The sermon delivered by Jason Dohm focuses on 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, emphasizing the promise that Christians will always be with the Lord, both in life and after death. This promise provides comfort and hope, differentiating Christian grief from that of unbelievers, as believers have assurance based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The sermon outlines the sequence of events during the second coming of Jesus, highlighting its personal, public, and unmistakable nature. It stresses the authoritative nature of this revelation, as described by Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, and contrasts it with speculative eschatology. The resurrection of the body is discussed, dismissing the concept of soul sleep and affirming that believers will receive incorruptible bodies fit for eternal life. The sermon encourages Christians to maintain a disposition of expectation and longing for Christ's return, which in turn aids in being steadfast, immovable, and abounding in the work of the Lord. It concludes with a call for believers to hold fast to this hope and for unbelievers to come to faith, as the invitation to eternal life is freely offered.

The text range for this week is 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 15 through 18, but let's pick up in verse 13. So we have this section all together. 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13. But I do not want you to be ignorant brethren concerning those who have fallen asleep lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

Lord, these are beautiful words, amazing words, and true words to be invited to the table of the King eternal. God, I pray that You'd bless our brother now as he comes to lead in teaching these words and that You, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, would awaken souls with it today. The title of the sermon this morning comes right out of verse 17. We shall always be with the Lord. It's nice to have a centerpiece of a text and not to have to wonder what the real theme of the text is.

It's so clear that This is the central point of the text. Christians have one future ahead of all of them. All of us. The great point of the text is how all this ends. That's really the question on the table.

How does all this end? There is life on earth and then what? The Bible teaches one thing clearly and consistently, that there is an eternity ahead of the Lord's people where we will always be with Him. Last week started this section, it started a new section in verses 13 and 14, so I'm very glad Jim read that because it's essential to the context of our text this week. The main point of that was that all consuming grief is incompatible with the Christian hope.

So it's not right for Christians to grieve like unbelievers grieve. They can be consumed, eaten up by grief when one who is close to them dies. But it shouldn't be so of Christians. Not that we shouldn't grieve, but that we shouldn't be consumed by our grief, like unbelievers can often be because we have a hope that extends beyond this life. And our hope is grounded in the resurrection.

That was the other main point of last week's text, was that we have a very sure basis for our hope. That is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, that the tomb is empty, that God has raised Him up. Because of that, that means something. That Jesus was raised from the dead means something. It means that all those who are in him, who are united to him, who are joined to him, will be raised up just as he was raised up.

This week is just a continuation about that. We get details about how all of this will play out when Jesus returns. So, it's right a follow on to the thinking, the arguments that are being made from last week's text is just a follow on. How is all this going to play out when Jesus comes back? We get some details about that this week.

And the whole point is the title of the sermon. We shall always be with the Lord. Christians will always be with the Lord, everlastingly be with Jesus Christ. These are intended to be words of comfort, words that come to us when another Christian dies. We are finding ourselves sorrowful, grieving in our hearts that these words would be a comfort to us.

As we go to the text, let's go to the text in prayer. Oh God, the comfort of these words, I thank you for them. We need them. We need this comfort for our souls that all who are in Christ or are joined to Christ will be with Him everlastingly throughout eternity. We will be with Christ whom we love.

God, you haven't told us everything we would like to know about what happens after death, but you've told us enough to be filled with comfort when we lose people that we love. So I thank you for these words and I pray that you would help us to have our thinking shaped by them. In Jesus name, amen. I'd like to begin by just looking at verse 15 by itself. So hopefully your Bible is still open to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.

And I'm going to read verse 15 and then just stop and talk about it. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy write this. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep." Of course, when they say asleep, they mean those Christians who have died. That was clear from last week's text. So in verse 15, what we see is that Jesus Christ has spoken.

If you're taking notes on the handout and you're filling in blanks, it says, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has spoken. Our authors say, this we say to you by the word of the Lord. That means by the word of Jesus Christ. He has spoken on these matters.

