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Colin Smith: The death of a loved one raises many many questions. You wonder what is happening for them now. You wonder what will happen to them in the future. Will you see them? Will you know them? What will that be like?

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. And Colin, we may have somebody listening today who has recently lost a loved one and they're asking those questions.

Colin Smith: We can have scores of people I think in exactly that position. I'm so glad that you're listening today and that we have the opportunity of coming to one of the great passages in the New Testament that gives us hope when we think about our loved ones who died in Christ. They're no longer with us, but they're with him. As you think about them now, you wonder what lies ahead. And the New Testament points to the day when you'll see not only the Lord, but you're also going to see your loved one who even now is with Christ.

And we're in First Thessalonians in chapter four. It's a marvelous passage of scripture that tells us that while we do grieve, and we really do when we lose a loved one, we don't grieve as if we had no hope. We do have hope and here's the hope. It's in Christ and in the great day of his coming. And so my prayer for you today is that this is going to be a comfort, a strength, and an encouragement to your heart as we dig into the word of God together.

Steve Hiller: Well, we're digging into First Thessalonians chapters four and five today. So join us there as we begin the message, the urgency of heavenly hope. Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: I hope you have your Bible open in front of you. First Thessalonians chapter four, and I want you to notice that the passage that's been read really comes in two parts and they both end with the note of encouragement. Chapter four and verse 18, the end of the first part. Therefore, encourage each other with these words. Chapter five and verse 11, the end of the second part, encourage each other and build each other up just as in fact you are doing. So the purpose of the passage of scripture that is open before us today is to encourage Christian believers.

And that has been very much my prayer as we come to this time together today. In fact, because we're looking at the word of God, I think that it is reasonable for us to say that it is God's purpose that you as a Christian believer should be encouraged today. Now let's look at that encouragement together. Verse 13 of chapter four. 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. Now when Paul talks here about those who have fallen asleep, he is talking about Christians who have died.

And so he's opening up a very painful, sensitive, practical issue that everyone of us will deal with in the course of our lives. Many of us are living right now with a deep sense and a lasting sense of loss. A child, a young person who has died, a wife, a husband, a parent, a dear friend. And so much of your life was bound up with that person. So much of your joy was found in them. And suddenly they are gone and your life goes on, but there's a void that remains. There's a grief that continues.

There's a loss that somehow can't ever be replaced. And the death of a loved one raises many many questions. You wonder what is happening for them now. You wonder what will happen to them in the future. Will you see them? Will you know them? What will that be like? I have to tell you that the Bible tells us almost nothing about the position of those who are outside of Christ immediately after this life, almost nothing until what it tells us about the last judgment that is to come. But when it comes to Christian believers, we are told some specific and wonderful things about them now, about them in the future, and about us in relationship to them in the time when Jesus Christ will come again.

And we're going to be looking at that together from the scriptures. So again, I hope that you have your Bible open so that we can see it together. It's a wonderful gift of encouragement for us. I want to look first then at the hope that there is and that we have for those who have died in Christ. Christian believers who have died, he's Paul says brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep. Now notice this. We are not ignorant about Christians who have fallen asleep. Now that in itself is a very important statement because there are some folks who just assume that we cannot know anything about what lies beyond the grave.

They perhaps want to believe that we can't know anything because having pushed it from their minds, they do not want to know. And so they will very vigorously affirm that anything that may be said about life beyond the grave at a Christian funeral is just speculation or it's a metaphor to try and help us in our pain. But Paul says quite clearly here we are not ignorant. We're not ignorant. Now why are we not ignorant? Well, because we have a specific word of Jesus Christ about this. If we were left to ourselves, we couldn't possibly know what is beyond the grave because none of us have been there.

But he says according to the Lord's own word, verse 15, the Lord Jesus Christ has come from heaven so that we will not be in ignorance about that which lies beyond the grave. According to the Lord's own word, he has come so that we can know something. And we can know it so that our grief, though intense, will not be the same as those who have no hope. There will be a knowledge of what lies the other side of the grave will make a difference in the pain and in the loss that we are experiencing.

That's what Paul says. We're not ignorant so that we're left in the position of grieving like the rest of men who have no hope. James Denny has a beautifully stated comment here. He says is it not a striking proof of the grace of our Lord that we have on his express authority a special revelation just for our comfort. That's beautiful, isn't it? That Jesus in his grace so wants you to be comforted when you face loss that he has given a special word just for this purpose. And Denny says Jesus knew the terrible sorrow of bereavement.

He had stood by the bedside of Jaris's daughter, by the young man's coffin at Nain, and by the tomb of Lazarus. He knew how inconsolable it was, how subtle, how passionate. He, Jesus, knew the dead weight at the heart which never passes away, the sudden rush of feeling that overpowers even the strongest. He knows that. And that all this sorrow might not rest on his church unrelieved. He lifts the curtain so that we might see with our eyes the strong consolation beyond. That's beautiful. So that you will not have this pain unrelieved. He lifts the curtain.

