Introduction:
Like most Americans I was shocked and dismayed when I learned of the terrible tragedy, on Saturday, February 1 when the space shuttle Columbia
exploded over Texas on its re-entry. It was hard to accept that all seven of the crew members were lost. Like most people I immediately remembered that tragic day in 1986 when the Shuttle Challenger exploded after lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center and the lost of life of everyone on board.
As a Christian the first thing that came to mind was the question.....were they Christians? Had they received Jesus Christ as their Savior. I listened and read articles about the tragedy,
but I heard nothing in the news which mentioned their relationship with God.
On Wednesday morning I tried to find any information I could as to whether they were Christians. I found several places that said the Rick Husband the Shuttle commander and Michael Anderson were Christians and fervently lived for the Lord.
In a video prepared sometime before this mission, Mission Commander Rich Husband said, "If I ended up at the end of my life having been an astronaut, but having sacrificed my family along the way or living my life in a way that didn't glorify God, then I would look back on it with great regret," Husband said on the video. "Having become an astronaut would not really have mattered all that much. And I finally came to realize that what really meant the most to me....was to try and live my life the way God wanted me to and to try and be a good husband to Evelyn and to be a good father to my children."
Another report stated that on the day of the launch, before they boarded the Shuttle Rick Husband stopped them all and prayed for them. NASA workers commented that in all their years working there, they had never seen a commander pray with his crew.
This report also said that Rick left a recorded devotional video for each of his two
children for each of the days he would be gone. That was 34 videos
that he took the time to record so that his children would not miss their
daily devotions they had with their dad. His wife Evelyn Husband showed documents her late husband had to sign in case of something tragic happening on the mission. At the bottom of the documents, Husband wrote a special note to his pastor which said, "Tell them about Jesus. He means everything to me."
Michael Anderson, one of only a few black astronauts was raised in a small Baptist church in Spokane, Wash. and his pastor said that he had been a fervent Christian.
When I read these reports it thrilled my soul.
It was such good news to know that at least two of the crew were believers and had received Jesus Christ as their Savior. It made the lost of the Columbia less a tragedy. For two souls, and hopefully more, when the explosion occurred and their deaths came, it was for them only a door way that ushered them into the presence of their Savior and God!
They experienced first hand the ultimately reality of God's
promise of salvation to those who by faith put their trust in Him as their
Lord and Savior. They leaned what you and I who remain on this earth
only know by faith, as the promise of God, as our sure hope as a child of
God. He have God's assurance that because of Christ's shed blood for our
sins on that old rugged cross, and because of our putting our faith in Him
alone for salvation we too will one day be in heaven with the Lord.
Bible believing Christians long for the day when we too
will be with the Lord. This morning I would like to share with you
several aspects of the future of born again believers.
I. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to
be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that
being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this
tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed,
but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath
given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident,
knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident,
I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with
the Lord." (2 Cor. 5:1-8).
A. This passage says first that if we die, "this earthly
house were dissolved" we have a new body God has promised us.
1. The passage talks of our "earthly
house of this tabernacle" which refers to our souls as dwelling in a house like
a tabernacle or tent. .
2. In other words our souls dwell in our body, an earthly tent, that is taken down at death.
3. God is telling us that at death
our souls are given a new covering....or tent or tabernacle which God has
made for us Himself.
4. Therefore the Bible tells
us that we will always have a body. On earth it is a material
body and in heaven a spiritual one.
B. The true child of God is said to "groan, earnestly
desiring" to be in heaven with the Lord and have this new body that God provides for His children.
1. The child of God knows and
believes God's truth that all men are sinners and that those without Christ
stand naked in their sins before Him who is our holy and righteous God.
Here, as in 2 Corinthians 5:3, Revelation 3:17, 16:15 and 17:16
the lost sinners is depicted as being naked in sin.
2. Revelation 3:5, like this passage also pictures the saved as clothed and in this verse says believers will have on white raiment.
The passage promises that the names of those who are clothed in white raiment will not be blotted out of the book of life and that Jesus will confess their names unto God.
C. In John 14:1-3 Jesus tells us that when He
left the earth and returned to Heaven He was going to prepare a place for those who believed in Him.
"Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions:
if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3).
1. The statement in 2 Corinthians 5:1
parallels this passage. In John 14 Jesus says He went to prepare a
special place for us and in 2 Corinthians 5 explains that we will have a
new body there.
2. One things should stand out clear
to us all: Those that believe in Jesus Christ should not be trouble
by death.
ILLUS: Yes, we mourn with the families of those who lost their lives.
But the grief of a Christian is different in that it is one
of separation and loneliness of not having our loved one with us. Several
times while I was in the military I had to leave my wife and family.
I will never forget the first time I left for service in Germany.
I watched my wonderful wife Carolyn waved good-bye with tears in her
eyes. Again in 1966, I boarded a plane at the Raleigh-Durham airport
in North Carolina headed for Vietnam, and I watched as some of my family and
again my dear wife and new born son waved good-bye. There were tears
and a sense of grief in that we would separated.
