THE HOME GOING
This morning we are come together as a church family to worship the Lord. We have sung praises to Jesus, the One who died on the cross, that we may have eternal life. This week has been a hard week for many of those present to endure. As one member has said, “the devil has really been roaring”.
First there came the news that one of our families was finally going to arrive home from the hospitals in west Texas to begin their long recovery from an automobile accident. I’m happy to say that, in time, the healing power of God will allow them to return to a normal life without any long-term debilitating injuries. We thank God for his faithfulness in protecting Bro. Ralph, Sis. Cassandra and little Helena.
Helena has been such a soldier. Even though there have been a number of people from the church and family who have done all they can to help, it has been Helena who has had to assume some responsibilities for helping her mom and dad that most children never have to do. She has been a wonderful blessing to her family.
It was hard enough that they had to endure their painful injuries but Satan roared again and Sis. Hitchcock had to be admitted to the hospital on Wednesday when she began to experience a lot of pain. The doctors did all that medical science can do but, sadly, she passed from this life to the next on Friday morning at about 9:30 AM. Today she is finally at peace. Today she is no longer suffering. Today she is no longer carrying the burden for her children and her husband.
The family will miss her greatly. After 57 years of marriage, Bro. Hitchcock must now face life without her and it will not be easy. Time will ease the grief some but the wonderful memories of their life together will, and should, remain forever.
As a memorial to her life I want to dedicate this service and this message to Sis. Geraldine Hitchcock, to her family and friends, and to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have no doubt that if Sis. Hitchcock were with us this morning that she would be telling me, don’t preach about me, tell people about Jesus. Her life was a shining example of faith, trust, hope and love that are all fruits that we should bear as Children of God.
Sis. Hitchcock always manifested the love of God and she was quick to tell you of her faith in Him and of all the times that Jesus healed her body.
She cheated Satan out of the satisfaction of her death several times and even when the doctors would say that she would not live, she would remain defiant and come back to the battle one more time.
Last Thursday evening I went to see her in the ICU Ward. She was having a rough time concentrating but for one brief moment we were able to communicate as I prayed with her and talked with her. As we spoke I told her that she would be all right and that she was going to be with us in church again.
Well, Sis. Hitchcock, you are in church right now. You’re in the greatest worship service that could ever be. You’re walking and taking with Jesus and with all your family who have gone on before. You are in the place where all of us long to be and there is not one of us, not even Bro. Hitchcock, who would want to call you back to live in this world of sickness, sin and death.
We rejoice this morning for we know that our dear sister is in Heaven’s realms and that she has experienced her “Coronation Day”! She has heard those words, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joys of your Lord”. My, what a happy time she is having right now.
While we will grieve for our own loss, and we will be saddened by your absence (and that’s as it should be), we rejoice with her and we praise God for giving us the hope of eternal life. How sad would this day be if she had not served and known Jesus as her Savior and Lord?
Because Jesus lives we have a great hope this morning. Because Jesus died and rose again, we know that we will rise again when this life is over. They may lay this body of clay into a casket and lower it into a temporary grave, but one day soon, this body will be raised in power, changed into a glorious body like that of Jesus, and be reunited with the spirit that is now in the heavenly realms and then all of us, both living and resurrected dead, will go to meet the Lord in the air.
I want to read some verses to you out of the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. We normally only preach out the King James but I think that you will greater understand what Paul is saying to the Corinthians as we read.
2 Corinthians 5:1-9.
2Co 5:1 our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever.
2Co 5:2 while we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home.
2Co 5:3 we want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.
2Co 5:4 these tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don’t do this just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die.
2Co 5:5 God is the one who makes all of this possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain that he will do it.
2Co 5:6 so always be cheerful! As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord.
2Co 5:7 But we live by faith, not by what we see.
2Co 5:8 we should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord.
2Co 5:9 but whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him.
Friday morning Sister Hitchcock laid down the heavy burden of her sick, weak, frail tent that has been her home for the last 82 years. Her spirit is free now and it won’t be long until she is given that new “tent”, that new body that will live and be forever young and glorious, as God has intended for all men to have since the dawn of Creation when he formed may from the dust of the earth. It was never in God’s will for man to have to face death and God’s will must triumph in the end.
The message that I want to leave with you this morning is not just one of the glorious “home going” of Sis. Hitchcock. The real message that I must give to you this morning is contained in one simple question – WHAT WILL YOUR HOME GOING BE LIKE?
There is not one person living upon the face of the earth who will not face this same moment in time that Sis. Hitchcock has faced. Death is as certain as the life that you now enjoy. Eternity waits beyond the last breath you draw and last beat of your heart and eternity is forever.
What words will be spoken after your passing? Will they be words of praise for the life that you lived like those of Sister Hitchcock? Will a minister be able to stand and speak the truth when you are gone and tell the world how your life was an example to your children, your family and your friends?
Will there be fond memories of how you just decided that the Devil had done enough to hinder the service so you got up out of your seat, walked to the back door of the sanctuary and literally kicked the devil out of the service?
Will anyone be able to say of you that it was your influence that caused so many of your family to turn to Christ?
