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ohn 11 2016 FOURTH Download

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We’ve come to share in the loss of (name of the deceased).

We’ve come to weep, to feel, to hope, and to wonder in
anguish.

We don’t come today with any glib answers. Let’s face it: This is tough stuff.
We’re stunned. We’re hurting. We don’t understand.

It might be difficult to believe, but the Bible says that it’s actually good for us to
be here today. In Ecclesiastes 7:2, God says, “It is better to go to a house of
mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every
person; the living should take this to heart.” In other words, God says it’s better
IN THIS ISSUE
to go to a funeral than to a party. It’s better to be in a cemetery than at a football
game. I think there are at least three reasons for this.
Total Member Involvement

First, this is a time for us to celebrate the life that God gave to (name). We’re sad
but we also want to remember his/her uniqueness. (Read obituary.) Total Member Involvement: A Call To
Action
Second, it’s a time for us to say good-bye to (name). As hard as it is, this service
will help us begin the process of letting go.
MASSIVE EVANGELISM ON A PERSONAL SCALE

And, third, it’s a time for us to take a look at our own lives. We are all going to Massive Evangelism On A Personal
die someday. It’s a great time to ask some tough questions, questions like, “Am I Scale: How Rwanda Reached 100,000
ready to die?” When it comes right down to it, this service is more for those who Baptisms Through TMI
are living than for the person who has died.

I. A MESSAGE FROM THE BIBLE TMI And Visionary Leadership

And so today, we’re going to remember, we’re going to say good-bye, and we’re SERVING DURING THE SERVICES OF THE CHURCH
going to reflect on our own lives. Some of you are searching for answers today. I
Serving During The Services Of The
want you to know that it’s okay to ask those questions. It’s natural to wonder
Church: Ministering To The Bereaved
why this had to happen.
And Serving At Funerals

There’s a story in the Bible that addresses some of the same things that most of
us are feeling today. It’s found in the Gospel of John, in the eleventh chapter. Winning The Worship Wars > part 2
Here we read of a funeral that involved hard questions, deep feelings, and
budding hope.
Safety While Serving
The deceased is a man named Lazarus. He comes from a very close family;
among them are two sisters, Mary and Martha. Like (name), Lazarus came from
No Harsh Words Nor Debating Spirit >
a good family and had a bunch of friends—and one of his best friends was Jesus.
part 1

Jesus arrives four days after Lazarus dies, and as He approaches the house full
of weeping people, both sisters run out to Him at separate times and say, “Lord, Stewardship And Joy
if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

I suspect some of you are asking “if” questions as well. “If only I had spent more Jesus Is The Light Of The World

time with him/her.” “If only I had been nicer.” “If only I had done this or that.”
These kinds of “if” questions are normal. But don’t blame yourself. It’s not What Is Jesus Trying To Say?
healthy, and it’s not right.

Well, if we’re not supposed to blame ourselves, then maybe God is to blame for CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC

this. That’s precisely the implication both Mary and Martha make when they are Is It Honoring God? Should It Be Used
grieving over the death of their brother: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother In Church Services?
would not have died.”

WHY OUR CHURCHES NEED TO BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I learned long ago that it’s really senseless to either accuse God or try to defend
Him. But neither is it sinful to question Him. Some of you are wondering why Why Our Churches Need To Be On
God would allow this to happen. It’s okay for you to ask these kinds of questions. Social Media: Tips To Get Your Social
Jesus does not scold these sisters for suggesting that perhaps their brother’s Media Ministry Started
death was His fault.
GLOBAL HEALTH ISSUES
You shouldn’t feel guilty for wondering if there was something God could have
done. God could have kept (name) from dying, but for some reason, He didn’t. Global Health Issues: HIV-AIDS

II. IT WAS HIS/HER TIME

Values

Ecclesiastes 3:2 reminds us that there is a time to be born and a time to die.
While we don’t understand why (name) died, we do know it was his/her time to Commitment To Health And Healing
die.

As we continue with the story of Lazarus, we find the shortest verse in the A Church Pastor's Dream List
entire Bible. Surrounded by family and friends, Jesus is deeply moved and asks
where the body of Lazarus is. When He views Lazarus, He could have said
Preaching Powerfully: Is It Possible? >
something profound. Instead, John 11:35 tells us what Jesus did: “Jesus wept.”
part 3 of 6

Here is Jesus of Nazareth, the world’s most complete, most perfect man,
attending the funeral of a friend and openly weeping, without embarrassment Lessons From Daniel 7
and without apology. In fact, those watching Him said, “See how much He loved
him!“
The Worship Experience We Long For:

If you feel like crying today, don’t hold back. If it was okay for Jesus to cry, it’s The Why Of Worship

okay for you to cry. God feels your pain—He wants you to let it out—and to let
Him in on your feelings. He wants to help you work through everything you’re
feeling. He wants to be a part of your life. God knows what it’s like to hurt. One VIEW ALL ISSUE CONTENTS
day He lost a family member, too, His one and only Son.

(Name) was not planning to die when he/ she did, but since life is like a vapor
that appears for a little while and then passes away, it was his/ her time to go.

III. LIFE IS UNPREDICTABLE

Friends, none of us know what will happen to us. Our lives are very fragile,
aren’t they? Proverbs 27:1 reminds us to not boast about tomorrow because we
don’t know what a day will bring forth. Some people are always bragging about
what they’re going to do, and they never do anything. “One of these days I’m
going to do this.” “I’ll tackle that later.” But, later may never come.

This passage gives us two very significant reasons why we should never
presume upon the future:

• Life is unpredictable. We don’t even know what will happen tonight, much less
next week or next year. No one can predict the future.

• Life is brief. Our lives are like a mist that appears for a little while and then
vanishes. The Greek word here is the word atmos, from which we get the word
“atmosphere,” which is the invisible layer of water vapor that encircles our
planet. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are like a mist.

Friends, life is too unpredictable and too brief to live it without God at the
center. We count our lives in years, but God tells us in Psalm 90:12 to number
our days. The truth of the matter is that all of us are just one heartbeat away
from eternity. In 1 Samuel 20:3, David said, “Yet as surely as the Lord lives and
as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”

Our lives are like a vapor—here one minute and gone the next. Decide today to
give your life to Jesus. Don’t put off this decision.

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies.” Do you
believe this? If not, don’t waste another minute of the only life you have. Right
now, right here, decide to pin all your hopes on Jesus Christ, and Him alone, who
exchanged His life for yours, and who, in the next life, will greet you on the
other side, if you receive Him into your life now.

CONCLUSION

Now that (name) is resting, with cherished memories we therefore commit this
body to its resting place—earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust—knowing
that the end of all flesh is the grave; but that in God is our eternal hope.

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