“Christ Offers Hope” Revelation 21:1-7
Introduction
Today we have gathered to celebrate the life of (NAME); [spouse, daughter, friend, etc.], and much more. Words are but shells which we try, in vain, to fill enough meaning to capture the depth of our loss and the extent of our grief.
Today, it is with terribly mixed sentiment that I stand before you. On the one hand I am compelled by the sadness of the timing of (NAME’s) passing. Our hearts are filled with grief. On the other hand, I think how wonderful it is that she has gone from this life to meet her savior face to face. How glorious a home coming it must be to be reunited with loved ones in the very presence of God.
Indeed, though our mutual grief clouds our vision of it and the pain of our loss is, at times, utterly overwhelming; what we are here to celebrate is a life well lived and not so much a death, but a transition from this life unto the next.
The nineteenth century English poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote that “Death’s truer name is “Onward,” no discordance in the roll. And march of that eternal harmony whereto the world beats time.” The poet speaks rightly to suggest that death is but a continuation of life, a transition from this current state of temporal flesh to a state of eternal connection with God and eternal worship of God.
Transition
You see, it has been rightly said that we are not fleshly beings with a spirit, but eternal spiritual beings clothed in the flesh of this life. Today, though our hearts mourn the loss of this precious woman from our lives, we celebrate a glorious reality; namely that (NAME) has gone home to be with her Lord and that same Lord offers us the same hope that (NAME) had in this life and now realizes fully.
Exposition
In this life (NAME) knew the hope of Christ and He offers that same hope to us, right here, right now, even today, in the midst of our pain and sorrow, Christ offers lasting, saving, eternal, secure, hope. When the world around us is fading, when the world inside of us is uncertain, there is a bright place where we can find hope.
Christ offers the hope of unending life. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (NIV) The Scriptures teach us that Jesus Christ, the son of the Living God, came into this world to seek and save that which was lost.
Why does the Bible call Him savior? Because apart from being found in Christ you and are already dead in trespass and sin; but oh, what blessed assurance, what hope that we have who are found alive in Christ, because though we die, through we pass from this life unto the next, we live!
In John 11:25-26 Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (NIV) Here, Jesus declares the truth about Himself, He is the resurrection, and He is the life; the truth about Jesus is that He is the truth.
He asks the woman to whom He was speaking, “Do you believe this?” Jesus asks this question because belief, faith is the key to unlocking the beautiful mystery that is Christ revealed in the flesh, eternity visible, glory revealed.
Just as (NAME) has now moved beyond the veiled understanding of God into the wonder of His glorious light, by placing our faith in Christ we are assured the promise of what she know enjoys; the hope of unending life.
Christ offers a new body, which will not be subject to the pain and aging of this mortal body. In II Corinthians 5:1 the Apostle Paul writes, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” (NIV)
He also writes, “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”
(I Corinthians 15:42-44 NIV)
This body fades away, but those who are found in Christ has received the great promise that one day we will be given a new body, a perfected spiritual body; the likes of which we don’t fully comprehend. Wonder of Wonders; what it be like to stand one day in a body not made of corruptible flesh but of perfected form; glory to God; to be found in the very image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Christ offers the lasting hope and promise of a new and lasting home. My three year old son Sebastian is a wonderful little boy. My children’s antics and lives provide me with a wealth of sermon illustrations and stories. Not long ago Sebastian had to go through some medical testing. Sebastian is a very active little boy who does not like to sit still.
This particular test involved having to lay still for the better part of an entire hour while some diodes, wires, and things were hooked up to his little body while he lay there in a strange room, in a strange hospital, in a strange city. The entire test came out fine and we were very pleased with that, but the reason I share that story with you today is because after only a few minutes into the tests, Sebastian began to cry, he was scared and uncomfortable and didn’t understand what was happening to him. Through his little tears Sebastian kept saying to me, “I go home daddy. I go home.”
In this life, very often we find ourselves in strange lands, in unfamiliar and uncomfortable circumstances, wondering what is happening to us, not understanding why we are in pain, why we are afraid; we find ourselves crying out to our Heavenly Father, “I go home daddy. I go home.”
You see, the ultimate hope that we have in Christ is the promise that He made to us in John 14:1-4, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (NIV)
My dear friends, we do well to allow ourselves to mourn the passing of such a dear and sweet spirited woman. We will all miss her so. But we also do well to rejoice with the saints in Heaven at (NAME) having received the fullness of the promise of Christ that all those who are found in Christ, though they die, their life does not end, death is but a doorway to eternity; a bridge across the troubled waters of this world into the glory of knowing God fully and being known by Him eternally.
Hear the promise of God found in Revelation 21:1-7, where it says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:1-7 NIV)
Amen.
