Funeral Service (For A Christian)

Today we all find ourselves emotionally torn in two ways:

None of us want to be here today at this service! Absolutely none of us!

Yet, we want to be here because our love for _______ compels us to be here! We would not want to be anywhere but here!

We go through life putting off many things! We frequently do this with some things.

For example, many of us have driven down the road in our car, and noticed the fuel gauge that told us that WE NEEDED TO STOP FOR REFUELING!

Then something distracted us from the gas gauge and we got sidetracked and started thinking about something else.

However, a few miles down the road, our car begns to skip and jerk and all of a sudden we look at the gas gauge. We find that WE NOW ARE FORCED TO DEAL WITH WHAT WE HAVE PUT OFF DOING.

None of us likes to think about death. Many times when the thought of a loved one dying or of us dying comes in to our mind, we put those thoughts aside for another time.

But today we have to deal with this subject of death. Since we are forced to deal with death today, let’s deal with it on the basis of God’s Word.

WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT DEATH?

Look at Psalm 116:15, we read, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

The word PRECIOUS and DEATH are not two words we usually use in the same sentence! However, when it comes to a child of God dying, the Bible speaks of this as being PRECIOUS!

What has happened to _____________ is SOMETHING THAT IS PRECIOUS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD.

WHAT DID GOD MEAN BY SAYING DEATH IS SOMETHING PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT? Death certainly is not something we consider to be precious!

In fact, the family and friends have been crying as if something terrible has happened to ________, but God says, “No, something precious has happened to her!”

For the last several days we have been telling this family that we are sorry for their loss. But something precious has happened.

Let us look at the scripture and see what God meant by that verse of scripture. God sees the death of his children as PRECIOUS because to Him -

I. DEATH IS A SLEEP

Look at Mark 5:35-39, we read, “While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.”

• Notice Jesus said, “…”the damsel is not dead, BUT SLEEPETH.”

• Based on the word of God, we could say that, “_________ IS NOT DEAD, BUT SLEEPETH.”

• According to the obituary column, _______ died last Sunday evening around 6:15 P.M.

• According to God’s Word, ______ is not dead but she “sleepeth.”

Jesus spoke comforting words to a family that had a brother that died. In John 11:25-26, we read, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. BELIEVEST THOU THIS?”

• I believe this

• ____________ believed this

• Every child of God believes this

Illus: D.L. Moody said, “One day you will read my name in the orbituary column telling you I am dead. Do not believe a word of it because I will be more alive than ever before!”

Illus: Two young girls were in a car crash. One of them was killed and the other one survived the horrible crash. However, the one that survived the car crash was almost beyond recognition. They went to the parents of the girl that was dead and told them their daughter had died in the car crash.

Needless to say, this was the worst news that any parent could hear. However, the same police that told them their teenager was dead, arrived at their home several hours later and told her parents she was alive.

There was a mix-up when it came to which one was dead.

The point I want to make is this; they went to the home and said she was dead. Later, they came back to this same home and said she was not dead but very much alive!