-
The Wages Of Sin
Contributed by T.j. Conwell on May 19, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: Funeral service for a believer; plan of salvation for those in attendance. (Name removed out of respect and replaced with gender specific title.)
- 1
- 2
- Next
I believe that this servant of the Lord would want to let others have an opportunity to know this Savior of hers, and the simplest way to do that is to share with you some of her favorite bible verses, also known as “The Romans Road”.
Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
This means that none of us is perfect. That each of us has faults that will never stand up to the purity of God. It means that no matter what we try to do, it will never stand up to God’s perfection. The good news for us today is that there is one who was willing to stand for all of us. There is one who was able to defeat death, hell, and the grave through the cross of Calvary. There is one who has provided a way that we would have a chance to be in Heaven forever, where I know she is today.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This verse gives us the assurance that each of us deserves death because it is the payment for sin – and there is not one thing that any of us can do to pay that debt because we have sinned against God. However, look at the love and mercy God has given us. He has given us a gift; a gift that not one of us could give, but that we had to be given this gift by God Himself. It is through the gift of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, that we can obtain eternal life forever!
Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God knew that we would blow it. God knew that we would need a way to build a bridge between Him and us because He is a pure God, and cannot be in the presence of sin. It is because of our sin, our failures, because we were so deceived into believing the lies of the enemy that we fell away from the love of God and the perfect relationship He had planned for us and Him. Because we are still sinners today, God still sent His Son to die for us – and that Son went to His death freely because He was obedient to His Father.
Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess 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 confess and are saved.”
This is the choice that each of us has to make today. If there was ever one thing that anyone who has gone to heaven could say, it would be to tell you that the choice of Jesus is worth it. If you were to die today without Jesus as your Savior, your eternity would be decided immediately and that would be an eternity in a place called hell. But, because you were so loved – you have a choice today. Because we are still here on this Earth, we still have a choice that can be made. That choice is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and to live your life for Him.
If there was a way that we could see her today, we would see that there is no more cancer, no more walkers, no more oxygen tanks, no more pain … but peace and serenity in a NEW glorified body, walking side by side with her Jesus. I believe that we will see her again one day, but only if you pass from this Earth in the same way that she did – with Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
As our special music plays, maybe today you need to make a choice. Maybe today you need to choose Jesus. What a wonderful way to honor this servant of the Lord, than to turn today into the day that your name is written in Heaven forever. I would love to introduce you to Jesus, and I make you this promise – that when your life on this Earth is over, you will walk in a place that can be described as unimaginable. It is a place called Heaven that Jesus went to receive you when you accept Him as your Lord and Savior.
-- Graveside Service --
God’s Word says in the 23rd Psalm …
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.