Dearly beloved, we are gathered together today to pay our last respects to _________________________ and to offer our condolences to family and friends.
EULOGY:
Born:_____________________ Passed:__________________ ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Preceded in death by:_________________________________
______________________________________________________
Survived by:__________________________________________
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Psalm 116:15/ "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." PRAYER
I. When we are confronted with many of life’s issues, we tend to ask a question that in it’s entirety only has three letters in it’s sentence....and that is WHY?
We many times question circumstances and events that evade the finite mind for comprehension all the time trying to reason within ourselves possible answers so that we might be able to justify ourselves for our actions and behavior...even to the point of making ourselves belive that the things we choose to believe in make us right! We are okay! There is no black-and-white...no right or wrong...only shades of gray that comfort our hearts and minds to the thought that we are not wrong in whatever we choose to believe.
And yet other times we question God’s sovereign will in allowing certain things to go on in this world seemingly unchecked in society today....murders, rape, beatings, child abandonment, child abuse and child molestation...oh the list goes on! We see it in the news every day!
Yes, we as preachers are plagued with this question by many who say they would believe in God and accept His Lordship IF we could answer that "age-old" question...WHY?... WHY?...
And when we attemp to give an acceptable answer to them...that is, that God gives the "free-will" choice for us to live our lives in the way that we choose to..in hopes that we will choose to believe in Him WILLINGLY and accept His sovereign will for what it is...and you know what? IT NEVER SEEMS TO BE QUITE GOOD ENOUGH AN ANSWER!!! Because it then goes to BUT WHY? You see, now the question has doubled in length by adding three more letters...one more word...and the answer seems to delve deeper into the unexplained!
And all the while many of these people who never seem to find their answers are slipping out into eternity and meeting the creator with still the same question:
WHY?
II. Today I will try to render you a satisfactory answer to the question of "WHY" by adressing the question of "WHEN", as I speak to you on the subject that I have entitled "WHEN DEATH IS PRECIOUS".
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints".
Death is precios when the family pet finally passes away quietly while laying at its’ master’s feet; having been faithful to its’ master until it drew its’ final breath.
Yet death is precious when the family pet has gotten so old that its’ master just simply couldn’t stand to see the cherished pet suffering in pain every day and finally consents to have it euthanized so as to end its’ suffering...what a painful yet merciful decision it is to have to make that choice.
One of my favorite times of the year to go back in the area of my birthplace is the autumn season. The "FALL" of the year...We look around outside today and the landscape is mostly the color green from the leaves of the trees and grass; but during the autumn season the leaves begin to die as the trees prepare for their "winter death". Death is precious to many people during the autumn season because they realize that in order for them to look upon the beautiful colors of the leaves that have turned their various shades of red, yellow, gold, and brown that DEATH HAD TO OCCUR ALL AROUND THEM in order to see all the beauty of God’s great handiwork!
But God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy doesn’t allow death in this world to be the final destination of life!...just here on earth as we now know it!
He has given charge to nature that He created to allow the time of death during the winter season to the landscape, but that when its’ due season has passed to allow life to "SPRING FORTH" into the landscape and life begins fresh and anew in the spring season.
Death is precious when the family of the loved one has made the decision to "pull the plug" of the life support machines and allow God and the loved one to decide whether they will stay on this side of life or to venture beyond this life and go into the realm of the next...for you see, God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy has given charge to the soul of man to LIVE ON FOREVER and when this old body that our soul lives in has come to the place where it dies, then the body goes back to the dust from which it was created, but the soul goes back to GOD WHERE THE FINAL DECISION is made as to where it will spend ETERNITY. And, yes, you do have a say in where your soul will spend eternity... but the choice you make for your soul and where it will live forever HAS TO BE MADE ON THIS SIDE OF LIFE!
HEBREWS 9:27 in the Bible states this fact: "AND IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MEN ONCE TO DIE, BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGEMENT". And I stand before you today and urge you to make that decision if you have not already done so..."WHEN?"...NOW, because if you wait until your physical body dies, then you have waited TOO LATE to change your mind about where you will spend eternity and the decision will be made FOR YOU!...and no choice will you have in the matter. It is said by many that by not choosing to accept the Lord and follow Him in this life, you have already made your decision, whether realizing it or not, where you will spend eternity.
WHEN DEATH IS PRECIOUS...Death is precious when the elderly call their family together and tell them that their time is short, having lived rich, full lives and the family prepares for their final good-byes...
Death is precious when those that are involved in an accident that would have rendered them halt or mamed for the duration of their life but God spared them the suffering by taking them on to glory....
Yet death is also precious too when the young and innocent that should have been allowed to live and grow old but were victimized by violent crime, or neglect, or abuse and are taken so early in life...
WHY? Again, in our attemps to answer this question we must remind ourselves that it may be because many people in the world today, having been given the same free-will choice, DID NOT choose to live in harmony with others while abiding by His laws and the laws of the land!
But someone very considerate of the families that have suffered such a tragic loss such as this has comforted them with words such as these: "GOD MUST HAVE NEEDED ONE MORE FLOWER IN HIS HEAVENLY BOUQUET AND THIS WAS THE ONE HE NEEDED FOR THIS DAY"....
Considering the harmony and life’s instructions that God gave to mankind I am reminded of what He told Moses to tell the people AFTER He had instructed Moses to hew the tables of stone for the SECOND set of the 10 commandments after Moses had broken the FIRST set due to the disobedience of the people...
Deuteronomy 11:26-28... 26) "Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27) A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; 28) and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way that I command you this day".
And I am persuaded today to remind us all that God is speaking that same thing to us...that He has set before us blessings and curses; He wants us to get along and live in harmony and LOVE one another!
Friends and neighbors, all of us should repent of any ill-feelings, or hatred, or bitterness, or strife that we may have against any!
I am sure that many of you here today have fond memories of the dearly departed, but how many of you are remembering something that may have caused ought between yourself and the deceased...or another that is here today? Yes, it happens even between family and friends, but folks, NOW is the time to make it right!
Let us not leave here today without getting out of our lives anything that God would be displeased with!
III. Death is precious today because this loved one; kin-folk; or friend is lying here in state and I believe that if this one could speak to us today, the departed would be telling us to make peace with our maker and with each other and be ready for when God might just need one of us to be the next flower in His heavenly bouquet!
Yes my friend, you can be sure of your eternal destination today. HOW? By repenting of you sins and asking the Lord Jesus into your heart and life.
WHEN? TODAY!!!
John 3:16 & 17/ 16) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17) For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved".
Romans 10: 9 & 10 states this: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteosness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation".
And verses 11 and 13 add to this point...11) For the scripture sayeth, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed". 13) "For whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved".
"WHEN DEATH IS PRECIOUS"......Death is precious today because _______________________is at peace with family, friends, and neighbors...but more importantly..
at peace with God...no more suffering...no more pain...
no more heartache...no more special needs... beacuse all of this one’s needs are met where God Himself wipes away the tears of His people!!!
"WHEN DEATH IS PRECIOUS"
"PRECIOUS IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD IS THE DEATH OF HIS SAINTS"...... Closing Prayer
