Hope Beyond The Grave

 Hope Beyond the Grave

1st Corinthians 15:20, 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18, 

John 11:25-26, Revelation 21:4

      Have any of you ever had trouble with your vision? I remember starting sixth grade and I noticed that I was unable to see the chalkboard in the Mr. Dunkle's science class.  Yes, a chalkboard.  That might show my age a little bit.  I sat in the front row and it still didn't help.  I would write what I thought the teacher wrote down, only to write the wrong thing.  Tests were hard because I was giving the answer that I studied, but I copied the wrong thing.  And then one day I got the dreaded letter that I had to give to my parents.  It simply said "I think Matt would benefit from getting glasses."  That sounded so awful as a 12 year old.  Back in my day only the 'nerdy' kids had glasses.  They weren't considered fashionable.  They were a tool, and that was about it.  We went to the eye doctor and I tried to memorize the letters on the chart, only to have the eye doctor change it.  I knew I was sunk.  Nearly 30 years later I am still wearing glasses and guess what, I wouldn't change a thing.  Glasses gave me the chance to see so much of the world clearly.  I'm able to see road signs when I drive, the beauty of a sunset, I was able at a distance to fall in love with Tiffanie and do it again when I met Leslie.  Glasses gave me a chance to see things more clearly.

      Grief has a way to narrowing our vision, or distorting our vision, and I don't mean physical vision, though grief can indeed affect your physical vision. When we lose someone we love, our hearts can often become anchored to the graveside, staring at what feels like an ending. My grandfather visited my grandmother's grave for hours on end after she died. He did that for nearly a decade. There isn't anything wrong with that, but my grandmother's death narrowed his vision. He couldn't look forward, he was chained to a past that was now only seen through the eyes of grief.

      The silence can feel final at times (know from personal experience), and the absence that we men feel can be too heavy to bear at times, yet the Gospel whispers something totally different; something that contradicts our thoughts. For the believer that which looks like an ending, isn't really an ending at all.  Read over that again.  Death often feels like an end, like the story is over.  And in some aspects death does close a certain chapter, but there is more life to life after death if we are in Christ.  1st Corinthians 15:20 says "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."  Paul calls Jesus the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, meaning those who have passed away.   That means that His resurrection wasn't just His victory, but it was also a promise. What happened to Him will happen to all of us that belong to Him. The grave is not a permanent resting place, for that matter it isn't even a temporary pause. Instead death is merely the final barrier that falls before we can be joined with Jesus in heaven.  Ironically the thing that we dread is the final barrier that falls before we go to heaven to spend eternity with Him.

      Death is not the final word. I want you to read that out loud. Read it again. Now write it down. Death is not the final word, JESUS IS. This is the hope that steadies us when we are faltering, failing, and tettering. Jesus' empty tomb declares that your loved one who trusted in Christ is not lost, nor really dead, but instead they are alive in His very presence, at this very moment. They are more alive then we are. One day, we will be be raised, one day we will enjoy the glorious reunion with those who have gone on before, and it will be so much sweeter then you can imagine.

      But I want us to also realize this, hope beyond the grave does not erase the ache you feel today, but instead it gives your sorrow a horizon, a horizon that you need to set your gaze on. Instead of us staring into the darkness of loss, you can look forward to the light of the resurrection. Your tears matter to God, BUT so does your eternal joy.  Heaven becomes so much sweeter after you loss the person that you loved.  Heaven no longer is a place that we merely talk about, like a destination vacation that we probably will never afford, but instead a place of presence, a place of promise.

      Death is real, but for those in Christ Jesus, it isn't final. We grieve, but not as a people without hope. What is the difference between hopeful grieving and hopeless grieving? The empty tomb promises us that our loved ones who died in faith isn't the end, and it's not our end either.

      Discussion questions:

1. Jesus said that He is the resurrection and the life. How does the resurrection change the way  you think about your spouses passing?

2. Read Revelation 21:4. What part of this passage gives you the most comfort?

      Reflection: 

      This week read our Bible texts each day. Become familiar with them. Focus on the promise of the resurrection