And this verse begins with the connecting word for. So they are tying it directly to what we had last week, which was the Christian hope. The Christian hope is that this life isn't it. This life is a precursor to what is so much more important than this life, which is eternity. And that Jesus has been resurrected and that means we'll be resurrected so we're not to sorrow as unbelievers sorrow because we have this hope of the Christian and Paul and Silvanus and Timothy want their readers that means us we're the readers right we're reading these words God knew we would be reading these words.

They want us to know that they are speaking absolutely authoritatively. So, they attribute what's taught to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has spoken this. They're speaking absolutely authoritatively. This is important because we're dealing with eschatology here.

The study of the end times, the last things. Eschatology is controversial and eschatology is mysterious. When you start talking about the last things, things that are future to us. This is always true of prophetic things, but particularly of the last things. If you've been around the Christian world for long, you know that this is a source of controversy and a lot of discussion and great mystery surrounds the study of the last things.

And so our authors, Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, want us to know that they are not delivering tradition or speculation. That's really important. If you've been around Christian circles for a long time, you know that there are those who have the newspaper on one hand and the book of Revelation on the other hand. They think they know This is this, and this is that, and this is that. Helicopters are locusts from the visions.

They're so convinced that the helicopters to them are right there in the text. In other words, the conclusions that they have drawn from the text become equivalent to the text. So these traditions around in-time thinking, thinking about the last days, have become sacred like Scripture. Well that's not right. Jesus didn't say the locusts are helicopters.

So our authors are coming to us speaking absolutely authoritatively what they have gotten directly from Jesus Christ. Not from drawing conclusions about things that are in Scripture. They're giving us Scripture. They're giving us absolutely authoritative things about the last days. Listen to what Paul says in Galatians 1 verse 12.

So you know Galatians is about false gospels. So Paul begins in Galatians 1 talking about his gospel, the true gospel, the only gospel. And here's what he says about his gospel in Galatians 1 verse 12, For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it. But it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. What Paul is saying is that he didn't get his gospel like You got the Gospel.

You got it, and I got it, probably through a human intermediary. Or you read it from Scripture. But probably it was preached to you. That's how most people get the Gospel. It's preached.

It comes through a human intermediary. Paul in Galatians 1 verse 12 says, I didn't get my Gospel that way. I wasn't taught it. Like we were taught the Gospel. Jesus Christ directly gave the one true gospel to the Apostle Paul.

It did not come through a human intermediary. He wasn't taught it. He didn't receive it from man. It came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. It's true of this teaching that we're being given in Thessalonians by our authors.

There are some things in the New Testament that are taught in other places in the New Testament, and you can say, well that could have come from here in the Gospels when Jesus says this. That's definitely true of Jesus coming in the clouds. That's in our text this week and you can find that in Matthew chapter 24 or Acts chapter 1. So you can say there's another place in the New Testament where they could have gotten that from. Or the participation of angels.

We have that in our text. That's other places in the New Testament. Or the trumpet being part of that day when Jesus returns. You can find other New Testament texts where that is. You could say they got it there.

But there are things in this text that you won't find anywhere else in the New Testament. The ordering, the sequence of things that were given in this text you won't find anywhere else. It's just here. They got this directly from Jesus Christ. It's absolutely authoritative and it hasn't been mediated through any man.

It's not speculation, it's not tradition. Jesus taught them this. My guess is Jesus taught Paul this. And they're relating it. Now, what is the Word of the Lord here?

Here it is. We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. So Jesus is going to come back. And when he comes back there are going to be Christians. The Christians are not going to precede those Christians who have already died.

There is no reason to pity Christians who die before Jesus returns, as if they're not going to have the opportunity or ability or the privilege to participate in this glorious event. You don't need to pity them. Because it's being taught here that those who are alive, whenever Jesus comes back, whatever generation it is, when he comes back, those who are in Christ who are alive will have no advantage on those who have died before. This is going to be a glorious event and it will be a privilege and a wonder to behold it. Those who have died before are at no disadvantage.

