Funeral - God's View Of Death

Let me read: Psalm 116:15,

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

“Precious” that an unusual word to use at a funeral service.

And in fact, I don’t think I EVER heard it used at a funeral service.

Maybe in the hospital, over in the birthing unit,

“precious” is a probably a common word choice.

But not at a funeral service!

So, in the time that I have today,

I want to share with you why ____________’s call

to His heavenly home is so precious to Jesus.

And “precious” IS the perfect word to use at a funeral service.

DEATH IS PRECIOUS BECAUSE

WE GET TO RECEIVE OUR HEAVENLY BODY.

Let’s read a couple of verses from II Corinthians 5:1-2

V1 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were

dissolved, we have a building of God, and house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

“for we KNOW”

– not guess, not hope, but KNOW (without a doubt)

“our EARTHLY house of this tabernacle”

- this temporal, physical that are currently living in

“were DISSOLVED”

- this body ceases to function, this body dies

“we have a building OF GOD”

- God, Himself prepared something for our soul/spirit to be housed in, not made by human hands.

“ETERNAL in the HEAVENS”

- Not a temporary house (like these bodies) but something that is eternal – being kept for us, secure, in Heaven.

V2 “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our

house which is from heaven.”

“for in this we GROAN”

- We sigh, we long to be finally free from this limited, physical body. Free from diseases, aches, pains, sufferings, afflictions

“EARNESTLY DESIRING to be clothed upon”

- to crave, to long for, to desire - our eternal, spiritual body

“with our house which is from HEAVEN”

- again, it is secure and reserved for believers, kept in Heaven

DEATH IS PRECIOUS BECAUSE

WE GET TO SEE GOD, FACE TO FACE

Precious is ________’s death

because now he/she now, literally, sees God face to face.

**** Deceased’s Salvation and Church Service ****

And if you know your Bible, it tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:8,

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from

the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

God tells us __________’s death is precious

because __________ now sees God face to face.

Eternally in the presence of Jehovah, YHWH, I AM.

In the presence of all of His love, compassion, glory, everything

I cannot think of anything more precious

than looking face to face with my Savior – for all eternity,

and __________ is doing that right now.

DEATH IS PRECIOUS BECAUSE

OUR FINAL “SALVATION” IS COMPLETE

V14 “For the love of Christ constraineth us;

because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.”

“constraineth”

- Christ’s love continues to hold us, to occupy us, to keep us

“if one died for all, then were all dead”

- God’s Lamb came to earth to pay the required price for sin.

- If the required price were not necessary, He needed not come.

- But He did. And because He came to pray the price for our sin, then it was because we were all dead in sin.

- We needed a Savior

- __________ knew this. Accepted this. Acted on this.

V15 “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth

live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose

again.”

He (Jesus) died for all, and for each – for __________ personally.

__________ believed this and had put his/her personal trust

in Jesus’ finished work, for him/her, on Calvary.

Having been dead (in sins), yet through faith in the finished work

of Christ, __________ was now made alive (born-again)

and began a life is learning how to live for Christ,

not for him/her self.

Thru his/her faith in Christ, God’s Lamb, salvation came.

But now, after death, __________’s salvation is

no longer by faith – but by sight.

DEATH IS PRECIOUS

BECAUSE WE GET TO SEE ALL THAT IS PREPARED

John 14:1-5, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe

also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”

__________ was not troubled or disillusioned about death.

Jesus went to prepare a place for __________

And on __DATE_____, Jesus came to take _________ home.