FUNERAL MEDITATION: LESSONS FROM THE DEATH OF SARAH
This message was delivered on 15th December 2001 at the funeral of Madam Hoe Goay Ee (Aunty Lim)
Date of Birth: 27 July 1923
Date Departed: 14 December 2001
Text: Genesis 23:1-4.
I. WE NEED TO MOURN FOR THE DEAD.
Abraham mourned when Sarah died.
Genesis 23:2
2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. NIV
Mary mourned for Lazarus – John 11:31
Jesus pronounced a blessing on those who mourn.
Matthew 5:4
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. NIV
The followers of Jesus are asked to share in the feelings of those who mourn.
Rom 12:15-16
5Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. NIV
What is the meaning of mourning? - To grieve, a painful feeling
When do we mourn?
We mourn when a loved one is taken away from us
Matthew 9:15
15 Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. NIV
It’s OK to cry, to be sad when a loved one is taken away. Naturally, we are sad. We can no longer visit that person; or to hear their voice or to receive thier wise counsel. But as believers, we believe in the Word of God, the Bible that tells us that as a believer who has given her life to Jesus, Aunty Lim has passed on from this life to be in the presence of Jesus. She has not gone to purgatory or some other place where there is uncertainty.
2 Cor 5:8-9
8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. NIV
At this very moment, Aunty Lim is in the presence of Jesus, just like her beloved and departed husband. They are now together in heaven. Today, she is smiling at us. If we were to ask her whether she would like to come back, she will say no. She is very happy where she is now, with the Lord Jesus and with all the saints who have finished their race here on earth.
So the mourning of the followers of Jesus is mourning for one who has left temporarily. It is not a mourning of sadness as if we will never see her again. The Bible says that when we put our trust in Jesus, we shall meet again on that beautiful shore. Those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus will be together with Him.
Of course we are sad. Saying goodbye is always a sad thing. But remember, this need not be goodbye as if we will never meet again.
How do we know that Aunty Lim is with the Lord Jesus? Well this is what the Bible says. How do we know that the Bible is true? Many people throughout history have tried to discredit the Bible. Well the Bible has outlived all of them. It has outlived the Soviet Union which tried to destroy the Bible. It has outlived the Roman Empire which tried to kill off all the followers of Jesus. The Bible is a prophetic book and 1/3 of all its content was predictive. All the events of world history have only confirmed the reliability of the Bible. Incidentally, the Guinness Book of World Records lists the Bible as the World’s All time BestSeller.
We can place our trust in the Bible’s reliability. The Bible says that Aunty Lim is in Heaven because Jesus Christ died for her sins, was resurrected on the third day, proving that God has accepted His death as an offering for the sins of Aunty Lim and for the sins of men and women everywhere. When Jesus died on the cross, he said these words, “It is finished.” This means that the debt for our sins has been settled.
The benefits of the death and resurrection of Jesus is available to all who will repent of their sins, and turn to Christ for forgiveness and accept Him as Saviour and Lord of their lives.
Since Aunty Lim has repented of her sins, has asked Jesus Christ for forgiveness of her sins and has received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour, on the basis of the Bible and its reliability, I know that she is in heaven right now with Jesus. That’s the Word of Jesus,
John 5:24
24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. NIV
If Aunty Lim is not in heaven, then Jesus is a liar. And she will bear testimony for eternity that Jesus has lied and the Word of God cannot be relied upon. But that will not happen, because God is totally and unreservedly faithful to His Word.
I tell you the truth, He says, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life
II. AFTER MOURNING, WE MUST RISE UP FROM BESIDE THE DEAD.
Next, the Bible tells us that Abraham completed his mourning and rose up.
Genesis 23:3-4
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 "I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead." NIV
After the mourning period, it is time to stop mourning. And we will need to rise up. To mourn non-stop is not encouraged. We must mourn and then we must stop.
Why we need to stop mourning?
Because life must go on and we need to look to the future.
Aunty Lim has lived a full life. She raised 6 children. They have grown up and have married and produced grandchildren. She has lived to enjoy her grandchildren. She has done many things and blessed many others. But her family is more precious to her. We will recount all the children and grandchildren that she is leaving behind.
Aunty Lim has finished her race. We have not. She has gone the way of all living beings. One day we will travel that road ourselves. But until then, we have work to do. After mourning for her, we must rise up and move on.
How long should we mourn? I don’t know. It all depends on the individual. Some will take one day or a few days. Some one week, others one month. Some even several months. That’s OK. We must mourn properly but remember that after that we must get up and move on.
Many have problems rising up and moving on. They constantly dwell in the past. Sometimes we can be angry at others who have hurt us and when we cannot forgive them or let go, we dwell in a past action. Even after several years, the action that hurt us, seems like it was committed yesterday. Sometimes we get angry at God and we blame Him for certain events. However, dwelling on the past can destroy our future.
By all means, get involved with people. Do things. Have fun out of life. If people hurt us, as surely they will sometimes, forgive them and move on. Have fun with others we must. Forgive, we also must. Mourn we must. Stop, we also must ... and move on.
III. WE NEED TO MOVE ON TO DISCOVER AND TO FULFILL GOD’S PURPOSE FOR OURSELVES.
Lastly, we will see God fulfill His purpose for Abraham through the death of Sarah.
Genesis 23:3-4
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 "I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead." NIV
Abraham left the city of Ur with his father when he was a young man. God had planned for Abraham to inherit the land of Canaan and to be a father to many nations. In
Genesis 12:1-3
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."
NIV
Although he has settled in Canaan for about 50 years, he did not own any land of his own in Canaan. He had his sheep and cattle grazed on rented land. He was a still a foreigner in the land inhabited by the Canaanites. However, now with the death of Sarah, he takes the opportunity to buy his first piece of property – a field with a burial cave for his departed wife.
Through Sarah’s death, Abraham would now own his first piece of property in the land that would later be called Israel. He and his descendants would eventually own the whole of the Promised Land that today includes Israel, Palestine and the surrounding nations. Sarah’s work on earth had been completed. Abraham’s work was not. But through the death of Sarah, God would fulfill his own purpose for Abraham and his descendants.
Years earlier God had used the death of Terah, Abraham’s father to make him move on from the city of Haran. It was God’s plan for Abraham and his family including his father Terah to settle down in the land of Canaan to and be a separate nation. But Abraham for one reason or another had chosen to settle down in Haran which is half-way to Canaan. Abraham only began to move on to the Promised Land upon the death of his father Terah. The Bible records for us that Abraham at the age of 75 and his family left Haran after the death of Terah (11:32). After mourning, we must rise up and move on.
Sarah is dead but the saga of human history and of the revelation of God to humankind continues. The hand of God on human history does not end with the death of Sarah or even the death of a great man such as Abraham. They would have their own destiny. We would have ours. Others must take over – This is because God works through generations. God is called the God of “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
The baton has been passed. Aunty Lim has finished her race. She has run it well. Her children have grown up and have their own children. She has lived to see and enjoy her grandchildren. Now it up to them to continue to run with the baton. Her death reminds us that we must treat life seriously because we must one day give an account before Almighty God.
Mourn we must. We will remember the unselfish contribution of Aunty Lim, of her raising her children and grandchildren and her great and long life. But after mourning, let us rise up and move on. So that we may also leave a legacy to our children and our grandchildren.
May the good Lord keep and bless all of us. Let us pray.
© Yuen Woh Voon
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