MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
Musical Prelude & Pictures of Deceased
Welcome & Appreciation of the Family to those Present
Scripture Reading & Prayer
Congregational Singing
Obituary, followed by Memories of the Deceased
Special Music
Congregational Singing
Message:
TEXT: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Hebrews 2:15; Revelation 14:13
Not so many years ago, death was a subject many people seemed almost afraid to talk about. But times have changed, & now books about life after death & out of body experiences are among the best sellers.
Both extremes - nervous silence about death, or obsession with the subject, are indications that the fear of death still holds many people in its grip. And that is nothing new, for Hebrews 2:15 speaks of "those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."
So let's consider that subject from God's vantage point. And in 2 Corinthians 5:1 10 the apostle Paul tells us how the fear of death is defeated & what happens when we die.
I. The first thing we need to realize is that, as Christians, oftentimes the longer we live here the more difficult our existence seems to be, & the less attractive this world really is to us.
Twice in this passage Paul compares our lives to a tent. In vs. 1, he calls our body "the earthly tent we live in." And in vs. 4 he says, “While we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened…”
A. In my mind, two words describe living in a tent. One is the word "insecure." A tent is not a very good fortress. You can't bolt the door against intruders, & canvas isn't a good protection against wild animals.
And if you've ever spent the night in a tent during a storm with rain & wind & lightning, you know how uncertain a shelter it can be.
Paul was a tentmaker. When he compared this life to a tent, he knew what he was talking about. This life is uncertain, & it can be destroyed in a second. No matter how much we have, or how much we try to protect ourselves, we're still living in an insecure tent.
B. The second word that describes living in a tent is the word "uncomfortable." When I bed down for the night with a sleeping bag on the ground inside a tent, it's humid, mosquitoes are biting, & the ground is hard. The longer I toss & turn, the more uncomfortable it gets.
But spiritually, the longer we serve the Lord, the sweeter He grows. Yet physically, as those of us who are older have learned, the longer we're in this world the more uncomfortable we are.
No wonder Paul says in vs. 4, "While we are in this tent, we groan & are burdened."
ILL. Katherine Hepburn, the actress, once said, "I think we've finally learned to see death with a sense of humor.
“When you're my age, it's as if you're a car - first a tire blows, so you get that fixed. Next a headlight goes & you get that fixed. Then one day you drive into the shop & the mechanic says, ‘Sorry, Miss Hepburn, you just can't get parts for this model anymore.’"
Revelation 14:13 says, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord...for they will rest from their labor." The longer we live in this world, the less attraction it holds for us.
II. Secondly, the longer we live as Christians, the more attraction Heaven should have for us.
ILL. Vance Havner, a crusty old Baptist preacher, once said, "I am homesick for Heaven. It is the hope of dying that has kept me alive this long."
Paul must have felt the same way. In 2 Corinthians 5:2 he says, “We groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling...”
In vs. 4 he says, “We do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling...” And again, in vs. 8 he says, “We...would prefer to be away from the body & at home with the Lord."
A. If you're a Christian, your sins were taken care of at the cross. And the Bible tells us that when Christians die, they go to be with the Lord.
In telling about the rich man & Lazarus - the beggar (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus says that when Lazarus died he was immediately comforted at Abraham's side; & that when the rich man died, he was immediately in torment in Hades.
ILL. A great preacher I knew when I was a college student, Lee Carter Maynard, was in his 90's when he died. His secretary sat by his bed & wrote down his last words. He said, "I see it. It's beautiful. Do you see it?" And he died.
ILL. Billy Graham wrote that when his grandmother died, she sat straight up in bed & said, "I see Jesus. His hand is outstretched to me. And there's Ben, & he has two legs & two eyes." Then she died.
Billy Graham explained that the “Ben” she mentioned had been her husband, Billy’s grandfather, who had lost an eye & a leg at Gettysburg.
B. Now what I'm talking about is what death is like for a Christian. David wrote, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me" (Psalm 23:4).
