“Therefore encourage one another with these words.” We could sure use some encouragement today, couldn’t we? You may still be in shock over Debbie’s death. You may be experiencing a shifting kaleidoscope of emotions in the wake of her passing. That’s normal and natural. It’s the way we’re built. Yes, we need encouragement, and the Bible has it.
Have you ever thought about what the word ‘encouragement’ really means? Sometimes it seems like encouragement is nothing more than a pat on the back, or a few words of friendly support. But look at root of the word. What’s there at the center? The word “courage.” Nothing soft about that. Courage is required to face the seemingly impossible situations in life. Christian courage says, “This new reality terrifies me, but God will help me through it.” And so to en-courage someone means to actually put this determination into someone else. God’s Word has the power to do exactly that. So in a moment, we are going to take a close look at what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
But first, let’s apply this word to Debbie. We could all say many things about her today, and we will, as we support and comfort each other with kind words and fond memories. What I would like to say about Debbie is that she was an encourager at heart. No one could love to teach the way she did without having that quality. One of her life’s defining passions was encouraging children to learn and grow and reach their full potential. It will come as no surprise to any of you who knew her well, that in one the last conversations we had she was encouraging me from her hospital bed. I had gone there as the minister, but I was the one being ministered to. That is a gift I will always treasure.
“Therefore encourage each other with these words.” We encourage each other with words about Debbie; about how she touched our lives; about how she inspired us to do more than we thought we could. And the apostle Paul has words of encouragement for you today as well. Listen to these words and take them to heart.
We start with verse 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. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” The first thing Paul says here is very important. He says to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one in Christ: go ahead and grieve, but understand that your grief is different. Without Jesus, the only way to grieve is without hope. Without Jesus there is no promise of seeing your loved one again. Without our resurrected Lord, there is no journey to a heavenly home; no heavenly home to go to. Without Christ, death is it. It’s the end. Shut the book. Paul says to the Christian person, by all means, shed your tears, feel the loss, give yourself permission to do so. But do so in light of this fact: Jesus died and rose again and those who have fallen asleep are with Him now and He’s bringing them along when He comes again. So Christian, your grief is different. Underneath it is the truth that your loved one—Debbie-- is still alive in Jesus. Behind our grief is the truth that your separation from Debbie is temporary, not final. Next to our grief is the truth that you will be reunited with her and with all those who have fallen asleep in faith. Christians mourn. Christian feel it. We’re not immune. Paul says Christians grieve, but Christians grieve with answers. Christians grieve with the truth in hand. Christians cry while knowing that the events of that first Easter Sunday totally redefine what we’re doing here today on September 13th, 2012. We’re not here to say goodbye to Debbie. We’re here to say, “We will see you later in the presence of the Lord Jesus.” “Therefore encourage each other with these words.”
Paul goes on to talk about Jesus’ triumphant return to earth at the Last Day: He writes: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven…with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” According to Paul, what’s going to happen at the Last Day? Jesus will return, bringing with Him the souls of those who have fallen asleep in faith, and their souls will rejoin bodies that have risen from the grave, one great big Easter Sunday. Do you see the encouragement in that? In this imperfect world, our imperfect bodies betray us. They break down. They host diseases. They wear out. Debbie had to deal with that throughout her life. But the Bible promises that a day is coming when she will stand in a perfect body, free from disease, free from pain. Paul does not want you to forget that this is a direct result of Jesus’ resurrection, and it holds true for all of our loved ones who suffered the vagaries of disease and aging and chronic pain. Because Jesus rose from the dead, all of those will be eliminated. Believers will love and serve and praise the Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus forever, in body and soul. “Therefore encourage each other with these words.”
Finally, the apostle says: “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” What Paul seems to be saying is that believers who happen to still be alive at the time of Jesus’ return will undergo some type of transformation and will miraculously meet the King of Kings as He is descending. That’s amazing stuff there, but what I really want you to notice is that last phrase, “and so we will always be with the Lord.” And so we will always be with the Lord. That is the most succinct description of heaven that I know of. It’s the goal of faith, isn’t it? Maybe even more than that, it is the answer to the cry of our hearts. It’s the longing for home that’s deep inside all of us, a thirst that will only be quenched when we are at Jesus’ side in eternity. Deborah Susan Bagent is there right now. Her Lord Jesus has welcomed her to her place at the feast; He has shown her the place he has prepared for her; the praise and love and light that surrounds her are things we can only dream about in an incomplete sort of way. But that’s Debbie’s reality. From now on she is always with the Lord. You can live your life today knowing without a doubt that someday you will join her. How is that possible? Jesus made it possible. We could never be good enough to get there. But Jesus was. His life, death, and resurrection will count for you when you stop trusting in your own performance and make Him your trust. When you do that, the pressure is off, and so is the doubt, because it’s not about you. Life centers on a powerful, merciful, loving Savior, giving strength for this day and confidence for the life of the world to come. I am deeply thankful to be able to say that Debbie held dearly to this faith and made Jesus her trust. You can have the same faith and peace and poise that she did. You can know that a happy reunion is coming.
Therefore encourage each other with these words. And be encouraged by God’s strong Word as you wait to see Debbie again. The courage that is necessary to face the journey home is yours: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; Amen.
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