How Do You Go On? Funeral!!

- Philippians 4:4-8

Today we gather to say goodbye to ____________, a lady some knew as _________, some knew as Mama, and others of us called __________. Funerals are never fun, especially when it’s for someone who has meant so much to so many. We remember that Jesus Himself was heartbroken over the death of a friend and wept beside the grave of His friend Lazarus.

Ever since death first entered the picture, there following the Garden of Eden; man has been faced with a problem. He has been faced with a question. How in the world can I go on? When one of the people you love most dearly in the world is taken from you; when it feels that your heart has been ripped out and an emptiness has taken its place; when a chapter from the past is forever closed and you can’t even sit and think of the future without a lump forming in your throat and tears pouring from your eyes, how do you face tomorrow? How do you go on?

Fortunately, God loves you and me. He loves His children and wants us to be able to continue, so He tells us in the book of Philippians how we can go on.

In this passage, God gives us 3 steps to finding peace; 3 steps to going on.

I. PRAY

- Read v6

In other words, when it hurts so bad that it seems that you can’t go on. When it hurts so bad that you don’t want to get up tomorrow and face another day, TELL GOD. Tell God it hurts. Ask Him for help. Ask Him to comfort you and help you to heal.

You see, God knows what you’re going through. He knows what it’s like to hurt. If you remember, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you and me. God turned His back on His Only Begotten Son and allowed Him to die so that you and I could be forgiven. That’s how much He loves you and me.

But, the loss of His Son hurt God so much that the sun was blotted out for 3 hours. God wouldn’t let the sun shine for 3 hours, it hurt Him so much. It hurt Him so much that the earth shook with His sobs. God knows what it is to hurt with the loss of someone you love.

So God has promised to help through your pain if you ask. Jesus says in John 14:13-14, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye ask anything in My Name, I will do it."

If you need help facing tomorrow, if you need help going on; pray. But not only do you need to pray, but you also need to think about the right things.

II. THINK ABOUT THE GOOD THINGS

- Read Philippians 4:8

1. Grinny - In this verse we are told to think about the good things. When you don’t know how to go on, think about the good things. Remember the good things with Grinny. I’ve been thinking about Grinny a lot lately. The other night when I was sitting on the couch rubbing my son’s back, it made me think of all the times Grinny would sit and rub my back, though I’m convinced she rubbed Dusty’s a lot more often than mine. When I think about Grinny, I think about a lady who knew how to play, how to have fun, with nothing. I will forever be grateful that Grinny taught her kids and grandkids to play, to have fun in life.

Think on the good things. Think about the come-as-you-are parties she used to have at the house. Think about the Sunday afternoon volleyball games. Think about how she had the job of keeping an eye on the ballfields behind her trailer and yet how many of us grand kids she used to let drive her car back there. When ever I see "Every Which Way But Loose" and see the old lady on the porch with the shotgun, I’ll think about Grinny and especially about the poor dog she tried to scare away that Uncle Warren had to bury. Think about the car she thought had 4-wheel drive. I’ll think about when I turned 16, and she came down to let me drive her LTD2 on my birthday.

Think about the good times.

I remember when Granddaddy was paralyzed. He was sitting on the bank at our house fishing. Grinny walked all the way around the lake fishing and Granddaddy caught a lot more than she did. He said, "You never slowed down long enough for them to catch up." "Remember the pocket fisherman she carried in her car. I’ve already told my son about poor Olie and his red underwear. No child should ever be exposed to such an image.