Pray the word with David Platt as a resource from Radical.net.

With Paul saying, we don't want you to be uninformed, brothers, so know this, be informed of

this about those who are asleep. And that's a reference to those who have died in Christ,

but have died in this world that you may not grieve over them as others grieve, as other people

who have no hope grieve because we have hope. And I just want to encourage, well, every one of us

with this reality, but particularly, I know that there's some people listening to this right now

who are walking through major grieves over someone who's died, maybe even very recently. I think

of some people listening to this who I've seen a loved one pass away, like just in recent hours

or recent days or recent weeks or months, like years, I know in my own life, there's still

grief over people closest to me who are not here anymore. When I think about celebrating

just recently, my dad's birthday, though he's been with the Lord for many years now,

they're just fresh grief and yet there is hope deep hope because my dad and many who we know

who have died have died in Christ and he is the resurrection and the life and he who believes

in Jesus though he or she dies, he or she lives lives now they have fallen asleep, but they are

with God right now. That's second Corinthians chapter five and one day we're going to be together

with them. So if I could just read the rest of first testimonies chapter four, 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

proceed those who fall into sleep or the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command

with the voice of an archangel with the sound of the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise

then we who are alive or left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord

in the air. And so together we will always be with the Lord. Yes, that's what's coming. That's the hope

we have. Death does not have the last word. So we grieve. Yes, we grieve, but we grieve with hope

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