They will participate. Why does Paul say, we who are alive and remain? Does Paul and Silvanus and Timothy saying that mean that they knew they would be alive when Jesus came back? Or that they expected that they would be alive when Jesus comes back. It's amazing to me the number of commentators who take that approach and get wound up tight with the idea that Paul had it all wrong and he expected Jesus would come back in his lifetime and then as it didn't happen towards the end of his lifetime he had to change his eschatology.

There's many commentators who take that approach and It's a foolhardy approach because it's completely unnecessary. There's a completely biblical, logical explanation for why Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy would write in this way. It's found in Matthew 24. So please turn to Matthew 24. 28 chapters in Matthew, so this is at the very end.

Matthew chapter 24 and chapter 25 are all about the end times. So if you want to do extra study about Jesus' return, I don't know any places better than Matthew 24 and 25 and then 1 Corinthians 15 and we'll spend a little time there today as well. Matthew chapter 24, and I want to read 36-44. And I'm submitting I'm submitting that what Jesus is teaching here in Matthew 24, verse 36-44 is the reason that Paul and Silvanus and Timothy say, we who are alive and remain, when they are talking about the coming of Jesus. Matthew 24, 36.

Jesus says, but of that day and hour, No one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days Before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also the coming of the Son of Man will be. Then two men will be in the field, one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken, and the other left.

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." The whole point of what Jesus is teaching here about the date of his return, about when he will come, is no one knows. Not even the angels of heaven know. Only the Father knows when Jesus will return.

And so, the Christian disposition is to always be ready. In every century, the Christian disposition is to always be ready to watch for the coming of Jesus. Because we've been told that no one knows. Not even the angels. Not even the Apostle Paul.

Not even Silvanus or Timothy. And so this is where they live. They live in the place of expectation. Why? Because Jesus says live in the place of expectation.

Live in the place where you're watching and hoping and longing that Jesus will come back in your lifetime. So they write that way. They just fold themselves in to the people of God through all the centuries and some are going to be there when Jesus comes back and some of them are going to have already died and they have no idea which group that they're in. They just fold themselves in with the people of God in every century. And they write from this disposition of expectation and hope and longing that Jesus will come back soon.

In the following parables, if we were to continue working through Matthew 24 and 25, then you've got the faithful servant and the evil servant. The point of that is, there will be people who, because they don't have this disposition of expectation, will get sloppy and mistreat their fellow servants, and they're betraying that they really don't have a heart for God at all. They'll be surprised at his coming. In the beginning of chapter 25, you have the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. It's the same.

Some will be ready, some won't be ready. They will be caught by surprise. The point is, don't be caught. Don't be taken by surprise at the return of the Lord. And then beginning in chapter 25 verse 14 you have the parable of the talents and it is about a man traveling to a far country who entrusts his goods to his servants.

It actually says in chapter 25 verse 19, after a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. It was after a long time. God hasn't said how long it would be. I bet Paul and Sylvainus and Timothy would have been surprised to know that it would be 2, 000 years. But they were happy to have the disposition that Jesus said Christians should have, which would be a disposition of expectation and longing for his return.

What does that mean now that it's been 2, 000 years? It means it's a lot closer for us. If Paul and Silvanus and Timothy should have had a disposition of expectation and longing for the return of Jesus Christ 2, 000 years ago, what should it be for us? And this is perfectly consistent with our text for next week, 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 1 through 4 is where we'll be next week, which talks about the day of the Lord being like a thief coming in the night. This is just like what we read in Matthew 24.

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy are drawing on the words of Jesus Christ from Matthew 24. Perfectly consistent. Now back to 1 Thessalonians. Back to our text. Now I'd like to read verses 16 and the first half of 17.

I'm going to break it there and then comment. Hopefully you've got your finger in 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 16, and I'll read halfway through 17. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." Here in verses 16 and the first half of 17 we have the second coming of Jesus Christ.

