How Sweet The Sound Week 3: I'll Fly Away with Craig Groeschel

Hope for Eternity, Urgency for Today

Scripture References

• John 14:3
• 1 Thessalonians 4
• Matthew 24

Overview

Craig Groeschel warns that many Christians have grown spiritually complacent because they love this present world too much. His single prayer for the message is that God would give us “a hope for eternity and an urgency for today.” Using the hymn “I’ll Fly Away” and the Bible’s teaching on Christ’s return, he shows how remembering the Second Coming––the return, the rapture, and the reunion––awakens believers to live purpose-filled lives right now.

Context

• Week in the series “How Sweet the Sound,” exploring classic hymns.
• Opening illustration: a jack-in-the-box—fun at first, but you never know when it will pop out; used to picture the suddenness of Christ’s return.
• Background of the hymn: Written by Albert Brumley (1905, Spiro, Oklahoma) out of childhood poverty, grief, and longing for heaven; now the most recorded gospel song in history (5,000+ versions).

Main Points

The Danger: Loving This World Too Much

• Caring more about people’s opinions than God’s, craving comfort over calling, and wanting earthly things over spiritual formation breeds complacency.
• Groeschel’s greatest concern: Christians “are too in love with this world,” which kills urgency for the mission of God.

Why Prophecy Builds Faith

• The Bible is 66 books, 40 authors, 1,500 years; only four books contain no prophecy.
• Old-Testament prophecies about Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection were fulfilled precisely (virgin birth in Bethlehem, crucifixion details, burial in a rich man’s tomb, ascension, etc.).
• There are five times more prophecies about Jesus’ Second Coming than His first, giving believers strong reason to expect it.

1. The Return – Christ Is Coming Again

• Jesus’ promise: John 14:3—He is preparing a place and “I will come back.”
• Early Christians greeted each other with “Maranatha” (“Our Lord is coming”), especially amid persecution.
• Paul describes the event: the Lord descends with a shout and a trumpet blast (1 Thessalonians 4).

2. The Rapture – Living Believers Are Caught Up

• After the dead in Christ rise, “we who are still alive … will be caught up” (harpazō—snatched away, rescued).
• Jesus’ picture (Matthew 24): two people side-by-side; one taken, one left.
• Historical precedents: Enoch, Elijah, and Jesus Himself were taken from earth.

Illustration: Brumley’s lyric “I’ll fly away, O glory” captures the sudden rescue of believers.

3. The Reunion – We Will Be With the Lord Forever

• Paul: “And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
• In God’s presence: no pain, sickness, death, poverty, racism, or shame—only joy without end.
• Story: On a Compassion International trip, Wes Stafford comforted a destitute mother beside a dump by reminding her she would see her deceased children again and never face abuse or hunger in heaven.

Living Between Now and Then

• Paul’s tension: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
• Because life is a vapor, believers must be “strong and immovable,” working enthusiastically, leaving no “words unsaid, deeds undone, or hope unshared.”
• Refrain:

  “Maranatha—our King is coming soon.”

The Declaration: “Time Is Short”

“Time is short, my King is coming soon. Because eternity matters I will give Him my all today—no regrets, no excuses, holding nothing back…”

Key Truths

• Christ’s return is certain, sudden, and meant to encourage, not frighten, believers.
• Remembering eternity frees us from idolizing temporary comforts.
• Prophecy fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming guarantees the reliability of promises about His second.
• Every Christian carries a divine assignment that must not be delayed.
• “Maranatha” living transforms ordinary days into opportunities for eternal impact.

Response

• Examine your affections; repent of loving the world more than Christ.
• Speak needed words of encouragement, apology, and testimony today.
• Complete the good works God has already prepared for you.
• Share the hope of the gospel with someone before the day ends.
• Memorize and pray the “Time is short” declaration each morning.

Closing

Craig closed by calling believers to shake off distraction and embrace the mission now, because “tomorrow is not promised.” Heaven awaits, the trumpet could sound at any moment, and lives hang in the balance.

“Hope for eternity, urgency for today—because Maranatha, our King is coming soon.”

Prayer

Groeschel asked God to awaken spiritual urgency, seal hope in eternity, and empower believers not to leave “words unsaid, deeds undone, or hope unshared,” so that everything they do would echo in eternity.

Resources

• Hymn: “I’ll Fly Away” by Albert E. Brumley
• Compassion International (child-sponsorship ministry mentioned in sermon)