Steven A. Bush - September 18, 2022
We Do Not Grieve Like the Rest
1 Thessalonians 4:13 says: "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope." (NIV) The next 5 verses give a vivid picture of Jesus' return and the resurrection that follows. The Anglican Preacher, R.C. Ryle (1816-1900) put it this way: "What will you see when the great event of Christ's return takes place? You will see the eternal Son of God return in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will come to raise the dead saints and to change the living ones, to punish the wicked and to reward the godly." John Calvin, three centuries earlier, said it even more succinctly: "Let us consider this settled, that no one has made progress in the school of Christ who does not joyfully await the day of death and final resurrection." So we grieve differently, that is with hope. And our hope is different than the world's hope. Our hope is not wishful thinking. Hebrews 6:19 says hope is the anchor of our souls. Wishful thinking is no anchor! Paul sums it up perfectly in 1 Corinthians 15:19: "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (ESV) Because of our sure and certain hope, we grieve differently and pity is absolutely unnecessary...
Scripture References: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Peter 1:3-4, 1 Corinthians 15:19