And Paul says we are not ignorant. And that is why though our grief is intense, it's not as if we had no hope because we have the Lord's own word with regards to our Christian loved ones who have died in the Lord. Now with that sense of encouragement drawing us into the scriptures, let's ask the question then what do we know? I want you to look particularly at verse 14 here where we have this most marvelous statement of the very core of Christian faith. One Thessalonians chapter four and verse 14, we believe that Jesus died and rose again.

It's like a credal statement. So let's just say it together, shall we? Couple of times. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. Say it again with me, please. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. Now think about that. What are we saying? Number one. We believe that Jesus died. Jesus died. Now relate these things together here. Many of us have watched a loved one take their last breath. You stayed perhaps for some time, some period of time close to the bedside. You watched them lose strength. And then you heard them take their last breath and it was all quiet.

Now that happened to Jesus. Jesus died. Jesus entered death. Death is a place where Jesus has been. We believe that.

Steve Hiller: So we believe that Jesus entered death. He did die. But what does that mean for you and what could that possibly have to do with the presidential visit? Well, we're going to find out as we get back to this message in just a few moments. Our message is called the urgency of heavenly hope and it's part of a larger series entitled Living Like There's No Tomorrow where we're taking a look at the book of First Thessalonians. And if you ever miss a broadcast in our series, you can come and listen online at openthebible.org. You can also listen with the Open the Bible app.

You'll find that free at your app store or you can get a copy of this entire series on CD. Ask about Living Like There's No Tomorrow when you call 1 877 Open 365. That's 1 877 673 6365 or you'll find ordering information online at openthebible.org. If you joined us a little bit late, we're in the book of First Thessalonians looking at chapters four and five today. Let's get back to the message. Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Jesus entered death. Death is a place where Jesus has been. Now thinking of that, the president visited Thomas School just over the road here. And watching from this building, it was quite fascinating because you wouldn't believe what had to happen before the president could come to Thomas School. We had the FBI of course sweeping the building, every corner. Why? They swept the building to make sure that this was a safe place for the president of the United States of America to pass through. Now you know that is what Jesus Christ has done for us. He has swept death.

He has gone through it. And what he says to us is look, I have swept it clean. There is nothing for you to fear as it were in that dark room or that dark passage because I am sovereign thereto. I have been there. I have established my authority in death, over death as much as I have established my authority over life and in eternity. So the valley of death for a Christian believer is still a dark place. It may still be a painful place. But we can say with confidence that it is a safe place for the Christian believer.

Why? Because Jesus has cleared out the enemies who lurk there. He's swept it. He has defanged death. He has drawn its sting. He has gone through it. He has swept it. He has entered death for us and it is very important that we affirm that Jesus has died. You remember by the way that that's a thing that distinguishes Christian faith from what is taught in Islam who say that Jesus did not die. We believe that Jesus died. I know that we want to rush on to the fact that he rose, but we must get hold of the significance of his death because it is by his death that he defangs death.

It is by his entering into death that he sweeps death. It is by his death that he changes the nature of death for you and for me and for those who have entered it ahead of us already. That is why the Bible says there is nothing in life or in death that can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Now we believe, Paul says, Jesus died. We believe that. And that changes the nature of death for every Christian believer, for everyone who is in him. Notice that Christians who have died are described here as falling asleep in Christ.

It comes three times. Look at it, please. This is a characteristic New Testament way of describing the death of a Christian. Verse 13, we don't want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep. Verse 14, God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. Isn't that beautiful by the way? Fallen asleep in him. Verse 15, we will certainly not proceed those who have fallen asleep. Now by the way, fallen asleep does not mean that Christians who have died are in a state of unconsciousness. Some folks have suggested that, but we can be confident that that is not true because Paul says for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

That is what is immediately after death for a Christian is more, not less. He says to be with Christ is far better. Now unconsciousness is not far better than the joys of this life. Far better is the conscious enjoyment of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. So I think Calvin is right when he says that the reference in fallen asleep is not to the soul, but to the body. The soul is not asleep. The soul is consciously enjoying the presence of the Lord, but the reference is to the body, says Calvin, for the dead body rests in the tomb as on a bed until God raises the person up.

So our loved ones, and it is important to know this, who have fallen asleep in Christ have a richer and fuller and closer experience of the Lord than any of us can enjoy here on the earth. They are as secure in Christ in death as you and I are in Christ in life and we all will be for all eternity. But there is something more still to come for them as there is something more still to come for us. And so let's continue. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, verse 14. It's not just that we believe that Jesus died.

