Gospel Encouragement
When grief strikes, the gospel sustains. When sorrow engulfs, the gospel encourages.
This is the principle underneath the call to “encourage one another with these words.” This phrase, the last in a section of verses that closes out 1 Thessalonians 4, rests upon a number of promises about those who have died in Christ, promises that provide deep and abiding comfort in the midst of grief and sorrow. This is what “these words” refer to, and it reads as follows (specific promises in bold):
For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still 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.(1 Thess. 4:15-17)
But on what basis does God make these promises that comfort and encourage his people in times of bereavement? What is the foundation for “these words” which guarantee a hopeful future? The basis is found in verse 14, one of the first phrases in the section — “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.” The guarantee that death is not the end for all who believe is the truth that Jesus is no longer dead. His resurrection assures us of ours; his victory over the grave promises us we will experience one, too. We are comforted in death because he has conquered death.
This is why we can positively and unquestionably state that when grief strikes, the gospel sustains; when sorrow engulfs, the gospel encourages. Truly, it’s the death and resurrection of Jesus that is the core element of sustaining comfort.
If you wondered, when your believing loved one passed in death, if you’d ever see them again, or questioned if you’d be reunited with your fellow follower of Jesus who suddenly died, the answer is a most definitive yes! The historical and supernatural death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in real time and space—the gospel—means those who have trusted in him but have gone through death’s door will experience the same thing when he returns—a resurrection in real time and space.
How beautifully and powerfully God’s good news turns our sorrow to hope. How deeply grateful we are that when grief strikes, the gospel sustains; that when sorrow engulfs, the gospel encourages.
Pastor Todd