THE GRIEF OF DEATH AND THE TRUE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL ( 8 OF 13)
by Drew Hunter
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
This content is part of a series.
The Grief of Death and the True Hope of the Gospel ( 8 of 13)
Series: Until He Comes
Drew Hunter
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
For some of us, the thought of death is distant and rarely considered.
For others, the thought is a constant, dark companion.
Others of us are between these two. We move through life, and then death takes a friend. Or a mom. Or a dad. And we're forced into a confrontation with it. And it brings with it confusion or depression or anger or a steady and ongoing low-grade sadness. And for ourselves, we know that we can't out-run it.
Now, right along side this, if you're a Christian, you also believe the gospel. You believe that Jesus is the God-man who lived a perfect life for you. He gave his life as a sacrifice for your sins. He then rose again from the dead. And you believe he's coming back. You know that for all those who trust in him, their sins are forgiven; they are welcomed forever.
So, these are two experiences you live with. You live with the grief of death, and you live with the gospel and the hope of Jesus' return.
These can often live in different rooms in our minds.
We can keep these two realities separate from one another.
?Death is in one room depressing us.
And the hope of the second coming is in another room. And we're often not letting it do for us what it is meant to do, which is give us hope. Instead, the second coming can make us nervous. Or we can focus on all the predictions and charts people make up about it.
?But the hope of Jesus' return is less like a piece of furniture in another room... and more like the sun shining through all the windows. It brightens and warms the whole house.
Its rays are rays of hope that are meant to touch even our deepest moments of grief and pain.
The Christians that Paul was writing to didn't get this yet.
Not fully. They are distressed and confused. Our text brings the light of clarity and hope.
The main point of the text is the final phr ...
Series: Until He Comes
Drew Hunter
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
For some of us, the thought of death is distant and rarely considered.
For others, the thought is a constant, dark companion.
Others of us are between these two. We move through life, and then death takes a friend. Or a mom. Or a dad. And we're forced into a confrontation with it. And it brings with it confusion or depression or anger or a steady and ongoing low-grade sadness. And for ourselves, we know that we can't out-run it.
Now, right along side this, if you're a Christian, you also believe the gospel. You believe that Jesus is the God-man who lived a perfect life for you. He gave his life as a sacrifice for your sins. He then rose again from the dead. And you believe he's coming back. You know that for all those who trust in him, their sins are forgiven; they are welcomed forever.
So, these are two experiences you live with. You live with the grief of death, and you live with the gospel and the hope of Jesus' return.
These can often live in different rooms in our minds.
We can keep these two realities separate from one another.
?Death is in one room depressing us.
And the hope of the second coming is in another room. And we're often not letting it do for us what it is meant to do, which is give us hope. Instead, the second coming can make us nervous. Or we can focus on all the predictions and charts people make up about it.
?But the hope of Jesus' return is less like a piece of furniture in another room... and more like the sun shining through all the windows. It brightens and warms the whole house.
Its rays are rays of hope that are meant to touch even our deepest moments of grief and pain.
The Christians that Paul was writing to didn't get this yet.
Not fully. They are distressed and confused. Our text brings the light of clarity and hope.
The main point of the text is the final phr ...
There are 24876 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
