PASTOR’S PONDERINGS NOVEMBER 2026

Pastor’s Ponderings …

“I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality.  When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (From Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the fifteenth chapter, verses 50-57)

Paul writes again in his first letter to the Thessalonians in the fourth chapter verses 13-18, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like those who have no hope.  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.  According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage each other with these words.”

There are a lot of things about death that we don’t understand.  We are quite often troubled, confused and usually saddened by death.  We fear death, and so often lose sight of the eternal perspective.  But Paul gives us that proper perspective in these two passages of Scripture.  When someone dies we tend to focus on the fact that their struggle is over, there is no more pain or suffering.  And all of that is most certainly true.  But there is a much greater struggle that the person will never have to deal with again.  They will forever more be free from the struggle with sin.  They have forever been set free from the battle of sin, once they enter heaven’s eternal home.  Sin absolutely wages war on th body, mind and spirit.  Its ravaging effects on each one of us is brutal…sin destroys.  And yet for those who are trusting in Christ, when we leave this world and this broken sinful body behind to enter eternity, we will never have to struggle with sin again.  Have you ever pondered what it would be like to have even one day with absolutely no sin in your life?  We can’t even begin to fathom what that would be like, and yet when we get to heaven, that is indeed what it will be for all of eternity.  Sin will be gone forever.  Yes, all sickness and pain and suffering will be gone too, and we praise God for that.  But, much more importantly, sin will forever more be wiped away.

“When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be?

When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout for victory!”

Do not lose hope; for we have so much to look forward to in Christ. AMEN!

Blessings to you,

Pastor Steve