If you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, it's the second coming. By the way, the coming of Jesus Christ is mentioned in chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. There are only five chapters in the book. The second coming of Jesus Christ is mentioned in every chapter. It is an overwhelming theme and thrust of Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy in this letter.

If you come away with this letter from nothing else, come away with this. Jesus Christ is coming back. They keep coming back to it and coming back to it. Not only has Jesus been raised from the dead, not only is he seated at the right hand of God interceding for his people, he is coming again. In these verses we are given the sequence of how things are going to transpire on the day when Jesus returns.

Again, Christians are supposed to have a disposition of expectation and longing for this day. As we expect it, we watch for it, we pray, we long for it, we are given information about how this day will unfold. First, Jesus himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God." Notice how personal and public and unmistakable this is. He himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Personal, public, unmistakable.

It's nothing like the first time he came. The first time he came, he took on the form of a servant. He was born as a baby, and precious few people knew it was happening on planet Earth. There were some shepherds that a host of angels appeared to. There were Mary and Joseph who knew what was happening.

There were the parents of John the Baptist, Zechariah and Elizabeth knew. There were a couple of people in the temple who knew, and there were a few Magi who came from the East who knew. The rest knew nothing of it. The Second Coming will be nothing like that. The second coming of Jesus Christ will be a coming in glory.

It will be personal. Jesus is coming Himself. It will be public. It will be unmistakable. It will be loud.

There is going to be a shout, and the voice of an archangel, and a trumpet. Second coming will be nothing like the first. The text says that he himself will come with a shout. The ESV renders it a cry of command. That's also a good rendering.

Either is fine. They're probably better together than separate, because it gives you the fuller meaning. Listen to what you'll find in the Greek lexicon. For the Greek word that's used here, it's translated either as shout in the New King James or a cry of command in the ESV. The Greek lexicon you would find an order, a command, a stimulating cry as to an animal or person.

So a stimulating cry means like a loud command that is intended to stimulate something. Like if you were on a horse and you had a stimulating cry to the horse. To get the horse to do something you might say, Hya! Or to a dog you might say, Heel! Or a military commander might say, Charge!

This is the idea behind Jesus Himself descending from heaven with a shout. It's a stimulating cry. It is meant to command activity. This is reminiscent of one of the most dramatic moments in the Gospels, which we find in John 11, Lazarus rising from the dead. Listen to John 11, verse 43.

Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth! Jesus descending from heaven with a shout is going to be a little bit like John 11, where He's going to give a stimulating cry, and he's going to call forth those who are dead in Christ, and they're going to come forth. The text says there will be the voice of an archangel. The archangel is not named. The only archangel that's named in scripture you'll find in Jude verse 9.

It's Michael, but Michael's not used here so we don't know if that is who it is or not. But listen to Matthew chapter 25. It's right where we were. You can turn there if you're fast, but it's only a couple of verses. You might want to just listen.

This is Matthew 25, 31 and 32. Jesus says, When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats." Jesus in Matthew chapter 25 says that all the holy angels will be with him. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 we get the voice of an archangel maybe commanding all the hosts of angels that are coming with him. The text doesn't say that but What Jesus said establishes the participation of hosts of angels.

The text says, and the trumpet of God will sound. In Israel, the trumpet was used as part of worship. The trumpet was used for gathering the people. The trumpet was used for instructions in war. But in Exodus 19, you actually have a trumpet of God.

Exodus 19 is Mount Sinai and the giving of the Ten Commandments. Moses is going to meet God. In verse 13, God says, when you hear the trumpet, the people are to gather at the base of the mountain. And then in Exodus 19.16, We read about the thunderings and the lightnings and a very loud trumpet. This is the trumpet of God.

The trumpet of God blasts at Mount Sinai when the Ten Commandments are given. The people tremble. It's going to be like that when Jesus returns. It's going to be a mega version of what you find in Exodus chapter 19 when God gave His law at Mount Sinai. The people are going to tremble again.

