The HOPE Found in JESUS!
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope.”
(1 Thessalonians 4: 13 NASB)
Every believer who is washed in the blood of the Lamb will live again—after our earthly death!
Did we catch the truth found in the verse.
- Brothers and Sisters who were saved & who have died before us—Will live again—in paradise with God!
- Brothers and Sisters in Christ—Have Hope found only in the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
- Brothers and Sisters whose souls have been saved & who already departed—Will resurrect to new life because of the work of Jesus, the Son of God!
On Saturday, there were a group of “us girls” who shared the morning Cemetery-Hopping. We had within our presence the “authorities” who knew the names, locations, dates, and stories of our departed family members. Our mom, Jean & our Grandma Hall’s sisters, Aunt Verne & Aunt Helen are a wealth of historical knowledge, so the younger girls: Toni, Mischele, Jill, & me asked questions, recorded videos, and looked at headstones as we strolled through three cemeteries. Some photos graced the front of east-facing headstones, and some east-facing headstones were engraved with small sayings that spoke of the person buried. This morning, as I sat reading the Word of God, I found myself drawn to the Apostle Paul’s writing to the believers living in Thessalonica. Paul wrote to encourage them, reminding them of the Hope that can be found in Christ Jesus—Hope!
As we walked up and down the rows of headstones, each one faced the same direction, although some stones in the very back of the cemetery were so old (from the 1800s) that they were merely rocks protruding from the earth in what seemed to be a haphazardness. According to the older ladies walking through the cemeteries with us, even some of those who were buried in the “back section” were those of our heritage. On Saturday, as I walked, as I read the headstones, as I asked questions, and I heard the stories, I wondered these questions:
- Who in my heritage belonged to Jesus?
- Who in my heritage, buried here in the earth, knew Jesus as Savior & Lord?
- Who in my heritage, accepted, believed, & confessed their sins & received—The HOPE Found in Jesus?!!!
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, . . .” —It is true, some who are alive with us today, (as the Bible says) are brothers and sisters in Christ.
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, . . .” —It is true, some who have died, who (as the Bible says) are asleep, were brothers and sisters in Christ.
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve . . .” —It is true, (as the Bible says) those who are saved—have HOPE—who are brothers and sisters in Christ.
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope.” —It is true, there are some people—the rest of mankind—who are (as the Bible says) without hope—who are NOT brothers and sisters in Christ.
So, the world may ask: Where is your God?
So, the world may ask: Where is this HOPE you speak of that we too can claim?
Our ready answer resounds with authority: He’s Right Here With Us & The only HOPE Is Found in JESUS!
“A Legacy of Hope” are the words I constantly hear my mother speak, and she is right. We are alive but for a span of a moment of time, and then we are scattered across the earth or buried within the earth. All that remains is the legacy of Hope Jesus offers to each one of us. Someday, I too will join those who have gone on before me, and if cemetery walking is still something people do, then—
- I want my great-grandchildren, grandchildren, and children to speak of the “Legacy of Hope” I received in trusting Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior—and nothing more!
- I want those who live after me to KNOW FOR SURE that I reside in heaven with my Lord!
Believers share in Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and new life!
Christians die and are immediately within the presence of Almighty God!
The children of God fully trust the One who lives within us—JESUS CHRIST!
So, as time seems to fly by throughout this life we have been given to live, someday soon, we will face our own death. When we do, it will be too late to decide where we will reside forevermore in our eternal resting place. Our earthly bodies will be left behind & our souls will go to the place we have chosen to go: Eternity in Heaven—OR—Eternity in Hell.
After death, it will be too late!
- That is why—Our decision is of such importance!
- That is also why—We must not delay!
My mom also says: “We must know that we know that we know—that we are a Christian!”
I know that I belong to God because I know that my heart belongs to Him!
Someday soon, I will join the heavenly choir, and when I do, I will join them & proclaim:
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD,
THE ALMIGHTY, who was and who is
and who is to come. . . .”
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our
God, to receive glory and honor and
power; for You created all things,
and because of Your will they
existed, and were created.”
(The Revelation 4:8b &11 NASB)