Jump Start # 1867

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.”

Our verse today carries a very narrow audience. It is written to Christians about the death of Christians. As Paul explains, the Lord will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. These were people who were “in Jesus.” These were Christians. This section ends with, “comfort one another with these words.”

One of the challenges in life is trying to find something to say to a person who is hurting or grieving. People feel compelled to say something profound at the funeral home. They think that what they say will bring sunshine back, remove dark clouds and will be remembered forever. Not so. Actually, by the time three more people pass through the line, the grieving family has forgotten what you have said. Your presence will be remembered more than your words.

There is a distinction found within our verse today. There are those who have hope and those who have no hope. Those with hope do not grieve the same as those without hope. Those with hope are the Christians. They are the believers. They are the ones who understand resurrections, second coming, Heaven and “this world is not my home.” It’s hard, but they understand that their loved one has merely moved to another room in God’s house. They know that the person lives. There is no “The End” to our story. Death is hard even for the family of a Christian, but it’s not despair.

There are those without hope. They don’t know what they believe. They have not had time for the Lord nor have they been serious about Him. Following God’s word has not been their choice. Worship didn’t happen much to them. They pretty much lived in this world and never gave much thought about the spiritual side of things. Death comes. The family is shaken and torn up. All kinds of wild ideas float around. No one knows for sure because they do not stand upon any real foundation. They do not even know enough about the Bible to know where to read. They believe that their loved one is in Heaven. There is no foundation for that belief other than they can’t bear to think of the alternative. Heaven is a distorted concept of whatever the person liked on earth. I’ve heard people bragging about having a beer in Heaven. But their hope is nothing more than wishful thinking. It’s holding on to a four-leaf clover.

The most difficult thing is trying to offer comfort to those who have no hope. They have ignored God all of their life and now, in death, they want to believe that God is so eager to have them that the gates of Heaven have swung wide open for their loved one. As a preacher, it’s hard to preach those kind of funerals. The family wants the preacher to walk their loved one right up to Heaven itself. He was such a good guy they all say, yet there was nothing spiritual ever going on. Honest and godly preachers know that false hope is really no hope.

Paul’s words in our passage does not address this situation. What do you say to a family when their loved one was not a Christian?

First, we are not the ones to determine the eternal destiny of any soul. That’s God’s business. We do not know everything. We do not know the heart of a person. So assigning someone to Heaven or Hell is up to God.

Second, some things are obvious. We know what the Bible teaches. A life lived ignoring God will not please God. This is not the steps to follow in life. This is not a life that will end well with God. Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins, are the words of Jesus. There is no sugar coating that. There is no way to turn that into a happily ever after story.

Third, comfort the family by letting them know that you care and that you are sorry. Death is sad. Death is not God’s friend, but His enemy. Death came about because of man’s sin. God didn’t design death as part of His original plan. Those that do not know the Bible are often confused and some are angry with God. Standing in line at the funeral home is not the place to get into a Biblical discussion about life after death. Let them know that you are praying for them and that if they would like to get together in a couple of weeks to talk, you’ll be happy to do that. Give them some time to get through things.

Fourth, don’t go along with things that are not true. I’ve been asked, “Don’t you think that mom is up there dancing with St. Peter and all the angels?” I’d say something like, “that’d be a sight, but I don’t think that’s happening.” The world has turned Heaven into a fantasy island where people golf, walk their pets, shop, eat chocolate and you hear all these weird and unbiblical ideas coming out.

I say, “He’s in the hands of God and that’s the best place he came be. No one is more fair, just or merciful than God. God knows his whole story and God will do what’s right.” Quickly I usually add, “And you and I know that we best spend some time with God as well. Why don’t get back to church this week?” Those simple words, turn the conversation from where the dead is to where the living is. Nothing more can be done for the dead but we certainly can do things.

After more than three decades of doing funerals I see those who have hope and those who don’t. The sadness is different. Their words are different. They walk away from the grave differently. Believers have a confidence, hope and assurance. Those without hope or a false hope, seem lost, confused and unsure of what to do next.

It is sad when the departed is a Christian, but the rest of the family is not. I’ve seen that far too many times. Hope is with the one who has died. He spent a lifetime walking with the Lord. The rest of the family has done their own thing. And now for the first time in years, these grown kids hear the Bible read. They listen to prayers. You can see how uncomfortable they are. They want to get through this as fast as they can. The funeral home is packed with Christians and the family doesn’t feel any connections. And we know unless there are some serious changes, they will never see the departed again. It’s tragic.