All the earth will tremble. So that was the first thing. Jesus Himself coming from heaven in this unmistakable way. The second thing is the dead in Christ will rise first. The dead in Christ will rise first.

Those who died united to Jesus Christ will rise. Now This is bodily resurrection. It's so important to make this distinction. This is not soul sleep. I talked a little bit about this last week.

Soul sleep is the teaching that When Christians die, all of them are in a state like sleep, unconsciousness, until Jesus comes back. That is not what the Bible teaches. That is not what this text teaches. Jesus said, today you will be with me in paradise, to the thief on the cross. Today you will be with me in paradise.

Now that thief died and his body decayed. We know that. And yet it was still true on Bible authority that he was with Jesus in paradise on that day. Paul said, to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord. That's how it is for Christians.

When Christians are absent in the body when they die, they are present with the Lord. So much so that Paul said, it's better to be dead for a Christian. It's better to leave a fruitful life of service to the Lord because when you die you get to be with Jesus and that's better. That's what Paul says. To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord.

There is no centuries long state of unconsciousness waiting for Jesus. The souls of Christians go to be with Jesus when their bodies die. Or one more, and I could pile them up. Revelation 6 verse 10 says that the souls of the martyrs are crying out for God to avenge their blood. How long God, until you avenge our blood?

Revelation 6-10. The souls of the martyrs are there with Him and they're crying out for justice. So here's the hermeneutical principle. Hermeneutics is just the fancy word for principles of Bible interpretation. What principles do you use to handle the Bible carefully and accurately and correctly so you don't have to be ashamed of how you use it?

They're just good principles for handling the Word of God that helps you interpret it rightly. Here is one of those principles. Asking this question, what does the text require? That's very different from what could the text possibly mean. If you ask what could any text possibly mean, you'll come up with multiple possible meanings.

We could go to some of these texts and say, what could this text possibly mean? Could it possibly mean soul sleep? Could it possibly mean that Christians go into a state of unconsciousness for centuries or millennia until Jesus comes back and the answer will be yes it could be that. That's very different from saying what does the text require. When we go to these other texts about Jesus saying, you will be with me in paradise today, what does that text require?

That text requires that the soul separates from the body and that the soul of that thief on the cross was really with Jesus in paradise that day. Otherwise what Jesus said wasn't true. And If you believe the Bible is true, you can't believe that. Asking the question, what does this text, and this text, and this text require, helps us to draw the boundaries around the possible interpretations of any text, and thereby pick the right one. What does this text require?

So verse 15, back to our text, verse 15 says that the Christians who are alive when Jesus comes back will not precede those who died in Christ. Verse 16 goes further and says that the Christians who died in Christ will actually precede. They'll go first when they receive their resurrected bodies. They will be first. Verse 16 says that as plainly as you can get it.

The dead in Christ will rise first. That was second. Now third, the third thing that Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy got through the word of Jesus Christ is this. Christians who are alive at that time shall be caught up together with them, those who were raised from the dead, bodily resurrection, they'll meet together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. They will be caught up.

That's what happens to Christians who are alive when Jesus comes back. They are not first, but then they are caught up to meet together with those saints and with Jesus in the clouds. It's impossible to think of this without thinking about Acts chapter 1. Jesus is ascending into heaven and the disciples are watching it. The 11 are watching it.

Judas has already committed suicide. The 11 are watching Jesus go into heaven. He goes up and he is veiled in the clouds. Then there are these two angels in white apparel. Here's what they say in Acts 1-11.

Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven." He went up in the clouds and he'll return in the clouds and he'll catch up his people to be with them. So Christians who are alive when Jesus comes back will be caught up to meet their brethren and the Lord. Their brethren are those who died in Christ before Jesus came back, and they'll meet the Lord. Now, this word that's translated, caught up here, Listen to the Greek lexicon for this.

This is wonderful. Here's what it means to be caught up, to be with your brethren who have gone before you in death, and to be with the Lord. To seize, to carry off by force. Those Christians will be seized and carried off by force. To seize, to claim for oneself eagerly.

