all those who rejected Jesus Christ who will spend their eternity in Hell! Right now we re going to offer you what could be the very last invitation you will ever hear from the Lord. THE LORD IS VOTING FOR YOU! SATAN IS VOTING AGAINST YOU! ITS UP TO YOU TO CAST THE DECIDING VOTE! WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS?