The hope of heaven and the promise of the second coming of Jesus change how you understand and experience the hardships of this world. There are many things you will never experience, but the Bible declares that until Jesus comes again, there is one thing that everyone will experience, and that is death.

Grief is the common bond between every generation, every culture, and every people group.

When confronted with death, it draws your attention to the big questions concerning eternity, entrance into heaven, and the judgment of God and hell. The Thessalonians were new Christians and had many questions, but their greatest concern was about the Christians who had died before Christ's return.

Paul writes these instructions to inform and encourage the church with God’s word. Confusion was causing them to worry and grieve, but Paul wanted them to be encouraged by the word of God. This passage teaches three ways that the word of God encourages and gives you hope.

From 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Pastor Ben preaches on how the gospel transforms your life. In this passage, Paul uses "therefore" three times to build his argument for how an eternal gospel perspective transforms how you live. The resurrection transforms who you live for; therefore, the gospel transforms how you live, and; therefore, the hope of the gospel transforms how you relate to others.