Perfected in his presence, a funeral message.
Bula,
We are here today to remember the life, to celebrate the life of our dear friend and sister … To some she was more than a friend and sister, she was the wife of and mother of ….and grandmother of …and ... Many of you were close to her.
… and… have asked that today’s message centre a verse in Paul’s letter to the Romans, Chapter 14 verse 8. The verse reads “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord, So, whether we live or we die we belong to the Lord.”
The verse is part of a chapter in which Paul is talking with the Roman believers about their lifestyles. Why? Well at the time the Roman Christians had a judgemental view of one another. They were judging one another and being critical of one another’s behaviour.
But Paul who had interestingly been a member of the Pharisee sect, possibly the most judgemental of Jewish religious orders before his conversion to Christ, was pointing out to the Roman Christians that instead of being critical and judging one another they should replace these things with tolerance and understanding. That they should accept one another as Jesus had accepted them. (Romans 15:7) That they all belonged to the Lord.
He was pointing out that as believers we answer ultimately not to one another, but to God. While some may be in positions of authority or leadership, each of us ultimately answers to God. He goes as far as to say that the strong in faith should make every effort to “do what leads to peace and improvement of all.” Paul had had a change in the direction of his life and thinking when he met Jesus after Jesus resurrection.
Paul’s lesson to the Romans is to act out of love, to follow the example of Jesus, the example of service for the good of the whole Church.
Grumbling and complaining, the arguments that were occurring were doing nothing to advance the mission of the church. Interestingly if we do the maths of conflict, in a two way conflict there is always either one or two losers. But if we act out of love while someone may have to give some ground or respect to another there are always two winners.
Paul’s other point is that we answer ultimately to God and that he alone is our eternal Judge, that we have one master who is Jesus Christ. As Romans 14:8 says “If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die , we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die we belong to the Lord. “
So, where Paul is going with this is that while we live, we take into account our own interests, but in doing so we know and acknowledge that we are brought by the blood of Jesus our Saviour. That being saved by grace through faith in him, we are to extend grace to others, not judging them but loving them.
This verse is one that should also challenge our thinking beyond the here and now. Let me be quite open here, there are a few mysteries about what heaven will be like, but think about those words “So whether we live or die we belong to the Lord.” We who encountered through Christ, the Spirit of God and God the Father understand the reality of Pauls words. … knew this and had God’s witness the Holy Spirit as her comforter, helper, guide and friend. Paul in letter to the church in Ephesus chapter 1:13-14 says it this way: ”And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” The Holy Spirit is the deposit of eternal life. We live in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. The Holy Spirit with us is the guarantee of our eternal life. This sure and certain hope that we hear about at funerals often is not the English meaning of hope, like, I hope that the day is not too windy or I hope that there is a cold drink at lunch time. The hope in its meaning is sure and certain, this comes with grace, of forgiveness of sins and the ability of those who believe to enter the Holy of Holies through Jesus broken body. As the scriptures tell us he has defeated sin and death.
Here's a few verses that tell us this: The next day he, (that is John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John’s gospel 1:29.
Also in Johns gospel 5:24 we also hear Jesus own words, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He/she does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.”
1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
…’s suffering is over, and the scriptures tell us that not only is she not suffering but that she will, be clothed with a heavenly dwelling. Saint Paul says this, “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. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.” (2 Corinthians 5:1).
I like the word picture of our current bodies being a tent here on earth. The truth is that some days, maybe for some of us every day we groan, there’s a few tears in our fabric, the ropes are fraying a little, the arthritis, the achy muscles, that bout of covid or common cold leave us groaning. These bodies of ours are a temporary accommodation, a tent, but the picture that Paul uses of the heavenly dwelling is not of a flimsy tent but of a building from God, an eternal house in heaven. (2 Corinthians 5:1-2) In verses 4 and 5 Paul again says that this is our purpose that this is why we are here, “so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life, Now it is God who made us for this purpose and has given us the Spirit as the deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
A couple of verses that I am very attached to, are written by Jesus’ brother Jude (verses 24&25) and he says this in the first of these two verses; “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” He is talking of how as believers we will be in the presence of Jesus, perfected no more suffering, no more disease, no more struggling with our mortal bodies and their limitations. I think of the joy that … will have in the presence of Jesus, healed, without fault as Jude says and with great joy.
This does not remove our natural grief at having lost …’s presence with us. She was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother and friend to many. The ladies of her Corps will miss her advice and her company. Extended family and friends the same. We have heard great things about her. Her years of service to those she ministered made a difference in their lives, a difference that only God fully understands. But some of you will understand it in a way as she touched your lives and communities as she shared the love that God had shown her.
But today’s message is that we are currently living metaphorically in a tent and that there is a building awaiting us in heaven, a building provided by God himself. That God has something better for us outside of this earthly existence.
… knew this, her life was dedicated to the salvation war, winning souls for the Kingdom was her life. She had served 15 years, 4 months, and 8 days as an officer of The Salvation Army when she was Promoted to Glory. She was sure and certain of her salvation.
Are you sure and certain? In this life there are so many conflicting ideas and voices. But for those who have been saved through faith in Jesus and encountered/anointed by The Holy Spirit, we are sure.
I’ve spoken a lot about the words of the apostle Paul today and these ones from Romans 10 verses 9 and 10 sum up the path to salvation.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
The path is not difficult, but it is narrow, the encountering of God is not something we have to battle for, Jesus has already defeated sin and death. Our lives from the time of salvation will change as we live for Jesus and love our neighbours as our selves.
Why? For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Again, If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord, So, whether we live or we die we belong to the Lord.”
We hold onto those words as we think of … today. We know that she is with her Lord, promoted to Glory.
Today as we celebrate …’s life, a life well lived, we can also celebrate that …. is with her Lord. Today we hold onto that promise of Jesus’ and in years to come, we too will see them fulfilled.
Let’s stand and sing.
Some research from: Romans NIV Application Commentary, D.J. Moo (2000).
