The Hope of Certainty

The Hope of Certainty

1 Thess. 4:13-18

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”

                  When confronted with the certainty and reality of death, I can leave us overwhelmed with a sense of powerlessness and hopelessness. Of all the events that happen in life, there is no more certain and disruptive than death.  When it strikes, it always comes unexpectedly, leaving us with a sense of powerlessness and hopelessness. With all our technology and advancements in medicine, we can only delay death for a short season, but in the end, we are ultimately powerless. For many people, death is the one topic we avoid talking about or even thinking about.  We believe that if we ignore it, it will go away.  But it does not. It still strikes with impunity. 

                  However, death was not part of God’s plan; instead, it is what we chose.  When given the option of life and eternal communion with God or death and independence of God, Adam and Eve scorned God and chose the latter.  They desired to live their lives independent of God.  They wanted to be masters of their own destiny.  At the moment of their sin, death not only became our punishment, but death became our inevitable fate.  As a result, we live our lives under its dark shadow. With all our advancements in technology and medicine, the best we can do is just forestall it for a short period, but in the end, it always wins.  Or, it seems always to triumph. In our hopelessness, Christ came to bring hope. When Christ came to die on the cross, He did so to give us hope in life.  Through His suffering and death, Jesus conquered death by redeeming us from the punishment of sin.  As a result, He now offers us life.  At His first advent, Christ defeated death and delivered us from its eternal clutch.  While we still die, it is only temporary, for when Christ comes again, He will come to restore us to life.  

                  Where we were once hopelessly captured by death’s grip, now we have the hope of eternal life, for our lives are now protected by the living God.  Instead of death bringing permanent separation from God and our loved ones, it becomes a temporary state where we are separated from others.  When Christ returns, He will come with all those who have died before us so that we will experience a grand reunion in his coming.  Death is not the final dread of humanity.  In the face of death, we can have comfort and confidence that Christ gives us life.  However, tragically, not all will have this comfort and joy in this life.  Some continue to reject Christ and the salvation He offers.  They continue to rebel against God.  Just as life becomes eternal for those who accept Christ’s rejection, so those who reject the salvation of Christ will face the certainty of eternal death.  

                  In death, we experience loss, sadness, and separation, but in Christ, we discover life, joy, and eternal fellowship with all who accepted Christ as their savior and with God Himself.   When the threat of death becomes real because of the presence of cancer, the hope of Christ becomes real, for we recognize that for those who have accepted Christ, death is temporary, but life is eternal.  We can look beyond the pain of the present reality of death and see the joy of eternal life with Christ.  If you were to die tomorrow, would you have this hope? If not, seek our hope in Christ by surrendering to Him.  Christ came that He might give life and give life to the fullest.  All we have to do is to accept the offer He gives us by surrendering our life to Him. What is your hope today?