Hope

We are making our way through Paul’s first letter to the Jesus followers in Thessalonica. Today, Paul shares one of the most important passages of scripture in the entire Bible.


1 Thessalonians 4
13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.


Hope. According to Benjamin Franklin, "The only two certainties in life are death and taxes." According to Paul, you can add one more certainty for a Jesus follower ... hope. Hope that this life isn’t the end. Hope that Jesus will return. Hope that we will be with God forever in a new life. If you don’t believe Paul, listen to Jesus (check out John 14:1-3). Here is the sobering part of this hope ... it is only available to Jesus followers (check out John 14:6). That reality makes what Paul has already written in this letter so important (reread Example or Messengers or Holy). It is also why it is so important for us to share our hope with others. Again, if you don’t believe Paul, listen to Jesus (check out Matthew 28:18-20). In fact, reread the whole chapter (Matthew 28). It will remind you where hope comes from.