My father is in heaven, as well as my two sisters, Wanda
and Lelia. I do not say that because I hope they are in heaven. I
have seen many funerals where the deceased was proclaimed to have gone to
heaven, but in their lives they never believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior. But according to God Himself...that is the only way one gets to go to heaven. That
is by belief in Jesus Christ.
I know my dad and sisters are in heaven because they believed God,
professed Him openly as their Lord and Savior. They are not there because
they were good people....they were wonderful people, but they went to heaven
because they put their trust in God and had faith in God's promise of salvation
through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. They were not
trusting in their works, goodness, church membership, baptism or anything
else...save the shed blood of Christ. They are in heaven....because the accepted by faith God's promise.....
II. The second truth about death is that the believer will be resurrected
unto eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15:52-55 explains this to us.
"Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall 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 shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death
is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to
God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor.
15:52-55).
A. This is a mystery no longer. A mystery
in the Bible refers always to some truth that was not earlier revealed.
1. This passage is only addressed to
believers. It applies only to those who by faith believe and receive
Christ Jesus as their Savior.
2. It is says that all Christians will
not sleep...meaning that all Christians may not experience physical death.
This passage is telling us about what is called the rapture.
It is when the Lord will return to earth and catch up all believers and take
then to heaven.
3. When this happens some Christians
will be alive on earth. These God says will be changed instantly in
the "the twinkling of an eye." Their corruptible bodies will be instantly
changed into incorruptible immortal bodies.
4. The passage promises that
those believers who have died will also be changed. There corrupted
remains will be changed and they too will be given an incorruptible immortal
body.
B. The events of the Rapture are further explained
in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another
with these words" (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
1. Note that here too Paul explains
further details of the events of the rapture.
2. The passage says that those that
are alive at the coming of the Lord will not go before those that are dead.
This means the dead will first be resurrected.
3. Then after the dead have risen those
that are alive at the coming of Christ will be caught up with the dead
and both together will ascend into heaven to meet the Lord.
C. Note also the comfort that both these passage
give to the believer.
1. 1 Corinthians 15:55 seems to shout
the message......"Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is thy
victory?" Of course the answer is stated in verse 57. "But thanks
be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
The victory was won on that wonderful day, that beautiful Sunday morning
when the Lord Jesus arose form the grave conqueroring forever death and hell.
2. The passage says we should be stead
fast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, fully knowing
our labor is not in vain.
3. 1 Thessalonians 4:13....encourages
those who lose Christian family and friends not to sorrow as those that sorrow
over the unsaved. The family and friends of the unsaved have
no hope because death set their fate. Hebrews 9:27 "And as
it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
There is no second chance for them because they made their choice in
life not to believe. However God assures us that those that died in Christ are truly in heaven with the Lord and will be resurrected.
As a pastor I have personally seen the hopelessness expressed by the lost in losing their loved ones. I have seen their wailing and despair. I have also seen the grief of Christians who mourned for the lost of their loved ones also. But it was clearly a different grief. In their grief there was comfort from the Lord in knowing that death was only separation.
CONCLUSION:
Let's read again our opening passage of Scripture:
"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth" (Col. 1:3-6).
1. Isn't is up lifting and comforting to know that some
on the shuttle were saved and are in heaven even now? That is the joy that Paul had for the Colossians believers. To him it was up lifting to know that they believed in Jesus Christ and were promised the such hope of heaven.
2. These two astronauts on the shuttle had no warning of the impending disaster. They were not given time left to repent, but at some earlier time in their that had heard the Gospel. They heard God's truth that those that repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life.
3. Earlier in their lives they had a choice to make....to believe or to reject the God's message. One day in their lives, maybe even as today in some of the lives of those who are gathered here, . . . .God sought them through the preaching of His word.
- They could have ignored the message.
- They could have said, like so many do, that they would wait until some more convenient time.
- They could have said it was to simple.
- Of they could have made the dozens of other excuses people use when they reject the Lord and refuse to not believe.
But on that wonderful day....they believed ....and in faith stepped forward. That day the angels rejoiced as a soul was saved. On that day they began a journey that has taken them to heaven.
That day, like some many other Christians, they prayed and asked God to save them.....and you know what.....HE DID!
That is God's promise to every man...."Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
4. God tells us in John 3:36, "He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not
see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
5. I know they are glad they believed, I know their
families and friends are happy that they believed. Sadly, we
do not know that all these astronauts were saved. We all hope they
were, but if they had not believed.....like so many others....sadly and it grieves me to even say it....they did not wake up in heaven, but in Hades, a place of torment reserved for those who will not let Christ save them.
6. What is your relationship to the Lord
this morning? Do you know Him as your Savior? If you have never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, this day the Lord is giving you the chance once again. He is seeking you and offering you the opportunity to become a child of God, and
go to heaven. Right now, would you believe God when He says you are sinner lost in sin. Would you accept that you are naked as the passage says because your sins are not covered by shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Accepting this truth, would you now then ask our loving God and Creator to save you.....forgive your sins and give you eternal life. Would you right now believe and be saved?
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