Heavenly Father, we bow before Your holiness and power. We thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ — that He died on the cross for our sins, that He rose again for our justification — and that now we have eternal life in Him. We see that these mortal remains before which we stand are only the ashes of a life that has already passed into Your glory. We thank You that the soul of our brother is now with You, and that one day we shall come to be with him. Father, bless all his loved ones and relatives, and give them Your comfort and Your wisdom, that they may come to know You. All this we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
It is hard to speak at moments such as this. Silence, as at no other time, closes the mouths of people. Grief for one so dear has set its seal upon this mourning gathering. And yet in the Bible we read that the day of death is worth more than the day of birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2).
A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2)
Grieving family, relatives, friends and neighbors of the departed, brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Today we have gathered to honor a life worthily lived and to carry these mortal remains of the departed to the grave. When we stand beside a grave and a coffin, all of us ask ourselves the question, “Where do the dead go?” But neither this coffin nor this grave gives us an answer to that question. Some of those present here know about God; others do not. Yet we have only one answer, from God, through the Bible, which is His Word.
THE TRUE FRIEND
A certain man had three friends. He knew that he could rely on them. But it so happened that the man was accused of various crimes and summoned before the court. And so, having need of defenders, he asked his friends to testify on his behalf and to defend him. The day came when the faithfulness of his friends was put to the test.
When he asked them for help, the first answered that he could not accompany him, since he had commitments of his own. The second accompanied him as far as the courthouse door, but did not go inside; he turned around and went back home. The third not only accompanied him and went inside, but testified for him in such a way that the man was acquitted. What is more, this third friend won the favor of the supreme judge for the accused.
What is the meaning of this short parable? A person has three friends on this earth. How do they treat him when the hour of death comes? The first friend is one’s property. It is the first to leave him, for it cannot accompany him into the world beyond. The second friend of a person is his loved ones and relatives. They accompany him to the grave, but from there they return again to their homes.
The third, whom many do not even recognize as a friend, is in fact their true friend — the Lord Jesus Christ. If He is your friend, then know that He will never leave you. Trust Him completely. He will never reject you or disappoint you. Jesus wants to accompany you through all the days of your life, and when those days come to an end, to bring you before the Master of the world and the Judge of the living and the dead. There He will testify for you, and you will be acquitted and welcomed into the kingdom of God.
From the moment of his physical death until the moment of his resurrection, the believer is in Christ’s presence. The true Christian confidently confesses together with the apostle Paul:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Here is the wonderful and never-failing spring of Christian joy. In the midst of the greatest sufferings the Christian does not cease to draw from it and to refresh his soul with its reviving streams.
THE HOPE IN CHRIST
In his remarkable book “The Inferno,” the great Dante placed above the gate of hell the inscription: “Abandon all hope, you who enter here.” Indeed, in hell there is no hope. There it is dead. In heaven there is no hope either — there it is fulfilled. Hope exists only on earth.
What do you hope in throughout your life? In strength and ability, or in social standing? But is there anything lasting in this world? What is our life? It is like the morning mist, which appears for a little while and then vanishes. It is good for a person to hope in something. But what shall we hope in, when everything here is temporary and fleeting?
True hope is built on the promises of God, in which our soul trusts without any doubt. If it is built on our imagination or our desires, our hope will pass like a breath of air. But there is one true, eternal hope — the hope in Christ. In John 14:1-3 He said to His disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)
In 1 John 3:2-3 the apostle John adds:
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)
We grieve for our loved ones, but not as the unbelieving, for whom there is no hope. Our hope is sure. It is sealed with the blood of the Lamb of God and with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We do not say a “final farewell,” but “until we meet again,” because we have the assurance of God’s Word that we shall see one another once more (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
One day, at the coming of Christ, our bodies will be changed and we shall rise from the dead.
WHERE ARE WE FLYING?
Job says, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle” (Job 7:6). And in Psalm 90:10 Moses adds that the years “quickly pass, and we fly away.” Every day our loved ones and acquaintances fly away. We too fly away. But the question is: “Where are we flying?” That depends on the direction we have taken. And the direction is determined by the road on which we walk. There are only two roads — the wide and the narrow.
The wide road — the road of sin, on which the multitude of this world walks — leads to destruction. But the narrow road — the road of repentance and faith in the Lord, the road of purity and holiness, of self-restraint, righteousness and love — leads to eternal life. May our flight not be toward destruction, but toward blessed eternity, toward the new heaven and the new earth in which righteousness dwells!
In the letter to the Hebrews 9:27 it is said, “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” What will our sentence be? Eternal condemnation together with Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41):
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41)
Or shall we say together with the apostle Paul (2 Timothy 4:7-8):
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
TWO KINDS OF DEATH
In this world there is nothing more certain than death. Everything else may pass us by or spare us, but death will surely come to every person. No one will ever escape its sharp scythe. Death is near. King David once said, “there is but a step between me and death.” This is true of every one of us, yet almost no one wishes to think about it. Life is weak and fragile, and it snaps like the threads of a spider’s web.
