Surely, you remember Corporal Walter Eugene O’Reilly.  He was the company clerk and right hand help to Colonel Potter, on TV’s M*A*S*H.  He was otherwise known as – Radar.  Radar was the one who always knew when helicopters were headed their way with wounded.  No one else in the unit had this gift.  Only Radar – and he was always right!

            Unlike Radar, you and I do not have the ability to know when Jesus Christ is headed our way for His second coming.  If anyone does think they know – they would be wrong!   Bottom line, we don’t know.  However, we are assured that no matter how busy we are, how pressing our problems, how overwhelming our circumstances, the day is coming when Jesus Christ will return.  That certainty in the future gives us courage and strength for today.  In Thessalonica – one of the Marketplace cities the children experienced this past week – the new believers are confused on this point and several other points, regarding Jesus’ return.  As a matter of fact this whole situation is causing them a great deal of anxiety.  You might be sitting here this morning saying to yourself or to the person next to you, “Well they’re not the only ones confused on this subject.”  Let’s hang in there with them and with Paul to get some clarity.

            You see, Paul writes this portion of his letter because he wants to clear up some of those very misunderstandings and confusions. Evidently these new Christians feel that those who die before the return of Christ will miss out on this entire event, and therefore, eternity with Christ.  They could be thinking there would be a special advantage to being alive at the time of Christ’s return.  Which means, this way of thinking also says there is a disadvantage for those who have died before that time.

            Apparently when Paul was there in person, he taught them that Jesus was going to reappear, in order to take His people home to Himself.  Good and solid teaching.  This does not mean that Paul was forcing an opinion about the exact time of Christ’s coming again.  Nor did Paul lead them to expect that Christ would come within their own lifetime.  More probably, Paul taught what Jesus had taught…that Christ would come at any time.  And because of that everyone should be ready. 

            Now, “being ready” to some of them means to expect Jesus today, in the next week or so or very soon.   So they are totally unprepared for the depth of their grief and sorrow at the death of relatives or friends.  These dear ones have died before Christ’s return.  This has not been anticipated.  This is why they are not prepared for the depth of their feelings and emotions.    

Now, you and I know that grieving is a very human experience.  Now matter how firm and strong our Christian faith is, the loss of a close relative or friend causes a profound emotional shock.   We still experience shock and deep grief even when we have knowledge that, that death is eminent because of a terminal disease or other trauma to the body.   And if the death is sudden, we are less prepared and more shocked.  To lose a loved one is to lose a part of our self.   Death calls for radical and painful adjustments.  These adjustments can take many months.   Several of you are living, or anticipating, those adjustments right now.  Dr. Leighton Ford, a Canadian evangelist and mission leader, put it this way when his elder son Sandy died in 1982 at the age of 21:  “The struggle is to bring our faith and our emotions together.”  Indeed, the struggle and anguished adjustments are because when we love deeply, we hurt deeply.

            Paul is not saying not to grieve.  Paul is concerned that believers quit sorrowing and grieving like everyone else of the world.     People outside of Christ have no basis for facing death with hope.  In the non-believer’s world death is grim and full of despair.   It is this kind of despair and uncontrollable agony which Paul wants believers to stop.  You see, the death of a Christian is something very different from the death of a non-believer.   I remember the first graveside funeral service I did.  It was for a neighbor friend who was not a believer.  I talked to Dave about it.  I can't remember one thing he told me except:  "Too bad...all dressed up with no place to go."   You see, the difference is the hope, the assurance, we have of the resurrection of Christ and ours with Him.

We do not know just how Paul has learned of the questions, concerns, and confusions the Thessalonians have.  However, these might be some of them – perhaps some are your own:  How will the Christian dead fare when Jesus would return? Will they stand at a disadvantage? Will they miss the blessing of the Second coming altogether?   Are they even lost forever? 

            Know that Paul’s intent is always to assure and to encourage this young church.  He does this now regarding this subject by repeating Christ’s own words that - everyone who believes in Him and is alive on earth at the time of Christ’s coming will not go before those who have died.  He is sayings that loved ones who have died will NOT miss out or come in second place.  In this way Paul points believers away from uncontrollable grief; and toward hope in Christ.  Life in Christ is our peace, joy and hope –now and in death. 

            I think it is cool how Paul tries to straighten out all of our thinking and to calm all our fears even more, as he describes the place of the living and the dead at the time of Christ’s return.   And for those who want a map, or program of sorts – even an order of service, for that event – Paul hands it to us.    The Lord, Christ Himself, will come again

no doubt about that!  But we do not know when this event will happen.  There will be a lot of noise – we won’t be able to miss it.   The dead believers will rise first.  Christians who are still alive on earth will rise next.  Everyone meets together with Christ in the air.  Our heavenly eternity with Jesus begins.      

            Yes, each of these points could be a sermon in itself, or this sermon could go on for …. No?   Well, again, Paul always teaches from the center – the core of faith:  We believe that Jesus died and rose again.  Then, he ties that truth to the unknown future.  What God has done for Jesus, He will do for His followers.  This means:  Christ died and God raised Him from the dead.  Christians who die – or as Paul says, fall asleep, will rise again.  Christ will return again.  Those who have died, will return with Him.  Whatever Christ does, His people follow.  Wherever Christ is, His people are there.    All of this is carried out by God’s power!

