Funeral for Elderly Christian Lady
We are here to Celebrate life of ___________. Read Obituary.
The thing I will always remember most about ______ is her love for children. When we began children’s ministry______ volunteered to share Bible story week. Over a short period of time kids fell in love with _____ Irene because knew she loved them. Often in our prayer meetings, Irene asked prayer for children at ______School where volunteer foster grandmother. She loved working with those kids. She loved those kids.
The last time I saw _______ at hospital she grown weaker, but nobody knew when pass away. There was sense in my heart that time growing near. So we prayed over her & asked God to have His angel carry her safely into heaven. I left hospital & when I got home I received a text from _____ saying had gone to heaven.
I have been asked to minister this morning from Bible and I want to speak from a very familiar verse—perhaps best known verse in the Bible.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The PROMISE in passage is particularly comforting when one of our loved ones passes away. Irene was very vocal about her commitment to Christ. John 3:16 was a part of who Irene was and is today. The promise of eternal life comes front and center when we are dealing with matters of life and death. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
What is eternal or everlasting life? According to Scripture it is something more than existing forever. In fact, the Bible teaches that every human being will exist forever. Death is simply a transition out of this physical body into another realm. In the story that Jesus told in Luke 16 there were two principle characters: a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. Both men died. Both men continued to exist after they died. The rich man opened his eyes in hades which was a place of torment. The Bible says that the angels of God carried Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom, a place of comfort and peace. The promise we have in John 3:16 is more than just existing forever. The issue is where we will exist forever and what will be our state of being during that existence. Everybody exists forever. But God gave His only begotten Son so that we would have everlasting life—so that we could enjoy God’s kind of life forever and ever. When a Christian dies, we have the assurance that he or she will be carried by the angels into the very presence of God to share in His comfort and joy forever and ever. Death is not the end of the matter. In 2Cor. 5:8 Paul said that being absent from the body for the Christian means being present with the Lord. I’m so glad Jesus made all that possible for the believer. “… whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The reason that is possible for you and me and _____ begins with the heart of God toward us. “For God so loved….” 1 John 4:8 tells us “…God is love.” That is His nature. God loves. Before the world ever existed, God existed, God existed eternally as three persons loving one another perfectly: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “…God is love” and out of a heart of love He made the universe and every thing in existence. He made it so that He could love it. Even when mankind rebelled against Him He continued to love His creation.
Our simple text this morning even talks about the extent of that love. “For God so loved….” Love caused Him to do something that no one could have ever imagined He would do. He gave the most precious thing He had to make everlasting life available to you and me. Love is always expressed in the giving. It’s not mere talk. It’s not just sentimental feelings. Love causes a person to do something good for another person. But here we see the ultimate expression of love. Love caused a Father to give His only Son for our salvation. No wonder there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved but the name of His Son, Jesus. God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation—so that we would not perish but have everlasting life.
2 Peter 3:9 expresses the heart of God toward every human being on the face of the earth. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” The Lord is not willing that any should perish. That is why He gave His only begotten Son. He does not want anyone to self-destruct. He therefore sends a way of escape—Jesus.
Listen to the words of this beautiful song entitled “The Love of God.”
“The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell.” The last verse of that song says, "Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade: To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry, Nor could the scroll contain the whole Though stretched from sky to sky." The words to that last verse were found scratched on the walls of a cell in an insane asylum after person in the cell had died.i Do not underestimate the depths of God’s love. That love can reach way, way down and lift up people like you and me. That love can deliver a soul from bondage. That love can heal the hurts and pains of the past. That love can restore our sanity. That love can give a desperate man or woman, hope and reason for living. “O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!”
Why did God send His only begotten Son to this sin-scorched earth? The next few verses following our text answers that question. John 3:17-21
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be
exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
“God is light and in Him is not darkness at all.” But there is darkness in this world. We can see it in the news. We can see it in the terrible things people do to one another. Lucifer is the god of this world and he inspires wickedness and he turns people toward darkness and ultimate destruction. Verse 19 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” It’s not that God condemns people; but people bring condemnation upon themselves when they choose evil, when they choose darkness rather that light. They are condemned already according to verse 18. But this is not the will of God. This is why God sent His dear Son—so that people could have their sins forgiven and be turned from darkness to light—so that people would not perish in their sins but have everlasting life.
Jesus came to pay the penalty of your sin and my sin. He came because the Father and the Son love us with an everlasting love. Jesus laid down His life on the cross so that we could be saved. This is the hope we celebrate this morning.
What if John 3:16 were not true. What if God did not love the world? What if God chose not to send His Son? What if Jesus had not died for our sins? What if Jesus had not risen from the dead? It would all be hopeless. We would be spinning on a cold, desolate planet on our way to eternal destruction. We not be celebrating our sister’s life; we would be inconsolable.
That’s why the message of Jesus is such good news to all who will receive it. It is the offer of everlasting live. And here is the wonderful thing about all this. God offers salvation to anyone who will receive it. He offers it as a free gift to whosoever will receive it. Yes, you have to receive it. That is the choice we have to make.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
“…whoever believes in Him….” means anyone who will humble himself and ask God for forgiveness of sin; anyone who will acknowledge his need for mercy and forgiveness; anyone who will turn from following his own desires and surrender his life to Christ; anyone who will make those choices can receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.” Rom. 10:9 says that if you will confess with your mouth (acknowledge to other people your faith in Christ) and believe in your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.
I’m going to give you an opportunity to do that right here and right now. If you’re a Christian this morning I want you to do this with us. If you want to be a Christian, then now is the time to ask God to forgive you of your sins and now is the time to receive Him as your Savior. Everyone bow your heads with me. And if you want to receive Christ as your Savior, pray this prayer with me. After we pray, I’m going to ask everyone who acknowledges Christ as Savior to raise your hand.
But first, if you want to give your life over to God and have Him lead your life in the right direction, pray this prayer with me.
“Dear, God I know I have sinned and need your forgiveness. I know that You sent Jesus to die on the cross for me so that I could have everlasting life. I know I need that from You and
that You alone can give that to me. So right now, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Right now I turn from going my my own way and commit my life and my eternity to You. Come into my life and make the changes that need to happen. I receive you as my Lord and Savior right now! Thank you Jesus for forgiving me of my sin and coming into my heart and life. Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer and meant it, I want you to now stand along with all the other Christians here as a public confession of your faith. You may be seated.
Before we conclude I want to read a wonderful promise made to Christians in 1 Cor 15:50-56
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed -- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O Death, where is your sting?O Hades, where is your victory?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He has gone to prepare a place for us that where He is we may be also. Today we take comfort in that fact as we celebrate ______’s life with the wonderful expectation of being reunited with her in heaven. God bless each of you.
END NOTE
i From http://www.tanbible.com/tol_sng/sng_theloveofgod.htm