How many of you will be as faithful to the House of God as Sister Hitchcock was? She would not miss church unless she was unable to force her body do to what her spirit wanted to do. She wouldn’t take no for an answer and there was many times that she would barely be able to walk or even sit up, but she would remain faithful to the end.
Too many people who claim to be Christians let a head cold, or a sore throat keep them from coming to church. It’s not that we feel so bad, it’s that we just don’t have the commitment to “suffer for the Lord” and force ourselves to be faithful to God’s House.
The last question I want to ask, and the most important question I can ask to you this morning is, “Will you have a Coronation Day in Heaven like Sister Hitchcock has had?”
What do I mean by “Coronation Day”?
Revelation 2:10, Jesus is speaking to the church when he says, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer […] be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
That Crown of Life is reserved only for those that know the Lord as their Savior and have accepted his sacrifice upon the cross for their sins. Only those who have surrendered their will to do the will of God will ever receive that crown.
I know that if Sister Hitchcock could speak right now, she would tell me to let you know that you have an eternal decision to make right now. WILL YOU ACCEPT CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND WILL YOU LIVE FOR HIM OR NOT?
This is the most important thing I can ask you? Are you prepared to meet death as Sister Hitchcock was? Are you ready to face Jesus as your loving Savior or will you meet him as your angry Judge?
When we leave this life we are either going to Heaven or we will wake up instantly in the pits of Hell. There is no resting in the grave for the spirit and soul. The body may stay there until the resurrection but the real you, the heart and soul of you, the essence of who you are, your mind, your emotions, your feelings, your very being will be in either the glories of Heaven or the utter darkness and pain of Hell.
The Rich man in the Old Testament died and went straight to Hell. He drew his last breath of air in this life and the next breath he took was nothing but flame and heat in the realms of the lake of fire. He too will be resurrected one day soon but not to receive a new glorious body, only to be condemned and cast right back into the pits forever.
Heaven and Hell are just as real as Life and Death and there is no escaping your destiny.
But, you have a choice right now! Your choice is not whether you will live or die for those choices have already been determined. Your choice is where will you spend eternity?
If Sister Hitchcock could say one last thing to each of you right now, she would be shouting as loudly as she could – CHOOSE HEAVEN! CHOOSE JESUS! DON’T WAIT! DO IT NOW!
Some of you here this morning may be grieving greatly. Your wish is that you could see her one more time. Well you will get that wish. The day is coming that everyone of us will see her again. The question is whether she will ever see you or be able to speak to you again? Will she be able to wrap her arms around you, walk beside the River of Life, or sit under the Tree of Life and ever again be a part of your eternal life?
This is the final message I want to leave with you this morning. I won’t be preaching her funeral service so I am going to take this opportunity to let you know just what will happen.
For those who accept Jesus and live for him, you will get to be with Sister Hitchcock again, forever. You will see her in all her glory. You will see her in perfect health as a young woman full of energy, filled with love and you will know her in a greater measure than you have ever known her before. For eternity you will be able to speak with her, visit with her and your family and friends will be ultimately happy forever. What a time you will have in Heaven with all of them.
For those who do not accept Jesus, who refuse to surrender their lives to His will, who do not forsake the things of this present world to follow after the things of God, you will also see Sister Hitchcock again.
You will see her, and all of the things that I have just described, but you will never be a part of it. You will be right beside the Rich Man in hell and you will be screaming for God to allow her to come and just touch you with a drop of cool water. You will watch the good times happening in Heaven but you will be burning, writhing in pain, screaming with parched lips, tormented in the flames and no one will care, no one will notice, no one will show you love, there will be no mercy, none of these things will ever be.
Yes, you will see her, but you will never speak to her or have her speak back. She will forget that you ever existed. She won’t know you are in hell. She won’t even care or give it a single thought because God is going to wipe every memory of you from her mind. Those who are in Heaven will forever forget those who are in the pits of Hell. They will remember you know more. If they could remember you and knew where you were how could they enjoy Heaven.
God said that he would wipe away every tear from their eyes and that includes every tear that they have every cried over you in prayer.
All of us have family who have gone on to Heaven. Parents, grand parents, brothers, sisters and others, are all waiting for us on the other side.
I don’t know what your choice will be. It seems that the choice is simple. After all, who would choose to spend eternity in a lake of fire?
Yet the fact remains that only a very small number of people will choose to go to Heaven.
I have never held a funeral or been around any family who lost a loved one who would confess that their loved one didn’t go to Heaven. To think about them already burning in hell is incomprehensible. We don’t want to believe that because it would be too hard to bear.
And yet the fact remains that 99 out of 100, or even a greater percentage than that, will be in hell instantly. We may forget the sins of the past and only remember the good things. We may say how wonderful they were, even when we know they lived a rebellious and sinful life, but my friends, God doesn’t forget like we do.
The only way your sins and mine can be forgotten by God is by confessing Jesus and allowing his blood to cleanse that sin from us. There is no other way. No life of good morals or good deeds will earn you Heaven. The only way in is through the Blood of Christ.
Today is a good day to make your choice. Right now is the time that Jesus has appointed for you to hear the gospel. Now is the accepted time for you to be saved.
Where will you spend eternity? Each and every one of us will make that choice right now!
