"Leaving a Lasting Legacy" in American Sign LanguageSample

Life Doesn’t End With Death
By Rick Warren

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” (Romans 8:11 NLT, second edition)

As believers, we have hope because we are going to live forever. Death is not the end. There is more to the story! One day your heart will stop beating, and that will be the end of your body. But it’s not going to be the end of you.

You were made in God’s image. You were made to last forever. This is not all there is. Why do we have hope? Because no matter how bad it seems on Earth, it’s just for a while. We’re going to spend trillions of years on the other side of eternity with no more sorrow, no more sadness, no more sickness, and no more suffering.

The Bible says in Romans 8:11, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” (NLT, second edition)

As a pastor, I’ve stood at the graveside of hundreds of families, and I know the difference between people with hope and those without. You can see it in their eyes. I’ve seen the terror in the eyes of people without hope. They’re thinking, “This is all I have. It’s over. I will never see this person again. It’s done. That’s all there is to life.”

I compare it to the thousands of people I’ve seen at funerals of a believer. They know this is just a transition step. They’re going into real life! They’re going to be with God for eternity. There is hope because they know they will be reunited one day. For a believer, death is not leaving home. It’s a homecoming.

In Jesus Christ, you live a life of no condemnation. You’re forgiven no matter what you do. It’s a life free from domination. You’re set free. You can change. God is changing you for the good, and then you live a life with no termination. You can live forever!

Talk It Over

Salvation in Jesus Christ makes all the difference in eternity. How should it affect how we live our lives?

What have you been set free from in this life because of your salvation?

Who can you share with today about the hope you have through Christ?