Christians who are alive, when Jesus comes back, he's going to descend from heaven and catch them up. He's going to seize them. He's going to claim them for himself eagerly. That's what the word means. It makes me sort of want to be alive when Jesus comes back.

That sounds wonderful. To be claimed eagerly by Jesus. To be caught up. There was something else, but I lost my place. Oh, to snatch out or away.

To be snatched away. So I do believe in a rapture, I'm not dispensationalist, but I do believe in a rapture where those who are alive will actually be snatched away. Because Jesus is eagerly laying claim to them and bringing them to meet their brethren who have preceded them in death and to be with him as he returns. Now, a turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Last week we were in 1 Corinthians 15 and I read 1 through 23.

A long stretch and the point of that stretch, the first part of 1 Corinthians 15 is that if Jesus wasn't raised from the dead, there's no hope for Christians. It's all based in the resurrection. We're of all men the most pitiable if Jesus wasn't raised from the dead because we're preaching a false gospel, we're clinging to a false hope, and we're wasting our lives. So Paul in 1st Corinthians chapter 15, the beginning of it, just lays it all on the line with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Says if that didn't happen, we're false preachers and we're all clinging to a false hope and we deserve the pity of the world.

Now I'd like to pick up in verses 35 through 58 another long stretch. But I want to preface it by asking you to notice the exclusive focus on the body. Because when we read this, you're probably going to be thinking, Hey, soul sleep is a possible interpretation in this text too. So just ask yourself the interpretive question. Does it require that?

And the answer is going to be no. It doesn't require that. It's a possible interpretation. But the right interpretation based on the boundaries that we get from these other places is that the soul separates from the body at death. The body decays and undergoes corruption, and the Bible is calling that sleep and the soul goes to be with Jesus.

This is about the resurrection of the body, which is the topic of our text in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. The resurrection of the body. What's that going to be like? We learn some about it in 1 Corinthians 15 beginning in verse 35. But someone will say, how are the dead raised up?

And with what body do they come? Foolish one. What you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be but mere grain, perhaps weed or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

In other words, you plant something that's nothing like the plant When it's full grown. You plant this little dead thing. And then it ends up being this green, lush, full plant. Verse 39, all flesh is not the same flesh. But there is one kind of flesh of men, another kind of flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies, but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for one star differs from another in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption. It is raised in incorruption.

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. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, the first man became a living being, the last man became a life-giving spirit. So let me make a comment here. He's talking about the death of your old corrupt body that never was all that good to start with.

And he's talking about how different the resurrected body is going to be. He's saying it's like the difference between Adam and Jesus. Adam was the prototypical earthly man. He was full of corruption. Jesus is the prototypical spiritual man and when he was raised he received his spiritual body and those who are bodily raised in Jesus Christ get the same.

I'll keep reading in verse 46. However, the spiritual is not first but the natural and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth made of dust, the second man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust. And as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are heavenly.

And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh Death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." One of the things being taught here in 1 Corinthians 15 is that my earthly body with all its corruption is in no way fit for heaven. You cannot take this body to heaven. It's not fit for it. What 1 Corinthians 15 is teaching is that the body you're looking at right now isn't any more fit for heaven than a dead body is.

It's the body of corruption. So it will either have to be raised incorruptible and in immortality if I die before Jesus comes, or it will have to be changed in the twinkling of an eye when the trumpet sounds when he comes. To make me fit for heaven. To make the body that I'll inhabit fit for heaven. Finally, look at this last verse again.

This is so important. Look at verse 58 again. Therefore, why this? Why 58 verses about what's going to happen sometime in the future that might not even happen in our lifetime. Why do we care?

For two thousand years of Christian history, it hasn't happened in that lifetime. So, it might not happen in our lifetime. Why would we even worry about it? Here's the therefore. This is why.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Setting our sights ahead on this, having a disposition of expectation and longing for Jesus' return helps us to be steadfast and immovable and abounding in the work of the Lord. It helps us. Fixing your eyes on that day when the trumpet is going to sound and the dead are going to rise and the living are going to be changed in the twinkling of an eye to go always be with the Lord helps us to be immovable and steadfast. Life's going to throw the kitchen sink at you.

