Encourgament during Grief
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When the great Chicago fire consumed the Windy City in 1871, Horatio Spafford, an attorney heavily invested in real estate, lost a fortune. About that time, his only son, age 4, succumbed to scarlet fever. Horatio drowned his grief in work, pouring himself into rebuilding the city and assisting the 100,000 who had been left homeless.
In November of 1873, he decided to take his wife and daughters to Europe. Horatio was close to D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey, and he wanted to visit their evangelistic meetings in England, then enjoy a vacation.
When an urgent matter detained Horatio in New York, he decided to send his wife, Anna, and their four daughters, Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie, on ahead. As he saw them settled into a cabin aboard the luxurious French liner, unease filled his mind, and he moved them to a room closer to the bow of the ship. Then he said goodbye, promising to join them soon.
During the wee hours of November 22, 1873, as the liner glided over the smooth seas, the passengers were jolted from their bunks. The ship had collided with an iron sailing vessel, and water poured in like Niagara. The liner tilted dangerously. Screams, prayers, and oaths merged into a nightmare of unmeasured terror. Passengers clung to posts, tumbled through darkness, and were swept away by powerful currents of icy ocean. Loved ones fell from each other’s grasp and disappeared into foaming blackness. Within two hours, the ship vanished beneath the waters.
The 226 fatalities included Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie. Mrs. Spafford was found nearly unconscious, clinging to a piece of wreckage. When the 47 survivors landed in Cardiff, Wales, Mrs. Spafford telegraphed her husband these words: “Saved Alone.”
Horatio immediately booked a passage to join his wife. En route, on a cold December night, the captain called him aside and said, “I believe we are now passing over the place where the liner went down.” Spafford went to his cabin and couldn’t sleep. He finally said to himself, “It is well; the will of God be done.”
he later penned this hymn based off those words:
When peace like a river, Attendeth my way, When sorrows, like sea billows roll; What ever my lot, Thou has taught me to say It is well; it is well, with my soul!
I don't ascribe to Hymnal Theology but the words of “it is well with my soul” speaks of the encouragement and hope that Hartio Spafford had through the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and the Immanent Return of Jesus.
CPS: We too can be encouraged and have hope as we grieve over our loved ones as we keep focused on the Death, Resurrection and the Immanent Return of Jesus because one day we will be united with our Lord and reunited with our loved ones forever!
I. As we grieve let us keep sight of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 13-14
I. As we grieve let us keep sight of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 13-14
To lose a loved one is difficult and if we focus solely on our loss we will lose sight of hope and will become discouraged. But, the believer has nothing to be discouraged about!
I find it interesting that our text begins with sorrow (it is the Greek verb lypeomai, it means to make sad, to be distressed), most modern translations us the word Grieve. The Thessalonians knew what it was like to grieve. They were heavily persecuted from the moment they recieved the Gospel and some perhaps were persecuted even to death. Yet, our text ends with the term “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Comfort is the Greek verb parakaleō it means to encourage. The apostle Paul tells the church that we can be encouraged even as we grieve.
A. We don’t Grieve as the unbelievers do.
A. We don’t Grieve as the unbelievers do.
The Apostle will not have this church be uniformed, "I would not have you to be ignorant” you don;t grieve hopelessly, You grieve yet still have hope.
The word hope means looking forward to, or a confident expectation. They have an eternal future ahead of them, unlike unbelievers who only have wrath waiting for them.
B. What is the reason for our hope and what is the basis of our encouragement?
B. What is the reason for our hope and what is the basis of our encouragement?
Paul answers, the Death and Resurrection of Jesus!
The Death of Jesus
Jesus died for us! He died in order to bring us to God! 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”
Those who are saved have hope and encouragement! Are you saved?
An Englishman by the name of Ebenezer Wooten had just concluded a preaching service in the village square. The crowd had dispersed, and he was busily engaged in loading the equipment. A young man approached him and asked, “Mr. Wooten, what must I do to be saved?” Wooten answered in a rather unconcerned way, “It’s too late!” The inquirer was startled. “Oh don’t say that, sir!” But the evangelist insisted, “It’s too late!” Then, looking the young man in the eye, he continued, “You want to know what you must DO to be saved. I tell you it’s too late now or any other time. The work of salvation is done, completed, finished! It was finished on the cross.” Then he explained that our part is simply to acknowledge our sin and receive by faith the gift of forgiveness
Through the finished work of Jesus we are saved thus we have hope! He died in order to bring us to God!
