New CreationSample

Q: What is the hope of the church?

A: The church hopes that God will make all things right when Jesus returns to defeat evil and resurrect his people in the new heaven and earth.

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians was likely one of his earliest letters. This early community of Jesus’ followers was confused. They expected Jesus to return, like tomorrow! So when people in their church started dying before Jesus returned, they wondered: Did their loved ones miss out on Jesus’ salvation? Did they misunderstand the gospel? Maybe the biggest question is: If Jesus was supposed to save us from sin and death, why do we still face it?

Paul wrote to clear up their confusion and point them to our hope in Jesus. Death isn’t the end of the story! We have more to look forward to. Paul continues, telling them that when Jesus returns, God will resurrect all the believers who died before his return, and all of us believers will join the Lord as he comes in glory to establish his kingdom on the earth.

We hope we will be with the Lord forever, which changes how we face death. Of course, we still grieve. But through our present pain, we look forward to our future hope: Death no longer has the final word over us!

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you ever been afraid of death or of losing someone you love? How does this passage comfort you and give you hope for the future?
2. Do you think it’s possible to grieve and have hope at the same time? What would that look like in the life of a believer? How could their example show the world more of Jesus?