Funeral Service - Pg

Funeral Service – Perce Gust

Lorna would like to thank you all for coming to pay your last respects to Perce and to show your love for her at this time

Hymn

• If I had to choose one word to describe Perce, it would be “gentleman”

• We have lost a true gentleman, someone who has enriched all of our lives as a result of our knowing him

• God’s word tells us in Psalms 116:15 that,"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."

• One of God’s saints died last Thursday night

• we grieved, and God shared in our grief

• but in another way as this verse says, the death of one of his saints is precious in God’s eyes

• Why is that? Because one of his saints has finished his race, he has arrived safely home

• Perce’s human race is complete. He like Paul can now confidently say,

2 Timothy 4: 7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

• Perce too has fought a good fight, he has finished his course, he has kept the faith

• And he too now can say,

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

• Normally we humans fear death, we don’t understand it, we avoid talking about it

• But surprisingly, the apostle Paul here looks past his physical death with anticipation and with a sense of hope

• Why is that?

• Paul understood that this human existence is only part of the story and our physical death is not the end of the story

• Death is not the end for those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ

• it is simply the start of a new chapter in our relationship with our Lord and our God

Paul gives us a brief insight into this life after death in the kingdom of heaven

• Paul speaks about “a crown of righteousness”

• Crowns are usually given to very special people – Kings, princes, rulers

• So these people are held in very high regard by Jesus Christ

• Notice too who presents the crowns?

• Jesus Himself will personally present these crowns to each of his saints

• So we see this wonderful picture of Jesus giving crowns to those whom he loves

• Paul also speaks about a time of reunion, not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing

What makes this time so special?

• It is a time of reunion, loved ones separated by death will be reunited with each other

• No doubt there will be a few tears shed, but they won’t be tears of sorrow, but tears of joy, lot of catching up to do

• Second, we will be given a new glorified body which will never suffer pain, sorrow or death ever again

• 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

• The last few years have not been easy for Perce and Lorna

• Because of failing health, they have had to spend time apart and this has been very difficult for both of them

• But a time is coming when they will be reunited not with frail human bodies but glorified spiritual bodies and they will never have to he apart again

• This is why God Word tells us that the death of one of his saints is precious in God’s eyes

• He’s anticipating this joyous time of reunion

But there is another aspect to the death of one of God’s saints that makes it precious

• Christians realise our lives don’t belong to us, they ultimately belong to God

• He makes final claim to those that are his

• 1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

• You see Perce

• was more than a loving and faithful husband to Lorna

• He was more than just a good friend

• He was more than a hard working man who provided for his family

• He was more than all of these things

• The most important thing about Perce is that God loved him so much he brought him back from sin with the precious blood of Jesus Christ