            There is probably no great time span implied in any of this.  In God's awesome power, everything will happen in "the twinkling of an eye" like Paul tells us in

I Corinthians 15:52.  So in a moment all the believers, living and resurrected, will be reunited with one another.  What a joyful scene that will be for all believers.   That joy is made more complete because both groups of believers, the living and those already dead, will be together with Jesus Christ our Lord.   There is no need for us to be fearful or ashamed (just like the song the kids sang earlier).  This will not be a time of destruction  for believers, but restoration.   Our bodies will be restored to new - without imperfections, without disease, without weaknesses, and without a sinful nature.  Ours will be an "imperishable" and "spiritual" body (I Cor 15:42 -44).  Do I hear a “Hallelujah”? 

            And then, it’s just like Paul to switch his focus, or present a different angle on the same subject.  He shifts his focus concerning the coming of Christ from how that will happen to what His coming will mean for different people.  You know, some people are going to be real surprised at Christ’s return.  But not believers.   For Christians, Christ's return and His work on the cross are great motivations for obedience now.  Paul tells us we are to be ready.  No spiritual snoozing for us!   So Paul warns of the eventual outcome of being unprepared, and the promise of being ready.   Just like Jesus, Paul teaches that the promise and certainty of Christ’s return holds tremendous implications for life now, our every day on earth as well as after death.  Paul says, the exact time and conditions under which Jesus will return is a secret known only to God.  And then Paul uses imagery that Christ used.  It is imagery we all can understand.   The Lord will come like a thief in the night.  A thief does not call up and ask, “Please, may I stop by at 2:30 in the morning to fill my pillow case with your silver and jewels?  No!  He just comes . . .without warning and when most people are sleeping.    Paul also says, of a pregnant woman and her labor pains:  those labor pains are: expected, even anticipated.  Yet, suddenly the come, again, without warning, and there is no escaping them.

And then there is a one or two-liner message for non-believers.  To the non-believer there will be destruction.  This will not be a physical death but a spiritual separation.  Christ brings judgment with Him, and the verdict is hopeless ruin.  Like the pregnant woman in labor - there is no reversing the situation. 

Paul again echoes what Jesus asks in Luke:  "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8)?"   Will we be ready?   The short answer is "YES!”  Just as soon as we confess our sinful ways and ask Jesus into our hearts, we are ready!   Seven years ago a devoted brother in Christ from this congregation suddenly died, at the age of 45.  He spoke to a mutual friend, also of this congregation, the night before his death.  Obviously unknown to both of them what would happen the next morning, Rob told Vera in that conversation that the only thing she needed to do was be ready to meet her Savior.  Rob spoke the truth. Rob and Vera were ready.  Rob met Christ the next morning and Vera a few years later.

You see, Satan wants us to be spiritually sluggish and unprepared, and therefore headed for that hopeless destruction.   So we have a lot of work to do to prevent spiritual snoozing.   Vera stayed alert spiritually to the day she died.  She held many Bible studies in her home, large and small.  She was such a prayer warrior.  Near the end of her life on earth, she went to a home care facility.  She read her Bible every day and she witnessed to her roommate.  You and I are to read our Bibles; study alone and in groups God’s Word; be diligent in prayer’ and support one another in faith.          

            Rob and Vera stayed alert spiritually.  For us, personally and corporately, at the first sign of sleepiness or sluggishness, when church becomes a bit boring (not this one of course), or prayer drops off and we don't care as much – we need to make some serious corrections.  At the very least, let's ask God to renew our heart, open our spirit to His renewing work, and find accountability with another believer. 

            When we are spiritually alert we are aware and sensitive to life around us.  This helps us also to be morally and spiritually awake.   Paul says that Christians are of the light.  Sleepiness is of the dark, as are other habits and behaviors Paul warns us against.  This is why Paul returns to one of his favorite metaphors to describe the readiness, seriousness of a Christian.   He tells us about the armor of a Christian which he wrote about to the believers at Ephesus (Ephesians 6:13 -17).   We are to have on the breastplate of faith and love.  These two virtues protect the heart – just like a real breastplate – similar to the one the children at this week’s Marketplace saw Bil Thompson have on.   You see, faith guards the inside - always keeping us in close relationship with Christ.  Love guards the outside of our hearts - that is our outward behavior toward others.  This keeps us morally clean and able to express our spiritual vitality.

            We are to keep on the helmet of the hope of salvation.  You see our head is the control center of our life.  It processes our thoughts and emotions.  It analyzes life.  The certainty of our salvation, when Christ comes for us - protects our thinking from being overwhelmed by the evil around us.  Hope is certainty - not wishful thinking!   Just like the believers at Thessalonica, Satan wants us to be in a constant state of confusion and uncertainty - especially about our salvation.   Some of you have heard me say over the years, “Our God is not a God of confusion, but of clarity.”   We don't have to say, "Wow, I wish I knew for sure that I'm going to heaven." When we confess Jesus as Lord of our heart and life, we shall live with Him forever…in heaven, whatever that looks like.  This reality and certainty guards us in times of persecution, temptation, weariness and confusion and all other dangers that come from living in this world.

            God never intended us to an eternity of separation from Him.  Rather to salvation.  Our salvation is certain.  There is no wavering on this issue.   God has offered us the means to that grace.  Knowing this, we must look at the center of the gospel:  For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life = salvation.  Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16 and 17). 

            To that end – or beginning, you and I are to continue to talk and walk Christ's coming again.  We are to encourage each other to be always ready.  We are to remind one another of our future so that we do not grow weary or lose heart on this journey.  Unlike M*A*S*H’s Radar and his uncanny knowledge, you and I will not know the time and condition of Christ’s return.  But we know that Christ promises that He will return.  And when we believe in Him, we shall see Him face to face, and live with Him forever.    Until then, every believer has the responsibility to keep on track- spiritually, and encourage others in the faith, to be spiritually strong.   In this way, being ready for Christ’s return with confidence.