Hope in the Face of Death

John Day
 

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Discussion:

1. John 11:25-26 (ESV) – “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’”
   What emotions do you personally associate with death, and how do the words of Jesus offer peace or challenge your understanding of it?
   
   
   
    
2. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NIV) – “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
   How does our belief in Christ change the way we grieve?  What makes Christian grief different from worldly sorrow?
   
   
   
    
3. Psalm 34:18 (NIV) – “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
   What does it mean that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted?  When have you experienced God's nearness in a time of loss?  What might it look like to invite Him into your grief today?
   
   
   
    
4. Revelation 21:4 (NIV) – “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
   How can reflecting on this eternal promise reshape our present pain or anxiety surrounding death?
   
   
   
    
5. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (ESV) – “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
   How does this metaphor help you view life and death differently? What does it say about the permanence of our future with God?