5.DEATH OF A LOVED ONEWhen a loved one dies, our hearts are broken as we grieve and our lives are altered. Many peoplerecover from this and continue on with their lives. Others never fully recover. The loss of a lovedone turns your life upside down. It can be hard to know what to do.SCRIPTURES AND LIFE APPLICATION NOTESIsaiah 53:4, NLT: “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. Andwe thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!”LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 53:4-5 How could an Old Testament person understand the idea of theMessiah dying for his people’s sins—actually bearing the punishment that we deserve? The system ofsacrifices pointed to this idea, but killing a lamb is one thing; thinking of God’s chosen servant as that Lambis quite different. But God was pulling aside the curtain of time to let the people of Isaiah’s day look aheadto see the suffering Messiah and the resulting forgiveness made available to all people.Matthew 5:4, NLT: “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”Key Lessons from the Beatitudes chart:Beatitude: Mourning (5:4)Old Testament Anticipation: Isaiah 61:1-2Clashing Worldly Value: Happiness at any costGod’s Reward: Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:4)How to Develop This Attitude: Psalm 51; James 4:7-10John 11:32-35, NLT: “When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if only youhad been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other peoplewailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. ‘Where have you puthim?’ he asked them. They told him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Then Jesus wept.”LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 11:33-37 John stresses that God cares for us. When Jesus saw the weepingand wailing, he, too, wept openly. Perhaps he empathized with their grief, or perhaps he was troubled attheir unbelief or at death’s destructive grip. Whatever the case, Jesus showed that he cares enough for usto weep with us in our sorrow. Here we see many of Jesus’ emotions—compassion, indignation, anger,sorrow, and even frustration. In his life on earth he often expressed deep emotion, and we must never beafraid to reveal our true feelings to him. He understands them, for he experienced them. Be honest, anddon’t try to hide anything from your Savior. He cares.Facing Our 10 Biggest Fears: A sample of Scripture and Commentary from the new Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition.
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