We too shall die, but how? In the Bible we read of only two kinds of death — dying “in the Lord” and dying “in one’s sins.”
In Revelation 14:13 it is said:
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)
For the Christian, death is gain. Through it comes our gathering together with the Lord and all the saints. The righteous person dies with hope and longs for that hour, because for him death is not the end, but a door into fellowship with the Lord. In the letter to the Philippians 1:23 the apostle Paul says, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.”
The other kind of death is dying “in one’s sins.” In the Gospel according to John 8:24 the Lord Jesus said, “if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” What was He saying about Himself? That He is the Son of God, that He is the Savior of humanity. This Savior said further, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). God desires to give this eternal life to every person. Our departed one received this life and died in the Lord. And what will your death be? Now is the moment to consider!
WHEN MUST A PERSON REPENT?
Whether he wills it or not, every person at the end of his life will be brought before the gates of eternity. And that end may come at any moment.
Someone once asked a servant of God, “When must a person repent?”
— Fifteen minutes before he dies! — he answered.
— But who knows the moment of his own death?! — objected those who had asked him.
— That is precisely why you must repent at once! — the servant of God replied.
There are two gates of eternity. One leads into hell, and the other — into the presence of God. Christ said, “I am the door.” You who are now listening to these words have the time you need. So make use of the opportunity! Repent of your sins! Wash yourself of them in the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and enter through the door of life!
ENOUGH INFORMATION
A believing doctor was called to a gravely ill patient. During the examination the sick man murmured:
— Doctor, I am afraid of death, terribly afraid. Tell me, what awaits me beyond, after death?
— I do not know — the doctor answered.
— What?! You, who are a believing Christian, do you really not know what there is after death?
The doctor did not answer, but went to the door and opened it. At once his dog came into the room and began to leap about him, expressing in this way its joy at being able to be with its master. Then the doctor said to the sick man:
— Did you watch the dog? It had never been in this room; it knew not a single object in it. It knew only one thing — that its master was on the other side of the door — and the moment I opened it, it came in with great joy. I know very little about what awaits us after death, but one thing I do know: my Lord Jesus Christ is on the other side of the door. That is enough for me. And when the door through which I must pass opens for me, I will pass through it with thankfulness and joy.
According to God’s Word, death is not the end, but a door into the presence of God! In 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 we read:
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)
THE WARNINGS OF DEATH
A certain man made an agreement with Death, according to which Death was obliged to warn the man when the end of his life drew near, so that he would have time to prepare. Until then he would enjoy life without thinking about death and eternity.
Years passed. One day Death suddenly stood before him and said:
— Come, it is time!
Indignant, the man cried out:
— You did not keep your word. You had promised me that you would warn me of your coming, so that I could prepare for my journey into eternity.
— What! — cried Death — how are you not ashamed to say that I have come without warning?! And what, in your view, were all the illnesses you passed through? They were sent to you to remind you of my coming. Every funeral procession you have met; every burial you have attended — did they not remind you of my coming for you? Every obituary you have read should have reminded you that one day I would come for you as well, and that you therefore had to prepare yourself to meet me. I warned you — and not only once. Come now, let us go!
And the poor man was forced to go. But he was not ready. Are you ready for the last journey that lies before you?
THE LAND OF HEAVEN
In the Revelation of John 7:17 and 21:4 it is said:
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ (Revelation 7:17)
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
This is a land where there are no tears, nor sickness, a land where there is no pain, nor death. The people who live there never grow weary, never grow old. No one says “goodbye” to anyone, for there is no parting there and no disappointment. In the land of which I speak there is no sin, for there no one does wrong. There are no misfortunes there at all. You could travel thousands of miles and nowhere would you see graveyards or funeral processions. Never would you see black upon the doors, for there no one dies. This is the land where the flowers never lose their fragrance, where the leaves are forever green.
You will ask me, how do I know all this? Have I been there? No, I have not yet had the privilege of visiting that wondrously beautiful land, but others have been there. And One who lived there a long, a very long time, came and told many things about it — the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He said that this land is called HEAVEN. Hear His own words concerning those who are His (John 17:24):
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. (John 17:24)
He went back again, but soon He will return once more and take us to His homeland. From the moment He told us this, we are in ceaseless longing to go there. This is the land of which I have tried to tell you. Would you not come as well? Why not begin your preparation for the journey even now? It is not hard. Simply open your heart to Jesus Christ, the King of this land, and ask Him to come into your life and to save you. Then you too will come to love this land, as do all who are His. And when your earthly road comes to an end, you will enter into this beautiful land to dwell there forever. Amen.
May the peace of God, which no mind can grasp, keep watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ our Lord; and may the grace of God be with your spirit! Amen!