We believe that Jesus died and rose again. Death couldn't hold him. On the third day, he triumphed over the power of death rising from the grave. Now here's the great enigma. Jesus died and rose again. Your loved one has died, but they have not risen. So they are in an enigma of a position. It's like an unresolved musical chord. It leaves you straining for the next note that has to come in because though the chord appeals, it has to lead to another note. And no wonder therefore that this whole thing feels to you incomplete. It is incomplete.

It is not yet finished. There is something still to happen for your loved one as well as us to enter into the fullness of all that Jesus Christ has accomplished through his death and resurrection. And Paul tells us what that is. Christians who have died in Christ will come with Christ. Verse 14, God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. By the way, that does make it pretty clear they're with him. God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. And when our Lord appears, verse 16, the dead in Christ will rise.

In other words, they who consciously enjoy the presence of the Lord now will on that day enter into the full blessing of the resurrection. They will experience the full blessing of resurrection life in a glorified soul and body. And we will share in the joy of that together on that day. Now notice that in verse 17, will you? We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So the Lord Jesus Christ comes again. He will bring those who are consciously enjoying his presence.

He will give to them on that day the gift of the resurrection body. They will rise as the way that the Bible puts it. And we will be caught up together with them, with them to meet the Lord in the air, verse 17. Now Paul is describing here the ascension of Christian believers. See, when we are united with Jesus Christ, he shares everything with us. We enter into his death. We enter into his resurrection and we will enter into and share his ascension also. You see everything that is true of Christ will be true of you.

Now thinking about this, I find my mind wandering onto film stars and prenuptial agreements. Let me explain. You know there's some of these folks that have pots of money and they're going to get married. And they set up a prenuptial agreement. You read about this in the papers, right? Now what is a prenuptial agreement? Well, a prenuptial agreement is someone who's got everything you can imagine saying I want a relationship with you, but I'm holding a good deal back from you. Right? That's what it is. A prenuptial agreement. You'll gather I'm not commending this, right?

Now listen. Jesus Christ has no prenups with his people. There is nothing that Jesus Christ holds back from sharing with you fully, finally, and eternally when he binds himself to you in a relationship of love and faith that will transform your life now and eternity forever and forever. When you come to belong to Jesus Christ, all that is his becomes yours. Death, resurrection, ascension, everlasting life in the presence of the Father. All that is his becomes yours. Think of what that means. Christ's sin bearing death becomes yours. So that when you die, you will not carry your guilt or sin into your death because he carried your guilt and sin into his death.

And we will share in his everlasting life in glory forever.

Steve Hiller: Good news as we press pause on today's teaching. You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called the urgency of heavenly hope. It's part of a series on the book of First Thessalonians. The series is called Living Like There's No Tomorrow. And if you ever miss a program in the series, you can come and listen online at openthebible.org. You can stream the program or download an MP3 for free. Again, that's at openthebible.org. Well, Open the Bible is able to be on the station because of your generosity. So thank you for supporting Open the Bible with your financial gift.

And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a book called What Is Wrong With This World? It's written by Tim Keller. And Colin, why would we need this book?

Colin Smith: Well, I think because diagnosis has to come before prescription. I mean, you know if you went to the doctor and said I have a pain in my stomach and the doctor immediately just said oh well, I'll give you these tablets, you would immediately say well, wait a minute. Have you paused to diagnose as to what the problem actually is? And it strikes me that we have so much conversation that's going on all around us about how to put the world right. Who's asking the question what's wrong with the world? That's the question that's at the heart of this book.

And really until we've understood accurately what the core of the human problem actually is, conversation about what's going to be the answer is going to float above the realities that we're dealing with. So this book by Tim Keller, it's a wonderful read. It is a thoroughly biblical examination of what is wrong with the world. And he puts it like this. If we are to stand any chance of answering the question of what is wrong with the world, we must begin with sin and end with the unfailing love of God who chooses to save us from it.

I think that encapsulates something really important that every Christian wants to grasp.

Steve Hiller: Well, we want to send you a copy of this book. Again, it's called What Is Wrong With the World? Is our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can give your gift online. Come to our website openthebible.org or call 1 877 673 6365. That's 1 877 Open 365. Or again, the website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: Hi, this is Pastor Colin again and I want you to know about Watch Your Doctrine. Watch Your Doctrine is a six session course that is geared for leaders but accessible for every believer. The six sessions will introduce you to six central truths of the Christian faith, how we know God, how God speaks to us, how sin affects us, how God's spirit brings new life, how we're made right with God, and what Jesus accomplished on the cross. There are questions at the end of each session and you can use them on your own or you can discuss them with a friend.

For more information or to begin this free online course, visit openthebible.org/courses. That's openthebible.org/courses.