Years ago, I bought a set of old commentaries. I had never heard of them before. The only reason I wanted them was that they were stuffed full of newspaper clippings and old articles. I wanted to see those. Among them, was an original clipping from a New York newspaper around 1899. The news was about the funeral of the famous agnostic Robert Ingersoll. He hated religion. His funeral, this clipping reported, was all secular. No prayers. No Bible readings. No preaching. No Heaven. No hope. All secular. All earthly. The funeral ended. It was time to go bury the old fool. His wife and two daughters refused. They clung to the body. The article ended by saying, maybe tomorrow he will be buried. This is where having no hope takes you. There is no comfort in sorrow. There is no hope beyond the grave. It tragically ends in horror, despair and agony.

Our hope is in the Lord. It is the Lord that we love, obey, walk daily with and follow. Heaven is more than a wish or a dream. It is a promise to those who belong to the Lord. We have a hope, that not even death can touch.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Roger

Jump Start # 1246

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”

  Our verse today is a sad reminder that death always lurks in the shadows. Death is always difficult to understand. Questions arise such as, why and where are they? Death is especially hard around the holidays. I didn’t look up the details, and it may be just how I perceive things, but it appears to me that more people die around the holidays than other time. And for many families, they are experiencing their first holiday without a loved one. Holidays can be painful for many families because of death.

Paul’s words to the Thessalonians, our verse today, is written concerning those who are “asleep.” That term is used, especially in the N.T., to describe the righteous dead. Jesus said that Lazarus was asleep. The Corinthians were told that we shall not all sleep, but some will be alive when Jesus comes. Paul’s words are not an exhaustive, detailed and analytical look at the subject of death. Not at all. He’s writing to Christians. His words concern the death of Christians. This is only one small slice of this big subject. It’s important, but it’s not everything. It was not intended to be.

Three things this verse helps us with.

First, we need to be informed. Paul said, “We do not want you to be uninformed.” A lack of knowledge leads to fear, false ideas and wrong thinking. Knowledge, on any subject, gives confidence, assurance and drives doubts away. And on the subject of death and what happens after that, the uninformed definitely outrank the informed. Ideas range from eating chocolate in Heaven, to reincarnation, to ghosts, to messages coming from the deceased, to all being saved and no one is lost, to the wicked ceasing to exist, to unbiblical concepts such as limbo and purgatory. Where do all these ideas come from? From being uninformed. When you do know, anything sounds good. Without any information, we chase speculations. People claim to have died and came back. They write books. They sound believable. Then comes another twist. Then, yet, another after that. Confusion abounds. People don’t like talking about the subject of death, so that further builds more chances of being convinced of something that isn’t true.

Do not be uninformed. Ok, how do I learn? Just how do I become informed? Through the Scriptures. No one knows more about this than God does. Paul’s words that follow in this context reveal a few facts. He tells us that Jesus is coming. He tells us that that will be a resurrection. He tells us that the righteous will be with the Lord. Where’s the proof? It stands behind the word of God. God stands behind His word.

As unpleasant as this topic may be to you, somewhere down the line you ought to give it some serious thought. It’s going to happen and you might as well know what is going to happen to you. Your knowledge will help assure your family. It will give you confidence. It will show that death is nothing more than a passage way, a door if you may, to the next room. Certainly things change. For the righteous, the change is for the better.

Second, Paul tells us that there is a hope in death. He wanted the brethren to not grieve as the rest do who have no hope. This tells us that some have hope in death and others do not. What is there to hope in death? From the first point, being informed, a person understands that death is not the end. The hope, for the righteous, is being with God. The hope is Heaven. The hope is the blessings of comfort. The hope is being finished with pain, sorrow and death. The hope is that Satan won’t bother you any more. Instead of fearing death, dreading death, there was a hope. There will be that grand resurrection day and the righteous will be gathered with Christ forever. That’s amazing. It’s awesome! In the presence of all the Bible greats, at one time and in one place. Nothing to fear. No other place that you need to be. Not in a hurry. Not behind on things. Not stressed. Not tired. Not bothered. Not scared. Together with God. Together with other righteous ones. A grand reunion with the righteous ones from before. There is a guy named Clement Nance. He was one of the very first, if not the first, preachers of New Testament Christianity in Indiana. He lived in the early 1800’s. I’ve been chasing some rabbits about his life and work in my spare time. I’d love to sit with him on a bench in Heaven and have him tell me about the early days. That fascinates me. Then there is my mother. In a few weeks, the twentieth anniversary of her death will be remembered. Then there are those who meant a lot to me who have passed recently. Folks like JoAnn and Terri in Kansas City. Marty in Tampa. Ted in Lafayette, IN. Billy, here where I’m at. Righteous people. Good people. They loved the Lord, followed Him, obeyed Him, and I have the hope of seeing them again.

