Scripture to Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:14
Believing that Jesus died for all sin, for all mankind, and then defeated death by rising from the grave is the foundation of our faith. If we do not believe the fullness of the Gospel of Christ, then our faith is worthless. God the Holy Spirit wrote through Paul that our belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is a must if our life is to have any purpose at all. God explains this through Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.” There were people in the city of Corinth that did not believe in a resurrection of any kind. There are still people today that believe that when we die, we simply go into eternal sleep. But, as God clearly says through Paul, if there is no resurrection, then our faith in Christ is futile. But, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 4:14, God confirms, through Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, that all of those who have died in Christ will return one day with Christ. To know that all of those in the presence of Christ right now will return with Christ confirms that they are all very much alive and that means our hope is secure.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you about your belief in the resurrection?
2. Who will you talk to this week about the importance of the resurrection of our Lord?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!