A funeral sermon for one who did not get to church, but whom God searched
out and visited in his latter days.
In der Liebe Christi,
Rev. Kurt Hering, Pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church
Layton, UT
"________ Gain and Yours"
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, who
sends His Holy Spirit to comfort you even now in your grief with these words
recorded by St. Paul:
TEXT: But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me
have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has
become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my
chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become
confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. .
. .
For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer
and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest
expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all
boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is
gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet
what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two,
having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being
confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for
your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more
abundant in Jesus Christ,. . . and not in any way terrified by your
adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation,
and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not
only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same
conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me. Phil 1:12-14, 19-26,
28-30
Dear family & friends,
You have seen and experienced your share of suffering. The past few weeks,
months and years have been a long haul for you. And there have been many
times you have wondered why. There were many times that ________ wondered
the same thing - why wouldn't God just take him and get it over with. And
yet, he hung on - showing just how valuable life is and how man is not meant
to die.
Your dear husband and father's struggle was certainly no fun for him, and
deeply disturbing to you - perhaps beyond understanding how a loving God
could allow such a thing to happen.
Well, Paul tells us in the Scripture lesson you just heard. He gives us the
answer to such questions -- if we are willing to hear and except it. "The
things which happened to [_______] have actually turned out for the
furtherance of the gospel, . . . [they] will turn out for . . .
deliverance." That is through all of what _________ went through, God was
working good that some who would hear the Word of Christ for the forgiveness
of sins in the midst of _________'s sufferings would believe and be saved.
For there were some, including _______ himself, that just wouldn't hear the
Word if it weren't for being laid flat. There are always just so many
wonderful things to do out there, too many opportunities that might be
missed, too many fish to catch, to take time out of our weekends and
vacations to hear the Word. But it is only through the Word that anybody is
saved and given eternal life with God in heaven.
So sometimes, God must take drastic measures for our sake -- not because He
is angry with us or doesn't care, but because He does, . . . and because He
loves us too much to let us go without a fight.
I can't tell you exactly why God allowed so much suffering in _______'s life
for so long. I don't know if it was for his sake, or for yours, . . . or for
someone unknown to us that heard the Word of Christ while ________ was in
hospital or at _______ Care Center.
But what I do know is that God sent the Word of Christ to _______ in those
times so he would know that God loved Him and sent His Son to suffer, die,
and rise in victory over death that he and everyone who believes will live
forever.
For a long time your dear ________, like the apostle Paul, was "hard pressed
between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far
better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh [was] more needful for you," . .
. Or maybe for ________ himself, . . . or for someone else we don't even
know.
But this much we do know: while everyone runs away from God and has better
things to do until God breaks into his life and sets him straight, God is
always seeking out the lost that all might be saved. So, whether by life or
by death, remember that no matter how we might suffer, "to live is Christ,
and to die is gain."
In the midst of ________'s suffering and death, the love of Christ was made
known to him and many others. And in Christ's suffering and death was
________'gain and yours -- the forgiveness of all your sins and the gift of
eternal life - in the name of the Father and of the+ Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen
____________________________________________________________
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