Paul’s words were to the living about those who died. The Thessalonians had their own list. Not of family members and friends who died, but the righteous. Paul is talking about the death of the righteous. That’s where the hope was. Some of the Thessalonian Christians had died. The living were grieving over them. These words were addressed to that situation. The hope lies with the righteous. Not everyone has that hope. Not everyone is going to make it. Just because a person died doesn’t mean that there is hope. Just because the person was loved by me or was sweet, doesn’t mean that there is hope. The hope rests in the fact that they were believers. They were Christians. They walked, followed, worshipped and obeyed Jesus. That’s where the hope was.

Third, Paul tells us that there are two different kinds of grief. There is a grief that most have. It’s not based upon hope. They do not believe. They do not know what they believe. They have ignored the subject of death, like they have ignored God. They have been busy living this life and then one day, death comes calling. It catches them off guard. They aren’t ready for it. They don’t want to say “good-bye.” They grieve hard. They grieve long. Their lack of faith and understanding fuels questions, fears and anger. The mourning process is long and ugly for them. They are changed and not for the better. They blame God. They become cruel toward others. They feel cheated. They can’t give it up. I passed a cemetery the other day. Someone had strung Christmas lights around a grave. That’s a first for me. It seemed very odd. Did they think, and the answer is probably yes, that the departed would enjoy sharing the holidays that way? I wonder if there would be Christmas presents placed upon the grave? Uniformed and hopeless leads to strange things.

Christians grieve. Our text implies that. They miss loved ones. They grieve the loss of the righteous. However, their grief is different. It’s built around hope. It’s not despair and desperation and doom. There is a tug on the heart to be with the righteous. There is a tug on the heart to want to be done with this place. It’s not wrong at all for a Christian to shed tears. Jesus did. He knew Lazarus was going to be raised. He was moments from doing that. Yet, He still cried.

One final thought: the holiday season is a busy time with shopping, cooking, wrapping and spending time with family. Remember those who are grieving. Keep an eye out for them. Do something special for them. It’s hard. The first time is the hardest. It helps knowing that others care.

Roger

Jump Start # 444 

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But we do not want you to be uniformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”

  Yesterday, we looked at those who grieve without having hope. Today, we will consider the other side, those who have hope. That hope is Jesus Christ. That hope is available to all. God wants you to live with that hope.

  Here in this passage, Paul is talking about the death of Christians. The living were grieving the dead. Some things do not change. We do that today. Death is ugly. Death steals. The grieving of these Christians was done in hope. They were sad yet they had hope.

  How is it that Christians can grieve in hope?

First, they realize that death is not the end of the road. The separations they feel now will not last forever. Paul reminds them that when Christ comes, He brings with Him those who have departed. The souls of the departed live on.

Second, not only are the righteous dead living, living with God, there is the hope of seeing them again. The grand reunion in Heaven—what a wonderful time that will be! It is a very common question that folks ask often, “Will we recognize each other in Heaven?” I believe the answer is YES. The rich man and Lazarus still had their identity after death. For a moment, think about the opposite—they we won’t recognize each other. Can you imagine being somewhere in a large crowd, Revelation says the number is so large that it could not be counted, and you didn’t know anyone? I’ve been in a few settings like that. Very awkward. No one to share things with, everyone a stranger. Is that the concept of Heaven? Heaven is fellowship, closeness, love and being with God. Will I recognize family members? I believe yes. Will I recognize the heroes of the Bible, such as David, Paul, and Abraham? I believe yes. Will I recognize fellow Christians that I have worshipped with? I believe yes.

  This is why Paul was comforting these Christians in our passage. They were grieving. Paul assures them that they will come with Christ. What’s the point, if I won’t know who they are? For Christians, it is never “good-bye,” but rather, “see you later.”

Thirdly, there was hope in that all the suffering would end. Much of the suffering we read about among the Christians was in connection to their faith. They were persecuted and tortured. For the departed righteous that page of their lives was finished. No more. Revelation reminds us that there are no tears, no death in Heaven. All of the problems stop at the death. That’s comforting. Just hang on and this stuff that bothers you will soon be over. Not so, for the unrighteous. Living without Christ, living to themselves, only adds more burdens, remorse and problems AFTER death for them. The illustration of the rich man and Lazarus shows that. What ever health problems Lazarus had, covered with sores, possibly leprosy, ended at death. He was in comfort. He was in the care of God. The rich man, was just the opposite. His selfishness, stubbornness, and stinginess caught up with him and after death, his problems multiplied.