Everything at you. Christians need to be immovable. Christians need to be steadfast. Christians need to continue to abound in the work of the Lord. How are you going to do that?

You have this disposition and expectation and longing for the day, knowing for sure that it's coming. That we get to be with him. Listen to Paul in Romans 8, 18. This is just saying that, but a lot better. Romans 8, verse 18.

Paul writes, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." This is Paul. Paul who they stoned. Paul who they beat. Paul who they imprisoned. Paul who they ended up killing.

So Paul, what do you think of the beatings? What do you think of the stoning? What do you think of the hunger and the cold? What do you think of the hunger and the cold? What do you think of the scorn and the abuse?

Not worthy to be compared with the glory. I consider that the sufferings in this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory. So I just keep on keeping on. That's Paul. Unfazed, They stone him.

He gets back up. He walks back into the city of the people who just stone him. And he just keeps on. How do you do that? You live with the disposition of expectation that Jesus is going to come back and is going to be glorious and is going to overshadow any discomfort here.

Just overshadow it. It's not worthy comparing. You just set it over here out of sight. The sufferings are set over here out of sight. Because you know firmly that Jesus was raised from the dead and He's coming back to get all those who are His.

He's going to eagerly lay claim to them and snatch them up. So you keep going. You're steadfast. You're immovable. You're abounding in the work of the Lord because you know it is not in vain.

So we should comfort one another with these words. Are these comforting words? Are you kidding me? What encouragement is here for us to be steadfast and immovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord? It's here in abundance.

God has brought us to it for this reason that we'd be established. Eschatology is not to satisfy our curiosity about what's next. So many people treat it as a hobby. Eschatology is not a hobby. A contemplation about the last things is not something to consume hours with.

It's a reason for hope. It's to make us steadfast and immovable and abounding in the work of the Lord. It's to encourage us and to comfort us when we have people we love die. It's going to allow us to keep pressing forward. Okay, let's finish.

Back to 1 Thessalonians 4. The second half of verse 17 and verse 18. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words. In this verse and a half we have the incomparable promise concerning Jesus Christ.

If you're taking notes on the handout, you're filling in blanks, it's incomparable promise. A promise beyond compare. The incomparable promise concerning Jesus Christ. That those who are in Him, whether they die or live, they will always be with Him throughout eternity, everlastingly with Jesus. These are the words of the greatest importance in our text.

These are the words of comfort in our text. In John chapter 17, Jesus prays what is known as the great high priestly prayer. He offers this wonderful prayer on behalf of his people. He's interceding for his people. That's why it's called the high priestly prayer.

He's standing interceding for his people, to God, His Father, as their High Priest. And towards the end of the prayer, He's prayed for His disciples, the immediate disciples there, and His shifts to praying for all believers in all time. So what I'm getting ready to read you is from that section where he's praying for all believers not just the ones who are hearing the prayer. This is John 17 verse 24. Jesus prays this, Father I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which you have given me, for you have loved me before the foundation of the world." Jesus in this prayer is acknowledging that God has given him a people.

And he's praying that God will join him with those people and that he'll get to be together with the people that his Father has given him. And he says why that they may behold the glory that his Father has given him. That their eyes can behold the glory that his Father has given him. For you loved me before the foundation of the world. The Father loves the Son and wants to lavish glory on him forever and ever and ever.

And so, he sent Jesus to purchase a people and he'll unite them together forever where they can behold His glory. Because the Father loves the Son. And He wants all this glory to be lavished on Him for all eternity. And so He has purchased the people to come and gaze on it for eternity. We'll always be with the Lord forever and ever and ever.

When a million ages have passed, what is that? I don't know what that is. It sounds great. It's a million ages. We'll just be getting started.

