Grieving With Hope

When someone dies, the world really only has a handful of things it can say.

“They live on in your memories.” “They’re in a better place.” “At least their suffering is over.”

And those phrases may soften the blow for a moment—but they can’t bear the weight of real grief. Memory can’t defeat death. Sentiment can’t raise a body. Vagueness can’t anchor a soul in hope.

The world can offer sympathy, but it cannot offer certainty. It can describe the ache, but it cannot heal it.

But into that ache steps a very different voice—clear, authoritative, resurrection-shaped. In 1 Thessalonians 4, God’s word doesn’t tell us to pretend death is small. He tells us why death is not final. He gives us the comfort the world cannot give because he gives us Christ.

Hear God’s word in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 ESV

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of our Lord will stand forever.

This morning as we consider death our text gives us 4 encouragements. First,

Grief is real, but in Christ it is not hopeless.

In verse 13 Paul says to the believers in Thessalonica, “we don’t want you to be uniformed—so that you do not grieve as those without hope.”

It seems to be human nature to apologize for tears—we cry and almost immediately say, “I’m sorry.”

But the point here is not that we should not grieve but that we don’t grieve as those who have no hope.

When someone dies and leaves us behind grief and tears are appropriate. Jesus himself cried when his friend Lazarus died—he felt the pain of the absence and the brokenness of sin that brought death into the world.

And in these days and the days that follow dear friends, you will grieve over the death of Brenda.

I got to visit Brenda twice before she passed. Both times she was sick and not feeling well but I could sense a peace about her. A steadiness and faithfulness that her family knew very well—and these traits of hers and many others were recounted in stories about her amongst tears and laughter.

Brenda was a wonderful wife, mom, sister, neighbor, caregiver and in many ways her life looked like the Proverbs 31 woman that we read about earlier in this service.

When we lose someone we love grief makes sense—but what God wants you to see—is that while we grieve we should not despair.

Why? “Why”—you might ask. Why not despair—what hope is there when the topic is death?

God’s word this morning shows us, secondly…

Our hope rests on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Look at verse 14, 1 Thessalonians 4:14 “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”

As we grieve we do not grieve in despair as if we have no hope—in the death and resurrection of Jesus the sting of death has been defeated.

This is the hope that Paul is holding out to the Thessalonians—they were young believers living in a nation that told them death was final and the end of all things.

In the Greco-Roman world, the cultural view of death was overwhelmingly hopeless. Ancient tomb inscriptions often read: “I was not. I was. I am not. I care not.”

And in that way our culture is very much the same—the attitude about death is that death wins. But God says in 1 Corinthians 15:26 “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of His people—his heart stopped beating—they laid him in a tomb. And had he stayed there we could despair with the rest of the world. But I have great news for you this morning!

Death could not hold him! He rose from the dead and what Paul is saying to you and I today is that death doesn’t get the final word—Jesus the living savior does!

Everything hinges on these two verbs: died and rose. It is historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth died and the gospels are eyewitness testimony that He rose from the dead.

Christian hope isn’t optimism or vague spirituality; it is rooted in a real weekend in Jerusalem.

And I invite you today to consider the savior that defeated death and find your hope in Him during this time of grief.

Where the world offers the sinking ground of sentimentality; Scripture offers solid ground to stand on in Jesus.

Our grief is real but not hopeless because Jesus really did rise from the grave. And not only did he rise but he told us that He is coming again. Third our text tells us…

Christ’ return guarantees restoration and reunion.

1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 “For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are 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.”

Here’s the key point of verses 15-17. Jesus is coming again.

The remarkable thing about scripture is it proves itself over and over again.

Over and over again Scripture proves true—its promises fulfilled, its history confirmed. So when Jesus said, ‘I will lay down my life and take it up again,’ He did. And when He says, ‘I will come again and take you to Myself,’ we can rest in the certainty that He will.

Here’s the order of verses 15-17: Christ returns with authority as a king. The bodies of the dead are risen. Those who are alive are caught up with Him. And God’s people will be reunited with the Lord and each other.

We are not comforted with the thought that our loved ones are gone, but that they are with Him, and one day, with us again. The reunion is real. The bodily resurrection is real. The presence of Christ forever is real.

And this morning there are at least two kinds of people here: some who hear these promises and find deep comfort because they believe them—and others who hear them and quietly wonder, ‘Can this really be true? Aren’t these things too fantastic to believe?’

My friends, I understand that reaction. The Bible does describe remarkable things—miracles, prophecies, resurrection, the return of Christ. But remarkable does not mean unreasonable.

When Jesus said He would lay down His life and take it up again, He did. And when that same risen Jesus says He will come again and gather His people, we have every reason to trust Him.

These claims may be wondrous, but they are not imaginary. They rest on the character of the God who speaks truth and keeps His word.

Brenda believed these things and was comforted by the truth of them and I encourage you this morning to do the same.

In Jesus there is true comfort when we face the grief of death and loss. That is the last point our text makes…

The comfort we give and receive is Christ himself.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Encourage one another “with these words” God says.

With the comfort of a savior who is trustworthy— who has gone before—and always keeps his promises.

“These words” —not well meaning but cliches, and platitudes.

“They live on in our memories” is received well. The heart of the one saying it is received well. It communicates I care about you and I see your grief.

But the words themselves mean very little. Memories do not bring life. But Jesus Christ does—he is the author of life! And he is the great savior who loses none of those who come to Him for salvation.

He is coming again. He will bring all of those who trust in Him as savior to Himself on that day when He comes again. We will be reunited with those have gone on before us. There is real comfort in our real savior. And so I implore you—come to him and receive peace—in him is the forgiveness of all your sins and sure and lasting hope.

These are the words that bring true encouragement because they are rooted in truth himself—who is Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Brenda is resting in the arms of the Savior we have been speaking about.

The faith that sustained her in life is now sight in the presence of Christ. And she is looking forward to that day described here—the day when Christ returns, when graves give way to glory, when the dead in Christ rise, and when all God’s people are gathered to Him forever.

And so as we leave this place, we do not say goodbye as those who have no hope.

Our hearts ache, but our hope is anchored. Death has taken much from us today, but Christ has taken death’s victory away.

The Lord who died and rose will come again, and those who belong to Him will live with Him and with one another forever.

May this be your comfort: that the same Jesus who held Brenda fast will hold you fast as well. Come to Him, trust in Him, rest in Him—and you will find in Him a hope stronger than grief and a life stronger than death.

Let’s pray.