  Hope—there is hope, even in death for the Christian. This is why we must stay with the Lord and not be weary. As the hymn goes, “We are marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion…”

Roger

Jump Start # 443 

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But we do not want you to be uniformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”

  This is a difficult passage—not from the standpoint of understanding what is meant, but rather, from experiencing this in life. Paul is writing about death. He uses the expression, “those who are asleep.” In older cemeteries it was common to see R.I.P. on gravestones—Rest In Peace. That term, “asleep” for death, seems to be an expression used only of the righteous. Jesus said that our friend Lazarus is asleep. He said the young daughter of the synagogue official was asleep. Those in the room even laughed when Jesus said that. He spoke this of the death of the righteous. We don’t read of the wicked dead referred to as asleep, nor do we see Jesus using a miracle to bring the wicked back to life.

  Paul is writing to Christians. He is writing about the death of fellow Christians. In doing this, he makes a contrast—between those who have hope in death and those who do not. This passage is not intended to answer all questions about life after death, nor is it addressing every angle involved. He will go on to comfort the righteous by telling them where the departed Christians are and what will happen to them when Jesus comes. This passage is comfort, assurance, and hope—the very thing those without Christ do not have.

  To die without Christ is the worst type of death. It is to be thrown into eternity without grace, without a Savior and as Paul says here, “without hope.”

  I want to look at both sides of this passage—comfort for those with hope and comfort for those without hope. From my perspective as a preacher, it is much easier to preach the funeral of someone who was a Christian than it is for someone who wasn’t.

  How do we comfort someone who “grieves without hope.” Maybe they don’t believe in God. Maybe they never followed God, worshipped God, thought about God, or even cared about God. Their life was here. Their world was what you see. They lived, loved and died. Their family grieves. It is a sad, sad situation. I’ve had strangers call me to preach the funeral for their loved one. Families that have no connection to God. They don’t know a preacher. Somehow, somewhere, in the family connections, through someone at work, I’m found. I’m called upon to preach a funeral for someone who most likely never opened the Bible in his life. They want me to preach the funeral and offer hope for someone who chose to ignore God his entire life. I hate those situations. Difficult. They are reaching for hope. They are looking for a divine loophole. They want God in death but not in life.

  How do you comfort in those situations? What do you say?

1. Understand, they grieve hard. The loss of any loved one is hard, even among Christians, but without God as an anchor, without the teachings of the Scriptures, all they see is that it’s not fair. They may be angry. Tears at these funeral are often uncontrollable.

2. They want their loved one in Heaven. They are hoping for what may not be there. Everyone wants their loved one in Heaven. They will believe it. They will talk about their loved one dancing with angels, fishing with Peter, laughing with the saints. I’ve heard some very blasphemous ideas such as the loved one cursing in Heaven, drinking beer in Heaven and other dumb ideas that illustrate that they do not know the Holy God nor do they understand Heaven at all.

3. Nothing can be done for the departed. They are in the hands of God. It’s not our place to judge nor to determine their fate—God has already done that. In fact, the departed already did that by the choices in their life.

4. Comfort is needed to the family. This is where you can help. Take them to Scripture. Try to connect them to God. They need to see the importance of worshipping God, walking with God and having the hope of God in their hearts.

  Years ago I bought a set of books because they were stuffed with old newspaper clippings. I wanted those clippings, so I bought the books. One of the clippings was from the late 1800’s. It was a newspaper report of the funeral of Robert Ingersoll, the great agnostic. That report alone was worth thousands of books. The reporter who attended the New York funeral said it was the most solemn and eerie thing he ever witnessed. There were no hymns sung. There were no prayers offered. There were no reading of Scriptures. It was all secular—as Ingersoll had lived. Two days after the funeral, his body still wasn’t buried. Ingersoll’s wife and daughters refused to stop clinging to his remains. They couldn’t bury him. This is grieving without hope.

5. The most important thing I tell people is that their loved ones are in the hands of God. God loved them. God cared and had blessed them. There are no other hands that we’d want them in than God’s. He is just and He is merciful. I remind them that nothing more can be done. Burning candles won’t change things. Offering money won’t help. What can be done is for us to live with Christ in our hearts. He wants us to walk with assurance so we don’t die in fear or without hope.

  It doesn’t have to be that way. We can live with Heaven deep in our hearts. It’s hard to comfort those who don’t know God. I don’t know if I do any good. Follow up a few days after the funeral will remind them. Invite them to church services. Don’t give up on them. It is to the living that we must do our work.

  Tomorrow: The hope that the Christian has

Roger