FUNERAL MESSAGE FOR A CHRISTIAN
TEXT - Deut. 29:29 - "The secret things belong unto the Lord
our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us."
Death is not an easy thing to accept. Even under the best of
circumstances, death is a terrible thing. Nature has it’s
seasons but death can come to anyone, at anytime, in any
place. Turly we know not waht a day may bring forth.
We come here today with sorrow in our hearts and questions on
our minds as to why these things happen. Can we really know?
There are many unexplanable sorrows in life and we must
simply leave these in the hands of God who know all things.
All of us are sorrowful here today but the Bible teaches us
of 2 types of sorrow.
I Thess. 4:13 "But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep that ye
sorrow not even as others which have no hope"
Some here may have a sorrow with no hope beyond the grave
while others have the sorrow of a friend that has gone on a
long journey and will be joining that friend shortly. The
Christian who dies and the believer who remains will one day
meet again. There is a glad reunion day.
________________ knew the Lord. He/she settled it at the
Cross ______ yrs. ago. (May personalize sermon here)
To comfort your hearts and ease the pain of loss, I want to
make 2 statements.
1st - ________________ did not die. God’s children do not
die. Jesus said it Himself in John 11:26, "Whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die". 2 Cor.5:8 says,
"absent from the body and present with the Lord". ___________
did not die. He/she simply changed residents.
Like the old poem: I cannot think of them as dead
Who walk with me no more
Along the path of life I tread
They have but gone before.
Yes, Gone to Glory! ___________________ simply changed
residents from this world to the city of God. We are here
only to bury the covering. ________________ is not here. This
here is only the covering. The important part, the soul, the
being that made _____________ went to be with the Lord. It is
like when we receive a letter in the mail. We let the
covering drop to the side and read and keep the letter inside
that was important. God has left the outside here for awhile
but has taken _______________ to be with him.
We are told that when those who serve in the ranks of the
Salvation Army die they are listed, not under the heading of
"deaths" but under the heading "promotions". Promoted to
Glory!
Even now ______________ walks among the patriarches of the
Bible . He/she did not die. He/she simply fell asleep in
Jesus.
2nd - This may be a shocker but if my Bible is right and if I
understand anything of the glories of heaven, then I believe
that it is safe to say that with only two exceptions ________
would not want to come back into this world of sin, pain,
trial, and sorrow.
The two exceptions are 1. Maybe to ease your sorrow
2. Maybe to urge some loved one to
turn to the Lord.
I was thinking _________________ has already seen the angels
for the first time. He/she has heard the angelic choirs, seen
sights man has never seen, walked the streets of gold, talked
to the people of the Bible. But best of all, he/she has seen
Jesus.
Edward Guest lost his little daughter and wrote this poem.
IF THEY COULD WRITE
What glorious news they’s have to tell
If only they could write today
Those who have gone afar to dwell
Where all the glorious spirits stay
In fancy then I set it down
What Marjorie would pen for me
"I’ve touched the hem of Jesus’ gown
The way they did in Galilee
And thinking thus, I am content
To bear the loneliness and wait
Because I know her days are spent
In the company of heaven’s great
Let me change the 2nd verse ---- "in fancy then I set it down
what _______________ would pen for me. I’ve touched the hem
of Jesus’ gown the way they did in Galilee.
No --- I do not think that your loved one would want to come
back to the world.
NOW FOR ANOTHER QUESTION WE NEED TO ASK TODAY?
Why did this happen?
Nature has ita seasons but death has no season. It can come
to anyone, at anytime, at any place.
Truly the Bible is seen to be true when it says "we know not
what a day may bring forth" - Prov.27:1
Why do our loved ones die? Can we know why? there are many
unexplanable sorrows in life and we must simply trust our
loving god who knows all things.
There is much we do not know and even if we did, we would
still feel the sorrow and pain and loss. But God has reasons
for all he allows and has a word of every heart and every
heartache.
We do not know why a preacher’s wife dies on an operating
table due to a mistake in blood type or why a little baby is
taken before it draws its first breath.
I Cor.13:12 says "For now we see through a glass darkly
In closing --- Remember the Bible teaches us that
1. death is not the end but the beginning
2. death is not a loss but a gain
3. death is not a defet but a victory
Jeseph Jennings when on the verge of that glorious world to
which ________________ has gone exclaimed "Beautiful! What a
morning." His weeping wife, not seeing what he saw, said,
"Shall I open the shutters to give you a better view?" "Oh",
he said, "I have seen a great way beyond the shutters".
And we need to look beyond the shutters of this world
today and see Jesus. Let us look to Him as our comfort and
as our Savior. Take His hand. In Matt. 14:12 speaking of the
death of John the Baptist, it says "And his disciples came
and took up the body and buried it and went and told Jesus.
Let us turn to Jesus this hour and tell Him. He cares.