Beholding the glory of Jesus. And why? Because the Father loves Jesus. And he wants him to be glorified. He wants this people who have been the objects of grace to behold the glory of his son.

Now just listen to the end of the Bible. You can turn to Revelation 22 if you want to, Or you can just listen. This is how the Bible ends. I'm going to read Revelation chapter 22, just two verses. Verse 17 and verse 20.

Verse 21 is the end of the Bible. The very last verse. We're in the last handful of verses of the whole Bible. Revelation 22, 17. And The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.

And let him who hears say, Come. And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Verse 20, He who testifies to these things says, surely Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Jesus is awaiting us. He's in heaven, awaiting the joining of all of his people to himself. That is really just the end of the story, or maybe it's better said, just the end of this part of the story, than eternity. Than eternity. But the story was brought to pass by Jesus coming and bleeding and dying.

Living the perfect life so he could be an acceptable sacrifice and dying for sinners, bleeding for sinners. He's not just sitting in heaven waiting for a happy ending of history. He bought that. He bought that with his life. He bought that with his blood.

And if you've been given the grace to see this, you have a longing to see Jesus come back. You have this disposition of expectation and longing, and you hope it happens today. My view of the end times is, we're not waiting for anything in particular. It could be today. My view of the end times is really shallow, so that could be wrong.

But I know this. God wants us to have a disposition of expectation and longing. Just like John, who would hear Jesus say, I'm coming quickly, and John says, Amen to that! Come quickly! Believers have that.

This is a good test. When you hear, we'll always be with the Lord. Do you just have a sigh of satisfaction? Does that sound so good to you? I guess this is the application.

I don't have any applications after this. You can at least use these blanks if you're taking notes on the handout. To the believer I say this. To the unbeliever I say this, come. The Spirit says come.

The bride who is the Lord's people says, come, join us. You'd be part of the bride too. Come. The Spirit and the bride say come. Why would you perish?

What are you clinging to that is of such value that you would set aside being everlastingly with Jesus Christ? All that's required is that you feel your need, that you thirst. All who thirst are bid to come and drink freely of the waters of life. Do you know that? Do you understand that?

I'll read it again. And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come and let him who hears say, Come and let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. That is the only thing required, is that you are thirsty for life. The waters are offered to you freely.

Don't get wrapped up in election. Just answer this question, Am I thirsty for life if you are come? The water is offered to you freely to come and drink. Satisfy your soul with living waters. Why would you perish?

This is Ezekiel chapter 33. God demands that Ezekiel, his prophet, say this, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Why would you perish? I offer you life. To the Christian I would say this, we can blunt this longing.

Christians have a longing to be with Christ. But you can make it, doll, by loving the world. Christians are to have a disposition of expectation and longing and to fix our eyes on Jesus who is at the right hand of the Father and to have our view there, to be longing for a better country. You can stop doing that. You can gaze on the earth and start to love the trinkets again.

It blunts the longing to be with Jesus. We're the losers when that happens. We gain nothing and lose so much when that happens. You say, well am I still a Christian? Can I still be a Christian?

That's not the question. That's not the question. The question is, what would honor the Lord who's purchased you with His blood? What would honor Him? What would please you the most?

Either what the Bible says is true or it's not true. What it says is the greatest pleasures are in God. The greatest pleasures aren't in the earthly trinkets. What will you spend your life for? To honor God who has bought you with His blood, believing that His Word is true, that the greatest pleasures are to be had there, or will you just go chase after the trinkets?

Know this, we were meant to have our eyes on heaven. We were meant to watch and have expectation and longing for Jesus. We won't be less happy for that, we'll be more happy. God, I do pray that you would help us. I do pray that you would fix our eyes on Christ.

And that you would give us this disposition of expectation and longing so that we would be steadfast and immovable and abounding in the works of the Lord. Knowing that our labor is not in vain. Knowing that there is treasure to be had even in this life. We're pursuing you with all of our hearts. Oh, fix our affections upon Christ.

I Pray in Jesus name, Amen.