ILL. One man recalled that as a boy he would sometimes get a ride home after a Little League game. The driver would let him off on the highway & he'd walk half a mile up the dirt road to the farmhouse where he lived.
If it was after dark, he dreaded that half mile walk because for a child, every bush is a bear & every shadow is a goblin. But if his father was there at the highway waiting for him, his fears were gone.
SUM. I think that's what it's like to die. We may dread dying, but when we come to that moment, we find the Lord is there to take us home.
C. That will be followed by a new & glorified body. Vs. 3 says, "We will not be found naked." We're not going to be disembodied spirits floating around on a cloud.
You see, God is going to clothe us with new & glorified bodies. 1 Cor. 15:51-52 says, "We will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye…"
But remember also what Paul says in vs. 10, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
D. Four words that describe Heaven make me eager to be there.
1. The first is the word "permanence." Paul said that this world is like a tent; it can collapse, but God is going to give us a permanent dwelling place in Heaven.
2. The second is the word "perfection." There will be no sin there. God will wipe away every tear. There'll be no pain or sorrow, no mourning or death.
3. The third word is "people." Heaven will be a place of reunion. The Bible says we're going to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob. If we know those people, then we're going to know each other, too.
Have you ever been at the airport & watched people get off the plane & then start hugging, embracing people they hadn't seen for a long time?
Now then, imagine watching people as they arrive in Heaven. See grandparents embracing grandchildren, ministers reunited with church members, & missionaries being welcomed by their friends. What joy that will be!
4. The final word is "praise." Paul tells us that now we see through a glass darkly, but then we'll see Jesus face to face.
Can you imagine singing, "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound," & "Jesus, we just want to thank You," while He is standing there in front of us?
SUM. Oh, "When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we'll sing & shout the victory!"
ILL. A few years ago, Derrick Johnson of the Regeneration singing group, during one of his concerts, told a story about his daughter, Debbie.
When she was 4 years old, Debbie got lost in a crowded supermarket. After an anxious search, she was found only one aisle over from her mother, but she was petrified. For a long time after that, she was terrified of crowds.
One night they had a family devotional about Heaven, & little Debbie asked, "Daddy, will there be a lot of people in Heaven?" "Yes, there will be a lot of people in Heaven, so many that we can't even count them, the Bible says."
"How will I ever find you & Mommy when I get to Heaven?" she asked. He knew that was a childish question, but he wanted to give her a good answer. "I'll tell you what when you get to Heaven you just look for us right inside the gate, & we'll all meet there as a family."
"Daddy," she asked, "is there more than one gate in Heaven?" He remembered that Revelation says that there are 4 walls, & 3 gates in every wall. He answered, "Yes, there are twelve." She asked, "Well, which gate?"
He said, "I tell you what, when you get to Heaven, you ask somebody which way is east. Then you just walk & walk until you come to the eastern wall, & then you find the middle gate in the eastern wall. Let's all meet as a family just inside the middle eastern gate."
That seemed to satisfy her, so he kissed her goodnight. Then he said, "Now remember, we're going to meet just inside " & quickly little Debbie responded, "the middle eastern gate."
Derrick Johnson told the crowd that, ever since that time, he & his daughter hardly ever said good bye to each other without one saying, "Meet you just inside," & the other answering, "at the middle eastern gate."
At this point in the concert Johnson turned to a girl in his singing group & said, "Is that story true?" She said, "Yes, it is." "How do you know?" he asked. She said, "I was that little girl."
The audience burst into applause because, until then, they didn't know that she was his daughter. When the applause died down he looked at her & said, "Meet you just inside," & she answered, "at the middle eastern gate."
One person in the audience later said, "I didn't hear much of the next song. I was thinking about where I was going to meet my family some day, just inside the gate."
We know by faith that, as Christians, to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord forever. What a day that will be! Please, don't miss it for the world.
Closing Prayer
Congregational Singing & Dismissal
