Hope in Death

Death is sobering thought, but it does not need to drive us to hopelessness. For a follower of Christ who has lost a loved one that knew Christ as their savior, we can focused on a life lived with hope. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.” 1 Thess 4:13-15 (NLT).  Here are three truths you should know when facing death.

1. Death gives us Hope for those gone before us! We don’t need to be sad, because “God will bring back with him the believers who have died” (vs. 14).   Many of us will die before the return of Christ, but we need not fear for when we are absent from this body, we will be present with our Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-9).  In other words, when a follower of Christ dies, he/she will go to meet Jesus for eternity and be in his presence.

2. Death gives us Hope for a new life. “Jesus died and was raised to life again” (vs. 14). This single act gives us hope, because we are not going to come back as some spiritual ghost, but rather we will receive a physical eternal bodies that will not age or get sick.  Believers will not come back in their own power, but believers will comeback in the proven power of Christ and we finally will get the bodies we always wanted.

3. Death gives us Hope for the future. “We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.” (vs. 15). Followers of Christ will see their loved ones and be reunited once again. We will once again see our grandparents, our parents and all those who went to heaven before us once again and never again shall we be separated.

I encourage you, if you are facing death, be steadfast in your faith and take comfort knowing that in the Bible is say’s “For if we believe,” happiness without sadness, health without sickness, holiness without sin and you will finally be home and never separated from God and all of his followers ever again (Revelation 21).

Read More from Pastor Paul at www.YouBeginHere.com