Comfort For Grieving Christians 1 Thess. 4:13-18 Funeral Sermon

Christians, You'll Be Reunited With The Departed Saints Again

When a close loved one dies, is their any real bible based comfort that can be offered for the surviving? The answer is a resounding, YES, yes, absolutely yes! Many want to comfort the grieving, weeping and pulverized, but don't know how. This teaching will show you how and was put in the bible for that very purpose!

The following six very encouraging scriptural verses were written to comfort the grieving Christians over the loss of their family in Christ. Often this truth is overshadowed and even missed completely by the rapture passage, but the rapture verse was actually cited as part of the comfort for the grieving:

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. (1 Thess. 4:13)

The goal is to inform the saints about those who have, or will, die (fall asleep) in Christ. The surviving saints aren't to be misinformed or to grieve (Greek is: heavy sorrow) like lost people, who have no hope, but hope for what? It becomes clearer in a few verses. An example of the godly grieving is cited here:

Godly men buried [the martyred] Stephen and mourned deeply for him. (Acts 8:2)

Even though the saints knew the martyr Stephen went to Paradise, godly men still mourned deeply for him. The Greek says they lamented; beat their breast. Hence, it is NOT wrong for Christians to MOURN DEEPLY over the death of a loved one. Don't allow the devil to condemn you over that, even though you believe he or she went to heaven.

What Is Heaven Like

We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (1 Thess. 4:14)

Because Jesus is alive now (because he rose again), God will bring with Jesus (when he returns to earth) the departed saints. They will come back together.

According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thess. 4:15)

The saints who are still physically alive when Jesus does return will not precede those who have died earlier, but what does that mean? It is revealed in the next verse.

The Next Time You See Your Deceased Loved One He or She Won't Be Sick or
Afflicted Anymore and Will Have a Sharp Mind. This Separation is Only Temporary.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thess. 4:16)

There is absolutely no question about it -- Jesus will come back. Since heaven is up and that is where Jesus ascended into (Acts 1:11), he will come down from heaven. When Jesus returns, he will descend with:

a loud command
the voice of the archangel
the trumpet call of God

When Jesus resurrected Lazarus he gave a loud command (John 11:43). Whatever the loud command is that the Lord Jesus speaks at that point is not specified, but multiplied millions will rise bodily. This is when they get resurrected with their glorified, incorruptible, tangible body of flesh and bones, like Jesus now has (Lk. 24:39; Phil. 3:21). Again, when the Lord returns, the departed saints will rise, meaning their physical bodies will rise to reunite with their spirits and souls which were already with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:14). The saints who died will get their new bodies first. That is how they precede the living saints.

Jesus Is NOT Michael the Archangel

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them [the departed saints] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess. 4:17)

After the dead saints get their new glorfied bodies, then the saints who are still physically alive will be caught up (raptured) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (with our new bodies too)! What a moment that will be! At that point we will be with the Lord and our departed family and friends in Christ forever.

Never again will we be separated from them by death. This is also called the first resurrection (Rev. 20:6) also referred to in John 5:29.

Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:28,29)

The bodily resurrection of both types of people (saints and wicked) will be at least 1,000 years apart from each other for the wicked dead are not raised until after the 1,000 reign of Christ (Rev. 20:7-15).

Note how the saints are described there -- those who have done good. The hope mentioned in 1 Thess. 4:13 is now apparent and will be reality at that point. That hope (Greek: expectation) is to be reunited once again with the Christians who died. So there is no jusified reason to grieve in heavy sorrow, as they were and is so commonplace. It is only a temporary separation before being reunited again forever. (What amazing mercy God has.)

Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thess. 4:18)

Sound doctrine is encouraging (Titus 1:9). The Greek word for encourage in 1 Thess. 4:18 also means comfort. The saints were to comfort each other with the aforementioned truths, that is, the living saints will be reunited forever with their departed loved ones in Christ. Hallelujah, thank you Jesus.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psa 147:3)

Your Approaching Death

Again, we are separated from our dead family in Christ for just a little while, but will be reunited again with them and the Lord Jesus forever. That is the comfort and the purpose of those six verses in context (1 Thess. 4:13-18), which mentions the rapture verse (1 Thess. 4:17) in passing. If you have been grieving, encourage yourself with these truths. Be patient. In due time you'll be reunited again.

This information is perfect for a funeral sermon or to share at a funeral for the ones grieving over their loss of a Christian family member or friend. You now know how to comfort grieving Christians with God's word. It's reality. Overcomers in Christ WILL be reunited with departed Christians in paradise.

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