2. The Resurrection of Jesus
The cross is where our sins were forgiven but The Resurrection is the basis of our hope and proves to us that there is life beyond the grave. Because Jesus arose we have assurance that death is not the end, the grave is not the end!
John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,”
Our text tells us that if we believe that Jesus died and rose again when we die, we will be with Him! 1 Thes. 4:14 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”
Paul is speaking about Jesus’ return but in order for the “dead” to return with Him “the dead” must be with Him! By grace through faith the moment our body dies our soul is in the Lord!
2 Cor. 5:8 to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
I have hope and encouragement because I know where I am going! But, not only that, we can have hope and encouragement through faith by knowing where our loved ones are!
If your loved one was saved then you can’t truly say that we have lost a loved one!
I heard someone once say to a friend, “I heard you lost your wife. I’m very sorry.” My friend replied, “No, I didn’t lose her. You can’t lose something when you know where it is—and I know where she is!”
We must keep our sight fixed on the Death and Resurrection of Jesus because it is our source of hope and encouragement!
II. As we grieve let us keep sight of the Immanent Return of Jesus Christ 15-18
II. As we grieve let us keep sight of the Immanent Return of Jesus Christ 15-18
The Bible tells us that Jesus died for our sins and arose from the grave, 40 days later He ascended into heaven and one day He will return for us believers! What hope and encouragement we have!
This is not Jesus’ glorious return to earth to judge the wicked but His return in the air to gather His children.
Paul uses two verbs to relay this truth, coming and caught up! Coming is the Greek verb parousia = it means coming or presence. It is the idea of a great king arriving at one of His cities.
Caught Up is the Greek verb harpazō, it means to snatch up, or to take away. Paul is speaking of the rapture!
Suddenly, millions of people will vanish!
One summer a church camp staff staged an elaborate “rapture” while the camp director was off the grounds. When he returned, everybody was missing, clothing was on the ground as though people had “passed through” it, a boat was circling on the lake without pilot or passengers, and the kitchen was functioning without a cook. A carefully timed phone call from town (“Hey, what’s happening? Everybody’s missing over here!”) only added to the effect.
It sounds like something from the pages of a science fiction novel. But this is right from the word of God. 1 Thes. 4:15 “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord.”
The fact of His return is a comfort to our hearts. We will not only meet our Lord Jesus Christ at the Rapture, but will also be reunited with our believing friends and loved ones who have died. “Together with them” Death is the great separator, but Jesus Christ is the great Reconciler.
By grace through faith, though we hurt we have hope. Though we are sad we have encouragement. Rather dead at the rapture or alive, we have assurance through the faithful word of God that we will see and be with our loved ones again!
I was very fortunate coming up, though I came from a split family I had Grandparents that loved me and brought stability to my life. My grandparents were as close to me as any mother and father could be. My Grandmama, Helen Falotico was a devout woman of God and when she died my aunt Winkie gave me a letter from Grand-mama to read as I performed her eulogy .
Dearest Family,
I will be waiting in heaven for each of you. I will be the one with the smile on my face. Don’t be in a hurry, we have plenty of time. Keep getting together, loving each other, and praying for each other.
Much, much, much love,
Grandmama
I can’t remember my Grandmama ever saying goodbye to me it was always “chow” or “see you later.”
For those of us in Christ we never say goodbye, we simply say see you later.
What Hope and Encouragement we have as Christians, our future is bright and eternal. “So shall we ever be with the Lord.” together, reunited with our loved ones and united with the Lord forever!
This is our expectation and our sight must stay fixated on this great truth. The apostle lived His life waiting for Jesus to gather him with a shout and the trump of God.
Notice the pronoun “we” in vs. 15, Paul was looking forward to and expecting Jesus’ return in the Immanent future. Imminent means that it can happen at any moment, so keep your sight fixated upon the return of Jesus!
Conclusion: in Christ we have much hope and encouragement, when we look behind us we see the death and resurrection of Jesus that brings us to God and gives us eternal life! When we look ahead we see the imminent return of Jesus that unites every believer with Him and reunites us with our loved ones forever!
Today, my prayer for you is that in view of this word you will find encouragement and you will be able to sing with all the saints, “It is well, it is well with my soul!”