R sbc
Date: January 29th 2006
Sunday Morning
Series: Christ The Sum & Substance of The Bible
Subject: “ IF We Believe”
Text: I Thess 4: 13-18
Sermon # 69
Intro: There are some similar verses. Joh 5:47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
One has to do with the word of Christ, and the other has to do with the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In the case of blind men Jesus said Mt 9:28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
This whole passage that we read has to do with salvation, the death of love ones who are saved, and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that “believing” is an act of faith that is given to us in regeneration.
Has it occurred to you, that believing can not be successfully done by unbelievers or lost people. Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
So when Paul tells the jailer to believe he understands that unless the man has faith he cannot believe. Faith is the noun, belief is the verb. There must be action in the heart before we can believe.
Ro 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
I... THE INEVITABLE ...VS 13
I Know that it is hard to loose someone you love... no words can take away the pain you and I feel when we loose some one that is dear to us, our mate, a fellow church member, but it is not the end.
The word used by Paul is “ignorant” and it does not mean stupid it means to have lack of knowledge... to not quite understand something about a particular thing. We know very little about death, only the dead understand it.
He does not sorrow not, but sorrow not as others which have no hope. How many people die with Christ millions, how many people loose their love ones with Christ, millions every day. Paul said we can sorrow but not like others.... which have no hope... If a person dies with Christ they have no hope, neither does their love ones...
We have two events of a King who lost two of his children , one he hope the other he did not...
(1.) David’s child of Adultery
2 Samuel 12-22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
Here we see hope, we see David’s firm belief in seeing this child again. We will see our love ones again one day...
(2.) The rebellious Son Absalom...
2Sa 18:33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! 2Sa 19:4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
II... “ THE OBJECT OF OUR BELIEF AND HOPE..VS 14
1ST. It the firm persuasion of the content of the gospel..vs 14 “ If we believe that Jesus died and rose again”...
It is also a firm conviction in your heart that Jesus Christ is who he says he is, that he is the Son of God ....the saviour of mankind..Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
It was the purpose of Christ to come into the world, live a sinless life, suffer under the Jews and the government of Rome, be crucified, be buried, and be raised from the dead...you must believe that..
2nd. The firm persuasion that our dead love ones will come when he comes...vs 14
Sleep never suggest no life, it reveals the truth that the departed saints are resting with the Lord... resting does not mean inactivity... for they are in reality reigning with Christ from on high.
Re 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Rev 6-9 ¶ And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
The martyred saints in Revelation these people are the same as in The previous verses that we read...
Rev 20- 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
(1.) They sat upon thrones...
(2.) They had something to do..
(3.) What he actual saw...
(4.) How long they reigned... A THOUSAND YEARS...
The greek word in any concordance will clear this up as to how long it is, it should be translated thousands of years... be that as it may... the point is where they reigned at, in heaven, not in bodies souls...
III... THE GROUNDS OF THIS GREAT FAITH AND HOPE...VS 15
It is the word of the LORD...
We cannot believe this morning based upon our emotions, our ideas, we must believe by the word of the Lord... Paul said... in Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
I Pet 1-21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 ¶ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Everything I believe today, In Christ as my saviour, in the work of the Holy Spirit, in the preaching of the gospel, of his will for my life all of it, is founded upon his word. The LORD gave the word, and great was the company that published it...
Take our bible away what do we have, nothing. It is the light of life, it is the comfort our burdens, it is the foundation of what we believe, it is the foundation for our faith and practice, it what we base the hereafter on.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
He says a number of things..
(1.) It is alive...
(2.) It is powerful..
(3.) It is sharper...
(4.) It is a divider...
(5.) It is a discerner...
So we take these five things and make his word in our hearts and lay hold of what it does to us... Such blessings flow from this book, such discipline, such power, such trust, all that we believe concerning the gospel and the departed love ones, and the return of them with Christ is based on the word of the Lord.
Are you burden this morning, look at what we have to look forward too:
IV... “ A SURE PROMISE TO LOOK TO”..VS 15-18
(1.) Some will be alive when Christ comes:
Re 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
(2.) We shall not go ahead of them:
(3.) Christ will come...vs 16-17
It would be hard to miss this event saved or lost. It will wake the dead, their souls will be brought by the Lord to their bodies, it will be a glorified body. It is the completion of our salvation, it is glorification...
(4.) How long we will be with Christ... forever...
(5.) The clear instructions... Take comfort