Facing Death With Hope!

During the past weeks I had the opportunity to visit my grandmother twice.  Once was just for a few hours and the last time was for about 33 hours straight. Part of the time I was sitting with her and family and at times just with her.  We were with her because we knew that she was dying and it was just a matter of days or hours.  Yes, death is something that we all need to be ready for because we do not know when it will come for any of us could die on any day and at any hour.  But, with grandma we realized that at 95 after she broke her hip and injured her head and was no longer able to swallow that she could not last long.

Yes, we knew that we would miss her, but we also knew that she had lived a long blessed life.  And more importantly we knew of her testimony that as a young child in central Missouri she placed her faith in Christ for her eternal salvation.  For those who have trusted Christ as Savior we don’t have to sorrow with “no hope” as those who are destined for eternal punishment.  Paul encouraged the Thessalonians with these words,  “¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (ESV))

We have  a clear promise of the resurrection for those who are “dead in Christ” will rise first…and we will always be with the Lord!  What comfort what encouragement to know that a God who cannot lie promises us this eternal fellowship with the risen Christ!

We can take this as a word of encouragement if we are “believers” and are “in Christ” facing death.  But notice there was another group mentioned, Those who have “no hope.”   These are the individuals who have not been obedient to the faith and therefore they have no hope in the resurrection.

Let me encourage you today to consider your standing before a holy God.  Have you confessed your sin believing that Christ’s blood alone can cleanse your sin?

 Our hope is that each individual who hears this would respond in faith to Jesus Christ.

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/user/churchoflittleton  FW # 78