Listen up, little ones
Listen for the words grieve and hope.
Reading
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14—Grieving With Hope
Optional Reading
Rev 21:1-7
Keys for kids
- Believers who have died are only “asleep.”
- Because of this, we have hope.
- The dead in Christ will rise again.
Questions
- How can you be comforted in the face of death?
- How can you comfort others in the face of death?
- Why do you have hope?
Notes
(See Saturday for authors. Today’s notes are from a commentary on 1 Thessalonians by J. Philip Arthur.)
Paul’s argument in these verses suggests that a number of believers from the church in Thessalonica had died since he himself had been there. Their grieving relatives and friends appear to have been worried that since their loved ones had died prior to Jesus’ return, they would somehow be at a disadvantage compared with those who ‘are alive and remain’ (4:15). We are not told exactly what it was that troubled the bereaved, but at the very least they seem to have been gripped by anxiety in case those whom they mourned should miss out because they would not be around at the time when the Saviour came back. Had they perhaps jumped to the conclusion that salvation depended on being alive at that time? Whatever the precise nature of their problem, the apostle was at pains to reassure them that their departed loved ones would be none the worse for having gone before. …
The Christian hope, while it is not fully realized until the Second Coming, is not deferred until then. Like the Thessalonians, we may comfort ourselves concerning our departed brothers and sisters with the assurance that they are supremely happy in the presence of Jesus.
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 49a, 111d
Prayer
- Praise God that we have hope in Christ.
- Pray for the preparation for preaching God’s Word this Lord's Day.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.