Falling Asleep to Rise 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Amos 5:18–24; Matthew 25:1–13

Grace, mercy and peace be with you, from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who died to rise that we might do the same.

Today’s message is based on our Epistle. We’re going to talk about falling asleep and then waking to rise. Our message is focused on the joy to come, and the comfort there is for today, as we look forward with hope to that future glory. 

In our Church Council meeting Thursday night, our opening devotion was also based on today’s Epistle. We talked about God’s comfort during uncertain times, something there’s no shortage of in this world; no shortage of uncertainty, and no shortage of God’s comfort for us.

There’s a lot of uncertainty in our world these days; uncertainty about the virus and the pandemic, political uncertainty, economic uncertainty, and just the general uncertainty of not being able to see the future, not knowing exactly what will come next in life.

This world is the kingdom of the uncertain. Just when we think we have it figured out, it changes.

But thanks be to God, He gives us the certainty of His Word, which never changes. 

Living by God’s grace in this uncertain world, we have the certainty of the Gospel to hold on to; the certainty of God’s Son who died and rose for us, the certainty of His coming on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead, and bring His faithful back with Him into eternal glory.

And there’s more: the certainty of the Holy Spirit in us, the certainty of the communion of saints, the fellowship of the faithful; the certainty the forgiveness of sins, our sins washed away in Baptism, and remitted, canceled in Confession and Absolution, the certainty of our souls comforted and refreshed in Holy Communion; the certainty of the resurrection to come, and the certainty of life everlasting.

Living in the certainty of life everlasting, gives us the comfort and courage we need to live this life well, to its fullest. Life that’s lived to its fullest, is lived in the promises of the Gospel. Only the Gospel can fill that God shaped hole in the human heart.

In our Epistle, God, speaking through the Apostle Paul, made a promise to the faithful in Thessalonica. He promised them, and He promises us: you will see your faithful loved ones again; you will not be forsaken in the grave; Christ will not forget about you; He still has something to do for you on earth, on the Last Day: He will bring your soul from Heaven, and raise your body from the grave; and for His own sake, Jesus will judge you righteous for eternity; and He will bring you home to glory He has prepared for you; a world where there is no uncertainty, a place where any changes that happen will be good and not feared, a world where peace and security will reign over fear and doubt.

This is the world you’ll wake up to some glorious day. God wants you to know this, and wait for this, and hope for this, and hold on to this promise, as you face the challenges of this life, and the blessings of this life. Through them all, God wants you to know and never lose sight of the glorious joy that waits for you.

When we live in this Gospel knowledge, we find the strength we need to live each day with faith, to live each day well, to the honor and glory of Christ.

In our Epistle, Paul gives us a picture of future events. And what we see is something to yearn for. He says, 13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

God doesn’t want us to grieve in despair, with no hope, but that as we grieve and face loss, we remember and are strengthened by these promises: that Jesus died and rose again, that He will return to judge the living and the dead, and not alone; He’ll be surrounded by the saints and angels from Heaven. 

Our Epistle says that Jesus will appear with the voice of the archangel, probably Michael, announcing his arrival.

Matthew 25:31 tells us that Jesus will bring not just the archangel, but all the angels with Him: The Son of Man will come in his glory, with all His angels, and sit on the glorious throne. There to judge the faithful in Christ unto eternal life and joy, and the faithless unto eternal death and despair.

Our Epistle tells us that Jesus will bring with Him all who died or fell asleep in faith, all the saints. 

Their bodies will be raised in glory, and reunited with their souls, which is the essence of our lives, it’s what makes us human, along with our bodies; and then they, the faithful departed from Heaven, combined with the angels, and  combined with the faithful who will still be living on earth when Jesus comes, which our Epistle talks about, those who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, they won’t have to die, perhaps us, or perhaps a generation yet to come. their bodies will be instantly glorified, and all together, those who died in Christ and are raised in glory, those still living in Christ who are instantly glorified, and the angels will make up the population of Heaven. 

We don’t know what that count will be, but it’ll many. Heaven will be full, yet there will be plenty of room for all to exist together in love and harmony. It’ll be just right.

This is what God wants you to know and never lose sight of, as you live and believe and serve Him on earth. See everything that’s happening now, through the perspective that final, glorious outcome.

Paul says in our Epistle, This we declare to you as a word from the Lord. God wants you to know this with certainty. What a wonderful thing to be sure of in this uncertain world.

We don’t know all that lies ahead; we don’t know what our ending on earth will be like, but we know what and where it’ll lead to.

And so we need not sorrow and grieve as if there is no hope. God has given you a great and glorious hope.

In our Gospel Jesus tells us to watch and wait; to keep the faith, and live by hope, and pray with hope.

Many of us learned the bedtime prayer as children, and have taught to our children: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take, and this I ask for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

There are some who think this prayer might cause children to be terrified that they might die during the night. 

I’ve never taken it that way. We taught this prayer to our children when they were young. It teaches us to sleep in peace, but we’re in Jesus’ hands, His angels guard our souls, while we sleep and when we wake, as Luther’s evening prayer also reminds and assures us: I thank You, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day. And I pray that you would forgive me all my sins where I have wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body, and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe, may have no power over me. Amen.

This teaches us to have no fear, because Jesus and His angels are near. We go to sleep at night in His peace. 

And we rest in peace in our final sleep, as our bodies rest in the grave, which is just a bed for us, until the Day of the Resurrection, when our bodies wake and rise to live and rejoice forever.

Until then, serve the Lord without fear, and live in the peace of God that passes understanding, and guards your heart and mind, in Christ Jesus, our Lord, who will return soon, to bring us into eternal glory. Amen.