We Have Hope
Earlier this month we buried a dear sweet lady. Ninety-three years old, she was a member of our church for seventy years. She was well-known in the community, a pillar of the Shellman Bluff family. And on the day of her funeral, we celebrated.
Now, I am not saying that there were no tears shed. Of course there were. Her absence has left a hole in the lives of children, grandchildren, other relatives, and friends. Death has a way of doing that. Those of us who have lost loved ones know the pain. We do mourn, for it hurts to lose someone we love.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonian church, he was writing to Christians who were confused and concerned. Paul had told them that Jesus was coming back, and they believed him. And they were expecting this return to be soon. When Jesus did not come back immediately, and then some of their members died, they were not sure what to do. They did not fully understand the concept of the resurrection of all believers, and were wondering if their deceased friends and family were missing out.
Paul wrote with these words. “Do not grieve as those without hope.” Notice that he did not say, “Do not grieve, period.” We grieve at the death of someone we love. But not without hope, if that person is a believer. Paul elaborated on the fact that all of God’s children, both those alive at the coming of Christ, and those who have already passed on, will be with the Lord in heaven. There will be a resurrection, and that gives us hope, both for now and the future.
The final words Paul wrote in chapter 4 of that letter simply says, “Therefore, encourage one another with those words.”
Do you get that? There is encouragement in the hope of the gospel! There is encouragement in the hope of the resurrection. We may grieve for a season, but joy comes in the morning. We have hope that is real, knowing that the Lord has not forgotten us. We will be raised with Him. And we will live forever with Him.
So, “Encourage one another with these words.”
