Funeral Service: Jesus Is the Resurrection and the Life
John 11:25-27
Sermon by Rick Crandall)
(Prepared February 28, 2024)
BACKGROUND
*This message was preached for the funeral of a longtime Christian friend who was known for his kindness to others. I will call him John Smith.
SONG 1
WELCOME AND THANKS:
*On behalf of John's family, thank you for being here today. Thank you also for your prayers, food, and many other expressions of love for John and his family.
OBITUARY:
*We are gathered together this morning in loving memory of Mr. John Smith. John was born on January 1st, 1944, and last Friday, he was surrounded by his loving family when John went to his eternal home in Heaven. . .
*ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT REASONS WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY IS TO HELP FIND COMFORT FOR OUR LOSS.
*It is always hard for us to say good-bye to someone we love. But please know that our grief in times like this is not a sign of weak faith. It is simply the natural result of losing someone we love. We seldom have much sorrow over the deaths of people we don't know, but when we lose someone that we are close to, there will always be pain.
*An old friend explained it best to me after her godly daddy passed away. She said, "I know he's gone to Heaven, -- But he's gone." That's what hurts, -- so it's okay to grieve and cry. But where can we find the comfort that we need?
*Family and friends can help us in times like this. They are a gift from God. But our greatest source of comfort is God Himself. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our cares on Him, because He cares for us. And God really does care. He knows what you're going through right now. He can relate to your pain.
*And you may wonder how the God of the whole universe could relate to the pain you are going through. But our Heavenly Father knows what it's like to go through the death of His only begotten Son. And Isaiah 53 tells us that Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Also remember that when Jesus was here on earth, sometime along the way, His adoptive father Joseph must have passed away. The Bible doesn't give us the details, but we never see Joseph again after Jesus was 12 years old.
*God knows exactly what you're going through. He cares much for us much more than we can comprehend. And when His disciples were troubled on the night before the cross, Jesus comforted them with these words from John 14:
1. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4. And where I go you know, and the way you know.''
5. Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?''
6. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
PRAYER: Let's trust in these words from Jesus today, as we go to God in prayer.
EULOGY: We are here to help find comfort for our loss, but we are also here to honor John's life. Romans 13:7 tells us to give "honor to whom honor" is due. And there is no doubt that John deserves our honor today. (Testimonies from John's daughter and a lifelong friend.)
SONG 2: "It Is Not Death to Die" (1)
MESSAGE:
*Family and friends: The best thing I can tell you to do today is trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord, and keep trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. In John chapter 11, one of Jesus’ best friends had died. His name was Lazarus. And Lazarus' two sisters Mary and Martha were going through the same kind of pain that you have today.
*When Jesus got close to their village, Martha went to meet Him and she said, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Martha said that because she knew Jesus could heal any disease. He had already done it countless times. But Jesus wanted Martha to keep trusting Him even when her heart was full of sorrow. He also wanted her to know that He is the only source of eternal life. So Jesus said this to Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?''
